Izo stood outside of the meeting with his 'uncle,' Yusuke. Technically, not an uncle, but Mother's first cousin. Uncle was the termed used anyway, even if it was inaccurate in a way.
Yusuke, dressed like Mother had been, in a parka among his other thick layers, rubbed his thick gloved hands over his upper arms. "How do these people survive the cold without proper homes all year round?" he chattered out.
Izo made no comment, standing comfortably in the cold in a light jacket and no gloves. It was slightly cold to him, but that might just be his non-demon sides showing. He did notice elves more than humans like his 'uncle' and Mother handled the cold a bit better. The prince more seemed like a wimp about it than anything else. Izo's grandfather must have been one hardy elf to not only live up here for years, but take over up here.
Yusuke looked him over, kicking away at stones by his feet in his antsiness. "How old are you now?" he asked curiously.
"Sixteen," Izo answered.
"Down South where I grew up, you'd be considered an adult in a year," Yusuke commented. "But at your height, probably mistaken for it. Taller than your mom, jeez and built like a runner."
"Hn," Izo grunted, keeping himself still. Trying not to be annoyed with how much his 'uncle' was moving about. Now he was picking at a stray thread on his glove, making it unravel rather than leaving it alone.
"As chatty as your dad," Yusuke grumbled. "So what do you think will happen with your sister and the prince? He sure trails after her like a lost puppy."
"They'll figure it out," Izo commented. He missed the silence as it would give him time to puzzle over what the message the Great Hawk Spirit sent him in the tent a little while ago...
"Wow, a full sentence out of you," Yusuke joked. "I can't wait to get out of this frozen h- world. Crazy to imagine Yukina growing up here. Can't blame her for leaving. Did you know she comes from the warrioress ice maiden that live on a floating island of ice somewhere in the sky even further north from here? It's got to balmy down here compared to that. She's not much of a fighter though, a soft hearted healer more so. Kuwabara has said she can fight when pressed, like she did when that creepy dude tried to kill your dad in their apartment years ago."
Izo breathed a stealthy sigh of relief when the tent flap opened up. Maeshu had sent another demon, a tall ice demon man with teal bangs and light blue hair out to them to call them back into the tent. Izo went in without hesitating, with his 'uncle' following him in there like an after thought.
Izo stepped forwarded, acting in Sister's place. "Volunteer..." He stood before Maeshu and the rest of the leaders around her.
"Where is your family and the prince?" Maeshu asked him point blank.
"The king and queen are likely up here. We spotted one of their servants and the rest of them, bar Yusuke and I, went with him," Izo explained.
"We were hoping to speak with your sister," Maeshu replied. "And your father."
Izo kept his face blank, although he would have preferred to scowl. He could guess what they would be asking after pretty quickly. "I can speak for them," he answered confidently.
"Right," Maeshu said. "We've decided since your sister and parents have done what they can to right the wrongs done by your grandfather, that we would accept her leadership as is, but with a representative of our choosing. We want your father to stay up here with us. With her being represented up here, it guarantees she will never be so long in helping us again."
Izo barked a short laugh. "That's all?" he asked, smirking.
Maeshu looked serious. "You think this is a joke, boy?"
Izo shook his head. "Your request is impossible. Father will turn your down. He'll refuse to separate from Mother, and Mother would struggle to survive up here. Besides..." he paused.
"Besides what?" Maeshu asked.
"Besides, he's old," Izo finished.
"Dude, kid," Yusuke said from behind him. "Have a little respect."
Izo looked behind him quickly at his 'uncle,' hoping to silence him. Izo turned back to Maeshu and the others. "He's old. Older by years after you last asked for him to represent up here with you. He's gotten slower, weaker, and less wary. Mother is his weakness. You cannot expect to separate them. She would stay up here with him. He would be distracted often by her. Angels handle the cold with trouble, more than humans do. You'll need to chose someone else. Someone younger, stronger, and more independent."
"Who, boy?" Maeshu pressed.
"Me," Izo answered.
"No, kid," Yusuke said behind him. "Your mom would never allow it."
Izo kept speaking, ignoring the interruption. "I'm younger, I'm stronger. I have no wife nor children. I was trained by my father how to fight. I was trained by an elf healer named Asa how to heal. I am Hikari's twin brother, which means you'll still hold sway with her if I represent her. I know how she thinks, how she will act, and what she would want done. I'm your best choice."
A hush went over the room. "You seem confident, boy," Maeshu commented.
"I'm no boy, I tower over my father even," Izo added.
"No way, this isn't happening," Yusuke said behind him. Yusuke stepped up, standing along side Izo. "I'm older than Izo, but younger than Hiei. I've been in more fights, and with some serious badies, than inches this kid has on him. Guys who would have destroyed the world if I had not stood in their way. Chose me instead."
Izo turned, scowling at Yusuke. "What are you doing?"
"Your mother would be pissed if I let you do this," Yusuke responded.
"Your sister needs only one person to represent her, not two," Maeshu commented.
"Yeah, obviously, so chose me, duh," Yusuke urged.
Izo gritted his teeth. "I can handle the cold better than he can, better than my mother can. I was trained how to fight properly rather than learning it in the streets. Besides, he's got a human wife and kid in the capital."
"Hey, your mom learned how to fight in the streets right next to me, even if she sucked at it," Yusuke countered. "Besides, I could still take you with all your daddy's training. Keiko would figure it out anyway."
"Fine," Izo agreed. "We'll fight for it. Winner get to represent my sister in the far North."
"Outside then, you little punk," Yusuke teased, looking more thrilled than anything else in the moment.
Izo strode past his 'uncle,' being the first one out of the tent. Yusuke followed him, as well as the other leaders from the tribes. Izo was glad to see them all. He strode further away from the meeting tent, into an expansive area of flat ground covered with snow. It would do. He turned around and stopped, standing still. He let his arms hand limply at his side, seeing Yusuke study him before he took on his own fighting stance. The tribal leaders surrounded them in a loose, horseshoe formation. Maeshu in the middle, with the ice demon man next to her.
Izo summoned up his ice dragon around his neck, allowing it to dangle around down to his lower arms. He showed off his angelically inherited weapon. He used it to plummet the temperature of the area around them all, striving to drop it lower and lower and lower. He kept his face blank when he would have rather smirked. His 'uncle' could not take that. He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering and puffing out frosty breath. The fight was over before it even began.
Izo retracted the cold at his beck and call. "I don't even have to put a hand on him to win," he stated, looking over at Maeshu.
"Exposing and taking advantage of a weakness is not a victory," Maeshu commented.
Izo grunted, "hn, fine." He watched his 'uncle,' waiting impatiently for him to warm back up.
"Well, that's a dirty trick," Yusuke spat. "Why don't you put that pet dragon away and use your fists," he challenged. "Only your fists."
Izo summoned away the ice dragon, wishing he could show off his potential with it. Perhaps another time... He charged forward, hurling a right hook at his 'uncle.' He nearly managed to catch his uncle in the jaw, but last second, Yusuke blocked him, bringing his own fist into Izo's gut. Izo backed up, trying to catch his breath. He assessed that he would need to move faster to win.
He charged again, throwing fists as quickly as he could, all while blocking fists thrown at him. He prioritized offense instead of defense, even if it seemed to become counterproductive. He charged again and again, trying to overwhelm his 'uncle.' It kept not working. He took a risk. The next charge he made, he used to tackle his 'uncle' to the ground. He tumbled to the ground with him, trying to get himself on top of him.
Unfortunately, his 'uncle' managed to get the upper hand, maneuvering his way into putting Izo in a headlock with both of them in a kneeling position. "Say 'uncle,' and I'll let you go," Yusuke puffed out.
Izo tried to stand, to throw him off, but to no avail. He gritted his teeth. Maeshu was watching. The other tribal leaders were watching. 'Volunteer...' That was what the Great Hawk Spirit had told him to do in his cat nap in the tent earlier. He needed to get up and he needed to win. He needed to-
"What's going on here?" a gruff, deep, and booming voice cut through the area. Izo looked up involuntarily. Yusuke looked up as well, loosening his grip on Izo slightly. It would have been easier to escape this hold, but would be unfair due to the distraction if he did. Izo saw the king, queen, prince, Sister, Father, Mother, and his other 'uncles' coming up to them. "Why are these two fighting?" the king demanded.
"Yusuke, get off of him right now," Mother demanded, stepping into the forefront of the newly arrived group.
"Yeah, you're not going to want me to do that," Yusuke commented.
"Why are they fighting?" the king asked again.
"Because this dumb ass punk decided to volunteer in his dad's place to be his sister's representative up here. So did I. So now we're fighting to see who gets it," Yusuke explained.
The others reacted, but Izo honed in on Mother's reaction. She looked distraught. He did not have to look over at Maeshu to know she had seen it, too. "Let them finish," Maeshu said.
Izo felt Yusuke tighten his grip on him again. "Just give in kid," he cautioned.
Izo felt the temptation to pull out his ice dragon to win, but resisted. He had to win, and with his own fist. He brought his hands up to Yusuke's hand around his neck, trying to loosen his grip. At the same time, he braced himself on his own kneeling legs. He twisted his upper body towards Yusuke, throwing him off balance. Izo pitched himself towards him all while yanking at the arm wrapped around him. It was enough to throw him off. Izo shoved him down to the ground, pulling away and rising up. His 'uncle' laid on the ground, looking gruff. Izo felt confident he had just won.
Then his 'uncle' kicked him hard in the side of his knee, taking him off balance. Izo went down, his knees smarting. His vision redden, he could not lose, would not loose. He grappled with his 'uncle,' tackling him to the ground.
Izo had Yusuke pinned, finally. He had him on his back, on top of him, making sure he was firmly grounded on his knees and lower legs. Izo felt a cold rage come over him, calling on him to punch his face until he was exhausted. He threw a few and then pulled himself back, not allowing himself to do it anymore when he heard Mother gasp in shock.
"Uncle?" Izo asked, half breathless.
He pulled his hands away from Yusuke, and looked at the blood splattered over them. He calmer, and sobered up all of a sudden. He looked over at the others, noticing only Mother in the moment. Her hands were in front of her mouth and she was paler.
"Maybe I'm too old for this," Yusuke groaned, turning his head to the side, and spitting out some blood. He tapped the ground twice.
Izo blinked, looking down at his 'uncle.' His face was bloodied, more than Izo had meant to do. The sight of it made Izo feel suddenly sick that he did that. He bent down, healing him immediately.
Next, he rolled up and off of his 'uncle,' and onto his feet. He reached down and pulled his 'uncle' up onto his feet as well.
His 'uncle' gave him a hardy punch in the shoulder. "If it wasn't so cold up here, I'd have kicked your ass," he said.