DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH, but my original characters and twists to the original plot, are mine—so please, if you're going to use my ideas, ask first.
a/n: damn cold…anywhos, I have nothing better to do right now, so I should probably get going with this next chapter pretty soon, shouldn't I?
Cookies to my reviewers!
Little Sakura 87: (:nervous laugh:) yeah, I think part of the reason Mai was so depressed was because I wasn't feeling all that well when I was writing the last chapter. Hehe, yeah it does kind of look like Ken-ohki (or however you spell it), but probably a little more cat-like…
Umeko Saito: LoL, I wouldn't really consider it a "talk-show", haha, but that's okay! Well on the subject of Belldandy/Mai's hair…I did say "something" like Belldandy's, so I'm thinking it's definitely shorter.
Shadowkitsune7: Okay, okay, here's your update! (although, judging by my enthusiasm, it might take me awhile to get this chapter up :nervous laugh:)
Fangimation: (:nervous laugh:) uh, heh-heh…well I won't really get into the relationship thing…um…:backs away slowly: LoL, don't worry, though…um, well just don't be mad at me :sweatdrop: (I hope you continue reading, if that counts as anything)
Thoughts
With Every Drop of Blood
:Rebirth: Phase 2:
'I'll see you in Rekai…'
Slowly, Mai's eyes fluttered open and blinked into the sunlight streaming through the window in front of her. She sat there for a moment, listening to the silence that enveloped her…the death-like silence that—oddly enough—seemed to fit her mood.
The guardian absently fingered a strand of hair between her fingers as she rolled onto her back. Without really noticing it, she began painting pictures in her head with the cracks along the ceiling.
What finally brought her thoughts back to reality was when she felt something gently prodding her stomach. Glancing down, she found herself staring at a pair of bright green eyes. She managed a weak smile and rubbed her between the ears gently.
"Hey Kira…" she said quietly.
"Mew…?"
She blinked and stared at the creature curiously before she laughed dryly, "What? Are you not going to talk to me today? Alright, that's just great because I don't feel like it either…"
It started to purr and rubbed against her hand, "Mew."
Mai stopped and suddenly lifted herself to the sitting position. She stared in disbelief at the spirit beast as she picked it up between her hands, "Kira?"
But the former guardian wouldn't answer her. It was a long time before she suddenly realized what had happened. Gently, she hugged the creature to her and stared down at its bright emerald eyes.
"You better be happy up there, Kira…" she said quietly to no one, "Heh, this is the last time I'm going to tell you that, 'cause you better stay up there this time; I'm not going to be very happy if I have to see you go a third time…"
Her spirit beast mewed again and crawled up to her shoulders. Its tail gently swished around her neck while the rest of its body took up the guardian's right shoulder.
She managed another small grin and gently rubbed between the creature's ears, "…Now what am I supposed to call you now?" she mused, "It would seem a little odd calling you Kira from now on…" it cocked its head up at her again and she smiled weakly, "But unlike Urameshi, I'm not going to call you 'Mew'…"
For a moment, the guardian's eyes went blank as she stared down at her spirit beast. It was almost as if she had suddenly gone numb while her expression became emotionless.
"…Hywein…" she whispered, "…Hywein…"
"God only knows that we need more of that in the world," Genkai said suddenly (a/n: Hywein means 'hope').
Mai jumped and turned towards the door where the shorter woman stood watching her. The guardian quietly slid off the side of the bed and stood. She paused for a moment, "Where did everyone else go?" she asked softly.
"To watch the fight," she answered, "They said they didn't want to wake you up—but if it were up to me, I would have forced you up off that sorry ass or yours," the guardian noticed something flash across her eyes. Genkai paused before she continued; her stern gaze never wavering, "Before I would have thought that you were strong enough to get over this."
The guardian started in surprise. For a moment she stared at the woman in hurt, but then she glanced down at her hands. Any other time, she would have asked how she knew what was wrong with her, but the girl knew better than that and that Genkai had her ways of realizing these things. Especially since Mai was always so transparent.
But it wasn't like an opponent she could just fight off; these were her emotions that she was battling with…it was a fight she couldn't win. She couldn't control her feelings…she never could…
She didn't bother trying to bring up the subject any further; Genkai probably already knew what she was thinking—damn all these physics! Her hand balled into a fist at her side and she clenched her eyes shut; desperately she tried to keep her anger within her.
Genkai folded her arms over her chest, "Don't tell me you're going to stay in here for the rest of the tournament…" she said—it was almost as if she was taunting her, "Weren't you the one who told me that you couldn't just sit back and watch Yusuke suffer? I suggest, then, that you get over your own self-pity—dammit, you're stronger than this, Mai, and you know it as well as I do."
The girl blinked and glanced up quickly at the older woman. She held her gaze for awhile longer, but said nothing.
After a moment, Genkai sighed heavily and Mai noticed the woman's fist clenching subtly at her side, "Whether you like it or not, Yusuke will have to face his final test…And as long as you stay here—wallowing in your own despair—you can't do anything to help him. If these damn emotions are too much for you to handle—if they're able to tear you apart this easily—then, dammit, you probably don't deserve to be his guardian!"
Mai suddenly went numb at the words. Her arms hung loose at her sides and her eyes stared off blankly at the floor in front of her.
Did…
…Did she really mean that…?
Was she so pitiful that she didn't even deserve to protect Yusuke?
Tears unexpectedly began to well up in her eyes. A single teardrop silently ran along the side of her cheek and paused at the tip of her chin before plummeting to the ground. Her fist clenched at her side and her nails dug into her palm painfully.
Why couldn't I see it…? Was I so weak that I allowed my own selfishness to blind me?
Slowly, she sunk to her knees and covered her mouth in near-horror. Her mind raced frantically through everything that had happened the day before. How could she have acted like that? How could she have let herself get so caught up in own stupid feelings? She mentally kicked herself and was screaming inside of her head
"How…How could I…Gods, what the hell is wrong with me?"
Along her shoulder, Hywein mewed softly into her ear and rubbed up against her neck. Genkai watched her silently—the woman's stern expression considerably lessened.
"Am I really that pitiful?" she asked in a whisper and glanced up at the older woman, "Gods…I don't know why I was chosen to be Yusuke's guardian anyway…I'm so weak…"
"You're not weak Mai," the woman cut her off, "You know better than anyone your strengths and weaknesses—what you need to do is learn how to control yourself," she paused, studying the girl, "And you're sure as hell not going to learn how to do that if you let yourself sit around here."
The guardian was silent for the longest time, her hands fell open out on her lap and she stared at them absently, "Yeah…"
Genkai glanced briefly out the window, "The next fight has already started," she stated, "Lest we make any of your team members suspicious, we might as well meet them at the arena—"
"Master Genkai…"
She paused a moment and turned to face the girl, acknowledging her but not answering.
Mai slowly lifted her head—and there was a weak smile planted along her face even as her remaining tears trickled down her face.
"…Thank you…"
-:-
"Damn, is the match already over? That's not a good sign…" Yusuke commented as he and Kuwabara showed up late. Kurama and Hiei were already standing along the balcony as they approached them. The detective leaned against the railing and stared down into the ring absently, "Those are the bastards we have to fight next, I'm guessing…"
Kurama nodded, "Team Uraotogi, I believe is what they called themselves…" he answered and sighed darkly, "They finished the fight in less than two minutes," he added worriedly, but then shook his head and turned back to the detective, "Have any of your wounds fully healed?"
He shrugged, "A few…" he answered simply.
"Hey, you guys should really see Yukina about those," Kuwabara put quickly, "She does a really good job—hey, but after the tournament, I'm going to help her find that brother of hers!"
Almost instantly, Urameshi and Kurama snorted as they tried to conceal their fits of laughter.
"Y-You know Hiei…" the redhead started to say through his laughter, "We should really help, don't you think?"
The apparition's eye began to tick dangerously, "Fox…" he growled while Kuwabara glanced between the trio in confusion.
Yusuke opened his mouth to add on to the joke, but he suddenly felt someone watching him. Turning around, he noticed the masked fighter standing calmly beside him near the railing. He blinked in surprise; when the hell did they get there? He shook the thought off after a moment, when he noticed their eyes flicker briefly behind him. The detective followed their gaze to find Mai leaning quietly against the wall of the arena.
He remained confused for a moment. Wow, she must really have some skill if she was able to get her out of that room…
"…Hey Mai…"
The other three boys turned when they heard Urameshi acknowledging the guardian. She looked up at all of them and managed a small smile as Hywein poked her head out between Mai's legs. From Yusuke's shoulder, Puu cocked his head and—without missing a beat—he flapped down towards the ground and waddled over towards the other spirit beast. The cat-like creature mewed happily and trotted out to meet it.
The guardian's cheeks seemed to flush at the attention she was getting and fiddled nervously with a strand of hair hanging over her shoulders.
"Hey Mai!" Kazuma greeted enthusiastically, "Are you feeling any better?"
She smiled again and laughed softly, "Yeah, I'm feeling better, Kuwabara…I just needed to rest for a little bit…" her grin brightened a little bit as she teasingly hit the side of her head, "I'm feeling a lot better…"
Yusuke looked as though he was about to say something to her, but he was suddenly cut off as a wave of whispers swept through the crowd of demons. The Urameshi team quickly turned back towards the arena, only to stop and stare at the team standing opposite of them.
It was as if the entire stadium went quiet and glanced between both teams unsurely.
Across from them, Toguro and his team members stood watching them. Instinctively, it seemed as though Yusuke stepped in front of his view of Mai—after what he had done, he didn't even deserve to look at her. His fists clenched at his side and he felt the same tension sweeping through his own companions. Damn that bastard to hell for what he had done—
His thoughts were suddenly cut off when he caught sight of Toguro pointing at him from across the arena. The demon's finger stayed for only a moment before he pointed back at himself. A smirk crossed over his face when he saw the fear flash across Urameshi's eyes.
But the detective soon recovered and he gritted his teeth furiously. He took his thumb and dragged it across his neck threateningly gesturing that he was looking forward to their fight.
-:-
Kuwabara frowned as he stared down at his hands, "…Do you really think we can beat them?" he asked quietly. The rest of his team glanced up at him briefly before returning to their vacant stares, "I mean…"
"We all know what you mean, Kazuma," the guardian next to him said as she stared at the floor in front of her. Her voice became hardly more than a whisper as she continued, "Hell…we're all thinking it now…"
From across the locker room, Yusuke let out a short laugh—although they could all tell that he was just as nervous as the rest of them, "What are you guys moaning about over there? Lighten up, why don't you?"
Mai found herself looking up from the floor and at the detective. She seemed to stare at him for the longest time—but when she realized what she was doing, she quickly shook her head. But then she caught sight of Kurama leaning against the wall nearby. Immediately, she clutched her head with her hand—dammit…those feelings were coming back to her—gods they just wouldn't leave her alone! She couldn't take it anymore…
Without saying a word, she quickly stood and made her way towards the door. Hywein was soon jogging after her. Before she could make her way through the entryway, she suddenly found herself crashing into someone already standing there. She stumbled backwards, but before she could completely fall over, a strong hand quickly grasped onto her arm. Behind her, the scraping of chairs signaled the rising of her companions.
Blinking, the guardian looked up at the man who had caught her.
Hardly standing taller than herself, a demon with light blue hair and traditional fighters clothing gripped her by the arm. A sword hung at his waist and the cut of his hair made it appear he was some type of insect with antennae. Four others stood around him; two towering over all the rest, but they also had more physique. The others were an elderly man and a child with a fishing pole.
"Well, well…look what I've found," he said coolly; his voice oozing with self-righteousness.
She glowered furiously—she was definitely not in the mood for this. Ticked, she promptly flicked him her middle finger as she ripped her arm away.
The corner of his mouth curled into a smirk, "Team Urameshi, I presume…But why you're already thinking about the final round is beyond me—because you'll have to go through us to get there," he calmly folded his arms over his chest, "But how rude of me not to introduce myself and my teammates: I'm Shishiwakamaru."
One of the taller fighters stepped forward, "Kuro Momotaro."
"Makintaro," the second announced.
The child stepped forward, "Uraurishima."
He was soon followed by the older man, "Onji," he told them with a curt nod.
Shishiwakamaru smirked again and directed his attention to the detective standing nearby, "Don't forget to give us a good fight—we are planning to get famous by the way," he sneered—and without warning, horns suddenly protruded from his skull and fangs grew from his teeth, "Just you wait, Urameshi. We'll get ugly soon enough!"
Only Mai and Kuwabara jumped at his sudden transformation, but the demon smirked once more before he and his team left the room.
"No kidding…" the redhead mumbled under his breath.
"Bastards…" Yusuke muttered, "Who says we're going to lose to them anyway?"
The masked fighter narrowed their eyes at him, "I wouldn't underestimate your opponents…" she warned, "You're just as nervous as the rest of your team—that pride you use to hide that is only for the weak."
Urameshi's eyes flashed dangerously, "Are you trying to imply something?" he demanded.
"Only that if you were to fight Toguro right now with that pride of yours, you'd die in a matter of seconds," she responded coldly.
The detective gritted his teeth furiously—and then without warning, he suddenly threw his fist into the nearby wall just as Botan was returning from the vending machine. She jumped in surprise and nearly dropped all of the cans she had been carrying.
But the masked fighter watched Yusuke sternly before she continued, "If the leader of Team Toguro is Toguro then the leader of team Urameshi is you…Do you really think that you have what it takes to fight Toguro by yourself?"
Mai found herself glancing between the two uncertainly. Gods, if Genkai pissed off Yusuke too much, they'd have a major fight on their hands—
"Do you think you can lead this team better?" he nearly shouted in his fury.
She glanced up at him calmly, "If it has to come to that, then yes," she then noticed his fists clenching dangerously at his side, "If you're planning on destroying anything else, let's take it outside…"
He narrowed his eyes, "Gladly," he muttered.
The pair quickly made their way through the doorway and down the hall without so much as another word to their teammates. The room was quiet for the longest time and Mai found herself sitting there stunned.
Kurama sighed from behind her, "We might as well let them fight it out themselves—" he started to say. But he stopped when he caught sight of Mai quickly racing out the door after them. The rest of the team was again left in silence as her hurried footsteps faded away.
Gods, she had a bad feeling…whatever Genkai was planning, she had a bad feeling about it…
-:-
"Where the hell are we going?" Yusuke demanded as they made their way through the trees. He irritably pulled back a branch out of his way as the masked fighter walked ahead of him.
At first, they didn't answer him, "I'm not going to fight you…" she said calmly, "Just follow me."
-:-
Toguro glanced up when he heard hurried footsteps ahead of him. He noticed almost instantly the crimson-haired guardian racing down the opposite hallway; a look of worry etched across her face. The demon's senses piqued suddenly and he glanced in the direction she was heading…
It was almost as if energy was beginning to gather there in anticipation…as if it knew what was going to happen…
A smirk curled around his jaw as he leaned up casually against the wall next to him.
…Finally Urameshi would be a worthy opponent…
-:-
The detective glanced around the clearing unsurely, "So what do you want?" he asked as he placed his hands in his pockets, "Don't tell me you just wanted to drag me out here to talk…"
The masked fighter said nothing, but her golden-brown eyes watched him carefully. After a long while, her eyes quickly flickered behind Yusuke. He turned as well, his curiosity getting the better of him. Through the trees, he was able to make out Mai hurrying towards them, and as she came to the clearing she had to lean up against a tree for a moment to catch her breath.
She said nothing either, but her eyes quickly glanced between both of the fighters in front of her. For the briefest instant, Yusuke could have sworn that he saw fear pass over her face, but as quickly as it had come it was soon gone.
A heavy silence filled out between the trio. Soon however, the masked fighter turned her back to the two teens. Mai stared—almost in horror—as she started to unravel the mask around her head. Both Urameshi and the guardian noticed her curly pink hair fall out along her shoulders as the cloth fell away.
Yusuke nearly staggered backwards, "G-Grandma?"
"Master Genkai…?" the only reason Mai appeared surprised was only because she hadn't expected the old woman to reveal herself at all during the tournament, "You could have just told him before, couldn't you?"
"And take the chance of letting him open that big mouth?" she asked with a quirked eyebrow.
It took the detective a moment to make a connection, "Don't tell me you knew about this from the beginning?"
The guardian blinked, "Eh? Oh…um, well it was actually by accident that I found out…" she admitted and scratched the back of her head nervously, "She asked me not to tell anyone."
Urameshi blinked as well and glanced back at Genkai, "So…what happened with the younger chick from earlier?" he asked. Mai nearly choked and turned to the older woman to hear her answer.
There was almost a smirk along her face, "You're looking at her," she answered simply.
"You?" he repeated and nearly started laughing, "You got to be kidding me!"
Genkai shook her head and rolled her eyes. In the same motion, she caught sight of a boulder nearby. Pointing to it, she turned her attention back at the detective, "Fire your spirit gun at that," she ordered.
He blinked again and uncertainly placed himself in position, "Fine…"
It didn't take long at all for the detective to charge up his spirit gun. In an instant the boulder was obliterated and fragments of rock began to pelt the ground. Yusuke straightened smugly and turned back to the older woman—only to find her snorting in dry amusement.
"What? You wanted me to blow up the damn rock and I did! Did you want me to put on a little magic show along with it?" he asked irritably, "Show me how it's done then if you're not happy!"
She snorted, but didn't answer him. Without saying a word, the elderly woman walked past Mai and Urameshi until she was standing directly in front of a rock-face many times larger than the one the detective had blown up earlier.
Yusuke folded his arms over his chest, "Yeah, like she'll be able to blow that thing up—"
"You were brought to this tournament for one reason," Genkai suddenly cut him off, "Toguro knows what you're capable of…and it's time you learn what that is as well…"
In just another moment, the older woman raised her hands in front of her. The tip of her index finger began to give off a blazing light. Tendrils of the glow whipped around her as the guardian and Yusuke stared at her in awe. And as the energy around her began to grow, the lines along her face smoothed out and her hair became a deep pink.
She suddenly let out a cry and a blast erupted from the ends of her hands. It ripped the boulder apart in only seconds—and the power it contained even caused it to charge past that and through the trees beyond. A crater appeared from the path it created and fizzled as smoke rose into the air.
"What…the hell…?" Mai breathed in astonishment as Genkai turned back towards them.
There were droplets of sweat forming along her brow, but she had managed a weak grin in return. The image of the younger Genkai was gone, and she had returned to her elderly form.
"When you're able to channel the spirit power to its maximum, the body cells take on the form you were most powerful in," her gaze locked firmly on Yusuke, "For me that was when I was in my twenties…for you it's now."
Mai suddenly knew what the woman was getting at, even before the words escaped her mouth. She felt her body go numb—all except for the subtle trembling of her hands.
Genkai sighed heavily, "You can have this power, Yusuke…but only if you are able to face the darkest shadows of your soul. I'm old and I no longer have use for any of it…you see, as your mind grows in wisdom, your strength slowly fades away," they noticed her features darken grimly, "I can't defeat Toguro—technically I never could—but I never had a purpose for these abilities. As long as I'm able to pass them on, I won't have any regrets…" her eyes continued to hold Urameshi's, "But it's up to you to decide if you're willing to receive these powers."
A silence quickly filled the void between the three of them. Storm clouds quietly began to gather overhead as the silence continued to envelope them. Yusuke watched the older woman as if hoping for some sort of clue that would help him see where her thoughts were coming from. After the longest time, his eyes slowly found their way to the guardian standing next to him.
But before she could notice, he quickly turned his attention back towards Genkai, "I'm ready…" he answered quietly.
The woman didn't even flinch, and remained almost emotionless as she continued:
"Then you'll have to kill me."
Both the detective and the guardian stared at her in pure and utter shock.
"Master Genkai you can't mean that—!" Mai started to say.
"Back down, Mai!" the woman nearly shouted at her. The guardian's eyes went wide at her tone of voice and she was quickly silenced, "I told you once that you are not to interfere—don't test my patience with you!"
The girl stood, stunned. She couldn't possibly mean that, could she? She couldn't just ask Yusuke to kill her! It wasn't right—dammit it just wasn't right for her to ask that!
Urameshi, however, remained frozen in a stunned silence. The older woman heaved another sigh as she turned back to face him. Her stern, golden-brown eyes never left him.
When it seemed as if no one would say another word, Genkai turned her back to them and slowly started for the cover of trees.
"There's a cave near the edge of this island…go there when you have an answer for me…"
With that, she merely disappeared within the shadows of the trees, leaving both teens still standing in their frozen shock. Mai felt a raindrop tap her on the shoulder while she stared off vacantly at the ground in front of her. Soon, however, raindrops could be heard everywhere around them as the heavens released their tears.
-:-
The guardian glanced up suddenly from the pot in front of her. She frowned briefly as she wiped her hands on her apron. Peeking out from the kitchen, she stared out into the open veranda where the rain was quietly falling and drizzling down from the roof above.
That was weird…she could have sworn she heard voices coming from the temple…
Curiosity overcame her interests as she pulled the apron over her head. She slipped on her sandals and grabbed the umbrella sitting near the doorway before she made her way out onto the porch. Mai followed the sound of the voices through the pouring rain.
Her sandals sunk deep into the mud along the path towards the temple. As she neared its entryway, she carefully made sure that her footfalls were slow and quiet so not to alert anyone nearby. With the umbrella resting on her shoulder, she peered cautiously through the doorway.
"I'm asking you again: what the hell are you doing here?" Genkai said irritably.
Mai was able to make out three figures amidst the gloom; two of them, however, she didn't recognize. One of the pair was huge and hunched over due to the height of the ceiling. Their partner was much shorter and appeared to have the physique of a woman—but it was hard to make out because of the cloak they wore.
"There's going to be another Dark Tournament—"
Genkai glare was almost deadly, "…and if I recall, my wish from last time was never to be bothered by you bastards again," she cut them off coldly.
The woman stepped forward after a pause, "I believe one of your pupils is attending…isn't that right? However, without a stronger fighter to support him and his team, it's likely that they won't survive the tournament…"
The guardian noticed Genkai hesitate at these words, but didn't reply. The strangers glanced briefly at one another before the giant spoke for them:
"It's up to you whether or not you come back to the tournament…" was all he said. The pair looked at each other a second time before they turned and headed for the doorway. Mai quickly backed away and pressed her back against the wall while the strangers departed from the temple.
When they had disappeared through the trees, the guardian slowly glanced back into the doorway. She almost knew that Genkai sensed her there, but the older woman didn't acknowledge it.
Mai let the umbrella hang down in front of her, "Are…are you really going to fight with us, Master Genkai?" she asked quietly.
The elder woman stared at her for a long time. For a moment, the guardian almost thought that she wouldn't reply.
But then Genkai forced a small smile along her aging face, "I can't necessarily have you and Yusuke running around on your own, now can I?"
-:-
Both Yusuke and Mai were soon soaked to the bone as thunder rolled dimly in the distance.
"Then you'll have to kill me."
Gods, she couldn't mean that…there had to be some other way, dammit! She couldn't just tell him he had to kill her! It wasn't right!
"She's…she's done so much for me…"
Mai glanced up at the detective through the pouring rain. It might have just been her, but his shoulders seemed to weigh down around him…It made her sad to see him like that; he seemed so helpless—dammit he shouldn't have to decide to kill Genkai! He didn't deserve that burden!
"Yusuke…"
She noticed his fists clenching at his sides, "Dammit…Mai, we would have never gotten this far without her…" Urameshi turned slowly so that he was able to face the guardian. She could almost see tears filling his eyes, but there was a hint of determination deep within them, "…but I have to be able to beat Toguro…"
A wet strand of hair fell over her eyes as tears began to fill her own eyes. Was this the final test Yusuke had to go through? Did he have to kill his own teacher to become powerful enough to defeat Toguro?
"You are not to interfere…"
But she couldn't help him—she was useless to him now! There wasn't anything she could do to sway his decision; she could only stand back and watch…
…The one thing she had promised herself she would never do…
-:-
"That's weird…" Botan mused as she glanced up from the cards in her hands, "Hywein and Puu haven't left that window all afternoon."
The rest of the teens in the room looked up as well. Both spirit beasts seemed almost plastered to the window and they remained unmoving (all save for Hywein's gently swishing tail).
"Where are those guys anyway?" Keiko asked worriedly, "You said they ran off earlier, right?"
Kurama absently shuffled the cards in his hands, "Both of them are probably still out with the masked fighter…" he said quietly.
"In this weather?" Botan stared out the window a second time, "They'll get sick if they stay out there any longer—and that's the last thing we need in this tournament…"
-:-
Mai looked up suddenly—only to find Yusuke silently walking in the direction where Genkai had left earlier. She stared after him worriedly as he disappeared into the shadows…
…Had he made his decision…?
-:-
The detective stood outside the cave hesitantly. His eyes stared into the never-ending darkness before him as the rain continued to pour down around him. For a moment, all he could do was stand there…staring, but after a long while he glanced briefly over his shoulder.
"…Wish me luck, Mai…" he said quietly just as his legs began to drag him forward.
He didn't have to go far before he found Genkai waiting for him. As Yusuke approached, she said nothing, but merely watched him and the features along his face.
"Well? If you're going to do it, you better get it over with," she told him bluntly.
Urameshi's eyes never left the older woman, at least up to the point where he hung his head, "You're my teacher…I can't kill you—if it's necessary to gain the power to defeat Toguro, I don't care, I give up…" he told her quietly, "I won't take out anyone who's taught me anything useful; I'd rather take my chances of fighting the final round with my team."
By the way Genkai stared at him; it was almost as if she was angry at him, "Good. You answered correctly…"
Yusuke blinked, "What?"
The older woman smirked, "You qualify for the test; I needed someone who wouldn't kill his teacher, but also someone who wouldn't disregard the idea right way…so you pass."
The detective glowered, "You mean I made that damn touchy-feely speech for nothing?" he demanded—but even so, he seemed to blush a little bit.
"Don't worry," Genkai continued as her grin widened, "You'll remember everything that went through that thick skull of yours…" she gestured for him to follow her deeper into the cave, "Come on…"
He followed her silently into the depths of the cavern. After awhile, the tunnel opened up to a small room—probably at the center of the cave.
Genkai turned back to him; her gaze stern once again, "I'm giving you one last chance to back down—are you ready to endure the hardship you'll have to go through?" she inquired seriously. She waited as Urameshi paused, but after a moment or two he nodded, "Fine then."
-:-
A sudden tremor shuddered through the guardian as a chill raced down her spine…but it wasn't from the cold. Mai wrapped her arms around her abdomen protectively as she squinted through the pouring rain towards the direction where Yusuke had gone.
No, it wasn't from the cold; it was someone's energy…it was so powerful though—it couldn't have been Yusuke's…
…Did that mean…?
-:-
The detective watched incredulously at the area between Genkai's hands. There, an orb of pale blue light pulsed with her energy—even from where he stood, he could almost feel the power coursing through him. The cavern around them began to fill with the blue glow and cast eerie shadows around them as the sphere of energy continued to grow.
Light radiating from it sent pulsars through the cave and the orb soon became large enough to fit between the old woman's hands.
Genkai stared at him through the glow, "You shouldn't be ready for this at this point; it normally would take another ten years of training. You have to incorporate the spirit wave orb into your body and hope it doesn't tear you apart," he gaze hardened, "The pain could go on for hours or even days—and if you give in to the pain, you will be eaten from the inside out."
There was a pause before she added a final comment:
"…Mai has already gone through similar hardships, and now it's your turn."
Yusuke blinked in surprise Mai? His mind flashed back to her fight with Touya, and even after that when she was acting so strangely. Had she really gone through so much pain already? The detective mentally cursed himself; he had been a real jerk to her—why couldn't he have sensed it before?
He furrowed his brow suddenly and his fists clenched at his side. Then…then if she had been able to deal with the pain, he could sure as hell do the same!
Without giving Genkai a chance to react, he suddenly ripped the orb away from her. He forced it furiously into body and watched as it sank beneath his flesh.
The detective blinked in surprise and let out a small laugh, "Is that it? Heh, I thought that by the way you were talking it—"
Urameshi froze suddenly and his eyes bulged. His vision blurred and his arms wrapped around his stomach. The detective's body trembled violently and he gagged as a trickle of blood slowly began to form along the corner of his mouth.
He dropped to his knees and desperately hugged his abdomen. From the pores along his body, tiny streams of blood started to trickle down his flesh and he clenched his eyes shut to try and block out the pain.
But it didn't seem to help as a blood-curdling scream rang through the cavern walls.
-:-
Without warning, a sudden pain raced through Mai's chest. Quickly the guardian's hand clutched the fabric of her shirt and winced.
"…What the hell…?"
She suddenly let out a cry of pain and fell to her knees. Mud quickly swirled around her legs, but she didn't notice—let alone care. The guardian breathed heavily as she stared wide-eyed at the ground in front of her.
What the hell was going on? What…what was this?
The guardian groaned and her heartbeat quickened—this wasn't her pain…gods, this wasn't her pain she was feeling…
Tears filled her eyes and streamed down her face, partially because of the pain she was trying to fight…and because she knew what was going on…
And that she couldn't interfere with it.
Her hands clenched weakly at the mud between her fingers as beads of sweat formed along her brow.
"…Yusuke…"
-:-
"Welcome demons and apparitions to the semifinals of the Dark Tournament!" the cheerful, blue-haired girl announced through the microphone in the new stadium. What seemed like fins protruded from the sides of her head and beneath the bright pink bandana she wore, "The final four teams are as follows: Team Gorenja, Team Toguro, Team Urameshi and Team Uraotogi!"
Cheers erupted from the stands almost immediately, and just above the sidelines Koto sat with another microphone watching (and looking slightly peeved).
But she put on her cheeriness nonetheless, "Well everyone, you're probably all wondering why I'm broadcasting outside the ring—but that's just for me to know and you to never find out! But enough of me talking, let's get on to the fight—right Juri?"
The blue-haired demon nodded curtly, "Right you are, Koto! And now for the first match of the semifinals: Team Uraotogi vs. Team Urameshi!" she shouted excitedly as doors on either end of the arena creaked open.
Both teams (or at least part of the Urameshi team) appeared beneath the doorway and were greeted by the cheers and snarls issued from the demons around them.
"Let's get one thing straight…" Hiei muttered as the trio made their way to the ring, "Since Urameshi and the onna aren't here, I fight first, last, and only—got it?"
Before either of them could respond to this comment, their opponents had met them at the center of the ring. No one from either team said anything; their stares spoke for it all. The tension that filled between them was thick enough to even reach out and touch.
Across from them, Shishiwakamaru smirked and fished casually for something in his pocket. In only a moment, he had retrieved a pair of dice and he held them between his fingers.
"May I suggest we use these for this match?" he inquired casually—even though there was nothing casual about it, "Each dice has the name of each team member from both teams; we roll and see who fights who…fair, right?"
Hiei snorted, "Doesn't matter to me," he told him darkly.
The demon smirked again and clenched the dice in his fist. With the flick of his wrist, they clattered across the arena floor until they rolled to a stop.
Juri glanced quickly down at the dice before she raised the microphone to her lips, "Alright then! It looks as though the first fight is between Makintaro from team Uraotogi and Hiei from team Urameshi!"
As the rest of their teammates left, the apparition was left to confront the monstrosity of a demon. He might have been better suited for wrestling rather than fighting—but that didn't quite matter at the current time and place.
Both fighters squared off as Juri stepped between them briefly.
"And let the match—BEGIN!"
Immediately, Hiei drew his katana and held it out before him. But before either opponent had even moved, there was a soft dripping noise coming from behind the apparition where a dark pool of blood started to form.
Kuwabara blinked in surprise, "What the hell? The match has hardly started and shorty's already bleeding?"
The redhead standing beside him frowned, "Look again, Kuwabara…"
Makintaro smirked, "What's wrong? Did you already hurt yourself—?"
He was cut off suddenly, when Hiei withdrew the demon's severed arm from behind his back. Makintaro paled and stared frantically down at his arm—which only remained as a bleeding stump. He cried out in shock and the apparition across from him snorted as he tossed the arm calmly out of the arena. Hiei turned his back on his opponent and casually made his way towards the edge of the ring.
But as he was leaving, Makintaro smirked and raised his bloody arm in front of him. His skin appeared to bubble as his hand regenerated itself—
Only this time it was in the form of an axe.
The demon let out an angry battle cry as he charged towards Hiei's departing form. Hearing him, the apparition turned quickly—and for the briefest moment a flash of fear crossed over his face.
Makintaro suddenly let his axe drop directly on top of Hiei's body and cheers roared through the stadium.
They soon died down, however, when they all realized that he was no longer there.
All eyes quickly shot towards the top of Makintaro's head where the apparition crouched dangerously. His katana was poised directly on top of the demon's head—and without waiting for his opponent to find him, the blade promptly sank through his skull.
He let out a gurgling cry as his body crashed to the ground. With a look of disgust, Hiei withdrew his sword from Makintaro's bleeding head and let it slide back into its sheath.
Hiei turned then towards the Uraotogi team and pointed warningly at Shishiwakamaru.
"The next time you roll, I have a feeling that I'll be fighting one of you bastards again," he growled.
-:-
The detective rolled along the cavern floor as agony swept through his body. His screams of pain echoed eerily through the tunnel wall and into the storm waiting beyond. His pores continued to release trickles of blood that ran along his arms and neck.
Yusuke gritted his teeth furiously as he tried to force himself onto his knees. But even through his clinched teeth, blood continued to seep through his mouth. His fists clenched and he furiously began to punch the earth beneath him. Rubble sank deep into his knuckles, creating more wounds for him to bear through.
He screamed again and slammed his head into the earth. Genkai heard his breathing coming heavily through his groans of pain.
She sighed heavily, "If you give up now, Yusuke, you'll die…" she told him quietly.
-:-
Tears streamed furiously down the guardian's face as she clutched her chest. A mixture of sobs and cries of pain escaped her lips as she sat beneath the pouring rain. Mud sank between her fingers and seemed to hold her to the spot as it swirled around her knees and hands.
"You are not to interfere…"
How could she not interfere? How could she just sit around and wait as Yusuke battled on when she felt the same pain he was feeling?
But she had felt this pain before…she had gone through the same pain—but it had been easier for her! Yusuke didn't have to watch as she suffered; unlike now…
Only it was worse…only she was going through the same pain…the same agony.
She let head fall into knees as her tears streamed down her face. Her shoulders trembled and she let out another cry. Mai whimpered weakly while strands of her crimson hair fell like a veil in front of her face.
"…Please…" she whispered to the earth, "…Please don't give up, Yusuke—"
Suddenly, a horrible shock of pain ripped through her. The guardian tried desperately to fight back, but the agony kept building up within her—it just kept building... It wouldn't stop...She hugged her abdomen fearfully as he started to feel as though her veins—her blood—were on fire.
But when she couldn't hold it in any longer, she screamed into the storm
"YUSUKE!"
-:-
a/n: yeah…um…please don't hate me fangimation :nervous laugh:
Anyway! I think my mom, my sister and I were going to my grandparents' house tomorrow or something—so I decided to update as soon as I could!
Please enjoy and review! (Though I should know better than to update during spring break; no one ever reviews then, LoL)
Ciao!