Author note: hello there, my readers! So, a little question for you: aside from the members of Team Urameshi, who's your favorite character from the Dark Tournament saga? For me it's a tie between Jin and Rinku! ^ᴥ^
oxoxoxoxoxo
(3rd person POV)
After Hiei completely and mercilessly wiped the floor with poor Yusuke, it was time for Genkai and Sayuri to spar and the vixen was half happy and half nervous to face her idol.
"Are you ready, girl?", the older woman asked.
"I am, master".
"Well, attack me then! What are you waiting for?".
The vixen blinked, then nodded with determination burning in her eyes and ran forward to punch her face, but the master simply dodged effortlessly, making Sayuri lose her balance for a second before she whirled around and tried again, this time with a kick to the left. Genkai moved to dodge it, but to her surprise, the vixen's leg came back in a descending movement and hit her in the back with the shin, sending her to the ground.
Far from defeated, Genkai landed on her hands and used her momentum to flip back on her feet to face her opponent, who was already running towards her to launch a flurry of punches, forcing the master to dodge and deflect until she decided to counterattack with a powerful punch of her own that hit the vixen straight in the face, sending her sliding a foot from their position.
Sayuri touched her aching cheek and smirked, "Nice punch, master. But I'm not down yet".
Genkai smirked back, "I would hope so, girl", she replied, getting into a ready stance, "Come at me!".
The vixen didn't need to be told twice and tried a roundhouse kick to the master's middle, which she dodged, followed by a kick to the back that surprisingly hit the mark, making the older woman slide a few inches away.
Sayuri then moved in to throw another series of punches, with a couple of them landing on the master's stomach and face, but as she was ready to finish it off with the strongest hit, Genkai ducked under it, grabbed her arm and threw the vixen over her shoulder, literally sending her flying into the nearest tree, where she remained stuck.
There was a brief, stunned silence, then Yusuke whistled loudly, "Holy crap, fox girl, she really kicked your ass!", he exclaimed, chuckling.
Sayuri huffed and shot him a half-glare, "Yeah, yeah, I noticed. Now can someone come and help me get out of this stupid tree? I'm…Kind of stuck…", she admitted, cheeks reddening with embarrassment as her ears flattened on her head.
That caused the black-haired teen to laugh even harder, "You're what?".
"I'm stuck! Stop laughing your ass off and help me!", she yelled, frustrated.
Kurama sighed and walked up to her, using his nature powers to twist and separate the bark enough to free his sister, then he helped her stand with a small amused smile, "Now that's what I call being one with nature", he joked.
She rolled her eyes, but a faint chuckle slipped past her lips all the same, "Very funny, smartass", she replied, poking her tongue out at him, "But thanks".
"You're welcome".
Genkai stood with her hands behind her back, looking quite satisfied, "You have potential, girl. It's been a long time since a student managed to land a hit on me and you succeeded five times in total", she said, making Sayuri beam with pride and joy, "But that's still not enough. Don't get your head get too swollen, I was going easy on you".
"…Ah", the vixen's ears drooped slightly at that, tail flopping down in disappointment.
"Don't look so glum, you still did better than these dimwits here", Genkai added, thrusting her thumb towards the two humans, causing Kuwabara to rub his head in embarrassment and Yusuke to scowl.
"Hey! I'm doing my best here, you old hag! And besides, I'm human, while she's a freaking demon! Do you expect me to be at her level?", Urameshi snapped.
The old master rounded on him with a scary glare, "Of course I expect you to be at least at her same level, you idiot!", she yelled, "What kind of opponents do you think you'll face at the Dark Tournament? The teams will be entirely composed of demons, you dimwit!", she reminded him, making him flinch.
"Oh, right. I forgot".
Sayuri nodded, "Master Genkai is right, the Dark Tournament is usually an event exclusive to demons. Only in a couple of instances there have been humans fighting in it before and only once the human team won the tournament", she added, looking intently at Genkai, who frowned as a flash of pain passed in her eyes.
"Babbling about the past won't get you anywhere", the master snapped, hiding her sorrow behind anger, "Now give me fifty laps around the dojo, then go shower and get ready for dinner!", she barked.
oxoxoxoxoxo
That evening, after a nice warm shower and a delicious dinner cooked by Sayuri and Kuwabara, the boys went to sleep, while the vixen took it upon herself to do the dishes and the laundry, when a thought hit her and she quickly went to find Genkai.
"Master? I, uhm…I have a favor to ask you".
The old psychic arched an eyebrow, "Well, out with it, don't stand there playing with your tail!".
"I need to buy something an-".
"You're not allowed to leave the dojo, you know this".
"I know, that's why I wanted to ask if I can send someone else to buy what I need. I'll pay for it of course, I have plenty of riches from my last treasure hunt", Sayuri added, a small smile curving her lips as she thought of her share of the treasure of Kurogumo and especially the time she spent with Hiei back then.
"I see. Fine, you can tell Kurama and Kuwabara tomorrow morning before they leave: I was going to send them in town to buy supplies anyway, adding something to the list won't make a difference".
"Thank you, master! I will not forget this kindness", the vixen bowed, ears twitching and tail wagging happily and Genkai rolled her eyes even as she fought to suppress a smile.
"Yes, yes, now if you're finished with your chores, go to sleep. I'm not going to go easy on you tomorrow".
"Okay, goodnight, master".
oxoxoxoxoxo
The next day and the days after that, Sayuri hurried to her room as soon as she was done with the training and chores, but she steadfastly refused to tell the boys what she was doing, merely saying it was 'a secret'. This went on for about two weeks, fuelling the curiosity of all the guys, Hiei included (though he would never admit it), then stopped abruptly without an explanation, but they all noticed that the vixen had a skip in her step and her tail wagged more often than usual.
Even Kurama couldn't get an answer about that odd behavior, though he did have his suspicions, especially considering what his sister had him buy at the market, but he kept his peace in order not to spoil the surprise that one of his friends would soon get. It was all revealed on one fine morning, when the vixen prepared a small cake and had a box wrapped in colored gift paper sitting beside her while setting the table for breakfast.
Genkai was the first to notice, "You were working on someone's gift I see", she commented with an amused smirk, "How sickeningly sweet".
"Do you think he'll like it?", the younger female asked, biting her lower lip nervously and the master snickered.
"Don't worry, he may act all high and mighty, but I'm sure he will like it, even if he may not say it outright".
Sayuri relaxed and smiled, "Thank you, I needed to hear it. Well, I'm going to find him", she stood and left the dojo, humming under her breath as she walked through the woods, a trail in her hands and the box tied to her waist with a thick vine, "Hiei? Breakfast is ready!", she announced when she reached the tree the fire demon was relaxing under.
Since that first time, they had made a habit of eating together in the woods at every meal, enjoying the quiet and each other's presence along with the delicious food she made.
He stretched like a cat and gave her a grateful nod, then his gaze moved to the cake and the box, "What are those for?", he asked curiously as he jumped off of the branch.
She smiled and sat in front of him, placing the trail on the soft grass before taking the box and offering it to him, "Good morning and happy birthday!".
Hiei just blinked, stunned, "How did you know?".
"I asked prince Koenma for the date of your birthday", she admitted, a hint of pink on her cheeks.
"…Why?".
Her gaze fell to the ground as her blush deepened, "Because I wanted to celebrate it: it's the day you were born, it's a special and important day".
Hiei's eyes widened like dinner plates and he couldn't do anything but stare at her in utter bafflement: he was imiko, the cursed child, the monster nobody wanted. Never, in his whole life, had anyone considered his birth as something to be celebrated: on the contrary, everyone cursed that day and wished he had never been born in the first place.
And here Sayuri was, calling it special and important. He didn't know what to say, hell he didn't even know what to think when faced with her genuine answer.
She looked up at him and cleared her throat, shyly offering him the gift again, "So, uh, open it?".
That shook him out of his trance and he slowly nodded, taking the box. Inside it he found a pile of sleeveless black shirts, six in total. He picked up the one on top, noticing how soft the fabric felt under his fingertips and how similar it was in style to the ones he already owned.
"Your shirts always take a lot of beating during training, so I made you some spares".
His gaze snapped up to her, once again stunned, "You made them?".
"Yes. I learned how to sew and make clothes when I was a kit and well…I can't leave the dojo even to go shopping, so the next best thing was to make them myself. Don't you like them?", she asked, a hint of anxiety in her voice and he shook his head quickly.
"No, I didn't mean that. They're very well made", he answered, admiring the shirt in his hands as a warm feeling spread in his chest, "Thank you".
"You're welcome", she beamed and gestured to the trail, "Come on now, enjoy your birthday breakfast before master Genkai calls us back to the dojo and makes us work our asses off".
He chuckled under his breath and put the shirt back in the box, digging in the food with much gusto. It was the first birthday he had ever celebrated and he found himself thinking that, if that was what it felt like, he wouldn't mind doing this every year for the rest of his life…But only if she was there to celebrate with him.