dont own yyh


Chapt. 25

From Fire to Ice

"Hiei," I whisper weakly from within his grasp.

"I know, we have a match to go too," he replies to my thoughts. "This is no spell. Swear you understand?"

"Yes...I get it, but we must go." I try to free myself from him, but he wouldn't budge. "Hiei..."

"You're wearing Yukina's tear gem; I can feel it."

"And you're wearing the belt she made. And the tear gem you've had since forever."

"You can feel that too?" he asks, pushing me back a bit.

"Yes, I won't tell though. Can we please go, I don't want us to forfeit like this. If I did, I would have stayed asleep."

"Ok, we'll go. Just promise me something: No matter what the odds, you will survive; no matter whose life is in danger, you will not die to save them," Hiei says sternly.

"I can't promise that Hiei."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not like you. I put my life before another's only when it's to save them." I look over at Puu. This whole time, the small spirit beast had remained quiet and watched carefully. A somber look was in his eyes as he watched me as I implied a plea for freedom from Hiei.

All I wanted to do was break free from Hiei and run to the others. I knew that, there, he would not bother me like this. This Hiei scared me. I had wished for nothing more than for him to befriend me, but this was too much. I wanted to run, I wanted to fight.

"Hiei, please," I begged.

"Just try and keep up." He let me from his strange embrace and moved to the door. On my way to the door as well, I grabbed Puu.

"Ok, lead the way." Hiei tore out of the room and down the hall. I followed skillfully – shutting the door with my foot – beside him. His hand came beside mine.

"Hold on," he instructed. I looked at it cautiously. "I won't bite." I grasp it tightly. His speed suddenly tripled and the hall was a mere blur. The air whipped across my face; I held Puu tightly in my right arm.

"Phoo!" he shrieked in delight.

A smile crept on my lips as we raced. The feeling was exhilarating. But all too soon, we stopped in a huge room. Roars of delight erupted from around a square ring in the center. There were no stadium seats, just standing room. I spotted our fan club a little way off. Jin and Touya were with them. A small, old, strange lady was standing with them too. She was shorter than me.

Yusuke stood in the middle of the ring with Yuushito and, I guessed, a referee. For the first time, I noticed he was wearing his new clothes. They all were. I also noticed that Yuushito had on a thick band of black leather around his neck, it was spiked (and it reminded me of a dog collar). After a few more minutes, Yusuke started back towards us.

"You guys have a crazy sense of timing," he barks angrily.

I glance at Hiei.

"What was that about?" Hiei asks.

"Well, if you were here you'd know! But since you weren't, I'll tell you. First, we were talking about our disqualification, and then you guys flew in. Then, we talked about the terms of the battle."

"And...?" Kuwabara says.

"We agreed on a three-on-three battle," Yusuke finishes.

"Bad move Yusuke," Kurama says.

"Why?" Yusuke questions.

"They are demons of all forms of water, and together they are a deadly team. You played into their advantage."

"I knew that part, but I wasn't worried. Why, you ask? Because I have the perfect demons to beat them!" he boasted.

"Who might that be, Detective?" Hiei questions, though he knew the answer already. Anybody with half a brain knew the answer already.

"You, Darkfire, and Kurama. The only demons on our team," Yusuke says in a 'duh' tone. "Now, get up there and get us a victory!"

I shake my head at Yusuke, the sad half-breed we were stuck with. Without wasting time, Kurama, Hiei, and I jump into the ring to meet our opponents.

"Ready? Fight!" the female referee yells.

"Before we start, I think it would be fair if I showed myself," the caped demon said in a hard, icy voice. He rips his cape from his body. Standing before us was the unmasked Yasha. He was tall and very lean. He was wearing a skintight blue shirt with the character for water on the front. His black pants were also skintight. Hard, black eyes glared at us from across the ring; a fanged smirk was etched on his hard face. His wild hair was tinted with a midnight black; his ears were midnight black too. The ref said something about him, but I was drowning all the sounds out.

This man, I remembered him from somewhere. Those cold, heartless eyes, I remembered them. Something happened and those eyes were there. I couldn't recall the owner, but the eyes were as clear in my mind as they were before me now. Murder rang through my head. One of my demon spirits wanted this man dead. The demon of water to die now by my hands; it wanted my hands to be tainted by his blood. The wolf, it wanted this demon to perish.

Darkfire, who is this man to you?

I don't know; the wolf just wants him dead.

Then why don't you feed its desires?

Because, that's how a killer is born. If I give in to it now, then what will keep me from giving in the next time? Or the time after that? You should know the feeling, the impulse.

I look over at Hiei. His face remains concentrated and focused on the wolf of steam. The demon's mouth moves, but I don't listen to anything. The crowd is roaring, but it's silent to me.

A wet fog covers the ring. It seems to stop at the edge. A gleam of light reflects through the strange fog. So it is ice that held us in, fascinating.

Move it baka!

The water wolf was racing towards me. Even through this steam, I cold tell who it was. Right hook. Dodge. Low kick. Block. Counter punch. Flying into the ice. I race after the demon lodged in the ice wall. Something sharp and cold entered my arm. I'm sent flying into the wall as well.

I look down at my arm when I recover from hitting the ice. A glimmering icicle is sticking out of my arm; my blood stained it. I grip the cold ice and prepare to yank it out. A shift in the steam catches my attention. Another icicle. I dive out of the way and the ice blade lodges itself in the ice wall. The blade becomes part of the wall.

Instead of pulling, I decided to melt it. It worked much faster. Fire melts ice. And this steam had to go. I'll just melt this ice wall ... and ... incoming cool air and out goes the steam. Something sharp lodges in my unprotected back. It's ripped out. I fall to my knees.

Sound floods back to me.

"If you are the child to save our people, we're doomed. You can't even survive the first match," a wolf growls.

I cough up blood. My head swims. My body meets the wet stone floor. Dying wasn't an option; Yukina was depending on our survival. I could no longer see more than blurs. I couldn't move. I was letting everyone down. I can't die, but I am.

Get up baka.

I can't. I can't.

You can, and you will. Remember what you're fighting for.

Yukina...

Your parents and Oshi; now get up. You have to avenge them first. You can't die like this.

Hiei...

Just get your ass back in the game! I don't care how, just do it!

My world is covered in a haze. Everything blends together to create a gray, blurry world. I can hear the fight continue behind me. Attacks echo in our encasement and slip out through the whole I made. No one outside can see us. I can see no one inside or outside. Footsteps vibrate next to me.

"Get up," a low, cold voice growls.

Why?

"You are a Forbidden Child among the worlds of human and demon; as well as among the clans of wolf and fox. Yet, you are the Chosen Child of these two clans. But I see only a child, brought down by a petty blow. If that is how you wish to die, then I am glad. Your parents will disgrace you in Hell," the voice sneers.

Don't you dare talk about my parents like that you bastard! My mind races and my body surges with power. My once nearly lifeless body picks itself from the ground. I feel a sensation of change, but I can't see it. My feet touch the ground.

"Don't you dare talk about my parents while I'm alive!" I yell at the ice demon.

"Much better," he smiles.

"DIE!" I lunge at the demon. Skillfully, I produce a katana of fire and swing it at his head. He blocks with a blade of ice. "...?!"

He pushes me back. "You see, my ice is strong enough to stand up to fire."

"How?"

"My energy." His smile once again appears on his face. "I'm glad to see you weren't ready to give up."

"Not now, not ever!" I rush him again, this time faking a sword attack. While he blocked that, I kneed him in the stomach. He doubled over and I elbowed him in the middle of his back. Pieces of concrete fly from the ground.

He made no sound, and no attempts to get up. I look around the ring. Hiei was in a sword fight with Shoda; it was like a dance that only the trained eye could see, for they were moving with lightning speed. Yo-Ko was fighting off the water wolf, Yasha; a large hole was in the fox's gut. But why had he gotten the damage? Tanashi, he's the one who canceled my charm.

Movement below me changes my view. Yuushito pushed himself up to a standing position.

"I admire your courage," he smirks.

I give him a questioning look.

"You didn't kill me while I was down. You're braver than most. And more honorable," the wolf adds.

"I try."

A blade of shimmering ice erupts from his fisted left hand. With his right, he pulls out his katana. I reach for my katana and wakizachi, but realize they aren't there. Yuushito smiles. I put my hands as I would if the hilts of my weapons were in their spots. He lunges.

He strikes at my head with his ice katana. I pull my hand from my back weapon (where my katana would be) and, as I do, a katana of darkness forms, just as it would if it were coming out of its scabbard. I skillfully block his blade.

"Impressive," he compliments.

"Thanks." His normal katana comes to back slash my stomach. I draw a flame wakizachi, just as I had the dark katana, and block his attack.

"It seems we are evenly matched in swordsmanship." He pushes away from me. "But good of a samurai are you?" His ice katana disappears. He grasps his remaining katana's hilt firmly with both hands. He takes a wide stance.

I rush at him, swinging with precision. One hundred strikes I make in twelve seconds, he blocks them all. I go at him again and again, but again and again he blocks me with skill I've only seen once: My father. One more folly of attacks, he ends it with a counter attack. It slashes me across the stomach, cutting deep. I stumble back.

"You see, I was taught by the best in the land. Now you shall fall from this tournament by his attack!" He takes a cat stance. His blade flames with a light blue energy. Slowly, he walks towards me.

A scene from my childhood flashes in my mind:

"Ok, now watch closely my child," my father would say in his big, deep voice. A crooked smile plays on his leathered face and his sky blue eyes twinkle with delight. Gray bangs danced on his forehead as the wind blew by. Silver ears stood lively and playfully amidst his unruly hair. His mountain man arms stretched out far and his large, leathery hands grasped his old katana in perfect form. And his long, muscular legs held him up in a cat stance. My father stood proudly before me.

A black aura enveloped his blade and flared up. I watched him closely, just as I always did. Slowly, he walked toward a block of wood. He slashed across the middle. Nothing. Suddenly, the log was encased in the black aura. Then, boom! The log exploded into tiny splinters that rained down on my head.

"Yea Daddy! He defeated the bad guy again!" I congratulated, jumping around my father. He always showed me attacks he discovered. I would always watch closely and then, when no one was watching, I would try them myself. They never worked. I even watched the ones he'd showed me before. I would always beg for my favorites, for those were the ones I wanted to try the most.

"Yes, my little fox/wolf, I did," he would laugh his big laugh. "And I will always defeat the bad guys."

"Of course you will! You're the strongest man in the entire world!"

As Yuushito came closer, I let a tear fall. He told me he would always defeat the bad guys, but why couldn't he defeat her? Was it because she was a bad girl and not a bad guy? And now, the attack I had loved so dearly was being used on me. He prepared to strike.

Hiei!!