The finals came. At last. The rules were pretty simple; the Leader had to pick three fighters from his team (he could include himself), and each picked fighter had to battle with the opponent one-on-one.
Urameshi, being the very unorganized person that he is, decided that he'll pick fighters from his team just before the fights.
Right now, Yusuke was finishing the fight with the youngest neko kid. The Leader was winning a bit too easily, if you ask me. The neko had a lot of bruises and scratches from Urameshi's Spirit Gun, but still, he didn't defend himself. The kid was just dodging Yusuke's attacks and for me, it was pretty odd. As if the kid wanted to lower Urameshi's guard...
And I was right. The neko kid, who apparently got tired of being defensive only, knelt down on the mat and lunged towards the startled Yusuke, spinning his small body like a tornado. His speed was incredible! In no time, he reached his opponent and sent him on the other end of the mat. Urameshi crashed on the wall with force. He had lost.
Kuwabara and Kurama immediately ran up to the fallen Leader, but I had stayed on the branch, staring at the young neko. His hands were in his pockets and he was slowly walking off of the stage, with a super cocky smirk on his face. He seemed very familiar, especially with the way he was walking, as if he was the master of everything and everyone; confidence was flowing out of him.
His cat ear twitched and the boy noticed my hard stare and cocked an eyebrow. His eyes flashed with sudden realization and he showed me his pointy teeth in a grin. A dark blue aura surrounded him for a second and the next thing I knew, I was looking at... Kiken, Inuko's school friend. 'What the...?!'
It was my turn to gasp and my eyes went wide. It was HIM! An illusion neko demon! He tricked Inuko, that's why they knew where to find her...
"You... Bastard..." I growled harshly, curling my fists. My tail bristled and I twitched, wanting to go and get him. Kiken, who already changed back, saw my reaction and winked, turning around and leaving the mat. I was ready to run behind him, catch him and kill him, right there, right now. It was all his fault...
I felt a firm grip on my forearm and turned to see Hiei also gazing at the neko's back.
"I'm next," he uttered calmly, getting up from the branch. On the opposite side of the huge fighting mat, I've noticed the white haired neko also raising from his seat, a short but thick wooden stick in his palm. A hand landed on his shoulders and Shimofuri, their leader, leaned closer and began whispering something in the neko's ear.
I gulped nervously. If the young neko was that good, what about that one? The white one was a lot older and probably more experienced in battles. And now, Hiei will face the white Cat...
I shook my head. 'Stop it,' I scolded myself mentally 'Have some faith in Hiei!'
I chased away the stupid thoughts and glanced at the fire demon; he was staring at his opponent, analyzing his skills from the distance. The white haired neko seemed to be relaxed and was listening closely to what Shimofuri was saying. Nodding from time to time, the cat had been looking around lazily. His piercing red orbs had passed me without stopping, but when the Gray Neko told him something, his eyes landed on me for the second time, surprise and interest glittered in them. He smirked slightly, mouthing the words: Illusion Ice.
I scowled at him. The Cat finally looked away, still listening to Shimofuri. With a last nod, he squeezed his weapon (which I found a bit ridiculous, seeing that Hiei had a katana) and began walking towards the mat casually. Seeing that, the fire demon also moved forward.
I gripped the handle of my own sword and gulped nervously. I wanted to say something, but words froze in my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to concentrate. 'Say something... C'mon, Kikyo! Say SOMETHING!' I was screaming in my head, biting my bottom lip.
"Hiei," I called out and regretted it; my mind went suddenly blank, I've forgotten EVERYTHING. I even didn't know why was I so nervous. Hey, it was JUST Hiei! Just...
The fire demon paused and threw me a questioning look through his shoulder.
"I... Uhh... I owe you something. So... Be safe, so I could, um... Give it to you... Sometime..." I ended lamely, stuttering the whole time. Hiei seemed amused by my shaky sentence and my bright red cheeks. He smirked.
"Hn."
----
The battle between Hiei and Set, the white neko, had begun. Set raised the short stick to his chest, holding it by its both ends, and jerked. The Cat took out two short swords, a bit longer than normal daggers from the piece of wood. He rested his arms to his sides, one sword in each hand, and bowed to Hiei. The fire demon snorted quietly and raised his katana, rushing forward in great speed. Set, with his eyes closed, stood still, but when Hiei was about to reach him, the Cat moved to the side and slashed his short sword. The blade cut through Hiei's skin, leaving a short, but deep bruise.
"You look like you'd swallowed a stick, Kikyo," I nearly fell from the branch as I heard Yusuke speaking from beside me. "Hey, hey, take it easy,"
"What the... How's your head, Urameshi?" I asked, seeing a bandage around his head.
"Well, it's fine, I got hit pretty badly, though," he uttered, sitting next to me. Kurama and Kuwabara took a seat also, eyes glued on the mat.
Hiei ignored the deep bruise on his arm and lunged at Set again. The cat did the same trick he'd used; he closed his eyes and waited for Hiei to come closer and then dodge his weapon.
Left
My eyebrows narrowed. Somehow, I was sure that the neko will dodge to the left. Without thinking further, I focused my thoughts towards the fire demon.
'Hiei, left!'
I didn't get any response, but I wasn't expecting one. I just hoped he'll listen...
Set waited calmly and, when Hiei was ready to strike, he jumped out of the way... to the left.
Hiei was ready for that; in a flash, he changed the direction and his blade dug into Set's side. The surprised neko hissed and pushed Hiei's katana away with his two short swords. Then, they began to battle using their sharp weapons, clashing them against each other and trying to reach the opponent. At that point, I began to watch intently, hoping to memorize at least some of their moves.
Much to my disappointment, the fighter's movements soon changed into a black and white blur as Hiei and Set started to hit faster and faster. Too fast for my eyes.
"Hey, I can't see anything!" Kuwabara complied, rubbing his eyes.
"Hiei's opponent isn't someone to be underestimated," Kurama admitted, having only slight difficulty with the fighting scene "He's able to keep up with his great speed and that is something."
"Yeah, maybe, but I'm sure Hiei'll win this one." Yusuke said confidently, crossing his arms. I had remanded silent, concentrating on the fight and catching glimpses of their movements.
I jumped and fell forward, startled, when someone had pinched my sensitive ear. I was so caught up in the battle, I barely managed to put my hands infront of my face to avoid crashing my nose on the muddy ground. The two idiots laughed loudly.
"Yusuke was asking, what do you think, Kikyo?" Kurama said calmly, trying to mask his smile.
"Hn," was my response, as I got up, feeling embarrassed.
"Oh, NO!" Kuwabara shouted with mock panic "Now Kikyo sounds exactly like the shrimp!"
"Aaaww, so cuute!" Urameshi said in a sweet voice.
"Shut up, okay?!" I felt my face heating up further. My eyes wandered around the crowd, searching for someone. But then, I remembered that THEY took her and I won't find her, smiling and cheering... I grew furious, I felt my hair spiking up.
"Hey, take it easy! We were just teasing you!" Yusuke waved his hands infront of his face sheepishly. I blinked, glancing at him. He thought that I'm mad at them?
"Kikyo..?" the fox, however, noticed the distant look in my eyes.
"I'll be right back," I said silently and rose from the branch.
"Hey, where are you -" Kuwabara was cut off by Kurama, who had put a hand on his shoulder.
"She's going to the cats!" Urameshi uttered, then turned to the red head "Should we go help her?"
"No, let her face her business alone," Kurama said calmly, watching me leave. 'Just don't do anything silly,' he thought to himself.
----
Shimofuri, who was watching the fight intently and with curiosity, standing close to the mat, slowly tore his gaze away from the fighters and set his gray eyes on me as I approached him and the rest of his team which was sitting on the branch. The leader smiled pleasantly.
"Well well... Look who the cat dragged in," he uttered calmly, the three nekos behind him snickered. My body was stiff as a broomstick, but I managed to act relaxed.
"Where is Inuko?" I asked, feeling a bit proud of myself; the tone of my voice was nearly polite.
"You mean your little friend? Oh, she's safe, no need to worry," Shimofuri smiled kindly.
"I wasn't asking that. I want to know where is she."
"So, you weren't worried about her?" the Gray Neko lifted his eyebrows "If I'd tell you that she's dead and her body's buried under a random tree, would you be pleased?"
I gulped slightly, feeling my stomach twist. He was playing with me.
"I know she's safe," I said, clenching my fists; it wasn't a lie. I had the strange feeling that Inuko is unharmed. My body shifted a little and I felt my sword, which was attached to my belt (just in case), rub against my waist.
"Your bond is that strong?" disbelief dripped from Shimofuri's words "If you know that, you should know where she is as well."
My nose wrinkled and my tail bristled as I began to lose it. He was playing with my mind, wanting to create a mess in my head. I had to think clearly...
Shimofuri, seeming somewhat satisfied, continued to watch the fight. The three cats, who were watching me with interest, disgust and/or contempt, also turned their heads away.
"You know, you are quite brave to come right into the enemy's lair, alone," my ear twitched as the Gray Neko spoke up suddenly "Or maybe..." he turned his head to gaze at me "Maybe it's just stupidity?"
I frowned. "You should learn something about your opponent before you'll insult him,"
"Oh, I know about you quite a lot, Kikyo," the old neko smiled again, but the smile was much darker than the previous ones "I was watching you carefully during the Rebellion... I know about your connection with the Illusion Ice and his pet... I've seen your first mission... My fighters were always near you when you were becoming an infamous thief... Not to mention you were so adorable as a puppy..." his smile changed into a smirk, his cat gray eyes flashing "It's YOU, who should learn something about your opponent, Kikyo-chan."
"You... You killed my father..." I choked out, panic raising inside of me within seconds.
"Yes, he was a serious opponent. He gave me so much joy during our battle..." the cat's eyes gleamed, as if he was having enjoyable flashbacks. After a short while, he came back to reality and gazed in my eyes "I'm hoping you'll give me much more... Or at least the same amount of fun... Will you?"
It took me a few seconds to realize what he was talking about. He wanted to fight me. On the mat, right after Hiei's match. My eyes narrowed and I tried to smirk.
"You shouldn't underestimate me, cat!" I growled, showing my fangs dangerously.
"Oh!" Shimofuri clapped "Deja vu! Your dear father had told me the same thing when we've met!"
I gritted my teeth angrily. 'Stay calm!' I yelled in my mind. With Shimofuri, one wrong move meant death. I had to choose my words carefully and wisely around him. One mistake – no second chance.
"Why did you do this? Who's Inuko for you?" my voice was shaking now, I couldn't help it.
"You think that she doesn't mean anything to me. Well, you're mistaken. She is a very important part of my plan." The cat explained "If she was standing beside you at the moment, safe under your wings, would you worry about her?"
"Enough" I barked "Where the Hell is she?!"
"I do not enjoy being ignored," for the first time during that conversation, Shimofuri'd spoke with anger "So I repeat: Would you worry about her if she was with you?"
"No..." I whispered, analyzing his words carefully "No." I repeated, this time confidently.
"See?" the neko smiled once again. What I've said seemed to prove his point "That's why I had to take her out of your sight."
"Bastard..." I growled once again; the way he spoke so lightly about Inuko's kidnapping made me lose it. Fortunately, my body still was listening to my brain. But my words weren't. "You sick bastard... I'll kill you!" I yelled in his face, spun around and took a step forward, wanting to leave the tricky old neko as fast as possible. I've managed to catch his last words:
"Oh! Deja vu once again! Little Inuko-chan had told me this when she woke up!"
*SNAP!!*
I had lost it completely. Spinning around, I raised my arm and showed my teeth in a grimace of pure fury. Shimofuri didn't react at first, he waited for the last second, like Set. He caught my fist just when it was a bout to make contact with his face.
"Now, now, Kikyo-chan," he began, squeezing my fist painfully "Leave your energy for the battle! And, do me a favor, keep up the spirit, but clear the mind." He released me and once again he continued to watch the fight. The three nekos behind him glared at me with their glowing cat eyes and Kiken hissed. The were telling me to leave. Immediately.
----
I returned to my team with my head bowed lowly and sat down, my whitish bangs covering my emotionless face. Yusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara were watching me intently, but they said nothing. Thank goddness.
After calming down my shaking nerves, I slowly lifted my head and looked at the mat. Both, Hiei and Set, had a lot of cuts and scratches, their clothes were soaked with crimson blood.
I wasn't able to catch any details of the two fighting demons, thanks to my mind. The conversation with the Gray Neko was replaying in my head over and over again. And I hated it. I hated HIM.
"He gave me so much joy... "
'STOP IT!!' I screamed in my head, burying my face in my hands 'I've worked hard enough and I CAN defeat him! I CAN avenge my father!!'
"I'm hoping you'll give me much more..."
'I'll kill him! I won't give him anything other than DEATH!!'
"Will you?"
I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard a loud hiss. Set began to circle around Hiei so fast, it looked like he'd copied himself. I was right. When the white blur vanished, Hiei found himself surrounded by Set's illusion copies. All the cats were holding their two short blades pointed at the fire demon's neck. My heart skipped a beat.
All the copies were standing, not doing any move. They were waiting for Hiei to do something, so they could pierce through his throat and kill him. The copies were just illusions, they couldn't seriously kill, but one of them had to be the real one... Judging from Hiei's expression, he couldn't find the original, either.
I gripped the handle of my sword, furrowing my eyebrows. I knew this technique from somewhere...
A ray of sun broke through the dark green surface of the leaves and hit the water in the pond, catching my attention. Glancing at the pond, I noticed that every clone which was standing near the pond didn't posses a reflection. Only one of them had his water image.
That's right! It was the technique Kage had used against me to trick me!
'Hiei! The copies do not have a reflection! Only the real one has!' I shouted in my mind. I saw Hiei glancing down at all the blades and moving his katana slightly to catch Set's reflection. After a while, I heard him in my head:
'Neither of them has a reflection,'
I grew confused. It HAS to be that technique! Unless it's mixed with something else...
The ground exploded and a white flash flew in the sky, white mist surrounding it. A dark silver 'X' shone in the air and quickly fell down... right on Hiei
'Hiei, BELOW!!'
Just as the thought left my mind, the mat behind the clone which was standing behind the fire demon exploded, just like in my vision. The real Set flew up, like a white flash. The clones disappeared in a puff of white smoke, which soon surrounded Set. The cat drew his two short swords and crossed the blades infront of his chest. An 'X' shape.
'DODGE!!!' I cried out in my mind, my voice unnaturally high. With my heart pounding, I watched as Set kept falling down on Hiei, while the fire demon raised his katana, his face stern and determinate. Then, the neko reached him and they both disappeared in a cloud of white mist.
"What just happened?!" Yusuke asked out loud.
"Dude... I think Hiei got his butt kicked..." Kuwabara said, not believing his own words.
"It was a powerful attack," Kurama mused, his brows furrowing.
"No..." I whispered to myself. 'I told him to dodge... Why did he stay there?!'
His ruby red eyes went wide as the blade pierced through his chest. A grimace of pain and anger stretched on his young and handsome face which began to turn pale. His hand grasped the blade, but he was too weak to pull it out. It was too late. He knew it.
Letting out the last gasp in his life, he had surrendered to the darkness.
'I'm sorry... I've... Disappointed you...'
"NOOOO!!!"
----
Hiei pulled out his katana from Set's chest, hearing his opponent's last thoughts:
'I'm sorry... I've... Disappointed you... Master...'
Hiei sighed. It wasn't an easy battle, indeed. Set really was something; not only he was able to keep up with Hiei's amazing speed, but also connected two different techniques. It wasn't as easy as it sounded.
Hiei closed his eyes, panting heavily. When he heard Kikyo's voice in his head, he had to act super fast; he was ready to dodge, but stopped himself, fortunately. Set's blades were short, but they could've reach the fire demon, if he'd jump to the side or backwards. So, Hiei had to face the neko straight on. In that situation, the cat had no chance; Hiei's katana was much longer than his blades and it gave Jaganshi the wanted advantage. The katana's tip reached Set's chest faster.
"NOOOO!!!"
The white mist began fading away slowly and I saw a figure coming closer... To us.
"No way!"
"It's him!"
"He won, after all!"
When disbelief washed off of my teammates, it was time for happiness, joy, cheering. Only I was stuck on the branch, my wide golden eyes filled with tears.
"Hey, great job, man!" Yusuke uttered, excited, as Hiei came closer.
"Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?" Kurama asked, eyeing the fire demon's bruises.
"Hn. I'll be fine." Hiei grunted, glancing at me. I turned my head away, so he wasn't able to see my tears, and began to dry my eyes with the sleeve of my uniform.
That's when I remembered. The 3rd and final match was about to start. In the corner of my eye, I saw Shimofuri standing up and sending me a smile, and evil one.
"Urameshi, I'm going to fight next," I said sternly, looking straight into the Leader's eyes.
"You sure?" he questioned, returning the gaze. The rest of the team looked at me also. I gripped my sword.
"I made a promise I have to fulfill." My features darkened as I remembered the talk with the Gray Neko.
Urameshi shrugged, seeing that he won't change my mind. And why should he, anyway? "If you're sure, go on then,"
I nodded shortly and started to walk towards the mat. "Thanks, Yusuke." I threw through my shoulder, my eyes glued on Shimofuri. My whole attention was focused on the approaching me cat demon, so I've missed the strange look Urameshi gave me.
"Did she just called me 'Yusuke'?!"