A/N: Ahhh! I got some reviews! I was so happy to see them, thank you Cassidy! I wanted to address a point that was made about Yusuke's behavior – the fact he's been so rude to Kasumi. First of all, Yusuke has a reason to be wary of her, not just because she's a police officer. What he really does for a living is demon hunting, that isn't exactly something you would just come out and say to a cop, they'd lock you up in a crazy house. Secondly, Yusuke in the manga wasn't exactly the most law abiding citizen, he stole a lot of things and made a lot of trouble for people so you have to figure he probably had plenty of run ins with the police that didn't go so well. And lastly, Yusuke continues to be rude to her in more of a joking manner at this point, just to rile Kasumi up. I love Yusuke to death, if I had to choose between which character was my favorite, I would be hard pressed to decide between him and Hiei.

To ObsidianPhantom: I think your review is the BEST review I have ever received, so here's a shout out cause it put a huge smile on my face when I read it! Thank you!

Anyway, I hope the last chapter was alright, we are finally getting into plotty things. I've got all these plans for this story, I wish I could just sit around and write all day, but with Christmas coming up I'm going to be very busy, so sorry if there are any delays to updates and happy reading!

Disclaimer: Do not own it, will never own it, and I am not making any money by writing this (unfortunately).

Warnings: Violence, blood/gore, foul language, sexual /adult themes, Hiei in more awkward human outfits, and etc.

. . .

After my little outburst (okay, more like rampage) I had somehow made it into one of the armchairs and now I was sitting with my face buried in my hands completely lost. I never bothered to look up and I don't know how long I sat there before the whispering started. I heard Yusuke ask if I was crying in which Kazuma replied, "No, Kasumi doesn't cry." How right he was. I haven't cried since the night my parents died and I wasn't about to start now.

I heard more than saw someone throw the broken pieces of the chair I had ruined into the fire place, shortly after the warmth of the flames engulfed me but gave me no comfort. I listened to what was going on around me if only to avoid the thoughts barreling around inside my head threatening to drive me insane. Yusuke proceeded to question Kazuma about my lack of crying, like it was any of his business, and I heard my friend tell the black haired boy a story about a competition I had fought in two years ago.

I remembered that one well myself, both Keiko and Kazuma had shown up to support me and while I had won the match it hadn't been an easy victory. My opponent had snapped my arm practically in two after I had failed to dodge a rather well aimed kick. I tried to block but I probably would have been better off just taking the blow to the chest.

In order to continue to compete I had valiantly pretended nothing was wrong and fought that match, as well as the one that came after, with my arm shattered. I took home a trophy that year but my pride would someday spell my downfall. My arm had luckily healed properly but that didn't mean the next time it happened it would.

I can still remember Kazuma's face, when I had finished the last bout of the day, gathered my gear and went to join them in the stands. He was practically beaming, a smile a mile wide on his face that ended up short lived when he had given me a congratulatory slap to the back which jarred my broken arm. A pained cry had given me away and both he and Keiko had rushed me to the hospital to have it mended, berating me for my stupidity the entire trip. The point of this little story though, is that I hadn't cried, and to this day Kazuma found that too amazing to believe. I explained to him while having my arm reset that I do not cry – that I had vowed I never would again. On the night my parents died I made a promise to myself: a promise that I would be strong for Hitomi. I was her rock and she was my light. That was just how it worked.

I had made sure to keep that promise, because I took it very seriously, even as a child. Other children in my classes at school had made up a game, 'How to get Kasumi to Cry' and every day there after I was bullied incessantly. I suppose it was one of the reasons everyone thought I was so weird, but I could not bring myself to care. Being picked on, or treated poorly, had never bothered me – it was just something I brushed off or dealt with in one way or another. If I couldn't brush it off I retaliated with anger instead of tears. My classmates grew to fear me and instead of being bullied people started to avoid me. Even the teachers had been wary of me, like I was a bomb about to go off at any second. They would whisper about me and then compare me to Hitomi – they're twins, how can they be so different?

I don't think people realize that even though we look almost exactly the same, that doesn't mean we are the same. Everyone just assumes identical twins like the same things, that we act the same, wear the same clothes: it's annoying. We are two different people – how hard is that to understand?

I brought my mind back to the present because someone's feet were swimming in my vision between my legs now and their closeness was making me uncomfortable. I couldn't tell whose they were, as the white socks weren't very telling, so I lifted my head to glare at whoever it was. To my utter astonishment it happened to be Shuichi and when he noticed he had my attention, he squatted down in front of me, bent at the knees so we were at eye level. Behind him, leaning against the mantle of the fire place was Hiei. His arms were crossed, a distant look in his eyes as he stared into the flames I assumed he had created.

I ignored Shuichi because something had just clicked in my brain – something that I should have known already, but hadn't for some reason. Hiei wasn't human. I don't know how I knew, but as I watched him and let my eyes roam over his form lit up by the roaring flames of the fire it was undeniable. His crimson eyes, trained on me now because he had sensed my staring, were a dead giveaway.

"Take off your hat Hiei-san…" I said.

Those same eyes narrowed into a scathing glare, but I wouldn't be fazed. Shuichi looked as if he might panic at any second, his eyes imploring me to shut up, but I wasn't one to listen when I had my mind set.

"Why should I grant that request?" Hiei said coldly.

"It wasn't a request," I snapped.

To my amazement (as well as the rest of the apartment's occupants) Hiei reached up and removed the ball cap, throwing it disdainfully into the flames behind him and I watched as they ate the cotton and polyester hungrily. It was nothing but ash within a matter of a few seconds so I dared to look away and take in what that one gesture had uncovered.

Before me stood a gorgeous man, with hair so inhuman not a single person on this earth could mistake him as anything but what he was – a demon, in all its glory. Spikey black locks, with sapphire shining brightly within them and bits of white spread around his fringe reached high towards my ceiling and his eyes, such a deep crimson, flickering from the bright orange fire created an image that made it hard for me to breathe. I could see a strange slit in his forehead, so thin it was barely noticeable, but I was observant, as was he because he noticed where I was looking rather quickly. Hiei reached into a pocket of his jeans, pulled out a long strip of white cloth and proceeded to tie it around his forehead, hiding the slit from view.

The color purple flashed through my mind briefly again and I wondered at the connection. I had a hard time taking my eyes off the man at this point and we stood in a stalemate, just staring at each other. I in wonder and some form of shock, Hiei with a look that was unmistakably disgust and then finally I managed to breathe out, "What kind are you?"

A chorus of gasps and excited mumbling rose up around the room, Hiei and I being the only ones who were not surprised by what I had asked. Though his face and eyes remained cold and distant, he answered me, "I am what they call a hiyoukai."

"A fire demon?" I repeat, too stunned to really understand what I just been told.

What he did next was probably meant more to scare me than anything – what he couldn't have guessed was that it excited me. I was more than intrigued at this point, more than curious to know about these people and their culture. I could finally see what my Grandfather had always wished I could and its added link to Hitomi was more than I could ever hope for.

Was I afraid? Yes. Was I in shock? Most definitely. Did it matter? Not in the slightest. Especially as I watched in amazement, like a child attending a magic show, as Hiei created a ball of fire in his palm. It blazed even more brightly than the flames licking at the little logs in my fire place and I reached out a hand to touch it in curiosity. He snatched his palm back, clamping his fingers over the flame to extinguish it and when he opened them again I was stunned to see it hadn't burnt him. His palm was exactly the same as before, pink and calloused.

I released a shaky breath – I think I am finally ready for the barrage of explanations, the stories, and tall tales I was about to hear. I also have decided (now that I knew exactly what he was) that I sort of respected Hiei, if not full on liked him. That aura coming off him was still ominous, still cold and full of contempt if not hatred, but he had given me more of an explanation than anyone else had to date. He had shown a piece of himself to me, a private piece that not many people in this world probably knew of. I could respect that, I would respect that.

A disturbing thought came to me then – if Hiei wasn't human, did that mean they all weren't?

Could I trust my friends? Or has our entire friendship been a lie? I felt my heart start to race again, anxiety encompassing me in an oppressive blanket and suddenly I was no longer ready to know about any of this. I headed for the door – my usual MO when I was upset. I grabbed my leather jacket on the way, pulling it on in one swoop and before I walked out I picked up my pistol, made sure the magazine was full, and then shoved it into the waist band of my jeans.

I planned to go after the accomplice – the red demon that had run away like a coward. What I didn't plan on was Hiei appearing in front of me and blocking the doorway like he had just stepped out of thin air. The only reason I knew he had moved at all (besides the fact he was now in front of me instead of behind) was because of the breeze that blew my hair wildly around my face. Of course, the logical explanation would have been an open window, but a quick assessment told me not a single one was.

I knew my eyes were as wide as saucers, I could feel it, and I couldn't help but mouth, "So fast…" with admiration ringing clearly in my voice. I couldn't believe it – he was so fast you couldn't even see him move. It was truly one of the most amazing things I'd ever had the opportunity to witness and it took me a while to realize he wasn't about to let me leave.

I scowled, my pleasure at having seen something so awesome long gone now that I knew I would have to argue my way out of my own apartment. "Get out of my way."

He didn't say I word, he just planted his feet and folded his arms over his chest again, his face carefully blank. An air of boredom surrounded him and this, more than him blocking my path, irritated me so much that I stomped my way over to him until I was only a hairs breath away from touching his chest. He was only an inch taller than me, which wasn't much of a difference and his sinister aura didn't faze me in the slightest.

I probably should be scared, if not completely terrified, but my reckless nature had reared its ugly head. I didn't really know what it meant to be a demon – they obviously had powers of their own and all the tales my Grandfather had spoken of imagined them as insanely strong. Insanely strong in a human perspective anyway – for all I knew Hiei was some lower level scumbag that liked to play with fire.

Then again…he might not be. It would be a rookie mistake, not to mention possibly a deadly one, to assume Hiei was some weakling. That didn't mean I was afraid of him anymore though. The unknown is what I feared the most – I knew what he was now and that had given me some relief and a lot of misplaced courage.

I puffed out my chest and gave him a look that I hoped was menacing, but his face remained unchanged. He was clearly unimpressed.

I switched to verbal abuse instead, "Listen asshole, I won't say it again – get out of my way…"

I went to grab his arm, perhaps to bodily move him, but it was one of the worst mistakes I have ever made – worse than hitting Yusuke in the family jewels and worse than fighting with a broken arm.

Hiei used that same speed against me, ripping my hand away from his body before I'd even had the chance to so much as poke him and had me turned around and pinned to the wall quicker than my eyes could follow. He had one hand wrapped around my throat, the other was squeezing my wrist hard enough to cause instant bruising and the back of my already abused head had smashed into the wall on impact. I was seeing stars, my vision had gone fuzzy around the edges, and as I struggled against his hold a memory began to surface.

It was foggy at first; hard to tell what I was actually remembering, but this same scenario had occurred before…though it was difficult to remember when. There was one glaringly obvious difference though – the attacker. I could recall a hulking, massive man pinning me against a brick wall in the middle of the night…after a moment, when it became a little clearer, I realized it wasn't a man that had been attacking me but a demon…a big ugly one.

During this little distraction, Hiei's hold had tightened; I could feel his fingers digging into the flesh of my neck and I ceased my struggling. He looked a little surprised, my actions unclear to him, because in his little world he probably assumed most people would try to escape him. His eyes were locked with mine and I did everything I could to convey to him that I wasn't afraid, that I was stubborn and strong, that anything he did to me I would do ten times worse to him. I watched crimson narrow curiously; saw him lean in just a little further as if he wanted to memorize every aspect of my face, but his eyes never left mine. Something unspoken remained between us and I felt his hold loosen, his hand just resting now instead of squeezing.

I noticed he was abnormally warm – I had always liked being warm. Summer was my favorite season, the hotter the days the better. Standing practically pressed against Hiei, was like standing in a sauna without the steam. I guess I might have been enjoying it, though it was hard to admit, and I attributed this to why I hadn't felt my skin burning beforehand.

Everywhere that Hiei touched was on fire, quite literally, as he left bright red burns not much different from the palm shaped one I already had on my arm. If my neck wasn't currently smoldering I probably would have screamed – it was more painful than having my arm broken and even though it lasted such a short amount of time, because Hiei had hastily snatched his hands back, the damage had been done.

I would take a broken nose from Yusuke any day over the pain Hiei had just put me through. His hands had truly been white hot, like someone had place coals against my skin and I knew I must at least have second degree burns on me now, like the handprint I already had wasn't enough.

I slid down the wall, sinking to the floor. I reached up a shaky hand to assess the damage but one touch had me hissing in pain. This was the second time in a week I had been injured fairly seriously. No…make that the third time…as I remembered the scrapes down my legs. Not to mention, what was up with these men trying to strangle me anyway? Couldn't they at least go for some other part of my body? Did my neck just scream, 'Squeeze me!' to these people?

Hiei was still standing in front of me and he looked just as stupefied by the turn of events as I did. I recovered a little quicker than he did though.

I lashed out with my right leg, hoping to sweep him quite literally off his feet, but he blurred and disappeared before I even came close. He reappeared several feet away with a look so smug on his face that I could have killed him for it.

All of this had happened in a very short span of time, even though it had felt much longer for me, because it took the rest of the room a few minutes to realize what had happened. Then chaos ensued once more.

Kazuma was at my side in an instant, helping me up off the floor and I allowed him to, grateful for the support because I didn't know if my legs could hold my weight at the moment. I had my hands wrapped around his forearms as he lifted me and he didn't let me go once I was finally on my feet. I looked up to see what the issue was but Kazuma's face had turned absolutely terrifying. I don't think I have ever seen him so angry – not with me, not with anyone.

It changed his normally kind features into something dark and disturbing and I was glad the glare wasn't directed at me, but Hiei. In fact, most everyone was glaring at the short man now. If I wasn't so angry I might have felt sorry for him.

Another set of hands landed on my back, long tapered fingers rubbing soothing circles into my skin and it caused me to shiver violently and shirk away from the touch. The hands followed and I heard Shuichi ask Kazuma to let me go so he could tend to the burns. My friend listened, letting Shuichi take me away so he could direct me to a seat on the couch. Kazuma stomped off to confront Hiei, joining Yusuke who had already walked over to accost the man as well.

I wanted to watch the outcome, but Keiko and Shuichi were too busy asking stupid questions like "Are you alright?" and "How badly does it hurt?" so I was forced to pay attention to them. Of course, it became infinitely more interesting than the ensuing fight that was about to occur in my living room when I watched Shuichi pull several seeds out of his hair and grow them into fully mature plants in the palm of his hand.

"You too?!" I croaked out, my voice hoarse and very unlike how I usually sound.

He smiled kindly, "Yes and I am sorry you have to find out this way, but these herbs will make a salve that will soothe the burns on your skin."

"Will it heal them though Shuichi?" Keiko asked.

"Yes, given some time, it should make the burns fade completely. I will make the salve and soak some bandages with it. It would be best if it was left on for an extended period, so there won't be any scaring."

He walked away to the kitchen, sparing the three men locked in a heated argument full of heavy whispers only the barest of glances, and giving me the opportunity to turn in my seat so I could watch them. Kazuma was the loudest, his whispering not really quiet at all, but Yusuke and Hiei's words I could barely make out. I heard a lot of, "What the fuck was that?" and "Way to be an asshole Hiei," from Yusuke but Kazuma was seriously pissed off. He was in the process of calling Hiei just about every horrible name in the book, but the little demon was too busy trying to explain to Yusuke what exactly had happened.

…I'd like to know that myself. Also, note to self – do not try to touch Hiei without his permission ever again.

"Kasumi-chan?" I was hard pressed to take my attention away from the three men standing by our door, but Keiko had sounded upset, maybe a little pained even, so I reluctantly turned back around in my seat.

"Yeah?" I croaked.

She fidgeted next to me for a moment, and then began to speak. "Kas…" she rarely called me that unless she was truly upset, "I'm so sorry…about all of this. We didn't want to drag you into it, we really, truly didn't."

"You didn't though Keiko-chan, it just kind of happened."

She looked down at her feet, her hands resting dejectedly in her lap. "You don't know that…what if it is our fault?"

"It isn't," I said firmly, because I truly believed that. I wish they had told me sooner, before I had been attacked by those creatures and I was still thoroughly confused, but I didn't blame a single person here for what had happened.

When Keiko began to cry, her sobs tiny and quiet, all I could do was wrap my uninjured arm around her and try to ignore the pain I was in so I wouldn't make her guilt worse. The heated whispers behind us ceased and a few seconds later all three boys came over to join us. Yusuke shot me a look that clearly said, "What the hell is up with her?" but I just shook my head and leaned into my friend just that much more. It was obvious that it was Yusuke's fault she was involved with this sort of stuff – demons and monsters. I could put two and two together easily enough and come up with the reason why my friends had hidden him from me and me from him.

His life was dangerous…for whatever reason he had somehow gotten roped into this strange underworld of what I had always thought were mythical creatures. But now here I was, sitting in my apartment where two very real demons happened to also be and that realization was enough to make my stomach churn. I was shaking, I could feel it and I was sure if Keiko was not also trembling thanks to her sobs she would have felt it too.

Even though I was attempting to comfort my friend, I think I took more from holding her than she did. My shock was wearing off…and now I was scared out of my mind. What did this mean for me? What did any of this have to do with Hitomi? How is something like this even real? It was impossible, all of it. If my Grandfather hadn't been such an adamant believer in the supernatural I might have gone and checked myself into a loony bin. It was his stories, no…his experiences, which made my mind up. My Grandfather wasn't crazy…and neither was I.

I steeled myself, a resolve so strong washing over me that I believed I could handle anything at this point. I didn't care about the burns marring my body, the bruises, the fresh scars I would soon have because I had remembered what that blue skinned man had said – this was about Hitomi. If I had to associate with demons to gain any insight into her case than I would do what was necessary. If the frail, feminine Keiko could handle being around these people, than so could I.

Of course…that still didn't save my friends from the verbal lashing they would soon receive, oh no.

Shuichi had hustled back into the room, a bowl and bandages in hand (did he just magically pull them out of thin air or what? Could demons do stuff like that too?) and before he settled down next to me he shot Hiei a dark look. The spikey haired demon had gone to sit on the window sill, staring out into the dark and valiantly ignoring us.

As Shuichi set to work soaking the bandages in a green and foul smelling concoction, I did what everyone else in the room probably wished they could – picked a fight with Hiei.

"Oi, asshole, you going to tell me why you just freaked out on me?" At first I don't think he realized I was addressing him, either that or he was determined to ignore me. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and tried again.

"I'm talking to you fire demon."

He never turned around, but I saw the reflection of his eyes move so they were directed at me. "It was a mistake."

He left it at that, no explanation and I had a feeling I wasn't going to get one out of him no matter how hard I tried, so I turned to my next best bet – Yusuke.

"What's he talking about?" I ask, with a nod in Hiei's general direction.

Shuichi had started to place the bandages around my wrist, the salve stung and I was forced to bite back a hiss but after a little while it began to cool and soothe. I sighed with relief and tried to give my undivided attention to Yusuke as he began to explain where Hiei hadn't bothered.

You could tell he was still angry, as he sat with his arms crossed over his chest and his chocolate brown eyes had darkened considerably, "He told us that it was an accident…which is hard to believe."

Kazuma snorted off to Yusuke's opposite side, they had both occupied the armchairs so each was sitting off to the side of the couch. "An accident, yeah right."

Kazuma was stewing in a suppressed rage, just about anything could set him off at this point and I think even Hiei knew that, because he kept his mouth shut even as my friend berated him. "That pipsqueak has never lost control of his powers in all the years I have known him except for that one time at the Dark Tournament, why the hell would it happen now? He did it on purpose!"

"Kazuma…" Shuichi was left holding a sopping bandage, as he eyed his friend in barely veiled surprise.

I was more interested in this 'Dark Tournament' thing than Hiei supposedly having full control over all his powers.

"What's a 'Dark Tournament'?" I asked.

Everyone went silent, Yusuke coughed, and then Kazuma came up with an excuse, "It's not really something we like to talk about…"

"Then why did you even bring it up?"

"To make a point!"

"Well, I want to know what it is!" I batted Shuichi's hand away as he tried to wrap the bandage around my neck, probably with the intent to shut me up.

"You don't need to know everything about my life, Kasumi!" Kazuma yelled.

Now that did shut me up. I was instantly hurt, so hurt in fact that I forwent any further treatment of my burns so I could stand, stomp over to Kazuma and punch him so hard in the face that the armchair, along with his body, flew over backwards.

I stood over him, my anger so palpable that no one dared to try and stop me. "How dare you, I thought you were my goddamn friend for the past three years and in one week I've found out you've done nothing but lie to me!"

He tried to sit up, his face which was once contorted in anger was now full of sadness as my voice shook and my hands clenched into fists. I wouldn't cry…but I wished I could right now. I kicked him back over, because nothing he could say would make me feel any better now.

"I've told you everything about myself Kazuma! I trusted you! I should have known better!"

The anger was clearly back as he finally managed to pull himself up from the fallen arm chair, "Oh, you've told me everything huh? What about that goddamn scar on your back!?"

I faltered, fear lancing me just as quick as the rage had. I couldn't open my mouth to answer, not even when he turned triumphant, a look so smug he could have given Hiei a run for his money.

I don't talk about the scar, hell; I even avoid thinking about it if I can. It is the one and only thing I have never shared with my two friends…but I believe tonight I should break that. I wanted to make a point but also let Kazuma know that I am trustworthy enough for him to be able to tell me everything there is to know about this demon business. I no longer wanted to be left in the dark. I wanted to be included. It just wasn't fair they had hidden it from me so long…it might have taken me a while to truly believe them if they had told me, but I would have come around eventually.

"You want to know so badly?" I know I caught him by surprise, because his eyes had widened, "Take a seat. It's going to be a long story."

I sat back on the couch, Kazuma righted the chair, and then I began.

When Hitomi and I had first moved out of our grandparents I had met a man…he was several years older than me, handsome, and at the time I had thought he was a kind hearted soul. When I wasn't working or training, I was with him. Hitomi had sensed there was something wrong with the guy from the get go, she had warned me to stay away from him, but I refused. This was the one and only experience it took for me to never trust a person fully again and it had taught me to listen to my instincts better.

We dated for several months – he was a martial artist, though he participated only in Judo, and we had a lot in common. I began to leave Hitomi alone so I could spend nights with him at his apartment in the heart of the city. I partied a lot with him, met a lot of interesting people, and spent more time drunk than sober. He had been my first real relationship and I gave up everything to be with him. I ignored Hitomi; I ignored my duties as a Granddaughter and the heir of a dojo so I could be with this man.

Then one night he took me somewhere new, he told me it was club that had just opened but when we got there the place was desolate, just a dark, empty old warehouse. I knew something was wrong, that I had made a horrible mistake in following him, but I let him lead my inside anyway. He knocked me out…from there I don't remember what happened, but I woke up in that same warehouse tied to the ceiling and floor by my hands and feet.

Two new men had shown up, both of them dressed in black and laughing at me as I struggled to free myself. Than my boyfriend came back…in his hands was a knife and at first I thought he meant to free me, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

I watched in horror as the two new men disrobed, standing before me in their disgusting nudity and I struggled worse thinking I was about to be raped and there was an even better chance I was also going to be murdered. They laughed and laughed and laughed, that is what I remember the most – that laughter.

They never touched me…but my boyfriend (his name was Hideki, but that isn't too important to the story) on the other hand did...

He proceeded to explain why I was there, why he had picked me specifically. The two men who had joined him got off on torture and had paid a good amount of money to be able to witness it. Hideki had been looking for a girl strong enough to put up with an extreme amount of pain…he hadn't planned on dating me but it had been fun while it lasted, right? He was just happy to have gotten a piece of me before he ruined my body. And finally, he had chosen me because I was young, lived on my own, and had no parents to worry about me.

He told me all this while deliberately sharpening his knife…what he didn't know was that I wasn't stupid enough to let him kill me. I had loosened one of the ropes around my wrist while none of them were paying attention, slowly pulling it at with my fingers until if I tugged just enough my arm should fall free. I began to work on the other one as he circled me, coming to a stop behind me where he took the knife and sliced my shirt in half. I was left bare to the world as he cut the sleeves so it would float to the floor below me. My pants might have been next if I didn't take that opportunity to tug my arm free and make short work of the second rope.

He scrambled, grabbing me around the waist to try and keep my in place but I elbowed him hard in the forehead, knocked him off balance and then untied the last knot on my other arm. I tumbled to the ground, landing hard on my face and the two naked men came forth so they could pin me down. If my legs weren't still tied I might have gained the upper hand in time…but I was not so lucky.

Hideki rallied, his voice turned cold and full of hatred as he berated me cruelly and mocked me for trying to escape. A boot smashed into the small of my back, knocked the wind out of me and then pressed down harder to keep me in place. He ran the cold steel of the blade down my spine, making goose bumps rise up all over my skin – I knew what was going to happen next. I bit my lip, buried my face into the concrete, and waited it out.

It didn't take long. The knife was so sharp it cut through me like butter and blood began to run down my sides almost instantly, pooling onto the floor and wetting my front as it ran underneath me. It was a searing, blinding kind of pain, to have a knife driven into the supple flesh of your back. It hurt so badly that it became near impossible for me to keep my screams at bay. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction, but as his dirty boot smashed into my wound, I couldn't help it.

It came out as blood curdling as any woman's inside a horror movie and then all I could see was red. I became so angry that I can't even remember what I did to the two naked morons that had them running from the building with blood dripping down their faces and tears in their eyes. Then I turned to Hideki, adrenaline making me forget the blood pouring from inside me, taking my life with it and the pain I was in. He had backed away, something in my face making him horrified of me, until he was pressed against one of the concrete walls.

It was an easy task, taking the knife from his hands…using it against him just as he did me.

Everyone in my apartment now sat with bated breath, even Hiei had turned around on his perch to hear the story, and I faltered once again…I couldn't tell them the rest. What would they think of me if I did?

"So…what happened? Don't tell me you let the guy go!" Yusuke remarked.

"I..." I stopped again, so lost in the past and the feelings it had evoked in me I didn't think it would be possible for me to continue at all.

A large hand landed on my shoulder, Kazuma was standing next to the couch now trying to comfort me, Shuichi had finished treating my burns some time ago, and Keiko had a hand clapped over her mouth and even more tears in her eyes than she had before.

The only people in the room who didn't look sorry for me were Hiei and Yusuke…I don't know if I ever told them how grateful I was for that…but it was more than they would ever know. I wasn't telling the story for pity. I wasn't telling it for fun. The next part would probably make them hate me…but with Kazuma's strong hand pressed into my shoulder I felt brave enough to finish.

"…I killed him. I took the knife from him…and I stabbed him in the heart with it."

I heard Keiko draw in a sharp intake of breath; Shuichi hung his head, his eyes clouded over. Hiei looked impressed, if not downright proud (he's so strange…), Yusuke looked satisfied, believing Hideki had deserved it…and Kazuma, well, nothing changed. He only squeezed my shoulder a little harder.

Swallowing, Shuichi looked up so he could ask, "And how did you manage to become a police officer…with a murder on your record?"

"It's not on my record…" And this is where my love and trust for my sister can really be shown.

So I explained that after I had killed Hideki, I was left standing in a pool of blood with a body at my feet. I panicked because what could I possibly do now? I made the decision to go to the police, turn myself in, but explain that I had done it in self-defense. I called my sister so I could speak to her one last time before I was arrested.

She could hear that I was scared, upset, and panicky after only a few short words. She demanded to know where I was…what had happened. I told Hitomi everything throughout our lives…and this time wasn't any different. When I managed to choke out exactly what had happened she told me to wait and then hung up on me.

Getting rid of your ex-boyfriend's dead body isn't exactly the best choice for a sister bonding experience…but that one night made us closer than ever. We never spoke of the incident again…she brought me home, stitched up my back (thus the scar, because it was not anywhere near professional) and we curled up together in her room that night. I will forever be thankful she was there…

"So there you have it…I'm a murderer and Hitomi is an accomplice…turn me in if you want." I said spitefully to Shuichi.

"I'm not going to turn you in, what you did was justified and your sister must have been very brave to assist you in such a manner."

I couldn't look at him anymore…or any of them for that matter, so I hung my head and let my hair hide me from view. I wasn't a good cop…I tried so hard to forget what I had done…to believe I had done the world a favor by ridding it of such a disgusting human being. I wished so hard I could believe that.

"Hey…what are you doing?!" It was Kazuma and he sounded rather confused as well as angry. Before I could look up to see what I could have possibly done just sitting here, a pair of hands threaded themselves through my hair and lifted my head so I was no longer looking at my feet.

Hiei stood before me, his face perfectly impassive and as I searched for answers as to why he was suddenly being so kind, I noticed a strange purple light glowing beneath his headband…what could that possibly be?

I furrowed my brows and pleaded with my eyes for him to explain what he was doing. He didn't seem like the touchy feely type. His hands wrapped themselves around the crown of my head, my hair still caught between his fingers, and then he spoke. "Do not be ashamed of saving your own life."

I tried to look around the room, my confusion so evident that I wanted to know if I was the only one freaked out by his strange change in behavior. I was greeted with wide eyes all the way around; Kazuma even had his mouth hanging open in shock. The only one who did not look too surprised was Keiko…she had more of a calculating…scary kind of look on her face. Scary because I knew what it meant – it was the same face she had made the first time I'd introduced her to Ren. If she seriously thought she would be able to hook Hiei and me up than she wasn't as smart as I had always thought she was.

He released me soon after, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants and pretending for the entire world to see that he had not just done something so out of the ordinary. My heart was racing…I couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing. I watched him go back to his perch on the window sill and there was a long moment of silence where everyone just sat too stunned to speak.

Then Shuichi cleared his throat, breaking the spell. "I believe we have other matters to deal with…such as giving Kasumi-san a true explanation and I also think it is time we called Koenma."

Yusuke and Kazuma groaned, "Come on man, do we really have to?" Yusuke whined.

"I think it would be for the best, especially because the Reikai is obviously involved."

Yusuke just looked resigned, before rising from his chair and pulling what looked like a powder compact from his pants pocket. "I'll be back in a minute."

He walked off to Keiko's bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Kazuma stuffed himself onto the couch beside me, forcing Keiko and Shuichi to have to squeeze together until Shuichi gave up and moved into Yusuke's vacated chair, an air of annoyance surrounding him.

I turned to Kazuma, "So, now that I've told you everything about me…you think you can explain the Dark Tournament?"

He pursed his lips and looked ready to argue, but Hiei snapped at him from the window, "Just tell her you oaf so we will not have to listen to her whine!"

Apparently his unusual moment of kindness (more like weakness) was long gone and forgotten. If I wasn't interested in hearing what Kazuma had to say I might have retaliated, but it really wasn't worth it.

Kazuma sighed in defeat, "Fine. It's a martial arts tournament…but for demons."

I was confused, "Then why do you know about it?"

"I participated in it…so did Urameshi, Hiei, and Kurama."

"Who's Kurama?"

Shuichi chuckled from the chair, "That is my true name, but you may continue to call me whatever you like."

"Do you mean your demon name?" I questioned.

"Yes, I suppose you can look it at that way."

I scrunched my face up, "I think I like Kurama better." I announced.

"Then please feel free to call me that from now on, but only amongst this group."

I nodded, still thoroughly lost, but happy I was finally getting some answers. But then I righted my train of thought, forgot about the fact Shuichi (Err…Kurama) has two names, and remembered that Kazuma had said he had also participated in a tournament full of freakin' demons.

"Kazuma…how did you get into the tournament?" I hoped his answer wouldn't be what I was dreading – that he was a demon too and had been lying all along.

He hummed for a moment, trying to think of the best explanation no doubt, "Well, Urameshi was invited as a special guest and he needed a whole team. I wasn't going to let him go alone and get all the glory."

Hiei snorted derisively from across the room, "You lost every fight you entered into."

"Shut the hell up you midget! I did not!"

I wasn't relieved just yet, "But…you are human…right?"

Kazuma made a face, "Yes, why would you even ask that? Do I look like a weirdo to you?"

Relieved now I could only laugh hysterically, losing my breath and probably making everyone in the room think I was nuts but if Kazuma was human, that meant Keiko was as well. I was so busy trying to stop my insane giggling that I never noticed Yusuke enter the room again or the fact that he wasn't alone when he had been just moments before.

It was Keiko's surprised shout of, "Oh Botan, when did you get here?" that finally caught my attention.

Yusuke had come back from Keiko's room with the blue haired girl in tow. After all the weird things I had seen today this didn't surprise me too much. I did wonder how she had managed to get in, because the window was three stories up and impossible to climb up to and I would have noticed if she snuck in through the front door. Keiko noticed my distress and explained.

"Botan is a Shinigami, so she flies around on an oar. She must have come in through my bedroom window."

A Shinigami…that made sense, she did have the aura of death surrounding her and a ferry girl's main job was to transport souls to wherever it was they went after someone died. Shinigami had appeared in many of my Grandfather's stories…of course, like most people, I believed they would be some scary tall man in a cloak carrying a scythe. Botan looked nothing like that, she had a bubbly, pleasant attitude and currently she was wearing a bright pink kimono with no scythe in sight.

Yusuke and Botan each took a seat at the kotatsu but, instead of the usual chipper smile Botan seemed to have stuck to her face, was a grim line – she was going to be all business this time around.

"It's nice to see you again Kasumi-san, I wish it was under better circumstances."

I just nodded, waiting for her to get to the point. I still had not received any real explanation for the events that had occurred here tonight but I hoped Botan would be the one to tell me something.

"Unfortunately Koenma-dono could not be here, so he has sent me in his stead."

I stopped her there, "Who is this Koenma?"

Several people tried to tell me at once, it got to the point I was forced to hold my hands up in surrender, "Shut up! One person at a time please!"

Before anyone else could jump at the chance to tell me, Yusuke got there first, "He's the diaper wearing idiot that runs the daily workings of the Reikai."

"...So he's a god then?" I didn't know anything about the diaper wearing part, but I did know that heaven and hell was ruled over by a god called Enma and apparently this Koenma person…I suppose one God can't handle it all, as ridiculous as that sounds.

"Yusuke, don't be so rude! Koenma is the son of Enma-dono and he takes care of all the souls that enter the Reikai. He is the ruler of the judgment gate."

Botan smiled fondly, as if the very thought of him made her lighter, and I had to resist an eye-roll. She was obviously very devoted to her leader (boss?) and that kind of infatuation was gross to me. I respected a lot of the old martial arts masters and I respected the higher ups in the police force, but you would never catch me groveling or salivating over someone, no matter how awesome or influential they may be.

"Okay…so what does this guy have to do with anything?"

Botan paused, that grim line reappearing where her lips were once turned up, "Kasumi-san…I'm afraid you have become involved in something that Koenma-dono did not expect to happen for several centuries.

"I wish I could explain it better, but he has asked that you are kept unaware for now. The gate to purgatory is very serious business and he wants only the Reikai to handle it."

I couldn't believe it, I was going to be shut out again and this time it actually had something to do with me. This wasn't right and I told Botan so, "You can't do that. This is about me and Hitomi, you have to tell me."

"No, actually, I don't. I'm sorry, but I have orders that I must follow, as does Yusuke. For the time being, we will have one of the boys keep an eye on you and make sure you are safe."

As does Yusuke, huh? I didn't voice the thought out loud, but one flick of his eyes to mine and I knew he would tell me what was going on. He had no reason to keep it a secret and our little exchange was not witnessed by anyone else…anyone other than Hiei that was. I could see the demon eyeing us both from his perch on the windowsill, he was being sneaky about it, but I was too observant not to notice and my eyes seemed to naturally stray to him every so many seconds anyway.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to continue protesting (more like demanding information) my cell phone went off. The tune I had set for the ringer told me it was Ren calling and I contemplated not answering it. I could see it flashing over by the door, where a tiny table and my poppy bowl sat innocently with the phone inside it. It stopped ringing, everyone turned back to me at once, but almost immediately it went off again. This wasn't just Ren calling to talk – this was work.

I rose, raced across the room, and grabbed up the device before he could hang up again, "Moshi, Mosh?"

"Kasumi, its Ren. We have a situation and the Captain has called for all hands on deck." Ah Ren, always straight to the point aren't you?

"What's going on?" Even as I questioned him I was pulling my military style black boots on and my gun holster, and then I wandered off to the closet under our stairs to dig out my police jacket, uniform, and badge.

"There's a major hostage situation in a big office building downtown. They've even sent in SWAT teams but they need backup. Don't worry about being in full uniform; just wear your badge, gun, and jacket."

I could see the group of demons and humans staring at me from across the room, Kazuma had sat up a little straighter as if being able to watch my every move would give him any kind of information what so ever. I held up a finger, telling them to wait a moment while I got ready.

"Alright, are you coming to get me?"

"That's why I called. Be ready when I get there." And then he hung up on me.

I flipped the phone shut, shoved it into one of my coat pockets and then pulled my badge off the shelf in the closet and pinned the gold medal to my chest. While I was disappointed that I had lost my chance of hearing more about this demon business, I was also happy to have something to distract me for a while. If they told me too much at once, I didn't know how well I would handle it…I didn't want to stay to find out either.

I turned to my friends, "I'm sorry but I have to go. There's something serious going down at an office building in the business district."

"Will you be alright?" Keiko asked, always the worrier.

"Sweet, can we go?!" Yusuke blurted out before I could even answer Keiko, who was wringing her hands nervously and looked on the verge of tears again.

I answered them both, "Yes I will be fine and no, you can't go baka."

I wandered over so I could pull Keiko into a reassuring hug which Kazuma joined in on not even a second later. They both squeezed me to the point I practically couldn't breathe.

"Okay guys, it's not like I'm dying or something." I laughed, disengaging myself from their vice like grips.

"You don't know that," Kazuma said.

"I'm not going to die Kazu, please don't worry." I patted my friend on the arm, because I was a bit too short to properly pat his shoulder when he was standing at his full height.

I left them then, only stopping so I could say one last thing before I headed out the door, "Don't think this lets you off from explaining everything to me though."

I wagged a finger at them, smiled, and left. I couldn't know what was about to happen…what kind of situation I end up getting myself stuck into, but in one night I would discover that while demons are most certainly evil…it doesn't hurt to have a few as your allies.

. . .

A/N: So sorry it has taken so long to get his chapter out! I actually injured myself at work, sliced my finger open with a very sharp knife and had to get stitches. The doctor made me wear this stupid splint that made it impossible to type. I also kind of hate this chapter…it certainly isn't my favorite but we will get into more action-y like things in the next one. Let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading!