Before we start, a small message for Alex…THANK YOU SO SO SO SOOOO MUCH for all the move and attack ideas!! Unfortunately, I designed all the characters with remarkable flashes of brain-storms, so I'm afraid that none of them will be showing up in this tournament. However, I may throw several in later on, during their missions and such…Also, thanks to everyone for great reviews! ^_^ I had no idea eating before a fight gives you cramps… It just seamed like something Yusuke would do.

And as a note: I LOVE NARUTO!!! ^_^ ^_^ (If you've seen it, you'll know what I mean)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original YYH characters. But of course I own Sakura, Mamoru, Kiyoshi, and all the other fighters, as well as their attacks and attitude problems.

Yu Yu Hakusho: Blossom

Chapter 6: Grandpa's Rose

Mamoru glanced at Sakura before she climbing into the ring. "Nervous?" he asked quietly.

"About the fight? A little…" the girl was shaking ever so slightly, the tremors sending her waves of red hair rippling down her back.

"I don't think that's 'a little'." he said, pointing to the visible bounce.

She glanced over. "That's not about the fight." she whispered, dropping her voice low and rubbing her arms to warm herself. "It's still here."

"What is?"

"The…the darkness…" she whispered, sounding a bit more frightened now. "That force…the one I felt outside the temple…But it's closer now, much closer…and it's terrible…"

"Hey, kid." Kiyoshi called down from the ring. "Are you gonna fight or just stand there all day?"

Sakura gulped, then cautiously climbed into the ring and faced her opponent. Yusuke gave her a supportive glance, a soft flicker flashing through his eyes.

Mamoru slipped next to his grandfather, eyes still locked on Sakura. "Gramps… Are you crazy?! I mean, making this a death match?!"

"A fighter's true worth is tested only in the gravest life-or-death situations." the old man lectured coolly. "When pushed to the point that their life is threatened, a fighter who would lose a simple hand-to-hand match can spring back from a fall instinctively. And it's a good way to discover their true nature. Anyone so quick and bloodthirsty as to kill their opponent without hesitating could never learn this technique, same as one who holds back to the point that they're killed."

"But Sakura's never been in a fight before!" Mamoru exclaimed. "She barely knows how to control her spirit energy! That ninja guy's gonna murder her!"

"Don't worry about it." Mamoru watched the redhead with a satisfied grin, lifting his hand to start the match. "I have a feeling she'll do just fine…Fighters ready?… BEGIN!"

Kiyoshi reached into his sleeves with the opposite hands, eyeing Sakura. "I'll give you a chance to run, girl." he hissed. "Just give up now and I won't have to hurt you."

Sakura gulped, one foot sliding back as her hands raised into a defensive stance. "I'm n-not giving up." she muttered. "And I'm not s-scared of you…"

"Really." Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow, smirking at his much smaller opponent. "I'll just have to show you exactly why you should be afraid of me…"

His hands shot from inside his sleeves. Sakura gasped at a sudden sting of pain, running a hand along her right cheek. When she looked at it again, the fingers were stained with blood from the long, thin cut there.

"What that…?" Ming-Mei whispered.

Kiyoshi grinned, flipping another one into his hands. They were long, thin sticks, sharpened at both ends, aero-dynamic and easily able to pierce the thickest of skin. Sakura's eyes went wide and she took a step back.

"Senbon." Kisho muttered, tapping his staff. "Acupuncture needles. That's quite an impressive move, using those as weapons."

"Naturally." the ninja smiled. "In medical terms these things are close to harmless. Useful tools for doctors to cure the ailments of the sick. But in the correct hands…" he twirled his needle for effect. "They're weapons…Lethal, even."

He threw the one he'd been twirling. Sakura dived out of the way, somersaulting and landing in a crouch. The senbon buried itself in the wooden pole behind her, nearly splitting it.

"How can…a needle…be deadly?" Mamoru wondered.

"It's not the weapon itself, boy." Kiyoshi smiled. "It's what you do with it…"

"Acupuncture ancient Chinese art of healing." Ming-Mei muttered. The other waiting fights turned their heads to look at the small woman. "Focus on pressure-points in body, an' also spiritual points to re-direct a person's chi to cure any sort of ailment. But dangerous also. Wrong pressure-point can paralyze…or even kill."

Sakura tensed. She didn't know why he hands were curling into fists at the moment, she knew very well her punch couldn't hurt a weakened teddy bear. Besides all that, the dark energy radiating from behind her put her nerves on edge.

Kiyoshi locked eyes with her. "Well?" he prompted. "I'll give you another chance. How 'bout you just give up now?"

She glared at him. "I already said I'm not giving up."

Kiyoshi shrugged. "Alright then." he grinned. "Your funeral."

He flung needle after needle at her, aiming more for weakening spots rather than her vitals. Sakura took to her heels, to get her out of his firing range. The senbon spiked off the ring floor when they missed, clattering to the ground feet away.

One of deflected ones his Sakura in the foot, sticking through the cloth of her slipper and knocking her off-balance. She tripped and fell.

"Sakura!" Mamoru gasped, but then blinked in surprise.

Sakura may not have been much of a fighter yet, but she was quite a gymnast.

She caught herself before she hit, only and arm's length from the ground and balancing perilously on the fingers of her right hand. But she was only in that position for a second before kicking off the ground, avoiding his next wave of needles. Her right hand pushed off a moment later, suspending herself in mid-air for a split second, then her feet touched one after another.

Kiyoshi raised and eyebrow. "Hn. Better than I thought."

Sakura grimaced a bit, reaching downing for a spilt second to snatch out the needle. Then she moved again, but she wasn't fast enough. Four needles came at once. One missed her completely, one got her on the ankle, one just below her shoulder, and the last one just over it, heading facing down.

The ankle went numb and she hit the ground, hands too unsteady to catch her. The two needles in her shoulder were pushed father in and she let out a soft cry. One of them was hitting and extremely sensitive pressure point from beneath, and it was impossible for her to pull herself up. The left arm had gone numb and she was shaking slightly.

"No…" Mamoru gasped.

Sakura pulled herself up on her elbow, groaning a bit. She reached for the pin in her ankle, but Kiyoshi was on her.

The assassin grinned down at her. "I'd hold still if I were you." he said quietly. "I'll aim for a place that'll only knock you out for a while, but if you move too much, it will kill you."

Sakura scrambled back, still on the ground, as he readied his needles. Then she noticed the rose lying on the ground just next to the ninja's foot. Her hand snapped to her lapel, feeling the slightly torn fabric it had dropped out of.

"I'll give you until three to surrender, girl." Kiyoshi smiled. "One…"

Sakura's eyes were still locked on the rose. A long-lost memory floated into her mind, from years ago. Her grandfather, winking at her when her mother left the room, then pulling a rose out of his hair.

"Just remember, Kura…" he whispered to her, tucking it into her belt. "Always keep one close, and I'll be there…This simple rose can save your life."

"Two…" Kiyoshi readied to throw the two needles, eying the potentially deadly area around the throat.

"Sakura, get out of there!!" Mamoru shouted.

The girl didn't seam to hear him, her eyes had gotten kind of murky. She pushed off the ground with her good foot, lunging towards the ninja's foot. He turned to follow her as she snatched the rose, rolling to the side, his aim never faltering.

"THREE!" Kiyoshi shouted, throwing the pair of needles for her throat. Sakura squeezed her eyes closed, swinging the arm that clutched the rose in front of her in instinctive defense…

Snap-snap-snap-SNAP!!

Mamoru's mouth dropped open, as did Ming-Mei's, Rafu's, and Yukio's. The rest of the fighters' eyes widened in shock. Master Urameshi just smiled and nodded, suspicions confirms.

Two neatly halved senbon dropped to the ground, followed seconds after by a limp, bloody ninja, practically cut through with two long, deep slices. Blood started flowing into a large puddle, as Sakura opened her eyes hesitantly. She gasped, staring at the item in her hand.

The red rose had transformed, and was very suddenly a long, green whip, barbed with impossible sharp thorns. The tips of the barbs had blood hanging on them. Kiyoshi's blood.

"Oh…my…god…" she stuttered out, dropping it in horror. There was a quiet rushing sound, and the whip changed back into a the blooming red rose.

Mamoru scrambled up onto the ring as she gently pulled out the needles still stuck into her body. He helped her to her feet, supporting the shaking girl by the arm. Her eyes never left that rose.

"Sakura…" Mamoru gulped. "What the heck happened?"

"I don't know…" Sakura gulped. She paused a moment, reaching down to take back her rose. "I…I don't…know…"

The Master raised a hand as Mamoru helped her from the ring. "Winner of the match, Sakura!"

Ming-Mei opened and closed her mouth a few times. "That amazing!" she gasped.

"Quite lethal." Kisho nodded.

"Feh. Tricks." Yukio sniffed.

The redhead dropped to the ground outside of the ring, fingering the rose in disbelief. Mamoru glanced down at her. "You okay?" he asked. She didn't answer, just continued to stare. "That was amazing…What was that?"

They both heard a gentle clapping from behind. They looked up. The Master was clapping slowly, smiling at Sakura warmly. "Quite impressive, young lady." he congratulated. "Quite impressive indeed."

"What…do you mean…sir?" Sakura asked. She looked frightened, no, terrified, and practically like she was about to burst into tears.

Yusuke patted her on the head, still smiling. "I haven't seen that technique for almost sixty years…" he knelt down so he could look the sitting girl in the eye. "That's a very special move…It's called the Rose Whip, and your grandfather is the only one I've ever seen master it."

"Grandpa?" Sakura asked, eyes widening. "My grandfather…was…?"

"Easily one of the best fighters I have ever known." the master's eyes glazed over in the memory. "That move was his personal favorite, not to mention his trademark technique. From the looks of it, the plant skills he used must run in the family instincts."

"Plant skills?" Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "Rose Whip? Gramps, what on earth are you talking about?"

"I'll explain later." his grandfather sighed, helping the girl to her feet. "But you know, Sakura…even if you don't win this tournament, I'd be happy to help you get a hang those." he gestured to the rose. "I'm no expert, of course, but Kurama did explain the gist of it to me…"

"Really?" Sakura asked, blinking. Mamoru's eyes widened a bit. He'd heard his grandfather use that name before…Kurama. He always spoke of him with great respect, but had also warned how dangerous he could be…

"Really." Yusuke winked. "I owe it to your grandpa."

He brushed himself off, then turned to the other competitors. "Now then." he announced. "Let's move on to the next match!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well? Whattya think? That's one fighter down…five to go. Who do you think the 'dark prescience' Sakura feels is coming from? Yes, it's one of the fighters, and no, it's not Karasu…yet. ^_^. Mamoru's first fight's up next! Should be up within 2 weeks…

Ja ne!

~GS