InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Darkness ❯ Hubris ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

 

Hubris

 

Kagome staggered into her room and fell onto the bed as the wound started to annoy her. She'd gone overboard in waiting to use the backlash wave, and the dragon's youki had coursed into the wound on her chest. Blood now began to soak through her armor, and she took it off with inhuman speed.

As the last piece of armor fell to the ground, she looked at the long stream of blood rolling from her chest, where the small knick had widened to be a long, jagged cut.

“Damnit…”

She walked to the bathroom and began to run the water while pulling the medical supplies out of her bag.

“Kagome?” a soft voice asked outside the door.

“Hey, Keiko.”

“Are you alright?”

“I'm fine,” Kagome sighed as the tub reached an acceptable level of water.

As she slid in, the water instantly turned pink.

“Are you sure? There's blood all over the floor! Is Yusuke alright?”

“Yusuke's fine. He'll be here in a few minutes.”

“Why are you back? Did the fight last long?”

“The fight took a while, but nobody got hurt in the end.”

“Nobody but you, right?”

“I can handle pain,” Kagome sighed through the door.

“This amount of blood… Kagome, can I come in for a second?”

“I don't see why not,” Kagome sighed. The door slowly opened and Keiko entered. The second her eyes fell on Kagome's cut, they widened almost comically.

“Oh my god! Did the demon you were against do that!?”

“No. It was a demon before the fight… Though my opponent certainly didn't help it. Stop worrying, it'll be fine.”

Bronze energy flowed from the wound and slowly, it closed.

“I'm dizzy,” Kagome sighed as all of the power she'd recently used caught up to her. With a groan, her eyes closed and she blacked out…

 

Yusuke knocked on the door before throwing it wide open.

“Keiko, have you seen Kagome?”

Keiko turned on her knees and shushed him before turning back around. The men gathered around her to find Kagome, reeking of blood and having the uneven breathing of someone unconscious.

Around her body was a small, jagged coating of golden energy.

“What the hell happened to her!?”

“I don't know… She was bleeding all over the place, and then she fell unconscious in the shower…”

“The onna's wound was rather large,” Hiei sighed. When all of them looked at him, he glared. “The wound she received before showing up at the arena was a cut to her chest. The dragon's youki, along with all of the power that she used in her attack made that small scrape into a rather large, scarring wound.”

“That's along the lines of what she was saying before she blacked out,” Keiko said sadly, not noticing the speculative looks the others were giving the apparition.

“How is it, Hiei, that you happen to know how a supposed wound came to be?” Kurama asked suspiciously.

“Ain't it obvious? The little prick used his Jagan to spy on her,” Yusuke growled.

“I wasn't spying, fool. She was in a rather dangerous fight, and I was observing to see if her powers were anything to fear.”

“I see… And what was your answer?”

Hiei looked down at the miko and frowned.

“She has a rather dangerous edge when using her more secretive powers… I believe that, despite my own biases, that we can trust her long enough to get through this tournament.”

“And just what kind of `power' was she using!?” Yusuke yelled again. Keiko jumped up and grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the door while the other three followed.

“What the hell, Keiko!?”

“You're going to wake her up if you keep yelling, Yusuke,” she scolded.

“I don't give a damn! She's got explaining to do!”

Hiei grabbed Yusuke's arm and he glared at the apparition.

“What!? Do you have something to say, Hiei? You seem to be protective of her,” Yusuke accused.

“I would suggest, detective, that you shut up. If you remember, she gave you permission to look into it yourself, so let the onna rest from taking on a high S-Class demon by herself while I was being eaten by a dragon. Not that she owes any of us a damned thing.”

With that, he released a stunned Yusuke and vanished.

“Did… Hiei just defend someone's honor?” Kuwabara asked with awe in his voice.

“The guy's nuts! I swear that he's got to be screwing her,” Yusuke sighed as he looked at where the apparition had been.

“What makes you say that?” Kurama asked curiously.

“That's not the first time he's defended that bitch,” Yusuke growled.

Suddenly, there was a burst of power from inside the previously occupied room and Yusuke was suddenly being pressed against the wall with a massive, crushing wind. The door in front of the surprised team slowly opened and Kagome stepped out, her eyes as golden as the aura wrapped around her.

“You will not insult this woman,” she said in a dark, cruel voice.

“Who the hell are you!?” Yusuke choked out.

“I'm Kagome's demonic instincts. And I don't like it when someone who literally knows nothing about her insults her.”

“Screw you!”

She walked past the others and wrapped a claw lightly around his throat.

“Listen well, mazoku. Kagome, as a demonic miko who gained powers through souls of the dead as well as someone that killed a priest to defend a hanyo, is still purer than a man like you will ever be,” she said darkly.

Yusuke snarled at her and began to swing her fist. Suddenly, a strong wind caught his fist and Kagome smirked.

“I'd advise against that. Kagome may be on your side, but I have no allegiances to you. I suggest that you play nice with her, or I'll be sure to come back. And I won't be this nice next time.”

The crushing wind as well as her fist left Yusuke and he fell to the ground, retching as Kagome turned toward the room.

“Oh, and one more thing. While that apparition Hiei seems to be rather interesting to me, Kagome seems to have legitimate emotions regarding him. Kagome hasn't felt legitimate emotion toward anyone since I was born. So, I'd be rather angry if you were to screw that up for her. Do you understand me?” she asked, her body freezing in place. Yusuke glared at her back and a dark chuckle left her.

“Good. Now, if you'd all be so considerate, both Kagome and I need some sleep.”

She slid through the doorway and suddenly, the power emanating from Kagome vanished, along with the darkness throughout the hallway.

“Well that was rather… interesting,” Kurama observed. “Perhaps we should leave her alone, for the night.”

“Whatever,” Yusuke growled before walking to their room, Keiko holding his arm tightly to her…

 

Hiei silently slid into the room, staring at the bronze energy surrounding the only occupant.

Of course, he'd disappeared to see what kind of reaction he'd get, but the onna's instincts hadn't been what he'd expected. He'd found the detective's pummeling rather amusing, but Kagome's, albeit unconscious, confession of feelings had him rather nervous. Nobody felt emotions like what she'd described towards him, a Forbidden Child.

He sat against the windowsill, watching her as she slept.

As time passed, he found that the barrier around her mind had slackened slightly. He carefully slipped into her mind and found that he was seeing her dream…

 

Dream

 

“Inuyasha,” a feminine voice said as though it were question.

“Yeah?”

“I think I'm having a weird dream.”

“Well,” a man with long, silver hair said before dropping down next to her, “what do you think?”

“I don't know… Usually, I only have these kind of dreams when I have a serious moral dilemma to deal with,” Kagome sighed.

“Well, what kind of problem do you have right now?”

“I have three, and all of them are getting to me…”

“Well, it's your dream. So, what's the problem, wench?” Inuyasha asked, brining a smile to her face at the familiar tone and actions.

“Well, first off, I have to kill Naraku…”

“So? You did it before.”

“Before, I was in the heat of the moment, and I acted without thinking about what I was doing… But now, I have time to think about it. I know that he's evil and has to die, but for some reason I have this creeping feeling that my morals are going to get in my way.”

“Well, you always were over the top in your kindness. But I think that you'll do what's right, out of duty if nothing else,” he sighed. “So what else is bugging you?”

“I'm starting to let hatred consume me… That dragon that I fought with hadn't really done anything overly bad, that I know of. But just the fact that he was related to one of the three demons that killed Midoriko made me explode. I killed him using a horrifically tormenting method…”

“Mikos are born to hate demons,” Inuyasha said with a shrug. “Maybe it's just catching up to you now.”

“But I don't hate demons. I just hate those demons. And I don't even know why. If it hadn't been for the jewel, I never would have met you or anyone else. I would have lived a long, boring, unfulfilling life without it… But I just feel so angry lately…”

“Well, I think that you secretly resent the jewel. You were its protector and you were the one that had that destiny forced on you. Had it not happened, you never would have met any of your friends, and you wouldn't have suffered their deaths.”

“That's a good point… You know, I think I'd prefer if you went back to talking like Inuyasha and not me,” she sighed.

“Alright. So what's your other problem?”

“Hiei… You know, I don't know when it started or why it did, but I started feeling attracted to him…”

“And you feel bad about that because… he's a Forbidden Child?” Inuyasha asked, gauging her reaction.

“No! That's got nothing to do with it… I was in love with yo… Inuyasha… for a few years, and he was also called a `half-breed.' It angers me when people insult anyone because of how they were born. I feel bad because I think falling in love with someone will be a grave insult to yo… Inuyasha's memory.”

“Why? Think about it for a second. His dying words were admitting that he loved you. But he did die. It would be more of an insult to his memory if you suffered for the rest of your life because you think you can't love anyone.”

Kagome looked down at the ground as tears fell.

“I don't know what to do… And, not only am I so screwed up since everyone died that I don't feel anything for anybody but my children, but I think that I scare him. Let that sink in for a second. I scare a psychic demon that had a Jagan implanted into his forehead to control a dragon from the very depths of hell…”

“Hm… Maybe you should just ask him what he thinks when you wake up.”

“I can't do that… Everyone close to me is dead because of me… I can't let anyone else close to me.”

“You say that, but you keep those children under you. Obviously, you still have people that are close to you,” he sighed.

“I know… Well, thank you for the advice,” she sighed before everything faded to darkness…

End of Dream

 

Hiei's eyes widened as her mind shut itself again.

His mind was racing at the possible implications of the dream. For starters, she'd just admitted that she had emotions, in her own mind's control, towards him. Of course, it was a dream and Hiei, being the psychic that he was, knew better than most that lies could be told in dreams. But he hadn't felt a single speck of dishonesty in that dream.

That brought up other things in his mind. For starters, how attractive he suddenly found her with the possibility of actually having her. She was incredible compared to most women, with her tanned skin and brilliant eyes, though the color seemed to change on a whim.

Her curved body would drive most men, human and demon, insane. And Hiei knew this, looking back to when they'd met and how he'd reacted to her very presence. She'd made him absolutely furious when she hadn't shown any fear, but he respected power more than anything else in the world. And she definitely had power.

So, that answered whether or not he was attracted to her. Did he like her? Well, he didn't technically `like' anyone, but she was almost as close as Yukina came. Did he trust her? Again, he didn't trust anyone, but she'd certainly shown she wasn't treacherous. So, it came down to a simple question; how did he feel about her?

The answer to that question was enigmatic to him. But, he certainly didn't hate her, so that was probably a good place to start, considering she would be asking him when she woke up…

 

Kagome awoke with a groan as the place where her wound had been was now healed. The spot itself had a strange, burning sensation, but she somehow knew that whatever was in her was being eradicated by her body's defenses.

As her eyes slid open, she realized someone was in the room with her. She quickly sat up to find Hiei staring at her from the windowsill.

“Umm… good morning? Where is everyone?”

“You put on quite an interesting show, so they decided to let you rest,” he said with a shrug.

“An interesting show?”

“Yes. Your demon instincts woke up when the detective insulted you. It was rather amusing to watch how much humiliation he faced.”

Kagome blushed at that.

“Umm… What exactly did… my demon instincts do?”

“You pinned the fool to a wall and then gave him a rather… interesting… lecture on how to treat you.”

“Huh?”

“Your demon instincts told him that if he doesn't learn to shut up, they'll kill him,” Hiei clarified.

“Oh… How'd that go over?”

“I'm currently the only one in here with you, if that's any clue,” he said with a shrug.

“I see… Why is that, exactly?”

“I don't sleep, and you seemed like the kind of person to attract enemies in your sleep.”

Kagome's blush darkened and Hiei smirked.

“I didn't, right?”

“Hm?”

“Attract enemies in my sleep, I mean,” she clarified.

“No,” he sighed. “The semi-finals start in twenty minutes, so it would most likely be a good idea to get moving,” he said as he slid down from the windowsill.

“Alright… Hiei?”

“What, onna?”

“Umm… If I were to say I was attracted to you, what would the reaction be?” she asked sheepishly.

“I'm interested,” he said shortly, making her eyes widen. “I think we should discuss it after the fight is over and before the finals.”

“Alright…”

“Oh, and you should know something, onna. Using a spell to get us off the island and killing yourself fighting Naraku would be less than useless.”

“How did you-”

“It's not important,” Hiei cut in. “Just something else we should discuss, so get dressed, onna,” he said before disappearing. With a fogged mind, Kagome quickly dressed and found her teammates outside in the hallway. She didn't miss the glances from Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara as she stepped out in her armor.

“What, no disguise today?” Kuwabara asked suspiciously.

“Once the demons on this island know I have something, then there's no point hiding it. So, the armor, my sword, my claws, my fangs, and about half of my attacks are usable to me without giving anything away right now.”

“Interesting. Planning to surprise Naraku?” Kurama asked curiously.

“Yeah. I'm not about to let him know what I can and can't do until I have to,” she sighed. “So, where's the new arena?”

“We're going there now. Keiko, hang on tight,” Yusuke said before putting his wife on his back much like a certain dog demon had done long ago for Kagome. The memories threatened to bring tears to her eyes, but she absolutely refused to give in to the sadness. The team took off and in five minutes, they were in front of a massive, crowded dome.

As they walked inside, Kagome felt several familiar auras and looked up into the audience.

“Isn't that your boss?” Kagome asked, pointing at the tall man with mousy brown hair next to an ogre.

“Oh, damnit,” Yusuke sighed.

“He was rather persistent on coming,” a voice said next to them. Out of a small portal appeared the ferrywoman, and Yusuke groaned.

“Why the hell did you come here?”

“Why, to see you fight, of course. It's not every day I get to enjoy seeing everyone at their top games.”

“I'm afraid Youko isn't interested in the matches today,” Kurama sighed, catching Botan's glance toward him. Suddenly, they both blushed as their eyes locked and they quickly looked away.

“Is there any kind of dangerous secret we'll need to know today, Kagome?” Yusuke suddenly asked the miko.

“Oh, there are several dozen, but none of them will be effective. Just know that most of what Naraku says is a lie, and the things that aren't lies are usually unfortunate situations that he himself creates to bring the result he wants.”

“I see… Well, that's a rather unfortunate enemy to be fighting if you trust someone,” Kurama sighed.

“Yeah, but don't worry. None of you trust me to begin with, so it's not like any of it will be lost, right?” she said before looking toward the end of a nearby corridor with poorly-hidden rage. “I'll see you guys in a bit.”

She ran down the hall and found two dark, golden eyes staring at her.

“So, you look like Inuyasha,” she observed. “Are you another puppet, or are you an illusion?”

His eyes widened at that and he stepped forward.

“What are you talking about, wench? It's me.”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever you are, I'll bring this up again. I watched Inuyasha die and I watched his soul pass on.”

“Yeah, that's true, but I'm reincarnated.”

“No way in hell,” she bit out. “You don't smell like Inuyasha.”

“Well, no shit, wench! I'm not Inuyasha, just his reincarnation.”

“Bull! Your youki's completely different. You're a complete demon, and you're not even a dog demon at that. Some things might change through reincarnation, but the only thing you've got in common is that you look exactly like him. Now get out of my face or I'll kill-”

Suddenly, Naraku appeared between the two, and both demons growled at him.

“I'd heard you returned, mutt,” he said offhandedly. “Kagome, I don't care if your big protector's back or not, I'll make you suffer for destroying the jewel.”

“One, I'm not scared of you. Two, that's not Inuyasha.”

She sniffed the air and turned a snarl toward the silver-haired demon.

“And three, he smells like you.”

“Very good!” the man said in Inuyasha's voice before bowing. “My name is Moriya. I told you she'd notice, Naraku,” he added smugly.

“It matters not. Listen well, Kagome. Moriya is a soul collector as well as a clay witch and a shapeshifter. And he happens to have your dog half-breed's soul. So, let's make a deal, shall we?”

“I don't make deals with bastards like you,” she growled out before walking backwards.

“Oh, so you don't care that his soul hasn't passed on to the reincarnation cycle?”

Her eyes bled red at that.

“I swear to every holy entity in existence, Naraku, that I'll make your death an eternity of agony,” she bit out. “But, luckily, your current threat is bullshit, and we both know it,” she said with a smirk. “Midoriko told me that my friends' souls have already passed on. So there isn't anything to your threat. So, I suggest you and your newest bitch leave, or I'll have to prematurely kill you,” she said before grabbing the hilt of her sword.

“Damn… I told you she wasn't stupid,” Moriya said with a smirk.

Kagome began to draw the Tetsusaiga to emphasize her presence and Naraku growled.

“Fine. So, you've grown out of your naivety… very well then, I'll just have to kill you with my own hands.”

With that, both of them vanished, and Kagome slid her sword back into its sheath as she headed back.

“What the hell? I thought I sensed that sword of yours,” Yusuke growled in frustration as she reappeared next to them in the arena.

“You did. Listen, guys. Naraku's team seems to have some irritating powers, so I'll run them down for you before the finals.”

“You don't believe we'll find out by watching their fight after ours?” Kurama asked.

“No. They're going to hide their powers until the end. Luckily, it's hard to hide things from me,” she said as the seats filled to the brink with demons standing near the entrance of the arena.

“Five minutes until the semi-finals start,” the announcer's voice said over the loudspeaker system in the massive arena.

Kagome quickly walked down to the ring and sighed as several demons tried to grab at her. All of them were inexplicably lit on fire, which made any other perverted demons back off while Kagome sent a covert wink to Hiei, who was glaring at the demons around her.

“So, you're the tough little bitch everyone's been going on about?” a small demon said with a laugh. “You're just some human with youki! You're nothing impressive!”

He turned to a massive woman with silver eyes and smirked.

“Can I fight this one!?”

Kagome knelt down at that and smiled, making sure to show her fangs.

“So, you're part of the opponent team, huh?”

She inspected his youki and had to hold in a laugh at the difference between him and the other four people behind him.

“What are you? The mascot?”

He growled at her and her smile vanished.

“Listen, if you want to live, don't get on my bad side,” she growled before standing up.

“You seem to be stronger than you let on,” a scaly man observed as his green eyes trailed over her. “I think that I'll just have to see what you're hiding.”

“I doubt it,” she said with a shrug. “But you can try it out.”

“Wait! I want to put the bitch in her place,” a large, pale demon groaned.

“Wow… So many demons wanting to kill me at once. It's like the good old days. But I can only beat one of you, unfortunately,” she sighed.

“Oh? So I take it nobody's informed you of the rules of the semi-finals, then?” the small man asked.

“No, I haven't really gotten been informed of anything throughout this tournament. So what are the rules?”

“The teams fight as a whole in this round,” the scaly man said.

“So, in other words, we can all fight you at once. I doubt you'll live.”

“So that's how the fight works? So, what happens if you hit your own teammates on accident?”

“They can hit you back,” the man said with a smirk. “You need a good team dynamic for this fight.”

“Oh goody,” she groaned. “Well, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. So, you're all going to come after me at once?”

“Seems like it.”

Kagome didn't want to bring up the flaw in their plan; the massive weakness in defense.

“So, would you five mind if I get to the ring already?” she sighed. They parted and she quickly walked to her team.

“What was that about?”

“Our opponents seem to really like the idea of killing me,” she sighed. “Did any of you hear about the weird way they set up the fights?”

They all looked at her blankly and she sighed.

“Apparently, both teams fight simultaneously, with everybody in the ring at once. At least, that's what they said,” she said with a finger pointed at the demons moving to the opposite side of the ring.

“That seems odd… I'll be right back,” Kurama said before disappearing. They watched as he walked over to the announcer, who blushed as he appeared before her. After a minute of conversing, the redhead nodded and returned.

“And?”

“It would seem that it's true. The teams are to fight at the same time…”

“Alright… This might be really easy, then,” Kagome sighed. “Listen to what I have in mind, since they weren't too hard to get their strategy from. They pretty much broadcasted that they're all after me. So I'll get their attention and you guys beat them, alright?”

“Seems logical,” Kurama said as the announcer began talking into the mic.

“Okay, ladies and gentlemen! The semi-finals of the Dark Tournament are about to begin! For your viewing pleasure, the committee behind this has decided that the teams in the semi-finals will fight together, instead of one match at a time. All members of both opposing teams will be fighting at the same time! With that being said, let the match begin! Team Urameshi versus Team Sage!”

The two teams stepped up onto the ring and all of the opponents looked hungrily at Kagome.

The bell rang and Kagome quickly walked to the center of the ring while the five surrounded her.

“So, who wants to try first?” she asked as her nails grew and hardened.

The scaly man smirked and a long, acidic whip of youki grew from his claws. As she swung it at Kagome, she smirked and grabbed it with her bare hand.

“Oh, so dense. You haven't been paying attention. I can do that too,” she said as the whip dissolved and she swung her own whip, getting the same result.

“I suppose that was to be expected,” he sighed. “So, acid, fire, and spirit energy, as well as that rather large sword of yours… What a hassle.”

Kagome jumped high into the air as the short man spit a mass of youki at her. As she landed, a sword emerged from his throat and his life-force was no more.

“So that's one… Two,” she sighed as another demon got blasted by Yusuke.

“Your friends seem to have no problem going with your plan, eh?”

“Hey, you guys told me what you were going to do. It's not my fault,” she sighed.

“True,” he agreed. “But know that I'm a level above these fools. I can sense your power. I don't know how much you're hiding, but I know it's quite a bit, and I intend to bring it all out!”

He launched forward as a large sword of pure acid formed in his hand.

The Tetsusaiga pulsed and Kagome dove away as the air near his blade turned gray and ashy with the decaying acid.

To her side, she watched as Kurama cut the woman's head off. Her body fell limply to the side before being devoured by a large plant. To her other side, Kuwabara was fighting with a demon that looked like Touya, their blades clashing.

Yusuke and Hiei moved behind the man chasing Kagome, and she smirked.

“So, you know I'm hiding power? Well, I'd love to show you what kind of power I'm hiding, but that just won't happen.”

Wind wrapped around the Tetsusaiga and she looked at her teammates. All of them jumped away as she launched forward.

“Wind Scar!”

She hit the blade in his hand as the youki around her blade exploded. The man quickly dove away, receiving considerably less damage than the audience behind him.

“Well, that was impressive! Was that another wind magic attack?”

“Sort of,” she said with a shrug. “Not many demons can dodge that.”

“Oh, well I'm a demonic sage. I can see into the future,” he said with a shrug.

“Then I guess I'll just have to move faster, won't I?”

She vanished from sight and swung her long, slender leg at him from behind while a bronze sheen of power wrapped around her flesh.

As it hit his head, the power exploded outward. Unfortunately, he moved a second faster and he got away with a graze, albeit a painful one.

“You are fast.”

Kagome quickly analyzed his power and smirked.

“Oh, so that's how it works… Alright then. Guys, get up as high as you can!” she called to her teammates, who instantly lifted high into the air. Kagome sheathed the Tetsusaiga, making sure to cut her hand wide open as she did so.

“Here's a little tribute to some of my old friends.”

She swung her hands out in both directions and watched as the youki-infused blood flew.

“Blade Carnival!”

All of the blood began to glow and suddenly, a massive vortex of youki-infused blades engulfed the ring around them. And then, the blades shot inward and Kagome dropped just as everything in the blades' paths were destroyed.

“You can't avoid something if your opponent doesn't know where it'll hit,” she said as the blades vanished and she stood up to find the man glaring at her, his body riddled with billions of bloody gashes. “What!?”

“That was very good,” he said before coughing up blood. “I'm impressed. Not many people would do that… Especially considering all the youki and blood you'd have to use for that attack…”

Kagome smirked as her hands healed.

“I'm sure it would be a problem for most people. But I can handle it better than you seem to be,” she said as he coughed more blood.

“Ah, but you see, you're wrong… Your power is impressive, but I get stronger with the more damage I receive. I also copy powers… So, I can do something like this!”

He covered his hands in the blood all over his body and clapped them together. A massive blade of poisonous youki-infused blood shot at her, and she quickly dove away.

The edge of the attack hit her and she slammed into the ground with the force of a small freight train. Purple smoke rose from her side, which was now bleeding quite a bit.

“You know, you probably shouldn't have done that,” she said as she shakily rose.

“Oh? Why? You think it was a cheap shot?”

“No. It was my own attack, after all. But you shouldn't have done it because I can do this!”

Kagome extended her hand and a massive spray of poison hit him, making his flesh start to melt.

“What!?”

“Your poison's strong, but mine's from a greater demon than you. You won't survive,” she said before she violently spasmed and her wound tore open wider, leaving a gushing torrent of blood down her side.

“Are you alright?” Yusuke asked as the team finally landed.

“It would seem she's been infected with rather powerful poison,” Kurama observed.

“It's fine. The poison's not the problem. It's the wound that it opened that is,” she groaned as more blood fell and her vision grayed slightly.

The demon fell to the ground, screaming in agony as his flesh slowly liquefied.

“He's not getting back up,” she said to the announcer before staggering toward the edge of the ring. Sure enough, the demon fell to the ground, unconscious before the poison finished his misery off.

“Team… Urameshi is the winner… Does anyone know what just happened, `cause I'm confused,” the cat demon sighed.

Kagome staggered to the tunnel outside and found a white-haired hanyo staring at her with concern.

“Kagome-” she started, but was cut off.

“Hi, Shiori… Listen, can you do me a favor?”

“What?” she asked curiously.

“When the time comes for the match between me and Naraku, I want you to erect the most powerful barrier you can around the ring so that nobody outside of the fight can get hurt.”

“I can do that, but that might put you at a big disadvantage, Kagome. I know that you need mobility to fight.”

“That was a long time ago… I really don't want anyone to get hurt because of me or him, alright?”

“Alright, Kagome,” the hanyo sighed. Her eyes widened as Kagome pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Thank you so much,” Kagome whispered. She then left the bewildered, and now blood stained, hanyo as she left the arena.

“You're tougher than you look,” a demon said as she reached a large crowd staring at a massive screen outside the arena.

“Thanks… You wouldn't happen to know if there's a waterfall on this island, would you?” she asked him, going out on a limb.

“Actually, there's one about two miles that way,” the demon said, pointing toward the woods.

“Thanks,” she sighed before staggering past him and walking into the thick underbrush. As soon as there wasn't anyone nearby, she grabbed the hilt of the Tenseiga and found the poll-bearers of death eyeing her curiously.

“I'm not about to let you little beasts get me,” she bit out, surprising them. “I couldn't save my friends or family from you, but you're not going to take me.”

At the edge to her voice, the creatures vanished, and she smirked. Having a death-defying sword had lots of advantages. Too bad she hadn't known how to use them until after everyone she'd loved, save her children, died.

After stumbling and tripping over her own blood-slicked feet for ten minutes, she finally reached a massive, beautiful waterfall. Without stopping, she walked into the water and immediately felt the weight of her armor increase.

She finally found a large, smooth boulder underneath the waterfall and stretched her body out over it, letting the pure water cleanse her wound.

A spike in youki alerted her to Hiei's presence, and she cracked an eyelid to see him glancing down at her.

“Are you alright, onna?”

“I've been better,” she sighed. “Hopefully, my youki and the purity of the waterfall will help me heal… It would really suck to come this far only to die before I got to fight Naraku.”

“Is it really that serious?” he asked, eyes wide.

“It might be… Miroku's natural ability to purify poison as well as Sesshomaru's control over poison and everybody's natural resistance to death make it easier for me, but not if I lost a lot of blood before purifying myself and releasing the poison in an offensive way.”

A hand lightly applied pressure to her forehead and her eyes widened when a cooling sensation flooded her wounds. Suddenly, the pain and fatigue left her, though the process itself was somewhat alien and painful.

“Wha…?”

“I am part koorime, onna. I have a certain extent of healing ability.”

“Don't sell yourself short,” she said, sitting up and inspecting her body. “You barely used any youki and my body is completely pain-free.”

“I don't exactly have practice with it, onna, so stop making it sound so impressive.”

“Whatever,” she sighed. “You know, I'm kind of curious how many demons can smell me right now because of my blood?”

“What do you mean?”

“Nobody here knows my power because of a powerful S-Class kitsune illusion I used on myself. But I can't disguise the scent of my blood, which is why it's a pain that now, in the semi-finals, right before my last fight, I shed blood…”

“You didn't shed blood, onna. You exploded with it. And I must say, that attack was rather suicidal.”

“It was not,” she pouted. “I just kind of… had no other choice without releasing more power than I'd already shown…”

“So that was still at fifty percent of your power?”

“Yeah… You know, I think I know one of the reasons Yusuke seems to hate me,” she said suddenly.

“Oh?”

“The way I fight is like that Toguro guy I saw in your memories, isn't it?”

“I believe it's rather different given the circumstances,” he sighed.

“I may have more powers with the more power I release while he only got physically stronger, but the principal is the same… It's no wonder the guy doesn't like me. Not that it matters, since I plan on not seeing him again after this tournament…”

“I see… So then, you plan on returning to a normal, shrine-maiden life then?”

“I don't really have a choice,” she groaned. “I like fighting, but part of me tells me it's wrong to feel that way… And that small part causes a rather big headache when morals are involved.”

“You could always get a job from Koenma,” Hiei said with a shrug before leaning back so they were both spread across the boulder.

“A job doing what? I'm not exactly the desk job, paperwork type, you know?”

“Hn. So, shall we talk about before, though I get the feeling I'll regret it?”

“Alright,” she sighed. “We've got some time. So, tell me something. You don't find me to be a tad… psychotic?”

“Oh, there's no doubt that you're psychotic, onna,” he said with a chuckle. “But none of us are really what you would call `sane' so you fit in rather well.”

“Heh… You've got a point there. So, you don't hate the idea of being with me?”

“No,” he said as his eyes slid closed.

“Okay then… So, how did you know what I planned to do?”

“We overheard you talking with that… dog?”

“Dog? What do- Oh! Rumiko. She's a spirit beast I summoned. She's kind of like a tactical advisor when I don't know what I'm going to do… So you overheard, huh?”

“Indeed. We were all quite curious as to what exactly it was.”

“Huh… Well, I think I'll still go through with my plan.”

“You can try, onna. But I'm fairly certain it won't work.”

“Relax,” she sighed. “I came up with a better plan. I got Shiori to guarantee me that she'll build her strongest barrier around the ring so it's only Naraku and I. He's strong, but without his minions or schemes, he's not unbeatable. Without the time it would take to set up a trap like last time, he doesn't have a chance.”

“I see… I'm rather curious to see what makes you so confident, onna.”

“Can you do me a favor? Call me Kagome. It's my name, after all,” she sighed.

“Alright, then. I'm curious to see what makes you so confident, Kagome.”

“I have power to back up my confidence,” she said with a shrug.

“I see…”

Hiei rolled onto his side so he was almost on top of her and smirked at the blush that formed.

“I wonder how confident you are in other areas,” he said, his eyes roaming down her body.

“W… Why don't you find out?” she asked as her blush darkened.

He smirked and quickly lifted her up. She only managed to get a small `eep' out before they were gone from the waterfall and in a small, enclosed cave.

“Where is this?” she asked quietly.

“This is where I went last time I was here so no one bothered me,” he said with a shrug.

“I see…”

“Nervous, onna?”

“A little,” she sighed. “Not every day I get carried to a cave by a demon, you know?”

He smirked before lowering himself. Their lips met and, just like the last time, it was quickly deepened and turned from chaste to passionate.

Before Kagome knew what was happening, a barrier was around the cave and her armor was on the other side of the cave, behind Hiei. She blushed as his eyes took in her every curve with scrutiny.

“Don't do that,” she said breathily. “It's embarrassing.”

“Would you rather I be doing something else?” he asked as he gently nipped at her neck and rubbed the stiff edge of a breast.

She groaned as his head lowered to the unoccupied breast and nipped at the tender flesh.

“Feel good, onna?”

She weakly nodded her head as his tongue pulled the bud into his mouth. As soon as the suction started, she gasped and his hand slowly lowered itself to her most sensitive area.

“Oh god,” she groaned as his fingers slid inside.

Her muscles contracted around his fingers, and he groaned before placing himself between her legs.

“Last chance,” he said as he pressed his tip to the brink of her womanhood.

“Do it,” she gasped out before he plunged inside. He was surprised when there wasn't any blood, but it didn't stop him…

 

A/N:

Okay, so that's chapter 9! I'm thoroughly enjoying writing this story, by the way. Hopefully, you all enjoy reading it even more. That being said, be sure to review! I like hearing what people have to say about my work!

See you next time, for the finale!