A/N: Alright, I will try to make the chapters a bit longer.

Chapter 24: A Rose and A Gun

"What happened?"

"Where did he go?"

Everyone looked around, trying to find out where Braeden had gotten to after the shot had been fired and missed its target. The demon had dodged it, but now it seemed like he had just disappeared into thin air. As a pair of footsteps could be heard running across the grass quickly, everyone looked over at the source. Amaranta stopped when she reached the small group. Less than a minute later, Kurama joined them.

"I thought I told you to keep her in the house," Hiei whispered angrily to the fox demon.

"I tried. Trust me, I did. But she wouldn't allow me to keep her there." Kurama paused. "Hiei, there is something I have to tell you."

Before he could finish there came a loud type of cackle from what seemed like all around.

"Ah, so you are finally here, my dear. Shall we be getting back?"

"Don't think you are going to lay one filthy hand on her!" Kurama shouted to nowhere.

Braeden stepped out from behind a tree, chuckling. "And you think you are going to stop me?"

"Yes." Kurama took out a rose and held it to his nose.

This made Braeden laugh even harder. "What are you going to do?" he asked mockingly. "Take me out to dinner?" He laughed some more.

Kurama glared at him. "Rose whip." The rose transformed into a magnificent whip.

Braeden stopped. "Yes, I've heard of this. Rose whip. It is said to cut through anything and everything."

"Exactly." Kurama raised his arm into the air. "Rose whip lash." With strikingly quick speed, the whip slashed through the air at Braeden. However, he was able to dodge it easily, so Kurama was only able to cut down trees.

As he was finishing up his attack, the whip hit Braeden on the shoulder, cutting through his shirt and causing blood to spill from a small wound. The demon stood straight as if nothing had happened. He looked down at his shirt then back at Kurama.

"This was one of my favorite shirts," he said, simply.

"Spirit gun!"

Braeden looked quickly in Yusuke's direction to see that he had fired off another "bullet" that was headed straight towards him. He quickly jumped out of the way, but came short as the ball of spirit energy barely touched his thigh, ripping open the fabric and creating a small gash.

Yusuke smirked. "Getting a little sloppy, aren't we?"

Braeden stood to his full height, glaring at them. He was not happy. "Enough. Play time is over." He held out his hand and a ball of black energy, with what looked like little bolts of lightning flickering around inside of it, slowly grew. "Get ready to die." He fired off the first one with a hint of a grin forming at his lips.

The ball hurled forwards. Kuwabara pushed Yusuke and Kurama out of the way and stood poised with his spirit sword as if he were bating.

"Come on. I'll hit is out of the park."

"No! Kuwabara you mustn't touch it!" Kurama screamed.

Kuwabara jumped out of the way at the last minute, just getting knicked. He looked behind him to see a tree shroud in the balls darkness.

"What the-?"

But before he could speak another word the tree exploded. Everyone ducked as pieces of wood and leaves flew out at them. Amaranta and Braeden, however, stood looking at each other, as if they knew that was going to happen.

"Whoa!" Kuwabara backed away from what was left of the tree. Only then did he notice that where the dark spirit energy had hit him slightly was a large cut with blood pouring out of it.

Yukina came over to him quickly. "Hold still." She began to heal him.

Everyone looked over at Braeden who was snickering.

"He is very powerful," Hiei explained. "Don't expect the same results from any of your attacks."