I don't own YYH.


Ryo's P.O.V.

"What the fucking hell Minuka? Over a decade I've been here, believing ya dead, and now ya show up? Ya didn't even try to find me! For over a decade, asshole! Decade!" I shouted, tightening my grip around his throat. The feeling of cold, sharp steel pressed into my own as I looked into Minuka's coal eyes. I didn't let him go, and the blade wasn't removed from my neck. Minuka's expression didn't show fear as he gripped my arm, waiting for me to release him and let oxygen enter his system. Instead, a smug smile tilted onto his face, making me seethe even more.

Who the hell did he think he is?

"I guess even brats like ya have pawns now." I said, barely sensing the presence of a demon to my back. He was hiding his energy very well. Apparently, the blade at my neck was no longer than a short sword, as he held it backhand against my throat. It pressed closer at my comment, drawing only a drop of blood.

"Nee-chan. Let him go, please." Zizzy called to me. I sneered as Minuka's smile widened in the slightest, showing off a sharp white canine. His face was starting to go a reddish purple hue.

"Ah, but his face matches the kimono." I stated, smirking to myself. Hearing Zizzy stand up, I tightened my grip on Minuka in the slightest. The blade pressed closer. "Not like this punk can kill me, anyway."

That was apparently the last straw for the demon behind me, because the blade pressed deeply into my skin and tore out as it slid across my jugular. My hand involuntarily dropped Minuka, who started to gasp for air as he slid to the ground. A tantalizing red splattered against the wall where Minuka previously was, and I could feel the blood flow force my head back in the slightest. The demon behind me disappeared, reappearing next to where I felt Zizzy was.

The pain didn't last for long as Toshiko's body, the only true plus side to my stay here in the human world, began to do its job. I could feel my jugular tie itself back together first, before all the individual veins, muscles, and other things started to mend. Finally, the skin folded itself back together. I cracked my neck to both sides, ignoring Minuka's questioning look as I turned my head over my shoulder.

"What, ya got nothing better than that?"

The punk was a demon; that much was obvious by his near platinum blonde hair cut close in an almost wild like fashion, and his extremely tan neck and shoulders, which led to strong biceps and big hands. Hands, of course, which were each tipped with a set of deadly claws. In his right hand, he held, as I presumed it to be, a short sword, which gleamed dangerously with Toshiko's blood. Ears pointed in the slightest at the tip and gray eyes that glinted as much as his sword were the dead give a-ways of his bloodline. When his eyes met mine, he shifted in his crouching position, already narrowed eyes ready for the next strike.

"Please, Koru, stop." A woman, and given her assets she definitely was one, called forward to the male, who was obviously her brother. Her hair, which was a fuller color of blonde- closer to the color of gold, really, was the only difference I could make between the two besides their obvious difference of gender. If I recalled correctly, if the man was Koru, then the girl would be…

"So you're Seseya." I spoke, eying her up and down. She was young, but not too much so. Her beauty was remarkable; many would kill for a girl like her- humans and demons alike. Full breasts, tiny waist, and large hips really made me eager to see her ass. Seeing this, she automatically went defensive, tucking her hands up to her chest and subconsciously taking a step back. A gleam informed me of the coming attack, and I tilted my head to the left, avoided the thrown short sword aimed for my head. My eyes trailed back to the owner of said sword, who was standing now, glaring at me for eyeing his sister. I rolled my eyes.

"Relax…" I said to him, not even glancing at his sister again as I turned to face Minuka. "I'm taken."

After all, my woman wouldn't cower away from me like that; she'd never been, nor will she ever be, that weak. Minuka sat with his back against the wall, smiling at me. It was the same smile he always smiled- happy, childish. It fit his female attire.

"Ya never answered my question. Why didn't ya try to find me?" His smile dropped, and he sighed.

"You died. It's been over seven hundred years- what do you want me to do, pray at a memorial every day?" I scoffed, offering a hand to the crossdresser. He took it, and I pulled him up. When he stood, he brushed his kimono off like it had even gotten the least bit dirtied in our scuffle, and straightened out the sleeves before folding his hands in front of him. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, my Lord." He said, smiling again and tilting his head. I grinned.

"Ah, but nowhere to discuss it at. The table's done for, remember?" I shoved a finger over my shoulder, and he leaned to peak at it.

"I'm going to have to ask you to pay for that." He said as he straightened back up.

"Toshiko's got an old one you can have." I suggested, and Zizzy's eyes widened.

"Oh! The one that didn't match the new couches we bought!" She exclaimed, catching her fist in her hand.

"Have you developed a taste in designing furniture, my Lord?" Minuka questioned, deviousness creeping into his smile. Right before I got to shoot him down, however, I was interrupted.

"Enough with the talk of furniture. Who are these people?" A deep voice said. I turned and looked over my shoulder, realizing that it could only be Koru. "And why do they know our names?"

"Because I mentioned you to them. I had to. These are you're new teammates." Minuka explained, heightening himself in a way that showed both self defense and pride. I lifted an eyebrow, judging by the gesture, Koru really was a student of his.

"You're joking." He deadpanned.

"I am not. Nor am I joking when I say you have to replace the board you just stabbed into when you missed my Lord, and you have to clean the blood off the wall." I chuckled as Koru's head dropped, and depression lines started to form. He was going to be entertaining. Getting himself together, he sighed as I walked past him, taking the seat Toshiko formerly occupied at the broken table. Minuka followed, taking Zizzy's previous seat in front of me, leaving Zizzy to sit in front of Ayuma.

"Seseya, be a dear and serve some tea, please." He called, and the woman nodded silently, walking into the kitchen. I grinned, noticing her ass was as nice as I thought it would be.

"At least tell me why you have chosen a human," Koru turned and looked to Reki, who was staring into space at the broken table, "and some form of regenerative human."

I perked a brow, so he couldn't read energy, huh? That was interesting.

"My, you sure are talking a lot today." Minuka brushed him off, starting to fiddle with his sleeve.

"I'm being serious."

"As am I." Minuka paused in his meddling to look over his shoulder, only to find the grey eyes intensely staring at him. He sighed, finding his humor unappreciated, and went back to facing the table. "Reki dear here is a human born into a family of spirit world workers; but possesses the powers of a Hell Girl. Ryo-sama, the one you tried to kill, is a demon. Ex-demon Lord, my former mentor, and my cousin. Toshiko is the girl whose body my Lord inhabits until further notice. I, for some reason, doubt she'll be as rude as she was earlier the next time I talk to her."

"She's a calculating genius whose body happens to have hyper regeneration abilities. I doubt you'll get along well." I told the both of them, but focusing the last sentence to Minuka. He blinked, looked like he was about to say something, before he paused, and shrugged. "She also happens to have some powerful allies who will also be competing in the Tournament this year. They're invitees."

Zizzy snorted, palming her face as she leaned her elbow into her knee, as her legs were crossed. "The jackasses are aiming for my brother as well."

"Then we cut them down." Minuka stated simply to the bear demon before turning to face me. "Who are they?"

"Urameshi Yuusuke, the newest Spirit Detective. His team involves Jaganshi Hiei, whose powers consist of a third eye and the Makai flame to match his hot head. Give or take a few humans, I'm guessing, and the most interesting one: the famous thief, Yoko Kurama."

Minuka's eyes widened, "The Yoko Kurama? That bastard who led that the raid of our western keep?"

I nodded, "The one and only."

Minuka leaned away, slightly shocked. "I heard he died almost twenty years ago." I sweatdropped.

"He did."

Minuka's eye twitched, "What's this girl's issue? Does she raise you from the dead or something? That's two dead demons she knows."

I laughed, imagining Toshiko as a necromancer. She suited the role. "As ya can see, I'm perfectly alive. Now, tell me about what's happened in the past seven hundred years, I've been out of touch for far too long now."

He sighed as Koru left the room, and the sound of the door snapping shut behind him seemed to be just what Reki needed to snap her out of her daze.

"Well, it all started when you died. The bitch-" My smile tilted a bit at his permanent reference name to my mate "-fought and beat Parat for the throne to your kingdom some number of years later. But by the time the battle was over, half the empire had turned into contesting territories. Raizen stayed out of it, as I asked him to shortly after your death. The entire demon realm was in jeopardy, and it didn't help that Enma decided it was the perfect time to separate the plane into the two different worlds we see today: the Ningenkai and the Makai. Koenma, Prince of the Spirit World, was born shortly after this."

"He did it for his kid." I stated, nodding. Not a surprise, after what I had done to all of his others. Having me out of the way must've been over joyous for him.

"Most likely. At any rate, before the bitch could take over any more of your fallen empire, a new power in the Makai, Yomi, started to gain speed. He decimated what was left of your forces in the western most parts of our world, and pulled them all under his power. Raizen, thankfully, got sick of waiting, and took over what was left of our homeland, and now the three are in an uneasy stalemate, last I checked."

"And what of ya?" My question came out just as Seseya came back into the main room with a plate full of teacups. She sat at the head of the broken table slowly, passing to each of us individually to hold. My eyes were avoided as she handed me my cup. As Minuka started to talk again, she folded the plate under her arm and left.

"I, and many others out of your Elite Guard, left the empire as soon as news of your death reached our ears. As I said, Parat was killed by the bitch in a fight for the kingdom, but last I heard, Rema and Matsukune went back to our homeland and became the main family. Yet as I was leaving Raizen's temple, and I was the first to give him the news, the worlds were split. I was pulled into the human world, and here I have stayed, making limited contact with those in the other realms. Quite depressing, actually. I hardly ever get any to talk with any old friends." He droned the last bit with a saddened expression.

"Well, I'm here now." I said, taking gulps of the tea at a time.

"Are you looking for revenge?" He asked. His eyes were skeptical, but not condemning. I shook my head.

"I would've done the same thing if I was her." My statement caught him off guard, as his eyes widened and he started to choke on his tea.

"B-but! After what she did-! And to Parat, too!"

"Parat was stupid to challenge her."

Minuka was furious, lip snarling back to show his sharpened canines as his blue eyebrows furrowed. "This is ridiculous! Seven hundred years she rules your land! She kills those who will not bend to her every whim! She replaced your entire guard! She murdered you!" He started to screech about how stupid it was to forgive her and how my clan would be rolling in their graves. How terrible it was for her to do such a thing: how she should be punished for it. After the initial screams, however, I no longer paid him any heed. The last sentence he said hit me the hardest as I remembered it.

She did kill me.

Typically, any normal demon would be out for revenge. If she were normal, I would be. However, in those seven hundred years of wandering, I couldn't stop thinking about her- about us. I wanted her, and I wanted her badly. I couldn't hold a grudge against her: it was impossible for a soul to do so. Souls had no feelings- but I still loved her.

Why was that?

I had never truly thought about it before, I had always just accepted it. Did it really matter? I loved her, I still do. Every time I close my eyes I can see her just behind my lids. I can feel her warmth against my skin, the chill I got every time I looked into those piercing eyes. Her wild temper, her tremendous power. I had questioned how I felt about her before- it led to my death. Should I risk it again? Did anything but my love really matter?

No, I decided once and for all to settle the inner turmoil, it doesn't matter at all.

"Argh! You're not even listening!" Minuka screamed, tugging on his perfect hair. His face had gone red by now, and his eyes were lit with anger and ferocity. Zizzy was watching Minuka with some measure of fear in her eyes, but it was hidden by her relatively calm posture. Reki, on the other hand, had been glancing nervously in between us for the entirety of the one-sided argument. "How can ya be so calm?" He was slipping into his accent, a sure sign of his anger.

"Weren't ya always calm about Garudu?" His mouth snapped shut. Minuka stood there with his eyes a mixture of mistrust and shock- a typically dangerous combination that had destroyed many things before. His fists, which had his perfectly done nails biting into his skin, loosened. He had stood sometime during the lecture, and the tea cup lay tipped over onto the floor with its green contents spread wide, some seeping into the wood of the broken table, and other parts between the cracks in the floor. He stood like that for a while, watching me. My eyes dropped as I pulled my own tea up to my lips and took a long drag of the cooling liquid. A sigh drew everyone's eyes to Zizzy.

"It doesn't matter now anyway. If we win, we'll ask for Ryo-nee-chan's body back, but that won't happen unless everyone starts training now. I'll be going into hibernation within the month, and nee-chan needs to be prepared to wake me up. We have to get to Toguro-nii this year. If we don't, Urameshi's team will." The bear demon's ears flickered after her talk, and she set her empty cup down on the floor, pulling a knee up to her chest. She kept her eyes on the ground, as if she had absorbed all the negativity in the air, but her posture showed her to be more relaxed than anything.

"Zizzy's right, I have to get stronger." Reki added, nodding her support of the demoness. Her eyes went to me before they flashed to Minuka. "I apologize, but whatever differences you two may have need to be set aside. We've got work to do, and we have to start now."

A silence engulfed the room as my eyes lifted to meet Minuka's in a flash of onyx vs. coal. We stared each other down, and eventually, his decorated eyelids fell shut.

"Fine. Let's get started, then."


Toshiko's POV

"What's he to have us do?" I asked as I stood in front of the sink in the waiting room. I was washing carrots, busying myself with menial things around the kitchen: like wiping down the already perfectly clean counters and table, straightening the cushions and making sure the silverware was sitting flawlessly in their drawers. The carrots were going to be for an artificial stew. Although foods in here weren't filling, they provided some entertainment in the form of cooking, designing, and eating. Overcast skies hung outside the window in front of me, making the light in the center of the ceiling in the room seem to shine brighter. The TV in the corner was off; I had lost interest shortly after Minuka's rant.

Those memories that Ryo had interested me, to say the least. I had seen them all after I had black out, at her discretion, because she had seen all of mine.

"Ya are going to be working on tapping onto my powers, and I'm going to work on building that power. That's the gist of it, anyway." Ryo answered, shutting the door to reality behind her as she entered the room. I could hear her shuffle over to one of the cushions, and the creak of the wooden table told me she was probably resting her face in her hand again. It had become a habit of hers: she tended to take more comfortable and relaxed looking seating positions than I did. Our definitions of relaxed, obviously, were quite different.

"Is that it?" I asked, shutting off the water and placing the final clean carrot in the sink. As I moved over to the lower cabinet containing the chopping boards, she answered.

"He started to go into all this detail about how we were going to do things, but I think it really just summarizes to be that Reki's going to be working with the Koru guy to improve her combat abilities, and you'll work with him to help build your skill with a knife."

I nodded, pulling out the board and moving to the counter near the sink. Once there, I took a carrot and began to chop, making sure to get the pieces thick enough to still hold their flavor. "Zizzy is going to hibernate soon, correct?"

"Ya."

"We have to work hard then; after all, we're not doing it just for us." My encouragement made her scoff.

"Save your motivation, from what I heard from Minuka and Zizzy, you're going to need it for the Tournament."


My sincerest apologies dearies, as you only got a tad bit of Toshiko at the end :p I thought we needed to clear up the whole situation and well, everything just fell together like this. Also, it's longer than last chapter. Good, yes? I'm working on it, bit by bit.

HAPPY FIFTIETH CHAPTER EVERYONE! :D WOO! I know this storry wouldn't be up if it weren't for you AMAZING people out there, giving me so much support :D Thank you, really! Thank you! This is not only the longest story I've ever written, it's also the one I love the most! And really, it wouldn't be here today without you guys. so, this time, a SUPER-HUGE-ENORMOUSLY WHALE-LIKE sized thank you to the reviews of last chapter: pyrosnightmare, NA, LadyxAbsinthe, and bleedingcrimson! Really, thank you! (*bows repeatedly to the awesomness of your kind reviews*)

See you next week everyone (which will ACTUALLY BE all To!)! Please review!