Chapter 5: Roto vs Kurama

Kagome watched Botan jump from the seated area, leaving behind two human brunette females. Though they were tough, they weren't impervious to damage. So she summoned a shield around their persons so thin that it was practically invisible. And judging by the way the nearest demons fled the immediate area, they were as safe as possible. So they waited for Koto to begin the match while the blue-haired ferry girl tried bitch-slapping Yusuke into the land of consciousness. The "trainer" for the team ignored Kuwabara's injuries in favor of dragging the team leader to a place that was more...out of the way, as she put it. The miko sighed and left Hiei's side so she could heal the carrot top's yo-yo wounds. Pink energy flowed off her fingertips and soaked into the human's flesh, repairing the damage and giving him a boost of energy.

"Wow... you're like a battery or something..." he complimented, climbing to his feet and touching his chest as if he couldn't believe it.

Hiei scoffed. "Just relax. We'll handle things from here." Kagome went back to his side and ignored Kuwabara's objection. Her mind was too focused on the feeling of foreboding. She didn't like the way the grey demon Roto felt. Confidence and evil...he was a jerk with a plan.

"Kurama, be careful! I think he's up to something!" The redhead didn't look back at her, his attention soley on his opponent while Koto announced that the fight was commensing. And indeed the fight started with Roto showing off a blade forming from his arm and trying to slice and dice the human vessel. However, Kurama was just too fast, his agility clearly superior.

Hiei shot Kuwabara a look as he commented the shame of his red-haired ally getting such a pathetic match. "You should have gotten this fight and let Kurama deal with the child."

"Hey, that's not true! He cheated!" Kuwabara growled at his shorter teammate.

Kagome put in her two cents. "If you had gotten into the ring instead of fighting with an energy-comatose person, you wouldn't have lost. Now shut up. Kurama's acting weird..." They watched the fight come to a standstill, a scratch on his left cheek. Shock seemed to go through the stadium for a moment while Roto began to divulge his trump card-- threatening his human mother with the click of a button. Apparently he had a brother who had been stalking his mother, waiting for the signal to attack.

Hiei had to stop her from moving forward, placing an arm in front of her as the demon in the ring used his fist to pummel Kurama's face, his other hand holding a remote control with a deadman's switch. Blue eyes filled with worry watched every harsh blow that only paused when the redhead flicked a pebble into Roto's face, distracting him momentarily, delicate hands gripping the arm tightly though her strength could not make the appendage move an inch for a moment. She was just holding on to have something to focus on as she watched Roto force Kurama to put his hands behind his back and proceed to hurt him. She failed to notice the masked fighter looking her way with a knowing look in that brown eye. No, her eyes were fixated on the brutal punches to his face, smearing blood from the single cut.

"I hate that look in your eye, like you think you're so much better than the rest of us." Roto stopped hitting the human and reformed his blade, putting the tip to his already cut cheek, slowly cutting another line. "Stop looking at me like that!" He dug the blade in further and viciously swiped the rest of the way, drawing more blood but not much of a reaction from his opponent.

Kagome couldn't help but flinch, closing her eyes for a moment. She had seen her fair share of battles but this was senseless violence against a person who wasn't even fighting back. Just watching it happen made her stomach roll. Opening her eyes, she glanced at Hiei who was watching her with those wide crimson eyes of his. "...what?" She had to turn her eyes down, away from the demon she was so sure was mocking her weakness... or maybe it was the fact that she was still holding onto his arm like a lifeline. She released him with a softly muttered sorry then turned her gaze back to the fight. Roto was claiming that he was obviously the victor and bragged that he didn't need to train when he had a sure thing in his hand.

Kagome went to yell something rather rude when she saw it. With a gasp, her shocked expression turned into a slow hopeful smile that quickly vanished as soon as Hiei spoke.

"Took you long enough..."

She glared over at him, noting that while he wasn't smirking, his eyebrow was raised in what could be interpreted as an expression of amusement. "You knew the whole time and you didn't think to let us know? I was worried sick!" She batted her hand at him but made no effort to actually strike him. It would be a waste of time with his speed and she only did it as a means to release a portion of her built-up anxiety without using her powers. She was mad (but she didn't want to kill him) and relieved at the same time.

Now he regarded her with surprise in his eyes before turning his attention back to the fight, clearly dismissing her outrage and not saying a word. She huffed but watched as Kurama easily took control of the fight, saved his mother's life, and eliminated the demon with a beautiful display of flowers blooming from the death plant that had been planted in his victim. The only thing that concerned her was the look of malice in his intelligent green eyes. Once he was off the stage, she rushed forward, asking him if he was alright. His demeanor became slightly amused at her concern and he moved an arm to guide her away from the ring. "I am fine..."

"I can heal you. I mean, my powers... I helped heal Inuyasha a few times but he was so stubborn... Shippo said that he got used to them when I healed his scrapes so..." She stopped talking, not wanting to make anything more uncomfortable.

Kurama chuckled. "Perhaps later."

She sighed and nodded. She knew that there was still a barrier between herself and the two demons on her team that was only there based on their species and upbringing. But just like in Sengoku Jidai, she thought it was so stupid--she wasn't the typical demon-hating miko. She would help anyone as long as they didn't hurt her or her friends and family. 'Of course he doesn't trust you, neither of them do. And kind of for a good reason but Hiei attacked first. Was I supposed to let him cut my head off?!' She ignored her pent up feelings as she remembered his protective display earlier when Zeru had surprised her. 'Don't even think about it... it was just him making sure they didn't lose their replacement fighter so soon. I'm necessary but it's not like he likes me or anything. They don't know anyone else here and the way Kuwabara struggled against Rinku... better to have a powerful miko with limited training and some loyalty than have to find someone else...'Flames emitted from the displeased Zeru, cutting Kagome's pity party short. The next match was about to begin.