Chapter 4:

I found myself in a bed, the room smelled like roses, a wonderful smell to wake up to. I just shook my head and laughed. 'I told Kurama that I would sleep on the couch. He always was a gentleman.'

When I went into the main room, I found Kurama still asleep on the couch. I moved a hair from his face and just let my hand rest on his face for a minute. I just wish I had the guts to tell him. 'He's so adorable when he sleeps in this form. Heh. Now I'm starting to sound like an Amerikajin haka.' I laughed.

I made my way to where the kitchen was and started to make breakfast for everyone. The sun was starting to rise, so I decided to go out on the patio and watch it. The room had a beautiful view. It seemed like I was looking at a fantasy painting. The sun just peeking between the hills, it's reflection smiling back off the ocean.

I smelled the air around me. The tart ocean salt, the sweet morning dew. The sea gulls happily talking to each other over the clouds. It was perfect. I heard someone stirring behind me. I turned around there was Kurama, standing there, staring. He didn't have a shirt on, so it was hard not to notice his muscles. There was a slight breeze blowing through his long red hair. His emerald-green eyes shimmering in the sun's first light."What are you looking at?" I asked innocently. "The most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Right in front of the second." I couldn't help but smile as he came up to me. He just stared into my eyes as I stared into his. He was getting closer and closer to my face. The closer he got the faster my heart beat. He closed his eyes as I closed mine.

I opened my eyes to find myself in a room that smelled like roses. 'Damn. It was only a dream. But I still told Kurama that I would sleep on the couch.' I streached my arms over my head and saw that the sun hadn't risen. 'Don't get your hopes up Mio, it was just a dream last time.' I went out and saw Kurama still asleep on the couch. 'Creepy.' I brushed a hair out of his face and saw a scratch on his forehead. I ran my thumb over it. The scratch healed as I did. I went into the kitchen and started to make breakfast. I looked at the patio and thought, 'Could it really happen?' I went out and my senses went on overload.

The air reaked of dead bodies and rotting sewage. All I could hear were screeches of crows and shouts of demons getting into fights. My eyes were tearing up from the stench. At least it looked nice, from behind the glass. The single mountain cast a shadow over most of the island. And with the sun directly behind it, the spiral at the top look like a hanging noose. 'So that's why they call it Hanging Neck Island.' I thought to myself.

I went back to my kitchen duties to finish what I had started. Soon the boys started coming in. Yusuke came in first, followed soon after by Kuwabara, Hiei, and Kurama. "Buenos días muchachos! Did you guys sleep well last night?" I asked cheerfully as each one sat down around the table. "Ok. I guess." Yusuke answered still half asleep. "Fine." Kuwabara yawned. "Hn." Hiei snorted. "How did you sleep?" Kurama smiled at me."I was quite comfortable. Thank you very much Kitsune. But next time, put me where I expect to wake up." I scolded him. "Only if you stop calling me Kitsune." We both found that funny as I passed out plates in front of each fighter. Finaly, I sat down to eat my breakfast of pancakes, sausage, orange juice, and a piece of toast with a square of butter. The guys ate thier breakfasts of the same thing and headed out to the stadium.

Outside the stadium, Koemna was waiting for us. "It's official, Miodreth is now apart of Team Urimeshi!" Koemna annouced, "I signed you up under the name Kochou-chan. Is that alright with you Mio?" "It's fine with me Koemna. I'm actually glad you did. I don't want the Maiki to know that I was back just yet." I explained. We went into the stadium where we met up with Keiko, Kuwabara's sister Shizuru, and Yusuke's mother Atsuko. After an hour of getting to know Shizuru and Atsuko, Keiko asked, "So, Avonii-chan, what happened after you and Kurama left training last night?" she seemed to hint at something. "This sounds interesting. Yes, do tell us what happened. Spill before my brother and the rest of those boys get back." Shizeru said. "We promise not to tell." Atsuko smiled innocently. "Please, call me Mio. Besides, nothing happened. I was wiped from the big day I had yesterday. We went to the room and after that I fell asleep and apparently Kurama moved me from the couch to his room." "Aww. That's so sweet. I wish Yusuke would do something like that for me." Keiko said wishfully. "You mean he doesn't?" Atsuko asked, surprised. "Nope."

"Mio! It's almost time for the first fight! You need to get down to the arena!" Koemna shouted down the hallway. "Coming Koemna! I'll tell you guys more later. Ok chicas?" "Fine with me." Keiko smiled. "Make sure my brother doesn't kill himself." Shizeru said. "Same with my son." Atsuko called. "I'll try!" I called back as I ran down the hallway.

"So who did you guys decide on to fight first?" I asked Kurama as we walked to the entrance of the arena. "I'm first. Then it's you, Hiei, Kuwabara, and Yusuke." Kurama replied. "OK. Muchos gracias, Kitsune-san." I smiled.

We walked into the arena and onto the circular platform where I was going to fight for the first time. "Captains! Please step foreward!" Kato said into the mic she always seemed to carry with her. "Choose your fighting style boys." Kato said to Yusuke and the demon standing in front of him. I survayed the demons on the other team from under the hood of my cape. I stopped to look at demon in front of me. There was something firmilliar about him, I just couldn't put my finger on it. I had seen that blue skin before, but where?

"One on one it is. Would the first fighters please step onto the platform." Kato shouted. We had all gone to the sidelines to have a talk about each of the demons on the other team. I didn't listen, I was too busy trying to figure out where I had seen those greedy, red eyes before. He was phisically strong, but didn't send out that much Spirit Energy. But what little he did send out let me know that he was a water demon. He wore the pants of a bounty hunter but nothing else. His hair matched his eyes, blood red and cut short. 'Where have I seen him?'

Lucky me, he volunteered to fight for his team first. As Kurama started to walk to the platform, I stuck my arm out to stop him. I knew where I had seen him before. "Let me fight this one." I saw a sudden flash of light at the demon's hip. A sheath with an orange background and black stripes covered his katana. "Why do you want to fight this one? He's one of the weaker ones." Kurama asked. "Look at his katana and you'll understand." I said as I walked onto the platform. I heard Kurama say "He's dead." "Why would you say that?" Hiei said sarcasticly. "He has a Tiger Claw katana." "You're right, he is dead."

I made my stripes disappear from my face as I took off my cape. Apperently it landed on Kuwabara because he shouted, "WATCH IT! I'M NOT A COAT RACK YA KNOW!"

"Put a sock in it, Kuwabara." I seethed trough gritted teeth. "Nice katana. Where'd you get it?" I asked Blue Face innocently. "My grandfather gave it to me. He cut it from the damn tiger's finger himself." He replied in a deep evil voice. "Did he cut it from Naori Avonii's finger while she was protecting her daughter?" I asked, trying to keep my cool. "Yes, it was one of my favorite stories growing up. Why do you want to know?"

"BEGIN!" Kato shouted. In an instant, I had him pinned. My claws were out and poised to kill. "Because I was the daughter she was trying to protect, jackass!" I shoved my claws into his gut, twisted and pulled out his stomache. When Kato finished the count down, signalling I had won, I tossed his stomach aside and took my mother's claw off his belt.I jumped off the platform and went to go sit against the side wall.

I couldn't hear. I couldn't smell. I couldn't feel. I could only see my mother's claw in front of my eyes as I remembered that night. The last night I saw my mother and my people. The night my life was ruined…….

The night was red with fire. The bounty hunters had finally attacked our village. My mother, with her fire stripe, was burning a path as she ran, carrying me in her arm. Unfortunetly, she ran into a blue-skinned, water demon. I couldn't hear what they said, but my mother set me down between herself and a cliff wall. My mother was Naori Avonii, Queen of the Tiger Demons, our leader. The price for her claws was enormous. And I was her only child. She fought hard but it wasn't enough. She turned to me and said, "Fly away Miodreth and find somewhere safe to hide." "Mommy, aren't you coming too?" I was scared, I wanted my mother to come with me. "No, I can't. Now fly away from the mean blue-skinned demon. I'll see you again, my Kochou-chan."

Those were her last words as two more arrows joined her first one in her left shoulder.

She died protecting me, and all she had to show for it was her claws becoming trophies, three arrows in her shoulder and a knife in the back of her neck.

I couldn't hold them back any longer. My tears came as a flood. There was no way to stop them as I replayed my mother's death over and over again in my mind. I couldn't stop the nightmare as I stared at her claw.

"You go ahead, Hiei. I'll go later." Kurama said as he sat next to me. "What's wrong? What did he say to you?" Kurama was truly worried. I couldn't keep it inside any more. I sobbed into his shoulder as I told him everything about that night. "I wanted my mother to be honered, not to be some trophy of a bounty hunter." I stopped talking and just cried. "Kochou-chan. I had no idea." He was truly shocked. He held me close as I cried.

"How could someone do that and not feel like crap! How the hell could anyone do that! Take a mother's life right in front of her own child! It's not right, damnit!" Yusuke steamed. "Kuwabara change of plans. I'm going to go next so I can kill those bastards!" "Why? Oh, well too late. What happened while I was gone?" Kuwabara asked coming back from the restrooms.

My mother's claw was still in it's sheath. I knew what I had to do. I stood up and walked over to Hiei. "Here. For destroying your's last night." "No. I can't accept it." Hiei said. "Please. I can't change what happened. I don't want my mother's claw to gather dust on a shelf. Please. Take it." I held out the katana for Hiei to take. As Hiei grabbed it I said, "Just promise me one thing. Only use it if you are protecting something you care about."

It was a silent promise. I knew he would keep that promise as I let go. 'Do what you died trying to do mother. Protecting everything you cared about. Help my friend do that too.'

"Why did you give it to Hiei?" Kurama asked. "Would you have ever used it?" I asked, "And do I detect a hint of jealosy?" I smiled. "No." Kurama said as he jumped onto the platform, "I'm just glad you're not crying anymore." He said as he stroked my cheek. I couldn't help but smile as he turned to face his opponent.

"Hey, Avonii-chan. You alright? Yusuke told me what happened." Kuwabara asked worriedly. "I'm fine Kuwa. Thanks for asking. And please stop calling me that. My name is Mio." I couldn't help but think, 'It's so sweet how protective these guys are. I would hate to be an enemy trying to harm one of their friends.'

I turned to watch Kurama's fight. I smiled when Kurama used his Rose Whip. I don't know why but that move was always my favorite. Something about it makes me smile. And with that Kurama won the match. Our team had won the round. We all left with something that day. Yusuke with a couple of bruises, Hiei with a new katana, Kuwabara with a relieved bladder, Kurama with a smile on his face, and I left with a refreashed feeling of sorrow for my mother and my people.