SailorStar9: Wow, and another chapter goes up. Sorry for the long wait guys. My brain refused to work with me. This is Chapter 16. Read and review.
Taeniaea: Well, this is your Chapter 16.
Harpygirl91: Thank you.
Hoshiko Megami: I thought I lost you after Chapter 10.
Disclaimers: YYH, Magic Knight Rayearth and Sailor Moon aren't mine.
Chapter Summary: After getting through the second floor, Yusuke got through Kido's test and the mastermind is revealed.
Chapter 16: Genkai's Ruse
With Kaitou defeated, everyone's souls went back to their bodies, including Yana's.
The impersonator woke up to find himself surrounded by the group.
"So you've defeated Kaitou. Impressive." he remarked.
"Where's the third key?" Kurama questioned.
"We've found the second key on Kaitou. But we can't find the third key in this room." Botan added.
"Of course you won't find it. It's hidden in a tree root outside." Yana informed them.
"It's a good thing you didn't budge in, otherwise Urameshi would be dead." he added.
"That's because of this note on the third door." Kurama commented, holding out a piece of paper.
"'Without Yana's permission to open this door, Urameshi will die.'" Icy recited.
"How did you…." Botan blinked.
"Photographic memory." Icy shrugged.
Hiei muttered something about overpowered kitsunes.
Kuwabara stated, "The person who designed this house is definitely weird. He actually puts three doors in this corridor.
After going through the corridor, Kuwabara exclaimed, "What the heck? How come there's seven stairways?"
"Urameshi is on the second floor. Everyone must entered using a different stairway." Yana stated.
"What's the game plan?" Kurama questioned.
Yana tsked, "Looks like you don't have much choice but to follow my instructions."
"Hey a wait a sec!" Botan suddenly exclaimed.
Flashing out another Spirit Item, Botan proudly announced, "The fifth Spirit Item: Spirit Stickers!"
Icy sighed, "Before Botan there goes into lecture mode, these Spirit Stickers are a modification of the 'Tattoo Print' used on major criminals. Only the person who attaches it can take it off. But once that person dies, the sticker peels off automatically."
"And since Icy's already explained the basis, I'll add to that. We can also understand the other person's health using the stickers' colors. Blue mean you're alright; yellow means slight injury and red means serious injury." Botan sweatdropped.
"I see." Kuwabara nodded.
"Everyone writes his name on and we paste it on each other. In this case we'll know if anyone met up with anything when we reached Yusuke." Botan agreed.
Kurama looked at Yana, as if asking for permission.
The flat-top just smiled, "Do as you wish."
Hiei just glared at Botan when she approached to stick the badges.
"Touch me again with that stupid thing, and I'll break your wrist." he threatened.
"Don't make me restrain you, shorty." Icy warned.
A death glare contest assued between the two.
Everybody else sweatdropped.
You're doing this on purpose. Kurama noted.
Just shut up and stick it on him. Icy remarked.
Yes madam! the redhead mentally grinned.
After everyone had their stickers on and ignoring Hiei's rants, Botan noted, "Now everybody's blue."
"Thanks for stating the obvious." Icy rolled her eyes.
That done, the five stood before their respective stairways.
"I'll take this one." Kuwabara announced.
"Then I'll take this one." Botan added, somewhat uncertain.
"Everyone, be careful." Kurama cautioned.
Aside, Yana thought, do you think you can actually defeat my territory with that kind of equipment?
Reaching for his mobile, he contacted Kido.
"Kido, they're on their way up."
A few seconds later, Yana nodded, "Hai, just like our plan."
With the connection off, Yana wondered, so they managed to defeat Kaitou. One of them must be rather smart.
Scene switch to Kuwabara.
We find the redhead walking up the stairway. It was not long before he found himself going down the staircase.
Scene switch to Botan.
The blue-haired girl found herself walking along a spiraling stairway.
That left a very confused Botan in the wake.
Scene switch to Hiei.
The fire demon found himself falling through a trapdoor that had opened unexpectingly underneath him.
Landing expertly on the ground, he drew his katana and slashed the mirrors to pieces.
Scene switch to Kurama.
The redhead found himself in a maze with a black backdrop.
Numerous doors had appeared all about him; up, down, around. You name it, it's there.
The staircase before him disappeared before reappearing in a different direction.
Kurama just shrugged and followed where the staircase led.
Scene switch to Icy.
Once entering the her chosen stairway, the azure-haired girl rose a 'I-can't-believe-they-actually-used-such-a-lousy-trick' brow before muttering something under her breath.
A magic circle appeared under her feet as Icy chanted a spell that de-illusioned the illusion. (A/N: O.o;;; That didn't sound right…)
That done, Icy walked up safety.
Meanwhile with Kido and Yusuke, Kido told the frozen Yusuke that his friends were coming up for him.
Yusuke hissed before answering, "Brat, how are you going to take care of all five of them? With your ability, you can't stand in all five shadows at once."
"If I knew your ability from the beginning, I won't be caught so easily." he added.
"You're right… my ability is certainly not very impressive. If I was in a real brawl, I won't stand a chance. But the fact is, you're caught." Kido noted.
"I could easily kill you if I just gently snuff your nose and your mouth." he added.
"Then just do it! It's humiliating you know!" Yusuke screamed.
"Yusuke!" Botan exclaimed, being the first to open her door.
"You guys…"Yusuke mumbled.
"Don't get all mushy on us, bonehead." Icy snickered.
Yusuke mock glared at his ex-partner, knowing that she was joking.
"Hey why aren't you moving?" Kuwabara asked.
"Don't come close! This guy's ability is "Shadow'! if he comes in contact with your shadow, you can't move!" Yusuke warned.
Everyone, minus Hiei, had a shocked look on their faces.
"That's right. However, your opponent isn't me, but one of these five. Kido commented.
"What do you mean?" Kuwabara asked.
"Urameshi, one of the five is a fake and you have ten minutes to find the imposter." Kido announced.
"The five of you can only answer Urameshi's questions, other conversations aren't allowed." he added.
"A fake? Don't joke!" Kuwabara scoffed.
"Yeah, how can anyone impersonate someone so quickly?" Botan agreed.
"I told you can't talk unless Urameshi asked a question. Don't you care about his life?" Kido warned.
"One of you five is an imposter. In other words the real one had been caught. If you wish me ill, then my companion will kill him." he added.
"So you've planned this all out." Kurama noted.
"You have nine minutes left. Are you playing or not?" Kido asked.
"There's an imposter? But no matter how I look, they all look the same to me." Yusuke remarked.
"Eight minutes and thirty seconds." Kido reminded.
"Yusuke, I think you can rule out both Botan and me." Icy advised.
"And why's that?" Yusuke asked.
"Because that dimwit," she nodded to Kido, "just let it slip that the hostage is a 'he'" she shrugged.
Yusuke nodded.
Turning to Kuwabara, he posted a question.
"Kuwabara, tell me your birth date and blood type."
"Me?" Kuwabara pointed to himself.
"I can tell you that, but do you even know my birth date and blood type?" Kuwabara questioned back.
"Uh… nope." Yusuke replied.
"Then it's meaningless, you dolt!" Kuwabara exclaimed.
Kuwabara being smart? Okay something is definitely wrong here. Icy noted mentally.
"Then tell me your sister's name!" Yusuke shouted out in frustration.
"She's Shizuru, she just turned eighteen and she prefers guys that are stronger than I am." Kuwabara replied.
Kuwabara putting down himself? Something's definitely really wrong here. Icy noted.
"Kurama, tell me your mother's name!" Yusuke turned his attention to the redhead.
"She's Minamino Shiori, she's forty and is engaged to get married in fall." Kurama reported.
And you never told me. Icy quirked an accusing brow at him.
Honestly, it never came up." Kurama protested mildly.
"Really? Do I get an invitation?" Yusuke asked hopefully.
"Seven minutes." Kido prompted.
"Botan, tell me your vital statistics; from up to down." Yusuke turned to Botan.
"Why do you ask that? I don't remember telling you that!" Botan screamed.
"You did. That time…. That time…" Yusuke tried to 'remind' her.
Botan thought for a while before screaming, "I never said anything like that! Pervert!"
"Hn! What is this?" Hiei snorted.
"Hiei, what's your sister's name?" Yusuke asked.
Rolling his eyes, Hiei replied, "I don't need to say. You should be very clear about it."
"I just knew it. With Hiei's personality, he's bound to say something like this. I'm getting more and more confused." Yusuke muttered.
"What? You have a sister? Does Yusuke know here?" Kuwabara blinked.
"This brat's sister, with his personality and glares, she must be ugly!" Kuwabara scoffed.
"I'll kill you…" Hiei threatened.
Did he just call Yukina ugly? Icy blinked.
Yup. Kurama nodded.
Talk about irony. she noted.
Indeed. Kurama agreed.
"Only Kuwabara doesn't know about this." Botan noted.
Kurama immediately hushed her.
"Only me? You guys knew? Why don't you tell me?" Kuwabara accused hotly.
"But…" Kurama begun.
"Don't glare at me." Hiei retorted.
"This is a long story." Kurama started.
"Tell me her name!" Kuwabara demanded.
"Five minutes." Kido reminded.
"I'll tell you later." Kurama promised.
"Yusuke, just tell me!" Kuwabara ordered.
"I don't know! Darn it! Is there really an imposter?" Yusuke asked Kido.
"Four minutes and thirty seconds." Kido said, looking at his watch.
"Darn it…" Yusuke cursed silently.
Then, he noticed something.
"What's that on your clothes?" he asked.
"Spirit Stickers." Icy supplied.
Botan nodded, "Didn't I tell you everything?"
Yusuke sweatdropped, "Come to think of it… I'm sorry."
"You still dare say. Looks like you're the suspicious one." Botan accused.
"I remember that those stickers…. Only the person who pasted it on could take it down, right?" Yusuke wondered out loud.
"Yeah." Botan nodded.
Icy sniggered, "You know Yusuke, you just came up with a bright idea."
"I did?" Yusuke blinked.
"Every human and demon has an 'aura level'. it's like a fingerprint; everyone's different." Botan noted.
"And so…" Icy prompted.
Then Botan brightened up, "Then the one who couldn't get it off must be the imposter!"
After peeling off the stickers, everyone got a shock.
"They all came off!" Botan blinked, not understanding.
"But how?" Kuwabara exclaimed.
"There isn't any imposter from the beginning. He's bluffing." Hiei snorted.
"There is, Hiei. And I have a pretty good idea who." Icy corrected him.
"And who is that, onna?" Hiei quirked a brow at the girl.
"I won't spoil the surprise just yet." she told him mysteriously.
"She's right." Kido informed them.
"My buddy, Yana, has the ability of 'copy' he can copy the person's body, voice, fingerprint and aura level. He can even copy memories and the personality." Kido added.
"Yana's impersonating one of you five right now."
"Time up. Please tell me who's the imposter." Kido told Yusuke.
I don't know… I don't even have a clue. Darn it! Yusuke mentally cursed.
"I'll release your shadow, Urameshi. But don't you think of hurting me. And now, if you think you know who is the imposter, then give him a good punch." Kido commented.
"What?" Yusuke shouted in incredulity.
"The only way to break Yana's territory is to give him substantial pain. But you only have one chance, so think carefully before you hit." Kido advised.
"What's your motive?" Yusuke asked, once Kido stepped out of his shadow.
"We act according to someone's instructions. But it's rather interesting." Kido confessed.
"Don't drag too long. Get on with it!" he instructed.
"Good, I've decided who to hit." Yusuke declared.
Rushing towards Kuwabara, he gave the redhead a good punch across the face.
Icy smirked as 'Kuwabara' went flying in the wall, his form changing into Yana, "Thought so."
"Sharp. How did you know Kuwabara is the imposter?" Kido asked.
"He looks like he deserves to be punched. That's all." Yusuke replied.
"I would like to add something; Kurama, Icy and Hiei aren't that stupid to get caught by the likes of you. In this case, only Botan and Kuwabara were left. And as Icy pointed out, you let it slip that the hostage was a 'he'." he added.
Thank god he wasn't downstairs. Icy remarked.
Indeed. Kurama nodded.
"Shut up!" Hiei hissed.
"And you?" Kido turned to Icy.
The girl merely shrugged.
"For one thing, Kuwabara isn't this smart to rebuke Yusuke's question with another question. And as far as I'm concerned, he'll rather die than belittle himself."
Kido applauded, "Impressive."
"Just let Kuwabara go!" Yusuke ordered.
"I know. I'll return Kuwabara to you. I might as well introduce the mastermind behind all this." Kido announced.
"What?" both Yusuke and Botan exclaimed when they saw who the mastermind was.
SailorStar9: Phew, I'm typing this chapter from memory. Read and review people!
