X.X That took too long to update! I'm so sorry! Anyway... I apologize in
advance for this chapter. . I mean, I'm not positive, but I think that
along the lines of action...I suck. X.X S-so...here you go!
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I watched the soft, but surprised expression on Kurama's face. Slowly and almost unnoticeably it faded and morphed into a cheerful smile. Normally I would return such an expression with an angry scowl...but not now. Kurama had probably figured out by now that things between us had changed. He said...that we best friends. He said we were the closest there was. And I was forced to believe him. So, just for him, I smiled, revealing just how happy I really was. His own expression backtracked, going back to being surprised. Kurama quickly turned his puzzled face away from me, nervously looking around him. Maybe he wasn't *fully* aware yet....
"Kurama," I started, forcing him to look at me. He stilled looked shocked and a little uncertain. He really was an idiot.
"Y-yes Hiei?"
I contemplated explaining to Kurama that I was going to smile at him more often...but old habits got the better of me and pushed me into glaring at him.
"Idiot! Stop acting stupid and go up to the ring! Your fight is going to start!" I scolded, pointing up to the small platform.
"Oh..." he said quietly, giving me a strange look. I stared at him in question. His face had become flushed and his eyes had become all too curious looking. I wasn't going to ask why he was looking at me so strangely...I was almost scared to. He had a funny feeling to him...like when one is looking at an object they plan to come back and steal later. The thought confused me.
"WILL THE COMBATANTS PLEASE ENTER THE RING!"
"I'll be back, Hiei," he said softly to me, reaching over to briefly place his hand on my cheek. My heart began to pound and, for some reason, I found myself scared. I wasn't scared when I had a blade shoved in my face by an unknown enemy but I WAS when Kurama did THAT!? It didn't check out right, not at all. Before I knew it, my fear was revealed as I realized that it hadn't been fear...but excitement. AND THAT WAS EVEN MORE WRONG! I was excited when he touched me...and so much more when I felt his lips softly kiss my cheek. I was unable to move. All I could do was watch him walk away to greet his opponent. Why...had he done that? Did he mean that as a friendly show of affection, kiss... or did he mean it as the more intimate kind, as though he maybe wanted me...as though I were that priceless object to come back for later? I swallowed hard. I tried and tried to convince myself that it was just a friendly kiss...but my mind simply would not discard the idea...almost as though I wanted it to be true...
I finally got myself to look up at the fight. Already to have started, Kurama was yet to have drawn his weapon.
Idiot....
His opponent, Ryu, was an older man. So I was confident that Kurama would be able to defeat him. However, Ryu's weapons were...awfully strange.
"Is that a...?" I started to question, hearing Kurama finish for me.
"...Lollipop?"
The man was insane. Fighting with an oversized piece of candy!
"This isn't just any lolli, Sucker," the man laughed, reaching into his pocket with his candy-free hand. "It's my weapon! And it'll finish you off in no time at all!" he cried, lashing out at Kurama, swinging his 'weapon' in a very random onslaught. Kurama easily dodged, all the while giving the man an odd look. During the easy trade of attack and evade, Kurama was able to give me a glance. Yes. We both agreed. This was very strange. It was then that Kurama was hit! Not with the lollipop, but with something else...
"...Lickerish..." I mumbled. I then noticed, that even though Kurama was down, and had his feet entangled in lickerish, he was laughing hysterically. "You seem quite amused with idea of 'death by candy'!" I yelled at him, only causing him to laugh harder. I rolled my eyes at Kurama. He wasn't taking this seriously! "C'mon Kurama this is serious business!!!" I scolded him as the man pulled out yet another weapon, a handful of hard candies, which he soon threw at Kurama. They had no force behind them; they just fell around him, one or two sticking to his hair and shirt, but not doing any real damage. Kurama's only response to this was to look at me, point at the old man, and continue with his insane fit of laughter.
"Stop laughin' boy! Oh well, it's your funeral," the man mumbled as he jerked the lickerish in, making Kurama fall forward on his stomach. Kurama finally got a hold of himself, stood up and brushed himself off. (Getting all the hard candies off his shirt, but unfortunately, not from his hair...) "Are you finally going to get serious?"
"Hahaha....I'm sorry. I couldn't help but laugh."
"My candy is serious business! It's best you learn that!"
"Oh, but it's not your weapons that are so amusing. You're fighting style. How did you even make it *this* far? You swing that lollipop like a mad child, you throw like a woman, and the only thing you could do to me, even while I was totally unable to move was trip me. And you're telling *me* to get serious? I suggest you reconsider that..." Kurama said, pulling out his rose and morphing it into his whip. One...two...three...three seconds, three slashes, and Ryu fell.
"He didn't even try to dodge," I laughed as Kurama returned to my side, after being announced the winner.
"No, I think he did," he said sarcastically, giving me a smile.
"Hn," I grunted, turning my head away from Kurama. I still wondered what the kiss meant...I would have though more about it, but out of the corner of my eye I spotted her, the woman Kuwabara had fought. She was just staring at me...she had...a strange look on her face. Like she knew something about me, and was pleased about it. I hoped I would get to fight her and put that expression to rest, and perhaps that knowledge.
"Hiei, it's your fight," Kurama said, gently putting his hands on my shoulders and pushing me forward. I quickly pulled away and walked into the ring, seeing my opponent.
"Hiei," she greeted me, smiling devilishly.
"Maiko," I grunted, taking my sword out from its sheath.
"Getting started already are we..." she said, closing her eyes and putting her hands together. "I'll start too," she said quietly, as she spoke. She then began to chant something. Before I knew it, the crowd was gone, and then the only ones visible were Maiko, Kurama, I, and...Yume. Why only us four? And what had she done to make the others disappear?
"What's this? Some sort of trick, I assume?" I mocked, giving her a pitying look. "It doesn't even do you any good."
"It does. It's how I and my partner fight," she said, still speaking very softly, almost in a whisper. "You don't have many friends...do you Hiei?"
"What does this have to do with anything!?" I yelled, quickly moving behind her. In less than I second my forced my sword forward, right through her chest. At least...that's how it was...supposed to happen. It just went through her. Not a scratch was left. "Wh-what!?" I questioned to myself as, before I could stop it, the girl forced my own sword to stab me. I prepared myself for pain...but nothing happened. I felt nothing. It...just went through me.
"But you do have some friends..." she said, smiling cheerfully down at Kurama.
"What...what's going on!?" I demanded to know, trying to take another shot at her, watching as my attacks only passed through her. She only continued to look at Kurama...long enough for me to become suspicious. It was strange; it looked as though Kurama was frozen. He just stood there with the same look on his face, as did Yume.
"You care for him, right?" she asked kindly, turning to me.
"What are you getting at?" I asked, giving up on trying attacking. It clearly wasn't working.
"You love him, right?" she asked happily, leaping over next to Kurama.
"What do you think you're doing!?" I yelled, trying to grab her arm, only watching as my hand slid through her. Then it hit me. "LOVE!?" I cried, running over next to her and Kurama. It didn't appear as though he could hear me either...
"Oh, he's very good-looking. You're very lucky, Hiei," she chirped, running away over to the woman who fought Kuwabara. I began to chase after her, but I tripped over Kurama's foot. I expected to be able to move through him as well, and I also noticed Maiko almost slip. Then I became suspicious. For that instant, I felt short of breath. Hoping I wouldn't regret it later, I grabbed my sword and plunged it straight into Kurama's chest, closing my eyes at the sight of blood...I couldn't look.
I opened my eyes to see Maiko before me, lying on the ground, covered in her own blood. Thank god that worked...
I soon felt dizzy, lightheaded. I hadn't been breathing! I turned to Kurama, seeing that he had a very worried look on his face. It was clear to me. Yume and Maiko certainly used the same sort of fighting. Yume had used the same sort of illusion against Kuwabara! And, that also meant, that in Maiko's illusion, the both of us simply stood still in the ring. The only way to attack each other...was to attack our...friend. No wonder that oaf lost! But, Kuwabara hadn't been attacked at all. He merely collapsed. Yume and Maiko used different variations, it seemed.
Nevertheless...having to attack Kurama like that...wasn't an image I wanted to see again.
What if we did have to fight each other!? What if I had to do such a thing and not be sure if he'd survive!?
I didn't like the thought. Not at all...
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Sorry that took so long to update! Anyway, please review!
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I watched the soft, but surprised expression on Kurama's face. Slowly and almost unnoticeably it faded and morphed into a cheerful smile. Normally I would return such an expression with an angry scowl...but not now. Kurama had probably figured out by now that things between us had changed. He said...that we best friends. He said we were the closest there was. And I was forced to believe him. So, just for him, I smiled, revealing just how happy I really was. His own expression backtracked, going back to being surprised. Kurama quickly turned his puzzled face away from me, nervously looking around him. Maybe he wasn't *fully* aware yet....
"Kurama," I started, forcing him to look at me. He stilled looked shocked and a little uncertain. He really was an idiot.
"Y-yes Hiei?"
I contemplated explaining to Kurama that I was going to smile at him more often...but old habits got the better of me and pushed me into glaring at him.
"Idiot! Stop acting stupid and go up to the ring! Your fight is going to start!" I scolded, pointing up to the small platform.
"Oh..." he said quietly, giving me a strange look. I stared at him in question. His face had become flushed and his eyes had become all too curious looking. I wasn't going to ask why he was looking at me so strangely...I was almost scared to. He had a funny feeling to him...like when one is looking at an object they plan to come back and steal later. The thought confused me.
"WILL THE COMBATANTS PLEASE ENTER THE RING!"
"I'll be back, Hiei," he said softly to me, reaching over to briefly place his hand on my cheek. My heart began to pound and, for some reason, I found myself scared. I wasn't scared when I had a blade shoved in my face by an unknown enemy but I WAS when Kurama did THAT!? It didn't check out right, not at all. Before I knew it, my fear was revealed as I realized that it hadn't been fear...but excitement. AND THAT WAS EVEN MORE WRONG! I was excited when he touched me...and so much more when I felt his lips softly kiss my cheek. I was unable to move. All I could do was watch him walk away to greet his opponent. Why...had he done that? Did he mean that as a friendly show of affection, kiss... or did he mean it as the more intimate kind, as though he maybe wanted me...as though I were that priceless object to come back for later? I swallowed hard. I tried and tried to convince myself that it was just a friendly kiss...but my mind simply would not discard the idea...almost as though I wanted it to be true...
I finally got myself to look up at the fight. Already to have started, Kurama was yet to have drawn his weapon.
Idiot....
His opponent, Ryu, was an older man. So I was confident that Kurama would be able to defeat him. However, Ryu's weapons were...awfully strange.
"Is that a...?" I started to question, hearing Kurama finish for me.
"...Lollipop?"
The man was insane. Fighting with an oversized piece of candy!
"This isn't just any lolli, Sucker," the man laughed, reaching into his pocket with his candy-free hand. "It's my weapon! And it'll finish you off in no time at all!" he cried, lashing out at Kurama, swinging his 'weapon' in a very random onslaught. Kurama easily dodged, all the while giving the man an odd look. During the easy trade of attack and evade, Kurama was able to give me a glance. Yes. We both agreed. This was very strange. It was then that Kurama was hit! Not with the lollipop, but with something else...
"...Lickerish..." I mumbled. I then noticed, that even though Kurama was down, and had his feet entangled in lickerish, he was laughing hysterically. "You seem quite amused with idea of 'death by candy'!" I yelled at him, only causing him to laugh harder. I rolled my eyes at Kurama. He wasn't taking this seriously! "C'mon Kurama this is serious business!!!" I scolded him as the man pulled out yet another weapon, a handful of hard candies, which he soon threw at Kurama. They had no force behind them; they just fell around him, one or two sticking to his hair and shirt, but not doing any real damage. Kurama's only response to this was to look at me, point at the old man, and continue with his insane fit of laughter.
"Stop laughin' boy! Oh well, it's your funeral," the man mumbled as he jerked the lickerish in, making Kurama fall forward on his stomach. Kurama finally got a hold of himself, stood up and brushed himself off. (Getting all the hard candies off his shirt, but unfortunately, not from his hair...) "Are you finally going to get serious?"
"Hahaha....I'm sorry. I couldn't help but laugh."
"My candy is serious business! It's best you learn that!"
"Oh, but it's not your weapons that are so amusing. You're fighting style. How did you even make it *this* far? You swing that lollipop like a mad child, you throw like a woman, and the only thing you could do to me, even while I was totally unable to move was trip me. And you're telling *me* to get serious? I suggest you reconsider that..." Kurama said, pulling out his rose and morphing it into his whip. One...two...three...three seconds, three slashes, and Ryu fell.
"He didn't even try to dodge," I laughed as Kurama returned to my side, after being announced the winner.
"No, I think he did," he said sarcastically, giving me a smile.
"Hn," I grunted, turning my head away from Kurama. I still wondered what the kiss meant...I would have though more about it, but out of the corner of my eye I spotted her, the woman Kuwabara had fought. She was just staring at me...she had...a strange look on her face. Like she knew something about me, and was pleased about it. I hoped I would get to fight her and put that expression to rest, and perhaps that knowledge.
"Hiei, it's your fight," Kurama said, gently putting his hands on my shoulders and pushing me forward. I quickly pulled away and walked into the ring, seeing my opponent.
"Hiei," she greeted me, smiling devilishly.
"Maiko," I grunted, taking my sword out from its sheath.
"Getting started already are we..." she said, closing her eyes and putting her hands together. "I'll start too," she said quietly, as she spoke. She then began to chant something. Before I knew it, the crowd was gone, and then the only ones visible were Maiko, Kurama, I, and...Yume. Why only us four? And what had she done to make the others disappear?
"What's this? Some sort of trick, I assume?" I mocked, giving her a pitying look. "It doesn't even do you any good."
"It does. It's how I and my partner fight," she said, still speaking very softly, almost in a whisper. "You don't have many friends...do you Hiei?"
"What does this have to do with anything!?" I yelled, quickly moving behind her. In less than I second my forced my sword forward, right through her chest. At least...that's how it was...supposed to happen. It just went through her. Not a scratch was left. "Wh-what!?" I questioned to myself as, before I could stop it, the girl forced my own sword to stab me. I prepared myself for pain...but nothing happened. I felt nothing. It...just went through me.
"But you do have some friends..." she said, smiling cheerfully down at Kurama.
"What...what's going on!?" I demanded to know, trying to take another shot at her, watching as my attacks only passed through her. She only continued to look at Kurama...long enough for me to become suspicious. It was strange; it looked as though Kurama was frozen. He just stood there with the same look on his face, as did Yume.
"You care for him, right?" she asked kindly, turning to me.
"What are you getting at?" I asked, giving up on trying attacking. It clearly wasn't working.
"You love him, right?" she asked happily, leaping over next to Kurama.
"What do you think you're doing!?" I yelled, trying to grab her arm, only watching as my hand slid through her. Then it hit me. "LOVE!?" I cried, running over next to her and Kurama. It didn't appear as though he could hear me either...
"Oh, he's very good-looking. You're very lucky, Hiei," she chirped, running away over to the woman who fought Kuwabara. I began to chase after her, but I tripped over Kurama's foot. I expected to be able to move through him as well, and I also noticed Maiko almost slip. Then I became suspicious. For that instant, I felt short of breath. Hoping I wouldn't regret it later, I grabbed my sword and plunged it straight into Kurama's chest, closing my eyes at the sight of blood...I couldn't look.
I opened my eyes to see Maiko before me, lying on the ground, covered in her own blood. Thank god that worked...
I soon felt dizzy, lightheaded. I hadn't been breathing! I turned to Kurama, seeing that he had a very worried look on his face. It was clear to me. Yume and Maiko certainly used the same sort of fighting. Yume had used the same sort of illusion against Kuwabara! And, that also meant, that in Maiko's illusion, the both of us simply stood still in the ring. The only way to attack each other...was to attack our...friend. No wonder that oaf lost! But, Kuwabara hadn't been attacked at all. He merely collapsed. Yume and Maiko used different variations, it seemed.
Nevertheless...having to attack Kurama like that...wasn't an image I wanted to see again.
What if we did have to fight each other!? What if I had to do such a thing and not be sure if he'd survive!?
I didn't like the thought. Not at all...
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Sorry that took so long to update! Anyway, please review!