Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Right Here Waiting For You ❯ Chapter 44 ( Chapter 44 )

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

~*~*~*Story Start*~*~*~


~*~*~*No-One's POV*~*~*~


The wisps of blue orbs flew around everyone in the stadium, emitting a calming, protective light around the large dome despite the situation. Everyone looked around with amazement, their eyes narrowed in bewilderment as they suddenly felt a strange sensation spread through their bodies. Different mixes of emotions raged inside them, but everyone who experienced them knew those feelings weren't their own, confusing them even more. However, there were only two people who didn't move, those being Yusuke and Kira, who sat kneeling on the ground, blank and motionless. Both going through the same thing, but handling it in totally different ways.


Toya, standing beside Chu, Jin and Rinku, watched with wide eyes as thousands of orbs drifted before and above him. “Look at it,” he breathed out in shock.


“I'd say the wind is something not the same...” Jin spoke in awe.


Koto rose the microphone to her lips almost instantly, one hand flat on the desk as she leaned over as if to get a better look at what was happening. “For all those still listening to this broadcast, Yusuke is emitting a strange Energy, unlike anything we've seem from him before!” she announced, her mouth slightly agape.


“His feelings,” Botan said softly, eyes half-lidded. “I can practically taste them all in the air.”


“The Energy within Yusuke's body is changing dramatically,” Kurama stated quietly.


Koenma nodded from beside him, his eyes narrowed into a solemn stare. “The loss of his friend is too great a shock, the walls are coming down,” he said, his tone filled with empathy.


Darkness seemed to fill the entire arena around Yusuke, his eyes never leaving the floor as he took heavy steps forward. His eyes were glazed over, as if he was now in his own little world. All eyes watched as Yusuke drew closer and closer towards Toguro's form with each sluggish step he took. However, Yusuke didn't feel the eyes, he didn't hear their words, only one voice penetrated his mind. The only voice right now that could make him feel this burning, aching guilt that made it's home in his chest.


'Urameshi! I'm gonna mess your face up so bad, the kittens won't even look at ya!'


How could he let that happen?


'YUUUKIIINNNA!'


Why didn't he try?


'That's it! My head is a trampoline is where I draw the line!'


It was all too late...


'Cause I'm Kuwabara, and in case you guys forgot, I gotta sword!'


Kuwabara's blood was on his hands now.


'Beat him for all of us...Urameshi.'


Yusuke's jaw clenched, those words echoing in his head over and over again. He wouldn't let Kuwabara down, he wouldn't let anymore of his friends die. Not again...


The darkness seemed to lift, the colors of the world around him falling back into place. His eyes still never drifted from the broken dirt beneath his feet, his brown eyes staring blankly before he came to a stop, standing a few feet before the tree-like apparition. His shoulders were hunched forward, and his fists were clenched at his sides, a numbness filling his entire body.


“Now lets do this,” Yusuke spoke up quietly. “I've already said I'll never forgive you...and now I'll never be able to forgive myself, so lets just do this...”


Toguro did nothing but watch as the orbs of Energy raced towards Yusuke's form, swirling around him into a raging cyclone. The sound of the air whipping around met everyones' ears, but all they felt was a gentle breeze. Slowly, the cyclone of orbs began to spread out into five steady streams, rotating in a continuous circle that seemed to go on without end. The orbs, however, seemed to dodge Toguro's form like he was the plaque, gliding in front of him as if an invisible barrier was around him before straightening out once again.


'Anxiety...and fear,' Toguro thought. 'It's been fifty years since I felt those. At last I enter a fight for which I don't know the outcome.' A dark grin stretched across his lips. 'The tension is mounting in my neck. An ultimate fight with you, Yusuke. Genkai is dead, but one part remains; now I fight her progeny and all things can be brought to a close.'


Toguro looked down at Yusuke, beady eyes showing no emotion despite the feelings raging beneath the surface. He muscles screamed with the urge to fight, to test his full strength against the Energy that was swarming all around him. The


“I need to thank you, Yusuke, for finally realizing your power,” he said lowly, his tone emotionless as it always was. “You see I couldn't finish this story with satisfaction until you had become like me. Now you're power has reached the level of mine!” he shouted, kicking off into a run, his heavy steps slamming against the ground as he drew closer to Yusuke's motionless form.


“You know that's a load of crap, Toguro,” Yusuke said quietly.


Toguro smirked wickedly at the comment. “Is that so?!” he asked with his smirk growing wider, causing an uneasy feeling to wash over the boys.


Pulling his arm back, Toguro slammed his tree bark-like fist into Yusuke's jaw, sending the young Spirit Detective threw the air. His back hit the ground, the momentum keeping him going, the ground beneath him being dug up and damaged before Yusuke's body hit the wall. A cloud of dust and debris filled the air, before revealing Yusuke's slumped over form, a large hole behind him, rocks pushed against his back uncomfortably.


“Yusuke,” Kurama mumbled, eyes narrowing.


“Toguro makes a solid right hook, and Yusuke does nothing to defend himself! He ground-slides all the way to the wall!” Koto shouted, her eyes wide.


Gasps and fear-filled voices rose into the air from the crowd, the boys looking at Yusuke with narrowed eyes, sweat trickling down their temples. Yusuke wasn't moving, which wasn't a good sign. The youkai in the crowd stared around in horror, while the others such as the ones from Team Masho and Team Rokuyukai, they just ignored the noises around the, staring intently down at Yusuke's form. Yusuke was stronger than this, he wouldn't let Toguro win, not after all he's done them. Because if Yusuke couldn't defeat Toguro, then it was save to say that no one could.


The boys suddenly heard the sound of sluggish footsteps crunching against the rock littered dirt behind them. The three boys turned, their eyes widening slightly at Kira's shaky form. She didn't seem to be looking at either of them, her eyes showing no recognition except for one person, the Spirit Detective that was smashed against the wall. Despite her dulled eyes, there was a fear that lingered deep in them. Each of her steps seemed to be heavy, as if it was a huge effort just to lift her foot an inch off the ground. And when she finally reached them, she planned to keep going, but a familiar fire youkai stopped her, his hand gripping her small, shaking wrist. She stopped at the familiar touch, looking as if she would stir, but the blank look never left her face, not even when Hiei let her go. She just stared at the black haired ningen before her.


“Yusuke...” Kira mumbled, her tone dead and monotoned.


Kurama frowned at the younger, shorter girl beside him. “Kira, relax now all right? Everything is going to be fine,” he said comfortingly, despite how his expression betrayed his words.


“I can't let him die...” Kira turned to look up at him, blank eyes spilling tears. “...I don't want to be alone anymore...” she whispered, lips trembling.


Hiei, now beside her, crossed his arms. “He won't die, Onna,” he said firmly, no room for argument.


Kira's eyes turned to him, looking as if she were studying his face, his expressions, to see if he was lying to her. To see if there was anything that could be a reason to help Yusuke, but when she found none she just simply turned her head away. She said nothing, only staring at Yusuke with an almost protective look despite her trancelike state.The boys frowned down at her, not use to this side of Kira. She wasn't her bright, happy self, the girl that they knew could make a terrible situation seem a little better. All they saw now was the hollow shell of a girl who was scared, and they couldn't help but wonder if this was how she was before she met them. One of the boys couldn't help but frown, not liking this new side of her, and couldn't help but think that he wanted the old Kira back.


Down by the center, the Spirit Detective still sat motionless, while the apparition before him narrowed his eyes in a murderous fashion. This had gone on long enough, if this boy wouldn't realize the strength he had, he was going to force it out of him one way or another.


“You see, I can tell that didn't actually hurt you.” Toguro crossed his arms over his chest, watching as Yusuke slowly lifted his head towards him. “Early that punch would have left you unconscious, but now you can take it without blocking and still get up to fight. If that's not a sign of equal power, what is?” he asked, a sneer occupying his lips now, his eyes flashing dangerously.


“You were right about one thing, Toguro. That punch didn't hurt me,” Yusuke said, pushing himself up.


“Yusuke's truly done it,” Hiei spoke, his eyes widening slightly despite himself. “He's learned how to battle on a level playing field with Toguro.”


“Level, yet at the same time, it's completely different,” Kurama added.


Yusuke's legs were a bit shaky, but when he planted his feet firmly on the ground, dark blue Spirit Energy flickered around his body. The wisps began to flow around the stadium once again, but as they did their colors changing from blue to red and back again, the cycle repeating. Yusuke's and Toguro's power blending in with one another. Everyone in the stadium watched the wisps, their eyes widening as they slithered and darted through the air. Different feelings washed over them, these one different than before.


Chu's eyes were wide, along with everyone else's in the stadium, the feelings of the Energies around him a completely new to him. “Both their powers are mixin' togetha, it's the real dinki-di mates! It's the got the strength of a ute, but for some reason it doesn't feel harmful,” he said, his eyes following after the hue changing Energies.


“Yeah, it's weird!” Rinku said with a bright smile. “All of a sudden I feel a whole lot better! Kinda like I'm being protected or something!”


Jin frowned, something not common on the wind shinobi's face. “It's such of a melancholy wind, he be firin'. Like I can feel the sad on his inner sides pouring out into a big black empty,” he said a bit sadly.


Toya couldn't help but copy Jin's expression. “Yusuke is locked in a struggle with his own emotions, a sense of guilt is reversing his power. His defense goes outward, guarding all of us in the stadium, while his attack is aimed solely on himself,” he explained.


Down at the center of the ring, Toguro's expression suddenly turned mocking, his eyes ever so slightly glancing at the Energies around him. The young Spirit Detective before him still had that blank look on his face, the numbness that he felt in his body was almost enough to make the others in the stadium feel it as well. Feeling what the others were feeling, Toguro couldn't help but find this amusing. No, it was more than that. It was a laughable.


“Are you hurting, Yusuke? Feeling guilty?” Toguro asked mockingly, especially when the blank expression on Yusuke's face turned to anger, causing him to chuckle. “Don't worry, it's like the chicken pox. Once you get over it the first time, it never comes back.” His eyes suddenly became deranged, an insane-like quality filling them. “Think Yusuke, what do you owe these people? Why do you let their weakness drag you down? Throw off the bags of guilt and you can become as powerful as me! Give yourself control! Believe in nothing but your own strength, and it can never let you down!” he shouted, clenching his fist tightly as he smirked.


Yusuke eye's glared at the monster before him, his anger growing more and more at each word that spilled from his mouth. He didn't understand how someone who use to be human could even think that throwing people away, people who were important to him, was all right and that they were dragging him down. Everyone knew that no matter who you are, everyone needs people to be there. Without even one person, they would die, it was a fact of life but apparently Toguro forgot that. But Yusuke didn't, and he never will. As Toguro laughed in amusement, Yusuke knew that he was going to show the bastard how wrong he was. Clenching his fists by his side, the hues of Energy around stadium stopped changing, staying continuously to the familiar, comforting blue that he always had.


“Shut up, Toguro. I'm not like you,” Yusuke snapped angrily, making Toguro's eyes widen slightly. “I won't just throw people away!”


“Can't let go?” he asked, growing another smirk.


Yusuke's eyes softened as he stared at the four. “I never would have gotten this far without those guys help. And whenever I was getting my head rearranged, it was always because I cared about them that I could win,” he said, his fist clenching at his side tightly.


“And that's precisely the reason you've been limited up 'til now!” Toguro shouted angrily, a dangerous flash in his eyes. “You're too soft! You don't need anyone but yourself, don't you understand that?!”


Yusuke only shook his head slowly, a frown on his lips.


“Guess I need to kill another one of your friends.” Toguro smirked, ignoring the glare that came into Yusuke's eyes, and turned towards the remaining four behind him. “And I know just the person. How about you, little miss Akira? I'm sure your brother would just love to see you again,” he said sadistically, his eyes on the blankly staring girl.


Kurama and Koenma quickly got to their feet at the sound of her name, their eyes narrowed dangerously onto Toguro's form, while Hiei stood in front of her, eyes as cold as Death himself. Toguro smirked wider at their reaction, beginning to walk towards the unresponsive girl. However, when he felt a strong hand grip his forearm, his steps stopped on a dime. Toguro's eyes narrowed viciously at the sudden action of the young Spirit Detective, the annoyance that was filling him almost hitting the boiling point. He wasn't going to let that boy run away from what he possessed, this was a fight he's been waiting for for over fifty years, and one way or another he was going to get it. Killing another youkai and adding her to the long list of many others didn't matter to him.


“Let go,” Toguro growled out lowly.


“I...” Yusuke looked down, his face showing shame. “Somewhere in side I respected you, you know that? Lets just say I haven't had many older guys to look up to. What you seem to have going, it didn't look so bad.” Red Energy swarmed, the ground below him and Toguro began to crack, spreading quickly as the island rumbled violently. “Genkai told me over and over again how stupid I was, but I saw your strength and how no one could boss you around no matter what. And I wanted that,” he said softly, his fist clenching.


“Then you should take my advice,” Toguro stated with a smirk.


Yusuke's grip tightened as a renewed glare came into his eyes. “Idiot! I'm not done! That's what I did want, until Genkai told me the rest,” he said with a growl, his mind going back to that day where Genkai laid in his arms, her life slowly slipping away.


~*~*~*Flash Back*~*~*~


Genkai's face was contorted in pain, her brown eyes wide and desperate as she looked up at her pupil. She couldn't go, not until he learned the truth about Toguro. Her breath was becoming labored and shallow, her time drawing closer than she had wanted. Sweat was trickling down her face, her body slowly growing cold and clammy. Gripping a shaky hand to Yusuke's shirt, she stared up into Yusuke's warm, sad brown eyes that grew glassy, tears beginning to sit on the edges of his eyes.


Genkai let out a shaky breath. “He asked the committee to turn him from a human into a demon of the highest class. He left us so he could keep his youth and his precious strength. Everyone has to fight with time, to find their place before their inevitable death. Toguro...he ran away from that fight, don't you ever do the same. No human is ever a one man show. Every decision you make will affect the countless people who care about you. Do you understand? You can just be a cocky kid anymore, you have to...” she trailed off, her eyes slowly closing as her head lolled to the side, her body now as cold as ice.


~*~*~*Present*~*~*~


“Since I started this whole tournament I've learned the value of what you gave away.” Yusuke's lowered eyes snapped up to Toguro's face, a determined glare now set in his eyes as he shouted, “And I won't let it go! Even if I have to give up my life!”


The flickering red Energy that swarmed around the two as Yusuke's hand grip caused a sickening, but small crack as he tightened it over Toguro's wrist. A circle of blue Spirit Energy appeared around his feet, wisps swarming upwards as the ground broke away around them, sending thousands of rocks and debris into the air. A deep trench surrounded their small little circle of land, the rocks that flew through the air were now gone, disintegrated into nothing but dust. Everyone stared on in amazement, Yusuke's Spirit Energy rising and rising faster than they have ever felt.


Koenma stared with wide eyes, mouth almost hanging agape. “Pinch me,” he mumbled in shock.


“So he understands now,” Kurama stated softly.


Toguro narrowed his eyes. “I can see you're the disciple of Genkai in every way, a slave to your softer emotions,” he said with a sneer of disgust in his tone.


“You shouldn't even be allowed to say her name!” Yusuke hissed icily. “Today you die, Toguro!”


Toguro smirked. “Humph, go ahead and try--”


A black streak appeared across Toguro's vision, and before he could even register what he saw, a powerful punch connected with the side of his head. Toguro's eyes widened, his neck twisting into a position that would kill a regular ningen in an instant. Toguro's body flew through the air, hitting the side of the trench before he spiraled into the air. His body bounced painfully against the ground, slamming into sharp junks of the broken ring, blood flying out his mouth as he let out shouts of pain, his back and his neck sliding across the ground. Dust and debris followed him as he made a path of destruction before he finally slowed down, large junks of ground covering his body.


A short second passed before Toguro pushed away the land that covered him, and sat up. The whole stadium stared in shock as they saw Toguro's head dislocated and turned into a ninety degree angle, making many of the youkai and ningens that were in the ground shutter with disgust. Toguro wasn't able to get his bearings back, a large bright blue ball of Spirit Energy slammed into his body, sending him into the far wall of the stadium. Dust flew as the wall collapsed into a giant whole, the Spirit Gun blast not stopping as it ripped through the forest that surrounded the stadium, over the ocean and into the sky before it was no longer see-able to any eyes. A long, deathly still silence falling over everyone.


Sitting in the middle of the circular, broken hole in the stadium wall was Toguro's form. One eye was bulged out of it's socket, and he just sat there very still. He didn't move a muscle, didn't blink or even  bat an eyelash. It was strange, and no-one knew what to say. What just happened? Did Yusuke kill Toguro?  If so, why didn't his body disintegrate in the blast? So many questions swarmed through everyone's heads that it made it seem impossible for anyone to utter a single word or noise.


“...He's super Yusuke,” Koenma breathed out, breaking the silence.


Kurama stared, eyes widening ever so slightly. “Even his strategies have improved,” he added.


“Wow! Unreal!” Koto shouted in amazement, her glistening at the display moments ago. “Yusuke delivers a ruthless one-two punch, knocking Toguro down with a hard cross-then launching a Spirit Gun blast before the fallen beast could react! It's the first time I've ever seen Toguro on the ground!”


“Incredible...” Chu mumbled, sweat trickling down his temple.


Rinku stared, his mouth agape. “Yeah, you can say that again,” he mumbled a bit distractedly.


Botan took a step forward, one hand clenching into a fist as she held it close to her chest, a small glimmer appearing in her eyes. “I think we can really start hoping,” she said her tone hinting to a smile that wanted to form, her heart beginning to beat with anticipation.


“Get on your feet!” Yusuke glared harshly down at the apparition that sat on the ground. “I'm firing one last shot with all I got and it's gonna end this fight one way or another! So no more stupid surprises or fakes! You show me everything you've got right now!” He pointed at Toguro. “If I win this time, I don't ever want to see you back up!” he growled furiously, the determination in his eyes speaking louder than his words.


Toguro's face that was once contorted in pain instantly dropped into that of an amused smirk. Complying with Yusuke's demand, Toguro got to his feet as he realigned his neck into place, sickening cracks filling the air. A dark chuckle escaped Toguro's lips, causing many of the beings inside the stadium to tense.  


Koto got a look of disgust on her face at the sound that reached her sensitive ears. “Oh my! Toguro is back up! Realigning his head with the sturdiness of an action figure!” she shouted, her tone matching her expression perfectly.


“A crazy one!” Jin cried, a chill going up his spine.


Sweat trickled down Toya's temple. “Don't tell me Toguro's completely unharmed after that attack!” he shouted in shock.


“I'll tell ya, he's a total freak...” Rinku mumbled with a small nod.


Toguro smirked at the glare in Yusuke's eyes, it never wavering as their eyes locked. “The eyes of determination, I've encountered them many times on glory-seeking fools. And I always give their owners what they ask for. Nearly always its a fight with me, when I see they truly want it I'm obliged to kill. But you've actually asked me to give it all I have. So be it,” he said darkly, his smirk dropping, eyes narrowed.


Like it had been done before, the bones in Toguro's body cracked as the muscles rearranged themselves, growing stronger and larger than a normal ningen body could handle. His skin stretched and coiled around his protruding bones. At the sight of another increase, many eyes in the stadium widened with fear and confusion. Didn't Toguro say that he was at full power? Could he increase as much as he wanted? So many questions raced through everyone's minds, but no-one dared to ask as they kept their eyes on Toguro's convulsing, twitching form at the center of the stadium.


“Wa...Wait a sec!” George cried, mouth almost dropping onto the desk in front of him.


Koto leaned forward even more over her desk, her tail twitching in excitement. “I thought we've covered this, but Toguro seems to be making another increase!” she shouted, her microphone never leaving her lips for a second. There was too many surprises, so who could blame her?


Toguro let out a scream as he clenched his fists tightly by his side, his body morphing and growing larger than before. The muscles in his legs enlarged  so greatly that the pants he was wearing ripped apart, and the shoes on his feet were destroyed into nothing but small little shreds of leather. The bones in his shoulders morphed upwards, forming over to cover his head and expanded out over his arms, acting like armor. The whole stadium was filled with nothing but silence as Toguro's scream died down, not caring for the gawking faces that peered down at him, all except for the young Spirit Detective and his team, of course.


“I admit I haven't been truthful. What I've always said was a hundred was more like eighty-five,” Toguro said mockingly, a dark smirk occupying his lips.


Rinku stared mouth agape. “Aw man...”


A twisted chuckle fell from Toguro's lips, his eyes shining with amusement. “To fully become a master of a trade, you must commit your all to it and throw everything else away.” Toguro pointed at Yusuke. “If you don't have the guts to do that, you will never be more than a groundling,” he said, dropping his smirk once again into a serious, firm line.


“Damn you're stupid, you didn't throw it away,” Yusuke scoffed at the apportion coldly, and Toguro stared at him, raising an eyebrow questioningly. “You ran away from it, like a frightened little child.”


Toguro only glared dangerously, a growl rumbling in his throat.


Yusuke clutched his wrist, his index finger aimed towards the ground. “I won't run! And I won't let go!” A small, bright blue ball of Spirit Energy formed on the tip of his finger, it steadily increasing as he poured his all into it, thinking, 'I'm doing just what you said Genkai! I'm caring about you jerks! All. The. Way!'


The Energy was becoming stronger with each passing second, the bright blue light illuminating the entire stadium with it's glow. As the blast increased, waves of Energy formed at his feet, moving as if they were being pulled strongly towards his body. Yusuke gritted his teeth as he concentrated, the blast growing with each rush of waves that formed below his feet.


'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 now is make this shot with all the power I have!' Yusuke though firmly, pouring more and more of his Energy.


The once small, bright blue Spirit Gun blast that barely covered his index finger was now growing four times his height and eight times his length, it shuttering every now and then as it tried to shrink, but Yusuke was persistent. Blue lightning crackled around his body as it shot out of the blast, the Energy becoming immense that even Kira in her trancelike state shuttered at the feeling of it. Her eyes, however, never left Yusuke's form, as if she was waiting and hoping that this would be the real end to this nightmare. And all those who shared that same thought hoped that it would end in their favor, without anymore casualties.  


“Look at that!” Rinku exclaimed in awe.


Chu let a small smile form on his lips. “Our cobber is making' a last stand,” he said, a hint of pride in his tone as he kept his eyes on Yusuke's form, remembering how he went up against the boy six days prior. Now look at how farm he's come...


Toguro narrowed his eyes at the blast as a smirk formed onto his lips, despite how his body was practically shaking in excitement at the knowledge that this was what he's been waiting for, the fight that would finally give him a reason to use all that he had in order to survive. Clenching his fists as he screamed once again, black and green flame like Youkai Energy poured out of his shoulders and forearms. The flames became a translucent green mist, it swarming around the area mixing in with the Energy that was coming from Yusuke's blast.


Kurama watched Yusuke intently, not taking his eyes off the boy. “They'll put their full powers against each other,” he stated seriously, hoping that Yusuke would prevail.


“I guess all we can do now is pray and let the man upstairs decide,” Koenma said with a  nod.


Koto was practically beaming with excitement at the sight that was before her eyes, her hand almost breaking the microphone that was clutched tightly beneath her fingers. “Whichever way this turns out-!”


“It's definitely the end,” Botan finished, her eyes narrowing determinedly as she clenched her fist.


The two fighters down at the center of the stadium let out battle-cry like screams, their eyes narrowed in concentration as they did as they said, giving everything that they had left in their bodies into their one final attack. Lightning from both fighters crackled from the sky down onto the broken ground, sparking and spitting dangerously as the Energies rose to an unbelievable level.


“Right Yusuke!” Chu shouted over their screams. “Give him all you got!”


Rinku had his hands balled into fists as his anticipation grew stronger. “Their Energies are both pushed to the max!” he cried out, both Energies causing his skin to tingle slightly.


“And not just, Rinku!” Jin exclaimed, not even looking at the younger boy next to him. “Righty up ta' max and beyond!”


“They're putting their lives on this one final attack!” Toya yelled, stepping forward.


Yusuke screamed louder, his blast becoming larger than anything he had ever produced with his Energy. However, he kept going, not going to stop 'til he practically dropped from the pressure he was putting onto his body. Hell, for everyone in this stadium, he would use his Life Energy if it meant taking Toguro down.


“Yusuke...” Kira whispered quietly, her hands twitching, as if slowly stirring.


“Good luck,” Kurama mumbled.


“SPIRIT GUN!”


The blast raced away the instant those two words fell from Yusuke's lips, and Toguro kicked off into a run, heading towards the blast as he screamed, his hand out in front of his body. The blast connected with his outstretched hand, the burning sensation instantly covering his palm, but Toguro paid it no mind. The muscles in his back tightened as he felt his feet begin to slide from the pressure, eyebrows knitting together. Fusing his Youkai Energy into his arms, he let his other hand push against the blast, black and red lightning crackling up and down his arms.


“Toguro's barely holding it back!” Koenma said in surprised awe.


Kurama gave a short nod. “Yes, it is unusual seeing him on the defensive,” he said, and it was hard to judge from his calm tone if he was being sarcastic or not.


The remaining members of the crowd cheered on Yusuke, punching their fists into the air as smiles of hope spread across their lips. However, Yusuke didn't hear them, having a hard enough time controlling the blast that was still being fused with his Energy, his body shaking with the strain. Toguro was still holding stronger, somehow keeping his feet planted onto the ground. Yusuke's breathing was becoming labored, and the black began to shrink in size, making the members of the crowd slowly beginning to grow quiet, their expressions becoming filled with fear once again. Yusuke's team looked at Yusuke with frowns, knowing what was happening, the obvious signs staring them right in the face.


“He's fading,” Kurama stated quietly.


A second after those words were said the stream of Energy that had connected Yusuke with his blast vanished, and the black haired Spirit Detective sank to his knees, breathing shallowly as his eyes became half-lidded. Everyone waited in a tense silence, their eyes now glued to Toguro's form as he continued to hold back the blast with his bare hands. However, confusion filled many eyes in the stadium when they saw that. Sakyo's eyes had widened, not understanding why Toguro didn't just throw the blast away. Team Urameshi stared with narrowed eyes, suspicion in three of their eyes, while only one kept theirs blank, although it wasn't like it was her choice to begin with. But there was a slight glow of recognition in her eyes that wasn't there before.


“Toguro has not released himself from the Spirit Gun yet,” Hiei stated darkly.


Kurama narrowed his eyes in concern at the sight before him. “But if this blast isn't enough to make him fall, Yusuke will have no more power left to fight him. Toguro will triumph,” he said, a glare slowly taking over his concern, not liking the thought of that outcome in the least.


“Come on Yusuke, make the thing work” Koenma shouted, clenching his fist in front of himself.


Everyone stared intently, watching as Toguro slowly slid back from the blast, blood spurting out from wounds that began appearing on his back, it splitting apart from the strain. He began to fall back, the power that was in the blast finally beginning to show it's affect on the apparition. People were now standing on pins and needles, desperately holding onto the last hope that was pushing down the monster before them.


“He's losin' it!” Jin shouted, leaning forward over the railing.


Letting out groans as he pushed himself even further, Toguro slowly closed his hands over the blast, making it curve inwards towards the middle, as if he was hugging it towards his chest. And when his hands reached one another, causing blood to spurt out of his arms in the same fashion that had happened to his back, the blast broke apart as if it were an overfilled balloon. A loud, strange sounding echoing across the stadium before it faded along with the blue wisps of Energy.


Toguro stood motionless, his body still hunched over in the position he had been in moments before, his body burned and steaming, the smoke rising from his body before they faded away. His body shook and shuddered with each gasp of air he took, however, he still wasn't able to move his body as if he were now paralyzed from the strain he put on his body. Yusuke stared at Toguro's motionless form, his eyes slowly closing as he lowered his arms, collapsing onto the ground as the exhaustion finally won him over.


~*~*~*Your POV*~*~*~


When Yusuke's body hit the ground with a loud, heavy thud, my body gave a jolt as if I was waking up from a bad dream. My eyes widened, staring at Yusuke's scratched covered body as it laid face first into the ground, and despite not remembering much of what had happened after my hard realization, fear gripped me once again. There was no way in hell I was going to stand by and watch as Yusuke was now vulnerable against Toguro, who was unfortunately still standing despite the attack I had felt not even a few moments ago. I already sat through one friend dieing in front of me, and I wasn't going to let that happen again!  


“It's...over,” Koto mumbled, her voice echoing over the speakers.


“Yusuke...!” My loud voice seemed to cause the boys before me to jump, but I paid them no mind, my eyes only on the Spirit Detective's form. “Shit! Yusuke!” I shouted, pushing past Hiei and Kurama, however, one of them grabbed my wrist, stopping me.


Hiei pulled me back, his eyes narrowing on my form. “Onna, you going over there will only get us killed,” he said firmly, ignoring the loosening of his once tense body.


I turned to him as I tried to get my wrist out of his grip, but with each try he only tightened it, and I knew that this was only going to be a futile effort. Instead, I looked up at him questioningly, the fear easily readable in my eyes now, unlike how they must have been before. I opened my mouth to protest, but I stopped when I felt Kurama place his hand on my shoulder, making me turn to him instead. His gaze was soft, but held an apology as he shook his head. I frowned at them, but said nothing, knowing that despite their refusals they wanted to go to the ningen as much as I did.  And once Hiei let go of my wrist, knowing I wouldn't run out there, I let my hands tightening into fists. Dammit...


However, when I heard the sound of bones cracking sickeningly in my ears, my concerned eyes snapped over to Toguro's burned body, seeing him straighten up from his once hunched over position. I grimaced and glared at the sight of him, but despite how I felt in this moment, I couldn't help but let myself get the satisfaction of seeing him hurt. The fucking bastard deserved after what he did to Kuwabara, and that only made my fists tighten, making myself keep my eyes off the red haired ningen that laid only a few inches before me.


“If Urameshi couldn't do it, we're screwed,” a youkai from the stands said quietly, breaking me from my saddened thoughts, and I glanced at them.


A blond haired, gray skinned youkai looked absolutely horrified by the other youkai's comment, his eyes wide and sweat trickled down his face. “T-that means Toguro's' gonna eat us all man!” he shouted, looking as if he was going to bolt into the stadium hallways any second.


Ignoring them, I turned quickly back to the center of the stadium, hearing Toguro's heavy footsteps. Seeing his tree bark-like skin meet my eyes, my body tensed when I saw him stop before Yusuke's body. I clenched my teeth, anxiety filling me once again. I didn't want to go through that shock again, I've done that twice now, once with my parents and the other one with Kuwabara. Three...I'm not sure if I could handle it to be completely honest. I slowly started to slide into a fighting stance, not caring if the boys next to me would try to stop me from protecting Yusuke. But something told me that this wouldn't be necessary, although I couldn't help but want to be on the safe side.


“I killed Genkai, but one remained.” Toguro smiled down at Yusuke's body, make the boys and I stare in shock. “And now that surviving piece can at last be put to rest,” He said, his tone sounding grateful to the young ningen teen.


Toguro's smile still stayed intact, despite how bright blue cracks appeared over his body, stretching from his face down to the soles of his feet. The boys and I let out small gasps, and I hoped with every part of my being that this was finally over. My hands rose to my chest, clasping on to other tightly as if in a prayer. A stunned silence was filling the air, the youkai who were once horrified by the thought of Yusuke failing were now as quiet as mouses. Come on, let this be over all ready, I've had enough of this tournament and I want us all to go home.Even if one won't be there completely....


“This is not good,” Sakyo mumbled with a horrified look on his face.


Toguro took no notice of the stares on his form, his sole attention on the boy at his feet. “Thank you again...Yusuke Urameshi...” he said quietly.


His eyes suddenly widened, the cracks around his body breaking apart leaving jagged, splintered edges all over his regular skin as it revealed his old ningen-looking body. I let out a gasp of surprise, stepping back at the sound that echoed around the area, like glass shattering. Blood leaked from Toguro's smiling lips before his eyes lost their shine. His body slowly tipped forward, his last breath having long since passed, his body already dead once he hit the ground, sliding forward ever so slightly from the momentum. The crowd, the boys and I all stared in shock, our eyes wide and our mouths agape. After everything I've seen through out this tournament, this had to be the most surprising yet. Even after all my talk of how we would kill Toguro, I always had a feeling that that would never happen even if we won the tournament, but now...it's really over.


Finally.


“That's...hard to call,” Koto said uneasily, breaking the silence that fell around us.


Koenma suddenly took a step forward, causing me to look at him, seeing look on his face. “They're both out?!” he shouted, his tone matching his expression perfectly, and I was surprised to see that his pacifier was still in his mouth.


“How are they going to call this?” I couldn't help but wonder, my eyes landing on Yusuke's form.


“We'll just have to wait,” was Hiei's reply.


A sudden movement of pink and green caught my eye out of my peripheral vision, and when I turned I saw Juri slowly coming out of hiding. She looked around nervously, as if the boys were going to pop out and start throwing more attacks at one another. However, when Juri got closer the next thing she saw instantly made her pale and throw that thought out of her mind. She let out a small shriek, causing us to turn to Toguro's body, our eyes widening as well. The apparition's once tan body was now a chalk white, making the broken, ragged skin even more noticeable now than it was before. I swallowed thickly, my stomach churning at the mere sight of the corpse.


However, when I turned my eyes away from Toguro, my heart skipped a beat when I saw a figure get to their knees behind Juri. At first I just stared dumbly, but when I saw the familiar green tinted black hair and the brown eyes, I let out a bright smile of relief, tears welling up in my eyes but they didn't fall. The boys next to me smiled, while Hiei's wasn't a sirk but not really a smile either. I heard gasps slowly fill the stadium, however, I could tell even if they were from the youkai that this was a good gasp. After seven long days of fear of this nightmare never ending, a weight finally lifted from my chest and shoulders. Thank god, we can finally get off this island. We were done.


“Juri!” Koto shouted into the microphone. “Behind you!”


Upon hearing her name, the green haired fish youkai turned around as instructed, and when she saw the black haired ningen teen slowly standing up, her eyes widened as well. Yusuke, despite what he had been through, didn't shake or let out a grunt of pain, just stood tall. His eyes were still half-lidded though, and looked towards the ground. And a small, albeit sad, was smile on his lips.


“He did it!” Koenma shouted, punching his fist into the air.


Kurama's emotionless facade finally fell, a smile now on his lips once again. “We are free!” he breathed out, relief seeming to flood his system like it had done mine.


Hiei only smirked, crossing his arms.


In this moment I was too happy to even form any words, a squeal escaping my lips as I hugged the three boys that were next to me, not caring for the way Hiei tensed up, how he didn't hug back or how Koenma almost immediately blushed and pushed me off of him 'annoyed'. All I cared about was that everything was going to start looking brighter! There were no more youkai after us, no more threats against our loved once, no more nothing! After releasing myself from Kurama, however, I stopped dead in my tracks. A large wave of guilt hit me square in the chest, my eyes widening as I remembered someone very important.


I looked down at Kuwabara's motionless form as it laid before us, dried blood staining his once pure white jacket. How could I forget about him? How could I disregard someone who I had thought of as a part of my family so easily? Just like that? The familiar burning sensation appeared behind my eyes once again, and my lips trembled as the parasite that had nestled into my chest seemed to eat away at me. Biting my lip, I tore my eyes away from his body, not being able to stare at him any longer. I turned back towards the center, seeing Koto run past Yusuke and towards Juri, her microphone still clutched tightly in her hands but this time out of excitement, unlike a few moments before.


Raising both their hands, Koto and Juri smiled. “Winner of the tournament, Team Urameshi!” they announced, the crowd erupting into cheers.


But at what cost?


That's what I would like to know...


~*~*~*~*~


Ending it here! Ah, two more episodes before the Dark Tournament Saga is over! D: Aw, and I love this saga too *pouts*. But the next one is my second favorite, so that's good! Anyway, I hope you all liked it and I'll see you all next chapter! Bye!
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