Happy Wednesday! I'm psyched guys, totally pumped! This marks the halfway point of the arc, more or less, and we're finally getting to what we all came here to see. Good old fashioned blood and guts and gore! ... What?...

... Um, hold on, wait a sec. ... Sorry, the producer is telling me we're not at the Dark Tournament yet, so that "guts and gore" is gonna have to wait. Well fine! Stingy old bastard... Whatever! We still got fights, we still got blood, and we still got Genkai! That old lady deserves the MVP award for this arc, because her sass is on point and her attitude ain't nothing to scoff at. Ya'll ready?

Then on with the "sho"!

Without a weapon in your hand
You came to fight a war.
They took your life, but didn't know
That you will never die.

Rise again little fighter,
And let the world know the reason why.
Shout again little fighter,
And don't let it impair the things you do.

Are you feeling all right?
'Cause I care.

-Little Fighter- White Lion

How the Mighty Fall

We returned to the temple, the darkness of the forest fading away into the afternoon as we trudged along behind the spritely old Genkai. Most of us were rather tired. Two hours racing through a demonic forest full of killer plants and apparitions will have that effect, I think. Though perhaps tired wasn't the correct word, as the tension in the air kept everyone's senses alert.

I walked between Yusuke and Kazuma, two barriers on each side whose eyes never stopped moving, flicking between our competition and each other, occasionally falling to give my hands some attention.

I had wiped off what I could of Spring's blood, though under my nails was still stained ruddy brown, and my clothing was beyond help. Yusuke had asked, once we had all begun the journey back, where the blood had come from. I responded simply that I had run into trouble, and he took that with a nod.

Be it a surprising discretion on his part or perhaps sheer stupidity for believing me without question, the fact that he didn't press the matter further was something I appreciated. The same could be said for my brother, though he had taken years to learn not to dig too deeply.

Again, I tried to think of a way to keep him out of harms way, to either eliminate or disqualify him, but I was coming up blank. Perhaps if I had found him in the forest, I could have convinced the wolves to guard him and keep him from the end. Though, he was the first to arrive. Perhaps he would hold up in the final tests better than I thought.

It didn't matter how strong he was at the end of the day. He was still my Kazuma, and there was still a demon among us. To tell which one, however, would take a better psychic than I.

Our trek up the endless flight of stairs culminated in our group standing before a heavy wooden door. The building itself didn't appear to be any different from the rest of the compound, and one could only wonder at what lay inside. Perhaps a contest of physical prowess and ability. There were eight of us now, an even number with only even denominators.

It was to be a battle then. Either a royale, or a set of matches until only two remained to battle for the prize. In a royale, we would have the advantage. The three of us working together would be formidable, and that Yusuke and I were already classed in teamwork was only an added bonus. Then, by allowing Yusuke and possibly Kazuma to take the brunt of most attacks, I could slip by their defenses undetected and wear down our enemies as well as my own allies, ensuring my victory. The only tricky part would be preventing my allies from being killed while sustaining the least damage myself.

… Wait, allies? That wasn't right. Ally was such a cold term, so impersonal.

They were my boys. My Kazuma. My Yusuke. My brother and my friend, not expendable pieces in my usual games. Though the plan was solid and left little room for error, it felt somehow incorrect to place these two in such a situation. Would I truly allow harm to befall them, even as minimal as I was planning, just to ensure I came out ahead?

Was I capable of that anymore? Part of me wanted to reassure myself that yes, I could do it. The other part of me hoped for a tournament.

In tournament-style matches, there would be no advantage of teamwork. We would have our own skill sets to rely on and nothing more. For me, that was not a problem. Even if they knew by this time that I was not as harmless as I looked, I still had my acting to fall back on, and as far as I knew, none of them had witnessed my spirit energy. Yusuke had his dogged determination and the spirit gun, and at the very least, Kazuma was resilient.

I couldn't protect them like this though.

The most any of us could do was offer advice to the others, assuming we were even permitted to observe the fights. Perhaps, if things got particularly rough, Yusuke and I could donate energy to one another. It was yet to be seen if Kazuma and I could do the same.

Genkai stopped, effectively halting my thoughts in their tracks.

"From here on in, you can forget about sympathy," she spat, her expression serious as the old woman turned to face us. "The final test will be a tournament between the eight of you until only one is standing. You will fight until your opponent is dead or incapacitated. I don't care which."

Tournament matches it was, and likely to the death. That was not optimal.

"And if one of the fighters surrenders?" I asked, earning many pairs of eyes on me. "Will the other be mandated to cease attacks?"

The woman eyed me critically, then sighed, mumbling something or other under her breath.

"If one of your opponents yields the fight, you will be granted victory and may not continue attacking them." She said it as though setting a guideline for me specifically, but I only nodded in acceptance, keeping my internal relief hidden.

"Any more questions?" Genkai asked, her irritation plain, but I couldn't care less. No one responded, and she spun on her heel, swinging open the heavy doors with little effort. Light spilled into the otherwise black room, illuminating the large Buddah that sat upon its grand stone pedestal, reaching over the room almost protectively.

The group was slow to enter, likely wary of the encroaching darkness and the presence the room seemed to possess. It only amplified as the doors behind us swung closed, creaking obnoxiously. All heads turned to stare, no gaze with any shortage of panic. The room was plunged into abyssal darkness.

"Hey! What's wrong with the lights?" Kazuma questioned, a note of fear in his voice. "I don't like that, lady!" I blinked, trying to use my energy to feel each body's position in the room. Any one of them could have moved for a better position. It seemed both the boys had unconsciously moved closer together, and by extension closer to me. The others all had the same reaction, which created two distinct groups.

"Yeah Grandma, what do expect us to fight in the dark?" Yusuke's voice sounded from my right.

I paused, considering the ludicrous idea. But she would, wouldn't she. That's exactly the kind of test one should expect. It wouldn't serve as a problem for me. The others, however, I could hedge no bets on.

A sudden brightness made me blink my irritated eyes as a lantern hanging above our heads sprung to life. Its glow only extended around the fighters, as though we were within an invisible light barrier. Genkai stood at the center, looking quite unbothered as she puffed a new cigarette.

"Yes you little crap, that's exactly what I expect," she snapped at Yusuke, blowing a cloud of smoke into our faces. I breathed it in and immediately began coughing, though I tried to subdue it. Those could not be ordinary cigarettes. Yusuke and Kazuma had similar reactions, and I once again glared at the thing pinched between the old womans fingers.

"You must use your spirit awareness to see," she continued, addressing the rest of the room. "Use weapons if you've got them, hit 'em where you like. Anything goes. The winner is the one who can walk back alive."

Painfully simple rules, and easy enough to follow. Too easy. Any of the people here, myself included, would be unlikely to attack in ways that would allow their opponent the chance to yield. My earlier relief vanished.

"Sounds like a typical Saturday morning street fight, huh Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked quietly, closing in on my brothers space. His face bore an open, almost comforting smile, which I may have passed off as being imagined if not for the carefully probing tone in his voice. He and I were on the same page then.

"I dunno, Urameshi. I got a bad hunch." My eyes flickered briefly to my brother, whose lowered voice just barely reached my ears. I shifted closer. "It's like some of that scary stuff from the forest has followed us here somehow, you know?"

Yusuke and I traded glances, and I was once more pleased to find our thoughts lining up.

"Like some beast has been stalking me all this way, but he's too afraid to attack me." While I doubted Kazuma was the target of the mystery beasts aggression, it was comforting that he could feel that much, and had the good sense to alert us.

"Well that proves it then. After all those tests, Rando's still here," Yusuke gave me a meaningful look, and I shook my head.

"I can't tell which he is, the energy throughout the day has been too cluttered," I admitted, and doing so pained me. "However, I can say that the one who was watching us before is not here, and it was not Rando."

Yusuke's eyes flicked down to the blood stains on my sweater, but he said nothing, turning instead to Kazuma.

"Hey, is that hunch of yours coming from one of those guys?" he asked my brother, who shrugged.

"Hard to say, I think the feeling is hidden really good. It's just hanging in the air and I can't tell where it's coming from. Sorta like a… um…" As Kazuma struggled to find an apt analogy, Yusuke suggested his own, in a most charming way.

"Sorta like a fart in a crammed elevator," he supplied, and I considered the comparison accurate enough.

"Now, before we start, you'll all introduce yourselves. And speak up," the old woman said, prompting one of the older fighters to step forward for his introduction. All down the line they went, and though each of them struck me as dangerous, none stood out as potential demon candidates any more than the next.

"Kuwabara Kazuma, the worst punk at Sarayashiki Junior High," Kazuma intoned menacingly when his turn came. I suppressed a smirk.

"Urameshi Yusuke, the much much worser punk of Sarayashiki Junior High," Yusuke said, as always one-upping. I wore a smile during my own introduction.

"Kuwabara Hotaru, certainly not a punk, but a student of Sarayashiki Junior High."

The silence after my last words was cut with the sound of ringing, and several objects fell suddenly from the ceiling. Everyone took a step back in alarm, and my eyes widened when I saw the eight arrows stuck firmly into the wooden planks. An attack? Surely not, as these arrows carried small, innocuous slips of paper tied around the shaft.

"Now everyone pick up the arrow you think is pretty. That'll decide the order of the fights."

We all stepped up, some quicker than most, and took our arrows. Unwrapping my own piece of paper, I wasn't sure whether to hope for a match against one of my companions or not. A battle in the dark would give me the advantage over Yusuke for sure, but Kazuma's spirit awareness rivaled my own. In either case, it would be a victory of skill.

Alas, or thankfully, it was not to be. My number, a glaring red 2, stared up at me from my palm. A quick glance at the others showed a 3 and 4 for Kazuma and Yusuke respectively. I wondered idly which of the others I would be facing. The sooner I could get to Rando, the sooner this contest could end. Yusuke had made a deal, after all.

"The two of you who got the number one, congratulations, you're up first." No one moved, everyone glancing around as if to gage the first fighter by looking at them. Genkai growled in irritation.

"No stalling, you two! Step up to the plate."

At her stinging tone, two men stepped forward immediately: The short monk Shorin, and the man Kuroda who had claimed to be an assassin during our introductions. They both made to walk out into the darkness, but the hit man stopped, turning to regard Genkai curiously.

"Let's make this clear. In my line of work, I've been taught not to quit until they're dead."

"If you're asking about killing, I've already answered. Feel free to use any force necessary to defeat your opponent and ensure your victory," the old woman replied with a somewhat sadistic smile. The man frowned in exasperation.

"Yes, you've said that twice, but will you hold it against me if I turn out to be a cold blooded killer?" A question that had been pacing in the back of my mind as well, though I wasn't about to ask it.

"Young man, I am a psychic, not a saint," she said in an almost condescending tone. "I'll train whoever is strongest, regardless of any moral shortcomings." That was both a comfort and cause for concern. The woman would train Rando, should he win, despite likely being aware of his nature. Yet, she wouldn't object to training me either.

"We really have to win now, this hag is crazy!" Yusuke muttered, and I nodded in assent.

"I'm very relieved to hear that- so I can win the fight without holding myself back," the hit man said, crossing his arms. The monk, who had been quiet up until this point, merely smiled and bowed.

"I too am happy not to have restrictions. I hope this will be an educational battle."

I eyed the boy up and down. His introduction had been somewhat lacklustre, his credentials the least impressive out of them all. A simple student searching for the perfect master. He had some training, but not much, it seemed. Yet, his eyes held not a scrap of fear.

It would be an interesting fight to be sure, the overconfident against the humble and unafraid.

The hit man frowned, but the monk was already walking off into the darkness, leaving the arrogant man no choice but to follow. I activated my awareness, watching their forms move further and further away until they had reached a satisfactory distance.

"You may begin," Genkai shouted, and the momentary silence that followed was foreboding. I blinked, eyes narrowing at the first sign of quiet movement. The hit man was holding something over one shoulder, likely the throwing knives he had been toying with earlier.

Then, the first blade went flying, cutting through the air like a silverfish through calm water.

The monk dodged expertly, subtly moving closer to Kuroda's position. From there, it became a sort of dance, as the endless barrage of knives only served to bring the monk closer and closer. It should have been obvious to the man, as he could clearly sense his position.

It was obvious, as the moment Shorin got too close, Kuroda backed off. He wasn't fast enough as Shorin suddenly lunged, a far cry from his sedated pace. In his fists, he brandished two of the hit man's own blades, swiping at him fiercely.

They went back and forth, dodging around each other, the blades meeting with sparks where avoidance was impossible. It was interesting to a degree, but both were almost generic styles, nothing I hadn't seen before.

"This is pointless, we can't see a thing," a man said from my right. Kibano, with the long green hair and the exceptionally high score on the punching game. I cocked a brow as others nodded their agreement, even Yusuke.

"It's not exactly a spectator sport," the boy agreed.

"They're locked in close combat," Kazuma said aloud, concentrating on the fight in the darkness. "Neither has really gotten the advantage."

Yusuke looked around, eyes wide.

"Are you telling me you can see in there?" he asked incredulously, and I didn't bother quieting the small spark of pride that must have lit up my face. I hadn't known his powers had grown this extreme. Despite his suffering, it may be more advantageous not to have Genkai turn his energy down.

"Yeah, kinda," Kazuma admitted, and I nodded.

"The monk collected Kuroda's own kunai as he closed the distance, then attacked him that way. He's quite fast," I added, thinking to myself that he wasn't terribly unintelligent either. Then, as I watched, I caught the faintest flicker of energy, a fluctuation in the shape and color of the aura that represented him.

Both of them started out in varying shades of white, as was indicative of humans in general. Yet Shorin's flashed a briefly blob-like burgundy, just seconds before a sudden movement thrust his hand through Kuroda's defenses. The grunt that came next was unmistakable. It was the sound someone would make after having something sharp bodily plunged into their gut when they least expected it. He had clearly thought he was winning.

He was wrong, and after three more quick jabs, he fell dead at the monk's feet, his existence cut short in the most anticlimactic way. Shorin dropped the knives with a clatter, and I watched him as he made his way back to the group, adopting a slight stagger halfway there with a hand over his side.

"Just… barely escaped," he sighed as he entered the light. My brow furrowed, but I said nothing as he moved to lean against a pillar.

"Winner, Shorin," Genkai said, and I could see that she too was observing the timid monk.

"Yusuke," I muttered, edging slightly closer to my partner. I never took my eyes off the object of my attention, but I could feel Yusuke looking at me. "That's him. That's Rando."

He immediately zeroed in on the target, and I could feel him tense beside me.

"You sure?" he questioned, and I nodded. There was no mistaking that energy. It was brief, but that was all I needed to see, and feel. The purity of the angry red aura left little room for debate.

"Do nothing, say nothing. Just wait," I advised, and he didn't get a chance to respond, as Genkai immediately called for the second round to begin.

"Next fighters, step up." I shrugged the bag off my shoulder and moved forward, facing the darkness head-on and stopping just before it to turn back and see my opponent walking towards me. It was the ninja Kazemaru, the apparent bodyguard. He looked unnerved, if only slightly, and stopped beside me just inside the barrier of light.

"I've been trained not to leave my opponents alive," he began with a sideways glance, and I turned to look up at him. "But if you yield, I promise to stop."

A fighter with an honor code. Perhaps he took me for younger than I was, though thirteen wasn't exactly fighting-appropriate age for this level of battle. He did not strike me as someone I would enjoy killing, and he was not Rando. He could have a free pass, just this once.

"I suppose I can offer the same to you," I responded with a curt nod, then struck out into the abyss. I didn't miss his eyes widen at my tone, but didn't pay him any mind as I walked to stand before the Buddah statue.

I watched my opponent as he made his way close, walking in an almost circular pattern on silent feet. If I could not see so well, I might have lost track of him. He stopped several paces away, hands at his sides in a vaguely non-threatening way.

"You may begin!"

Improvise. Don't follow a pattern.

At Genkai's order, I wasted no time. I turned in Kazemaru's direction and ran, striking out with a kick toward his gut. He grunted in surprise and jumped back, my leg passing through air. He clearly hadn't been expecting me to strike first. I didn't give him a chance to adjust to this dilemma, lunging again and unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks, forcing him back.

He tried to deal in counter blows, but was frustrated when my agility proved too much. Still, he was no slouch himself, dutifully avoiding my fists. The few times I caught cloth with my knuckles, I attempted to grab the fabric to throw him off balance, succeeding in planting my foot squarely into his gut.

He doubled over, and I surged forward to send my knee crashing into his face, but it missed narrowly. He somersaulted backwards impressively, and I gave chase.

In the few seconds it took to push him up against the far wall, I had discovered one of the knives used in the previous fight. I stabbed out at the areas I knew would not kill him, but would give me my victory.

"You're too fast for a normal kid," Kazemaru said as he dodged yet another flurry of stabs.

"Yes," I agreed, feinting left and spinning under his outstretched arm to plant the blade into his back. It never made contact, as his knee caught my stomach and sent me skidding away, knocking the air out of my lungs in the process. I would have been winded, if not for Yusuke's stamina training.

To my fellow detective, it was just a brawl, sparring for fun. But for me, I was gradually strengthening my constitution, able to take more and more blows. This man had strength I could respect, but he was no Yusuke.

I stood back up steadily, not showing a hint of the pain that was spreading through my abdomen, and began to charge the ninja once again.

Rather than his defensive position, he adopted a stance that was most unusual, gritting his teeth in concentration. His energy fluctuated, and I recognized the warning signs of an energy attack. Specifically, one like Yusuke's. The energy was building up, like loading a rock into a slingshot before setting the projectile free. I had barely enough time to throw myself to the ground before the blast came.

The white beam shot straight towards where my body had been seconds before. It was less focused than Yusuke's, taking up much more space as it was obviously meant to encompass the opponents entire body. This meant the energy was less concentrated, and likely not lethal to me. However, I did note the energy was more abundant, and despite the lack of lethality, it still burned.

A swath of it grazed the arm shielding my face, and I let out an involuntary cry of pain as I felt my skin sizzling and smelled the smoke of burning flesh. This was no bullet- it was a flamethrower.

I rolled away to minimize damage, but the attack had already been spent. My blood was singing in my ears, the sudden pain shocking my system for a moment. I couldn't move, eyes wide as I surveyed the damage.

The sleeve of my sweater was gone up past my elbow, and my skin was missing for the most part along my forearm, leaving a cleanly cauterized red patch nearly a foot in length and an inch in width.

My eyes flicked up, detecting movement, and watched as the ninja stood with some difficulty, a hand to his likely bruised ribs.

"I should be surprised you dodged that, but I don't think I am," he said to me, but didn't approach. "You're a good fighter, and with time, maybe you'll be a great one."

My breathing hitched.

Does he have any idea?

Does he have a clue, what I have been through?

"At the very least, you forced me to use the technique I was trying to save. Someday, you'll probably surpass me."

What I have done to get here, the dignity and agency I sacrificed.

He probably thinks he's comforting a child who lost.

I have not lost. I will not.

"If you give up now, I'll let you go. I'll even help you, but please, don't make me hurt you. I don't enjoy this like some others might. Please, think of yourself."

I did offer to let him leave if he surrendered. I don't think the boys would appreciate me going back on my word…

So I suppose I'll kill him before he gets the words out.

I shelved my pain somewhere within my mind that was quickly running out of room, my eyes honing in on his somewhat relaxed stance. I didn't give him time to think, lunging from my spot on the floor with snake-like ferocity.

My arms assumed the sickle position, casting his face in a familiar violet light. I deftly swiped at his middle rather than for the unprotected neck, and the resulting tear of flesh was more than satisfying. He screamed out, scrambling away before dropping to the floor and clutching at his belly. The blood flowed between his fingers in several streams, barely showing up against the red of his tunic.

"I liked this sweater."

I raised one arm, a warning, and brandished the kamaitachi-inspired sickle.

He shifted. I surged forward.

Kazemaru jumped out of the way, likely leaving a trail of blood in his wake. It was unfortunate that I couldn't see it, but his energy provided enough of a beacon for my senses to hone in on. And so, our chase began anew, but with increased urgency. He narrowly avoided the wickedly curved blades, and his desperate attempts at disabling me were met with thin air. His fingers never came close to my throat, retracting the moment they were in danger of being bitten or sliced off.

A burst of energy localized at his feet sent him flying away from me, his stance when he landed suggesting yet another energy attack. He must have a massive store of energy, or else good enough control so as not to waste it all on one shot. Whatever his technique was, I didn't have time to learn and dissect it. I only had time to react.

Just as his energy began to build again, I had a thought. My feet carried me forward into the path of his attack, my face level with his hand. Kazemaru glared, his maw opening in a rage-filled howl.

"DEVIL, BURN!"

My vision was overtaken by white, but it wasn't as potent as the first attack had been, the energy even less dense and the radius slightly smaller. I had time to duck, but this time, I faced the threat head-on. With my arms crossed in front of me, sickles merging to make an X, I jumped.

Somewhere in the distance, I heard a familiar voice calling out my name, fear and anguish audible in the gravelly tone, but it was silenced as the white flash collided with my blades.

The sheer ringing meshed well with the almost electrical sound when, upon meeting the foreign power, my energy cut through the attack like a hot knife through butter. Sparks flew from the point of contact and my purple blades slid seamlessly through, carving a perfect path for my body to fly through.

I kept going, my momentum carrying me all the way towards my target, and the last thing I saw before slashing down with both my arms was Kazemaru's expression, wide-eyes and slack-jawed with disbelief.

He let out a guttural yelp when both blades came down, sliding across his chest and leaving his tunic in tatters. I came slightly short of my mark, missing the major arteries by centimeters, and narrowed my eyes in annoyance. My form landed as he dropped to the ground. It was clear that this time he wouldn't be getting back up, yet he continued to struggle, dragging himself back and kicking out at the ground to get away as I stood and approached.

I pulled the energy from my left arm, leaving it bare as the sickle on the right arm began to lengthen and change shape. Where before the blade was curved away from the prey, it now faced forward, optimal for a quick slice up. The tip of the scythe dug into the wood, leaving a long and uneven gouge in its wake as I dragged it across the floor.

Each step brought his labored breathing closer, and the sound of his nails scratching the planks brought to mind the scurrying rats in the walls of our first house. Even those caught in the enormous traps were never fully dead when I found them. They always struggled until the end, even when there was no hope of recovery.

"I- I yield!" He stuttered out, then repeated the statement. "I yield!"

I paused with my arm positioned comically behind my crouched figure, frozen despite the heat of my pulsing blood rushing in my ears.

His eyes, wide as a cornered rodents, twitched as they stared up at me. There was fear, plentiful agony and that delicious hopelessness that I wanted to see in all my prey. He had been well and truly defeated, and he knew it. It was there, in that look.

"You said… you would offer me the same," he panted, ragged breaths coming short and loud. "If I yield, you'll spare me."

"You ruined my sweater," I pointed out in a low voice. Hadn't he heard me before? He then had the audacity to look at me with revulsion, and I raised my arm higher, high enough that the speed I gained would ensure a clean cut.

He flinched, but his eyes never wavered.

"Will you go back on your word?"

What a funny bunch these honorable types. They imagine their own word is their law, when words are merely figments. Actions are physical and irrevocable laws that, once enacted, cannot be undone. But words? Words could be fabricated, and it took no more than walking away to pass through words. They may as well not exist, yet here are people like this man, like Kazuma, whose word is their bond.

It's senseless. Why put everything on the line because of a few noises with some easily misinterpreted meaning? Why should I follow this code? It wasn't mine to begin with, and I certainly put more stock in actions.

…

…

But when I found those rats and mice, outside their crawl-spaces and under the cabinets, I set them free. I opened the traps, and ordered them to go, and they did. That was my action, my mercy that I had lost that night. I once stood by that, but that was a time before. Could I still, after all this death? Could I choose to act on my words? To use them to spur myself on?

It's a pitiful excuse, but I had to provide my rational mind with something. There was still part of me that did not understand the action of lowering my arm and extinguishing my blades, and perhaps, if it understood my reasoning, I could follow through.

Now, in total darkness, I regarded the fallen man with a calm that was wholly foreign, and I couldn't decide if it was a comfort or not.

"I accept your surrender."

I heard him let out a sigh of relief through his haggard breaths, and saw the white image of him slump to the ground and grow dim. He was unconscious. I simply stood, watching. It had been easier than I thought, but now that I had taken one action, I had another choice. Should I help him back? He offered that to me, so it was likely expected of me. He wasn't dead, so I couldn't simply leave him there, right?

Something moved in my periphery, and I could not withhold the yelp that escaped me. The sight made my eyes nearly fall from their sockets, and for a moment, I thought I might lose my footing.

A stone giant moved.

The enormous statue that sat against the back wall reached out in the darkness, large hand carefully handling the man I had nearly slain with an unbelievable gentleness. I could only watch, frozen, as the body slowly faded from my sight, until the hand was empty and the energy had disappeared from the room completely. Then, the kami statue turned its head, expressionless face somehow staring a hole straight through me.

I dropped to the floor on my knees, pressing my forehead against the wooden planks in what was possibly the deepest bow of my life. I could only breathe as the kami's eyes pierced the back of my head.

I remained where I was, not at all inclined to move. The silence weighed heavily upon me, like a great hand steadily crushing me into the floor as the tension seemed to thicken. The darkness was void of any source of illumination, yet the kami seemed to emanate its own light that I could detect creeping at the corners of my vision.

The barely visible glow shifted slightly, accompanied by the gentle scrape of stone against stone, and I flinched at the sudden change. Then, just as quickly, the glow was gone, and the darkness once again completely enclosed me.

I took a deep breath before lifting my head, staring straight out into the void where I knew the statue to be. There was nothing, no hint that it had ever been inhabited, or that there had ever been any presence in the dark besides myself and my opponent. It was as if I'd imagined the entire thing, and perhaps the fallen ninja had been simply swallowed up by the floor. Stranger things had happened, I suppose, but this was entirely real.

"Ru-Ru!" I gave a short gasp, the sound startling me, and turned to face the opposite direction. I could barely see the outline of Kazuma's aura, standing beside Yusuke's much brighter figure. All the other fighters came into focus soon enough, and I narrowed my eyes when I focused on the single spare, an energy that had not been there before and was distinctly clearer than the rest.

"I'm alright, Zu." I turned back and bent myself in two, my face nearly touching the floor in a parting bow to the place where the deity had been. I then stood, pivoting on my toes and making my way out of the darkness.

I passed through the barrier of light, the sudden brightness slightly disorienting, but managed to keep my eyes open and alert, and trained on the foreign energy. The tension left my body and I blinked in surprise, tilting my head at the newcomer.

"Botan."

The Spirit smiled cheerfully at me, giving a short wave.

"Hello there, thought I'd come along to cheer you on! Sorry I couldn't be here sooner."

I raised a brow in confusion.

"But why come at all? We don't need you here." This statement of fact was met with a pout on her part, and she crossed her arms sullenly.

"Well I was only trying to be supportive, that's what friends are for!"

I blinked, drawled slowly: "Right."

I looked to Genkai, who had taken in our interaction with about as much interest as one might expect from a crabby, impatient old woman.

"Winner, Kuwabara Hotaru."

My feet carried me over towards my small group, coming to a stop before Yusuke. He looked at me critically.

"What took you so long in there?" he asked, and I sighed, lifting a hand to rub at the back of my head. I could feel the beginnings of a migraine coming on, and I was not at all looking forward to the next round of fights in the darkness, not with the kami looming over us.

"I was trying to take it easy on him. I didn't want to kill him, but I'm afraid I came very close." I caught Yusuke's shocked expression and frowned. "What?"

"You were trying not to kill that guy?" His question made my brow furrow a touch.

"Yes. What's the problem?" I asked, somewhat irritated that I couldn't read his intentions this time.

"Well, it's just, you know," he mumbled, looking away awkwardly. "It's not really a 'you' thing to go easy on someone, that's all. I kinda expected you to be excited to kick someone's ass into Spirit World."

"I don't get excited," I pointed out with a quirked brow. I suppose I could see why he was confused, but Kazemaru wasn't my target. In fact, I'm not entirely sure why I was so unhappy with the man for ruining my clothes. The sweater was already done for by the wolf blood staining the front.

"In any case, he's not who we're after." At that, Yusuke nodded in agreement, giving the true target a sideways glance.

"Hey," Kazuma took a step forward, his eyes downcast. He was looking at my arm, I realized. "Are you okay? You were in there way after the fight ended."

I nodded, giving him a brief smile.

"Just paying my respects to the gods."

"Alright, enough with the happy reunion," Genkai snapped, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Onto the third match."

Kazuma nodded, his eyes hardening.

"Well, I guess I'm up."

I stepped aside as he made his way to the edge of the light, facing the samurai as his opponent, a shrewd looking man with an eyepatch and a long wooden sword. His sneer was somewhat unsettling as he gazed at my brother with undisguised malice.

"Kuwabara versus Musashi," Genkai intoned, and both fighters turned, striking out into the black abyss.

"Try not to get killed, Kuwabara," Yusuke shouted, and my brother looked over his shoulder at the boy with a confident grin.

"Don't worry, I have to beat you before I die." With that wishful parting comment, both men disappeared, and all I could see of them were their faintly glowing auras. Musashi a faint blue-white cloud beside a swath of pale yellow, like early morning light or a polished piece of golden beryl. Sunshine was the only apt description for Kazuma, even without the telling shade of his energy.

"Don't you think he's a bit mismatched?" Botan asked worriedly, and a touch too loudly for my taste. I flashed her a brief glare, but otherwise remained quiet.

"Well, he's never been as tough as me," Yusuke admitted with a frown. "But he's got a lot of determination. I just hope that's enough to win." I nodded. If there was one thing Kazuma had in spades, it was persistence. That was usually enough to get him by in street fights, but in this setting, surrounded by killers and monsters and highly trained fighters, it might just serve as a charming, but ultimately useless farce.

The two energies stopped moving, standing not too far away from each other. It was quiet for a minute or so, and Yusuke edged closer to me. His voice quiet, he leaned down to speak directly into my ear.

"You can see in there, right? Can you tell what's going on?"

"At the moment, nothing," I replied, eyes locked on Kazuma. "They appear to be talking."

Brother... don't let your guard down.

Just as I spoke, one of them, the stormy blue one, seemed to disappear from sight. My eyes widened, searching the area around the sunny energy rapidly.

"Musashi's energy has vanished," I informed them casually, and my voice was loud enough to attract Genkai's attention. The blue haze suddenly burst back into being, and Kazuma went down as though struck.

"He's knocked Kazuma down." Then, just seconds later: "Now he's disappeared again. It seems he can either mask of suppress his energy to nearly undetectable levels."

Yusuke looked alarmed, staring out into the darkness.

"That's possible?" he asked, eyes wide. I nodded.

"Energy manipulation has a variety of uses. Kurama described this particular technique to me during one of our visits. It's plausible that anyone can hide their energy, if they know how."

"That right?" He muttered. I nodded, turning my attention back to the fight. The noise was finally reaching my ears, as it was the rest of us, and though I didn't need to, I returned to relaying the details of the fight.

"Kazuma is being beaten around like a party balloon," I informed them. "Without his sight advantage, he's just blundering around and walking straight into Musashi's attacks."

Attacks that do very little damage on their own. Still, too many of them could be a problem.

"Be careful Kuwabara," Botan shouted in a desperate voice. Yusuke chimed in as well, looking for all intents and purposes as though he would run out into the void to fight the samurai himself.

"Stop shouting so much, it makes you easy to find!"

"Would you guys shut up!?" I concealed a small grin at my brothers response, looking once again for the invisible energy of Musashi. "I'm trying to concentrate, and you're not really helping."

"Just keep in mind, you'll get no shaming from us if you yield," I called out as a reminder, and Yusuke turned to me, looking incredulous.

"What are you-" His question cut off with a grunt as my fits lodged itself firmly in his stomach.

"Not from any of us," I said in a scolding tone, though that was more for Yusuke's benefit, and was more a threat than anything else.

"Beat me up all you want, old man," Kazuma said, speaking quite loudly to his opponent. "Your sissy little punches don't hurt me at all. It's just crummy chump change compared to all the days Urameshi rubbed my head into the concrete."

"It's true, I've punched him quite a few times," Yusuke admitted without a shred of remorse. I nodded my assent.

"Indeed, and I was the one who always had to deal with the aftermath." The boy shrugged, and I gave a huff of humorless laughter. I stilled then, watching the fight as it continued.

"Musashi has drawn his sword; it's emitting a faint energy all its own. He is using his own latent energy to strengthen it." The samurai attacked, and while his speed was great by human standards, I couldn't help but compare him to the demon's I'd already faced. That is to say, found it lackluster at best.

"Kazuma can't keep up. Even with his energy keeping him visible, Musashi is too fast, and the sword's power is too strong."

Genkai turned slightly, and I glanced down to see her watching me intently.

"You don't seem all that concerned. That is your brother out there," she remarked, almost accusingly, and I had to wonder how she interpreted my lackadaisical tone.

"If his victory will be assured by my sobbing and shouting hysterically, I will do so," I retorted, and was rewarded with a smirk from the old woman. I returned my eyes to the battle in time to see Kazuma go crashing to the ground, his yellow-orange energy dimming as though eclipsed. The blue human shape remained for a moment before turning our direction. The fight was over. I sighed, closing my eyes in silent thanks. He had been beaten, but not killed, as was traditional.

I made to ask Genkai if I might retrieve him before the Buddha statue, but my gut pulled my eyes away from the woman, back to Kazuma, who had struggled to his feet. My teeth clenched as Musashi's energy disappeared once more.

"The idiot's still standing, he's just asking for death now," I bit out, then in a much louder voice: "Kazuma, give up!"

"NO!"

Just then, Musashi and the sword reappeared, both energies brighter than Kazumas, and I took a step forward.

The eclipse ended, the sun exploding from his form to birth a newer, brighter star.

His appearance was startlingly clear to me now. I could see the individual rips and tears in his blue uniform, and the shocked grimace on his face as he held a piece of wood aloft. From that scrap of wood, there sprouted a shaft of pure energy, molten and shapeless, it surged like a constant, unsteady stream from end to end, and it caught Musashi's sword in mid-air as though solid.

My jaw dropped and I drew in a sharp breath. My chest swelled with something, possibly pride, though simple disbelief was equally likely.

"More materialization," Genkai muttered. "I had wondered if it was genetic. His technique isn't as refined as yours," she nodded to my arm, and a glance down showed that one of the violet sickles had grown of its own accord, a sure sign of my intent to step in.

"Your energy is sharp, focused. I'd wager you spent a lot of time perfecting that. His is erratic, completely instinctual." I watched the blade sink back into my arm, searching again for the burst of sunlight in the darkness.

His opponent lay on the ground, and though I missed the blow that landed him there, the effects were still obvious. Kazumas sword- for that's clearly what it was trying to be- was still held aloft, the owner looking on in mixed admiration and horror.

"Pretty cool… but how am I supposed to turn it off?"

"Kazuma, here." I walked to the edge, waving to get his attention. He looked my way as though he could see me, and maybe he could now that his full power had emerged. "If you concentrate on it, you'll be able to feel it. It's like the tickle feeling you get, remember? Just will it back inside your body, and it will go."

After a brief moment of him glaring at the energy sword, it began to shrink, growing smaller and dimmer until vanishing completely into his palm. He looked satisfied, hobbling back towards us with a determined grimace. He had to be in pain now, but I had the feeling Genkai would not allow Botan to heal him if we asked. With any luck, his own energy would get to work quickly.

"Winner, Kuwabara Kazuma."

I met my brother as he entered the light, granting him a proud smile. His face lit up instantly upon meeting my gaze and his posture straightened dramatically. He placed his fists squarely on his hips with his chest puffed out, strutting the rest of the way as though the injuries had no ill effect.

"You see that? I got the shiny light saber just like you Sis! Take that, Urameshi!" Botan giggled, smiling gaily in the gloom.

"I guess Kuwabara won't be so easy to beat from now on, huh?" she asked teasingly. Yusuke only snorted, rolling his eyes in spite of the wide grin stretched over his face.

"Well at least he's still ugly," came the snide remark, and Kazuma growled beside me.

"Oh yeah!? Well you'd better not get killed before our fight! I'm gonna enjoy showing you just who's the ugly one here!" It was my turn to roll my eyes. They were both still idiots.

"Like I'd miss a chance to beat you up," Yusuke retorted, cocky smirk ever-present. He rolled his shoulders one at a time, looking out into the black expanse confidently.

"Let's not waste my time," Genkai prompted irritably. "Fourth match, Kibano versus Dimwit." I let out a quick breath of laughter while Kazuma chortled, jerking his thumb towards the battleground.

"I think she means you," he said gleefully to Yusuke, whose eyes crinkled with mirth.

"And here I thought my name was Yusuke, or Dolt depending on who you ask."

I maintained a look of perfect innocence, extending my fingers to observe my nails, which still bore the crusted blood in the beds. Looking at the evidence of my momentary compassion was enough to leave my stomach unsettled. I really did need to wash my hands soon.

Yusuke made to walk forwards, giving his opponent (the very tall man with green hair whose score on the punching machine had ranked the highest out of all contestants) a shockingly sportsmanlike look, the expression lacking his usual smugness and looking decidedly un-Yusuke.

"May the strongest man win," Kibano said ominously. He held a brown satchel with a circular shape at the bottom. Some kind of weapon, perhaps? Yusuke didn't respond, hesitating at the very edge of the light. My eyes narrowed as I had a thought, and I pushed forward to stand beside him. He gave me a curious glance from the corner of his eye as I wordlessly held out my hand. His eyes fell to my palm.

My back was to the others so they could not see what I was offering, but Yusuke knew immediately what the violet glow meant. He tilted his head with a look of mock-scolding, a hand on his hip.

"What, you really have that little faith in me?" he asked quietly, pushing my hand away at the wrist. "It'll be a walk in the park."

I blinked, pulling my energy back under my skin. I took a breath and spoke slowly, making sure to enunciate each word with a clarity and emotion even he couldn't miss.

"Please, don't die again."

He stared, the smile replaced with a searching gaze that I held without flinching. Though just as soon as it looked like it might respond, a voice interrupted.

"Have you decided not to fight?" Kibano's voice was calm, free of judgement as though this was what he expected, or at least what he hoped for. Yusuke turned back to give him his normal cocky smirk, and just like that he was back to his usual self.

"Ha! Not at all, I was just praying for your mortal soul." My lips twitched in response, and the mood immediately lifted, as it often did around him.

"Yusuke, stop clowning around!" Botan's shrill rebuff was well earned, and the boy chuckled in amusement.

"Moron!"

He looked back just in time, retreating a bit to avoid the object that flew at him from the space behind me. He yelped, and we both watched the cigarette disappear beyond the light barrier. We both shifted to regard the old woman with resentment, though likely for different reasons.

"Any more delay, and I'll take it as a forfeit," she barked in warning, prompting the boy to give her an impish smile.

"Gee, something tells me you're still mad about that 'grandma' comment," he remarked, beginning to shrug off the neon green jacket. "You really need to enjoy life more, old lady."

The jacket hit the ground, and with a casual wave, he disappeared into the darkness.

It took a little more concentration than usual to make out his shape in the abyss. Unlike the last blueish energy I had seen within the shadows, his was luminous and turbulent, pure auroral power acting like a beacon to anything with the slightest awareness. Kibano's was equally as bright, a vivid red with the normal white undertones that marked him as a human. A very powerful human.

Though, it was difficult to see his head for some reason. I squinted, peering more intently, then my eyes widened.

"H-hey, watch out for him, he's got some sort of mask on his head," Kazuma shouted in warning, and I realized that this was what he had in that bag. The two fighters were still, exchanging words for a few moments before Kibano suddenly threw himself forward, his vast figure cutting an easily seen path through the darkness. And yet, Yusuke couldn't dodge the fist that slammed into his cheek, sending him crashing to the ground like a porcelain doll.

Kibano didn't stop there. As Yusuke attempted to recover, a sharp kick to his chin kept him down. Frustration was obvious in my partners aura, the liquid flames snapping with just a touch more vitriol. He flipped (with surprising agility, I might add) out of the way just a fraction of a second before Kibano's fist shattered the wooden planks, leaving a head-sized hole in the floor. Yusuke grabbed something and threw it, but Kibano's acrobatics carried him safely out of range.

Stay safe. Keep your distance.

"Hey! Did I at least hit you?" Yusuke hollered into the abyss, then pivoted and began running. Weather he was using his spirit awareness or his hearing, he was heading straight for his opponent with a vengeance. He struck the surprised man several times, and Kazuma let out a noise of excitement beside me. He looked on eagerly as Yusuke landed strike after strike.

Too weak.

"Don't celebrate just yet," Genkai advised, and I concurred. Kibano didn't appear to be taking any damage. His energy didn't even flicker, and in just a second he turned the tables, sending his knee straight into Yusuke's middle. The boy was thrown back into one of the giant columns holding up the roof. I'm surprised he didn't take it down with him when he fell back to the floor. He struggled up, completely unaware as Kibano stalked him quietly.

Focus! Just concentrate, you dolt.

"That punk's not playing fair," Kazuma growled, his face pinched in irritation. "That helmet's protecting his head from attacks."

"Real fights are never fair," I pointed out, and his glare subsided to confusion. "Despite Yusuke's insistence to the contrary, this is not a Saturday morning street fight. This is a prize fight with no rules. Fair was never part of the equation." He grit his teeth, looking at me with some sort of emotion that I couldn't place.

"How can you say that? He's your friend, isn't he?" I looked away.

"Yes, and complaining about the unfairness of it all will help him out tremendously, won't it," I snapped, watching the two fighters as they stood across from each other. I doubt Yusuke even knew they were looking at one another.

"Even the best kind of armor should have a weak point," Botan offered, not that it would help.

"The only real chance is if he somehow manages to knock it off Kibano's head," I told her. "Considering how this has gone so far..." I didn't feel much like finishing that. They could draw their own conclusions. The battle, meanwhile, had resumed, Kibano drawing energy from... the air? It was acidic green, decidedly not his own, yet I could see no one else he could be drawing it from. It focused on his arm, swelling and oscillating. His aura became brighter. Worryingly so.

"Something weird is happening to Kibano's muscles," Kazuma announced.

"They're expanding," I added in awe. I'd never considered something like this. Botan whipped her head around to look at us both with a squawk.

"What!?"

"It's a basic enhancement," Genkai explained patiently, and I granted her my full attention. "He's pulling in energy from the matter around him, which gives him a quick boost in strength."

I frowned.

"So then its only temporary? Does it cost much of your own energy to perform it?"

She gave me a side-eyed glance, one brow raised.

"Thinking of trying it out?"

"I like to have options," I told her succinctly, and she smirked. It wasn't the sadistic look that I had come to associate with the old woman, but rather a challenging gaze, a taunt. A dare.

"Well, if you happen to win, perhaps that's something you'll learn." I could feel the light in my eyes burst into an open flame. My chest swelled with a breath of anticipation, determination suddenly finding itself thrust into my blood, setting every nerve ending on fire.

I have to win.

... A grunt, and the sound of flesh meeting flesh, dragged my gaze back to the fight in the darkness. Yusuke's body soared through the air like a ragdoll, skidding against the floor to a stop several meters away from Kibano. I stared at his limp form as he tried with shaky arms to lift himself back up. But he failed, his head dropping back to the wood with a clear look of pain.

You dolt!

"Has Yusuke... been beaten?" Botan trembled fearfully. I took a threatening step forward, my eyes never leaving my fallen friend.

"Get back up, now!" I shouted at him, though I didn't know if he could even hear me. Was he conscious anymore? "Rest if you must, but do not give in. Concentrate, and use your head. I know you're capable."

Because even though Kibano's vivid, violent energy was a strong presence in the void, Yusuke was a beacon. A shining blue star that threatened to light the entire world around him on fire. He wasn't an idiot, though he put up a very convincing front. He could think his way out of this. Of that I was confident. That is, if he could even stand after a hit like that.

I watched, hardly breathing.

Aquamarine. That was the exact color and shade of his energy. Aquamarine.

It rolled over him like waves on the shore, steadily thrumming as he forced himself to his feet. He stumbled just once, facing his enemy with a hard-set look. His energy, though dimmer now, still coursed through his form readily, waiting. It hadn't diminished as much as it appeared. It had merely condensed, pulling closer to his body to act as a shield. Was he doing this, or was that instinctual?

"Come on Urameshi, you'd better not die," Kazuma shouted out in his best attempt at encouragement.

"He can't go on like this," Botan voiced, coming up beside me quickly. "He's going to get himself killed!"

I shook my head.

"He's more resilient than you think. He won't go down so easily. Trust me, I would know."

Behind us, Genkai chuckled.

"You're right about that. Your friend has rather unique energy." I glanced back, and she looked up at me with that same smirk. "Kibano seems to think that idiot is almost out of energy, but he's wrong. With that mask, his awareness is limited by his expectations. Any normal person's power would have gone down after such an attack, so that's what Kibano sees. But it seems that brat 's energy is on a completely different wavelength. It responds to desperation by getting stronger."

She looked back at Yusuke, and I did the same.

"He could win if he could see."

Could that explain it? His power was linked to his emotional state. The more desperate he got, the stronger he would become. Was that his secret? Was that seriously the reason I could never beat him? Emotions!?

"Unbelievable," I heard myself growl. To think, my own strength that I had built upon for years, my skills I had honed so faithfully over the course of my life, nothing could compare to the power granted by his humanity. It was insulting! He didn't even have to try, it just came to him as easily breathing. His strength, his power, it was all natural, unlabored and unearned. Of course my only real flaw was his source of power.

... Then, I deflated.

That was it. He was my goal. He was what I aspired to be, the perfect human. He may not have worked for his power, but he more than deserved it, as all those who were truly good deserved their strength. When I was finally his equal, it would not be because I defeated him. Rather, it would be because I finally understand him. And when that day came, I would only have him to thank. He was...

Holding something? I peered closer, squinting to see the small object pinched between his fingers. What on Earth...

Kibano suddenly struck, but Yusuke was prepared. He leaned back, turning his cheek to take the least damage and allowing his opponent the appearance of the upper hand. He grabbed onto Kibano's arm, a wide grin stretching across his face. Triumph laced his voice, which was loudly proclaiming his victory.

"Now it's over," he crowed in a very theatrical way. "See, this is all a part of my plan! Next, I'm gonna break your arm!"

What?

"Yeah, do it!" Kazuma hollered ardently. "Then stomp on his face!"

But... he was holding the arm wrong. Surely he knew that, he'd broken arms before, I'd seen him do it. I'd helped him do it. His blindness shouldn't have affected his awareness of the human body, I would think.

"Not a bad idea," Kibano grunted. "If I wasn't already a master of every martial art, including grappling!"

And the giant man swung Yusuke up into the air, using his arm like a bolo string to spin him over his head, launching Yusuke like a rock from a slingshot. The boy bounced off the wall, coughing out a spray of blood as he returned to his semi-permanent residence, the floor. I raised a brow, content to watch this plan of his play out. It was decent, if not a complete stroke of luck. Then again, Yusuke had a history of good luck.

"If he's far away, he can't see, and if he's up close, the guy uses Judo moves on him!" I leaned down casually to pick up Yusuke's jacket, dusting off the neon green fabric while Kazuma fretted. "What's he supposed to do!?"

"The only way I see Yusuke winning now is with the Spirit Gun," Botan voiced, magenta eyes fixed on the boy in the darkness. "But still, it's impossible! He'd never be able to make an exact hit!" ]

"Who cares?" Genkai, her voice gruff and irate, reprimanded harshly. "Stop dwelling on 'what-ifs'. The reality is that he can't see, and he's about to get canned." I certainly hoped she was wrong.

"You'd better get up Urameshi! I'm not gonna let you run out on me again!"

I listened quietly, the only thing keeping the smile from my lips being the thought that perhaps he didn't have enough energy to see his plan through. If it looked like he might be in trouble, I would have to step in. Tournament prize or no, there was no way I would let Yusuke leave us again. Here, now, for something like this? In front of Kazuma? Not a chance.

Yusuke stood again, with significantly less struggle than the last time. He and Kibano exchanged words I could not hear, and at one point, the large man opened up a part of his mask, right over his ear. My immediate thought would have been to slap the exposed vulnerable area, but Yusuke would not be able to see that accurately.

After a few moments, the possible target was again concealed by the mask, and Kibano once more pulled the energy into his arm. He charged Yusuke, whose hunched over stance provided excellent cover for his hands. The man came around behind my partner, pushing into a jump, fist on a direct path for the boys head. The momentum would surely kill Yusuke, or at least knock him out cold. However, Kibano never got the chance, as Yusuke turned with a grin and pointed a single, deadly finger at his target.

"Spirit Gun!"

The bullet of aquamarine tore through the void like a comet through empty space, leaving not but stardust and a very smug teenage boy in its wake. It collided with the metal mask, cutting through it to impact the head of the man underneath. The helmet fractured and broke into pieces, falling to the ground just moments before the gargantuan body. The opponents energy all but vanished, the acidic green glow completely extinguished by now. Only now did Yusuke's stance falter, his arms falling to his sides in exhaustion.

Kibano lifted his head as though to try and get back up, but I could see he was spent. He looked down at Yusuke's prompting to behold the culprit of his demise. The single, small thing that had ensured his defeat.

A lit cigarette.

Echoing in my ears were the celebratory cheers of Kazuma and Botan. Kibano's head dropped back to the ground, the darkness completely overtaking him and blocking my senses. Yusuke wouldn't notice, even if he hadn't turned around immediately to come back into the light. He approached, wearing a pained smirk even as Genkai announced his victory in a way that made her sound exhausted.

"Winner, The Dimwit."

Holy crap, that was a busy chapter! All four fights stuffed into one, but it makes more sense when you're viewing it from only one perspective. The show gives you everyone's take on things, including both fighters each fight. There are inner dialogues and reaction shots that you just don't get when you're seeing the perspective of one person, so it was a lot easier than you might think. The hard part was squeezing that last fight in. If I hadn't, this arc would have run on for an extra chapter. As it is, I predict three more until the official end of the arc, unless I skip something.

So yeah, a lot happened here. We got some interactions, we got some learning experiences, and we got a bit more personality from everyone. Place your bets now, who's gonna win the tournament. Right now, it's anybody's game. Hell, maybe it's Kuwabara's turn to learn the Spirit Wave and be the hero! Maybe Wonder Boy Yusuke will prevail as dictated by canon. Maybe Hotaru steals the victory at the last moment! Who can say?

Meow for now!