A/N: I do not own YYH.
A note: Kane, one of the alternate fighters, was changed from the killer for hire Kage to Kane, simply because well, I don't need two Kage's, and I already have two Akira's. Just trying to avoid some confusion.
And I apologize for not updating sooner.
-
Ryu jumped out of the window, landing lightly on the ground below. She shot a look back at the open window before shrugging off an uncomfortable feeling and moving on. The heels of her black converse shoes scuffed the ground softly as she walked with a purpose towards the arena. Underground indeed. She knew exactly where these people were. Missing. HA. That was a laugh.
She continued, her face betraying her amusement as she walked right past Ender, who looked very lost in his search for his friend Allie. Ryu didn't pay any mind, however, and kept her eyes focused on one place and one place only: the King's VIP box.
Unfortunately for her, Ender did see her pass by and ran back to her to catch up. "Hey Ryu!" he called, matching her pace. "Have you seen Allie anywhere?"
"No." she kept walking, her eyes fixed on the box. Ender was quite aware that Ryu had zero desire to speak with him, look at him, or even breathe the same air as him, but he had to keep looking for Allie. "Are you sure? Because I've been looking all day, and I still haven't seen her, and she hasn't picked up her cell phone at all."
Ryu slowed and turned to face him. Her eyes locked on his before she said with a smile, "Why don't you just forget about your girlfriend? She's obviously avoiding you, and by now her skinny ass has probably been eaten alive or completely ravaged by some poor, starving demon."
Ender's concerned face turned rather quickly into a bewildered one. "So stop following me and go chase after some other little blond slut. I don't need you to tag along, because your powers don't work on me. You can't read my mind, and you don't know who I am. You're a goddamn fool without that thing." she poked the asteris on his forehead.
Ender was stunned. How could such a pissy attitude come out of someone so tiny? He pushed Ryu's hand away from his face. A smirk played at the corner of his mouth. "You really are just like her," he said.
It was Ryu's turn to be taken aback now. "Like who?" she played along, her voice filled with something like apathy and curiosity. "Raquel. You're just like her." he said, his voice as smooth as ever. For a second Ryu's stone features melted, allowing Ender to catch a glimpse of a thought.
Toki stood beside Ai, giggling as she whispered into her ear. Ryu looked up from her hands, her face streaked with tears. Ai twirled, singing to herself in her raspy wraith voice.
"Monster!" Ryu screamed at Ai. Toki looked over at Ryu, holding out her free hand.
"Come on, Ryu, or there won't be anything left for you." she smiled, her teeth lined red with blood. Her hand reeked of blood and body fluids. Ryu screamed and backed away from her hand.
"Get away from me!" she shrieked. "Monster!!!"
Ai stopped singing long enough to release Toki's hand and help poor, sobbing Ryu to her feet. She led her tearful younger sister to a full length mirror and pointed at her. "But Ryu," she smiled, "See? We're not monsters."
Ryu's eyes went wide as her sister became a hideous black cloud behind her, with slick, decaying hands and a repulsive stench coming from where her face had been seconds ago. Now it was a black hole, with two glowing crimson orbs and a gnashing, razor filled mouth. Even more to her horror was that she saw those same blackened, dead features in her own face. She looked at her hands, which were elongating at the fingers and growing old and rotten before her eyes.
"You're just like us." Ai's raspy wraith voice hissed, spittle flying onto Ryu's shoulder. It burned as if she had been set on fire.
"You're just like us."
"I am not like any of them." Ryu said defiantly. She pivoted and began to walk angrily towards the king's VIP box, her temper flaring. She was nothing like Toki. She was nothing like Ai. She wasn't like Remei, and she most definitely wasn't like Raquel.
Ender knew he had struck a sensitive chord there. He chased after Ryu, calling out her name.
Ryu ignored him. She reached the stairs that led to the VIP box. Her feet dissolved and she shot up the stairs in a flurry of black mist and acid spittle. She reappeared at the door as Ryu, calm and collected. The door handle twisted before she could reach for it and the door opened.
There he was. The King. King of Demons. Yusuke Urameshi, former spirit detective.
Yusuke quirked an eyebrow, his teenage features still present years after he should have left them behind. "Can I help you?" he inquired, leaning against the door frame.
"Sit down." Ryu said, her fingers shooting out and piercing his chest and right shoulder. She pushed him inside, letting her fingers push him into a nearby chair. They withdrew from his flesh, retracting into the normal hands she was used to.
"OK." he said, slightly confused. He didn't seem fazed by the eight holes suddenly adorning his chest. "What do you want?"
"Who invited the Ukiya's here?" Ryu demanded.
Yusuke shrugged. "I invited everyone who had the balls to come."
Ryu stormed over to the chair. "Why is Toki here? What did she do with Botan?" Another shrug.
"Fuck if I know. What's your problem, anyway? Got some kind of beef with this Toki lady? Oh I know. You're a Koenma supporter. You want me to stop the tournament. Well, it's not gonna happen. I'm sick of just sitting on my ass while the rest of the demon world gets to run around and do whatever the hell they want. If they're gonna live in my world and play my game, then they're gonna play by my rules. And some puny little emo chick isn't going to change that."
Ryu stared at him for a moment. This was her king. An arrogant, obnoxious teenage boy who thought he knew everything.
Ryu's jaw twisted into her horrible wraith mouth and her eyes glimmered brightly as she screeched in her high pitched wraith voice. Her hands wrapped around Yusuke's throat and clenched-- hard.
"You know nothing of me," she hissed in his ear. She spit in his face for an added effect. "Tell me why Toki Ukiya is here. Tell me why you lured the Masked Fighter here." her voice dropped to a ragged whisper. "If this is your game, then tell me-- who has the upper hand; you or Koenma?"
Yusuke's face betrayed nothing. "Get your hands off of me, weird ass little girl." he pried her rotting fingers away from his neck and hurled her against the wall. "I don't know what you're trying to play at, but the joke's over now. You can run back to your slutty little fox sister and your flesh eating stalker and get the fuck out of here. I don't need any little emo bitches whining at my feet anymore."
Ryu's rage flared. She lunged at him again, aiming her rows of teeth for his jugular. Yusuke pointed a finger at her. "Don't waste my time." he said, aiming. Ender ran in the doorway, seeing Ryu tackle the king and his finger point right into her stomach. Her mouth closed around his throat.
"No!" he yelled. "It's a trick, Ryu!" he ran forward, but was knocked back by a blinding flash of light as the king muttered two simple words:
Spirit gun.
-
An explosion sounded in the arena. Every demon in the crowd turned to see what was happening. Bright blue light rose from the King's VIP box in a giant pillar of brilliance. Wind blew in torrents across the arena as the shockwave passed by.
"What the hell was that?" Shira shouted from her seat in the stands. She and the rest of Team TianLung Feng had been watching the practices of some of the other teams, before they had been disrupted by the catastrophe only two hundred feet away. She stood up, peering to get a closer look. She jumped over Maridonna's crossed legs and ran down to the stage to see what was going on.
"Wait, Shira!" Maridonna called, scrambling after her. Gasping for air, she sprinted after her captain, who had already made it halfway to the site of the explosion where already security demons were swarming together.
"What the hell's going on?" Shira asked one of the shadier looking security guards. He turned to her, his maroon bangs flopping into one deep red eye.
"Somebody pissed off the King." he shrugged. "It's not particularly uncommon."
"Who?" she asked, her curiosity obvious. She tied to look over his shoulder at the site, but he pushed his way into her line of vision.
"Sorry," he smiled deviously. "Can't let you in. King's policy. Don't piss him off even more!"
Maridonna arrived, finally catching up. "What happened?" she asked. Shira shrugged. The two watched as the guard Shira had spoken with climbed over some rubble to where the King himself stood, brushing dirt and stray cement crumbles off his shirt.
"There was a little wraith girl in there," somebody answered her. Maridonna turned to see a light violet skinned woman talking. She had to look up just to see her, because whoever this demoness was towered over her because she stood on two dragon legs, backwards joints and all. Two large wings spread out from her back in a dark purple cloud, with pointed sickles at the joints of each wing. A long tail curled from beneath her black dress, flicking from side to side. Maridonna's eyes trained on her tail for a minute as she scooted ever so slightly closer to Shira and away from the deadly looking spade on the end of the dragon demoness's tail.
"Really?" Shira asked dryly. "I'm sure Mar-lo would know something about that, now wouldn't he?" she turned to the dragon woman, extending her hand. "HI, I'm Shira. And you are...?"
"Terja," she smiled, taking Shira's hand. Terja's fingers felt long and icy to the touch. "And your friend..."
"Maridonna." she introduced herself quickly. "I'm Maridonna."
"Nice to meet you," Terja said politely. "I'm assuming that you two know of the wraith girl who managed to get on the king's bad side."
"You could say that," Shira muttered. "Well, we don't really know her...it's more of an awkward relationship we have with her team. That is, assuming it's the same girl I'm thinking of."
"Someone from Ukishima." Terja said absentmindedly, watching with lazy golden eyes as the security demons scrambled to keep the crowd away. "I knew it." Shira chuckled. "Bunch of dumbasses on that team..."
Terja ran a clawed hand through her flaming red hair. "Why do you say that?"
Maridonna giggled into her palm and watched with curiosity as the demons pushed back a fighter who seemed determined to move past the wreckage and get to the wraith. "Who's that?" she asked, completely forgetting that Terja had asked a question before her.
"Akira Fugishima," Terja sighed, straightening her posture. "Excuse me."
Maridonna and Shira watched as Terja picked her way across the rubble and approached the Fugishima alpha wolf. Shira stared at the two for a second before grabbing Maridonna's hand and following. "Come on," she whispered, excitement escaping into her tone. "Let's see what happens."
Terja stood beside Akira, who was just as obnoxiously tall as her. Akira's yellow wolf eyes flashed angrily and he bared his teeth at one of the guards, who took a step back in cowardice. He moved forward with a smirk, knocking the guard off balance as he shouldered his way to where the VIP box had been standing only ten minutes ago. Terja followed, folding her wings.
-
Ender rubbed his temples as he opened his eyes. What had happened?
Ryu's angry face flashed in his mind, and a flood of memory followed. Oh yeah. There had been an explosion, hadn't there?
He sat up, looking around. Thankfully the door had provided some protection and taken the blunt of the damage. A long scrape ran down his chest and he was dirtied and bruised, but otherwise seemed fine.
Well, fine until he saw Akira and Terja sauntering towards him. Don't panic. he told himself. They probably were looking for somebody else.
But it didn't seem like they were heading anywhere else, and no one else was around. It was definitely him they were after.
Ender hurried to his feet, and felt a jab of pain in his left knee. He stood up as straight as he found possible to make himself taller. Despite his effort, he was only eye level with Terja's chin.
Once she was close enough, Terja grabbed hold of Ender's chin and jerked his face close to hers. "What were you doing?" she asked, her voice unwavering.
"Nothing," he told her, prying Terja's violet fingers from his skin. "I followed little Ryu here while I was looking for Allie."
"Don't bother," the dragon said. "Allie is gone for the remainder of the tournament. She's been put into the lower levels. You'll never find her."
Confusion covered Ender like a thick blanket. "What? You mean Koenma took her?" Terja nodded. "Crap."
Akira quirked an eyebrow. "Any reason you're so worried?"
Ender shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine. It's just that from what I've been hearing, Hotaru Ikuhara's been moved down there. How bad would that suck if Allie had to fight her by herself?"
"I don't think I've ever seen Hotaru fight," Terja mused. "She's not much of a fighter, Ender. Hotaru is the king's bitch."
"But she's also an ex-spirit detective." Akira pointed out.
"Besides," Ender jumped back in, "We were stupid enough not to have chosen an alternate. Allie will have to fight two against one."
"Dumbass." Akira scoffed. "I'd try to help you, but this is a tournament, and your team is the competition."
"I understand. Thanks anyway." Ender breathed a sigh of relief that no physical harm had come to him just yet.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Koto's voice came over the intercom. "Our king has made a change of plans-- get ready, because the first underground fight starts in twenty minutes! Each fight will be displayed on the scoreboard, so watch for your team members!" Koto's face flashed across the scoreboard as she waved goodbye. The lineup for the teams flickered onscreen.
Team Fugishima vs. Team TianLung Feng
Team Kaleo vs. Team Reform
Team Hitokiri vs. Team Ukishima
Team TC vs. Team Kono
-----------------
Always, -S-chan-
Team Kaleo: full
1. Chi Koen Koe
2. Kurai Momoko
3. Kage Kancho
4. Hotaru Ikuhara (moved underground)
5. Renee Alternate: Miyuki Fugishima (moved underground)
Team Hitokiri: full.
1. Ai Satsugikitsune
2. Allie (moved underground)
3. Ender
4. Z Kaitah
5. Ohime Yakusoku
Alternate:
Team Reform: full
1. Kurama
2. Hiei
3. Kuwabara
4. Yukina (moved underground)
5. Terja
Alternate: Naomi Vasque (moved underground)
Team Fugishima: full
1. Akira Fugishima
2. LanLan
3. Fyrea
4. Nikoji
5. Kageryu Jaganshi (moved underground)
Alternate: Kane (moved underground)
Team TianLung Feng: full
1. Shira Trusea
2. Thomas Maximillian (moved underground)
3. Maridona Nightshade
4. Toki Ukiya
5. Akira Trusea
Alternate: Raquel Ukiya (moved underground)
Team TC:
1. Kayla (aka Rei) Okudo
2.
3.
4.
5.
Alternate:
Team Kono:
1. Zyke Kono
2. Hali Kono
3.
4.
5.
Alternate: