Yo. It's been awhile. As a result, I will cut right to the chase:
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fic. Those are property of whoever owns YYH and RuroKen.
A snicker.
It was nothing more, nothing less than that. However, had anybody been listening, that one simple sound would have sent the hearer away in fright with his tail in between his legs, it was so dripping with evil and malevolence as the speaker watched seven mismatched figures moving slowly but steadily down a single bare corridor. The group went unchallenged, though each had some kind of weapon drawn, save for one, who held his hand out in front of him as if making a finger gun.
Down at the end of the hallway, there was a set of large red double doors. Or at least, they had been red. Time and carnage had worn away the paint of the fine wooden entrance, making it now a faded mahogany, a testament to what must have been old grandeur. The figures continued their way down the hallway, approaching the door. Each second brought the group centimeters closer, until finally, the one with the finger gun reached forward, his fingers brushing against worn and splintered wood, to push the door open.
Behind Tomochi, there was a loud creak; the hinges of the entryway into his chamber had not been oiled in a long, long time.
Turning around, he snickered again.
It was time.
- - - - - - - - - -
Yusuke pushed open the door, being careful to beware of splinters as he handled the aged wood. There was a creak, and then finally, Tomochi stood before them, this time on their terms.
"Urameshi and company," the demon started, his voice jubilant, as though he were greeting a set of long awaited guests; "I'm so glad that you could be here today. Finally, you'll get to see with your own eyes what it is I have planned for this era, after I finish of Himura-san."
Chocolate coated eyes met with icy blue, and sparks flew.
"Sorry, Tomochi, but we're not gonna just let you have your way around here anymore. Me'n my guys are gonna take back the Eye of All-sight and then kick your demon ass," the spirit detective declared, gesturing to the group of friends behind him as he did so. Yusuke spoke with extreme confidence, and it would be a lie to say that he spoke mostly with bravado. The detective was serious.
"We'll see," the demon replied, carefully moving a strand of silver blonde hair out of his face. He set it carefully behind a pointed ear, taking a moment to inspect finely filed claws as well; totally cool.
The groups remained that way for what felt like hours, the Urameshi group plus Team Kenshin standing tense and ready, able to spring into action whenever Kenshin or Yusuke gave the word, and Tomochi in his laid back indifference, as though he were not about to enter battle at all, but rather lay back for a nice nap.
For what seemed like an eternity, they stood, until finally, something happened.
Yahiko sneezed.
It was an accident; the young swordsman had been trying to hold it in, but finally, he exploded with a loud "Achoo!"
This was just enough to distract the Edo group for a second, in which Tomochi leapt forward, catching Yusuke under the chin with a hard fist, sending the spirit detective flying.
Kenshin leapt forward, sakabato flying as he formed the Ryūsōsen, his sword swinging and landing multiple blows on Tomochi before the demon knocked the blade away with his bare fist, leaping away from the group of fighters. Before he could recover entirely, however, Yahiko appeared behind him, coming at the demon with an improvised Ryūtsuisen, his boküto coming down hard upon Tomochi's skull.
The little fighter jumped away from his adversary just in time for Kurama's whip to come flying in from behind, catching the demon around the ankles and pulling him to the ground. This turned out to be a mistake, however, when Tomochi reached down and took the whip in hand, pulling it off of his extremities and yanking with such force that sent the redhead flying. Satisfied, he dropped the whip and turned, his elbow colliding with the back of Hiei's head. There was a crack and the fire apparition was down for the count. That opponent down, Tomochi smirked and leapt off toward Sanosuke.
The battle continued and both sides fought hard, however, it seemed that no matter how much force Yusuke's group threw at him, they couldn't do any lasting damage. One by one their allies were knocked down.
"Urameshi-san," Kenshin started, finding a moment in the battle to speak with Yusuke. "This one has an idea, but he will need your help as well."
"Keep talkin'," Yusuke urged, one eye closed as he aimed a shot past Sano's head, just as the fist fighter was dropping. The Rei blast missed Tomochi by centimeters as the demon side stepped to avoid Kuwabara's Jigen To. "Damn…" As they spoke, the carrot top was knocked away, Tomochi's blade digging into his chest.
"This one has a technique that will halt the enemy," the red headed warrior continued. "He will attack, and while Tomochi is distracted, that will open an avenue for attack where you can attack him full force while his guard is down."
"Go for it, man," the detective verified. "Just tell me when."
Kenshin nodded and with that, the short samurai was off, catching the back of Tomochi's now drawn blade inches from Yahiko's back as the young fighter hit the floor. The two traded blows, steel against steel clashing with loud clatters and clangs. Finally, Kenshin leapt back and sheathed his sword, his calm eyes meeting Yusuke's as he did. .
There was an immediate effect. Tomochi snarled, hands going to his ears as his face contorted in what must have been pain. Suddenly halting in a charge, Hiei reacted similarly, as did Kurama.
Yusuke took to his cue and charged his spirit gun to full capacity, aiming at the exposed Tomochi. He took a second to steady the shot, and then sent a huge blast of spirit energy rocketing toward the demon. Tomochi saw the attack, but only after it was too late to react. As the huge ball of energy collided with him, there was a flash, and for a moment, it was too bright to see anything.
After the energy dissipated, Yusuke looked around the room, finding the demon prone and unconscious on the floor, just how they wanted him.
"What was that?" he asked finally, looking over at Kenshin.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryūmeisen, the art of sheathing," the redheaded swordsman answered, his hand resting lightly on his sakabato. "It creates a high frequency vibration in the air that stuns the auditory nerve temporarily."
"Awesome stuff," the detective replied as the group slowly congregated around Tomochi, each individual sporting his own injuries. Actually, to be accurate, most of them did. Kurama approached the blonde demon's throne and claimed for the group the Eye of All-sight, before finally joining everyone else.
"Well, that's that," Yusuke stated, producing a set of spirit handcuffs from his pocket, courtesy of Botan. "We've bagged the bad guy and the evil treasure. All that's left now is to go home."
There was a collective sigh around the spirit detective group as they stood battered and bruised, but alive.
"Home…"
As usual, comment and critisism are appreciated. You know the deal by now.
This is basically it. I will write an epilogue chapter, and that will be the end. Yes, you hurt right, there will be ONE more chapter, and then this will be complete. It's been a long road, but we're almost there.
Sincerely,
MidnightxBluexBlack
