Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Demon Dancers and PuppetMasters ❯ Chapter Ten ( Chapter 10 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

-Demon Dancers and PuppetMasters- by Nemesis Q. Ravens

Chapter Ten

Team Uremeshi sat together in the common room of the Dark Tournament stadium’s sleeping quarters. Yusuke and Kuwabara sat across the coffee table from one another as they played round after round of mindless Goldfish, the only game simple enough for Kazuma’s moronic mind to comprehend. Kurama, Janie, and Hiei shared companionable silence from each of their different places about the commons. Hiei sat on the window sill and gazed out into the night’s deep, ebony shadows. The lithe red-head on the other hand relaxed in a plush tan chair not far from the window graced with Hiei’s morose presence. Kurama had an open book in his lap, but his eyes saw only foreign markings due to his mind’s fixation on tomorrow’s battle. Where Kurama pretended to not worry about the upcoming face-off with Team Kyrios, Janie was not concerned about allowing her anxiety to be known. …Or else she just didn’t realize that she was openly twisting her hands about and nervously chewing on her bottom lip with a frown creasing her brow. None seemed to be paying attention to either the two idiots playing or the television that was currently on.

“Ha ha! Go fish!” yelled Kuwabara, startling both Janie and Kurama. Hiei merely looked towards the sky as if cursing the gods for Kuwabara’s stupidity.

Janie, her thoughts completely disrupted, gazed at Kuwabara with unseeing eyes. He didn’t seem to feel the weight of her stare however. Yusuke, on the other hand, did notice and looked at her, frowning.

“You alright?” he asked.

The woman blinked. “…Yeah.”

Kurama joined the conversation. “You sure? You’ve been gnawing on your lip for the past hour and a half.”

“I--”

“She’s worried that she won’t get revenge on Damien and his Demon Dancer whore,” Hiei interrupted.

The three others looked back and forth between Janie, who now glared poison daggers at Hiei, and Hiei who was currently ignoring Janie’s heated stare. Neither of the two seemed to notice the three’s avid attention.

“You fucking cunt!” roared a deep, gruff voice. Startled, all five Uremeshi team members looked around the commons for the source; their recent conversation forgotten.

“Get back here and hold still. …Ouch! …Come here and take it like the bitch you are.”

“Who the fuck…?” Yusuke said as he stood and faced the dark corridor leading to the other half of the sleeping quarters.

Kuwabara shrugged his shoulders in reply; as if Uremeshi would really ask him.

Then from the shadows of the hallway, Jason and Kyle stepped forth. The commons’ dim lighting gave just illumination for the flashlight-under-the-chin effect. Both Yusuke and Kuwabara jumped with a frightened “eep!” at the sight of the yeti’s grotesque highlighted features.

Neither Jason or Kyle appeared to have noticed Team Uremeshi staring at the pair from across the commons. They were occasionally glancing behind them as they continued their ranting conversation.

“Demontos is gonna learn who’s in charge of this team when Damien’s off fucking Nemesis. And,” he continued. “I am he.” The blonde demon puffed out his chest like a strutting cock as he declared the statement to Jason.

“And what about me?” the other questioned, his ire rising. “I’m obviously bigger and stronger than you. I’m the boss!”

Kyle faced Jason and rose up, expanding his chest even further as he poked the other in the torso with two fingers, hard. “Oh yeah?” he challenged.

“Yeah.”

“You wanna prove that?”

“Sure.”

The two yetis glared at each other as they both took a step back, preparing to fight. With clenched fists they took their battle stances. Unbeknownst to either of the pair, they were being avidly watched by both teams… and one other.

Jason smirked as he conjured one of his favorite weapons: the ball and chain. Kyle however, wasn’t fazed in the least. He was confident with his hulking barbarian sword.

There was no sound. The commons were silent with the exception of the television that had been left on. The man on the television was hosting some American boxing match. Neither demon moved to attack, they just held their weapons and glared and a non-existent tumbleweed blew between the two yetis. Then the silence was shattered by the television host yelling “Fight!”

Within a blink of an eye, the two had begun to battle. The spiked ball and chain whistled as Jason began to swing it in a circle to gain momentum. Kyle knew he didn’t have much of an opportunity to get a hit in before Jason struck. He hefted the titanic blade and ran at the earth demon.

The pulsing water blade got closer and closer to Jason as Kyle swung it at him. Then the ball and chain deflected the blow. Pacific Ocean was hit hard on the flat side, sending it in the opposite direction of Jason. This resulted in Kyle, still holding the sword with a death-grip, being thrown off balance to the side. Jason took advantage of Kyle’s prone position and went in for the kill.

He swung the ball and chain over his head a few times to gather speed for the attack. Then he released the chain at the precise moment in its arc so as Kyle’s faced would be smashed inward. Yet his attack failed.

Kyle dodged the ball and chain. The flooring where the yeti’s head had been had caved in. Jason’s ball and chain was left deeply embedded by at least a good two or three feet into the ground .

While Jason strained to pull the weapon out, Kyle hefted the sword and cut at the taunt chain. Because of the earth demon pulling at the chain, the force of Kyle’s swing snapped it like string.

Jason, seeing his weapon disabled, yelled and jumped on Kyle. The water demon abandoned the blade and fought off Jason’s blows. Muscles strained and veins popped out as the yeti pair grappled. Each demon gripped the other’s throat within their meaty fists.

Because of Jason’s lack of oxygen to his brain, the best insult he could grate out was “Butthead!” Of course being the idiot that Kyle is, he took offense and released Jason’s throat to shoot a blast of spiritual energy at the demon on top of him.

Jason luckily rolled out of the way in time to avoid getting hit. He stood up from the roll as the spiritual energy flew past the fighters into the shadows. There the blast flared brightly and rebounded. Kyle’s eyes widened in shock when the blast of his own spiritual energy hurtled back at him as he stood up.

The water demon was flung back by the hit and Kyle took Jason down with him. The commons were once again silent. Both demons lied still and quiet for some moments before one stirred.

It was Jason. He groaned softly as he struggled to stand. Once his legs were stable beneath him, Jason looked down at the yeti at his side.

Blood seeped from the corner of Kyle’s gaping mouth. He stared with slowly glazing over eyes. The water demon was dead; killed by his own spiritual energy. On the center of his chest was a burnt and smoking hole from the impact of the spiritual energy.

Team Uremeshi stared at the sight. No one moved.

“The shadows,” whispered Hiei, breaking the heavy silence.

“What?” asked Kurama, blinking.

“The shadows,” he repeated. “There was something in the shadows that shot his spirit energy back at him.”

The others all realized that what Hiei said was true and turned their gaze from the corpse to the blackness beyond. At that moment, that something stepped forth.

It was the boy that has battled Damien Kyrios. He stood there gazed at Kyle’s dead form. His eyes and features were emotionless.

The sound of clapping suddenly filled the stillness of the moment. Yusuke, along with the rest of those there, looked around the commons for the clapper. They didn’t have to look long because Damien and Nemesis both lounged in the doorway leading to their own quarters. Demontos stood not far from them.

“I see you got the message,” Damien said lightly to the newcomer.

Lucky, as Nemesis continued to think of him, didn’t reply. He merely inclined his head in acquiescence. The Uremeshi team was completely ignored by Kyrios and his companions.

“Good. Welcome to Team Kyrios.” Damien returned the smile when Lucky began to smirk. “Come along then,” Kyrios continued. “We’d best get you situated.”

The newest Kyrios member followed along behind Damien, his lover, and Demontos. None of the Kyrios team bothered to even glance at Yusuke and the others. Not even Jason who’d paused to tap Kyle’s body with a boot and say, “I told you I was better, asswipe.”

Silence reigned once the commons were again occupied by only Team Uremeshi. None moved. They all remained still as stone for a lengthy period of time.

“What the hell just happened?” Yusuke finally asked of no one in particular.

No one answered him.

“Damn!” Lucky commented

Demontos looked up from his book and Nemesis’ head turned in Lucky’s direction while Damien continued to lounge on the couch, a self-congratulating smirk on his face.

“Liked that, eh?” The lad nodded at Kyrios’ question. Damien inclined his head. “Yes, it was entertaining to see the expression on Uremeshi’s face.”

Nemesis looked away again as Damien and Lucky began to converse more freely. Her thoughts roamed aimlessly until Demontos injected a valid inquiry.

“What’s you name boy?”

Lucky turned his head to gaze at Demontos. “My name’s Bal’da’samil. It means ‘luck’.”

“Might it be easier to just call you Lucky?” asked Nemesis, not looking towards the youth.

He shrugged with nonchalance. “Sure.”

“Excellent,” she said. “Now tell me Lucky, why is it that you have not yet removed the earring?”

He lifted a hand to touch the said piece of jewelry. The ring was in the company of two others. “I like it.”

“Hm.”

Damien watched Nemesis closely for a few moments with a thoughtful expression until Lucky again drew his attention.

“So what’s the story with you guys and Uremeshi?”

Kyrios narrowed his eyes then relaxed. “It should suffice to say that Uremeshi and I have a little… wager.”


“But what’s with the animosity between you and them? Everybody’s been talkin’ about it.”

“I have the ‘prize’ in my possession.”

“Which would be?” asked Lucky.

“The lives of three young women. One among them dear to Uremeshi’s own little heart,” Damien answered, his voice mocking of Yusuke.

“So you’ve got them now?”

“Yes,” he replied coolly.

“Don’t you think it would be wise to not anger the Spirit Detectives? I mean they‘re supposed to be awfully powerful.” Lucky’s voice had taken a slight tone of incredulity.

“Are you trying to imply something?” questioned Damien after a moment; his eyes on the verge of smoldering.

Lucky saw that he was treading thin ice and shook his head furiously. “No! Of course not!”

Kyrios smiled contentedly. “Good. I’d hate to have to find a replacement for you.”

Lucky again shook his head, this time bemused. “Yeah. Wouldn’t want that.”