"Am I the only one seeing this?" said Yusuke, his eyes wide in disbelief.

Kurama was just plain smug, though there was an undercurrent of bloodlust under his gaze.

"Yep, figured this would happen. I swear her charisma stat has only gotten worse thanks to Vil," said Cater. "At least we're mostly immune to it by now."

Alyssa was wearing a cute outfit, with her whip at her side...and had no less than thirty demons following her like whipped puppies. They would eagerly rip each other apart for even a fraction of her attention from the way they were behaving.

"And this is likely why Alyssa was selected to begin with," said Botan. "That level of charisma is terrifying in the wrong hands."

"And to think this is what happens when she's not actively using it," said Kurama smugly. "To be fair, female kitsune generally do have a higher level of appeal than males."

"Wait, it can get worse?" said Yusuke.

"This I have to see," said Cater grinning.

If she was able to convert all the freshmen in less than a week into her thralls, then how bad was it when she was actively trying to use her charm on people?

To that end, they decided to set up an experiment on the matter.

They would find a demon of a higher class than the lackeys Alyssa already had eating out of her hands and see how long it took for them to become utterly besotted with her.

Cater found a likely subject. The guy was some sort of ice-type demon, and a cool customer. Alyssa would go shopping with some of the ill-gotten goods Che'nya had gotten, and see how long it took for her to lure him in.

This was either going to be hilarious or an utter train wreck.

In the black market area...

Jinn knew the second he entered the area for some nibbles that there was something dangerous in the area. It wasn't an obvious threat, like some thug who was a little stronger than normal. No, this was more subtle.

It wasn't until he found Touya talking with an adorable kitsune female that he realized what it was.

The girl wasn't actively trying to lure Touya in with promises of sex. Instead she was having a serious conversation about how to use ice creatively beyond a quick weapon.

Curious, Jinn discreetly wandered over to hear their discussion. It was weird to hear Touya talking so animatedly with another, especially a female.

Without thinking too hard about the matter, Jinn decided to join in. The girl brightened at the extra, before switching up about the mini tornadoes she had learned to create with her whip. Jinn's ears quivered with delight, and he was more than happy to share little tips about how to use her tornado trick more effectively.

Nearby

"Wow...she not only lured in the ice boy, but his friend too," said Cater impressed and more than a little disturbed. It was clear even to him that they were swiftly falling under Alyssa's charms.

They didn't look to be the sorts to become thralls, as Kurama called the lower ranked demons. Cater was fairly certain those two could easily be roped into what they had jokingly called the 'royal guard'.

The longer they talked, the more Alyssa ramped up her charm to loosen them up. The red haired one was particularly affected by her charms, and seemed to almost eagerly chat her up.

Seeing a familiar face, Cater grinned.

"Well?" asked Kurama.

"She roped in two of them," he said.

"And to think, this is before she hits full maturity," he said amused. He could tell the two she was chatting with were serious fighters, and likely part of a rival team. Not someone he would have taken seriously in his prime, but the sort that could pose a serious threat to his kit if things went wrong.

From the body language the two were displaying, they were swiftly falling under his kit's spell instead. She was likely ensnaring more 'big brother' figures.

Before Kurama said anything, he spotted something that took his full attention.

The arrival of one Jade Leech. He had already put the fear of Inari into Floyd, now it was more mature twin's turn.

Kurama had a dark expression on his face as he went to have a...chat...with Jade.

A few hours later, in the hotel room

Floyd took one look at his twin before he grimaced.

"He had a chat with you too, huh?"

Jade didn't bother to hide a wince.

"Serves you two right, taking advantage of the princess like that," said Che'nya without any sympathy in his voice.

"Would you rather it be someone who has the sense to use protection and won't hesitate to chase off other unworthy suitors, or someone like that random alleycat?" said Jade.

Che'nya glared at them both.

"If you hurt her, then they'll never find the bodies."

"We've been told that, repeatedly," said Floyd unconcerned. By damn near everyone who adored Alyssa.

"Besides, from what Yukina-sensei told us, our actions are doing more good than harm," said Jade.

Which was the only reason why Kurama hadn't killed them yet.

Cater blinked hearing that.

"What do you mean?"

"The sooner she settles into her heat cycle, the easier it'll be on her body," explained Jade. "Having a mate...or mates, in this case...to ease her urges when the false heat hits is allowing her hormones to go where they should and allow her body to properly settle."

With how often she switched genders, an IUD was not an option. And with how volatile her cycles were, it was unlikely she would become pregnant anytime soon. Either way, she now had a prescription for birth control just in case.

~*~*~~*~*~*

Alyssa looked at the 'nurse' who was examining Hiei and the masked figure. Then she mentally reviewed all the rules of the Dark Tournament before a sly smirk filled her face.

Kurama looked at his daughter and knew. She was planning to use their own rules against them.

"I'm afraid the sub can only join in on the fights once one of the team has died."

"Died, or has been declared unqualified by the official committee to fight in any of the rounds," said Alyssa smugly. Coco blinked at her. Alyssa took dark glee citing the very rules they were using to try and get her team killed.

Yusuke had to blink.

"Did you seriously memorize the rule book of a death tournament?" he asked incredulous.

Alyssa looked openly affronted he even had to ask.

"You're talking to someone who's memorized over seven hundred and fifty rules set down by the Queen of Hearts and who rules over a dorm where the students are expected to adhere to all of them. They don't call me the Teapot Tyrant for nothing," she said with a sniff.

The referee was busy scanning the rule book she had on her for the section Alyssa cited. Her expression became incredulous upon learning she was indeed correct.

"We still need a ruling from the committee," she announced unsure.

Kurama was unsurprised that the committee voted for it. After all, this meant they could deal with the sub early, leaving them weaker than before.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly.

"I don't plan to go quietly. They dragged me into this, I'm going to show them what a bad idea it was," said Alyssa in the same tone.

Seeing the thug who entered the stage, Alyssa went up as well. She could smell the ink on him, and became very wary. She eyed him up for several moments.

"Your make-up technique is appalling. Who sold you such substandard products?" she asked with a sniff.

"What?" said Gama, confused. Behind him, Jinn was snickering big time.

"Your skin is ridiculously dry and slightly greasy, and I can see the clogged pores from here," said Alyssa flatly. "I work part-time with a professional model, and the make-up crew was more than happy to give me advice on how to use products correctly."

Jinn wasn't the only one trying desperately not to laugh his ass off now. Kurama wasn't much better.

Gama looked pissed, getting a lecture of proper make-up use from his opponent.

Alyssa eyed the brushes Gama had warily. This was going to be an interesting battle.

From the side, Jinn whistled somewhat impressed. The little kitsune was putting up one hell of a fight, and for some reason Gama's special make-up was having limited to no effect on her.

While her stamina was nothing to talk about, and her technique was sloppy, she was still in a higher class compared to her opponent.

Then it happened. She pulled out a white rose painted red from her hair, and it became a very familiar whip. Jinn began to grin wildly as he saw her spinning the thorns in such a way that it produced a very minor tornado.

"Looks like Alyssa-chan put our chat to good use!" he laughed.

He could feel Touya nod in agreement. The winds weren't that impressive to look at, but it did the job of scattering countless rose petals across the arena very well.

Gama finally managed to seal her legs, and then her arms. Alyssa was stuck and unable to move at all.

Jinn sat up eagerly to see what she would do next.

Alyssa's smirk had yet to fall, as Gama came to deal a finishing blow.

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

Jinn stared in shock as a heart-shaped red and black collar slammed into place around Gama's neck. His speed decreased instantly as the boost he got from his special make-up was abruptly cut off. He stumbled briefly, and narrowly avoided face-planting.

Jinn could feel the girl's youki rising. She dipped her head briefly to pull something out of her shirt. Closer inspection revealed it to be...a playing card?

Alyssa spat it at Gama, who was busy trying to remove the collar with absolutely no luck. His combat ability was heavily dependent on the boosts his special make-up gave him. Without it, his power was barely above a D-rank demon.

Flower petals scattered everywhere as a second figure formed from the card, this one male. However there was no mistaking the fact this male was almost identical to the girl currently pinned by Gama's special make-up.

"Riddle, it's your turn to play," said Alyssa smugly.

Riddle smirked as well. It was time to put all the training Alyssa had done under Lilia to good use. He pulled out his own rose...and turned it into a sword.

Gama didn't stand a chance. Riddle was not kind, and made sure he would not be fighting anytime soon by freezing him to the stage. His ice wasn't very powerful, but it was enough to pin Gama down while his powers were sealed.

Gama sneered at the 'clone'.

"You think you've won? With my death her fate is sealed! There's no way she'll be able to survive the ten minutes until my seal breaks on her!"

Riddle stared at him incredulous.

"You said that your gravity seal makes it impossible for her to move...but what happens if someone picks her up instead?"

Gama blinked. There was a slight 'pop' from Alyssa's side of the arena, and in her place was a small kitsune cub. She let out a smug 'yip', despite being unable to walk or move much.

It was tricky, but she was able to use her tail to create a path of ice that lead directly outside the arena in the general direction of Kurama. It wouldn't last for more than five minutes, but it was enough to get the job done. She even used a minor spell she learned from Vil to make the path extra slippery.

Riddle used his sword to kill Gama, causing him to disappear into a flurry of rose petals.

"Winner...Alyssa!" said Coco.

Alyssa immediately used her tail to propel her out of the arena as quickly as possible. Her fur was a mess, but at least she was safe from any further attacks until the seal was removed.

Kurama caught her with ease.

"Well done," said Kurama. She nuzzled into his side happily, pleased with the praise.

Hearing a snicker, Kurama turned briefly to find Che'nya behind him.

He silently handed the small kitsune to the snickering cat. Alyssa settled happily around his neck like a furry scarf while Kurama went to fight Touya.

Alyssa watched fascinated as her mother fought Touya and won...barely. Kurama was exhausted and managed to leave the arena, but it was clear he was out for the count for a few hours at least.