File 39: Part of being a Warrior
"Let's see... for now you can just stay like this. You make a good bench." A female voice said coolly as the Dark Tournament champion suddenly felt a weight on his back. He turned his head and saw Akari sitting on him. The shock made him jump away, which angered the girl who literally kicked his butt. "I told you to stay like this moron! If you want to pay your debt, start by obeying! And what's with that stupid face, like you saw a ghost?! I have my legs! Want me to kick you again to make sure? And that's really rich coming from someone who was once a ghost!" With that tone and choice of word it could really only be Akari. And that kick hurt too much to doubt that she was really alive. But still, Yusuke could only point and look from her to Kurama and back.
"H-h-hooo-h-ho-h-how..." He managed to stutter.
"Humph. I revived." Akari answered proudly and simply, her hands on her hips, as if it was the most natural thing coming from the great her.
"Akari, don't say that like this, he'll actually believe you." The fox gently scolded her, which made her click her tongue for having her fun spoiled again. "In fact, she didn't die at all."
"But I heard your bones crack!"
"That was Toguro."
"I saw the blood!"
"I bit my tongue a little."
"When did you stage that?!"
"During the fight."
"When did you get so chummy?!"
"During the fight? And I could never get chummy with that guy given what he did to me. But I understood him. You should know how it is. When you fight someone, you understand things about them. He wanted me to become like him to prove he was in the right but he failed that so he wanted me kill him to atone for what he had done to my family but as much as I wanted to kill him, there was no way in hell I'd do as he wished so I conveniently pushed the trouble onto you. And also, both Toguro and I wanted to see the same certain blockhead get serious, see how far he could go, for our own amusement of course, but I also knew that hopeless moron was worth no crap by himself and his ability to learn basically amounts to bloody nothing. And so I was forced to resort to that trick once again. But raising someone is so troublesome and builds so much stress..." Katsuyama sighed.
"Akari..." Urameshi muttered deeply moved despite the barbs she had casually inserted. But suddenly she grabbed his neck and slammed him on the ground.
"Listen well bonehead. I even had to sacrifice my lifelong revenge for you so if you don't grow at least 10 times as much as I expect you to, there'll be hell to pay and I certainly won't be lax in collecting the debt and interests, got that?" Akari squeezed tighter. Yusuke could not budge her arm even one millimetre. He nodded vigorously. She was serious! Her eyes were dead serious! Like she wanted and was going to kill him now! "Good." She let go.
"I think Akari-kun is right." Sakyo approached. "I was only with him for a few years but now that I think about it he certainly did have those points about him. When Toguro first met up with Urameshi-kun and Akari-kun again, he seemed happier than I'd seen him in recent years. Perhaps Toguro had been waiting for this, for people like you to appear, to fight on the greatest ring against the greatest opponents he could hope for, communicating with the person he wanted the most to understand him and meeting with the end that he desired. Koenma-san, I lost the wager. I openly admit it. Let's say that the cause of my defeat was not to be able to see through Toguro's true nature."
"No, you lost because we were stronger, that's all there is to it." Akari-kun shot back, intent on refuting him.
"It's okay. I don't want your life." The prince said kindly and mercifully. However, by doing that he had insulted his opponent's pride and honor as a gambler who turned him down. The lowest thing a better could do was not own up to his loss. He was going to settle this for good. Sakyo took out a remote control and pressed a button. The ground began shaking, the dome cracking and crumbling. An alarm sounded. Fifteen minutes until explosion. A wind of panic blew and everyone ran for their lives. Sakyo coolly walked away. Kuwabara cried about his Yukina-san being in danger and dashed his way through the fleeing spectators. Hiei and Kurama followed, and then Yusuke and Akari after one last look at Toguro's dried up corpse. But now, more than Yukina, Keiko was in danger. When she had seen Yusuke being beaten to death by Toguro earlier she had completely shut off her conscience and was no longer reacting, not to her friends' voices, not even when they'd shake her.
Koenma followed Sakyo to try one last time to convince him, in vain. He had chosen to die along with his ambitions. He also told him about his project to open and maintain a hole between Makai and Ningenkai that would have allowed demons to move freely, making this world a lot more chaotic and fascinating. It was for that reason that he needed Akari's power. But that dream was going to be blown along with his body. But then he stopped, his eyes wide, when he saw Shizuru. Koenma was just as surprised. The young woman approached, a deep sadness written all over her face. But she didn't say a word. The Black Book Club member smiled tenderly, reached inside his jacket and took an expensive-looking black and gold lighter with the initials S.N. engraved. He fondled it for a few seconds before throwing it at Shizuru who caught it. He waved before the ceiling crumbled all around him, hiding him from view. Shizuru screamed his name, tears in her eyes and tried to go to him but Koenma stopped her and took her away.
The spectators were trying to get to the holes previously opened up through the dome and surrounding wall but many were killed by falling debris. The Urameshi team arrived at the girls with Kuwabara ahead and telling Yukina to hurry. The koorime scurried in his direction.
"Kazuma-san! Nevermind me, it's Keiko-san! She's half unconscious!" She cried. But then the wall crumbled and fell on her. Kazuma ran to her but Hiei had already saved her.
"Don't dawdle around." Hiei said curtly but softly. She thanked him, much to Kuwabara's frustration. He had missed his chance to save her and be her hero. Upon learning of Keiko's state, Urameshi knelt at her side and started shaking her. But before her complete lack of response, he got angry and slapped her back and forth repeatedly, telling her to snap out of it. And the pain did wake her up... and made her retaliate. She slapped him only once but that had been more than enough to knock Yusuke out for a few seconds. Everyone escaped. They had barely reached a safe distance that the dome exploded. Shizuru looked at the lighter in her hands. It was over.
Botan screamed suddenly. What about their reward?! Each of the winners could be granted one wish. But how could they get anything like this?! They had been tricked! Kuwabara agreed but Yusuke and Akari didn't care. The one thing they wanted most could not be granted. The others remained silent. This one thing was painfully obvious for everyone. Genkai.
"Hey, old hag! We won!" The two yelled at the sky.
Kurama and Akari were in their room in the hotel, packing silently. The fox kept stealing glances at the girl. Ever since the end of the tournament she had maintained her distance from him and had always responded to him with anger and coldness. But beyond them, he could feel her sadness. And he knew the reason. Kurama was finished packing but not Katsuyama. Her back to him, her bag on the bed, she was filling it with clothes when the young man suddenly hugged her from behind.
"Akari, I'm sorry..." He whispered in her ear sounding so earnest, so contrite, so tender... the girl snapped, like the dyke of her emotions had given way from his words, his voice, his affection. She gritted her teeth, tears fell from her eyes and suddenly she pinned the fox against the wall and punched that wall right next to his face, cracking it.
"How dare you... how dared you do what you did after what you had promised me...?! How could you think about giving up your life?! How dared you try to leave me alone?! Do you think I would have been able to bear it? To lose even one more person... Are you an idiot? Are you the cruellest moron ever?! If it was to risk your life again like this then you shouldn't said anything! If it was to apologize now, then you shouldn't have done that! If you ever think of doing something that stupid again, I'll never forgive you!" Leaning on her forehead on his chest, crying, sobbing, clutching his shirt with her left hand, she repeatedly and weakly punched his chest with the side of her fist. He squeezed her ever so tightly, so she could feel the strength of depth of his love though the strength of his embrace. That was also because of that kind of reason that he loved her so much, that he could put his life on the line without a second thought, for her, to protect her. "You must take you share of responsibility for making me stay when I was going to lose it, for having kissed me like this back then, you… don't you dare back on me now, stay… with me…" She pleaded, and he gently forced her head up and, smiling softly, wiped her tears away and kissed her. Such a kiss… so full of love, pure love, so gentle and yet so passionate, with heart-melting warmth... She opened her heart, she parted her lips. And he responded to the invitation. Their tongues entwined. After a moment they withdrew and kissed again. Then Akari pulled away and looked down, flustered. They should finish packing and leave, or the others will ask what they're doing. She didn't dare meet his eyes.
"Yes." He smiled and tenderly kissed the top of her pink head before reluctantly letting her go.
"Right, are you ready?" Yusuke asked. The five had gathered in the lounge. Kuwabara remarked that even though they had been fighting for only ten days, it felt as if it had lasted a year. Puu flew over to Urameshi. "That guy looks healthy as well. When the old hag spoke through him it really scared me. Maybe he's some kind of medium that can communicate with the afterlife. Can you get the old hag again? Come on, do it." The boy squished the little creature. Akari looked away with a pained expression. Kurama wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"Yusuke, I don't think that's possible." The fox said slightly mordantly, resenting him for the pain he was unwittingly giving Akari. "The Spirit Realm is like a bridge between life and death. It is only a place of transit. You can't stay in communication with it for a long time. You can't stay there for a long time. From that point, everyone starts on different journeys. It is the same for Genkai-san. She has already left." He explained sadly.
"...That so? Oh well, nevermind! What's done is already done, we can't help it! People ought to live while looking forward, right? Alright! Starting tomorrow we get back to goofing around and playing games all day!" The captain exclaimed overly joyfully. It was sorely obvious to everyone that he was faking it. What more, he had clearly avoided looking at Akari in the eyes. He didn't seem to be able to face her.
"Hey! What about school? You won't be able to pass! Tomorrow is the end of the holidays, moron!" Kuwabara yelled.
"Sheesh his act is so obvious I'm the one who's embarrassed just watching him." Hiei commented. Akari couldn't even put an act. But, she had someone near her... and it wasn't him...
Koenma and Georges returned to the Reikai. But as the prince was going to enter his office, he was met by a wall of papers that collapsed on him. Indeed, his beloved father, Lord Enma, had found out about his little sneaking away and ordered that all paperwork should be left until the prince's return. But the toddler did not have the time to lament. He had something much more important to do. He instructed his ogres to clean everything and sat on his armchair at his desk. Soon, Younger Toguro entered. And the youkai had already chosen his destination. He had decided upon the darkest hell. Even though his achievements as a martial artist gave him the right to ask for a lighter punishment, he had decided on the cruellest one possible where for 10 000 years he would suffer all manners of agony and tortures and they would be repeated 10 000 times over until nothing was left of him. Koemna tried to change his mind but Toguro remained unwavering. And so the judgement was rendered according to his wish.
A woman with black hair tied in a bun and wearing a black kimono appeared at the toddler's side. She was a ferry girl, just like Botan, and her name was Ayame. She had found the information he had been looking for. The truth about the incident from 50 years that had led Toguro to being reborn as a youkai. As he had surmised, three months before the tournament, all his disciples were massacred before his eyes by the monster Kairen, favourite of the tournament. While he had come to invite Toguro as a guest, he had killed all his pupils, one by one, as if showing off his strength. Then, Toguro was soundly thrashed by Kairen. Back then, Toguro thought himself invincible, but in the end, he had lost everything. After that, he had disappeared for three months. The day before the tournament, he had reappeared before Genkai and his friend, but it seemed like his heart had already hardened, like he had been possessed by the devil. Kairen was killed by Toguro in the finals of that tournament. And so, having won, Toguro's wish was to turn into a youkai. That sort of illogical behaviour was something Ayame could not understand. But Koenma somewhat understood. Even though he had been triumphant and avenged the death of his students, he had not been able to purge his guilty conscience for having been unable to protect his precious pupils. From that moment on he had chosen a path of suffering. It was more in order to torture himself than to atone for his students. He was awkward man.
Toguro left the palace and walked on the path he had decided. But then, in the middle of the road, he saw Genkai's young and beautiful form, waiting for him. They silently stared at each other. Even before the incident with Kairen, Toguro had always craved for eternal strength. When he and Genkai had both been at their peak, he had once told her about it, about his desire to acquire a body that would never grow weak, about the inconvenience of being human, and his terror of the passage of time.
"You're sharp-witted as always. You knew which path I was going to take." The demon noted.
"I guessed it." Genkai answered. There was another pause. "Are you sure about it? Are you really going to take that path? You've atoned more than enough for your mistakes... no one could do anything against Kairen at that time... it wasn't your fault." She said softly but with a pressing edge, as if begging him to reconsider his decision. Even now, after everything, she still wished for his salvation, even now, she still truly deeply cared for him. "After the tournament 50 years ago, you kept blaming and hurting yourself. Don't you think that's enough?"
"That's not it. Thanks to that, I was free. Thanks to that, I was able to pursue only strength. If anything, I'm grateful for what happened."
"Liar!" The woman suddenly yelled.
"Genkai, don't concern yourself any further over me. You still have work to do. Urameshi and Akari still need you. They will become even stronger. However, if they slip up, they'll become like me. Look after them some more. Especially Akari. She acts that rebellious but she's on a tightrope. She isn't ready to fully leave the nest." Toguro passed her by and kept walking forward.
Still, this is the very end for you, this is the last time we're going to see each other... and the only thing he's worried about is the future of his opponents. Although his concern for her had also seeped through his words... if Genkai stopped concerning herself with him and caring about him, then she would no longer have to suffer...
"You really are impossible. Even dead, you still don't change." She turned and smiled softly and good-heartedly. Toguro stopped and removed his sunglasses before turning to face her.
"I've only made you worry." The man said, his expression so humane, so full of fond tenderness. He put his glasses back on and left.
You really are... a huge fool. Genkai thought sadly.
The former Urameshi Team and their supporters had gathered at a clif where they could hear the liner's horn blowing. The ship was coming. It was time to leave.
"Alright! Shall we go?" Yusuke exclaimed.
"We're going!" Kazuma replied.
"Let's get going." Kurama said.
"Let's go, quickly." Hiei concurred. Akari yawned.
"It's the triumphal return!" Yusuke, Kuwabara and Botan punched the air. Yukina clapped sweetly while Keiko and Shizuru had a face saying 'Geez when will they grow up?' like mothers before their naughty yet beloved children. Hiei was shocked. Kurama has his eyes closed but an amused smile was playing on his lips. Only Akari did not have any heart for cheering. At the beginning of this tournament, she thought she would cry at its end because the time for fun, freefighting and filthy yummy and extravagant meals had ended. But now she could only be sad for a different reason. Returning to that place where that person was no longer there, being all alone in that huge estate and temple... somehow... She was a fighter, same for her grandma, and it was natural for those who took such a path that people died... but...
"Hey, hey! How coldhearted you guys are! Are you planning to leave an elderly behind?" An old familiar and raspy female voice questioned sarcastically. They all turned to see Genkai walking towards them. The group, Botan first, rushed to her, overjoyed. "Don't go digging people's grave without permission, boneheads." The old woman said coolly with that annoying smirk of hers.
"Why did you come back? Just when I thought I was finally free, don't just come back and throw cold water on all of my hopes to do anything and everything I want! Or do you enjoy harassing me? Is that it you bloody old hag?!" Akari asked threateningly, though of course it was plain that she was putting an act, but again, coming from her, it had a disturbingly realistic ring to it.
"What a stupid question. Of course I do. Harassing the young is an elderly's favourite pastime. Besides how could I rest in peace while leaving you behind? You're so unreliable I don't even dare think of what could have happened if I had really let everything in your hands."
"What did you say you moribund crone?"
"Also you're the type who prefers fun to freedom, right?"
"One day, I'll kill you with my own hands, or should I do it now to test your theory?" Akari retorted. That was then Kurama decided to take matters in his hands and calm her down. But everyone was amused. With Genkai being back and bickering and fighting with her beloved granddaughter, things were how they should be. Everything had returned to normal. Or so they thought...
That night following the end of the tournament, on the now deserted island, a heavy rain had started falling and bolts of lightning were illuminating the black sky. And on the shore, a hand grabbed a rock and soon a head appeared. It was Older Toguro. He had survived. And when he looked up, someone was waiting for him... a tall and thin youthful man with short slicked black hair and a bang arching over his forehead and an ovoid jewel on his forehead...
Author's note: okay, that's the end of the Dark Tournament Arc. I hope you liked it. Next, for two chapters, I decided to write the movie with the Meikai King, Yakumo!
