File 17: Invitations to darkness
Once more Akari completely hid her presence and re-entered the mansion. And as she had expected, she saw the spirit sword disappear after having been expulsed by a few contractions of abdominal muscles. She saw the Toguro brothers transform back and stand up. There was no way the younger could have died so easily or she would have never gone through so much hardship. As to overlook the presense of the elder just because he was in an inanimate form...
Sakyo reappeared on a screen.
"Good work, Toguro Brothers. That was a marvellous performance."
"My ears are sharp. All it took was for me to listen to their strategy and make use of it. Losing on purpose builds up more stress than I thought." Then they heard Tarukane who was still laughing after having gone insane because of his bankruptcy. "By the way, was it alright to let that girl go? She was an important commodity that Tarukane had villainously seized."
"Nevermind. Compared to the grand enterprise I'm about to undertake, the Hiruiseki are nothing more than pebbles on the shore."
"I'm relieved. In that case I have a favor to ask of you, my true employer. I would like to fight those two once again in martial arts tournament. This time, seriously."
"I intended to do so from the beginning. After all, those two are to be important guests in the upcoming Dark Tournament."
"You're not very amiable either. Getting those two to fight us was your real objective in this, wasn't it?"
"You're sharp. So what are your impressions, having fought them?"
"That one was named Urameshi, right? The one who was shooting. He will get stronger... the more you hit him."
"The Dark Tournament, huh? So that's what this farce was all about." Akari suddenly spoke up. She melted the thick bulletproof glass and jumped down in the arena. "Do you intend to do to him the same thing you did to me?" She looked at him, trembling with barely contained rage and aggressiveness. And yet, mixed in with that all-consuming hatred, there was still that deeply rooted fear that angered her all the more. Because even if he had only displayed a fraction of it, the way she was now, she was able to measure his true power. And even now, after all she had endured, he was still above her. Toguro smirked.
"If there is a need to. Better have a replacement you see... But I have a question for you too. I could feel your killing intent from the beginning, yet you did not intervene. Why? Wasn't it because you expected those results?"
"You could have easily killed them if you had wanted to, but instead you only toyed with them. Well, I would have intervened had you made any suspicious movement. But I agree now was not the time, it's not the perfect place where we can go all out, and I wanted to know more, and I wanted them to know too. And I also want you to know something. Sakyo, you will lose, and your gambler's life will end at this tournament. And Toguro, I've survived and become stronger as you wished. But things won't go the way they did. I won't let it continue the way you want." She raised her finger and aimed at him. Her golden eyes ressembling those of a predator, cold, calculating, merciless, murderous. Reiki was gathering at the point of her index, like a tiger baring its fangs or a hawk getting ready for a dive. "But until that time comes, here's a little starter." And she fired a massive ball of highly concentrated ki.
When the dust cleared, she was gone. She had left a huge hole in the wall. No, a whole part of the mansion had been destroyed. She had blasted a tunnel through it that went on far in the forest. Blocks of concrete fell from the ruined walls onto the scorched earth where the foundations had lain. In an instant, Toguro-ani had hid behind his younger brother who had been forced to promptly increase his level and rise to 70% of his power.
"Now was not the time, it's not the perfect place where we can go all out."... huh? A feral smile was curving his lips. She had been dying to shoot him from the moment she had sensed his youki.
"Ehhh... so that was the girl you've had your eyes on. No doubt indeed about her lineage. But what did you do for her to hate you this much?" Sakyo asked, interested. After a time, as if lost in memories, the tall youkai smirked even wider.
"Sakyo-san, humans cannot reject temptation. When they are forced to stand on a hellish precipice of despair, they will hold on to anything that might help them escape from the situation they are in, should it be a spider's thread, and that is no matter what kind of human they are."
"I see, you don't have a very agreeable personality either..." Sakyo closed his eyes with a little smile, while taking a puff from his cigarette. Toguro had plunged the poor girl in a desperate situation and threw at her a thread of hatred she had admirably caught so he could lead her wherever he wanted. "Anyway, don't let yourself get tripped up: the tournament is in two months. Ah, one more thing. Dispose of that trash up there for me." And once more Sakyo cut the connection.
"It was high time." Toguro-otouto jumped and with a kick broke the glass and beheaded Tarukane who was still laughing insanely and crying that he was ruined.
In the city, Kirishima, Ookubo, and Sawamura, Kuwabara's three faithful friends were making bets on why their 'boss' could be so depressed. Sawamura bet 400 yens that it was because of a movie, Ookubo 500 yens that it was a personality change, and Kirishima 800 yens that it was because he had been dumped by a girl.
"Kirishima's won the bet." Urameshi grinned.
"You exaggerate. It's not like that at all." Botan looked at him disapprovingly.
"Yes it is, she returned to that land of ice place."
"A long-distance relationship, it's so romantic." The spirit guide said with a dreamy expression. But Kuwabara ignored them all and walked away, his hands in his pockets, his head down, miserable, and mournful, without even the heart to reply to anyone. The mockeries, actually meant to stir his pride and fighting spirit and cheer him up, had failed. The three followed their leader, calling him. Yusuke hadn't thought his friend would be so dejected. "Well, this time around, it looks like he was left with quite a bad taste in his mouth, huh?" Botan sympathised.
"And in the end, Hiei too." Urameshi agreed.
"He didn't tell Yukina-chan that she was his sister, right?"
"No."
Yusuke was remembering the day they had seen Yukina off. Kuwabara had tried to convince her to stay but she had made her decision. The Ice Maiden had a practice of not living outside the land of Glaciers. She had said her goodbyes and left. And while he had been dismally staring at her retreating back, behind him, Urameshi had asked Hiei if it was really alright, to let her go like this.
"Yukina doesn't know me. There's no need for her to know me from now on either. If we didn't have the same mother, she wouldn't have had to leave her world and become a subject of gambling."
"But you searched so long for her..."
"I'm a man who was once on the Reikai's wanted list. Do you think she'd be glad to know that she had a brother like that?"
"I think she'd be happy simply to know about you and would accept you no matter what you did, because she's that type of girl. But I don't really expect a guy to know a girl's heart if you don't give it a chance. Unless you know and you have another reason not to tell her?" Akari had butted in, looking at him suspisciously. He had held her gaze for a time before dismissing her.
"Ridiculous."
"And that jagan, it was to find her?"
"Who knows." And he had turned around and left.
"But still, it's such a relief! That Hiei didn't kill Tarukane. Even if it was to save his sister, if he killed a human, I was this close to order Akari and you to arrest him!" Botan said. She and Urameshi were walking in a busy street and yet noone paid them any attention.
"Me? Arrest Hiei?" Yusuke repeated, disbelieving.
"Yeah, they squabbled about it quite a bit in the Spirit World, about whether or not they should tell Hiei that Yukina-chan was imprisoned. That's why we took the way out and had him deliver the tape."
"And leave it to chance whether he watched it or not? That's not even funny." The detective complained, a little resentful.
"Well, it looks like you won't have any mission for a while, so take it easy!" Botan grinned mischievously, giving him a good slap on his back and leaving. The young detective had arrived at his destination...
"Yusuke!" A female voice called him happily. He turned around. "Yusuke!" Keiko iterated, smiling and waving her arm to greet him. "You're late!" She pouted. And they left to go on their date, unknowingly followed by a certain pink haired girl...
For her fun spying operation, Akari had decided to disguise herself to make things more interesting. She had braided her hair, was wearing coloured glasses, a short sleeved, light teal shirt tunic with a purple belt over a simple, long sleeved, fitting white top, white tight fitting jeans and purple ballerinas. When she saw that they were going to enter the clothes shop 'Teen's mate', she quickly made herself invisible by refracting the light and entered with them. Urameshi looked as if he had felt something when the door was closing but then had ignored it. While Keiko looked around, the female rei user hid among the shelves on the other side. The brown haired teen found some cute clothes and went inside a cabin to try them while Yusuke was –obviously- made to wait outside. But knowing him, that was certainly not the reason why he was so grumpy.
"Hey, hey, are you still expecting me to hang around with you?" He grumbled in a low voice. He sure looked bored as hell as he was not exactly the clingy lovey dovey type to say the least... which was why it was so fun seeing him forced to go shopping like this. He could never directly oppose Keiko.
"What are you saying, after only doing this much? After we're done shopping, we're going to have some cake, and then we're going to Disney Land."
Akari almost burst out laughing. It was like she could read Yusuke's thoughts. Sarayashiki's ultimate punk on a typical cotton-candy-like cliché date course for mushy couples like that... that would be way too embarrassing for him... and way too amusing for the sadistic pink haired girl that she was. Which was why he tried to run away. But then Keiko opened the curtain.
"Where are you going?" She asked, glaring at him like daring him to run away again.
"Ah, no-nowhere..." Urameshi stammered, scratching his cheek sheepishly with a stiff expression.
Akari's stomach was now hurting from holding the laughter in too much.
"Don't tell me you were planning to leave me behind like you did last time." She said just as stiffly, a strained smile on her face to keep her anger from bursting out.
"Sh-shall we go to Disney Land then?" The boy stuttered again with that same tense smile. His eyebrows were twitching. That was Yusuke alright. He could fight demons like Randou and Suzaku and he was scared out of his wits of a human girl. Keiko-chan really held him in the palm of her hand. And Keiko-chan's mood could be affected so easily by Yusuke too. Was it because they loved each other?
They left the store. And they noticed that a group of people at gathered at the corner of a building. A big chunk of that corner had collapsed. The couple and the spy could hear policemen ordering people to stand back because it was dangerous. And just as he said that, another big chunk fell down. Keiko went after Yusuke to see what was going on. Akari followed slowly but stopped at a distance. Something was wrong. She had a really bad feeling. Something she had felt before. She concentrated, and suddenly, her eyes widened and she sharply turned around. The girl felt the familiar surge of white hot hatred filling and overcoming her body. She clenched her fists, and soon warm blood was dripping through her tightly closed fingers. Why today? Why here? Why now? That man...
While Yukimura was taken in by the scene, Urameshi walked backward out of the group and turned around after having felt a presence behind him. He froze, his eyes wide in fear and disbelief. A man was there, his long jacket slightly open to reveal his muscular chest, and black sunglasses hiding his eyes. Toguro.
"Hi, how are you?" Toguro greeted with a smirk, satisfied by the reaction he had seen.
"You... it can't be, it's not possible! I was certain, back then, you were..." Yusuke stammered. Toguro punched the air in front of him and the pressure made big tear in the boy's uniform across his chest. When he realised it, he started sweating and trembling uncontrollably. He glared at the man before him. But Akari knew for having felt it before. What Yusuke was cursing wasn't Toguro, but his own revolting, heinous, and despicable powerlessness. And Toguro knew it too. He smirked wider.
"Come with me. We have to talk. You wouldn't want your cute girlfriend to be hurt, would you?"
At the same moment, Kawabara was coming from the opposite side. He first remarked the missing chunks of building and was wondering at it when he saw Keiko-chan in the group of onlookers. He was going to call out to her when he noticed Yusuke a bit further away. He was not looking too good. He saw him leave with a man. The colour drained from his face. He had recognised him too. And he too would have preferred if it had only been a ghost. But the fear inside him was too real to ignore. That man had survived.
They went to a deserted construction site. Above them, several floors of concrete, and around them, several pillars of concrete supporting the floors.
"Last time, my loss was actually just an act. Well, that's all over now. What I have to say is something personal, that is a private matter between us as men, I suppose."
"Cut the chit-chat. So what?! Spit it out!" He glared at the tall demon. His bravado was also just an act. Toguro looked at him trembling like a leaf.
"Are you scared of me?" He asked, apparently enjoying this situation.
"Keh! Don't be ridiculous!"
"Quit putting this useless brave front. I know your instincts fear me." The man said, calmly, unbuttoning his jacket and taking it off. "To know how to gauge your enemy is a power in itself. You are strong. You can become even stronger. It's for that reason I must show you... MY TRUE POWER!" And with that his youki rose to an incredible level, all his muscles bulged, and their mass increased dramatically too. "My strength is in my muscles. Back then, I was only at twenty percents. And now I'm at sixty percents. And I can overrun this building in an instant." He said blurring away, and in thirty seconds, destroyed all the pillars in this floor using only kicks and punches. The building collapsed in a deafening rumble, leaving only rubble in a cloud of dust. Urameshi had survived because Toguro had, in a single blow, punched away most of the rubble above him. Panting and coughing, Urameshi pushed away the concrete that had fallen on him. He stood up when he saw younger Toguro in front of him.
"Were you too scared to even run away?" The youkai questioned him before suddenly vanishing and reappearing right behind him. "That's right, that day Akari was trembling too... but for a different reason... She could barely hold it back..." He trailed off.
"Bastard…! What did you do to Akari?!" Yusuke shouted. Something in that man's cryptic tone and words had enraged him. It was at least as infuriating as the fact that even if he knew, he could do absolutely nothing against that overwhelmingly strong demon towering above him. Toguro merely smirked, ignoring the question.
"In two months, in a certain place, there will be a martial arts tournament. This is where the rich and powerful gather, and those who are confident participate in five-member teams and fight each other to death. Humans for money and pleasure, youkais for fights and blood. You, Kuwabara, and Akari are the special guests of this tournament. If you refuse I will kill you right here. Become stronger, like your life depended on it. Winning is the only way for you to survive." And with this, Toguro left. And when he did, Yusuke's legs gave in and he fell on his knees. He could not even move.
A minute later...
"Judging from your expressions, you already know what this is about. I'm going to have you two participate in the Dark Tournament as well, of course as members of the Urameshi Team. Once you've sided with humans, you can never dissociate yourselves from them." Toguro told Hiei and Kurama who were standing in front of him. He passed them by, his jacket flung across his right shoulder. Then he stopped, smirked a little, continued, and stopped again, right besides Akari, her glasses folded in her right hand.
"And your fifth member is right here." He said, raising his left hand to put it on her left shoulder. But suddenly there were sparks and blood gushed out. Toguro withdrew his bloodied hand and looked at it. It was covered in cuts, like it had been cleanly and deeply sliced up by blades. Sometimes you could even see the ground below. He looked at her. Her body appeared to be surrounded by an electrical current. Even the very air around her had become a terribly ominous wind, chilling to the bone and heart, sharp like a blade. It was like her hatred and murderous intent had literally taken shape and were envelopping her.
But the most curdling thing about her was her expression. Her lips curved into a feral smile, her eyes vicious and cruel, her thirst for blood was so strong that she felt no longer human. It was like she had become a rabid wolf, a ferocious beast shaped like a small girl, already smeared in the blood of its victims, delighting in slaughters, a monster of murderous intent no longer able to distinguish friend from foe. She was trembling. And while struggling to control herself, she had smashed her glasses to a shiny dust.
Toguro smirked wider. That was right, she was trembling, she could barely hold it back, her thirst for blood, for –his- blood, for revenge, to dye him red... because each time she would see him, she would remember.
He left. What use in destroying the city now? The stage was already prepared.
"See you then."
"How are our chances?" Kurama asked his demon friend.
"We'll see."
"And what do you think about Akari?"
Hiei looked at the female for a time. She had not moved at all. And even though there was nothing visible anymore, it was on the contrary even more frightening this way, something of a dark and sinister feeling, enough to make your skin crawl and your hair stand on end, something that your body will instinctively refuse to approach. The small demon began to leave and stopped.
"She will kill any youkai who tries to get close to her... and that includes you too."
Kurama closed his eyes for a time. Then he opened them again and walked toward Akari.
"What are you doing?! You want to get killed?!" Hiei yelled at him like he was trying to stop him with his voice. He had turned around when he had heard his footsteps.
"Even so... I just can't leave her alone, not like this." The fox replied calmly.
"Humph. This is stupid. Do what you want." The fire demon turned back.
I don't get them. He thought, for some reason extremely annoyed.
Kurama stopped in front of the human girl and stared at her. It hurt him just to be near her. She looked up at him, and he almost recoiled under the sheer fierceness of her golden glare. It hurt him. It hurt him both physically and emotionally. If he said or did anything to displease her, she would really kill him. He felt the pressure and intensity of her hostility like an icy cold hand tightly squeezing his throat, choking him. And the sadness and sorrow that his bright Akari had turned into a lump of darkness and hatred was another cold hand squeezing his heart. But he withstood it.
"This isn't like you." The fox said, his expression slightly pained and a hint of reproof in his tone. But more than anything, he wanted her to go back to the way she usually was.
"Not like me?! Then what IS like me?!" She spat at him, daring him to oppose her in any way. That damn youkai... acting like he knew everything... But suddenly, Kurama tightly embraced her. "What do you think you're doing?!" The girl asked threateningly.
"Hug me back. Hug me back and call me Shu-chan or Ku-chan. Smile, invent new ways to tease people, and care about your friends. That is the Akari I know." The young man replied without the slightest trace of fear or hesitation. On the contrary, there was a calm, serene confidence, there was sincere warmth and concern for her. Akari's eyes widened. In an instant, just like this, the harsh aura around her had disappeared. But then, she frowned lightly, still unsure of herself.
"What makes you think the Akari you know is the real one?" She asked softly with barely a trace of its previous mordant.
"You're right. I might just be imagining things. I may just want her to be the real one because I like her better. But I don't think I'm wrong, because she has no reason to be a fake..."
"Kurama... I..."
"Besides, she's too lazy to pointlessly deceive people on such a large scale." The fox added, teasingly. The girl pulled away abruptly but her waist was still tightly warped by Kurama's arms.
"Hey, that may be true but you're being awfully bold and rude." She growled and scowled at him. The boy merely smiled his usual angelic, charming, and heart melting smile that could captivate and bewitch any woman. Akari was no exception. And after a while he overcame the last of her defenses and she gave in.
"Alright." Katsuyama sighed with a smile. She couldn't possibly stay mad at him like this. And she was really, truly grateful to him from the bottom of her heart, even though he had been really crazy. No, maybe because he had done such a crazy thing for her. She buried her head in his chest and tightly hugged him back. "Thanks, Ku-chan."
Hiei, who had been watching everything, turned back and began to leave. He was being assailed by memories of her. When she put herself in his sword's way to save the kid later Yukimura Keiko, the look she had when he was going to impale her in that dockhouse before Kurama saved her like he had saved her in Koenma's vault, and when she had said she trusted him while struggling against the Gate of Betrayal, and she had hugged Kurama after his fight, when she had used her energy to heal Urameshi and Kuwabara after the fight against Suzaku, when she and Kurama had come to see him on that rooftop and she had reiterated her trust, when she had provoked him into holding her through that night in the forest, and when she and Yukina had stopped him from killing that human pig.
How many times had he played in that girl's hands? How come he could only fold when she would make such expressions? Why would she intrigue him so much? Was it because Kurama seemed so taken with her, never missing a chance and always so happy to have her attention? So stupid...
"But you know, I have faith in you, in both of you; although that might be a little too early either of you to understand."
"It's incomprehensible. Why would they wear themselves out completely for someone else?"
"Still, that's the very reason why they were able to win."
"I suppose. But I couldn't possibly do the same; to fight for someone else in a battle I wouldn't be certain to win."
"She will kill any youkai who tries to get close to her... and that includes you too."
That Kurama... was it the reason why he just risked his life to bring Akari back when he did not and succeeded? Did she amount that much to him? After all he had betrayed him twice for her, in Koenma's vault, and in that storehouse.
That's just so stupid. I really don't get them.
And Hiei left, somehow even more annoyed than before and holding his head with one hand, trying to ease a pain whose origin was unknown to him.
After a time, Akari inhaled deeply, taking in the fox's scent, like bracing herself, and pulled away.
"I'm okay, now." She smiled, a little embarrassed. She regretted to have lost herself so easily and put people in danger. And even though she was grateful, she felt she shouldn't indulge herself so much, no matter how kind, warm, gentle, comforting, and tempting his embrace could be. She wanted to be a strong woman, in body and heart, and be able to overcome this trial by herself. "It looks like I still haven't had enough training." She sighed, her head down. Then the girl backed a few steps.
"Akari...?"
"Therefore...! For the next two months, you're all invited to stay over at my house for highly special intensive hellish training! Refuse and you'll die for sure, accept and you'll be coughing blood and puking your insides, but at least you'll have a very slim chance of survival! There's no time to lose so heighten your spirits and get ready!" Akari yelled extremely loudly, suddenly very spirited herself. She grinned at the fox meaningfully. Kurama had first recoiled because of the suddenness and unexpectedness of that deafening declaration, but then had chuckled slightly. Akari was completely back to her usual self.
"Alright, I will relay your orders word for word to those two." He said, serious again, and bowing obediently like he would before a queen. But she had not reacted at all when he had told her he liked her. She had certainly misinterpreted that 'like'. But even so, that complete lack of reaction was rather disheartening... Then again, if she was like the other girls, if she was so easily swayed, he certainly wouldn't be having these feelings. For good or for bad, she was the only one who could stir his heart like this.
"Then I will go tease the other brainless dude; since that's like one of the only things that work with him, that stupid moron..."
"Yo! Did you wet your pants, scaredy-cat? Want me to buy you some diapers?" Akari asked, sitting on a piece of concrete, her back to him, her tone skilfully mixing jest, taunt, and disdain.
"Akari!" Yusuke violently and furiously reacted to the girl's caustic 'joke'.
"What? Did you think I'd give you a piggy-ride to your warm little bed at home? Stand by yourself on your own two feet! If you have the time to grovel on the ground, hurry up and come, you weak slowpoke! We have only two months. You'll be in for highly special intensive hellish training! Refuse and you'll die for sure, accept and you'll be coughing blood and puking your insides, but at least you'll have a very slim chance of survival! There's no time to lose so heighten your spirits and get ready!" The rei master repeated, even more vehemently than before.
"You bitch! I would have even if you hadn't told me!" The boy gritted his teeth and bolted upright. Her provocation had made his trembling disappear but he had not forgotten the true terror and power of Toguro. How could he? But at least she had raised his fighting spirit.
"Good. Use this night to get ready and have plenty of rest. Tomorrow, we'll go together to granny's."
The next morning, Genkai was sipping tea while watching the television when her disciple arrived.
"It's been long. What do you want?" The old lady asked, although she already knew the answer.
"I want to become strong. I have only two months." Yusuke answered resolutely.
"Oh, really? Well, you do have a more determined look on your face." She turned around. "I won't make it easy for you."
And so, two months went by...
