Having come to visit Mukuro, Hiei has been fighting continuously in an underground battle arena for half a year. As Hiei had gained power that far exceeds A class demons, Mukuro ordered him to fight one of his 77 attendants, the Demon Realm physiotherapist, Shigure. Shigure was the man who performed the evil eye transplant surgery on Hiei.

The Secrets of the Evil Eye Revealed

Shigure says that his fee for Hiei's evil eye was that if Hiei ever did locate his sister, he couldn't tell her he was her brother. He says if Hiei can defeat him now, he will return his payment. Hiei says that, like he told him before the operation, he never intended to reveal who he was in the first place. Mukuro says that's enough reminiscing -a fight is a fight. They are to stake their lives. As the two get ready, Mukuro thinks that an earnest battle is the best, regardless of one's capabilities. At the moment when it is decided, the journey taken by both sides blossoms and scatters like fireworks. He tells them to begin.

Hiei thinks that it's not to his advantage to let this fight drag out. There is a chance of him winning if he uses his flame demon energy. Mukuro thinks that if the two fight just using their weapons, the odds are 7 to 3 that Shigure wins. Hiei thinks that before, he fought to live, and would go to any lengths to win. That was because before, he had a purpose. But he doesn't now -now it's only about how he dies.

He runs forward, as Shigure remains in place. Hiei leaps towards his opponent...

Years ago, in the Land of Glaciers, the village elder told Rui that she knew her and Hina are were close. But she said there was no need for pity, as she knew how many of their sisterhood had been killed by abominable children. As Hina screamed for her to stop, Rui placed a hirui stone crystal on Hiei, and told him to come back to them alive -and when he did come back, she asked him to kill her first. She then dropped him.

Hiei survived, where he was found by a group of demon thieves. The group's leader wasn't interested in him, but then saw the hirui stone he was holding.

The leader tried to take it, but Hiei bit him. Hiei grew up with these thieves, and one day was being chased down by a couple of other demons. He killed them both. As a child, he enjoyed the deep red slice of flesh, just before it spouted blood, and when he heard screams, it would make him smile. He knew that the crystal stone he carried was a supreme treasure, and he wore it around his neck, in order to show it off to the thieves. By doing that, there was never any shortage of blood for him to spill.

As he spent many years engaged in carnage, Hiei began to think that he wouldn't care if he never found the Land of Glaciers. He returned to his demon gang one day, but the moment everyone saw him, they hid. Hiei realized that, just as he grew tired of killing, even the thieves who'd taken him in had come to fear and avoid him.

The time he spent staring at his stone increased, and when he looked at it, it made him feel calm. As he changed lands, his enemies changed as well. One day he fought against a strong demon, who managed to cut his necklace.

This resulted in both the hirui stone and himself falling off a cliff. Hiei stabbed his sword into the cliff, and used it to propel himself upwards, when he stabbed and killed his opponent. But the stone was lost. There were now two things he was searching for: the Land of Glaciers, and the crystal he had lost.

To find them, he needed sharper eyes. It was at this point he found Shigure, and asked him to perform a jagan operation. Shigure looked at him, and told him a kid like him couldn't withstand the pain. He told him to give it up, and go home. Hiei unsheathed his sword...

...but he stabbed through his own hand. He told Shigure that he's prepared for this. Shigure said that he accepted surgical requests based on one criterion, which is whether or not he is drawn to the patient's life. Which means that, if Hiei has had a dull life up to now, he won't do the operation. Hiei says his life isn't worth talking about, as it's so bad, it even makes him sick.

Sometime later, Shigure did the operation. Hiei endured the agony of having the evil eye implanted, and also had to lose all of the spectral power that he had worked so hard to build up. He woke up, and heard a noise outside. Outside, Shigure was using his weapon to cut down some trees with ease.

Hiei went outside, and told Shigure he has an odd sword. Shigure said it's called a brimstone ring blade, made from the bones of the bison that live in the Demon Realm. Hiei then started to walk off, and Shigure asked him where he was going. Hiei said the operation was over, so he has no further business with him. Shigure warned him that he has lost practically all of his spectral power, and if he tried going into the woods as he is now, he wouldn't be able to even beat a baby. Shigure offered to teach him how to use a sword, as if his patients died on him right away, their surgeries would have been a waste. Hiei decided to stay after all.

Back in the present, Hiei is still surprised that he is now facing Shigure in combat. He wonders if this is his destiny... it might be a nice place to die. The two clash, and blood goes everywhere.

Hiei falls, having had one of his arms cut off, and taking a bad hit to his gut. Shigure has had part of his head sliced off. Mukuro sees that the fight has ended in a draw.

Mukuro saw everything. As the two clashed, Hiei turns his sword and blocked Shigure's hit, causing it to slice through his own arm in the process. Hiei then stepped on Shigure's weapon, and cut off one of Shigure's arms.

Shigure tried to counterattack, but Hiei dodged his move. Hiei then swung his sword, but Shigure blocked his strike, causing part of Hiei's sword to shatter.

He then plunged his weapon into Hiei's gut, but as he moved forward, Hiei moved to his side, and sliced through his head.

Hiei thinks that a draw is not that bad of a way to die. Mukuro walks over to him and says that was a magnificent fight. He decides to give him a reward: the hirui stone he was looking for. He knows this stone was something Hiei was looking for over half his life, but to him, it was no more than a tribute that was paid to him by one of the lands he rules.

Hiei says he doesn't need some stone that reeks of his stomach acid any more. He then collapses, so Mukuro crouches down next to him, and asks why he chose this way to die -why is he in such a hurry to die? He places his arms on him, and is able to read his memories. With his evil eye, Hiei was able to locate the Land of Glaciers.

He traveled there, and all the ice maidens that saw him ran off. He thought they all looked somewhat miserable and apprehensive, which led to him losing his desire to kill them. He didn't have to do anything, as it was like the village was already dead. Nearby, he found Rui with the village elder. The elder then left.

Hiei confronted Rui, and she backed away. He told her he didn't intend to do anything to her, he just had a question. He asked about Hina, only to find out she had died. Rui took him to her grave, and he found out she had taken her own life. Rui explained that Hina also had a daughter, called Yukina. However Yukina went off somewhere many years ago, and they don't know where.

Hiei then walked off. Rui realized Hiei was the baby she threw off the land a long time ago, but Hiei ignored her and left. He now knew his sister's name was Yukina, and nobody knew where she was. He started to search for her, and went to the Human Realm. There, he encountered a demon who had taken human form: Kurama.

He joined with Kurama and Gouki, and stole the treasures of the Spirit Realm. That incident was how he came to know a human who was serving as a spirit detective.

His meeting with Yusuke made him change slightly. Inside Tarukane's mansion, he found Yukina. Naturally, she didn't know who he was. He didn't say anything, either. His life went on, but around the time he grew tired of fighting in the Human Realm, the messengers from the Demon Realm came.

Yukina gave him a hirui stone, asking him to pass it to her brother, if he finds him. It wasn't the stone he'd been searching for, but after seeing Yukina's expression, he figured it'd do just as well. His objective disappeared, and there was no longer any reason for him to live. He traveled to the Demon Realm, and all there was left for him to do was fight. He started to think about the way he could die.

Back in the present, Mukuro says that of all the consciousness he has touched, his was the most pleasant one so far. He tells him to rest well. Later on, Hiei is placed in a chamber, and is being revived. Mukuro says the hirui stones are so strange, as they seem to have the power to draw out all of one's hatred. But thanks to the stone he had, he was saved. Mukuro removes the bandages around his head, revealing that he's actually a woman. She says that from the time she was born, she was a prisoner. She too lost something in order to pay for her freedom. She became strong by cursing those around her, and there was a time when she killed anyone that caught her attention.

Without that stone, her heart would have been filled with hatred, and fighting would have been her ways of venting it. She removes her clothes and tells Hiei that, as promised, this is who she really is. She tells him to look at her, as she can show him everything. She then tells Hiei to live, as he is not yet strong enough to seek the manner of his death. He must live, and this time, he can touch her consciousness.

NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW

(Yusuke is speaking)

What awaited Kurama, who went to the Demon Realm at the invitation of Yomi, a friend from the past, was not a warm reception, but cold, hate-filled maneuvering. After the passage of a thousand years, the two men's ambitions and ties had become intricately entwined. Next time: Demon Realm Thieves - A Thousand Year Reunion.