Lord and lady, I'm getting popular. o.O So many reviews.
darkspirals: Just be patient, okay? We're getting there.
KuramaIsFine: 1) Aww, I'm in your fav's? I feel so loved! -n,.,n- 2) No, no, it wasn't going to end that easy. It's no fun for us that way. 3) Yes, Wisteria was not a nice person. She wasn't supposed to be, or we'd like her too much. 4) Aislin: I am not over-protective (well, maybe a little), I am possessive.
I hadn't actually thought of that, the similarities between these characters and those of Inu Yasha. The females in Kohaku's family on her father's side are mostly named after precious or semi-precious stones (sango means coral) , and the music idea is connected throughout the whole Blood Moon tribe. But Kohaku is hardly a demon-slayer--more like an unusual teenager who just happens to kick ass on the weekends. n,.,n
Kitsune Kit: Nah, I got that covered. (jerks a thumb behind her--Kohaku is sitting on Hiei, looking pleased) I work too much these days to bother running. 'n,.,n'
Magus784: (twitch) I have to draw that now.
Hiei: (still being sat on) Don't you dare!!
Asilin Kheldarson: o.O Woah, cool! Gotta love mysterious coincidences! I just happened to love the name Aislin--Celtic names are great, aren't they?--and I'm glad you like my stories!
Nura: (Niana turns to Hiei) Oh, dear. I think Kohaku's nickname for you is getting popular.
Hiei: I hate you! Kohaku, get offa me!
Kohaku: ;P
D.F. Feda: Hi, welcome back!
Chapter 18
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"You have no idea how much fun I could have with this," a voice murmurs, waking Hiei from his light doze. He pries one heavy lid up to find Aislin leaning over him with an easy smile, ocean eyes gleaming in the pale light of false dawn. He wrinkles his nose in response, not wanting to wake the sleeping presence at his back. Shoulders shaking in silent laughter, the koorime helps her mirror disentangle himself from Kohaku and tucks her in more firmly once he's free.
They slip out the window and fly up to the roof with the help of Aislin's dragon-wings, settling onto the highest bit without a sound. For several long minutes they sit there in silence, watching as the pale sky lightens further and starts to take on a hint of pink.
Finally Hiei sighs. "I know you're waiting to say it, so get it out of your system."
Wide, innocent eyes are turned to him, but he spots a trace of mischief near their bottoms. "Say what? I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Just say it and get it over with."
The innocent look disappears, replaced by one of utter seriousness. "Hiei, all I'm going to say it that it makes me happy to watch Kohaku crack off all those layers you've put on yourself. It was quite a pleasant surprise to find that she'd managed to get you to sleep beside someone who isn't Kurama or myself. And for a whole night, no less."
"Hn."
A flash of that familiar impish grin before the serious look returns. "You do make a cute couple, though." She easily dodges the half-hearted swipe and continues. "Easy! I'm not going to say a peep about this, you've got my word. So don't get your fur in a twist or anything like that." Silence falls again between them, the easy silence of long familiarity, until the sun begins to peek over the ocean-filled horizon.
"How's Kurama?"
"You saw him last night. Our fox is fine, and he'll be ready to take on the worst the Dark Tournament can hand us when he wakes up." An utterly content little smile curves her coral lips at a memory. "Poor Kurama. He was so tired he passed out the second he sat on the bed."
Silence.
"I'm tired of all this fighting, Aislin."
"Yeah, Hiei, me, too."
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"Good morning, everyone! Are you ready for some real bloodshed??" The usual eruption of agreement and Koto winks to the audience as she steps to one side. "That's what I thought! Let's get this show on the road and stain this ring floor red! Will Team Urameshi and Team Houshu's captains please step forward!"
As Yusuke and a black-haired demon with glittering black eyes walk to the center of the ring, Kohaku leans over to Kurama and whispers, "Yanno, this gives me such a feeling of déjà vu." Kurama nods but keeps his eyes trained on the pair arguing on the stone platform. Mild concern twinges in the back of his mind as his thoughts turn to Aislin and Hiei--they've been unusually quiet this morning, even for the reticent fire apparition. Wonder if they're plotting something, he thinks briefly.
Aislin suddenly chokes on something and points a finger across the way to the other team, hackles starting to rise. "What the hell is he doing here??" Following her finger, emerald and garnet eyes narrow in distaste. There stands Glace Corbeau in all his self-strutting glory wearing one of the most smug smiles either youkai has ever seen. Noticing their attention, he favors them with a mocking little bow before looking back up at his captain.
"Bastard must be on several teams," Hiei comments quietly. "I was under the impression such a thing is illegal and is set as a disqualifier."
"It is." Even Kurama feels a little thrill of anger at this blatant display of disregard. So much for the French honor. "The Committee must have arranged this."
"Guys?" The three turn to Kuwabara, jerking a thumb at the empty ring. "One of you guys wanna go in with me or somethin'? Terms are two-on-two." Kohaku immediately jumps forward, dragging Hiei after her with a grin.
"Come on, Hiei! We can practice our techno-routine!" Rolling his eyes, Hiei allows himself to be dragged. This time, at least, he will be right beside her in case someone decides to make a fatal mistake. Such as attacking his ward unprovoked.
The pair facing them are twins, joy. Tall, blond, blue-eyed, they could model as the poster children of the Greek gods. They're already wearing the outfits. "Prepare to face death," they chorus, pointing their fingers in synchronization at the smaller youkai. The wolf and the elemental just share a disgusted look before settling into defensive stances. For once, the link they share as ward and guardian will come in handy.
"Kohaku and Hiei versus Apollo and Artemis! Begin!" As the two smaller youkai open their link they share the same thought. Figures. Music floods their awareness as Kohaku turns on her cd player and puts in her earbuds, wrapping around their muscles and pulling them into the first steps of their routine as the twins strike.
And miss. Koto's having a field day describing their fight as the four weave around the ring, the two smaller fighters flowing around the blond pair's attacks water-smooth. If Hiei or Kohaku looked like the other, it would be as if a mirror was reflecting a single set of opponents, they all move in such flawless synchronization.
The music changes to something more aggressive--Hiei and Kohaku change their tactics. Now it is they who attack instead of defend…and their blows are landing without mercy. The twins fall back under the assault but counter with a wicked flurry of kicks and elbow-strikes that drive Hiei and Kohaku back.
Watching from the sidelines, Ikazuchi steeples his fingers and rests his chin on them, intent on the battle. Something beyond the link is allowing his niece and her guardian to move so effortlessly in tandem; the air currents produced by this enclosed stadium's cooling/heating systems are currently blowing towards his pack, bringing a myriad of scents to his canine nose. And the ones he identifies Hiei and Kohaku with are subtly starting to echo each other. How odd…
Finally a vicious elbow-uppercut connects on the twins' jaws, sending them flying backwards into the wall. "Time to use different tactics," the two standing murmur to no one in particular, and they let the link shut down to almost regular levels. Now they know what the other is doing and Hiei can follow the music Kohaku's cd player is creating, but they aren't locked into sync.
When the twins retake the ring at the count of 'six' they get a big surprise. Hiei meets Apollo with a full-powered straight punch to the face. Kohaku treats Artemis to a slamming roundhouse kick to the stomach. When the two land on the grass, they look up in time to see a violet-black and purple-green ki ball bearing down on them.
Matched screech of 'shit!' followed by a large explosion. When it clears, the godly twins are lying in a smoking crater looking very much the worse for wear. Matched vultures, Hiei and Kohaku perch on the edge with their hands glowing their respective colors, ready to reblast the unfortunate twins should they wake up and rise to their feet.
"Eight…Nine…Ten! Hiei and Kohaku win the match with a stunning combination of power and energy! I've never seen such wonderful violence! Let 'em hear it!" Stomping and howling rain down on the pair straightening and wobbling off the stage.
Kurama and Kuwabara take the ring next, but Hiei and Kohaku barely notice. They're too busy catching their breath after nearly a ten-minute fight that took a lot more energy than they thought it would. "Should we…have done the…reiki blast?" Kohaku pants, sprawling back on the cool grass.
"Necessary, and it worked," Hiei replies, propping himself on his elbows to let the ground suck his extra heat away. "The open link was what took so much energy."
"Let's not do that again unless we have to, ne?"
"Ne!" With that, they turn their attention to the match in time to see a nondescript male hawk demon pick Kuwabara up and chuck him into the upper stands. Kurama has already dispatched his opponent with a few well-timed strokes of his Whip, and now the two remaining fighters turn to each other and engage in combat.
The two sitting on the grass just watch as Kuwabara makes a fool of himself taking 'the short way' down, climbing over seats and dropping from the safety bar dividing levels to land surprisingly well on the ones below. He almost makes it back in time, scrambling across the grass just as Koto counts ten. The carrot-top face-faults, twitching.
"Aw, poor Kuwa-chan," Kohaku says sympathetically. "Nice try, though. I really liked that double-flip you used on the second tier."
"Don't think it was intentional," Hiei scorns. "The fool probably lost his footing."
"Bite me, you jerk!" Kuwabara really misses being able to call Hiei 'shorty'.
"And with a wonderful display of blood and gore--something we can never see enough of--Kurama finishes off Haku, sending Team Urameshi to the Finals!" Yusuke helps his friend off the ring, our favorite bishie fox cut and limping from the rough battle. Kohaku is right beside Aislin as the koorime begins to heal her beloved, putting a new technique a couple of the rain-caller adults from Blade-arm had shown her last night into use.
"Healing Rain," the wolf whispers, holding her hands over some of the lesser wounds. Aislin watches, wide-eyed, as miniature clouds form under Kohaku's palms, pouring a tiny storm of water onto the torn skin. Kurama flinches when it first hits, but joins Aislin in staring as the rain seems to wash the wounds away. Shaking herself out of her daze, Aislin goes back to work; between the two of them they close up all but a handful of wounds--mere scratches.
"I'm impressed." Kohaku squeaks and jumps away, turning back to find Hiei had been leaning over her shoulder. One thin ebony brow rises sardonically at her startlement. "Haven't you learned when I'm behind you by now?"
"Not when you try and sneak up on me!"
"Hn. Calm down. We need to save our strength for the Finals later this afternoon." Eyes troubled, Kohaku lifts her gaze to the demons fighting their lives away not a hundred yards from them.
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"You ready for this?" Yusuke murmurs to his friends as they stand before the great stone doors that lead to the arena. Hours have passed, and healers have looked the two surviving teams over, deeming them fit to fight. Aislin had slipped into their locker-room not more than twenty minutes before this, white silk bunched beneath one arm and a most satisfied smile upon her lips.
"For honor and glory such as thou hast not seen," the koorime had whispered, shaking out half the silk into one of Cobeau's shirts, "a fair, lovely prize that glimmers and gleams." Kohaku had looked askance at Hiei, wondering at her friend's odd mood.
/Aislin wasn't always known merely for her skilled thieving, wolf girl. The old humans, the ones that huddled in huts and shivered at the darkness, would have named her witch, long ago. This is a spell she's casting, child. You'd do well to listen./
"Woven from moonlight with an unearthly glow, swirling and billowing hauntingly slow. Wear it for wonder, wear it for pain, wear as one with light in their name. Stronger than steel it will keep you from death, until this spell-caster shall draw her last breath." The room had plunged into darkness, cold winds sweeping around them.
When the lights had flickered back into existence, Kohaku and Aislin were both clad in long-sleeved white silk shirts trimmed with water-clear gems. Aislin was wearing a matching white silk skirt that belled and swirled around her ankles, but Kohaku was wearing a pair of honey-gold velvet pants that hugged her legs and vanished into butter-soft fawn ankle-boots. All of the boys were staring as Kohaku walked to a mirror and turned this way and that, eyes wide with delighted amazement at her clothes and the amber beads strung in her hair. Aislin's suddenly-waist-length hair was bound up with a chain of aquamarines, the wine colored strips now shading through peacock blue, emerald, and scarlet.
Now the team waits for the opening of the great doors that would lead them to their fate. Hiei stands side by side with his ward, Kurama with his remaining beloved, Yusuke and Kuwabara on either side. "Yo, Aislin?"
Long-lashed turquoise eyes blink open and turn towards the wolf staring straight ahead. "Yes, Kohaku?"
"Did you really steal these scrumptious shirts?"
An amused laugh that echoes off the low ceiling. "Right out from under his nose. I'm sure he's wondering where his shirts have gone to."
The voices of Koto and Juri echo beyond the doors, and the Team takes a breath together, bracing themselves as the doors creak apart and let the artificial light pour into the hall. "Okay, everyone," Yusuke breathes, "show time."
As one, Team Urameshi walks into the spotlights.
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The first thing they see is the Blade-arm pack, their numbers inflated by more than a dozen wolves with crescent moons tattooed in red on their bare right shoulders. /The Blood Moon have sent representation,/ Hiei notes to Kohaku, inclining his head towards the new arrivals. Kuwabara instantly swells with ego at the sight of one petite little apparition sitting among the wolves, her pale aqua hair pulled back into a neat ponytail with a bit of crimson ribbon.
"Yukina, my love!" Smiling sweetly, the koorime maiden waves at the bouncing human male while an older-looking human female--twenty two, tops, Kohaku bets--brushes long caramel hair back from her face and frowns at the tall boy.
"Crap," Yusuke grumbles, "Keiko's here, too. Damn Botan." Said girls are sitting next to Ikazuchi and cheering the Team on, the latter's sky-blue ponytail bouncing from the force of Botan's enthusiasm. "Just a few hours more and we woulda been scot-free."
"Life's never that easy, detective," Hiei reproves. "You should know that by now."
"I should, shouldn't I?"
Up on the ring, Koto is pumping the audience up for blood, because in this Round, the style of matches is already determined. One on one, you fight to unconsciousness or death. They'll do a ten-count, but don't count on it to save you. This is for blood.
Team Urameshi watches in silence as their opponents emerge into the artificial light. Team Captain, Samuel Mushinen. Tall, dark, with the build of one who lifts weights for function, not show. Scars are scattered across his bare torso, muscular legs clad in loose sweat-pants, feet bare but for support wraps.
Second-in-command, Marian Greyling. Copper hair cut boyishly short, bright against pale skin smeared with freckles. Cerulean blue eyes scan over our Team, and finds them lacking. She's dressed in green--a bodice and loose pants gathered at waist and ankle. She's bare-foot. Aislin hisses, hackles rising. "A Fae."
Third, but marching beside Marian like a pet dog is Akira Nanasawa the deer apparition. Pale tan fur fluffs against his skull and stretches along his exposed spine. Big brown eyes stare at nothing in particular, one hand absently tugs at the breastplate enameled with a running stag. A heavy belt holds up canvas leggings, leather wraps his feet in crude shoes.
Then comes real trouble. The twins Yin and Yan, opposite in gender and appearance. Where female Yin is white--white hair, white Mandarin shirt and martial arts pants--male Yin is black. But both have the butter-yellow eyes Kohaku is beginning to associate with electricity. "Crap," she and Hiei mutter in unison. They turn and half-smile at each other, realizing that the effects of an open link take time to wear off.
Last is someone called Shadow--just Shadow. They glide over the ground in a cloak the color of stormclouds, hood pulled up to hide their face. That is the reserve fighter, and something way down in Kohaku's self tells her that fighting this enigma would be a very bad idea.
Koto calls for the first fighters: Kuwabara and Yan take the ring. The human boy's Spirit Sword is out and crackling with fire-hued energy. The faintest hints of arcing bolts hiss around the smaller youkai male, standing expressionless in his place.
"Kuwabara from Team Urameshi versus Yan Kikan of Team Shikyohana! Begin!"
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"I hope you survive," the smaller boy tells his opponent quite politely. "I didn't want to be in this Tournament at all."
Kuwabara blinks, taken off-guard by the frank statement. "Really? Then why're you here?"
A resigned glance at his sister. "Yin is rather…bloodthirsty. But where she goes, I go and vice versa."
"Uh, okie-dokie."
"People! We're waiting! Less talk more pain!" This is actually from Juri. The two glance at each other, shrug, and start fighting. It would go down in Tournament history as one of the fastest and hottest matches ever to be held. About ten seconds after he began, Kuwabara falls off the raised ring onto the ground below, resembling a charcoal briquette to a startling degree.
Kohaku runs over to heal him but is stopped by a grim Aislin. "I have the energy to spare and more, little wolf. The same cannot be said for you. Let me put the fool back together. You take on the other twin." Hurt but seeing the sense in Aislin's command Kohaku backs off, turning to the ring and the waiting Yin.
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"Well," the smaller youkai pipes breathlessly, "that was exciting! I've never seen someone actually survive Yan's Lighting Storm. Your friend must be quite powerful!"
"Errr." Kohaku glances incredulously at Kuwabara from the corner of her eyes. Kuwa-baka? Powerful? Yeah, right. "He's got the reiki, but not enough brains to use it properly."
"Hey!" the charcoal boy coughs in protest, attempting to sit up. He is instantly pushed back down again by a glaring Aislin.
"Okay, match number two, everyone! Yin Kikan versus Kohaku Piers! Let's hope this match lasts longer! Begin!"
As Kohaku warily begins circling her opponent--she has no wish to join Kuwabara in the ranks of the extra-crispy--Yin begins to do the same. The battle-heated golden eyes catch every movement the wolf makes, eager and waiting. "If you're worried about my electrical attacks, don't be. I don't like using them except as a finishing move. Feel free to try and hit--ack!" Deciding that she might as well, Kohaku zips in and places one well-aimed punch directly in the petite youkai's stomach.
Yin goes flying back, but Kohaku isn't finished yet. Taking advantage of Yin's distraction, the wolf youkai blazes forward and brings her doubled fists slamming down on that white head. The stone blocks forming the platform shatter with the impact of Yin's body.
Kohaku follows up with several potent reiki-soaked shuriken that explode when they hit. Breathing a bit harder, Kohaku waits on the far edge of the ring for the smoke to clear, not believing for an instant that this is over even though Koto has already begun the count.
If Kohaku was the betting sort, she'd have won, for on the count of seven a slender figure emerges from the smoke, dusting rock powder off her shoulders. "That…was a bit more than I expected."
"And I'm nowhere near done. You aren't the only one who's got lightning in their veins." Everyone in the stadium--even her own team mates--suck in their breaths as the air around the wolf girl suddenly fills with arcing bolts of purple/green power. Her eyes have melted into solid pools of bronze with no pupil or white as her hair begins to writhe over her shoulders. "Have at thee, little bolt-caller. I'll set a storm on your heels!"
Yin's eyes widen as the full implications of that statement sink in: storm equals rain. Rain equals water. Water plus lightning equals one very big bad shock. Audience members duck and try to take cover as a gale-force wind unfurls from Kohaku and races around the stadium, picking up debris as it goes and pelting everything with its prizes.
The next few minutes are a deadly game of chicken. Punches, kicks and elbow-strikes are exchanged, each fighter chancing that their next blow could be their last against the currents of power sparking just under either skin. Yin is bleeding from dozens of slash-wounds made by shuriken and kunai; Kohaku is battered and bruised from the feverish assaults made by her opponent, but much less the worse for wear.
Hiei's been getting prickles of warning from the link and his Jagan since this match started. Something's going to go wrong in a very big way, he knows it. But the question is…what?
Yin attacks again, teeth bared in a frenzied mask of desperation. She'd counted on her lightning as her best weapon; she doesn't carry any sort of hardware at all--not even a tiny dagger. Kick, spinning backfist, reverse to try and deliver a hefty uppercut only to fail and have an elbow bash down on her skull. Yan is as edgy as Hiei, but only because he's getting echoes of those painful blows through the twin-link he shares with the white-haired lightning caller.
Said twin goes flying again and fetches up against the far wall with a sickening crack of skull on stone. Kohaku raises an arm to launch a discus of spinning energy--and Yin strikes.
It is a desperation move that would never have worked if her opponent hadn't been worn out by the extensive battle, but because Kohaku is tired and getting drained, she doesn't have the power or reflexes to save herself.
The discus dissipates as Kohaku staggers back, a snapped off piece of rebar sunk into her chest. Yin leaps into the ring and grabs hold, channeling all of her remaining strength into a massive bolt of pure electricity. Kohaku doesn't even have enough breath to scream as it courses through her body, hands locked on the bar just above Yin's hand.
When Yin lets go, Kohaku collapses to the ground, body still twitching from the residual power with tendrils of smoke rising from her singed clothes. Her horrified team-mates turn at the sound of a strangled gasp, and watch Hiei crumple without another sound.
Yusuke turns to Aislin while Koto begins the ten-count after gushing about the glorious brutality, fear stark on his face. "Aislin! What happens to the guardian if the ward dies??"
A hard swallow. "The guardian dies."
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Hiei opens his eyes to find himself in a place he's never seen before. In the distance is something that looks like it could be one of Kohaku's healing manifestations, but he can't imagine anyone climbing that foreboding piece of rock. Directly around him, however, is stark white. Not even a blade of grass. No dreamscape, then.
Not that he'd believe it would be.
He remembers Yin's desperation strike, the pain as his own heart stopped. If he finds Kohaku fast enough, though, he might get them going soon enough to prevent permanent damage to their demonic bodies. Another reason he's glad he isn't human; he can handle his heart stopping for several minutes without any damage. This might take a little longer, though..
Frightened snarling grabs his attention and he races through the whiteness towards it--he wishes that he knows how the hell he's doing it. The sensation of bursting through thick brush sweeps over him and he finds her, surrounded by a half-dozen robed beings with their faces hidden by hoods' shadows.
Panicked Kohaku sees him--and how not? He's virtually the only color besides herself in this place--and hope blooms. "Hiei! Hiei, help me! They're trying to make me leave and I don't want to go! They won't listen!"
Rage fills his heart at the thought that these beings dare try to force his wolf to do anything she doesn't want to do. To his surprise, his power answers the call to do real battle with Life and Death.
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Yusuke squawks and reverses so fast away from the fallen Hiei that he ends up on his ass scooting backwards. Energy the familiar violet-black of a certain dragon has wrapped the dark form in a close embrace--Kuwabara actually drops Kohaku's body when more power does the same with hers. (He'd been the first one into the ring in hopes that she'd actually survived that devastating final attack.) Instead of hitting the ground, both still forms rise about two feet into the air, drawn together by the power coruscating around them.
Aislin starts whispering something in a tongue not even Kurama understands, kneeling on the ground before her fallen companions with her hands clasped under her chin. It's been a long time since she'd prayed, but it's never too late to start again.
Only one thought stands out in her mind. I don't care who's listening, just bring them back! She keeps on praying, to the gods and to the forces she'd imbued the stolen shirts with. Bring them back safe!
----
Hiei is regarding his ward with annoyance as he fights his way through the people surrounding her, the wolf still struggling in their grasp. "Stop panicking, baka ookami, and hit them!"
"I can't!" She proves her point by dragging one robed arm down by her face and trying to bite it. Her face passes right through.
"It takes strength and belief to fight off the Powers, Kohaku! HIT THEM!" Desperation fuels a last violent movement that wrenches one arm free. Glittering energy follows in her arm's wake, bronze and gold sparkles flaring between the purple and green. Howling, the wolf demon begins visiting retribution on her tormentors.
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