Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ To Come Back ❯ The End of the Tournament and... A Griffin? ( Chapter 12 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
Karasu fell and another wave of tears burst from Kei's eyes. The only one in her family left had just died in a fight against the one she loved. She felt lost and alone. She ran up to Kurama once she heard Koto announce Karasu's loss. He stood up on his own and she threw herself in his arms, weeping in his chest. Kurama held her onto him. They stood there, not minding the annoyed audience yelling at them to leave the arena. She took one last look at her late brother, who was now a flower, and helped Kurama off the arena. When she reached the team, she looked at Yusuke and said "I'm going to treat Kurama's wounds. If I'm not back by the time your fight starts, then keep in mind that I wish you luck."

Yusuke nodded and she continued to help Kurama to the locker room. When she got there, she laid Kurama down on one of the benches and got some bandages and herbs for his wounds. She gently removed his shirt and cleaned his wounds. He looked up at her and said sadly "I'm sorry, Kei... I didn't mean to cause you such pain..."

She put a finger to his lips as to tell him to stop. A few tears fell but that was it, she had no more tears. "It's alright. This is the way Karasu wanted it to end and I honor his decision. It's not your fault, its Toguro's. He's the one that separated us in the first place. Don't regret this fight. It was his last wish that you defeat him."

Kurama understood and she continued to dress his wounds. When she returned to his shirt, she found a piece of paper between the ripped folds of the clothe. She took it out and unfolded it. It read:

To Kurama and my sister,

I thank you for relieving me of my wretched life. Kurama, I'm guessing that you would like some explanations? I will explain everything so I can save my sister from some painful memories. Kei and I used to live in peace with our family, that was many years ago, about 150 at the most. One day, a strange man came to us and said he had to talk to our parents. We brought him to them, thinking that he would not harm them, and left them alone in a room. When the man came back out, we found our parents dead. Kei and I fled to escape the terrible pain that the man had inflicted upon us. 100 years later, another man came to us and demanded to see me. Unbeknownst to the both of us, it was Toguro. He asked to fight me and I accepted. Kei watched from the sidelines as Toguro and I battled. I lasted quite a while but he had me. I was exhausted and he wasn't even breaking a sweat. I had no chance, he could have killed me with one attack if he wanted to but he offered that I train with him. He said that I had the potential to get stronger and if I joined him, I would be strong enough to protect Kei and I. Naturally; I asked if Kei could come, but he refused. I hesitated but realized that it would be best. That decision was my worst. Ever since then, Kei and I have been separated. Kurama, please, take care of my sister. Kei, I'm sorry and I thank you for helping me find a great opponent like Kurama. Stay strong and live without the burdens and pains of your past. Goodbye.

Best wishes and blessings,

Karasu.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kurama read the letter from over her shoulder as she wept. Kei turned around and buried her face in his chest again. The tears had returned. Kurama comforted her as best he can. When the tears were gone, Kei decided to watch Yusuke fight. She helped Kurama walk out to the arena and they found the arena in pieces, Yusuke ground sliding towards the wall and Toguro standing there with a smug grin on his face. Everyone looked above Toguro to see Puu flying towards Yusuke.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

We all know how the conversation between Yusuke and Genkai goes right? Right... Well, I'm not going to type it up because I can't waste time, I have NJPASS tomorrow.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Genkai and Yusuke were finished, Toguro decided to kill one of Yusuke's friends and turned to face Team Urameshi and Kei. Kei couldn't take it anymore. She had love and pain. The two just couldn't mix. She wanted all of this to end now. But she knew how all of this would end. And knowing Genkai, she's messing with other people's minds, just like Toguro. With her bangs shadowing her eyes, Kei stepped up and said "If you must, kill me Toguro..."

Everyone stared at her in disbelief, even Genkai. Then she heard Kurama, Touya, Jin, and Yusuke yell "Kei, don't do it!"

Kurama was frozen on the spot. Yusuke was panicking as well as Touya and Jin. Kei just walked slowly towards Toguro and said "You separated my brother and I, you ruined my life, and caused me much pain. For all those things, you are guilty and I can never forgive you. All this pain... it has to end. Kill me know."

Toguro smirked and walked up to her. He brought his fist back and thrust it towards her. It hit her hard right under her left breast, barely missing her heart. She looked up at Yusuke and said weakly "Yusuke, I leave the rest to you...Don't let him... win... I trust... you with... all my being..."

And with that, Kei collapsed on the floor and Toguro disappeared from her side. Kurama finally found the strength to walk and run towards his fallen love. He picked up Kei in his arms and buried his face in her neck, weeping. She opened her eyes and said "Ku... ra... ma..."

Kurama didn't look up and just said "Don't you ever, ever scare me like that again..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yusuke was overwhelmed. He made a promise to Kei and know she's dead (at least he thought she was *wink*). He was on all fours on the ground, head bent down, and shoulders shaking from uncontrollable tears pouring from his tightly closed eyes. Toguro had hurt too many people and it was his job to stop him. If he didn't, Genkai's, Kei's and Karasu's death would have been in vain. Yusuke slowly stood up, a strange aura surrounded him. He looked at Kei. Kurama was currently holding her in his arms and weeping in her neck, giving him the impression that she was really dead. Yusuke clenched his fists in anger and looked down so his few strands of misplaced hair covered his eyes. Then he heard Toguro say "Do you think that was sufficient for you? Or do I have to kill another one of your friends in order to get the point?"

Yusuke was enraged. How many people must Toguro kill just for his own amusement? Was this all some sort of joke? Yusuke clenched his fists tighter and suddenly teleported to the opposite side of Toguro. Then Yusuke said "I've been pathetic... But I won't let you kill anybody anymore. You have caused too many people unbearable pain and it's time for you to taste what they are feeling."

A blue circle enclosed around Yusuke's feet and a powerful aura clouded the whole stadium. Everybody was entranced by the power emitting from Yusuke's body. Memories of how Kei treated him during those fights in the woods ran through his mind. She reminded him of Genkai, rough and a bit of a smart-alec at times but still honorable. She was just as powerful a fire demon as Hiei. The one time she smiled at him, when she told him of her past, ran through his mind and a lone tear made it's way down his cheek. "Let's do this. I told you I'll never forgive you, now I'll never be able to forgive myself. So let's just do this..." Yusuke said.

A swirl of power erupted from Yusuke and rose into the air, giving people the impression of one of Jin's Tornado Fists except much larger. Kei couldn't hear their short conversation but she could tell that Toguro had charged at Yusuke and now he was ground sliding towards the wall. Another aura surrounded the stadium but this time, it was Toguro's and Yusuke's mixed together. The power was overwhelming and the weak demons in the crowds began to cower in fear. Yusuke's aura kept in changing from red to blue, a sign that he was as angry as he could be. Then Toguro said "Are you hurting Yusuke? Feeling guilty? Well, don't worry it's just like the chicken pox. Once you get a taste of it, it never comes back. Throw off the bags of guilt and you can become as powerful as me. Give yourself control!"

"Shut up, Toguro. I'm not like you. I just won't throw people away. If it hadn't been for them, I wouldn't have gotten this far. This goes especially for Kei. She risked her life trying to train me and I won't let that go unnoticed. I made a promise to her, that I would defeat you. And I don't expect to betray her trust..." Yusuke said, cutting of Toguro.

Toguro began ranting again and Yusuke punched him. Toguro ended up tossing in the floor in a ground slide. When he stopped, Yusuke launched a Spirit Gun and Toguro slid back even more. Then Yusuke said "Get on your feet! I'm firing one last shot with all I've got and it's going to end this fight one way or another. So no stupid surprises or 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 again!"

Toguro grinned menacingly. He began to rant again and when he finished, Toguro increased his power again, making him look even more like a monster. After another conversation of power started by Toguro, Yusuke charged up his Spirit Gun and energy burst from Toguro's body. After a long moment of charging up, Yusuke finally yelled "Spirit Gun!" while Toguro charged at the upcoming ball of energy.

Anxiety spread across the stadium as everybody watched Toguro resist the last of Yusuke's energy. People froze where they were, their eyes fixed on the hideous demon.
's demon body shattered and all that was left was his human body inside. He was ragged and worn. Yusuke fell to the floor moments before. Toguro fell and people watched in amazement. They did not notice Yusuke get up, but when they did, the whole stadium cheered. They were now safe from the demon Toguro. Yusuke collapsed again but Koenma and Kuwabara helped him up. Then he glanced at Kei and Kurama. Kurama still had his face buried in her neck but he wasn't weeping. "Is she...?" Yusuke asked Kurama.

Kurama looked up at him and said "I think you should ask her for yourself."

Yusuke knelt down before Kei and gasped. She was healed by Genkai (in Puu form!) and was now alive and well. She grinned and said "Hello, Yusuke. You did very well. Congratulations!"

Tears brimmed at the edges of his eyes, blurring his vision. He couldn't believe it, she was alive! Then he yelled "Why the heck are you still alive?! Do you mean that I cried my heart out for nothing?! Kei!"

Kei and Kurama laughed. She said "It was all a trick. He was messing with your brain, trying to make you find your true power. I knew how everything would end, so I sacrificed myself for you to find the power lying within."

Kuwabara began to laugh and said "She made you look like a little kid, crying like that!"

Yusuke got up and immediately began to beat up Kuwabara. "Kei!" they heard two voices yell from behind them.

Kei turned around just in time to see Jin jump on her. He pinned her to the ground. She looked up at him and saw tears streaming from his blue eyes. "Don't you ever, ever, EVER do that again, Kei! You had Touya and I worried sick 'cause o' you!"

He got off of her to reveal Touya. Silent tears stained his cheeked. She wiped them away and looked up at him. Out of all her brothers, blood related and adopted, he was the one she favored most ever since Karasu's death. Pain and worry were noticeable in his cold blue eyes. "You had me VERY worried, Kei. Don't do that again..." he said, choking on his own words.

She looked down, unable to meet his eyes, and murmured "I'm sorry, Touya."

Fortunately, Jin and Touya forgave her quite quickly and they all turned back to watch Yusuke beat the living hell out of Kuwabara. Kurama came behind Kei and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. This is how everything is supposed to be. Now, everything was normal...
sighed and said "Beat him up anymore, Yusuke, and you'll run out of energy. And I don't think you'd want to anytime soon." Yusuke stopped.

She knew Sakyo would soon destroy the stadium with a bomb and Yusuke would regret it if he passed out right before that happened. Sakyo approached the group that consisted of Kurama, Kei, Koenma, Hiei, Yusuke, Jin, Kuwabara, and Touya. He walkd towards Koenma and said "Well... I do believe we had a little wager, Koenma. I have to admit, I should have known what Toguro was thinking. But that's in the past and I have to pay the price. If I recall correctly, I believe I bet my life on Toguro's victory, did I not?"

Everyone stared at Sakyo and Koenma as the prince said "Bet's off. You lost your fortune. You're no threat to me now."

Sakyo just began to talk nonsense again "Such kind words. But where's the thrill in gambling if you know you can get out all of your bets? Don't worry. I'll take care of that myself."

Sakyo pulled a remote control out of his pocket and pressed a large, red button. Skayo said "The stadium will be turned into ruins, taking me and my ambitions along for the ride."

"I was afraid of this..." Kei said quietly.

Kurama heard her and said "You knew this was all going to happen?"

Kei nodded and said "If you knew Sakyo as well as I did, you would have known as well."

Sakyo turned around and made his way towards an entrance to the inside of corridors of the stadium. Koenma tried to follow him but Kei stopped him and said "I knew Sakyo better than you ever will. I'll explain everything for him. But for now, let's get out of here."

Koenma agreed and the group went to get the girls. They found the girls and saved Yukina from a near-death experience. Jin decided to fly the ahead and try to find a way out while everybody else continued to run through the halls, pushing the weak demons aside.
and the others ran down the corridors trying to find a way out of the stadium. When she passed a dark room with no door, she saw a timer there and ice cold blue eyes staring at her from the shadows. She got lost in those eyes and realized they were Sakyo's...

~*~*~*Sakyo's POV~*~*~* (my first time doing this sort of thing)

There she is... Running from my actions, again! Why is she stopping? Is she looking at me? No, she can't be... She hates me... I know that she hates me inside... It's clear in her eyes. And all I wanted was her... She threw it right at my face and ran... How could she? I loved her and she loved me. Then she ran. Was it my fault? She said that she loved me, but how can I believe her after all the pain she's caused me? Did I cause her pain? No... I loved her... How could love hurt? Was it because of my plan? No... It couldn't be...

~*~*~*Kei's POV~*~*~*

There he is... Why is he hiding in the shadows?... Is he afraid? Afraid of me?! No... It couldn't be... I'll miss him... It'll hurt me forever, leaving him. It'll create a large black void in my heart, causing me to feel alone and guilty. But I have to leave... He wants to stay here and die... I can't stop him. Knowing him for 25 years, you'll know that he's devoted and crazy at the same time. He'll stay for anything he believes in. My only option is to leave.

Suddenly, I felt Kurama tug at my sleeve then I realized that we just had to leave right now. So looked back at those cold blue eyes that I cared about for 25 years and mouthed the words that I swore never to say again. "Goodbye..."
could have sworn that she saw a flash of dark blue in Sakyo's eyes as she ran to catch up with the others, but she shook it off, along with the tears brimming at the edges of her eyes. The group ran and stopped when they reached a large portion of the falling ceiling blocking the entrance to another corridor. "What are we going to do? We don't have time to find a new exit!" Botan said.

Kei strained to hear, she knew Jin was on the other side of the rock. Kei cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled "Jin! Are you there?" at the rock.

She put her ear to the rock and heard "Ya! Are ya there, Kei?"

She yelled "Yea! Jin, do you have the gunpowder I gave you before?"

"Yea!"

"Put some on the palm of your hand and blow it onto the rock then step back!"

Jin did as he was told as Kei drew some runes on the rock with her finger. When Jin affirmed that he was ready, Kei yelled "Infernomancer's Cursed Fire!" with her hands positioned weirdly in front of her face.

The rock exploded from the gunpowder and fire. The group along with the audience ran out just in time. The stadium exploded right behind them and some of the audience died from the falling debris. Kei stood a safe distance from the wreckage and stared at the rising smoke. Then she saw something emerge from the smoke coming from the stadium. It looked like a bird with a small mountain lion's body. It was a griffin. It had raven black feathers/fur and silver talons and beak. It landed at her side. It was small enough to crawl into her shirt and stay there with its head poking out of her collar. It positioned its body by her leg and purred as it rubbed its side against her shin. Kei picked it up and looked into its eyes. They were a deep blue color that she found all too familiar. Then she realized it, they were Sakyo's eyes. The old Sakyo's eyes. She smiled at the creature and muttered "Hello, Sakyo."

Kurama stared at her and said "Kei... You okay?"

Kei nodded and said "Kurama... This griffin has Sakyo's spirit..."