Poison Peach Boy fell to the ring in halves. Blood spilled from his severed waist and his eyes stared open in shock, even after death.

Juri lifted her hand and gestured towards Hiei. "Poison Peach Boy's out of the fight! Another win for Hiei!"

"Hiei sliced Peach Boy wide open, folks! What a contender!" Koto exclaimed excitedly.

Hiei ignored the commotion and picked up his shawl from the ground. He carefully wrapped his bleeding shoulder where Poison Peach Boy bit him. Sayomi scowled at the makeshift bandage and sighed, shaking her head.

"Hounds of Hades! He nearly did it!"

"Nearly ain't enough! Can't anyone nail this brat?"

Hiei turned to the samurai and said, "Roll 'em again. Third time's the charm."

The samurai tossed the dice. Kurama and Kuwabara watched them closely. Hiei and the red-head looked eager for their names to come up while Kuwabara looked nervous. When the dice came up Reverse Urashima and Kurama, the red-head and human let out sighs of relief.

"Feh!" Hiei glared at the dice with his arms crossed.

"Third match is Kurama vs. Reverse Urashima!" Juri announced as the two fighters stepped up to the ring.

Sayomi chuckled to herself at Hiei's expense. She stopped and smirked when he glared at her. "How's your shoulder? You sure you don't need any healing?"

"I'm fine. Why don't you get ready to heal Kurama instead? No doubt he'll need it." Hiei turned to observe Kurama's opponent.

"Can't really talk considering how beat up you got by that last guy alone." Sayomi crossed her arms and looked at his other shoulder where he was scratched. She sighed and said, "At least let me heal the wound you couldn't wrap."

Hiei glanced down at his left shoulder and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Do as you will."

Sayomi's eyes widened slightly at his acceptance, but she covered it with a smile and lifted her hand to his wound. She covered it in shadows and started healing the scratches.

"Begin!" Juri announced.

Reverse Urashima pulled out his fishing rod while Kurama summoned his Rose Whip.

"Contestants are wielding similar weapons!" Koto observed. "This could turn into an exciting test of relative skill!"

"Hah!" Reverse Urashima struck first, sending his fishing line at his opponent. Kurama calmly blocked it with his whip. They continued to exchange blows as they started running down the ring.

"What'd I tell ya?! Amazing!" Koto watched the match with wide eyes, surrounded by equally impressed apparitions. "There're real sparks flying between them!"

Kurama's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed his opponent.

"Keep it up, and just listen."

Kurama watched Reverse Urashima curiously, keeping up with his attacks.

"I don't want to win… In fact, I want to die!"

Kurama's eyes widened by the news and he faltered in his attacks.

"No! Don't stop!" Reverse Urashima warned quietly. Kurama resumed his normal attack patterns.

"We are the spawn of the festering grudges of folktale villains and characters that did not enjoy happy endings. The heroes sent us to our graves while extolling virtue! We arose to take revenge on their descendants and the equally hypocritical readers!" Reverse Urashima watched Kurama, keeping eye contact as he continued his attacks. "It's that resentment that's caused my return as an evil spirit. I was given the Magic Box! Why, if I was never supposed to open it? Did I deserve that fate after saving the turtle? I considered revenge, sure… but in the end, what's the point? Our tales teach people valuable lessons… and I can't resent that!"

Kurama listened to the young boy, gauging his sincerity. He sounded genuinely grieved and ashamed of his past.

"You attack, I'll trip…" Reverse Urashima swiped at Kurama's legs, making the red-head jump up out of the way. "…And that'll be your cue to do me in."

"I'll play along…" Kurama countered the fisherman's rod with his whip. "…But I'll pass on doing you in. Find a new purpose in life. I did. So can you!"

Reverse Urashima smiled as tears began to blur his vision. "You really are nice."

Reverse Urashima soon made his move. He attacked Kurama a couple of times before losing his footing. "Unh!"

Kurama took his chance and cracked his whip for a direct attack. Reverse Urashima smirked and disappeared from view. Kurama's eyes widened in surprise, taken off guard by the dodge. Then, Reverse Urashima attacked Kurama directly from behind with his fishing rod.

"Urf!" Kurama lost his weapon and he landed hard on right side. He bled from the cuts caused by the fishing wire.

"Kurama's down!" Juri yelled into her mic.

"Heh heh… Hee hee…" Reverse Urashima reeled in Kurama's whip and pointed down at the red-head, laughing until tears spilled from his eyes. "Ha ha ha! Unbelievable! You actually fell for that! Nice guys finish last, ya moron! Don't you know that?!"

"Heh…" The samurai smirked.

"Grrrr…" Sayomi glared up at the short fighter, her eyes getting slightly darker. "They're just gonna let that slide?"

Reverse Urashima destroyed the whip and slipped a hand into his pocket. He smirked down at Kurama and said, "Smart, but a sucker for sob stories, I guess. Y'see, pure evil never has a change of heart."

Kurama looked up at him as he tried to get back to his feet.

"The Fractured Fairy Tales sure know how to spin a yarn!" Koto complimented the manipulation. "We've just seen Kurama wade into one of their traps!"

"And serves you right!" Reverse Urashima dashed forward, slashing his line at Kurama.

"Unh!" Kurama's wounds throbbed and bled as he dodged the line on his hands. He ran and jumped to avoid getting struck again. Before long, he felt a wire cut into his leg and he stopped running.

"Ah… I wondered when you'd see what I was up to." Reverse Urashima smirked down at his opponent. Kurama looked around to see the whole perimeter of the ring fenced in with wire. "You're now penned in by my force field."

Koto stood in her seat and smacked her hands on her desk. "The ring's been webbed in by shimmering threads! I can just make out a needle securing one of them…"

Reverse Urashima slipped his backpack off and presented it for everyone to see. "With the right tool, even I can make force fields like Luka's. You can't escape. Now for the Reverse Magic Box! In the story I opened a box that instantly aged me…" His eyes narrowed as he smirked. "…But this box does the opposite! To anyone but me, that is! I hate tall, handsome guys… and this is how I get back at 'em! By the way, what's with your name? I knew another Kurama who was the very personification of utter evil! You like to be mistaken for him or something?"

Kurama kept a calm glare on his opponent, refusing to answer.

"Heh heh…" Reverse Urashima chuckled as he rested his hand on the box lid. "You have his glare… which always pissed me off." He opened the box and a plume of white smoke began to obscure the whole ring from view. "I'm gonna reduce you to an embryonic state! Then squash you like a bug!"

Sayomi, Hiei, and Kuwabara watched as the ring became covered in white smoke.

"That smoke's staying in the ring!" Kuwabara noted in shock.

"It's being contained by the force field." Hiei watched the ring with a bored expression.

"Well that sucks. Now we can't see what's going on. Unless…" Sayomi switched to her infrared vision, hoping to catch their body heat. She was able to get a fuzzy view of the two fighters but she was a bit confused. That's odd…

Back in the ring, Reverse Urashima was grinning in the smokescreen. "Yeeess… I feel it! Your aura's fading!" Then he blinked in confusion as he felt nothing at all. "Eh? Did I overdo it? His aura's completely gone! But…" A shiver ran through his whole body as the aura around him spiked.

"Huh?!" Kuwabara's and Hiei's eyes widened in shock.

Sayomi felt her body tremble from the powerful aura that began to permeate through the air. Is he really…?

Reverse Urashima began to shake and his voice became higher pitched from fear. "His aura! It's back! But far more powerful! How? It should be a bare glimmer of…"

The crowd in the stands began to complain and riot from the lack of a show.

"We can't see anything!"

"What a gyp! I demand a refund!"

In the ring, a white apparition emerged from the smoke. His voice was deep and smooth, calm yet dangerous. "I did not expect to ever again assume the form… of the Fox Demon!" He was tall with long silver hair and intelligent golden eyes. White fox ears sprouted from his head and a silver tail swished behind him. He had pale skin and was dressed in a white tunic with matching pants and shoes.

Reverse Urashima became pale as he stared up at the legendary thief. "Oh gosh… Oh golly gosh… y-you mean you really… are that notorious fiend… The Demon Fox Kurama?!" He began to weep as he fell back on his butt.

"Well… Uh… Heh…" Juri stood in the ring, shrunk down to a child due to the smoke. She looked up at the fox, speechless and unaware of what to do.

Kurama smirked and said, "One and the same, my friend. And you have incurred my wrath!"

"Can't see anything down there!"

"Yeah! Who the heck's smokin' up the joint?!"

"This is incredible!" Kuwabara broke into a nervous sweat. He felt his body temperature drop from the amount of aura he was sensing from the ring. "Who could generate such a fiercely intense aura?!"

"Is that really him?" Sayomi couldn't tear her eyes away from the ring until Hiei confirmed her fears.

"Hmph…" Hiei smirked and crossed his arms. "No one but Kurama. His nitwit opponent induced a reversion back to his pre-human form. Very bad move."

Kuwabara looked down at the swordsman, trying to keep his composure. "S-so that's a view of Kurama's true power?!"

"Never seen it in full bloom myself – until now." Hiei watched the ring with interest. "Sure would like to take him on in this form."

"That's nuts!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"What happened to it being smarter not to fight him?" Sayomi glanced over at Hiei curiously. He ignored her and kept his eyes on the ring. She scowled and followed his example. Kurama, is that really you in there? If so, you're not really as evil as they say. Not anymore at least…

In the ring, Kurama loomed over Reverse Urashima and said, "Hmm… How shall I deal with you?"

"The smoke isn't clearing off!" Koto announced. "Juri! You're in there somewhere! What can you see?!"

"Um… Well…" Juri sat still, trembling in her over-sized clothes.

Kurama reached back into his hair and pulled out a seed. He held it in his palm and willed it to grow. Large vines wrapped around his arm and behind his back. At the end of each vine was a flower that bloomed into open mouths. "Shall I let this man-eating plant devour you?!"

"Yaah!" Reverse Urashima screamed and tried to scoot back as far as he could from the botany. "No! Spare me, please! I'll do anything you ask!"

"Then tell me this… What's the secret to this smoke?" Kurama glared down at his opponent and let the plants gravitate towards the scared fighter.

"Huh?" Reverse Urashima held up his hands to keep the carnivorous plant away. "I… I don't know! Shishiwakamaru gave it to me! Ask him!"

"I'm asking you. Now, talk." Kurama stalked closer. "If you lie, I will know, and then…"

"I… I'm not even Urashima!" The fisherman confessed in fear. "I was promised anything I wanted if we won! And I'm not the only one! Evil Kintaro, Peach Boy, they all…"

Reverse Urashima was cut off mid-sentence as a katana crashed through the force field and struck him through the neck. He squealed in pain as he morphed into a demon pig with a grass skirt. He was dead within seconds.

"An illusion beast…" Kurama muttered in disappointment.

Meanwhile, Sayomi and the others watched as the ring began to clear. Sayomi sighed in relief and switched out of her infrared vision.

"The smoke's clearing off!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"Shishiwakamaru's sword did the trick, folks!" Koto announced with barely contained anticipation. "Smoke's gone… but what's this?!"

Kurama stood in the ring in his full demon form. At his feet was the beast with the samurai's sword in its neck.

"The… Fox Demon?" Kuwabara watched Kurama nervously.

"He's… beautiful…" Sayomi couldn't think of another word to describe him.

As the smoke cleared, Kurama began to change. His silver strands became red and his eyes shifted back to green. His ears were replaced by normal human ears and his tail vanished. Instead of the all-white ensemble, he was dressed in his original clothing. Juri happily grew back into her clothing.

"Wow! That was Kurama?!" Koto's eyes were wide from shock. "He really is the notorious Fox Demon?"

Kurama glared at Shishiwakamaru as the samurai held up the dice and said, "Guess it was too much to expect a mere illusion beast to hold up under pressure. Let's continue, shall we? Three against two, now… Getting interesting."

He tossed the dice into the ring, but Sayomi kept her glare trained on him. He looks too confident. What does he have up his sleeve?

"The star attraction!"

Sayomi looked down at the dice and saw Shishiwakamaru and choice.

"So…" Shishiwakamaru smirked at the three available fighters. "Who will it be? Who gets taken out first?"

"Make 'em pay, Shishiwaka!"

"Yeah! Put one of 'em down for good!"

Sayomi cringed when she heard high pitched screams coming from one section of the stadium. She looked and saw a large banner that said, "We 3 Shishiwakamaru". It was a whole cheering section of girls fawning over the samurai.

"Ooh! Good luck, Waka!"

"Trounce Team Urameshi!"

"Except Kurama! He's special!"

"Am I hearin' right?!"

Koto smiled nervously at the cheering section and said, "Each tourney contestant has his fans, I guess! Great party atmosphere here today!"

"Sheesh! Tournament groupies!" Kuwabara glared up at the girls. "Are they too dense to take this seriously?"

"No wonder pretty boy has such a big head. It must've gotten inflated from all the hot air they give him." Sayomi glared at the demon in question.

He smiled and pointed at them. "Got a problem, Botch Face? Care to take me on? You seem primed for a fight. Or how about you, sweetheart? I wouldn't mind fighting a prettier face."

"Eh?" Kuwabara pointed at himself in confusion. Then he glared and gritted his teeth in anger. "'Botch face'? Y'mean me?!'"

"Oh believe me, pretty boy. If I could step in the ring, I would." Sayomi narrowed her eyes threateningly with her arms crossed. "I'd like to hear what your fan club thinks of you when you have fewer teeth."

"I'll take this." Hiei stepped forward, glaring at Shishiwakamaru. He clenched his right fist eagerly. "Might get a real fight out of this guy."

"I'll go, Hiei." Kurama stepped up, stopping the swordsman from advancing. "You shouldn't let personal matters distract you in the ring. Besides, you want to be in shape for the finals."

Since when was this personal between them? Sayomi glanced between the two swordsmen curiously.

"C'mon, Kurama…" Hiei looked up at the red-head. "You're dying to ask him about that smoke."

"Whoa! I'm the one he insulted!" Kuwabara glared at the samurai with gritted teeth. "I get to take him down – got it?!"

Sayomi watched as the boys glared each other down. Are they seriously going to fight each other over this? Personally, I would like to jump in myself and make him sorry for that comment, but we don't need any rulings against us. Damn pretty boy samurai wannabe…

Kurama closed his eyes in thought before he said, "We should let Rock-Paper-Scissors decide."

"That's cool." Kuwabara was quick to agree to the suggestion.

"What're you talking about?" Hiei asked.

"You really don't know?" Sayomi blinked at Hiei, confused by his ignorance. "Even I know what that is."

Hiei glared at her and was about to retort when Kurama started explaining the game. "It's a very serious human game. Y'see, paper beats rock…"

"Newbies hafta use rock," Kuwabara interjected.

"Not true!" Kurama denied the claim. "Now listen, Hiei…"

Sayomi smirked as she watched them teach Hiei how to play the simple game. Well, simple to play, but not to win. Especially with more than two players.

"Rock-Paper-Scissors!" The boys threw down their hands. Hiei and Kurama chose rock while Kuwabara had chosen paper.

Sayomi chuckled quietly to herself. Heh heh… Hiei still used rock on the first throw.

"That's it! I win!" Kuwabara yelled, clenching his fist in victory.

"Wait!" Hiei glared and pointed at Kuwabara accusingly. "Your throw was too slow."

"Huh!? Say what?" Kuwabara reeled, glaring down at his skeptical teammate. "You know the lingo! You hustlin' us?"

Sayomi scowled at the revelation. Wait, so he does know the game?!

Of course I don't.

Sayomi glared at Hiei as he persuaded Kuwabara to go again. You realize there's no point to this, right? Why not just let him have a turn? One loss won't hurt us.

The sooner we defeat them, the better. The fool will only slow us down.

Kurama mentioned you were taking this fight too personal. Any idea what he meant by that?

"Again," Hiei demanded as Kuwabara won another round. The fox is only projecting his own personal issues onto me. I want a real challenge. Now stop distracting me.

Sayomi glared at the fire demon. By the way, Kuwabara never lost this game in Master Genkai's assessments…

"It took a while, but Team Urameshi's finally chosen Kuwabara!" Juri announced for the crowd.

"I'm a Rock-Paper-Scissors Master!" Kuwabara grinned as he wound his arm, ready for the fight.

Sayomi smirked and watched Kuwabara step into the ring. Heh. He might not beat you in a fight, but you've met your match in Rock-Paper-Scissors.

Hiei just glared up at the ring, annoyed with the outcome.

"Good luck, out there, Botch Face!"

"Hey!" Kuwabara glared at the cheering section. Then he turned to his opponent and stomped to the ring. "Fine! So I'm not the favorite! There's only one girl I want in my fan club anyway!"

Sayomi smirked when she noticed Hiei twitch at Kuwabara's statement.

"While Team Urameshi's been deciding who goes up next, Shishiwakamaru's gotten ready for battle!"

Shishiwakamaru stood in the ring holding a transparent shroud over his head. He smiled lazily at Kuwabara as he wrapped the cloth around his shoulders. "So, it's you and me… Eh, Botch Face? This'll be quick."

Kuwabara glared at the samurai and growled, "Keep dissin' me! I'm handsome enough for the likes of you, Featherhead!"

"Begin!" Juri started the match cheerfully.

"Prepare to be filleted!" Kuwabara dashed forward, his Aura Sword in his right hand. He slashed down, but Shishiwakamaru sidestepped out of the way with his eyes closed.

"Unh!" Kuwabara glared as the shroud drifted over him. "Ya tryin' t' blind me?!" He turned to face Shishiwakamaru, but stopped when he realized he couldn't see the samurai. He began to feel sick as his body started to stretch and distort. "What th' hey…? Whoaaaaa…"

Sayomi, Hiei, and Kurama gasped as Shishiwakamaru moved the fabric around his body to show nothing but air.

"Kuwabara… He's gone." Kurama paled when he realized what had happened.

"Gone where, though?" Sayomi felt herself stiffen at the possibilities.

"Huh?" Juri blinked in confusion. "Where'd he go? Is he… out of bounds? Do I start the count…?"

"Save yourself the trouble. He's no longer here." Shishiwakamaru smiled as he opened his shroud to reveal a black space. "Even I don't know where he's gone, but my Terminal Hagoromo does! The ends of the Earth, or another dimension… nowhere decent, at any rate."

"That bastard…" Sayomi glared at the Shishiwakamaru and clenched her fists.

"As Kuwabara has left the arena…" Juri raised her arm and gestured to the samurai. "Shishiwakamaru's the winner!"

"Whee!" His fans squealed while the rest of the crowd shouted.

"One down! That's the ticket!"

"Don't stop now! Kill the others!"

"But give us something to watch next time!"

"Shishiwakamaru dispatched Kuwabara with a flick of his robe!" Koto couldn't believe her eyes.

"Heh heh…" Shishiwakamaru smiled at Team Urameshi. "I'm here to please my fans…"