File 53: Angel's Fall – Demon's Victory

Puu landed on the plateau. Everyone stared, bewildered, as Yusuke came down.

"Sorry, sorry I'm late! I'm glad I made it in time." He apologized sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he walked towards them. "You guys must have gotten the wrong impression. Do you really think I would leave one of my own fights to someone else?" He scolded them.

"U-Urameshi! Your heart had definitely stopped beating! And tha-that's youki coming from you, isn't it?!" Kuwa exclaimed, incredulously.

"Looks like it. And to tell you the truth, my heart is still stopped." Even though he seemed like the first one surprised and clueless about his own state, there was not the slightest trace of worry. Heck, he barely even seemed to care! Akari, Hiei and Kurama started giggling before suddenly bursting out laughing. Right, who cared about the small stuff? A HUMAN who had definitely been killed and should be dead was standing there like the very picture of health and radiating DEMONIC energy like some nuclear reactor...? What about it? That was JUST Yusuke, nothing more and nothing less! Urameshi grinned like the idiot he was.

"Don't worry, you should have a 'nucleus' functioning in place of your heart." The fox reassured. Koenma explained it was a demonkin's heart as he was one who had demonkin blood flowing in his veins. One of his distant ancestors was a youkai and his blood had brought him back to life. That scared Kazuma.

"Reincarnation? Mazoku grand atavism?" Sensui understood. And now, he also understood why he had been so hesitant to kill Urameshi earlier.

"Who would have guessed you were a mazoku. You're a totally unfathomable guy. I don't know what to expect from you anymore." Hiei commented. Yusuke agreed with him. He hadn't really registered anything yet, he didn't feel any different, and he looked the same too. But anyhow, now he could settle things for sure!

"Alright, Sensui! Time for round 2!"

"HELL NOOOOO!" Akari suddenly struck the nape of her friend's neck with her crossed arms, sending him rolling and tumbling around for a good distance. When he finally stopped, sprawled on his belly, she put a foot on his back. "Stop messing around! You're the one who flunked and was late, you slug! Now go to the back of the line and wait for your turn... even if it won't come around..."

"Hold on a minute. I changed my mind. I want to take him one-on-one." Hiei interfered.

"No, I'll take him." So did Kurama. Both demons were raising their energy.

"Yeah, right... go back to sleep you useless boys. Or I'll put you to sleep eternally along with him." The girl warned them while cracking her neck and knuckles. The reiki emanating from her had also gone up a few notches. Urameshi asked what was with them, what had happened to them while he was dead? It was as if they had all gone through several years of special training. However, Kuwa couldn't answer. As he, too, had recovered, he also wanted to have a go at Sensui and even demanded to be first, feeling like he could beat him now.

"You're hallucinating, you idiot." The fire demon retorted. And like always, Kuwabara dared him to repeat, tried to hit him a few times, and like always, the black shrimp smoothly avoided.

By having Urameshi come back, the others' powers have also returned. No, their powers are even greater than before. Koenma... Sensui looked at the prince of the Reikai who was staring straight back at him. You've found yourself some good men... it's almost enough to weaken my resolve... He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the ones before him had stopped fooling around and were fiercely glaring at him with a determined expression.

"I know how you all feel but I want to be one who defeats him. Please." Yusuke glanced back at his surprised comrades. He never said 'please'. So they reluctantly accepted... except Akari who kept quiet, and suddenly attacked him, aiming for his vital areas. She was really going for the kill! But Yusuke stopped her. He had successfully paried all her blows.

"Alright. But I'll put it on your tab." She sighed and finally assented, stepping back.

"Whoa, sounds like that'll be real expensive."

"That's right. Your debt and the interests are ballooning. And I'll have you pay them back with your life. Wanna call it off after all?" The girl smirked.

"No, I'm going."

"There's no helping you." She heaved another sigh. He grinned thankfully and walked towards his opponent. She turned back too so that nobody could see her immense frustration as she balled her fists and gritted her teeth. Even though she had been at full speed and power, Yusuke had easily contained her with barely a few scratches...

In the Irima cave, all members of the special squad had regrouped and were complaining to their captain. What was the meaning of this?! They were supposed to be the greatest warriors in the Spirit World! They had always believed that even the strongest A-class demons were no match against their combined power! But Urameshi Yusuke's power was far beyond anything they had encountered! So Otake told them... there was no doubt they were the best in the Spirit World... however, there's always someone above you. They had been kept in the dark about it but in the Makai, there were those called S-class demons whose powers were far greater than the A-class demons. Urameshi Yusuke descended from an S-class youkai. Sensui was human, but his power was on the same level as an S-class youkai. So there were demons and even humans against whom they were powerless?! This revelation caused an outcry until their leader yelled at them to get a grip. Their natures were different. If the Makai represented 'offense', then the Reikai specialized in 'defense'. That was why they had been able to erect a kekkai even S-class demons could not break through. They were now going to resume their mission. All of them were going to work to completely close up the hole and finish it in 48h with no break!

Urameshi and Sensui were facing off in the Makai. They inhaled deeply. Their aura leaking out of them, they levitated and suddenly shot upwards. They clashed in the sky, producing a shockwave that dug a large crater on the center of the plateau. Shinobu was the first to get his opponent with a good punch. Yusuke landed on a rock in the air that had been excavated by the shockwave. The armored man tried to crush him with a kick but the youth avoided and retaliated with a reigun.

I can't dodge it completely! Sensui thought. He barely had to dodge though. The ball passed right next to his head and went on to completely vaporize the hill a good distance behind him... severing the pieces of armor that kept his helmet attached to his shoulder piece. Everyone was shocked. Such incredible power... It was uncomparable to his previous reiguns. And now, it was twice as strong as Akari's full powered reigun. He had... passed her by and raced ahead... And now, he was the one she wanted to crush...

"Huh?! I missed him?!" Yusuke exclaimed. His adversary was smirking. That attack had pierced his Kikou Toi. If he had taken it head on, he wouldn't have gotten off easy. However, that seemed to amuse him much more than it frightened him. No, for someone of his level, it was a miracle he could still feel something like 'fear'. The topless teen was still staring at his index with a bewildered expression. How could he have missed? That was weird. But actually, the two youkais and Akari knew... that guy had more power than he could control. His perceptions hadn't caught up with the increase of his own strength. Although knowing him, he was certainly going to get accustomed to it soon enough while fighting. But then the girl clicked her tongue.

"YOU SUCK YOU WASTEFUL DUMBASS! Wanna switch after all?!" She yelled.

"Shaddap! I know already! And I won't switch!" He snapped back. Geez, I had actually forgotten... now that she mentions it... Even with his power up, he had only one more shot like this. And he was going to save the fun for later. She clicked her tongue again. From his expression, he had properly detected the warning hidden in her barb. He really was growing. How annoying. Sensui roared and dematerialised his armor. And his spirit power was rising even higher. What was he planning now?! The seikouki changed shape and formed a new armor consisting of a black suit, a blue chest and shoulders armored piece and reinforced arms, knees and boots in gray. "Keh! This ought to be interesting, huh?" Urameshi also raised his energy.

Botan flew in the night skies above Mushiyori City. She passed over the hole in the park from when Sensui had shot Koenma's energy upward. It was kept off limits from the curious onlookers by a cord. There were a few police cars, projectors were lighting it. She spotted Keiko and Shizuru sitting alone at a bus stop and went to see them. But when she advised them to get away from this city, Keiko interrupted her.

"Nevermind us, Botan-san! Puu turned into a gigantic bird and flew off! What on earth is going on?!" She asked anxiously. But the spirit guide was the one surprised.

"Eh?! Puu-chan did?! Then Yusuke is alive-" She began before clamping her hand on her mouth.

"Yusuke is alive...? You don't mean..." Keiko was so shocked she sank on her knees with tears in her eyes. Shizuru supported her. Botan apologized. Actually they didn't know what was going on anymore either. But surely Yusuke was going to be fine! Although since she didn't really believe her own words, she failed to comfort them.

"At any rate, let's go over to Master Genkai and wait."

In the Demon World, Yusuke told Puu to take everyone and fly someplace high as this fight looked like it was going to get a little wild. The bird took Koenma, Hiei and Kuwabara away. Kurama summoned another Floating Leaf and Akari used her power over the wind. However, he shouldn't have looked away and let his guard down for even a second as his enemy took advantage of the opening to punch his face, sending him flying. The spectators had escaped just in time as the corner of the plateau where Urameshi had crashed was destroyed a second later. The destruction spread to the whole hill that shattered to smithereens. Angry, Yusuke raised his energy and charged. The fighters met in mid-air. Their hands clasped, they tried to push at the other. Their clash caused another huge explosion. Koenma and the others had to shield their eyes from the blinding light. They disengaged.

Shinobu was distracted for a second due to a conflict between his personalities. Kazuya was still intent in terrorizing humans and eradicating them. Jouji agreed with Kazuya, they should judge those arrogant humans who destroyed their own world. Itoshi argued they were lying and loved the Human World more than anyone. Minoru just didn't see a point in destruction as he had already become an existence akin to a god. Makoto also wanted to stop here as the plan had already been accomplished.

Suddenly, Shinobu took Urameshi's knee in the face. The boy kicked and punched him a number of times. They zoomed away, through the mountain of demons reaching for the tunnel entrance before returning to the ground. Countless youkais dropped down. All those who fell near them or tried to attack while they were fighting were vaporized instantly, their bodies unable to withstand the energy. The contestants separated again and quickly dispatched those coming at them. Sensui looked up. There were still so many of them... like a good two hundreds. Annoyed, he annihilated them with a large beam. The duel resumed. Yusuke seemed to take more hits than he landed. And he also took more damage. Although not by a large marging, it appeared that Sensui had the upper hand. However, that only served to get his opponent more fired up. After the boy was sent flying, both landed on a rock. Urameshi suggested they did this someplace more spread out. Fighting was easier if there was nothing else around. His adversary assented. Yusuke pointed at a tall peak really far out and said the area around must be nothing but sand and rocks. Shinobu noted he sounded like he had been there before.

"I probably have, my ancient ancestor anyhow." The mazoku replied, smirking. The two contestants vanished. Kuwabara had no idea where they had gone but Hiei nodded in the direction. They were heading at amazing speed towards a desertic area. They were followed by Akari and the others. Kuwa was still shocked that this creature under him was actually THAT Puusuke. He had thought it was just some huge bird. But Puu was synched was Yusuke. If Yusuke evolved, so would Puu. Kazu retorted that Urameshi hadn't changed at all. This earned him to be hit by a tiny (but still painful) reigun by Akari.

"You're the one who hasn't changed the slightest bit and still judges others by their appearance! How many times have I told you to stop doing that?" She remined him.

On the way, Urameshi felt weird but chose to ignore it. There was no time to stop and think anyway. A few seconds later, the combatants arrived at the peak and immediately started again, unwittingly smashing the base of the mountain, toppling it. They collided several times in the air before landing on its falling length, their hands clasped again. The rock gave way below them under the pressure. The two dropped onto the sand in the same position. The air was so charged with their swirling and colliding energies that tornadoes full of sand formed, forcing Puu to gain some distance. As Koenma, filled with dread, said, those were two S-class powers down there... getting close was too dangerous, if they got caught in the middle, they'd get wiped away in one shot! But that was exactly why Akari got closer to them. She wanted to feel the power of a fight between two S-class with her skin, with every cell of her body, with every fiber of her whole being... she had to... it was fine even if she burned to nothingness... that power... was just too enthralling... even if she was to die... she wanted to reach the sun. Seeing them like this made her crave for that power just like humans needed air and water in order to live. That was what it meant to be a warrior. But then Sensui smirked and kicked Yusuke away. The boy ricocheted in the sand before crashing into a dune. Thunder rolled in the distance. Seconds ticked by.

"Come on out. You're behind me, right? You can relocate yourself under the sand but unless you conceal that youki of yours, there's no point." Shinobu said after a time like a teacher who won't be tricked by his pupil's little stunt.

"Tipped my hand, did I?" The child grinned as he surfaced. "This youki's like riding a wild horse and I can't quite control it. But I've more or less gotten the hang of it." He stood up and dusted himself. He noted his opponent's all too confident expression. "I don't like that look of composure! You're planning something else, aren't you?"

"Not a thing. Nothing terribly interesting anyway." Sensui replied, still smirking.

"Tell me!" Urameshi ordered, but his adversary refused. "Cheapskate! You really don't have anything, do you?"

"You may be right." Shinobu laughed. Kuwabara asked the more experienced fighters in the group how they sized those two's powers.

"Even if you overlook the fact that Yusuke can't use all of his power, Sensui is still slightly superior." The fox answered.

For now, the question is: just how much of his power is that guy unable to use? Katsuyama pondered. She had a feeling that they were seeing only the tip of the iceberg. However, they remarked that Sensui's fighting style was changing. He looked like he was actually enjoying himself. The dark hatred he had been showing up until now was disappearing. He had the face of someone who had finally met a worthy opponent.

"Let's fight it out!" Urameshi grinned like a kid.

"Sounds good!" Sensui replied. Both raised their energy. But then, something was wrong with Yusuke. He froze. Shinobu noticed it and stopped to observe. What was it? It was like there was another presence inside him... The image of a man with long light messy hair sitting on a throne in a dark throne room flashed in the teen's mind... and a voice echoed in his head...

"I can't let you have such a hard time with that one! Let me show you how to use your power!" All of a sudden, he released an insane amount of energy, and Yusuke felt his conscience, his body overwhelmed, like his own power and blood were taking control of him. Sensui shielded himself as the energy formed a humongous pillar that rose to the dark skies. The whirling youki formed several tornadoes, even though it had previously taken both fighters' combined powers to have this effect... When Urameshi walked forth, his comrades were shocked. His black hair had grown down to his knees, become messy, and was blowing in the wind, and demonic markings has appeared on his face, arms, and chest. He had... truly awakened!

"Fantastic!" Shinobu whispered with a smile. Kazu wondered if he was that sure of himself but Koenma was of a different opinion. Sensui was no longer the jumble of emotions he had been in the cave. It was like he had transcended everything and achieved serenity. Kurama agreed. A feral smile curved Urameshi's lips, and suddenly, he had punched Sensui's cheek, sending him flying across the sea of sand. The mazoku vanished and reappeared ahead to kick his opponent the other way, then struck him down into the ground with his hands clasped together. Yusuke stomped on him a number of times. Blood flowed out Sensui's mouth. And that still wasn't the end. The boy raised his enemy by the shoulder and unleashed a barrage of punches on his torso, head, arms... before an especially powerful one hurled him all the way to a tall structure, destroying it. The fight had become completely one-sided. Urameshi, as he was now, with the true power of an S-class demon, far surpassed Sensui and his Seikouki. Even Koenma was shocked. Kurama inferred Yusuke's ancestor must have been some kind of warrior god, and being just a human, Sensui no longer stood a chance.

Akari kept quiet, but as she watched the fight... or rather that demonkin relentlessly and unilaterally pounding the enemy who had troubled them so much and who could now barely defend himself... an image formed in her mind and wouldn't leave... a 'warrior god'... that fighting style... that appearance... that expression... the familiarity of the imprint of his youki... Could Yusuke's ancestor be... that man?! Plus he didn't seem like himself... Did his blood, this person's conscience overtake him?

When the dust cleared, Urameshi was holding Sensui aloft by the neck. He tightened his grip causing his defeated enemy to cough painfully with a sound of gurgling blood. The mastermind and star actor of the plan that had almost ruined the world and brought it into a dark age of terror where humanity would be on the brink of exctinction was now in a rather sorry state... all beaten, broken, his armor, clothes and body in tatters...

"You're finished." The mazoku said in a dark voice that didn't sound exactly like Yusuke's. He tossed Shinobu in the air and aimed. Energy gathered at the tip of his index for his large, super-powered reigun. But suddenly, Yusuke recovered his senses. What was going on?! How come he was about to shoot Sensui?! Hey! What are you doing?! And he heard a voice answer "You just shut up and watch." But he didn't want that. Stop! It was too late to stop though. He fired. "Sensui! Dodge it!" The boy screamed, surprising his comrades. But Shinobu just looked back at him and smiled... right before being hit. That wasn't enough to dissipate the attack though. The ball of energy, taking Sensui along, slammed into the ground and continued its course, leaving the desert and furrowing deep into the forest, as far as the eye could see. Urameshi went after him. Kuwabara didn't understand what his friend could be so upset about. He had hit Sensui dead-on, right?

"That wasn't Yusuke!" Akari cried, stunning her comrades. What was she saying? If not Yusuke then who could it be? Besides, what was that expression she was showing and that they would be so hard-pressed to describe? "That wasn't Yusuke." She repeated. "That was..." But she couldn't say more. Koenma asked Puu to go over there too. They followed the large scar-like trench in the forest. Given the damage, it was hard to believe that Sensui was still alive. When they arrived and landed, they saw Urameshi shaking his adversary.

"Sensui! Come on, wake up! Open your eyes! That didn't count! We have to do it over! Hey! Wake up, Sensui! Wake up!" He barked. Kazuma asked if he was friggin' nuts. What was he hollering about after his crushing victory? "That wasn't me! That was me but that wasn't me! I didn't come to until after I fired that shot!" He yelled out. Sensui coughed blood. He was still alive! Yusuke told Kurama to heal him however, the fox had used most of his medicinal herbs while fighting. All he had left was some slight analgesic.

"Don't bother." A familiar voice stopped them. A small spatial distortion opened before them and Itsuki came out, shocking the others. A long scar was marring his handsome face. It ran from his forehead, over his right eye, across his cheek and neck and down to his chest. "Just let Shinobu die like this."

"Screw that! You stay outta this! I didn't wanna win this way! I want a rematch! I won't be satisfied if it ends like this!"

"Let him die. He only has half a month left to live anyway." The yaminode's revelation stunned everyone. He explained that Shinobu's insides had been all but destroyed by a terrible illness. Doctor Kamiya had certified it and given him a few weeks at best. A regular human would have died long ago.

"Really?"

"I won't make excuses for my loss. That last attack was far beyond my level." Shinobu conceded.

"No! That wasn't my power! I wasn't conscious when I shot it!" The boy insisted.

"You must have unconsciously mastered it during the battle. It was you who released that power."

"No! I still can't accept that! Half a month is plenty! Take some painkillers and fight me again!" Yusuke was still hell-bent on having his way. Kuwabara noted his ruthlessness. Hiei was about to comment too but the back lash from his Kokuryuha hit him and he fell asleep. Puu caught him and put him on his back. Urameshi turned to Koenma was aid but the Prince could not help either. Treatment could have been possible with the Mafuukan but Shinobu had blown it away and he had used a significant amount of its energy to resurrect Amanuma with the Yukon Kaiki technique that called back the wandering soul of the dead (so long as it hadn't been 'reaped' and gone to the Reikai) and returned it to the body. It had all happened exactly as Sensui had planned. Since he had surmised the Mafuukan would be his last hurdle, he had set everything up to make Koenma waste as much reiki as possible before reaching him. The prince of the Reikai asked Shinobu why he had been so obsessed with making a portal to the Demon World, why go that far for it?

The Makai was the homeland of the youkais he had killed without knowing anything. As a child, he could never understand... why were there creatures that only he could see? Why did they hate him? Why did they try to kill him? While struggling to find answers, he became adept at fighting. And he started thinking "They're all bad guys who wanna hurt people. I've been chosen. I'm a soldier of Justice." He had no doubt that his simple view of the world was right. And he grew accustomed to walking around covered in blood that no one else could see.

"I believed there was good and evil in the world. Even in wars, I thought there were good countries and bad countries. Cute, huh? But I was wrong. Everything, including the people I protected, were worthless scum. When I had doubts, I started wondering about the youkais I killed, and I started wishing to be reborn as a youkai. Once I though that, I knew I had to come here. Then I found out I was almost out of time and I lost it. I'm glad I made it. The tunnel's just a gift to the inhabitants of this side. My true goal was to die here in the Demon World... and to be killed by a youkai. Urameshi, you seem to greatly enjoy yourself when you're fighting. And you too, Akari-kun. For the first time, I, too, enjoyed fighting, even if only for a moment. Thank you." And the fallen Dark Angel closed his blue eyes forever. Everyone looked on except Akari who averted her eyes. She didn't want to be thanked given the little she had actually been able to do against him. Sensui had been holding back and she had barely scratched him. And compared to that, the power Yusuke held within himself, the power he had displayed... the one who had displayed it might have been someone else, but that was still his own power... or for now latent potential?

Flashes of lightning were illuminating them. Yusuke stood up. Koenma approached Sensui but Itsuki forbade him from coming closer. That was enough. He wanted to let Shinobu rest in peace. He must have been pretty happy being killed by Urameshi reborn as a Mazoku. The Yaminode picked his comrade's body up and stepped back.

"Shinobu's last words to me were: 'When I die, I don't want to go to the Spirit World.' I won't let you judge Shinobu by your rules. I won't let you take his soul. Go find another opponent to fight. We've had enough. The two of us will quietly spend our remaining days alone." And on these words, the two of them disappeared together in a spatial distortion. Yusuke cursed. It felt like that Sensui bastard had just won and ran away without giving him the chance to even the score. Kurama noted that was exactly what had happened since Sensui had accomplished his goals.

"Nevermind that, Urameshi, aren't you bothered by that body?" Kuwabara wondered.

"Nah, not really. It's just that my head feels a bit heavy and my back itchy." The detective scratched his back a bit and felt something unusual... He pulled one of the long locks of black hair... it was really his! What the hell was this?! Where did all that hair come from? And what was with those markings?! He really hadn't noticed... Koenma said that one of Yusuke's ancestors was a S-class demon. Well, that ancestor was probably still alive somewhere in the Demon World. "Is that right? I'm sure he must have been the one who took over my consciousness in the middle of that fight." He angrily looked down. His friends asked what he meant. "The truth is, I heard this strange voice. I heard it talking to me, inside my mind, then everything went black. I came to right after I shot that huge reigun. And I knew immediately... the power was beyond anything I'd ever felt. There's no way I could have shot it now. And this guy is deep within the Makai."

"Wait wait wait! You were already as strong as Sensui when you came here, meaning you were already S-class, and you're still at that level. If that guy who controlled you is like a million times stronger than you are now... then what class is HE?" Kuwa argued. Akari reminded him that this class system had been created by the Reikai, and they just labeled 'S-class' any force they couldn't handle. Kurama added that from the Makai's point of view, those ranks were almost insulting since that S-class level encompassed from underlings all the way to god-like creatures. Many of those lived in the depths of the Makai, but they were rarely seen as the world was so huge. Kuwabara regretted having asked anything.

"I've decided! I'm going to find the guy who controlled me!" Yusuke suddenly declared. His comrades couldn't believe he still wanted to fight. Kazuma snapped. What the hell was wrong with him?! They were done here! Case closed! Time to go home! But there was no way the Mazoku could let things end like this. Interfering with a sincere fight... there was no way he could let that guy get away with it...

"Yusuke, think hard before you decide. In the Ningenkai, the Special Defense Squad is working franctically to close up the tunnel. I'm almost positive they'll finish it up in two days. And if they seal that hole, we can never go back. You have two choices: return to the Human World, or stay here. I'll give you 40 hours to decide." Koenma warned.

"If we have 40 hours, it's more than enough. Yusuke, fight me." Akari intervened, stepping forth and shocking everyone.