I watched Hiei from my point on one of the branches above him, watching him dart about swinging his sword and throwing punches, ducking and rolling and doing a thousand moves a second that I could keep up with for seven or eight seconds max before my eyes pretty much crossed and my focus snapped. I focused back on the paper in my lap and tapped my pencil, continuing my essay. Writing was still one of my weakest points, but I had made miles of progress thanks to Genkai and Kazuma and my skills now required only a minimum edit from my 'peers'.

It was amazing; as I worked on my paper barely fifteen feet above the demon below me, I could scarcely hear him moving, but could feel the wind on my face every time he came anywhere near me, moving through the trees like he was walking. I had never seen anything like it. He and Genkai would have a hayday training together.

There was no warning, just the most brief change in energy and direction from Hiei. I ducked out of the way at the sword that would have been at my throat and rolled off the tree branch, my feet hitting the ground and my body rolling away as he landed with a punch at the ground where I had just been. I couldn't match his speed, and I was a little irritated that I was going to have to find my now scattered things, but the adrenaline was pumping fiercely through my veins and I couldn't help the smile.

"You're supposed to be training for the tournament." I reminded him, keeping my eyes locked on his chest so I could track his movements to the best of my ability.

"I figured a rest period has been earned."

I blushed furiously, launching myself at him.

I knew better. I really did.

He smirked, barely moving out of the way while I tried to prove that I wasn't a rest period, knowing full well that I wasn't going to prove anything. It made me angry.

I dodged a punch and kicked his leg out of the way to open him up, cussing at the feel of his hands gripping mine behind my back and forcing my down.

"Never rush in." He reminded cooly in my ear, shoving my arms away from him and motioning me to continue. I rolled my shoulders and dodged him again, hissing at the whack I recieved on my calf when he forced me around and spun with a backfist, feeling the coarse black hair on his head as he ducked and lunged forward, knocking my air out and slamming me onto the ground. I brought a bubble of water around us, trapping him against me and working my hands around freezing him in his spot. I couldn't get a good hold on him, as the water around him started to boil about him regardless of how much I tried to hold it there.I pressed my palms against his torso, pushing my power against his. He lifted his hands around my wrists, pressing his own power back against me and keeping eye contact while the water started steaming around us inside my little bubble.

I was launched into that world again, gasping for breath inside an inferno. Blue flames were licking gently at my ankles, cool to the touch and peaceful in their own way. I ran my fingers tentatively over the flame and flinched away at the sudden burn of red and black overtaking the blue. The heat felt real, but I wasn't burning. It was like a dance, each flame overtaking the other briefly in their plight for dominance, then coexisting away from one another, then swirling like a twister together until they were forced away from one another and all but disappeared to their original states. Despite the heat, I could feel the damp tears in my eyes. This was chaos. Confliction. This was how I felt almost every day. Was this what he went through every waking moment?

My lungs were screaming for air. Hiei, in usual fashion, just stared at me with that odd amount of concentration and curiosity. I curled my fingers against his shirt, exhaling the air from my lungs and allowing the bubble to cascade back to the ground. I gasped in a much needed breath and turned my head to the side, coughing.

Sensation exploded around my forearms, and I turned back to find Hiei's gaze had moved to my left arm, his palms sliding down over my skin. This wasn't normal; I had never been able to come out of... whatever this was... to actually interact with someone before. His hands reached my elbows, droplets of water sliding over his jaw and onto my chest. I blushed furiously, clearing my throat at how attractive this look was on him, how nervous that made me.

He smirked, his eyes dancing in amusement and he released his grip. I hesitated, but let go of his shirt and watched him stand up. I kipped up and wrung out my hair, chewing on my lip.

"I suppose asking if you'd like any food would be pointless... but... if you're hungry..." I blushed, releasing my grip on my hair and refusing to look at him.

"I'm more than capable of obtaining my own food source." He stated calmly, turning around. He paused, his back straightening. "But I suppose if it is already prepared..."

My heart skipped a beat. Did he really just say yes?

I tripped over my own footing but ran to my backpack. Hiei was already walking toward me, so I set the backpack between us, sitting down and digging out the apples and several of the sandwiches I had packed before coming here. I wasn't even really sure why I packed so much, but I was really glad that I did. Granted, turkey and cheese wasn't exactly a feast, but he didn't seem to mind while he ate. The silence was a little awkward, but at the same time comfortable. I took a drink of water, handing him the large bottle and leaning back against the tree. His hand brushed against mine, and I smiled at the warmth in that connection. I felt like I made a step today, like I was seeing who he really was rather than the person he let the world see.

Maybe he was starting to see me too.

Of course, the moment couldn't last forever.

I felt the ripple of energy far before I saw him, glancing anyway out of habit to see my cousin trekking through the woods, glancing around and holding something in his hand. I glanced at Hiei, nervous all of a sudden about these two being in the same vicinity as one another. From the way training had been going with Shuichi, he really couldn't take a beating from Hiei on top of it all.

Hiei just closed his eyes, as if blocking my cousin out from his reality. I sighed, standing up and motioning to get his attention while I met him halfway.

"What's up? You look like normal people would when they see a ghost." I teased my all to serious cousin. Kazuma rolled his shoulder, sighing.

"You look like a drowned rat, don't see me pointing it out." He shot back. I rolled my eyes, giving him a playful shove.

"Except that you just did. What's up? We usually meet up at home."

"You got a letter." He offered it to me, glancing behind me to glare at Hiei. I frowned, taking the paper from his hands and immediately feeling my face light up. I would recognize that crotchety old psychic's handwriting anywhere.

"Your face will get stuck like that if you keep glaring like a child. I don't think Yukina would be very impressed with someone who looked so petulant all the time." I teased him again, poking his side and wandering back to my backpack.

"I'm not petulant." He yelled at me. I smiled, shaking my head, and shoving the letter in my backpack. Hiei glanced up at me, quirking a brow.

"I'm sorry to have to leave so early. I'll see you tomorrow?" I offered, leaving the water bottle and the sandwiches out for him to eat at his convenience.

"Hn." He responded, glancing at Kazuma again with a sneer. Boys. Why was it so hard for their species to get along?

I bid him farewell and jogged back to Kazuma, pressing for new details about what he had learned so far with Shuichi. It wasn't a surprise that he was quiet about his training as usual. It was frustrating, but I could see him mind working in overtime and the tiredness working it's way into his eyes. A bit of food and he would be just fine, I thought with a smile.