Chapter 2: Team Mirushito Is Born
As Kakome started towards Mr. Karokita's desk, she took notice of who all he had required to stay after class. She noticed her classmates Arne Koroshika, Reishi Poronobu, Inaryu Ishkanori, and Takaan Takanoshi.
Arne was a tall, preppy type. He always wore a long-sleeved dress shirt and a pullover sweater vest. He was a loner, and spent most of his free time in class leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. This is not to say he was anti-social, he would talk to people when they talked to him, but his shyness made it very difficult for him to start a conversation. Perhaps his shyness was out-of-place; however, as the majority of the girls at Yusuke Urameshi School thought he was gorgeous. His large, blue eyes and spiky black hair complemented his fair complexion, but, unfortunately, Arne never realized this. Perhaps if he did, his shyness would never be an issue… but that is neither her nor there.
Reishi Poronobu was much the same way: a shy, anti-social, loner that never spoke unless spoken to. However, his problem was not shyness. Not to say that anyone ever knew what his problem was. No one could ever read him, and it didn't help matters that he always wore a mask. His mask was white, and had devil horns on the sides. There were no eye holes, and no one really knew how he got around safely. He did, though. Even though the girls had never seen his face, they still thought he was kind of cute. He had long, magenta hair that was spiked up in the front; an odd look to be sure, but it worked astonishingly well for him. He never wore a shirt, something that the other guys loathed him for. You see, he was as ripped as they come. He had abs that had broken many a wrist at the old 'Come on, hit it!' trick. Other's fear of him increased exponentially when they found out he was a youkai, the most feared class of demon. He didn't mind, though. He enjoyed the solitude.
Inaryu was quite the opposite. He picked fights with anyone who looked at him the wrong way. Perhaps this was to give him a sense of self-worth. He needed it; he was only four-foot-eleven-inches tall. No one knew how old he was, nor did they care to ask him; he'd just beat them up if they did. Many people told him he looked just like a miniature version of Inu Yasha, which made him even more angry and bitter. This was not an inaccurate statement, he had long, messy, white hair, yellow eyes, and, since he was a demon, he also had white fox ears and a white fox tail.
Takaan can be described in one word: punk. He was a rebel without a cause, he had no real respect for elders, and yet… people still liked him. He could be quite rude at times, yet everyone still wanted him to like them. He dressed his part very well; he was a gothic type, minus the black hair and makeup. He did have a rather punky hair style, though. His bangs were very long, so he gelled then to each side, and he spiked the back of his golden blonde hair up. And, as all gothic teenagers do, he always dressed in all black. He was still incredibly stylish though; he looked very good in the leather gloves with the fingers cut off, the studded belts, the bondage on his pants, and all of the… interesting shirts he wore. Basically, Takaan Takanoshi was the balls.
Kakome had never really talked to any of these people, with the exception of Arne. You see, Kakome and Arne were best friends. Some thought they had a secret romance going on, but this is the case with any opposite-sex best friends. She did think Takaan was cute, though. She loved his dreamy purple eyes…
"Kakome!" Arne nudged her in the rib. "Mr. Karokita is talking to you."
"Right. I was thinking about what he said, and then I… lost my train of thought." She quickly covered.
"That's quite alright, Kakome. I asked if you all knew each other." He responded.
"No. I only know Kakome." Arne told him.
"The only person I am familiar with is Takaan." Added Inaryu.
"Well, I'll skip the formalities." He pointed his finger to each respective person as he stated their names: "Kakome Mirushito, Arne Koroshika, Inaryu Ishkanori, Reishi Poronobu, and Takaan Takanoshi."
They all exchanged 'Nice to meet you''s and 'A pleasure I'm sure''s.
"Now that that's out of the way, I have a favor to ask you kids. I have had a hobby over the past few decades, and I am no longer able to participate in it. I'm… too old." Mr. Karokita explained.
"And what kind of hobby is this?" Arne asked inquisitively.
"You could call it competitive Spirit Detective School." He answered after thinking for a bit, as if there was something he didn't want them to know.
"Whatever. What's this got to do with us?" Takaan demanded impatiently.
"Funny you should ask. I would like you kids to participate for me." He answered patiently to counter Takaan's rudeness.
"I'm still not sure what it is you're asking us to get involved in." Kakome noted.
"Well, this hobby of mine is actually a tournament of Martial and/or Spiritual Arts called the Dark Tournament." Mr. Karokita explained. "Teams of five plus an alternate- I'll explain that part later- compete in fights in a manner decided by the two opposing team captains. This means that pretty much anything goes: One-on-One, Battle Royal, or anything else that the captains see fit. Usually, though, it's One-on-One battles in either Two out of Three or Blackout style."
"So, you want us to go beat the crap out of bored old guys?" Takaan asked with a bit of a laugh.
"… Suuuuuuurrrrrreee let's go with that one." Mr. Karokita answered deceitfully.
"Sounds fun." Takaan smirked.
"So we are to replace Team Karokita in this… Dark Tournament?" Reishi asked while everyone stared at him in awe for speaking.
"Yes, but I think a new name is in order. Don't feel like you're competing for me. I think Team Mirushito is a fine name." Mr. Karokita announced.
"Why give the name to the chick!" Takaan fumed. "She doesn't get any better grades than any of us!"
"I decided that: number one, she is a lady. You know the rules, ladies first. And, second of all, I sense something of a leader in her." Mr. Karokita shot back.
"Team Mirushito is born, then." Arne chimed. "So, when do we leave?"
"Tonight at midnight. Meet at Pier Thirteen about a half-hour beforehand." Their teacher answered. "And, since I won't be able to see you off- my poor kitten is sick- I'll just have to tell you now: whatever you do, don't talk to strangers."