Varan: I am in shock.

Yusuke: What's wrong?

Varan: I just saw Hiei's fight in the Dark Tournament finals!

Yusuke: So?

Varan: SO?! So that was the most awsome fight in Yu Yu Hakusho history! Hiei totally dominated that match!

Hiei: Of course I did.

Kurama: And true to your character you managed to threaten Yusuke and Kuwabara before you passed out.

Hiei: Hn.

Varan: Oh and did anyone notice how half hearted he sounded when he said he was trusting them against his better instincts and only because he didn't have a choice? I sure did.

Hiei: Oh what do you know?

Varan: When it comes to anime, alot!

Kurama: I have to agree Hiei. Your threat didn't have any malice in it at all.

Varan: And you looked so cute when you fainted!

Hiei: I am not cute!

Varan: You are so!

Yusuke: Uh Varan, don't provoke him ok? I kinda don't wanna die in the cross fire.

Varan: Oh fine whatever. I'll tease him later.

Review Responses:

Koroga: I'm glad you liked it. I like to add some angsty stuff in my stories sometimes. Poor Hiei still in denial. He's so stubborn!

Kitsune Kit: lol Well here's a tiny bit of Yokoness for you. Not much, but maybe it will hold you over for a couple of chapters.

Varan: Ok everyone it's time for me to introduce to you Hiei's exact opposite!

Jack: She really creeps me out!

Varan: I know. Isn't it scary how you helped me think her up?

Jack: Well I like being evil to the characters! evil laugh

Varan: Me too, well let's not keep everyone waiting, especially Hiei!

Hiei:glare I will kill you both.

Varan: Not likely Hiei.

Jack: You could just kill her. It would make my life easier.

Varan: Hey! Jack you ass hole! starts chasing Jack

Kurama: sigh Well you all should just read the chapter. We'll take care of these two.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! Damn lawyers!

"Aa"-speech

: Aa : - Angel, K.L., Yoko, and Kurama's mind voices

Aa- Shuichi's mind voice

: So Shuichi, I see you haven't claimed her yet. And you got roped into another mission. What were you thinking? : Shuichi sighed as he faced his demon couterpart in his mind. This was going to be a long night.

When the fate of the world is at stake, it isn't a good thing to refuse the mission, he replied dryly. And what on Earth do you mean by claim? Yoko rolled his eyes.

: Come on Shuichi you're human, not stupid. You know exactly what I mean! Why haven't you claimed her and made her our mate? : Shuichi blushed but didn't look away from those steely golden eyes.

I didn't "claim" her as you say, because I have no right to.

: But you've courted her haven't you? She hasn't refused us, so how can you say you have no right? :

We went on one date!, Shuichi exclaimed in exasperation. We haven't gotten to know each other enough for her to accept or reject us!

: Oh? And why is that? :

The mission got in the way. We haven't been able to spend any time alone.

: That's not a very good excuse Shuichi. Oh by the way...: he grinned mischeviously at his human counterpart. : I noticed that she met your mother also. Quite an evening for you wasn't it?: Shuichi wished -and not for the first time- that Yoko didn't have access to his thoughts and memories. It was embarassing enough having been there himself, without the added humilation of a demon seeing every moment of it. : You must have been so relieved when Botan called you for the mission. :

You have no idea. I love Mom, but sometimes she gets a little...carried away.

: I noticed. : Yoko chuckled softly, then more seriously asked, : So we still don't know anything about this Nightshade character? : Shuichi shook his head.

No not yet. All we know is that he's a darkness demon. And you know how dangerous those can be.

: Yes. Nasty creatures, very hard to kill, or so I've heard. I never fought one myself. Be careful and keep an eye on your new traveling companion. You don't know what his real intentions are yet so watch your back, or more improtantly K.L.'s. :

I know. But he seemed to genuinely want to rescue his brother, I believe we are safe for now.

: Obviously, or else you wouldn't be asleep right now. Well when you do find Nightshade, don't hesitate to call on me. It might be interesting to fight a darkness demon. :

Of course. Is that all you wanted from me? Yoko nodded.

: Mostly. There's just one more thing. :

And that is?

: When were you going to give me a chance to talk to K.L.? I'm sure that I could convince her to accept our claim. :

And just how do you plan on doing that?, Shuichi asked, eyeing Yoko suspiciously. Yoko chuckled and began to fade away. Yoko! Wait a second! I'm not nearly finished with you! Kurama opened his eyes with a sigh. Why was he cursed with two personalities in one mind? It just wasn't fair. Hadn't he suffered enough?! He was already having a hard time coming to terms with his feelings, he didn't need his two halves complicating things even more! He looked around the campsite to find that it wasn't even sunrise yet and the others were still asleep. Except for K.L. that is. He blinked in surprise when he realized that she wasn't in the campsite. Angel was sleeping peacefully curled up around Puu by the remaints of the fire. She was probably fine then. Angel would be frantic if something had happened to K.L. He decided to try finding her scent, even though he had to use his less powerful human senses. Strangely enough he was able to catch her scent nearby. Yoko must have decided to lend him a hand, or rather a nose. He followed her scent a short distance from the campsite and found her sitting in a tree and looking at the sky. She seemed to be deep in thought and he suddenly didn't want to disturb her. He was about to leave, but her voice stopped him.

"Hey Kurama. Did you have trouble sleeping too?, she asked, looking away from the sky to watch him instead. Kurama gave her a crooked smile.

"You could say that," he replied. "What are you doing up there? You know this forest is very dangerous. You shouldn't have left the campsite on your own."

"Yeah yeah, I know. Why do you think I only went this far away? Besides, I can defend myself. You trained me remember?"

"Yes I remember. But it's better to be cautious, especially in the Demon World." As he talked he felt Yoko nudging the back of his mind.

: Here's our chance! She's here alone, continue courting her!, : he whispered.

In the middle of the Demon World? THis is not the time for-

"Uh Kurama? Are you ok?" Kurama shook his head to clear it and did his best to smile reassuringly.

"Yes I'm fine. Why do you ask?" She looked at him strangely.

"Well your eyes were changing color. Is there something wrong with Yoko?" Kurama blinked in surprise. His eyes had changed color? Yoko must have been trying to take some control.

"Ah, no, not really," he replied. "I was just...thinking that's all."

"Well then why did your eyes turn gold?"

"Um...well..you see..." Kurama groped desperately for an explination. Luckily he was cut off by a loud scream. K.L. jumped in surprise and fell out of the tree with a crash. She quickly stood and dusted erself off.

"That didn't sound good! Let's get the others and check it out!"

"Right!" They ran to the campsite where the boys were waiting for them. Angel ran past K.L. and Kurama and headed toward the source of the noise. The others followed immediately, trusting Angel's sharp senses. Eventually they came upon a large clearing. Crouched down in the center was a girl with long blonde hair that was tied up in a pony tail. She was wearing a pink short sleeved shirt and blue jean shorts. She was breathing hard and there were a bunch of bodies lying around the clearing and a scythe on the ground in front of her. The bodies seemed to belong to a bunch of demons. The girl looked up as they approached and they could see her deep voilet eyes and pointed ears.

"What the hell?," Kuwabara exclaimed. "What's a girl doin' out here?"

"She's obviously a demon fool, so why shouldn't she be in a demon forest?," Hiei sneered.

"Don't start with me Shorty!" The girl blinked and stood slowly, picking up her scythe. Standing she was slightly shorter than Hiei. Suddenly she smiled and waved at them.

"Hi there, I'm Rita! Who are you?" They stared at her. What a strange demon.

"Uh...hi," K.L. said hesitatingly. "I'm K.L. It's uh, nice to meet you Rita. Uh...what happened here?" K.L. indicated the dead bodies.

"What them? Oh, they attacked me so I killed 'em! They should know better than to mess with a wind demon!" She giggled and walked closer to the group, stepping over the dead bodies in her path and winding up the chain on her scythe and attaching it to her belt. "So who're all these guys?" K.L. introduced everyone who was still staring at Rita in shock. K.L. didn't blame them, Rita was very...bubbly for a demon. Angel came up and gave her a cautious sniff. When Rita saw the pup she squealed in delight and snatched her into her arms. Angel yipped in alarm at the sudden lift off. "A wolf pup! She's just adorable!" Rita scratched the surprised pup behind her ears and Angel slowly relaxed.

: I like her!, : she told K.L. while she enjoyed the attention. K.L. laughed at her familiar while the others continued to stare at Rita in shock. Hiei was the first to recover. He put on his oh so familiar scowl and focused it on Rita.

"You expect us to believe that you killed all these demons?," he demanded. "I'm no fool. What really happened her? There's no way someone like you could have done this!"

"Just waht I said," Rita replied, unfased by Hiei's attitude. "These demons came up to me, saying some wierdo called Nightshade wanted to see me and when I refused to go with them they attacked me and I killed 'em."

"Woah hold up a sec!," Yusuke said. "Did you say Nightshade sent them?" Rita nodded.

"Yep that's what they said. Why? You know who he is? 'Cause I've never heard of him."

"Yeah we know-wait a sec...how do we know you're telling the truth?" Aquarion looked from Yusuke to Rita then to the dead bodies. He walked over and examined the closest one.

"What is it Aquarion?," Kurama asked.

"Give me a moment," he replied. He turned the body onto it's stomach and cut off it's shirt with a small knife that had been hidden in his boot. On the demon's back was a large tattoo shaped like a giant raven. Suddenly the tattoo glowed crimson and the bodies vanished. Aquarion stood and brushed himself off, putting the knife back in it's hiding place. "There's no doubt about it, they were Nightshade's minions. That tattoo is his symbol, all of his subordinates bear it. It's one of the ways he keeps control over them. I encountered demons like this when Jonah was taken from me." He gazed curiously at Rita. "The question is, what does he want with you?" She shrugged and set Angel down on the ground.

"Don't ask me, I don't even know who this Nightshade guy is."

"You sure you didn't do anything that would get his attention?," Yusuke asked.

"As far as I know. Like I said, I've never heard of him before." Hiei shook his head disbelievingly.

"I still think you were lying. There's no way you could have killed all of those demons on your own," he said.

"Well if you don't think she's telling the truth then test her skills," K.L. suggested.

"Good idea." He took off his cloak and drew his katana. "Prove to me that you are telling the truth with that scythe of yours." Rita shrugged again.

"Ok sure. I like to fight," she replied, smiling happily." This'll be fun! You seem pretty strong. I might actually get a work out this time!" Hiei gave a short bark of laughter.

"Ha! You must be joking. You really think you have the skills to beat me?" Rita examined him and tilted her head to one side.

"Well I dunno really, I don't know how strong you are. But I'll give it a try anyway!" She moved into a fighting stance with one hadn on her scythe. "Ready?"

"Hn," he replied. Rita laughed.

"Well I guess I'll take that as a yes. Ok then, here I come!" She jumped up, raising her scythe into the air at the same time. She hovered there for a moment. Two small whirlwinds spun around her ankles and one larger one spun around her waist to keep her in the air. Suddenly she swooped down towards the waiting fire demon. Hiei dodged and turned to slice her with his katana, only to come face to face with Rita's scythe. She had thrown it behind her when she had passed him. He quickly moved out of the scythe's path. She was fast! He jumped up and swung his katana at her. It only sliced through her after image. Very fast! Almost as fast as he was! Hiei landed briefly only to have to jump away again as Rita threw her scythe at him. He landed on a tree branch and watched her bring the weapon back to her hand. She gigled happily. "Wow you're really fast! As fast as me even! I don't think I can hit you with my scythe. So..." She placed her scythe back on her belt. "I'll just have to try this!" The whirlwinds around her ankles and waist suddenly grew larger and merged together to create a giant typhoon. The wind speed increased throughout the entire area, whipping at everyone's clothes and hair. Without warning the typhoon seperated itself from Rita and launched at Hiei. Hiei smirked and jumped directly into the typhoon. Seconds later he emerged on the other side and landed on the ground completely unharmed. Rita laughed merrily and slowly drifted toward the ground. Hiei gave her a measuring look and sheathed his sword.

"Fine. You've proven yourself," he told her as she landed in front of him.

"Oh goody! Glad you believe me now!" The others stared at the two demons in shock. How did such a happy go lucky girl manage to tie with Hiei in battle? "You're pretty strong Hiei, I haven't had a fight like that in centuries! Are you all that strong?" Hiei snorted.

"You think to compare me with these humans? The kitsune and water demon are well enough, buts the others can't hold a candle to my power." This last comment snapped the group out of their shock.

"Oh shut up Shorty!," the three humans said in unison. K.L. looked at Kuwabara and Yusuke with what could have only been described as horrified shock.

"Oh man, I did not just think the same thing as you two! What is wrong with me?!," she exclaimed, clutching her head in her hands.

"Hey!," Kuwabara protested. "You make it sound like we're idiots or something!"

"Maybe that's because you are Baka," Hiei commented.

"Hey! Listen here you little-" Kuwabara stopped as Rita suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. Very LOUD giggles.

"You guys are hystarical!", she said. "Hey can I join up with you guys? I've got nothin' else to do and I wanna find out about this Nightshade guy." K.L. looked around at the group.

"Well, what do you guys think?," she asked.

: I think she'll be a good addition to the pack, : Angel told her privately. Aquarion shrugged.

"It is up to you and your friends," he told her calmly. "This is mostly your quest after all. But, I see no harm in bringing her along."

"I for one would like to find out what Nightshade wants with her," Kurama said thoughtfully.

"Why not?," Yusuke asked. "Maybe with her with us, we'll see some more action."

"Yeah then we'll have something to do other than just walk," agreed Kuwabara.

"I wouldn't mind having another girl around," K.L. added. "And I think Angel really likes her."

"It makes no difference to me," Hiei declared putting his cloak back on.

"I guess it's decided then," Kurama said with a tone of finality. "Welcome to the group Rita."

"YAY!," Rita cheered jumping up and down with excitement. "Thank you so much! We'll have so much fun together!" They all watched her somewhat wearily. Her enthusiasm was a little disturbing. Hiei watched her with a strange look on his face and K.L. noticed. She grinned as she realized something. Rita was Hiei's exact opposite. She was happy, peppy, energetic and loud. She was going to drive Hiei crazy. Now she didn't have to do it all alone! And who knew, maybe Rita could help her figure out how to make Hiei really smile and laugh. She smiled and held out a hand to her new team mate.

"Rita, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Varan: Whew! Well there it is! lol what do you guys think of Rita? I kind based her on Riku from final fantasy and Rin from Inuyasha.

Rita: Hiya! It's nice to meet you all! I hope you're all reviewing the story, especially since I'm here now!

Hiei: I hate you all.

Varan: We love you too Hiei.

Kurama: Hey!

Varan: Oh lighten up Kurama. You know I love you more!

Yusuke: Tch you guys are wierd.

Varan: Yeah I know. Well happy memorial day everyone! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Rita: waves energetically BYE!!