She had promised herself to keep it together as much as she could before the next fight, but now Kazane just felt like a total failure as she held her head in her hands, fists curling in her fiery locks.

At least Kuwabara and Yusuke didn't have to do it, she kept telling herself, a mantra in her head. At the very least there was that.

She briefly registered the faint scent of feminine perfume before glancing up into a pair of concerned magenta eyes.

"Kazane..." Botan breathed, reaching out a hand and pressing her palm to the half-demon's shoulder.

Botan had seen everything, had seen Kazane mercilessly (or maybe it was an act of mercy, considering) kill the controlled men on the other team, and yet...

Here she was, crouched down beside her, concern swirling in her beautiful eyes.

"Don't tell me you jumped all the way down here," Kazane mumbled, humor not quite coming to the surface as she intended. She sounded more monotone than anything.

"Of course I did! I had to."

As Koto called for Team Masho to enter Kazane looked up towards the other end of the stadium, her heart once again picking up pace.

Jin would be entering soon, and it would be the first time seeing him in over a decade, and he had likely seen Kazane's actions moments earlier.

Would he condemn her for it? Would he hate her? Surely a full-blood demon could understand killing better than anyone, even if her reasons for it were to protect those closest.

Would he even look at her? Toya had said he'd been aware she was here, and she had yet to see even a glimpse of him since she arrived.

It was fine. Everything was fine. She just had to keep telling herself that, keep distracting her mind from lingering.

The sight of a whirlwind appearing in the grass feet away caused something painful to twinge in her chest, and she felt a longing burgeon with the spirit energy coalescing. It had been too long since she had seen Jin's handiwork, and she had to admire it.

As Team Masho appeared in all their black-clad attire trepidation coiled in her gut, but Kazane couldn't look away. She knew which one Jin was under; the white pentagon symbol affixed on the front. It was easy to pick out which one Toya was what with his shorter stature.

The stifled hum of Jin's spirit energy finally made itself known to her, and Kazane felt more at home than she ever had since arriving on Genkai's doorstep.

At the same time grief bubbled up to the surface.

"Jin..." She said softly, the words escaping her mouth unbidden, and Botan cast her a look of surprise.

"Do you know one of them Kazane?"

Stiffly the redhead nodded. "My brother."

The grim reaper did a double take between Kazane and the grouping across from them before hefting the smaller girl up to stand gently. "Oh...dear."

As wind violently swirled around the cloaked figure of her brother Kazane finally got a good look at him after the robe was blown forcefully off.

He looked the same as she'd ever seen him; his features almost an exact mirror of her own, except insanely more masculine. They both had the same unkempt hair, the same glittering blue eyes, the same sharp incisors. He looked as strong and as capable as she'd ever seen, and as Kazane's teammates took in the fighter before them nearly all eyes darted back towards her in disbelief.

It wasn't hard to match up their connection when they were so close to each other.

She didn't miss the way Yusuke's fist clenched in time with his jaw, his brows once more knitting together, or the way Hiei's stance became uncommonly still.

"Your brother is a shinobi?" Botan shrieked, and Kazane wanted nothing more than to just float away from everything happening.

She watched Yusuke and Jin face each other in the arena and her heart clenched as she saw that since Jin had entered the field he hadn't glanced at her once. His soft Irish lilt reached her ears as he spoke and her stomach sank further down. Even the sight of Yusuke and her brother finally meeting didn't stop the panic from coming to the surface.

She was right here!

"May I have your attention please."

The robotic voice over the intercoms resounded, and Kazane sagged some of her weight onto Botan. She had nearly forgotten about the trickery the committee was planning.

"The Tournament Committee will be instituting a medical examination before the next round."

"What is this, gym class?" Yusuke called, hopping off the lip of the ring next to where Kazane and Botan stood, giving Kazane a glance, and despite all the bullshit that had happened that day she felt her spirits raise minutely at Yusuke's words.

They were the same; using humor to mask whatever they were really feeling, and to an extent make others less on edge. A small smile creased the edges of her lips.

"Due to the Urameshi Team fighting without rest," Robotic Announcer called. "And in accordance to section thirteen of the Tournament index, report to the medical tent."

"As long as they don't grab my balls and make me cough," Yusuke quipped, and Botan let out an exclamation, flapping one of her arms dramatically as she berated his crudeness.

The medical tent just...appeared. There really was no other way to describe it. Maybe Kazane hadn't been paying attention because of Jin, but it seemed to just appear out of thin air, the most gorgeous demon Kazane had ever seen step from within it.

If the situation was different she would have been reduced to a nervous, stuttering mess in front of the model-esque redhead dressed in nurse attire, but as things stood Kazane's anxiety was at the forefront and thoroughly prevented her hormones to come to a head. Trying to joke and lighten her own absolutely bereaved mood was still applicable, however.

God, she hoped at least she'd look like that in ten years.

"Hello gentlemen, ladies," The nurse spoke, and Kazane's arm (draped over Botan as the grim reaper was supporting her somewhat) tightened, along with every other muscle in the half-demon's body.

A single palm raised to evaluate her teammates, and she stiffened even more as the palm settled over her figure.

"Yes, you two fighters," The nurse finally spoke, looking pointedly at Kazane and Hiei. "Would you please follow me to the medical tent?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Hiei's brusque voice cut in. "We need no medical attention. Kazane's wound is easily treatable on its own."

Against her will Kazane felt her heart flutter nervously as she realized that this moment was the first time Hiei had said her name aloud to address her, instead of his usual 'woman' or 'half-breed'.

Today was full of firsts, and chock full of everything she wanted nothing to do with nor think about.

Botan begrudgingly let Kazane go, squeezing once on the redhead's hand as she relinquished her grip. As Kazane followed Hiei towards the medical tent she was struck with the thought that the world simply did not deserve Botan; she was too sweet. An angel, ironic given her employment.

The nurse introduced herself as Ruka before taking inventory on Hiei's state, albeit mostly visually. Kazane doubted that Hiei would let anyone touch him, nurse or not.

"Are you experiencing any fatigue, or sharp recurring pains?"

"No," Hiei answered immediately, looking thoroughly done with the whole affair.

"And are you experiencing any out of body experiences, any debilitating thoughts?" Ruka asked, this time addressing Kazane.

The question barely made Kazane pause before responding. "No."

She was, and the depth of denial and disparaging thoughts were overwhelming, but with the events going on Kazane had locked them in the back of her mind for the time being. Maybe it was the appearance of Jin finally, in the flesh, or maybe it was Yusuke's lighthearted jibs that cast the darkness away enough to keep up a composure. Perhaps it was Botan's selfless support. Either way, Kazane was determined to keep her inner turmoil at bay for the time being.

Just as she had said earlier; there was plenty of time to wallow in self-pity when she was alone. She needed to be strong right now.

"Hmm...clearly you will both have to stay with me until your health has improved, both physical and mental," Ruka spoke, her soft voice in great juxtaposition with the way her eyes were raking over the two of them.

"I don't go where people tell me to, lady," Hiei hissed, glancing at Kazane. "And I very much doubt this one does either. You can treat yourself."

Kazane attempted to follow Hiei out of the medical tent, but the sharp and static waves of a forcefield kept them at bay and she nearly bowled into the demon before her as he stopped his departure.

"A trap," She muttered, and Hiei pressed a palm to the forcefield, the electric blue tendrils winding their way around the proffered limb.

Even if getting caught in a hot demon's forcefield wasn't exactly planned Kazane settled onto the seat inside the medical tent easily. She knew the forcefield, or the energy embed in it, (or whatever, she didn't fucking know) would actually speed Hiei's healing process when it came to his arm, and it wasn't like she was equipped to fight as it was.

It had always been a habit instilled in her to lie to medical professionals or authority figures, and Ruka was no different. The idea of sitting this fight out on the sidelines was appealing, especially since Kuwabara was actually at full strength this time. She may have said one thing to the faux-nurse before her, but Kazane wanted nothing more than to not fight unless she had to, especially against her brother's team.

God, she was such a coward, really.

"Hey, readhead!" Yusuke called out, rushing towards Ruka. "Why do I get the feeling you're not a licensed nurse?"

Kazane watched as Yusuke met the forcefield head on, wincing in pain, and she called out to him.

"Obviously the committee has it in for our team, we'll be fine. Just kick some ass for me, please?" Once again she tried to call upon the sarcastic humor she was accustomed to, but it was much less effective or convincing than any other time, and she watched as Yusuke's face formed a twisted frown.

Kazane tried not to gape open-mouthed as Ruka shed her nurse uniform for what could only be called a tangle of scantily-clad ropes.

Yeah, she really hoped she'd look like that in the future.

"I'm regarded as the most talented creature alive in spell-defense incantations," Ruka announced, and at this Kazane snickered, interrupting her boastful tirade.

The elder redhead turned towards her with an expression of utter contempt.

"No, by all means," Kazane hissed, raising her palms in the air. "Continue your monologue, I'm sure it makes you feel important."

In front of her the softest chuckle she had ever heard elicited from Hiei's mouth.

"Spell-whatever or not," Yusuke grumbled. "Give me my damn team back!"

Ruka tutted softly. "Didn't you hear the announcement, Yusuke? They're both very sick. They're going to need a little time to recover."

"Lady I've been sick my whole life," Kazane rebuked scathingly. "A little time in this tent isn't going to cure me."

Probably the wrong thing to say, but she was angry and lashing out. Whatever. It felt good right now.

Without barely more than another incantation Ruka's energy battled Hiei into his seat beside Kazane, and she glanced at him before staring out into the field.

Of course she would have to be stuck in this tent alone with him and only another sadistic redhead for company. Maybe Kazane really was cursed.

As the stadium speaker announced her and Hiei's disqualification from the fight Kazane sat back against the seat and sighed loudly. Truth be told she didn't know whether being relatively alone with her thoughts right now was a good idea, but she was happy for the chance not to fight all the same.

It was hard to pin down what about her personality made killing so easy, and it was something she contemplated before on the boat to Hanging Neck. She wanted with all her will to blame it on the cursed blood running through her veins, but the idea that maybe she had always been this ruthless, had always been this capable of abominable acts was simply too fucking much. If her previous life had been this filled with competition and hardship would she have resorted to acts so heinous? Not that her prior life had been a piece of cake by any means but she never murdered someone over her situation.

Against Kazane's will images of familiar faces crossed her mind, and she willed them away as quick as they came.

She saw them in night terrors, she didn't need them plaguing her while she was awake.

As Yusuke's warm brown eyes met hers Kazane couldn't resist giving him a half-hearted thumbs up, and it took a few seconds before he repaid the gesture, a forced smile on his face.

Something was bothering him, and she needed to find out what it was.

Kazane sat back on her seat, crossing her arms and floating a few inches off the chair beneath her, watching as Yusuke and Kurama converged on the ring.

It would be fine, everything now would be fine.


Kazane watched with interest as Kurama and Gama fought, fists clenching and unclenching at the tenseness of the battle, and she was so swept in it she jumped when Hiei finally spoke.

"That shinobi out there is your brother."

She cast a sidelong glance at him, freezing momentarily as she registered the severity of his gaze.

"His name is Jin," She offered, adjusting her bun nervously. "He rescued me from Demon World. I've told you this before."

A beat of silence before Hiei spoke once more. "Why?"

Kazane paused before replying, thinking over once more (as she so often did) the events leading up to her landing on Genkai's doorstep. She had no idea why Jin rescued her from their father's clutches, and she had no idea what motivated him to help a half-breed. Or maybe Hiei had been asking why she told him, a thought she didn't want to linger on much less talk about. Still, she responded, her voice softening.

"I could feel him watching me for days before he showed up," She started, a warm grin starting to spread on her face despite the conversation's tone. "He was always hovering around the shack I lived in. I think he saw what I did every day, which wasn't anything particularly interesting. He was there, though. Always watching over me."

After Kazane spoke the words aloud she realized how hard-hitting it must be for Hiei, with him to always be watching Yukina from afar, too scared to intervene unless her life was in danger,

Against her better judgment she continued, partly to instill some sort of...something in Hiei that would make him aware of Yukina's potential gratitude, and partly because if she had to tell someone the embarrassing thoughts in her head better Hiei than anyone else, especially since she spilled her guts to him a month prior during training.

"He rescued me from our father, gave me a name, taught me the basics of harnessing wind," She continued, lapsing back into fond memory of finally escaping Rannon's estate. "I've wanted to see him again so badly. I wanted to thank him, and now he's finally here and I..."

The words caught in her throat as the tumultuous bullshit of the last fight came once again rearing its head, and Kazane swallowed thickly, looking out the tent at the throngs of demons in the stands calling for the blood of the human team.

For once she was glad that Hiei was content to sit in silence, at least with her, but the mood barely lingered before Kazane began humming songs from her previous life, trying to fill the void in the conversation and her in one effort. She fiddled with an errant strand on her sweater, offhandedly cursing at it. The garment had cost a decent amount, and it was comfortable. Tightly-fit and meant for durable "outdoor" wear, something Genkai heartily approved of. She'd have to strengthen the sewing once back at the temple.

"I don't think you're a monster."

Hiei's voice was so soft Kazane barely caught it, and she registered what he said a few seconds after they were spoken aloud. She tucked a coil of hair behind her ear, looking towards the fire demon but not meeting his eyes.

"I did some pretty shitty things."

Hiei huffed in amusement. "Compared to what I am, you're a saint. You protected those you care for in battle, in a battle that was impossible to win by pathetic human moral standards."

Hiei's eyes were half-lidded, his lips played in slight amusement, and Kazane returned the smile with more enthusiasm than she had thought capable of. This was the most genuine response she had ever seen from the demon, and it caught her off guard.

"I...thanks, Hiei."

Once again silence descended upon them as Kazane looked out towards the match, noting that everything was surprisingly going more or less to plan. Gama was lying still on the concrete, Kurama looking fully surprised at the events that transpired. Violet blood was strewn across not only the tiling but Kurama himself.

The fact that Hiei had intentionally tried to comfort her was a thought that kept returning to her mind, much as she tried to force it aside. He sat beside her, his (unfortunately wonderful) muscles in full view, and despite the fact the he was caged, and Kazane knew he hated that fact, he was sitting here willingly trying to assuage her guilt.

It had been the first time she had cried in front of any of them, truth be told.

"I don't think you're a monster, either," She said softly, once again not meeting his gaze, even as she felt the damnable ruby eyes rove over her. "For the record."

It took barely a moment for Hiei to turn from relatively lax, mouth slightly agape, to a posture of defensive stillness, and if his body language didn't exude it then his energy did. His mouth snapped closed.

"You have no idea what I've done," He whispered dangerously.

As a shiver crept up Kazane's spine she felt guilt heavy in her chest, because she did know, in a sense. She knew more than anyone dared to. She called her false confidence to surface, finally meeting his gemstone eyes.

"I don't care," She said loudly. It was true, she had said it before; redemption could be had. Whatever Hiei had done it was cast away when he joined Yusuke's band of misfits, and she didn't give a flying fuck.

If the silence before was comfortable then the one now was tense and full of something Kazane couldn't name. Her dumb, self-preserving habits coming to surface she quickly changed the subject, too uncomfortable with the conversation happening now.

"Tell me how your arm feels," She asked softly, resigning from her hover into her chair. As much as she loved using her wind power it still exhausted her when used for a prolonged period of time.

"Surprisingly, better," Hiei admitted begrudgingly, and Kazane smirked.

"Perhaps Ruka isn't so knowledgeable about her own forcefields," She whispered, leaning in close to Hiei's lobe and completely oblivious to his slight shiver as her breath ghosted down his neck.

She leaned back in her chair, once again fiddling with her bun as Toya came into view, the sunlight illuminating features that had been hidden in the darkness of their meeting at the pool.

He was cute, the shinobi mesh and weird drap-ey cloth hugging his figure well, and Kazane was reminded of the single night ago, when he was so close to her she could swear she felt the moisture freeze on her skin. His icy eyes seeing through her in a way she wasn't altogether used to.

Ah fuck, she couldn't think her brother's best friend was cute, especially not with a mind-reading demon so close to her.

It seemed that Hiei didn't need to read her thoughts to feel angered, as she was already leaned forward watching the fight instigate before them, her elbows resting on her knees, and Hiei let out a barely audible scoff.

She turned towards him, a brow quirked upwards, and he responded stiffly:

"He's ice. Too cold for your tastes."

A defensive mood rose up to meet Kazane, and she gave a half-smirk, turning away from the fire-demon next to her.

"And since when were you the authority on my tastes?"

Her words effectively elicited a furious mood from Hiei, and she shrank back, raising her arms around her head in a cushion. He decided to brood in silence, sending sharp glares to the redhead beside him and Toya out onto the field.

Toya was a mystery, much in the same way that Hiei was, except she had hardly an interaction with him aside from the strange meeting between the two. Kazane had always been a fan of 'bad boys'; the men she dated in her old life being on the wrong side of the law. Wind was too versatile, she thought grimly.

His adventure to meet her, though, on a surface level could be described as one defending his friend.

She was an unknown figure, an anomaly that Jin only mentioned, at least going by Toya's words.

At that thought Kazane frowned once more, sorrow coming to fruition. Did Jin talk about her? Toya said she motivated him to compete but was it really true? He would've joined anyway.

"Much as you like him Kurama can't fight Toya in his current state," Hiei hissed, bringing Kazane back to Earth, and the redhead grimaced.

It was true, and she wanted to break out of their bindings and pull Kurama to the sidelines, but at the same time she could understand Toya's rage lurking beneath the surface.

He wanted to win this fight for his comrade.

And wasn't that just like her; to get involved with demons with complex and somewhat upstanding moral codes, while she acted like a fucking lunatic all the while? Goddamn.

Maybe she just longed for someone more honorable than she was capable of being.

Oof. Immediately Kazane tucked her thoughts away, trying to force them to the back of her mind. Now was the not the time for...whatever the fuck was going on.

During her furious internal musings Kazane noticed another pair of cerulean eyes dart towards her quickly before looking away, and she looked at where Jin was lazing about the edge of the tournament grounds with a bitter frown on her face.

She watched in surprise as Yusuke held Kuwabara back from barging into the ring in Kurama's defense, trying with all his might to break through Yusuke's iron arms.

"Kurama will be fine if he can buy enough time to move," Kazane said, and Hiei's eyes were once more on her. "Whatever Gama did rendered him immobile."

"That's nice, but I'd prefer to stay realistic," Hiei hissed, fist clenching at his side. "You and I both know Kurama has a nasty habit of getting himself injured in an attempt to figure out his opponents' abilities."

Whatever, it seemed Hiei was too pessimistic to be assuaged with Kazane's half-hearted attempts to cheer him up.

She settled in on her own thoughts, watching as the fights unfolded before her and feeling that anxious twinge in her gut all the same.


After the matches had finally ended Kazane sat in the bath of the hotel room, halfheartedly padding at the bubbles atop the water around her.

Baths always made her feel better, but now it just made her feel desolate.

A knock on the door caused her to jump, and she called out in the dimmed light of the main fixtures, feeling well and thoroughly put off if any of the guys attempted to interrupt her alone time.

"Jeez, can't a woman have a bath in peace around here?"

There was no hesitation before the voice replied. "Normally they would, but since it's you I want to have a conversation with I'd say I'm offered some liberties."

Genkai's voice was as gruff as ever, and as Kazane nearly choked on the bubbles threatening to consume her she blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry. Come in."

Communal baths were a thing in Japan, weren't they? And it's not like Kazane had any modesty to really be had. In front of the only person in both lifetimes that had given her attention befitting a guardian, however, Kazane felt herself cowering beneath the bubbles, only her nose and above poking out.

Genkai strode into the room, locking the door behind her and sitting cross-legged next to the bath, making sure her eyes met the redhead's before her.

Kazane had known Genkai to be intimidating, but after what had happened, and the talk she knew would come, she found that she was at a complete loss for words in the psychic's presence.

It took a moment of silence before Genkai finally spoke.

"This room is soundproof, even if someone listened against the doors," She offered, and Kazane nodded, running body wash against her skin. "So whatever you need to say you don't need to be afraid of who'll hear."

It was a sweet gesture on Genkai's part, and as much as Kazane wanted to direct the flow of the conversation she couldn't, the words dying in her throat as soon as she planned them out. Sinking further into the scalding bath she frowned, tears nipping at the corners of her eyes.

Genkai sighed. "I said it before and I'll say it again; you knew. You knew Ichigaki was controlling the boys on his team, you knew that only the Spirit Wave could hope to stop it. Don't even try to deny it, you've been hinting at it since we were at the temple, poorly might I add."

Soundlessly Kazane nodded, because what else could she do? She felt trapped, but she knew this conversation had to happen eventually, and what better person to have it with than Genkai, the one who had spent so much time with her?

"You act like a human, but there have been many times now where your knowledge has reached far beyond what the experiences with me provide," Genkai continued, eyes drooping closed. If Kazane didn't know any better she'd think the old psychic asleep. "You're half demon, but you're insanely ignorant to the ways of demon culture. You knew, and yet you shouldn't know. Tell me."

Such a direct order rendered Kazane speechless for a moment, and she stuttered as she splayed her hands in the water.

"I..." It was so hard to say, but she had to. Genkai was asking her, and she didn't have a choice. If anyone wouldn't judge her it would be the woman who trained her, who raised her in the last nearly two decades.

"I've died once," Kazane whispered, and the words felt like some grand confession, the weight of it lifting off her shoulders. A ten ton weight. "I had a life before I was born here. I was almost twenty-five."

She watched Genkai out of the corner of her eyes, watching as the old psychic nodded slowly, a gnarled hand coming to support her chin as she sat.

"I assumed as much."

It was as much of an acceptance as any, and Kazane let out a breath from deep in her chest. It wasn't like her personality had changed very much in the last 10+ years, and one of the first things she asked Genkai for was a cigarette. There were so many things she didn't bother to keep hidden from the psychic since she came to her estate.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I was just...afraid. I haven't told the others."

Genkai sighed, letting out a strong breath through her nose, before she met Kazane's eyes. Cerulean on teak, two different worlds.

"Your fear of rejection will bite you in the ass," She said softly, and Kazane's eyebrows raised in surprise, but before she could rebuke the old psychic continued. "Almost everything that happened today was the result of you not sharing your knowledge with the others. Honestly, there was no other way to win that match, as I'm sure you know. Still. You're not stupid; you realize that the more you withhold from them the more it may potentially hurt them, and you?"

Kazane had thought countless times about the idea of sharing her knowledge with her teammates, but what good would it do?

It would doubtlessly be an invasion of privacy for them; someone who had no business knowing intimate details about their lives calling themselves their friend. Kuwabara might be understanding, and to an extent Yusuke would be as well, but Kurama would resent her. And Hiei? She didn't even want to think about what his reaction would be if he knew.

"I don't care about your ability to sense the future," Genkai continued, voice harsh. "And I don't care to know any predictions about my own. All I'll say is if you care for those boys so much telling them is in your best interest."

Genkai did have a point, even if it was one Kazane begrudgingly accepted. The redhead nodded slowly, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Okay. Not now, not at the tournament though. I think me telling them now would only distract them."

Her guardian gave a slow nod before standing upright with a groan, the cracks and pops in her limbs betraying her age, and Kazane frowned.

"If you don't get out of here soon you'll be a dried up prune like me."

As Kazane smiled softly to herself Genkai exited the room, closing the door gently behind her with a click. It took a few moments of deep breaths and truly mulling over the conversation that had just ended, but finally Kazane stepped out of the bath, taking care not to slip on the tiles and break her neck.


The sight to which she exited the bath was not what she expected at all.

A choir of maniacal laughing greeted her as she stepped into the main area, most everyone cackling with tears in their eyes. Kuwabara was the most animated of the bunch, his mouth opened to an insane degree as laughter poured out of it.

As every eye caught Kazane's figure, however, the laughing ceased, and she thought maybe she should have just stayed in the bathroom as a prune.

Yusuke's brown eyes turned to face her, and Kazane walked out, trying to mask her uncertainty with stoic confidence. She took one look at Puu on Yusuke's head before all resolve crumbled immediately.

"Oh my god, he's so cute!"

At that everyone resumed their laughing, and Kazane strode forward to scoop up the weird, cute, penguin-esque being in her arms, cradling it gently.

"I never knew how adorable you were inside!" Kuwabara roared, pinching Yusuke's cheek's. "You're as pure as a little girl!"

Immediately Yusuke gave a swift right hook to Kuwabara, knocking him onto the coffee table, and Kazane sighed.

"How adorable was that?!" Yusuke called, and immediately Kuwabara crept up towards Yukina to beg her for some healing.

Finally seeing Hiei's sister in the flesh was something Kazane was wholly unprepared for, and she found herself staring more than she should at the color of the ice apparition's hair and eyes, eyes that were a reflection of Hiei's own, albeit softened. She was entirely too gorgeous and sweet, and Kazane felt that familiar surge of protectiveness consume her as she watched Yukina hesitantly converse with everyone in her kimono.

If the sight of Yusuke's wrath was impressive, then Shizuru's was ten times more impressive as she beat the ever-living shit out of her baby brother.

As festivities continued and Kazane felt she had less and less to contribute to the conversations she stealthily walked outside on the balcony. The wind was absolutely awful but it gave her some reprieve from the company inside.

It was so awkward and uncomfortable, being with her friends now. They'd all seen what she'd done; it wasn't like they couldn't look at her and just ignore it. Even Botan with her vast experience as a grim reaper probably detested her actions.

This brought up a new question; did serial killers get led into spirit world by helpful grim reapers? Those poor women.

The sound of a sliding glass door caught her attention, and before she could come up with some sharp retort Yusuke sat down next to her on the floor.

More awkward silence, it seemed. She had no idea how he was comfortable being out here; he was still in his sleeveless attire. It was fucking cold.

"Hey," Yusuke began, and Kazane glanced over at the boy. His expression was pained and rigid, and she turned away, looking out into the hotel grounds. It was that same expression he had on his face at the match earlier. "I get why you did what you did today, but still."

There was something tense going on, and the demoness was completely oblivious to why. Much as she called Yusuke her other brother there was no way she could fathom what was going on in his brain.

"You always do this shit!" Yusuke yelled, half-heartedly slamming a fist on the ground. "You always try and put things on yourself, and I don't get why. Even at Maze Castle you did. I never wanted you to compete in the first place, but now...You don't need to put yourself on the front lines for me anymore. I'm a big boy. I can take it."

It was all starting to make sense now. Yusuke getting irritated when Kazane addressed his stupid foot wound, the conflicting expressions he wore on the field just hours earlier. The realization made her choke on air and want to smack herself to oblivion.

Kazane had never felt that anyone would be scared of losing her.

"Yusuke," She began, but the greaser cut her off angrily.

"No, don't do that! You don't get to do that! You got messed up today, Kazane, and I can't have that."

Kazane froze. This moment was becoming way too much for her, but still she sat, waiting for the rest of Yusuke's words to come tumbling out of his mouth. She didn't have much to say, and so she would just let him talk and get everything off his chest.

"You want forgiveness? Then fine, you're forgiven," He continued. "But I'm not going to sit on the sidelines and watch you protect me. I can't. That's not me, Kazane, and you know that."

A tightness returned to her throat, and she swallowed thickly, avoiding Yusuke's gaze. What could she say? I'm sorry? She was doing what she thought was best. There was no other way out of the situation that she could see without him dying. Again, and she couldn't allow that.

"Just...promise me you won't do anything stupid again, alright?"

At the detective's pleading tone Kazane looked up, noting a definite gleam in his eyes, and she laid her head on his bony shoulder. She scoffed, clearing her throat in an attempt to stifle the emotion welling up.

"You know me, bonehead. I'll do stupid things all I like. Especially when it comes to you."

Much to her surprise Yusuke sighed deeply, pausing before his lips twitched upwards, and laid his head atop hers, looking out into the darkness.

"Yeah, whatever, asking was a long shot anyway. I guess that's family, right?"

Kazane glanced up, hoping that Yusuke couldn't feel the definite moisture soaking into his shoulder.

"Yeah. That's family."


Note:

Genkai is hard as fuck to write, oh my god. But Kazane has finally admitted her shit to someone, and of course it's Genkai. This will come into play more significantly later on down the line, not so much right now.

Like I said, small HieixKazane moment. I promise ToyaxKazanexHiei won't become a torrid love triangle, as much fun as writing that would be. Or maybe you guys would like that? Let me know, I can adjust for more tension. Point being Kazane doesn't really understand how she feels about Hiei in the first place. Dude makes her uncomfortable for a lot of reasons she doesn't want to think about, which is...a step? Yeah. We'll have more in-depth moments later, I promise.

As per usual the most love ever to my followers and lurkers, and the best of hugs to rsaenz18, Pein's number 1 Girl, xenocanaan, AmericanNidiot, Vienna22, WaYaADisi1, and cocobyrd87