Full disclaimer: I watched Tomioka's dance routines for longer than I would care to admit but they are ridiculously talented. In no way do I think that they would need the extra help to win a competition. I hope you like this installment, and have a great day!

The turnout in the gym wasn't as high as I was hoping but Mrs. Tanaka reassured me that this was the largest turnout the noncompetition teams had seen in the last three years. Ling tapped her leg to bring me back to the present and I released it from my shoulder, catching her other foot and bringing it to rest on my opposite shoulder. Because my adrenaline was raised higher than normal with everything going on I avoided touching her skin. The last thing I needed right now was to forget my control and invade my teammates souls when there was already so much pressure.

"Have you seen the Tomioka team yet?" She wondered, her ankle shifting under her weight subtly to compensate for where her head was still telling her to go.

"Dressed to the nines and the coach is talking to the judges." I rolled my eyes but motioned with my head for her to deepen the stretch. "Don't worry about the other teams, it'll put you back in your head and out of the moment. You're doing incredible; don't let a few peacocks make you feel like you need to overcompensate."

She nodded, flushing and putting herself into the stretching. It didn't matter where in the world it was; there would always be the coaches that tried to play on the good graces or ingratiate themselves with the prize givers. The important thing was to show the necessary improvement and skill set to overcome those obstacles. This was no different. Hiei would just roll his eyes and say something snarky about how humans focused too much on trivial things when they should have been learning how to fight instead. God I missed him.

"Girls, bring it in." Mrs. Tanaka called to us. I rolled my neck and slid next to Aoi, Kana moving behind me and refastening one of the hooks at my shoulder blades. "Whatever happens today, I want you to know how proud I am of you. You have all worked incredibly hard to get here, practiced every day and moved past the idea of being the 'secondary team'. There is nothing secondary about any of you. I want you to show the judges that today. I am honored to be here with you, and I will be thrilled when you take the funding the competitive team couldn't."

I smiled at the team around me, feeling myself falling into rhythm with them. These girls who only months ago I felt resentment and irritation towards on an average basis I now felt something akin to friendship, acceptance. It was... refreshing.

A familiar energy resonated through the crowd, drawing my attention to an equally familiar Shizuru in a tan suit tucking her cigarettes in her front pocket. I grinned at her, offering a small wave when Keiko slipped next to her. A new adrenaline wave hit me at the thrill that they had actually come to see me. I almost missed the energy cloaked to near invisibility settled near the edge of the crowd in my excitement. But it couldn't be... Did he really...?

I jumped at Ling nudging me forward and settled into formation, closing my eyes to focus back into the moment.

"You have always been stubborn." I could hear Genkai's words from the Dark Tournament. It felt like a lifetime ago. "I knew that when I took you on. Stubborn but polite, determined but passive. Happy yet suffering. You rise and fall much like the tide. Despite what anyone will tell you, Ella, your emotions are not a weakness. I want you always to remember that."

I could feel them around me, every girl on this team. I could feel the individual energy and the nerves, the adrenaline. As the music started I snapped my eyes open and let myself just... feel...

If anyone had told me that in just under a year this team would be fluent and could actually perform a routine I would have laughed and probably cried a little in embarrassment that I had willingly joined the team, but to actually be here performing with them in front of a crowd? I could feel everything. I had worked so hard at blocking myself off so I wouldn't be constantly trapped in a whirlwind of everyone else's emotions. But it felt natural to be here. The world outside didn't exist, and for ten minutes I would relish that feeling before dive bombing back into reality once more.

When we took a bow I humored the girls in letting them bounce me around in excitement at our 9.2 score. Waves of pale blue with the occasional flash of color from the two untapped psychics on the team caressed my skin, and for once I didn't feel invaded or sick at so many souls touching mine; it must have been the adrenaline causing me to feel so comfortable.

I ducked out of the group while the chattering commenced and families started to intermingle, waving to Mrs. Tanaka to let her know I would be right back, sneaking out the side door of the gym and wandering out into the back of the school.

There weren't any trees in the back of Meiou High like there were in Sarayashiki High, being more centralized in the actual city, but somehow he managed to blend into the potted plants and the benches enough that most of the people communing for the competition probably wouldn't even glance at him. It was a strange sight to see him pouting next to a pillar rather than in the middle of the woods.

"You came." I grinned, leaning on the cool stone next to him. He gave his usual noncommittal 'hn' and turned his face away from me. "It means a lot, Hiei. I know this isn't something that interests you but you came anyway. Thank you."

He glanced at me, glowering at my human need to speak my emotions, and I just smiled at him. "Your teammates need more work."

"Everyone needs more work on something." I shrugged. "They've come a long way. I'm happy with how we did today."

"You shouldn't accept competency when you have to carry them."

"Did you just compliment me?" I flushed, turning to face him fully as my brain wrapped around the idea that the demon in front of me might actually have just said something kind of sweet. His eyes widened for a nanosecond, so short a time I would have missed it had I not been staring at him, before narrowing further as his defensive nature set in. "I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Don't be stupid."

"I can't believe you told me I'm good at something."

"I didn't say I thought you did well."

"Just that you thought I did the best." I shot back, grinning and poking his cheek. He swatted my hand away, his temper deflating visibly at my teasing while his irritation that I would actually tease him stayed firmly in place. "I'm such a lucky girl to have a boyfriend who says such nice things."

"What the hell is a 'boyfriend'?" He stared at me incredulously, pushing up from the pillar and moving to avoid me. I just laughed, wondering at how cute he looked when he was flustered. His eyes flicked to my mouth and back to my eyes, before he looked away again, and I sobered from my episode, examining him again.

"It really does mean a lot." I reiterated to him, quieter than I intended. He glanced at me again, trying to keep his face neutral while his eyes raged with his confliction. Kindness, openness, affection... I forgot sometimes how new it all was to Hiei, how distrustful it made him because he had never experienced it in his own personal life. I leaned forward and pecked his mouth, smiling again at the cool air meeting my lips seconds after contact.

"Ella, there you are!" Keiko bounced up to me and I grinned at her, getting enveloped in a hug by my older cousin. "You were amazing!"

"You really did a number on those girls." Shizuru released me, taking out one of her cigarettes and lighting up, blowing away from us. "Though if you had told me earlier about this I could have made sure more of us showed up to support you."

"How did you know anyway?" I rounded on her, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm nosy, your backpack was open." She shrugged, completely nonplussed that she had dug through my bag. I rolled my eyes. "Besides, you keep forgetting to give me your student forms. It's just easier to do it at this point than to try and remind you when you already have too much going on."

"Such a generous cousin." I drawaled. "But thank you. I really appreciate you both coming out here."

"I had no idea you were that good!" Keiko gushed. I felt my face burn. "And your outfits are amazing. I've never seen you look so feminine, even on the island."

"Well we will have to go for a night on the town sometime." I promised her. "I heard the theater is showing a French film over the next two weeks; would you want to go with me?"

Her eyes lit up. "I would love that! Maybe we can invite Botan for another girls day?"

"That sounds lovely." I agreed. "I hate to run out but I have to get dressed."

Shizuru nodded, tossing me my bag. I stared at it, frowning. "You forgot it at the house when you all were out last night. I doubt you want to be wearing day old clothes to go out today."

I nodded, ditching into the school again and bee-lining for the bathroom. The locker rooms would be a guarantee to get caught up in conversation and I needed to get going if I was going to catch up with everyone. I mentally thanked Shizuru for the clothes and shoes, happy to leave my old ones stinking up my locker to feel nice and clean for the day ahead. There was nothing worse than wearing dirty socks when you knew you were going to be running to and fro the entire day.