Author note: if you're adult and interested in reading something with mature content, I posted a couple of mature YYH one-shots on Ao3: the first one is titled "You are my wish" and it features Younger Toguro with my OC Akemi; the other one is titled "Mrs Claus and the naughty elf" and it features Kuwabara and my OC Noriko.

oxoxoxoxoxo

(3rd person POV)

When they reached the Hell Pit, all of them felt a shiver of unease run down their spine: it was an impossibly huge cave with smaller rock platforms on top of pillars scattered all around and below them was a yellow lake, the heat coming off of it bearing down on them like a thick blanket. "I'm so glad I dressed lightly this morning!", Sayuri commented, tugging on the neckline of her sleeveless yukata and causing Kuwabara's cheeks to flare up. "Me too…", he mumbled under his breath and Hiei, who'd heard him, barely suppressed the urge to slice his head off. He didn't know why it angered him so much when the human showed interest in Sayuri, he only knew it did.

Byakko stood on a platform in the middle of the room, grinning like the smug bastard he was, "Nice place, isn't it? Do you like my playroom?", he asked with a laugh. Kazuma frowned, worried, "Hey, did you see that? He's still full of energy", he said and Yusuke clenched his fists. "He's tougher than we expected". "What you see is a lake of boiling corrosive acid that can melt even bones!", Byakko announced proudly, "Who among you is brave enough to face me?". "Who do you think you're talking to?", Urameshi snapped, angered by his tone, "I'll be the one to take you down for good!". "No, wait", his ginger-haired best friend placed a hand on his shoulder, smirking, "That's my opponent, it's up to me to defeat him". "Uh? But it's crazy!".

Byakko laughed again, "One or the other doesn't matter to me, the end will be the same for whomever faces me!". Kuwabara stepped forward, "Why don't you shut up already?! This time I'm gonna teach you such a lesson that you won't get up anymore!". "Don't get ahead of yourself, Kuwabara", Hiei intervened, "You already did your part, now let Yusuke face Byakko, so that you can get your energy back and use it later", he said, no trace of spite or contempt in his serious tone. Sayuri felt her chest warm up at seeing the fire demon act so considerate towards the very same human he had been bickering with not two hours before: she was so proud of him now, but she kept her peace knowing he would just deny everything like the adorable little tsundere he was.

The ginger scowled, "No, forget it! This isn't a baseball game, you can't change the players every minute and I have no intention of leaving my place to someone else! I'll end what I started", he stated confidently and Hiei scoffed. "Hn. You're irrational". "It's useless to argue: if he made up his mind, he'll do it", Urameshi deadpanned behind them and Kurama smiled. "Yep, he is just as stubborn as you", he teased the black-haired teen. "I think he can do it", the vixen spoke up, giving Kazuma an encouraging smile and a pat on the back, "Go and kick that jerk's ass into next month". The ginger blushed happily and grinned, "With your love to give me strength, I can't fail!", he boasted and jumped to the nearest pillar, only for the rock to break under his weight, forcing Sayuri to shoot a vine to keep him upright and gently put him on the still intact part of it, "Oh, thank you!".

"You're welcome", she replied as she took a seed out of her pouch and used it to create a web of thick, wide vines that linked all the pillars to each other: she really didn't want her new friend to fall to his death. He sighed with relief and then took off the jacket of his school uniform exposing his bare torso, the heat was definitely too much for him to keep it on. Kuwabara summoned his Spirit Sword and pointed it at Byakko, "I'm ready, let's begin. This time you will go down!". The Saint Beast just laughed in his face once again, something that was really getting on the teen's nerves, "Oh, really? You scare me. I'll have to use my secret technique then!". "Secret technique?".

The beast clenched his fists and roared loudly, the air around him crackling with energy, then he grabbed his throat with both hands as a bright light appeared in his mouth. "Oh shit, he's going to shoot him!", Sayuri gasped, "Watch out, Kazuma!", she warned as a ball of greenish energy burst out of Byakko's mouth and flew straight towards the ginger. The teen just smirked and got into position, grabbing his sword as if it were a baseball bat, "Child's play", he boasted, "Maybe Byakko doesn't know I'm a great hitter, I'm gonna make a home run!". "Don't do it!", Kurama shouted, "If you touch it, you're dead!".

Luckily, Kuwabara heard him and jumped on the closest pillar in time to avoid being hit, his blood running cold when he saw the rock he'd just left literally disintegrating under the sheer power of the blow, "W-what…What the hell happened?". "Did you like that?", Byakko called in a mocking tone, "That's my Screaming Tiger Demolishing Wave, the battle cry that pulverizes everything it touches with its vibrations!". "Damn it…", the poor ginger muttered under his breath, only now fully realizing the danger he was in, yet he was still determined to fight until the end.

At the entrance of the cave, the small group was in shock and they nearly jumped when Hiei spoke. "I knew of a demon capable of creating a sphere of energy that destroys molecules", he said, "But I didn't think it was Byakko". "So even the Spirit Sword is useless", Yusuke commented, worried and the fire demon turned to shoot him a quick glance. "Yes. The wave destroys everything", he answered and his tone was quiet and deadly serious, it was clear from the look in his eyes that he didn't like it, but he was too proud to admit that he cared for a human (or for anyone else for that matter), "The only way to survive is to avoid being hit".

Byakko shot another sphere of energy at the pillar Kuwabara was standing on, then another, then another, forcing the ginger-haired teen to jump from platform to platform like Super Mario on steroids, Sayuri's vines helping him whenever he was too close to the edge and at risk of falling. After the eight, or maybe the tenth missed blow, Byakko was starting to get impatient and instead of another sphere, he shot four needles made of energy that cut through the bandages Kazuma had wrapped around his abs, nearly making him lose his balance, but once more, a vine pushed him back to safety.

"You are at your limit", the Saint Beast mocked him, "You play tough, but I can see through you! How do you expect to be able to keep on fighting?". "Why don't you shut that trap?", the teen snarled back, "I won't be satisfied until I've punched your face black and blue, so save your breath!". "You still don't get it? You're dumber than I thought. Take a look around you!". "Uh? What do you mean?", he did as he was told and realized that all of the pillars around him had been destroyed, save for the one he stood upon, one in front of him and the one Byakko was on. Meaning that he had nowhere to run to now. "Did you really think I was shooting blindly?", the beast asked, "I actually cut your way back, so the only thing you can do now is attack! And in case you didn't notice, there's only one platform that can lead you to me! You know what that means, right?".

Sayuri bit her lower lip nervously, "Well, f**k. That bastard is smarter than I gave him credit for", she grumbled and for once, her brother didn't scold her for her language, too worried for their friend to care. Well for now anyway. She was pretty sure he would give her an earful later, when they were all safe and sound and out of that hellish castle. "You're not answering, uh? When I destroy it, you won't be able to move from where you are, you will only be able to wait for your death!", Byakko taunted, dripping smugness and a moment later, he pulverized the small platform that stood between them, right as Kuwabara was getting ready to jump.

The human froze and clenched his teeth as his opponent let out another mocking laugh. "Oh, what a shame, you didn't jump in time! So, are you going to surrender?". Obviously, that was not an option for the ginger, so he squared his shoulders and straightened his back like a real man, "Hey, you four!", he yelled at his companions, knowing that they were ready to run to his aid, "This match is mine, don't you forget it! If any of you dares to interfere, they'll answer to me!". Sayuri let out a chuckle, impressed by his bravery, "He really is one of a kind, that kit. I like him". Yusuke deadpanned, "That moron is more stubborn than a mule, he's still insisting with that stuff!". "Who knows, maybe he's got something in mind", Kurama guessed, but Hiei snorted. "Who? That microcephalus?", he sneered.

Byakko got ready to shoot his final sphere of energy, but what he didn't know was that Kuwabara really did have a plan, one very risky, but very brave at the same time. Kurama's eyes widened in shock, "He's going to jump!", he shouted and indeed, the ginger jumped right before the impact, trying to get to the platform in front of him…But the jump was too short and his companions watched in horror as he was about to fall into the acid. Sayuri quickly shot a vine to grab him by the waist and that gave him time to summon his Spirit Sword and embed it in the stump of the smaller pillar in the middle, making his flexible sword act like a vaulting pole and using his momentum to punch a completely stunned Byakko in the face with all of his strength.

"Yeah! You rock, Kazuma!", the vixen cheered, fist-pumping enthusiastically. The punch was so hard that Byakko fell into the acid and the ginger nearly fell too, the vine still around his waist the only thing that saved him from certain death. It was only then, with the enemy defeated and their friend safe and sound, that Yusuke realized one thing and frowned, "Hey, Kuwabara!", he yelled. "Uh? What?", Kazuma yelled back. "How come that you'd kick the ass of everyone who would interfere, but accepted help from fox girl here without protests?". "Shut up, Urameshi! Help from a lady is always welcome and should never be turned down, it would be rude!".

The black-haired teen sweatdropped, "So it wasn't to get an advantage in the fight, but only because he's a sucker for female attention?". "Who cares why he did it? At least he's alive", Sayuri shrugged and created a new web of vines to act like a catwalk for them to reach their friend and leave the cave, "Come on, I wanna leave this hell as soon as possible: this acid stinks like shit", she added, causing Yusuke to burst out laughing.