I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of it's characters. I only own Mikai, Sotto, and Kith.

Haven't updated in awhile huh? Well anyways, here's the 11th chapter so I hope all of you like. 00000000 Shows a flashback starting and when you see it again, it has ended. Okay so here we go. By the way, the last YYH disc came out here in the states and I'm over here looking at it...I'm too sad to watch! Enjoy

The entire Makai watched as Shura fell on his backside and looked up at his father with tears in his eyes. Everyone waited to see if the young demon would still fight his father— trying hopelessly to beat him—or give up everything and drop out of the tournament.

"Give up Shura…," Mikai mumbled as she watched the two fight. "Please…you're getting too hurt."

"He's gonna give up," Yusuke said as he looked at Mikai. She didn't look at him, but instead continued to look towards the screen.

Dammit. Yusuke thought as he turned around and walked out of the door, which he came in through. Kurama watched him as he did so in wonder.

Yusuke…what's wrong? Kurama asked himself.

Yusuke seemed as if he wanted Mikai's attention but what for? Was it because he wanted to talk to Mikai? Or was it simple because he wanted her attention because he hadn't seen her in so long and just wished that everything would go back to the way it used to be? Back when Yusuke could see Mikai any day, at anytime? And not have to worry about killing her later or having some demon kill him? Back when three worlds were not on the line, and Yusuke could be as normal as he could be.

That's what I'll fight for. Kurama thought. In order to get those days back, I'll fight as hard as I can.

"And that's it! Yomi is the winner!" Koto yelled as Kurama came back into the Makai and out of his thoughts. "Looks like Yomi will be moving on while the young Shura has been removed from the tournament!"

"He's okay." Mikai sighed as she relaxed her tensed up body. "Thank God." She placed her head down, and slowly turned around, getting ready to walk away.

"Mikai?" Kurama asked as he caught her walking away.

"What?" Mikai answered, not bothering to turn around.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Mikai hissed as she began to walk out. Kurama walked after her and once they both outside the room, Kurama's feelings got the better of him, and he pushed Mikai against the wall, looking eye to eye with her.

"Something is wrong. Tell me," Kurama hissed, Mikai almost hearing Youko deep within him.

"I told you I don't wanna talk about it!" Mika yelled back. "I don't want to see you for a while okay? Just don't come around me."

"What?" Kurama asked as he looked at Mikai in surprise. He couldn't believe the words that just came out of Mikai's mouth. "Mikai, why not?"

"Just go!" Mikai yelled.

Kurama twitched in surprise and looked into her eyes, which looked away from his. "Mikai what's wrong?"

"I don't want you to have any emotional attachment to me anymore! Whatever we had it's broken now!" Mikai blurted out as small buds formed in the corners of her eyes. "I want nothing to do with it!"

"Mikai…," Kurama asked as his eyes widened. He shook the initial shock from himself and came to his senses. "What is the matter?" Kurama asked with a great deal of concern now. What could make Mikai want to say something like that to him?

"Just go!" Mikai yelled as she sniffled.

"I don't want to go," Kurama answered as he picked up Mikai's chin so he could look back into her eyes. She pulled away and balled her fists up.

"I will listen to you no matter what, but please," Kurama asked almost desperately. "What is causing you to act this way?"

Kurama was dying inside to know. What was causing her to feel this way? He felt so helpless to see Mikai this way, and he wanted to do anything in his power to make sure that she was okay.

"I…," Mikai began.

"I'll forgive you for anything Mikai," Kurama said even though a part of him regretted saying that. Kurama could think of a few reasons that would cause him to leave Mikai, and now he was praying that none of them were the motivation for Mikai's emotions.

"I'm so stupid…," Mikai whimpered. "I let Yomi kiss me." Mikai looked back up at Kurama with sliver tears falling from her face. "I let it happen…a part of me…wanted it to happen. That stupid little fox inside of me still has some kind of feeling for that bastard and I hate everything that's running through me right now…and you don't deserve to love someone who's not sure whether they completely love you! You're giving everything to me and I'm not giving you back my all. So…I'm asking you to leave me!"

"I can't." Kurama looked away.

"Do it!" Mikai yelled back.

Kurama stood there, his eyes torn away from the other fox, thinking. A part of Senkai still loved Yomi deep down inside. Even though Youko had given himself to Senkai multiple times in the past few years. She still loved him.

I don't want this to end. I want this, I really do .I'm sorry…Youko.

The thought ran through Mikai's head. In that moment she had with Yomi, her heart longed for Kurama, but Senkai's wanted Yomi for a reason unknown to Mikai. Mikai couldn't be with Kurama, what if the next time Yomi was in her room with her Senkai took it further then Mikai wanted, and Yomi took Mikai away? It wasn't fair to Kurama, and yet it wasn't fair to her.

"I'm sorry…," Mikai cried as her hands covered her eyes from Kurama. "It's not fair…because I love you Kurama."

Kurama turned back to the crying one and wrapped his arms around her neck, holding her tightly as his mouth landed next to her ear. Mikai stood there in surprise, and her arms stood next to her sides, refusing to wrap themselves around the red head.

"I lost you a lifetime before and it's not going to happen again," Kurama whispered into her ear. "He's taken things away from Senkai that she can never get back and I'm not going to let that happen with you. No one could understand what happened that day…" Kurama gripped the back of Mikai's shirt tightly. "I remember everything from that day when Senkai died."

"You read what happened on my record in Spirit World?" Mikai asked with a sniffle.

"Everything's been marked down wrong," Kurama answered.

Kurama thought back to when Koenma was telling Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and himself about Senkai and Youko's past together.

"So Kurama you might feel a very strong connection with Mikai and not know why. It's thanks to Youko and Senkai. But Senkai's past was like this. When she was young, she lost both of her parents and begun to thief because it was the only way to get food. She soon became a legend and with every steal she became stronger. It was then that she met Youko Kurama. They had a fight and thought of each other as equals so they begun to steal together. That was until Senkai disappeared one day. About three years later was when Youko was reborn as Kurama, and around the same time, Senkai became Mikai."

He had been so wrong about the way that Youko and Senkai met. The records in Spirit world never said anything about Yomi, or how Youko had once held a small pack of thieves. Now Kurama knew the truth, knew how everything worked and how wrong things went that night. But through searching his memory, he discovered a part of it he didn't want to remember, the day Senkai had died.

"When I remembered it…all of the feelings came along with it…and I refuse to feel everything all over again," Kurama said as he held tighter to the older woman.

"I'm sorry," Mikai finally said as she wrapped her arms around Kurama. "I just…I love you Kurama."

"I love you too," Kurama whispered. "I'll never leave you."

"That's what I'm scared of," Mikai confessed as she dug her fingers into Kurama's tunic. "Almost everyone I've met in my life has left me. My parents left without giving a reason why…Yusuke has been the only one who's never left my side unless he's had too. I never want any of you to leave."

Kurama and Mikai stood in the hallway, holding each other losing track of the time slipping by them. Kurama could see how confused Mikai was, Senkai somewhere in her heart still loved Yomi and was dragging Mikai along even thought she loved Kurama. Mikai wanted Kurama to leave because it was unfair to him to have someone who wasn't fully devoted to him, and yet she was hoping that Kurama wouldn't leave. All Kurama knew was that he loved Mikai and he would be there for the part of her that loved him no matter what.

"I'll always be here for you…," Kurama whispered. "Always my love."

Yusuke had found a quiet spot to take a break from all the fighting for a minute or two. He was sitting on a small cliff over looking the rest of the Makai down below him. He was about to lay back and relax when he heard a voice from behind him.

"What are you doing out here?"

Yusuke turned around to see Hiei standing there with a smug look on his face.

"Hi to you too Hiei." Yusuke laughed sarcastically. "I'm just taking a small breather."

"Hn." Hiei walked over beside the ex Spirit detective and sat down. His eyes looked out in the same direction Yusuke was when he let out a small sigh.

"So do you love Sotto?" Yusuke asked randomly.

"Why do you care?" Hiei hissed as he looked at Yusuke.

"I just never really pictured you settling down with someone that's all." Yusuke laughed.

"We've been engaged for almost three years," Hiei said, causing Yusuke to stop laughing. "And I haven't married her yet."

"So how did you meet her anyway?" Yusuke asked still wanting to know since he had known Mikai and had never heard of Sotto, let alone her engagement to Hiei. How could someone like Hiei have met and fallen in love with someone like Sotto who seemed so nice?

"It was right after we saved Yukina." Hiei said as he looked up to the sky. "When I met my kitten in the rain.."

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Hiei had too much on his mind for comfort. The tournament of demons was soon to come, and he had to go with Yusuke, Kurama, and the idiot. The only thing that seemed to bring him any kind of peace was the tree he was now sitting down in. His eyes were closed as the shade of the tree covered his body. It was usually hot, and he hated it being half ice demon and all.

The small lake next to him gave a comforting nose as he began to fall into a sleep. He could hear the noises of the heat rising from the earth and going back to the sky. It was a laid back, lazy for the small demon.

"Hey!" a small female voice yelled from the base of the tree, waking Hiei up. He opened his tired eyes and looked down to see a younger Sotto looking angrily back up at him.

"Hey!" she called once more after not getting a reaction from him. "Get out of my tree!"

"Normally I wouldn't have bothered to listen to someone like her. But I could sense the demon energy coming off of her."

"Your tree?" Hiei asked. He wasn't in the mood for this right now. He had been up all night with things on his mind and wanted to catch up on as much sleep as he could before he left to go to the tournament.

"This is the tree where my parents used to take me when we went fishing! My family planted this tree so we could remember where the best fishing spot was!" the kitten yelled back up. Hiei didn't response to any of this. He just lend back onto the strong branch behind him and fell back to sleep.

"Hey!" Sotto squeaked. She rose her right leg and kicked the base of the tree so the impact waves went up to the top and caused Hiei to lose his balance and fall out of the tree.

"There!" Sotto hissed.

"You're going to regret that," Hiei hissed as he stood up rubbing the back of his head. He looked back up at the kitten only to look straight into her eyes.

They were so cold, and rock hard, telling Hiei that she had been forced to grow up quickly. But for some reason, her eyes reminded him of Yukina. Yukina's eyes were so innocent, big, and full of life yet to be lived that Hiei never wanted to look in them if something traumatizing happened to her. But Sotto's eyes looked at him as if her life had been lived out for her, and her time was ending.

"What?" Sotto hissed as she looked at Hiei. "Hey."

"What?" Hiei hissed.

"I didn't think you'd be this short." Sotto mewed as she scratched the back of her head. Hiei's cheek twitched.

Sotto turned to face the river and walked over to it, and sat down next to the bank, looking at the crystal clear water with interest. Hiei looked at her cursorily as she quickly stuck her hand in the water and pulled it back out with a fish moving struggling around, trying to breathe.

"Yes first time!" Sotto said happily to herself as she placed it on the ground next to her, making sure that it wouldn't flop away. She turned back around to see Hiei looking at her. "What?" She asked.

"Hn." Hiei looked away.

"You want some fish?" Sotto asked.

"No," Hiei answered. The two were quiet for a moment only to hear the growl of Hiei's stomach. Sotto giggled as Hiei blushed a bit.

Both Hiei and Sotto were sitting on the river bank next to a small extinguished fire with fish in their mouths. Sotto seemed happy as she ate, while Hiei took small nibbles out of his.

"It was the first time someone had been kind enough to give me some of their own food since I lived with the pack of thieves who took me in when I was smaller."

"You like it?" Sotto asked as she looked at Hiei.

"It's fine," Hiei hissed as he took another nipple out of his fish. It was cooked rather well for something that was roasted over a small fire for a few minutes.

"So what's your name?"

"Hiei."

"I'm Sotto." Sotto spit out a small bone she found. "So why are you out here all alone?"

"I choose to live this way," Hiei answered as he too spit out a small bone. "It's harder to feed two mouths rather then one. Besides, having someone around me would be a nuisance."

"Oh." Sotto looked down towards the ground. "You're lucky you can make a choice like that. I was alone for a long time before I found the person I'm staying with now."

"It's easier to be alone," Hiei said as he finished his fish. "Why are you here right now if you have someone to be with?"

"Oh, the person I'm living with right now is in school for once and I was hungry and the only thing I know how to do really well is fish so I came here." Sotto looked down to her wrist to see that her small watch said 2:50. "I have to go okay?"

"Hn." Hiei spit out another bone, not bothering to look up at the kitten.

"I'll see you later Hiei-san okay? Just make sure to stay out if my tree," Sotto warned as she walked away.

Hiei turned and watched her walk away. His eyes then looked down at the fish, which was in his mouth. He had forgotten to eat because of everything on his mind. He looked back to were Sotto and been before. She remembered something he had forgotten to do.

"Everything about her wanted me to learn more about her. I didn't understand why and I still can't."

0000000000000000

"And then what?" Yusuke asked as he sat forward, wanting to hear more of Hiei's story. He blinked a few times, waiting for an answer.

"I'm not going over everything," Hiei hissed as he glared at Yusuke. "So I'll skip to something else."

Hiei didn't want to come to terms with the fact that in those next few days that he spent in that tree, Sotto came everyday to fish. And she always stopped to make sure that he had something to eat. Everyday he would sit down with her and the two would talk about things. Hiei day by day slowly was opening up to her a bit more.

"Everything went fine until the day I was attacked by a demon," Hiei began as his memory started once more.

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Hiei walked back to the tree he habited by day as the sun began to rise. He had trained hard that night, and was hoping to get some kind of rest. As he walked, a large demon jumped out in front of him with his teeth hanging out of his mouth, covered in saliva.

"So you want a fight?" Hiei said as he took out his katana. "Let's go then."

Hiei's injured hand landed on the trunk of his resting tree as he lend on it, trying to find a place to stand for one of his legs were going to give out soon. His other hand moved away from his left side to reveal a large bleeding wound. He laughed a bit as he thought of his recent fight.

Hiei thought that he was on top of everything until the demon caught him off of his guard and smacked him into a nearby construction site, causing him to scrap past a steel rod. This battle was supposed to be easy but Hiei was so tired from his previous training that it made it harder to move in the ways Hiei needed to.

"Damn…," Hiei cursed as his hand slipped from under him, and he fell to the ground beneath him and everything became black.

"Is he going to be okay?" Hiei heard the kitten's voice say gently as if she was asking someone else, but the question was who?

"He'll be fine don't worry!" another female voice said as Hiei felt a cold liquid touch his wounded arm. His hand tensed as he opened his eyes and looked to his side.

"You're awake!" Sotto said as she ran closer to Hiei's side. "Are you okay?"

"Hn." Hiei looked around to see another woman near him, the woman who was Mikai in a younger body. She looked almost the same, save for her hair, which was a bit longer.

"Where am I?" Hiei asked as he looked around.

"You're at my place," Mikai said as she took a bit of a step back from Hiei, giving him some room to breathe. "My name's Mikai by the way."

Hiei sat up, getting ready to stand up when Sotto ran over to his side and grabbed his shoulders, almost pushing him back down.

"Don't get up! You're not healed all the way yet!" She said gently.

"As you know Yusuke, I had to leave soon to go and help you at the tournament. I hadn't told Sotto yet that I was leaving and I didn't want too. But for some reason, I cared that I would hurt her more if I left without saying anything."

"Sotto…," Hiei said as he looked at the kitten that he had made "friends" with over the past few days.

"What?" she asked gently as she let out of his shoulders.

"I'm leaving." He looked away. Those words slipping off of his tongue hurt him more then he thought. The simple idea of not seeing Sotto once a day was bothering him. How could he have let himself get that close to someone? Why did he care?

"I'm going to do something so I won't be in your tree anymore, just like you wanted it." Hiei hissed trying to understand the feeling inside of him. The only thing he knew how to do was be cold, so he had fallen back onto what came to him by default.

"Oh." Sotto pulled away a bit hurt. "Okay…good." Sotto looked to her right and ran to the door next to her, opened it, and ran out slamming the door behind her.

"Not too good with women are you?" Mikai asked as she pulled up a chair beside Hiei and sat down in it. "Let me have your right arm."

Hiei obeyed and gave his right hand to the older woman. She picked up a roll of bandages off of the floor and began to wrap them around Hiei's hand and fingers, covering his open wounds.

"Sotto has really taken a liking to you, Hiei," Mikai said gently.

"Hiei?" Hiei growled.

"Sotto told me your name, sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Mikai smiled. "Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"Well enough to leave," Hiei said as he began to get up.

"Calm down the Dark Tournament isn't for a while now so just stay here and recover for a while," Mikai said.

"How do you know about it?" Hiei asked as he looked at her. As Mikai sat there, Hiei began to feel it, Mikai's Spirit energy. It's almost the same as Yusuke's…only more untrained. Hiei thought.

"I'm a Spirit Detective in training," Mikai answered. "Anyways, Hiei, why did you become friends with Sotto?"

"I don't see why someone like you should care," Hiei hissed back.

"Sotto's like my sister, of course I care," Mikai answered back. "I'm just hoping that everything works out between you two."

"Works out?" Hiei asked.

"She likes you, and I can tell that might just like her also." Mikai cut the roll of tape, finishing off Hiei's wrapping. "I mean by the you look at her and everything."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Think what you want Hiei," Mikai said as she walked over to the room's windowsill and sat down. Hiei heard the sound of a lighter spark, then saw smoke rising from Mikai.

"By the way tell Urameshi that I said good luck, I won't be here when he gets back."

"So you know him?" Hiei asked with a laugh.

"Very well." Mikai smiled.

"Mikai was going to be gone by the time the tournament had ended ,going back to America to close a portal to the Makai . She had told you though, Yusuke, that she had already left."

"Just don't up and leave her okay?" Mikai asked as she looked at Hiei with the same eyes he had seen in Yusuke. "Tell her you're leaving."

"No one tells me what to do," Hiei hissed as he looked away.

"Have it your way." Mikai coughed as she looked back outside of the window.

Hiei had grown somewhat attached to the kitten. She was the only person who had ever came to visit him day after day and make sure that he did what was necessary to keep living. She seemed to be the only one in the world who would care if something did happen to him.

"Your wounds should be better soon so you can leave when you're ready," Mikai said breaking the small section of silence between them.

"Who found me?"

"Sotto," Mikai answered. "She was going to her fishing tree to see you when she found you on the floor so she took you in."

Hiei looked down towards the white sheets, which were wrapped around him. Sotto had proved herself once more to the small demon. She cared for him enough to save his life. Hiei thought this was so stupid. He had heard rumors about love at first sight but this couldn't be it. It couldn't. Hiei wasn't capable of loving. He had never been taught love, so he could never return it. Never.

"I'll leave you alone for a while okay?" Mikai said as she stood up and snuffed her cigarette out. "See ya chibi."

Hiei growled as he watched Mikai walk out of the room. He was now sitting in the room with no one but himself. No one to hear his thoughts but himself, which was bad for Hiei because once he started thinking about his past, no one was there to stop him. He had never had his mother's love, nor love from the small bandit group he lived with through his childhood. He was scared for life, and couldn't possibly find love now, or could he?

This is stupid. Hiei thought.

"I left that night and didn't say a thing to anyone. That night, I went back to the tree near the lake to catch fish so I could have something to eat on the way over to Hanging Neck Island. Too bad for me that it was raining when I tried to fish."

"Damn," Hiei cursed as another fish got away from him. The falling rain was scaring away all of the fish and even with Hiei's fast hand movements he couldn't catch them.

I guess I'll just go hungry then. Hiei thought as he turned his back to the river. I haven't gone hungry since Sotto began hanging around here.

Hiei found himself shiver a bit from the cold which was odd for him being an ice demon and all. The temperature shouldn't have bothered him but it was getting to him. He shivered once more as he let a breath escape him and become white mist in front of his face.

I'd better leave.

Hiei started to walk away, getting farther and farther away from the tree until a feeling came over him. He knew that he had to leave but he didn't want to. He wanted to stay, stay in the tree and wait for Sotto to come. He wanted to wait. He was looking forward to seeing her.

Damn. Hiei looked away from the tree. He bit his lower lip as he found himself wanting to stay and wanting to be near Sotto. Wanting.

"Hiei-san!" Sotto's voice echoed through the rain. "Hiei-san!"

Hiei fought the battle within himself whether to turn around or not. He could run, he knew that the kitten wouldn't be able to catch up to him in time to talk to him.

Dammit. Hiei thought as he turned to face the kitten who was now next to the tree trying to catch her breath and soaked to the bone. Her kitten ears were now flopped over and wet, causing her whole body to shake.

"What?" Hiei asked, hiding his true concern under his cold, thick attitude.

"I wanted to say good bye and…" Sotto said between panting as she stood up and held out her hands to Hiei, which held a small box. Hiei took it and looked at it curiously.

"It's fish." Sotto smiled. "I wanted to make sure you had something to eat when you're not fighting."

Hiei looked up at the wet kitten, confused. He had been nothing but mean and cold to her and here she was, still making sure that he had something to eat. So even though he was so far away from him, she could still make sure that he got something to eat. And something he liked too. How could she be so nice to someone who had been so mean to her?

She must really like me. Hiei thought, as he blushed a bit.

"I owe you," Hiei said as he turned his back to her.

"Your welcome," Sotto's gentle voice answered as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Be safe please. I'll be waiting for you when you come back."

Hiei looked back to her and blinked. She blinked too as they looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Hiei gently pressed his face into hers and kissed her. Sotto's eyes widened at first, but then closed as she gently returned the kiss.

Hiei pulled away soon— too soon for Sotto— knowing that he had to leave within a few moments. He blushed as he looked away from her. Sotto just smiled gently.

"I'll be waiting for you to come back," she said.

"I'll be back," Hiei answered as he began to walk off down the small street. Sotto just stood there at the fishing tree watching. She could only hope that Hiei would come back the same person, or even yet, come back alive. But somewhere in her heart, she knew that everything would turn out fine.

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"Wow," Yusuke said as he listened to Hiei finish his story.

"After the tournament when I got back, Sotto was near the tree waiting for me. A few days later Mikai came back from America and then you had to go and get yourself kidnapped. Within days after getting you back, Kurama met Mikai," Hiei said as he stood up.

"When did you ask Sotto to marry you?" Yusuke asked.

"Right before Mikai went back to America after Kurama had fallen for her." Hiei turned away. "I'm going back to the tournament."

"Good luck!" Yusuke laughed as the smaller demon walked away.

He looked back out to the Makai and sighed. He had seen another side to Hiei that he never really thought about before. Hiei was soon going to marry a person that he had fallen in love with and thought was worth enough to drag around if he had too. He had found another person to worry about, and another mouth to feed, which Yusuke thought would be impossible for Hiei to admit too but he had.

I wonder if they've slept together? Yusuke asked himself without giggling after. Anyone Hiei slept with had to be close to his small heart.

"Yusuke-sama!" Hokushin called. "Come back! The next round of fights will be starting soon!"

Yusuke stood up and walked off to fight, even though a part of him wanted to stay and relax. Even though a part of him was scared somewhere inside of him, he continued to walk towards the tournament grounds.

Kurama still stood there in the hallway, holding Mikai closer then ever. As he did, he began to feel Mikai's body become weaker and weaker until she was at the point where she couldn't hold herself up.

"Kurama," Mikai whispered as she began to slide out of his arms.

"Mikai?" Kurama asked as he looked down at her to see her eyes begin to roll towards the back of her head. "Mikai!"

"K-Kurama," Mikai whispered as she fell down onto the ground, her vision of Kurama became blurry, and she felt her body hit the ground. Within seconds everything became black, and faded away.

R&R please!