UK: And now, introducing Bri and Kurama in their rendition of Disease by Matchbox 20!
Bri: Feels like you made a mistakeYou made somebody's heart break
But now I have to let you go
I have to let you go
You left a stain
On every one of my good days
But I am stronger than you know
I have to let you go
Kurama:
No one's ever turned you over
No one's tried to ever let you down
Beautiful girl
Bless your heart
Together:
I got a disease
Deep inside me
Makes me feel uneasy
Baby, I can't live without you
What am I supposed to do about it?
Bri and Kurama: bow Thank you, thank you!
UK: Say hello to the inspiration for this entire story, guys. I know, weird, huh? And I never actually mentioned that…
Disclaimer: Don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or Matchbox 20.
Chapter 16: Pieces of the Past
…Bri…
The six of us stood on the wooden planks of the dock, staring at a very unfamiliar-but-familiar sight. At least, to me, it was. The rocky mountains that made the name for this place hung like the gallows. Hanging Neck Island. The location of the annual Dark Tournament. Had we really been swindled into the Dark Tournament instead? Kurama and Kuronue, Yusuke and Kuwabara, they all towered over me. Only Hiei was shorter than I was, and not by much. The others were coming on a different boat.
"Does anyone else find it ironic that The Moon found Hanging Neck for her own tournament?" Yusuke asked, glaring at the posh hotel immediately before us.
"I didn't know you knew the word 'ironic' in the first place," I said idly.
I saw many other demons approaching the hotel from just about every direction. Some were coming by sea, others by portal (courtesy of Koenma), and more were landing on an airstrip somewhere on the other side of the mountains. I had never met any of them directly, but I recognized some. Like Jin, Touya, and Rinku. I'd watched the Dark Tournament with my spiritual eyes. I'd had little else to do, you know.
I wished Kurama could kill Karasu all over again.
"Kurama, it's been a time since your last visit," said a voice from behind. I knew that voice, though I knew I shouldn't. It was Yomi. Kurama turned round and faced the former king.
"Yes, it has," Kurama answered. Yomi was blind, that I knew. I stared hard at him, trying to figure out how he'd become the king he once was, how he became as strong as he was. I could sense his power—much greater than mine, but not much more than Kurama's. I bet Yusuke could beat him, though.
"Who are the new additions to your team, Kurama?" I blinked in surprise. How had he known I was here? How had he known I was new?
"I've told you about Bri and Kuronue before, but this is the first time you've met them," Kurama said. His voice was so even, smooth. "Bri, Kuronue, this is Yomi."
"How do you do?" I asked, being polite. No reason to be impolite yet.
Yomi smiled, and it seemed as though he were looking right at me. I shivered despite myself. Yomi smiled wider, though I couldn't tell if he had sensed my discomfort or not.
"I am well," he said. "It's a pleasure to finally meet the girl who has garnered so much attention from my old partner. I'm glad to finally meet you again, Kuronue. It's been too long."
Not long enough, Kuronue said in my mind. It had been a while since he'd last spoken through our link. I never liked Yomi back when he was still Youko's second.
Don't judge so quickly. You never know. A thousand years can change a person.
Yeah. So can just one.
I smiled at Kuronue, making it seem as though I were smiling at Yomi for his compliment. Yomi nodded once and placed a hand on my shoulder. He didn't even miss a sinew.
"How do you do that?" I blurted.
Yomi chuckled. "You know as well as I that demons have heightened senses. They are far more heightened when one is out of commission, Bri Wolf."
It made sense, but for some reason, I didn't like how playful his voice sounded. It was like he was hinting at something and I didn't get what it was. Yomi brushed past us all, throwing a wave over his shoulder.
"See you in the ring."
And he was gone.
"Weird," I said. "Was he always like that?"
"Yes and no," Kurama said. "Yomi is a complex person. I think more even than I am."
"I doubt that," Kuronue said dryly. He obviously was still untrusting in the older demon.
"Come on, let's get inside and get settled into our rooms," Yusuke said. "Our first match is today, isn't it?"
"Yes. And we may just find out who The Moon really is," Kurama said.
We stepped into the lobby of the hotel. It was covered in velvet and light, in precious stones and bell hops that were annoyingly pleasant. I declined letting one carry my suitcase or my book bag. No reason to have to pay some idiot to do what I could do myself better.
Our rooms were on the twenty-second floor. Kuronue, Kurama, and I had a two-room suite so that I could have a room to myself, being the only girl. The others were down the hall, but I still wanted to be with my teammates. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei had the other room. I set my things on the simple hotel bed and stared at the artwork over the desk. It was of Tokyo at night, with only the yellow lights of buildings and the full moon painted over total blackness. It looked familiar.
When I read the signature, I knew why.
It was mine.
I knew mother had sold several of my paintings, with my permission, to help support the family. I had no idea that one of those had arrived at a hotel on Hanging Neck Island, of all places. I stared at my signature for a moment more before throwing open my suitcase for a change of clothes. A simple pair of loose-fitting jeans and a blue t-shirt. That was my fighting outfit. I checked my pockets for the plants that I'd begun using at Kurama's insistence. He claimed that plants were easier to manipulate than my fire, and he, as always, was right. I used my fire for power fights.
I joined Kurama and Kuronue in the "living room" part of the suite. Kuronue had the same outfit as I, but Kurama had opted for his Chinese outfits once again, but the hangin part was short. At least it didn't look like a dress again. He looked good in red.
"A tram's here to take us to the stadium for the first rounds," Yusuke said. Hiei and Kuwabara were silent, which was strange for Kuwabara. "The others are already in the audience. Botan was here."
I stretched one arm over my head and sighed. "Let's get it over with."
The "tram" turned out to look very much like Nemoi's "infamous" trolley. I squeezed into the open-air wooden seat between Kurama and Kuronue and watched as woods parted on either side of the old dirt road. I think I would rather have walked than be thrown into Kurama and Kuronue at every little pothole and bump. I checked to make sure my bracelet was still on as we neared the stadium. I noticed with a thrill and a self-scold that Kurama had his watch on, too. It was simple silver, but I'd asked for a nine-tailed fox to be carved into the band.
A lizard-like demon escorted us from the tram into what looked like a normal high school gym locker room. Complete with benches and purple lockers and graffiti that said "Death" and "Marvin Luvs Gwen". Since we were already dressed, I sat down on one of the benches and stared at the door that would take us into the stadium.
"They've painted the lockers," Yusuke said, grinning. "Otherwise, same old place."
"Yeah," Kuwabara said shortly.
"You okay?" I asked. "You've been acting weird since we got here."
"I've got a funny feeling about this tournament thing," Kuwabara said. He rubbed at his arms as if it were cold. I knew better. Aside from the fact that it was practically sweltering in the locker room, Kuwabara always rubbed his arms when he had a bad sixth sense feeling.
"What kind of feeling?" Yusuke asked, for a minute returning to his younger, cocky self once again. "You chickening out?"
"No! That's not it." Kuwabara shook his head, almost ignoring the direct threat to his "manly pride". "It's one of those weird premonition things. I don't think that this 'The Moon' person really wants anyone hurt. I don't think this is like the Dark Tournament."
"What do you mean?"
"Competitors, please come out on the field!" came a muffled voice into the locker room.
"I guess we'll find out later," Yusuke said. "We're up."
…
…Bri…
I knew as I walked out onto the field that I was at an extreme disadvantage here. The stadium was simple: a round concrete center, grass surrounding that, and thousands of people watching surrounding that. I gulped at a large, rock-like knot in my throat. I hated people watching me do anything. Now I had to fight with thousands watching. I felt a hand on my shoulder and glanced up at Kurama's hairline. Kuronue grinned from the other side of him.
Don't worry so much, little sis. You won't have to focus on the crowd for long.
Easy for you to say, bat-boy.
"Everything will be fine," Kurama said, bringing my attention back to him. He didn't remove his hand until our attention turned to the announcer. I recognized her easily as the cat demon Koto. The Moon had gone all out.
"Welcome to the Tournament of Trials!" Koto shouted. "Although this tournament was a bit unscheduled, I, your commentator, cannot wait for the matches to begin! Of course, it's not going to be the total bloodbath that some of you might be expecting, to my disappointment."
The crowd roared in sudden confusion. Some of the competitors cried out, too, but all of our team remained silent. I had the feeling that no one had expected this sudden turn of events.
"And now, I'd like to introduce the three organizers of this event," Koto shouted. Three figures appeared behind her, all dressed in black cloaks that hid their faces. Two were obviously women, both tall and thin, the last being a rather overweight man. His potbelly made the front of his cloak rise to reveal a pair of old-style sandles that I rarely saw anymore. Maybe on a temple priest? I think Genkai owned a pair.
One of the women stepped forward and took the mike from Koto.
"I am The Moon, the main committee member for the Tournament of Trials. It was I who forced, swindled, invited, or otherwise made you be here this week. It is not in the desire of any of those present that you should die. In fact, should we catch any of you dead, for whatever reason, it will be in the committee's best interest to take over the three worlds without the say of the tournament's end."
She shifted the mike to her other hand, obviously intent on continuing. However, the other woman took it from her before she could continue. I could almost sense the childish pout that crossed her face, though I couldn't even see her chin or nose.
"My name is The Star, and I am the pleased to announce that the tournament will be held in a very simple manner. The Sky, if you will please produce the chart on the screen."
The potbellied, cloaked man only nodded and pressed a button on Koto's commentating station. On the enormous screen over the field was list of skills, games, and other assorted odd things that I definitely didn't think would be in a tournament.
"This Tournament of Trials is so named because it tests a variety of skills. The three of us will determine the score, as judges. The categories are: Physical, Mental, Talent, and Team. As Physical suggests, this category is for what you've all trained for. The fights, which will be gauged on skill in battle, not whether you defeat your opponent or not. However, the rule still applies that you must not kill your opponents. Is that understood?"
I think about a hundred or so demons nodded at the exact same time.
The Star gestured to The Sky and the screen changed again. Now, it showed a list of the competitors in the stadium and what number their team leader (Yusuke for us) had drawn for them. My number was seventeen. How lucky for me. There were a hundred two fighters in all, in teams of six. I recognized some, others I didn't. I didn't really pay much attention at that time.
Most of the rounds, I found out, would be dealt with individually. Only the Team category would be dealt with as a team, though what we'd do there was a mystery. The team with the most points would be the winners.
The team leaders (seventeen in all) were each called up to the front. Each were given a simple white envelope. These told each team member against which three fighters they would need to prove themselves against.
That's when I got my first huge shock.
Matsu.
Matsu, the demon, the one who had joined forces with Une and Karasu for my blood in the other time stream. The one who'd once been my math teacher at Meikou. I had forgotten that he would still be alive in this time stream. I stared as he came to the front to collect his envelope. He would be mostly innocent of the crimes he'd committed in the other time stream, and yet I couldn't help myself. It was like staring at a mass murderer who had been set free by parole. It may just have been, too.
I could catch no one's eye to question this odd coincidence, because Koko was in the stands. Hiei would never actually consider this at all, even though it had been him, initially, who had killed Matsu in the other time stream. I only could only stare, not listening as the other sixteen were called to the front for their envelopes. So caught up in watching my would-be torturer, I didn't hear Yusuke tell me my battles. Kuronue bopped me lightly over the head to catch my attention.
"What, you see a cute guy or something?" Yusuke asked, smirking.
"No!" I protested. "I saw someone I know…"
"A lot of those," Kuwabara agreed, glancing around the haphazard crowd. "I mean, there's the others we know from the Dark Tournament, and plus Yomi, Mukuro, and Urameshi's monks."
"They aren't mine! They just won't leave me the hell alone!" Yusuke yelled. "Anyway, the guys you'll be fighting are Boku, Toki, and Buck." He showed me pictures of the three guys.
I nearly lost it right there.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"What, they friends of yours?" Yusuke blinked.
I muttered hotly, "Could say that…"
"I know who Buck is," Kuronue laughed. "It's that stupid rock demon you fought when we were seven!"
"Yeah, and I thought you said he couldn't come back for another hundred years!" I more than "bopped" my brother over the head. He was a little out of commission for a while.
"But what of the other two?" Kurama asked in his calm, quiet way that I was finding more and more annoying when things pertained to my past.
The others fell silent. I growled, unable to really find much to explain.
"You remember how Koko explained to the rest of ya'll that I had a hand in destroying the other time stream? Well, it was those two who 'helped' me, I guess you'd put it like that. Long story." Kurama kept silent about the fact that it had been me, eventually, who told him about this past of mine.
"We have some time before the first match," Yusuke said. "Plenty time for a long story."
So, I told them.
…Flashback…
I remember best what I told my boyfriend. I can't recall my exact words, but I told him something to the effect that if I could allow him to live with my death, I would do it. I told him this with a kiss to his dying lips and I glared at the central cause of his death. It was my own mother, Tsuki. I remembered how ironic it seemed that my fiancé was murdered by his future mother-in-law.
Being a quarter cat demon, I had one sure-fire way of "killing" Tsuki. I cut a hole in the time stream and jumped through. I found the month cycle of Tsuki's father's demon clan easily. I was almost too late, as I had to find Tsuki's human mother first. I found them in a clearing very near where I'd come out of Tsuki's original portal. I dove in front of her, glaring into the slit eyes that Tsuki would inherit.
"Human, get back to your own world." I snarled at her, trying to appear as menacing as possible. I hit her with a wave of my Empathe powers, enough to give her a headache. She vanished into the portal that had somehow dropped her here. I was barely able to turn round to the cat demon who would be my grandfather when he tackled me to the ground, his pupils completely overpowering his irises now.
I let him take me, mate with me. I knew, even though I had few of the actual cat demon instincts, that Tsuki herself was beginning to grow in my womb. I was sick at the thought. I knew I had to do something. Anything.
"What's your name?" I asked him after a few weeks of not being able to leave his side for longer than twenty minutes. I'd never even found that out, although he continued to mate with me at times.
"Neko Toki," he grunted. "You?"
"Bridget. Just Bridget."
That night, I left.
I fought against the weak bonds that the cat demon Toki had forged with me. I found a tiger demon that had stumbled onto the lands near the cat demon village. He had silvery fur and a pair of cuffs over his claws. I led him away to a river, still fighting the bonds of my mating with Toki.
"I'm Bri," I said to him.
"Boku," he said.
"Listen, Boku. If I take these cuffs off you, you owe me something. Right?"
"Right…" He said uncertainly. He wasn't stupid or anything, just confused. Why would I, a girl who appeared to be fighting with herself, offer something to a tiger? I could see the question in his eyes.
"I want you to eat me."
He stared. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. Knock me out and eat me."
More staring. "Sure?"
"Boku, I'm more sure than I've ever been in my life. I want you to eat me."
I freed him and he, in turn, freed me of my life.
…End Flashback…
"Think they'll still recognize you?" Yusuke asked.
"Yeah, they'll have a heart attack, don't you think? One loses his mate and the other sees someone he ate," Kuwabara said. He looked a little green at the thought. I hadn't even told Koko the exact extent of my "death".
"Boku is the least of my worries," I said dryly. "But Toki might try and take me back."
"We will not allow it," Kurama said calmly.
"What do you propose we do?" I asked. "I could sense it from the field. Toki is by far stronger than I am."
"He is not as strong as I," Kurama said. "Nor Kuronue or Hiei, or even Kuwabara. Let alone Yusuke."
"No one touches my sister." Kuronue agreed, nodding as if he were a Buddhist priest praying over a corpse. "He who does dies a painful death."
Hiei glared at everyone, myself included. Even after all these years of me being his godchild, he still glared. He remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"You've forgotten already that you are a kitsune?"
I stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Oh, yeah," Kuronue said. "You can just cast an illusion over their eyes!"
"And neither of them really know my name, either…" I sighed. "Even so, I know them both well enough to know that they will not hesitate to kill. I doubt they care who rules over the worlds at all. They aren't smart enough to contemplate that."
"Good to know how much esteem you held your past mate," Kurama said wryly.
"I was raped into it, like I really would care about him," I growled. "Toki was and probably still is an idiot. It's a wonder he's survived so long."
A knock came at the door.
"Team Urameshi, fighter seventeen is requested on the field for her first match."
I sighed and stood, letting my illusion fall again before restructuring it for two specific pairs of eyes. Kurama had taught Kuronue and I how to target illusions toward certain creatures during our training. I altered the appearance I would have quite a bit and sent the illusion to Kurama.
"Think it'll work?" I asked.
He chuckled softly. "I doubt they will even take you seriously, Bri."
"Thanks. I thought so, too."
I'd fashioned myself into an old woman with sagging cheeks, still the shadow of my young self. Boku, the tiger who'd eaten me, and my first match, wouldn't know what hit him. I let the illusion drop for Kurama and headed out the door. After years of fighting alongside my brother, and only one year of training with Kurama and Kuronue, I knew I wasn't ready for the true battlefield that Boku and Toki had lived on for hundreds of years. I couldn't count on either the tiger nor the cat to fight fairly.
So I could only depend on what little in the way of power that I had.
I stood in the doorway, waiting for Koto to announce me. When she did, a crack of light spilled into the dark hall and I was at once alone. I held my head high and shoved both hands into my pockets. If this crowd wanted a show, that's exactly what I was gonna give them. With my dignity intact, of course.
The roar of the stadium rocked my feet, nearly bowled me over back into the door. I stood my ground and stared at all the little dots that made the people. I wouldn't have been able to spot Koko, Gina, Gun Wa, or anyone else in this mess. There were just too many people. I stepped up onto the concrete floor, where Koto was waiting with her microphone.
There, standing as if he were going to get kicked out for saying something he shouldn't have, was Boku. He had golden fur, crisped with black and silver streaks. An obvious sign of age for tigers, as I recalled that he'd only been silver when I first met him. Both his ears were turned back flat against his skull and his rounded tail was flicking in agitation. He obviously didn't want to be here any more than I did. I was glad that my first fight was against him. At least with Boku, I was protecting his sanity more than my safety.
I was not looking forward to my bout with Toki.
What if he recognized my scent?
I smirked to myself, recalling that at one point in my life, I would have laughed at such a ridiculous thought. I'd thought I was fully human, not necessarily a normal one, but at least I thought I was human enough not to have to worry about people recognizing me by my scent. The dim flash from a past I supposedly hadn't lived was a reminder that even though the scars on my body were gone, the ones in my heart were still fresh. I shook my head roughly and knelt into a fighting stance.
"Our seventeenth battle of Boku from the Tora team and Bri from the Urameshi team is about to begin!" Koto shouted. "Boku is from the Yearling clan of tigers near the Forest of A Thousand Deaths in the Makai, while Bri is a halfling born of a copper kitsune and a human man. Let's see how these two come out! Judges, be at the ready! Boku, Bri, the rules are simple. Everything goes as long as you don't kill or seriously injure your opponent. Is that understood?"
"Yeah, I got it," I said, not leaving my stance. "He won't be dead."
"She's just a frail old woman," Boku said. He still had that utterly high-pitched voice you wouldn't expect of a tiger. I guess it had never left him. "I will be careful."
"Well, folks, looks like we have our fight cut out for us. On the count of three! Three! Two! One! Fight!"
Neither of us moved. I stared at him. He stared back. The tension, the silence in the air, it was so thick you could cut it with an ink pen. A knife would have murdered it dead. My brain wanted to follow that train of thought, but my body would not allow it. Both eyes were trained on Boku.
He made the first move.
I ducked a fist, threw one myself, powered a flame arrow at his arm, and jumped back. I smirked and let the fire go out. Boku stared me down, golden eyes flashing with an emotion I hadn't counted on: fear. Boku was afraid of me. What did a tiger like him have to be afraid of? I looked like a freakin' old lady to him!
"Yo, Boku," I said, acting the level-headed warrior I definitely wasn't. "Is that all you got or are you scared?"
"I am not afraid of you," he said. But I caught the hidden meaning behind his words. He wasn't scared of me. The fear in his eyes was evident. He glanced over my shoulder, toward a stand. I dared not turn my back on an opponent, so I circled like Kurama had taught me, swinging round so that I could see what he was looking at.
I reached into my pocket and withdrew a cherry seed. Just a little energy, and a small branch wrapped around my wrist. The point was duller than I would have made it had I been aiming to kill him.
Boku glanced over his shoulder, obviously aware that I was an honorable fighter or that I was going to follow the rules and not injure him severely. I followed his eyes to the tables set up where Koto had taken her seat. Beyond her were the three judges.
The judges.
He was scared of the judges.
I would have laughed at him, had I not had my suspicions as well. The trio obviously had a great deal of power and influence if they'd done everything they had so far. Boku stared at me now, seeing that I'd gotten it. Or, that's what I think he saw. I dulled the tip of my cherry dagger even more and went on the offensive.
Just as Kurama had taught me. Circle…circle…wait for the moment when he least expects it…I stared him down, making him watch my eyes and not my body. I was closer than he expected when I lunged. I caught him on the head with the broad side of my cherry dagger. He was down.
Unconscious in two strikes. I obviously had overestimated him. Koto glanced from me, to him, to the judges, and back to me again. After only a few moments, the judges had their scores. Ten, ten, and…three? The Moon had given me a three! I scowled, but bowed to the cheering stands and calmly walked back.
"Way to go!" Yusuke congratulated me as I came back through. "A twenty-three, not bad for your first match."
"I think The Moon doesn't like me," I said, scowling. "Boku was distracted, anyway. I think he was scared of the judges."
"Why would he be scared?" Kuronue asked. "Didn't you say that they wouldn't care about who ruled?"
"That's what scares me," I said. "There's something more to this tournament than meets-the-eye. I intend on finding out what it is."
…
…
…
Okay, now here's a reason to celebrate: ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS! WHOOOO! Sorry, I've been wanting to say that for a while. I got a hundred on Wolf's Last Cry, but that was after the fact. I'm weird. Just say it, I'm weird.
I might have a job at Wal-Mart soon enough, so I don't know how that will effect how often I update. I think I'll be able to handle it, though. It's cool.
My brother's an idiot. He's trying to get back together with Amber. --()
Also, I've got what I'm going to do with Yomi and Kuwabara. Still gotta think of something for Kurama, guys. How to trick a smart guy…;
Also, I received one review about this: The book that I'm "testing" Bri out for. If you want to help me out with it, please, email me. I would love to let you all read it, if you want to. I've been working on it for several years. However, this is the problem that I've run across: Publishers do not want stories that have previously been posted on the internet at any time. I can send it through email for beta-editing purposes or for people to just read them, but I can't put it on fiction press or anything like that. Thanks for the interest if you do want to read…
And now that I'm done wit' that, let's move on to the individual awesome peoples…
Kuramafan: I think I've got the pranks down. And my MSN thing STILL won't log me on. I don't get it. I really don't. Can you try and get Yahoo Messenger? Please? It still works…TT
Chevron Ice: Thanks for the info! I dunno about my brother, he's just…he's frustrating. All macho-man and stuff…Thinks he can handle himself without the family "butting in". There's really nothing I can do, and that's what's so frustrating. I don't think a 15 year old age gap is all that big, either. My grandparents are thirty years apart. Eh heh. It's kind of the teacher-student thing that would be the problem, actually, but I don't think either of them have really thought about that issue…
Kohari: I know I wear my one piece of jewelry everywhere, with the exception of church, shower, and bed. It's a necklace with a ruby dragon's tear, and a pewter phoenix holding that. I got it at Akon. I can't wear it to church because my religion is against jewelry, but I don't care about that, really. And bed because I'm afraid to get choked, shower because pewter rusts easily, I think. I don't wear watches because there's something stupid about my family's blood that makes them go faster for some reason. And nothing is ever irrelevant to me. I love character, and that is something that reveals a lot of it. It's details that make a person.
Lucifer: Kurama is gradually clueing in on what's going on, yes. Yayness for you being the first to get it! Yeah…The Moon is Tsuki, Yue in this time. I liked this chapter (16) because it goes back to the cat demon that started it all and the tiger that ate Bri.
Princess Kandra: LOL, okay. Don't worry, I think you'll enjoy what I have in store for our lovely couple. (evil laughter)