Sequel to "Kurama In Love". Kimura saves Yukina from some demons at the Dark Tournament only to find herself trapped by them. Can she survive until help arrives? I had to do some creative licensing with the story line. Normally I'm a stickler for accuracy but it was the only way to make the story work, so I apologize in advance. Another "what if" from my imagination. Please review! Am working on a somewhat lengthier version starring Kurama and Kimura. Takes place in between first one and this one so let me know what you think!
Kimura Goes To The Dark Tournament
"Wow, that Genki is really an impressive fighter, isn't she Yukina?" said Kimura. Team Urameshi had just advanced to the finals with a late, but much needed assist from Yusuke's sensei. Kimura and Yukina were following Boton and Shizuru, Kewabara's sister, out of the new indoor arena at the Dark Tournament. Keiko was outside the arena taking care of a sleeping Yusuke. Hiei had left to work on perfecting his control over his Black Dragon technique and Kurama had decided to stay and observe team Toguro in action. Yukina had arrived in the last round in time to see Kewabara win his fight against Risho on team Masho. Kimura and Yukina had taken an immediate liking to each other, though, of course, she didn't know Yukina was Hiei's sister.
"Yes, she certainly is. I almost felt sorry for her opponents. She really lives up to her reputation. I wonder if she knows my brother. Perhaps I should ask her." Yukina had come to the Dark Tournament looking for her long lost brother. She had heard he was a martial arts champion and hoped to find him among the competitors. Kimura felt a keen sympathy for her. Having lost her father at a young age, she knew how important family was. Her mother, who was a famous archeologist, was frequently away on site and with no brothers or sisters, she was left home alone with no one but the maid for company. She had her friends, but it wasn't the same as family.
"That sounds like a good idea, Yukina. We can ask her as soon as we get back to the hotel, ok? Don't worry, I'll do everything I can to help you find your brother."
Yukina beamed at her. "Thank you, Kimura. That's very kind of you."
Just then a crowd of demons poured out of the passageway they were passing. Kimura and Yukina suddenly found themselves cut off from the other girls. To Kimura's horror Yukina was swept away by the crowd.
"Yukina! Grab my hand!" Kimura cried out, trying to reach her hand.
"I can't reach it, Kimura!" No matter how hard she tried, Kimura couldn't reach Yukina's hand. She was dismayed to see Yukina swept away until she disappeared from sight. Kimura began to fight her way through the crowd of demons until she finally broke through. She began to run in the direction she that had seen Yukina disappear. She turned a corner to see Yukina there along with three other demons. One was tall and slender with orange skin and blue hair. He was dressed in a one-piece black outfit. The second one resembled a snake with a tail and the third looked like a wolf with sharp teeth and claws.
"Well, well, boys, look what we got here. You lost, honey? Why don't you come play with us, huh? Whattya say, little girl?" the wolf demon taunted her.
Kimura ran over to the group, placing herself in between Yukina and the two demons and the apparition, her eyes flashing with anger.
"Back off, creeps. Why don't you go pick on someone your own size?"
"You have a big mouth for a human." said the fire apparition. "Let's see how brave you are when I set you on fire."
Kimura, acting impulsively, picked up a club lying nearby and swung it at the fire apparition before he could fully power up. She managed to catch him off guard and knocked him off his feet. The other two were momentarily frozen with surprise, something Kimura took full advantage of. She grabbed Yukina's hand, dragging her down the corridor.
"Come on, Yukina! We have to get out of here!"
With the three demons blocking the way, it was impossible to go back in the direction they had come. They ran the other way to the end of the corridor and found themselves in an area that branched out into two more. Kimura didn't pause, but ran into the one on the left. It turned out to be a dead end with several doors.
"Ooh, bad choice," said Kimura in dismay. "And no time to go back."
"Kimura, I can hear them coming! What should we do? We'll never be able to get past them and there is no other way out!"
"You're an ice apparition, Yukina. Can't you freeze them?"
"I'm afraid not. One of them is a fire apparition. I tried, but he just melted my ice."
They stopped to catch their breath and Kimura looked around frantically for an exit, but there was none to be found.
"Maybe we can hide in one of these rooms until they give up and go away. Come on!" She ran down the corridor and opened one of the doors. There were lockers and weapons in it along with various other pieces of equipment she couldn't identify. She pulled Yukina into the room and shut the door. They heard the sound of doors slamming outside the room. Yukina's eyes widened in horror.
"Kimura, they're searching the rooms! We have to get out of here before they find us!"
Kimura looked around the room. There were no other doors, only a small window. Kimura quickly made a decision and turned to Yukina.
"Yukina, that window is too small for me to get through, but you can make it."
Yukina's eyes widened and she shook her head frantically in denial.
"No, I couldn't possibly leave you here by yourself!"
Kimura's expression was determined. She placed her hands on Yukina's shoulders and looked her in the eyes.
"Yukina, there's no way I can fit through that window, but you can. You have to climb out the window and get help. It's our only chance. Kurama stayed to watch the other team they're fighting tomorrow. You have to find him and bring him. And I'm sure Boton and Shizuru are looking for us. They wouldn't just go off and leave us. Please, it's our only hope." she finished earnestly. Yukina hesitated, then nodded.
"All right, Kimura. I'll hurry and bring back help, don't worry. Be careful."
"Don't worry about me. I'll be all right. After what happened with Kito Kurama insisted on teaching me some self defense techniques." Kimura said, knowing that if she told Yukina the truth she probably wouldn't go. Her training hadn't exactly included demons, just humans. But surely there wasn't a whole lot of difference, right? Yukina hesitated again, then went over to the window.
"Can you give me a boost?" Yukina asked. She was short like Hiei and couldn't reach the window. Kimura heard a nearby door slam and hurried over, lacing her fingers together for Yukina to step into. Yukina stepped into her hands and lifted herself up, climbing through the window, quickly disappearing from sight. Kimura sighed regretfully and turned to face the door.
"Well, I'm not going down without a fight, that's for sure. Kurama always says if you can't outfight them, outthink them. I'm a reasonably intelligent girl. Surely I can think of something! I hope."
A few minutes later the door flew off its hinges and the three demons entered the room, pausing just inside the door. They looked around the room, but there was no one in sight.
"Where issss she?" hissed the snake demon.
"I know you're in here, human. I can smell you. I haven't had human flesh in a long time. A little meat would taste good right about now." The wolf demon started to laugh then paused, cocking his head to listen.
" Listen! What's that noise?" he asked.
The three of them ventured forward cautiously, peering around the corner of a shelf full of weapons.
Kimura took a deep breath and, with a loud cry, swung the metal pole with all her strength. It connected solidly with the wolf demon, knocking him over and opening a deep gash on his face. Before the others could recover from their surprise, she drove the pole into the fire apparition's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. She dropped the pole and ducked around the snake demon when he made a grab for her, heading for the door. She had just reached it when something seized her around the waist, lifting her off her feet. She screamed in alarm.
"Did I forget to mention my tail ssstrechesss and extendsss?" said the snake. "It's great for grabbing prey like you!" He held her up to his face, an unpleasant smirk on his face. His tongue shot out and he licked the side of Kimura's face, laughing at her horrified expression.
"Eww, get that thing away from me, you creep! What do you think you're doing?" She held up a can of pepper spray she had hidden in her hand and squirted him in the eyes. The snake demon shrieked with pain, covering his eyes. In his agony, his hold on her loosened and Kimura slipped through his tail and dropped to the floor, landing on her feet, only to find the fire apparition and the wolf demon had recovered and were blocking her escape. They were bruised, bleeding and looking very, VERY, pissed. Kimura gave a gasp of dismay and took a step back. The wolf demon struck her with his paw, slamming her into the nearby wall. Pain sliced through her arm as she hit it. She slid to the floor and sat there, clutching her throbbing arm. She looked up through a haze of pain to see the fire apparition and wolf demon hovering over her, grinning evilly. The snake demon was writhing on the floor in agony, still rubbing his eyes.
"I enjoy barbecue myself." said the fire apparition, a flaming ball forming in his hand.
"Lunchtime." said the wolf demon, raising his paw, claws extended. "I'll carve."
Kimura turned her face to the wall and squeezed her eyes shut. A tear slid down her cheek as Kurama's face flashed before her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Kurama. I wish we could have had more time together. I guess I'm not much of a fighter after all."
She no sooner thought this than she heard a strange whirring noise, followed by terrified screams that were suddenly cut off. She cautiously opened her eyes and stared at the sight before her. The wolf demon and the fire apparition had been chopped to pieces and were lying all over the floor oozing blood.
"What happened here?" she whispered in astonishment. As if to answer her question, something black like a bird flashed before her eyes with surprising swiftness to land on the floor in front of her.
"Hiei?"
Kimura could hardly believe her eyes. Hiei did not reply, but walked over to one of the demons and used his shirt to wipe off his bloody sword. She noticed a movement and cried out in fear. Hiei swiftly drew his sword again, but before the recovered snake demon could reach him, she heard a familiar cry.
"ROSE WHIP!"
The snake demon fell to the floor in midstrike, neatly sliced in two. Kurama put his weapon away and ran over to Kimura. He immediately pulled her into his arms as if he needed the contact to reassure himself she was all right, careful not to aggravate her injured arm. She wrapped her good arm around his neck and clung to him, tears running down her face. Kurama tightened his hold on her, stroking her back and hair in an attempt to soothe her. A wave of remorse and guilt swept through him.
"Kimmi, I am so sorry." he whispered huskily in her ear. "I was unavoidably…detained. Are you all right?" Mentioning Karasu would only upset her further. The encounter had left him shaken and angry. Just the thought of Karasu's evil touch on him had left him feeling physically ill.
Pulling slightly back, Kimura looked up at him. Kurama smoothed her hair back, then touched her face with gentle fingers, looking at her intently. Seeing her tearstained face and injured arm, anger surged through Kurama. He had a strong urge to revive the three apparitions just so he could kill them again.
"It's all right, Kurama." Kimura said, wiping her eyes and feeling somewhat calmer."Hiei saved me."
"Yes, it seems that I, too, must add my thanks, Hiei. If you had not arrived when you did, I shudder to think what would have happened."
He had rushed over as soon as Hiei had contacted him telepathically. Hiei's third eye had enabled him to sense the trouble immediately. With his amazing speed he was nearly there when he had contacted Kurama. Kurama had raced through the maze of corridors terrified he would never get there in time. His relief at finding Hiei there ahead of him was indescribable.
"You saved my life, Hiei. How can I ever thank you?"
Hiei crossed his arms in front of him and smiled ironically at her.
"There's no need. I'm the one who should be thanking you."
"Thanking me? Why, what did I do?" Kimura asked, puzzled.
"Never mind, it's not important. You're fighting skills have improved somewhat since the last time. It would appear that your kitten has claws, Kurama. With more training she may not even need our help next time."
Having said that, Hiei turned and strolled out of the room, leaving them alone. It was a few seconds before Kimura could recover enough to speak.
"Am I crazy or did he just pay me a compliment?" she asked Kurama. " And what did he mean by he should be thanking me?"
Kurama smiled and shook his head. Even though he knew the truth, he had made a promise to Hiei.
"Hiei lives by a very complex set of rules that even I have difficulty understanding sometimes." he offered instead. "Actually, that was high praise coming from him. It seems you have managed to gain his respect and that's a rare thing indeed."
He stood up and lifted Kimura to her feet gently, then took her in his arms again for another embrace.
"Kimmi, I am so relieved that you are safe. If anything had happened to you…" Overcome with emotion, he closed his eyes, holding her tightly against him. After a moment he recovered himself and released her.
" Come on, Kimmi, we must get you back to the hotel so that we can treat that injury." Arm about her, he led her out of the room, careful to avoid the blood and body parts on the floor. Yukina was waiting for them out in the hall along with Hiei. She rushed over as soon as she saw Kimura.
"Kimura, are you all right?" she asked anxiously. "Oh, you're hurt! I knew I should have stayed with you!" Her face was a picture of guilt.
"It's ok, Yukina. You did the right thing. Everything turned out fine, really."
"Here, let me at least take some of the pain away. I'll do a proper healing just as soon as we get back to the room." She placed her hand on Kimura's arm and immediately a warm glow surrounded it. To Kimura's surprise the pain disappeared.
"Thank you, Yukina. That does feel much better."
Kurama had released Kimura so Yukina could treat her. He walked over to Hiei and spoke quietly to him.
"Again, thank you, my friend. I owe you a debt that I can never repay."
"I could never repay her for what she did. She was willing to sacrifice her own life to save Yukina. Though I still think the relationship unwise, I owe her a great deal for that. As humans go, you could have made a worse choice."
"That is the nature of love, Hiei. You do not choose whom to love, it chooses you."
"Perhaps."
Kurama watched the fire apparition walk down the corridor, shaking his head in amazement That was hardly the response he had expected. He caught up with Kimura and slipped an arm about her waist. She looked up at him and smiled, her eyes glowing softly. Touched by her expression, he smiled back at her. A wave of protective feeling washed over him.
'I have to find a way to revive Youko again.'
he thought as he pulled her closer to him. He thought of his mother and his teammates and friends who had come to the Dark tournament. We must win tomorrow. There's too much at stake to lose.'THE NEXT MORNING:
Kurama broke off the kiss reluctantly and looked down into Kimura's eyes.
"I must go soon," he said softly
"I know." Kimura said, wrapping her arms around his waist, her voice muffled as she buried her face in his tunic. His arms tightened around her as his fingers played absently with her hair.
"I apologize for waking you at such an early hour, but I could not go to the arena without giving you this." He held out his hand, palm up.
"A seed?" Kimura questioned, puzzled.
"Watch."
As she continued to look at it, the seed began to sprout and grow in his hand. A small branch with green leaves formed on it, then to her amazement, a beautiful red rose bloomed on it. Kurama picked it and presented it to her with a flourish, grinning at her surprised expression. Kimura laughed in delight and took the flower from him.
"You remembered! Oh, thank you, it's so beautiful! I love it! I don't think I've ever seen a rose without thorns."
"I know, it's my own special breed. It is as lovely and unique as you are are." his voice dropping to a whisper as he lowered his head to kiss her once more. Then he hugged her tightly again, his eyes closed as he savored the close contact.
"These last few months with you have been the happiest I have ever known. Thank you for showing me how wonderful love can be."
"I can't imagine my life without you, so don't you dare go and die on me. If you do, I'll never forgive you!" she said, her voice wobbling suspiciously.
"Well, it is certainly the last thing I would wish to do." said Kurama, his voice laced with amusement.
Kimura drew back to peer up at him in disbelief. "Was that a joke? We really have to work on your sense of humor. It stinks." said Kimura, wrinkling her nose at him in mock dismay. "I hate that stupid committee! They shouldn't be allowed to mess with our lives this way!"
"On that we're in complete agreement." Said Hiei from behind them. "Kurama, if we don't leave right away we'll be late."
"I shall be there in a moment, Hiei." Kurama said, his eyes never leaving Kimura's face. Hiei hesitated, then nodded and left.
"Kimmi, I am uncertain as to what will happen today, so please promise me you will be cautious and stay with the others no matter what happens. These tournaments are unpredictable as you have seen and promise to be even more so today."
"I promise, Kurama. Please don't worry, I'll be fine. Just go out there and kick Team Toguro's butt so that we can go home. I have a big math test next week and you promised to help me study."
Kurama kissed her hand, smiling.
"I look forward to it with great anticipation. I shall see you later then." She blushed furiously, but smiled back. He touched her face briefly and left. She sighed and went back to the room. Today promised to be a long day.