YYH/For Crossover
Ankoku Bujutsukai :: The Black Martial Arts Tournament

"BOOOOORING!"

"Waddaya mean boring, Fuuko?"

"I mean, the day. What a boring day. I'll bet there's never been a day more BORING than today." Kirisawa Fuuko told her companions, Hanabishi Recca and Ishijima Domon. "In fact, sometime in the very near future, I'll look at the Guiness Book of World Records, and they'll put today's date as 'The Most Boring Day'."

They both looked at her as if she were crazy. She sighed yet again and placed her hands behind her head. 'I definitely become crazy when it's boring.' It was a beautiful autumn afternoon, and the entire of Tokyo was painted with shades of red, orange and brown. Crusty leaves swept by them, and the autumn wind was chilly, reminding them that winter was near. It was the perfect day for just lazing around, being a couch potato.

The problem was, Fuuko Kirisawa hated lazing around.

She enjoyed running around and doing things, especially fighting. She thrilled in the adrenaline rush in the heat of the battle. She took pleasure in beating up opponents. She loved kicking ass!

And she got to do just that in the Urabutousatsojin. She got to combat the top fighters on the planet, nearly getting herself killed in the process. But the whole experience was just so... incredible, that she wanted to relive those moments when her power felt so extreme, and she would unleash on whosever's unlucky soul challenged her.

Recca glanced at her, "What are you thinking about now, Fuuko? More Boredom Blues?" He started whistling a tune from his favorite anime series. Domon, who was playing with his yoyo, yawned, "It can get pretty boring here, now that we ain't part of any life-threatening tournament."

Fuuko blew a strand of her violet locks out of her face. "Hai... ya got that right Domon... things've been going downward since we came back from the Urabutousatsojin. I dunno, but everything's been so... dull, unexciting, BORING! You know?"

Recca laughed, "Hai, boring, hai. I get it."

To Recca, boredom was pure bliss. After the Urabutousatsojin, all he wanted to do was be bored. Sure, he missed the excitement he got when he fought against beings with extreme powers, but the love of just kicking back on the couch outweighed it all. This afternoon though, Fuuko dragged them out to be bored with her. Not that he minded, Fuuko was a good friend, but he was still pretty sore since she dragged him away from his favorite TV show.

Domon whistled merrily as he cleared his mind of something that had been plaguing him for several days. Oh how he admired her! Fuuko, that is. She was ravishingly beautiful, amazingly brave, absolutely brilliant, disgustingly stubborn... perfection! Yet he wasn't so sure if he still loved her. The way he used to that was. A few weeks ago, he had met a girl... so unlike Fuuko... still pretty, painfully shy, winningly sweet... not a Fuuko... but she still gained perfection to him. Her name was Inoko. 'Oh sweet, sweet Inoko...' sighed Domon. He didn't realize that the yoyo he was playing with sailed too far and bonked him on the head. "Yeowch! Kuso!" He exclaimed.

Fuuko and Recca burst out laughing, and Domon glared at them, "Bakas! It could have happened to anyone!" He pouted, which elicited another round of laughter by the two.

Somewhere far away, Tomite Mikoda smiled. A whisper floated from his lips.

"Perfect."

They were chatting about yoyo tricks and doing them properly, when suddenly they heard a loud screeching noise. Startled, they whipped around and there they saw the ugliest face they'd ever seen in their entire lives, and that included Domon's.

"Che! Korewa nandesuka?! It's uglier than you Domon!" Recca exclaimed. Domon was too surprised to even retort on that. Fuuko was just frozen to the spot. The "thing" had the stupidest and most mysterious grin on its face, like it knew a secret that he wanted to tell them. It didn't look like it wanted to kill them exactly... it looked like it wanted to reveal the secret. Its big leathery wings flapped in the air, keeping it afloat.

It flapped towards them slowly, and they backed away, with Domon ducking behind Fuuko in fear. It stopped a few feet away from them, and dropped a small glass ball. With one last high-pitched screech, it spun around and flew away.

They waited for five minutes before inching towards the ball. It looked defenseless enough. Just a normal round object, slightly bigger than a softball, with a metallic shine to it. Still, the face of the creature was still locked in their memory, and fear was still prominent in their hearts.

"Do we touch it?" Recca asked them.

"I think we should. The problem is deciding who's going to." Fuuko replied.

"Not me! You do it Recca!" Domon urged.

"You chicken! Why don't you do it, bird-brain?"

"Bird-brain?! Who're you callin' bird-brain, you asshole?!"

"Apparently you, ya ^%$#in chicken!"

More colorful expletives were exchanged before Fuuko sighed and yelled, "Shut up you guys! I'll do it!" She marched to it and grabbed it, throwing it up in the air and catching it cleanly. She noticed a thin slit on the ball, and she slid her fingernail in it, prying it open. The boys gathered around her in anxious curiousity.

After a minute, Fuuko had the ball open, and in it was...

"A PIECE OF PAPER?!?!?! Recca, you were scared of a piece of paper!" Domon guffawed. Recca glowed red with anger. "Might I remind you, Mr. 'Not-me-you-do-it-Recca', I wasn't the chicken who refused to do it!" The two bickered again, as Fuuko picked up the folded piece of paper and read it slowly. She gasped.

The two boys turned to her in surprise. "Whadduzzit say Fuuko?" Recca inquired. She handed it to him, smiling. They scanned it slowly.

Team Hokage is invited to join the Ankoku Bujutsukai. This tournament is sponsored by Tomite Mikoda. The players will be meeting at the Old Temple exactly two months from when this message is received. Arigatou gozaimasu.

Tomite Mikoda

The champions of this tournament will get one wish each.

"Team Hokage is invited to the Ankoku Bujutsukai? By Tomite Mikoda? Huh?" Domon looked at Fuuko, "What does that mean?"

"It means we're entering another life-threatening tournament! Yipee!" Fuuko grinned genkily, and started jumping up and down. "Hmm... it starts in two months... barely enough time for me to train! Let's tell Mi-chan and then start training!"

"Wait Fuuko! Don't you think it's a little weird that the Urabutousatsojin just ended, then this... this... Anko-whatever crap comes in? I mean, it's gotta be more than coincidence!" Recca finished. Fuuko grabbed the paper from him and pointed at the one in small print. "The champions of this tournament will get one wish each! Don't you see Recca? We can get anything we want! I can see it now... Fuuko's Dojo!" Her eyes had stars in them as she envisioned her own dojo, with her name on the large entrance. Goodbye boredom!

"Oh yeah..." The thought of him covered in cash, while holding Yanagi's hand materialized in his brain, and a big goofy grin appeared on his face. "Okay! We're joining the Ankoku Bujutsukai! And we're going to win it!"

As for Domon, 'Sweet Inoko... we will be together!' was all he could think of.

Fuuko stopped daydreaming. "Hey Recca! What about Kaoru? He went to the States to continue his studies... what do we do about that?" Recca tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Well... I guess we have to join without him... do you think we can handle with only 4/5ths of Team Hokage?"

Fuuko nodded, "We haven't even told Mi-chan about it!"

Recca grinned. "Iku zo! Let's tell him and start brushing up on our skills!"

*****

"So, you're leaving again."

Urameshi Yusuke looked up from the message he had just received. "Hai," he answered softly. He knew that she was restraining herself from slapping him silly and the best prevention he could do was lower his head.

Yukimura Keiko sighed and sank into the seat across him. Her formerly shy features had blossomed into a beautiful young lady's at the age of 20. Her long brown hair was made into a low ponytail, and her chestnut eyes were troubled. Yusuke on the other hand still looked the same. Ragged, brash, devil-may-care. But he had grown taller, and his body had become manlier, unlike the boy he used to be.

They were in a booth in her father's Ramen House. She was holding a cup of herbal tea in her hand, and she mutely offered it to Yusuke. He accepted it gratefully, sipping the hot tea, feeling it's warmth creep into his system, warming him all the way to his toes. He squirmed uncomfortably as Keiko sighed again. She lowered her head so her bangs hid her eyes.

She sighed yet again.

Yusuke, by this time, had had enough. He banged his palms onto the table and frowned at her. She looked up at him in surprise. "Whatever you want to say, spill it, Yukimura Keiko!" he exploded, "We will be married in a year, and soon you can't keep secrets anymore, because I'll be your husband and you'll have to tell me everything!"

A few seconds later, he found himself lying on the floor with a gigantic sweatdrop and a deep handprint on his face, with the words, "Yusuke no baka!" ringing in his ears and stars clouding his vision.

Keiko dusted her hands off and scowled at him. "If you're going to the Ankoku Bujutsukai again, you better come back alive! I-I want to have a family with a living husband!" She placed her fists on her hips and she glared at him.

He rubbed his cheek painfully, but looked up at her words. He gave her a smirk and took her hands, which surprised her greatly. "Don't worry Keiko. You'll be coming with me, right? I mean, a wife needs to keep her husband company." He gazed at her with warm brown eyes, and she flinched at his penetrating stare.

Finally, she sighed. "Oh all right!"

"So... you'll come with me?" Yusuke asked anxiously.

The tips of her lips tugged up into a smile, "I guess so. My fiancé asked so nicely." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, whispering, "Be careful Yusuke. Last time, you almost got killed. I don't want that happening again." He awkwardly patted her back, "Yoshi, yoshi, Keiko-chan. It won't. I promise."

He pulled away and Keiko smiled. Yusuke grinned back. 'Keiko... you don't know how glad I am to have you...' he leaned down to press his lips over hers...

"Oi~! Urameshi!" a brash voice called out as the Ramen House door swung open. The wind chimes clinked loudly as his head hit them. Quickly, the couple turned away from each other, and pretended they were that way all this time.

"Itai! You really should reconsider about keeping these things here, Keiko! They're a bother!" Kazuma Kuwabara commented as he rubbed his forehead. Kuwabara looked the same. He still had the carrot-colored hair and the tall lanky figure. Keiko laughed, "What'll you be having Kuwa-kun?"

"Onigiri, kudasai, Keiko!"

"Ya better start watching your diet if you expect training to be easy," Yusuke told him. Kuwabara quirked a bushy orange eyebrow, "Whaddaya mean by that?" Yusuke gave him the message. Kuwabara's eyes widened as he read it. "A-A-Ankoku Bujutsukai?? Again?"

"Yes Kuwabara-kun. Again."

Kuwabara turned to face the new addition, "Ohayou Kurama! How did you know?" Minamino Shuichi, or Youko Kurama as he is known to them, stood in the doorway, dashing as ever. His long red hair that made all the women swoon was tied back with a single band, so his green eyes were visible. Those emerald orbs held a pointed gaze, and on his lips played a mysterious smile. He was still the handsome demon Yusuke and Kuwabara came to know and befriend.

"Hiei told me. He knew all about it," he answered, sitting across Yusuke and Kuwabara. "Mukuro knows the sponsor, Tomite Mikoda. Apparently, he is an excellent businessman, and he enjoys contests, fights, tournaments... you name a competition, as long as it's worth his time, he'll sponsor it. He's a billionaire."

He glanced at them, "Somehow, he had heard of the previous Ankoku Bujutsukai, sponsored by Sakyo. He decided to hold another one, purely for his and others enjoyment. Rumor has it that the players in this tournament will be selected from the highest ranking teams in the whole of Makai and Ningenkai." His eyes narrowed, "In other words, they will be more powerful than our former opponents."

Kuwabara glared, "So what? We've increased our ki! We can face them. I'll bet we can even win this thing without much trouble. You make it sound like we don't have a chance with them, Kurama."

"I'm not saying that. I'm just telling you all I know."

"Che~! We have the chance!" Yusuke spat. "And we will win this thing. We did it before. We can do it again. I know we can." The tip of his finger glowed blue, and he smirked, "I can't wait to start practicing."

Keiko entered the room with the order and blinked, "Kuwabara-kun, your onigiri." She placed a plate of rice balls in front of the hungry man, who gobbled it up instantly, and turned to Yusuke with sad eyes, "Yusuke... kiwotsukete."

Yusuke grabbed her hand. "I will... anata." He gave her a tender smile and squeezed her hand gently.

Keiko blushed and her eyes watered, but before she could bawl her eyes out, she took a deep breath and looked up as the wind chimes signaled another customer. "Irashai-Botan!!" She ran to the door and hugged her blue-haired friend.

Botan, Reikai Annainin, disguised as a ningen, smiled cheerfully at them all. "Hisashiburi yo! I missed you guys!" After a flurry of hugs, she slid into the seat next to Kurama's. "Things in Reikai have been so busy that Koenma-sama wasn't able to give me any time off to see you guys! I'd considered sneaking out, but ever since a failed attempt a year ago, I've decided that it wasn't such a good idea."

Botan had really changed. She had gone from an immature optimistic girl, to a mature-looking optimistic woman. After all, it had been two years since they had seen her last. Her long blue hair had grown longer, and was tied into a loose braid, and her features became finer, more feminine. But the perpetual smile was still pasted on her beautiful face.

Kurama looked at Botan and grinned, "So what convinced him now?"

Botan smiled haughtily, "A little blackmail was all it took! I threatened him that I would tell Kayasu, a ferry girl, that he liked her, unless he would give me some time off. He was so mad at me! But in the end, he gave in. I guess I have some brains after all, ne minna?"

Yusuke snorted, "I can't believe Koenma would give into that. I'd known him to be tougher than that!"

Botan sniffed, "Well, never underestimate the power of a woman! Right Keiko-chan?" Keiko giggled, "You can say that again Botan-chan!"

"Alright," Botan agreed. She tweaked Yusuke's nose, "Never underestimate the power of a woman. That's why you better take good care of Keiko-chan! If you don't, I'll have Koenma-sama do something awful to ya! After all, he's putty in my hands as long as I know about Kayasu!" They all laughed as Yusuke begrudgingly rubbed his aching nose.

"Say Botan," Kurama asked, "Did Koenma mention anything lately about the Ankoku Bujutsukai?"

Botan snapped her fingers, "Oh yeah! He said you guys should join and he wishes you the best of luck."

Silence followed.

"That's it?" Yusuke prodded.

Botan nodded. "Uh-huh!"

"No hidden controversy, no lies, no deception, nothing?" Kuwabara exclaimed, incredulously. Botan shook her head, "Nope! It's a good, clean tournament. Do your best guys!"

"I don't believe it..." Kuwabara murmured.

"Well, believe it Kuwa-kun! It's real! And guess what? I'll be coming with you! Koenma-sama might drop by in the latter part of the tournament, and he expects you to make it all the way there."

"Of course we will! We're gonna win this tournament!" Kuwabara stated proudly. "Only Kurama here has no self-confidence. He thinks we're gonna lose to the other opponents just because they're the strongest of Makai."

"Well, he has a point. They are. And you should make use of the training period."

"Alright! Alright!" Yusuke exclaimed, "Let's go Team Urameshi, and start training. What about Hiei, Kurama?"

"Hiei can manage on his own," said the fox demon. Actually, he was wondering what the fire demon would do in the span of two months. He didn't exactly promise that he would practice.

"Hai... well then... hajime!"

*****

Crimson eyes stared out onto the horizon, as he took in the light breeze that blew through Makai. He narrowed his eyes, and breathed a deep breath. "Jaou..." he yelled, and he was about to summon the black dragon when someone wrapped their arms around his neck.

"Having fun, itooshi?" A soothing voice murmured into his ear.

"Hai, Mukuro." Hiei turned to the demoness and smirked. She had become quite striking since the scars were removed. She was still one of the most powerful beings in Makai, but now she was also one of the most beautiful. Hiei, on the other hand, had grown considerably, and he had a growth advantage over Mukuro. He still had the same features, including his spiky black hair and his scarlet eyes, and his small frame became more muscular.

At first, their relationship was strictly professional, but it had blossomed into a ardent love affair. Though Hiei was never too keen in showing his affections, actions spoke louder than words, and it was obvious that he cared for Mukuro as much as she cared for him.

"Your friends... are they joining?"

"I suppose so."

"Sou ka... are you?"

"I suppose so."

Mukuro drew away from him, "Damn it, Hiei. Talk to me properly. Are you joining the Ankoku Bujutsukai? Because if you are... if you are... you better be careful... I'll kill you before you get killed."

Hiei snorted, "Do you really think I'll let myself die? No Mukuro. Will you be watching?" She sighed, "Hai... I'll be watching you and your friends. Tell them to take care also." He nodded briskly and shrugged, "We will win this tournament just as we have won the previous one. And Mukuro," he turned to her and touched her cheek lightly, "Don't worry too much about me. You'll get worry lines all over your face."

She blushed and wrapped her arms around him, leaning closer, "Hiei... shut up."

"Hn. As you wish."

*****

Mikagami Tokiya glanced behind him. Someone had called out his name. He saw no one. Shrugging coolly, he face forward and continued his stroll. Suddenly, he was pounced on, with the word "BOO!" echoing in his eardrums, and he fell forward. He glared at the being on his back, "Fuuko! Would you mind getting down from my spine so that I may continue my afternoon walk undisturbed?"

Fuuko sighed, "Oh Mi-chan! You're so boring! You gotta learn to live a little!"

He looked at her witheringly, "Thanks for the suggestion. Now, run along now." Fuuko did not move, but just stared at the Ensui-wielder with utmost impatience, "Not right now, Mi-chan! I have something to show you. I've been looking for you all afternoon!" She thrust a piece of paper into his hands. Tokiya blinked at it, "So?"

"Read it, idiot!"

Tokiya sighed with growing exasperation, "Alright, alright..." He scanned the message quickly and his expression became thoughtful, "Hmmm... have you shown this to Recca?" She crossed her eyes at him, "Duh! We've already started training. All we're waiting for is you! Because of Kaoru, we're one man short, and we can't afford to be two men short! So, you in or out?" Tokiya looked at her and shrugged, "I guess you need my help. Since I'm not doing anything this afternoon, I suppose I'll be joining you."

Fuuko nodded, a little miffed at his pride, "Meet us at the warehouse with your Ensui."

"Hai."

Fuuko spun around and ran to the warehouse, leaving Tokiya and his thoughts.

The warehouse was owned by Recca's dad and was used for the storage of the fireworks Mr. Hanabishi sold. It was fully concealed from the eyes of bustling Tokyo by the bushes and shrubs growing around it. Lately though, it had been converted to training grounds by his Recca and his friends. His dad hadn't minded as long as they did not set any firecrackers aflame.

Recca and Domon had appointed her the bearer of the news to Mikagami, and they had started training without her. She rolled her eyes as she saw them fighting, physically and verbally. "Boys..." she muttered, as she crossed the briar bush, "They are such jerks."