I don't own YYH or any of it's characters. I only own Mikai, Sotto, Kith, and Renrei.
Update yay! So as normal 000000 means a flashback and when you see it again, that means that the flashback is over. Enjoy!
"Stay here," Mikai said gently as she placed the injured red head down onto the ground. She kneeled down towards Kurama's face and gently touched the cut across his stomach caused by Shigure's sword. A small aqua blue light came from her hand and slowly Kurama's wounds began to heal.
"Don't," Kurama said firmly as he grabbed Mikai's wrist and pulled it away from his stomach. "You have another battle coming up and I don't want you to waste any of it on me."
"It's not wasting!" Mikai protested. "I have to close some of it! Shigure isn't around to heal you like he did me and you can't let that wound get infected!"
"Heal just a bit then," Kurama groaned as a wave of pain ran through him. Mikai caught him grinding his teeth together to keep himself from screaming and then began to heal his stomach quicker.
"Mikai," Sotto's voice said gently as Mikai turned her head, following the voice until she spotted the kitten standing there with a nervous look on her face.
"Sotto!" Mikai almost jumped up to make sure that she was okay but stopped, remembering where she was. "You okay?"
"Hiei's battle is starting," Sotto almost whispered.
"Really?" Mikai and Chuu asked at the same time.
"Who's he fightin'?" Jin asked as he looked at the screen.
"Mukuro," Kurama answered weakly.
"Mukuro?" Sotto repeated softy.
"This is going to be interesting," Touya said with a slight smile as he looked back up towards the screen, waiting for everything to begin.
"This should be interesting," Koenma said as he looked on and got ready to watch the fight.
"Why is that sir?" George asked as he looked up at his master in wonder.
"It looks like this fight is going to be a fight not outside but on the inside, for both of them," Koenma explained.
The three of them looked out towards the large screen in front of them and got ready to watch a fight, which would do more then just determine the fate of the fighters here in the battlefield, but outside as well.
"Group D's next fight will be Hiei versus Mukuro!" Koto announced. "This should be a great fight and as we can see, Hiei's already on the battle field, getting himself ready for it!"
Everyone turned up to see Hiei standing on the fighting platform, waiting for Mukuro. Small footsteps echoed through the empty land, and Hiei turns his head and saw that Mukuro was walking up to him. He grunted a bit and got himself ready.
"Please Kurama!" Jin begged.
"You have to go to the doctor," Rinku insisted as he tugged on Kurama's right arm. "Your wounds are going to get any better."
"I want to stay," Kurama protested. "I want to watch the fight between Mukuro and Hiei."
"Don't worry," Mikai said gently as she touched another one of Kurama's wounds. "Kurama will make it past this but Kurama?"
"Yes?" he asked as the aqua light engulfed Mikai's hand once more.
"Go to the doctor after Hiei's battle."
"I'll agree to that," Kurama said with a smile.
Mikai smiled back at him, as her energy drained and entered Kurama's body, fixing the wounds the best she could. Mikai turned around once and saw that Sotto was watching the screen closer then anyone else in the room. Her hands were cupped together in front of her face as the screen's light reflected off of her eyes.
He'll be fine. Mikai thought as she smiled. Don't worry.
"You told me you don't have a reason to keep on living," Mukuro said as Hiei took his katana out of his sheathe. "So did you find a reason?"
"I'm not looking for an answer," Hiei hissed.
The two began to fight while things ran through their minds. Mukuro thought of how deeply Hiei had touched her because of his will to live, which was much like her very own. She thought of her past and how much it still haunted her even though it was so far behind her. Meanwhile Hiei began to speak.
"Haven't you freed yourself from your disgusting past yet?" he hissed as he tried to slash her but failed.
I didn't think I knew what love was. Hiei thought. Both you and I have never been loved but I finally knew what affection was. Instead of being the one who was always looked at as revolting by the people and demons passing by, I found someone who looked at me differently, someone who cared. I still can't understand why you and I got along so well.
Hiei's sword finally cut the clothing around Mukuro's neck. "You and I only live to fight you hear me?" he yelled.
That was the only thing in his life, which had saved him so many times. Fighting. Fighting was the only thing Hiei knew and was the only thing he lived by. It had fed him over and over and it had given him a place to sleep at night. Nothing else in his life had ever been so helpful and nothing else had ever protected him.
Mukuro jumped high into the air and soon Hiei was surrounded by red energy, which he began to slice with his katana. He felt bits of rock and ground hit him and slices his arm causing him to bleed. He hopped away from it all and landed on his feet and looked up at Mukuro.
"Why aren't you fighting me with everything you have?" Hiei hissed. "What's holding you back?"
"Enough," Mukuro warned.
"You don't have a special technique." Hiei yelled. "You mean nothing!"
Mukuro landed on the ground and forced her hand up into Hiei's stomach while she pushed her energy into it. Hiei took the hit hard, flying backwards and hitting the mountain behind the two. He rolled down it and when he reached the bottom, he struggled to stand up as his black tank top fell to pieces around him.
"Damn," he hissed as he ripped off his tank top. A black fire came around him as he closed his eyes and held up his right arm.
"That Dragon Of The Darkness Flame," Kurama whispered as he watched. "Hiei…"
"Hiei," Sotto whimpered. "Please…be careful."
"If you come from the Ice Land it's ironic how your power comes from flame." Mukuro said as her energy formed around her, getting ready to counter Hiei's attack if it over powered her at anytime.
"It's hated," Hiei hissed as he unwrapped his bandages.
"Hatred?" Mukuro repeated as she frowned. "But I thought you didn't hold grudges."
Hiei held out his arm ready to attack only to see something shimmer in the light from the sky above.
A simple, golden ring.
He stopped. He had forgotten to give his ring to Kurama when he had seen him not moments before. Fighting had taken over his mind and he had forgotten Sotto and his promise to her. And then it all hit him. Sotto was the person in his life, which tied him down to the world around him because he let her. Besides fighting, she was the only thing that had been there for him over and over and she was the only one who took care of him when something went wrong. She made sure that he was alive.
A memory filled his mind. The small thing, which meant a lot to him which happened the day after his return from the Dark Tournament with Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara.
0000000
Hiei walked down a busy street not sure of were to go but soon he found himself walking towards the river and in a matter of minutes he found himself walking towards the fishing tree where he had met Sotto before he left to fight.
He stood near the tree with his hands in his pockets and peeked around the tree's trunk and then sighed. He shook his head. Was he just looking for the small kitten? Why did he care if she really would be there when he got back? He didn't need anyone else and he didn't rely on anyone to keep his or her promises to him.
"Hiei!" a happy voice said. Hiei looked up and saw Sotto sitting in the tree above him with a smile. She jumped down and landed gracefully on her feet. "How are you?" She asked.
He blinked. She had really shown up. She acutely had been waiting for him to show up but for how long, Hiei didn't know.
"Fine," Hiei hissed.
"Good," Sotto said gently. She turned around and when she turned back around she had a small, blue box in her hands. "Here it's for you."
Hiei looked at the small box and reached out to take it. As he gripped it, Sotto's hand touched his right hand and he felt the burnt skin there shoot pain through his arm. He began to drop the box but Sotto caught it and looked at him.
"Are you hurt?" she asked as she placed the box on the floor.
"No," he hissed as he looked away.
Sotto gently picked up Hiei's hand only to hear him hiss a bit. She began to unwrap his hand and saw that the skin there was now replaced with a black tattoo and the rest was now black, recovering skin.
"What happened?" She asked gently. "You didn't take care of it at all."
"I didn't have time too," Hiei answered. He stopped. He just gave someone a reason for not taking care of himself. He didn't have to give anyone a reason for anything and yet he felt as if he had to tell Sotto everything.
"We'd better clean this out," Sotto said as she grabbed the small box she had given Hiei, and took Hiei down the street, towards the house she and the young Mikai shared. "It's going to get infected."
Sotto dragged Hiei into the apartment Hiei had seen just for a few moments when Mikai had healed him before he left for the tournament. Sotto took him down a small hallway and into a bathroom. She walked over towards a white sink and turned on the water and waited until Hiei saw a bit of steam come from the faucet.
"What are you doing?" he hissed.
"Cleaning it," Sotto answered as she turned on the cold water to cancel out some of the hot water. "Here it's ready."
Sotto placed Hiei's arm under the water and he felt it slip between his wounds. He hissed as he looked away and gripped his fist. Sotto grabbed the small bar of soap that was on the counter and began to rub it up and down Hiei's arm.
"Damn," he hissed once more as he felt a small stinging sensation.
Sotto ran the soap bar over Hiei's arm until she saw that the dead skin had washed away and the skin there looked a bit lighter. She rinsed Hiei's arm off once more and then took it out of the sink and wrapped a towel around it.
"Come on," Sotto said as she pulled Hiei out of the bathroom and into the living room. She sat down on the white couch and Hiei did the same. She gently began to dry off Hiei's arm until it was dry.
"I'll be right back." Sotto stood up and disappeared back into the hallway.
Why was he here? He could have easily escaped Sotto's little grip and ran to a place where he could be alone but no, he was here with the kitten who was cleaning out his wounds once more, and making sure that he was okay.
Sotto came back into the room with a roll of bandages in her hand as well as a small tube of medicine in her hands. She sat down next to Hiei once more and took his hand. She opened the tube and pushed down on it until a small white liquid came out of it.
"What's that?" Hiei hissed not liking anything foreign on his wounds.
"It's medicine," Sotto answered. "It'll make your wounds heal faster." Sotto began to rub it on Hiei's wounds as he winced once more. She rubbed it up and down his arm and got it everywhere she could in order to make sure that everything was taken care of.
"There." She smiled. "Now all that's left is wrapping up your hand." She looked up at Hiei with questioning eyes. "Do you trust me enough to do it for you?"
Hiei spoke before he gave his mind the time to think the question over. "It doesn't matter. Just wrap my arm."
She smiled and unraveled the white bandages using her teeth. She took Hiei's pinky and began to wrap it up gently and soon began to work on his arm.
"I work in Spirit World now," Sotto said gently.
"Hn." Hiei looked away. Spirit World was the last thing on his mind right now. He had paid his debt to them and he didn't want anything to do with them anymore.
"So I might not be around as much," Sotto continued. "So if you want to see me you'll have to go up there."
"Why don't you come down here?" he asked.
A part of him felt stupid for wanting to see her again but he didn't want to not see her anymore. After all, she intrigued him for she was the only one who cared about what happened to him outside of his fighting team.
"You want me too?" Sotto asked as she looked up into Hiei's eyes. Hiei looked away only to find himself blushing. "Okay then! I'll be down here every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!"
The young woman reached up towards Hiei's face and gave him a small peck on his red cheek. Hiei blushed harder as he felt the small kiss.
"Hn."
0000000
She cared and he wasn't keeping his promise to her. She promised to be there when he came back from the tournament and she was there, she promised to come down to the Ningenkai on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and she did. She always kept her promises to him, and yet he never did it for her.
"Hiei?" Mukuro asked, waiting for him to come out of his memories and back into the battle.
"What's with Hiei and his pause?" Koto yelled. "Could he be building up his power or is it something else?"
"Mukuro," Hiei began, "I have something I want to tell…everyone."
"Hiei this is hardily the place or time," Mukuro said as she looked at him with questions in her eyes.
Hiei looked forward towards the ring on his finger. "I want to tell…everyone… that…I've found a reason to live. She's given me more then I could have ever asked for and for that I asked her to tie my life to mine. My reason to live…is not fighting…but Sotto."
"Hiei," Mukuro said breathlessly.
"Did Hiei just admit that he has a fiancé?" Koto announced. "Well it looks as if everyone can find love people! This is so romantic!"
"Hiei-chan," Sotto said as she fell onto her knees in shock.
"Way to go little man!" Chuu said happily as he looked towards the screen. "I didn't know that the little man had found himself a little lady!"
"Wait," Touya said as he blinked. He looked towards Sotto and remembered her name. "Isn't that Sotto?"
"Sotto he did it!" Mikai cheered. "He kept his promise."
"He got himself a cute one that he did," Jin said as he looked over at the kitten.
"Hiei-chan," Sotto whispered as she stood up quickly and ran out of the room. Everyone's eyes followed her as she disappeared and soon the sound of her footsteps down the hallway did also.
This feeling Hiei only realized now. He now knew how much he wanted and needed Sotto in order to keep going because now that he had her, his life could never go back to normal. He now knew how much he loved the small kitten and how much he had hurt her by not telling everyone but then the feeling of protection hit him once more. He would protect her the best he could and now he knew that if anything did happen, Yusuke, Kurama, and even Kuwabara would come to help him.
"What is your goal Hiei?" Mukuro asked.
"To marry Sotto," Hiei answered as the black dragon grew around him. "No matter what."
Hiei charged Mukuro, using the dark flames around himself to attack her but she countered every one of his moves with her red powers which surrounded her. They both stood there fighting, until they broke away from each other, Hiei trying to catch his breath, and Mukuro unharmed. He grew angry and then began to attack her with his fists but she dodged each move.
"If you can't get me with your two eyes, why don't you use the Jagan, the eye conceived by Shigure's hands?" Mukuro teased as she dodged. "You had the Jagan implanted so you could search for your teargem? Or to look for something else that you don't want to reveal?"
Hiei rose his leg to kick her but the blow was blocked. She pushed away from the small man, and a red light flew from her body and a large cut was formed in the area around him. She kept doing the movement, causing the red lines to surround Hiei but he quickly ran from side to side to avoid them.
"She's cutting space itself!" Kurama said, as he looked in. "If Hiei touches any of those lines he'll be cut to pieces!"
"Damn," Mikai cursed as she gripped her fists. You'd better make it out alive Hiei.
"Let this be over," Mukuro said once the two of them were surrounded by the red lights. "I don't want to keep fighting this."
"I have no choice," Hiei said with a slight laugh. He reached up towards his headband and tore it off, revealing his Jagan eye. He rose his arm once more as black flames engulfed his body. "This power belongs to the Makai so if I use it here it will be stronger." He warned.
"Hiei…Child of Ice," Mukuro said gently. "If you enjoy playing with fire, then come."
Hiei looked back towards his hand and saw the small golden ring still there. I'm sorry… Sotto. He thought.
"Dragon Of The Darkness Flame!" Hiei yelled as the black dragon shot out from his arm and towards Mukuro.
Everyone stood there watching as Mukuro's body disappeared into the dragon's mouth but she stood there, holding it open with her hands and feet. She seemed to be having trouble keeping its mouth open.
"Hiei!" she yelled as her red beams tore open the dragon's mouth and ripped it down through out the dragon.
Everyone watched as the dragon was torn in half, and Hiei was thrown backwards into a painful looking stop. Mukuro landed next to Hiei's fallen body slowly.
"Are you satisfied yet Hiei?" she asked as she walked closed to him.
Hiei began to stand up but his body gave into the pain ripping through his body and he staggered until he finally could stand up on his own.
"This technique is too cruel on you, who were born in the Ice Country, Hiei; it's a burden too heavy on your body," Mukuro said as Hiei stood. "You've lost."
"And that's it people!" Koto yelled. "Mukuro has won the fight!"
"Hiei lost?" Botan said as she looked up. "Even with the Dragon Of The Darkness Flame?"
"They'll be okay," Koenma said as he too came to terms with the fact that Hiei had just lost such an important battle.
"Hiei," Kurama muttered.
"Aw he lost!" Rinku said sadly.
"The only two I'm routing for now is Mikai and Yusuke," Suzuki said with a sigh. "Everyone else has lost already."
"You'd better win little lady!" Chuu said playfully as he hit Mikai on her upper arm.
"I'll try." Mikai laughed.
"Honestly, the last thing I want to hear is that this defeat is an incentive for you to try and overcome me someday. That would be very sad," Mukuro said as she looked at her second in command.
"I know," Hiei said. "I don't want to fight you anymore."
A cracking sound was heard, causing Mukuro to look down. Her mouth dropped open as she watched the shackle around her wrist fall down onto the floor, shattering into pieces.
"All the hatred is under the bridge," Hiei said as he began to walk towards her. "You don't need that anymore. Don't throw everything away…."
Hiei began to walk past her but instead he faltered. Mukuro walked towards him and caught him as he fell.
"Sotto," Hiei whispered as he felt the small ring around his finger shatter. "I'm sorry."
His fighting had caused the small ring to break and Hiei felt as if he had broken another promise to Sotto by not keeping his ring. Fighting had brought his upon him and he was never going to let fighting break him away from his kitten again. Never.
"I promise," Hiei whispered as he began to fall into unconsciousness.
"Good luck Hiei," Mukuro whispered. "Always place your goal first."
"Hiei-chan," Sotto panted as she ran towards the doctor's office. She had been running towards the battle field before in order to see Hiei but she got distracted by watching the battle and after it was over she figured that it would be better for her to go to the doctor's office.
I have to see Hiei… Sotto thought as she ran.
As Sotto ran down the hallway she saw something walking towards her. She slowed down as the figure came into view and saw that it was Hiei.
"Hiei!" she cried as she ran over to him. He lend against the wall, trying to hold himself up as Sotto ran to him. "Hiei! You should be with a doctor."
"Sotto," Hiei whispered as he fell into her chest, having her support him up in a loving way. He knew that she wouldn't let her fall, ever.
"Sotto-chan?" Sotto asked in disbelief. "Hiei-chan…"
"Sotto?" Hiei asked weakly. "Marry me…"
"What?" Sotto asked. Hiei was showing so much affection towards her and she couldn't believe it. He was showing her and telling her that he cared for her by calling her chan.
"Marry me," Hiei groaned as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.
"Yes," Sotto whimpered as small water beads formed under her eyes. She held Hiei tight to her body as he fell back into his unconscious state.
"So who's up next?" Chuu asked as he looked around the room.
"Let's see," Suzuki said as he took out a small paper with all of the fighters written down on it. He began to cross off people who had been defeated and began to place two people together in order to get the next pair of fighters.
"Damn," he said once he figured everything out.
"Who?" Jin and Chuu asked as they looked on.
"Mikai…and Yusuke," Suzuki answered as he looked up towards Mikai whose eyes were hidden as she stood up away from Kurama. "It's Mikai versus Yusuke…"
R&R please!