Chapter 14: The Looping Snake
Miwa. Water Apparition, also known as a Mizuchi. Only confirmed partner of the wanted criminal, Youko Kurama. Known for her fierce loyalty and dedication.
Her role was information and tracking, granted to her when she single-handedly tracked down Kurama and convinced him to accept her oath. For his sake, she tracked down items, people, intelligence, anything that was needed, no matter the risk. Her network of informants was vast, spanning many corners of the Demon World, and she knew various demons of helpful, even dangerous, talents and abilities. All for the sake of the man to whom she swore her life.
When Youko Kurama was believed to be dead, her network just grew wider. No longer acting as a thief, her reach even extended to the Living World, as she was determined to leave no stone, rock, or pebble unturned in her search for him. Her methods were cruel, at times, but to Miwa, it was all a means to an end. He wasn't dead, she believed. He found a way to escape, and she would discover what it was.
But after a decade of searching, finding him in the Demon World seemed all but impossible. There were no clues, no leads, not one scrap of information that hinted Kurama survived. Copy-cats and name-droppers aplenty, but none were the real deal, and Miwa killed them all for their insolence. So, Miwa turned her focus to the Living World. She tracked down and spoke to demons she knew had returned from Living World, asking if they knew about any unusually powerful humans.
There were a few. Humans born with spiritual abilities are some demons' favorite prey, but humans rarely took those powers and used it against demon pursuers in unusual or threatening ways. They were often scared and avoided demons at all costs. But Miwa knew every now and then, a human would take up the fight and protect themselves rather than run. Those humans were her best chance. Spirit Foxes can change shape and form, so if Kurama somehow found a way to the human world, the weak, brutish demons that enjoyed lurking in the Living World would likely confuse him for just a powerful human.
Even before she turned her focus to Living World, Miwa already heard rumors about a very strong human child who killed many demons and apparitions that approached him with an amazing show of Spirit Power. However, by the time Miwa truly focused on the humans, that child grew up to become a very ruthless Spirit Detective, so Miwa didn't think he was the one. Under what circumstances could possibly allow Spirit World to choose a demon criminal to act on their behalf? Let alone be the Spirit Detective.
But then, finally, a year later: the faintest hint of a clue. One informant told Miwa of a boy in the human world who manipulated plants.
Plants.
No human child could ever have that ability.
Excited, Miwa sent the informant back to the human world to collect more information about that boy. But...the informant never returned. Miwa sent three more informants within the span of two months, and none of them came back either.
So, Miwa decided to confirm with her own eyes.
As a demon of S-class status, there was no way the Kekkai Barrier would allow Miwa through. Kurama must have made it through because his pursuer had weakened him so much. But, as the informant and tracker, Miwa had all sorts of connections, including a few emergency back-up plans in case something ever happened to them.
An old, wrinkly demon woman by the name of Fuura that specializes in helping demon refugees find a home in the Living World was one of those connections. She often wore a faded, dirty, hooded black cloak. Her long nose always had a soot smudge on it, and her yellowed hair was stiff and dirty, resembling pieces of straw more than actual hair (In a few years, Miwa would see a witch in human picture books that reminded her of Fuura, and Kurama would look at her strangely while she giggled). Miwa always kept tabs on her in the off chance she and Kurama were forced into needing emergency escape, but she never thought she would use the information like this. Fuura's small hut was hidden deep in isolated mountains, forcing any visitors to go through a long, arduous trip just to get close. Miwa didn't care. She found Fuura's hut, convinced her to seal Miwa's demonic powers and send her to the human world like a refugee. A home. Fake documentation. A brainwashed "family" to hide among. Everything.
"This is a permanent measure. If you mess with it, you could die." Her voice was hoarse from its lack of use while living in solitude, but her intensity and stubbornness still shone through.
"Yes, I understand."
Miwa asked Fuura for more information about how the seal worked. Fuura was reluctant to tell, but she found her own way to keep the trade secrets. The seal focused on suppressing a demon's core by creating a very close, intricate tie, so a haphazard removal by anyone other than Fuura or someone in the same trade would only run the risk of death. The seal itself did not maintain its own power by drawing from Miwa's core, but a separate source. If this separate source were to disappear, the seal would fade away into nothing, making it the only alternative for removal. However, Fuura refused to tell Miwa what the separate source would be. There needed to be consequences for such a stupid, ridiculous plan, she said, and she wanted Miwa to understand the gravity of this request. She would not give Miwa an easy way out by divulging the method for removing the seal on her own.
"...For someone stubborn like you, it would be very difficult to ever regain your former strength."
Miwa didn't even hesitate to answer.
"If I'm right, then he is also in a weakened state. If we need to regain our power, then we will find a way to do it together."
{00}
Rain.
Endless rain.
Shuichi Minamino strolled through a crowded section of town, hiding from the rain with his small umbrella. The cuffs of his middle school uniform pants were growing damp with each of his steps, and the raindrops dripped from his umbrella to the ground, splashing at his heels as he walked. A gloomy day, but people were still out walking the streets. Running errands, going shopping, or like him, just heading home from school. Shuichi glanced up at the sky, taking in the sights and smells of the soaked city. The overcast sky made the late afternoon darker than usual, and some of the street lights were even lit early. The raindrops falling on his umbrella made a small dome of noise around his head, and the distinct smells of rain, mud, and the frantic humans walking by wafted through his nose. Shuichi sighed and gripped tightly at his umbrella. He had a strange feeling something was going to happen soon.
A couple months ago, a fourth pursuer from the Demon World found him in his neighborhood, and Shuichi, the most abnormal human who was also called Kurama, killed the pursuer before his whereabouts was exposed to any curious parties. The first pursuer didn't give any clues of his intentions, but the second, third, and fourth all claimed to have been sent by Miwa. Kurama killed them just the same. Their deaths would make her suspicious, for sure, but it wasn't an uncommon thing for Demon World spies to be killed before their return, and the vague suspicion was better than letting her know he was still alive.
Twelve years ago, a raid had gone horribly wrong, and he and Miwa were forced to split up. Kurama was terribly wounded at the time and fled to the human world to survive. He knew Miwa would feel responsible for his injury, so after ten years of recovery among humans, Kurama had every intention to seek her again. After ten years masquerading as a human, he would need a strong, trusted ally to truly escape capture.
But all of that changed when he decided to stay and continue being Shuichi Minamino.
Growing up among humans, looking down on them from such a small age in their eyes, and being raised by a kind, gentle woman who carried through being the mother of a strange, otherworldly child that saw her as nothing more than a ridiculous species of creature. Since that day, when she saved him from falling on broken glass and permanently scarred her arms, Kurama could not leave this woman, and seeing the humans around him just going about their lives changed a lot of his previously conceived notions about humanity. There were good humans, stupid humans, evil humans, some even worse than the most vile criminals of the Demon World, but Kurama found himself thinking them fascinating for having such potential to be...anything. And in their years apart, he had time to rethink whether Miwa was better off never seeing him again. Did she believe him dead too? Would she feel relieved of her oath at his death?
Or would she blame herself forever, until the day she died?
He thought that, even if she blamed herself, as long as she were alive somewhere, finding new purposes for herself and her own life, unbound from arbitrary ties to other people, then...he didn't mind that at all. It would be better if she never saw him again. The thought made him sad, he admitted, to never see a trusted partner and friend again, but she would be free, the only thing he ever wanted for her.
So, when those pursuers came and gave him her name, without hesitation, he had killed them all.
Shuichi Minamino stopped, listening carefully to the quiet patter of raindrops on his umbrella. The smells of rain, mud, and frantic humans was as strong as ever, surrounding him and easily informing him of exactly what and who are in his surroundings. He was used to these scents; the various humans, the city rain, the grass on a spring day, the sweat of people during a heat wave, and even smells of the occasional low-class demons wandering shady areas.
But there was one scent mixed in there that stood out to him. Very faint, almost diluted even, but it wasn't from the scents of average life around him. It was different, changed over the passage of time, but despite all that...very very familiar.
It couldn't be…
He ran. Sprinted through the crowd, weaving between the shopping housewives and middle school kids coming home from club activities. He tossed his umbrella; the drag was only getting in the way. Shops and people lit by dim city lights passed by in blurs, and they either marveled at the speed of this young man or gave him curious looks, but he didn't care. He had to confirm that one scent in the distance. The scent of the person he had no intention to ever see again.
Then, at the end of the shopping district, a girl stood at the street corner, holding a white umbrella of her own and her back facing to him. The crowd had thinned, and the occasional car passed by with the headlights blaring. The few witnesses around would have no idea the significance of this twelve-year reunion.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
Confusion, realization, regret, guilt. They all swirled through Kurama's mind like a storm. Why did he seek her scent if he never intended to see her again? But…Kurama knew that if she were here, then there was no hiding from her. No way to make her believe he was gone.
The girl turned around and flashed him the happiest smile he had ever seen on her face. She knew it was him, even if he looked completely different from when they last met. She looked different too. Her hair was shorter, darker even, and her fangs seemed less prominent in her smile, but there was no mistaking her identity. Not when Kurama knew her scent so well. She walked towards him and gave him shelter from the rain under her umbrella. With one wave of her hand, he could feel the water soaked in his clothes move downward and collect in an inconspicuous puddle at his feet, leaving the once soaked boy completely dry.
"I came to find you, of course," she answered, still smiling.
She was here, and there simply was no going back.
{00}
Miwa...such a reckless fool, but by the time Kurama truly realized this fact, it was too late to change anything. His tracker was just too good. She found him again, and she was at his side once more.
Himari Shimizu. The newest transfer student to Shuichi Minamino's middle school. Living with her father, Takeo Shimizu, a regular, divorced, human man doing clerical work for the local city hall. He was brainwashed into believing he had a daughter with an old girlfriend from his delinquent days, and due to unforeseen circumstances in the mother's family, came to live with him in her first year of middle school. They lived a simple, modest life and got along surprisingly well for a demon refugee and a man who never had children; not that he knew that, of course.
Miwa's transition into living as Himari Shimizu was also surprisingly smooth. She did a lot of studying and research before finally crossing over, but she was still surprisingly terrible at human history and social studies. She often complained over the amount of ridiculous things humans get up to within such a short lifespan, but Kurama always thought of it as her own version of culture shock. Other than that, she assumed the role of an average middle school girl quite well. Although, it also took some time for her attitude to adjust properly. Used to her old habits, she would follow Kurama around almost constantly, and sometimes she said really misleading things because she had yet to fully understand human social etiquette. A lot of rumors about them circulated during their first and second year, but by their third year, they settled down when Himari and Shuichi were deemed as nothing more but close friends.
Miwa...such a reckless fool.
She explained to him all she knew about her seal, and Kurama offered to try get it removed, but she warned him against it, saying it was too complex, even for him. She told him about no longer being able to conjure water, and he forced her to carry a water bottle with her at all times. She told him she didn't mind that he wanted to stay with his human family; being able to be at his side was more important to her, no matter where or what form that took.
She told him to not feel guilty for any of her choices. It was all what she wanted to do, of her own free will, but that didn't stop him from carrying that weight on his shoulders, despite her telling him everything with a smile on her face.
Yet, somewhere deep inside, Kurama could not deny the faint feeling of happiness at seeing that reckless smile at his side once more.
{00}
The Dark Tournament audience rumbled with snickers, laughter, revelry, and jarring comments. To think that Miwa, the demon traitor, would stoop as low as deliberately crippling her power. What a fool. What an idiotic fool, and that foolishness will cost her life in this tournament. They sneered at the intricate red circle on Miwa's back, thinking of it as nothing more than a huge target, marking the most foolish demon to ever step foot on this island.
"A surprising revelation from Rikiji about a member of Team Urameshi," Koto commented over the rumble of demon ridicule, "I've overheard various theories from the audience about Miwa's pouch this past week at the tournament, and now we know the truth!"
Miwa wobbled slightly on her feet. The paper that exposed her back did not cut very deeply, since the main intention was to cut through her clothes, but she could still feel tiny trails of blood dripping from stinging wounds. Her clothes, once a lovely white and rich blue, now seemed dull and ruined with rips, tears, and the back completely ripped open. Miwa adjusted the sleeves on her shoulders to make sure the ruined cloth did not fall, but there seemed to be little danger of that. The hole Rikiji ripped open was surprisingly neat, like a cookie cutter had cut out a hole and revealed Miwa's secret, keeping the integrity of her clothing intact.
"The poor thing," Rikiji said, smiling ever so innocently. "It must be hard for your most guilty secret to be exposed."
"And I wonder who's fault is that?" Miwa smiled back, to everyone's surprise but her own. "It's a surprisingly juvenile hobby for someone like you."
Rikiji frowned. "And just what are you trying to say?"
"I could ask you the same question. You gain nothing from exposing this to the world."
Miwa was smiling, confident even, but Kurama could sense how weak she was becoming. ...Why has she lost so much power? No matter the volume, controlling water is second nature to her.
"Did you think I would fall to my knees and wail that you were right about me?" Miwa continued. She shook some hair out of her eyes and created a small stream around her from the remaining water puddles in the ring. "Even if I'm weaker than before, even if I am what you call a slave, I'm not ashamed of anything I've done to get here."
Kurama felt the dirt shifting beneath his feet. His shoes ever so slightly sank into the damp earth, and he heard the faintest squish.
"In this ring, the only one upset by it is you."
From outside the ring, a pillar of water shot straight from the ground and slammed Rikiji in the back. The force of the groundwater easily knocked the tall woman over, instantly soaking her body in a giant splash that sparkled in the air like stars. Rikiji's body slid across the arena, leaving a liquid trail behind her and dirtying her once pristine face and clothes.
"Rikiji is down for the first time in this tournament!" Juri announced excitedly. "I'll start the count! One!"
But, unfortunately, Juri wouldn't even get to three. In no time, Rikiji recovered and pushed herself to her feet. She brushed off some dirt and smoothed her wet hair. A red shikigami circle appeared below her feet, and soon she was as dry as ever.
"How brutish," she said, shaking her arm a bit to adjust her sleeves.
"Aren't you the one who said all I have is physical force?" Miwa grinned, putting her hands on her hips like she didn't have a care in the world. "Just what is it you want, Rikiji?" Miwa asked. "To kill me? You've had many chances already." The groundwater gathered around Miwa's body as her weapon and shield. "I think…" she continued, "You just want to lash out at someone you think is just like you."
But still, despite her smile, Kurama could see her shortness of breath, the sweat forming on her skin...the weakness of her Spirit Energy, just like when she fought in the semi-finals…
Miwa, why are you provoking her? It's like you're buying time...
Kurama froze. His realization coursed through him like an electric shock, paralyzing him with foreboding dread and anxiety. If Miwa didn't take the medicine on purpose, then there was only one way she could possibly win. Kurama should have realized it sooner. Stalling for time, soaking twice Rikiji, and even the water that sparkled on impact. All of her actions in this fight, from the very beginning, were building up for one, specific purpose. But...it was so incredibly dangerous. Even if her plan worked, the chances she would survive were just…
"You've figured out her plan, haven't you?" Hiei said quietly, eyes still focused on the ring. "...I don't know what she has in mind, but from the look on your face, you really don't approve."
"...She didn't approve of how I tried to win my match either."
Hiei glanced at him for a brief moment and sighed. "You both are such idiots."
Kurama smiled weakly, despite everything he knew would happen. There was nothing he could do to stop it anymore. He clenched his fists tightly, but the feeling of his nails digging into his skin just felt dull and useless. Perhaps being called a "slave" got to Miwa more than Kurama originally thought. Her priorities were always a bit...strange. She cared so little for her own life, but at the same time she held a great pride in everything she did. Miwa never let herself live with regrets and unfinished business; that part of her is probably why she sought him out in the first place. Kurama should have known she would never take the medicine. It was only natural for someone like her. If Rikiji challenged Miwa as a "slave," then of course she would meet Rikiji in the ring as the so-called "slave."
Her pride would allow for nothing less.
Rikiji raised up her arms, letting her long sleeves dangle to their full length. They swayed gently in the wind, and a quiet rustling sound grew louder and louder. First, it was just one, then two, and then three; slips of paper wiggled their way out of Rikiji's sleeves, slowly growing in number, until they barreled out like a flock of birds. They spiraled around the ring, flexing and crinkling until it sounded as if the stadium was overrun by the birds chirping. Miwa waved her arms, and the groundwater encircled her body. Completely surrounded by paper and water, her only way out was to break through the siege.
"I will kill you," Rikiji said through her teeth. "But only when I have beaten you down to nothing, and the last thing to be destroyed is that worthless pride of yours."
"...You will try."
A flash of red light enveloped every single slip of paper, and the crinkling noise ceased. The paper flattened out, stiffened to blades, and converged towards Miwa to lock on her as a target. Just like before, the water around her lashed out at every single sheet, slicing them to ribbons before they could get close, and the resulting confetti floated harmlessly to the ground. In response, the remaining paper converged closer, gathering together in larger and larger groups until they created a single mass. Rikiji's paper formed its own stream, mimicking Miwa's own technique, and made to strike her with physical force. Miwa tried to slice up the paper stream before it reached her, but her water splashed uselessly against its massive size. In desperation, Miwa used her remaining water to create a platform upon which she leapt, and she escaped before the paper barrage crashed into the ground. Still, the paper followed, and Miwa created more platforms to escape. She leapt from platform to platform, muttering under her breath something about video games, but the paper stream persistently followed. Eventually, Miwa ended up back on the ground, and the paper barrage barreled towards her from above. In a last-ditch effort, Miwa gathered all the groundwater above her, and it glowed a bright blue, hardening into the strongest shield Miwa could possibly muster. Miraculously, the paper stopped, impacting the giant water shield with a resounding bang, and the paper barrage scattered into single sheets once more. Seizing her chance, Miwa quickly used her water to slice up as much paper as possible,
"Ohh, impressive," Rikiji said, but Miwa couldn't tell whether she was being serious. "Let us try something different then."
Many of the remaining slips of paper returned to their hiding place in Rikiji's sleeve, but five still remained to float free. They spread out, forming a five-point circle, and a red light formed in the air to complete it. From each paper point, another red lined formed, creating the ominous red shikigami star. Energy began to crackle as the red light grew brighter, and the illegible writing slowly formed on the paper. Miwa's eyes widened, and her hands began to tremble. The hair on the back of her neck began to stand on end, as if waiting with tense anticipation.
"Well, this is interesting," Juri said, "Rikiji seems to be preparing an attack we haven't seen before. Even the air around the arena feels like it's changing."
"I don't like where this is going," Yusuke said quietly.
"What is Miwa waiting for?" Kuwabara asked, shivering from all the energy coursing through the air. "She needs to do something if she won't transform!"
Kurama clenched his fists. She needs more time…
Rikiji smiled, and her icy-cold stare locked onto Miwa. "Block this."
More red energy crackled around the circle, and the light grew brighter. A small orb of red energy gathered in the center of the circle, growing in size and power. Miwa's eyes widened, only knowing from instinct that she needed to get out of there fast. Without a moment's hesitation, she sprinted as fast as she could to the side, and bolt of red lightning lashed out from the orb, striking the ground where Miwa was standing not one second before. It left a small, smoldering hole in the charred white stone. Miwa stumbled to a halt from her mad sprint, and she looked back, staring at that charred spot with wide, shocked eyes, and for once, was left speechless.
To think...she can summon lightning with shikigami...
"Did you see that, people?!" Koto yelled into her microphone. "Rikiji just showed us the most shocking attack in her arsenal yet! Let's see how long Miwa can dodge this!"
"Are you frightened?" Rikiji said gently. "Your hands are trembling again."
Miwa glanced down to her hands hanging uselessly at her sides, and indeed, they were trembling. She clenched them to try and hide it, but the size of her fists only made the trembling more obvious. Miwa let out a frustrated grunt and focused her attention instead on the floating red circle. That thing was far too dangerous. She had to find a way to get rid of it…
But then, Miwa felt a familiar wave of fatigue flow through her mind. Oh no…
"You are very talented at running away. I will give you that much," Rikiji said, "But even you cannot outrun this forever."
The air around them seemed to change again, and the red orb glowed brightly. Miwa sprinted away again, ignoring the flashes of fatigue in her mind. Being a moving target was better than nothing. A loud crack resounded behind her as a flash of red light cast a long shadow in front of her, the heat made her exposed back burn, but Miwa kept on running. The fear of slowing down even slightly pushed her along, as if that fear itself was chasing her too.
Just as Miwa was about to change directions, a bolt of red lightning struck right in front of her. The heat of the energy immediately warmed the air, and Miwa's skin felt like it was burning. Startled, Miwa stumbled backwards, and the loss of concentration made her slip into another wave of fatigue. She tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground. Not yet...just a little more… Miwa shook her head violently and forced herself up. The red orb glowed once again, charging for another attack, and Miwa called the water to her side once more. She's right. I can't run away from this forever… The water glowed a bright blue, and Miwa prepared her next move.
"Is she crazy!?" Yusuke yelled. "She's going to shock herself!" In Yusuke's memories, the pain of being electrocuted multiple times by Suzaku, leader of the Four Saint Beasts, ran through his mind, and he shivered.
Kuwabara clutched at his hair in nervousness. "But Miwa's water isn't normal...right?! So..."
Miwa raised her arm, and the water stream slithered through the air towards the red orb. The orb flashed, and a bolt of lightning attacked the stream. Miwa jumped back, trying to put as much distance between herself and the circle as possible, and swung her arm down. The glowing water stream immediately changed direction and touched the ground. The red lightning followed the water's path and grounded itself on the stone arena, but the lightning contained within the stream made the water contort strangely, and smaller bolts of lightning escaped to the ground below. The energy crackled again, but it sounded different from before, as if it were fighting against something else, and the water stream exploded in a burst of water, steam, and white light. The Spirit Energy Miwa put in her water was not enough to disable or contain the electricity. They only clashed together in the water medium, with small bits of electricity still escaping, and their interaction only caused an explosion of evaporated water and light. Both Rikiji and Miwa were pushed back by the force of the blast, but neither of them were harmed.
Juri, who at some point took shelter outside of the ring, peeked her head over the side to see what had happened. "Well, this is interesting," she said, "Miwa somehow diverted the lightning strike with her water!"
"Indeed, that was interesting," Rikiji said calmly, "But even then, your Spirit Energy and water could not completely contain my electricity." Rikiji held up her hands. Both palms were flat with the fingers tightly held together. Her right palm faced towards her lightning circle, and the left palm supported it from the wrist. Her hands glowed red, and the lightning circle and the red orb at its center grew larger. The force of her Spirit Energy blew back Rikiji's long, maroon hair, and her long sleeves billowed out behind her. "Next time will not be any easier."
Miwa clenched her fists again and called back any remaining water, even the liquid that survived the explosion, but there wasn't a lot; just a bit more than her pouch could hold. If Rikiji had to take such a stance to support her shikigami magic, then it must be an advanced skill, even for her. Lightning was one of the most powerful forces in all of nature, and to Miwa's knowledge, no one has ever been able to fully replicate its might. Based on how Rikiji's lightning reacted with Miwa's water, even Rikiji couldn't use lightning as powerful as electricity generated in the sky. But despite that, Rikiji's lightning still easily overpowered Miwa's attempt to contain it, and it took all Miwa had just to change the lightning's direction. If Miwa was lucky, if she could dodge the strikes long enough, if she had enough energy to keep diverting the lightning, if she didn't run out of ground water to change the lightning's direction, then she could maybe outlast Rikiji's control over the lightning circle.
Maybe.
But how likely was a maybe?
The red orb glowed, and Miwa took off running. It was gathering even more energy than before, and the orb actually sparked before even sending out a lightning strike. Then, with one loud crack, an even larger lightning bolt lashed out, searching for its target. Was it faster? Miwa wasn't sure, but she actually had to leap into the air just to get out of the way. The lightning struck the arena again, leaving an even larger charred hole on the ground. Miwa, who had jumped several feet away, still felt stray bits of energy lap at her feet, and immediately they began to feel numb. That is much stronger… Miwa sensed the area around her, trying to get a feel for how much water she had left to attack with, and she growled in frustration. This could maybe divert one strike... But she suspected most of the water would evaporate, and she would be completely weaponless.
The red orb glowed and crackled again. Just how many of those powerful strikes could Miwa possibly dodge? One quick glance at Rikiji would show she still had plenty of energy left to spare. Unlike Miwa, who was out of breath, sweating, feeling occasional waves of fatigue, and clearly running out of Spirit Energy and options. She had no choice. She needed to find a way to destroy the lightning circle with her next attack, or the lightning would just chase after her until it finally landed a hit. The lightning was still part of Rikiji's Spirit Energy, or so Miwa suspected due to the red color. If she were lucky...
Miwa gathered all the water she could in front of her. Only one test of how the lightning reacted with her water wasn't a lot, but she would have to hope she could replicate the result. The remaining water, a large floating puddle in the air, glowed a bright blue, holding much more of Miwa's Spirit Energy than usual, and increased its strength and density. The red orb flashed, and Miwa sent her water forward. Lightning erupted from the orb, zig-zagging through the air towards Miwa, but her giant water mass captured it, trapping Rikiji's red lightning inside. The mass sparked and crackled, trying to contain the energy within, and strey bolts occasionally diverted to the ground nearby. Miwa thrust her hands forward again, trying to give her mass more power, and she forced back what must have been the hundredth wave of fatigue.
"This is it, people!" Koto yelled. "Will Miwa be able to contain Rikiji's attack!?"
The water mass collided with the lightning circle, completely engulfing it in water, lightning, and energy. The energy crackled again, and the red and blue lights shifted and churned inside the water. But, just as the red light seemed to engulf the blue, a bolt of red lightning escaped its watery prison, making its way directly towards Miwa. The electricity reached Miwa's outstretched arms, and it coursed through her body, all the way to the ground at her feet. It was weaker than the initial strike, but it was still quite powerful. Miwa screamed, her muscles seized and contorted in ways beyond her control, the heat burned her skin, and her entire body was riddled with the pain of every inch of her skin being pierced by a thousand needles. Within several seconds, which to her felt infinitely longer, the energy left her body, and Miwa collapsed to the ground. Her limbs, joints, and fingers all twitched violently. At the same time, the energy inside her water mass could no longer be contained, and there was an even larger explosion, pushing Miwa's limp, twitching body across the ring like a rag doll. The lightning circle crackled with energy one last time, and then it shattered in midair.
Rikiji, who was only slightly pushed back by the explosion, lowered her arms and looked pitifully at Miwa's twitching body. "How reckless," she said, "You could have died there." She took small, deliberate steps towards Miwa. Her opponent looked so pathetic. Weak, tired, low on energy and stamina, and flinching and aching from a weakened lightning strike. "I wonder if you would have been a challenge had you transformed like your master." Rikiji stopped, standing just a few feet from Miwa's weakened body. "Stand up," she commanded, "I thought you wanted to prove me wrong?"
Miwa lifted her head. Burns on her skin added to the many wounds she received in this fight, and her twitching refused to stop. She pushed herself up with shaky arms, refusing to give up despite her obvious weakness. "I will prove you wrong," she whispered weakly.
"Oh, really?" Rikiji asked. Two slips of paper flew from Rikiji's sleeves and attached themselves to Miwa's shoulders. Like two clamps, the paper pulled Miwa to her feet, but they held her shoulders fast. Two more slips of paper attached themselves to her ankles, and as weak as she was, Miwa could barely even make the papers, or her body, budge. "Your water has evaporated away. The little energy you have left is struggling to keep you alive. What more could you have left?"
Miwa's arms, still free from paper, weakly began to rise.
"Have I reached that point yet?" Rikiji asked. "Do you have nothing left in you but your pride?"
Miwa slowly raised her head, meeting Rikiji eye to eye…
...and she smiled.
In an instant, Rikiji's calm, serene demeanor twisted into the sinister, enraged face that made her look like a vengeful ghost. How dare she...how dare this slave still have the gall to smile at her like that?! Acting purely on furious emotion, Rikiji raised her leg and delivered a hard kick to Miwa's upper right arm; the first physical attack anyone had ever seen her do in this entire tournament. Miwa screamed again, and her painful cry echoed throughout the stadium. Her right arm, the dominant arm, bleeding, bruised, burned, and now broken.. The paper released Miwa's shoulders, and she collapsed again to her knees. Her whole body shook with pain. As her arm dangling from her shoulder began to resemble more of a glove than an arm, and as Miwa cradled that lifeless arm to her chest it was clear even through her long sleeve what Rikiji had done.
"You use those arms to control your water," Rikiji said, as if answering a question no one had asked. "Now, you only have one."
Kurama felt so helpless off on the sidelines. Why didn't he see this coming? Why didn't he predict Miwa would refuse the potion because of her pride? ...Why did Miwa have to be so reckless? He never wanted her to die. Not for his sake. Not for anyone else's. He wanted to toss the tournament rules aside. He wanted to run out there into the ring and protect her. He would even force the potion down her throat if he had to. But he couldn't. Even if he protected her from Rikiji, it would just put her, himself, and his whole team, in more danger later on. The only thing that could possibly save her was the plan he suspected she was trying to carry out. It was the only method she had left.
But even that could result in her death.
Miwa…
Paper spilled out from Rikiji's sleeves again. Unlike before, they gathered around Rikiji herself, folding, twisting, and contorting into a long, physical object. The paper came together to form a naginata in Rikiji's hands, and the blade of her paper weapon glowed red, showing that part would work just as well as one made of metal. She lowered her weapon towards Miwa, who was still on her knees and had her ankles bound, and aimed the blade right by Miwa's neck. Off on the side, Juri had already begun a ten-count, but Rikiji wasn't going to wait for that.
"You have reached that point. All you have left is your pride," Rikiji said, "And now...I will end your pathetic slave life." She raised her naginata, preparing for a final attack, and Team Urameshi could only watch on with horror.
Then, Miwa raised her left hand, and Rikiji's body froze in mid-strike.
"What?!"
With her hand outstretched, Miwa climbed to her feet before Juri could finish the ten-count. Her right arm still dangled lifelessly at her side, but as Miwa smiled again and raised her head, her fangs had grown for the world to see. A light hiss blew through her teeth. Rikiji watched in shock and confusion as she could still not move. Her whole body shook as she tried to do anything that showed independent movement, but Rikiji was frozen, as if something had seized control of all of her muscles, and her body was no longer her own. Something else was there too. "This energy...what did you do?!"
Miwa was still out of breath. She was still weak and extremely low on Spirit Energy. But somehow, she had managed to take complete control of the fight.
"You may not be aware, but it is just like something that troll-doctor once said," Miwa said, bearing her exhausted fanged smile. "Control the blood, and the body is yours." Miwa's hand glowed, and Rikiji felt her arms being pulled by an unseen force back into a stiff, standing position with her arms pinned at her sides. "Are you not aware of just how much water we have in our bodies?"
Immobilized, Rikiji frantically looked at her arms and legs, bound and held down by a force she could not see, but it had felt as if it were pulling her from within, controlling her down to her very muscles. And when she focused even closer, she could sense Miwa's energy running throughout her own veins like an intruder...like a thief.
"You were buying time...for this," Rikiji grunted. And those times you splashed me with water, to get your energy closer to mine...This was your plan from the very beginning…
"Yes," Miwa answered bluntly. "It takes time for my poison to gain control, after all."
Yusuke's memory flashed back to their fight against Team Masho. Back to when Miwa offered to take control of the Death Plant to try and save Kurama's life. She had said...she would use her energy to overcome the Life Energy of the Death Plant and gain control of the water inside. She said a plant wouldn't be as difficult to control, and that the bigger struggle would come from overcoming Kurama's own Spirit Energy in the plant. She did the same thing against Bakken and his White Mist. Overcome the energy of another, and gain control of the water within. But Yusuke heard from Kurama later on that Miwa's snake techniques actually used her own Life Energy to overcome the Life Energy of another.
That was Miwa's plan. Use her own Life Energy to overtake Rikiji's and control her body. Just like the Death Plant, but on a much larger scale.
"So much water in our bodies," Miwa said dreamily. "In our blood...in our muscles...in our skin…" Miwa clenched her fanged teeth through the pain and lifted her broken right arm. Small tears of pain formed at the edges of her eyes, but she still smiled all the same. Shaky and weak, Miwa used all of her strength to hold out both of her arms in her snake position. "And I have taken control of all that in you."
"Do not...underestimate me!" Rikiji growled. Her expression returned to the contorted fury of a vengeful ghost, or perhaps it was just her calm mask finally cracking, and this was the true madness within the slave to fear. "I will not allow a slave like you to control me!"
"I have never once thought of myself as a slave," Miwa said. "I am at his side by my own choice. You're just upset that you can't choose."
Rikiji glared, immobile but completely furious. She struggled against Miwa's internal binding, screeching and trying to pull her limbs forward with all her might. A red shikigami circle appeared beneath Rikiji's feet. It glowed brightly, and Miwa suspected it would do something to purge Rikiji of any outside influences. But, Miwa wouldn't allow that.
"Too bad. I might have spared you if you had just given up."
Miwa pulled back both of her arms in a large, painful swing that made her grimace, and to everyone's surprise, water followed. In rapid succession of large droplets, an off-color liquid seeped through the pores on Rikiji's skin, forming a floating mass of fluid in front of Rikiji's body. The liquid had quickly, and painfully, extracted itself from Rikiji's body, ripping its way out through every pore and orifice it could find. All of the water that Miwa gained control over in Rikiji's body...it was now outside. Rikiji, barely clinging to life, stared in absolute horror at what she had just seen, but she did not hold on to consciousness for very long. Her entire body was completely shriveled. Her skin was sunken in, seemed to be hanging off her bones, was chapped and peeling, and it was as if Rikiji lost twenty pounds within seconds. Her body fell to the ground, completely still, dried out, and no signs of color or life were visible anywhere. The body inside Rikiji's clean, elegant clothing was nothing more but a horrifying, mummified creature. If someone were cruel enough to step on her, it might even turn to dust under their feet.
Rikiji was dead.
Koto, Juri, Team Urameshi, everyone stared in shock and disgust. Did that really happen? Rikiji had been dominating the entire round, and it seemed that there was no way Miwa could overcome Rikiji's shikigami powers. But, in a twist that none of them expected, they were witness to liquids being extracted from a living body, causing near immediate death.
Juri was still shaking, but she turned away from Rikiji's shriveled body to avoid looking at it and extended her hand. "...The winner by death is Miwa, from Team Urameshi!"
With the sweet release of victory, Miwa felt all of her muscles lose all their strength, and she collapsed to the ground. Her mind was swimming in and out of consciousness, Life Energy dangerously low, and all her remaining Spirit Energy trying to sustain her life. The pain in her broken arm was the only thing keeping her grounded to consciousness and the world around her. All she was really aware of was the pulsating pain from her arm, a blur of colors from her surroundings, and the dull roar of noise around her.
"...Miwa…...Miwa…...okay?"
Voices. Familiar voices.
Miwa blinked, trying to get her eyes to focus again, and she could see the familiar blurry colors of Kurama and Yusuke's figures kneeling in front of her.
"Miwa, are you alright?" Kurama's voice.
"Can you walk?" Yusuke's voice.
Miwa smiled weakly. She couldn't see them very clearly, but she was positive they were both looking at her with worried expressions on their faces, like two mother hens fussing over their baby chick. She didn't have much energy to talk, so she focused all she had into her legs, trying to stand up on her own. It was a wobbly journey up to her normal height, and her arm seared with pain every time she moved. Despite all her effort, her legs still had very little strength, and she immediately fell over again, but Kurama and Yusuke easily caught her, carefully avoiding her broken arm as best they could.
"...I'll take the rest of them on myself, if you want," she said. Miwa heard a deep sigh from both of them, and she giggled.
They brought her back to the rest of Team Urameshi, and they set her down to sit against the barrier wall separating them from the audience. Her clothes were already ruined anyway, so Kurama ripped a strip of cloth from her pant leg and made a makeshift sling for her arm. All of their first aid supplies were burned away with Miwa's pouch by Rikiji's fire, so...it was really all they had left. Through the blurry colors, Miwa could see Yusuke go back towards the others, leaving her and Kurama alone for a moment. Interestingly, the world was slowly beginning to come back into focus. Perhaps, like with Kurama, she was also able to retain some after-effects from all of her tests with the medicine. By all precedents with her snake techniques and extraction set in the past, Miwa should have at the very least passed out by now.
"You're so reckless," Kurama said quietly. "I really wish you would cherish your own life more."
"...Did you think I was going to die?" Miwa asked, but Kurama didn't answer. "I have no intention of dying anytime soon." She smiled weakly. "As if I could leave behind someone as reckless as you."
Kurama froze. If he were to be honest with himself, he was expecting her to answer with something like, her life only existed to serve him. She had been saying stuff like that for years. But...had she ever said something like this before? Since when had she ever said something that implied she actually valued her own life? He couldn't remember, but her words reminded him of something on his mind since she was unconscious and recovering from manipulating the Death Plant. For a long time, Kurama had been holding on to a certain hope. He hoped that, if she would not renounce her oath, Miwa would at least be too stubborn to die and leave him alone. Maybe, just maybe, her priorities were beginning to really change their order. She always said her life was something that Kurama himself could use, or even dispose of, at his own leisure. But by her own admission, it was now something at least worth keeping for the sake of someone else. Was it Rikiji's provocation that caused this change? Kurama didn't know, but a small part of him actually felt grateful if that were the case.
Kurama laughed, and he gently smoothed out her hair. "Yes...please, don't do that."
Miwa smiled, and she relaxed her body, allowing the bliss of unconsciousness to temporarily soothe her pain.
Notes: Extraction is probably one of Miwa's most dangerous skills, both for her opponents and for herself. In the past, she mainly used it in smaller degrees, like binding the legs of guards, but Kurama has seen many times what the technique does to her. The after-effects of the Fruit of the Previous Life is probably the only reason she is still alive after fully taking over Rikiji's body. If anyone remembers, Miwa was ruminating about the "control the blood, and the body is yours" idea way back when she, Kurama, and Hiei fought Gatasible. That's probably when she got the idea to use it against Rikiji.