Flower Petals: Well, hey there everybody!!! I finally got another chapter up (sorry about the delay!) so please read and be sure to let me know what ya think! -
DisturbedVixen: Um, actually, there is a HUGE difference between the uncut and edited version of Yu Yu Hakusho. For one thing, the edited cuts out all the language, the smoking, most of the violence, and just about all the blood. Also, there are many extra deleted scenes in the uncut version, (probably some scenes the Cartoon Network deleted to make room for all the lovely commercials). And the final difference is.....THE UNCUT IS SOOOOO MUCH BETTER!!!! Yeah, um, hope that answered your question! ; Thanks for reviewing!
Anica106: You're thinking of writing a novel version of Yu Yu Hakusho? I think it's a great idea! If you need any help with any of the episodes (I've seen every single one in history!!!) or any of the characters or anything, just let me know! I'd be glad to help! -
Mamono: Hiei's your favorite character???!!! He's mine!! You can't have him!!! Well, I guess you could have his demon half if you really wanted to..... Thanks for the reviews!
Mina: Okay Mina, your yami is sooooo gross! But both of you, thanx for reviewing!
Luna: Please don't explode with anxiousness.........I don't want to lose any reviewers, especially nice ones like you!!!!
Yavie Aelinel: You have a very neat pen name. And thank you for all the wonderful compliments! They're much appreciated. - And yes, about 80% of the dialogue in this fic is in fact, from the anime. I love these episodes so much, I just wanted to put into words all the little subtle things that make this show so lovable. So no, this story isn't original. But I hope you enjoy reading it all the same!
Singing Water: Oooooh, pretty pen name! I wanted to think up something pretty too, but then I started thinking, and thinking, and thinking, and awhile later I forgot what I was thinking about and it was time for dinner, so I went for the first thing that came to me! Which happened to be "flower petals" because there's this plant beside the computer.... Well, enough ranting, sorry! And sorry about the "cliffy". But don't worry, there's another one coming up! Bwahahahahahaha! Erm, and yeah, thanks! ;
Sycogerl64: You think I captured the episodes perfectly? tears up Oh, thank you! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!
Peace Writer: Ya know, I really can't believe how this fight ends too. But it just increases the suspense for the rest of the final matches! Thanks for reviewing!
And thanks to all I forgot (if I forgot anybody....) and to those you read and don't review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Or Hiei, or Kurama, or Hiei, or Yusuke, or the plot, or Hiei, or most of the dialogue, or Hiei! NOOOOOoooooo!
Flower Petals
The Beast Within
Transformation
Blood seeped through the fingers clutching the ghastly wound. Crimson droplets plummeted to the ground, impacting its surface with a sound completely neutralized but the sonorous drum beats of Kurama's heart.
"Perhaps I should explain how my power works," Karasu suggested, meticulously observing his opponent's every painful movement-every wince in anguish with a wicked smile. "It's similar to yours in that we both manipulate things with our energy, but with one distinct difference: You can only control things that already exist like your plants. But I manifest my thoughts into tangible things.
"For example, the object I'm holding in my hand." His manic gaze dropped to his right palm. "Although you can't see it, it is still very real and very deadly."
High above in the stands, Botan gasped in unrestrained horror.
Yusuke, Kuwabara, the aloof demon Hiei, and the Lord of the Spirit World all gazed at the proceedings faces taut, and fists clenched.
"But honestly," Karasu continued, holding out his right arm, palm upward, "I don't think words can do it justice." His eyes gleamed crimson. "It's just one of those things you have to feel for yourself."
Kurama gritted his teeth; it was too late for him now. . .
"After all, they say actions speak louder than words." A potent green energy seethed from his hand. "Make sure you pay very close attention Kurama-I wouldn't want you to miss a single beat."
Long green tendrils erupted from his palm, spiraling about ominously in front of him. Most of its puissant sovereignty was concentrated on the item that was swiftly acquiring visibility in the center of his hand.
Gripping the weapon, the masked demon leapt into the air. "Deleterious Bomb!" he announced in an arrogant calm tone, and swung the ticking time bomb at his opponent.
There was no way he could escape it; no safe direction in which to run, no cleverly latent place to hide. So raising an arm across his front, his last if not entirely futile line of defense, he awaited his inescapable fate.
The bomb struck true, evoking a massive explosion that tore layer after layer of the arena apart, sending the collosal stones hurtling into the audience. Suffocating black smoke
accompanied by intense flames followed forthwith, encompassing the onlookers in their ruinous clutches.
A strident tone pierced through the polluted air as Juri was thrown backwards from the explosion's puissant force.
Truculent wind tore at Yusuke's face and clothing. "Where is he?" he demanded, shielding his eyes from the unabated red brilliance born on the arena.
From the billowing haze, a black shadow emerged, dark tendrils of fabric flowing behind. It cleared the amassed smoke with ease and landed, skidding to a gentle halt with an inhuman elegance.
"What a great explosion!" Koto exclaimed, eyes avidly inhaling the dramatic scene. "Karasu has just pelted Kurama with several sticks of dynamite, but tragically, I'm not able to see the damage."
"He got him," Keiko whispered, watching from high above."
Botan's eyes were filled with tears. She bit her lip. I've already taken one person I love to Spirit World. Please don't make me take another...
"Anyone see?" Yusuke shouted over the deafening vociferation.
But none of they who stood beside him replied. They were all blind to the whereabouts or condition of their teammate.
Karasu watched the great swell of red smoke complacently, his blackest of black hair flowing across his masked face.
But something was not right.
Uttering a note of surprise, he dropped his gaze to see a crimson drop fall into a puddle of blood. His blood.
A vibrant red rose lay pierced through the very centre of his hand, blood swelling around its thorned stem.
"Very amusing," Karasu uttered, contemptibly. His cold eyes surveyed the smoke, their color a menacing gleam, as he lifted a hand to pull out the rose. But the fragile flower died at the touch of his mortal hands.
White vapor seeped through the black, conquering until it was the dominant color in all the mystifying haze. A profound vibration echoed in the deep like some trumpet of doom, resonating off the walls of the arena and silencing every soul.
Koto's vigilant ears twitched and Koenma's great blue cape swayed. Karasu tilted his head, eyes narrow and unforgiving, and Juri tentatively crawled forth on hands and knees.
All witnessed the brewing storm, its voice like a constant thunder, its laughter, the cackle of lightning. In the very midst, Karasu's eyes narrowed into a glare.
A solitary drop of sweat slid down Yusuke's face as he thought the very thought that plagued them all: Where is all this energy coming from?
"I've seen this all before!" Koto exclaimed, her face reading of excitement and anticipation. "This battle is in for a heart-stopping facelift!"
Through the swirling haze, a fox screamed with exultation at the prospect of at last, being at liberty. And in the thickest most recondite portion of the unnatural fog, far from prying eyes, a silhouette emerged. Sharp fingernails formed on long, graceful hands, and cold, piercing yellow eyes shaded slightly by a curtain of silver hair, bore down at the floor. A foot stepped forward.
Suichi is fortunate I could come, the shape thought to itself, as the mist finally began to clear. He wouldn't have survived that blast. Being what he is. Lips curved into a malicious grin.
"Well it's no surprise, I was right!" Koto said, one leg up on her desk, microphone clenched in her hand. "It's the foxy, Yoko Kurama!"
Kuwabara leapt in joy. "Alright! This is going to be sweet."
"You're telling me that's Kurama?" Yusuke said, his voice a mixture of shock and incredulity.
"Basically," Koenma replied. "As you've heard, his full name is Yoko Kurama. But he's known by several other titles too."
"Hn!" said Hiei, and his mouth twisted into an unnerving grin.
In the stands, George the blue ogre cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted joyfully, "You go King of Thieves! You're my man!"
"The spirit fox is back again!" the audience cried in mingled reverence and fearful dread.
But Yoko ignored them all.
"Creating a bomb from nothing takes talent," he spoke in his resonate, calm tone. He wiped the blood trailing from his lower lip with a thumb. "That caliber of power is a sign you belong to a superior class of demons. A class I consider to be fairly worthy."
His piercing gaze at last met Karasu's. "Worthy to fight, and worthy to die."
"You flatter me," Karasu said, and as he spoke, he rose both hands before him, palms facing one another, fingers spread far apart. Fragments of green energy struggled between his hands, as an untamed bird may in a small cage. Splitting down the center, the vibrant green formed into two orbs, then evolved into two horribly mutated grey heads with crooked eyes and an impossibly wide smile consisting of pointed yellow teeth.
"But we're still not equals."
Yoko smirked. "Rest assured Karasu, I wholly agree." His vision narrowed. "Now I see, you create monsters that act as invisible bombs."
Saying nothing, Karasu lifted an arm and pointed a solemn finger at Yoko, immediately sending the bombs spiraling ungracefully towards his opponent.
With the air of someone suffering from ennui, the fox demon calmly reached into his hair, drawing out two vividly colored roses. His eyes radiated with mischief. Before the deformed weapons could complete their final task, Yoko positioned the roses and sent them piercing through his prey, halting the bombs in their inelegant flight towards devastation.
They ignited before him in swirling puffs of black smoke.
"How very clever. That's why I had such difficulty fighting you while I was trapped inside. Lucky for me I found a way to break free from Suichi Minamono just long enough to finish you."
Karasu's eyes widened. "That's fascinating."
"Hn!" Yoko grunted. "But nothing more than a loser's excuse."
"You weren't able to beat me then, and you won't be able now."
Yoko was silent, but his eyes conveyed an unperturbed confidence.
Eyes hidden in shadow, Karasu added in a dark whisper, "But you're welcome to try."
Dozens of small green masses accumulated quickly around him. Bat-like wings erupted from each, and innumerable slitted yellow eyes gleamed ominously at Yoko.
Once again Karasu aimed a steady finger at Yoko as if an arbiter condemning the culpable accused or an authoritive figure placing a stigma on the ignanimous. And once again, his insidious creatures bore forth, venomous eyes seeing only the destruction ahead.
Destruction came, but not for Yoko; he leapt out of the way, long silver hair flowing behind him like a cape caught in an inexorable breeze. Many of the flying tokens exploded. But there were of course, many more. They chased the clever fox demon, their sole, terrific purpose driving them endlessly.
Karasu uttered a nefarious laugh. "When you come from the Quest Class of demons, you find that you can create all sorts of interesting things. These little jewels are what I like to call Trace-Eyes. Once these bombs set their sights on you, they will follow you forever."
Whirling, ducking, spinning, and flipping, Yoko moved in the deadly dance, merely avoiding the bombs with every graceful turn.
"Ever heard of Ojigi?" he queried, never stopping, never ceasing his rhythmic flowing motions. "It's a rare plant only found on Earth's South America. The Ojigi is extremely sensitive to movement, and when it senses any kind of vibration, it will quickly close its leaves around its prey."
A frown creased Karasu's brow. "I have no interest in gardening."
The count of the flying contraptions was now legion. And far more than Yoko could ever account for. He dropped to the ground safely, his long hair spilling over his broad shoulders, and cast a quick glance around.
The Trace-Eyes circled him, wings beating fervently, eyes gleaming manically.
"My, my, it looks like you're surrounded," Karasu said. "What's a boy to do?"
Yoko gave a slow smile. "I thought you'd know better than to corner an animal like a fox, Karasu. We have a tendency to show our teeth."
Intense blue light flared, spiraling upwards in violently whirling columns. From several of the tornados appendages branched out, severing the bombs and igniting them all in one immense explosion.
As the smoke began to dissipate, a collosal plant could be witnessed. A dozen or so swaying stems each as wide as a man, stretched nearly to the ceiling of the dome, each bearing an immense bud.
"An Ojigi plant is quite dangerous regularly," continued Yoko. "And it is several times more lethal and more sensitive when grown under a demon's energy." His piercing yellow gaze fell upon Juri was sat uneasily on her rump nearby, "You! Unless you want to be plant food, don't move."
"'Kay!" Juri said, and hurriedly ceased all movement as one of the branches of the great plant journeyed by.
Karasu stood, a silent figure clad in eternal black, watching the shimmering white clothed Yoko and the horrific plant behind him.
The tension in the atmosphere increased.
"It looks like it's zeroed in on you," Yoko commented. "I guess all your shivering must've caught its attention."
A line creased the buds, and gradually split into multiple monstrous gaping mouths bordered by thorned lips. Five leaves larger than the largest apparition in the stadium adorned the blossomed bud, and deadly thorns creeped ever downward along the thick stem.
It located Karasu and attacked.
Koto blinked. "Um, okay. The table's 180-ed people, and now Karasu's running around like a cockroach in a tap dancing convention!"
His eyes portraying a dark amusement, Yoko's lip curled into a grin. "How does it feel to be the one pursued?" he asked silkily.
Karasu watched the fox demon as he ran, a terrible aversion manifest in his gaze. The uncountable branches struck at him time and time again, each assault becoming increasingly brutal, and he avoided them all by mere inches every time. But now the very ground in front of him shook and crumbled apart as more branches erupted from the earth.
This time it was he who was trapped with no where to run and no place to hide.
Koenma folded his arms. "Oh yeah, this one's in the bag."
"Who cares if he's apart of the whatever-you-call-it-class!" Kuwabara said. "Yoko'll still kick his butt!"
"It's called the Quest Class," Hiei explained, voice reeking of the typical sarcasm. "I bet you don't remember your own name half the time."
Kuwabara glared. "Get off me!" But even the prospect of another verbal brawl in which he could insult the short fire demon mercilessly, couldn't deter his excitement from the match.
"Anyway, that super fox demon Kurama's gonna beat that idiot, I just know!"
In words as light as a feather, incapable of being heard by anyone who might so judge them, Hiei whispered, "I hope so. . ."
But all sound was drowned out by the sudden united roar of the audience at what happened next on the arena floor. . .
Flower Petals: Thanx for reading! And I'm sorry about the violence (oops, forgot to warn ya all earlier....). But hey, anybody who watches Yu Yu Hakusho can withstand a little bit of violence!
Well, that's all for now, but I'll be updating as soon as the lot of you review! So please review! Flames, criticism, and all different points of view are respected and accepted.
So review!
Plz!
P.S. I can't believe they're showing these episodes now! Just my luck....
P.S.S. Are you allowed to have a "P.S." in an authoress note???
P.S.S.S. Guess I'll find out......