Give me a break, people, I can't stuff all 8 or 9 characters into one tournament! Besides, you've already seen Youko…Er, kinda…You know what I mean, right? And Keiko's got a good chance of showing up next chapter…Thanks to everyone who's been giving me ideas, and please keep them coming!
And just as a note…given as I can't think of anything else, most of Yusuke's tests will be based on the same kind of thing that Genkai used. Just how it works…But it won't turn out the same way as Yusuke or Kuwabara.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yusuke or any of the original YYH stuff. I do, however, own Mamoru, Sakura, and the whole lot of the new fighters. Other than that, I have nothing to say.
Yu Yu Hakusho - Blossom
Chapter 4: Video Games and a Dark Forest
The room they entered was dark, pitch-black, but the door remained open behind them so that the sunlight entered in about three steps. Other than that the whole place was hidden in the gloom.
"What kind of tests do you think these are gonna be?" someone in the crowd asked the guy behind him.
"I dunno, but I hear they're tough!" the other replied, then there was the noise of a crane being moved.
A sleek, sliver platform, hanging from a long, jointed crane, slid into view from the left side. Master Urameshi stood on it, leaning on the safety railing surrounding it. "You guys ready for the first test?" he asked, smiling cockily. "You better hope you brought some change…"
He flipped a switch under the bar. All at once light filled the room, accompanied by many beeps and rings from the hundreds of small, colorful machines, most covered with flashing lights.
"Video games?!" Mamoru exclaimed after the expected shocked pause.
"Surprised, are you?" Urameshi laughed heartily, enjoying their amazement. "Yeah, I understand how you feel. That was my reaction too. But these games aren't your normal fun stuff, you know? You'll be playing just three of them, and each will measure an attribute you'll need for the Spirit Wave technique. The punching game tests your Spirit Strength. Spirit Awareness will be tested by the Rock-Paper-Scissors. And last, but not least, the Karaoke will test your energy's ability to change and adapt to all kinds of situations. Highest combined scores of the three will move on."
"Well…?" he said after another moment's silence. "What're you waiting for? Get playing!"
"Fine then!" a scrawny-looking boxer exclaimed, grabbing a spot on the janken game. "I'll take it on! This game's always been my best, no sweat!"
With a couple of beeps, the game began. The fighter banged and hit his selections quickly and carefully, matching quite a few, but in the end his score came up an F… 49%.
"What?!" he exclaimed. "It can't be, I scored way more than that!"
"Well that's not how these games work." Urameshi laughed down. "That machine doesn't care what you scored on the board, it's how you rate with your Spirit Awareness."
Yusuke chuckled to himself, gazing around at the game room. All of the fighters were now crowded around the games. Some were scoring well, some not so well, but it was obvious that he had some contendors in the crowd.
The familiar voice of his grandson floated up. "Okay, my turn! I'll knock this thing away!"
He turned to watch. Mamoru had the punching glove on one hand and was stretching his shoulder before a hit. He lunged forward, striking the bag with all his might. It collided with the backboard, which lit up with his score. 165.
"Wow, look at that!" someone in the crowd gasped. "The kid got a 165!"
"Not bad, Mamoru, not bad." Yusuke grinned. "More power than I had…"
Mamoru suddenly turned, pulling off the glove with a smile on his face. "Here Sakura, give it a try!" he said, handing the glove to someone behind him.
"O-Okay…" muttered a shy-sounding voice, its owner taking the glove.
"Sakura…?" Yusuke wondered out loud, leaning forward to see. A flash of red caught his eye and he focused on a young girl, just a year younger than Mamoru, with bright red hair and pale skin. Even from this distance the resemblance was striking, and for a split second Yusuke thought for sure he saw a certain long-dead humanized fox demon. "Could it…be?"
Sakura stopped, staring at the bag a moment like she wasn't totally sure what to do, then she pulled back her arm and struck with all her might. The machine went wild, flashing up her score with many beeps and lights. 189.
A stunned gasp filled those watching. After a second, Mamoru exclaimed, "Dang, Sakura!" under his breath.
The girl turned back, a quizzical look filling her green eyes as she pointed to the score. "Um…Is that good?"
"I'll say it is!" Mamoru cried, brown eyes wide. "Damn, I'd hate to be on the receiving end of one of those!"
"Well…" Yusuke smiled to himself, still looking the girl over. "Whattya know. Didn't think I was startin' a Team Reunion."
And so it went on, people playing more and more until the top twenty scores were posted on a large screen. Sakura and Mamoru both made it through, she at #11 and he at #16. Mamoru had scored higher than her on the karaoke (she a 54, he a 98), but not only did his Spirit Awareness suck (35%) hers was much higher than your average human's (the average was 85. She scored a 94%)
"There's got to be something wrong with these machines!" The tall, burly fighter who'd been so rude to Mamoru outside shouted at the top of his lungs. There was a slight path in the crowd as he pointed at the two teens with fire flashing in his eyes. "There's no way those scrawny little punks managed to get such high scores!"
"What're you complaining about?" someone else in the crowd asked. It was a brown-haired man about 25, 5 years or so younger than the other, about the same height, but thin and built more for stealth. He was dressed in a dark gray coat over black pants and a paler gray t-shirt. "You made it in as well, and if I remember correctly, you got a 173 at that punching game."
"That's beyond the point!" the other one exclaimed. "Only fighters who've been on the edge of death should have the power to master a technique this strong! Neither of these kids could've had anything close to this, especially little Miss Akakami Princess here, who's clearly never fought a minute of her life!"
"That's not true!" Mamoru exclaimed, rising to his newest friend's defense. "With a Spirit Power that strong she must have been in dozens of fights, right Sakura?"
"Um…Not really." Sakura whispered, looking quietly down at the ground. "Actually…I've never really…fought anyone…Mother doesn't approve."
Mamoru nearly fell over as the huge fighter laughed. "Well well well, little girl's never even battled before and thinks she can take us on!"
"Whattya mean you've never been in a fight?!" Mamoru cried at Sakura. "What kind of person shows up to learn the most powerful battle technique ever created if you've never even fought before?!"
"I didn't come here for the technique." Sakura muttered. "I came to train…I didn't know about this contest…"
"How could you not know?!" Mamoru shouted, but Master Urameshi's voice cut him off.
"Enough, enough." he called. "If you're all ready for the next test, please follow me."
The tough, burly fighter turned, exiting sourly. Then the gray-clothed young man crossed through the door, followed by several more. Sakura and Mamoru left at the same time, the boy still staring at her in shock, mouthing various disbeliefs, which she politely ignored.
Urameshi lead them out of his home and down a twisting dirt path, ending at the warded entrance to a forest. The trees of the woods were dark and twisted, the whole jungle seamed to thrive with life.
Sakura shuddered as they stopped in front of it, the hairs on the back of her neck beginning to stand up. Mamoru glanced over at her. "What's the matter?"
"…That forest's got a black aura." the redhead gulped. "It's evil, Mamoru, really evil. I've got a bad feeling about this…"
"With good reason." Master Urameshi was standing just to the side of her, about the front of the group. "This forest is ancient, over a hundred centuries old, and filled with more demons than I expect the lot of you will ever care to meet."
"However, you may very well have to, as going through this forest is your next test."
"You're crazy!" a man stumbled back. He'd scored one of the highest on Spirit Awareness, just over Sakura's. "There's no way I'm going through there!"
"No technique is worth that!" someone else shouted, running after him. "You idiots go in there, I'd rather live!"
Yusuke chuckled. "Yeah, I don't blame you a bit. These woods are pretty rough, but if you find the right path with your Spirit Awareness you shouldn't have much trouble…hopefully."
"There's this giant tree exactly two miles away from here." he pointed over the other tops, and yes, they could see a huge one towering out of them. "First eight to reach me there will be the winners. The rest of you can better hope to get out of this alive on your own…"
"He does have a point." the twenty-something man in gray muttered. "These woods tingle with their own life-force, it's far to dangerous for just anybody. A mere child wouldn't have a chance."
"Are you gonna start on that now, too?!" Mamoru exclaimed.
Yusuke grinned. "Age has nothing to do with this." he laughed under his breath, the raised his hand to the line of fighters. "Ready? 'Best of luck, I hope you don't die!' GO!"
Twenty competitors charged forward at once. Sakura caught a glance of the Master zipping past her, faster than any creature she'd ever seen, and could have sworn he glanced her way with a supportive smile.
Fighters began to veer left and right, splitting off down different pathways. May of these ended in screams, echoing through the trees as the forest attacked.
Mamoru may had been called bull-headed and obnoxious, but he wasn't stupid. He knew very well his Spirit Awareness sucked, and had long since learned the straightest way was not always the fastest. Heck, if that had been true, he'd be a freshman in high school by now!
So he stuck with following Sakura, who had slowed to a stop just moments before and was glancing curiously in multiple directions, as though gauging her chances before making a decision.
Finally, sure turned back, knowing he was there, and pointed just to the North-East. "This way." she called, and disappeared into the trees.
Mamoru then discovered another hindrance he had that she didn't. He was much thicker-set than she was, and about twice as clumsy. She moved through the trees like a liquid, slipping past them, through them and around them with ease and refinement. But Mamoru kept bumping his shoulders and skinning his knees against the rough, thick bark, moving only half as fast, and would have lost her had it not been for her fiery red tresses.
She changed direction suddenly, moving more to the East, then to the West. Subconsciously Mamoru wondered where all the other fighters were, and why they hadn't run into anything yet.
"Pick you feet up a bit more!" Sakura's voice sounded as clear as though she was standing right next to him. "We've got three competitors ahead of us, at least, and it's starting to get a little bumpy!"
Mamoru almost fell flat on his face. "W-What the…?" he gasped. "Sa…Sakura?!"
"Relax." the voice came again. He could practically see the sly grin on Sakura's face. "It's only telepathic communication. I've been close to this Spiritually Aware my whole life, why let it go to waste?"
"But…how?" Mamoru's mind went blank a moment, then he suddenly realized what she'd said. "Wait a sec, you mean you're psychic?!"
"Something like that." She cut off a moment, then her voice shot back, out loud this time. "Mamoru, jump to the left!"
The boy was startled, but did as he was told. Just as he moved the ground where he had been exploded, sending him tumbling into a tree.
Sakura appeared very suddenly, crouched beside him in concern. "Are you okay, Mamoru?"
"I'm fine…" the boy growled, climbing to his feet. "What was that?"
"I'm not sure…" Sakura whispered. "But it's up that tree over there, and it doesn't look friendly."
Mamoru looked up. Perched on a tree branch just above them was what looked like a purplish-black human shadow, except that its eyes glowed a fearsome gold. It hissed at the two, then lunged again.
They scrambled out of the way to avoid its blow. The ground where it hit seamed to explode with the impact of spirit energy, sending dirt flying everywhere. Then it spun around and dove again, this time for Sakura, who'd moved to the right.
"Sakura, duck!" Mamoru shouted, to which the girl readily obeyed.
The demon suddenly went flying over her, sent so by Mamoru's kick. He crashed into the trunk of a tree five meters away and crumpled to the ground, groaning.
Sakura sat back up. "Wow…" she whispered.
Mamoru smirked, brushing his hands off while he crossed to stand next to the demon. The shadow looked up with a gulp. "You think you can take me on?" Mamoru snickered. "Let's see just how tough you are!"
At which point, he then preceded to pummel the thing witless.
~ * ~ * ~
Master Urameshi checked his watch a moment. "It's been two hours." he announced with a sigh. "The last two should show up within the next thirty minutes…"
He turned a moment to scan his eyes over the six contestants. Among them was the burly mountain-fighter and the gray-clothed young man that had spoken to Mamoru before, as well as a blonde-haired man who looked like a monk, and a pint-sized Chinese immigrant girl who looked no older than 20, but was as short as Genkai had been.
Yusuke suddenly felt two separate energies approaching and turned to look. He grinned when he spotted Mamoru and his red-haired classmate hurrying up the grassy hill.
"What?! No way!" the mountain fighter cried. "How did those kids make it all the way here?"
"Perhaps they are worth taking into consideration after all." the gray-cloaked ninja muttered.
Mamoru stopped at the top of the hill, leaning over himself and panting. Sakura slid next to him, put a hand over her heart, took a deep breath and was fine. "How'd… we…do?" Mamoru gasped.
"Congratulations, you two." the teens looked up. The Master was standing above them, grinning from ear to ear. "You're the last two fighters to make it to the final round of tests."
Sakura blinked. "We…made it?" she asked. "You mean it? We really made it?"
Urameshi nodded. Mamoru's tired expression spread to a maniac grin, and with a whoop of excitement grabbed both of Sakura's hands and started cheering. The redhead smiled a bit, laughing sheepishly.
"Hmph." the ninja sighed. "Maybe they're not so big a problem, after all."
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More Words To Remember
Akakami - Red-haired