Zypher: Well here we are with another chapter to one of our many favorites. Glad for those who read and reviewed the last chapter so here's another for you all. Read on!
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Two Worlds
Chapter 10
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After getting back from Yugi's time, they were off traveling again to find any more leads on the Shikon shards. On the way, they made a quick stop to eat and Yugi introduced them to another food of his time. "This food is actually quite good." Yami murmured as he took another slurp from the bowl of ramen he was eating. "Glad you like it." Yugi muttered as he looked about the area they were in. Aqua nudged him slightly, holding out another prepared bowl. "You sure you don't want anything to eat, Yugi-kun?" he asked.
"Well, I would..." Yugi started before sweeping his arms. "If we weren't eating in a graveyard full of dead and rotten bodies!" He turned to glance at Yami still eating his fill. "How can you eat in a place like this?!"
"Remember, we are dragon hanyou and most of our diet consists of human and yokai flesh." Aqua remarked. "So we're used to this kind of thing but I understand where you're going with this." he continued before leaning over. "Maybe I'll take you to a nice little spot so you can eat without worrying about this kind of scenery." he whispered and Yugi blushed before nodding and Aqua chuckled to himself as he took the bowl of ramen he prepared for Yugi specifically and ate it himself. As they continued to eat, with Yugi just watching, the area started to become dark. Yugi looked up when he noticed it and shivered lightly.
"Why is it getting so dark...?"
Myoga, who was with them at the time, hopped up upon Aqua's head and started murmuring something about foxfire. "Foxfire...?" Aqua questioned before a demonic voice with the hint of a child's voice started to speak. "You...hold shards...shards of the Shikon no Tama..." It spoke. "It must be a yokai..." Yugi whispered, placing a hand over his pocket where the shards rested.
"Give them to me..." Spoke the yokai once more as it showed it form of a huge, snake-like creature. Quite deformed looking and cartoonish as well.
It floated over slowly and started gnawing upon Yami's head and Yugi could see the literal vein that was appearing on the yokai's forehead. "I'll kill you..." The yokai murmured but yelped as it was punched away harshly, dissipating into foxfire once more and rolled over the ground, revealing that the yokai was nothing but a young yokai.
With golden fur, little fox ears and tail, he held a humanoid form and the face of a feline or something close to one. He looked to be about the size of a normal human teenager. "It's a kid..." Yugi whispered as the young kit growled up at them. "How dare you?!" he hissed. He yelped, though, as he felt a tail wrap around his waist and lifted him clear off the ground and facing Yami.
"So, a little badger-dog playing tricks on people, hmm? I guess I'll just have to teach this guy what happens when you mess with me." Yami hissed as he glared the yokai down. "Yami...if you're thinking about eating him, don't." Aqua murmured. Yami gave a screech as he plopped onto the ground, a tiny statue that was heavier than he expected on the sleeve of his haori and the yokai gone.
Yugi heard rummaging and looked to see the yokai was digging through his things. "Hey! Get out of there!" he called out just as the yokai found the little jar holding the jewel shards. "Finally! Shards of the Shikon no Tama!" he whispered. He jumped into the air and started disappearing in a vortex of foxfire.
"Thanks a bunch and farewell!" He disappeared from view and Yugi was amazed to see the yokai was gone. Aqua removed the stone statue that caught Yami and looked, hearing some scuttling over the bones of the graveyard. Looking closer, he saw the familiar fox tail. "Got ya!" he hissed, grabbing the yokai by his tail and he yelped as he was pulled from his hiding spot and facing Aqua.
"Now, why are you trying to steal the Shikon shards from us? You aren't really a match for us, you know."
"Well, it's a tragic tale for me." he whispered. "My name is Kaiser and I'm trying to avenge what was done to my father."
Yugi gasped softly when he heard this. "Your father was killed...?" he asked softly. Kaiser nodded. Yami snorted, holding up the bottle of shards. "So you were hoping to use these to increase you power so you could get your revenge, huh?" He yelped when they were snatched from his hand.
"What are you doing with those?!" Yugi hissed. "Why shouldn't I?! They're going to be mine anyway!" Yami tried to grab the shards from Yugi and Yugi continued to keep them away before they both heard a cough. "Uh, you two are forgetting the main problem here." Aqua held up Kaiser again.
"Oh yeah, the badger…"
"I'm not a badger!"
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Far from where they were, a myriad of soldiers from different sides were competing against one another in a war among two castles. They stopped, although, when they saw storm clouds rolling in. One pointed out to some shadowed figures among the clouds and the two yokai grinned as they swooped in. "Let the hunt begin, Manten!" The first, more human looking yokai spoke with glee.
"Yes. And let's make sure it runs long, Hiten." Manten, the other, beastly looking yokai whispered. In one swift swipe of his thunder staff, Hiten beheaded many of the soldiers with a blade of lightning. Manten clapped eagerly as more of the soldiers off to the side watch friend and foe get slaughtered by them.
"They're...they're yokai...?!" One exclaimed and Manten turned his attention over to them. Opening large jaws wide, he shot out a mighty blast of lightning at them, disintegrating them into nothing but piles of blood and bone. With their destructive fun completed, they left, hearts filled with happiness from the kill.
"Ah, such wonderful pleasure to kill, eh, Manten?" Hiten questioned, looking to his brother. Manten nodded gleefully. "Indeed, Hiten. Great and wonderful pleasure indeed."
He pointed up to his forehead where three Shikon shards were embedded. "And I'm still flowing with untapped power from these shards. I love the power that I received from these." Hiten whispered before looking to Manten. "We must gather more of them!"
"Yes, yes." Manten nodded in agreement. "And let's hope all their owners fight us as violently as that little fox did so."
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"So...your father had a shard of the Shikon no Tama?" Yugi asked as he rode along, Yami and Aqua flying overhead and Kaiser resting inside the basket. "Yeah, and those things are slaughtering ever yokai that has one!" Kaiser quipped. "Really? And who are they?" Aqua questioned as he flew down to flit beside them. "The Thunder Brothers." Kaiser answered with a hiss.
Myoga gasped lightly from Yugi's shoulder. "You don't mean Hiten and Manten? I heard they were a duo of ruffians but…" Yami gave a barking laugh from above. "Ah, who cares who they are?! Once we defeat them, we'll have another load of shards in our grasp." Kaiser chuckled lightly as he looked up to him. "You won't even stand a chance against them." Yami growled as he glared down at the little fox kit.
"Yeah. You and Aqua are both hanyou. I can just smell the human in you two." He eeped when he saw the murderous look Yami gave him as he stood on Yugi's bag as if he was weightless. Yugi stopped and Aqua was about to make a comment but kept his mouth shut.
Kaiser flinched as Yami conked him over the head. "What was that for?!" He was conked on the head repeatedly until he started forgiving the other and Yami smirked with pride. "Is he always this mean to people?" Kaiser asked, looking to Yugi. "Only when he's not fighting or just bored. Aqua's the more sentimental of the two." he whispered, reaching out to stroke the other's head lightly. "Hey!" Yami hissed, ears folded back in irritation and feeling just a slight bit jealous.
"I see." Kaiser murmured then looked to Yami. "As a gesture of my apology, I'll give you something special." he spoke. "Oh really? And what would that be?" he asked. Kaiser grinned and pulled another heavy statue out, placing it on both of Yami's hands, making him hit the ground again but this time, he attached a tiny scroll on the statue. "What the...?!" He tried to free himself but found he couldn't move an inch. "There! Now you can't move unless you remove that scroll of the jizo statue!" Kaiser gloated before dashing off.
"What?!" Yami roared and tried to move again but wasn't going anywhere. He sent a glare at the other two. "Well?! Don't just stand there! Help me!"
"Should we?" Aqua asked, looking down. "Nah. I think he deserves it." Yugi answered before feeling a light hit on the back of his neck in a failed attempt to try and put him to sleep and he turned to the Kaiser. "That hurt you know!" Kaiser cursed his luck before sending a wave of foxfire at him and Aqua to disorient them then grabbed the shards from Yugi's pocket and dashed off again. Yugi felt the jar disappearing from his pocket and gasped. "Oh no! Aqua! He has the shards!" Yugi cried.
Yugi yelped slightly as Aqua ran over, crouched on all fours and holding Yugi's bow and arrow set in his jaws. Aqua flipped Yugi onto his back and he gripped the spines as he ran off after the speedy little yokai. "Wait just a minute!? Chase him after you get this scroll off!" Yami shouted after them but they were out of earshot, making him growl deeply. "Oh, when I get out of this, they are gonna pay so badly!"
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By a small stream, Manten was looking at his reflection longingly, rubbing a hand over what little hair he had on his head. "Oh, how I wish to have a few more hairs than these three puny strands. Surely then I would be stirring the hearts of many females as my dear elder brother." he whispered to himself. He looked up, alert, as he sensed the presence of more shards and turned in the direction they were coming. Kaiser panted as he stopped in the tall marsh grasses and soon came to a stop.
"Now, to find those brothers..." he murmured and looked up when Manten came into view.
"Ah, tis the pup of our late opponent." he whispered with glee. Kaiser shivered in fear as he started backing away, gripping the jar of shards in his hands. But he stopped though, when he saw what was wrapped around his waist. "No..." Manten smirked as he looked to him. "I see you admire my wrap, do you? Why don't you ask your father for one? I believe he had an exact copy of this." he taunted. Tears came to Kaiser's and then he growled. "You killed my father..." he started and then leapt at Manten.
"And now you'll pay!" He cried out as he was easily knocked aside. "I believe you have a Shikon shard, little pup. Now if you don't mind," Manten spoke, thunder gathering in his jaws. Kaiser flinched and was worried his life would end there. But Manten wailed in pain as an arrow hit him right through his snout and stuck there.
He growled in warning as he turned to who made the shot and saw Yugi, upon Aqua's back, readying another arrow. "I'd suggest you release him now before the next one impales that big brain of yours." Yugi spoke, climbing off from Aqua's back.
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Back with Yami, he counted off the 20th villager to have run from him when he asked to remove the spell tag from the statue. "Aqua...Yugi...you are so going to pay for this."
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"Ugh...my nose..." Manten hissed as he glared at Yugi. "Kaiser! Get over here now!" Aqua commanded and the kit ran over as Manten tried to make a grab at him to relinquish the shards he held. Yugi saw the two shards on display in his head and aimed for them. He released the arrow and it looked to be a clean shot but it only grazed his large forehead.
"Shoot, I missed. It only grazed him."
But worse came to worse when two of the tiny hairs on Manten's head clipped off from the arrow grazing it and with a roar, he glared down to Kaiser and Yugi. "How dare you..." he hissed as energy started to gather in his jaws.
"Crud..." Kaiser hissed before. "Hurry! We need to get away!" Yugi looked back to him with a little fear. "Why...how bad is this attack?" Yugi questioned.
"It's bad enough. My father died like this." Kaiser whispered. Manten gave a roar as he released the attack and Kaiser grabbed Yugi, hitting the ground as the attack landed right next to them. Kaiser took in deep gulps of breath, looking down to Yugi then to Manten who was advancing over to where they were. 'I can't win this...where is that other yokai?' he though, looking around for Aqua.
Another roar was hear that wasn't Manten's and both looked up to see Aqua shooting down like a dart, breathing out a breath of flames at the other. "Kaiser! Take Yugi and get back to Yami!" Aqua called as he landed to face off with Manten.
Kaiser nodded and lifted Yugi into his arms before running off.
Once Aqua knew he was safe, he turned back to Manten only to see that he disappeared. "That little rat..." he hissed, looking around for the other.
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Kaiser was still running, carrying Yugi and hoped that Aqua would hold off Manten long enough to go and get Yami. He yelped though as Manten landed before him. "Ah, there you are." he murmured, grinning darkly. "I'll let you free, kit, if you hand me the boy." Kaiser clutched Yugi closer to him. "What...what do you want him for...?"
"Nothing you need to know about! Now give him here!" he snarled as he let loose another attack. Kaiser dodged out of the way before running off again and Manten followed upon his rain cloud, shooting attack after attack at him. One in particular shot the ground right next to him and he cried out, losing his grip on Yugi as he rolled off further into the tall grasses. Manten smirked as he lowered the cloud, grabbed hold of Yugi's unconscious form before disappearing into the skies. Kaiser saw this and gasped.
'I'm going to be so dead for this...' he thought before he ran off again, heading back to where Yami was.
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Yami was getting more and more annoyed, Myoga making his appearance and tried to help remove the tag only to face failure from his size. Aqua soon came back, landing before them and took off the tag. Yami gave a growl, trying to slash him but he sidestepped the attack. "We have bigger things to worry about. I just had an encounter with one of the Thunder Brothers. They do indeed have jewel shards." he spoke. He looked around for a moment. "Did Kaiser and Yugi get back?" Yami shook his head.
"No. Not yet." he replied. Soon, they looked along the path to see Kaiser running back to them. "Where's Yugi?" Aqua questioned. "Just promise you won't hit me." Kaiser whimpered slightly. "Well, I will if you don't tell me what's going on." Yami hissed. "After one thing." he whispered darkly. Kaiser yelped and tried to scamper off but Yami grabbed hold of his bushy tail, shaking him free of all things until the tiny bottle of jewel shards fell from the folds of his clothing. He grabbed it with his tail before dropping him. "Now will you listen?" Kaiser questioned.
"Yeah, yeah. Now tell me, where's Yugi?"
"He was kidnapped by one of the Thunder Brothers!" Aqua's eyes widened and he growled. "Didn't I tell you to make sure he was safe?!" he hissed. "I did! Honest! He came after me and I tripped when a blast got too close to me! He took Yugi while I was down!" Aqua growled in anger as he paced. "Great. We lose him to the Thunder Brothers due to your incompetence! Do you know what danger he could be in if they find out what he can do?!" he snarled at Kaiser who flinched.
"No..."
Myoga hopped onto Kaiser's shoulder and patted it lightly. "This is a side I never see of Aqua. It's best that you give your forgiveness and don't say another word. He may be sentimental but that doesn't mean he doesn't go off the deep end with explosive anger to match Yami's." Myoga spoke and he nodded. "Please, Aqua-sama...I beg you to give me your forgiveness for what I did..." he whispered.
"Come on, kid. He's already gone. You sure did enough to tick him off." Yami snorted. "Usually he's the kind one of this little family but he has his points where he pissed enough not to care what he does." Yami spoke, holding Yugi's bike over his shoulder. He flew off and Kaiser quickly jogged behind him so he wouldn't lose sight of him.
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Yugi gave a small groan as he woke up and realizing he wasn't in the tall grasses, he sat up. He saw Manten beside the huge cauldron, cooking some sort of brew and he was afraid to ask what it was. "Great, I'm going to be eaten..." he murmured and Manten chuckled.
"Oh no, no, no. You're not going to be eaten." he spoke, never turning to face the boy. "I'm actually going to use you for a little tonic. Usually it is said that new hair thrives on the flesh of a young maiden but you look innocent enough to fit the bill. So I shall boil you down and rub you over my head and hopefully I will get new hair by the 'morrow." Yugi gulped and scooted back into the wall.
"That's even worse that being eaten although I rather take that fate than this." he whispered.
"Then be happy my brother Hiten doesn't know of you. If he did, you would be eaten for sure." They jumped as the door was pushed opened with a force that seemed unmatched in the case of who was there and in walked Hiten with a bare naked female yokai in his arms. "Ah, Manten! I didn't expect you to be here!" Hiten spoke joyfully. The woman in his arm gave a huff. "So, this is your brother? Not much of a resemblance here." she murmured.
"Ah...e-elder brother...I..." Manten stuttered while Yugi was silent. Hiten's gaze caught Yugi and he eeped as he huddled further into the wall. 'Human looking or not, he's still a yokai and a pretty powerful one as far as I know...there's probably no chance for me to reason with him...' Yugi thought. "So what this now? A little village boy? Odd looking I'd say." Hiten spoke as Manten stepped in front of Yugi. "This...this is my prey! He..." Manten tried to explain and Hiten chuckled.
"Don't worry yourself, brother. I will not touch him. Besides," He pulled the yokai woman close to him. "I've made a better catch." The woman gave a sound of pride before Hiten looked to Manten once more. "So, tell me, have you found the other shards of the Shikon no Tama?"
Manten paled and twiddled his fingers as he tried to think of an excuse. "Did...uh...I...I remember..."
"Yeah?"
"I did find them, brother, but you see..." Manten started and Hiten still looked to him, a smile still on his face despite the situation. "What do you mean 'but'? Surely you didn't allow this child to blind you to what we seek?" With a snarl, his fist aimed for the woman's face, easily cracking through the skull and leaving a huge gaping hole there. "Don't tell me you let them get away?!" he roared as the yokai's body hit the floor. Yugi yelped and curled up more. 'Yeah, I knew he was nothing short of a yokai, no matter how he looked...'
"Forgive me, brother, forgive me..." Manten pleaded as Hiten advanced on him.
"You can be such a waste sometimes!" he hissed. "But I know who has them, though! It was that fox kit of the fox yokai we slew!" Hiten stopped his advance and seemed to be curious about the information. "What? That puny kit has the shards?" He took a moment to think before walking off. "We're pursuing the kit now?" Manten asked. "What do you think, fool?" Hiten questioned haughtily. "Follow me."
Manten nodded as he took a large knife from the corner beside the boiling cauldron. "Give me one moment, Hiten." he said as he raised the knife over Yugi's head and he yelped as he dodged the slice of the knife, causing it to hit the cutting board he was on and he raised it again, ready to slash him.
"Hey! Watch it! I would like to live, thank you!" Yugi hissed. "That is your wish but I rather have you dead so you won't go running off." Manten spoke. "I must have my hair potion, you see."
"Wait!" Yugi cried, raising a hand before Manten made another swipe at him. "If you kill me...uh..." Yugi tried to think up a quick excuse. "Well...if I kill you...?" Manten urged. 'I got it!'
"If you kill me, you'll never find the Shikon no Tama shards!" They both look unconvinced and Yugi gave a mental sigh as he tried to draw out his fate since he knew he couldn't escape without one of them killing him with a blast of lighting or something. "Have you two heard of Yami and Aqua? They are much more powerful than you could ever be!" Yugi said. 'I don't know whether Yami would praise me or kill me for that little comment...'
"Powerful?" Hiten questioned. "We have all heard that they were nothing but hanyou."
"But they are powerful. They have collected a mass amount of shards just by themselves!" Yugi continued to lie. 'Well, at least it looks like they're believing me so far.' he thought. He jumped slightly when Hiten squatted next to him, looking into his face for any sign of lies. "You have to be lying, kid." he spoke. "Oh no, I'm not lying one bit. In truth..." Yugi whispered and Hiten listened in closely.
'Yami would kill me for this but if it works, I'm in the green until I actually find him and Aqua...'
"They're in love with me. If you offer me to them, I'm sure they would gladly give up the shards for my life." They were still contemplating whether it was truth or fiction and Manten chuckled. "Hiten, my dear wise brother, surely you won't believe such blasphemy..."
"Actually, I can believe it." he whispered and Manten gaped. "B-but brother..." Manten blathered.
"Shut it, Manten!" Hiten turned his gaze back to Yugi. "Now! Lead me to these love-struck half yokais you speak of so lovingly."
'Oh boy...Yami will seriously kill me for this...' Yugi thought as he started to get up. "But hear this, if I find that you have deceived me," Hiten started and Yugi groaned. 'There's always that 'but' in every deal.' he thought with a sigh. He gulped as Hiten caught his chin and made him face him. "You will end up with a nice little wind hole in that pretty little face of yours like her." He pointed over to the dead yokai woman and Yugi nodded.
'Yeah, I understand that quite clearly.'
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Yami and Kaiser soon caught up with Aqua and with Kaiser's lead, they were getting closer to the Thunder Brothers' home. "T-there. The mountains there are the Thunder Brothers' roost." Kaiser whispered with a slight stutter. Aqua smirked. "Good. One of them is going to lose their face if they harm one hair on Yugi's head." he hissed before turning back to Kaiser who was sitting on his back. "If you're afraid, you best leave now cause I don't have time for cowardice when this battle gets into motion."
"No! I'm not scared!" Kaiser said defiantly. "I'm going to avenge my father one way or another!"
They continued to make their way toward the mountains before Kaiser made another inquiry. "What...what if Yugi's dead now?" Aqua growled. "I don't even want to think of it so don't mention it." he murmured. "Besides, he may look young but he's stubborn. I'm sure he'll give them a run if they even dare lay a hand on him. I tell you, he would've been better off a girl with the way I see him act." Yami spoke. "Even so," Myoga muttered. "The Thunder Brothers have a tendency to kidnap desirable women and devour them once brought to their mountain home."
"Uh, Myoga, gender check. Yugi's a boy. They have no reason to devour him." Yami said with a laugh. "But he is beautiful, though." Kaiser pointed out and then wailed. "Ahh! They're probably picking him out of their teeth now! And all because I didn't get away from that stupid Manten!" Aqua gave a snarl and looked to Kaiser.
"Will you stop whining?!" Kaiser flinched and huddled within the spines on his back. "I'm not going to believe that they ate him but if I smell the scent of his blood anywhere on them, jewel shards or not, they are dead meat."
Yami gave a dull stare over to Aqua. "Wow. Did you really fall for him that hard already?"
Aqua sent a glare to him. "At least I admit it! Unlike you!" Yami sneered. "What makes you think I like him?!"
"So what?! That little moment when we were fighting our older siblings doesn't ring a bell in that empty head of yours?!"
"No! I never mentioned anything about liking him!"
"Well, you were pretty adamant about protecting him from Atemu!"
"Because he's a lusting bastard!"
They both were still growling at one another when they heard the crack of thunder and turned to see dark clouds billowing their way from the mountains. It was a moment before a bolt of lightning shot their way and they moved out of the way fast enough to dodge it. A chuckle was heard as Hiten appeared before them. "Well, well. I see you dodged one." he spoke as he looked down to them.
"So, these are the bastard halflings, Yami and Aqua?" he questioned more to himself than to them and Aqua snarled. Myoga whispered to them about him being Hiten, the older brother and Kaiser quickly jumped from Aqua's back as they landed.
Kaiser glared up at Hiten, growling. "Where's Yugi?!" Hiten chuckled as he looked to the young fox kit. "Fear not, kit. He's still the same as he was when we grabbed him. Manten! Get over here!" Manten floated over on his storm cloud, Yugi in his grasp. "Yugi!" Aqua cried, relieved that he was alright.
"Aqua!"
"So, your expression does make it true." he whispered. "Now! Give me all the shards you have and we'll return your precious lover to you!" Hiten called. Yami gave a blank stare before giving a snort. "Lover? Who do you speak of? I surely don't have one." Yami said nonchalantly. Manten chuckled and looked to Yugi. "So, it was a lie..." he murmured. Yugi eeped and looked back down to Yami.
"Hey! You're not going to leave me here-"
"Leave? Puh. We were never together in the first place! Besides, why would I trade my jewel shards for you?!" Yami hissed. Aqua growled in warning and Hiten chuckled. "Well, even though it was a lie, it still proved one thing. You have jewel shards." he muttered as he shot down, readying the Thunder Staff. "So time to kill you for them!"
Aqua hissed, bringing out the Gyakusatsu. "We'll see whose death it will be!" he roared as he jumped up to confront to other yokai in the air. "Blade of Lightning!" Hiten called as he aimed the staff at him. "Cleaving Fang!" Aqua growled, catching the joint of the staff's blade that looked like a thunderbolt on a nail of his claw and was now struggling to stay airborne and keep the attack from hitting him. "Do you really think you can hold me for long, half-breed?!"
Aqua roared again, slashing out and sending Hiten back into the air only a little bit. "Well, you do have some brute strength behind you...but I shall end it!" He gathered energy into the staff again. "Taste my Thunderbolt!" Hiten launched the attack, a mighty, crackling thunderbolt aiming for Aqua. He quickly pumped his wings to dodge the attack and when it impacted the ground, it caused it to explode up into a flurry of rock and dirt.
Aqua flew along while Hiten flew right behind him, aiming for thunderbolts at him. Yami gave a snort before he too flew up to challenge Hiten as well. Left all alone, Kaiser feared what could happen to him but knew he couldn't let Yugi stay in Manten's grasp for the rest of the battle just in case they killed him or a distraction. He started on his way over to where they were floating, hoping that his fox magic can do something to distract the younger brother of the dangerous duo.
Manten chuckled with mirth as he watched Hiten and when he spotted Yami taking flight, he tsked. "You're not getting away." he murmured as he gathered another thunder blast in his jaws. "Hey! It may be two on two but when he's not aware, I don't call it fair!" Yugi growled as he shoved the other right off the cloud. He was surprised to see that it worked and while shooting off the blast, Manten took the brunt of his own attack as he impacted the ground.
But of course, without Manten on the cloud he conjured, it started to disappear from underneath Yugi and he gasped as he started falling. "Yugi!" Aqua cried as he dodged another attack and went to help But Hiten shot down in front of him, grinning. "You shouldn't ignore your battles, half-breed!" Hiten spoke as he made another attack, causing Aqua to keep dodging and unable to reach Yugi.
Yugi continued to fall but landed softly and hit the ground as he bounced off whatever he hit. "Well, at least I'm safe." he whispered but heard a growl and turned to see who exactly he landed on.
"Or maybe not." He ran off as Manten gave chase. "I'll show you!" he hissed. Kaiser growled as he sent a toy top at him. "Try my Big Top!" The top landed on Manten's head and he thought it wasn't anything to worry about until it grew and grew, the heaviness as well as the burning pain he was getting from the friction made him hit the ground. Kaiser ran over and took Yugi's hand before taking him away.
"That was awesome, Kaiser." Yugi praised. "Thanks but it won't last for long. Fox sorcery is only deception and can only last for a limited time while the fox yokai escapes." Kaiser explained.
Manten was wailing in pain from the huge top before it shrunk again into an ordinary top and toppled from his head. He sat up, rubbing his head slightly. "Curse that little kit." he murmured but his eyes widened as he saw the last strand of hair fall from the top of his head. "My...My..." he whispered before giving a loud, thundering roar.
"MY HAIR!" Gathering energy in his jaws once more from anger at the loss, he shot out in all directions. The two escaping victims were nearly hit with a blast, flying into the air for a scant moment before hitting the ground again and Kaiser quickly pulled Yugi over to a tilting tree, hiding beneath the trunk and roots.
"Stay quiet." Kaiser whispered and Yugi nodded as they heard Manten searching for them. Yugi peeked out to see if the yokai brother passed then spotted the arrow still lodged in his nose. 'I can still use that arrow one more time.' he thought and whispered a plan to Kaiser.
Manten saw something at a glance and shot another blast at where they were hiding and once the smoke cleared he saw Yugi lying upon the ground. He smirked as he walked over, grabbing the younger teen by the hair. "Heh. You really think you could escape me, little one?" he questioned. Yugi was silent before he opened his eyes and smirked.
"Got the wrong person, ugly!" Kaiser spoke within Yugi's form as strands of the hair that Manten gripped on grew out and wrapped his hand, immobilizing him. The real Yugi ran over and took hold of the arrow lodge in Manten's nose and jerked it out.
"Thank you."
Manten looked between the two before he saw the tri colored strands blend into goldenrod and realized that it was Kaiser. "You little..." he hissed. Yugi raised the arrow above Manten's head while he was distracted, ready to drive it right through but was smacked away by Manten, Kaiser losing the illusion and fell back, the vines that he used for it snapping apart. Manten turned quickly to Yugi before he could react and grabbed him around his neck, choking him. Yugi gasped, gripping onto Manten's hands as he tried fruitlessly to get away.
Aqua looked down and roared. "Yugi!" he cried and cried out in pain as Hiten's staff finally caught him and he smirked as he slashed across his chest with enough force to knock him out of the air. "Aqua!" Yami called, unsheathing the Tessaiga and went after Hiten. They battled for a moment before he too was knocked out the air, the Tessaiga landing in the ground and returning to its original form. Hiten floated down to them, smirking.
"I was hoping for a fruitful fight but all I got was two half-breeds that can speak like warriors but fight like fools. Now tell me, do you think I'll be amused to rip each of your limbs off one by one while your little friends are killed slowly by my brother?" he questioned and Yami growled as he glanced over to Yugi and Manten, knowing that as long as he was in danger, he wouldn't be able to concentrate easily. When they didn't speak, Hiten chuckled. "Ah, seems the half-breeds lost their bark."
Manten chuckled as he heard his brother's words and nodded. "Life is sweet, dear brother, but death is sweeter." He turned his attention back to Yugi, clenching harder over his thin neck. Kaiser growled as he charged for the other, leaping at him. "Let him go!" Kaiser hissed but he was easily slapped away by Manten.
"Silence, kit! You're next and I must think of something to go along with your father's pelt with yours. Maybe a hood or an ascot? So many thing to choose from." he gave a raucous laugh and Kaiser snarled as he went in to attack, finally latching his teeth onto Manten's neck and the yokai growled as he tried to remove him but he wasn't planning to let go.
"Get off me, you brat!"
'Never! I will never let go! Even if it leads to my death!'
Yami growled as he looked to Hiten. "I'm never picky about meals but you..." Yami whispered as he took a handful of his own blood and jumped back quickly enough to catch Hiten off guard. "You make me sick!" he roared as he sent a flurry of blades made from his own blood at Hiten. With the distraction, Yami shot for his sword what Aqua got up to confront Hiten again.
Yami turned quickly on his feet and tossed the sword forcefully and it started aiming for Hiten but he dodged, laughing as he thought about what he was trying to achieve with such an easy to dodge attack.
"What kind of aim was that?" he questioned as he dodged another attack from Aqua.
Yami smirked. "A perfect one."
Manten was still trying to get rid of Kaiser but smirked of the fire he was showing. "Little brat has more fire in him that I expec-" He gurgled as the Tessaiga hit its target, cutting Manten right through the stomach. His grip lax and Yugi slipped away from him, collapsing back as he painfully gulped down air. "Maa...Manten..." Hiten whispered as his young brother collapsed to the ground with the sword still embedded into him, returning to normal a split second later.
Yugi reached out for the sword then looked to Kaiser who also fell. "Kaiser..." he whispered as he crawled over to him and helped him up.
"Please, get my father's pelt..." he murmured. Yugi nodded and went to get it but it was a bad move for Hiten was beyond pissed with the loss of his brother.
"Yugi! Get out of there, you fool!" Yami roared as Aqua quickly followed behind to hopefully catch Yugi and Kaiser before Hiten did. But it was too late as Hiten sent a blade of lightning at them, causing them to fly into the air and Yugi losing hold of the Tessaiga. Hiten landed before Manten as Aqua swooped in, catching Yugi before he and Kaiser hit the ground.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly. Yugi looking up to him and nodded. "But I lost the Tessaiga." he whispered. "It doesn't matter. Yami can fight without a weapon if he wants to. I was more worried about you." Aqua spoke as he landed and looked over to Hiten.
"Manten..." Hiten murmured softly before giving a crying wail. "No! Not Manten! Not my brother!" he cried. "Wow, I never think that someone as reckless as him could cry..." Aqua whispered. Without warning, Hiten dug his hand into Manten's flesh right over his heart, reaching deep and pulled out the large heart. "I swore to you that I'll be by your side forever..." he murmured before started to devour the heart.
"What the...?! What is he doing?!" Yugi exclaimed. "He's adding his brother's power to his own. Now he's twice as strong and will be twice as annoying." he whispered and he jumped into the air with Yugi and Kaiser in two as a mighty blast shot at them from where they stood. Hiten glared at them from the opposite end of the field. "My brother...my only...is lost to me and I will not let his death pass by me with you all still alive!" Hiten snarled.
Aqua knew that Yugi and Kaiser wasn't safe now and landed again farther from the raging Hiten and closer to Yami, placing them onto their feet. "Get out of here now! This battle is off the charts now!" he spoke and Yugi nodded as he ran off with Kaiser, hoping that they will win somehow with Hiten having a major power advantage over them and Yami short one sword.
Hiten flew up into the air before sending another blast at Yami and Aqua. Myoga, from his hiding spot within Yami's hair, hopped out. "Hurry, my Lord! Use the Tessaiga's scabbard!" Yami looked to him like he was crazy but didn't have time to mull over the decision, whipping out the scabbard from the belt of his haori and held it up, shielding them from the blast as it made contact with it. "You puny scabbard won't protect you!" Hiten growled but when the smoke cleared, they were safe and the extent of the damage from the blast circled around where they stood.
"It actually worked?" Yami questioned and Myoga huffed. "Didn't I tell you? That scabbard is made to contain a yokai blade. So the scabbard was built to withstand such power that the Tessaiga gives off. So what makes you think it won't protect you from a weak attack such as that?" Myoga then scratched his head. "Just as I guessed…"
Yami's eye twitched. "What do you mean guess!? If that didn't work, we would've been dead!" he snarled. "Well, you survived. That the good thing. Now shall we get out of here?" Myoga questioned and yelped as Aqua and Yami bounded forward at Hiten. "Why should we run? We have the advantage now." Aqua said, smirking. Hiten growled and sent another blast at them.
"Die!" Yami used the scabbard to protect them again and Aqua leapt out from behind him when the blast subsided and ready to slash at Hiten. "Why don't you die?! I'll make sure that your death is payment for everything Yugi went through!" he hissed.
Hiten smirked and disappeared from sight and Aqua quickly looked around for him but cried out as Hiten appeared above him quick as lightning and stabbed him in his left shoulder with the staff. "You forget that I'm faster than you'll ever be!" Aqua groaned as he hit the ground and Yami growled as he glared up at Hiten.
He took a glance over to where his sword lied and knew that he might need it but probably won't reach it quick enough before Hiten attacked again. Even with the scabbard, he didn't trust a single word that Myoga said about its protecting power.
Yugi, from where he was, peered over the mound they hidden behind and was worried about their safety. 'They may be strong but Hiten is faster and stronger.' he thought and then looked to Kaiser who was still out of it, curled around his father's pelt. He opened his eyes slowly and feeling the familiar fur of his father, he curled into it more.
"Father..." he whispered. Yugi crawled over to his side and stroked his head lightly. "Are you ok, Kaiser?" he asked. Kaiser looked up to him and nodded before sitting up and looked over the mound. "What happened to Manten?" he asked. Yugi pointed over to where the other yokai lied.
"He's dead. Yami killed him but now he and Aqua have bigger problems. Hiten ate his brother's heart and now he's twice as powerful." Yugi explained. "Think they can win?" Kaiser questioned, looking to Yugi once more. "At this rate, I don't know." Back on the battlefield, Aqua still tried to make attacks while dodging Hiten's while Yami jumped into every once in a while, dodging attacks and blocking Hiten's blasts with the Tessaiga's scabbard.
"Gutted like a fish or roasted like meat! Pick your mode of death, half-breeds!" Hiten roared as he went to attack them both again with another swipe of his blade. Yugi watched Hiten for a moment before spotting the tiny flame turns by his feet.
"Wait...he flies with those things like a pulley with invisible cords." Yugi then looked to the arrow he still had with him. "I can knock them down with his but now I need a bow." Kaiser patted his arm as he took out a leaf. "Leave it to me." he said, placing the leaf upon his head and with a flare of foxfire, he changed into a bow. Odd looking but it would still do the job for Yugi.
"Thanks, Kaiser." he said, grabbing him and cocked the bow onto the string, aiming for one of the turns on Hiten's feet. Aqua was on the ground and Yami joining him when he tried to attack while Hiten was distracted. "Now die!" Hiten snarled, stabbing down at Yami first but gasped as the turn on his right foot was shot apart.
"I got him!" Yugi praised himself as Hiten faltered. "Got you!" Aqua hissed, gripping the staff in his hands while Hiten was disoriented. "Ah! You choose well!" Hiten cackled as lightning coursed through the staff, giving Aqua a heavy jolt from the yokai power behind the lightning shock.
Yami got up quickly, tossing away the scabbard, which earned protests from Myoga who moved over to a safer location, and he slammed his tail hard into Hiten's face. Aqua let go as Hiten went flying, losing his grip upon the staff as he hit the ground. Aqua shuddered slightly as the jolts still coursed through him and Yami chuckled.
"Well, you have major bed head there, Aqua." Yami said, pointing to his spines and hair that were flared up from the lightning.
"Now's not the time to joke around, Yami!" Aqua hissed, brushing his spines back as much as he could as Hiten started rising from the ground, rubbing at the bruise on his face. "No...no one had dared to mar my face..." he whispered, grabbing his staff once more and turned to them again, his yokai power flaring to such high levels that it was as if he was on fire, the heat heavy upon the air.
"This ends now!" Hiten roared and Yami jumped for the scabbard again, tossing it to Aqua who held it up to block the swipe that was being made at him but gasped as the scabbard started to crack from the force.
"No! The scabbard's about to break!" Yugi cried. But where the Tessaiga lay, it started to wobble as if the scabbard is calling out to it. Aqua saw this and hoped that it will be as he's thinking. "We need to get Yami's sword." Yugi whispered and Kaiser, now back to normal, ran out from where they hid. "I'll get it!" he called. "No, Kaiser! It's too dangerous!" Yugi cried.
Kaiser used the cover of the smoke from Hiten's latest attack to get by him and worried for his safety, Yugi followed behind him, carrying his father's pelt with him. Hiten saw him and grinned as he opened his mouth, gathering energy like Manten did and Aqua gasped before turning to Yami.
"Yami! Go and get them!" he called and Yami saw Hiten ready to launch the attack. Quickly flaring his wings out, Yami dashed off toward him but he wasn't quick enough as the blast came, aiming straight at them. Yugi and Kaiser were blown away by the blast and at their angle, they couldn't tell whether they survive or not.
"No! NO! YUGI!" Aqua roared but couldn't move since he was still holding Hiten back. The smoke cleared and all Yami could see was the crater left by the attack, still burning slightly. He landed by it, faintly seeing Yugi within the flames and collapsed to his knees. "No..." he whispered.
"Ah, your little friends are generous to show you two the lesson that you deserved. Any courage against me will result in death!" Hiten spoke and then laughed. "You're right..." Aqua whispered and Hiten raised a brow.
"It does mean death!" he roared as he lashed out, latching upon Hiten's neck with his teeth and digging in deeply, claws slicing through his shoulders as he clung as much as he could onto the yokai. Hiten gasped and tried to get him off, his staff still trapped by the scabbard but his sensitive hearing heard his blade biting through the tough material of it. "Your scabbard won't last long, you know. You will die soon enough!" he hissed.
"And what of it?!" Aqua growled as he lifted his head up forcefully, catching Hiten off his feet and with a snarl, he tossed his head to the side and with it, tossed Hiten with enough force that he went sliding across the field. Aqua spat out the blood as he snarled, facing Hiten once more with scabbard in hand.
'What kind of half-breed is he? Not even a full yokai would dare have the audacity to challenge me up front.' Hiten thought. "I'm not easy to kill, Hiten." Aqua snarled. "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me."
"Oh? So you will to fight is flared all because I killed your little consort?" Aqua grunted in anger and Hiten laughed before shooting forward, staff raised. "Well then, I guess you're better off dead if you want to join you little lover in Hell!" Hiten bellowed and Aqua used to scabbard to block again despite the chance that it will break. Yami turned quickly to the scene before taking off like a shot.
"Aqua! Get out of there!" he called but Aqua wasn't relenting. "Never." he whispered. The Tessaiga finally responded enough to the calling of the scabbard and where it lied, it rose up by an invisible force before shooting forward and over to Aqua.
'That's a good sign.' Yami thought as he leapt forward, grabbing the Tessaiga and it returned to its full luster. "Move!" Yami called and Aqua jumped back as Yami swiped at Hiten but gaped as he dodged.
"Ha! You think you can kill me?! I will never die!" Hiten cackled but stopped abruptly as he felt wind past him. "That's a lie." Aqua whispered, standing before him with the Gyakusatsu poised before him. "No..." Hiten murmured before blood started to gush from the deep gashes left by the claws. 'To be beaten by a half-breed...impossible...' Was Hiten last thought before he dematerialized in a plume of smoke. When the shards dropped from Hiten's form, Myoga hopped over to gather them up. Aqua fell to his knees, head lowered and Yami walked over to his side quietly.
"Aqua..." he whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. Even though Yugi ticked him off to no end sometimes, he still didn't want the boy to die. Unknown to him, deep in his heart was a little speck of light and that light was the hidden care and love that Yami truly had for Yugi. "I'm sorry...I wasn't fast enough..."
"Yami...Aqua..." A voice called and they turned to see Yugi and Kaiser, both covered blue flames. Myoga hoped onto Aqua's shoulders and sighed. "It's them. It must be their ghosts coming to say their final farewells." Myoga whispered. "No..." Aqua murmured as he stood. "Thanks for all the help, you two." Yugi spoke.
"Yeah. Now my dad can rest in peace." Kaiser added. Soon, the flames rise as if they were taking them away and Aqua cried out as he ran out, reaching out for Yugi and was surprised to have grabbed him. The howl of a fox was heard as the foxfire disappeared into the air. "You're...you're still alive..." Aqua asked, appalled.
"Yeah. Did you think I was dead?" Yugi asked. Aqua smiled and brought Yugi into his arms, causing Kaiser to give a sound of protest as he freed himself from being stuck in the middle.
"You just don't know..." he whispered. Kaiser looked into the air where the foxfire disappeared and smile softly. 'He shielded us with his foxfire. Even if death, he's still protecting me.'
"Well, well. I wasn't expecting that." Myoga spoke and gave a squawk when he was crushed by Aqua's tail and went fluttering to the ground. Yami huffed and walked over to where the shards fell, gathering them up before taking the ones from Manten's dead form. 'Damn lying little brats. Both of them.' he hissed in his mind. After everything was gathered and accounted for, Aqua feasted on Manten's remains before they got ready to leave.
"Uh...Aqua...you can put me down now." Yugi said, a blush covering his face as they walked from the destroyed field, Yami carrying Yugi's bike and bag over his shoulder. "No. You gave me too much of a scare after this battle." Aqua murmured and Yugi sighed before curling up in Aqua's arms as they soon took to the air.
0
Zypher: And there you have it. Nice and long and definitely a hard chapter to write. Yes I know it was possible that this battle could've been completely different since it was two on two but hey, I worked it out good enough to work for me and hopefully it will for you readers too although I might get way too many questions about why I didn't have Yami go for the Tessaiga while Aqua distracted Hiten but at the current point with said distraction, do you really think that if this became an anime that Yami will get away with getting his sword while Hiten had Manten's Lightning Breath?
-silence- I'll take it as a yes. Besides, I had fun either way with making Aqua a very pissed off half-yokai. Anyway, hoped you enjoyed the chapter and for future reference on Kaiser, he's basically the same size as he would be in any other story but even for his size, he's still considered a child to any other yokai. Well, that's all for my explanations, hopefully they were understandable enough, and I shall see you all later!