The crowd shouted in excitement as the carnage from the previous match was cleared from the ring in preparation for the 3rd match. "WOULD THE NEXT FIGHTERS PLEASE COME FORWARD?!" Koto, the foxy ring girl, shouted into her mic. Cora scratched the back of her neck, eye balling the other team as they seemed to communicate through small glances. Aside from Zeru there where two other people on the opposing team who had yet to fight, and judging by their energy levels they seemed like small fry...seeing as Zeru is their leader, he should go last... so now would be the best chance I have to sneak in a fight... "I call this one." She said cockily, placing her hands on her hips. Hiei rolled his eyes while Kurama sighed, seemingly exasperated with her antics.
Kuwabara quirked a brow at her. "You sure are itchin' to get into the ring." He said suspiciously, eyeing her up and down. "Didn't think you where the fighting type..."
Cora rolled her eyes and waved his comment off in a rather nonchalant way. "Oh don't worry, I'm not. This would be my first real fight-"
Kuwabara blanched. "What?! You're our alternate and you've never even been in a fight before?!" He gave Hiei (who ignored him) and Kurama frantic looks. "We cant just let her go up there and fight all willy-nilly! She'll be kille-omph!" Cora punched him in the gut (with her left hand), making him double over.
"I'm standing right here you know!" She shouted into his ear which was now at head level with her. "And for your's and everyone else' information, just because I've never been in a fight, doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing! There's a lot at stake right now, and I'll be damned if I let some wimpy, tiny dicked, womanizing demons get in my way!" Cora shouted, whacking Kuwabara about the head and shoulders as she ranted on. Kurama tried to hid a small chuckle behind his hand while Hiei grunted in annoyance.
"NEXT FIGHTERS FORWARD!" Koto cried out, looking pointedly at their team.
Cora huffed, giving Kuwabara one last slap kick to his back as she jumped over him, heading towards the ring. "Watch and learn kiddies!" She snapped over her shoulder.
Kuwabara rubbed his sore head, flipping the bird to her turned back. "Damn, she hits pretty hard for Shrimp Bait!" He complained. Hiei grunted as if to say 'its your own falt'.
Kurama nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, while it's hard to remember at times due to her strange lack of an energy signature, Cora is a demon. It's a stretch to say she's never been in a fight though, as she spent a bit of time in the Mikai."
Hiei scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes to hide is frustration. "She knows enough to get away to hide and nothing more." He said coldly, gritting his teeth as he heard the announcer ask for the next fighters once more. "If ever she was in need of a random stroke of brilliance, now would be the time. Lets hope she understands to stay down and shut that loud mouth-"
Kurama placed a hand on Hiei's shoulder, interrupting him mid bashing. "Zeru." Hiei's eyes snapped open to see that Zeru had indeed stepped up to the ring, walking across it with a confidence that made Hiei's blood boil. Cora seemed to be frozen to the ground some ten feet from the ring side; was she truly so terrified of the male demon?
"There team leader is fighting now?" Kurama asked the others.
Kuwabara shrugged his shoulders in confusion. "But he should go last!" Kuwabara rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Maybe there's a mistake...hey!" He pointed to Cora, who had yet to move a single muscle. "I know she has some kind of point she's trying to prove, but she can't fight against him! He'll kill her for sure!"
"Or worse." Kurama said catching Hiei's eye, making the fire demon sneer in disgust as he started to loosen his scarf from around his neck. Not wanting to waste time, Hiei made his way towards the ring.
Kuwabara galnced between Kurama and Zeru, trying hard to understand what could be worse then death. "What do you mean "or worse"?"
Kurama crossed his arms over his chest, a grim frown falling onto his lips. "Anything goes; that is the way the matches are fought in this tournament. And when they say anything, they mean anything." Kurama said making Kuwabara blanch." Zeru has issued a warning to take Cora onto his team, using force if necessary. Cora is able to hold her own, but against Zeru she would be easily over powered-"
"Zeru is the strongest of the four remaining. He's fighting in anger for the loss Roto cost them. His intentions are to over power the stupid girl, forcing her alliance to change while obtaining a point for his team," Hiei bit out over his shoulder making Kurama frown and Kuwabara gulp nervously. "He must not be taking this seriously enough if he thinks we will allow such a shallow and tasteless move."
"URAMESHI TEAM, CAN WE GET ON WITH IT HERE?!" Koto shouted, breaking Cora from her relaxing breathing. This was it; when she opened her eyes she was going to see who her competition was- something soft and very warm fell over the top of her head making her go into a mild panic. She ripped the offending garment off her face and stared down at it in bewilderment. It was a white scarf... a very familiar white scarf.
"I'm taking this fight, and I don't want to hear any complaining from you." Cora heard Hiei said from her left. She lifted her head to glare at him but stopped short when her eye caught sight of who was supposed to be her opponent. Zeru stood in the center of the ring, his eyes blazing with furry and hatred. Cora swallowed; her throat was suddenly very dry.
Hiei stalked past her, not even sparing her a single glance as he went. "Hey!" She called out to him. He stopped just before he was about to jump onto the ring, his head tilting ever so slightly to let her know he was listening. "Land a hit for me and I'll look over the fact that you're stealing my fight." She said earning a small nod from the fire demon.
"Hn." Hiei jumped up onto the ring focusing his glinting garnet eyes one his target. Core chewed on her bottom lip as she placed the scarf around her neck, burying her nose into it's soft folds as she turned and made her way back to Kurama's side.
"You better come back ass hat... or I'll force feed leeks down the throat of your corpse..." She grumbled out icily. Ok, so it would be meaningless to tourture his dead body. But at least his ghost would suffer watching her do it. Kurama quirked a brow at her as she rejoined them, catching only the last few words of her small rant. "Don't even ask."
"Wouldn't dream of it." He said with a small chuckle.
Hiei stared his opponent down icily, battle tactics running through his head like one of those human picture shows. And like the stupid and mundane ad's that played over and over again between segments, replays of his one and only encounter with Zeru flooded his mind as well. And the argument that had ensued between himself and that idiot girl because of the man that stood before him.
Shortly after Zeru had left Hiei had entered the bed room he would be sharing with Kurama and (apparently) Cora. It wasn't the fact that despite sharing the room with two men she found it acceptable to sit around in only a towel that had made him angry enough to slam the door, but the state of her exposed flesh...
Hiei entered the bed room, stopping short in his trek when his eyes landed on a rather strange and somewhat alarming sight. Cora sat on one of the two queen sized beds, her body clad in an extra large towel, hair sopping wet and dripping onto the bed spread and her hands busy rubbing what looked to be some kind of white goop onto her lower legs which looked to have been scrubbed raw. Hiei closed the door behind him with much more force the what was necessary, making Cora jump in surprise, her aquamarine eyes widening with panic for a split second before her face crumbled into a scowl.
"Damn it Hiei, I asked you guys to stay out there until I was done bathing-"
"What the hell happened?" Hiei growled out, cutting her scolding short. Cora huffed, crossing her arms as she stood and stormed towards the bathroom; she wasn't in the mood for his attitude. Hiei followed after her, leaning against the door frame of the bathroom as she started to forcefully towel dry her hair. She glanced his way, narrowed her eyes, and then refused to look at him again as she pretended to focus on her hair. They stayed there like that for only a few seconds before she growled, tossing the towel she had been drying her hair with onto the floor and pinning him with what he was sure she thought was an intimidating glare.
"What do you want Hiei? Cant you see I'm trying to get ready for bed-"
"What did you do to yourself?" His tone was sharp, demanding and left little room for argument. Cora however was perfectly keen to find that small room for argument and squeeze her way through as if she hadn't heard him.
"Nothing- now either get in here and close the door, or leave! Your letting in a draft and this towel isn't a very good blanket!" She grouched out at him.
"No."
"Jeez!" She reached around him, grabbing the door handle and slamming the door shut against his back. "What the hell is your issue, huh? Look, I know I should have told you and Kurama that I was coming, ok!"
"There's nothing that can be done about that seeing as how you got permission from Koenma," Hiei bit out, grabbing her arm as she turned away from him with a roll of her eyes. She winced when his calloused hand rubbed against the irritated skin of her arms, the flesh so tender and inflamed that Hiei could feel the heat against his palm.
"Ow! what the hell Hiei-"
"I will not repeat myself again."
She glared at him, puffing her cheeks out in agitation before tearing her arm away from him. "Jeez, I just rubbed to hard while I was showering, ok?"
Hiei gave her a quizzical glare in response. "Why did you bother washing again?"
Cora rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "What is this, twenty questions? If it is your doing a horrible job-"
"Cora." She winced; he hardly ever used her name, unless he was being completely and undoubtedly serious. Hiei hid his victory smirk. He had her backed into a corner. "I will not. Repeat myself." She chewed on her lower lip, a nervous habit of hers that he loathed. But she never seemed to know that she was doing it, and as such it was a good way to know if something was bothering her...not that he cared, it just made his life a hell of a lot easier if she was calm.
"I-I just wanted to take another bath, ok? Having that Zeru guy break into our hotel room made me nervous and I didn't want to go to bed when I was all sweaty-"
"So you rubbed your skin raw?"
She frowned at him. "Its not that bad..." She grumbled out as she picked at the red skin on the back of her arm.
Hiei scoffed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Right, and I'm the 'tooth witch' is disguise."
Cora quirked a brow at him, a small smile falling onto her face. "Do you mean the Tooth Faerie?" He scowled and gave her a shrug of indifference that made her chuckle. "Right; weirdest faerie I've ever seen."
Hiei glared at her as he leaned against the still closed door. "At least I don't look like a lobster." Her mocking smile was replaced by a scowl of her own, and this time he couldn't fight off the smug smirk that came along with his victory.
"Whatever." Cora said as she turned away from him, picking up the towel she had been using earlier and patting at the ends of her hair once again. He watched her work, content that the argument seemed to have passed by; sometimes he felt more drained just dealing with her then taking on a hoard a demons.
Cora's bad mood seemed to have vanished into thin air as she moved quickly yet efficiently, using every inch of available fabric to soak up the water from her hair. When she was done it was stringy and a little damp, clinging to her shoulders despite her efforts to pull it off of her neck. She kept making quick glances in Hiei's direction checking to make sure he hadn't moved. He hadn't. While he drove her crazy, and ninety percent of the time she wished she could just deck him in his smug face, she was happy to finally have him and Kurama around again. Life was boring with out them. With a small smile she walked up to him and grabbed his wrist, pulling his folded arms apart.
"What are you doing now?" Hiei asked irritably, suddenly very aware of the situation he had unintentionally put himself in. He prided himself on always being in control of himself; down to the most basic emotions, Hiei was able to keep himself locked up tight. But even he couldn't fight the will of nature at times, and with his coming of age, there were a few things he was finding harder and harder to ignore. Though he still had an iron grip on his control, he was starting to notice certain thing's that he hadn't before. Like how right now, there was a stark naked female standing a mere six inches away from him. Four years ago, he wouldn't have thought anything of it, but now... Hiei pressed everything into the back of his mind. He refused to acknowledge this stupid girl in that way-
Cora, unaware of the conflicting emotion's that were swirling through her long time partners head, shrugged and held his hand up, folding all but his pointer finger down. With gentle hands she grabbed a small chunk of her hair into her free hand and wound the strands around his finger. A small amount of steam came from the coiled strands due to his elevated body temperature. Less then a minute latter she pulled up on the hair, allowing it to unwind gradually before Hiei's finger was given back to him. She bounced the section of hair, a triumphant smile coming to her face as she eyed the nearly perfect banana curl.
"Wish you where here to help me get ready earlier!" She said cheekily making him scowl. Any and all conflicting emotions where extinguished at that point, the thought of her using him as a hair product highly insulting. "It took me hours to get my hair to cooperate with the curling iron!"...
Hiei reentered the present, an amused smirk tugging at his lips. Sure, he hadn't been amused last night. He had even been mildly offended that she would ever think to use him as a hair care product. But now, moments before battle, the memory served as a way to calm his mind. He stared intently into Zeru's angry and haughty eyes; Hiei would not allow himself to be blinded by his fury towards the male that stood before him. He would go in with a clear mind. And he would win.
"TEAM ROKYOKAI, ZERU! TEAM URAMESHI, HIEI!" Koto announced. The crowd began to practically salivate with anticipation, but neither Hiei nor Zeru moved an inch. They continued to stare each other down, neither willing to make the first move. But in the end, someone had to make the first move.
"I know a great deal about you technique," Hiei said, a smug smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. "You harness heat energy with such precision that it resembled a knife cut. But, one of the edges on that cup was sloppily melted. You have your flaw."
Zeru seemed, on the outside, to be unfazed by Hiei's detective work on his abilities, his reaction only noticeable why the tightening of his eyes. "As do you. I don't think I need advice from someone who needs to use a fake eye."
"FIGHT!" Koto shouted, signalling the beginning of the match. No sooner had the order left her mouth then did Zeru literally explode with energy, his now familiar yellow flames licking lavishly at the ring and the air that surrounded Hiei. Koto jumped back, pushing herself off the side of the ring as the fire burned out of control, taking over the ring in a matter of seconds.
However, despite the sudden anxiety from the crowd (who had already suffered once from Zeru's flames) Hiei stood his ground, his gaze fixed lazily on Zeru who seemed to only become more irritated by Hiei's bored expression. "Not intimidated yet?" Zeru amped up his energy, sending flames shooting out of the ring. "Then lets up the stakes!"
Back with the others, Cora was grabbed by Kurama and pulled roughly out of the way as the flames came hurtling towards them. Kuwabara narrowly dodged being a roasted pig, and the masked fighter flipped backwards onto the surrounding retaining wall, tossing up a shield in order to protect himself and diverting the flames into the crowd behind him. Cora looked on in a panic, searching for Keiko and Shizuru. Kurama placed a hand on her shoulder, pointing to a spot further up in the stands near where they had been seated before. Sure enough, two very human faces stared at the charred bodies with horror.
Back in the ring, Hiei was chuckling darkly, unimpressed by the show of power. Zeru's eyes hardened. "I wouldn't laugh just yet. You haven't even heard whats at stake!" Zeru forced his hand before him, a large column of fire shooting from his palm and arching across the ring at Hiei who easily dodged it. "Seeing as how I will defeat you, I'll let you in on a little secret." He sends another whip of fire at Hiei. "Once I've reduced you to a pile of ash and won this tournament, I'm going to take that stupid, naive Meimu* as mine!" Zeru sent a barrage of fire balls towards Hiei who evaded them expertly.
The onslaught forced Hiei into the air where he landed on the edge of the huge sky way at the top of the dome. He dodged one last fire ball, making it hit the cement ledge, sending large pieces of debris to fall into the crowd. He landed gracefully in the ring, his face set in a stony glare. Zeru's body continued to emit fire, a smug smile splitting across his face.
"You've become so quiet now." Zeru said with a chuckle as he summoned yet another fire ball into his right hand. "To frightened to notice any more of my 'flaws'? Or maybe your just realizing that your not strong enough to defend your claim-"
"Actually," Hiei said cutting off Zeru's monologue. "I'm bored." Zeru didn't seem to like Hiei's answer. His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits and the smile dropped from his face as every muscle in his body tensed up.
"Actually, you're dead!" Zeru shouted before he released another torrent of energy, sending flames shooting up into the sky. The entire crowd seemed to flinch as if expecting more debris to fall upon their heads. Zeru slammed left fist into his palm, his eyes closing as he began to concentrate on the towering flames. They melded together above him like a storm cloud before being reabsorbed into his body.
"OH WOW! HIS SKIN IS CHANGING COLOR!" Koto yelled. Hiei's eyes narrowed fractionally; Zeru's skin was indeed changing color, turning from its pasty white to a glowing red as the fire cloud dissipated into his body. "HE SEEMS TO BE ENGULFED IN HEAT! HE'S GLOWING LIKE A POKER!"
Back with the rest of the team, Cora had nearly chewed her own lip off. Why wasn't Hiei doing anything? Sure, he was dodging and keeping from being hit, but shouldn't he have attacked Zeru by now? With his speed and swordsmanship, he could have won the fight already.
"Kurama-"
"Hiei is taking an unusual amount of time to analyze his opponent." Kurama said before Cora could even voice her question. Kurama too was starting to worry; perhaps Hiei had bitten off more then he could chew. But Hiei didn't seem panicked at all; if anything he looked exactly as he had said before to Zeru. He looked bored. That is, until there where no more flames for Zeru to absorb.
Zeru did indeed look like a red hot ember with the ground beneath his feet looking as though it was starting to smoke. Kurama watched as Zeru suddenly charged Hiei, his right arm pulling back to deliver a sharp jab to Hiei's abdomen. Though to the untrained eye the movements seemed to be lightning fast, Kurama knew that Hiei would have no issues evading such a slow attack-
The sound of tearing flesh accompanied by the smell of burning skin sliced through the air, shaking Cora and the others to their very core. Zeru's red hot hand delivered a clean, well placed hit, entering Hiei's chest cavity between is second and third rib and exiting out of Hiei's back. Flames engulfed Hiei on impact. A gargled shout of agony fell from Hiei's lips as Zeru allowed him to fly off his supper heated arm, sending him flying some fifteen feet off the ground.
"H-holy shit...!" Cora stuttered as she fell back onto the ground, her entire body shaking like a leaf. Her insides felt like they where on fire, and the taste of bile rested at the back of her throat. Kurama and the others looked on in mute shock and the second strongest fighter on their team was taken down with a single hit, casting a dark shadow over them. Zeru released one last attack, sending all the energy he had absorbed earlier towards Hiei's burning body. Hiei released a last scream of agony before he fell silent, leaving nothing but the sound of a crackling fire to echo off the stadium walls.
Cora felt what little she had in her stomach suddenly rise to the back of her throat, forcing its way into her mouth. She rolled to the side, holding herself up on shaky arms and legs as she retched uncontrollably. Her mind was moving at a mile a minute, replaying the last six years over and over in her mind like a broken record.
The night they met. The first few, horrible weeks together. Him using her name for the first time. Him saving her from the thieves, and again and again and again and again andagainagainagainagain- being left at Kuramas. The brief time they spent together in jail. The relief she had felt seeing his dumb face on that stupid communicator screen. The faces she could get out of him when she spouted nonsense... the last fight they had. The last cocky smirk, the last glimmer of annoyed amusement. And now- nothing. Clearly this was all a dream; Hiei couldn't die. He was fucking Hiei!
"WOW ZERU! YOU NEVER TOLD US YOU COULD BE SO SAVAGE!" Koto announced, making Cora wince as she tried to force her annoying voice out of her head. "I LOVE IT!" Cora bit her lip so hard she could taste copper. It dribbled down her chin and onto the scarf that hung loosely from her neck.
"N-no... NO WAY! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Kuwabara shouted in disbelief. The others where to shocked to say anything.
"YOU SEE IT YOURSELF PEOPLE!" Koto shouted into her mic as Cora felt the prickle of tears enter her eyes. "HIEI IS DONE!" Cora bit back a curse just as the sound of a chard body hitting the cement ring echoed through the silent arena...this cant be happening! He promised us- he cant be gone!
"Feh, what a weak thing!" Zeru said, his voice carrying easily in the still air. "Rest in hell!" He sneered, his harsh words making Cora's shoulders go stiff.
"You bastard..." She hissed out, glaring at him over her shoulder. He had already turned to leave the ring, stopping when her voice reached his ears. He glanced over his shoulder at her, a malicious smile stretched across his face. "You son of a bitch!" Cora turned, launching herself towards the ring only to be stopped by the strong hands of both Kurama and Kuwabara. "Let me go! I'M GONNA KILL HIM!"
"Cora stop! There's nothing we can do- if you go in there now, you'll only be giving him what he want's!" Kurama tried to reason.
"LET ME GO KURAMA!" Cora shouted as she struggled against their much stronger holds. Zeru, seeming satisfied with his deeds, turned away from them and continued on his way off the ring. "HE KILLED HIM!" Kurama wrapped his arms around hers to keep her from hitting Kuwabara who had grabbed hold of her legs.
"I know. I know, but killing Zeru and getting us disqualified wont bring him back-"
"I don't care-"
"YES, THAT FIGHT WASN'T A LONG ONE! BUT WHEN YOU'VE GOT SCORCHING MOVES LIKE ZERU, A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY!" Koto announced making Cora go stiff as a board. Kurama took the opportunity to get a better grip on her, holding her back flush against his chest as her shoulders began to quake. Cora reached up, burying her face into the fabric of the scarf. Kurama shared a troubled glance with Kuwabara and Botan, who both looked about ready to loose the battles with their churning stomachs.
"Yes," Cora gasped, her head shooting up so fast she nearly hit Kurama's chin with the back of her skull. "He's so talented I'm reluctant to make the kill." A column of fire sprang up from the festering corps that had been Hiei, shrouding the body from sight. Zeru came to a dead stop, his eyes widening in shock and mild panic.
Koto glanced over her shoulder, her own eyes widening in surprise as the fire column began to disperse, leaving a rather beaten up, but very much alive Hiei standing in its place. "oh my... HIEI SURVIVED!" Cora let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, her entire body turning into jelly. In his shock Kurama allowed her to fall, his arms falling limp as his mind tried to comprehend what had just happened. Cora landed at his feet, her knees bent awkwardly under her."HE'S ON HIS FEET! HE'S SMOLDERING!"
"How could you..." Zeru mumbled. Hiei snickered darkly, his headband catching fire and burning away to reveal his legendary jagan eye. Koto started to make small noises of panic into the mic as the tension built to a head in the ring.
"I believe we've covered that." Hiei said snidely. "So my Jugan eye may not be natural, but it does give me exactly what I need; the ability to put you in your place!" Hiei's Jugan eye began emitting an errie blue light. "The Dragon of the Darkness Flame."
Cora felt her eyes widen in shock. She pulled on Kurama's pant leg earning a quick glance from the bewildered fox demon. "He's joking, right? H-Hiei wouldn't be that stupid, right?"
Kurama's brow furrowed. "I don't want to believe its true," Kurama said, his voice showing the awe and slight worry that swirled with in his emerald eyes. "He's going to attempt the Darkness technique!" Cora gulped, her eyes glued to Hiei as he raised his right arm.
Dark purple flames began to dance on his fingertips, and soon enough his entire palm was covered in black flames. Cora couldn't believe he was actually going to attempt it. But despite her fear of the upcoming carnage, she couldn't help but to enjoy the sight of Zeru practically shaking in his boots. Her enjoyment was short lived however as black energy began to shoot from the sky's, gathering around Hiei's feet. The sky its self turned a sickening shake of blood red. The pilars of energy disbursed, only to be replaced by six thicker bands that looked as though they where surrounding the island its self.
"You know," Hiei said, his right arm shaking with the strain he had placed on it as he attempted to control the dark energy that licked at his palm. "It's impossible to control it completely. Once I release it I have no say." Zeru took a tentative step back. "I have the power to pull you into oblivion. I assume that just my right arm will do..." Hiei said, a sadistic smirk twisting onto his face as Zerus face became devoid of color. Cora backed up against Kurama's legs; the stadium, despite its large size, suddenly felt claustrophobic. As if something very large and very threatening where standing a mere three inches from her nose.
"You should never have insulted the Jugan eye!" Hiei snarled out at him, the energy levels rising ever higher making everyone in the stadium start to shout in panic. "Because you see, in a way it has its own mind and loathes disrespect. Resisting it is not something I would do."
Koto began to sneak back to the edge of the ring, her ears and tail tucked away defensively. "I-I know that I'm supposed to stay, but in-light of this little situation we have here- RETREAT!" Koto shouted before dashing off the ring and hiding against its side.
"And one more thing..." Hiei growled out, bearing his fangs and pinning Zeru with the deepest, darkest and most heated of glares Kurama or Cora have ever seen grace his normally emotionless face. "I am the only one allowed to call that particular woman stupid." The energy around Hiei skyrocketed, the momentum so great it tore away what remained of his shirt. He grasped his right wrist in an effort to steady it before thrusting it out before him with a loud battle cry.* A menacing black dragon erupted from his arm, its body made of the flames from the deepest part of the 7th layer of hell. It swirled through the air, the energy from it blasting through the room violently as it moved in on its target. Zeru tried in vein to protect himself with his arms as he was hit head on my the roaring dragon and sent careening into the retaining wall.
Cora covered her head and let out a tiny scream that was muffled by the roar of the dragon. Kurama bent down to avoid the eruption, wrapping his arms around her protectively. Kuwabara and Botan both belly flopped onto the ground, screaming at the top of their lungs as the dark energy lapped at the air above their heads. Then, as if a plug had been pulled, the dragon vanished. Kurama raised his head, taking a tentative look around. It took him a moment to see Zeru, or what was left of him which was little more then a scorched out line on the arena wall.
"Uh... Hiei... has succeeded..." Kurama said, his bewilderment and wonder clear in his voice. Cora gulped, nodding her head in agreement to what ever the hell Kurama had just said, her eyes trained on Hiei's turned back. He looked down at his right which looked to be burnt to a crisp; that was going to be a bitch to try and heal...
"W-where's Zeru?" Koto asked no one in particular. She let out a startled gasp as she climbed back onto the stage and spotted the chard outline of what used to be Zeru. "Well there's his outline at least..." She said. The two remaining members of Team Rokuyokai started to back up rapidly, fear evident in their eyes. "Well, he's definitely out of the ring-"
"Believe me, he's not coming back." Hiei said in a rather bored tone. "That cinder is all that's left." Koto rubbed the back of her neck as Hiei made his way back towards the edge of the ring.
"Yes, then I suppose counting to ten would be a little ridiculous..." Koto mumbled into the mic. "LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR HIEI!" Nobody made a sound, not that Hiei minded much. The silence of the crowd was much better then their stupid chants.
"YEAH!" Kuwabara shouted in excitement, ruining Hiei's silent reprieve. "We're punching our way to the top!"
Cora sighed, her shoulders slumping a little as Hiei jumped fluidly from the ring. It was over. He was back, and safe and- "I'm gonna kill him." She hissed out. Kurama's eyes widened in shock as she got to her feet, pulled the scarf from around her neck and started to advance on Hiei who was sending her an annoyed glare. "YOU SON OF A DOUCHEBAG!" Kurama was quick to act, scooping Cora up by her waist when she was but some ten feet away from Hiei who had stopped and was giving her a blank look. "LET ME AT HIM! CLEARLY I NEED TO KNOCK SO SENSE INTO THAT THICK SKULL OF HIS!"
Hiei snorted before he began walking again. Once he was within striking distance, she socked him hard in the left shoulder, being mindful of his injury. Hiei barely reacted, glancing from his shoulder to her with mile annoyance.
"Now is NOT the best time for you to back talk me!" She hissed out at him. "What in the world where you thinking?! It's bad enough we had to watch you die once today, but to risk your life only moments after coming back from the dead is just-just-ARGAH!" She punched his shoulder a few more times before Kurama moved her away.
"Hiei could beat anyone with that move-" Kuwabara stopped, his face falling into one of panic. "H-Hiei could beat anyone with that move..."
Cora pushed herself out of Kurama's hold and stomped away, wringing Hiei's scarf and pretending it was his neck. "And he says I go looking for trouble-HA! JUST FOR THAT, HE DOESN'T GET THE SCARF BACK! I HOPE HE FREEZES HIS ASS OFF!"
Kurama watched Cora was she pretended to strangle Hiei and let out a small chuckle. "You'll be lucky if she only goes a month with out speaking to you."
Hiei grunted as he came to a stop by Kurama. "A whole month of silence? How generous of her." He winced as he placed his hands into his pocket; his right arm was in searing pain, but he didn't dare show it. He couldn't stand getting the "look what you did" scolding from the idiot girl.
ok, so I have a few "*" in this chapter-
The first one is for the Japanese word Meimu- when translated into English, it means Illusion, Fallacy, or Delusion. I forgot to mention this in previous chapters, and I apologize if there was any confusion.
The second is for Hiei's "Battle Cry"- While I understand their climatic need within an anime, or even a manga, to me it's always been a little on the annoying side when a character announces their attack every time they use it. So chances are, I'll never have the fighter shout the name of the attack during it's release.
