Don't you just love it when the odds are in your favour? I looked around and counted eight giant demons surrounding the gang and I. Oh yeah, I love these odds. I looked into the faces of the guys and saw a mix of all emotions. Kuwabara didn't look so confident. Kurama and Hiei didn't show any expression at all. And Yusuke looked down right pissed. A part of me hoped that I looked like a mix of Kurama and Yusuke while the other part of me knew that I looked a lot like Kuwabara.

I mean, sure I've trained for this kind of thing but I've never actually attacked anyone. And by that I mean, being fully aware and had control of myself. Kurama said that I've been doing well but what if he was just being nice? What if I can't actually defend myself? If I can't do this, how the hell am I going to take part of the Demon World Tournament?!

Before I could even finish that thought the demons began to attack. They obviously saw me as the weakest link since they went at me first. If it was because I was small and female I swear to god…

Two attacked in sync. The first attacked low causing me to jump up high to avoid his large arm. That caused the second to use the opportunity to attack high. Feeling panicked, I had to curl up and flip around in mid air. The second had quick enough reflexes to try and grab me with his other hand. His aim was a little off though, which gave me the chance to straighten out and arch my back to avoid him. The need to adjust my dodge made my landing terrible. To avoid losing my balance and totally embarrassing myself, I was able to handspring back and finally land in a fighting stance. Hah! Maybe I should have been placed in gymnastics instead of ballet…

"You think this is a game?" one of the giants yelled.

Awe, crap.

And just like that the fight continued. I'd like to say that some miracle happened and I was able to take these demons down with only a few scratches. But that totally isn't the chase. Every time I tried to get offensive, I realized that I have no idea how to attacked someone a hundred times my size. Kurama, sure. I could take him… eventually. But these guys? What am I suppose to do? Grab their pinky and throw them over my back? I don't think so.

Staying on the defensive, I began to dodge all of their attacked. Maybe I could wear them out enough that I could eventually gain the upper hand. Or maybe until one of the guys could take over, which ever happened first. Just when I thought it could possibly work, I felt myself falter on a landing. I wasn't able to be graceful on this one, I landed flat on my ass. I reacted quickly by trying to get up but it wasn't good enough.

One of the demons grabbed me by the ankle and threw me in the air. I felt like everything happened in slow motion and I felt hopeless the whole time. The demon lifted me high and slammed me down as hard as he could. At first I only felt winded, like all the air in my body just left. Then the pain sunk in. I was convinced that every bone in my body was broken. I tried to get up, I was able to move my arms and legs so nothing was broken, but everything was shaking so much that I couldn't support myself enough to get off the ground.

My ears were ringing which wasn't making things easier. A part of me could tell that everyone was yelling but it was so muffled. Was it the guys that were yelling, or maybe the villagers? I don't know. I didn't matter. I needed to get up. Just as I tried again, a demon walked up to me. Great. He smirked down at me as he lifted a leg and stepped down one my chest. It wasn't enough to squish me completely, but it sure was enough for me to feel it.

I screamed out in pain. Everything was beginning to feel so overwhelming with pain. I pressed my hands against his foot and tried to push him off of me. Even with my demon energy I couldn't lift it. He pressed down even more and laughed at me. I pushed harder but he only did as well. Everything started to go blurry then dark. I couldn't do it. My first fight and I was going to fail. I heard someone yell my name.

You're weak.

No. I'm. Not.

Something clicked. I don't know if it was something actually breaking this time but I knew something was different. I opened my eyes and I could see everything clearly. I could feel the wind pick up. I could feel my powers rush through me.

Getting a feeling, I pushed again harder than I could ever do it before. The demon went flying off of me. Now we're talking. I stood up. I could feel a slight tingle down my spine. My body was still sore and basically broken but it was like the adrenaline was numbing everything.

I suddenly felt like I wasn't in completely control of my body, like it was just instincts. Water wasn't going to be my asset in this. Fire was. I breathed in deeply, my hair blowing in the wind, and slightly raised my arms at my side. I'm not weak. My blood boiled as I began to summon fire. I gestured my arms that mimicked the motion of fire circling around me.

"What are you guys doing? Attack!" I heard one of the demons yell.

I looked around and noticed that everyone was standing around watching, even the guys. Then they all attacked.

The guys had trained me in all kinds of styles of martial arts for days on end. Styles from all over the world and I suddenly became grateful for it. Acting on instincts, I found myself doing the moves from the Northern Shaolin style of kung fu. The fire I commanded mirrored all of my moments. As each demon attacked, I set them on fire. Burned, but still kicking, they all paused around me. I stayed in my stance and looked around as fire danced around me. I could feel her enjoyment. I could feel her anger fueling me. I'm not weak.

They all attacked at once. I used fire to form a circle around me for protection. I could feel the pressure in my chest of them all piling on me. My breathing suddenly became difficult. My chest was growing tighter and tighter.

"I'm not weak!" I yelled.

I took another deep breath and pushed. Fire exploded, lifted all the demons off of me. Acting quickly, I used fire as a whip and in one circular motion, sliced them all in half.

Knowing it was all over; I did one final circular motion that ended with my fists placed over each at the center of my chest. And with that, all the flames went out.

Opening my eyes, I saw all the guys staring at me in shock. I smiled lazily at the guys. I suddenly felt really tired.

"See?" I said, "That was easy." And then I fell asleep.

I woke up with the worse headache ever. I was too scared to open my eyes in case there was light that would make it worse.

"Has Hiei been acting weird?" That was Yusukes voice.

"What do you mean?" And Kuramas.

"Oh please, I might not be as smart as you, but I'm not as blind as Kuwabara either. Has Hiei said anything to you?"

"What do you think? Just because I've known Hiei longer doesn't mean he'll talk to me. I have my suspicions. He doesn't hide it as much as he thinks he does, but I can't be completely sure."

"Yeah, I mean, the way he looks at her. I'm surprised Kuwabara doesn't see it."

What the hell is going on? I opened my eyes only to have the daylight pierce my eyes. Groaning in pain, I covered my face with my hands.

"Oh, you're awake," Kurama said. I felt the bed dip as he sat next to me. "How are you feeling?"

I tried opening my eyes again. I blinked a few times before realizing I was actually lying on the couch in the living room. "I feel like I had my head split open," I said as I tried to sit up.

Kurama watched me closely. "Do you need me to get you anything?"

I shook my head then wished I didn't. Pain shot through my head causing me to groan again. "Actually, a water would be nice."

As Kurama got up to get me a glass, I turned to Yusuke. "How long was I out?"

"About two days." He said it as if I took a twenty-minute catnap.

"Two fucking days? Are you serious?"

He nodded. "You're gaining a bit more control over your energy but it's still taking a lot out of you. It seems like we need to get your body used to using your abilities."

"Yeah," I said in agreement.

Kurama came in with some water. I thanked him and began to sip on it. "Will there be training today?" I asked.

Both of them seemed shocked. "You just woke up. It would probably be a good idea if you rested."

"I've done nothing but rest the past two days. I feel like I should do something. Maybe even just a run."

Kurama seemed to think about it for a second. "Maybe a run would be a good idea. I'm sure we could get you to run as fast as Hiei. Shall we see if we can make you go faster?"

That would be pretty cool. I got up and stretched. "I'd love that. Who's going to help me with this one?"

"Naturally, Hiei will," Kurama said. I frowned while the two boys exchanged a glance. "It's only logical. If we want you to be as fast as Hiei, you should learn from him."

I wasn't going to let them win this round. "Makes sense. So where is he? Let's get started."

As if he was listening, and he probably was, Hiei walked through the door.

"Perfect! Hey listen, Hiei," Yusuke said as he bounced up. "AJ is all ready for some light training. Let's make her as fast as you." And with that both Kurama and Yusuke were out the door.

There was nothing but silence as we stared at each other. Great.

"You'd need to stretch." He turned and walked out the door.

Was I supposed to follow him? I took a deep breath for patience then followed him out the door. Turns out, I was supposed to follow him because he walked into our training room. I closed the door behind me and found a place on the floor. Hiei surprised the hell out of me by getting on the floor as well and stretched with me. I didn't dare say a word. There was no way I was going to risk letting my emotions show by my tone of voice. I followed his lead in terms of which muscles we stretched. I did mine differently every now and then since I had to push a little harder to get the same effect. What surprised me a little more was when he started stretching his arms and shoulders. Were we going to do more than run?

When we were finished I followed him to the clearing where all the action seems to happen.

Hiei paused then turned his head over his shoulder to look at me. "We're running laps." And then he was gone.

Oh, wonderful. I took a deep breath then ran forward. I could never see him so I had to follow the noise he made on purpose. Every now and then I could see his cloak and thought I was finally catching up. I could do this. But then he would pick up the pace again. I swear, if he was teasing me…

I went on like that for weeks. My days started with hand-to-hand combat, breakfast, weapons training, lunch, demon training, dinner, and finally laps. By the time my day was done and reached the house, I'd just crawl right back into my room to sleep. Not going to lie, there were times where I didn't even make it to my bed.

Every now and then I would get a free day, my sanity would thank me for that. During one of those days I went out to town. I wouldn't really do anything. All I knew was that I would need to get off the compound and away from the guys. Were back into total asshole mode with my training. It was like they were all scared for me or something, like they know I'm not prepared. Maybe it's sweet that they're being assholes? Nah.

I was walking around trying to think about nothing when I saw a familiar face. How does this keep happening?

"Shuya?"

The second I said his name he turned and smiled at me. "Hi, AJ. We've got to stop meeting like this."

I nodded in agreement.

"Taking a break from the compound?" He looked me up and down for a second. "You look different somehow. Have you been training or something?"

"Pretty much. Which is basically why I'm in town. I needed a break."

We started walking down the street.

"Was there anything you wanted to do?" Shuya asked.

I shook my head. "Not really." My stomach growling said otherwise. Oh yeah, I left without eating. "Although breakfast would be nice." I chuckled.

Shuya smiled down at me, something about it made me feel uneasy. "Well, I know the perfect little place. It's like a little gem you have to actually look for."

It sounded interesting. And usually those little places had the best food. "Sure, lead the way."

As we walked, I couldn't help but feel like something was off with Shuya. I never felt unsafe and that something bad was going to happen, not that it would matter considering I'm a demon and he's human, but something was different. I brushed it off and continue to follow him.

It wasn't long until Shuya started to walk down this dark looking alley. I frowned at him for a second. Is this for real?

"Trust me, this place is good," Shuya said before continuing to walk.

I shook my head gently; there was nothing to worry about. But this guy is weird. The second I stepped into the alley I could sense that something was up. And by that I meant, demon something. I paused as I tried to sense where the energy was coming from. Shuya obviously didn't know anything was wrong and kept walking. I rushed to catch up; I didn't want him to get caught up in this.

Just as I reached his side a door to our right opened.

"What's this? Seems like someone has taken a wrong turn."

A series of guys walked out of the building and surrounded us. They looked like a bunch of thugs but I knew better. They reeked of demon energy and it filled alley.

Shuya moved as if to protect me. I had to fight the urge to huff at that. It was sweet but a human wasn't going to be helpful in this situation.

"Can you feel that, boys?" One of the demons said. "That's some powerful demon energy."

"Stupid energy, is more like it," another demon said. They all laughed but I rolled my eyes.

"You've got a problem, there, short stuff?"

Everything seemed to happen at once. They obviously had sensitive egos and couldn't handle being offended. They attacked. Shuya tried to fight but he was knocked out in seconds. I stayed close to him as they circled me. I didn't want to give myself away but they obviously knew I was a demon. Playing it safe, I took a deep breath and took an offensive stance.

They underestimated me and attacked one at a time. My hand-to-hand combat training sure came in handy. I took the first guy out in a few seconds. They soon got the idea. I tried to fight them all but I knew I was going to get over powered quickly. Taking action, I took a deep breath and summoned fire into both of my fists. I could feel my strength growing as I unleashed part of my demon energy.

Pausing for only a second, they attacked.

The fight was easier now that I was using my demon energy. All of them were lower class demons that thought they were the shit. They figured they could take advantage of a couple of inexperienced youngsters. Little did they know. I took them out one by one like flies. The guys were being assholes with my training but it was starting to pay off.

I felt a burst of demon energy behind me. Not having the time to turn around, I did a large circular motion with my arms to cover the whole alley with my demon energy. Knowing everyone at my front was dead I finally turned around. There was one guy on the ground next to Shuya. I must have gotten him with my last attack.

Shuya was still unconscious on the ground so I walked over to check up on him. He was still alive, thank god, but I didn't want him to wake up in all this mess. I threw him over my shoulder and carefully walked him out of the alley. Unsure of what to do with him, I placed him in a safe spot. Once he seemed comfortable, I patted his face until his eyes opened. Before they could focus, I jumped up and into the buildings.

I totally took the cowardly route but I didn't know what else to do. How was I going to explain a demon attack to him? It didn't matter, I'm just going to have to avoid town for the next… well forever. I stayed up in the buildings until I finally reached the station.

The second my foot touched the top of the steps to the compound, Hiei landed in front of me. I paused in surprise but then glared at him and walked around him. I was done guessing his feelings. He grabbed my arm just as I was about to pass him. I glared down at his hand before glaring back up at him. His expression was blank but his eyes told a different story.

"You shouldn't be hanging around that boy in town anymore," he finally said.

"Excuse me?" Who was he to tell me what to do?

"That boy, he can't be trusted."

I yanked my arm out of his grasp. "Are you spying on me now?"

He looked away.

"I'm done trying to guess what you're thinking, Hiei. I know I mean nothing to you so don't try to act like you suddenly care." I walked away before I could see his reaction. My chest felt tight and my eyes burned but I forced it all down.

Tomorrow my training continued. I need to focus on that.

My body was becoming so used to the harsh training that I was actually waking up before the guys. Which was nice since I could at least get in an apple to eat since training started before breakfast.

Nothing changed until lunch. Kurama handed me a wrapped gift.

"This came for you," he had said as he handed it to me.

I wiped my sweaty forehead before grabbing it. "Who is it from?"

He shrugged. "It was just delivered. It doesn't say."

The looked down at the package and only saw "To AJ" in handwriting I didn't recognized. My stomach growled. Ugh, priorities. I placed the package down then went to grab something to eat. As hungry as I was, I was still very curious about the package. The second I was done washing my dishes, I grabbed the package then headed to my room to open it.

At first all I could do was stare at the package as I sat crossed legged on my bed. Who the hell would send me something? Now that I was actually going to open it I was starting to get nervous. What if it was a bomb or something?! I shook my head. I'm a demon; I got this.

The second I unwrapped it and saw the box I knew exactly what it was. I couldn't stop my hands from shaking as I pulled out pointe shoes. Who the hell? Oh my god. Shuya! He was there when I tried these on. I can't believe he actually bought these… I put them back in the box intended to return them but…. My legs were beginning to feel restless; they wanted to dance. I thought about it for a bit longer.

Fuck it.

I grabbed them and went over to my dance bag under my bed. All my pointe shoe needs were in there so I went again and prepped them for dancing. When I was done I put them on to test the feeling and fit. It was perfect.

"AJ," Kurama said through the door. "Demon training."

I sighed and took off the shoes and put on something more comfortable for training. As hard as I pushed in my sessions I just felt like I was improving. How the hell was I supposed to fight in a tournament?

Maybe I should just start preparing my funeral now…

Hiei did his best to try and get to AJ as the demons pinned her down. There was nothing he could do without risking every ones lives. He could basically feel AJ's pain as she began to get crushed. He could even feel her demon energy get weaker.

"AJ!" he caught himself yelling. He couldn't believe he lost control and looked quickly looked around. Thankfully everyone was yelling that they didn't notice Hiei's slip.

Suddenly her energy exploded and they were all dead in a matter of seconds. Hiei could only watch is shock at her power. He knew she had great potential but her rare moments like this made him remember just how powerful she could be. Now if only she could control it completely.

"See? That was easy."

Hiei took a step forward as she began to fall but he stopped himself. He couldn't understand his feelings he was experiencing. Part of him was in denial. He has never experienced these emotions before and he couldn't figure out why AJ was stirring them up.

Kurama carried AJ back to the house as Yusuke made sure the village was going to be okay. Kuwabara and Hiei followed Kurama.

"Should we put her in her room?"Kuwabara asked as they got back to the house.

"No," Kurama said. "I think it would be best if we kept her down here. I don't think anyone will come and try to get her but it wouldn't hurt to keep her in a spot where we can all watch her."

"Good point," Kuwabara said. "So, are we going to take turns watching her or something? That sounds kind of creepy."

"It will be fine," Kurama said. "As long as someone is down here in general it will be okay. As I said, I don't think anyone will come."

"Well, in that case," Kuwabara said through a yawn, "I'm going to bed. I have class tomorrow."

Hiei looked over at Kurama and hated how blank his expression looked.

"Looks like I'll head to bed to." Then Kurama left.

Hiei also hated how Kurama would communicate without saying a word. Kurama needed to stop thinking that Hiei had feelings for AJ. But… it was the truth, wasn't it? Ugh, this sucked.

Yusuke came back not long after but headed straight to bed without saying a word. Hiei didn't move until he knew all of them were asleep. It wasn't until he was completely sure that Hiei finally moved towards AJ. He knelt down on the floor and watched how AJ slept peacefully. Her hair had fallen across her face so Hiei gently moved it behind her ear. He had forgotten how soft it was. Soon he found himself playing with it like he had when she had fallen asleep in his lap. He felt his breath catch at the memory. Thinking about it made his chest feel warm and the anger he always held onto started to drift away. What was happening to him?

Hiei stayed like that all night. It wasn't until he heard the guys wake up that he shot up and went to his spot by the window.

"She sleep all night?" Yusuke asked the second he came downstairs.

Hiei only nodded and refused to look over at him. Yusuke just stood there for a few second before going about his day.

The next night was very much the same. Everyone seemed to automatically volunteer Hiei for the night watch. He hated when everyone assumed but he couldn't fight the enjoyment he felt of spending the night with her. Playing with her hair, watching her. Great, he was becoming a stalker.

Hiei was sleeping when AJ woke up and a part of him was grateful for that. He was going through something he didn't understand when it came to her. If he was there when she woke up he knew she would only make it more complicated for him. Not that it seemed to matter. As if sensing her waking up, Hiei woke up as well. But he wasn't ready to see her. He left the house through the window and tried to stay away. But he couldn't, so he found himself coming through the door.

The idea of training AJ so she could be fast was a great one, but he didn't like the idea of him being the one to do it. He always found himself wanting to go easy on her but it was no way to make sure she survived the Demon World Tournament. So he was harder on her than he was on anyone. Hell, he was easier on Kuwabara. But it was almost like he a point to make. That if he was hard on her and mean about it, then what he thought he felt about her couldn't be true. At least, that's what he had to keep telling himself.

But whenever AJ went out on her free day he couldn't help but follow her in secret. A part of him knew that she would always have her guard down and that wouldn't be okay. Demons were after her and with so many roaming free he had to make sure AJ had someone at her back. But every damn time she went out she would bump into that fucking kid. Shuya or whatever his name was. Hiei didn't know what it was but every time he saw them together he felt an undeniable rage pulse through him.

That feeling didn't get better when he watched Shuya guide AJ down an alley. He knew they were going to get something to eat. But why the hell would they need to do it in an alley. This was not okay.

The second AJ stepped into the alley Hiei could feel the surge of demon energy. Hiei crouched and readied himself to jump down if he had to. He couldn't help but smirk when Shuya got knocked out completely. But that smirk didn't last.

A demon was sneaking up behind AJ and she had no idea. She wasn't going to react in time. Just as Hiei was about to jump down, a small wave of demon energy came from Shuya. What the hell? Hiei was stunned as he watched Shuya throw his arm out and kill the demon and quickly go back to lying still when AJ turned around.

Anger pulsing through Hiei's veins, he headed back to the compound and waited for AJ to return home. Hiei waited up in the trees. He knew Shuya couldn't be trust. His gut feeling told him so, and his gut feeling was always right. Always. There was no way AJ should be around Shuya anymore. He couldn't be trusted.

The second Hiei saw AJ he jumped down and tried to warn her. AJ only spat it back at his face. Hiei was having a hard time understanding their whole situation. The death stare AJ gave Hiei made him feel heavy in his stomach. While he kind of understood why she's been so angry and upset lately, he couldn't understand why she's pushing him away. And why he felt like he needed to be closer to her every time she did.