"Way to go, Kurama! Yer the comeback kid!" Kuwabara cheered, pumping a fist into the air. "One down, two to go!"
Yusuke jumped into the ring and ran up to his wounded teammate. "Lemme help ya, Kurama!"
"Thanks." Kurama let Yusuke support his right side. "Sorry about the match."
"Huh?" Yusuke looked at Kurama, confused by the apology.
"Heh…" Toguro smirked knowingly.
"And the winner of this match: Karasu!" Juri announced, waving her arm towards Team Toguro.
"What?!" Sayomi jumped out of her seat in disbelief and glared down at the ring. She felt her shadow shift around her in anger. "That's a load of crap!"
"Didn't Kurama win? What's going on?" Keiko asked, hugging Puu in worry.
"Maybe she just got their names mixed up." Atsuko suggested.
The scoreboard lit up with an X under Kurama's name and an O under Karasu. Kuwabara turned to the board and his mouth fell open in shock. "What the ding-dong?! Kurama nailed Karasu but good!"
Juri turned to Team Urameshi and said, "Kurama took the full count! He struck back while still technically down! And was not back up until after I counted to 10! I do my job, y'know."
Yusuke's eyes widened and he clenched his teeth in surprise. "10 counts…?! I couldn't hear…"
"Hardly anyone could," Kurama confessed quietly.
"We didn't hear Juri's count over all the wild cheering!" Koto explained as she watched a play-back of the match on a small TV. "Instant replay confirms Kurama was not up before the count was complete!"
"Yeah! Take that, Team Urameshi!"
"Team Toguro will getcha in two!"
"Getcha in two!"
"Getcha in two!"
"Getcha in two!"
"Shut up!" Kuwabara glared up at the crowd of demons. "We may've lost the match, but we won the fight!"
"You shut up!"
"Boo! Boo! Kuwabara!"
"Die!"
Kuwabara growled. "He who lives longest, laughs last!"
"Drop dead!"
"I wouldn't count on that." The elder Toguro spoke with certainty.
The crowd hushed into silence and Kuwabara muttered, "Oh sure, they shut up for him!"
"Don't forget," The Toguro brother said, staring down at the human. "Each winning team member gets his heart's desire. You know what I desire? To see you dead… every one of you."
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Grrr!" Kuwabara growled, but he began to get pale and sweat nervously.
Hiei stepped forward and said, "My heart's desire is to never attend another of these asinine tournaments. I wish its backers would all drop dead."
Across the field, Sakyo smirked as if remembering a private joke.
"Yusuke…" The detective looked over at Hiei. "…I wanted to fight 'shades' Toguro, but I'll yield to you for Genkai's sake."
"Hiei…" Yusuke couldn't think of a proper response to the gesture.
Hiei stepped into the ring and said, "I'll make do with 'Mr. Axe.'"
The armored warrior stepped into the ring with heavy footsteps. He wielded a large axe that was just as large as he was. He towered over Hiei when they met at the center of the ring.
"Yeah! Get 'im, Bui!"
"Whack that runt in two!"
"Think I'm height challenged, eh?" Hiei removed and discarded his cloak with a smirk. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and black sweatpants with four white belts. His right arm was wrapped tightly with bandages.
"Yow!" Kuwabara grimaced. "He's got bandages on bandages now! Didn't Sayomi heal that arm?"
"Huh! They're curse bindings! He skipped some basic steps, though." Kurama informed the ignorant psychic.
Kuwabara turned to his teammate curiously. "What're those?"
Sayomi looked down and noticed Hiei's arm. He shouldn't need any bandages unless… "Did he really do it…?"
"Begin!" Juri announced.
The axe wielder dashed towards Hiei with unbelievable speed.
"Bui makes the first move!" Koto said into her mic.
Sayomi's mouth fell open in shock at the sight. Does his gear not slow him down?!
Bui brought down his axe and let it crash into the ring floor. Hiei stood behind him with a bored expression. "Don't play around. I'd like a real fight, okay?"
Bui let out a slow breath. Then he clenched the handle of his axe and raised a block of cement from the ring. He rotated his wrist so the block was in the air, sitting on top of the blade.
"Holy…" Kuwabara's eyes widened and he clenched his teeth in surprise. "… What strength!"
With a swing of his arm, Bui flung the cement block from his axe. It crashed into the floor just in front of Hiei, throwing up a screen of dust and debris. Hiei raised his arm to protect his eyes. "That old gambit…!"
Just as Hiei finished speaking, Bui was in front of him with his axe raised.
"Yikes!" Yusuke exclaimed with wide eyes.
"No escape now," Toguro said confidently.
"Dodge it, Hiei!" Sayomi shouted desperately from her seat.
"Slice 'im up!" The crowd cheered eagerly.
"Hmph…" Hiei raised his left arm to catch the axe by the blade. The axe melted as soon as it touched his hand. The crowd was stunned to silence as Bui released his disintegrating weapon.
Hiei glared at Bui and growled. "Like I said… Don't play around. Did you think an aura-less scrap of iron would bother me? I'm giving serious thought to being insulted."
"H-he melted that huge axe like it was a chocolate bar!" Kuwabara gaped at the ring, unable to wrap his mind around what he saw.
"No question Hiei's gained a new level of power!" Kurama stared at the ring, perplexed by Hiei's quick progress.
Sayomi slumped back into her seat in awe. Since when could he do that?!
Bui stared at Hiei and said, "You have convinced me that this armor won't do me any good at all."
"Wow!" Juri exclaimed as her fin-like ears twitched. "Didya hear that, Tournament fans? For the very first time, Bui spoke! What a deep voice he's got!"
Bui calmly reached for one of his shoulder pads. When he flung it outside the ring, its weight caused it to sink into the earth on impact.
"Yow!" Kuwabara's pupils dilated at the sight. "That guy was wearing enough armor for a tank!"
"Hey, kid with the spiky hair!" Atsuko called out drunkenly. "He's open! Hit 'im!"
"Shush!" Botan tried to calm her down. "I don't think that's his style."
Sayomi glared down at the ring with her arms crossed. She took deep breaths to keep herself from getting too excited. What are you thinking, Hiei?! Do you want him to go all out? What the hell are you trying to prove?
Bui removed the last of his body armor and reached for his helmet as he said, "Armor normally protects the body from attack. But in my case…" He removed his helmet and mask and tossed it out of the ring with the rest of his armor. "…It serves as a restraint."
Bui was tall and lean with short powder blue hair and a scar in the middle of his forehead, just above the bridge of his eyes. He wore dark blue tights with a gray abdomen and limb guards. Orange cloth wrapped around his waist and covered his feet. He clenched his fists and his aura began to visibly manifest around him. "You see, my powers aren't easy to contain."
"Hey, this sounds promising!"
"But not for you, you smug little runt!"
Bui's aura flared green around his body and he began to lift up from the ring floor.
"A Battle Aura!" Kurama recognized the technique. "That's what really protects him! Biggest I've seen… Even allows him to levitate!"
Bui smirked down at his opponent and said, "Hope you meant what you said. I, too, want a memorable match."
"Oh, it will be." Hiei smirked as he broke the seal and began to unravel the bandages from his right arm.
Kuwabara turned to Kurama, alarmed by the action. "He's removing those bandages! What are curse bindings, anyway?!"
Kurama kept his attention on the ring as he answered Kuwabara's question. "Just like Bui's armor… they're talismans, to restrain his power because once set loose, such power is unstoppable. When those two powers clash, this stadium will be torn apart!"
"Hm?!" Bui gasped when he saw Hiei's burning arm.
Hiei removed the last of the bandages. Through the dark flames, a black dragon tattoo could be seen winding down his arm to the back of his hand. His headband was gone and his Evil Eye opened. Hiei smirked and said, "I don't remember how these go back on, so there's no going back now." The fire around his arm flared about restlessly. "Watch how I've mastered the Black Dragon!"
"He really did it…" Sayomi couldn't tear her eyes away from the marking on his arm. I know it's not the same, but… Hiei… please don't let this power consume you like it did Yasuhiro…
"Hiei's unveiled one heck of an aura!" Koto announced in admiration.
"Th-the Black Dragon…?!" Kurama stared in open shock.
"C'mon!" Hiei grinned and dashed towards Bui. As he ran, the Black Dragon began to take shape. He reached forward and released the flaming beast from his arm. "Black Dragon Unholy Fire!"
"Raaah!" Bui shouted as the dragon closed in on him. He raised his arms and caught the dragon by the jaws.
Everyone watched with a mix of shock, fear, or in Toguro's case, approval.
The dragon's force was so strong, it continued to press against the warrior. Bui held onto the dragon as it pushed him around the stadium, killing any fans who were unfortunate enough to be in its path. He clenched his teeth as he resisted the dragon's flame. "Narrr!"
The stadium shook as the ceiling began to crumble in some areas. Koto stood from her seat, excitedly commentating for the listeners at home. "Th-the Black Dragon's loose and running amok! Weaker spectators are being incinerated!"
Sayomi gritted her teeth as she fought the urge to flee. She looked over at the girls and saw them staring at the dragon in awe. Damn it! This isn't good! She looked back at the dragon and gasped when it crashed through the roof.
"Raaah!" Bui shouted in defiance and flung the dragon away. It slithered back down to the ring and Bui grinned in triumph. "Did it!"
Hiei's eyes widened when he saw the Black Dragon flying towards him. He couldn't move out of the way quickly enough and the dragon chomped down on him in one fell swoop.
"No!" Sayomi stood up from her seat and stared up at the wild Dragon that flew through the sky. He can't be—!
Bui landed back in the ring in a kneeling position. He got to his feet and began to laugh openly. "Ha haah! That's the match! I've defeated the Blazing Fist!"
The remaining fans in the stands broke out into excited cheers.
"That's two wins in a row for Team Toguro!"
"Stadium's a shambles, though."
Yusuke could only stare in shock at the ring where his teammate stood. Kuwabara was sweating profusely and his eyes were as wide as they could get. "He… He beat Hiei…"
Bui froze when he felt a powerful demonic aura behind him.
"Why's everybody all excited?" The black flames began to condense into a familiar humanoid shape. "I haven't even gotten to the good part!"
Bui couldn't bring himself to turn around. His eyes were wide open and he perspired freely from fear.
"Hiei!" Yusuke grinned in relief next to a stunned Kurama.
Sayomi felt warm tears spill down her eyes when she saw Hiei jump back into the ring. He… survived… but how…?
Bui turned and trembled in place as he asked the fire demon, "What? How?"
The crowd buzzed with confusion and interest in the turn of events.
"He seems the same… Those marks on his arm are gone, though."
"Don't just stand there, Bui! Smash 'im!"
Yusuke stared at Hiei curiously as he addressed Kurama. "So that's what he meant…"
"Yes…" Kurama confirmed. "…He consumed the Black Dragon! A true master can attain dominance over and absorb the Black Dragon's immense energy. Bui's sufficiently advanced to know what he's now up against."
"Unh…!" Bui trembled as he tried to overcome his hesitation.
"See it?" Hiei asked Bui. "Yes, you recognize a true mastery of the Black Dragon." Black flames began to emit all around Hiei's body and mix with his demonic aura. "It's not a weapon, not in the way most might expect. What it does is enhance its master's capacities to the nth degree!"
"Arr…! Blast you!" Bui jumped and landed a strong right cross to Hiei's face.
Hiei stared back at Bui and smirked.
"Yaah!" Bui charged towards Hiei. Before he could land another hit, Hiei delivered a quick push of aura into Bui's stomach. His breath escaped him and he clenched his teeth in pain. "Hurk!"
The audience watched in stunned silence as Hiei jumped up after Bui. He appeared just behind the warrior and punched him back down to the stadium where he crashed into the stands. Bui landed flat on his back with his arms and legs spread open. His landing was hard enough to leave a crater in the shape of his body. Hiei landed lightly on his feet and stared down at his opponent.
"Do it… Finish me." Bui groaned in defeat. He stared up at Hiei and said, "When Toguro first defeated me… I knew I could improve, get stronger. The prospect of a rematch motivated me to exceed myself, but… Toguro improved, too. So much so, I've no hope of challenging him again. Losing to you confirms it. I've no reason left to live."
"Hmph!" Hiei stared down at Bui and said, "You want to die, do it yourself." He jumped back and landed in the demolished ring.
"8! 9!" Juri had already started her count.
Hiei smirked up at Bui and said, "I don't take orders from nobody!"
"10! The match is over!" Juri raised her arm and gestured toward Team Urameshi. "The winner: Hiei!"
Hiei made his way back to his team as Yusuke cheered, "All right! The score's evened up!"
"Do we dare get near you?" Kuwabara asked in worry.
"That was awesome, Hiei!" Yusuke grinned with Kurama still leaning against him for support.
Kuwabara crossed his arms and said, "If you wanna tackle the rest of 'em, be my guest!"
"I… can't. This technique has an… unfortunate drawback." Hiei wobbled on his feet as he fought to keep his balance.
"What's that?" Yusuke and Kuwabara asked curiously.
"Let's just say that it's my turn to hibernate for a few hours." Hiei let out a yawn with his eyes half-open and said, "Gotta… recharge… It's unavoidable…but…" He pointed at the humans and said, "… I'll trust you sorry wimps… to hold up… our side. If… when I wake up… I find you've lost… you'll be… be… sorry…!" By the time he finished speaking, he was passed out on the floor.
"Huh…?" Yusuke and Kuwabara blinked in confusion.
"Pfft!" Yusuke couldn't hold it in anymore and he started laughing. "Arrogant and overbearing to the last."
"Hmm…" Koenma stared down at the slumbering demon. "Gotta say… he looks so peaceful… You wouldn't think he'd just blown this stadium apart."
Kuwabara stared down at the runt and muttered, "I could graffiti his face…"
"Hiei!" Sayomi stood up from her seat. She looked down at the girls and she gritted her teeth. "Damn it."
"It's okay, Sayomi. You go ahead," Botan said with an encouraging smile. She seemed more herself then she did when they met up.
"But I'm supposed to –"
"Ms. Sayomi…" Yukina stared down at the boys with worried eyes. "It looks like Mr. Hiei and Mr. Kurama really need you."
"Besides, we've been okay until now, so it's no big deal." Shizuru lit a cigarette and smirked up at the hooded girl. "I've been able to keep us out of the danger zone so far."
"Yeah, go help your man!" Atsuko grinned, holding up her bottle.
"He's not my—"
"Go, Sayomi." Keiko stared down at the ring, hugging Puu close to her chest. The small beast looked up at her in worry. "They look like they're in really bad shape."
Sayomi stared at Keiko, hesitating to leave. Damn it… If I don't go down there, somebody else is sure to be in worse shape. He better not blame me for this.
Sayomi covered herself in shadows and melded with the stadium floor. She stepped out from the second row of spectators, startling the demons around her, and vaulted over the barricade to run to her team.
"Due to the condition of the stadium from the previous match…" The voice from the Tournament Committee blared through the remaining speakers. "There will be a temporary intermission until we can replace the ring. Thank you for your patience."
"Well, I guess we should get you patched up, Kurama." Yusuke looked over at the red-head with concern.
"Yusuke!" Sayomi called out to the boy as she ran up to him.
"Sayomi!" Yusuke looked at her with a grin. "You have perfect timing."
She stopped when she noticed Kurama in his blood-soaked clothes. "Oh no… Kurama…"
"I'm alright." He smiled at her and winced when he tried to move forward. "It looks worse than it feels."
Sayomi immediately began to heal one of his legs first so he could stand. "Damn it! I'm sorry, guys. I shouldn't have bailed on you like that. I just…"
"Hey, it's alright." Yusuke ruffled her hair with a smirk. "You're still learning and this is the big leagues. We don't blame you for looking out for yourself. Are the girls okay?"
"Yeah…" Sayomi smiled as she switched to Kurama's other leg. "They all basically forced me to come down here."
"Though it is dangerous, I appreciate you coming down to help." Kurama smiled at her warmly and said, "Although, I'm almost reluctant to say that Hiei seems just fine. He mentioned he will be resting for a few hours or so to recover his stamina."
"I see." Sayomi let out a small sigh of relief. "That's better than what happened last time, at least."
She glanced over at the sleeping swordsman. He doesn't look so angry when he's asleep. He actually looks pretty serene. She smiled and closed her eyes, bringing her attention back to the task at hand. "How do you feel, Kurama? Did Suzuki give you something to help you transform?"
"Yes." Kurama smiled but his eyes seemed distant. "He gave me a certain juice to induce the transformation for 15 minutes. However, it seems my tests have affected the results with each use."
"How so?" Sayomi tried to keep up the conversation as she moved on to healing one of his arms.
"Well, in the beginning, I could hold my old form for about 15 minutes. During the fight, the time wore out sooner than expected. Yet, it seems as though my old aura still resided within me to some extent. It saved my life in the end."
Sayomi moved on to the last wound on his shoulder. "Well, I'm glad you didn't bleed out, at least. I don't think I could handle it if…" She couldn't bring herself to say more.
Kurama clapped a hand on her shoulder and said, "I understand. You're here now and that's all that matters."
"On a side note…"
Sayomi froze at the sound of the voice behind her. She slowly turned around to see Koenma standing behind her.
He stared down at her and spoke around the pacifier in his mouth. "Need I ask why I needed to step in if you were just going to come back anyway?"
Sayomi couldn't speak. She lowered her eyes to the floor, despite the hood hiding her from direct view.
Koenma sighed and said, "I'm not mad or anything, but I would like some answers. I figure now is as good a time as any to get them."
Sayomi bit her lip and nodded once.
"So, Sayomi," Koenma started calmly. "May I ask how you became involved with Yusuke and the others?"
Sayomi looked up at Koenma to see him staring down at her. He didn't look angry, so she tried to compose herself enough to answer. "I… met him at Genkai's successor trials."
"And why did you approach him?" Koenma kept his tone soft. He could tell he had an effect on her and it made him feel uncomfortable.
She tried to think of what to tell him when Yusuke butted into the conversation. "Apparently she was looking for me. She wouldn't tell me why, but she hasn't done anything to make me think she's evil."
"Yusuke, you don't know what you're risking." The Underworld prince turned to his detective and said, "I ran a background check when Botan first notified me about her. Sayomi is related to a wanted criminal."
Sayomi stiffened at the mention of her brother. Oh man, I knew this would happen. Just please don't arrest me or anything…
"In case you forget, Koenma," Kurama said from behind Sayomi. "Both Hiei and I are criminals ourselves. In fact, she didn't trust us until a little later. She in turn hasn't done anything malicious to Yusuke or anyone else."
"Yeah, pacifier breath." Yusuke waved off the young ruler's warning. "Her relative may be a criminal, but that doesn't mean she's one. She's actually been patching us all up after every mission until now."
Sayomi looked up at Kurama and Yusuke in wonder. Even though Yasuhiro is… They still trust me?
Koenma sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "I understand she's been helping you all, but I can't ignore the fact that her brother is still roaming free." He turned to her and said, "I need to know if there's anything you can tell me about him. Did he send you to approach Yusuke?"
"No, sir…" Sayomi took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. "In fact, until recently… I thought he was dead."
Koenma's eyes narrowed slightly and asked, "What do you mean 'until recently'?"
Sayomi took her time taking slow breaths before answering. "He's contacted me a couple times now… during my meditations…"
"And you never bothered to tell anyone about this?" Koenma's tone shifted from soothing to serious.
"Hiei knew…" She glanced at the fire demon who slept soundly on the floor. "I didn't want… I didn't know until…"
She felt a weight on her head and looked up to see Yusuke. He smiled down at her before turning to glare at Koenma. "There. You happy now? She's just as in the dark as the rest of us."
Koenma ignored Yusuke's tone and asked, "What did he tell you in your meditation, Sayomi?"
"He told me that…" She tried to think back to her first encounter with him. It had been so sudden she didn't know what to think. Then his words started coming back to her. "He told me he was a suspected criminal, but I thought that he was just framed."
"He is a criminal. And a dangerous one." Koenma sighed and softened his tone. "I've been keeping an eye on you and I don't believe you're bad. I'm concerned because we suspected he would try to contact you sooner or later. It seems he covered his bases pretty well. Was there anything else he told you?"
"He told me he wanted me to go back with him after the tournament was over…" Sayomi couldn't bring herself to look at Koenma directly, but she tried to make it appear as if she was from under her hood. "…But I don't want to leave. Please don't take me away."
"Take you away? That wasn't my intention, Sayomi." Koenma ran a hand through his hair and said, "I don't believe you're bad, but you understand my concern. You said you told Hiei about this already. Why didn't you tell Yusuke or the others?"
Sayomi bit her lip as she tried to put her thoughts together. "I guess I was just… scared about what would happen. Hiei only knows because he observes my meditations to make sure I'm in control. He saw him and asked me about it, but I thought he was dead this whole time so it was a surprise for me, too."
"I see…" Koenma sighed and turned to Yusuke. "I'm okay with letting her stay with you. I'd rather keep her in sight in case he tries to make a physical appearance."
"I am curious, though." Kurama said, getting everyone's attention. "What did he do to warrant his arrest?"
"I think I have an idea…" Sayomi removed one of her gloves and pushed up her sleeve. She kept her eyes on her markings and said, "I think he became corrupted with his power and it sort of took over. This is also why I backed out of the fight. I don't want to lose control like that, but if I'm weak I know something bad might happen."
"Shadow demons are notorious for becoming overwhelmed by their own power." Koenma stared down at Sayomi's arm and said, "If they lose control, they become violent and mad. We sent hunters after her brother but they all ended up a gibbering mess."
Sayomi remembered the night of her escape. She trembled at the memory and said, "I don't want to be like that. It scared me and when he told me to run, I couldn't stop… but he wasn't always like that. He was trying to protect me because I couldn't protect myself back then. That's why I wanted to learn to fight, so I could protect myself."
"Regardless of reasons, I think it would be best if you didn't fight anymore. If you're already at this stage, I'm afraid things won't go so well if you keep it up. You seem okay now, but I'm sure you've begun to notice some changes. I highly recommend you stick with healing from now on if you don't want to end up like your brother." Koenma turned to Yusuke and asked, "Does that seem fair to you?"
Yusuke stared down at Sayomi's arm curiously and asked, "So what if she's attacked and no one else is around? Do you expect her to not defend herself? She's been doing pretty well as far as I can tell. And Hiei had his own markings just earlier. Shouldn't we take advantage of it?"
Koenma gave Yusuke a stern glare and said, "This isn't the same thing, Yusuke. Hiei's power is dangerous, but shadow demons are a rare breed for good reason. After they go mad, they disappear. They don't die in the normal sense of the word. Their souls don't always make it to the afterlife. They just cease to exist altogether."
"They fade into the Void."
Kurama looked down at Sayomi and asked, "Can you elaborate? I can't say I'm very familiar with it myself."
"The Void is basically a separate plane of existence. It's what I use when I meld in with shadows. I harness it with my aura and use it either to attack or to heal. It's also where I go when I meditate." She clenched her fist and said, "These markings didn't start until after I came here. I was never allowed to fight before."
"For good reason, I'm sure," Koenma commented. "I'm sorry, Sayomi but I think that would be the best course of action."
Sayomi sighed and let her sleeve cover her arm. She put her glove back on and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Now I better check up on Hiei to make sure he didn't strain himself too much."
Koenma was about to protest until Kurama said, "Yes, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to have a more thorough observation from a trained eye."
Sayomi nodded and made her way to the unconscious demon. She kneeled down next to him and raised her hands to hover over his chest. She let her aura flow over him as she checked beneath the surface for any internal damage. Well this sucks… Now I can't train anymore. Could today get any worse?
"You okay, Sayomi?"
She looked up to see Kuwabara sitting a few feet away with his arm over a propped knee. He looked at her curiously without judgement. "Yeah, just a little bummed, I guess."
"About what?" He asked and looked over at the others as they conversed. "Was it somethin' they said?"
"Kind of…" When she found no damage, she let out a sigh of relief. "They just said I'm not allowed to fight anymore, but I can still heal you guys."
"Oh, I thought it was somethin' more serious." Kuwabara leaned back against a large piece of the ring and said, "I never thought girls were supposed to fight, so it's kind of a relief to me."
"It's not for the reasons you're thinking though. They think I could become dangerous." She pulled up her sleeves and explained the dilemma to Kuwabara. He listened without interrupting until she was done. "I'm just kind of annoyed I guess because I thought I was doing so well until now."
"Well, I'll admit…" Kuwabara smiled. "You did kinda freak me out at that beast castle the first time. But why do you want to fight so bad? You seem really good at healing people so why not focus on that?"
"Because healing people doesn't protect me from danger. It only helps after the damage is done. Besides…" She probed Hiei's right arm for any signs of pain. She smiled when he didn't feel as hot as he did the first time he used the dragon. "I think it's fun. I enjoy it and I want to get better for my own sake. I know the risks, but if I can stay in control, then maybe I won't have to worry about others getting hurt because of me."
"Hmmm…" Kuwabara mulled over her words and said, "I don't see anything wrong with doing what you enjoy, but if what you enjoy is dangerous, should you really be doing it?"
Sayomi looked at the human curiously. "What do you mean?"
"Well…" Kuwabara scratched the back of his head and said, "I don't mean to be that guy, but what if you're better off not fighting? What's wrong with letting someone else protect you?"
Sayomi sighed and said, "I guess you wouldn't understand after all. I just don't want to put someone else at risk for my own sake."
"But if fighting is dangerous for you, doesn't that still put others at risk from yourself?" Kuwabara muttered as if thinking out loud. "Relying on others doesn't have to be a bad thing."
Sayomi opened her mouth, then closed it. When he puts it like that…
"All I'm sayin' is be careful. You're still part of the team and we care about you. We don't want to see you get hurt if we can help it. I know you can defend yourself pretty good, but you don't have as much experience as the rest of us." Kuwabara shrugged his shoulders. "Not sayin' you have to stop fightin' because I know how hard that can be, but just know your limits."
Sayomi stared at Kuwabara and smiled to herself. "Thanks, Kuwabara. I'll keep that in mind." She looked back down at Hiei's sleeping face and felt herself relax. Maybe he has a point… If anything, I can trust them, right? Even Hiei seems to have my back when I need him.
Kuwabara watched as Sayomi stared down at Hiei. He grinned and said, "So are you and the runt an item now or what?"
"Excuse me?" Sayomi looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, even though he couldn't see it.
"Well, you guys just always seem to be together and you get along better than before. I just figured there was somethin' there." He stared at her as if it was a normal topic to discuss.
Sayomi felt her face heat up at the thought and she growled. "Why is everyone saying that? Can't I just train with someone without it having to be like that?"
"Well…" Kuwabara scratched his nose and looked up at the exposed sky. "I just noticed he seems calmer around you and he tends to show off a little more when you're around. And you always seem to worry about him. It wouldn't surprise me if his earlier stunt scared you more than it scared us."
Sayomi tried to speak but nothing would come out. She stared down at Hiei and couldn't feel anything but relief. "But I was worried about Kurama too. Not to mention I'm always worrying about you and Yusuke."
"Yeah, but with him it's different." Kuwabara smiled down at her and said, "I catch you two stealing glances at each other and you both tend to act kinda similar in some ways. It's not a bad thing."
"I just never…" Sayomi bit her lip and said, "I just never really thought of anyone like that before. What if you're wrong?"
"I could be wrong," Kuwabara agreed and got to his feet. "But I have a gut feeling and usually those are right. I'm not saying you have to confess it to him right away, but I'm just letting you know what I see." He made his way back to the rest of the group, leaving Sayomi alone with the swordsman.
Sayomi watched him walk away, then turned her attention to Hiei. I didn't think any of that meant anything. Hiei didn't exactly do or say anything to give off that kind of impression. Her eyes traveled from his face to his hair. I wonder…
She reached out and ran her fingers through his wild hair. It's actually softer than it looks… She froze when he let out a soft sigh and turned his head towards her in his sleep. She let out a slow breath of relief when he didn't wake up. What do I do? I can't tell him how I feel if I don't even know what I'm feeling. It's not like that between us, right? We just train together…
Her meditation came to mind and she felt her face heat up more. That'll never happen… I should just banish the idea altogether. Besides, I'm sure he wouldn't want someone as weak as me...
She couldn't explain the pain that grew in her chest, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from his face as he slept.