The Tournament of Souls

Chapter II

Hiei was sitting in the Temple four months later. Training had been going great. He was impressed more and more by Yusuke and Kurama's Power levels. They just kept on increasing. And although grudgingly he had to admit that Kewabara wasn't doing too badly either.

Although, as it was Kewabara was by far the weakest of the group. But Genkai refused to put him on a different set of training than Hiei, Yusuke, and Kurama because he was Human. It was only right that she kept him on that track, she justified, because she was doing the same training as Hiei, Yusuke and Kurama. So Kewabara, who was a good fifty years younger than her, should be able to do it as well. They had done everything, all of them with some form of weighted clothes on and Genkai's Spirit Cuffs.

The combination was hard to deal with at the beginning, even for Hiei who had been training with weighted clothes since he was a child. And the weight of the clothes and the intensity of the Spirit Cuffs fluctuated in response to the growth of the person's strength and Spirit Energy. As it was Hiei was wearing over a ton of weight in just his scarf alone.

Of course, Hiei had the highest numbers out of everyone. He was at the point where the Spirit Cuffs had to keep his Energy completely bound, even though he was still expected to make an aura around him, a very strenuous task, and he wore over three tons of weight on him. Yusuke was the next with twenty five percent of his Energy allowed and two tons of weight. Kurama had twenty five percent of his Energy allowed and a ton of weight on him. And Kewabara was by far the weakest with only twenty five percent of his Energy bound and an eighth of a ton of weight on him. Although he was told that that was very good for a Human.

The rest of the team was on a small break, at least according to them. No one was at the Temple at least. Genkai was away for the day with an old friend who had insisted on her help. So everyone on the team was taking the day off. They were all together, out having a good time. At least according to Yusuke. Hiei didn't want to go with them.

So Hiei was waiting. He had made himself some tea, made food when he was hungry, cut wood for the fire, an activity that the girls, Youko, and Yusuke liked to watch for reasons that were beyond him, Genkai was running low anyway, and read. Although he wasn't a very big supporter of anything Ningen he had found that some books were actually able to be tolerated.

But he was sick of sitting and waiting for everyone to come back. He was almost considering going and finding them. But that would be proving that he missed their company. So he decided that it would be best to not do that. It was an admission of weakness in his book. And he definitely wouldn't admit something like that.

Hiei sat bolt up when he sensed Mukuro coming. He ran out to meet her. He was immediately engulfed in a hug from the odd Lord of Makai. He actually cracked a smile at her. "Mukuro…" He acknowledged.

"Hiei… I heard you were entering the Tournament of Souls. Care to tell me more about it?" Asked Mukuro.

"Sure, come on in. I doubt that Genkai would mind." Hiei said as he led Mukuro into Genkai's Temple. He put water on to boil and then sat down with her on the couch.

"So, tell me about the rest of the team. How's everyone been since last I heard?" Mukuro asked as she looked at Hiei with a smile.

"Hmm… Well everyone's been fine…" Hiei started. He told Mukuro about the rest of the team. He didn't get into too many specifics. But he told her what she wanted to know. When asked he told her about the training that he was doing as well.

He sat with her as they had tea. He in turn was told of what was happening in the Makai. He was happy to hear about what had been happening. And in general happy to see Mukuro again. He really did care for her. And she was a good person. They were friends.

Hiei was listening to Mukuro talk when he felt the approach of the rest of the gang. He didn't move, but he did tell Mukuro that they were coming. She had laughed at that, and told him that she knew perfectly well that they were coming. She could sense them just as well as he could. He then told her which Energy was which. She smiled and nodded her agreement that she hadn't known that about some of the group.

Genkai burst through the door a smile on her face, that is, until she saw Mukuro. She faltered slightly at the odd scene in front of her. Hiei was sitting right next to a woman. The woman half leaning on him, her body half flushed with his on one side, her head next to his. She cocked an eyebrow at Hiei after a moment of hesitation. "I leave for a few hours and you've already replaced me… I'm hurt…" Genkai said in fake indignation.

She was in her younger form, something she stayed in more and more often. She always paid special attention to Hiei when she was in this form. It was explained to him that that form reacted totally different than her older form to different stimuli. Although she had the knowledge of her older form she still acted like a twenty year old woman instead of the eighty year old woman she really was.

Mukuro cocked an eyebrow at the new faces who entered the room. She recognized Yusuke, Kurama, and Yukina, the last from a picture that Hiei had shown her. But everyone else was just a group of people she didn't know. "I take it you're the rest of the team. It's nice to meet you." Mukuro said with a nod. "Good to see you again…" She added as she looked at Yusuke and Kurama. "It's been too long." She added.

"What are you doing here?" Asked Kewabara as he glared at Mukuro slightly. He, of course, didn't know that it was Mukuro. He had heard stories about her before, but had never met her in person. As far as he knew, she was just some random powerful Demon. "And how do you know them?" He asked as he nodded to Kurama and Yusuke.

"I'm here talking to Hiei. And if the 'them' you're referring to is Yusuke and Kurama I know them because Yusuke's a Lord of Makai and Kurama and I had dealings previously." Mukuro said with a smile.

"And how do you know Hiei?" Asked Kewabara as his half glare at Mukuro persisted.

"I know Hiei because we've been friends for a few years." Mukuro said with a small chuckle at the Human glaring at her.

"Oh… But then why don't I know anything about you?" Asked Kewabara as he faltered slightly.

"Dolt…" Hiei hissed. "This is Mukuro…" Hiei said as he glared at Kewabara. All activity in the room by everyone who didn't know Mukuro stopped. Everyone's head shot up and stared at Mukuro and Hiei in wonder.

"M-Mukuro?" Asked Keiko.

"That's me…" Mukuro said with a smile and a small laugh.

"Oh… I-" Started Keiko.

"Keiko…" Mukuro said with a smile. "Yes, I know… Hiei's told me." She said as she chuckled slightly at the odd girl.

"What? But how…" Asked Botan.

"It's a remarkable thing, I know. But Hiei really does talk to me every once and a while. He may not be the most talkative person in the world. But he does relay certain things about people he knows to me." Mukuro said with a beautiful laugh. "Trust me; I know all of you to some extent. Of course, I have to ask specific questions to get anything more than a 'Hn' out of him, but no one's perfect." Mukuro said with a large smile.

"What put you in a good mood?" Asked Koenma as he looked at Mukuro questioningly. "I thought that you were going to rip my head off earlier." He added.

"Well I did just spend the entire afternoon having a wonderful conversation with Hiei in the middle of the Ningenkai with no interruptions…" Mukuro said.

Kurama laughed slightly. "Yes, you're conversations with Hiei are something of legend in the Makai…" He said. Almost everyone cocked an eyebrow at Hiei and Mukuro at that statement.

"We end up in a better mood. And we end up not killing as many annoying things because of it." Mukuro said with a smile at the quizzical looks. "Everyone's happier when we're spotted together. It means that we're either to busy talking to each other to go and kill someone or we're lenient because we want to go and talk to the other instead of having to listen to cases." Kurama smiled at Hiei and Mukuro. They were a cute couple. They were good for each other.

"You simply must stay for dinner." Yukina said with a smile. Would you like anything specific?" She added. It wasn't every day that she got to cook for someone that Hiei was so close to. It was nice to see him smiling for once. And it was Mukuro after all. She had saved Hiei's life; she was a good person in her book.

"I'm good with anything Yukina…" Mukuro said. "If you want to make it I'll eat it." She added. Yukina nodded and rushed to start some food.

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There we go, I want at least a review or two or else I won't update the story