A belated April Fool's greeting, everyone! I know that this chapter has been delayed and some of you have already had withdrawal symptoms (I sympathize, don't worry) but I had to rewrite this chapter from scratch, because it wasn't developing in a direction I wanted it to go. Also, I'd say that there won't be more than ten chapters until this story is completed and I will most certainly be sad to see it finished (though glad as well).

Anyway, sorry for the delay, it was because I'm drawing an entry for a KagKur contest, featuring the pair as Disney characters. A cookie and a teensy spoiler for those who want it if you guess which ones! Hint: main characters, pair. As if that wasn't obvious.

Status report: most of my time is spent with schoolwork and drawing nowadays. I finally started with the tough part of a Botticelli painting I'm to be reproducing, but damn, is that thing difficult.

And ZOMG! The IY manga really is about to end! Or perhaps in another thirty chapters. I have no idea. I kind of hope it'll end soon, because I want to know how it ends. But the latest chapter was a bit filler-like. The only thing that happened there was the accidental hit (not telling any of you anything) and I was disappointed about how that ended. Poor Not-Telling-Who! I liked him!

Anyway, I always liked Koto in YYH. Don't ask why – I just did. Her comments in the English dub were funny ("and now Karasu's running around like a cockroach at a tap-dance convention!") and she was cute in general. Juri I didn't like that much, because she wasn't that funny.

X X X

The key to the cage

X X X X X

"A woman can forgive a man for the harm he does her, but she can never forgive him for the sacrifices he makes on her account."

- W. Somerset Maugham

X X X X X

The finals were always Koto's favourite part of the Dark Tournament.

Oh, sure, the destruction and messy endings of the previous battles leading up to this were also entertaining in their own gory way, but the finals… now that was a class of its own. Usually, the perky – and, as she always said with a self-satisfied grin, foxy – announcer didn't care much about who won, exactly; the important thing was the fun involved!

And in the finals, the art of carving out the entrails of the enemy was perfected to the highest degree. It was artistic, even. Koto considered herself a critic par excellence regarding this. Besides, this time, it was twice as interesting, due to the backgrounds of both teams fighting for the mantle of champion. It was more of a personal dispute than an ordinary battle now, though Koto frowned at anyone who considered a battle ordinary.

She felt a bit sorry for Juri, actually. Her colleague and replacement – an unfortunate decision on part of the committee, but if they couldn't enjoy a fair fight, that was their problem – wasn't doing entirely too well. The semi-finals alone had taken somewhat a toll on her; the girl didn't have the experience or the skill at evading possible crashing debris and energy attacks the kitsune did. They hired just about any pretty face these days, assuming she showed a bit (or a lot) of skin; Koto didn't necessarily approve of Juri's outfit. A true announcer – a true star, she accented – didn't need to rely on such cheap tricks.

Aside from that, the girl had the strangest whims. For these finals, she had personally appealed to the committee to grant her protection in the form of the Reikai priestess, Kagome-sama, who was asked to do this to help maintain a steady commentary. She had no choice but to accept. It was another thing Koto didn't really approve of. Where was the fun in this if you couldn't savour the bloodshed firsthand?

Besides, one might feel even less safe in the vicinity of the priestess, whose aura alone could repel a weaker demon.

Glorious were those final battles; running for her life out of a crumbling stadium somewhat less so.

And, of course, there were quite a few chances to prove her supremacy in her profession during the battles.

Of course, she regretted having to watch from a distance once again, especially when Youko Kurama showed up again, foxy as ever. And here she had hoped to get close enough to ask for an autograph. Or a date, whichever she could get was very much worth a try.

Having a holy shield around when a hungry man-eating motion-sensitive plant was snaking its way towards you was very useful, Juri was discovering. Naturally, she had no idea that Kagome herself was somewhat hesitant to move or get closer to the ojigi, simply because she wasn't quite certain how well her powers would work on something that wasn't exactly a demon.

And, as Kagome had said, divine intervention such as this was their greatest hope of survival. After all, after the spectacular transformation in a crackling storm of energy, Youko managed to finish the battle in a quick, clean manner.

How much cleaner than having a giant killer plant eat your opponent could you get?

Afterwards, even as Juri stumbled to her feet and tried to look on top of things again, reporting the end of the match with a faux-carefree smile, Youko ignored her soundly – that he had warned her of the plant alone was a greater mercy than such a creature deserved. His eyes settled on Kagome, who had remained standing at the edge of the ring, fingers entwined on the hilt of her katana. She was watching the proceedings silently, momentarily searching for Shippo and the girls he was with in the audience, but then glancing once more at him, forcing steel into her eyes.

Youko paid no heed to anything or anyone else. The match was decided; and now, to the important things.

She made no move to back away when he approached her; he hadn't expected her to.

"Stop." Kagome said, both softly and firmly, before he could come within two meters of her. "You are within range of the barrier." To back up her words, a brief shimmering screen of pinkish electricity flickered between them, only so much as to announce its presence, but certainly not enough to harm or destroy.

Which was disappointing, really, because Youko had hoped they had progressed past the stage of attacking each other some years ago. Nevertheless, he stopped as instructed to, no longer appearing as bored as he had been a few moments ago, but only slightly tilting his head to the right, as if in critical observation.

"I was expecting a somewhat more enthusiastic greeting this time. You've had enough time to work out what you'd like to say to me."

The priestess frowned and folded her arms, two fingers momentarily resting on the hilt of her sword, brushing against it casually, subconsciously, before she realized it and withdrew her hand.

"I said all that I wanted to say to him already. I might not entirely understand the connection between you, but I assume you heard everything."

"And here I was about to commend his ability to apologize correctly." The kitsune seemed to sigh lightly without as much as moving. Not that he had expected the priestess to fall at his feet and apologize for her outbursts, but he had at least thought she would realize the necessity of the so-called deception by now. As much as he – for lack of a better word – loved Kagome, at times, he really wished she could stop refusing to cooperate at the most inconvenient of times. "It seems I still have to do everything myself."

Kagome blinked once, twice. She had definitely heard wrong. Again, the memory of the last time she had supposed he would apologize surfaced, but Kagome sincerely doubted he would try that in the plain view of dozens of demons when she had pointed out the barrier ready to incinerate anyone and anything, if needed.

"It took you fifteen years to realize that you should apologize to me?" That might actually make the entire wait worthwhile.

"As usual, you misunderstand entirely – that he botched the job is not my concern; he apologized for his decision." Youko said smoothly, albeit with just the slightest hint of irritation in his otherwise calm voice. It sounded like a gust of the north wind, his voice, yet it was warm to her. Especially when hearing it after so long. "Honestly, Kagome; fifteen years and all you ask about is an apology for a mistake I didn't choose to make."

And there were so many much more interesting things they could speak of, he mused. After all, though he had practically hibernated for quite some time, his mind had remained active and he had contemplated one thing above all else: the wish that would release Kagome from her obligation. And he had come to a conclusion, a possibility that the priestess had likely never considered.

The jewel could be destroyed if she used it as a demon would; if, indeed, it contained holy power as well as demonic, if she were to ask its power to become her own, the sacred energy would overcome the demonic, the sphere itself would be destroyed and her own power would be magnified. And because of her allegiance to Reikai and her vow as a priestess to care for the defenceless, it would not qualify as a selfish wish, but a just one.

The only drawback was that perhaps she would have to remain spotlessly pure herself to maintain the good nature of the power of the jewel. And that was where they came at cross-purposes, again. Because, amusements and puzzles and strange feelings of possessiveness aside, he had only tasted her skin a few precious times and that certainly wasn't a substitute for what he yet wished to sample her sweetness.

At least she was not as changed as he had originally supposed, because the priestess childishly crossed her arms. "If you're not going to apologize, we have absolutely nothing to speak about." she proclaimed in a manner that was so… her that his smile was almost kind.

It was just a touch too wry. "You were always a very bad liar."

"You're the one whose time is measured by the second here." Kagome reminded him unnecessarily.

But there was a strange excitement in her, rolling off her in waves. It wasn't anything of the physical sort – Kagome was too innocent to feel lust in such an intense manner. It was the joy of seeing him alive, real, in front of her, that her shock and horror had initially overridden. And there was some secret there as well, because Youko could almost hear her inner voice screaming at her that under no circumstances was she to even think of reaching out and…

"Don't you have anything better to spend your remaining ten minutes of freedom on?"

Perhaps a million things, perhaps none, but nothing else was so close, so familiar in this foreign world, so desirable. "Around here? Hardly."

"Um… excuse me?"

Juri, in a state of mildly dazed anxiety (of the second degree on the fangirl scale, involving daydreaming and only mild drooling) flinched as two glares of icy daggers bore into her. She had intended to try and make some sort of brief interview, as she had tried to do with Genkai before realizing that the old lady was not so much of a "young gal" anymore. But whereas the elderly fighter had only smirked faintly and kindly, these two made the announcer want to crawl into a nice dark hole and hide.

"I-I'll, uh, just go start the second fight, then, shall I?"

Before either of them could answer, there was a flash of light and a semi-mighty explosion from the general direction of the carnivorous plant Youko had unleashed during the duel. Juri screamed and stumbled back just out of reflex before spotting a faint screen of pinkish energy glimmering between her and the explosion. It didn't put her completely at ease, though. Apparently, it wasn't digesting Karasu with satisfaction at a job well-done yet, because once the smoke cleared, the crow demon surfaced, seemingly unharmed and strangely not covered with bits of exploded plant intestines and slime.

"I wouldn't write me out just yet."

Juri had had quite enough. Explosions and bones breaking and slime and blood on her good outfit. And always dodging things. She certainly didn't fancy physical injury; in fact, she now understood just why Koto was so agile. Acrobatics were a necessity in this line of work, apparently. And she had thought this would just be good pay for looking pretty and announcing who got eviscerated! This was so not in her job description!

"M-my mistake!" she called with a shaky, almost unbalanced laugh. "Okay, everyone, forget what I just said, the fight will continue! I've had enough of this." she muttered to herself, slipping out of the ring.

"I'll be with you in two minutes." Youko noted as Kagome sidestepped to pass him by and head over to where Juri was. All the while, he kept his eyes on returned opponent, though the same couldn't be said for his attention.

And it was modesty that made him speak in such a manner, because Kagome understood that now that he meant business and wasn't going to toy with his prey, the kitsune was completely capable of ending the battle in one minute. Nevertheless, she didn't deign it necessary to reply. She realized only then that they were in the view of hundreds of demons and that them speaking at all was a commotion in itself.

But something about how relatively freely they had conversed seemed to have changed the battlefield.

Of course, no one save Kurama himself knew what had happened after the last duel of the semi-finals that he had gone to watch and no one was even marginally aware of the most peculiar interest Karasu seemed to have in him. Not that it mattered much from the larger perspective of all the events that were taking place, but from the viewpoint of this particular battle, it was a crucial thing.

In Karasu's eyes, it could seem almost as if the priestess was interfering with something private, intimate, even. And one who attempted to steal a precious possession was never welcome, even though truthfully, the demon could do nothing. Not in this battle, for certain and even the triumph of gloating after a victory would be denied to him, if he didn't want to try his chances with Kagome. And, well-deserved arrogance aside for just a single moment, if he hadn't been able to beat Toguro, he certainly was no opponent for the priestess, whose renown dwarfed that of all the demons present put together.

But there was one way to hurt the offender; not directly, no, unfortunately, but through making her watch…

Often, helplessness was more torturous than pain itself.

Juri would never quite get used to being protected by a holy barrier from explosions of youki, but she could freely admit that it was useful, assuming she didn't have to touch the barrier itself. That would be… ouch. Ouch.

Now, she didn't necessarily consider bloodshed an art, but being a demoness just like the next girl, she could appreciate it once in a while. However, torture wasn't her thing, for certain. She was fortunate enough not to get sick at the sight of blood, but the few minutes during which light and blood and screams mingled, she would remember for a long time. It was one of the reasons why she eventually decided to return to her old job at a restaurant. Sure, the pay was a touch more meagre than that of an announcer, but being a TV star wasn't worth shedding blood over.

Another thing she would remember for quite some time was the droplets of blood.

It was what she noticed first, because her eyes were downcast for a minute or two, because the dust had yet to settle. In front of her, the lady priestess stood, ready to protect them both with the barrier again, should there be another explosion. Her posture was as rigid as ever and Juri saw something red on her hands. And she realized that the hands of the priestess, which had always been very pale, especially against the contrasting black kimono (which was nice, albeit old-fashioned in Juri's opinion) were almost snow-white and a soft red liquid had begun to fall in small droplets from her curled fist.

After a moment, she unclenched her hands momentarily, feeling the pain on some subconscious level, and Juri saw that her short round nails had left almost claw-like marks on her open palms, half-moons sketched out in blood. She wasn't shaking – her posture was too stiff – but Juri was now scared of even the defensive barrier in front of her, because though the priestess was calm in expression, one who wasn't a masochist likely employed pain as a means of dimming some other strong impulse.

If he dies before I get the chance to smack him for being a complete idiot, I'll hunt him down in the afterlife and kill him myself. Kagome heard herself thinking desperately. But Kurama couldn't – wouldn't – mustn't - die. Not now. Not before that beating and before she would finally get a chance to say all that she couldn't have said a moment ago.

She couldn't move. She mustn't intervene. It would jeopardize her plan. It would put Reikai in a compromising position. It would scare away InuYasha and ruin the purpose of all that she had told Kurama.

If things had lasted a moment longer, she would have moved.

She was the only one who likely sensed Kurama wasn't dead before even he himself did. In that moment, she would have liked nothing better than to kill him with her own two hands, then force Koenma to revive him and beat some common sense into him before breaking down and crying and never letting him go again.

But she couldn't even move to help him up when everything was over, even when the injustice that was his loss was proclaimed by the little demoness she was to be shielding. It was a technicality, his loss, but Kagome supposed they should have been expecting it. It wasn't as if the committee favoured their team.

During the second fight, she seemed a bit unfocused on the battles, but she took extra care not to look at where Kurama had been brought to lean against the edge of the ring and rest.

The stench of gunpowder and drying blood was still thick in the arena.

Kurama was almost glad for the intervention. Of course the ring itself was in need of some heavy repairs, but what mattered most was that he needed to clean his wounds somewhat. There was absolutely no chance of getting dry and clean clothing at the moment, but his injuries were severe and needed tending to, no matter what. Besides, he had lost blood, enough to make him feel slightly dizzy. Having a few hours of rest to look forward to was a blessing.

And Karasu was dead. He felt no grim satisfaction, no vindictive glee, only a strange emptiness. The fear of the crow demon would likely stay with him and bring him nightmares over the next few days. It had been so long since he had last felt true fear that he had forgotten the taste of it and the relief that only survival could bring.

That he had lost was regrettable, but they had a chance yet. A chance… he hadn't thought they had any since they had arrived.

Yusuke and Kuwabara were both gracious enough to help him limp into their quasi-locker room in the stadium. Aside from that, they had to carry the unconscious Hiei there (Koenma had mysteriously disappeared a little while ago, presumably either to vent some stress by yelling at Botan or to dash into the restrooms).

And though relief hung in the air – relief that two of them had their final battle behind them and would survive for a little longer – fear and dread did as well. Kuwabara was next… and he had always been the weakest among them, if one was to examine their group critically.

The human boy looked very much aware of that face; likely, it was the fact of Elder Toguro he saw when gazing into empty space, his jaw tightly clenched.

Kurama could understand and sympathize. Words would not help here; only silence, perhaps.

"Oh, hi, Kagome-chan!" Kuwabara brightened up suddenly, being the first to spot the priestess at the door. She seemed a bit anxious, but she was hiding it pretty well, especially when she was armed as she was. She was carrying a box of some sort under her right arm, visibly white in comparison to her black kimono.

Yusuke flashed a grin upon seeing her, but it was far fainter and weaker than his usual smirk of superior cockiness. It seemed that in life-threatening situations, the Spirit Detective's more mature side tended to surface. "Hey. You wouldn't happen to be offering crash-courses in holy powers, would you? Cause in the off-chance that you are, sign me up." Then again, perhaps not.

Kagome knew better than to smile; she saw that natural fear for survival no one was immune to in his eyes. Vaguely, she wondered if this was how she had looked when the jewel was first bestowed upon her. Frightened, but determined to fight. No… there had been only fear in her. "I'm afraid you'd need more than a crash-course to access such energy, Urameshi-san."

"Damn." Apparently, that exhausted his supply of fitting yet useless replies. Knowing not what else to say on the matter of their likely impending demise, Yusuke decided that anything was a better topic and took the arrival of the priestess as a possible way out. "Anyway, I've been meaning to ask – what was up between you guys during the match?" His grin, artificially wide as it was, didn't waver when he glanced from Kagome to Kurama and back, very grateful that the current tension wasn't a result of the death looming over them. "Lovers' spat already? I knew you had it in you, man!" Yusuke made a move as if to pat the fox demon on the back, but decided against using too much force mid-motion, seeing all the dried blood again. "That's our Kurama; never settles for anything ordinary, not even when it comes to girls."

The lovebirds said nothing, but Kuwabara punched him quite on cue. Not as hard as he ought to, perhaps, but still punched him. "Shut up, Urameshi."

"Oh yeah, carrot top? What's it to you?"

Contrary to what Kuwabara might think, Yusuke was mostly aware of what was going on, mostly because of Botan's fidgeting and a few threats and of course the fact that Kurama always looked at the priestess like a hungry kid at two trucks filled with candy. Make that a feral look, as if the kid intended to kill the truck drivers if they got in the way. That had to be a demon thing.

"Listen, punk, be an absolute jerk to anyone else if you have to be, but drop this! Can't you see it's bothering them!?"

"I've brought these bandages and a first aid kit from the so-called medical room in the stadium." Kagome interjected before anything nastier than a few insults could be exchanged, producing three sets of clean bandages, antiseptics, painkillers and other useful healing tools from the box decorated with a miniature red cross. She laid them on the bench near the sleeping Hiei, but didn't move to use them. When she turned to Kurama, her gaze was somewhat stern and yet not forceful. A nurse scolding a patient for overstressing their wound, "You've developed a really irritating tendency to martyr yourself. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I liked the "every man for himself" approach you used to have more."

Kurama remembered well that he had expressed a wish not to have to go through with an attempt at self-sacrifice. But some higher power was either testing him or he had fallen out of favour with it for the time being. But if it was a means of approaching Kagome, who was he to complain? "This time, unfortunately, it didn't achieve the goal intended. I hope the offer to speak with you still stands." He wanted to survive now. After he had succeeded in killing his final opponent, despite having lost, he realized that he wanted to live. "Or will it be required to fulfil the terms of the meeting and win against you?"

It seemed that Kagome had forgotten all about such a promise in light of the events of the past hour – and that was a welcome sign. "We'll see when we get there. But if you die on me again…" she frowned in a scolding manner. "I won't forgive you twice."

At that moment, she looked so much like a more sombre version of Keiko.

"Again? Ow, idiot!" Yusuke yelled, having spoken without intending to and receiving another – this time well-aimed – punch from Kuwabara.

"Yes, you are!"

"So I have been granted your pardon?" Kurama asked before Kagome's attention could stray.

For a few seconds, the priestess remained motionless, contemplating, the statue of a champion of good, carved of obsidian and ivory. It was this face she had displayed once, long ago, before she and Youko had embarked on a journey to the encampment of his horde, a sign of the mature soul within her.

"Yes, for acting stupid and noble and responsible for once in your life and dying on me." Her voice was soft as she nodded once.

Though she hated him for risking his existence on what some would view as foolish, it had been that foolishness that had moved her. Because she saw what it was that this new life, this human existence had taught the once unmovable fox demon. It had started as regret… but now, it was compassion.

"Only for that." she clarified, raising a finger to underline that point. "I'm still angry."

Kurama couldn't smile. Not only was the physical pain still too much, but he realized that though this had been the greatest and most difficult step, it took very much to move Kagome when she felt betrayed.

"I gathered that much." He paused. There remained one thing he intended to say, whatever the outcome for them might be. "This might not be the best time and place, but I think we'll never have much luck in that matter…in case that I fail you a second time in this matter, Kagome… I couldn't die for you. But I would live for you, if I can."

The words carried more weigh than the momentary change in Kagome's countenance could tell. If not for the thought of Kikyo and the voice of Naraku echoing in her mind, she would have likely tossed her entire plan aside in that moment and rushed to embrace him, wounds or no wounds.

"I'm still angry." she said instead, and it was a half-truth, because the rage she felt now was directed at a different target. "If you die, I'll kill you anyway."

"That doesn't make any sense, does it?" Yusuke quipped, alerting the pair to the continued presence of four other watching eyes and an equal number of eavesdropping ears.

"You've done it before, Urameshi!" Kuwabara reprimanded his friend with a hush-like sound. "Now shut your trap; you'll ruin the romantic moment!"

"Romantic my ass! I ain't gonna watch you start crying at the end of it! I forgot my camera back home, so I can't tape your stupid reaction and blackmail you with it!"

"Say that again, you punk!"

"You seem to be in better spirits now." Kurama noted before punches could fly.

Kuwabara stopped mid-punch, actually. "A bit, I guess… well, not really…" he amended, seeing the doubtful and sympathetic looks he received.

Yusuke, however, only folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "Suck it up, big guy. We're not dead yet."

"Yeah, but I'd feel better if you had picked Kagome-chan as the substitute." Kuwabara muttered.

"I cannot intervene in that way, Kuwabara-kun. The tournament is outside my jurisdiction. I can act after it, not before."

"And what about that mission of yours, that demon capture… thing?" A very suave way of putting it, all of them agreed.

"That has almost nothing to do with this tournament. Besides, my target isn't a contestant."

"Oh."

"Anyway, Kurama, couldn't you've saved confession-time for a moment I had a cam?" Yusuke drawled, then smirked. "Or maybe you kids should get a room before Kuwabara here has a fit of maidenly panic."

"Urameshi, you punk!"

"I should be going." Kagome said swiftly, moving towards the door without a farewell.

"Why? It'll be hours till they get the new ring in. Besides," Again, that grin that just told you the Spirit Detective had no chance of mastering holy energy due to what was currently going on in his mind. "I think me and Kuwabara know nothing bout fastening bandages and all that stuff, but I'm pretty sure miko do."

"Yusuke, if Kagome must go, we shouldn't detain her." Kurama interjected before the priestess could get what he was suggesting – for a moment, she appeared confused, then blinked, then lowered her head.

"Aw, c'mon, don't be so prudish, Kurama! Live a little while you can! Geez, what are you, eighty?"

"We might not live that long, you know." Kuwabara muttered darkly, which did nothing to better the mood.

Kagome decided to take that as her cue to leave. "Anyway, I want to go check out what Koenma is doing before going back to see Hitomi-san. Maybe you guys should go take a walk, too; fresh air can do wonders to a mind before a battle."

When she was out of earshot, Yusuke raised an eyebrow in an almost uncharacteristic gesture. "Now we really have to win, don't we?" he noted, glancing at the fox demon.

"Yes…" Kurama smiled vaguely at the doorway. "I suppose we do."