A/N: This is my friend's fic, ToCOrNot 77, and so since she didn't have any place to put it I decided that we put this under my account. I'm not trying to take any credit in this! It's all my best friend's fic so please review!

Secrets of the Past

Chapter 1: Meeting Katana

It was the day of the start of the second Martial Arts Tournament. Just like last time, Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara and Hiei didn't have a fifth member on their team.

"Great! How are we supposed to defeat all of the other contestants if we don't have a fifth member?" Kuwabara said.

"Aw! Don't worry Kuwabara, there are no other strong fighters out there, we defeated them all last time," explained Yusuke confidently.

"I think Kuwabara meant that when we make it to the finals, who's going to be our fifth member?" Kurama replied.

"Who do you think? Since we don't have a fifth member it will unfortunately have to be that fool, Koenma," replied Hiei not too patiently.

Then, all of a sudden a mysterious voice said "You four must be Team Urameshi." Startled, the four looked behind them to see a small, young-looking girl with hazel brown eyes and blue, wavy hair. Before anyone could say anything she hastily explained, "My name is Katana and I will be the fifth member of your team."

Just then the boat arrived in the dock. After the team exchanged doubting glances, Yusuke said "Fine, but don't expect to fight because . . ." "Because" Kuwabara cut in, using his most teacher like voice, "Number 1, you're a girl, and girls aren't supposed to be fighting in dangerous Tournaments, especially one like you. And Number 2 we don't even know if you're a decent fighter of just a weakling like everyone else here. And Number 3 . . ."

"Will you shut up already!" Hiei said, annoyed, "The boat is about to leave."

"Shut yourself up, shrimp!"

"Uh oh," muttered Kurama, sensing another fight. "Uh, let's go," he managed to say before anything started, and luckily Hiei and Kuwabara listened to him, not wanting to miss the boat.

Hm . . . that girl looks and sounds familiar, way too familiar. Oh well, it'll come to me soon, thought Yusuke.

"So", said Kuwabara, "Are you sure you want to fight in this competition with us? It's going to be tough you know. Well with us it will be a piece of cake, but if you have to fight, it'll be hard."

"I know," said Katana with her soft voice hinting annoyance.

"Hn! Just let her fight, she can get killed for all I care. It'll be her fault anyway" Hiei said, glaring at the girl. As an answer, Katana glared back. Wow! I think Hiei's just met his match at glaring. That young lady's glare is just as good as his, Kurama thought.

But his thoughts and Hiei and Katana's stare down were both interrupted by Yusuke saying, "Oh, I almost forgot. We should probably introduce ourselves . . ."

"I know already," Katana replied, looking up, "You're Yusuke," she said, pointing to the boy with brown eyes, black hair and a fighting attitude. "And you're Kuwabara," looking at the not too handsome boy with black eyes, orange hair and a courageous heart. "You're Kurama" she moved on to look at the red-headed boy who appeared to be only 15, but was actually Yoko Kurama who was 100s of years old but trapped in a human body. "And the snobby and arrogant, self-centered guy over there," she said indignantly, "Is Hiei."

"Hn!" replied Hiei, realizing that he had met his match in insults as well. Team Urameshi was silent the rest of the trip.

"Never thought that of all places we would be spending our days of cutting classes here, huh Kuwabara," explained Yusuke.

"Yeah," replied Kuwabara distractedly, looking for Yukina. Keiko, Shizuru, Botan, Yukina, and Koenma were supposed to be meeting them at the hotel. While they walked into the hotel and were shown their room everyone around them hushed and stared at them.

"So," Kurama said to Katana, oblivious to all of the people staring at them, "You know a lot about us, but we don't know much about you." Kurama got an intent glare telling him that she had no intention of telling him that information as a reply.

"All you need to know are my name and that I can be trusted," she said to him.

"Oh," Kurama mumbled. Not too social is she?

They reached their room, dropped their thing and went back outside to meet the others.

"Hey, Yukina, what's the matter," asked Botan as they were waiting for the boys.

"Oh," Yukina said, looking up, "I was just thinking. I know it sounds silly but . . . do you think it is possible that . . . Hiei could be, um, my brother?"

"Uh . . ." Oh no, what if she finds out. Has she already found out? What should I say? I can't just lie to a sweet and innocent girl like Yukina. But if I do tell Hiei is going to kill me, and I do mean kill, he will probably most likely torture me to death . . . thought Botan.

"Of course he couldn't be your brother, Yukina. A rude and arrogant jerk like him could never even be remotely related to you," said Keiko indignantly, unknowingly saving Botan from blabbing out the truth.

"But I'm sure he's really a nice guy inside," said Yukina hopefully, "Sometimes he does act coldly towards other people, but I can see that he's just afraid to trust anyone. He probably had an extremely rough childhood."

"Well, maybe you should try and ask him," said Shizuru with a slight teasing tone in her voice.

"Do you really think he would listen to me?" asked Yukina, not noticing that Shizuru was just teasing.

"Hey look, there they are," exclaimed Keiko excitedly.

"Yukina!" said Kuwabara running over to her. Wow! She's so beautiful. Her face seems to be shining as brightly as the sun and her perfect sea-green hair looks even more perfect than usual, thought Kuwabara, blushing.

"Why, hello Kazuma," said Yukina, using Kuwabara's first name as usual. "How have you been?"

"Great! I've missed you so much, my love," said Kuwabara.

"Aren't you even going to say "hello" to your big sis, bro?" said Shizuru.

"Hi," said Kuwabara quickly, not even bothering to look at her.

POW! "OWEEEEEEE!" yelped Kuwabara in pain as Shizuru punched him on the head. While Kuwabara and Shizuru were engaged in a not too friendly conversation, Yukina walked over to Hiei who was standing under a tree trying to ignore Keiko, who was, in vain, trying to get Hiei to say something other than "Hn."

"Oh! Yukina thank goodness you're here! You can try getting him to talk," said Keiko in exasperation. She made her way to the rest of the gang to engage in small talk.

Hiei tried to act normal, as if he didn't care if Yukina was there or not. But he did. His heart was pulled in two directions. To keep silent about his being the brother she had been looking for, or to proclaim it to her and the whole world that he was Yukina's twin brother. But he knew what he had to do, he had to keep it from Yukina that he was the one, her long lost twin brother, he had to protect her. Plus she wouldn't want me as a brother, thought Hiei. I'm a criminal and a murderer, she would never want me. I don't deserve her anyway. . . Still she's my sister and I love her more than anything else, I just want what's best for her. I can't tell her. I just can't. For the both of us, it would be better if she just didn't know. Hiei tried to convince himself that he wouldn't tell Yukina the truth, but no matter how hard he tried, his heart still yearned to tell her, hoping, hoping that she would just maybe forgive him, just maybe . . .

"Hiei?" Yukina said breaking the silence that had lasted for at least 5 minutes. Hiei looked up, startled from his brooding thoughts. "I'm sorry to disturb you. It looked like you were thinking very hard about something, but I just had to ask you. Um, would you like to go on a picnic with us tomorrow? Everyone will be there." Yukina's eyes held such a hopeful expression that Hiei couldn't bring himself to refuse the request.

"Sure," he mumbled so Yukina could barely hear him.

"Oh, thank you!" said Yukina, her voice full of enthusiasm, "It will be so wonderful. I'm going to go and invite everyone else!" Then she walked away, understanding that Hiei probably preferred to be alone.

Meanwhile, Kurama, Yusuke, Botan, and Keiko were chatting when Keiko suddenly asked, "So, did you guys ever find a fifth member for your team?"

"Oh, yes, in fact we did, I'm sure all of you will be very surprised when you see her," replied Kurama.

"Her?" said Botan, not understanding what was going on.

"Hey, Kurama," whispered Yusuke, "Where is she anyway?"

"How should I know? In case you haven't noticed, she's not exactly what people would call a social butterfly," Kurama whispered back.

"I'm right here, you know," Katana's monotonous voice appeared out of nowhere. Yusuke and Kurama jumped. Where had she come from?

They looked behind them, and there she was standing quietly in the shadow of a tree.

"Oh, hey Katana we were just talking about you . . . heh, heh," said Yusuke uneasily, scratching his head. Everyone stopped conversation to stare at the tiny, young looking girl who was surprisingly pretty.

Shizuru was the first to say the question on all of the girls' minds, "Your fifth fighter is a girl?" Shizuru said, not afraid to show her surprise. The question was left unanswered as Keiko, Shizuru, and Botan stared at the girl. Yukina just looked on the ground considering it impolite to stare at someone. Katana didn't flinch.

"Yeah, um, well she just came up to us and told her she would be on our team and we took her," explained Kuwabara. There was no response from the surprised group of girls, only blank stares at this newcomer.

Tired of being stared at by people she didn't even know, she started to walk away.

"I'm going to my room," she said offhandedly.

"Uh, Yusuke, don't you think it is just a teensy bit risky to accept a fighter you don't even know and place so much trust on her to win the fights?" asked Botan when the strange woman had walked out of hearing distance.

"No, not really, she's just a filler. You see, this is how I see it, even if she and Kuwabara here lose their fights, then we still have me, Kurama and Hiei left to win ours. So, I figured that we have a three against two chance of winning, at the least," replied Yusuke.

"Urameshi!" exclaimed Kuwabara after a few seconds, realizing that Yusuke had just insulted him, "Of course I'm gonna win my fights. I always do, especially when my precious Yukina is cheering me on." He puffed out his chest in an attempt to look manly. Everyone ignored him.

"Fine with me if they want to get their butts kicked off the tournament and roasted on a spit," said Shizuru.

"Do you guys know anything about her other than her name?" asked Keiko.

"No," replied Yusuke, tired of talking.

"Who cares anyway?" said Kuwabara, already over the earlier . . . err, argument.

"I care!" chorused Botan and Keiko.

"Who cares if you guys care," shrugged Yusuke and Kuwabara in unison.

"We really should know more about her," mused Kurama, "But when I asked, she wouldn't answer, and it's hard to tell if she's strong because if she is, she seems to be suppressing her energy, but by the looks of her she's strong. I think that we can trust her, but we will have to wait until the day after tomorrow to find out for certain."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. The tournament doesn't start until the day after tomorrow," said Yusuke.

"Oh yes! Talking about forgetting, don't you boys forget that Yukina's planned a picnic for everyone and we're meeting at 10:00 am," Botan reminded everyone.

"So that woman, Katana, she seems, well, like she's had a bad past or something. Kind of reminds me of Hiei. That cold stare and uncaring look in her eyes, and also the way she separates herself from everyone else," concluded Botan to Shizuru, Keiko, and Yukina in the hotel room her and Shizuru shared.

"Yes, she does seem a bit mysterious. I just hope that we can trust her," said Keiko, "For all we know, she can be working for some evil monster and kill Yusuke and the others in their sleep."

"I think that she's just quiet and likes to keep to herself," brought up Yukina, always seeing the best in others.

"Maybe," said Shizuru, "The fact of the matter is, if she turns out to be the enemy, she'll get all of us killed, but if we can trust her and she's an exceptional fighter, then she might end up saving all of our lives."

Everyone sighed. "Well, from the way it looks, we can trust her, I mean she probably could have killed us all by now," said Keiko, trying to stop worrying, "No use worrying about it, I'm going to bed. Coming Yukina?" said Keiko walking to the door with Yukina close behind. "Good Night," Botan and Shizuru said as Keiko and Yukina walked out.

The next day, everyone was at the proper picnic place by 10:30 am, including Hiei. While everyone was talking and drinking sake, Yukina drew Hiei away into the forest.

"Um, Hiei, I need to ask you something," said Yukina, looking doubtful and unsure of herself.

"Yeah?" Hiei tried to answer as politely as he could, hoping that he could get rid of Yukina's obvious doubt. It didn't work.

"I'm sure that you know that I've been looking for my long lost estranged twin brother. I've been trying very hard to find him. All I know is that he is a skilled martial artist and a fire apparition. Well, like you." Hiei winced inwardly, but his face betrayed none of his emotions. She can't find out now, he thought in panic. She would never forgive me for keeping from her that I'm the one she was looking for so long. And I have already known her for 3 years.

Unknowingly, his body tensed up, just the slightest bit, but Yukina noticed and, encouraged, she continued, interrupting Hiei's frantic thoughts, "I've always felt like I've known you my whole life, like, somehow, someway, we were connected. It's so strange. You've always been so kind to me. Just like how a brother would be kind to his sister. What I'm trying to say is . . . are you my brother?"

She didn't pause to wait for his answer, perhaps because she was fearful of what it would be. Afraid that he would say that she was mistaken and that her brother was dead. She had waited so long for her brother and had searched all her life and was so uncertain, so unsure of this whole thing. But she knew one thing, Hiei did know something about her brother and she was going to get it out of him. Today.

"Are you the one who is called the Forbidden Child of Koorime, the brother that I love so much, the child who was tossed off the cliffs of Koorime into Makai?" Yukina had so much hope and determination in her voice, so much longing to find her brother that Hiei had a hard time keeping up his false façade of being cold and uncaring. What would he do? What could he do? Nothing came to his mind at the moment, so he did the only thing he could do . . . he ran.

"I have to go," Hiei mumbled right before he disappeared from Yukina's eyes.

"Wait!" Hiei heard his sister's cry, laced with grief and broken hope. Grief that he had caused, and hope that he had broken. The mere thought of ever making his sister cry tore at his heart. This pain in his chest could not ever be cured. And he ran, ran away from the fear and pain he had felt in that moment, hoping to outrun what he knew he couldn't.

How could things have ended up like this? He thought to himself, sitting in a tree branch far, far away from the picnic and most importantly, from Yukina. I should have just kept my distance that day. I should have just let Yusuke save her from that greedy bastard, Tarukene. I should have stayed away instead of risking the danger of her knowing who I am. Maybe, if I hadn't met her that day, then she wouldn't have found out.

Hiei clenched his fists in frustration, mad at his current predicament. How would he get out of this one? What am I supposed to tell her, that I'm her brother? That her brother is a thief and a cold-blooded killer? No. I won't do that; I'd die before I ever told her that. She's much too innocent to ever be my sister. She's much too perfect. I would taint her . . . I guess I'll just have to lie to her . . . again. I know what's right and I won't hesitate to do it, even if it means lying to her. He promised himself with fierce determination. I will protect her. I will not, under any circumstances, be weighed down by these petty human emotions.

He was quickly startled out of his thoughts as he sensed another presence very close by. Kurama. Just as he thought, the kitsune emerged from the thick brush within the next few seconds.

"What are you doing all the way out here, Hiei?" he asked, strolling over to sit under the tree his friend was currently sitting on.

Silence.

"Yukina was very worried about you," he continued, used to Hiei's silent attitude. "After the two of you had that little chat in the forest she came back looking sad and depressed. She said that you ran off, so I came looking for you to ease her fears. Though I must admit, it was quite difficult to trace your scent."

"Hn," Hiei answered, "She knows, fox."

There was a moment of silence. "So what are you going to do? You can't deny yourself happiness forever, you know."

"I'm going to tell her that he's dead," his voice betrayed none of his emotions, "I'm going to tell her that her brother is dead."

"Could you really do that to her after all this time she's spent looking for you?" Kurama's voice was even and calm.

"Yes, I will end her long search. She's wasted enough of her life searching for a brother that will never exist. I will not let her suffer any longer." He sounded certain; there was no changing his mind.

"Is this really what you want?" said Kurama, concerned for the pain his friend would be putting himself through should he tell her this lie.

There was silence for a while, and it seemed as if Hiei wouldn't answer his question, but he did. "It doesn't matter."

"Alright then, but you'll regret it."

They sat in silence for a while longer until Kurama decided it would be best for him to leave.

"I should really be going," he said, standing up and brushing himself off. "Oh yeah, the picnic is already over. It's 2:00 already. Everyone's back at the hotel. See you there!" With that he walked off and disappeared in the thick forest, leaving the fire apparition to his own thoughts.

But neither did any of them know that, from the shadows, a figure watched them silently.

I see you've found your sister, Hiei. Well done.

A/N: So what did you think? Anyways please review my friend's fic! PLEASE:)