I don't own YYH or any of it's characters. I only own Mikai, Sotto, and Kith.
00000-shows a flashback and until you see it again, the flashback isn't over.
Enjoy...
"It's Mikai versus Yusuke," Suzuki said in shock as he looked up at Mikai. She stood up slowly, her hair hiding her eyes as she took in the news. Everyone stood there, waiting for a reaction from Mikai, but no one expected to hear a slight giggle begin from the young woman.
"Mikai?" Kurama asked as the laughing became louder.
Mikai moved her head back and began to laugh out loud. She raised her right arm and brought it down quickly in front of her as she stopped smiling, and she grinned.
"This is gonna be the best battle yet!" she said happily. "I'm gonna kick Urameshi's ass!"
"You'd better go and get him!" Chuu said as he walked over to Mikai and wrapped his arm around her neck. "Show him no mercy!"
"The next battle is Yusuke versus Mikai demons! So please get ready for a blood spill!" Koto yelled catching everyone's attention in the stadium.
"Mikai," Yomi said gently as he stood in front of a screen. His plans would have worked out if Mikai had kept the small ball within her. She was now fighting Yusuke, and Yomi figured that Mikai would win because of all of the training she had been doing. And if she did win, she would be up against him next.
"Is Mother up?" Shura asked as he looked up at his father.
"Yes," Yomi answered.
Shura looked up at the screen as his mother's stats were shown to every demon around. He was amazed, naturally, for he knew that his mother was strong as well as his father but he had never seen her fight. He knew all to well how powerful his father was because he saw it in the battle with him earlier, but his mother. He had never seen his mother fight and he had never seen her power level.
"Father?" Shura asked as he looked back up at the blind demon. "How high is Mother's power level?"
"Never ask your Mother or I that again," Yomi said not bothering to look down at the small child. "It's rude and disrespectful."
"Yes Father," Shura answered, feeling bad now. He hated being corrected by his father whenever something happened. Being corrected meant that he had done something wrong which meant that he had disappointed someone and that was something he didn't want to do.
"Shura stay here," Yomi ordered as he walked out of the room, leaving Shura alone in the room. He watched his Father walk out of the room, and then his eyes turned back to the screen.
Mother… He thought. Come out on top.
"I'll be back!" Mikai said happily as she looked towards everyone. "See ya!"
"Good luck," Kurama whimpered as he looked up at her. "After your battle you can find me in the doctor's office."
"No. I want you to go now. Don't worry about me and some little fight I've gotten myself into." Mikai smiled. She took one last look at the people around her and turned around leaving the room. No one spoke about anything until they heard Mikai's footsteps disappear.
"Are you really gonna go?" Suzuki asked as he looked at the red head.
"No," Kurama said as a small wave of pain shot through him. His wounds were much better then they had been but because of the short time Mikai had with him, they weren't healed enough for the pain and blood to be gone of him.
"I want to make sure that she's okay with my own eyes." Kurama placed one knee next to his chest to prevent his wound from tearing open once more.
"Who do you think will win?" Touya asked, changing the subject as he looked towards everyone.
"I don't know," Chuu answered with a sigh. "Those two aren't fightin' because of the tournament, they're fightin' for the sake of fightin' those two are."
Mikai walked down the hallway looking on either side of her to see whether Yusuke would come to meet her halfway but she hadn't seen any sign of him yet. She blinked a few times but she soon stopped walking for she saw Yomi walking towards her.
"Mikai?" Yomi asked as he took a step towards her.
"What?" she asked as she took a deep breath inwards.
"Through everything which has happened in the past few months between us, I've discovered something I was blind to the rest of the time."
"And what was that?" Mikai asked thinking cruelly to herself that Yomi had been blind to everything, which happened before him anyway.
"I don't only love Senkai," he said gently as he walked over to the small woman and grabbed her shoulders. "I've found that…I love you Mikai."
"What?" Mikai blinked as she looked up at him in amazement. She had guessed that earlier when he said, "I love you" that he was talking to Senkai not her just as everyone else but Kurama did here in the Makai and everything she thought was now confirmed. He was talking to Senkai once more and that was what she had always been used for in the Makai, a medium of some sort. Everything before was for Senkai, not her but this…this was for her and her alone.
"I've let history repeat itself right before my very eyes, and maybe it is because that I'm blind now that I've let it happen once more. I've fallen for the woman that Kurama claims but this time…I want you to come with me." Yomi explained as he moved his mouth towards Mikai's. "I would have taken you that night if you hadn't stopped me…"
Yomi moved his mouth in for the kiss his lips were lusting for. Mikai's mouth had been so soft that night so many months ago and he longed to feel them against his once more but instead he felt a soft finger gently touch his lips and push him away.
"Yomi," Mikai whispered. "I can't do this anymore. I love Kurama with everything in my heart and nothing can change that."
Yomi pulled away in surprise. He knew that Kurama loved Mikai and that Senkai was in love with Youko, but he had no idea that Mikai loved Kurama back. He knew that there was some kind of attachment there but he thought that it was simply because of Senkai being inside of Mikai.
"There is a part of me right now that wants to kiss you, just as that night there was a part of me that wanted to sleep with you…but I can't do something like that to Kurama," Mikai explained.
"I don't want to lose this again," Yomi said as he moved his mouth towards her ear. "I don't want you to leave me alone like you did so many years ago. I don't want to lose you again."
"I lost you a lifetime before and it's not going to happen again."
"When I remembered it…all of the feelings came along with it…and I refuse to feel everything all over again."
Those words flooded into Mikai's mind as Yomi spoke. Yomi sounded like Kurama the day he confessed that he remembered what had happened to Senkai the day she died. They were both feeling the same thing about the same woman, how could she cause this much trouble?
"But Yomi?" Mikai asked. "If I go with you…won't it be like what Youko did to you?"
Yomi pulled away. She was right, he was doing everything Youko did to him back when they thieved together. He was taking Mikai away from the reborn Kurama and was planning to run away with her and build a family just as Youko did. He was no better then Kurama for here he stood complaining about repeating history and not only was he a victim of a repeating history in a way, but he was the instigator.
"Mikai!" Yusuke yelled as he came running down the hallway from behind the older woman. Both Yomi and Mikai moved their heads towards him as he ran over to the two.
"Come on! The fight is going to start soon," he said as he looked over at Yomi. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"I was just leaving," Yomi said as Mikai turned back around to face him. "Good luck Mikai. Shura and I will be watching."
"Thanks." Mikai smiled. "I'll see you after my fight."
Mikai turned away from Yomi and looked towards Yusuke. He nodded as they both began to run towards the fighting stadium.
Be safe. Yomi thought as he too walked away.
"Ready to go?" Yusuke asked as he hit Mikai on the back of the head.
"Yeah." Mikai smiled.
The two walked down the hallway not really saying much to each other after their small conversation. They reached a part of the hallway where it spit into two other ones. They both looked down each of them and looked back at each other.
"Well this is my way to the fighting platform," Mikai said with a small giggle as she looked at him.
"And this is mine," Yusuke said as he looked down his own little hallway.
"I guess…I'll see you up there?" Mikai asked, now feeling unsure of herself for some reason. She felt like she did the day she left Kurama there at the airport to go back to America to see her family. That feeling came back to her as she looked towards Yusuke.
"Yeah." Yusuke nodded.
The two took once last look at each other, and then they walked down their own hallways, towards their own destinies with or without each other.
"This is it," Koenma said as he watched the screen in front of him. He watched as the two landed on the fight platform next to each other and stood in front of each other, both with smiles on their faces.
"What is sir?" George asked as he looked at his master.
"Yes Koenma what are you talking about?" Botan asked as she looked up him also.
"I've watched those two grow up together," Koenma began, "I've watched them go through so much together…and I've watched them fight side by side save for the first time they met. And now here they are…doing the thing that brought them together in the first place, fighting. Let's just hope that this doesn't tear them apart. It would be too ironic."
"So who do you think is going to win?" George asked.
"I honestly don't know," Koenma confessed. "Both of them have had training beyond my knowledge and I don't know their current state of minds anymore."
"Well I'm going with my old time favorite, Yusuke!" Botan cheered.
Let's hope for the two of them…that Yusuke wins. Koenma thought as he looked on.
"So this is really it." Yusuke said as he looked at Mikai seriously. "One of us isn't going to walk away from this fight."
"We might just be walking away holding one another up again." Mikai giggled. "But I've been looking forward to his rematch for a while now."
Yusuke began to laugh out loud. He took a small break and looked at Mikai gently. "Me too…" he answered.
"Do me a favor," Mikai said in a serious tone, causing Yusuke's eyes to once more harden and become cold. "Let's pretend this whole thing is done and over with. We'll be back home, fighting like we used to back behind the pastry store."
"Sure." Yusuke smiled, breaking the serious look on his face.
"Ready fighters?" Koto asked over her microphone. "Get set!"
The whole stadium fell silent for they wanted to see what was going to happen. Yusuke was the heir to the fallen Raizen's kingdom, and thanks to the rumors going around the Makai; Mikai was seen as a subject of interest. Everyone wanted to see who was going to be left standing in the end, and who would go on to fight Yomi in the next round. Everyone wanted to see who would win, they didn't care about what was going on in the heads of the fighters, they only cared if it affected the fight in anyway. Nothing more.
"Mikai," Sotto whimpered as she stood by the screen in the room with both Hiei and Mukuro. Mukuro had found Sotto in the hallway with Hiei and offered to heal him and while she did so, Mikai's battle was about to begin.
"Please be okay…" She blinked and looked on as Hiei groaned a bit.
"So that's Mikai?" Mukuro asked as she looked away from Hiei and back up towards the screen with interest. "Interesting."
"Go!" Koto finished.
Mikai and Yusuke ran towards each other, hearing Koto telling them to start. The crowd watched punches being exchanged between the two of them as well as kicks. Yusuke's punches seemed to have little effect on Mikai for she was dodging them well. Yusuke then took a hard hit to his right leg from Mikai's and Mikai took a hard punch from an upper cut Yusuke threw in the mix of punches. Both of them jumped away from each other in order to take a small break. Neither showed a sign of tiredness.
"Damn Yusuke," Mikai said happily. "Your punches have gotten a lot better." She laced her fingers together and stretched them out in front of her causing a cracking nose to come from them.
"That kick would have broken my leg before," Yusuke said as he looked down towards his right leg.
"Let's make this a bit more interesting," Mikai said as she bent down and began to stretch out her legs. "How about we don't use our Spirit energy?"
"At all?" Yusuke asked.
"Yeah." Mikai stood back up. "We use our fists only."
"Sure." Yusuke smiled.
"Did you hear that?" Koto said in amazement. "These two have agreed to not use any Spirit attacks towards each other! Is this some kind of plan by Mikai?"
"No," Mukuro answered. "They want to fight with only the basics. They only want to fight; they don't care about what's going on around them. Tell me Sotto." Mukuro turned towards the young kitten. "Does Yusuke have any feelings towards Mikai?"
"Feelings?" Sotto asked as she looked at the older woman. "What kind of feelings?"
"Romantic feelings."
"You're such an ass." Mikai whispered as the two ran towards each other once more. They both lost one another in the dust, which gathered around them as they punched and kicked each other with as much strength as they could, expect for Yusuke. He was holding his attacks back and soon began to defend himself.
"Unanswered question."
Damn! Yusuke thought as he took a hit to the face. Why the hell is that stupid thing bothering me so much? It's no big deal! Besides I don't even know what the hell she's talking about!
"You bastard!" Mikai yelled as she kicked Yusuke on the side of his hip. "You never gave me a damn answer and now it's too late!"
"What?" Yusuke asked as Mikai punched him backwards. His body skidded towards a stop. He looked back up to see Mikai charging him once more. "What the hell are you talking about?" Yusuke yelled as he placed his arms up to defend himself.
"What the hell is she talking about?" Suzuki asked.
"Mikai," Kurama whimpered as he began to shiver.
Chuu stood there; trying to figure everything out and suddenly, everything came back to him. He began to think everything over to make sure he was right before he opened his mouth.
"Kurama!" Rinku called as he looked towards Kurama. His eyes had shut but he stood in place still holding his stomach. "What happened?"
"Stress," Touya said as he looked over at the red head. "From watching Mikai fight someone Kurama knows has so much power. Yusuke can take Mikai's life in an instant if he wanted to and Kurama knows that. Maybe that fear has finally gotten to him."
"He'll be fine," Chuu said causing everyone to look at him. "Give him time and he'll come back."
"Jeez Chuu what's up with you being so cold all of a sudden?" Rinku asked as he looked up towards his taller fellow fighter.
"Yusuke and Mikai should be the one's that you worry about."
"Why is that?" Touya asked.
"They care for each other so much…and this is hurting them both," Chuu answered.
Yusuke guarded his face as he took punches from Mikai. He heard her cursing him and such but he couldn't figure out why.
"Sometimes emotions just slip out while you're fighting especially if you're fighting the person who caused the emotions to run through them in the first place."
Those words ran through Yusuke's head and he remembered Genkai telling him that when they had first begun to train together. He had dismissed it back then but now he began to figure them out. Mikai had some kind of hidden feeling for him that she had kept hidden ever since their last fight back when they first met but so many things had happened since then and now that Yusuke couldn't think of anything to cause such a feeling to come from Mikai.
Yusuke managed to get a kick in and Mikai jumped away from him. She glared back at him as he stood up, and then charged him once more.
"Dammit!" Yusuke didn't put up a guard this time. He too began attacking when Mikai's hands met his face and both of them exchanged blows. Mikai pulled back once again and this time she looked Yusuke straight in the eyes.
"I've been waiting for this since the day I lost to you!" she yelled. "You bastard! You're going to pay for hurting me back then!"
"Hurting you?" Yusuke repeated. "How could I hurt you?"
"I only ask someone something once and if they don't get it, they don't deserve to get it!" Mikai yelled as she tried to catch her breath. "Don't you remember the day I slept over at your house for the second time? What happened when we went out that night?"
"Why does it matter?" Yusuke yelled back as he tried to remember.
"That was the only time I ever let you hurt me outside of a damn battle!" Mikai yelled as she pointed her finger out towards Yusuke. "I've held this damn grudge ever since that day it happened!"
"What?" Yusuke yelled back. For the life of him he was trying to remember but he couldn't find it. He couldn't find what had happened that day oh so long ago.
"Damn!" Mikai jumped high into the air and moved her right arm back and forth quickly and a sharp blow of air headed towards Yusuke, cutting him lightly on his arm.
"Hey!" he yelled as he dodged another attack. "I thought we weren't supposed to use Spirit energy!"
"I'm not!"
Yusuke dodged every attack he could as the blades of wind shot by him. He looked up towards her arm and saw that she wasn't using Spirit energy but she was moving her arm quickly and was creating enough wind to concentrate it as an attack. But once he had figured everything out, he finally remembered what had happened in the day Mikai was talking about. It was so long ago, right after he had come back from fighting Suzaku.
0000000
The sun came into the small pastry store and reflected off of a pure white table. There, sitting with both elbows on the table, sat Yusuke, and Mikai. They both were laughing as the hot sun began to melt the ice cream sitting in front of them.
"So did you miss me?" Yusuke teased as he looked at Mikai.
He had just gotten back from defeating Sukazu but he simply told Mikai that his class was going on a field trip for a few days. Kuwabara and Keiko had both told Mikai the same thing, giving Mikai no reason to think Yusuke was lying, which was the truth.
"Yeah." Mikai giggled.
"Hey," a female said as she walked over to their table with another woman behind her. "Have you two seen a wallet?"
"No." Yusuke shook his head.
"Hey! Are you two a couple? You guys are really cute!" the other female said as she looked over at the two.
"No sorry," Mikai said with a blush.
"Aw! You guys should hook up!" the other woman said.
"Come on," the first girl said with a sigh. "Maybe my wallet is at the library."
The two young woman left, closing the front door with a small jingle. Yusuke and Mikai then began to laugh out loud. They laughed about the question and then thought of each other as a couple and they both found it funny. But, Yusuke did find it a bit funnier then the female.
"You and me." Yusuke laughed. "That's too funny!"
"Yeah," Mikai said as she stopped laughing. "Hilarious."
The two became quiet once more as Yusuke reached out towards the ice cream in front of him and took a small spoon back towards his mouth. He placed the spoon in his mouth as the ice cream fell down his throat.
"Will you go out with me….Yusuke?" Mikai asked.
"What?" he asked in shock as his spoon fell out of his mouth. "You want me to what?"
"Go out with me." Mikai blushed.
"Are you serious?"
Mikai was quiet for a moment. She then moved her hand to the back of her head and began to scratch the back of her head. "Nah I'm just kidding! I wanted to see the look on your face!"
"Damn Mikai you had me scared there for a minute! I thought you were serious!" Yusuke laughed as he mentally sighed about the whole thing.
"Nope." Mikai laughed. "Not serious at all!"
The two began to laugh once more as the sun began to set, and the moon rose up into the sky to receive it's turn in the sky the sun had promised it earlier. Yusuke and Mikai then retreated back to Yusuke's place both laughing about what had happened earlier. They laughed it off, and never thought about it again.
0000000
That's it! Yusuke thought. That unanswered question! But does that mean…
Yusuke stopped running as Mikai landed on the ground no more then a few feet away from him. She charged him once more and the two began another fist whirlwind.
Mikai used…to like me. But does she still like me? And what about Kurama? He thought.
"You never gave me a damn answer and now it's too late!"
Too late…Kurama.
Kurama was the too late. Mikai had proven over and over again that she was going to be with Kurama but she still regretted never going out with Yusuke. She regretted never telling him how she felt, and finding out whether he felt the same way about her. All of the what if's and could have been's ran through Mikai's head over and over since then but they were numbed for a while when she met Kurama but in their separation, Mikai had time to think everything over, and that was her downfall of emotions.
R&R please!