No blurb today. Go read.

Disclaimer: Still own nothing. This time we don't own...a bunch of stuff!

Chapter Nine: Problems NOT Solved


***

The Death Isle Hotel was a place of mingling. Humans, half-humans, and demons were forced to spend time with each other as they ate dinner at the buffet, swam in the pool, soaked in the baths. It was almost as if the Tournament encouraged them to mingle.

Up in the room of Team Urameshi, panicking was happening more then mingling.

"Where the heck could they be?!?" Yusuke asked, pacing the room. The boys had found Arashi and returned with her to the hotel room, where she had been introduced to Botan, Yukina, Keiko, and Shizuru. The normally-hyper girl seemed subdued, and it looked as if she had been crying. Botan, of course, had immediately begun trying to cheer her up; making faces and weird noises, telling jokes and funny stories. Arashi stared at her, blinking once or twice until Botan told her about something Hiei had ocne done. The girl then burst out laughing and couldn't stop, even when Hiei glared at her. She laughed so hard she choked, and they had to get her a drink of water. Arashi gulped it down and smiled.

"You're so funny, Hiei!" she exclaimed before giving him a huggle. The girls erupted into a chorus of 'awwwwwwwww' and quickly stopped once Hiei glared at them.

"This is not good!" Yusuke exclaimed, still pacing, "We've been to the meeting, how can we all fight if two of our members are missing?"

"Missing?" Arashi asked, "Where'd they go?"

"We think they went after you," Kurama explained, "Once they discovered you were gone, they had to go and try to find you."

"They were heading in the wrong direction," Hiei growled, trying to push Arashi off of him.

"And then they just disappeared," Kuwabara added, "I couldn't even sense their Spirit Energy."

"That doesn't sound good," Botan said, "Has Hiei tried his Jagan?"

"Searched the whole island," Hiei muttered, "Nothing there."

"How do two girls just disappear?" Keiko mused, "They're not strong enough to teleport, are they?"

"They can't teleport," Arashi said, "The most Kozu can do is fly, and Niyali can't do that unless she's in another form."

"You must know a lot about them," Yukina said, "Have you been friends long?" Arashi thought.

"I've been friends with Kozu for years and years, and Niyali even longer. I first met her soon after my parents died---" Her eyes grew wide and she shut up abruptly.

"Your parents died?" Botan asked. Arashi's eyes welled up with tears and she nodded once before beginning to cry, burying her face in Hiei's cloak.

"Get OFF me!" Hiei told her, once again, but she continued to hold on, crying and soaking his cloak with tears. He gave her a push and she let go, falling on her rear on the floor, still crying.

"Poor thing," Botan said, and gathered Arashi into her arms, "It's all right, Arashi..."

"No it's not," Arashi moaned, "They're dead and there was nothing I could do about it!" Botan soothingly rubbed the little girl's back until Arashi's sobs grew quieter and finally faded all together.

"Here," Keiko said, digging in her pocket and producing her handkercheif, "Wipe your eyes."

"Thanks." Arashi took it and did so before handing the handkercheif back to Keiko.

"How did--" Kuwabara started. Yusuke stepped on his foot. "OW! Urameshi--"

"Later," Yusuke hissed.

"Oh," Kuwabara muttered, and there was silence in the room for a while.

"Well," Yusuke said, after a while, "We might as well go to bed. If the girls haven't shown up yet, maybe they'll show up in the night. We're not going to find them in the dark, anyway." He got up and headed into the boys room, shutting the door behind him. After a moment, Kuwabara followed. Botan, Keiko, Shizuru, and Yukina left for their own hotel room, and the three remaining went into their own respective rooms. After the noises of people preparing for bed stopped, it grew quiet again, and each was left alone in the dark with their own thoughts for a while until at last, they fell asleep.

***

It was so dark...but she didn't dare to light a flame...blackness was everywhere, above, around and below her. She could feel the solidity of the dirt below her, but the fact that she couldn't see it didn't help. It was so quiet underground...you couldn't hear the wildlife or the sounds of busy people doing...stuff around you in the hotel. Kozu couldn't stand it anymore. She broke the silence.

"Hey Niyali?" There was a shuffling sound to her right.

"Hm?" came Niyali's quiet voice. Neither one of them saw the point in yelling--no one could hear them anyway.

"Do you think somebody will find us?"

"I don't know. The fire demon has that third eye...he should be able to."

"No, he won't. On my way down, I discovered there are little bits of paper plastered on the sides of the wall. I can't tell what's written on them, but..."

"Wards, most likely. Keep us from escaping and from being found." Kozu swore.

"I hate that Minoru," she said, "He's really got us caught this time." There was another pause. Kozu could just make out Niyali, lying on her side near her.

"Kozu?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Why'd you think we're still alive? We've been in here for..." there was a pause, "...a long time. Shouldn't we have run out of oxygen?" Kozu shrugged, then remembered Niyali couldn't see it.

"I dunno."

"Oh." Silence reigned again. The two captives' hyperness had seemed to come to an end once their fate had finally been accepted--doomed to suffocate to death in a hole.

Life can be so fun sometimes.

***
Death Isle Forest
***

Fog covered the tree-surrounded field that the second round was to take place on. On one end of the field stood Team Urameshi; on the other, Team Kokushibyou. From this distance, it was impossible to tell details; the other team were only seven dark shapes. Frogari was another dark shape, and Faye was refereeing from above. A large, dark shape rose from the dead center of the field; as far as they could tell, it was a boulder.

Tendrils of fog coiled lazily around Yusuke's feet, but he ignored them. Niyali and Kozu still hadn't shown up; and there still wasn't a trace of them anywhere on the isle. Things weren't looking good.

"Detective," Hiei hissed. Yusuke snapped out of his thoughts and blinked.

"What?"

"Captains are supposed to be at the center," Kurama informed him, "Frogari just announced that."

"Oh. Right." Yusuke stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked towards the boulder. It was strangely quiet in this forest; the field was strictly reserved for those competing or refereeing.

At the center (which was marked by the boulder), he met with Frogari and a 6-foot-tall girl. She had short, crimpy red hair that was held back by a black head band, and was wearing a black tank top, black martial arts pants, black vest, and black biker gloves. A gold dragon was tatooed around her left arm, and a silver phoenix on her right. Her orange, cat-like eyes widened a fraction of an inch when she saw Yusuke, but she didn't say anything.

"Captains, discuss your terms!" Frogari said.

"One on one matches," the girl said, immediately, "Everybody fights. Team that has won the majority by the end wins."

"Fine by me," Yusuke said.

"And it's decided!" Frogari exclaimed, "Seven one-on-one matches, and everybody fights! Team with the majority of wins...wins! Teams, pick your fighters and send them to the center of the ring, please!"

"I'm taking this fight," Kuwabara declared, "I didn't get to fight last round, so it's my turn now!" He rushed past Yusuke into the center of the field. Team Kokushibyou had already selected their fighter. He was clad in vibrant colors that showed up easily against the dreariness of the fog; orange tank top, orange pants that looked like Hiei's, a green sash and a red head band holding his blue hair out of his green eyes. A green bandana was tied around his forehead.

"First round, Team Urameshi's Kuwabara against Team Kokushibyou's Yakusoku. Fighters, on your mark, get set---ah, to heck with this, BEGIN!!"

***


I'm too lazy to type more. Next chapter, if you can't already tell, is Kuwabara vs. Yakusoku. And trust me, Yakusoku's got some very interesting powers you don't want to miss. So...hit the little button and keep reading!