Chapter 10: My Lord Bag of Rice
The perks of being the Special Guests of the Dark Tournament included the use of a luxurious hotel suite for their accommodations. Not only did the suite have enough bedrooms for the entire team, there was even a full living room space where they had the misfortune of meeting Rinku and Zeru on their first night. Nonetheless, the suite was spacious and beautiful, much more space than they really needed and more beautiful than any hotel Kurama has been to in his life. He had a feeling it was meant to be some kind of compensation for the team known for causing the most trouble, and in their case, the most unanimously hated team in the tournament's history.
Kurama left the window open in the bedroom, and a gentle breeze made the sheer white curtain rise, fall, and flutter. The lights were not on, but with his back to the wall, the early morning sun outside shined enough light through the window to illuminate the book in his hands as he sat comfortably in a bedside chair. After the fight with Team Masho safely concluded (and in Kurama's mind, the term "safely" was used very lightly), Botan helped him carry Miwa's unconscious body back to the hotel while Yukina tended to Kuwabara's wounds outside and Yusuke and Keiko had a much-needed talk. Botan changed Miwa's clothes and tucked her into bed before leaving the room with a cheerful assurance that both Miwa and Kurama will be "right as rain" by morning.
Even Hiei was kind enough to stop by later that evening and check on her before disappearing, but not until he gave some back-handed comments about her reckless expenditure of Life Energy.
"Her priorities are in a dangerous order, Kurama," Hiei had warned. "Not only for us, but for herself."
Kurama hesitated to answer because it was something he himself has felt for a long time. "Dangerous, yes," he answered slowly, "But you may not have noticed, Hiei. Her order has been changing."
Hiei did not answer him, and he disappeared out the open window into the darkness.
Kurama did not leave her side that night. The chair he settled himself into was more comfortable than it looked, and since the Death Plant was properly removed, the rest of his recovery would be relatively simple. He had always been a light sleeper, and he wanted to keep an eye on her in case her condition changed, but by the next morning, Miwa still hadn't awakened.
Kurama lowered the book in his hands and gazed at the morning sun outside. This wasn't the first time he watched over Miwa as she recovered from using her Life Energy. He knew that a life form as simple as a plant, even one of the Demon World, would not be enough to endanger her life, but he heard from Yusuke about how angry she had been while he was unconscious, and what she had done to Bakken. This also wasn't the first time Miwa exhibited such ruthlessness in her anger, but if that anger had gotten to her head, it was possible she spent more Life Energy than necessary when helping him. Yusuke told him that she seemed calm after killing Bakken, but as expressive as she often is, Miwa was, at times, frighteningly proficient in hiding her fury, especially behind that fanged smile of hers.
The morning breeze through the open window fluttered the pages of the book in Kurama's hands, and he glanced at Miwa's sleeping face. Stray hairs over her pale skin rustled in the breeze, and he could hear the quiet sounds of her breathing. He still remembered hearing her screaming during his fight with Touya, begging him to stop the fight so loudly that her voice had even cracked. When he awoke from unconsciousness, there was only a brief moment of eye contact between them before she passed out from either exhaustion or Todoku's poisonous gas. She smiled at him, her normal smile, devoid of fangs, before collapsing at his side, and he didn't even get a chance to say a word.
Her face is so still…
Kurama carefully watched the rise and fall of her chest, ensuring that she was still breathing. Miwa always went out of her way, to crazy lengths at times, to make sure that he is safe, but she rarely offered the opportunity for him to return the favor. It would be a lie if Kurama said he never acted recklessly like she does; the fight with Touya proved that to everyone, and he glanced at the bandages under his sleeve. "Both of you are so reckless," Botan had jokingly chastised while helping him wrap the wound on his left arm. Would this be how their relationship remained? Covering for each other's recklessness until one is inevitably killed? Their lives became much more dangerous in the past year, but Kurama still found it in him to smile, despite such grave thoughts. Miwa once told Yusuke that Kurama had a tendency to get himself hurt. He hoped that by now, she was too stubborn to let herself die if it meant leaving him alone with his own recklessness.
Miwa's head turned slightly to the side, and her eyelids squeezed together. Kurama placed his book back on the bedstand without even marking his place and leaned forward. Slowly, Miwa's eyes opened, and he could see her pupils retract as the early morning light intruded on her bleary eyes. She blinked a couple times before realizing where she was and who was at her side.
"You're okay…" she said quietly.
"And so are you."
Miwa took a deep breath and sat up. She looked out the window, gauging how much time passed since she was last conscious, and she turned her head sharply back to Kurama. "What about Yusuke? I made him fight three people…"
Kurama smiled to himself. She expends her Life Energy until she passes out, but the only thing out of her mouth when she awakens is concerns for others. "Two, actually. Kuwabara is the one who defeated Risho."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "I thought he was too injured..."
"But the committee never ruled him unfit to fight, like Hiei or the Masked Fighter."
Kurama explained to her what happened to Team Masho. After Jin was knocked out, the Tournament Committee announced that Koto delayed her ten-count when Yusuke was out of the ring, and thus his fight with Jin was ruled a double-loss. With no one able to fight Risho, Kuwabara stepped up, even with all his injuries his injuries, and stopped Yusuke and Hiei from killing every apparition in the stadium until they were the only ones left standing. Even though every step caused bones to shift and crack, miraculously Kuwabara found the strength to win upon seeing Yukina in the audience.
"So Yukina is here. Interesting…" Miwa mused. She glanced at the clock, then hurriedly threw off the covers. "I should find Yusuke and Kuwabara." After swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, Miwa stood up quickly with only the slightest stumble in her step. Botan had dressed her in a simple black t-shirt and sweats, so she didn't even bother to change her clothes. Her new task at hand was much more important than fashion.
Kurama watched her carefully as she wobbled a second time while reaching her hand for the doorknob. Miwa was awake and on her feet, but she was still clearly weak. "You should rest today," he said, also getting on his feet. "Our next match isn't until tomorrow."
Her hand rested on the turned doorknob, but she did not turn around. "Our team nearly lost because of me..."
"Not because of you. It's the committee doing everything it can to defeat us."
"But I should have been awake to help."
"...It's in the past, Miwa."
Miwa looked back at him as she pulled the door open. "The past is where regrets lie," she said simply and disappeared out the door.
The door closed behind her, and Kurama was greeted by the silence of the dim bedroom. He sighed loudly and ran his fingers over his scalp. Her sense of responsibility was admirable, even when she stumbled every few steps. Kurama sighed again and left the room. He needed to leave for the stadium soon. The match to determine their next opponent was going to be fighting first thing that morning, Team Uraotogi vs Team Gokai 6, and he wanted to scope out their next competition. If he were to be honest, he wasn't sure Miwa would be ready to fight the victor. She stumbled every other step and her face was still pale. He hoped that taking control of the Death Plant didn't take too much out of her, but there were still some leftover consequences. Even if she was finally awake, perhaps it was his turn to make sure that she will be okay.
{00}
Somehow, it didn't surprise Miwa that Yusuke and Kuwabara were heavy sleepers. She felt bad to wake them up, but she was sure they wanted to watch the next match too; they needed to wake up anyway. She rapped her knuckles on the door until her skin turned red, and then Yusuke finally answered the door. Eyes teary and his mouth covered by his right hand to hold back a big yawn, Yusuke silently stared at her in the doorway for what felt like an eternity as his sleepy brain processed who exactly was standing in front of him. In hindsight, I may have been too hasty coming here…
"Oh, hey," Yusuke said, blinking several times to focus on her face. "You're awake."
Miwa pulled away from the door a bit. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted to talk to you and Kuwabara before today's matches start." Behind her, she heard the door to their hotel suite close, and Miwa briefly wondered if that was Kurama leaving for the stadium without her. He did say he wanted her to stay and rest today...
"Uh, sure. Gimmie a second." Then, without even closing the door, Yusuke simply turned to look behind him and shouted, "Hey, Kuwabara! Get'cher ass outta bed! We got a visitor!"
Miwa awkwardly stepped away from the door. "I'll wait in the living room until you both are ready to talk…"
Yusuke looked at her carefully. The shouting seemed to have awoken his brain. Then he smiled brightly at her and said, "Sure, we'll make it quick."
The door closed behind him to give them privacy, but Miwa could still hear their muffled voices as Kuwabara struggled to get out of bed.
"Visitor? Is it Yukina?!"
"No, you doofus. Miwa wants to talk to us about something."
Their voices quieted down, and Miwa took that as her cue to head for the living room, but she had barely sat down on the sofa when both boys emerged from the hallway. It appeared that they had only bothered to change their clothes. "Y-You didn't have to rush…" Miwa stuttered.
"I dunno. I have a feeling it's kinda important," Yusuke said, sitting opposite her. "What's up?"
"How are you feeling after all that stuff you did yesterday?" Kuwabara asked, sitting down next to Yusuke.
Miwa calmed down from her brief moment of fluster and folded her hands in her lap. "I'll be fine by tomorrow, but Kurama told me what happened while I was unconscious." She fell silent for a moment, and the two boys both looked at each other nervously. "If I had been awake, Kuwabara, you wouldn't have had to step in the ring even though you were so injured…"
"I told you it was okay to let me take them!" Yusuke cut in, leaning forward slightly.
"Yeah, and you helped out Kurama after you beat Bakken. I say you did plenty," Kuwabara added.
"...I knew I was taking a risk by asking that of you guys, but my priorities were focused on something other than our team, and it put the everyone in danger. So…" Miwa's folded hands clenched into fists and she bowed her head. "I'm sorry that you guys had to cover for me like that."
The boys quietly stared at her, then looked at each other, wondering what they should do or say. They both had respect for Miwa and her abilities as a fighter. To see her, a full-fledged demon no less, bowing her head to them in such humility was something neither of them were ready for that morning. The last time Yusuke saw her like this, she had bowed to him out of gratitude for saving Kurama's life.
"You live in the past too much, Miwa," Yusuke said with a light laugh in his voice, and he smiled at her again.
"Thanks to you, Kurama is on his feet again," Kuwabara added, confidently raising one of his fists. "And now that Yukina's healed my injuries, Team Gokai 6 or Team Urao-whatever won't stand a chance against us!"
The possibility that Kurama could have been fine without her help came to Miwa's mind, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. These two wouldn't have any of that anyway, and the realization made her start to smile. "The past is where regrets lie," Miwa had told Kurama, but maybe Yusuke was right. Neither Yusuke nor Kuwabara let past decisions bother them, even if they were bad ones, and maybe she should try doing the same. Demons, as far as Miwa understood, had a much higher tendency to cling to the past than humans. Miwa had thought it was because demons tended to do more atrocious acts to survive in Demon World, but now Miwa began to think it was because their lifespans were just so different. Humans, by comparison, didn't have the time to be weighed down by such things. Nearly four years in the Living World, and I still have so much to learn…
Miwa smirked at them. "Yeah, you're right." Miwa stood up and headed back to her room. "I'll see you guys at the stadium?"
"We'll be there," Yusuke said. "You should hurry though. I have a feeling Kurama's gonna want to keep an eye on you today."
Miwa stared at him for a moment, and then she laughed. "He probably would."
The three of them returned to their rooms to prepare, and Miwa quickly changed into a nicer blue shirt and black pants. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that she indeed was still weak. Her pale skin was as clear a sign as any that her full strength had not yet returned, and she knew Kurama noticed the number of times she had stumbled to get out of the room. Miwa herself could feel the weakness in her body and her Spirit Energy, and there was no way to tell how much would return by the match tomorrow. But just based on past experiences of using her Life Energy this way, Miwa could guess that even by tomorrow, she would have to be careful. There was little chance she would go up against a weakling like Bakken again in the semifinal round.
In a vain attempt to revitalize herself, Miwa splashed her face with water to get rid of any grave thoughts about the next match. She needed to hurry if she wanted to even see what they would be up against. As she passed through the living room to leave the suite, she could still hear Yusuke and Kuwabara's bickering voices as they got ready to leave. Miwa left the suite, smiling to herself about how those two were always so energetic, and took the first elevator down to the lobby. The grandiose of the luxury hotel's lobby surprised her each time she saw it, and she uncomfortably shifted past the rich humans still loitering around before the day's matches began. No matter how long Miwa lived in the human world, she would never understand the rich ones who spend their time watching dangerous demons kill each other; it surely wasn't in her taste.
"Did you finish speaking with them?" said a voice. Miwa snapped her head to the side. In her musing, she did not even see Kurama hiding amongst the crowd. He was sitting patiently at one of the lounge chairs near the lobby entrance, just as calmly as if he belonged with all of these rich humans. Kurama smiled at her and stood up. "I thought you wouldn't just quietly rest upstairs."
Miwa sighed and continued out the door. Kurama followed her without any hesitation. "I like to gather my information first-hand, if possible," she grinned.
{00}
They found Hiei quite quickly as he hid from the main crowd by loitering near the entrance to the audience seating. They were lucky to have arrived at the arena when they did; Team Uraotogi was extremely efficient. In what must have been a record time for the quarter finals, Team Uraotogi annihilated three members of the opposing team in less than two minutes with mainly bare handed strikes, securing enough points for them to advance to the semifinals.
"Semifinals? We are going to be the grand champions. 'til then, everyone else is just practice." Shishiwakamaru, a young man with long blue hair and a sword tied to his hip, pointed a challenging finger up in the stands, directly at the three members of Team Urameshi. He grinned confidently up at them, threatening them of the impending doom in their upcoming fight. "Everyone else."
They left the stadium as Koto hustled around, frantically trying to get the next fight started earlier than expected. Hiei scoffed. "What an arrogant fool."
Some familiar voices echoed behind them, and Yusuke, Kuwabara, and the Masked Fighter emerged to the stands. "Guess you guys have the same idea we do about scoping out the competition for the semifinals," Kuwabara said cheerfully.
"Had the same idea," Kurama cut in. "The fight is over."
"What?" Kuwabara leaned over the railing to hear Koto's official announcement that Team Uraotogi will advance to the semifinals. "That is unbelievable. I mean, I can't believe we missed the entire fight just because I took a couple extra minutes to brush my teeth."
Miwa awkwardly glanced to the ground and said nothing, wondering if her insistence on apologizing had any hand in them missing the fight.
"It was an impressive sight to behold," Kurama said.
"Though I'm sure your minty fresh breath was well worth the delay," Hiei added before turning to Yusuke. "What is that ridiculous appendage growing out of your head all about?"
Miwa followed Hiei's line of sight, and she noticed a small, blue, penguin-like creature with long bunny ears sitting on Yusuke's head. ...A Spirit Beast?
"It's just a puberty thing, okay?" Yusuke said, deflecting the question with a small pout. He deflected it even further by turning his attention elsewhere. "So Kurama, how's your wound treating you?"
"It will be fine. I'll be fighting again tomorrow."
Even though she already knew that, Miwa still belt herself lightly sigh in relief.
Hiei smirked at him. "Sounds like it's not as bad as you made us think."
"Compared with your energy loss, no, it seems not," Kurama retorted, innocently looking in the opposite direction.
Kuwabara chimed in about Yukina's amazing healing powers as a suggestion for them both, and Miwa saw Hiei visibly flinch at the sound of her name, a sight that also captured Yusuke's attention. "She's actually partially here to find her long lost estranged brother," Kuwabara added, oblivious of Hiei's discomfort and Yusuke's obnoxious smile. "I'm gonna help her look for him just as soon as we win this tournament."
"My, what a brave girl, coming all this way by herself," Miwa said, feeling a teasing smile tug at her lips as well.
"Isn't she?!" Kuwabara said excitedly.
"Yukina's brother," Kurama said, leaning in towards Hiei with that same, innocent smile. "Yes, seems like a noble cause. We should assist her too, Hiei."
Yusuke's obnoxious smile turned into a huge grin. "Yeah, you can even lend an eye!"
Hiei's shoulders shook as he growled in frustration. "Will you shut up?"
Kuwabara looked between the four of them, realizing he was not in on a big joke since their attention had all focused on Hiei for some reason. Yusuke, Kurama, and Miwa giggled to themselves gleefully, but Yusuke dismissed Kuwabara's questions by saying they were laughing about what Hiei said to Yusuke about his Spirit Beast. Kuwabara didn't buy the excuse at all.
Then, their gleeful laughter came to a stop as the entire stadium seemed to hush all at once. All eyes of the audience members turned to look at the seating entrance across from Team Urameshi, and five members of what could only be Team Toguro stood in their terrifying glory. Miwa recognized the Toguro Brothers and Rikiji instantly. Beside them were a man dressed in a full set of heavy armor and a pale, skinny man dressed in black and a mask. Miwa once again remembered what she had thought in the forest that day she met Rikiji. The Toguro Brothers were not their only threat. There were others as well, and even by the power Miwa could sense from across the stadium, the others were also extremely powerful.
"To-gu-ro! To-gu-ro!"
The only thing more unanimous than the hatred of the Spirit Detective in this year's Dark Tournament audience was the love and respect for Team Toguro. Just by the mere appearance of their team, the entire audience erupted into deafening chants and cheers. But their team captain, the younger brother, was not interested in crowd favorites or praise. He stared across the stadium, right at Yusuke Urameshi. He extended his long arm to point at Yusuke and then himself, calling out his tournament rival in a much more intimidating way than Shishiwakamaru ever could.
Yusuke returned that gesture with equal intimidation: slicing his thumb across his neck and pointing it down.
Toguro seemed pleased. He turned his back to the stadium to leave, and his team followed, leaving a black cloud of ominous energy in their wake.
"At least your act is tough," the Masked Fighter said.
"Hey, I work hard at it," Yusuke retorted.
Kuwabara, who could sense Team Toguro's overwhelming power best of all, sank to his knees at the realization of what they were truly up against. The difference in power was so great that Kuwabara's hands shook against the railing, and the boy lost confidence in their chances of winning, especially since he was too blind to sense this power before. "We can't compete with these guys, Urameshi. What are we gonna do?" His voice shook from the pressure alone.
Koto's cheerful voice announced the next match, but Team Urameshi paid it no attention. To sooth Kuwabara's sudden rush of fear, Yusuke lead the team to a small locker room near the arena. Even though they were away from the audience, away from the arena, the hopelessness of defeating Team Toguro loomed over them all. Kuwabara's Spiritual Awareness left him the most affected, and even after some time passed, his shaking did not cease. Yusuke did his best to assure Kuwabara they could win using words very befitting of a team leader, unlike his usual punk attitude. He insisted that the only reason Kuwabara could suddenly sense their power was that his own senses have gotten better. However, Miwa did wonder just how much Yusuke believed in his own words. Even she felt an ominous shiver down her spine upon sensing the power of Team Toguro.
"C'mon, Toguro's the guy who made us come to this stupid tournament," Yusuke said, "None of us thought it was gonna be a joyride, but we can beat him, okay?"
The door to the locker room they sought refuge in suddenly opened, and a gentle voice scolded Team Urameshi for forgetting about someone. Team Uraotogi stood in the hallway, and it seemed that Shishiwakamaru wasn't through with trying to intimidate them. Behind Shishiwakamaru were the four members that defeated Gokai 6 in less than two minutes. Kuromomotarou, a tall blond man with two black peaches embroidered on his lavender vest. Makintarou, a muscular man with dark skin with a red piece of fabric with the character for "demon" written in black. Onji was an old man in simple villager-type clothes. Hitawara Touda was a man wearing brown samurai armor with a large straw container strapped to his back and a bow hanging off his shoulder. Uraurashima, the other member aside from Shishiwakamaru that Miwa had not seen fight, was a short, boyish man in a blue kimono, and he held a long fishing rod.
"If you guys are looking for us to go easy on you, you're wasting your, and more importantly, our precious time," Yusuke said, showing off his best punk sass.
Kuromomotarou spit out his chewing gum to the ground. "Nah, it's the exact opposite. We want a good fight."
"We will be famous," Shishiwakamaru continued, "But we're going to need more than two minutes of exposure for us to get that way."
As they walked away, Yusuke commented, "Arrogant little prick, don't you think?"
"You can say that again," Kuwabara agreed.
Shishiwakamaru suddenly stopped walking, as if he were affected by the insults. Yusuke smiled, realizing they had gotten under his skin. "If you wanna be famous, why don't you start a boy band? You've got the look down."
Shishiwakamaru turned back to them, and his pretty-boy face contorted into something more twisted and demonic. His teeth suddenly sharpened to fine points, horns sprouted from the top of his head, and his pupils seemed to shrink in size, accentuating his sudden demonic face. "We'll get ugly soon, Urameshi! Just you wait!"
Then they walked away, as if nothing bad had ever happened.
"Those guys aren't even worth two minutes," Kuwabara said. "Their power levels are nothing compared to Toguro's."
"Who knows?" Yusuke added, "Maybe we could fight them blindfolded. That would make things more interesting."
Despite all the schoolyard intimidation, Miwa was glad to hear that Kuwabara seemed to regain some confidence. Or at the very least, he was no longer overcome by fear. The boys laughed together, further boosting their spirit...at least until the Masked Fighter spoke up.
"Pride is for the weak, Yusuke."
The rejuvenized mood disappeared in an instant. Yusuke did not take the jab very well, and he began yelling at the Masked Fighter to leave him alone and stop looking at him "like that." Poor Botan, who just returned with some drinks, dropped the cans to the ground in shock at Yusuke's angry outburst. He even punched a large dent in the wall. The Masked Fighter did not recoil at all and proposed a question: As the team leader, was Yusuke strong enough to take down Toguro on his own?
A fair question; one with dire consequences if Yusuke were wrong.
"You think you should be leading this team instead of me?!" Yusuke retaliated.
"If need be."
Kurama, Hiei, and Miwa stood quietly on the side. Miwa agreed that pride, especially if it developed into overconfidence, was a double edged sword. Sure, it's important to be confident in your own abilities and a little pride does no harm. However, that pride can also be blinding to any real, unexpected danger. Kuwabara and Botan had stepped in to try and mediate the argument, but Miwa had to wonder if the Masked Fighter was really just trying to pick a fight. She wanted to believe the fighter they saw save the three men under Dr. Ichigaki's control was much wiser than that. Beside her, Kurama and Hiei were standing there silently, making no effort to step in this fight.
"Follow me," the Masked Fighter said, strolling out of the locker room with as calm a demeanor as ever.
"Yeah, let's take this outside!" Yusuke grunted, storming after her, and Puu helplessly flew into Botan's arms.
"Yusuke, don't be stupid!" Botan shouted.
"Let them be," Hiei interrupted. "They will have to settle this themselves."
"Yeah, that's what we're afraid might happen," Kuwabara commented. "Those two are so strong and so mad they'll probably settle this all the way to the death, and that's no good."
"It's a shame, but there's nothing we can do," Hiei said.
"And even if there were anything that could be done," Kurama added, "it's hardly our place to meddle in their affairs."
Miwa looked over at Botan and crossed her arms. "If those two don't work out their differences on their own, the friction between them will only become a liability moving forward."
Botan's eyes shifted frantically between each remaining member of Team Urameshi. No one, not even Kuwabara, looked back at her in sympathy. They didn't even make eye contact with her. She released a frustrated growl and shouted at them about the team tearing apart, about none of them being bothered enough to care. She grabbed Puu by his long ear and raced outside, likely trying to find her own way to solve this problem, and over her footsteps echoed Puu's pained cries.
Once they were gone, a silence hovered in the room, but Kuwabara was the first to break it. "What are we gonna do if they don't come back by tomorrow?" he asked worriedly.
"We won the last match with only four members," Kurama said, smiling slightly at Kuwabara to cheer him up. "I'm sure we can do the same again."
Kuwabara returned Kurama's smile with a nervous one of his own, but Miwa looked down worriedly at her hand, where the wounds from the day before were still visible. Four small, red, semicircle-shaped fingernail wounds imprinted across each palm, and rugged, thick, scabbed lines from the Death Plant's lashings were scattered randomly over the rest of her hands. Each movement of her fingers sent small jolts of pain through her skin and muscles. These wounds weren't the only remnants of her battle with the Death Plant. Miwa was able to walk around and observe fights with her teammates, but every time she stumbled, it was because of a sudden wave of fatigue and dizziness. Her vision would blur, her sense of balance would disappear, and her mind clouded over until her thoughts were nearly incoherent. It's happened before. Every time she used Life Energy with her snake techniques, these symptoms would plague her for at least a couple days. It was likely a sign of her Spirit Energy working overtime to sustain her as she regained her life force, and while Miwa appreciated her body keeping itself alive, it would be a major handicap in the fight to come.
The semifinal and final rounds of the tournament were different from their previous fights. Six wins were required to advance, no matter how the team captains decided the rules. It was a similar setup to their match with Team Masho, and they barely won that. The semifinals would no doubt be much tougher. Kurama and Kuwabara were well on their way to a full recovery, and Hiei had been making excellent progress in regaining control of his right hand. Miwa extended her own hand in front of her face. Despite how much time had passed, her Spirit Energy felt just as weak as it did that morning. If this feeling of weakness didn't pass by tomorrow, any fight would surely fatigue her very quickly. For her, this next match would not be easy, regardless if Yusuke or the Masked Fighter came back.
And they did not come back.
{00}
The semifinal and final round of the tournament was to take place in an entirely new stadium. A much darker, more sinister stadium. Unlike the grey, open roof stadium before, this new one was black with a closed roof, and the interior design of the hallways looked more like the throat of a horrible creature than a building. Instead of rows and rows of seats, the audience was divided into various sections that stacked into four floors, probably for an even larger, wilder crowd than before. Even the committee's overlooking booth looked like it was being swallowed by a black alien creature. The only thing that felt familiar was the large, circular ring at the center of it all, where the remaining matches were to take place.
Juri, a beautiful girl with fish-like ears and tail announced the beginning of the semifinals, and Koto was moved to a broadcasting booth in the front row of the audience. The two opposing teams for the first match, Team Urameshi and Team Uraotogi emerged from gigantic doors, and once the audience's boos settled down, a murmured confusion over Team Urameshi's missing members became clear, but Kuwabara remained confident as their acting team leader in Yusuke's absence.
Jury clarified for them all that starting from the semifinals, six wins would required to move on. Shishiwakamaru proposed a unique method of deciding the fights: six-sided dice representing the members of each team. A dice roll would designate who would fight whom, as long as that designated member was still alive. In light of Team Urameshi's missing members, Hiei offered to take their place should the dice land on Yusuke or the Masked Fighter.
The dice rolled, and the first fight was decided: Hiei vs Makintarou.
Miwa felt a little apprehensive as Hiei entered the arena. He had not participated in a tournament match since his first fight with Zeru, and he was suddenly thrown back into the semifinal round. His arm seemed to have recovered greatly in the past few days; he wasn't walking around with his arm constantly twitching in pain anymore. But using it in battle was a much different story. Between Hiei's arm and Miwa's energy loss, she had the slightest bit of worry growing in her stomach about this match, even if Kuwabara and Kurama were at 100% health.
But for Hiei, her worries were all for naught. In less than a second, he removed Makintarou's arm in a few swipes of his sword and swift movements nearly impossible to see, and it took even Makintarou several seconds to realize his arm was gone. Once he did, he tried to fight back. His arm regrew into a large axe made of flesh and bone that he swung at Hiei, but true to form, Hiei was much too fast for him, and Hiei landed on Makintarou's back before the taller man could do anything about it. Then, Hiei quickly ended the fight by stabbing his sword right through Makintarou's head.
One win for Team Urameshi.
The next roll of the dice put Yusuke against Kuromomotarou, but as per Hiei's conditions, he took up the challenge in Yusuke's absence. Kuro was a much more mysterious opponent. At the start of the match, he used Hiei's own sword to cut his arm. His surprise display of self-mutilation confused everyone, especially when he started ranting about just how painful and sharp the sword was. However, that move was much more significant than it seemed. Kuro removed a small, yellow ball from his belt, calling it a "Steaming Sphere," and crushed it in his fingers. The yellow ball expelled white smoke that Kuro breathed in, and his body suddenly grew a thick pelt of dark fur and sharp claws. It was the first stage of armor granted by his Steaming Spheres: the Armor of the Ape, and Hiei's sword could no longer cut through that pelt. Instead, the blade broke into several pieces upon impact. Miwa had never heard of such an item, but as long as a fighter was able to withstand an attack, it could build up an unbelievable defense, and with Kuro's large body and muscles, she was sure he wasn't all about the defensive maneuvers either. Even in a battle of their fists, Hiei could not gain the upper hand, and whether the armor gave Kuro a strength advantage or not, he managed to smash both of his fists directly onto Hiei's head, sending him skidding off the ring, across the ground, and into the stands.
"He's in trouble," Kurama said as Miwa and Kuwabara stared in shock.
The reality of the situation was starting to sink in. Even though he never shared with anyone how his arm was recovering, Miwa was sure that Hiei would not be able to summon the Dragon like he did before; his arm would not stand the strain of becoming the conduit for the Dragon. Team Uraotogi would surely be wary of Hiei's deadly attack, but if someone like Kuromomotarou could build up a defense strong enough to block Hiei's primary weapon, then without the Darkness Flame, there was very little chance of Hiei breaking through the armor to deliver a killing blow, and that would assume the Dragon didn't kill him first.
Hiei was probably well aware of all this the moment his sword broke into pieces. Still, he stood up and confidently walked back towards the ring, and his face showed no signs of giving in. Miwa felt a strange surge of excitement flow through her body. Something about the sight of Hiei walking back to the arena made her think that he still had a plan. Could Hiei have other techniques up his sleeve that could penetrate the Beast Armor? But, Kuro started taunting Hiei, daring him to summon the Dragon. Hiei removed the white bandana covering his Jagan Eye, and his body became engulfed in his Spirit Energy. However, Hiei's energy still had not recovered from the fight with Zeru. With little over half his energy, the chances of him controlling the Dragon were next to impossible, and Hiei would be devoured by the Dragon instead. Miwa hoped with all her might that Hiei's pride would not get the better of him. That's just what Kuro wanted. A stronger attack was what Hiei needed to win, but his stronger techniques were just what could kill him instead.
Hiei leapt back into the ring, and his right arm was engulfed in his Spirit Energy. He landed two strong punches in Kuro's abdomen and his face, but the raging flame was nothing like a dragon. It was the Fist of the Mortal Flame, a fire from the human world. Kuro fell to his knees as his wounded body burned and smoke plumes rose into the air. The smell of burnt hair and flesh stung Miwa's nose, but the successful hit did not bring her joy. Kuromomotarou's energy remained as strong as ever.
Another Steaming Sphere was crushed in his hand, and the fur of his Ape Armor was replaced with bright blue scales, and large yellow wings sprouted from his arms. His voice took on a more shrill tone, squawking like a bird, and without a doubt his new form, the Armor of the Phoenix, was much stronger than the Ape. It came with other perks as well. His wings gave him a much higher jump than before, and he seemed to fly through the air to attack Hiei once again. But perhaps the drag of his wings slowed him down. Hiei easily dodged Kuro's punch, and he sped in circles around Kuro, trying to confuse him. Miwa prayed that the drop in Kuro's speed would give Hiei some advantage, if only to buy him time to think of a new plan, but in exchange for speed, Kuro's sight improved greatly. He tracked Hiei's movements and was prepared to counterattack when Hiei moved in to strike, but Hiei was still faster. Hiei ducked, dodging another punch, and both of his fists burned with the orange flame of the human world. Hiei launched into a barrage of flaming punches into Kuro's chest, leaving bright red burns on his blue, scaly skin, but this armor was made from the pain of Hiei's first Fist of the Mortal Flame attack. Two Mortal Flames were not enough either. It only took a few punches for Hiei to faceplant on the marble arena floor and to slide across it on his cheek. His body landed shortly after, looking more like a limp ragdoll than a fighter.
Miwa felt a fearful shiver run down her spine. This isn't good. The only other flame he has is…
Kuro laughed. "You convinced yet? There's nothing you can do to beat me. You might as well stay on the ground and think of a nice way to beg."
Hiei pushed himself off the ground. "Never. You'll have to rip my limbs off to keep me down."
His determination to continue on was admirable, but as Kurama advised Hiei to not give Kuro any ideas, Miwa could hear the panic begin to show in his voice. None of them knew any way Hiei could get out of this mess. Kuro's armor was getting stronger and stronger, and the Mortal Flame was no longer strong enough to beat it. Miwa racked her brain, searching through all of her knowledge of the Darkness techniques. The only flame that stood a chance of piercing the armor was the Darkness flame, and even if Hiei had enough energy to summon it, Kuromomotarou's armor was so strong, at this point there was no guarantee even that would break through.
"Too bad you can't call up that little dragon. I'd like to show the world I could beat you with an even playing field." Kuro reached to his belt and grabbed the third Steaming Sphere. "But then again, it might just be fun to go all the way." He crushed it between his fingers, and that white steam spewed out once more. "I'll take great pleasure in killing you."
The yellow wings shrank back into his skin. The blue scales darkened and changed back into fur. Kuro's face morphed to show more of his teeth and his ears pointed upward. His teeth and nails grew longer to a sharpened point, and his hair grew long and white. He no longer held any traits of his original body. He changed into a dangerous, demonic beast with teeth and claws that could easily rip flesh from bone. The Armor of the Wolf. He was faster, stronger, and much more dangerous. Hiei, who by then was already gasping for breath, had no choice but to run from those deadly claws, but Kuro managed to get a swipe in, and the fabric of Hiei's blue shirt had four neat slices just in front of his chest.
"I promise I won't miss your flesh again. Just needed a moment to get used to this body."
Hiei growled back at Kuro, and he actually stepped back. Neither Miwa nor Kurama had ever seen him do that, and it did not help settle their nervous fears. Breaking through the armor seemed impossible, and the prideful Hiei actually stepping back was a sign that even he was running out of ideas. Then, as he stepped back, Hiei's heel knocked into the hilt of his broken sword. He stared down at his old weapon; a piece of the blade still remained intact, and with a light shrug, Hiei sighed, "What the hell."
Kuro laughed again. "Does that mean the great Hiei is ready to quit?"
Hiei kicked the hilt of his sword to bring it up into the air and back in his hands. "No, you incompetent, but I will give you one last chance to."
Kuro laughed again. "That's very sporting of you. I think I'll pass, however. Your memory isn't like mine, so I'll give you a hint. If your sword didn't work on my first Beast Armor, it sure won't work on the third."
"I know. I'd hate to use this attack. I find it totally devoid of any taste or artistry."
Miwa stared carefully at the sword in Hiei's hand. Kuro was right that the blade had no chance of breaking through the third Beast Armor, but she also stared at the hand Hiei used to hold it. His bandaged hand, the one nearly eaten up by the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, and Miwa suddenly had an idea. Could it be he's...Would that work?
"Don't hold back on me because something's offensive. I'm no snob." Kuro pointed one of his sharp claws right at Hiei's face. "I was planning on a vulgar move myself."
Kuro leaped into the air, and he opened his mouth wide, bearing his sharp fangs for all to see. His clawed hands captured Hiei by the shoulders, and those sharp fangs pierced right into his shoulder. Blood sprayed from the wound in all directions, almost like a fountain that painted the floor around them red, and its iron smell permeated the air. Miwa had never seen so much blood come from a wound before, and it made her skin crawl and stomach churn. The rest of the audience was equally stunned into silence; even the bloodthirsty audience was not ready for such a messy display. Hiei, on the other hand, was smirking. From Kuro's back, a green and black burst of light and heat erupted into a raging fire. In Hiei's hand, his hilt was the base of a fiery Sword of the Darkness Flame. It easily cut through Kuro's body, and the remaining pieces fell to the ground as the black flame burned and ate its way through the skin until there was nothing but charred black spots on the ground. Hiei did it. He lured the Darkness Flame to his sword instead of his arm, saving him from being swallowed by the Dragon, and it was powerful enough to cut Kuro into pieces.
Amazing...
As Hiei walked off the ring, Miwa noticed he was clutching his shoulder and wincing. Immediately, she slipped her pouch off her shoulder and dug through the front pocket. Just as Hiei returned to their sides, she produced a folded piece of white fabric. In the corner of her eye, Miwa could see a small smile on Kurama's face.
Hiei saw through her plan before she could even say anything. "Don't even think about it," he said.
"Just shut up and let me wrap your shoulder," she snapped.
Hiei looked slightly taken aback, but he still kept his hand clasped on his wound. He probably was planning to wrap it himself, and with Kurama and Kuwabara watching, his pride wouldn't let him back down. "I told you, Miwa, I don't need your help."
"It's not help," she said, "It's a reward for killing that cocky bastard."
They both stared at each other for a moment, and unlike that time in the forest, Miwa had no intention to back down. Hiei's cold eyes glared at her, as if sizing up her resolve, and Miwa just smiled back at him, daring him to try defy her again. Then, to everyone's surprise, Hiei sighed and removed his hand from his shoulder. "Whatever," he sighed, and Miwa quickly wrapped the wound with a small smile. Hiei had nearly protested when she started to apply her salve, but she snapped at him again, asking if he wanted to catch rabies from that animal, and finally, Hiei quietly let her do as she pleased, if only to shut her up.
"Well, that was weird," Kuwabara said quietly, "Hiei actually listened to her."
Kurama chuckled softly to himself. "Perhaps she's getting through to him after all."
Two wins for Team Urameshi.
{00}
The next dice roll called on Miwa and Hitawara Touda as the next contestants.
Hitawara was a tall man wearing dark brown samurai armor, minus the helmet. He had a very young face, but a scar across his nose and his cold stare gave him the aura of a warrior who has seen many battles in his time. The tips of his black hair brushed gently over his shoulder armor. The armor had light scuffs and scratches from battle, but there was still a beautiful gleam in the color. The straw barrel he carried covered most of the area of his back, and although it looked like it would be really heavy, the weight did not make Hitawara slouch in the slightest. It was actually quite impressive since he seemed so young. His bow hung over his right shoulder while a small quiver strapped to his belt bumped against his left thigh as he walked. He looked like a hero from an old Japanese folktale you would see depicted in traditional paintings, but Miwa couldn't shake the feeling that there was a much larger presence in the ring than a young warrior.
"Miwa."
Just as she took her first step towards the arena, Kurama's quiet voice stopped her. He stared at her with a strange look on his face, as if there was something really important he wanted to say, but her turning back to his call somehow stopped him. Miwa suspected it was something about her own energy loss, or to not recklessly use her Life Energy again, but his lips curved upwards into a tiny smile and he said only, "Be careful."
Miwa returned his smile with one of her own and a thumbs up. "I always am." Then she leapt into the ring and walked to the center, stumbling only once.
"...Was that supposed to be sarcasm?" Hiei asked as she walked out of earshot, "She is anything but careful."
"She's well aware of how little energy she has," Kurama answered.
Hiei huffed. "If you're so worried about her, you should have forced her to stay in the hotel."
"Miwa would never agree to that, even if I ordered her to."
"Oh, c'mon, you guys!" Kuwabara jumped in, "I'm worried too, but would it kill you to have some faith in her?"
"Faith has little consequence on reality," Hiei snapped.
Kurama chuckled quietly to himself as Kuwabara glowered down at Hiei and his bluntness. It wasn't as if Kurama didn't have faith in her, but Hiei was right; he was worried. Miwa should have already recovered her Spirit Energy, but he has seen her recover from using her snake techniques in the past. She did her best to hide just how weak it made her feel, especially in front of him, but he knew just by watching her stumble. This would be a dangerous fight for her, even if she were against a weaker opponent.
Juri raised her hand high above her head. "Our third fight of the semifinals: Hitawara Touda vs Miwa! You may begin!"
Miwa watched Hitawara carefully; figuring out his strategy as soon as possible would be her best chance to win. She couldn't afford to prolong the fight and risk getting fatigued from her weakened life force. Hitawara was a fighter with quite a large load. Samurai armor in itself was heavy, but he also carried a cumbersome rice barrel on his back for an unknown purpose. And judging by the bow as his weapon, Miwa could guess that at the very least, Hitawara fought long-distance.
"I'm very intrigued by your abilities, Miwa," Hitawara said, smiling gently.
For a moment, Miwa felt taken aback. That was the first time her opponent called her by name in this tournament. "Shall I take that as a compliment?"
"Take it as you wish," he answered, smile unfaltering. "You've shown quite a range of skills in just the last match alone…" His bow slipped off his shoulder, and with the grace of well-practiced hands, his bow was drawn and aimed right at her. "I don't intend to give you a chance to use them."
The arrow released with a quiet thock and rocketed across the arena; that bowstring must have had incredible tension. Miwa did not even have time to summon her water and could only sidestep out of the way. The bristles at the end of the arrow shaft tussled violently as they went through the air, and the sharp point easily lodged itself into the stone wall separating the audience from the arena. That's a powerful bow.
"Don't drop your guard, now."
Quiet thocks in rapid succession quickly followed, and Miwa leaped, sidestepped, and spun all around the arena trying to avoid them. She only had an instant to see where the bow was pointed before she heard the thock and the arrow became near impossible to track, and too fast to block with water. It didn't matter if she were a stationary or moving target; Hitawara had exquisite aim. Once his quiver is empty…
But then, Miwa stumbled again.
No...not now!
With the worst possible timing, on Hitawara's last arrow, Miwa's vision and focus blurred for just a moment, and her right foot slid awkwardly to the side. As Miwa pitched forward, she stomped on the ground a couple times to try and catch herself. In the meantime, Hitawara noticed her falter and readjusted his bow. The arrow flew as fast as ever, speeding right for Miwa's right shoulder. She looked up upon hearing the last quiet thock, but it was too late. Hitawara's arrow was right in target.
"Look out!" Kuwabara screamed.
"Aaaagh!"
A paper-thin line of pain sliced across the upper-half of Miwa's shoulder blade. The friction of the arrow's sharp tip ripped through everything: the strap of her pouch, her clothes, and right through her skin. Warm liquid dribbled from that painful line and stained the fabric of her shirt bright red. Miwa's left hand immediately went up to cover the wound, and her pouch fell off her back and to the ground. The crossbody strap was sliced cleanly through, as if someone just took some scissors and cut through paper. The shock and pain made another rush of weakness and fatigue sweep over Miwa's brain, and for the slightest moment, she did not even know her primary weapon had fallen from her back. Her mind felt hazy and bland, like that haze blocked any thought from being formed, and everything was empty, devoid, and dead.
Hitawara strode up behind her as Miwa tried to regain her composure. His empty quiver bounced erratically with each step, but he did not seem to mind that his ammunition was now gone. He calmly picked up Miwa's fallen pouch and shook it a couple times to gauge the weight. "So this is all you have to fight with, huh?" In his hands, Miwa's black pouch looked minuscule compared to the rice barrel on Hitawara's broad back. He flipped up the cap with his finger and shook the pouch once again, letting a few drops of water splash out. "...All that you can carry on your small back."
Miwa cautiously stood up, still clutching her shoulder, but before she could even call the water back to her, Hitawara lifted the pouch up to his lips and drank it. The muscles in his throat bounced up and down with each gulp, and thin streams of water dribbled from his lips and left a bright trail down his neck as Miwa watched, horrified.
"This isn't good," Kurama said quietly.
Hitawara lowered the pouch and tossed it to the ground. He dramatically smacked his lips together and smiled at Miwa. "Such an interesting flavor. Is this the taste of your previous opponents?"
Miwa shook her head violently, ridding herself of her dizzying fatigue. "Who knows? I don't know what they tasted like to begin with."
Hitawara laughed. "So even though you're still weak, you don't lose your sense of humor."
Miwa did not return his smile. "Keeps the mind sharp, you know?"
"Oh, I'm sure it does. Seeing as you've managed to dodge all my arrows, I have to get creative as well." Hitawara dropped his bow and raised his hands to the straps of his rice barrel. The straps slipped off his shoulder like a backpack, and he effortlessly placed the large barrel on the ground. "Or rather than 'creative,' maybe I just want to play."
Cautiously, Hitawara stepped back, gaining distance from Miwa and the barrel. The container innocently sat in the middle of the ring, all alone and unmoving. On the ground, the barrel came up to Miwa's chest in height, and she could probably easily fit inside if she were to crouch. Miwa removed her hand from her shoulder wound and backed away. Without her weapon, she didn't have any method of defending herself, and she had a feeling that, whatever was in that barrel, she would need to be prepared to run.
"Come out, Seta!"
The barrel was motionless for a few seconds, but then it began to twitch and jerk in place, with no one standing anywhere near it. The twitches and jerks increased in intensity, and it was amazing the barrel didn't fall over. The barrel bulged slightly at the top, and Miwa heard a faint screeching sound from inside. The twitches stopped, and the barrel sat still for a moment. Then, the top of the barrel burst open in a violent explosion of force. A giant, brown thing flew out of that open barrel, screeching so loudly that Miwa had to cover her ears. Miwa could make out hundreds of legs on the side of this creature, and its body was segmented into multiple sections. The creature had two long feelers sprouting from its head, and its body continued pouring out of that barrel; a barrel far to small to hold it in the first place. How did it possibly fit? It was like the creature was crawling out of a different dimension. Then, the creature's body fully escaped, and from its back were two longer legs with a hooked edge. It crawled around the circumference of the ring, and each step from one its hundreds of legs clacked against the stone in a blur of creepy crawly noise. It completed its circle around the arena, essentially trapping Miwa and Hitawara inside with just its body length, and reared its giant head. Each segment of its long body had a faint gleam that eerily resembled the color of Hitawara's armor, and on the middle of its forehead was a gray, star-shaped scar.
Juri let out a disgusted scream into her microphone. "A giant centipede just burst out of Hitawara's pack!"
"Let me introduce you," Hitawara said calmly. "This is my pet, Seta. He lives in my rice barrel." As if to affirm his introduction, Seta screeched loudly again.
Hiei stared at the centipede body in front of him and crossed his arms. "That barrel must have some sort of properties that lets Hitawara fit such a giant creature inside.
"That's not what's important right now!" Kuwabara said, worriedly pulling at his hair. "That's a giant bug, and Miwa doesn't have her weapon!"
Kurama stayed silent, but he too stared at Seta's large body with wide, worried eyes. Kuwabara was right. Miwa was weaponless, and it was just a matter of time until she felt weak again. Kurama looked around him, wondering if there was any other water source Miwa could use to defend herself. But...there was nothing there. Just an empty ringside and a screaming audience. Was there a restroom nearby he could run to and retrieve more water? Would he make it in time? ...Would that even be allowed? Seta continued crawling around the ring, and his skinny legs clacked against the stone arena with each step. A break in Seta's circular trap allowed Kurama a glance at Miwa's face, and her eyes were darting around wildly, perhaps looking for another water source as well. He hadn't seen her that panicked in the middle of battle for a long time, but Hitawara noticed and exploited the one limitation of her power over water. Kurama looked down at his hands when he suddenly realized they were stinging in pain. Faint, semicircular lines were forming across his palms from his fingernails as his fists clenched, just like the wounds on Miwa's hands. So...this must be what she feels like watching from the outside…
"Go, Seta. This is your new prey."
Seta screeched again, and his large body lunged forward. Miwa did the only thing she could: run. Seta followed closely behind her as Miwa sprinted around the ring as fast as she could. Pincers on Seta's mouth gnashed together with loud chomps, and Miwa did not want to find out of Seta was poisonous like a normal centipede. Seta's screeching came closer and closer, and Miwa leapt to the side to avoid Seta's lunge. His large head crashed into the arena floor, leaving a giant dent, but Seta recovered quickly and resumed his pursuit. Knowing she couldn't outrun him forever, she jumped on top of Seta's head. Her feet slipped a bit on Seta's smooth shell, but he also screeched in pain when she took a firm grip on his feelers.
"Looks like Miwa's hitching a ride to avoid being bitten by Seta's sharp pincers!" Koto announced excitedly, "But how can she defeat him without any water to throw at him?"
Seta's painful screeches subsided, but then he lifted his head high. Miwa shifted her footing to regain her balance as Seta carried her high into the air, and his head slowly became vertical. The change in gravity's direction made Miwa's feet slide backward until they were lifted from Seta's shell completely, and Miwa clung to Seta's feelers for dear life, or else she would fall. Then, Seta turned his body again, so the top of his head faced the ground, and he threw his head back violently, with Miwa still clinging on tight. Miwa's body slammed against Seta's shell from the change in direction, wind roared as it passed over her ears, and as the ground quickly approached, she realized what Seta was trying to do. He was planning to smash her into the ground.
"Woah! Here comes a head smash!" Koto screamed.
Miwa curled her legs and pressed her feet against Seta's shell again. If she didn't get out of the way, the impact would surely kill her. Seta's body forcing her down made it really hard for Miwa to put strength in her legs, but she had no other choice. Miwa let go of Seta's feelers and pushed off as hard as she could. For several seconds, her body flew through the air in free fall, and the ground continued to rapidly approach. She shut her eyes and braced herself. Her back slammed against the ground, and her body slid backwards until she uncontrollably rolled across the grass. In the distance, she heard Seta's own body hit the ground and his angry screeches, but then Miwa's body crashed into the wall, and the rubble fell all around her as if to create a rocky tomb. The pain pulsating through her body was distracting, and her shoulder wound stung, but through the rocks, Miwa could hear the sound of Seta's legs clacking against the arena. He returned to Hitawara's side, probably unharmed.
"Miwa is out of the ring!" Juri exclaimed. "Starting the count! One!"
The audience started cheering really loudly, nearly drowning out Juri's amplified voice. Finally, after two fights of Hiei essentially kicking ass, finally they got to see the "demon traitor bitch" on the losing side of the fight. They cheered for Hitawara and Seta, begging them to finish her off while she was weak and defenseless. Slowly, their cheers turned into a murderous mantra of "Kill the bitch! Kill the bitch!" The only other thing they could possibly do to show their distaste was to start throwing things at her, even if she stayed down for ten seconds..
The audience...
"Four!"
Kurama stared at the pile of rubble in which Miwa lay. His fists clenched together tightly, unsure of whether he wanted Miwa to get up and continue fighting or just stay down. Back in the ring, Hitawara gently pet Seta's head, rewarding him for a good job, even if the head smash did not go down as planned. Seeing them so close together, Kurama could see a distinct similarity between Seta's shell and Hitawara's armor. Not only the shine, but the swirl of brown color with faint traces of red looked extremely similar. Hitawara must have made his armor from Seta's shell, but if he trusted the shell enough to do that, then Seta's shell must also serve as a powerful shield.
Please, Miwa...find a way to fight back!
"Eight!"
The rubble shook, and Miwa's pale hand burst through the crevices. Her quiet grunts echoed in her small tomb as she pushed the stones out of the way, and when her head finally emerged, Miwa took in a huge gulp of air. Without even hesitating, Miwa leapt back into the ring. New scratches covered her body, her light blue clothes were ripped and stained with grass and dirt. Her shoulders rose up and down as she panted heavily; the battle and her fatigue was beginning to take its toll.
"Miwa just doesn't know when to give up!" Juri said excitedly. "The fight continues!"
Miwa took a deep breath. "He obeys you quite well," she said, "even though I suspect you're the one who gave him that scar on his head."
Hitawara's fingers glided gracefully over the gray mark, and he stuck one finger into a distinct crack in Seta's shell surrounding the scar. "You must assert your dominance to tame a beast," he explained. "That's what I have learned from my time in combat."
"I see. I've learned a few things too," Miwa said, and inexplicably, she started to smile. "...That water is all around us.."
Miwa raised her hand, and suddenly, a bunch of confused noises came from the audience. Those confused noises quickly turned into angry cries, and a number of colored orbs came flying from the audience. They converged around Miwa's hand, colors mixing into a murky brown, and a small stream of liquid slithered its way around Miwa's arm.
"If I'm not mistaken..." Juri said, peering carefully at the brown stream, "Miwa just appropriated the beverages in the audience and made it her new weapon!"
"I love it!" Koto exclaimed. "A beautiful display of desperation and resourcefulness all in one!"
Hitawara chuckled quietly to himself. "Desperation, indeed."
"I make do with what I have," Miwa said.
She threw her hand forward, and the beverage stream shot forward. Hitawara watched calmly as the stream rapidly approached, but he didn't even move. Without even a verbal or visual command, Seta moved his gigantic body and shielded Hitawara with his protective shell. Miwa's stream exploded on impact with the brown armor and splashed in all directions. She swung her arm around again, collecting the liquid back into a single stream, and it glowed, increasing in density. The stream struck against Seta's hard shell over and over, slashing and whipping like a lion tamer in a circus, and each impact echoed in the closed roof arena, but not one laceration even made a scratch on Seta's shell. He did not even screech in pain. His large body just sat there, patiently waiting for Miwa's assault to end. Miwa growled in frustration, and in an instinctive act of anger, her stream whipped Seta's scar, but that only got a mild whimper.
"It's useless," Hitawara's amused voice said, "Seta's armor was legendary in the village he used to terrorize." He smiled. "...Or, at least until my arrow pierced him."
Miwa frowned, but she wasn't ready to give up. If an arrow was able to work, then she may get lucky if she were persistent. Her arms swung around in all directions, and the stream continued its barrage against Seta's armor. Seta crawled around the arena again, as if he were taunting Miwa with his impenetrable shell. Miwa and her stream moved around the ring in a strange mixture of offense and dance, but none of her attacks broke through. The stream returned to its coil around her arm, and Miwa stared at the scar. That may be her only way in, but surely Seta would protect that spot above all else. However, since Hitawara discarded his bow, he must be relying on Seta to defeat her in his place. His arrows were all lodged in the wall outside the ring. If she can defeat Seta, she would have another chance to defeat Hitawara. Seta's hundreds of legs clacked on the arena floor, and suddenly, Miwa had an idea. She didn't know much about the anatomy of a centipede, but those legs didn't have the same brown color of Seta's shell. That could be my other way in…
The stream uncoiled itself, Miwa swiped her arm in an outward fan, and the stream launched itself forward like a curved blade. Her guillotine stream headed right towards Seta's legs. Seta crawled backward and lifted its body to try and dodge it, but as a centipede, his body was too long. The guillotine hit Seta's legs right at the joint closest to his feet, and it continued to move. Miwa smiled, thinking that her slice was successful, but when the blade made its way through Seta's legs, there was no signs of a cut. For a brief second, Miwa could see gaps in the guillotine stream where the legs passed through. Then the stream hit the ground and splashed uselessly onto the grass. The brown liquid formed a puddle there, but soon it absorbed into the dirt, and only small, droplets remained on the blades of grass.
Miwa stared wide-eyed at Seta's undamaged legs and the residual brown spot on the grass. The weapon she stole disappeared before her eyes. Then, as if to add salt to a wound, another wave of fatigue and weakness overcame her mind. Seta's body in front of her warped into an indistinguishable blur, Miwa swayed back and forward as she tried to orient herself in the noisy haze, and she covered her face with her palm, vaguely hoping that a lack of sensory input would restore her senses quicker.
Not good…
"I don't get it! Kuwabara yelled. "Miwa cut through crystal before with that attack! Those skinny bug legs should be no problem!"
Kurama grit his teeth. "She doesn't have the Spirit Energy to make the water dense enough for a clean cut..."
Seta suddenly started scurrying in an insane burst of speed. Miwa still had her eyes covered, but she could hear the clacking of those accursed legs getting closer and closer. She forced herself to remove her hand from her eyes, and she could see a large brown blob coming closer. Instinctively, Miwa covered her face with both arms to protect herself, but she instantly knew that was a big mistake. A huge force crashed into her body, knocking her to the ground. Her chin hit the floor with the most force, and the iron taste of blood filled her mouth when her teeth cut into her bottom lip. A number of thin somethings brushed over her the sides of her arms and legs and dug themselves underneath her body. A chill ran down Miwa's spine as she pulled her arms free and tried to crawl away, but the somethings clenched together tightly against her waist and legs, and Miwa felt her body be pulled against warm and smooth. The somethings on her arms and legs dug into her skin, holding her fast in place. Miwa did her damndest to pull at them with her free hands, but she did not have the strength. Whatever grabbed hold of her lifted her into the air, and as her vision slowly regained focus, she could see Hitawara beaming up at her and Seta's skinny legs wrapped around her body. Seta had captured her and held her high above the arena, dangling her in front of his master as an open, exposed target.
She was trapped.
Hitawara laughed. "Your desperate attempt at being resourceful lost to your own weakness, and now your makeshift weapon is gone." At some point in all the confusion, Hitawara must have left the ring and quickly returned, because one of his arrows, the ones Miwa was sure were stuck in the arena walls, was clutched in his right hand and his bow in the other. "I could just let Seta kill you with another body slam…" Hitawara drew back the arrow and aimed it right for her. "But I much prefer making the kill myself."
Miwa pulled at Seta's legs again and wiggled her body as much as she could, but even if she were at full health, she would not have had the muscle strength to free herself from Seta's powerful clutches.
Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara stared up at Miwa's struggle, wide-eyed and afraid, and they held their breath when they heard the quiet thock of Hitawara's bow.
"Miwa!" Kurama shouted.
Miwa continued squirming as the arrow came closer and closer, but then she swung her arms in an arch over her head and screamed.
"Come!"
The ground began to vibrate. It didn't feel like an earthquake. It just felt like something was moving around beneath Kurama's feet. The dirt felt slightly softer, like it was squishing more under his weight, and before he could even try guess what was happening, a giant water stream burst from the ground. It stretched across the arena like a rainbow and knocked Hitawara's arrow off its trajectory. Then the stream, roughly half the size of Seta's body, changed its course in the air and looped around, crashing right into Seta's head. Seta screeched in pain, and it's thin legs released Miwa. She landed gracefully back in the ring, and the giant stream dove down to the ground and seamlessly disappeared into the dirt, like a diver slipping under the water's surface with minimal splash. Seta made another circle around the ring, retreating back to Hitawara's side, but his master paid him no attention and instead glared menacingly at Miwa.
"What is this?" he asked. "Where did that water come from?"
The large water stream burst from the ground again, but instead of her arm, it looped itself around Miwa's whole body like a barrier. "It's groundwater, usually hiding under the Earth's surface in porous soil and fractured rock." Miwa raised one of her hands forward, and the stream reared its head toward Hitawara. She was breathing heavily, beads of sweat dribbled down her skin, scratches covered her skin, and her clothes were ripped and stained with blood and grass, but despite all that, a cheeky smile still appeared on Miwa's face. "Something I learned from the humans."
Kurama snorted quietly and covered his mouth with his hand. He giggled to himself without caring about Hiei's incredulous look or Kuwabara's curious stare. He didn't even think about how summoning groundwater would use a lot of Miwa's already low Spirit Energy. Her sudden quip about using knowledge of the human world in a demon tournament just caught him so off guard; even more than her surprise water source. That's so like you…
Miwa thrust both arms forward, and like a giant snake, the water stream uncoiled from around her body and lashed out towards Seta. It glowed bright blue as Miwa hardened it as best she could, and, once again, the stream crashed into Seta's head, receiving another piercing screech of pain, and the audience members simultaneously covered their ears to protect them from the sound. The stream looped back, but instead of going for another headshot, this time the stream crashed into the lower half of Seta's body, and mixed in with pained screeches was an undeniable crack. The massive stream hit a section of Seta's legs in full force, and pieces of his off-yellow legs broke off at the joints and fell to the ground like confetti.
"Miwa's groundwater attack seems to have turned the tables on the giant centipede!" Juri announced, "I sure hope Hitawara still has some arrows hidden somewhere!"
Hitawara watched in horror as his pet wiggled across the ground, whimpering pitifully and extremely off balance since maybe a third of his legs were suddenly gone. He growled and lifted one of the tassets on his waist as Miwa swung her arms to loop her stream around once more. Underneath the tasset, a small dagger was tacked, hidden from view, as Hitawara's last resort if his arrows were ever gone. He watched carefully as Miwa focused on her giant groundwater stream, waiting for a chance when her back was turned. Seta continued wobbling around the ring, and his screeches devolved into painful whimpers, but Miwa's arms and eyes were focused on the giant centipede. Hitawara quietly crept forward, trying to minimize his movements so Miwa wouldn't notice him. Then, she turned away, preparing to strike Seta again, but Hitawara threw his dagger with all his strength. The blade whistled through the air, with as much speed and precision as any of Hitawara's arrows, right for Miwa's back.
Seta screeched again; the water stream bashed him right on his scar.
Then, without even looking behind her, Miwa sidestepped, and the dagger flew harmlessly past her, just centimeters from touching her skin.
"Do you think you're the first person who's tried that on me?" she asked.
Seta scurried across the ground, and the sound of his many legs clacking against the arena floor sounded less rhythmic with a section of his feet gone. His enormous body hurried back to the rice barrel, which had fallen on its side during all the madness. With one final, sad screech, Seta squeezed his head back into the barrel, and his entire body disappeared inside, section by section, leg by leg. The barrel didn't even wobble upon his body entering, slurping Seta's body in its mouth like a giant spaghetti noodle. Once his last two legs squeezed inside, Seta was gone, and the ring seemed much wider in his absence.
"Oi, Seta!" Hitawara screamed, but there was only silence inside the mysterious rice barrel.
"Now…" Miwa said, as the stream coiled around her body once more, "Do you have anything else you would like to try?"
Hitawara took a small step back. That dagger was gone. His arrows were lodged in the wall outside the arena. Seta retreated back into the rice barrel like a coward. The only weapon he had left was his bow, and that was useless to him now. He growled again, but he wasn't going to give up. He still had his armor fashioned from Seta's shell. Perhaps it would protect him long enough to get in one last hit. She was weak. Controlling that much water labored her breathing even further. He still had a chance. He ran forward, tossing his useless bow forward as a distraction, and raised his fist.
I won't give up. I'm a warrior!
Miwa's groundwater slapped away the bow like it was a tiny fly. It pulled back for a brief second, and then it launched itself straight forward, right at Hitawara. It slithered through the air at a speed faster than any of his arrows, but it was only when it approached him did Hitawara really understand how much groundwater Miwa had summoned. It looked small compared to Seta, but when it came right at his face, that thing looked absolutely monstrous. It swallowed his fist as the water crawled over his skin, and once the stream reached his body, the wind was knocked out of his lungs as it pushed him back. Water spilled into his mouth that he involuntarily swallowed, and in the corner of his eye, Hitawara could see the audience whizzing by just before he smashed into the wall with a crash that echoed through the entire stadium. The stream burst in a huge splash upon impact, and Hitawara could feel the force of every bit of groundwater that trapped him there. Eventually the wall caved in, and large pieces fell above his head. The stream pulled away, and finally he could breathe again. Small beams of light shown through gaps in the debris, but to Hitawara, it all just looked like bright spots in a dark blur.
"Out of the ring! I'm making the ten-count! One!"
I won't give up...I'm a warrior…
Hitawara, mind dizzy and unfocused after that impact, mustered whatever strength he had and tried to lift his arms, but there must have been more rubble on him than he thought. His arms just felt so heavy. A rock must have landed on his wrist or something, and it was hard to even move. He tried moving his legs, but the best he could do was buckle his knees slightly. He could literally see light shining through the debris, and he could still breathe without any weight on his chest; how much debris could possibly be on him?! Then, his dizzy mind began to clear, and he looked to his left. It wasn't just the light shining through that allowed him to see his arm. A distinctive blue glow surrounded both of his hands, holding him to the ground like shackles.
"Five!"
It was Miwa's water.
...I'm a warrior!
Hitawara pulled his arms again, but his wrists wouldn't even budge. He could not see his feet, but as he failed to even lift his legs, he had a strong suspicion that they were captured as well. He pulled his arm again, then twisted his body to the side to try give it more leverage. He pulled and pulled, but was forced to stop when he felt the joint in his shoulder shift as if it was about to pop out of his shoulder. He felt his joint painfully slide back into place as he lay his back flat on the ground again. He took a deep breath. If there was any chance of him getting out, he may just have to dislocate his shoulder. But just as he turned his body…
"Ten!" Juri called, "And Miwa is the winner!"
Three wins for Team Urameshi.
Notes: Hitawara is one of my favorite opponents for Miwa. He's a bastardized version of the Japanese fairy tail Tawara Touda, or My Lord Bag of Rice, to fit in with the theme for Team Uraotogi. The "hi" in his name is a Japanese prefix meaning "non-." Miwa, on the other hand, had the limitations of her abilities brutally exploited in this fight. It's fun writing her kicking ass, but most of her struggles so far have been internal with her relationships or the order of her priorities. Despite her limitations, she is quite resourceful. Water really is everywhere.
It's been nearly a year since I started writing this story, and 10 chapters have been posted in that time. I'm not sure I'm proud of that pace, but I think posting it before it was finished really helps me push through the hard-to-write scenes. There is still so much story left, and I'm really excited to put all of it into words.