Me: Welcome back, these skits are becoming a habit.

PR: I enjoy them.

Me: You've made that clear, now, for this week, the disclaimer goes to...

PR: Kurama! :Looking eager:

Me: :Bored look: No.

PR: :Glares: Gnocx?

Me: No.

PR: You need to include him!

Me: :Facepalms: Come on out, Kuwabara!

Door is then kicked open and Kuwabara comes in thinking he's cool.

Kuwabara: Hello all my adoring fans.

PR: Shut the hell up you moron. :Glares:

Me: :Sits back and watches the show:

Kuwabara: What did you say? :Cracks knuckles:

PR: You heard me. You're a cocky ass who does nothing but bring the team down.

Kuwabara: You are so lucky you're a girl. :Glares hatefully:

PR: Sexist.

I interrupt before Kuwabara can retort.

Me: Kuwabara. Please just do the disclaimer.

Kuwabara: :Throws one last glare: Fine. Shaded Truths doesn't own anything but his poser character. Especially not my dear sweet Yukina!

PR: You do realize that Yukina is Hiei's-

Me: :covers her mouth while staring at door: Have you lost your fucking mind! Do you want killed!

Door is then kicked open and thrown off its hinges, the force making it fly at Kuwabara and crash into him before crushing him to the wall. Hiei is where the door was.

Hiei: :walks forward to the cowering Shaded Truths and Persephone Rosamunde: Someone was about to reveal Yukina's identity. :draws sword: Which of you wants to spill your guts, with my assistance.

Me: :shaking: God help us.

PR: Kurama save me!

Chapter 11

"Outta this whole plan, you made one big mistake," Yusuke told Suzaku. "You really pissed me off."

With his declaration made, Yusuke surged forth with a renewed vigor. His fist was slightly glowing with the abundance of his spirit energy as he unleashed a volley of hits on the Saint Beast. Suzaku was blocking with just one arm, but he was being pushed back.

His speed is increasing, the leader observed nervously in his head before a final hit sent the Makai Whistle spinning out of his hands.

"The whistle!" Suzaku cried.

"It's mine!" Yusuke shouted as he dived for it.

Yusuke was inches away from grabbing it before Suzaku appeared in a flash next to him and gave him a punch to the face that sent him to the ground. Suzaku grabbed the whistle and when he landed on the ground, he was tripped by a swipe of Yusuke's feet. As the demon fell Yusuke rose and grabbed onto him, one orm around his back and the other grabbing the arm holding the whistle. Yusuke, with his demon in his grip, charged until he brought them both crashing into the wall. Suzaku let out a grunt of pain before holding two fingers of his free hand up, the tips of those two fingers sparked with energy before the beast brought them down on the hand that was holding his arm. Electricity coursed through Yusuke's body a second time, the shouts no more quiet than the first. Suzaku used the opening he created to jump away from him and land in front of the monitor.

"You really want this whistle badly, don't you?" Suzaku asked smugly. "She must mean a lot to you."

He was referring to Keiko who they could see on the screen was running with Botan from the horde of Makai infected people.

"That's none of your business!" Yusuke shouted in response before running to stand a few feet from Suzaku.

Yusuke then grit his teeth as he saw that her pursuers were chasing with a definite intent to kill, if the weapons in their hands were anything to go by.

"I'm sorry," Suzaku said, glancing behind him at the screen. "Were you saying something, you appeared to trail off after seeing her in danger. You humans are so transparent with your feelings. Meet a female and then you love her, take her away and then you get mad. Though I admit your desire to save her is making it a bit difficult for me to fight with one hand."

"Let me hold the whistle then you can use both hands," Murugu suggested as she flew next to him.

"Have wisdom, Murugu," Suzaku chided. "If you hold the whistle, he'll take it from you. Yusuke here will be requiring somewhat more of a drastic approach. I have two favorite techniques," Suzaku explained as he placed the whistle into the crook of his elbow. "You've already met my storm of torment. Allow me to introduce the other."

Suzaku then got into a crouching position and formed a sign with his hands.

"Nice Posture," Yusuke goaded.

Suzaku ignored him as he concentrated. His energy spilling outward making his hair and clothes appear as though they were being ruffled by a summer breeze. Yusuke then blinked and rubbed his eyes as Suzaku appeared to turn from one person to seven identical people.

"I really need to get my eyes checked," Yusuke stated apprehensively.

"This is the most advanced ability I have learned in my years at this castle," Suzaku said as he and his clones stood straight. "So, can you guess which of us is the real Suzaku? Bet you can't."

"We all are," the seven chorused.

"Black secret technique: The Prism of Seven!" The Suzaku in the center exclaimed.

Meanwhile, outside the watch tower, the rest of the group continued their fight with Suzaku's cultivated humans. Hiei was untouched as he flickered through the masses, slicing each one he passed. Kurama used his rose whip to behead any who neared him and kept them at a distance. Gnocx used his blades to quickly vanquish as many as the others, and Kuwabara was still beating them down with his fists. They had all cultivated together in a line after defeating a wave of the mindless troops.

"We gotta find a way to get to Urameshi," Kuwabara stated.

"Yes, Kuwabara," Kurama concurred. "I have a strong sense that he requires our assistance."

"If the constant lightning strikes to the tower are anything to go by, we need to hurry this up," Gnocx said while Hiei nodded in agreement.

"Hope you guys are behind me!" Kuwabara yelled as he led the charge toward the remaining enemies.

"It's an amazing technique," Suzaku praised himself. "These aren't just copies or tricks; they each have their own mind and free will. It makes for a very destructive combination of attacks."

The seven then jumped into the air and formed a bow and arrow made from their energy. The energy caused the arrows to resemble lightning bolts.

"Prism Storm of Torment!" They cried, simultaneously as they fired all their arrows at once.

Yusuke clenched his fists, and they glowed blue with his spirit energy, he hit two of the bolts away and dodged three more. He jumped to avoid the sixth and had to cover his eyes to block out the explosion. Once it passed and he opened his eyes, he turned to see the seventh bolt head for him, he was unable to do anything as the arrow stuck him through the shoulder. He screamed as his body was electrocuted for the third time. He was thrown to the ground, where he lay, twitching. The real Suzaku then started to walk toward the prone Yusuke.

"Genuinely, I applaud your ability to dodge six of my seven attacks, Yusuke," Suzaku complimented. "But I only needed one hit, so I could finish you and take care of your friends. Don't be sad, as soon as you stepped into my tower, you had been living on borrowed time."

The real Suzaku then headed for the exit in order to head down to where Yusuke's team was fighting. The other six replicas stood near Yusuke's body and watched their original be on his way.

"Heh, heh," Yusuke laughed as he shakily sat up. "That just goes to show, you don't know me very well."

Suzaku turned his head sharply and watched the panting detective rise to his feet.

"My… whole… life has been borrowed time," Yusuke informed him. "Now, give me the stupid whistle."

Suzaku glared at him as he walked toward Yusuke, he stopped right in front of him and with a quick "Get down," and a punch to the face, Yusuke was back on the floor.

"Is it possible that you care that much for this girl?" Suzaku asked incredulously. "Well, then I'll just have to stay and watch her die."

"Yes, she's going to die, she going to die," Murugu sang as she circled above them.

Yusuke was too weak to fight back when two of the Suzakus grabbed his arms and hoisted him up like a prisoner on an execution platform. The real Suzaku sat on his throne in front of the screen while the other six stood on either side of Yusuke as they watched the screen.

"Can't you drop these human emotions, Yusuke?" Suzaku pleaded. "I will make you a king of demons if you eat Keiko's heart."

"Go to hell," Yusuke answered.

Suzaku narrowed his eyes.

"I don't like that answer. What do you think, my Suzakus, can we reform this poor boy's rebellious attitude?"

The clones that had a grip on him sent a current of electricity running through his body.

"We'll give you just enough so you don't pass out, but you'll be in a constant state of pain." Suzaku said as Yusuke screamed. "Then you can watch every last minute of Keiko's life. And would you look, it's getting exciting. The final scene I believe. Can you hear the music swelling? Bah, bum, bah bah bah bum, haha."

As Suzaku was talking Keiko and Botan had locked themselves in a storage room and could do nothing but wait as they mindless horde tried to break their way in.

"Yours is a unique position, don't you agree? On one hand, you're an audience watching a distant tragedy on a screen, but on the other hand, you are its very cause."

They see on the screens that the infected humans finally managed to break the door down.

"The door is open, the killer comes in, and the heroine crawls into the corner and screams her last breath. Life is a drag, isn't it?"

"Keiko," Yusuke breathed.

On the screen, the girls had hid themselves and the drones were looking around. One of them spotted Keiko's scarf sticking out of a cabinet, so they all grabbed whatever objects in the room they could find, brooms, etc. and proceeded to use them to turn the cabinet into swiss cheese.

"Keiko!" Yusuke screamed.

"Your girlfriend has become a pincushion," Suzaku laughed as Yusuke bowed his head and made no effort to stop the tears that began to leak from his eyes. "Well there is no point in being sentimental," Suzaku continued as he stood. "Come now Yusuke, it's time for you to join her."

"Oh, I know Suzaku, why don't you finish him in one giant zap?" Murugu suggested.

"That's fine but let's make it slow," Suzaku decreed as the four clones not holding Yusuke raised their hands.

An electric current surged from all four and joined the two already shocking Yusuke. His screams intensified.

Outside, the group was dealing with the last of the cultivated humans.

"We'll never get up there," Kuwabara panted as he knocked three more away with his fists.

He looked toward the tower and up to the window Yusuke entered and had a flash of inspiration. He held his hand to his side and called his Spirit sword. He brought it up as if he were going to throw it like a javelin and charged toward the tower.

"Just hold on, Urameshi, I'm comin!" Kuwabara shouted as he maneuvered around the enemies. "Sword get longer!"

The sword grew on command and Kuwabara stabbed it into the ground several feet in front of him. He was then launched into the air as if from a catapult toward the window.

"Almost there," he said before he realized that he was actually going to end up smacking the wall.

All the teen could do was panic as he slammed face first into the tower wall. He tried to get a grip but he was gradually losing it and falling a few inches at a time. Below him Hiei, Kurama, and Gnocx had run to the tower entrance and were looking up at him.

"Kuwabara!" Kurama called.

"What are you doing?" Gnocx asked.

"We cleared a path through the entrance, now quit fooling around!" Hiei yelled before the three of them ran inside.

Kuwabara then slowly got down and followed them inside. They all then climbed stairs to reach the top. It was uncertain how far they managed to get before they were ambushed on the stairs by more cultivated humans.

"They never end!" Kuwabara yelled.

"Let's not waste more time," Hiei said causing the four to start annihilating the barrier between them and the top of the tower.

"Your friends are drawing closer," Suzaku observed from the screen as the other six continued to torture Yusuke. "I'll have to speed up your demise in order to deal with them."

Suzaku watched as the life started to leave Yusuke's tear filled eyes. Yusuke seemed to finally run out of screams and his head went limp.

Hello, moron, a voice said in Yusuke's head. You can't give up like this.

But, Keiko, Yusuke said.

Oh, give the girl some credit. She's not dead.

At that the light seemed to return to Yusuke's eyes as he looked up at the screen. The doors to the cabinet opened to reveal nothing as her scarf fluttered to the floor. Botan and Keiko had hidden themselves behind a curtain and jumped out wielding brooms. They then proceeded to knock all their pursuers onto the ground before dropping their weapons and running away again, causing Yusuke to sigh in relief.

"Damn it!" Suzaku yelled. "Must I do everything myself? That girl will die no matter how long I have to wait."

Suzaku's musings were cut off by Yusuke's smug laughter. Suzaku turned around and grit his teeth angrily at him.

"You think this is funny?" Suzaku yelled. "Let me teach you some manners!"

Suzaku walked closer to him and held up his finger which started to glow with energy.

"It's rude for the dying to laugh!" he yelled as he added the seventh thunder current to the attacks on Yusuke.

Yusuke could do nothing more than renew his screams.

Don't you remember one speck of your training? The old woman's voice asked.

Get out of my head, you old bitch! I can't think right now!

That's your whole problem you idiot. Remember!

"Focus your mind on the business at hand."

Yusuke was currently in a room, balancing on a small spike with one finger that was glowing with his energy. He was being watched by a short, old woman in a red outfit with a black hat on. This old woman was the renowned psychic, Genkai, who had trained Yusuke for six months.

"You give up on everything because you can't commit to anything," Genkai told her student.

"Let me guess. Did you pick up that saying from a fortune cookie? I'm trying ok. But you're working me to death here."

"Approaching death is the key to your training."

"What?"

"It is called training under critical condition. You must push your body all the way to its breaking point. Only then can you reach beyond your physical limits. Power like this must be earned you slacker. I know this is a new concept. So, you were born with a talent for fighting. Who cares? You didn't work for it. You would always quit whenever the answer wasn't served on a silver platter."

"Shut up! Shut up! I don't have to listen to you!"

As Yusuke made that last declaration he lost control of his energy and it sent him into the air.

"See how much energy you still have? It just shows that you tackle your training like everything else, half-assed."

"You people are all alike, trying to take control of me and tell me how I am. You're wrong!" Yusuke screamed as he began to charge a Spirit Gun.

Genkai then vanished and appeared behind him in the air. With a hit to the head he was sent crashing to the ground where he just lay, spread eagle.

"It's time you bit the bullet and started caring about something with all your heart and energy, but you can't care about it if you keep holding yourself back in case it doesn't work out. Concentrate on what's important Yusuke, and then commit to it all the way."

Yusuke closed his eyes and clenched his teeth.

"Alright, but what's important?"

I've come all this way, but what's the point?

"Goodbye, Yusuke," Suzaku said as he stopped his blast and held up his fist that started crackling with energy.

I mean, what's it gotten me? Yusuke asked himself as he clenched his fists and they started glowing again. Why do I care?

As if in answer to his plight, his mind started flooding with images.

Of Hiei's battle with Seiryu.

Gnocx dropping the chandelier on the giant Heartless.

Of Kuwabara sending Byakko into the lava pit.

Kurama using his rose whip to slice apart Genbu

Of the four being crushed under the gate of betrayal as Hiei slices the gatekeeper and pulls the switch

Keiko and Botan fighting the Makai infected humans.

Of his mother's tears that she shed at his wake.

The kiss that Keiko gave him in order to bring him back to life.

Because…they need me, Yusuke concluded.

The glowing of his energy slowly increased in intensity until Suzaku took notice, but it was too late.

"This is for my friends, you jerk!" Yusuke exclaimed before his energy exploded from his body.

The explosion of energy caused all the replicas to be sent flying and the two holding him collapsed, going into unconsciousness. The real Suzaku was thrown and injured. Once the light faded, Suzaku started to shakily get to his feet.

"Did I just miss something or did you get five times more powerful?"

Yusuke had gotten to his feet and was no longer shaky as he assumed a battle stance.

"Life is a drag, isn't it?"

Hey guys. Let me know if you like my skits. If everyone hates them then I will stop them. You must notice that I am sticking close to the canon and that is because I hate it when authors mess with it in order to glorify a certain character. I am trying to avoid the same. I was lucky enough to not be one of the unfortunate people affected by Hurricane Sandy and my heart goes out to them. My work is going well, just got my first paycheck yesterday. And thanks to my job I am slowly starting to like certain coffee beverages. Story wise, I am on chapter 19 and I am almost sure that it is the penultimate chapter. I found a way to work the Kingdom Hearts plot into this volume in a minor capacity and I am going to introduce a new element that wasn't a part of the Kingdom Hearts canon... completely anyway. I will explain when it is introduced and explained. Till next time. Please review.