A/N: Hey again! I know I say all the time how much I appreciate the feedback I get, but I really do! It helps me grow as a writer and I love hearing from all of you! Just a reminder that chapters will be coming slower in the coming months, because I am trying to buy a house, which means I'll be moving. I'll do my best to write when I can, so forgive me. Also, for all you guys suffering with lack of Hiei/Kas action, I feel you. Believe me, but I am trying to stay true to the characters, Kas included, who's a stubborn ass herself. Thanks for sticking with me!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho and I am not making money by writing this.

Warnings: The usual, copious amounts of profanity, blood/gore, violence, the drinking of alcohol, sexual themes, adult themes, etc.

. . .

"Kasumi, wake up," you could hear the barely suppressed giggle in her voice.

She shook me and I groaned. I pushed at her hands and rolled away from her. She crawled onto the bed beside me and shook me again. God, she could be so annoying.

My tone sleep deprived I ground out, "What, what is it?"

"It's Christmas," she replied.

Hitomi and I were sixteen; it was our first Christmas alone. We were living in a tiny apartment in the slums. It was a studio, all open space other than the bathroom. Our bedroom doubled as a living room. The kitchen and its dining table were just a little nook connected to it. If I opened my eyes I would be able to see our little Christmas tree shining next to the kitchen table. It was a fake, but you couldn't tell when you saw it through the window down on the street.

"We're not five anymore Hitomi," I growled and then curled up into a ball to get away from her.

She leaned over me and I felt her breath ghost across my ear, "It's snowing."

That had my attention. There was nothing better than a fresh snowfall on Christmas day.

I rubbed at my eyes and shoved her off me so I could roll back over. I noticed she was wearing her holiday pajamas. They're red and green with little dancing elves on them. She'd tried to convince me to get a pair for myself. But I wouldn't be caught dead in something that atrocious. I might not have much fashion sense, but I had enough to know her choice of sleepwear was hideous.

I heard the crinkle of paper and found my arms full of a squishy present. I hadn't even opened my eyes when I felt my glasses get placed over my nose.

"Open it," she said.

"Can't I have some coffee first?"

She smiled and shook her head no. I sighed and adjusted my lopsided eyewear for a better view. I sat up against my pillows and eyed the paper. Because we were so poor these days, Hitomi had opted to wrap her gift in newsprint. This brought a wistful smile to my face – I had wrapped all hers in the comic strip pages.

I tore the paper away to reveal what was beneath. The package had been squishy because it happened to be an article of clothing. I lifted it from the wreckage of newsprint to hold in front of my face.

"Wow…" I mumbled.

She'd bought me a leather jacket and not one of those cheap knock offs. It was genuine, black and sexy. It had a slim belt looped around it, which ended in a bright metallic buckle. The rest of it had silver buttons and zippers for accents. I loved it already and I hadn't even tried it on.

"Well go on, try it out," she said.

I hopped out of bed, my sudden excitement making my sister happy. I pulled the jacket over my pajamas and admired it for a long moment. It fit like a glove. I was going to look like such a badass!

"Merry Christmas, Kasumi oneesan," she whispered.

I looked down at her with a giant grin. The lights she had strewn around the apartment made her hair shine and glow odd colors. Her green eyes sparked and she smiled back. I saw rows of perfect white teeth glittering in the darkness.

She looked so sad…even with such a big grin on her face, "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," she rose from the edge of the bed and held out her hand, "Come on, lets go play in the snow."

I took her hand in mine and let her pull me from the room. We climbed out onto our rickety fire escape and caught snowflakes on our tongues.

As the sun rose across the horizon, I lit up a cigarette and hung my arms over the railing's edge. Hitomi lifted hers to the sky. We didn't go back inside until our toes had turned blue and Christmas day had officially started.

. . .

"Christ, I think I hit her too hard."

"You think? Baka, she's been out cold for ten minutes."

"I don't need any lip from you Hiei, if you hadn't shown up…"

"Don't blame your stupidity on me, detective."

My eyes opened to the swimming image of Urameshi Yusuke's face. He was crouched beside me but had turned his head to look at who I assumed must be Hiei. He had shown up out of the blue while Yusuke and I had been training. His sudden appearance had distracted me. So when Yusuke came at me with a reiki covered fist I hadn't blocked in time. He'd cold clocked me right in the face.

Now here I was flat on my back up in the loft. Snow was falling outside the window and my head felt like it had rattled around in my skull. I groaned from the floor and garnered Yusuke's attention.

"Oh good, I thought I killed you," he said.

I didn't answer him; I was too busy trying to swallow the blood in my mouth. I could feel the warm sticky substance covering my face too. I reached up and prodded at my nose. It hurt, but it didn't feel broken. He was lucky; I might have hurt him if it was. It was Christmas Eve after all and I had a date in a few hours.

I sat up, my back ached and I groaned again, "Did you have to hit me so hard?"

I heard Hiei release a derisive snort and I turned to glare at him. I was sure he'd add his two cents any second now…

"You can't block reiki with regular human strength," he said.

And there it was. He acted like such a know-it-all sometimes. I stuck my tongue out at him.

Since the night of the ball Hiei had started coming around more often. He was becoming frustrated that he had lost the trail leading to my sister. He was adamant that it meant she was purposely hiding herself. I was sure he was right. I hadn't sensed her either, no matter how hard I tried, and I had a connection to her.

I think it pissed him off because his Jagan was failing him. He didn't actively speak about it unless he had to, but I could tell.

"Why are you here anyway?" I asked the fire demon.

He shrugged and then cast a pointed look at Yusuke. He wasn't going to tell me until the other man was out of ear shot, that much was obvious. The question was if it was actually important or not. Twice in the past week he had done this to me. Shown up at random on days I planned to go see Ren. It was beginning to become suspicious of his motives. Especially because he acted like he had some burning need to speak with me. But it always ended up the same. With us in an argument or him dragging out what he'd come for so I would end up late. Well, not today bucko.

"Listen, I've got to go wash this blood off my face," I said.

"Awe, no more training then?" pouted Yusuke and I rolled my eyes. Like he cared, he'd do anything to get out of training.

"No, you're off the hook."

He sighed in relief and flopped over onto his back. There he laid spread eagled with a stupid grin on his face. I swung out a leg and kicked him in the side. He grunted but didn't as much as roll over.

I rose from the ground gingerly. I was about to wander down to the bathroom to clean myself up, but a certain demon was standing in my way.

So I could get this over and done with I just gestured to the stairs. It was a clear sign I wanted him to walk with me. He fell into step beside me. Even with the odd look Yusuke shot us, we walked downstairs together. He had dressed in his usual attire, all black from what I could see. He did have his cloak on though, so who knew what he was hiding beneath it.

Standing next to him made my skin tingle in ways I couldn't explain. I liked to believe it was from his unusual amount of body heat. Just being near him you could feel which element he had an affinity to. I wondered what it felt like…to never be cold.

I entered the bathroom with the man hot on my heels. He shut the door behind me. I suppressed an irritated sigh. I made myself busy by digging out the darkest colored washcloth I owned. Hiei made himself comfortable with his back against the door. All the easier for him to keep me from running, I had no doubt.

I took one deep breath, wet the washcloth, and then waited. Either he would spit it out now or we would sit here in silence the entire time. Whichever option he chose, neither of them made a difference to me. I was just as happy to ignore him.

"The tournament is in a week, give or take a day."

Yes, I knew that. I was the one participating after all. What was he getting at now?

"Yup, I'm well aware of that," I said. I dabbed my nose with the cloth, trying to gently remove the blood.

I used the bathroom mirror so I wouldn't miss any traces and waited for him to elaborate. I had a feeling I already knew what it was.

"You should be training," he said.

That was almost the exact same thing he'd told me every other time he'd shown up. I was now positive it was a ploy to keep me from going out. I almost laughed, except it annoyed me so much that all I could do was shake my head.

"It's Christmas Eve," I said.

I was careful to keep my eyes trained on only my face in the mirror. If I even looked a little to the left I would see him. I knew he wasn't pleased with me, but Hiei was not my keeper. He couldn't tell me what to do and I believed that even he knew that.

"Your point?" he asked, his tone condescending.

I slapped the cloth into the sink and whirled on him, "I'm not training on a holiday!"

He glared at me, "Something will happen at the tournament."

It remained unspoken that I knew that just as well as he did. Why he felt the need to remind me day in and day out was the issue. For the next two days I was going to do whatever I wanted, no matter how he felt about it.

I didn't have to work this year and I wanted to get everyone together to celebrate. I wanted to throw a Christmas party. I'd already started baking days ago; I had cookies and pastries galore to hand out. I sure as hell wasn't going to eat it all. On top of that I had decorated with Keiko and planned a nice dinner for tomorrow night.

I wasn't going to train the entire day away. I needed to have some fun or I might go insane. Christmas was my favorite fucking holiday after all.

I stared him in eye, unfazed by his glower. And then I smiled at him, one of those stupid big toothy ones. I was determined to be in a good mood. I wasn't about to let him ruin it, even if I was being a bit sarcastic.

I finished washing my face and then tossed the cloth into the hamper for later. Hiei didn't move as I approached the door to leave.

"Excuse me," I said.

He pursed his lips and planted his feet. I was growing tired of this game he always played with me.

I could see the door knob peeking out from between his right arm and his side. I didn't let him notice my discovery. I stepped forward until I was almost pressed against him. We were a hair's breadth away from touching chest to chest. Hiei had reared his head back as if that would get him more space between us.

I felt his breath fan across my face and it hitched when I reached an arm around his waist as if to hug him. I held his gaze with mine, my eyes softening and smile turning seductive. I watched his eyes widen and his pupils dilate. At that exact moment I shot out and twisted the door knob. With a jerk of my arm it came open and what I had hoped would happen was for Hiei to fall through it.

I should have known better. It only surprised him for second, before he flickered across the room. And then I, of course, fell flat on my face. I had been leaning too heavily towards him and had leaned even further by shoving the door. With his sudden disappearance I had no time to recover.

I heard his dark laugh. Joined with the great guffaws of Yusuke's (who must have seen the whole thing), I was glad my face was in the floor. I was sure I was sporting a horrible blush that would clash with my hair. My plan had backfired, this so wasn't fair!

Oh, fuck you both, I thought. I stood with as much dignity as I could muster and then marched off to go find some clothes. I had to get ready; Ren would be here in just a couple of hours.

. . .

I took a sip of water and tore up pieces of a napkin. I was sitting in a nice restaurant wearing clothes I'd needed Keiko's help to pick out. I'd bothered to wear makeup and I had even shaved my damn legs. I suppose you can understand on some level why I was so fucking angry. I had been left sitting here alone for the past hour, you see.

Ren and I had planned to meet here and while I had shown, it was clear he wasn't going to.

I'd never been stood up before and while most girls would have cried, I felt nothing but rage. How dare he do this to me? I looked like an imbecile sitting here all alone. The waiter was starting to give me sympathetic looks for cripes sake. All I'd eaten was bread and I was just about ready to snap by then. If he showed up now, I would end him. You best believe I would put my foot so far up his ass he'll taste it for a month.

"Ma'am, are you sure you wouldn't like to order something else?"

I shot a wuthering look at the waiter who tried to smile at me but failed. I gathered my things, pulled some bills out of my wallet and left the kid a generous tip. I didn't say a word as I left, I just walked out.

I couldn't believe I'd just been stood up on Christmas Eve.

I began the trek home, keeping my hands in my coat pockets for warmth. I buried my face in the scarf around my neck and eyed the window displays as I walked by. During the journey I passed by the little coffee shop Keiko and I frequented. The bench outside was covered in snow but I back tracked anyway to sit upon it.

People passed by, none of them even bothering to shoot me a second glance. I frowned at all the couples wandering the streets, feeling bitter at my situation. I contemplated buying a coffee but didn't have the energy to move.

I don't know how long I sat there. Long enough for Hiei to find my energy signature and appear beside me at any rate. He melted the snow from the seat and then sat down. He said not a word though I could feel his power seeping from his skin as he kept me warm.

"You'll get sick," he said after a time.

I shrugged, who cares. If I got sick I'd just give it to Ren as payback.

Hiei grabbed my upper arm and hauled me to my feet. I hadn't expected it so for a few seconds I just stumbled along as he dragged me down the sidewalk. When my brain caught up to my body I wrenched my arm back.

"What are you doing?"

He didn't answer, he just grabbed me again. Only this time he swung me up over his shoulder and launched us into the air.

I bit back a scream and slammed my eyes closed as the wind made them water. I had no idea where he was taking me because he had headed in the opposite direction from home. All I could do was hold on for dear life as he jumped and ran at speeds my eyes couldn't follow.

After what felt like ages, but I was positive had only been a couple of minutes at best, we halted. I dared to open my eyes and prepared myself to get thrown to the ground. After all, that was his usual MO when he carted me anywhere. Only what I had opened my eyes to wasn't solid ground but empty air.

I shifted my gaze towards his feet, eyes wide and noticed we were standing on the tip of a tree. I was smart enough not to struggle, if he dropped me I would surely die. The drop was quite far. Though I wasn't afraid of heights, it was still enough to make my stomach churn.

He shifted me until I slid down the side of his body. From there he held me up with one arm wrapped around my waist. I was uncomfortably close to him but if I tried to move away I would plummet. He held me up with his strength alone. The bitter night's air was ineffectual against his warmth.

I didn't know what to do with my arms, so I just let them hang at my sides. No matter what I did I would touch him. I forced a blush away but still felt my heart start to beat in a furious rhythm against my ribcage. I had no idea why he'd brought me here or what was going through his head. I couldn't deny that I kind of liked the opportunity. It wasn't often you could get this close to him without him pushing you away.

"What are you doing?" I whispered, fearing that if I raised my voice the moment would end.

With his free hand he pointed across the horizon. In the distance you could see an odd pulsating light. What was that…a lighthouse? I couldn't tell from this far away, but the light wasn't quite the right color. Not to mention it was in the heart of the city instead of near the ocean.

"That is what I came for earlier," said Hiei, letting his arm drop.

That's right; he hadn't ever said why he'd come over. He'd just shown his annoyance that I was going out to see Ren. I bet he would be happy if I told him he'd stood me up. Only, I had a feeling that Hiei already knew.

"What is it?" I asked.

"A beacon," he replied.

"You're going to have to elaborate," I said sarcastically.

He pursed his lips and I saw as he tried to subtly roll his eyes. I stopped myself from growling at him and settled for looking unimpressed instead. I already knew he thought I was stupid. There was no need to rub it in my face every chance he got.

Even though he was annoyed he said, "It leads straight to the arena where your tournament will be held."

"What the hell…" I mumbled and then squinted at the light again.

I looked back up at Hiei. I still didn't understand what that meant. Was someone trying to lead me there? What would be the point when I was competing in a week's time?

"Can anyone else see that?" I asked.

"Only those spiritually aware," he answered.

Which could become a problem in itself, I thought. If it was to lure those with energy I could end up encountering an array of psychics. Possibly even demons as I was sure it would attract them too. I only hoped none of them would be competing. If it was a regular human run competition they shouldn't have any knowledge on demons or psychics. With the appearance of the beacon I would bet someone was trying to rig the tournament.

"That's not good," I said.

He released a derisive laugh, "Obviously."

"Have you checked it out?" I asked.

"Yes, no one is there."

So they had left it as a sign. They might as well have put a big flashing arrow over the stadium calling for all the energy users in the city. This competition could become dangerous at the drop of a hat.

I should be scared…or at least worried. I didn't experience either of those reactions. I felt adrenaline flood through my veins. A smirk stretched itself across my lips. It wouldn't be any fun fighting regular competitors anyway. Let's see how many freaks answered the call.

My heart started to race and my grin grew as I saw Hiei's bewildered expression. And then a smirk of his own spread across his mouth.

"This has excited you," he said.

I chuckled, "Yeah, I guess I'm pretty fucking stupid, but I like a challenge."

"You are a fool," he said, though he didn't look as if he meant it this time.

"Yeah," I agreed, "Maybe so. But that light will attract my sister too."

I still believed the girl I had spoken to over the phone was a fake. I couldn't be sure until I saw and spoke to my sister face to face. There were just too many inconsistencies. With far too many reasons for me not to jump to conclusions, I needed to do my best to keep a cool head. Losing control wouldn't win me any favors.

I took a deep breath of the winter's air, so much thinner way up here. Hiei's arm tightened imperceptibly around my waist and it was suddenly so much warmer. I didn't think I could take another second pressed against him the way I was. I would end up doing something I would regret.

"Let's go," I said.

He eyed me for a moment with those impossible eyes. Then without warning he launched off the tree. He went rocketing towards the ground feet first with me still tucked into his side. It gave me the same feeling as those carnival rides that brought you up slow just to drop you back down. My stomach lurched up and then slammed back down when he landed. He set me on my feet and I jerked away from him, feeling like I was going to be sick. I bent over at the waist and took in great gulps of air.

"Don't ever do that again, you bastard," I wheezed out.

I straightened and patted down my hair. I swallowed the bile that had come rushing up my throat and turned to confront him. He was standing behind me, bored as always, waiting for me to recover myself. God, he was such a dick!

"Did you hear me?" I snapped at him.

He regarded me out of the corner of his and sneered at me. I'm sure he thought the question was stupid, because he had heard me, and I knew that. It just pissed me off when people ignored me. It double pissed me off when that person happened to be Hiei.

He disregarded my question and began to walk away from me. Considering we were in the middle of a forest at the edge of the city and it was dark out, I went chasing after him. The last thing I needed was to get lost. I'd already had a shitty night as it was.

"Wait up!" I called to him and he paused in his trek through the woods.

I reached his side a moment later. Then I punched him in the shoulder when he pinned me with a look full of irritation. His face morphed into an expression of disbelief that I'd dared hit him. I didn't even know why I'd done it. That was something I'd do to Kazuma or even Yusuke. To have instinctually done it with Hiei kind of threw me for a loop. Was my body trying to tell me something here? That I was suddenly feeling some kind of friendship with this man?

The thought both irked me and made my heart speed up. My steps brisk, I walked past him and pretended what I'd just done never happened. He didn't retaliate or even comment on it. He just kept himself a couple of steps behind me. He would tell me which turns to take as we hiked through the trees but was silent otherwise.

After a time we emerged from the forest into a more rural area of the city. We were farther out than I had originally thought. Once again Hiei's speed floored me. For him to have traveled that far in such a short amount of time…it was out of this world.

He paused beside me and feeling sheepish, I pouted up at him, "Take me home?"

He closed his eyes, exasperation clear as day in his expression. I prepared myself for him to tell me no and make me walk or catch a cab.

I don't know what made the decision for him or if he was just feeling generous, but he picked me up again. This time was a little gentler than before. With one arm wrapped around my back and the other crooked under my knees. This was just as embarrassing as the tree incident. I couldn't fight the blush this time but didn't protest as he carried me through the city.

Even though I'd been stood up, I couldn't say my entire evening was wasted. Ren's loss was my gain. Spending time with Hiei had started to trump most things in my life. As much as he tried to command me and show his dominance over my lowly human existence, I had to admit I rather liked his company now. He was quiet and could sit in a room with you for hours without saying a word. Sometimes I needed that…that silence.

Sometimes talking about things took a lot out of me. I was a reclusive kind of person after all and had no social graces. I talked with my fists. When I did use words I spewed them with fierce emotion, more often than not anger.

Hiei, with all his faults, was like a rock in the middle of the sea. He was unable to be weathered by anything, even my rage. This I appreciated beyond measure. I supposed that is why I'd begun to tolerate his presence around me more often. If only he could be a little less domineering.

We arrived back at the building and Hiei's feet landed on the sidewalk with a soft tap. He didn't immediately put me down. When I opened my eyes to see what was wrong, it didn't take me long to figure out.

Leaning against the cement siding of my building was Ren. He had his hands shoved into the pockets of his black pea coat. He looked as far from pleased as they come. In fact, I would call the look on his face enraged.

"What are you doing here?" I snapped at him and then tried to extract myself from Hiei's arms.

He only tightened his hold, planting his feet firmly against the sidewalk. He wasn't about to let me down any time soon, it would seem.

"I came looking for you…but I see you've been occupied," said Ren. His tone was cold and unforgiving, just as harsh as his eyes.

And was that jealousy I just heard? Was Ren seriously jealous of Hiei? You've got to be kidding me. How ridiculous.

I could feel the animosity practically rolling off the two men. It was making my hackles rise in retaliation. This wouldn't do. I wasn't going to get caught in the middle of another pissing match between these two.

I craned my neck up so I was closer to Hiei's ear and whispered menacingly, "If you don't put me down I will bite you so hard you'll have a permanent reminder of me."

It would only be far wouldn't it? I had his fucking handprint scarred into one of my arms and payback was a bitch.

Hiei growled low in his throat at my words. The glower he had previously been using on Ren switched to me. A dark, deadly emotion swam in the sea of red known as his eyes and I gulped. What I'd just said had pissed him off, but why?

"If you were to even try, I would rip every tooth from your skull," he said.

It wasn't a threat…it was a promise. I reared back away from him. My heart started racing for reasons other than his proximity. After a moment his dark gaze shifted back to Ren. Still he would not relinquish his hold on me. I was certain it was only to piss the other man off.

"Put her down," said Ren. He pushed off from the building and with an air of calm about him walked towards us.

His expression was anything but calm. He looked ready to rip someone's head off. How dare he show up now and start demanding shit when he was the one who stood me up.

"Oh screw you Ren!" I shouted, still struggling to get out of Hiei's hold.

I guess I was going to have to do this the hard way. Like hell was I going to let this happen again on my watch.

I balled my right fist and hit Hiei with an uppercut to the jaw. His teeth clacked together and he instantly dropped me. I fell to the ground and rolled back onto my feet. Hiei had recovered quickly and he did not look happy with me.

Risking my neck, I marched up to Ren and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. I shot a look over my shoulder at Hiei. He still looked murderous; his eyes making my blood run cold. Even so, I pulled Ren through the front door of my building into the foyer. I shut and locked the door behind me, as Hiei hadn't bothered to follow. I hoped he would get the hint and leave. This wasn't something he needed to witness.

I ripped Ren towards me, pulling him down so we were face to face, "How dare you show up here!"

"I came to explain!"

"You have nothing to say that I want to hear," I said, tone scathing.

I let his shirt go and shoved him away from me. He stumbled backwards a couple of steps and then righted himself.

"I don't care if you want to hear it or not!"

"You're acting like a fucking jealous boyfriend!"

Our voices would soon attract the neighbors. I needed to diffuse this situation but I didn't know how. I was angry myself and I wanted to show him that he'd made a mistake tonight. I was sick of his pigheadedness and his stupidity. I was sick of men trying to tell me what to do.

"Maybe I am jealous," he said. He sounded dead serious, voice quiet and ringing with truth.

"Of Hiei?" I asked, stunned.

"Well, you did show up in the guy's arms."

His statement irked me. Now that I thought about it…Ren hadn't been surprised about Hiei's arrival. Most people would find his speed quite shocking, even if Ren had only seen his sudden appearance. It would have looked like Hiei stepped out of thin air.

"Ren, have you seen Hiei before?"

He paused, confused by my sudden change in the conversation, "Yeah, the day you got shot."

"No, before that," I said.

His memories were wiped of all the other times he'd seen the fire demon. If he remembered any of it that means the memory modifications hadn't worked. I'd filled him on some things. But nothing about the two demons that frequented my home.

"No," he answered.

He's lying, I think to myself. His left eye had twitched just a bit and he wasn't quite looking me in the face. Did that mean he did remember something?

"You're lying," I said to him.

His demeanor turned defensive, another telling sign, and his face turned bewildered.

"No I'm not!"

There it was again. He was definitely lying.

"How do you know Hiei?"

He glared at me, his lips curling into a snarl. He took an angry, shuddering breath and then sighed.

"I don't know him, I know of him," he said.

"Excuse me?"

"You have no clue do you?" he said in amazement.

"What are you saying?"

He released a single humorless laugh, "You have three S class demons around you daily and you have no idea?"

What the fuck was an S class? I'd never heard that before in my life. And since when were there three demons? I think he smoked something before he came over here.

"Are you high?" I snapped.

"Kasumi, this isn't a fucking joke!"

His tone was so severe that it had me backing off for a split second. He sounded genuinely freaked out, like I had made the biggest mistake of my life. What did he know that I didn't?

"I don't understand what you're trying to tell me," I said.

"You need more knowledge on demonic kind," he said.

"Then explain it to me," I spat.

"That man you just spent your evening with, he's powerful Kasumi."

Yeah, I knew that already. I could tell just by looking at him for Kami's sake.

"Demons come in rank according to the Reikai –"he began, "It goes from weakest, E all the way up to S."

"So S is the strongest then," I said.

"Yes, but there are different power levels even in that class. S is a catchall for the scariest of demons," he explained.

"You're saying Hiei is some type of S?"

"Not just that. He's a bandit and a murderer," he spit the words like they left a vile taste in his mouth.

My breath had caught in my throat at his words. He couldn't be serious. Sure, Hiei was fucking scary and he didn't care about hurting people…but a murderer?

"I think you're on something, for real," I started to walk away from him, heading for the stairs.

He lunged at me and grabbed my wrist before I even made it up two steps. He pulled me back down them and grabbed me around the shoulders in a tight grip.

"He's dangerous, Kasumi. I don't like you being around him!"

"How do you know all this?" I asked.

"I just do."

"No, that's not going to fly. Tell me now!"

"I don't have to tell you shit," he said.

That stung a bit. He was being mean. I had argued with Ren before, but never this bad. This was turning out to be a horrible Christmas.

"Fine, but let me tell you something," I said. "I make my own conclusions about people."

He stared at me incredulous, "You're going to trust him then?"

"I will until he gives me a reason not to."

Ren looked disgusted. He dropped his hold on my shoulders and backed away from me. He shook his head and ran a hand over his buzz cut. He held his arms out at his sides in defeat.

"You'll regret it," he said.

"I'll be the one to decide that," was my reply.

I would be firm on this and he would either respect that or get lost. I didn't have the time to deal with guy drama and I didn't like Ren enough to put up with his shit.

He stood there in silence for a while. I had nothing else to say to him. The atmosphere turned awkward and uncomfortable.

"I think you should leave," I mumbled.

He licked his lips and shook his head again, "Can I at least say that I'm sorry?"

"I don't care," I replied.

He nodded, his lips turning down into a frown. He began to rummage around in one of his coat pockets. He pulled out a small brightly wrapped package. He grabbed my right hand and placed the little square gift within it.

"Merry Christmas, Kasumi," then he turned and walked out my front door.

I waited for a time, to make sure Hiei had left. I might be mad at Ren but I didn't want to see him get hurt. If he was right about Hiei…the other man would have no true regard for Ren's life.

When all I heard was the passing of traffic I considered it safe to make my way upstairs. I stared down at the little present the entire trip. I contemplated whether I should open it or not. I half wished I could throw it out, but my curiosity won in the end.

I was already ripping the paper open by the time I had stepped through the front door. There was a tiny note attached to it that I tore off for later perusal.

Beneath the paper was a white cardboard box. I lifted the lid with trembling fingers only to discover how sentimental Ren could be. Nestled in a tiny pouf of cotton was a necklace. The chain was real gold and hanging at the end was a custom pendent. I lifted it from the box and let it dangle from my fingertips.

The pendent was a crushed bullet, one that had gotten shot from a gun already. I took a quick look at the note, to find tiny script filling every available space. It explained this was originally a gift for my birthday but he hadn't had the courage to give it to me. The bullet was one he'd saved from the first time we'd ever gone shooting together.

Back then I'd treated that like a competition and this whole time he'd felt this way about it. He'd enjoyed spending that day with me enough to save one of my bullets.

I tucked the necklace back into its box and set it aside. I couldn't wear that. If Ren wanted this to go anywhere he would need to start being honest with me. He couldn't keep hiding his knowledge of demons. He'd hidden it so well that he knew of Hiei. I still had a hard time believing it.

"Kasumi…?"

Keiko had stuck her head around the corner. At first she was smiling but when she saw my face it turned down into a frown.

"Did your date not go well?"

"You could say that," I mumbled.

I pulled off my coat, tossed my keys into my poppy bowl and set down my cell phone. I avoided looking at my friend, because I knew she was going to drag the truth out of me if I did.

I could see Yusuke eavesdropping on the conversation from the couch. For his credit, he tried not to make it obvious. He had his feet propped up onto the kotatsu and a fire was roaring in the fire place. He had a mug of coffee in front of him and he took a sip from it innocently. I shot him a wuthering look and he smiled at me in apology.

I passed by Keiko and gestured for her to follow me to the kitchen. I poured myself a cup of coffee while I waited for the inevitable questions.

"So, what happened?"

I took a sip and was pleased to taste that it was strong, "He stood me up."

I heard Keiko gasp and turned to see her with a hand to her mouth. Oh yes, it was just so scandalous.

"I'm sorry Kasumi-chan," she said.

"Don't be," I replied. She didn't need to know about the fight we'd just had. That was mine and Ren's business.

"You want me to go kick his butt?" she asked, a righteous anger in her eyes on my behalf.

I shook my head, "No, it's okay."

"Has he spoken to you? Maybe he had a good reason…" she tried to justify, a poor attempt at sparing my feelings.

"He did and he didn't say."

She looked at me knowingly, "Did he not say…or did you not give him a chance?"

I turned sheepish, "A little of both…?"

"Oh Kasumi," she sighed, "What am I going to do with you?"

I sidled over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. I steered the conversation away from my problems after that. We drank coffee and whispered about the gifts we had bought the people who made our lives worth living.

Eventually Yusuke came in to retrieve us, having become bored of sitting by himself. When Keiko left to take a late bath, I snuck out onto the fire escape with him. We shared the pack of cigarettes he'd given me for my birthday. Together we smoked in an amicable silence.

He didn't ask me how my night went and I rewarded him with a second cancer stick. He tucked it behind his ear with a grin and hung his arms over the railing.

It started to snow and I was brought back to a time that seemed so long past. I used Yusuke's company to fill the void. I sucked in the smell of smoke and chewed the nails off my nicotine stained fingers.

I hoped tomorrow went better than tonight.

. . .

Christmas morning came in a rush. I cooked a giant breakfast for everyone to enjoy. I also fought with the boys all morning to keep them from opening their gifts or eating too many of the treats. I wanted to wait until everyone had shown up later that evening.

I shooed Kazuma out to go spend the rest of the day with his family. He stuck his tongue out at me upon his departure. Yusuke and Keiko also left to visit their respective families – Yusuke his mother and Keiko her parents. That left me alone in the apartment, though I had the chance to go to the Yukimura's. I preferred the prospect of time to myself.

Currently I was lying in my bed on my back. I had Ren's necklace dangling over my face. I had thought about calling him, but what would I say? I had nothing to apologize for. I sighed, the noise loud in the quiet of my empty room.

A cold breeze passed over my face and tousled my hair. It brought with it the smell of pine and firewood. I hadn't expected him to show up and it would ruin my solitude, but a part of me didn't really care.

He shut the window, barely making a sound. I snatched the necklace back up into my fist and stuffed it underneath my pillow. If he saw what I was doing he made no comment.

I felt when he came to stand over me. I looked up at him through my cracked glasses, his face fractured in one eye. I raised an eyebrow at him when he didn't speak. He looked troubled; like he had something he wished to spit out but didn't know how. His eyebrows scrunched over his eyes in an expression that was akin to being in pain.

A tongue came out to lick at dry lips and still I stared up at him. His eyes were dark and his body language skittish, as if he planned to run at any moment. I rose up onto my elbows and cocked my head at him.

"What is it?" I asked. My voice was soft, comforting.

I saw his throat work as he swallowed and then, "Did you mean what you said?"

My eyebrows rose to my hairline, "When?"

His jaw clenched. He chewed on his next words for a second and said, "Last night…to your partner."

He spat that last word like it was poison and I sat up all the way. I curled my legs beneath me, sitting Indian style and gave him my full attention.

"You heard all that?"

His eyes shifted to the wall next to me, "My hearing is sharper than most."

A demonic trait of his then, I figured it was safe to assume. I was shockingly calm, though my heart had started to race in my chest. I did my best to keep my cool. My heart might not have wanted to listen to reason, but my brain did.

I wouldn't lie to him, I had no reason to, "Yes, I meant it."

"Even if the things he told you were true?"

I didn't even hesitate with my answer, "Even then. I am not one to judge someone else's past."

His jaw clenched again and he still wouldn't look me in the eye. He almost looked angry. Should I have said something different? Did he want me to lie to him?

"You are a fool," he finally spat.

"I think we've gone over this," I replied flippantly.

The mood was far too serious for me and the look in eyes still hadn't changed. What I wouldn't give to be a mind reader like him right about now. Though I appreciated Hiei's silence at times, this side of him was hard to deal with. I just wanted to pick his brain but I knew he wouldn't tell me anything he didn't want to.

To lighten the mood I reached into my bedside table. From it I pulled a neatly wrapped present. It had been a last minute thing I'd seen in the window display of a shop about a week ago. I hadn't planned on giving it to him now and I hadn't figured I'd see him today at all, to be honest. Christmas didn't seem like his thing…if demons even celebrated holidays to begin with.

I kept my hands steady as I presented it to him. I held it up for him to take and he just eyed it like it was a bomb about to go off.

I sighed and picked up his bandaged hand. I placed the box there and then pushed his arm towards him.

"What is this?" he hissed.

"A Christmas present," I said. That should be obvious.

"I don't want it," he tried to hand it back to me but I held up my hands and shook my head.

"Nope, that's for you. I won't take it back."

I ended up disappointed when he didn't open it in front of me. Instead he shoved the tiny present into his cloak pocket and glared at me. I just hoped he wouldn't throw it out later. He should at least take a look at it first!

"You're not going to open it?"

He ignored my question completely. He tossed aside the gift issue as if it had never even gotten brought up.

"You fought with him over me," he said.

Back to Ren it would seem. I was growing tired of this already. What did he want me to say? I'd meant every word and I wasn't about to take it back.

"I would have fought with him anyway," I replied.

He shifted and for a moment I thought he was about to run. I stood corrected a second later when his hand snapped out to grasp the back of my head. He pulled me up from the bed, forcing me on bended knee. His fingers buried in my hair made my scalp feel like it was on fire. A bead of sweat dripped down my brow.

"I am a murderer Kasumi," he said. It came out as a deadly whisper, his breath ghosting across my lips.

My gaze never wavered and with my voice firm I said, "I only see the man in front of me today. I have no knowledge of the man from the past."

I had no need for that knowledge either, if he wasn't the one willing to give it to me. I believed in second chances and the ability for people to change. Everyone adapted differently. Life made you choose certain paths, some worse than others. I was not the type of person to judge someone on passed deeds. Hiei was not the picture perfect image of a man. He was broken and bent, twisted in many ways. But he had honor. That was more than I could say for a lot of people.

His eyelids dipped closed and he sucked in a breath. When he opened them again he extracted his hand from my hair and walked towards the window.

"Wait! Why don't you stay, join us for Christmas dinner?"

He turned to look at me over his shoulder, "No."

With a gust of wind he was gone. He left the window open behind him. The air felt biting after the loss of his warmth. I shivered violently and got up to shut it.

By far that had been the weirdest of the conversations I'd had with the fire demon. It left my mind racing and my skin flushed. With a deep breath I went to get ready for the rest of the day.

Later that night, as a group we all sat around the fire with cocoa and cookies. Wrapping paper was strewn all over the apartment after all the gifts under our little Christmas tree (my first real one!) had been opened. Everyone seemed happy with what they had received. Only a few remained for guests unable to attend – Yukina, Genkai, and Koenma.

While I had enjoyed this Christmas, there was much lurking in the back of my mind. I was only thankful Chronos had given me a break. I didn't think I could deal with a snotty god as well as boy troubles.

Fuck, never thought I'd use that phrase ever again. I had two to contend with this time. And neither of them were my fucking boyfriend. It was beyond ridiculous.

We played board games the rest of the evening. It ended up getting more competitive than regular board games should be. Especially after someone spiked the egg nog (although everyone noticed) and we all ended up drunk.

I was glad for this night. One decent night filled with decent people I could look back on later in life. I was wary of the coming days.

Though I was excited for the tournament I wasn't an utter fool. I knew it was going to be dangerous. It was nice, to just forget about that for a while.

As the night wore on I missed a certain person's presence. He stayed in my thoughts right up until the point my head hit my pillows.

. . .

I felt sick to my stomach. I tightened the bandages wrapped around the knuckles of each of my hands. I stretched again, trying to loosen my body to release some of the tension.

I could hear the din of a crowd as they gathered for the show. I hadn't realized how large the arena was. I was already psyching myself out. The only comfort I had was the person beside me.

As still as a statue but still managing to become comic relief, the man was careful not to look at me. Every single time he did I giggled. I couldn't help it. But he sure as hell didn't appreciate it nor did he find humor in his situation.

I nudged him and he growled at me, "Oh come on, you look fine," I said.

No he didn't, actually, poor Hiei. Kurama had bought him an outfit specifically for today. Not a single person had refused to attend. Everyone was too amped up about what could possibly happen. Even Koenma had made his royal presence known. Genkai and Yukina had also made the journey into the city just to support me.

Besides the fire demon, the rest were all together somewhere in the stands. I'd kicked them out of the locker room after Yusuke had caused a ruckus with another competitor. Only Hiei hadn't left with the rest of them. He didn't explain why, but I was thankful all the same.

Back to his outfit, he was at least wearing darker colors. Kurama had chosen for him a pair of dark wash jeans and dark grey long sleeved shirt. He was forced to leave his sword at my apartment. Although he'd put up such a fuss about it I'm amazed Kurama was able to change his mind. The jeans and shirt weren't what was causing my hilarity. It was the hat Kurama had "persuaded" him to wear. To cover both his hair and his Jagan eye, Hiei had a beanie over his head. It looked absurd on him.

It was picture worthy really, but I wished to keep my livelihood thank you very much.

Amusement at his clothing aside, I was still beginning to feel the inklings of panic. I took another deep breath and tried to settle my stomach.

"Are you finally scared, onna?"

I pinned him with a flat stare, "No, I get stage freight is all."

"Pathetic," he said.

"Listen, if you're going to be a jerk then leave."

"Hn," he grunted at me but didn't move a single inch.

"You're annoying," I snapped.

"I could say the same for you," he replied.

I tugged at my gi. I pulled the belt tighter around my waist, making sure the loose pants rested just right on my hips. In that split second of time Hiei managed to scare the wits out of me. He had appeared out of thin air before me. His eyes roamed my body, from feet to crown. When they came to rest on my face I frowned at him.

"What?" I asked, feeling self-conscious and a little defensive.

It was too warm in here, the air was stifling. I tugged at the collar of my gi, though the action was fruitless. I could still feel sweat leave a slick trail down my neck. To distract myself I tied my hair up into a ponytail.

"Be careful," he repeated the same words he had spoken to me the night of the ball.

It put a sense of foreboding deep within my belly. Some kind of hidden emotion crossed over Hiei's eyes and then he looked away. He proceeded towards the door of the locker room. Before he could open it I made a strangled noise in the back of my throat.

He stopped and turned to regard me with a raised eyebrow. I blushed; I hadn't meant to do that. But with the memory of the ball now fresh in my head I had the burning desire to ask him something.

"Hiei…" I started and then paused in uncertainty.

I wrung my hands and hung my head. My bangs fell forward to cover my eyes. This was stupid. I was stupid.

"Well, spit it out, baka."

I clenched my teeth at the insult but chose to ignore it. So there would be no doubts this time I looked him straight in the eye.

"Do you hate me?"

He turned back to the door and twisted the handle. As his body slipped through the gap he had created he paused once again.

"No…I don't."

With those final words he was gone, the door shutting behind him. My heart was hammering against my chest. His answer caused more anxiety than I had planned, I didn't understand my reaction.

I was happy he didn't hate me…that was all.

Yeah…that was all…sure.

I brushed the thoughts aside. I needed to concentrate. Today could become one of the most important days of my life.

But it could also become the most deadly.

. . .

A/N: And there is chapter 23! So the start of the tournament will be next chapter and I'm really excited for this part, but I hope my writing skills are up for the challenge. Writing fight scenes is NOT easy. Some big, plotty things are on the horizon though! I can't believe I have 125 reviews for this! It makes me so happy, so thank you to everyone for the support and for taking the time to read this story!