Having been given a moment to catch their breath, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Koenma and Kurama all stood around the still unconscious Hiei, lines of worry adorning their brows. "They sure are taking their sweet ass time." Yusuke said, glancing around the stadium grumpily. "What's the hold up? Shouldn't they be cleaning up this mess?"
Kuwabara shrugged his shoulders. "Does it matter? Don't worry about the what the ring looks like," he said, motioning towards what was left of the fighting ring after Hiei's battle with Bui. "All we gotta do now is think about smashing those Toguro's and that Sakyo bastard, and getting things back to normal." A distinct chill ran down Kuwabara's spine, one that caused him to glance across the arena where he was met with the piercing stare of the spindly Elder Toguro...is that guy getting into my head...or am I just getting paranoid?...
"I've just received word," Koto shouted into her mic, unaware of the tension that had settled between the combatants. "We'll have a long intermission while the replacement ring is brought in-"
Ignoring the rest of what Koto had to say, Kuwabara audibly gulped his mouth suddenly feeling rather dry. "Well, no reason to hang around here then," he said before turning on his heels, making a Beeline for the utility hall leading to the locker rooms. "I'm going to the locker room to check on the girls and get into my fightin' groove!"
"Tell them why you're really leaving." The four standing members of Team Urameshi nearly jumped out of their skin as the Elder Toguro brother appeared between them all, seemingly out of thin air. Kuwabara, who'd broken out in a cold sweat, looked over his shoulder with wide uncertain eyes. "Go on, tell them. Tell them that you've realized you're about to die."
Kuwabara grit his teeth in order to hide the shaking of his jaw. "Hey!" He shouted, performing an abrupt about face to come chest to nose with the elder brother, " You've got no business over here, so scram!"
The Elder brothers thin lips pulled into a tight smirk, a dark laugh escaping him. "You've improved your strength remarkably over the last few months, Kuwabara," he said, making said teen audibly gulp. "But there's still an abyss of difference separating you and I. So, say the appropriate prayers, because I don't really care for painless endings- Lucky for you, your execution has been postponed; why not enjoy your life for a while? You wouldn't want to have any lingering regrets…" Taking his leave, the Elder Toguro brother sauntered away, leaving uncertainty and unbridled fear in the heart of his opponent-
"You're complexion is starting to match your suit, Kuwabara." Koenma's comment pulled Kuwabara from his depressing musings, making the tall teen shake his head. Though at least an hour had passed before they all decided to convene in the locker rooms, he still couldn't shake the spindly demons words from his thoughts.
"H-hey, what's up with Genkai, huh? With a long break like this, she's had plenty of time to take some cold medicine, right?" He asked, not wanting his lack of confidence to bleed through. His efforts were in vain, however, as Koenma's steadfast stare told him.
"You're anxious about fighting Elder Toguro, aren't you."
Kuwabara scoffed, an uneasy quirk coming to his lips. "Alright, maybe I am- you could always fight in my place if you wanted to you know!" Yusuke, who was hauling the unconscious Hiei over his shoulder, rolled his eyes at his supposed best friends ludicrous idea.
Koenma flipped his cloak, showing off his jet-pack much to Kuwabara and Yusuke's annoyance. "Any fight I take is an instant out thanks to my Koenma-tron!"
Turning his attention to Kurama, who had yet to say much of anything since the Elder Toguro's little pep talk, Kuwabara continued to voice his grievances. "Okay, this is freaking dumb! He's no alternate-" Kuwabara jabbed his thumb towards Koenma who bristled under the scrutiny. " I'm getting the short end of the poll! If Genkai were here, I'd be lined up to fight Sakyo! I say Koenma fights the brother, or I pull Genkai out of bed! Or what about the Shrimp Bait; isn't she technically our alternate anyway-"
Yusuke scoffed, shooting his much taller team mate an irritable look. "Give it a break, would you? Genkai's not gonna come and fight, and there's no way in hell the little she devil will be in good enough condition to step into the ring!" Kuwabara gave him a sour look. "You're the only one left."
"Yusuke!" The team all pause in their trek towards the locker room, with each of them looking over their shoulders with varying degrees of surprise. Heading their way through the deserted hall was none other than Keiko and Shizuru, the two having made their way down to visit with their team.
"Oh, hey Keiko, Shizuru; come to join the party?" Yusuke asked while Shizuru and Kuwabara shared some kind of sibling telepathy moment, both of their frowns deepening with each passing second. "We're heading to the locker room to check on Cora and drop off Hiei."
Keiko nodded her head, her arms wrapped securely around Yusuke's spirit animal, Puu. "We were heading there as well to check in on all of you. These last few matches have been pretty rough." She eyed the unconscious Hiei for a moment before glancing Kurama's way, her brow pulling down in worry over the fox demon's blood stained clothing. "We were also starting to worry about Botan and Yukina; they never came back to the stands."
"Yes, they were seeing to Cora." Kurama said before they all started moving again as a group.
"They're probably still with her; the half pint put up a good fight, but she still got her ass handed to her." Yusuke said, making all those around him frown. They all continued in silence until they came upon the door leading into the boy's locker room, the surface of which was covered in a thick layer of ice.
"Well, that's something you don't see everyday." Shizuru said, voicing the thoughts of those around her.
Kurama examined the door, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Most likely it was done as a precaution; there's no shortage of demons looking for easy targets on this island."
Koenma huffed, his pacifier moving noisily against his mouth. "Disturbing." Kurama knocked on the door rather forcefully in an effort to make his presence known despite the thick ice.
Botan wiped the sweat from her brow; it had taken a good chunk of time, but looking down at the resting face of their youngest team member, Botan felt that they had made it just in time. "I think that's all we're going to get done," she said, turning towards Yukina. Said Ice Maiden was sat with her legs folded under her beside the bench that they had been forced to lay Cora upon. "The serum is starting to wear off; if we keep going, her energy would no doubt rebound our efforts."
Nodding reluctantly, Yukina set to work wrapping the wounds they were unable to entirely heal. Given the unknown length of time they would have to work with, they had focused their energy on Cora's more serious wounds, such as her broken bones and deeper lacerations. It had nearly broken their hearts when they saw just how physically broken the young demon was. But now she was practically good as new; her face, which had once been screwed up in pain, was now lax in her deep sleep. "I wonder how the rest of the match went." Yukina said, her hands weaving delicate layers of gauze around Cora's bicep. "Do you think the others will be alright?"
Botan, ever the cheerful one, gave Yukina a reassuring smile and a thumbs up. "Oh, I'm sure those boys have everything under control-" Botan stopped short when Yukina's shoulders suddenly went rigid, her eyes darting to the closed door of the locker room. A sudden deep freeze started to form around Yukina's body, spreading across the floor and over the door, creating a thick sheet of ice. "Ah, Yukina? What's wrong? Hm?" A knocking on the other side of the door made Botan's hair stand on end. "Uhm- who is it?!" She called out, carefully making her way around the bench, her feet slipping and sliding clumsily on the frozen floor.
"Yukina? Botan, it's myself and the others; may we come in?" The sound of Kurama's voice through the door made a frown fall onto both females lips. They could also hear Yusuke and Kuwabara on the other side, but given everything they've learned on this trip...
"What's the password?!" Botan demanded, her hands falling defiantly onto her hips as she slowly slid backwards from the door; was the floor in this room uneven? So much for being state-of-the-art!
"... I don't believe we established one?" Kurama sounded sincerely confused, and could be heard turning to the others of the team for guidance. Meanwhile, back in the locker room a bright blush had formed on Botan's cheeks...he's right! Kami, why can't I ever think of this stuff ahead of time!... "Though now that you mention it, that would have been the smart thing to do." Kurama continued to speak through the door, almost as if sensing Botan's embarrassment through the thick wood and ice.
"Damn it Botan, open the door! Hiei's not light you know!" Yusuke shouted irritably making Botan slip on the ice, resulting in her landing none-to-gracefully on her bottom.
"What should we do Botan?" Yukina asked in a hushed voice. "Is it really them?"
"Yukina, my snow bunny! Please oh please unfreeze the door!" Kuwabara said, his sugar sweet voice making Botan deadpan and Yukina blush.
"Yeah, it's them alright..." Botan said making Yukina nod in understanding, her energy receding along with the ice on the door. No sooner had the door fully thawed then was it practically shoved open, with Yusuke coming in first hauling an unconscious Hiei over his shoulder.
Depositing the fire demon onto the one other unoccupied bench, Yusuke let out a relieved sigh. "For someone so small, he weighs a thousand pounds!" He complained before taking a seat at the other end of the bench next to Hiei's feet. "Seriously, I think my back nearly broke in half just trying to pick him up!"
"Stop your whining Urameshi, I offered to carry him but noooo-OW!" Yusuke kicked Kuwabara in the ass, knocking the much larger teen over and almost onto the sleeping Cora.
Botan, who had pushed herself up off the floor by then, prevented the catastrophe by smacking Kuwabara in the face, effectively changing his trajectory. "Knock it off you two! You just about undid all the hard work Yukina and I put into healing Cora!"
Yukina got up from the floor and walked around the bench holding Cora in order to get to Hiei, her brow pulled down in worry. Finding nothing wrong with the fire demon apart from his unusually deep sleep, she turned towards Kurama who had by then taken a seat at the head of Cora's bench. "Would you like me to heal you?" Yukina asked him, with the fox demon giving her a reassuring smile.
"No, I don't think I require any healing; I've managed to recover some since my match." Kurama looked down upon Cora, his soft smile falling ever so slightly. "How was she? Has she said anything?"
Yukina shook her head, the worry lines still present on her face and in the way she played with her hands. "Not really; she woke up for just a moment when we reset her arm, but she fell right back to sleep after."
Botan crossed her arms over her chest, a frown falling onto her normally smiling face. "We were lucky that the serum had yet to wear off, otherwise I don't know what we could have done apart from setting the bones and stopping the bleeding." She looked down between the two unconscious fighters, her frown deepening. "Though if I'm being perfectly honest, I don't know where half of her wounds came from; Clayton had beaten her up pretty badly, but I didn't think the damage had been this excessive."
Kurama nodded his head in understanding, holding his chin in contemplation. "I've taken but a moment to think over this mystery myself. The only explanation I can come up with, is that the excessive wounds were given to her when she was initially devoured by the dragon, and again when she and Hiei both returned."
"Then why wasn't Hiei all banged up?" Kuwabara, who had recovered from being manhandled by Yusuke and Botan, looked down onto the sleeping Hiei's face, his brows knitted together in confusion. "I mean, he got eaten too; shouldn't he have been just as bad off?"
Kurama shook his head. "Hiei had managed to gain control of the dragon before any damage could be inflicted; Cora wasn't as fortunate, and she spent far more time in the dragon's clutches. It's anyone's guess what she went through during that time."
The room lapsed into silence then, one that was thick with tension and grief over their friends suffering. It went on for quite some time, that is until Shizuru shifted to look her younger brother in the face. "So?"
Kuwabara blinked in confusion, turning his head this way and that to see if she could have possibly been talking to someone else. "So...what?"
Scowling at him, Shizuru grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him down to her eye level. "So what?! What are you going to do when you fight against this Toguro freak? Huh?!" She demanded, making most of the color drain from Kuwabara's face, his unbridled fear from earlier hitting him like a ton of bricks.
"...Not right now sis, okay?" He gave her a small smile, one that didn't come close to reaching his eyes. "I'm just feeling a little nervous."
Shizuru's hold on Kuwabara's coat faltered as she caught glimpses of his uncharacteristic worry; he was normally ready to run in guns blazing. Hesitance was not part of her baby brother's vocabulary. "Kazuma…"
"Is everything alright?" Botan inquired as Shizuru released Kuwabara's lapel and took a step back, a barely there frown on her face.
"Yeah, perfect!" Shizuru said, her over enthused response only raising more questioning brows over the siblings weird exchange. Ignoring their curious eyes, Shizuru instead pulled out one of her cigarettes, lighting it up and taking a long drag; this tournament just got a hell of a lot more nerve racking.
The interaction between the two Kuwabara siblings put the whole room on edge, the air becoming so thick that not even Kurama could have cut through it with his rose whip. Approaching the younger sibling, Yukina placed a reassuring hand on his forearm. "Kazuma, would you like to go with me to get something to eat?"
Kuwabara almost instantaneously perked up, the color returning to his face in the form of a blush. "O-of course baby!" He said, making everyone roll their eyes; so much for him being worried about his next fight.
"Why, that sounds like a splendid idea!" Botan said exuberantly while clapping her hands. "Let's all go get something to eat; I bet it's just what we need!"
Yusuke rubbed the back of his neck, his brow furrowing in uncertainty. "I guess it couldn't hurt," he pointed at the two unconscious demons with a frown. "But what about thing one and two?"
"I'll stay and watch over them." Kurama offered, a reassuring smile on his face. "We shouldn't leave them here unprotected, and besides, I'm not really all that hungry."
Koenma nodded his head in agreement. "You can count me out as well; I ate a big meal just before the finals started."
"Great!" Botan said before grabbing hold of Yusuke's arm, dragging him towards the locker room door. "I know just the place! It's got a little bit of everything!"
Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, most snack bars do! Now will you stop dragging me around like a rag doll?!" His shouting fell on Botan's deaf ears as the others filed out of the room in pairs, with Kuwabara diligently escorting his love by the elbow, and over joyed smile on his face.
"Shall we, babe? I'll treat you to the finest snack bar food there is!" He said, his joy bleeding into Yukina like a breath of fresh air.
"Do you think they'll have peaches? I've been thinking about them since Botan brought them up the other day..." A shy blush fell upon her cheeks, making Kuwabara nearly squeal like a girl at the adorable woman.
Shizuru, seeing that her brother was about to combust in his love, joined in on their conversation. "I doubt it, but they might have this candy that's similar called Peach Rings-"
Inside the room, Kurama and Koenma listened as the playful chatter faded out down the hall. "Are you sure it's alright to let them wonder, Koenma? It's not as though we're in friendly territory."
"Hmm..." Koenma suckled on his pacifier gently, his brow furrowing with concern. "That is something to consider... perhaps I should accompany them."
A bead of sweat rolled down the back of Kurama's head. "O-oh? Yes, I'm sure they would appreciate the back up..."
The first thing he picked up on, was the unprecedented silence; the roar of the crowd and the sound of battle seemed to be long suspended, replaced by the sound of deep breathing and hum of florescent lights. He couldn't decide if the hum of the lights or the hard surface beneath his back were the cause of his headache, but he was already tired of the pain. His Jagan opened first, the barrage of information it provided only serving to increase the pressure in his head. It glanced around edgily, his change in environment throwing it, and himself, for a loop. Upon finding the coast clear of threats, Hiei let out a low grunt as he moved to sit up, his limbs stiff from laying still for who knows how long. He blinked rapidly in an attempt to rid himself of the fog that filled his vision; hibernating may be the most effective way of regaining large quantities of energy in the shortest amount of time, but the lag that came with waking up was unsettling to say the least.
Hiei rubbed his face a few times with his hands before looking around groggily, a small scowl coming to his face; where the hell were the others? They couldn't be far, he felt, as surly they knew how vulnerable he would be during hibernation. Looking over his chagrin seemed to grow when he spied Cora laying on a bench identical to the one he himself had been laid upon... I'm not surprised that the Detective and the Gorilla would leave me unprotected, but I had expected more tact from the Fox... Hiei flexed his fingers, his frown deepening when they were hesitant to move on command... it will still be some time before I'm able to shake off this sleep...damn...
Hiei shifted his eyes from his closed fist to the unconscious Cora, his irritation shifting into gut wrenching guilt. She looked a mess, with gauze bandages wrapped around her right arm and both legs, and many patches of gauze taped to various parts of her body. There were even a few peeking out from the collar of what was left of her shirt, and the smell in the air hinted that a majority of these patches covered severe burns. A gash that had been on her left cheek was healed, but the flesh was still discolored... Hiei had watched through Shinobu's looking glass as his own doppelganger delivered each blow. The only part of her clothing that remained completely in tact, was that damn collar.
And he will never forgive himself. It was his weakness, and lack of good judgment, that has landed her in such a poor state. And there was nothing he could do to fix the damage that has been done; because of her race, she couldn't be healed like the rest of them. She would have scars; scars that will remain with her for the rest of her days, reminding her of the pain she's suffered by his hand. And that damn collar.
A sharp anger struck his chest, causing him to grit his teeth harshly. The collar, though now missing it's sapphire, seemed to glare up at him mockingly. If he hadn't seen what that thing was capable off, he would rip it off and burn the damn thing-
"Hiei?" Kurama's voice cut through Hiei's train of thought, making the fire demon's head snap to the side in his surprise. He hadn't even sensed Kurama approaching...my senses must still be recovering... he thought before taking a deep breath to calm his temper; the collar would have to wait until Koenma's men could do some research on it. Kurama approached him as Hiei swung his legs over the edge of the bench. The look of relief on Kurama's face only made Hiei's frown deepen. "I'm glad to see that you are awake."
"How long was I out?"
Kurama examined Hiei from head to toe, his brow furrowing with worry. Once again he found his curiosity piqued; Hiei did not look himself, and Kurama had an inkling that the sudden change in his friend had every bit to do with what had occurred in the ring. "Just over six hours-"
"Six hours?!" Hiei exclaimed, the news enough to shock the fatigue out of his limbs. "What happened? Who won the tournament?!"
Kurama raised his hands in a mock surrender, a small smile claiming is face though it failed to reach his eyes. "I'm afraid I don't know; the match has been postponed. The two of you made quite the mess of the ring." He looked down upon Cora, his smile faltering. "Toguro has taken in upon himself to bring in a replacement as we speak."
"A replacement?" Hiei questioned, his brow furrowing in confusion.
Kurama nodded. "Yes. He made a task that should have taken a full day take a mere five and a half hours. I had originally come to fetch the two of you." The two demons looked down at the still sleeping Cora. "However, I had hoped that you would both be awake by now."
Hiei grunted before rising to his feet. He began stretching his shoulders out, willing the stiff muscles to relax. "I wouldn't count on her waking up for at least another two hours. Her body can't be healed like ours, and its up to her energy to compensate for that-"
"Hiei, normally I'm not the kind to pry-"
"Then don't." Hiei bit out as he lifted Cora into his arms.
Kurama let out a drawn out sigh before the two of them make for the hall. They walked in silence until the jeers and cries of the crowd could be heard. "I can't promise to let this go. As someone with a sister of his own, I'm sure you understand why."
"Hn." The conversation ended there as the two of them entered the main arena, enticing an array of insults and slurs to be thrown their way from the stands. Yusuke, Kuwabara and Koenma stood ringside, varying degrees of worry and irritation etched into their faces.
"It's about damn time!" Yusuke hollered over the noise of the crowd and Yuri's enthusiastic commentary. "I was starting to think the two of you croaked in your sleep!"
Koenma dead panned next to him. "Not funny..."
Kuwabara looked worriedly down at the still sleeping Cora. "Hey, why isn't the shrimp bait awake? Is it really safe to bring her here...?" He glanced over his shoulder at the remaining members of Team Toguro. "I mean, who knows what kind of evil those nut jobs have planned!"
"Let them try." Yusuke said, cracking his knuckles in a promising way. "I'll knock the bones right out of their smug faces."
Koenma sucked furiously on his pacifier. "Save that energy for the ring, would you?"
"Yes, you shouldn't lose focus, Yusuke." Kurama said, nodding his head sagely. Koenma sighed in relief; he could always count on Kurama to be the voice of reason- "Hiei and I are more than capable of negating any of Sakyo's tricks."
Koenma groaned in exasperation. "You see? This is why I have a jet pack." Nobody responded to the spirit prince. Hiei placed the unconscious meimu demon on the ground at their feet, unwilling to leave her even as far away as the stadium wall. "You're still looking pale Kuwabara. Are you sure you're not going to bail on us?" Koenam asked as the team turned their focus back to the ring.
"Will you shut up about that?!" Kuwabara shrieked, his arms flailing at his sides. "I'm a REAL mean, okay?! And the only way I'm leaving that ring is if he's beaten or I'm dead!" With his teeth gritted, Kuwabara forced his body to stop trembling...now I just gotta find a way to make the first one happen...
"ALRIGHT LADIES AND GENTLE DEMON!" Yuri's voice rang out loud and clear over the crowd, bringing their shouting to a full on roar. "Now that we've all had the chance to recover from the previous clash of tightens-" The jumbo tron lit up, showing off highlights from Hiei and Buis battle. "-It's time to begin the third match! Will the next two fighters please enter the ring!"
Kuwabara grit his teeth and popped his knuckles, his eyes locked onto his opponent. The elder, sickly looking Toguro Brother sneered back at him with his grisly teeth. Rolling his shoulders, Kuwabara made his way towards the ring. "In case I don't make it, take care of my cat." As he stepped up into the ring, the crowds cheers of excitement soon morphed into demands for Kuwabara's blood..this is it...everyone's always expected nothing out of me... that always makes for a better surprise... Kuwabara reached into his coat pocket and pulled out what looked to be the braided hilt of a katana. He grasped the hilt firmly in his hand and steadied his breathing as the elder brother stepped into the ring.
"BEGIN!"
Short chapter. Maybe it's the incredibly long hiatus I've had on this one, but my writers block has been horrible.
