A/N: Somewhere I heard that we are no longer allowed to reply to reviewers, but I have yet to actually SEE this rule. I can't find it-- someone point it out to me please.
Yay--today we have hit sixty reviews, an all new-record for me! This calls for a new chapter!
Team Kaleo: FULL
1. Chi Koen Koe
2. Kurai Momoko
3. Kage Kancho
4. Hotaru Ikuhara
5. Renee
Team Hitokiri: now this team really needs some members.
1. Ai Satsugikitsune
2. nada
3. N/A
4. absent
5. currently not present.
Team Reform:
1. Kurama
2. Hiei
3. Kuwabara
4. Yukina (SHOCK!)
5. OPEN! No one's here yet.
Team Ei:
1. Remei
2. Itsuki
3. (read and find out)
4. zip
5. zero
Team Fugishima:
1. Akira Fugishima
2. nothing
3. ...
4. again, ...
5. even more ...
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"Team Ei takes the win!" shouted Koto, bringing her hand down on the last fight. "A face-off between the two teams shall commence next! The fights are down, two wins for the ever-popular Ukishima, and one for the death-loving Team Ei! Teams, please send forth your last two fighters!"
Mar-lo and Alia's faces froze in a shocked expression. "I don't remember ever reading this in the rulebook," Alianore said slowly, her fingers drifting for her katanas.
"That's because it's not," grinned Koto from the ring. "But what the judges say goes, and this is what's going!"
With some grumbling the remaining fighters from Ukishima and Ei took their places in the ring. Koto gave the OK, and the fight began.
"How'd I wind up with her?" Mar-lo growled to himself. Alianore overheard him, her kitsune ears pricking up. She kicked him in the shin before unsheathing her first and shorter of the two katanas.
While Mar-lo cursed foully at Alia, she began her sudden attack on the opposing team. Lunging with her sword, she caught the first off guard with a jab of her elbow to the throat. The fighter flew back, her cloak vanishing over the edge of the ring as she skid across the floor.
The unmasked fighter wiped a trickle of blood from her mouth and spit over the edge. She stood, revealing her as another wraith. She looked possibly as if she were clones of the others they'd seen: skinny, bony, pale, black hair and dark eyes. Except this one was a little different. Her aura was lighter than Ryu's, and Ryu wasn't even a full-fledged wraith.
This new wraith-girl stood up, brushing herself off. She was considerably shorter than Alianore, and defiantly thinner. She wasn't a bag of bones like Remei, but wasn't exactly what you would call normal, either. Long white streaks fell from the back of her hair, and made up the entirety of the ponytail slung over her shoulder.
"Baka," the wraith snarled, looking around for her cloak. "Now you've gone an' ma-d me loos ma coat."
Alia sucked on her bottom lip to keep from laughing at the wraith accent. Most wraiths and demons from different parts of Maikai could disguise their nations accent, but this younger wraith was having a hard time, fumbling over the English words.
"You go' a pro'lem or some-thin?" the younger wraith hissed, her feet gliding over the panels of the floor of the ring. She got up in Alianore's face.
With a snicker Alia knocked the wraith back with the butt of her other sword, barely twitching as much as her thumb. The wraith fell, tumbling clumsily back on her butt.
"Course you," the wraith mumbled, pulling herself back to her feet. She swung a fist at Alia, and missed the shot by a mile. Alianore ducked under her punch and jabbed the sheath back into the sword, whacking the girl hard with the side in the ribs.
While Alianore knocked the shit out of the younger demoness, Mar-lo was having bigger problems.
The demon Mar-lo had taken on was twice as big as he was, and steel claws protruded from shining steel gloves. Mar-lo had been just barely avoiding being hit, and already a few strands of hair and pieces of cloth were missing from his attire.
The demon swiped again with his large claws, missing Mar-lo's arm by a fraction of an inch. The wary Mar-lo hopped around in his wooden shoes, making too much noise as he went, until he got tired of the noise and stood still. Then he waited for the next attack.
"Why are you standing still, you fool?" the demon shrieked. "I shall shred you to ribbons with my mighty steel-claws!"
"How original," Mar-lo muttered, taking an offensive stance, waiting for the demon's next move.
The demon yelled out, running at full speed for the unarmed fighter he opposed. He lifted his arm, and swung hard at his enemy.
But by the time he'd turned around, Mar-lo was already gone.
The demon growled deeply in his throat as he searched for Mar-lo as his demoness companion had searched for her cloak, still wary of the strike.
A loud THUNK commenced as a wooden shoe made contact with the butt of the searching demon. He howled out in a cry of pain as Mar-lo kicked him over and over again with the wooden shoes, beating his face bloody and bruised.
Finally the steel-clawed demon conceded the fight.
"AHAHA-- I TOTALLY KICKED YOUR ASS!" Mar-lo cackled, laughing hysterically. He looked over at Alia, who was still having her fun taunting the little wraith-girl.
The wraith sat on the ground, gripping a badly bruised elbow and holding her free hand to a welt on her forehead. She kicked out at Alianore with one foot. Alia caught the kick aimed for her, twisted the wraith's foot, and flung her out of the ring.
The little wraith groaned as she slid down the wall of the arena.
Koto, rather shocked, gave the fight to Team Ukishima without much protest.
Mar-lo and Alianore went back to their team, Mar-lo complaining about how he would have to change to look good for the tournament bash they'd been invited to. All participating teams had been invited, and there had been a wild rumor going around that the demon King himself would be there to walk among the fighters.
The fights ended for the day, and each team was allowed a half-hour off before the bash began, and then all were to be present.
Alianore and the Masked Fighter walked back with Botan, grim looks on their faces, discussing a grim topic.
Mar-lo had a better time walking back with Kay and Ryu, cracking jokes all the way there. He and Kay found it especially funny that Ryu didn't get any of their jokes at all.
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After each team had presented themselves at the entrance to the bash, each member was allowed inside. Many of the teams split up to mingle with others, promises made to meet later with their teammates again.
Mar-lo was especially enjoying himself. "I've got a spot of tea," he said to a human girl looking for a non-alcoholic beverage. She edged away from the already-drunken Mar-lo, who was obviously not holding tea.
Eventually Mar-lo found himself sitting next to a man who looked just like him. "We must be twins," they both decided, both drunk. The other introduced himself as Plui Gensin, and of course Mar-lo as Mar-lo.
Plui looked over at a redhead girl in the crowd who was dancing with a black-haired man. "See that girl? That's my girl."
Mar-lo nodded, taking another gulp of sake. "So who's the dude she's dancing with?"
"Some fool who thinks he's her fiancee."
The red-haired girl kissed the "dude."
"I think he is." said Mar-lo. He looked over at Plui, who he was sure he would find out later was really his reflection.
"Well then what the hell is he doing here?" Plui demanded, and walked off to go steal away the redhead.
Away from the two drunkards, Alianore and Kay were enjoying themselves without getting too drunk. The two were busy chatting with a raven-haired demon who sat in between the two of them.
"So what's your name?" Kay prompted for the fourth time. The raven-haired demon took a drink to avoid her question.
He changed the subject. "What brings you fine ladies down into the bowels of the demon world?"
"The King," they answered simultaneously. "He invited us," Kay told him.
"The King invited everyone," he reminded them. "But I suppose he found you to be quite the opponents, to bring you down here."
Alianore giggled despite herself, then mentally slapped herself for flirting when she was already after Shuichii.
Both girls with Kurama suddenly on their minds turned to see him across the room and watching with narrowed eyes. Apparently he had something of a not quite friendly relationship with this raven-haired demon.
Kay focused back on her new friend. "So what sort of demon are you? I can't read your aura all too well."
The demon shrugged. "Oh...you know. The general type."
Alia exchanged a look with the suddenly curious Kay. "What sort is that? I mean, what part of Makai are you from?"
"Around." he answered, swishing around what was left of his beverage in the glass. "Sort of drifting along."
"A rurouni?" Kay's eyebrows shot up.
The demon shook his head. "Not really."
"Then what?" Alia asked impatiently. "Who are you?"
"I already told you," he said. "I'm not from around."
"But what's your name?" Kay pressed.
He shrugged. "Unimportant."
Both girls were getting tired of waiting for answers. "Look," said Alianore, "if you're going to keep leading us on, we're leaving. Come on, Kay-- let's see if that rumor about the King's true."
"What rumor?" the demon asked sharply.
"The one that the King's gonna be here, in the crowd!" said Kay excitedly. "How could you not have known?"
Alianore shrugged, and tugged Kay away from the demon.
"You won't find him," the demon chuckled.
"And why not?" Kay demanded hotly. "Why ever not?"
"There's no point in looking for him," the demon continued. "Why look for what's sitting right in front of you?"
Alianore's hands froze in mid-air. "You-- King--WHAT?"
Kay fainted dead away.
The demon smiled. "Of course," he laughed, "how can you not recognize me, your own King?"
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A/N: I liked this chapter. It was fun to type. And anyway, I know I am probably leaving some stuff on cliff hangers, but then as soon as my school work lets me off, I will be on my computer, typing away. And then you won't have to wait.
And the party continues in the next chapter. And a note: Shira's owner, gomen if I've bee rude. Plus I discovered that one of my old tournaments that was deleted was one that accepted characters, and it turns out Shira Trusea had been sent in to be the Team Bishojo captain! -waves arm- HI SHIRA!
Hm...I think that's it.
-S-chan-