Howdy there. A big, lovely thank you to Ashley491 for the review! And many thanks to those who have given this story a view. I hope you enjoy the second chapter.

XOXO VSILV

I had never felt more awkward in my life. And I didn't know why. I was always a strong willed demon; I never walked into battle with fear. I faced my enemies with strength and courage. Every mission was completed to the best of my ability. But why was I sweating so nervously during this one little excursion? My mind trailed to one source,

Hiei.

No, it wasn't a lovestruck or starstruck feeling that was rumbling my stomach. It was hard to describe; it was a feeling of emptiness. Hiei had no emotion, he was void of everything save for two displays of annoyance and anger. He was incredibly hard to read. And the fact that my brain couldn't pick up a hint of emotion from him made my insides churn with anxiety.

'Is he happy?'

'Irritated?'

'Is he just as freaked out as I was?'

'Is he going to murder me in the woods?'

Give me something man!

I didn't really get much sleep the night before. I ended up just tossing and turning in my bed before finally awakening well before morning to do some exercise and training. I was an hour early to the meeting spot with Hiei. I dressed in the same outfit save for my purple sleeve. It felt weird not having it on me. I almost felt naked without it. I just stood there awkwardly and nearly jumped out of my skin when Hiei suddenly appeared in front of me. He didn't say anything. He just looked at me, and then down to my arm, and then back up to my face.

"Let's go." He spoke before his body shifted and disappeared.

I took off shortly behind him. I wasn't as fast as Hiei, but I was able to keep up. You would think though, since we were doing this mission together, that he wouldn't be acting like he was trying to avoid me. But this was Hiei, the emotionless cape wearing blob of a demon.

Finally we reached the area. The area was in the same as the last tournament. It was a weird feeling entering the former territory of Gandara and not have soldiers attacking you or arrows flying at your head. It was peaceful, it creeped me out. We spent the next few hours scouting the area. I didn't really know what we were looking for but Hiei seemed determined to find something. So just followed along and pretend to be just as curious as he was.

'What is this tree? Could it be an explosive?'

'Oh look…a rock, or is it?'

'The stairs, better check to make sure they aren't to slippery?'

We were now in the forests outside of the area, still scouting the area. I didn't know what came over me. I was so used to being with a team that was more talkative. Hiei was just dead silent the whole time.

"So. You've been to the human realm, right?"

"I have." He answered, his back still turned to me.

"What is it like there?" I pressed further.

Hiei's head whipped around towards me, his eyes piercing into my soul in a similar fashion to Mukuro. "It's terrible."

I stretched my leg on a nearby tree, "It seems that way. What do humans even do for a living there? They don't fight all the time like we do, do they? And what's the food like? I can't imagine it being any better than ours. And all the men that wander into our world seemed to be obsessed with pornography-"

"You talk too much." Hiei's strong voice cut me off. "I am not a liaison to the human realm. If you're so curious, go there yourself."

"Sorry." I muttered. There was another long pause between us. It was unbearable. I felt the need to talk, but I decided to keep it strictly business this time, "So…the area seems pretty much combed over. Nothing out of place or suspicious."

Hiei nodded once. But once again his eyes were back on me, specifically on my arm, "When we fought years ago, you hesitated."

Again with the hesitation. Why did he, or Mukuro care that much, "You beat me. Doesn't that satisfy you enough?"

"Hn." He responded. His hand tugged at his shoulder which disrobed his cape from his body, "Mukuro may have seen your true ability but I have not. The next tournament is nearing and I want to see exactly how strong my competition is."

I took a step backwards. He noticed and stepped forward. I wasn't going to escape this. Of all the things I didn't want to do today, fighting Hiei was at the very top of that list. Hiei removed his sword from his waist and tossed it to his side. The katana clacked against a nearby tree. His aura began to swarm around him; the trees began to rustle.

"Come now. Show me your real power." He beckoned. The bandana around his eyes began to smolder as the Jagan peeled itself open. The infamous Jagan. I had only seen Hiei wield it for telepathic purposes. Never have I seen it be used for battle,

until now.

Hiei pushed his body forward in attack; I dodged him, but he quickly aligned himself and struck again. His fist connected to my face and I went flying backwards into a tree. I pushed myself upright and continued to dodge his attacks. Now Hiei was attacking with his raw energy. Fists were now being infused with flames. His energy was ravenous. It pulsed against the trees, even shaking the ground beneath me. If I wasn't the one fighting him I would be in awe of the spectacle his energy was creating.

We fought for about twenty minutes, and I was not gaining the upper hand. Long story short, Hiei was beating me. Every punch I threw, he dodged. It was rough. I was beginning to look rough. I landed on the ground with another thud, but quickly swiped my legs at the approaching demon, kicking his chin and small body backwards. As I said, I wasn't the best with hand to hand combat, but I knew how to hold my ground. Especially with my legs almost being as long as Hiei's body. He released a smirk as he drew his hand to his chin, wiping his own blood away.

"You know how to hold your own." He stated the obvious. I slowly rose to my feet. My arm was beginning to twitch. Again, he noticed, "But you are, once again holding back." His energy flared again, yet this time it was much darker and more dangerous than before. Sparks began to appear around his arm. They turned black in their color. "Perhaps now you'll treat me as more serious opponent." A convenient crack of thunder escaped from the sky. Hiei looked up and gave a sadistic smile. "Or, perhaps Mukuro made an error in favoring you. Beneath her flesh she still has a heart. And sometimes it betrays her better judgement. Perhaps you really are just a weakling."

Two things really piss me off in life; two things really get on my nerves. Those were having my loyalty questioned and being called weak. Hiei hit both of those nerves dead on. I wasn't pissed. I wasn't livid. I was beyond those emotions. I was just raw. My emotions swirled into my energy, as well as the veins on my arms. They were constricting and pulsating against my skin. My fingers flexed, energy puckered at their tips. My nails on my index, middle, and thumb began to grow. My purple eyes began to darken and my iris became a ghostly white. He wanted a show, he was sure as hell going to get one.

Hiei noticed it all. His energy reached it's full charge and he thrust his arm forward. The black dragon was ready to be released. I thrust my arm towards him as well.

"Kiironotsume!"

Hiei's eyes grew wide. His hand began to tremble, it was caught in something. It was me. My energy wrapped around it holding his own black dragon, refusing it's release. That was the power of the kiironotsume. I had the ability to control someones youki. I could put a hold on someones energy, trapping it within my own. My energy began to pulsate again, and now Hiei's elbow began to bend under the pressure of my attack. I was going to twist his arm, and redirect his own dragon right into his face. Hiei's astonished glare turned into that of frustration. He once again charged his energy and channeled it into the contained dragon, pushing his arm back towards me. I flared my own as well. The stress was becoming unbearable on the two of us as well as the environment around us. The trees began to croak as they started to bend. The wind howled, lightning struck, the grass was bursting into flames below us. My skin started to bruise and my fingers began to resemble a large demonic claw. Eventually we reached a moment where we couldn't push ourselves further and the forces of our attack exploded in between us. Tree's flattened, I was thrust backwards, I'm sure Hiei did as well. My body tumbled like a broken doll across the ground until I hit a boulder. I let out a pained yell the weight of my attack hit all the nerves of my body. I withered in pain, gasping for air as my arm spammed. It usually did this after my attack. I was painful every time. My nails receded, my eyes shifted back to their violet hue and what was left of my arm was a bruised and bloody mess. I closed my eyes and took a few minutes to catch my breath. Why did I agree to this fight? There was no way I'd be at full power by the time of the tournament. Much the less to get my ass back to the fortress. My body felt as heavy as the boulder behind me. I felt shuffling, and upon opening my eyes I glanced up at Hiei who was now standing over me. He looked just as bad as I did. His face was battered, scratches were on his skin. His shirt was missing, even his pants hand some rips in them. His body was wavering much like the remaining grass in the wind.

"Hn." He finally spoke. His eyelids began to wiggle, "Not bad."

He then fell forward, hitting the boulder face first behind me. His body then slid to the side before colliding to the ground.

I was at a loss.

"Um." I sat there dumbfounded. He wasn't dead; he was clearly breathing. But he wasn't moving either.

"Uhhh," Another mumble escaped my lips. I slid my foot over to him and poked at his calf. Nothing. Another nudge…still nothing. Then I moved my hand and grabbed at his wrist, raising his arm in the air. I released, and his arm dropped back down to the ground with a thud.

Great, he was catatonic. I sat there in silence. I had no strength to pick him up and carrying him back to the fortress. Just lifting his arm caused my hand to buckle. I made the firm decision that we both needed to rest. I looked over at Hiei, he was so, tiny when he was sleeping. Even though he was shorter than me Hiei always carried himself like the tallest demon in the room with a face that never showed emotion or pain; it was almost admirable. Now he just laid on his stomach with his cheek against the dirt. His face looked so youthful that way. His lips parted slightly as a deep sigh escaped him. He was so peaceful. It was bizarre. I drew my knee up to my chest and rested my head.

"That was quite the display earlier."

I immediately jolted to my feet. It didn't matter how fatigued I was. The voice was foreign and I wasn't about to be ambushed.

I eye two demons who stood about five feet away from the two of us. One had horns that stretched from their head, the other had a slender face with hollowed white eyes. Both of them were dressed in a black military style uniform. I snarled and forced my body into a fighting stance. The two demon men laughed and held up their hands in defense.

"We are not here to attack. Mainly to compliment your skills. We are members of the Araiansu. Perhaps you've heard of us."

"Never heard of ya." I responded, still not moving from my stance.

The horned demon chuckled, "Of course not. You work for Mukuro, and him." He glanced down at Hiei.

"We are a group focused on the liberation of demons from spirit world control. Too long have demons been persecuted by Reikai and their minions. We are here to put an end to it. And we need members. Members of your skills could rise within our rankings quite quickly."

"I'm just fine where I am, thank you." Literally and figuratively. If they took another step I'd summon the strength the the depths of my toes and kill them all.

"Understood. Here." The white eyed demon removed a sheet of paper from his uniform and set it on the ground in front of him. "I'll leave this here for you. More information about our cause. Fill free to share it with your other warriors."

They quickly left after that and retreated into the shadows of the woods. Slowly I walked over and retrieved the paper. Heading back towards the safety of my boulder I sat back down and glanced at the sheet.

The Araiansu. The Alliance. Reading over the paper I gathered this group was nothing more than radical demons trying to stir trouble in a a time of peace. Sure, I had my biased opinions of Reikai but who didn't? They had no business in our world; we had our kings and structure of power and principle in place. There were always rumors that the Spirit Realm were not as benevolent as they had described themselves. Even I grew weary of Hiei when he first arrived in Mukuro's barracks. He had ties to Reikai, all of us did. How convenient that Hiei, the possessed human Kurama, and former spirit detective Yusuke all infiltrate themselves into the three largest powers in Makai? We all thought they were spies from the Spirit Realm.

Ugh. I was beginning to sound like a radical. I folded the paper and tucked it into my boots and stretched against the rock.

It was a few hours before Hiei eventually stirred. I watched his eyes roll beneath his lids, his lashes flutter and squint before they opened. He looked confused at first, and then came his usual scowl as he slowly pushed his arms into the ground to lift himself upright. As he maneuvered into a seated position he stared at me. I felt like I owed him an explanation.

"You feel asleep." I said, "I figured it would be better to wait until you woke up."

"Hn." Hiei responded.

"I also didn't want to carry you back to the village on my back. That look wouldn't suit either of us."

"Ah." Hiei brushed the dirt off his cheek. He rose to his feet and turned towards the direction of our home. The orb of his eyes turned towards me, "Too weak to stand?"

Sorry I didn't get three hours of rest, sir. I was too busy being lookout while you beauty rested! Instead I just answered, "Go ahead, I'll be-"

He disappeared before I could finish. "right behind you….asshole."

The bathing waters were exactly what I needed. I released the largest exhale while I slipped into the waters of the large pool within Mukuro's fortress. Finally after a long walk back I deserved a bit of relaxation. I mixed the waters with various herbs and spices, everything one would need to repair the damage from Hiei's attacks. There was no one in the pool and I welcomed the privacy. I took a moment to breathe in the heady aroma before dunking myself into the waters to rinse my hair. As I surfaced I heard it.

Click clack click clack click clack.

The door opened and Pri popped her head into the room, "Sade!" She exclaimed. Issa followed shortly behind her. "You're- oh! You look-"

"Terrible." I finished for her. She nodded.

"What happened out there? Surely patrolling hasn't become that dangerous, has it?" Issa asked while walking over toward me. She sat on the ledge above me and dipped her toes in the water. Pri followed and sat cross legged to my other side and began detangling my hair.

"Hiei." I answered, wincing while Pri tugged a knot, "He challenged me to a fight?"

"And?" Both women asked in unison.

"Stalemate." I answered.

"Will you two fight again?" Pri questioned as she continued to work on my hair.

I shrugged my shoulders, wincing again, "I hope not."

"Yeah," Issa added, "perhaps you two can find a more safer environment for your next date."

"What?!" I whipped my head around to glare at the demon behind me. The force of my turn almost caused Pri to yelp as she nearly lost her balance into the water. My eyes drifted from Issa's wigging brows towards my boots, "See that?"

Issa glanced over her shoulder. With a long stretch she grabbed at my boots and pulled out the white paper. Pri moved close as the two inspected the inscription.

"The time has come to liberate our home from the claws of oppression that is the Spirit Realm. Join our cause as we rise up to fight those who have committed the most ultimate betrayal. The time will come to serve justice to the Reikai and all of it's inhabitants and supporters. The Araiansu are waiting, join us." Issa read aloud, "Where did you find this?"

"Some fanboys were handing them out."

"Has Lord Mukuro seen it?" Pri asked while tilting her head.

"I haven't shown anyone besides you two."

Issa let out an unimpressed huff and began to crumble the paper, "It's all nonsense. Every few years there's a group like this that tries to get everyone all riled up to fight the Spirit Realm and nothing ever comes of it."

I sank further into the pool to conceal my lips beneath the water. Perhaps it was best to just let it go. I had a tournament to prepare for, and the last thing our world needed was another dispute between realms. Though it would make my life less boring.

Issa and Pri stayed for a few moments before heading out to grab something to eat. I was the type of demon that enjoyed a multi hour long bath so I continued to stay and relax my aching body. I took another dunk below the surface and listened to the echo's of the waters. I held my breath as long as I could before popping up my head.

And there he was.

Hiei, staring at me. Except this time I was completely naked and only covered by the thin veil of the murky waters. I let out a gasp and covered my breasts and crossed my legs. What was his deal?! Can't a demon have some privacy in the shared bathroom? Is that too much to ask?! I normally don't have problems with being nude around other people but Hiei was my boss!

"You were taking too long." He said flatly; His tone void of all emotion. His eyes modestly shifted to the wall behind me. How polite of him.

"Pardon me for trying to relax. Not all of us had a fun sparing experience today."

"Perhaps If you improve your close combat you wouldn't be thrown around as much."

Ugh. This guy. My face scrunched into a tight knot, "Well I'll try harder next time."

"Precisely why I'm here. We'll be sparring, you and I." He stated matter o factly, completely ignoring that my face and body was turning red with both anger and embarrassment. "From now until the tournament."

Double damn it. "Surely there are other, much more stronger people you could spar with."

"None with an ability quite like yours. Tomorrow at first light." With that he turned and walked away. I watched him go before thrusting my arm forward into the water, splashing the ground where he once stood. I submerged myself once more into the water, trying as hard as I could to drown myself. But eventually I needed air, and a drink. And to prepare myself for the worst week of my life.

Hope you enjoyed. View, Alert, Favorite, Review! Next chapter should have a little more magic and drama to it. I hope you'll be looking forward to reading it.