Chapter 5: Outmatched and Outfoxed

Both fighters remain still, waiting for the first person to make the first move. Kurama the only one holding his rose whip, feels that with the hooded man not having one. "You don't seem to have a weapon. I'll wait." Kurama said feeling it's only fair that his opponent takes his out. "Don't worry, I prefer a challenge where one person has a weapon, and the other doesn't, that being me." The robed man said, allowing Kurama to keep his weapon. "Very well." Kurama accepted this reasoning. Without another word, both fighters began to run at each other, neither planning to stop, going full force and no witnesses. Both jump in the air and make their strikes, and both land in the opposite direction of where they both started. As they get up, the robed man falls to the ground. Kurama looks back, disappointed that the encounter was short. "Guess we can't have a good fight these days." He begins to walk away and starts putting away his whip.

"Did I say the party was over?" Kurama turned around to see the robed man asked, standing up and his robe sliced from the rose whip. "That was a custom robe." He said, annoyed that his robe was destroyed. "But the fault is mine as I was supposed to take it off during battle." He wasn't annoyed anymore and begins to remove the rest of the robe, but the hood part stayed on. 'I'm amazed, I don't see a drop of blood.' The Fox demon thought to himself as he couldn't spot a single wound or cut on the hooded man. 'I don't get it, that attack should have killed him, but why didn't it?' He spots something on the hooded man's wrist. 'What the? I seen those before, but where?' "I can see that you are looking at my spike platted arm braces." The hooded man said. "But if you think you saw them before then I hate to tell you that that isn't the case. Just like that robe, it was custom made." He informed Kurama. "But enough talk, let's rock!" Without question, he takes his stance and waited for Kurama, who dropped his whip and put up his fists. "I wouldn't mind going up old fashioned. But I feel if we are going to fight clean, you are going to have to not use these." The hooded man noticed that his arm braces were gone and looked up to see Kurama using his rose whip hair holding them. "I must say, I am impressed to see that you took them off without me knowing, but I don't think they will do you any good, Fox Boy." When he said that, Kurama was stunned as he didn't mention either his name or what he was.

"How do you know what I am?" Kurama asked. "As I said, less talk, more rock!" He changed the subject as he wanted to fight. Both fighters ran toward each other, and Kurama got the first hit by punching the hooded man, only for the man to head butt Kurama in the chest, forcing him back. Before Kurama can react, he gets lifted and as he comes down, he is immediately hit by an upper cut to the chin, and a then double kick to the chest, forcing Kurama to fly 10 feet and land hard, feeling all the pain from the series of attacks. "And you are supposed to be the famous Kurama, Fox Demon who became a human after being hunted in the spirit world, and the same one that entered the dark tournament, took down a former spirit detective whack job, and then was set to be a general in the demon plains that was supposed to start a war." He read out parts of Kurama's profile. "But like the samurai that failed to live up to what they stood for, you took the coward's way out!" Before he can say more, a swift kick forces the hooded man to go on the ground, but he kicks himself up and starts deflecting Kurama's attacks. "It was a war that wouldn't have solve anyone's problems!" Kurama yelled back, and finally lands a left hook to the hooded man's face, causing him to stumble back, giving Kurama time to breath and think, but he starts feeling something rundown his shirt and looks down to see blood coming from his chest. 'What, how can his head do that when it's not sharp, unless.' Kurama just saw an incoming punch from the hooded man, allowing Kurama to kick him in the gut, and striked him in the face, causing the hooded man to fall back and parts of his hood begin to break apart. "I thought no weapons." Kurama said, not happy with the rules being broken. The hooded man removed his hood. "You're right." He agreed as he turned his back to Kurama. "That headbutt was questionable, but if parts our anatomy are weapons, then it shouldn't be an issue." He gets up slowly. "Maybe wearing this hood is no longer an option; right Kurama?" The hooded man asked.

Kuwabara was a block away from the pet hospital. "I hope the bill isn't going to be that bad." He said to himself. "But I really need to not allow Eikitchi to go through the garbage again." As he walked, he was unaware that someone was near him. "Hey Kuwabara!" Someone shouted, but Kuwabara knew who it was. "Well, that will be Urameshi." He turned around and he was correct, it was Yusuke. "Urameshi, how the hell are you?" He greeted. "I'm doing good; how about you?" Yusuke said back. "Look I know we were supposed to meet tomorrow at your stand, but I wanted to talk for a little." Kuwabara said, forgetting about meeting Yukina. "Yeah I got time; Keiko doesn't get off work for another 30 minutes." Yusuke explained. "Well I was thinking-" Kuwabara stopped talking as he got a chill feeling. "Kuwabara, what is it?" Yusuke asked. "I have a tickle feeling that something is going on about a couple miles back." Kuwabara explained, Yusuke looked behind him and too a guess. "I'm guessing from the park?" Yusuke trying to help Kuwabara and this made Kuwabara realize what he is feeling. "Kurama!"

"Once again; how do you know my name?" Kurama demanded, only for the hooded man to continue fighting. Kurama knew that the only way he will get answers is to fight this man, and he does. As Kurama keep fighting him, he notices the hood started to break more. "If you please, I rather fight the real man that is under the hood, and it is breaking if you haven't noticed already." As Kurama pointed out, the hooded man stopped, and he began to remove his mask, but keep his back to Kurama. "I know who you are, and before I tell you how I know, it would make sense to allow me to introduce myself." He turned around and Kurama, stunned by what he sees, could only ask the important question. "What are you?" He asked. "My name is Shi No Akuma, also known as the Demon of Death." The man's face was a skull with eyes and head is a crown of thorns.