Cora pulled at the hem of the light blue sun dress as she stood on the front step of the house she had shared with Kurama and his mother Shiori. She gnawed at her lower lip nervously; it had been so long since she had seen Shiori... "Are you going to go in?" Cora glanced over her shoulder at Hiei who looked rather irritated with the world.
Hiei couldn't help the sour mood he was in; for some reason he had agreed to come with Cora to visit Kurama's human mother. She was nervous, though he didn't understand why; it's not like this woman could do any physical damage anyways. But something about that dress bothered him... Cora glanced between the door and the ground, pulling at the bottom of the ridiculous clothing she had insisted on wearing. Cora had said something about Kurama's human "loving when she's girly" what ever the hell that meant. It only reminded Hiei of the first few weeks they had traveled together; dresses were hindering and made it very difficult to fight, or in some cases dangerous. At least pant's offered a challenge to demons with ulterior motives.
Cora raised her hand to grab the door handle, only to come up short; what should she do? Should she just walk in like normal, or should she knock? Would Shiori be offended if she acted normal? Or would it hurt her more if she-
Hiei reached forward and opened the door, all but pushing Cora over the thresh hold. "In or out, I don't have all damn day." He said under his breath. Cora yelped in shock as she was suddenly standing in the middle of the living room with all eyes on her and the angry fire demon who stood just a ways behind her. Shiori sat on the couch with a man around her age with dark hair and glasses. A young boy, similar in looks to the dark haired man, sat on the floor with some school books strewn about the coffee table. Cora stood there looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Growing impatient, Hiei nudged her in the side.
Cora gulped, waving nervously. "Ummm... hey-!" Cora had barely spoken before Shiori was up and wrapping her arm's around Cora's shoulders, pulling her into a bone crushing hug. "Ah! Shiori, wha-"
"Welcome home." Shiori said, her voice thick with barely restrained emotion. Cora stood stock still for a moment before she relaxed and hugged Shiori back, though with less force. Taking a deep breath Shiori moved so she was holding Cora at arm's length, her worried brown eyes looking her over from head to toe. "Are you alright? You're voice, when did it- you stopped coming to the hospital, and when I came home Suichi didn't know where you were either! And then all those riots down town- you have quite a bit of explaining to do young lady!" Shiori said in one breath making Cora shrink back a little in shock. The relieved woman sighed, giving Cora such a warm smile that Cora felt her cheeks flush. "But that can wait." Shiori's eyes shifted from Cora to Hiei, who looked a little uncomfortable with the situation. Cora glanced between the two of them, panicking a little... I hadn't thought about the fact that Shiori has no idea who Hiei is, and now here I am just showing up out of the blue after being missing for almost four months with some strange man- "-oh I see, you Cora's boy friend! Well, welcome to the family Hiei." Cora blanched; what the hell did she miss in her five second internal rant?!
"Hn." Hiei said making Cora gap in horror. He looked her way and shrugged in a nonchalant way solidifying Cora's fears.
Shiori giggled like a school girl, sending a wink Cora's way much to her mortification. "I'll get details later!" Cora almost fell over...kill me now, please god... "Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manors!" Shiori said, wrapping her arm around Cora's shoulders and pulling her a little further into the room, motioning towards the two others in the room. "This is Kazuya Hatanaka," Shiori blushed a little making Cora quirk a questioning brow; looks like Shiori's got some details to spill herself later... "And his son Suichi-" Cora's eyes widened; two Suichi's? That was bound to get confusing. "But we call him Little Suichi so as not to get him confused with Big Suichi."
Cora waved awkwardly. "Hey-um, Hi my names Cora, and this is Hiei..." she said earning a small snort from Hiei which she silenced with a small jab with her elbow. "It's very nice to meet you."
Cora waved good bye to Shiori from the sidewalk one last time before she made her way down the side walk. Her visit with Shiori had been pleasant, with the two of them getting caught up; Shiori had started dating Kazuya some three months ago. It took Cora a bit to think up a cover story for her absence, but as it turned out her "dating" Hiei was the best thing she could really come up with. Speaking of the fire demon... Cora was very shocked that Hiei hadn't vanished shortly after she had settled in. Instead, he had taken up a spot in the window seat, and held a relatively polite conversation with Little Suichi, though it was mostly Little Suichi that did the talking. And now Hiei was still beside her, walking leisurely; to say the fire demon was acting strange would be the understatement of the year.
"What is a "boy friend"?" Hiei asked out of the blue making Cora nearly fall over in shock.
She gaped at him, earning a glare from the temperamental fire demon. "Are you serious?"
Hiei scowled. "Would I have said anything if I wasn't?"
"Touche." Cora said, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "You're going to regret agreeing with Shiori once you know what it means." Hiei quirked a brow at her, curiosity dancing through his eyes. "Though I'm actually shocked you didn't just read her mind to find this out..." he grunted in response making her sigh. "Hmmmm... a boy friend is... well, it's a human term used to describe the male partner in a human relationship."
He huffed. "The Detective refers to us as "partners" all the time; surely there is no difference." Hiei said, stuffing his hands into his cloak pockets as he continued their walk.
Cora ran her hand through her bangs, biting her lower lip in thought. "No, no there's a difference I promise."She said as the wracked her brain for a different way to word it. "The terms boy friend and girl friend are not used in our situation; they are terms of affection, used to lay a romantic claim on another human."
Hiei scrunched up his nose. "Sounds repulsive."
Cora snickered a little, taking merriment in finding something Hiei knew little to nothing about. "You have no idea; human couples do gross things like hold hands, and kiss and stuff like that." Hiei frowned a bit. "Like Shiori and Kazuya- didn't you notice how she held his hand, and he would put his arm around her shoulders? They do that because they are romantically interested in each other, and they want others around them to know that their "partner" is spoken for." They walked in silence for a while after that, Cora enjoying the familiarity of the area and Hiei in deep thought. It wasn't until they had almost reached the busy city streets that the silence was broken.
"I agree." Hiei said making Cora quirk a brow at him.
"Hmmmm, care to elaborate?"
Hiei gave her a side long glance. "Those ridiculous human terms do not describe our "partnership"." He said making Cora go "o". Hiei looked away from her then as the two of them walked across the street. "But, if you are going to continue living there during our down time, and that woman already has it stuck in her head that we are "romantic", " they both grimaced a little. "Then I see no reason to try and persuade her other wise, seeing as I don't plan to make my presence known to her unless necessary."
Cora put her finger to her chin in thought; this could actually work out pretty well. "I guess I could just tell her you live way out of town; I can be "visiting" when ever we are gone on an extended mission."
"Hn."
Cora let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She could make this all work, right? Working for Spirit World, keeping Shiori happy and not being a burden to the boys; piece of cake! "Thank's for not bailing on me back there." Hiei quirked a questioning brow at her which she answered with a small shake of her head and a bright smile.
Hiei grunted, mentally rolling his eyes...stupid girl...
"Somethings really come over him," Cora sighed as the annoying voices of Kuwabara's school mates reached her ears. After visiting Shiori the other day, she had been given strict orders by Hiei and Kurama to rest; she was still a little sore from her stint of time in the hospital, but she just couldn't relax around these fools. Kuwabara was (shockingly) tolerable, but his friends where a different story; at least Kuwabara didn't babble about trivial things. "I bet he's changing his image!"
"I bet he saw a movie and now he's acting it out." Cora rolled her eyes before turning an irritated eye to the three young humans. One was fat with slicked back black hair and large brown eyes, one was short and thin with dark buzzed hair and beady black eyes and the last one was tall and lean with messy brown hair and almond shaped dull brown eyes. Buzz placed a piece of Yen in Fatty's hands as he spoke making her scoff; where they betting over Kuwabara's sour attitude?
"No way! I say Kuwabara got rejected by a girl!" Cora felt her brow twitch. How could they speak about their friend that way? Didn't boys cheer each other on in their female conquests?
"Bulls eye Miamoto!" Yusuke said teasingly. Cora flicked him in his arm making Yusuke give her a half hearted glare. "Don't you have some baby to rob?"
Cora shrugged. "That's what got me stuck with your ass in the first place..." Yusuke laughed, nodding his head.
"Oh yeah!"
"Now wait! Kuwabara was not rejected!" Botan scolded, her hands placed hotly on her hips.
"Well what else do you call Yukina dumping out on him and running back to the Ice world?" Yusuke said accusingly.
"It's a long distance relationship!" Botan said with little hearts appearing in her eyes. Cora snorted and spun her finger around in the air making Yusuke snicker. "It's romantic!"
"It's a death sentence." Cora said with a frown just as Kuwabara walked past them with out so much as a glance. His three friends followed after him, calling for him to wait for them though their cries fell on def ears. "Even if Kuwabara doesn't know who Yukina is related too, Hiei would never allow for his sister to be with a human."
"B-but, that's not fair..." Botan said sadly, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly.
Yusuke sighed, a frown falling onto his normally smiling face. "Damn, he really is down." Botan and Cora nodded in agreement.
"Yes, not every closed case comes with a happy ending..." Botan said as she turned forlorn eyes to the ground. Cora placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Yusuke rubbed the back of his neck while giving Cora a questioning stare.
"Guess that goes for Hiei too."
Cora stiffened a little, her lips falling into a thin line. "You know he wouldn't like you talking about this out in the open," she said in warning making Yusuke shrug. "*sigh* He refuses to tell Yukina who he is; you both already know the reason why, so I wont go into details, but I suggest you do as he wishes and keep your mouths shut." Cora shot a particularly pointed look at the bluenet.
Botan huffed, crossing her arms over her chest hotly. "Why do you always do what he says? Yukina deserves to know that she has a brother-"
"And as her brother Hiei deserves to protect her as he see's fit." Cora said firmly, giving Botan an irritated glare. "And I don't do what ever he ask's of me; it just isn't any of our places to stick our nose into the personal business of their relationship." Botan slumped forward with a groan.
"I know! It just frustrates me!" Cora patted the top of her head.
"There, there." Cora said making Botan bristle and Yusuke snicker.
Cora stomach growled loudly making the humans that passed by her shoot her even stranger looks then they normally would have."Oh I'm so hungry... I wonder if there's a coffee shop around here." She said as she walked aimlessly through the city streets. Cora had split off from Yusuke and Botan some two hours ago, opting to explore the city on her own as the two refused to walk in silence and simply enjoy the good weather they were blessed with that day. She passed by many humans in her trek, each one casting her strange glances which she ignored. She knew she stood out in the human world; her natural white hair and strange blue eyes made her look like some kind of side show freak to the people of Japan, but she had grown used to being treated like a leper for her odd looks.
Cora maneuvered through the crowd with ease, glancing into each shop she passed hoping to find one that sold some kind of food. As she glanced into a particularly busy shop where people where enjoying doughnuts and coffee she slammed into someone, their hands coming up to grab hold of her shoulders, saving her from a painful meeting with the ground.
"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going-!" She stopped mid-sentence as she looked up, coming face to face with very handsome man. He had shinny, long black hair and sharp blue eyes. A small scar was visible on his right eye, running from just bellow his hair line to just before his chin. He was dressed in a rather nice black suit that fit his lean frame rather nicely.
"It's no problem. I was actually looking for you," Cora's eyes widened as she moved to take a step back only to be stopped by his firm hold on her upper arms. "Please don't try to escape; I am simply here to make you an offer." She growled, her eyes darting around and taking in the humans around her. "Shall we move to somewhere a little more private? I wouldn't want any unwelcome ears to hear our conversation."
Cora stared up at him wearily; she didn't trust him any further then she could throw him but something told her that he was right. This wasn't the place for them to talk. She nodded, and allowed him to reluctantly lead her away from the crowded street by the arm. His grip was casual but firm, leaving her little choice but to follow after him until they reached a quiet cafe. He ushered her inside and to a booth, waving the waiter away as he came to take their order.
"No need to linger long enough for a cup of coffee," he said calmly, a small smile tugging at his mouth. "I'll get straight to the point. I'm sure Tarukane informed you of a bet he had placed against the Spirit Detectives." Cora narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest defensively and nodded. "First let me tell you my name; I am Sakyo, and I was Tarukane's adversary." Cora felt all her breath leave her at once, her eyes widening in shock and mild panic.
"W-what?!" She went to stand but was stopped by his firm hand landing on her shoulder from across the table.
"Please calm down; I am not here to collect my winnings. To be perfectly honest I have no need for a demon such as yourself," he said with a crooked grin. "I am more then capable of handling my own business. Instead, I have come to make an offer to you." Cora hesitantly fell back into her seat, shrugging his hand off her shoulder.
"What kind of an offer?" He chuckled, reaching into his suit jacket and pulling a folded piece of paper from its inner breast pocket. He placed it on the table and slid it towards her pensively. Cora eyed the paper wearily as she picked it up, unfolding it and reading it over carefully. "An offer of freedom? I don't understand; you said you weren't interested in keeping me-"
"I'm not. My colleagues, however, are interested in what you can do. I believe you met them during your stay with Tarukane. " The man smirked knowingly as she folded the paper back up and placed it on the table. "The Toguro Brothers." Cora scowled, bile rising in the back of her throat.
"The Toguro brothers are dead-" Cora felt every hair on her body stand on end as the floor beneath their feet started to shake. Screams of horror forced her to glance out the window just in time to see a multistory parking garage collapsed into a pile of ruble. Sakyo chuckled as he eyed the chaos, a dark gleam coming to his blue eyes. He stood in one fluid motion, pulling the paper into his breast pocket once again.
"It seems that Toguro has already given out his invitation to your companion," Cora wiped her head around and glared at him. "And now I will extend your invitation-"
"-come to Hanging Neck Island. There you will participate with the Spirit Detective and his team in the Dark Tournament. Don't let on that you are involved with me; participate as you normally would. This invitation can not be rejected. Your freedom will be granted should the Spirit Detective and his team prove victorious. However, should they lose, you will be given as part of the payment to the brothers..."
"Great... and here I thought I had gotten away from all of that betting nonsense..." Cora said as she entered the park; night had fallen and she was now debating what she should do. Should she go home, or should she try and find somewhere outside the house to sleep? What if Sakyo tried to track her down again? She was unsure of how to go about Sakyo's offer. Or demand as it where; he had made it clear that she hadn't had a choice in weather or not she was going to this Island with the others- but how was she supposed to get there if she didn't reveal her own invitation-
"What nonsense?" Cora nearly jumped clean out of her skin as Hiei appeared at her side out of nowhere.
She turned, swatting his shoulder in a scolding manor making him scowl. "Don't do that!" Hiei scoffed, turning away from her a bit and allowing her to see Kurama's amused form as he too made his way towards her. She grumbled, waving at him halfheartedly as he walked to their side. "Whats up Foxy; its been a while sense I've seen you on the outside." Kurama chuckled, nodding lightly in greeting.
"Yes, it is strange to see you out in public; are you enjoying your time off? You seem to be healing well from your injuries." She shrugged, offering him a crooked smile.
"Meh, I can't complain; though I wish I could get away from all the noise-"
"While it is nice to listen to your pathetic small talk, maybe we should get down to business." Hiei but in making Cora's brow twitch. Rude much? Kurama sighed and nodded in agreement.
"Hiei has a point; I'm afraid our time here is limited. Have you gotten any word from Koenma?" Kurama asked making Cora quirk a brow.
"About what?"
Hiei scoffed at Koenma's idiocy. "We've been 'invited' to participate in the Dark Tournament-" Cora felt her entire body stiffen up; why hadn't she expected them to be involved? Yusuke was obviously being forced to participate, which meant that Hiei would be sent along to help out and Kurama would follow to keep an eye on Hiei. Then again, she could use this as her excuse to tag along; the contract they signed with Koenma made it her obligation to go in order to assist Yusuke, right? Right.
"I see... then I guess we better get training-"
Hiei's eyes narrowed. "We? You are not participating in this tournament." Hiei's condescending tone was enough to trigger Cora's bitch switch, her hands coming to her hips as she pined him with a heated glare.
"And who decided this? It's my job to help Yusuke too-"
Hiei scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not this time; if you want to help then stay here with the other women where you belong. The Dark Tournament is no place for a weakling such as yourself." Cora's blue eyes narrowed dangerously, though it didn't seem to faze Hiei in the slightest.
"You son of a douche-"
Kurama placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her rant in its tracks. "Cora, I am sorry to say that I have to agree with Hiei. While your fighting has improved, you would not stand a chance against the creatures who fight in this particular tournament."
Cora wrenched her shoulder out from under his grip, sending them both fiery glares. "Sense when do you two dictate where I go and who I fight?!" Hiei growled, his garnet eyes narrowing threateningly.
"Since when are you biting a the the bit to fight?" He bit out making her scoff. "Hn, exactly; you'll be staying here, where you will be out of the way." She went to argue her case but he had already vanished, leaving her fuming at Kurama's side.
"Cora, please try to understand-"
"Shut up Kurama!" Cora hissed out before turning on her heel and marching towards the park entrance."I don't know where you two get off thinking that I'll sit and stay on command; neither of you own me." So what if they were going to try and chain her down; she'd go find someone who would help her get to the damn tournament.
"So much for breaking it to her gently." Kurama flinched, running a hand through his hair as he watched her disappear into the city. He could only hope that once her temper cooled down, Cora would see reason. If not...
Cora huffed and puffed as she came to the top of the seemingly endless staircase. Why did this old woman live in the middle of nowhere?! She could really go for a nap right now; after staying up all night in rage, she had decided to pay Yusuke's master a visit. Part of her already wanted to give up, but she knew that she needed to do this. Not only to stay on Sakyo's good side, but also to prove to her so called "partners" that she could hold her own. A few moments later and Cora found her self standing in front of a large, ancient looking temple. She could see Yusuke with his back facing her, seemingly talking to someone.
"-This time I wont go easy." Cora paused as a grouchy old voice came drifting from the slightly open front door.
"It's different this time." Cora eased herself through the door, coming to stand just behind Yusuke and slightly to the side. "I promise to push as hard as I can." An old woman sat on the floor, staring down into her hands. Her shoulders where set rather ridged and her breathing was so controlled Cora wondered if she wasn't, in fact, dead.
"And what about you girl?" Yusuke quirked a brow at her before jumping back as Cora stepped out from behind him, bowing slightly in greeting to the old crone.
"Cora?! What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Master Genkei; I have sought you out in hopes of being received as a secondary pupil in preparation for the coming Dark Tournament."
Yusuke scratched his cheek as he eyed her suspiciously. "Do Hiei and Kurama know that you are here?"
Cora stiffened, glaring at him from the corner of her eye. "They do not own me." She growled out making Yusuke take a tentative step back. Genkei scoffed, coming to her feet and turning to face them. She stepped up to Cora, looking her up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.
"... You may tag along and participate as you see fit, but I will not slow down to accommodate you." Cora's eyes widened before she nodded eagerly; it was far more then she had expected from the old woman.
Yusuke snickered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Good luck squirt." He suddenly doubled over as a tiny fist slammed into his abdomen, followed by a swift kick to his back that had him landing face first into the wooden temple floors. Cora dusted off her hands with a smirk.
"And the same to you, slick."
Genkei grunted, an amused smirk tugging at her lips. "It seems we have more work to do then I originally thought, slacker!"
...Two months of training passed...
Kuwabara's left brow twitched as he listened to the jeers of the demons that congregated around Kurama, Hiei and himself. "Urameshi still hasn't showed up yet! What could the dummy be doing now?"
"Hopefully he's finding us a fifth fighter." Kurama said as he tried to ignore the irritating demons.
Hiei grunted in agreement. "Why don't you worry about yourself Kuwabara; have you gotten any better since our last fight?" Hiei said snidely in an attempt to distract the big baboon. After a few practice rounds with Kuwabara, Hiei had passed the ape to Kurama. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to beat the buffoon into the ground. That would have meant finding yet another fighter to fill out their team.
"Heh, you'll see for yourself shrimp boy!"
Just then a stubbly man with a large black hat and a scraggly beard came wobbling out of the darkness, a wooden pipe sitting between his decaying teeth. He sneered at the demons with his one good eye, his other being covered by a black eye patch. " The ship is here mates; now lets try to get on board with out any violence-"
"Hey wait! Our team still has some stragglers!" Kuwabara shouted worriedly. The strange, stubby man glared up at him.
"Then we'll have to put a mark on their heads and send out a hit man," Kuwabara blanched. "Standard rule of the tournament-"
"Now now, that's not necessary!" Kuwabara and the other two boys turned around to see Yusuke come waltzing out of the woods, a nap sack tossed over his shoulder and a smug smirk on his face. At his side stood a very, very shot person wearing a fabric mask over their face. Hiei and Kurama narrowed their eyes suspiciously at the new comer; could he be their fifth fighter? "Sorry to keep you waiting guys."
Kuwabara growled, glaring daggers at Yusuke who smiled sheepishly. "You nearly gave me a heart attack Urameshi!" Yusuke snickered.
"These forest hikes really wipe me out!"
Kuwabara took in his best friends ragged appearance. "Yeah you look awful..." he said solemnly. "Oh wait; that's just you, hehe!" Hiei scoffed, walking up to Yusuke and giving him a critical glare before stating the detectives name and gaining his attention.
"Huh-!" Hiei threw a punch towards Yusuke's face, one which Yusuke easily dodged. Hiei threw strike per strike at the young teen, even going so far as to draw his blade. Yusuke moved with equal swiftness, avoiding each of Hiei's well aimed hits with little effort. The demons around them began to mumble to each other, the air suddenly electrified due to the small skirmish.
"Damn their fast! I can barely keep up with them!" Kuwabara said as his eyes darted around, catching mere glimpse' of the two sparing men. No sooner had he spoken then did the two come to an abrupt halt with Yusuke holding tenderly to the edge of Hiei's blade, stopping it in its tracks. Hiei we knelt to the ground, his body still poised to attack though he placed no force on the hilt of his blade.
"Damn Hiei, is this how you say hello to people now?" Yusuke said sarcastically. Hiei smirked, his eyes alight with excitement due to Yusuke's obvious improvements.
"Hn. I don't know where you've been all this time, but it seems you've improved your skills a little bit." Yusuke snickered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand.
"Improved a little bit?!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "Oh man I'd say he improved a lot of bits!" Kurama sent him a reassuring smile.
"Don't be discouraged; the fact that you could follow their moves proves that you have improved as well." Kuwabara sighed, but nodded though he was still in slight awe of Yusuke's obvious skill.
Yusuke removed his fingers from the blade which Hiei quickly sheathed." So Yusuke," Hiei started, glancing at the masked fighter over his shoulder uncertainly. "I assume the little one is going to be the fifth member of our team?" Kuwabara and Kurama also regarded the fighter with curiosity. The small person hadn't so much as moved a muscle sense arriving, their hands clasped firmly behind their back and their legs spread to be shoulder width apart.
"What, you mean this little guy here?" Kuwabara asked as he walked up to the small fighter, giving him a closer examination. "He's even smaller then Hiei!" The masked fighter glared at Kuwabara with a single exposed grey eye, clearly annoyed with his babbling. "And whats wrong with his face? He looks like a mummy or something."
"Trust me," Yusuke said with confidence. "That ones going to be a lot of help to us. I was even able to scrounge up a healer, though she's meeting us at the island." Kuwabara gave the short fighter a skeptical look.
"Iiiiii don't know, he barely comes to my waste." Hiei scoffed, a smug smirk tugging at his lips.
"Forget him; Yusuke and I are all that we'll require-"
"Enough of these pesky distractions," shouted the stubbly boat captain, raising a hooked hand into the air to gain everyone's attention. "Lets all get on board!" The boats horn sounded then, almost as if agreeing with its captain. The four boys and their mysterious fifth fighter made their way to the ship, boarding it quickly and taking up residence along the port side. Kurama took up residence between Hiei and Yusuke, eyeing the demons around them with a critical eye.
"Yusuke, you mentioned having found a team healer-"
"Yep! According to Genkie she's pretty good! But we're supposed to keep her from healing anything that could be life threatening." Yusuke said, putting a finger against his chin. "Not entirely sure why, but I guess she's kind of new to the whole healing thing..." Kurama nodded in understanding while Hiei scoffed.
"And we are supposed to trust this person with our injuries?" Yusuke gave him a cheeky grin.
"Beats trusting the provided healers."
"Hn."
It had been some two hours sense the ship left port, and everyone of Team Urameshi was starting to feel a little claustrophobic. The ship was large, and offered enough room for every team to spread out, but for some reason everyone decided to congregate in the center of the ship making the quarters seem packed.
Kuwabara scoffed, staring broadly at the clusters of demons. "Shoot, nothing here but ugly ass monsters. I thought cruises where supposed to have pretty girls..." Nobody acknowledged him making him huff. Why was everyone so against interaction?
"I sure hope the island isn't as boring as this." Hiei suddenly chimed in from his spot atop the boats railing. His hands where tucked casually into the pockets of his black pants, and a small frown mare'd his face as he stared with little interest over the crowd.
Kurama chuckled a little. "We aren't on vacation you know." Kuwabara gave an exaggerated sigh.
"I know, but couldn't they have at least given us a place to eat?" He complained. "With some pretty waitresses."
"Listen up mates! Peel your eyes to the captain deck!" The voice of the stubbly captain echoed over the ships deck, drawing everyone's eye to the tall, glass walled captains deck. Captain Stubbly himself stared down at them with his one good eye, a scowl spread over his face. "It's still going to be quite some time before we make our way to the harbor! So we'll be having some entertainment to keep you from gettin' rowdy!"
Kuwabara's spirits suddenly lifted, a huge smile spreading over his face. "Oh! I knew it, some dinner and dancing!" Hiei scoffed.
"The preliminary battles for the battles will be fought here on me trusty ship!" Kuwabara blanched.
"Say what?!"
"A preliminary for the competition." Hiei said with mild interest. He didn't care what happened, so long as he wasn't forced to sit and do nothing.
"Now that we can't go anywhere." Kurama said irritably. He wasn't a huge fan of being forced into a corner. No sooner had he finished speaking then did the entire ship start to shake, the force of the tremor being so great that it nearly knocked Hiei from the rail.
"AHHH! EARTH QUAKE!" Kuwabara shouted in a panic.
"Fool, there cant be earth quakes on the water!" Hiei snapped at him. Kurama's eyes widened as he glanced past Kuwabara's shoulder.
"Look!" Hiei and Kuwabara glanced over, watching in mild fascination as the deck of the ship started to split open, revealing a massive stone fighting ring as it rose into the air.
"Now I'll tell it to you straight; 15 teams have already been chosen for the Dark Tournament and are awaiting your arrival. That means that out of all of you that are on my ship, only one team will compete on dry land!" The demons aboard the ship roared in out rage while Kurama sighed. He wasn't sure why he wasn't surprised by all of this nonsense.
"Hold on, I thought that we where the special guests?" Kuwabara asked in confusion.
"This is the way they operate." Hiei said irritably; he didn't like the fact that they had to fight in order to secure a slot in a tournament they where being forced to attend.
"All teams pick out your strongest man and bring him to the ring! There they will fight in a battle royal and who ever comes out alive gets their team a ticket to fight on Hangin' Neck Island!" Kuwabara cracked his knuckles. Things where about to get interesting.
Cora sighed, resisting the urge to strangle the human that stood before her. She had been forced, by Sakyo, to attend the cock tale hour as she awaited the arrival of her team. She had been given a dress that seemed a bit risque for the affair, but it suited her figure just fine and she couldn't really complain as the fanciest thing she owned was a pair of black jeans. The dress was sleek and black, falling to her ankles with a slit that ran up to just above her knee. The neck line was what made it seem to risque to her, the sweet heart neck line and off the shoulder sleeves left her feeling exposed. Strapy black heels adorned her feet and a small black clutch hung off her wrist. Her hair had been curled and partially pulled up so to keep it out of her face. She sipped idly on a small glass of of wine as she tried to ignore the man who was all but falling into her chest; she didn't understand why she was being made to attend this party.
"- did I mention that you look ravishing this evening?" Cora glared dryly at the man, a grim frown slipping onto her face. She wondered how well her red wine would look as a stain on his clean, dark blue suit.
"WOW!" She glanced over at he source of the loud exclamation, her eyes widening in surprise and a small smile coming to her face as she caught sight of her team. Kurama and Hiei where looking around the room cautiously while Kuwabara, who was supporting an unconscious Yusuke, looked around with awe at the grandeur that was the canter lobby. A very short person, who she assumed to be male, stood on Kuwabara's left, staring in boredom with a single eye through a small opening in the bandages that covered his entire head.
"Humph!" The human before her said, following her gaze to the door. "Filthy scum; it is a shame that we are forced to share consolidations with the likes of them."
Cora chuckled, downing the rest of her wine and handing him the empty glass. "Yes, humans can be quite tasteless." She said making him gape at him. She smiled sweetly before giving him a slight bow of her head. "If you will excuse me, my team has just arrived. I'd say it has been a pleasure, but then I would be lying." She strolled away from him, her heels clicking lightly against the marble floor as she made her way fluidly towards her team. She saw a bell hopper walk up to them, offering a greeting before motioning them to follow him. They had only made it a few feet before Cora was able to hear Kuwabara's ramblings.
"- I never trust grown ups dressed this fancy." She smirked, coming to a stop before them, blocking the bell hops path to the elevators.
"Come now Kuwabara; we're not all bad." She said teasingly, letting out a small chuckle as Kuwabara sputtered in surprise.
"Hey, its the pretty lady!" Cora smiled at him before turning her eyes to Kurama and Hiei who both looked genuinely shocked to see her. Not that she could blame them; she hadn't spoken to either of them since the day before she went to Genkei's for training. "What are you doing here?"
"Yes, I believe we are all wondering the same thing." Kurama's voice was tight, making her roll her eyes.
"I guess Yusuke didn't tell you guys anything." Cora reached into her clutch and pulled out a few dollars, handing them to the bell hop. "Thank you for your services; I will escort my team from here. Please have coffee brought to our room." The bell hop took the cash and bowed to her.
"Of course Ms. Cora." He said before waltzing away, leaving Cora alone with the five fighters. She motioned for them to follow her before turning and leading the way to the elevator.
"Come on; you guys look tired and I want to get out of these damn shoes." She said as she lead them down the hall and towards the elevators. She could feel two very angry glares burning into her back. Cora tried to ignore them; she didn't care that they where angry at her, they deserved to be for always trying to keep her under their thumbs. Everyone entered the elevator, and after selecting the floor number Cora reached down and removed the irritating heels from her feet with a sigh.
"So whats up with the dress?" Kuwabara asked as he looked her up and down, a small blush coming to his cheeks. "Not that you look bad; I just didn't pin you as the dressy kind of girl..."
Cora sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was trying to gather some information from the humans about the competition you boys will be facing-"
"Your not competing?" Hiei asked snidely, aiming a heated glare at the wall opposite of where she was standing. "I thought that's why you refused to listen to reason."
"No, I'm not competing." She snapped back at him. "I'm going to act as an alternate fighter as well as the team healer."
"Hn. Sense when do you know anything about fighting or healing."
"Sense when do you care to know anything about my training? Besides, you never complained about my patch job's before."
Kuwabara glanced between the two of them, inching away as the two continued to throw heated, relatively innocent words at each other, though neither was willing to meet the others eye. He moved to stand next to Kurama who had his eyes closed and his mouth set in a grim line. "Uhh... did I miss something?"
"They are simply having a lovers quarrel-"
"Fuck off Hiei your not my boss! I'm here now and there's no taking that back, so you'll just have to deal with it-"
Kuwabara's brows hit his hair line, his jaw falling open in shock. "L-lovers?! Those two are-" Before he could finish his sentence the elevator dinged signaling that they had made it to their floor. No sooner had the door opened then did Cora storm out of the elevator, startling some demons that stood in the hall waiting for said elevator to arrive. Hiei left after her, growling a little as he followed her down the hall, the two spitting insults at each other as they went. Kuwabara lugged Yusuke off the elevator, followed by Kurama and the masked fighter, and watched the two small demons go at it verbally. "T-they fight like an old married couple... what the hell are they fighting about anyways?"
"I'm not sure its my place to tell you." Kurama said as he too eyed the fighting demons. Cora was now fighting not only with Hiei but with the hotel room key, getting more and more frustrated as the door refused to open. Kurama saw Hiei bite something out at her as he took the key from her hands and opened the door, letting her enter the hotel room first before following after her, leaving the door open for the rest of them. Kurama, despite the less the favorable circumstances, couldn't help but chuckle at his friends contradicting behavior; Hiei wants to throttle her, but he still holds the door open. "They should cool down before to long."
Kuwabara hummed in thought. "I hope so... I don't think I could sleep through all of Hiei's growling..." Kurama chuckled again as they made it to the hotel room just in time to hear the sound of a door slamming shut. He entered to see Hiei with a sour expression on his face, glaring heatedly at a door Kurama assumed was the one that was slammed.
"I'm assuming she is changing?" Hiei grunted in response as Kuwabara placed Yusuke on on one of the large leather couches. Kurama sat on the sectional next to the masked fighter.
"I gotta hand it to them, they sure know how to make things pretty," Kuwabara said as he looked around the room. "I haven't seen this much rich stuff in my whole life!" Hiei scoffed just before a light knock on the door gained every ones attention. Hiei opened the door and in walked the same bell hop that had greeted them in the lobby, a small roll cart with six cups of steaming coffee set upon it.
"Your evening coffee gentlemen; compliments of the hotel." Kurama quirked a brow as Hiei begrudgingly took Cora's clutch from his pocket and handed the room server a couple bills in tip before the man left. Hiei then tossed the small purse onto the table and grabbed his cup, letting out a sigh before taking a small sip.
"Careful! Those fancy guys might be trying to poison us." Kuwabara said as he eyed the coffee suspiciously.
"Does that really make sense Kuwabara? Why would they bring us all the way here to poison us?" Kurama said as he nursed he lifted his cup to his lips and took a small sip.
"The organizers want to see us fight. They'l save their murder attempts for tomorrow." Hiei added in as he settled into the cushions of the couch.
"You guys can talk your logic all you want," Kuwabara said as he dug through his nap sack, pulling out a can of energy drink. "I'm sticking to trusty old aluminum!" A snort from the other side of the room makes them all turn to regard Cora who had just re-entered the room, a large fluffy red robe on and a black towel in hand dabbing at the ends of her hair.
"You'er body would probably prefer to be actually poisoned then to have to endure the life long pain that can of filth will bring it." She said in a dead panned voice making Kuwabara scoff as he popped the tab of his can and tipped it back, taking a large swig of his drink. Cora rolled her eyes as she walked over, reaching to pick up her cup of coffee only to freeze as she took in the two cups on the table. "Hey Kurama..." she said, catching the foxes attention and motioning towards the cups.
"...Why are there only two coffee cups on the table?" Kurama asked making Kuwabara quirk a brow.
"Ones for Cora and ones the one I'm not drinking remember? Duh, we had this conversation."
"Yes so there should be three; one for you, one for Yusuke and one for Cora..." Kuwabara's eyes widened as he glanced over his shoulder as the sleeping Yusuke.
"Wow, do you think that Yusuke... can drink in his sleep too?" Cora quirked a brow at him; what was he talking about? The sound of someone sipping loudly erupted through the room making them all jump and turn to the right side of the room. Perched on a large storage cabinet was a young boy, dressed in a yellow and red shirt, black pants and a yellow and red hat. Three red stars where tattooed on his cheek, stretched out as he smiled cheekily at them. Cora took half a step back as the others in the room stood up immediately, their eyes wide in shock.
"How did you get in here?" Kurama asked making the young boy giggle.
"He must have been hiding in the room before we even got in!" Kuwabara said as he glanced around, trying to find where the child could have hidden himself.
"Fibber fibber- I came through the door after you got here! Isn't that was good boys are supposed to do?" Cora felt her eyes widen; this child was able to sneak in right under their noses? "Oops, I guess I did forget to knock though." He said before taking another drink from the extra coffee cup. " So you guys are the guest team aren't you? Your so lucky! Oh! My name is Rinku by the way! I'm on the Rokuyuki team that your fighting tomorrow!"
"Is that so?" Kuwabara said defensively.
Rinku placed his now empty cup on its side and used two fingers to balance on it, the trick seeming like literal child's play to him. "I wish I was a guest; they don't have to go to all the boring opening ceremonies or meetings about the rules. You just show up here and fight! I guess you don't have to learn about all the prizes and final rounds and stuff when your gonna be dead soon." Cora gulped; was this kid for real? "Somebody told me the guests would be special so I got excited, but you don't look special at all- maybe I'll even beat you no hands-"
"Don't you think your talking to much?" Cora jumped, her head snapping to the side and her eyes landing on yet another stranger that had managed to sneak into their room. Unlike the harmless looking child, this guy made Cora's spine tingle. He was very tall and muscular, with slanted brown eyes and short gravity defying blonde hair. He leaned casually against the wall, eyeing them all with mild annoyance. And he was standing only a few feet away from her, leaning against the wall next to the door.
"W-what? Who is he?" Kuwabara asked in confusion. "Somethings wrong, I didn't sense either of them!" Cora nodded in agreement, taking a couple steps back to put more space between herself and the stranger. The mans eyes slid across each of them, lingering first on Hiei who was glaring heatedly at him and then falling and locking on Cora who grasped the top fold of her robe. Rinku jumped from the cabinet, landing in front of the man with a laugh.
"Hey there Zeru; I was just saying howdy do to our enemies!" Rinku said with a sing song voice. Zeru scowled at the young boy before making his way to the door and forcing the child out before him. Cora and the others watched as the man, Zeru, paused at the door, glancing at them over his shoulder.
"Enjoy your last night with the living." He said, making all of them go stiff. "Lets just say that tomorrow you will be strongly resembling your coffee cup..." He locked eyes on Cora again, a smug smirk pulling at his lips for a few moments. "Seeing as you wont be participating tomorrow, I suggest you take my advice; switch to a team that stands a chance. There wont be as many bones to heal, but perhaps you could find entertainment in healing those smart enough to surrender to my power." Cora gaped at him as he left, shutting the door behind him. Before she could process everything Zeru had said, one of the two coffee cups on the table suddenly broke clean in half, sending coffee all over the table.
"W-what just happened..." Kuwabara asked as he eyed the broken cup wearily. Cora let out an aggravated growl; something about that Zeru character had put her into an even fouler mood then Hiei's temper had just moments ago.
"I'm not sure Kuwabara." Kurama said, the gears in his mind churning. "Perhaps it would be best if we retired for the night; we will all need out strength for tomorrows match." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Creepy, smug ass bastard..." Cora grumbled before turning on her heel's, going back into her's and boy's room. "Give me a minute guys; I suddenly feel filthy again. I'm going to rinse off and change for bed." Kurama nodded as Kuwabara and the masked fighter entered one of the two bed rooms, leaving Yusuke to sleep on the couch. Cora exited the room, shutting the door roughly and leaving Kurama and Hiei alone in the living area (apart from the sleeping Yusuke).
"Any ideas?" Hiei seethed out as he picked up one of the cups half's and examining it. Kurama sighed as he pulled a towel out of Kuwabara's bag and began soaking up the coffee.
"It is possible that they where masking their energy; as for the coffee cup, I have yet to come up with a theory on that. I was more worried about his lack of focus; he didn't seem to care much four our being here." Hiei growled as he tossed the broken cup in the trash.
"I plan to make him regret his lack of focus." Kurama nodded in understanding as Hiei stalked into the bed room, the sound of the slamming door followed by a muffled shout of indignation from their female companion, the muffled sound of a bath room door being slammed shut moments later followed by a muffled argument. Kurama shook his head before taking one last look around the room with a grimace. This room had seemed so beautiful when they had entered, but after their surprise visitors, even the neutral ground of their hotel room seemed like part of the battle field. He was sure sleep would not come easily tonight.
