Author's Note:
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Chapter 37: Trapped
Yusuke leaped onto the fighting platform and sprinted up to Koto, who let out a squawk of fear. Flein could hear bursts of the human's angry yelling coming through the announcer's microphone.
"I'm sorry sir, if you have a complaint, you'll have to take it up with the committee! I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for their decision!" she pleaded, her professional smile starting to crack. The roars of the audience were ear-shattering, the voices yelling in favor of the committee's underhanded tactic.
"Let's hope this next team is easy to beat." Kirda said, keeping her gaze on the left side of the arena, where Team Masho would presumably be arriving at any minute. The members of Team Musakui were loitering between the left entrance and the entrance Team Urameshi was occupying- every once in a while Flein would subconsciously take a step backward toward the wall behind her, as if to shrink from Koto's gaze. The scatterbrained announcer hadn't noticed they were there yet- they would need to continue remaining out of sight if they wished to keep the nice view of the arena they had now.
"Maybe they won't even show up." Flein added hopefully, checking the time on the leaderboard above the stadium. Several minutes had already passed. "Maybe they didn't expect their match to come this soon either."
As if to echo Flein's thoughts, Koto utilized her authoritative tone. "Team Masho, this is your final call! Enter or be disqualified!"
Only a few more seconds passed before a gust of wind tunneled its way through the arena, causing Kirda's braided locks to nearly smack Flein in the nose. A tornado formed on the left side of the arena floor, spinning for a moment before fizzling out, revealing a group of five cloaked figures. Large, cone-shaped hoods completely obscured their features, a unique symbol adorning each one. Not even their clothes could be seen from underneath their long cloaks, leaving each identity a complete mystery.
"Um . . . that's . . . ominous." Kirda commented, a drop of sweat slowly making its way down her cheek. Flein couldn't help but agree- the image of the group as a whole was foreboding, and the effort they put into their appearance and entrance made butterflies form in her stomach.
"And here they are, people!" Koto exclaimed with a flourish, completely unperturbed by the new team's apparel. "In the same mysterious fashion as always: Team Masho!"
"This team can't be real!" Joka said, blinking and raising an eyebrow. "How can they even see in those things?!"
Yet it seemed they could- the members of Team Masho made their way to the center of the fighting platform, each one walking at the same pace. Coming to a stop in front of Yusuke- who had since calmed down from the most recent tournament announcement- a cyclone of blue energy circled its way around the hooded member in the front of the group. Another burst of wind carried the energy away, taking the member's cloak along with it. Underneath stood a demon clothed in white, his baggy pants making him seem smaller than his muscular upper body would suggest. A singular, small horn above his forehead was almost completely overshadowed by a full head of shaggy, bright red hair.
"Is that the team leader?" Joka asked, shielding his eyes from the strong flurries of air emanating from the demon's body. "He doesn't look so bad."
The comment only served to assure them for a short while- more bursts of air rushed from him like a whirlwind, and Flein felt as though she would be carried away at any moment. Team Masho's leader walked toward Yusuke, his energy so strong that his brilliantly bright hair stood straight up, a wide grin of glee spread across his face. His eyes shone mischeviously, like one who had found a new playmate.
"I take it back!" Joka yelled over the wind, his words barely understandable to anyone but Flein's sharp ears. "This might be a problem!"
The storm finally calmed down once the leaders converged, Flein's long hair falling disheveled and tangled upon her shoulders. In comparison to Yusuke, the redhead seemed much taller than she had originally thought.
"Team captains, please decide the battle terms!" Koto ordered. Flein strained her ears to listen to what the unfamiliar demon was saying to his new opponent- yet even as she heard him, she found his words practically uintelligible. Just as she was about to inch closer, Koto translated. "Jin has asked for a series of one-on-one matches with the advancing team taking five wins and Yusuke gives the nod!"
Circling around each other, the leaders only had a few moments to size each other up before another three-toned melody erupted from over the loudspeakers. The audience silenced, the tension growing heavier with each passing second.
"What now?" Flein whispered under her breath, and though dread crept upon her, she also secretly hoped it was the committee deciding to delay the next match after all.
"May I have your attention please." the announcement began, the usual chipper female voice forming the words. "The tournament committee will be instituting a medical examination for the next round. Due to the Urameshi Team fighting without rest, and in accordance to Section 13 of the tournament index, report to the medical tent."
"Medical examination?" Flein said out loud, her eyes searching the arena floor frantically until it came upon a small tent that she didn't recall being there before. Confusion bloomed in her chest.
"This is good . . . right?" Anji asked weakly.
The flap of the tent slid open to reveal a glowing light, from which stepped out a curvy woman with long, red hair. Carrying a clipboard, her thin eyes surveyed each member of the Urameshi Team like she was eyeing her next meal. She had donned a short nurses's uniform, but despite the new disguise Flein had recognized her immediately.
The memory felt decades old.
"No . . ." Flein gasped, both as an exclamation and as a response to Anji's question. "This can't be good."
"What's the matter?" Kirda asked, turning to her teammate. "You know her or something?"
"If it wasn't for her seeking me out, I wouldn't be here." Flein admitted, her eyes never leaving the familiar sight. The woman- she struggled to remember her name, yet she was sure she had never bothered to memorize it in the first place- was now holding a long-fingered hand in front of each Urameshi Team member, lingering over Hiei for an uncomfortable amount of time. He simply glowered at her, one eyebrow twitching in impatience. "We have to warn them. She works for the committee."
Flein started toward them, using the sounds of her teammates' brisk footsteps to comfort her. The tournament committee was against them- that much was obvious. No matter what they had in mind for Team Urameshi, it couldn't possibly be in their favor.
"Whoa whoa whoa, wait a minute!"
Cursing, Flein stopped short. She had forgotten about the fox announcer, who had been standing idly by, free of distractions.
Koto leaped down from the fighting platform to block their path, instructing them to stop by way of a dramatic hand gesture, her palm facing towards them. Her bushy tail waggled behind her, a delayed reaction due to the speed of her actions. "I'm sorry, but all other teams beside Team Masho and Team Urameshi must leave the arena floor at this time!" she said, her sharp canine teeth glistening. Something about her tone and the intense look in her eyes made Flein wonder if the girl had practiced for this profession ever since childhood. "Come back when it's your turn if you wanna shed blood!"
"Sorry!" Kirda chirped, whirling around on her heels along with the rest of the group. There was no use in arguing the matter- lately that seemed to get them into more and more trouble. The door to re-enter the stadium building loomed in front of them.
"It was only a matter of time." Flein mumbled to the rest of her team, resisting the urge to look back to discover the result of the supposed medical examination. "Still, it was bad timing." She didn't know whether she could have really made a difference by warning them or not- the committee had a knack for getting its way regardless. But she was most likely one of the few who knew of the nurse's real occupation.
"Ah well." Joka said, his shoes squeaking on the dirty tile floor of the stadium hallway. He walked a few paces ahead of the group, his hands raised behind his head. "Let's grab a bite to eat."
The rest followed, each one passing by in Flein's peripheral vision. She stared at the dirty footprints on the floor, furrowing her eyebrows, until the others stopped to look back at her.
"Sorry. I just can't ignore this." she said, gripping onto the bannister of the staircase beside her and stomping her way up to the floor where the stadium seats resided. She heard the others follow her without hesitation, with only the addition of a disgruntled sigh from Joka. "If we go to the seating area right next to the nurse's tent, we might be able to warn them from there." Flein continued, reaching the top of the stairs and pushing open the double doors to the front row seating.
The noise of the demon's shouts greeted her once again, although it seemed even louder within the midst of the crowd. Team Musakui shoved and pressed their way through the spectators, stepping over hooves and claws, occasionally dodging a feathered arm or horn. Flein thought she felt a greedy hand brush her rear, only to have her thought confirmed when she heard a frustrated gasp from Kirda behind her. Eventually they made their way to the section just above the medical tent, with just enough bench room to fit two people. Anji and Joka squeezed themselves between a beaked demon and a creature with about a dozen insectile eyes. The others crouched in front of them, Flein too nervous to sit.
"Damn . ." she said, glimpsing Hiei's dark hair first before noticing the masked woman as well. They were standing inside the tent, listening to the red-haired woman's quiet speech. Flein drew in a deep breath in preparation to warn them, and then let it out like a deflated balloon.
"What if it is just a medical examination?" she thought, letting the doubt slowly creep inside. It was a fact that she didn't find the woman trustworthy- not even from the first moment she encountered her in the back alley- but in reality, she had given her no reason to regard her with such suspicion. She would easily be able to warn them if the subjects were Yusuke or Kurama- but since Hiei was in the picture, the risks of being wrong were somehow too great.
"I don't go where people tell me to, lady." Hiei's blunt voice rose above the others. He and the masked woman turned to leave the tent of their own will, and Flein let out a sigh of relief. "You can treat yourself."
Neither of them stepped foot outside of the tent. A wall of blue electrical energy formed around the perimeter, blocking them from passing the border. Hiei revealed an expression of brief shock as his body involuntarily stopped at the wall, and one could only assume the masked figher had a similar reaction. A cold sneer formed across the committee member's pretty face.
"Dammit!" Flein hissed, standing up from her crouching position. The bird demon squawked in displeasure behind her. "I knew it!"
"What's she doing?!" Kirda asked, gripping the hard edge of concrete in front of her. Hiei and the masked fighter charged at the barrier, only to have electrical jolts pass through them like needles, their bodies quaking in place.
"She trapped them." Flein explained anyway. She was trying to avoid the urge to kick herself- she knew something bad was going to occur, yet she missed her chance to prevent it twice in a row.
"Hey! Redhead!" Yusuke and Kurama sprinted to the tent, Yusuke's eyes wide with anger. "Why do I get the feeling you're not a licensed nurse?!"
The aforementioned redhead turned, her eyes glowing with pride. She grabbed the thin sash from her belt loop, her long fingernails gleaming in the sunlight, and yanked it through. In seconds her uniform was flung into the air, her scantily-clad form causing Flein to mistake her for being nude at first. Thin coils wrapped around her body, just barely covering her vital parts. Threads of light blue energy also circled her, flashing with intensity.
"People really don't like to wear clothes here, do they?" Joka commented from behind her. Yusuke and Kurama were speechless, the wrath wiped clean from Yusuke's face.
"That's correct, Yusuke. 'Enchantress' is more like it." the half-clothed woman informed him. "Ruka is my name. I'm regarded as the most talented creature alive in spell defense incantations."
"Give me my damn team back!" Yusuke demanded stubbornly, seemingly ignoring the details of Ruka's newfound occupation.
Ruka only smiled, her red lipstick only seeming to grow brighter the more she spoke. "Didn't you hear the announcement Yusuke? They're very sick. They're going to need a little time to recover." She shouted a few syllables, seemingly incomprehensible and meaningless, but then Hiei and the masked woman were pushed back further into the tent, coils of dark energy wrapping around them. The fire demon's pupils shrunk in pain, accentuating the red of his eyes.
"How are they even allowed to do this?! That's cheating!" Kirda cried in protest, standing up as well. Yusuke simultaneously jumped onto the fighting platform, running up to Koto and shouting at her once more. The cheery announcer merely babbled excuses, squeezing her dear microphone close to her chest.
"There's got to be a reason they chose the two injured members. Her spells can't be that strong." Flein pondered, letting the fox demon's ramblings lay undigested. Perhaps she had already been overexposed to Rei's unjustified tendency to brag, but she doubted that Ruka's spells were as unbeatable as she claimed them to be. It was unlikely that the enchantress would have chosen Hiei or the masked woman in their best form. Her eyes widened. "Joka."
"Hrn?" Joka turned, his eyes droopy and disinterested.
"How close does someone have to be for Talik to heal them?" Flein asked, only to have her question met with a blank stare. She sighed and tried again. "Does Talik have to be within touching distance of someone if he wanted to heal them or can they be a short distance away?"
Joka smiled, his expression bordering mildly amused. "Hell if I know."
Flein gritted her teeth. She willed herself to be patient, taking deep breaths. Frustration wouldn't benefit her now.
Anji smiled apologetically. "Talik was always the top student when it came to healing." she offered, her tone almost proud. "Of course it always works better when applied directly to the wound, but it's possible he can do something like that."
"What I'm thinking is if we can heal them from the seats behind the tent, they might become strong enough to break free on their own." Flein explained. It was a flimsy plan at best, but it was something. After failing to warn Team Urameshi twice about Ruka, she felt as though she might go crazy if she didn't actively try to work toward a solution.
"I'm guessing just jumping down there and kicking her scrawny ass isn't gonna fly, huh?" Kirda said, her voice tinged with regret.
"As good as that sounds, we'd risk getting disqualified again." Flein replied. Her brother wouldn't be around to bail them out every time- although it still made her head spin that he had rescued them at all. "I'm going to run back to the hotel and get Talik. I still say it's worth a shot."
"Hey Cat Lady" Joka called, just as Flein was in mid-turn. He was leaning back in his seat, completely oblivious that the proximity of his head was causing a disruption to the horned demon behind him. "Doesn't it make more sense if we let it play out this way? I mean, if Team Masho takes down a stronger Team Urameshi while they're weak, then it's better for us, right? So why go to all the trouble?"
"Because it's not fair!" Flein said, a bit louder than she intended. She had to remind herself that she was in Hiei's hearing range- and that Kurama had told her that he didn't respond well to assistance.
"I'll go with you." Kirda said after a short pause. Then she smiled, the playful glint returning to her dark green eyes. "Your boyfriend won't be fighting, so there's no point in watching right now anyway!"
"Wh-what?! Boyfriend?!" Flein blurted, the heat rushing to her cheeks. She regretted remembering that Hiei might be able to hear them now- at this rate, she would rather not know what he might be listening to.
"Hehehehehe." Kirda giggled mischeviously. "Besides, I want to see that bitch get her ass kicked when we make him stronger!"
"I agree with Flein." Anji said simply, then frowned. "We have to save our village no matter what . . but there's no point in having a tournament to see who's stronger when the strongest are being eliminated through cheating."
Joka sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. The amber color of his irises shone gold in the sunlight. "If you wanna go to the hotel quickly, I'm arguably the fastest runner here." he said after a moment. Flein sensed his anticipation- even in his condition, he wouldn't pass up the chance to run around.
"Are you kidding? You still look like you're gonna pass out." Kirda pointed out. At her words, Anji reexamined his features, new concern appearing on her face all over again. Joka opened his mouth to protest.
"You two stay here. We'll be back with Talik- if we can find him." Flein said before he could respond. If they couldn't find him, their plan would rapidly become a lot more complicated.
"Good luck." Anji said, Joka shrugging nonchalantly beside her. Flein turned, preparing to push their way through the crowd once more, Kirda at her heels.
"You should listen to your dog friend."
Flein halted mid-stride, Kirda almost colliding with her back. There was no doubt in her mind- that voice had come from inside of her head, not from an outside source. She whirled around, her eyes wildly scanning the audience behind her. "Who would have the power to telepathically communicate with me?" she thought, ignoring Kirda's curious gaze. Tremors of panic ran up and down her spine.
"Who do you think?"
That snide remark was unmistakable, and her eyes finally landed on the voice's source: Inside of the medical tent.
Hiei's eyes locked with hers, his expression placid. "Didn't I warn you not to meddle in others' affairs anymore?"
Flein turned her back to him, resolving not to give him an answer- at least, not one that she chose to give him. She had no idea how deep he could probe into her mind.
"What's wrong?" Kirda asked as they pushed their way back to the stadium corridors.
Flein shook her head. "Nothing." Though her hands were still shaking with the revelation.
It seemed she now had more to worry about than just his hearing range.