OOC: I'm not sure how many people still keep up with this story, but I'd like to formally apologize for leaving it for so long. Life got a bit busy and I suppose I found myself too overwhelmed to continue. That being said, now, I'd like to try to continue and hopefully eventually conclude this story, because I really did enjoy working on it. Because I am now in college I'll ask any old readers and even newcomers to be patient with me as my schedule is packed tight during the semester. Though I don't feel reviews are really needed, it would be nice to know there are people out there who are still reading. That being said, I shall continue anyway.~
Chapter 45: Flightless, Shea VS. Miromi!
Date: October 5th, 2002
Mimiko's P.O.V.
Helicopters. That was the sound that woke me from a sound sleep at about 6am the very next morning. I rolled over a bit, trying to adjust to actually having my eyes opened. Today was the day. We had to face Team Uriatogi, and there was really no option in it. We had to win. For everyone to get back home safely, or to even stand a chance, there was no way we could lose to them. I rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling while I thought about what we had been told the other day. We'd be moved to a new stadium. Bigger crowds, more fancy jerks in suits betting on our impending demises. I sighed in slight frustration. I was pretty much done with this tournament. Sitting up, I glanced around the room. Loki and Shea were both still asleep in their beds, but as I looked to the fourth bed in the room, a frown came to my face. The Masked Fighter was still missing. Did that mean that both she and Yusuke had not come back?
I thought about it further as I got out of bed. Remembering Keiko telling us that Puu hadn't been looking to be in the best condition, I felt something bubbling in the pit of my stomach. Was something happening to Yusuke? That was it. Feeling the worry biting at my stomach, I took a light jacket from the hook by the door and headed outside. Hearing a croon as I exited the hotel, I glanced up at a nearby tree branch. Riki sat perched there, preening her brown feathers and then swiping her beak over the similar blue feathers on her chest.
"Come on Riki, I need to take a walk." She flew off the branch, the Spirit Beast landing on my shoulder and settling there. Up until now, I thought as I began walking, Koenma had her. For what reason, I hadn't been too sure, until he came up to the hotel room right before I went to bed last night:
"So...I'm supposed to keep her with me all the time now?" I asked curiously. Koenma had asked for privacy, so it was at this point that everyone has returned to their rooms. For some reason, the Spirit world Prince seemed...well, distracted, hand gliding absently over Riki's feather's as she sat perched on the table.
"Yes, it's imperative, actually. You're really going to need her in the last stretch of this tournament."He answered. He seemed to be skirting around something, and I really couldn't tell what it was. But that was Koenma. He would normally beat around the bush unless it was the moment one of us needed the information. He looked nervous...almost worried, and I couldn't tell why. As Riki flew onto my shoulder, a made a soft humming noise.
"Koenma. Can you at least tell me why I need Riki so badly? You've had her up until now and I've been just fine." I mentioned, my fingers drumming against the arm of the couch I was seated in. Koenma at first, really looked like he wasn't going to answer me, and the uncertainty in his features was killing me slowly.
"Trust me, Mimiko, you'll know why you need her when the time time comes." Staring at him hard for a few hard seconds, I crossed my arms.
"That was very vague and discomforting thank you."
"...Anytime."
"Gah! Man Riki, I wish you could talk. Maybe them you could tell me what the hell Koenma was gabbing about." Riki gave a simple croon in response as I continued walking. Though, not long into my venture, I was stopped by someone calling out to me.
"Mimiko!" Blinking, I glanced back to find Keiko standing there, with a very pale looking Puu in her arms. She was out of breath, and it sort of made me wonder how far I had actually gotten from the hotel. But the concern in her eyes kept me from wondering about that.
"Keiko? What's wrong? Has Puu been getting worse?" I questioned, reaching out to feel Puu's forehead. He was burning up. I drew my hand back, shaking it to try and cool it off.
"He's hotter than a freakin stove..." I murmured, Riki crooning in what seemed to be sympathy. Keiko nodded, glancing down at Puu once again.
"Yeah...and since Puu is Yusuke's other half...you know..." she mentioned quietly. I could only smile at her sympathetically, my own worry causing my heart to hammer a bit. But I didn't want to let Keiko see that I was about as concerned about him as she was. He hadn't come back. A full night, and Yusuke hadn't come back. It pained me a bit, if I was to be honest with myself, but not because I still harbored those feelings of wanting to be something more to Yusuke. It was because he was my partner, my team mate, and one of my best friends. But masking my worry in front of Keiko, I smiled at her.
"I'm sure Puu came down with a cold because Yusuke has probably come down with a cold. It was raining last night and you know that idiot was probably standing out in the rain. Now why don't you go back to the hotel and get some rest, it's another day for you guys at ringside." Or brawling. It was very possible he was brawling. But I wasn't going to tell Keiko that. So instead, I waited for her answer. After she spaced out for what seemed like minutes, she shook her head and nodded at me.
"Yeah you're probably right, I shouldn't worry so much." Though I took it, something in her voice was telling me that she didn't believe that at all. But what else was I supposed to say?
"Welcome to Stadium Number two, all you glory and gore fans! I'm Juri and I'll be your Referee. But go easy, It's my first time doing this!~" Something about the new judge really annoyed me. Not anymore than Koto did of course, though I had to wonder why it was this Juri person announcing rather than Koto. But I got my answer soon after When Koto, from an announcers stand, mentioned something about her being moved out of the ring. I figured it had probably been from the last fight, when she tried to interfere during Bakken's match with Kurama.
"This stadium isn't exactly what I'd call cozy." Shea mentioned as we all stood in the darkened entryway, sticking a lot closer to Kurama than I noted she needed too. I'd get them to tell me what was going on between them sometime, maybe if we survived this. But at this point, our odds weren't looking good.
"Master Hiei, there is Seven of them and five of you, are you sure you guys will be alright?" Loki questioned, genuine concern flashing in her eyes. But Hiei shrugged it off, instead looking straight ahead of him.
"Hn. Don't ask stupid questions." He mentioned. I was about to tell him that it was pretty rude of him, but gave up because there was no point in talking manners to Hiei. Instead, I turned to Loki myself.
"It's alright, just because the Masked fighter and Yusuke aren't here doesn't mean we can't hold out own. Isn't that right Kuwabara?" I questioned, turning to my orange-haired team mate. But Kuwabara didn't answer. He looked confident enough, but the distant look in his eyes told me his mind was elsewhere, for the moment. Shea instead decided to answer for him.
"We'll be fine, now get out of here you fire rat." She scoffed. Loki growled at her.
"I can care less how you fare, stupid vixen." Rolling my eyes and looking at Kurama who gave me a shrug, Loki left us just as the doors opened. As per usual, we were greeted by several jeers and nasty comments. But it didn't matter because we had been used to it from the start. Team Uriatogi stood across from us by their door, As it seemed usual, Miromi and Hiki hanging off of Shishiwakamaru's arms. There were so many whispers among the crowd, I knew they were talking about our team lacking a member...two, in fact. But there was nothing we could do about it. We had agreed to fight as we were, and that was all there was too it. At least for now, I had given Riki to Loki to look after, and it was thanks to both the bird and Loki's bright orange hair that I spotted them in the stands. If I hadn't been as focused as I was, I probably would have wondered where our cheering section was.
"It would seem a lot more intimidating having five against seven wouldn't it?" Kurama asked us simply as we stood there. I knew that he wasn't daunted easily, but I was pretty sure that he had thrown that in there to remind us we had to be careful. It was the semi-finals, and as irritating as this bunch looked, they had to be tough in order to get that far. Hiei shut his eyes.
"I wasn't expecting a hindrance like this but it won't matter." He answered, his voice devoid of emotion like usual. "As long as certain morons know their place enough to stay out of trouble." He added quickly, I quickly took notice of his Crimson eyes flickering to Kuwabara. Finally with us, Kuwabara shrugged.
"I dunno who you're talking about shorty but there's no need to worry, I'll beat them all myself." His confidence almost astounded me as he charged on ahead of us, Shea watching his back with a flat expression.
"You can't fight the female's division, idiot..." I shrugged as Hiei and Kurama began walking after Kuwabara.
"Not unless we buy him a dress." Shea shuddered at the mental image and could only shake her head as we followed after the boys.
Normal P.O.V.
The radio was blaring but everyone was still exactly as the team had left them. Asleep after the little 'party' they had the night before. most of the girl's were asleep in beds, though Keiko was asleep on the couch. Shin and Bruno were sprawled out over two armchairs, snoozing despite the noise of the radio. Kouhei, though right next to the radio, still slept rather soundly, Yuki, whom Shea had left behind rather than taking to the fights, sleeping on top of her stomach. The Hell Beast's ears flickered at the sounds of the noisy announcer, and it wasn't long before he finally opened his eyes. Crimson orbs scanned the area around him, until he spotted Botan's blue hair. With a small huff, he stood up and jumped off Kouhei's stomach, trotting over to Botan and jumping onto her, licking her face until she finally stirred.
"Hm...? Yuki? Give me five more minutes..." She mumbled as she rolled over, knocking him off of her. The fox huffed, shaking his fur out. Well fine, if they didn't want to wake up, they didn't have too. Yuki instead trotted over to the windowsill, in one swift moment clearing the sill and landing next to Puu. The at this point sickly creature was staring out the window, though Yuki couldn't tell why. He had a distant look about him, and he could tell that he wanted to go somewhere, despite his week state. So Yuki looked out the window with him, since he had been unable to wake the humans. For now, they weren't going anywhere.
Mimiko's P.O.V.
We were now standing center ring, across from Team Uriatogi. If Koto hadn't made it obvious by announcing it, we were locked in a stare down. I just couldn't get a good gauge on this team's power. I glanced briefly at Kuwabara, but he was too focused on the five men and two rather annoying looking women in front of us. "What'll it be folks?! We're approaching Zero Hour and Yusuke and the Masked fighter have still not shown up. Will both of the controversial demons on team Urameshi need to fight twice?" Kuwabara became angry at that, turning to shout at Koto.
"The hell is that supposed to mean, I-" I stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Calm down Kuwabara. The masses here are demons. They won't treat us with the same kind of merit no matter how many times we prove ourselves." He huffed, and seemed to be about to answer me when Shishi clearned his throat.
"Hm...did we not agree of a good fight, where's the rest of your team?" He asked smugly. It almost made me want to punch him. Alright, who am I kidding, it made me want to knock him into next Tuesday. But I stayed silent, letting Kuwabara answer instead.
"Oh they though you weren't worth the time." At that, Shishi became rather angry, violet eyes boring into my orange haired companion. But Kuwabara didn't back off as Juri told us it was time to figure out who would take the first match in the Female Division, along with our rules and regulations for the fight.
"It doesn't matter. We'll just need to see who survives." Hiei answered curtly, causing the blonde of Shishi's team to raise an eyebrow. "Hasty, huh?" Before Hiei could answer, I cleared my throat.
"Can we just figure out the first match?" I questioned. Shishi interjected again at this point.
"Why don't we let fate decide who fights first, shall we, these dice will tell you girls which one of you happens to be on the chopping block first..." I pretended to clean out my ear.
"I'm sorry what was that Fishywakabaku?" I asked, while Shea snorted behind me.
"No no, it's Bitchywafakaru" He was getting visibly angry again, but that only made us smirk as he gripped the dice.
"Each dice represents a team with all the members names on them, in your case, there are two names, if it lands on a free space, you decide who fights. If it lands on one of you twice you'll be taking your division on all by yourself." I bit my lip at that. That wasn't going to be good if one of us became exhausted during the first fight. But we had no choice but to agree as Shishi threw the dice. We all looked down at them as they stopped rolling. Shea sighed.
"Look like it's me." she glanced sharply up at the twins still lounging at Shishi's side. The pink haired females were both giggling.
"Alright, which one of you ditzy girls is Miromi?" She questioned blandly. as the one on the left stepped up, she had a smile on her face. it seemed to be the kind of smile that Shea would have loved nothing more than to knock right off of her bubblegum colored mouth.
"That would be me, young lady~ A good fight we'll have I'm sure." She giggled, making Shea's eye twitch. I knew how much she hated girls like this, and Juri announced the match up as the rest of us stepped off the ring. Shea and Miromi's pictures flashed onto the screen and that signaled the time for them to begin. Miromi stood across from Shea with the same pleasant smile on her face.
"Now, don't be afraid little girl!~" She said cheerfully. Shea narrowed her eyes.
"I'm not little. And why should I be afrai-ahhhhah!" Her sentence was cut off by her sudden cry, and we all looked over quickly to discover the very cause of it. "Shea, your leg!" I called out. She looked down. Something that seemed to be fashioned like a bear trap was clamped over her leg, but where had it come from? I turned to the boys.
"Did..any of you see where that came from?" I asked. Kurama looked from me back to the ring.
"Thin air." He answered simply. Shea writhed against the restraint, only crying out in pain as it dug deeper into her leg. She glared at Miromi, still trying to wrench her leg free.
"What did you do?" She asked as she took in a sharp breath. Miromi wagged her finger at her, as cheerful as she had been beforehand.
"I couldn't have you using those wings of yours, so I had to make sure my little birdie friend stayed grounded.~" Shea tried to flap her wings, but she seemed to think twice about it, not wanting to further ensnare herself.
"My little power is so handy. I can create traps out of nothing more than the very environment around us!" She said cheerily. Shea could continue trying, but the trap just seemed stuck to the floor no matter how hard she struggled. The only thing it was doing was ripping up her ankle. I looked back at the boys.
"This isn't good...if Shea can't fly..." I shook my head and Hiei put it bluntly for me.
"She'll die." I didn't want to hear it, but Hiei wasn't wrong. Instead, I turned my attention back to the fight. Shea lifted her wings.
"You really think you've got this all figured out don't you Miromi?" She shot her rainbow shards from her wings, but Miromi only laughed, easily dodging them and landing safely on her feet.
"Now Now. don't think I forgot about that, cutie-pie." She snapped her fingers and something suddenly clamped down on her wings, locking them together.
"Hey!" She cried out, moving against the lock to try and free her wings, but to no avail. Miromi wagged her finger again.
"I warned you!~" It was then she formed several balls of energy around her body, launching them all at Shea who sat defenseless on the ring floor. She was hit by ball after ball, shouting out in pain. I was horrified by the sight of it. This woman had used her traps to get free shots at her.
"Kurama! There's got to be a way she can fight this right?" Kurama didn't answer me, but Kuwabara did.
"Hard to tell as long as she's got those traps on her." Juri's voice rang out over the demon cheers, describing the 'Delicious' amount of blood that was currently dripping down her arms and from the trap at her leg. But Miromi was ignoring her, continually pelting her with energy balls. When it seemed like Shea had enough, she stopped momentarily.
"Oh, are you done with the pain little one?" Instead of a response that she had wanted, Miromi was greeted by laughter. Laughter Shea could barely contain, and it was then I knew she had a plan...I just wish I had known what it was beforehand.
"What's so funny?" Miromi questioned. Shea shook her head.
"Just how stupid you are." Shea's body began engulfing itself in a purple Aura, and after Shea giving it some more juice, it snapped both the trap on her leg and on her wings. Of course! The defense mechanism Genkai had taught her all those months ago! Shea after breaking the traps was quick to get airborne. Miromi was about to snap again when Shea slammed into her frame full force with a barrage of sharp shards.
"As long as you can't snap, your traps won't form. Isn't that right?" She continued barraging Miromi with a flurry of physical attacks and long range, Miromi doing her best to return the punches she was getting thrown, but she just couldn't seem to outlast Shea.
"And in a strange turn around Shea has managed to throw Miromi for a loop!" It wasn't long after that that Miromi fell to the ground.
"9...10! Miromi is down and the first point goes to Team Urameshi!" Kuwabara cheered, as did I, not being able to help my excitement. Shea shook her head.
"Cheap tricks are easily bested..." she muttered as she stepped from the ring. She was clearly tired though as she rested against Kurama, who was about to help her sit when Shishi's voice stopped them.
"Not so fast. I would look at the dice." As Kuwabara and I rushed to center Ring, our eyes widened as we looked at the dice. Juri excitedly announced.
"And in a turn of events Shea will be fighting Hiki in the next round!" I felt my breath catch in my throat. Shea was injured and exhausted.
This was not good.
