"Obligation and Duty"

Chapter 41

.oO{Well, from here until the end, I haven't seen any eps. Ever. So, I'm using the best ep/summaries I can find on the internet.}

Author is still in padded room This little piggy went to market, this little piggy picked up the phone. This little piggy became roast beef, and this little piggy never made it home. Toes are fun! -

Dark watches her intently I hardly think that is sanitary eyebrow quirk

Author: :} --evil/stupid grin

Kuwabara and Rei finally started searching again when they found Kurama, standing in a clearing, obviously training.

"At last I found you! Have you seen Urameshi?" Kuwabara called. Kurama looked over at them, "No, I haven't."

Kuwabara went on to explain that Yusuke ran out of the hotel as soon as he woke up. "And to make things worse, Genkai went out saying she had an important thing to do and hasn't come back yet," he finished.

Kurama seemed a little surprised, but couldn't say anything because a blonde man--practically dressed in bandages stepped into the clearing.

"Oh look, just the two guys I wanted to see. Lucky me," he said, somewhat sarcastically.

"Who are you?" Kuwabara asked.

"What, you don't remember the Beautiful Suzuki?" the blonde asked. Rei gasped, but Kuwabara couldn't remember him.

"Huh?" Kuwabara asked. "Oh, you mean the clown who got creamed by Genkai?"

Suzuki bristled, "Don't you know it's illegal in Spirit World to address me by anything other than the 'Beautiful' Suzuki?"

Kuwabara and Kurama grimaced as Rei hid slightly behind Kurama's arm. Suzuki made a series of looks and seemed more humble. "I guess it has no meaning now, though," he said.

"So I want to give you these," he said, and produced two interesting looking objects from somewhere. One was a bottle of red liquid with something floating in it; the Fruit of Past Lives. The other was a katana hilt; the Experimental Sword. The Fruit was how Suzuki had made Ura's Idunn Box, and the Sword was made out of a tree that sucked up surrounding life.

Kuwabara was grossed out and threw the handle back to Suzuki, who caught it. Flinging it back to him, Suzuki said, "It uses your energy to make a sword. This is the first time these items will be used, so I don't know how they'll work or what the consequences of using them are."

Suzuki turned to leave, and Kurama asked, "Why are you giving these to us?"

He turned to them, "One day I fought against Toguro. I was terrified with the 30% of power he used to beat me. Then I'd have even licked his feet to beg for my life. He told me, 'I don't have the heart to kill you, seeing you like this, creeping on the ground like a worm. You're nothing but trash.' After that I practiced and learned a lot, changed my name and appearance and joined the Uraotogi Team, but ended up defeated by you. I'm not doing this for revenge. I just wanna believe that there's someone who can beat Toguro. Now I learned I'm not that someone. I want to believe that someone will come to break Toguro's superiority."

He then left them, and the boys looked at each other and down at their weapons.

Rei broke the silence, "I say, he looked a LOT better without the clown get-up."

Kurama and Kuwabara gave her humorous looks and she grinned back.

"I can't believe you get crushes on the enemies," Kurama said, nudging her.

"No one's an enemy in my book. As long as they're cute. Oh! Like Suzaku! Remember him?" Rei asked, looking everything like a nine-year-old. Kurama thought for a moment, "You mean the leader of the Saint Beasts?"

"Yeah, that's the one. He was fiiiine," Rei stuck out her tongue.

"How did you see him?" Kuwabara asked. Rei blinked, "I was having dreams."

"Sometimes we just never know about you, Rei," Kurama shook his head at her as they all noticed a huge light erupt from somewhere else in the forest. It went all the way up into the sky before they lost sight of it.

Rei had left the boys, since they were both too busy trying to find out about their new weapons to find Yusuke, and walked back to the hotel. It was dark outside and the moon was up. Rei noticed a light coming from the beach and walked towards it. When she got close enough, she could see it was Yusuke, trying out new powers. Sitting herself down on a rock, just a little ways from him, she propped her head on her hands and watched. After a few minutes, Yusuke spoke to her without turning.

"You felt it," he said. He wasn't asking; he was stating.

"Yeah," she answered.

"It's because when you meet someone, a line is drawn to your body. Their energy somehow feeds yours."

Rei was surprised. "How do you know this?" she asked.

Now he turned to her, "I can see them. The Orb shows me. I can't explain it."

He scratched the back of his head and turned away again. Rei stood up and walked over to him. "Atleast you explained something for me."

He looked down at her and she looked up and smiled. He seemed to want to put his arm around her, but stopped.

"Don't mind me," Kurama said from behind them, noticing Yusuke's reluctance. They both turned and Yusuke said, "Hey, Kurama. What're you doing here?"

"Taking a walk," he said. He pat the space beside him on the rock when his eyes caught Rei's and she sat down next to him. .oO{I'm a bitch,} Rei thought to herself in a sing-song voice. Yusuke didn't seem to care, though. Kurama stood up and walked around a little and Yusuke went back to training when Kuwabara ran up to him.

"You have to take a look at this, Urameshi!" he yelled.

Yusuke just looked at him, "What is it?"

Kuwabara proceeded to show him the 'Unique Spirit Dynamic Strong Sword of the World!'

Hiei jumped out of nowhere, his eyes shining redder than usual. "Idiot, what are you going on about?" he asked.

Kuwabara was about ready to shoot back a comment when he noticed Hiei's usually bandaged arm bloody, bruised and unbandaged. "What the hell happened to you?!" he asked.

Hiei looked down at his arm. "Oh, it wasn't obeying me anymore, so I had to maul it a little."

Kuwabara laughed nervously and Hiei's eyes seemed playful as he passed a look over at Rei and Kurama as he turned to sit down.

"Now the only one missing is Kurama," Kuwabara said. He turned and jumped when he noticed Kurama standing almost behind him. "I've been here for quite some time already."

Kuwabara then asked where Genkai was. Yusuke said she wouldn't be joining them today. He was still having a hard time believing she was dead. They all talked for a while and headed back to the hotel.

The boys got ready for the last round as the sun rose. A nervous spark was in the air up in the hotel room. Rei just stood to the side, asking if there was anything she needed to do, but none of them answered. By the time they were ready, they were all confident; the spark was gone.

Well, almost.

Rei was following slightly behind, as nervous as could be. And she didn't even know why. They walked to the stadium, and the boys were busy talking for a few minutes. Rei stood in the stadium until they were done. When Kurama came up to her and she asked where she was supposed to be, Kurama motioned to a seat, right next to the ring, but still above the wall.

"You can sit up there," he said. Rei looked up at him like a lost puppy. He reached to give her a comforting hug when Hiei asked her, "What's your problem?"

"She's taken our anxiety," Kurama mumbled to him.

"OUR what?" Hiei asked, obviously confident in his own abilities. Kurama rolled his eyes and turned back to Rei. "Just sit up there," he said. "We'll be all right."

Rei nodded to him and sat where he had pointed. She wasn't feeling good, and somewhere, somehow in the back of her mind knew she wasn't going to be able to follow this last round as well as she could. In a few minutes, Juri announced the teams: Urameshi against Toguro!

The Urameshi team doors opened and the Four boys were standing there. Then the Toguro team's doors opened and in came their fighters. The crowd started to notice both teams only had four and a few beside Rei wondered if they were all in league together.

Juri looked at the teams and seemed a little nervous. "The fights must be one-to-one, five fights on the whole. The team that obtains three victories is the winner. If no member of the teams has died, they must present five fighters," she read the rules. "So, I have to ask you boys to bring out your fifth fighter."

Sakyo-- the long, black haired man Rei had saw with Shizuru-- entered for the Toguro team, but said he wouldn't be fighting. He only wanted to see the defeat of the Urameshi team upclose. Juri was about ready to rule the round already won by Toguro's team because Urameshi's didn't have a fifth fighter, until Teen Koenma showed up. Juri was trying to give them a hard time, because the rules stated that the extra fighter couldn't be used unless one of the main fighters was dead.

Yusuke tensed up and almost said something, but Sakyo said his team had no objections to Koenma fighting-- though Koenma was NOT going to. He was only there for the extra number, and he was ready for a quick escape if everything went bad. Karasu made a gesture to Kurama before Kuwabara stepped forward to be the first fighter, but Kurama held him back. Juri announced the first fight of the Finals to be against Karasu and Kurama.

The crowd cheered for Toguro's team and Juri commented that everyone in the crowd was rooting for them. That brought on a slight 'boo' from only a few people, including Rei. She rested her elbows on the top of the wall and watched as Kurama and Karasu stepped into the ring. Kuwabara stopped Kurama for a second and asked him a question. Kurama answered it and jumped into the ring. Juri explained the rules for the fight and as usual, the two fighters bantered a little. Kurama started off making a barrier of rose petals around him. Karasu stepped forward but one of the petals cut his cheek. With a simple gesture, the petals that Kurama threw at him exploded.

Kurama was confused and Karasu explained the reason to him. Since the difference between their power levels was so great, Kurama couldn't see Karasu's energy. Karasu then went at Kurama but Kurama dodged and summoned the Rose Whip in the air. Karasu didn't even touch the whip, but it blew up, leaving only the hilt in Kurama's hands. Karasu's eyes and fingernails seemed to glow red as he came at Kurama, who had just landed. Kurama kept dodging his fingernails until Karasu vanished.

Karasu's shadow fell across Kurama and he looked up. Kurama jumped backwards just in time, for Karasu's hand broke the concrete where Kurama had just been standing. But then suddenly Kurama's left arm seemed to explode. Kurama held his burnt and bleeding arm and slightly turned from Karasu. Karasu jumped to the other side of the ring where Kurama was facing, and Kurama's right leg exploded. Kurama cried in pain, but thankfully both explosions weren't enough to rip his members. Kurama was shuddering a little when Karasu said, "While you can control plants, I can control something entirely different. And you can't see it. But, I will let you now."

Karasu lifted his hand and a green light seemed to emanate from it. Then Kurama saw what looked like three sticks of dynamite-- only they were the type you'd probably buy in at Demon-Mart. Karasu jumped into the air and threw the bomb at Kurama, who stood there trying to shield himself with his arm. The explosion covered half the ring in smoke, and the Boys all freaked out.

"Is Kurama alright?!" Kuwabara asked. Juri had been thrown into the air by the explosion and Karasu came out of the smoke, landing on the concrete and sliding to catch himself. Blood dripped from Karasu's hand and he lifted it, revealing a rose straight through the palm. He yanked it out harshly, breaking the petals as wind blew across the ring.

The crowd were all talking amongst themselves, waiting to see what would happen. Koto's ears were wiggling and she commented how similar this was to UraUrashima's match with Kurama. Juri was back in the ring, but crawling along the ground. Suddenly, a fox's scream was heard and the smoke started to clear away. It seems Yoko Kurama was back again.

"What a close call," says Yoko. "Shuichi Minamino's body was almost blown to pieces." Yoko had blood on him from Kurama's injuries, yet he still looked ready to fight. "It's a pleasure to fight against a high-class youkai like you," Yoko said to Karasu. "But sadly I have to inform you, my friend: you're going to die and I'll be the one to kill you."

Karasu scoffed. "You will be the one to die." With that he made two creepy looking, round things he called gunpowder bombs. They flew after Yoko, but he reached behind his head and pulled out two roses. He threw them and they made the gunpowder-bombs explode. Karasu then made a dozen or so bat-ish looking things with one eye, but there was a sparking wick on top of their round bodies/heads. The bat-bombs flew at Yoko, but he jumped into the air, making a few blow up. They all flew around, trying to get him, but he dodged them with ease. While Yoko was dodging, he asked Karasu if he had ever heard of the plant 'Mimosa'.

"I have no interest in gardening," Karasu said, rather shortly. Yoko landed, but the bats are still after him. He made his spirit energy higher, making it whirl around him and blow the bats up. At the same time, he summoned Mimosa. It looked like a huge, wilted daisy with thorns. And lots of heads. Yoko said the Mimosa attacks fire and moving objects. With that, he looked at Juri from the corner of his eye.

"Woman," he said. "Don't move if you don't want to die." Juri stopped and raised her arm, saying yes at the same time, but a "head" of the Mimosa came close to her, so she absolutely froze. The main Mimosa head opened, revealing an oval-shaped mouth with lots of teeth and leaves surrounding it. A few of the heads lunged at Karasu, but he dodged. Running along the tentacle of one, he made a bomb and threw it. He landed on the ground with his back to the firey Mimosa, but it was still alive.

WELL! Another of my "elaborated episode summaries"! XD I'm like, really getting annoyed with this Dark Tournament, so that's why it's nothing different from the eps and why I'm rushing through. BE GONE!!! kills DT

And, the reason I'm updating so fast is that it's not fair for you guys to be waiting in anticipation just to read the same stuff from the cartoon. Also, my internet is going to be down for a while, so that's another reason why I'm updating it all right now. Later!

OH YEAH! Rei knew that Kurama had the Fox-spirit, but she didn't know he TURNED into the fox.