File 49: Dead Ahead

Kurama, Kaito, Yana, Yusuke, Mitarai, Genkai and Hiei had decided to first lay the situation out and make things clear since it would be no good to rush in all confused (meantime, Botan had gone to buy another t-shirt for Yusuke and would be back soon.) Out of the seven enemies – including Sensui – two of them, Doctor and Sniper, had already been defeated, and the Seaman, Mitarai, had changed sides and was with them now. So only four left. However, the enemy had captured Kuwabara and was certainly within the Irima Cave now since that place was their hideout. Also, he didn't want to think about it but since there have been no sign of Akari, they should assume the worst... that she had been captured by the enemy too.

"Eh? Captured? Not killed?" Yusuke wondered.

"I'd know if she had been killed."

"How?"

"That's not the time to talk about it. Besides, do you truly think someone like her would die even if she was killed?"

"Ugh... point taken."

"And her abilities are simply too appealing to just throw them away. The danger would be the Gourmet but I don't think there's a need to worry about that. She told me about a technique she had developed in the Makai so she wouldn't be eaten in her sleep. It works even if she can't use her reiki since she employs a medium. And it would be wiser to use her as a hostage. The thing is, since she isn't one to keep quiet and behave, they must have found a way to put her out of action. The enemy has been exceedingly thorough in their preparations." And Sensui said there were two more days til the hole opened, four whole days sooner than the Reikai's estimations. The fox surmised that increase in speed came from the spellcaster Itsuki's ability gradually becoming stronger. According to Mitarai, Itsuki had mentioned that things were going faster than expected. So considering the situation and the fact that both Kuwabara and Akari were in enemy hands, they had no choice but to enter the cave now. Kuwabara had the power to cut through dimensions so they shouldn't kill him until the peripheral field was destroyed. But again, the problem was the Gourmet. Makihara, by literally eating people whole, absorbed their abilities. His territory was inside himself.

Now they had the big picture, time to raid their hideout. Genkai stopped them. They better limit the number of people. She sent Hiei, Kurama and Yusuke (the three best combatants). The tiny demon smirked. Blindly increasing the numbers would be counterproductive and allow the enemy to take advantage of them. The rest would stay here and monitor the situation. Mitarai offered to lead the way inside as the cave was like a giant maze. Hiei voiced his mistrust. The Seaman hung his head and then looked straight at Yusuke. He wanted to at least save Kuwabara-san and Akari-san. And moved by the sincerity in his eyes, Yusuke decided to trust him. Genkai asked Urameshi whether this situation reminded him of another. And after thinking long and hard, the detective recalled the similarities with the time he had been caught by Kaito and the others. Whatever happened, he must not lose his cool or the enemies will take advantage of that. And so, the four headed into the cave.

As Kiyoshi led them through the labyrinth, he told them it was about a two-hour trip... assuming that nothing happened along the way of course. At each crossroad, the kitsune dropped a seed in the right direction that bloomed into a luminous flower. This Akaru weed was going to mark the way, although he intended to memorize it too. Hiei remarked it was only in the case they came back. The red head smiled. Some time ago he had made a promise to someone and he intended to fulfill it this time. Yusuke asked how kurama could know if Akari was alive or dead. And well, he had set something up making sure she always had it on her.

"Does she know?"

"Nope, she would have refused if I had asked for her permission, and she would have been angry if I simply told her afterwards."

"Even if it's you, she'll kill you if she learns about it." Yusuke warned. Akari was strongly independent and had a loathing for anything that undermined her freedom or privacy. The fox might have been able to weasel his way until now but there were still limits...

"It'll be fine. She has a knack for getting into trouble when I'm not with her. Since it can also tell me her location, I simply have to save her thanks to that, then she'll have no choice but to accept it. I must properly keep her on a leash so she won't cause or meet with too much trouble." He smiled innocently. Urameshi stared at him frightfully. 'There's always one above you'. He truly understood that phrase. That man was speaking about turning that wild animal, that monster, that Beast, that Devil into his pet without the slightest trace of fear! What audacity! That courage, that confidence, that cleverness, coupled with those looks... those weapons were not to be underestimated! What a terrifying man! But a leash... just how openly possessive could he be?! Or was he taking his revenge for all the time she had been ignorant of his feelings? And he also made sure to leave no opening before a possible rival...

After about an hour of walking and over twenty forks, the four arrived before a large metal door with a 'G'. Strange, it wasn't there before. A door... The fox thought of the Gatekeeper but it couldn't be. They were only halfway to the center and Itsuki couldn't leave until the hole was open. Also this doorway felt strangely familiar... Suddenly, they heard a voice coming out of nowhere.

"Welcome to Devil City. You seven are the chosen warriors. To restore peace to the city, you must now defeat the evil mayor, Gamaou." That was actually the opening every player heard when they started the videogame Game Battler. Gamaou was actually a mix of game and maou (evil king). In this game, you had to free the city from the game master, Gamaou, who had mastered all kinds of games, sports, fighting, quizzes, puzzles... and you had to win at least four out of seven challenges. It was Amanuma – the Gamemaster's doing. Then they heard a child's voice.

"Welcome to my territory. Within my territory, you must follow the game's scenario. I don't know how many of you are out there but you must be seven chosen warriors! If you're not seven, the door won't open." Amanuma warned. Mitarai explained that in Amanuma's territory, he could materialize any game in life size, and those who had nothing to do with it were not permitted to enter. If they couldn't proceed unless they were seven, that meant the enemy had perceived their plan to break in as a small elite team. Acting alone would be dangerous. The time loss may hurt but they should all go back together.

And two hours later, everyone was standing before the door. Only Botan had been left at the entrance (and was getting scared by herself, surrounded by woods and noises at night). Genkai complained about having been trapped in those people's pace already. The game opening started again, and finally, the door opened. The place didn't look like a cave but a room in a high-tech building with a giant screen. They saw a child with the horned cloak of the Gamaou covering his body. He was sitting like a king on an armchair. Urameshi and Kurama explained how the game was played for those who didn't know yet (as it was rather popular). The slot machine over there was used to pick the game type and level. Only one of them played at a time against an opponent. The kid told them to finish their meeting already. They were in a hurry too, right? If they kept dawdling, he wasn't going to play with them! That annoyed Yusuke but they ignored the brat. Now for the participants, Yusuke, Mitairai, Kaito, Genkai and Kurama had some experience with Game Battler. Yusuke was always stuck partways and he preferred fighting games. Genkai had once gone to the ending (well, she had time on her hands). Kaito beat the game 7 or 8 times out of 10... assuming he was playing against the regular Gamaou. And it was the same for Minamino. But Amanuma had to be a lot tougher than the actual Gamaou or he wouldn't have chosen this game.

The demon pulled the lever of the slot machine on Amanuma's order. The result was sport – tennis – level 7. Mitarai took the challenge. It was a singles match, the first to win 3 sets won. A devil tennis player appeared and he and Mitarai's avatar started the match. As it was going well and Kiyoshi was winning the first set, the Seaman's former ally kept trying to destabilize him. Did he truly betray them like Sensui-san had foreseen? Or was he pretending to have betrayed them and was actually deceiving Urameshi and his group? In that case he'd have a much better opinion of him! Mitarai won the first set 6-4. The Gamemaster's dirty tactics continued. Mitarai had once said they were both outcasts at school, but according to Sensui, the reason for that differed greatly. Mitarai was alienated because he was weak, but Amanuma was alienated because he was strong. Agitated, Kiyoshi lost 5-7. However, he recovered. It was as if he had broken through something. He won the next two by a landslide 6-2 and 6-1. That was his victory 3-1, the first victory for the new Urameshi Team!

"Amanuma, you're right, I am weak. It was because I didn't have the courage to admit that that I cursed the people around me. It was also because I was weak that I allowed myself to have a hand in your horrible plan. But I'll change! I won't look away from my weaknesses!" Mitarai asserted with strength and determination in his eyes. Amanuma glared at him.

The next game was shooting – battle helicopters – level 6. Genkai volunteered. She could use up to three helicopters/lives. She lost if all of them crashed. She won if she shot down the genie's helicopter. She flew above the ocean and instantly sank three battleships, clearing stage 1. She arrived on an island protected by shooting turrets. She skillfully maneuvered and arrived at the base. The target was protected by fastly rotating slates. She calculated the speed, slipped in, shot, and escaped. Stage 2 was cleared. At last, the genie, angered by the destruction of his base, appeared in his helicopter. They chased each other but Genkai soon got his back and shot him down. Another overwhelming victory for her and the Urameshi Team! The old woman smirked. The Gamemaster praised her... but he wasn't so sure about sending all their good players first.

The third game was action battle, dark martial arts, level 1... right in Yusuke's alley. He said it was going to be a piece of cake, and again, Genkai warned him not to get careless. He could use up to three players, if all three were defeated he'd lose. The game started. He found himself on a field of grass, attacked by a bunch of demons with large target marks on their chest. He quickly hit them all, but it wasn't over as he had thought. They recovered instantly and all hit him together, blowing him away. He had already lost one life. Genkai called him a bonehead. He had to make sure to aim for their vital points! Different demons appeared, and this time he was the one who attacked them. He used this second chance much more effectively. But there wasn't time to get complacent! The elderly yelled at him to hurry and get the giant-growth drink. The body of a demon vanished, revealing the said drink. Behind him, the fighting genie showed himself, as tall as a mountain. The boy was only as tall as his big toe that heavily collided with him and sent him flying and crashing in a mountain. But as his usual LUCK would have it, the bottle had also been hurled in his direction and landed neck in his mouth. Urameshi drank it and grew to his opponent's height. They lunged and the human defeated him in one blow.

They were winning 3-0! But now, it was the Gamaou's turn. The warming up was over. Time to get to the real thing. Amanuma took off his cloak and grinned. Kurama approached Yusuke and told him to think of a way to escape should he or Kaito lose. Urameshi couldn't believe what he had heard. Escape?! He studied the fox. He had never seen him this wary before. That was enough to make him understand the level of the Gamemaster... and the direness of their situation. Yusuke couldn't gauge out the enemy's strength like this. It was so difficult and aggravating. But...

"Sorry, but no can do." The detective surprised Kurama. "If I did that, even if I escaped now, I would only get horribly tortured to death by Akari later. You're the only one who can somehow keep her under control, right? You said yourself you should keep her on a leash so she won't cause or meet trouble, then you think of a solution. Save her from those guys, and save us from her. You're the smartest one here." He lightly and encouragingly tapped the kitsune's back.

"...You're right." Kurama smiled after a time. There were many things that couldn't be solved through brute strength. They needed him. Akari needed him by her side. There was no one else who could save her, and stay by her... He had to be the one... regardless of the sacrifices he would have to make...

The fourth challenge was a quiz about general culture and the level was G. Amanuma complained. A quiz... that wasn't his strong point... Yusuke cheered. Kaito volunteered. The fox grimly noted that despite Amanuma's claim that quizzes were not his strong point, he sure looked confident. He asked Mitarai-kun to tell him more about the enemy's abilities but actually, it was also the first time Seaman saw his former ally's ability, so he didn't know anything more than what he had told them earlier. The first to correctly answer ten questions won. But three incorrect answers and it was instant disqualification. The quiz started. Kaito was shocked though to see the Gamaou cross his arms a few steps from the game console and declare he was giving him a handicap of five questions. That angered the Meiou High student who told him there was no need for a handicap.

"Very well. On to the first question. 'The Amazo-'" However, the voice was cut off when Kaito pushed the buzzer. The screen only read 'question 1', the first few syllables, as well as the four possible answers. He chose C... and was right. Yusuke was amazed. Yuu explained that among the 17000 questions of the Battle Quiz general version, only three began with ' the amazo', all of which dealt with the Amazon. The answer was either 'Pororoca', 'Piranha', or 'the Amazon Highway'. He had memorized all of the 17000 questions, and their answers. Incidentally, the Pororoca phenomenon was a tidal bore occurring on the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Araguari River notably was quite famous among the surfers who could ride the tidal waves for a particularly long time (despite the dangerous debris and lack of salinity). Well, with this Amanuma should understand there was no need for a handicap. But the child just ignored him.

And like this, after having just barely heard the first word, Meiou High's N°2 correctly answered five questions. Urameshi cheered. For now the results were 5-0! Meantime, the Gamemaster had kept staring at the screen, deep in thought. Was he truly only giving a handicap? He seemed to be brimming with self-confidence. But there couldn't be a way of choosing the correct answers faster than Kaito, right? The Gamemaster approached the console. Time to fight back! He had got it... not Kaito's level since he couldn't care less about that (comment that angered his opponent... all the more since the damn brat was sticking his tongue out at him)... Well, he'd soon understand... Sixth question... the Gamaou buzzed before the first letter. As a result, not the question, not even the answers appeared, only A, B, C, and D.

"Question 6 is 'What is the name of the asteroid that is the subject of a theoretical collision with the Earth in the year 2000?' The answer is B: Toutatis!" The child asserted... and was correct! Both the question and were right! How could that be?! Clairvoyance?! Some kind of foul play?! No, he had memorized not only the questions and their answers but also the order of those questions and the placement of those answers. Kaito slammed his hand on the console. It was impossible! The order the questions and answers were supposed to be random and mixed up! Amanuma called him naïve. It might look random but there was actually a rule to it. It took about five questions to figure out the formula.

Again, the Gamemaster justly answered the next question before it was even enunciated, same for the next. Already 3 points for the Gamaou. With this, Kaito's defeat was assured. Annoyed, Hiei destroyed the screen. It was better than doing nothing. But the next second, it was as good as new and announced Amanuma's correst answer. The score was now tied. So it didn't work after all, as expected. They told the little demon to give up. And Amanuma didn't like him interrupting his fun time. Well, at least Hiei had tried something. Although aggravated, the youkai agreed to give up, and since he had no part to play here, he went to sit against the wall and sleep after telling the others to wake him when it was over. They really had no choice but to defeat that guy fair and square by winning the challenges. For the next question, Kaito was first to push the buzzer. His opponent did warn him he couldn't compete on intuition alone even if he pressed the button before him, but there was a 25% probability here, the numbers weren't all that bad. He randomly selected an unshown answer to the unshown question... and was wrong. After that Amanuma kept answering correctly while Kaito continued to rely on intuition alone to beat him and like this made a second error... and then a third. Game over. He was eliminated.

"I've been utterly defeated. I didn't realize that there was a rule to the order of the quiz questions."

"But you did put up a good fight. You're good at this. I'd sure like to fight another game with you!" The child grinned so candidly that it surprised his opponent who returned to his friends. Now all they could do was count on Kurama. By the way, Yusuke hadn't thought about it since they were winning easily until now, but what the hell would happen to them if they lost inside Amanuma's Territory? Kurama first asked Kaito about his condition. He was strangely fine. He had expected something terrible, like when you lost against him in his taboo game. The weird one was actually the Amanuma kid. He seemed to be simply enjoying the matches... it was like he didn't really understand what Sensui was trying to do when he joined him.

According to the fox, they could apparently lose over and over without anything happening to them, but if they gave up, they'd all die. In the real game, after the hero lost, the screen read 'Game Over' and asked if you wanted to continue or give up. If you decided to continue, the game just restarted from the first character. But if you chose to give up, the words 'THE END' appeared, with the graves of the heroes in the background. Since they couldn't consider 'death' as an option, they were stuck playing until they won. Amanuma had never been after their lives. His objective was to stall until the boundary tunnel was open.

However, they couldn't know but Itsuki's ability had become stronger still. Only two hours left until the tunnel was fully opened. And droves of demons were waiting behind it. Akari was still in a recuperative sleep. That shitty angel had not exactly gone all too easy on her. He had dislocated a few of her joints, her bones ans organs had suffered too and the usual cuts and bruises didn't need to be mentioned, and with her reiki being hampered to this extent, she was practically useless. The more precautions, the better, huh? They were really being awfully cautious with her. It was both flattering and annoying. Well, at least she got to sleep on the sofa... next to that wretched man who had captured her... There was a silver lining though. She too knew 'caution' and had a learning ability (to some extent). There had been times in the Makai when she had been injured and unable to use her reiki. That was why hidden on her body were two marks in which she constantly stored reiki. One served to heal her and the other erected barriers that repelled and hurt those who approached her with harmful intentions (like killing or eating). She had set this system so it worked continually, even when she was sleeping, and only her will could activate or deactivate it. It was to be used as last resort, as trump card. And she had activated it before Sensui knocked her out.

Kuwabara was still bound and watched by Makihara in a corner of a cave and screaming out. When the time came, Sensui hoped for a good response from him. After all, he was not a man to let a girl down, right? Kazuma cursed and yelled at Urameshi to hurry up and come here (even though he couldn't hear). There was no time!

"So then, shall we go on to the next one?" Amanuma inquired. "I'm going to have you play games with me here until the tunnel to the Demon World is opened. Then I'll lose on purpose and dispel my Territory."

"So that's it! His objective was to buy time all along! That's why he can so casually enjoy these games!" Yusuke raged. "Kurama, is there any chance of you winning the game?"

"I don't know. But then, if things go the way I imagine they will... my heart will be heavy after beating Amanuma. In his Territory, each person ends up the way they would at the end of the game. He doesn't realize the true terror of his ability. He's just being used by Sensui."

Sensui, what a cruel man you are for coming up with such a thing!

The battle was puzzle – three seven – level G. Kurama walked forth. Kaito explained that three seven was like Tetris, a game of falling pieces. Numbers from 0 to 7 dropped down in various combinations. When you got them to add up to 7 either up-and-down or sideways, they disappeared. However, you could only erase 7s by lining three of them in a row. The numbers kept falling faster and faster and if you couldn't keep up by making them disappear, they piled up to the top and you lost. The game was controlled by the player's amount of experience and concentration. You could even play for hours on end. The only way for Minamino to win was using a psychological warfare. He had to agitate his opponent to break his concentration. Indeed, Kurama initiated the attack. He had a question to ask...

"Amanuma-kun, was it Sensui that told you to use Game Battler to compete against us?"

"That's right. He said that game would be most appropriate as a decisive battle, since I'm really good at it and all!" The little one replied confidently. Then he was interrogated about Akari. "She's alive, but Sensui-san beat her up so she can't move. Her reiki is being suppressed by a parasite too. If she forcefully tries to use her reiki, her life would be at risk though. And Sensui-san's the only one who knows how to take it off, but I'm not too sure what he plans to do with her. Well, we're keeping her under our hat for now."

"I see... then do you know what it is that Sensui is trying to do?" The fox asked again, his fists tightly curled into balls. It was exactly as he had expected... as he had dreaded...

"Sure I know! Youkais are going to come teaming out of the Makai and cause all kinds of mayhem, right? Sounds fun! My school will be gone and everything! As long as I can stay inside my Territory, I can relax. No youkai can beat me at any game after all."

"If you lose this game... you will die." Kurama declared grimly, shocking everyone, including Amanuma. "Did you know that too?" He questioned. The child recovered and thought it was just a petty scare tactic in order to get an easy win... but he wasn't dumb enough to just believe him. "You've probably seen the ending of this game a lot more times than I have, right? When the Gamaou loses, the screen clearly says that it has 'died'. Games like this are surprisingly rare. And your power that perfectly recreates the game world, will faithfully recreate the ending too. You're free to deny, but I know this is the first time you've used your ability with 'Game Battler'." The kitsune explained, blood trickling from the interstices between his fingers. The Gamemaster admitted that he was right about that... but that was just because this was the only game that supported seven players! "No, more like, you've never used your ability on games that hinted at dying, either at the end or during play, right? Sensui would have somehow stopped you from doing so." He looked at the child who had lost all confidence and now appeared uneasy. Again Kurama was right. Amanuma indeed remembered Sensui having forbidden him from using such games without his consent as he said they drained his mental and physical strength...

"Hold on, Kurama!" Urameshi interrupted him. "Didn't you say Amanuma had no interest in our lives? There's no way he'd give up his life to stop us! He's just a kid!" He argued.

"You're right. Amanuma himself didn't intend this..." Minamino looked at his open palm. His nails had dug into it, and his palm and fingertips had been dyed red. "But as for Sensui..." He balled his fist again, strengthening his resolution. "I'll come to my conclusion: Sensui has sacrificed you to attain his objective." The fox asserted implacably. The child gasped, discomposed.

"Game Start!" The machine said, startling Amanuma back to reality.

If the 'protagonists' gave up, they'd die. If they lost, they were doomed to play forever. If they won, Amanuma would die. Before them, only death awaited. If Amanuma was at a far higher level than them as a gamer, Kurama was superior as a tactician and warrior. But the one who was truly controlling the game, far ahead of them, was Sensui. He had chosen this game on purpose, and been smart not to tell his sacrificial pawn of this purpose. He had counted on them realizing everything. He had assumed that they wouldn't kill Amanuma, knowing he was just an ignorant little kid being used. Sure enough, ordinarily, Kurama wouldn't be able to do such a thing. But Kurama was going to defeat Amanuma. Because he had resolved to win regardless of the sacrifices, he had told him the truth of the matter and agitated him. That was the only way. They had no time. In order to protect the Human World and save the woman he loved, Kurama had decided on the cruelest method there was. He had no other choice but to decide on it. Still, had Akari been in his place, she would have done the same. They would kill and make any sacrifice for the other. And that other would still accept them, love them, share the guilt, the pain, the burden...

Sensui-san sacrificed me? It can't be... it can't be... Amanuma was starting to panic. He couldn't deny the validity of Kurama's arguments. He trusted Sensui... the man who had showed him the way... so being used and betrayed by him... Sensui was the man who could play on the same level or even better than him. When he was bored because people were just idiots and only games were fun, he had told him about something even funnier than games... something terribly exciting... turning the world upside down! No more stupid teachers! No more stupid parents or classmates he was fed up with! They'd make this dull world interesting! He told him he needed him and the powers he was sure to develop! But it was true that at the end of the game, the Gamaou, the one he represented and performed, died, and it was also true that Sensui was the one who had chosen to this game... Surely, he must have known everything... But how could he sacrifice him through this game?!

And, shaken up, Amanuma made a mistake. He had always believed his ability was just to turn video games into life-size experiences. The numbers started falling faster and both mistakes and pieces started piling up, and the panic caused him to stiffen and make more mistakes.

"Say, isn't there anything I can do? Anything..." The child voice was quivering fearfully as he kept glancing at opponent.

"Is there anyway to dissolve your Territory in the middle of a game?"

"I can't! Once I myself become a character of the game, one of us has to lose!"

"I have no intention of losing. You knew what Sensui was planning. You have your share of responsibility too. Besides, I have a person I want to save no matter what. But surely you don't know or understand that feeling, since you didn't care what happened to others." Kurama continued relentlessly.

"I... I didn't think it'd be like this..." Amanuma started trembling and tearing up. Despair was overwhelming him. He could no longer move. "I... d-don't want to die yet!" His words had barely left his lips that the pieces reached the top. Game over. The Gamaou had lost. He fell with a thud, dead. His Territory vanished. They were in a natural cave. There was only a playstation linked to two handheld consoles. 'Peace has returned to the city'... was it? But victory had rarely felt so bitter. Hiei had woken up too. Everyone approached and looked at Kurama. Yusuke was the only one who dared come close and look at his face... which made him recoil in fear. He couldn't remember having ever seen such scorching wrath and ruthlessness on that face.

"Let's hurry to where Sensui is." Kurama said, his voice terrifyingly low, calm, contained, and dangerous. Genkai, Yana, and Kaito decided to return to the entrance. Yuu picked up Amanuma's body and they left, going back the way they came while Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke and Mitarai headed further into the cave, to the center of the distortion where their friends and their enemies were waiting for them.