Just to let you know, I'll only go into detail about the boys' fights. Sorry but if I described all eight fights in the first round this chapter would be way to long. I promise all the battles from the second round on will be in detail.
Chapter 76
Opening Round
We join the gang making their way to the stadium for the tournament. Yusuke, Riku, Kurama, and Hiei were in the lead with everyone else close behind. "I wonder how many fans are in the stadium?" Rogato said. "Knowing this tournament, at least a million" Hiei said. "A million!!!" Kuwabara said. "Yes you oaf a million. I told you it was popular" Hiei said. Nami couldn't help but giggle at her mate. No matter how many times he and Kuwabara fought together they'll always be mortal enemies.
"That's some line" Keiko said. "We'll never get through" Maya said. "Doubting me already are we" a familiar voice said. They turned around and saw a teenage Koenma standing in front of them. "Lord Koenma" Botan said bowing. "How can you help us?" Yusuke asked. "With me, you all can take the V.I.P. entrance" Koenma said. "You guys go ahead, I think competitors have special clearance" Riku said. The guys each got a good luck kiss from their girlfriends or mates and headed for the entrance.
"Out of the way" Yusuke said. "Watch your tongue human" a demon said. "Guys" Yusuke said. The four pulled out their invitations. "They're competing" a demon said. "Hey, I think three of them are from Team Urameshi" another said. "It's Kurama!!!" a few girls squealed. "I'm not getting in their way" another said. They all cleared the way for the four to walk through. "So where do we go?" Yusuke ask the ticket guy. "Just follow the red arrows" the guy said. Yusuke nodded and they continued.
"I hope they found good seats" Riku said as he cracked his neck. "Don't worry about them, stay focused on the tournament" Hiei said. "What's there to worry about?" Yusuke asked. "Yusuke, we've explained a million times how big this tournament is. Only the most powerful of demons, humans, or other things are allowed to compete. I wouldn't be surprised if one of us is taken out in the first round" Kurama said. "You're kidding" Yusuke said. "I wish I was" Kurama replied.
"This must be the place" Riku said as they stopped in front of a door marked competitors only. They walked in and were met by a few Ghouls. "Invitations" one of them said. "Here ya go" Yusuke said as he and the others showed them their invitations. "This way please" the Ghoul said as it walked down a hall. They followed until they came to a room. Standing there was Demonus. "So the rumors were true" he said. "What do you want?" Yusuke asked. "I only came to welcome the competitors. You'll wait in this room until your matches. Enjoy" Demonus said before walking away. "I wonder where the other competitors are?" Riku said. "Probably in other rooms" Hiei said. The room had a couch and two chairs facing a window that overlooked a sandy arena. "I wonder if we can see the others from here" Riku said as he scanned the crowd.
Outside the door a Ghoul walked up to Demonus. "My lord" it said taking a bow. "What is it?" Demonus asked. "All the competitors have arrived except one" it replied. "Is he dead?" Demonus asked. "No, he informed us he might be running late so we scheduled him for the final battle of the first round" the Ghoul replied. "Begin the opening ceremonies" Demonus said. The Ghoul bowed before walking off.
"Now to find Amai" Demonus mumbled as he started searching for his mate. He found her being harassed by a very ugly demon. "I said leave me alone" Amai said timidly. "What's wrong? I won't bite, hard anyway" he replied with a grin. Someone tapped his shoulder. "Beat it" he said. Another tap. "I said beat it" he said turning around. He grunted as a fist slammed into his stomachs. He looked to owner of the fist and saw two red eyes glaring at him. "Leave my mate alone" Demonus said. He fired a black spirit blast that incinerated the demon. "You okay?" he asked as he helped Amai to her feet. "Yes, thank you Demonus" she said. "Anything for you" he said smiling. Amai blushed. "Well come on, my father's waiting" Demonus said. The two walked off to find the king.
In the stands
"I can't believe we have front row seats" Damien said. "Whoever got us those tickets must have had connections" Rogato said. "Whoever got them killed Murakai" Maya said bitterly. "Calm down sis" Crystal said. "This place is packed" Kuwabara said. "It's loud" Mimiru said covering her purple ears. Kairi smiled as she held the twins on her lap. Black Fang sat in front of them. Nami was in another section of the stadium looking out for trouble. Nothing so far she thought.
"Hey Nami" a voice said. Nami looked to the source and saw Naien and the rest of the Night Shadow clan standing there. "Hey guys" Nami said smiling. "So what are you doing here? Where are your friends?" Serena asked. "They're somewhere else in the stadium. I've got look out duty" Nami replied. "Are some of your friends competing?" Draco asked. "Yusuke, Riku, Hiei, and Kurama are competing. What about you?" Nami asked. "Javik entered. After all he has unfinished business with Hiei" Lita said. "Mind if we keep you company?" Shade asked. "Go right ahead" Nami said.
"Where are the boys" Botan said as she looked around. "They should be somewhere in the stadium. I'm sure they're all right" Yukina said. "I hope you're right" Keiko said. "Relax you guys" Rogato said. "Where's papa?" Yugi asked. "Black Fang?" Kairi asked. Black Fang grunted. "He said Muraku sensed something and went to check it out" Rogato said. "I hope he doesn't get himself hurt" Kairi said.
"LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN. WELCOME TO ANOTHER OF THE BLOODY, ACTION-PACKED, AND ALWAYS ENTERTAINING DEMON KING'S TOURNAMENT" the announcer in a booth high above the crowd said. He didn't do commentary on the fights; he just announced who was fighting and stuff like that. The crowd cheer. "ONCE AGAIN, DEMONS AND HUMANS ALIKE HAVE COME FROM THE FAR CORNERS OF ALL THREE WORLDS TO COMPETE. THIS ONE PROMISES TO BE BLOODIER THAN THE LAST" he said. The crowd's cheering got louder. "NOW BOW DOWN AND SHOW YOUR RESPECT TO THE BIG GUY HIMSELF, THE DEMON KING SATANOS" the announcer said. The stadium got quiet as everyone in the crowd hurried to bow down. "Do we have to?" Keiko said. "Yes, this is his tournament" Botan said. The group got on their knees and bowed.
A set of huge doors at the side of the arena opened. The entire stadium remained quiet. From shadows of the doors footsteps could be heard. They were steady and echoed through the stadium. "I'm scared momma" Mimiru said as she clutch Kairi's kimono. "It's okay you two, I won't let them hurt you" Kairi said.
From his private room high above the arena Koenma looked anxiously through a pair of binoculars. "Why so nervous Koenma sir" George asked. "Not even I have seen the Demon King. This is one of his rare public appearances" Koenma replied.
From the shadows, the Demon King Satanos walked onto the arena. He was 6' 5 in height with spiky silver hair similar to Demonus's. Some of it was tied in a high ponytail while the rest cascaded down his back. On his chin was a sliver beard that reached down to his abdomen and was tied together with a clip with a red jewel on the front. His skin was pale and his eyes were completely red except for his white pupils. Two large horns stuck out of head. They first pointed forward but curved back until they pointed completely backwards. Along the back of each was a row of spikes. Attached to his back were two massive bat-like wings.
He wore black armor all over the rest of his body. The torso armor had a silver human skull with two gold horns sticking out of its head and continuing to the back of his shoulders carved on the front. His shoulder plates were in the shape of dragons' heads with the horns pointing upward. Their eyes had red jewels in them and their snouts reached to just above his elbows.
Around his lower arm was armor decorated with golden symbols. On each hand was a gauntlet with spikes along the outside of each finger. The armor on his legs was under the lower part of the black cloak he wore. The upper part of the cloak was under his upper armor. Around his neck was a silver thread with a red orb attached to it. Demonus had a similar one though the orb was slightly smaller.
With each step a fiery footprint was left behind. Right behind him was Demonus with Amai next to him. Ace was behind them and was looking around for Muraku. He still wanted revenge for what Muraku did to him. A few other generals walked behind him.
"Satanos why does that sound familiar?" Yusuke said. "Satan is the human name for him" Hiei said. "So that's the guy Ryu defeated" Riku mumbled.
Satanos stopped in the middle of the arena. "I welcome you all to my tournament. Some of your fear me, others worship me, and a few hate me. I will find you. As you know, sixteen of the three worlds' best fighters have been chosen to compete. While some of them have killed to get an invitation it just shows they are stronger. The grand prize is a trophy, prize money, but most importantly a high rank in my army. Eventually the winner may become a member of my Apocalypse Ten (or three now). Now, let the tournament begin!!!" he said as he threw his fist up. The crowd erupted in cheers.
Satanos smirked and continued to his special box right next to the battle area. He and those with him took their seats to watch the action.
"YOU HEARD THE DEMON. LET THE TOURNAMENT BEGIN. RULES ARE SIMPLE. TWO OPPONENTS SLUG IT OUT UNTIL ONE IS EITHER KILLED OR GIVES UP. AND IF YOUR OPPONENT IS KNOCKED OUT AND CAN'T SAY "I GIVE UP" THEN YOU KILL THEM ANYWAY. FIRST UP, YUSUKE URAMESHI." There was a mix of boos and cheers from the audience.
"Wish me luck" Yusuke said as he headed for the entrance to the arena. A couple of doors opened in front off him and he walked onto the arena. "It's Yusuke" Keiko said as she waved at him. He saw her and gave her a wink.
"AND HIS OPPONENT, LIGOR" the announcer said. The doors on the other side of the arena opened and a roar echoed through the stadium. A huge half tiger half lion demon walked onto the arena. He was 8 feet tall with yellow eyes, black strips, and light brown fur. Around his head was a red mane. He wore a pair of gray pants.
"Ligor huh?" Yusuke said. "Puny human, I will enjoy devouring you limb by limb" Ligor said. "You sound tough, sure you can back that up?" Yusuke said as he got into a fighting stance. Ligor cracked his knuckles. "AND BEGIN!!!" the announcer said.
Ligor let out a roar that sent out sound waves so strong Yusuke struggled to stay in place and stumbled. Ligor took that moment to charge. Yusuke looked up and saw his opponent raise his hand. Ligor swung his claws at Yusuke who just managed to duck his claws.
Yusuke charged Ligor and landed a series of fast punches on Ligor's abdomen. With a yell he finished his assault with an energy-covered punch. Ligor chuckled. "Oh man" Yusuke said. Ligor backhanded Yusuke with his right hand causing Yusuke to crash into the arena walls.
"Yusuke!!!" Keiko said as she stood up. The dust settled to show Yusuke standing with a smirk on his face. "Not bad, but Keiko's slaps are a lot worse" he said. Ligor growled and charged again.
Yusuke pointed a finger as energy gather on the tip. "SPIRIT GUN" Ligor swatted the attack away like an annoying insect. Yusuke narrowed his eyes and fired five more blasts. Ligor shielded himself with his arms and continued forward. Yusuke's eyes widened as Ligor got closer. Ligor lunged at him and opened his jaws to swallow Yusuke. Yusuke leaped over his head and ran over the rest of Ligor's body. Ligor crashed headfirst into the wall. Yusuke burst out laughing.
"You show him Urameshi!!!" Kuwabara yelled.
Ligor roared from inside the dust cloud. "BEAST SHOCKWAVE" a wave of moving air slammed into Yusuke causing him to lose his footing. As he fell Ligor charged from the dust cloud and kicked Yusuke's side with his left foot. Yusuke flew into the air and started to fall to the ground. Before he hit the ground, Ligor clasped his hands together and brought them down on Yusuke. The force of the blow caused Yusuke to head for the ground faster. When he hit, he left a ten-foot wide crater on the ground.
Ligor smirked and raised his right foot. He brought it down and stomped on Yusuke's body. Yusuke yelled in pain before Ligor lifted his foot and stomped on him again. He continued to the cheers of the crowd. "He's losing" Kairi said. "Don't count Yusuke out just yet" Botan said.
Ligor raised his foot again and kept it there. "This will finish you off!!!" he said as he brought it down faster than the others. Yusuke smirked and held his hands out. He caught Ligor's foot and stopped it. "What!!!" Ligor said. "I was waiting for you to pause" Yusuke said as he pushed. Ligor lost his balance and fell to the ground. Yusuke got to his feet as his body was surrounded by blue energy. "Come on" he said. Ligor growled as he stood up.
He charged Yusuke and threw a punch. Yusuke blocked it with his right arm. Ligor threw another punch right at Yusuke. Yusuke caught it. "It's been fun but I've got a tournament to win. SPIRIT WAVE" his attack fired out of the hand he'd caught the punch with. Ligor screamed as he was incinerated by the blast. "WINNER BY KILLING, YUSUKE URAMESHI!!!" the announcer said. The crowd reacted with mixed reactions but Keiko and the gang cheered.
Yusuke smiled and stumbled toward the exit. "Nice work Yusuke" Riku said. "You had us worried" Kurama said. "It was obvious you were playing possum" Hiei said. "Keep thinking that shorty" Yusuke said with a smirk. "Hn" Hiei said as Yusuke sat down.
"NOW FOR ROUND TWO. INTRODUCING FIRST, JIN!!!" the announcer said. "No way!!!" Yusuke said. Sure enough, the wind master Jin flew onto the arena. "I've been waiting for a rematch Urameshi" Jin said really fast. "I wonder if Touya's here to?" Kurama said. "AND HIS OPPONENT, SUZUKA!!!" the announcer said. "That's the beautiful Suzuka to you" Suzuka said as he walked onto the arena. "Not him" Kuwabara said. "AND BEGIN!!!" the announcer said. Suzuka used some of his special items while Jin flew around the stadium to avoid his attacks. In the end, Jin flew around the arena so fast he created a cyclone that almost blew Suzuka away. Suzuka gave up cause he didn't want the wind to ruin his hair (sweatdrop).
"OKAY NOW FOR THE THIRD FIGHT. FIRST IS HIEI!!!" the announcer said. "You're up" Riku said to his brother-in-law. "Good luck" Yusuke said. "Luck is for the cowardly" Hiei said as he flitted to the arena. Nami smiled as Hiei appeared on the arena floor. He looked so calm even though she knew he was nervous. Javik had his own dragon attack and their last battle was interrupted. "AND HIS OPPONENT, JAVIK!!!" the announcer said. Hiei's eyes widened. Already he thought.
Javik walked through the doors and stopped in front of Hiei. "We have a battle to finish" Javik said. Hiei smirked. "You'd better have learned some new tricks since last time" Hiei said. "Wait and see" Javik said as he unsheathed his twin swords. Hiei smirked and unsheathed his katana.
"Well if it isn't the traitor" Ace said. "Never send a ninja to do a true demon's job" Demonus said.
"BEGIN!!!" the announcer said. The two charged each other. Hiei raised his sword and swung down. Javik crossed his swords and blocked the attack. They pushed on their weapons trying to overpower the other. They both jumped back and disappeared. Only the sparks of their swords clashing together could be seen as they fought at high speed.
"They're to fast" Kairi said. "Pretty sparks" Mimiru said. "The shrimps doing pretty good" Kuwabara said. Crystal elbowed him. "What was that for?" Kuwabara said. "Stop calling him that. He's a fire demon and I hear they can get pretty tall when they fully mature" she said. "Yea right" Kuwabara said crossing his arms. A small black flame landed on his lap. "AAAAAHHHHHH" he yelled as he tried to put it out. The others burst out laughing. "I think he heard you" Botan laughed. "When will he learn" Shizuru said as she watched the battle.
Hiei kicked Javik back and prepared his sword for a horizontal swing to the left. "AQUA VORTEX" Javik's body was surrounded by a spiral of water. When Hiei hit it, the high speed of the water tossed him to the side. As he fell Javik appeared net to him and swung with his left sword. Hiei managed to block it and push it back. He flipped and landed on his feet. "Not bad" he said. Javik readied his swords.
They charged each other. Javik swung horizontally with his right sword but Hiei dodged it and swung downward at him. Javik crossed his left sword over his body and stopped it. As Hiei pushed his sword Javik swung at him with his free sword. Hiei disappeared before the sword hit him.
Javik spun around and crossed both his sword to block Hiei's swing. They pushed their swords to the side and stood face to face while their swords clashed. "You've improved" Hiei said. "I could say the same for you" Javik replied. Hiei smirked and jumped back. Javik charged him but Hiei disappeared before the water demon could reach him. Hiei appeared behind Javik and swung. Javik disappeared and Hiei followed suit. For the next ten minutes they were blurs as they clashed in the sky.
Javik landed a kick on Hiei's face and caused the fire demon to fall to the ground. Hiei stood up and the two stared at each other panting. "It's time *pant* I ended *pant* this" Javik said. He sheathed his swords as energy gathered in his hands. His dragon attack Hiei thought. "I've prepared for that attack" Hiei said as a smirk crossed his face.
He threw his katana to the side and brought his hands together in front of him (Their in the same position Gohon's was when he showed Videl how to create and energy blast). His Jagan eye glowed and the bandana hiding it burned away. Black flames surrounded his body. "This is my new technique, hope you like it" Hiei said as he closed his eyes. The Jagan glowed brighter.
Two bat-like wings made of black fire sprouted from his back. And orb of black fire gathered between the points of each wing. The flames were transferred to his hands as a smaller orb of fire gathered in them. Javik continued to power up his attack though he was a little nervous. "Ready" Hiei said with a smirk.
"DRAGON OF THE SACRED SEA" Javik's blue dragon roared out of his hand. Hiei smirked. "BLACK WINGED DRAGON *the flames in his hands intensified* FLAME" he thrust his hands forward and a black dragon roared out of them. Unlike the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, this dragon had wings attached to its back. The two dragons collided but Hiei's plowed through the water dragon and continued toward Javik. Javik only had time to make a small barrier before the attack hit.
The dragon covered Javik and continued to where the gang was sitting. "It's heading straight for us!!!" Kuwabara yelled. He ducked under the seats as it neared. With a roar it flew into the sky and went straight through the stadium's roof leaving a hole. After a few more seconds the stadium shook from an explosion. The entire place was silent. "Just as powerful as my other dragon but with no side effects" Hiei said as he looked up at Nami. She was the only one cheering as everyone else was paralyzed in place. She'd help him master the attack. "Nice one Hiei!!!" she yelled.
Javik was alive though heavily damaged from the attack. As he struggled to get up Hiei pressed his katana's blade against the water demon's neck. Javik looked up at Hiei. "If you try to resist I'll kill you" Hiei said. Javik looked him straight in the eye and saw that Hiei was serious. "Very well, I give up" Javik said. Hiei smirked and sheathed his katana. "YOU HEARD IT FOLKS, JAVIK HAS TROWN IN THE TOWEL AND THAT MAKES HIEI THE WINNER OF MATCH THREE"
The stadium erupted in cheers. Even those who didn't like Hiei were cheering because of the cool attack he used. Hiei coolly walked back to the exit. "Way to go Hiei!!!" Yusuke said as he held his hand up to high five Hiei. Hiei merely ignored him and continued forward. "That's some attack" Riku said. "Yes but Hiei was bluffing out there. While the attack doesn't physically hurt him, it does drain him of spirit energy" Kurama said. "Is that true?" Yusuke asked. "Hn" Hiei replied.
"NOW ON TO FIGHT FOUR. FIRST TO THE RING, KURAMA" the announcer said. "My that was fast" Kurama said. "Good luck" Riku said. "Thank you" Kurama said as he walked toward the arena entrance.
"You're the best Kurama!!!" Botan yelled. "I'd hate to be the guy who has to fight him" Rogato whispered to Damien. Kurama's demon fan club was cheering him on as well.
"AND HIS OPPONENT…UH…Is this right?" the announcer asked the guy near him. Everyone went silent. "Okay if you say so *ahem*…HIS OPPONENT, X" the announcer said. "What kind of name is that?" Hiei asked. "I don't like the looks of this" Riku said as the doors across the arena opened.
A figure walked out from the shadows. The one known only as X was about 5'8 in height. He wore a white cloak similar to Hiei's, a belt, and a black trench coat over it. On each hand was a black glove. Around his face was a sash that concealed everything except his eyes, which were light blue in color.
Kurama looked suspiciously at X. He learned from Genkai that disguised fighters usually mean trouble, unless that fighter was named Suzuka. "Interesting name you choose to use" Kurama said. X remained silent. "BEGIN!!!" the announcer said.
Kurama activated his Rose Whip and got in a fighting stance. X remained motionless. "I'll make the first move then" Kurama said. He swung his whip downward at X. X stepped to the side and avoided it. Kurama's eyes narrowed. This guy wasn't about to show all his tricks.
He swung again and started swinging at X in various directions. X dodged all of them. Kurama made one final swing but surprisingly X caught it. Kurama's eyes widened. He has skill. It takes a great concentration of spirit energy to stop my Rose Whip like that Kurama thought. He thought of a new strategy. He jumped into the air and readied his whip. "ROSE WHIPLASH" X continued to dodge every swing but using his free hand Kurama planted seeds underneath his opponent's feet.
When he thought he'd planted enough he stopped his assault. X looked around and noticed he was surrounded by seeds. Vines sprouted from the seeds and wrapped around him. He soon disappeared from view. "To bad, I was hoping to find out who he really was" Kurama said.
Suddenly the sound of gunfire could be heard from the vines, very fast gunfire. He ducked as his vines were shot to pieces by the rapid fire of his opponent's weapons. A few in the crowd were killed or wounded. Kurama looked up and saw X standing in the middle of what remained of his vines. He held an Ingram submachine-gun in each hand (Those pistols that fire a spray of bullets. Neo used one in the lobby battle in the Matrix).
So he's skilled with firearms Kurama thought. X pointed his guns at Kurama and opened fire. Kurama had to run at top speed to avoid the bullets. "Who is this guy?" Maya said. "Your guess is as good as mine" Rogato said. "He has boom sticks" Mimiru said. Kairi smiled at the kitten's naivety and caressed her purple tail.
Kurama stopped running as X took his fingers off the triggers. His guns seemed to have an endless supply of bullets. "Why'd you stop?" Kurama asked. X took off running the opposite direction. Kurama tilted his head as X ran all over the arena. "What's he doing?" Jin said. "Not sure" Touya said next to him.
Kurama noticed X had a pouch with a hole in it attached to X's belt. X stopped and turned to Kurama. "What was that about?" Kurama asked. X pointed his guns at Kurama and opened fire. Kurama once again ran to stay ahead of the bullets. While running, he planted more seeds near X. They sprouted but the plants immediately died. "What?" Kurama said. X stopped firing and allowed Kurama to stop. "What happened?" Kurama asked. X grabbed the pouch and tossed it to Kurama's feet. Kurama looked at X and hesitantly picked up the pouch. His eyes widened when he realized what it was. "Weed killer" he whispered.
He understood now. X had run around the arena to spread this stuff all over the ground. Now Kurama's plants would die if he planted them. He looked at his whip. It wasn't as green as before and now had a few black spots on it. "You thought on how to fight me before the tournament didn't you?" Kurama asked. X nodded. "Well then I guess I'll have to fight you head on" he said as he channeled his spirit energy into his whip. It seemed to be revitalized.
Kurama charged and swung his whip at X. The whip knock the gun from X's left hand. X raised the other and opened fire. Kurama jumped out of the way and swung again. The whip coiled around the gun and he pulled it from X's grip. X took a step back.
Kurama swung at him but X jumped back. Kurama took another swing and X caught his whip again. Before he could pull back X's hand was surrounded by yellow energy. He channeled it into the whip. Kurama soon realized he could not let go of the whip. X grabbed the whip with his other hand and pulled. Kurama was pulled into the air. X spun him around and around in the air before pulling and slamming Kurama to the ground.
As Kurama lay on the ground X gather more energy in each hand. A yellow glow surrounded each of his guns and they flew to his hands. When Kurama got up X fired again and hit him twice in the left leg, one in the shin and the other in the thigh. Kurama managed to stumble to his feet.
Before Kurama knew it, he was staring right down the barrel of X's gun. He looked down and saw the other pointed at his torso. He also noticed X had tilted each gun slightly to the side. If Kurama attempted to dodge left the upper one would get him, if he went right the lower one would get him, if he jumped up the upper one would maul his legs, if he ducked he'd come face to face with the lower gun, and going forward or back was not an option. X had him covered on all sides.
"I guess I was right, one of us was taken out in the first round. I give up" Kurama said. There was no way he could have continued the fight without being killed or crippled. Giving up was his only option. X pulled his guns back and put them back in their holsters. He turned and walked toward the exit. Kurama collapsed to one knee as his left leg lost strength. "KURAMA HAS GIVEN UP AND THAT MAKES X THE WINNER. JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU FOLKS, YOU DON'T NEED A FANCY NAME TO WIN A MATCH!!!" the announcer said.
"Kurama!!!" Botan said as she jumped into the arena and ran to his side. "I'm okay Botan, they will heal" Kurama said. Kurama was surprised by how precise X's shots were. A millimeter to any side would have shattered the bone. Botan helped him to his feet and carried him to the waiting medics. Kurama gave the gang a thumbs up before getting in the ambulance.
"He…beat Kurama" Yusuke said. "Whoever he is, he's very skilled. He was holding back in the battle" Hiei said. "And you have to fight him in the next round" Riku said. "I'll be sure to watch myself. Anyone who can beat Kurama like that deserves to be treated with caution" Hiei said.
"FOR THE FIFTH MATCH, WILL RIKU PLEASE COME TO THE ARENA!!!" the announcer said. "Here I go" Riku said as he walked out of the room. "The Devil Wolf is up next" Demonus said. "This should be interesting" Satanos said as he watched his arch nemesis's reincarnation walk onto the arena.
"Show how it's done bro!!!" Rogato yelled. "Be careful!!!" Yukina yelled. Riku smirked at them and turned his attention to the door across from him. "AND HIS OPPONENT, ARACNA" the announcer said.
The doors opened and a loud hiss could be heard from inside. A hairy leg followed by seven more walked onto the arena and Riku's eyes widened. It was a spider demon. Her lower body had eight hairy legs attached to her abdomen. Where normally a spider's head would be instead was the upper body of a woman. She had gray skin and hair that covered her body like a suit. Attached to her body were two arms with spikes at the end. She had four round spider eyes on her face and long fangs sticking out of her mouth dripping with venom.
"Gross" Crystal said. "Spider!!!" Kuwabara cried as he hid behind Crystal. "So much for the fearless Kazuma Kuwabara" Shizuru said. "Yuck" Keiko said. Yukina had a worried looked on her face.
"I'm gonna have bad dreams tonight" Yusuke said. "Hn" Hiei said.
"Looks like trouble for Riku" Nami said. "That thing is ugly" Draco said.
"So you're my next prey" Aracna said as she focused her four eyes on Riku. Riku unsheathed his sword. This could get really messy he thought. "BEGIN!!!" the announcer said.
Aracna hissed and charged at Riku. Riku jumped out of the way of one of her spider legs. She swung her spiked arms at Riku as he ducked and dodged them. "Hold still" she said. "Yeah sure, and let you paralyze me while your venom turns my insides to mush. Not gonna happen" Riku said.
Aracna swung one of her legs at Riku. He deflected it with his sword and swung at her body. She reared up ad avoided the swung. "Oh shit" Riku said as he rolled to the side to avoid her legs as she came back down.
She pointed her abdomen at him and fired silk at him. It wrapped around his legs and caused him to fall to the ground. She smirked and charged. "CRESCENT CLAWS" his attack sliced through all eight of her legs and she fell to the ground. While she was down Riku used his sword to cut the silk off. He looked at Aracna and gasped when she sprouted eight new legs. "Oh great" Riku said.
Aracna smirked and charged him again. She swung at him with her right arm and caused him to fall to the side. She raised four of her legs and tried to stomp on Riku with their pointed tips. Riku rolled from side to side to avoid them.
She hissed in frustration and Riku saw an opening. He swung his sword and slashed her abdomen. She screamed in pain and backed off. Riku got to his feet and looked at his opponent. She recovered quickly and hissed at him. "How dare you" she said. "Hey I saw an opening that screamed attack. So I did (Yes, yes I know that's a line from Goku)" Riku said.
Aracna smirked and her abdomen touched the ground. Riku thought he was going to throw-up when a white orb popped out of it. Eleven more followed. "What the fuck?" he said. "I've decided to call for backup" she said. The orbs started to move and slowly mutated into tiny spiders. "I'm gonna be sick" Riku said. "Say hello to my offspring" she said. Riku was to busy trying to hold his breakfast in.
"Get him!!!" she said. The tiny spiders jumped at Riku. Riku flitted out of their way but they continued to chase him. One landed on his shoulder and sunk its fangs into his flesh. He growled and hit it with his hand sinking his claws into it. It let out a tiny scream and fell off dead. Two more landed on his back and calf and bit him. Riku stopped running and used his spirit energy to blow them off. The others took that moment to jump on him as well. Yukina and the others watched in horror as they continued to bite Riku until he fell to the ground. Aracna chuckled as she watched her children spin Riku in silk. "Remember my children, I get the first bite" she said.
"Riku!!!" Yukina yelled. Aracna was nearly to Riku. She was about to sink her fangs into him when his body erupted in red energy. She screamed and backed away as a pillar of red energy incinerated her offspring. The entire crowd shielded their eyes from the intense light.
When it died down the crowd looked at Riku and gasped. He had transformed but it was different this time. His hair was a deep crimson in color. The hair that was once tied in a ponytail now pointed back and up in spiky tufts. The two bangs on the sides of his face had formed two spiked tufts that pointed slightly diagonally to the sides of the front of his face. They almost looked like horns except they curved downward instead of upward. His wings had turned blood red in color. Other than that it was like his usual transformation.
Satanos' eyes had widened. "It really is him" he said. "Impressive" Demonus said.
Riku looked at Aracna. "I am sick and tired of you" he said. He pointed two of his left fingers and fired at the ground beneath her. She instinctively reared up to avoid the blast. Big mistake, Riku charged at top speed and stabbed his sword into her abdomen. It started to glow. She suddenly blew up sending pieces all over the arena.
"Eww" Mimiru said. "Cool" Yugi said. Kairi shook her head.
Riku was covered in spider goop. His wounds had already healed and his body had gotten rid of the venom. He closed his eyes and returned to normal. "I hope this stuff comes off" Riku said looking at the slim that covered his body. "NOW THAT'S A WAY TO FINISH YOUR OPPONENT. RIKU IS THE WINNER. AS SOON AS OUR STAFF CLEANS UP THE ARENA, WE'LL START MATCH SIX" the announcer said.
Riku arrived at the room where Yusuke and Hiei were waiting. "I thought you couldn't look cooler" Yusuke said. "But do us a favor and stand at the other end of the room" Hiei said scrunching up his nose. "Yea you stink" Yusuke said. Riku shrugged and headed for the other end.
After ten more minutes what was left of Aracna was cleaned of the arena. "LET'S CONTINUE SHALL WE? WOULD TOUYA PLEASE COME TO THE ARENA" the announcer said. The ice master walked onto the field. Yukina blushed slightly. She'd once had a small crush on him (I'm a small supporter of Yukina/Touya). "AND HIS OPPONENT, SHUN" the announcer said. A man with spiked up black hair wearing a white gi and sunglasses walked onto the arena. "BEGIN" the announcer said. Shun used body attacks backed up with spirit energy to attack. After a fifteen-minute battle Touya froze Shun's body and with one kick shattered him into pieces. "That was easy" Touya said as he walked off the arena.
"NOW FOR OUR NEXT BATTLE. FIRST UP IS KAVIK" the announcer said. A man walked onto the arena. He had sliver hair that was spiked up (like Vash's) and bright blue eyes. He wore a buttoned up ankle-length black trench coat with two sets of buttons going all the way down, a very high collar, and a gauntlet on his left arm. Under the coat was a pair of blue jeans, a white long-sleeve shirt, and high black boots. Strapped to each side of his waist was a .45 Colt Custom. He walked onto the arena waving at the crowd with a smile on his face.
"AND HIS OPPONENT, RAZOR" the announcer said. A demon covered it gray fur with ten three-foot long claws and sharp teeth walked onto the arena. "BEGIN!!!" After a fierce battle Kavik walked away with a few holes in his coat and a cut on the left cheek. Razor was riddled with bullet holes and lay dead in the middle of the arena.
"NOW FOR THE FINAL MATCH OF THE DAY. FIRST SAY HELLO TO LANCE!!!" A boy who looked to be about 18 walked onto the arena. He had dirty blond hair that was really short, a blue muscle shirt, jeans, and a pair of Nikes walked onto the arena. He had a really shiny straight sword in his hand. Most of the girls in the audience either fainted or drooled at the sight of him. Kairi, Keiko, and Crystal were giving looks of admiration.
"HIS OPPONENT ARRIVED A LITTLE LATE BUT HE MANAGED TO ARRIVE ON TIME. PLEASE WELCOME, MURAKU!!!" "What!!!" Riku said as he stood up from his chair. Muraku slowly walked onto the arena katana in hand.
"It's papa!!!" Mimiru said. "Muraku's competing?" Keiko said. "I didn't know he had an invitation" Yukina said. Everyone looked at Kairi. "Hey don't look at me, I had no idea either" she said. "That guy doesn't stand a chance" Rogato said.
"BEGIN!!!" Muraku unsheathed his katana and prepared to fight. "You call that a sword? Did you find it in a junkyard or something?" Lance said. Muraku narrowed his eye. "Take a look at this" Lance said showing his sword. "This sword is made of high strength titanium sharpened with lasers to a point that it can slice atoms in two. My dad bout it for me" Lance said smirking.
"Then come on" Muraku said. Lance frowned and charged. He raised his sword and brought it down. Muraku stopped it with his sword. Lance's eye's widened. "But how, it should slice right through your sword. This sword cost millions to make" Lance said.
Muraku would have normally beat him up some and told him how much of a idiot he was but something came over him, an animalistic urge to see blood and lots of it. Muraku's eye narrowed. "A swords performance is not determined by how expensive it is, but by what power it has" Muraku said. The Luna Edge glowed and sliced right through Lance's. Lance's eyes widened. "Now you pay for waisting my time" Muraku said.
He thrust his sword forward and impaled Lance with it. The gang gasped while the crowed cheered on. When Kairi saw the look in Muraku's eyes she quickly covered the twins' eyes.
Muraku twisted the blade in is opponent then twisted it the other way. He continued doing this for a few seconds watching as Lance's body jerked with each twist. He pulled his blade out and spun around till he was behind Lance. He grabbed Lance's chin from behind and lifted it. "Let's give the crowd what they want" Muraku whispered. He then pressed the sword on Lance's throat and slit it. He didn't let go. Instead he kneed Lance's back and caused him to fly into the air. As he came within range Muraku started slashing at high speed. After turning the body to little bits he shook the blood off his sword and sheathed it. All that was left off Lance was a pool of blood with a few bits of flesh in it.
Yugi and Mimiru had peaked. "What's wrong with papa?" Mimiru said as tears fell down her cheeks. She'd never seen Muraku act so ruthless before. "I don't know Mimiru" Kairi said as she looked at Muraku. He seemed to have enjoyed doing that.
Muraku wiped the blood from his face looked at the window Riku, Yusuke, and Hiei were behind. He narrowed his eyes and the glass shattered. He lifted his hand and pointed straight at Riku. "So Muraku some how entered to have a rematch. Fine with me" Riku said as he nodded back. Muraku smirked before passing out and falling to the ground.
Somewhere in the stands the mystery warrior and his female companion watched. He had just placed a cork on a small vile. "This should keep bloodthirsty in battle. Its scent reached his nose" he said. "I love to sight of blood at a tournament" the woman said.
"WELL THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS. MURAKU HAS DESTROYED HIS OPPONENT. COME BACK TOMMOROW FOR THE QUARTERFINALS" said the announcer.
A few hours later
Muraku groaned as he opened his eyes. He saw a worried Kairi, Mimiru, and Yugi. "Where am I?" he asked. "In our hotel room" Kairi replied. "Wasn't I at the tournament?" he asked. "Yes, what was up with you?" she asked. "What do you mean?" Muraku asked. "You showed no mercy to someone who didn't know the first thing about real battle. He'd bribed a demon for an invitation, He was just a spoiled rich kid" she said. "I'm not sure what came over me. I just felt an urge to kill" he said. "I'm worried about you" Kairi said. "Me to" Mimiru said as she hugged Muraku's arm.
"Where'd you get an invitation anyway?" Kairi asked. "From the leader of those snake demons. He had one in his bag" Muraku replied. "So all those times you were gone you were really preparing for the tournament?" Kairi asked. "I found out while we were on the ship that Satanos was on board. I used it for a perfect alibi to go sign in" he said. "And the trouble you sensed really meant you were with the other competitors?" Kairi asked. Muraku nodded. Kairi sighed. "You're so stubborn sometimes. DOWN" she said. "What was that for?" Muraku asked as he got off the ground through the hole in the bed. "For not telling us the truth and making me worry sick" Kairi said. "You were worried about me?" Muraku asked. "Well…yes" Kairi said blushing. Yugi and Mimiru looked at each other in confusion.
In Riku and Yukina's suite
Yukina sighed as she scrubbed the grumpy wolf demon in the tub. "This stuff is tough to get off" she said. "Tell me about it" Riku said. "You really should be more careful" Yukina said. "Yes mother" Riku said sarcastically. "Dunk" Yukina said. Riku dunked his head under the water. "There it's off" Yukina said. "Then why don't I fell any better?" Riku asked. "You just need some cheering up. Meet me in the hot tub" she said as she got up and left. Riku ran as fast as he could to the hot tub.
That was a really long chapter, perhaps the longest. I can tell you now; this fic might actually go past 200,000 words. My wrist is aching right now so I'll have to wrap things up. Next chapter will be up Sunday.
Kavik was created by VASH THE STAMPEDE.
Next chapter, Yusuke vs. Jin and Hiei vs. X. Review please. (especially after this long chapter) Merry Christmas!!!
