Chapter 14: Team Rokuyokai
Well, I was right. Between the five of us (Urameshi was too busy sleeping) we slaughtered the whole ship of demons. Cheerful, ne? Well, all too soon, the day of the tournament's first match came. We were up against a group of morons by the collective name of Team Rokuyokai. Real creative, guys. Anyway, the first match was Kura-sama vs. some lower class demon whose name I can't seem to care enough to remember. Well, it was a clear mismatch. Kurama was far stronger than the demon and we all knew it. He avoided all of his opponent's assaults with a kamaitachi, and the other demon began talking in a soft, almost threatening voice. I couldn't hear much of what he was saying, but I did make out the words '…kill a vital member of your family.' Or…something like that. Immediately my heart skipped a beat. This lowlife stain on the Makai pavement dared use me to hurt Kurama? Instantly, thoughts of bloodlust darted through my mind. Then, I heard the name: 'Minamino Shiori.'
Her again! Inari damn it, Kurama, don't you see that your human heart renders you vulnerable like this! Why torment yourself! Kurama did nothing. He didn't fight back as the youkai attacked him again and again…it was like he'd shut down. Then, I thought, Is this what love truly is? Unconditional love? There was a twisting pain in my heart as the rift between myself and Youko grew deeper once I thought these words. I was stunned into silence, lost in my own thoughts, before I woke up and realized my brother, the one I had devoted my life to for so long, was going to die.
"KURA-SAMA!" I screamed before I could stop myself. The masked fighter, Kuwabara, and even Hiei-sama looked at me in surprise.
"There must be something we can do." A horrible, empty, helpless feeling burned through my whole body.
"There isn't. This is Kurama's fight, he has to resolve his problems alone." Hiei-sama said coldly. My hand twitched and finally all the rage I had felt towards him rushed to the surface. Before I realized I had moved, there was a resounding crack and a painful looking red mark on the side of his face. My right hand was curled in a tight fist that hurt with the most gratifying pain in the world.
"You expect me to stand by and do nothing, is that it! You want me to watch my brother die without trying my hardest to save him!" Hiei-sama stared at me with genuine surprise in his eyes, as did the others.
"What…" I glared at him as best I could, and his voice failed him. Suddenly, there was an explosion of color from the ring. Kurama had used one of his special plants on the other demon, causing hundreds of flowers to explode from within and kill him.
Needless to say, I felt a little stupid.
end of chapter fourteen