Sequel to "Hiei Out Of Control." I just couldn't resist inviting Leiko to the Dark Tournament. Please review!

LEIKO RETURNS

"Damn!" Hiei swore as once again he fired up the Black Dragon only to feel control slip away from him again. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't seem to gain complete control over it. The finals were tomorrow and he had sworn he wouldn't stop until he had mastered this technique. The fact that no one else ever had was unimportant. Somehow he would.

He was just about to try again when he sensed a presence behind him. He turned swiftly around, unable to hide his surprise when he saw who it was, though he quickly recovered himself.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

The petite demon grinned as she walked over to stand in front of him. She was at least half a head shorter than he was with silvery blonde hair that was so long it reached all the way down her back and pale skin. Her eyes were her most arresting feature. They were exotic looking with a deep shade of sapphire blue. The fact that she came from a tribe of cat demons was evident from the white tail in back and her pointed white ears. She wore deep blue shorts and a matching sleeveless midriff top. A silver ring winked from her navel. She wore a silver snake armband on each arm and matching hip boots. Though she was small, she was well proportioned. No one could mistake her for a child. She lifted an eyebrow, her voice tinged with irony.

"Hello, Hiei. Just as charming as ever, I see. You haven't changed a bit since the last time I saw you. So this is where you've been hiding yourself. To answer your question, I came for the tournament like everyone else. "

"I wasn't referring to the tournament. I meant why are you here?"

A look of uncertainty came over her face as she shifted nervously, looking away, then back at him. She took a deep breath as if coming to some sort of decision, looking him directly in the eye.

"You saved my life on more than one occasion and I never even said thank you. When you disappeared after that night I spent a lot of time looking for you. I heard you were working with the spirit detective Yusuke Uremeshi when I found out you were competing in the tournament I decided to come, too."

"Why?"

"Why? WHY? You disappeared! I didn't know what happened to you! I was worried about you! I looked every where for you, you stupid jerk and you ask me why?" She moved closer to him until she was in his face, yelling and gesturing wildly. Leiko was beautiful to begin with, but when she was passionate about something she was truly magnificent. Her eyes flashed blue fire and the very air around her seemed to crackle, which made what he had to do just that much harder. She was a complication he couldn't afford right now. He took a deep breath.

"I'm afraid you wasted your time. What happened that night was a mistake, one I don't intend to repeat."

Leiko jerked as if she'd been slapped. Her eyes widened, filled with hurt and she turned away quickly, fighting back tears. Crying was a sign of weakness and she was not going to show weakness in front of him. Not now, not ever. Coming here had been a mistake. She spoke without turning around.

"You and your team should be careful tomorrow, Hiei. I don't know what's going on, but you are in great danger. Whoever is behind this is planning something big and will stop at nothing to achieve their goal." She walked away quickly, desperate to escape.

Hiei watched her go. That's when he heard the noise and sensed the presence. He looked up in time to see a huge boulder rolling straight toward Leiko. At the top of the cliff stood Bui from team Tuguro. With his Jigan eye Hiei could see the mocking smile on Bui's face. Hiei moved without hesitation, tackling Leiko in time to move her out of the boulders' path. It rumbled past and fell off the cliff and crashed into the ocean below. Hiei covered Leiko to protect her from the debris loosened by the boulder. He winced in pain as a particularly large rock struck his shoulder. When he was sure it was clear he lifted himself to his knees. Leiko was lying face down on the ground her hair spilling around her like a slivery pool. He rolled her over on her back, then slipped an arm beneath her shoulders and lifted her up to examine her. He brushed the hair out of her face then probed her hair with his fingers. He found a lump just below the hairline. He removed his hand and discovered blood.

'She must have hit her head when she fell.' Hiei thought, anger sweeping through him.

Hiei placed her gently on the ground, then rose to his feet and turned to face the enemy.

'A test.' he thought. 'That oaf was testing me to see how I would react.'

"I'm going to rip out your testicles and make you wear them as a necklace." Hiei spoke through gritted teeth, drawing his sword and taking a step forward.

"You mean that jerk threw a rock at me?"

Hiei turned around Leiko was getting to her feet somewhat shakily, holding her hand to her head,the light of battle in her eyes.

"Just what do you think your doing?" Hiei inquired.

"What do you think? I'm going to teach that bastard a lesson, that it doesn't pay to mess with me!!" she began marching off in Bui's direction. Hiei noticed she'd begun to grow fur.

Hiei chased after her and grabbed her shoulder. She jerked away from him and kept going. He seized her around the waist and lifted her off her feet.

"What do you think your doing! Let me go! I'm going to teach that piece of crap some manners! LET ME GO!!" She began to struggle in his arms.

'Is it just me or is she getting stronger?' Hiei thought. 'This is like trying to hold on to a hellcat.'

"Damn it, Leiko, stop this! Don't be a fool!" he snapped impatiently when she kicked him in the shin. "Your no match for him. He'll kill you!!"

This only served to infuriate her even more. He grunted as she connected with his other leg painfully. It was all he could do to hold on to her.

'If she fought like this in the preliminaries her team wouldn't have lost' he thought.

"YOU MEAN I'M TOO WEAK!?!?!?!?! I AM NOT WEAK!! LET GO OF ME AND I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S WEAK!"

"No one is questioning you ability Leiko!" Hiei grunted "Don't you know who that is? That's Bui from Team Tuguro"

"I don't care who he is, I'm still going to kick his ass! Now let go of me!"

"Are you really that eager to die? Fine, then, be my guest, but don't say I didn't warn you. A true warrior knows when it is wiser to retreat, but if you want to be a fool don't let me stop you."

Leiko stopped struggling and relaxed against him, her fur and claws disappearing.

"But, Hiei, he tried to kill me. I can't just let that go."

Hiei's eye could sense Bui's amusement at all of this. "I know, Leiko." Hiei replied his voice filled with rage. "I promise you tomorrow he'll pay for it, but if you try to challenge him, you'll die."

She let out a sigh and relaxed in his arms. Hiei glared at Bui who smiled back in satisfaction and walked away.

That's when he noticed he was still holding on to her. She was pressed up against him so tight he could feel every curve. He had forgotten how warm and alive she was, how good she felt. Her hair was soft against his cheek and he inhaled it's fragrance, then recovered himself with a start. He waited till she was steady then stepped back

"You saved my life again. Thank you. My father hated me because I wasn't a boy and my tribe didn't really accept me. You challenged me, made me try harder and helped me improve my fighting skills and for that I am grateful. I gave up being a thief. I don't think my heart was ever really in it. I just wanted you to know."

Then she leaned over to kiss him, placing one small hand on his chest to steady herself. Hiei stiffened with shock, too surprised to move. He knew he should push her away, but her lips were soft and sweet. Though he despised himself for the weakness, he seemed unable to resist or move away. He had always prided himself on his self control and immunity to all softer emotions, but somehow this one small creature managed to make a mockery of it. Her lips clung to his just long enough to make his heart pound and his blood stir. She stepped back, her hand lingering to caress his face before backing away.

"You've never lost a fight in your life. I shall be there to witness your triumph, so don't you dare disappoint me."

She turned to walk away, then paused looking back over her shoulder, her hair was blowing in the breeze. She brushed it back with her hand.

"I also know you well enough to know you won't go down without a fight. I saw you in the medical tent the other day. You were ready to go to war. If that happens tomorrow, you should know you won't be fighting alone. I'll be there fighting right beside you. See you tomorrow."

"Leiko, wait, you can't…" Hiei sputtered angrily, but Leiko simply waved her hand at him without turning around (talk to the hand!) and walked away. He expelled a breath in frustration and started after her.

"Damn it, Leiko, come back here!!!" But it was no use, she just kept on walking.

She was just as willful, irritating, and stubborn as ever. Some things never change. He watched her climb the path until she reached the top. She turned to wave at him and blew him a kiss. She was also just as beautiful as ever. He recovered himself, angry and annoyed, and turned back to the ocean. Perhaps it was all the training he had been doing that was causing this aberrant behavior. Either that or he was going insane. There was no time for this. He had a great deal to do to if he was going to master the Black Dragon technique. It was his best chance for tomorrow. But it was a long time before he could regain his full concentration, a fact that irritated him somewhat, though not as much as it should have.