I stick with the girls today instead of heading to the arena with the guys. I'm so scared I can barely move, but at least my leg doesn't hurt anymore. When I woke up this morning, I took the bandage off to find it mostly healed, although there's a distinct chance it might scar. I'm still limping a bit because it's really stiff, but other than that, it's fine. I won't bleed to death on my way to the ring, at least.
"Why aren't you with the guys today?" Keiko asks as we make our way to the stadium, her voice a little shaky.
"Yes, I can't imagine they'll need your healing powers any less today than they did before," Botan adds.
"I'm sure I'll go down there eventually," I say, my hands folded tightly. "But I have a feeling I know who's going to fight first, and...I didn't want to watch up close." The fear from last night hasn't abated. It's as strong as ever, but I'm keeping it in check.
"Hey," Shizuru says, putting a hand on my shoulder. "He'll be okay."
"I know that," I tell her, taking a slow, deep breath. "They all will be. It's just...you've seen the way Kurama fights. He's not coming out of this unscathed, and I…." I swallow hard. "I'll be there when it's over, but I can only bear so much of watching the people I love suffer."
"I know what you mean," she says, lighting a cigarette. "I'm so worried my baby brother is going to do something stupid again."
"No way," I say. "Not with Yukina watching, he won't." I give the ice apparition the best smile I can muster, and she gives me an equally shaky one in return.
"They'll be okay," she says.
"Right. And then Yusuke will kill the big Toguro brother, and everything will be all right!" Botan cheers. She looks the worst of all of us, and I wonder what's going on in her head. When we finally arrive, Botan gasps. "I'm sorry girls. I was so preoccupied when I spoke with Koenma this morning that I totally forgot to ask him about tickets. I'm afraid we won't be able to watch the finals."
If they weren't all non-combatants, I'd just take them in the way I came the other day, but it's way too dangerous to be down by the ring, even if they could fight.
"Well, you know what they say," Shizuru says, cracking her knuckles. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."
"You're not going to charge the bouncer again, are you?" Keiko asks.
"Unless you have a better idea."
"Attack is really our only option," Yukina says.
"Well, Yukina. You're just full of surprises." Botan smiles for the first time today, and it makes me want to give the little ice demon a hug for bringing that about.
A lizard demon swaggers his way over to us, and Botan frowns. " I know you. You're that sleazy scalper who tried to con Koenma into buying those fourth-rate tickets," she says.
The demon laughs. "How nice of you to remember me. I'm touched. Now, I couldn't help but notice you ladies are in need of a hand."
"We sure as hell don't need one of yours," Shizuru grunts.
"Ah, my mistake. Then I guess you wouldn't mind if I sold these elsewhere." The demon pulls five tickets out of his jacket, holding them out in front of us.
"Are those what I think they are?" Keiko asks.
"Yes indeedy," the lizard says. "Five of the best seats in the house. And I just might part with them for, say, 5,000 clams apiece." As he says that, Shizuru swipes them out of his hand.
"Wow, guys, I'm so dumb. Can you believe our tickets were in my hand the whole time?"
"Hey!" the scalper shouts at her. "You'd better give those back!"
"I guess I could be wrong," Shizuru says, holding them behind her back. "But these look an awful lot like our tickets. Thanks for holding them for us, though." She smiles as we show him the tickets again. Botan had quickly written our names on them, and I have to suppress a laugh at Shizuru's cunning.
"Why's everyone just standing around?" Keiko asks
"I suppose we'll know soon enough," Botan replies.
I watch, confused as Sakyo makes his way to Team Toguro. "Sakyo doesn't fight."
"Do you know him, Asaki?" Keiko asks.
"Yeah. He's an old gambling buddy of my father's and the owner of Team Toguro. But he's not a fighter."
"Huh. Hey, Shizuru?" The older girl doesn't respond. "Earth to Shizuru!"
"Hm?" she says at last, looking down at Keiko.
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah," she replies. "Just a little dizzy."
"Let's go find our seats," I say, following behind to make sure Shizuru doesn't fall. If she's already not feeling well, how is she going to make it through these fights? As we settle in, smoke covers Team Urameshi's side of the field. What the?
"Who's that?" I ask, frowning as a teenage boy with brown hair steps into the arena.
"Koenma," Botan replies. "This must be what he meant when he'd told me he had business to attend to."
"Wait, the little guy? How did that happen?"
"A little Spirit World magic," she tells me.
"And I thought my transformations were weird." I sigh, looking at Shizuru. She's a bit green. "Do you need some water, Shizuru?" She shakes her head, and I sit back, wondering what's really wrong. I don't think she's telling us the whole truth.
"Wait a second!" There's a new ref down on the field, and I wonder why Koto got booted. This new girl has fishy ears, a long tail, and an even more annoying voice than the first one. "You can't just switch. The rules say you can only substitute when another fighter is dead."
That's right. That's exactly right, and it makes my heart ache a little. Genkai…. That's when it occurs to me: Botan's a ferryman to the afterlife. What if the reason she's so upset it because she had to take Genkai to Spirit World?
Sakyo dispels any problems with Koenma fighting with just a few words, and Koto, apparently emceeing now, announces the start of the final round.
As predicted, Karasu steps into the ring first, with Kurama following suit, ready to fight him. I hope. Shizuru pats my shoulder, giving me a serious look. "It'll be all right."
"Damn straight," I manage, breathing deeply. You can do this.
The whole crowd is screaming for Kurama's death, and I swallow hard. It didn't frighten me before, their bloodlust, but right now, I think I may be sick.
"From the sound of things," Koto announces, "it seems like everyone in the stadium is a big fan of the tall, dark, and gruesome Karasu."
"What did you just say!" Keiko shouts, getting to her feet. "You couldn't pay me to root for that vampire wannabe weirdo!"
I think I could marry Keiko and live happily. That was the best speech I've ever heard, and it makes me laugh.
"I don't know," Shizuru says. "He's got great hair."
"Kurama's is better," I reply, smiling.
"You would know."
"Once again, damn straight." That's when I notice someone sitting to my right.
"Don't forget to do your stretches, Koenma, sir!" the blue ogre cries. He turns to us, hefting a blue spiky club. "This was supposed to be Koenma's, but I guess I'll jsut use it to scare people." He starts cheering Kurama's name, and we all join suit, suddenly the bloodthirsty ones, calling for Karasu's death.
Yusuke shoots us a look, but I'm too busy laughing to care. These girls are all crazy, surrounded by demons that could likely tear their heads off, but they don't care. I can't imagine a group of people I'd be happier with right now.
The girls start chatting, but all I can focus on are the fighters down below. Karasu says something to Kurama and then proceeds to point at me. I can only assume he's taunting Kurama, so I immediately take my right leg and step on the shoulder of the demon in front of me, shouting, "Try harder next time!" Everyone stares at me like I'm crazy, but I don't care. "You don't scare me!" Which is a ginormous lie, but no one needs to know that.
The demon in front of me turns to complain about my foot on his shoulder, but when I glare at him, fire in my hands, he changes his mind and just moves to another seat.
"What was that about?" Keiko asks.
"I'm not about to let that asshole mess with Kurama's head," I reply, crossing my arms and stretching out my legs. I'd already told the girls about what Karasu did to my leg, so they know why I'm so angry. Maybe if I focus on that, I can stave off the fear a little longer.
The fight begins down below with Kurama kicking up a storm of rose petals. It's beautiful, but I'm certain it's also deadly. I wonder if Kurama would ever let me spar with him one day. I'm curious about whether his plants can beat my fire.
Karasu steps forward, ignoring the flowers around him. Suddenly, small explosions ignite the rose petals, turning them to nothing but ash. My leg twinges in sympathy, and I hit my knee with my fist, silently telling it to shut up.
The black-haired demon goes on the offensive, trying to get his hands on Kurama, but the fox just manages to dodge each swipe. Kurama launches a lash of his rose whip, but Karasu manages to explode it before he's even in any hint of danger. He says something to Kurama that I'm actually really glad I can't hear.
Karasu attacks again, swiping with his razor-sharp fingernails. Kurama goes back to dodging, but I know this can't last. Something's going to have to give. Or someone. Karasu leaps into the air, hitting the ground where Kurama had been only seconds before and putting a hole in the ring.
There's an explosion, and blood pours from Kurama's arm. I grit my teeth, tugging at my braid hard.
"He didn't land a hit!" Keiko says. "What happened?"
"Karasu's got some kind of invisible explosives," I say. "They must be made of his energy and rest at a frequency it's incredibly hard to see with the naked eye."
"How is that possible?" Botan asks.
"Beats me," I grunt as Kurama makes another move that sets off an explosion on his leg. It's getting harder and harder to watch. Suddenly, the ring glows green with the energy pooling in Karasu's hand. When the light fades, a visible bomb is left in its place. The black-haired demon throws the bomb at Kurama who braces himself for the hit.
"Kurama!" I shout, getting to my feet as it explodes. What just happened? I close my eyes, calming my racing heart as I search for the red-haired demon's spirit energy. What I sense instead brings an enormous sense of relief. "Yoko," I breathe, as the smoke clears to reveal the most beautiful thing I've seen so far today.
"You go, King of Thieves!" the blue ogre cries. "You're my man!"
"Yoko!" I cheer, suddenly excited. The fear from the last time I saw him is nowhere to be found, instead replaced with a strange elation. I've never seen Yoko fight before, and I'm looking forward to what he can do to Karasu.
White fox or red-haired human/demon, regardless of what he looks like, he's still Kurama.
I feel, rather than hear Yoko Kurama's voice as he says something to Karasu, and chills race up my spine. Things are going to get interesting.
Karasu summons more invisible bombs that the white fox easily dispatches with his signature roses. Yoko easily dodges more explosives that we can't see, finally landing on the ground, his golden eyes glinting in the light from the stadium. He puts off a massive amount of energy that creates a whirlwind of white and sets off explosions all around him: more of Karasu's bombs.
When the smoke fades, a massive plant, clearly grown with tremendous amounts of demonic energy, is revealed with Yoko at its base. The plant has many limbs, and they squirm in anticipation of what's to come next, the leaves on the ends of each resembling mouths. It's simultaneously gorgeous and terrifying.
I never thought of myself as much of a sadist, but I'm enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would. Yoko's power is immense and terrifying, but even now, I'm not scared. Just irrationally excited.
The plant starts going after Karasu, and it's a huge relief to finally see the tables have turned. I wonder how long the other demon can avoid the killer plants. Hopefully not very.
Yoko isn't even remotely worried as the monstrous tendrils chase his opponent. They attack with such force that they gouge chunks out of the ring. What will they do when they catch Karasu? His explosives seem to only make the plant hungrier, and its attacks grow more vicious.
I suppress a cheer when Karasu is finally caught by a humongous set of leaves and lifted into the air. More and more of the hungry-mouthed tendrils meet him, engulfing the vile demon and leaving the audience speechless. It's absolutely beautiful.
The fishy ref calls for Team Urameshi's victory, but as Yoko makes his way toward the edge of the ring, suddenly, the mass of plants explodes, revealing a maskless Karasu. The demon says something to Yoko before focusing, his energy increasing by the second as his hair changes from black to blonde.
"What's happening?" Botan asks.
"He's internalizing his power," I grunt. "In essence, he's turning himself into a bomb."
"Why would he do that?" she cries.
"I don't know, but this isn't going to be good." I stand, surrounding the girls in a field of my own energy, uncertain about what's going to happen next.
Karasu leaps into the air, gathering more and more energy before literally dive-bombing the spirit fox. The resulting explosion is so intense it decimates a large portion of the stadium, killing countless spectating demons and leaving the arena a smoky mess. Please, please, please, I beg. Please be okay.
The smoke clears, and I spot Karasu standing in the ring, laughing. After a moment, Kurama appears from beneath a pile of rubble, back in his human form. That doesn't seem like a good thing. The red-haired demon leaps back into the ring, proceeding to launch a series of...regular attacks. I didn't even know he knew basic martial arts, and I'm mesmerized despite the fear that's washing over me once again.
Kurama manages to dodge one of the invisible explosives, surprising Karasu and managing to hit him with...something. The blonde demon pulls something from his chest, flicking it away with a derisive laugh that sends chills down my spine.
A strange trap springs up from the ground, holding Kurama's leg in place as the first bomb I've been able to see explodes against him. Kurama's cry of pain hits my ears, and I find myself on my feet once again, heart in my throat as he falls to the ground.
Slowly, he pushes himself to his feet, and I press a hand against my mouth, tears in my eyes. Yusuke's shout reaches us all the way up here as he cries, "Don't move another inch, Kurama! You're surrounded by bombs."
I can see them. Little green points of energy float in the air, surrounding the fox demon on every side. This is quickly going from bad to worse. Why did I think to watch from up here? I want to be down there, at his side, but I'm so frightened I can't even move.
Explosion after explosion hits the exhausted demon, and his cries make me gasp as though his hurts are my own. "Kurama," I whisper, tears in my eyes as he falls to his knees.
"I can't watch him suffer like this," Keiko gasps.
"Karasu is such a bastard," Shizuru grunts. "He's clearly playing with him now. I wish he would just get this over with."
"I don't ever want to hear you talk like that again!" Botan snaps. "Kurama can't die! I've lost one person I love to Toguro's team. I won't lose another."
"Dammit, Kurama!" I growl, my voice choked with tears. "You promised!" I shout as loudly as I can, fire sparking around me. "You...you promised."
Kurama staggers to his feet again, and all I can think is he must have a plan. He has to. But...what can he do? The bombs hit him once more, and I fall to my knees as he cries out, his body covered in blood, being torn to pieces. He collapses on the ground, and I gasp as sobs rack my body. No. No. Kurama, you can't.
As the ref starts her ten count, I get to my feet, stumbling past the girls, practically dragging my stiff leg in my haste as Kurama forces himself up once more. Karasu raises his hands to attack his mortally wounded opponent, but before he can do anything, a sudden wave of demonic energy erupts from Kurama. But how? He can't access that power in his human form.
That's when I realize...he's using his life energy. With his last breath, he summons a demonic plant that flows from where he crouches, piercing Karasu through the heart and ending both their lives. Or at least, that's what that stupid, stupid fox had been planning. I move again, climbing down into the arena and limping over to where the rest of the team is as Kurama opens his eyes, pushing himself onto his hands and knees.
He gets to his feet, and I sigh in relief even as tears stream down my face. This guy and I are going to have to have a talk about all the times he's tried to kill himself for the sake of the team. I'm pretty sure we just had a discussion about how I can't end my own life. I'm not about to let him end his own.
Yusuke leaps into the ring to help Kurama as Hiei says, "They don't look like a team that just lost a match. What do they know that we don't?"
"That," I say, pointing to the scoreboard where it clearly shows Karasu as the victor.
A/N:Karasuuuu! He's finally dead! *throws a party* Seriously. Not much to say in this chapter except that Asaki's reactions to Karasu getting his butt kicked are great. This chapter feels really short, but the next ones will make up for it. Thanks for reading, and a special thanks to YukinaBlueRose and AmericanNidiot for the reviews!
Side note, if anyone is interested I have a Tumblr. I occasionally reblog YYH things, but it's mostly just things I find entertaining. Feel free to check me out .com. Or not :P Does anyone even read my ramblings?
YYH is the property of Yoshihiro Togashi. Woot.