Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s difficult to remember what life had been like before I knew of the Netherworld’s existence. I had been fourteen at the time, and all I thought I had to worry about was school and looking out for my younger brother, Kazuma.

Boy, did I miss the days of chasing down a twelve year old so he’d do his homework.

That was two years ago now. 

Now, I make it sound like I had it easy before the Netherworld came into play. Easier, yes, but there was still a lot of crap that my siblings and I had to wade through on a daily basis back then, and now. Our parents had died in a car crash when we were all fairly young. Shizuru was the oldest out of us three, eighteen at the time our parents died. She took on guardianship of Kazuma and I, sacrificing so much of her time and a lot of her dreams, rather than giving us to the child care system to deal with. It’s why, even though I was only twelve at the time, I had immediately taken on all the responsibilities that I could around the house.

This included making sure that my ten year old brother wasn’t getting into trouble.

Easier said than done, obviously, given my brother’s reputation on the streets now.

Then again, he got his no bullshit, tough guy attitude from our older sister. Shizuru had to grow up so quickly, that her once softer demeanor was replaced by one that clearly told anyone who tried to mess with her, or with us, to back the fuck up. Compared to my siblings, I wasn’t nearly as tough, nor as infamous on the streets for fighting.

Not as Kaera Kuwabara, at least.

I was Kaera Kuwabara, older sister to the second toughest punk at Sarayashiki High.

Uraemshi was still the toughest, no matter what Kazuma seemed to think.

‘And I could really use Urameshi’s muscles right about now!’ I think desperately to myself as I race along the street, cutting down into an alleyway at my first opportunity. My breathing is heavy as I spin around quickly, hands clenched into fists and waiting tensely for the being I knew would follow me in here. The moon was high in the sky, and full, giving off plenty of light for me to see by. ‘Almost ironic.’ I think dryly, reflecting on the fact that my symbol was so clear for me to see on a night like this. I swallow thickly as I see the large, shadowed form of my adversary stop at the entrance of the alleyway, the bright, blood-red symbol of the Netherworld shining from it’s forehead. The creature looked like something out of a horror movie. Two horns sprouted out and and curved upwards from it’s forehead, twisting grotesquely into two sharp points inches above it’s head, which was quite the height considering the beast was already at least ten feet tall. The demon’s face resembled that of a bull’s, with a large snout that extended outwards, mouth filled with jagged teeth. Drool dripped from it’s jaw, hissing as it hits the ground and melts away at the very pavement. Wincing, my arm burns where he had spit his drool at me before, the red skin along the length of my forearm clearly irritated after it had easily burned through the material of my elbow-length white glove. 

“There you are, Sailor Moon.”

That’s right. I was Sailor Moon, Defender of Love (though I had no love life to speak of), and Justice. 

“You found me, asshole, and now you’re about to become moon-dust!”

Perhaps my blunt phrasing might catch some off guard. After sightings across the city had eventually become inevitable, I mean I was a girl dressed in a sailor costume with a tiara that turned into a glowing frisbee for goodness sake, the media portrayed me like some sweet-mouthed, ideologically naive girl. They made me out to be a role model for women of all ages in all stages of life, and perhaps at the beginning of all this, I had been. Now, however, I had seen what evils this world has to offer, and what the few good people that are in it are up against.

Not all of my opponents had been demons, nor subjects of the Netherworld. 

I will be the first to admit it’s made me much harder, sharper, and bitter than I had been two years ago.

“Big words for such a little girl.” The monster cooed, laughing gruffly. “Especially when you’re here all on your own.” I smirk at that, grabbing my moon-crested tiara off of it’s sitting place on my forehead. 

“What makes you think I can’t handle the likes of you on my own, Netherworld scum?” I ask evenly, allowing my energy to push outwards from deep inside, my tiara forming into a golden disk that I flicked up to hover above my fingers. “I’ve been doing just fine so far.” The beasts dark eyes glint maliciously, his toothy smirk growing in size.

“You might defeat me on this night, but there are worse things than I out there. And they’re coming for you and your precious Earth.” He responds ominously, and it’s actually enough to give me pause as my green eyes widen minutely.

“What are you talking about?”

The clear hesitation that his statement induces is no doubt what the brute was waiting for. Instead of answering me he lets out a glass shattering roar, charging towards me at full speed. I’m inexplicably frozen, the first time such a thing has ever happened to me, as he tilts his head downwards, horns glinting menacingly in the low light and aiming directly for my chest.

Something red slices through the air, straight along the bull-like face of the creature charging me.

As the Netherworld being reels back in clear pain, large clawed hands coming up towards it’s face to take in the damage, I look towards the ground.

A single, perfect red rose was jutting upwards from the pavement, the stem stuck in the ground. 

This time I don’t hesitate, because I knew I couldn’t afford to. The Netherworld demon is dead before it probably realized what was going on, my golden tiara hitting him full force and aura purifying him into non-existence. In a matter of seconds my tiara regresses back into it’s physical form, clattering to the ground beside the pile of ash, all that remains of my adversary. Only then do I look towards the tops of the buildings on either side of me, eyes easily zoning in on a single shadowed figure that stood high above. I couldn’t make out any distinct features as he stood there, a hand clearly in his pocket and the wind blowing what appeared to be shoulder length hair. Due to the clear cut figure of the shadowed form above me, I could tell that despite the long hair it was a man that stood there. 

“Who are you?!” I call up finally after moments of tense silence pass.

He disappears without an answer.

Chewing softly on my lower lip, mind still reeling from what had just happened, I walk over to where the rose was still pinned. I kneel down on one knee, and being careful of the sharp thorns, gently pry it loose from the ground. It was still utterly perfect, not a petal out of place. It was such a beautiful shade of red as well, the perfect shade for a rose. Bringing it to my nose, I can’t resist taking a deep breath of it’s scent, closing my eyes for a moment as I do.

Who was that mystery man with the rose?

And why did he save my life?

“KAERA! GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF BED!”

Groaning, I roll over away from my door, pulling the edge of my blanket up to just under my nose.

Can Shizuru not understand that I was up until the early morning hours saving our city?

Of course not. She and Kazuma could never know what I do. It would endanger them too.

“KAERA! NOW! YOU’RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!”

Barely refraining from screaming in frustration back at her, I rip the blankets off of myself as if I was ripping off a band-aid. A great shudder rushes through me the moment my skin touches the cooler air in my surrounding room. Stretching, I hiss at the dull painful throb on my forearm, having momentarily forgotten about the fresh injury.

And the shadowed figure that had saved me.

Sighing softly I sit up on the edge of my bed, looking out my window towards the city beyond. My mind was still plagued with wondering who that guy had been…and who’s side he was really on. I mean, true, it would appear that if he saved me he was on mine, but I had learned the hard way that looks and gestures could be deceiving. Standing slowly from my bed I walk over to my window and, being careful with my injured arm, resting my forearms on the ledge after opening it up to let the morning air in. 

‘What if that guy had been one of the things that, that demon had been threatening about?’ I worry with a frown, my dark brows furrowing slightly as I gaze out over the wakening city. The warning still rang clearly in my head.

“You might defeat me on this night, but there are worse things than I out there. And they’re coming for you, and your precious Earth.”

Trying to push it to the back of my mind for now, I turn from the window and start to get cleaned up for the day. After dressing in my school uniform, I go to stand in front of my full length mirror to put my mid-length light brown hair up into it’s usual high ponytail. Thankfully the sleeves of my uniform were long enough to hide the gauze wrapped around my forearm. I would have to remember to take more to change the bandage throughout the day at school.

Looking over my frame in the mirror, I have to admit that over the years my gig as the vigilante Sailor Moon had done something for my figure, even if only a little. I was always a chunky kid, and as I got older I only became even more overweight. Looking at my very curvy figure, I knew I was still considered such, but my body was far more toned than it would have been without the constant exercise I got from fighting the Netherworld and it’s demons on a regular basis. I guess the new term these days for my body type would be ‘thick’? Well, regardless, the school uniforms over the years have done nothing to show that I’m any more than a shapeless blob, when the reality was very different. My freckled nose wrinkles at myself as I tuck my uniform shirt in under the band of my skirt, and it helps slightly with that dilemma. Running my hands flat over my pulled back hair to press down any fly-aways, I inwardly shrug my shoulders at my appearance.

No one would ever guess that a plain, overweight girl like me was Defender of the Earth. 

Then again, I didn’t look like a plain girl when I transformed into Sailor Moon. 

That uniform complimented my body far more than this school one did. The body of the uniform was all one piece, the white material fit to my curves and even smoothing them better than any body-shaper I’ve every tried, and far more comfortably too.  The skirt was a deep blue in color, ruffled, and was in a high-low style. The hem at the front reached just above my knees, before extending down to my calves at the back, covering my thighs. I appreciated the form fitting length of my uniform, as I was rather self conscious about my body, and I had to admit it made me look kind of sexy while simply standing in it. Then again, feeling sexy standing still in my disguise seemed slightly ridiculous because, during fights, I didn’t doubt the rolls on my body would show as soon as I had to bend around or over, and my skirt would easily fly up to leave my chunky thighs on full display. 

Also, the large, bright red bows on my chest and just above my ass took away from the sexiness as well.

‘The boots always look good, though.’ I reflect as I look down at my every day sneakers, thinking of my knee high red boots that shaped my calves like a dream. I mean, it was no doubt a good thing I felt empowered as Sailor Moon. It gave me confidence, which I was in short supply of on the daily. I needed that to face the horrors the Netherworld unleashed upon my city, and the world. 

A loud knock at my bedroom door jolts me from my thoughts, Kazuma opening it and sticking his head in my room. Rather humorously, he’s got his large hand plastered over his eyes as he does.

“Yo, sis, hope you ain’t naked, but Shizuru is going to lose it on you if we aren’t out the door now.” Kazuma informs me, and I can’t help smiling a little and shaking my head as I slip on my sneakers.

“All ready to go, Kazuma.” As soon as I say so, he lets his hand drop from his face, blue eyes blinking slightly to adjust to the light. I grab the strap of my bag, slinging it onto my back and stepping up towards Kazuma. 

It still amazed me that I had to look up at him now to make eye contact. 

Kazuma looks ready to turn, satisfied that I was indeed prepared to leave, but pauses and turns his head back to me. His gaze looks trouble, eyes narrowing slightly under his furrowed brown as his mouth pulls into a small frown. 

“You look exhausted.” Ever annoyingly perceptive. Why couldn’t Kazuma be like most other brothers? Completely oblivious to their sisters?

Then again, thankfully my little brother wasn’t like most boys his age. Losing our parents had made him grow up too, in his own way. Shizuru may have taken on the role of provider for our family, but Kazuma had taken on the role of protector over both our older sister and I.

And he took that job very seriously.

I often reflected on the irony of him feeling the need to protect me during moments like this.

“Big science test today. I stayed up too late studying.” I lie easily, brushing off his concern gently. Kazuma seemed to buy it, nodding as he turns from me then and heads out of my doorway and down the hall to the front entrance of our home. 

“You know, Kaera, you can study all night, but if you’re too tired to take the test then all that studying goes to waste.” Shizuru speaks up from where she was relaxing on the couch in the living room. The smell of smoke wafted heavily off of her as she balanced a cigarette between her lips, and though I was greatly disgusted by her bad habit, I hardly had the heart to try and make her feel bad about the one thing that brought her some relief from stress. It was bad enough she had to work two jobs to support Kazuma and I, let alone me nagging at her about her health. 

“I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen too often.” I assure her, giving her a small wave as Kazuma opens the door. “See you later, sis.”

“Have a good day guys. Keep your hair-brained brother out of trouble, Kaera.” Shizuru gifts us with those parting words, Kazuma letting out an indignant scoff before he closes the door behind us. 

“So what about you?” I speak up as we walk together down the sidewalk, Kazuma once again oddly quiet. He’d been like that for the past week, ever since he and Urameshi had went away for a trip to the mountains together last weekend. “Something happen between you and Urameshi? Guys get into a real fight?”

“No.” Kazuma answers, frowning as he looks everywhere but at me. “Suppose I’m just tired too.”

“You’ve been like this all week Kazuma.” I point out, frowning more in concern when he clearly was avoiding telling me what really was up. The past few months had been like this. Kazuma and Yusuke had become friends shortly after Yusuke’s miraculous recovery from his car accident. Since then, Kazuma and Yusuke would go on outings together, sometimes days at a time, and Kazuma would often come back battered and bruised. Training, he had said they were doing. 

Looked more like a beating than training to me.

“Look, I’m just going through something, alright?” Kazuma snaps, finally meeting my gaze. I’m shocked at what I see there. Irritation at my poking is prevalent, of course, but seated beneath that irritation was something I had rarely seen coming from my littler brother. 
Fear. 

Genuine, fear.

I reach out, grabbing at the sleeve of his blue uniform jacket and firmly yanking him to a stop.

“What happened last weekend?” I demand then, tense. Kazuma looks slightly shocked, and I would be too. Usually I allowed him his room and his privacy, though I made sure he always knew I was here and had his back. It was something we both appreciated about our sibling dynamic with one and other. We gave each other room to grow, with the assurance that we’d be there when called on. We never meddled in each other’s lives.

But this, that look, it was new, and it unsettled me to my very bones.

Then a bright flush works it’s way from his nose down onto his cheeks.

I blink in surprise.

“Look, you have got to promise not to tell Shizuru or I’ll never hear the end of it.” Kazuma replies in a hushed voice, looking around us then as if paranoid the wrong people would hear. Still utterly confused, I easily nod in agreement to his request. 

Who was I to judge about keeping secrets?

“I-I met a girl this weekend.” Kazuma replies, voice sounding unsure. “And I’m worried.” My brows furrow at that.

“Worried? Who is this girl? What’s the matter?” I ask softly then, letting go of the sleeve of his uniform now that he thankfully opened up to me. His behavior was making a great deal of more sense now. 

“Her name is Yukina, alright? I met her this weekend, and I really like her, you know? But she’s heading back to her home, and I don’t know if or when she might be back.” I refrain from my sisterly urge to start teasing him about his feelings for this girl. This actually seemed serious, unlike all of Kazuma’s other passing fancies.

My little brother was a fighter and a lover by nature.

“You’re afraid you won’t see her again…” I trail off, the look of fear in his eyes making more sense now. But I realize now that it wasn’t fear I had been seeing, so much as longing. My heart softens more at the downtrodden look that takes over Kazuma’s face, his shoulder even slumping slightly. “Listen, bud…” I sigh, moving tor rest my hand on the middle of his back, “I’m a firm believer that if it’s meant to be, it will be. Dig past the doubt you might be feeling, and ask yourself; do you feel like you will see her again?” I advise, Kazuma looking at me with hopeful eyes then and nodded after a moment. “Then hang on to that, and I don’t doubt that if you feel that way, you will. Besides,” I smirk a little, “out of anyone I know, you seem to have an uncanny ability to predict things, maybe even with more accuracy than our sister.” He laughs a little at that, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he does and nodding.

“Thanks, Kaera. What you said really helped.” He admits, and I can tell he’s being honest. His body language has even changed, standing much straighter than before.

Suddenly an all-too familiar bell chimes in the distance, still blocks away.

Kazuma and I look at one and other, eyes going wide.

“WE’RE GOING TO BE LATE!”

The two of us race together side by side down the sidewalk.

“Kaera, hi!” An overly cheer voice calls out to me across the courtyard, a voice that I had recently gotten to know in the past couple of weeks. Botan’s bright blue hair was easily discernible from the sea of brown and black as she makes her way over to where I had seated myself under a large tree for lunch hour. Botan was a new girl here at the high school, and the same age as my little brother. She had surprisingly not only befriended Kazuma, but Yusuke as well, and by extension Keiko. She had been over to our place a few times to work on homework with Kazuma and Yusuke, and we had honestly gotten along pretty well so far. Though the unique blue haired and purple eyed girl seemed pleasant and kind enough, I still felt a little on edge when she was around.

I couldn’t honestly pin-point why that was.   

“Hi Botan! How’s it going?” I greet back politely as she smiles down at me, before kneeling on the ground so we could be eye-level with one and other.

“Oh same old, same old. Still getting used to the neighborhood and school.” She admits, shifting then to sit on her hip, rearranging her skirt so it tucked in modestly around her knees. “Have you spoken to Kazuma today? How is he doing?” She asks then, chewing on her lower lip.

“He’s better. We had a good talk on the way into school, and it lifted his spirits.” I admit, not wanting to disclose the nature of our conversation for Kazuma’s sake and privacy. I wasn’t too sure the extent to what Botan might know about my brother’s recent mood. Botan looks genuinely relieved to hear this, nodding.

“I’m glad. I have to say, I’m certainly not used to a mopey Kazuma!” She sighs, looking up at the clear blue sky then. “It was really troubling to see him like that.”

“It was.” I agree, thumb absently spinning the bands of my ring that rested on my left middle finger. The glint of the gold in the sunlight catches Botan’s eye, her gaze turning downwards to look at my hand. “That’’s a beautiful ring.” She compliments, smiling. “Where did you find it?” I look down at my hand now as well, the delicate ring sitting comfortably just under my knuckle. In the center of the band there was a snowflake, tiny crystals embedded at each of the six points. 

“To be honest, I can’t remember. Just feels like I’ve always had it.” I answer honestly, because I really couldn’t remember when I had gotten this ring. Maybe when I had gotten it I had been too young to remember? All that I knew was that I never went a day without wearing it. 

“Well, if you do remember, you’re going to have to let me know.” Botan states in a friendly but firm voice. I look up to her, smiling and nodding.

“Will do.” The bell rings once, signally our five minute warning to get to class. Sighing softly, I stand, dusting off my uniform skirt and picking up my bagged lunch. Reaching down towards Botan, I offer her my hand to help her up, which she takes with a grateful smile. 

“Well, I’m off to biology.” I sigh softly then, already feeling the boredom coming on, and I hadn’t even made it into the classroom. I wasn’t good at every subject, but I was a good student, and biology was an area I excelled at. It didn’t take long for me to grasp concepts being taught in class.

“Alright. I’m sure I’ll see you around, Kaera!” Botan chirps in reply, giving me an enthusiastic wave as she turns and runs back towards the school. “Gotta go and make sure Yusuke makes it to class!”

“I thought that was Keiko’s job?!” I call after the blue haired girl with amusement.

“I’m back-up!” Botan calls back, before she disappears into the sea of students filing back into the building. I can’t help laughing at that, shaking my head.

“God help Urameshi now that he’s got two women on his case.” I mutter under my breath, before sighing and heading on into the building as well.

“Miss. Kuwabara, could I speak to you for a moment?” Mr. Suzuki pulls me aside after class before I leave, his brown-eyed gaze levelling me with a knowing look. “I’ve known for quite some time that this material hasn’t been challenging enough for you. I think I may have come up with a solution.”

“Oh?” I ask curiously, frowning a little as I hold my biology textbook to my chest. 

“I took the liberty to speak to one of the guidance counsellors. They informed me of a program that a high school in the next district over runs for advanced classes. You’ve probably heard of the school, it’s Meiou.” Mr. Suzuki looks over his glasses at me, a dry smirk on his face. It was no secret that Meiou high school was for the elite, both as a student and as a teacher. I blink in surprise at this.

“Would my grades be good enough?” I ask doubtfully, frowning.

“Your biology marks are off the charts, so to speak. The advanced programs they offer are as specialties, so overall averages don’t matter to get enrolled. Just the mark in the course that you’re planning on taking.” He explains, my heart beating wildly. I had always wondered what it would be like to attend a school like Meiou, with all the best resources and facilities. I could have never dreamed of being accepted, however. My average wasn’t terrible, not by Sarayashiki High standards, but they weren’t good enough to compete with the majority of the students enrolled there. Not only that, but it wasn’t cheap. 

That had my heart sinking a little.

‘Shizuru works so hard as it is just to maintain us. How could I possibly ask her for more money?’ I think to myself, already feeling guilty about even thinking about wanting to go.

“The classes run in the late afternoon, right after regular classes are ended for the day. I could have you enrolled and ready to start tomorrow.” Mr. Suzuki smiles at me, clearly not noticing my change in mood. I chew on my lower lip, feeling shame and embarrassment heating the back of my neck.

“I really appreciate all the trouble you went to. Mr. Suzuki, but I still don’t think I can go.” I reply, feeling awkward. “We couldn’t afford it.” I admit, knowing there was no use trying to beat around the bush about it. 

“Well, this will no doubt come as good news then.” Mr. Suzuki replies with a kind smile. “Meiou has offered scholarships to students of exceptional academic talent, and who might not have the resources to be able to take this unique opportunity. I inquired as to whether you would qualify, and was told you would. Your course in Advanced Biology would be completely covered, Miss. Kuwabara. All you would lose is some time.” My eyes widen at that, and try as I might, I couldn’t stop the sting of happy tears that nearly flooded my vision. 

This was an amazing opportunity that could open up so many doors for me, and for my family too.

“Thank you, Mr. Suzuki. I’ll work very hard to ensure that your time, and your kindness, wasn’t wasted.” I bow in genuine gratitude and respect, heart overflowing with excitement at the possibilities. 

It wasn’t going to be the Netherworld keeping me up tonight.

Before I knew it the following afternoon was upon me, and I was brimming with excitement as I stepped off of the train in the neighbouring district. Looking down at the map in my hand, I furrow my brow to try and make sense of where I would be heading once out of the station. 

‘Perhaps some landmarks might help.’ I think to myself, meandering my way through the crowds and to the street beyond. Looking around I could already tell this was a far more evolved and richer district than my own. No matter which way you looked, men were wearing suits of every shade of navy and browns, and women were also in formal business attire, their heels clacking rhythmically against the ground. 

There wasn’t a single punk or thug in sight.

Chewing on my lower lip, I look down at the map once more, finally able to make some headway on which direction I should be going. Following the map proved to be successful, and soon the gates of Meiou High loomed in front of me. Unable to stop the excited grin on my face, I walk at a quick pace through the gates and directly to the main entrance. I barely even stop long enough to observe just how clean the walls of the building are, not a single bit of colorful graffiti in sight. Even the halls and walls inside are pristine, almost like you could eat off of them.

This felt like being on a whole other planet. 

I take out a much smaller strip of paper from my pocket, gazing at the number for the room. Looking to the room closest to me, I’m happy to see that I’m on the right floor. Moving down the hallway, I keep an eye on the numbers on the door, finally coming to the right one. It was slightly ajar, the dull sounds of students speaking just beyond. Fighting down nervous jitters, I walk in.

It’s a sea pink, no other distinct colors in sight. 

Everything stops, the room going silent the minute I walk through the door. I stick out like a sore thumb in my blue uniform skirt. In fact, I no doubt stick out because I’m wearing a skirt. A quick glance told me that there were no other girls in this class either. 

‘Well, fuck.’ I think to myself, swallowing thickly as I clutch tightly at the strap of my backpack. Most of the boy’s are looking at me like I’m in the wrong place, and maybe I am? Glancing towards the chalkboard, the letters that stretch across it compose the world ADVANCED BIOLOGY.

Nope…right classroom. 

Ducking my head, though it hard does me any good to try and hide with my hair pulled back into it’s usual high ponytail, I rush towards the first open seat I see, making sure not to make eye contact with anyone along the way.

Whispers follow me as I do.

Sitting down heavily in my seat, I finally am able to let out a breath, the boys thankfully turning their attention away from me. Well, their eyes more than their attention. They were still whispering amongst themselves, and though I wasn’t a narcissist by any means, I knew it was about me. 

I was the only girl, the only girl from an entirely different school, in the room. 

“Don’t mind them.” A kind voice to my right suddenly speaks up, and I look over to be greeted with green eyes. They weren’t the same shade as my own, but deeper. As I take in the rest of the boy’s face, and I do have to double check he’s a boy with his delicate features and the length of his hair, I felt even more flustered.

He was handsome.

A regal nose was settled in the perfect position on his flawless face, right under and centre to his impossibly beautiful green eyes. The long hair that had almost tricked me into thinking he was a girl was a vibrant shade of red, almost unnaturally so.

In fact…it reminded me of the same shade of red as the rose still sitting on my desk at home.

“I’m Shuichi Minamino. Welcome to Meiou High.” He greets kindly, and I finally snap myself out of my boy-induced stupor to try and attempt a real conversation.

‘I hope he wasn’t put off with my staring, but damn, he must be used to girls staring by now.’ I think to myself, trying not to flush. “It’s nice to meet you, Minamino. My name is Kaera Kuwabara.” I reply softly. There almost seemed to be a flash of recognition in his green eyes, but it’s gone long before I have a chance to see if it was more than the lighting. Quickly deciding it would be in my best interest to look around, so I didn’t come off as some sort of creep, I quickly make an observation. “Am I really the only student here from another school?” I can’t help asking, frowning a little.

“It would appear so. I believe I recognize your colors; Sarayashiki High, correct?” Minamino asks lightly, and I use the opportunity to turn back and look at him, nodding.

“That’s right.”

“I’m surprised.” Minamino hums then, and I can’t help sighing softly in defeat. Great, the stigma that came with my school’s reputation was already starting to skew people’s views of me here. 

“I know, my school isn’t exactly known for it’s academics.” I murmur, frowning as I look down at the top of my desk. 

“Oh no, I wasn’t indicating that at all.” Minamino denies smoothly. 

“Then what were you trying to say?” I ask, looking forward now, feeling irritation bubbling in my chest. 

“Well, being the only girl in the room-”

I look towards the red-head with disbelief. “So now my intelligence is being questioned due to my gender?” I ask, cutting the boy off. Maybe that pretty faced hide a slimy personality after all. Good. Consider my attraction to him running cold. Minamino looks flustered now, but before he can say anymore, our teacher, our female teacher, breezes into the room and calls the class to attention. I smirk at this, looking up towards the front.

Maybe this teacher will give the asshole next to me a wake-up call.

It’s so late in the afternoon by the time we’re done that the sun is nearly setting, the street lights flickering to life as I walk under them. Besides my unfortunate interaction with the red-head, I had, had the time of my life in class today. We had covered more topics and concepts than I could have anticipated, and it felt good to know that I was keeping up. I had to admit, being the only girl, and the only one from an outside school, made me feel like I had something to prove. I felt confident now that I could justify being there, that I was good enough to be there.

“Kaera! Please, wait!” My back stiffens at the voice that calls out to me from behind, melodic and low, and oh so smooth. A shiver rushes down my spine at that, and I stop as a reaction, more so than doing as Minamino requested. Sighing softly, I turn, looking up towards the red-head as he approached, looking genuinely apologetic. “I wanted to give my sincerest apologies for before. I did not mean to offend you, but clearly I was rather good at putting my foot in my mouth this afternoon.” He murmurs sheepishly. I tilt my head, feeling my heart flutter in my chest, and the anger just miraculously melts away. 

“We all have those days I suppose.” I finally answer after a tense moment, tucking some stray fly-away strands of my brown hair behind my ear. Minamino suddenly stiffens, nose flaring.

“Are you hurt?” He questions, frowning down at me with concern now. I blink at that, immediately thinking of my forearm, the burns still healing from the night before last. Of course, I couldn’t admit to that.

“I’m fine, why do you ask?” I answer calmly, making sure I sounded confused. Minamino’s nose flares once more, but he doesn’t push it and shakes his head.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” I frown at that, cautious now. Why would he ask me something like that out of the blue? When I’d given no indication of my injuries. “Will you be alright walking alone to the station? Or would you like me to escort you?” He offers, and like a light-switch, his charming and kind smile replaces the frown of concern from moments before. 

‘Talk about mood swings.’ I think to myself, feeling uneasy suddenly around this guy. “I’m sure I’ll be alright. I appreciate the offer, though.”

“Then I shall see you tomorrow afternoon?” Minamino asks, and I nod my head in affirmation. “I will endeavor not to make such a fool of myself again.” My eyebrows both raise slightly in shock at this, a little stunned as he bows respectfully to me. “Have a good night, Kaera.” 

“You as well, Minamino.” I reply, the red-head straightening up, pausing as he turns away from me.

“Please, call me Shuichi.” He requests over his shoulder. I swallow the lump that formed in my throat at that, simply nodding before he turns away fully and walks away.

Leaving me staring after him in utter confusion.

“Weird.” I finally mutter to myself, before turning and heading towards my own destination. ‘But it wouldn’t hurt to have a friend in this class.’

Little did I know that I was going to be seeing Shuichi a whole lot more than I bargained for in the near future. 

Chapter Text

Chapter Two

It had been unusually quiet around the city the past three days.

‘Or maybe I’m just being paranoid?’ I think to myself as I lean over my biology book, working on the assigned questions from the text. I frown slightly as I glance over Shuichi’s own bent over head towards the window, the afternoon sun slowly lowering to touch the tops of the high rises in the distance.

“Everything alright, Kaera?” Shuichi asks smoothly. Clearly I had been looking out the window a second too long. That was one thing that I had noticed almost immediately about Shuichi; he was very observant. 

‘To the point I feel like I’m under constant scrutiny when around him.’ I think to myself dryly as I look instead at the red-head in the desk next to me. “I’m fine, just watching the sun set.” I reply, before turning my gaze back down to my work, resuming answering the questions. It was all in preparation for a lab next week, one that I was actually pretty excited for. We were currently studying plant biology, and would be working with factors of plant reproduction in our lab. It was going to give me an opportunity to see Meiou’s famed greenhouse that I had heard so much about. 

Perhaps they will let us grow roses, even.

‘I still can’t get that mystery man off of my mind, and it’s almost been a week since he appeared.’ I think to myself, feeling the apples of my cheeks flush a little. ‘I’ve never felt so obsessed before. It’s a little disconcerting, really. I don’t have time silly fantasies or crushes.’ I frown then, feeling my stomach sinking a little as I ground myself. ‘Besides, I might never see the guy again.’

“Having issues with the questions?” Shuichi asks quietly from beside me. I lift my head, raising an eyebrow at him. I had also come to find that the boy beside me was a true brainiac in every sense of the word, and seemed to know the answers to everything. He also appeared to have no problem constantly flaunting this fact.

‘Then again, I could just be sensitive after our first interaction with one and other. It’s actually infuriating to know now that not only is this guy gorgeous, but intelligent too. His superiority complex is almost warranted.’ I think to myself with a sigh, shaking my head then at his question. 

“Actually I’m done, and just in time too, it would appear.” I answer easily, glancing then towards the clock above the door. Only five minutes to spare. 

“I see. I would offer a ‘well done’, but I feel you might take that as condescending.” Shuichi jests lightly, and I can’t help rolling my eyes a little at his observation. 

Because he was right.

“Alright class, thank you for all the hard work that you’ve been putting in today. Unfortunately I do have some homework for you over the weekend.” Unlike what would typically happen at Sarayashiki High after such an announcement, there was an eerie silence with not a groan of disgust heard. “I need you to read pages 50-65 in preparation for our lab on Monday. I will be quizzing you, so I encourage you to do the reading and be ready.” Miss. Yao smiles in a friendly manner, clapping her hands together lightly. “You are now dismissed. Have a great weekend!” In the past few days I had been enrolled in this class, I had found Miss. Yao to not only be an excellent teacher, but very approachable as well. A far cry from the likes of Mr. Iwamoto, and many other teachers like him, back at my high school.

Sighing softly I gather my things, standing from my desk and slinging my backpack over my shoulder. Maybe it’s a good thing that the Netherworld has seemingly taken a chill pill over the past few days, as between this course and my others I had enough homework now to keep me occupied. 

“May I have a moment, Kaera?” Shuichi asks softly as the other boys begin to file out of the classroom. I was about to follow suit myself, needing to catch the next train back to my district, but pause and look towards the red-head curiously. 

“Sure, Shuichi, what is it?” I ask, watching as he too stands from his own desk next to mine and gathers his things.

“I hope this isn’t too forward of me, but I was going to ask if perhaps you want to start a study group together?” Shuichi asks lightly, and I blink in surprise.

“Study group?” I reiterate, wondering if I had heard correctly. Why would a handsome brainiac want to study in a group with me in it? Who else did he want involved?

“Well, study buddies I guess would be a more appropriate term.” Shuichi corrected himself smoothly, his green eyes flash a little with amusement at my reaction. “We could split the work, and tutor each other in what’s necessary to know.” Wait, hold up.

He wanted to study alone with me?

Shuichi’s smile turned slightly downward at my delayed response. “Perhaps this was too forward of me. I do apologize, Kaera.” 

“No!” I blurt out with embarrassing volume as he moves to walk away. There was no stopping the blush now as he turns to look at me with a raised eyebrow. “I mean, if you really want to be study buddies, I have no issues with that.” I stumble slightly, inwardly groaning at how mechanical I sounded then. I knew this was an another olive branch that Shuichi was holding out for me to take after his terrible first impression, that wasn’t lost on me, and I didn’t want to mess it up. “Sorry, I’ve just never had someone ask to study with me before, other than my little brother that is.” Shuichi smiles slightly at this, and nods. “When did you want to start?”

“There is no better time than the present, is there?” He replies lightly, and I can’t stop the fluttering butterflies in my stomach. “How about we go and study at your place? My Mother is having a couple guests over tonight, so it might be quieter there?”

“I highly doubt it if my brother’s home.” I reply dryly, giving him a small smile in return. Shuichi chuckles warmly, and I’m a little surprised at the knowing look in his eyes. It was like he expected me to say something along those lines.

“I’m sure we’ll make do. Besides, I don’t like the idea of you taking the train alone after dark.” Shuichi states firmly, and I have to hold back a small smirk of my own.

If he only knew.

“Alright, well, let’s get going then I guess.” I murmur, nodding towards the still opened door, the classroom now empty besides us. As Shuichi and I walk together from the station, I can’t help taking sideways glances at him. The setting sun made his red hair almost blindingly vibrant, and his green eyes sparked in the reflecting of the low light. Even in peripheral vision from the side, Shuichi was undeniably handsome. 

So what the hell was he doing befriending me of all girls?

It wasn’t over exaggeration to say that I paled in comparison to him. I say so not to sound self-deprecating, but to state an honest truth. It had never truly bothered me that I wasn’t stunningly beautiful, even if it gnawed at my self-conscious every once in a while. I had a lot to be thankful for, a lot of other things that I could appreciate about myself. Perhaps my outlook could be attributed to the fact that at so young I had gone through something incredibly traumatic with the loss of my parents, and learned a hard life lesson about what was really important as a result.

It still would be nice to turn his head for once, however.

“You’re awfully quiet, Kaera.” Shuichi comments after a moment, and I’m forced out of my thoughts as we turn and wait for the signal to cross the road to the station. 

“Just enjoying the afternoon.” I reply, and that was somewhat true. It wasn’t too hot or cool as the sun started to set behind the buildings, and there was hardly any breeze. “With doing this extra course, the past few days I’ve been feeling a little cooped up. I hardly get outside anymore it feels like.”

“I feel the same.” Shuichi readily agrees, before surprisingly I feel his hand on my lower back as the signal to walk across the crosswalk lights up, and he’s guiding me along through the small crowds around us. My heart skips before I can stop myself feeling the warm weight, the arch of my back tingling, whether with an urge to arch further away or press back into his hand, I wasn’t sure. As soon as we’re on the other side, I expect his hand to drop, but it doesn’t. His hand stays right where it is until we reach the doors that lead into the train station, and at that point, he only seems to pull his hand away to open the door for me like a gentleman. 

I try not to swoon.

I had never been treated with such courtesy before by anyone other than my own family.

“After you.” Shuichi smiles politely, as if completely unaware of what he was doing to me just then. 

‘And it can stay that way too.’ I think to myself as I nod in thanks, continuing to fight back the blush that wanted to bloom along the skin of my cheeks as I walk through the door. Both of us meander easily through the gates and onto the platform, the tracks empty right now. “The train should be along in five minutes or so.” I comment after looking down at my simple wrist watch. 

“That’s a beautiful ring.” Shuichi comments seemingly out of the blue, and I blink a little in confusion as I look up from my watch towards the red-head, before looking back down to my hand, spreading my fingers outwards from the fist they were in while I had checked the time, my ring easily seen now on my middle finger.

“Thank you.” I smile fondly down at the small snowflake, an inexplicable warmth filling my chest as it typically did when I looked at it. 

“It seems as if it’s very precious to you, if your smile is anything to judge by.” Shuichi keenly observes, and I laugh a little, letting my hand drop back out of sight.

That was putting it lightly.

“It is.” I admit, and before Shuichi could ask whatever was on his mind next, as his green eyes shone with curiosity, the train came barreling down the track. We line up with the crowd, the wind gusting by us as the train sped on through, coming to a halt a few moments later. Every the gentleman, Shuichi allows me on first, before following me onto the train. I immediately find a space to stand, grabbing one of the bars at shoulder level near a seat. Shuichi comes and stands behind me, a respectful distance away, though he grips onto one of the bars attached to the roof instead. 

“Why do you not sit, Kaera? It would be more comfortable.” Shuichi asks as the doors close and the train begins to move. I glance towards the seats around us, noting that most were indeed still open, but shake my head. 

“I prefer to stand. Been sitting all day after all. Besides, someone else might need the seat more than me.” I make up an excuse to cover the real reason I didn’t want to sit.

Sitting made you vulnerable.

There were some instincts that now seemed so intertwined into my regular life that I’ve learned to have as Sailor Moon. You never sit down, because your reaction times were so much slower then. I would never allow myself to be cornered, not even at school during a dodgeball game, because being cornered meant risking my safety. Most of these habits that have changed through the last two years were so small that my family never took notice. Not even my ever observant older sister. 

Some things, though, like the nightmares, were harder to mask.

Suddenly the train lurches slightly, causing Shuichi to lose his balance behind me. His front presses into my back, not enough to have me lost my balance, but firm enough that I could feel the strength in his chest as he does.

This guy was built like a brick house!

As suddenly as he had stumbled into me, however, he leans back, giving me my space once more. Glancing up I can see how hard he’s holding onto the bar above his head, knuckles almost pure white as he clenches at the metal. 

“I’m sorry about that.” Shuichi apologizes sincerely as I look over my shoulder at him, offering him what I hoped was an easy smile. 

“It happens, don’t worry about it.” I brush off easily, though Shuichi doesn’t seem able to do so for himself. His green eyes are calculating as he stares down at me, and I find myself having to turn away to hide the flush on my cheeks from his scrutiny. 

Suddenly the scent of roses washes over me.

I stiffen, taking in a discreet whiff of the smell once more. No, my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me, it was most definitely roses. Looking around the train, I try to spot someone perhaps holding a bouquet of roses, only to predictably come up empty handed.

Great, were my senses now having random flashbacks to that night as well?

Thankfully I hear the intercom call out our stop next, and Shuichi and I get off of the train without issue. Not many left with us, the station fairly bare. I take a deep breath of air, happy to find any residual smell of roses was gone. 

Seriously, I was getting scary obsessive. 

“Are you alright, Kaera?” Shuichi asks with concern.

“I don’t like crowds.” I reply in a half honest answer. “The train sometimes makes me feel claustrophobic. Let’s get going.” I don’t give him a chance to inquire further, instead leading the way out of the station and onto the street. “How do you feel about walking?”

“I would prefer it to the bus, if that’s what you’re asking.” Shuichi replies easily, and I can’t help a small, relieved smile.

“Good, I’m the same way. It’ll take an extra fifteen minutes to walk to my home, but with it being so nice out, I didn’t think you’d mind.” 

“Not at all.” Shuichi agrees with a small nod. By now the street lights were all on, the sky darkening quickly as night began to race in. Instinctively I look towards north-east out of instinct, waiting to see the familiar glow of the moon as it begins to take the sun’s place for the evening. I can see it, in it’s waning period now, rising between two large buildings in the distance. I often wished I lived in a place where I could get an unobstructed view every night, where light pollution didn’t dim the stars into almost non-existence.

The silence is surprisingly comfortable between us as we walk the remainder of the way to my home. I lead Shuichi inside, both of us kicking our shoes off in the entrance of my home. I gestured to to guest slippers that sat in our small wooden cubby nearby, slipping my own on before entering into our small living space.

“Shizuru?!” I call out, frowning as I glance through the small serving hatch we had in our wall that separated our living room from our kitchen. 

“She’s not here, sis! Had to put in some overtime.” Kazuma’s voice calls out as I heard him padding down the hall. The minute he sees both myself and Shuichi, he freezes. “What are you doing here Ku-”

“Ah! Kazuma! How nice to see you again!” Shuichi cuts him off, voice a little loud. I frown at that, lifting an eyebrow as I take in his almost too large of a smile. He looked nervous for some reason.

“Y-you two know each other?” I ask, frowning in confusion as I look between Kazuma’s dumbfounded face, and Shuichi’s awkwardly large smile. “How come you never mentioned it, Shuichi?” I can’t help but question. Surely he would have made the connection given our last names that we were related somehow? 

“Yeah, we participated in some extra-curricular activities together.” Shuichi responds, and though I don’t see it, Kazuma is freaking out and shaking his head while waving his hands rapidly at Shuichi. As soon as I turn to him, Kazuma's arms snap to his sides, and he now has a nervous look on his face.

“You’ve been doing extra-curricular activates?” I ask doubtfully, finding this whole situation way too weird. Kazuma’s face screws up into an indignant scowl.

“What’s so hard to believe about that?! I’ve been trying to better myself!” He argues, and I can’t help blinking in surprise at his aggressive outburst.

“Alright, alright, I believe you. Chill.” I state in a placating tone, raising my hands up in mock surrender. “Anyways, you know that Advanced Biology class I’m taking? Well, that’s how I met Shuichi.” I explain to my brother as he looks at Shuichi, almost like he was giving him the stink eye. Kazuma crosses his arms over his broad chest, continuing to eye the red-head next to me.

“Is that so?” He questions, and by the suspicious tone in his voice I already knew where Kazuma was going with this. 

“We’re going to study out here in the living room. The teacher assigned a huge reading for the weekend to prepare for our lab on Monday.” I cut off any further questioning my brother could come up with, forcing down a hot blush at Kazuma’s suspicious and protective attitude. 

As if Shuichi was here for any other reason than to study.

“Maybe I should bring my homework out here too then?” Kazuma asks, lifting an eyebrow at me. I glare at him slightly, hands clenching into fists.

“By all means, Kazuma. I would absolutely love to see your new and improved study habits.” I quip back to him, Kazuma childishly sticking his tongue out at me then. I resist the urge to do the same in return, not wanting to embarrass myself in front of my classmate. 

My incredibly good-looking classmate. 

The awkwardness continued to persist through the evening, Kazuma rising to the challenge and indeed studying with us. Shuichi and I sat on the floor on opposite sides of the coffee table, whilst Kazuma took his seat on the couch behind me. I was sure I would feel his eyes burning holes into the back of my head the entire evening, but that wasn’t the case at all. It was interesting and confusing to me, that most of Kazuma’s sidelong, suspicious glances seemed to be reserved for the red-head sitting opposite to me at the coffee table. ,

And these two apparently knew each other?

‘Small world, I suppose.’ I think to myself dryly after bidding Shuichi a good night at our doorway. Kazuma hovered just behind me, his arms once again crossed and a serious expression on his face when I turned to him. He waits till I close the door, before speaking what was clearly on his mind.

“Listen. I know Shuichi to be a good guy, but I don’t think you should let your studying go too far.” Kazuma embarrassingly using his fingers in the form of quotation when he uses the word ‘studying’. "You know what Shizuru is like. She works hard to make sure we can go to school without worrying, so that we can make something of ourselves. She’d see a boy as a distraction from that.” I groan, tilting my head forward and rubbing my fingers against my temples. 

“What makes you think that he’d even be interested in me like that, Kazuma?” I ask easily, looking back up to my brother with a frown. “Shuichi and I are just barely even friends at this point. I’m sure it won’t come to anything romantic between us, so you can relax.” I assure him, the conviction in my voice genuine, because I truly believed in that. Boys like Shuichi didn’t go for girls like me.

Besides, I had too much going on right now to even think about being distracted by a boy.

This seems to appease him enough for now, Kazuma frowning a little as he lets his arms drop from across his chest. “I’m not saying that you should never date, Kaera. It’s just that now isn’t a good time.” He explains, before sighing and running his fingers through his pompadour styled hair, mussing it up as he does. Turning, he heads down the hall, and I relax back against our front door with a large frown on my face.

“Believe me, Kazuma, I know.” 

The next evening was unfortunately the one I had been bracing myself for since the last demon had been unleashed by the Netherworld. Sitting at my desk, I could feel the floor beneath me shaking, a now all too familiar shock searing it’s way down my spine. Getting up from my desk I rush over to the window, eyes widening in horror as I see a massive dust cloud billowing up into the sky from the edge of the city. It was an older part of town, though new development was taking place.

It looked like an entire building had imploded.

The house was empty, Kazuma and Shizuru both gone, and so without hesitation I throw my hand into the air above my head, and transform.

“Moon Prism Power!”

I can feel the warmth of the transformation worming along my limbs and over my body, a great flash of light that would be blinding to anyone watching filtering through my room. Looking in the mirror after the light had faded Kaera was gone, replaced now by Sailor Moon, and hardly recognizable as such.

Opening my window, I easily leap down from the second story, across to the neighboring rooftop. It would be the fastest way to the wreckage, and one which I wouldn’t be easily seen. My heart is racing, pounding almost violently against my rib-cage as I leap from rooftop to rooftop. Was anybody hurt? Killed? Was what that Netherworld bull-beast from a week ago threatened coming to pass?

“You might defeat me on this night, but there are worse things than I out there. And they’re coming for you, and your precious Earth.”

As I finally land on a nearby rooftop, I’m stunned by what I see. 

An impossibly massive man stood in the center of what was left of the top floors of a building under construction. He was taller than my brother, which was a feat in itself, and insanely muscled. Veins and tendons popped out grotesquely along the top of his pecs and his biceps. He was only wearing a pair of suit pants, sunglasses covering his eyes and hindering my view of his face in the fading light. Looking towards his forehead, I don’t see the familiar blood-red symbol of the Netherworld.
This guy was human…or at least, he wasn’t from the Netherworld.

‘Look at him, though. He looks human, but his power-levels are off the charts.’ I think to myself, mouth agape as the strange man’s overwhelming signature washes over me like a tidal wave. It’s enough to have me stepping back unconsciously, knees trembling.

Then a large piece of rubble begins to shift and move.

“Yusuke?” I gasp out, watching the familiar my brother's friend emerging from the wreckage. He was breathing heavily, scratched and bruised, but didn’t look too worse for wear as he shoved the heavy piece of concrete away from himself. He stands slowly, glaring at the mystery man across from him.

Had he been fighting this guy?

I’m about to jump down, to intervene and take over, before the man’s low grumbling voice stops me.

“Understand that this is the last time I’m going to save your life.”

I’m equally as shocked as Yusuke looks at this statement.

‘Wait, so he’s not going to try killing him? What does he want then?’ I frown, the need for answers stopping me once more from intervening. If what the man said was true, Yusuke wasn’t in any further danger from him this night.

Then the man moves, so quickly I almost miss it.

He’s standing behind Yusuke now, towering above him. Yusuke goes completely still, his face betraying the fear that he was feeling in that moment. Yusuke was a tough kid, so for someone to throw him off like that was unsettling to see. I reach up, grabbing my tiara from my forehead.

“Two months from now, a martial arts competition will be taking place.” The man informs Yusuke, looking straight ahead as he does rather than down at the teenager. It goes to show this guy’s confidence that Yusuke couldn’t hurt him even if he did attack.

“Oh, sounds like fun.” Yusuke replies sarcastically, his voice weak and trembling. Even in the dim light I could see he was sweating from nerves. I force my energy outwards, tiara now glowing as I flick it to hover above my fingertips and at the ready.

“It’s a Dark Tournament, organized by greedy human crime lords, and they draw on the most vile demons of Spirit World. Each criminal gets a team of five fighters, and the teams battle to the death.” The man explains. My stomach twists in absolute disgust at how utterly corrupt this event sounded. “Humans enter for gambling and entertainment, demons fight for blood and a chance to win the prize.”

As I said before, not all my adversaries were demons, or from the Netherworld. 

“You and Kuwabara are special guests in this competition.” Ice fills my veins.

No…no, he couldn’t mean my brother?

“If either of you refuse, I will immediately kill you and everyone you know.”

My tiara and tearing towards the hulk of a man behind Yusuke before I can even comprehend that I launched the attack. 

Nobody threatened my family. Nobody.

As I leap down from the building, I watch my tiara bearing down on the man. It was on a direct path for that sleazy face of his.

Before he catches it between his pointer finger and thumb.

I land, one knee braced against the ground, and my mouth dropped open in utter shock as I see my tiara regress in its transformation, turning back to the original metal shape. The man tilts his head in interest as he gazes at it, before turning his attention towards me now, a small smirk on his lips as he does.

“I’ve heard about you, Sailor Moon. I was wondering if you’d show up.”

“And just who the hell are you?!” I glare at the man, standing slowly. My eyes widen as, with a single flick of his fingers, he sends my tiara flying back at me at an impossible speed. I don’t even have time to move, the metal edge just barely brushing against my cheek, a burning sensation left in its wake as it clatters somewhere behind me. Almost immediately I feel warm blood dripping down the side of my face from the small cut.

“That is of no concern to you.” He replies lowly as I continue to remain frozen in shock, staring at the man in disbelief. He turns his attention back to Yusuke. “If you want to survive the Dark Tournament, Yusuke, I suggest you get stronger.” Without a single word more, the man turns and walks away, leaping down from the building into the alley below.

Leaving Yusuke to fall weakly to his knees in the man’s wake. 

I rush forward towards my brother’s friend, frowning as I kneel down in front of him and grip his shoulders firmly. “Yusuke?” His brown eyes are wide and staring ahead, unseeing. I gently shake him, mindful that he might be injured. “What just happened? Who was that man?”

“I’m an idiot.”

I blink in surprise, not having expected that as an answer.

“I was so scared I could barely move! He’s going to kick my stupid ass!” He shouts to himself in frustration, before blinking then and looking me in the eyes. “And I owe Kuwabara ten fucking bucks.” He grumbles lowly, gently brushing my hands from his shoulders and standing once more. I tilt my head at that, standing as well and stepping back to give Yusuke room.

“I TOLD YOU SHE WAS REAL!” My back stiffens at the familiar voice coming from behind me. Turning my head to look over my shoulder, I’m shocked to see Kazuma standing at the guardrail on the street above where we were currently standing in the rubble of the building. He looks terrified, despite clearly having won whatever bet the boys had been involved in. 

Leave it to my brother to focus on winning a bet rather than a direct threat to his life.

“Who was that guy, Yusuke?” I demand then, voice a bit harder. I had to know, had to protect my brother at all costs.

“How do you know my name?”

“Who. Was. He?” I punctuate my question, ignoring his own as I frown at the teenager.

“His name is Toguro, well Younger Toguro.” Yusuke answers with a dark frown of his own. 

“Where does he come from? What is he?” I question further, eyes narrowed.

“Listen, lady! I don’t know much more than you do now at this point!” Yusuke shouts at me in frustration. “Besides, there isn’t any way in Hell you’re going to be able to beat him, not even with that useless headband of your’s! So stay out of it!” I refrain from shouting back at the boy in anger, not because I was trying to be the bigger person, however.

The scent of roses washes over me in that exact moment.

I turn, gazing up towards another skyscraper in the distance. There I can see two figures standing side by side, one much shorter than the other, but still looking taller than myself.

I was the runt of the family.

The taller figure, however, is the one that my eyes zero in on, widening the moment I recognized the vibrant red hair.

Shuichi?!

Even at the distance we were apart, I feel the moment our gazes are on one and other’s simultaneously, a shock rushing through my system. Without a word I bound off, the inexplicable urge to run taking over.

What was Shuichi doing here? Was he somehow involved in this as well?!

Was this how Kazuma and he knew each other?!

What was my little brother getting himself involved in?!

Racing now through the streets and into the park that stood between that area of town and my home, all these questions begin to flood my mind. Was Kazuma involved in something illegal?

“Yeah, we participated in some extra-curricular activities together.”

“Listen. I know Shuichi to be a good guy, but I don’t think you should let your studying go too far.”

Suddenly something slices through the air right in front of me, causing me to stop short with a gasp. Looking down wide-eyed at the ground, my stomach drops even further as I see a rose, identical to the one from all those nights ago. It’s staring straight up at me, the stem firmly planted in front of my feet. 

Turning around slowly, I nearly fall over in shock at who I see behind me, with another perfect, red rose pinned between his pointer and middle finger. Green eyes are staring at me almost coldly, his vibrant red hair catching the light from the lamps above that lit the parkway. 

It was Shuichi.

He was the man that had saved me the other night.

“W-what do you want?” I ask, voice shaking as I take a careful step back, unable to look away from his hard gaze. Suddenly, another figure appears beside Shuichi seemingly out of thin air, the same figure that had been standing next to Shuichi just moments ago. Even in the low light I can tell that his gravity defying black hair had hints of blue and white in it. Now that he was standing even closer, I could also confirm that he was indeed only a slight bit taller than myself. We would almost be eye-level if standing nose to nose, which he had a regal one set perfect in the centre of his flawless face. 

His red eyes, however, were both beautiful and unsettling.

“Who are you?” The shorter man demands, his voice almost melodic, though with a hint of timber that made it distinctly male. I could feel it in the aura that washed over me, like flames licking at my skin.

This being wasn’t human.

“I’m Sailor Moon.” I reply, squaring my shoulders, the reminder of who I was helping with my confidence. “And who are you?”

“We’ve met before, Sailor Moon.” It’s Shuichi that speaks up this time, my gaze directed towards him now. “Only a few nights ago, if my mind serves me correctly. You were going up against a bull-demon that had escaped from the Netherworld.”

“And you were the one that distracted him for me.” I reply, nodding. “I remember.” I add, gesturing towards the rose. “You’re signature, I assume? Very poetic.”

“Indeed.” Shuichi replies dryly, tucking the rose that was still between his fingers back into his low ponytail behind his neck. “My name is Kurama, and this is my friend, Hiei. Now, who are you?” I try not to show my confusion and slight shock as Shuichi uses a different name to introduce himself. 

“I answered that already.” I reply easily.

“That’s not the answer that we are looking for.” Hiei replies lowly, his left hand moving towards his right hip where I just take notice of the katana resting there. 

“I can’t give you my identity. I have loved ones that lives depend on my discretion.” I answer, frowning and tensing. “I can, however, tell you that I’m on your side.”

“And how do you know which side we are on?” Shuichi, no, Kurama, asks.

“I have a knack for being able to judge people.” I state, avoiding their direct question, because I didn’t know what side they were on. All I currently knew was that they were there when that man threatened my brother and Yusuke, and I can only assume then that they all know one and other just because they were there. 

And I really didn’t want to believe that my little brother would associate himself with criminals, or bad people in general. That wasn’t like him, and the one thing I could always depend on Kazuma for was his judgement of character. 

“Are you with Spirit World?” Kurama asks then, and I frown, shaking my head. I was aware of Spirit World, but I did my best to not cross paths. My agenda, while the results might coincide with that of Spirit World's, was vastly different. 

I was in search of the Moon Princess, the one that would finally bring peace and prosperity to Earth.

And would banish the Netherworld once and for all.

“I have a very different path I follow, a different mission.” I answer, moving another step back. “Now I must go. Please, do not stop me this time.” Turning, I make ready to run, before Kurama’s voice cuts through the air again.

“Will we see you again?” My heart squeezes at that, swallowing thickly as I turn to look over my shoulder. Gone is the steel hard look of Kurama, the softness that I associated with Shuichi was instead reflected in those beautiful green eyes. I give a small smile, heart racing.

“Well, if I’m ever in need of help, I sure hope you’ll still be willing to give it.”

And with that, I race off, two questions echoing in my head the entire way home.

How was I going to face Shuichi on Monday?

And how was I going to get Kazuma out of this tournament alive?

Chapter Text

“I won’t be here for the next few months,” Shuichi states as we walk together from the main school building at Meiou High. I school my reaction, just as I had done the entirety of our biology class. It had been torture, utter hell, and I had wasted way too much energy and attention on ensuring that I didn’t give anything away. 

Inwardly, however, I still couldn’t get over the fact that the boy standing next to me wasn’t entirely human.

I had, had more time to reflect on the events that had transpired while at home over the weekend. There was no way that Shuichi…Kurama, and his companion could be fully human. A human could not seemingly pull a rose out of thin air, nor would they have the capability of making a rose, of all things, a weapon. Shuichi couldn’t have chased after me like he had after the events with Toguro, and found me, if he was human.

I was starting to believe Yusuke might not be entirely human either after that encounter with Toguro. 

‘But I couldn’t sense anything off about Yusuke, or Shuichi.’ I remember reflecting earlier during class as I stared down at my unfinished work. I had a sixth sense of sorts about demons and Netherworld beings. Their auras settled a chill into my very bones when near them. Neither Yusuke, nor Shuichi, had garnered that sort of reaction. ‘Shuichi’s buddy Hiei, though…’ I frown as I remember the demon with gravity defying hair. It hadn’t been coldness I had felt radiating from Hiei, something I was familiar with when around demons.

I had nearly started sweating at the heat that overwhelmed me instead. 

“Oh?” I question the red-head, bringing myself back to the present. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, really. I am involved in a club outside of school, and we’re going on a nature retreat of sorts into the mountains,” Shuichi lies smoothly, and I can’t help raising an eyebrow.

That was the best he could come up with?

“I never realized you were into such things,” I comment easily. To the untrained eye, they would have missed it, but I could see the moment Shuichi stiffens up at my observation.

“Yes, well, I’m full of surprises.”

Clearly.

A tense moment of silence passes. “So, would you mind keeping my work gathered for me? I’ll need to catch up when I return,” My gut clenches a little in worry, remembering the description that Toguro had given of the Dark Tournament.

‘If you return,' I chew on my lower lip, nodding. ‘I still have to find a way to that Tournament for Kazuma’s sake,’ “My brother has told us he is leaving as well to go and train at Genkai’s Temple for a few months. Shizuru wasn’t too excited about him missing so much school,” I inform Shuichi, watching as something flashes over his face, an unreadable look that’s quickly replaced. To the untrained eye it could have been brushed off as a change of lighting.

I knew better.

“Sometimes we must follow paths that some might not understand,” Shuichi states as if giving sage advice. I lift an eyebrow at that, and decide to try and push my luck a little.

“Shizuru and I both think Kazuma is lying. He’s an easy tell, to be honest,” I speak up casually. It’s so discreet that even I barely notice it, but Shuichi’s shoulder’s stiffen. “Our brother is up to something, and knowing my big sister, we’ll find out exactly what he is hiding from us.”

“Or he could just as easily be telling you both the truth,” Shuichi replies evenly, and I almost can’t stop the cynical smirk from spreading over my lips.

He was one to be talking about telling the truth.

Then again, however, I was no better.

“Maybe. Seems rather coincidental that you a both leaving around the same time for the same amount of time,” I reply, keeping my voice casual. Shuichi gives a non-committal hum as we arrive at the intersection that Shuichi and I normally part ways. I look up into his big green eyes, sparkling like emeralds as the sun set behind him, his red hair even brighter than normal. I couldn’t help it as my breath catches in my throat slightly looking over the flawlessness of his pale skin and sharp cheekbones.

Dammit he really was handsome.

“Well, good luck communing with nature, I suppose,” I smirk a little, Shuichi smirking as well in response as he nods.

“Thanks. And thank you in advance for helping me keep up with school while I’m gone.” 

“As if you actually need my help,” I scoff, knowing for a fact that Shuichi was brilliant enough to do so himself. All he does is give a placating smile, before raising his hand in a single wave and turning away, heading down the street. I swallow thickly, the words I really wanted to say clawing up my throat as the anxiety sudden erupts in my chest.

“Be careful?” I call out to him before he gets too far, unable to stop myself. He stills mid-stride, turning his head only slightly so he could look at me over his shoulder. His full lips are parted, a questioning, and even slightly alarmed, look on his face. “Don’t let any of the wild animals get you,” I add quickly, his face instantly relaxing into a warm smile at that.

“Will do, Kaera. Take care of yourself while I’m gone,” He farewells, and this time continues on to disappear into the crowd of people walking along the sidewalk. 

Leaving me wondering how I was going to get to where he, and my brother, were actually going.

“Yo, punk,” I knock on my brother’s door with my elbow, having a steaming hot mug of cocoa in each hand. Kazuma looks up from his bed where he’s stuffing clothing into a duffel bag, his eyes lighting up when he sees what I brought. “Figured you could use a break,” I sigh, walking over and handing one of the mugs to him, before taking a seat on the edge of his bed.

“Thanks, sis!” Kazuma grins widely, sitting down and raising the mug to his lips. I smirk, waiting for it, and watching with amusement as he jolts back from the rim, burning his upper lip.

Happens every single time. 

“Patience is a virtue,” I sing at my brother, watching his face screw up slightly in annoyance as he lightly glares down at the mug in his hand. His burnt top lip curls slightly in frustration, giving the hot chocolate a look of betrayal

“I know, I know,” He grumbles, before blowing lightly over the hot liquid. 

“So…months, huh? Can’t even give us an actual number of months you’ll be gone?” I ask lightly, cupping my cold hands around the warm mug for comfort. I give Kazuma a sidelong glance, his expression darkening slightly.

“I have no idea how long Genkai’s training is going to take,” Kazuma replies, shrugging his shoulders. “I’ll be done when I’m done. I honestly can’t say any more than that because I don’t know more for certain.”

Liar. A voice hisses in my head. 

I hesitate, chewing at my lower lip, before finally speaking up as I look at him fully. “You would tell Shizuru and I, right? If something was up?” Kazuma refuses to meet my gaze, my stomach dropping. “You would tell me, then? Your cool, older sister? Right?”

“There isn’t anything more for me to tell. It’s training, that’s it. I’ll be fine,” Kazuma states firmly, but even if I didn’t actually know what was going on, I knew that tone well enough by now. It was the same tone that he used when he was lying through his teeth. "Can't let Urameshi think he can keep winning against me in an actual fight."

“You’re lying to me,” I rightly accuse him, Kazuma’s blue eyes widening a little as he looks at me with shock. “You don’t think I can’t tell when you’re lying? You’re bullshitting a bullshitter, bro,” The words I had chosen were light, but the frustration at his lying was still very evident. “This isn't about training to go up against that Urameshi kid. It's not about defending your territory around Sarayashiki. Tell me what’s going on.”

“I can’t, Kaera,” Kazuma growls, his large shoulders tensing as he stands, taking himself and his cup of cocoa to his window. He stares out it, his back to me, but I can see the reflection of his face. I feel my heart squeeze painfully in my chest, recognizing that look.

It was the same look he had on his face when our parents died. 

The stoic, determined look. Hard a stone. It was the face that didn’t let anyone see what I knew to be on the inside. 

Fear and doubt. 

Kazuma and I were closer to one and other as siblings than either of us were to Shizuru. The major age gap could be partly to blame, but growing up I was Kazuma’s protector on the school yard. That was until Kazuma grew bigger than me, and then he became my protector. There wasn’t anything we’ve never been able to talk about with one and other.

Until I became Sailor Moon, that is. 

“Fine,” I murmur softly, standing with my own hot chocolate and watching him carefully in his reflection. I can feel the stirrings of terror for him worming it’s way through my body, and my eyes even began to burn with tell-tale tears. What if this was the last night I ever saw my little brother alive? A moment of uncomfortable silence passes between us, before I find the strength to speak once again, though my voice shakes. “I love you, you know? I don’t know what I’d ever do without you.” 

There, the tiniest crack in his facade appears, his own eyes softening in the reflection. He swallows thickly, before placing his cup on the desk next to the window as he turns towards me. I place my own on his nightstand closest to me, before rushing him as he opens his large arms up for me. 

I hug him with everything I could muster in that moment. 

“You won’t ever have to find out, Kaera,” Kazuma murmurs into my hair, holding me tightly in return. I give a shaky sigh, fighting back the persistent tears still, one slipping through as I clench my eyes shut and burying my face against his chest.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

The first month I was an anxious mess.

The second month was utter torture. 

Kazuma would get word to us when he could from Genkai’s Temple, but other than that we really had no idea what was happening, or where exactly this Temple even was. It was somewhere in the mountains, but that was all Shizuru and I could get out of our little brother when we asked. 

Funny, again, how Shuichi’s story lined up with Kazuma’s.

Not.

I knew Shuichi was with him. Had to be. It made sense with what happened that night with that monster, Toguro. No doubt he and Shuichi were training together, or rather Shuichi was probably training him. It was strange, but the idea of my brother being watched over by Shuichi brought me some comfort on nights were my mind couldn’t stop thinking about what Kazuma was doing, or how he was doing. 

“Kaera!” A familiar voice calls out to me, bringing me out of my own head for a moment. Looking over my shoulder I see Keiko rushing to catch up to me, weaving through the sparse amount of people walking the sidewalk with us. 

“Keiko, hey,” I greet back as she reaches me, and I know I look surprised. To be honest, Keiko and I never really talked all that much. Though she was friends with Yusuke, and by extension Kazuma, we never really had a reason to connect. We had no classes together, she ran with the popular group of her grade and I was, by all intents and purposes, a loner. We had no common ground to really stand on.

So why the hell was she flagging me down?

“Listen, I’ve been getting worried,” Keiko frowns at me, not even bothering with pleasantries and cutting right to the point. Her brown eyes look fiercely determined, brows furrowed with frustration. “What do you know about what the boys are up to? Yusuke told me that Kazuma was going to be leaving for this ‘training’ too,” I try to look a little shocked at this information, though I had figured by the nature of Toguro’s demand, Yusuke would be disappearing as well. Nobody had said anything to either Shizuru or I yet about Yusuke, however. Not even Kazuma before he left. 

“About as much as you, honestly,” I reply, sighing heavily. “Kazuma calls us every now and then, but getting any kind of details about where exactly he is, or what he is up to, is like trying to pull teeth. He gives us an idea of how his training is going, but all we really know is to expect him to be gone for months.”

“That’s more than I know,” Keiko frowns, tucking some of her short hair behind her ear. “Yusuke hasn’t even bothered to call his own Mother, let alone me,” I frown genuinely at that, feeling sorry that Keiko was left in the dark right now as to how dangerous things were going to be getting for Yusuke and my brother. I least I had knowledge, enough to continue trying tor research and find where this Dark Tournament is taking place.

Keiko had absolutely nothing to go on.

“I have a plan,” My eyebrows shot up at that. “I know someone who will know what’s going on and where the guys are heading,” My lips part in genuine surprise this time.

“Really?” I ask hopefully, Keiko nodding her head firmly. 

“Botan.” I frown at that, tilting my head.

How come I never thought of her?

“Okay, well, why don’t you get in contact with Botan and invite her over to our place?” I suggest, trying not to think too hard on Kazuma obviously trying to hide this new part of his life from me. “We can interrogate her there for answers.”

“If she’ll give us any,” Keiko sighs, her grip on her school briefcase tightening. I snort.

“Believe me, if anyone is going to get anything out of Botan, it will be Shizuru. She can be scary when she is determined to get what she wants,” I reply easily. “If she really wants to push for answers from either Kazuma or I, she gets them. She’s the scary sister,” Keiko looks amused at that, a small smile quirking at the corner of her lips.

“What sister are you then?”

“The cool one,” I wink at her playfully.

I mean, I was Sailor fucking Moon. How much cooler could I get?

You know, I could have been wrong.

Shizuru might be the scary, and the cool sister.

I mean, she had barely allowed Botan the time to take her shoes off before she had started cornering the poor girl. I hadn’t even been properly welcome her to our home by the time she and Keiko had chased Botan through the house, and had her backed up on the floor against the side of my bed with nowhere to go, Botan’s unique purple eyes glancing fearfully between Keiko and Shizuru as they intimidated her into breaking down. 

The answer to where the boys were all came spilling forth before I could even say ‘hello’ to the pretty blue haired girl.

‘Good thing neither of them heard Toguro’s definition of the Tournament,’ I think to myself, frowning as I look between Shizuru’s pale face, and Keiko’s unconscious one. 

Botan's expression is still nervous and worried as she looks down to Keiko, who was currently using her lap as a pillow. “This could have gone better,” She sighs softly in regret.

“I can’t believe they’d be so reckless,” Shizuru states angrily, frowning as she looks between Botan and Keiko.

“But they had to,” Botan insists, echoing my own thoughts. Toguro had made the stakes very clear.

Either fight in the Tournament for your lives, or die if you don’t enter.

“Those in charge won’t let them refuse. The only way for them to live is to fight.”

Keiko suddenly snaps back into consciousness, sitting up and turning to grab onto Botan’s arm firmly in her hand. Botan, shocked, looks between her arm and the teenager girl with disbelief.

“Now listen,” Keiko begins firmly, a deep frown settled on her face, “you have to take me there.”

“Yes, I’m going too,” Shizuru quickly interjects, her hands on her hips as she stands. 

“You guys won’t be going without me, either,” I add in, gazing at Botan with determination, even as the blue haired girl tries to stutter through an excuse for us not to go. Her face quickly falls in defeat, however, when she can’t obviously come up with a solid reason for us not to go.

“Fine,” She sighs resignedly, her head bowing with her eyes shut in exasperation.

I, meanwhile, felt like my heart was lighter than it had been for weeks.

I was going to find my little brother, and I was going to do everything in my power to keep him safe.

To keep him alive.

“So…you’re the Grim Reaper?” I ask, unable to stop some of the humor from leaking into my voice as I look at the pretty blued hair girl beside me. Botan gives a disarming smile as she nods, before looking out over the ocean once more. I blink, turning to look out over the gently rolling waves that the large luxury ferry was creating as we cut through the glass-like water below.

Well, I mean…should I honestly be shocked?

After getting the low-down from both Keiko and Botan together below decks in the plush sitting rooms about what’s actually been going on the past half a year, I shouldn’t be. Yusuke dying I knew about, and his mysterious resurrection as well. I had known that Spirit World no doubt had a handle on things there, but it wasn’t my place to pry or interfere, so I didn’t. I had my missions, my battles, and things that I needed to accomplish to keep humanity safe from the Netherworld. 

But if I had known about Kazuma’s involvement, I would have stepped in a long time ago.

The Artifacts of Darkness. Genkai’s Tournament and Rando. Maze Castle. Powerful black-market businessmen. Demons.

Toguro.

Botan stood beside me silently, continuing to graciously allow me the silence to absorb everything. She had volunteered to come above deck with me while I got some air, and though I knew she probably wanted to support me, I also knew she feared for me being left alone on this ship. I was beginning to see that Botan was a warm and kind individual, and again was happy to know that Kazuma, no matter the dangers, has at least surrounded himself with people he could clearly depend on.

I tried not to let it sting too harshly that he obviously felt like he couldn’t depend on me.

‘Then again, he doesn’t know about my own powers. He doesn’t know I’m Sailor Moon, and that’s the way it needs to stay for both his and Shizuru’s sakes,' I frown a bit more, my hands tightening their grip on the steel railing beside me. ‘With him throwing himself into danger anyways, however, what’s the point of keeping this a secret?’ Maybe I could tell him, tell Shizuru, and selfishly lighten the burden on myself. Have people that I could talk to, and not have to worry about hiding what has now become a big part of who I am.

Shuichi…did he have to hide who he really was from his family as well?

“So, Shuichi…he’s a demon?” I ask softly, and Botan looks towards me a little confused, before her mouth parts in realization when she figures out who I’m talking about.

“Oh, you mean Kurama?” She asks, and I try not to flinch at the name I couldn’t associate with the red-head just yet. It just…didn’t suit the guy, the classmate, maybe even a friend, I had come to get to know.

It did, however, suit the man that had saved me all those months ago. The one that had tracked me down to demand answers that I just couldn’t give him.

“Yeah, him,” I nod, lips forming a thin line. “We have Advanced Bio together, that’s how I know him,” I explain, wanting my interest to not seem too…searching.

“The uncomplicated answer is, yes,” Botan answers as she smooths down her pretty kimono, the oranges, reds, yellows, and the purple obi all working surprisingly well together, and suiting her better than I think it would most. I paled in comparison to her, dressed in a comfortable, oversized, white knit sweater and black, relaxed-fit jeans. “Yoko Kurama was a Spirit Fox that lived in the demon world, but he was injured and had to take refuge as a human baby developing in his Mother’s womb.”

“It almost makes him sound like a parasite,” I mutter, frowning. I felt a little remorseful at my words, something inside of my tugging painfully at the thought of Shuichi being any less perfect than he seemingly was.

“I know it might seem that way,” Botan begins diplomatically as she frowns at me, “but Kurama…Shuichi, has come to love and care for his human Mother. He’d never hurt her. Ever. He even almost gave his own life to save her, and risked serious punishment from Spirit World as well.”

“The mirror,” I hum in remembrance, Botan having gone into detail about the Artifacts and what happened during their collection by Yusuke. 

“Exactly,” Botan nods, a small smile on her face once more, before she turns to look out over the horizon. “There it is,” She whispers softly, almost as if she were speaking to herself. Her voice is filled with apprehension, and so I turn to see what she is gazing at.

There, in the distance, was an island. The island.

Hanging Heck Island.

‘Here we go,’ I frown deeply, my own anxiety increasing steadily the larger the island began to get. 

I had gotten here, but what I could do to ensure Kazuma’s safety…

That was the next hurdle to jump.

“These ugly things are the apparitions?” Keiko asks, disgust clear in her voice as her brown eyes were wide, taking everything in. Shizuru is standing next to Keiko, smoke pinned between her lips and watching as well with feigned disinterest.

I could tell she was tense, though.

“Yes, Keiko, and please watch what you say,” Botan advises her nervously, voice tinged with impatience. I would be too if I was the blue haired Grim Reaper. Keiko doesn’t seem bothered, and instead turns with determination towards Botan and points at her.

“Why? Because it’s dangerous? Well don’t you think it was dangerous not letting us know all this?” Keiko demands. “You’re too easy on him. Yusuke can’t keep lying to people he cares for,” She goes on, and I barely hold back an amused smirk.

I could tell, now, why Yusuke likes Keiko so much. 

“Come on, Shizuru, Kaera, let’s find them,” Keiko goes on, grabbing onto Shizuru’s arm and turning towards the entrance for the arena. I sigh softly as Botan turns to me, her purple eyes a little wide. Shrugging my shoulders, I give her an easy grin.

“I suppose it takes a sharp tongue like that to handle Yusuke,” Botan admits, before looking around the area. “Speaking of sharp tongues. Where is Koenma?” I watch in slight amusement as Botan drifts off, clearly now focused on finding this Koenma person. Once she disappears into the crowd of demons, I turn and move in the direction Keiko and Shizuru had left, easily finding them. They were both looking around, clearly at a loss now where to go or what to do. Giving a soft sigh, I approach them.

“Listen,” I catch their attentions, both of them look at me curiously, “I get that Botan lied as well, but I think you guys both need to get over that and trust her. She knows what’s she is doing, or at least, more than we know,” I add, looking around as the apparitions that hung around watched us with interest. Botan said that it was against the rules here for them to attack any humans on site, but I knew personally that demons didn’t play by anyone’s rules but their own.

“How can you say that, Kaera? Aren’t you mad at them too?” Keiko asks, bewilderment in her voice. I sigh heavily, frowning as I look to the younger girl, and trying to make sure I choose my words wisely.

“Furious, in fact,” I admit, hands clenching into fists. “Hurt that Kazuma couldn’t trust his own family with all of this. We won’t get a chance to voice any of this though if we get ourselves killed before Botan can take us to the boys,” I reason, Keiko’s shoulders slumping. Shizuru places her hand on Keiko’s shoulder, gently squeezing it.

“Though I hate to admit it, my kid sister is right. Let Botan lead us to them, and then we can kick their asses,” Shizuru agrees.

‘If they don’t get their asses handed to them before we get the chance,' I can’t help the pessimistic thought, my stomach clenching tightly in nerves. 

“A-alright,” Keiko nods, and I manage to give her a tight, small smile.

“Alright, let’s go back and find her then.”

And find Botan we did, along with a rather handsome fellow…with a pacifier stuck between his lips.

I try not to stare…I really do.

And I try not to laugh as Koenma introduces himself and asserts how ‘cool’ he is, which was infinitely more harder to stop than the staring. 

I mean…a grown man…with a pacifier.

‘I can’t believe we’re following a man sucking on a pacifier into, what feels like, the belly of the Underworld. Of all the things I ever though I'd be doing…’ Shaking my head in amusement as we’re guided through the halls of the stadium, I can hear the roar of the crowd even through the thick cement walls. Worry returns and overtakes me quickly.

Was my little brother out there fighting right now?

I get my answer, and sooner than I had anticipated.

It’s a good thing we had somewhere to sit soon after we entered into the stadium, having separated from our guide only moments before, because my knees turned to jello the moment I saw the familiar reddish-orange, pompadour styled hair of my brother…

Centered in the ring.

I sat down beside my older sister, putting both Botan and I on the outskirts of the group and next to demons. I’m not sure whether I did this consciously or not in that moment, ensuring that I was a barrier between my sister and anything nasty that came our way.

I was too focused on my brother getting his ass handed to him by a kid.

“Oh dear, Rinku is fast and incredibly acrobatic,” Botan comments, and I’m barely able to hear her over the roar of the crowd.

“My brother is just standing there,” Shizuru adds, sounding confused.

“It’s awful,” Keiko comments, her voice filled with shock.

I couldn’t form words even if I wanted to with how hard it felt like a hand was squeezing my heart.

Not to mention the smell of charred and burned bodies made me want to puke. 

Glancing across the stadium for a moment, I take notice of a path burned through the seats opposite of us, burned bodies of apparitions laying in pieces where it looked like a fire-ball had gone through.

‘I hope Rinku isn’t the one that did that.’ I think to myself desperately, the hair on my arms standing on end as I look back towards the ring once more. Unconsciously my hand comes up and grips my sweater over my heart as I watch on in mystified horror, Rinku now seeming to almost multiply with how fast he was bouncing around my little brother. 

And the kid was fast.

‘Come on, Kazuma…concentrate,’ I beg to myself, chewing hard on my lower lip. Kazuma looks around, his gazed narrowed and posture stiff as he clearly tries to track Rinku’s movements.

Then, finally, as if he had been able to hear my thoughts, Kazuma lands a solid punch to the top of the kid’s head, sending him somersaulting across the ring. 

Breathing out a sigh of relief, the match momentarily slowing down, I lean back, shoulders relaxing. 

I knew it was hardly over.

Kazuma continues to land a few more hard hits, Rinku looking like each hit that took him down was harder to recover from. A particularly hard kick takes Rinku to the floor, and the boy just manages to sit up, face filled with pain and clearly struggling. 

“Maybe we were wrong to worry about them all all.” I comment lightly from beside my sister, naive hope gripping me. Maybe this Dark Tournament wasn’t as bad as Toguro made it seem? Maybe my little brother and his friends were stronger than we, I, had given them credit for?

I had spoken too soon.

Kazuma went in for the final punch, but the kid had clearly been putting on an act. Rinku moved, even faster than I could track, coming up behind Kazuma. A well delivered kick to the side of my brother’s face had his neck bending unnaturally as his body went sailing through the air.

I felt sick to my stomach.

His neck was broken…it had to be.

The woman that was commentating steps back, grimacing over the mic in disgust as my brother nearly lands at her feet. I hardly take notice, finding myself standing and leaning forward, watching intently for any sign of life. The crowd is losing it around us, but it’s only a dull roar compared to the pounding of my heart in my ears.

“One…two…,” The demon judge in the ring begins the count-down, Kazuma laying motionless on the ring floor.

No…no this couldn’t be it. Not like this.

I could feel my own powers itching beneath the surface of my skin, only a tiny thread of self control, of hope, keeping them at bay. 

“…five…six…seven…,”

“What’s the point in counting? I broke the dummy’s neck!” We could hear Rinku’s voice dimly with his proximity to the judge's mic as she continued the count-down. My stomach twisted in pure rage at the kid’s easy dismissal of my brother’s life. “Say, why don’t you count his last heartbeats?”

If Kazuma’s neck was broken, if he was dead, that little shit was going to pay.

I would take care of it personally.

“Yeah, you’re the best Rinku!”

“We’re behind you all the way!”

Rinku grinned widely and turned to the crowd at that, clearly soaking it all in. He waves at them, face filled with joy.

The little shit even goes as far as to blow the crowd a kiss.

Then, he suddenly freezes.

And my brother slowly rises up from the floor, a cocky smirk on his own face.

“Actually…my neck is just fine…”

Hearing Kazuma’s voice through the judge's mic has my legs giving out from under me, relief flooding through my veins and muscles like a tidal wave. Dropping down hard onto the seat beside Shizuru once more, I can’t stop the hand that is still clutching onto my sweater over my heart from trembling.

He’s alive. He’s okay.

And he was in deep trouble when I finally got a hold of his cocky, lying ass.

Rinku’s face drops, and he turns to look towards my brother in annoyance.

“He’s okay,” Keiko sighs in relief.

“That boy is something,” Botan adds, surprise clear in her own voice.

“He’s our brother, is what he is,” Shizuru adds, and I feel her take my free hand next to her own and grip it tightly. I squeeze her hand in return, turning and giving her a nervous smile, which she returns, before we both look back towards the fight.

“I love it! Just when we thought it was done, the two are facing off again!” The demon woman exclaims from the ring, sounding genuinely enthusiastic for this senseless fight to continue. 

Demons made me sick.

“That human is like a punching bag!”

“Rip him apart, Rinku!”

We all ignore the calls from the crowd, so clearly against our brother’s team. Instead I focus on Kazuma, watching as he cracks his neck and looks at his opponent with determination. 

“The first competitors of the tournament are locked in a stare-down! Who will throw the next punch?!” As if to emphasis what the demon woman was commentating, the skies suddenly crackle above with thunder, causing me to skittishly jump. 

Shizuru’s hand squeezing my own grounds me once more.

Rinku suddenly pulls a pouch in front of him that had been resting at his hip, reaching in with a confident smirk spread wide on his face. He reveals not one, not two, but eight yo-yos attached to each finger.

And his energy spikes. A lot.

The charge in the air could be felt by everyone, even Keiko, goosebumps littering all of our arms. Shizuru lets go of my hand in that moment, rubbing it over her opposite form arm through the sleeve of her shirt. 

‘This kid is stronger than most of the Netherworld demons that I go up against.’ I realize fearfully, eyes wide with shock. 

“The Serpent Yo-Yo Attack!” Rinku shouts out, his voice echoing unnaturally around the stadium as his body hummed and vibrated with the energy he was exuding. 

Kazuma, not to be outdone, follows suit.

I’m astounded at the sudden burst of energy I feel coming from my little brother. I had always known he had spirit energy, that he was spiritually aware, but I never knew he could physically harness it. Watching his energy form into two sword-like objects and both of his hands, my jaw literally drops. 

“Double Spirit Sword!” Kazuma’s voice echoes around the stadium, much like Rinku’s had as he swings both of his spirit swords in front of him, crossing the blades. They face off against one and other for a mere moment, before Rinku launches himself in the air and lets four of his yo-yos fly.

“Spin-tops!” Rinku shouts loud enough for us to hear, even up where we were. Kazuma swings the blade of one of his swords, clearly intending to simply cut the strings that ran from the childish weapons to their owner. It seemed like a simple, straight forward way to finally end things.

Until the strings suddenly moved out of the path of Kazuma’s sword.

‘It’s like they have a mind of their own,’ I gape in shock, leaning forward once more as my heart leaps into my throat. Kazuma takes the direct hit, clearly caught off-guard. His pained cries cut through me like a knife, and the feeling of overwhelming helplessness overtakes me once more.

I was here, at the Tournament like I wanted…but I still couldn’t keep him safe.

Not now, not from this.

“Please tell me I’m not the only one who saw that people! Somehow the yo-yos snuck around to avoid Kuwabara’s sword!” The girl in the ring shouts in clear amazement, her voice tinged with sick joy.

Rinku, meanwhile, is casually playing with said deadly weapons as Kazuma recovers.

Kazuma powers up once more, summoning his spirit swords, and the fight was back on.

Rinku begins by some sort of take on what looked like the trick ‘walking the dog’, his yo-yos digging into the very floor of the ring as he traveled forward behind them, floating with his own energy. In a feat of brute strength I hadn’t know my little brother was capable of, he backs away while using his spirits swords to cut up and throw pieces of the arena in Rinku’s path, slowing him down.

Rinku is hardly dissuaded, however.

He sends his yo-yos through the last half dozen barriers of concrete that Kazuma had created in front of him, taking him by surprise. His spirit swords both dissipate as he looses concentration due to the hit, the strings quickly wrapping themselves around Kazuma’s wrists and ankles. Horrified, we watch on helplessly as Rinku uses the leverage to throw Kazuma down onto the ring.

Over, and over, and over again.

Until, suddenly, Rinku slowly raises Kazuma up high above us all, not stopping until he reaches the same height as the opening of the stadium above.

‘He’s hundreds of feet in the air…if Rinku were to let him go now…,’ I think to myself, tears of worry and anger burning in my eyes. ‘Have I come all this way just to watch my little brother die? Just to be able to sit back and be able to do nothing?’

“Well, I’ll let you use your own imaginations for what happens if that human’s poor, frail, body falls from the top of the stadium, and crashes all the way down to the ring!” 

Trembling, mind racing on what I could do in that moment, a thought hits me so hard I can barely breathe.

I was Sailor Moon, Defender of Love and Justice, Protector of the Earth…but what good was that, all my powers, if I couldn’t even save the ones I loved most?

Chapter Text

“How do you like this one?! It’s my take on 'Around The World'!” Rinku shouts so loudly that we could hear him even from our seats high in the stands while sending our brother painfully into the platform once more. Rinku, in a sadistic twist, had brought Kazuma down from his initial height to instead play with him like a puppet. My knuckles are going white with how hard I’m clenching my hands into fists, mind racing as I tried to think of a way to help.

‘If I step in they will definitely be disqualified. And then what? Would their lives still be forfeited to this tournament?’ I think to myself, chewing hard enough on my lower lip to almost draw blood. Kazuma’s shouts echo around us, and I wince at the sound of his body hitting the ring for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Now, take your time with him, Rinku!”

“Give us more! I want to hear his fragile human bones breaking!”

“What a glorious fight!” The demoness on the ring shouts out with sick glee. “The opponent is absolutely helpless! It’s hard to counter-attack when you can even move! I love it!”

“What kind of sick and twisted tournament is this?” I can’t help asking in shock, eyes wide at the judge’s words. The shouts around us echo similar merciless sentiments, and have my stomach churning and turning as every demon in the stadium urges Rinku to continue on with torturing my little brother. 

“I warned you,” Botan gently reminds me, her deep purple eyes not once leaving the ring as a concerned frown was etched on her own lips.

They had no idea how tough he was…and stubborn.

But the exasperated look on Rinku’s face as he drives Kazuma into the ring one more time says he is finding out just that. I watch as Kazuma looks up at Rinku, and even at this distance I can see the determination in my little brother’s eyes.

“Our little bro doesn’t know when to give up,” Shizuru comments from beside me, and I can’t help a small smirk.

“This time, though, it’s a good thing,” I reply, Shizuru nodding in agreement as she takes another deep drag of her smoke. 

My back suddenly goes ram-rod straight. 

I can feel Rinku’s energy expanding and increasing, causing the hair on my arms to lift straight up. All of us can only watch on in horror as Kazuma is once again lifted up high into the air, right towards the open ceiling of the stadium.

“I’m going to get you!” Kazuma can be heard yelling uselessly as he is pushed up further and further.

“Well, at least baby brother is getting a good view of the stadium,” Shizuru comments lightly, and I’m a little surprised by her statement even though I knew this was how Shizuru dealt with stress. She made light of tense situations, had done so ever since Mom and Dad died.

“Well, at least they don’t have to deal with bills anymore.”

“Good thing Mom doesn’t have to sit through her sister’s fourth wedding like we do now.”

“I thought without Dad here we wouldn’t have to deal with stinky shoes, but Kazuma has him beat!”

“How can you joke right now? Don’t you realize what will happen if he falls?” Keiko asks in shock, her brown eyes wide with disbelief as she looks at Shizuru. I turn to look at my sister as well, and find that Botan has her concerned gaze on me, before she looks towards Shizuru as well, frowning deeper. 

“That’s easy, he’ll die.”

The breath leaves my body hearing her say it so casually. 

This was bad, even for my sister.

“Shizuru!” Botan exclaims angrily, leaning forward and glaring at my older sister. “You should be ashamed of yourself! Speaking like that in front of your little sister when your brother has his life hanging by a literal thread!”

Yeah, Botan, that didn’t really help either.

“And us getting upset will make a heck of a difference, won’t it?” Shizuru asks easily, before taking another long drag from her smoke, deceptively calm. All three of us are now staring at her, but Kazuma’s voice brings me back to the fight.

“STOP IT YOU LITTLE BRAT!”

Turning my gaze upwards towards the dizzying height my brother was now at, I felt the bile rising in my throat. ‘If he falls from that height, there won’t even be enough left of him to scrape off of the surface of the ring,’ My own dark thoughts take over.

“Just enjoy yourself! You’ll be coming down soon enough!” Rinku shouts up towards my little brother, a cruel smirk twisting his face. 

‘Scew it. I’m stepping in! To hell with this evil tournament. I’ll turn every demon in this stadium into moon dust if I have to,’ My right hand slowly relaxes from it's fist and begins to raise up, the words on the tip of my tongue as I stand-

“YUSUKE!” Keiko’s voice suddenly screams out from the other side of Shizuru, and I’m momentarily stunned. My eyes go wide, turning my head to look at the brunette who was currently glaring down towards the stadium. I turn my gaze forward once more, looking towards where her attention was directed, and for the first time taking in the full scene below.

Was Yusuke…sleeping?

I had been so distracted by Kazuma’s fight that I had hardly taken the time to observe the other boys on their team. There he was, though, snoozing against the side of the ring.

“How can you keep sleeping when your friend is in trouble with these nasty demons?!” Keiko proceeds to berate the unconscious teenager, whilst also directing unwanted attention towards us. The demons in the rows around our group turn to look at us, eyes either filled with shock at Keiko’s brazen behavior, or with unfiltered hunger.

And not just the ‘I want you in my belly’ kind, either.

“Help him, Yusuke! Get off your lazy butt and help him!” Keiko continues on, oblivious to the attention that she was getting from everyone but the person she had intended. Scoffing in irritation when her yells don’t cause the teenage boy below to stir, Keiko suddenly sprints right by me from her seat. 

“Don’t get any closer, Keiko! We’re not on safe grounds!” Botan yells out helplessly, reaching for the girl from her seat. Keiko turns back sharply from where she had made it to the main stairs near our seats.

“Maybe Shizuru is right, and worrying won’t change a thing, but I still have to try!” Keiko replies firmly, and I feel my heart swell at how much she genuinely cared for Kazuma. Enough to put herself through the worry and danger she was now. 

My respect for her grew significantly at that point.

A shadow suddenly overtakes her, and I don’t hesitate to run to her side as a big, blue demon stands over the brunette. The ugly bugger was easily three times our heights, blue skin stretched tight over muscle as he braces his hands against his knees to hunch menacingly over both Keiko and I now. He chuckles lowly as he takes both of us in.

“What’s the matter, little ladies? You both lost?” He asks sarcastically, drool dripping from one of the large fangs that sat in his mouth. The multiple eyes that sat on his forehead starred down at Keiko and I, along with the larger pair that sat in the usual place on his face. “You all should go back to your filthy home! This tournament is for apparitions only,” The demon growls, the threat very clear. Keiko stomps her foot childishly beside me.

“You can’t scare us with that talk-” I grab her upper arm firmly, pulling her back behind me now. I was shorter than her by an inch, so I didn’t exactly create the best human shield, and judging by the laugh the blue demon gives, he thinks my attempt to protect Keiko is humorous as well. “Yusuke has beaten creatures a lot bigger than you!” Keiko goes on stubbornly, speaking from over my shoulder as we both glare up at the demon. He simply laughs in our faces.

If only he knew that the real threat was currently standing right in front of him.

“Your boy is asleep! Too bad you can’t protect yourself!” The demon opens his wide mouth, tongue flapping out against his chin as he moves forward with the clear intention of eating us both. I raise my right hand up into the air.

“Moon Pri-”

A cigarette butt promptly twists into the oversized tongue in front of us. 

I turn, shocked to see my older sister standing there confidently, twisting the hot cigarette but deeper into the stunned demon’s tongue. It takes a moment for the asshole to react, and when he does I think I would have laughed had the situation been different. He whirls around, like he’s unsure of what to do as he fans his tongue, before running back down the stairs. 

“Thanks for that, sis,” I muttered blinking in shock as I look to her. She nods nonchalantly, Botan coming to stand by us as Keiko once again takes off down the stairs. 

“So I see where Kuwabara got the need to defend himself growing up…” Botan trails off, looking at Shizuru with a mixture of awe and nervousness. 

“Yeah,” Shizuru admits easily, shrugging her shoulders. I can’t help a small smirk as I shake my head, before turning to look back down at the stadium.

Only to lock gazes with my green eyed classmate. 

And he hardly looked impressed.

A frown marred his delicate and handsome features as he stars at me, hands clenched into fists on either side of his body. He’s tense, and something tells me it’s more than just the fight that had him that way.

Was he…was he angry that I was there?

I feel a shiver rush down my spine at the cold look Shuichi was giving me, so unlike the warmth that I was used to. Next to him the fire-demon, Hiei, turns his head to look at what had Shuichi distracted. His red eyes narrow, a displeased look growing on his own handsome face too. With both of them staring me down, I can’t help taking a step backwards, my thumb nervously twisting the snowflake ring around my right middle finger. 

Why did I suddenly feel like I really shouldn’t be here?

I’m frozen on the spot as the two finally look away from me, clearly discussing something as they do, and turning their sights upwards towards the skies once more. I do the same, watching Kazuma as Shizuru grabs me by my upper arm and drags me down towards where Keiko was currently standing at the edge of the arena, yelling at Yusuke once more.

“Hang tight, Kuwabara! I don’t suppose you can fly, can you?!” Botan shouts uselessly up at my brother, and I can’t help giving her a displeased look.

Now was really not the time for sarcasm.

“Oh, hey Botan!” Kazuma shouts from his place up high, sounding surprised, and even more suprised as he realized Shizuru was here. “Sis! I didn’t know you were going to be here! I’d give you a better greeting, but I’m kinda busy right now!” He calls out nervously, before there is this long, awkward pause. 

“KAERA! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING HERE?!”

I can’t help wincing as Kazuma clearly struggles and fights at the yo-yos then, his nervousness replaced with anger upon seeing me. I honestly should have expected that reaction though. After all, just one look at me and you would assume I couldn’t handle myself. I was short, overweight, and meek as Kaera Kuwabara. Shuichi and Hiei share a look at that as well, glancing at me over their shoulders before looking up towards Kazuma once more. 

“Rinku seems to be hesitating. Why don’t we ask the fans what they want?!” The judge’s voice rings out over the stadium, and is quickly followed by roars from the crowds around us.

“FINISH HIM, RINKU!”

“SMATTER THAT UGLY HUMAN ALL OVER THE RING!”

“DO IT, RINKU!”

“LET HIM DROP!”

The crowds chant that final outburst over, and over, and over again, Rinku’s cruel smirk only getting bigger at the idea of pleasing his fans. 

“Say, I guess that answers that. My fans know what they want, and they want a drop!” Rinku exclaims, then with a flick of his wrists the blood in my veins run cold, and the yo-yo’s retract.

My baby brother goes plummeting towards the ground.

Without thinking my actions through, I jump over the barrier and down onto the grass below, kneeling down on one knee to absorb the shock of the fall. I can hear Kazuma’s screams mixed with Botan and Keiko’s shouts to come back as I stand and race towards the ring, fully intending on jumping in and doing something, anything, to save Kazuma from becoming a fucking human pancake. 

Until two strong arms wrap like steel bands around my midsection, and draw me back to an equally hard chest.

“You cannot interfere, Kaera,” Shuichi’s low voice in my ear clues me in to who has me, but it doesn’t stop me from prying at his arms and trying to get him to let me go. He was strong, though, inhumanly strong.

‘Because he’s not human, remember?’ My inner voice chimes, as tears burn at my eyes. It was like everything was happening slow motion, even my brother’s fall. I struggle harder in Shuichi’s grip, his body having to shift with my own just to keep a hold of me. “Let me go, Shuichi!”

“So you can go into that ring and get yourself killed?” Hiei scoffs next to us, his red eyes turning momentarily from my brother towards me. “You’d be just as useless as the oaf in there.”

“You have no idea what I’m capable of!” I hiss back at him, eyes narrowed. I don’t have a mind to think about what I’ve said, but I do feel Shuichi stiffening against my back at my words. Hiei, meanwhile, simply turns back towards the horrible scene in front of us.

“And you have no idea what your brother is capable of,” Shuichi counters calmly, still holding my struggling form was a fair amount of ease. He sharply shakes me, as if to try and get my attention. “Watch.” The tears leak out of my eyes as I blink hard, eyes not once leaving Kazuma’s falling form, his screams still echoing through the stadium as he fell.

“This is it people! Get ready for a boom!” 

“KAZUMA!” I can’t help screaming out desperately as he was moments away from hitting the ring. 

And, suddenly, his screaming stopped.

“You just made your big mistake, Rinku!” Kazuma calls out to his opponent confidently, bringing his hands forward. I can feel his energy rising, and soon see the familiar yellow glow building between the palms of his hands. “You should have never let me use my hands! Spirit Sword Get Long!” I have to lean back as the light from his energy bursts forth, one of my arms coming up to shadow my eyes from it’s intensity. It dims as the tip pins itself into the floor of the ring, Kazuma bending it back…almost like he intended to…

“No way…” I trail off, arm dropping down and mouth agape, shaking my head. “He’s not really going to…is he?”

And he did. He most certainly did.

Kazuma used himself like a human sling shot, aiming head-first for his opponent. 

“What an amazing recovery! It looks like it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty!” The judge exclaims gleefully. 

“So the sword absorbs your fall like a backwards bungee cord, huh? That’s a pretty neato idea from a block-head,” Rinku smirks, still confident as he crosses his arms in front of him, clearly getting ready to release his yo-yos once more. “There is one little problem, though. You flying straight at me makes it easier for all my yo-yos to hit you at once, and you can’t handle that!” Rinku exclaims, before leaping into the air and releasing all his weapons as he had openly planned to do. In a surprising twist, literally, Kazuma releases his Spirit Sword once more, the energy bending and winding through the yo-yos, and clearly catching Rinku by surprise. Both of them take each other’s hits simultaneously, and are thrown from the ring all together. 

Silence rings throughout the stadium before the judge shakes herself out of her own shock.

“Right, well, um, both of the fighters have been extraordinarily knocked out of the ring and the very same time!” The crowds roar once more in the background, clearly shouting their own judgements of the match for all to hear. 

None were in favor of Kazuma being declared the winner.

“Was that the focus of your training?” Hiei asks, giving Shuichi a side-glance.

“Well, more or less,” Shuichi answers, his tone suggesting he was just as shocked my Kazuma’s actions as the rest of us. 

Was it bad that I was slightly distracted by the feeling of his chest rumbling against my back as he talked.

His very muscular chest.

“The main focus of our training was to teach him precise control of his Spirit Sword,” Shuichi continued to explain, and I can’t help scoffing a little.

“Well, clearly he learned something,” I comment, knees feeling weak knowing that even through he was clearly hurt he was at least alive. I could feel Shuichi shifting once more behind me, this time not to keep my struggling form subdued against him, but to shoulder the extra weight I was no doubt giving him as my shaking legs continued to get worse. “I, uh, I think I might need to sit down,” I add shakily, my head-space at the moment not allowing me to feel self-conscious about my weight as Shuichi gently helped to lower me to the ground. I sit on my knees, Shuichi’s arms moving from around my waist causing me more harm than good. I wrap my own around myself to try and hold onto the feeling of security I had unconsciously felt being in his arms, having only realized I had actually felt that way after his secure hold was gone. 

“By the rules, you’re only allowed to stay out of the ring for ten seconds, so, um, I’m just going to start counting,” The judge continues on, and I find myself once again staring at my brother’s prone form.

‘Move, Kazuma. Don’t let this all be for nothing!’ I beg him inwardly, as if my thoughts could be enough to will him back into the ring. 

“One!”

“I would be surprised if either of them got back onto there feet in time,” I can hear Hiei commenting from where he stood behind me, Shuichi now standing at his side once more as well.

“Two!”

“It’s true,” Shuichi agrees readily. “Both the yo-yos and the sword made solid hits. I guess we’ll know soon enough.” He adds, the judge’s count-down echoing in the background.

“Three!”

“Get up!” A new but familiar voice joins in, and I blink in surprise as I turn my gaze towards the sleeping teenager. “You’re late, Kuwabara!” Yusuke shouts out deliriously in his sleep, head turning and slumping once more as he grumbles a few last words I can’t catch before slipping back into deeper sleep.

“Four!”

“Seriously, why is he sleeping?” I ask out loud, not really expecting an answer and not getting one. 

“And five! Uh-?” I snap my gaze upwards towards the judge as she stops her count-down with a surprised sound, following her line of sight to the opposite side of the ring. I frown deeply, stomach dropping as Rinku struggles to crawl back onto the ring. He stands, just barely, breathing heavily and obviously in pain as the crowds roar with elation around us.

“Rinku has entered the ring after five counts!” The female demon shouts happily, her hand raised up above her head. “But it’s not over yet!”

“Get up there Kuwabara, I’m serious!” Yusuke starts to talk in his sleep once more. “I know you’re used to losing, but not now.”

I swear to god Yusuke’s words worked like magic.

Before I knew it my brother was conscious, but not only that, he had moved with impossible speed despite his injuries to grab Yusuke by the front of his jacket, fist poised and ready over the sleeping boy’s face. 

“Little punk! You wanna say that to my face?!” Kazuma snarls at him. “Come on!” I sigh heavily, head hanging slightly in embarrassment, before I do the sisterly thing.

And crawl over to smack my little brother over the back of the head.

“Hey!” Kazuma snaps, indignant as he turns sharply to look at me, eyes narrowed in an irritated glare.

“Would you get your ass up in the ring before you lose?” I sigh with exasperation, Kazuma’s eyes widening at that as he looks up towards the judge in the ring.

“Seven!”

“Hold your horses! I coming!” He shouts, promptly dropping Yusuke and moving to jump back into the ring. 

But not before Rinku is able to get the jump on him and wrap Kazuma up in his yo-yos once more.

“Eight!”

I just barely manage to scramble back to stay out of the mess and avoid getting tangled in with my brother as well. Rinku does nothing more than to simply tie my brother up, his energy no doubt drained to the point that was all he could do. 

“Nine!”

My brother wasn’t going to die. At least, not in this match.

Feeling my anxiety finally getting under control, the strength returned to my legs, and I could finally stand without fearing I’d just crumple to the ground.  

“Ten!” The judge finally shouts the last of her count-down, my brother still outside of the ring, and clearly the loser of the match. He struggles to break free, despite the final count, but finally falls backwards, unsuccessful. “And Rinku is the winner! The Rokuyukai team gets a point!” The cheers nearly drown out my little brother’s protests.

Nearly.

“No, no, no, no!” Kazuma argues childishly, finally being let free from his trap and stepping up onto the ring. “Hold it, you jerk! That wasn’t a fair move! Let’s go!” Kazuma insists, though it’s clear from the horrified expression on Rinku’s face that he has absolutely no intention of dragging the fight on. No matter how unfair Kazuma thought the outcome was, he had lost, and Rinku didn’t have to feel the need to prove his victory. 

“Wha-you run on batteries or something?” Rinku asks in disbelief. “I beat you, just please go away.”

“That was fairly innocent. It’s rare to see both fighters still standing,” Shuichi comments from somewhere behind me, and I can’t help frowning as the sense of dread settles in once more.

This was only the first match. The first of many, no doubt, more deadly matches.

“I assure you it won’t happen with me,” Hiei comments coldly, oozing confidence that even I could feel without needing to be near him. It cases a cold shudder to rush down my spine. Kazuma would be facing demons like him in the near future, demons that won’t hesitate to end the match over Kazuma’s dead body.

“This isn’t over, kid! Meet me behind the hotel when the tournament is done!” Kazuma goes on to challenge the kid, and I can’t help groaning in embarrassment, hiding my face against my hand and shaking my head. 

“This isn’t high school, baby brother,” I groan to myself. 

“Go away!” Rinku exclaims, turning and running away from Kazuma without shame and out fo the ring, prompting Kazuma to shake his fist at the boy’s retreating form before he jumped out of the ring himself. As soon as the boy leaves, one of his teammates steps up to take his place. The demon that enters the ring has grey skin, and his bat-like in appearance. With large pointed ears on either side of his head, and a narrow face with a mouth filled with fangs, the resemblance was uncanny. His narrow, yellowed eyes have locked onto our side of the ring, and everything from his baggy clothing to the sleazy expression on his face paint him as a slimy thug. Rinku looked absolutely innocent in comparison to this guy. 

“I’ll handle this one,” Shuichi states calmly from behind me, before he steps forward. The red-head pauses beside me, and I could tell his eyes were locked on my form. Though I knew I was going to regret it, I turn to face him, swallowing heavily at the sight that greets me. 

His green eyes are hard, perhaps even a shade darker, and his face is set like stone-sharp and unforgiving. 

“After this round is over, we’re obviously going to need to talk,” Shuichi states softly, his voice low and calm, adding to the uneasiness that I was already feeling between his look and the aura he was exuding. It seemed to strengthen in that moment, and stretch forth to wash over me like a tidal wave. I wasn’t a demon, but I also wasn’t new to demon behaviours. This, the fluctuation of auras, had happened to me before as an intimidation tactic by the Netherworld demons that I had gone up against in the past. It was their way to flex their strength. 

This, though, something about the way Shuichi’s demonic aura felt was different. It was still intimidating, but there was an underlying tone, a warmth, that was vastly different than I was used to feeling. The demons that had flexed their energy at me so far in my life as Sailor Moon had done so to invoke fear in me. I didn’t feel fear now.

“Obviously,” I whisper out in agreement, trying not to let on how in tune I was to him. The last thing I needed was for Shuichi to find out about my alter-ego. Not when I wasn’t entirely sure I could actually trust him. Shuichi gives me one last unreadable look, before moving forward and onto the ring to face off against his opponent. In his place, Hiei walks up soundlessly to stand beside me now. I can’t help giving him a side-glance, the demon next to me standing only a half inch taller than myself. It hits me, not for the first time, how handsome he is as I take in the flawless skin of his face, and the sharp yet somehow delicate features of his nose and chin. His attention, luckily, is solely on the two fighters in the ring, a confident smirk on his face as his red eyes barely conceal excitement for the battle ahead.

“Kurama,” Hiei’s voice speaks out calmly from beside me. I nearly jump, having been lost in thought taking in the man beside me, “considering the stakes we can’t afford to take any chances. Don’t leave the ring with him still alive.” 

“Naturally,” Kurama smoothly agrees. I blink in surprise, feeling a little put-off by how easily Shuichi just agreed to killing the demon standing before him.

Who was this guy?

Beside us from his place sleeping against the ring, Yusuke mumbles lowly about being careful, the name ‘Kurama’ falling from his lips as he does. It’s another stark reminder that the man I was watching so intently wasn’t the same person as the Shuichi I knew from school. A cold shiver rushes down my back. 

This cold, calculating, murderous individual was named Kurama, and perhaps I should be referring to him as such from here on in.

I turn towards my brother then, frowning as I see him still shaking with exhaustion and holding onto his shoulder as if he were in pain. I sigh, walking around behind Hiei to kneel down behind my brother, gently easing his hand from his shoulder so I could feel if it was dislocated. 

“We will deal with the rest of their team, you relax,” Hiei cuts in, his tone filled with authority as he frowns down at Kazuma. True to form, my little brother would have none of that, and brushes my hands away from his shoulder impatiently just to emphasize his next point.

“Hey, I’m not out of this yet! If Yusuke doesn’t wake up I’ll take the last guy,” Kazuma argues, and before I can tell him how absurd that was, Hiei beats me to it.

“We’ll pray that doesn’t happen.” Hiei responds with cold sarcasm. 

I have to bite down on my lower lip pretty hard so as not to laugh at Kazuma’s expense.

“Alright boys, I’m here! Now let’s whip this team into shape!” A now familiar, overly cheery voice pipes up from directly behind us. Kazuma turns to look suspiciously at the blue haired Grim Reaper, her perky smile almost off-putting given the situation. 

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Kazuma asks, sounding confused.

“Leave, before you hurt yourself,” Hiei speaks up in the same tone he had just used on my brother. 

‘I guess now at least I know he doesn’t have it out for Kazuma alone,’ I think to myself, frowning a little as I look to Botan, a little surprised she didn’t back down. Instead she actually had the gull to throw the short demon a disgusted look. ‘Brave girl. Judging by his strong aura he is not someone you want to go toe-to-toe with,’ I think to myself, his energy licking at me like flames from a raging fire. It was almost uncomfortable to be so close to this particular demon, but the warmth didn’t burn me to the point it hurt. 

Rather the opposite, and I found that deeply disconcerting. 

“Well that’s a jolly thing to say to someone who is going to help you win, don’t you think?” Botan asks rhetorically, annoyance clear. Hiei, surprisingly, continues to just look disinterested, and instead of fighting with Botan turns back towards the ring.

Huh, not the response I would have expected.

“Woah, hold up! You’re not the replacement fighter for Urameshi, are you?” Kazuma asks, his voice filled with disbelief, and even a little doubt. I mean, she did do fairly well standing up to my big sister, so I would have to give her points for that. Otherwise, though, unfortunately I couldn’t help agreeing with my little brother. This girl here wasn’t a fighter by any means, and she wouldn’t last two seconds in the ring if Rinku set the standard at all for the fighters here. 

Judging by the look fo amusement on Botan’s face, she thought the idea of her fighting ridiculous too.

“No, silly! Ta-dah!” Botan exclaims as she rips off her pretty kimono to reveal pant suits with red suspenders, and a yellow button up shirt as her outfit underneath. “In addition to being the Spirit Detective’s assistant, and pirate of the River Styx, I’m also a licensed trainer,” She states proudly, her hands on her hips as she gives us all a wide smile. “I’ll be looking after you all and making sure you stay in tip-top condition for fights,” While Hiei continues to appear bored with the whole situation, Kazuma’s look goes from doubtful to ecstatic in a split second as he begins to unbutton his shirt.

I, meanwhile, couldn’t help the small smile on my face, wanting to enjoy the lightness that her presence brought to this dark place for at least a little while.

“That’s great! Maybe you could nurse my wound-” Kazuma cuts himself off as Botan clearly ignores him, her sights targeted on a previously forgotten individual of the team. She promptly walks over towards where Yusuke is sleeping, crouching down and grabbing him with one hand by the front of his orange jacket.

Her other hand smacking him repeatedly across the face.

“Spirit World to Yusuke! Wake up! Come on now!” Botan shouts at the boy as she slaps him, but Yusuke doesn’t even flinch. A look of disappointment crosses her pretty features as she slowly stands.

“None of that will work. The boy is determined,” Hiei informs her, only gifting Botan with a side-glance before he looks back up at the ring.

“Well…” Botan sighs, hesitating for a moment, before leaning down and grabbing Yusuke by his ankles. “At least I’ll get him out of the way,” She mutters, mostly to herself as she drags the boy across the grass towards the walls that ran around the outer circle of the stadium. I shake my head in amusement, knowing for a fact that Yusuke would rather be caught dead than be dragged around like he was by a girl, no less. I stand from kneeling behind my brother, frowning as I watch Kurama’s back intently now. 

“You should go back up with Keiko and Shizuru, sis, where it’s safe. This is no place for you girls,” Kazuma comments from where he still sits in front of me. I quirk at eyebrow at him then, hands on my hips.

“Kazuma,” I sigh, needing patience to say what I was going to say next as I pinch the bridge of my nose, “we are humans that are currently surrounded by demons who hate the team we’ve openly associated ourselves with. Your team, which is currently involved in a bloody spectacle aptly named the ‘Dark Tournament’. We are on a goddamned island named after a grotesque form of execution. I don’t think you fully understand the fact that this whole situation is dangerous, no matter where us ‘girls’ are or go.”

“So then what are you even doing here?” Kazuma asks irritably, and I give him a glare that sends him reeling back.

“Don’t. Go. There.” I hiss at him lowly. “Because you won’t like the answer.”

He smartly does as I advise, instead getting up to watch the match begin along with the rest of us. It’s only then that I noticed another fighter standing to the opposite side of my brother. They had a mask on, obscuring their features, and stood even shorter than my own height. Pushing my curiosity back into check, I return my attention to Shuich-Kurama, and his fight.

“You know, that Rose Whip that he’s got has to be ten feet long. Where does he stash it?” Kazuma breaks the tense silence, looking to the side towards Hiei. “All the ways I can think of seem kind of painful,” Hiei turns to look at Kazuma, his gaze bored, but not condescending.

“Kurama simply carries a normal rose,” Hiei answers, my interest peaked for the moment. I had seen the roses, but I’d never seen or heard of this Rose Whip Kazuma was talking about. “By manipulating it with his Spirit Energy it’s transformed into a whip,” He explains, turning his gaze back to the red-head in the ring. “Even weeds can be turned into a deadly weapon for Kurama.”

“Second fight, Roto verses Kurama!” The judge in the ring announces, raising her right hand up in the air and then swinging it down. “Begin!” The crowd goes wild, the roar of their cheers filling the stadium once more just as it had with Kazuma’s fight. It was nearly deafening, but I could still pick out shouts of demons condemning Kurama to death.

“I know you’ve been spending your years in the Human World,” Roto’s voice was a dark and twisted as his appearance, and I was able to hear it clearly from my position by the ring. I find myself unconsciously learning forward, inwardly hoping Roto would elaborate more.

How sad was it that I was depending on Kurama’s opponent to learn more about him than Kurama telling me himself?

“We all do what we must. I only hope that you didn’t, say,” Roto’s yellowed eyes shift over Kurama’s shoulder, landing on me, and causing my whole body to tense, “get attached to one of them?” He finishes his question, the implications clear though I could hardly believe it. 

Roto didn’t really think that Kurama was attached to me of all people, did he?

Kurama shifts ever so slightly, Roto’s line of view to me effectively blocked by his body. Only then do I feel my tense muscles relax slightly. My heart was still racing, eyes wide as Roto’s question echoes in my head. Kurama is silent, not even bothering to dignify Roto’s suggestion with an answer. His back is tense, though, and Kurama’s body language gave away that the demon’s clear implication hadn’t been completely ineffectual. Roto grins maliciously, leaning forward and manipulating his energy into a blade that appeared with a flash on his arm. It was long and sharp, nearly the size of his entire forearm where it was firmly attached. 

“Would you mourn any of those filthy humans if they were gone?” He asks with a wide smirk, gaze narrowed. 

“What is your point?” Kurama asks coldly, his voice low and dangerous. Roto simply smirks and begins his charge, snarling as he bares down on Kurama. The red-head in question leaps out of the way smoothly, seemingly only just in time, but as I catch glimpses of his calm, stoic expression between dodging the sharp blade on Roto’s forearm, I know that those apparent near-misses were an illusion.

Kurama was toying with the demon.

“He’s clearly no match for Kurama,” Hiei comments from beside me, only confirming my suspicions. “What a joke of a round,” He scoffs, glancing towards Kazuma on my other side. “It’s a pity you couldn’t have taken him and let Kurama deal with the child and his yo-yos,” The demon openly jabs at my brother. I snort in my attempt to hold back a laugh, able to take in the humour since, this time, it appeared no one’s life was in danger except for Roto’s. 

“You watch it shrimpy! I just got cheated is all!” Kazuma defends himself rather poorly. I can’t help raising an eyebrow at my little brother, unable to stop from commenting.

“Shrimpy? Really, Kazuma?” I ask lightly, laughter clear in my voice. He glowers at me, crossing his arms and looking back towards the battle at hand with a pout.

“Shut it, sis.”

Kurama continues to simply dodge each attack as it comes, until finally it looked as if he was going to deal the first and final blow to his opponent. 

Before, for some unknown reason, he hesitates.

A look of surprise flies over Kurama’s face, the first expression of emotion he has shown so far during this fight. Roto takes the opportunity for what it is, swiping upwards towards the red-head. Kurama moves quickly, disappearing from sight before reappearing across the ring.

My eyes are instantly drawn to the thin line of blood on his cheek.

“Roto cut him,” I murmur in shock, eyes widening slightly as worry seizes my chest once more. “What just happened? Kurama clearly had the upper hand. He was ready to end this thing,” Hiei and Kazuma are equally as stunned, both looking towards Kurama with with disbelief.

“Allow me to introduce my little button,” Roto raises his hand, showing what looked to be some sort of demonic bomb detonator in the palm of his left hand. My mouth drops slightly in shock. 

Was he about to blow up the ring?

The stadium?

Was that even allowed?

‘Who am I kidding. Since when did rules ever matter to demons?’ I think to myself faintly, nails biting into the palms of my hands as they clenched into tight fists at my sides. 

“When I press it, a signal will be sent to my demon brother. He’s been tracking your Mother for some time, you see,” Roto goes on, and my stomach drops, having an idea of where this was no doubt going. “And he’s been very anxious to bite her head off.”

“That twisted bastard,” I mutter with disgust, looking towards Kurama. He was fairly well snarling at the guy, his teeth grit together and eyes narrowed in a glare that would have anyone in their right minds running for the hills. 

He was mad.

No, he was absolutely furious.

‘I remember what Botan told me, about how Kurama was ready to sacrifice his life for his Mother’s to make her better,’ I think to myself, frowning deeply in disgust at Roto's cowardly attempt at blackmail. ‘He loves her so deeply…and Roto is going to use that to his advantage in this fight.' 

Kurama persona shifts, and so does the battle, almost instantaneously. 

The red-head relaxes his pose, and in response Roto disengages his own weapon, allowing the blade to disappear. “So you understand.,” The slime-ball chuckles sadistically, before launching himself towards Kurama’s prone form. 

And he lands blow, after blow, after blow.

It was actually getting to the point it was painful to watch. I could feel the way my stomach churned, sickened by the absolute corruptness of this fight, of this whole damn tournament. 

Then, everything comes to a merciful stand-still. 

“What? Why did he stop?” I can’t help asking in confusion as I look between the two fighters, frowning.

“Perhaps if you stop asking questions long enough to observe, you would know why,” Hiei quips unhelpfully from beside me. I look towards him then, catching the side-long glance he had been giving me before he could look away. His lips part, clearly hesitating, before his shoulders slump slightly and he sighs impatiently. 

And I hear his voice inside my head.

Inside my freaking head.

“Kurama has launched an attack under the guise of throwing a pebble at Roto’s face,” Hiei explains to me, obviously using some form of telepathy so that Roto couldn’t hear what he was saying, and he wouldn’t give away Kurama’s trick. I felt frozen to the ground, fear gripping me harder than it had for a long, long time.

A different voice starts to echo in my mind from the not so distant past.

/“You’re going to give me all your secrets, Sailor Moon, regardless if you want to or not.”/

I fight back the memory of the excruciating pain that had accompanied that invasion into the deepest parts of me, instead trying to focus on the now, the present. Hiei wasn’t trying to torture information out of me, in fact, he was doing something I didn’t doubt was very uncharacteristic for him, and sharing information instead.

“So Kurama still has the upper hand. What about his Mom, though?” I can’t help asking, chewing on my lower lip as Roto looks towards Kurama with annoyance. 

“I can see her and she is safe. Don’t worry, Kurama knows I’ll handle it.” Hiei responds evenly, not giving away exactly how he was dealing with it. If Shuichi, because being that it was his Mother in my mind this was Shuichi we were dealing with now, trusts Hiei, then I suppose I could too.

For a moment.

“Oh, honestly,” Roto begins, exasperation clear in his voice, “do you think throwing a pebble in my face is the best thing to do in this situation?” Kurama doesn’t answer, the question obviously rhetorical. Instead he calmly turns to fully face Roto, standing straight as the demon points an ugly, clawed finger at him. “You’ve been warned! With a push of this button your Mother will meet her death in a very unsightly manner,” He threatens once again, flashing the button in front of Kurama’s face, making sure it was clearly visible. “Now fold your hands behind your back and let me hit you as I please,” Roto commands, a sinister smirk spread wide across his face.

Kurama does so, without hesitation.

“Oh yes, that’s much better,” Roto goes on with sick glee, obviously getting off on the power trip he was having. “I love the posture of forced submission. Why train hard to be the best when you can hold onto one of these?” He flashes the button once more, reminding Kurama that his current predicament was all a result of him being manipulated by his human Mother. 

“Mysterious,” The judge commentates, awed. “Kurama has become completely obedient to his opponent!”

“What’s wrong, Kurama? Let him have it!” Kazuma calls out, clearly not remembering what was at stake. 

“Quiet,” Hiei hisses out, and Kazuma surprisingly shuts his trap.

“His Mother, you ding-bat,” I mutter low under my breath towards Kazuma, my little brother looking embarrassed at his obvious oversight. 

“You want to try. I can see it in your pretty eyes,” Roto laughs cruelly as he approaches the red-head, cocky smirk still in place. Kurama stays as still as stone, looking Roto directly in the eyes with no shame. 

Just cold calculation.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Roto goes on to goad further. “‘What if I can quickly cut off that left arm of his? But what if that severed finger of his still presses the button?’.”

“Kurama remains absolutely motionless! What is the cause?! Has he lost his willingness to fight?!”

Could she not hear?! Did she not understand?! I blink at the female judge with disbelief. We had all heard exactly what was happening. 

Did all demons truly believe that human lives were worthless?

/“I can see her and she is safe. Don’t worry, Kurama knows I’ll handle it.”/

‘Hiei obviously doesn’t hate humans or he wouldn’t help Kurama with his Mother. Unless, he just respects Kurama enough to do so.’ I think to myself, remembering the demon’s words from before. 

“Why don’t you answer?!” Roto shouts, driving his foot directly into Kurama’s stomach. I can’t help the small gasp that leaves me at the impact, hand cupping over my mouth as my stomach churns with worry. Kurama’s stoic expression breaks slightly to show the pain the direct hit caused, and the anger that was broiling just beneath his deceptively calm surface. Roto had no idea what was in store for him. “Go on, tell the rest of the crowd that you refuse to fight for the sake of a human tramp,” Roto draws his fist back, landing one punch before drawing the other fist back and quickly delivering another. For the first time during this fight, I finally clue into another thing I was learning about Kurama through Roto. My suspicions from earlier were only confirmed.

Kurama was definitely not human. Not by a long shot. 

‘With the way that Roto is speaking to him, making it sound like Kurama’s relationship with his human Mother is something he should be disgusted with himself about, maybe Shuichi…Kurama…is a demon after all,’ I think to myself, wincing as the sound of skin hitting skin echoes in quick repetition over the arena. Roto keeps delivering punch after punch, and I couldn’t help wondering what exactly Kurama was waiting for.

“It’s wonderful! Roto is punching him like a slab of meat and there is not retaliation!” 

“Wow…she’s a bitch,” I comment, truly disgusted with what the girl with the mic was saying. “Loud mouthed, foul bitch,” How could anyone, demon or human, get that much satisfaction out of watching a guy get the shit kicked out of him? It was sickening.

“This was why you girls should have never came. You’re too soft for this world,” Hiei scoffs next to me, obviously hearing the disgust in my voice. I frown at that, turning to look at him. I’m about to argue, about to tell him that he has no idea what I’ve been through. If he did know, I doubt he’d think of me as soft. I could go off on him about losing my parents, about the bullies at school that I had to fight off for both my brother and I before my brother was big enough to deal with them himself. Not once did I ever back down from a fight if it came my way. Not as Kaera Kuwabara, nor as Sailor Moon. I was not soft. 

But I could already tell I would be wasting my breath.

Hiei struck me as the type that would never understand the difference between being weak and being compassionate. 

“Dammit!” Roto’s frustrated exclamation comes mere seconds after he stops his ruthless assault. His gaze is narrowed and his lips twisted in a sneer of annoyance as he stares at Kurama’s detached expression. “I hate that look,” Roto snarls, allowing his long blade to reappear attached to his forearm. He points the tip of it against the right side of Kurama’s face. “Despite all that I’ve done you still have that look, like you’re superior to me,” I wince as I see him cut perpendicular to the cut Kurama’s cheek already suffered from earlier, creating a grotesque ‘x’ on his skin. “Stop. That. Look!” Roto shouts in frustration, digging his blade in deeper and slicing it brutally forward. Blood flies through the air as Kurama’s head turns from the impact, but other than that, he doesn’t flinch. As his head slowly turns back to Roto his gaze shows nothing but a solemn calmness. 

How much more is he going to have to take?

“It doesn’t matter anyway, because I’m the one who has the power now,” Roto goes on confidently, seeming to get over his frustration with Kurama easily. He lifts his left leg up, bent at the knee so that his foot was hovering a couple feet off of the ground. Bracing his elbow on the bent knee, he shoots Kurama an easy smirk. “I would like you to lick the scum off of my boot,” My mouth drops opens as a disgusted scoff rushes forth.

Say what now?

“I just can’t seem to keep it clean,” Roto goes on casually, as if discussing the weather. “Then, once you have licked the whole thing clean,” He continues, licking sadistically at the blade on his forearm, “I will decapitate you and spare your nasty Mother’s life. Since you care about her, Shuichi, it’s really your only choice.”

“I will not.”

The words hang heavy in the ear, the tension rising sharply between the two fighters in the ring. I find myself leaning forward, listening and watching intently as Kurama makes his first stand since Roto took control.

‘This is it, it has to be,’ I think to myself, anxiously waiting to see what Kurama had in store for this asshole. 

“What?” Roto grunts in shock, frowning as Kurama nonchalantly dusts off his fighting uniform.

“Go ahead,” Kurama states easily as he does so. “Press it now if you wish,” Roto smirks widely at that, allowing his blade to disappear once more.

“Your true character emerges. You’re nothing special! Nothing high class! Just a selfish demon like all the rest of us here!” My eyes widen and I forget to breathe for a moment.

There it was. The word I had been unknowingly waiting for all along.

Demon. Shuichi…Kurama…was indeed a demon.

‘How could I have missed that?’ I think to myself with disbelief, shock resonating throughout my system. ‘How?’

“You look at me like I’m dirt! But in the end it’s a lie! You only think of yourself!” Roto goes on, sounding all self-righteous in that moment. Kurama still looks hardly phased by his criticism, but I could tell that his patience was wearing thin.

“Push it,” Kurama demands lowly, his green eyes narrowed in on his opponent. Roto lifts the button high in the air, laughing sadistically as he does.

Was Kurama really about to sacrifice his Mother?

‘No, I can’t believe that. I won’t. It doesn’t make sense. Not after everything he’s been through for her,’ I think to myself, desperately hoping that my gut was right about him. ‘I can’t live in a world where Shuichi is a monster.’

“I will,” Roto grins widely, before clearly moving to push the button.

Only…he can’t.

Roto was frozen on the spot, unable to move even his thumb enough to press the button. “I…can’t…move,” He is able to groan out, the shock look at his paralysis frozen on his face. Kurama walks up, calm, cool, and collected, to simply bat the button out of Roto’s grasp and catch it safely in his own. 

“Fighting on the strength of one threat is a very risky gamble,” Kurama proceeds to lecture the prone demon in front of him, a confident smirk quirking at his lips. “What if I truly didn’t care? Or what if I could just make you immobile?” Roto is clearly struggling to make something, anything, move is shown on his face. 

“I’m not exactly sure what is happening now, but it’s clear that Kurama has control!” The girl yells over the mic, and I can’t help looking at her bitterly. What? No talk of the gruesome death that Kurama could now easily deliver? No wishes for drawn out torture and torment for the twisted demon frozen before him? Even the judge was clearly biased.

“I’ve sewn the seed of the Death Plant in your body,” Kurama informs Roto, casually bringing his hand up to cup his chin as his other arm wraps around his middle, “and it’s had plenty of time to take root.” The fear Roto felt in that moment was palpable, and easily seen in the features of his face. The demon’s yellowed gaze looks downward, so I follow his line of sight to see the tiniest sprout protruding from his left pec. 

“What’s a Death Plant?” I can’t help asking curiously, wondering how such a tiny thing could be named so ominously, as well as obviously do enough damage to bring real fear to the demon’s eyes for the first time since this fight started. 

“It’s a plant only found in the depths of Demon World,” Hiei answers, smirking widely and looking entirely pleased with the turn of events. “As for the rest, I’m sure Kurama will be explaining soon enough.”

“I feed it with my energy,” Kurama indeed goes on, and I turn my attention quickly back to him. “I have but to will it, and it will instantly bloom. I’m afraid there won’t be anything left of your evil life after that,” He adds calmly, turning from his opponent with clear confidence that Roto was utterly incapacitated. Kurama shifts his hands so they rest in the pockets on either side of his pants, and as he does so he looks upwards, our gazes locking once more. His green eyes shine with that same unreadable expression from earlier, and I find that despite how uncomfortable it makes me, I can’t look away. Even as he steady walks towards me at the edge of the ring, the intensity of his gaze not once leaving my own to look at any of his teammates, I can’t look away.

“Wait, Kurama! You don’t have to do this!” Roto begs from behind him. “I never actually would have pushed the button! I swear it! I’m just a low-class! I don’t know any better! Come on, you believe in mercy, don’t you?” Roto tries to desperately appeal to the red-head, but even through all his begging Kurama’s sharp green eyes never once stray from my own to deign Roto with even a glance. 

“No.”

That single word, spoken in such a deep and deadly tone, coupled with the intense eye contact, sends a shudder through my entire body. 

Why was he looking at me?

And why did I feel shook to the core that he was?

The only reason the eye contact breaks is because I jump at the sound of ripping flesh and Roto’s dying screams. Looking past Kurama, I have to swallow back the bile burning in my throat at the sickening sight of vines wiggling forth from within Roto like worms. Blood was spurting in all directions, painting the area floor a gruesome shade of red. 

‘Huh…red. I never would have thought demons had red blood. That seems too…human,’ I think to myself, dazed. Roto falls over, Kurama now looking over his shoulder towards his opponents very dead body. Blooms start to burst forth in an array of beautiful purples and pinks, feeding off of Roto’s corpse. In a way, it was very poetic, and suited Kurama. A beauty on the outside, but underneath lay an ugly savagery when invoked.  

“What irony. Such beauty sprung from such ugly soil,” Kurama comments smoothly, turning and making his way towards the edge of the ring once more. He gracefully jumps down to the grass below as the judge ends the match.

“Well, that’s over! The score is tied at one!”

“What a fool, so intent on proving himself he couldn’t notice your moves,” Hiei comments as Kurama approaches. Luckily I wasn’t caught in his green-eyed stare again, Kurama nodding as he looks towards Hiei instead. This was a good thing, considering my legs felt like jello to begin with, and it would be utterly embarrassing if the handsome red-head literally brought me to my knees in front of everyone. Shizuru, in particular, would never let me live that down. “Don’t worry about his demon friend. He vanished the moment that Roto died,” He adds, and I can see the relief that floods Kurama’s face almost instantly upon hearing the good news.

My heart admittedly melts a little seeing how much he truly cared for his human Mother.

‘Kurama is a demon, The thought hits me like a punch to the gut now that everything has calmed down once more for the time being. ‘He’s a demon,’ I find myself watching the his peripheral like a hawk, too lost in this revelation to care that I was staring, or to even think about being caught doing so.

“Thank you, Hiei,” Kurama gives the smaller demon a gentle smile, before turning around and looking towards me once more. Our eyes lock again, this time his own are much softer, more warm. It was like I could see a glimpse of the boy I had known before all of this. Unconsciously I tuck my lower lip under my upper teeth, nerves rattled in that moment.

How much more was I going to uncover here in this dark place?

Chapter Text

“Will the next fighters please come forward?!” The female fox demon in the center of the ring could hardly be heard over the excited roaring of the crowds, even with the help of her microphone. Tense moments pass, and I swallow thickly, mentally going through who was left of my brother’s team that hadn’t fought yet. 

‘Yusuke is clearly out for the next round,’ I chew on my lower lip, glancing towards the still sleeping teenager laying out on the grass in front of the barrier that circled the inner-arena. Botan was standing near him, having taken on the responsibility to ensure Yusuke’s safety as he slept. ‘Which leaves Hiei,’ my gaze slips towards the fire-demon standing next to Shuichi, ‘or that masked guy,' looking over my shoulder once more towards the short fighter with his head wrapped in gauze, and I can’t help feeling intimidated. There was something about him and the way he held himself even now with his hands clasped behind his back, looking entirely at ease with the energies floating around us. Add in the mystery of what was beneath those wrappings, and something in my gut told me that this guy wasn’t to be messed with on a good day.

And to me, and no doubt to everyone on this entire team, every day here on Hanging Neck Island was a bad day. 

‘Well, except for maybe Hiei,’ I amend, glancing once more towards the fire-demon from where I now stood beside my brother at Kazuma’s insistence. ‘I got a feeling he will probably enjoy every minute of this, so long as his opponents are worth his while.’

Did I imagine the right corner of his lip quirking just slightly?

“Fighters come forward!” Koto, whom I had only learned the name of moments before when Kazuma had been kind enough to give me a brief low-down of this crazy situation, was getting impatient. “Hello!”

All of a sudden there was movement.

The tall, muscular, blond-haired fighter from Team Rokuyukai stepped up onto the ring.

“What?” Shuichi hisses in surprise, his shoulders tensing as his expression hardens and eyes narrow. Kazuma looked nervous as well, which in turn put me on edge. My brother was typically confident and had nerves of steel.

‘But I suppose getting your ass handed to you by a kid might humble you a little,’ I add to myself, not wanting to voice this and chip away at Kazuma’s ego in that moment.

You best believe that was ammo for later, though.

“What’s the big deal, guys?” I can’t help asking as I look between Kazuma and Shuichi, whom I was standing between. Shuichi, ‘no Kurama’ I have to remind myself once again, looks down at me with a frown settled over his lips.

“He’s their leader,” he informs me, and my eyes widen a little as even I understand the implications. I look back towards the fighter as he stands confidently in the center of the ring, crossing his bulging arms over his powerful chest. His expression was neutral, borderline bored even, and he exuded power to the point I felt goosebumps crawling up my forearms. He was clearly the leader because he was no doubt the strongest of them all. So why go now? Why not wait and keep himself on the sidelines for a later fight? An ace up the sleeve, so to speak, for his team. 

“I don’t know much about fighting, but even to me that seems like an odd move,” I can’t help commenting, Kazuma quickly affirming my suspicions.

“Because it is,” Kazuma agrees, his voice tight. “He should go last. Maybe this is a mistake?”

“No,” Hiei’s confident voice speaks up, and we all look towards him as he takes a step forward from beside Shuichi, hands casually sitting inside of his pant pockets. “Zeru is definitely the strongest of the four remaining fighters. He’s fighting angry, and it’s obvious he’s not taking things seriously,” the fire-demon quickly assesses. I find myself a little surprised that Hiei was so observant, but then again, that’s what it took to survive.

And Hiei was nothing if not a survivor. 

“Urameshi Team, can we get on with it here?” Koto presses on, clearly impatient as she glares in our direction. 

“I’ll go,” Hiei quickly and calmly volunteers, reaching for the scarf wrapped around his neck. “This one has been irritating me since last night,” he adds as he throws his scarf off, and moves gracefully towards the ring. As he jumps up, my eyes are drawn to the katana that shifts into view from between the slit of his formal fighting top as it sits on his hip. It was a sophisticated weapon, and I had a strong suspicion that it reflected Hiei’s fighting style as well. There was no doubt in my mind that Hiei was the type of fighter that put clear thought and consideration into the way he was going to destroy his opponent. 

If anything, at this time at least, I was more scared of Hiei than of Zeru. 

“From Team Rokuyukai, Zeru! Team Urameshi, Hiei!” Koto announces, and both of their pictures appear next to one and other on the big stadium screen sitting above the VIP boxes. Both of their stances are relaxed as they stare one and other down, Hiei still with his hands in a deceptively vulnerable position inside of his pockets, and Zeru’s tucked under each crossed arm over his wide chest. Clearly neither really thought much of the other, not enough to be wary at least. 

“I know a great deal about your technique,” Hiei surprisingly is the first to speak up, sounding confident as he addresses the demon across from him. “You harness heat energy with such great precision that when you broke that coffee mug it resembled a knife cut. However, one of the edges was sloppily melted,” a handsome smirk slowly worms its way onto Hiei’s face, his red eyes flashing with confidence. “You have your flaw.”

“As do you,” Zeru easily replies, his voice low and unwavering. “I don’t think I need advice from someone who has to use a fake eye,” he snaps, and the smirk that had been on Hiei’s lips drops into a frown, eyes narrowing at the clear insult Zeru had dealt.

I, meanwhile, was stuck on the whole ‘fake eye’ thing.

“Hiei has a fake eye?” I ask quietly, glancing towards Kazuma in question. It’s Shuichi, however, that answers me.

“It’s called a Jagan Eye, and it was surgically implanted on Hiei’s forehead,” Shuichi answers calmly, his gaze never leaving Hiei on the ring. “Arguably, it does increase Hiei’s powers, but not in the way Zeru is implying. Hiei has always been a fire-demon, capable of creating and manipulating the element of his species’s namesake. The Jagan allows for him to have other powers, though, powers that help increase what he already has trained hard to attain,” Shuichi frowns, finally looking down at me. “Most see the surgical implementation of his eye as a ruse, a cheap attempt to gain more power rather than doing the hard work, and training. While that may be the case for most, it is not for Hiei,” Shuichi frowns then, his green eyes flashing with something unreadable, before he turns his gaze back towards the ring. “Zeru has underestimated Hiei, and he will pay for it,” I swallow thickly at that, looking back towards the ring as well, eyes trained on Hiei’s back, his shoulders squared and ready. 

Something told me that Shuichi was right.

“FIGHT!” Koto shouts over the microphone, and it’s like a catalyst to the events that follow. Zeru’s power explodes, his aura washing over me in an overpowering tidal wave of heat. Flames seemed to engulf him, licking at his arms and legs, but never burning. Suddenly, what Hiei had commented on with Zeru’s harnessing of heat made sense.

He could manipulate fire as well, just like Hiei. 

Zeru’s aura felt different than Hiei’s, though. Hiei’s heat had been warm, almost soothing, when I had met him for the first time that night after Younger Toguro had cornered Yusuke. Hiei’s aura was almost in direct contrast to the way he acted and presented himself, which was cold and distant. Even his scent of burning pine was pleasant. Zeru’s, though, his was completely different. Zeru had the stench of burning flesh hovering around him, something I could smell especially now as he forced his aura outwards to intimidate us all. His flames did not produce a warm, comforting heat, but rather a terrifying red-hot inferno that threatened to burn you to a crisp. Though both demons could manipulate fire, Zeru and Hiei were like night and day to one and other. I even had to brace myself against the heat with my arm raised, using my forearm like a poor substitute for a shield. 

“Not intimidated yet?” Zeru’s voice could be barely heard of the roaring of the flames, but it was the only warning we got before his power exploded once more. Hiei was still standing there, looking hardly fazed as he only turned his head just slightly to brace against the heat. I, meanwhile, felt like my knees were about to buckle and give out from under me. 

The utter, raw power was overwhelming.

“Stay behind me, Kaera!” Shuichi orders sharply as he moves to stand in front of me, bracing himself against the onslaught of flames as they continued to increase in intensity. I blink in surprise at first, before hearing the terrified screams in the background.

The girls! My sister!

Gasping softly I turn quickly, staying behind Shuichi, before sighing in relief as I see the masked member of their team putting up a barrier to protect the area behind him. The area the girls had all moved back to sit in. Not only that, but he was also protecting Botan and Yusuke below. I hardly had time to marvel at the sight of the small figure holding back Zeru’s inferno, before I turn to try and find my little brother. 

Kazuma’s aura had thrown up a barrier for himself as well, though much smaller and less stronger than the masked fighter’s. 

Looking back forward, I chew on my lower lip, able to still feel the intensity of the flames as they streaked by on either side of Shuichi, no, no, no, Kurama - because only another demon could withstand this onslaught, and I. He wasn’t maintaining a clear barrier with his aura, not like the others.

He was withstanding the flames on sheer strength alone. 

And he was protecting me.

When was the last time I had needed protection?

Hiei’s laughter suddenly can be heard echoing out over us all as the flames finally die down. I unconsciously come to stand closer to Shuichi’s back, looking around him cautiously to see what was happening now. My thumb idly places with the snowflake ring around my finger out of nervous habit.  

“I wouldn’t laugh just yet,” Zeru comments coldly, lifting his arm and holding it out with his hand palm up. Within the confines of his fingers flames burst into life, and with a yell he shoots them directly at Hiei. The fire-demon dodges out of the way, and continues to do so as Zeru launches attack after attack in the same manner.

“Unfortunately Hiei was not charred by the fire, but there is more coming his way,” Koto comments from the edge of the ring where she had knelt down to wait out the onslaught earlier. I frown at that, once again wondering at the clear cruelty of her words, before edging my way out from behind Shuichi. I move to step beside him, his strong arm suddenly snapping out as if to stop me from moving closer to the ring. 

He didn’t have to worry, there was no way in hell I was testing fate like that.

Satisfied when I didn’t move any further, his arm drops back to his side, gaze having never wavered from Hiei’s form as he continued to dodge the streaks of flame being sent his way. It was fascinating to watch the way that the fire-demon moved, flipping gracefully about in the air, seeming to barely touch the ground before he would launch himself back up and away from another one of Zeru’s attacks. 

He was fast, so fast that I doubted without my own enhanced abilities I would be able to keep up with his moves. 

At one point he even lands at the top of the stadium, Zeru carelessly directing a shot up at the cement roof. Large chunks fell onto the crowds below, demons screaming in pain as they were crushed beneath the tons of cement and rebar that fell. Zeru hardly flinched, clearly didn’t even care, as he continued to just focus on getting in a hit on Hiei. Hiei, however, was hardly deterred either, and calmly landed once more on the ring, Zeru forgoing his first attempt at a quick end. 

“Zeru’s blows are fantastic, and Hiei must run for his life…along with a good deal of the fan base!”

I seriously don’t think I can listen to her for the rest of the tournament. Was she for real?

“You’ve become so quiet, Hiei,” Zeru observes, regenerating more flames into his hand. “Too frightened to notice any more of my supposed flaws?”

“Actually, I’m bored,” Hiei answers crisply. Zeru is hardly amused.

“Actually, you’re dead!”

Shuichi barely has time to wrap his arms around me, pull me into his chest, and turn his back to the flames that ensue, his body curving over my own to protect me from the onslaught as Zeru powers up with an ominous shout. The heat is nearly suffocating, my chest feeling heavy as I have to remember how to breathe while be tucked protectively against Shuichi’s chest. The roar that can be heard overhead is deafening, but just as soon as it seemed the heat was at its worst, it lifted. As it did I could feel Shuichi pulling away from me slightly and turning to look back towards the fight. I take the same opportunity, turning the small amount his only slightly loosened hold around my middle will allow, mouth dropping at the sight that greets me as I look back at the ring. 

The fireball that Zeru had forced outwards had moved instead into the upper area of the stadium, the demon himself standing in the center just below the flames. His energy was feeding the inferno, and it looked as if the fire was trapped in some invisible bowl, the flames only extending out just short of the audience that surrounded us. Zeru lets out a low sound deep in his chest as he brought up both arms and clasped his left hand into a fist, pressing it to the palm in his right hand. 

Then he begins to glow red.

Like…hot poker red.

“What’s this?” Koto gasps, the rest of us watching on speechless as Zeru seems to draw the flames back into his body. As he does his skin begins to turn a dark red in color, the confident smirk never wavering from his face. “His skin has changed color, and he seems to be engulfed in heat. He’s glowing like a…poker.” 

Hiei hardly looks troubled, and even goes as far as to not move an inch as Zeru lets out a yell and charges across the ring. Zeru extends his arm outward, and for a heart stopping moment I can almost see into the future, predict exactly what was going to happen.

When it does, when Zeru’s hand pierces through Hiei’s mid-section like a hot knife through butter, I get light headed. Inexplicably dazed and delirious with shock. Shuichi’s hold on me tightens, his own shocked gaze watching onward, locked on the red hand that was protruding from Hiei’s back. Then, as if in slow motion, Hiei is thrown backwards off of his feet, his body enveloped in flames before it lands lifelessly on the floor of the ring. I don’t even realize I’m shaking my head in wide-eyed disbelief.

No…no, this couldn’t be it. Hiei seemed too strong, too smart, to go out as easily as this.

“This has to be some sort of trick he’s playing,” I croak out, surprising not only myself but the man currently holding me and grounding me to reality at the same time. My chest was constricting painfully, my stomach churning and turning as if I was going to throw up. Why was I reacting like this? Why was I so emotional over a demon, and one that I hardly even knew?

“If it is, I’m not sure of his angle,” Shuichi answers calmly, his voice breaking only slightly to betray his worry. 

“Nice one!” Koto exclaims, sounding well and truly impressed. 

I wanted to stuff that microphone down her throat and the tournament was hardly begun.

‘Then again, if Hiei is dead, so might the rest of us be soon,’ I think to myself, right hand clenching tightly at the white material on the front of Shuichi’s shirt. The same hand I won’t hesitate to raise if we had to fight our way out of this mess. 

“I’m not done yet,” Zeru hisses lowly in promise, before pulling his arm back and shouting out as he threw it forward once more, hand clenched into a fist. From his hand he forced his remaining energy outwards towards Hiei, Zeru’s skin tone returning to normal as his attack hits the fire-demon directly. Hiei’s pained cries drive a knife through me, my eyes burning with the beginnings of tears at the absolute barbarism that Zeru was displaying. It was then that I knew.

This was the Dark Tournament that the Younger Toguro had spoken of. 

The first two rounds had been child’s play compared to this.

And it was supposed to only get worse?

“Wow, Zeru! You never told us you could be so…savage,” Koto comments, her own excitement wavering slightly with fear as she watches the fighter carefully. Perking up, if anything for the fans, and she stands straighter. “I love it!”

“No, no I can’t believe it!” Kazuma shouts from the other side of Shuichi, voiced filled with genuine disbelief as we all watch Hiei’s body, still enflamed, drift down slowly to the ring once more. The stadium itself is eerily quiet as we all just seemed to need to take it in, whether in horrified fascination or sick glee. Shuichi arms drop from around me completely then, even taking a step towards the ring as Hiei’s body lands.

Soon all that would be left of him was ash.

“You see it yourself, people! Hiei is done!”

Zeru scoffs as he stands confidently over Hiei, looking as if he had barely broken a sweat the entire fight. “What a weak thing! You can rest in Hell,” He scoffs in disgust, before turning away from Hiei and move back towards his team, clearly confident he had just won. For all intents and purposes, there was nothing to suggest otherwise. I swallow thickly, unable to pull my gaze from the grotesque sight of Hiei’s form. Koto is even distracted for a minute by Hiei’s burning body, before she snaps to it and goes on commentating.

“Well, that certainly wasn’t a long one, but when you’ve got scorching moves like Zeru’s, a little goes a long way!”

Then we all feel the sudden surge of energy.

Energy that was most certainly not coming from Zeru.

Zeru himself stiffens up as the flames that had once been surrounding Hiei burn even brighter, blocking our view of the fire-demon completely for the time being. I swallow nervously, heart racing in my chest once more as we finally hear Hiei speaking.

“Yes, so talented that I’m reluctant to make the kill.” 

“H-How?” I can’t help gasping out in disbelief, Hiei’s form slowly reappearing within the flames. He’s standing now, looking hardly worse for wear. Other than the fact that his top had burned off to reveal the ripped grey tank top underneath, a hole in the exact place that Zeru’s hand had thrust through only moments before, you wouldn’t think Hiei had been roughed up at all. 

I couldn’t help gazing with interest at the unrestricted view of his powerful frame that had been previously hidden by the baggy clothes. Though he wasn’t nearly as big as his opponent, it was clear that Hiei had well defined muscles earned from years of training. He was more lean and sleek than bulky, which told me that he was no doubt quick and precise as a fighter. As I had guessed before, he relied on strategy, just as his actions now prooved. 

He had faked being fatally wounded to gain the upper hand. 

“Oh no! Hiei survived!”

I can’t help glaring at Koto. What a biased bitch. 

“He’s on his feet, he’s…smouldering…” Koto continues on sounding as shocked as Zeru currently looked on the ring. It was unsettling to see the fighter that had begun this match with such cool confidence now look incredibly shaken. 

And by a member of my brother’s team, no less.

Without having to touch the somehow still pristine white headband currently covering Hiei’s forehead, the material burned away to reveal the Jagan Eye that Shuichi had told me about. It opened wide in the middle of the fire-demon’s forehead, the deep purple iris staring eerily at it’s victim.

“That’s the fake eye that Zeru was going on about, isn’t it? The Jagan?” I ask, just for confirmation. Shuichi nodded in response, not taking his eyes off of the match as he watched the fight with open fascination. 

“So my Jagan Eye may not be natural,” Hiei’s voice rises for the rest of us to hear, “but it does give me exactly what I need!” A shudder works down my spine as I feel Hiei’s power rise exponentially, even higher than that of Zeru’s when he had been flexing his energy earlier. The entire stadium suddenly seems to go dark, the only source of light flickering bright from Hiei and his surrounding aura. “Dragon of the Darkness Flame!”

“I don’t believe it’s true,” Shuichi gasps in disbelief next to me, his entire body stiffening. “He’s going to attempt the Darkness technique!”

“The Darkness? What does that mean?” Botan asks from where she had stepped up to my other side only seconds before. I feel the nerves at the base of my skull start prickling, a clear sign in the past that danger was imminent. Hiei stretches his right arm out, palm facing upwards as he growls low in his chest, a dark purple flame coming to life confined between his fingers. For now. Zeru looks absolutely horrified as he stands stranded in the middle of the ring, utterly paralyzed by fear. 

Thunder starts to rumble above.

Looking up I can’t help gasping seeing the skies turning red, and the clouds black as night. It was ominous, and had me stepping unconsciously back closer to Shuichi. Bright streaks of light filter down from the sky into the stadium, being absorbed by Hiei as he stands with that calm and confident look on his face.

“You know it’s impossible to control it completely. Once I release it I have no say,” Hiei warns, and I can’t help trembling a little at that. 

“He could kill us all?” I gasp out then, eyes wide. I suppose that would be a shortcut to ending this tournament? Outside of the stadium the waters seem to roar, before suddenly there are loud explosions and the sound of rocks crumbling. I can’t help jumping at the first boom that echoes through the stadium, and Shuichi’s arm wraps around my shoulders and pulls me firmly against his chest. Irrationally I feel some amount of safety in his arms, like he could protect me from our possible impending doom. In reality, though, I knew there would be no escaping this if what Hiei said was true. 

“I have the power to pull you into oblivion,” Hiei goes on coldly, a dark smirk twisting his handsome features. On his forehead the Jagan Eye is glowing a bright blue, Hiei’s hair so charged by the static of the energy flashing about him that it’s all standing on end. “I assume just my right arm will do,” he adds, the dark flames now surrounding him, roaring in a much deeper tone than the infernos that Zeru had created earlier. “You never should have insulted the Jagan Eye, because, you see, in a way it has its own mind and loathes disrespect,” the fire-demon hisses out, clearly just as pissed off with Zeru’s prior comment as his Eye supposedly was. “Resisting it is not something I would do.”

“I realize I’m supposed to stay, but in light of this little situation we have here…retreat!” Koto scampers off of the ring to hide down beside it, obviously feeling the utter raw power that was building. Hiei pays her no mind.

“Dragon Of The Darkness Flame!” Hiei shouts out his attack, the force of the energy now billowing around him actually causing the very material of his shirt to rip apart. His muscled upper torso is tensed, covered in a light sheen of sweat as his back muscles bunch and release with the movements of his labored breathing. Hiei’s right arm is stretched out, taut and trembling with the energy it was currently containing.

Before he released the most terrifying thing I had ever seen.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, that I have ever encountered fighting the Netherworld even remotely compare.

A literal dragon comes spilling forth from his hand, the energy that created the creature black as obsidian. If I wasn’t absolutely horrified, I might actually find the Dragon of Darkness to be kind of beautiful, almost majestic. As it was, Zeru’s screams of utter agony as the attack overtook him had my stomach churning in disgust. He sounded like he was being tortured, as if he would prefer death to the pain he was currently feeling. 

Evidently, death couldn’t come soon enough for Zeru.

The dragon took him clear across the ring, and I had to cover my ears against the echoing roar that happened when the dragon pinned Zeru to the concrete barrier behind him. Unconsciously I tuck my face against Shuichi’s chest for a moment as a flash of light rushes over us, so intense that I couldn’t look.

And then, just like that, it’s over.

I can feel Shuichi’s arm loosen around my shoulders, and so I stand more straight, leaning away from his chest to see for myself. 

Across the ring, the only evidence of Zeru’s existence was his charred outline against the wall. 

“Holy fuck…” I swear, mouth agape and eyes wide. Shuichi’s arm drops from around me, his own gaze shocked as he looks at the burning remains of Hiei’s opponent. Glancing towards Hiei, the fire-demon himself is looking down as his burned arm with amazement, as if surprised it really had worked at all.

“Hiei has succeeded,” Shuichi comments lowly, his voice filled with awe. 

“Where’s Zeru?” Koto asks as she scrambles back onto the ring, and I can’t help lifting an eyebrow towards her.

Seriously? Was she that oblivious?

A gasp quickly sounds out over the microphone, signalling that the fox-demon currently kneeling on the ring had figured it out. “T-there’s his outline at least…” Koto comments weakly, his team members all looking rather sick to their stomachs themselves. “Well, he’s definitely out of the ring!”

“Believe me, he’s not coming back,” Hiei speaks up confidently from behind Koto, his own gaze looking past the fox-demon at the smoking remains of Zeru’s body. “That cinder is all that is left.”

“Yes, then I suppose counting to ten would be a little ridiculous,” Koto agrees, looking back over her shoulder at Hiei as she does. Hiei, meanwhile, seems hardly bothered any more with either Koto on his opponent’s remains. Instead he’s staring down at his charred hand and forearm, taking in the injury with a bored expression. “Let’s give it up for Hiei!”

Absolute silence follows from the crowd. None of them even dared to ‘boo’ the fire-demon out of the ring. 

The win is finally confirmed as Zeru’s picture goes dark on the large screen above.

“Yeah! We’re punching our way to the top! Hiei could beat anyone with that move!” Kazuma shouts out in clear excitement, a ridiculously large grin on his face. I step a little further back from Shuichi so I could look around the red-head at my little brother, eyebrows raised slightly as I watch the elated expression on his face falter and fall. “Hiei can beat anyone with that move,” he repeats to himself, this time sounding nervous, “am I listening to myself?! What if he decides to be a bad guy again?” Kazuma goes from nervous to downright horrified. “What if he decides to shoot us with the dragon?!”

“Don’t worry, fool.” Hiei comments as he walks towards us and stands on the edge of the ring. He’s smirking down at Kazuma, a look of condescension on his face. We all look towards the fire-demon then with interest, but none of us with as much apprehension as Kazuma. “We’ve entered into an alliance, and I’m not the type to break it.”

‘An honorable demon…and I thought I had seen everything,’ I can’t help thinking to myself in clear shock at his words.

“Of course, after we win the tournament I can’t guarantee a thing,” Hiei adds, effectively shattering Kazuma’s hopes to stay out of the way of the fire-demon’s wrath. Though Kazuma is oblivious to it, I can’t help but notice Hiei’s wince when he moved along, and the strangled groan that came with it. Looking across his muscled torso to the arm opposite to us, I can see the charred skin, still visible to the elbow despite his hand being tucked back into his pocket. 

“He’s hurt…” I murmur softly in realization, frowning as I felt an irrational wave of concern grip onto me. Glancing towards Shuichi, I see his own green eyes sharp with concern as he watches his teammate.

This wasn’t good. Not good at all.

Hiei clearly wouldn’t be able to fight again this round.

“Hey! Don’t leave me!” Rinku’s shouted plea catches all our attentions, and looking across the arena I can see the reason why he’s upset. The last two remaining teammates had abandoned him, disappearing from sight through the tunnel situated behind Rinku. 

Not for long, evidently.

A burly man appeared from the darkened entrance into the arena, the now unconscious teammates hanging by their shirts in the grasp of his right hand. He carried them along with no issue, his muscular arm hardly flexing under the weight of the two that had tried to abandon the fight. In his left hand he carried a bottle of what looked to be some sort of booze. As he stepped into the light, more of his physical features became easier to see. The first thing my eyes are drawn to is the shockingly blue mohawk styled hair along the center of his head, before my gaze moves down to his scruff covered, chiseled jaw. Wide shoulders accentuated his board chest that was covered in a black vest lined with what looked to be white fur. His bulging arms were uncovered, the man’s torso tapering down to a trim waist and strong legs covered by green pants and boots made of the same white fur-like material on his vest.

He was massive, both in build and in height. 

“Crap, it's bright out here,” the man utters lowly in a distinctly Australian accent. It’s only when he tips his head back to finish off the bottle in his hand, that I notice a green stripe tattooed over the bridge of his nose. To be honest it should have seemed out of place and strange, but not on this guy. Rinku looks lost, and even a little apprehensive as he turns to look at the man, clearly shocked to see him.

“Y-you’re here?”

“Hey, would you explain to those guys not to run away again?” The man asks, his words noticeably slurring now. “There’s a fight to fight, and you know, it’s not my fault…,” the following ramblings are too hard to decipher from where we now stand, his voice lowering to a point we could just barely tell he was grumbling anything at all. It was almost embarrassing watching the man try to climb up onto the ring, too drunk to gain his balance enough to do so on the first try. He falls backwards, splayed across the grass, his next words clear enough to hear. “Hey, no need to make the ring taller! Let’s just have some fun!”

This? This is what would follow up Zeru?

“He can’t possibly be serious?” I ask, looking towards my little brother, who seems just about as baffled by this turn of events as I was. “Is he actually a fighter?”

“I don’t know,” Kazuma answers truthfully. “If he is, I think we got this round in the bag.”

“Oh dear…” Botan trails off awkwardly, her own eyes wide with disbelief as we all continue taking in the drunken man. “A drunken mad-man has escaped to the ring,” just as Botan states this, he finally manages to get up onto said ring, stumbling his way across it on for a few feet before falling back down on his ass. Instead of getting back up, the man lets out a large groan and points directly at the female fox-demon in front of him. 

“Hey! Announcer sheila, you look pretty hot. Can you come here a second?” He asks, Koto look around towards us and pointing at herself nervously. It’s almost as if she was checking with the rest of the group that the drunken man was actually talking to her. 

‘Who else do you think he’s addressing, sweetheart?’ I think, sarcasm dripping off of my inner voice. The man, clearly getting impatient, slams his hand onto the ring to get her attention back.

“I’ve got a question for ya!” He shouts at Koto, the fox-demon jumping before quickly rushing over towards him. 

“Um, what kind of question?” Koto asks nervously, though clearly still trying to be somewhat professional as she leans in closer towards the incapacitated man.

“Those two blokes just died on accident,” the man goes on, and I feel my blood run cold, looking at the bodies piled together. So they weren’t just unconscious…he had actually killed them.

“Really?” Koto asks, her voice going high-pitched.

“How can their team continue?” He asks, before letting out an obnoxiously loud belch. Koto grimaces in disgust, plugging her nose against the stench of his, no doubt, bad breath. 

“Doesn’t matter how many die. Any team is only allowed one alternate fighter,” Koto stated through her plugged noise, her voice nasally. When the smell passes, she unplugs her nose and continues. “Team Rokuyukai can continued to fight with Rinku and one other alternate fighter if they can find one.”

“You sure about that?” The man demands sharply.

“I am a walking rulebook,” Koto insists, looking offended. “My entire life is this tournament. Of course I’m sure!”

Nothing could have prepared any of us for the man’s following reaction. 

“He looks like he’s about to have a stroke. Is he really that drunk?” I can’t help asking rhetorically, disgust clear in my voice as I watch the way his face contorts, almost as if he is in pain. He shoots up suddenly, a wide grin on his face as he pumps his fists with excitement into the air, hooting and hollering. 

Clearly she gave him the answer he had been looking for. 

Koto squeals in fear, backing off nervously as the drunken man’s arms flail about. Then, suddenly, he’s absolutely still and deceptively calm.

“Then I can fight these last two boys myself. That’s really ripper,” he declares, my eyes widening in surprise. He actually intended to fight?

The so-called fighter then promptly falls back onto his drunken ass once more. 

Koto daringly approaches, now curious, but soon pays for it. The drunken man grabs onto her, pulling her down to him squishing the unimpressed fox-demon’s face against his own as he runs his large fingers through her red hair. “Thanks for everything, sheila!” He exclaims in pure joy, rubbing his face against her own like a big cat, before letting the poor announcer go. Looking entirely unimpressed, Koto stays on her knees for a moment, glaring at the man as he stands and moves away across the ring.

And directly towards us.

“His spirit power is a lot less than Zeru’s,” Kazuma states as we all stand side by side now, watching intently as the mystery fighter stumbles forward. “For some reason, though, I’ve got a creepy feeling. Watch out, you guys,” Kazuma warns his team mates, his entire frame tensing. Botan frowns curiously as she looks towards my little brother.

“What could you possibly be worried about? First of all, he’s the alternate fighter, and secondly, he’s a lush!” She points out. 

“I don’t know,” Kazuma murmurs, still obviously insisting that something was up. I chew on my lower lip, turning my gaze from my brother towards the stumbling fighter. I concentrate, discreetly flexing my own aura outwards to go and meet the drunken man’s. My eyes widen as I feel something there, like a wall just beneath the surface of his aura.

‘A barrier,’ I think to myself, realizing what I was feeling. Netherworld demons would sometimes try their hand at hiding their true powers from me, encasing their auras so that I couldn’t get a good reading when going up against them. That’s what I felt here, with this guy.

Something was holding his true energy back.

I refrain from voicing my support to my little brother’s suspicions, knowing that I couldn’t reveal myself to have spiritual awareness. It would bring too much attention to me, attention that could end in my secret being ousted. I couldn’t afford for people to know I was Sailor Moon, not when the Moon Princess and the Imperium Silver Crystal were both still lost. It was my mission to find both, to stop Earth’s impending doom at whatever costs. 

I couldn’t jeopardize that here and now of all places, no matter how tempted I’ve been up to this point. 

‘But if it came down to it…to either Earth, or protecting my family, could I really make that choice?’ I think to myself with a frown as I glance down towards my right hand. I flex my fingers into a fist, knuckles turning white from squeezing so tightly. 

Then I feel a pair of eyes on me.

Forgetting myself and glancing towards the direction I could instinctively tell I was being watched, my green eyes lock with crimson.

Hiei was watching me, his gaze shifting from my hand to my face, expression unreadable.

Quickly I relax my hand and look away from him, back towards the ring and the drunken fighter as he approached the edge near us.

“Let’s go, you lot! I want to get a good burl in before my fun wears off!” The man exclaims, a wide and excited grin on his face. “In that case, they better all fight me at once!” He laughs loudly then, as if having some sort of inside joke with himself as he stands with his hands on his hips above them, head thrown back. 

“So, who’s going to take him?” Kazuma asks as he looks towards Shuichi and Hiei. “It hasn’t been very long since all three of us fought our matches. Guess we should draw straws or something?”

“Why not her?” The man asks, and I’m shocked when he points directly at me. “She looks like she’s a scrapper. Would like to go a few rounds with her!” I blink, stunned as the man’s lips slowly turn upwards in a flirtatious smirk.

Huh? What? Me?

“Absolutely not,” Shuichi speaks before I can get over myself enough to deny the guy’s ludicrous request. Well, it was ludicrous as I stand here as Kaera Kuwabara.

As Sailor Moon, however, I bet I could still kick his ass. Mysterious energy reserve and all.

Shuichi even goes as far as to move slightly in front of me, shielding my form from the drunken man’s view. I look up at his back in surprise, though in reality I shouldn’t have been. Now I had time to think of it, he really had been very protective of me so far. Especially during Hiei’s match.

And that glare he had sent me when first seeing I was here still gave me goosebumps. But why? Was it just in his nature now to look out for us ‘frail’ humans? Like he looked out for his human Mother?

“Well, come on then!” The would-be fighter shouts impatiently, leaning forward. “Hurry up!”

“Chu’s being extremely impatient,” Koto commentates, finally giving us a name to work with.

Chu…suits him.

“What did ya say?” Chu turns to glare at the girl over his shoulder then, eyes narrowed with annoyance. 

Koto lets out a nervous sound. “I only say it as I see it,” She admits meekly. 

“Don’t go on confusing me with big words! Just get me a fighter!” Chu argues with her, pointing towards our group. Koto quickly nods, turning and using the opportunity his demand gave her to put some room between them.

“Urameshi Team, present your combatant!” Koto urges as she skids to a stop on the edge of the ring.

“Well, we still have that masked fighter guy,” Kazuma acknowledges, turning to look at said teammate. “Come on, man! It’s your turn!” I look towards the short mystery fighter myself with open curiosity, though he doesn’t make a sound or move towards the ring. The masked fighter merely closes the one eye that I can see under the bandaging, but what I feel soon after is what causing my breath to catch in my throat. 

A surge of gentle energy fluctuates around him, echoing out like the ripples of a disturbed surface of a pond. 

“If you can’t give me someone, I’ll have to disqualify your team,” Koto coaxes further, frowning as she too begins to look frustrated with delay.

“Oh no! Hold on a second!” Kazuma pleads with her, before turning towards the rest of us. “I guess I’ll have to take control of this fight!” He exclaims, sounding confident as he steps forward. “Unless, of course, I can get Urameshi to wake up!” We all then look towards where Yusuke had been sleeping, my eyes widening as I no longer saw him laying there unconscious. 

He had moved.

Was he awake?

“That’s weird, where did he go?” Kazuma asks, looking equally as confused as the rest of us felt, his gaze darting around the arena for any sign of the Spirit Detective. The riddle was solved the minute we all saw Yusuke leap up, fully awake, into the ring.

And he looked ready for a fight.

The confident and boyish smirk was spread wide across his face, brown eyes cleared of any residual fatigue and sparking with excitement for this new challenge. 

Yusuke Urameshi was here and ready to rumble.

“Well, that’s unexpected,” Kazuma comments, looking up wide eyed at his buddy in the ring. 

“Indeed…” Botan agrees, sounding unsure. To be honest I didn’t blame her. I mean, the guy had just spelt through the first three rounds, one of them which included a raging fire ball and dragon of death.

Was he even stable enough?

“Waking up to the smell of alcohol. Can’t help feeling a touch of home,” Yusuke mutters dryly, cleaning out his ear with his pinky finger. He then turns to look around at the crowd, raising his hands up high and actually waving to them. “Hey all you stupid demons! I’ve been asleep long enough and I’m ready to kick some asses!” I blink in shock, shaking my head with disbelief. 

Starting to understand how my brother and Yusuke became friends.

Glancing towards Shuichi, his green eyes are narrowed and face hard as he looks on towards his teammate. “Shuichi?” I question softly, though he doesn’t acknowledge me. “Shuichi?” I try again, and he jolts a little, as if finally realizing I was trying to speak to him. “You look tense. What’s up?”

“I believe there is more to this opponent than meets the eye,” He responds cryptically, and I raise a questioning eyebrow at him.

“You mean, other than being a total drunk?”

“Never underestimate your opponent, Kaera,” Shuichi’s eyes never leave the ring, though his point is clearly made. Frowning, I look back towards the ring myself, watching the two fighters bantering back and forth.

‘He’s right. I’ve made that mistake more than once myself,’ I admit inwardly, chewing on my lower lip as I look at Chu in a new light. 

A more dangerous light. 

Kill Yusuke. Kill Yusuke. Kill Yusuke.

“Assholes,” I mutter lowly to myself as I look towards the chanting crowds, glaring. ‘And to think, Keiko has to sit there and listen to this,’ looking around the crowds till I finally found said brunette sitting with my sister. Even at this distance I can see the worried expression on her face as she stares down at the ring, no doubt the chanting going on around her acting like a knife slowly penetrating into her chest. 

“Gee, that’s intimidating. Never heard so many voices hate one person so much,” Kazuma comments nervously.

“Hn, but can you really be surprised?” Hiei asks coldly, unfazed by the roaring crowds. “Yusuke has become something like a boogieman for the apparitions.”

“Yeah, I guess he has beaten a bunch of their bad-boy role models, but I’ve been helping Urameshi. Why didn’t they scream kill me?” Kazuma asks, and I look to him sharply.

“Is that what you wanted?” I snap at my little brother, glaring at him. He stutters, looking nervous. “Careful how you answer, little brother.”

“Perhaps because you lost?” Botan quips, Kazuma going from looking sheepish to embarrassed. 

“Yeah, but they didn’t know that before the fight!”

“Sorry, sheila. Gotta borrow,” Chu’s voice suddenly echoes around us, drawing all our attentions back to the ring once more. He’s standing there with the announcer’s mic in his hands, Koto look unsure up at the tall fighter in disgust.

“Ew. Please don’t call me that!”

“Uh, okay!” Chu begins, pointing his finger towards Yusuke. “I just want to set the record straight before we get this thing going. Right, basically, it’s that I’m a really ace person, and the only thing I suck at is paper, rock, scissors!” Chu actually looks visible annoyed at this declaration. Silence overcomes even the crowd, all of us confused on where exactly this was going. Koto snatches back her microphone, all the while taking some generous steps back away from the nonsensical fighter.

“Uh, let me try and translate for the drunkard here. Earlier this morning the Rokuyukai Team decided their roster through paper, rock, scissors. Chu lost pathetically and became the alternate, but he wants you to forget all that because he is number one!”

“YEAH!” Chu shouts out exuberantly. Clearly Koto had gotten it right.

“This is unbelievable,” I mutter to myself, shaking my head and crossing my arms under my chest.

“No need to thank me, that’s why I’m here!” Koto replies, bowing respectfully with a self-satisfied grin on her face.

“Wow, she’s a really perceptive person, isn’t she?” Kazuma asks rhetorically, looking dumbfounded still.  

“I’m stronger, okay? Do you get what I am trying to yab to ya?” Chu demands, Yusuke looking extremely amused as he laughs openly.

“Yeah, stupid, I understand,” he replies, grabbing his jacket and tossing it off. “It’s not too difficult you know. You were scared to fight me before, and now you’re blaming it on some dumb game,” Yusuke smirks confidently as he begins to stretch and warm-up.

Chu looks flabbergasted.

‘Kid’s got a pair,’ I think to myself in amusement. If Chu had the ability to produce steam out of his ears, he’d look like a kettle right about now.

“That’s not right! Didn’t you hear what the foxy was saying?!”

“Paper. Rock. Scissors,” Yusuke mocks, his voice wavering as if he were telling some sort of ghost story. That doesn’t seem to get Chu going as much as the following shout that comes from someone in the crowd. 

“Come on! This substitute fighter is a pathetic drunk!” 

Chu takes off across the ring, faster than I would have honestly given him credit for being a…well a drunk. 

“Who said that?! I’ll rip ya limb from limb!”

He then proceeded to launch himself at the nearest bystander and wrap his large, beefy hands around the apparition’s green neck. He appears to have some sort of discussion with the flailing audience member, before letting him drop back down and snatching a bottle of more alcohol from another stadium goer. With a giant leap he clears the barrier, standing and glaring at Yusuke from the grass just before the ring.

“Come on! Let me at least stretch my muscles!” Yusuke openly complains, Koto looking none too pleased either with the constant interruptions. 

“Ah, this is plenty great! You don’t think I can fight either!” Chu complains, frowning deeply as he points at Yusuke. “Well, let me tell ya somethin’, mate. I’m like a master a drunken fighting,” as if to emphasize his point, the fighter then takes a few long swings from the bottle in his hand, finishing it in one go before tossing it away. 

“Seriously?” I can’t help murmuring in disbelief, eyes wide as I shake my head. “This has to be a joke.”

“Sui Ken technique, that’s the official name for it, I think,” Chu goes on, now struggling to lift himself back up onto the ring. “You get distracted by my irregular moves,” he openly shares, Yusuke looking even more bewildered now, his brown eyes going wide. “Crappa-craps it’s bright out here!” Chu complains once finally making it back onto the ring.

“Listen to him, he’s insane,” Botan comments, almost sounding as if she were in awe.

“Well, I know from school seminars drunk driving kills people. Maybe drunk fighting is kinda the same thing?” Kazuma reflects, and I can’t help hanging my head in embarrassment at his logic.

“That’s my baby bro,” I groan to myself, a noise to my left catching my attention. My gaze snaps over to find Hiei, and what appeared to be a ghost of a smirk on his lips. Before I could really confirm what I saw, however, it was gone, replaced by the fire-demon’s typical stoic expression.

How bizarre.

“Yeah, wobbly, give me a break,” Yusuke states confidently, hands on his hips. “So the tipsy fighting thing might be weird, but I’ve still heard of it before. You better have something else to make this a real challenge,” Chu’s back straightens, his expression changing to one of seriousness for the first time since this fight began.

It sent shivers down my spine.

“I didn’t come all this way to babysit a drunk,” Yusuke adds lowly, driving his point home.

“Well just wait a minute,” Chu replies, voice low and solemn. Goosebumps ran up and down my arm, and I know I visible shuddered. “Once I hit my groove, you won’t be disappointed,” Chu promises, before suddenly his body’s outline appears to become blurry. “Of course, I’ve got to stumble into it first,” the laugh that Chu emits seems to echo, his body shifting a moving at such a fluid speed it was difficult to keep track.

‘It’s like when those strobe lights go off. One second someone is where you see them, the next they’ve moved,’ I almost begin to have a headache watching Chu’s blurry figure move. ‘It’s disorientating, which is clearly the motive for this technique.’

“You’re going to enjoy this,” Chu adds, his voice sounding disembodied. I chew on my lower lip, redirecting my gaze towards Yusuke, and seeing that he still surprisingly looked confident. 

“Watch his movements,” Shuichi cautions from my right, his own sharp gaze never leaving Yusuke’s opponent.

“I know, it’s beginning,” Hiei replies, red eyes narrowed in calculation. 

“Is Yusuke really in trouble?” I can’t help asking, glancing between both of the demons on either side of me. I don’t get an answer before I feel the swell of energy myself, looking back towards the ring and Chu with wide eyes. Chu’s aura was shining brightly around him, the red hue licking at his frame like flames. I swallow thickly, breath catching at the sheer amount of power I felt rolling over me.

Yusuke hardly looks phased.

This battle was going to be far more interesting than any of us originally thought.