Chapter 66
Alliance
"He sleeps like a rock" Yusuke said as he watched Riku sleep on Yukina's lap. "Well wolf pups spend a lot of time sleeping" Maya replied. "Well at least he hasn't been causing trouble" Kurama said. Riku let out a tired yawn before opening his eyes. "Good morning sleepy head" Yukina said. "Hello Yukina lady" Riku replied. He'd made up names for most of the gang. Hiei was Spike, Kurama was ugly lady, Yusuke was Greasy (Cause of his hair), Kuwabara was Monkey Man, and he added lady to each of the girls' names.
"Sleep well?" Kurama asked. "Yes ugly lady" Riku replied sleepily. "Let's get you some food" Yukina sad as she rushed out with Riku. Yusuke was on the floor laughing. "Well at least my names not Greasy" Kurama said. That made Yusuke stop.
Hiei and Nami watched from the window. "We have to get Riku back to normal" Nami said. "Yes, that name he gave me is starting to annoy me" Hiei said. "I don't know, I think it's cute" Nami replied. "He only calls you Nami lady" Hiei replied. "Good point" Nami said. "If we find Ace, we find the cure but how are we going to track him?" Hiei said. The two pondered for a few minutes.
"I see we're having problems" a voice said. The two jumped to their feet and got into fighting stances. Muraku was standing just ten feet from them. "What do you want?" Hiei asked. "I sensed something happen to Riku. I may not be his dark side anymore but I still share a connection with him" Muraku replied.
Yukina walked outside. "Hiei, Nami lunch is…" she stopped when she saw Muraku. The wolf looked at her with a cold gaze. "What are you doing here?" She asked. "What happened to Riku?" Muraku asked. "What do you man?" Yukina asked trying to cover up for Riku. "Don't play dumb with me. I sensed something happen to Riku and I want to know what it is!!!" Muraku said angrily.
"What's with all the noise?" Maya asked as she walked out with Riku. Her eyes widened when she saw him. "Hello Maya" Muraku said. "You, you look just like my brother" Maya said. "Well dark sides tend to resemble their good sides" Muraku replied. "You're his dark side?" Maya said. "Everyone's asking to many questions. Yes I was his dark side and I want to know what happened to…" he stopped talking when he saw a mini version of him next to Maya's leg.
"Who he?" Riku asked. A look of shock appeared on Muraku's face. "What happened to him?" he asked. "A guy named Ace" Yusuke said as he and the others walked out. "You look like me. I call you Big Riku" Riku said. Muraku was to shocked to listen to Riku but the laughs and giggles of the others brought him back to reality. "What's so funny?" he asked. "He named you Big Riku" Yusuke laughed. Muraku growled. "Quiet all of you" he demanded. The others kept laughing. "Shut up or I'll destroy you all!!!" Muraku yelled. Everyone went quiet.
"Good now let's go inside so I can learn just who this Ace guy is" Muraku said as he walked toward the door and went inside. "Big Riku scary" Riku said. Everyone snickered before following Muraku in.
They found Muraku sitting comfortably on a chair arms crossed and one leg over the other. "Come on Riku, mom needs our help with the laundry" Maya said as she walked out of the room with her brother.
Everyone sat in silence for a few minutes. "So what happened?" Muraku asked. "Well this guy named Ace attacked us. He's one of the Demon King's Apocalypse Ten. He used a card spell to change Riku into a chibi" Kurama said. "Where is he?" Muraku asked again. "None of us know. Normally we'd just use Riku to sniff him out but as you can see he's in no condition to do it" Kurama replied. Botan scooted closer to her boyfriend. Muraku just made her uneasy. Kurama saw this and looped his arm around her shoulder.
"Have you forgotten I have all of Riku's senses, including smell" Muraku said. "Are you saying you'll help us?" Yusuke asked. Muraku merely nodded. "Why, what's in it for you?" Hiei asked. "You should know what having a rival means. I want the old Riku back so he'll be ready for our rematch" Muraku said. Hiei mentally kicked himself. He should have known Muraku was doing this for himself.
"So are you going to accept my help or should I just head back to Kairi?" Muraku asked. "Alright, you win" Yusuke said. "Good. Hiei, Nami, Yusuke, I expect you ready in half an hour" Muraku said. "Hey, what about me" Kuwabara said. "I want dependable help, not a handicap" Muraku said. "Why you" Kuwabara said as he activated his sword and charged. "Kuwabara don't" Yusuke said. To late, Muraku was behind the human and with one powerful chop to the back of the neck knocked Kuwabara out. "Well at least he won't object anymore" Muraku said as he shoved his hands in his pant pockets.
"Any other objections?" Muraku asked. "Why can't I go?" Kurama asked. "I need someone powerful to stay behind. Ace might send some of his monsters here. Besides, I don't think your girlfriend wants you out of her sight while I'm around:" Muraku said looking at Botan. She looked at the ground to avoid his gaze.
Muraku looked around for any signs of questions. When he saw none he walked to the door and opened it. He headed for a tree and jumped up. He pulled out the Luna Edge and began inspecting it for dirt, cracks, and other blemishes.
Yusuke, Nami, and Hiei were also preparing themselves for battle. Hiei was polishing his katana, Nami was swinging her scimitars around, and Yusuke was doing pushups. Botan saw Kurama walk out and followed him.
"Kurama, wait" she said. He stopped and turned to her. "What is it Botan?" he asked. "Where are you going?" she asked. "Just for a walk" he replied. "Can I come?" she asked. "It won't be long, I'll be back soon" Kurama said before giving her a reassuring kiss. "I'll wait here then" she said as she sat down on a log. Kurama smiled before walking into the woods.
He soon arrived at his destination. He looked up to where Muraku was working on his sword. "What do you want?" Muraku asked. "Why did you do that to her?" Kurama asked. Muraku stopped what he was doing and looked down at Kurama. He saw anger, determination, and love in Kurama's eyes, the love for Botan. "Do you really want to know?" Muraku asked. Kurama nodded. Muraku closed his eyes and was suddenly right in front of Kurama.
"Are you sure?" he asked. "Yes, now tell me" Kurama demanded. "I did it to make you suffer. I knew it would damage her both physically and emotionally and that you'd share that damage" Muraku replied. "You're a monster" Kurama said. "Maybe so, but I'm not like that anymore. I know nothing I say or do will make you both forgive me so I won't try" Muraku said. "You make it sound like I just dislike you!!! I hate you Muraku!!!" Kurama said as he grabbed the wolf's collar. "I hate you for what you did to her!!! Do you have any idea how much it hurt to watch her cry after what you did?! She may act happy but deep down I know she's still feeling the damage. She'll never be as happy again and it's all your fault!!!" Kurama said. "You really love her don't you?" Muraku asked. "More than you'll ever know. And I'll do anything to help her even if it means fighting you" the fox replied.
Muraku punched Kurama's stomach. Kurama let go and doubled over. He stumbled to his feet and glared at Muraku. "I knew you'd never change" he said. "You said you'd do anything to help her didn't you?" Muraku said. Kurama only nodded. "Then what are you doing here? "Muraku asked. "What?' Kurama said. "If you want to help so much then why are you fighting me? You should be with her right now" Muraku said. Kurama froze in place. He never expected to hear that from Muraku. "Go to her Kurama, but if you still want to fight me then it'll have to wait until I deal with Ace" Muraku said before disappearing.
Kurama stood there for a few minutes thinking about what Muraku said. "I hate to admit it, but he's right" Kurama said before running back to where Botan was waiting. Muraku watched as the fox disappeared from view. Never thought I'd end up teaching him something he thought before retuning to his sword.
Botan was still on the log. "Botan" Kurama said. Botan stood up and turned to him. She was surprised when he looped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. "Kurama?" she said. "Botan I want you to do some thing for me" he said. "What?" she asked. "I want you to return to me" he said. "But I'm right here" she said. "I mean the old Botan. The Botan who always had a sparkle in her eyes, the one I fell I love with. You lost that sparkle after what he did to you but its time you got it back" he said. "I can't Kurama. It just hurts to much" she said as she started to cry. "You can Botan" Kurama replied. "I can't, I'm to weak to do it alone" she said. "Your not alone Botan. I'm here" he said. She looked up at him. "Kurama" she said as she smiled. "I love you, and I'll be here for you not matter what" he said before kissing her.
Muraku watched the scene from a tree. For some reason watching the two below made him think of Kairi. What's happening to me? Why am I thinking of her? I can't let myself get distracted. I have a battle to prepare for he thought.
After more preparing the deadline was up. Muraku arrived at the temple to find the three ready for action. "Let's go" he said before walking off. "Wish us luck" Yusuke said as he followed. "Be careful" Keiko said. "Bye Big Riku, bye Spike, bye Nami lady, bye Greasy" Riku said. Muraku growled and continued on.
After minuets of walking they arrived at the battlefield. "This is where we last fought him" Yusuke said. Muraku started to sniff the air for any unfamiliar scents. "Got it" he said. He took off in the direction of the scent. Hiei and Nami followed. "Hey wait up" Yusuke said as he ran after them.
As Muraku continued on the scent got stronger. He's close he thought as he slowed down. Hiei and Nami appeared beside him. "Where is he?" Hiei said. "Shh" Muraku said. He looked around and saw Ace sitting in a tree while examining a deck of cards. "Is that him?" he asked. "Yep" Nami said as she prepared her weapons. Muraku and Hiei unsheathed their katanas. "Ready, and…" "There you are" Yusuke said as he ran onto the scene.
Ace heard him and turned to them. "Well, well, you thought you could sneak up on me didn't ya?" he said mockingly. "So you are Ace" Muraku said. "And who are you? You look like Riku" Ace replied. "The name's Muraku" the wolf replied. "Well then you and those three will be the perfect targets to test my more powerful deck" Ace said as he held his cards up.
"I'm tired of listening to you, SPIRIT GUN" the attack hit the branch and forced Ace to jump to the ground. "Nice one, but let's see how you handle this, Man-eating Corpse I summon you" Ace said as he threw a card. A seven-foot tall giant with gray rooting flesh rose out of the card. "Simple enough" Hiei said before disappearing. The corpse's head was soon rolling on the ground. "So much for him" Hiei said. The body lunged at him and slashed at him with its claws. "What the?" Hiei said as he jumped back.
The body started to violently shack. After ten more seconds a new head popped out. The head on the ground levitated into the air and grew a new body. Hiei growled and proceeded to cut them into tiny bits. He was soon surrounded by dozens or living corpses. "Maybe I should have mentioned that every piece you cut off grows its own body" Ace said. He growled and readied his katana.
Nami had been taking this time to flank Ace. She jumped at him and swung. Her scimitars sliced throw him but he melted away. "A decoy" she said. Before she could do anything a card hit her and she disappeared in an energy sphere.
She was now in a completely black place. "Where am I?" she said. "Hello Nami" a voice said from behind. Nami spun around and gasped when she saw herself standing in front of her. "Who are you?" Nami asked. "I'm you Nami" the other Nami said. "What do you want?" Nami asked. "I want to save you" the copy said. "Save me? From what?" Nami asked. "From Hiei" the copy replied.
Outside, Hiei was trying to fight of the corpses. Muraku had joined in but every time they sliced a piece off, it would grow a body. "How do we beat these things?" Yusuke asked as he blasted one back. "Hiei, if you'll do the honors" Muraku said. Hiei nodded as his jagan glowed. Flames surrounded his body. He smirked and made the flames cover the area around him. Muraku and Yusuke protected themselves with barriers as the corpses burned to ashes.
"Simple enough" Muraku said as he turned to Ace. "Well then try these on for size. Flame Spirit, Dark Paladin I summon you" a figure covered in flames rose from one card and a knight wearing black medieval armor rose from the other. The knight pulled a four-foot long sword and charged at Muraku. The Flame Spirit attack Hiei.
Hiei dodged the first punch but the intense heat singed his shirt. He swung downward at only to have his blade go right through it. The spirit punched him in the face and sent him flying to the ground. Hiei stumbled to his feet as the spirit charged.
"What do you mean save me from Hiei?" Nami asked. "Come on now, you know what I mean. You actually think a guy like Hiei can ever love you?" the copy said. "Shut up, of coarse Hiei loves me" Nami said. "How can you be sure?" the copy asked. "He told me he did" Nami said. "Oh that's a good one. You actually trust a criminal's word?" the copy laughed. "Hiei isn't a criminal anymore" Nami said angrily. "He may not be a criminal anymore but he still knows how to survive. Don't you get it? He's been deceiving you" the copy said.
"Liar!!!" Nami yelled. "Oh come on you know I'm telling the truth. He's acting like he loves you so you'll help him survive fights" the copy said. "Shut up!!!" Nami yelled as she covered her ears. "You know what I'm saying in true. And deep down you agree with me" the copy said. "No I don't" Nami said.
"Why would Hiei want someone like you? You were made in a lab, your half angel and half devil, and you have such an attitude. Hiei only tolerates you cause of your looks. If he finds a more powerful girl he'll screw you then throw you out like trash" the copy said. "No he won't" Nami said. "How can you be sure? Hiei's pretty good at hiding things" the copy said. Nami went silent.
"Now you see the light. Hiei has never, and will never love you. So to stop him from hurting you, you'll have to kill him. Do it now, or he'll just leave you alone again" the copy said. "Are you done?" Nami asked. The copy blinked. "Cause that's the biggest bull I've ever heard" Nami said. "I'm telling you the truth. Hiei doesn't care!!!" the copy yelled. "On the slim possibility your really telling the truth, it wouldn't matter. I love that fire demon and nothing you say can change that" Nami said. The copy roared and charged. As it neared it grew fangs and claws. Nami smirked and in a flash cut it to pieces. "What a bitch" she said.
She saw some light from the corner of her eye. She turned to it and saw a doorway. "Speaking of Hiei, I should get back to him" she said before walking through it. She soon found herself back outside. She saw the Flame Spirit charge at Hiei and sent a blast at it. The blast hit but did no damage.
Nami appeared beside Hiei. "Glad to have you back" Hiei said. "I got a plan" Nami said. "Let's here it" Hiei replied. Nami whispered something to him.
Muraku's battle with the Dark Paladin was still raging. Muraku stopped a horizontal swing from the knight and pushed it back. The knight thrust its sword forward but Muraku parried it and swung his sword at it. The Luna Edge bounced off the paladin's armor. "My sword is useless against it" Muraku mumbled as it attacked.
Yusuke fired another blast at Ace but the card master had used a spell card to create a shield that blocked every blast. "Your persistence is starting to bug, I summon Deepest Fear" a shapeless shadow rose from the card. "Deepest Fear? What can that thing do to me?" Yusuke said. The shadow started to take that shape of something. Yusuke gasped as the shadow turned into…
"Keiko?" Yusuke said. "Don't talk to me like that Yusuke Urameshi" Keiko replied. "How did you get here?" Yusuke asked. "You left me at the movies again" she said angrily. "Hey it's not my fault" Yusuke said. Keiko slapped him. "You're the biggest jerk I know. I don't know why I kissed you when you were dead" she said as she slapped him again. "Keiko, calm down" Yusuke said as he tried to block the slaps. "Why should I? I save your life and what do I get in return? More unfinished dates, dinners alone, having to worry sick about you, and having to hang out with your friends" Keiko said. "Hey your not Keiko" Yusuke said. "Of coarse I am" Keiko replied. "No way, the real Keiko loves hanging out with my friends. You're just a cheap copy. Keiko looks a heck of a lot better than you" Yusuke said. Keiko turned back into the shadow and it lopped itself around Yusuke. "Can't breath" Yusuke said as he struggled to get out.
Suddenly Muraku appeared in front of him. With one swing he sliced through the shadow and freed Yusuke. "Thanks" Yusuke said as the shadow disintegrated. "Just shut up and blast that thing" Muraku said pointing at the Dark Paladin. "Right" Yusuke said as he fisted his hand. "SHOTGUN" his attack blew hole after hole through the knight until it exploded. "Piece of cake" Yusuke said.
Hiei and Nami jumped in opposite directions as the Flame Spirit charged. They appeared at opposite sides of it and held their hands out. A barrier formed around the spirit. Naturally it tried to fight out. "Keep it up Hiei" Nami said as she added more energy to the barrier. Hiei increased the amount of energy he was giving as well. Just as Nami predicted, the Flame Spirit's attempts to get out caused the oxygen in the barrier to run out. The spirit slowly disappeared into nothing. Hiei and Nami relaxed and looked at each other. "We're an unbeatable team" Nami said as she winked at Hiei. He smirked and turned to Ace.
"That's it!!! No more Mr. Nice Guy!!! I summon, the Great Devil!!!" the card erupted with power and a pillar of black fire rose from it. When the pillar died down a massive thirty story high devil with black skin, red eyes, horns, claws, and a tail stood in its place. "Destroy them" Ace said. The devil roared and lifted its foot. "Move!!!" Muraku said as he and Yusuke jumped out of the way of the foot. Hiei and Nami leaped into the air to attack the devil. It saw them and swatted them out of the sky like flies. They both crashed into a tree.
"SPIRIT GUN" Yusuke's attack didn't do a thing. The devil looked at him and thrust its fist at him. Yusuke ran out of the way of the fist. As the devil pulled its fist back a crater was left where the fist once was.
"BLACK FLASH" Muraku's attack hit the devil's back and a huge explosion ripped through the area. When the dust settled the devil stood unfazed. It slowly turned to him and growled. "GRAND INFERNO" Nami's fie attack hit the side of the devil's face. "SHOTGUN" Yusuke attacked the devil's chest. The devil threw its head back and let out a loud roar. The resulting shockwaves blew the three back.
It turned to Nami and started to stomp toward her. Hiei appeared in front of her. "My turn" he said as the bandage on his arm burned off. "DRAGON OF THE DARKNESS FLAME" the dragon flew right at the devil's head. The devil opened its mouth and swallowed the attack. "No…way" Hiei said. The devil smirked and opened its mouth again. A beam of black flames shot out of its mouth and flew toward Hiei.
"Oh no you don't" Yusuke said as he ran in front of Hiei. His hands started to glow as the flames got closer. "SPIRIT WAVE" his attack collided with the flames and stopped them from coming any closer but Yusuke was having trouble keeping the flames back. "Nami, we have to transfer our power to Yusuke" Hiei said. Nami nodded and they each placed a hand on Yusuke's shoulder. Their combined powers managed to buy them some time but the devil's attack would eventually break through.
Muraku appeared high in the air behind the devil. A familiar purple energy orb surrounded his left fist. "Say goodbye to your Great Devil, SOUL BREAKER" he thrust his hand forward and the blade extended toward the devil. It pierced its back and immediately the devil's attack stopped. Muraku smirked and retracted the blade. The devil fell to the ground as its color shattered to pieces and the body turned gray.
Muraku disappeared and reappeared in front of Ace. Ace took a step back and tried to grab on of his cards. "Oh no you don't" Muraku said as he raised his sword. He brought it down and slashed Ace's right shoulder. Ace screamed in pain and dropped his cards. "Now to finish you off" Muraku said as he thrust his sword forward. Before it made contact Ace disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Coward" Muraku said as he sheathed his sword.
The others ran toward the cards and started to search through them. "There has to be a card that can fix Riku" Yusuke said as he tossed another aside. Muraku watched as they went through card after card. "Damit where is it?" Hiei said. Muraku realized he was standing on one of the cards. He bent down and picked it up. "Well what do we have here?" Muraku said as he looked at the card. "What is it?" Nami asked. Muraku smirked and showed them the card. "A despell card" Muraku said. "That's perfect" Nami said as he snatched it from him. He chose to let it slip and turned around.
"Riku better be back to normal next time I see him. Or there'll be hell to pay" Muraku sad before wind morphing. "Let's get back to the temple" Yusuke said.
At the Temple
Everyone was sitting in the living room waiting for the four to return. Maya, Crystal, and Yukina were playing with Riku on the couch, Kuwabara was watching them (Well Crystal actually) from a nearby chair, Keiko was pacing behind the couch, Hitomi was in the kitchen doing mom stuff, and Botan was seated on Kurama's lap next to the window.
"What's taking them so long?" Keiko said. "Oh don't worry, I'm sure they're fine" Botan said. "But they're with Muraku, what if he decides to turn on them?" Keiko said. "I wouldn't worry about that. I don't think Muraku would do something so underhanded. It's not his style" Kurama said.
The door flew open and Yusuke, Nami, and Hiei came running in. "We got it!!!" Yusuke said as he held the card high. "Greasy is back, and Spike and Nami lady to" Riku said. "What'd you get?" Keiko asked. "A despell card" Yusuke replied. "Where's Muraku?" Yukina asked. "He left" Hiei said as he took a seat on the windowsill. Nami leaned on the wall next to him.
"How do I use this thing?" Yusuke asked. "Add spirit energy until it starts glowing" Kurama said as he gentle lifted Riku. "Wait a sec" Botan said as she rushed to Kurama's side. She grabbed Riku and pulled him into a tight hug. "You're the cutest chibi I've ever met" she said before handing him back to Kurama. "I'm almost sorry to see him go" Crystal said. "I am to but we all want the old Riku back" Yukina said. Kurama nodded and placed Riku on the floor.
"Okay Yusuke" he said. Yusuke nodded and channeled his energy into the card. After a few tense minutes it started to glow. "Hey Riku, catch" Yusuke said as he tossed it to Riku. Riku caught it and his body was surrounded buy a blinding light. The others were forced to shield their eyes. The light started to dim. "Ugh, my head" an all to familiar voice said.
The others looked at him happily but it quickly turned into embarrassment. Riku was back to normal all right, but unfortunately his cloths hadn't grown with him. Luckily, what was left of his pants covered the important stuff. But Yukina and Keiko fainted, Botan had a nosebleed, and Maya, Crystal, and Hitomi were unaffected cause they were family. Riku was to dazed to notice his state of undress. "Where am I?" he said as he rubbed his head. "Welcome back bro" Maya said. "Maya? Mom? What are you doing here?" Riku asked. "Get dressed son" Hitomi said.
Riku looked down at himself and blushed. He quickly scrambled to his feet and headed for his room.
This whole time Nami had forced herself not to look but the temptation was too great. She caught one last glance of Riku before he disappeared into the hall. Nice ass she thought.
Bad Nami. Well at least Riku's back to normal. And Muraku seems to be almost completely good if he would stop threatening people. One more week till Thanksgiving Vacation yay!!! I'll be updating a lot sooner that week.
Next chapter, Koenma has found his lucky pacifier and there's hell to pay. Review please.
