Chapter Seventeen: Invasion of the Cabbage Patch Zombies

As we raced up the next spiral staircase, I felt events starting to come together in a more logical order. Takara could connect with me in or out of fugue and it had been her song, her frantic, humming vibrations that did most of the work, but there had also been that gentle nudge. A compelling order from Hiei that I had felt, but not heard.

"That's great and all, but what about the poison?" Kuwabara asked. The pain in my head had dulled to a barely tolerable hammering.

"Oh, that? Sarai, are you immune to this one?" Yusuke questioned.

It had taken me a moment, but judging by the way my skin had cooled and how my vision was returning, I figured I would be fine, "Not quite immune, but resistant. The effects are already being counteracted. I need a moment more before I can handle the run. If past experience can be trusted I'll probably be able to heal myself before we run into trouble again."

Kurama's eyes had grown wide, "How?"

I'd shook my head and pulled out the partially empty vial of Black Death that was stored safely in my backpack. Both demons could recognize it and were disturbed by my casual handling, "I calculated how much of this I would need to start building up a tolerance without killing myself. Whatever she used is a hell of a lot weaker."

"Are you insane..." That had been Hiei, who had moved further away and was now looking back at me with a measured gaze.

"Who knows, but since it saved me now, it doesn't seem like a bad decision..." no one could argue with my point. I stowed the vial back where it could not be crushed and then looked around for something to cover up in.

After some digging I pulled out my extra jacket. It was old cotton, gray, and sleeveless with a hood. The thing fit a little snug, but I had no other options and didn't want to run around in what was essentially a bra if I had a choice. Besides, Kuwabara couldn't even look in my direction without acting ridiculously awkward and blushing crimson. For a punk, that kid sure was shy about seeing a girl's bare stomach and shoulders. The strangest thing for me was seeing the questioning glances at the scars on my back, which I quite pointedly ignored. I shrugged into the jacket and closed it with a zip.

After that I packed up Takara. I noticed that Seiryu's gem on the sigil was glowing with a blueish-green light. I sensed Byakko and Genbu resting inside the sigil, rather than manifesting themselves. I got the feeling that they were reacquainting themselves and trying to make things easier on me, so I didn't have to figure out how to carry both of them through the castle and potential battle.

There was little time to do anything else, but I stood next to where Yuki's corpse would have been. There was only a pile of black and yellowed crystal dust. Reverently, I gathered a handful of crystals and slid them into an empty vile. Yuki may have fallen, but she was still distant family and it just seemed right that part of her would make it out of this place.

With only one Saint Beast left we were all anxious to end this shit and head home. Which lead me to yet another spiral staircase that looked like every set of stairs we'd had to climb after an intense battle. It just wasn't fair and the burning in my lungs, legs, and back added to the splitting headache pounding behind my eyes.

Even though the poison had mostly left my system by now, I could still feel the last dregs of it making me nauseated. Genbu warned that I shouldn't try to enter fugue for another twenty minutes or so while my consciousness continued to heal, so that meant I couldn't cast a heal spell and I didn't want to use the one Chimeran Crystal I still had up my sleeve. I just had to tough this crap out until I was well enough to cast.

Kuwabara suddenly stopped, looking quite concerned, "My whole brain just felt like an ice cube...Something bad's happening, I think back on Earth."

"No telling how long we've been here," Kurama stated. "The Beasts most likely have organized a counter assault using the Makai."

"Only one more," Hiei said, "Lets not waste time." Everyone nodded in agreement and we went sprinting back up the stairs.

Finally, we reached a long expanse of roof. From this height, it was easy to see just how truly massive the castle was. There was still several minutes of sprinting before we made it to the odd shaped tower in the distance. The atmosphere was perfect for a final throw down. The dusty red sky was roiling with large black clouds that spit lighting through the air like a warning.

"What the hell is that thing?" Yusuke didn't slow his stride as he pointed at the tower.

"That's the watch tower," Hiei explained. "I'm sure that's where the Beast is hiding."

"Fine, then lets drag him out," Yusuke growled.

We were all tired, though some of us showed it less openly than others. It was easy to be grouchy after hours and hours of walking through a creepy, dangerous castle where everything tried to kill you. I normally kept my violent tendencies reserved to people who were directly threatening my life or the lives of those under my charge, but I was seriously starting to contemplate violence for violence's sake when it came to the final Beast. He was the leader, the asshole that started this whole mess. He was the mastermind that turned Yuki into a monster instead of letting her have a quick death. He was the one sending mutant demon bugs to take over people's brains...

"Sarai, you okay? You're growling..." Kuwabara let himself fall behind the others a bit so he could run along side me.

"Huh, oh, I was thinking about how much I wanna pound this bastard's face in..." I adjusted one of the straps on my backpack to a more comfortable position in mid stride.

"Haha, atta girl! But seriously, you should probably let one of us guys pound his face in..." I felt his attention flicker to the swelling on my lip and nose, where I'd smacked against the wall hardest.

"Hah! Try and stop me!" I sent him a smirk, trying to let him know I was okay, thoroughly broken in like an old pair of shoes, but okay. I had little aspiration to actually take the last guy on alone, especially when I still couldn't reach fugue. I wasn't suicidal. This wasn't my god damn story. I was just trying to collect some spirit juice and be on my way; side effects being the world as we know it continues to turn.

A weird, but recognizable thrum shot threw my brain, "Incoming message, Yusuke."

"Huh?" The communication mirror started chirping in his pocket, "Ah, what now," he didn't bother slowing down as he answered it.

"Hey Yusuke, small problem," Botan reported.

"Ah! Keiko!" Yusuke was clearly a little disturbed by what he saw.

"I had to pick her up from school. It seems that every infected person in the area is looking for her," Botan explained.

That caused Yusuke to come to a stop, "What?" The boy was clearly upset by the news. Kuwabara tensed angrily and even Kurama seemed to scowl.

"And I don't think they want to talk," Botan went on. "I'm almost certain they mean to kill her."

"Did you say kill?!" sweat was collecting on the boy's skin and his voice had heightened in pitch.

"So that's what my premonition was..." Kuwabara mused. He looked worried.

"The Beast must be using the Makai whistle to-" But Botan was cut off as a male voice nearby shouted something. We heard the girls scream and then watched Botan dodge towards Keiko before the screen went blank.

"Botan! Are you there?!" Yusuke shouted.

"We've got to keep going!" Kuwabara yelled.

"And smash that whistle as fast as we can..." Yusuke took off at a dead sprint and we all tore off after him once more.

We had almost made it to the tower when that little niggling feeling of being watched returned. I swore and flipped off the air, causing Kuwabara to shoot me a really concerned look, "Hey, you sure your head's okay?" he asked.

I may or may have not found it in me to snort at that comment, but we had finally come to a stop and my senses were tingling with something new now, "Damn it, quit stalling you worthless piece of shit!" I used one hand to gesture towards the tunnel off to the side where I could feel a large number of unfamiliar creatures approaching. I used the other to yank the kunai out of it's hidden sheath inside the waistband of my pants. If I couldn't spell cast then that meant I was going to have to get my hands dirty.

They were humanoid but sort of looked like seaweed monsters, with kelp for hair and spinach colored skin that was an odd mixture of leafy and scaly. They made moaning noises as they slowly walked forward, very reminiscent of some sort of cabbage patch kid zombie.

"What the hell is that. It doesn't feel like a demon..." My words were directed at the group in general.

"Cultivated humans. Demons grow them in large fields, stripping them of their free will at birth. They're used as the perfect slaves and sometimes as a food source," As Kurama answered, I felt my stomach rolling with disgust.

Dozens and dozens of them appeared out of the tunnels on either side of the door. I gripped my kunai and tried to calm the anger burning through my senses. It was difficult. I was tired, in pain, suffering from the after effects of being poisoned, and under a shit load of pressure. I didn't think it would be possible to surpass the bullshit we went through during Genkai's test, but Maze Castle sure had, probably between the second and third fight with the Tiger Beast.

I felt a cool sensation spread through my head as Byakko started coalescing on my shoulder. The vibrations from his reassuring purr seemed to chase away some of the haze that fogged my brain and I was able to get my breathing under control and slip into a proper stance.

"Whatever those guys are, there sure are a lot of them..." Kuwabara groaned, "Its going to take us a year to beat 'em all."

"Yes, considering our time restraints, this could be a real problem..." Kurama stated.

"I've had dealings with cultivated humans before," Hiei informed us, "they do not feel pain or fear."

"What a monster! I think Keiko is in some real trouble," the redheaded boy fretted.

"Like hell she is! I'm gonna blow 'em all away with my shotgun!" Yusuke got into stance, but Kurama put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Let's use our heads," he said. "Its not wise to waste your spirit power. The more impatient we are, the more mistakes we'll make."

Yusuke went to argue, "My shotgun blast is the only thing that's gonna get us through there..."

"No," Hiei interrupted. "Set your eyes on the first tower window. That is your door..."

The demon's suggestion was solid, but it was a long way up, and even with wall bouncing, I'd only make it part way. "Well I'm sorry, Hiei, but I didn't exactly bring my pogo stick!" Yusuke shot back.

"I'll need you to listen closely," Hiei explained his plan.

While Hiei told the boys how Yusuke would make it up, Sarai knelt down and started digging through her bag. When she found what she was looking for she let out a happy little laugh. The boy's were getting ready to start running, "Hold up, I've got something for you..."

She held up a glittering sapphire the size of a cupcake. Yusuke eyed it and snorted, "Listen, I know you like sparkly-"

"Shut up, Dimwit. It's a stored spell. If we're gonna separate then I'm giving everyone a parting gift..." Pulling out her kunai, she cut a shallow trail across the palm of her hand, smearing the gem with her blood.

"You know, I've been meaning to tell you that not only is that gross, but you should probably see a psychiatrist about your little hobby..." Yusuke smirked.

Sarai rolled her eyes, "Blood is like an amplifier, one of the best spell components actually. It will take the healing and replenishing spells in this and make it way more effective in every way its designed to be."

With that, the woman clenched her fist around the gem, "SANCTUARY!" The sapphire shattered into a glittering blue dust that whisked around in the air current before suddenly bursting into an azure aura of fire all around them. The radiant energy formed a ten foot wide pillar of light with the group standing at it's center.

As the energy licked across their skin it healed their wounds in rapid fashion. The nasty gashes the Tiger Beast had left on Kuwabara's skin disappeared over the course of fifteen seconds. Sarai's own bruises and cuts were healed and the Sanctuary spell burned the lingering poison right out of her system. She felt her headache being soothed by the cool blue energy. As their injuries were healed, everyone found that their spirit energy was being replenished as well, though at a much slower rate.

Even after each of them was at full health, the aura of fire didn't dissipate, "This spell will stay running on the ground for a few minutes so you can fall back here if need be." With that she turned to face the cabbage patch kid invasion amassing between them and the tower. "Alright boys, I think its time to do a little gardening."

Sarai and Kuwabara charged headlong at the group of cultivated humans. She cut a path through the sea of green creatures, taking kill shots whenever she could without slowing down. Once Kuwabara took his stance near the base of the wall, Kurama ran forward, jumping up the boy's back and standing on his shoulders. Sarai circled them, pushing the oncoming opponents away with powerful kicks and darting in for a cutting swipe to the neck or through their vacant yellow eyes before pulling away.

Hiei was the next to race forward, Sarai watched with her dulled sense as he hopped straight up, landing on Kurama's shoulders like it was nothing more than a walk in the park. Yusuke went last, kicking off each of their backs and then leaping up to catch the edge of the window and scramble up. Yusuke's heavy footed method knocked the tower over. Hiei and Kurama flipped off, landing with ease, while Kuwabara landed on his face.

"You have fun with the veggie heads!" Yusuke called down. As Kuwabara flashed him a thumbs up, the cabbage patch zombies began moaning a little louder as they encircled the group.

Kuwabara started brawling with them, unleashing powerful punches to their heads. Kurama pulled out his rose whip and was able to destroy several of the cultivated humans with his precise skill. Hiei used his sword, effortlessly slicing through the sub-humans as if they were little more than air.

I darted in and out of combat, choosing not to fight groups head on, but instead attacking targets that had strayed further from the mob. I hadn't had the chance to train on multiple targets and felt uncomfortable surrounded by so many enemies. It raised the hair on the back of my neck and overstretched my still sensitive senses. It wasn't long before I realized that I'd allowed myself to get too separated from the others.

All too soon I was surrounded by the mindless creatures. With a manic flurry of slashes, I picked a direction and cut a path through the wall of green bodies that trapped me. Foreign hands scrambled for purchase, grasping along my hair, jacket or arms. I felt the assault of dull fingernails scrape skin from exposed flesh as I wrenched myself free, only to be caught by a powerful punch to the stomach. The air was knocked right out of me, but I fell back on Amaru's training and didn't let it stagger me.

With a snarl I lunged, using my height and weight to bull rush everything in my way, knocking a handful to the ground in a tangle of limbs. The creatures were already trying to ensnare me in their crushing grip. There wasn't much time to make my escape before more creatures moved in to take the space of their fallen brethren.

Kurama had made a nice little space around himself, keeping a comfortable distance away from the dirty, grabbing hands of the cultivated humans. His attack and defense was perfect against these brainless opponents and he had attention to spare.

He kept a close eye on Kuwabara, who seemed the most prone to getting himself in trouble. The human was doing well though. It seemed he was experienced in the art of brawling multiple targets and powered through anything and everything that came at him.

With a flick of his whip, he walked through another patch of the dead heads, scanning the surrounding area with a wary eye. He saw Hiei leaping into the air and slicing through torsos and throats, never missing a kill.

It was then that he noticed he had yet to see Sarai. He followed his nose to one of the only thick patches of creatures left and found that she was right in the center. Before he had a chance to move towards her, Hiei had finished slicing through all the targets around him and ran straight at the mob, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of the hunt.

Kurama watched as Hiei tore through the mass of creatures. He hadn't quite neared Sarai when she finally emerged, jumping up and landing on the shoulders of one of the cultivated humans before leaping to the next, like running through unruly tree branches that tried to snatch and ensnare whatever touched them. She leaped from the creature, twisting through the air and right over Hiei, who was busy decapitating his latest victim.

What happened next was one of the strangest things he'd ever seen. Sarai joined Hiei's killing spree, and while they worked separately, with no overt acknowledgment, they seemed to work in tandem with each other. Hiei moved in straight lines, ruthlessly mowing the creatures down with his sword; Sarai ducked in and out of the swath he cut, sometimes crossing his path in pursuit of a new target, but subconsciously dodging any sudden swerves the shorter demon made to reach an opponent. He could see, by the look on Hiei's face, that the demon was focused on his fight and this was not a cooperative effort on his part. Never the less, by luck or design, the human and demon appeared to be in sync. Either way, Sarai was able to cope in the patches of space where Hiei tore through the mob and thinned their numbers.

It was not the first time he'd noticed something strange between the two of them. There had been curious statements, odd incidents and now there was this strange and fluid way of working together without working together. Something out of the ordinary was definitely going on and he knew exactly who to ask. Kurama had noticed Yusuke watching the two of them subtly through out the day, glancing from one to the other with some strange sort of understanding that had seemed odd at the time. He'd very much like the ask the boy a few questions next time they were alone.

When it happened, I felt like a tiny flame that had been sprayed with a stream of rocket fuel. My awareness rose and expanded out-wards, I could feel the connection to the Feather Fall spells I'd placed on both Kuwabara and Yusuke. Fugue was accessible and I could actually feel the rush of prismatic energy as it spun chaotically through my body.

By comparison to all the information feedback I was getting through my 'righted' senses, my head had felt empty and silent without it's connection to fugue. I slipped in eagerly, sending out crackling jolts of energy with my excitement that killed one of cultivated humans that was the closest to me.

I could sense Yusuke and the incredible amount of danger he faced, but more and more of the veggie heads were also appearing from the tunnels. "We gotta find some way to get to Urameshi," Kuwabara said.

"Yes, Kuwabara," Kurama agreed, "I have a strong sense that he needs our help."

Hiei, hopped up on the high of battle and guiltless slaughter, had a fierce expression. His eyes were practically flaming as he just gave a low growl of agreement and nodded his head.

Kuwabara took off at a run, heading straight for the mob, "I hope you guys are behind me!"

Hiei and I were in the middle, with Kurama bringing up the rear. My mouth had been healed by the Sanctuary spell, so I made a new cut with my teeth after pulling up the chain lightning equation. The veggie heads were stronger than the fugaki we'd first encountered and if I wanted to make as big of an impact with my Chain Lightning spell, I was going to have to empower it with blood. Once the equation was complete, I let it fly.

The four of us cut a path forward. My single minded goal was to make it to the doorway. When I did burst through the crowd, the others were fighting the unending tide of sub-humans. I didn't pause to watch, but ran forward through the door. A barrier spell, empowered to exist without me nearby would hold them off long enough for us to get up the stairs and to Yusuke.

Without another thought, I used my kunai to slash through the palm of my hand. The line I made was an unbroken, thick, stripe of blood that covered the sides, top, and bottom of the archway. It was easy to summon a barrier with all the blood spilling from my hand. Snapping into life with a crack, it shivered with energy and blue light. "HEY GUYS! COME ON!"

Hiei was the first through. I slapped my palm against the barrier just before Kurama ran through, closely followed by Kuwabara. As we ran up the next spiral staircase, I used some of the blood still flowing from my hand to power a small healing equation, which was directed right back into my palm to heal the wound. I hadn't meant to cut nearly that deep and the blood loss, combined with the curving run was making me dizzy.

It wasn't just the exhaustion, the constant warzone we'd run through or the fucked up shit I'd seen today that made me sprint a little faster. I could sense Yusuke's suffering. It was like a thick coat of bile coloring the air of this place, growing stronger as we ascended the height of the tower.

When I felt more cultivated humans coming down the stairs I felt all restraint leave me. Not even Byakko's soothing purr could help this time.

"Ah!" Kuwabara gasped, "They never end!"

"Lets not waste more time," even Hiei was starting to sound tired.

The boys moved forward, but it was slow going in the tight hall. Kurama and Hiei's preferred method of attack couldn't be used to full effectiveness in such close quarters without putting one of the team at risk. I only had one spell that would help and the last time I'd tried it I had completely lost control when Hiei appeared and my curse was released.

I stopped, letting them slowly push their way forward, one agonizing step at a time. Instead I took a deep breath, slipping further into fugue, while concentrating on the blood that still coated my dagger. The barrier spell was the core of the equation I sought, but I had to reverse its intent from shielding to attacking. It took far more power and concentration to sustain, but it was more suited to this task and we needed to hurry. Even if I was too drained to support Yusuke during the fight, the others would be fresher and able to help him. We'd never get there in time if we did this the slow way.

Hiei felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. He paused and glanced back to see the woman holding her palm forward. Her eyes were closed and instead of that infuriating smile, an intense expression darkened her face.

Static prismatic jolts of energy crackled and flicked off her hand before a rectangular barrier, more yellow than prismatic, came to life with a hum. Without opening her eyes, she began to slowly walk up the stairs, seeming to push the barrier forward with her hand.

Kurama and the idiot spoke to her, but she showed no signs of having heard them, or any intent to answer. Instead, she walked right past them, pushing the barrier into the descending wall of cultivated humans. When the the barrier came in contact with him, he sensed two different things. The energy itself was destructive, but like the other two, he wasn't harmed in any way by the violent energy. The second was that, as the energy passed over him, he could almost sense her thoughts. They made no sense, a pattern of strange symbols, numbers, emotions, and random color was all he could get an impression of before she moved forward.

When the barrier came in contact with the cultivated humans it crackled loudly, and burnt their green flesh to ash and cinder. She still moved slowly, but it was at a faster pace than the others could work with the space restrictions.

After a minute or so, the idiot gave up trying to get the woman's attention and they all walked in silence. The time was best used by restoring their spent energy reserves than by asking what were probably assinine questions anyways.

They had made a good distance when the Detective's power level shot up so high everyone could sense it. Hiei noticed that the woman paused mid-step and felt her attention waver for a fraction of a second, but the barrier wavered and she pushed herself back to the task at hand. They slowly made their way towards Yusuke.

Finally, they made it through the last of the cultivated humans. The woman's barrier dropped as it's ash blew away with a gust of wind. She swayed on her feet before dropping to her knees. Byakko coalesced on the ground beside her and spoke aloud, "Idiot, that was far longer than that spell was intended for. Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"Shut it, fuzzball. We've gotta get to Yusuke."

Hiei's eyes flickered over her grayish skin and the sheen of sweat that covered her face and neck. He observed the way she battled for control of her breath. She had fought hard, harder than a frail like her should have been able to and now it seemed the spells she used were finally taking a heavy toll on her. She knew her priorities and proved to be just as stubborn about them as the other humans when it counted.

"Yeah, lets go!" Kuwabara shouted before sprinting up the final staircase, Kurama hot on his heels.

Hiei's eyes were drawn to hers and then he nodded. He turned and sprinted, catching up to the others effortlessly.

I was spent. I couldn't fathom making it up this last fucking staircase, much less punching the last Saint Beast in his stupid mouth for putting us through all this bullshit. And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, an awe inspiring amount of spirit energy was gathered at the top of the tower by Suzaku in what felt like his final attempt to take out Yusuke. It was so powerful the stairs started crumbling around us. We were running out of time.

There was a huge gap ahead of us. We were all packed tightly together on a little section of stairs. After a few seconds of thinking, I watched as Hiei threw his sword into the stone steps we needed to reach. Kurama used his rose whip to wrap around the sword before turning back to us, "Needless to say, but hold on tight."

I knew exactly what they had planned and it made me shiver. I knew Kuwabara and I still had Feather Fall as a passive spell, waiting to save us, but that didn't make the little shock of terror that ran down my spine any less frightening. "Sarai, you and Kuwabara should hold onto me," Kurama offered.

The final positioning was awkward, but we all hurried. Kurama had his arm around my waist in an iron grip. I had one arm around him, and one around Hiei, but the short demon was more than capable of keeping a good grip on me. Kuwabara had his arms locked around Kurama from the other side. I kept my eyes closed, but that didn't stop my senses from telling me exactly what it looked like as we swung over that terrifying gap.

Once we landed, Hiei dropped down and Kuwabara sprung away from Kurama. Kurama was polite enough to make sure I was steady before letting me go. Then we all started racing up the stairs again. Fortunately we were almost to the top.

When we did make it to the top, the place was in ruins. There were no walls left, having all crumbled to rubble in the last blast. Yusuke was dying on the ground. My awareness told me he'd used all his energy and his heart was slowing, which Kurama confirmed.

Kuwabara freaked out, "No! We go home together or not at all!" With that, the boy shoved some of his own spirit energy back into Yusuke. As he did this, Hiei had a question to voice.

"Here's what I don't understand," Hiei spoke up, "Why would he bother saving her if he died in the process?"

"Trust me Hiei, there are reasons," Kurama answered him.

"Heh," Hiei replied as he looked back to the two boys, "Maybe for a person who's lived there, but I'd never do it. The challenge is enough without taking someone else's slack."

I couldn't help the short, tired laugh at his words. His wine colored eyes flickered with sparks of heat in my awareness, "What's so funny, woman?"

I sat down, right on the ground and leaned back into a rock. Pulling Takara from my bag was more difficult that it should have been, but I managed to grab her. The final gem stone was glowing a vibrant red. We must have been close enough to Suzaku when he died that the sigil called to the Phoenix's aspect before it dissipated along with the Saint Beast's soul. A heavy weight felt as though it was lifted from my shoulders, but the short demon was still waiting on a response. Shooting him an amused smile, I didn't bother opening my tired eyes, "Isn't it obvious?" Who said I had to take his crap anyways?

Kuwabara interrupted his irritated response by falling into a dead faint, the spirit drain too much for him to handle after the ridiculous day.

"Looks like we'll be carrying both of them back to Human World on our backs..." Kurama mused.

"Like I said," Hiei sneered, "babysitting."

A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all the comments and alerts. You guys really do keep me going even if things seem pretty quiet on the update side of things sometimes. I read every single comment and it helps me focus sometimes when I need to work. Also thanks to everyone who came by /snevillywoods on Facebook and said hi. I'm in the middle of writing chapter 18, but I also don't give myself a schedule when I'm dealing with PTSD stuff so don't worry if it's a few weeks before I update again. I'll be back, I promise. I have way too much planned for this story for it to just die. :) Once again, you guys are rockstars, thanks soooo much for reading my story. I can't get over how cool that is.

Something to look forward to next chapter: I'll be adding some complexity to the doppleganger arc (manga only), tying up some loose ends from 'Kurenai's Tragic End' and *drum roll* Hiei will finally come to understand just what the hell is going on. Please let me know through review or /snevillywoods on Facebook if there's something specific about the previous arcs you feel needs a bit more hashing out. The next chapter is for the kick ass Hiei reveal, but also to fill things out before we move onto the next anime arc, The Dark Tournament! I'm pretty excited. Are you excited? Sakyou is excited.