In the Wake of What Follows

Chapter Twenty-Four: Preliminary

-The staff felt unfamiliar on her back, strapped to her in a sling of her own making The charms of the ringed cap she'd designed for the naginata chimed into the early morning as the metal swung against each other. She couldn't very well bring a bladed weapon into the city with her. This looked as if she were cosplaying, maybe. She'd still get weird looks, that was inevitable, but it was better than being arrested.

"You sure you don't want to come with us?" Terra asked. It was old hat at this point, but she was honestly still surprised Kuwabara didn't want to watch the tournament.

"Nah. I gotta come back with groceries anyway," Kuwabara laughed. "I think Hachi ate everything out of spite before leaving."

Only two of Kuwabara's students were still at the temple. The rest had gone home with promises to stay out of trouble and come back next year. "I'm not trying to turn any of them into Yusuke, or me," Kuwabara had said one of the nights the two of them had stayed up with a bottle of sake. "They're kids. They should get to be kids. Not, ya know, save the world and shit. Even if they had the potential, I'm not training any of them to fight like the way we had to." It was a nice sentiment. It was easy to forget that all of Kuwabara and Yusuke's adventures had started when they were so young. Not wanting the next generation to face those types of threats at all was a worthy cause. "Maybe when I'm old and know my time is coming, I'll find an apprentice like Genkai did Yusuke. Someone to gift all I have," Kuwabara had explained with a shrug. But until then, he had just wanted to give back, to help kids like him so they could handle what spiritual powers they may possess, and didn't fall victim to twisted people who would take advantage of those powers.

Terra had suggested that Risa go to Mt. Mashu. She had the potential to be the next priestess there. If she came with Terra's recommendation, they would make sure Risa had all the proper training. It would be a good life, if it were the one Risa wanted. She'd let Kuwabara pass on the suggestion if he thought it was what his pupil might want.

Other than that, Terra was almost hesitant to acknowledge how powerful some of their territories had the potential to become. Kuwabara was right. They were just kids. She didn't want to see any of them sent off to fight demons, to risk their lives just because they had energy and anger. They shouldn't have to be soldiers for a cause just because they were alive.

Terra thought she understood some of Keiko's anger towards Koenma just a bit better now.

They had met up a few times in the month Terra was at the temple. She'd go into town for day trips and grab lunch with Keiko or Kurama. One time she got her hair done again by Shizuru. When she met up with Keiko, Terra passed on what little information Kuwabara had on the mission Yusuke was hiding from them.

Terra had told Kuwabara about Keiko's suspicions, that Yusuke wanting to go to demon world was a cover for a case. Kuwabara agreed. "I was the one who brought it up to Koenma," Kuwabara had admitted. "There's supposed to be a treaty. Humans who fall into demon world are supposed to be brought back safely. But some of the kids… they've been saying things. People disappearing and not coming back in their neighborhoods." It was clear the kids who talked were the ones with spirit awareness. They were picking up on abnormalities.

"Why isn't Yusuke investigating those neighborhoods then?"

"He has," Kuwabara said. "But there's no open rifts. If demons are taking them, they're making their own way open and close, and they're keeping the people."

Terra let Keiko know. Yusuke was trying to save missing humans. He may be a demon now, but he was still championing the humans. It quelled some of her anger. At least, in the end, Yusuke wasn't jumping into demon world politics for the sake of it. He was only going there to save people like her.

Keiko was waiting for them at the bottom of the temple steps. Her minivan was in desperate need of a wash. Yusuke had left a smiley face in the dust for them. Keiko was annoyed about it, complaining that he was supposed to have cleaned the car last week, and he was damn well going to do it before they left for the makai.

Kuwabara sprawled out in the middle, stretching his legs across the whole width of the van. He promised to make sure Yusuke would keep his word on the matter. "I'm their way to the tournament!" he jeered. "Won't let him go until he does his duty."

"Thank you, Kuwabara," Keiko said, suppressing her smile. "I'm glad you're always on my side."

Kuwabara puffed up his chest, claiming a man should always be on a lady's side. Terra and Keiko both rolled their eyes, but in good humor. They smiled at each other as Kuwabara continued to prattle out his honor code. Keiko had her hair down today. It bounced off her shoulders as they hit a pothole. She often wore it tied back when Tomio was around because he tended to pull on the loose strands. They took a turn and the hair fell in her face a little. Keiko tucked it back behind her ear with little thought, but then her hand stilled and her eyes grew wide and she untucked her hair as she cleared her throat, throwing back a comment to something Kuwabara had said.

Terra hadn't missed it, though. The red pucker of skin rested low on her throat, settling almost on the backside of her shoulder. It could have been anything. A rash, a sunburn, a blush. It was just a little peek of redness past the collar of her shirt. It was Keiko's reaction to exposing it that told Terra what was hidden. She looked into the rearview mirror to see Kuwabara and knew Keiko wouldn't want to discuss it with him around.

Yusuke was outside with Tomio in his arms when they pulled up to the Urameshi household. He was settling things with odds and ends up until the last minute for this absence. Keiko said she'd get the two of them if he'd watch Tomio while doing his errands.

"Just gotta wait for the fox boy then," Yusuke said, after giving Terra an awkward toddler filled hug.

"Nuh-uh, Yusuke," Keiko said, taking Tomio from her husband. "You clean my damn car first. Come on, Terra. Let me get you some tea."

"You heard the lady," Kuwabara laughed. "Come on. I'll help you out. Where's your hose?"

Terra followed Keiko inside. They set Tomio up in his highchair and set about making tea before Terra breached the subject. "So." She cleared her throat and tapped the point on her own neck that Terra caught sight of the mark on Keiko's. Keiko blushed.

"I asked him for it." Keiko squeezed her hands tight and then shook them out, exhaling deeply as she did so. Her voice was tense as she poured the tea. "If he's going to… if anything happens to him." Keiko touched the point at the back of her neck, and then her fingers trailed down and settled over her heart. "I can feel him," she whispered with a little flick of a smile. "It's comforting. And Puu lives in demon world now. He's too big to stay here unnoticed. I haven't had a way to know if he's okay since… well, since he died for the second time." Keiko rolled her shoulders back and held her head high, pouring them each a cup of tea. "If he dies again, I'll be the first to know."

"He's too stubborn to die," Terra said for lack of anything better.

Keiko laughed, a little wet, and nodded. "You're right." There was something else there, behind her eyes. A secret that made her worry so much worse than it should be. Kuwabara and Kurama didn't think the mission would be that dangerous, and Yusuke was more than likely to be punched out of the competition by someone who respected him too much to take his life should they get the chance. Terra almost asked, but Kurama arrived before she could and the moment passed, Keiko pouring another cup of tea with false cheer.

It was Terra's own turn to blush when they entered the living room. Kurama eyed the staff Terra had leaned against the wall and then gave her a smug look. A few weeks ago, they had gotten lunch together and the waiter had assumed they were a couple. This led to Terra teasing Kurama about the way he and Shizuru danced around each other. Which led to Kurama making a pointed statement about Terra being an expert on the subject. It could have just been a remark on her ballet background, but it wasn't. Terra felt her heart race and her cheeks burn, to which Kurama smirked.

"I was wondering when you would figure it out," he commented with a sly twinkle in his eye.

Terra had balked, embarrassed. She had only just come to terms with it herself. Meanwhile, Kurama and Kuwabara had been gossiping about it to each other for quite some time. "When did I start liking Hiei?" Terra asked in disbelief. How long had they been suspecting emotions she didn't know she was even capable of having?

"About the same time he started liking you," Kurama had supplied, a devious look to his face.

Terra still didn't believe that, despite what both of the boys had to say on the matter. There was no way that Hiei returned these feelings. Terra wasn't even sure what these feelings were yet. Terra respected him, maybe admired him. Hiei was definitely attractive. He challenged her in ways she wasn't used to, and she missed his quiet comfort that they somehow found themselves sharing on those rooftops. It was a crush. A simple crush on someone she spent so much time with in the past year. Terra was still learning how to move on from Jeremy. It couldn't be anything more.

And Hiei? Hiei had trained her. He had taken care of her fever and yelled at her when she didn't take care of herself. He had made her a weapon to make sure she could both utilize her energy and keep her distance from an opponent. But all that showed was that he had accepted her as his pupil, and maybe even his friend. Terra couldn't begin to wrap her head around the idea he might have any kind of affection for her beyond that. She wasn't some all-powerful demon king. She wasn't someone who could challenge Hiei the way that he challenged her. She wasn't anyone of note in his life. A mere selfish, stupid, insignificant human.

Terra couldn't fathom why she still carried a crush on him when those were the last words he had said to her.

"Are you prepared?" Kurama asked, sipping his tea. Terra wasn't sure if he was referencing their pending trip in whole or of seeing Hiei again.

"As I can be," she shrugged.

He had already lectured her a few times about her presence in the demon world. Terra was already a target for demons. Human. Psychic. Powerful. She wasn't sure how true the last one was, but she supposed being able to handle the aura of the makai was powerful enough to turn demon eyes on her. If they saw the bite on her arm, she could be in more danger. Some might want to find out who she "belonged" to so they could use her as a bargaining chip. It didn't matter that the mark was inactive; they would just assume the demon was hiding their energy.

Kurama reminded her that most demons weren't as agreeable as those she had been acquainted with so far. By all accounts, even Rizu was a good guy for the mere factor he hadn't tried to go after Terra just because she was of the same bloodline as the man he despised.

"I want you to remember," Kurama said as Kuwabara summoned his dimension cutting sword, "keep your energy-"

"Brimming beneath the surface. Yes, I know." She was already doing so. It would be her defense against any demon who tried to touch her. Their ill intent would cause her energy to spike out and give them a shock of a lifetime.

Kurama nodded. "It's a great tool. We will all feel better knowing you are using it."

Yusuke and Kuwabara threw in their agreement, but Terra couldn't help but think Kurama was also including someone else.

"See you when the tournament's over," Kuwabara said.

"Of course," Terra said, a silent promise between them that she would be okay. Then she took a deep breath and they walked through the hole in the universe leading from one world to the next.

Stepping through Kuwabara's portal was an experience, and Terra had no way to describe the feeling. It was claustrophobia and agoraphobia gripping her heart at the same time. The moment was over before she could process it. Terra swallowed back the fresh memory and stored it in a place she could forget it.

Demon world, however, was not something she could ignore.

They had a ways to travel before reaching the tournament location, but the atmosphere was already hard for her to manage. While Terra had once strained to sense demons, the moment she stepped in demon world, a wash of energies overtook her. Terra took a shaky breath to steady herself for their journey.

The air was acrid and somehow stale despite being outdoors. She remembered being told that the makai was formed in levels, like a vast basement that only grew more dangerous the further down you went. The sky was a hazy orange, and Terra wondered where the source of light came from. If demon world was, in a sense, an overlapping world to Earth, where they existed in the same space, just on a different frequency for a better term, did the makai have its own solar system? Its own galaxy and universe to explore? Or was it more like a secret hidden core to the Earth, one that could only be accessed with what was more or less magic?

Terra looked up and saw only the hazy orange sky. It was like facing the sun with your eyes closed. She wondered what level they were on. How deep into the makai had they traveled? How much hazier would the world become should they travel deeper.

As they neared the grounds of the tournament, Terra stumbled. She put a hand to her head, caught by the elbow in her fall by Kurama. "Whoa, Terra, you okay?" Yusuke asked. He sounded concerned, which wasn't a good sign. "Dizzy," she muttered before gasping for more air.

Kurama put his hands on either side of her face, thumbs running against her temple in a slow rhythm. Energies like brimstone and horses and ocean salt and the hot pavement against her feet and an acidic sting in the nostrils and sandpaper against her palms and so many more she couldn't put to words, so many couldn't even begin to try to find words for, all hit her like a relentless wave. The jeers and commotion of the nearby crowd drowned out by their auras fighting for her attention. It was intoxicating and nauseating all at once. Terra nearly fainted.

"Just focus on my energy," Kurama said. "Just one. Ignore the rest. There are no threats as long as I'm by your side." His calm voice pierced through the barrage of phantom sensations, and Terra did her best to ground herself to what was in front of her. The warmth of Kurama's hands against her cheeks, the scent of roses over the otherwise putrid air, the weight of her duffel against her back, the length of the naginata digging across her spine and shoulder.

Her focus shifted from Kurama suddenly, like whiplash tearing from the roses to a calming room temperature that stood out against the autumn chill. Terra's eyes snapped open and looked past Kurama's shoulder. She didn't see him among the throng of demons waiting to enter the stadium, but Terra was certain of what she felt. Hiei was here.

"I'm fine," she told them, stepping out of Kurama's careful hold. "There are just a lot of really powerful demons here, and it just sort of hit me at once. I wasn't prepared to feel all… that." The weight of the masses thinned as Terra concentrated back onto Kurama's energy. "I'm good," she reassured them. "I'll be good."

Kurama frowned but didn't protest. She was here, and they wouldn't be able to bring her back just yet. He would have to take her word for it.

"Well," Yusuke cut in, "I gotta dash. Registration and all." He tossed his thumb behind his shoulder to one of the long lines of demons. "Go check into our rooms before they decide we're no shows."

It was probably for her benefit that Yusuke asked them to head there now. She must still look like she was about to faint or something. But they were carrying a lot of bags and it would be nice to get off her feet, so she kept quiet about the matter.

"I'm surprised you're not competing," Terra admitted as they pushed through the crowds to whatever destination Kurama had. "I hope it's not because you feel the need to babysit me."

Kurama shook his head, strands of red hair moving gracefully around his face. The former fox's movements were always too elegant. "No. I enjoy playing the role of strategist over combatant, and while I still enjoy fighting, I have long since chosen to live my life as a human. I didn't enter the last tournament either."

Terra looked her companion over and got the sense Kurama was hiding something. He was probably going to help with Yusuke's mission, which was something they shouldn't speak about while among all the demons.

The place they were staying at surprised her. Terra wasn't sure what she had been expecting. There was something wild about the makai that made Terra assume they would be staying in huts or tents or buildings that hadn't evolved past the 1700s. No main roads were lead to the area, but the hotels could have been pulled straight from any major city Terra had visited. There were differences in the materials used in construction. The stones and wood seemed unfamiliar to her, and the style of architecture wasn't from anything Terra recognized. She'd be curious to learn about what different design periods may have happened in the makai mixed and separate from the human world. History wasn't really Terra's thing, but it was so different than anything she encountered before she was intrigued.

All in all, though, she was mostly just happy they had flushing toilets and showers. The suite they were staying at had multiple bedrooms. It made sense for them to keep together when she was so foreign to the territory.

Terra went to the window of the living room and looked out over the sea of demons who were growing in size for the preliminaries happening that afternoon. The energies were still there, and the weight was still heavy, but it wasn't as overwhelming as it was before. She tried to sort them, separate the sensations, but there were just too many.

"Not feeling dizzy again, I hope," Kurama asked.

Terra shook her head and turned back to Kurama. His smile was uncomfortably similar to his doctor look, apologetic and hiding something. She raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips. "What is it?"

Kurama sighed. "It appears Hiei has noticed your presence, and he's not very happy with me for letting you come here."

Terra rolled her eyes, a flutter of mixed feelings churning in her stomach. She didn't know if Hiei didn't want to see her or didn't want to see her in potential danger. Terra looked back outside to the crowd and wondered where among it Hiei stood.

"Where will we get to watch the prelims?" Terra asked.

"Due to the large scale of the fights, everything is done by monitor, several stages set up across the are all displaying matches at once. The arena seating has all of the matches up on large screens so we can view them all as they happen."

It seemed pointless for any of this to be viewable in stadium-seating if none of it could actually be viewed in person. Kurama explained that just being that near to some of the demon's energies could harm spectators, but the demons still enjoyed the thrill of being close to the fighting.

They waited in their room, settling in as Kurama filled her in with even more information as to how the tournament was run until it was time for the preliminary rounds to be slotted. Contestants would have forty minutes to arrive at their arena number or forfeit. Kurama asked perhaps one too many times if Terra wouldn't be more comfortable viewing the fights from their room, a TV provided where they could switch between matches.

"I didn't come here to sit in a hotel room," she snapped at him. She had her staff, she had her poisonous energy, and she had Kurama at her side. No one was going to attack her. "Yes, seeing me with you may give some people ideas about taking me or whatever, but I knew that before I came."

They had talked this over in length, multiple times, since the first time Terra expressed her interest in coming to the tournament. He'd asked her a few more times why she was so interested in attending. It wasn't until after her little revelation that she, in fact, maybe possibly had more than platonic feelings for a particular three-eyed asshole that Terra had to admit she, well, wanted to see him again.

In the stands, it was clear Kurama was posturing a bit to keep the crowd on their toes around them. Any demon who looked at her the wrong way got a stern eye that kept them in line. Demons around them weren't hiding their conversations, and many made discouraging remarks about how Kurama was too soft for the humans. "Maybe I should let one of them touch me," Terra said out of the side of her mouth. "Teach them not to estimate the human."

"You think they would have learned their lesson with Yusuke. Although they all do tend to ignore Kuwabara," Kurama laughed softly, amused at her antics.

As the screens began to light up, massive monitors measuring what Terra estimated to be two billboards stacked on top of each other, the excitement of the crowd started to rise. Terra gripped at Kurama's arm on reflex, suddenly overwhelmed by the influx of pseudo-sensations. It was only the prelims, but the crowd was ready to watch their blood sport. She was now very thankful the actual stages were farther away. There was no telling how strong an aura the competitors would have when they were actually fighting.

"Are you alright?" Kurama asked.

Terra nodded. She wasn't going to let this control her. She focused first on Kurama's energy, no matter how cloying the scent of roses was.

There were a lot of screens and Terra kept her eyes on the one most in front of them, but she wasn't really registering who were entering the arena. Terra didn't think she recognized any of them, and neither she nor Kurama had kept tabs on where their friends might have ended up.

"There's the sod now," a voice behind them said, muttering to his friends about one of the competitors. "Lazy tyrant. King Saizou won't do anything about the beast because he won the challenge fair and square." It was clear from how he said the name, this demon wasn't a fan of the current King whose title was up at this tournament, but whoever they spotted in the arena they disliked more.

A new voice cut in with a snort. "Fair and square my ass. Goro thinks he's going to be next King because he won that fight. Maybe it was time for her to step down, but only 'cause we all know her strength had been declining for years now. Goro wouldn't have stood a chance at her prime. He's going to get torn to pieces here."

Terra frowned at the commentary, something about it scratching the back of her mind. She looked up at Kurama, intending to ask, but stopped herself when she realized she didn't know what she would have said. His eyes were glued to a far screen, a similar heavy expression on his face. She followed his gaze, and her breath hitched. The hand she'd forgotten still on Kurama's arm tightened.

"If we're lucky, we'll get to see Lord Hiei do it."

His name surprised her, being spoken so formally by a stranger.

"He was never the lord, mate."

She resisted turning around and asking questions, if only because the pull of her eyes to the screen was too strong. There Hiei was, larger than life and slightly tilted as he appeared on a screen facing more towards a different section of the audience. His red eyes were murderous, and Terra was sure the shiver down her spine was his ice, even as far away as he was. Whoever entered that arena with him was surely going to die.

Kurama placed a hand on top of her own.

"The fortress hasn't moved since Mukuro was offed," the demon behind them said in rebuttal to his friend. "It will once her rightful successor is back. Of that I'm certain."

The announcer began to talk, and it was like a cosmic joke that Hiei's name boomed across the speaker system.

The announcer, a girl who introduced herself as Koto whom Terra had yet to spot, kept listing off other top contestants and where to watch out for them. She heard Chuu's name, and Jin's, and a few others she recognized. Yusuke was declared a victor by default, as no one else showed up to his match. Terra hardly noticed, however.

The demons in the arena with Hiei had cruel eyes. The match had yet to start, but they all were poised to strike a singular opponent in the battle royale. Without knowing all of the history, Terra could understand why they would gang up on him. Demons would think he had gone soft since he hadn't challenged this Goro for his rightful title. Chuu has made similar assumptions. Those fighting Hiei didn't hold him to any high esteem. They thought him a coward or a weakling or a traitor.

"It is alright if you wish to look away," Kurama said softly, barely audible over the crowd and the countdown to the start of the match. "There will be death."

Terra knew that Hiei had killed in his past. She knew that demons didn't always treat that as criminal behavior. In contrary, a body count would only be considered a sign of strength for many in this realm. He killed mostly out of necessity in a world where one always fought for their life. Terra knew that. Hiei had described some of his kills in detail back when he was training her on how to create a mental barrier. She knew it, but she didn't fully understand what that meant.

She did not head Kurama's suggestion to look away. As the demons behind her cheered with outright enthusiasm, as if they were watching their football team win the World Cup, Terra stood in silence and witnessed a massacre.

From the moment the countdown ended, and the match began, it took only three heartbeats before Hiei was standing in a pool of blood. None of his opponents were left standing.