As sure as Shizuru and Keiko were safe inside the temple, Toushin
Yusuke saw Ani approach the base of the stairs. Along with him were five
demons. "He's arrived," grumbled Toushin, bracing himself at the edge of
the courtyard. Entering the courtyard before the main temple were a black
one-eyed wolf, a red-haired fox demon, a female snake demon, a dragon
demon, a tiger demon, and Ani himself. The red fox seemed almost identical
in appearance as Yoko Kurama, he too had a pointy face, black fox ears that
were raised to the top of his head, his hair flowed down his back, his four
tails were fluffed out all the way to the back of his knees. Even his
height was the same as Yoko's, about seven feet tall. The only thing that
was different about him was the color of his hair; instead of it being
silver like Yoko's it was very brilliant red. He was the first opponent
Yoko seemed to recognize right a way.
"A...Ashanti!" announced Yoko in a surprised, yet stern voice. "Kurama, long time, brother." Yusuke became puzzled by the red fox's response. Looking at Yoko he asked, "You know this guy? He just called you..." "Brother, I know," sighed Yoko, "and that is no lie either." "But in all the years I have known you, you never once told me about any brothers or sisters in your family." "Not as Shuuichii Minamino, I have no pure siblings, just my one step brother. However as Yoko Kurama, I do have a brother. A twin brother named Yoko Ashanti. Remember me telling you about when I was being hunted twenty five years ago, that I was spotted by bounty hunters while on a raid?" "I remember you saying you escaped into the body of an unborn human fetus inside your human mother, Shiori." "I did, but I wasn't the only one on that raid, Ashanti was working with me. I didn't tell you about him because I assumed the hunters had killed him." "Kurama I assumed the same about you. You disappeared on me at that moment. I had no idea where you had gone. Your spirit seemed to suddenly vanish. I was searching everywhere for you. I had no idea you had taken on a human appearance. Our parents did say you were the more clever of the two of us."
As the conversation continued between the two brothers, Mukuro leered at the snake demon. "I believe I know you. Yes, if it isn't Cobra," sneered Mukuro, with growing resentment residing in her voice, "You are the reason I have this mask on my face." "Well," hissed Cobra, flicking her tongue between her fangs, "so you didn't take to your treatment I see. Maybe I can make your left side match your right." "Thanks to you, my family abandoned me. I lived on my own from then on, until I was made slave. I heard it was you who directed my captors to me. I knew someday I would seek my revenge on you. Thank of this as a payback."
Yomi stared the wolf demon in the face. "What's the matter, blind man?" taunted the wolf. "It was you who chased after Shura last year. He is having trouble focusing because of you. Not only that, you seem to be the one who is always seeking vengeance on my friends. I have a friend, or should I say, had a friend. Shomoto was my son's teacher and my friend before you murdered him and devoured his insides." "You know, Goat boy, I was hungry that day, I needed a snack." Yomi spat on the ground in front of the wolf in disgust. "Dakota, how much more snacks do you need? Do you have a grudge against my son, or are you just out to get more blood to feed your bulging gut?" "I heard you were keeping humans around here. After I get done with you, I will need to eat."
"Well, human, I see you were the one who killed Biakko. How did such a puny creature such as you take him on like that?" "I didn't kill Biakko," snarled Kuwabara, defending himself. "No, don't get so defensive, I didn't care for him," reassured the orange and black, striped tiger, "I am glad someone had the guts to kill my brother. He was a threat to the family, threatened to kill my cubs, my wife, and her parents. He killed our parents and devoured them, and then threatened to eat me. That is the reason he was banished to Maze's Castle to begin with." "So does this mean there won't be a fight?" inquired Kuwabara. "Oh there will be a fight, don't want to disappoint you. I wanted to see how it was done, see if I couldn't defeat you." "Well bring it on uh...what is your name?" "Oh sorry, human, the name is Tigrus." "Tigrus, the name's Kuwabara." "Glad to know whom I will be killing."
The fire demon sized up the dragon. A glare of hatred burned in all three of his eyes. "You seem to be the one annoying me the most." "How so, Hiei? What is it about me that frightens you?" "I didn't say frightening, I said annoying. Draco, I know you have been looking at my sister as of late." "You know as one who knows the fire well, you should know ice quenches the flame. I should know, some of those ice apparitions taste pretty good." "I knew it; it was you eating my kin. Yukina warned me about you, my mother did too." "What, you don't seem to care about them. They kicked you out of Ice World. You should at least thank me for helping you seek revenge on them."
"A...Ashanti!" announced Yoko in a surprised, yet stern voice. "Kurama, long time, brother." Yusuke became puzzled by the red fox's response. Looking at Yoko he asked, "You know this guy? He just called you..." "Brother, I know," sighed Yoko, "and that is no lie either." "But in all the years I have known you, you never once told me about any brothers or sisters in your family." "Not as Shuuichii Minamino, I have no pure siblings, just my one step brother. However as Yoko Kurama, I do have a brother. A twin brother named Yoko Ashanti. Remember me telling you about when I was being hunted twenty five years ago, that I was spotted by bounty hunters while on a raid?" "I remember you saying you escaped into the body of an unborn human fetus inside your human mother, Shiori." "I did, but I wasn't the only one on that raid, Ashanti was working with me. I didn't tell you about him because I assumed the hunters had killed him." "Kurama I assumed the same about you. You disappeared on me at that moment. I had no idea where you had gone. Your spirit seemed to suddenly vanish. I was searching everywhere for you. I had no idea you had taken on a human appearance. Our parents did say you were the more clever of the two of us."
As the conversation continued between the two brothers, Mukuro leered at the snake demon. "I believe I know you. Yes, if it isn't Cobra," sneered Mukuro, with growing resentment residing in her voice, "You are the reason I have this mask on my face." "Well," hissed Cobra, flicking her tongue between her fangs, "so you didn't take to your treatment I see. Maybe I can make your left side match your right." "Thanks to you, my family abandoned me. I lived on my own from then on, until I was made slave. I heard it was you who directed my captors to me. I knew someday I would seek my revenge on you. Thank of this as a payback."
Yomi stared the wolf demon in the face. "What's the matter, blind man?" taunted the wolf. "It was you who chased after Shura last year. He is having trouble focusing because of you. Not only that, you seem to be the one who is always seeking vengeance on my friends. I have a friend, or should I say, had a friend. Shomoto was my son's teacher and my friend before you murdered him and devoured his insides." "You know, Goat boy, I was hungry that day, I needed a snack." Yomi spat on the ground in front of the wolf in disgust. "Dakota, how much more snacks do you need? Do you have a grudge against my son, or are you just out to get more blood to feed your bulging gut?" "I heard you were keeping humans around here. After I get done with you, I will need to eat."
"Well, human, I see you were the one who killed Biakko. How did such a puny creature such as you take him on like that?" "I didn't kill Biakko," snarled Kuwabara, defending himself. "No, don't get so defensive, I didn't care for him," reassured the orange and black, striped tiger, "I am glad someone had the guts to kill my brother. He was a threat to the family, threatened to kill my cubs, my wife, and her parents. He killed our parents and devoured them, and then threatened to eat me. That is the reason he was banished to Maze's Castle to begin with." "So does this mean there won't be a fight?" inquired Kuwabara. "Oh there will be a fight, don't want to disappoint you. I wanted to see how it was done, see if I couldn't defeat you." "Well bring it on uh...what is your name?" "Oh sorry, human, the name is Tigrus." "Tigrus, the name's Kuwabara." "Glad to know whom I will be killing."
The fire demon sized up the dragon. A glare of hatred burned in all three of his eyes. "You seem to be the one annoying me the most." "How so, Hiei? What is it about me that frightens you?" "I didn't say frightening, I said annoying. Draco, I know you have been looking at my sister as of late." "You know as one who knows the fire well, you should know ice quenches the flame. I should know, some of those ice apparitions taste pretty good." "I knew it; it was you eating my kin. Yukina warned me about you, my mother did too." "What, you don't seem to care about them. They kicked you out of Ice World. You should at least thank me for helping you seek revenge on them."
