Episode 5: "Fight! Fight! Fight! Can't we all just get along?!"
"Just where is she?! Just where is that sacrifice girl?!" Sakura cried, swinging open the door of their classroom. Momiji's face turned bright pink as she sat at her desk before class started that Wednesday morning.
"What is it, Sakura?" she asked in perplexity.
"Don't give me that innocent look! I know you've been keeping something from me!" Sakura exclaimed, stomping to her and slamming her hand on her desk. "Tell me what's going on! Now!"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Sakura," Momiji answered honestly.
"You don't fool me, you stupid sacrifice girl! I know something's going on and that you have to do with that something!"
"You mean with the Arigami?" Momiji asked.
"No!" Sakura shouted. "With this!" She slammed a newspaper on her desk.
"'Strange wolf dog attacks crowded streets of Tokyo - mystery remains unsolved.'" She glanced up at Sakura. "Well, what does that have to do with me?"
"Look at this!" she pointed to the picture on the front page. "This was taken by a tourist during the attack!" Momiji bent down and examined the picture hard.
"Well, there's the dog…and there's the crowd of people…" Sakura sighed in frustration.
"You're IN the crowd! See?!" She pointed to a blurred image of a person in the streets that vaguely resembled Momiji. Momiji, however, knew that it was her only because she knew she had been there. Of course, she didn't let Sakura know this.
"Are you sure that's me? Because I don't remember -"
"Don't you dare try and lie to ME, sacrifice girl!" Sakura interrupted. "I know very well that that was you! Why do you think I waited until now to confront you about it? Because I had to be sure!"
"Well, how are you so sure now then?"
"That's not the point!" She quickly grabbed Momiji by the arm and pulled her from her desk. "Now, come on!"
When they were in the hall, Sakura continued her questioning of Momiji. "Now just what the hell is this beast, anyway? It's obviously not an Arigami otherwise the TAC would be all over it by now."
"It's not an Arigami."
"So you DO know what it is then!" Sakura exclaimed. "Tell me!"
"Well…uh…I'm not exactly sure," Momiji stammered for the answer. "I mean, it just sort of attacked us -"
"Us?" Sakura further interrogated.
"Me and a few of my friends -"
"Just who are these 'friends' of yours?'"
"Well…uh…you could meet one of them later. Her name is Serena and she's coming by to meet me after class ends. I think she's coming with her boyfriend, Darien, too."
"I SEE," Sakura replied suspiciously. "Then maybe we'll get to the bottom of this!" Sakura then turned abruptly and marched off leaving Momiji with a confused look upon her face.
Yusuke sat on the roof of the school, thinking over the past week's events. "Everything seems so strange…that little boy…the scar…and now that weird demon from Sunday…what did it mean anyway by saying that it 'knew' me…?"
"Hello, Yusuke!" a voice chimed in and Yusuke sat up with a start. He looked up to see the cheerfully smiling Botan standing before him.
"Jeez, Botan! Don't scare me like that!" he shouted angrily, rising to his feet.
"Sorry about that," she apologized. "But don't you think you should be in class rather than on the roof."
"Hey, at least I'm AT the school," Yusuke reminded her and Botan sighed.
"I guess that is true," she replied solemnly.
"So, what brings you here, anyway. Another Baken-Ai to destroy."
"I'm afraid not," she told him. "We don't know when the next Baken-Ai plans to surface, actually. But I do have some news for you!"
"Which is…?"
"Well, it seems that there's a group of beasts that aren't very pleased that you killed the first Baken-Ai and are trying to kill you in the name of Torazo - the demon, that is, that the Baken-Ai are supposed to rise." Yusuke sighed and sat back down.
"Well, you could have informed me sooner, considering those damn monsters already started attacking us," Yusuke muttered.
"Already?!" Yusuke nodded.
"Two so far. I killed the first one. And the second…"
"What is it, Yusuke?" Yusuke sighed and sat up straight.
"The second one was killed by this other girl…Serena or Sailor Moon or whatever…but that's not really what's bothering me. The thing is that it said it 'knew' me."
"Hmm?" Botan thought about it for a moment. "Well, that is strange. Maybe it was trying to scare you."
"I don't think that was it," Yusuke told her and Botan frowned. After a moment of silence between the two, Yusuke asked, "Anyway, so what else do you have on these Torazo minions?"
"Well, for one thing, they're not taking orders from Torazo or the Baken-Ai. Unfortunately, we're not sure WHO they're taking them from, then."
"That's not very helpful."
"I'm afraid it isn't," Botan agreed. "Second of all, I have some good news. I believe I know where the next attack will be from these strange demons."
"Really?" Yusuke asked. Botan nodded.
"And I'm afraid it's going to be on those two girls - the one's that were there when you killed the first Baken-Ai."
"Again?" Yusuke asked.
"What do you mean, Yusuke?"
"It's just that the damn beasts seem to attack them more so than me," Yusuke explained.
"Well, maybe it wants to go for the weaker targets first," Botan suggested. "Anyway, I believe it will be at that girl's school - Momiji's her name, I believe. It'll take some time in the afternoon."
"Great. Another road trip," Yusuke muttered sarcastically with a sigh. "Can I ask you one more thing, Botan?"
"Sure," Botan said.
"Could you tell me about this?" He pulled the few strands of his hair off his forehead to reveal the thick scar that had been engraved into his flesh.
"Why, that's the symbol of the Baken-Ai!" Botan exclaimed.
"Yeah, I kind of figured that," Yusuke told her.
"I suppose I forgot to tell you," Botan began. "You see, the legend is that if you kill a Baken-Ai, their symbol gets scarred onto your flesh. I'm really not sure why, though. I suppose it's kind of like revenge or something of that nature…but supposedly, it hurts a lot when it first happens."
"I can vouch for that one…but does that mean it's permanent?" Yusuke asked.
"I'm not sure," Botan answered sincerely. "I would hope not."
"Yeah, well, I hope not, too," Yusuke replied bitterly, but Botan smiled.
"Now, don't worry about it, Yusuke. I'm sure everything will be just fine," she assured him. "Anyway, I suggest you head to that Momiji girl's school." She handed him another map. "I marked the spot so you wouldn't get lost. And I'll try to keep you up-to-date on what's going on. It seems that I've been lagging behind in my work."
"And can you find out who's sending these beasts after us, too?" Yusuke asked. "Then we can eliminate the problem from the source." Botan nodded.
"I'll work on it," she said and then hopped on her oar. "I'll get back to you as soon as I can. You just hurry up and help Momiji!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going!" Yusuke said, stretching out his arms and standing up. "Bye, Botan!"
"Bye, Yusuke!" Then she disappeared into the sky.
Momiji smiled as she eagerly awaited for Serena and Darien to show up; Sakura didn't seem all that enthused. The two stood outside the school as it let out, students flocking about and heading to their buses and such. "Serena should be here soon," Momiji told Sakura. "Her school let's out earlier than ours. But she's always a little late, so…"
"Right," Sakura said flatly. Momiji frowned and then continued on looking for Serena and Darien. What a surprise it was when she saw Yusuke approaching.
"Yusuke…?" she wondered aloud to herself. She blinked a few times to see if she was imagining things. But there he was, looking around the schoolyard. Then he spotted Momiji and gave her a wave to come over. Sakura eyed him suspiciously.
"Who's that?"
"No one," Momiji quickly answered. "Just wait right here!" She then ran over to Yusuke. "What are you doing here?!" she questioned as she looked over her shoulder to see Sakura giving them both a look of daggers.
"I got orders," he told her curtly. "Have you sensed anything strange here with that seed of yours?" She shook her head.
"Should I have?"
"Momiji!" Serena's voice then called out to her. Both Yusuke and Momiji turned to see Serena standing a few yards away with Darien. As soon as Serena saw Yusuke there, her mouth dropped. "And Yusuke, too?!" Hastily, she ran up to him, followed by a calmer Darien. "What are you doing here, Yusuke?! You're not actually here to hang out with us or anything, right?!"
"No," he answered flatly. "I'm here because I have orders."
"'Orders?'" Serena pondered. "You mean…another Baken-Ai?" Yusuke shook his head.
"No…another one of those beasts."
"Not again!" Serena whined.
"Yeah, well it doesn't make me too happy either when I have to trek all the way here to save your sorry asses."
"Hey!" Serena exclaimed. "Who saved who's sorry butt last Sunday, hmm?" Yusuke sighed.
"Serena, maybe you should calm down…" Darien suggested, but was ignored.
"You didn't save me; I had my spirit gun aimed ready to kill that thing," he told her. "In fact, you just made things worse."
"And how is that?! I killed the thing, didn't I?!"
"Yeah, before I wanted it dead!" Yusuke exclaimed. Serena now frowned, eyes perplexed and Yusuke sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Look, I don't want to talk about that now…the point is that I'm here to kill whatever plans to come after you and kill you, all right? Supposedly, it's going to come from somewhere here, at this school." He gestured toward the building.
"So can't we just leave and we won't have to worry?" Momiji suggested.
"So it can wait for you to come back tomorrow morning? Or maybe it'll just follow you home," Yusuke cynically remarked and Momiji's face grew nervous.
"HELLO!" an annoyed voice suddenly called out to them. Momiji and the others to see an irritated Sakura still standing a few yards away. "Has everyone forgotten me?!"
"Who's that?" Yusuke questioned.
"That's Sakura," Momiji answered reluctantly. "She wanted to meet you all and find out about the Baken-Ai…I didn't tell her anything really, yet, so…"
"Right…" Yusuke's voice trailed off and he gave them all a look of disgust. He then sighed. "I suppose we're going to have to tell her, too."
"So you're trying to tell me because you -" Sakura pointed directly at Yusuke "- killed one of these three Baken-Ai demons, now there's these other monsters trying to kill you and those two -" she now pointed to Serena and Momiji "- because some guy that you don't really know is mad because you killed one of the three things that can rise this demon called Torazo, who were guessing is this really powerful, really evil demon."
"That's the basic gist of it," Yusuke answered. The five sat outside in the schoolyard underneath one of the big trees.
"And so now we're going to WAIT here for some stupid beast to attack you?" she asked.
"NO," Yusuke corrected in annoyance. "We're going to WAIT here so that we can kill the stupid beast who's going to attack us."
"I'm SO sure," Sakura answered. She scoffed. "Besides what can you three do anyway?" She glanced at Yusuke and said, "You killed the first Baken-Ai, so I guess you must be able to do SOMETHING, although I don't know if this Baken-Ai is really all that powerful….As for you two -" she turned to Momiji and Serena "- well, I definitely know sacrifice girl is totally useless. And the other one looks like a total idiot, if you ask me -"
"Hey!" Serena interrupted, face red with anger. Sakura shrugged.
"Then again, HE doesn't look all that bright either," she remarked with a glance at Yusuke. Yusuke's eyes narrowed furiously.
"Just who do you think you are, anyway?!"
"And what does HE do?" Sakura ignored Yusuke, staring at Darien. Serena grinned wildly.
"He's Tuxedo Mask!"
"What kind of stupid name is 'Tuxedo Mask?'" Sakura asked callously and Darien's face turned slightly pink.
"I always thought it was a fine name…" Darien answered.
"You're just a big jerk!" Serena snapped furiously at Sakura, crossing her arms in a huff. "You don't know anything about my Darien!" Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Right…ANYWAY, so what do you DO as Tuxedo Mask, hmm?"
"Well -"
"He does lots of things!" Serena cut off Darien. "Like, he has this rose -"
"Rose?" Yusuke asked curiously. Serena nodded. "That kind of reminds me of my friend Kurama…"
"Who's that?" Momiji inquired.
"Probably some loser," Sakura muttered and Yusuke scowled at her.
"You know, you're really starting to piss me off!"
"Yeah!" Serena agreed.
"Now, let's not fight guys…" Momiji's voice trailed off nervously.
"Momiji's right," Darien agreed. "We have more important things to worry about, like that demon."
"Yeah - when's it going to attack?" Serena asked.
"Sometime this afternoon," Yusuke answered, calming down slightly. "It should be soon."
"I hope so," Sakura replied. "I don't want to have to stay with you all for TOO long."
"No one said you had to stay here," Yusuke told her grimly.
"That's right!" Serena agreed.
"Well, SOMEONE has to spare your miserable lives," Sakura told them.
"We can fight ourselves, you know!" Serena exclaimed furiously. "We don't need YOUR help!"
"And even if we DID, I think I'd rather die before I got any help from YOU," Yusuke added, just as angry. Sakura rolled her eyes again and rose.
"I'm going to get a drink," she informed them. She then turned and left.
"Yeah, good riddance!" Yusuke called after her.
"I don't like her!" Serena declared.
"Neither do I," Yusuke grumbled.
"Well, at least you two agree on something," Momiji said, trying to be optimistic. "But Sakura's really not all that bad…"
"You don't think ANYONE'S 'that bad,'" Yusuke told her flatly. "You're starting to sound like a broken record." Momiji frowned.
"So how long do you really think we're going to have to wait out here?" Serena then asked.
"I don't know…none of you are obligated to stay here, you know," Yusuke then told them. "In fact, it might be better to leave."
"No way!" Momiji declared. "We can't just leave you!"
"Well, it's not like you do much anyway," Yusuke truthfully replied.
"I do stuff…" Momiji's voice trailed off weakly, however.
"Ah, don't listen to that little punk, Momiji!" a voice then came the tree. They all looked up to see Kusanagi standing on one of the branches, one of his arms leaning against the trunk, with a grin on his face. "After all, if you leave, you'll get to miss all the fun when that demon rips him from limb to limb!" Both Serena and Momiji cringed at this thought. Yusuke, on the other hand, growled furiously and rose to his feet.
"Why don't you come and say that to my face, you stupid ass?!" he questioned indignantly. Kusanagi just snickered and smirked.
"Now why would I do that when I can do a fine job from up here?" he asked. Yusuke's face turned red with even more anger.
"Who's that?" Darien whispered to Serena.
"Oh, that's Kusanagi," she answered simply.
"So THAT'S Kusanagi…"
"Well, unlike YOU at least I can kill the stupid things!" Yusuke argued back.
"Nah," Kusanagi casually replied. "You just got lucky."
"I did not!" Yusuke shouted, infuriated and Kusanagi couldn't help but burst into hysterical laughter. Momiji now stood up.
"Kusanagi! Don't be mean!" she scolded.
"I'm not being mean, Momiji," Kusanagi insisted, his laughter dying down. "I'm simply teasing him, that's all. No big deal. What? The kid can't take a joke?" He began to snicker again and Yusuke let out another furious growl.
"I'm not a kid!" Yusuke protested.
"Of COURSE you're not!" Kusanagi exclaimed and laughed harder.
"You stupid patronizing bastard!"
"Ooh! Big words! I'm scared now!" He now doubled over because he was laughing so hard, hand over his stomach; this seemed to just make Yusuke more enraged.
"I swear to God, as soon as you come down here -"
"Say if I don't come down?" Kusanagi cut him off with a sly smirk, snickering a bit still. "Are you going to come up here and get me?" Yusuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly as Kusanagi began laughing again.
"Will you stop it, Kusanagi?!" Momiji now cried, angry herself.
"What? You can't say the kid doesn't deserve it!" Kusanagi exclaimed.
"I'm not a kid!" Yusuke insisted again and Kusanagi started chuckling again. Momiji let out a frustrated sigh.
"KUSANAGI!" she shouted.
"Hey! You brought your friend with the nice rack again, I see!" Kusanagi now changed the subject, eyeing Serena deviously. Serena's face turned bright red with both anger and embarrassment. Darien, who had remained rather calm throughout all of this, now stood up looking rather irritable himself.
"Hey! Where are your manners?!" he reprimanded.
"So YOU must be that boyfriend she told me about!" Kusanagi assumed with a grin. "I suppose I should apologize, then, for checking out your girlfriend. Although, why you'd want to go out with an immature little girl is beyond me!"
"She's not -"
"I'm just kidding with you!" Kusanagi insisted with a playful chuckle.
"Well…you better be," Darien replied, staring up at him crossly.
"I am! Trust me!"
"Kusanagi, why do you always have to go upsetting everyone?!" Momiji asked in exasperation.
"I guess it's just my nature, Momiji!" Kusanagi told her. "Besides, I'm really just here for the show!"
"'Show?'" Momiji inquired.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten already!" Kusanagi exclaimed, but Momiji was stumped. "You know, the one where the kid gets ripped from limb from limb by that beast that's supposedly coming!" He then gave Yusuke a sneer. Yusuke now reached his breaking point.
"Yeah, we'll see who gets ripped limb from limb," he grumbled furiously as he rolled up his sleeves and marched toward the tree.
"Wait! Yusuke!" Momiji cried, taking hold of his arm. "You're not actually thinking of trying to climb the tree, are you?!"
"If he wants to be a coward, let him hide in that tree; I'll just go up to him, then."
"Oh, this is just priceless!" Kusanagi exclaimed, beginning to laugh obnoxiously again. "The kid's going to actually try and climb the stupid tree! I think I'd rather see him fall flat on his ass and break his skull when he falls than see him get ripped limb from limb by that damn demon!" He sounded like a hyena, hollering with laughter.
"Kusanagi!" Momiji scolded again as she still tried to restrain Yusuke.
"Come on, kid!" Kusanagi further antagonized. "I dare you to try and climb this tree!"
"Yusuke, don't!" Momiji argued. "Kusanagi's just trying to upset you!" Yusuke, however, wrenched his arm from Momiji and then let out a snort before smirking.
"You know what, I think you're right, Momiji," he began slyly, brushing his hand through his hair. "I think Kusanagi's just pissed off about the fact that I killed that bird demon in the park last Saturday and he didn't, that's all. He can't help it if he's jealous." It was now Kusanagi's turn to be infuriated.
"WHAT?!" he exclaimed furiously. "ME?! Jealous of a little kid like YOU?! Ha!"
"Whatever you say, Kusanagi," he replied casually, as he turned from the tree. "A coward like you really isn't worth my time, anyway. After all, it would be unfair for me to fight you when you're so scared of me."
"SCARED?!" Kusanagi questioned indignantly. Narrowing his eyes bitterly, he hopped down from the tree and now stood behind Yusuke. "I'm not scared of pathetic little kids," he told Yusuke callously, holding up a fist. "First of all, I was just playing with you, but if you want to fight, I could care less if I beat your ass into the ground."
"Kusanagi!" Momiji cried, but Kusanagi refused to back down. Yusuke turned back to face Kusanagi with an arrogant grin. He raised his own fists.
"We'll see who beats who's ass into the ground," he said, his own anger rising again. The two then went for each other.
However, they didn't get all that far when Darien stepped in between the two of them, a hand on each of their shoulders to hold them back.
"Now, let's not fight," he told them. "We're supposed to be working together. Now both of you ought to sit down and -"
"I'm not sitting until I've broken this guy's skull," Yusuke interrupted Darien fiercely.
"The same goes here!" Kusanagi agreed, just as enraged.
"Oh, look - a fight," Sakura's voice came to them all sounding vaguely interested. She had returned, drink in hand.
"Don't worry - you're next!" Yusuke shouted to her furiously and Sakura just scoffed.
"You wish!" she called to him.
"You're right, Sakura," Kusanagi stated. "After all, he'd have to survive his fight with me first, and we all know that's not going to happen!"
"There isn't going to be a fight," Darien told them all, trying to remain calm. "Because fighting doesn't solve -"
"Forget about fighting Kusanagi and beat Sakura into the ground!" Serena chimed in, rising to her feet, fists risen herself. Sakura's face dropped in shock, but she didn't get a chance to respond just yet.
"Serena!" Darien exclaimed.
"Well, she made fun of you, didn't she?!"
"I don't think we should be fighting at all and be worrying about the demon…" Momiji said sheepishly.
"What do you know, sacrifice girl?" Sakura questioned, growing annoyed.
"Well, I -"
"And who are you to talk to Momiji like that?!" Serena now shouted, stomping over to Sakura. "She isn't just some sacrifice girl, you know!"
"Don't worry about it, Serena," Momiji insisted, who stood in between both the infuriated Sakura and the enraged Serena. "Really, it's -"
"And who are YOU to say anything about how I talk to Momiji?!" Sakura questioned furiously. "You're just some stupid meatball-head bitch!" Serena gasped in shock.
"Oh, yeah! Well, you're…you're a really big jerk!" she shouted back and Sakura laughed cruelly. Serena grew even more infuriated. "And my hair does NOT look like meatballs!" she screamed. "And only Darien's allowed to call me meatball-head, anyway!"
"Go on, Serena! Beat the crap out of her!" Yusuke cheered her on.
"I-I will!" Serena shouted.
"Oh, yeah?" Sakura asked bitterly. "I'd just love to see you try!"
"Now, please let's not fight…" Momiji tried to convince them, but they were both shooting each other looks of daggers.
"I don't see what you're so happy about," Momiji could now hear Kusanagi saying to Yusuke. "I'm about to beat the shit out of you."
"Is that what you think now?" Yusuke questioned. "Well, I suppose we can all dream, can't we?"
"You seem to be doing that now if you think you're going to beat me," Kusanagi said harshly.
"Now, guys, just calm down…" Darien said, still standing between them and trying desperately to reason with them.
"Come on, kid! I'll take you right now!" Kusanagi declared.
"That's fine by me!" Yusuke shouted back. "I'll even let you throw the first punch; it'll be the only one you'll get, after all!" As the two started to bicker some more while Serena and Sakura continued mouthing off to each other as Momiji attempted to keep them civil, Darien slowly began to lose his patience and his own temper. He shut his eyes tightly and let out a low growl of frustration. Then, opening his eyes, he shouted on the top of his lungs:
"WILL EVERYONE SHUT UP?!" A silence spread across them all as they all looked at the fuming Darien in a baffled and frightened surprise. Breathing hard, he said sternly, "Good. Sit down - all of you. NOW." They all complied almost immediately, all but Darien taking a seat on the grass. "Now, we're all going to sit here in silence until the demon comes, do you all understand?" Everyone nodded sheepishly, grimaces on their faces. "Good." He then took his own seat on the grass and all remained silent.
It was half past seven and still no demon had showed up. The six looked extremely bored and very annoyed sitting there in silence.
"Can we talk yet, Darien?" Serena asked.
"No," Darien answered firmly. She sighed and frowned.
"That's the seventh time she asked that question," Yusuke muttered.
"Eight," Kusanagi corrected.
"No, it was seven," Yusuke argued, his voice.
"No, it was EIGHT," Kusanagi insisted. Darien gave them both a stern look and they were silent. After a moment, Kusanagi whispered, "It was eight - the first was five minutes after Darien told us we couldn't talk. The next time was at four. She then asked at four-thirty and four-thirty-five."
"That's four…" Yusuke counted.
"Then she asked at five o'clock. At five fifteen she asked if she could get something to eat, but that doesn't really count - she did that three more times, actually - once at five-thirty, once at five-forty-five, and once at six."
"I know that," Yusuke whispered back.
"Anyway, after her whole food thing, at six-twenty, she asked if we could talk again. Then at six-forty-five. And then just now."
"Five, six, seven…that's still just seven," Yusuke argued, still whispering.
"No - you're forgetting the one at five o'clock. The food thing's throwing you off."
"But -" Yusuke paused, thought about this for a moment, and then counted it in his head again. Then, after much contemplation, he whispered, "You're right; it is eight." Kusanagi smiled.
"I told you so," he whispered slyly.
"Hmm," Yusuke said pensively as he thought it over again, rubbing his chin in deliberation.
"This is so boring!" Sakura finally exclaimed, falling back on the grass. "When is this stupid demon going to come?!"
"I don't know…" Momiji answered.
"Botan SAID it was supposed to be here this afternoon…" Yusuke added bitterly.
"That's it!" Sakura declared. "I'm leaving!" She rose to her feet. "I don't even know why I decided to stay this long in the first place! It's not like you were paying me or anything, anyway!" She then turned abruptly and began to march away.
"But, Sakura!" Momiji called out to her. She went to get up, but her blue seed then began to glow. "Huh…?" Kusanagi grinned and rose to his feet.
"Looks like it's show time," he said and then gave Yusuke a patronizing glare. "Hey, kid - try not to get yourself killed or anything." Yusuke scoffed.
"Yeah, same to you," he bitterly replied, getting to his feet as well. Sakura now turned around.
"Well, where the hell is it?!" she shouted in aggravation. At that moment, the ground began to shake and from the dirt behind Sakura burst a giant serpent, at least five stories tall, with thick fangs and a hissing tongue. Sakura froze, not daring to turn around, as the other five remained in their spots, a look of fear on all of their faces as they stared up at the massive thing, eyes fixated on it.
"How come that one's so much bigger than the other two…?" Serena asked in a frightened daze. The rest cringed as an answer. Then, the snake creature darted its head down toward Sakura.
"Spirit Gun!" Yusuke shouted and the blast hit the serpent demon straight between the eyes. The demon let out a shrill, ear-piercing hissing noise, throwing it's head back in agony. Then it burrowed itself into the ground again.
"Where'd it go?! Where'd it go?!" Serena cried in a panic as she rose to her feet along with Darien and Momiji.
"Maybe you killed it," Momiji suggested hopefully.
"No, I don't think it's dead…" Yusuke answered. The ground below them started to quake violently again. "It's traveling underneath the surface…"
Momiiji's blue seed lit up brightly again and she suddenly turned to Darien, "Behind you!" Darien turned the moment the snake resurfaced, hissing vindictively and snapping its jaw. Darien fell onto his back.
"Darien!" Serena cried and the beast reared its head toward her.
"You are one of the three who killed the Baken-Ai Shiko," it hissed. "As punishment you must die!"
"Not again…" Serena whined as it shot toward her, fangs bared. She jumped out of the way just in the nick of time, the beast burrowing into the ground again.
"Damn it! It's underground again!" Yusuke said in frustration.
"Well, why didn't your stupid spirit gun kill it?!" Serena questioned now. "It's SUPPOSED to kill it!"
"I don't know!" Yusuke shouted, aggravated. He then turned to Momiji. "Where is it coming next?"
"Uh…I'm not sure…" she answered.
"Well, try to figure it out!" Yusuke snapped and Momiji nodded.
"I told you that stupid sacrifice girl was useless," Sakura muttered.
"Well, you're not doing much of anything either!" Serena shouted back. Then getting to her feet, she declared, "That's it! I'm transforming!" However, before she got the chance, Momiji cried:
"Yusuke! In front of you!" Yusuke held up his finger for his Spirit Gun. The serpent rose a split second late, still hissing violently. He shot again, but this time when the blast hit the beast's head, the beast barely flinched.
"Damn it…" The serpent screeched murderously now as it jolted its head downward toward Yusuke.
It was at this moment that Kusanagi jumped in for the kill, slicing the plant blade on his right arm through the throat of the snake, decapitating the demon. Both Momiji and Serena paled at the sight, as the head dropped to the ground, as did the rest of the body, now both separate pieces. Kusanagi grinned cockily as he stood on the body of the dead demon. He turned this arrogant smirk to Yusuke.
"I guess that's one for one, eh, kid?" he said. Yusuke's eyes narrowed angrily. However, unexpectedly the beast's body began to move. Kusanagi winced in fear as he jumped off the jolting body. All their faces turned to horror as they watched the beast's body raise itself from the ground and then watched two heads emerge from the severed neck.
"That's not what's supposed to happen!" Serena cried in horror.
"Yeah, way to go, Einstein!" Yusuke shouted to Kusanagi as he stared up at the two fiercely snapping jaws of the two-headed serpent beast.
"Well, how was I supposed to know that was going to happen?!" Kusanagi shouted back in defense. The beast, screeching wildly, turned both its heads toward Momiji. Momij gasped. It then began slithering its way toward her at rapid speed.
"Kusanagi…HELP!" Momiji cried.
"Momiji!" Kusanagi shouted and made a jump for her, grabbing her in his arms and then jumping out of harm's way. The beast then buried itself, two heads and all, into the ground.
"I think it would be a good time to transform…" Serena decided warily. "Moon Crystal Power!" She chanted and then transformed into Sailor Moon. Darien also took this opportunity to transform into Tuxedo Mask. Yusuke frowned at the sight of Darien as Tuxedo Mask.
"Well, he SORT of reminded me of Kurama…" he told himself weakly, scratching the back of his head as he stared at Darien decked up in his tuxedo and top hat. "SORT of…"
"Behind you, Serena!" Momiji now cried, her blue seed glowing brightly again. Serena gasped and turned around just as the two-headed serpent rose. She let out a shrill cry as she stumbled backwards onto her back.
"Sailor Moon!" Darien cried and then pulled out a rose that he immediately threw at the beast. It's poisoned stem stabbed the beast in the upper part of one of its throats.
"Yeah, that's KIND of like Kurama…" Yusuke tried to reason, as if trying to convince himself. The serpent demon let out another shriek and reared one of its heads toward Darien, the other still set on Serena.
"That didn't seem to work either!" Momiji cried. "What are we going to do?!"
"I could try my Spirit Gun again…" Yusuke suggested, but it seemed hopeless. It hadn't worked the first two times; why should it work now? He sighed in frustration as he stared up at the hissing heads of the serpent beast. And then, it suddenly dawned him. "All of our attacks have been aimed at the heads…" He glanced at the decapitated head that lay on the ground. "The heads aren't the beast…it's the body…" His eyes then narrowed, locking onto the giant serpent with a determined fury. Then he charged toward it.
"Yusuke!" Momiji cried, Kusanagi still by her side. "What are you doing?!"
"Getting himself killed, most likely," Sakura remarked callously. "Like I said, I'm not actually being PAID for this, so I ought to get going…" She turned and started leaving.
"Sakura!" Momiji called, but Sakura had already made up her mind. She then turned worriedly back to the scene, both Serena and Darien in danger and Yusuke running for the snake. She looked up at Kusanagi. "Do something, Kusanagi!"
"What am I supposed to do?!" he questioned. "If the kid wants to get himself killed…" He trailed off and Momiji bit her lip worriedly and watched as Yusuke charged forward, aiming his Spirit Gun again.
"Hey, stupid!" Yusuke shouted, pointing his finger between the heads of the beast. The two heads turned toward Yusuke murderously.
"Hey, kid!" Kusanagi called, growing a little concerned himself. "Haven't you noticed that your little Spirit Gun isn't working?!"
"Just trust me!" Yusuke shouted. He glared back at the beast then and said, "I'm the ass who killed your precious Baken-Ai! So come and kill ME if you're so pissed off about it!" The heads glanced at each other, a vicious and ravenous glance, and then looked back at Yusuke, almost smiling. Then, both heads darted for him.
"Yusuke!" Momiji called out, Serena gasped, wide-eyed.
"No," she whispered to herself. Yusuke, face fierce and severe, then dropped his finger to the point where both heads joined one another.
"Spirit Gun!" he shouted and a blast of energy came from his finger and shot directly where the heads adjoined, slicing right through the body and cutting the two-headed snake in half. There was a large scream from both beasts as it was ripped in half. Then, the snake skidded to the ground as it split in two and when the dust cleared, there Yusuke stood breathing harsly, finger still aimed, blood splattered across his severe face and tensed body, and standing in between the two halves of the dead serpent demon that now lay in the crimson grass. And the others stared at him, thoroughly stunned and almost horrified. Even Sakura, who stood at the edge of the schoolyard, turned back, fairly impressed as she stared at Yusuke.
"Hmm. Not bad," Sakura commented to herself and then began walking again.
"Wow…" Serena, meanwhile, said after a moment, her voice trailing off as she got to her feet. She walked over to Darien, who looked equally stunned. Momiji stepped closer to Kusanagi, feeling herself grow pale as she stared at the mangled body of the dead serpent. Kusanagi's mouth gaped open, eyes wide and shocked.
Yusuke now lowered his hand, sensing the danger was gone, and his harsh breathing lessened. He laughed a bit awkwardly, and wiped the blood off his forehead with his left arm. "What's everyone staring at me like that for?" There was a long silence as they continued to stare at him.
"You just…wow…" Serena finally broke the silence.
"Oh, that?" he asked, glancing at the two halves of the snake that lay on each side of him. "Well, I just -"
"You killed it," Serena cut in still thoroughly shocked. "A LOT." Yusuke cringed a bit.
"Well…"
"I think I'm going to be sick," Momiji then said, placing a hand to her mouth and pushing away from Kusanagi. She then proceeded to run a few feet beyond the group and then throw up.
"Momiji…?" Kusanagi asked, gazing over at the vomiting Momiji. Yusuke now sighed, annoyed.
"Well, SOMEONE had to kill it!" he declared.
"I think what Serena's trying to say is that…well…did you have to kill it so much?" Darien asked, wincing in disgust at the grotesque sight.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Kusanagi now stepped forward. "The kid did what he had to."
"I know that, but…who's going to clean this whole mess up?" Darien asked, staring at the decapitated head and the two pieces of the dead giant snake. Yusuke shrugged and scratched the back of his head.
"I don't know…" Suddenly, the three pieces of the demon burst into dust, confirming the demons death. He grinned. "Well, hey! What do you know? That solves that problem!" He chuckled awkwardly and Momiji now came back over to them.
"Oh, good. It's gone," she said with a smile. She then looked over at Yusuke. "Wow, Yusuke! You're really powerful!"
"Not really…" Yusuke's voice trailed off as he envisioned Kurama, Hiei, and Genkai in his mind.
"Yes, you are!" Serena agreed, stepping forward. "You just pointed your finger and that giant two-headed snake was split in half!" She imitated his stance as she said this.
"And damn - now you're two up on me," Kusanagi added, rubbing his chin. "I guess I'm really going to have to do something grand next time if I want to ever level the playing field again."
"Yeah, well…" Yusuke arrogantly smiled. "This is all kid's stuff to me really…" Kusanagi snickered.
"Funny - I thought you WERE a kid," Kusanagi commented. Yusuke's face grew annoyed.
"I'm NOT a kid!" Yusuke shouted and spun around to hit Kusanagi, but Kusanagi had already jumped up into the tree, and was casually standing on one of the thick branches. He laughed.
"Well, this has been a fun-filled night," he said almost sarcastically. He then smiled at Momiji. "I'll see you around, Momiji!" Momiji smiled back at him with dreamy eyes.
"Bye, Kusanagi!" she called to him with a wave as he darted into the night. She then said, in a daze, "Isn't he wonderful…?"
"He's a big jerk, if you ask me," Yusuke muttered. He then looked himself over and frowned. "Well, I have to get going so I can, you know, wash the demon blood off of me when I get home."
"Bye, Yusuke!" Serena called to him. She then glanced at Momiji who was still in her daze. "Hey, Momiji - you really like this Kusanagi, don't you?" Momiji's cheeks turned a dark scarlet.
"I - of course not!"
"Yes, you do!" Serena insisted. "And I personally think you'd two make a cute couple! Don't you, Darien?" Darien smiled.
"He does seem fond of you…"
"No - that's not it!" Momiji protested, face turning even brighter in embarrassment. "He HAS to protect me - because of the Arigami - because it's his duty to protect the Kushinada, that's all! It's not because -"
"Don't be silly!" Serena cut in. "You'd just be wonderful together!"
"No - I mean - our relationship is strictly platonic!" Momiji then spun around and rapidly called to Serena and Darien, "Sorry! Have to go! See you two later!" She then ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
Coming Attractions:
Yusuke: So we defeated another one of those damn beasts that keep pissing the hell out of us - big deal. It hasn't answered any of our questions yet.
Serena: Like who's sending these demons after us anyway?!
Yusuke: Yeah, well, next episode may not have any big fights, but we do get to find out the answer to that question!
Momiji: No way! For real?!
Yusuke: Well, not you two, but I do. You're both too busy wasting time.
Serena: We are not wasting time! We're going on a Double Date!
Momiji: What?!
Serena: All four of us get to go out to dinner! Me and Darien and then you and Kusanagi!
Momiji: But I didn't agree to that!
Serena: But I can't help but play matchmaker!
Yusuke: MEANWHILE, I have a run in with the big bad villian-
Momiji: Is he really all that scary?!
Yusuke: Nah - the guy's a pushover!
Serena: That's not what you think when you first meet him!
Yusuke: And what's THAT supposed to mean?!
Momiji: But wait! Who is this mysterious villian, anyway?! And why does he want to rise the demon Torazo?!
Yusuke: Well, he didn't tell me his whole master plan!
Serena: Besides, he can't give everything away yet!
Momiji: But then how do I find out?!
Yusuke: You're just going to have to watch the next episode of "What's My Line Again…?," Episode 6: "Friend of Foe? A New Face Appears!…"
Serena: "…(And a Double Date, too!)" Isn't romance so romantic?!
"Just where is she?! Just where is that sacrifice girl?!" Sakura cried, swinging open the door of their classroom. Momiji's face turned bright pink as she sat at her desk before class started that Wednesday morning.
"What is it, Sakura?" she asked in perplexity.
"Don't give me that innocent look! I know you've been keeping something from me!" Sakura exclaimed, stomping to her and slamming her hand on her desk. "Tell me what's going on! Now!"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Sakura," Momiji answered honestly.
"You don't fool me, you stupid sacrifice girl! I know something's going on and that you have to do with that something!"
"You mean with the Arigami?" Momiji asked.
"No!" Sakura shouted. "With this!" She slammed a newspaper on her desk.
"'Strange wolf dog attacks crowded streets of Tokyo - mystery remains unsolved.'" She glanced up at Sakura. "Well, what does that have to do with me?"
"Look at this!" she pointed to the picture on the front page. "This was taken by a tourist during the attack!" Momiji bent down and examined the picture hard.
"Well, there's the dog…and there's the crowd of people…" Sakura sighed in frustration.
"You're IN the crowd! See?!" She pointed to a blurred image of a person in the streets that vaguely resembled Momiji. Momiji, however, knew that it was her only because she knew she had been there. Of course, she didn't let Sakura know this.
"Are you sure that's me? Because I don't remember -"
"Don't you dare try and lie to ME, sacrifice girl!" Sakura interrupted. "I know very well that that was you! Why do you think I waited until now to confront you about it? Because I had to be sure!"
"Well, how are you so sure now then?"
"That's not the point!" She quickly grabbed Momiji by the arm and pulled her from her desk. "Now, come on!"
When they were in the hall, Sakura continued her questioning of Momiji. "Now just what the hell is this beast, anyway? It's obviously not an Arigami otherwise the TAC would be all over it by now."
"It's not an Arigami."
"So you DO know what it is then!" Sakura exclaimed. "Tell me!"
"Well…uh…I'm not exactly sure," Momiji stammered for the answer. "I mean, it just sort of attacked us -"
"Us?" Sakura further interrogated.
"Me and a few of my friends -"
"Just who are these 'friends' of yours?'"
"Well…uh…you could meet one of them later. Her name is Serena and she's coming by to meet me after class ends. I think she's coming with her boyfriend, Darien, too."
"I SEE," Sakura replied suspiciously. "Then maybe we'll get to the bottom of this!" Sakura then turned abruptly and marched off leaving Momiji with a confused look upon her face.
Yusuke sat on the roof of the school, thinking over the past week's events. "Everything seems so strange…that little boy…the scar…and now that weird demon from Sunday…what did it mean anyway by saying that it 'knew' me…?"
"Hello, Yusuke!" a voice chimed in and Yusuke sat up with a start. He looked up to see the cheerfully smiling Botan standing before him.
"Jeez, Botan! Don't scare me like that!" he shouted angrily, rising to his feet.
"Sorry about that," she apologized. "But don't you think you should be in class rather than on the roof."
"Hey, at least I'm AT the school," Yusuke reminded her and Botan sighed.
"I guess that is true," she replied solemnly.
"So, what brings you here, anyway. Another Baken-Ai to destroy."
"I'm afraid not," she told him. "We don't know when the next Baken-Ai plans to surface, actually. But I do have some news for you!"
"Which is…?"
"Well, it seems that there's a group of beasts that aren't very pleased that you killed the first Baken-Ai and are trying to kill you in the name of Torazo - the demon, that is, that the Baken-Ai are supposed to rise." Yusuke sighed and sat back down.
"Well, you could have informed me sooner, considering those damn monsters already started attacking us," Yusuke muttered.
"Already?!" Yusuke nodded.
"Two so far. I killed the first one. And the second…"
"What is it, Yusuke?" Yusuke sighed and sat up straight.
"The second one was killed by this other girl…Serena or Sailor Moon or whatever…but that's not really what's bothering me. The thing is that it said it 'knew' me."
"Hmm?" Botan thought about it for a moment. "Well, that is strange. Maybe it was trying to scare you."
"I don't think that was it," Yusuke told her and Botan frowned. After a moment of silence between the two, Yusuke asked, "Anyway, so what else do you have on these Torazo minions?"
"Well, for one thing, they're not taking orders from Torazo or the Baken-Ai. Unfortunately, we're not sure WHO they're taking them from, then."
"That's not very helpful."
"I'm afraid it isn't," Botan agreed. "Second of all, I have some good news. I believe I know where the next attack will be from these strange demons."
"Really?" Yusuke asked. Botan nodded.
"And I'm afraid it's going to be on those two girls - the one's that were there when you killed the first Baken-Ai."
"Again?" Yusuke asked.
"What do you mean, Yusuke?"
"It's just that the damn beasts seem to attack them more so than me," Yusuke explained.
"Well, maybe it wants to go for the weaker targets first," Botan suggested. "Anyway, I believe it will be at that girl's school - Momiji's her name, I believe. It'll take some time in the afternoon."
"Great. Another road trip," Yusuke muttered sarcastically with a sigh. "Can I ask you one more thing, Botan?"
"Sure," Botan said.
"Could you tell me about this?" He pulled the few strands of his hair off his forehead to reveal the thick scar that had been engraved into his flesh.
"Why, that's the symbol of the Baken-Ai!" Botan exclaimed.
"Yeah, I kind of figured that," Yusuke told her.
"I suppose I forgot to tell you," Botan began. "You see, the legend is that if you kill a Baken-Ai, their symbol gets scarred onto your flesh. I'm really not sure why, though. I suppose it's kind of like revenge or something of that nature…but supposedly, it hurts a lot when it first happens."
"I can vouch for that one…but does that mean it's permanent?" Yusuke asked.
"I'm not sure," Botan answered sincerely. "I would hope not."
"Yeah, well, I hope not, too," Yusuke replied bitterly, but Botan smiled.
"Now, don't worry about it, Yusuke. I'm sure everything will be just fine," she assured him. "Anyway, I suggest you head to that Momiji girl's school." She handed him another map. "I marked the spot so you wouldn't get lost. And I'll try to keep you up-to-date on what's going on. It seems that I've been lagging behind in my work."
"And can you find out who's sending these beasts after us, too?" Yusuke asked. "Then we can eliminate the problem from the source." Botan nodded.
"I'll work on it," she said and then hopped on her oar. "I'll get back to you as soon as I can. You just hurry up and help Momiji!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going!" Yusuke said, stretching out his arms and standing up. "Bye, Botan!"
"Bye, Yusuke!" Then she disappeared into the sky.
Momiji smiled as she eagerly awaited for Serena and Darien to show up; Sakura didn't seem all that enthused. The two stood outside the school as it let out, students flocking about and heading to their buses and such. "Serena should be here soon," Momiji told Sakura. "Her school let's out earlier than ours. But she's always a little late, so…"
"Right," Sakura said flatly. Momiji frowned and then continued on looking for Serena and Darien. What a surprise it was when she saw Yusuke approaching.
"Yusuke…?" she wondered aloud to herself. She blinked a few times to see if she was imagining things. But there he was, looking around the schoolyard. Then he spotted Momiji and gave her a wave to come over. Sakura eyed him suspiciously.
"Who's that?"
"No one," Momiji quickly answered. "Just wait right here!" She then ran over to Yusuke. "What are you doing here?!" she questioned as she looked over her shoulder to see Sakura giving them both a look of daggers.
"I got orders," he told her curtly. "Have you sensed anything strange here with that seed of yours?" She shook her head.
"Should I have?"
"Momiji!" Serena's voice then called out to her. Both Yusuke and Momiji turned to see Serena standing a few yards away with Darien. As soon as Serena saw Yusuke there, her mouth dropped. "And Yusuke, too?!" Hastily, she ran up to him, followed by a calmer Darien. "What are you doing here, Yusuke?! You're not actually here to hang out with us or anything, right?!"
"No," he answered flatly. "I'm here because I have orders."
"'Orders?'" Serena pondered. "You mean…another Baken-Ai?" Yusuke shook his head.
"No…another one of those beasts."
"Not again!" Serena whined.
"Yeah, well it doesn't make me too happy either when I have to trek all the way here to save your sorry asses."
"Hey!" Serena exclaimed. "Who saved who's sorry butt last Sunday, hmm?" Yusuke sighed.
"Serena, maybe you should calm down…" Darien suggested, but was ignored.
"You didn't save me; I had my spirit gun aimed ready to kill that thing," he told her. "In fact, you just made things worse."
"And how is that?! I killed the thing, didn't I?!"
"Yeah, before I wanted it dead!" Yusuke exclaimed. Serena now frowned, eyes perplexed and Yusuke sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Look, I don't want to talk about that now…the point is that I'm here to kill whatever plans to come after you and kill you, all right? Supposedly, it's going to come from somewhere here, at this school." He gestured toward the building.
"So can't we just leave and we won't have to worry?" Momiji suggested.
"So it can wait for you to come back tomorrow morning? Or maybe it'll just follow you home," Yusuke cynically remarked and Momiji's face grew nervous.
"HELLO!" an annoyed voice suddenly called out to them. Momiji and the others to see an irritated Sakura still standing a few yards away. "Has everyone forgotten me?!"
"Who's that?" Yusuke questioned.
"That's Sakura," Momiji answered reluctantly. "She wanted to meet you all and find out about the Baken-Ai…I didn't tell her anything really, yet, so…"
"Right…" Yusuke's voice trailed off and he gave them all a look of disgust. He then sighed. "I suppose we're going to have to tell her, too."
"So you're trying to tell me because you -" Sakura pointed directly at Yusuke "- killed one of these three Baken-Ai demons, now there's these other monsters trying to kill you and those two -" she now pointed to Serena and Momiji "- because some guy that you don't really know is mad because you killed one of the three things that can rise this demon called Torazo, who were guessing is this really powerful, really evil demon."
"That's the basic gist of it," Yusuke answered. The five sat outside in the schoolyard underneath one of the big trees.
"And so now we're going to WAIT here for some stupid beast to attack you?" she asked.
"NO," Yusuke corrected in annoyance. "We're going to WAIT here so that we can kill the stupid beast who's going to attack us."
"I'm SO sure," Sakura answered. She scoffed. "Besides what can you three do anyway?" She glanced at Yusuke and said, "You killed the first Baken-Ai, so I guess you must be able to do SOMETHING, although I don't know if this Baken-Ai is really all that powerful….As for you two -" she turned to Momiji and Serena "- well, I definitely know sacrifice girl is totally useless. And the other one looks like a total idiot, if you ask me -"
"Hey!" Serena interrupted, face red with anger. Sakura shrugged.
"Then again, HE doesn't look all that bright either," she remarked with a glance at Yusuke. Yusuke's eyes narrowed furiously.
"Just who do you think you are, anyway?!"
"And what does HE do?" Sakura ignored Yusuke, staring at Darien. Serena grinned wildly.
"He's Tuxedo Mask!"
"What kind of stupid name is 'Tuxedo Mask?'" Sakura asked callously and Darien's face turned slightly pink.
"I always thought it was a fine name…" Darien answered.
"You're just a big jerk!" Serena snapped furiously at Sakura, crossing her arms in a huff. "You don't know anything about my Darien!" Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Right…ANYWAY, so what do you DO as Tuxedo Mask, hmm?"
"Well -"
"He does lots of things!" Serena cut off Darien. "Like, he has this rose -"
"Rose?" Yusuke asked curiously. Serena nodded. "That kind of reminds me of my friend Kurama…"
"Who's that?" Momiji inquired.
"Probably some loser," Sakura muttered and Yusuke scowled at her.
"You know, you're really starting to piss me off!"
"Yeah!" Serena agreed.
"Now, let's not fight guys…" Momiji's voice trailed off nervously.
"Momiji's right," Darien agreed. "We have more important things to worry about, like that demon."
"Yeah - when's it going to attack?" Serena asked.
"Sometime this afternoon," Yusuke answered, calming down slightly. "It should be soon."
"I hope so," Sakura replied. "I don't want to have to stay with you all for TOO long."
"No one said you had to stay here," Yusuke told her grimly.
"That's right!" Serena agreed.
"Well, SOMEONE has to spare your miserable lives," Sakura told them.
"We can fight ourselves, you know!" Serena exclaimed furiously. "We don't need YOUR help!"
"And even if we DID, I think I'd rather die before I got any help from YOU," Yusuke added, just as angry. Sakura rolled her eyes again and rose.
"I'm going to get a drink," she informed them. She then turned and left.
"Yeah, good riddance!" Yusuke called after her.
"I don't like her!" Serena declared.
"Neither do I," Yusuke grumbled.
"Well, at least you two agree on something," Momiji said, trying to be optimistic. "But Sakura's really not all that bad…"
"You don't think ANYONE'S 'that bad,'" Yusuke told her flatly. "You're starting to sound like a broken record." Momiji frowned.
"So how long do you really think we're going to have to wait out here?" Serena then asked.
"I don't know…none of you are obligated to stay here, you know," Yusuke then told them. "In fact, it might be better to leave."
"No way!" Momiji declared. "We can't just leave you!"
"Well, it's not like you do much anyway," Yusuke truthfully replied.
"I do stuff…" Momiji's voice trailed off weakly, however.
"Ah, don't listen to that little punk, Momiji!" a voice then came the tree. They all looked up to see Kusanagi standing on one of the branches, one of his arms leaning against the trunk, with a grin on his face. "After all, if you leave, you'll get to miss all the fun when that demon rips him from limb to limb!" Both Serena and Momiji cringed at this thought. Yusuke, on the other hand, growled furiously and rose to his feet.
"Why don't you come and say that to my face, you stupid ass?!" he questioned indignantly. Kusanagi just snickered and smirked.
"Now why would I do that when I can do a fine job from up here?" he asked. Yusuke's face turned red with even more anger.
"Who's that?" Darien whispered to Serena.
"Oh, that's Kusanagi," she answered simply.
"So THAT'S Kusanagi…"
"Well, unlike YOU at least I can kill the stupid things!" Yusuke argued back.
"Nah," Kusanagi casually replied. "You just got lucky."
"I did not!" Yusuke shouted, infuriated and Kusanagi couldn't help but burst into hysterical laughter. Momiji now stood up.
"Kusanagi! Don't be mean!" she scolded.
"I'm not being mean, Momiji," Kusanagi insisted, his laughter dying down. "I'm simply teasing him, that's all. No big deal. What? The kid can't take a joke?" He began to snicker again and Yusuke let out another furious growl.
"I'm not a kid!" Yusuke protested.
"Of COURSE you're not!" Kusanagi exclaimed and laughed harder.
"You stupid patronizing bastard!"
"Ooh! Big words! I'm scared now!" He now doubled over because he was laughing so hard, hand over his stomach; this seemed to just make Yusuke more enraged.
"I swear to God, as soon as you come down here -"
"Say if I don't come down?" Kusanagi cut him off with a sly smirk, snickering a bit still. "Are you going to come up here and get me?" Yusuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly as Kusanagi began laughing again.
"Will you stop it, Kusanagi?!" Momiji now cried, angry herself.
"What? You can't say the kid doesn't deserve it!" Kusanagi exclaimed.
"I'm not a kid!" Yusuke insisted again and Kusanagi started chuckling again. Momiji let out a frustrated sigh.
"KUSANAGI!" she shouted.
"Hey! You brought your friend with the nice rack again, I see!" Kusanagi now changed the subject, eyeing Serena deviously. Serena's face turned bright red with both anger and embarrassment. Darien, who had remained rather calm throughout all of this, now stood up looking rather irritable himself.
"Hey! Where are your manners?!" he reprimanded.
"So YOU must be that boyfriend she told me about!" Kusanagi assumed with a grin. "I suppose I should apologize, then, for checking out your girlfriend. Although, why you'd want to go out with an immature little girl is beyond me!"
"She's not -"
"I'm just kidding with you!" Kusanagi insisted with a playful chuckle.
"Well…you better be," Darien replied, staring up at him crossly.
"I am! Trust me!"
"Kusanagi, why do you always have to go upsetting everyone?!" Momiji asked in exasperation.
"I guess it's just my nature, Momiji!" Kusanagi told her. "Besides, I'm really just here for the show!"
"'Show?'" Momiji inquired.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten already!" Kusanagi exclaimed, but Momiji was stumped. "You know, the one where the kid gets ripped from limb from limb by that beast that's supposedly coming!" He then gave Yusuke a sneer. Yusuke now reached his breaking point.
"Yeah, we'll see who gets ripped limb from limb," he grumbled furiously as he rolled up his sleeves and marched toward the tree.
"Wait! Yusuke!" Momiji cried, taking hold of his arm. "You're not actually thinking of trying to climb the tree, are you?!"
"If he wants to be a coward, let him hide in that tree; I'll just go up to him, then."
"Oh, this is just priceless!" Kusanagi exclaimed, beginning to laugh obnoxiously again. "The kid's going to actually try and climb the stupid tree! I think I'd rather see him fall flat on his ass and break his skull when he falls than see him get ripped limb from limb by that damn demon!" He sounded like a hyena, hollering with laughter.
"Kusanagi!" Momiji scolded again as she still tried to restrain Yusuke.
"Come on, kid!" Kusanagi further antagonized. "I dare you to try and climb this tree!"
"Yusuke, don't!" Momiji argued. "Kusanagi's just trying to upset you!" Yusuke, however, wrenched his arm from Momiji and then let out a snort before smirking.
"You know what, I think you're right, Momiji," he began slyly, brushing his hand through his hair. "I think Kusanagi's just pissed off about the fact that I killed that bird demon in the park last Saturday and he didn't, that's all. He can't help it if he's jealous." It was now Kusanagi's turn to be infuriated.
"WHAT?!" he exclaimed furiously. "ME?! Jealous of a little kid like YOU?! Ha!"
"Whatever you say, Kusanagi," he replied casually, as he turned from the tree. "A coward like you really isn't worth my time, anyway. After all, it would be unfair for me to fight you when you're so scared of me."
"SCARED?!" Kusanagi questioned indignantly. Narrowing his eyes bitterly, he hopped down from the tree and now stood behind Yusuke. "I'm not scared of pathetic little kids," he told Yusuke callously, holding up a fist. "First of all, I was just playing with you, but if you want to fight, I could care less if I beat your ass into the ground."
"Kusanagi!" Momiji cried, but Kusanagi refused to back down. Yusuke turned back to face Kusanagi with an arrogant grin. He raised his own fists.
"We'll see who beats who's ass into the ground," he said, his own anger rising again. The two then went for each other.
However, they didn't get all that far when Darien stepped in between the two of them, a hand on each of their shoulders to hold them back.
"Now, let's not fight," he told them. "We're supposed to be working together. Now both of you ought to sit down and -"
"I'm not sitting until I've broken this guy's skull," Yusuke interrupted Darien fiercely.
"The same goes here!" Kusanagi agreed, just as enraged.
"Oh, look - a fight," Sakura's voice came to them all sounding vaguely interested. She had returned, drink in hand.
"Don't worry - you're next!" Yusuke shouted to her furiously and Sakura just scoffed.
"You wish!" she called to him.
"You're right, Sakura," Kusanagi stated. "After all, he'd have to survive his fight with me first, and we all know that's not going to happen!"
"There isn't going to be a fight," Darien told them all, trying to remain calm. "Because fighting doesn't solve -"
"Forget about fighting Kusanagi and beat Sakura into the ground!" Serena chimed in, rising to her feet, fists risen herself. Sakura's face dropped in shock, but she didn't get a chance to respond just yet.
"Serena!" Darien exclaimed.
"Well, she made fun of you, didn't she?!"
"I don't think we should be fighting at all and be worrying about the demon…" Momiji said sheepishly.
"What do you know, sacrifice girl?" Sakura questioned, growing annoyed.
"Well, I -"
"And who are you to talk to Momiji like that?!" Serena now shouted, stomping over to Sakura. "She isn't just some sacrifice girl, you know!"
"Don't worry about it, Serena," Momiji insisted, who stood in between both the infuriated Sakura and the enraged Serena. "Really, it's -"
"And who are YOU to say anything about how I talk to Momiji?!" Sakura questioned furiously. "You're just some stupid meatball-head bitch!" Serena gasped in shock.
"Oh, yeah! Well, you're…you're a really big jerk!" she shouted back and Sakura laughed cruelly. Serena grew even more infuriated. "And my hair does NOT look like meatballs!" she screamed. "And only Darien's allowed to call me meatball-head, anyway!"
"Go on, Serena! Beat the crap out of her!" Yusuke cheered her on.
"I-I will!" Serena shouted.
"Oh, yeah?" Sakura asked bitterly. "I'd just love to see you try!"
"Now, please let's not fight…" Momiji tried to convince them, but they were both shooting each other looks of daggers.
"I don't see what you're so happy about," Momiji could now hear Kusanagi saying to Yusuke. "I'm about to beat the shit out of you."
"Is that what you think now?" Yusuke questioned. "Well, I suppose we can all dream, can't we?"
"You seem to be doing that now if you think you're going to beat me," Kusanagi said harshly.
"Now, guys, just calm down…" Darien said, still standing between them and trying desperately to reason with them.
"Come on, kid! I'll take you right now!" Kusanagi declared.
"That's fine by me!" Yusuke shouted back. "I'll even let you throw the first punch; it'll be the only one you'll get, after all!" As the two started to bicker some more while Serena and Sakura continued mouthing off to each other as Momiji attempted to keep them civil, Darien slowly began to lose his patience and his own temper. He shut his eyes tightly and let out a low growl of frustration. Then, opening his eyes, he shouted on the top of his lungs:
"WILL EVERYONE SHUT UP?!" A silence spread across them all as they all looked at the fuming Darien in a baffled and frightened surprise. Breathing hard, he said sternly, "Good. Sit down - all of you. NOW." They all complied almost immediately, all but Darien taking a seat on the grass. "Now, we're all going to sit here in silence until the demon comes, do you all understand?" Everyone nodded sheepishly, grimaces on their faces. "Good." He then took his own seat on the grass and all remained silent.
It was half past seven and still no demon had showed up. The six looked extremely bored and very annoyed sitting there in silence.
"Can we talk yet, Darien?" Serena asked.
"No," Darien answered firmly. She sighed and frowned.
"That's the seventh time she asked that question," Yusuke muttered.
"Eight," Kusanagi corrected.
"No, it was seven," Yusuke argued, his voice.
"No, it was EIGHT," Kusanagi insisted. Darien gave them both a stern look and they were silent. After a moment, Kusanagi whispered, "It was eight - the first was five minutes after Darien told us we couldn't talk. The next time was at four. She then asked at four-thirty and four-thirty-five."
"That's four…" Yusuke counted.
"Then she asked at five o'clock. At five fifteen she asked if she could get something to eat, but that doesn't really count - she did that three more times, actually - once at five-thirty, once at five-forty-five, and once at six."
"I know that," Yusuke whispered back.
"Anyway, after her whole food thing, at six-twenty, she asked if we could talk again. Then at six-forty-five. And then just now."
"Five, six, seven…that's still just seven," Yusuke argued, still whispering.
"No - you're forgetting the one at five o'clock. The food thing's throwing you off."
"But -" Yusuke paused, thought about this for a moment, and then counted it in his head again. Then, after much contemplation, he whispered, "You're right; it is eight." Kusanagi smiled.
"I told you so," he whispered slyly.
"Hmm," Yusuke said pensively as he thought it over again, rubbing his chin in deliberation.
"This is so boring!" Sakura finally exclaimed, falling back on the grass. "When is this stupid demon going to come?!"
"I don't know…" Momiji answered.
"Botan SAID it was supposed to be here this afternoon…" Yusuke added bitterly.
"That's it!" Sakura declared. "I'm leaving!" She rose to her feet. "I don't even know why I decided to stay this long in the first place! It's not like you were paying me or anything, anyway!" She then turned abruptly and began to march away.
"But, Sakura!" Momiji called out to her. She went to get up, but her blue seed then began to glow. "Huh…?" Kusanagi grinned and rose to his feet.
"Looks like it's show time," he said and then gave Yusuke a patronizing glare. "Hey, kid - try not to get yourself killed or anything." Yusuke scoffed.
"Yeah, same to you," he bitterly replied, getting to his feet as well. Sakura now turned around.
"Well, where the hell is it?!" she shouted in aggravation. At that moment, the ground began to shake and from the dirt behind Sakura burst a giant serpent, at least five stories tall, with thick fangs and a hissing tongue. Sakura froze, not daring to turn around, as the other five remained in their spots, a look of fear on all of their faces as they stared up at the massive thing, eyes fixated on it.
"How come that one's so much bigger than the other two…?" Serena asked in a frightened daze. The rest cringed as an answer. Then, the snake creature darted its head down toward Sakura.
"Spirit Gun!" Yusuke shouted and the blast hit the serpent demon straight between the eyes. The demon let out a shrill, ear-piercing hissing noise, throwing it's head back in agony. Then it burrowed itself into the ground again.
"Where'd it go?! Where'd it go?!" Serena cried in a panic as she rose to her feet along with Darien and Momiji.
"Maybe you killed it," Momiji suggested hopefully.
"No, I don't think it's dead…" Yusuke answered. The ground below them started to quake violently again. "It's traveling underneath the surface…"
Momiiji's blue seed lit up brightly again and she suddenly turned to Darien, "Behind you!" Darien turned the moment the snake resurfaced, hissing vindictively and snapping its jaw. Darien fell onto his back.
"Darien!" Serena cried and the beast reared its head toward her.
"You are one of the three who killed the Baken-Ai Shiko," it hissed. "As punishment you must die!"
"Not again…" Serena whined as it shot toward her, fangs bared. She jumped out of the way just in the nick of time, the beast burrowing into the ground again.
"Damn it! It's underground again!" Yusuke said in frustration.
"Well, why didn't your stupid spirit gun kill it?!" Serena questioned now. "It's SUPPOSED to kill it!"
"I don't know!" Yusuke shouted, aggravated. He then turned to Momiji. "Where is it coming next?"
"Uh…I'm not sure…" she answered.
"Well, try to figure it out!" Yusuke snapped and Momiji nodded.
"I told you that stupid sacrifice girl was useless," Sakura muttered.
"Well, you're not doing much of anything either!" Serena shouted back. Then getting to her feet, she declared, "That's it! I'm transforming!" However, before she got the chance, Momiji cried:
"Yusuke! In front of you!" Yusuke held up his finger for his Spirit Gun. The serpent rose a split second late, still hissing violently. He shot again, but this time when the blast hit the beast's head, the beast barely flinched.
"Damn it…" The serpent screeched murderously now as it jolted its head downward toward Yusuke.
It was at this moment that Kusanagi jumped in for the kill, slicing the plant blade on his right arm through the throat of the snake, decapitating the demon. Both Momiji and Serena paled at the sight, as the head dropped to the ground, as did the rest of the body, now both separate pieces. Kusanagi grinned cockily as he stood on the body of the dead demon. He turned this arrogant smirk to Yusuke.
"I guess that's one for one, eh, kid?" he said. Yusuke's eyes narrowed angrily. However, unexpectedly the beast's body began to move. Kusanagi winced in fear as he jumped off the jolting body. All their faces turned to horror as they watched the beast's body raise itself from the ground and then watched two heads emerge from the severed neck.
"That's not what's supposed to happen!" Serena cried in horror.
"Yeah, way to go, Einstein!" Yusuke shouted to Kusanagi as he stared up at the two fiercely snapping jaws of the two-headed serpent beast.
"Well, how was I supposed to know that was going to happen?!" Kusanagi shouted back in defense. The beast, screeching wildly, turned both its heads toward Momiji. Momij gasped. It then began slithering its way toward her at rapid speed.
"Kusanagi…HELP!" Momiji cried.
"Momiji!" Kusanagi shouted and made a jump for her, grabbing her in his arms and then jumping out of harm's way. The beast then buried itself, two heads and all, into the ground.
"I think it would be a good time to transform…" Serena decided warily. "Moon Crystal Power!" She chanted and then transformed into Sailor Moon. Darien also took this opportunity to transform into Tuxedo Mask. Yusuke frowned at the sight of Darien as Tuxedo Mask.
"Well, he SORT of reminded me of Kurama…" he told himself weakly, scratching the back of his head as he stared at Darien decked up in his tuxedo and top hat. "SORT of…"
"Behind you, Serena!" Momiji now cried, her blue seed glowing brightly again. Serena gasped and turned around just as the two-headed serpent rose. She let out a shrill cry as she stumbled backwards onto her back.
"Sailor Moon!" Darien cried and then pulled out a rose that he immediately threw at the beast. It's poisoned stem stabbed the beast in the upper part of one of its throats.
"Yeah, that's KIND of like Kurama…" Yusuke tried to reason, as if trying to convince himself. The serpent demon let out another shriek and reared one of its heads toward Darien, the other still set on Serena.
"That didn't seem to work either!" Momiji cried. "What are we going to do?!"
"I could try my Spirit Gun again…" Yusuke suggested, but it seemed hopeless. It hadn't worked the first two times; why should it work now? He sighed in frustration as he stared up at the hissing heads of the serpent beast. And then, it suddenly dawned him. "All of our attacks have been aimed at the heads…" He glanced at the decapitated head that lay on the ground. "The heads aren't the beast…it's the body…" His eyes then narrowed, locking onto the giant serpent with a determined fury. Then he charged toward it.
"Yusuke!" Momiji cried, Kusanagi still by her side. "What are you doing?!"
"Getting himself killed, most likely," Sakura remarked callously. "Like I said, I'm not actually being PAID for this, so I ought to get going…" She turned and started leaving.
"Sakura!" Momiji called, but Sakura had already made up her mind. She then turned worriedly back to the scene, both Serena and Darien in danger and Yusuke running for the snake. She looked up at Kusanagi. "Do something, Kusanagi!"
"What am I supposed to do?!" he questioned. "If the kid wants to get himself killed…" He trailed off and Momiji bit her lip worriedly and watched as Yusuke charged forward, aiming his Spirit Gun again.
"Hey, stupid!" Yusuke shouted, pointing his finger between the heads of the beast. The two heads turned toward Yusuke murderously.
"Hey, kid!" Kusanagi called, growing a little concerned himself. "Haven't you noticed that your little Spirit Gun isn't working?!"
"Just trust me!" Yusuke shouted. He glared back at the beast then and said, "I'm the ass who killed your precious Baken-Ai! So come and kill ME if you're so pissed off about it!" The heads glanced at each other, a vicious and ravenous glance, and then looked back at Yusuke, almost smiling. Then, both heads darted for him.
"Yusuke!" Momiji called out, Serena gasped, wide-eyed.
"No," she whispered to herself. Yusuke, face fierce and severe, then dropped his finger to the point where both heads joined one another.
"Spirit Gun!" he shouted and a blast of energy came from his finger and shot directly where the heads adjoined, slicing right through the body and cutting the two-headed snake in half. There was a large scream from both beasts as it was ripped in half. Then, the snake skidded to the ground as it split in two and when the dust cleared, there Yusuke stood breathing harsly, finger still aimed, blood splattered across his severe face and tensed body, and standing in between the two halves of the dead serpent demon that now lay in the crimson grass. And the others stared at him, thoroughly stunned and almost horrified. Even Sakura, who stood at the edge of the schoolyard, turned back, fairly impressed as she stared at Yusuke.
"Hmm. Not bad," Sakura commented to herself and then began walking again.
"Wow…" Serena, meanwhile, said after a moment, her voice trailing off as she got to her feet. She walked over to Darien, who looked equally stunned. Momiji stepped closer to Kusanagi, feeling herself grow pale as she stared at the mangled body of the dead serpent. Kusanagi's mouth gaped open, eyes wide and shocked.
Yusuke now lowered his hand, sensing the danger was gone, and his harsh breathing lessened. He laughed a bit awkwardly, and wiped the blood off his forehead with his left arm. "What's everyone staring at me like that for?" There was a long silence as they continued to stare at him.
"You just…wow…" Serena finally broke the silence.
"Oh, that?" he asked, glancing at the two halves of the snake that lay on each side of him. "Well, I just -"
"You killed it," Serena cut in still thoroughly shocked. "A LOT." Yusuke cringed a bit.
"Well…"
"I think I'm going to be sick," Momiji then said, placing a hand to her mouth and pushing away from Kusanagi. She then proceeded to run a few feet beyond the group and then throw up.
"Momiji…?" Kusanagi asked, gazing over at the vomiting Momiji. Yusuke now sighed, annoyed.
"Well, SOMEONE had to kill it!" he declared.
"I think what Serena's trying to say is that…well…did you have to kill it so much?" Darien asked, wincing in disgust at the grotesque sight.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Kusanagi now stepped forward. "The kid did what he had to."
"I know that, but…who's going to clean this whole mess up?" Darien asked, staring at the decapitated head and the two pieces of the dead giant snake. Yusuke shrugged and scratched the back of his head.
"I don't know…" Suddenly, the three pieces of the demon burst into dust, confirming the demons death. He grinned. "Well, hey! What do you know? That solves that problem!" He chuckled awkwardly and Momiji now came back over to them.
"Oh, good. It's gone," she said with a smile. She then looked over at Yusuke. "Wow, Yusuke! You're really powerful!"
"Not really…" Yusuke's voice trailed off as he envisioned Kurama, Hiei, and Genkai in his mind.
"Yes, you are!" Serena agreed, stepping forward. "You just pointed your finger and that giant two-headed snake was split in half!" She imitated his stance as she said this.
"And damn - now you're two up on me," Kusanagi added, rubbing his chin. "I guess I'm really going to have to do something grand next time if I want to ever level the playing field again."
"Yeah, well…" Yusuke arrogantly smiled. "This is all kid's stuff to me really…" Kusanagi snickered.
"Funny - I thought you WERE a kid," Kusanagi commented. Yusuke's face grew annoyed.
"I'm NOT a kid!" Yusuke shouted and spun around to hit Kusanagi, but Kusanagi had already jumped up into the tree, and was casually standing on one of the thick branches. He laughed.
"Well, this has been a fun-filled night," he said almost sarcastically. He then smiled at Momiji. "I'll see you around, Momiji!" Momiji smiled back at him with dreamy eyes.
"Bye, Kusanagi!" she called to him with a wave as he darted into the night. She then said, in a daze, "Isn't he wonderful…?"
"He's a big jerk, if you ask me," Yusuke muttered. He then looked himself over and frowned. "Well, I have to get going so I can, you know, wash the demon blood off of me when I get home."
"Bye, Yusuke!" Serena called to him. She then glanced at Momiji who was still in her daze. "Hey, Momiji - you really like this Kusanagi, don't you?" Momiji's cheeks turned a dark scarlet.
"I - of course not!"
"Yes, you do!" Serena insisted. "And I personally think you'd two make a cute couple! Don't you, Darien?" Darien smiled.
"He does seem fond of you…"
"No - that's not it!" Momiji protested, face turning even brighter in embarrassment. "He HAS to protect me - because of the Arigami - because it's his duty to protect the Kushinada, that's all! It's not because -"
"Don't be silly!" Serena cut in. "You'd just be wonderful together!"
"No - I mean - our relationship is strictly platonic!" Momiji then spun around and rapidly called to Serena and Darien, "Sorry! Have to go! See you two later!" She then ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
Coming Attractions:
Yusuke: So we defeated another one of those damn beasts that keep pissing the hell out of us - big deal. It hasn't answered any of our questions yet.
Serena: Like who's sending these demons after us anyway?!
Yusuke: Yeah, well, next episode may not have any big fights, but we do get to find out the answer to that question!
Momiji: No way! For real?!
Yusuke: Well, not you two, but I do. You're both too busy wasting time.
Serena: We are not wasting time! We're going on a Double Date!
Momiji: What?!
Serena: All four of us get to go out to dinner! Me and Darien and then you and Kusanagi!
Momiji: But I didn't agree to that!
Serena: But I can't help but play matchmaker!
Yusuke: MEANWHILE, I have a run in with the big bad villian-
Momiji: Is he really all that scary?!
Yusuke: Nah - the guy's a pushover!
Serena: That's not what you think when you first meet him!
Yusuke: And what's THAT supposed to mean?!
Momiji: But wait! Who is this mysterious villian, anyway?! And why does he want to rise the demon Torazo?!
Yusuke: Well, he didn't tell me his whole master plan!
Serena: Besides, he can't give everything away yet!
Momiji: But then how do I find out?!
Yusuke: You're just going to have to watch the next episode of "What's My Line Again…?," Episode 6: "Friend of Foe? A New Face Appears!…"
Serena: "…(And a Double Date, too!)" Isn't romance so romantic?!