Look at that! Two Chapters in the same week. Must be a good week. Hahaha. Please enjoy this next lengthy chapter of Fire and Roses! From here on out, I will be following very loosely to the actual series and focusing more on the relationships between Kurama and Kaida and Hiei and Nakita. So please enjoy!

Chapter 10

The Means to an End

Kurama couldn't stop staring at his mate. She had agreed. After he
told her no. What the hell was she thinking?! Kurama took a second look at her
team and saw Sayaka and Sienna were staring directly at him, pleading in their
eyes. They knew what she was doing, and they needed him to stop her...but how
and what did they know that he didn't? As Juri began the match, Kurama turned
his attention to the ring where neither opponent moved.

Both remained still and calm. Even as Juri started the match
again. The crowd grew restless as they watched the unmoving fighters, shouting
at them to commence with the fight. Still, neither fighter made the slightest
of movements. Kurama watched them very carefully but when he heard the soft
chiming of bells, he fully understood what was about to happen. He looked
towards Hiei before making his move towards the ring. He was going to stop this
match, one way or another.

The gentle sound of the bells carried along the wind, like a soft
lullaby caressing the ears of all that heard it. The wind carried the sound
down to the fighters below. The bells had succeeded in delivering their message
because once the fighters heard their sweet sound, the whole feel to the air
had changed. A strange feeling filled every being that was in that arena. That
strange feeling was pure power. It excited many. It caused a hungry bloodlust
in some. But to a small few, they feared what was to come.

All eyes locked on the fighters. At first nothing happened, just a
tense sense of power swirling around them. But in a moment's notice, a massive
power surge rocked that whole arena. The surge was powerful enough to knock
Juri straight of the ring and into Team Dorobo. Winds whipped around the
stands, sending shivers through the apparitions that watched anxiously below.
Darkness loomed over the crowd. Thunder clapped, and lightning flashed. The
winds picked up, circling faster as they came down from the skies.

Toguro had increased his size significantly. He was bigger than he
had been in any of his other fights. Muscles bulging in all directions, showing
just how strong he was. Kiara lifted her hand and undid the cloak that encased
her. But instead of being dressed in her normal fight gi's, she had changed
into someone she hoped she'd never see.

Kiara's long hair and tail flew in the winds that circled her. Her
normal fighting outfit replaced by a green saree blouse that was frayed at the
bottom and a frayed and ripped skirt around her waist. Tattoos and old demonic
enchantments circled her body. Symbols for different weather, elements and
nature swirled on her skin as if they were alive. Her eyes had changed as well,
they still held the same green that everyone was used to but the glowed ever so
slightly. Only a small few new that there was more than just two fighters in
that ring at that very moment and that Kiara barely had any control of Her…and
it was because of that knowledge that Kiara made of point of never letting Her
out.

Sayaka looked at her sister and slowly backed away from the ring,
indicating to the others that they should do the same. She felt the ground
tremble under her feet, as if the Earth itself was terrified of what was in
that ring. Sienna knew what was about to happen and, in that moment, her best
friend wasn't with them. The team back up against the wall, unwilling to leave
their leader and friend but also fighting the fear to run away.

Kurama ran out onto the arena floor and made his way to Sienna and
Sayaka. "What's going on?" he shouted as the howling winds rampaged around the
stadium.

"You should seek safety! This is going to be bad!" Sayaka shouted
back at him even though she knew that he would never leave Kiara.

"WOW! We've gone from a complete standstill to a power fest!
This shows to be the promising great fight! Commence with the blood shed!" Koto
shouted as she braced herself against the onslaught of winds circulating the
stands.

In that moment, a loud boom filled the air as several cyclones
came crashing down around the arena floor. The wind tunnels dance and swirled
in a violent manner around the ring. Each tunnel was different from the last.
Different elements swirled within the wind: lightning, fire, water, and earth.
The roar of the cyclones drowned out the sounds of the stadium as apparitions
screamed and ran as far away from these swirling death traps. In the ring,
however, the two fighters remained calm still, both having reached their
desired power levels. Kiara took one step closer to Toguro and in that step the
ring shattered into pieces. Her energy and power cause such violent vibrations in
the concrete causing it to become dust.

"I don't know if you can hear me over this wind, folks but Kiara
just obliterated the ring! Now the whole arena is their battle ground. I don't
know about you folks, but I can't wait to see how this battle ends. And watch
out for these cyclones. They don't look too friendly," Koto shouted before
ducking away from some flying debris. When she reappeared, Juri had made her
way in front of her and was closing in for protection. "Um…Juri…you need to be
out there to ref the fight."

"No way! This is getting crazy!" she shouted as she sought shelter
next to Koto.

Sayaka dodged a piece of debris that shot out next to her from one
of the cyclones and landed next to Hiei. "She's out of control," she said to
him before looking towards Kurama. "You need to get her out of here…before she
loses herself!"

Kurama looked at the two fighters. While everyone was dodging
piece of the ring and anything else swept up by the funnels, the two fighters
had begun their battle. Kiara was using her speed and agility to avoid being
caught in Toguro's arms. Kurama watched as Toguro pushed Kiara towards the
funnel that was filled with electricity. Without hesitation, she dipped her
hand into the cyclone and let it pull her in. Kurama watched as she spun in the
funnel before coming out in front of Toguro with a lightning whip.

She cracked the whip against Toguro causing the sky to rumble and
roar with thunder. Toguro jump back from each lash of her whip. She wasn't
holding anything back. And it was obvious that neither was he. Kurama looked at
Sayaka with sad eyes. He knew if he tried to get in there to stop her, he'd be
killed. Team Dorobo along with the members of Team Urameshi, prepared to dodge
another cyclone attack that was heading straight towards them when the cyclone
disappeared, and Kiara came flying towards them.

Toguro had managed to land an attack on Kara, strong to send her
into the air. Her team prepared themselves to catch her, but she spun herself
in the air and landed with a crouch in front of them. The moment she landed the
cyclones all vanished and there was a sudden eerie calm in the stadium. The
audience returned to their seats with a silent awe as they looked down at the
destruction of the arena and the two warriors standing, waiting for their next
moves.

They were both out of breath and Toguro was bleeding in a couple
of spot on his bare chest but what concerned Kurama was the shaking in Kiara's
hands.

"Kiara?" he called softly as he tried to reach for her. "You need
to stop the match."

Kurama tried to take her hand but when she spun around to look at
him, he realized that the eyes looking back at him barely had any of his mate
in them. Those glowing green eyes were cold and calculating as she looked at
him. He understood what Sayaka was talking about. He slowly approached her and
again tried to take her hand. "Kiara, listen to me. Hear me. It's Youko. Your
Youko. Come back," he said gently to her. Kiara looked at Kurama as if he were
miles away. A part of her wanted to go to him but she couldn't pull back.

When he tried to take her hand again, she pulled away further and
turned back to her opponent. He was waiting patiently for her and she wasn't
about to disappoint him. Kiara took one slow step after another as she
approached Toguro. The ground trembled under every step she took, a feeling
that was all too familiar to some. Sienna walked up beside Kurama and placed a
hand on his arm. When he looked down at her, he saw clear sadness in her eyes.
"What do you guys have planned?" he asked.

"This was never part of the plan. I don't know what she's doing
but she's crossed her own personal line. She swore she'd never let Her out
but she's standing right there. She's either going to kill Toguro...or he will
kill her," Sienna explained. At Sienna's explanation, Kurama turned towards
Hiei and then Kiara. By this point, the two fighters were exchanging blows.

Kurama didn't know how to stop her. He combed through memory of
Kiara and of Kaida, trying to find a way to bring her back and to make her
stop. But nothing came to him. He struggled to focus as he watched her lash her
whip against Toguro, sending vines to restrain him but he would only break free
and every now and then get a lucky shot at her.

Both fighters were getting tired. Kiara was using a lot of her
power and energy for every attack she gave him, but she never stopped. Toguro
body was shaking as if he was trying not to lose control. When Toguro picked up
a large piece of debris and threw it at her, Kurama's heart nearly stopped as
she gracefully avoided it. An idea finally hit Kurama when Kiara made a quick
dodge in his general direction and he was able to see his mark on her neck. He
knew how to get her back, but he had to time it correctly.

The two fighters clashed back and forth with each other. Neither
one giving the other an opportunity to take a break. To all watching, it was
clear that only one fighter would walk away from this fight alive. It just
wasn't decided who that fighter would be. Kiara summoned another cyclone and
proceeded to use it as a slingshot to make her faster than she already was. She
would launch herself into the air and from the high vantage, she would slame a
different element down onto Toguro. Toguro was quick to dodge each attack but
with each blow she made, he got slower and slower. After the fourth attempt, he
barely made it away from her.

It was when Kiara was gearing up for another slingshot into the
air that Kurama knew what he had to do. Once she was in the air, preparing
to rain fire down own Tuguro, Kurama used the sacred connection between mates
that links them together: their marks. Using slight pressure from his thumb, he
pressed on the mark on his neck from Kiara. The reaction was instant.

Kiara halted her attach and seemed to be frozen in air. Her glanced flicked over to Kurama where she gave him a look of betrayal. Kurama gave her a pleading look, begging her to stop, but Kiara didn't get that chance. Her hesitation was just the opening that Toguro needed to make his move. With a swing of his fist, he connected at the junction of her neck and shoulder, sending Kiara crashing into the crowds.

A calm came over the stadium as they watched Kiara come to a halt. Juri started her count down.

"1…"

Kurama held his breath as he tried to restrain himself from going to his mate.

"2..."

Sayaka made an attempt to get to her sister but Hiei held her back.

"3…"

The crowds around Kiara formed a circle as the cameras zoomed in.

"4…"

The turbulent and violent weather started to subside, letting the sun shine through.

"5…"

A teenaged Koenma moved closer to the glassed window, his face unreadable.

"6…"

Without warning, many masked demons tried to push their way through the crowds to get to Kiara.

"7…"

On the ground of the arena, Toguro began to resume his normal body at rest, slinging his jacket back on, he observed the fallen fighter.

"8…"

Sienna screamed, calling out to Kiara. Crying. Begging her friend to stand up.

"9…and 10, Team Toguro is the winner and will advance to the finals!" Juri announced as she finished her count down.

After the announcement, Kurama and Team Dorobo pushed their way through the spectators to get to Kiara, but by the time they arrived, medic demons had already placed Kiara's limp body on a stretcher and were making their way to the team's locker room. Kurama called for Kiara, reaching to her with their bond but felt nothing. His world was falling, breaking at the seams. Even as he was pulled along after Kiara by Sayaka, all he heard and felt was the thunderous noise of his heart dying.

When they arrived in the locker room, Sienna kicked out the tournament doctors and ushered in several of their own personal ones. She didn't trust anyone at the tournament. Once the room was sealed, she turned to Kiara.

"GET UP! DAMN YOU! GET UP!" Sienna shouted at her best friend. Tears clung to her eyes as she faced one of her worst fears. "I SWEAR KIARA IF YOU DON'T GET UP, I WILL TELL EVERYONE YOUR SECRET!"

Kurama came beside Kiara as their medical team work her over. Looking for the cause of her end. Doing anything and everything. He placed a hand on the side of her head. Tears sliding down his face and onto her's. It was his fault again. He had killed another person he loved. It was all his fault.

Sayaka felt a sudden shift in the room. Darkness was growing and getting stronger with each passing second. She looked over at the sad fox demon and knew that they were about to lose him as well. Sayaka walked over to Kurama and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You know, I think you might be what she needs to come back. Bring her back, Kurama. Use your love for her and bring her back," she said as she ushered the stumped medical demons and the rest of the team out.

Kurama watched as everybody left the room. Leaving him with his mate. When they were alone, he removed her mask and looked down at his love. Bruises started to mark her body. Small cuts were scattered around her but none with life threatening. Still the sad fox demon made his way around her, touching her, crying softly to himself. "This is my fault, Kaida. I distracted you. I was trying to get you back and now I may have lost you again…for forever," he whispered softly as he caressed her cheeks.

He let his hands slip down her neck to her shoulders. With a gentle tenderness, he examined the location of the final blow from Toguro, a demon Kurama swore was on borrowed air, and noticed how deep and dark the bruise was. He gently ran his fingers over the area and found something odd. A small lump pressed against her skin. A lump that not that long ago, he had himself.

"Pressure point," he said as he examined it further before undoing the pressure. Kurama watched her slowly, waiting to see if she would return to him.

Kaida slowly felt the pain leave her neck and head. It was a cheap shot from Toguro but she knew that he was at his limit and he had unfinished business. Kaida slowly opened her eyes and was met with the vision of her Kurama, although he looked like hell. "Why do you look worse than I feel?" she asked him softly.

Without hesitation, Kurama pulled Kaida into his arms and her tightly, even when she groaned in pain, he wasn't letting her go. After a while, he pulled away and looked her dead in the eyes. "Don't you dare ever do that to me again! What the hell was that?" he asked, his voice getting progressively louder.

Kaida smiled and placed her hand on her mate's cheek. "The means to an end, my love."

Well that was a lot of insanity in one chapter! But that seems to be their lives. Now I want to make a comment about Toguro. I decided to pull Toguro a little bit away from his normal cannon demeanor. I know some didn't like his change but I feel like giving Kaida this closure on someone who replaced Koema was necessary. Just like Genkai loved him, so did Kaida. And this was her way of severing a tie with a man who still loved her and Genkai. But that being said...the girl still has major daddy issues and they are only going to get worse in the future! So please review and let me know what you think! And keep an eye out for the next chapter! Thanks!