Chapter Ten
Oshoku laughed as he held the pendant in his hand. At long last his goal was going to come to fruition. He took the gem out of the necklace and placed it in the empty space on top of the mirror. He closed his eyes and muttered a chant, and the gem began to glow. A bright light surrounded him as the ground shook. Fukai made her way to the rooftop.
"We did it, Father! You are now the most powerful being in the world!" she exclaimed.
"First we take over the spirit world and then the human world," he smiled.
The sky started to split, making two worlds. In spirit world, ogres started running around, trying to figure out what was going on. Koenma stood in his teen form, looking up at the sky. The demon world could be seen and was getting closer.
"What is happening?" Botan inquired as she looked at the sky in panic. It was like the Demon World was going to come crashing down on them.
"He has the pendant," Koenma frowned. "Even I don't have the power to stop him. That pendant was banished for a reason." He cursed to himself and made a fist.
"What? You can't stop him?" Botan repeated, panic starting to rise in her voice.
"I'm not strong enough to stop him alone."
"Yusuke and the others are in the Demon World now. Maybe you can ask him for help. He's going to need help, too, Lord Koenma." Botan stated.
The mirror glowed brighter as it absorbed into Oshoku's body. He could feel his strength growing by the second. He looked down and grinned at the crew beneath him. He noticed a certain silver-haired fox emerge from the castle.
"I thought you weren't going to show up anymore," Hiei said with a raised brow as his friend walked over to him.
Youko smirked. "It would be a shame to miss all the fun. Besides, the state that Shuichi is in, he won't even make a dent." Youko looked up and jumped onto the roof in one smooth motion.
"Look who decided to join the party," Oshoku smiled. "You're a man of power. Don't you agree with me that the worlds should merge?"
"I know a man who wanted unity. I don't agree with it. Leave the human world and the spirit world alone," Youko said calmly.
"Well, that's a shame. I thought you would be on board out of everyone." Youko dashed toward the king, kicking him from under his own feet.
"Well, this isn't good," Koenma said. He appeared next to Yusuke.
"Koenma," Yusuke said in surprise. "What can you do? Is there anything that you can do?"
"Listen to me, Yusuke. I'm not powerful enough just yet," Koenma said as he looked at his spirit detective. "You're the one who has to bring Oshoku down."
"Why is it always me?" he frowned.
"Because you have succeeded more than I have," Koenma stated. "You have what it takes, Yusuke. Trust me on this."
Yusuke just looked at the ruler of Spirit World for a moment, his words echoing in his ears. A loud explosion erupted from the rooftop. Oshoku fell to the ground but landed on his feet.
"I will say you are very skilled!" he yelled at the fox. Youko jumped and landed a few feet away from the king. Fukai came running up and threw Oshoku a sword. "Let us fight equally now." The frog king smirked. The sword lit up and he struck Youko with little effort.
The fox demon fell to his knees, blood dripping down his arm. He managed to dodge the attack, but not all the way. Oshoku was too fast. Fukai laughed at the sight.
"That sword that he wields is no ordinary sword. It was taken from the lands to the west. We defeated the clan of the Rising Ashes. You can't win!" Fukai smiled.
Youko heard of the clan and got there too late to loot that long ago. A dark aurora surrounded the king. The spirit world was now hanging upside down in the sky, getting closer with each second. "Once I take over the spirit world, the human world is next." He licked his lips in satisfaction.
"You're nothing without that gem," Mayonaka spoke. She stood there, holding her mid-section. "I was a fool to believe anything that you have said."
"Father took us in. You're the fool," Fukai stated.
"That is true, but for his own personal gain. Fukai, I know you to be strong and not a follower. You know this is wrong. Please, sister."
Fukai laughed. "I believe that the strong will always triumph. You are right, little sister. I am strong, and I believe that what Father is doing is best for our world."
Oshoku smiled. "You are weak, my daughter." He raised his hands up to the sky, spreading the clouds apart.
"Now what's he doing?" Yusuke asked as light shone from above.
"Mayonaka has one weakness, and that's light. She is at her most powerful during the night." Kuwabara looked at Youko. "I am right."
Mayonaka looked at the sky. "Kuronue had to fight during the night. I didn't realize it was the same for Mayonaka," Youko admitted.
Fukai laughed at the new information. She sprinted toward Mayonaka and clawed her arm. The bat demon hissed and leaped out of the way. She didn't even see the attack coming.
"I hate to see my children fight," Oshoku commented, but it was full of fake concern.
"Shut up! I'm not your daughter any longer!" Mayonaka yelled. She spread her wings and took flight.
"Well, that stings," he laughed as he made a lasso out of energy. He tossed it over at her, letting the lasso wrap around the demon as if she were cattle. Mayonaka fell to the ground. Fukai transformed into her cat demon form and stepped gently on Mayonaka's head. She wanted to draw this out as much as possible for her enjoyment.
"Get off her!" Kuwabara demanded. He charged at the cat demon with his spirit sword at the ready. Fukai grinned as Kuwabara swung his sword left to right, not really going anywhere.
"You foolish human," she said. "I will make minced meat out of you!"
"Not while there is justice to be served!" Kuwabara yelled.
"Stop, Kuwabara! You're going to get killed! Besides, this is my fight," Mayonaka said as she got to her feet.
Oshoku's energy increased as the spirit world started to crumble. Koenma stared at his home and looked at Yusuke.
"We have to hurry," he said. "If we combine our power, we might be able to defeat him."
Yusuke looked at Koenma and then at the scene before him. "Might? I don't base things on a 'might.' Either we go all in or nothing at all. You have power within that pacifier. I think it's time to use it." He stepped forward and looked up at Oshoku. "Hey! You piece of shit! I don't like it when people go and mess up things!"
"Well, look who showed up. Urameshi and the ruler himself of Spirit World. How brave you are," Oshoku commented.
Yusuke scoffed. "This isn't bravery. I just hate when people like you cause chaos on my watch!" He looked over at Koenma. "Let's party, my style."
Pieces of building fell from the sky. Ogres were running in circles in a panic. Koenma looked up at the sky, his teeth clenched together.
"We need to get that power out of him," Koenma said, almost to himself.
"And how do we do that? Just walk up to him and say, 'Hey. Mind if we take what you have?'" Yusuke said sarcastically. "The only way to stop him is by force." He slammed his right fist into his left palm.
"You can only get lucky so many times," Hiei remarked.
"Why don't you do something, then?" Yusuke retorted.
Hiei eyed the detective but went to join Youko. Meanwhile, Mayonaka and Fukai faced each other in a heated battle.
"Stay back, Kurama. This is my fight," she panted.
"You dishonor our father!" Fukai yelled as she swiped a claw at the bat demon.
"You do realize that he's not even our biological father," Mayonaka retorted. "He's using us for his personal gain. He always has! Wake up, Fukai!"
Fukai chuckled. "You were supposed to kill the mighty fox demon. Instead, you fell for him. That's why you are against him."
Mayonaka dodged more attacks. "That doesn't have to do with the other! It's the fact that Oshoku lied to me is why I'm pissed!" She took out her scythe and aimed it at Fukai's arm. The blade swiped up, causing a gash in her arm. "Come on, Fukai!"
Hiei appeared before Kurama, who was watching the two fight. "Yusuke and Koenma are going to team up to defeat Oshoku."
The two demons made their way to Yusuke. "You have a plan for this chaos?" Hiei asked.
"Yup. Here's what we'll do. I don't even know if this is going to work, but hey, I'm not one for planning much. It's Koenma here who wanted some sort of strategy," Yusuke said with a shrug. "Kurama and Hiei, I want you two to distract him while Koenma and I get ready for our ultimate attack."
"That's it?" Hiei asked with a raised brow.
"Somehow I see disaster in this," Kurama chided in.
"I told you that I don't make up plans here," Yusuke reminded.
The two demons agreed to Yusuke's plan. Oshoku watched as the spirit detective started to get closer to them. "The merge is almost complete. The human world is next!" Kurama and Hiei jumped onto the roof. "Ah. You two decided to join me after all?"
"Not a chance," Kurama said and pulled out a rose. "Rose whip!" The thorny whip aimed at the king, only missing him by a hair. Hiei took out his sword and charged forward. The two clashed swords head on. Kurama took his whip and flung it again, this time meeting its mark. The whip wrapped around Oshoku. "Going down!" He forced the king to the bottom. Kurama quickly planted a seed in the ground.
Oshoku started to laugh as the gang stood around him. Yusuke and Koenma both had their hands out in attack position. Oshoku looked at the two of them. "Do you honestly think that you can defeat me?" he asked.
"Not a fucking chance, but I have no choice," Yusuke said. A light appeared at the pointer of his finger. "SPIRIT GUN!"
Koenma released his power from within his pacifier. The blast hit head on. Oshoku held out his hands as the attack hit him. The power from the attack absorbed into his palms. He laughed as he started to glow. "Foolish mortals. Did you honestly think you could defeat me? With the power I possess?!" He charged up and tossed the ball of energy back at Yusuke and the gang. The blast collided, making everyone fly in all directions.
Fukai and Mayonaka stopped what they were doing and watched the scene before them. A piece from spirit world came crashing down, landing on Fukai.
"Fukai!" Mayonaka yelled. She raced over to the debris and tried to get the stone roof off of her sister. "No…" Another piece started to fall in the same direction, making Mayonaka move out of the way.
"What a shame," Oshoku said with a shake of his head. "She served me well."
Mayonaka clenched her teeth. "You asshole!" She ran toward him, weapon in hand. "You piece of shit!"
Oshoku chuckled and grabbed her by the neck in one fluid swoop. "That's not very nice." He looked at her dead in the eyes. "I guess I should tell you the truth. I was the one who killed your father. You were correct. I made sure every last drop of blood was released from his dead corpse afterwards."
Mayonaka screamed as she tried to attack him. Kuwabara sat up and saw the scene. He got to his knees shakily, bringing out his spirit sword. He ran toward the two, aiming the sword at Oshoku's mid-section. The sword pierced through the flesh. "Ha!" Kuwabara laughed.
Mayonaka took her scythe and sliced his arm off. She fell to the ground. "You will pay for what you did!" she cried. Kuwabara helped her up to her feet.
"Oh, dear. It would seem like I have been wounded," the king said in a calmly manner. It was like he got a simple paper cut on his hand. He looked at Kuwabara and Mayonaka. "Luckily I have the gem inside me." The wounds started to heal. A new arm started to grow from the stump. Mayonaka watched in horror as he fully recovered. With agility he punched Kuwabara in the midsection, sending him flying twenty feet away. "You should have listened, daughter." He round kicked her in the face. "I don't tolerate disobedience." He grabbed her arm and snapped it, making her scream in pain. She tried to fly away but his grasp was too much for her.
"Enough!" Kurama shouted. He stood there, energy building. "Get away from her!"
"Or what? You are too injured to do anything," Oshoku stated.
Kurama grinned. "I planted one of my seeds in the ground." He bent down and placed his hand upon the soil. His energy grew as plants broke from the ground. These plants had teeth. Kurama used them once before on Karasu. However, he had a plan up his own sleeve.
"I wouldn't move if I were you," Kurama said as he transformed into Youko. "These plants target their enemies by movement. No one escapes them."
Oshoku stayed put as he looked at the carnivorous plant. "Interesting. I haven't seen these kind of plants for centuries." He took a step backwards. The plant sensed movement and leaned forward, teeth bared.
"You are very brave. I'll give you that," Youko commented. "Either that or you're just stupid."
"I have the gem. Nothing can harm me!"
Youko smirked as Hiei appeared behind Oshoku, his arm unmanaged. "Let's see how well you did with this." The black fire surrounded him. He summoned the black dragon. The beast collided with the king, knocking him into the mouth of one of the plants. The sharp teeth surrounded the body.
"Everyone, now!" Yusuke shouted. Both he and Koenma channeled their power. Kurama and Hiei did the same thing. They did this once before, and it worked. Yusuke unleashed his spirit gun, which merged with everyone's energy. The blast hit Oshoku. The monstrous plant squeezed the body, causing him to spit out the gem. The spirit blast disintegrated him once and for all.
"Did we get him?" Yusuke panted.
"It looks like it," Koenma replied. He walked and picked up the red gem.
"What will you do with it?" Kuwabara asked. He was holding his right arm that had broke when he was flung into the air.
"Destroy it," Koenma said. "To make sure no one gets their hands on it."
Kurama raced over to Mayonaka to look over the damage. He picked her up in his arms. Yusuke looked up to see that the Spirit World was disappearing from the Demon World's skies.
"I think it's time to head home," Yusuke said, which everyone agreed.
Mayonaka woke up to birds chirping outside. She turned her head and saw that she was in a room. She got up slowly, realizing that her arm was in a sling. She remembered the battle. She remembered Zenshin dying for her. Her sister was destroyed by falling debris. She had no one left. Getting up, she walked outside in the sunlight. She was back in the human world.
Yukina appeared with a bucket of warm water. "I see you are up. That's good."
"How long have I been out?" Mayonaka asked.
"About four days. You were really hurt," the ice maiden said. "I was able to do what I could. That arm needs to mend on its own."
Mayonaka looked at her broken arm while stretching her wings. The battle was over? What happened to the pendant?
"Well, look who's up," Kuwabara said. He walked in with Kurama and Yusuke.
She smiled at the guys. "I'm glad… that you are all safe."
"How's your arm?" Yusuke asked.
"It'll heal," she replied. "What happened to Oshoku? I must have passed out."
"Oh. He was plant food along with a side of Spirit. We took care of him by combining all our energies. He won't be back," Yusuke explained.
The bat demon nodded her head. "What about the gem?"
"Koenma took it and destroyed it," Yusuke said. Sadness plagued her features at the answer. That was the only thing that she had left of her family. "It was for the best."
"I know. It's just that it was the last thing I had. You know?"
The group stood in silence. They all knew she was hurting. Kurama cleared his throat and walked over to her. He knelt and placed a hand over hers.
"Hey. When you are better, let's go to the beach again. I'm sure it'll lift your spirits a bit," he offered. He saw her face lighten up a bit.
"I'd like that," she said with a small smile.
"Yukina. We should go, as well," Kuwabara said. "You like the ocean."
"I think Kurama wants to go alone," Yusuke said. "How can you be so dense?"
"Me? Dense? I was the one who helped Kurama all this time with Mayonaka," Kuwabara said.
"Are you for real?" Yusuke looked at Kurama, who just nodded in agreement. "What do you know. You're useful for something."
"I'll make you pay for that!" Kuwabara said as he jumped Yusuke. The two boys started roughhousing again, shouting out insults to one another. Kurama just shook his head as he watched.
Weeks went by since the battle with Oshoku. Mayonaka's arm was getting better, and she was feeling better emotionally. She was at the beach. The warm breeze played with her long hair as she looked out into the ocean. She felt a presence that made her look to her left. Kurama approached her and presented her with a pendant that looked like her father's. The two embraced and kissed under the sunset.
"Thank you so much for this. I'll treasure it," she said.
"I'm glad. It took me a while to find one that fit the best. I'll admit that defeat was almost the answer to my search," Kurama said. Giggling could be heard from a distance as Yukina and Keiko played in the ocean. At the end, the whole gang went with them. "Why don't you join them?"
Mayonaka gave Kurama a look. "You know I can't swim, and I hate this sand between my toes."
Kurama laughed and took her by the hand. "Let's at least go meet the others." She didn't fight him and let him drag her to their friends on that beautiful sunny day.