A/N: Not much to say. Enjoy.

O/C2: After exploring the room, Misaki leaves, saying that she's going to go and snoop around. She returns, two hours before the Welcoming Banquet put on for all of the fighters in honor of the tournament. Misaki changes Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara's appearances seeing as how the main point of the banquet is to be deceiving. They leave with alter features in their suits, Misaki asks Hiei if he wouldn't mind changing into his. She leaves his and Kurama's room to change her appearance and after finishing she checks on Hiei...

--

"Hiei if you're changing, you'd better high-tail it into the bathroom." Misaki opened the door again.

Hiei sat on the window sill as if he hadn't moved, but he was dressed in the suit as she requested. And like the others, he looked pretty darn good. Misaki shook her head. "Seriously. If they knew how good..."

"Hiei, I need to change how you look." If he had heard her thoughts, he didn't react, simply nodding and following her out of the room without protest.

He sat down on the stool the other guys had occupied and leaned an elbow on the counted, looking bored.

Misaki hesitantly held her hands up. When Hiei didn't move, she closed her eyes and began working, passing the image in her head to how Hiei would appear to everyone else. She was so concentrating so hard that she didn't hear what he said to her.

"If you make me into a yellow skinned purple haired freak I will kill you." He finally told her.

Misaki opened her eyes to see Hiei glaring at her.

"I'm not, but take off that silly bandana." She concentrated on his face, changing it in ways he couldn't see.

He didn't have to say anything; she knew he didn't want to. It slid onto the counter anyway and Misaki was glad she didn't have to do it herself.

Misaki almost lost her place when the Jagan Eye opened to watch her. It hummed pleasantly in her head, encouraging her work.

"Can you make it stop that, please? I know it would like to help but it isn't making this any easier." She frowned.

Hiei was taken by surprise for a moment, but he grimaced. The hum was loud enough in his head; he didn't know she could hear it too. He realized that the Jagan was transmitting its thoughts to her, though she was unable to understand what it was saying since she didn't know the language it spoke.

The hum faded into the background of Misaki's mind and she was able to quickly add the final touches.

"Okay. I'm done. And glad that I don't have to do that everyday." She lowered her hands and popped her neck, checking Hiei's new features to make sure it was seamless.

Hiei stepped over to the mirror. His reflection didn't have a suit on—his clothes similar to what he wore everyday, though these were more formal. He even had a katana at his side. The white star his hair formed just above his forehead was the same color as the rest of his hair and the Jagan had been smoothed over with skin.

"I don't look different."

"You're different enough." Misaki waved it off, "Same as me. At least people won't know who we are. That would be bad. The reason I changed Yusuke and Kuwabara so much is because they're human. They're still in the minority around here and it means trouble is more likely to find them."

Hiei looked at her reflection. The silver-highlights were gone from her hair, though they were also gone in real life. Her skin became extremely pale and her eyes upturned at the ends a little. Despite the fact that her appearance wasn't much different, her aura was. She radiated weakness and frailty to an almost overwhelming extent.

Even when Hiei glanced at Misaki, he could still feel the aura coming from the mirror before she waved it away.

"Impressive."

"Thank you. I try. I might be able to convince someone that I'll be easy to defeat."

"That will be their downfall."

"I need to change." She swept up a dress from the couch he hadn't noticed before and started for their room. "I am not going into Yusuke and Kuwabara's room." She said back to him after catching his disapproving thought.

Hiei admitted to himself that was a good reason.

"You can leave if you'd like. You're ready. Make sure Yusuke and Kuwabara haven't gotten drunk yet if you do." She shut the door.

Misaki didn't like the color of the dress, pink, nor the style, frilly and short. Though it was ironically an almost exact replica of what she had pictured Kuwabara in. If Misaki was going to have to endure the banquet, she was going to do it in something she wanted to wear. Misaki changed to dress into a long, black and elegant number—she literally changed it's appearance so she put on the black dress, not the pink one—piling her hair on top of her head with a couple of strands framing her face.

All of that only took a few minutes and then she was heading out the door. She didn't expect Hiei to wait for her and he didn't surprise her. As she closed the door behind her, she made it so that no one would be able to get in or out.

Misaki had an uneasy feeling that either Yusuke or Kuwabara or both hadn't taken her warning seriously and were heavily smashed. She took a second to calm herself down. They weren't completely stupid. She hoped.

A ways behind her, she heard a door open and close but she jumped a little what someone came up beside her.

"Such a woman should not be without an escort." A lyrical voice at her elbow said.

Misaki faced the newcomer as gracefully as she could. The man had a face to match his voice. He was at least a foot and a half taller than her and he was smiling a white-toothed, perfect smile. Misaki might have melted if she hadn't seen faces like that before and lived to tell about it. He had a wiry frame and was slender, his features etched and strong; he looked attractive in his blueish suit. Misaki noticed his color-coordination. His short hair was light blue and his eyes were dark blue. He was holding out an arm expectantly and when Misaki didn't take it, he put her hand there anyway and walked for the elevator.

"So can I ask you your name or will you just lie to me?" he wanted to know.

"Depends. What can I look forward to from you?"

He seemed sincere enough but Misaki didn't want to use telepathic power to find out. She didn't know if he was a telepath himself. Of course seeing as how youkai had a bad habit of knowing her name, Misaki wasn't intending to reveal it to anyone.

"Tayl." She supplied.

"Ike."

"Ike." Misaki repeated. The elevator was a lot further than she thought it was.

"Tayl," He said back, smiling down at her, "You really shouldn't be without an escort."

"Well I—"

"It isn't proper for a lady such as yourself."

"It's not—"

"It just isn't done, you see."

"I know—"

"Oh if you insist, I'd be glad to."

Misaki frowned. "Wait...how does that work?"

They reached the elevator and were waiting for it when Hiei walked up.

Misaki quickly dislodged herself from Ike and switched to Hiei. "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

The elevator door opened and Ike stepped it. "I see...you have an escort. Wonderful. Will I have the pleasure of speaking to you later?"

"Not if I can help it no." She thought. "Perhaps." was her evasive reply. Misaki saw the disappointment in Ike's face as the doors slid closed. "That was perfect timing." She told Hiei.

"Hn." He unlinked his arm from hers, stepping away, and pressing the button for another elevator. "Don't fraternize with the enemy."

"I wouldn't if I could help it. He sort of just...well I don't really know what happened exactly." Misaki admitted.

Neither spoke. The doors opened again and they got in. As the elevator descended, Misaki rubbed a temple.

"Keep your guard up. There's a telepath." Misaki enveloped the other three's minds with a wall to keep everyone out.

Hiei didn't respond, but he put up barriers.

The elevator dinged twice as it stopped on the correct floor.

"Since you're my escort," Misaki rolled her eyes and placed a hand in the crook of his elbow. "If we go step into the room like we don't know each other, that'll grab their attention. More inconspicuous this way." She established an undetectable telepathic link between them with his permission before the doors opened. It would allow them to fairly easily converse unnoticed all night. They stepped off of the elevator and into the gloom.

It wasn't actually a gloom, but there was an overcast, heavy feeling to the whole room, like walking into a fog.

Hiei related the feeling to the Waters of Amureo and his supposition was affirmed by Misaki through their link.

Misaki slipped her hand away, silently thanking him—no one even glanced up when they arrived and so she could disappear unnoticed into the crowd.

"What am I supposed to do?" He asked dryly.

"Go to the bar," She suggested, "Get a drink, tell some lies. I'm going to try and find out as much as I can. Or not, whichever way you want to see it."

Hiei made his way to the bar, ordering a house special on the rocks though he just stared at the glass absently when it was sat in front of him. Misaki was passing various bits and pieces of information to him that she decided were actually true. This one was an element user; that one could channel energy into the staffs he used to fight. As far as Hiei could tell, the only competition would be Yusuke, Kuwabara and Genkai. That would make it easy.

He sat listening as a pink-haired woman sat next to him, ordering something he didn't hear.

--

"Ah, Tayl. I had hoped to find you alone." Ike gracefully walked over to her with two slim goblets of what could have been champagne. He held them out for her to choose from and she took one. He sipped the other, surveying the crowd. If Misaki was going to stand him, she would need a drink.

It wasn't champagne; it was the strong stuff she had warned Yusuke and Kuwabara about. She scrutinized Ike as he drank it. Either he was a youkai or an incredibly strong human. She wasn't sure.

--

Hiei hoped it was the former. Weak youkai were cocky and easy to deal with.

"Hellooo pretty lady."

Hiei winced, recognizing Kuwabara's voice. He looked up to see Kuwabara slip into the seat next to the pink-haired woman.

She snorted into her glass, "Kuwabara? You look like an idiot."

Kuwabara shifted his eyes around the room, "How do you know my real name?"

"Baka ogre, where's spider-boy?" Hiei asked suddenly.

"Oh he's around some...dude, Hiei!" Kuwabara said a little louder than Hiei would've liked.

"Hiei?" The woman's eyes narrowed as she turned to him, but then she shrugged, "I guess you look alright."

Hiei glanced around to see if anyone was listening.

She threw-back her shot of whatever it was and saw him looking around, "No one's paying any attention."

"Genny!" A familiar voice said.

"Wait...Genny?" Hiei took a second look at the woman.

"...Genkai??" Kuwabara's jaw dropped.

"Yup." Misaki walked over.

Yusuke came up, "Wow grandma, lookin' good!"

"Which is more than what I could say for you, smart mouth."

"This is turning into a regular get together." Hiei said annoyed. "What happened with Ike?" Hiei had lost focus when Kuwabara came over.

"Tell you later." Misaki responded.

"We're just missing vine-man." Yusuke noticed, "Know where he is?"

"Probably in a corner somewhere trying to look inconspicuous." Misaki made a guess.

"And failing." The young Genkai added wryly.

"I've gotten hints of one or two that could make the tournament worth it." Misaki glanced at Hiei before melting back into the crowd.

Hiei tried to concentrate on their link but the three next to him were more than a little distracting so he gave up, assuming that if there was anything important he needed to know, Misaki would somehow get it through to him.

--

Misaki made her way to a small table near a corner. Just beside it was a larger table full of people talking about exactly what she wanted to hear.

She didn't get to listen for very long because someone came up to her.

"Seat taken?"

"No," she absently replied, trying to catch more of the other conversation. She could feel eyes studying her so she pulled her attention to focus on who had sat across from her.

He was nice-looking, though Misaki knew one would be hard-pressed to find an unattractive man in the place.

"You must be Tayl."

Misaki raised an eyebrow.

"Ike told me."

"Ah." Misaki tried not to grimace, "You must be on the same team."

He nodded.

"So who's your third?"

"A man by the name of Nicolai."

"And you would be...?"

"Soren."

"Soren. Nice to meet you, Soren." Despite Ike's strange way of becoming Misaki's escort—which had annoyed her—she took an immediate liking to his teammate who seemed much more reserved.

"So what can you tell me about your team Soren?" It was worth a shot.

Soren chuckled, "You mean what will I tell you that's true."

"Yes, I suppose that is what I actually meant." She admitted.

"Well," He took a breath, "Ike is smooth and trustworthy. Nicolai is practical and at the same time he's a fop."

Misaki sat back in her chair, "And what about yourself?"

"Me?" Soren smiled, "I'm as unpredictable as the wind."

"So should I be frightened of you?" Her voice was serious but her eyes danced.

"Someone like you?" He shook his head, "No. And what about you? Anything you care to tell me?"

"Just a fire, a fox and what you see before you."

"Really. An unfair trade. You have told me much more than I told you."

"I'm afraid, my dear Soren, that you informed me of quite enough."

"How so?"

"I know what you all are, and you know what we are."

"And how did you manage to gather such a thing from what I said?"

"Well," Misaki half-closed her eyes as if in deep concentration, "Your description of Ike sells him as a water or ice."

Soren rested his elbows on the table, intrigued.

"This Nicolai is an earth. And lastly, you. You are a wind, as if your flowing green and black robes didn't give that away. Your thoughts and movements are fleeting as a result, making them hard to follow in a battle." "And even when I'm sitting across from you." Misaki thought to herself. She opened her eyes to see Soren pleased with her answers.

"You astound me with your deductions," He leaned forward, "But how do you know I'm not lying?"

She leaned forward too as if they were sharing a great secret, "You affirmed it by the look in your eyes." She leaned back again, satisfied with herself.

"Extraordinary." He sat back as well, resting the tips of his fingers together and creating a steeple out of them, "But I'm afraid you haven't said much about yourself."

"Do I need too?" She countered as if she'd already revealed everything.

"Hm. Perhaps not. You seem to posses a decent intellect. This would give you a nice advantage on the field."

"Don't be so modest."

Soren looked discreetly quizzical.

"You deliberately worded your descriptions in such a way as to see if I could glean what I did from them. Rather petty way of figuring out if I had a shred of intelligence within me, if I do say so myself."

He let out a laugh at Misaki's indignant expression, "You seem to have found me out. It would be an honor if you would allow me to try and keep up with you in a match."

"Don't be so modest." Misaki said again, reaching over and patting him a bit condescendingly on the cheek. She stood, "I would never be able to go up against your dizzying intellect," and then walked off.

Soren stayed at the table for a while longer, watching her as she went. "I'm afraid there is more to her than meets the eye." He said out loud to himself. "Anyone who takes her frailty seriously will get more than they bargained for." He left the table.

--

The name 'Tayl' is actually pronounced just like the word 'tale' or 'tail'. No I wasn't really thinking of Majora's Mask when I thought of it.

-lotsm