DISCLAIMER: I don't own any YYH or any song lyrics I might use—but all my original characters are mine.
a/n: T.T you guys don't hate me that much do you:sobs:
Though I guess most of you are out on vacation or something (…but that's not what my hit count says :shifty glances: …)
Hehe, but it's alright; I'll continue this fic either way (I just want to make sure that all of you are still right behind me, alright? HUGS AND KISSES ALL AROUND!) So I expect more love for the next chapter, LoL…
Cookies to my reviewers!
Little Sakura 87: Maaaaaaaaybe….hehe, don't worry, you don't think that I'd make a sequel without Mai, did you?
BlueWater26: AHHHH! ANOTHER READER! SWEET! LoL (I'm quite over-active right now…though the cause is unknown…) Hehe, but thank you for your compliments! I'm SO glad that you like my story! Please keep reading!
Fangimation: Whoa! Calm down! LoL, I'm just glad you're still reading—welcome back! You're still loved girl, don't worry about a thing! Peace and Luv homie!
Shadowkitsune7: Aw! Thank you! And You got it! That's why I'm updating as fast as I can; so I can get on to the devious twists I have for the Chapter Black saga—MWAHAHAHA!
Umeko Saito: sad scene…? Hm…I don't recall putting in a sad scene—but that just must be crazy kitkat : ) LoL and thank you so much for your dedication—of course you get some extra cookies!
NOW for the rest of you readers—
I expected more from you! T.T
LoL, just kidding—I LOVE YOU ALL!
Thoughts
Forever Fornever II
:Wielder of the Dragon:
Kuwabara scratched the back of his neck and glanced awkwardly around his teammates, "Well…at least we're all still alive…" he said, trying to make light of their situation.
From across the ring however, a malicious laughter greeted them. Team Urameshi turned, only to find the elder Toguro leering at them; his eyes flashing a dangerous red as he pointed a jagged finger towards them, "Fools, enjoy it while you can—because even if all of you do survive…my wish would be for the death of all of you!"
But Urameshi clenched his fist, "You just keep talking, you son of a bitch! 'Cause my wish'll be to get enough muscles to rip out your damn throat!"
Beside him, Koenma narrowed his eyes at the detective's statement. He was pretty sure that Genkai would have been hardly amused; it was probably the complete opposite of her desires…
Not to mention Mai would have been unbelievably pissed—the demigod suddenly recieved visions of the guardian beating up Yusuke's bloody corpse and he sweatdropped at the image.
"Well I know what I'd wish for!" Kazuma said loudly, as he flexed his arm—but then paused and blinked, "…uh…well, hmm, wait a minute…"
Hiei snorted, "…As long as we're all sharing, I guess it's only fair to tell you my wish," he said as he closed his eyes calmly and placed one of his hands in his pockets, "…It would be the death of those damn bastards on that committee..."
"I'm afraid you're a bit late for that…" Sakyo informed him coolly, "I believe that Toguro has already taken care of that wish."
Elder Toguro leapt from his brother's shoulder and calmly took a step towards the ring—as if unable to hold in his eagerness to fight any longer…
But he stopped however when he heard the clanking of metal behind him.
The demon smirked, "Ah…so Bui…did you want to take this match instead?" he wondered to his armored teammate beside him. And even though his companion didn't answer him, he continued on anyway, "…Well I guess it's only fair to share…"
He calmly stepped back towards his brother as the other fighter took his place on the ring.
Hiei glanced up towards the arena and then towards the detective at his right. After a moment, there was a small grin that formed along his lips, "…I should tell you that I was really looking forward to fighting that bastard Toguro—but I've decided to leave him to you after what he's done to Genkai…" he added quietly enough so that only his teammate could hear.
Yusuke's eyes widened for a moment; surprised that the apparition knew…but his shock quickly settled into a grin as well, "Thanks, Hiei…"
"Yeah, yeah…" he muttered as he leapt nimbly into the ring.
Juri hopped to the center of the arena and held up her microphone, "Alright everyone—let's get this next fight underway! Standing at 9 feet—Bui from team Toguro!…And at 4 foot 5 without his hair—Hiei!"
Kazuma's face fell slightly, "Oh that makes us feel so much more confident…" he muttered.
But leaning up against the wall, Kurama forced a small grin, "I wouldn't underestimate him, Kuwabara," he warned calmly, "Hiei's proven to us before that size isn't necessarily everything."
"Ready?" the announcer asked, "Then—BEGIN!"
Bui held his hand out at his side instantly. Pulsars of energy resonated from between his fingers and in the air until it began to take shape. A flash of silver caught the apparition's eye as an enormous blade formed at the end of his opponent's axe. The entire weapon was nearly twice the size of Bui—not to mention Hiei.
The shorter apparition narrowed his eyes slightly as his hand gripped the corner of his cloak. His fingers wrapped around the fabric and swiftly tore it off; letting the cloth flutter to the ground.
An uneasy silence swept over the Urameshi team when they noticed bandages racing up and down Hiei's right arm. Scorch marks peaked out from beneath the strips of cloth and there were even places where splotches of crimson appeared.
Kurama's eyes also narrowed when he noticed a single charm dangling from his wrist. It only took a moment before he recognized it as one that would have been used to ward off evil spirits…or as it would appear in the apparition's case, to hold back a certain power…
It made him wonder…had Hiei managed to master the Koku Ryuu a second time?
But he lost his train of thought when Bui suddenly charged across the stadium towards the apparition. Hiei stood where he was and did not flinch as his opponent thundered towards him.
He raised the axe high above his head and swung down—
Only to simply hit the arena beneath him.
The weapon stuck fast in the ground as Hiei appeared across from him on the other side of the ring. Bui paused for a moment as he glanced down at the axe in his hand—but it was long before he gripped it firm and attempted to wrench it free from the ground.
The arena trembled slightly as the block of concrete began to crack away from the others. He held the axe aloft with the stone slab caught on the blade and with a grunt emitting from beneath his armor, he suddenly hurled it directly at his opponent.
Hiei easily took note of this and moved out of its way—but the other apparition was not quite finished. Bui continuously struck his weapon into the earth and drew up the blocks of stone—and then continued on to throw them across the ring. But the apparition simply continued to dodge.
Rubble began to pile up around the arena as the stone slabs crashed along the remaining concrete blocks. Some of Bui's attacks even managed to wind up embedded in some unfortunate audience members.
I maybe a short target, but this is just sad…Hiei snorted just as he dodged another slab of rock.
But by now he was getting tired with dodging…
He slid to a halt suddenly and turned to face Bui. The apparition raised his fist out in front of him as his opponent prepared another piece of concrete to throw at him.
The flame of the mortal world was now flaring all along his fist just as Bui hurled the slab of rock across the arena towards him.
Without even moving, he let the block hurtle towards him—and simply let it crumble against his fist.
Hiei's eyes flickered however, when he noticed movement on the other side of the rubble. The blade of Bui's axe hurtled towards him from beyond the bits of rock showering him. He had absolutely no time to block his attack—so he took his only option.
The apparition leapt into the air towards the axe; the fist of the mortal flame burning brightly in front of him. It collided swiftly with the blade and both fighters stood at a standstill.
But at the handle of Bui's weapon, the metal steadily began to crack under the tension—
Until it finally snapped and the blade was sent flying into the stands.
Hiei tucked his fist at his side while the fire of the mortal world died down slightly. He watched his opponent with fading amusement.
"Your aim is as broad as your axe," he informed him mockingly and with a taunting smirk, "So could you at least try to hit me next time?"
For a long time Bui merely stood where he was—and beneath his armor, Hiei noticed him studying him very carefully. But then, the apparition let the stem of his weapon clatter to the ground and his hand slowly began to unclasp the gauntlet on his other arm.
"I believe…" the armored apparition said quietly, "…I have found a reason to finally remove my armor…"
It dropped noisily to the ground; causing the concrete beneath him to shatter. The gauntlet sunk into the arena and Hiei eyed it with a quirked eyebrow.
One by one, Bui continued to remove bits and pieces of his armor; letting each of them crash to the crater now forming in the area floor. There was a deep tension building up within the stadium as the fighter silently removed every piece of his armor…until only the headpiece remained.
"Unlike other warriors, I do not wear armor to protect myself from my opponents," Bui calmly informed him as he began to raise the helmet over his head, "I wear this armor to protect my opponents from my own power…"
Finally, the headpiece clattered to the ground at his feet.
A deep scar became visible in the center of Bui's forehead; stretching quickly down the bridge of his nose and beneath both eyes.
However, with the removal of his armor came the sensational power that instantly began to flood the arena. A green aura hovered in the air around the apparition as he slowly began to rise into the air above Hiei—his opponent however, only seemed vaguely amused.
Bui clenched his fists at his side, "I've warned you already that I have difficulty controlling my power…Let's just see if you can top my Battle Aura's strength!"
The green haze surrounding the fighter began to pulse fiercely now. Hiei narrowed his eyes as he drew his fist back to his side. The flame of the mortal world resonated around his hand while his own power began to build; hoping to match that of Bui's.
Hiei shifted his stance—and in the same swift motion, released the power throbbing at his fist. He punched towards his opponent and followed the attack as it made a direct hit on the opposite fighter. His gaze darkened slightly though, when he noticed the mortal flame dissipate the instant it made contact with Bui's battle aura.
The apparition nonetheless found himself smirking; he always did like a bit of a challenge…
He watched as Bui drew in the energy around him. The other fighter let out a cry as he shot out a bolt of energy towards the apparition.
But even when Hiei moved out of its way, the orb of energy diverted from its original course to tail after it. The shorter demon smirked as he continued to race across the arena; letting the attack follow in his wake and disappearing every now and then to throw him off guard.
At one point however, Hiei managed to disappear entirely from Bui's line of vision. The apparition scanned the arena for his opponent, but could not locate him from below.
Without warning, Hiei materialized in front of the fighter with a smirk across his face. He suddenly disappeared again and Bui's eyes grew wide in horror when he noticed his own attack hurtling towards him.
His cry echoed across the stadium as he was enveloped in his own energy. The fighter was sent hurling towards the ground below and crashed an instant later; creating a gigantic crater in the center of the ring.
Rubble flew up into the air around the arena floor…but as it began to clear, it became evident that Hiei's counter-attack had no effect on his opponent.
Bui smirked, "My attacks are designed to be exactly powerful enough to destroy my opponents. As you can see, that wasn't even enough to scratch me," his tone was casual, almost to the point where it was mocking him, "…You may take that any way you like…"
But the apparition did not appear to be worried, "Well then…" he began calmly as he raised his bandaged arm, "I think that means I should probably step it up a notch…just to make things interesting…"
Pieces of the cloth wrapping his arm began to flutter to the ground at his feet. Hiei seemed to be taking his precious time…as ever so slowly, he started to reveal the black remnants of his last encounter with the darkness flame…
Kurama however, rested along the sidelines and gritted his teeth. It had occurred to him that both fighters had proven their lack of control over their powers. If either of them—let alone the two of them together—were unable to control their energy, the entire stadium would come crashing down around them (not that Hiei would even notice anyway).
The instant the final strip of cloth dropped to the ground there was an explosion of energy. Both fighters squared off with one another; swirling in the dark aura of their powers. Violet flames licked around the shorter apparition…but it was his arm that burned the greatest; the dragon now tattooed along his arm seemingly crawling with each flicker of the flames.
A pillar of Bui's energy ricocheted off the ground and pushed him above the arena. The stadium began to tremble however, as it struggled to contain the energy from both fighters.
Hiei smirked from behind the veil of purple flames as his fist clenched tighter, "The dragon has been pulling at me for quite some time now…it was getting restless; I don't think I could have held it in any longer…" his gaze darkened and he laughed, "Unfortunately it's been a long time since its last meal…"
He brandished his arm in front of him with a glint flashing across his eyes, "You're the next good meal—for the dragon of the darkness flame!"
"If he's not careful, Hiei could kill us all…" Koenma pointed out semi-casually while the violet flames lashed out all across the stadium and even up into the stands, "…But it's not as though he would care…"
Across the ring, Sakyo grinned in amusement, "Well I must admit…seeing this dragon up close is much more interesting…" he commented.
Toguro folded his arms, "You do remember the damaged caused from the last time, don't you? They were fortunate even to find ashes left over from Zeru's body…" he reminded his gambling counterpart as he smirked, "…But he must think this match is important if he's resorted to the dragon…"
The gambler smiled; unmoved as his attention returned to the battle being waged, "Be assured Toguro…
"…Zeru was no Bui…"
Above the stadium, the sky was turning ominous. Dark clouds churned ruthlessly amidst the blood-red sky. While from the stadium, pillars of dark light erupted into the air; emitting from the flames encasing the shorter apparition and causing the stadium to tremble…
But then again…those with more experience would have known that none of this dark energy was emitting from the arena…but rather from the darkest depths of Makai…
As the power began to build up around Hiei, the ground beneath him began to quake. Bits and pieces of rubble flew up into the air around him; mixing in with the chunks of rock dropping from the ceiling as the energy erupted into a pillar and channeled straight through the stadium.
Kurama scrutinized the shorter apparition from the sidelines. It was surprising to him that Hiei had learned how to better master the dragon in such a short amount of time…almost to the point where it seemed a miracle that he was conscious enough to go through with the match.
The apparition clenched his fist and the fire swirling around him flared furiously. He smirked towards his opponent lingering in the air above him.
"Are you ready?"
Bui narrowed his eyes towards the pint-sized fighter…that is, before he smirked as well, "As long as you are—you're crazy to think that you will be able to control a dragon of Makai! They will devour everything here, including you!"
Hiei however, appeared only amused by this statement, "…Then I guess I'm quite insane…"
Hovering in the air, the fighter gritted his teeth; he was really going to use the darkness flame! That idiot was just crazy enough to set it loose! Bui clenched his fists as his mind began to race furiously.
…If he even had a chance, he had to find some way to divert the dragon…send it back towards the wielder at all costs. He gritted his teeth a second time; it seemed to be his only option—and that's exactly what he planned on doing.
The apparition's fist was blazing now with the purple flames. He drew it back towards his side; preparing an attack.
Bui furiously began to build up his energy; causing the battle aura that was swirling around him to resonate fiercely with a horrible pulsation.
Hiei's nails dug deeply into his palm while the last amount of energy was sucked into his fist. He could tell that his opponent was trying to build up his defenses, but he knew also that his attempts would yield fruitless when Bui realized the true power of the dragon.
The flames suddenly erupted; swirling furiously around the tattoo etched across his arm.
He felt the ground tremble beneath him from the power as it grew impatient; desperately trying to break free of its hold.
The dragon along his arm began to crawl restlessly and Hiei clenched his fist a final time. He had given Bui enough time to pray for redemption…it was time to send him to hell where he belonged…
Hiei retracted his fist like the barrel of a gun as he suddenly charged towards the apparition.
And in just another instant, he released the trigger.
"KOKU-RYUU….HAAAAA!"
Bui could only widen his eyes in pure horror as the dragon appeared raging at the end of Hiei's fist. It roared into the sky before it barreled straight towards him; its fiery red eyes blazing and baring its teeth. The flames along its body suddenly changed to blue as Hiei continued to pour energy through it.
Suddenly, Bui's scream echoed through the stadium. His cry however, quickly turned into one of determination as he braced himself against the dragon.
As the beast lifted its jaw, the fighter lashed out and grabbed either end of its mouth. He began to pour a tremendous amount of energy through his attempt—but the dragon would not relent and he was sent crashing through the stands.
The dragon lifted him higher and higher into the air…but somehow Bui found a way to keep it from completely devouring him.
Hiei quirked an eyebrow; slightly annoyed that Bui wouldn't simply give in. But in any case, he raised his arm out in front of him towards where the fighter and the dragon were battling it out.
The earth trembled as another shockwave of energy spiraled into the dragon; forcing Bui back further and further from the stadium.
--The sickening sound of cracking bone echoed across the fighting arena…
Eyes bulging, the one fighter was swiftly brought to his knees while his opponent's fist remained implanted in his skull. Spurts of blood erupted around his nose and eyes; causing a cry of pure agony to resonate around the two fighters—
Bui gritted his teeth furiously as sweat poured out from his brow. He was suddenly thrown backwards into the cliff-side hanging over the stadium. The fighter cried out in pain as he struggled to keep his grip on the dragon's jaw; he had to send it back…it was the only chance he had…
His battle aura pulsed fiercely—and those below in the stands could feel it throbbing. Some however, were unfortunate to find themselves unable of withstanding such a force…and were instantly incinerated.
The shorter apparition narrowed his eyes…but mostly from pure curiosity as his opponent was being drilled into the stone slab behind him.
--The bleeding fighter glared furiously, "Why won't you kill me?" he demanded.
But the other merely smirked; calmly turning his back on him and walking away…
Bui's hand dug deeply into the earth below him. That bastard…he had humiliated him and didn't even have the courtesy to finish him off! His anger raged within him. Then he would get stronger until he would be able to defeat that bastard once and for all!
"Do you hear me?" he shouted at the fading silhouette, "I will get stronger! I will defeat you!"—
Hiei narrowed his eyes further as a power suddenly exploded from his opponent. There were rays of green energy erupting from the cliff-face and showering the arena with bits and pieces of rubble.
From within the light, Bui let out a final cry and threw all his strength against the beast…
Sending it straight back towards the arena.
He grinned in triumph, "Success!"
-:-
The guardian shifted suddenly in her sleep. Her brow furrowed and her fingers slowly folded into her palm...
"...Hiei..."
-:-
Hiei's eyes suddenly went wide. He stood frozen as the dragon hurtled straight back towards him—
In an instant, the dragon crashed into the arena and lifted Hiei into the air high above the stadium while his teammates could only watch in complete horror.
Bui laughed victoriously as he landed back in—what was left of—the arena. There was a bit of uncertainty however, as many of the spectators kept their eyes on the swirling ball of flame hovering above the arena.
Juri was also eyeing the flaming dragon suspiciously—but somehow found a way to make it back into the center of the ring and raised her microphone to her lips.
"Well it seems as though Hiei won't be coming back for a fight anytime soon…" she started slowly, "So I guess the winner of this—"
But almost in unison, the announcer and the remaining fighter widened their eyes. Bui did not need his vision however, to calculate what was happening behind him…his senses were just enough.
The dragon suddenly began to curl around itself; changing from red flames back into blue then back again. But larger chunks of the beast began to break away and evaporate into the air as it finally settled on a blinding blue flame. Below them, the stadium began to tremble while the power resonating from the dragon rattled the earth beneath.
In a flash of light, the dragon disappeared—
Only to be replaced by Hiei yet again.
Bui whirled to face the apparition; his mouth gaping in disbelief and his body beginning to shake.
"How…" he demanded quietly as he watched the steam swaying around his opponent. There was something strangely different about him that he couldn't quite place—but he shouldn't be here! He should have been devoured by that dragon!
The apparition smirked darkly as if reading his mind, "…I have the power of the dragon—because now I am the dragon!"
Kurama grinned, "It seems as though Hiei has finally consumed the dragon then…" he informed his teammates rather casually, "The only way one can gain real control of the Koku Ryuu is if they can trap it within themselves, then they become the true wielder of the dragon."
Kuwabara blinked, "You mean he ATE the dragon?" he shouted, looking startled.
The larger fighter clenched his fist. Either way…there was nothing stronger than his battle aura—not even if he had devoured the dragon!
Bui's body shook—and subconsciously took off after the apparition; charging head-on towards him with his fist outstretched.
The shorter demon stood his ground—and didn't even flinch when Bui's fist collided with the side of his face.
Frustrated, the fighter sent punch after punch into Hiei's face…but the apparition simply stood where he was; taking every hit he threw at him. As a last-ditch effort, Bui caught his opponent by the waist and threw him into the air—swiftly following after him. As he began to fall, the fighter slammed his knee into Hiei's back, picked him up again, and tossed him into the arena floor.
Dust flew up into the air and Bui landed a few feet away from the crater, panting heavily.
But his eyes grew wide in astonishment when Hiei revealed himself, unscathed, from within the cloud of dirt and rubble.
"…I-impossible…" he whispered as his fist suddenly clenched in his fury and he gritted his teeth, "IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"
With that, he took off a second time…but when he finally attempted to punch his opponent, he found his arm immobile.
His eyes widened further as Hiei gripped his fist.
He saw something flash across the apparition's eyes—and just an instant later, screamed out in agony as a blinding flash of energy swept out from around the demon. Sparks of electricity crawled along his arm; bringing him to his knees.
"You should have known better than to underestimate the power of the dragon…" Hiei muttered as his grip tightened, "…You're useless…"
In his free hand, traces of energy began to form into a crackling orb of energy. Bui suddenly screamed again as the apparition shoved the attack into his body; sending him shooting into the air.
Hiei vanished from sight and appeared only a moment later trailing after the other fighter. A hushed awe raced through the crowd when they realized that the apparition was now surrounded by the very aura of the black dragon…almost to the point where he really did look as though he was the dragon; the slithering, flaming body following behind.
The demon was suddenly directly behind Bui—and the fighter's eyes grew wide once again in sheer horror at the presence following him.
But Hiei did not waste any more of his time. The image of the Koku Ryuu disappeared from sight as the apparition drew the energy directly into his fist. The blue flame swirled around his arm as the power grew—and just before it shot out towards the other fighter.
Bui hurtled straight downwards and directly into the stands. Dust and rubble flew up into the air around him as a crater formed beneath his body.
A moment later, Hiei landed beside the crater and watched emotionlessly as his opponent lay at its base, unmoving.
He heard Bui sigh, "…I failed…" he whispered as Juri began her count from far below, "…I reached my very maximum power…but it still wasn't enough…"
The apparition said nothing.
Bui went silent…as if waiting for something. When nothing happened, he turned his attention back towards his opponent, "Go ahead and kill me…"
Hiei merely snorted as the announcer hit 'six'. Turning his back on the fighter, he leapt nimbly back into the ring.
"Hn…If you want to die, go kill yourself," he called calmly over his shoulder, "I don't take orders…especially from those I defeat…"
"Nine…annnnnd TEN!" Juri called, "Winner of this match—Hiei from team Urameshi!"
The apparition regarded the announcement impassively as he made his way back towards the sidelines. He was shaking slightly, but that did not seem to face him.
Kuwabara eyed the demon cautiously, "Uh, wait, this is a no-dragon-man area, okay?" he told him.
"That was awesome, Hiei," Yusuke congratulated as the apparition passed him (as well as ignored his friend's previous statement).
The redhead began to back away slowly, "…Yeah…awesome…" he repeated, "Uh, why don't you go about twenty yards that way and fight the rest of them?" he said, gesturing towards the remaining Toguro brothers.
Hiei snorted, "That's against the rules now, you cretin. Besides, my attack expired…" he added casually.
Both Kazuma and the detective blinked, "Expired?" they chorused, nearly in horror.
"I don't know if your brains can imagine it," the apparition continued coldly, "But this attack drained a good deal of my energy…" he yawned suddenly as if he were trying to stay awake, "I'll require some hibernation to get it back…Think you can manage finding a safe place fro my body where it won't get stepped on?"
Urameshi blinked, "Did you say 'hibernate'" he asked suspiciously.
"Fancy word for being lazy," Kuwabara muttered.
Hiei swayed abruptly as he pointed at the two of them; his eyes drooping sleepily, "Listen to me as closely as you can, you two…I'm trusting you against my better instincts only because I have no other choice…" he staggered, "Take care of the Toguro brothers. If I wake up and we've lost, I swear…I'll kill you all…"
The apparition suddenly fell backwards. His teammates blinked when they peered over him and found him snoring.
Kurama tried to stifle a fit of laughter while Yusuke and Kuwabara leaned over the apparition's unconscious body.
The detective laughed, "Well that's Hiei for you—He faints, but he still has time for threats…"
Beside him, Kazuma was studying the demon carefully, "Hold on…So nothing we do will wake him up…?" he wondered curiously.
Even Koenma found himself grinning in amusement as the redhead 'subtly' took out a magic marker, "Not long ago he was on a streak of terror…If he had had this power then, it would have been disastrous. Now, it has become our asset."
…
"Can I give him a mustache?" Kuwabara wondered.
-:-
a/n: alrighty, sorry it was so short (but for some reason, I was never too impressed by this fight—though the Hiei-eating-the-dragon thing was pretty cool I gotta admit)
Anywhos, this is probably going to be the last update I'll have for at least a week:
I'm heading over to my grandparents' house on Sunday—but I promise I'll be working on the next chapter!
Hehe, I don't care what people say—Kazuma's such a sweatheart XD So I'll be working extra hard on the next update!
Kuwabara: YAY! I'm loved!
KitKat: (glomps)XD