File 28: Behind the masks
"Hey, how come you haven't shown your face around?" Yusuke asked. After reuniting with Keiko, they had gone out for a walk – just the two of them – and were now somewhere in the forest, and at their right, the setting sun had painted the sea bright orange and gleaming gold for a rather romantic atmosphere...
"It's because I figured it wouldn't be right of me to disturb you and become a distraction..." Keiko explained, softly and sincerely.
"Waaah... that's so not like you! You were that kind of character?!" The rude boy exclaimed, more accustomed to his childhood friend's bursts of anger than such displays of meek docility... which were rather awkward... which was why he had said that. And as intended, she got angry at thim.
"Wh-what do you mean?! Well, excuse me, you idiot!" She sharply turned to him, her fists held straight at her side.
"Idiot?! Wh-whoa, a-are you talking about me?!"
"Oh, forgive me! I forgot to add 'big' before 'idiot'!" She put her hands on her hips.
"What did you say?!'
"Whatever!" And both sharply turned the opposite way and humphed, intently watched by Botan and Akari, both hiding behind bushes and wearing black sunglasses and mikes.
"After a long time apart, the two have set each other off, indeed." The blue-haired commentator adjusted her glasses.
"Just as you've said, Botan-san. Although we can say Urameshi's puerility played a big part. I wonder, can we hope for a proper evolution between the two?" Her pink-haired colleague agreed.
"By the way, I go without seeing you for a while and before long... how shall I say... this part right here..." He lightly poked Keiko's butt several times, cupping his chin as if studying something. "It's filling out rather astoundingly, huh?"
"That does it!" After a shocked gasp, Yukimura could no longer hold it and properly punished the cad... with two of her legendary killer slaps... that sent Yusuke rolling away. Fuming (and with reason), Keiko started leaving.
I can't watch...! Akari and Botan thought. What kind of development was this? Okay it was just like them but it was too pitiful!
"Yow! There it is, there it is!" The boy sat up, recovering a (very slightly) more dignified pose. "A punch stronger than Jin's!" He was holding his red and swollen cheeks and grinning like the fool he was. She called him an idiot again, and he smiled, glad to have helped her 'recover her punch'. She started leaving again before stopping. She turned to face Urameshi again.
"Okay, the two of them continue to gaze at each other, trying to convey their love for each other... So then, what sort of confessions will we hear?" Botan excitedly continued her report concerning the heartpounding live broadcast.
"Yes, but nothing is decided yet! No, given their respective personality I fear that this time again, we will bear witness to a terrible misfire... Let's hope it won't be case!" Akari predicted, just as thrilled as her accomplice. And both continued watching, full of hope and expectations... as Keiko raised her hand like she was going to shoot a reigun at the boy.
"Yusuke, if you lose I won't forgive you, okay? Bang!" She declared with a confident and trustful smile. Yusuke smiled back and made a thumb up. The brown-haired girl left. The two spies fell.
"Come on, why? What was that?" They complained at the let-down they had suffered. Yusuke and Keiko might have their own way of showing their love but still! Couldn't they make it more fun and interesting for others?!
"Yeah, I won't lose. Now that I'm fired up like this..." Urameshi rubbed his still painful right cheek. "So then... You, the peeping toms over there, what do you want?!" His tone was now clearly angry and much louder. The ferry girl turned her head but Akari had already disappeared. Botan still tried to delude him by meowing. But that failed of course, and Yusuke told her to come out while he was still in a good mood. Akari was really fast at escaping, and she had once more showed her lack of scruples by letting Botan take the blame alone. But it was fine wasn't it? Since the agent from the Reikai had something important to tell Urameshi...
Akari returned to the room she shared with Kurama all grinning and her eyes shining. The kitsune who was sitting on an armchair lifted his eyes from his book.
"What did you do this time?" He sighed, closed his book, and put it on the table. A little startled, she turned around to face him.
"Me? Nothing, I didn't do anything!" She defended herself. The girl managed to stand up to his persistant gaze that always seemed to see right through her for a time before she started fidgeting. "Alright, what makes you think I did?"
"Your eyes and your smile." The fox answered straightforwardly, referring to the mischievous expression plastered on her face. She made a turn about.
Am I THAT obvious?! Akari wondered, shocked, her hands on her cheeks. Damn, I can't wipe that smile off my face, the 'I don't see what you're talking about' won't work... then there's no choice...
"Kuramaaaa! I had no idea you were watching me so much... it's so great to be surrounded by so much love and that you care so much about meeee!" She said in an overly happy tone as she went to sit on his lap, straddling him, warp her arms around his neck, and rub her head against his chest and shoulder like a cat... to cover up for her misshap and embarrassment. After an initial short-lived blush of surprise at such closeness and flirtatiousness, he recovered and imprisoned her in his arms.
"So, tell me, what did you do?" He asked again. Katsuyama gave a startled twitch. Not only had her attempts to change the subject and take control of the situation utterly failed but now she could not even escape! What terrible error of judgement on her part! And since it was impossible, as her experience had proven it many times already, she gave up on the idea and burying her face in his neck, told him in a half muffled voice...
"I just went with Botan to see how things were evolving between Yusuke and Keiko, if there WAS some progress, you know... 'cause they're so obvious, and yet..."
"Yes, it would be nice if things could evolve..." It would be nice if things could evolve... between Akari and him... even now, it still seemed to be a joke to her but it felt like soon, very soon, it would no longer be enough for him... because... "By the way, how did you get so close to Jin?"
"By duelling, how else? I was looking for a place and I stumbled upon them. Jin was the first one I fought. It was really fun. He's a fighting pal, a rival, a friend, and with his personality and aesthetics, don't you think it would be stranger if we didn't get along?"
"So you don't feel anything for him aside from respect and that friendly rivalry?"
"I... guess not?"
"And about Mitamura-sensei's students?"
"Before going to the Makai, I visited a few human masters at my granny's demand... including Mitamura-sensei. But I didn't stay long with them. They asked me to but I refused. How could someone as ugly and tainted as I could stand being with people as pure and dazzling as them? I was always scared of tainting them..." Akari withdrew her arms to clutch his shirt above his chest and let her forehead against his collarbone, her pink hair hiding the sides of her face so he wouldn't see her expressions... "I am... scared of myself, of that darkness, scared of completely ceasing to care and losing myself, scared of Toguro and the hold he has on me, scared of not being able to fight it and win against him, scared of caring and still losing the people I love..." The girl clutched the boy's shirt tighter. Her master, grandmother and only living blood-relative who had a history with Toguro and because of her old age had practically no chance of winning. Yusuke, one she would be proud to call her brother, and soon, her rival. Kuwabara, whose attitude had much more than once derided her, Keiko's and Shizuru's strength and kindness... and then Hiei, and Kurama. All of them had that never-say-die/never-give-up attitude, even before an overwhelmingly strong enemy. But sometimes, against certain enemies, no matter what, survival was impossible. And all of them would rather keep fighting than survive. Even Kurama used such strategies! Why couldn't they just think about living?! "Don't die. No matter what, you must not die. I forbid you to die. I won't forgive you if you do!" She raised her head, her golden eyes staring straight into his emerald ones, and his heart skipped. He had never seen her so serious, so earnest, such fear and concern behind her strong and unyielding gaze, and he had never heard her give such a strict order that sounded like such a desperate plea. He tightened his embrace. He really couldn't leave her alone...
In the forest, Botan had told Yusuke that the egg was going to hatch. Of course Urameshi had no idea what she was talking about and thought that she had started raising chickens. She got angry and reminded him of the Spirit Beast's egg, the trial that Koenma had given him in exchange for bringing him back to life. The boy acted like he remembered, after all, Koenma HAD talked to him about it the hallway... but that was really just an act. And she informed him that since it was going to hatch, Koenma had gone back to the Reikai to retrieve it.
"In fact, it's already here." The teen prince said, appearing at their side and startling them both. Then the boy noticed was much bigger than before. He held it at Junior's request. He didn't know what was going to come out. It had grown using Urameshi's soul as nourishment. Whether the beast would be virtuous or devilish, it entirely depended on him. The egg pulsed and cracked, there was an explosion of light. And when it receded, they looked but couldn't see anything. And all the dramatic tension disappeared when Botan noticed something on Yusuke's head... a small, beady-eyed, yellow beaked chick-like creature with a floppy blue body sagging over its yellow feet and a small patch of black hair on his head, kind of like Yusuke's hairstyle when it wasn't slicked back. The boy turned his head right and left. And as he did, the creature uttered a cute little 'puu' and flapped its long ears to fly over his head before landing back on it.
At last, Urameshi understood and looked up as the two others burst out laughing. But unlike them, he didn't look the least bit happy... at having the strongest badass image he had carefully built over the years wasted and ruined just like this by this ridiculously cute thing on his head. That was like asking to be mocked! Desperately trying to stiffle his laugh, Koenma pointed the good side of the situation: the beast didn't seem to be evil. Botan was sure it would have been more something snake-like, with bat wing, and Yusuke's mean head with a horn. She should have listened to Akari who had bet for a kitten or puppy-like creature. She was still snickering openly when Yusuke punched her head. She got angry at him. He didn't have to hit her!
Well, he was also venting his frustrastion. He was as angry as he was relieved. He had been really nervous that something evil would come out! And at the hotel, he was ridiculed by Keiko, Shizuru, Botan again, Kuwabara (of course), and even Yukina laughed. Keiko commented it must like his empty head. But thanks goodness Akari wasn't here or he would have never heard the end of it. And then, while the girls were playing with Puu-chan, Kazu reminded his teammate that the semi-finals would take place the next day. Urameshi cursed. There had really been no reason for them to fight consecutively. Those people truly were one dirty bunch. However, while they were talking, Puu came back to perch on his head, and after a few more good laughs (at Yusuke's expense), everyone went to sleep.
And so, the next day at 10...
"Now then, we finally begin the match between the Uraotogi Team and the Gokkai Rokkyo Team!" Koto announced.
The five members consisted of Makintaro (the tallest and beafiest one with dark skin and hair and a loincloth for sumo wrestlers), Kuro Momotaro (second tallest and most muscular with short spiky blond hair, a headband with a black peach, a pink sleeveless open vest similar to a kataginu with a black peach sewn on each side of the chest, brown baggies and black boots, and a belt with five spheres), Onji (old man in japanese clothing), Ura Urashima (little guy with kimono top, straw skirt, straw sandals, tight black pants and a fishing rod) and last but not least... Shishiwakamaru (a quite handsome and attractive demon with long blue hair in a loose ponytail, a white uwagi and a light blue buzon tied by a red obi). The Uraotogi Team (which could be litterally translated as Reverse Bedtime Stories) (almost) all used perverted aliases and appearances of heroes from popular Japanese folk tales.
And for this round, it had been decided that the match would be three-on-three. The first fight opposed Kuro Momotaro and a sort of werewolf-like demon. It was over in a few seconds after black peachy (Kuro Momotaro) delievered a series of punches that his opponent. Next, the fake golden boy changed his arm into an axe and sliced its cobra/lizard with a hooded jersey in half, and Honji defeated the last one with a single kick to the jaw.
"What a surprise!" Koto voiced her amazement. "It has barely been two minutes since the start of the match and yet the Uraotogi Team with their overwhelming strength has been victorious over the Gokkai Rokkyo Team! The rest of the audience was just as awed. Although their victory had been decided, Onji asked the last two members of the opposing team whether they still wanted to fight. They fearfully turned down the offer as there was no way they could win and buttered the Uraotogi Team saying only they could last up to the finals.
"The finals? You mean the championship, right?" Shishiwakamaru scoffed. "Next comes... you guys!" He pointed at Akari, Hiei, and Kurama who had been watching on the walkway above the last row of bleachers... with Akari sitting on the metal railings. "Put your affairs in order." He smirked and the team left.
"That's laughable." Hiei dismissed the provocation.
"That team's greatest shortcoming is its members' overconfidence I guess. They don't even realize the only reason they've come this far is because their opponents until now have been ridiculously weak." Akari sighed. Koto announced the beginning of the match opposing the Gorenja Team and the Kido Sentai Team.
"What? You guys are here too?" Kuwabara, Urameshi (and Puu-chan), Botan, and the masked fighter (for once) joined them. They had also thought to come here and watch their next opponent but as the fox pointed out, it was already over. And indeed, Koto announced that the first match of the semi-finals the next day would be between the Urameshi Team and the Uraotogi Team. Kazu was amazed that they had finished everything in the five minutes it had taken them to come here. Kurama corrected him: they had taken only two minutes.
"It wasn't worth their trouble. The opponents were just too weak." Hiei confirmed Akari's opinion before turning to Yusuke. "That's all fine and all, but what is that ridiculous thing on your head?"
"That's your spirit beast, isn't it?" The pink haired girl turned her upper body and leant back, her arms around Hiei for support. "As I've always said, you're just a little chick after all, but to think you'd be this cute..." She sniggered. Urameshi's eyebrow twitched but he did his best to remain calm.
"Your clone, huh? I guess that's within expectations indeed." A mocking smile curved the little demon's lips.
"And who lost to that chick?" Akari looked insistently at her prop who stiffened momentarily before his expression turned into a cute embarrassed scowl.
"Shut up. I'm not the same as before."
"I know, I know, you've changed a lot, in many ways..." She ruffled his hair and gazed at him in a warm, affectionate and knowing way that rendered him unable to say a single word as he stared back at her with only a few centimeters between them.
"There, there, you know he doesn't like that." The fox put his arm under Akari's body and pulling her away from Hiei, straightened her back on her 'seat' on the railings. And then, he remained right behind her and did not remove his arm from her waist. He was smiling at her, but his smile was different from usual...
"By the way, Kurama, are you injuries all right?" Yusuke questioned. The red haired reassured him: he would have recovered by tomorrow.
"Stop trying to put up with it for your pride's sake." Hiei smirked at him.
"It'd be a fine contest to see which of us could put up the most with, wouldn't it?" The kitsune innocently looked away. And again, the fire youkai could not reply as he was exactly the same. "Besides, I have Akari." Smiling significantly at Hiei, Kurama wrapped his other arm around the girl's waist.
"That's right, did you guys know that Yukina-san had healing powers too? They give also excellent results! Actually, she told him she came looking for older brother! Once this tournament is over, I'm going to help her search!" Kuwabara declared, very spirited, and not noticing Hiei's unusual expression... or Yusuke's and Akari's snickering faces, or the way Kurama would unnaturally cheerfully tell Hiei that they should be helping too since it sounded like such a difficult task. Of course Yusuke and Akari would lend a hand too! They were a team after all! They should help each other out and do some unity-building stuff!
Kazuma noticed at last that there was something wrong and wondered what they were hiding from him. But as they were stifling their giggles, Yusuke felt someone staring at him. It was the masked fighter. And it was some disturbing glare, as if he was silently assessing him... and giving him and his all too laid back attittude failing grades... which annoyed him very much...
Then they heard the crowd voicing their surprise and awe. The Toguro Team had appeared on the other side of the stadium. The two teams faced each other in a heavy and menacing silence. The audience began chanting "Toguro! Toguro! Toguro!" The tall demon pointed his index at Yusuke, and then at Akari, before pointing at himself, obviously challenging them, as if saying "come on up, I'm right there." And just like before, all their muscles tensed, their fists clenched, their teeth gritted together, their blood boiled and their eyes widened before narrowing. Urameshi slid his thumb against his neck before bringing it down, clearly meaning he would flatten him, although one could still detect fear deep in his eyes. But Akari was different. Her eyes intent on him, her reiki and bloodlust were once more peaking up, and if left unchecked, she would explode and reduce the whole place and everyone in it to dust to kill him... The audience was getting frightened and restless, ready to flee at a moment's notice should a fight break out...
"Akari!" Kurama cried warningly in her ear. Fortunately, she hadn't gone too far yet and his desperate voice reached her. She stopped, calmed down, and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, hatred was still burning but in a much colder and apparently subdued way. From an all-consuming fire, it had become like ice, slowly but surely creeping and crawling until it covered everything and whose crushing pressure would grind anything it caught. She aimed at him and raised her arm, like she had shot him down with a reigun. And she had! But only those with very high spiritual energy had been able to see the thread-like beam. Toguro smirked and left, followed by his crew, and as they did, a cut appeared on the demon's cheek and blood gushed out. He held his wounded cheek and smirked wider.
Kuwabara was trembling in fear. Back then, he had not been able to sense those guys' true power due to his own lack of power and experience. But now he could, and the realisation had filled him with enough fear and despair to make his legs give way under him. They would really have to fight those monsters again?! The two demons remained silent. Yusuke reassured him: if he understood that much, that meant he had grown too. To judge the power of an opponent was power in itself. Toguro himself had taught him that. Akari wordlessly agreed. But that was not enough. If they didn't win against that Toguro, then, they would all die...
"Hey, hey, aren't you forgetting about us?" A voice said condescendingly from the left. It was Shishiwakamaru, the poster boy of the Uraotogi Team, accompanied by his four 'friends'. They introduced themselves.
"What do you want? No matter how much you bow your head, we won't be holding back in tomorrow's match." Urameshi replied in kind.
"The way you act like champions of justice make me want to puke." Kuromomotaro spat on the ground.
"What?" Yusuke and Kazuma shot back, glaring like the seasoned delinquents they were. That was a conditionned response to a type of provocation they were used to.
"Prepare yourselves. You will be the stepping stones that will allow our names to spread far and wide." Shishi challenged them again. They started to leave, passing them by.
"Eh! You're funny. If you wanted to become famous, you should have appeared on TV or something, pretty boy." Urameshi sneered. The pretty boy turned, his anger funnily distorting his pretty features, and fangs had grown in his mouth and two horns were now sticking out of his head.
"I'll make sure you'll regret those words! I'll make sure of it!" He menacingly pointed at the human boy. And the Uraotogi team left, laughing evily and confidently.
Once they had gone, Yusuke and Kazuma belittled their next opponents. The masked fighter sharply told Urameshi off for his conceited attitude, which angered him and made him snap. He was sick and tired of the strange look he kept giving him. The little warrior explained himself with the same tone. The captain of Team Toguro was Toguro, and the captain of Team Urameshi was Urameshi Yusuke... but whether Urameshi's power could withstand Toguro's was rather doubtful... The boy snapped again. Then why not make Akari fight, huh?
"Simply because once I start, if it's against him, I probably won't be able to care about anything or anyone. Not you guys, not the girls... anyone. I won't care whether either of you lives or dies. So if you don't mind the whole island becoming collateral damage, sure, let me fight. Or maybe you're confident enough to stop me?" Akari challengingly stared back at him. It was safer if it was him, but for that he needed to reach an acceptable level of power. She and the masked fighter 'invited' him outside. As Koto announced the victory of the Gorenja Team 3 to 1, Yusuke grudgingly followed the two women into the forest.
For a moment, he accused the smallest one of being Toguro's spies. She admitted knowing about him, but before Urameshi could fly off the handle again, she repeated in a familiar old and raspy voice to follow them. They arrived in a clearing.
"Perhaps I should have told at least you from the start, but I had my reasons. Until the time came, I didn't want anyone to be aware of it." The old woman untied the cloth covering her face, revealing wrinkly Genkai, as the boy had expected.
"But then... what about the young voice...? Don't tell me... ventriloquism?!" His incredulous gaze switched back and forth between the two females.
"As if, you idiot!" Akari punched his head. Just how great was his ability to break the tension? "Listen. The Reikohadou at full power activates the cells and temporarily change the body. In my grandma's case, she's momentarily rejuvenated to when she was at her peak around 20." However, before Yusuke's utterly clueless face like he didn't even have one tenth of a brain, she sighed. She had been stupid too to believe he could understand.
"You should know it's useless, Akari. For a dimwit like him, seeing it once is better than hearing it a hundred times." Genkai reminded her before asking Yusuke to shoot a large rock about the size of a small car with his reigun at full power. The boy didn't understand why he should do that and protested that she hadn't answered but the old master insisted. If he didn't obey, she'd knock him flat. He grudgingly complied and fired with all he got, blowing the rock. He boasted about his perfect shot... which the women called a pea shooter. Genkai told the bonehead to look closely, walked over to a rock over 10 times the size. "The way you are now, it's a 100% sure you're going to lose..." Reiki gathered at the point of her finger, and emanated from her whole body. "And not just to Toguro..." Her hair became more lustruous, her wrinkles disappeared, her complexion grew healthier, her skin had regained its softness and elasticity and her features their former beauty and strength. "...But to me as well!" She finished with conviction with a voice and tone so similar to Akari's... she was going to shoot but her granddaughter stopped her.
"It's enough granny. If it's just showing off to that idiot I can do it too. Conserve your strength." Akari admonished her. For a few second, the two rei masters stared at each other. Then Genkai gave in with a smile.
"You're right..." But the old woman's smile was tinted something akin to sadness and self derision. She had a feeling that her grandchild seemed to know what was going to happen, her real reason for coming here, why she should conserve her strength, that it was something she felt she had to do, that it was her duty, and that she, Akari, could not stop her, and instead, did whatever she could to ease her burden.
Akari also knew what her grandmother was going to do, she knew how much it would weaken her and endanger her, but it was what her grandmother had decided, for Yusuke's sake, for everyone's sake, including Akari's. The young one was not stupid to the point she could not see that, but nonetheless she was scared, scared to lose the only blood relative she had left, the one who had taught her so much that she could never pay everything back even if she lived a thousand years... she was scared to the point she wanted to stop everything right now... but she could not. A conclusion had to be drawn. And so she did the only things she could do. Akari turned to the rock, raised her energy, and fired. The ball of reiki not only shattered it but blasted a road through the forest and split the sea, before disappearing in the horizon. It was on a whole different level than Yusuke's reigun. The wind died down.
"So then, I will now present you with a trial." Genkai told Urameshi with her usual raspy voice. She had returned to being an old lady. "It will be the final, as well as the greatest trial I shall give you." She declared gravely.
"A final... greatest trial..." The boy repeated.
