Team Urameshi had no time to celebrate their victory over Dr. Ichigaki's Team before they had to confront the Shadow Channelers. In the face of blatantly biased interference on the part of Tournament HQ, the battle came down to a face-off between the Shadow Channelers captain Risho and a badly mauled Kuwabara! Against all odds, Kuwabara triumphed! The reason? Unanticipated inspiration! Finally given a moment to breathe, the guys get together with the girls.
"I just don't get why we had to – " Sayomi yawned, not bothering to hide her fatigue. "Leave at the crack of dawn. The sun isn't even up yet."
"We only have one day to train before the next match." Hiei walked ahead of her at a leisurely pace. He was wearing his usual cloak and his hands stayed in his pockets. "And we still want to catch the matches later today so we can be prepared."
Sayomi reluctantly followed after him through the dark woods. "And why do I need to train with you? Why not get Kurama?"
"The fox is doing his own training. When was the last time you meditated?" Hiei kept his eyes forward as he spoke to her.
Sayomi scowled and said, "You know when. It was when Yasuhiro showed up."
"And you're going to let him stop you?"
"Well…" Sayomi sighed as she thought her words through. "He said that at the rate I was going, I was only going to speed up the process. I figured I'd play it safe."
"And you believe him."
"He hasn't given me reason not to. The last time I saw him, he really wasn't himself. Now, he seems in control again." Sayomi found herself getting somewhat defensive. He's my brother. Of course I can trust him. "Besides, you trust Yukina, don't you?"
"What does she have to do with anything?"
"Well, you know." Sayomi slipped her hands into her pockets and shrugged. "Siblings and all that. You never doubted her for a second."
"Yukina is nothing like that coward." Hiei stopped and turned to glare at Sayomi. "You've thought your brother was dead for how long now? And you said he wasn't in control before. What makes you think he's sane now?"
Sayomi stopped walking and glared back. "Does Yukina think you're dead? Or does she even realize she has a brother? Is that why you won't tell her?"
"You should leave her out of this if you want to survive the day." Hiei turned to leave, not giving her a choice in the matter.
Sayomi didn't follow him. She watched him walk away and let the surrounding shadows creep over her. I'm not the one with a match to prepare for. She smirked and made her way in the opposite direction of the swordsman.
Who does he think he is anyway? Telling me whether or not to trust my own brother given the way he treats Yukina. He won't even tell the poor girl who he is. Sayomi wandered around the woods aimlessly, not caring where she went. Granted yeah, I thought he was dead this whole time, but you can't blame me. He probably thought I was dead until recently, too.
Sayomi looked around and noticed the shadows were beginning to fade. "Guess I'm awake now…" She sighed and walked until she found a good enough clearing. "…But I don't know what to do besides go back to sleep. I'm sure Yusuke and Kuwabara are enjoying their mornings in bed."
She settled on a fallen tree trunk and enjoyed the nature around her. Human World nature is so peaceful compared to the Demon Plane. I don't have to stay on my guard as much, and it smells so much nicer. But then, I don't really belong here, do I? I'm just here to pay a debt. But, once that's done, where do I go? I can't go back to the monks. The whole point of doing this is so I can leave all that behind.
Sayomi took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She closed her eyes as she began to relax her muscles. So, what about Yusuke? He'll be leaving this world behind. Kurama is already settled here in the Human World with his family. Hiei is stuck here on probation but I doubt that will keep him down for too long. Kuwabara is pure human so he'll probably just go back to a normal human life. Everyone will have to part ways sooner or later, right?
Sayomi let her mind wander as she felt herself become immersed in the void of her subconscious. She was walking through the darkness, going nowhere. There was nothing to see and nothing to feel. She knew she was walking on something solid, but she couldn't feel any texture. It was just black. Even without infrared vision, she could see herself just fine.
"Once I pay off my debt, what will I do?" Her voice echoed around her and faded off into silence. "Go back with Yasuhiro? But what if Hiei's right and he is different from what I remember?"
Images began to flash before her in the dark. She froze and couldn't look away. "These are…"
Soon, the darkness began to fade away. Sayomi found herself back in the Demon Plane. It was dark and humid. Large, tropical plants were sprouting around her and she felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
"Keep yourself hidden, Sayomi. This is gonna be a real scream."
She froze when she realized she was wearing her cloak again and her hood was hanging just over her eyes. She turned to her left to see her brother dressed similarly. He was smirking at something straight ahead through the trees. She snapped her attention to the same direction when she heard the rustle of leaves.
She felt the shadows slink over her and distort her physical shape. She could feel herself trembling in place, anxious to escape. "Hiro…" she whispered.
"Shhh…" Yasuhiro kept his eyes forward, the smirk never leaving his face. "Just sit tight. If one of them slips through, just get as far away as you can. Don't look back. I'll find you." He patted her head before he stealthily made his way through the brush, using the dark to veil himself like his sister.
Sayomi tried to keep him in sight, but soon he was gone. She tried to breathe quietly, but she couldn't keep herself from flinching at every small sound. She squeaked when she heard an angry shout become fearful screaming. She covered her ears and curled into herself to make herself less noticeable. They can't see me… They can't see me…
The screams increased as more hunters stumbled through Yasuhiro's path. Eventually, his laughter began to overshadow the screams.
Sayomi felt tears slide down her face as she tried to keep quiet. Don't see me…
She heard a twig snap just off to her right and she snapped her eyes over to see a tall, dark figure with her infrared view. He was sweeping his eyes over her, searching for any sign of movement. Sayomi held her breath as she slowly tried to sneak away.
Suddenly, a black shadow slithered over the figure and he tried to fight it off. The shadow covered him like a second skin, making his temperature slightly colder, and his eyes dilated as he began to scream.
Sayomi jumped back and began to take off running in the opposite direction. She rushed by trees and her cloak would tear as it snagged on the occasional twig or branch. Her breathing became labored and her sides began to burn, but she pushed herself on. She didn't want to think about what was happening behind her.
The memory began to fade back into the void and Sayomi found herself in a cold sweat and out of breath. She sat down and focused on regaining control of herself.
"What the hell…?" Her eyes were wide open as the memory replayed in her head with fresh clarity. She tried to shake the image away. "But that was so long ago… He seemed just fine the other day."
She propped up her knees and leaned her head forward between them. She took slow breaths as she tried to reel in the strong wave of emotions. "Do I really want to risk going back to that? Or is that what will happen to me if I don't?"
Her breathing slowed as she came to a realization. "Is this what Hiei meant?"
Sayomi opened her physical eyes and noticed the sun was up. The birds were chirping in the trees and the temperature was already getting warmer. She flexed her hands and noticed they felt a little clammy. I haven't thought about that night in so long, I almost forgot what really happened…
She stood up from the log and began to stretch out her legs. Meditating is not as much help as it used to be… She remembered her Shade and recalled how easy it was back then compared to now. She didn't show up this time either. What happened to her? I guess the only one I can ask is Yasuhiro…
Whap! Whap!
Sayomi jumped and scanned the trees for the source of the loud sound. "What the hell was that?"
She looked up at the birds that were flying away. She smirked as she remembered who was on the island. That could only be one person. She made her way through the forest, sensing out Yusuke's aura signature. She used her aura to just muffle her steps. She didn't want to use too much and risk Yusuke noticing her.
"Did you enjoy that?"
Sayomi froze in place.
"Meow!"
"Nice try, Botan! C'mon out!" Yusuke called out the guilty reaper.
Sayomi blinked at the familiar voice, then let out a quiet breath of relief. I thought I was caught already. She quietly stationed herself behind a tree and focused on her hearing.
The leaves rustled as Botan stepped out of hiding. "You knew I was here all along?"
"Yep!" Yusuke declared smugly. "Say, where's Koenma?"
"Oh, that's what I came to tell you!" Botan exclaimed, remembering her original objective. "The egg's about to hatch!"
"Egg?"
"Yes, the egg… of the Underworld Beast!" Botan growled, annoyed with Yusuke's forgetful mind.
"Oh… right!" Yusuke laughed nervously, playing it off.
Sayomi face-palmed herself and shook her head. Already, Yusuke?
"Master Koenma's fetching it from the Underworld!" Botan snapped.
"In fact, here it is! Huh?"
Sayomi did not jump at Koenma's voice suddenly appearing out of nowhere.
"Stop popping up like that!" Yusuke yelled angrily.
"Stop being so easily taken by surprise!" Koenma countered.
Sayomi smirked and took that as her cue to step out of her hiding place. She let her aura fade as she said, "The prince has a point, Yusuke."
"Gahh!" Yusuke jumped and glared at her. "Damn it, Sai!"
"Ha ha ha! I can't help it if you're not aware." Sayomi grinned, teasing the detective.
Yusuke glared at her then turned his attention to the large golden egg that glowed in Koenma's hand. He was in his teenage body. Sayomi watched the egg curiously. The glow brightened and faded at regular intervals like a heartbeat.
"It looks…" Yusuke looked at the egg warily. "…bigger, doesn't it?"
"Yup." Koenma answered, handing the egg to Yusuke. "It's about to hatch."
"Hatch? Into… what?" Yusuke held the egg slightly away from his body.
"Beats me." Koenma shrugged. He looked down at Yusuke, the humor gone from his tone. "It's been drawing on your soul energy, so it'll be a reflection of that. In a moment we'll know whether we have an angel… or devil."
There was a loud clap of thunder followed by a flash of lightning. Sayomi looked up to see storm clouds gathering in the sky. But it was clear just a moment ago…
The sound of cracks brought her attention back down to the egg in Yusuke's hands. Soon enough, the beast pushed the eggshell open. Sayomi, Yusuke, Koenma, and Botan gasped as a strong light began to emit from the egg. The light quickly became too bright and everyone had to close their eyes. The sound of the egg popping open reached their ears. As soon as the light faded, everyone opened their eyes and began to look around.
"Huh?!" Yusuke immediately panicked as his hands became empty. "Hey! Where is it?!"
"There!" Botan pointed straight at Yusuke.
Sayomi followed the reaper's line of sight. She blinked a couple times. Then a smile creeped on her face as she struggled to keep the laughter in.
Perched on Yusuke's head was a small blue penguin-like creature. It had long, floppy ears, stubby arms, and talons that clasped to Yusuke's hair. It had a matching tuft of black hair on its head and a bird beak. "Peep!"
Yusuke blinked as he felt the weight on his head disappear. The beast was using its ears like wings to fly up. Yusuke glared as he turned his head to the side to try to see it. The beast floated back down facing forward. When Yusuke turned back to glare forward, the bird was facing to the right. Yusuke growled as he gradually became more annoyed.
"Pfft…"
"…Hee Hee…"
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Sayomi, Botan, and Koenma broke into fits of barely restrained laughter. Yusuke could only tremble in rage as his friends were clearly unintimidated by his inner self.
"That's in Yusuke's soul?! Too cute!" Botan chirped between laughs.
"Ha ha… suits him!" Koenma laughed openly with his arms crossed. He tried to calm down, but he couldn't keep himself from giggling. "Gotta say, Yusuke… I'm relieved! It's no devil! Heh heh!"
"Ha ha ha!" Sayomi pointed at the beast and said, "This is the beast that had you so worried?! Ha ha! Just wait until Keiko sees this!"
"I was thinking it'd look like this!" Botan grinned as she described a serpent with a grumpy Yusuke head with a horn, fangs, and wings. "Hee hee hee!"
Yusuke couldn't hold back anymore. He whacked the back of Botan's head, hoping it would make him feel better. He only glared and grinded his teeth.
"Ow!" Botan immediately brought her hands up to cover the bump on her head. She glared at Yusuke and said, "You don't gotta thump that hard!"
Sayomi laughed until she got it out of her system. Then she looked back at the beast and couldn't keep the grin off her face. I knew he wasn't a bad guy, but this is just too funny!
Yusuke led the way back to the hotel. Glaring ahead, he did his best to ignore the snickering behind him. Koenma disappeared as quickly as he came, but he didn't bother hiding his amusement as he left. Botan kept giggling behind her hands as she snuck glances on occasion. Sayomi smirked the whole way back, getting used to the idea of a soft Yusuke.
When they made it back, the sky was still dark with clouds, but no rain fell. They heard whispers and saw people pointing at them. Yusuke trudged straight ahead with the girls and cut off the gossip with the elevator doors. At their room, they could hear voices inside. Sayomi prepared herself for the show. Yusuke stomped into the room, giving everyone his best intimidating glare, despite the cute beast on his head.
"Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Atsuko, Yusuke's mother, pointed and laughed shamelessly at her son and the beast. Keiko didn't point, but she was just as open about her amusement.
"That's the dreaded dire beast?! Hokey!" Kuwabara laughed until tears were spilling out of his eyes. The laughter was contagious. Botan and Sayomi both started laughing again as Yusuke grumpily sat down on the floor next to Keiko.
Atsuko sat in front of him, reclining back on her hands. She was wearing a simple red jogging suit. "It sure loves perching on your hollow head!"
Yusuke glared at his mother and growled, "It takes after you, ya moron. I shoo it away, but it keeps coming back! If it takes a dump up there, I'll –"
"Never mind…" Kuwabara was the first to bring up their priority. "We gotta discuss the semi-finals. They start pretty soon, y'know."
Sayomi noticed a few bandages on the boy's face. He seemed almost better compared to just yesterday and she became curious. "But first, Kuwabara, how did you manage to heal so quickly?"
Kuwabara kept his serious expression, but he couldn't hide the blush on his cheeks. "It's all thanks to the power of love." Sayomi arched an eyebrow, urging him to explain. "My lovely Yukina met with me this morning to check on me. Just seeing her was enough to heal my aching body and heart."
Sayomi sighed and smiled. I don't know whether to be happy for her or scared for her. At least I won't need to worry about him wasting my efforts to heal him anymore.
The group called in room service to deliver various snacks and drinks to the room. They briefed over what had happened so far, from the first fight on the boat to their most recent back-to-back matches.
"So there was no reason we had to fight in any kind of order! Lyin' bastards!" Yusuke crushed his empty can angrily.
Kuwabara stood up from the floor and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Wanna go check out the competition?"
Yusuke stood up angrily. He glared and clenched his fists, ready to punch someone. The beast still perched on his head. "Yep! I'd like t' see whose head we're gonna bust open!"
"Peep!"
"Pfft!" Sayomi, Kuwabara, and Atsuko tried to hold in their laughter. They didn't try too hard. "Ha ha ha ha ha!"
"Shut up!" Yusuke yelled as he stormed out of the room.
Sayomi and Kuwabara followed after him, not bothering to hide their laughter. They sky had cleared while they were in the room, but the earth was still as dry as before.
"I don't know, Yusuke. I think it fits you really well." Sayomi grinned with her hands behind her head. "You're not as scary as you pretend to be."
"Haw haw haw! It's adorable! You're like a little girl!" Kuwabara laughed until Yusuke decked him in the gut. He coughed and still tried to laugh through the pain.
Yusuke ignored his friend and made a beeline for the stadium. Sayomi stalked behind him, smiling up at the blue beast. Eventually, Kuwabara caught up and put on his best serious expression. Sayomi could see the occasional twitch in his shoulders as he tried not to laugh.
When they made it to the stadium, a match was already underway. They met up with Hiei and Kurama on the top level balcony in front of an exit way. The Masked Fighter had shown up on her own about the same time as the thieves.
"Toxic tulips!" Kuwabara's eyes widened with disbelief. "Fractured Fairytales nailed that round in the five minutes it took us to get here?"
"Two minutes, actually." Kurama held up two fingers.
"The other team raised their game." Hiei seemed rather bored with the short match.
"Two minutes, huh? That's actually pretty impressive." Sayomi silently regretted ditching her training. I would've liked to see that for myself.
"Yow! It's Team Urameshi!"
"Don't stare! Y'wanna get killed?!"
The team ignored the crowd below them and decided to focus elsewhere.
Hiei glanced up at Yusuke and asked, "What's that? A gift from your girlfriend?"
"No!" Yusuke clenched his teeth and crossed his arms. "That I could get rid of!"
"Trust me, Yusuke. You wouldn't get rid of anything Keiko gives you." Sayomi smirked up at the teen.
"No one asked you, Sayomi." He turned to Kurama and asked, "How're you doing, Kurama?"
"Don't worry, I'll be ready."
"Oh, no doubt about that…" Hiei smirked up at the red-head. "…If the semi-finals were next week instead of tomorrow!"
Kurama sighed and said, "You think only you can affect stoicism?"
Sayomi began to chuckle under her breath when Hiei didn't retort. Then, Kuwabara turned to the red-head and gave a thumbs-up under his bandages. "Hey, Kurama, you should go see Yukina! Your herbs an' her healing powers should fix you right up!"
Sayomi's eye twitched as she was replaced as the team healer, too. Not that I blame them. She's more suited for it than I am. She turned to see Hiei tense up at the mention of the ice maiden.
Kuwabara became serious as he clenched his fist with resolve. "'Course, she said she's really here to find her brother! When this tournament's done, I'm gonna help her!"
"Sounds like a big job!" Kurama drawled, turning to the fire apparition. "Maybe we could pitch in… eh, Hiei?"
Sayomi smirked as Hiei became more uncomfortable by the minute. She could see his body quiver with restrained anger. Heh. Don't you just love irony?
"Yusuke…" Hiei approached the detective calmly. His tone, however, dripped with warning.
"Um…" Yusuke flinched.
Sayomi tried to hide her laughter. I told him to keep his mouth shut. I remember he mentioned it before that he didn't know their relation. Good job, Yusuke.
"Over there! That's them!"
The team looked across the stadium to see what the crowd was getting excited about. There were four figures standing on the balcony across the field. The Younger Toguro stood in his green trench coat and sports sunglasses. His older brother perched over his shoulder in a dark suit. There was a tall man with long black hair and a mask that covered the lower half of his face. He was wearing a long black coat with a large red collar. The last man stood in full body armor, complete with a helmet and mask.
"Team Toguro!"
"What're they looking at?!"
"Team Urameshi!"
"Who else?!"
"Woot woot, Toguro!"
"Toguro!"
"Toguro!"
"Toguro!"
"Toguro!"
The two teams stared each other down, ignoring the crowd as they chanted for Toguro. Sayomi watched each of them carefully. Who are the others? Yusuke mentioned there were actually two of the brothers, so the shoulder monkey must be the other one. Tall, dark and creepy over there doesn't look too strong, but that mask makes me nervous. As for the heavyweight, I just don't like the look of him. Why would he need so much armor?
Then, the young Toguro brother pointed directly at Yusuke. He slowly turned his hand to point at himself, tapping his throat.
"That's it, Toguro!"
"Tell that human off!"
Yusuke brought his thumb up to his own throat and dragged it across.
"Heh…" Toguro chuckled and made his way to the exit.
Sayomi let out a slow breath, calming down from the tension in the air. Kurama and Hiei just kept their eyes on the retreating team.
"… Whoo boy… it just hit me that…" Kuwabara was trembling as he broke into a sweat. "…Holy sheesh… at that mansion we…" Kuwabara kept his teeth clenched, biting back his fear. "…I mean, I actually fought that guy?!"
"And learned what he can do. Since then…" Yusuke crossed his arms, staring after Toguro. "…You've gotten stronger, but I doubt he has! So you know more about him than he knows about you!" He turned to smirk at his friend, glad that he was relaxing again. "That's an edge he taught me to appreciate."
"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself… or us!"
Sayomi and the others turned to their left to see a team of five demons walking towards them. One of them looked like a young boy, picking his nose with his pinky. He carried a fishing rod and wore a grass skirt with a light blue kimono top. He wore sandals on his feet and carried around a backpack.
In contrast, the tallest member had messy blond hair with a white headband tied around his forehead. He wore a pink vest with no shirt, red pants held up with a belt, and black boots. His headband, vest and belt had black peach symbols on them.
The third member had dark skin and black hair tied up, making him look like a pineapple. He had large muscles and sharp teeth, and wore nothing but a black loincloth belt and a cloth around his neck with kanji on it.
The fourth member was an old man with shoulder length gray hair, bushy eyebrows and a sagging mustache. He hunched over slightly and kept his hands clasped behind his back. He wore a simple black cap, a yellow kimono shirt under an orange vest, and brown pants tied with a black sash.
The last member had long blue hair tied back in a low ponytail and pink eyes. He wore a traditional samurai outfit with a white top and light blue hakama pants. A traditional katana hung at his waist.
Sayomi scowled. Great. What do they want?
The blond spit out his gum and said, "Think you fight on the side of right, eh?"
"Huh?" Yusuke and Kuwabara gave him a sideways glare, showing the other team no weakness.
"We're here to build our rep… You're just a bump along the way." The samurai smirked as he walked by Yusuke behind the old man. When he saw Sayomi, he smirked and winked at her.
Sayomi just glared at him.
Yusuke slipped his hands in his pockets and leaned back a bit. "From what I see, I doubt you clowns…" They stopped walking, waiting for him to finish speaking. Yusuke smirked and casually aimed at the samurai. "…have got anything to build a rep on!"
The samurai turned abruptly and pointed at Yusuke with a sinister grin. Two horns sprouted from the top of his head. His eyes became large and dilated and his teeth became razor sharp. "Don't let appearances fool you!" With chuckles from his teammates, he turned to leave. "See ya soon… hee hee."
Yusuke pushed up his nostrils and gave them the most insulting look he could come up with on the spot. Kuwabara scoffed at them and said, "Feh! They're maggots next to Toguro."
"Damn right they are." Sayomi agreed and crossed her arms. "They're just lucky they haven't been up against Toguro. They wouldn't even last two minutes."
"Yusuke…"
Yusuke looked down to see the Masked Fighter standing next to him. She looked up at him and whispered, "A word, if I may…?" Without waiting for him to answer, she turned to leave with her hands behind her back.
Yusuke's eyes widened in recognition and he turned to her. "Hey, hold on… your voice, it's…"
Sayomi watched Yusuke follow after her. She scowled and began to follow him when a strong hand grabbed her wrist. She sharply turned to glare at Hiei. "What? I need to make sure they don't –"
Hiei glared and tightened his grip, cutting her off. "You already skipped out this morning. You're not getting out of this again." Without acknowledging Kurama's or Kuwabara's confused staring, he dragged her out of the stadium and into the forest.
She kept quiet the whole way. She knew he was right. Besides, I should be taking advantage of all the training I can get. And after my meditation this morning, I'm not as sure about what to do anymore. Yasuhiro isn't here to help, so what else should I do? The old man seemed okay with me learning to fight so I thought that's what I was supposed to do. I knew the risk, but I didn't really understand it. Hell, I still don't get it.
"Enough daydreaming. We've gone far enough."
Sayomi blinked back into reality. "I'm sorry. What?"
"Start your meditation." Hiei was glaring at her and he refused to repeat himself.
Sayomi sighed and crossed her arms. "I meditated this morning, actually."
Hiei stared at her and asked, "Did he show up again?"
Sayomi shook her head. "Not really. This was really different from before. I think it was a memory. It was very immersive, though."
"What happened?"
Sayomi sighed. She didn't want to relive it again, but she needed to share it with somebody. "It was the night we got separated. He did something to them. Covered them in shadows and they started screaming. I don't know what he did, but he was laughing about it."
Hiei watched her carefully. She looked pale and tense. Just talking about the past was enough to shake her up. "Do you still trust him after remembering something like that?"
"Well…" Sayomi bit her lip and looked down at the ground. "Seeing how he was back then, and how he is now, I can't really say I do or don't until I actually meet him again."
Hiei sighed and removed his cloak. He didn't have a shirt on and he left his Evil Eye covered. He unsheathed his katana and said, "Since you already meditated, that gives us more time for physical training."
Sayomi let out a sigh of relief as she reached for her kusarigama. She opened the bottom chamber to let the chain spill into her free hand. She spun the chain in front of her, putting up a shield of shadows.
Hiei disappeared from view and appeared just to her left, swinging his katana. Sayomi noticed him just in time to cover herself in her aura and become semi-corporal. The blade passed straight through wispy shadows and Hiei smirked at her quick reflexes.
Sayomi moved and solidified out of range of his sword. She threw her chain and tangled it with the blade. Then she rushed forward, tugging the chain and redirecting the blade to point to the ground. She brought the sickle down, but Hiei quickly dodged out of the way, relinquishing his weapon. Sayomi clicked her tongue and tried to scan for his aura.
He appeared directly in front of her and delivered a strong punch to her stomach. Sayomi was too slow and the wind was knocked out of her. She fell on her back and wheezed as she tried to get air into her lungs. Hiei glared down at her and said, "Get up. No real opponent would wait for you to catch your breath."
Sayomi glared at him and forced herself to sit up. She coughed a few times and made it to her feet. Once she was ready, she covered herself with her aura again and attacked. They exchanged blows, fire against shadows, without letting up. Punches and kicks were thrown and parried until Sayomi was knocked down again.
They continued their training until storm clouds began to cover the sky. Thunder rumbled in the distance and lightning flashed in closing proximity. They stopped just as the first raindrops began to fall. Sayomi was breathing heavily and she could feel her legs tremble from exhaustion. Hiei was covered in sweat and though his breathing was not as labored as Sayomi's, he was just as drained from the exertion.
They silently relaxed in the rain as it slowly began to increase. Hiei leaned back against the base of a tree while Sayomi leaned back against another. Sayomi kept her hood down and she rolled up her sleeves. She draped her arms over her raised knees to enjoy the water on her skin. The markings on her arms reminded her of a tiger, and they ended just over the backs of her hands.
Hiei stared at her arms in curiosity until she asked, "Do they bother you?"
He looked up to see her watching him. Her body was relaxed, but her eyes looked guarded. He closed his eyes and said, "Why would they? It's a sign of your power, isn't it?"
Sayomi looked down at her arms and her gaze became lighter as her focus wavered. "But power can change you, right? If you don't maintain control, it consumes you. Then what happens?"
Hiei didn't say anything. He stood up and slipped his cloak back on, preparing to leave. Sayomi watched him until he turned to her and extended his hand. She was shocked by the offer, but she accepted his hand and pulled herself up.
They had only walked for a few minutes before Sayomi had to lean against a tree for support. Her feet were muddy and her clothes stuck to her skin. When Hiei noticed, he stopped and turned to say, "You can't be serious. You're already about to collapse?"
Sayomi glared up at him and said, "Let's just say chips and soda don't make a great meal."
Hiei sighed and walked back to her. He kneeled in front of her with his back turned and just waited. Sayomi hesitated, confused by the gesture. She had apparently waited too long because Hiei felt obligated to say, "Hurry up. The sooner we get out of this rain, the better."
Sayomi sighed and climbed onto his back. He has a point, but he could just go on ahead… She rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying his body heat. Despite his want to get out of the rain, he walked at a steady pace to avoid jarring her. This feels pretty nice… So warm…
They made it back to the hotel room to see Kurama and Kuwabara playing cards. They had snacks and drinks spread out on the table. Hiei's aura had heated him enough to dry. Sayomi had decided to take a warm shower to get out of her wet and muddy clothes.
When she stepped out, she heard more voices than before. Who else is here?
She got dressed in her spare clothes and wrapped herself in her old cloak. It was a soft comfort around her frame and it kept her warm against the cold draft. She stepped out of the bathroom and saw that the girls had joined them. Yusuke's still not back…
"Sayomi!"
Sayomi jumped as Botan popped into her view. The reaper was wearing a pink hoodie with a striped pink and white shirt and jeans. She wagged her finger and said, "We were wondering where you were. You know we haven't had any proper girl time since we met."
"Uh…" Sayomi blinked and stepped back. "Thanks, but I don't need –"
"Oh nonsense! You still haven't properly met everyone." Botan dragged her out into the living room and towards the girls.
"But I have. I just –"
"I found Sayomi! That's Keiko, Atsuko, Shizuru, and Yukina!" Botan pointed to each girl respectively.
Keiko laughed and said, "I remember you. I've seen you taking care of the guys out on the field."
"So you've been having to deal with Kazu's reckless ass. Sorry my little brother is such a pain." Shizuru smirked and took a sip from a beer can.
"I just try to keep them alive. I can't heal a thick skull, though." Sayomi snuck a glance over at the carrot-top.
"I guess that means that idiot son of mine is out of luck, too." Atsuko took a swig out of a sake bottle and grinned. "So are you ready for the semi-finals?!"
Sayomi turned to the guys, looking for help. Kuwabara and Kurama were huddled over cards and talking quietly among themselves. Hiei was sitting on the window sill, his arm resting on a raised knee, and staring out at the rain. Damn, guess I'm stuck here.
Sayomi sighed and sat down, making sure she was covered in her cloak. Can't let them see the tattoos. "I'm just ready for this whole thing to be over already. I might just be bitter because I can't really fight."
"Who says you can't kick ass in the ring?" Shizuru's eyes darkened and her aura suddenly became ominous.
Sayomi smiled nervously and said, "It's just a tournament rule. Unless a team member dies, I can't step in. I don't want anyone to die though."
"That's probably a good thing." Yukina chimed in with a smile. "That saves your energy for healing everyone."
"Yeah, but Kuwabara usually needs to be healed twice or more. And I'm really not interested in healing as much as I am in fighting."
"Yeah!" Atsuko cheered. "'Atta girl!"
"Why is that, Sayomi?" Keiko asked.
"Well…" Sayomi scowled as she tried to put her thoughts into words. "I didn't really have a choice where I come from. They thought of women as strictly healers and I didn't want that. I just always wanted to fight. It looked more fun."
"You think fighting is fun? Doesn't it hurt though?" Keiko couldn't understand the appeal of getting hit.
"You gotta know how to defend yourself, kiddo." Shizuru smiled and said, "Though with a slap like yours, I don't think you really need to worry."
"You look tired." Yukina observed in concern. "Should we leave so you can get some rest?"
Sayomi blinked her eyes at the ice maiden. "I wouldn't say you guys had to leave. I'm just a little worn out from training today."
"You were training?" The girls stared at her curiously.
"Yeah…" Sayomi didn't understand the looks she was being given.
"With who?" Botan looked at her mischievously.
Keiko leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Was it with one of the guys?"
"Yeah, it was with Hiei." Sayomi felt uncomfortable under their stares. Why are they looking at me like that?
"What?!" Keiko's eyes widened as she snuck a quick glance over to the window.
"Isn't he tough on you?" Botan looked worried. "I imagine Kurama would be more lenient on you."
"Maybe, but it's because Hiei is so tough that I asked him to train me." Sayomi thought back to her first days training with him and couldn't regret her choice. "I can't get better if someone is going easy on me."
"Hiei can't be so bad if you can handle his training." Yukina smiled and Sayomi couldn't help smiling back at the girl. "Surely he isn't too rough with you."
Sayomi thought back to their walk to the room in the rain. She could feel herself heat up at the memory and tried to focus on the question. "Well, it's mostly negative reinforcement and very short breaks, if any."
"Oooh…" Botan smirked her cat-like grin and teased the shadow demoness. "You're blushing!"
Sayomi glared at the reaper and said, "Shut up, Botan. I just got caught in the rain earlier."
"With Hiei?" Yukina's soft voice took Sayomi off guard and she couldn't bring herself to be annoyed with the girl.
"Ummm, yeah…" Sayomi felt stuck. There was no way to convince them that they only trained together. Just what are they trying to imply?
Sayomi felt like she was being watched. She turned to the window and locked eyes with the fire demon in question. She felt herself stiffen and her body heat rise. She slowly looked away and bit her lip. Why is he looking over here? Is he listening in? Why would he? Is it because of Yukina?
She snapped back into the conversation when she felt a cold hand against her forehead. Yukina was looking at her in worry. "You seem to have a fever. Did you catch a cold in the rain?"
Sayomi stood up and smiled. "Maybe. I guess I should catch some sleep just in case."
"That sounds like a good idea, actually." Kurama cut into the girls' conversation. "We're going to need all the rest we can get."
The girls pouted but they agreed to let the fighters get their rest. Sayomi sighed in relief to have peace and quiet in the room again. "Thanks, Kurama. I didn't realize they had so much energy."
The red-head smiled at her and said, "I suppose they can seem overwhelming all at once like that."
Kuwabara tossed his cards on the table and yawned. "No kidding. Although I wouldn't mind if Yukina could stay with us."
There was a low growl from the window sill and Sayomi tried not to look in his direction. She could feel his eyes following her as she made her way to the bed. "Goodnight, guys. Hopefully Yusuke and the Masked Fighter will meet us in time for the match."
"Yes. It would leave us at quite a disadvantage." Kurama cautioned.
"Hn." Hiei grunted from the window. "I could handle them myself if necessary."
Sayomi looked at Hiei with an arched brow. "You're not the only member of the team, Hiei. Besides, didn't they beat their last opponents in two minutes?"
Hiei glared at her and said, "Not is not so impressive."
"Really? Sounds pretty impressive to me."
Hiei's eyes narrowed, silently threatening her to speak. Sayomi sighed and turned to face away from him. "Just don't get too cocky or you'll get yourself killed." Hiei growled low in his throat, but she ignored him and slipped into sleep.
Kurama and Kuwabara exchanged glances and got ready for bed. Hiei grunted and turned back to watch the rain fall outside. Kurama smirked to himself as he watched his partner before turning in himself. Kuwabara tried to ignore the tension in the room and dozed off.