Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Right Here Waiting For You ❯ Chapter 16 ( Chapter 16 )

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

~Story Start~


It was the next day of the Tournament, and that meant that it was our day off. However, none of the boys didn't see it as a day off really, it was more serious training and blah, blah, blah. I would have been inside the hotel room having a completely stress free day. But stuff like that doesn't happen to me because Kurama asked me to accompany him to watch the matches that were going to be today. So I had to get into my other pair of clothes and I had to get off my lazy ass to go down to the stadium. My new clothes consisted of black capri sweat pants that closed just under my knees, a dark magenta thick strapped tank-top, and my regular black fighting shoes. I was really comfortable, despite my annoyance about leaving our comfortable hotel room, I'll keep wearing this :). (A/N: Yep, new clothes and this will stay forever!)


We were now at the stadium once again, and I was leaning against the railing, bored. Well, I couldn't really say I was bored though, not at the team that we were watching fight. We had only arrived ten minutes ago, and it was almost over! Three of the other fighters have already been killed, their heads were on the grass along with their bodies. What was crazy about it was that the people fighting on Team Ichigaki were ningens by their Spirit Energy, which made me suspicious and a bit scared. They acted like dolls, they just attacked and stared blankly, it was really fucking creepy. And as we speak M3 was already fighting another member of the other team that I didn't really care enough to find out the name.


“Kurama,” I looked at him from my spot on the railing. “Remind me again why I have to watch these fights? It's already almost over...” I mumbled, boredom beginning to rage inside of me, despite my fear for these guys, my boredom overpowered it.


Kurama gave me a small smile, but kept his eyes on the match. “It would be beneficial to us if we knew the opponents attacks beforehand, and devise a strategy for the upcoming match, would it not?” He asked.


I blinked at him, my god I love listening to him talk sometimes. “Did you know that listening to you talk is awesome?” I asked randomly with a smile.


“No Kira, no I did not.” Kurama said with a sweat drop.


I smiled even wider, completely forgetting about the battle that was still going on in front of me. “Well it's awesome, because you sound so smart! It makes me feel really stupid!” I said happily, almost beaming.


“...Is that a compliment?” Kurama asked hesitantly, now confused.


Now it was my turn to be confused. “Yeah, why would it not?” I asked cocking my head to the side, making Kurama sweat drop even more now. He knew that this would happen if he took me along, he thought he wouldn’t be surprised by anything I said, but right now he was a bit surprised.


“No reason.” Kurama said quickly, forcing a smile.


Shrugging off that rushed response, I suddenly realized something. “Hey Kurama, where's Hiei? I thought he would want to watch the fights, too.” I said, frowning slightly, I haven't seen Hiei at all today. Even though the guy could take care of himself, I was still worried. ...Shut up!


Kurama's smile dropped slightly and he hesitated. “Hiei...has something more important to deal with right now.” He said, his eyes leading away from mine for a second.


I began to raise an eyebrow in suspicion at that, but I shrugged it off, if he wanted to tell me, he would when he wanted to. I was still worried, but if Kurama wasn't fully concerned about something, I'll just keep quiet about it. Turning my gaze back towards the match, I saw it end. The green youkai that had been facing off against M3 was now decapitated, like all of the others before him. I grimaced slightly at that, my hand going to my neck absentmindedly, I really did not want to go deal with that happening to me at all when our time comes to fight them. I like my head on my shoulders, thank you.


The green youkai's body fell to the ground, blood pooling out of it's neck, reminding me too much of my past for my liking. I quickly shook the picture of my mother's sliced neck out of my mind, and made myself focus on the fight. I don't need to remind myself of that right now, I have a lot more to worry about then sad memories. I watched with narrowed red eyes, M3 had picked up the youkai's head from the ground, showing it to the crowd who shouted happily. I stared into M3's eyes, they were blank and devoid of any thinking or feeling, he looked more like a machine then a doll. At least dolls can show some emotion if you make it, but not with this guy.


“It's over in seconds yet again, and with another decapitation!” Koto shouted happily into the microphone. “I must admit I'm starting to get attached to the move, no pun intended of course! All right, that's three straight wins which means the Dr. Ichigaki Team will advance!” She announced, much to the crowds enjoyment.


I watched as M3 walked towards Dr. Ichigaki, throwing the youkai's head at his feet with the other heads that had fallen through out the match. Dr. Ichigaki was a very short and fat little man, well you can't really call him a man, he looked anything but that. He had long, pewter hair on the sides of his head, but he was totally bald on top. He had extremely long ears, narrow eyes and an upturned nose; a sloping wrinkled forehead, pronounced cheeks high up on his face with an extremely large chin. I had to stop myself from laughing when I saw him, just to let you know. Ha. Anyway, just like his name suggested he was a doctor. He was dressed like a typical scientist- complete with a white lab coat, only confirming what I said. I would really hate to get a check up from that guy, ick bad thoughts, very, very bad thoughts!


“Brutal as always.” Ichigaki said laughing sadistically, watching as M3 passed him, standing with the rest of the team behind him.


I looked away from Dr. Ichigaki, and looked to see a blue youkai from the opposing team start to step away from the ring. “We've been blessed my friend the match was decided in the first three fights, at least our lives will be spared from them.” The youkai said nervously, stepping back out of fright as he watched the Dr. Ichigaki Team through yellow eyes.


The youkai was suddenly kicked, and my eyes quickly went to the other youkai behind him. My eyes widened anime style, my mouth dropping open. “Holy shit, look at the size of that thing!” I shouted.


Kurama sweat dropped, but kept looking, never having his eyes off what was happening below. What stood where the blue youkai was just seconds ago was a huge youkai that looked like a cow on steroids. He had brown fur over his really gross muscular body, he was about twenty feet tall or even higher than that. Although what was the most defining feature of this youkai was that he was a cyclops. He was freaky and very fucking scary, well to me at least, I would never want to face that dude in the Tournament, thank god his team lost! But I stopped my thoughts when the cow youkai stepped into the ring, towering over Koto, who was now screaming out of fright, eyes wide. I do not blame her one bit.


“Close your mouth little woman, this battle is not over.” The cow youkai growled, his voice gruff and loud.


Koto smiled nervously, her fox tail swishing behind her timidly. “Sorry big boy, but it actually is, the terms were clarified.” She said, her voice shaking.


The cow youkai only spared her one glance before putting his eye on the group of people behind her. “But I haven't gotten to fight yet, so its not over!” The youkai growled again, walking towards the Dr. Ichigaki team, and I just stared at the cow youkai, shivering slight. I feel sorry for those guys, even though I really shouldn't, for obvious reasons.


Koto screamed once again, throwing her hands in the air as she ran out of the ring. “Have it your way!”


“You have unleashed the fury of the Minotaur!” Minotaur shouted as he stomped closer towards the team. However, once he reached the middle, he stopped. Throwing his hooves over his head, he let out a battle cry as he kicked his feet, running towards them once again at full speed.


“Why are you waiting?” Ichigaki asked, watching Minotaur with an amused look on his face. “Take care of him for me, children.” He ordered.


Minotaur drew closer and closer until he was now in front of the whole squad before him. Seeing Dr. Ichigaki now just before his hooves, Minotaur let out another shout as he let his hoof fly forward at a surprising speed. I watched in anticipation, but I stopped when I saw Dr. Ichigaki smirk widely. I grimaced at the sight of him smiling, he really shouldn't. However, I stopped when I noticed three out of the sixth figures moved, and my eyes went over to M1, 2 and 3. They all stared blankly at the Minotaur until they all got into their fighting stances. And in that moment, I knew the Minotaur was not going to get out of this alive. ...Good.


“Angel Blades!” M1 shouted, his arms spread out as three yellow rings of Spirit Energy formed around both of them. I again felt the familiar feeling of ningen Energy coming from them once again, and I narrowed my eyes.


M3 got into a fighting stance, holding his hands above one another. Red Energy began to form in his palms as dark red electricity began to spark in between them. “Grisly Claw!”


M1 and M3 both jumped into the air as the Minotaur's hoof was about to land on his target, but he stopped short when he saw both of them out of his...eye. His eye widened as he watched M1 bring down his left hand onto Minotaur's left shoulder, taking his arm clean off. Minotaur let out a shout of pain, stumbling back, only allowing M3 to get a perfect chance to place his glowing red hand on his right shoulder. Minotaur's right arm exploded off his body, and both limbs fell to the arena floor as Minotaur let out another cry of pain.


I gulped, getting that sick to your stomach feeling again. “Kurama, I think it was a good thing I came with you today, right now I'm not so sure if we could do much damage against these guys.” I said, feeling very nervous about those boys on the Ichigaki Team.


“Don't be discouraged, we will find a way.” Kurama said, and I only continued to watch the fight below.


My eyes rested on Minotaur's now armless form, blood flowing from the open wounds. He stopped stumbling as he made himself stay standing, and his eyes went in front of him. His eyes went wide at who he saw in front of him. M2. I frowned as I watched the equally emotionless man stare at Minotaur blankly, and when I saw him raise his hand towards the sky, I knew Minotaur was done with. Minotaur so what would come, and he let out a scream of fear, his eye wide as he took a step backward, but there was no getting out of this alive. He should have just taken the loss...


“Invisible Flash!” M2 shouted, throwing his arm back towards the ground.


Minotaur's shouts and screams of fear died away in a second as he head was chopped off. Only the ripples of raggedly cut skin were left of his neck. I felt sick again, but I kept the bile down as I watched Minotaur's body fall to it's knees before laying flat against the ground, never to move again. And Minotaur's head fell to the ground just outside the ring, almost exactly at the same time, landing in front of Dr. Ichigaki like the others. After seeing that display, I knew that these guys were going to be hard to beat, if we could even beat them at all I mean. ...No Kira, stop thinking like that! Kurama's right, we'll find a way to beat them, Kurama's always right! ...I hope.



“They had to make my premier against a worthless bunch of people. It scarcely shows the genius of my work, but oh well!” Dr. Ichigaki laughed loudly, another wide smile on his gray lips. “The Urameshi Team will reveal everything in time!


I mentally groaned. *It just has to be us all the time, doesn't it?* I asked myself slightly annoyed, but I stopped when I noticed Kurama getting a serious look on his face. That can not be good. “Kurama, what's wrong?” I asked, making the red haired kitsune break from his thoughts.


Kurama motioned his head towards the Dr. Ichigaki Team, saying. “The attack Energies of those three fighters are undoubtedly ningen, our team should have the only ones here, and their movements, something is not right.” The narrowed look in his eyes and the seriousness of his face really did not help my feelings right now, that only made them worse!


“I know, I noticed that too.” I mumbled, watching as the Dr. Ichigaki Team disappeared through the doors they had entered through not that long ago. “It's weird though, something seems really off about them, not just about their fighting either. They look like dolls, or machines, through out this whole match they've showed no emotion, it's really creepy.”


Kurama nodded. “I've noticed that as well, that Doctor must have something to do with it.” He said, eyes narrowing even further now.


I stared at him confused. “What makes you say that?” I asked.


“He was giving them orders to carry out their killings, like they couldn't do it on their own. I figured that he was controlling them somehow, but I saw no device that would indicate that.” Kurama let out a sigh. “Maybe I'm wrong...” He trailed off, eyes traveling back towards the arena, Koto standing there.


“It's a possibility though, I can tell a lot of crazy shit is going to happen in this Tournament.” I mumbled, letting myself lean against the railing once again.


“Hello fans, everybody still having fun up there?” Koto asked happily, the ring now cleared of blood and the decapitated corpses of the previous team. “I've got the eighth battle for you in just a minute.” She announced, resulting in cheers from the crowd.


“It's Toguro's team.” Kurama stated, eyes narrowing again.


I frowned, finding myself glaring at one of the doors that had yet to open. “Oh hurray, I can't wait to see that bastard again.” I spat sarcastically, although it wasn't directed at Kurama.


“Before we get to the good stuff, lets take a look at our progress so far. The advancing teams from the first seven massacres are-” Koto pointed towards the yellow screen, it holding the names of all the teams that had won yesterday and today. “Urameshi Team, Dr. Ichigaki Team, Team Masho, Team Gokai Six, Team Uraotogi, Gorenja Team, and Team Kaido!” Koto turned back to the crowd, her smile even wider now. “There's only one more slot for the second round and our next two teams are about to draw for it! That's right people, so warm up your scream voices and strap on your galoshes because it's a good bet these next fighters will have us knee deep in the slaughter! ” She shouted, and the crowd went wild once again.


Kurama and I watched as the first team stepped out, thankfully not Toguro's. They were the team he was going to fight, and they were fucking huge! They were Topaz, Dosukoi, Gorilla, Babaki, and Gagaki. Almost all of them carried huge weapons, except for Dosukoi, again another team I did not want to go up against. They were all three times my size, and had weapons two times my size, not a good combination! However, our attention was pulled away from them when the other doors opened, revealing someone that made us tense up and glare. Toguro. He walked towards the ring with a calm look on his face, again without his green trench coat on, revealing his tan muscular torso. But what struck me as odd was that he was all alone, where none of his team members even here? I narrowed my eyes at him, what was he planning? Knowing him, it wasn’t going to be good, for obvious reasons. Again.


“Aw yeah, the person who needs no introduction, the resident bad-ass of the Tournament!” Koto said, watching as Toguro walked towards the center of the ring.


I snorted softly. “He's more of an asshole than a bad-ass.” I said with anger seeping into my tone.


My narrowed red eyes watched as Toguro stopped just before the Spirit Warriors, and look off into the stands. I followed his gaze, and saw Yusuke, Kuwabara and the Masked Fighter sitting among the youkai. I saw Yusuke tense slightly as he saw Toguro looking at him, before I saw him glare at the stronger man, or youkai, seeing as how he was one now. Toguro just smirked at the glare before he turned back towards the Spirit Warriors, or Koto, seeing as how she was in front of them.


“But the defending champions may not have an easy time with team, the Spirit Warriors!” Koto announced, gesturing to the huge youkai behind her as she stepped aside. “For those glued to your programs, you'll notice a substitute’s fighting in the place of Rugby who we've been told had out of the ring complications.” She explained, smiling still.


I rolled my eyes. “I bet that's a fancy way of saying he got killed.” I said, turning to Kurama.


“Most likely,” Kurama said. “I wonder what happened.”


I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the five giant youkai in the ring. “Probably did something he shouldn't have or something, poor bastard.” I said, my tone uncaring, not meaning a word of it.


I narrowed my eyes at myself, all right I was not acting like myself at all. I have no idea what was wrong with me right now, I feel so on edge right now. I wonder if it's because of Toguro, or something else... Was it because I was reminded of my mother? It sounded reasonable, but that wasn't it, and it was on the tip of my tongue as well. I clenched my fists over the railing tightly, frustration coursing through me, what the hell was wrong with me? Why do I feel like something bad is going to happen? Dammit...


“Are you all right, Kira?” Kurama asked concerned as he rose an eyebrow, noticing my now white hands.


“I honestly have no idea,” I sighed, my skin tingled as if someone was watching me, but I knew no one was. “I just have really a bad feeling, for some reason.” I mumbled with a frown.


“Is it because of Toguro?” He asked.


I hesitated, and nodded my head, although that wasn't it. “Yeah, I guess.”


Kurama said nothing more about it, knowing that I was lying, but decided I would tell him if I needed to. And by the looks of confusion on my face, he knew I didn't know either. However, a sudden bright yellow light filled the stadium, along with the feeling of five Spirit Energies rising. Kurama and I both looked back at the ring, getting knocked out of our thoughts. The Spirit Warriors were emitting large amounts of Spirit Energy going out in waves of yellow light. I stared in surprise at them, my feelings ignored for the moment. Not only where the Spirit Warriors huge, they also were fucking strong as well! Shit!


“Well hello, I guess that's why their called Spirit Warriors.” I said, my eyes wide.


Toguro began to move again, and we all watched him in silence as it passed over the crowd. Toguro stopped a few feet in front of the Spirit Warriors, not at all affected by the display of power that just occurred before him. He still remained calm and emotionless like he always has been, and the Spirit Warriors stared down at him as well, cockiness showing in their faces. I could already tell that is going to be their downfall.


“If you don't mind, I'd like to fight against your team single handedly.” Toguro said emotionlessly.


“What are you saying?” Babaki clenched his fists as he glared at Toguro, his voice almost making his words unable to be identified. “Don't you have a team?” He asked, almost angrily.


“Of course,” Toguro smirked. “But they happen to be extremely lazy, and they don't want to fight.”


Dosukoi glared down at Toguro, obviously not liking the fact that he though they weren't going to be a problem to fight. “You arrogant man! Are you mocking us?!” He shouted/asked angrily, clenching his fists as his glare deepened on the tan man.


“Five fights in a row, you'd be exhausted.” Gagaki said with a smirk.


“Well actually I was hoping all five of you would fight me at the same time.” Toguro said completely serious, while I stared at him like he was crazy.


Gorilla began to laugh loudly, his huge hammer over his shoulder bouncing slightly at the amount of his mirth. “I see, the puny man is serious, his fame must be affecting his head.” He said with a smirk of amusement on his lips.


“Look at us, everyone on our team is two times bigger than you.” Dosukoi said, still glaring.


Toguro looked up at the sumo wrestler impersonator, now looking as if he was getting annoyed, that wouldn’t be good. Although, ti wasn't like they had a fighting chance against Toguro anyway. “You have size, that is all.”


“Fine!” Dosukoi snapped. “If you are a fool with a death wish, then so be it! Five-on-one, right now!” He shouted, finally having enough of Toguro's honesty.


Koto got an excited look on her face, clenching her left fist as she asked with a smile on her lips. “Mr. Toguro, are you sure you agree to this?” She asked, her ears perked and ready to hear the mans very soft, yet gruff voice speak his answer.


“Naturally, they're my terms, sorry if this makes it harder to announce.” Toguro said emotionlessly.


I glare again. “Oh, I'm sure.” I mumbled to myself sarcastically.


At first Koto was confused by what he meant about that, but she got the idea when she saw all of the Spirit Warriors surround Toguro, and almost her. “Yikes!” She quickly ran to the side of the ring before she composed herself, the smile returning. “Spirit Warriors vs Toguro, begin!” She announced, raising her left hand as the loud buzzer went off, signaling the official start of the match.


Dosukoi was the first of his team to go first. Just like any sumo wrestler, he clapped his hands, and rose his left foot high in the air, letting it crash down on the ground. However, it wasn't like any other stomp that you were accustomed to, a deep crack spread from the ring to the ground, leaving a hole to stare us in the face. Kurama and I widened our eyes, but he narrowed his back down, the shock wearing off. But my stayed as I watched Dosukoi do the same thing with his right foot, causing another deep crack to appear. Damn! How the hell is this even possible?!


“These warriors take advantage of their large bodies to channel greater Spirit Energy.” Kurama observed.


I nodded, my wide eyes still on Dosukoi. “Oh yeah, that's some huge Spirit Energy right there.” I shivered slightly as I pictured someone under that guys foot. “Damn that would look like it hurt!” I said, really hoping that they lose, although it was obvious that they would.


“I believe I'll use my 100 Hands technique to finish.” Dosukoi said, placing his hands on the ground.


“You have great power, you're right to be proud.” Toguro said, still calm. “It's unfortunate that you have to die now, but I will honor you with 40% of my strength.”


Toguro brought his fists in front of himself as purple Spirit Energy began to form around him, the haze swimming around his body. He let out a concentrated groaning sound, as his Spirit Energy rose, and I started to get that paralyzed feeling once again, just like that time when I first met him. I watched with wide, horror filled eyes as his muscles began to grow larger, his collar bone protruding out of the now tight skin. Veins popped and stuck out, leaving his body to be over crowded with divots that somehow got through that thick, built skin of his. My mouth went wide open in shock, his Spirit Energy just went through the roo-.


Three Spirit Energies suddenly appeared, one of them was so familiar and huge that I could remember it anywhere. My body completely froze as sheer horror and panic ran through my veins. It was coming from the door that Toguro had come out minutes before, and I somehow found the strength to turn my head in that direction. The first thing that I saw was that small man that rode on Toguro's shoulders yesterday, his shirt also off. Behind him was the long black haired man from before, that mask still covering his mouth and nose. The last person that was there was someone I never wanted to meet again. My mouth went dry, and I swear no one else was around me and there was no sound anymore.


There standing next to the long black haired man was a lean figure. He had pale skin that greatly matched mine, almost to a tee. Black, unruly hair -the same color as mine, but lacking the purple highlights- that looked almost elegant fell down his shoulders as some was in his face, adding to the elegant statement before. Dark, almost completely dried blood colored eyes stared into mine coldly, no feeling in them what so ever. He wore a white mandarin shirt and pants, black and yellow outlining going up the front of the shirt. He looked exactly like he did all those years ago, he didn't change one bit after all this time. Tears welled up in my eyes out of fear, and my breath began to speed up.


Oh god, it was Kane!


Fear racked my body, my stomach churning painfully. My vision began to sway as it was blurry from the tears. I had to leave, I had to get out of here now! My breath was speeding up higher and higher, and I could feel Kurama's worried gaze on mine. My eyes darted from side to side, looking for the nearest exit. All I could see was youkai, and all I could feel was the cold stare that was on my back, it belonging to my brother. If my heart could beat, I think it would have stopped the moment I saw Kane's eyes, but I believe he almost made it start. I allowed myself to look back at him, only to see his eyes fully on me, that same sadistic smirk spreading across his lips once again. Just like when he-.


“Ku-Kurama.” I chocked through gasps of air, backing up towards the exit to my left, tears spilling down my cheeks. “I do-don't feel well, I..I'm going bac-back to the ho-hotel.” My words fumbled and spilled out of my lips sloppily, but I didn't care.


“Kira, what's wrong?” Kurama asked, his eyes filled with concern as he stepped towards me.


I shook my head, keeping sobs from falling from my lips. Memories of that night were filling my head again, I had to get out of here. Ignoring Kurama's questions, I turned around, bolting through the exit of the stadium, finding myself in cold and almost deserted metal hallways. Ragged breath spilled from my lips, making me remember the memory of me running through the darkened hallways of my old house. Adrenalin and fear was pumping through my veins, and all I could hear was of my would-be heart beat, if I had one. I shook my head desperately, trying to rid myself of that hellish night, but the memories just kept coming back, trying to replay the horror I had witness as a small girl.


I barely comprehended that I was now outside, pushing through crowds of youkai that huddled outside. Watching the fight that was going on on the huge television screens on the walls of the stadium. I ignored the shouts and the glares that were directed at me, I barely even noticed them. I looked around quickly, my body getting a sudden chill as I swore I felt Kane's gaze on me once again. I didn't see him, but I wasn't going to stay and find out, and I took off into the forest before me, almost tripping over roots and rocks.


Trembling violently, I was finding it harder for me to even stay running, let alone stand. But the fear kept me going, the adrenalin helping me numb the shakes that racked through my small body. I maneuvered myself around trees and jumped over rocks ungracefully, but I didn't care, I could still feel his gaze on me. And if things couldn't get anymore worse than they already had been, my mind began to play tricks on me. I heard footsteps from all around me, twigs snapping and tree branches rustling as if someone had ran past it. Was he following me? Was he going to kill me? Where we going to fight now? Would he save that for later? Or, was my mind really playing tricks on me?


I didn't know, so I just ran. Ran to where? I had no clue, I was just running blindly.


Pushing through leaves that hung from low branches, I found myself coming towards a small clearing, and thats when I finally let myself collapse onto my knees. Dizziness swept over me, and the churning in my stomach grew stronger. My breathing became more labored and the pain grew before I hunched myself over, emptying the contents that had been in my stomach onto the grassy ground. My throat felt raw and the dizziness made me sway once again. My vision blurred heavily, everything growing dimmer until I could almost no longer see anything in front of me. Moving away from the thrown up contents on the ground, I allowed myself to fall into complete darkness on the forest floor.


~The Next Morning, No One's POV~


The sun rose over the dark waters that surrounded Hanging Neck Island, it's rays climbing up the trees bark and over it's limbs. The air was silent as the wind rolled by coolly, making the leaves rustle lightly. But the morning wasn't to be all peaceful, and the natural scene was broken by the sounds of footsteps, breaking the untouched natural setting. A young fire youkai stepped into the clearing, his face emotionless and cold like always, but hiding pain. His eyes were narrowed, as if that would keep the pain in his right arm from escalating, and when it subsided for the moment, he pressed on.


Hiei suddenly stopped, the sharp, almost unbearable pain went through his arm once again. Clutching his hand to his arm, he stopped and tightened his grip, clenching his teeth to keep from crying out like he had before. His eyes narrowed as groans of pain slipped past his lips, and he sank to his left knee. Sweat trickled down his temple, and he cursed under his breath. Lifting his chard arm closer to his face, he wondered if he would ever be able to use it again.


“There you are.”


The sudden and familiar voice made Hiei rise to his feet instantly, dropping his hand from his arm as he quickly hid the pain once again. “What are you doing here, Kitsune?” He asked annoyed, eyes resting on Kurama's form in one of the trees before him.


Concern was in his jade-hued eyes, something that Hiei took notice of, but kept silent about. “I guess you wouldn't believe that I came here just to talk, now would you?” Kurama asked, attempting a joke, but his eyes never matched it.


“Tell me what it is that you want before I lose my patience, I'm in no mood for guessing games.” Hiei snapped slightly, getting the familiar pain in his arm once again.


Kurama dropped the 'smile' that he had placed on his lips, and stared down at Hiei with a concerned and serious gaze. “Hiei, have you seen Kira?” Despite himself, that caught Hiei's attention. “She disappeared yesterday and no one has seen her since then.” He said, not taking notice of Hiei's slight narrowed gaze as he scolded himself silently.


“Why do you think I would know?” Hiei asked, raising an eyebrow.


Kurama let out a sigh, he had been hoping that Hiei would have seen her, but no such luck. “So I would take that as a no.” he said.


“Why are you so concerned, Kitsune? I'm sure the Onna is just fine, she's a baka but she can handle herself decently.” Hiei said, rolling his eyes at his friends concerned behavior.


“I know that she can, but something tells me that she isn't.” Kurama said seriously, green eyes boring into blood red ones. “When she ran away yesterday, she looked horrified. I'm worried that whoever frightened her may have gone after her.”


“You're reading too much into this, I'm sure she's all right.” Hiei said, annoyed.


Kurama sighed at Hiei's uncaring attitude, but he said nothing after that. And almost simultaneously, both youkai went into their worlds of thoughts. Hiei wouldn't admit it, but he did wonder where Kira had gone, although he wasn't as concerned like Kurama was, or so he wanted to make himself believe anyway. But Kurama's worrying did make Hiei a bit unnerved, Kurama is only concerned when something bad has happened.


“Is this wise, Hiei?” Kurama suddenly asked, changing the subject.


Hiei looked up at the kitsune once again, breaking from his thoughts. “What do you mean?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at the random question.


“It won't be easy to keep winning without the use of your dominant hand, perhaps you should withdraw.” Kurama suggested, eyes narrowed into a serious gaze, pushing the negative thoughts to the back of his mind. Kira was strong, she wouldn't let anything happen to her without a fight, and he was confident that she was a lot stronger than the youkai that roamed around here. Or so he hoped...


Hiei smirked almost cockily. “Heh, you heard what Toguro said, we don't have a choice.” A sudden appearance of three Spirit Energies filled the area, making both youkai narrow their eyes and raise their guard. Kurama jumped next to his friend, scanning the area. “If we don't make through this Tournament, he will kill us all. Fighting is our only way out. ” Hiei finished as two figures stepped out of the forest in front of them.


Both youkai looked like cross breeds of lizards and tigers, or leopards in the older ones case. They both wore blue and green pants, identical black looking belts through the loops. Their fur was tan, only becoming more prominent under their light blue t-shirts that tucked into their pants. The youngest of the youkai had yellow hair, arms crossed over his muscular chest. The older one to his left had dark gray hair, and a mustache with matching color, both eyes yellow and cat like. Tails swished behind them dangerously, dark spots covering all the way to the tip. Their faces were cold, and by the looks of it, they weren't going to let Kurama and Hiei go without a fight, if it came down to it. And knowing those two, it would most definitely happen.


“Seems the doctor's team has gotten lost.” Kurama said, sarcasm coating his voice.


Hiei's smirk widened as his narrowed gaze rested on the two. “Yes, what a horrible coincidence for us both.” He said, matching Kurama's tone.


The old leopard youkai glared at the both of them, his sensitive hearing easily picking up the mocks instantly. Baring his fangs and showing his claws, the old leopard youkai ran at Hiei and Kurama, a battle cry of sorts emitting from his lips loudly. However, he didn’t get very far, lacking the skill and strength to go up against those two. Hiei grabbed the sword that was strapped to his back with his left hand, while Kurama got out his Rose Whip. And before anyone could even blink, both weapons sank into the leopard youkai's skin and slid out almost as if it were hot butter.


Hiei and Kurama landed on their knees, watching as the leopard youkai's body fell apart. His head fell first, followed by his torso, and arms. The limbs, legs and head laid motionless as the purple blood pooled around it. The younger youkai's eyes widened, not expecting the little battle to end this quickly. He stepped back, now realizing that he was in a very bad situation, although he should have known that from the beginning, but what can you expect from lower class youkai such as himself? Nothing really.


“What the hell?” The younger youkai gasped, looking at his fallen comrade.


Hiei and Kurama both stood up from their crouched positions, and looked at the body as well. “Hmph,” Hiei said with a smirk. “And that was using my left arm Kurama.” He said, glancing at the red head beside him.


“I'm sorry, I used my right, next time I'll use my left to be fair.” Kurama said, smirking back.


Turning away from Kurama, Hiei turned back towards the front once again. “Would you like to try us next?” He asked, eyes narrowing dangerously on M5, preparing for another 'fight' like the last one.


(A/N: I'm done writing younger youkai...)


M5 chuckled at the two, something that made Hiei and Kurama narrow their eyes in suspicion. It was never good to hear an enemy laugh when their completely outmatched. “Thanks, but I rather not, death gives me the shivers.” He said with a smirk, his voice gravely and sinister.


M5 walked towards one of the bushes that rested beside him, and threw his hand inside, only to pull out a very familiar black and purple highlighted haired girl. Both youkai tensed up and glared dangerously down at M5 as he held Kira by her waist by his side. From the looks of her, she was unconscious, but there were no wounds that told them that she was attacked. But what made them worry, yes even Hiei, was that she looked a lot paler than she normally did. However, how she got to be in this predicament was not really on their mind right now.


“Ah, I knew it would be a good idea to take this little wench with me when I found her.” M5 chuckled darkly, looking up at the two. “You're lucky I didn't kill her, but I would advice not to make an rash decisions, my claws might 'accidentally' slit her pretty little throat.” He smirked wider, as he positioned Kira in a standing position, letting his claw draw a small amount of blood from her now exposed neck.


“I see, you would stoop so low as to hold our friend hostage.” Kurama stated with a growl, eyes glaring.


M5 didn't seem bothered by the comment. “Say what you want, if she aids in me killing you two, I see no problem with using dirty tricks.” He laughed darkly again “Now put your weapons on the ground, or else you can say good-bye to Miss Akira.” He instructed, his claws at her pale neck once again.


Hiei glared at M5 dangerously, his eyes on Kira's limp form. “You're a fool if you think this little plan of yours will work.” He suddenly said, ice lacing his words sharply, holding his sword towards M5.


“What?” M5 asked, eyes widening slightly.


“He's right, there is nothing stopping us from simply taking her back.” Kurama said, he knew that both he an Hiei were a lot faster than M5, they could easily get Kira back before he could even think about blinking.


“I knew you two would be stubborn, but oh well it's of little consequence.” M5 shook his head as he let out another laugh. “It's a good thing I came prepared!” He said, throwing Kira to the side as he pulled out a remote from his pocket, his thumb pressing one of the buttons the protruded from the gray plastic.


A beeping sound as one of the buttons began to glow red, flashing in time with the beeps perfectly. A sudden glow made both Hiei and Kurama look to their lefts, seeing a giant mechanical being push its way through the trees. It's body was huge, two times larger and taller than M5. Its body was mostly colored a gray that matched the remote that called it, while other parts were red. However, what caught their attention was the 'eye' that stuck out from the 'head'. It was bright and made out of glass, but they couldn’t shake the feeling that it was looking at them.



“Gatasubal is what we like to call him, one of the doctor's earlier projects. Part youkai, mostly machine and no feelings, no pain and no fear.” M5 explained before he pointed at the two of them with his free hand. “Go Gatasubal, destroy those two low lives!” He ordered.


Gatasubal didn't hesitate as it stepped forward, making Hiei and Kurama narrow their eyes and get into fighting stances. However, that wouldn't work, and Gatasubal came to a stop a few feet in front of them. It lifted its hands, before shooting them, wires following them as they flew through the air at Hiei and Kurama. Both wasted no time jumping away from them, only to have one of the hands follow their movements, despite their efforts to avoid them. It crashed through trees and rocks, never giving up the chase.


Hiei glared as he felt his feet connect to a tree trunk, only for him to jump off a second later, avoiding another direct attack from Gatasubal's hand. Landing on the ground, he kicked off, drawing his blade before he slashed at the wire that connected to the metal nuisance. However, all that did was bounce his blade off, leaving no scratch behind. Cursing silently Hiei jumped away from the machine once again, eyes narrowing even further.


“Gatasubal's whole body is covered with a special formula of hybridized metal. Combine the hottest steel and living cells, no substance in the whole world can break it.” M5 chuckled again, a crazed look in his eyes.


Hiei jumped into the air, dodging another attack from Gatasubal, and he was now high above the trees. His eyes fell on M5's form, now having a perfect chance with Kira out of the way. “Maybe I can't kill the beast, but I can at least kill you!” He shouted.


Hiei raced towards M5, sword drawn and mind only focused on him. He didn't even take into account of M5's lack of fear, and kept going. However, that would prove to the be the wrong move. Out of his peripheral vision, Hiei saw the claw suddenly change its course, heading towards him again. Not being able to dodge it fully, the claws hit his side, making Hiei fall towards the ground. With one hand holding his sword, Hiei had no choice but land on his right, sending a shock-wave of pain to flow through him. Quickly rolling off his right hand, Hiei got to his knees, almost cradling his crippled hand to his chest. But dealing with the pain, he got to his feet once again, only to be hit once again by Gatasubal's claw, but this time dead on. Making Hiei slam into a tree right behind him, the claw holding him firmly against the bark.


Kurama ceased his running for a short second, looking at his comrade. “Hiei!” He shouted with concern.


“You see the genius of the doctor's work?” M5 laughed insanely, eyes glinting evilly. “It has no feelings or thoughts to distract, it thinks only of the kill!” He shouted gleefully.


“I can appreciate that.” Hiei said through gritted teeth, raising his left hand a red ball of Spirit Energy formed.


Kurama's eyes widened slightly as he looked at the orb in Hiei's hand. “Hiei don't!” He shouted, however he didn't have enough time to say anything else, hearing the sound of Gatasubal's claw coming towards him once again.


Narrowing his eyes at the claw as it came into view, he began to run again. However, it wasn't randomly anymore. Thanks to his quick thinking, Kurama led the clawed mechanical hand through the trees, heading straight for claw that held Hiei bound to the tree. Jumping over the claw, the one following Kurama crashed into it, knocking it free from the tree, along with Hiei.


Hiei fell to his knees, and looked at the direction that Kurama had went, only to see the red haired kitsune fall pray to both of Gatasubal's hands as they slammed onto him. A puff of dirt sprang from the ground, blocking Hiei's view, and no sounds could indicate if Kurama was all right, or... well you know.


Hiei stood quickly, his eyes widening considerably. “Kurama!” He shouted.


“Excellent Gatasubal, now kill the other ones, too!” M5 shouted happily, gesturing to Kira and Hiei, making the latter turn to him with a narrowed gaze. However, M5's gaze narrowed in confusion when Gatasubal did nothing. “What's wrong with you, I said kill!” He ordered again, this time angrily.


“You were wrong on two counts,” Kurama's familiar voice filled the air, making the two youkai turn towards Gatasubal's hands. Seeing Kurama's Rose Whip inside the claw's wiring, making it completely useless.


“I'm wrong?!” M5 shouted fearfully, stepping back . “What do you mean?! What just happened?!”


Kurama got to his feet, Hiei standing by his side. “Even the hardest substance can be broken, when crashed into itself. And the ability to feel pain is not a weakness, its strength. Pain tells a creature it's vulnerabilities, and not to expose them to attack.” Kurama took a step forward, making M5 back up even more. “Your robot is dead, and so, I'm afraid, are you.” He said emotionlessly.


M5 eyes widened even more, backing up until he felt himself hit a tree, ceasing his thoughts of escape almost instantly. Watching as the two youkai walked towards him slowly, like prey, he began to really fear for his life. Now it was times like these when hindsight could be a real bitch. If he was able to even make it out of this situation alive, he made sure that he would pick battles he knew he could win. But as things stood, the poor bastard didn't have a chance in hell. Seeing the two youkai now only a few feet in front of him, he closed his eyes, waiting for the relief of death.


(http://s373.photobucket.com/albums/oo174/AnimeSpaz/An ime%20Characters/?action=view&current=snow-anime-guys-7869362-298-500.j pg)This is Kane!


Ending it here! Gasp, Kane has finally made an appearance, and this time it wasn’t in a flash back! We will be seeing more of the bastard, but how will Kira handle their meetings? And how will she ever hope to face Kane if she can't even look at him without almost having an emotional break down? More to be revealed!

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