Chapter Seven
"Yuu-chan! It's about time you guys made it!" said a blue haired girl with pink eyes. "Oh? You brought guests? Human guests no less." she said, looking over Yusuke's shoulder.
"Um, yeah…about that…" Yusuke began, scratching the back of her head of eleven o'clock bed-hair.
"Urameshi Yusuke! You of all people should know better than to bring humans to a demon tournament! Who knows what'll happen to them!" Botan yelled, her face turning slightly pink with frustration. "What in the world were you thinking?!"
"Hey now, it wasn't my idea to bring them here, they just came on their own. Besides, Neji and Tenten have some experience, so they have an idea of what to expect." Yusuke said, sounding somewhat pathetic.
"Fine, I'll take charge of them while you're down there." Botan said, suddenly pushing Yusuke out of the way as she took on the role as tour guide. "All right, everyone! Follow me to the stands and we'll all have a blast watching our team kick demon butt!"
"She's cute…but…a little too cheerful for my taste." Kiba muttered, as he and the rest of the genins all followed the blue haired grim reaper up to the stands.
"Let's go." Kurama said.
"C'mon, Urameshi, you're the one who wants to fight them! Well, I guess as the group leader it is your responsibility." said Kuwabara.
Yusuke did not answer as she was sitting on the floor with her head down. Kuwabara walked over to her and hunched down to get Yusuke's attention, but soon found out that Yusuke was sound asleep. Kuwabara grabbed her by the shirt, and began shaking her, trying to wake her up.
"Hey! Wake up Urameshi! I said it's the group leader's responsibility!" Yusuke didn't respond as she continued sleeping like a child. "Why do I feel like I'm screaming at myself!"
"Stop. The training Yusuke went through was apparently immense. You must give her time to recuperate." said Kurama.
"Ah geez, she's got some nerve falling asleep at a time like this." Kuwabara said as he pulled Yusuke onto his back.
The sounds of shouting and cheers were growing louder with every step. When they walked out to the stands, littered with demons and apparitions, the uproar was so tremendous that it vibrated against their ear drums. Down below a stone ring was in the center of the arena.
"Botan-chan?! BOTAN-CHAN! Over here!" called a blonde woman, who was waving for their attention. The group walked through the aisle one by one, and sat down on the stone seats that were right in front of the ring, within earshot of Yusuke's team.
Neji noticed Susumu was sitting beside the blonde woman with little Kimiko sitting on his lap, and Kiba and Shino had taken a seat on the other side of Susumu. Neji took a seat between the blonde woman and Susumu, while Tenten sat one seat below with Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji.
"Hey, look! There's Shuichi-senpai and his team!" said Ino, pointing down eagerly into the pitch as her eyes glittered with admiration at the red haired boy.
"Where's Yuu-chan?" asked Tenten.
"You see the fool sleeping on that boy's back?" Susumu said, gaining several nods. "That is our supposed Spirit Detective."
"WHAT?!" Tenten screamed, as she shot up from her seat and began screaming down at Yusuke's sleeping form. "YUSUKE! GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS, IDIOT!" This sudden out burst caused many demon heads to turn her way as Tenten sat down with a satisfied look.
"Hey, girly, do you want to become these demons late-night snack?" came an annoyed voice. They all turned around to see Jiraiya and Naruto sitting behind them.
"Naruto! When did you get here?" Sakura asked with surprise.
"We just got here, Sakura-chan." said Naruto, his goofy grin in place.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Koto! I'll be your cute hostess for this year's tournament, and it's going to be a messy one!" announced a cat demon, "For those in the first few rows, raincoats are available!"
The audience in the stands all were cheering and hollering, screaming for the fights to begin.
"Get on with it, would you?! We came for the fights, not your small talk!" shouted a demon spectator.
"Now here's the introduction you boys have been waiting for! Team Rukuyukai!" Koto announced, pointing to Team Rukuyukai. "And now for this year's guests, Team Urameshi!" she said, pointing now to Yusuke's team, as both teams walked out towards the ring.
"Get off our grass you filthy humans!" some of the demons shouted down.
"Let her fight! She can pay for what she's done to us!" shouted another bunch of demons.
"And that goes for those traitors with her, too!" shouted another.
"Wow, they must really hate them." Naruto said.
"But can you really blame them?" Jiraiya asked, "They've become a hated icon among the demon race."
"This sure is one heck of a greeting for special guests." said Kuwabara. "I don't think these monsters took their grumpy pills today."
"Agreed. It most certainly isn't pleasant being called a traitor by creatures you've never met." said Kurama.
"Both team's into the arena!" Koto directed, as the two teams walked up to the center of the ring.
The two teams were still facing each other, as the crowds cheered and yelled for the competition to begin. A little boy named Rinku, looked up at Yusuke and scuffed.
"Is that girl asleep?" he asked angrily.
"As always, the terms of fighting for each match can be decided by the leaders of the two teams. Of course, if the leaders can't agree, we'll default to one-on-one fights, determining the winning team by the most individual wins. Make sense?" said Koto.
"Uh, not really, Miss. Our team leader's still asleep!" said Kuwabara, as he readjusted Yusuke's dead weight on his shoulder.
"Well then, Kuwabara. You will have to be the one to do it." said Kurama.
"Really?" Kuwabara asked.
"I don't want to go to school, kaa-chan—just let Kuwabara be the leader in the stupid tournament—has anyone seen my green jacket?" Yusuke mumbled in her sleep.
"If that's not a transfer of power I don't know what is! Of course I really don't like the fact that I was the second choice. But oh well! Let's do this tournament-terms thing!" said Kuwabara.
"Poor fool." said Hiei.
"I don't care how we play this fight. It's not going to make any difference in the end. Just as long as I have time to enjoy my victory." said Zeru.
"Let's do it man-to-man. That's how real men fight, after all." said Kuwabara.
"Sounds like an agreement! We're looking at one-on-one!" announced Koto.
"See you there!" said Kuwabara, as he and his team were heading back to their side of the arena. Zeru, looking at Yusuke still sleeping soundly, began to emit his power.
"Ooh, check this, ladies and gentlemen! Zeru is emitting flames from his body! Don't you love it?" Koto said.
"His reiki just shot through the roof! Gee, I hope he's not mad 'cause of what I said." said Kuwabara.
Someone of his class with the power of fire? Interesting. Thought Kurama, as he turned his head to Hiei. "Hiei, we had better be careful with this one."
"Whoa! Man, that's intense!" Kiba said, as he and the rest of the group shielded themselves from the intense heat of the flames.
"That's quite a power." said Susumu, shielding Kimiko more than himself.
"Yeah, you know this'll be an intense round." said Jiraiya.
"And yet Yusuke's still asleep." Neji pointed out bluntly, thinking that something like would wake even the heaviest of sleepers.
Kuwabara grabbed Yusuke's jacket and began an attempt to wake her, shaking and calling her name.
"Hey! Urameshi, you gotta wake up! Come on!" Kuwabara looked up at Zeru, who pushed his flames out to encircle the Urameshi team before turning it towards the audience. Burning everyone who happened to be in the way. "What's this punk trying on us? Come on, Urameshi! We got problems here! Aw shoot, it's no use!" Kuwabara, said, as all his efforts fell to a deaf ear.
Zeru looked at Yusuke who was still sleeping soundly as her teammate slung her over his shoulder again and walked off to their side of the field. All that and still asleep. Maybe Rinku was right. Maybe she is just an idiot. He thought.
Koto poked her head up over the rings edge, looking to see that the flames were gone. Pulling herself back up into the arena she looked up at the crowd.
"Well, people, the flames are out! I noticed everybody's pretty quiet after that little outburst. But remember that's half the fun! Now send out your fighters, teams!" Koto said clearly for all to hear.
"I'll go first!" said Rinku, reviving the cheers from the crowd.
"That little punk is definitely mine!" said Kuwabara, as he stepped into the arena.
Yusuke laid on the grass outside the ring, as she spoke out in her sleep, "You can take 'em out Kuwabara! I have to go hiking..." and rolled over onto her side.
"Go on kid! Make that trashy human suffer!" screamed one of the audience members.
In the arena, Rinku looked up at Kuwabara, a disappointed frown on his youthful face.
"Dammit, shoulda' known I'd get stuck with the weak one. After all that embarrassment last night I was hoping you'd run off." said Rinku. Kuwabara clenched his jaw and tightened his fists at Rinku's words.
"No limits have been set besides one-on-one! You're free to use any weapons or techniques you want! First person to stay down or out of the ring for ten seconds is the loser! Now begin!" Koto said, as she announced for the match to begin.
"I'll let you have the first shot, short-stuff! Hit me, if you can." said Kuwabara. Rinku took a side step, walking on the very tips of his shoes playfully.
"Why don't we play a little first?" said Rinku, as he shot off and began to jump and flip around with acrobatic skills. Using a speed to only confuse his opponent as he left after images of himself behind.
"Wow! He's fast for a little kid!" Naruto said.
"Why shouldn't he? My baby bro is fighting a demon kid, after all." said Shizuru.
"If I were in his place, I know I'd be having a difficult time keeping up with that boy." said Susumu.
"What is this, recess?" Kuwabara said, as he tried to keep up with Rinku's movements with his eyes.
"Can you catch me?" Rinku taunted, as he continued to jump around.
"Darn it, where'd he go?" Kuwabara said, as he looked around. His senses told him to look down, and for sure, there he was, Rinku. Jumping upward, Rinku kicked Kuwabara in the jaw, making him stagger backwards.
"Surprise!" Rinku said, as he flipped over Kuwabara's head, and landed a few feet behind him, bouncing on the tips of his shoes.
"You know kid, you're starting to make me mad!" said Kuwabara.
"Oh dear, Rinku is fast and incredibly acrobatic." said Botan.
"My brother's just standing there." said Shizuru with obvious annoyance.
"Its awful." said Sakura.
"Stop moving!" Kuwabara said, through gritted teeth.
"Such great agility. His movements will be hard to follow." said Kurama.
"Bet you wanna give up now, don't you?" said Rinku, as he continued to jump around.
"I might be worried if it weren't for one thing. You're leaving a trail!" Kuwabara said, as he hit Rinku, sending him sprawling to the floor.
"Nice one lame-o." Yusuke mumbled.
Rinku got up to his feet, exhaling a harsh breath as he glared up at Kuwabara.
"You're beaten, I can sense your spirit now." said Kuwabara. Rinku made a running attempt to use his speed again, but Kuwabara was a step ahead, kicking Rinku to the floor.
"That kid's a disgrace!" shouted one of the demons.
"Get him off the arena!" shouted another. Rinku stood up with more difficulty as fatigue began to soak through his small body.
"Our lessons have helped him more than we thought, Hiei. It seems Kuwabara is the type of fighter whose true skills can only be measured in the ring." said Kurama.
"Maybe so, but he still doesn't understand these fights. He should drop his honor and strike the boy while he's down." said Hiei.
Rinku charged at Kuwabara straight on, only to have Kuwabara catch him with his fist into his stomach, sending him flying back.
"This could be Kuwabara's best chance to finish him!" said Kurama.
"I don't wanna torture you! Just stay down until the ref...counts to ten!" Kuwabara said, as he brought his fist down onto Rinku. But only to hit the floor instead as Rinku had used his speed, dodging the blow. Kuwabara stood frozen as he located where Rinku's energy was.
"You really shouldn't take so long with those attacks of your!" said Rinku.
Where is he? Kuwabara thought, as he turned around.
"My turn!" Rinku said, as he swung his right leg around, kicking Kuwabara in the head, seemingly to have broken his neck. Kuwabara fell to the floor, as Koto came running over and looked down in disgust, and began to count.
"One! Two! Three! Four...!"
"What's he thinking? Get up!" said Naruto.
"I'm sure he's trying." said Shikamaru.
"Five!" Koto counted.
"How was that, Zeru? I thought it'd be more fun if I let him thinking he was winning for a while! The fans liked it too!" Rinku said to his teammates.
"Should've known. Kuwabara only seemed better because the boy was leaving a trail on purpose." said Hiei.
"Six! Seven!"
"So what's the point of counting? I broke the dummy's neck! Say, why don't you count his last heartbeats!" said Rinku, getting another loud uproar of cheers.
"You're the best Rinku!" shouted a demon.
"We slummers are behind you all the way!" shouted another. Rinku waved up to the stands, a giant grin on his face.
"These demons have no honor to speak of!" said Kiba with a slight snarl as Akamaru barked in agreement from the comfort of Kiba's jacket.
"Look!" Sakura said, pointing down into the ring.
"Eight!"
Rinku's victory was cut short when he sensed that his opponent was getting back up.
"Actually, my neck is just fine." said Kuwabara, as he stood up.
"Say, guess we'll have to fix that, won't we?" said Rinku, turning around to face Kuwabara.
"He's okay." Ino breathed.
"That boy is something." said Botan.
"He's my brother is what he is." said Shizuru.
"I love it! Just when we thought it was done, the two are facing off again!" said Koto.
"No more kiddie games! You better start fighting me honest!" said Kuwabara.
"That human's like a punching bag!" shouted one of the demons.
"Don't worry Rinku, just rip him apart!" shouted another.
"They both greatly underestimate each other. I believe the first to realize this will win." said Susumu.
"Well, at any rate it's an entertaining fight." said Neji.
"The tournaments first fight is locked in a stare-down! Who will throw the next punch?" said Koto excitedly through her microphone. A storm overhead began to cover the sky as random bolts of lightening lit up the sky.
"Honestly I didn't think you'd come back so quickly. But even with my guard down and you at your best you still couldn't beat me. Why don't you run home—let someone else fight." said Kuwabara.
"Here's a better idea. Since I...couldn't beat you playing, I'll start using my real weapon!" Rinku reached into his little pouch and pulled out eight yo-yo's. One between each of his fingers. "Wanna try?" Rinku held up his weapons, and sent his energy into them. "The Serpent Yo-Yo Attack!"
"The Serpent Yo-Yo?" Kurama repeated.
"His reiki is increasing." said Hiei.
"I can feel you're letting out all your stuff now! So I will too! Here's a new trick I got! Double Spirit Sword!" Kuwabara said, conjuring up two Spirit Swords, one in each hand. "I think it's time we finish this thing!"
The members of the rookie nine were all gaping at Kuwabara's unique ability.
Rinku leaped into the air and said, "Short Toss!" and threw his left handful of yo-yos down at Kuwabara.
"Do you really think you can win with those children's toys?" Kuwabara asked, as he swung his sword, only to find that the strings had maneuvered around them, hitting their target.
"Of course." Shikamaru said, "The strings—they're alive!" Kuwabara fell back as the yo-yos retreated back into Rinku's hand.
"Please tell me I'm not the only one who saw that, people! Somehow the Yo-yos snaked themselves around to avoid Kuwabara's sword!" said Koto.
"Yeah, of course they did." said Rinku, playing with his four yo-yos, as they bobbed up and down from his fingers. "You don't think I'd just throw ordinary toys around, do you? When I throw the Yo-yos, my Spirit Energy goes into them—kinda like they're part of me. And they bite, too."
Rinku demonstrated as his Yo-yos bit into the stone floor of the arena. "You tryin' to cut 'em down with that sword is like, grabbing snakes barehanded. I know a fun new game! I'll throw my Yo-yos and you try to stay alive!"
Rinku jumped up again, and tossed down his yo-yos as they came after Kuwabara.
"This is my take on walking the dog!" Rinku laughed.
"What a vicious kid." said Sakura.
"Yeah, hard to believe that he's younger than we are." said Tenten.
Kuwabara used his sword and pillaged one of the tiles of the arena up, as the Yo-yos bit right through it. Kuwabara repeated his action again as he kept moving backwards. Until finally hitting their target, and wrapping around Kuwabara's wrists and ankles, and pulling painfully onto the floor. Rinku pulled on his strings with an influence of smashing Kuwabara to the floor.
"Rinku's powers get their nastiest when he channels them through a weapon. With the Serpent Yo-yos, he's more or less unbeatable." said Zeru. Rinku began to channel more of his energy into his strings as they lifted Kuwabara high into the air, like a kite on a windy day. Well people, I'll let you use your own imaginations for what happens if that human's poor, frail body falls from the top of the stadium, and crashes all the way down into the hard, stone arena! Isn't this tournament to die for?" said Koto, as all eyes were now on Kuwabara, as he hung to his life by a thread.
"This doesn't look good." Shikamaru said, as he and the rest of the rookies looked up with fearful looks on their faces.
"How do you like this one? It's my take on 'Around the World!'" Rinku said, as he pulled on the strings forcefully, bringing Kuwabara crashing into the concrete ring.
"What a glorious fight! The opponent is helpless! It's hard to counterattack when you can't even move! I love it!" Koto said with sick amusement.
On the sidelines, Kuwabara's teammates watched as he was thrown around and hitting the floor by Rinku. And in the stands, the rookie nine all winced at the brutality of the child's amusement.
"You see, I told you that Kuwabara's training wouldn't be enough...We best assume him dead and plan for the next fight." said Hiei.
"No...There are still some techniques he hasn't tried." said Kurama.
Kuwabara lied on his stomach on the ring floor, lifting his head up and looking at Rinku through one eye.
"I'm gonna get you! You'll be screaming mommy!" he said through gritted teeth.
Rinku sighed, "You're like fighting a brick—how many times do I have to throw you around?" Then a thought struck Rinku as his childish smile came back. "Hey, I know exactly what to do! And I won't even have to work!"
Rinku sent his Reiki through the yo-yo strings, making them lift Kuwabara up, high into the air.
"Hey! Wait! Uh...What are you doing! I'm gonna get you!" Kuwabara screamed down as the audience watched Kuwabara rise.
In the stands, the rookie nine, Botan, Jiraiya, Susumu, and Kimiko all watched in horror while Shizuru calmly smoked her cigarette.
"Well, at least baby brother's getting a good view of the stadium, right?" Shizuru said with a calm demeanor.
"How can you joke right now? Don't you know what'll happen if he falls?" asked Sakura.
"That's easy. He'll die." Shizuru said with such simplicity.
"Shizuru-san! You should be ashamed of yourself provoking her like that! Sakura-chan is worried because Kuwabara's life happens to be hanging by a literal thread!" Botan scolded. Shizuru took another drag from her cigarette.
"And us getting upset will make a heck of a difference, won't it?" said Shizuru.
"Stop it you brat!" Kuwabara screamed, from way over the stadium.
"Just enjoy yourself! You'll be coming on down soon enough!" Rinku called up to Kuwabara.
"I don't like what I think he means by that!" Kuwabara said.
Neji was looking up at Kuwabara, quietly dreading for the worst to happen as he wondered where Yusuke was.
"Yusuke." he whispered, and looked down at Yusuke's team members and saw her sleeping on the grass.
"Yusuke!" Naruto shot up from his seat and screamed down, "Yusuke! How can you keep sleeping when your friend is in trouble with these nasty demons..." Every demon around him was now looking at him as she screamed down at the human team. "Help him Yusuke! Get off your lazy butt and help him!"
"Whew! You have some real guts to be screaming for the human underdog in a crowd chock-full of demons!" said Jiraiya.
"Yeah, kind of like sitting on the wrong side at an Ogre's Football game." said Botan
"You're liable to get hurt..." said Sakura, as she instantly turned to Naruto and whacked him over the head. "Why don't you go help them?!"
"Why should I? You should help them!" yelled Naruto.
"Me? Are you kidding?!" Sakura yelled back.
"Well, true progress is achieved through adversity, after all. They'll be just fine." said Susumu.
Naruto walked out onto the stairs and began to run down them to get closer. Botan stood up to stop him. "Don't get any closer, Naruto-kun! We're not on safe grounds!" she warned. Naruto stopped and turned around.
"Maybe Shizuru nee-san is right and worrying won't make a difference! But I still have to try!" Naruto said. Turning around his path was blocked by a large and ugly demon.
"What's the matter, little guy? You lost? Go on to your filthy home...This here tournament is for apparition's only." said the demon.
"You can't scare me with that talk! I know Yusuke's beaten creatures a lot bigger than you!" Naruto said, holding his ground.
"Your girl's asleep. Too bad you can't protect yourself." said the demon, as he stuck his tongue out to lick Naruto.
Naruto took a step back, but found that Shizuru had come up behind him and put her cigarette out on the demons tongue. The demon ran off screaming.
"Thanks a lot." Naruto said. Shizuru replied with a nod of her head.
"So I see where Kuwabara got the need to defend himself growing up." said Botan.
"Yeah." Shizuru said bluntly.
Hanging in the air, Kuwabara was gritting his teeth as he looked down at Rinku, holding him up by strings.
"You know it's really hard to take this serious! When a little kid...with yo-yos is the one who's gonna finish me!" Kuwabara said.
Down below, Naruto, Botan, and Shizuru came to the bottom of the stadium.
"What's the matter with you, Yusuke?! Your friend needs you now! Think about that!" Naruto shouted, as his words fell onto deaf ears.
"Hang tight, Kuwabara! I don't suppose you can fly, can you?" Botan shouted up to Kuwabara. Kuwabara looked to the side and saw three familiar faces.
"Uh? Oh, hey Botan! Oh—Sis? I didn't know you were here! I'd give you a better greeting, but I'm kinda busy right now!" Kuwabara called down.
"Rinku seems to be hesitating! Why don't we ask the fans what they want?" Koto said, as the crowd began to scream out to finish the human off.
"Finish him, kid! We've seen enough!" shouted one.
"Make him splatter!" shouted a second.
"Let him drop! Let him drop! Let him drop!" the crowd began to chant.
"Say, guess that settles it. Gotta give my fans what they want. And they want a drop." said Rinku, pulling back his yo-yos as they released Kuwabara to fall.
"This is it, people! Get ready for a boom!" Koto said, as she and everyone else in the stadium watched as Kuwabara fell straight for the ring.
"You just made your first mistake, Rinku! You should have never let me use my hands!" Kuwabara said, putting both his hands in front of him. "Spirit Sword, get long!" Kuwabara's Spirit Sword extended out in front of him, stabbing into the ring as it absorbed the sock of his fall, and springing him forward, straight towards Rinku.
"Kuwabara makes a sensational recovery! It's time for the nitty-gritty!" Koto said, as her excitement weld up. Naruto sighed with relief.
"So the sword absorbs your fall like a backwards spring, huh? That's a pretty neat-o idea from a blockhead. There's one little problem, though! You flying straight at me just makes it easier for all my yo-yos to hit you at once! And you can't handle that!" said Rinku, as he shot his yo-yos straight for Kuwabara.
"My only chance for a hit!" Kuwabara said, summoning his Spirit Sword again, as it stretched out to hit Rinku.
"Not that dummy sword again?! I can dodge that easy!" Rinku said, as he took a side jump away. But to his surprise, Kuwabara's Spirit Sword had bent, following him. Say what? His sword—can bend now? Rinku thought.
"Get the hell out of the way, Rinku!" Zeru shouted from the sideline.
We're going together, you freak! Kuwabara thought, just as Rinku's attack and his attack, hit each other at the same time.
"He really hit—" Rinku's words faded away as he was forced back.
"That's right...I hit you!" Kuwabara said, as he too was thrown back. Both fighters being thrown out of the ring on opposite sides.
"So who's the winner?" asked Chouji.
"Beats me." said Shikamaru.
Koto looked from side to side at both fighters, before making her call as the official announcer.
"Right, well both fighters have been extraordinarily knocked outside the ring! At the very same time!" said Koto.
"Was that the focus of your training?" asked Hiei.
"Well...more or less. The main focus of our training was to teach him precise control of his Spirit Sword." said Kurama.
"By the rule, you're only allowed to stay out of the ring for ten seconds. So, um, I'm just going to start counting..." Koto said.
"I'd be surprised if either of them got back on their feet in time." said Hiei.
"It's true...Both the yo-yo and the sword made solid hits...Guess we'll know soon enough." said Kurama.
"Get up! You're late...Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted in her sleep.
"And five!" Koto said, looking over at the fighters, only to see that Rinku had climbed back in the ring.
"Damn it, I didn't think he could throw such a blow! I'll have to use a lot of my chakra just to recover!" Rinku said, as he squatted down and began to heal his wound.
"Rinku has entered the ring after five counts, but it's not over yet!" said Koto.
"That's okay. He's down for good. I'll have my time to heal." said Rinku, sure of himself.
"Get up there Kuwabara! I'm serious! I know you're used to losing, but not now!" Yusuke shouted in her sleep again. Her words reaching Kuwabara's ears, making them twitch.
"Six!"
Kuwabara shot up onto his feet, a look of angry surprise on his face.
"What'd you say?" he shouted.
"Six, Kuwabara! You have four counts to get in the ring!" said Koto.
"Not you—Urameshi!" Kuwabara ran around the ring to where Yusuke was lying, "Out of my way!" Kuwabara bent forward and grabbed Yusuke by her jacket, shaking her. "Little bum, you want to say that to my face! Are you pretending to sleep now? You scaredy-cat!"
The rookie genins all sweat-dropping, including Jiraiya as his right eye twitches.
"Seven! And an eight!"
"Hey! Hold your horses! I'm coming!" Kuwabara shouted.
"Aw man, I can't take any more of him right now!" Rinku said, as he manipulated the yo-yo strings that were still loosely hanging from Kuwabara, and bound him down.
"Hey! HEY!" Kuwabara said, as the strings prevented him from moving.
"Nine counts!" Koto said.
"Let go of me, stupid yo-yo strings! That's cheating!" Kuwabara yelled.
"Ten! And Rinku's the winner! Team Rukuyukai gets a point!" announce Koto.
"No, no, no, no, no!" Kuwabara shouted, as he ripped the strings apart and hopped up onto the ring and began to march forward. "Hold it, jerks! That wasn't a fair move! Let's go!"
"Whoa—you run on batteries or something? I beat you—just please go away!" Rinku cried.
"That was fairly innocent...It's rare to see both fighters still standing." said Kurama.
"I assure you it won't happen with me." said Hiei.
"This isn't over, kid! Meet me when the tournaments done!" said Kuwabara.
"Go away!" Rinku said, as he turned and ran back to his teammates.
"What is he talking about?" sighed Ino.
"That punk." Kiba scuffed.
"'Scuse me." Rinku said, as he jumped down from the ring and ran to the far side of the stadium to heal.
"Used so much power and didn't even get the kill. He forgets what makes this tournament dark." said a skinny grey demon, as he stepped up into the ring.
"Ooh! The next competitor has already stepped up!" said Koto.
"Please...I'll handle this one." said Kurama, leaping up into the ring.
"Kurama. Considering the stakes we can't afford to take any chances...Don't leave the ring with him still alive." said Hiei.
"Naturally." Kurama said.
"What is he talking about?" Naruto asked, getting annoyed with all the secrecy.
"Yes, it's simply time I stepped in!" Botan said, as she leaped over the railing and down onto the stadium floor.
"Are you sure you can do that?" Naruto asked.
"We will deal with the rest of their team. You relax." said Hiei, sensing Kuwabara's fatigue.
"I'm not out of this yet! If Yusu doesn't wake up, I'll take the last guy!" said Kuwabara.
"We'll pray that that doesn't happen." said Hiei.
"Alright boys! I'm here! Now let's whip this team into shape!" said Botan.
"Hey—how'd you get here?" asked Kuwabara, looking at Botan.
"Leave, before you hurt yourself." said Hiei, not bothering to turn around.
"Well that's a jolly thing to say to someone who's going to help you win, don't you think?" said Botan, putting her hands on her hips.
"You mean you're like the replacement for Urameshi?" asked Kuwabara.
"No, silly. In addition to being the Spirit Detective's Assistant and Pilot of the River Styx, I'm also a licensed trainer! I'll be looking after you all and making sure you stay in tip-top shape for fighting!" said Botan.
"Oh, great! Then maybe you can help nurse this wound here!" Kuwabara said, as he slipped off his shirt. Only to find that Botan had walked over to Yusuke and was trying to wake the Spirit Detective.
"Reikai to Yusuke! Wake up! Come on, now!" said Botan.
"None of that will work. The girl is determined." said Hiei.
"Well—at least I'll get her out of the way." said Botan, as she grabbed Yusuke by the ankles and dragged her away from the ring.
"You know...That Rose Whip he's got must be ten feet long. Where's he stash it all? All of the ways I can think of sounds kinda painful." said Kuwabara.
"Kurama simply carries around a normal rose...By manipulating it with his Reiki it's transformed into a whip. Even weeds can turn into a deadly weapon for Kurama." said Hiei.
"Second fight—Roto versus Kurama—begin!" Koto said.
"I know you've been spending years in the Ningenkai. We all do what we must. I only hope you didn't—say—get attached to one of them." said Roto. Kurama's eyes narrowed, already conscious of what Roto was saying.
Up in the stands, Shizuru sensed something strange coming from Kurama.
"This red-haired boy. I don't really think he's human." said Shizuru.
"That's strange—why'd you say that?" asked Tenten. Shizuru took a drag from her cigarette and blew a puff of smoke out.
"It's just a hunch, but mine are usually right."
"For example, be mournful of their death..." said Roto, as his right middle finger transformed into a blade.
"What is your point?" asked Kurama in a placid tone.
Roto launched forward, swinging his blade to slash down on Kurama, only to miss. Kurama was circling around Roto, as he continued to dodge every swipe.
"He's clearly no match for Kurama. What a joke of a round...It's a pity you couldn't have taken him and let Kurama deal with the little child and his yo-yos." said Hiei.
"Hey you watch it shorty! I got cheated is all!" said Kuwabara defensively.
Kurama enclosed behind Roto, ready to strike a deadly blow.
"Your skills weren't enough for this tournament...Say your last words." said Kurama.
"I have your human mother, Kurama...Or should I say—Shuichi!" Kurama was slightly caught by surprise as Roto spun around, nicking Kurama's left cheek. His team looked on in surprise to see Kurama has been wounded.
"What happened? He's bleeding—You said no match!" Kuwabara said, rounding on Hiei.
From the back wall where Yusuke lay sleeping still, she mumbled: "Stupid cheater. I hate him." Botan looked down at Yusuke, a questioning look on her face.
"You sure you're asleep?" she asked.
Back in the ring, Roto had reached into his jacket and had pulled out a device with a small red button.
"Allow me to introduce my little button...When I press it, a signal will be sent to my demon brother. He's been tracking your mother for some time, you see—And he's been very anxious to bite her head off." said Roto. Kurama hesitated a moment, before letting his arms fall limp to his sides. "So you understand...No fighting back!" Roto said as he began to beat Kurama brutally across the ring's floor.
Kurama took a step back and flicked a pebble straight at Roto's face.
"Oh honestly...Do you think throwing a pebble at my face is the best thing to do in this situation?" Roto asked, looking at Kurama's determined face. "You've been warned! With one push of this button your mother will meet her death in a very unsightly manner!" Roto said, as a wicked grin spread across his ugly face. "Now fold your arms behind your back and let me hit you as I please!"
Kurama stood firmly still, before caving in to Roto's command.
"Oh yes! That's much better! I love that posture of forced submission...Why train hard to be the best when you can hold one of these?" said Roto, waving the button around in front of him.
"Mysterious! Kurama has become totally obedient to his opponent!" called out Koto as the crowd cheered on.
"What's wrong Kurama? Let him have it!" shouted Kuwabara.
"Quiet." said Hiei.
"Yes, beautiful! Roto has somehow hypnotized him!" said one of the fans.
"When do we hear the bones break!" said another fan.
"Gee, that's so lame," said Rinku, looking up into the ring. "Roto always uses that dirty trick of his."
"Yes, and he always wins...That's the goal, remember?" said Zeru.
"I guess so." Rinku sighed.
"You want to try...I can see it in your pretty eyes!" said Roto, seeing Kurama's stern gaze. "I know what you're thinking...'What if I can quickly cut off that left arm of his?' 'But what if the severed finger still presses the button?'"
"A loss would make it two to zero." said Jiraiya.
"Yes, I'm sure they're aware of that." said Susumu.
"Kurama remains absolutely motionless! What's the cause? Has he lost his willingness to fight?" said Koto.
"Why don't you answer her?" asked Roto, as he kicked Kurama in the stomach. "Tell the crowd the truth. Tell them you refuse to fight for the sake of a human tramp!" said Roto, as he began to punch Kurama across the face over and over again.
"It's brutal! It's violent! It's wonderful! Roto is punching him like a slice of meat and there's no retaliation!" said Koto.
Roto stopped his beating as he stared at the look Kurama was giving him. Lifting up his right hand, he brought up his blade, dragging the tip slowly across his already wounded left cheek.
"I hate that look. Despite all I've done you still have that look like you're superior to me! Stop—that—look!" Roto brought up his blade sharply across Kurama's cheek. "It doesn't matter, anyway! Because I'm the one who has the power now!" Roto stepped back and lifted up his right knee. "I would like you to lick the scum off of my boot. I just can't seem to keep it clean. And after you've wiped the whole thing clean I will decapitate you and spare your nasty mother's life. And since you care about her, Shuichi, it's really your only choice!"
Kurama stared at Roto with his stern gaze before answering.
"I will not." he said.
"What?!" said Roto in surprise. Kurama unfolded his arms and brushed off his right sleeve with care.
"Go ahead...Press it now if you wish." said Kurama.
"In the end your true character emerges. You're nothing special! Nothing high class! Just a selfish demon like all the rest of us here! Look at me like I'm dirt! But in the end it's a lie! You think of only yourself!" said Roto.
"Push it!" said Kurama sharply.
"I will! I—" Roto froze, unable to move his arm. "I—can't move!" Kurama walked up to Roto's paralyzed body and swiped the device out of his hand.
"Fighting on the strength of one threat is a very risky gamble. What if I truly didn't care? Or what if I could just make you immobile?" said Kurama.
"It's hard to tell what's happening now! But it's clear that Kurama has control!" said Koto.
"I've sewn the seed of the Death Plant in your body. And it's had plenty of time to take root." said Kurama. Roto looked down and saw a sprout of a plant coming out of his chest. He then realized that the pebble Kurama had flicked at him was merely a distraction so as not to notice the seed.
"I feed it with my chakra. I have but to will it and it will instantly bloom. I'm afraid there won't be anything left of your evil life after that." said Kurama, as he turned away and began to walk back to his team.
"Wait Kurama! You don't have to do this! I never actually would've press the button! I swear it! I'm just a low-class! I don't know any better! Come on. You believe in mercy, don't you?" said Roto.
Kurama stopped halfway, he turned his head to the side and simply said: "No." In an instant, the seed bloomed and sprouted out from Roto's body. Turning into a brush of beautiful flowers.
"What irony...Such beauty, sprung from such an ugly soil." said Kurama as he reached his team and hopped down from the ring.
"Well, that one's definitely over! The score is tied at one!" said Koto as the score board marked the victory.
"Oh wow!" Ino gasped, "He's just so—so—so cool!"
"He is, isn't he?" Sakura said as the two girls squealed.
"What about your precious Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yeah, Sasuke-kun's still cool, but…" Sakura began as a blush crept up to her cheeks.
"But he doesn't hold a candle to match Shuichi-senpai's coolness!" Ino finished.
"What a fool. So intent on proving himself he couldn't notice your moves. Don't worry about his demon friend. He vanished the moment Roto died." said Hiei.
"Then you knew." said Kurama.
"What a relief..." Yusuke mumbled. Kurama looked down at her, and nodded.
"Yes..." he whispered.
"Okay, enough secret-glancing stuff! What just happened?" said Kuwabara.
"Yes, do tell." said Botan.
"Its past." said Hiei.
"Agreed." said Kurama.
"That isn't very friendly of them." pouted Botan.
"Those demons think they're so darn cool." said Kuwabara.
AN: That's it for now! I'll post a new chapter as soon as I am able!