The Dark Tournament

By: Kiba/KibaSin

Summary: The Dark Tournament will never be the same again now that Team Higurashi has arrived. [One-shot]

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.

Genre: General/Drama

Rating: T

"What do they expect to do, they're just a bunch of little girls?"

"Human bitches, is more like it!"

The crowd erupted in laughter, while the female team walked toward the arena. They kept themselves erect, not giving into the taunts thrown from the crowd in their direction, and stood proudly next to the arena once they arrived at the edge.

"They're gonna get killed out there!"

"Quiet, fool." Hiei slid his eyes toward Kuwabara, and watched as he turned red in the face. "It is obvious that they hold some type of power, otherwise they wouldn't have been even been allowed in this tournament."

"You just don't get it, do ya, shorty!?" Kuwabara roared. "They're girls—and not just girls, but human ones at that—and you just don't hit a girl!"

"Clearly they don't believe in your morals," the hybrid stated.

"Why you—!"

"Kuwabara, perhaps now is not the time." Kurama placed a calmly hand on his arm, and motioned toward the arena. "They're about to begin."

"Okay!" Koto's voice blasted over the speaker. "Team Higurashi and Team Nomi have agreed to one-on-one match ups! That means that the first team to win three out of five matches win! And, of course, my lovely audience, it also means that we'll be able to watch the blood fly for a little while longer!"

The crowd erupted in laughter again.

"Yeah! Show those human bitches that they aren't wanted here!"

"Tear them a part!"

"I wanna see their insides!"

"Bastards!" Kuwabara snapped. He turned, ready to give the crowd what they wanted by tearing into them, but Kurama's hand tightened on his arm and held him still.

"Oh! It appears that Team Higurashi's fighter will be the, um, apparently very fit Sango!" Koto blinked, finally noticing the large weapon that the woman had strapped to her back. "Unless, of course, that weapon isn't actually—"

"Trust me—" Sango's voice was picked up by the microphone in Koto's hand, "—my Hiraikotsu is much heavier than something you can probably carry."

"Um, okay then." Koto pouted a little, before waving to the other side of the arena. "Team Nomi, have you picked your combatant?"

"I'm right here."

Koto jumped, spinning around to find bulbous green eyes staring lustfully at her. Her fur standing on end, she laughed nervously and inched toward the human woman standing nearby. "W-well, it appears that Team Nomi's fighter is none other then Kane!"

"Hn," Hiei smirked. "Talk about irony."

Smiling a little, Kurama said, "I must agree. Kane is an awful name for that—"

"—Beast," Sango said. "You better hope you can keep up with me."

"Ha!" Kane laughed. "You better hope you can keep up with me, girl! After all, once I get a hold of that pretty little body of yours, there won't be much left for anyone else to identify you with at your funeral."

"It looks like things are getting pretty heated down here, and I haven't even called for the match to start yet—" Koto stiffened, while Kane slid his gaze upon her and licked his lips. "—b-but, perhaps, it's best that I should! Begin!"

"Yess—!" Kane hissed, darting toward the human bitch that believed she belonged in a demon's tournament. He would rip her a part and then feast on her remains in front of her little girl friends, allowing them to see what they were in store for. Then, oh then—!

"Hiraikotsu!"

"Eh?!" Kane screeched. The sound was abruptly cut short, however, as Sango's massive weapon sliced cleanly through his body and ended his life.

The Hiraikotsu spun rapidly through the air, making an arch, and stopped only when Sango reached her hand up to grab at the strap. She slid backward a little on the stone arena, but smirked as the crowd was forced into silence at her display.

"U-um," Koto gapped. "I-it appears that Team Higurashi's fighter, Sango, has cut Team Nomi's fighter, Kane, in half. By d-default, as all pieces of Kane had remained down for ten seconds, she is the winner! Team Higurashi has won the first match!"

"What?!"

"That human actually—!?"

"No!"

The crowd hissed, spat and roared the instant Kane's caress was finally dragged from the arena.

"Ha!" Kuwabara grinned. "It served that demon right for thinking he was so high and mighty! You two could really learn a lesson from that—Hey! Are you even paying attention to me?"

Hiei leaned toward Kurama, asking, "That style—"

"Yes," Kurama nodded. "That style hasn't been seen in nearly five hundred years, Hiei, for the last person to use it was a demon slayer."

"That's what I thought."

"You guys—!" Kuwabara scowled.

"Hn?" Hiei finally turned his head. "Was there something you wanted, human?"

"Gah! You know, I should really kick your ass, and prove to you once and for all that you're not nearly as cool as you think you are, Hiei!" Kuwabara huffed. "In fact, why don't we—!"

"Now, now," Kurama smirked. "There's no need to get testy, Kuwabara. It is merely Hiei's way of saying he likes you."

Hiei snorted. "Oh, yes, and next you'll be telling him that I hold some type of sentimental feeling toward his health, Kurama. Don't make me laugh."

"See?" Kurama asked.

"Forget it, Kurama. He's just a mean little fucker, and we all know it."

"Shut up, will you," Hiei replied to Kuwabara. "The next match is about to begin."

"It appears that Team Higurashi's fighter, Kikyo, is eager to compete, folks!" Koto's tail twitched a little, and she felt an odd sensation as the woman neared her location. "She certainly doesn't look like much to me, but if the last fight was any hint, I'm sure that Kikyo will prove to be just as entertaining as—!"

"Your voice really does grate on my nerves."

Koto stiffened beneath the woman's stare. "U-uh, o-okay." She laughed nervously. "B-but, I'm just doing m-my job! Really!"

"Retrieve my opponent and shut up."

Koto huffed, stating, "Rude much." Then, she turned toward the other side of the arena and watched as another demon hopped up onto the stage. "Oh! Team Nomi has already selected their fighter, everyone, and it appears that our next match will be against Kikyo and Kichi."

Kikyo chuckled underneath her breath.

"Hm?" Koto leaned toward the woman. "Is there something you find amusing?"

"Yes. It is ironic that my opponent's name translates as 'fortunate,' considering he is not very," Kikyo said.

"That's a very confident statement." Koto twitched. "Is there anything you'd like to say in reply before I allow you to begin, Kichi?"

"Only that it is unfortunate I have to carve into such a pretty face."

"We will see." The woman, Kikyo, swung the bow on her back into her hand and fingered the drawstring lightly. She stood tall, regal, and was not fazed in the slightest by the constant roar from the crowd for her blood to be split.

"Is she… really gonna fight with that little bow?" Kuwabara asked.

"It would appear that that is her weapon of choice," Kurama replied. "Though, from what we have seen thus far, I'm certain that there is probably more to this Kikyo than we may see on the outside."

"Yeah." Kuwabara nodded his head. "The moment they walked in, I got this feeling, like one of them doesn't really belong here, and—"

"How many times must I tell you—?" Hiei's sarcastic voice easily overpowered Kuwabara's.

"—That's not what I meant, shorty!" Kuwabara snapped. "I mean, that woman, she feels almost like Yusuke did when he took over my body that one time. Like, she's dead. But, that can't be right, can it, I mean, look at her."

Kurama pondered the statement for a moment, then said, "There is, actually, a distinct smell of clay and death in the area."

"B—"

"And begin!"

Quick as lightning, Kikyo strung a single arrow into her bow and fired.

"Ahhhhh!" Koto squealed, her fur standing completely up, as a massive amount of pink energy suddenly released itself from the woman's body and launched along the path of her arrow. She scrambled off the stage, practically screaming into her microphone, "Team Higurashi has a miko in their ranks! I repeat, for those who want to live, Team Higurashi has a miko in their ranks!"

But, it was already too late. Kikyo's arrow sliced through Kichi like paper, turning him to dust, and then turned the pure energy trailing behind it upon the crowd. By the time it finished its course, embedding deep into a stone seat, nearly a fifth of the crowd had been obliterated.

Team Nomi themselves barely survived, receiving harsh burns in their flight.

Blinking emotionlessly, Kikyo turned on her heel and retreated back to her team. She placed her bow back over her quiver, and stood regally next to who she knew would be their team's third and final fighter.

"E-everyone," Koto whimpered. "I'm only going to say this once—"

"—if you fear for your life, it might be best to leave now. I mean, I'm seriously thinking about it myself!"

Kuwabara continued to gape at the vast area that Kikyo had wiped clean, and shivered at the feel of her pure, radiating energy as it blanketed the area. "Holy—"

"That," Kurama frowned, "will be a very hard opponent to beat."

"Whoever organized them actually had a brain, apparently," Hiei scoffed. He, too, knew that a miko would be a difficult opponent. Especially one that contained as much spiritual energy as the one on Team Higurashi. "A slayer and a miko. It's almost enough to make me wonder how long it took to find them all."

"Yes, that is the question, isn't it," Kurama nodded. "The art of demon slaying has been buried for five hundred years, and the last true miko to be spotted purifying demons was nearly two hundred years ago. Whoever put Team Higurashi together knew what they were searching for, and, on top of that, they must have known both arts. I doubt a miko of Kikyo's caliber would have sprang out of nowhere."

"That's it!" Kuwabara growled. "I want to know what you two are talking about! It's almost like you're talking in code, and I really don't like it! What the hell is a miko?!"

"A miko is a woman with the ability to eliminate demon's with a simple brush of her energy, Kuwabara," Kurama explained. "Some of them have even contained the ability to destroy demon souls so that reincarnation cannot occur, and those with a relatively large supply of holy energy are capable of killing wicked humans, as well."

Kuwabara's eyes widened at the information, as he said, "Man, that's cool."

"Perhaps to you." Hiei snorted. "To us it is a serious threat that must be killed, since miko were known for seeking out demon life in order to destroy it. They hate us and we hate them; it is a simple fact of life."

Koto hesitantly stepped back onto the stage, her tail twitching madly, as she shyly shot glances in the direction of Kikyo. The woman met her gaze without hesitation, making her jump, and squeal frightfully into her microphone. "U-um—" she spoke quietly, remembering all too well what the woman had said about her voice, "—Team N-Nomi, are you still capable of fighting?"

A handsome demon stepped onto the stage, his once beautiful face reflecting his displeasure. An angry burn covered half of his face, as evidence of Kikyo's attack. He growled from deep within his chest, saying, "Bring which bitch wishes to fight me forward. Rest assured, she will not live to see another day."

Koto almost felt comforted by his statement. However, the memory of Sango and Kikyo's quick victories were enough to make her see reason. "It appears that Team Nomi's captain, Yoshi, will be fighting against—" she flickered her eyes toward Team Higurashi, "—against—?"

A small woman stepped up onto the stage, her bright blue eyes glittering sadly, and she smiled a little at Team Nomi's captain. "I'm sorry to say that we're here to win this tournament, even if it means that we have to kill in order to achieve that goal."

"Don't pity me, bitch," Yoshi spat. "It'll be you who finds their blood split upon this floor next. Then I'll deal with the rest of your pitiful team, including that overly cocky miko."

"—against Team Higurashi's captain, Kagome!" Koto finished.

"That's their captain!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "I would have thought that miko girl would have been the captain!"

"Yes, it is strange, but…" Kurama hesitated. "There's something odd about this Kagome. Surely you feel it, Hiei."

"Hn." Hiei narrowed his eyes.

"That's what I thought," Kurama frowned.

"Y-you two are doing it again, aren't you?!" Kuwabara scowled.

"Forgive me, Kuwabara," Kurama sighed. "It is merely that that woman there feels as if she could give me everything that I ever wanted. Like something inside of her is calling out to me, tempting me with my greatest desire, and… oddly enough, I almost feel compelled to answer that call."

Kuwabara frowned, stretching out his sixth sense. "Could—" he paused. "Could it be that weird glow coming from her chest?"

"Glow?" Kurama asked.

Yoshi's eyes narrowed. He suddenly felt very strange, as if he was being called to, and his breathing deepened. He would not admit it, but some dark part of him whispered that he could have tremendous power as well as the woman that stood before him. He could easily force her into submission, wrap her pretty little thighs tight around his waist, and gain everything that he could ever want in life. Yet—

"You can feel it, can't you?"

Yoshi gasped. The woman's very voice sent shivers down his spine.

"You want it, don't you?"

Koto stiffened—she could do so much more for herself than this—and tried to shake away the strange—she could do anything—feeling that suddenly—she could have anything—came over her. "I… I seem to have…" Koto stopped. "Something very strange… is going on down here."

Kagome's eyes were suddenly scarlet, the blue leaking away until only the malevolent color remained, while she smiled. "You could have it all, you know," she whispered. Her voice was seductive, yet strangely pure as it escaped her mouth. "You could have everything you ever wanted."

Koto stumbled, her head spinning. "I…"

Yoshi did not hesitate. Within a moment he was before the tempting little bitch, his jaw snapping, as he glared down upon her delectable form. "You think your little trick will make me submit to your will, do you?" he growled. "Think again, bitch."

He struck, but the small woman was nowhere to be found in the rising debris.

"I do not believe our dear announcer has said that we can fight yet."

Yoshi's eyes widened, as he turned to find the seemingly human bitch standing behind him. She was completely unfazed by the speed at which she had used, standing straight, and his nostrils flared as her delicious scent wafted up into his nose. And he hissed deeply, detecting the slight demonic energy that began to leak from her flesh.

A small, black substance slid from the edge of her mouth, drifting downward and gathering with the rest of the black mist rising near her feet. "Naughty, naughty."

"Y-you're right," Koto nodded slowly. Her whole body felt limp, and she could only whisper, "Begin…"

"Are you positive you cannot see them, Kuwabara?" Kurama asked.

"Yes, I'm positive!" Kuwabara pouted. "There's no weird, misty, dog-looking creatures, and I'm starting to think that you're just making stuff up to make me look bad."

"I can assure you that is not the case." Kurama smiled a little in humor, though he kept close watch over the odd, dog-like creatures that slid in and out of the black mist coating the bottom of the stage. If he was correct, they were commanded by the woman, Kagome, standing on the stage and waiting patiently for Koto to give the signal to—

"Begin…"

"Holy shit—!?!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

It happened almost too quick for the eye to see, as grotesque, mutilated dogs appeared seemingly from nowhere and latched onto Yoshi with poison dripping fangs. The demon captain was not even given a chance to scream, as one particular dog clamped onto his throat and tore his head from his shoulders.

The black mist erupted within the chaos, creating a vortex that not only created more of the mutilated dogs to feast upon Yoshi's flesh, but also swiftly swept the small woman's form from view.

"They're gonna eat her!" Kuwabara shouted. The dogs had left Yoshi's carcass in favor of advancing upon the vortex. A trail of blood was left in their wake, as they snapped their fangs and circled the woman's small prison.

"Fool," Hiei huffed. "They were created by her, so why would they attacked her?"

"But—!"

Hiei's statement was correct, though, for the vortex shattered and the dogs stilled.

A clawed hand broke through the layer of mist that had suddenly cloaked the arena, and Koto squealed in surprise. The sudden appearance of the dogs had broke her out of her euphoria, and she was not positive how many more surprises she could take that day. "I-it would seem, folks, that some strange transformation has taken place here!"

The dogs suddenly growled in unison, then, without hesitation, threw back their heads as one and howled as a collective unit. The message was clear, even without the thick demon tongue that they spoke in, for anyone could see that they were greeting the one that had brought them into the world.

"O-oh!" Koto blinked, as the mist cleared. "It would appear that Team Higurashi's captain is not a human at all!"

"Actually—" two small, black ears twitched upon the woman's head, "—you would only be half correct."

"Whatever do you mean?" Koto asked.

Patting the head of one of the grotesque dogs, Kagome smiled. Its tongue, shredded and black, flopped from the side of its mouth as she scratched the small patch of fur remaining behind its ear. "Neither human nor demon, but stuck in between, thus the Shikon no Tama's guardian shall remain," she stated.

Knowing her history well, Koto's mouth dropped open. "Oh my!" she gasped. "It would appear that we've not only been graced with the presence of the esteemed Higurashi Kagome that protected the Shikon no Tama so long ago—which, now that I think about it, makes perfect sense—but also the mate of our High Lord, Sesshoumaru!"

The crowd literally paused in shout, having been complaining about the hanyou.

"Also," Kagome frowned, "it would be best if you knew all of your facts. Sango is not human, she is immortal, as she was cursed to never be happy with the one man she truly ever loved; and Kikyo is not human, either, for she is dead, attached only to this world by my soul."

"T-then what about your other two members?" Koto asked.

Team Higurashi's captain smirked, saying, "Declare us the winner, won't you?"

"O-oh, yes!" Koto nodded. "Of course, your excellency!"

"Now."

"The winner is Team Higurashi!"

"What reason," Kurama wondered aloud, "would Sesshoumaru have to allow his precious mate to compete in such a dangerous tournament?"

"Clearly, she is not defenseless," Hiei stated.

"No," Kurama smirked. "No, she is not."

They watched, blinking, as the woman knelt down beside a single dog and placed a soft kiss upon its nose. The mutilated dog gave only a whimper, before turning to dust. The rest followed after the first, each seemingly dismissed by the gentle caress that the woman gave them.

"Now," the High Lord's mate said, "if you will excuse us."

"O-of course!" Koto smiled nervously. She bowed as the woman stepped by her, her microphone picking up the captain's final command.

"Let's retire to our room now." The captain nodded at each member of her group, naming them as she went. "Sango. Kikyo. Rin. Kagura."

"They will not be an easy team to beat," Kurama sighed.

"But we can't fight them, they're—!"

"Shut up, won't you," Hiei growled.

"Why you—!" Kuwabara growled back.

Kurama only sighed again, and watched as Team Higurashi disappeared into the darkness of the arena's entrance. His eyes narrowed upon them, wondering what other secrets they held, before—

"They've decided to follow us, haven't they?"

"Fools."

"Kill them."

—thick, brilliant blades of wind crashed down upon the remaining members of Team Nomi, as the silhouette of one of Team Higurashi's members reappeared in the arena entrance. The sound of a fan snapping shut echoed into the silence, and then even she disappeared.

Team Urameshi could only frown in response to the attack. Team Higurashi… they would be the real competition.

—Fin

KibaSin: Every Yu Yu x Inuyasha writer has to have their period of Dark Tournament work. And, after watching those episodes again, I thought that I might write a little violence (and hopefully put a twist) using it. This is a one-shot, though, because I will not be writing a whole Dark Tournament fic (mostly because it's technically SessKag, and I'd want it to be HeKa).

Kiba