Hiei's Shadow Tenshi: Cool. I like your new screen name. What is a tenshi anyways? It sounds so cool. Thank you so much for reviewing and reading my fic. I really really really appreciate it. Here's the next chappie for you!
The Squabbit: Wow! You put me on alert? I'm glad that you like my story so much. I'll try not to ever make you guys wait for one whole month, but you never know. I know that I hate it when authors don't update for a long time, so I'm gonna try my best to update ASAP. Thanks for reviewing!
LaVicioso: Yay! I got a new reviewer. Thanks so much for reviewing, but please don't pass out. Here's the next chappie for you. I hope you like it!
aya-chan: Hi! Another new reviewer. Yay! Hmm . . . to answer your question. You're close. Katana does have some connection to Genkai, but she's not her reincarnation. It's an interesting idea though. Here's the next chapter!
Dragon of the Crimson Flame: Yo! What's up, homie. Sorry I just felt like saying that. So sorry we haven't talked, but I've been so busy with soccer and stuff you know? Call me. Thanks for reviewing my story and for letting me use your pen name. Gosh! Can you believe that all of this was your idea? Now, look what you've gotten me into. . . but I have to admit, this is pretty fun. Thanks for everything. Here's the next chapter.
Crazyloony598: Welcome! Thank you so much for taking the time to review my story. I'm so happy that I'm actually getting reviewers and stuff. Yay! jumps around the room Well, anyways, here's the next chappie.
Aznwolf4ever: Hi again. Good to see you (well, you know what I mean) again. Wait . . . does the azn in your pen name stand for Asian? Sorry if it seems nosy, but I can't help it. I just wanna know cause if you are Asian, I am too! high five. Anyways here's the next chapter.
Secrets of the PastChapter 3: Surprising Reveals
Katana approached the ring calmly.
"I'll take the little girl," said the team captain, sounding sure of himself.
"You guys think she'll make it?" asked Kuwabara.
"I don't know," said Kurama, "Personally, yes. There seems to be something about her. I just can't place a finger on it. It's as if she has already been through hell and back again . . . the look in her eyes. So cold and unfeeling, yet so sad at the same time. . . oh, never mind. I can't explain it.""
"Okay," said Koto, "In match number 1 of the Martial Arts Tournament we have Katana, from Team Urameshi, fighting against Banen, from Team Lasen. Banen is a crushing 10 feet tall and has a pretty good reputation around Makai. And Katana is 4 feet 8. She has come out of nowhere and is not expected by the betters to win this round, but we shall see."
"Ready, begin!" said Juri.
Banen laughed. "Do you really expect to win," he asked Katana. And when she didn't answer he continued, "You can't possibly win against the likes of me. Oh well, don't worry I'll make your death painless. A beautiful girl like you shouldn't be out here to begin with, but . . . I should teach you your lesson shouldn't I."
She still remained the same, standing upright with cold, stony eyes. This seemed to unnerve Banen a bit, but he didn't show it. After all, showing emotions other than confidence and cockiness is a great weakness. Or so it is said in Makai.
"Hurry up, already. We're getting restless," shouted one of the fans.
"Shall we?" Banen said, and then started to rush Katana. She still remained undaunted. But right when Banen was about to land a square punch, she disappeared. "Hey, where did you go?" Banen shouted.
"Here," she replied, standing behind him.
"How did you do that?" he asked.
Her only answer was silence.
"And Katana dodges with speed unfathomable and, now that I think about it, much like her teammate, Hiei's," reports Koto, "Now let's see what happens next."
She almost looks . . . bored, thought Kurama.
"Holy smokes," said Kuwabara, "She can move just as fast as Hiei!"
"Took you long enough to figure it out, genius," said Hiei sarcastically, trying to get over his surprise.
He'd seen this kind of speed from only one girl before, but she was gone from his life forever . . . wasn't she? Could it be her? He thought to himself. No, it couldn't be. This girl, Katana, acted nothing like the girl he was thinking about . . . but they did look alike. He hadn't seen her in decades. Was it possible that she could have changed this much? Time changes everything. That annoying little voice inside his head whispered an old Makai saying to him. No now is not the time to be thinking of such things. He mentally slapped himself. Stupid emotions, he thought as he focused on the fight at hand.
"That's it, I'm getting tired," Banen said, obviously frustrated, having not landed any of the ten or so punches he just threw. Once again he charged, but this time with an enormous axe that he had stowed behind his back.
And once again Katana dodged with lighting speed, she appeared right behind him in the air, hand drawn back.
"You've lost," she said to him. Then she brought her hand down on his neck and landed gracefully back on the arena.
Banen was knocked out cold from the seemingly effortless blow.
"Katana has brought down Banen in a single blow," yelled Koto, excitement in her voice.
"Now, I will begin the count," said Juri. "One, Two, Three, Four . . ."
"Trust me folks," said Koto, "I've had plenty experience on seeing people faint. And judging by the likes of this fight, it looks to me like Banen is going to be napping for a long while."
". . . And Ten!" said Juri, "Katana has won round 1 of the Martial Arts Tournament! Team Urameshi wins the round!"
"What a spectacular finish!" said Koto, "Katana put Banen down with just one hit. Now that's what I call a complete and utter loss."
"I agree with her," said Kuwabara to Katana as she returned to them, "Way to go, lady! To be honest, I thought you would get the guts beat out of you, but obviously you proved me wrong. I mean . . ."
"Shut up, you idiot," said Hiei with annoyance. She turned her gaze to Hiei, who tried not to notice her stare. Her hazel eyes twinkled with knowledge and something else he couldn't quite place behind her seemingly emotionless glare.
Kurama laughed, unknowingly breaking the tension between the two. "It appears that you are a strong fighter after all. Right Hiei?" He looked at Hiei expectantly.
"Hn," Hiei replied.
"C'mon shortie, admit it, you're just jealous because Katana can move just as fast as you," said Kuwabara, jumping at the chance to tease him.
But Hiei seemed as if he didn't hear, by the look on his face, he was in deep thought. Something about her is definitely familiar, he thought to himself, and it's not Genkai. No . . . she is not who I think she is. She doesn't even have the same name. I must know her from elsewhere. He searched his mind for answers, but couldn't think of anyone by that unusual name. Katana . . .
"Hello? Shrimp? Are you alright?" said Kuwabara, waving his hand in front of Hiei's face. He snapped out of it.
"Get your filthy hands out of my face, you pig!" he retorted, annoyed at Kuwabara for disturbing his thoughts. He looked at everyone else. His eyes fell upon Katana. She smirked and then looked away. Damn annoying woman.
"Hello? Am I the only one here who remembers where we are?" said Yusuke waving his hands.
"Oh right," said Kuwabara, "So I guess I'm going next."
Meanwhile, in the stands Shizuru, Botan, Yukina, and Keiko are all shocked and staring in wonder at the girl standing by Yusuke and the others.
"Wow," said Botan, "Even I didn't even imagine such a display of strength."
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Keiko, "It looks to me like the guy was just a wimp. I do admit though, she is fast."
"No," said Shizuru, "She didn't put out a lot of energy to go by, but I can tell that she's masking tons of energy. I don't know how much, but she is very powerful."
"I agree," said Botan, nodding her head, "Too bad Koenma couldn't didn't stay to watch, though I'm certain that he's watching it on the big screen while stamping his papers. I would like to know exactly who this girl is."
"Maybe I should go up and look for her profile when I have the free time," she mumbled to herself.
"Do you think that she is alright?" said Yukina in her small, timid, and polite voice. Knowing the sweet ice maiden, she was probably thinking of going down to heal what minor injuries Katana might have.
"Of course, Yukina," Botan answered off-handedly.
"Hey, you guys, look! It looks like Kuwabara is going to the ring," informed Keiko.
"Don't worry, team," said Kuwabara, walking forward and waving his hand, "I'll keep us in the lead."
"Yeah right," Hiei mumbled.
"Don't get killed okay, Kuwabara?" shouted Yusuke, teasing him.
"In your dreams, Urameshi," he replied.
Team Banen, on the other hand, was getting nervous. Their team captain had been put down with only one blow.
"I'll take down this puny human," said the one called Yukon, "I always thought that Banen was too weak to get the job done."
Yukon was Banen's right hand man. He might maybe be even stronger. He was almost as tall as Banen, and definitely more muscular. Unlike Banen's mere fist fighting and summoning abilities, Yukon was trained in several different styles of martial arts.
"Don't get too cocky, Yukon," said Musashi, "The news is that this human beat the elder Toguro brother in the last tournament."
"Yeah, yeah," replied Yukon, ignoring his teammate's warnings.
"Fighters, step forward," said Juri. Both fighters walked to the center of the ring.
"We have match two," said Koto, "From Team Urameshi, Kuwabara! And from Team Lasen, we have Yukon! Let's hope that in this match we'll get to see more of the action."
"Now," said Juri, "Let the Round 2 begin!"
"Tell me," said Yukon, "How do you want to die?"
"No one's gonna die here, except maybe you," yelled Kuwabara as he charged Yukon, running at top speed.
"Spirit Sword!" he said, summoning his spirit energy to create his most used and infamous weapon. Yukon easily evaded the very ungraceful swing of the Spirit Sword.
"Is that all you've got?" he mocked.
"The fool does the same thing every time," said Hiei while Kuwabara was swinging and Yukon was dodging, "One day, he's going to get himself killed."
"Well, you have to admit," said Kurama smiling, "He is very persistent."
"Hn," replied Hiei with a scowl.
"It looks like Kuwabara is wasting all of his energy. Is he going to lose yet another match?" Koto's voice was heard questioning Kuwabara's strength, "Wait, it looks like Kuwabara is gearing up for battle for real. Let's hope he can give us something to see!"
"Shut up, you guys," said Yusuke, "It looks like Kuwabara's going to do something different." They all turned their eyes to the stadium. Kuwabara looked very tired.
"Looks like the fool's already run out of energy," commented Hiei.
"That's it," said Kuwabara to himself, "I'm tired of losing all of my battles. I have to win this one. I've got to prove to myself that I can beat this punk, that I'm a man."
"You? A man?" said Yukon, hearing Kuwabara, "You haven't even hit me once. You don't even deserve to call yourself a dog." He laughed at his own joke.
"That's it," said Kuwabara with clenched teeth, "Now you made me really angry. I'm tired of everyone calling me weak. It's time to show you what a can really do." With that he put his hands together and concentrated.
"Dimension Sword!" he shouted. Out of his hands sprang a huge yellow burst of energy.
"It looks like Kuwabara's Dimension Sword is in the game and ready to rumble!" said Koto, sounding excited. She had witnessed the last time he had used his Dimension Sword. Kuwabara attacked.
"Do you really think that this will have a different result? That's a pretty powerful weapon you got there, but it can't hurt me if you can't hit me," said Yukon, laughing cockily.
Kuwabara swung as if to hit Yukon on the side. He jumped up and landed a few feet away, where he knew the Dimension Sword wouldn't be able to reach him quick enough to catch him off guard.
"Extend!" commanded Kuwabara. When Yukon looked up he saw the sword coming straight for his head.
"What?" he yelled in surprise.
And that was the last word he ever spoke. Kuwabara's Dimension Sword completely incinerated him in its wrath.
"I don't think we need to count for this one, you guys. Unless you all think ashes can stand up again, the winner of Match 2 is Kuwabara from Team Urameshi!"
"With a stunning victory Kuwabara puts Team Urameshi in a 2-0 lead. Now, folks, due to some technical difficulties, there will be a fifteen minute break. Please feel free to grab some refreshments from the stand near the entrance." announced Koto.
"Go Kuwabara," shouted Yusuke as Kuwabara walked back to them, "This is one of the few matches you've ever won. Congrats!"
"Shut up, Urameshi," Kuwabara replied, breathing hard, "I'm tired."
"Hn, figures," mumbled Hiei.
"He did do a spectacular job," commented Kurama, "His power has greatly increased since the last tournament. Good job, Kuwabara."
"Thanks, Kurama," he replied, "Man, I haven't been this tired since . . ."
"The last Tournament," finished Yusuke in a grim voice. That was where Genkai died and it held very painful memories for the Urameshi Team.
At the mention of the last Tournament, a flicker of emotion passed through Katana's eyes. Was it . . . pain?
The last Tournament. Where Genkai died . . . No I will not think of this. Her eyes hardened, as cold as ice. She was a weakness. Only a liability. It's better now that she's dead.
No one else seemed to notice, but Kurama did.
How strange . . . She seems so sad all the time. He glanced at Hiei, who was so much like her. Perhaps, we can make her happy as well. Or at least content.
When Kurama snapped out of his thoughts, the rest of the team was in a heated conversation.
Katana had started it.
"You are all fools, congratulating a petty human on a slim victory. He barely escaped alive. It was just lucky that he took that fighter by surprise."
"Hey!" said Kuwabara. "I worked hard to win that fight. Are you saying that it was a fluke?" He sounded very upset, despite the fact that he was teased all the time.
"He has a point there Katana," said Yusuke, putting in his two cents. "It really wasn't that bad of a fight." For once, he was standing up for his rival/best friend instead of teasing him.
"All of you know nothing," she said, glancing over everyone with an almost hateful glare; Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei (who stared straight back at her icily), and Kurama, who seemed spaced out at the moment.
By this time, the air was getting tense. Everyone was quiet after the comment. She continued and this is where Kurama became mentally involved.
"In the real world, that idiot would have been easily defeated. But for some odd reason, a streak of luck seems to follow you all through your fights. In the real world, he would have been killed, do all of you understand."
It wasn't a question. She spoke quietly, yet the words seemed to ring in their ears. Her tone was harsh and uncaring, yet full of emotion. They could hear it all, her hate for the world and the knowledge of the ruthlessness it contained.
"You all don't know anything about the world. Especially you two," her eyes turned on Yusuke and Kuwabara, "One day, you will learn. You will learn that it is a kill or be killed life. If you don't buckle down, then you'll all die, just like-"
She cut off abruptly, as if the air had been sucked out of her lungs. Her hazel eyes which had been burning holes through Yusuke and Kuwabara's heads turned to the ground so suddenly that her wavy blue hair flew to cover her face. The air was still. The silence was deafening. The background drone of the crowd was forgotten by all, even Hiei had been listening closely the woman's "speech."
Koto's voice cut through that tension like a knife through butter.
"Okay, folks. I'm back and it appears as if we've got the results for the first round . . ."
A/N: So? How was it? I just read over it, and it kinda sucked. I apologize. But please review! I like reviews. Bye!
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