DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH or any lyrics that I may use. But Mai and all my original character and tweaks to the story are mine.
a/n: Kitkat: I'm so sorry Kurama-kun! I didn't mean to make you cry!
Kurama: T.T I feel so degraded…and lonely…
Kitkat: ……..Will a cookie make it feel better?
Kurama: . . . . . . . .Will it be chocolate chip?
Kitkat: SURE!
LoL, anyway (can you tell I was bored and/or feeling random?) the last chapter was a little short…and sad—
Along with this chapter (although it won't necessarily be short since I'm cramming two episodes into one chapter…) Wow, I'm rambling…but I was just at a friends house working on a school project and she gets me really hyper some how…
Anyways! Cookies to my reviewers!
XxXHellzFireAngelXxX: I'm sorry! If it makes you feel any better, Kurama wasn't too happy with me either…
Umeko Saito: Gomen ne! I'm sorry! A lot of people weren't very happy with me :nervous laugh:
Little Sakura 87: YOU BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR I'M HAVING A SEQUEL! And I rewrote a lot of FFI so there's some major foreshadowing in there (:cough: especially chapter 8 :cough:) Hehe, but I forgot about Kurama too for a little bit (and the weird thing is I'll probably have him in the story more now than I did before…I'm so inconsistent T.T)
Black Spell: I hope I'm not sounding mean or anything, but I think I'm just going to have too much stuff going on in the rest of the story that I won't be able to fit in an extra character T.T Gomen ne!
Sarah1281:shakes head: it's so sad…anyway, but you should probably start writing your reviews earlier in Com Arts, LoL
Shadowkitsune7: AWWWW! T.T thank you so much! I always thought there weren't enough Yusuke/OC pairings too (don't get me wrong though, I don't hate Keiko or anything, I just like some originality sometimes)
Fangimation: Um…no offense, but if you're that upset about it, you don't have to read this story…(and about the Hywein thing—I have no clue what you're talking about (if it's about the name 'Hywein' it's simply a coincidence because I was looking at a website and saw the Japanese name for 'hope' and liked it—not to mention that my friend's name is Hope (so she discovered 'Hywein' for me awhile ago)) And if you're going to just yell at me in your reviews, I'd prefer it if you just didn't bother reviewing at all.
Thoughts
Forever Fornever II
:Goodbyes:
Mai shifted slightly and her brow furrowed, "…Urameshi…you ass…" she mumbled in her sleep. Her fingers laced weakly between the detective's as her head turned the opposite direction.
Kuwabara quirked an eyebrow curiously at her before he scratched the back of his neck, "Wow, even when she's sleeping, she's still able to find some insult for Urameshi…" he mused aloud while Puu purred happily in the crook of the redhead's arm.
Across the room from him, Genkai said nothing; her eyes never left the sleeping pair and appeared deep in thought. She remained in the doorframe, still and unmoving. Her eyes seemed hooded after a moment…but if anyone could see beyond that veil, they would find a pair of sad, old eyes…
"…protect each other, you two…"
The redhead glanced up, "What was that, Genkai?" he wondered, but the older woman didn't reply as she turned her back towards him and started to make her way back into the main room.
She stopped before she had gotten too far and placed her hand on the frame of the door. She turned back towards Kazuma and glanced once more at the two sleeping teens.
"I have to go somewhere, Kuwabara…" she told him quietly, "…And when those two wake up…
"They're not to come after me…."
-:-
Kurama furrowed his brow inquisitively at the arena far below him where team Gorenja and team Toguro were facing off. But despite himself…he found his mind wandering elsewhere…
The announcer said something through the microphone, but he didn't catch it; a fighter from either side of the ring stepped forward onto the platform and Juri moved to stand between them. To anyone else, it would have seemed that Kurama was intent on watching the fight, but the akage was far from that; his emerald eyes were distant and deep in thought.
And for the briefest instant, they suddenly flickered gold.
He started and quickly shook his head; running his fingers through his hair. Kurama paused a moment, as if waiting for it to happen again, but when it didn't he sighed heavily and stared down at his hands.
…Not that it would have been much of a bad thing if he changed…he decided grimly as his eyes found their way back towards the arena; even before he had seen any of team Toguro's fights, he had known that he would be no match for them in his human form…
And he never would be…
Juri raised her hand above her head, "The first match: Midorenja from team Gorenja and Karasu from team Toguro! Fighters ready? BEGIN!"
The one fighter, Karasu, did nothing but simply stand waiting for an attack. Midorenja however, leapt immediately into position and his spirit energy began to shroud the arena in a thick mist. Audience members howled in disgust as a god awful stench filled the stadium.
But as his energy swirled around him, a glowing green orb began to form between his hands. He drew it behind him as if getting reading to pitch a baseball, and hurled it across the stage at his opponent.
Karasu merely watched the attack approach before he peacefully stepped to the side and out of its way.
Angered, team Gorenja's fighter held out his hands once again to create another orb. But across from him, Karasu calmly began walking towards his enemy. Midorenja hurled it once again towards the raven-haired fighter—only to find with a start that he was no longer in front of him.
As Midorenja was trying to discover the whereabouts of his opponents, the audience watched as Karasu hovered above him. He leapt over the fighter and, halfway through his jump, placed his hand along the demon's shoulder.
There was a moment when some of the audience members didn't realize what was happening…but when a blast erupted from the arena and a howl of pain was heard, it became rather clear.
The weaker apparition knelt on the floor of the ring, cradling the stump of his arm (or rather shoulder). But even before Karasu had landed back on the arena, there was a second explosion and Midorenja screamed in agony as his remaining arm was blown off.
He stared horrified at team Toguro's fighter before he staggered clumsily to his feet and dashed the opposite direction towards his teammates; hoping that he would make it into safety—
But that hope was soon shattered when a final blast went off where Midorenja was standing. By the time it had cleared, all that remained of the apparition was a shadow of smoldering ash and a crater to hold it.
Juri appeared to be in shock for only a moment before she shook her head and raised her microphone, "Alright everyone! The winner of this match: Karasu!"
Uncertain cheers came from the audience (as they were trying to decide if his power was a good or bad thing) and Kurama narrowed his eyes a second time.
'You two would be smart to watch Toguro's fights…' the old woman informed the two apparitions seriously, 'You'll both need to win…and at least if you die, you'll know what you're up against…'
The redhead sighed heavily; Hiei might have been wiser to disobey Genkai; knowing what they were up against only seemed to make him more and more restless…
-:-
Kuwabara blinked suddenly when a glint caught his eye. He stood up slowly from his seat next to the window and made his way next to the bedside as his curiosity got the better of him.
As he leaned over the bed, he realized that the sunlight was reflecting off of something around Yusuke's neck.
He frowned; since when does Urameshi wear jewelry?
The redhead cocked an eyebrow as he leaned in for a better look. It was then that he noticed it was a glass vial along a silver chain with—what appeared to be—a piece of paper inside. Now he was intent on figuring out what it was…
So cautiously, he reached out with his hand towards the vial—
But before he had even gotten within an inch of the bottle, he was thrown back suddenly by the detective's fist. He cried out in surprise as he tumbled backwards onto the bedroom floor. Kazuma had to shake his head a few times before he had finally recovered and he glared—rather peeved—back at Yusuke.
"I just don't get it…" he grumbled, "He's even able to beat me up in his sleep!"
-:-
The cyclops Kirenja carefully unsheathed the giant sword along his back; keeping his eye locked on his opponent at all times.
Team Toguro's fighter however, held out his hand before him. Pulsars of energy formed between his fingers until a massive axe appeared in his hand. The weight from the weapon was so heavy that it caused the apparition's feet to sink deep into the tile flooring beneath him.
In front of him, Kirenja watched the fighter uncertainly as he shifted to and fro across the stage; unsure of how to attack. It then occurred to him that with an axe that size, Bui would be unable to attack him at close range. With this though occurring to him, he smirked and steadily moved closer towards the apparition.
But in an instant, he leapt—with an impressive amount of speed—at his opponent.
Unfortunately, Bui began to spin the axe with as much (if not more) speed than Kirenja. The blade whipped around until it had sliced through the cyclops; sending bits and pieces of his body splattering over the arena floor.
Cheers erupted from the stadium at finally seeing some blood and gore. Juri—happy with the fight herself—hopped to the center of the ring once again.
"Winner of this match: Bui from team Toguro! Leaving just three members left on team Gorenja's side—!"
She suddenly cut herself off when she noticed that the elder Toguro was standing on the ring as well.
"Well let's save ourselves some time…" he said calmly with his hand inside of one of his pockets, "I'll take on the rest of their team at once…"
The remaining three members of team Gorenja gritted their teeth, but obliged nonetheless.
As all four apparitions stood on the stage, Juri went to announce the fight yet again: "Alright folks! It looks like elder Toguro from team Toguro against the rest of team Gorenja! BEGIN!"
Immediately, the fighters of team Gorenja took off into the air; leaping around the Toguro brother so quickly that they were merely blurs. The single fighter however, remained calm as he stood in the center of the ring and watched the other team with a cruel smirk.
They appeared to be forming into a pattern in front of him and orbs of energy began to form around their hands. Team Gorenja leapt into the air in unison; preparing for their attack and closing in on Toguro.
But it was if death itself swept a hand across the stadium as a death-like silence filled the air. The members of team Gorenja remained hovering in the air above the ring; expressions of pure shock and terror etched along their faces.
Spear-like poles impaled the trio. The two males were struck in their abdomen and shoulders while the woman was unfortunate enough to have been attacked directly at her skull. The spikes—detaching themselves from the elder Toguro brother—had enveloped the arena; making it impossible for any of them to escape unscathed.
Toguro smirked and ruthlessly ripped the spears from their bodies. The female member crashed lifelessly to the ground while the other two panted heavily.
He watched the fighters coldly, yet not without a hint of amusement in his eyes, "It's truly a miracle that both of you are still alive…" he mused, "So I'll be happy to spare one of your lives. Now…which one of you wants it more…?"
The leader of team Gorenja gritted his teeth as he held onto his abdomen, "Heh, you have no choice but to kill both of us…or else one day we'll get stronger and come back to kill you…"
But the other seemed horrified, "No! Don't listen to him—he speaks only for himself! Spare me, I beg of you!"
The elder Toguro paused for only a moment before a cruel grin made its way to his lips and he raised his hand out in front of him. Instantly, the tendrils of his fingers lashed out at the second team member; drilling straight into his skull.
Still smirking, he turned back to the leader of team Gorenja, "It's interesting…Bui and Karasu said the same thing when my brother and I beat them down…Maybe you should join us, just as they did?" he glanced down carelessly at his bloody fingertips and observed them quietly, "Neither of them have any loyalties to confuse them and their desire to kill my brother and I keeps them motivated to improve…"
Gorenja's leader seemed intrigued by the offer and was intent on listening to the Toguro brother's words…
However, the apparition's expression darkened without warning.
With that, his finger extended and drilled itself into the leader's skull. His eyes went wide as Toguro withdrew his limb, but he quickly crumpled afterwards.
He rested his hand on his hip, "Hmph…Then again, I never really liked keeping my promises…."
-:-
Genkai was momentarily blinded by the sunlight that enveloped the clearing. But she did not hesitate until she had made it a good distance into the area…There she stopped and her eyes locked onto the figure in front of her; waiting patiently beneath the sunlight.
At her approach, Toguro slowly turned to face the elder woman. His eyes smirked beneath his sunglasses and the older woman narrowed her eyes towards him.
"We've both been waiting a long time for this, haven't we?"
-:-
Kurama sighed heavily as he ran his fingers through his hair restlessly. The halls were silent all save for his own quiet footsteps…
There was no way in heaven or hell that he would stand a chance against the Toguro team in the form he was in now…If he couldn't find some way to convert back into Youko he was as good as dead for the next match—
But how? He had only been able to change the first time because of the Idunn Box Uraurishima had used on him earlier…but now he had nothing that would cause him to take the transformation…
Suddenly, his emerald eyes shot up.
In front of him, both Bui and Karasu calmly stood waiting.
The redhead instinctively took up a fighting stance, but he could tell that neither of the fighters before him was planning on a battle.
"I suppose the rest of your teammates were too afraid to come with you to watch the match…" Karasu mused from beneath his mask, "Although it doesn't quite matter…the finals will come, Kurama, and the five you will all die…"
He gritted his teeth and frowned uncertainly, "Why just five?" he demanded to know.
The raven-haired fighter smirked from beneath his visor, "Because…one of you will die today…"
Kurama started abruptly when Karasu disappeared from his view. Not only that, but he couldn't sense him either…
But before he could comprehend his whereabouts, he suddenly went rigid. The redhead felt Karasu's cold fingers around his neck; toying mockingly with strands of his hair and caressing the skin of his neck. He felt the apparition's face dangerously close to his, as well as his quiet breathing.
"I know you fear what my touch could do to you…" he said softly and traced the lines of the akage's neck while a shiver raced down Kurama's spine, "And yet…maybe you want to know it…"
He stood paralyzed as a smirk formed in the raven-haired fighter's eyes.
"Or maybe…" he whispered close to his ear, "It's the touch of a certain youkai girl you want to know…"
Without warning, Kurama snapped. He gritted his teeth and whirled on the apparition, but Karasu easily leapt back out of his reach and landed back next to Bui. The demon was frowning however; had he not just seen a flash of gold in his eyes…?
But his frown quickly disappeared from sight and was replaced by another smirk, "As a fighter I like you the best Kurama. And when I like something…I like to take it away…" his smirk grew and the redhead felt another shiver race down his spine, "Though I must admit that it would have been interesting to…play with that girl and see how much pain she could endure. She had such a pretty scream from her fight earlier; making her sing might have been quite enjoyable…"
Kurama furiously gritted his teeth and his fists clenched at his side, "You will not lay a hand on her…" he growled menacingly, "I will personally make sure of that…"
The raven-haired fighter smirked a final time before turning his back on the redhead; his cloak whipping out behind him.
"If you say so, Kurama…"
-:-
Toguro carefully discarded his forest-green coat along the ground, but his eyes remained curiously on the older woman before him. After a moment he smirked, "It's strange, really…" he mused, "You've gotten so old over the years…"
Genkai's eyes narrowed further in disgust, "You haven't changed at all…"
His expression didn't change, but he was silent for a moment. The apparition turned his back on her slightly and stared up towards the treetops while Genkai waited wordlessly for him to continue on with his little speech.
"…You used to be beautiful, Genkai…" he said quietly, "And for awhile it was your face that I looked on to feel at ease…"
The wind blew eerily through the clearing as a silence swept over them. When Toguro turned back towards the old woman, he was grinning once again.
"I wonder…why is it that you hid beneath a mask?" he asked her, "Surely it wasn't because of your old age…?"
Her frown deepened and she snorted, "I preferred to remain anonymous rather than have several hundred demons who want my head on their wall stalking me…"
The Toguro brother chuckled in amusement as he continued to watch the elderly woman. His smirk widened when something occurred to him, "You're much weaker than I remember…"
She narrowed her eyes and shifted subtly into a fighting stance, "Then you should know all my power is with Yusuke now…" she informed him and the apparition grinned in anticipation.
Toguro locked his fists at his side; his eyes never leaving the old woman before him.
"…Then it's time Genkai…to end this chapter in our lives…"
And with that, a colossal burst of energy erupted through the clearing.
-:-
Mai's head shot up. The guardian's eyes darted quickly around the room as she swiftly lifted herself off of the bed. Something had caused her to wake up…and whatever it had been, she knew it wasn't anything good…
She turned her head back towards the bedside when she heard the detective moving. He too raised himself off the bed and glanced determinedly around the room.
"Did you feel it too?" he asked softly when he noticed the guardian.
Nodding, she was about to speak when Kuwabara entered the room.
"It's about time the two of you woke up!" he told them heatedly, "I was beginning to think that you would sleep through the finals too—!"
"Where's Genkai?" Yusuke cut him off gravely.
The redhead hesitated a moment, "Oh no you don't, Urameshi! She didn't want either of you going after her—!"
Even before he could finish, the detective had jumped out of the bed. And grabbing Mai by the wrist, raced hurriedly out of the hotel room. Kazuma heard the main door swing open and slam shut so hard that it nearly caused the room to shake.
Yusuke did not have to urge the guardian any faster; like the detective, she was running as fast as she possibly could—despite her lack in strength.
"Dammit, what was that old hag thinking?" Urameshi muttered furiously, "She'll kill herself!"
Mai kept her mouth shut when a thought occurred to her…
…Maybe…that had been Genkai's plan all along…
She shook her head furiously, please Master Genkai…DON'T DO THIS!
-:-
The muscles along Toguro's body doubled in size as an enormous, demonic aura began to surround the clearing. The earth shook beneath the two fighters and rubble even began throwing itself into the air around him. There were shots of crimson energy that erupted from his body and crackled around his skin.
Genkai stood in a fighter's stance; waiting with her hands at her side in anticipation. An orb of blue light began to form around one of her hands as she narrowed her eyes.
She couldn't mess this up…she only had about three shots left in her…
Across from her, the apparition smirked malevolently, "Watch closely, Genkai…you will soon see the power you too could have had…"
Something passed over the old woman's eyes; whether it was sorrow or pity, it moved on before it could have been deciphered. For a brief moment, she glanced sadly down at the ground before her and sighed heavily.
"What a silly little girl I was, thinking you would change..." she said quietly. But after a hesitation, she lifted her head once more; her eyes glaring at Toguro, "…but I should have known how you would turn out. You had it written in ugly black letters all across your soul."
Despite the anger in her words however…the tone of her voice was far from it…
In fact, it almost seemed sad…
-:-
"Gaah!"
The young woman straightened and watched calmly as the demon came flying through the air towards her. When she deemed him close enough, she withdrew her fist to her side and then quickly landed a punch straight into his gut, sending him flying backwards.
A small smile of satisfaction formed at her lips…but she blinked suddenly and turned around. She found herself facing an ogre-like demon that appeared to be a great deal taller than herself. It grinned down at her, but she only frowned.
Nimbly, the young woman leapt into the air high above him and landed right on top of his head. The demon seemed confused for only a moment, but after that he began to swipe desperately at her and knock her off. But unfortunately, his thick arms prevented him from doing so (not to mention the fact that the young woman was easily able to hop out of his reach).
She smirked down at him for only a moment before she suddenly jumped off of his head. Once again, the oni was confused—
Until without warning, a man suddenly charged towards him; drilling his fist right into the demon's stomach.
As the apparition flew backwards, the young woman landed next to her partner and smiled warmly up at him.
-:-
"…Aren't you ever afraid of it, Genkai…?"
The young woman glanced up wearily with her head resting in her palm, "Of what?" she wondered.
Toguro released his hold on the oars and placed his hands in his lap while his elbow leaned against his knee. His eyes wandered across the silent lake around them and came to rest on a crane feeding on a frog.
"Of getting weaker…" he continued deep in thought, "…Of getting old…"
He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Toguro paused a moment as his expression grew stern.
"…My worst fear…is that when I get old someone weak will kill me…"
Genkai continued to watch him, confused. It was then however, that she noticed his hands balling up into fists. She blinked in bewilderment and watched as the lines along his face creased while he furrowed his brow.
"…Toguro…?"
He frowned darkly, "I promise I won't let that happen to me—I'll find a way to get stronger and not to age…" he glanced up around the placid lake and his eyes narrowed, "It's not fair, Genkai…humans are only here just long enough to know what they want…then they erode away…"
The young woman paused a moment before she forced a weak smile. Carefully, she placed her hand along his arm, "We'll both age, Toguro…we'll age together, how 'bout that?"
But he shook his head, "I won't do it," he muttered, "Growing old means growing weak—and I won't let that happen!"
Genkai stared at him hurtfully as he ripped his arm away from her touch. Her eyes looked upon him with pity as she slowly shook her own head.
"…Toguro…"
-:-
"You really were just a selfish bastard…" Genkai told the apparition before her.
But Toguro merely smirked; his energy swaying about him in a red haze, "The way I see it, you didn't have the guts to acquire everything you wanted…while on the other hand…I was!"
Storm clouds began to gather above them as the apparition continued to gather in his power. A fierce wind whipped through the clearing and bent the trees surrounding them. The older woman gritted her teeth and stretched her arm out at her side where a blue orb began to pulse around hand.
Without giving him a chance to completely power-up, Genkai lunged herself at the demon. Toguro made no move to avoid her attack and took a direct hit to his shoulder. But without giving her a warning, he suddenly swiped out at the elderly woman.
Genkai jumped clumsily out of the way of his blow. As she landed back on the ground, she began to pant heavily while beads of sweat formed along her brow.
The apparition smirked, "At least you've improved on your dodging—since that attack was meant to remove your heart…"
He glanced down carelessly at his shoulder where there was a gaping space left from the old woman's attack. Blood dripped from the wound, but he didn't seem to care. And giving it a final glance, he turned back to Genkai and smirked again.
"You should see how well the committee made my body…" he told her casually. And as he turned his head back towards the wound, the flesh around his shoulder began to morph and almost instantly healed over the gash.
But he was not finished. Clenching his fists at his side, the power around him began to rise drastically, even causing the earth beneath them to tremble as a hazy red aura swirled around the demon.
"Mark my words, Genkai…I DO PLAN TO KILL YOU!"
-:-
Hiei froze suddenly midway through bandaging his arm.
His eyes widened in horror as a disturbing chill raced down his spine…
-:-
Kurama stopped in his tracks and nearly staggered backwards. His eyes quickly darted towards the darkening sky.
A sense of foreboding filled within him as he gazed into the trees around him.
"…What…is that…?"
-:-
A fierce chill charged through Kuwabara's body. His eyes widened and went to the sky filling with clouds. Moving towards the window, he peered outside to where an enormous amount of energy was building up.
"What the hell is that?"
-:-
Both Mai and Yusuke stopped in their tracks. A blast of wind rushed past them and seemed to carry with it the very essence of the dark aura filling the air. The energy was so thick that it was almost suffocating and the guardian's eyes went wide in horror.
She suddenly felt sick and her hand covered her mouth.
"Oh God…" she whispered, horrified, as she furiously shook her head, "Oh God, oh God…"
Urameshi gritted his teeth and his head snapped in the direction of the energy, "Dammit!" he growled. He clasped onto Mai's wrist again, "Come on! This can't be over yet!"
But as she ran with him, the guardian couldn't help but feel tears filling her eyes.
This power was so immense; as if there were no end to it…
As if it could crush them with its very presence…
And this…this was the power that Yusuke would be facing very soon…
-:-
Toguro smirked and his eyes glinted maliciously beneath his sunglasses. The energy pulsing around him caused the air to shudder in fear; its red glow swirling eerily around the demon and whipping as though it were a flame.
"Demon energy may not always be stronger than spirit energy…" he informed her calmly, "But I personally think its much more fun to use."
The old woman started in surprise when the apparition completely vanished from her line of sight.
But at the very last possible moment, her sense picked up his presence. She was able to leap out of the way just as Toguro's fist came crashing down on the exact spot she had just been standing in.
Rubble exploded into the air. A blast of energy shook the earth with his mighty punch. The ground beneath him quivered before it began to crumble beneath the attack's power. And as the debris scattered into the air, a giant crater expanded around the demon.
And before Genkai landed back on the ground, she swiftly raised her hands in front of her. The older woman let a blast explode from her hands and sent charging straight towards Toguro.
He smirked when he saw the attack coming. Raising only one hand, he stopped the blast and crushed it in his fist. The elderly woman gritted her teeth when she landed; seeing that the only damage that he had taken was from the minor burns that scorched his hands.
Toguro smirked, "Truly, my strength is absolute…" a dark chuckle escaped him, "It's an amusing thought to remember that you used to be my equal in strength…"
He lowered his arms and his eyes narrowed towards the old woman.
"Demons want you dead, Genkai, not because of the fights you have won…but because you gave up the chance to be great…"
With that, his stance changed for a final time. His fists clenched at his side and continued to watch Genkai standing before him.
The Toguro brother's aura pulsed more fiercely.
"I hope you're happy with the way you wasted your life, Genkai…"
She changed her stance as well…But her eyes seemed to fill with a sad sort of pity as she stared at Toguro, "I only have regret…" she told him quietly, "…that my spirit wave could not cure your madness…"
The demon smirked malevolently, but made no further remark. The earth around him began to tremble as the fierce red aura pounded in the air.
And in one swift motion he suddenly charged towards the old woman…
Genkai forced her hands out in front of her; creating a barrier around her small form.
But as Toguro approached, she hung her head sadly while a single tear raced down the side of her face.
I'm sorry, Yusuke…
-:-
Koenma suddenly looked up and through the window next to him. He was still for a long time as his eyes slowly narrowed.
A flash of lightning crossed the sky outside.
Silence enveloped the room as the demigod lowered his head and sighed.
-:-
Puu flailed restlessly in Keiko's arms. The brunette sighed almost in exasperation and absently glanced around the room. She blinked however, when she caught sight of the window.
"…Botan…?"
The ferry girl remained silent; her eyes never moving nor blinking. She seemed stunned and in complete shock…
-:-
The detective suddenly came to a halt. Storm clouds swirled around him and a wind swept past the pair…
But neither of them stirred.
Mai's eyes grew wide in pure horror. They shimmered with the tears that were cascading down her face…and a hand covered her mouth to keep her from crying out in despair.
It was a moment before the sight before them sunk in. By that time, Urameshi was slowly shaking his head in denial, "…No…"
The guardian clenched her eyes shut against the image passing before her vision…but nonetheless, the tears continued to stream down her face. It wasn't happening…this wasn't happening; it was just someone's sick joke, right?
…This was just a joke…
Toguro smirked and glanced carelessly at his bloodied hand, "…Even with the final attack of her life, she didn't even scratch my body…" he informed them soullessly.
Mai couldn't take it any longer and raced across the clearing.
"Master Genkai!"
She slid into the pool of blood surrounding the old woman before kneeling beside her body. Yusuke raced after her while the guardian carefully lifted Genkai's head into her lap. Tears continued to fill her eyes as she cradled the old woman's body in her hands.
"Hey…old hag, come on wake up…" Yusuke called to her weakly.
"…Master Genkai…?"
The elderly woman stirred and her eyes opened dimly. Noticing the pair, she forced a weak smile, "I thought Kuwabara was supposed to keep you two back at the hotel…Can't trust that boy with shit, can I?"
She sighed heavily and her eyes closed, but she was still breathing…only barely however.
"…Don't think this is much of a surprise to me, Urameshi…" she continued softly, "…I knew I had to die eventually…especially at this damn tournament…"
Yusuke gritted his teeth, "You idiot…" he reprimanded halfheartedly.
She let out a short laugh, "Shut up, dimwit…" the old woman sighed again and her eyes moved upwards so that she could see the guardian above her, "…You keep him under-wraps, understand?"
But the guardian shook her head, "Stop it, Genkai…"
The elder woman laughed weakly, "What? Did you think that an old hag like me would live forever…?" she trailed off and her smile faded; her eyes lingering despondently on the guardian, "…We all have to die sometime…"
She slowly shook her head, "But…listen to me, you two…" she began wheezing quietly now, "…We were teammates, Toguro and I…and we won the last tournament…" her eyes became sad as she stared up at the sky floating above her, "And for his prize…he wanted to become a demon with strength and absolute power…
"…Everyone has to fight with time to find their place before their inevitable death. Toguro, he ran away from that fight. Don't you ever do the same, you son of a bitch...No human is ever a one man show. Every decision that you make will affect the countless people who care about you," instantaneously, her eyes flickered towards the guardian above her before returning slowly to Yusuke, "Do you understand? You can't be a cocky kid anymore" she winced painfully, "…You…you have to. . ."
There was an eerie wind that blew through the clearing…
But there was nothing for it to stir except for the death-like silence enveloping them…
Yusuke shook his head and forced a smile of defiance, "Heh…come on, you old hag—this is a joke, right? God, your jokes really suck, you old bitch…"
The guardian shuddered and covered her mouth. She clenched her eyes shut furiously…
Wake up, Genkai…come on, please wake up…
"…Genkai…"
Toguro smirked, "Genkai died a long time ago…" he said darkly, "A fighter has two choices: to die or get stronger…and she chose to die…"
Mai shook her head, Please…don't leave us…DON'T LEAVE US HERE, GENKAI!
Urameshi hooded his gaze and clenched his fists. Slowly, he rose to his feet and turned to face the apparition standing at the center of the clearing…
"You don't get it, do you…?" he muttered, "…You just don't have a clue…"
His head abruptly shot up. Toguro truly appeared surprise to see the rage burning in his eyes. And without warning, Yusuke disappeared from view.
The apparition turned swiftly just as the detective reappeared in front of him. Urameshi threw a punch at his face furiously, but Toguro easily caught the attack in his hand. He gritted his teeth wrathfully and even his eyes seemed to be aflame with his anger.
Smirking, he brought his other hand around and smashed his fist with the side of Yusuke's head.
Instantly, he was sent flying backwards and collided with a tree nearby. The detective slumped effortlessly to the ground with his head lolling to the side…
Toguro glanced down at his hand and frowned slightly. The area of his palm was severely scorched and the burn marks even made their way up along his arm.
"Impressive, Urameshi…" he told the detective and frowned again, "But too bad your heart wasn't in it…"
His gaze flickered quickly towards the guardian still cradling Genkai's lifeless body. Her violet eyes were wide as she watched Yusuke lying still against the trunk of the tree. She snapped her head to the side when she sensed the demon watching her and her eyes grew cold and hard…
He smirked as he turned his back towards her and calmly left the clearing…
But next time…when I'm able to use one-hundred percent of my power…
I'll make sure your heart is in it…
Yusuke groaned quietly as he tried to open his eyes. His vision was blurry and his head began to swirl…
But he was just able to make out the hazy form of Mai and the inert old woman in her arms. The guardian was sobbing now as she bent over Genkai's body; hugging the bleeding corpse tightly to her chest as if she were afraid to let her go…
It was like a dream…
…Like some horrible, ugly dream…With the guardian drenched in their teacher's blood and storm clouds gathering above them, it didn't seem real at all…
Urameshi clenched his fists as tears furiously began to fill his eyes.
'Every decision that you make will affect the countless people who care about you…'
He slammed his fist into the ground and gritted his teeth. There was a tear that rolled down his cheek and dropped onto his clenched hand.
"…Dammit, you old hag…"
'You can't be a cocky kid anymore…'
I couldn't do anything…he thought darkly to himself, why couldn't I help her? Why was I so useless?
Without warning, he suddenly jumped to his feet. Urameshi whirled on the tree behind him; slamming his fist into its trunk furiously until the bark began to crack.
He wasn't going to let her death go to waste…
And he sure as hell would never forgive Toguro for what he did—
The tree suddenly snapped beneath one of his punches. It creaked wearily before crashing to the forest floor behind it. Yusuke stood, hunched over and breathing heavily. His head was bowed towards the earth while beads of sweat dropped to the ground.
Until he suddenly flung back his head towards the sky above him. The storm clouds rumbled and abruptly opened up to their tears; pouring down around them…
…As if it too were mourning their loss…
…as if those clouds were crying for them…
He stood there, defeated, as the rain washed over him; the sky's tears drenching his face. Yusuke clenched his fists at his side and glared up into the stormy heavens.
"GENKAI!"
-:-
a/n: well I think I'll just end it there…
And if you didn't think that Mai and Yusuke were in there enough, both of them should be appearing a lot more frequently now…
T.T WAAAAAAAAH! This is probably my last chapter I'll get to post before school ends! (though I'm not quite sure why I'm sad about that…hm…) But after the summer, it's on to high school! YAY!
Crap. But I have to do that summer reading thing…
Double crap.
Anyway, I'm getting a wee bit hungry now, so I think I better go get a snack—come along Kurama-kun! We'll get you that cookie of yours!
Kurama: YAY!
Peace and Luv everyone!