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Disclaimer: We don't own Kitsune, Inuyasha, Yamiko, or Inumiko.
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Chapter Five: Acts of Sisterly Love
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Outside the Stadium
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Hiei frowned. Sighing in frustration, he opened his eyes, his Jagan closing on his forehead.
"So?" Kuwabara prompted, "What's up?"
"I can't reach the kitsune," Hiei said, in response.
"WHAT?" "What do you mean?"
"It's like his mind is gone--all that remains is a big empty space."
"GAH!"
"What about Niyali?" Kozu and Arashi asked simultaneously.
"What about her?" Arashi frowned.
"How can you be so indifferent?" He just looked at her.
"FINE!" Kozu spat, "Arashi and I're going to watch the fight on the big screen on the side of the stadium. Come get us when you've come up with a way to get us in!" She grabbed Arashi and dragged her off into the crowd. Because they were small, the two of them were able to weave their way through the crowd with ease, finally appearing right at the front of the screen. They were so close now, they could not only hear the voices from the screen but they could also hear them from inside.
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Inside the Stadium
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"Kurama, please! Snap out of it!" Niyali's pleas had no effect on the kitsune. Unblinking, emotionless green eyes bored into her as he advanced, whip in hand. Han and Hin watched from the edge of the ring with amusement.
"Service of the Willing is a wonderful technique," Han said, proudly, "Now that Kurama is under my control, I can make him do anything."
"Mm."
"Did you use Duty of the Sisterhood?"
"Yes. Niyali can now do nothing to harm me. I could probably make her do some things as well." Niyali's ears pricked up.
:What? They must be...some sort of...mind-controlling creatures!:
"So why don't you?" Han asked Hin.
"Because this is so much more interesting."
"Indeed, sister, indeed." Han turned back to watching, but Hin was not so sure. Earlier, when Kurama had punched Niyali in the face, Hin had felt a small, unpleasant tingle in more or less the same place--but maybe that was something else.
Either that, or Duty of the Sisterhood had done more than she'd intended.
~O.O~
She was still bleeding from Hin's arrow. Her left eye was swelling shut, she could barely see out of it.
And Kurama was really trying to kill her.
Yanking a twig out of her hair, it only took a small tweak of energy to turn it into a long and stout stick. With this, she was able to deflect most of his attacks. The rest she dodged.
Except for one. The whip slashed across her left arm, wrapping around to form a coiling series of deep cuts.
Faye flinched. Han smiled. Hin stared. Arashi and Kozu clutched each other, staring at the screen, eyes wide. Niyali bit her lip, drawing blood, and seized Kurama's whip with both hands, ignoring the thorns that were pricking into her arm and now into her hands, and jerked. The whip flew out of Kurama's hand and backlashed against Niyali, snagging against the loose clothing and catching. Kurama himself was jerked to the ground.
"What an amazing turnaround!" Faye exclaimed, "Niyali's somehow managed to turn the tables on Kurama; now she's got his weapon! But he's getting back up, what will his next move be?"
"There won't BE a next move," Niyali said, frowning.
"Oh, so now Niyali's planning to attack her own partner! Keep watching, people, I've got a feeling we're about to see what kind of punch the little girl packs!" Niyali bent down to pick up her stick that had fallen to the ground. As she did so, the whip around her arm coiled more, the thorns biting deeper and embedding in her flesh. Niyali gave a scream of pain before there was a flash of green light that blinded the viewers, the announcer, the opponents. Even those sitting outside saw the flash. When it ended, there was Niyali, standing up, the stick in her hand.
But the stick was different. Instead of being long, it was shorter. Still sturdy, but spaced evenly through it were holes. And as the confused viewers watched, Niyali lifted it to her lips and blew.
The note that emerged was sweet, pure, a note filled with a power that called all those who heard it to listen. It was followed by several more of its kind, various tones and pitches. The notes lingered in the air around them before taking effect.
Kurama froze. He did not twitch, he did not move. It was as if he'd been turned to stone.
Niyali put the flute down, and looked over at him.
"I'm sorry," she murmued, "I didn't want to do that."
"What?" Han stared, "NO! That can't be!"
"Face it, Han, she's found a way around your mind control," Hin told him.
"But he's standing up! Technically he can't be counted out if he's standing!"
"That's life." Han glanced over at Hin. His eyes grew slightly wide.
"Hin--your arm--" Hin glanced down at her arm and her eyes widened as well. For twirling up her arm was a thin, coiling cut. Almost exactly like Niyali's.
Oh dear.
Niyali turned to them at that moment and saw what had happened. An idea clicked in her mind.
:Hin,: she said, daring to hope, :As an act of sisterly love, please punch your brother in the face.:
"OW! Hin, what was that for?"
"I don't know! I didn't do anything!"
:Hin, please do it again.:
"OW!"
"I'm sorry! I don't know what come over me! I--" Hin turned to Niyali. "-you-"
"Duty of the Sisterhood works both ways," Niyali spat, "You get hurt, I get hurt. I get hurt you get hurt. So, if I tell you to punch your brother, you've got no choice but to do it. Punch him!"
"OW!"
"Punch him again!"
"OW!"
"Now if one of you doesn't go and tell Faye that this is a draw, I'll make Hin do it again." Han glared at the little girl before going over to do so. A minute later, Faye's disappointed voice announced the battle to be a draw. Han came angrily back.
"Now release Kurama from whatever it is you did to him."
"I can't."
"Punch him."
"OW! No, listen! The only way he can be freed is if he does it himself or he's knocked unconscious!" Niyali shrugged.
"Ok then, Hin, knock 'im unconscious. GENTLY. And when you're done with that, you can do the same to your brother." Hin had no choice but to do so. Niyali blew a note on her flute, releasing the spell upon Kurama, and dragged him out of the ring. Hin, glaring, did the same thing with Han.
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Outside
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Arashi and Kozu breathed a collective sigh when they saw the fight was over.
"I knew Niyali would pull through," Kozu said, proudly.
"YEAH!" Arashi agreed, "Let's go see if they've figured out a plan yet!" The two of them left the screen and headed back over to the boys. They seemed to be in an argument.
"Come ON, Hiei, at least try!" Yusuke was saying.
"Hn."
"There's no other way for us to get in!" Kuwabara protested.
"Hn."
"If you don't," Arashi said, having no idea what the conversation was about, "I'LL HUGGLE YOU!"
"Hn. You do that anyway."
"If you do, I'll do it less."
"Fine. Do you even know what we're talking about?"
"NO! But I trust your judgement." She glanced at Yusuke and Kuwabara. "Relatively." Hiei opened his Jagan once again, this time to make contact with Niyali. He did NOT want to do this, but they really had no choice.
:Spirit.:
:You guys are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay late! The first battle's already over! What kept you, couldn't find your katana?:
:Hn. For your information, we have been here through most of the battle. The stupid guard won't let us in.:
:Oooooooooooh, so why don't you just chop 'im up into itty-bitty pieces with your wonderful katana?:
:What I do is none of your business. Just get out here and get us in.:
:Do I hear a please with that?:
:No.:
:Then I guess you'll just have to stay out there...Kurama and I can handle it all by ourselves.:
:I can tell when you're lying.:
:Good for you, I can tell when you're being stupid. That's always.:
:I think you'd know by now that that is Kuwabaka's trait, not mine.:
:Ah.:
:So will you come get us in?:
:Not if you don't say pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease.: She sang. His frown deepened.
:I don't use that word.:
:Then no entry for you and the others.: His eyes narrowed. :Please.:
:Please whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?:
:Please come let us in.:
:What'd you say? I can't heeeeeeeeeeeear yooooooooooooooooooooooooouuuuu...:
"JUST PLEASE COME GET US ALREADY, DAMMIT!" Everybody turned to him, eyes wide with surprise.
"Hiei, profanity!" Arashi promptly whapped him on the head. He ignored her.
:That's better,: said Niyali's smug voice in his head. Hiei closed his Jagan and glared at everybody.
"I am never doing that again."
"You don't have to," Yusuke said, "Honestly, hearing you say 'please'..." He shut up when Hiei glared at him.
"So?" Kozu prompted, "What'd she say?"
"She's coming."
"WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" She and Arashi raced over to the guard, and began jumping up and down, trying to get a sight of Niyali.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"We're waiting for Niyali!" Arashi shrieked, "She's going to come get us in!"
"Haha, tell me something," he said, to her, "How much sugar have you had today?"
"Not enough!" Arashi replied, happily, still bouncing up and down.
"Why?" Yusuke asked. He shrugged.
"It's about TIME the five of you showed up," said a tired voice, "What, were you just taking your peaceful time while we were dying?" There was Niyali, a tired but teasing smile on her face, blood dripping from her shoulder, pouring from her arm. Arashi and Kozu let out wild shrieks, vaulted over the barrier and the guard and over to her.
"WHEEEEEE! HINIAYLI!" Arashi said, hyperly.
"We saw you on the BIG screen!" Kozu said, stretching her arms out for emphasis.
"Aw, I wanted to see myself on the big screen..."
"We put a tape in back at the hotel, so we can watch the WHOLE BATTLE again when we get back!" Arashi exclaimed.
"YAY!"
"What happened to YOU?" Kuwabara asked, his mouth dropping open.
"I was in a fight, duh."
"Is that Kurama's whip?" Yusuke asked, staring at the whip coiled around her arm.
"Maybe, maybe not! Are you just going to stand there or are you going to come? I didn't drag myself all the way out here for nothing."
"Hold it," the guard said, "They can't just go with you." Niyali turned to him.
"Why not?" She pouted and put on her "pathetic" look, "I'm just a poor, tired little girl who nearly got killed by her own partner a moment ago. And they are the rest of my team. And you're not going to let them come in because why?"
"...they weren't here at the beginning..."
"Are you going to argue with a bleeding girl? Because in case you haven't noticed I'm bleeding right now and I am not in a good mood. Sugar would fix that," she added, hopefully.
"Sorry," Arashi said, "I ate my last piece."
"Awwwwww..."
"Team Urameeeeshiiii, we need your next fiiighter!" Faye half-sang, her voice coming over the intercom, "Because in case you've forgotten, the match was a draw, meaning you've got to pick someone for a one-on-one maaatch..."
"Hey," the guard said, realization on his face, "You're the girl that was on TV a minute ago!"
"Uh," Niyali looked confused, "Sure, I can go with that."
"Oh, well, in that case, I can't argue with someone who was on TV. Go ahead in," he told the rest of the team. They did so.
"What do you mean, you almost got killed by your teammate?" Kuwabara asked Niyali.
"Weren't you watching?" she asked, incredulously.
"We were!" Kozu piped, "Me'n'Arashi. The boys were tryin' to think up a plan."
"Oh. I see you came up with one."
"Hn."
"Thanks to HIEI!" Arashi added, giving Hiei a quick huggle, "He's so wonderful..." Hiei glowered at her.
"Shut up."
"Ok."
***
Stadium: Team Rose
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"I can't believe that little child outwitted two of our best fighters!" Aries said, in disbelief, "Not to mention her own team mate!"
"Relax," Yamiko said, placing a hand on Aries' shoulder, "We still have a chance to win."
"I know that, but this is about our reputation as a team! We can't let them win!" Yamiko frowned. Over-reaction was not like their captain. Obviously this was important to her.
Not that she blamed her. Yamiko, Yamiko Honounoko being her full name, had her own reasons for coming to this tournament. Her green-blue eyes, both colors being in each, blurred together as she became lost in thought, thoughts and memories.
"Well?"
"What? Well what, Inumiko?" Yamiko was jolted out of her train of thought and turned to the team's sixth member, Inumiko Aiko Tsuchikin. A Dog Demon Miko, Inumiko was truly a stunning being to look at. She wore black slacks that came down past her waist and flared at the bottom over her black leather combat boots. Her black trench coat hung almost touching the ground. Her silver hair, bound back in a ponytail with a black leather band, fell past her waist, and her fuchsia eyes, specked with gold, were staring past them to the ring.
"You know," she said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her left ear, carefully avoiding the four gold hoop earrings that were there (she had three in her right), "Who's going to fight next? You know that since we didn't win the draw, we have to fight one-on-one." There was a silence.
"What about Kitsune?" Sapphire suggested.
"If we can tear her away from her boyfriend," Aries said. They all turned to look at Kitsune. The half demon's long, silver gold and light pink hair cascaded down her back, her light pink dog ears tilted back as she looked up into the first row of seats, making smalltalk with her 'boyfriend.' Her boyfriend was a hanyou, with long white hair, fangs, gold eyes, and doggie ears. You might know him as Inuyasha. What is Inuyasha doing in Makai, you may ask? Well, you can ask, but you probably won't get an answer because we have no idea! Back to the story.
"Kitsune!" Yamiko called, "Get over here!" Kistune turned her golden eyes to her.
"Why?" she called back, "I'm talking here!"
"It's your turn!"
"Oh, yay! Fun! Cheer for me, Inuyasha!"
"Feh." Inuyasha replied, "I'll just watch."
Sapphire looked traumatized. "Inuyasha as a cheerleader...ew ew ew..." Kitsune's ear twitched.
"Don't make fun of my boyfriend," Kitsune told her, before taking a running leap and landing in the ring, her beautiful kimono setting back around her body.
"Fighting for Team Rose is Kitsune!" Faye exclaimed, "Now we'd better hope the rest of Team Urameshi gets here soon because since the match was a draw, Kurama and Niyali aren't able to fight anymore!" There was a pause.
"Team Urameeeeshiiii, we need your next fiiighter!" Faye half-sang, "Because in case you've forgotten, the match was a draw, meaning you've got to pick someone for a one-on-one maaatch..."
"I bet they don't even show," Aries muttered, her sarcastic mood returning.
"Hey, where's the little kid who beat the twins?" Yamiko noticed.
"TEAM URAMESHI! THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GET ONE OF YOUR MEMBERS INTO THE RING BEFORE I DISQUALIFY YOU!!" A small gust of wind blew across the stadium, and a blur shot out from Team Urameshi's side of the stadium, stopping in the ring.
"HI! I'm Arashi, and I'll be taking this fight! The rest of my team's on their way, but they're a little...delayed, so I'm going to fight! So, when do we start?"
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Still wish Arashi was here...the authors notes are SO BORING without her. IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, FF.NET!!