Pt 11 Fighting Jougen
Miya was at the arena six minutes before the set time.
"You actually showed up, I'm impressed." She said nothing to the insolent Lord. Onlookers crowded the space around the ring, making her more than slightly nervous.
'Idiot! Don't be distracted!' Hiei's telepathic blast caused her to jump. 'Right!' She gulped guiltily. She double-checked to make sure her sword was strapped to her back, knowing it was too late to go get if it wasn't there.
"Are both fighters ready?" An official asked. Miya and Jougen nodded, eyes never leaving each other. "Begin!"
Jougen attacked first, missing Miya completely
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"How long have you known?" Hiei glanced over at Yukina.
"About what?"
"Don't, Hiei, don't pretend you don't know. I saw the look on your face just now. You know about Kirai." Hiei turned back to the fight. The two were equal in speed although Jougen had the upper hand in brute force. Hiei watched them go blow for blow for a while and sighed. Yukina thought he wasn't going to answer and she also turned back to the fight. After a while Hiei simply stated,
"Her name is Miya." Yukina didn't have to ask who.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
He was as strong as she remembered and just as fast. His slashes were methodical and continuous. It almost took all she had just to stay on the defensive. At times she was able to block an attack and her body bore a few marks, scratches really. He was no different, displaying cuts off his own where Miya's sword had slipped through his defenses, just as many as she.
Neither of them went at full strength, each wanting to see what the other was capable of. They parted, breathing slightly faster than usual. Unlike Jougen, Miya didn't heal the minor cuts inflicted on her, opting instead to conserve the energy for later. They stared each other down. Jougen smirked.
"Looks like Hiei's been teaching his pet some new tricks, isn't that right, little inu?"
Miya returned the smirk.
"At least this dog isn't too old to learn new tricks. What the hell happened to you?"
Jougen snarled and the last thing Miya saw was him rushing at her; then everything went black.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Yukina gasped as the ring faded to black.
"That's the same attack Ryoutou used!" Hiei nodded absently, silently hoping Miya wouldn't be a fool. Jougen would be much harder to beat.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Miya had an entirely different strategy in mind. Unfortunately she had not yet had the chance to put it into play. His attacks were silent and swift, leaving her wounded and breathless. She readied herself and tried to return the blows as they fell. She tasted blood and the pain in her right shoulder was intense. She hoped fervently that Jougen had amazing sight and did not use some sort of telepathy or echolocation. She displayed an illusion to appear as if she had jumped backward. She was pretty sure it worked. By the time Jougen had realized it was an illusion she had already started to put her plan into motion.
She knelt down and placed her hands on the floor and silently summoned the honoo-ma – the demon flame. The plant sprung easily; it was just a moss-like plant that grew in a circle around her. It didn't seem like anything much but the moment Jougen crossed the circle he was set on fire.
It wasn't hard to see him then; he was the only thing flaming.
Miya launched an attack directly at him, hitting him square in the chest. Blood poured from the wound as the darkness disappeared with a little help from her illusions.
"Mommy"!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The crowd cheered wildly as Jougen fell to his knees. But Hiei and Miya barely heard them.
Miya saw the lord go down and vaguely registered that this would normally mean the end, that she had one. Yet she didn't move; she retained position, sword ready, watching the pile that was Lord Jougen. Somehow she knew that this was far from over.
She was right. Chuckling and wild-eyed, Jougen pushed himself up and his wounds closed. She could hear his erratic heartbeat from where she stood and with each beat his muscles tightened and enlarged. He was growing! And Miya found herself growing weaker.
"Mommy!"
Miya fell to her knees.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
He stared at her, hiding his worry; Yukina was watching. He knew that Jougen fought dirty, using mind tricks to drain the energy of his opponent, using it to fuel his own attacks. He knew that he should have told her, should have warned her so she'd be prepared and yet he didn't. Kirai is going to have to figure this one out on her own. His eyes wandered as he pretended disinterest. Suddenly a young man with a pacifier at the back of the crowd caught his attention. The man glared over the crowd at him, then turned and walked inside. Hiei groaned inwardly. Koenma was going to have his head for this. He backed away silently.
"And just where do you think you're going?" Yukina grasped his arm and glared up into his face. He shrugged her off.
"I've got more important things to do."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jougen grew into a large sized monster. Miya found herself unable to move.
"Mommy!" Jougen reached forward, wrapping his oversized fist around her waist. Her sword fell out of her hand and clattered to the floor. He lifted her off the ground, squeezing tightly and enjoying her pain.
"Mommy! I'm coming too! Mommy, come back!" Shinbi looked over her shoulder and kept walking.
"Pathetic, so damned pathetic! I had such high hopes for you, but you're nothing but a wimp." Miya whirled to face Hiei.
"Go to hell!" He tilted his head and glared.
"You blast me when I try to control your mind yet you roll over and play dead when he does it? All because of one woman who's been dead thirteen years. Get over yourself Kirai. I see now that your tough, abrasive exterior is just a covering for the cowering mongrel inside." Miya glared as she struggled to free herself.
"Damn you! I'll kill you. I'll humiliate this guy and then I'll kill you!"
Hiei smirked and crossed his arms.
"I'll be waiting." "He walked over and touched her hair. "Show me what you've got Kirai!"
In Jougen's hand the limp figure stiffened and her eyes shot open.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Bastard!" Miya yelled, blasting him mentally, sending him spiraling backwards. Her green eyes glowed and an invisible force flared around her. Even the smallest of the crowd could feel the aftershock of her power.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hiei looked over at the ring from the doorway of the castle, not venturing inside until he was sure that Miya was back to her senses. He gave his characteristic self-satisfied smirk and reluctantly went inside to face Koenma.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jougen's sword shattered from sheer pressure as Miya pounded his contorting face. The cheers of the crowd were muted to her. In an effort to save himself he swung one huge fist but she was able to see it coming and jumped backward before it connected.
She landed neatly beside her fallen sword and barely had time to retrieve it before the lumbering giant made his way to where she stood. For someone his size he was still incredibly fast.
He pulled back in pain as Miya sliced the fist aimed at her head. Bleeding, sweating and panting they regarded each other.
Jougen rushed her again, this time neatly summoning gusts of wind to pummel her from either side. They knocked her off balance and Jougen's hands closed around her precious hair. He grinned and yanked her to him, almost tearing tufts out by the roots. His other hand gripped the wrist that held her sword, successfully trapping her in his clutches.
"You were a fool to agree to this match and Hiei's an even bigger fool to think that you might win. Looks like I win, mutt. Beg for mercy and I just might let you live."
"Two things: 1, you haven't won, so don't start proclaiming victory; that's usually when you are the most vulnerable and 2, I DON'T BEG."
"Damn you!" He would have broken her arm right then but something sharp raked his leg. He looked over to find a thorn bush growing beside him. It shot up and spread around him, entrapping the two fighters in it's midst. "What the…"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Miya used the distraction as an opportunity to attack; she kicked his legs out from under him and he fell heavily, unfortunately not letting go of her hair. She winced in pain but didn't say anything.
Cursing, Jougen gave her hair an extra hard tug and then aimed a sonic blast at the plants in an effort to break through.
"I wouldn't do…" Miya winced as the sound was reflected at the lord, nearly flattening him. "…that!" She finished. "You see, they're attack proof, fire proof, sound proof, incredibly poisonous and they'll keep constricting until I tell them to stop." The circle got smaller.
"You fool! You'll kill us both in here!" Miya smiled.
"I have no intention of dying in here. You've never heard the term 'bigger isn't always better'?"
"That's a weakling's philosophy." Miya shrugged and Jougen promptly found himself holding the tail of a sleek red fox. She simply turned and bit the already wounded hand until he let go, then easily slipped between the thorns and out into the open, resuming human form.
"From where I'm standing it looks like I win." Miya smiled sweetly. "Beg for mercy and I might let you live." The thorns constricted more; he couldn't move.
The crowd cheered wildly as, humiliated, the once-great Lord Jougen was forced to beg for his very life.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The first thing Miya noticed was that Hiei was not there.
She joined Yukina and the crowd parted to let them through. The attention embarrassed her and she pretended to solely concentrate on healing herself. She was nearly thrown off her feet when Chi and Yaku set on her, chattering excitedly.
Yukina noticed that Miya was distracted. She kept sneaking glances over her shoulder into the crowd.
"Looking for someone in particular?" Miya blushed, knowing she had been caught but swiftly denied it. Yukina kept a wary eye on her until they parted at Lord Hiei's chambers.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Her footsteps echoed as she hurried to her room. She had something rather important she wanted to get done. She was side-tracked by voices around the corner alerting her to someone else's presence. Silently she slid into the shadows, bending the light around her.
"I believe we had a deal Koenma. She stays with me until the end of the tournament."
"You never mentioned that you were going to force her to fight Jougen! What if she gets killed?"
"You're saying she's of no use to you dead, correct?"
"You are deliberately misquoting me Hiei. I care about her well being, obviously unlike you. You've fought Jougen before and you have the marks on your back to prove it yet without even warning her you force her to…"
"I did not force her to fight him so stop trying to make seem that way. The only reason you want her is so that you can turn her into your personal go-fer like you did to Yusuke and Kurama and tried to do to me."
"You're only doing this in order to use her to avenge Kurama's death. And your motives are oh so honorable? Damn Hiei, why don't you just marry the girl?!!" Hiei snarled.
"Damn you! You know what? Take the subeta; I don't care what the hell you do with her: train her, turn her into one of your hunter lackeys, sell her to the highest bidder, just keep the hell out of my business. After this tournament I don't ever want to see either of you again. I held up my part of the deal; I found the girl and awakened her power, all with the assumption that you would come for her after the tournament. Now you want to turn this all into my problem. It's only because of our deal why I haven't thoroughly broken the damn girl, Koenma. I refuse to tolerate secrecy and disobedience in my household and that girl was constant in both. The fastest way to get through to her would have been to have taken her to bed the first night at the castle and every night from then. She would have gotten the point soon enough."
"Surely you can't mean that!"
"If I had my way I would have taken and probably gotten rid of her by now. Personally, she means next to nothing to me! But that's all over; she's your problem now." With that Hiei stormed off and the one named Koenma left muttering.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Miya couldn't believe what she had just heard. Hiei, THAT BASTARD! He had known all along and had already passed her off to someone else. She couldn't imagine herself as a hunter. Hell, she didn't even know what she would be hunting. And he had said all those things; so all that time he was just pulling her strings. THAT BASTARD!
There were a million and one other things she wanted to call him and she could probably write a dictionary for sailors with all the swears she wanted to yell, but she somehow managed to lock it up inside of her. She would need all that hate to fight tomorrow. Regardless of what Lord Hiei or this Koenma said she was going to fight tomorrow and God bless the soul of anyone who tried to get in her way.
She thought of where she could find Set-shou and Akai; they were probably housed in the stables of the lords. It was getting late and the stables should be empty.
Yes, this was definitely a hide-in-the-stable moment.