Hey everyone! Soooo sorry it took me so long to update. Everything has been crazy. I really didn't feel like continuing with Kuwabara's fight only because I found it boring to write. So, I skipped the last part and we all know who lost (those who do not know or don't remember, Kuwabara lost). Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
The moon sparkled the large pond within the clearing of the dark forest. A full moon filled the violet sky with an unspeakable beauty. There was no sound to be heard. It was another peaceful night for the young female neko. She sat on the grass beside the gorgeous pond with a worried look on her elegant face. She had been waiting for her beloved to return to her since the sun had set. So deep within her thoughts, she did not notice the silver kitsune standing behind her until he whispered her name. She turned quickly, alarmed to see Youko Kurama. "Youko?" she whispered with a silky voice.
Youko bowed his head sadly, "I am sorry Yuri."(A/N: Yes I do know what her name means, okay? I just thought it was a nickname that suited her well…)
She stood slowly, gliding to the fox demon. Her eyes watered as she watched him pull out the identical pendant she wore around her neck. Youko gracefully laid the pendant into her hand. It was then she let the tears stream down her cheeks. Youko closed his eyes.
"Please, tell me he just dropped it," she begged as she gripped the pendant to her chest. "Please tell me he is only delayed, please."
"He never wanted to let go of it," Youko narrowed his eyes. "It meant to him more than his own life."
The masked fighter glared at the human for losing the first fight. The crowd sheered for the opposing team for the loss. She did not like to lose, especially to weak demons standing before her. She was growing rather agitated along with the fire demon standing next to her. "The next competitor has already stepped up," Koto announced.
The masked fighter glared at the competitor. He was an ugly blue demon with a devious smirk painted on his lips. She took a step forward before Kurama had held out his arm in front of her to stop her. "Please, I handle this one," he smiled gently towards her. She allowed him to, knowing it was indeed her old friend Youko Kurama, and knowing that he could never lose this fight. Kurama entered the platform and bore into the competitor's eyes.
"Kurama," he spoke, and Kurama turned his head slightly to look at him. "Considering the stakes, we can't afford taking any chances. Don't leave the ring when he's still alive."
"Naturally," Kurama agreed with a smirk.
Hiei then turned to Kuwabara, "We will deal with the rest of the team. You relax."
"Hey!" Kuwabara protested, "I'm not out of this yet. If Yusuke doesn't wake up I'll take the last guy."
"We'll prey that doesn't happen."
The masked fighter smirked at Hiei's comment, trying to not giggle at their constant fighting. She heard a young woman, the masked fighter had meet with Yusuke the night before, approach the team. She had a blue hair in a tight ponytail and wore an orange Kimono. "All right boys I'm here. Now, let's whip this team to shape," she spoke with a slight British accent.
"Hey, how'd you get here?" Kuwabara asked, puzzled.
Hiei only narrowed his eyes at her, "Leave, before you hurt yourself."
"Well, that's a jolly way to say to someone who is going to help you win, don't you think?" Botan responded, offended.
"You mean like you're the replacement fighter for Urameshi?" Kuwbara asked dumbly.
"No silly," Botan said as she threw off her Kimono. "Ta-da!" she was now wearing black jeans with red suspenders and a yellow blouse. "As addition to the detective system and pilot of the river sticks, I am also a licensed trainer. I will be looking after you all and making sure you stay in tip-top shape for fighting."
Kuwabara unbuttons his shirt, "oh great! Then maybe you can help and fix this wound here, see- uh."
Botan ignored Kuwabara and walked over to Yusuke and kneeled down before slapping him on the face a couple of times. "Spirit world to Yusuke, wake up! Come on now."
"None of that will work. The boy is determined," Hiei stated at her useless attempts.
Botan got up and replied, "Well," she grabbed his feet, "at least I'll get him out of the way," she dragged him off to the side.
Kurwabara crossed his arms on his chest and looked at Hiei seriously, "You know, that rose he's got must be ten feet long. Where does he stash it? All I could think of is some kind of painful."
The masked fighter raised her eyebrow at Kuwabara. She had actually wondered that too, even though she had known his since she was much younger.
"Kurama simply carries a normal rose; by manipulating it by his spirit energy transforms it into a whip. Even weeds could be a deadly weapon from Kurama," Hiei answered.
The cobalt blue demon sneered at Kurama, "I know you have been spending several years in the human world. We only do what we must, I only hope you can see if you can get attached to one of them. For example be warned," he threw his arm in the air as it turns into a blade, "to see one of them dead."
Kurama only glared, "What is your point?" He was then attacked by the demon, however, he easily dodged the demons every move. Kurama the moved behind the demon, about to attack. "Your skills are not enough for this tournament. Say your last words."
"I have your human mother, Kurama, or should I say Shuichi?" The demon grinned evily. Kurama stopped dead on his track and the competitor approached him, slightly slashing Kurama's cheek.
'What?' the masked fighter questioned in her head. 'Is that where you have been, Youko Kurama?'
"Stupid cheater, I hate him," Yusuke mumbled from his slumber.
Botan looked at him, shocked, "You sure you're asleep?"
The blue demon chuckled darkly, "Allow me to introduce you to my little button. When I press it, a signal will be sent to my demon brother. He's been tracking your mother for some time, you see. And he's very anxious to bite some heads off!" Kurama backed down from his stance. The demon sneered at him, "So, you understand?" The demon lunged at him and hit him on the face a couple of times. Kurama backed away from him, flicking a pebble at the blue demon's face. "Oh, honestly? Do you think that throwing a pebble at my face is the best thing to do in this situation?" he demanded as he pointed at Kurama. "You've been warned, one push of this button, your mother will meet her death in a very second. Now put your arms behind your back and let me hit your as I please." Kurama did so. "Oh, yes that's much better. I love the posture of force submission. Why train to be the best, when you have one of these?"
"Mysterious. Kurama has become totally obedient to his opponent," Koto explained to the audience.
"What's wrong Kurama? Let him have it!" Kuwbara cried.
"Quiet," Hiei demanded.
Kuwabara looked at him, then to the masked fighter who was glaring at the boy.
Roto laughed. "You want to try. I can see it in your pretty eyes. I know what your thinking. What if I can quickly cut off that left arm of his? But what if his second fingers press the button?"
"Kurama is completely emotionless. What is the cause? Has he lost is willingness to fight?" Koto asked.
"Why don't you answer?" the demon kicked Kurama in the stomach and continues to punch him and paused. "Damn it!" he turned his arm into the blade again, "I hate that look on your face. Despite all that I'd done, you still have that look like you are superior to me." He cut the same cheek on the opposing side of the slash, creating an "X" on Kurama's face. "Stop that look!" Blood splattered from Kurama's cheek. "It doesn't matter anyway, because I am the one who has power now." The demon lifted up his foot, "I would like you to lick this scum off my boot. I just can't seem to keep it clean. And after you wipe it clean," he licked the tip of his blade, "I will decapitate you and your skanky nasty mother's life. And since you care about her, Shuichi, it's really your only choice."
"I will not," Kurama defiantly answered
"What?" the demon glared.
Kurama wiped himself off, "Go ahead. Press it now if you wish."
"There, now the true character is emerging. You're nothing special! You don't have class, just as any selfish demon like the rest of us here. Look at me like I'm dirt but in the end it's a lie. You think of only yourself!" The cobalt demon laughed manically.
"Push it!" Kurama exclaimed.
The demon continued to laugh, "I will," he paused, "I can't move."
Kurama walks up to him and smacked the button out of his hand. "Fighting on the strength of one threat is a vary miss in gamble," he smiled softly, holding the button. "What if I truly didn't care? Or what if I could just make you immobile?"
"It's hard to tell what's happening now. But its clear Kurama has control!" Koto cried to the crowd.
"I've thrown a seed of the death plant in your body. And it has had plenty of time to take root," Kurama explained.
Roto looked down at his chest to find the growing seed, popping out of his skin.
"I feed it with my energy. I have yet to will it to instantly bloom. I'm afraid there won't be anything left of your evil mind after that," Kurama stated as he turned to walk away.
"Wait, Kurama!" The demon begged. "You don't have to do this! I never would have actually pressed the button. I swear it! I'm just hopeless. I don't know any better," he smiled innocently. "C'mon. You believe in mercy, don't you?"
"No," Kurama responded coldly.
The demon then bloomed into a garden.
"What irony," Kurama waloked off the platform. "Such beauty sprung from such an ugly soil."
The masked fighter looked curiously at the fox demon. She has seen Youko's plants before, and they were very demonic, but this next power his human body had, made him create such beauty. He caught her stare and she turned her head slowly, feeling the heat bloom on her cheeks. She was thankful to wear a disguise.
"Well, that one is definitely over. The score is tied of one!" Koto announced enthusiastically.
"What a fool," Hiei scolded. "So intent of proofing himself, he could notice your moves. Don't worry about his demon brother. He vanished the moment Roto died."
Kurama smiled, reassured, "And you knew."
"Well, that's a relief," Yusuke mumbled in his slumber.