Round Two kicked off with the first match in Block D between Natsume and Mukuro. Sayomi watched as the two women exchanged a few words before starting.

In Block C, Toya was being cautious of his opponent, Zither. Sayomi couldn't recall what Zither's first match entailed, so she didn't blame Toya for playing things safe.

Block B's first match was between Kujo and some random demon named Ohmu. Sayomi couldn't help but wonder if he and Natsume were aiming to face each other later on.

In Block A, two random demons, Bairin and Eso, didn't hold Sayomi's interest for long.

Kujo's match was a bit longer than the first round. His opponent had some tricks up his sleeve that caught him off guard more than once, but in the end he came out as the victor.

Toya seemed to be having trouble with Zither. He put up a good fight in the end, but Sayomi wasn't sure if he'd make it through another round.

In Block A, Bairin won the first match of the round.

As Blocks C and A were starting their next matches, Sayomi's eyes were glued to the screen showing the next match for Block B. Kurama is about to fight against Shigure. This should be an interesting match.

In the ring, Kurama and Shigure faced each other. Shigure held his large ring sword and Kurama pulled a red rose from his hair. They kept each other's gaze as they both ran across the ring, parallel to each other.

"Rose Whip!" Kurama waved the rose and the stem grew into a long thorn-covered vine. He cracked the whip and Shigure deflected the attack with his weapon.

A single thorn broke from the impact and it cut through the bell that hung from the ring implanted in the surgeon's head. Shigure swung his weapon towards the red-head, but Kurama jumped back out of reach. He only received a cut across the outer layer of his clothing.

Shigure smiled. "Nice moves. You know how to keep your distance."

"Underestimating an opponent is the first step towards defeat," Kurama explained evenly.

"I always considered a battle more like Chess than anything," Shigure said as he raised his weapon. "It is when you fail to see your adversary's moves in advance that the game can quickly turn on you.

"Hyaa!" Shigure threw his sword towards Kurama. The blade sliced through the arena and Kurama jumped out of the path of destruction in time to avoid a large wave of demonic aura.

"Kurama just barely dodged that attack," Sayomi said in awe. "Is Shigure too fast for him right now?"

Then the weapon came back around to strike at Kurama again before returning to the surgeon's hand. Kurama noticed in time to avoid the attack and escape from the ring towards the woods.

"Hyaa!" Shigure threw his weapon after the red-head, destroying the trees in its path.

As it closed in, Kurama flipped over the ring and attacked with his Rose Whip. The whip wrapped around the spinning blade and was cut to pieces.

As Shigure landed on the stump of a broken tree, Kurama used the chance to leap towards him with what was left of his whip. "Ahhh!"

Shigure smirked as his weapon cut through more trees on its way back to his hand.

Kurama gasped as he forced his body to twist away from a lethal cut in midair. He used his free hand to spring back to his feet and face Shigure.

Shigure jumped down from the stump and held his weapon at rest across his body. "Kurama, when I am asked by a patient if I will operate on them, I make my decision based on how interesting their life is. Their eyes are the gateway to this answer and you have very interesting eyes. I'm curious what it is you are trying to work through. Tell me, what is going through that bright mind of yours."

A flurry of petals swirled around Kurama as he answered, "Words… and feelings… all of which have less than nothing to do with you."

He raised his arms and sent them all shooting towards Shigure. The surgeon smirked and spun his weapon above his head until he was inside a miniature tornado. Then he spun it faster until the winds were strong enough to push Kurama back and send the referee flying.

Sayomi watched in stunned silence as the twister on the monitor rose high into the sky.

As the top of the wind tunnel arched down towards his opponent, Shigure held his sword before him. "I have you now!"

As he crashed down, a massive crater was left in the arena and clouds of dust obscured the fighters from view.

As the air started to clear, Sayomi was able to see Shigure who searched around for any sign of the red-head with his weapon ready. Did Kurama manage to dodge such a big attack, or…?

Another minute passed and she noticed the brown dust shimmer with white aura. She felt her lips stretch into a relieved smile. Good timing!

There was a flash of white fox fire before the Demon Fox appeared in the red-head's place.

After the initial relief, Sayomi couldn't help but notice the strange look in his eyes. Were you trying to transform this whole time or did it just happen on reflex?

Shigure smirked at the turn of events. "Interesting."

Then he threw his weapon at the fox. It crashed into the ground, but Kurama escaped unharmed. The blade followed its target in the air and missed before returning to Shigure who threw it again. Kurama dodged each attack without retaliating.

Shigure jumped up to meet the Demon Fox in the air. "Why have you stopped fighting?"

The surgeon swung his blade at the fox several times and missed. As the Demon Fox flipped over another strike, he gently landed at the center of the crater as the red-haired Kurama.

Shigure landed on the edge of the hole and asked, "What are you doing?!"

Kurama turned to face him defiantly, earning an intrigued smirk from the surgeon.

Sayomi watched the screen in confusion. "What's wrong, Kurama? Why did you transform back?"

"Maybe he has a plan," Yusuke said, just as confused.

Shigure watched Kurama with interest and said, "So your struggles are internal. I can help you." He raised his weapon. "I would agree to operate on you if you were only to ask."

"I don't need a butcher to improve my fighting abilities. I only need to learn a greater degree of discipline," Kurama said.

Shigure braced himself as he prepared his weapon. "Just to be clear, I wasn't suggesting that we walk away from this battle.

"Hyaah!" Shigure threw his ring sword down at Kurama.

The ring crashed into the crater, causing a large cloud of dust to rise from its center. Kurama jumped out of the crater, clutching onto his bleeding arm. "Aaaugh!"

Sayomi clenched her fists at the sight of her wounded friend. Why are you fighting like this?

"Kurama!" Yusuke glared at the screen, just as nervous for the red-head.

Kurama flipped midair to land on his feet and fall to his knees. His hand squeezed his arm, trying to slow the bleeding.

Shigure landed a distance in front of him with his weapon ready. "Are you ready to concede? Because it looks like you've had it."

"Heh heh… heh heh…" Kurama chuckled and smirked at his opponent.

"Has he lost his mind? He's already at a big disadvantage and the odds are against him at this rate." Sayomi couldn't look away from the fight.

"Kurama, make a move," Yusuke said through clenched teeth.

As Kurama caught his breath, Shigure kept a safe distance. "Are you planning something?"

The surgeon looked around as roots and branches started to rapidly sprout from the ground.

Kurama got to his feet, still clutching his bleeding arm. "I planted seeds of the Okunenju here a long time ago. You could never plan too far in advance."

Shigure watched in disbelief. "You're going to need much more power than you have if you think you can unearth the Okunenju root."

Kurama clenched his bloody fist as his aura started to radiate from his body. "I will not resort to using the Fox Demon."

Then he dropped to his knee and used his hand to project his aura directly through the earth. "Haaaaaa!"

Roots grew large enough to destroy the whole fighting arena. Shigure could only stand his ground as he was hoisted up on one of the larger roots.

"I can't believe it!" Sayomi watched the match with wide eyes as Kurama pulled another trick from his sleeve. "How long ago did he prepare this one?!"

Meanwhile, Shigure used his weapon to hack through any roots that obstructed the exhausted red-head from his sight. "Not a problem! I'll finish this battle a sword fighter, and walk away proud!"

"Haaah!" Kurama shouted as more roots sprouted from beneath him and darted towards Shigure.

"Raaaugh!" Shigure raised and spun his weapon above his head, conjuring another cyclone.

The surgeon propelled himself forward, cutting through every root and branch in his way. The roots darting towards him were easily destroyed as he closed in.

The blade stopped just centimeters from Kurama's face. A root had grown just in time to catch the dull edge of the ring blade from the inside. As Shigure quickly jumped back to gain distance, more roots grew and tangled through the weapon.

When he landed, Shigure was faced with several sharp points aimed at his head. He hesitated before he closed his eyes and sighed.

Kurama stood up, prepared for whatever was coming.

Shigure calmly got to his feet. "I concede."

"Accepted," Kurama said, as petals started to fall around them.

Shigure watched them flutter down from the pink canopy above with a serene expression. "I must admit… these are some of the most beautiful flowers I've ever seen."

Kurama watched them fall. Then he reached out a hand to catch one and clenched it in his fist. "Yes."

"Cherish them." Then the surgeon turned and jumped.

"Shigure, what are you doing?! Ungh!" Kurama tried to reach for him, but stopped to clutch the large cut across his stomach.

Kurama watched as Shigure disappeared before he lost consciousness.

"Kurama has passed out right at his moment of victory. Can we get someone out there to check on him?"

Sayomi and Yusuke immediately ran out of the waiting room. They met with Jin, Chu, and the others on their way to Kurama's location. Along the way, Hiei caught up with them.

They made it to a cliff and tried to spot the red-head. In the distance, all Sayomi could see was the battle arena that now resembled a giant Japanese Cherry Blossom tree. "I don't see him anywhere."

"Look there." Hiei pointed down.

Sayomi followed his finger and noticed Yomi helping Kurama across the plain. A relieved smile spread across her face. "He's okay!"

As Yomi placed a hand on Kurama's shoulder and walked away, Yusuke started running with everyone else on his heels. "Kurama!"

The red-head smiled as his friends ran towards him. "Seems I scraped by despite my best efforts."

"That's one way of putting it," Sayomi said as she knelt down to work on healing his worst wounds.

"Kept me on the edge of my seat." Yusuke crossed his arms and turned to Hiei. "That surgeon guy was one of Mukuro's. Do you know him?"

"Not really," the swordsman answered.

Sayomi bit her lip and kept her focus on her task. Shigure was the one who gave Hiei the Evil Eye. Then he offered to operate on Kurama. I wonder what he would've done if Kurama had taken it.

Sayomi finished healing Kurama and smiled as she stood up. "All done. Try not to pull anymore stunts like that in the next round."

Kurama returned her smile. "I'm afraid I've exhausted my aura. I doubt I'll last much longer."

"And here I was hoping we'd actually get to fight for once," Yusuke pouted with his hands clasped behind his head.

"With a mind like his, I wouldn't feel safe on the ground," Jin said as his ears twitched.

"You fought well despite not using your other form. We were practically biting our nails from the suspense," Toya commented.

"Could you not hold the form for too long?" Suzuki asked.

"It was a personal choice," Kurama answered simply.

"Well what matters is you're okay." Yusuke clapped his friend's good shoulder. "Let's just hope the rest of the tournament is as good as this match."

"Speaking of, who's fighting next?" Suzuki asked.

"I think Shu and Soketsu are fighting in Block A," Sayomi answered.

"And Natsume is still going at it with Mukuro," Chu said proudly.

"Who's fighting after Kurama?" Yusuke asked.

Jin shrugged. "It ain't none of us."

"Guess we better head back before we miss out on something good," Rinku suggested.

"You're just in a hurry to see that girl you let win." Chu shook his head. "Right shameful a loss that is."

"Like you're one to talk!" Rinku glared at the Drunken Master. "You just want to watch the girl you lost to on the big screens."

"Ain't nothing wrong with that when the beauty fights like a beast." Chu grinned as Rinku retaliated.

"You hypocrite!"

As they bickered, Sayomi felt her nerves acting up. Her hands flexed by her sides as she thought of her match coming up. How am I supposed to fight against Yusuke of all people?

Same way you would fight any other opponent.

Hiei's voice echoed in her thoughts and she couldn't help smiling. Should I imagine him with your face then?

You'll lose either way.

Wooooow. Thanks. Sayomi tried to sneak a light smack to his head but he caught her wrist.

Hiei slowed to a stop while everyone else kept walking. He watched her as she started to fidget under his gaze. "You and I both know Yusuke isn't to be taken lightly. No point denying the truth."

"I know, but you could at least be a little more supportive," Sayomi pouted.

Hiei scowled. "I'm being realistic. It's just a sparring match, but Yusuke takes every fight seriously."

Sayomi looked away then back at him, trying to ignore her building nerves. "I know, but I don't want to go down too easily either."

"I highly doubt he'll consider you an easy win," Hiei consoled.

"That might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me," Sayomi teased.

When they made it back to their respective waiting areas, Sayomi kept her main focus on the matches in Blocks A and D. Shu and Soketsu were still going at it, as were Mukuro and Natsume.

She would occasionally shift her eyes to Block B only to see unfamiliar faces. When Shishiwakamaru was matched with Hokushin, she couldn't help the smirk on her face. "The imp doesn't know who he's up against."

"You should really cut the guy some slack," Yusuke said with a grin. "He's not that bad, is he?"

"He basically hit on me and insulted me at the same time during the Dark Tournament. He wasn't much better when we were training, though he at least stopped hitting on me." Sayomi crossed her arms as she watched the swordsman draw his weapon. "I just like watching others crush his ego. He needs it."

"Damn, Sai. You've been spending too much time with Hiei." Yusuke wiggled his eyebrows. "Should we be expecting your kids to be just as cynical?"

Sayomi scowled. "Probably. First thing we'll teach them is to take advantage of Uncle Yusuke."

Yusuke raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, I give. Man, you really are like Three-Eyes."

Sayomi ignored him and watched as Shishiwakamaru slashed and pierced with his sword while her former teacher weaved his head around. It didn't take long for Hokushin to tangle the pretty boy to the point of not being able to move.

She quirked her eyebrow as Shishiwakamaru shrunk down to his imp form, making Hokushin's snare ineffective. "That was actually a clever tactic."

The imp flew all around, trying to confuse the monk. However, Hokushin had lived long enough to avoid such a novice mistake. He took advantage of Shishiwakamaru's ignorance and played along until the swordsman was too exhausted to continue.

"At least he can say he tried his best," Sayomi said with feigned disappointment.

"I'll keep those words in mind when I'm kicking your ass," Yusuke teased.

After their match, Sayomi went back to watching between Block A and Block D. "Are they ever gonna wrap it up? You should've put time limits on these fights."

"Oh come on, where's the fun in that? It's better to let loose without any restraints," Yusuke defended.

"You say that now, but we still have several more rounds to go. We're still only in round 2, and two of the blocks are still at the beginning of the list." Sayomi glimpsed at the other two blocks for some variety. "It's almost a shame Kuwabara's missing out on it."

"Yeah, he would've loved the energy here, but not being able to participate wouldn't be good for his ego." Yusuke grinned when it was Kokoh's turn to fight. "I mean, imagine if he was put against her during the prelims."

"Yeah, I get your point," Sayomi said with a sigh. "I guess I just miss the big lug."

"Yeah, but he has his own stuff going on back home." Yusuke explained. "It may be weird to you, but back home getting into a good school and getting a good job is just part of the average human lifestyle. He might even have kids someday. I guess I see now why it was never really for me."

"I think Keiko explained something like that to me before." She shifted her gaze to the boy. "By the way, how is Keiko holding up with everything?"

"I told her I would be back in three years tops."

"That poor girl." Sayomi could just imagine Keiko staring out the window in her room every day, expecting Yusuke to walk up to her door. "She has the patience of a saint when it comes to you."

"What are you trying to say?" Yusuke asked with a raised brow.

"I'm just saying, three years may not seem like much, but a lot can happen in that time, for both parties. You'll probably age slower now that your demon blood has awakened and Keiko will want to move on to the next phase of her life. I guess that would be work and starting a family?"

"She might go to college," Yusuke argued weakly.

"And if she finds someone else?" Sayomi pressed.

Yusuke kept his focus on the matches. Sayomi thought he wouldn't answer until he said, "If that happens, then I'll just make sure she's happy."

Sayomi could tell from his expression that the topic was making him uncomfortable about his future regarding Keiko, but she didn't regret bringing it up. "After this is all settled, will you stay with her or look for more fights like before the Sensui Case?"

"I don't see why I can't do both," Yusuke answered with a shrug. "I've always been a fighter."

"But you've never been this powerful and that could cause some serious damage in the Human World." Sayomi looked at Yusuke and asked, "Why do you fight in the first place?"

Yusuke arched a brow at her. "What do you mean why? Because it's what I'm good at."

"Yeah, but why? There has to be a deeper reason," Sayomi explained. "For example, I fight for the sake of my own existence and freedom. What is your core reason?"

Yusuke opened, then closed his mouth, struggling to voice an answer. He crossed his arms and returned his attention to the fights on the big screens as he thought about it.

Sayomi watched the matches, but kept him in her peripheral view. If he can find his answer, then hopefully he'll realize what's really important to him.