"5! 6!"

Yusuke was hunched over in the ring, bracing his weight on his legs and breathing heavily. His legs trembled as he tried to keep himself mostly vertical. Jin had crashed into the stands because of Yusuke's last attack. The dust was still settling from his impact.

Sayomi waited with held breath, waiting for Koto to finish the count. Please stay down, Jin! Don't get back –

Jin popped out of the rubble like a daisy. His eyes were wide open, slightly dazed from the blow.

"Yii!" Yusuke flinched back, taken off guard by the demon's sudden recovery.

Jin grinned as his usually spritely ears flopped downward. "Now that was a punch! Y-almost… knocked me…" Jin fell back into the rubble, unconscious.

"10!" Koto waved her arm towards a confused, yet relieved, Yusuke. "The count is over! Urameshi wins!"

"The Shadow Channelers are down to one!"

"That's pitiful! Pathetic!"

Sayomi let go of the breath she was holding in a large exhale. "Damn… That was a little too close for comfort. Huh?" A fat old man in a suit caught Sayomi's eye as he waddled down the stairs in the stands and gained Risho's attention. She narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice. "What the hell are they planning?"

"Next contender, step forward!" Koto turned to the last cloaked figure with the diamond on his hood.

The fighter removed the cloak and revealed himself to be a skinny man with black hair cut into a short bob. He had dark circles under his eyes, but Sayomi couldn't tell if it was natural or done with make-up. She could tell, however, that his long nose was not fake. He wore black full-body tights with an orange sash and shawl. Bandages wrapped around his lower legs.

Risho stepped into the ring and raised a finger as he said, "Permit me to predict…" He moved his hand to curl just under his chin as he smirked down at Yusuke. "…That you will lose without touching me."

"Say what?" Yusuke growled.

"Begin!" Koto announced.

"Let's challenge that prediction!" Yusuke gritted his teeth and glared as he dashed for Risho. The ninja only smirked at Yusuke, making no move to run or defend.

"Stop the match!" A woman's voice crackled through the stadium speakers.

Yusuke tripped over his feet at the sudden order to stop and landed on his head. The crowd of spectators seemed just as confused. Hiei and Sayomi glared up at the box office that was stationed above the regular seats. Yusuke recovered from his fall and rubbed his head where he fell.

"We have an objection from the VIP seats!" Koto explained, just as surprised as the rest.

"Oh no… Not this again!" Yusuke growled as he got back to his feet.

"I knew it. That fat-ass was planning something." Sayomi flexed her hands, holding herself back from acting out. He better pray to whatever he believes in that he doesn't cross paths with me. I don't need to kill him, but he'll beg me to.

The speakers crackled as the woman continued. "It has been decided that when Urameshi fell out of bounds in the previous match, the referee did not proceed with the count at the regulation pace! In short, she was slow! After considering the matter…"

"Huh? Me?!" Koto pointed at herself, baffled by the accusation. "Count too slow?!"

"…The committee has ruled the match between Urameshi and Jin a draw!" The announcer finished with authority. Yusuke could only stare up at them, stunned with the ruling against them. The fans murmured among themselves over the call.

"Didya get that?"

"Both of 'em ruled out of bounds?"

"Did the count seem slow t' you?"

"Nope… 'Bout right, I thought…"

"So Urameshi's been eliminated?"

"Yeah! And with Hiei and the Masked Fighter out of the running, and none of their teammates are dead so they can't use their alternate, there's only one guy left… and that's Risho!"

"If that's so, then… Team Urameshi has lost?"

"Team Urameshi has lost?"

"That's right! They lost!"

The crowd slowly came to the conclusion and they began to get riled with excitement. Risho just stood with his arms crossed and a smug smirk. "Heh… Exactly."

"Oh, come on!" Sayomi growled. "That's the lamest scam yet! Let me take a whack at him! He won't look so smug once I'm done with him." There was a painful groan behind her that drew her attention from the ring. "What —?"

"Go ahead – " Risho walked towards Koto, forcing her to take a couple steps back. "Announce their defeat."

"I-I challenge the claim!" Koto tried to stop the unjustified call. "Please reconsider your ruling!"

"No appeals! The ruling stands!" The committee shot down her plead.

"Risho!"

The ninja turned to see Toya standing next to Gama's corpse on the side of the ring. The Ice Master applied pressure to his bleeding stomach as he struggled to stand. "What kind of victory is this? Gama died fighting, while you – "

Risho turned up his nose and looked down at his teammate. "This doesn't suit you? What a shame. We're here to win, period. And the best way to win is with the least amount of effort and bloodshed."

"Unh…" Toya glared at Risho, but his pain made it less effective.

Risho turned back to Koto and reached for her as he advanced on her. "You heard the decision! Announce it! Or shall we eject you and get a new referee?"

Koto smacked his hand away and growled at him, annoyed with her orders. Then Yusuke stepped up behind her to glare at Risho. "So you'd rather have things handed to you than earn 'em, huh? What a wimp!"

"Hmph…" Risho smirked down at Yusuke, unintimidated by the detective's glare.

"Let it go, Yusuke." The detective turned to Hiei under the medical tent. All of his physical wounds were healed. "As you see, this tournament's a sorry joke. They clearly don't respect the rules…" Sayomi turned to the fire demon as he began to emit an intense dark aura. "… So we'll make them respect us! Let the strong survive, no holds barred!"

"He's not kidding!" Luka angrily shouted at the VIP seats. "And he's got the power to back it up! I can't hold him!"

"You're right, Hiei…" Yusuke clenched his fists tightly, ignoring his popping knuckles. "I'm fed up with this crap, too! These guys want mayhem?! We'll give 'em mayhem!"

Sayomi smirked to herself as she let the adrenaline build in her system. "Are we really doing this? Because I hope we are." She began concentrating her aura to her weapon.

"Hey…" The crowd had hushed down with the building tension. "This sounds good!"

Koto waved her arm towards Risho and reluctantly spoke into her mic. "Much as I hate to say this… Team Urameshi is out of contention! The Shadow Channelers are…"

"A bunch of lily-livered bums!" Everyone turned to the voice in shock. Kuwabara was standing tall despite the bruises that still covered his body. "That's what I say, anyway! Ya'll forget about li'l ol' me?"

"K-Kuwabara!" Yusuke exclaimed with angry concern.

"'At's right." Kuwabara slowly made his way to the ring, being very mindful of his wounds.

"You're still around, huh?" Hiei remarked, annoyed with the boy's stubbornness.

"You bet yer – " Kuwabara was cut off as he felt his side twinge in pain. He quickly applied light pressure and squatted down to the grass as he broke out in a sweat.

"Idiot!" Sayomi yelled angrily at the teen. "Don't you dare put my work to waste! If you break something again, I'm not healing it!"

Yusuke jumped down from the ring and confronted his friend. "Listen to Sayomi! You're in no shape for this, ya moron! You're a mass of hurt from that poundin' ya got!"

Kuwabara ignored his pain to look up at Yusuke. "Tell me somethin' I don't know… and tell me you really wanna sink t' their level at this point. Not that I blame you…" Kuwabara smirked weakly. "I'd love to bust this place open myself! But can't we show these cheatin' scum that even at our worst, we're better?"

"If you win." Hiei commented from the sidelines.

"You just watch, shorty!" Kuwabara yelled at the cynical apparition.

Sayomi sighed and crossed her arms, her sickle dangling from her hand. He has no idea just who he's talking to, does he?

Kuwabara glared at Risho as he hobbled into the ring. Although his internal wounds were healed, his body was still bruised and sore. His bones popped at the joints with every step he took.

"Contestants forward!" Koto announced, relieved for Team Urameshi's come-back.

Sayomi watched Kuwabara, tightening her grip on her weapon. Is he crazy? He can barely stand let alone fight. Just don't get yourself killed, Kuwabara.

"Is this a death wish or pure stupidity?" Risho asked his opponent with a superior smirk.

"What difference does it make?" Kuwabara gritted his teeth, biting back the urge to show how much pain he was in. "Let's do it!"

"Begin!" Koto announced.

"Mph…" Risho lowered into a stance, biding his time.

"Any bets on how quick the human dies?"

"With all the reversals we've seen? Fat chance!"

"Whoever wins, his team moves to the semifinals!"

"Mash 'im up, Kuwabara! Bust his smirkin', cheatin' butt!" Yusuke yelled angrily, cheering on his friend to shut everyone up.

"Heh…" Risho smirked, leaving himself open as he beckoned for Kuwabara to start. "Take your shot."

"Thanks! I'd be delighted!" Kuwabara charged forward. He extended his hand, gathering his aura to summon his sword. His energy converged then dispersed before it could manifest. Kuwabara gasped when he felt his energy leave and he couldn't stop himself from swinging down with an empty fist.

Risho jumped out of the way and countered with a solid kick to the back of Kuwabara's head.

"Gack!" Kuwabara fell over forward, landing on his head and rolling over onto his back. "Unh… Shee…" Kuwabara struggled back to his feet and held up his hand. He clenched his teeth, trying to focus his aura. "I… Can't make… my Aura Sword!"

"What?!" Yusuke clenched his teeth, shocked by Kuwabara's disadvantage.

"This is not good." Sayomi watched angrily, holding herself in place to keep from jumping in. "I told him not to put my healing to waste. Now he's taking all the hits and he can't even fight back!"

Risho took advantage of Kuwabara's distraction and delivered another kick.

"Gaah!" Kuwabara was knocked down on his back, causing some of his wounds to open again and start bleeding.

Risho let him stagger back to his feet enough to throttle him with consecutive punches. "Left! Right!" Risho laughed as Kuwabara screamed and coughed up blood, too tired to even block.

"It's no mystery why you can't summon your sword! Your body's already taken a huge amount of punishment…" Risho threw a straight punch across Kuwabara's jaw. "…So your aura is totally absorbed in healing!"

"Huff… Huff…" Kuwabara was covered in blood and sweat as he heaved and fought through his exhaustion. "S-so you…"

"Feh!" Risho threw a kick up to Kuwabara's chin.

Kuwabara refused to stay down. He struggled back to his knees, glaring up at Risho with defiance. Risho gritted his teeth as he glared down at the beaten boy. "You're tough, human, but I tire of this!"

Risho jumped out of the ring and said, "Time you saw what it means to be the Earth Master!"

Koto watched Risho curiously as she brought up her mic. "Risho's delaying his attack! What's he up to…?" She gasped when she saw the ground rise from his feet and conform to Risho's body. "He's summoning the dirt… to cover his body!"

"Carnage Earth Battle Armor!" Before long, Risho was protected by solid clay covered in spikes. His torso was completely covered along with his shoulders. Large shards of earth protected his upper thighs and groin. His lower legs and forearms were all guarded as well. Finally, his head was protected with a helmet with three large spikes on top.

"Brace yourself for the…" Risho locked eyes with Kuwabara, then lunged forward at full-speed. "…Bomber Tackle!"

Kuwabara was tackled to the ground. The spikes in the armor punctured small holes that bled freely all over his torso. He landed spread out on his back, struggling to breathe through the blood and pain.

Yusuke was speechless as he watched his friend take a worse beating than before.

Sayomi's eyes darkened as her knuckles turned white. Just stay down, Kuwabara…

"He's down!" Koto began to count off her fingers. "1! 2!"

"Well…" Risho smirked as he slid a glance down at his opponent. "So much for…" His eyes snapped open and his words were caught in his throat. He tried to speak, but his mind was too scrambled to form a coherent thought. "What the… Eh? What's…?"

Blood spilled on the stadium floor as Kuwabara slowly pushed himself back to his feet. He ignored the blood on his face and the bruises covering his body. He trembled on his feet, but he refused to back down.

"You idiot! Stay down!" Risho shouted in a shrill voice.

"And lose? Uh-uh!" Kuwabara kept his eyes on his opponent, standing his ground. "I'm stayin' in the game, even if it kills me. And if it's a draw, we go to overtime. Either way, Sayomi or Yusuke'll mop you up."

"Ulp…" Risho swallowed the lump in his throat. "He means it…"

Kuwabara slid a glance back to his team, reaching out to each of them telepathically. Hiei… you're a jerk, but you've got the right stuff. Kurama… I've gotten this far thanks to you. Sayomi… thanks for patchin' me up all the time. Masked Fighter… still no idea who you are, but you've got the right stuff, too. Yusuke… Kuwabara smirked as he locked eyes with long-time rival. …knead 'im good for me!

"Kuwabara?!" Yusuke was weary about what Kuwabara had planned.

"Stop trying to play the hero!" Sayomi's vision began to blur and she tried to blink the tears away. This is like Yusuke at the Labyrinth Castle all over again! And Yasuhiro…

Kuwabara braced himself, clenching his fists and crouching a bit. "Here I come!" Kuwabara yelled as he charged directly at Risho.

"This has to be it!" Hiei watched, unable to believe his stubborn will.

"Kuwabara!" Sayomi growled, the tears spilling despite her efforts.

"Don't do this!" Yusuke yelled desperately.

Kuwabara ignored them all as he sprinted towards his target, his face set with resolve. Just as he was closing in, his expression did a complete 180-degree flip to stunned recognition. He tried to see past Risho, oblivious to his opponent's fist aiming down at him.

Risho glared, annoyed with Kuwabara's sudden loss of focus. "Hey, moron! I'm over here!"

"Git outta my face!" Kuwabara swung a powerful backhand with his left fist. The attack was strong enough to send Risho crashing into the top level of the stands. Without acknowledging Risho's demise, Kuwabara grinned and focused on an unexpected visitor in the stands just behind the wall. "Yukina! You're here!"

"Kazuma! Are you all right?!" The ice maiden called out, worried for the beat up teen. Botan, Keiko, Atsuko, and his sister Shizuru were standing next to her.

"Ha ha…" Kuwabara laughed and flexed his right bicep. "Never better!"

"Holy… jeeps, Kuwabara!" Yusuke's eye twitched, surprised by the big lug's instant recovery.

Sayomi blinked her eyes dry. Guess he's okay…

"She's here?" Hiei's eyes widened at the ice maiden's sudden attendance. He didn't even bother to realize when Luka dropped her force field after Koto's count ended.

"Team Urameshi will now advance to the semifinals!" Koto announced enthusiastically.

"That was too close…" Luka retreated as far away as she could, trying to catch her breath from restraining the fire demon.

Sayomi smirked as she followed just behind Hiei, trailing behind the rest of their team. Yusuke was helping Kurama across the field. Kuwabara led the group with his hand in his pocket, trying to look strong and able in front of a certain fan. The Masked Fighter walked just ahead of Yusuke and Kurama with her hands behind her back.

Shortly after they walked back into the tunnel, Hiei stopped walking and held fast to Sayomi's wrist. She stopped instantly and shot him a curious look with an arched brow. Unlike the last time, his grip was just firm enough to demand obedience. Hiei simply watched their teammates disappear and waited for their voices to distort with the echo.

He let go of her wrist and turned to face her directly. "She shouldn't be here."

It took Sayomi a brief moment to realize who he was talking about. "Well, don't look at me. I didn't tell her anything."

Hiei glared at her for a moment, gauging her body language and comparing it to the tone of her voice. He eventually decided she was being honest so he closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.

Sayomi tilted her head in curiosity, but she kept her mouth shut. If I push for answers, it'll only make him that much more defensive about it. Best to let him think his words through. Her eyes lingered on the shirtless swordsman. Hmm… He's actually in pretty good shape now that I get a good look at him. So many scars…

A minute passed before he spoke, his eyes still closed. "I've decided on a favor. I want you to keep Yukina safe so long as she's here."

"What do you mean?" Sayomi asked curiously.

"If she's here, she could easily become a target for any demon or human. I'm going to be busy fighting in the ring and I can't protect her from there." He opened his eyes and stared directly at Sayomi. She found herself unable to look away, though she vaguely realized that she didn't really want to. "We can handle ourselves enough to hold off on the healing until after the matches. So long as she's here, she will be under your watch."

"Why can't you watch over her? Isn't that why you got the Evil Eye?" Sayomi recalled her brother and couldn't imagine taking that kind of bond away from him or Yukina.

"I believe it was your idea to carry out a favor of my choice in exchange for training you." Hiei gave her no room to argue. "If there is a chance you're needed, I will let you know otherwise."

"Isn't the next match going to be the semi-finals? Who's to say I won't be needed ring-side after the first match? You can't deny that everyone has been hurt in every round, including you. Besides, if anything happens, I can be by her side instantly. The stands are covered in shadows, hers included."

Hiei glared at her, not giving her the benefit of an answer.

"I'm sticking with you guys. Besides, I feel too out of place around other girls." Sayomi closed her eyes and recalled her time with the monks. Not really the best place to learn to be one…

"Is that what bothers you? Other women?" Hiei smirked as an idea crossed his mind.

"Let's just say I don't have much experience with them. So far, can't say I like most of what I've seen." Feeling uncomfortable with the topic, she decided to change it. "How's your arm?"

"Completely healed. It seems that woman had some skill after all." He held out his right hand. There was no sign of the burn from just two days ago.

"Right." Sayomi narrowed her eyes and turned to leave with her hands in her pockets. "Because you didn't need any healing from me, you had to be restrained by some whore's barrier."

"My intention was to get through the matches without any assistance. As you said, I needed to be forced." Hiei smirked and walked up behind Sayomi as she slowed to a stop. "Does it bother you that another woman healed my arm?"

She could feel his body heat radiating against her back. He wasn't touching her, but he might as well have. Sayomi tried to ignore it and focus on his question. She kept her voice steady, but her annoyance managed to trickle through. "Just calling it as I see it. At least you're back at 100%, right? I'll fetch her next time you cripple yourself."

"Heh." Hiei chuckled. "That won't be necessary." He stepped around her and made his way down the tunnel with his hands in his pockets. "Be ready to train tomorrow."

Sayomi watched his retreating figure until he disappeared in the darkness. She felt cold now that he was no longer close to her. She leaned back against the wall, tilting her head back, and closed her eyes.

Why would we train if he doesn't even want me near the ring? It would make more sense if he trained with Kurama or on his own. She took a deep inhale as she felt her muscles stiffen. Then, she released the tension as she slowly exhaled.

And what was that just now, anyway? He seemed to actually be enjoying himself for a moment. Sayomi absently caressed her wrist where the warmth from his grip lingered. Is it because I don't know how to be a girl? From what I've seen, most of them seem pretty helpless in a fight… or is there more to it than that? How would I even know?

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, trying to banish the thoughts. Why does it even matter? We're here to win a tournament and go home. She pushed off the wall and made her way to the hotel room.