"I don't see the point behind it, but fine." I sighed, taking the bracelet from Akari and tying it around my wrist.

"The point is that now we are connected as a team." Akari smiled, her delicate features reassuring and patient. "It will help us become one, to be great together."

"I see." I nodded, eager to get out of here. Akari was a nice girl, but she could be very pushy with how she felt and she was getting progressively more odd as time was going on. Maybe it was partially my fault for being so anxious to train again, to feel like I was progressing as a human being instead of remaining stagnant. "This is incredibly thoughtful of you. Thank you, Akari."

She smiled, nodding and dancing off to the other girls. Half of us had the strange, multicolored bracelets on our wrists with the wooden bead in the center, while the other half were actively avoiding getting cornered by the strange girl. I sighed, closing my locker and pulling on my hoodie.

Outside was dreary, chilly even, and it smelled like rain. I could FEEL that it was going to rain.

"It's been a while. I was wondering when you would show up again." A familiar voice rang behind me, and I jumped, whipping around and grinning at the redhead I had been dying to see again.

"Shuichi!" I jogged back to him, having to stop myself from hugging him. "Everything happened so quickly that I didn't get to tell you that I was leaving. Did my cousin at least let you know?"

"I'm afraid Kuwabara was rather quiet on the details of your absence. He just said that you were training and that he couldn't say more until you returned." He smiled back, adjusting his bag. "I trust everything is well?"

"A lot's changed." I admitted. "I don't feel like the same person that I was a month ago. It's very strange, but at the same time I think I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. How about you? What have you been up to as of late?"

"Oh, nothing of interest." He brushed off, waving his hand to indicate that we should walk. I did my best to keep a straight face at the lie. He obviously wasn't aware that I knew yet. Interesting that Kazuma didn't tell him.

"Really? I would have thought you'd be up to your nose in preparing." I pried, eyeing his reaction. He looked confused, lifting a brow at me. "You know, for testing week. Your time must be filled with studying and books."

"Ah, yes. Preparation is key." He smiled, nodding to the left. I walked closer to him to avoid the pole coming up and backed away when we had passed, staring up at sky and sighing.

"It's going to rain tonight." I threw out, toying with the string on my wrist.

"How can you tell?"

"It's my psychic power." I joked, grinning at the slight tensing of his jaw that I would have missed entirely if I hadn't been paying attention. "Don't you have any special powers, Shuichi?"

You must be reading a lot of science fiction. You have a delightful imagination."

He was good at deflection, that much I would give him. I tried another tactic; he had to give it away at some point, didn't he?

"Aw! Look! What a cute little fox!" I pointed randomly at one of the buildings we were passing. He craned his neck around to see where I was pointing, and I pouted. "You missed him. He was adorable. I love foxes. Do you like foxes, Shuichi?"

"Are you alright? You're acting very strange." He stopped, cocking his head at me and glancing me over with concern in his eyes. I sighed, giving up on trying to bait the expert and deciding for the more straightforward approach. Now it was just a guess on how he would react.

"I admit it; you're better at mind games than me. I learned a lot during my time away. I know about the tournament, and the stakes involved. I just don't know what to do to help because I'm still weak as it is and Kazuma refuses to fight with me because I'm a girl. Is there anything that I can do?"

"So it's you. I was wondering why there was such a vast improvement in his mood as of late." A smile flitted across his face before falling back into contemplation. "I would keep doing exactly as you are doing now. Morale is more important than you think, Ella. Your cousin needs your support and sarcasm now more than ever I think. And the amusement keeps Hiei on track. Just know that you can't change what's already in motion, and to go easy on Kuwabara if he loses his temper or is acting strangely; the pressure on everyone is immense."

I nodded, starting to walk again and staring at him as he followed suite. "I don't know how to ask this politely, so I'm sorry that this sounds insensitive; I don't understand the situation with you. You were a human who was possessed by a demon? Are you a psychic, or a demon, or a hybrid of some kind?"

He laughed out loud, his head falling back, and I couldn't help but smile at the amusement that I had caused. I liked when emotion showed through that icy exterior.

I thought of the crimson eyed demon that was training Kazuma and I in the woods, his face when he was amused at my temper or how he shook his head and smiled when I failed at what he wanted and I assessed the situation and tried again. Just the images made my heart pound, and I felt heat spread through my chest and up to my face.

"It's a very long story." Shuichi brought my attention back to the present.

"Do you have somewhere you need to be?"

"I think it would be better to have this conversation somewhere more private is the more forward way of saying it."

"Then tell me about your family while we're walking. You said the last time that I saw you that your mother was going to remarry and that you had a little brother because of it. What's he like? Do you two get along?"

He shook his head, smiling. "You are extremely forward yourself, Ella."

"That's what happens when you're raised in another country." I countered, adjusting my own backpack. "I'll tell you about mine if you tell me about yours."

"I suppose this is sufficient." He teased, relaxing and launching into the subject of his little brother while he walked me to the woods instead of home. I smiled at his observations and laughed at how different a culture I was living in.