"Hiei!" said Kurama, running over to where Hiei was sitting on the bleachers. "What are you doing here?!"

"Oh, I just wanted to see you in the ring again," Hiei replied with a mischievous sort of grin. Kurama noticed that he was wearing the boys' gym uniform, and he had replaced his regular headband with a matching sweatband.

"This isn't a battle," said Kurama. "I'm playing dodgeball."

"Throwing things at each other until one side is completely knocked out?" said Hiei. "It sounds like a tournament to me."

"Obviously you don't understand recreational sports," Kurama told him, arms crossed. "Oh wait, I forgot, killing things is kind of recreational to you, isn't it?"

"You should talk," said Hiei.

"Look, enough with the banter," Kurama cut him off. "Why are you really here?"

Hiei glowered at him for a minute, then looked down at his lap, hiding his expression from view.

"I don't know," he said finally, every word quiet but completely clear.

"That seems fair," said Kurama, because he knew that sorting through feelings and understanding them was not exactly Hiei's strong point, and it was wrong to force him to do so. "I appreciate you showing up anyway…as long as you came to cheer me on."

"Of course I did."

"Thank you," Kurama said, and stood up. "I'm going to go join the others."

"Wait," said Hiei jerkily. "Come back."

Kurama sat down again. "You have something else to say?"

"Here's what I'm thinking, Kurama," said Hiei, and he swallowed. "What I'm thinking…is that I don't own you, and I guess I was acting like I did. You're right that we can spend time with other people, and you don't have to tell me every time you want to do something. If you…if you'd rather spend time with her than me…I don't care."

But however Hiei tried to hide it, Kurama could tell that he did care, and it was just heartbreaking. Besides, he had to set the record straight.

"Hiei, look at me," he said gently.

Wordlessly, the fire demon looked up, his eyes now staring straight into Kurama's.

"Listen, if you feel half as bad as I do right now, you agree that however nice Aratani is…" Kurama sighed and lowered his voice, hoping she wouldn't overhear and take offense to his words. "I'm not about to break up our friendship because of a girl, or anything else. You mean too much to me for that, and I'm sorry for how I treated you yesterday. Maybe you don't care, but I do. I care about how you feel."

"It doesn't matter so much that you care how I feel," said Hiei, looking down again. "It's…it's that you understand how I feel, without me having to say it. Why do you think Kuwabara annoys me so much? It's because he thinks the human way is always the best way. Here in Ningenkai, they all treat me like an outsider and a criminal, just because I'm different, but you don't."

"Well, technically, you are an outsider and a criminal," Kurama said jokingly. "I just don't mind."

"No, you understand," Hiei repeated. "Makai is different. The rules are different, life is different, and survival is the most important thing. We don't have the time or the space for all of humanity's foolish viewpoints." Hiei swallowed again, and kept talking. "But you get that. When I'm with you, that's the only time I really feel like I can be myself."

"Your imperfect self," Kurama agreed, nodding. "But I like your imperfections, because they're a part of who you are, and I love who you are."

As soon as Kurama said that, and saw the shocked look on Hiei's face, he couldn't help himself. He grabbed his friend and squeezed him, ignoring the protests, feeling tears leaking out of his eyes again, except this time they were happy.

"Ack! Hey! I wasn't consulted about this!" Hiei was yelling. "No hugs! I mean it."

"That's my Hiei," Kurama said fondly. "I missed you so much! Let's promise never to fight again, okay?"

"I'm fine with that," Hiei snapped, finally pulling himself out of Kurama's grasp and dusting himself off. "You're a scary bastard."

When Kurama finally walked back to Aratani, he saw that she was beaming.

"You're back with your life partner, then?" she joked.

"You could call him that," said Kurama with a grin.

…

Even though he would never admit it, Hiei was happy to be friends with Kurama again, too. Hiei always had an idea of how a physical battle between the two of them would go, but he had no idea how much emotional turmoil a "friend breakup" would cause him. Kurama was being unusually affectionate, but then, the two of them had been a double act ever since they met almost two years ago. The human girl wasn't worth breaking up their bond over. Nothing was.

Part of the reason Hiei had gone to Kurama's school was to patch things up with him, but he actually did want to watch him mop the floor with his human classmates. They would see! Hiei and Kurama really were best friends, so Hiei felt like he had the right to a front-row seat.

"Time to pick teams," the coach announced. "The captains today will be Enko Akamatsu and Hiro Nonaka."

Hiei watched in interest as two of Kurama's classmates—one male, one female—stepped forward. They both were tall, attractive, and athletic.

"Hey! Why didn't you make Shuichi the captain?!" Hiei demanded.

The gym teacher's head swiveled around to face Hiei. "Who the hell are you?"

"This is a new foreign exchange student," Kurama ad-libbed as he ran back over to the bleachers and gave Hiei a look that clearly read, Roll with it. "His name's Hiei, and my family's hosting him."

"Well, why isn't he playing dodgeball?!"

"They don't have dodgeball in his country."

"What country is that?"

"Uh…" Kurama rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I'm not really sure. The details are kind of hazy."

"What…country…are…you…from?" asked the coach, turning to Hiei.

"Makai," Hiei snapped. "And we speak Japanese there, so you don't need to speak to me like I just suffered a debilitating brain aneurysm."

Kurama let out a snort of laughter, which he quickly disguised as a cough.

"What are you doing, Miss Minamino, choking on a hairball?" barked the coach, turning to Kurama and glowering at him.

"Actually, Coach, it's impossible to cough while choking," Kurama told him. "In fact, if someone is coughing, it means they're not choking, so you don't have to—"

"I don't care!" Coach shouted. "And I also don't care if they don't have dodgeball in your country, Mr. Sassy, so get your butt over here and play!"

"Fine. Have it your way." Hiei walked over to stand next to Kurama.

"And before you get any funny ideas," Coach added, "you and Miss Minamino are NOT to be on the same team."

"Well, well." Kurama grinned. "I guess you do have to fight me, Hiei."

"Bring it on," said Hiei, cracking his knuckles. "It will be down to the two of us in no time."

"Miss Akamatsu, you pick first," said Coach.

"I want Shuichi Minamino," she said instantly.

"Fine," Coach said as Kurama strode forward. "Mr. Nonaka, that means you get Hiei."

"That's not fair!" Hiro protested.

"Life isn't fair, kid, get used to it," Coach told him. "Miss Akamatsu, who is your next pick?"

Enko picked the next member of her team, and it went on like that, back and forth, until only one student was left—Aratani Fujisaki. Hiei wasn't surprised at all, considering what he knew of her abilities (or lack thereof). She ended up being on Kurama's team, which was lucky for her. Kurama smiled at her, but she looked terrified. Coach went over the rules of dodgeball, which seemed pretty simple. The most important rule, he said, was that whichever team had more players when the bell rang was the winner. Finally, it was time for the game to begin.

Coach pressed a button on a boom box to start energetic music, then he shouted, "Play dodgeball!"

The first thing Hiei noticed was that it was extremely easy to dodge the balls, and the second thing he noticed was that his team stunk, but Kurama's did, too. Kurama looked like he was holding back, as usual, but there didn't seem to be any specific strategy to figure out, so maybe he was just waiting for the end of the game, or he didn't want to seem much better than his teammates.

Left…Right…Left…Up! Balls were coming from every direction, but Hiei dodged them easily. Meanwhile, though, Kurama seemingly forgot himself and was getting into the game, taking out a lot of the students on Hiei's team. Hiei lobbed a dodgeball at him, but he dodged it. Hiei's team captain, Hiro, threw another, but Kurama caught that one, and he used it to block a ball thrown at Aratani. Enko grabbed it and threw it at Hiro, who just barely dodged.

The unathletic kids were taken out almost instantaneously. Hiei was kind of annoyed that Kurama kept protecting Aratani, because obviously she couldn't catch, dodge, or throw. It was only a matter of time until she was knocked out.

"Stop messing around and play, Shuichi!" Hiei called across the room, aiming a dodgeball at Kurama, but he dodged it again. "I like a challenge, you know!"

"Be careful what you wish for, Hiei," Kurama said back.

What was Kurama's game this time? Well, one thing Hiei noticed was that Kurama never caught any of the dodgeballs Hiei threw, just dodged them, which meant he was purposely keeping Hiei in the game. Then, perhaps, they should stop throwing dodgeballs at each other for now and focus on taking out each other's team members?

Hiei pitched a dodgeball at Aratani. If he got this hit, Kurama wouldn't be able to protect her unless he caught the ball.

"Aratani, look out!" Kurama shouted, but it was too late. Hiei's well-placed dodgeball hit her right in the stomach and knocked her over. She got up to sit on the sidelines, wincing. Kurama glared at Hiei, who just rolled his eyes.

After the less "gifted" combatants got eliminated, the game got uglier. The team captains were chosen for a reason. Kurama was already holding a dodgeball when someone aimed another at him, forcing him to flip himself backwards on one hand. Hiei just dodged the balls using his speed, but it was Kurama who was pulling out his acrobatics, which were always exciting to watch.

Finally, it was down to Hiei, Kurama, and the team captains.

"Oof! With a rough blow from Hiei, the third-to-last member of Team Akamatsu has been knocked out!" Coach announced. "It's down to Shuichi Minamino, Hiei, and our two team captains! Which team will win? Only time will tell!"

Kurama nailed Hiro in the chest, putting him out of the game. Hiei got Enko in the leg, and she went to sit on the sidelines, too.

"AND IT'S ONE-ON-ONE!" Coach roared. He looked like he was quite enjoying himself. "Who will take home the gold today—foreign newcomer Hiei, or well-known Shuichi Minamino?"

"What gold?" Hiro said from the sidelines. "We don't get any gold."

"It's just for dramatic effect, Nonaka!" Coach shouted.

"Kill him, Shuichi!" Enko called.

"No mercy, Hiei!" added Hiro.

Hiei had the feeling he would beat Kurama. Speed was his thing. Surely, he could throw a dodgeball at Kurama before he saw it coming…But unfortunately, Kurama did see it coming, and he dodged.

"Don't you remember the first thing you ever said to me?" Kurama asked. "You said, 'You're good at dodging.'"

"I also said you're a bastard who talks too much!"

The game seemed to go on for a long time. Koto, the commentator of the Dark Tournament, would have found it boring, since this was school, and nobody was allowed to get hurt. (Of course, Hiei was kind of bored by that, too.) Just then, Hiei got a message from Kurama: telepathic communication.

Kurama: This is just going to end in a stalemate, you know.

Hiei: How soon until the bell rings?

Kurama: I don't know. I haven't been keeping track.

Hiei: So what do you want to do, then?

Kurama: Either we wait for the bell to ring, or one of us throws the game.

Hiei: Obviously, you're bored, too.

Kurama: Which shall it be?

"Yah!" Hiei threw his dodgeball right at Kurama, who dodged it with a double-back handspring.

"That answers that question," said Kurama. "Hiei, catch!"

"I'm not letting you throw the game, Shuichi!" Hiei said back, easily dodging the ball.

"All right, this is enough!" Coach shouted, barging in. "New rule! I'm going to throw the dodgeball, and whichever one of you gets hit first loses!"

"Very well!" Kurama stopped, letting go of the dodgeball he was holding, and Hiei did the same. Kurama handed his dodgeball to the coach, looking relieved. Coach lifted up his arm to throw—just as the bell rang.

"AND THE BELL RINGS!" Coach hollered. "TEAM AKAMATSU AND TEAM NONAKA ARE TIED!"

All the students booed and groaned. Obviously, they wanted to see someone win.

"Don't worry, we'll continue this game tomorrow," Coach said, his voice sounding a little hoarse from all that shouting he had been doing. "Okay, kids, hit the showers!"

Hiei turned to the boys' locker room, but Kurama grabbed his shoulder when nobody was listening.

"You don't want to go in there, Hiei," he warned. "Those showers don't have any curtains or wall dividers. They're all out in the open."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Hiei whispered, feeling his stomach jump. "I'm the only one of us who can still pass himself off as male. I don't want anyone to find out the truth."

"Don't worry," said Kurama. "Just go back to my house for now. Besides, when was the last time you—"

"Miss Minamino!" Coach interrupted. "I said to hit the showers! You too, Hiei."

"I will, but Hiei can't," said Kurama.

"Why not?!"

"I've got a Makai ritual," Hiei answered, thinking on his feet.

"What is it, a human sacrifice?" Coach joked.

"That depends," Hiei said darkly. "Are you volunteering?"

"Hiei!" said Kurama, and then, "Don't worry, Coach, he's just kidding…But yes, Hiei, you had better get started on that ritual of yours."

"Yes, good game," Hiei said, relieved, and he was about to leave the gym when three girls approached him and Kurama. One of them was Kurama's former team captain, Enko, and the other two were ones Hiei didn't recognize, although Kurama did. Two of the girls, including Enko, were looking excited, while the third, the smallest, looked hopeful.

"Shuichi," Enko said. "We're all on the cheerleading squad, as you know…"

"And those were some amazing, physics-defying moves we saw when you were playing dodgeball," said the second girl. "Where'd you learn to do all that?"

"Practice," said Kurama, shrugging.

"Anyway, if the Captain approves of it, we were hoping you could fill Chizuko's place on the squad, since she's injured," said the short girl, all in a rush.

"I thought Aratani Fujisaki was filling in for her," Kurama said uncomfortably.

"Let's be realistic, Shuichi," Enko said flatly. "We're not going to win the competition with that geek filling in for Chizuko. She's got two left feet. We'll be laughed right out of the stadium."

"Does it really matter?" Kurama asked, trying to get out of it. "There will be other competitions."

"Not necessarily," said the second girl. "It's really hard to even be a contestant. We just barely made it. And if we don't win, we don't get the Grand Prize, which is really important."

"How much money is it?" said Kurama.

"It's not money," said the smallest girl, her smile fading. "It's for charity."

"Charity?"

"Each school gets to choose a place to donate—orphanages, animal shelters, homeless people, stuff like that—and the committee running the competition will donate a large amount of money to the winning school's charity," Enko explained. "We chose the hospital downtown, because Takara's little sister is in there." She pointed to the smallest girl.

"She's really sick, Shuichi," Takara said sadly. "You're the only one who can help us out."

"Oh…" Kurama breathed heavily out his nose and shut his eyes, then opened them. "I can't possibly say no, Takara. When's the next practice?"

"Today after school in the gym, so don't be late," said Enko, as Takara hugged Kurama extremely tight in thanks. Hiei, for his part, saw that decision coming. Even though Kurama hadn't told any of his classmates about his mom being sick, the hospital for their chosen charity was the exact same one Shiori had been in.

"I'll be right on time," Kurama promised.

…

Hiei left right after gym class, and for the rest of the day, Kurama couldn't believe what had just happened. It was all he could think about. Of course, he could relate to the small girl, because she was in a very similar situation to his, except she didn't have a demon mirror to help her out. But then, how hard could it be? And he didn't have to stay on the squad. All he had to do was help them win the competition.

Once school was finally over, Kurama wasted no time in changing back into his gym uniform and heading out to the gym, where the cheerleaders had their practice. Hiei was in the bleachers to support him, and so was Aratani.

"I hope you're not angry about this, Aratani," said Kurama. "They asked me, and I couldn't really say no."

"Don't worry," Aratani said. "I'm sure you'll be better than I ever could be. Besides, this way I have more time to spend on my homework."

Just then, the cheerleading captain, a senior named Ichika, walked into the gym, followed by the rest of the cheerleading squad. Takara waved at Kurama, but Hanako looked disgusted.

"What's this I hear about Shuichi Minamino joining the cheerleading squad?" she crowed. "I thought you were too good for us, Minamino."

"I'm not joining the cheerleading squad at all," said Kurama. "I'm just going to participate in the competition this Saturday."

"I'll be the judge of that, thank you," Ichika said impatiently. "Shuichi? What makes you think you can be a cheerleader?"

"You should have seen her in gym class," said Enko. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Let's see if she can do it for me, then," Ichika replied. "Do you have a routine you'd like to do?"

"Indeed," said Kurama. "I understand there's a video you show every cheerleader?"

"No," Ichika breathed. "You don't mean…?"

"That's right," Kurama told her. "I'd like to attempt the Meiou Monster."