Episode 8: Acceptance of the heart’s Desire

 

The rapid pounding of footsteps running towards the holding area echoed off the stone walls of Kimika’s cell. Her heart clinched at the thought that her captors had returned to torture Horuna and herself. She didn’t care much for herself, but she wouldn’t let them continue to harm Horuna.

Horuna’s small body couldn’t bare anymore. She had already lost consciousness from the last time. She wouldn’t be able to take anymore strain. Horuna had already lost too much blood. Her wounds would have to be treated soon. Otherwise, her situation would become fatal.

Kimika had to do something to protect Horuna. She struggled violently to break out of her restraints, but her efforts became useless. She was helpless without the use of her spirit energy. Also in her weakened state, it wouldn’t take long until she lost consciousness as well. Her last attempt to break free of her restraints caused her to injure her wrists. She was losing a lot of blood fast and could not stop it.

She closed her eyes as she became too weak to keep them open. Her weakened state caused her to swoon as she started to slip out of consciousness. She could faintly hear the sound of the door opening as she began to fade; but instead of hearing the dark voices of their captors, she heard some more familiar voices.

“Kimika!”

Kimika twitched slightly at the sound of Kurama’s voice calling her name. The softness of it broke through the encroaching darkness of her fragile state and pulled her back to complete consciousness.

“Big Brother…” Kimika called weakly as she tried to open her eyes.

“Hold on, Kimika! We’ll get you out of here!”

“Hiei…” Kimika smirked slightly at the sound of his voice. She was very relieved. Her friends came to rescue them. Now, Horuna could finally be safe. She no longer had to worry.

“Horuna’s in this cell.” Makoto informed the others when she found the young girl in the shadows of an adjacent cell.

“Both girls seem to have those spirit energy blocking restraints on. We have to remove them right away.” The masked fighter said softly as she observed the girls’ current conditions.

“No problem.”

Hiei unsheathed his sword and cut the bars of Horuna’s cell. Kurama used his rose whip to cut the bars of Kimika’s cell. Hiei ran over to Horuna’s side and sliced the cuffs around her wrists, causing her to fall to the floor. He scooped her up into his embrace and held her tightly.

“Horuna… Look at what they have done to you…”

Hiei gently caressed the wounds on her wrists then he wiped the dried blood that was around .

“This girl has suffered many wounds. The fact that she survived through all that they did to her is unbelievable. She must have a strong resilient will.” The masked fighter said softly to Hiei when he noticed his worry over the girl.

“Hnnn… You are right. She does have a very strong will.” Hiei agreed softly as he pulled Horuna closer to him.

 

Makoto destroyed Kimika’s restraints with a small spark of lightning so Kurama could pick her up out of the contraption that she was restrained in. Kurama scooped Kimika up into his embrace, holding her close to his chest.

He looked down at his unconscious sister with eyes wide in relief. His heart began to beat slowly, but loudly in his ear as worry began to fill him when he noticed her wounds.

She was very weak. He could barely feel her spirit energy. Her life energy was just as weak and slowly fading by each passing moment.

“Kimika… What have these monsters done to you?”

Makoto could clearly hear the concern in Kurama’s hushed words. She didn’t know what to say or do because her own concerns had her paralyzed. But just as her own fears began to take hold, she heard a soft familiar voice that restored her faith.

“Kurama… Big Brother… Please… Please don’t worry. I will be fine. Just take care of Horuna. She has suffered more than I have.” Kimika smiled weakly as she gently touched her brother’s hand.

“Kimi…” Kurama smiled warmly when he heard the sound of his little sister’s voice and her request.

‘Stupid girl… Even in her current condition, she is more concerned about Horuna than herself. She will never change.’ Makoto smiled softly as relief swept over her heart. “Sorry to disappoint you, Kimika. Your words are falling on deaf ears. We won’t stop worrying about you until you are better and back to your normal annoying self.”

“Makoto… I guess it can’t be helped. I guess that I should be grateful to have the love of such friends like all of you.” Kimika answered softly before finally passing out in her brother’s arms.

“I’m sorry to break up these sweet reunions, but we should really take the girls back to the hotel so Botan can heal them.” Kuwabara interrupted gently when he noticed the state of the girls.

“You are right. You should take them back, but I won’t be joining you. I have something that I need to finish here first.” Hiei said indifferently as he handed the unconscious girl to Yusuke.

“Something you need to finish first? Like what?” Kuwabara asked surprised at Hiei’s words.

“I have to make sure that no more of these Tsuki soldiers are sent after Horuna. The only way that I can do that is by destroying the man who imprisoned her in the first place, Jiro Kurokawa.” Hiei clenched his teeth as he spoke his name.

“I’m also going after Jiro Kurokawa. He must pay for what he did to my sister. I cannot let him get away with it.” Kurama said softly while he handed Kimika to Kuwabara.

“So that’s it. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and the masked fighter will return to the hotel with the girls. I will go with the demon boys to take out the final obstacle in Horuna’s freedom.” Makoto announced with a huge smile. “It shouldn’t take long since we took out his best defense.”

No one disagreed with Makoto’s final decision of their plan. Yusuke, the masked fighter, and Kuwabara left the camp with the unconscious girls while Makoto, Hiei, and Kurama went in search for the man behind their suffering… Jiro Kurokawa.

 

Hiei, Makoto, and Kurama searched the forest on the outskirts of the north side of the camp. They split off in opposite directions to cover more ground. It didn’t take much time for them to find where they went. They began to hear the sound of helicopter propellers coming from the direction of the nearby shore.

They dashed to the shore as fast as they could. However when they reached the shore, the helicopter was already high up in the air.

“Damn. They are too high up for us to reach them.” Hiei snapped angrily when he saw how far up the helicopter had gotten.

“Don’t worry, pipsqueak. I can fix that for you.” Makoto smirked while she flew up in the air before them and waved her hand. After her subtle wave, two clouds formed in front of Hiei and Kurama.

“What are these?” Kurama asked, looking at the fluffy cloud in front of him with caution.

“Get on top of them. They will help elevate you to your targets. Trust me.” Makoto smiled warmly at Hiei and Kurama in an attempt to quell their concerns.

Hiei and Kurama looked at one another before finally deciding to trust Makoto’s clouds. They climbed on top of the clouds and maintained their footing as they began to ascend in the air. Makoto kept pace with the clouds as she followed close behind them.

When they grew close enough to the helicopter, Hiei and Kurama jumped inside the helicopter. Jiro Kurokawa and his partners trembled in fear when they saw Hiei and Kurama.

“That’s impossible. You are ordinary demons. There is no way that you should have been able to reach us.” Jiro exclaimed in disbelief at their sudden arrival.

“A very angry goddess helped us up here so you can pay for what you did to Kimika and Horuna.” Kurama answered coldly as he withdrew his rose whip.

“Please spare us. We will give you anything. Whatever you want, it’s yours. Just spare our lives.” Kurokawa pleaded as he saw the anger in Hiei and Kurama slowly turn into rage. His partners bowed and pleaded fearfully for their lives as well, but their pleas were in vain.

“There is nothing in this world with a high enough worth that you could offer us to spare your lives.”

Hiei’s words were so cold and emotionless. His rage had completely taken over him as he cut Jiro down with his sword. At that same moment, Kurama cut down his partners with his rose whip. With the object of their rage destroyed, Hiei and Kurama jumped out of the helicopter and landed on the clouds.

Makoto’s clouds took Hiei and Kurama back to the shore while Makoto stayed behind. Makoto closed her eyes as she began to power up causing thunder to sound around her. Lightning began to clash around her until it was into a small ball of energy in between her hands. The roaring thunder began to fade as its energy was also absorb in the small energy ball. When both forces were absorbed, she threw the concentration of immense energy into the helicopter.

“Forbidden bond of Divine Punishment: Thunder and Lightning!”

As soon as she released the ball of energy, she teleported to the shore where Hiei and Kurama were waiting for her. They watched on as the helicopter exploded into a giant ball of fire lighting up the gloomy morning sky.

“She is finally safe, Hiei. Your sister is now able to live a free normal life.” Makoto said happily as she watched Jiro Kurokawa’s helicopter crash into the ocean.

“With the life that we lead, it is far from normal. But she will be free.” Kurama responded softly as he looked over towards Makoto.

“It is normal for us, Kurama.” Makoto said gently as she began to turn back towards the direction of the hotel.

“I will make sure that she remains free. Since she’s the Ruby Ice Maiden, I’m pretty sure we will probably see more scum like him in the future.” Hiei didn’t turn his gaze as he watched the burning wreckage of Jiro Kurokawa’s helicopter beed by the sea.

“True. But we’ll deal with that then. For now, you two have a match tomorrow that you need to prep for. I’ll go back and watch after the girls.”

With those words, Makoto vanished leaving Hiei and Kurama alone on the shore. Kurama looked over at Hiei with wonder lurking behind his eyes, but he kept his thoughts hidden. He could tell by Hiei’s blank gaze that there was more on his mind than the next match of the tournament.

Now that the threat to Horuna was annihilated, a new challenge was rearing its ugly head. And this one was a more complex challenge because it was a challenge of the heart.

 

Makoto didn’t suffer any great physical injuries from their encounter with the Tsuki soldiers. The whole encounter with them was quite trivial. They weren’t of any challenge to her at all. So why did she still feel so drained?

She refused Botan’s healing because she believed that she wasn’t wounded by them. Maybe she was wrong. What if her contact with Kimika’s and the masked fighter’s spirit energy blocking cuffs had some strange effect on her as well?

‘No. That’s impossible.’ Makoto shook her head as she brushed away that possibility. She paced back and forth as she looked down at her hands. She looked over them closely. As if by just using her sight, she could peer beneath her skin and find the culprit causing her ailments.

She was a goddess. There was no way that simple spirit energy cuffs would affect her. Then what was causing her to feel like this?

She walked over to the window and cracked it open. She closed her eyes while the wind gently caressed her face as it rushed inside. She took a deep breath as she let it wash over her.

What was wrong with her? How was she becoming so vulnerable? She used to be so strong, but now that was changing. Why? Why was this happening to her? How was this happening to her?

She didn’t want to feel this way. She couldn’t feel this way. She couldn’t start feeling weak now. But what could she do? Without knowing the cause of her weakness, she couldn’t figure out a way to cure it.

‘There had to be a way that…’ Makoto’s thoughts were interrupted by the soft sound of footsteps walking across the living room floor. She turned around quickly to see little Horuna standing in the threshold.

“Horuna, you are awake? I didn’t expect you to wake for hours because the severity of your wounds. Even that grim reaper could barely heal you, but I guess you are a fast healer like that airhead, Kimika.” Makoto spoke softly while she looked Horuna over in surprise.

“Actually, Kimika’s quick recovery was because of me.” Horuna corrected gently as she bashfully looked away from Makoto.

“Because of you? Do you have healing powers or something like that?” Makoto asked with a hint of intrigue in her voice.

Horuna gently nodded her head in affirmation. “Yes. I possess healing abilities. I can heal you as well if you want me to.”

Makoto shrugged her shoulders in indifference to Horuna’s request.

“You can try. But I’m afraid that not even your healing touch can cure my injuries.” Makoto’s voice trailed off slightly as she spoke. She returned her gaze to the window as she once again became lost in her weighing thoughts.

Horuna looked her over with her eyes filled with confusion at Makoto’s words. By just looking, Horuna couldn’t see anything physically wrong with her, but maybe she acquired some internal wounds from the Tsuki soldiers’ strange powers.

Horuna walked over to Makoto’s side and placed her hand gently on Makoto’s arm.

“Let’s sit down on the couch. It will make it much easier for me to heal you.” Horuna said softly as she lightly pulled on Makoto’s arm. Makoto nodded in agreement and followed Horuna over to the couch.

She sat down next to Horuna and watched the girl silently as she placed her hands on her arm once again. She could immediately feel the gentle warmth of her healing touch begin to merge with her own powers. Within moments, she could feel the weakness that she felt before start to slowly fade away.

“I’m surprised that such a young apparition like you would possess a healing ability as strong as this one.” The intrigue inside Makoto began to grow as she closely watched the girl.

“I’m not as young as you think. I might be young for my kind, but I have existed for many years. Within my many years of existence because of who I am, I had to learn how to heal myself since I had no one there to heal my wounds for me.” Horuna explained gently while she kept her eyes focused on Makoto’s arm.

“You are the Ruby Ice Maiden. You are of a rare mixture, an ice maiden who is also part fire demon. You are much desired because of your unique gifts that you possess. It has been a difficult life for you since you were exiled from your mother’s home world and left to defend yourself. You are much stronger than I first believed you to be.”

Horuna looked up in shock at Makoto’s words.

“How… How do you know all of this about me?”

“I’m a goddess. I possess a gift that allows me to see into the hearts and minds of those who are of my elements.” Makoto peered down at Horuna indifferently as she ignored the surprised expression that she saw.

“So that ability actually exists among your kind… I read about it, but I thought that it was only a myth. I guess that gift was the reason that you risked yourself to save me?” The surprise in Horuna’s eyes faded as she returned her gaze to Makoto’s arm. Slowly a small smirk crossed Horuna’s lips as understanding began to take hold of her.

“I guess that was part of my decision. When I saw into your mind, I could see who you were. But when I saw into your heart, I could see your desires and who you desired to be. Knowing these things, I couldn’t let them take you. Well, not before you fulfilled those desires.”

Makoto’s expression softened as she looked at Horuna while she spoke. She could feel a strange tension emanating from Horuna’s touch. She seemed to have become completely paralyzed by Makoto’s words.

“I have to give you my deepest gratitude for saving my life. But there must be another reason why you helped save me. I’m a stranger to you. Regardless of what you’ve learned about me, you weren’t obligated to save my life just because of that.”

The tension in Horuna’s voice became clear as she forced herself to speak. She kept her eyes cast down so Makoto couldn’t see the tears that were threatening to fall. She had known cruelty for so long that in the face of selflessness, compassion, and courage Horuna became weak.

“I don’t have an actual reason. I guess the only reason that I can say is: Maybe I risked myself selflessly because I was under a very strong spell. A spell that I have found myself falling under constantly in recent days. A spell called friendship.” Makoto’s smile grew when she gave Horuna her answer.

“Friend… Friendship? But why would you want to be friends with me?” Horuna looked up at Makoto frozen in shock.

Makoto’s smile grew into laughter when she saw the expression of surprise on Horuna’s face grow. “You’re silly. Didn’t I already say that I saw into your heart? I would be a fool if I didn’t want to be your friend after that. I also wanted to help you reach those desires that you are hiding inside of it.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” Horuna said in slight confusion with a raised eyebrow.

“It doesn’t have to make sense to you as long as it makes sense to me.”

Makoto’s laughter stopped briefly as it transformed back into a small smile. She gently placed her hand under Horuna’s chin cupping it in her palm and preventing her from turning away from her. Horuna felt herself trapped in Makoto’s touch and entranced by her eyes. She was paralyzed. But by what, she didn’t know.

“Horuna, you have certain desires that have been trapped inside of your heart for years. These desires are the reason that you chose today to break away from your captors. The time has come to achieve those desires. I know that you are afraid, but don’t be. As long as you have faith that what you desire is right, there is no need to have fear of them.”

She couldn’t tell if it was the entrancing warmth of Makoto’s eyes or the softness of her touch that paralyzed Horuna. Or maybe it was the mesmerizing embrace of Makoto’s friendship that broke through Horuna’s defenses causing her true feelings to pour freely.

She had no longer had the strength to hold them back. She could feel the warmth of them as they began to fall upon her cheek one after another. Her vision slowly started to blur as they began to multiply.

There they were… the sign of the vulnerability of her heart. She could feel Makoto pull her into her warm embrace trying to console her, but her embrace caused the opposite effect to occur. Her embrace caused even more of her vulnerabilities to flow free.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop them. She couldn’t hide them anymore. And a part of her didn’t want her to. A part of her wanted them to be free so she could acknowledge their existence and accept what created them. Only when she did that would she be able to put a stop to her tears for they weren’t regular tears. No. They were the tears of her heart’s desires.

 

Kimika arrived at the stadium just as Dr. Ichigaki’s team won the match. She watched in disgust as the shirtless fighter of the team held the decapitated head of his defeated opponent. She couldn’t believe how brutal these fighters were. That was unusual since they seemed to be human.

Humans can sometimes be brutal, but brutality like this was uncommon. Something was unusual about that human from Dr. Ichigaki’s team.

She watched on as the shirtless fighter walked away. The match was over and they would advance to the next round. Regardless of their merciless killing of three members of the opposing team, they spared the lives of two.

That was a merciful act and a blessing for the final members, but one of their surviving members didn’t see it that way. A fighter called the Minotaur forced his way onto the ring and charged for Dr. Ichigaki’s team as they were walking away.

Dr. Ichigaki ordered the three human members of his team to fight him. Without any response they swiftly obeyed his command. The shirtless fighter from before and a small orange haired boy attacked him first removing his arms in the process. When they were out of the way, the eldest of the human fighters used an invisible force to remove his head.

Kimika tensed when she saw the unusual techniques of the human fighters. They were extremely skilled and ruthless. If her brother’s team went up against them, they couldn’t hold back. They would need to be just as ruthless.

Kimika was so caught up in her concerns that she didn’t notice when someone touched her arm. Kimika turned around in surprise to see who it was touching her. When her eyes met with the owner of the touch, she was looking into her brother’s eyes.

“Kurama? You scared me.”

“I’m sorry, Kimi. I didn’t mean to, but I was surprised to see you here.” Kimika could clearly see the confusion in Kurama’s eyes as he spoke to her. “You should be resting after all you have been through. Even with Botan’s help, we couldn’t completely heal your wounds. If you overstrain your body, the consequences could be crucial.”

“Don’t worry, big brother.” Kimika said warmly while smiling widely at Kurama’s concern. “Horuna possesses amazing healing powers. She has completely healed my wounds along with her own. I feel good as new.”

“Healing powers? I didn’t know she possessed powers like that.” Kurama said while looking at her wide-eyed in surprise.

“Maybe she could use her powers to help heal your teammates. I saw Yusuke training in the forest. It seems that he is having trouble with his spirit energy. Also even though he tried to hide it before, Hiei’s arm is badly injured causing him to be in excruciating pain.” Kimika adverted her gaze as deep concern for her friends began to take hold of her. “I fear that regardless which team you fight next your team won’t survive in this condition.”

“Kimika.” Kurama gently took hold of Kimika’s chin and forced her to look at him. “You can’t think like that. No matter our physical conditions, we will not fall in this tournament. You have to keep faith in us.”

Heat rose to her cheeks causing Kimika to become flustered by her brother’s words. She felt foolish for not believing in her friends. After all that they overcame to rescue her, how could she doubt them now?

No matter how powerful the opponents, they always found a way to defeat them. Yusuke, Kuwabara, the masked fighter, Hiei, and her brother have been through so much. She could feel the passion and determination in their hearts. They wouldn’t fall. They couldn’t fall for they were risking too much.

 

Horuna couldn’t stop Makoto’s words from echoing through her mind. She was right. She couldn’t let her fears stop her from fulfilling her desires. But would her brother and sister be receptive to all that she had to say?

When Horuna was unconscious in her cell, she remembered dreaming that her brother was holding and protecting her. She knew that it couldn’t be real since there was no way Hiei would know the truth about her. She wasn’t even safe in her own dreams from her desires.

Horuna walked slowly along the shore. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew a part of her was guiding her toward the shore. Why? She didn’t know. But she did know that she could trust its judgment.

The sand made it difficult for her to walk in the shoes that she wore. But just as she was going to remove them, something stopped her from doing so. A deafening scream sounded from the direction of the cliffs at the end of the beach.

Horuna ran to the shore’s end and hid behind the boulders at the bottom of the cliff. When she peered in the direction of the screams, she saw Hiei hunched over in agonizing pain clutching onto his right arm. His screams were drowned out by the clashing waves, but Horuna’s heart could hear them clearly.

Horuna clung to the rocks’ edge as she watched on in sadness. She could feel her heart faltering as she watched her brother’s pain. She wanted to help him, but she couldn’t.

She was paralyzed. Now that she was close to her brother, she had become frozen in her fear. Hot tears rolled down Horuna’s cheeks as she ran away from where her brother was.

“I’m sorry Makoto. I’m not strong enough to face my brother. And Hiei… I’m sorry, big brother. I wish I was braver.”

 

Kimika stayed by her brother’s side while they watched the match between Team Toguro and the spirit warriors. The spirit warriors, a team composed of giant apparitions, was already in the ring when younger Toguro stepped in the arena. Toguro, a massive guy himself, walked out coolly without acknowledging anyone until he reached the ring. Then as if by some six sense, he located Yusuke and stared him down for a moment with a smile of dark confidence.

Kimika didn’t know the history between the two of them, but she could tell by the tension that Yusuke was the only fighter who interested Toguro. She watched him silently as he returned his focus to his opponent.

Kimika was amazed at how fearless Toguro was in front of his much larger and numerous opponents. She looked around him to see if any of his teammates were with him, but there weren’t any to be found.

She looked on wide eyed in confusion. Where was the rest of team Toguro? Would they really abandon their teammate and allow him to go up against all those giant fighters on his own?

Just as her own questions began to race through her mind, Toguro cleared some of her confusion.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to fight against your team single handily.”

One of the members of the spirit warriors, Babaki, questioned Toguro’s strange request.

“What are you saying? Don’t you have a team?”

A cold arrogant smirk crossed Toguro’s lips as he answered him. “Of course. But they happen to be extremely lazy and don’t want to fight.”

“You arrogant man. Are you mocking us?” The fighter Dosukoi questioned angrily.

“Five fights in a row. You’d be exhausted.” The fighter Gagaki stated with a smirk of confidence.

“Well. Actually I was hoping that all five of you would fight me at the same time.” Toguro said indifferently as he specified his request.

The fighter Korira let out a hearty laugh as he noticed Toguro’s overconfidence. “Ha ha ha ha ha. I see the puny man is serious. His fame must be affecting his head.”

“Look at us. Everyone on our team is two times bigger than you.” Dosukoi pointed out.

“You have size. And that is all.” Toguro didn’t seem concerned about his opponents’ words.

“Fine. If you’re a fool with a death wish, then so be it.” Dosukoi said angrily as his annoyance for Toguro’s overconfidence grew. “Five on one right now.”

“Mr. Toguro, are you sure you agree to this?” The announcer girl, Koto, questioned as she checked on Toguro’s strange terms.

“Naturally. They’re my terms. Sorry if it makes it harder to announce.” Toguro reassured coolly.

‘Toguro must be crazy for asking for such terms. He was clearly at a disadvantage by size and number. How could a mere human win over five powerful demons like them?’ Kimika thought as she watched in awe as the fight began.

The odds were obviously against Toguro, but he didn’t seem to be concerned. He stood there emotionless as the fighters of the Spirit Warriors team circled around him. The perky announcer girl, Koto, announced the start of the match and the buzzer sounded.

Dosukoi was the first to begin. He raised his right leg and dropped it down hard on the ring causing the earth to split on the right side. Then he did the same with his left leg and made the earth on the left side split in half. He then placed his two fists on the floor as he stared furiously at Toguro.

“I believe I’ll use my hundred hand technique to finish.” Dosukoi said as he continued to stare down Toguro.

“You have great power. You’re right to be proud. It’s unfortunate you have to die now. But I will honor you with forty five percent of my strength.”

The deep raspy voice of Toguro sent chills down Kimika’s spine. She couldn’t understand how he wasn’t even fazed by Dosukoi’s immense energy. Then Kimika began to understand as Toguro powered up.

Not only did his body change and grow in muscle and mass, but his energy changed as well. Kimika could feel an immense amount of energy begin to emanate from his new body. The strength of it almost made Kimika swoon slightly. She had never felt such a power like his before.

“You cannot frighten me!” Dosukoi yelled while he quickly charged at Toguro. When he reached him, he pulled his hand and extended it quickly to strike Toguro. “Take this!”

However, he was immediately stopped by a quick blow to the stomach by Toguro. The force of his punch was so strong that it blew out his insides killing Dosukoi instantly.

“What?! It can’t be! He killed him with one strike!” Kimika exclaimed at the powerfully gruesome display of Toguro’s power.

Her brother was too shocked to respond as he watched Dosukoi’s dead body fall to the ground.

The next to try to attack Toguro was Gagaki. But before he could even strike him with his weapon, Toguro punched him in his stomach killing him instantly with his amazing strength.

Angered by the deaths of their comrades, Babaki and Korira tried to attack Toguro at once, but that failed. Toguro saw the two of them charging at him and struck them both down at the same time.

With his team defeated, the leader of them, Orakyoku, stepped out to face Toguro. He stared Toguro down fearlessly as he began to emanate the exact amount of energy that the team emanated at the beginning of the match.

Orakyoku roared loudly as he began to charge towards Toguro with his axe. His speed was impeccable as he swiftly swung his huge axe at Toguro, but Toguro was just as fast as he dodged his attacks. The giant warrior continued his impressive pursuit even though Toguro was easily evading it.

“Aaaahhh! I’m destined to win this fight! Hiya!” Orakyoku yelled as it seemed that he smashed Toguro with his final swing.

Just as he began to grin toward his victory, his grin faded when his blade bounced off Toguro’s flesh and was caught in his hand. Covered in sweat and with eyes wide in shock, Orakyoku said in a tone of complete disbelief.

“But I was supposed to kill Yusuke?!”

“Must have been a misunderstanding. That boy is reserved for me.” Toguro said darkly with a small grin before finishing Orakyoku with a final blow. The force of Toguro’s punch was so great that it split Orakyoku’s body in two.

The announcer girl, Koto, looked in awe before she declared the final result. “Wow! The Toguro team is the winner! Thanks to five splitting kills from the big man himself!”

Fear took over Kimika as she watched Toguro exit the ring. She was worried before when she saw Dr. Ichigaki’s team fight. But after seeing Toguro’s fight, the worry she had before was returning.

If Toguro was that strong at forty-five percent, then how powerful would he be at full power? And what about his teammates? If they are as strong as him, then her brother and the others would be in real trouble if they have to fight them next.

Kurama didn’t need to be a physic or an empath to see his sister’s concerns. He couldn’t lie that he had his own concerns, but he couldn’t let hers take over her.

He grabbed his sister gently by her shoulders and turned her towards him. He forced a warm smile on his face to help her forget all of her worries. His loving ruse seemed to work for her expression of fear eased as their eyes met.

“Kimi, didn’t I tell you not to worry so much? You will make yourself sick if you do.” Kurama said gently.

“How can you expect me not to?! Didn’t you see the same thing I did?! Toguro killed five demons within minutes and they were all at full strength unlike your team, who are barely hanging on by a thread! Yusuke still can’t use his spirit energy! And Hiei is paralyzed in pain from his right arm! I’m afraid that if you face them next that you will not survive! I cannot lose you, Kurama! I won’t! Not again!”

Tears began to fill Kimika’s eyes as she began to imagine the horrible outcome if they were to face team Toguro next. Her tears began to fall slowly down her cheek as the painful image stung her heart. But they were stopped by the warm caress of her brother’s hands.

“Kimika… How many times must I tell you? You will not lose me. You won’t lose any of us. I promise.” Kurama’s smile grew as he took her into his embrace pressing her close to his chest. “Yusuke will regain his spirit energy. And Hiei’s arm will heal. Now only if he could defeat the concerns in his heart, then he could fully focus on the recovery of his arm.”

Kimika looked up at her brother with an eyebrow raised in confusion. “Concerns in his heart? Hiei still hasn’t told Horuna that he knows the truth about her?”

“No. He hasn’t. But how do you know about that? Your empathic powers shouldn’t be that detailed.”

Kurama also became filled with confusion as he spoke. According to Hiei, the only ones who knew were himself, Makoto, and the masked fighter. How could Kimika know?

“Makoto told me after I told her about my empathic readings from Horuna. I didn’t know why she did it, but I think she believes that I will have some sway in his decision if I talk to him about it.” Kimika answered softly.

“Makoto may be right. I think Hiei has taken a liking to you. He might heed your advice if you speak with him.” Kurama placed his hand on his chin as he contemplated over Kimika’s words.

“Of course he likes me. We are friends, Kurama.” Kimika rolled her eyes at her brother’s obvious statement.

“No. That’s not what I mean. I think Hiei likes you more than a friend. I believe he has felt that way about you for some time.”

Kimika pushed away from her brother as she stared at him in shock. She couldn’t believe what her brother was saying. There was no way that Hiei felt that way about her. It couldn’t be… But it made sense especially with the way that he had been treating her recently.

She backed away from her brother and headed towards the exit. She was immediately stopped by her brother’s voice calling after her.

“Kimika. Where are you going?”

“I don’t know if you are right about Hiei’s feelings for me. But I know I am right about Hiei’s and Horuna’s feelings. If I can help them even in the slightest, then it is worth trying out. For their sake.”

 

Alone in her suite Makoto began to prepare for her match in the exhibition matches tomorrow. The tournament committee told her the match would be a team match composed of three members. That was going to be a problem for Makoto since she didn’t anticipate it. Who was she going to pick to fight with her?

They gave her a list of substitute fighters she could use on her team, but Makoto couldn’t pick any of them. She didn’t want to fight with strangers. She needed to be able to trust the people who she teamed up with.

As she flipped through the many pages of the list, a series of loud rapid knocks sounded on her suite door. Makoto placed the list down on the side table before crossing the room to answer it. When she opened the door, she found Yusuke standing on the other side.

“Well. Isn’t this a surprise? The last person I would expect to be standing behind my door was you, detective.” Makoto smirked wryly when she noticed her surprise visitor. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

“I wanted to talk to you. Can I come in?” Yusuke answered shortly.

“Of course. The girls are out so you have come at the perfect time.” Makoto stepped to the side while she allowed Yusuke to enter.

“Is it really okay to let them out on their own? Shouldn’t they be here resting since they were both badly injured?” Yusuke asked with a hint of concern as he entered Makoto’s suite.

“Yes. They were, but it seems Horuna has amazingly strong healing abilities. She healed them along with some minor wounds of my own.” Makoto explained while gently closing the door after Yusuke entered.

“Healing abilities? That’s amazing. We need someone with strong healing powers like hers.” Yusuke smiled gently at the thought of her becoming their ally. “Now that she is free, does she plan on staying here with us?”

“Of course she does.” Makoto nodded softly while crossing her arms and looking at Yusuke intently. “She has no other place to go. Besides she has a few things that are keeping her here.”

“What could a girl like her have to do here on this island? The men who kidnapped her are gone. Right? So there is nothing more she needs to worry about?” Yusuke questioned in confusion as he leaned against the back of the couch.

“There is much you don’t know, spirit detective. But it isn’t something that should concern you.” Makoto closed her eyes while her smirk grew at Yusuke’s cluelessness. “Now why don’t you tell me the real reason you are here?”

“You’ve got me. There is another reason why I am here.” Yusuke smirked softly in amusement at Makoto’s directness.

“I just wanted to know the truth. Did you use some strange powers of yours to help me defeat that Tsuki soldier?”

“Yes. I did. And before you ask… No. I won’t use that power to help you regain your spirit energy. That would be considered cheating.” Makoto crossed her arm and stuck her nose in the air while turning away from him in annoyance.

“No. No. No. That’s not what I was going to say at all.” Yusuke laughed while waving his hands rapidly in the air. “I’ll eventually regain control of my spirit energy. I just wanted to thank you for your help. But I don’t understand why. You hate me. So why didn’t you just let that soldier kill me?”

“You don’t need to thank me. I only helped you because you were fighting to rescue the girls. I didn’t do it for your sake at all.” Makoto’s piercing dark eyes sent shivers down Yusuke’s spine as they glared at him emotionlessly. He could tell by the intensity in her eyes that it was possible the anger in her heart hadn’t disappeared.

“I can’t… I won’t forget that you were the one who robbed me of my precious Suzaku. I don’t think I can ever forgive you. But as long as Kimika favors you, I won’t claim your life just yet.”

Makoto turned away from Yusuke and opened the door. A strange feeling began to take over her heart as she held it open. It paralyzed her as she clutched tightly to the door knob. She could feel it slowly begin to weaken her body as she leaned against the wood of the door.

Yusuke reached out to touch her arm, but she brushed him away.

“Please leave.” Makoto said weakly as she hid behind the door.

Yusuke didn’t say a word to her in response. He just left as she wanted him to, but he didn’t move when the door shut closed. Instead, he stood in front of her door and stared at it.

He didn’t know defeating Suzaku would have such an effect on his life. He knew if he didn’t stop Suzaku the world would have suffered. But how come Makoto had no idea of Suzaku’s plan? How did Suzaku win the heart of a goddess like Makoto?

Many times she tried to hide her true heart behind a tough, blood thirsty, and ruthless disguise. But the truth was she actually had a heart… a big heart that was extremely confused. He wasn’t sure if she didn’t know the truth about Suzaku or just in denial. But he did know when she finally found out the truth and accepted it, her heart would probably be shattered. He didn’t know Makoto for long, but he did know that he didn’t want that to happen. Hopefully, she will find a way to ease the pain when the time came.

 

Kimika scoured the shores in search of Hiei, but she couldn’t find him. She remembered sensing him there earlier, but he must have left. She headed back towards the hotel while walking slowly through the forest.

Dark shadows settled down on the forest floor as the sun began to set. The warm glow of the red sun peering out from behind the clouds created a peaceful feeling all around her. Kimika stopped in the middle of one area where the sun rays shone. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as if taking in the peaceful feeling for herself.

After seeing the gruesome display between the teams of the day’s matches, it was good for her to just witness some beauty and peace on this island. She just wanted the images to float away with the wind. She wanted all her concerns to fade away with the setting sun.

She listened closely to the rustling leaves as she tried to put her mind at ease. She listened to the sound of the birds chirping softly in the trees. The sound of their sweet song helped entrance her.

“You haven’t changed much, Kimika. Even through you are a demon, you still become weak to the sight of blood and gore. If I didn’t know better, I would think your human heart is contaminating you.”

The sound of Hiei’s voice caused Kimika to jolt out of her peaceful trance. She looked around her, but didn’t see him. Finally after hearing a soft rustle of leaves, she turned her attention to a tree close by her. There on one of its high branches stood Hiei peering down at her.

A small grin crossed her lips at Hiei’s words.

“You should know better. I’m not completely a demon. I’m also a sprite like my mother. It is her heart I inherited that you should blame.”

Hiei jumped down from the tree branch and landed next to Kimika.

“I don’t know if I should blame it or thank it. There is a lot you’ve done because of it that I owe you my gratitude.” Hiei grinned slightly staring straight into Kimika’s emerald eyes warmly.

“You don’t need to thank me, Hiei. I would have helped out Horuna even if she wasn’t your sister.” Kimika smiled warmly at the words of her friend. She could tell his gratitude was genuine and his concern for his sister was greater. She loved seeing this softer side of him. It was a rare and beautiful to get a glimpse of his heart.

Hiei’s eyes grew wide with surprise at Kimika’s words.

“I didn’t know that you knew. Did Horuna tell you?”

“No. She didn’t. I think she’s afraid to tell anyone especially you.” Kimika closed her eyes while she shook her head no.

“But why would she be afraid? There is no reason why she couldn’t tell me.” Hiei questioned Kimika as his confusion grew.

“Well maybe your first encounter with her helped fuel her fear. Don’t you remember? You were the one with your sword to her back and were ready to run her through? I can understand why she’s afraid to tell you.” Kimika placed her hands on her hips as she looked at Hiei accusingly.

“Hnnn… That isn’t a good reason.” Hiei closed his eyes as he looked away from her and spoke indifferently.

“Since then I have shown her nothing, but concern. She could have told me.”

“I think your definition of showing concern and everyone else’s is very different, Hiei.” Kimika smirked softly under her breath. “You could always talk to her about it yourself.”

“I can’t.” Kimika could feel his heart faltering as he responded to her. She could tell that there was something greatly troubling him. There was something troubling him so much that he was just as afraid as Horuna.

 “But why? I can tell you want to speak to her about it. So tell me what’s stopping you from doing so?” Kimika grabbed hold of Hiei’s arm gently as her emerald eyes peered at him full of concern and worry.

At her soft touch, Hiei turned back around to face Kimika. The deep concern emanating from her eyes softened Hiei’s expression. A small frown seized his lips, yet it wasn’t one of indifference. The frown was one of disappointment… Disappointment of himself.

“Kimi, I can’t. I have promised to protect her, but it is better this way. I can protect her more if she believes that I don’t know, then she won’t tell anyone else the truth. If no one else finds out, then she won’t become a target because of me.” Hiei answered softly.

“You are wrong, Hiei! This isn’t the same situation as Yukina! She isn’t ignorant of your existence! She knows exactly who you are and has risked so much to find you! Even if she doesn’t tell you today, she will find the courage and tell you in the future!”

The determination in Kimika’s voice was emanate. Hiei could tell no matter what he said Kimika wouldn’t give in to his reasons. He placed his left hand gently on top of hers as a small grin of surrender crossed his lips.

“I don’t understand why you are so driven in helping us. But I guess I shouldn’t fight you on this anymore. I will speak with Horuna.” At his response, Kimika let out a small sigh of relief.

“I’m glad.” In her excitement, Kimika pressed her lips softly against Hiei’s cheek. The soft caress of her lips and the gentle heat of her breath caused his cheeks to turn red. She didn’t notice Hiei’s flustered state because her eyes were shut as they smiled along with her lips.

Seeing her so close to him, he could truly see the beauty of her smile. The warmth emanating from it seemed to put him into a trance. He could see every detail of her beauty. It seemed to call out to him.

The softness of her touch… he craved for it. The gentleness and depth of her heart… he longed to know it. After so much time of knowing her, he seemed to be almost ignorant of her heart. He wanted to know more about it. He wanted to know more about her. 

The intense enchantment of her smile seemed to take complete control of Hiei’s entire being. He could feel his arm begin to move on its own as he wrapped it around her waist. He was helpless as he brought her tighter into his embrace.

By time she could even react, her lips were already pressed against his. Her heart quickened as her lips became entrapped in Hiei’s. A part of her wanted to push him away for the sake of their friendship, but another part wanted to stay in the soft possession of his lips. The strength of his hold was great even though he was only using one arm. She couldn’t break free even if she wanted to.

The passion in their kiss was so strong that it made them feel weak when it finally ended. It was brief, but it seemed to last forever.

Kimika immediately backed away the moment she was able to regain her strength. Her eyes were so wide in shock that it felt as though they would pop out of her head. She touched her lips softly as if to reassure herself of what just happened.

“Kimika, I …” Hiei called after Kimika when he noticed the intense expression on her face.

“No. It’s okay, Hiei. Don’t… I… I… I have to go.” Kimika didn’t wait for Hiei to respond before she disappeared into the forest.

Hiei looked on in shock at what he just did. He wasn’t sure what made her do so. He only knew that he couldn’t control himself. He only prayed that the impulsive action of his desire for her wouldn’t ruin one of the most precious relationships in his life.

 

          The sun had completely set and the moon shone brightly over the dark sea. The sound of the crashing waves against the shore seemed to soothe Horuna. She curled up on the cool sand while she watched the sea intently. The smell of the salty air hung heavily around her. It was all so overwhelming.

          She never believed that she would be free of that man or the horrid cells he caged her in. To be free to see the moon and stars in the night sky or experience the joys of the ocean was a miracle. It was indescribable the feeling that was stirring her heart at that moment.

          She bit her lip softly in hopes of stopping the tears that threatened to fall, but it didn’t help. They began to fall as the feeling grew inside her chest. Such beauty… Did she really deserve to have been freed to witness it? Or were their efforts wasted?

          She had a purpose since she escaped that morning. She was to find her siblings and reunite with them. But when she found her brother, she couldn’t even broach the subject of her true identity. She didn’t understand why. Why was she so afraid? Why couldn’t she tell him the truth? Why couldn’t she admit the truth? What was keeping her back? Was it something about him or about her?

         

          The soft light of the moon highlighted Horuna’s long raven hair. He wasn’t close enough to see the confusion in her ruby eyes, but he remembered how they looked from their earlier encounter. They were so innocent and gentle. Her thoughts were congested with confusion and fear.

          Kimika was right. Horuna was afraid to talk to him. She was actually terrified. She longed to talk to him, but she couldn’t. He didn’t understand why, but he wasn’t going to wait around for her. He promised Kimika. And He wanted to keep his promise. He wanted to keep it for Horuna’s sake and his own.

          “How does it feel to be free?”

          Horuna wiped her eyes frantically when she heard the sound of Hiei’s voice coming from behind her.

          “It feels great. I’m very lucky to finally have my freedom.” Horuna answered softly while keeping her head turned away from Hiei as he drew near.

          “You really seem ecstatic. Those must be tears of joy that are falling down your cheek.” Hiei spoke indifferently as he watched her closely.

          She turned away from him, but she could still see some of the tears that were falling down her cheeks. The sight of them made his heart constrict. He could sense her internal struggle and it killed him inside because it was similar to his own.

          “Yes. They are. Freedom can cause overwhelming feelings to grow inside of a person.” Horuna lied gently as she wiped her face with the sleeve of her shirt.

          ‘Stubbornness… A family trait.’ Hiei thought while he closed the final distance between them. “If you say so…” When he stood right beside her, Hiei turned his gaze away from her and toward the sea. “It wasn’t luck that you were freed. You would have been freed eventually.”

          Horuna looked up at Hiei wide-eyed in surprise at his confidence. “What makes you so certain?”

          “Because I know that fate would have found a way for me to reach you. I would have found you and rescued you whether intentionally or not. Fate would have made me reach you no matter what.” Hiei answered softly as he watched the dark waves crashing on the rocks that were lining the coast.

          Horuna’s heart stopped when she heard Hiei’s explanation. His attitude, demeanor, and tone had become completely different from before. There was a subtle warmth about him that wasn’t there before. Why? What caused this sudden change in him? Why was he acting differently towards her?

          “I don’t understand. Why would you search for me?” Horuna asked weakly as she tried to disguise her confusion with her gentle voice.

          “Because sooner or later I would have found out the truth. I would have found out that you are my little sister. And once I found that out, I wouldn’t have stopped until I found you and saved you.”

          “You know who I am? But how?” Horuna’s eyes grew as shock took control of her.

          “Yes. I do. I also know about all that you’ve been through to find me and Yukina. Thanks to Makoto’s power. I wish that I knew earlier so I could’ve spared you some of the troubles you endured. You shouldn’t have went through all of that.” Hiei turned his gaze back toward his sister as he took a seat beside her on the sand.

          Tears returned to her eyes as a strange emotion began to overwhelm her. She looked up at Hiei shakenly meeting his gaze. The heat of her tears were too much for her eyes to control. Her captured tears began to flow free as she looked deep into his eyes.

          “If you knew, why didn’t you tell me before?”

          “I’m sorry. I know that I should have, but I couldn’t. I hadn’t fully accepted it. It was surprising to know that I had another sister especially one who went through so much to find me. At first, I thought it would be better if I just kept it to myself so I could watch over you without causing you more trouble with my hectic life. I thought I would be protecting you better, but I realized that you would be safer by my side. Besides I didn’t want to cause you more hurt because of me.”

          Hiei wrapped his arm around Horuna and pulled her in close. He brushed his lips softly against her forehead before kissing her lightly. The touch of his kiss against her forehead stopped her trembling body. The security of his embrace made the feelings in her heart explode causing her tears to fall more frequently.

          Those tears were different from the ones she normally had. Those tears weren’t caused by feelings of fear, confusion, or sadness. Those tears were formed by happiness.

          “You don’t have to cry anymore, Horuna. You are safe now. I’m going to protect you from now on.” Hiei whispered softly when he noticed her tears.

          “I am trying to, but I can’t.” Horuna answered softly as she wiped her face with her hand. “I can’t control them. I haven’t felt a feeling like this in a while.”

          “A feeling? What feeling?” Hiei held her tighter as he listened in intrigue at her words.

          “Happiness… I haven’t been this happy in a very long time. I don’t know how to control it.”

          “Happiness isn’t something you can control so don’t try to. Just enjoy it.”

          She couldn’t respond for she did as Hiei said. She let the strange feeling of happiness take over while she nestled into his chest. The overwhelming emotion made her tears overflow, but these tears were different from the other ones. As each tear fell down her cheek, they turned into small jewels of red and ice blue. They landed softly into his lap.

          The beautiful jewels of the Ruby Ice Maiden fell gently as they were created by the power of her love for her brother. Her heart swelled when she realized that she finally fulfilled one of her heart’s desires. After so much pain, heartache, and many years, she was finally able to be reunited with the brother that she longed for all along.