Author's Notes: Hello once again for the first time, Audience!
I've always tried to use culture-appropriate names or surnames in any story that I've written (and CM has done so as well for our RP), and as a general rule each name I choose is for a very specific reason, because the name means something specific. I am actually used to using terms like 'Makai' and 'Ningenkai,' but CM was used to the English terms so we went ahead with the English equivalents for that sort of thing (Demon World and Human World in the above examples).
In any case, when a new term/word/name is introduced—and it has a meaning—I will be inserting those at the end of the chapter. Even for familiar ones like 'Kuwabara' of which some people may already know the meaning. I'm starting this at the end of this second chapter as the notes on the first were already pretty long, but here will be included those names that were introduced in the first chapter.
Full names will be in the order "last, first" as that is the typical order you will hear in Japanese. Unless indicated otherwise, any translations I get are typically from jisho dot org, and if the YYH wiki has a different translation I will list that as well.
If I miss any along the way, feel free to point it out!
Symbols Guide:
* : Written by CM; She writes for Akari and Hiei
3 : Written by Star (supposed to be the 'heart' symbol, but FF doesn't like the 'less-than' sign, so it's a 3 instead); She writes for Toriko and Kurama
~!**!~ : A universal transition between scenes or characters, sometimes used to indicate a passage of time, but most often used to transition between major scenes that are happening. As the story progresses, this will evolve into mainly separating the (usually two) scenes happening between authors/characters.
As a general rule, anything in italics is thoughts.
Unless it's used in a sentence like this, which merely indicates emphasis.
"Quotations are usually reserved specifically for telepathic dialogue being transmitted from one being to another, but sometimes this can also mean a character isn't being careful about what they're thinking and anyone with telepathy in the nearby vicinity can listen in without taking any effort."
Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!
Shinobu Sensui has been using Akari for distraction work, and she has her first major encounter with Kurama on an overpass which ends with her escaping onto a passing truck.
Kurama's classmate, Inyoku Toriko, asked the redhead to let her help in the fight against Sensui in whatever way she could.
And now, our favorite gang has come up against Gamemaster in his virtual world made real!
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT? Read on to find out!
Kurama pulled the conversation back to the matter at hand, "Nevermind him, we need to develop a strategy. Now, who among us has played Goblin City?"
Yusuke, Kaito, and Mitarai all spoke up and Toriko chimed in after with, "I-I play."
For the first time since joining their group, Toriko felt that she might be able to contribute something to their cause. When it came right down to it, her presence had felt to her more a burden than a boon, despite Genkai's constant reminders to everyone that they could use all the help they could get.
"Great! That already makes five of us, including myself."
"Make that six." Genkai corrected.
"What, Hiei, no time for video games?" Yusuke teased the only member of their group that had not spoken up.
"Hn." Hiei turned and began walking away from the group across to the side with the screen, where he hoped things would be quieter, calling out as he went, "I know as much of games as I do of hugs and puppies and care for them even less." He sat down with his back against the wall several meters to the left of the screen, "Wake me for the end of the world."
"Alright. Who has actually beaten the game?"
Mitarai did not speak up and Yusuke admitted to being stumped somewhere in the middle. Toriko hesitated, but once Genkai indicated her two successes, answered as well, "I only win about half the time."
Kaito quickly spoke of his seventy-six percent success rate, which Kurama echoed.
"I imagine we each have our game of specialty, so let us see where the dice fall." Kurama and the rest turned to watched the spinning slot-machine.
"Sports. Tennis. Level ten. Which one of you is up for a round of tennis?" The Gamemaster smirked across the room at the little group of would-be players.
Toriko's heart leapt into her throat. This was her game!
"May I?" She asked quietly.
"Level ten is the highest difficulty for this section. Are you sure, Toriko?" Kurama did not want the girl to feel obligated if she was not sure. He had never seen her pick up a tennis ball, much less play any video games. She tended to avoid that sort of thing at school. Perhaps her spare time was spent mastering the sports section of Goblin City. He didn't actually know.
Toriko nodded, pushing her glasses farther up her nose, and Kurama did not stop her when she moved towards the playing area, sensing the determination in her steps and remembering her words to him in front of her house. He knew she needed to feel useful and he silently rooted for his small friend.
"Oh? The little girl has decided to come play?" The Gamemaster sneered, "I figured you spent your time playing with dollies and makeup."
Toriko stepped up to the controls, ignoring his snide remarks. She regarded the Sports Goblin with a bit of surprise when the A.I. extended a hand for her to take in good form.
"Single player! Best of Five! Whoever wins three sets first wins the match!"
Toriko's eyes widened when the tennis court became real before her very eyes, the joystick in her hands morphing into a tennis racket and the controls disappearing.
"What the hell?" Yusuke exclaimed, "What's going on?"
Toriko blocked out the voices that began chattering behind her about the full immersion of the game, gripping the racket tighter and bending her knees as the Sports Goblin appeared on the other side of the court and served.
"I hope she knows what she's doing." Kurama clenched his teeth, still unsure of Toriko's athletic abilities.
The ball passed back and forth between the pair of competitors until the Sports Goblin was forced to send a lob over the net. Toriko's eyes flashed and she ran forward, jumping up and grunting as she sent a spike whirling back over to the other side of the court, neatly landing it in bounds two meters out of the Sport Goblin's reach.
She alighted lightly back onto the court, pushing her falling glasses back up her nose.
"And the first point goes to the challenger." Gamemaster almost sounded impressed, "The score is fifteen-love."
Toriko looked up to see the tiny human sitting in his robes at the referee's seat.
"Too bad you look terrible in those glasses. They do nothing to help out your plain appearance!"
As Toriko frowned at him, she heard the Sports Goblin serve again, Gamemaster's distraction forcing her to scramble for the far corner of the court, barely managing to keep the ball in play. As she and the Sports Goblin continued returning back and forth, the Gamemaster kept talking.
"You must be practically blind without them, look at how thick they are! I can't believe you don't just wear contacts. You really must have no idea how ugly you look while wearing them."
His taunting continued, and as he railed on her appearance during the set, Yusuke protested angrily at Gamemaster's distractive talking while Kaito informed him that this behavior was normal for the character.
"Six to One. First set, Toriko."
The serve changed to Toriko, and the Gamemaster's hateful badgering continued.
"Your eyes must be something disgusting to look at if you keep them hiding behind those awful things."
The second set proved much harder, as Toriko expected, and she would have been loathe to admit it, but the Gamemaster's running commentary was steadily prickling under her skin, even as she dove back and forth across the court to make saving plays. Despite her efforts, the second set went to the Sports Goblin, but she pulled out the third by two points.
At the beginning of the fourth set, Toriko stood breathing heavily as she held the ball for the first serve, feeling the sweat across her body leaving a slick sheen that glistened over her skin. She took little notice of the tingling sensation that started at the top of her head and spread down to her very toes, but her hair had begun to come loose from her tight bun, bits of it plastered to her neck and forehead, and she did notice that.
Toriko reached up with the back of the hand that held the ball and moved her wet bangs off of her face, feeling a drop of sweat falling down from her hairline over her glasses. She didn't have time to wipe them off and threw the ball into the air for the serve, making contact in the middle of her racket with as much strength as she could muster, sending it whistling across the court to the other side of the net where the Sport Goblin returned her hit and they started to battle once more.3
Hiei sat on the side, ankles crossed and arms resting across his chest lazily. His eyes were closed, being bored by the games that he knew absolutely nothing about. He was on the verge of sleep, or at least he made it seem so, but his senses were slowly relaying information to him. He listened to his surroundings and let his ears tell him where everyone was. Everything was as he figured it would be, until his nose began tingling. He twitched his nose just a bit and adjusted the way he sat only slightly.
After a few moments, he grew just a tad irritated with the odd sensation in his nose, and he took a moment to register the scent that was catching him so off guard. It was a rather sweet smell, unlike most scents he experienced in this world. His eyes slid open, taking a swift look around the room to find the source. At first, he felt rather calm, nothing more than curious.
However, as the smell strengthened just a bit more over the minutes, his eyes found Toriko. His crimson irises found the glistening beads of sweat on her skin and the strands of hair that were falling from the bun she had so neatly in place. He found himself watching her every move, every twitch of her muscles, as if it were something rather interesting and he would gain something from watching her play this ridiculous game. Even as her hand ran across her forehead, his eyes followed the motion. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to watch her motions, all he knew was that he was curious, and his eyes naturally followed her movements. Almost as if… he were in a trance. *
At the last point of the set, Toriko leapt across the court to try and catch a devastating spike that the Sport Goblin sent careening at the corner opposite her position. Just as she reached out with her racket stretched to its farthest, the beads of sweat that had caught at the top of the frames of her glasses streaked down over the front, costing her vision on the ball and also the point, putting Sport Goblin two ahead of her and losing her the set.
"Oh, too bad you don't have perfect vision. I hope it doesn't end up costing you the game." Gamemaster smiled a smug little grin from his post.
Toriko's rage had been building at a slow simmer with each deprecating comment the Gamemaster aimed at her, and at his last words that rage boiled up and out of her system. She ripped the glasses from her face and tossed them to her left, the sound of the frames scraping and against the ground as they clattered out of the game court she stood in and into the room beyond. She made no indication as to whether she felt concerned about the well-being of the thick lenses, though the pair was hardy and took no damage.
Toriko glared across the court at the A.I. that flashed his pearly whites in her direction as he bounced the tennis ball onto the floor several times. A portion of her hair fell over her eyes as she scowled. Her rage still at the forefront of her emotions, she ripped the ponytail holder that held her hair in place at the back of her head with as much force as she did to her glasses, causing the many bobby-pins she meticulously placed in the back of her hair every morning to pop out and fall to the floor with several tiny plops of sound. Her eyes never leaving the Sport Goblin, she tossed the elastic band aside towards her glasses, landing it neatly between the temples of the frames. She swept her foot behind her in such a way that all the bobby pins she lost skittered across the floor to join them. Her black hair now in a bit of a fuzzy disarray around her head, she pulled one set of fingers up her forehead to push it out of her face, the sweat around her hairline wet enough to keep it there.
Her entire body twinged and prickled and she felt a glimmer cascade over her eyes and settle there, shimmering across the surface of them.
The Sport Goblin still bounced his ball steadily, but a movement she did not expect coming from her left made her twitch and seek out the source with her green eyes almost fizzling about her in head as she did so. She caught Hiei's gaze outside of the playing area and held his crimson stare for a moment before releasing it to turn back to the game when her opponent made his serve.3
Hiei watched the girl from his spot on the floor, every muscle movement being registered in his brain and taken in, noted as if important. An odd feeling swept over him for the briefest of moments before being buried by curiosity. He looked away for a mere moment before the enticing smell brought his eyes back to the girl, watching as she missed the ball. Her breathing was berated, her heart rate erratic. Sweat continued to fall down the lines of her face.
And then he noticed her irritation reaching its peak, her muscles tightening and a scowl triumphing, taking over her features much more noticeably. He raised a brow, momentarily amused by the fact that she seemed so sensitive by a simple child's ramblings. However, a distraction was provided. She flung her glasses aside, momentarily making his eyes follow the lenses, unsure of how he thought of that. His thoughts centered around the doubt that she would be able to see without them. He turned back to watch the girl again, and found his eyes following the flow of her damp hair. The light that seemed to emanate from the sky he knew wasn't real shined on her locks, captivating his attention.
And then, their eyes met. Curiosity peaked, and he raised a calm brow. A sneer formed for a mere moment before she turned away, and he adjusted his sitting position again so he was once again leaning against the wall; when had he leaned away from it? He stretched his arms over his head and laced his fingers behind his cranium, letting them support his skull. His body stretched out just a tad, and he found himself content to see how this ruled out. After all, this was a good time to see how Kurama's friend shaped out. *
With her glasses off and all other distractions removed, Toriko had no problem giving in to the buzz in which her body was submerged at that point. Her eyes flashed at every serve the Sport Goblin threw at her, her smile becoming wickedly sweet in the midst of the action and her fairly plain features taking on a more wicked, alluring aura. She could feel the absolute pleasure of the game down to her very pores, and just for the fun of it, kept the score neck and neck for several rounds, finally pulling ahead by two and sealing her victory.
"Game, set, match, winner! Toriko!" The announcer declared.
Toriko stood in the center of the court, her smile vicious while she watched the Sport Goblin phase out. She threw her racket towards the net and it disappeared along with the tennis court, pulling her back into reality, the console she started the game at appearing a couple of meters behind her.
She turned to Gamemaster, eyes narrowing, "You would do wise not to taunt a woman on her looks next time, boy." Her voice was low and full, almost sultry even in her anger.
The Gamemaster seemed nonchalant at her threat, waving her away and refusing to make eye contact with the winner as he jumped down to prepare for the next game.
Kurama regarded Toriko in a new light at that moment, wondering where she had played tennis with that much prowess before now as the rest of the group collectively provided the appropriate praise for her victory.
The others he stood with were not close enough to notice the change that he saw had come over her when she turned to walk towards her glasses, but in all the time that he had known her, he had not seen her without them and the strangeness of the sight overtook him. The features of her profile seemed more angular and sharp in the moment he caught them before her hair fell down to shadow her face when she bent over to gather her discards, and he glanced around at everyone nearby, worried that perhaps she had lost control of her powers and concerned at the scenario that might take place.
As Toriko made her way over to her glasses, the adrenaline pumping in her veins and the tingling sensation that prickled her skin faded, making her head pound. She squeezed her eyes shut as she leaned over to gather up the small pile she made, making for certain that she did not look in any other direction than the wall she made for after getting her things.
She settled down with her back against the wall, sat criss-cross, and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her free hand, putting everything else down next to her to tend to cleaning her glasses with the bottom edge of her shirt. Putting the glasses back over her eyes, she quickly began gathering her hair together and pinning it back into place, unsure how it had gotten down at all as the last set of the match was fuzzy in her mind, but a very sudden sense of fear hurrying her attempts to smooth it down and restore it to its normal tight bun.3
Hiei watched the game intently, crimson eyes tracking the movements of Toriko. He found himself impressed by the change, amused by the anger she displayed, and the transition that that anger had created, from quietly trying to keep up to simply drawing out the game, playing along as she pleased. It amused the fire demon to what felt like no end, and he couldn't quite help the raised brow of approval in her direction, whether she saw it or not. It was so easy to see that she had this in her favor now, just as she wanted it to be. Her confidence was higher, her movements smoother and her expression more determined. Her reactions to the Gamemaster were priceless to him, and it seemed to fuel her energy even more, fuel her need to show him who the real game master was in that match.
So, when the game ended with the desired outcome for everyone on the Urameshi team, as the group liked to call themselves, he wasn't surprised. In fact, he was rather impressed, though to the point of him letting his eyes slide shut for a mere moment. He acknowledged her effort, replaying a few points in his own mind's eye before they slid open, again finding the girl who seemed to have caught his full attention with her display. He followed her slow movements, eyeing her as she retrieved the objects that she had merely discarded moments ago. He couldn't quite understand the need she seemed to feel to have them with her, but he did find it amusing and curious. Even as she separated herself from the group, he found amusement in her actions.
He stayed where he was for a moment, contemplating the past few minutes until a thought seemingly popped into his head, and he was moving, as if on impulse. He gave a small sound that resembled a scoff, but a calmer sound, and pushed away from the wall. He ignored the team deciding who would go next, the Game Master spinning the machine to reveal the next game. He had his eyes set on one person, and he moved. His feet carried him across the room until he stood over Toriko, eyeing her for a moment. Then, he scoffed and shut his eyes, opening his mouth for his comment, "So you aren't as useless as you make yourself out to be." He paused after saying those words and eyed her once more before deciding. He shifted, pressing his back against the wall until, after a moment, he simply slid to the floor, though in a way that didn't appear he did as such. He stretched his legs out before himself and crossed his arms over his chest, eyes closed. "You might be of use after all," he commented sarcastically, though his tone was quiet and not at all lethal. *
Toriko nearly jumped out of her skin when the spiky-haired demon drew her from the introspective re-assemblage of her hairdo. She had not even noticed him draw close, her mind so involved in completing her task as quickly as possible for reasons that she did not fully understand.
The former buzzing of her body and the heady feeling that had accompanied it were nearly gone now, and as a result he felt very close. In fact, as he slid to the floor, his leg brushed hers and she again almost flinched in fright. She opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to swallow the lump in her throat to give him some sort of response.
"Th-thank you." She finally managed to blurt, stammering and staring at the floor in front of her, head still slightly bent as she worked on her hair.
The demon next to her, 'Hiei' as she recalled, had been a source of fascination for her ever since she first heard about him from Kurama many years ago, though up to this point she never laid eyes on him.
She often found herself examining him from a distance when she felt sure he was not looking ever since he had joined up with the group-he'd never so much as acknowledged her presence until this very minute-and she did so again now, drinking in his dark hair with white marking across the front and the angular curve of his jaw. Physically she found herself very attracted to him, though she personally felt plain sitting there next to him, and she still somehow managed to be strangely excited by his closeness and the mere fact that he spoke to her even through the awkwardness of her feelings.
Toriko shook her head slightly in an attempt to clear her thoughts, looking back down at the floor, "What am I? Some teenaged school girl?"
~!**!~
As the battle with Gamemaster came to a close, Genkai ordered their previous plan to be resumed, that being Mitarai, Hiei, Kurama, and Yusuke forging ahead as the first strike team.
Kaito picked up the limp body of Amanuma and began to follow Genkai back out of the cave. When the old lady turned back to motion to Toriko, the demon shook her head and followed the others.
The abrupt change in Kurama's demeanor troubled her core, and she felt the need to remain nearby, though she hadn't the faintest idea why.
When they walked through the cave system towards their final destination, Toriko listened eagerly as Hiei and Yusuke exchanged words on Kurama's mental condition, watching the red-head walking in front of them with ever-increasing worry.3
~!**!~
Akari sat on the arm of Sensui's chair, eyeing the screen with bored eyes. It was a war movie, not the normal video he showed them. The Chapter Black tape was one she had enjoyed watching; it had given her enough fuel to continue going through with this, even when she had her doubts here and there. It gave her the rage, the resolve she needed to continue striving forward without looking back, without questioning the man who had saved her life so many years ago. However, now, she was merely sitting, waiting. There was no more running around to do. She was stuck here, waiting to become of actual use, to be allowed to do what she wanted while at the same time doing what he needed her to do.
The sound of footsteps echoed into the cavern from the mouth of the cave and slowly Akari shifted to eye the team that had shown themselves, quiet and determined. Kuwabara tried yelling over the cloth that bound his mouth to the rag-tag team, but his voice was muffled, restrained.
"Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted once his eyes alighted on the boy, earning much enthusiasm from the spectators on the other side of the tunnel. Demons grumbled and growled and reached, trying to make a grab for the captured human boy.
"Get me off this boat!" Kuwabara managed to enunciate around his cloth gag.
Akari didn't react to the team, not even when Hiei began explaining the level of danger that this tunnel would give. He went on to say that the mere stench could kill a human, which made Akari raise a brow; if the detective had thought this would be easy, he was much dimmer than she had originally thought.
Even as Sensui spoke up to Yusuke, she didn't react with anything more than a glance at the people. She watched the entire exchange, from Sensui reporting that they had half an hour to stop him, to stop the demons reaching through the tunnel in an attempt to grasp Kuwabara. And her eyes followed the man as he slowly stood, moving to face the group.
The instant Sensui brought up Game Master's death, her body tensed and her eyes dropped to the floor, her mind racing. Aminuma hadn't had a clue, just as she had thought. He was just a kid.
She became lost in thought for a minute, until movement caught the demoness's attention and brought her eyes up again.
Akari watched as Gourmet stepped forward, smiling in a calm manner as he took to facing the gang. She frowned slightly, remembering what Sensui had informed her of. While she didn't care for her teammates too much, she didn't like this side of Sensui he so openly displayed. He was no longer pretending to be the good guy, throwing his team into situations that lead to their deaths.
"It's your choice. If you refuse, I'll deflect any other attack you throw by using Kuwabara as a human shield."
Instinctively, Akari stood and joined Itsuki, Sensui, and Gourmet. She stood closest to the yamanate, waiting for the answer of the team. Silence ensued for a few moments before Gourmet stepped forward, smiling gleefully as if he knew he would win.
However, before she knew it, she found herself eyeing Kurama, who had stepped forward. His gaze was hard, steely, as he stood before Gourmet, a single rose in his hand.
Time stilled as the entire cave silenced.
And then the fox demon moved. His arm lashed out in a blurred flurry, and then the air was filled with the smell of blood. Human blood, and the smell of the elder Toguro underneath. Her nose wrinkled at the stench, not surprised when Kurama called out to the only living Toguro.
Akari turned her eyes to Sensui. He was smiling, glad that this had turned out just as he had wanted.
Toguro laughed, though Akari wasn't sure what he was laughing at. His maniacal voice made her ears ring, and she found herself pulling her gaze up to watch the exchange. "The poor fool didn't even know what hit him! I was the one controlling him!" His laugh echoed some more, ringing for a while. Then, he suddenly stopped. "I will console you a bit though. Your friend didn't suffer the pain of being consumed. No, he was already dead, in the hospital! Our little Ace over there did just as she pleased, killing the person who would have revealed her dirty little secret, and she would have had to fight Yusuke! But the poor girl was afraid, and killed the only person who knew of her thoughts, her whereabouts, and then ran away!"
Akari growled, the skin on her head crawling with anger. "Telling tales will get you nowhere, Toguro," she called to him, earning another laugh.
"Even now, she's afraid, but I bet you can't see it, can you?" He laughed again, his mouth as wide as it could go. He opened his mouth to say more, but to her surprise, Kurama spoke up, cutting him off.
"That is enough." The redhead's voice was so laced with anger, with determination, with hate, that even Akari found herself silencing, waiting to see what he would do next. The redhead moved, circling like a fox enclosing in on its prey. "You've survived for far too long." Kurama took two more concise steps, his eyes darkening from where Akari could see them. "And now it ends."
Toguro laughed, taunting Kurama. "Then finish me!" he yelled, his laughter following suit like always. Akari's skin crawled and she found herself rubbing her scalp, her fingertips brushing across lumps of scarred flesh where her demonic canine ears used to be.
She had yelled that very same thing to Sakiyo before he had ordered the removal of all demonic traits that were visible to the naked eye. Before she'd lost her ears, her tail, her whiskers. Before she'd been tossed into-
No.
Even as Toguro continued babbling, Akari found herself shrinking away, old memories surfacing and threatening to overwhelm her in the moment. The atmosphere was filled with the very same murderous intent, though it was quiet, that had been shown towards her back then.
For a while, she kept her head down and her eyes hidden behind her bangs, pushing at the very memories she had been throwing away for ten years. And after a while, boiling anger roiled through her, replacing the fear and doubt she had been feeling moments ago. She would not befall to this atmosphere again.
When she lifted her head again, her eyes were darkened, hardened with emotions she no longer bothered to hide. She watched the smoke that swirled around and around, preventing her from watching any of the remaining battle between Kurama and Toguro. She watched intently anyways, waiting for any sign that Kurama was either taken out, or Toguro being thrown around. She didn't trust her ears this time; she knew better than that.
As suspected, Kurama stepped from the smoke, alive and unharmed. She resisted the urge to make a comment, but instead she moved to stand alongside Sensui, to distract the team if they glanced this way. "Akari," Sensui called under his breath for her attention, looking at her from the corner of his eyes. She turned to him, inspecting the look on his face. She knew what he meant.
Next, it was her turn. *
Once Kurama exacted a bit of revenge upon the Older Toguro, Toriko felt his aura calm down and she sighed to herself in relief, quietly moving away from the group as they continued their exchange with Sensui to go perch on a small outcropping of rock that jutted out from the wall to their right, feeling useless and out of place. She pulled one knee up with her hands and rested her chin on the top of it, staring across the water at the large, black hole suspended in the air over a boat.
An empty boat.
A boat she up until that moment had thought held Kuwabara.
A sudden shadow cast itself over her eyes and she looked up, a small gasp of surprise escaping her lips. All she could do was stare at the tied-up red-head as he completed his perfect arc across the water by slamming into her face.
She managed to turn her head enough to the side before he collided with her that when he hit, her glasses went flying off farther to the right and skittered across the ground. Their bodies tangled together and kept going, colliding with the large boulder behind them and breaking it into pieces from the force of their collision, leaving Kuwabara and Toriko mixed up amidst the broken pieces of rock.
"Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted.
"Toriko!" Kurama cried out as well.
The entire group ran to the right, Hiei speeding past the pair in the wreckage to pick something up off the ground, and getting back to Toriko before the others even made it over, a shiny something in his hand.
Toriko groaned, dazed, a large rock jutting uncomfortably into her spine and bits of debris littering the rest of her body. She put a hand up to her head and suddenly realized her glasses were no longer on her face. She started scrambling to get up and managed to a seated position and stare at the ground looking for her glasses just as she felt another shadow falling across her.
"Here." A voice said, two black boots appearing in front of her.
Tentatively, Toriko started to raise her eyes slowly until she saw a hand holding out her glasses. She snatched them away and shoved them on her face.
"Move out of the way next time." The voice sounded irritated, but the hand that previously held her glasses extended with the intent to help her stand.
She took it and found herself easily lifted to her feet just as Kurama ran up, Yusuke going past to check on Kuwabara.
"Are you alright?" Kurama wanted to know.
Toriko nodded, lowering her head a bit and recognizing Hiei as the one who retrieved her glasses and helped her get up.
Kurama nodded and moved over to Kuwabara, "What happened?"
"Th-thank you." Toriko made a small bow at Hiei.
"Hn." He intoned. "Don't mention it." With that, he turned away to Kuwabara as well.
Toriko started to dust herself off and joined the others as Kuwabara tried to explain how he'd gotten launched out of the boat.3
Akari took that moment when the enemy was busy to turn and inspect Kurama's work. The sinning tree, huh? she thought, eyeing the plant wearily. Part of her found herself glad that she had gotten away earlier that day, using the life of a human child as bait so she wouldn't become victim of the whip that seemed so favored. However, it seems that the whip would have been much more merciful than that tree. She was not looking forward to this, if it went as she wanted it to.
It was then that she realized: If/when I beat Yusuke, I'll be tired, and the next opponent will be dished out. Or, Kuwabara will break through, using that power of his, and then it would be me versus four.
Her eyes trailed back to the team that were obviously unsuspecting of the creature that was now moving beneath them, practically a shadow. If Yusuke dies, then I will have to continue fighting. I will, sooner or later, have to fight Kurama, whom, without full strength I will not be able to win against.
Her breath hitched just as the Uraotoko opened his mouth underneath the grouped together team near Kuwabara, swallowing each and every member. As the dimensional beast moved so he was on the far wall of the cavern, he spit out the detective, who landed in the water of the lake.
I'll just have to be careful then.
As the boy emerged, sputtering and coughing up water, Akari found her fingers twitched with anticipation and her mind raced; she'd have to fight him hand to hand and save her energy for the rest. She would have to be conservative, and very careful about her own steps.
That was it, she decided. She would fight Yusuke without using any of her spiritual energy, and then she would do the same, if possible, with the next fighter, until she absolutely had to use her energy.
Surely I won't have to fight them all… will I?
As Yusuke stood across from her, wiping the water from his face, she moved. She stepped towards him, her expression blank and unreadable. "Yusuke, it's a pleasure." Her tone was light and airy. Pleasant even. Her lips turned to a smile that was easygoing, but her eyes turned hard and steely. "I've been waiting for a chance to test your strength. And your luck. From what I've heard, you're a rather interesting character. Dullard, yet smart. Robust, yet impulsive. Good, yet rebellious. I've been curious about those rumors, Yusuke Urameshi. Care to satisfy my curiosity?"
"That is way too many big words, pal." Yusuke replied, eyeing her in an almost bored fashion. His shirt and jeans were dripping with water, shoes squishing with the liquid.
Akari sneered. "You need to brush up on your vocabulary. Here, let me put it simply: You're a fool. A Dunce. Yet, you have power. No tactic, but plenty of energy."
"You're being really nice, asking permission to fight."
Akari threw her head back and laughed, hiding the turmoil of emotions that began to trickle into her consciousness. "Asking? Hardly." And then, she moved.
Akari, using the speed that was natural to her, dashed forward and right into the detective's face to get up close and into his personal space. She swung, and with the doe-eyed expression lingering on his face, Yusuke dodged. She continued to swing at him, landing punches here and there until he landed on his backside, looking up at her as she stood over him. "This is supposed to be my challenge?" *
Yusuke regarded the girl with an amused expression as he stood up and dusted off his blue-jeans, "Well, I don't mean to be a prick, but I don't fight with girls." He stood up straight and put his hands on his hips, "Now, if you'd be so kind as to move out of the way, I've got a bone to pick with your boss-man over there."
When Yusuke tried to walk past, Akari came at him again, and again he dodged.
"Look, it's nothing personal!" Yusuke tried to explain as she kept trying to hit him and he continued dodging, "You're a chick! I won't hit a girl, demon or no! Kuwabara would kill me!"3
Akari stood with her feet planted, never moving from in front of Yusuke. Her face changed from slightly pleasant and taunting to an expression of irritation. She hated when men said things like that; even demon men said this, and she'd heard it her entire life. It's always either "I won't fight a girl," or "you're too fragile/weak, and not worth my time".
Her mouth continued to have the corners pull down, her eyes watching the detective who seemed unphased by her reaction. "I'm not sorry to say, Yusuke, but I'm not moving aside." For once, she didn't snap at someone for their words. Actually, she felt... calm. "You have to deal with my annoying presence until I'm laying on the ground and unable to fight." As soon as she finished with the words, she flexed her muscles a bit and charged again, swinging at his face, kicking at his gut, trying everything in her power to make him understand that she was not moving aside. *
Yusuke grunted as he blocked each hit, looking for an opening and leaping back away from her after her first few attacks. He called out over the girl's shoulder to Sensui.
"Call your girl offa me, yah coward! You're sending her to do your dirty work and I'm not going to satisfy your perverse desire to see me smack some random chick around! Fight me like a man!" Yusuke made a frustrated noise and tried to run past the girl in front of him to get to Sensui, "What did you do with my friends?!"3
Akari felt irritation, disdain, and impatience all at once. She didn't understand why the detective felt as if fighting her was unpleasant, as though it was at some sort of personal level. Her eyebrows twitched, both in irritation and confusion.
She didn't like the feel of Sensui's eyes on her, boring into her back. Though he didn't speak or call out to her, she could sense the impatient air around him. She growled, clenched her teeth, and took a step away from Yusuke as he called to Sensui.
She didn't have a choice. He wasn't taking her seriously, by any means.
"I forgot to ask, detective," she began, her tone curious. "How's that girl of yours?" Her expression twisted, turning into the same sickly smile she had shown to Kurama when she had first stepped in his way at the bridge. "She's quite a naive girl, you know. She completely ignored a demonic threat earlier today… Care to know how that went?" Her eyes became alighted with mischief, her teeth becoming shown through her lopsided grin. "She has a lovely voice." She may not have a choice, but this was the last resort she had until she had to use her energy. She only hoped the taunting would be enough.
...Otherwise she'd be out of ideas. *
At the mention of Keiko, Yusuke's eyes snapped right back to the girl and regarded her in a darker light.
"If you've done something to Keiko, I will end you, girl or not." He narrowed his eyes, his voice low and dangerous.3
Akari felt an immense amount of satisfaction at the response she received, the detective finally seeming to give her a sufficient amount of attention and seeming much more likely to fight. She waited before answering, for a moment regarding the echoing words of Kurama in her head from earlier that day.
"...it would not bode well for you to involve any others in our exchange," he had said.
Her mind considered the thought for a moment, wondering just how careful she should tread. Gauging Yusuke's hardened, darkened irises, she knew that she was treading very thin ice. She could feel the truth behind his words, but she knew what had to be done. Her expression became clear of all emotions, showing she took his words seriously, but had no intention of backing down.
Because he had to go down, so she could move on to…
Kurama or Hiei.
Yeah, that sounds right.
...Except it made her pause for a second.
No, actually. That doesn't sound like a good idea and..
She cleared her mind all at once with a wave of her hand.
"How touching, the detective is protective of a single female. Too bad it took me bringing up her situation for you to listen to me…" Her eyes watched him carefully, her mouth lightly pursing her lips together. If she could help it, only her words would get his attention, just in case.
But in her soul, she knew that it would not be the case. He wouldn't strike unless he had proof of harm. While her skin absolutely crawled at the thought, she found adrenaline beginning to course through her veins, almost in warning and preparation of the next moments. "Are you sure you wish to know, detective?" *
"If you've so much as TOUCHED Keiko with those slimy hands of yours, I'm gonna hafta kick your ass!" Yusuke yelled at her, his fists tightening at his sides.3
Akari took in the changes that came over the boy before her, her expression mildly calm and slightly amused, as if he had just told an older joke that had lost its touch. As she had suspected, he didn't strike on mere words. So, she sighed. "I guess you leave me no choice." Her eyes glazed over, taking on an odd sheen of light, just as his would, as she immersed him and herself in the illusion.
Much like Gamemaster's territory, everything around them seemed real, though only she and Yusuke would see. The first image she conjured was her memory of the moment on the bridge, starting where Keiko, as he had called her, ran in from the crowd. She let him witness the blood-curdling scream of the girl, though instead of her merely clutching her head, she was portrayed to fall on the ground, to her knees, crying, screaming for Yusuke. Of course, she allowed Yusuke to hear Kurama's comment, but as soon as the redhead was done talking, Akari let the image fade, bringing them into a new room.
The walls were darkened with shadows, their color unsure in the iffy lighting. Across from her and on the wall to the right of the detective hung a female, her wrists bound by the chains that kept her a foot from the ground, her toes just missing the dirt below her. Her bowed face was filthy, covered with dirt and grime, and smudges of dried blood, accompanied and finished off by dried rivers where her tears had fallen over what must have been hours ago. "Yusuke," the girl whispered, her voice weak and pleading.
"Isn't she marvelous," Akari taunted, her expression now deadly and dark as she moved to the girl, standing beside the hanging victim. Her hand pulled lightly on the torn and tattered dress the girl wore, bringing the detective's attention to the lacerations that covered the girl's once smooth skin. Dried blood caked the front of her torso, the scarlet substance still oozing from the numerous wounds down the girl's arm, across her collarbone, along her stomach, and various other places. The demon lightly trailed a finger over the sleeping girl's face, shocking her into snapping her head up. Her normally vividly cheerful, soft eyes were wide with terror, her face much too pale to be healthy. Akari smiled wickedly as the girl's eyes shifted from her to the detective, causing the pupils to overcome the irises entirely. "Y-Yusuke! Run!"
Akari sneered, not even looking at the detective as her hand flexed, forming the shadow of a blade, another one of her talents, and she lightly touched the girl's cheek with it. The girl shivered before she shut her eyes. "Sorry doll," Akari said, her expression no longer amused, only dark and dangerous as she plunged the blade into the girl's side. The walls shook from the force of the scream, of the agony that Akary could taste in the false air. The shadow weapon dissipated in the girl's wound, leaving it open to bleed out some more as Akari conjured another, taking a moment to toy with the blade in her hands before she pointed it to the girl again, contemplating the next strike. How long until he reacts…? *
"You BITCH!" Yusuke closed the distance between them with impossible speed before she could get any further, yelling incoherently as he pulled his fist back and drove it solidly into the side of the demon-torturer's face.
The force of his blow lifted her off her feet and sent her scattering backwards across the dirt floor of the cavern.
The world around Yusuke blinked for a moment and he suddenly found that Keiko was no where to be seen, and he was with Sensui, Itsuki, and the fallen demon back in the depths of the Demon's Door Cave. This change of venue did not seem to phase him as he only had eyes for the one who tortured his best friend, and the time or place in which he beat the demon into the ground did not matter.
He shot across the room as she continued sliding and bouncing farther away from his hit, making it to her in record time and popping her into the air with an uppercut to her stomach as one of her turns allowed.3
Akari had no time to react other than turning her head towards the detective, only having time to catch the murderous intent in his gaze before he struck The blow rocked her to the very soul as her energy snapped away from the boy, making the illusion dissipate in a matter of milliseconds. In the blink of an eye, her control had been ripped from her, and with it came the realization and fear.
She tried to land on her feet, but her scattered thoughts and slightly blurred vision left her unable to do much aside from avoiding landing dangerously, avoiding a broken bone or two. She watched her spinning surroundings in disbelief, her mind blank with shock.
No one… has been able to break my illusions… she thought, stunned to the point of being unable to move or think properly. Yet, the matter didn't phase Yusuke, she found out. He was striking her again in a flash, his fist connecting dangerously with her abdomen, causing her to taste the coppery liquid she spat up as her body rocketed upwards with the momentum. This isn't right… How could he have done something like break an illusion?! It's unheard of!
Her thoughts were suddenly a million miles an hour as her body twisted in the air and she attempted another landing on the ground, this time only managing to land on her knees with an arm covering her pained abdomen. She attempted to stand and move away again, but she found herself unable to think, unable to create movement with her body.
Sensui knew, her conscious whispered to her, causing her eyes to widen. Ice cold fear trickled through her body, paling her face and causing her to shake even slightly. He planned for this. That's why he wanted me on the bridge, to meet the girl…
As her brain wrapped around the concept, she found herself only watching Yusuke as he charged again, unable to move, his motions as if in slow motion as her mind raced again. Sensui would never have killed you himself, but the Spirit Detective kills demons for a living. He is leaving your blood for Yusuke's hands.
As her conscious began to whisper the truth to her numb mind, she felt desperation swell in her chest and she moved, her feet wobbly as she stood, not moving more than a few inches from where she had landed.
Whether it be out of shock or simple madness from the prospect that she had underestimated Sensui, Akari found her lips tilting up at one of the corners as Yusuke reached her again.
I was only ever a pawn… He counted on me to do this, and he's counting on Yusuke to win, just as I had when Yusuke fought Doctor.
I… I'm going to die here. *
Yusuke dashed forward after Akari, seeing red, his vision tunneled in at the demon girl and ignoring anything around him. His fists flew as he yelled and pummeled her harder than anyone he had ever fought before, and the girl wasn't even responding, wasn't even able to defend herself, the sight of Keiko maddening him beyond all reason.
Sensui and Itsuki merely watched as the boy beat Akari to death, their eyes unchanging as the events unfurled before them.
Finally, after Akari's eyes began to grow deadened to the world, the blood on her face starting to dry, Itsuki waved a hand and reached into a portal, pulling a very surprised Keiko through and into the cavern with them.
"Yusuke!" She shouted, suddenly very nervous about how close she stood to the two tall strangers. She took a step forward, and then another, and when they didn't stop her she ran for Yusuke.
At his name, and a familiar voice calling it, Yusuke's punches slowed and then ceased. Keiko dropped to her knees beside where Yusuke had straddled Akari and he fell over off of her into Keiko's arms, his eyes wide and glassy.
"K-Keiko?"
"Yusuke."
"Keiko, what…?"
"Shh, it's okay now. I'm here."
Yusuke allowed himself to be held by her warm embrace, his entire body limp with the shock of seeing her intact and well.
"What a touching reunion." Sensui commented.
Remembering the other two in the room with them, Yusuke stood, his mind clear, bringing Keiko up to stand with him.
Sensui nodded to Itsuki and the yamanate side-stepped into another portal, reappearing silently behind Yusuke, extricating Keiko from his grasp, and just as quickly disappearing again.
Yusuke didn't even have a chance to react except by yelling into the room, "What the- GET BACK HERE YOU CREEP! WHERE'D YOU TAKE KEIKO?"
"She'll be safe. Itsuki will take good care of her, just as he's taking good care of the rest of your friends. I don't want you to have any distractions during our little skirmish." The former Spirit Detective walked over to where the body of Akari laid on the ground and kicked it out of the way so that the fighting area would be clear.3
Had to have Mitarai not be good at tennis in our version so Toriko could accidentally catch Hiei's attention. ^-^ And made Gamemaster's power virtually bring the game to life, for aformentioned reason. Also had Yusuke a little bit more prejudice about not hitting girls. He isn't particularly as insistent about it in the anime (that's Kuwabara), but for our purposes here, he needed to be.
From Chapter One:
Akari - 1: light; illumination; glow; gleam; 2: lamp; light
Inyoku, Toriko
Inyoku: lust
Toriko: 1: captive; prisoner; 2: victim (of love, etc.); slave (to one's lust, etc.)
Urameshi, Yusuke
Urameshi: (as urameshii) reproachful; hateful; bitter -
Yusuke: no meaning
Genkai - (jisho) strict guard (wiki) Sea of Illusion
Kamiya - paper store; paper merchant; paper seller; papermaking; papermaker
Kurama - no meaning
Kuwabara, Kazuma
Kuwabara: mulberry field (if repeated as kuwabarakuwabara) charm to ward off lightning and misfortune; knock on wood; touch wood; absit omen!
Kazuma: Male given name or forename
Maneshi - copy cat
Mitarai - is a family or surname
Sensui, Shinobu
Sensui: fountain; miniature lake
Shinobu:1: to conceal oneself; to hide; 2: to endure
From Chapter Two:
Kaito - Kite
Hiei - (wiki) Flying Shadow
Amanuma - no meaning
Itsuki - no meaning
Toguro - coil
Keiko - practice; practise; training; study
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off! -Star
