Okay here's the last chapter I'm doing for now. Aftr all I do have to eat and go out and enjoy life. Anyway I decided that Kagome's suedo name would be Bijin. I won't tell you what it means yet you'll find out later. But definate points to those who figure it out. Anyway hope you like this chapter.

Chapter 9

Bijin

Kagome, clothed all in black, and her face covered by a slayer mask, had not moved once upon reaching Yusuke's side. She had trouble reigning in the desire to throw her arms around him and grace him with the biggest hug he had probably ever received. She couldn't believe it when she saw him again, standing there and looking so strong. She'd felt his spirit energy knowing it had certainly more than doubled.

Her eyes swung to Kurama who was now staring at her with a curious, yet deadly look in his eyes, as if waiting to see what her purpose was and if she would attack Yusuke when she was standing in very close range. From behind her mask she smirked. It was good to see they were still protective over each other. That would make the tournament much easier to survive if they had each other to depend on and watch over.

It was curious however that Kuwabara was there. Oh she remembered the chubby little punk who she and Yusuke had tormented and pulled so many tricks on. He had certainly grown up that was for sure and while he still was nothing special to look at, he had at least taken the time to beef up his body and keep it in shape. Her gaze swiveled to the little apparition. His ruby red eyes were watching her like a hawk and she knew the instant he tried to get into her mind. Luckily for her, her mind powers were second to none. Hiei's powers came from a fake eye. Her powers were home grown and part of her demon heritage as a kitsune. He would never possess the amount of mind control that she did.

She was satisfied when he gave a little cry and clutched at his head, drawing forth some questioning glances. "I suggest you do not try that again, little one, for my mind is much stronger than yours. If you do it again, I can only assure that you will not like what happens to those who invade where they do not belong," She whispered, deadly heat in her voice which caused all those present to shiver, except for Genkai.

"Who are you, onna?" Hiei demanded acing like he was not just clutching his head in pain. "Tell me before you end up at the wrong end of my sword."

Kagome desperately wanted to growl at the fire apparition but knew she couldn't. Instead she controlled her voice and answered him. "If you must know my name is Bijin and I am your fifth teammate."

There was silence all around before Kurama took the initiative and stepped forward. "Than we welcome you to our team, Bijin," He spoke quietly, eyes searching for any clue to the mystery woman's identity. From under her mask and hood Kagome smiled sadly gazing at her best friend; the friend who had so cruelly been ripped away from her arms. "My name is Kurama. And the person you are standing next to is Yusuke. Kuwabara is the man on the floor and that is Hiei. Genkai is Yusuke's sensei."

Kagome nodded. "It is nice to meet someone who has a brain and has treated me with the respect I deserve."

"And why should we respect someone who hides under a mask, onna?" Hiei remarked darkly, almost sarcastically.

This time Kagome couldn't help but let out a tiny sound of dismay as she once again turned to glare into the fire apparition. For some reason she just knew he was going to be a big headache. "There are many ways and reasons to hide Hiei, and not all of them revolve covering a face. You however hide behind a curtain of disdain and a mask of indifference while all the while growing more and more disgusted by yourself by each passing year."

Angered by her harsh words and angered because she spoke the truth Hiei flew at Kagome, catching her slightly off guard, though Kagome leaped deftly out of the way and pinned Hiei hard up against a tree, his face pressed into the bark. He struggled before she placed a knee into his back, holding him place, knowing he couldn't escape her id her tried. He was strong but she was stronger. She leaned in and whispered so softly not even the others could hear. "Tell me why you hide from your sister when you are clearly in plain sight and then tell me why I should respect you for hiding away from the one person who may actually love you."

She pulled away before he could speak, knowing that she had just put him in his place. Yes, it was harsh, yet she hated people who would not look beyond what they would see. Someone like Hiei would never look at the human world than anything but beautiful. He had a harsh life and she grudgingly respected him for having the courage to live through it. But instead of learning from past mistakes and trying to make his life better, instead he chose to immerse himself in it, falling deeper and deeper into the life of a criminal. And he would never tell his sister because he was selfish and believed she did not need him.

When she finally let him go, he disappeared. Where to? No one knew. But Kagome knew he would recover soon. Someone like him wouldn't allow the words of an unknown figure get the best of him.

Kagome turned to the rest of the group. "Well, shall we go?" She asked pleasantly as if she did not just totally kick Hiei's ass.

Kuwabara who had been silent during this exchange glanced at her curiously wondering why her energy seemed familiar to him. For some reason he felt like he knew her. "Have we met before?" he asked, surprising Yusuke and Kurama.

She turned to him and although he couldn't see it, raised an eyebrow and chuckled under her hood. She wondered what he would say if she told him the truth. "I don't know, Kuwabara, was it? Have we?" She turned away from him and continued on, once again immersing herself back into thought.

She hated this; hated having to hide from her best friends and knew that somewhere she was acting exactly like Hiei. She was such a hypocrite. She was hiding, yes, but not for the same reasons as the koorime. In truth and if she was willing to admit it, she was afraid to face them again; scared they wouldn't know who she was or recognize her. She was afraid to look into Kurama's eyes and find things she didn't want to know. Like perhaps if he remembered her promise.

She was brought out of her troubled thoughts by Genkai who was walking calmly beside her. Kagome respected the woman greatly and even more so since she'd trained Yusuke. Anyone who could put up with Yusuke's crap was okay in her book. "You will have to tell them eventually, Biji," Genkai whispered in her normal voice. Kagome knew she was right but she simply nodded and turned away not missing Genkai's departing words. "Don't make them wait for long. They need you."

They need you.

Surprisingly the words brought Kagome some kind of comfort, wondering if they truly did need her. She hoped so. She hoped against hope that they needed her just as she needed them.

"What did you say to Hiei?" Yusuke demanded walking right up to her, seeming unconcerned that he was walking right up to someone who had so effortlessly put down Hiei. Kagome turned to him, using her eyes to travel all over his body, noting all the changes he'd made. He certainly had grown. He was perhaps a few inches taller than her and his hair was held back with some kind of jell. She didn't like it and would have told him so if she had the courage too. She always loved the way his hair fell gently into his eyes, always hiding mischievous yet ever loving eyes. Oh, how she'd missed him.

"I simply told him something he needed to hear. Now perhaps he'll be able to get that stick out of his ass."

Yusuke continued staring at her for a few seconds before her response finally registered. It was worded in such a way that Yusuke knew sounded exactly like something Kagome would say.

Kagome was surprised when Kurama came from the other side of her and chuckled, startling her at his sudden presence. Woah…she thought. He's so silent now. Yoko must have taken great care in training him to the full extent.

"Well, that's Hiei. Don't worry, you'll get used to him," Kurama stated easily wondering why he suddenly felt so comfortable in the mysterious woman's presence. He hadn't felt so light heated in many years.

Kagome discretely studied her friend under lowered lashes finding herself admiring just how handsome he'd become. His hair was kept just as long as it was in childhood, maybe even longer and right now her fingers were aching to run through the fantastic length. She longed to pull him in close and never let him go again. His emerald eyes she loved so much were bright right now and flecked with a golden color which Kagome wondered came from Yoko's half.

"With his attitude I don't think I want to," Kagome giggled, pleased when Yusuke began laughing again and Kurama smirked. "Well, come on. Let's get on the boat before it leaves without us."

"Yes," Kurama nodded. Kagome stared at the boat, her happy smile leaving her face as she remembered just why she was here.

The Dark Tournament was not going to be easy and even harder on Yusuke since he would personally be facing Toguro. Well not if she can help it. She was determined to help him even if it meant losing her life in the process. She would do whatever it took to keep both Yusuke and Kurama safe. Her hands clenched as she cursed Toguro. "Damn him," she whispered out loud by accident.

"Oi, are you all right?" Yusuke asked noticing that the Bijin had stopped in her tracks and that tiny half-moons of blood were beginning to appear on her clenched palms. She seemed to snap out of it as her head jerked up.

"I am fine. It is none of your business," she responded harshly before racing away, streaking past Kurama and disappearing onto the ship, much like Hiei had done moments before.

"Geez, wonder what her problem was," Yusuke muttered and decided to forget about it as he reached his Kurama's side when he stopped to wait. After all he had no idea who Bijin was and so shouldn't be bothered by not knowing. It was none of his business to but into anyone else's problems, especially if he didn't know them.

Once on the boat demons from everywhere began surrounding Genkai, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama. Kagome flew down seeing the immediate problem noticing that Yusuke seemed to have fallen asleep. She felt the unsettling of the wind and automatically knew Hiei had come to join the fun as well.

"Seems the demons would like to play with us," Kagome whispered hauntingly.

"Yes," Kurama agreed.

"Then we shouldn't keep them waiting," Hiei growled as he slammed into an apparition cutting off his head in one full swoop. Seconds later the rest of his body joined the head, red blood beginning to seep into the wooden planks.

"Twilight whip," Kagome called, after discretely reaching into her hair and pulling out a small, pen like knife. She let out a bit of her energy and transformed the knife into a magnificent whip, black in color and much longer than Kurama's and no less deadly. Instead of having thorns on her whip, the spikes were made out of some kind of foreign metal and reinforced by her energy. They were just as deadly as Kurama's thorns and could cut through anything. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Kurama looking at her bizarrely before shaking his head and reaching in his own hair for a seed, using his energy to create the whip she'd helped him learn how to wield.

Kuwabara let out a cry as he was temporarily blindsided by a demon. From out of nowhere Kagome's whip came crashing through wrapping around the demon's neck and slamming him into the bowels of the ship killing him instantly.

From his vantage point Kurama watched Bijin's whip fly with deadly accuracy wondering why the movements seemed so coordinated and familiar. She fought with deadly intensity striking anything that dared get within reach of her. But what struck him as odd was the fact that she seemed to be protecting Yusuke. The poor boy still hadn't woken up yet and had taken to out right snoring and sometimes muttering incoherently.

When a demon he hadn't noticed got almost close enough to strike him Kurama grew angered and intensified his attacks, using his strength and skill to cause the whip to wrap several times around the demons neck and waist. Angered that he was almost taken off guard Kurama used his anger to tighten his hold, thus snapping the demon's body in pieces, much like Hiei had done with his sword.

A cry of dismay caught his attention when Kuwabara called to Yusuke, trying in vain to wake him up and notice the demon creeping up on the unsuspecting boy. The cry must have caught Bijin's attention for her head came flying up and she looked in Yusuke's direction.

Kagome desperately fought through all the surrounding demons hoping to cut through them all and reach Yusuke's side.

"Yusuke!" She heard Kurama cry as he fought just as hard to protect his friend.

Please, Kurama, save him, she thought to herself. She was taken aback when Yusuke suddenly sat up straight and his fists began flying, unsuspectingly walloping the caught-off-guard demon. The demon was suddenly flung straight into Kurama's whip where he was mercilessly ripped apart and laid to rest.

Kagome gave a sigh of relief although she wondered what Yusuke had to have gone through during his training with Genkai; for said boy was currently cursing the woman up a storm. Seconds later Yusuke was once again sloped onto his butt and sleeping again.

All too soon and many deaths later, all demons, besides the Urameshi team lay dead and nothing else remained of them except some already rotting corpses and body parts.

"Ugh, disgusting," Kagome couldn't help but mutter. She was suddenly glad she had Sango's slayer mask on so she couldn't smell everything.

"I have to agree," Kurama murmured from her side searching for anything else that moved. The captain came out of hiding and informed them that they were the winners of the semi-finals and that they would be reaching the island shortly.

True to his word the boat soon reached the shore and the exhausted team walked off, wondering just what was in store for them.

Kurama thought about the island, about the up and coming fights, wondering and hoping that his team would survive what was to come. And…he thought about Kagome; where she was at, what she was doing. He came to the decision that once the tournament ended he would find her regardless of what mission Koenma wanted him to help with next. Nothing would keep him away from her this time.

Yusuke thought about nothing as he slept away, though his dreams were filled of another place and time; a time when he didn't have to worry about what demons were out to kill him next, a time when he was free to spend with his best friends. He unknowingly made the same decision Kurama did. He would find her. He was determined. Just as soon as he woke up and finished fighting.

Hiei wondered how it was that Bijin knew about his life so accurately. He had never met her before and wondered where she attained her information. Of course it was common knowledge that he was a forbidden child. She would have known about that. But not many other knew about Yukina. And that's just the way he wanted to keep it. If this new fighter brought any amount of pain to his sister he would kill her.

Kagome thought about Kurama and Yusuke. The only thing she wanted was to protect them. She would make sure they lived and she would do it by fighting in this tournament and keeping a close eye on them. And when this was all over she would finally be reunited with her best friends; she was sure of it. And this time, nothing would keep her away from them.

Okay, that's it. Anyway I'm sorry to make Kagome be so mean to Hiei, but I had to put even more conflict in my story. And for some reason it fell to Hiei. Just to let you know I do like Hiei, but you have to admit he is such a complicated character. He has many emotions that you don't see and I think Kagome would recognize him and think him hiding. She'll come around eventually but I wanted them to have a different view of each other than the normal brother-sister relationship people seem to enjoy giving them. Anyway hope you guys liked the chapter. They're finally on the island and who knows what will happen now. Stay tuned to find out.

Ja ne

Kura-kun's-lovr