--
We set our bags down. We were just outside Genkai's house. Botan stood in front of us with Yukina, Shizuru Kuwabara's sister, Atsuko Yusuke's mom, and Keiko. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Genkai, Kagome, Kurama, and I all stood outside the door. Botan opened her portal and we all filed in. We appeared near the docks. Keiko, Yukina, Atsuko, Botan, and Shizuru all headed for the boat reserved for viewers. The rest of us headed for our boat. Genkai was allowed to come because she was our coach. As we reached it we stopped. Kagome had stopped.
"I have someone coming with me."
We all blinked.
"Who?" Genkai asked.
"He's like a pet. Do you mind?" Kagome asked.
"As long as he's trained, Kage." Yusuke said.
Kagome nodded. She set her bags down and brought up two fingers to her lips. She let out a long clear whistle. It was a really loud, clear, almost unreal sound. Almost everyone looked at us. Suddenly I saw a sparkle of dust floating on the wind. It swooped down to us and suddenly a wolf materialized. It was unreal silver. It came up past Kagome's waist and had cloudy grey eyes. It had large pearly fangs and looked quite scary.
"This is Kilo. He is a special wolf demon many call illusionary wolves." I said.
Kurama looked at him closely. I did the same.
"I haven't seen one of these in hundreds of years." Kurama said.
'Of course you haven't we aren't that easy to see if we do not wish to be seen.' A voice echoed in all our heads.
"Who said that!?" Yusuke asked whipping around.
'Me, moron.' Kilo sniffed. 'I am talking to you telepathically.'
"Wow." Yusuke said.
The wolf gave him a lop-sided grin.
"Can we go now?" Kuwabara asked.
We all nodded and walked up to the boat. The captain directed us to rooms and we all walked to them, dropping our bags. Then we returned to the deck. By now we had already set off, ploughing through the water. There were three other boats around us. Two contained other participating teams and one contained viewers. Suddenly the captain stepped back up to a microphone. He ginned darkly down at us and the other nine teams.
"You all must fight now. Only two teams may continue from here. This same test is going on in the other boats too. Even in the viewer's boat. I hope you all said good bye to your friends. We have some demons wiping out the weak humans and weak demons."
He laughed. Some of the other teams mumbled. We all felt our anger flare.
"You bastard!" Yusuke yelled.
He ran to the railing and looked out. We could all see some hawk and eagle demons darting around with blood on their claws. We heard some screaming to. Kagome growled.
"Kilo! Go help them!" She yelled.
The wolf growled and vanished. A second later we heard an eerie a howl from the viewer's boat. A minute later Kilo reappeared; he had blood dripping from his muzzle but seemed amused.
'They sent weak demons to kill them. Everyone is fine. Atsuko, Shizuru, and Keiko pretty much wiped the demons, sent to kill them, by themselves. I did the merciful thing and killed the survivors.'
This made Kuwabara and Yusuke burst into laughter.
"So they are okay?" Kurama asked.
He nodded.
'I took care of the rest of the demons and left them.' Kilo said grinned.
We all nodded. Then we saw that captain grinning. We spun in time to see eight of the nine teams jumping at us. I pulled my sword free in a flash, Kuwabara made his sword, Kurama made his whip, and Yusuke got powered up. Kilo growled and lunged at another wolf demon and Kagome calmly pulled her sword free. It all happened in an instant. Then the eight teams were on us. All I saw was blood and my sword as I cut through the demons. When no more came at me I looked around.
Yusuke was panting and surrounded by bodies. Kurama turned his whip back into a rose and tucked it in his hair he was also surrounded by bodies. Kuwabara was also panting and had the least amount of bodies by him. We were all drenched in blood. Genkai stood still at the railing just watching us. I looked to Kagome. She stood by her wolf and slid her sword back in the sheath. No demon had made it five feet in front of her. She stood in a clearing and didn't have a drop of blood on her. But she had the most bodies around her. I wished I had seen the move she had used to kill the demons. We starred at her a moment. Then we turned to the last team who sat on the railing grinning.
"It seems team Urameshi and team Karai advance." The captain growled.
We all looked at the team and Yusuke and Kuwabara grinned as they recognized everyone. We walked up to them quickly.
"Hey Chu!" Yusuke yelled clasping hands with the demon who had a beer in hand and a Mohawk.
"I'll beat you in the tournament this time." The man growled.
"Hey guys!" The kid Rinko said.
Then he saw Kilo. He gasped and jumped over to the wolf landing on its back. Kilo snorted softly and let the boy pet him.
"Rinko you shouldn't pet stranger's pets." Toya the ice master said.
"So you guys teamed up?" Kurama asked.
"Yeah, we all wanted to join the tournament but members of each of our teams last year died." Chu said.
"So who's your captain?" Yusuke asked.
"Jin." Toya said.
"Who is your fifth member?" Kurama asked.
"Jin's mate." Chu said.
"He got a mate!?" Yusuke asked.
"Yeah, she is nice but she can be violent." Rinko laughed.
"She's a wind master like him." Toya said.
They all nodded.
"So who are you?" Chu asked circling Kagome.
"Kage; he's our last member." Yusuke said.
"You're the one who killed the most demons." Chu said.
Kagome nodded.
"How did you do it? We watched the whole time but all we saw was you almost get dog piled by the demons, then suddenly they were thrown back dead and bloody." Toya said.
"I can't tell all my secrets." Kagome purred.
They all nodded slowly. Kagome pulled a water bottle from her bag under her cloak and slid the bottom half of her mask up while she took some, while we turned back to the others.
"So where is Jin?"
"Right here!" Someone called.
He was walking up with a demoness beside him. The demoness had red eyes, black hair in a bun, and she had feathers in her hair. She had a kimono on and held a fan in her hand. She looked smug almost.
"Hey Jin, Kagura." Toya said.
Kagome who had currently been facing me and drinking water spit out all her water, drenching me. Everyone turned to us. They all grinned. I scowled and wiped the water from my face while Kagome spun to Jin and his mate. She looked at the two. Then she slowly put her water bottle away and pulled her mask all the way down while looking at Kagura. Then she slowly walked up to Kagura. She stopped in front of the woman and they stood starring into one another's eyes.
"Hello Kagura how is Kanna?"
"Kanna is fine." The demoness answered slowly.
Then she squinted. Kagome made sure no one could see and popped her mask off. Kagura gaped. Yusuke then leapt to Kagura's side to see Kagome's face but she had the mask back on. Yusuke grumbled and walked back to us.
"Well Kagura nice to see you again, call me Kage."
Kagura grinned then snapped her fan open shielding her face.
"Nice to see you again…. Kage."
"It seems someone else likes your mate Jin!" Chu laughed.
Jin scowled and walked back to Kagura looping an arm around hers and glaring at Kagome. His glare said 'mine'.
"Don't worry Jin he is just an old friend." Kagura smiled at the wind master.
Jin smiled at her and calmed. Kagome took a step back beside me and looked at me.
"Sorry about the water thing." She laughed.
"Nh."
"I see your vocabulary hasn't expanded." Chu said.
"Nh."
Chu grinned and returned to his beer as he and Yusuke started to talk of fights. When almost everyone was in conversation I saw Kagura walk from Jin to Kagome. They then strolled off together. I wondered what they were doing but didn't have enough curiosity to follow.
Kagome's POV:
Kagura and I walked to a secluded spot on the front of the boat and looked out over the rolling waves.
"So why the disguise Kagome?" Kagura asked.
I grinned and popped my mask off.
"Well the boy with dark hair talking to Chu is my cousin and he wouldn't let me fight if he found out who I was, and it would lead to a billion questions so I keep a mask on."
"Mh."
"So what have you been doing for the last five hundred years?" I asked.
"Well Kanna and I stayed with Sesshomaru. We worked under him. We thought he would be cold and ruthless kind of like Naraku but he isn't. He's actually quite nice." She said.
I grinned and nodded.
"Well we stayed with him and worked in the west. When the Makai was created we moved there. Sesshomaru beat the other lords and took the role of king. We stayed with him in his castle working for him till about twenty years ago. As far as I know Kanna is still with him. She found out how to look through the eyes of any demon using her mirror. She is Sesshomaru's most trusted and best spy. I left though and went to explore both the Makai and this world. I met Jin and Toya last year after the first tournament. Jin fell for me at first sight and I fell for him."
She sighed dreamily. I laughed.
"Well I came through the well a month and a week ago. I trained met the group I'm with now and we're on our way to the tournament."
"You know you're the heir to the Makai throne right?" She asked.
I nodded.
"I wish I could see the place." I sighed.
"It is okay. It's pretty much like the feudal era but different plants and it's even more dangerous."
I nodded.
"So tell me about the man you spit all the water at." Kagura grinned.
"Well that's Hiei. You know he's a lot like Sesshomaru. His vocabulary contains 'Nh' and 'pathetic human' and that's about it." I laughed.
"So are you two together?" She asked.
I couldn't help it. I burst into laughter.
"I doubt Hiei will ever love anyone. He is handsome but I'm not going to get a mate. At least I don't plan too." I said.
I sighed and leaned on the railing, looking out on the waves.
"If that has something to do with Inuyasha; then forget him. Not all men are like him." Kagura said also leaning on the railing.
"I know." I said.
"So, what about the fox? He's cute."
"Ah yes, Youko. Actually his name is Shuichi and he's a human. The Kitsune spirit in him is just there. He does have Youko's strength and I guess that Youko is in his mind. I like Youko. Shuichi is cute to but I don't like him as much."
"Well those are the only two cute guys near you. I doubt you would be caught dead with the baboon, and we just won't say anything about your cousin."
I snorted.
"Yeah."
"So do you plan on telling them who you are?" She asked.
"Actually Hiei and Kurama know who I am. Hiei snuck up on me in a spring and Kurama also caught me. Yusuke and Kuwabara are too stupid to find out soon and I don't know Genkai so even if she saw me I have no worries. You know I actually met Youko when I was in the past."
"Really? What happened?"
"He tried to steal my sword. I beat him up. Then he asked me to be his mate. He is still trying to get me to be his mate."
"Well he isn't too bad." Kagura grinned.
I nodded.
"So when are you and Jin going to have kids?"
She snapped her fan open and hid the small blush in her cheeks. I had never seen Kagura show so much emotion. In the past I had always seen her glaring, scowling, or pissed. Now that she was free she seemed happy, bubbly, and cheerful.
"Well I should get back to the others." I sighed.
"I'm going to stay here. The wind is nice here. Will you send Jin for me?"
I nodded as I started to walk off. I stopped when she called out. I popped my mask on as I waited for her to speak. She finally looked up at me and I saw deep emotion in her eyes.
"Thank you. For everything. Without you I would have been a prisoner to Naraku forever, I would never have had freedom or choices, and I would never have met Jin."
I smiled at her.
"I'm glad I could give those to you. I hope we see each other again soon."
Then I turned and walked off, my cape billowing off of me. When I reached the others they were still talking but they were looking around as if expecting to see Kagura and I walk up. When they saw me they watched me a moment. They returned to their conversations but Jin walked up to me. He scowled at me slightly.
"If you did anything to my mate I'll…"
"No need for threats." I interrupted. "Your mate is fine. She is waiting for you on the front of the boat. She says the wind feels nice there."
Then I walked past him. I saw him glance back at me, and then he hurried off towards the front of the boat. I walked back to Hiei and Genkai who stood together. They looked at me. Genkai watched me a moment as Hiei just glanced at me then looked over the ocean.
"Will you reveal your identity to us?" Genkai asked.
"Yes."
"When?"
"How about at the end of the first match."
Genkai nodded. I felt a wet nose push against my bare arm. I looked down at Kilo.
'Will they take it well? I know your cousin will freak.'
'I know but I wish to tell them who I am. And this mask is getting annoying. Besides by then it will be too late to stop me.'
Kilo nodded.
'Hey Hiei.' I called.
Hiei's head whipped up and he looked at me.
~I didn't know you could speak telepathically~ He said.
'I didn't feel like telling you earlier.'
~Nh~
'I just wanted to ask what the tournament rules were.'
~Nh~
Hiei started to tell me the rules and about the tournament telepathically while we stood looking at the ocean. When he was finished we just leaned against the railings. The others had wandered off and only Hiei and I remained. I loved the silence as I watched the crashing waves roll over one another. I wanted to reach down and hold them. The water seemed so beautiful and I felt as if it was trying to speak to me. I looked down at the waves as if they hypnotized me. I blinked as I could swear I heard a voice come from the water.
"Master."
I held my breath. The whisper had floated up from the water. I looked to Hiei. He didn't seem to have heard. I looked back at the water. Suddenly a wave coming for the boat grew and hit the side spraying up at me. I fell back on my but as the water drenched me. I looked to Hiei again. He wasn't wet. He didn't have a drop of water on him. It was as if the water hadn't tried to get him and it had just come for me. Suddenly I felt the water on me move. I cried out and scooted back.
"What is it?" Hiei asked looking at me.
"The water…." I started.
"Master. You are my master."
I whipped my head around at the voice.
"Did you hear that?" I asked.
Hiei looked at me closely.
"Hear what?" He asked slowly.
"The voice." I said.
He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Only you can hear me master."
The voice was right in front of me. I jumped up.
"Uh I'll be back in a moment Hiei." I said running off.
When Hiei was out of sight I stopped and walked to the railing. I looked at the waves. Another shot from the ocean and sprayed over the deck. But instead of staying in pools it all grouped together and slithered to me like a snake. When it reached it snaked up my arm.
"You're speaking to me." I gasped.
I looked around before slipping my mask off so I could see the water snake thing better.
"Yes master. I am a spirit of the ocean."
"How can I hear you?" I asked.
"Your ability is to understand and control any water or water related animal." The water snake said.
"How? I should have the abilities of some land animal or something like the wolves." I said.
"No. You are related to land demons but water is your element. It is why your eyes turned blue and why your markings are blue. Even though your brother's family color is blue it is not the reason your markings are blue. No one can know what abilities they have till they tap their power. You tapped it by being near the water and liking it."
I nodded slowly.
"Now I will tell you of the water element. There are hundreds of different water and water related spirits. One such is me. I am the water spirit of waves. I am all the waves. I am the spirit who creates waves. The ocean spirit or the spirit who controls the entire ocean is like my mother. She is the water itself. We are her children. We help her do things like I help make waves. My brother helps by making currents and my sister helps by making the plants that grow in water. There are also those who look after all water life and keep water clean and fresh. Then there is mother, lake. She is sister to my mother. She is fresh water. She has children of her own. They are my cousins. Most demons can only control one of us. You are one of the rare cases too. You can control any of us you wish. You are so strong you may even control my mother the ocean and Mother Lake."
"So you are saying each water element and water related things are like spirits. They have a will of their own?" I asked.
The water seemed too nodded.
"We all obey Mother Ocean and she takes care of us, directs us, and makes sure we do nothing that disrupts the earth's balance."
"Oh. So I can control you?' she asked.
"Yes. You may call us when in need and you may control us. You need to have us near though. You will always be stronger near water. If you are to far away the other elements will stop us from getting to you. Like plants will drink us, and the earth will absorb us. But if you even have only a cup of water you can summon us."
"So no one else will hear you or understand if you talk to me?"
"They will hear nothing. They do not know we have spirits. To them we will seem like ordinary pools of water. Only those who have control of us will understand we have spirits and understand our language."
I sat in silence.
"That's amazing"
"Your friends are the same."
I blinked.
"The wind ones."
I gasped.
"You mean Jin and Kagura can speak to the spirits of the air and wind?" I asked.
"Yes and no. Air is one element and mother and wind is a child of the air element. Wind makes the air move and is like me. Your friends only have enough power to hear wind. They will never hear Mother Air or the birds who are creatures of the wind."
"You mean I can hear creatures of the water? Like fish and dolphins?" I asked.
"Yes master."
I sat there for a minute as the water snake, or the wave child wrapped around me and looked at me curiously.
"So how do I control you?"
"Well you can control the spirit like me where you have me right with you and use me to fight. I would stay with you and use my powers for you like this."
It looked over the ocean and waves sprung up and clashed together.
"Or I can go into you so we are one."
Suddenly the snake seemed to sink into my skin. Suddenly I got all knowledge of waves. I looked out over the ocean and flicked a finger. A wave flew up till it collapsed under its weight. The snake emerged from my skin and wrapped back around me.
"And you may use part of me."
The tail the snake broke off and sunk into me. I got knowledge of waves again. I made waves again but they weren't as strong as when she was in me.
"When we are one you will have more power. I will let you keep the part of me in you."
I nodded. Suddenly another pool of water jumped over the side of the boat. It took the shape of a fish and floated around me.
"I am the spirit of aquatic animals, or child aqua." It said. "I control all creatures of the water."
He nodded to the water and three dolphins surfaced.
"Master." They all said.
I blinked. They did back flips and vanished.
"Wow." I laughed.
"Master we will teach you of the water. We will help you learn your powers." The fish said.
"Thank you." I said.
They seemed to smile. I sat there on the secluded part of the deck for five hours as the two water spirits taught me how to control them with out them being near or having them in me. By the time the sun started to set I knew how to control both of them and half of the other water spirits. I had met others to, like the spirit of water plants. There were actually more then one. I met one though named child coral and it made all the coral in the sea grow. It appeared to me as the form of a crab. I liked it. Finally as the sun started to sink the three spirits child coral, wave, and Aqua quieted and looked out over the water. A long dragon almost like a serpent poked its head from the water. It seemed to have a crown on its head.
"Hello. I am Mother Ocean. I am the mother of these children and the ruler of the sea. It has been centuries since one has showed up and has had enough power to be my master. I hope you will use my powers wisely." A feminine voice boomed.
I bowed my head.
"I will use your powers wisely."
"You seem intelligent and wise. Some have used my powers wrongly and have more then once almost destroyed the earth."
I nodded.
"I hope my children and I serve you well. Here is a piece of me. It will show to all other water spirits that you are our masters."
I nodded a blue glowy orb appeared in her talons. It slowly came to me were it sunk into my chest. I gasped as I felt knowledge and power enter me. No that is wrong. Power didn't enter me, my own power awakened deep in me. I gasped again. When I looked up the Mother Ocean, child Aqua, and child Coral were gone. Child wave was still wrapped around my arm.
"Do you wish me to stay with you master?" The snake asked.
"No. I need some time alone and you must have work to do. I hope to see you again."
"Of course master."
The water snake bowed its head and slithered to the edge of the boat. It slipped over the edge and immediately waves started getting bigger and stronger. I looked out of the ocean and breathed in the salt air. It was wonderful. I looked at the water. I wanted to practice with my water skills. I looked at the sun. I probably had about half an hour of light left. I looked into the water and twisted a finger. A small pillar of water shot up and spun like a tornado. It motioned it to spin in a large circle. The water tornado whipped off spinning in a circle. When it returned to me it sunk and vanished in the waves.
I looked around to make sure no one was looking and jumped over the railing. Before I even hit the water pillars of the water shot to meet me and act as steps. I stepped lightly on each pillar till I reached the water. I grinned as I touched down. The boat of course kept moving forwards leaving me behind. I smiled and took off running beside the boat. Every time my foot touched the top of the water ripple spread out leaving a trail almost. I looked around once then took a deep breath and dived under the water. I smiled as I swam beneath the surface. The water felt wonderful. I saw the three dolphins swimming below me. They laughed and shot up to me swimming around me and talking to me.
I grabbed on to the fin of one and slid on its back. It laughed and swam to the surface. It broke from the water and jumped through the air. I took another breath before we were once again under the water. I played with the dolphins always making sure the boat was close till the sun was gone and the light was out. I finally jumped back up to the deck and waved goodbye to the dolphins. Then I used my powers to take every drop of water from me and let it fall back to the ocean. I yawned once and set off to find my room. When I found it I stepped in and looked around. It wasn't the largest room but I didn't care. I threw barriers around the room to keep unwanted guests out and then fell into bed. I flicked the lamp off and was soon dreaming.
--
"Master." A voice called.
I sat straight up in bed and looked for the water snake. I saw it peaking in through my window. I also saw that the sun had risen well past the horizon and wondered why I had not woken.
"What?" I asked.
"You have reached your destination. You are at the island and in a dock. A man talked to the captain of your boat. He bribed the captain. The captain has agreed to turn right around again. He wants you and your friends to miss the tournament. And he is going to kill you when you are half way back. The man used some plant power and set a sleeping powder on everyone. Even you but your water power cancelled it out. You must hurry."
"Thank you wave!" I yelled.
I had already pulled my mask I had left off last night, back on. I grabbed my bag and shot out the door. I knocked on Hiei's door then burst in. I used my miko powers to heal Hiei of the sleeping powder. Hiei slowly sat up.
"We have to go now! We reached the place but someone used sleeping powers on us and is making the captain take us back home so we miss the tournament."
Hiei was up and running down the hall to the rooms of the others in a flash. I turned and ran to another room. I burst in and saw Jin and Kagura sleeping in a coma almost. I healed them and they sat straight up.
"What-" Jin started.
"We need to get off this ship now!"
They just nodded and jumped up. I took a deep breath and spread all my miko to the others. I felt them heal and suddenly all the doors were thrown open.
"The captain double crossed us. We have to get off now or we will miss our stop."
Everyone disappeared to reappear with their bags. We all ran back on deck to find Hiei holding the captain. His sword was pushed against his throat and the captain was grovelling. I saw the dock about fifty metres away. When I was sure everyone was on deck I looked at them.
"Some man bribed the captain to take us back. The captain was to make sure we didn't compete in the tournament by killing us and dumping us in the middle of the ocean. The man who bribed him had a special sleeping powder he used on us."
Everyone growled. The captain stopped grovelling and just stayed silent. The boat was slowly moving from the dock farther.
"Take us back." Hiei said to the captain.
The captain shook his head and pointed to a broken wheel and commands. Everyone growled again.
"How can we get back?" Yusuke asked.
"I can get us back." Kagura said.
She stepped forwards pulling a feather from her hair. She shot into the sky on her feather. She fell behind the boat and snapped her fan open.
"Hold on she's going to make a pretty big blast of air." I said.
Kagura swept her fan up and a blast of air hit the boat. It pushed it back toward the dock. I used my power to make sure no big waves were made. The boat soon came close enough to the dock that everyone could drop off. Then I grinned at the captain who paled. I used my water powers to make a water spear and pierce the bottom of his boat. He could hear the water start to fill it. He gaped and I jumped from the boat. Then I made sure the water pushed the boat a good distance from the dock. I used my powers and called two sharks that were near by. They circled the boat as it sunk because I had told them an unfortunate captain was stuck on board.
"Well Kage we owe you for waking us." Chu said.
"Mmh." I said.
"So how did you wake us if we had sleeping power thrown on us?" Toya asked.
"I have healing abilities." I said.
"Well that's handy." Kagura snorted.
I knew she knew I meant my miko powers.
"Well that was close." Yusuke sighed.
"You can bet others will try to sabotage our matches too." Kurama said.
Everyone nodded. Then we saw Atsuko, Shizuru, Yukina, and Keiko waving and jogging to us.
"Hey guys. We wondered what was taking so long for you guys to get off the boat when it started to pull away. We tried to call you but some demons held us back." Keiko said.
"Yeah well Kage saved our asses." Kuwabara said.
They all nodded and smiled at me.
"Come on I want some breakfast." Rinko said.
We all grinned and started to walk down the trail towards the hotel we would stay at. As we reached it we saw other demons wandering around. I noticed that none stepped foot in the dark forest on the right. They all seemed scared of it. I looked at it again. It was different from the other trees and forests I had seen. It was old and had large dark trees. And you could only see in about three feet before trees blocked your view. As we walked into the hotel Yusuke and Jin walked up to the reception counter. A man looked up at them.
"Team names." He demanded.
"Karai." Jin said.
"Urameshi." Yusuke said.
The man squinted at the two before sliding keys to them.
"Please try not to bother the other guests while staying and do not enter the dark forest."
"Why?" Chu asked.
The man smirked at him.
"Demons and creatures lurk in there and it is always dark. No light penetrates the shadows. Everyone who goes in there either is never seen again or they come out half dead and completely insane."
Everyone looked at the man a moment. Then we walked off to the stairs. As soon as we found our room we stepped in. Keiko, Atsuko, Yukina, and Shizuru all had a room next to ours. Genkai, Hiei, Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kilo, and I stepped in and looked around. There was a living room with a kitchen at the end. The living room held a coffee table, two couches, and a TV. The kitchen had a stove, fridge, sink, and counter. We saw three doors too. We opened them to see bedrooms with connecting bathrooms.
"Yusuke and Hiei will share, Kuwabara and I will share, and Kurama and Kage will share." Genkai said leaving no room for argument.
Everyone sighed and agreed. Kurama and I walked in and looked at the one bed.
"I'll sleep on the floor." He said.
He seemed to be talking to someone else as he said this to me.
"Youko wants to share the bed doesn't he?" I asked.
He winced and sighed.
"It's fine with me. Besides if you sleep on the floor you won't sleep as well and you need to be at your best for the matches." I said.
Kurama sighed and nodded. I saw a dresser and walked out. I stuffed all my clothes in the bottom half and threw my bag under the bed. I threw a miko barrier over my half of the dresser so no one but me could open them. Then I walked out leaving Kurama to unpack his bags. I walked to the kitchen and found the fridge and cupboards packed with food. I smiled and pulled out some food. I made myself a sandwich and sat on the couch eating. Hiei and Yusuke came out of their room a minute later. Yusuke also grabbed some food but Hiei just sat down. Kuwabara was the next person out. He ran to the kitchen and started to argue with Yusuke about sandwiches. Genkai and Kurama walked out at the same time and looked everyone over before sitting. As soon as I polished the sandwich off I stood and stretched then I left the room. I shut the door behind me and walked down the hall. I walked to the lobby and looked around. I saw the manager and walked up to him.
"Where can I get a sheet of the tournament matches?" I asked.
He just stuck his hand under the desk and slid a sheet to me. I took it and walked back to the stairs. I walked up and into the hall. I started to read the sheet as I walked. Suddenly some one collided with me. I fell to my butt and looked up. A Kitsune with auburn hair in a blue ribbon, green eyes, and a blue and yellow outfit sat up too. He had also fallen. He had small slaws and fangs and fox feet. He was at least as tall as me and looked to be twenty.
"Sorry wasn't watching where I was going." He apologized as he stood.
I also stood but in silence as I looked him. I grinned behind my mask. Then he seemed to remember what he was doing.
"Have you seen a woman with black hair and blue eyes? She would look a bit like you but she's a woman. She should also have black wolf ears and a tail."
"No I haven't Shippo."
"Oh okay."
He jogged past me and I walked to our door. I opened it up and stepped in as he called out.
"Hey wait! How did you know my name?" He asked.
I didn't say as I shut our door. Everyone looked up at me as I walked in.
"Tomorrow is our first match. It starts at ten o'clock exactly. We face a team called Rashid."
They nodded and I walled to the kitchen. I grabbed a knife and stuck it in the top of the matches' sheet I had gotten. I threw it to the wall where the knife pinned the paper. Yusuke and Kuwabara blinked in surprise. I just ignored them as I turned back to the door.
"I will be back later." I said as I walked from the room.
As soon as I did I headed for the stairs again. I walked to the lobby then outside. I made sure no one was looking and walked into the dark forest we had been warned about. I was naturally curious and wanted to explore it. As I entered my sight of the hotel was blocked off. I waited till I was deeper before I focused my miko powers to my hand. They turned to a pink glowing orb that cast light. It illuminated everything five feet on every side. I saw bats, bugs, and other night animals disappear back into the shadows. I walked for five minutes in the eerie silence. Suddenly I heard snarling. I spun to see three large black wolves that had glowing gold eyes. They snarled as they advanced on me. I snarled back. They slowly stopped snarling and stopped advancing. They tilted their heads at me.
"Pack sister?" They asked in wolf tongue.
"Yes pack brother."
"You speak our tongue, are you smell like a pack leader." The largest said in wolf.
"Yes. I am brother to pack leader, I am a black wolf youkai."
They looked at me and seemed to grin.
"You are one of us. We will help you when you need us and our kind will leave you be as you travel." The second largest said.
"Do you know what is in this forest?" I asked looking around.
"There are packs of us wolves and there are large panthers, then there are rabbits and other game, other then that nothing but bugs and bats." One sighed.
"Then why do many come out mad?" I asked.
They all seemed to grin.
"No light works in here except spiritual power, even fire goes out. Sometimes when we are not hungry but bored we play with those who enter. We chase them, make them mad with fear, and then push them out." The leader said.
"It is quite amusing to watch." The second chuckled.
I nodded.
"Do you know where the forest ends and the ocean starts pack brothers?" I asked.
"We will lead you to the large water." They said.
I nodded and they trotted to the dark. I trotted after them making sure they always stayed in sight. I saw a large panther a couple of times but it wouldn't attack three wolves its size and a strong demon. After ten minutes of jogging we emerged from the trees on a small rocky beach. The wolves stood in the shadows of the trees and watched me. I looked at the ocean a moment.
"Thank you brothers. I will be fighting later. Will you help if I need you?"
"Yes sister."
"Thank you. I know the way back. Oh and if you meet these people please don't harm them, they are my friends."
I used my power to burn the picture of Atsuko, Shizuru, Keiko, Botan, Yukina, Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama, Kuwabara, and Genkai in their minds. They nodded and trotted back to the trees. I let my miko powers go and hoped down the rocks to the ocean. Then I pulled my cape, mask, and shoes off. I took the wrap of cloth from my hair and put it in a braid and pulled my t-shirt off. Now all I had on was a black sports bra and my pants. I set my stuff neatly on a rock then sprinted for the water. As I reached it I dived in. I swam Farther and deeper into the sea.
Once I was a good distance I breathed in a deep breath and dove. I kicked and used my powers to help me get to the sea floor. As I got closer colors erupted around me. I almost gasped at the sight. Reefs of colored coral were everywhere along different water plants of different colors. Brightly colored fish swam in groups and the occasional large lone fish swam disrupting the schools of the other fish. I swam in spot a moment. As a demon I could stand higher pressures and hold my breath longer so I could stay here for a while. I finally kicked farther down and looked at all the wonders. I grabbed some really nice empty shells and lovely rocks.
When I ran out of breath I shot to the surface. I swam back to the shore and grabbed my cape. I rolled it up sort of like a bag and tied it to my back like a pack sack. Then I slipped my shells and such in. I left my stuff again and went even farther then before. This time when I got to the bottom it was dark. I used my miko powers and the water lit up. I collected more shells and rocks as I explored the reefs, rocks, sands, and everything else. I even talked with the fish a bit. Well they talked and I listened. They were very curious about me, the master of water. They chattered on and pointed to all the hidden treasures for me. When I finally filled my bag I thanked them and returned to shore. I left my cape/bag and walked out to the water again.
This time though instead of swimming I made some of the water turn a bit solid like a surf board. I stood on and water straps held me on. I used my power over the waves and got some to rise. I then spent the next hour surfing. I had a lot of fun. When I finally got a bit tired of surfing I made my way back to shore. This time I picked a big rock and laid down on it. I stayed there in the sun while I dried off. I dozed once and woke to find that it was about dinner.
I didn't feel like heading back right away so I left my stuff and strolled down the rock beach. The beach wasn't large at all and when the tide was in it went right to the tree line. I doubted that many had ever come here. No boat could pull up with all the rocks and that left coming through the trees or flying and not many would fly over the forest to come to a tiny beach. I smiled as I strolled along. I picked up interesting rocks and found crabs. I felt like I was six again and we were at the beach my mom had taken us too.
I finally walked back to my clothes. I pulled my clothes back on and carried my cape/ bag. I slipped my mask on and headed back for the trees. As I walked through the trees I noticed wolves were always near, like guards. When I finally reached the edge I peered out. When no one was looking I slipped out and walked to the hotel. I slipped in the doors and up the stairs. When I reached our room I walked in. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Genkai, Kurama and Hiei all sat on the couches watching TV, reading, or talking. It was nine o'clock. I looked out the window to see a setting sun. I wondered how I had missed how low the sun was.
"Where were you?" Yusuke asked.
"Beach." I said.
"All day?" Kurama asked.
"Yes."
'That isn't possible. I went to the beach a couple times and you weren't there." Yusuke said.
"There is more then one beach." I said.
"There's only one people can reach. The others are on the other side of the trees." Kurama said.
"He couldn't have gone through the trees. Three demons tried today and one emerged an hour later wounded gravely and jabbering nonsense the other two were just bones that were thrown from the trees." Kuwabara said.
He shivered and Yusuke nodded.
"Well I made it through the forest just fine." I retorted.
They all looked at me.
"You went through the forest?' Yusuke asked slowly.
"Yes."
"Prove it." He said.
"Well you said you didn't see me on this beach but I got these."
I walked to the coffee table and unrolled my cloak. It revealed large shells, rocks, coral, and such. There was huge variety. Yusuke and Kuwabara gaped a moment.
"How did you get so many nice ones?" Yusuke asked examining them. "I tried to find nice shells but there were none."
"I dived and found them on the beach."
"What was in the forest?" Hiei asked suddenly.
"Well there were some huge rabid wolves, and snarling vicious panther demons and some other monsters." I grinned.
They couldn't see my grin but heard it in my words. They watched me a minute. I saw Kurama eyeing my shells mostly the prettiest rocks and shells. I picked up my favourite ones and held them.
"You can have any you want." I said to all them.
They blinked. Kurama slowly picked up a shiny rock. He looked it over and smiled. Yusuke picked out a large shell saying something about showing Keiko before he left the room. Kuwabara picked up a light blue and pink shell and followed Yusuke saying something about Yukina. Hiei just rolled his eyes and leaned back into the couch. Genkai looked everything over. Then she looked back at me. Kurama had sat next to the cape of stuff and was examining everything. I thought that Youko was about half in control now.
"So you will show us who you are tomorrow?" Genkai asked.
She wouldn't admit it but she was curious. I sat on the couch. I grinned and popped my mask off. Genkai blinked and opened her mouth. Nothing came out for a minute.
"You're a woman?" She asked.
I grinned.
"Yes I am Genkai." I said.
I had stopped deepening my voice and it came out regular. She looked at the other two who didn't seem interested in me.
"They already knew." She said.
"Unfortunately they walked in on me bathing."
Genkai snorted and the other two shrugged. Kurama continued to look at the shells and such and Hiei just looked at the wall as if in thought. As soon as I heard the doorknob turning I pulled my mask back on. Yukina, Keiko, Kuwabara, and Yusuke all walked in.
"The others are drunk." Keiko said.
We all snorted. Yukina's eyes lit up at the stuff on the coffee table. She sat across from Kurama and also examined everything.
"Yusuke said you found all this Kage." Keiko said.
I nodded.
"They're all wonderful." Yukina smiled.
I nodded and walked to my room. I grabbed a book I was reading and then returned to the living room. After a bout an hour everyone else headed to their rooms. I picked up all my shells that the others hadn't taken and stuffed them in my drawer. I quickly changed to some pyjamas and slid under the covers setting my mask on the small night stand. Kurama came in a minute later. He just pulled his shirt on but left his pants on. He slowly slipped under the covers, keeping near the edge of the bed. I flicked my fingers and a barrier sprang around the door. It would instantly wake me if anyone entered or left. I yawned and sighed before I drifted off.
--
I woke at eight when the alarm on the clock beeped. Kurama also sat straight up looking around. I hit the stupid alarm clock smashing it. I had forgotten I had set it. I yawned and jumped up. I grabbed my clothes and jumped into the bathroom before Kurama. I had a quick shower and got dressed in some reasonably tight pants and a reasonably tight shirt, they were all black. Then I pulled my mask and cape on. I walked back out and Kurama slipped into the bathroom. I walked to my dresser and pulled out the blue box with my shrunken weapons. I grabbed my sword, Kohaku's old weapon, and a couple of my knives. I enlarged my sword and the knives and slid them into the belt at my waits but kept Kohaku's weapon small and put it in my pocket. I slid from the room and looked around. Genkai was sitting on a couch with Hiei and Kuwabara who looked bored. Yusuke walked from his room the same time as me and we both walked to the kitchen. I grabbed some cereal and lifted my mask enough to eat. Yusuke watched me the whole time.
"When will you show us under the mask?" he asked.
"How about this; I promised to show you guys my face after the first match but if we win I'll show you who I am, and I'll tell you my name, age, and type of demon."
Yusuke grinned.
"We'll win that match." He said.
I grinned back and finished my cereal as Kurama walked from his room. Once everyone was ready we walked out the door. It was still half an hour till our match but we wanted to be there earlier. As we walked out of the hotel Kilo appeared beside me.
"Where were you?" I asked.
'Exploring the island.' He said panting.
I nodded. Then I grabbed a canteen I had grabbed before we left.
"Will you fill this with ocean water for me?" I asked.
He nodded and grabbed the flask in his teeth. He disappeared and we kept walking. Half a minute later Kilo returned. He held the flask carefully so no water fell.
"Thanks." I said.
He nodded. I screwed the lid back on and carried the flask. I saw the others glance at it but I ignored them and they ignored me after a minute. When we reached the stadium I smiled. There were tall bleachers in the center of the stadium was a large circular arena. There were benches for the teams and a first aid tent ready. There were six separate stands of bleachers and between them were large halls to get out of the stadium. I could see right down them with my demon sight. I saw at the end of one hall the dark forest.
I saw golden eyes watching me too. I smiled and stood with my team. Most of the stadium was already full. I saw our group of viewers waving and watching us. We waved back and sat on the benches waiting. Our opponents, team Rashid, were also already here. They sat on their bench watching us. I analyzed them all. I could see that they were all demons. They all seemed to be tiger and cheetah demons which meant they were fast, had powerful jaws, and sharp claws. I also saw that they all wore knives and daggers. They all had cat ears and a tail. They also had gold eyes, claws, fangs, and patches of cheetah or tiger prints on their faces. They seemed serious, not taunting or smug, just serious. When the referee finally stepped up and the stadium was full we stood.
"Welcome to the 2nd Dark Tournament. We hope you enjoy it." The referee said.
She was a cat youkai with gold ears and blonde hair. She wore a tight outfit and seemed excited. The crowd cheered as she said this.
"Our first match is Team Rashid vs. Team Urameshi. First contestants step forwards."
I noticed that when she announced our team almost everyone booed. I snorted softly. Kuwabara jumped into the ring along with one of the tiger demons. We had done rock paper scissors earlier and Kuwabara had won. It would go Kuwabara, Kurama, Yusuke, Hiei, me. The referee yelled 'begin' and the two lunged at one another. Before the tiger even attacked I knew he would win. I could tell he was a hand to hand combat master. The match lasted two minutes before the tiger had knocked Kuwabara out.
Yusuke sighed and dragged him from the ring. Kurama stepped up as a cheetah demon stepped up. Kurama used his whip while the cheetah used a knife. The match was also over in minutes. Kurama had won. He hadn't killed his opponent though. His opponent had battled honourably and they hadn't killed Kuwabara so he had spared the cheetah. Yusuke jumped to the ring cracking his knuckles. The second Cheetah jumped up. The battle lasted longer. Yusuke was stronger but the cheetah was so fast Yusuke couldn't land a good hit. He had finally hit him and sent the cheetah into the wall though.
I yawned as Hiei jumped up. The last cheetah jumped up meaning the last tiger was mine. Hiei and the cheetah didn't even battle a whole minute before the cheetah was down. I grinned as I jumped to the ring. The last guy was the strongest. I could feel it. He was the leader and could probably beat his four team-mates at the same time. He looked at me as he got in position. I also got in position. When the referee signalled the start the tiger and I stood analyzing one another. Suddenly he lunged at me. I easily skipped back avoiding his blow. I knew he wasn't using all his power.
"Come on, fight me for real." I said.
He nodded and lunged with all his speed. I narrowly avoided a hand in my gut. I then dived in my claws slashing up. I nicked his chin slightly. He sniffed and kicked. I met him blow for blow for about ten minutes. He dodged my blows or countered him as I did the same to him. Suddenly I saw his claws glow a light green.
"Whoa, what's that?" Kuwabara asked.
He had revived a while ago.
"Poison claws." Kurama said.
Yusuke and Kuwabara gulped as the crowd cheered the tiger on. He lunged in and swiped. His poison wasn't as strong as Sesshomaru's or even mine but it was a bit different. I bet that what ever it touched it would eat away at. I dodged again as he aimed for my face. I let poison glow on my own claws. I swiped at the tiger whose eyes widened slightly and dodged. He jumped in and I stepped back.
Suddenly I felt a small rock hit my back. It wasn't large but enough to throw me a bit off balance. I knew someone who didn't want me to win had thrown it. I still dodged the claws but they swiped the front of my cloak and my mask. I heard, smelled, and saw the poison start to eat away at them quickly. I ripped the cape and mask off and threw them to the dirt. I watched a second. The poison devoured the things I had worn in half a minute. I looked at my team to see Yusuke gaping at me. I sighed. I had taken off my illusion this morning and he could plainly see my ears and tail. The tiger also appeared a bit startled.
"And the last fighter on Team Urameshi has been revealed as a young wolf demoness!" The referee yelled.
"KAGOME?!" Yusuke finally yelled.
I sighed. The tiger seemed to see we had a slight interference and stepped back a bit.
"STOP THE MATCH!" Yusuke yelled.
"No." I told the referee.
"He is the captain-" The referee started.
"If you stop this match I will take that microphone and shove it down your throat!" I hissed.
She gulped and stepped back.
"Uh…" She started.
"Let the match continue." Someone said.
I looked to the side and saw Inuyasha. I gasped slightly and was tempted to lunge at him.
"WHAT?! NO! MY COUSIN WILL NOT FIGHT IN THIS MATCH!" Yusuke said.
"And it seems Kage the last member is also Yusuke Urameshi's cousin! And the match will continue!" The referee said.
Kurama's POV:
Yusuke started forwards as Kagome turned back to the tiger who nodded. Then the tiger lunged. Yusuke went to yell but the hanyou with silver hair, white ears, and gold eyes stepped in front of him and growled.
"She will fight! It is her choice!" He growled.
"She is my cousin and I will not let her fight!" Yusuke roared.
"She is more then capable of fighting." The hanyou said.
Yusuke growled. Suddenly the crowd gasped. We all looked up to see the tiger demon lying on the ground out cold and Kagome striding to us. She hoped from the ring as the referee announced us as the winners. We all stood in silence as the crowd disappeared. Then suddenly Kagome squealed and lunged at the Hanyou. She wrapped her arms around his waist pulling him close. Youko started to growl because he didn't like this man so close to his 'future mate'.
"Inuyasha! How are you? I missed you! I wondered where you were. And I wondered why you hadn't contacted me!" She said in one breathe.
"You know him-" Hiei started.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE KAGOME!?" Yusuke yelled.
"I am competing." Kagome said as if it was obvious.
"NO…" Yusuke started.
"I AM THE LAST MEMBER OF YOUR TEAM AND I AM PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF FIGHTING NOW DON'T YELL AT ME YUSUKE!" Kagome yelled.
We all took a step back at the tone she used. The hanyou also swallowed and slipped from her grasp taking a step back.
"Fine." Yusuke spat.
"Well you gave that up quickly." Genkai said.
"There isn't anything I can do when she's like this." He growled.
"I agree with the boy. Well now that's out of the way, let's go see the others." Inuyasha said.
"The others?" Kuwabara asked.
Inuyasha sighed and started to walk. Kagome skipped beside him hanging off his arm. This made Youko bristle and growl as we followed the two to the hotel. I noticed that Kilo who followed stayed behind them like an obedient servant. We walked into the hotel and headed for the stairs. We walked past our floor to the top one. We walked into the hall and headed for a door. We opened it and stepped in. Inside was a room resembling ours but way larger. At a couch sat a Kitsune with a brown wolf youkai across from him.
They were playing cards. Beside the Kitsune sat an albino teen. On another couch sat a woman with black hair and black ears, she was a hanyou too. Then there was an imp with a staff watching everyone. Finally a tall silver haired demon with gold eyes and magenta markings was sitting in a chair. They all looked up and froze. They gaped at Kagome who still hung onto Inuyasha's arm. Suddenly Kagome sniffed and ran at the tall silver haired inu. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. The demon looked startled then wrapped his arms around her.
"Kagome-" He started.
"Brother." Kagome sniffed making us gap.
"Wait a minute! How is she your sister? If she's your sister that would make you my cousin and I have never met you." Yusuke said.
Everyone rolled their eyes.
"There is such thing as adoption." The Kitsune said.
Yusuke made an 'o' with his mouth. Kagome still hugged the tall inu. Suddenly she wasn't with him. She had tackled the Kitsune. Youko was glaring, cursing, and pouting at the same time.
"Shippo." She sobbed.
"How are you mother?" the Kitsune asked.
We gaped again.
"How-" Kuwabara started.
"Adoption." Inuyasha said.
Then Kagome was off the Kitsune and hugging the wolf.
"Hey sis." He laughed hugging her back.
"So the tall inu is your brother, and he and Inuyasha are brothers, and you are the wolf's sister, and the Kitsune's mother. How do the two women fit into the picture?" Genkai asked.
"Kanna is my mate." The Kitsune said hugging her close and casting us a look that said 'no touching'.
"And Kikyo is my mate." Inuyasha said sending us the same look.
"Kikyo you're a half demon." Kagome laughed.
"It happened after we mated." Kikyo said calmly.
"So Kikyo is my sister-in-law, and Kanna is my daughter-in-law. Who would have seen that coming?" Kagome asked.
Everyone grinned.
"What?" Yusuke asked.
"I am Kikyo's incarnation and Kanna used to be my enemy." Kagome said.
I looked back at Kikyo. She seemed very similar to Kagome.
"So who are you?" The wolf asked.
"Don't be rude Kouga." Kagome said.
"I'm Yusuke, Kagome's cousin." Yusuke said.
"This idiot is related to you?" Inuyasha asked as if double checking.
"Yes, and he's no more an idiot then you." Kagome retorted.
"So he's a huge idiot." The wolf concluded.
"Right." Kagome said.
"HEY!" Inuyasha and Yusuke yelled.
"I'm Kuwabara the great!" Kuwabara said grinning like an idiot.
"He's more of an idiot then Inuyasha and Yusuke combined." Kagome said under her breath.
Kuwabara glared at her.
"I'm Genkai, I'm their coach." Genkai said.
"And you can put up with them?" Shippo asked.
She looked us all over.
"Barely." She said.
We scowled at her.
"And I'm Kurama." I said.
"Ah I know you. You are the notorious thief." The inu said.
I winced slightly and nodded. Then they looked at Hiei who looked back.
"And this is Hiei." Yusuke finally said.
"Nh." Hiei said.
"That's the only word he knows." Kagome giggled.
Hiei scowled at her.
"Yeah say something else boy." Kuwabara said treating him like a dog.
Kuwabara was knocked to the ground before anyone could blink.
"Humans." Hiei said in an exasperated tone.
The imp savagely nodded in agreement.
"Hey Kanna you know Kagura is here right?" Kagome said suddenly.
Kanna looked up.
"I have not checked up on her in a while, so no I didn't know." Kanna said.
"You know she has a mate right?" She asked.
"WHAT?!" Inuyasha, Shippo, and Kouga yelled.
The women's and the inu's eyes widened.
"I didn't think she would ever get a mate." Inuyasha said.
"She mated with another wind master and they seem deeply in love." Kagome said with a flourish of her hands.
"So who are you guys?" Yusuke asked.
"I'm Inuyasha. I'm part silver inu demon."
"I'm Kikyo, I am part black inu. I used to be a priestess."
"I'm Kouga. I'm a wolf demon."
"I'm Shippo a Kitsune."
"I'm Kanna of the mirror."
"I'm Jaken."
Everyone looked at the tall inu when he didn't answer.
"I'm Sesshomaru."
-Bow you fool!- Youko yelled in my mind.
I did so at his tone. The others looked at me.
--Why?-- I asked.
-He's the king of the Makai!- Youko said.
My eyes widened.
"Your majesty." I said.
Everyone's eyes widened.
"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked.
"Sesshomaru is king of the Makai." Inuyasha snorted.
"And Kouga is my army general, Inuyasha is the prince, Kikyo is in charge of the servants, Shippo and Kanna are the head of my information department and spy department, and Jaken is my vassal." Sesshomaru said.
"Wait if Kagome's your sister then…." Genkai started.
"Correct Kagome is the princess and heir of the Makai."
Now we all gaped at Kagome who shrugged.