Kuwabara sprinted down the dimly lit forest path, a thin sheen of sweat beading on his brow. "Gotta keep going..." He said between breaths, his arms pumping like mad at his sides in an attempt to increase his speed. "Can't let down my team!" A couple small fry demons came out of the brush, their eyes widening in shock as they spied the large human moving towards them at an incredible speed. "OUTTA MY WAY DEMONS! I DON'T HAVE TIME TO FIGHT RIGHT NOW!" Kuwabara shouted as he practically ran the two demons over, making them shout and yelp in surprise.
"ACK!"
"STUPID HUMAN!"
They shook their fists at his back as he continued on his way, ignoring their shouts in indignation...I'm almost there- damn it, why does this fancy new stadium have to be so far away?!... Kuwabara can hear more voices up ahead making his face scrunch up irritably. "Oh great, more demons looking for an easy meal- to bad they don't know who their up against!" As he came around the bend, he spotted the source of the voices, his eyes zeroing in on an enchantingly beautiful pair of innocent garnet eyes. "AH! Y-Yukina-!"
Yukina and the other three women turned just in time to see Kuwabara trip over his feet, sending him tumbling head over heels towards them and coming to a skidding halt face first in the dirt path at Yukina's feet. "Oh Kazuma!" She exclaimed as Kuwabara lifted his head and flashed her a goofy smile. "Are you alright?"
Botan peeked around Yukina's shoulder, confusion written all over her face. "Kuwabara, what are you doing here?!"
"Oh no," Keiko said, her brow furrowing in worry. "Did we really miss the fights?"
Kuwabara laughed sheepishly as he pushed himself up to his feet, not even bothering to wipe off his dirty cloths or pull the leaves out of his hair. "Hey baby! I thought you were at the fights? Did you come to find me?" He asked, his cheeks becoming a little pink at the thought of his dearest's worry over him.
Yukina smiled sweetly and shook her head. "Actually, we went to the wrong arena by accident." She said, knocking lightly on the side of her head to indicate their bad memory or the Semi Final announcement concerning the new stadium. "We were looking for the new stadium."
Kuwabara chuckled merrily, grasping her tiny hand in his large one. "No, there's no accident here! It's a thing called destiny." He said making a light blush bloom on Yukina's pale cheeks. Shizuru walked around them, coming to stand at Kuwabara's shoulder, giving him the stink eye.
"Lost another fight didn't you little brother." She said making all the love and adoration on Kuwabara's face drain into fear.
He chuckles sheepishly, turning to give Shizuru what he hopped would look like an innocent smile. "Um, well, I guess you could say that-!"
Shizuru punches Kuwabara in the face so hard he does a double flip mid air before landing haphazardly on his stomach, knocking the air from his lungs. "There are lives on the line and you're fighting like a 5th grader?!" She shouted as him as he pushes himself up onto his hands and knees. Before Kuwabara could fully recover, Shizuru socks him in the back of the head, knocking him down once again.
Keiko, Yukina and Botan watch as Shizuru continues to verbally berate her young brother while kicking him about the head and torso with Kuwabara barely able to defend himself. "Well..." Keiko said with uncertainty. "I guess we know why Kuwabara learned to fight..." Yukina giggled a little as Kuwabara started shouting at Shizuru to leave him alone.
Botan huffed, her arms crossing over her chest in annoyance. "We don't have time for this! We're already running late!"
Back in the arena, Shishiwakamaru was basking in his easy victory over Kuwabara. Hiei and Kurama stood at the side of the ring, neither feeling very confident with the current situation. While Kuwabara wasn't entirely useful, the thought of acquiring the final two points they needed to win alone was daunting. Hiei's energy had hardly returned, and the wounds he had received during his fight with Kuro were proving far more troublesome then he first thought they would be, particularly the bite to his right shoulder; it would need medical attention less he risk infection. Kurama wasn't any better off, with the gashes he received from Ura complaining with every breath he took. To much movement would most likely open them again, and possibly lead to more blood loss; something his human body couldn't handle.
Shishiwakamaru stepped forward, pulling the yellow dueling dice from with in his kimono. "So, shall we roll to see who shall fight next?" He asked tauntingly, a smug smirk laying delicately on his lips. Hiei narrowed his eyes in contempt; there was a four out of six chance that he would be fighting next, given his boast that he would cover for anyone who was not present to fight. He was already coming up with a game plan before the dice even hit the ground.
Yuri looked curiously a the dice as they danced across the ring floor, her eyes lighting up with excitement as they came to a sudden halt. "Team Uriotoki get's a fee space and for Team Urameshi it's the Masked Fighter!" She shouts into her mic, earning a roar of appreciation from the crowd.
Shishiwakamaru chuckled, stepping forward and giving Hiei an easy smile. "I'll be happy to go again," he said, his hand coming to rest on the hilt of his blade. The shawl seemed to ripple with his excitement, it's eerie fabric glimmering in the lights. "How about yourself?"
Hiei smirked slightly, his excitement mounting at the thought of fighting against someone so arrogant; there was always a sense of satisfaction when he could knock the self righteous off their pedestal and slam their faces into the pavement. "I said from the start I would be the substitute; I didn't know it would be this much fun." Hiei glances at Kurama out of the corner of his eye, noting the slightly put out look in his tall friends eyes. "Assuming you don't mind, Kurama." Hiei says snidely earning a look of disdain from the fox before he moved to enter the ring. However he was stopped short when a hand many times smaller then his own clamped down onto his shoulder, ,making him suck in a breath. He looked over his shoulder, half expecting to find brilliant blue eyes staring back at him- the disappointment he felt when he found not Cora but the Masked Fighter standing behind him almost made him gag; how pathetic. Pushing the offending emotion away, Hiei instead focused on their previously absent team member, his eyes narrowing in frustration when he picked up on the Masked Fighters energy. "Who the hell are you?"
The one visible eye looked dull and withered, the light of youth that had been present long gone from their steel grey depths. "Wait." She said, though her voice sounded far different then it had just the other day. It made Kurama and Hiei give her wary looks, the former of the two turning to face her head on.
Hiei eyed the Masked Fighter from head to toe, his eyes narrowing in contempt. "I hope you don't expect me to believe you are the same Masked Fighter we had on our team before, you imposter." He said, spitting out the word "imposter" with so much hatred it might as well have been the worst possible thing in the world. "She had tremendous power. You are a weakling."
Kurama analyzed the energy coming from the Masked Fighter, confirming for himself what Hiei had already discerned; on energy signature alone there was no way this obviously older woman could be the same woman that had fought along side them before...but her smell... it's the same, only it seems withered...
The Masked Fighter looked up at Hiei with tired eyes, only adding to the list of flaws in this imposters act. "Yusuke has it now." She said, making Hiei's eyes widen in shock; what the hell was that supposed to mean? Before he could question her farther, the Masked Fighter walked past him, hopping into the ring. With a frustrated growl Hiei opened his Jagan, reaching into Kurama's head in order to communicate with him privately.
...Fox, what do you make of this?...
Kurama sighed, his arm's crossing over his chest...Unfortunately, we don't have much of a choice now that the match has been called... her smell is the same as before, but it's almost as if she's suddenly advanced in age... he said back earning a scowl of discontent from his short companion... all we can do now is play it by ear... while I don't care much for being left in the dark...
...tell me about it...
Hiei cut off the connection, agreeing, abut begrudgingly, with Kurama's musings on the subject; while the woman that now stood in the ring was indeed advanced in age, her smell was similar to the young woman that was behind the mask before, and roughly the same size. His years of traveling in the Mikai have revealed stranger things then sudden age progression to him, so the idea wasn't as far fetched as it might seem. But it was a gamble; if it turned out that the woman under that mask was indeed an imposter... "There is a lot more then this tournament at risk." He said out loud, earning a side long look and frown from Kurama.
Kurama nodded, turning scrutinizing eyes back the ring. "I know."
Back in the ring, Shishiwakamaru was eyes in opponent with disdain. "How awfully disappointing," he said, a heavy frown coming to his face. "I wanted a good match. I can feel your fragility from here." The Masked Fighter paid his taunting no heed, her mind focused solely on the match she was about to enter. "Although, I don't know who you are." Shishiwakamaru smirks, removing his sword form its sheath and brandishing it at the Masked Fighter. "What do you say? Let's remove that little mask of yours."
Yuri came to stand beside the two fighters, practically bouncing on her toes as she sensed the tension in the ring starting to build. "It's match five! Shishiwakamaru VS The Masked Fighter!" Shishiwakamaru smiled, taking the fist initiative in the fight by lunging at the Masked Fighter with deadly intent. The Masked Fighter easily dodged each of Shishiwakamaru's strokes, earning shouts of disdain from the crowd who were hopping for another easy, though bloody win. "Now it's Team Urameshi who's running form the blade! I'd say this little lass' dodging technique is a bit excessive though! WOW!"
The Masked Fighter twisted and turned like a acrobat, evading all of Shishiwakamaru's attempts to remove her mask with his sword. The young demon was starting to grow frustrated, as the Masked Fighter proved much harder to hit then he had first imagined, even managing to dodge his attacks while in mid air. "Despite your speed, you see to have lost a great deal of strength since I last saw you fight!" He said snidly, hopping to put a sense of doubt into his opponent. "But more importantly, the intrigue of your identity is stealing my spot light!" Shishiwakamaru took one final swing at the Masked Fighter, catching the woman off guard which allowed him to slice her mask into pieces. The two of them landed, and everyone in the arena gasped in shock as the woman under the mask was revealed to be nothing more then a withered old hag; nothing like the young beauty they had witnessed before.
Hiei scowled, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "She is an imposter!" He growled out, for once agreeing with the crowd who had instantly started calling for the old woman's death. "We were fools; I should have killed her the moment I laid eyes on her." Kurama's lips pulled into a thin line, not yet willing to agree with Hiei's anger; something wasn't sitting right in his stomach. Surely his nose hadn't been deceiving him?
Shishiwakamaru scowled at the old woman, his sword falling limply at his side. He looked over his shoulder at Yuri who looked to be at a loss of what to do. "Hopefully I don't have to tell you that's a different person. Their team is obviously using that mask as a way to sneak additional players into their rotation." He said, his eyes snapping back to the old woman and narrowing in contempt.
Yuri scratched the back of her neck, grumbling in uncertainty into her mic. "Ummm... and that's against the rules, right?"
Cora gapped openly at the screen. "Wha- Genkai?! When did she get here?!" She shouted, trying hard to wrack her brain for the reason her trainer would have snuck into the tournament.
"And she isn't their registered alternate." Shishiwakamaru said, pointing an incriminating finger at Genkai. "Even if she was, the rules of the Semifinals strictly forbid the use of their alternate unless the team member she's replacing is dead."
Cora threw the TV a dirty look. "That's fucking bull shit- I can't fight unless one of the boys or Genkai dies?!" She ranted, crossing her arms over her chest...that's total bull- what the hell is she supposed to do if one of them dies? I doubt Sakyo would allow me to join them as their alternate now that he has me under lock and key... Cora refocuses on the screen, noticing the nervous shaking of Yuri who was glancing over her shoulder at Koto for help.
"I demand to see proof their team member is dead, as well as their registered alternate!" Shishiwakamaru said snidely, his magenta eyes burning holes in the back of Yuri's head. "Otherwise I am forced to asked for their disqualification!" Cora sucked hard on her teeth as sudden nausea took hold of her stomach; could they really be disqualified for not knowing that Genkai had taken up shop in the Masked Fighter chick's cloths? The thought was very disheartening; what would that mean for them? Would they be allowed to just walk away?
Koto looked around at the crowd who were steadily becoming more and more upset as the committee took the time to talk over what was happening in the ring. "Well, this is a little unexpected! The legality of the Urameshi Team has been called into question, and the blood baths been delayed in hopes of some kind of a group linching!" Koto shouted into her mic. A small tap on her shoulder had her turning to find a young human woman standing next her. Said woman bent over at the waist, whispering secretively into Koto's ear making the fox demon's ears perk up. "Oh! Here we go folks, a replay of Team Urameshi fighting against the Dr. Ichigaki team is now on the jumbo screen!" She shouted over the crowds cries of "kill them all". Above the main entrance into the stadium a large TV screen lit up, revealing a play back of the Masked Fighter in action, the masking being removed much like it had been from Genkai. "This was the first time and only times we've seen beneath the mask, and as we can see it was defiantly a much younger girl!" The same woman who had whispered in Koto's ear before bent down to speak to her again, making Koto nod in appreciation.
Cora chewed on her lower lip nervously as she watched the play back of her teams fight against the Dr. Ichigaki team; there was no doubt about it, there was very little chance that the young woman from the first rounds could be Genkai. "This isn't good..." She mumbled to herself, the severity of the situation falling onto her shoulders like a ten ton weight.
"Don't worry about it." Cora cocked her head to the side as Clayton's voice echoed from the hall. "No matter what may happen in the ring, Toguro and Mr. Sakyo will take care of it." He finished, but despite his words Cora was still skeptical. It was Sakyo VS the entire committee, and video doesn't lie. How on earth could Sakyo possibly turn this around in his favor?
"Al right people, I've received the final word from the committee!" Koto said, forcing Cora to turn back to the screen with baited breath. "By authority of the Tournament committee and by unanimous vote-"
"- the Masked Fighters eligibility and Team Urameshi's future is ruled... A OKAY! The fight between Shishiwakamaru and the Masked Fighter will continue!" Koto announced, earning shouts of outrage and thrown bottles and other garbage from the crowd. Koto yelped in shock as she was pelted with garbage, her ears and tail tucking away in defense. Down in the ring, Shishiwakamaru looked less then pleased with the ruling.
"Are you serious?!" He shouted, his cool play boy domineer slipping ever so slightly in his anger.
Koto covered her head with her hands, shouting at the crowd to knock it off. "Hey, I'm only telling your what I was told!"
"That isn't very polite." The entire stadium fell into dead silence as the voice of Toguro rang out over the PA system. Koto peeked from under her arms to see Toguro himself standing beside her announcing booth, her mic in his large hand and an impassive look on his face. The crowd broke out into low murmurs of admiration for the powerful demon. "Team Urameshi didn't cheat; I wanted you all to know that." Sounds of surprise spread through the crowd like wild fire. "To understand why, you merely have to know who that woman is. While employing the technique she is so fond of, the changes made to the users body is a most impressive thing; it's cells revert to the moment when they were strongest. The young girl you saw before and the old woman you see now are the same person. The human psychic that created the spirit wave..." Toguro paused then, his normally emotionless face splitting into a smug grin making most everyone's mouths go dry in shock. "It's been such a long time since we've talked hasn't it, Genkai."
Kuwabara trekked ahead, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He wasn't entirely sure why he had decided to lead the girls behind him this direction; if had continued on his original path, surely they would have made it by now. But something in his gut told him to change paths... "We should be pretty close..." he said over his shoulder.
Botan sighed, her frustration with the day nearly reaching is peek. "We better not have missed it thanks to your little detour!" She said making Kuwabara scowl a little.
"Hey, I just went the way I felt was right; I'm sure their fine anyway. Hiei's still pretty wound for sound despite already fighting twice this round..." He said, earning a curious look from the girls.
Yukina frowned a bit, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. "Hiei- he's Cora's friend, the quiet one with the gifted eyes." She said, an image of the silent, short tempered fighter coming to mind.
Kuwabara grimaced, not liking the admiration the love of his life showed towards his worst enemy. "Oh sure, if by gifted eyes you mean freakish! Why are you all so interested in him?" Kuwabara stopped then, giving Yukina a serious look that had her blushing in embarrassment. "Listen, don't stat thinkin' he's cool or anything; he's scary and he'll bite off your head!" Kuwabara made claws with his hands and snapped his teeth a few times making Yukina take a startled step back.
"Oh my-" Yukina said.
Botan frowned, placing a reassuring hand on Yukina's shoulder. "Take that back Kuwabara!" She shouted making Kuwabara step back in shock. "That's no way to talk about a perfectly decent guy!" Keiko and Shizuru gave each other wide eyed, side long stares whole Kuwabara sputtered in surprise.
"D-decent guy? That's not what you said before!" He said in his own defense.
Botan crossed her arm's over her chest, sticking her nose up snootily. "You must be confused- I've always thought Hiei was a swell person and you should too!"
Kuwabara gave her a curious look. "Why's that?"
Botan blushed sheepishly; now what could she say? Sure, she didn't think Hiei was a horrible guy, but she couldn't stand the thought of Kuwabara talking down about him in front of Yukina even if the ice maiden had no idea about Hiei being her brother... and if she said anything, Hiei would surely kill her... "W-well... because, Cora likes him! And so do Kurama and Yusuke- that's why!"
Kuwabara scratched his chin in thought. "Yeah, I guess you're right... though I'll be damned if I ever figure out what Cora sees in that shrimp-"
Shizuru stopped walking for a moment, her head turning as she sensed something strange to her right. "Hey..." she said, catching everyone's attention. They too looked, each letting out their own sound of shock. "It's that-"
"Yusuke!" Keiko exclaimed, pushing through the brush that lined the path in order to go to the side of her unconscious friend. She took his face into her hands, letting out a sigh of relief as she found that he was still breathing. He looked a mess, with blood and mud covering him from head to toe. His normally slicked back hair fell loose around his face, and his lack of reaction to her touch proved that he was in a very deep state of sleep. "Oh Yusuke..."
"Well," Shizuru said with mild shock. "This is a surprise. What's wonder boy doing way out here?" She asked of Kuwabara who shrugged his shoulder as he took knelt down to check on his bloody team mate.
"Beat's me- the Masked Fighter chick and him didn't come back last night, and they weren't there when we started fighting today." He said earning a worried look from Keiko. "Honestly, we thought the two were trying to kill each other. Guess we weren't to far off..." He made an annoyed face then, poking Yusuke in the face. "Though it's total bull shit that he's sleeping, again!"
Keiko sighed, patting the top of Yusuke's head. "Do you think it's ok to move him?"
Kuwabara sighed, grabbing Yusuke by the arms and slinging him over his shoulder. "Yeah; we're not to far now. I'll carry him." The group set out again, picking up the pace in an attempt to make it to the arena before the end of the fights.
Hiei and Kurama winced as Shishiwakamaru swung his strange sword around; a high pitched scream echoed from the strange hilt, the volume of it nearly making their ears bleed. The crowd screamed in agony, each one withering as they tried to block out the horrid sound. Many lost the fight against their pain, falling onto the others in the stands as their very souls were sucked from their bodies.
"The cries Shishiwakamaru's sword, Makokumeizanken, are killing off spectators in the stands!" Koto shouted, her broadcast ringing out loud and clear despite her own discomfort. As she spoke more and more apparitions fell victim to the swords call. Kurama shot Hiei a concerned look, with Hiei shaking his head to settle the foxes worries; he hadn't sensed Yukina or any of the other females in the stadium from the beginning, meaning they were safe from the deadly sound.
Shishiwakamaru chuckled darkly making Genkai narrow her eyes at him in contempt. "I find this song very beautiful." He said with a small sigh. "Those who can't fight are suffering from the call of darkness. What do you think, Genkai?" Shishiwakamaru jumped towards Genaki then, poised to strike her down. Genkai watched him with calculating eyes. "This is it, old scab!" Shishiwakamaru shouted, slamming his blade down onto Genkai with a loud battle cry.
An explosion of screaming skulls erupted from the tip of the blade, the force of their release blasting a hole into the rings floor. The skulls flew through the air, attacking those that were left in the stands, biting off their heads and other limbs. The stands erupted into chaos as the apparitions attempted to run for their lives. Hiei and Kurama easily deflected the skulls with a flare of their ki. As the attack subsided, Shishiwakamaru appeared from the debris cloud, a smug smirk on his face as he stared at the massive creator his attack left behind.
"The mateki is a force issued by the freeing of incantation of Onja." He said confidently. "It amplifies and accompanies the cries, which are then concentrated in a multitude of offensive spirits. Even I, who was manipulating it, lost strength to it."
"It's power is indeed devastating." Shishiwakamaru turned, his eyes wide in shock. "On the condition that it reaches it's target." Genkai said with out an ounce of smugness.
Shishiwakamaru gave her a deadly glare. "You, an old woman... you managed to read my attack and doge at the last second?"
Genkai didn't bother to give him an answer as she fell into an offensive stance. "Normally I get annoyed with those who show boat, but your smug rambling gave my old brain time to remember a special attack that I have in reserve."
"What?" Shishiwakamaru growled out, unhappy with Genkai's obvious taunt. "Don't get cocky just because you had a lucky break! This time, you're not going to escape!" Terror struck the crowd, with half of the remaining spectator making a run for the exits; they were not going to risk their lives to watch the end of the match.
"Panic has seized the stands! The spectators are starting to flee!" Koto said while hiding from beneath her announcing booth. "Me too... I'm getting to shelter!"
Yuri huddled on the ground, pressed against the side of the ring. "I think I'm with Koto on this one!"
Kuwabara and the girls let out relieved sighs as the stadium came into view. "Finally!" Kuwabara said as he readjusted Yusuke on his shoulder. "I was starting to worry that I had gone the wrong way..." As they approached the stadium entrance, they paused when they saw a swarm of apparitions fleeing from said stadium. "Hey what's going on? Why is everyone leaving?"
Botan groaned. "Oh no! Don't tell me we got here to late!"
One of the spectators, a demon with blue skin and dark hair, started talking loudly some ten feet away. "What a shit! That Shishiwakamaru- he didn't hesitate to massacre the spectators with his attacks on that idiot!" The demon spit on the ground as if to simulate spitting on Shishiwakamaru. "With an attack like that, it's the end of Genkai..."
Kuwabara gasped, a cold sweat breaking out over his skin...Genkai?! The Masked chick, that was her?!...and some spectators have been killed... this fight must be sever... Kuwabara grunted as he shifted Yusuke off his shoulders, leaning him up against a near by tree. "Hey, I'm going in to check on them." He said to the girls who were all giving him concerned looks. "Stay here with Urameshi; from the sounds of it, it's not safe for you guys in there!" With a final smile towards the worried Yukina, Kuwabara raced towards the entrance, pushing the fleeing crowd goers out of his way as he went.
When Kuwabara entered the arena, he was brought to a grinding halt as a horribly sound pierced his head. "Oh my god..." he gasped out, pushing his hands against his ears. "What is that...?!" He looked down in the ring to see Shishiwakamaru swinging his sword around and around above his head and a weird wall of green energy building up around himself and the unmasked Genkai. It took Kuwabara a moment to realize that the sound he was hearing was coming not only from the sword, but from the wall of energy it's self.
Shishiwakamaru laughed darkly, his eyes widening in sadistic pleasure as more helpless apparitions started to succumb to his blades cries. "You can confront me, or try to save yourself..." he said to Genkai, who seemed intent on holding her ground despite the deafening screams that surrounded her. "Heh heh, this is the moment I've been waiting for... yes, the moment to achieve my fame! Once I kill you defenders of the good, I'll become a legend among all of demon kind!"
Genkai smirked a little, falling deeper into her stance. "Let's get on with this." She said making Shishiwakamaru scowl at her.
"Stop giving me that look!" He shouted as he jumped towards her, his sword raised to make the final blow. "I'm going to cut you to pieces!" Shishiwakamaru swings, but shock rockets through him as Genkai stops his blade with her bare hands. Even more shocking is the transformation Genkai undergoes, her withered appearance reverting once again to that of her younger self. With little more then a whisper, Genkai releases a wave of spirit energy into the sword. it traveled up the blade, blasting it into pieces before shooting into Shishiwakamaru's chest, sending the youth flying across the ring. The entire stadium was silent in their shock as Shishiwakamaru landed in a bloody heap at the rings edge.
"I can't waste my strength." Genkai said, her younger voice ringing out like a clear bell through the quite stadium. "So I borrowed some of your energy; that was me returning it to you."
Shishiwakamaru forced himself to sit up, his eyes wide in disbelief. "You... you are the devil..."
Genkai didn't even flinch under the harsh statement, her large brown eyes instead looking down upon him in apathetic appraisal. "Allow me to correct what you say; I don't defend the good. It happens that there are simply those who are bandits that I don't appreciate." With those words, Genkai's body reverted back to her true age. The crowd was alive with whispers of admiration and slight fear; even in her weakened state, it was obvious that Genkai wasn't to be taken lightly.
Knowing that they still had one more match to fight, Hiei and Kurama shake off their shock and join Genkai in the ring. Kurama regards her with a warm smile. "That was quite impressive; it's a shame that your talents hadn't been utilized earlier in the tournament."
Genkai scoffed. "While appreciated, save your flattery for someone who wants it." The old woman glanced over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Where is Kuwabara and your healer for the matter; while I can't say much for the dim wit, I know from experience that girls is no slacker. She would not skip out on her duties." Hiei stiffened up beside her and Kurama shook his head in response.
"Kuwabara's location is unknown; he fought Shishiwakamaru before you arrived, and suddenly vanished after being engulfed by Shishiwakamaru's shawl. As for Cora..." Kurama glanced down at Hiei who was promptly ignoring both of them. "I don't think I have time to explain..."
Genkai snorted in understanding as Onji, the final combatant for the opposing team stepped into the ring. "For my side, it's pointless to roll." Onji said, holding up a single di." Would you like me to throw one for your team?"
"Do what you want; we are all ready to take you on." Hiei bit out, his temper flaring just under the surface.
Onji tossed the di. "As you like." The di bounced a few times before landing on Kuwabara's name. "Well well..." Onji said.
Yuri looked at the di and scratched the side of her face. "Kuwabara- well, he sin't here anymore so we'll rethrow the di-"
"HEY!" Everyone turned in shock to find that not only was Kuwabara in the stadium, but he had even stolen one of Koto's mics. "Kuwa the handsome has made his come back! As long as I'm not dead, I can participate!" He shouted into the mic making Hiei scowl, Kurama chuckle and Genkai let out a snort of indifference.
Onji seemed less then impressed, a small frown coming to his lips. "This moron again, huh? He won't give me much trouble..."
"What a goof ball..." Cora said, pinching the bridge of her nose. That last fight had been intense, and part of her was kind of happy that Sakyo had ordered her back to her room. Watching Genkai take him down was gratifying, but now they had to face against the team leader...Hang in there guys...
Hiei stood fuming at the side lines, watching as Kuwabara was once again proving himself to be worthless. The match hadn't been going for more then five minutes when Onji was able to trap the buffoon in some strange energy vortex that strongly resembled a black hole of sorts.
"Fabric from the cloak that covers the Angle of Death." Onji said as the black sphere became darker and darker, erasing Kuwabara from the feet up little by little. "This fabric permits the creation of space between this world and that of the dead." Onji chuckled merrily as Kuwabara vanished into nothing, his screams of terror being cut short as the black portal suddenly evaporated into nothing. "Three left." Onji said, his sharp eyes turning towards Hiei, Kurama and Genkai.
Cora felt her brow twitch. "That idiot- that's twice now he's fallen for such a trick!" She eyed the ceiling suspiciously, not wanting to take the chance of being crushed by the ape once again. "Wonder where he'll pop out this time..."
She heard the scream before she saw the black portal open up above her, but this time she was able to dodge before Kuwabara could smash her into the floor once again. Kuwabara landed with a grunt face first in the pile of blanket's she had previously occupied. When he lifted his head Cora smashed his face back into the ground with her foot, grinding the tips of her toes into the back of his head.
"Welcome back, idiot!" She scolded him as he flailed helplessly beneath her. "At least this time you lost to a blanket instead of a scarf!" Cora removed her foot allowing him to raise his head and gasp for air. "Well? Don't waste time!"
He cursed as he got to his feet while rubbing his nose which had been smashed against the floor. "What the hell Shrimp Bait-"
Cora grabbed him by the back of his shirt, and threw him towards the window he had used as and exit before. "GET BACK TO THAT FIGHT GOD DAMN IT!" She shouted as Kuwabara managed to catch himself on the small balcony's railing. He glanced over his shoulder, his mouth dropped over in shock at being thrown around like a rag doll by such a tiny woman. "If I see your face in here again today, I'll make sure to throw you over the railing."
"Jeeze, your fucking crazy!" Kuwabara said as he pulled himself over the railing, preparing to drop down.
"Wait!" Cora shouted just before Kuwabara was about to let go. He pulled himself up and gave her a curious look, wary that she might try to throw him again. "When Genkai was fighting Shishiwakamaru, were the girls-"
"Don't worry!" He said gleefully, waving off her anxiety. "I ran into them on my way back last time- they hadn't made it to the stadium yet!"
Cora let out a small sigh of relief. "Ok, that's good..." She said before pointing at the TV and giving him an annoyed glare. "NOW GIT!" She growled out, making Kuwabara jump in surprise.
"AH! YES MA'AM!"
Onji produced the di again, his eyes showing how smug he really felt. "Who's next? If it's Kurama, I'll tell him the secret of the box. Should he win of course." The old man tossed the di. It bounced twice before landing on the Masked Fighter, eliciting excited chatter from the crowd.
Genkai stepped forward, eyeing Onji placidly. Onji smiled a bit. "Ho Ho... how is it going? You seem exhausted..."
Genkai narrowed her eyes in contempt before she jumped into the ring, her stance casual but tense. "You aren't an old man." She stated making Hiei and Kurama's eyes widen in surprise. "I'm not dumb enough to fall for such a trick."
Onji smiled knowingly, letting out a small hum of appreciation as he started to pull at his facial hair. "You have some talent; I'm still hiding my energy. I apologize, but I enjoy disguising myself." He said making Genkai scoff. "But seeing as you have proven yourself a worthy opponent, I will satisfy your curiosity." Onji started tearing the flesh from his face, revealing a second set of skin beneath it.
Yuri shivered as the torn skin fell to the ground in wet plops. "Hold on everyone, we've just learned that Onji isn't an old man at all, but is really wearing a disguise! But who is he?!"
Onji chuckled a little as he continued to peel off the pseudo flesh. "I'm sure you're wondering what my reason behind the disguise ... the elderly are what I hate the most. It permits me to become even more aggressive in my fights." Onji tossed away the remainder of the flesh, spattering the ring with it. "I have a real fear of old people..." From under the ruse of an old man came the face of a clown, complete with a shinny red nose and spiked golden blonde hair. His clothing transformed from a traditional temple man's cloths to a brightly colored red and green body suit. A strange metal mask covered the right half of his face. "I'd prefer to die before becoming like that. But I must build my legend before I do. A ledgend based on terror! Victory in this tournament is just the beginning!"
Hiei scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "What a fool."
Onji glared down at him though the smug smirk never left his red painted lips. "You are the witnesses of my legends construction; later, you will recount my story to future generations for eons to come. As for my real name..." he said making Genkai quirk a brow. "I am the Sublime Matouka Suzuki! The Man With A Thousand Faces! When you speak of me, you mustn't forget to put "Sublime" before my name."
Koto reeled back, totally blind sighted by what was going on in the ring. "The flamboyant Suzuki contrasts enormously with the temperate Onji! We don't know what toe say! The Ambiance is becoming ridiculous!"
Genkai eyes Suzuki with board eyes. "For someone who's so arrogant and proud of themselves, why the mask?"
Suzuki folds his arms over his chest hotly. "The legend is for eternity. there's no need to be too revealing. There are those who need to imagine the representation of those whom they fear or admire. For example, the appearance of god of the devil..." Suzuki said, chuckling manically. "In a few centuries, the people will say "Suzuki was the most beautiful, the most formidable Matouka there ever was." This perspective fills me with joy!"
Genkai scrunched up her nose minutely, and her hands balled into fists in her annoyance. "... I hate guys like you."
Suzuki laughed then, loud and uncontrollably until saliva started to dribble out the corner of his mouth. "I'm going to make you a promise! After my victory, I will massacre all the elderly! As well as those who oppose me- only those who submit to me will have the right to live!"
The crowd, not liking the preaching's coming from the blonde haired clown, started to shout and complain rather loudly. "What does he take us for, that bastard?! Submit to him?! The hope of a fool-!" Hearing their complaining, Suzuki takes aim at them and shoots off a large ball of energy, annihilating those who had dared to speak down to him.
"I'm not joking." Suzuki said, all mirth gone from his face. Sounds of terror quickly spread over the crowd, and uncertainty started to fill their hearts; they didn't want Genkai to win. She was filthy human. But they were now scared to allow Suzuki to walk free; would he truly massacre them of he was victorious?
Suzuki pointed at Genkai, a look of determination falling over his face. "Genkai, it's you who will write the first chapter of my legend. The story line : Genkai, the mast of the Spirit Wave, is humiliated by the Sublime Suzuki!"
Yuri steps forward then, looking at Suzuki and then Genkai. "Enough chatter!" She said earning a smug smile from Suzuki. "LET'S GO!"
Suzuki instantly started to power up, his energy spreading around him in sporadic yellow strands. "I'll warn you, it's useless to attempt on me what you used to defeat Shishiwakamaru. It doesn't matter if you put yourself on the same wavelength as me; I know ho to adapt my energy; it's useless to try an match it." To prove his point, Suzuki started manipulating his energy, transforming not only its texture but over all color at will; an impressive feat. "I'll give you a demonstration!" Suzuki runs towards Genkai, and with a flick of his wrist he sends a band of energy towards her that appeared to hold every color of the rainbow.
It hit's Genkai head on, spiraling around her in a rainbow cyclone and sending her flying from the ring. The crowd is stunned; Suzuki was able to take down the mighty Genkai in a single blow! "A change of frequency and a concentration of seven colors! One of my favorite attacks, and certainly the most beautiful!"
Yuri prances over to the edge of ring, looking at the smoking rubble pile that encompassed Genkai. "Genkai is out of play! I'm staring the count-down! 1!"
Suzuki scoffed, placing his hands on his hips. "Well? Finished already? I would have liked to have shown you the 999 remaining attacks..." Genkai pushed her way out of the rubble pile, shooting Suzuki an irritated look. Suzuki frowned a little, begrudgingly impressed with the old woman's strength. "You're pretty tough..."
Genkai smirked, pulling her left hand out and tossing a red shinny ball with two thin stings on either side up and down in her palm. "It isn't bad, you normal nose!" She said tauntingly. "I wonder what you're hiding under that mask..."
Suzuki gasped, reaching up to his face to find that his red clowns nose was indeed missing. "Y-YOU-!" Genkai reentered the ring, tossing the false nose off to the side. Hiei smirked, enjoying the little game the old Psychic was playing with the fool. Kurama chuckled a little, using a small cough to cover up her mirth.
Genkai however had already covered up her smug look, falling back into the fight. "I told you're ream mate before; I'm not here to defend those who are good. I eliminate those who I don't like. I don't need to use my energy for you- my fist will be enough!" Genkai said, falling into an offensive stance.
Suzuki felt himself break into a cold sweat, a small bubble of fear starting to grip at his chest. "Y-you... YOU OLD BITCH!"
Genkai narrowed her eyes at him, sinking lower into her stance. "To be worth of the Spirit Wave, you must first experience suffering. A suffering that is one hundred times worse then you could ever imagine." She said making Suzuki gulp nervously. "Compared to that, your attack is a fart in the air."
Suzuki shouted in frustration, falling into an offensive stance of his own. "I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU SHUT THAT BIG MOUTH OF YOURS!" He screamed at her, his energy suddenly skyrocketing as his body started to transform. His muscles began to grow, making him nearly three times his original size. "I DON'T NEED MAGIC EITHER! LOOK AT THESE MUSCLES! In the manner of Toguro, doesn't that make you fear me?!"
Genkai grunts, her face devoid of all emotion. "Your strikes are no more than a bluff. You are a genius for preparing weapons for the other youkai; but that probes nothing at all. Shishiwakamaru is stronger then you."
Suzuki, having heard enough of Genkai's taunts, attacked her ferociously, his large fist slamming into the ring floor when Genkai easily dodged his slow attack. "SHUT UP!"
Genkai, while still mid air from her dodge, punched him in the jaw, sending the much larger man skidding across the ring. Suzuki was given no time to recover as Genkai slammed her foot into his back with enough force to make him bounce up off the ring floor, then delivered a kick to his chin, effectively breaking his lower jaw. Just when everyone thought the onslaught was finished, Genkai unleashed a barrage of punches onto the head and torso of Suzuki, leaving him resembling a black and blue side of meat rather then a living being. "Damn it!" Genkai cursed herself as she jumped back. Suzuki gargled out something that sounded like "mean" before falling over unconscious. Genkai ran her hand through her hair, berating herself. "I forgot about unveiling his face!"
There's chapter nineteen- Chapter twenty is right around the corner, and I have a small treat planned for everyone.
R&R
