FicWad

Yusuke and his group had noticed the surge of energy within the forest as they sat in their Hotel room, and though they were curious of it's origin they didn't investigate. Most likely it was from a Demon, they assumed. "I bet it's another Demon trying to show off his energy to scare us," Kuwabara stated folding his arms across his chest as he sat back on of the sofas in their room. "Perhaps..," Kurama replied, his emerald gaze fixed on the window in the direction he'd sensed the energy, "However this feels different."

"Tch, whatever it is I don't care. All I care about is kicking ass in our next match," Yusuke stated in a slight huff. "Yes, that should be our first priority," Kurama replied with a nod, "It's a good thing we will have the day tomorrow to prepare and observe our opponents." His gaze then shifted to Hiei seated on the windowsill and looking out in the direction of the energy, from his face down to his injured arm he concealed within his pocket. No one else seemed to notice Hiei's injuries were incredibly severe, but of course he was the only one who could see through Hiei's facade. Of course it was possible the masked fighter could tell how injured he was, but it was difficult to tell since he almost never spoke.

Hiei's crimson gaze never left the trees that swayed in the distance, wondering as well where the energy had come from. With his injured right hand tucked away from view, he did his best to refrain from moving as even the slightest movement seemed to send a surge of pain rushing through his entire right arm.

As the sun began to lift into the sky signaling the next morning, Hiei left seeking solitude where he could attempt to deal with his injuries. Kurama too left shortly after to watch the fights and observe the fighters abilities and techniques. Yusuke left later in the morning to train, though he found he was unable to use his spirit gun.

The sun shining in through the window against Jessica's face soon awoke her, her brows furrowed as she blinked open her eyes and lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. Sitting up with a small yawn she looked around, her heart beating slightly faster as she realized she was still in their world. Standing up from her makeshift bed upon the sofa and pulling on the jeans Botan had given her, she made her way to the window. Jessica turned as the door to the bedroom opened, Botan stepping outside and yawning cutely. Her blue hair was pulled up with curlers in it, her purple eyes meeting Jessica's. A bright smile formed across her lips as she moved toward her, "Good morning.~"

Jessica too smiled warmly and nodded, "Good morning Botan. Did you sleep okay?"

Botan gave a small sigh, "Well, as good as I can on an Island full of Demons."

Chuckling softly in response, Jessica nodded, her dark eyes then shifting to Keiko as she emerged from the room after Botan. The two exchanged "Good Mornings" as well, spending the morning in their room as Botan attempted to convince Keiko to go and see Yusuke. As Jessica had expected, she refused not wanting to interrupt him as he seemed truly happy during his fights. Smiling warmly at her as Jessica sat upon the floor, gazing up at Botan and Keiko seated on the bed above her, she shifted her attention to Shizuru as she entered and interrupted the emotional talk.

Tossing a beer to Botan and Jessica and an Apple Juice to Keiko, the four of them made a toast to Yusuke kicking Demon butt the next day and got ready for the day. Jessica sipped from her can of beer, doing her best not to make a sour face as she did so. Even though she was of legal age to drink even in her own world, she had never cared for the taste of beer, but because Shizuru had been so generous to buy her one she refused to let on her dislike for the beverage.

"Jessica, will you come with me to watch the fights with Yusuke and the others? Koenma asked me to introduce you to them," Botan asked the brunette female, interrupting her focus on downing her beer. Blinking her dark eyes at the bluenette for a moment Jessica gave a nervous smile, "...Are you sure..? I mean... I don't want to be in the way or anything..."

Botan stared at the girl for a moment before she laughed, "Of course I'm sure! You won't be in the way, I promise. Besides, how could you possibly be in the way when you're helping?~"

A small blush crept across Jessica's cheeks, a warm smile curving her lips in response to Botans words, feeling thankful that they were being so welcoming to her. "Well... alright," Jessica finally answered with a gentle nod, receiving a beaming smile from Botan in response. "Great!~," the bluenette chimed, finishing her beer and rising to her feet.

"I'll stay here with Keiko," Shizuru stated, smiling at her as she took another sip from her beer.

Botan nodded and waved to the two as Jessica followed suit and walked with Botan out of their Hotel room and down the halls to the exit. Upon exiting through the glass doors, Jessica could instantly hear the chirping of birds within the trees as the two made their way to the arena. "Oh, by the way," Botan started, turning to look at Jessica as they walked, "Koenma said we shouldn't mention anything about where you come from if we can help it. If they find out that you know as much as you do it could have negative consequences if they find out anything. And if they find out that you know all of these things they will no doubt ask you to tell them." She gave a small sigh, "And it would be best to just not tell them anything so they aren't bombarding you with questions you can't answer."

Jessica blinked her dark eyes at the bluenette, but nodded in understanding, "Alright. So...what should I tell them if they ask then...?"

Botan smiled, "Don't worry, we'll just tell them that you're working for Koenma because he sees potential in you. After all, it's the truth... just not all of it."

A small smirk curved Jessica's lips and she nodded, "Alright, sounds good to me."

Once the two arrived at the arena and entered, Botan spotted Kurama standing at the entrance to the stands watching the fights below. His attention then shifted to the familiar bluenette, a polite smile on his lips, "Oh, hello Botan. If you are looking for Yusuke, He, Kuwabara and the masked fighter are watching the fight from the stands. His emerald eyes then shifted from Botan to Jessica his brow perking questioningly.

"Oh, thank you Kurama. This is Jessica by the way..," Botan stated, introducing the new girl to him before giving the explanation of her presence the two had previously spoke about on their way to the arena.

"I see," Kurama stated, though he still held a hint of suspicion toward Botans explanation. She did seem different from an ordinary human he sensed, though he couldn't quite place what was different. She didn't seem to be a threat of any kind however, and so he greeted her with a polite smile, "It's nice to meet you Jessica. My name is Kurama."

A nervous smile formed across Jessica's lips, bowing her head politely, "Uhm.. It's nice to meet you too Kurama."

Before the awkwardness radiating from the brunette could get any more intense, Botan pulled her away and made her way down the stands toward where Yusuke and the others sat. She quickly introduced Jessica to them once they noticed her, Botan taking a seat beside Yusuke with Jessica seated beside her on the other side of Kuwabara. Yusuke and Kuwabara were welcoming enough to the new girl, though Yusuke was more non-caring than welcoming. The masked fighter however watched Jessica curiously from behind her bandages and Jessica gave a nervous smile in response.

Of course she wasn't surprised that the masked fighter would be suspicious, it was Genkai after all and nothing got by her. Yusuke seemed more interested in watching Toguro fight than finding out who she was, which she was thankful for. The less attention she brought to herself the better, otherwise she felt she may have an anxiety attack. Having social anxiety was difficult enough for her to deal with even with her medication, but here in this world she didn't have any. Fortunately, being with Botan and the other girls since meeting them seemed to help keep her calm for the most part.

Turning her attention to the fight below, Jessica watched as Toguro swiftly killed each opponent, one after the other. It felt as though the fight hadn't lasted more than a few minutes, but she supposed that was to be expected with Toguro. The only fight involving Toguro that would take a long time would be the one in which Yusuke would be fighting against him. Her dark brown eyes shifted to Yusuke who held a deeply worried expression on his face, his whole body visibly shaking. Botan too watched him with a worried gaze before they all left the arena for the Hotel.

Upon arriving at the Hotel Kubikukuri once more, Jessica and Botan followed the boys into their room, discussing the upcoming fight with Dr. Ichigaki's team. Botan gave a worried sigh before looking up at the brunette, a hopeful glint in her eyes. Without saying anything, Jessica gave a reassuring smile, hoping it would help to alleviate some of her worries. It seemed to help as Botan gave a silent nod, smiling back at her before turning her attention once again to the boys, "Well, this team seems to be a pretty strong one so you boys make sure to get plenty of rest tonight."

Looking around, Botan raised a curious brow, "By the way... where is Hiei?"

Kuwabara sat back on the sofa, his arms folded across his chest, "Beats me, shorty left early this morning and I haven't seen him since."

Jessica's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the fire demon, feeling as though her heart had skipped a beat just by the mere mention of his name. Shifting her dark gaze to Kurama, she expected if anyone knew where he was it would be him. He seemed to be the one closest to Hiei and able to read him much more easily than the others. And of course she knew he was aware of Hiei's injuries. All she knew was he was somewhere on the edge of the island..and in pain. That thought caused a dull ache to form in her chest, wishing she could help him in some way. Though, she knew she would only be in his way if she tried.

"Yes, he left shortly before I did this morning. I expect he's dealing with some personal matters," the red-headed male stated, feeling Jessica's eyes on him. His emerald gaze met with hers, curious of how she had reacted when Hiei's name had been mentioned. It was almost as though she knew him, based on her response. Even her energy seemed to shift slightly when his name was mentioned. This girl was a puzzle, and he was determined to discover her real reason of being there eventually. Though for the moment, his main priority was the Tournament at hand and surviving the fights they would have to endure.

"Well, shorty better not flake out on us, that's all I care about," Kuwabara grumbled.

"Don't worry, Hiei wouldn't just up and leave us when the stakes are high. His life's on the line just like the rest of us," Yusuke stated, confidence toward the fire demon within his voice, "He might not be much of a talker but when it comes to fighting he's always gonna show up."

Jessica couldn't help but smile brightly at Yusuke's words, nodding in agreement, "He's right. You should have more faith in him Kuwabara."

Yusuke raised a brow at the brunette female smiling so happily at what he'd just said, blinking his eyes in mild confusion and wondering why what he'd said had seemed to make her so happy. To him, he was just stating the truth as he saw it. Botan and Kurama too seemed to notice the brunette females reaction to what Yusuke had said, watching her curiously.

Kuwabara huffed, "Yeah, well I'm not gonna hold my breath. I still think he's gonna run out on us at the last minute to save his own skin."

"Well, there's no point in arguing, you boys need to focus on recuperating for the fight tomorrow," Botan stated, hoping to shift the conversation. Her purple gaze then shifted to Yusuke, "And you on getting your spirit gun back somehow..."

Yusuke groaned out a sigh, "Yeah, yeah I know, don't remind me... I'm worried enough about it as it is."

The masked fighter watched the spirit detective as he looked down at his index finger, clearly stumped over the reason why his spirit gun no longer seemed to be working. Of course, she knew why it wasn't working but Yusuke would have to figure it out himself.

"Well, it's getting late," Botan said rising from her seat and moving toward Jessica, "We should probably get back to our room and let the boys get their rest for tomorrow." With a nod, Jessica rose from her seat and gave a confident smile to each of them, "Good luck tomorrow. I have faith in you guys." With that said she followed Botan from the room and down the halls until they reached their own room. The remainder of the day seemed to pass by quickly, Jessica feeling increasingly nervous of the day to come, knowing that she would undoubtedly see Hiei then.

As nightfall came, the girls each went to bed in order to wake early for Yusuke's fight the next morning, and as the sun rose lighting up the sky, the four girls made their way to the arena to watch the fight as it neared it's start.