Chapter 10: Byakko vs Hayami
Third POV
Hayami's water mirror appeared again, and it showed Botan, Ryuji and Ranumi. She showed it to Yusuke and the others, despite that Kuwabara is still on the ground.
"Yusuke, this is Botan. You copy?" Botan said,
"Sure." Yusuke replied,
"Hey, tell them I said hi!" Kuwabara said and received a slap on the head from Hayami.
"How are things in maze castle? Please tell me you have defeated three of the four saint beasts by now." Ranumi said, worriedly,
"What? Are you crazy, Ranumi? We've barely beaten two of them." Yusuke said, "These guys aren't easy."
"I understand Yusuke, but I'm afraid that it is not fast enough." Ryuji said, "The city is losing its grip. The mayor said that these victims under the makai are thinking that they are just insane. So far the police have detained the ones controlled by the makai, but it won't be long before the police are infected as well."
"Okay, I get it." Yusuke said,
"I hope you do." Ranumi said then screamed at another one of the affected victims.
Ryuji pulled both of them out of the way and kicked him on the head.
"Sorry about that. As you can see, we're quite busy here as well." Botan said,
Hayami nodded and made the water mirror disappear.
"See ya later girls." Kuwabara said it was too late,
"Hayami hung up." Yusuke said, "Stupid. You can't be too injured if you're still flirting."
"Shut up." Kuwabara said,
"Well, shall we go then?" Kurama suggested as they all nodded,
Suddenly a loud roar was heard and the ground they were standing on started to shake.
"Don't tell me..." Yusuke said,
"He's alive." Kurama said as the ground starts to crack. "Hurry, it's collapsing."
They all run towards the next tower, while Hiei carried Hayami bridal style and jumped up to the tower podium. She was caught off guard and was flustered after that. She was thankful no one, but Hiei saw that as he smirked at the look on her face.
'Hiei! You didn't have to do that!'
'Don't want to get left behind now, do you?' Hiei smirked upon seeing her reaction.
Hayami just looked away from him, trying to calm down her flustered face. Everyone got there in time as they watched the stone platform crumble and fall off. Byakko's voice then starts echoing through the hallway of the castle, saying that Kuwabara became a worthy prey.
"Hey, aren't you dead yet?!" Kuwabara said,
"Ha! Very much alive. But to award your strength, I suggested to come to my lair. My room of hell." Byakko said,
"And what if we say no?" Kurama asked,
"You don't want to say no." Byakko said,
They all run inside to see a door. They pushed open as a warm and hot air welcomed them.
"Oh, that's great, now we're like walking into a preheated oven." Yusuke said,
"Who cares, as long as it leads to Byakko." Kuwabara said,
"Okay, then you go first." Yusuke suggested,
"Let's get in." Hayami said as they all walked towards a bright yellow light, until
"Give me a break!" Yusuke stepped back a little as he said that. "I guess room of hell isn't just a clever name. That's..."
"Lava." Kuwabara finished for him as he stripped off a bit of his sleeve and dropped it on the boiling lava and burned it into ash. "Woah, okay. We better not fall into that guys."
"Quite the view, isn't it? Welcome to my liar, I come here to play." Byakko said as he stood on one of the pillared platforms, crossing his arms.
"He's back to normal." Kuwabara said,
"Monster! You pissed me off!" Yusuke said,
"As you can see, the room is filled with lava that can melt your bodies in under a minute." Byakko said, "Now, who shall come and fight me?"
"You got that right, Byakko!" Kuwabara said,
"There's no need to push yourself." Hiei said, "You have fought well enough. Now let Yusuke take this fight so you could heal the next time we need you."
"I'm sorry shorty, but you see I can't do that." Kuwabara said, making Hayami raise a brow. "You see I got this thing called a code and it says 'Not matter how ugly a fight gets I always finish it. Even if it means risking my life'." He took off his jacket and threw it on a pillared platform.
"Teh. A human with an honor code." Hiei scoffed as Hayami rolled her eyes.
'That's it, I'm fighting in his place.'
'No, you're not, Onna.'
'Hiei, I didn't just come here to watch all of you get your butts get kicked. I'm fighting rather you like it or not.'
"You can't argue with the guy. He's like a mule." Yusuke said,
"Yes, he's almost as stubborn as you." Kurama said to Yusuke,
"Let's go!" Kuwabara said as he was about to jump onto the pillars until Hayami made him trip and fell on his face. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR HAYAMI?!" He asked her,
"You're already injured enough from the last fight, and do you even think that you could beat him in this state you're in?" Hayami stated and crossing her arms. "SO, SUCK UP YOUR PRIDE AND LET ME TAKE THIS DAMN FIGHT!" She yelled at him, making Yusuke flinch from the sudden outburst.
"W-What?! But...But you're a girl!" Kuwabara said,
She raised an eyebrow at him, "So what?" She asked, in annoyance.
"Well, I just don't think it's okay for girls to fight." He said,
"You obviously don't know, Hayami." Hiei said as the two looked at him,
"I have to agree with Hiei." Kurama said as he nods, "You'll soon appreciate what her power can do, other than healing wounds and creating a water mirror."
"I'm not your average girl." Hayami said as she took off her green coat, leaving her in a light blue t-shirt and her mother's scarf wrapped around her waist. "Just you remember that I'm just half human and half demon. Besides, I can't let you boys have all the fun." She smirked,
Yusuke's eyes widen to see that she has a sword attached to the back of her waist.
"Since when do you carry a freakin' sword?" Yusuke asked, pointing at the sword,
"Since I was a child." Hayami replied as she jumped onto the pillared platform and faced Byakko.
"Do you really think you can beat me, little girl?" Byakko asked, "I could easily rip you apart. At least I could end the legacy of Lady Wakumi."
"I don't go down that easily, kitty." She smirked at him.
"What's with the deal with this 'Lady Wakumi' person? I mean who is she anyways and what does this got to do with Hayami?" Kuwabara asked,
"Lady Wakumi's name is very well known throughout demon world. Some reasons are for her incredible amount of power and the way she only lives to serve and protect." Kurama explained, "But the most common was her having a child who was born half human in the demon raise. And that child is Hayami."
"Wait, Hayami's mom is a demon?" Kuwabara asked,
"Yeah. She's a real celebrity for demons huh." Yusuke said sarcastically,
"Fool. Ever since Hayami was born, many apparitions wanted to kill her in order to gain the title of killing a half-breed. I will admit that I was one of them, but that was different." Hiei said looking at the girl that he laid his eyes on for years.
"Yes." Kurama smiled,
"So, what happened to her mom?" Kuwabara asked,
"She sacrificed herself in order to keep her family safe. Lady Wakumi gave all her powers to Hayami without her even realizing." Kurama explained, "Until she went on a blinding rage as the power that her mother gave to her was very immense, it nearly killed her in trying to avenge her mother's death."
"Yeah, but so far Hayami has been in control of her power ever since." Yusuke said, "And it did help her after training with the old hag."
"She doesn't have full control over some of that power." Hiei said, making everyone look at him.
"What do you know, shorty?" Kuwabara asked,
"If Hayami loses control over her emotions or goes into another blinding rage, that same energy burst in demon world might happen again." Hiei explained, "One thing she doesn't want is losing the lives of the ones she cared about the most."
"She's really that attached to her loved ones huh?" Kuwabara said,
"Hayami has a difficulty in trusting others growing up in demon world until they could prove themselves that they are worth her trust and not willing to break it, her loyalty is undeniably strong." Kurama explained,
"Why do you think she didn't let you fight Byakko this time, Kuwabara?" Yusuke told him, "It's a sign of respect she has for you."
"Come at me Byakko! Or are you that scared because I'm the one you're facing." Hayami said to the white tiger in front of her.
"Ha! Actually, I was planning on using a different type of an attack." Byakko said as he grabbed his throat,
Hayami sensed powerful energy coming out of him as she prepared herself for the attack.
"Something powerful is coming." Kurama said,
"Very." Hiei said,
Byakko's roar then turned into a yellow electrical orb, coming out of his throat.
"So, it does, exist." Hiei said,
"Never thought I would see that." Hayami muttered to herself as she dodged the attack and landed in the pillar next to her.
She saw the pillar she was once standing on was now destroyed and turned into ashes, including the jacket Kuwabara had.
"Hey, my jacket." Kuwabara said, sadly.
"Did you like that? I call my Tiger Scream." Byakko said, "It can destroy anything it touches and turn them into a pile of ash."
"For years I have heard a fighter who can break molecular bonds with the vibration of his voice." Hiei said, standing on the edge of the platform they are standing. "I never thought I'd meet him."
"So, wait, Hayami can't use any of her water powers on the attack?" Yusuke asked,
"No. It would cause a chain reaction that could destroy her entire spirit." Hiei explained,
Hayami held a determined face as she brought out her sword.
"What will her sword do? Won't it just get destroyed?" Kuwabara asked,
"Maybe, but by the look on her face, she's very determined and confident that she would win." Kurama said as they looked at their female fighter.
Byakko then started to fire multiple of his tiger screams at Hayami as she continued to dodge and landed from pillar to pillar.
"Try dodging this, Tiger Claw!" Byakko said as he fired multiple claw-like daggers in Hayami's direction.
Hayami created her signature water ring and threw it toward the upcoming attacks and bend back, barely avoiding the attacks.
"Talk about flexible." Yusuke said in shock and in awe at how well she skillfully avoided the attacks.
Hayami landed on another pillar, almost to where Byakko is standing. She took note of her surroundings to see if she has nowhere else to jump on.
'Okay, time to be risky.' She told to herself as she stood up, putting her sword away for now.
Byakko then told her that she had nowhere else to run because all the near pillars she jumped to are all gone except for the one he is standing on.
"Hayami! Don't just stand there and do something!" Yusuke yelled to her, but she ignored it.
Hayami took a deep breath and jumped her farthest. But she only jumped halfway.
"She didn't make it." Kurama said,
"Hayami!" Yusuke yelled,
Hayami created a bow and arrow and shoot it onto Byakko's pillar.
"Ha-ha! You couldn't even land on the pillar, and you missed me completely." Byakko just laughed and failed to notice,
After shooting the arrow, she made the string of water into a solid rope and swung herself above the lava, going up behind Byakko.
"Who said that was aimed for you?" Hayami said as he was now above him.
"What?!" Byakko said in surprise,
Hayami quickly took out her sword, transferring her energy into the sword as it transformed into a silver-blue blade.
"This is aimed for you!" Hayami said as she swings her sword, creating an energy wave toward Byakko. "DRAGON WAVE!" She yelled as she watched her attack heading straight for Byakko.
The attack collided with the beast and exploded, causing the pillar to crumble and Byakko to fall into the lava. Hayami landed on the pillar unharmed, smirking at the boys who are in awe of what she did.
"All right, Hayami!" Yusuke said as Hayami swiftly went over to them. "I shouldn't underestimate you now, can I?" He said,
"Yeah, you took him out in one blow with your- Woah what happened to your sword?!" Kuwabara said as he pointed to the transformed sword she was holding,
"Simply transferred some of my energy to the sword, creating the weapon to produce a powerful wave of energy with a single swing." Hayami explained as she turned the sword back to normal and put it away.
"You haven't even broken a sweat. I'm jealous." Yusuke said as Hiei handed her green coat, and she gladly took it.
"Hayami, that attack you just did. Was it your mother's moves?" Kurama asked,
"Yes, it was. The dragon wave." She said,
"Eeek! Dragon?!" Kuwabara said,
"Yup. The truth is father was the one who taught my mother that move and just past it down to me during my training with Genkai." Hayami said,
"Hn. So, it means that you currently possess the water dragon in you." Hiei said as she nodded,
Kuwabara and Yusuke paled as they looked at the half-breed and imagined her releasing a water dragon and starts flooding the place.
Hayami looked at them and slapped their faces. "If you two are thinking that I'll be releasing my water dragon, well it's not happening anytime soon." She said,
"Hehe Good to know." Yusuke said nursing his cheek.
"Yeah." Kuwabara nodded,
"Well, we should keep going." Yusuke said as they all passed the 'room of hell' and ran up more stairs.
Hiei's POV
I couldn't help but be in awe of Hayami right now. She has definitely gotten stronger over the years, and I couldn't help but feel more attracted to her. She has made my heart go crazy for her. She's definitely passed my expectations.
I then thought of the ring I gave her earlier this morning. I know I already gave her time to decide but couldn't help but be impatient about her decision. I already promised myself to never leave her once I found her and I don't plan on breaking that.
Her father, Ryuji trusted me with his daughter's life, and I will do anything to keep her safe, even if she doesn't ask for it. The same goes to my dear sister, Yukina. Wherever she might be, I hope that I would find her soon.