SailorStar9: Wow, and another chapter goes up. This is Chapter 50. Read and review.
Disclaimers: YYH, Magic Knight Rayearth and Sailor Moon aren't mine.
Chapter Summary: Raizen's death has upset the balance of power in Demon World. Now it is up to Yusuke to prevent the threat of total upheaval. As Mukuro and Yomi prepare their next move, Yusuke arrives at a brilliant decision that just might preserve the peace. But at what cost?
Chapter 50: Every Demon For Himself
"Good. I'll have to see this Urameshi for myself. Yoda, prepare some snacks and a pot of tea." Yomi nodded.
"Tell the guards to let them in. And use the meter to measure Urameshi's power level." he added.
"At once sir!" Yoda replied.
"Kurama, get your men to lay an ambush in the next room. Attack when there's any change." he instructed.
"I will give you the order to kill Urameshi if it becomes necessary. I'm counting on you, Kurama. This is getting more and more interesting."
Studying Yusuke on the videoscreen, Kurama pondered that his friend did not seem to have changed, and that the long awaited war might finally erupt, depending on Urameshi's behavior in the meeting with Yomi.
Kurama gathered his warriors: Chuu, Rinku, Jin, Touya, Suzuki and Shishi Wakamaru. He warned them that they might be ordered to kill Yusuke.
Yusuke and Hokushin arrived; soldiers escorted them inside. Yoda used his ki-meter on Yusuke and was alarmed at the result: 200 017 points.
Mukuro's mobile fortress halted a few miles away from Gandara, and Hiei got out.
"Hiei, wait." called Mukuro. "I'm going with you. I want to see this Urameshi with my own eyes."
"Hn. Do whatever you want." he replied, walking towards the city.
The pair was next seen standing on a high platform outside a skyscraper. Hiei commented that sneaking in was too easy.
"Yes. They are doing it deliberately." She pointed down to a house surrounded by trees and a tall wall. "That must be the place."
Indeed, Hokushin and Yusuke were already inside, sitting on the floor. Yomi joined them shortly, sitting across the low table. A woman in kimono brought the tea.
Yoda came in to whisper in Yomi's ear, "Mukuro is here."
"I know." Yomi murmured back. "Stay alert."
Yoda nodded and left.
In the adjacent room, Kurama, Icy and the six warriors watched the encounter through the crack between the doors. They communicated among themselves by writing on paper to show to the others.
Jin held up his paper with a grin, "It's been so long, but he looks exactly the same."
Chuu agreed, "Yeah, but he's stronger than ever."
Touya posted the question, "But if we have to, will we kill him?"
Kurama wrote, "Until a few minutes ago I thought that way. But now it's different. To be honest, I feel torn. I'd like to know what you think. If you had to choose, would you side with Yusuke or Yomi?"
Touya, Suzuki, Chuu and Jin held up a paper with Yusuke's name, while Rinku's paper said, "Do you even have to ask?"
Shishi Wakamaru, however, showed them a paper where he wrote, "I'm thinking."
Suzuki went over to him, crossed that sentence and wrote Yusuke's name beside it.
Icy's paper read, "Don't ask such redundant questions, hon."
Kurama grinned, "Just checking."
Yomi wanted Yusuke to be straightforward and state the reason of his visit.
Yusuke did exactly that and replied, "Raizen is dead, and I am the new king. I've come here to introduce myself and get to know you."
He's too candid. Kurama thought in dismay. He's practically asking to be killed.
Well, it isn't like Yusuke to beat about the bush. Icy reminded him.
Quite true. Kurama nodded.
By the way hon. Hiei's outside. Icy told him.
"I'd like to seize this opportunity to tell you about my plans." announced Yomi politely.
A glow appeared around him. Kurama noticed Yomi's ki powering up and realized that he intended to kill Yusuke.
Outside, Hiei watched the scene through his Jagan. "Idiot. He's put himself in the hands of the enemy."
Everybody waited in tense silence.
Yusuke smirked and dumped the mysterious bundle he had brought with him on the table.
"I brought you a gift." he told Yomi. "I hope you'll accept it."
Kurama was confused, unable to guess Yusuke's intentions. And so was Yomi, who wondered if Urameshi was looking for reconciliation between their kingdoms. He thanked his guest pleasantly and asked to open the bundle.
"Judging by the sound, I believe those are stones." he remarked.
Yusuke untied the bundle and countless pearl-like gems scattered on the table.
Hokushin gasped, recognizing them as precious stones from Raizen's kingdom.
"Are you insane, Urameshi?" he shouted in horror. "What are you planning to do with them?"
Yomi concluded Urameshi did want the reconciliation and grinned to himself, trusting that this confrontation would be easily solved.
"I thank you for this valuable gift." he told Yusuke, picking one of the gems and rolling it between his thumb and index finger. "These stones are indeed priceless. Why are you offering them to me?"
Yusuke only smiled back.
Finally, Yomi felt the engraving on the gems. The one he held has Mukuro's name.
On the gems on the table we can read, "Kurama", "Touou", "Hokushin", "Hiei"...
Hokushin freaked out when he noticed that Yusuke had damaged every single stone.
"After Raizen died, I thought for a long while." noted Yusuke. "I'm an idiot. I'm not cut to be king. So I decided to do what I want. These stones will be used for the draw. We're going to decide everything on one-to-one combats, Yomi. Whoever takes part in the tournament will be there as an ordinary person, no titles. We'll draw the stones with the names to determine who fights who. The final winner will become the new ruler of the entire Makai, and everyone will serve and obey this person unconditionally."
Yomi found the whole idea preposterous. But the door to the adjacent room slid open and Jin came inside yelling, "I'm in!"
Yusuke was delighted to see his old friends, and ran to embrace Jin and Chuu.
Kurama turned to Yomi. "I declare that I am now an ordinary person. We all are subscribing to Yusuke's plan."
"Kurama, you've betrayed me." Yomi muttered.
Outside, Hiei was laughing out loud. "He really is an idiot!"
"Hiei, from now on, tell everybody that I am an ordinary youkai." announced Mukuro.
"I like the idea." Hiei grinned.
"Nothing matters anymore." she replied. "I'll susbscribe to Urameshi's plan."
Yomi heard what Mukuro said.
Damn you, Mukuro. he thought. Now I don't have any alternatives left.
In less than a day, informed the narrator, the news about Raizen's death and the dissolution of Yomi's and Mukuro's kingdoms spread throughout Makai. The preparations for the Makai Tournament had begun.
In one of Gandara's skyscrapers, Yomi gazed at a fetus inside an incubator. Yoda told him that his son, Shura, would be awake in two or three days, and that his youki already exceeded 80 000 points.
Yomi said that the child would have to start the training for war as soon as he awakes.
"He's my secret weapon. The war between Mukuro and I will happen. No one is up to our level. If I manage to raise Shura's ki level in 50 000 points, together we'll be able to beat Mukuro. And then I'll be the sole ruler of Makai. That tournament won't mean a thing, it won't upset my plans."
Back in Raizen's kingdom, Yusuke faced the disapproval of Hokushin, Touou and the others.
"Hey, Raizen said I'd be in charge from now on, so I did what I thought best!" he argued.
"What is done is done." they answered. "Now we must focus on the Tournament. Don't worry, we're on your side."
Hokushin wondered if Yomi and Mukuro would really dissolve their kingdoms and participate, or if they would follow their own agendas.
"Yomi might be up to something." remarked Yusuke. "But Mukuro will take it seriously, no tricks."
He stared at a small flower branch in his hand. "Have you noticed how he's changed?"
Hokushin as skeptical. Yusuke remembered his encounter with Mukuro and Hiei as he and Hokushin were leaving Gandara.
"Pleased to meet you, son of Raizen." she said, handing him the flowers. "Please, put these on Raizen's grave. And tell him he was an idiot." After that, she and Hiei vanished in the mist.
Hokushin and the others assured Yusuke that they would do everything they can to guarantee Yusuke's victory in the Tournament.
"You don't understand!" Yusuke protested. "That's not what I want! What I'm trying to do is…"
He was interrupted by the arrival of two strangers: a gigantic man called Enki and his green-haired wife Kokou. They were, long ago, fight companions of Raizen's, and came as soon as they heard of their friend's demise. Kokou was very drunk and upset. Yusuke took them to the grave, and placed Mukuro's flowers there.
Kokou hugged the tombstone and cried. "Why did you die? I hadn't beaten you yet! You promised me I could come and challenge you whenever I wanted!"
"You promised me you wouldn't cry…" Enki sighed.
Then he turns to Yusuke. "When we learned that he had stopped fighting and eating humans, we were very upset. It was hard for us to accept. Disappointed, we stopped fighting as well, and went back to our quiet lives. I had no idea he cared so much about the future of Makai. He didn't use to talk about the important things." He also says that Yusuke did look a lot like Raizen.
More of Raizen's old companions show up to mourn before his grave: Kujou, Natsume, Denhou, Tetsuzan, Shuu, Souketsu and Saizou. They brought flowers and sake.
Yusuke told Hokushin that he knew Raizen only as a rival fighter, not as a father, but that the sight of the old man's friends reunited there made him very happy.
Enki consulted with the others, then announced to Yusuke that they all would participate in the Tournament. And as a tribute to Raizen, they gathered in circle and powered up. Their combined energy created a hurricane around them, and a pillar of reddish light that reached the sky.
The ki emission was seen by everyone, no matter how far they are: Mukuro and Hiei, Kurama, Icy and the six warriors, Yomi and Yoda. Yoda tried to measure the emission, but his ki-meter went off scale and exploded.
"So, they've finally arrived. About time too." Icy remarked.
"You know them?" Jin quirked a brow.
"Raizen's old sparring buddies. I'm assuming Kokou-san will be pretty upset." she replied.
"That's impossible." remarked Yomi. "There was a balance of power. But now, united, they are more powerful than I am. Where were these people hiding all this long? Why all this excitement? Will the past return? Will strategy be forgotten and replaced by one-on-one combats?"
A soldier burst in, saying that there was something wrong with Shura.
Even still inside the incubator, Shura as laughing. Yomi realized his son also sensed the ki emission.
"Yoda, you're free to go." said Yomi. "Do whatever you want. I don't know who's going to win now."
Yoda gaped. "You're thinking of dissolving your kingdom to participate in the Tournament!"
"I am an idiot too." said Yomi.
SailorStar9: Chapter 50's down. Read and review.
