Chapter 3: Begin, the Dark Tournament!
"Sorry to ask Yusuke, but don't you think we should hurry? I think we're going to be late," Yami looked at the teen.
"Nah we're fine, besides, we're almost there." Sure enough the dock came in to view.
"What took you so long Urameshi?" Kuwabara shouted.
"Relax Kuwabara; I was picking these two up."
"Hi Kuwabara," Yami waved, before turning to the others, "I'm really sorry that we're so late, Yusuke said it didn't matter and that we'd be on time…" she trailed off, her eyes locking on the figure of her younger brother. "Hiei," she whispered silently.
"It's not a problem," the redhead cut in, smiling at her, "I'm Kurama and this is Hiei, who are you exactly?"
"Yamishiro," she answered absently, trying not to stare openly at the smaller fire demon. "A-Ah, maybe we should board," she offered, "the passengers seem to be getting cranky."
0*0*0*0
"So how did you and Yusuke meet?" Kurama asked once they were on board. Yami looked over at the sleeping teen and smiled,
"It was my first year in the human world, and I was shopping for some supplies for my master. We bumped in to each other and just happened to become friends."
"Really?" he asked, "Aren't you an ice maiden? You should be at the glacier." She shook her head, feeling Hiei's disgusted glare on her,
"I was kicked off as a child; I annoyed the elder too much. But luckily, my master found and trained me before he passed, sending me to the human world." Hiei's glare softened slightly at the mention of her banishment, but still glared nonetheless. Kurama smiled as she turned to him,
"What about you foxy?" Just as he was about to answer, the captain came out and explained the preliminaries were to be held on his ship. "Really?" Yami growled quietly.
"If we lose, we can just kill everyone on board and say we're the right team, no one would question it," Hiei spoke up. Yami chuckled slightly at Kuwabara's face,
"We are demons Kuwabara, I don't see how the idea is so shocking."
"Maybe the masked fighter guy should fight, he needs to prove he's not entirely worthless," Kuwabara sent a pointed look at Yusuke. Nodding, the small person went up, easily destroying the demons with their spirit energy. Soon after, the team was surrounded by demons,
"Oh dear," Yami drawled, her hands beginning to glow bright blue as a cold breeze brushed their ankles, "it seems as though they stole your idea Hiei."
"Yes, we'll have to make they pay dearly," he smirked as he pulled out his katana. The demons charged, and immediately the slaughter-fest began.
Looking around, Yami grinned, going over to help pick up Yusuke,
"Well that was fun…" she paused, "Say Kurama, you do know where this place is… right?" He smiled,
"Yes, in fact it should be right over here."
0*0*0*0*0*
Yami and Kuwabara gasped in awe at the fancy hotel they'd be staying at,
"You mean we're staying here?" the two asked, looking at the calmer demons for affirmation. A man walked up to them,
"Welcome fighters, the hotel has been expecting you," he smiled politely. Yami slightly inched away from him as he led them through the hotel, her eyes narrowing when she heard the guests chattering about how they'd be dead soon.
"Rude," she muttered.
"I don't know you guys, I usually don't trust adults dressed this fancy," Kuwabara shot the people a wary glance as Yami nodded,
"I don't trust rich people, Ryuu told me not to." Kurama chuckled slightly at this,
"Ryuu is your guardian?" She nodded,
"Mmhmm, he helps me learn all about the human world," she glanced at the two humans next to her, "such strange creatures too…"
"Here we are," the man cut in, "You will be staying here," he looked at Yami, "I assume your guest is as well." She shrugged,
"I'm a freeloader," she said, using the word Ryuu often called her when she was lazy. He hummed slightly before walking off, handing Kurama the keys.
"Wow," Kuwabara gaped at the lovely room, "I don't think they could've fit any more fancy stuff in here if they tried." He set Yusuke down on the couch, Yami plopping down soon after,
"Seriously." They all looked up when a knock was heard, a man pushing a cart walking in,
"Coffee here, courtesy of the hotel," he set the cups down before leaving.
"Careful, these fancy guys might be trying to poison us," Kuwabara stared into his cup, making Yami set hers down. Kurama shook his head at the two,
"Does that really make any sense? Why would they go through all the trouble of inviting us and testing us if they'd just poison us before the fight even starts?" Embarrassed, Yami grabbed hers again, but Kuwabara dug through his bag for a can of soda,
"I don't really care what you say, I'm sticking with these." Kurama paused, looking at the single cup on the table,
"Shouldn't there be two," he muttered. Yami looked at it,
"Looks like we have a guest," Yami spoke softly as everyone turned to see a young boy sipping on the cup.
"How'd you get in here?" Kurama asked, everyone's hands poised to attack if need be.
"Maybe he was hiding in here," Kuwabara suggested.
"Nope! I walked through the door like a good boy after you got in~" he grinned brightly.
"Cute!" Yami squealed softly as the kid, Rinku, continued to talk.
"Don't you think you're talking to much?" She jumped when a new voice was heard.
"I was just saying howdy to our enemies Zeru~" Rinku smiled up at him.
"Have a nice night; it is your last with the living. Soon you'll look like your coffee cup," Zeru spoke calmly before walking out with the boy.
"What?" Kuwabara was cut off when the cup split in half, spilling its contents all over the table.
"You didn't have to be rude about it jerk!" Yami shouted, glaring at the door as the temperature dropped in the room. Kurama set a hand on her shoulder,
"Calm down," he ordered softly, "you'll freeze the humans." Blinking, Yami swept away the cold when she saw Kuwabara shiver.
"Sorry," she muttered, "stupid demon had to make a stupid mess," she continued to mutter to herself as she went to the kitchen to find a towel. Everyone watched in slight amusement as she cleaned up,
"I'm going to bed," she yawned slightly, "You all need to as well, big day tomorrow." They nodded, heading to their rooms as she bunked on the couch, anticipation for the day to come.
0*0*0*0*0*0
Yami twisted her hands in nervousness, walking with the boys into the ring, flashing her fake pass as a medical examiner to the guard. "Okay guys," she stopped them, flashing a bright smile, "do your best!" Most of them nodded back as she dragged Yusuke to the wall of the ring, watching as Kuwabara volunteered to fight Rinku. "You've got this Kuwabara!" she shouted, giving him a thumb's up. he grinned back as Koto began the match. They watched as Kuwabara began to try and hit the smaller demon as Rinku threw insults out. Rinku easily wrapped his killer yo-yos around the teen, flying him high into the air.
"YUSUKE WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GO HELP YOUR FRIEND!" I looked in horror to see Botan, Keiko, and Shizuru. Yami ran to the wall, easily scaling it before running to where the girls were, causing them to blink in surprise.
"What are you all doing here?" she hissed quietly, glaring at Botan.
"Yami?" Keiko asked confused. The demon sighed lightly, offering a small smile,
"Didn't you know," she joked, "I'm a demon." She blinked in shock,
"W-What?" Yami sighed,
"I'll explain later?" Yami offered, nodding politely to Shizuru. She jerked back when Kuwabara dropped from the sky, "No," she gasped, hopping back into the ring, watching as Kuwabara stuck the landing with his sword. Both Rinku and Kuwabara were both out of the ring, but Kuwabara got up faster and began hopping to the rink when Yusuke insulted him in his sleep.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY URAMESHI!?" he yelled, changing directions and trying to go to Yusuke.
"What are you doing idiot?! The ring is the other way!" Yami yelled. He glared at her,
"I'm getting Urameshi back!" he growled as Rinku tightened the yo-yos and hopped onto the rink, declaring him winner. Yami froze, a cold wind surrounding her as she stalked over to the larger boy,
"Kuwabara," she hissed. He gulped, begging to shiver as she sighed, offering him a hand and pulling him up.
"Sorry…" She smiled softly, rolling her eyes as she walked with him to the wall, seeing as Botan was with Yusuke. Watching carefully, she saw Hiei offer to take on Zeru, the leader. Agreeing, Zeru walked up to the ring, Hiei hopping up with him, smirking cockily. Yami watched anxiously as Zeru began to throw fireballs , forcing Hiei to dodge, tensing as Zeru commented on the Jagan, calling it a fake eye.
"Idiot, even I know that you don't insult something as powerful as the Jagan," Yami whispered. Hiei laughed coldly,
"You know, the Jagan practically has a mind of its own," he stated as dark flames began to surround him, "insulting it is not wise." The entire ring watched in awe at the Dragon of Darkness technique as it burned Zeru into nothingness. Yami felt her own pull to the dragon, starting with a tightness in her chest before flames erupted beneath her skin.
"Hey Yami, you okay?" Kuwabara asked, watching as the small girl's frame began shaking, her face gaining colour and sweat begin to bead on her forehead. She nodded weakly,
"F-Fine," she croaked. Botan, concerned about Yami's reaction, walked over and grabbed her hand,
"Maybe you should sit down," she offered. Yami nodded, not able to get any words out as the dragon began to settle. Botan gently set her near Yusuke as Hiei hopped out of the ring, glancing at her.
"G-Great job H-Hiei," she smiled weakly.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, hiding his arm.
"Fire doesn't do so well with ice," Botan offered, smiling brightly. Hiei turned and walked off as Yami slumped against the wall,
"Did you see him?" she smiled, "my little brother's got the dragon too~" She closed her eyes, waiting for her strength to come back as she took a small nap.
0*0*0*0*0*0
When she woke up, Yami was back in the hotel room.
"Hey! You're awake!" Kuwabara smiled down at her, holding some cards in his hands. She yawned as she sat up,
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sleep that long, what did I miss?" A fist came down on her head,
"You missed my fight!" a familiar voice growled as she clutched her head.
"Yusuke!" she smiled brightly, looking up at the teen. "How'd you wake up?"
"He fought a drunkard," Kurama walked in, "the smell of alcohol woke him up."
"Kurama," Yami frowned, seeing the scar on his face, "are you okay?" He brushed the mark with his fingertips,
"I'm fine, simply a scratch." His eyes narrowed, "Though I am quite curious as to why you reacted so badly to the dragon…" Yami stared calmly at him, her eyes cold as a smile grew on her face,
"Simply a bad reaction, nothing more." He mirrored her expression with a polite smile,
"Of course, I assume ice and fire don't get along quite well."
"You'd be surprised." The two humans backed away at the polite smiles and cold eyes,
"Uh, yeah… Yami, Botan wanted to talk to you before I forget." Turning to Yusuke, she smiled normally,
"Of course, I'll go find her." Without another glance at the fox, she walked out.
"That was weird," Kuwabara muttered, looking at Kurama, "I wonder what that was all about." Kurama smiled at him,
"Nothing at all, simply a bad question… I'll go with her to make sure that she finds Botan."
'What wasthat about, fox?' a familiar voice asked.
'I'm not sure, but I intend to find out.' He followed the koorime's path, finding her easily seeing as she was sitting on a wall outside the hotel, glaring at passerby's. standing next to her, he looked straight ahead,
"Care to explain?"
"I don't answer to you fox," she muttered, pulling her hood over her head.
"I can find ways to force you," he stated. She looked up at him,
"You've known me for a day, what makes me so sure I can trust you?"
"You can't," he agrees. She sighed, looking down,
"Since you're so eager with your questions, I simply have a, what would you humans say, 'allergic reaction' to that much fire power, that's all."
"I see." You could tell that he didn't believe her.
"Hey Kurama," she spoke up before pausing, "what's Hiei like?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Curious."
"Secluded."
"Lonely then?" Kurama hummed in agreement as Yami stood up,
"Thanks, I'm going to go find Botan then…" He nodded, watching her go,
'I don't trust her.'
'Hiei, just because she asked about you doesn't mean she's planning to destroy you.'
'I am not secluded, or lonely, stupid fox.' Kurama chuckled,
'Of course not.'
'Just watch her.'
'Sure, I must admit I'm curious as well...'