Shishiwakamaru caught Touya's eye and sidled out onto the balcony of their waiting room. He stood in the airless, breezeless heat of Makai for several minutes before Touya joined him, standing casually several feet away and looking up into the sky. Jin floated several hundred feet up, meditating - or so he would profess when he came down. Sure, he was sitting cross-legged and his eyes were probably closed, but every few minutes he would let himself drop a hundred feet before corkscrewing back up to a hundred feet above his original height. Then he would loop slowly down to his original spot and hover in that place a while before starting again. Touya smiled slightly - or at least, his eyes crinkled a little at the corners. The first time Jin had done his plummeting act, it had scared him so badly he couldn't speak for several minutes. Not that he would have done so in the first place, but the fact remained that Jin had scared him quite badly at first. Bakken had been witness to that particular moment of stupidity and had never let Touya forget it. Jin had never forgotten it either, for distinctly different reasons...

Touya watched as Jin dive-bombed the air, then turned his head towards Shishiwakamaru. "Well?"

The purple-haired imp was silent and thoughtful for a few moments. "I want you to do something for me, during the Tournament. During my match."

Touya blinked curiously. "Why?"

The other demon turned garnet eyes on him. Touya observed amusement and sadness and uncertainty before Shishiwakamaru saw fit to speak. "I want to know something. I'll tell you what I need you to do. I'd like you to relay Suzuka's actions to me, afterwards..."

"Oi!" Jin was zipping down towards them. "What're you two doin' out here?" He grinned at them disarmingly. Shishiwakamaru regarded him icily.

"Girl talk." He said blandly. Jin coughed, looked from the "shishkebab" to Touya, and cracked up laughing.

"Nice one, shishkebab!" The wind master chuckled, before zooming back into the skies, obviously understanding that they didn't want to be eavesdropped upon. Touya smiled as he watched him go.

Touya stood with his arms crossed in the center of the white stone arena, eyes fixed upon the screen and on Shishiwakamaru. He could see Suzuka working his way across the crowded floor to him, but he ignored that for now. Shishiwakamaru certainly was taking a beating, for all Touya knew he was acting. As he watched, the swordsman was knocked to the ground, not quite seeming to catch himself before he ploughed into the dirt.

"Shishiwakamaru's still fighting." He murmured to Suzuka as the self-proclaimed beautiful warrior reached his side. The blond demon looked surprised.

"I was sure he'd be finished by now." He turned concerned blue eyes to the screen. Touya closed his eyes and sent a brief pulse of power off towards the ice gem that Shishiwakamaru wore, sewn hastily into the hem of his shirt.

Touya watched in mild amusement as the imp allowed himself to be pummeled for a few moments and then - he had to blink - allowed himself to be swallowed by the monstrous demon he was battling. He let out a soft gasp of disbelief that was not entirely pretended. Suzuka was less reserved.

"SHISHIWAKA...!" He cried in horror. All the colour seemed to drain from his face. He was the picture of despair. Touya muffled a chuckle with a deep sigh.

"It's a shame... he was a powerful warrior..." He murmured as sadly as he could manage, just before the giant demon on screen seemed to rupture, an explosion of gore covering the lens of the nearest camera. Suzuka inhaled sharply, staring at the screen. When they cut to the next one, Shishiwakamaru's tiny imp form was hovering in midair, grinning maniacally and brandishing his tiny needle of a weapon with what Touya was forced to call homicidal glee.

Suzuka's shoulders sagged in apparent relief. Touya smirked. Success.

Suzuka was sitting by himself in his room in the house the group shared in what was still known as Yomi�s territory despite the demon�s professed urge to travel. They had arrived back late that afternoon, having farewelled Urameshi on his way to Ningenkai. He had spent most of his afternoon watching Rinku play cards with Shishiwakamaru, and chuckling along with Jin and Chuu when Shishiwakamaru lost abysmally every single round.

Finally he had retreated to his room and his thoughts, but apparently the day wasn�t done with him yet � there was a knock on the door. �Come in.� He called, stretching out on his bed. He sat bolt upright again when Shishiwakamaru slipped inside the room, his hair unbound and flowing down his back like purple silk. The imp closed the door quietly and glided across the room to look down at Suzuka with a slight smirk.

Suzuka had to remind himself of how to breathe when looking at the magenta eyes through a thin film of periwinkle.

�So, you were actually worried about me?� Shishiwakamaru asked without preamble. Suzuka blinked and then smiled slightly, catching on to what the imp was talking about.

�You�d been swallowed.� He reminded the purple-haired demon, scratching a hand through his hair. Shishiwakamaru merely smirked. �I wasn�t really worried��

�Oh?� Shishiwakamaru asked loftily. That single syllable broke Suzuka.

�All right, I was worried. I thought you were dead. I was stupid. I�m sorry for underestimating you � again.� The blond said rather sulkily. Shishiwakamaru laughed.

�Ah, Suzuka-chan, you misunderstand me. You misunderstand me most gravely.� The magenta-eyed demon took a step and sat down on the bed, pressing himself to Suzuka�s body and nuzzling the other demon�s neck. �I�m really quite glad that you were concerned�� Suzuka closed his eyes at the imp�s words, resonating to his ears through his body instead of through the air. He brought his arms around Shishiwakamaru and lay down, bringing the imp with him.

Rinku strode the corridors, scowling. �Shishi! I want another game! I�m boooooored!� Touya glanced at Jin. The glance said, �Bring him back or you will deeply regret it.� Jin blinked and went to get Rinku.

After several more card games � following which, Rinku sunk down to have a giggling fit at the faces Jin pulled during poker � Jin approached Touya, who was lounging on the floor reading a book Jin wouldn�t have touched with a ten foot pole, unless of course he was stealing it from the ice master in an attempt to get his attention. He didn�t have to do that now. Touya had been expecting a few questions.

�What was that about?� Jin whispered, surreptitiously cuddling the ice master. Touya smiled slightly at the affection and leaned back into Jin�s body, but did not close his book.

�Shishiwakamaru asked me to observe Suzuka�s reactions during his first tournament match.� He said simply. �Suzuka was quite concerned when he believed the shishkebab was dead.�

�Ahhh.� Jin grinned fiendishly into his lover�s shoulder. �So you�re sayin� no admittance to demons under a hundred, then?�

A true grin graced Touya�s face for a second. �Aye.� Then he blinked. �Jin, you�re not to��

But Jin was off and flying for Suzuka�s room, determined to make as much of this as possible. Touya heard a door crash open, some muffled squeaks, and then Jin was back, significantly less cheeky than he had been. He hid behind Touya, who sighed slightly. �I tried to warn you.�

�Let�s never do that. It looked painful.� Jin muttered into Touya�s hair.

Rinku and Chuu stared at them, then went back to playing poker.

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