DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH, but Mai and all my original characters are mine (I also do not own any lyrics I may use—unless I say otherwise)
a/n: AHAHAHAHA! Yes, I am back everyone! (And luckily, I'm pretty sure I'm done with my essays! WAHOO!)
Anywhos, I really want to get this chapter (as well as the rest of the Dark Tournament fic…) up soon…cuz I'm REALLY excited about the Chapter Black Saga—I'm already concocting many ideas XD
…man, I'm crazy today…
Cookies to my reviewers!
Little Sakura 87: LOL, yes…that is true (Hehe, but he's living in a fishtank…) AAHHH! I love you too! XD
Shadowkitsune7: Hehe, Yeah I always thought that was an interesting name for a weapon…but it's just so like Kazuma-chan!
Umeko Saito: T.T I'M SOOOOOOOOORRRRY! I totally forgot T.T I was just trying to make a connection that people could understand! Kitkat hasn't been thinking straight for a long time…GOMEN NASAI!
Seeyu: LOL, I guess that's another plus to my story; you get a recap of the episodes!
BlueWater26: Aha! Thank you (I always thought so too XD)
MidgetCake: AHHHHHHH NEW REVIEWER! Hehe, well I'm glad you liked that chapter! And…well, surprisingly, I think Kurama/Mai will show up more in Chapter Black and the Makai Saga o.O but that's only because of certain…things…(shifty eyes)
Fangimation: Well…she's not technically able to hear them…it's more of that Spiritual Awareness thing ('cept it's not as strong or as frequent as Kuwabara's…but I guess it also helps that she's a guardian and she has that "sixth sense" about things…)
Alright! On to the next chapter!
Thoughts
Forever Fornever II
:Yusuke vs. Toguro:
"So…this really is the end…"
Genkai cracked open an eye and glanced towards the former guardian. She folded her arms calmly as Kira stared up at the screen in front of them.
The older woman assumed she had recovered at least somewhat (seeing as though she had finally spoken after those three or four hours of silence). But there was still the sense about her that she didn't accept the fact that either Yusuke was doing this without his guardian…or that Mai was supposed to die…
It was a moment before Kira lowered her head towards the ground and clenched her fingers into her palm. Her hand was shaking furiously from the folds of her kimono.
"He's…he's so selfish…" she muttered softly, "…Mai was willing to go with him—but he just took that away from her without realizing how much it meant…for her to be there protecting him…"
There was an angry silence that followed from the guardian as the muffled sounds of the distant stadium buzzed through Koenma's office. Strands of her crimson hair fell over her face and Genkai withheld a snort of amusement; the two guardians really did have similar attributes, especially when they were this emotional…
Genkai's amusement died however as her gaze traveled to the screen above their heads.
She stood beneath them with her hands raised above her head towards the detective and sweat perspired off her brow. She bit her lip forcefully …
Mai clenched her teeth almost painfully and forced more of her energy towards Yusuke.
He appeared to be receiving it and struggled further up the cliff-side. Her body began to tremble violently, but she continued to hold on. She shut her eyes and gritted her teeth; she couldn't hold on much longer.
She cried out in pain and suddenly collapsed to the ground.
The older woman sighed, and with a sense of regret, turned her eyes away from the monitor. "He's one big asshole that's for sure…" she said while somehow lacking her normal sarcasm.
Kira seemed to notice this, but inclined her head only slightly towards her.
"…It would have been better if he had just let things be…" Genkai told her solemnly and grew silent for a long time
"…He just doesn't realize how much he needs her…"
-:-
"Aw man, we're not late are we?" Rinku asked irritably and placed his hands over his head as he traveled between his two taller companions. They were making their way towards the stands hurriedly before they missed the rest of the tournament.
"If we aren't, it's no thanks to the drunken biggie over 'ere who sold our tickets for a coupla pints…" Jin muttered under his breath as he shot the violet-haired apparition a look.
"Oi, we're standing here aren't we?" Chuu argued defensively, "Hah, nah seriously! I hafta check!"
Touya closed his eyes in slight annoyance "Yes, we are…At least that guard was kind enough to let us in…"
Chuu grinned, "And I didn't even hafta break the second leg!"
Rinku rolled his eyes, "Whoopdi-doo…You're just lucky he was fat."
Apparitions quickly made room for them as the group mad their way down the stairs. Once they were settled the crowd calmed down and returned their attention to the ring.
"Mm?" Jin's ear twitched curiously all of a sudden. He was looking towards the one side of the stadium where the rest of team Urameshi was standing in anticipation.
They were missin' a fighter…
Nah—scratch that—they were missin' two fighters, he decided when he didn't recognize the older looking male standing with the rest of the team.
So who was…?
He blinked, "Hey," he said turning towards Touya and pointing, "Where's the one lass Urameshi was wit' earlier?"
The ice apparition was frowning slightly, "That's a good question..."
-:-
Yusuke took a step forward and paused.
His eyes flashed up towards the apparition in front of him and he calmly moved around Toguro a second time. The demon's sunglasses glinted as he turned to follow the detective around the ring. A deadlock rose up between them; eyes glaring at one another in a showdown.
At his side, Urameshi clenched his fist until his fingers were digging fiercely into his side.
This was the end…
Her vision blurred fiercely as she stared up at the detective; her hand weakly reaching up towards him…
"…ke…"
Toguro's hand reached up towards his jacket and calmly slipped the first button through its hook. He slipped the forest-green coat over his shoulders and let it drop to the ground…
"Will you look at that?" Botan muttered as she glared down at the apparition, "You know he just thinks he's so great…"
Keiko frowned as well, "But he's not."
"PUT YOUR SHIRT BACK ON!" the older brunette shouted towards the arena.
Kazuma growled under his breath and pumped his fist, "Oi, Urameshi! Don't be intimidated by that stupid steroid half-naked freak!" he yelled towards the detective.
Beside him, Hiei narrowed his eyes and Kurama clenched his hand.
Don't blow this one Yusuke…Koenma warned mentally as he frowned.
Juri moved between the two fighters and raised her hand above her hand, "This time's for real! Are you guys ready?"
Neither of the fighters said anything. Their eyes locked dangerously however, and the announcer took that as her cue.
"Okay then—!
"BEGIN!"
The apparition smirked all-too familiarly, "Well done Yusuke…" he congratulated in a slow, steady drawl, "At last the two of us fight again. Only this time things are going to be different for you."
Urameshi narrowed his eyes towards the demon but said nothing.
"I'm not throwing this fight for anyone," he finished in hardly more than a mutter and began to raise his hands out in front of him, palms upward.
"Heh…Good," the detective followed with a similar grin, "Cause now, for me…its personal…"
There was suddenly wave of yoki resonating from Toguro's palms. Yusuke saw the apparition's eyes flash wrathfully from behind his sunglasses and a muscle jerk in his jaw. He had gotten him angry, that was for sure…
"You don't think this is personal for me too?" he demanded with a rising fury behind his voice. The veil of energy was around his entire body now; pulsating in a heavy, purple glow as his anger mounted, "I'LL START WITH 80 PERCENT!"
With the clenching of his fists, Toguro's power erupted around him in one giant force.
The violet chi coursed over his body as a deep growl resonated from within his throat. Yusuke saw him brace himself against the ground as the earth began to tremble. The detective took an involuntary step backwards as the flesh along Toguro's body began to throb. The veins beneath his skin pounded ruthlessly and continued to fill his body with the energy he desired.
Urameshi's eyes widened. He gritted his teeth as he took another step backwards…
The apparition's yoki flared out around him now; swaying steadily around his body and whipping out around the rest of the stadium.
He could feel it standing there…
It was the pounding sensation that was echoing through his chest—the very essence of Toguro's power was drifting around him in a blue haze as the demon himself rose high above him with his newly formed strength…
There was a sudden cry of terror that raced out through the stadium…followed by another, and another.
Toguro's chi was overflowing into the stands; obliterating any and all of the weaker demons within the crowd and leaving behind nothing but the dried and crusted remains of their own blood.
Hiei narrowed his eyes as he caught sight of those demons in the stands behind him, "Amazing…Toguro's yoki is so strong that it's literally melting the flesh off the weaker apparitions…" he said as another cry of agony swept over the arena.
But beside him, he heard Kurama breathing heavily and turned, "They're not the only ones…" the akage panted and clutched his abdomen, "I can't take much more in my present state…"
Kuwabara gritted his teeth as he staggered backwards away from the energy floating around him, "Not…a problem! I can handle it!"
Despite his words, the demigod had stepped in front of the other three members of team Urameshi, "Well actually, no you can, Kuwabara…" he informed him as he spread his hands out at his sides, "Now all of you, stick behind me; the least I can do is put up a barrier…"
-:-
Yukina cried out as an apparition beside her neatly exploded. She bit her lip in worry as she glanced back towards her friends.
If his energy can have this kind of effect on hardened demons, there's no telling what it might do to ordinary humans!
"We have to get you out of here and quickly—!" she cried and turned towards the three other girls, but only blinked when she realized that the penguin-like spirit beast had already created a barrier around the group.
She blinked again, "Ah…Puu-san created a barrier…?"
-:-
What the hell is wrong with me…? Urameshi gritted his teeth as he continued to watch the apparition in front of him. The sounds of those screaming in the audience had grown silent to him, despite the fact that Toguro's energy was still whipping across the stands.
As strong as this guy is, I really should be getting scared. Like pissing my pants scared...But I don't feel anything. In fact, I'm starting to creep myself out with how not scared I am…
He clenched his fist in anticipation.
They say with an excruciating pain, your body goes numb…
Maybe it's the same with fear…
Yusuke gritted his teeth and slowly shifted his foot back behind him—
And Urameshi suddenly charged towards the apparition.
He skittered across the arena floor towards Toguro rapidly, almost to the point where his feet hardly touched the ground. The detective catapulted himself into the air above the demon and drew back his fist; landing it straight into his opponent's chest.
But in the same motion, Toguro brought up his own fist and had simultaneously hooked the detective in the jaw.
A blast of energy whipped around the two and the apparition's yoki burst out around the arena.
Yusuke gritted his teeth when he felt his attack lessening on the apparition. Toguro was gaining the upper-hand quickly—and without warning, he suddenly sent the detective hurtling backwards across the arena. Urameshi dusted the top of the tile flooring before he swiftly caught himself with his hand. He launched himself back at the apparition.
When he tried another punch, Toguro suddenly vanished from his sight. The detective started, but not long afterwards, felt the hairs on his neck prickle. He whirled and found the demon hurling another attack towards him.
He cried out as he maneuvered out of its way, and Toguro's punch collided with the ground. Yusuke flipped around the apparition's arm and lashed out with his leg; landing Toguro a kick in the face.
Kurama's eyes widened slightly from the sidelines, I can't believe the extent to which Yusuke's technique has improved…it's incredible…
Toguro hurled another punch towards the detective, and again Urameshi was able to dodge. His attack however, smashed into the ground; sending a giant shockwave hurtling into the stands. There were demon cries that soon followed as those who were once standing in that area were obliterated entirely.
The detective landed off to the other side of his opponent, but was soon sighted. Toguro whipped around and slammed his fist again into the ground; the shockwave hurtling towards Yusuke. Bits and pieces of rubble flew up into the air around him. One of the jagged rocks suddenly flew up and sliced him across the cheek. He staggered slightly, but made it out the way of the attack in time—
—!
Urameshi's eyes flickered suddenly. He gritted his teeth and changed his stance so that his hands were placed, wrists together, out in front of him. The apparition was charging towards him now with his fist cocked at his side.
"What?" Kazuma gaped at the detective in horror, "Are you crazy? There's no way in heck that you could block his straight-on punch!"
He planted his feet in the ground in hopes of enduring the blow as he glared at the oncoming Toguro. The apparition's fist lashed out suddenly at the detective—
—Only to stop mere inches from Yusuke's fist.
Toguro's eyes flashed from beneath his sunglasses before he slowly drew back his punch.
"I see the way you look at me, in judgment…" he muttered darkly towards the detective, "…But you have no idea what its like, do you? To lose someone you love?"
Yusuke narrowed his eyes as he allowed himself to lower his arms. The group of girls in the stands behind him watched the pair curiously.
"No," he said quietly, "And I never will…because I won't ever let that happen…"
-:-
"—URAMESHI!"
The guardian was panting when she shot out of the bed. Her eyes widened as she stared around the darkened room and suddenly found herself shaking with a cold sweat along her brow.
What…? She sat there and tried to remember…
She started suddenly when she realized that Yusuke was crying. His tears traced her lips sadly and she tasted the salty liquid in her mouth…
But then she abruptly felt him pulling her away and lowered his gaze a final time…
"This…maybe the last time I'll be able to see you…" he whispered.
She blinked at him; still trying to recover from her shock. But when she finally did, she forced an unconvincing laugh, "What are you talking about, Urameshi?" she wondered with a poor excuse for a smile, "We're going to beat Toguro and win the t—"
"Please…" he murmured, "…Live for me, Mai…"
The guardian blinked, "Wha—?"
Mai blinked, but her eyes swiftly narrowed.
"That…that…
"JACKASS!"
-:-
Toguro smirked maliciously, "You say that now—"
"Stop it." The detective glared at him furiously as if daring him to say another word, "This is between you and me."
"Whoa!" Koto cheered through her microphone, "Now Toguro has stopped in mid-punch to chat with Urameshi! I wish you could hear what they were chatting about!"
But Hiei clenched his fist in rage, "Those fools!" he muttered, "Why don't they stop dancing around each other and fight? One must never let emotions enter the ring…that was a mistake," he glared across the ring at the two fighters, "I should have known better than to hand this match over to Yusuke…"
The demon centered in the arena narrowed his eyes seriously towards the detective, "It's time…" he growled, "You have something to prove to me Urameshi. Show me that your master did not sacrifice her strength for you in vain…"
Yusuke's gaze darkened, "Right…"
He clasped his right wrist with his hand slowly; his index finger pointed downwards towards the ground.
"I'll show you."
Juri blinked and glanced towards Toguro, who was not moving, "You alright…?" she wondered and then turned towards the detective, "And you? Hm…"
Something flashed across Yusuke's eyes…it was something between determination and rage that now glowed fiercely.
"Following an action-packed beginning, what we've got on our hands here is a good old-fashioned stand off!" Koto shouted, "But now it seems that Yusuke's focusing his energy into that trusty right index finger of his!"
Toguro was not so amused, "So…she didn't teach you any new tricks?" he wondered as his eyes narrowed from behind his sunglasses, "I want to see everything Genkai gave you!"
From the sidelines, Kuwabara blinked, "Hold on Urameshi got somethin' from Genkai before she died, like a gift?"
The demigod beside him nodded slightly, "Yes…but not exactly the sort of gift with wrapping and a bow, Kuwabara. More like her gift you know, what made Genkai special…She gave him the energy she had stored for decades."
He faltered, "How much power did she give him?" he cried.
Koenma shrugged, "I don't know…but I'm guessing it all."
There was a snort of amusement from their side of the arena while Hiei folded his arms over his chest.
"This should be fun."
A mist was suddenly forming around the ring while the two fighters were squaring-off. But at Yusuke's index finger, there were tiny beams of light beginning to draw themselves into it. Little by little, a small orb of blue light sat resonating at the tip of the detective's finger while the ki around them continued to flow into the bullet.
Slowly, Urameshi raised his hand out in front of him; the point of his fingered aimed directly towards the apparition standing in front of him.
Are you watching this, Grandma?
The bullet was close to being the size of his fist now, but still the detective didn't attack. The orb at his fingertip was pulsing by now with a fierce energy.
"FIRE ALREADY!" Kuwabara shouted furiously.
Toguro's eyes flashed out of slight confusion, He'll never hit me from that distance—
"..."
Without warning, Yusuke suddenly dropped his hands at his side; diminishing the energy at his index finger. He was racing across the arena towards the apparition.
Only four shots left, the detective told himself as he neared the demon ahead of him, And I can't even miss one!
Toguro smirked now, He uses his head in battle…I like that!
Urameshi slammed his fist into the apparition's stomach. Again and again he did so, but Toguro didn't seem to be coming to any damage by Yusuke's blows.
"COME ON!"
The apparition suddenly threw a punch at the fighter below him, but Urameshi dodged the blow and let Toguro's fist land in the pit of the arena sending rubble into the air. But before the detective could even land, the demon whirled and threw another attack towards him. Instead of hitting Yusuke however, the energy generated in his fist flew into the stands and towards a few unlucky demons.
Yusuke dashed out behind the apparition and tried coming in for another punch. But Toguro sensed him and turned; whipping out his leg towards the detective. He just barely dodged the blow as it came inches from his face, but used it to his advantage as he launched himself off of the demon's leg and used his own to kick him in the face.
But the ground beneath his opponent suddenly cracked and flew up at him. Urameshi cried out slightly as the force pushed him backwards and he staggered back onto the floor of the arena..
"What do you say…?" Toguro started slowly, "Let's kick this up a notch!"
The detective's eyes widened when he realized that the apparition was already on top of him. He staggered out of the way just as Toguro's fist slammed into the spot he was just in. But the energy resonating from the blow erupted around the two fighters; blasted also across the entire stadium and into the stands. The arena beneath the apparition's fist was deteriorating rapidly and sending giant blocks of rubble into the air around them. Yusuke cried out as Toguro's chi began to envelope the two of them and he shielded his eyes with his hands.
As the apparition's fist dug further into the ground however, more and more of the arena flew into the air and was quickly followed by Urameshi himself as the blast hurled him backwards. He was soon lost amidst the flying rubble.
Toguro suddenly jumped into the air, following the detective. His eyes scanned the flying debris carefully.
"Come out, come out, Yusuke…"
There was suddenly a flash of movement at his side. The apparition whirled.
A heavy tension filled the air as the rubble moved away from his sight; revealing Yusuke on the other side. The detective was falling upside-down…but also had his finger aimed straight at Toguro.
His eyes narrowed as the orb of light reappeared at his fingertip.
"Rei Gan."
Toguro's eyes widened as the blast roared towards him; the force of the attack even pushed Urameshi back. The apparition cried out angrily as the beam of blue light quickly devoured him and hurtled him across the stadium.
"Bull's eye!" Kazuma cheered.
Koenma stared, "That's a direct hit!" he said in near-disbelief
When Yusuke had landed back down on the arena floor, there was suddenly an enormous crashing sound as the spirit gun drilled a hole straight through the stadium. It was heard crashing through the forest beyond; as if it were never ending and would never come to a stop. As the blue light faded into the distance of the island, smoke began to billow up from the fires now licking at its path.
And it was only a moment later that the sound of Yusuke's spirit gun died away entirely.
The stadium was dead silent…
-:-
Mai suddenly skidded to a halt as she raced out through the hotel doors. Her eyes widened as her head jerked to the side.
That energy…
Her shock resided quickly and she furrowed her brow in her wrath.
"That idiot!"
-:-
"The usually vibrant crowd looks on in stunned silence. I don't think anyone saw that one coming!" Koto said through her microphone excitedly, "Especially not Toguro who's been blow right out of the stadium!"
A little ways off, a pile of debris stirred and Juri appeared clutching her head, "Ugh…where am I?...And who am I…?"
"Hey lady get up, and snap out of it!" Kuwabara shouted at the announcer, "You've got a job to do! There's a fighter outta the ring and you'd better start countin' like you're always doin' for me!"
Hiei snorted dryly, "Take a moment to look where Yusuke's standing, baka…"
The redhead blinked as he turned back to the "ring" only to find that it had almost literally been blown to smithereens with only its remains scattered here and there across the rest of the stadium. And Yusuke stood right in the middle of it.
"Hey! How the heck do you get back in the ring?"
"In this final battler there will be no boundaries…" Kurama explained darkly.
"The only rule is kill or be killed" Hiei finished.
Botan nearly jumped out of her seat in jubilation, "We won!" she shouted and pumped her fist, "That'll show those nay saying demon fans!"
Down the ways from her, Shizuru stretched leisurely and sighed, "Well that's done! Let's pack up, grab some over-priced souvenirs and forget our heartbreak!"
But the spirit beast in Keiko's arms squirmed restlessly, "Puu! Puu!"
Back with the Urameshi team, Hiei snorted and folded his arms across his chest, "Yusuke's much stronger now than I ever imagined a human could be."
Kurama however, frowned, "Yet…Toguro didn't even bother to block his attack…" he told him in confusion.
"If Toguro can escape a blast that powerful unscathed, there's no telling what else he might be capable of," the shorter apparition informed his counterpart.
"Look!" Kuwabara shouted irritably, "Would you stop being a glass-is-half-empty kinda guy for two seconds? Accept it! There's absolutely no way in heck that guys' ever coming back in anything other than an ash tray!"
But while he was talking, the detective had started to make his way towards the mouth of the tunnel newly formed at the base of the stadium. His movements were slow as he walked cautiously closer to the hole and his brow furrowed.
No…
It wasn't that easy…
Toguro wasn't dead yet.
-:-
As flames licked at the trees around him, the apparition's hand clasped over a boulder at his side. And when he forced his weight against it, it neatly cracked under the pressure…
He stood slowly and walked back along the spirit gun's path; his feet digging into the ash scattered along the earth. There were flames lashing out at him and feeding on the limbs of the trees nearby, but he seemed oblivious to it all…
-:-
Yusuke's eyes grew wide suddenly and he took a step backwards away from the tunnel. The rest of his teammates froze at his sudden movement and watched the tunnel as well.
From the rays of heat resonating from the earth, a shadow appeared beyond from amidst the flames. Urameshi clenched his fist as the form of Toguro appeared silhouetted against the fiery background behind him. The apparition's hand clasped over the side of the tunnel as he moved back into the arena.
"Is that all you've got for me? I expected more from Genkai…" he growled.
Kazuma staggered and fell over from where he stood with his teammates, "H-he's invincible! That's the only explanation for it!"
The demigod bit down nervously on his pacifier, "That's…not good…" he decided.
"Whoa! Look at it people!" Koto breathed in her excitement, "Toguro has miraculously risen from the dead! Runs in the family I guess. And there's not so much as a scratch on this giant brute, the only difference is his shades are gone! Oh, and what piercing eyes he has!"
The detective clenched his fist furiously as the apparition came to stand in front of him. And it seemed as though Toguro was doing the same…the only difference being that he was not as angry as Yusuke and his stance was different as well.
But without warning, a blast of yoki enveloped the apparition. Urameshi started in shock and swiftly attempted to put up a blockade with his own energy against Toguro's assault. The demon's energy however, quickly overpowered his own and with the sound of shattering glass, broke the detective's feeble shield.
Yusuke staggered backwards and gritted his teeth.
Dammit! He just dissolved my energy shield with a mere flex of his power! I'm gonna have to throw it into gear if I wanna stick around and get this done…
Toguro loomed over him; his dark eyes flashing maliciously and in fury, "I was foolish to depend on you rising to the occasion. I wanted to test you to see if you were really strong enough to compete with me…" his gaze darkened, "Obviously, my standing here means that you've failed…So there's no need for me to go to full power…
"I'll finish this as I am."
-:-
"THAT SON OF A BITCH!"
The guardian staggered only slightly as she raced blindly down the path; her anger however, was enough to drive her forward.
You couldn't just kiss someone then knock them out! That was against some sort of kissing-rule or…or something!
She gritted her teeth as she furiously swiped a branch out of her way. Not to mention he never gave her a fair reason for KO'ing her in the first place! If he had some twisted-messed-up theory for keeping her away from the tournament, he was in for a serious world of hurt when she got through with him…
Because if Toguro didn't kill him first,
She sure as hell would!
-:-
o.O Yeah, Mai's pissed off…
And in honor of the last day of summer, I completely devoted my entire day to writing this chapter…
SO YOU BETTER BE GRATEFUL, DARN IT!
LOL, but sorry it took so long to update. I wanted to get the DVDs so I could get a more detailed look on the match and stuff (Seriously, I sat in front of the TV last night taking notes on the dialogue o.O—but that's just how devoted I was!)
Anywhos, I'm gonna go watch that other DVD now!
(Oh, and I also thought about it, and decided Mai probably looks a lot like Hinageshi from the Poltergeist Report except, well, older and taller)
PEACE AND LOVE