I don't own YYH

I'm actually on schedule! Lol. I said I'd update after my math final, which was yesterday, and I have XD

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RAW to the tenth power – Lol. Yes they do, but it's really rather complex. DBZ eh? Ya I guess so when it comes to it… then again you can compare DBZ battles to many battles in anime's or anime related fics. Lol.

Ani Mei – Thank you. Yep, we find out where Era went in this chapter. And thanks for the luck too! I think I did fairly well on my math final. I only have physics left and I'm only worried about that because for the last three the stupid regents has been really hard, or so the teachers say.


Chapter 29

"Where did she go?" Yusuke asked as he looked around the entire arena.

"Some place that is safe at the moment," Firan answered.

"She is still within the arena however," Eralasea filled in what the other god had left out. "Era can be very cunning when she needs to be and now is certainly the most desirable time. She did not wait countless centuries to be killed off so easily after all."

Van-Gareth studied his lance like arm with a deep frown. No blood meant no kill and no kill meant that Era was playing hide-and-seek with him. That was something he did not appreciate in the least. He changed his arm back to its natural shape as he focused of finding the very faint power source his opponent had looming around her.

The figure that looked just like Era suddenly healed itself of its puncture wound and got to its feet. Van-Gareth's eyes snapped open and he jumped back to evade a punch to his face. With a growl his hand extended past normal bounds through the use of his natural ability and went through Era's chest. The results were the same as the last attempt to kill her, only this time the body broke apparent into the substance of Era's mastery; water.

Growling angrily Van-Gareth kept his eyes open as he once again tried to locate the water maiden. A sudden surge of energy caused him to look down before he cursed in the ancient tongue, something that Eralasea did not allow for translation, and disappearing into the shadows just as a column of water shot out of the ground at a deathly speed.

"Where the hell did all that water come from?" Yusuke asked in surprise.

"There must be an underground source somewhere," Kurama attempted to answer.

Rinku looked up to the disguised fox, "But how did she get down to it?"

Kurama's gaze fell onto the water goddess, "We've underestimated her from the day we met her, all we can do it watch and accept what she is doing."

"You must do more that accept it if you wish her to win," Eralasea said softly, but loud enough for them to hear.

Van-Gareth reappeared on the battle field only to vanish once more as yet another column of water shot out of the ground before settling back down like the last one. This 'game' continued for several moments as Van-Gareth tried locating Era and she tried striking him every time he showed himself. The fun ended however when Era was able to track where the shadow demon was going and sent multiple columns up into the air, allowing them to curve and follow his every movement as if they were homed in on him.

"Ah," Jin leaned forward slightly, "This be remindin' me of 'er trick back in the ice village. Only tha' turned into a dragon."

"But is just as deadly it seems," Touya commented, his throat hurting him from when he had screamed, something he felt very foolish for.

Van-Gareth did not bother entering his element, knowing that it would be a waste of effort with the water locked onto his very energy. Instead he ran ahead of the 'angry swirls of death' as Kuwabara had dubbed them not a moment ago, earning him a snide remark from Hiei.

He jumped to the side several times to evade a water column that crashed down to the ground only to disappear and another came forth to take its place. He even once stopped short once to evade an attack that came down from right above him before he changed his direction in an attempt to get away from the attack, but it proved useless.

A plan quickly formed in the shadow demon's mind and he smirked at the thought. In a quick movement the changed his direction once again for just over a dozen paces before stopping short. He allowed the water to lurch forward and come within inches of him before he changed into a very small demonic bird and flew into the air with great haste. His last second movement did not allow Era's attacks time to change its direction and so it crashed into the ground so harshly it left a fairly deep crater.

Van-Gareth smirked as he landed back on the ground in his regular form. The water filled the crater and became still far too quickly for it to have happened naturally. "Your trick is now worthless girl," his voice was dripping with venom and malice.

Some of the water within the crater slid upward to create the form of Era. Seconds later it completely materialized into the figure everyone knew. She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly as she locked her gaze with her opponent, "As is yours."

"One down, hundreds more available," Van-Gareth said with little care and a shrug of his shadowy shoulders. He smirked yet again and shape shifted into a form that made Era growl so angrily that her friends shivered.

"I told you to leave my past alone," Era was furious and it was understandable. Before her stood the young boy her family had taken in before Van-Gareth had destroyed her home; Darien.

Touya clenched his fists and jaw at the sight. Not only was Van-Gareth angering Era by mocking the form of the child she had called her brother, the beast was also mocking his ancestry. Darien had been the first on in his family line to change from a water demon to an ice demon, something that only occurred because Era had left him in the care of an ice tribe so she could fight against the creature that had caused so much pain and suffering.

"Why would I dismiss what angers you most?" Van-Gareth asked with a chuckle.

Era brought her hands out to her sides, chest high, water trailing up to them in the form of several small columns. Her eyes shown with bitter hatred, something that was exceedingly uncharacteristic of her.

"Would you attack your dear friend?" Van-Gareth asked in a mocking tone.

"You're not him," Era replied angrily. She threw her hands forward and the water, the size of her hand, shot forward at the same time Van-Gareth sent a whip made of shadow at her.

Both attacks hit at the same time, but neither had the intention of piercing the flesh of its target. Instead they wrapped around each others throats tightly, cutting off the flow of oxygen their bodies so needed.

Neither let go of their attacks until the lack of air caused their vision to blur and their bodies to begin going numb. At that point the attacks fell on their own as instinct kicked in and they both fell to their knees coughing.

Eralasea frowned from where she stood, "That is not a good sign."

"What?" Touya asked as he forced his gaze to leave the arena.

"Era let go a fraction of a second before Van-Gareth did."

"Is tha' it?" Jin asked, "Tha's na so bad."

Firan huffed, "Children these days."

Eralasea gave a faint smile, "We cannot expect them to know what true battles are like Firan." She paused for a brief moment, "In battle such as these every fraction of time is of great importance, for a deathly blow can be laid within them, shattering their opponents attack before it could strike."

With new anxieties the group turned their gazes back upon the arena as the two legendary fighters got to their feet once more.


You have got to hate it when a god points out bad faults. Got you worried yet? I killed Era once, I can do it again! So what'll happen? I'm not utter a word of the outcome unless it is within the story itself… yes I know I'm being evil again XP

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