The group was in Demon World a couple weeks before sign up. Some of them split apart for now only to meet up again at Gandara, the demon metropolis that Yomi once reigned over. Gandara, was where the headquarters was at for sign up.

Hiei was with Mukuro signing up. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama were waiting for their turn. The line had kept growing. Hoshimi was further down from them. She was in her human disguise with her parasol. Jin, Toya, and the rest of the gang were spread throughout the line as well waiting for their turn.

A demon behind Hoshimi started to drool as he watched her. Another demon was shaking his head. "We can't the rule is still in place."

"Yeah, but that's a human," the drooling demon licked his chops. He sniffed her but the odor from the parasol was Kurama's scent as a fox demon. He didn't want Hoshimi to be bombarded by demons when she was in her human disguise so he gifted her a parasol with his scent emitting from it. The demon backed away.

"What's the matter?" The other demon was curious.

"She's taken," the demon whispered. "Some demon claimed her. Smell her for yourself."

The other demon sniffed her as well. "She is!"

Taken! Hoshimi overheard their conversation. What do I smell like? She sniffed herself. Ugh! I do smell like I'm taken. That Shuichi!

The line was long but eventually all of the demons were signed up. Yomi was with Shura talking to some demons afterwards. Hoshimi spotted him. She headed over as if it was nothing even though she was in a different form.

"Yomi, it's me," she spoke low enough for only him to hear. She was near him but not next to him. "It's Hoshimi. I am disguised but I'm with a parasol. Do I smell off besides the human part?"

Yomi sniffed the air and then smirked. He knew that scent. It was Kurama's demon scent. He whispered something to Shura. Shura nodded and headed over to Hoshimi. He stopped as he saw her. He looked away before repeating the words.

"Be careful, this demon who marked his scent on you," Shura spoke his father's exact words. "Is someone that you have been hiding from." He left back to Yomi.

Hoshimi gulped. I'm found out. It was only a matter a time. And he marked me! Wait, he marked me? The Hell? This was given to me by Shuichi. Hoshimi sniffed herself some more, even the parasol. Do they know one another? That sly fox. She giggled to herself. What am I thinking? He's going to kill me for what I've done.

The day of the tournament, the demons were lined up again to choose their number. Demons were announcing the names and numbers to those.

"We have five thousand and four hundred demons signed up," one announcer was commenting on. He started to read off names to the lottery numbers. The screens showed which demon entered up in which match. There were one hundred and twenty fights with forty-five demons each for the preliminaries. The fights were still on gargantuan Okunen trees. The last demon standing would head onto the main tournament.

The demons were waiting around for the rest of the blocks to be filled. Team Isae found their sponsor. She was watching the screens.

"Well if it isn't our little lucky Sheila," Chu grinned. "Come here to spread the luck around I see."

"Why are you on the tournament floor and not with the audience?" Suzuki crossed his arms and tilted his head.

"She's competing as well that's why," Toya pointed out.

Hoshimi gave them a small grin. The rest were surprised.

"Ahh, none of us are going to stand a chance now," Rinku pouted. "I hope at least you ended up in a different block. I at least want to make it to the main tournament again."

"I am," Hoshimi reassured. "I was the last one to fill up that block over there." She pointed out.

"Whew," Jin's ears perked up. He spied Yusuke and the gang. "Hey Urameshi!" He waved him over. The group became bigger with those four.

Hiei could smell the odor. "I thought you were above marking your territory." He smirked.

"I know she could handle things on her own but I could not pass up a chance to scare others away from her," Kurama smirked back. "And I've only marked the parasol with my scent."

Before Hiei could reply, Yusuke was taken aback that Hoshimi was participating as well. The attention around them drew in curious onlookers.

"Not so loud," Hoshimi tried to quiet him. "But yes I am competing. Why not? I would be a great Queen."

"You'd be in perpetual hiding and the demon world would be in shambles," Yusuke blurted out.

"My wish was granted so I could that would not be necessary, besides I only have to show up to meetings and ceremonies," Hoshimi looked away.

"What would happen if Kurama showed up?" Yusuke spoke without thinking.

Kurama flinched at that question. Hiei shook his head in disappointment. Kuwabara did not know what to do. The others were in the same boat.

"I'll face my consequences with him," Hoshimi stood her ground. "I am not afraid."

Yusuke looked over to Kurama who held a poker face. The group chatted some more before the last name and numbers were drawn. They were all about to split up when the current King, Enki, and the rest of Raizen's friends came up to them. The group turned to face them. Hoshimi lit up.

"Uncle Enki!" She transformed into her single tail fox form while running over to him. Her parasol was at least hiding her ears and tail from on-lookers.

"Uncle Enki?" Yusuke rubbed his chin. Kurama shrugged his shoulders as Hiei tried to contain his laughter. The others looked to one another trying to figure this out.

"Little Hoshimi!" Enki twirled her around in a hug. Kokou squealed with joy as she hugged her next. The rest of the demons hugged her. All of them were speaking to her with fond smiles. She flicked her tail back and forth in a happy manner.

Enki and the rest came over to them. "So you've met our little kit." Enki ruffled her hair.

"You can' t mean that you two?" Yusuke looked between Kokou and Enki.

Hiei and Kurama felt their IQ's dropping by Yusuke's question.

"Do I look that old to you? Hic!" Kokou yelled at Yusuke. He jerked back. "Hoshimi is our little pride and joy."

"She was there when we weren't for Raizen," Enki explained. "She even tried to find all of us to rally him back but it was no use."

The group started to talk about the tournament. Chu was telling Natsume how her trainings had helped him improve. The group stayed like that before the tournament began.

"This time I'm going to use my brain and save my energy," Chu looked over to Yusuke who had kicked off all of his opponents last year. "I am powerful enough to beat anything that comes my way."

The group headed to their destinations. The gargantuan Okunenju trees were being filled up with several demons. Some demons had already disbanded the fight knowing what their main rival was. There were some who stayed either being fools or had that much confidence in themselves.

It took no time for Yusuke, Hiei, Kuwabara, Yomi, Mukuro, and the others to win. Part of the group was already back to see what blocks they had ended up in.

"Yay, I am finally in the same block with Yusuke!" Jin's ears pointed up right while he did a flip in the air out of joy. They were in Block C.

"Everyone made it again," Suzuki sighed in relief.

Hoshimi made her way through. "Well that's interesting. I am in Block D and the rest ended up where…." She stopped in surprise before letting out a pained gasp. The group looked at her with concern. Tears were forming in her eyes but she tried to hold them back. She let out a small laugh. "It's nothing. Just I didn't think the rest of my friends I knew growing up would show up again. These fights may be more joyous then I imagined." She looked away with a sad smile remembering each of them.

Kokou had read all the names in the different Blocks and had seen names she thought she would never read again. Horror struck her as she remembered the demons belonging to the names. She saw Hoshimi smile and closing her eyes. Kokou took a long swig of her alcohol before heading straight for her. Kokou grabbed her by the collar. "Are you happy that they are here?" She shook her forcing Hoshimi to open her eyes. "You called them didn't you? The others that hung around Raizen when we weren't there. That's how isn't it? How much are you hiding from us?" The group were surprised about what was happening. They were going to step in if things were going to get too bad.

Hoshimi blinked at her. "Yes they are here. I am happy. They helped me when I lost almost everything as did the rest of you. I didn't think they would ever surface but I didn't call them. I doubt they know about Raizen unless they heard my wails. I doubt they even knew I resurfaced unless they felt my presence before my wish got granted." Hoshimi unpinned Kokou's hands from her. "As to how much I am hiding, what makes you so sure that I will tell you everything." The two women glared at one another.

Hiei looked at the names in all the blocks. There were several names he didn't recognize. He waited for Kurama to meet up with them to discuss this new predicament.

Yomi listened to Kokou leaving the group. "Who was she talking about?" He asked Hoshimi in a hushed tone. "You have never told me about that part of your past. I didn't even know about the humans killing off demons for fun. Who are these other friends of yours?"

Hoshimi was about to answer when Mukuro spoke up. "I thought you played fair or am I wrong? Afraid you are going to lose again?"

"As if I would stoop that low," Yomi's frown flinched.

"Stop," Hoshimi's somber voice interrupted them. "That doesn't matter at the moment. If they are back, then that means those at the deepest depths of the Demon World are moving about."

"Others at your level?" Hiei inquired.

"My level is close to Raizen's but nothing compares to them especially since they all keep themselves in top form," Hoshimi sighed. "I wonder who I will meet up with first." She contemplated about the past.

Kurama was leading the way with the other half of the group when he spotted a somber Hoshimi in the middle of a serious Mukuro and a brow furrowed Yomi. He also saw Kokou talking with her group while glancing back to Hoshimi.

Kurama was in his white martial arts outfit with gold trim that resembled his old school attire but it had a pink sash tied to the left around his waist. He headed over to the three. "Looks like everyone has passed the trials and are all assorted into different blocks." He saw the results. He was in Block A. Kurama looked at the fellow names of his comrades.

Yomi and Mukuro parted ways from Hoshimi. Kurama took their place. Amongst the demons coming back, there was one demon watching Hoshimi. He had on blue yukata with a light blue sash tide around his waist. He had another yukata draped over his shoulders and a straw hat covering his face.

"Is everything alright?" Kurama tried to help Hoshimi.

Hiei came over to them while the rest of the group tried to create a blockade from others trying to get to Hoshimi. "Kokou just found out that Hoshimi's old pals have also entered the tournament."

"Old pals?" Kurama looked over to Hiei who wore a devilish grin.

"That's right, strong opponents that could be as strong as Raizen when he was in his prime or even stronger," he sneered as he looked to Hoshimi. He was ready to fight against those with such strength.

"They are," Hoshimi finally answered. "That's why Kokou was angry. Raizen's other friends, my first friends. The two groups never got along. They knew about his love for the human. They ditched him at that time he didn't come back from that hunt. They either ate humans or despised them."

"Let's get something to eat," Yusuke switched subjects. "We should treat ourselves since all of us had made it. It may be the only time we can spend together before we split up. Besides who cares if my dad's old friends are back. That just means this tournament isn't going to be as boring as I thought it was."