Sayomi hid in the darkest shadow she could find. Granted, it was getting harder without the other demons in the room. She glanced at the bodies bleeding across the floor. Sneak attacks won't work forever...

"Where did she get to this time?" A bipedal wolf snarled as he sniffed the air for her scent.

"She's picking us off." A boar demon grunted with a hammer in his hands. "She's either invisible or hiding somewhere."

"Where could she hide?" A reptilian demon scanned his eyes across the room.

Sayomi did her best to keep herself concealed. She made sure her breathing was calm and steady. She was crouched on the balls of her feet, waiting for a good moment to make her move. As long as I just use the bare minimum of my aura to blend with the shadows, they shouldn't be able to find me.

She froze when the wolf demon stepped just in front of her. She held her breath as he sniffed the air. When he turned in her direction, Sayomi focused her aura on her sickle and decapitated the wolf before he could give her away. Just before his body hit the floor, Sayomi quickly dove for his shadow and waited for the other demons to rush over.

"Another one?!"

"She's over there!"

About a dozen demons ran straight towards the body. They looked around, holding their weapons at the ready. When they couldn't find her, they became irritated.

"Quit hiding and show yourself!" A tengu flew into the air and flapped his wings, sending a gust of wind through the room. "We're tired of these games!"

"We want a real fight!" An ox shouted, raising his axe above his head.

Screw what you want. This is life or death for me and I plan to live. Sayomi waited for their shadows to connect with the corpse. Then she used their shadows to wrap chains around their limbs. Six demons were bound in place and struggling to get free.

Sayomi stepped out of the shadows and swung her sickle in a wide circle. The blade released a ring of darkness that cut through the demons' bellies. How many left?

"There she is!" The boar pointed at her with his hammer.

"Get her!" The tengu pointed down at her.

"You're dead meat, girl!" The ox charged for her, his axe held ready to swing.

Sayomi quickly covered her body with aura and let the axe swing through. He blinked in confusion as the momentum threw him off balance. Then he glared and tried again. His second swing missed like the first.

"You can't kill me if you can't hit me." Sayomi smirked and dashed behind him. She used her sickle to cut off his arm.

"Gaagh!" He yelled and swung his axe, but only hit wisps of shadow. He frantically looked for her as he used his pain to fuel his anger. "Come out and fight me!"

Sayomi used his shadow to bind his remaining arm. Then another chain pierced through his head. He dropped dead at her feet.

"Got you!" An imp-like demon sliced her arm with his dagger.

"Ow!" Sayomi growled and swung her sickle across the imp's throat. She applied pressure to her arm as she used her aura to glide through the room.

She appeared behind a pillar and gritted her teeth in pain. She let go of her arm and glared at the blood on her hand. She wiped her hand on her pants then started to close the wound. As soon as the bleeding stopped, she waited for the other demons to come within range.

Just as she was about to peek around the pillar, she felt a strong sense of bloodlust. She dodged and rolled back to her feet as a hammer smashed the ground where she was hiding. She threw the chain of her weapon and tangled it around the boar's hands and weapon. Then she tugged, tightening the chain and pulling him off balance. Sayomi wasted no time finishing him with her sickle.

She felt a tug on her cloak and looked up to see the tengu trying to stab her with a spear. She used her cloak to vanish and reappear behind him. She landed on his back and pulled on his wings, forcing him to crash into the ground. She cut off his head and hid behind another tendon pillar.

The reptilian smirked as he shed his camouflage. He was clinging to the pillar above Sayomi's head with a blow-dart gun. When he shot a feathered dart into her thigh, Sayomi pivoted and bound the demon to the pillar with her chain. She raised her sickle and rested the blade against his neck. "Looks like you're the last one."

"Just you wait, girl. You'll get what'sss coming to you."

Sayomi cut off his head. It fell by her feet with a low thud. She put away the chain, cleaned the blood off the blade, and sat down to catch her breath. she kept her hand on her weapon and waited for someone to let her out.

If Mukuro sent this many, then I can only imagine how many Hiei has to deal with. She let out a yawn and scanned the room of bodies, doing a quick head count.

Sayomi looked down at her wounds and remembered the dart in her thigh. She pulled it out and sniffed the tip. "Great... It's laced with something." She yawned again and threw the dart away before glaring down at the reptilian's head. "I should've asked him about it before I killed him."

She cringed and glared at the door through narrow eyes as it creaked open. Mukuro walked in, observing the carnage in the room. "I see you managed to survive."

"You said you would prepare a dungeon with 50 demons," Sayomi said. "So why were there 75?"

"The demon plane won't give you fair odds. Even if you think you have your enemy figured out, there are always surprises." Mukuro walked until he stood a few meters away. He stared down at her and said, "I'm afraid it took you longer than your month deadline."

Sayomi scoffed. "I wonder why..."

"That's enough, Sayomi."

Sayomi peered around Mukuro to see Yasuhiro glaring down at her. She glared back.

"Despite the odds, you managed to claw your way to a low A-Class level," Mukuro continued, ignoring her sarcastic quip. "If you still wish to see him, then I recommend you go now."

Sayomi dropped her glare and stared at Mukuro in mild surprise. "Really?"

"You both have three days to rest and regain your strength." Mukuro turned to Yasuhiro and said, "Take her to him. After that, she can eat and rest."

"Yes, my lord." Yasuhiro bowed until Mukuro left the dungeon. When he raised his head, Sayomi was yawning and getting to her feet. "Do you realize you could've died?"

"But I didn't. Now, I'm stronger." She dusted herself off and crossed her arms. "Can we leave now? I need to take care of something and I'd like to eat as soon as possible before crashing."

"Something to take care of... with the thief?" Yasuhiro's eyes darkened.

"Obviously. I'm paying off a quick debt." Deciding not to wait, she walked towards the exit, covering another yawn. "After that, I just want to enjoy my break."

Yasuhiro sighed and followed her out. Then he led her down a maze of hallways that confused her sense of direction. Everything here looks the same... And is it just me or are these eyes following us?

When Yasuhiro stopped at a door, he turned to her and said, "I'll give you an hour. After that, I'll take you back to our room."

"Why can't I just have my own room?" Sayomi asked.

"Because anyone can sneak up on you at any moment and you're too exhausted to defend yourself properly."

"Does Hiei have a body guard?"

"He's not my little sister." Yasuhiro opened the door to let her in. "One hour."

When he closed the door behind her, Sayomi noticed the room looked almost the same as Yasuhiro's. The eyes and mouths are in different places, but...

Then her eyes wandered to the bed. She smiled automatically when she saw Hiei sleeping. He wore his usual black sweats and sleeveless black shirt. Instead of his usual white belts, a red sash was tied around his waist and his sword leaned up against the bed.

She yawned and kneeled beside his bed to take a closer look at his condition. He was covered in cuts and bruises. His hair was messier than usual and his clothes were covered in blood and dirt. It looks like his wounds have already started to heal on their own.

Then she noticed a white string around his neck. She stared at it curiously. I don't remember Hiei wearing jewelry before...

As she reached out to take a peek, Hiei's hand snapped up and fastened tightly to her wrist. She gasped and looked up to see him glaring at her through sleepy eyes. Sayomi blushed, embarrassed for getting caught.

When Hiei sat up, he groaned from the pain, but kept his hold on her wrist. Then he looked at her beaten state. "What happened?"

"Training," Sayomi answered. She let out a yawn and said, "I asked Mukuro to train me, since he trained my brother."

Hiei glared and looked at the mark on her neck. Satisfied that it hadn't changed, he let go of her wrist. "Your brother?"

"Yeah." Sayomi gestured to the door. "Turns out he's been here the whole time. So I asked Mukuro for the same training."

Hiei looked over the scratches and bruises on her arms. Her clothes had a few tears and blood stains, but she didn't look broken. "Why haven't you healed yourself?"

Sayomi sighed. "I've been healing myself to stop the bleeding. I didn't want to waste all of my aura on it and I was limited on time. I literally just finished."

"When did you get here?" Hiei asked.

"Here at Mukuro's?" Sayomi looked down at the floor as she tried to think. Then she looked back at him and shrugged. "I guess about a week or so after you did. I tried to see you, but Mukuro said I couldn't interrupt your training. So, to pass the time, I did my own training."

"You took longer than three weeks if you just finished," Hiei said.

"I know, but I was here at Mukuro's fortress within the month," Sayomi defended.

"I said this was between you and me," Hiei said. "So you went over the deadline."

"You just said I had to be here." Sayomi scowled and crossed her arms. "Besides, I didn't really have a chance to get you anything, so you'll have to wait either way."

Hiei frowned and turned till he was sitting on the edge of the bed, facing Sayomi. She tensed when he started to reach out to her, then let out a relieved sigh when he rested his hand on her head. As he started petting her hair, her body relaxed and she closed her eyes. This feels nice...

A moment later, he stopped and she felt his warm breath on her lips. His voice was just above a whisper. "I've waited long enough."

Hiei pulled her in the rest of the way until his lips claimed hers in a hungry kiss. Sayomi froze, unable to do anything but shyly kiss back. Then he pulled her in closer until he was sitting up straight and she had to brace herself against him. When his tongue gently licked her bottom lip, she let out a quiet gasp. He nipped her lip and pulled away, licking his own lips with a satisfied smirk.

Sayomi opened her eyes and stared at Hiei, then did her best to look at anything else. Her face felt hot as she noticed his arm wrapped around her waist and he made no attempt to let go. "Uh..."

Hiei glanced down, then met her eyes. "Is there a problem?"

Sayomi looked down as she tried to put her thoughts together. What is he doing?! I thought he wanted something like a weapon or –

Hiei lifted her chin until she looked at him. Their close proximity made her blush worse. "I-I... I don't..." She bit her lip and looked down until she heard him growl quietly. She quickly stopped and forced her eyes back to his. "I've never..."

"Was it bad?" He asked.

"No, but..." She felt surprised, happy, confused, and a mess of other emotions. She couldn't bring herself to push away from him. Instead, she wanted to get closer, but she was afraid to.

Hiei leaned forward and skimmed his nose against the nape of her neck. He kissed her mark and chuckled when she shivered in his arms. "Do you not want to?"

What?! Sayomi cleared her throat and said, "I figured you would want someone stronger."

Hiei leaned back to look at her. "You're training to get stronger, aren't you?"

"Yeah..."

"Then what's the problem?"

Sayomi looked down at the bed, then she turned to look at the door. She frowned and looked up at Hiei. "Yasuhiro's right outside the door. He's been very... protective since I got here."

Hiei glared at the door then looked down at her. "I don't care."

Sayomi stared at Hiei in disbelief. Is he serious?

"This is between us. He doesn't have any say in the matter." Hiei laid down on the bed and pulled her down with him. "If he has a problem, then he can fight me."

"But..." Sayomi tried to protest, but Hiei started petting her hair again. She yawned as her eyes slowly closed and she settled into his embrace. So warm... and comfortable. So tired... Just a short... nap...

After a few minutes of petting, Hiei noticed she had fallen asleep. He smirked and pulled her against him, settling in to sleep, too. Before he could doze off, the door opened. He glared up at the intruder.

Yasuhiro stood in the doorway. He glared down at them laying together in the bed and his eyes darkened. "If you could remove your hands from my sister, I'll take her to get some proper rest."

Hiei didn't move. He just watched Yasuhiro with dangerous eyes. "She's safe here. Now leave."

Yasuhiro clenched his fist until his knuckles popped. The light in the room started to dim as he took in a deep breath. "I won't ask again, thief."

Hiei stayed where he was with Sayomi asleep in his arms. His Evil Eye glowed beneath his headband, watching the shadow demon carefully.

"Yasuhiro."

Hiei and the shadow demon both turned their attention to the hall. Kirin stood behind Yasuhiro, glaring at him beneath his mask. "Lord Mukuro is looking for you."

Yasuhiro narrowed his eyes and returned his glare to Hiei. "I'll be there in a moment. I just need to take her back to my room first."

Kirin glanced in the room then returned his stern gaze to Yasuhiro. "Lord Mukuro will not wait. If you don't come immediately, your actions will be designated as defiant and your punishment will follow swiftly."

Yasuhiro closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Then he turned to leave the room. "I understand."

After they closed the door, Hiei watched them with his Evil Eye to make sure they were leaving. Then he looked down to see Sayomi hadn't stirred. He smirked and rested his head against hers before going to sleep himself.

When Sayomi woke up, the first thing she noticed was how warm she was. She snuggled into the covers, then felt something firm behind her back and across her waist. She carefully turned her head and stopped when she saw Hiei sleeping right behind her. Then she looked down and noticed his bandaged arm wrapped around her. She blushed when she remembered what had happened. That was my first kiss...

She snapped out of her thoughts when his hold on her tightened. She looked up to see he was still asleep, but he looked disturbed about something. Is he having a bad dream? She placed a hand on his shoulder and began to gently shake him. "Hiei? Hiei, wake up."

A moment later, Hiei groggily blinked his eyes open. "Sayomi?"

Sayomi sighed in relief and smiled. "Were you having a nightmare?"

He ignored her question and pulled her in for a kiss. Sayomi was surprised by how gentle it was compared to the first one and the spontaneity made her feel a rush of excitement. When he pulled away and got out of bed, she wanted him to come back.

After Hiei tied his sword around his waist, he turned to Sayomi and said, "Get up. We're going to have a word with Mukuro."

"Huh? Me too?" Sayomi pointed at herself and blinked curiously. "What for?"

As Hiei pulled his cloak on, he said, "Your brother walked in after you fell asleep. I need to tell Mukuro not to let him near you. I'd rather have you in my sight than leave you alone with him."

Sayomi's eyes widened as Hiei spoke. "He saw us... like that?"

"He was going to take you to his room," Hiei explained. "He became upset when I told him to leave. Before anything could happen, Mukuro's flunky came to get him."

"Maybe if I talk to him –"

"He won't listen. He still has an unstable mentality that's borderline obsession." Hiei waited for her to get out of bed and compose herself a bit. Then he escorted her out of the room and down the creepy corridors. "I could see the bloodlust in his eyes. He wasn't trying to hide his aura either."

"Wouldn't you be angry if you found Yukina in such a position with a guy?" Sayomi asked.

"It was more than that," Hiei said. "He was ready to kill if I didn't give you up. He would've died trying."

Sayomi scowled, but didn't argue. I know Yasuhiro means well, but he is a bit over protective. Hiei is the same way when it comes to Yukina, so why does this bother him?

When they reached the door with the eyeball in the center, Sayomi arched her brow. "You know your way around already?"

Without answering, Hiei tapped his forehead. Then, without knocking, he let himself into the room. Sayomi followed him in and looked around to see who else was there. She easily found Mukuro and Kirin, but there was no sign of her brother.

Hiei walked straight to Mukuro and said, "We have a problem."

"Oh?" Mukuro turned to see Hiei and Sayomi standing behind him.

Without flinching under the tyrant's gaze, Hiei said, "I don't want her brother anywhere near her. From now on, she stays with me."

"Hmm..." Mukuro shifted his attention to Sayomi, then back to Hiei. "Yasuhiro said the same thing about you. He doesn't want his sister to be around a killer."

"And I don't want my potential mate around a mentally unstable demon with control issues." Hiei's eyes narrowed. "If I see him come near us again, I won't hold back."

Sayomi stared at Hiei in shock. Potential... Did I agree to this?

Mukuro tilted his head curiously. "I wasn't aware you two were that close. Neither of you mentioned such a relationship before."

"It wasn't your business," Hiei said coldly. "Now do we have your word?"

Mukuro ignored Hiei's question to look at Sayomi. "Is this what you want, too?"

"Huh?" Sayomi blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. I didn't expect any of this!

"Would you prefer to stay with your mate or with your brother?" Mukuro asked.

Mukuro's blunt question made Sayomi blush. She glanced at Hiei, who was staring back at her. Then she took in a deep breath before answering. "If I had to choose... I would rather stay with Hiei. It's good to see Yasuhiro is okay, for the most part, but since I got here, he's been too... smothering."

"This choice will affect your training," Mukuro warned. "You will be training with Hiei, who's on a much higher level than you. And I can't predict how this choice will affect Yasuhiro's progress."

Sayomi looked down at the floor. If I go with Hiei, Yasuhiro will be upset and my training will be more dangerous. But if I stay with Yasuhiro, he'll shelter me and try to keep me from fighting.

When she looked up, Hiei and Mukuro were waiting for her answer. Sayomi sighed. "Given the two choices, I think I'll be better off staying with Hiei. Even if the training is harder, I'll get stronger. Then maybe Yasuhiro won't need to be so protective."

"Does that satisfy you?" Hiei asked, turning back to Mukuro.

Mukuro kept his attention on Sayomi. "Why do you want to get stronger?"

"I want my independence," Sayomi answered. "As soon as I thought I had it, it was taken from me all over again. I just want to live my life on my terms."

"Whether you go with Hiei or Yasuhiro, you'll be depending on one of them for your well-being," Mukuro pointed out.

"In a way," Sayomi agreed. "But Hiei won't try to keep me from doing what I want."

"Hmm..." Mukuro looked at Hiei. "Shall I prepare a proper chamber for the both of you, then?"

Sayomi's eyes widened when she realized what she agreed to. Oh no...

"Do what you like. Just as long as he doesn't bother us," Hiei said.

"Very well..." Mukuro turned to Kirin. "Take them to a room in the east wing."

"Yes, my lord." Kirin bowed and left the room with Hiei and Sayomi following behind.

As they walked, Sayomi tried not to look at Hiei. I didn't really think this through, did I? But he didn't even ask me about it, did he? Her lips tingled as she remembered their kisses. Although... If he really means it...

When they got to the new room, the first thing Sayomi noticed was the bigger bed in the center of the room. There was another door on the wall to the right. Since there was a large chest at the foot of the bed, she figured the door led to a bathroom. She blushed as Hiei shut the door and shrugged out of his cloak. Are we supposed to share the bed? I know we just took a nap together, but I was just really tired.

"What's wrong?" Hiei asked. He sat on the bed and stared up at her.

"What you said back there..." Sayomi had a hard time keeping her eyes on the swordsman. "About being..."

"Mates," Hiei said, reading her body language and speech pattern. "Was my intention not clear enough?"

"But I didn't actually agree to that, did I?" Sayomi kept an awkward distance from the bed. I don't have any experience with this sort of thing. How was I supposed to know?

"You didn't object, either," Hiei said smugly.

"Well..." Sayomi tried to think of a good argument. "It was kinda sudden and given the two options, you seemed to be the most logical choice. But did you need to tell Mukuro that I was your potential mate?"

"I said it because it's the truth."

Sayomi stared at Hiei. She couldn't think through the haze of emotions that fogged her mind. "Since when?"

Hiei sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The fox first brought it up at the Dark Tournament. It was when we were attacked by the quack doctor's robot."

Sayomi recalled the troll who brainwashed three human boys to fight for him. I forgot they were missing for that round.

"I told him we were training, but he noticed we were training exclusively with each other."

Sayomi thought back to those days that felt so far away compared to the present. Now that he mentions it, the girls pointed that out, too. I thought they were just reading too much into things.

"When I realized what he was implying, I thought he was being foolish. Then when you wanted to back out of the finals, I could only think of keeping you and Yukina out of danger. When you came back, I was furious that no one bothered to stop you."

"But you know I don't want anyone protecting me. It's the reason I asked you to train me in the first place, because you didn't need anyone." Sayomi felt a wave of relief for finding the right words.

"Hn." Hiei looked her up and down, noting the wounds and her worn clothing. "When I saved you and Yusuke from the explosion, I realized just how danger prone you really were. I couldn't ignore the possibility of you getting yourself killed. I became certain when you almost faded away."

Sayomi clenched her fists. If he hadn't been there... I'd be...

"After the portal was closed, I was in no hurry. You still had business with Yusuke and I was stuck in the Human World again. Kurama asked if I was willing to wait or if I would leave you behind to go to the Demon Plane. After receiving Mukuro's invitation, I realized I needed you to come with me or give you a reason to find me."

"Hiei..." Sayomi bit her lip as she tried to put her feelings into words. "When I first met you, you scared me. You threatened Yusuke, who I was supposed to protect, and you talked down to me like I wasn't worth your time. Then I saw you fight..."

Sayomi smiled as she remembered his quick fight with Seiryu and their fight with the hominids. "You never showed any fear or hesitation when you faced an opponent. You were quick and efficient with your attacks and I wanted to learn that from you. I wanted that confidence.

"Then at the tournament, the girls pointed out the same thing, that we were spending a lot of time together. I thought they were just assuming things, but every time you got injured, I couldn't help worrying about you. It hurt when you told me to stay away, but I tried not to let it bother me. I should've expected it after betraying your trust like that, but I still couldn't help thinking about you after you left."

Hiei was about to say something, but Sayomi held up a hand to stop him. "When you came back, I was so happy. Then you kept me from fading and I can't tell you how much that really means to me. I just... I have no experience with guys outside of friendship. I don't know if I'll be able to give you what you want."

Hiei kept his eyes on her as he stood up from the bed. He stalked towards her until he pressed her back against the wall. She stared up at him, blushing from the way he was staring at her. Then he leaned forward and said, "I want you. Now it's only a matter if you're willing to let me have you."

Sayomi's mouth went dry as his words made her stomach twist in knots. She tried to think, but his face was just inches from hers. His stare compelled her to give him an answer. Too embarrassed to say it aloud, she closed her eyes and nodded.

Hiei smirked and ran his fingers through her hair before leaning in to close the gap. Sayomi returned the kiss, her hands clinging to his shirt for support. As he tugged her hair to tilt her head up and deepen the kiss, a brief thought crossed her mind. He's gotten taller...