"Rise and shine sleeping beauty!" An obnoxious voice sang. Instinctively, I reached out towards the voice and fired off some of my ki. Opening my eyes, I saw Yusuke as he waved away the smoke caused by my attack. "Are you always this grumpy in the morning?" He asked with a grin.
"Hn," I replied as I slipped out of bed. Realizing that I was still in my costume, I quickly went into the bathroom to change. Once I was finished, I came back out. Yusuke seemed to be waiting for me. "Why did you wake me?" I questioned annoyed.
"To bug you of course! No, seriously Hiei, I have a reason- relax. We're all going to the Dessert Bar. Wanna come along?" Yusuke wondered.
"Dessert? That's what you woke me for. You're an idiot- why would I want dessert this early in the morning. Fine then- seeing that you already woke me up, I'll go, but next time you wake me, I'll be having your head for desert," I muttered. Yusuke just smiled.
"All right then- let's go," He continued. Slightly disgruntled, I followed Yusuke to a part of the ship I hadn't yet visited. It was tucked away in a far corner of the vessel, but appeared quite crowded. When we finally reached two doors labeled: Dessert Bar, Yusuke pushed them open and stepped inside. The room was large- identical to the dining hall with the exception of the stage. Also, tables were lined up all around the room, overflowing with all the desserts you could imagine. The selection ranged from cake, to ice cream, to chocolate, and more. Human pleasure foods. I thought as I scoffed.
"Hello Hiei. Nice of you to join us," A voice exclaimed. Looking to my right, I spotted Kurama along with Kuwabara and Yukina. (Of course, my sister was six feet away from the orange-haired moron.)
"Hn," I said, nodding to Kurama. Smiling, the fox youkai handed me an empty plate.
"Get whatever you want and then have a seat. You can get as much as you please," Kurama explained. I shook me head in understanding before walking away from the others. Slowly, I went from table to table, inspecting the food and taking things I found interesting. When my plate was overflowing with sweets, I found the table where Kurama was sitting and sat beside him.
Kurama was currently eating a slice of chocolate cake. Silently, I started on the chocolates. Then the cake, ice cream, and pie. I was starting to get full when Yusuke and Kuwabara suddenly sat down. Yukina was forced to sit at another table due to the restraining order I had placed on her and Kuwabara.
They too were stuffing their faces with desserts. Finally, I finished and got up to leave, but before I could, Yusuke threw something at me. Using my lightning reflexes, I caught it in mid air. It was a chocolate.
"Nanda?" I asked, glaring at him.
"Eat it Hiei- it's one of the best," Yusuke urged. I stared at him suspiciously and then looked at the candy. It looked like a normal chocolate. Shrugging nonchalantly, I popped the chocolate into my mouth and ate it. To my surprise, it was both bitter and sweet. "Was it good?" Yusuke questioned.
"Mediocre," I replied as I started to leave.
"See ya Hiei. Hey you're coming to the dance competition tonight, right?" Yusuke yelled after me.
"We'll see," I replied without turning around.
"Okay, we'll come get you," Yusuke went on. I didn't answer- I was already out the door. When I got to my room, I sat down on my bed. The dance competition was in the evening, but I was not going to enter. I wasn't tired, but there was no point in sitting here when I knew Kuwabara would return later.
Finally, I decided on going onto the deck, but as soon as I got up, I felt my body sway. Startled, I sat back down. A few minutes later, my head began to throb and my vision blurred. Placing my head in my hands, I closed my eyes and tried to relax. It didn't work. Soon, I had a stomachache as well. Suddenly, everything went dark.

* * * * *

"Ugh... my head," I moaned as I opened my eyes. To my surprise, I found Kurama leaning over me. I was no longer in my room, but in a hospital bed. I quickly assumed that the cruise ship had an infirmary.
"How are you feeling?" Kurama asked gently.
"Like shit," I muttered as I closed my eyes. I heard Kurama laugh and my head throbbed even more.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Well, you went skinny dipping in the pool, teepeed the hallways, flooded the bathrooms, and slept with three different girls..."
"NANI?" I demanded, sitting up in alarm. I sat up so fast that the room spun and I had to lie back down.
"I'm only joking. You blacked out. The doctor thinks it was because of the large amount of alcohol in your system," Kurama explained.
"I didn't have any sake today. I know that for a fact, and I've never drank enough to black out," I stated firmly. Kurama appeared perplexed.
"Somehow, alcohol got into you body," Kurama replied. Lying back on the bed, I closed my eyes and thought. It couldn't have been something I drank, so perhaps it was something I... ate? Just then, I recalled the chocolate Yusuke had given me. Anger swelled up within me. If he had indeed put something in it, he was as good as dead.
"Yusuke gave me chocolate," I exclaimed abruptly. Kurama's eyes widened and then suddenly, he chuckled. Eventually, his chuckle became a loud laugh that filled the whole room. "What?" I asked in irritation.
"Hiei, the chocolate Yusuke gave you was probably liquor chocolate- they're dipped in pure alcohol and then covered in layers of chocolate," He explained. I blinked in surprise. Pure alcohol? But why couldn't I smell it? I should have been able to at least notice it! Suddenly, I felt very foolish. Ignoring my current state, I got to my feet. Swaying a little, I turned to Kurama.
"Where is he?" I demanded as I left the room at a fast pace.
"He's at the dance competition- it's about to start," Kurama explained. I slowed to a walk.
"The dance competition? What time is it?" I asked amazed.
"Six thirty," Kurama answered promptly.
"Chikuso!" I cursed angrily. It was too late to fight him now. I had been out for a while.
"I need to go too- I'm competing as well," Kurama went on.
"Then so shall I," I stated before I could stop myself. Kurama looked to me in surprise but said nothing. Together, we made our way to the dance hall for the main event of the night.

* * * * *

Just like when we battled against other bands, there was a large crowd stretched out before the stage. On the stage, were a dozen different machines. I recognized them as DDR booths from the human arcades. Yusuke and Kuwabara sometimes played against eachother using them. Were we going to be using the booths for the dance competition?
"Hello everybody, and welcome to our last cruise event- the Dance Dance Revolution Competition! Anyone is allowed to try, but only the top twelve dancers will go on to the second round. Will all participants please get on the stage," Koenma instructed as he grabbed the microphone . After exchanging glances, Kurama and I along with a large group of people got on the stage. "All right- everyone get into a dance booth. There are instructions inside that you can follow. I will tell you when to begin," Koenma added.
"Good luck Hiei," Kurama said as he picked a booth. I nodded as I entered the booth beside him. Thankfully, I wasn't forced to look at the crowd. All I saw was the TV screen before me as well as a few buttons. I stood on the dancing bad which had four arrows- one facing down, one up, and one left and right. I had seen this game played before. You had to hit the arrows according to the order they appeared on the screen. If you did exactly as the screen said, your body would move in unison with the beat. There were different levels of difficulty resulting in speed changes and several varying amounts of arrow combinations.
Seeing a paper glued to the wall on my left, I read it silently. 'Enter your name using the button on the panel in front of you. Your name and score will be displayed at the end of each level on your screen as well as on the big screen for the crowd to see.' Doing as it instructed, I used the buttons on the panel to make up the Japanese characters of my name. Then, I pressed enter to confirm it. I watched until the screen loaded to reveal the DDR main menu. Right now, it displayed the names of the contestants. Everyone had zeroes next to their names- no one had played yet so we had no points to boast of. "All right, we'll begin the preliminary round in five...four...three...two...one!" Koenma exclaimed. Instantly, the screen changed to list the name of the song we would be dancing to along with the difficulty. I smirked. This was an easy level. Some instructions flashed across the screen and I read them silently. Finally, they disappeared and a colorful background popped up. I smiled when I realized Mt. Hiei was in the back of the picture. Abruptly, arrows began flying up the screen. I stepped on them as they lined up with their silhouettes. Everything was quiet with the exception of the quirky music and the moving of feet. There were only a few occasions when I missed an arrow, but other than that, I was perfect. Suddenly, the level ended and the scores flew onto the screen. I saw that mine was among the top five along with Kurama, Yusuke, and... Kara and Corri?! My eyes narrowed. So, they too had entered into the competition. Did these girls ever get tired of losing? I would show them that they could never defeat me. I listened as others were dismissed from the stage. Then Koenma began to speak. "We have our twelve contestants. We will eliminate four, than another four, then two, and finally one till we have our winner. May the next round begin!" Immediately, the screen was replaced with forestry. I was surprised to see the song was on I sang- Kuchibue ga Kikoeru. The difficulty was average and I fumed silently. I would 'talk' with Koenma later. Obviously this was not the same DDR they carried in Ningen stores. As the level started, I moved to the arrows. Halfway through the song though, I heard someone singing along. It was Kurama! While listening to him, I missed an arrow. Disgruntled, I returned my concentration to the game. Kurama you ass- singing along to my song. I thought angrily. I was glad the crowd couldn't see me. Finally, the song ended. The screen switched to the scores and I looked for my name. I was ranked third, but what angered me was the fact that Kara was second. Kurama in first I could handle, but a ningen girl? I could envision her taunting me from inside her booth and clenched my fist. Then suddenly, I got an idea. While Koenma dismissed four contestants, I opened my Jagan eye and used it to look into the booths beside me. Kurama was waiting patiently on my left, and Yusuke was on my right. Farther down was Corri and Kara, and then three other people didn't recognize. When Koenma started to address us, I shut my third eye and turned back to the screen. "And let the third round begin!" He announced. The picture changed once more- this time to a beach environment. The song was "Say Yeah" by Morning Musume and was of an intermediate difficulty level. When we began there were a lot more arrows and I struggled to keep up. Eventually I got into the rhythm of the song and only missed two or three arrows. A single bead of sweat rolled down my forehead as the song ended. As the rankings came up on the screen, I grinned. Kurama and I were on top, then there was Kara and Corri. The others left their booths. I heard Yusuke curse angrily and I let out a low chuckle. "We are reaching our last two rounds. For the semi-finals, we'll be doing something special," Koenma explained. As he said this the walls on the booth fell to the ground and the screens sank down underneath the stage. The four of us now faced the crowd with just our dance pads beneath us. "For the finals and semi-final rounds you'll be looking at the big screen which will be split into different sections for each of you to follow. As you dance the camera will film your movements, replaying them on a screen behind you that faces the crowd," Koenma went on. As if to confirm this, a large screen dropped down in front of us and turned on. There were a few smaller screens on either side of the stage that showed us standing quietly. "Turn your dance pads around to face the big screen. We'll be starting soon," Koenma instructed as he walked out of sight. "Well, this should be fun," Corri exclaimed as she looked to Kurama and I. "Indeed," Kurama agreed. "Ha. Fun? Yes, it'll be fun to defeat you," I declared boldly. "Oh yeah? How about you put your money where your mouth is?" Kara challenged. "State your terms ningen," I hissed back. "If you lose to any one of us, you have to summon Kokuryuha and set it loose over the ocean. Then, you have to dance for us," Kara stated with a smile. "Is that all? What's in it for you? If I win, I want you to jump off this ship from the top deck," I declared. "All right. Do we have a deal?" She asked. "Yes, I will thoroughly enjoy this," I stated. Kara grinned and nodded while Kurama shook his head. "Hotheaded as always Hiei. I wouldn't expect anything less from a Koorime like you, but it will be your undoing," Kurama warned. "Ursai. I never asked you kitsune," I snapped. Before we could say anymore, the large screen in front of us changed. What we saw was a space scene with shooting stars. The difficulty was hard and the song was one I had never heard before. It was by the Spice Girls, "If you wanna be my lover". Suddenly, the music kicked on and the arrows came flying across the giant TV set. The four of us moved in unison to the beat and the pace was fast. Our eyes were glued to the screen, too busy to focus on eachother. Some parts of the song had more arrows than others. There was one certain part where I messed up and the screen screamed: 'poor' at me in bright letters. I grimaced and used my speed to get back into the rhythm. Suddenly, the level ended and Koenma returned to the stage. "In first place was Kurama, and second... Hiei," Koenma announced. I looked to Corri and Kara with a smug smile and they glared back as they left the dance floor. Their dance pads were quickly removed as Koenma went on. "We now have our two finalists. For the last round, we're having a special song played... enjoy," Koenma explained. I was curious to see what this special song was, but I never expected Kuwabara to come up with a microphone in hand. "Hey everybody. Koenma wanted me to announce the next song. It's called Kaze no Yasei no Kizu and will be sung by Kurama and Hiei while they dance... if they don't sing, points will be taken off their score and um... yeah... that's all," Kuwabara finished. Spoken like a true idiot. I thought sourly. I couldn't believe it- even when Kuwabara handed us the headsets, I couldn't grasp what was happening. The screen before us changed to show pictures of Kurama and I. The name of our song popped up with another difficulty level of hard. "You planned this, didn't you kitsune?" I hissed as I adjusted my microphone. Kurama smiled. Well, I would never back down from a challenge, especially since I had a bet to win. All I had to do was sing and dance better than Kurama...crap- this was going to be hard. "Begin!" Kuwabara announced as he moved off the stage. As the music began, Kurama and I moved to match the arrows. Our screen was split in two- one half for me, the other for Kurama. Strangely enough, our parts were different. In the beginning we moved together, but as I started to sing, his part slowed while mine became more complex. "Kaze ga hashiru, ore wo yobu mugon no harkike-n. Are wa sain kessen no aizu darou..." Miraculously, I didn't mess up once, then Kurama sang and my arrows lessoned. "Sou, kono inochi yori, aa omoi yume wo. Kanaeru tame no hi ga kita saa..." "Kokoro, mama ni tada fighting to dream. Dare ni mo jama sasenai. Unmei nado jibun de kimete yaru. Kaze no you ni tada shooting to dream. Kako no itami tachikeitte. Kono ted de ima mirai mo kimete yaru- get chance!" When we sang the chorus, both of us had to move quickly. Left, right, left right, up down- everything became a blur. Then, my verse came again, then Kurama, and so on. When our song came to a close, the crowd roared and our scores popped up. To my surprise, we had tied. Yet again, Kuwabara came up.

"Because Kurama and Hiei tied, we're having another round. This time, I'm going to sing with them while they dance," Kuwabara announced with a grin. "Boo!" The crowd shouted through the screen behind us. I said nothing and smiled. "Shut up!" Kuwabara screamed as the screen background switched. It now had pictures of Kurama, Kuwabara and I all playing our instruments. It looked like they had been taken the night before. What song would they make us sing now? Then, I saw the song name along with the difficulty- Expert. My eyes widened. Anything but this song! But there was no way out now. We would have to sing Eye to Eye in front of everyone. Before I knew it, Kurama and I were dancing crazily while Kuwabara sang.