A/N: Woo. Another chapter. Yesss.
O/C26: Yukina had given Misaki a jewel that contained Yukina's healing power and Misaki was able to use the gift to heal Hiei. Hiei then demands to know of her past and she and the others sit down late in the night and she tells them what she can. The next day comes with Team Urameshi facing off against Team Lanora, the Heron team. The match is one that takes place high in the air and the first to fall off the suspended island loses.
--
The two teams were back on their respective sides, choosing their combatants.
"I'm going first." Kuwabara announced, marching towards the center, his spirit sword out and ready.
"Glad he asked if it was okay." Yusuke rolled his eyes as he watched the red-headed lug tromp away. He squinted across to see who the other team was choosing to fight. It took him a second to recognize the shape that stepped out for the fight. "Oh this is just great." He smacked his forehead. The other team had chosen the girl.
"Wait! She…! It…! I can't fight a girl!!" Kuwabara yelled up at the ceiling, brandishing his sword threateningly.
"Please don't." She answered softly, blonde hair shimmering beautifully in the light. That something in her eyes that Kuwabara had seen was back. He couldn't place what it was but it bothered him. Insane? No. Afraid? No.
"Round One. Begin."
Neither of them moved for a moment. Then something struck Kuwabara hard, ripping through his sleeve and forcing him to take a step back.
"What was that? She didn't even move!" Yusuke gaped.
Kuwabara grasped his sword in both hands, the orange light steady in his fingers. Something struck his other arm this time, his balance put off again.
"Defend yourself you idiot!" Yusuke shouted.
"Look with your awareness Kuwabara." Genkai yelled at him, "Her energy is different than what you're used to. Get a lock on it and you can see what she's doing. You may not want to fight her, but it doesn't mean she has to hit you."
"Oh yeah…" Kuwabara remembered the fight with the Siren girls. He didn't have to stand still and let her chip away at him.
--
"I don't have a good feeling about this." Misaki watched the battle unfold.
"If he doesn't decide to do something soon, it could end quite badly for him." Kurama noted.
"And at this rate, he really is going to get himself killed." Hiei commented.
--
Kuwabara's knuckles were white from concentrating on the girl in front of him. The next time she attacked, he saw it. A bright energy emitted from her body and then shot forward towards him. He was surprised he hadn't seen it the other two times but now that he had a lock on it, it was obvious. Blaringly obvious. He stepped back to steady his stance and blocked with his sword, the energy being absorbed. His hands tingled with the sudden surge but returned to normal quickly.
The next attack came from his left. Then his left again. Then the front. Each time Kuwabara stepped back, readied himself, and took the blow with his sword.
"Wait! Kuwabara you numbskull!!!" It had taken a little bit for Yusuke to realize what was going on. "Look where you are!!"
"Huh?" Kuwabara glanced around. He was only a few inches away from the edge of the island. She had been pushing him back the whole time. He had been so absorbed in his task that he had forgotten where his feet were being placed. "Oops."
When Kuwabara looked back up, she was standing directly in front of him. There wasn't anything he could do except step backwards off of the island without somehow making her move. And for whatever reason, Kuwabara really didn't want to touch her.
"This is stupid!!! I can't fight a girl!!!" Kuwabara yelled again, "Stop the stupid tournament! I refuse!!"
"You could surrender." She told him, "Please."
"Surrender??…I…" he trailed off as he recognized the look on her face, behind her bright blue eyes: fear. She was afraid. Of him? No. Something was wrong. He glanced behind her at the two figures standing on the other side of the floating island. Of them. It was as if she was speaking to him without saying a word.
They had something. Something of hers that was precious to her, more precious than her own life or anyone else's, something that they would destroy if she did not follow their commands. And something that would destroy countless lives if gotten rid of. And so she did, forced to because of what they held of hers. And she knew, knew that even if she did as they said, eventually there would come a time when she was not of any use to them anymore and they would dispose of her. But for now, for her and whatever it was that they had of hers, life continued. Please. Please give up. She pleaded with him.
And so the spirit sword flickered and faded as Kuwabara dropped his defenses.
Her counter was immediate, the bright energy storing up again and then blasting into him, throwing him up into the air and off of the island.
As he fell, Kuwabara realized that her attack hadn't actually hurt. In a moment of strange demented thought, he wondered if she wanted him in perfect health when his body splattered onto the ground.
It occurred to him that perhaps his life would start flashing before his eyes at any moment. He hoped he could see Yukina in them. And he hoped that Yukina would some day find her brother. That would make her happy.
The fall seemed to Kuwabara to be in slow-motion, even though the ground was rushing to meet him. The wind through his clothes made a flapping noise that he never noticed before, even when he had stood in strong wind.
Perhaps this way, the girl would get back whatever it was she needed, whatever it was her people needed in order to survive. That was a small price, no? One life for many.
Oh how he wished he could see Yukina's face. See it one last time. Just once….her green hair…her crimson eyes…
"Yu…Yukina…"
Kuwabara didn't even feel the impact of the ground.
--
"I can't believe it." Misaki shook her head, not taking her eyes away for even a second.
Hiei snorted, "I can't believe he didn't use his spirit sword to stop his fall. Maybe even shoot himself back up to the island. Baka."
"That certainly ended differently than I thought it would." Kurama admitted, his voice holding a hint of relief.
--
Kuwabara opened his eyes and found himself suspended inches from the ground.
"Wha! What the!!" He immediately flailed about wildly, even as he was gently set down.
"Round One, Team Lanora winners. Choose your next fighters."
--
"He…he's not dead." Yusuke sighed in relief as he scooted back from the edge.
"Insolent girl." Genkai grunted. "Saving him at the last minute. Why did she let him fall if se did not desire to kill him? I've had enough of this." She walked forward, hands clasped behind her back, to the center of the island where Leanne waited.
Yusuke just stared after the usually calm and collect sensei. That was a tone of voice he had never heard from her before, not even when he had been training with her to get her spirit wave technique. As he watched, he could see that something was really bothering her, by the way she walked to how she was holding her shoulders. Something about this girl was really bothering her.
"Round Two. Begin."
"Enough games, bleach-wing. You and yours bring doom upon those they come in contact with who are not of their kind. Why are you here?" It was more a demand than a question.
Leanne hesitated, her mouth slightly open.
"If you do not have an answer, begone carrion eater."
"Woah, grandma! Don't you think that's a little bit harsh? She's just a kid!" Yusuke shouted.
"You misunderstood Yusuke. For one, she can take on any age she chooses. She is in fact quite old, are you not?" Genkai did not wait for an answer from the heron, "Secondly, she desecrates the bodies of the dead by eating them. Herons only appear when their food supply is low. Then they start an epic war so that they can be sure to be well fed, feeding off the decaying flesh. Countless numbers are killed because of the wars they have started."
"Hey a body's gotta eat, you know. And it's not like the dead people are using the body anyway." Yusuke muttered. He had never seen the old lady get so worked up about anything before. She just wasn't the type of person to get easily excited.
--
"Carrion-eaters. Hm." Misaki put a hand to her chin thoughtfully.
"I assume you already knew that." Kurama raised an eyebrow.
"No. Not really. Youkai aren't my specialty. Being an Element, I've never had any interest in anything other than the really major types of youkai. A matter of foolish pride I suppose. Though the winged ones are often overlooked because they prefer not to involve themselves in anything but themselves. That would explain a few unexplained wars though. I bet they chanted lies into the opposing side's ears…" She trailed off, lost in thought.
--
"The dead deserve more respect than that Yusuke." Genkai said, "Please don't throw my body to carrion feeders when I die."
"Not that there's much to eat there grandma."
"That's beside the point." Genkai rolled her eyes though Yusuke didn't see it since she was still staring down Leanne.
The girl hadn't moved, remaining wide-eyed in the center of the ring.
Genkai moved quickly, appearing in the air beside Leanne and swinging her body around to land a solid kick into the side of Leanne's head, her hands never moving from their familiar clasped position behind her back. The girl was thrown across the island, falling to the ground and sliding a ways, her blonde hair and white robes spread out as she slowly pushed herself up off the floor. Genkai alighted deftly a few feet away from her, her feet barely making a sound as she landed.
"You seem innocent. It's quite the act. Just how many of the dead have those lips touched?" Genkai asked.
--
"Odd." Kurama frowned. "Genkai is not usually one to talk so much."
"I have never seem her heckle an opponent before like this. What is she doing?" Misaki wondered.
--
Looking out from behind a veil of long hair, Leanne's mouth opened and shut, her chin quivering as her eyes began to fill with tears.
"Sheesh Genkai! You made her cry!" Yusuke protested.
"I do not pity you, hatchling." Genkai spat, "Your tears mean nothing to me."
At the word 'hatchling', Leanne's eyes narrowed. She had seen more years of life than this old woman could ever imagine, how dare she demote her by calling her such.
"Yes. That's right. Become angry with me. It's the only defense you have now isn't it?" Genkai said quietly, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
Daintily, Leanne arose, her hair still shadowing her face.
Genkai vanished again, going for the same move as before: a kick to the side of the head.
It did not appear as if the kick met its mark, for Leanne did not flinch. An almost invisible barrier quavered at the point of impact.
Knees bent when her feet touched the ground, Genkai jumped again, around the back of Leanne's body, twisting her torso masterfully through the air to position her shin in an attempt to hit her foe against the cheek. The barrier vibrated again, preventing any physical contact.
Unable to hide her smirkish smile any longer, this time Genkai repelled away to the front of the girl.
Genkai's hands still hadn't moved from behind her back, the position comfortable for the psychic sensei.
She launched forward, easily taking off from the ground and heading directly for Leanne's face.
The driving force behind Genkai's foot and the angle at which she was coming down at Leanne allowed Genkai to remain suspended in the air momentarily, her foot planted solidly against the chanted barrier Leanne erected in defense.
In that moment, Genkai heard Leanne's mutterings, her chantings, as she kept her opponent from attacking directly. The words were slung together and fell across the heron's tongue almost instinctively. But the tone of the language changed quickly and Leanne's head snapped up, her hair falling silkily away from her face as if from a blast of wind.
"Forgive me, heron-wing." Genkai said quietly. No one else heard save for the ears the words were meant for.
Unable to stop the effect of the chant, Leanne's eyes widened once more, the bright blue astonishment evident in them. Genkai flew backwards through the air towards the side of the island.
All of this happened in only an instant: Genkai struck and was then blasted away over the side, her face revealing that she hadn't been expecting such a powerful retaliation. Perhaps if she had reached out with an old hand she might have caught the edge, her arm possibly holding her there long enough for the woman to adjust her falling into a leap back onto the island. But she didn't.
A rapid alteration in her words allowed Leanne to save the sensei from a broken spine as a result of an impact with the ground.
"Round Two. Team Lanora winners."
--
"Very odd." Kurama watched closely as Genkai did not crunch into the ground but instead floated for an instant above it before disappearing like Kuwabara had.
--
That had not just happened. Genkai had not just been beaten by some blonde haired kid.
Yusuke looked over the edge again, just as he had with Kuwabara. He cursed. Yes. Yes it had just happened. What was going on? There was something he was not understanding here, something he was missing.
He faced the center of the circular patch of land, eyes resting on the blond haired heron-girl. Her eyes bored into him, into his very soul. What was going on? He shuffled out towards her.
"Begin."
Yusuke stood still, unsure of how to proceed. Attacking her wouldn't do anything, would it?
Leanne moved forward, almost floating along the ground until she stood right next to him, about an arms length away. Then she spoke.
"Please. Please do not resist. They will do worse things to you if you do live. When you fall off the edge, I promise that I will not let you hit the ground. You will live and be able to go on. If you defeat me, my brethren will not be so kind."
Yusuke glanced at her from the corner of his eye, quickly moving his gaze so that he looked directly across the battlefield at the other two members of Leanne's team.
Two other herons. One tall and slim, the other just as tall but more built. Yusuke had seen a lot of things in his short life, a lot of strange things that would seem even stranger if he ever attempted to explain them. But never had he seen eyes as cruel as the ones that stared out across at him, wondering what was passing between the two fighters as they stood so close together.
Yusuke thought briefly about the reward for winning the tournament. Misaki had never told them about the grand prize. The Dark Tournament would grant one wish. What would the Tournament of Threes do?
All of these thoughts passed briefly thought Yusuke's mind. He held up a hand, his arm outstretched with his pointer finger resting just at the side of Leanne's head.
The girl did not move. Did not even flinch.
The tip of Yusuke's finger began to glow a bright blue color.
"Heh." He ducked his head down, a small smile on his face, "I don't think any tournament opponent I've ever had is as kind as you."
His finger glowed brighter until he fired off a single shot directly into her temple.
--
Great spot to end at, right? Of course right. Heh. Thanks for reading!
-lotsm