Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Eternity ❯ Final Fight Part 2 ( Chapter 25 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: rain00205 
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Fantasy / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.01.2012 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 174 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Fantasy / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.01.2012 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 174 | Status: Completed
Toguro was finally revealed. The sheer aura of his power killed all the weak demons. San feared for the girls, but it seemed that Puu had managed to shield them from any harm. Yusuke was near them, on the third floor of the stands due to the tremendous force of his enemy's punch. They were all waiting, waiting to see what would happen next. Which one of the would move first? What was going to happen from here? Toguro was at full power, and still trying to get Yusuke to unleash his full power as well. So here she stood, in the protective arm of her mate, waiting. She felt safe where she was, but that could just be because Toguro was focused on Yusuke and not them.
"Without my conscious decisions, my body has only impulses that will quickly fade away. Let me show you what I mean," said Toguro. The weird things on his shoulders began to suck up the souls out of all the weak apparitions. There were still many, and the agonized screams pierced San's ears. This was wrong, and she cringed at every shriek she heard. Kurama wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her close. His hand was on her head, as his chin rested on the top of her head, his gaze still on the events in front of him. "Remaining at top strength is demanding and my body gets an impulse to devour souls. But its not until I decide to kill that the feeding begins. I've chosen evil, and in twenty minutes, everyone will be gone. Aren't you going to do something to stop me Urameshi? Or will your friends have to watch as you let these people die?"
Toguro sent out his soul sucking energy around the ring. It was coming towards them, Kurama moving to protect San, but Koenma erected yet another shield. He could feel her shake, the way Toguro fed disturbing her. Most of the demons began to flee, trying to get out of the stadium. San pulled herself a bit loose from her mate to see what was going on. She watched as Sakyo pulled out some device and then she felt the ground shake slightly. Why did none of this affect him? He was human... right? He had locked all of them in, making sure that they couldn't escape. The protests were clear in her ears. Fed up, some of them started to charge Toguro, but he easily killed them and ate their souls with his shoulders.
"Monster..." she trailed.
"All you weaklings had best remain in your seats. Yusuke and I have some disagreeable tempers," said Toguro.
"Shut up Toguro!" said Yusuke, jumping up from where he was and heading towards his enemy, fist at the ready. "Don't you ever put me in the same category as you!" He landed his punch to Toguro's forehead. The hit exploded with spirit energy, but Toguro just stood there as if nothing happened.
"Now we're starting to get somewhere. So it's your refusal to admit how much you and I are similar that makes you lash out at me." Yusuke ignored the demon and continued to feed him punches. The crowd began to cheer, and San could hear Kuwabara getting angry at them. She didn't understand why he cared so much.
"The opinion polls have changed," stated Hiei. Him to? He was the last person she expected to care about what a bunch of idiot demons thought. Yusuke continued to rapidly punch Toguro, but it didn't seem to make a difference. Finally, Toguro retaliated, using barely any force. He punched Yusuke and the human went flying. He was quick though, he landed and then went straight back towards the monstrosity that is Toguro. Muscles just blocked his punch easily.
"You know that's not good enough," said Toguro, squeezing Urameshi's fist. He swung Yusuke by his arm and then landed another punch to his gut. He was repaying the rapid punches, attacking the detective with barely any force. The assault finished with a kick, and Yusuke was down. He stayed on the ground for a while, and then Toguro walked up to him. "Sorry Urameshi, but there's no escape from me now," he said, stepping on his abdomen. San cringed at what kind of pain he would be feeling, "I won't let you avoid your problems forever. The only thing waiting does is cause more people to die." More screams, more souls, they were all Toguro's now. Yusuke was trying to stop Toguro's foot from crushing him again. "You see I become something of a different person when I take my full demon form. I'll do anything to get what I desire!" Toguro looked towards the girls. San gasped, leaving the safety of Kurama's arms and turning to look herself. The demon was getting ready to attack, and then he unleashed it.
"No..." San's eyes were wide. She was hoping to hell that Puu's barrier could stop it. The smoke had to move, she had to see. She breathed a sigh of relief, Toguro had missed, and San was sure it was on purpose. Yusuke was angry, and his energy exploded. He punched Toguro, actually looking like it made a difference this time. It didn't. Toguro knocked Yusuke away easily.
"You're an incredible disappointment. I went thru so much of the assumption that you would be the one person who could fight me. If I'm proven wrong, you'll pay for it... Dearly," said Toguro. Yusuke looked as if he was struggling to get up.
"No! Don't give up now Urameshi!" said Kuwabara. San looked down sadly. Something unexpected happened just then. Puu had come flying down to them, and hovered in front of San. She looked at the creature curiously. The look on the face reminded her so of...
"San," it was Genkai, "It's time, we're out of options," her mentor said to the tawny eyed girl. The wolf demon nodded, and could already feel the questioning stares coming from her mate. Puu/Genkai flew away towards Yusuke and Toguro. San turned, looking into the eyes of her mate. They walked to each other, and she kissed his cheek. They turned as Genkai began to speak, "You will never let this old woman have some peace and quiet, will you Yusuke?"
"Genkai's come back to life and she look exactly like Puu!" yelled Kuwabara. Idiot.
"Toguro. If you want to see Yusuke's real power come to the surface, I'll tell you how. He's very predictable. The only thing you have to do is kill one of his friends, and make sure he's watching."
"Genkai, what the hell's the matter with you?" demanded Yusuke.
"Yusuke has a six feet wall of crap between him and his emotions and that's where his true power lies. To break thru that wall you have to do something drastic like killing someone he really cares for."
"Dying must've ruined your heart Genkai!"
"Open your childish eyes dimwit. If you don't stop Toguro everyone in this stadium dies and damnit, if the life of one friend is what it takes for you to save the rest of them, that that sacrifice is worth it."
"NO! You're nothing but a stupid little hypocrite. You told me to commit to something all the way and I chose my friends. Now you're saying that killing one of them for motivation is okay?"
Genkai used Puu's wing to slap Yusuke across the face, "Sorry Yusuke, but this is the world you stuck yourself into and it's not pretty. When you're not strong enough to lead you lose the privilege of getting what you want." It seemed as if the two were sharing a moment. But Toguro used his stupid finger bullets and attacked them both. San growled, that was Genkai damnit! She recovered, flying and standing where the wall of the stands were. She crossed her arms and kept that look that San would remember until the end of her days.
"I had that idea a while back and I didn't like the way it felt. But if nothing else can bring out your true abilities... Well you heard before, I'll do anything. All I have to do is chose which one," said Toguro, looking towards them. San detached herself from Kurama, staring back at this monster defiantly, as were the rest of them.
"Don't do this..." Yusuke tried to make it sound like a warning. They stood, staring and waiting.
"How about you, Kuwabara?" Toguro suggested. This was it, her vision was going to come into play. San looked down at the ground, sneaking her hand back into her mates. He squeezed it, though San knew that he was not going to be happy in the next few minutes. "Urameshi does appear to be the most protective of you. Let's see you bring out his hidden emotions. I'll make this quick," said Toguro, and began to walk towards them. San practically held her breath. Her vision was going to come true unless she did something about it. Yusuke was trying to stop Toguro, but his heart clearly wasn't in it enough. Toguro knocked him back, but Yusuke didn't stay down for long. No matter what the human tried, muscles just threw him around.
"If he makes it over here, the four of us must fight him together," said Kurama to Hiei and San.
"With what secret weapon? You've barely been able to stand up since your flirting with death, and she's nearly drained completely," said Hiei.
"Yes, your darkness flame technique hasn't left much of you either. We could run if you want?"
"Don't be simple. I'll take Toguro alone if I must."
"You're stupid. If it comes down to it, I will unleash my cuffs and most likely kill everything in a wide radius," said San.
"No. There would be no point to that," Kurama told her.
"You do know this is your own fault right? For living in a state of repression," said Toguro, as he once again knocked Yusuke away. He got up, getting ready to fire a spirit gun. Toguro moved swiftly and was behind Yusuke. He grabbed the humans head, making it look puny in his huge hand. "Relax Yusuke. I'll free you up," said Toguro, forcing Yusuke's face into the ground and then continuing on his journey.
"Ready?" asked Kurama, taking a fighting stance with San. Hiei prepared as well.
Kuwabara put his foot down, literally, "Stay back guys, I'm the one he wants.
"Are you fucking retarded?" asked San in outrage.
"Just stop and think Kuwabara," said Kurama.
"It's no time for your showmanship. Face Toguro alone now and die before this minute is thru," said Hiei. He really did care. But the human was looking at Koenma. San sighed sadly, this was really going to happen. She looked at Kurama, her eyes filled with sorrow. It really wasn't fair, she loved him so much, and she had just found him again. But she couldn't stand by knowing this was going to happen do nothing.
"Hey Koenma, you risked your life on Urameshi's fight and now I'm going to do the same," said Kuwabara, "So make a place for me, and make sure my wake is as good as his."
"Kuwabara..." trailed Koenma, at a loss for words.
"There's no stopping him, and if I'm going to go now, I'm going to go charging at full speed!" San was kind of relieved to hear that, it was easy to out-run him, "A mulberry's a tree, Kuwabara's a man, and I'll prove it. We all have to die when our time comes-"
San stopped listening, Kuwabara was moving forward, getting ready. She had to as well. She hugged Kurama. He assumed it was because of Kuwabara that she was getting emotional. He didn't want to lose his friend either. She looked into his green orbs, trying to keep them in her mind, as well as the eyes of Youko. She kissed her mate deeply, a tear falling down her cheek. He pulled her close, having this strange feeling that this was a farewell of sorts. He wiped the tear, looking at her confused.
"Eien ni anata o ai shimasu, Kurama..." she whispered in his ear. Kuwabara was running at full speed. She took off, Kurama taking a moment to realize what was going.
-Hold him back- she spoke into Hiei's mind just as she ran past him. She was running at her demon speed, and just as Toguro was about to strike she was there. He looked confused at first, but did not stop his attack. It went straight thru her and onto Kuwabara, missing his heart, but injuring him nonetheless. She could feel herself growing weak. She used her energy to block her vitals, but that didn't make this wound any less fatal. She had a whole in her chest that came out of her back. She fell to the ground, knowing that she had done her duty. The world went black after she heard the faint cry of her name.
"SAN!" Kurama screamed, trying to run to her. Hiei grabbed his arm before he could get very far. He looked at the small fire apparition in confusion. He stared back at his mate in horror. His heart stopped, time stopped. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. He watched her body fall to the ground with Kuwabara's, the sound loud in his ears. Toguro disappeared and Hiei finally let go of Kurama. He ran to his mate, wishing, hoping that she wasn't... He knelt down, using his arms to bring her head towards him. He checked for a pulse, but could only feel his own within his fingers. "San..." he hugged her body to him, kissing her forehead and resting his head on top of hers. He began to feed her his energy, hoping that it would help.
"Kurama..." she had to get him to focus, to check on Kuwabara.
"San?"
She couldn't open her eyes, it was hard enough to talk, "Pay... attention... Kuwa... bara..." and she passed out again, unable to take anymore.
"San... I love you, please don't die on me," he whispered to her. He set her down gently, and went to check on Kuwabara. His pulse was strong. What?
"Yeah, Toguro missed my vitals, but keep looking at me like your sad. Urameshi could use some, shock treatment," said Kuwabara, pretending to pass out. Now Kurama understood. San must've known this would happen, and Genkai would have worked it out with the wolf. She knew that Kuwabara was going to die, and Kurama knew that she couldn't stand there and let it happen. But why didn't she tell him?
"That's anti-climatic You knew him for so long and now he's dead. And then there's the other apprentice, the one you trained with, knows the same things you know. She was going to be my next choice, followed by her mate. Was that sufficient enough for you? Or do I really do need to kill off her mate just so you get the point?" said Toguro. Kurama glared at him, standing in defiance again. Yusuke stood, and looked as if he disappeared, but he just moved behind Toguro. "So I guess that was enough."
"You took my teacher... And now I let you take not only one, but two of my friends... What the hell do you want from me?" asked Yusuke, his powers exploding all around. They were finally released, and Kurama was hoping that Toguro would be satisfied. His energy was different than before.
"Alright Toguro, you've got what you wished for," Kurama spoke in anger.
"Don't you think I wanted to use my power, win this thing and go home? Of course... I just didn't know how to reach it, and I have to live with that."
"Maybe not for long Yusuke," responded Toguro.
"I've been pathetic, but I won't let you take away anymore of my friends..."
"The energy inside of Yusuke's body is changing dramatically," observed Kurama.
"The loss of his friends is too great a shock, the walls are coming down," said Koenma. Yusuke was walking slowly, his head hanging.
"Now lets do this. I've already said I'll never forgive you. Now I'll never forgive myself, so lets do this," said Yusuke.
"I need to thank you Yusuke, for finally realizing your power. You see I couldn't finish this story with satisfaction, until you had become like me. Now, your power has reached the level of mine!" declared Toguro, running at Yusuke. He just stood there.
"That's a load of crap Toguro..."
"Is that so?" and Toguro punched Yusuke, but it looked as if he felt nothing, even as he flew backwards. He hit the stadium wall once again, but to Kurama it looked like he didn't feel a thing. "You see? I can tell that didn't actually hurt you. Earlier that punch would've left you unconscious, but now you can take it without even blocked and still get up to fight. If that's not a sign of equal power, then what is?"
"You were right about one thing Toguro, that punch didn't hurt me," said Yusuke, beginning to rise to his feet.
"Yusuke's finally done it. He's learned how to battle on a level playing field with Toguro," said Hiei.
"Level, and yet, at the same time it's completely different," said Kurama. Yusuke's energy flared, mixing with Toguro's. Kurama could just feel, he was done listening. He looked over at his mate, knowing that she wanted him to focus on the match. He tried, but still had her in the back of his mind. Why he listened to her, he wasn't sure, but she was right in a sense. Kurama stood when he heard that Toguro wanted to kill another one of them. Fine, he would be next. Yusuke stopped him, the ground beneath them starting to crumble. Kurama's ears blocked out sound again. He just watched, but at the same time, felt as if he wasn't there. His attention snapped back when he saw the force of Yusuke punch affect Toguro. Another spirit gun right after that, the most powerful he had seen.
"He's super Yusuke," said Koenma.
"Even his strategies have improved," said Kurama. Toguro was down
"Get on your feet. I'm going to fire one last shot with all I've got and it's going to end this fight one way or another. So no more stupid surprises for fakes. You show me everything you've got right now. If I win this time, I don't ever want to see you back up," said Yusuke. Toguro stood, bending his head back in place. Kurama was sure San would've cringed at the sound.
"The eyes of determination, I've encountered them many times on glory seeking fools, and I've always given them what they want. Nearly always its a fight with me, and when I see them I'm obliged to kill. But you've actually asked me for all I've got. So be it," said Toguro. He started changing again, increasing his muscle mass again. "I admit I haven't been truthful. What I said was 100 was more like 85. To fully become a master of a trade, you must commit your all to it and throw everything else away. If you don't do that, then you'll remain a groundling."
"Damn your stupid, you didn't throw it away. You just ran away from it, like a frightened little child! I won't run, and I won't let go!" Yusuke began to charge his spirit gun, "I'm doing just what you said Genkai, I'm caring about you jerks! I don't care if I never fire a blast again, I don't care if I die. The only thing I want to do is fire this shot with everything I have."
Toguro began to scream as he powered up as well. Yusuke's spirit gun was powerful, and the light was very bright. Kurama could feel it, the tremendous power from both of combatants. "They'll put their full powers against each other," he thought out loud.
"I guess all we can do now is pray and let the man upstairs decide," said Koenma. Kurama managed to think of San's response. She would bluntly point out that Koenma was the man upstairs, even at a time like this, but Kurama just couldn't bring himself to do it. This one attack, this was going to decide how this match would end. Yusuke was getting ready to fire. After what felt like eternity, he did, and Toguro charged at it, trying with all of his might to resist it. "Toguro's barely able to hold it back," Koenma pointed out.
"Yes, it is unusual to see him on the defensive," Kurama stated. The light started to die, "He's fading..." The gun was complete, and Yusuke fell to his knees.
"Toguro has not released himself from the spirit gun yet," said Hiei.
"But if his blast is not enough to make him fall, Yusuke will not have no more power left to fight him. Toguro will triumph."
"You sound as if you don't care anymore."
"I'm not quite certain at this present moment."
"Come on Yusuke, make it work!" said Koenma. Toguro was being knocked back by the blast, and Kurama could hear cracking. Finally, the blast was gone and Toguro was left smoking. Yusuke fell, and Toguro walked towards Yusuke.
"I killed Genkai, but one remained. And now that surviving peace can at last be put to rest," said Toguro, his body beginning to crack. "Thank you again, Yusuke Urameshi," were his last words. The grey coloured skin completely broke off, revealing the human inside. Toguro fell, lifeless. It was over.
"They're both out?" questioned Koenma. Juri had finally made an appearance, going to observe Toguro, but then, Kurama saw Yusuke rise to his feet. "He did it!"
"We are free... but at what cost?" said Kurama, looking towards his mate. She hadn't moved since he last saw her, since she had been hit. "Finally... The Toguro's fall."
"Hn. It's been quite a long run," said Hiei.
"All I can think about is how much our young sapling has improved in this tournament. That and the whole saving my life thing," said Koenma. Yusuke fell to the ground once again, and the others ran towards him. Kurama held him up.
"Easy does it. No sleeping yet," he spoke to the champion. The teen remained unresponsive, "Yusuke snap out of it! You have your victory!"
"Am I alive?" asked Yusuke.
"Of course, do you see any halo's on us? Everything is a-okay now," answered Koenma. Yusuke looked up, straight at the still forms of Kuwabara and San. Kurama looked over at her as well.
"No it's not," declared Yusuke, "No it's not! DAMNIT! I had all the strength to save them, I was just too dumb to realize it, what the hell do I say to that, huh?"
"You say you learned..." trailed Kurama.
"Shut up, what good is that going to do? They're already dead, I can't say anything to them now. Not even you can say anything to her, is that so hard to get? I'm just like everybody else with power, I don't do anything to help. I'm sorry San. I'm sorry Kuwabara, it's all my fault!" Yusuke was on a rant. Kuwabara stood then, the façade finally over.
"Okay! I think you've done enough groveling for one day, though it is pretty entertaining. Reporting for duty, captain faker! That's me," said Kuwabara in a cheery voice.
"Hey, why's the dead guy walking around?" Yusuke questioned Kurama.
"Yes, well... I tried to inform you, but you were too engrossed in your speech," the fox answered.
"The heart! The finger poking!" demanded Yusuke.
"You're a moving public speaker... by the way," Kurama moved back a bit and rose to his feet, "Look, he never died," and Kurama went on to briefly explain what happened.
"How does it feel to be out of the loop?" asked Kuwabara. Kurama didn't care anymore at that point. He walked over to his mate, who wasn't going to get back up. He could faintly hear Yusuke punishing Kuwabara for deceiving him. He knelt down beside he again, a tear escaping down his cheek. He moved some hair out of her face, and lifted her towards him again. He used one hand to cup her cheek and stroked it with his thumb gently. She was still warm, but there was no pulse within her. She was dead, gone. She wasn't going to wake up, he would never see those gorgeous tawny eyes again.
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"Without my conscious decisions, my body has only impulses that will quickly fade away. Let me show you what I mean," said Toguro. The weird things on his shoulders began to suck up the souls out of all the weak apparitions. There were still many, and the agonized screams pierced San's ears. This was wrong, and she cringed at every shriek she heard. Kurama wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her close. His hand was on her head, as his chin rested on the top of her head, his gaze still on the events in front of him. "Remaining at top strength is demanding and my body gets an impulse to devour souls. But its not until I decide to kill that the feeding begins. I've chosen evil, and in twenty minutes, everyone will be gone. Aren't you going to do something to stop me Urameshi? Or will your friends have to watch as you let these people die?"
Toguro sent out his soul sucking energy around the ring. It was coming towards them, Kurama moving to protect San, but Koenma erected yet another shield. He could feel her shake, the way Toguro fed disturbing her. Most of the demons began to flee, trying to get out of the stadium. San pulled herself a bit loose from her mate to see what was going on. She watched as Sakyo pulled out some device and then she felt the ground shake slightly. Why did none of this affect him? He was human... right? He had locked all of them in, making sure that they couldn't escape. The protests were clear in her ears. Fed up, some of them started to charge Toguro, but he easily killed them and ate their souls with his shoulders.
"Monster..." she trailed.
"All you weaklings had best remain in your seats. Yusuke and I have some disagreeable tempers," said Toguro.
"Shut up Toguro!" said Yusuke, jumping up from where he was and heading towards his enemy, fist at the ready. "Don't you ever put me in the same category as you!" He landed his punch to Toguro's forehead. The hit exploded with spirit energy, but Toguro just stood there as if nothing happened.
"Now we're starting to get somewhere. So it's your refusal to admit how much you and I are similar that makes you lash out at me." Yusuke ignored the demon and continued to feed him punches. The crowd began to cheer, and San could hear Kuwabara getting angry at them. She didn't understand why he cared so much.
"The opinion polls have changed," stated Hiei. Him to? He was the last person she expected to care about what a bunch of idiot demons thought. Yusuke continued to rapidly punch Toguro, but it didn't seem to make a difference. Finally, Toguro retaliated, using barely any force. He punched Yusuke and the human went flying. He was quick though, he landed and then went straight back towards the monstrosity that is Toguro. Muscles just blocked his punch easily.
"You know that's not good enough," said Toguro, squeezing Urameshi's fist. He swung Yusuke by his arm and then landed another punch to his gut. He was repaying the rapid punches, attacking the detective with barely any force. The assault finished with a kick, and Yusuke was down. He stayed on the ground for a while, and then Toguro walked up to him. "Sorry Urameshi, but there's no escape from me now," he said, stepping on his abdomen. San cringed at what kind of pain he would be feeling, "I won't let you avoid your problems forever. The only thing waiting does is cause more people to die." More screams, more souls, they were all Toguro's now. Yusuke was trying to stop Toguro's foot from crushing him again. "You see I become something of a different person when I take my full demon form. I'll do anything to get what I desire!" Toguro looked towards the girls. San gasped, leaving the safety of Kurama's arms and turning to look herself. The demon was getting ready to attack, and then he unleashed it.
"No..." San's eyes were wide. She was hoping to hell that Puu's barrier could stop it. The smoke had to move, she had to see. She breathed a sigh of relief, Toguro had missed, and San was sure it was on purpose. Yusuke was angry, and his energy exploded. He punched Toguro, actually looking like it made a difference this time. It didn't. Toguro knocked Yusuke away easily.
"You're an incredible disappointment. I went thru so much of the assumption that you would be the one person who could fight me. If I'm proven wrong, you'll pay for it... Dearly," said Toguro. Yusuke looked as if he was struggling to get up.
"No! Don't give up now Urameshi!" said Kuwabara. San looked down sadly. Something unexpected happened just then. Puu had come flying down to them, and hovered in front of San. She looked at the creature curiously. The look on the face reminded her so of...
"San," it was Genkai, "It's time, we're out of options," her mentor said to the tawny eyed girl. The wolf demon nodded, and could already feel the questioning stares coming from her mate. Puu/Genkai flew away towards Yusuke and Toguro. San turned, looking into the eyes of her mate. They walked to each other, and she kissed his cheek. They turned as Genkai began to speak, "You will never let this old woman have some peace and quiet, will you Yusuke?"
"Genkai's come back to life and she look exactly like Puu!" yelled Kuwabara. Idiot.
"Toguro. If you want to see Yusuke's real power come to the surface, I'll tell you how. He's very predictable. The only thing you have to do is kill one of his friends, and make sure he's watching."
"Genkai, what the hell's the matter with you?" demanded Yusuke.
"Yusuke has a six feet wall of crap between him and his emotions and that's where his true power lies. To break thru that wall you have to do something drastic like killing someone he really cares for."
"Dying must've ruined your heart Genkai!"
"Open your childish eyes dimwit. If you don't stop Toguro everyone in this stadium dies and damnit, if the life of one friend is what it takes for you to save the rest of them, that that sacrifice is worth it."
"NO! You're nothing but a stupid little hypocrite. You told me to commit to something all the way and I chose my friends. Now you're saying that killing one of them for motivation is okay?"
Genkai used Puu's wing to slap Yusuke across the face, "Sorry Yusuke, but this is the world you stuck yourself into and it's not pretty. When you're not strong enough to lead you lose the privilege of getting what you want." It seemed as if the two were sharing a moment. But Toguro used his stupid finger bullets and attacked them both. San growled, that was Genkai damnit! She recovered, flying and standing where the wall of the stands were. She crossed her arms and kept that look that San would remember until the end of her days.
"I had that idea a while back and I didn't like the way it felt. But if nothing else can bring out your true abilities... Well you heard before, I'll do anything. All I have to do is chose which one," said Toguro, looking towards them. San detached herself from Kurama, staring back at this monster defiantly, as were the rest of them.
"Don't do this..." Yusuke tried to make it sound like a warning. They stood, staring and waiting.
"How about you, Kuwabara?" Toguro suggested. This was it, her vision was going to come into play. San looked down at the ground, sneaking her hand back into her mates. He squeezed it, though San knew that he was not going to be happy in the next few minutes. "Urameshi does appear to be the most protective of you. Let's see you bring out his hidden emotions. I'll make this quick," said Toguro, and began to walk towards them. San practically held her breath. Her vision was going to come true unless she did something about it. Yusuke was trying to stop Toguro, but his heart clearly wasn't in it enough. Toguro knocked him back, but Yusuke didn't stay down for long. No matter what the human tried, muscles just threw him around.
"If he makes it over here, the four of us must fight him together," said Kurama to Hiei and San.
"With what secret weapon? You've barely been able to stand up since your flirting with death, and she's nearly drained completely," said Hiei.
"Yes, your darkness flame technique hasn't left much of you either. We could run if you want?"
"Don't be simple. I'll take Toguro alone if I must."
"You're stupid. If it comes down to it, I will unleash my cuffs and most likely kill everything in a wide radius," said San.
"No. There would be no point to that," Kurama told her.
"You do know this is your own fault right? For living in a state of repression," said Toguro, as he once again knocked Yusuke away. He got up, getting ready to fire a spirit gun. Toguro moved swiftly and was behind Yusuke. He grabbed the humans head, making it look puny in his huge hand. "Relax Yusuke. I'll free you up," said Toguro, forcing Yusuke's face into the ground and then continuing on his journey.
"Ready?" asked Kurama, taking a fighting stance with San. Hiei prepared as well.
Kuwabara put his foot down, literally, "Stay back guys, I'm the one he wants.
"Are you fucking retarded?" asked San in outrage.
"Just stop and think Kuwabara," said Kurama.
"It's no time for your showmanship. Face Toguro alone now and die before this minute is thru," said Hiei. He really did care. But the human was looking at Koenma. San sighed sadly, this was really going to happen. She looked at Kurama, her eyes filled with sorrow. It really wasn't fair, she loved him so much, and she had just found him again. But she couldn't stand by knowing this was going to happen do nothing.
"Hey Koenma, you risked your life on Urameshi's fight and now I'm going to do the same," said Kuwabara, "So make a place for me, and make sure my wake is as good as his."
"Kuwabara..." trailed Koenma, at a loss for words.
"There's no stopping him, and if I'm going to go now, I'm going to go charging at full speed!" San was kind of relieved to hear that, it was easy to out-run him, "A mulberry's a tree, Kuwabara's a man, and I'll prove it. We all have to die when our time comes-"
San stopped listening, Kuwabara was moving forward, getting ready. She had to as well. She hugged Kurama. He assumed it was because of Kuwabara that she was getting emotional. He didn't want to lose his friend either. She looked into his green orbs, trying to keep them in her mind, as well as the eyes of Youko. She kissed her mate deeply, a tear falling down her cheek. He pulled her close, having this strange feeling that this was a farewell of sorts. He wiped the tear, looking at her confused.
"Eien ni anata o ai shimasu, Kurama..." she whispered in his ear. Kuwabara was running at full speed. She took off, Kurama taking a moment to realize what was going.
-Hold him back- she spoke into Hiei's mind just as she ran past him. She was running at her demon speed, and just as Toguro was about to strike she was there. He looked confused at first, but did not stop his attack. It went straight thru her and onto Kuwabara, missing his heart, but injuring him nonetheless. She could feel herself growing weak. She used her energy to block her vitals, but that didn't make this wound any less fatal. She had a whole in her chest that came out of her back. She fell to the ground, knowing that she had done her duty. The world went black after she heard the faint cry of her name.
"SAN!" Kurama screamed, trying to run to her. Hiei grabbed his arm before he could get very far. He looked at the small fire apparition in confusion. He stared back at his mate in horror. His heart stopped, time stopped. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. He watched her body fall to the ground with Kuwabara's, the sound loud in his ears. Toguro disappeared and Hiei finally let go of Kurama. He ran to his mate, wishing, hoping that she wasn't... He knelt down, using his arms to bring her head towards him. He checked for a pulse, but could only feel his own within his fingers. "San..." he hugged her body to him, kissing her forehead and resting his head on top of hers. He began to feed her his energy, hoping that it would help.
"Kurama..." she had to get him to focus, to check on Kuwabara.
"San?"
She couldn't open her eyes, it was hard enough to talk, "Pay... attention... Kuwa... bara..." and she passed out again, unable to take anymore.
"San... I love you, please don't die on me," he whispered to her. He set her down gently, and went to check on Kuwabara. His pulse was strong. What?
"Yeah, Toguro missed my vitals, but keep looking at me like your sad. Urameshi could use some, shock treatment," said Kuwabara, pretending to pass out. Now Kurama understood. San must've known this would happen, and Genkai would have worked it out with the wolf. She knew that Kuwabara was going to die, and Kurama knew that she couldn't stand there and let it happen. But why didn't she tell him?
"That's anti-climatic You knew him for so long and now he's dead. And then there's the other apprentice, the one you trained with, knows the same things you know. She was going to be my next choice, followed by her mate. Was that sufficient enough for you? Or do I really do need to kill off her mate just so you get the point?" said Toguro. Kurama glared at him, standing in defiance again. Yusuke stood, and looked as if he disappeared, but he just moved behind Toguro. "So I guess that was enough."
"You took my teacher... And now I let you take not only one, but two of my friends... What the hell do you want from me?" asked Yusuke, his powers exploding all around. They were finally released, and Kurama was hoping that Toguro would be satisfied. His energy was different than before.
"Alright Toguro, you've got what you wished for," Kurama spoke in anger.
"Don't you think I wanted to use my power, win this thing and go home? Of course... I just didn't know how to reach it, and I have to live with that."
"Maybe not for long Yusuke," responded Toguro.
"I've been pathetic, but I won't let you take away anymore of my friends..."
"The energy inside of Yusuke's body is changing dramatically," observed Kurama.
"The loss of his friends is too great a shock, the walls are coming down," said Koenma. Yusuke was walking slowly, his head hanging.
"Now lets do this. I've already said I'll never forgive you. Now I'll never forgive myself, so lets do this," said Yusuke.
"I need to thank you Yusuke, for finally realizing your power. You see I couldn't finish this story with satisfaction, until you had become like me. Now, your power has reached the level of mine!" declared Toguro, running at Yusuke. He just stood there.
"That's a load of crap Toguro..."
"Is that so?" and Toguro punched Yusuke, but it looked as if he felt nothing, even as he flew backwards. He hit the stadium wall once again, but to Kurama it looked like he didn't feel a thing. "You see? I can tell that didn't actually hurt you. Earlier that punch would've left you unconscious, but now you can take it without even blocked and still get up to fight. If that's not a sign of equal power, then what is?"
"You were right about one thing Toguro, that punch didn't hurt me," said Yusuke, beginning to rise to his feet.
"Yusuke's finally done it. He's learned how to battle on a level playing field with Toguro," said Hiei.
"Level, and yet, at the same time it's completely different," said Kurama. Yusuke's energy flared, mixing with Toguro's. Kurama could just feel, he was done listening. He looked over at his mate, knowing that she wanted him to focus on the match. He tried, but still had her in the back of his mind. Why he listened to her, he wasn't sure, but she was right in a sense. Kurama stood when he heard that Toguro wanted to kill another one of them. Fine, he would be next. Yusuke stopped him, the ground beneath them starting to crumble. Kurama's ears blocked out sound again. He just watched, but at the same time, felt as if he wasn't there. His attention snapped back when he saw the force of Yusuke punch affect Toguro. Another spirit gun right after that, the most powerful he had seen.
"He's super Yusuke," said Koenma.
"Even his strategies have improved," said Kurama. Toguro was down
"Get on your feet. I'm going to fire one last shot with all I've got and it's going to end this fight one way or another. So no more stupid surprises for fakes. You show me everything you've got right now. If I win this time, I don't ever want to see you back up," said Yusuke. Toguro stood, bending his head back in place. Kurama was sure San would've cringed at the sound.
"The eyes of determination, I've encountered them many times on glory seeking fools, and I've always given them what they want. Nearly always its a fight with me, and when I see them I'm obliged to kill. But you've actually asked me for all I've got. So be it," said Toguro. He started changing again, increasing his muscle mass again. "I admit I haven't been truthful. What I said was 100 was more like 85. To fully become a master of a trade, you must commit your all to it and throw everything else away. If you don't do that, then you'll remain a groundling."
"Damn your stupid, you didn't throw it away. You just ran away from it, like a frightened little child! I won't run, and I won't let go!" Yusuke began to charge his spirit gun, "I'm doing just what you said Genkai, I'm caring about you jerks! I don't care if I never fire a blast again, I don't care if I die. The only thing I want to do is fire this shot with everything I have."
Toguro began to scream as he powered up as well. Yusuke's spirit gun was powerful, and the light was very bright. Kurama could feel it, the tremendous power from both of combatants. "They'll put their full powers against each other," he thought out loud.
"I guess all we can do now is pray and let the man upstairs decide," said Koenma. Kurama managed to think of San's response. She would bluntly point out that Koenma was the man upstairs, even at a time like this, but Kurama just couldn't bring himself to do it. This one attack, this was going to decide how this match would end. Yusuke was getting ready to fire. After what felt like eternity, he did, and Toguro charged at it, trying with all of his might to resist it. "Toguro's barely able to hold it back," Koenma pointed out.
"Yes, it is unusual to see him on the defensive," Kurama stated. The light started to die, "He's fading..." The gun was complete, and Yusuke fell to his knees.
"Toguro has not released himself from the spirit gun yet," said Hiei.
"But if his blast is not enough to make him fall, Yusuke will not have no more power left to fight him. Toguro will triumph."
"You sound as if you don't care anymore."
"I'm not quite certain at this present moment."
"Come on Yusuke, make it work!" said Koenma. Toguro was being knocked back by the blast, and Kurama could hear cracking. Finally, the blast was gone and Toguro was left smoking. Yusuke fell, and Toguro walked towards Yusuke.
"I killed Genkai, but one remained. And now that surviving peace can at last be put to rest," said Toguro, his body beginning to crack. "Thank you again, Yusuke Urameshi," were his last words. The grey coloured skin completely broke off, revealing the human inside. Toguro fell, lifeless. It was over.
"They're both out?" questioned Koenma. Juri had finally made an appearance, going to observe Toguro, but then, Kurama saw Yusuke rise to his feet. "He did it!"
"We are free... but at what cost?" said Kurama, looking towards his mate. She hadn't moved since he last saw her, since she had been hit. "Finally... The Toguro's fall."
"Hn. It's been quite a long run," said Hiei.
"All I can think about is how much our young sapling has improved in this tournament. That and the whole saving my life thing," said Koenma. Yusuke fell to the ground once again, and the others ran towards him. Kurama held him up.
"Easy does it. No sleeping yet," he spoke to the champion. The teen remained unresponsive, "Yusuke snap out of it! You have your victory!"
"Am I alive?" asked Yusuke.
"Of course, do you see any halo's on us? Everything is a-okay now," answered Koenma. Yusuke looked up, straight at the still forms of Kuwabara and San. Kurama looked over at her as well.
"No it's not," declared Yusuke, "No it's not! DAMNIT! I had all the strength to save them, I was just too dumb to realize it, what the hell do I say to that, huh?"
"You say you learned..." trailed Kurama.
"Shut up, what good is that going to do? They're already dead, I can't say anything to them now. Not even you can say anything to her, is that so hard to get? I'm just like everybody else with power, I don't do anything to help. I'm sorry San. I'm sorry Kuwabara, it's all my fault!" Yusuke was on a rant. Kuwabara stood then, the façade finally over.
"Okay! I think you've done enough groveling for one day, though it is pretty entertaining. Reporting for duty, captain faker! That's me," said Kuwabara in a cheery voice.
"Hey, why's the dead guy walking around?" Yusuke questioned Kurama.
"Yes, well... I tried to inform you, but you were too engrossed in your speech," the fox answered.
"The heart! The finger poking!" demanded Yusuke.
"You're a moving public speaker... by the way," Kurama moved back a bit and rose to his feet, "Look, he never died," and Kurama went on to briefly explain what happened.
"How does it feel to be out of the loop?" asked Kuwabara. Kurama didn't care anymore at that point. He walked over to his mate, who wasn't going to get back up. He could faintly hear Yusuke punishing Kuwabara for deceiving him. He knelt down beside he again, a tear escaping down his cheek. He moved some hair out of her face, and lifted her towards him again. He used one hand to cup her cheek and stroked it with his thumb gently. She was still warm, but there was no pulse within her. She was dead, gone. She wasn't going to wake up, he would never see those gorgeous tawny eyes again.
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