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"Attention all fighters of this years tournament," Koto said calmly, appearing on a silver screen all across the tournament grounds. "A word from our King. 'Dear tournament participants: I apologize for the inconveniences that have occurred, but due to an unexpected interference all alternate fighters have now been selected as participants of the fights. A member from each team has been selected at random and placed beneath the surface of the ring, along with all alternate fighters of the tournament. As the fights on the surface progress, so will those underground. Each underground fight will determine the final points of each team, and in the end determine the winner of each round. The rules from previous rounds still apply, only the placement of the fights has changed. I look forward to a face off with the victors. Signed, the King of demons."
Yusuke pressed the power button and the image from his TV flashed off. "I want to know who the hell thinks they can get away with this," he growled, slumping in his chair. Ayame placed a mug of coffee beside her King. "I don't know, my King. I'm sure they don't know what they've gotten themselves into."
"Damn right they don't know," he growled, snatching up the coffee from the desk. "A bunch of goddamn idiots who don't realize that they're committing treason against their goddamn King!"
Ayame agreed in silence and began to exit the room. On an impulse Yusuke changed her mind for her and hurled his coffee, mug and all, straight for her head. It crashed and shattered in several large ceramic pieces on the ground. Ayame dropped to her knees, consciousness swirling in circles around her head. Vaguely she saw her lord come and lift her from the ground, placing her gently on the desk.
"What are you doing to me...?" she whispered, trailing off as her voice began to leave her. The bright glint of a knife flashed in her vision before complete darkness overwhelmed her.
-
Hotaru's lip curled in disgust as she watched her former King slit young Ayame's neck and lick away the blood that ran. She didn't remember why she had ever been attracted to such a being, someone who sucked away the blood of beautiful young girls without a second thought as to the fact that it was morally WRONG. Why had she let someone so vile touch her, what had she been thinking? She couldn't answer herself. All she could do was sit back and watch the repulsive scene before her. The King looked up halfway through his meal. A small smile emerged beneath the red gushing down his face. She looked away, not willing to meet his gaze.
"That's fricking gross, Yusuke." she finally mentioned. He offered her a drink of the blood. She waved him away.
"Why do you do this, anyway? Feed off of other people? It's disgusting!"
He didn't answer her, but instead tossed Ayame's body aside and began to lick the blood from his fingers. He looked down at her with his wide, not-so-innocent-anymore brown eyes. His tongue found the last red ribbon of blood on his own wrist and licked it off.
After an awkward pause, the King finally rested his hand on Hotaru's shoulder. She jerked away, wiping at the spot where he had laid his hand. "Don't ever touch me again," she hissed.
Yusuke smirked. "Whatever you say." he walked back over to his desk and took his seat in the chair once again. "You'll come back on you're own, and I won't need to lift a finger."
Hotaru began to object, but he stopped her. "You can't resist a demonic bloodlust, Hotaru. If it's not satisfied with the simple shedding, then you must fill the desire by drinking it. You drank with me before. You've tasted blood..."
"Never." she said defiantly. "I never drank with you, and I never will!"
"Come to me, Hotaru-chan," he coaxed. He waved her over. Hotaru felt a pull on her heart, the feeling that said she still loved her King quite deeply. She felt herself draw in, soon close enough for him to reach out and pull her onto his lap. "Blood isn't as revolting as you make it sound," he murmured, stroking her brilliant red hair. She sat, mesmerized in her lover's gaze.
"No, blood is nasty," she whispered. The King silenced her with a kiss on the lips. Blood trickled inside her mouth from his lips.
A dark wave roared over her. Blackness swirled in her eyesight, red images flashing in Yusuke's face. A rusty, coppery taste drifted onto the back of her tongue. She remembered drinking-- did she drink? Did she drink the blood of others? Was her hunger so great that she denied ever committing this human atrocity? Was this the real Hotaru Aino, or some possessed being flesh and blood starved with a lust to overcome any obstacle?
Static rung in her ears, and she kissed her King again. The taste of liquid copper filled her mouth. She hated it.
But she couldn't pull away.
Yusuke grabbed his knife. He pressed it against Hotaru, a slight cut forming across her pale neck. She resisted in shock, but gave in as he put his face in her neck, his soft breathing tickling her face and his mouth licking away the blood. So distracting.
A faint click sounded in the corner, but it didn't even phase the two blood thirsty demons sitting in the King's chair.
"I never knew you were such a whore, Hotaru." came the stinging voice of Hiei. Hotaru's eyes fluttered open, glimpsing the fire demon as he pulled her away from the leech on her neck.
She stammered a reply, but lost her words as she saw Yusuke wipe HER blood off his face. She put a hand to her neck. Her heart had slowed down incredibly.
"Get out," Hiei ordered her, glaring. She scurried from the room, stumbling over her own feet as bloodlust called to her again. She ignored it and ran for the elevator.
Yusuke sighed. "Do you need something?"
Hiei didn't answer him, but walked over to the glass window that overlooked the stadium.
"What's this tournament all about, Yusuke?" he asked. "if I didn't know better I'd say it was a trap. A trap for a specific girl to fall into."
"Yeah, about that." he said, making a face. "It seemed a lot better on paper. Somebody fucked up my plans." He spun around in his chair like an easily amused ten year old.
Hiei smirked. "I just wish I had been a part of it," he said. "Sadly, I wasn't informed. I think I have a pretty good guess as to who it was, though."
"Really? Want to share this information with me?" Yusuke asked in a dry voice.
"Not particularly." the fire demon answered him. "I think I'll keep that to myself." He moved to walk back to the door, but Yusuke caught his arm.
"Come on, Hiei, didn't your mother ever teach you to share?" the King of demons taunted him. "Share with me, Hiei."
Hiei's cold red eyes stared at him blankly. "If you really wanted to know you'd check your allies, and not your enemies. You and I aren't fighting on the same side anymore, detective." he released his arm from Yusuke's grasp and continued out the door.
"Does this mean we can't be friends any more?" the former detective joked. Hiei ignored him and vanished in a flicker of black. "Guess not." he shrugged. His eyes wandered over to Ayame's body. How many ferry girls was this now? Two? Three? Five? He'd lost track. They'd all become victims of the bloodlust, the strong bloodlust that had been fed for months by the hot headed demoness Hotaru. But she'd never caved.
What made her different, that she would survive? he mused. Hotaru was a strong girl. She was a demon. She was an ex-spirit detective. She had to be strong. No matter what.
He looked down at the stadium, where Hiei had been standing only moments before.
-
Two fighters faced off on the sidelines of the ring.
"Kage of Team Kaleo, and Z of Team Hitokiri. And...fight!" giggled Chi, one of Kage's teammates. Her short bronze kitten tail flicked sideways. She brought her hand down, signaling the two to begin.
Z held up his hand. "Shake?" he proposed. Kage nodded, giving him her chalk white hand. A jolt went through Z's body and he fell back in surprise, a bit singed. Spirit energy crackled around Kage's elegant fingers.
"Did I do that?" Kage tittered. "I'm sorry. It must have slipped." she gently blew the smoke from her fingers.
"Come on, now, Kage," Chi pouted. "You're supposed to fight fair. Z's nice. Be nice to him"
Kage rolled her eyes. "Fine," she growled, turning her attention back to Z. "OK, fox, let's make it a fair fight then. No weapons. No powers. No tricks."
Z nodded. He smiled sweetly, then kicked Kage in the back of the knees, knocking her forward a bit. Once she got close enough he pushed her down over his leg, which he wrapped around behind her knees. She fell back, catching herself with her hands on the ground.
"I see how it is," she said, grinning. She kicked Z in the ass, pushing him on top of her. He freaked out, his arms flailing wildly as he fell forward. Kage rolled out of the way as Z planted his face in the grass.
"You really suck at this." Chi winced for him. "I know we promised to help you, but I didn't think it was going to be this difficult." she tugged nervously at her ears.
"It's OK," he said into the grass. "I'm sure Ai will only rip off one of my legs if I lose." Kage laughed and sat up, rolling Z onto his back.
"Don't your own teammates want to help you?" she asked, adjusting her long white hair into a clip.
"No," Z grinned. "Ender and Allie are too consumed with each other. Ohime is completely aloof and doesn't talk to any of us except Ai, and Ai would probably laugh her ass off if she found out I even thought of getting help."
"So in other words your team sucks ass." Chi suggested, flopping down next to them. Her golden bobcat ears twitched back as someone approached the three from behind.
"Who's that you're with, Chi?" asked Kurai. "Did you find Hotaru?"
"No," Chi said, scrambling to her feet. "And it's just Kage. We were practicing for our next match..."
"Really." Kurai mused. "I could have sworn I heard a third voice around here." She turned, looking around. Her gaze fell across Z.
Z shivered and climbed to his feet, moving away from this indigo haired woman. Her eyes flicked up to meet his, and he backed away faster. Something about the milky film over her blue eyes struck fear in his heart.
"I thought I told you not to talk to strangers, Chi." Kurai said coolly. She moved forward, the long silver streaks on the side of her bangs moving softly in the breeze. "It's important that you don't speak to anyone. Is that clear?"
Chi opened her mouth in objection, and Kurai waited for one.
"It was my idea," Kage interrupted, slicing through the tension. "I brought him over here and asked him to help me before the fights. Chi had nothing to do with it." she moved around Kurai, reaching for her long indigo hair. She divided it into three pieces and began to braid it, softly whispering reassurances in Kurai's ear.
Kurai tugged her head away from Kage, her hair now in a long braid. "Come," she said to Chi, smiling gently. "Let us go back to the apartment and discuss our plans for tomorrow. Hotaru will return to us when she is ready, and we will wait for her there." she slipped her hand in the hand of her kitten's and led both her and Kage back towards the tournament hotel.
Kage watched Kurai sweet talk poor, innocent little Chi, and tried to stay back a bit to give them some space. Z fell from a tree branch above her head and landed quietly beside her.
"Who is that?" he questioned, tilting his head up.
"Kurai." she sighed deeply. "Really, she's only looking out for Chi. But she gets a bit... obsessive in the process."
Z rolled his eyes up towards Kurai (who stood a full head taller than him). "No, I didn't notice." He scoffed and began to walk in the other direction.
"Hey!" she said, catching the sleeve of his T-shirt. "When are we gonna see you again?" Z plucked her long, pale fingers from his sleeve and replied with a smile,
"Later." He was gone before she could say anything else.
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-s-chan-