{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.
"It appears we have found a maze in Maize Castle." Hiei remarked dryly. Looking around at sixteen different doors, the others agreed.
"Alright, Mr. Sensitive, this is you're job, go to it." Yusuke said as he pushed Kuwabara forward. After stumbling slightly, he looked at all the different doors, before seeing a small glow under the third from the left.
"There. I sense something big. Something scary." Opening the door himself, Kuwabara jumped and fell backwards, as a small, white mouse ran out of the light. "A-a MOUSE!"
"Idiot." Hiei commented as he walked past the orange-haired human.
"Useless." Kunugi agreed as he and the others walked past him while Kuwabara stumbled to his feet.
"And that speech was sounding so dramatic!" Yusuke added sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"Is this supposed to frighten us?" Hiei asked, sounding insulted by the very idea. Kurama paused as lightning flashed outside.
"Perhaps. It is the mark of the blue dragon, Seiryu. And judging from the smell, the beast is inside."
"Yeah, and he doesn't feel very nice,"Kuwabara noted seriously.
"Oh, what a name. Let's just finish this." Shizuma sarcastically noted and kicked the door open. He paused as he noticed the large amount of mist in the room. "Wha'?"
"This fog's alive," Kurama looked from one side of the room to the other.
"It's a form of spirit energy, it must coming from our beast's body, " Hiei, the only one who obviously did his homework, surmised.
"And that's correct." A form manipulated from the mists stood in the center of the room. Blue skinned, goute, beady eyes, blue dragon tunic and all, stood the seven foot Seiryu. "You have done very well to have come this far. But I will no longer alow you to disgrace my master." He disappeared into the mist.
"Okay, mister, I'm getting really tired of these hide and seek games!" Yusuke yelled.
"Yeah, show yourself!" Kuwabara snapped from his left.
"As you request." The mists swirled again, forming Seiryu. Ryoko smirked.
"Are we really supposed to take someone with /blue skin/ seriously?" She asked as the others all nodded in agreement, with Kunugi, Hiei, and Kurama excluded. Seiryu's eyes narrowed.
"And he's no dragon, that's for sure! No dragon could be that ugly!" As Yusuke's big mouth proved itself again, a vein began to throb in Seiryu's forehead.
"It is not wise to say such things to your executioner…" He paused and seemed to snort slightly. "It appears we have another geust."
"How strange…" Aoi commented.
"Wha'? Who?" Megumi asked as the Shinsengumi, Yusuke, and Kuwabara turned around. Kurama, Azumi, and Hiei carefully kept their eyes on Seiryu. Xiaoxing, of course, was paying no attention. Walking forward, she looked up at the giant.
"What is you here in way for?" She asked, not even noticing the problems with her new language. He glared down at her as the others exclaimed over the arrival, and Hiei, Azumi, and Kurama whirled towards that around.
"Uh, guys, I'm not sure how to tell you this…" Kuwabara stumbled.
"You're joking…" Yusuke asked, credulous.
"What the-!" Asuka asked.
"You died! I saw you fall in the lava!" Azumi cried, aggrivated now that she didn't know what was going on.
"What does it take to kill this guy?" Kunugi asked, all forethought forgotten.
"Please, help me…" Byakko, the White Tiger, who fell into a /lava pit/, said, looking up at the angry Seiryu. Other than a few scrapes and burns, he looked normal. Oh, and don't forget the limp.
"Weakling, you have disgraced our master." Without another word, Seiryu jumped, punching Byakko a half dozen times in the course of a second, and coming to rest behind him. Byakko, suddenly incased in ice, shattered as Seiryu kicked him, coming to rest where he had stood before. "You were right about my mists. By lowering the degrees to sub-zero temperatures, I can wrap my enemies in ice."
"You *******! Killing your own friend when he came for help!" Yusuke yelled.
"*****!" Shizuma agreed readily.
"***** ***** *********!" Ryoko snapped industriously. Everyone gave her a curious look. Xiaoxing moved to the side just a little.
"This race of demons has no loyalty. They forge alliances purely to gain power." Kurama's eyes narrowed as he spoke.
"This guy's pushed me too far. He's dead!" Yusuke snapped, starting to move forward.
"No! Xiaoxing's prey!" Xiaoxing cried suddenly, stepping forward. "Tall man count as two in quota!"
"Does she know what she's doing?" Yusuke asked, edgy.
"Yes. She will fight as she always does." Aoi looked on calmly as the four Reikai Tentai shot her a curious look.
"Foolish human…" Seiryu calmly stated, walking forward. Xiaoxing smirked and jumped into position.
"HA!" She swung her small, yo-yo like ball at his head, which he dodged with ease. He smiled back.
"Look, girl, you missed."
"Nyah, Nyah!" Xiaoxing cried, catching the yo-yo as it flew over his other shoulder after bouncing off the pillar behind him. Dodging to her right, she tightened it around his neck, happily coming up behind him unexpectantly, and tying his feet together. His hand that wasn't engaged in untying himself backhanded her into a pillar.
"Xiaoxing!" Megumi cried, starting forward. Seiryu held up one hand as he freed himself.
"I wouldn't do-" He was cut off as Aoi came up between Yusuke and Hiei, cutting into his side with her wooden sword as she slid past him with a grace the others could only gawk at. She placed the sword to one side as Seiryu doubled over, holding his stomache. He turned, preparing for another attack, to find Aoi walking calmly past him, Xiaoxing held reverently in her arms. She gingerly handed her to Megumi and took her spot in the back again. After looking at her for another moment, Megumi looked down at Xiaoxing, who's bruise was just starting to appear.
"Look, you can fight or bully any normal guy, but beating up little girls is just pathetic!" Shizuma snapped, holding up a fist. Hiei shook his head.
"Save your anger. You may have whoever we meet next. Let this fight be mine." And with that he turned and walked forward, ahead of the rest of the group, and settled into position.
"Ah, are you to be first, Hiei?" Seiryu asked mockingly.
Hiei paused, and shot a look at Byakko, before standing up straight.
"Changed your mind, Hiei?" Seiryu asked, but he stopped as Hiei, with a florish, wisked his coat off, and threw it over the frozen head of Byakko. The silence thickened as it fluttered to a stop.
"What was that? Do not tell me you're feeling sympathy for this ametuer," Seiryu continued, his drawling voice grinding everyone's nerves. "From your actions at the gate of betrayal, I was hoping you had more of a warrior's spirit." Hiei stiffened, then narrowed his eyes.
"He's a puzzle, isn't he?" Kurama asked as everyone shot him a curious look. "In times before, I've seen Hiei act with simalir cruelty. But something about Byakko's execution has caused great anger in him." At this point, Hiei came down slightly, reaching for his katana, his arua glowing blue. "He lives by his own code with very complex rules. And one thing is for certain, never before have I seen him go into a fight using such an extraordinary amount of his spirit energy."
"Good, as long as he kicks some ass." Yusuke agreed.
"It's not too late, Hiei. You could taste power and vain beyond your wildest dreams, with the help of my master…" Seiryu asked.
"Are you finished?"
"Huh?"
"They're last words, you know."
"So be it! Then you shall die like the rest of them!" He cried, punching forward. "Ice Dragon!" Seiryu yelled (on anyone with a better voice, it would be bellowed, but he's just so… pathetic). A second later, he blasted Hiei with a formation of mist, which Hiei sliced in two. This went to either side of him, making holes in the wall. Kuwabara looked behind him.
"Hey, watch it!"
"This isn't anything to brag about," Ryoko stated clearly and Asuka nodded.
"Yes, my techniques are far more civilized."
"Really? You mean your wannabe 'ninja' techniques?" Kunugi asked with a snort.
"What did you say?!"
"Dodge this!" Seiryu raged further, punching the air in front of him once.
"It's that technique! Run!" Yusuke cried, and, after a moment's hesitation, Hiei complied. Jumping over the top of Seiryu, he landed and turned around, watching as the place where he had stood was covered in ice.
"So, I seem to have forgotten about you demon speed, Hiei. But I will Not miss again!" And with that he punched at him a few more times, each time Hiei dodging and pausing slightly to look back at the frozen spot. After a few rounds, Seiryu made a direct hit.
"No! Hiei!" Kurama called, and Asuka turned instantly from her fight.
"Hiei!" Asuka and Azumi caroled, ignoring each other. Shizuma, Taiho, and Kunugi smiled at each other. This just got interesting.
"Wait, he's okay," Yusuke protested. Kuwabara glared at Kurama.
"Yeah, don't scare us like that!"
"No, his leg. We won't be able to run away any longer." Everyone looked curiously at Hiei's left, and frozen, shin.
Hiei sat, his frozen leg bent upward, sitting on his other leg slightly, taking weight off the first, his sword arm behind him just a little, holding his sword almost parallel to him on the ground behind him. He glared up at Seiryu.
"You see, no one ever escapes, only begs for mercy. With your leg frozen, you can't possibly move; start groveling. Ice Dragon!" And with that the mists swirled yet again. Hiei jabbed his sword forward, using it as leverage and pulling himself forward. "Now you end!" He came up in Seiryu's face, barely being grazed by his attack, before all that could be seen was flashes and swirls of light.
"Oh!" Everyone cried, and watched as Hiei came to a stop a few feet from them, his sword resting gracefully in his outstreched and relaxed hand.
"Hiei!"
"You have escaped, but you are wounded," Seiryu stopped dead as laughing interupted him. "Why are you laughing?"
"Your stupid anticts may hurt your friend, but not me." Gripping one upheld hand, Hiei's arm broke away the ice, and the ice on his legs cracked and vaporized as well.
"That's…impossible! I shall give…one final blow!" Seiryu cried, as a large streak of red blood trailed down his face. He looked at it crosseyed.
"Not likely." Hiei smirked as his opponent's many cuts caught up with him, tearing him to shreds, he disolved into mist. There was a pause of formidable silence, before Asuka, Yusuke, and Shizuma shouted in unison-
"Cool!" The three of them ran to the champion.
"When did he attack?" Kuwabara asked, dumbfounded.
"Don't worry. After the initial hit, I couldn't keep up either," Kurama informed him, running ahead with the rest of the group.
"Shortie's a lot cooler than I thought!" Kuwabara called suddenly, running after his friends. Kuwabara joined in next to Kurama, who had tilted his head slightly.
"Hiei, how many times did you cut him?" Kurama asked, his eyes twinkling at his friend's speed.
"Only sixteen."
"Kuso! And I only kept up with seven or eight!" Yusuke groaned.
"That's nothing meager. After the first cut, all I could see were flashes of light," our resident youko noted.
"Ha! Pay up, Shizuma, Taiho," Kunugi said happily from behind. "Sixteen, correct? You really should listen to me more."
"Kuso. And my bets were on eight…" the blue-haired one grumbled, forking over the money while the other dug in his pocket.
"Mine was twenty-six." The two of them looked at each other and sighed.
"No wonder you were so put-out when you came down. You had a really sour face on…" Ryoko noted, looking down at Hiei. She smirked as he shot her a dirty look. "Not that sixteen's bad, of course, but couldn't you do better if you had unfrozen yourself beforehand?" The said person paused, then nodded. She nodded knowingly. "I knew it."
"Of course, Ryoko, even in top form, I doubt you could get ten shots through in that moment," the Kiribayashi master proded onward, only to receive a jab in the shoulder.
"And you could, Azumi?"
"Of course!" She answered her rival happily, who just sighed in return.
"Man! If you use those moves next time we fight, O'm gonna be-" Yusuke started, before Shizuma pounced forward.
"Yeah! When this is over, I might actually have some competition!" Shizuma said haughtily from behind.
"-darned…" Yusuke finished after getting a half a dozen dark looks. Hiei turned and walked away.
"Maybe." Everyone looked at him curiously.
"For sure I thought he'd say 'Well of course you fool!'" Kuwabara stated coldly, looking disheveled. The red haired bishounen's head tilted to one side.
"Hiei's going through a tricky change." Everyone's attention turned to him. "It appears he is starting to like you." Yusuke looked at him in confusion, then at Hiei, then smiled.
"Right, then. Onward!" Megumi cried suddenly, pointing towards the door still carrying the passed out Xiaoxing over her shoulder.