"This might end in a draw!" Kurama spoke, staring intently at the ring. Koto counted loudly in the background as a tiny hand gripped the edge, pulling the owner up. Rinku winced in pain, healing up his chest wound with his free hand.
"Rinku has this won." I stated, accepting this fact.
Kuwabara quickly got up, kneeling from his spot in the grass. "Yipes! The human's up, too! What's he made of?" apparently said human's resolve freaked the child out. "Dang!" using a bit of his chi, Rinku forced the Yo-Yos to tighten their hold on the orange haired human, causing him to fall flat on his face… Koto made it to 10.
"Who cares?! I can still fight!"
The young demon's eyes widen in fright. "I believe it! Never seen anyone so stubborn!"
Standing up, Kuwabara pointed at Rinku. "Hey you! We'll settle this later!"
"Not likely, dude!" Rinku dashed away, not wanting to deal with our human teammate.
"I'll take the next one." Said Kurama, looking as calm as ever.
"Next up!"
"Kurama…" he turned, looking at me. I gestured with my head towards Hiei.
"Don't pull any punches out there. They gotta think twice about fighting us again." The tiny fire demon spoke, his voice low as he lectured the redhead.
"Naturally."
Kurama turned on his heel and met the gray-skinned man in the middle of the ring. "Hey… somethin' I've been wonderin'… Where does Kurama keep his Rose Whip?"
"In a simple little rosebud." Answered Hiei, humoring our human teammate.
Kuwabara turned to me. "I prefer seeds. They're easier to hide in one's hair, unlike a budding plant."
"In his hands, any plant is a weapon." A tiny smirk tugged at the dark haired man's lips. "He can turn a weed along the street into a razor-sharp blade stronger than steel."
"Kurama vs. Roto: Begin!"
"I hear you live with a human." Roto spat out, as if it was something vile. "Hard for me to figure. You got a 'family' thing goin' there?" he chuckled softly, while Kurama continued to ignore him. "You'd be sad if this human died, eh?!"
A large curved blade appeared from the top of Roto's left hand. "A weasel with a sickle." Said weasel charged forward, slicing in complete disorder, aiming for the redhead's midsection. He jumped over each swipe.
"Waste of time, this. Kurama's way ahead." Yusuke shuffled around, clutching at my leg as he used my foot as a makeshift pillow. "As for you, Kuwabara, luck was just against you." The orange haired teen bristled at his words.
"You sound like you have a tiny crush on our favorite redhead, Hiei." I teased, grinning mischievously at him.
"Woman, do you want me to cut out your tongue?" he seethed, bristling next to me.
"In many cultures, the tongue symbolize a great many things, such as sexual wants… So are you saying that you are sexually attracted to me?" the tan skin of his cheeks turned a faint pink, as he glowered.
Kurama appeared behind Roto. "You're adequate, but little else. I'll end this quickly." He was posed to snap the lower class demon's neck.
"I own your mother's life… Shuichi Minamino."
He stilled at the sound of his human name. It gave Roto enough time to strike at Kurama, slicing his cheek. Blood started trickling from the long cut on his sun kissed cheek.
"Why'd he slow down?!" asked Kuwabara, looking stunned. I silently stood there, grinding my teeth together in anger.
In Roto's free hand was a button of some kind. "Heh heh… see this?" he held it up for all to see. "My familiars are stalking your mom…" he giggled nasally, making me want to stab out my eardrums. "… And they'll devour her if I press this switch."
"LAME! YOU SUCK, ROTO! BARELY A D-CLASS, I'D SAY!" I slapped my forehead, hearing Rin's voice trailing down to us. By the how Roto sneered; I can tell he heard the young pup's words.
"Oh my…" rubbing at my temples, I shot a bit of energy up towards them, as a silent warning to keep their mouths shut.
"Bein' such a devoted 'son'… you wouldn't like that." Roto chuckled, smiling eerily as Kurama dropped his fighting stance. "I see…" the hand blade disappeared. "… You get my drift…" he landed a punch to the redhead's face, continuously beating him to a pulp. "… Kurama, you human lover you!" his foot slipped, causing him to stumble to the side as he flicked a pebble in retaliation.
Furrowing my eyebrows, I stared in question at the tiny stone. "It's just barely bigger than…" I frowned, pressing my lips together in a tight line.
"A little pebble?" Roto laughed. "A modest show of defiance?" He went into full-blown manic laughter. "Well, forget it! No more, not even a pebble's worth! Clasp your hands behind you! You're my punching bag, got it? Got it, punk?!"
Looking refine, yet defiant, the handsome redhead clasped his hands behind his back, head held high as he stared down his slender nose at the dishonorable demon. "Just what are you thinking, Red?" I mused to myself, noticing at how focused – yet unfocused – Hiei has been since Roto pulled out his little switch.
"Ooh, scary. Okay, fight me if you want…" Roto began. "… But you do and I'll push the button, I guarantee."
Kuwabara looked uneased. "What's wrong with him?! He's leaving himself completely open!"
I shook my head in disagreement. "I have a sickening feeling that this is all a ruse, to lull Roto in to a false sense of security."
"Heh… but you won't fight, will you? You're such a sweet li'l momma's boy." The lower class apparition smirked, seeming to think he had this in the bag.
"I hate cheaters…" mumbled Yusuke, still sound asleep, his face pressed against my ankle.
"You might sever my left arm with your whip, but… the finger might flinch and… press!" he cackled joyously. "Right, punk?"
"I have to admit, that's a pretty hot look…" was my offhanded comment, trying to ease the tension with my comments. Kuwabara gave me an incredulous look.
"… I like it." Roto continued punching and kicking our teammate, who just stood there, staring stony face at his adversary. "This is what I call fun!" a right hook across the face. "Beating on a guy who can't fight back! Yeah!" but it did not last long, the entertainment soon dying. "Scum…" Roto's gray hand-blade was back. "That look in your eye… I don't like it. Look scared, punk… Got it?" the tip of the flesh blade was pressed under the other cut, drawing upward to form a sideways 'X' on Kurama's handsome face. "STOP… LOOKIN' AT ME LIKE THAT!" he shouted, blood spraying across the ground. "Now I'm in a real bad mood." Sweat started trickling down his face in nervousness. "You'd better do somethin' about it… or else."
"Why doesn't he do anything?" questioned Kuwabara, looking worried.
"Bow down and lick my shoe." The ashen gray skinned fool stood on one foot, his left raised in the air. "Once it's clean, I'll cut your head off. That's my offer. After that, maybe I won't press the button. Can you refuse? Course not. Your mommy's life's on the line." The cackle returned.
"I refuse." Kurama spoke softly, removing his hands from behind his back, dusting off his white outfit.
"Come again?"
"Enough. Push the button." A chill ran down my spine. If my tail was out, I knew it would bristle from his tone.
Apprehensive by his tone of voice, Roto started giggling as a means to calm his nerves. "Did I hear you right? Push the button?! You hypocrite, you're no different from us after all! This is all it takes… For you to go demonic again!"
"Kurama has a big more class than you weaklings." I scoffed, rolling my eyes.
"Push it."
"Fine, I'll push it! We're all bloodthirsty demons here, right?!" not bloody likely.
Before he could even attempt, Roto's body froze. A gentle breeze carried a once familiar scent towards us. "Oh my…"
"My hand… c-can't move…!"
Kurama took the switch out of Roto's motionless hand. "I'll repeat… What I've said so often before…" he began, a tiny grin in place. "… That what seems the easy way out… is usually the most dangerous. You tried coercion, so I countered it…" crossing his left arm over his chest, Kurama supported his right elbow as he cradled his chin with his right hand. "… By planting a deadly vetch seed on you. The roots have spread through your body, immobilizing you…"
I instantly thought of the tiny pebble. "Clever, Kurama! It was barely bigger than the seed itself, just large enough to cause a distraction from the other being embedded into his flesh!" I was in awe.
"When I say a certain word, the plant will grow at an explosive rate. I enjoy facing lowlifes like you. It allows me to be as brutal as I want." Another shiver ran down my spine, but it was a pleasant shiver.
"NO! DON'T SINK TO MY LEVEL! I LIKE NICE GUYS! I DO! I WAS JUST KID…"
Kurama simply looked over his shoulder, sending the demon a cold glance, muttering only one word. "Die." Plants erupted out of Roto, going along his whole torso, as he fell to the ground. Dead. The plants soon bloomed into some of the most beautiful flowers that I have not seen in quite a few number of years. "What irony that the lowest of Knave's blood grows the loveliest flowers…"
Yusuke had let go of my leg, rolling a bit away in his sleep, as the red haired man went over to the demon corpse, plucking one of the beautiful blossoms. "What a marvelous performance, Kurama!"
"Well… that one is certainly over… The score is tied 1-to-1!" announced Koto.
"What a fool, so intent on proving himself he couldn't notice your moves." Hiei scoffed. "Don't worry about his demon friend… He vanished the moment Roto died."
"Then you knew…" Kurama stated, moving over to me, the lilac colored demon flower held out for me. "A lovely demon flower, for an equally lovely demon…" my cheeks pinked at his words as he went around me, using the stem of the flower to make an improvised hair tie. Gathering the long strands at the base of my neck, he tied the stem before allowing my hair to sway back into place.
"It's lovely, Kurama. Thank you." With a small smile, I fingered the soft petals. Leaning up, I pressed a feathery kiss to the faintly bleeding cut. "Do you wish for me to heal it?"
spoiled princez I deeply enjoy your reviews. You are one of the few who tell me what they would like to see for future chapters, so yay! You get more Suggestive Moriko, along with some KuraMori fluff. Also, got Rin being annoying... lol. :)