---Road to an Eternity of Wars---
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho and anything else that seems related to any other copyright item/game.
Alrighty then…hope you enjoy the story, read and review onegai! –Yawn- so tired…
I'm warning you, I am quite terrible at battle scenes…
(Sigh...) Time to update my last story for this week...Or two...
Chapter 11: A Battle Against An Ally
The Dark Tournament Battle Arena…
Replying to his silent challenge, Kagome unsheathed her twin swords and they began circling each other. Yusuke with his fists, Kagome with her swords.
"Who are you?"
"Why, I'm Kage, your opponent" Kagome smirked.
Yusuke was not satisfied with this answer but nonetheless, started attacking.
Landing a series of punches to Kagome, she blocked easily with the blunt side of her sword. She then proceeded to do a roundhouse kick to his jaw, sending him crashing into the wall, crumbling the dirt and sand to bits and Yusuke shot back up and started over again.
"SPIRIT GUN!" A blue light erupted from his finger as he aimed at Kagome, full speed at her chest.
She frowned as he smirked, thinking he had won already. 'I have to talk to him about his attitude later…' she trailed off, thinking idly.
She slipped the silver quarter out from earlier that she had hidden in her cloak and with precise aim and precision, flicked it towards the spiritual attack. It spun around quickly and hit the proceeding energy, shooting it rapidly back at him. His eyes widened as it came towards him and blasted him to the wall, blacking out and the quarter eh…dissolved, showing tiny bits of melted metal into the stands.
Kagome calmly walked over towards him as Team Urameshi approached quickly, "He will be alright…right?"
Hiei scowled and ignored her, instead attempting to pry into her mind, only to stumble back from the force of her barrier. It was so thick that she didn't even feel him prod. He only ended up with the same result with her other fellow teammates.
Kurama gently lifted the team leader up and lay him against the wall beside Kuwabara.
"And the winner is Kage, from Team Higurashi!" Koto announced, crowd cheering.
Keiko jumped into the arena first, followed afterwards by Kurama.
Juri glanced at them, "And it looks like it's now Kio from Team Higurashi and Kurama from Team Urameshi!"
Keiko leaped up and swung her Zabato up, ready to thrust it into the ground. But then she felt a tugging at the end of it and looked up.
"Rose whip!" The green, earthly whip wrapped around the tip of the heavy looking blade, preventing it from hitting the ground.
Using lots of her strength, Keiko used force and harshly slammed the shiny weapon into the surface of the earth, snapping Kurama's vine in half. Yet, the fox betrayed no emotion. A piece of rubble flew across his form, slashing him in the elbow deeply.
Using one of her daggers, she threw it and Kurama narrowly missed, leaving a bloody streak across his face.
This is when Kurama did the 'Fu-Ka-Enbu-Jin' also known as the 'Blast-Flower-Waltz-Formation' or the 'Wind-Flower-Circle-Formation'. ((Argh! This is so confusing…))
The pink flower petals danced around him and shot past Keiko. She closed her eyes, desperately trying to hide behind her Zabato until it leaned over and some petals scratched her body, blood oozing little by little out of her wounds. The wind was strong and blew the weapon right on top of her, slightly crushing her as Keiko was rendered unconscious.
"Err…and the winner of this match is…Kurama from Team Urameshi!"
"Kio!" Yukina rushed onto the find with Botan, helping the girl and her weapon on the 'stage' and started tending to her wounds.
Team Urameshi sighed. Even after all this fighting, they had failed to tear the cloaks off.
"I'll go" Genkai stated, jumping onto the arena.
Yukina sighed, "I'm next"
"Good luck, Yuki" Sango and Kagome smiled. Botan gave a thumbs up sign, showing the same meaning in silence.
"And-"
Koto butted into Juri's speech, Juri looking pretty annoyed, "And the last match is Genkai from Team Urameshi vs. Yuki from Team Higurashi!"
The two fighters stood there in silence, contemplating their first move and eyeing each other carefully.
'Her posture reminds me of Yukina' Genkai thought, moving her right hand into a tight fist, left hand following.
Yukina then made the first move and drew out her katana. She jumped and slashed where Genkai was standing, but the 'old hag', as Yusuke put it, dodged quickly and elbowed her in the back, sending Yukina flying forward.
She dug her shoes into the ground and slowed to a stop, leaving black stains on the ground.
Genkai punched Yukina's sword out of her hand, causing her to draw her snake-like sword on her back as a quick reaction. She always did that in practice.
Thrusting the blade forward, the light around it seemed to sparkle as it flew precisely, wrapping Genkai in a sea of blue-tinted metal. This plan backfired as Genkai rapidly sent a wave of spirit energy through the metal and electrocuted Yukina. Dazed, she fell to the ground.
"And the winner of today's match is Team Urameshi!"
Yusuke and Kuwabara woke up, hooting in victory.
Keiko looked at Yusuke and thought about how she didn't want to feel weak again, 'I'm fighting him next time' she thought confidently.
Sango grabbed Yukina and hoisted her up, heading back to the hotel along with her other teammates.
Inside the Hotel, 57th Floor…
"I'm a little disappointed that we lost" Keiko commented, sighing.
"It's alright. We've never fought them before and this is the first time" Yukina tried to comfort Keiko, rubbing circles on her back.
"Yukina's right. And the next time we fight them, we'll know their speed, attacks, and an assortment of things! That why I asked you to try not to use your special abilities and everything so them we could use the element of surprise" Kagome explained.
"Hai, there's always next time!" Botan exclaimed cheerfully.
Sango read the schedule, "The next match is in three days"
"Great" Keiko sighed, "At least we get a long break"
"Hai" Yukina commented, "It's hard fighting days straight in a row"
"Say Kagome…where did you get that coin?" Sango quirked her eyebrow, referring to the same coin she had used to deflect Yusuke's spirit gun.
Kagome shrugged, "It was on the coffee table, so I just took it"
"We should tend to our wounds again and get some rest" Botan suggested, unwrapping a bandage and cleaning it gently, spraying antibacterial spray on it.
"We really should…" Yukina softly replied.
Team Higurashi vs. Team Makaro
Inside the Hotel, 21st Floor…
They all sat on the couch to discuss the battle they just had. Or rather, Hiei leaned against the wall, Kurama and Yusuke sat on either arms of the couch, Shizuru, Atsuko, Koenma, and Genkai sat on the couch, and Kuwabara stood beside Yusuke.
"I would like to try fighting against Kage next time" Kurama commented, breaking the eerie silence.
"I know we all want to fight someone, but they're more powerful then they lead everyone to believe" Genkai eyed every other member of the team.
"What's that supposed to mean, hag?" Yusuke snorted, "They seem pretty weak"
"Never underestimate your enemies" Hiei ground out.
The others nodded their head in agreement to that statement.
"Yes" Genkai agreed, "When I was fighting and watching you fight, I could sense that they were holding back. They're aura was powerfully concealed and the girls seemed to hesitate before attacking"
"So…" Kuwabara thought idly, "Does this mean for Urameshi to avoid shiny things?" he referred to the coin that backfired his shot"
"Technically, that was quite unexpected. Kage seems to be intellectual" Koenma finally spoke up, "I can't get any information about them because there is no identification to the being"
"What now then? Do you just run into the fight like squawking chickens waiting to get their heads chopped off?" Shizuru scowled. Atsuko looked at her and stood up to find something to drink.
"I tried to use the Jagan eye to look into their minds, but I was blown back by a barrier. It seemed so strong that she didn't notice what I did" He had an irritable look on his face, showing that he didn't like the result of that.
Kurama, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up, "I suppose we could try again at the next match. It appears that they don't have the intention of killing us, or doing any severe damage"
Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at the red-haired fox as if he was crazy, "Why would they do that?"
"Well, if you didn't notice, when Kage blocked the attack with your fist, she used the blunt part of her sword. She could have easily just dodged and stabbed you in the stomach. With the look in her eyes, she acknowledged it, yet didn't do it. And when Kio threw the dagger at me, she was precisely aiming at my cheek and not my head"
Yusuke gawked at this realization and Kuwabara had long since lost himself in the conversation.
Genkai decided to add in another point, "When Sano hit the pressure point in Kuwabara's neck, she didn't do anything to injure him in his state. The girl could have easily just…killed him"
Koenma snapped out of his thoughtful thinking, "I also sensed at least two other weapons in Nano's cloak that she could've used, but she didn't even bother to draw them out"
Yusuke took this into consideration, while Hiei thought about the mental barriers they had.
"I wonder what the 'personal matters' is that Keiko has to go to along with the others"
Koenma turned to Yusuke, the speaker, "Hai. It's been harder to run the spirit world with Botan missing and there are too many demons around in one area to catch any of her energy signal along with the others"
"Anyway, when's the next match?" Atsuko spoke up.
Kurama stood up and picked the sheet of paper containing the schedule, "In two days"
Team Urameshi vs. Team Ronen
The Next Day…
Keiko and Sango were cooking breakfast when they saw Yukina and Botan walk into the kitchen.
"Good morning!" the greeted each other cheerfully. Kagome came in a couple minutes later.
Setting down eggs and bacon onto the table, the girls thanked Keiko and Sango, then ate their fill for the day.
"So, does anyone know what's going on today?" Kagome asked.
"Well, it says here on the schedule…" Botan picked up the piece of thin paper, "That we have a challenge today. The team leader has to go to headquarters to draw the name of the team your going up against and then the two team leaders have to draw out two activities from the box and pick one TOGETHER to do!"
"Well Kagome…" Keiko patted her on the back, "Good luck on that…"
Kagome groaned, 'I'm going to have to associate with more youkai!'
"I think we should wait here until Kagome finishes what she needs to do" Yukina suggested, "That way, you'll know where to find us when you come to tell us the activity for the day"
"That sounds good. I think I should go now…" The others nodded as Kagome took her weapons just in case and slipped her cloak on and secured it.
Dark Tournament Headquarters…((Let's just pretend that they have some))
A man with a microphone stepped up onto the podium as he talked, a box with tem names to draw right beside him, "And can we now have the leader of Team Higurashi to come and draw a team name from the box!"
Kagome stepped up and stuck her hand into the box where she felt several snakes that felt poisonous, 'So even the simplest things will be a challenge today, ne?' She absently thought to herself.
The man with the mike was shocked when the box erupted a pink light that only he seemed to see, purifying all the dangerous youkai in the box. Kagome gave a small smirk and finally drew a team, "Team Urameshi"
'Great…I have to deal with my bastard of a cousin' she groaned quietly as Yusuke walked up to her, a big smirk on his face.
The team captains walked up to the second box, where they both drew a challenge.
Yusuke spoke first, "Obstacle Course-Ice" his voice holding confusion for the simple answer.
Kagome then looked at her slip of paper, "Obstacle Course-Plant"
"I'll give you guys time to decide which challenge you want to take" The announcer person told them.
Team Higurashi and Urameshi's captain stepped off the stage and immediately faced each other with a look of determination.
"I want the ice obstacle course" Kagome stated, it would be a advantage to Yukina.
"Plant" Yusuke glared back, Kurama would be helpful. But then again, Hiei could melt the ice…
Kagome wasn't certain how they would host this challenge, but thought about it, 'Kurama would be able to control plants and Hiei could just burn the plant. In the ice one though, Hiei could melt the ice and Kurama would use his plants to absorb it…could Yukina freeze the plants?'
"Uhh…ok then…the plant obstacle course…I guess so"
Yusuke smirked in victory as they both gave a strong handshake and told the announcer the results.
"Alrighty then! You each have 10 minutes to prepare and gather your teammates, then meet back here! GO!" the guy barked out furiously.
Giving each other another death glare, Kagome and Yusuke shot off towards their team members.
Inside the Hotel, 57th Floor…
The door burst open, startling the 4 waiting patiently on the couch.
Kagome stood there, panting and out of breath, "We're up against Team Urameshi" she paused to take another breath, "In a plant obstacle course. We have ten minutes to get ready and get back to headquarters"
Almost instantly, the hotel room was bustling with frantic girls trying to get everything together and put things on. Kagome luckily, was already ready because she had gone out with everything she needed.
Inside the Hotel, 21st Floor…
"Kurama! Your advantage!" Yusuke burst out, startling a few people waiting inside their hotel.
"Pardon?" He asked, confused.
"We're going in a obstacle course with plants! That stupid leader doesn't know anything!" He laughed, "The other choice was the ice course, which was one of their teammate's advantages, but she chose the plant! Without a fight too! She's so stupid!"
Genkai stood up, going to get ready, "I think she did that for a reason. The team obviously has a good strategy and we have to get ready now" Kurama and Hiei agreed where as Yusuke just shrugged it off and Kuwabara didn't hear it in the first place.
Hiei really didn't need anything, he was already prepared and Kurama just had to recheck his seeds and slip on the top of his fighting outfit. Genkai and Yusuke were ready and Kuwabara was stumbling around the room.
Shizuru decided to stay in the hotel with Atsuko and watch them through the TV where they would be showing the challenges.
Back at the Dark Tournament Headquarters…
"Alright, the two teams are here!" The announcer confirmed, "The rules are that you can use anything to delay the other team. The first FULL team to the finish line is the winner so every member has to finish the race. There are no trails, just a start and finish, but you have to go through the forest. Okay there? Now come with me"
The announcer led them to a large forest to the starting line, "Ok. To get to the finish line, just go towards the largest amount of spiritual energy at the end of the forest. Ready…"
Team Urameshi met challenging glances and got into stances.
"Set…"
Team Higurashi smirked and turned to face the thick underbrush.
"GO!"
Surprisingly to Team Urameshi, they took off, some with youkai speed, but Team Higurashi just started walking and talking.
"Are they crazy?" Yusuke yelled out, confused.
"It doesn't matter" Kurama told him, "Just keep on going and focus on the task"
---
Team Higurashi's POV…"Ok then" Keiko started the casual walk.
"Maybe we could get one person to go and two other groups of two" Sango suggested.
"I'll go alone then. You guys can help each other. Don't hesitate to do anything and if you need any help, contact me on your communicators" Kagome stated and left swiftly running, not leaving any room for argument.
"Alright then…" Botan trailed off, "I'll go with Kio"
"And I'll go with Yuki"
With that resolved, they finally ran off in opposite directions.
---
Team Urameshi's POV…"We should split up" Genkai advised and ran off with Hiei and Kuwabara in tow.
"Yeah, great, just ditch us" Yusuke grumbled.
"Let's just get going" Kurama reminded the leader and ran ahead a bit.
"HEY! Wait for me!" Yusuke yelled, "I'm taking lead now!"
Suddenly, the finish line spot just changed towards the left.
"This way!" The punk yelled, leaving no room for any other words from Kurama.
'That's strange…' Kurama thought, 'The finish line changed, but the energy is more powerful than the start…'
---
Kagome's POV…
"I should delay some of the other members a little" she muttered absently, then sent a blast of ki at the tree, lodging it inside a device so it would seem like the finish line was where it was now.
She smirked and ran on more, only to be stopped by a huge wall of vine, ascending high into the clouds. There was also no way around it and she groaned.
Kagome peered into the vines to see how thick it was. Around 2 feet thick…
"Sorry plant" she whispered patting it, and then blasted her miko powers into her hand, successfully melting a archway into the poor plant. After that, she kept on running. But this time, a huge tree stopped her.
---
Yukina and Sango's POV…
Yukina froze all the plants around them after saying sorry just like Kagome. There was now an icy scenery path until they met up with a vine wall.
"Stand back" Sango warned and took out her boomerang, "Hiraikotsu!" He flung up and sliced the poor shrubbery into tiny pieces, along with the trees a few yards ahead.
"Nice job" Yukina commented.
"Thanks. Let's get going. The more powerful energy to the right is Kagome, so she's trying to set up a delay"
The two girls sprinted ahead and got stopped again by a very large tree.
"What are we supposed to do now?"
"Match meeeeeeeeee…….." The tree moaned, scaring the guts out of the two.
"Uhh…?" Sango asked, confused.
---
Genkai, Hiei, and Kuwabara's POV…"Over there…?" Kuwabara asked, facing the energy that just appeared.
"No fool, that's a decoy-" Hiei started.
But Kuwabara had already ran off towards it.
"Let's go. The dimwit is already leading Kurama towards it without his opinion, so Kuwabara will meet them there"
Hiei just nodded and came face-to-face with a vine wall, which he just burned effortlessly.
They then came towards a large tree.
---
Kurama and Yusuke's POV…"Yusuke, this is the wrong way, I believe-" Kurama told him, only to be cut off with a, "Of course it isn't!"
When they got to the end of the energy trail Yusuke had forced Kurama to follow, Yusuke cheered with a loud, "Finished first!"
"Uh…Yusuke, this was a decoy. In other words, you've just wasted a lot of time…" Kurama trailed off.
He yelled out in frustration and smashed the device to bits.
"Let's just keep on going down this way" Kurama suggested, walking towards the way Kagome had gone in.
The came upon a wall of vines that stretched endlessly across the forest.
"How do we get through?" Yusuke asked.
"Maybe through here?" Kurama wondered, "It seems like someone is far ahead of us…they have already somehow melted through the underbrush"
"Wait for MEEE!" A voice called out.
They two boys turned towards it, "Kuwabara? I thought you were with Genkai and Hiei?"
"Yeah, but they ditched me because they didn't believe that the energy I sensed here was the finish line" he stated proudly.
"I hate to break it to ya Kuwabara, but it isn't" Yusuke explained wearily.
"Oh…I'll come with you then!"
They then continued through, trying to avoid the sizzling substance on the ground left over from the meltdown.
---
Botan and Keiko's POV…They felt a burst of energy to their right, "Probably just Kagome's decoy" she pushed off.
"Most likely" Botan added in.
Not long after, the two girls came upon a wall of vines. Botan and Keiko sighed, "I guess we hack it down"
Botan took out her scythe and Keiko took out her daggers and Zabato and they hacked at the vine for around 5 minutes before they met the other side with ragged breathing.
"Lets…go" Keiko panted.
Agreeing, Botan followed Keiko briskly, only to be met with an aging, huge tree.
ANYWAYS, my hands hurt and I think I'll take a break now… (Yawn...) Crap! And I still need to update my other story or else it would have been two weeks since I did! NOo!
Sayonara,
Tenshi-Battosai