Chapter 7: Takaan versus Anzai

"Well… it looks like the winner is Inaryu, from Team Mirushito! That ties the score at one victory a peace for both teams! Will the next two fighters please enter the ring?" Midori announced

Takaan yawned.

"His Spaz Juice is wearing off. If he doesn't fight now, he'll be too tired later." Naomi whispered to Kakome.

"Good point. Takaan! You're fighting." She responded.

"I know I'm fighting, but when?" he inquired.

"Not much of a thinker, are you love?" Naomi giggled.

Takaan thought about what she just said. "Oooooooooooohh…" he expressed.

Before he knew it, the girls had pushed him into the ring along with the man that was thought to be Shishiotogi's Team Captain. Takaan was scared out of his mind. Why did he, the youngest member of the team, have to take the shaft and fight him?

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MINDS!" he asked his supposed friends. "LOOK AT HIM! HE COULD BREAK ME IN HALF! I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T MAKE REISHI TAKE HIM I'LL"-

"By Dark Tournament rules, I have to consider those now in the ring to be the next combatants. 'Kay?" she winked at Takaan. " We've got the ultra-cute Takaan from Team Mirushito versus the equally-cute-but-older-and-taller-and-therefore-cuter Anzai!"

Takaan fumed at this. "Him! Cuter than me!"

"Ready? Fight!" Midori declared.

Anzai was ready before she had said this, but Takaan was still glaring at Midori. Anzai lashed foreward in one motion towards Takaan, and stayed about a foot in the air, almost as if he were gliding. Before Takaan knew it, he had been hit square in the jaw. He realized it might be time to draw his weapons: two red sai whose blades were about a third of the size of normal sai. This was because Takaan preferred to use them like brass knuckles; he placed his fingers in between the blades so that they stuck out of the grooves of his fingers.

Anzai realized the danger of these weapons, so he decided to take action. He raised his forearms into the shape of an "x", then yanked them with force so that they stuck out about chest level. At this point, his aura began to glow. A deeper black than anyone had ever seen, it caught the attention of everyone in the arena.

Anzai began to jerk in pain, and the audience then noticed something beginning to grow out of his back… no… two things beginning to grow out of his back. When they finally got too big for Anzai's shirt, they caused the entire thing to rip off. When they did, it was seen that these things were black, leathery wings.

Anzai flew into the air with an enormous flap of his new extremities. He was fast. So fast that Takaan couldn't move his head fast enough to see him. He knew that his only hope was his fire.

He pocketed his sai in one motion, and began to conjure his aura. Anzai wouldn't allow this to go on for too long, he thought. With that in mind, he flicked his wrist, and opened his fist in one motion, causing a fireball to appear in his palm. He flung this ball under his other arm, a motion which he felt was faster than turning around. He was right. Not only was this motion quick enough, it also hit Anzai head-on.

When the fireball hit him, he got flung backwards and landed skidding and skipping like a rock on water with a thud.

He stood back up, obviously weakened, knees buckling and wings punctured. He wiped a tiny dot of blood from his lip and began to chuckle.

"I don't see what's so funny." Takaan demanded.

"Dude, do you actually think I'd let you win that easily?" Anzai answered.

He repeated his "x"-arm to chest gesture, and began to glow again, but this time a pure, brilliant white. His aura was blinding.

"Bright… enough…for you?" Anzai managed to choke out in spite of the immense energy flowing through him. " That's… because it's… seikoki… the Holy Energy…"

"Holy Energy?" Takaan asked

" Yes… I've managed…to master youki… the energy of youkai… as well as seikoki…" he answered. "My seikoki blinds you… because it's the purest… and holiest… which makes it the purest white there is… and your tainted human eyes… can't handle it!"

With that, the blinding light faded, and Anzai reappeared. This time, though, he was dressed in a white toga, and had thick arm guards with intricate designs on his wrists. He had lost his skull cap, and his blonde hair had grown to just-pass-shoulder length. And his wings had turned into… angel wings…

He flicked his wrists and spikes came out of his wrist guards. He flew into the air, and, in a split second, dived into Takaan, sending him flying out of the ring.

Midori stated the count. "1!"

Oh no! Takkan!" Kakome screamed.

"2! 3! 4!"

"Get up! You're gonna lose!"

"5!"

"You will ruin everything!" Inaryu barked

"6!" Takaan had still not even made a twitch, movement, or even a breath.

"7!"

"Okay, he's lost, just get him to the hospital!" Kakome demanded of Midori

"8!"

"Pathetic. He never even tried." Inaryu said angrily

"9!"

"Takaan…" Kakome whispered

"10! The winner is Anzai!" Midori announced "Can we get a medic for Takaan?"

Anzai whispered something in Midori's ear, then handed her what looked like money.

"It appears we have a slight change of plans for the next match. It will now be a two-on-two fight consisting of the remaining members of both teams. A Battle Royal between Kakome and Reishi of Team Mirushito, and Daylin and Zshan from Team Shishiotogi!"

"And when did I agree to this?" Kakome demanded, outraged.

Midori turned off her microphone. "Well, we judges are supposed to use our own judgment for things that are not in the rulebook. Match format changes are not in the rulebook, so my own judgment is : take the money." She turned her microphone back on.

"The match will continue as planned. Will the next four combatants please approach the ring? Everyone here? Ok. Ready? Fight!"