Author's Note: Between the ACT and all that time consuming stuff, I've been busy. Sorry for the wait. I'll try to keep the following updates more frequent. Enjoy and review! Thanks to all who've reviewed so far!

"Kurama!" Yusuke cried as I stepped back and felt empty space below me.

I shut my eyes, anticipating the moment my body encountered the flames below. Time seemed to stand still, prolonging my fall. I could feel the fire's flaming heat on my back and neck as the flames appeared to reach out to me.

"Kurama."

Hiei? Was it really Hiei's soft voice I had just heard, or did I imagine it? He sounded so close, but that was impossible, right?

"Snap out of it, Kurama. I can't hold my grip much longer."

What? I forced my eyes open, expecting to find that I had died and was now going to be tortured for my past sins. Instead, I found Hiei's crimson eyes gazing down at me. Something tightened around my throat. My eyes widened as I realized that Hiei was clenching my shirt in a death grip, causing the shirt to cut into my throat as I dangled in the air. His other hand clung to the spinning plate so tightly that his knuckles had turned white with the force. Blood spilled down the side of the spinning plate as the rough surface tore into his hand.

"Why?" I whispered, still too stunned to move.

"Kurama, you've got to reach up. Pull yourself up. Now!"

His sharp command jerked me free of my daze. I reached up and grasped onto the wrist holding me by the shirt. Hiei winced as the added pull forced him to tighten his grip on the spinning plate.

"Kurama, can you climb up?"

"I'll pull you down if I try. Let me go, Hiei."

"Don't be a fool." Hiei's face contorted into a frustrated scowl. He suddenly began to slowly pull himself up with one arm.

"Hiei, you can't hold my weight! Let me go."

"I can't... do that."

Solemn red orbs locked on mine. The arm holding my weight clenched before suddenly swinging me upward. I cried out involuntarily as I slammed against the plate. The breath was dragged from my lungs as the ceiling above me spun round and round.

"Hiei!" I gasped, struggling to roll onto my hands and knees.

"Spirit gun!"

I finally found the strength to roll over and watched the massive blast shoot from Yusuke's finger tip. The blast shattered the wall behind Razel as Razel leapt upward and faded from sight. The spinning crawled to a halt until Yusuke and I were left staring at each other.

"Kurama, are you all right?"

"Where's Hiei?"

I stumbled to the edge of the spinning disk and stared down into the burning flames. Hiei couldn't have fallen into them, could he? I fell to my knees, shivering uncontrollably.

"Kurama?" Yusuke whispered, a gentle hand gripping my shoulder.

"First Kuwabara, now...." my head sunk with my words. Two of my friends lost because of me.

"Hiei!" Yusuke exclaimed suddenly.

My head jerked up, eyes widening. Hiei appeared from the flames and used the wall to leap upward. He landed on the plate beside me. His clothing was scorched, but he was unharmed.

"How the Hell did you survive that?' Yusuke demanded, shocked.

"Fire, you fool, is in my nature. You shouldn't have slept through the first round of the Dark Tournament," Hiei retorted, crossing his arms over his chest and looking bored.

"I didn't sleep through it, and I still thought you were dead," I whispered.

"You aren't thinking, Kurama."

I looked up at him. "What?"

"You're letting human emotions limit your ability to reason. This Razel is using your guilt to keep you weak and vulnerable. You are Youko Kurama. You should know better."

"I caused this."

Hiei glared at me. "Are you going to lay there feeling sorry for yourself? You couldn't have prevented any of this, you fool! Now get up!"

Hiei caught my arm in a painful grip and jerked me to my feet. "Enough of this nonsense. He has made enough of a fool out of us already."

"Wow, Hiei, you should talk more," Yusuke joked.

Hiei glared briefly at Yusuke before jumping across the distance and slipping through the hole Yusuke's blast had created.

"Well, you heard him. No more games," Yusuke said before stepping back and making a running jump.

"Right," I murmured and quickly followed.