There was no crunch of bone as he hit the first copy of the demon. And while Kazuki could appreciate a challenge he was really getting tired of not inflicting any damage when he started out fighting someone. Against humans he could usually break something right off the bat, he knew where to hit, how hard to hit, but with demons it usually turned out to be a lot more involved. Maybe their bones were in different places… or just more solid or something. It just meant he'd have to try harder.

X

"Something's wrong…" She whispered tracing his fists as they connected again and again but seemed to have no effect. The tension that had left her returned as the fruitless barrage continued.

"What do you mean? He's doing fine…"

She glanced at Kuwabara for a fraction of a second before her eyes went back to trying to trace the fight, "Kazuki can hit a lot harder than that. It's like he isn't channeling his energy into his hits, but he always has, even before he realized that was what he was doing." She explained softly, her eyes narrowing as she followed him.

"He needs time to adjust to his new energy, he hasn't learned to use it fully yet, and it's showing now that he isn't concentrating on it directly." Kurama answered, also tracking Kazuki's every move.

"New energy…?" She looked at him, confusion and curiosity warring with concern for dominance in her eyes.

"There's a difference between spirit and demon energy." Kurama reminded her quietly.

"Demon… Kazuki's human… How…?"

"Mazoku blood, on his father's side…" Watching her from the corner of his eye Kurama watched contemplation and then understanding flicker across her face.

"Atavism…?" There was an air of disbelief and awe to her voice as she whispered it, her slightly widened eyes turning back to Kazuki, "But… I thought that was just a myth…"

"You shouldn't assume. How did you think he was resurrected?" Sayuri didn't answer him and Kurama allowed the conversation to drop.

X

It wasn't working. Brows pushed together in concentration Kazuki aimed another hit, felt the impact all through his arm and watched the demon he was attempting to pummel smirk. That should have sent him flying, should have at least doubled him over. Brown eyes narrowing he aimed another, a third, a seventh. It wasn't working. He was hitting as hard as he was able and it wasn't getting him anywhere.

The sharp edge nearly clipped him, but he moved out of the way at the last instant and it sailed instead through one of the copies that had been trying to work its way behind him. The separated pieces flew apart in different directions as Kazuki finally came up with an uppercut that sent one of the copies sailing off his feet and into the water. Without taking time to admire the splash he turned, knocking the other two away from him and paused for only a second to decide which to pursue. He wasn't certain which of his senses alerted him to the coming danger. His body reacted instantly without a conscious effort on his part to flinch to the side and out of harm's way letting the metal drop past him to collide forcibly with the rock where his feet had been. Spinning he stomped on the lowered arm, felt something snap beneath his foot like a thick twig, and finished with a right jab that sent the startled demon back a step. Past where he landed two more were climbing to their feet, and behind him the soft splash of water betray walking feet. Four…? There was four of him? He could have sworn there were only three when he started…

Ducking a swing he heard the heavy thud of the blade entering a body and glanced up in time to watch the copy behind him be torn apart, the upper portion flying off away from the lower. So, that was it…

X

A gasp of understanding escaped her as she watched a hit that Kazuki had neglected to dodge sail over his head and slash into another of the Toguro copies. One blood spurt and exaggerated separation later there were five.

It had been intentional. He was aiming for himself. Cutting himself in half was how the demon multiplied, and he was making a show of it, making more of himself to overwhelm them, probably in hopes of doing it before they noticed. She had to do something about it, but telling Kazuki flat out would betray that they were aware of the demon's plan and any advantage would be lost. Still thinking of what to do with this information she caught a glimpse of Kazuki's face, the calculating expression that had narrowed his darting eyes, and that plotting smirk on his lips. She stopped short in her thoughts and preparations to assist. He already knew.

X

He didn't bother to evade the next slash, confirming his suspicions as the demon missed him and a fifth version joined the crowd forming around him. Another barrage of slashing, a few of the blows aimed for him this time left him with more standing in the closing circle around him. He was quickly losing count as he watched more bodies separate, the pieces flying back from each other and more bodies rising from the severed chunks. Some were coming at him; others were still tearing themselves apart. The crowd was growing ceaselessly, and his attempts at finding a way to stop the increasing numbers were quickly replaced by attempts at keeping the horde away from him. It wasn't doing much good.

Eyes mirroring his body's constant motion Kazuki dodged repeatedly as blade after blade came at him, jumped to the side as stabbing fingers shot forward from the other direction and then ducked to evade another hand. Panting for breath he rolled away from another attack only to cringe as a foot collided with his ribs, another coming toward his face. Jumping up quickly he caught the leg and flipped it upward, throwing its owner backward and knocking down several of its twins. He was able to pause for only a second before the onslaught began again.

X

Seeing several copies turn away from the edge of the crowd Sayuri stiffened, shifting her weight to put herself between the oncoming demons and her injured uncle she braced herself, not reaching for the whip, she would have to find a way to kill them that didn't include dismemberment or she would only be helping the demon. Stabbing wasn't much of an option either, with the demon's accelerated healing it would have only put her in an easier striking range without causing any lasting damages. So if physical injury wouldn't work… she had to attack the entire body at the same time.

She gathered the required seed as she glanced sidelong, meeting her father's gaze. Uncurling her fingers she revealed the small green pod swelling in her palm to the questioning eyes. He nodded once, tipping his hand to show her the same plant already in his grip. His eyes flashed to Kuwabara, a silent signal of which way he would be going following this plan. Nodding once Sayuri turned to the crowd of Toguro, searching for the dark haired shape of Kazuki. Finding him she funneled her energy into the pod, pulled in a long deep breath and glanced back at her father. Their eyes locked for a second before he nodded, once almost imperceptibly.

The pods soared in nearly identical arcs through the air, glossy swollen surfaces glinting in the low light. Striking the ground at the same instant there was a brief second where it seemed they would bounce before the delicate green skins parted and began expelling large billowing plumes of noxious almost sparkling yellow green vapors. Holding her breath Sayuri darted forward, breaking through the poison spores at full speed, darting around the surprised demons she knocked several aside as she reached the staring dark haired boy standing in the center. Clapping her hand over his mouth Sayuri leaned close to his ear and hissed the order, "Do not breathe." Wide eyes blinked at her twice before he nodded.

Their vision was entirely obscured before the banks of poison settled around them. Releasing her hold on him Sayuri pulled back a little, turning to survey the ring of bodies that had fallen around them. She took a short tentative sniff of the air before allowing herself a full breath and looking to the far side of the room where her father was helping her uncle to his feet.

"What the hell was that?"

"Poison..." She answered simply, looking at the ring of bodies a second time before turning back to him, "I guess it worked."

"What are you supposed to be an exterminator?" He crossed his arms to glare at her, but it was half hearted at best.

"At least I'm a good one." She teased absently before turning to meet his eyes with a little half smile that Kazuki couldn't help returning.

There was a brief second of silence before a chuckle and the first rumbles of movement started. They exchanged a glance before going back to searching the piles in an attempt to figure out which of the figures was moving. Both sets of eyes widened as the laughter increased, and one by one the bodies began to rise.

"Did you really think that would be enough?" The one directly in front of them lifted his hand to wipe at a trail of blood that had leaked from the corner of his mouth, "It will take more than a little poison to finish me off." A general murmur of agreement went through the ranks accompanied by more of that laughter that was starting to give him a headache.

"Will you shut up already?!" Kazuki snapped, moving half a step forward, "Listen to you… You can't kill me, that didn't work, blah, blah, freaking blah. I'm sick of hearing it. If you're going to try killing us again, just get it over with so I can kick your ass and get out of here, I've got better things to do with my time than stand around listening to you bitch."

It was nearly impossible to make out anything in the din of shouts and threats that erupted from the ring of again standing duplicates. Letting her eyes sweep around the circle Sayuri turned, pressing her back against Kazuki's. "Alright, and what came after the make the psychotic angry part of your plan?" She asked quietly.

"Hey leave me alone, this guy's getting on my nerves." He shrugged one shoulder, and tipping his head to the side listened to the satisfying pop of his neck. He felt more than heard her sigh and suppressed a chuckle. "Besides since when do we need a plan? It's not like we've never fought of some jerks with knives before."

The first demons reached them, some slashing, and some stabbing, some sharpened fingertips crisscrossing over their heads as they both ducked to avoid them. "You do remember what happened the last time don't you?" She asked over the din of shrieks. Coming up she twisted, driving her knee into a midsection an instant before she struck out with a left fist. Twisting back onto her other foot she turned, lashing out with the other fist.

"Sure…" Kazuki watched another demon go sailing away and turned to the next, three quick jabs later he turned to a third and sent it flying with another punch, "We won…"

"And one of us ended up with stitches…" Dipping to avoid another slice Sayuri caught the arm reflexively and altering the momentum stabbed it into another body as she turned back to look at him.

Throwing one Toguro over his shoulder Kazuki aimed a punch at the nose of another, before catching a bladed arm and using it to slice into yet another. The blade halted half way through before pulling back, Kazuki watched the body instantly start healing itself before knocking that one back as well. Turning he watched Sayuri spin toward him and met her eyes before answering, "Yeah, you…"

They exchanged falsely annoyed looks for a second before darting past each other, each aiming for the demons headed for the other. Exchanging a few blows they turned again, and brushed past each other for the same reason, trading spaces again to continue.

It was several minutes before they stopped, back to back again and panting for breath. "This isn't getting us anywhere." Sayuri whispered, eyes darting from one identical face to the next.

"I see what you mean." Kazuki groaned, watching as all the demons he had already beaten to what should have been within an inch of their lives regained their feet.

"So… any bright ideas…?"

"Try whatever you like it won't do you any good. All your whispering is doing is wasting the last seconds of your life." There were in reality several whispers, several voices saying different things, but they all boiled down to the same idea. The same damned speech that Kazuki was already very tired of hearing. "By all means continue plotting, I'll spare you a few seconds to say your goodbyes before you die…" There was another flurry of movement, each of the countless Toguros moving at the same instant to rush them. Separate and somehow almost connected still the two dodged, ducking and darting but always at the last second coming back together in the center seemingly without looking, to guard the other's back and be guarded in return. A silent and unspoken agreement forged by months of far less important and dangerous fights in alleys and on street corners when one of them, and Kazuki was rarely ashamed to admit that it was almost exclusively him, was targeted by a large group. Menial practice that allowed them, even now against the far greater numbers, to know how the other moved and find them without having to search for that meeting spot.

"Just as cowardly as your father…" It was a whisper that came through the flurry of motion that nearly stopped Kazuki in the middle of a step, "He was too frightened to fight me alone as well."

Righting himself Kazuki glared at the many smirking faces looking back at him. "That's funny. From what I can see you're the one with the army of stand-ins to fight little old me, so which of us does that make a coward?"

"Stand-ins…? Take a closer look…" All motion stopped with the few demons around him, but several more were coming closer, "There are no stand-ins, no connectors, we're all individually in control of ourselves. Each of these is the real one. You're just as stupid as your father as well."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about." The commotion started again and he was forced to speak between punches, "You can stand around here and try to tell me I'm just like him all you want, I'm kind of used to it, but it just proves how stupid you are." Catching two of the blades coming at him Kazuki dodged back half a step, guiding the sharpened edges past him, "You see there's one thing I have that my old man could only dream about." The blades cut sharply into the opposing bodies, "And that's why it doesn't matter how many of you there are you're still gonna lose." After only a bit of resistance the weapons slid of their own will, maintaining his grip on the weapons Kazuki halted them before the gaping wounds could completely segment the bodies, "Don't you want to know what that is?" He smirked up at the demon standing in front of him, then quickly at the two on either side. Receiving no answer he stood fully again, slowly dragging the blades back out of the gaping wounds they'd caused. "My old man may have been an idiot; you aren't the first person to tell me that. So I guess I'm lucky then, because I got Mom's brains and that means…" Catching the two bodies he slammed them against each other, pushing opposing wounds close to each other. Watching the two wounds heal he smirked in satisfaction as the dark tubers doing the reconnecting connected the two bodies as well, turning first into a lump of flesh and finally into a single form, "I've got one hell of a learning curve…"


I know it took a while... please forgive me