{Disclaimer}
All Yu Yu Hakusho characters are owned by Togashi Yoshihiro/Sheisha, Fuji TV,
Pierrot, and FUNimation.
Real Bout High School © 2000 Reiji Saiga/Sora Inou. First published in 2000 by Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., LTD., Tokyo. English translation rights arranged with Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., LTD., Tokyo through Tuttle-Mori Agency, INC., Tokyo.
"Um, wha's tha bird-thing doing?" Shizuma asked pointedly, looking blandly as it flew towards a switch in the wall nearby.
"Ha ha! Fools! This is your /downfall/!" the flying bat/eyeball/"bird-thing"/octopus gripped the lever in it's tentacles and…
"The ceiling!" Kurama cried, as the now obviously movable ceiling fell. Barely catching it as it fell on their heads, the Reikai Tentei, Ryoko, Azumi, and Shizuma felt their muscles pop. With quivering legs they glared angrily at the said /thing/.
"Oh, this is my favorite part! Right now you're thinking: /How long can I hold this? Will I die this way? Will one of them abandon us? Or will I be the one? How long could/-" the thing was abruptly cut off as a well-aimed shoe knocked it to the wall. Yusuke shot a look backwards at the fuming Ryoko.
"Good aim."
"Why thank you."
"Listen, we need a way out of this," Hiei stated firmly, ticked at taking up Ryoko's momentary slack.
"Alright, no one leave, we need to think this through!" Kuwabara declared.
"Oh, and you think dying as a team would be honorable?" Hiei snapped, sarcasm dripping soundly.
"Yes!"
"Well I won't die for a human!"
"Don't you dare, Hiei!" Kurama snapped as the Koorime started to readjust. Ryoko glared firmly.
"I knew we should have done some trust games!" Yusuke groaned. He shot a look over to where the /thing/ (how about Bob? Can we call it Bob?) was stirring. "Hiei! Can you reach the switch?"
"You twit! We can't trust that guy! Just look at him!"
"Trusting yourself, and us, to a guy that swore your downfall is not the smartest thing in the world, ya know!" Ryoko snapped irritably. Shizuma, Azumi, and Kurama nodded agreement.
"I could reach it easily," Azumi stated firmly, before getting a dark glare from Ryoko. "I'm faster than you!"
"I'm the fastest, but they have a point. I've already sworn my revenge on you. I could handle that now," Hiei stated, his eyes glinting malice. Yusuke shook his head.
"Somehow, I don't think quick deaths are your style." Hiei blinked in confusion has Yusuke started to turn around. "I'll let out all of my spirit energy while you go and flip the switch."
"Just don't trip!" Ryoko added quickly as she strained her muscles a little more.
"You should trust him more!" Azumi defended. Everyone gave her a funny look. She stuck her nose in the air. "With you're and Shizuma's exception, everyone seems to be here for a purpose. If this Koenma sent him, he probably had a good reason." Ryoko looked surprised.
"You're standin' up for someone other than 'e flower club! Good goin'!" Shizuma laughed. Azumi glared at him firmly as Yusuke powered up. Hiei dropped from his position, gasped, and disappeared on his way to the switch. Kurama smiled after him before his muscles explained, in a not-so-kind way, that he had more to hold up than before.
Hiei stood, suddenly, directly before the switch. Reaching for it, he… stopped. His hand in mid-air, he turned and looked at those still under the gate. /It would be so easy to kill them here, now. Just, whoosh, and…/ Shaking his head firmly, he dropped his hand to his side.
"What're ya doin'?" Kuwabara asked, his voice shaking. Hiei smirked.
"Take a guess, you fool."
"Darn you…" Kuwabara flexed his muscles angrily, and Kurama's face dropped. Yusuke shuddered under the weight of the gate (rhyme not intended) and Ryoko and Shizuma noted some unrepeatable profanities. /Wait…/Hiei shot Azumi a second look as she stood, shaking, behind Kurama. After one last desperate glance at him, she shut her eyes and strained her muscles.
/They underestimated me, just a little. Just enough… someone else could get out. Anyone…/ Her foot slipped slightly and her knees started to buckle. /NO!/
"Hiei~!" Kuwabara called helplessly as Hiei turned away slightly.
/I. Will. Not. Give. Up!/ She gasped, pushing, and the descent paused. /Now, please!/
"That was a good move. The boulder would have crushed you anyways…" the creature trailed happily as Hiei turned to it.
/GO!/
"Thanks for the CLUE!" Hiei cried, slicing the thing down the middle. Dashing quickly, he snapped down the switch, and head a satisfying groan as the gate stopped and the gears reloaded. A small moan escaped Azumi as she fell to her knees, weak and sweating.
Hiei sighed as well, for some unknown reason, thankful for his decision. Looking up, he saw the oncoming boulder.
/A quick little…/
"Hiei!" Yusuke's thoughts hit rock bottom as the boulder smashed down. The dust cleared quickly though, and she could hear his voice telling off the bat thing…
Hiei smirked from the top of the boulder, and looked down at his "comrades".
"Hiei! Knew ya'd make it!" Yusuke cried, thumping him on the back as he jumped down. Hiei looked at him out of the corner of his eyes, blinking curiously.
"That was a good act. You had us all fooled." Kurama smiled.
"Hn. I wasn't acting."
"Say What?!" Kuwabara snapped, a tinge confused.
"That's his way of saying you're welcome. You will learn."
"Right." Yusuke answered.
"Either way, Azumi's too tired taking up goth boy's slack, so she's out for a while." Ryoko stated firmly. Azumi had managed to crawl out from under the gate, but had collapsed against the wall, gasping for air, rubbing her sore muscles. Kurama walked over quickly and helped her stand as a familiar voice (or, should I say, voices) wandered in from behind them.
"Quit arguing! I see light!"
"But, there hasn't been a single torch along this whole passage!"
"Ninja's don't need light!"
"What would you know? You're not even real!"
"And you are?"
"Xiaoxing needs fresh air! Xiaoxing's head hurts!"
"Deal with it!"
"And the company arrives!" Yusuke announced sarcastically, as the large troupe walked into the sunlight. Blinking sharply, Kunugi looked around at the partially battle ground.
"What the he-"
"We will explain on the way. We need to hurry," Kurama stated, helping Azumi up. After a few gasps, she waved him away, pulling out her kiribayashi and using it as a walking stick. She made her slow way after Hiei. With a sigh, Kurama followed, followed closely by Ryoko, Shizuma, Yusuke, and co.
"So, now where do we go?" Asuka stated the obvious. Our "heroes" were surrounded by stone wall, the only opening the way they had come.
"Well, the only passage is this one, and the last door was a broom closet, so it seems we're stuck," Yusuke snapped, irritable since he opened that last door and jumped when a broom fell out and hit him in the face. Kuwabara hadn't stopped laughing until that same broom, wielded by an anonymous person, hit him in the face, too. He had resorted to giggles again. With a sigh, Megumi hit Kuwabara upside the head and turned around, just to be safe.
"So, you foolish creatures think you can defeat me?" Everyone looked around for the source of the voice. "Turn around." For some unknown reason, everyone did so.
"Well, at least we know where to go." Yusuke smiled and walked forwards.
"And if it's a trap?" Kunugi asked firmly.
"Well then, in that case, ladies first!" Turning, he pushed Kuwabara before him through the doorway. Kuwabara opened his mouth to say something back, but shut it as he walked into the dark room.
"I am now your challenger." Yusuke, taking a torch off the wall, threw it at the still unidentified voice. It rolled to a stop before a golem (not Gollum from J.R.R. Tolkien's books, ye remember) -like creature, standing bent over, with a turtle-like back and a human face, with a spiked head and a Scorpio incarnate tail. It's feet were spread, and it's hands hung limp, similar to that of a gorilla's. "I am the first saint beast. Do you have a request be for you die?" He smiled at his last remark. Yusuke opened his mouth, but Megumi firmly smashed his foot. As Yusuke hopped around in the background, Kurama stepped foreword.
"I will fight you first."
"You can't fight a talking rock!" Kuwabara squeaked, finally regaining his voice. Hiei snickered.
"You are obviously underestimating Kurama. Do you know why I chose him as my partner? So I could avoid fighting him myself."
"If that didn't make sense, that would be pretty rude," Megumi muttered, before shooting a dark look at the still hopping Yusuke, and sweat dropping.
"As long as he wins," Aoi muttered softly. Hiei shot her a curious look as Kurama situated himself to fight.
"Look out! His tail is-" Asuka was cut off as the tail shot through the ground at Kurama. Dodging swiftly to the left, Kurama missed the main attack, but was caught in the stomach.
"Kurama!" Asuka, Kuwabara, Ryoko, and Taiho yelled. Shizuma shifted feet, and Hiei shook his head, while Aoi's one visible eye widened. Yusuke finally sat down, still rubbing his foot.
"I'll be alright…" Kurama managed, "It's only a small cut."
"Ha! You're so full of yourself!" Genbu laughed, before continuing with some more taunts.
"Underestimating his opponent. How lame," Ryoko commented, shaking her head.
"He /is/ hurt," Megumi replied, stretching slightly. Kurama got up, moving his hand away from the wound. Gasping for breath, he turned to his stone opponent. Glaring at him from under red locks of hair, he shook his head.
Genbu smiled as he slid effortlessly into the ground.
"You have no idea where I am, do you? You are blind!" Genbu called from amidst the rocks.
"So I am," Kurama sighed and, with a flick of his hair, he exposed a ringle rose.
"A rose?" Kuwabara asked, looking on with skepticism as Kurama lengthened it into a whip. Shizuma snorted.
"Girlyish."
"Charming…" Asuka admitted.
"Alluring…" Megumi noted they looked at each other for one gleeful moment.
"BISHOUNEN!" Kurama fell flat on his face as most of our heroes cracked up. Hiei stood stock still, sighing.
"Bakas…"
"HA!" Genbu cried, rushing at the still immobile /bishounen/ from behind. Turning, Kurama frowned.
"Attacking from behind, how predictable," he dodged easily, and watched as Genbu hid in the stone again. Kurama turned suddenly. "Found you!"
"HA!" Genbu cried, rushing into Kurama's oncoming whip. "How… How did you know?"
"Your smell. Against the aroma of my rose petals, it was easy to pick out." He smiled, even as the pieces of Genbu started to float.
"Um…"
"That didn't hurt me! But coming apart makes for a very nice attack!" he swooped at Kurama, doing minimal damage. As the pieces of Genbu turned in midair, Kurama fell to one knee.
"Kurama!"
"No I'll be fine, just…" he shook his head, deciding against what he was going to say, and turned to face Genbu. With a smile, Kurama gripped a part of Genbu as he flew past, before falling a little bit, holding his wounds.
"Ha! You should have let them help when you had the chance! Fool!" Genbu said happily as he put himself back together. He stopped when he looked up at Kurama.
"How, how did you get on the ceiling?!?" Genbu cried as Kurama stood up. There was a moment of silence. A /short/ moment of silence.
"Ha! I've heard of brass balls but this takes the cake!" Yusuke cried, as he, Kuwabara, Shizuma, Taiho, and Megumi burst into laughter. Genbu, while putting himself back together, seemed to misplace some of his body parts. We all know, now, where his head is…
"Argh! You!" Genbu cried. Kurama smirked happily, holding up a small, red, glowing stone, and explained how it was the part of his brain that held him together. With a smirk, he threw it into the air, coming down on it expertly with his rose whip. With a cry, Genbu disappeared in a burst of light. Kurama's smile faded as he fell to his knees, clutching his stomach. The Reikai Tentei, the Shinsengumi, and Shizuma's squad ran forewords, with Yusuke reaching him first. Hiei had a slightly bewildered expression on his face.
"If Kurama is injured we are going to have some problems."
"Anyone got some extra wardings?" Ryoko asked, helping up Kurama by holding his other arm.
"Nothin' I ain't usin'," Shizuma admitted, with a shrug.
"Oh, well, here, you can have my vest…" Ryoko quickly slid her vest off.
"No truly, it is not necessary…"
"Really?"
"Listen, I-"
"Just do as she says!" Megumi cried exasperatedly, tying the vest around him herself, giving the knot an extra tug.
"…I thing we were a bit counterproductive… Kurama passing out on the floor's not a good thing, is it?" Kunugi pointed out solemnly as they all stared down at Kurama's prone form. "I believe I was correct."
**Yes! Gate of Betrayal & Genbu, the First Saint Beast, Completed! WHAHOOOO!**