Chapter 5

"Wings"

Preliminary rounds weren't over yet, and Koren learned she had about five more fights before reaching the first round, which would take place that same day. It was imperative she conserved her strength and take full advantage of the hour break after the prelim fights. She had no doubt that her fights were going to become more challenging further into the tournament. Nervous energy grew in her, and she could feel her trapped wings fight against her enchantment. She shifted her shoulders in attempts to ease the annoying sensation, but it never left.

She was also steering clear of the men that were apparently looking for her. Especially the one with the intuitive eyes. She kept herself hidden in the dark corridors away from the crowd. Shes should known that wouldn't have worked for long...

"A bit nervous, are we," a sophisticated and soothing voice came from the mouth of the hallway. Koren hid her surprise as the red-head rounded the corner coming into full view. The very man she wanted to avoid stood before her only a few feet away. Sage eyes regarded her with caution. When had he found her? She hadn't picked up on his energy at all until he made himself known. This did not bode well for Koren. These men were dangerous.

"Not nervous," she finally answered after a long silence, "...distrust and caution are the parents of security."

The man smiled and slightly tilted his head sideways as if that helped him see her more clearly. Koren suddenly felt embarrassed at how intently he stared at her. Rhiannon had warned her about the fits of passion males of this worlds could erupt into. Taking what wasn't theirs. Was this man capable of the same crime?

"I don't recognize you from the last tournament. Am I right to assume this is your first time entering," he asked casually.

Should she answer him? He could very well be testing her seeing if she would slip up and reveal too much about herself. She had no doubts that he was clever enough to do so. Since that was the case she made no response. Blue eyes met green ones coldly. He chuckled.

"You hold true to your earlier statement," he said. Much to Koren's surprise he turned to walk away. Before he did so he added, "My name is Kurama, by the way. Perhaps will see each other in the ring."

Kurama...She hadn't expected anyone to introduce themselves. Names were intimate. They familiarized you with someone and them a person. Not a stranger you would have to defeat in order to honor your mission. Names also gave the you the power to learn more about the person even their weaknesses. A simple mention of that person's name, and another could have dirt on he or she. Sharing her name was not wise, yet her sensitive nature tempted her to make a connection with this Kurama.

"Koren," she blurted out, "...my name is Koren..."

She closed her eyes realizing her mistake. Kurama had not left yet, but she couldn't meet his eyes again. She could feel him analyzing her and knew that he was putting as much information on top of her name as he could.

"A pleasure," his soft voice entered her ears. She opened her eyes to see he was gone.

"Koren, huh? That doesn't sound very scary." Leave it to Kuwabara to state the unnecessary.

"Yeah, and apparently angels just look like the ones westerners stick on those pine trees," Yusuke added seemingly not impressed. He had honestly hoped for giants with armor and massive weapons. If he was going to fight angels, he wanted it to be epic. According to Kurama, this angel looked like what most would think. Painfully human (aside from the aura and scent) with long blond hair, baby blue eyes, and possibly the most innocent looking creature Kurama had ever seen. Yusuke was bummed out, but that was due mostly to ignorance.

"It is not wise to let our guards down. We know nothing about angels; thus, we don't what this Koren's true form could actually be," Kurama told the two hiding his annoyance. Yusuke and Kuwabara's carefree demeanor changed into the correct concern they should have had at the start. The two certainly hadn't thought of the angel concealing her identity.

"Are you for sure she's even the angel," Kuwabara asked. Typically when Kurama hand a hunch about something he wasn't wrong. Still, Kuwabara didn't see how a girl giving her name, which he considered just a common courtesy, suddenly made her a species everyone thought didn't exist.

"Her scent," Kurama said simply, "it's neither human or demon."

"Not much to choose from then," Yusuke mumbled with a shrug.

"Okay, fine! She's an angel. What are we supposed to do now," Kuwabara demanded clearly exasperated. He was tired of being the only one who didn't have "tingly demon" senses. Scent? What the hell would angels smell like anyway? What aggravated him even more was the fact that he didn't get any warning signals from her. What's the use having psychic abilities if they didn't always work?

"There's not much we can do now," Kurama concluded, "We must first win our matches."

With that, the three parted away to finish their preliminary rounds.

Koren finished her fights with ease. None of her opponents were as cunning as the first, so she was able to end each one rather quickly. She did try to make the most of the fights by practicing the "body shield" techniques Artaxes taught her. After diligent training and discipline Artaxes had been able to make his body as resilient as the strongest stone. Weapons and specialized attacks deflected of his marble body with a single scratch. Koren wasn't able to perfect it, which is why the first demon was able to pierce her stomach. She was able to local the areas on her body to protect them when she saw an attack coming. The problem with that was it required a lot of concentration, and she knew there would be times she wouldn't see an assault before it was too late.

"In time," Koren softly said to herself. She entered the arena once more surrounded by the audience. Somewhere in the crowd would be the remaining forty or so fighters. Since she had time she decided to take a look at the food stands and little shops that were set up around the arena. Fascinated she took her time looking at the objects like they were pieces of fine art. Things so mysterious and beautiful...Angels were simple beings and needed very little to be content. Music was a favorite past time, and their instruments made with great care. Koren looked at an eloquently cut stone the color of golden honey and couldn't think of a single item in the angel realm that could compare to it.

She decided that she probably should eat something for energy but was dismayed when all she saw her cuts of meat. Wrinkling her nose she moved on in hopes to find something closer to her diet. Most of the limited plant life in her homeland were fruits that angels worked together to grow. Constant warm light and an angel's promise to keep crops thoroughly watered produced hefty harvests of giant fruit. There was always enough to go around, and Koren had never heard of a time of famine. Now, it may seem like living on fruit alone wouldn't give one the proper nutrients, but angel fruit is vastly different from the fruit in the human and demon worlds. Appearance, taste, texture, and nutrients unlike any human had seen before.

Koren craved her favorite food. Her mouth watered at the memory of it's creamy blue and red speckled flesh, the sweet and spicy taste, and smooth texture. Her search came up search of anything that could satisfy such a craving, but she did find one vendor that wasn't selling meat. Eyeballing the brown lump of whatever she just purchased Koren questioned how hungry she really was. She rubbed the dust covered food on her tights leaving a rusty brown color against the black fabric before bravely taking a bite. It was bland and starchy, and it left a gross film against her teeth. Painfully she swallowed the first bite. Despite the vile taste she felt pangs of hunger start to dissipate, so she forced herself to eat the rest of the food.

"ATTENTION FIGHTERS," it was the same announcer as before, "THE BRACKETS FOR THE FIRST ROUND ARE HERE." Immediately following the page the screens showed said brackets. Her name and picture were attached to someone named Jin. She stared at his picture next to hers. Eyes as blue as angel skies caught her attention first then she noticed the fiery red hair that stuck out wildly. A pearly white horn stuck out from the center of his head, and she could make out little fangs that were too long to stay hidden in his closed mouth. Even from a picture Koren could tell this Jin was a whirly and energetic creature. He could be her first real challenge.

First round would begin in fifteen minutes, and Koren was genuinely excited.

"Oi, Urameshi, ya don' think I can handle the lass," Jin asked the ex-detective with mock anger. He had a brawny armed slung around Yusuke, and the two wouldn't stop giggling at each other like a bunch of school girls.

"Ow," Yusuke laughed, "I'm not saying that. I'm just saying don't be careless. I want a rematch with you, but that can't happen if you get your ass handed to you!" At that Jin got riled up, and the two wrestled each other. Touya, the calmer shinobi compared to Jin, had his arms crossed looking somber. It seemed he took Yusuke's warning more seriously. Turning to Kurama he asked,

"Who is this fighter that has you so cautious?"

"We don't know anything for sure," Kurama answered choosing his words carefully. There was no need to get everyone involved. "Koenma has requested we keep an eye out for a fighter with worrisome reasons for entering this tournament." Touya looked cooly at Kurama knowing that the fox demon was concealing much but said nothing.

"Well, whoever the lady is she sure is pretty," Rinku whistled, his hands behind his head as he nonchalantly stared at the picture of this Koren.

"Aye," Jin agreed finally releasing Yusuke from a choke hold, "that she is. But looks won't get her a point. She better be packing a wallop if she's goin to beat ol' Jin, that's what I say."

The wind master's pointed ears wiggled with excitement.

Koren made her way to her fight. This time it would take place in an actual ring that was set apart from the arena itself. Cameramen were nearby on their platforms, and Koren made an effort to not look their way. She was surprised to see Jin already waiting for her. He looked happy to see her, which she thought was a bit odd, with a slight smile on his face. His open eyes looked determined, though, and Koren suspected she was in for a whirlwind. As she got closer she noticed just how big the demon truly was. Muscles taut and his height made it seem like he towered over her. He was formidable.

"I'll admit, ya don't look like much," Jin said in an accent Koren didn't recognize, "but somethin' tells me you'd give a boyo a run for his money." She hadn't expected a compliment, and that along with the demon's charming accent caused Koren to smile. In return, Jin gave her a giant grin.

"I'm looking forward to fighting you, sir," she told him happily. "I am sure you'll be quite the opponent as well." He was different from the others, and she came to realize you couldn't put all demons under one label. They were as different from each other as she was from most of her angel companions.

"BEGIN," the announcer's voice rang out. Not wasting any time Koren charged towards Jin with a fist ready. Jin must have not scared easily because he didn't move an inch as Koren came up on him. Once he was in range, Koren swung her arm only for her target to jump and dodge her. No, not jump, fly. Jin took to the air and kept going until he was hidden high above the clouds. Koren hadn't expected this development, and the flightless angel was somewhat jealous of the wind wielder. Seeing the demon go airborne made the irritation underneath her back yearn to join him.

Jin was coming back, and wrapped around his right arm was a whirling angry air. As he got closer, Koren could feel the power coming from his attack. She didn't know what to do since she had not perfected Artaxes' training; the powerful wind would do more damage than she was prepared to face. She also knew that the demon could keep himself safe and could attack on his terms leaving her at his mercy. She didn't have time to come up with a strategy. Besides, Sariel never said her wings had to stay hidden for long.

She released the enchantment, and her wings wasted no time breaking free. There was no pain, and her body would immediately heal the wounds her wings caused anyway. It felt like an itch finally being scratched. It was amazing. For the first time since entering demon world Koren felt whole. Right. As she should be. Jin looked flabbergasted but didn't stop his attack. Koren smiled and took the sky away from Jin's wind.

Due to his momentum Jin couldn't redirect his Tornado Fist; thus, he had to waste it on the ground below. Rocks and dust flew everywhere, and Koren even had to dodge a decent sized clod of dirt. After releasing his attack Jin immediately took the air to face Koren.

"Wasn't expectin' that," Jin exclaimed, "You were hidin' those wings of yours all this time?" Koren gave a reserved smile. She liked Jin, but she respected Sariel and her angels more. She wouldn't betray their trust. Jin took note of her silence and decided to let it go. "Ah, no biggie. Ready to keep goin?"

Koren nodded then the two went into a flury of punches, kicks, blocks, and dodges. They gracefully moved through the air the entire fight. They would corkscrew, spiral, fly parallel to each other, and even succumb to gravity to free fall until the last minute to take to the air again. Whenever Jin landed a punch Koren's body would restore instantly. Jin just had to suffer, and he couldn't fly away to catch a breath. Koren was on his tail constantly. At this rate he wouldn't make it much longer.

I can't lose again, Jin thought remembering the last tournament, not when I want to fight Urameshi!

With new determination Jin broke away from Koren then proceeded to make two Tornado Fists one encompassing either arm. Koren kept her distance, but Jin charged intent on closing the distance and ending the battle with a final blow. The air around them grew violent forcing Koren to fight to regain control of her wings as they tried to twist in opposite directions or close completely. She could have run, but knowing Jin would only relentlessly follow she allowed him to release the first fist. The impact flew her back as her body tore and contorted due to the strong wing. It all happened too fast for her body to restore itself, and she had to keep her wings close to her body resulting in her tumbling to the ground.

Fortunately, Artaxes and Rhiannon weren't the only two who trained Koren. Sariel taught her something crucial- spirit energy. He told her that the fighters in the human and demon worlds used this type of energy, and it was imperative she learn it as well. As she harvested her energy it manifested into a white aura, which she cast out into Jin's whirlwind until it dispersed into nothing. All this happened in a matter of seconds. Jin was on his way with the second fist. Koren was only a few feet from the ground. Unable to use her wings to catch her fall she resorted to her spirit energy to land her safely on the ground but doing so cost her. She hadn't meant to use so much energy so soon.

She had enough for one attack only. Extending her left hand out towards Jin using her index finger to pinpoint him exactly she made a sweeping motion with her other arm leaving a trail of energy. She pulled her right arm back taking a position of an archer. White aura flicked and fluttered like a flame. *Lahat Chets, she named it. As she released it she silently prayed to her angels that it wouldn't miss.

Jin hadn't expected her to escape his attack, recover from her fall so quickly, or be able to retaliate. He didn't have enough time to counter the attack. Pride also had something to do with it since he saw how easily she handled his attack that he wanted to do the same to hers. That wasn't wise he would soon learn. The arrow of energy hit him feeling unlike anything he had ever felt before. His entire body felt like it was burned by a thousand suns, and his spirit energy dried up. Weakened he was unable to keep himself from falling.

Koren caught him before he even dropped. He was unconscious, and Koren was declared the winner.

Jin's friends watched the end of the fight with shocked silence. Jin had gotten significantly stronger since they first met him during the Dark Tournament and even then he was a worthy opponent. The fact he was defeated so easily was a red flag in all their minds. Then there was the obvious...

"Um, yeah, I think she's the one," Kuwabara blurted out finally.

"No kidding," Yusuke snapped. He finally understood the Koenma's paranoia. He could make all the jokes he wanted, but at the end of the day angels were strong sons-of-bitches.

"We should plan our next move," Kurama said looking concerned.

From another part of the stadium, Hiei watched the fight as well but showed no emotion.

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I had a difficult time getting motivated to write it and a hard time figuring out where I wanted this to go. I knew I wanted Koren to meet Kurama because I want to get her more involved with the guys to get the ball rollin'. I also always want to add in things that help make Koren a more well-rounded character especially by sharing aspects of the angels and how I want them portrayed in this story. It's not always easy doing this part because it takes a lot of imagination that I usually don't have.

I hope you can appreciate the fight scene, and my portrayal of Jin. I just love him so much, so I wanted to do him justice!

*Lahat Chets (Lai'-hat khayts) came from putting the Hebrew transliteration of "flaming" and "arrow" together. I used .

As far as Sensaina goes, I am currently at a loss where I want her character to fit in. Please, be patient with me as she's randomly plugged in at times.

I wanted to get this out before the weekend, so it may seemed sloppy and rushed. I apologize for that. I'm going to New York City for the weekend, so I won't be working on this story for a few days. I hope this will suffice for a bit!

As always, thank you for taking time out of your day to read this. Please review letting me know your thoughts and if you have any ideas that would help further the plot line. Anything you share will just make my day : )

If I don't post again in time...HAPPY HOLIDAYS!