Hey, wow, I really got three reviews! So as promised I am updating. Thanks very very much to the people who reviewed. Arigato gozaimasu! Um...yeah. This chappie is a little short, sorry, but the rest, I promise they'll be longer. Okay? Okay!

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH. Just Catalyn.

Remember, three reviews till I update!

CHAPTER SIX – TRAINING IN THE NIGHT

"I'll let you make the first move," Hiei said without any expression whatsoever on his part.

Catalyn snorted. "Nah, you can have it."

Hiei's frown deepened. "Hn."

And then he was practically right in front of her. He's fast! Catalyn thought as she dodged, just in time. She knew she wasn't in perfect shape yet. She knew Hiei would probably come out faster than her. But she also knew that she had her newfound powers to help her. It was dark outside. The dimming fire was the only light they had. But Catalyn knew how to take advantage of the environment in ways that Hiei couldn't. Her eyesight, her hearing, her smell. These senses, she knew, were all better than Hiei's. And hopefully, in this dark, it would be hard for Hiei to see.

Hiei charged straight for her a second time, but slightly slower than the last. This time, time was what she had. She summoned flames to her fists and used those to block the strikes. Then Hiei got behind her. Whirling around to face him, she lashed out with her flame-encased tail and managed to graze Hiei's hand and cause him to back up a step. Her foot flaming, she kicked, but he caught it. She pushed herself into a punch, which he stopped with a kick. Then he slashed. She just dodged in time, but got caught off balance, leaving her back wide open. Hiei didn't go for it. He reappeared in front of her, and the same routine began.

Things were going pretty well, considering her condition. Hiei was quite fast, but she could hear his movements and sniff him out if need be, which Hiei couldn't do. However, though lacking the speed to use this to her advantage, she was still able to hold her own. Except…

Every single time, after a quick series of movements, her weakness would leave a small opening. But Hiei wasn't taking advantage of these openings. Why won't he go for the openings? Catalyn wondered as she dodged. It doesn't make sense. I mean, I'm glad he's not taking advantage of this, but can't he tell? That's when it hit her: He's going easy on me!

"Damn it, Hiei, why are you taking it easy?" she almost yelled angrily (she remembered that the others were sleeping and lowered her voice at the last minute).

"Because you're not ready for my full power yet," he answered, slashing at her waist.

She kicked upwards to block it. "Since when does Hiei of the Jagan Eye go easy on people?" she retorted (she knew about the Jagan from what Kurama had told her about it).

Hiei replied with the usual "Hn." Her ears tracked his movements, and her nose told her he was moving right behind her. She quickly flipped through the air, landing behind him. As he turned for her, she realized something: He's not going to speed up unless I'm posing more of a threat. I need to attack him! Well, if it's an attack he wants, he's sure gonna get it!

With that, she launched into a series of attacks consisting of punches, kicks, flaming bursts, flips, and bursts of reiki to push Hiei away if he got too close. These were all high-quality techniques she had learned training in the wilderness, techniques that adapted well to new surroundings. With these, she was easily able to switch between offensive and defensive styles. Hiei remained on the offensive, countering with more offence. But he was starting to get more vicious. Hiei was speeding up.

This is good, she thought as she dodged a stroke of his katana. The fun's just beginning.

As Hiei built up in strength and speed, like she hoped he would, she began having a hard time to keep up with him. Still, she kept pushing herself harder, determined to beat him. The desire to beat him intensified the strength of her blows, making every fire-filled kick or punch so quick and precise. He didn't seem worried at all. He just kept attacking relentlessly. She dodged and blocked his next attack sequence, and launched into her own assault.

This assault was mostly centered around strong, fast kicks. One of them connected with Hiei's shin, which he was originally using to block the kick, but he made a slight stumble in the process. Without letting the opportunity go to waste, she hit him hard in the shoulder.

She was about to deliver her specialty kick when suddenly, Hiei was right behind her. With the butt of his blade he smote her across the back, and she fell forwards with a cry of pain. She bit her lip and turned the fall into a roll. Then she leaped into the air, kicking downwards at Hiei. Her flaming foot collided with his katana and the two were pushed back, landing safely on both feet.

They resumed their fighting stances. Hiei hadn't broken a sweat, and he didn't seem the least bit tired. However, Catalyn was sweating and panting slightly. She glared at Hiei. She knew that if she was at full strength, she'd have no problem keeping up with him, and she hated herself for have growing so weak.

Hiei just frowned at her. She just frowned back. He was still very calm, and she was too, despite being tired.

"You're pretty good for a demon," she told him with a bit of a smirk, just for the heck of it. Normally she was very respectful and didn't trash talk during a fight, but Hiei was a special case.

"Hn."

"Is that all you can say?" she asked him warily.

They both glared. But Catalyn realized that this short pause was really helping her get her breath back, while it seemed to be doing nothing for Hiei. So why was he waiting, then? Was he really just helping himself in some way, or was he allowing her to get her breath back, another sign that he was taking it easy on her?

"What's with you?" she demanded, her voice a bit too loud. "Why are you waiting?"

"Hn," Hiei said, and he charged for her again, this time with much more speed than before. She barely had the time to react, and she was too late to fully dodge. The katana grazed her sleeve.

This angered her. Calling upon her last reserves of energy, Catalyn surrounded herself in flames and went for Hiei with everything she had, pausing not even once as she struck. Hiei dodged thirty kicks, but not the thirty-first. She hit him in the shoulder. He could dodge fifty rapid-fire punches, but not the fifty-first. She got him in the stomach.

Suddenly, with speed so great that her senses couldn't even detect the movement, Hiei's katana slashed for her stomach. She stumbled back out of shock just in time for the katana to merely graze her shirt. Then she stopped short. She hadn't even seen it move, but Hiei's katana was at her throat.

Breathing deeply, with the cold metal against her skin and her neck arched in a feeble attempt to avoid the blade, she glared at Hiei, her face radiating defiance. He lowered him katana but did not sheathe it. Then he spoke.

"That was terrible."

She nearly exploded with this remark, but turned away from him and took a deep breath. "Terrible?" she panted. "What are you talking about? How was that so terrible?"

"You're currently way too weak to face the Ten," he said scornfully. "I don't know why Koenma dared ask you to join us. Perhaps he believes that you're much stronger, but I don't see how that is possible. The weak cannot change. We don't need you. You'll only be in the way."

Her pupils contracted into tiny cat-like slits as she whirled around, absolutely furious. "Why, you–"

But pain exploded in the back of her head, and she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Hn," said Hiei as he sheathed his katana.

Kurama stepped into the fire's light. "Why did you hit her, Hiei?"

"She's wasting her energy arguing," came the annoyed reply.

Kurama bent over Catalyn's motionless form and gently carried her to her tent.

Hiei frowned. "You're too soft."

"And you're too rough," Kurama replied steadily as he completed his task and returned outside. "Especially with her. You know she wasn't ready for that much fighting, especially after losing so much blood less than a week ago."

Hiei said nothing for a moment. The fire flickered in his eyes. Then he said, "She wanted me to do it. She was angry that I went easy on her."

"I know," Kurama said before Hiei could continue with a detailed account of the fight. "I saw the whole thing. And I also happen to know that Koenma specifically ordered you to go easy on her until she is ready, and those orders were something you should have obeyed no matter what she said. He is, after all, the superior."

"Hn."

"Try to be friends with her," Kurama suggested as he returned to the boys' tent.

Hiei snorted. "Me, friends with her? It'll never happen."

Kurama was serious. "That's the exact same thing she said to me about being friends with you." He smiled. "See? You already have something in common."

"She has a terrible voice," Hiei added somewhat lamely.

Kuruma held back a laugh at Hiei's pitiful excuse. "I think it's pretty," he said. "Come on, we need our rest for tomorrow." And he entered the tent. Hiei stared at the flap for a moment, then jumped back into his tree and slept there.