Youtou Shinnoken: Demon Sword
A Yuyu Hakusho/Rurouni Kenshin fic
by Chester Castañeda
Original concept by Chad Yang
Er, hi. Abdiel here. Youtou Shinnoken's back. I have some good news and some bad news, though. Oh well. Just check the Author's Notes.
Disclaimer: Yuyu Hakusho is the rightful property of Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV and St. Pierrot. Rurouni Kenshin is the rightful property of Nobuhiro Watsuki and Sony. Don't sue us please. We are very poor.
Chapter 5: Heart of Sword (Part 5)
The combined attack of Yusuke and Genkai should have disabled at least most of the charging Saint Beasts... in theory. However, it was not so in reality, because the obese demon known as Byakko had some very unique abilities that enabled him to counter the deadly combination of the Shotgun technique and the Rei-Kou-Dan maneuver.
Byakko cackled has he opened his mouth and completely sucked and absorbed the two attacks like they were nothing at all. From there, he let out a deafening roar as he hollered an ear-splitting, "MEI-KO-SHOU-KAI-HA!"
A furious stream of youki subsequently came forth his gaping maw; youki that had been transformed from the pure reiki of the previous offensive. Under the furious assault that they were subjected to, Yusuke and Genkai barely had time to duck for cover as an entire portion of the patio disintegrated into nonexistence.
"Goddammit. It seems like the not-so-saintly beasts really have gotten better since the last time we fought," Yusuke noted as he nimbly avoided the larger pieces of rock, stone and debris that fell upon him and his companions. "They're not the Class-C shit they used to be."
"You should expect as much. They're no ordinary youkai. Not anymore, at the very least. Aside from youki, I can also sense the overwhelming jaki churning inside of them. They're now like vengeful, corporeal spirits. In their quest for vengeance, it's their own negative feelings of hatred and spite that provide them with nearly unlimited reserves of power," Genkai informed as she began assessing her best approach of attack.
"Humph. They're just like that loser Yakumo, then," Yusuke derisively appraised, snorting in disdain. "I don't really have that much respect for people who don't rely solely on their strength of their fists. They're just a bunch of sissies to have to depend on jaki to win a fight." Eventually, the sleek-haired young lad noticed that something was amiss.
"Hey, granny; where's Kenshin?"
"I'm not sure. I thought he was with you," Genkai said, merely shrugging as she spotted another wave of ionized gas headed towards their direction. "Keep on your toes, Yusuke! There's more where that came from!"
"I know! You don't need to tell me!" Yusuke yelled back, furiously punching his way through the rain of rubble as he consciously avoided Byakko's second assault. 'Looks like the Rei-Gan's out of the question now, what with that fat pig in the way. Where's that wimpy samurai when you needed him? I thought he was supposed to be this legendary swordsman and shit...'
In the meantime, at the Shisejyu's side, Byakko had already run out of ammunition and energy; so much so that he could barely control himself and his hunger pangs. He was practically starving for more reiki to corrupt. The youkai soon became near-mindless and feral as he lunged at the fleeting image of Genkai in an attempt to satisfy his insatiable appetite for blood and power, only to be put in check moments later by Seiryu himself.
A cold and menacing look from Seiryu, Byakko's original murderer, was all it took to silence the massive youkai. The light of intelligence finally returned in the demon's untamed eyes, only to be replaced by a glint of frustration and disappointment. It was as if Byakko's eyes were saying, 'Let me eat.'
Seiryu merely shook his head, and left it at that.
Genkai didn't miss any of this as she began pondering the meaning of the two Saint Beasts' wordless gestures. 'Could it be that their attack was just a ruse of some sort?'
Genkai subsequently became aware of the flash of red energy that emanated from far away. "Oh no. Yusuke! Look out! It's a trap! They're...!"
She was then silenced by the elaborate yet razor sharp patterns of ice that suddenly materialized in front of her. She could not possibly warn Yusuke in time, not with the awkward position she was currently in. She could only pray to the gods that somehow Yusuke would figure everything out by himself as she did her best to avoid getting impaled by the lethal onslaught.
But it was already too late.
Yusuke's eyes widened in shock and fright as he heard a duet of panicked, female screams. 'What the hell?' He then felt it... the huge amount of youki that was headed straight for Keiko and Botan. 'Rando! I can feel Rando's ki signature from that attack of his! Damn that bastard!'
He had to do something to stop it. He desperately lunged towards the direction of the shrieks, using every last bit of his speed to somehow get there in time and deflect the errant attack. Instead, he saw the last thing he expected to see.
Kenshin Himura, the person he labeled as a 'useless wimp', was the very person who was standing in the way of Keiko and Botan's oblivion.
"Kenshin!" Yusuke shouted in shock as the misidentified samurai absorbed the brunt of the attack. The spirit detective clenched his fists until his knuckles became white and grit his teeth in a combination of frustration, anger, and pain. Of course, he didn't miss the fact that the energy ball was an underhanded ploy of his past nemesis. 'Damn. Damn that Rando!'
'Wait. Why am I...?' Yusuke reflected incredulously as he felt a shooting anguish on his right shoulder and on the side of his abdomen; which was a strange coincidence, since Kenshin himself was hit on his right side as well. 'Did Rando fire a second shot? Was I hit by him too? That bastard!'
But Yusuke knew that it wasn't the case. No other shot was fired and none of the Saint Beasts were able to hit him with their attacks. Then he remembered the numerous instances where Botan or Keiko would whack either one of them and then they would both feel the pain.
'Shit! I almost forgot! Whatever happens to Kenshin also happens to me and vice-versa!' Yusuke dolefully remembered as he held his bleeding shoulder while tending to the painful ache of his now-broken ribs. 'Fuck. Fuck all to hell! If that's the case, then we really are in deep shit.' He eyed Kenshin bitterly. 'Why'd you have to make a martyr out of yourself, you moronic, half-wit samurai?!'
"Keiko-dono, Kaoru-dono! LOOK OUT!"
Kenshin braced himself as the blast impacted on his torso, feeling what could be the equivalent of pain had he still been alive. it was as if the pressure from the surging energy had metaphorically broken a couple of his metaphoric ribs and shoulder blade. 'It's been a while since I've felt pain like this,' he contemplated as he unceremoniously fell down flat on his back.
After a few more seconds of intense pain, he managed to sit up and look over his shattered shoulder. A small smile crept up his lips after he saw that Botan and Keiko, albeit crying, were still mostly safe. "Yes," he whispered hoarsely, relieved.
Botan was the first one to come to the ex-rurouni's aid. "Dummy! What possessed you to do that? Koenma-sama said that your physical form is still unstable. What if something happened to you and the sword!? We could've lost you forever! Kenshin, you jerk!" she managed to choke out, sputtering everything she had said in a span of a few seconds before Kenshin altogether silenced her with a quiet smile and a finger on her lips.
"Shush. Don't look so sad. It doesn't become you."
Flustered, Botan rejoined, "You are a complete and total idiot! You didn't even get my name straight! Don't you know that it's insulting for a girl to be called by some other girl's name? I'm Botan, not Kaworu or whoever! BO-TAN... Botan!" Even the saddened ferry-girl had to smile a bit at her remark, despite her tears and all. "Never do that again, Kenshin!"
Kenshin chuckled weakly. "I promise to."
"Well, she's right about one thing. You really are an idiot."
Everyone fell silent upon hearing the malicious statement because it was an avowal made by Yusuke himself.
Keiko was the first one to break the ice, stating, "Yusuke! Don't speak like that to Kenshin! How could you...?" before she noticed that, strangely enough, Yusuke was also in a similar incapacitated state as Kenshin. "W-What happened? Are you all right?" But Yusuke wasn't listening to her.
The half-demon straightforwardly glared at Kenshin, his eyes aflame in contempt. "Because of your 'martyr' act, you've gotten us into deep shit. I could've taken out Rando and his goons with one hand tied behind my back, but not anymore. Not like this! Because of your highfaluting, moralistic bullshit, we're all going to get screwed!
"Hey! Yusuke! How can you possibly blame Kenshin for what happened to... you?" Botan demanded confusedly, still not understanding the situation at hand completely.
Kenshin looked mournfully and apologetically at Yusuke. "Sorry. I only wanted to protect Keiko-dono and Kao... Botan from harm. I only wanted to save those who are important to you. I never realized that you would also be..."
"Save it," was Yusuke's only reply, silencing the rueful ex-rurouni. He then added, "I know what you wanted to do and why you did it. But it won't change the fact that everything's now screwed up." The young spirit detective could only pull his hair out in frustration as he shut his eyes. "Besides, it's too late for excuses or apologies," he growled as he looked into the horizon.
Keiko, Kenshin, and Botan could only stare as they followed Yusuke's determined gaze towards a gleeful and cackling Rando a good fifteen yards away.
Rando chortled mightily. "I only used that ki-shot as a way of angering Urameshi by taking out his two floozies. Nonetheless, I think things turned out better this way. This time you're really going down, Urameshi Yusuke! And that bitch Genkai, too!"
'And that samurai's just the person to help me do it,' Rando added to himself, chuckling.
"No, Rando. You can have the others, but Urameshi is mine," Genbu remembered himself saying earlier when he finally approached the Saint Beasts' designated objective. Of course it was Urameshi whom he needed to defeat; after all, it was him who conquered their great leader Suzaku, right?
The giant stone tortoise-golem did feel a bit disappointed with the fact that the red-haired whip-wielder... Kurama, the one who actually defeated him in battle... was not present in the current fracas. But those were just silly thoughts. His supposed true target was Urameshi, after all. Wait, was he the one with the sleek-black hair or the redhead?
Genbu searched frantically for his intended objective. It would really be embarrassing for him to mistakenly attack someone other than his prey, after all. It all came down to deducing which was which. No, Urameshi wasn't the red-haired gaijin samurai that was hit by Rando's cheap shot or the old crone/martial artist that was currently trapped in one of Seiryuu's attacks. He must be the third fighter then, since Yusuke wasn't a girl either, right? He studied the boy carefully. It seemed that the young lad was still okay for the most part save for his inexplicably bleeding shoulder.
The titanic, boulder-like Saint Beast's jagged teeth morphed into a twisted grin as he stared at Yusuke's current state. He didn't particularly care how or why his opponent was injured; all he knew was that this was the perfect chance for him to strike.
Genbu chuckled in a self-congratulatory manner. This was going to be great! He was about to take down Suzaku's killer with one, easy strike! He was now about to gain the title of "The Strongest of the Shisejyu".
"You mortals are still confined by the earth that you walk on. Because of this, I have complete control over you. Urameshi! Take this! BAKURETSU-GANSHOU-DAN!"
Instantaneously, all the rubble and debris from Byakko's last attack disintegrated into a maelstrom of dust, creating a veritable sandstorm-like wave headed for the hapless Spirit World Detective.
Yusuke could only stare wide-eyed in shock and confusion for the second time that day as a gigantic tsunami of rock fragments crashed upon him.
Rando shouted maniacally at Genbu; however, his words were drowned out by the loud and noisy Bakuretsu-Ganshou-Dan. 'Dammit. The original version of Genbu's attack was a lot quieter than this. Hell, a herd of stampeding elephants would have been preferable. That idiot doesn't know what he's doing!'
"Yusuke...!" Keiko started as she made her way toward the crashing waves of dirt, only to be immediately held back by Kenshin. "Let me go! I have to help Yusuke somehow! He's in trouble!"
Botan bit her lip as she covered her teary eyes from the dusty winds of the vicious onslaught. "We can't do anything for Yusuke, Keiko. It's all up to him now."
The brown-haired girl sobbed inconsolably on Kenshin's good shoulder after she heard the ferry-girl's remark.
Genbu laughed heartily at his accomplishment. "I did it. I killed Suzaku's murderer! I AM THE STRONGEST OF THE SAINT BEASTS! BWAHAHAHAHA!"
"Humph," Seiryu snorted as he continued to cage in Genkai using intricate and elaborate ice patterns resembling enlarged snowflakes. "That fool thinks he defeated Uramehi, yet he didn't even live long enough to watch the boy fight Suzaku back in the Maze Castle. He has no idea what he's getting into."
"Bastard," was all that Byakko growled as he bared his fangs and unsheathed his claws in irritation.
Kenshin patted the sobbing girl's back as he looked intently at the site of the crashing waves of dirt. "Don't worry. He's all right."
Keiko sniffled as she looked up at the ex-rurouni's face, her eyes red and doubtful. "How can you be sure? H-He was injured a-and he didn't make it out in..."
"This lowly one knows," Kenshin cut Keiko off gently, his velvet eyes clear and sure. "I have discovered that whatever happens to Yusuke-dono, due to our connection through the Demon Sword, happens to me too. That was why he was so, pardon my saying, 'pissed-off' by my actions. What's more, I know he's all right because..."
The earthly tide was suddenly split in half as a tremendous force began pushing the waves of dirt and debris back to its owner.
"...I am also okay. Besides the shooting pain on my shoulder, I am perfectly fine," Kenshin reassured, smiling confidently.
"What the hell?" was all Genbu could squeak out as his attack started to ebb and weaken.
"HYAKU RETSU-KEN!"
Genkai smirked as she heard Yusuke scream out that attack. It wasn't a real Rei-Kou-Hadou-Ken technique, nor was "The Hundred Punch Rush" its real name. But the move, like her former student, was simple and brash enough to finish the job.
She frowned as she eyed her two opponents, Byakko and Seiryu, warily. She felt a coldness and apathy in Seiryu that completely contradicted his claims of vengeance and retribution. It was as if the whole battle was just a script that he had to act out for Kami-sama-knew-what. Byakko, on the other hand...
'His ferocity and viciousness are undeniable. The amount of jaki inside him is far more than all of the present Saint Beasts' negative energy combined. Yet his mindless attack just a while ago seemed almost forced; unnatural, even. It's as if his hunger for murder has absolutely nothing to do with his own vengeful feelings. Something is not right with his soul,' Genkai concluded, perturbed.
Seiryu sneered at the old woman in contempt. 'So this is the Master of the Spirit Light Wave? Bah. Without her Spirit Light Gem, she's nothing to me. I'll show her a power worthy of the so-called A-levels; a power strong enough to counter even the evil-eyed Fire Demon's infamous Kokuryuha.'
Soon, Genkai was trapped by a veritable cubicle of ice as wall upon wall of frost surrounded her. The arena was set. 'Oh well. It's just as well. At least Yusuke and Himura-san's worries have been reduced considerably.' To the two demons, she called out, "C'mon!"
Byakko merely snarled, licking his lips in anticipation. That was all he lived for: vengeance for his defeat, honor, and pride. 'No. None of that really matters. There is only one thing that's important to me; my hunger for violence.' His feral eyes then became glassy as he started to stalk his aged prey.
Yusuke continuously kept on swinging and punching against the crashing earth waves with his good arm, creating a vacuum of sorts that shielded him from the upsurge. 'Like I said; I can take on all these clowns with one arm tied behind my back.'
Genbu could only stare, dumbfounded, as the human... no, half-demon... known as Yusuke Urameshi reduced his offensive into a mere quibble. This could not... should not be! His rocky teeth grinded hard against each other as he hissed, " Ushiro-Bakuretsu-Ganshou-Dan..."
Yusuke's eyebrows furrowed as he saw all the waves of dust around him begin to form into clumps. 'Explosive Rock Assault Reversed? What now?'
"TETSUZAN KOU!"
The clumps of dust instantly solidified into solid rock, encasing Yusuke in a mountain of iron-hard stone.
Kenshin suddenly had trouble breathing. He knelt down in agony, as though the whole world was on his shoulders.
"Oh my gosh! Kenshin? Are you all right?" Botan inquired the wheezing rurouni worriedly.
"Yusuke... dono... he's... in trouble..." Kenshin managed to say as his vision blurred. His slow suffocation, as well as his present injuries, quickly made his present condition infinitely worse.
"Oh no. Yusuke!" Keiko shouted at her literally petrified childhood friend.
Genbu appreciatively examined the results of his attack. "Didn't expect that, didn't you? Get crushed by my iron mountain like a pancake, half-breed!"
"Yusuke, you dummy! You're better than this! Don't be such a wimp!" Keiko shouted determinedly, despite her obvious distress.
"Of course not," Yusuke shouted back in a muffled voice. "That guy's got nothing on me."
Keiko squealed in spite of herself. "Thank goodness, you're alive!"
"HA! You can still talk big, even though you're trapped under my enormous mountain? You should just shut up and die," Genbu retorted gleefully.
"Mountain? More like a molehill. JYU REI JYOU ANTE!"
Kenshin suddenly felt a chill on the nape of his neck. 'This is...?'
Botan blinked as she noticed a large number of leaves fly past her, and then gawked, bewildered, as each and every one of those same leaves began to snap in two. "W-What's going on?"
Concurrently, cracks began to appear on Yusuke's stone prison as tendrils of reiki glowed underneath the slowly-breaking mass of rock.
"My kenki is reacting to Yusuke-dono's reiki, as far as I can tell," Kenshin informed, finally able to breathe after a large portion of Yusuke's rocky prison collapsed under the barrage of spiritual energy.
"Sword-ki?" Botan slowly repeated, her voice full of wonder. "The swordsman's presence?"
Before long, the transmuted rock that incased Yusuke was obliterated completely by means of the Spirit Detective's Luminescent Spirit Ante. The furious blast of reiki soon came forth in the form of a flaming blue phoenix, rising from the shattered rock like a resurrected firebird emerging from its egg.
After the stunning spectacle, Yusuke rose from the conflagration of rock and reiki, his eyes burning with a passion and desire like no other. Those were the eyes of Raizen's descendant. Those were the eyes of a Demonic Warlord.
Rando could only shake his head at the idiotic, gargoyle-like Saint Beast. 'You've bitten off more than you can chew, small fry.'
Awestruck; spellbound; no words could describe the expression etched on Genbu's face as he witnessed the true abilities of Yusuke Urameshi. 'I've heard stories about him from the other demons... and he was able to defeat Suzaku... but I never imagined that he could be this powerful! The phoenix god is what Suzaku is supposed to be. But this boy, can he actually be an even stronger Suzaku?'
The granite-hard Saint Beast felt the glare of the young man... half-demon... whatever... burn into him like one of Suzaku's Ankoku-Raijin-Ken. If he could only sweat, then he would be bathed in perspiration right then and there. "I-Interesting," he stuttered, pretending to be 'intrigued' and failing miserably. "You have forced me to use my final attack! Take this. GENBU NO..."
"Eat this."
Rando winced. "Eat this," was a very familiar statement to the red-haired demon. Moreover, he knew what that particular declaration meant, and what soon followed after it.
Yusuke aimed his pointer finger at Genbu with no hesitation whatsoever. From there, tiny pinpoints of light that produced a strange whistling noise gathered to the tip of his pointer finger and coalesced into a concentrated sphere of destructive power.
Genbu could only stare in dumbfounded alarm and fright, his planned counterattack soon forgotten as he winced under the glare of the Reikai Tantei's impressive reiki.
Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the energy from the tip of Yusuke's pointer finger quickly vanished. A confused look crossed the spiritual detective's face as he stared at Genbu in puzzlement.
The stone golem Shisejyu was not one to question opportunities when they arose. "'Eat this', my ass! Chou-Bakurestu-Ganshou-Dan: GENBU NO...!"
"Stop what you're doing right this instant if you still want to live."
The gigantic granite tortoise-demon could only gawk in utter disbelief as he looked over his shoulder and saw a very annoyed and irritated Rando. Little wonder, since the pasty-skinned demon now had his pointer finger aimed at the Saint Beast in the same manner as Yusuke had before, his fingertip brimming with burning youki. "W-What the hell are you doing, Rando?"
"Don't you dare refer to me in such a familiar tone," Rando coolly stated as he regarded his supposed ally in contempt. "You should know your place. You've crossed the line this time, Genbu. Your stupidity knows no bounds."
"What are you talking about? I had Urameshi where I wanted him!"
"The only thing you had was a death wish," Rando stated grimly, his imitation Rei-Gan almost fully charged. "You're cowering under my power now, but imagine what would have happened if you were facing Urameshi's Rei-Gan instead. I bet you'd have the same frightened and pathetic expression then as you have now."
The Sacred Beast of Stone could only swallow and nod in acquiescence. As much as he hated to admit it, he had been lucky this time. If Rando hadn't shocked Urameshi out of his planned Rei-Gan attack, then Genbu would have been a goner by now. The young half-demon was simply out of his league. He bowed down in mortification and defeat.
"The Chojin gave you another chance. Don't blow it," Rando reminded grimly.
Yusuke narrowed his eyes as he straightforwardly demanded, "Pray tell, chuckles; who the hell is the 'Overfiend'?"
"You have no right to know the identity of the Chojin," Rando sneered, and then turned his attention back to Genbu. "There has been a change of plan." Afterwards, using stolen telepathic skills, he relayed his new strategy to all of the Shisejyu.
Seiryu snorted, stating, "Of course. That was what I intended to do in the first place."
Byakko snarled, not at all acknowledging Rando's orders. His prey was his only concern, after all.
Genbu's jagged teeth again formed into a demented smile. "I like it. Let's do it."
Kenshin walked towards Yusuke's side in all humility, but the younger fighter merely gave him the cold shoulder. "Yusuke-dono, I..."
"I know, I know. Just don't get in my way," was the spirit detective's impatient reply.
Rando smirked at the two warriors. "After observing you two for quite sometime now, I have discovered a number of your weaknesses. As such, all you could do now is wait for your oblivion. GENBU!"
"At last! This is what I've been waiting for," Genbu cheered as he prepared his long-delayed technique. "Chou-Bakuretsu-Ganshou-Dan...!"
"Keiko-dono, Kaoru-dono! My pardons, but you have to stay back! There's no telling what Genbu-dono has in store for us."
"GENBU-DONO?! Are you nuts? Don't be polite to your enemy! And for the last time, my name is Botan! BO..."
"GENBU NO HOKO!"
A large explosion subsequently rocked the entirety of Genkai's property. The clouds of dust from the blast soon formed into a spiral that shot upwards into the sky, creating a tornado-like sandstorm that swallowed everything in its path.
"Botan! Yusuke!" Keiko shouted in panic before coughing hoarsely. She covered her eyes and ears reflexively as noise and dust assaulted her senses. As far as she could tell, she was floating off the ground in unknown heights by a dusty hurricane of sorts. She prayed that somehow, somewhere, 'that idiot Yusuke' was safe before she altogether lost her bearings.
Then, as soon as the earthy tempest started, it stopped. She opened her eyes tentatively as she patted the ground with her hands; the solid ground. She exhaled a sigh of relief as she sat up and further surveyed her surroundings. It seemed that she was on a cliff of some sort, probably on the other side of the mountain. She wasn't completely sure.
The teenage girl looked up the sky and saw the beautiful, sparkling star just beside the big dipper once more, her round face illuminated by the pale moonlight. She afterwards felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Y-Yusuke?" she queried hopefully as she looked over her shoulder.
She noticed that the hand felt deathly cold; colder than a winter gale.
Before Keiko could shriek in panic, time stopped for her altogether. The bad omen known as the "Harbinger of Death" star had taken yet another victim.
Kenshin rubbed his eyes for a bit as he struggled to get up from his current prone position. The worst of Genbu no Hoko was over... or so it seemed.
But where were Keiko and Botan? And whatever happened to Genkai and Yusuke? Kenshin inspected his immediate surroundings. Even though he was one of those in the forefront of the dust storm, it would seem that he had never really left his current location. The swordsman spirit could only scratch his head in confusion. 'If the others were carried off to wherever, then why am I still here?'
"SAMURAI!" a proverbially loud voice boomed.
Kenshin turned around in time to see a gleeful-looking Genbu rise up from the dune-filled ground as broken tiles and fragments of rock scattered all over the Sacred Beast.
"Let us fight!"
Darkness. Botan was deathly afraid of it; which was a little ironic really, since she was Death.
Perhaps it did somehow make sense. Death, despite what other people thought, was a people-oriented job. She just loved being around lots of people. In fact, in the Reikai ferry-girl admission test, she scored the highest on the Social Skills section.
Okay, so she made the 'Reikai ferry-girl admission test' part up, but if there were one, she knew that she'd have a high score on the Social Skills section. That was Botan; the 'Miss Lady Death' type of people person.
Where was she? Oh yes; the damnable darkness. She hated the darkness because it reminded her of loneliness and isolation, which was something that just didn't sit well with her personable personality.
But enough of the darkness monologue. All she had to do was open her eyes to get rid of it anyway. 'Du-h.' But before she did, she heard voices; voices from presumably ugly people. Either that, or they were decent-looking people with the misfortune of having really horrifying voices.
"We made it just in time, big brother! I thought I was going to die in that hurricane!"
"Shut up! Don't remind me. Most of our band had already fled when they discovered that Rando-sama has teamed up with those two other psychos from the Chojin's mental ward. Plus, what little that was left of our demon minions was sucked up into that stupid dust storm! Dammit! Dammit all to hell!"
"But at least we got the girl, right?"
"That's only the consolation we had on this trip. Damn Rando-sama and his pigheadedness. If he only took the Demon Sword as a way to defeat Urameshi like we've planned!"
Who were these losers? 'How'd I end up in this mess? While we're at it, where are Kenshin and the others? The last thing I remember was that stupid sandstorm.' Botan sighed, daring to sneak a peek at her two 'supposed' captors. She winced. 'Ew. I was right with my first guess. They're really ugly.' She blinked. 'Gee. They look awfully familiar.'
"Big brother!" Iehog called out, pointing at the ferry-girl that he carried on his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. "The Reikai woman is awake."
"Oh, great. Knock her out again. I heard her awhile back before Genbu-sama's tornado attack started. She's very noisy and irritating. She's better left unconscious," Iehik offhandedly ordered.
HEY! Don't I get a say in this?" Botan shouted as she materialized her oar and shoved it in Iehog's face. Screaming more in surprise than pain, the large, bearded demon unceremoniously dropped the ferry-girl down on the ground.
"Ouch!" Botan exclaimed as she rubbed her sore bottom. Before it could even occur to her that this was the perfect time for her to escape, Iehik was already upon her. She held her oar forward protectively. "Don't come near me! I have a wooden paddle and I'm not afraid to use it!"
"Relax, will you? We're all in the same situation here," Iehik stated simply as he offered his claws to Botan, his smile seemingly friendly; as friendly as a grinning crocodile's, anyway.
The ferry-girl looked at the diminutive youkai suspiciously. "What do you mean?"
"Isn't it obvious? We're all just spectators in this grand battle of really powerful people," Iehik explained. "We have neither power nor influence in the matter, so in the end we can only do what spectators do best: Watch."
"So what about it?" Botan asked warily, her grip on her oar still tight.
The large-headed demon smiled toothily. "We have a proposition for you."
"No. Uh-uh. Not interested," Botan said as she slowly got up from her sitting position. "I know better than to get into a deal with lower-class youkai. No dice."
Iehik shrugged. "That's too bad, really. Me and my brother have been searching for the Demon Sword for ten long years, so we've discovered very important facts about it that not even the Reikai knows about." He smiled impishly. "And here I was, thinking you would want to help your samurai friend who's now in grave danger."
Botan lifted the portly youkai to his toes with her oar over his neck, which elicited a yelp of, "Big brother!" from Iehog as he nearly lunged at her in alarm. However, Iehik held his brother back with a wave of his claws.
"What do you know about the Demon Sword?" Botan demanded.
"I'll tell as soon as you agree to come with us," Iehik replied snidely yet soothingly. "All we ask for is your company. After which, you'll learn everything you need to know about the enigmatic Demon Sword."
Botan contemplated their proposition for a while. On one hand, the short, fat demon could be lying through his teeth. On the other hand, he could be telling the truth. But could she really risk trusting these two shifty characters?
'C'mon. Don't be a fool like Rando-sama,' Iehik thought, annoyed. 'Rando-sama, Suzaku-sama, even Jine-sama; none of them realizes the true power of the Demon Sword.'
'Oh, what have I got to lose? They're right. I have no control over these 'grand battle' thingies. Besides, they're, like, what? D-level to C-level demons? What can they do? Shed fur on me? Besides, Yusuke's always there to bash these youkai into submission if ever. That is, as soon as I find that good-for-nothing. Other than that...'
She smiled unconsciously as she remembered how Kenshin's finger touched her lips. 'This is all for Kenshin's sake.' She subsequently grimaced in mild irritation after she realized what she was just thinking. 'Get a grip, girl. He's hung over some other girl. Some Kaworu-something-or-the-other.'
"Well?" Iehik asked, half-annoyed and half-hopeful. "Are you done with your internal monologue?"
"Oh, what the heck," Botan relented as she put her paddle away and backed off. "Let's shake on it. Or maybe not," she hastily corrected as she cautiously looked at the portly demon's clawed hands.
"Good, good. Iehog, come. Let's get moving. We have a lot of ground to cover."
"Oh, one other thing; don't ever let your... pet touch me again. I am not, I repeat, not a sack of potatoes," Botan warned.
Iehog merely grunted in response. 'What am I? Chopped liver? What the hell does she mean by 'pet'?'
'She means that you're as stupid as a dog,' Iehik answered for his brother telepathically... a technique that Rando graciously 'borrowed' from him.
'I don't understand why you have to go through the trouble of fooling the girl like that. We could have killed her and be done with it.'
'Don't be a fool! Do you have a death wish? We need her alive, at most unconscious. Anything other than that would be suicidal!'
'I don't understand,' Iehog admitted, scratching his beard in confusion.
'Of course you don't.' Iehik rubbed his chin contemplatively. 'I didn't realize it before, but I now know who the guardian of the sword is. I heard it a while back when the old woman was talking to the samurai. He's the Youkiri Battousai! It's his dark soul that made the Demon Sword what it is today. The ferry-girl is apparently important to him. If we don't play our cards right, we will be facing his wrath!'
'The wimpy samurai? Dangerous? Pigs will sooner fly!'
'What I speak of is the truth. I intercepted Rando-sama's telepathic orders for the Saint Beasts; the ferry-girl was supposed to be used by Genbu-sama as bait for Battousai. With her around, the overprotective samurai won't be able to concentrate in battle. Unfortunately for Rando-sama, we have other plans for her.'
'What other plans? Our only plan was to steal the Demon Sword while all the others were busy fighting. You're making things up, big brother!'
'Shut up! That was also part of the plan, fool! Now be silent and let me think.'
Botan looked at the glaring brothers in disinterest as she continued to trudge forward. 'Freaky. I sure hope I made the right decision in going along with these two bozos.' To the two supposed 'bozos', she asked, "Where are we going, anyway?"
"To the other side of this mountain, at the uppermost peak. A great battle is happening over there right now, and we wouldn't want to miss it for the world."
Just like a pig that suddenly found itself airborne, Byakko gawked in shock and disbelief as he flew up into the starry night sky despite his enormous girth. Genkai's Supine Kick Kougeki was a force to be reckoned with indeed.
The White Tiger Shiseyju landed on his feet hard as the ground crumbled under his heels. The ice cage that Seiryu created for them had already shattered in the onslaught of the powerful Genbu no Hoko, but in its place stood dozens of ice fragments and crystals; remnants of the aforementioned hoarfrost prison.
The feral youkai had already tried his previous tricks on the old woman. The beastly fiends, the Kiyodai Ka absorption technique, even his vastly improved Mei-Ko-Shou-Kai-Ha; absolutely nothing worked. The aged martial artist was just too powerful for such low-tier attacks.
Byakko was getting really annoyed and frustrated, which only served to fuel his burning desire for brutality all the more. His eyes glazed over once again as a killer instinct manifested itself deep in his psyche. He became a savage beast, no, even more than that; because beasts merely killed for survival. He, on the other hand, killed because he could and because he enjoyed every minute of it. He needed no other reasons but those.
He was no ordinary beast. He was now a monster. As such, his right arm suddenly stiffened as its muscles hypertrophied.
With a speed that belied his gargantuan mass, Byakko was quickly upon the Matriarch of the Rei-Kou-Hadou-Ken style, quickly slashing downward with his claws as he shredded and tore through the forearm of one very surprised Genkai. This was the first move of the Kaiwan; the Byakko Sou, the White Tiger's talon.
The real fight had finally begun.
Kenshin breathed in deeply as he gripped the hilt of his sword. 'Has it been that long a time since I have last fought? I mean, aside from the little scuffle I had with those two familiar looking demons. When was the last time I drew my sword? I just don't know. This is the first time I'm going to seriously fight after a long time.'
Genbu lumbered over to Kenshin's direction. "Well? Are you really the great Guardian of the so-called Demon Sword? The Chojin himself has taken a keen interest in that sword of yours; though personally, I couldn't care less about it."
Kenshin nodded, smiling. "I understand. In my opinion, the Demon Sword doesn't suit you at all, what with your earth-based techniques and so on."
Genbu grunted at the misidentified samurai. Rando convinced him to fight this loser? What a rip-off. "We're not going to have a tea party, samurai. We're going to battle, and I'm going to win. Stop being such a wimp and draw your sword!"
"Um, I'm not really a samurai, since I wasn't of noble birth..." Kenshin politely corrected.
"I DON'T FUCKING CARE WHAT YOU ARE! Let's just fight and get this over with already!" Genbu shouted in a decisively non-friendly manner. The samurai's... whoever's over-politeness was grating on his nerves. He wasn't used to anybody being nice to him at all, really. It was just too weird for him.
"To be quite frank, I don't really want to fight you, Genbu-dono," Kenshin honestly admitted.
Genbu sighed dejectedly. He really wished that the blue-haired girl was with them right now. Then he would have some leverage against the red-haired swordsman. At the very least, the Guardian of the Demon Sword would be forced to take him seriously, lest the fool risked having his lady friend suffer the consequences. "Why the hell don't you want to fight me?"
"For one thing, I don't really like fighting for the sake of fighting, which is what you're trying to convince me to do right now. For another, I believe that you aren't really a bad person. You are actually quite harmless."
That was the single most insulting thing Genbu had heard his entire life; hell, even including his afterlife. "So you think I'm that pathetic? Eh, samurai-or-whatever?! I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S PATHETIC!"
"Um, that's not what I meant," Kenshin meekly said as he tried, strangely enough, to explain to his opponent that he was actually complimenting him. However, his words soon died in his lips as Genbu melded into the solid ground, disappearing amidst the pock-marked tiles in an instant. "There's no reason for us to fight, Genbu-dono! If you would allow me to leave in one piece, then I would be eternally grateful!"
"Shut... the FUCK... UP!" Genbu screamed at the top of his lungs... metaphorically speaking, since it was debatable whether or not the Tortoise Saint Beast even had lungs... as he reappeared behind Kenshin, his balled-up fists literally like boulders that were ready to crush the erstwhile rurouni like a gnat.
Genbu slammed each of his rocky fists hard on either side of the swordsman, intending to end the fight then and there before it even started. A light crunch was heard, followed by silence. The Stone Shisejyu had won, which was the way things should happen. Except things didn't turn out that way.
"What the...?!" Genbu elaborated as he looked down upon Kenshin. The guardian interposed his sheathed sword between Genbu's two gigantic fists, the sheathed weapon acting like a protective jam against the large, boulder-like appendages. The golem pushed hard against the Demon Sword, but to no avail.
"I really do apologize for whatever rudeness you've construed from my remark. But..." Kenshin pulled the Demon Sword free from Genbu's two fists, disappearing just in time before said fists crashed hard unto each other. He rematerialized a second later behind his opponent, his back turned as he slowly walked away.
"...I cannot possibly remain here. I still have to find both Botan-dono and Keiko-dono so that I could keep them safe from harm. I have no time to play with you. I hope you understand."
'S-Such speed! I must be dreaming. This guy's speed is incomparable to anyone I've ever met!' Genbu thought in awe. 'The red-haired plant user's speed was more on smoothness of movement. This red-haired swordsman, on the other hand, makes use of quick bursts of speed with reflexes that are beyond human! So he's been holding back his strength all this time?'
The Shisejyu gnashed his teeth hard. 'NO! I still have to finish off Urameshi. This cannot be! I won't let a pacifistic nobody like him make a fool out of me!'
"BAKURETSU-GANSHOU-DAN!"
Kenshin didn't even bother to turn as a large, rising tsunami of dirt and debris noisily approached him from behind. "I do not have time for this. I've seen that technique, and I already know several ways to counter it. This is my final warning," Kenshin declared... at first politely, and then with a hint of annoyance.
"SHUT UP! It's your kind that I hate; self-righteous, higher-than-thou shit like you deserve to die!" Genbu stated angrily as he melded into the ground once again, disappearing immediately.
Kenshin narrowed his eyes as he shook his head. 'This annoyance I feel; it isn't mine. It must be from Yusuke-dono. He's probably battling with the pasty-skinned one right now, and it's annoying him for some reason. I mustn't get carried away by Yusuke-dono's emotions.' A second later, he easily leapt away from Genbu's intended surprise grapple from behind, while also escaping the appropriately named Explosive Rock Assault.
Kenshin seemed to hang in the air for a moment as he contemplated the situation further. 'Despite Genbu-dono's apparent bravado, he is still a mostly inexperienced fighter. Most of the fights he had were probably with weaker demons and the like. Perhaps he had one or two fights with stronger opponents, but not enough to make him into a full-fledged warrior.'
An instant later, before Genbu could react in time, his own Bakuretsu-Ganshou-Dan crashed onto him hard, shattering his body into a hundred pieces. From there, Kenshin ingeniously used the volatile blast's strong air pressure to hurl himself away from harm.
Kenshin could only sigh at the pathetic situation Genbu was currently in as it confirmed all of his suspicions. 'He'll probably hate hearing this, but the truth of the matter is, he's just small fry.'
The spirit guardian looked at Genbu in pity. 'Though I have to admit, Genbu-dono is trying his very best. He even challenged Yusuke-dono to a fight, despite the fact that he was obviously outmatched. He kind of reminds me of certain young boy that way. But still, I really am just wasting his time here. I must get going.'
"SAMURAI!" Genbu wailed maniacally, his shattered face staring straight at the red-haired, cross-scarred spirit's visage. "This isn't over yet!" he spat. "Now get a taste of the original BAKURETSU-GANSHOU-DAN!"
The shattered parts of Genbu's body began to attack Kenshin individually, much to the vagabond spirit's surprise.
'So this is the original version of his revised technique,' Kenshin thought with mild interest before going into his formless stance, seemingly just standing there in the middle of Genbu's onslaught. But as soon as his opponent's rocky parts started to bombard him, his image became a blur, easily weaving through the offensive with little trouble. 'This is getting wearisome, even for me. I must find a way to escape Genbu-dono's tedious attacks before he wastes any more of my time.'
The separated components of Genbu's person gradually recombined behind Kenshin. Once whole, the golem shouted, "Now, once again, here's the revised BAKURETSU-GANSHOU-DAN!"
Kenshin resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he reflexively readied himself. What technique would be most suitable to disable Genbu at this point: a mountain-splitting Ryu Tsui Sen or an earth-shattering Dou Ryu Sen? Oh well. He'd probably just 'play it by the ear' again, if ever.
But before Kenshin could react, his whole world suddenly spun into turmoil as a fleeting spear of agonizing ache tore through his shoulder, which left him open to attack.
The Bakuretsu-Ganshou-Dan crashed hard against the errant vagabond as he mouthed a silent scream of anguish. Every pore of his skin did the same soundless screech as his whole body burned with torture beyond comprehension. He valiantly fought against his blinding agony as one urgent thought kept on recurring at the back of his mind.
'Yusuke-dono; he's in trouble!'
"What a stupid technique. PTOOOIEE!" Yusuke spat as he cleaned the dirt from his mouth with his wrist. "Dammit, he even ruined my pants. Just wait till I get my hands on that walking pile of landfill." He eventually noticed that his surroundings were a bit darker than before. 'Hey. Where'd all the lights go?'
"I'm sorry, but Genbu's busy right now," a familiar voice stated with an undertone of contempt and malice. "Won't you play with me instead, Urameshi Yusuke? JIGEN TOU!"
Rando's Jigen Tou slashed through Yusuke's injured shoulder even though the demon was a good ten feet away from the spirit detective. That was the power of Kuwabara's ultimate attack; the special ability to cut through dimensions and spaces as well as flesh.
'Jigen... Tou?' Yusuke thought as he fell down in a boneless heap. 'How did...?' Yusuke then remembered that Kuwabara had supposedly fought Rando earlier, so the Jigen Tou was probably just another stolen technique care of the sadistic demon.
Then, as soon as Yusuke rested on the ground, a wave of pain beyond a mere migraine or even a seizure took hold of his trembling body. 'What the hell's going on?! That slash couldn't have been that powerful! This pain I'm feeling; it feels like a house fell down on me!'
Rando looked at the grunting and sweaty Yusuke with mirth in his eyes as he asked, "What's the matter, Urameshi? Couldn't take a itty-bitty cut from my sword technique? What a baby."
"Your sword technique? That's Kuwbara's technique, you bastard! Fuck that, I doubt that you've actually developed any of the techniques you're using!" Yusuke's eyes widened in realization as he hatefully cursed, "Damn you, Rando! Kenshin's...!"
The red-haired youkai laughed with uncontainable delight. "I told you before, human. I know all your weaknesses. I saw what happened to you when I shot the samurai. Because of your spiritual bond with the sword, whatever happens to this 'Kenshin' happens to you as well. That's why I sent Genbu to roughen up your friend for a bit."
Yusuke growled as he attempted to stand up, but he was in too much pain to do much of anything else but lie in misery. Now it all made sense; the excessive pain he felt; the fact that he was inexplicably feeling pity for Rando; it was all Kenshin's fault. "You coward. You're using the wimp to get to me."
Rando grinned maliciously. "So what are you going to do about it, Urameshi? Whenever the samurai gets injured, you'll get injured too, and you can't do anything about it."
"You talk too much. Let me shut you up, asshole."
With no further contention or hesitation, Yusuke aimed an energy-filled finger at Rando.
"REI-GAN!"
As Kenshin flew backwards, Genbu suddenly materialized behind him. "I got you now, samurai!" the rock golem shouted as he cupped his gigantic hands, intending to catch then squash the flying 'samurai' of sorts.
Kenshin regained his senses just in time to acrobatically flip himself over and land on Genbu's palms feet-first. He afterwards leaped up before the Saint Beast realized what had just happened.
Kenshin narrowed his eyes. The situation had changed. It was time for some drastic measures.
Genbu looked up the sky and yelled, "DIE, SAMURAI!" as he balled up his fists with murderous intent.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu..."
In midair, Kenshin quickly unsheathed his Demon Sword, a pale gleam on its blade. He subsequently spun in a complete arc before he altogether dove down on Genbu with a quickness and strength that was equivalent to a thunderous blast of lightning.
"RYU TSUI SEN!"
Kenshin's powerful technique cleanly cleaved the monstrous stone tortoise in half. Genbu let out a silent scream as the two halves of his body went down. However, his adversary wasn't quite done with him yet.
"DOU RYU SEN!"
Kenshin followed through his previous attack with a devastating, earth-shattering assault that completely destroyed the remnants of Genbu's body. After the redhead was through, all that remained of his Sacred Beast opponent was half of his face.
Genbu grit his teeth in pure misery as he struggled to look up at Kenshin. He wretchedly grinned. "So it would seem that I've pushed your back far enough against the wall to get a half-decent fight. I've even forced you to use some of your most powerful techniques!"
Kenshin shook his head at Genbu in pity. "I apologize, but those were not my most powerful techniques. Also, I only attacked you because I didn't want Yusuke-dono to get hurt on my account. Sorry, but I have to get going, Genbu-dono."
To be Continued...
Next: The myriad of fights continues.
Hmmm. Okay, um, where do I start? ^^; Bad news first, I guess.
First of all, if you haven't noticed in the title art, my good friend Danyal has already decided to drop out of Demon Sword/Youtou Shinnoken for strictly professional reasons that I won't delve into.
Nonetheless, he will still remain as my consultant on certain arcs of the series; because really, parts of the story are and shall remain as his ideas now, right? Ultimately, this was for the best. Danyal, my friend, this fic is now officially dedicated to you as well as to Chad Yang.
Anything else? Well, all I can say is stay tuned!
Ja!
Abdiel