Chapter 81
Rivals
Riku and Muraku charged while clutching the handles of their swords. Riku was the first to draw his sword and swung down as he unsheathed it. Muraku countered by unsheathing his sword and blocking Riku's swings. They started to push against each other.
Muraku pushed Riku back and started swinging at him. Riku dodged each swing and counted with his own attacks. His sword clashed with Muraku's as they battled. Muraku threw his sheath to the side. Riku ducked a swing and rolled back. Muraku growled and charged. He thrust his sword at Riku but Riku stepped to the side and avoided the blade. He swung at Muraku but Muraku pulled his sword back and blocked the attack.
Riku pushed Muraku back. Muraku skidded to a halt and charged. He swung downward at Riku again but Riku blocked it with his sword. Muraku continued his assault but Riku either dodged or blocked his attacks.
Muraku jumped high into the air and raised his sword. Riku braced himself as Muraku swung. The sword impacted with such force it sent shockwaves through the stadium. Muraku was hovering in midair still pushing down against Riku. He finally relented by pushing off and doing a flip before landing.
"You've improved Riku" he said turning to face him. "I could say the same for you" Riku replied with a smirk. Muraku tightened his grip on his sword and readied it for another attack.
Riku decided it was time to go on the offensive and disappeared. Muraku spun around and stopped Riku's swing. They both growled and jumped back. The moment their feet hit the ground they both jumped into the air toward each other. Their swords clashed before they flew past each other.
They both landed on their feet and spun around to face each other. Muraku was the first to attack and swung horizontally to the right. Riku ducked and swung diagonally in an upward swing. Muraku leaned back and avoided the blade. He quickly gathered energy in his hand and blasted the spot Riku was standing on. The explosion blew Riku back to the wall. Muraku appeared in front of him and punched him in the gut. As Riku doubled over Muraku continued with a barrage of punches and kicks. He smirked as he remembered a time when he would have just used his sword.
Riku powered up and blew Muraku back. "CRESCENT CLAWS" the five energy blades flew horizontally toward Muraku. Muraku readied his sword in front of him and the blades collided with his sword. He started to push against the five blades. With a yell he sliced through all five. The red energy dispersed.
Riku narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected Muraku would be able to do that. "My turn" Muraku said as energy gathered in his left hand. "TRIPLE IMPACT" Riku did some fancy acrobatics to avoid the three blasts. Muraku charged him at full speed and slammed his right shoulder into Riku's chest. Riku felt the wind knocked out of him as he was slammed into the wall. Muraku drew back and slammed his shoulder back into Riku. He continued to do this as the crowd cheered him on.
Before he could do another Riku raised his left hand and stopped Muraku. Muraku growled and continued to push against Riku's hand. Before Riku knew what hit him Muraku swung horizontally and slashed his abdomen. With a smirk he jumped back. "You seemed surprised Riku. I won't kill you but my blade shall have your blood on it" Muraku said. "Let me even the score" Riku said before charging.
Before he reached Muraku he blasted the ground sending up a cloud of dust. Muraku spun around and sliced through a transparent image of Riku. After image he thought. As he turned around Riku appeared in front of him and in a blur of speed slashed his left shoulder. Muraku growled as Riku stopped a few feet behind him.
He spun around and his sword clashed with Riku's. They pushed with all their might against each other. Finally they were both forced to jump back. Before their feet even hit the ground they both disappeared. They were moving so fast one could only see the sparks made when their swords hit. The fact about five sparks seemed to appear every second made tracking them almost impossible.
They appeared on opposite ends of the arena. They each let out a battle cry and charged. Riku swung downward but Muraku stepped to the side and swung horizontally. Riku had to lean way back to avoid Muraku's blade. They both disappeared and continued to fight at high speed.
"They're so fast" Yusuke said. "Man, Riku's a heck of a lot stronger" Kage said. "What'd you expect, it's been what four years since you died?" Rogato said. "Actually I was revived about two years ago" Kage replied.
There was an explosion of red energy in the arena. Muraku went crashing to the ground. He stumbled to his feet as Riku appeared in front of him. "Not bad, let's see how you handle this" Muraku said as energy gathered around him. "DARK FLAME TSUNAMI" he swung him left arm upward and a wave of purple energy rose from the ground. Riku stabbed his sword into the ground so that the edge would face the attack. He kneeled down and braced himself. The attack reached him but his sword managed to split the blast around him.
He flitted out of the way of Muraku's swing as he attacked from behind. Muraku spun around and around forcing Riku to fall back to avoid the Luna Edge. With a smirk Muraku powered up. A tornado of purple energy surrounded his body. Riku struggled to stay in place as the winds in the stadium picked up.
"I've had enough of this" he said as red energy surrounded his body. He let out a yell and charged the tornado. He was sucked into it. A huge explosion of purple and red energy shook the stadium. A cloud of dust covered the arena.
The sound of two swords clashing could be heard from the dust. The dust finally settled to reveal Riku and Muraku clashing swords in the center of the arena. They both were fighting with such force that many were shocked they hadn't passed out from exhaustion.
Riku kicked Muraku back and thrust his sword at him. Muraku parried his attack and clothslined him. As Riku hit the ground Muraku elbowed his gut. He got back up and did it again. Before he could land another one Riku rolled out of the way. They both jumped to opposite ends of the arena.
"Now to finish this" Muraku said as his body erupted in power. Riku narrowed his eyes and tossed his sword to his left hand. He fisted his right hand as white energy gathered in it. "RIKU!!!" Muraku yelled before charging. "MURAKU!!!" Riku said as he charged. The energy in their hands intensified as they approached each other.
"BLACK FLASH" Muraku threw his hand forward and a black beam of energy shot out of it. "SPIRIT WOLF CANNON" Riku fired back with a white energy beam. They had both fired at point-blank range so the resulting explosion sent them both flying into the wall. They both hit the ground not moving.
"A double knock out" Kuwabara said. "That was some attack" Nami said. "They completely disregarded the damage such an attack would do to them" Hiei said.
Riku groaned and opened his eyes. His body ached all over but he knew it would wear off. He looked over to Muraku and saw him struggle to one knee. Not to be outdone Riku struggled to get back up as well.
"I have you just where I want you" Muraku said as he stood up. "Cut the act Muraku, you're as exhausted as I am" Riku replied. Muraku smirked and readied his sword. "Shall we continue?" he asked. "Let's" Riku replied. They both charged and started swinging at each other. Neither even tried to block and allowed themselves to get repeatedly slashed by each other.
Riku would slash Muraku's thigh and Muraku would slash Riku's left arm. This had become an all out battle with no holding back. They continued for thirty minutes slashing the heck out of each other before disappearing and battling at high speed.
"This is the moment. They're both exhausted but they continue to fight. All that's keeping them up is their own determination" Kurama sad. They all winced as the two fighters slammed their knees into each other.
They both fell to the ground struggling to breath. Riku stood up and threw his coat off revealing the many slashes on his body. Muraku also took of his coat and his shirt soon followed. "Come on" he panted as he readied his sword. Riku disappeared and Muraku followed suit. After a few minutes another explosion rocked the arena. Riku and Muraku both crashed to the ground dropping their swords in the process.
They both struggled to stand back up. Muraku managed to get to one knee but soon fell on his back. Riku was having similar problems getting up.
"You can do it Riku!!!" Yukina yelled. "Come on papa!!!" Yugi yelled. Encouraged by their friends the two fighters got back to their feet. "It seems we've dropped our swords" Muraku said. "Let's not let that stop us" Riku replied. Muraku smirked and got into a fighting stance. They stood staring at each other's eyes before charging.
Riku threw a punch and hit Muraku on the face. Muraku countered by throwing a series of punches at Riku's torso. Riku did a back flip kick causing Muraku to flip before landing on his feet. Riku charged and started punching Muraku's face and torso. Muraku growled and kicked Riku in the stomach and followed it up with a knee to the stomach. Riku grunted and elbowed Muraku's side. They both stumbled back before attacking.
The sound of bones cracking and grunts of pain were all that could be heard since the audience was silent with shock. Shocked that two fighters would push themselves so far. Riku and Muraku looked like they'd keel over any moment but they continued to fight with a determination they'd never had before.
Kairi couldn't take Muraku pushing himself like that. "We have to stop them" she said. "What?" Everyone said. "They'll kill each other at this rate" Kairi replied. The others remained silent. "Why don't you do something?" Kairi said. "Girl, look at Muraku" Hiei said. Kairi did as he said and looked at Muraku. She saw a fire in his eyes she'd never seen before as he pummeled Riku, but Riku soon came back with the same force. Muraku actually smirked and they continued to throw punches and kicks at each other. "It wouldn't matter if we tried to stop them. The rest of the world is dead to them. They only know each other and nothing must get in their way" Hiei said. "Why?" Kairi asked. "Because this is no ordinary fight, this is a battle between rivals" Hiei replied.
"Kairi, I know it's difficult for you to watch this but we can't stop them. I learned a long time ago that there are some battles that can't be avoided" Yukina said. "But it hurts to watch him" Kairi said. "It is hard but that's what happens when the one you care about is a warrior. This is how they can express themselves to each other" Yukina said. Kairi looked at Muraku again. She could feel the emotions coming off him like the rays of the sun. Riku had a similar aura about him.
Riku ducked another punch and jumped back toward his sword. He grabbed it and raised it as he charged. Muraku readied himself as Riku approached. When Riku swung his word Muraku caught it between both hands. Muraku jumped back and allowed Riku's sword to hit the ground. He flitted to the Luna Edge and picked it up.
They both charge and swung at each other. Muraku slashed Riku across the chest while at the same time Riku stabbed Muraku's shoulder. Muraku growled and punched him in the face. Riku fell to the ground as Muraku stumbled back clutching his wounded right shoulder.
Riku stumbled to his feet and looked at Muraku. Muraku's wound forced him to drop his sword. Riku had dropped his on the way down. He fisted his hand and it was covered in red energy. Muraku smirked and did the same except with purple energy.
With a yell they charged and raised their fists. They both went for a punch at the same time. Riku's fist slammed into Muraku's chest while Muraku's hit Riku in the gut. Their energies went off and an explosion concealed them both.
When the dust settled both fighters were still standing. They were about ten feet from each other. Both were struggling to stay standing. "You've done well Riku. You're worthy for me to call you my rival" Muraku panted. "I'm flattered" Riku panted back. "Good luck in the championship. I give up" Muraku said before collapsing face first to the ground. "Funny, I was about to say the same thing" Riku said before collapsing on his back.
"BOTH FIGHTERS ARE DOWN AND OUT BUT MURAKU SAID HE GAVE UP SO RIKU ADVANCES!!!" the crowd erupted in cheers for the intense battle they had witnessed.
The gang ran to the fallen warriors' sides. "Muraku, wake up" Kairi said as she shook him. "Is papa going to be all right?" Mimiru asked. "I'm not sure" Kairi said. Yukina had already started using her healing power on Riku. She soon passed out form exhaustion. "Yukina" Hiei said as he caught his sister. "Riku was to damaged, Yukina couldn't completely heal him" Kage said. "Let's get them back to the hotel" Crystal said. The others nodded and the boys lifted Riku and Muraku.
"THE SEMIFINALS ARE OVER. THE CHAPIONSHIP WILL BE KAGE VS. RIKU!!! THE MATCH WILL BE IN THREE DAYS!!! I CAN TELL YOU NOW YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS IT!!!"
The next day
Muraku groaned and slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Kairi's worried face. "Where, am I?" he asked. "In my bed. You were out all night" she replied as she dabbed a wet cloth on his forehead. "Where's Riku?" Muraku asked.
"Right here" Riku said as he walked into the room. He had to lean on Rogato for support since he still hadn't fully healed. "So how ya doing?" he asked. "I just woke up what do you think?" Muraku asked. "Like a freight train just slammed into you?" Riku asked. Muraku nodded.
"That was an awesome battle" Yusuke said. "Yeah you both kicked ass" Kuwabara said. "We're just glad you both came out of it okay" Keiko said. Muraku slowly sat up in bed. "Papa!!!" two blurs slammed into his chest causing him to fall back in bed. He looked down and saw the twins hugging him. "For the last time don't call me that" Muraku said. Kairi giggled. "Well I should be off, Yukina's making me lunch" Riku said as he and Rogato left.
After a few more hours Muraku was on his feet. He walked out to the balcony and looked at the ocean as the sun warmed his face. He never really liked the sun. It was to warm for his taste but right now he didn't care.
"Muraku?" Kairi said as she walked up to him. "What?" Muraku asked. "Are you going to be okay?' she asked. "I'm not sure. I lost to Riku right before he was going to call it quits. I should've held on" he sad. "Muraku, don't beat yourself up like this. You both fought with everything you had. Isn't that enough?" she asked. Muraku let out a growl startling Kairi. I swear he has such a temper she thought. "Down *crash*" Muraku now lay face first on the ground. "What was that for?" he asked. "Cause you were losing your temper again. Last time you nearly blew up an entire town" Kairi said. Muraku growled as he watched her place her hands on her hips.
He saw this as his chance to get back at her. An evil smirk crossed his face. "Muraku, why are you looking at me like that?" Kairi asked. Before she knew it Muraku pinned her wrists to the wall. The look on his face made him look like he was about to eat her. "Muraku?" Kairi said. "It's time you paid for the subduing spell" Muraku said. Kairi started to struggle to get free.
"Muraku, let me…" she was silenced when Muraku pressed his lips against hers. Her eyes widened in shock as he deepened the kiss. He's kissing me!!! She thought. She was frozen in place as Muraku continued to kiss her. With a smirk he drew back. That shut her up Muraku thought with a smirk. Kairi was staring out into space with a look of shock on he face. She slid down the wall then fainted. Muraku caught her and carried her to bed. He gently laid her down and pulled the covers over her.
I never thought she'd taste so good. Guess I was too much for her. Sweet dreams Kairi he thought as he walked away laughing evilly.
The next day
Muraku swung his sword around as he trained in the forest. He had completely recovered from his wounds and was preparing for another fight with Riku. Next time I won't lose he thought.
He sensed something and flitted out of the wall. He looked up and saw three trolls hurl in boulders at him. With lightning fast speed he cut them down. They disintegrated leaving three cards lying on the ground. "Ace " Muraku said.
"Very good Muraku" Ace said as he walked out from behind a boulder. "What do you want?" Muraku asked. "Revenge Muraku, sweet revenge" Ace replied.
Muraku is so evil, in a good way. Kairi still hasn't woken up. And Ace is back for revenge. Next chapter will be up on Sunday.
Next chapter, Ace uses his special card on Muraku. Review please.
