The Darkness Reawakened

Disclaimer-Disclaimer-Disclaimer

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho nor do I have any association with the owners. However, I do own Brandon, Alix, and Sakura and they are copywrited to me. Do not use these characters without my permission. Thank you for your time and please enjoy. I would also appreciate it if you would rate this story.

Disclaimer-Disclaimer-Disclaimer

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"What are you?" Shizuru asked, staring at Brandon wide eyed and open jawed. She wasn't going to take any lies, Brandon knew this. He wouldn't be able to tell her he didn't know what just happened. He would have to tell her the truth.
"I'm a Dark Mage," he said simply, as if it were just that simple.
"You use your spirit energy to create those spheres?" she asked. Obviously she was versed in spirit energy, not the use of the body's energy to create magick.
"Um...not really, actually. Spirit energy is different from what I just did. Spirit energy is complicated, yes, but what I do is even more complicated," Brandon answered.
"Witchcraft?"
"No no, witchcraft is drawn from words and actions, along with assorted items. What I do is use my own body's energy to create magick."
"As in, rabbit-out-of-the-hat magic?"
"No, that is magic spelled M-A-G-I-C. That magic is used for entertainment and is not truly magick, M-A-G-I-C-K. This magick is dangerous, Dungeons and Dragons-style magick, with a twist.
"I use my own energy to create magick, I don't draw from some magickal reserve from within my own body. The energy from my body is then sent into the earth and air around me, allowing me to call up one element, the element I was Awakened to."
"Awakened to? You were Awakened to death, right?" Shizuru asked.
"Close enough, but no cigar. I was Awakened into the Darkness. My element is dark."
"The Darkness?"
"All that is evil and destructive, with a fine line into the Land of Death."
"This is all so confusing, and-"
"Complicated? Yes. That's what I said in the beginning. But please pay attention."
"No...I think I've learned enough for one day." Shizuru rubbed her head. "And what about my brother?"
"I don't know, Shizuru, sorry."
"Could you..." She paused, then continued, "Could you use your powers to win the Dark Tournament?"
"Yeah, that's right, what is the 'Dark Tournament'?" Brandon asked, bringing his mind back to the note(chapter 1).
"I think you should ask Yusuke about that. I know what it is, don't get me wrong, but Yusuke can explain it better than I can." Shizuru got up and tried the light switch. The lights did not turn on. Shizuru said, "Besides, it seems I need to fix the fuse box. Take care Brandon."
She waved to him as they went there separate ways down the hall. As Brandon stepped outside, he heard a rustling in a nearby tree. He looked at the tree and was barely able to make out something moving away from him at an insanely fast rate. He got a feeling he had felt only a few minutes before, when the demon Ayushi had attacked him. He shook his head hard, took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. He inhaled, then noticed the rain had suddenly stopped. He needed to find Yusuke and ask him about this Dark Tournament. As he replaced his lighter, his hand brushed something soft yet tough. He withdrew the thing, finding the familiar black note.
Was that what had been wrong with Yusuke? Had he received a note similar to his? One only Yusuke could read? And what else had he been hiding from him? Brandon could tell there was something else, but what? Then his mind went back to what Shizuru had been ranting
"Your one of them, aren't you?" she asked, now staring at Brandon.
Brandon raised an eyebrow, then asked, "One of what? What am I? What are you talking about? Are you sure your okay? Maybe that bump on your-"
"You're a Spirit Detective, aren't you? Just like Yusuke. Aren't you?" She grabbed Brandon by the collar of his shirt and shook him. "You are aren't you? AREN'T YOU!?"
That would explain a lot of things. Why Yusuke had been so reluctant to tell him what was on his mind and why he made such a horrible lie. Yusuke had told him only weeks before his mother had stopped her drinking problem. He shrugged, then thought So I'll just find out two things. The Dark Tournament and what the hell a Spirit Detective is. Sounded good. He went around the corner, crossed the street, and headed to Yusuke's house.

- - -

It had been a little over a year now, since his Awakening. He still remembered what it was like.
Raphiel had come to his house one day, claiming to be with the hotel Brandon had applied to for a job. He had taken him outside, saying he was taking Brandon for an interview. That's when he had learned what he was. He was one of the Unawakened. A very special boy, as he had said. Magick had long ago died out from this world, and Brandon being able to be Awakened and use magick was an excellent advantage for their crusade of light. Raphiel was an Awakened, Awakened to the Light. He wanted Brandon to be Awakened to the Light. He didn't mind. The Light was okay. He would have preferred fire, but the Light was good.
Then, the news. An ex-girlfriend of his had been kidnapped and was going to be used as a dark sacrifice. Usually, all he would have done was worry. But when Raphiel had told him the name of the girl, it became personal; Brittany Hansford. The girl he still liked. The girl he loved. They had left for Naples, Florida that day from his old home, Colorado Springs, Colorado. It had taken weeks, and Brandon had been getting more and more worried.
In their journey, however, they ran into trouble. While in Georgia, they he was captured by the man who had kidnapped Brittany. The man's name was Nolan. He was an Awakened, Awakened to the Darkness. He was going to Awaken Brandon to the Darkness and use him for his unholy crusade.
By now, Brandon was getting tired of all this Light and Dark shit along with all the holy crusade this and unholy crusade that.
Raphiel had come in to help rescue him. Of course, being with the Light, he had a confrontation with the Darkness. Raphiel and Nolan had fought. They both had inhuman speed. He had had his Awakening in the middle of this bout.
Raphiel had informed him of all the taxing ways of the Awakening. It was a minute and a half worth of pain and suffering. In the Awakening, the Awakened must be hit with a high concentration of elemental magick. Otherwise, the Awakened will return to normal, just as they were before their Awakening.
As he had his Awakening, the two kept trying to kill each other and Awaken Brandon to their element. A minute had passed before the Awakening was complete. His throat was raw with screaming and yelling in pain. As Raphiel tried to hit Brandon with a ray of pure white light, Nolan launched a dark lightning bolt at Raphiel. Raphiel deflected the lighting bolt...right towards Brandon! Brandon looked at the bolt as it flew towards him. Everything seemed to pause for a moment as the bolt hung an inch from his face. Then it hit him in the left eye. The last thing he remembered after that was a searing pain in his eye and Nolan's cackling laughter. He then blacked out.
He woke up the next day in a white bed in a white room. Was it really white? Was it just his eyesight? Was he dead, and in heaven? He knew not. He lost consciousness every now and then, waking up in the same room every time. Once, Raphiel was by his bed. So Nolan hadn't had his way with Brandon. But was that really all that good?
He had decided to go after Nolan alone and get Brittany, even if it killed him.
He was standing in front of Yusuke's house, on his front porch. He raised his hand to knock on the door, then hesitated. How was he going to handle this? What if his mother over heard them? What if he really wasn't lying about his mother?
He shook his head, and then knocked on the door. Unlike Kuwabara's house, he heard movement almost immediately. A few seconds later, the door opened and Yusuke was standing in the doorway. He asked, "What do you want?" in his usual tough guy attitude.
Brandon couldn't help but smile. "So the note hasn't changed you one bit, that's good." Yusuke looked surprised by this statement.
"What do you mean?" Yusuke inquired.
Brandon withdrew from his pocket the folded black note, opened it, took out his crystal necklace, and touched it to the paper, revealing what was written there.
Yusuke rummaged through his own pocket and withdrew a similar looking piece of parchment. "Yeah, well, I've tried," he said. "Who'd they take for you to come? And it seems I-"
"Have a little explaining to do?" Brandon interrupted, smirking. "They took Kuwabara. The guy raided his house and left a demon there to kill me. So yes, allow me to come in so you can explain and tell my why you made such a bold ass lie."
"Yeah yeah, come in," Yusuke replied, moving to the side as to allow Brandon passing room to come in.
"So, first things first, I have-"
"A secret?" Yusuke interrupted. "Yeah, I know. You're a Dark Mage, right? Awakened by the same Nolan guy who kidnapped Keiko."
"Uh...Yeah?" Brandon responded, confused. "How did you find all this out when I don't even fully know your secret?"
"Well," Yusuke started, "You could say a little toddler told me."
"Uh huh...Right. So...What the fuck is a Spirit Detective guy person?"
"Well, me," Yusuke answered, looking proud.
Brandon looked at him as if he were the biggest idiot in all of Japan, none the less Tokyo. "Duh!" Brandon said as he tapped his head with the heel of his hand. "What exactly is it? And why do you have to have such a cool title? Why not me?"
"Well, because you're you, and you don't know how to use your spirit energy. And I died. I was revived and appointed detective of the Spirit World. I fight and kill, as well as capture, evil demons. I keep the Ningenkai, this plain of humanity, safe."
Brandon's jaw was hanging open. He slowly closed it, then said, "How much does it pay an hour?"
Yusuke laughed, and then said, "Sense of humor all the way 'till the end, eh?"
"Now, what is this Dark Tournament?" Brandon asked.
Yusuke started to walk away and said, "How about you just fight and worry about the explanation later."
Brandon grabbed Yusuke by the shoulder and threw him up against the wall. "Fuckin' tell me!"
Yusuke smiled, then muttered, "Whoa, dei ja vo!" He started laughing "Okay, I'll tell you about it, don't worry."
Brandon hardly heard through his own chuckling. He let go of Yusuke, stopped laughing, and then said, "Okay, let's here it."
"Basically, the Dark Tournament is a huge fight between demon teams. Though there are also mixed teams. But anyways...Hundreds upon hundreds of demons buy tickets to see the gore fest, as in most cases it's a fight to the death. And that's not counting the ones who watch it on TV.
"There are 8 different teams, fighting one-on-one elimination battles, winner walks home. The winning team gets a wish for each teammate. The wishes are made, and the demons go home until the next tournament."
"Well..." Brandon hesitantly said, "Do I have to fight?"
" 'Go to the Dark Tournament. Get together a team of five. Otherwise you and your friends are dead.' ,remember?"
"Oh yeah...forgot. So who's our team of five?
"Well, there's me, you, Hiei, Kurama, and we need one more. I was thinking Kuwabara, but-"
"Kurama is taken as well, Urimeshi."
Both Yusuke and Brandon looked towards the window. Standing in the windowsill was a short man. He was wearing all black. He had blood red eyes and gravity defying, black spiky hair, white spiky highlights in the front.
"Oh, hey Hiei," Yusuke greeted him, waving his hand once.
"And this one," Hiei pointed at Brandon, "will be a good substitute for Kazuma. After all, his dark powers are nothing compared to Kurama's craftiness."
"Hey, I'm better then you think, Mr. Spiky Head. By the way, how do you get your hair like that?"
"It's natural, ningen," Hiei responded, not even looking his way.
"Hey hey hey hey, don't be whipping out any Japanese on me!"
"I will if I want to, baka," Hiei looked at Brandon as he said this, and then looked back to Yusuke. "Who do you have in mind to replace Kazuma? And who will fill the last spot?"
Brandon cleared his throat, attracting the other two's attentions. He was smiling a know-it-all smile. "I know a couple of people."

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First of all, the flashback Brandon had is an excerpt from my own original fiction. It may be posted at the other fiction site fanfiction.net is talking about. Just like the characters from the disclaimer above, it is copywrited and cannot be used without my permission. Thank you.

Well, this is my second fanfic, so if you don't like it, get over it and send me some suggestions, will ya? And don't forget to rate this story. I hope you enjoyed and know more chapters are on the way.

-Argethio