"Hurry it up!"
"Check this crowd!"
"Ow! My foot!"
A man stood on a wooden platform above the crowd of yammering demons and raised a megaphone to his mouth. "No pushing, please! Keep calm! There's still plenty of seating! The tournament won't start for another 20 hours!"
"We know! We're here to see the balloting, moron!"
Sayomi sighed as she waited her turn to receive her badge number. The crowd was a lot bigger than she or anyone else was expecting. Since Yomi's men withdrew and disappeared, it was officially every demon for himself. Demons crawled out from hiding thinking they have a better chance of winning now. Due to the sudden increase in applicants, they have to use cards now instead of the jewels Yusuke offered. Shame I couldn't snatch the one with my name on it.
If it matters that much, you could always sneak away to search for it. I doubt anyone would miss one jewel.
Sayomi smiled at her mate standing next to her in line. Hiei was dressed in his old cloak and shawl and his eyes expressed his boredom with the situation despite the impact it'll have on the future of the Demon Plane. "It can wait. I just want to get this over with so I can know who I'll be fighting first."
"With a crowd this big, it'll likely be preliminary matches first to narrow things down." Hiei's eyes skimmed the faces around them. "I doubt everyone who signed up is actually a challenge."
"Tch, speak for yourself," Sayomi muttered. "I'll consider myself lucky if I can make it through preliminaries."
Hiei smirked and said, "Even you could handle yourself against most of the contestants here. The real issue will be maintaining your stamina in the long run."
"No kidding." Sayomi cast her senses and noticed a few spikes in aura, but nothing big enough to worry her. "I have a feeling most of these demons don't fully realize what kind of power houses are actually here today. They're only worried about Mukuro and Yomi."
"To dismiss Yusuke will be a mistake," he agreed. "Not to mention the demons that sparred with Raizen. If this tournament roused their interest, I imagine there are other demons just as strong, if not stronger, biding their time."
"Yeah, that's true. So long as the winner doesn't do anything too bad, then this may actually be a good thing."
Hiei slid her a disapproving look. Despite everything, Sayomi still harbored thoughts of demons settling disputes without killing. Though he dismissed it as a pipedream, he wasn't going to waste breath arguing about it.
Sayomi scanned the sea of faces to see if she recognized anyone. Unexpectedly, she spotted Yasuhiro in the crowd. What is he doing here? Is he here to compete?
Not wanting to catch her brother's attention, she returned hers to the line. It was almost their turn to get their badges. Maybe he's just here to watch. Nothing wrong with that.
They reached the front of the line and received their badges, then were ushered into the Selection Hall with the rest of the competitors. Sayomi eagerly started searching the crowd. "Where are Yusuke and everyone else?"
"Does it matter?" Hiei followed her, glaring at any demons that looked in their direction. "We're all fighting for ourselves."
"I want to see everyone before we start, though," she said excitedly. "Especially if I don't end up fighting any of them in the ring. With so many entrees, there's a slim chance I'll even get to see you after this."
Without waiting for his response, she caught sight of a familiar blue mohawk and grinned. "I think I found someone!"
She rushed towards the tall demon and called, "Chu! Is that you?!"
He turned and grinned when he recognized her. "You're the lass from before!"
"Hey, is that Sayomi?" Rinku stood beside the drunken master with his hands clasped behind his head. "Are you fighting, too?"
Sayomi smirked and said, "Yeah, but don't try going easy on me just because I'm a girl. I've come a long way since the last time you saw me."
"Make that a double! We want no one holding back punches on us either!"
Sayomi turned to see Jin, his grin widening as he wiggled his pointed ears. Beside him, Toya wore a calm smile that exuded confidence. She returned Jin's grin and asked, "So where are Suzuki and the pixie? They're usually not too far away from you guys."
"Who are you calling a pixie?"
Shishiwakamaru scowled at her with annoyance while Suzuki smiled proudly. "We were just freshening up for the big event! Wouldn't want to look awful on those jumbo screens in front of everyone!"
"Hahaha! You haven't changed at all." Sayomi smiled at the group and started looking around. "Does anyone know where Yusuke might be?"
"We were just looking for him, actually," Toya said. "I'm surprised you're not already with him."
"I see you got a mark!" Chu grinned. "Figured you two would be joined at the hip now!"
Sayomi instantly covered her neck and scowled. "It's not from Yusuke!"
"Oh? Is it from Kurama?" Rinku asked with a sly smile.
Sayomi glared at the boy and snapped, "No!"
"Are you saying it's from that short punk, Hiei?!" Suzuki looked appalled at the idea.
Sayomi narrowed her eyes and looked away. A faint blush dusted across her cheeks and she mumbled, "He's not that bad."
They all laughed at her expense, except Shishiwakamaru who only scowled.
"Shut up, guys! It's not that big of a deal, is it?" Sayomi was starting to feel self-conscious, despite how strongly she felt for the fire demon.
"We figured he would be the last one to get hitched!" Chu clasped his massive hand on her shoulder. "Even the hardy ones can be tamed by a pretty face, eh?"
Sayomi wanted to retort, but she was cut off by Jin. "Now that I think about it, you two were always close together and exchanging looks at the Dark Tournament, weren't ya?"
Sayomi's blush became darker. Were we that obvious?
"How is the short-stack doing? I've been brainstorming for new items and I might have one suited for him," Suzuki said.
"Who cares?" Shishiwakamaru turned away from them and said, "We're here to fight, not gossip. If anything, she's our enemy."
Sayomi's eye twitched at the swordsman's attitude. "You know it's every demon for himself, so everyone is everyone's enemy."
Shishiwakamaru clicked his tongue and ignored her.
Sayomi arched a brow in thought. What's got him in such a foul mood today? Then she heard a few low voices from nearby.
"So that's Urameshi... The one who got this whole thing rolling."
"I still don't see how a shavetail like that managed to talk Yomi and Mukuro into this."
"Well, it's results that matter, right?"
"True. Yomi and Mukuro might take each other out early."
"In that case, I'll rule the Demon Plane!!"
Chu suddenly grinned and raised his arm to wave above the crowd. "Hey! There you are, Yusuke! Didn't expect all these punters!"
Sayomi followed Chu through the crowd until she found the former Underworld Detective standing with the monks from Tourin. "Yusuke!"
"Hey!" He greeted them with an easy-going smile. Then he winked at Sayomi and said, "I'm surprised you're not with Hiei. Isn't he fighting, too?"
"Yeah, but I wanted to get a chance to see everyone else first." She smirked and looked around at the crowd of demons that leered at them. "Feels kinda nostalgic to be the center of negative attention again, doesn't it?"
Yusuke laughed and waved it off. "Nothing I haven't been dealing with my whole life. Besides, not all of it is bad this time around."
"Didja know they're starting with mass eliminations?" Chu asked.
"They are?"
"You didn't know?" Toya gave Yusuke a blank stare. "Aren't you one of the hosts?"
Suzuki placed his hands on his hips and said, "They're going to split us into blocks of 49."
"Only one per block will advance," Toya finished.
"Which means..." Yusuke cupped his chin in thought. "87 down in one swoop."
"No, 128," Toya corrected.
A low murmur raised their attention to Mukuro, fully covered in bandages, and Yomi along with a child Sayomi recognized as Shura. They approached Yusuke in a three-way stare down and the surrounding demons fell into a heavy silence.
"Awright folks," a young woman announced on a mic, "Mukuro and Yomi have just arrived at the Hall! They're now approaching Urameshi! Interesting to note that Yomi is accompanied by a child wearing a badge! Are we looking at a late entry here?"
"You've improved, I see," Mukuro observed.
"A fair bit," Yusuke admitted.
"So those ferocious auras were Raizen's old friends?"
"Yeah... they're here in the Hall somewhere."
Without warning, Mukuro reached for the bandages and tore them from her face, surprising Yusuke and the rest of the on looking demons. Sayomi smirked and silently applauded for her decision to fight openly.
"Real combat is the best training. I expect you to be at my level when I fight you." With Yusuke's silent stare, the former tyrant turned to leave. "So don't get taken out before then, okay?"
"Daddy, was that Mukuro?" Shura asked.
"Yes," Yomi answered.
"Hm... I thought she'd be a lot more buff."
"This your kid?" Yusuke asked. "Is he entered, too?"
"I am, I'm Shura." The boy looked up at his father and said, "He's not much, is he? I could probably beat him."
"Hey...!" Yusuke stared down at the kid.
"Maybe so, but I warn you..." Yomi cautioned, "he's surprising, and at his best when the chips are down."
Yusuke blinked at Yomi, staggered by the unexpected praise.
Shura pointed at him and said, "You think he has more talent than me?!"
"Ha ha," Yomi laughed. "Not at all. You have talent no one can touch, m'boy."
"Oh brother..." Yusuke muttered with a clenched fist and glared at Shura.
"And we're enemies here, is that right?" Shura asked.
"Hm...? Yes..." Yomi answered.
"So if you and I fight, it'll be for real?"
"That's how it works."
Yusuke blinked as he watched the father-son exchange.
Then shura turned to leave and pointed up at Yomi. "Okay then, if you hold back, I'll never speak to you again!!"
"What an obnoxious brat," Yusuke said through clenched teeth.
"Isn't he, though?" Yomi agreed proudly. "Being a parent has been a struggle. Rather humbling, in fact. How will I unify the Demon Plane when I can barely handle him?
"I hear Raizen's old friends created that aura display the other day. It was quite a show. Opened my eyes, so to speak. Believe what you like, but I will fight with all I have, expecting nothing. I wish you luck." He followed after his son. "I'm probably biased, but I imagine Shura will be tough to beat. Depending on how things go, he may even take me down."
Yusuke smirked as he watched them go and Sayomi felt a strange sense of hope for Yomi's future. Maybe Shura will have a bigger impact on him than he realizes. Hopefully it'll be for the better.
"We will now draw lots for the elimination round of the Demon Plane Unification Tournament!"
Sayomi looked towards the center stage and saw a man with a bird's beak wearing a suit. Beside him were two women and a ballot box. Behind them was a large screen to display fighters and their positions in the rounds.
She followed Yusuke and the others to the line that started forming at the box. When it was her turn, she pulled out a card with the number 38 and the coordinates D-3. So I'm in Block 38. I wonder if I'll have to fight anyone I know.
"Mukuro goes to A-3, Block 74!"
Sayomi let out a sigh of relief. At least I don't have to fight her right away.
"Yomi goes to A-5, Block 34!"
"That's a relief!" Toya smiled at his companions. "We all got placed so that we don't have to fight each other."
"That's fine for you guys..." Yusuke grinned and jerked his thumb at the monks behind him. "But those four ended up in the same block."
Sayomi smirked as she saw the solemn expressions on their faces. "Heh, serves them right for plotting."
"Ooooh!"
The sudden rise from the crowd drew everyone's attention to the stage. Shura was looking at the card in his hand.
"In an astounding twist, Yomi and his son Shura have ended up in the same block! Looks like this tournament's gonna get off to a rousing start!" The woman announced eagerly.
One of the monks turned to smirk at Yusuke and said, "That'll make things easier for us."
Yusuke grabbed the monk by the collar of his Gi and glared at him dangerously, sending a cold sweat down the monk's spine. After a long, tense moment, he released the monk and said, "Just watch your mouth."
Hokushin and the other monks watched their former king nervously as he returned his attention to the stage. Sayomi felt proud to see how Yusuke was handling them. He's gotten so strong, none of them want to seriously piss him off. I wonder if they already have and learned their lessons the hard way. Wish I coulda been there to see it.
"Thank you for your patience, folks! All the lots have been drawn, so let's take a moment to see how things have sorted out!"
Sayomi looked up to see a woman talking into a mic next to Youda and raised a brow. Did he become an announcer? Brilliant career move for him, actually.
"Ah!" The woman continued with her announcements. "We've just received word that there's been a torrent of withdrawals! I'll ask our Technical Commentator, Youda, for his take on this development!"
The old imp cleared his throat and said, "Well, naturally no one wants to be in the same blocks as Mukuro and Yomi! And those who craved the notoriety or just entered as a lark got what they could get out of it!"
"Thank you for that enlightening analysis! Now I'll run down the placements of the top entries!!"
Sayomi braced herself to hear who was in what Block. I just don't want to fight anyone I know in the prelims. After that, it's fair game.
"Mukuro, one of the clear favorites, is in Block 74!! Yomi, the other top contender, is in Block 34!! Urameshi, the man who started it all, is in Block 106!! Yomi's son Shura has ended up in the same Block as his father!! Once Yomi's General, now in the tournament on his own behalf... Kurama is in Block 63!! Gaining the position of top fighter for Mukuro in the span of a year... Hiei is in Block 5!! Hoping to carry out Raizen's final wishes... Hokushin and his three associates are in Block 90!! Once Mukuro's top fighter, now out to bring her down... Kirin is in Block 23!! Taken in by Raizen, and underground info broker between Tourin, Alaric, and Gandala... Sayomi is in Block 38!!"
The large screen flashed with every fighter within each Block. Sayomi quickly skimmed the names for everyone's position. Chu is in Block 97, Suzuki in Block 54, Shishiwakamaru is in Block 33, Rinku is in Block 8, Jin in Block 46 and Toya in Block 31. Enki is in Block 59, Kokoh in Block 77, Saizo's in Block 29, Tetsuzan in Block 11, Souketsu in Block 85, Denho in Block 26, Kujo's in Block 128 with Natsume in Block 48, and Shu is in Block 64.
She froze when her eyes landed on her brother's name. Yasuhiro is in Block 5?!
She turned to search the crowd for him, but she only found unfamiliar faces. If Yasuhiro and Hiei fight here, will they try to kill each other, or did they get over their differences despite what happened with Yasuhiro's Shade?
"Let the elimination round begin!!!"
Sayomi turned to Yusuke and said, "I'm gonna look for Hiei, now. It was good seeing everyone. Hopefully we can meet in the ring!"
"Okay, tell the runt I said to watch out," Yusuke said.
Without further delay, Sayomi ran through the crowd of demons to search for her mate. Hiei? Where are you?
Not far. If you stay still, I'll find you.
Sayomi slowed to a stop and waited until Hiei found her. She quickly looked over him and couldn't find any signs of stress regarding the matches. "Did you see who you'll be fighting in the prelims?"
"You mean Yasuhiro," he confirmed. "I don't intend to hold back just because he's your brother."
"You won't kill him, will you?" Sayomi couldn't help worrying. After everything she went through to get him back, she didn't want to lose him or lose Hiei if Yasuhiro tried to kill him.
"If there are other options for victory, then it'll depend on him. If he refuses to surrender, then I might." There was no venom in Hiei's voice, just the same indifference he held for any opponent in the Dark Tournament.
Sayomi still couldn't dispel the worry that was building, but she could trust Hiei's word. Hopefully Yasuhiro won't push things too far. Still, I can't help but wonder why he's fighting.
When she felt a weight on her head, she turned to see Hiei petting her. Though it helped her nerves settle a bit, she couldn't shake them completely. "How have you and Yasuhiro been since everything happened?"
"We haven't been at each other's throats if that's what you're worried about. He knows what he's done and he understands our relationship. If there is anything between us, I imagine it's typical protective instincts from an older brother worried about his sister."
"Is that why you are the way you are when it comes to Kuwabara and Yukina?" Sayomi used to think Hiei hated the human, but over time it seemed to develop into some sort of tolerated respect.
"I don't like Kuwabara, but if he does anything to hurt Yukina, he won't live long enough to regret it," Hiei said, his tone as neutral as if he was talking about the weather.
"So, you think Yasuhiro feels the same way about you and me?"
"It's a possibility, but I won't back down if he disapproves. The hostility from before is gone, but a brother will always feel protective of his sister. If he wants a real fight, I'll give him one. If he wants to fight to the death, then so be it."
Sayomi bit her lip nervously as everyone started heading towards their designated arenas for their Blocks. She quickly kissed Hiei's cheek and said, "Just promise me you'll come out the winner in your Block and try not to kill Yasuhiro."
"I can only promise one of those things. You just make sure to come out of there alive," he said. Then they parted ways to get ready for the matches.
Sayomi clenched and unclenched her fists as her nerves started coming back. This will be my first tournament that I'll actually be fighting in. So long as I come out of it alive, that'll be a big enough win in my book.
She thought of her mate and her brother facing off so soon in the matches. I just hope they both come out of it alive.