#he's not even kuwabara's height in them but he's closer
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yusuke's big ol doe eyes
bonus (SICKENING!!!!!):
#he's not even kuwabara's height in them but he's closer#also yusuke's outfit here is like. exactly what i wore for the last two years of high school basically every day#he permanently altered my fashion sense and now it's looping around to me altering his. oh how the turn tables. woe platforms be upon ye#also if you think the anime-realism jumpscare panel looks bad it's part of the bit and if you like it it's bc i tried so so very hard#anyway yusuke *I* think you look very scary in your big clonky platforms ok. there there buddy shhhh#they're stupid. :)#yyh#yu yu hakusho#kuwameshi#yusuke urameshi#kazuma kuwabara#kuwabara kazuma#urameshi yusuke#also i gave him piercings bc uhhhhh uh um uhhhhh i think they look cool sorry. gender envy yusuke#skrunkart#joji kazama voice: [Beautiful Eyes.] now THATS for the rgg audience there we go i haven't forgotten y'all#yet another instance of me trying to make just like a regular kuwameshi sketch page and getting derailed#it's happened like 3 times which means i probably have enough for a sketch dump on accident lol#so that'll happen soonish probably#maybe in like. 2 hours idk. maybe not for years who knows#forces them to be mushy JUST A LITTLE BIT#they're cute to me... and i had to draw them actually together bc i realized i never make stuff of them Actually together :(#so they getta kiss god bless
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part twenty-four to this
How can she have cast me aside? I did what I was made to do.
mother of all my goddess my queen why give us blood in our veins then say it shall not be spilled
I was the greatest warrior of my time. I honored her with my strength. War is the natural domain of the children she created--why keep me in her temples, preparing her feasts, singing her songs? I was meant for battle.
i fought i killed i championed her i hate i search i hunt her
...Maybe I would have been happy there.
alone alone! here in the earth with the magma and the rock i am alone
But she is not.
usurper supplanter false hand of my lady
He serves at her side, while my name is a curse among my people. I am reviled, though they slaughter as I have slaughtered, kill as I have killed. They do it for money, for jewels, for empty trinkets. I am the same as my kind--my kind are the same as me.
why punish me forever for a broken promise a shattered oath isn’t it enough hasn’t it been long enough enough enough
I have but one path open to me.
kill him kill her kill him kill her make it last make it hurt
I welcome you to find another.
no more no more never again i want to be free gods above and in all the realms help me help me help me help me-
Kuwabara wakes with a gasp.
“Are you alright?”
B’valan’s plea echoes in his head. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He pats his cheek where the page peeled off. If only his middle school punk self could see him falling asleep with his face in a book.
Shigeru cradles Nobuyuki’s head against his chest and begs him to wake up. Nobuyuki’s spirit watches his boyfriend helplessly as a door to the afterlife slowly spirals open behind them.
If this doesn’t end happily, Kuwabara is going to chunk the volumes he owns at his house out of a window.
“Perhaps it’s time for you to rest.” Hatori closes the book he was reading: a theological treatise on the gods of Makai. They came here to research how to defeat B’valan, but Kuwabara can’t read any demonic languages. Hatori promises to teach him in the future. He swears that there are some interesting texts on birds he’ll like. “And I mean actual rest.”
He never did look for a mattress. Fuck. Out of all the things that he might have accomplished on his to do list, the one that is most feasible is the one Kuwabara didn’t even attempt. “You think she’ll hang the hammock closer to the ground?”
Hatori guides him back to the chamber where he definitely did not sleep last night. “You can always ask.”
He’s not sure he will. His insomnia had only been half height-induced. He and Hiei had talked for hours until Hiei promptly fell asleep without warning like the rude shrimp he is. After the thing with the Hiruseki stone, though, maybe he won’t want to talk anymore.
Kuwabara pauses at the chamber entrance. Hiei and the Violet Queen are having a hushed discussion.
Hiei’s voice is low and rich. He abruptly stops speaking when he sees Kuwabara.
The Violet Queen, her voice melodious as always, murmurs something kind to Hiei.
Hatori looks...smug. Kuwabara doesn’t like it. "Are we interrupting something?”
"Not at all,” the Violet Queen says. She spins a thread of silk that easily bears her down to the floor. “How did you fair in your search?”
Mr. Stuffingsworth remains missing, and B’valan’s hate and despair lingers in his chest. “We’re making progress, I think.” Kuwabara yawns into his hand.
“Are you tired?”
“Yeah. About the hammock--”
The Violet Queen scoops Kuwabara up and leaps in a single bound to the hammock. She gently tucks him in. “Yes?”
Well, fuck. He’s already up here. “It’s very comfortable, is what I was going to say.”
She smiles. “I’m glad you like it.”
If he looks at Hiei’s face, he’ll see him smirking at his expense, so Kuwabara stares at the stalactite of his nightmares and says, “It’s great. Really great.”
“Good night, Kuwabara.” She says something to Hiei in Demon, and he replies with something vaguely familiar--the word the blue skinned woman had said to him when he rescued her.
Hatori calls up, “I’ll meet you in the library.”
“Okay.” Did the stalactite get sharper while he was looking at it?
Hatori and the Violet Queen leave. He and Hiei are alone again.
Fuck it. “Sorry about earlier.”
“What are you babbling about?”
That’s about his usual level contempt, so Hiei must not be angry anymore. “The Hiruseki stone. I didn’t know it has a...particular cultural meaning.” Kuwabara wonders how many of these faux pas he’s committed over the years. Has he offended Kurama a million times and never known it? “You can correct me if I’m breaching demon etiquette or insulting your heritage, alright? I don’t mean to.” The only way he can cure his ignorance is to ask questions and educate himself, but Hiei is the wrong person for guidance on that front. Maybe he could talk to Yukina, but she always seems like she wants to put the Koorime behind her.
There’s a whole collection of books on demon history that are of no use to him. Not right now, anyway. “Hatori says he’ll teach me how to read demon language. That’s what you were speaking earlier, right?”
“Makai has many languages.”
“How many do you know?”
“Six.”
Why is that sexy? Why? “That’s a lot.” Kuwabara has precisely one and a half, not including three semesters of French that taught him how to order a pastry and count to a hundred. “Didn’t know you were a regular polyglot.”
“I had to learn two of them as Mukuro’s right hand."
Kuwabara wants to scream into his fist. “So you learned them both within the last three years?”
Hiei hums. “Yes.”
He knows that’s hot as hell, the awful bastard. “I don’t think I’ll pick it up that fast.”
“You shouldn’t bother.”
And just like that, Kuwabara’s ardor has cooled. “You little--”
“He speaks an archaic form of the language. You won’t have a proper grasp of the vernacular if you learn from him.”
What other options does Kuwabara have? “I gotta start somewhere.”
“Then I’ll teach you.”
Kuwabara cranes his neck. He can’t tell if Hiei is joking or not.
“I won’t have you butchering my native tongue.”
Well, Kuwabara is a beginner, so there will be a lot of butchering. It’s a normal part of learning. “Teaching somebody a new language is a pretty time intensive commitment. Don’t you have other stuff to do?” Mukuro related stuff?
“I can manage my time. Or is that a problem for you?”
Brat. “I’m great with time! I’m in college.”
“In that case you won’t mind having lessons three times a week.”
“I would love lessons three times a week!”
“Then it’s settled.”
“It is!”
Hiei’s aura is triumphant. “I expect nothing less than fluency out of you.”
Kuwabara won’t mention his French then.
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Cliché
Title: Her Name is Love
Chapter 13: Cliché
Fandom: 幽☆遊☆白書 | YuYu Hakusho: Ghost Files
Rating: Mature
Prompt #: 13
Relationship: Hiei/Kurama | Minamino Shuuichi
Character(s): Hiei (YuYu Hakusho), Kurama | Minamino Shuuichi
Additional Tags: Developing Relationship, Post-Canon, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, POV Alternating, Attempt at Humor, Feelings Realization, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Hurt and Comfort
Notes: Reposted from AO3.
Summary: As cliché as it might have sounded, Kurama values his family and looks out for them when they need him most.
With Shuichi coming home from university for the week, Kurama took the initiative to let his little brother stay with him and Hiei. Their talks over the phone were sparse with the boy preparing for exams and stressing over studying, often calling for a bit of encouragement and peace in Kurama’s wisdom, a weary voice and sniffling greeting him at the beginning of the call which tugged at his heartstrings. University wasn’t easy on Shuichi. He was a bright boy, there was no doubt of that, but the stress must have been getting to him and there was no doubt that the workload was intense. After a talk with Hiei, the fire demon waved off his concerns and assured him that spending time with his brother was important.
He chose not to point out the way that Hiei smiled when Shuichi came by, his bag slung over his shoulder, dark circles under his eyes but smile bright when he laid eyes on Kurama. Crossing the door’s threshold to hug him as tight as possible, pressing his face against his shoulder and staying there long after Hiei slipped past to close the door and then left the entry hall as to not disturb the brothers. Kurama had grown accustomed to consoling Shuichi when he was upset. Unlike Kazuya, he preferred not to cry, and instead would internalize. It was troubling to see but as his older brother and a secret-keeper himself, he understood.
Around the fourth day of his stay, Shuichi began to resemble his former self a little more. Offering to help with dinner and exchanging barbs with Hiei which occasionally brought out Kamui to frighten the boy. It was heart-warming to see the three of them together. Both sides of Hiei adored his human family while Shuichi was intensely curious about Hiei and actually took well to talking to him. More than once, Kurama woke up with HIei’s side of the bed empty, the tell-tale signs of Shuichi and Hiei downstairs playing video games lulling him back to sleep as either party celebrated or lamented their victory.
On the fifth day, Hiei left to spend the day with Yukina, the pair agreeing to having an outing at least two times a week despite their training sessions often being every other day. Kurama knew it was an excuse, a way to see his sister while making it seem like an arrangement, a manner of control — but he didn’t have the heart to point it out as Hiei got dressed with a noticeable cheer about him. Heading downstairs after sharing a quick kiss, Shuichi was slowly waking up and gave him a sleepy wave from the couch.
“There’s a bedroom upstairs that you can use,” Hiei pointed out as he shrugged on his cloak. “Sleeping on the couch can’t be comfortable.”
Shuichi waved a hand, lying down with a weary sigh. “I’m used to it. The mattresses at school? A coffin would be better.”
“I’ve been in a coffin, it really depends on what it’s made out of.”
“A wooden coffin would be better.”
“Now you’re just lying.”
“Well I can’t stand on your couch.”
The back and forth between them left Kurama shaking his head. He’d never tire of seeing Hiei actually enjoying talking to someone else. If someone told him years ago that this would be possible, he’d have told them that they were insane. The toothy smile on the fire demon’s face, his shoulders shaking as he laughed, all of those things would have seemed foreign to him before but here they were.
“Well, I’m leaving.”
Kurama looked over his shoulder as Hiei turned and made his way to the door. Sparing Shuichi a glance, he opened his mouth to excuse himself but his little brother waved his hand.
“Go, go.”
Kurama huffed, shaking his head and followed after Hiei. Despite already having his boots on, Hiei waited by the door for him and glanced up as he came closer. Pushing away from the wall he’d leant against, he stood with his head tilted back to look Kurama in the eye. Their height difference was still notable but he’d surely grown some in the years. It brought a smile to his face and Hiei raised a brow, squinting at him.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“Then…”
“Then what?”
Hiei’s eyes narrowed, his brow furrowing and arms crossed loosely across his chest. Kurama clasped his hand around his wrist behind his back and tilted his head with a slight smile.
“Can you two kiss already?” Shuichi shouted from further inside and Hiei’s eyes widened while Kurama turned his head, barely holding back his laughter behind his hand.
“It’s none of your business, kid!”
“You can have my brother at any other time, I’m calling it for this one!”
“That ki—” any grumbling that Hiei had left was hushed, Kurama pulling him closer by his cloak and leaning down to press a kiss to his lips. The fire demon practically melting in his hand, and leaning into him until Kurama pulled away, smiling at the dazed crimson eyes that slowly opened and followed him. “--- you’re a menace.”
“Oh, I know.”
Hiei rolled his eyes, pulling him down by one of his forelocks, a softer kiss warming them both and it felt like more of an ‘I love you’ than anything else. Letting Hiei go and waving him goodbye, Kurama turned and headed back to the living room where Shuichi was folding up his bedding.
“Done being a husband for a few hours?”
Kurama’s eyes widened. He’d almost wondered if Shuichi noticed his ring on the necklace he’d started wearing to hold it when he didn’t have it on. But from the teasing look on his brother’s face, he’d say his secret was still safe.
“Never.”
“Gross.”
Kurama rolled his eyes, smiling slightly as Shuichi stuck out his tongue.
“What do you want for breakfast?” Kurama asked, heading into the kitchen. “And don’t say ramen or cereal because I know you haven’t been eating properly.”
Shuichi rounded the corner, his lower lip poking out as he pouted and leant against the doorway. “You sound like mom.”
“That’s an odd way of saying that I’m right,” Kurama countered, opening the fridge and looking inside for something quick to make. He wrinkled his nose at a piece of pie neatly wrapped up. It must have been one of Kuwabara’s failed attempts from the way the crust was burnt. Only Hiei could stand to stomach it like that.
“...You know, I never thought it’d be like this.”
Kurama pushed the slice of pie aside, grabbing the carton of eggs instead. “Like what?”
“You and me in a house you share with your boyfriend — “
“Partner.”
“Whatever you want to call it, Shuuichi.”
Kurama rolled his eyes, motioning with the slight tilt of his head for him to continue. While he got everything else ready, Shuichi relocated to sitting on the counter. It was a habit that he’d picked up from seeing Hiei do it a few times and Kurama wasn’t quick enough to deter him just like Hiei.
“I thought that when my dad married your mom, my life was going to be stranger than ever, but it actually turned out nice.”
“Well, your life is strange because of it,” Kurama pointed out.
“Finding out that my older brother is a demon? Nah,” Shuichi waved a hand, smiling widely when Kurama glanced his way. “People were already calling you an angel so I figured you were something out of this world. Didn’t think I was right though.”
An angel. Kurama would’ve laughed if anyone had said that to him. With all of the things he’d done, he was the furthest thing from purity and that was simply the truth. Looking down at the stove, he said nothing and Shuichi leant forward then back, resting his head against the wall.
“Whenever I needed someone to talk to, you were there.”
Kurama glanced at him, curious about the sudden analysis. It wasn’t like him to just be whimsical out of nowhere. But his younger brother just stared up at the ceiling, kicking his legs back and forth just as he did when he was a teenager, mulling something over.
“Whenever I was in pain, you knew how to help me out.” Shuichi’s eyes misted over, and he slowly lowered his head, tucking his chin against his chest. “Doesn’t matter to me if you’re some fox or just my redheaded brother. You’re still Shuuichi, y’know?”
He looked over, brown eyes meeting green and Kurama wondered what face he was making because Shuichi’s eyes widened. Pink tinging his cheeks and he waved his hands slightly, floundering for words.
“Look, all I’m saying is—”
The stove turned off with a click, Kurama’s arms wrapping around his brother’s shoulders and pulling him down, hugging him close. Shuichi’s breath was warm against the side of his neck and his hand carefully laid against his side. His hair tickling Kurama’s cheek but the fox held him tighter. Despite being able to erase Shuichi’s memory, to ignore him, to sever their bond — he cherished his little brother. Shuichi looked up to him, he was sweet, he was bright, and he was understanding. Just like his father, and Shiori, he was proof that humanity wasn’t as bad as Kurama might’ve thought.
But even more, hearing his secret, the one thing that he’d thought would tear his family apart had actually brought them closer. He pressed his hand to the back of his brother’s head, hugging him tightly.
“Thank you.”
Shuichi tensed in his arms. The hand at his side curling into his shirt before loosening the bunched fabric, raising to rest against the middle of his back and hug him closer. There was a slight tremble in his shoulders, a hissing breath and a choked off sob. Kurama smiled and hugged him closer, resting his cheek against the top of his head.
“That’s my line,” Shuichi muttered weakly, hugging him tighter.
Kurama sighed. He knew that something was bothering him still. That he had more on his mind, more that he wanted to talk about, but it was fine. He’d always have time to listen to his little brother.
No matter what it was.
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A Friend-Date
This was written for @rudemtnlsbn for the Secret Cupid event hosted by @yyhfanfiction. I hope you like it!
You can read this on fanfiction.net, archiveofourown.org, or under the cut!
“I can’t believe it. I finally have a day off, and everyone already has plans!” Botan slammed her empty can down onto the table, and she heard Shizuru laugh as she started to really pout. It was just…that demons crossing over to the Human World and humans being aware of their existence had meant a lot of extra work for her, but things were finally starting to settle. This was the first time Botan had pre-planned free time, and all of her friends already had plans!
“It’s Valentine’s Day, Blue. None of them are going to cancel the possibility of romance or getting laid,” Shizuru said in her no-nonsense tone. Botan sputtered a little as Shizuru’s lips curved in an amused smile, but she knew the other woman was right.
When she’d gone to see Yusuke and Keiko, to see if Keiko might be free, Yusuke was the one who all but pushed her out the door while rambling on about the two of them having important marital things to do. She’d gone to Yukina next, but the ice maiden had just blushed and then apologized profusely for already making plans. (Botan had been so shocked that Yukina had plans for the most romantic day of the year, considering she didn’t know the ice maiden was dating anyone, that she hadn’t been able to question her before Yukina slipped away.) Next Botan had asked her newer friends if they had plans, and they’d all laughed nervously while apologizing.
So, here she was at the end of the day, sitting in Shizuru’s apartment and complaining. She’d actually walked in complaining as soon as Shizuru had opened the door, and the other woman had steered her into the kitchen and passed over a can of her favorite soda for her to drink in between rants. She knew it was unfair of her to complain like this, but she’d been really looking forward to spending her free day with friends. Now, she would probably just wind up staying in Spirit World, where she’d more than likely get roped into doing extra work.
“Oh, I know, and it’s okay,” Botan finally sighed. Her friends were going to be happy, and that was what was really important. They all deserved to be happy after all of their hard work over the years.
Botan was pulled out of her thoughts as Shizuru leaned back in her chair; there was the quiet sound of wood squeaking against the kitchen tiles, and she looked up to meet Shizuru’s too-knowing eyes. She knew that Shizuru was a psychic, but sometimes she wondered just how much Shizuru could know. The look she had in her eyes said that she could read minds, which could be helpful or downright terrifying depending on the situation. So, Botan raised her chin a little and smiled as Shizuru studied her, to show her friend that she really was okay, but she had a feeling that Shizuru could see right through her.
“How about the two of us have a friend-date on that day instead?” Shizuru asked after a moment. Botan looked down at the table as she thought over the words, and she absently traced her finger through the condensation from her soda can on the tabletop.
“A friend-date?” She glanced up at Shizuru as she asked it, and Shizuru took a quick sip from her own can as she hummed.
“People go on dates on Valentine’s Day, but who says it has to be romantic? If two friends want to go on a date, they should.”
What Shizuru was saying made sense. Why couldn’t two friends go on a date? It beat sitting in her room at Spirit World alone or doing extra work on her day off, and Botan always enjoyed Shizuru’s company. The more Botan considered the idea, the more she warmed up to it. She’d never done anything for Valentine’s Day before, being a Pilot of the River Styx didn’t give her a chance to date very often, so it’d be nice to do something so…human. Participating in the human holiday with someone that she genuinely enjoyed being around was a huge bonus as well.
“You are absolutely right! We should go on a friend-date!” Botan declared and smiled across the table at her friend. “What do friends do on dates?”
Shizuru’s eyes scrunched up just a little as she laughed, and Botan just watched her as she tried to understand why Shizuru was laughing. She didn’t say anything funny! Shizuru slowly stopped laughing and wiped at the corners of her eyes, but she continued to smile after seeing the confused and frustrated look on Botan’s face. Then, she reached up to wipe at the corners of her eyes before saying, “Don’t worry about it, Blue. I’ll take care of the details. You just show up and look pretty.”
Valentine’s Day
Botan stood outside of the apartment building and lightly bit down on her bottom lip as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. Today was the day. Valentine’s Day. Her long-awaited day off, and the day of her first ever Valentine’s Day date. It was just a friend-date, sure, but a date all the same. She was just spending the day with Shizuru though, so she shouldn’t feel so nervous! Shizuru had even told her to just dress casually, which she had, and she’d been looking forward to this ever since Shizuru suggested it, so she should just get over her small bout of nerves and walk into the building!
“Uh, Botan?”
“Gah!” She screamed quietly as she jumped, and she clapped a hand over her chest as she glared up at Kuwabara. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”
“You were looking right at me as I walked outside. I even waved,” Kuwabara said and bent down to get a closer look at her face. She leaned to the side and realized that Kuwabara had just walked out of the apartment building, where he still lived with Shizuru while attending his college classes, and she must have been looking in that direction. How’d she miss seeing him then?
“Right, sorry. Must have gotten a little lost in my head!” Botan gently tapped a fist against the top of her head while laughing, and Kuwabara smiled at her as he stepped back and then straightened up to his full height.
“I gotta run, but have fun with sis today!” She blinked and Kuwabara was just…gone. She turned her head to the side to see him walking down the sidewalk at a very fast pace, she’d probably have to run to keep up with his quick strides, and she slowly shook her head. She had no plans to chase down Kuwabara. Nope, her plans for the day were with the elder Kuwabara.
After straightening her spine, Botan took several decisive steps forward and walked into the apartment building. The Kuwabaras lived on the top floor, and the elevator never really worked so she had to walk up the stairs. The few flights were nothing compared to the stairs at Genkai’s temple though, so Botan wasn’t even out of breath as she reached the top floor. There was even a small skip in her step as she walked down the hallway, and she was nearly dancing on the spot and humming as she knocked on the correct apartment door.
“Hello, friend!” Botan’s greeting was cheerfully sung as the door opened, and Shizuru’s eyes widened for just a moment in surprise before her expression shifted into something a little more amused.
“You’re on time, that’s good,” Shizuru said distractedly as she stepped back from the doorway. She was still blocking the way into the apartment though, and Botan held still as Shizuru bent over to tug on a pair of boots next to the door.
“Are we on a schedule?” Botan asked. Were dates always carefully scheduled out? She thought she understood how dates worked, but she could be wrong. At least it seemed like she’d dressed appropriately. She was wearing plain jeans and a soft pink sweater, and Shizuru was wearing a pair of comfy-looking jeans and the cream colored sweater that Kuwabara had gotten her for Christmas. Shizuru was even pulling on a pair of brown boots that looked similar to the ones that Botan was wearing.
“Tentative schedule,” Shizuru answered and straightened up. She patted her pockets to make sure she had everything, and Botan took two hops backwards so that Shizuru could step out into the hallway and close the door.
“What’s first?” It had taken some restraint, but Botan didn’t ask the question until her and Shizuru were outside of the apartment building and walking down the sidewalk. The morning air was still cool, and Botan smiled as she noticed the couples around them using the temperature as an excuse to cuddle closer as they walked.
“I don’t want to ruin the surprise.” When Botan looked over, she could see the edge of Shizuru’s smile as they continued to walk.
She could hear questions bouncing around her mind, but she pushed them all down. Shizuru had been nice enough to spend this day with her and to plan everything out, so Botan could be patient. Just this once. Still, she felt her eyes widening in anticipation every time they passed a new building or Shizuru slowed down for any reason. Fifteen minutes after leaving the apartment, Botan was nearly vibrating with curiosity. She was just about to finally cave and ask where they were going again when Shizuru came to a complete stop, and Botan turned to see what Shizuru was looking at.
“A spa day?!” Botan asked excitedly. Her fingers were lightly gripping the sleeve of Shizuru’s sweater as she looked at the building in front of them, and Shizuru tilted her head enough that their eyes could meet.
“You always complain that you’re never free for the girls’ spa trips,” Shizuru explained. That much was true. Keiko, Yukina, and some of the other women that they’d met over the years often had days for “just the girls” where they could relax. Spa days were a big part of that new tradition, but Botan usually wound up having to work and missed out.
“Oh, thank you!” Without any further thinking, Botan rocked up onto her toes and wrapped her arms around the taller woman’s neck. She could hear Shizuru laughing as she was hugged from the side, and Botan pulled back with a huge grin still plastered on her face. “To the spa!”
As it turned out, Shizuru had made reservations for them so that they could get a full treatment. A couple of hours later, Botan felt like a brand new person. Especially after that full-body massage. She’d thought for sure that she’d fallen asleep and was dreaming at one point, because there was no way that something that felt that amazing could really exist. It had all been real though, and she felt like she was resting on a cloud as she leaned back in a chair and let some woman paint her toenails a pretty purple color. Shizuru was in the chair next to her, getting her toenails painted red, and Botan let her head roll to the side so that she could smile fuzzily at her friend.
“Having fun?” Shizuru asked with a small smile of her own. She looked so much more relaxed than usual, and it was such a good look on her. Like all of the stress and worry that she usually carried had been lifted.
“This has been amazing. How did you get reservations though? I overheard someone saying that they’ve been booked for weeks,” Botan whispered. Which made sense, after Botan started to think about it. Going to a spa was a very Valentine’s Day thing to do, right?
“A few of the workers here are regulars.” As she answered, Shizuru raised her hand and waved to a woman escorting someone towards the sauna. The woman waved back with a bright smile, and Botan admired the way her long green hair was carefully styled. Was that something Shizuru had done? Botan knew that she was very talented and loved working as a hair stylist, but she’d never really seen Shizuru work before. Except for when she forced Kuwabara into a chair and trimmed his hair.
“Lucky them,” Botan said and smiled some more.
Every inch of her was pure relaxation, and she felt like she’d been poured into the fluffy robe that she was wearing. After her pedicure was over, Shizuru had to grab her hands and pull her out of the chair because she was too relaxed to even get her body to move. Getting redressed after that was an interesting experience, she nearly fell twice while trying to pull her jeans up, but she felt completely rejuvenated as she met Shizuru in the spa lobby.
“Lunch?” Shizuru asked her. Botan’s head tilted to the side as she thought it over, and lunch did sound like a good idea.
“After you!” Botan decided.
Shizuru led the way back outside and down the sidewalk, and Botan hummed as she walked next to her. When Shizuru asked her what she wanted to eat, Botan told her that it didn’t really matter. She’d never been particularly picky about food, especially since she didn’t even have to eat while in her spirit form, and she trusted Shizuru to find them something tasty to eat. She even let Shizuru order something for her when they stopped at a vendor next to the park. Honestly, Botan had been more preoccupied on watching the people in the park than what the vendor was selling.
“We can eat it over here,” Shizuru said and started walking towards the park while carrying their food. Botan followed after her with a slight blush, she hadn’t realized that she’d been that obvious about looking at the park while she people-watched, but Shizuru didn’t complain.
All of the benches and small tables at the park were already occupied, so they found a nice place on the ground to sit. They were sitting under the slight shade of a tree, because the day had finally started to warm up some, but a little sunlight managed to break through. Botan danced her fingers around a shaft of light as she absently chewed at her food, and the silence was peaceful as they ate and watched others in the park. It was so peaceful that Botan yawned after finishing her food, and she could feel her face heating up again as Shizuru laughed quietly.
“I’m so sorry! I just haven’t been sleeping much lately, and that massage was so wonderful! It’s also such a nice day out, don’t you think? Not too warm but not too cold, a really perfect temperature, and—Argh!”
Botan’s wild rambling was cut off as something wrapped around her wrist and pulled, and she managed to let out a small noise of surprise as she was toppled to the side. Instead of falling onto the grass though, her upper body was pillowed by Shizuru’s torso. Her face tipped back as she blinked, and she realized how warm Shizuru was as her friend’s arm moved to wrap around her shoulders.
“You can take a quick nap,” Shizuru said quietly.
“But what about our date? Our friend-date?” Botan quickly corrected.
“The only thing left is dinner tonight, so you have plenty of time to take a quick nap.” That did sound appealing, and Shizuru was very comfortable to lie against.
Mind made up, Botan wiggled around to get more comfortable. She scooted down so that her cheek was pressing against Shizuru’s shoulder and curled her legs up, with her knees pressing against Shizuru’s thigh, and Shizuru’s arm wrapped around her waist helped her to feel more secure. Her eyes closed as Shizuru’s hair brushed against her cheek, and she sighed as her body started to relax against the other woman’s. She could still hear the other people in the park, laughing and talking, but she started to get that floating feeling from being half-asleep pretty quickly.
“Oh, the two of you look so cute! Would you like your picture taken?”
“Hmm? What’s it?” Botan mumbled at the sound of a strange voice. There was a little bit of a breeze now, and she curled in tighter against Shizuru’s side before peeking her eyes open. There was a young woman standing in front of them, possibly even a teenager, and she was holding a camera in her hands as she grinned down at them.
“I’m taking pictures of happy couples today,” the unknown woman explained and waved her camera a little to back up her words. Botan thought about correcting the woman, because her and Shizuru weren’t a couple, but she liked the idea of having their picture taken. She was always happy to have more pictures of her friends.
“For how much?” Shizuru asked. The girl shifted, but the smile on her face never dimmed.
“No charge! You’re free to donate though.” Botan tipped her head back against Shizuru’s shoulder, and she watched as the woman’s eyes narrowed on the bubbly woman still holding her camera up. When Shizuru looked at people like that, Botan wondered if she was reading them. Maybe not their thoughts, but maybe she could read their intentions or something like that. Something similar to the way Kuwabara could tell if someone was a good person or not.
“One picture,” Shizuru relented. Her arm tightened around Botan’s back as she shifted to pull out a slim wallet, and Botan blinked as Shizuru handed the younger woman some money. Her grin only grew as she pocketed the money and then she raised her camera up to her face.
“Say cheese!” Botan was smiling when the camera flashed, thankfully, and the young woman carefully grabbed the picture that slid out of the camera and passed it to Shizuru. “Thank you so much, and I hope you have a sweet day!”
“I liked her,” Botan said once the girl was talking animatedly to another couple several feet away. Shizuru snorted out a quiet laugh as she waved the picture in the air, to help the picture to form, and Botan yawned a little before relaxing against Shizuru’s shoulder again.
The two of them watched as the picture slowly formed, and it was a very nice picture. In Botan’s opinion, at least. It showed how Botan was curled against Shizuru’s side, her cheek still brushing the other woman’s shoulder, and she could even see Shizuru’s hand braced against her side to help hold her steady. Botan’s hair was a little messy from laying against Shizuru, but there was some color in her pale cheeks as she smiled straight ahead. Shizuru was leaning towards her with her back braced against the tree, and her friend looked…softer, in the picture. The smile on her face was small, but the look in her eyes was nearly glowing.
“At least she knows how to take a good picture,” Shizuru mused. Botan could already feel her eyes getting heavy again, and Shizuru leaned down to rest her cheek against the top of Botan’s head. “You can go back to your nap. I’ll wake you up later.”
“You’re the best, Zuru,” Botan mumbled sleepily and let her eyes close again.
“I don’t understand. Why do you have to change clothes?” Botan could hear Ayame as she rooted through her closet, occasionally tossing clothes out, and she paused as she held up a pair of black leggings.
“I think I can work with these,” Botan thought and draped the leggings over her shoulder.
“You were already dressed earlier, so why change just to have a meal with someone?” Ayame continued as Botan looked for something nice to wear.
“Because it’s not just a meal! It’s dinner, at a nice restaurant! So I can’t just wear the same jeans that I’ve been wearing all day!” Botan called out. Not that her jeans were dirty, even after spending most of the afternoon sitting on the grass in the park.
That was a happy memory. Shizuru and Botan had parted ways after the park, but Botan had promised to be at Shizuru’s apartment at six sharp. So now all Botan really needed to do was find something suitable to wear. She’d gone out to places to eat in the Human World plenty of times, but that was normally for a quick lunch or a rowdy dinner with her friends. (Any dinner with her demon friends was going to be a rowdy dinner. There really was no help for it.) She wanted her first nice dinner to be just that…nice. Which meant wearing some other than a pair of old jeans and whichever sweater she happened to grab first.
“I thought your outfit was nice.” Ayame sounded a little confused, but that was probably because the other Pilot never really visited the Human World. Maybe Botan should take her out more often?
“And now I’m going to wear something nicer! Aha!” Botan grabbed a dress and stumbled out of her closet, and she paused as she took in the sight of her room. Clothes were tossed all over the floor and her bed, and there was even a long skirt draped across Ayame’s lap because she was sitting at the foot of Botan’s bed. “Oh, sorry about that.”
“It’s fine,” Ayame said with a serene smile. Botan grinned at her friend and then hopped over clothing until she reached her vanity, and she placed her clothes down so that she could start changing.
“Your friend sounds like a very nice person, for doing all of this for you,” Ayame said as Botan hurriedly stripped.
“Oh, Shizuru’s great! A little too honest sometimes, but absolutely great! A truly wonderful friend,” Botan said as she pulled her leggings up. Once they were in place, she carefully picked up the dark pink dress she’d chosen.
“Then I’m glad you are getting to spend time with her.” The dress slipped over Botan’s head with ease, and she smoothed the end of it down against her thighs. It stopped above her knees, and it had little cap sleeves so that her arms were left bare. Jewelry or no jewelry? “What time are you meeting her?”
“We’re meeting at six,” Botan said as she started to brush her hair. She secured it in a high ponytail with a hair-tie that matched her dress, and she turned side-to-side to make sure that she didn’t have any loose hair.
“Can you make it to the Human World in five minutes?”
“Five minutes?!” Botan screeched. She turned in circles before finally finding her alarm clock, half-hidden under a tossed out tee shirt, and she really did only five minutes before she was supposed to be at Shizuru’s. Well, she’d never been a big fan of jewelry anyway. “Oh, I’m going to be late!”
Ayame watched as she jumped around the room to put on her boots, a nearly identical pair to the ones she’d been wearing earlier but in black this time, and she nearly fell over as she tugged the second boot on. She was dressed, it didn’t feel like her hair had fallen down while she flailed about, so she was about as ready as she’d ever be. She summoned her oar as she walked across her room, and she looked over her shoulder after opening her bedroom window. Ayame was still sitting at the end of her bed with a smile on her face, and she waved a hand as Botan looked at her.
“Go have fun tonight. Everything will be fine here.” Botan smiled at Ayame in thanks before hopping onto her oar and leaving through the open window, and she rushed down towards the Human World.
There was a small possibility that she broke a few speeding laws as she hurried towards the Human World, but no one stopped her so she didn’t bother with worrying about it. She landed in front of Shizuru’s apartment building fifteen minutes later, and she took off running up the stairs as soon as she was inside of the building. By the time she reached the top floor, she was a little out of breath. Still, she pushed on until she reached the end of the hallway and could knock on Shizuru’s door. Her hands were braced against her knees as she took in a few deep breaths when the door opened, and she peeked through her bangs to see Shizuru looking curiously down at her.
“I was…running…late…sorry,” Botan managed to get out between breaths. She pushed herself up after speaking and tried to smile, but a hard shiver caused her face to scrunch up instead. She looked down at herself to see what had caused that reaction and then slapped her palm against her forehead as she groaned. “Oh! I completely forgot to grab a jacket!”
“I’ll get you one.” Shizuru sounded amused instead of annoyed, and she left the front door open so that Botan could step inside while she moved farther into the apartment. Botan briskly rubbed her palms against her shaking arms as she waited for Shizuru to return, because she was really starting to feel the cold that she had ignored in her hurry.
“Sorry for being such a spazz,” Botan said as she watched Shizuru walk towards her. She was definitely glad that she had changed though, because Shizuru had dressed up as well. Her black slacks fit well against her long legs, she was wearing a long sleeved white-button up shirt under a black vest, and Botan bit down on her smile as she realized that Shizuru was wearing a dark pink tie.
“Don’t sweat it, Botan. Just wear this so you don’t freeze to death,” Shizuru said and held up a jacket. She was holding it so that Botan just had to turn around and hold her arms out, and she let out a quiet sigh as Shizuru wrapped the thick black jacket around her. That was much better. She was still smiling as she turned around, and she realized that she had to look up just a tiny bit more than usual because Shizuru was wearing low-heeled boots. “Ready to go?”
“Ready!” Botan said and grinned. Shizuru’s smile was small, but fond at the edges, and the two of them quickly left the apartment.
While they walked, Botan asked Shizuru about some of her more…colorful clients. The rest of the walk was spent with Botan muffling her loud laughter with her hands while Shizuru told stories that somehow painted her more unusual clients in a favorable light, and it felt so good to just let go and laugh. Botan knew that her work was important, but she missed her friends when she had to work too much. She’d also missed just spending time with Shizuru. The two of them had made a habit of getting lunch together at least once a week after Kuwabara started his university classes, but Botan had been breaking their scheduled plans more and more lately. Well, that was just going to have to change!
“It’s not all that fancy, but they’ve got the best food,” Shizuru said as she led them into a small restaurant. It looked more comfy and cozy than some of the other places that they’d passed, and Botan’s eyes quickly moved around as a man led them to an empty table.
The lighting was soft, and Botan marveled at the strings of fairy lights strung up. The tables were small and filled with couples, and the table cloths were dark red. There was even quiet music playing somewhere, and the whole thing was relaxed, but still intimate. Botan was still looking at everything around her in delight as they were seated, and she made a quiet sound of awe as she realized they were seated under a skylight. There was a small bouquet of roses in the center of the table, and the table itself was small enough that her knees knocked against Shizuru’s as they got comfortable. She was taking in all of the other decorations when a waiter appeared at their table with a bottle of champagne, which they both accepted, and then he smiled down at them as he placed two menus on the table.
“Will you be ordering one of our Valentine’s Day Couple Specials tonight?” he asked. Shizuru met Botan’s eyes and raised a brow in question, and Botan smiled as she stretched her hand across the table. Palm facing upwards, of course. Shizuru grabbed her hand with ease, and they both turned to smile up at the waiter.
“That sounds lovely. Give us a minute to decide?” Botan asked. The waiter bowed his head and walked off, and Botan bit down on her bottom lip to keep from laughing as she turned to look at Shizuru. The other woman was smiling as well, fully this time, and Botan squeezed her hand just a little.
“Specials mean discounts, so good call. What looks good to you?”
By the time the waiter appeared again, they’d both decided on what to get. Botan let Shizuru order for them because she was too busy looking at the decorations again, and they kept their voices quiet as they took turns creating stories for the other couples in the restaurant. Sometimes Shizuru was more reserved around their other friends, so Botan was always happy when the woman let her guard down and started to open up. Shizuru was an amazing storyteller, and Botan loved listening to her. Some of the things she was “making up” might even possibly be true, thanks to her psychic abilities, and Botan hoped that was true because they were only telling happy stories tonight.
Their little game continued even after their food arrived, and they took turns giving out details in between bites. Some of the descriptions made Botan laugh until her sides hurt, and it was so hard to keep quiet. Other stories were more sweet and just made her sigh dreamily, or that could be the champagne she was drinking. She’d always been a bit of a lightweight, but Shizuru didn’t seem impacted at all. The night seemed to fly by as they talked and ate, until even their chocolate dessert was gone and it was almost time for them to leave.
“Okay. Last one. What about them?” Botan asked and looked at a couple sitting in a corner of the room. They were a little on the young side, possibly still just teenagers, but Botan thought they looked sweet together.
“The one on the right, the redhead, has been in love with the other for years. She was always too afraid to say anything though, too afraid of losing her best friend, so she kept quiet. At the end of this school year though, her friend is going to move away to go to university. So Red decided to take a chance and asked her best friend out for Valentine’s Day,” Shizuru said after a moment. As they watched, the girl with long red hair smiled and laced her hands together on top of the table as her cheeks turned the same color as her hair.
“And the friend?” Botan asked.
“The friend…she never realized that Red felt that way, and she’d never thought about it herself. When Red asked her to dinner on Valentine’s Day, everything clicked for her. All the things that she’d been trying not to think about suddenly made sense, and she said yes immediately. All night, she’s barely been able to take her eyes off of Red. Now she’s telling Red that the school she really wanted to go to has accepted her. The same school that Red is going to.” The other girl at the table had reached out to grab Red’s hands, and the two teenage girls were smiling as their eyes locked.
“I really hope that’s true,” Botan whispered. The two girls looked so happy together, blind to everyone and everything but each other.
“Sometimes people get a happy ending. Ready to go?” Shizuru had taken care of the check while Botan was a little lost in her head, and she snapped to attention as she looked across the table at Shizuru. It was getting late, so it was time for them to head out.
“Yes, I’m ready.” She slipped Shizuru’s jacket back on before standing up, and she nearly tripped as she tried to walk around her chair. Thankfully, Shizuru was able to catch her before she could really embarrass herself, and Shizuru linked their arms together with an amused huff.
Shizuru kept their arms laced together after they’d left the restaurant, and she didn’t complain when Botan walked closer to her. The sidewalk wasn’t very crowded, but she liked being close to the other woman. There actually wasn’t anything about Shizuru that Botan didn’t like, now that she was thinking about it. She’d spent the entire day with Shizuru, but she was still sad that their day together was coming to an end. The apartment building was coming up soon, and Botan could feel her stomach sinking as she thought about saying goodnight.
“She was always too afraid to say anything though, too afraid of losing her best friend, so she kept quiet…All the things that she’d been trying not to think about suddenly made sense.”
Was Botan like that? She’d always looked forward to spending time with Shizuru, and she was more upset when she had to cancel with Shizuru than she was when she had to cancel plans with other friends. She sought out Shizuru’s company more than anyone else’s, and she always felt happy and at peace when she was with her. Over the years, Shizuru really had become her best friend. So, did she simply refuse to really think about her feelings because she was worried about losing her best friend? Because Botan didn’t want to lose time where they could be happy together, if Shizuru felt the same. She thought that maybe Shizuru did; she always seemed to open up more with Botan and the look in her eyes became a little softer whenever their gazes met, but it was also possible that Botan was just imagining what she wanted to see.
There was only one way to know for sure, right?
“Are you okay? You’ve been too quiet,” Shizuru said as they stopped in front of her apartment building. It was now or never. Botan turned so that they were facing each other, which caused their arms to unlace, but she quickly moved so that she was holding Shizuru’s hand instead. Shizuru looked confused, but she didn’t look away from Botan’s face.
“This was a friend-date. A date between friends and nothing more?” Shizuru’s confusion only grew, and Botan tried to hurriedly get her thoughts in order. “Because, according to my research on all things human, everything we’ve done today is more like a real date. The spa, the lunch in the park, and the dinner. If it really was just a friend-date, then I’m completely okay with that! Because today has been so much fun, but…but if it was more than just a friend date, I’d be okay with that too. More than okay. I’d prefer that, actually.”
“You done?” Shizuru asked as Botan sucked in a breath. Shizuru was smiling again, a real smile that caused her eyes to crinkle at the corners just the smallest amount, and Botan felt a faint swooping sensation in her stomach.
“One last thing.” Botan tightened her grip on Shizuru’s hand as she rocked up onto her toes, and she kept her eyes open long enough to see Shizuru’s eyes widen before their lips pressed together. The kiss was quick, it only lasted long enough for Botan to know that Shizuru’s lips were really soft and tasted like the strawberry dessert she’d had, and her cheeks felt overheated as she rocked back onto her heels. “Okay. Now I’m done.”
“I made you a copy of our park picture and put both of them in frames.” Shizuru’s eyes widened again, like she was surprised at what she had just said, and Botan felt her cheeks stretching in a smile.
“So, not a friend-date? A real date?” Botan asked excitedly. Shizuru’s hand shifted so that their fingers were laced together, and she used the point of contact to pull Botan a little closer. They were standing so close now that their toes were touching, and they were sharing air as Botan looked up at Shizuru.
“A real date always ends with a goodnight kiss, so I think this was a real date,” Shizuru said and lifted her other hand. Botan felt warm fingers drifting over her chin and along her jaw, and she turned her face into Shizuru’s hand.
“With more real dates in the future?” she asked hopefully. Her other hand was holding onto Shizuru’s side as they leaned even closer, and she could faintly taste strawberries as Shizuru answered.
“If my girlfriend wants to go on dates, we’ll go on dates.” Girlfriend. Botan was still smiling when Shizuru leaned down to turn their almost-kiss into a real kiss, and she fell into the feeling with a quiet sigh.
“Best Valentine’s Day ever.”
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Hiya! I saw the post you made with the prompts from Pinterest and I was wondering if you could do "Bar Fight" with Kuwabara... I thought that would be an entertaining match :D
Oh man thank you so much for requesting something for Kuwa, because I LOVE THAT BOY!!
You’d had a hard dayand just wanted to head to your favorite bar, have a few drinks, and relaxbefore heading home and spending the weekend holed up in front of the TV. Thatdidn’t sound too farfetched, right?
Wrong, apparently. You had somehow captured the attention ofa group of guys without even trying or wanting to. They kept trying to send youdrinks, which you kept having returned, and you could hear them loudlydiscussing the way you looked.
They were obviously drunk and getting drunker. You werestarting to think you’d be better off grabbing some drinks from the conveniencestore and enjoying them at home.
You paid your tab and left a generous tip for the waitress,then headed for the door.
“Aw, where ya going?” The voice spoke as a hand reached outand grabbed you by the wrist. It was one of the creeps, and you weren’t surehow they’d gotten to you that fast.
“Home. Now, let me go.” You snapped, attempting to snatchyourself free of their grip. It didn’t work, and only made him hold youtighter. He smelled heavily of booze and a strange sulfuric scent, and it madeyour stomach turn.
“I think you should stay.” He grinned lecherously down atyou, and for a moment you thought you saw a glimpse of fangs in his mouth. Youcouldn’t be sure, and frankly, you didn’t really care. You just wanted him tolet go of you. Without hesitation, you balled your free hand up in a fist andsent it flying at his face. He dodged, your blow missing him completely, and helaughed.
“You missed.” He taunted.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a fist came flying and connectedwith the creep’s jaw, causing him to release his hold on you and send himflying to the floor. The wielder of the fist, a very tall, muscular redhead,stood next to you glaring down at the fallen drunk.
Your eyes went wide. “Thank you!” You exclaimed, staring upat him.
“Don’t mention it. Are you okay?” He asked, looking youover. He seemed genuinely worried about you, but on edge at the same time.
“I’m fine,” You assured him, though you were sure your wristwould be obviously bruised by the morning.
He nodded. “Listen, you should get out of here before–,” Hebegan, but trouble was already brewing again. The rest of the group of creepsstarted to head over, and looking at them now, you could see something wasdifferent about them. One had a tail, another had talons in place offingernails, another had eyes covering their entire face. They weren’t human.
“What the hell?” You muttered.
“I know you, red,” Eyeball Face screeched. “You’re thatKuwabara kid.”
“I’m flattered that you know the name,” Your savior,Kuwabara, actually grinned. “If you get out of here without causing anymoretrouble, I’ll let you live.”
The guy he had knocked out stood up from the floor, and hisfangs were very obvious now. They jutted out from between his lips, drippingwith green saliva. “Kill him.” He commanded.
And that was how you ended up in a bar fight with a guy youdidn’t know and four…creatures?
“Get outta here!” Kuwabara yelled at you as he pummeledFangs again, before he took out Talons with a sideways leg sweep. The otherpatrons of the bar, including the bartender, were fleeing the establishment,screaming their heads off.
“No way,” You muttered. He had saved you before, and even thoughyou couldn’t believe the things hewas fighting, you weren’t about to leave him. He was a big guy, but he was justone guy after all.
You knew how to use your fists and your feet, and anythingyou could pick up for that matter. Tail Guy had jumped up on the ceiling andskittered along it, dropping down behind Kuwabara to try and take him bysurprise. You quickly grabbed a chair from a nearby table, using all yourstrength to knock him in the back of the head with it. It splintered againsthim, and he whirled around, setting his sights on you.
“Brat!” He hissed, taking a step towards you. You kicked hisankle, sending him down on one knee and cursing in pain.
You moved around him, trying to get to where Kuwabara wasbeing double teamed by Eyeball Face and Talon. You grabbed a particularly sharppiece of the broken chair, determined that you would stab one of these freaksif you had to.
“Ow!” You screamed as a sharp, stinging pain shot throughyour leg. You looked back to see a tail retreating from the pained spot, a tailthat looked more like a stinger on the end.
Tail Guy grinned wickedly at you before jumping onto thewall and scurrying off again. Pain still pulsated through your whole leg, butyou weren’t going to let it stop you.
You reached the fight just as Talon jumped onto Kuwabara’sback, sinking his claws into the boy’s shoulder. He let out a massive yowl ofpain, and the sound triggered you into action mode. Mustering all yourstrength, you raised the wooden stake you had salvaged and plunged it in theback of the monster attacking Kuwabara. He let out a cry that was less thanhuman and you covered your ears as you watched him fall to the floor, writhingin pain.
Kuwabara turned around and faced you, a grin on his face.“Hey, nice one!”
“Thanks…” You murmured as the world seemed to spin aroundyou. Your leg continued to pulse with pain, and your vision was swimming.
The last thing you saw before collapsing on the floor was abright, golden light that almost looked like it was coming from Kuwabara’shands…
Xxx
After what seemed like an endless fever dream of the wildestthings your imagination could possibly muster, you woke up in a strange bed ina place you didn’t recognize. You immediately feared the worst, your heartbeginning to race in your chest until you remembered the insane incident at thebar.
You sat up too quickly, nausea overwhelming you. You willedit to pass as you tossed the cover aside, looking down at your now bandagedleg. You remembered the way that thing had stung you with his tail the thoughtof the pain it had inflicted made you shudder.
“Oh, you’re awake!”
The gruff voice startled you and you looked over, realizingKuwabara had been sitting in a chair across the room. Rather, he had beensleeping. He reached up to wipe the sleep from his eyes before he stood andwalked over to your bedside. He towered over you, but you knew better than tobe afraid. His height was a protecting comfort.
“Where am I?” Youasked, clearing your throat once you realized how deep your voice was fromsleep. You felt heat rush to your cheeks in embarrassment.
“I brought you to my friends house…he’s good with plants,and that sting you got needed some special kinda mix I knew he would be able tomake. Don’t worry, you’re safe.” He assured you. He moved to sit on the edge ofthe bed and then stopped himself, meeting your gaze. “Is it ok if I…?”
You blinked, and then smiled softly before nodding. “Sure.”
He took his seat, the bed shifting noticeably with hisweight. “So, how are you feeling?”
“Better,” You replied truthfully. “A little groggy, but I’mnot complaining. What…” You frowned, chewing your bottom lip. “What the hellwere those things?”
“Yeesh,” Kuwabara reached up and rubbed the back of hisneck, taking a breath. “I’d say you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but Iguess since you saw ‘em…”
“And felt them.” You grumbled, jerking your leg slightly.
“Well,” He let out a breath, meeting your gaze beforespeaking again. “They were demons.”
Before you could ask anything else, Kuwabara began rattlingoff about demons, something called the Spirit World, and his best friend whowas a detective? You were trying to keep up with it all, but it was a lot totake in, especially after dealing with what you now knew was a sting from ademon. As Kuwabara spoke, you watched as he excitedly used his hands, orfrowned deeply when talking about a particular subject, or smiled widely whenhe brought up a fight he had won. He laughed at one point, and you found it anentirely pleasant sound. Although thinking about it, there really wasn’t a lotyou didn’t find unpleasant about him.
“I’m sorry, here I am babbling about all this crap andyou’re probably still tired,” Kuwabara smirked and stood up. “You should stayhere and get some more rest. Like I said, you’re safe here. I can walk you homein the morning.”
You were tired, but you didn’t want him to stop talking.However, you could tell sleep wasn’t too far off. “Thank you, Kuwabara. Foreverything.” You told him softly.
“Hey, I should be thankin’ you too,” He replied. “You kindasaved my ass back there.”
You laughed. “I think you had it handled. But I at leasttried.”
Kuwabara took his seat in the chair, picking up a mangavolume you hadn’t seen before. You settled down to get some more sleep, whenanother question entered your mind.
“Did you have some kind of golden sword, or was that somekind of demon poison hallucination?” You asked through a yawn.
When Kuwabara excitedly starting rambling again, you foughtvery hard to stay awake, but his voice was quite nice to fall asleep to.
You assumed he must not have minded when you woke up laterto find his chair moved closer to your bedside, his loud snores making yougiggle quietly so as not to wake him up.
#kazuma kuwabara#kazuma kuwabara x reader#kuwabara kazuma#kuwabara kazuma x reader#kuwabara scenario#yu yu hakusho scenario#request#prompt
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【Draft】Youtou Shinnoken Chapter 57: Living Sin (Part 9)
Kenshin’s long-awaited match against Enishi Yukushiro is a hundred years in the making.
The original source of this idea comes from Chad Yang. I continued his story idea found here.
The rest of the chapters of my Yuyu Hakusho and Rurouni Kenshin crossover fan fiction are available here and here. Enjoy.
Up above the Okushiri Military Base....
The flying fortress made of solidified reiatsu (spiritual pressure or pressurized spirit energy) care of the Quest-Class powers of Detective Daiji Matsudaira (the reincarnation of Aoshi Shinomori) landed on the helipad of the base, startling the soldiers there.
Yahiko had earlier requested Botan to fly even higher up than the flying castle with purple beams of light shooting out of it in order to get the drop on it. Literally.
From 50 kilometers above the earth, Yahiko descended straight towards the moving castle, its concentrated jaki beams dissipating against the ghostly human missile.
He first skydived from the ferry-girl's oar (much to her surprise and chagrin) the stratosphere and did his imitation of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu's "RYU TSUI SEN! (DRAGON HAMMER FLASH!)" for starters, which cracked the topmost outer shell of the dense fortress.
A trickle of reiatsu leaked off of the spiritual construct, like scattering fireflies in the night.
He then did one of his own Revisal Techniques of the Kamiya Kasshin School, named, "DOU GAMI! (GOD ON EARTH!)", which rocked the castle at its core and spread cracks all over its very foundations.
Daiji's solidified reiatsu then turned into a shower of outright sparks, the solidified energy sublimating and ionizing into spirit energy.
Finally, the Tokyo Samurai Spirit did a "TEN GAMI! (GOD IN HEAVEN!)" that started the downward descent of the moving building, the cracks turning into outright crags and debris as the teenaged ghost flew high above even the stratosphere, reaching instead all the way to the mesosphere.
"INGA GAMI! (KARMIC GOD!)"
He this time reached a height that could've resulted in a 70 kilometer drop back to earth.
The young samurai kid traversed that whole distance from heaven to earth with a strike that shook the sky itself, or at least sent cloudy shockwaves as they broke through the speed barrier.
Yahiko's first of two ultimate attacks had enough jaki-neutralizing power to drive that huge structure right into the middle of the military base like a comet.
The sublimated gaseous mix of reiki (spirit energy) and jaki (negative energy) then ionized into their base forms, the kenki (swordsman energy) binding them fading away into the ether.
All of which were neutralized by Yahiko's own strange spirit energy. His own reiatsu or mixture of reiki and kenki.
His strike from his self-made sakabatou (reverse-edged sword) was powerful enough to warp time and space itself. Like a blunt version of the Jigen Tou.
Only a single helipad-sized spire of the huge fortress was left by the time it crash landed into the base.
***
Youtou Shinnoken: Demon Sword
A Rurouni Kenshin/Yuyu Hakusho Crossover Fan Fiction Story by Chester Castañeda
Original Concept by Chad Yang
The Kenshingumi will now take care of their loose ends before fighting the final boss of this arc. This battle is about to explode! FIGHT!
Disclaimer: Yuyu Hakusho is the rightful property of Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV, and Studio Pierrot. Rurouni Kenshin is the rightful property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shueisha, Shonen Jump, Viz, Sony Studios, Fuji TV, Studio Gallop, Studio Deen, and ADV. This disclaimer also covers all the other copyrighted materials that are far too many to mention here. Don't sue me please, I'm very poor.
***
Chapter 57: Living Sin (Part 9)
***
Back at Kitaoimisaki Park...
Usui Uonuma shook his head. The newbie member of the New Ten Swords, Kuronue, was outwitted by the legendary demon fox Youko Kurama as well.
If you wanted something done right, do it yourself.
Amidst the burned shadows and silhouettes that were once Kuronue stood Usui, his previously broken Tinbe practically whole now.
Capable of withstanding the heat and impact of multiple Jaou-En-Satsu Kokuryuha (Dragons of Darkness Flames) from Jaganshi (Evil Eye User) Hiei, the black serpentine flames unable to affect the turtle shell one way or another.
But he knew that Jaganshi Hiei had one more ace up his sleeve. The Chojin's spies had briefed him about the fire demon and his ability to absorb the power of the fiery dragon beings unto himself.
As expected, Hiei boosted his speed and power tremendously by absorbing the flame dragons of the Kokuryuha into his body, his youki (demon energy) rising to astonishing levels. To S-Level and beyond.
'His name is Hiei, huh?' thought the blind man, waxing nostalgic. That was also the name of the mountain where their old stronghold was.
What a curious demon. He had the speed of Souiro "Heaven Sword" Seta and the strength (or even firepower) of Makoto Shishio.
Under the old Reikai rules, Hiei's presence there would be considered outright illegal. A demon that powerful shouldn't be in the Ningenkai (Human World).
A demon that powerful was on par with one of the Chojin's Ten Swords.
If Usui could conquer such a demon, then he was yet another step closer to standing as equals with the Youkiri (Demon-Slayer) Tenro.
To sit at the right hand of an unborn god. To be able to challenge an unborn god and become one himself.
Nah, perhaps the last one was still a bridge too far for him. But this, defeating the fire demon, wasn't.
The dragons roared and gnawed against the Tinbe but like a mountain standing above the ocean and clouds, it wouldn't yield.
His Tinbe was now complete, but there was a gap the side of a sword slash on its upper top left corner.
That was where Hiei focused his attack, sticking the tip of his Jaou-En-Satsu Ken (Sword of Darkness Flame) right into it, forcing its way in.
Hiei learned from Kurama's little trick earlier, with the Demon World Moss growing roots at small cracks and gaps on the shield before it could heal or strengthen it, thus compromising its integrity.
This time around, the jaganshi found a weak point before the shield was able to fully heal or reconstitute itself.
Hiei's aura of youki and black flames flared to life, increasing the pressure on that one crack, like a pressure cooker about to burst.
More cracks appeared on the shield as the pressure built up further and further. It reached the boiling point and then went beyond it. Through this one weakness, Hiei was able to bust through.
It then cracked apart into two then into a million pieces, and from there Hiei released all of the Dragons of Darkness Flame unto Usui's form.
However, that was actually a ruse.
The blind swordsman and spearman had actually activated a second illusion from Jine Udo's Jagan as Hiei attacked with the power of the Kokuryuha inside of him, knowing full well that his Tinbe wasn't complete yet.
However, by making him dream that he had broken the false Tinbe, this bought Usui enough time to completely manifest his real Tinbe with the small crack or gap finally filled in.
It was this shield that stopped the Dragons of Darkness Flames cold.
He baited Hiei into wasting his one shot at him and it worked. Hook, line, and sinker.
Every last one of the flame dragons crashed uselessly against the reinforced complete Tinbe, like the waves of the ocean crashing against the sea wall or dam. The tides turning but the wall remained unperturbed.
Hiei's Jagan was now his...!
However, as he began his counter Rochin stab that he intended to pin both Hiei and Kurama into the wall like twin butterflies, something felt amiss.
His body then literally fell apart into a fine rest mist and tiny pieces of meat cubes.
He was able to seal the crack on his Tinbe, but the gap of time he needed to do his counterstrike was all Hiei needed to strike back.
In that fraction of a fraction of a second, the super-powered fire demon slashed at him at the rate of a hundred times per second. Or more.
Before he could block one strike with his shield. Or counter with a thrown spear to his heart or face. Or even activate Jine's Jagan at the last second and create another illusion to fool Hiei with.
Moving faster than his sensitive hearing could detect. Or predict.
Moving faster than his mind could fathom.
Moving faster than sound itself.
***
About a hundred years ago, around the 1870s, inside Shishio's hidden fortress within Mount Hiei...
One day, from out of the blue, Usui Uonuma asked Makoto Shishio a simple question.
"Between and the Ten Ken (Heaven Sword) and myself, who is more powerful?" he had asked out of whimsy. "Who would win in a fight?"
Shishio chuckled, swirling the wine inside his wineglass as he considered Uonuma's unusual query. He decided to humor his former hitokiri (manslayer) rival.
"You can keep up with Sou-kun probably until he uses the Shun Ten Satsu (Instant Heaven Kill), which is him using both battoujutsu (sword-drawing techniques) and the Shukuchi (Reduced Earth) at the same time. If you're able to disable him before that, then you will win."
"Shun Ten Satsu, huh?" repeated Usui. "Why do you think that?"
Makoto drunk his drink in one shot and then gave the glass back to his courtesan and lover, Yumi Komagata.
"It's simple. You can counter anything you can hear, smell, sense, and react to, right? Sou-kun's Shun Ten Satsu is faster than sound. Your Shingan won't even hear him coming."
***
Back in 1993, at Mount Kannon...
Kenshin Himura sighed as he trudged on foot back to Mt. Kannon within the Hidaka Mountain Range of Hokkaido.
He had Kazuma Kuwabara place him near the mountain care of the trusty Jigen Tou (Dimension Sword).
Like in the case of the battle at Mount Kamui, Mount Kannon was outside of Okushiri.
He had absorbed enough spirit energy from all the Reikai Tantei (Spirit Detectives) earlier to manifest himself and his spiritual body on his own, without being wielded by any of the Reikai Senshi (Spirit World Warriors).
Although he was kind of curious what sort of powers would manifest if his sword were held by the likes of Yahiko Myojin, Natsuki Shinkai, Likka Ikumi, or Daiji Matsudaira.
Perhaps another time, they'd find out.
Most of the energy he soaked up came from Yusuke Urameshi, in fact. It should last him until the rest of the battle.
The fact that Yusuke's reiki was that immense was both reassuring and worrying. Reassuring in that they had the big guns against the Shin Ju (New Ten). Worrying in that he wasn't sure if it was Rando's Kugai (World of Suffering) curse or Urameshi's own developing powers that led to him having this energy surplus.
Without all those multiple seals in his power, he might still suffer from power incontinence. He might still be unable to control his immeasurable strength.
Regardless, he had other concerns to deal with. He was busy taking care of this Chinese warrior earlier, who wounded him in battle that made it difficult for him to save Hajime Saito from Feng Xinhai's schemes.
A Chinese warrior that ended up related to him and his dark past after all.
The stranger with white hair and crazed eyes that Kenshin fought was no stranger to him after all.
Kenshin remembered who the man was.
He was Enishi Yukishiro, all grown up. The younger brother of Kenshin's ex-wife, Tomoe Himura.
"...Tell me, Battousai. Is my sister smiling down on you from heaven?" so said Tomoe's brother, Enishi.
He'd somehow ended up in the Heisei Era and got himself mixed up in Kenshin's current affairs. Himura could've almost sworn that Enishi had died back in the Bakumatsu.
The boy was one of many unsettled debts Kenshin left when he died fighting against Makoto Shishio back at Mount Hiei.
Enishi even gave him the same wound that ultimately killed Tomoe.
Meanwhile, as Himura neared where he previously defeated the martial artist, the cross-shaped scar on his cheek had a twinge of pain to it. No, actually the cuts felt as painful and fresh to him as the first time they were made.
The scar somehow ached even more than the much deeper laceration on his chest that still hadn't healed.
Like a paper cut that microscopically tore through skin and thousands of nerve endings like a jagged handsaw.
As though Enishi's very presence had reactivated Tomoe's curse on him.
***
At the helipad of the Okushiri Military Base...
"Get the HELL out of THERE! Sadojima Houji!" beckoned Yahiko as he sheathed his sakabatou while Botan herself swooped down from above then behind him.
He further chided, "That strike wasn't enough to take you down, right? No, you have the Chojin's powers at your side, you dirty rat. Of course it wasn't enough...!"
"You're being too loud, Yahiko! You're bothering the military people!" was what Botan resisted from saying, inwardly reminding the Kaoru inside her, 'He's supposed to be loud, you silly goose! The Chojin and his forces are invading Okushiri, remember? If not Hokkaido altogether!'
The aforementioned military base was actually on high alert, with the supernatural beings attacking different parts of the island at once.
Many of their deployed teams not returning to the base hours after deployment.
"Stand aside, kid!" one of the soldiers said, who in Yahiko's eyes should've looked more shocked at seeing the seeming U.F.O. land in the middle of their base. "Civilians aren't allowed in here. This is official military business!"
Another private attempted to grab hold of Myojin, only for him to slip his grasp. The teenaged version of Yahiko was a ghost, after all.
The Jieitai or JSDF (Japanese Self-Defense Forces) then surrounded what was left of Daiji's solidified reiatsu structure, their guns cocked and ready to go.
What remained of Matsudaira's seal broke apart like a hatching egg.
And from there came forth the Onmyouji (Occult Priest) in all his glory, wearing a mix of a business suit with an occultist robe serving as his overcoat. The true right-hand man of the Overfiend.
With purple glowing eyes and a miasmic aura billowing all over his body like thick black and crimson smoke from a smoldering flame, Houji spoke in askance.
"Why do you want to fight me, Myojin Yahiko? Do you bear a grudge against me? Do you hate me from the bottom of your heart?"
Yahiko was taken aback by the question. "W-What...?"
"Right now, you have no such hate in your heart," said Houji the Onmyouji. "You're fighting out of a sense of duty to your friends. To your idol, Himura Battousai. Otherwise, you'd have no such quarrel against me."
Or perhaps he was merely acting as the representative speaker to one other person.
Perhaps Myojin was actually talking to the Chojin himself.
Just who the hell was the Chojin anyway?
Was he Makoto Shishio? Or someone else entirely?
His ghoulish shikigami (familiars) with their tattered robes and their own scythes flew at the soldiers, who fired at them to no avail.
"STOP!" screamed both Yahiko and Botan after the soldiers prior to the massacre that was about to take place.
None of the military men stood a chance against these supernatural beings.
***
Back in Hokkaido, far away from Okushiri, at the foot of Mt. Kannon...
Kenshin witnessed the man's strength firsthand.
The Chinese warrior was so powerful he drove Himura Battousai himself from the forests of Okushiri all the way to a whole separate mountain range in Hokkaido, far away from the island.
Only Kenshin or maybe Yusuke could take him out one-on-one. He should not be allowed to join forces with the rest of the Shin Ju.
He was that powerful. By pure willpower and hatred, he grew to become strong enough to even give the version of Battousai with his own magical Demon Sword pause.
The Chojin (Overfiend) had indeed prepared for every last contingency. He was every bit as cunning as Youko Kurama himself.
Earlier, Kenshin's chest actually got hit by Enishi Yukishiro's ultimate attack, the Kofuku Zetsu Tou Sei or Kofuku Zettousei (Crouching Tiger Severing Sword Rush), as a counter to the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki (Heavens Gliding Dragon Flash).
Distracted by the fact that Tomoe's brother managed to find him a century later to enact his rightful revenge.
Defeated by a technique Enishi must've trained over and over again to counter all sorts of battoujutsu strikes, including the ultimate one devised for the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu.
Luckily, instead of doing the follow-up strike that would've also missed, Kenshin had the presence of mind to do a more powerful version of the Dou Ryu Sen on the ground that was enhanced by the vortex created by the succession technique.
This creative last-minute counter was what initially buried Enishi right into the heart of Mt. Kannon.
Regardless, Kenshin had arrived back at his earlier starting point.
And so there he was. Buried deep underneath Mt. Kannon itself like Son Goku the Monkey King from the literary masterpiece, "Journey to the West".
The rumbling inside the grumbling mountain roared deeper and harder. Like it was about to explode and turn into a volcano.
"...BATTOUSAI!" screamed Tomoe Yukishiro's little brother Enishi from underneath Kannon Mountain, spewing hot fire along with the brimstone and magma he was surrounded in.
His spectacles had long ago been lost and presumably burned to smoke and ash by molten rock.
Since Tomoe was Kenshin's first wife, that made Enishi his brother-in-law. A brother-in-law with a century-old grudge regarding Kenshin's murder of Tomoe Himura (nee Yukishiro).
***
Yahiko manifested his neutralizing reiki and kenki all over the military base with a sparkling blue and yellow light that mixed and turned green, which then warded off the raggedy evil spirits that served as the Onmyouji's shikigami.
It was his own form of spirit pressure. His spirit energy interacted with his swordsman presence in a way that sealed or canceled out the spiritual power of his opponents.
Botan, in turn, flickered back and forth between her original shinigami (death goddess) form and Kaoru Kamiya's form as she saved the soldiers from being reaped by Houji's soul reapers by using her floating boat oar like a bokken (wooden sword) or naginata (glaive).
The two Kamiya Kasshin Ryu practitioners made short work of the familiars before they could take one life of the JSDF military corps.
"Please evacuate from here. You're no match against him," explained Botan to one of the soldiers before swatting multiple weakened shikigami away with her boat paddle weapon.
Myojin's last shikigami-dissipating swing swiped mere inches away at Houji's face, creating a thin cut over the bridge of his nose.
"Swinging a sword mindlessly at someone out of hatred is just violence. Kenshin taught me that," said Yahiko. "My duty as the Son of Tokyo Samurai is to defeat you. That is all. I'll even stake my life on it."
Sadojima smirked. "So be it. Samurai-san."
From behind Houji teleported the ever-reliable Gatekeeper Itsuki.
Yahiko turned towards the blue-haired shinigami and told her, "Quick, call Boke (Moron) and tell him to come here right now."
"Boke...?" trailed off Botan.
"KUWABARA! Kuwabara Kazuma! We need him here now! If he needs healing, heal him up as well! He and his space sword are the only ones who can take on that green-haired yoga guy and his goddamn portals!"
"All right! I'll call him! Jeez," said Botan, who opened her Spirit Compact Communicator.
"Language, Yahiko!" reprimanded the Kaoru inside her in turn.
Afterwards, Itsuki summoned multiple warp gates, this time rectangular and doorway-shaped instead of circular and hole-shaped.
Inside each dimensional door was either the corpse, unconscious body, or even ashes of the many different Shin Juppon Gatana.
It was through these gates that the Occult Priest blasted his purple beams of negative energy. Before, they served as destructive pillars of neon plasma.
Now, they were probably used to give the killed or otherwise heavily injured Shin Ju another lease on life.
"Oh no," said Botan. "Not again. He's not going to revive all the New Ten again, is he? Jeez, we just cleaned their mess up! And cleaned house with them! Learn how to stay down and give up!"
The shining eyes of Houji the Onmyouji then dimmed and faded away, replaced with his actual eyes.
"Ah, you returned. The snotty little brat. How does it feel to go back to zero after all the effort you've spent killing the Shin Ju? Like Sisyphus and his rock, right?"
The boisterous nature of the Chojin's conduit returned. Houji was seemingly awakened from his brief slumber earlier, when actually sounded "cool" for a hot minute.
"Hey," said Yahiko. "What happened to you earlier? You weren't the one talking, were you?"
Houji raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. It was the Chojin who was talking back then, right?" asked Myojin. "Tell it to me straight: The Chojin is Shishio Makoto, isn't he? Of course, he is! Who else would start a war the Spirit World with the so-called New Ten Swords? No one but him!"
The necromancer chuckled. "That's a... secret."
With a grunt, the samurai teen jumped and attacked the Chojin's right-hand man with a downward slash from the Jodan-no-Kamae (Fire Stance), which he blocked with his scythe.
They crossed blades, their different energies clashing against each other as arcs of lightning ripped through everywhere, like light-filled cracks that broke through reality itself.
Houji's lack of training with the weapon irrelevant due to his seemingly oceanic flow of negative energy giving his simple block the weight of the world. Or at least the huge water pressure of the ocean depths.
However, regardless, the beams of purple plasma emanating from the dark priest flickered and wavered as it interacted with the reiatsu of Yahiko.
"That's it! You can do it, Yahiko!" said the Kaoru within Botan. "Show them why I consider you the number one pupil of the Kamiya Kasshin School!"
"Can you really do it, boy?" asked Houji, smirking. "Can you seal away the overflowing, overwhelming power of the Chojin himself? The Living Sin?"
The doors leading to the Shin Ju were then shut. Or rather, slashed shut.
Gatekeeper Itsuki chuckled, his slashed eye that doubled as a dimensional portal opening. "He's here."
Sure enough, in one of the doors, the jaki beam was slashed in twain, the negative energy cut down by the spiritual might of the Jigen Tou.
It was from this door that Kazuma Kuwabara entered, the transparent ghost of a recovering Sanosuke Sagara beside hiim.
"You called, Jo-chan (Missy)?" said Sano.
"YOSHA! (HELL YEAH!) Let's get this party started, samurai boy!" shouted the rambunctious teenager with bleached regent hair.
***
Yukishiro was able to crawl out of the hot magma pits of hell, or at least the otherwise dormant mountain in an explosion of fire, smoke, molten rock, and lava flow that scarred and burned the surrounding forest.
The singes and burns on Enishi's (literally) piping hot body, however, started healing right before Kenshin's eyes.
Not quite at the level of instantaneous regeneration as the Elder Toguro, but quick enough to survive a trip down a volcano and live to tell the tale.
Besides which, he wasn't supposed to only be burned from the fires of a river of magma anyway. It must've took thousands of degrees of heat to even leave him slightly scalded at all.
His humongous amount of spirit energy kept him from suffering life-threatening injury. The same way Hiei or Yusuke Urameshi himself would've survived such a predicament.
The red-hot blade of the Chinese-styled warrior that didn't quite reach its melting point yet cooled down from the sheer blast of miasmic jaki from him.
He was one of the strongest of the Ten Swords indeed.
If allowed to run rampant like the rest of the Ten Swords, Yukishiro could very well murder every one of them. The Reikai Tantei, the Kenshingumi, and the Oniwabanshu.
All of them could die. The high-level martial artist could do what at least 8 of the 10 Shin Ju couldn't. He was a one-man army. He was like their Hajime Saito. A true wild card of sorts.
He foresaw it all through the Youtou Shinnoken.
The last thing Yahiko and the Kenshingumi needed right now while battling the Onmyouji and the Chojin's wealth of negative energy was a spanner in the works like Enishi.
***
The powers of the reincarnations or ghosts from the Meiji Era—most of Kenshin's comrades—were a result of how their reiki interacted with their kenki, creating what was known as reiatsu.
With Daiji Matsudaira (Aoshi Shinomori's reincarnation), it was the Quest-Class manifestation of objects and materials from his spirit energy.
With Natsuki Shinkai (Yutaro Tsukayama's reincarnation), it was the ability to manipulate kinetic momentum or acceleration, usually in the form of reflection or deflection.
With Likka Ikumi (Misao Makimachi's reincarnation), it was her skill to manifest her thoughts into reality, creating visual or even holographic illusions seen by all.
With Sanosuke Sagara's soul, it was his pure fighting spirit that allowed his ghost to approach Regent-Class regeneration abilities, stamina, and pure brute force that allowed him to affect the physical plain like a rampaging poltergeist.
With Kaoru Kamiya's soul, it was a mix between Botan's soul reaper powers and Kaoru's past swordsmanship skills that allowed them to heal, boost, replenish, bind, manipulate, or otherwise enhance the spirit energy within them or of those around them.
With Kenshin Himura's soul, he became one with the Demon Sword, a demon-slaying blade that could arguably injure or kill a god. His own reiki, kenki, and reiatsu interacted with anyone who wielded his blade in ways that raised their very power levels.
Finally, with Yahiko Myojin's soul, it was spirit energy that interacted with other spirit energy (whether it was human or demonic) in a way that suppressed or neutralized them into nothingness.
Yahiko's unique powers worked like how an acid and a base reacted quantitatively with each other when mixed until the acidity of the acid was gone. Or how Hiei's Jaou-En-Satsu Kokuryuha was cancelled out into nothing by Shinobu Sensui's polar opposite power of Sei Kou Ki (Saint Light Ki).
Their reiatsu was different from the reiki and youki used by Yusuke Urameshi and their comrades due to the presence of kenki within the Meiji Era reincarnations and the use of classic shinigami warrior techniques among the revived spirits.
Reiatsu was more comparable to something like Sensui's Saint Light Ki or Yusuke mixing his reiki and youki together to form something approaching Sei Kou Ki than either pure reiki or youki. Even jaki.
It was through these souls, these seeds of hope, that Koenma Daio wished to defeat the Chojin and his unnatural powers that defied death and the natural order of the Spirit World.
***
Originally, Kenshin was barely able to defeat Enishi and get back in time and save Sanosuke Sagara, Kazuma Kuwabara, and Hajime Saito from the nefarious machinations of Karasu, Feng Xinhai, Usui Uonuma, and Gatekeeper Itsuki at Mt. Kamui.
But now that his detour was over, he had to get back to his original business. He had to. Or else he would undo everything they'd done so far to suppress the Shin Juppon Gatana (New Ten Swords) from conquering the island of Okushiri as well as Hokkaido.
Meanwhile, the cross-shaped scar on Kenshin's cheek had a twinge of pain to it. No, actually the cuts felt as painful and fresh to him as the first time they were made.
"Sessha (This one) was wondering earlier why even though I thought I'd never met you, you seemed to know everything about me de gozaru (that you did)."
"'Sessha'? 'De gozaru'?" Enishi repeated with a snarl and a dismissive snort. "Are you kidding me, Battousai? Why is the most fearsome hitokiri of the Bakumatsu acting like a gentle fool? Enough of your lies!"
"This one never thought to see you again after a hundred years. I was sure you were already dead," confessed Kenshin.
"I did die. But I live again. Reincarnated in a new era," said Enishi. "I willed this weak new body that I was reborn into to become as strong as I already was before you died in the hands of Shishio Makoto."
'So he survived the Bakumatsu after all,' thought Kenshin, who believed that Enishi had died in the ensuing revolution.
"Now I will enact the revenge that I was robbed of a hundred years ago! If you've been dispensing Tenchu (Heavenly Retribution) in your time as a hitokiri, then this is Jinchu (Earthly Retribution) for all your sins! Prepare yourself, Battousai! ZETSUGI...!"
From there, he didn't even give Himura the chance to breathe or even any breathing room as he attacked, attacked, an attacked some more.
***
Kurama's board full of chess pieces were in their proper places, which kept the Chojin in check. They were practically on the verge of a checkmate, even.
The pawns were positioned to divide and conquer the Shin Juppon Gatana, with each Reikai Senshi paired up to their appropriate members.
Their source of power, Houji, had his borrowed negative energy suppressed by Yahiko. Their means of transportation, Itsuki, was sealed off by the Reikai's own Kuwabara and his Dimensional Sword.
Botan was there to heal and replenish reiki as well as assist Myojin tactics-wise care of Kaoru. Sanosuke himself was gradually recovering his spirit energy and fighting spirit for good measure as "Jo-chan" or her shinigami she fused with healed his flickering body.
Kuwabara regained his second wind even, which allowed him to not only create portals but to close or destroy them with his twin Dimension Swords.
This kept the annoying Gatekeeper from transporting jaki to the injured/dead Shin Ju or even getting the recovered members to help Houji out—even with his use of Sensui's seven personalities and the new powers it brought him.
As for the shikigami that served as the Onmyouji's infantry, Sanosuke punched them out with the "FUTAE NO KIWAMI! (DUAL EXTREME!)" while riding shotgun on Botan's oar.
So why did Myojin feel like something was amiss? Like he had a bad feeling about everything? Like something terrible was about to happen.
A new enemy descended from an unseen sky portal that Kuwabara noticed, slashed apart, and closed too late.
"!?" was Yahiko's reaction to the new arrival. He was distracted even as he was on the verge of disarming the untrained Houji of his scythe. "Who is that? Is it another replacement Shin Ju?"
Kuwabara said, "We've already confirmed that Toguro Ani and Kuronue replaced Suzaku and Udo Jine! It's not one of the New Ten! Must be one of the Dai Shin Kan instead!"
Sanosuke's jaw dropped. "No way...!" which made Botan and Kaoru ask in unison, "Who is that supposed to be, Sano?"
Kazuma leapt into action, intending to slash a portal and kick the newcomer into it, only for his Jigen Tou's energy to start unraveling before his eyes.
The woman in courtesan clothes smiled as she floated down using her umbrella as a parachute (like goddamn Mary Poppins, Botan realized), crimson energy emanating from her pale white skin.
"Ah, it's all coming together now," Houji cackled. "Welcome back, Komagata Yumi. Get rid of these insects for me, if you would please."
And so the vampire version of Makoto Shishio's courtesan and lover arrived, dressed in her classic Meiji Era garb but this time there was a hole in her chest where her heart used to be.
The very place where Shishio stabbed her in order to do a surprise attack on Battousai Himura.
"Inner Blood Turmoil," Yumi said as she sapped Kuwabara of all his energy using the Kyuuketsuki Kakuto Ryu (Vampire Martial Arts) that Rando stole from her.
"SHIT! Even Shishio's girlfriend has superpowers now too?!" said Sanosuke, remembering the woman whom he did a bridal carry with as they traversed Shishio's Mt. Hiei stronghold.
"...BLOOD WIND!"
***
Tomoe's little brother had grown strong. Frighteningly strong. Ridiculously strong. Like he'd been training the last hundred years for this one moment. Empowered purely by hate.
However, one way or another, Kenshin was able to contain Yukishiro's growing threat long enough to assist Saito's rescue or allow the Kenshingumi to go through their mission of taking out Houji.
Himura was able to figure out how his "Wattoujutsu" (a mix of Japanese swordsmanship and Chinese kung fu) worked after only seeing a couple of techniques from it.
The Demon Sword then shone, and Kenshin's form started to change.
From a 30-year-old man he returned to his more youthful 15 to 16-year-old self.
The form he had before he developed the cross-shaped scars. When he was still known as the Hitokiri Battousai. This way, he regarded Enishi the same way he did against any other opponent. Free of bias.
Free of shame or guilt.
"SHUUGEKI TOU SEI! (KICKING SWORD RUSH!)"
This technique of Enishí's involved hitting his opponent from below then kicking the blunt side of his sword at the last second to maximize damage.
Thusly, Kenshin answered that back with, "SOU RYU SEN! (TWIN DRAGON FLASH!)"
"KAISHI TOU SEI! (BAYONET SWORD RUSH!)"
As for the Bayonet Sword, it was a follow-up whirling counterattack or riposte involving him putting the hilt of his sword against his opponent's sword to add momentum to his pivoting swing.
However, Kenshin had a similar counterstrike technique like that as well in the form of the "RYU KAN SEN! (DRAGON WRAP FLASH!)"
"SHO HA TOU SEI! (PALM BREAK SWORD RUSH!)"
From the Jodan Stance, Enishi swept his sword starting from over his head down to the ground. Afterwards, he then placed the palm of his hand on the sword's blunt side to push it forward at full force.
The answer to this move like the Dragon Hammer Flash was the "RYU SHO SEN! (RISING DRAGON FLASH!)", which was the natural Ryu Tsui Sen counter that doubled as a two-handed sword block wherein the sword was held by its handle and tip with either hand.
"CHOU TEN TOU SEI! (UP-AND-DOWN SWORD RUSH!)"
This was Wattoujutsu's version of the Ryu Sho Sen. It allowed Enishi to leap upwards using his sword as his pole vault then attack from the air by pulling his sword towards him by its hilt cord immediately after jumping.
Kenshin drew out the fearsome technique with a feinted Ryu Tsui Sen only to do the "RYU KAN SEN ARASHI! (DRAGON WRAP FLASH STORM!) at the last second, the multi-hit forward somersault sword strikes catching Yukishiro off-guard.
"Ugh!" Enishi landed bad on his ankle, his knees buckling from the force of the centrifugal strikes, the chainsaw-like windmill of blade strikes drawing a fine mist and squall of blood. "Damn you, Battousai...!"
He had a Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu answer to every one of the white-haired young man's sword techniques. He took advantage of Enishi's hateful, unfocused strikes with clinical precision.
In fairness to him, the fact that Himura didn't realize who exactly he was fighting until the last second helped him figure out the proper counters to Enishi's Wattoujutsu early on and even bury him right inside the mountain itself. Albeit temporarily.
He imagined he'd have a harder time with the kung fu master swordsman were he distracted by his guilt for killing Tomoe and knowing Enishi's identity from the start.
"Is that all you've got, Battousai?" demanded the scuffed-up, bleeding-from-the-mouth Enishi, who spat away blood as his veins—no, his very nerves themselves—hypertrophied or thickened enough to be visible under his skin with vascular density.
This was his Kyokei Myaku (Nerves of Insanity) in action.
***
It was bedlam at the Military Base of Okushiri.
Ten things were happening at once, and barely anyone could keep up.
More soldiers were deployed to rescue the fallen and suppress the invaders.
They waged war against the Onmyouji's shikigami, even though many of them couldn't even see the grim reaper familiars.
They had to use their special thermal goggles to see and shoot the enemy, but neither bullets nor grenades worked on them.
Botan had more luck dissipating the strange creatures into the ether, but that was because it was part of her job description as a shinigami.
She did double duty in casting her healing and reiki-replenishing spells on Yahiko, Sanosuke, and Kuwabara while at the same time defeating her share of scythe-wielding reapers created from wayward earthbound spirits infected with the Chojin's jaki.
Also, the bodies were really hitting the floor now. Not due to the Kenshingumi (they were basically all ghosts) or their Reikai Tantei comrade falling to a dead faint.
It was from the vampire (or perhaps succubus) Yumi biting the necks and absorbing the blood of the nearest JSDF soldiers to power her Kyuuketsuki Kakuto Ryu.
As for Gatekeeper Itsuki, he and Kuwabara were having a portal contest of sorts. He kept making portals and Yusuke's best friends kept slicing them closed.
Regardless it was taking much longer for Yahiko to seal the power of the Chojin, the borrowed jaki overflowing with immense pressure from within gleeful Sadojima.
"TSUI GAMI...!? (GOD HAMMER...!?)"
Myojin's attempt at the earth-shattering, jaki-neutralizing God on Earth was thwarted with a simple one-handed scythe swipe and belied Houji's actual physical strength.
"So you intend to beat me at this level of strength?" asked a smug Sadojima before releasing a pillar of jaki that made Yahiko kneel before him, as though bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The negative energy felt like he was drowning and plunging deep underwater and feeling the oceanic water pressure increase further and further the deeper he went.
Myojin grunted, grit his teeth, and rose up against the harsh and dense waves of pure jaki that bore down on him in waves, his green aura of reiatsu resisting the crushing force of the Overfiend's distant yet overbearing presence.
Like a black sun whose rays and heat reached the earth all the way from space despite being millions of miles away.
It was a tug of war between the Chojin's power boosts and complete neutralization.
Thanks to Botan and Kaoru, the ghost of Sanosuke had healed up and reenergized himself with reiki enough to summon his signature Zanbatou (Horse-Chopping Sword) again at long last.
He had more bandages than usual, half of which were spirit seals that kept his ectoplasm within his soul.
The last thing he expected was to use that 12-foot long sword against Shishio's lover, the non-fighter known as Yumi.
"ZANBATOU ATE! (ZANBATOU DISTANCE HIT!)"
Sanosuke's Zanbatou Ate, based on Anji Yukyuzan's Tou Ate (Distance Hit), created a landslide aimed at Houji, who shielded himself with his shikigami ghouls.
"ZANKUU ZANBATOU ATE (ZANBATOU VACUUM DISTANCE HIT!)!"
As for his Zankuu Zanbatou Ate, he aimed it at the Blood Wind tornado that the courtesan in revealing attire used to gather the bodies of soldiers towards herself for her to feed on like the vampire she was.
***
Enishi crouched low again with a leg split, only to charge with an onslaught of strikes instead of doing another Zettousei when he saw Kenshin sink his stance low in kind instead of taking his bait and attacking with the Hirameki.
"SENRAN TOU SEI! (WAR SWORD RUSH!)"
"RYU SOU SEN! (DRAGON NEST FLASH!)"
Sparks flew everywhere as though they were in a steel mill or foundry as they parried and attacked each other with impunity, their swords crossing and chipping at their edges.
Blood (and/or ectoplasm) stained the ground soon afterward from both combatants.
Enishi was now moving faster than Kenshin could react. Like an unswattable fly. Or perhaps a whole swarm of such flies. Locusts. Bees. Wasps, even. A plague of wasps.
It was like dealing with Soujiro Seta's Shukuchi all over again. Himura couldn't even predict Enishi's strikes by reading his sakki (bloodlust) because he was exuding hatred and killer instinct at every second. At every waking moment.
Like the polar opposite of the Ten Ken (Heaven Sword). It was no different to deal with someone who lacked bloodlust compared to someone who always exuded bloodlust. There was no sudden spike of killer instinct you could use to read such an opponent's moves.
This forced Kenshin to take initiative and jump high into the air in order to become the aggressor for a change, even if only to draw out a counterstrike that he could then counter.
"RYU TSUI SEN! (DRAGON HAMMER FLASH!)"
Yukishiro countered by jumping high in the air before Kenshin could drop with his Dragon Hammer Flash the, at the point where his jump force was equal to the gravity, he jumped even further, thus essentially doing a double jump or what basketball players would call an airwalk.
"SHIKKU TOU SEI! (SLASHER SWORD RUSH!)"
Kenshin's youtou (demon sword) and Enishi's watou (Chinese-style katana) clashed hard against each other, their shuddering vibrations enough to break steel but their mystical swords forged from spirit energy and the life force of their very souls held true.
"KUZU RYU SEN! (NINE-HEADED DRAGON FLASH!)"
Like water crushing rock over time, the constant barrage of counters from earlier took its toll on Enishi, leading to several lapses of attention, which Battousai took advantage of to great effect.
However, Battousai or no Battousai, the scarless Kenshin realized he had to take Yukishiro out before his own feelings of despair, depression, shame, and remorse got the better of him.
For even now, he felt like he deserved to get hit by every last strike for the sin of accidentally killing his ex-wife in an attempt to rescue her from being kidnapped.
He was prepared to do a supersonic noutoujutsu (sword-sheathing technique). The same one he used to disable the super sensitive hearing of Usui Uonuma's Shingan.
"RYU MEI...! (DRAGON CRY...!)"
Kenshin stopped short of doing his high-pitched sheathing technique when he saw a familiar young woman with jet-black hair, doe eyes, a white kimono, and purple shawl appear in the half-burnt forest in a rain of white plum petals.
She brought with her a nostalgic, heartbreaking scent.
"T-Tomoe...?!" stuttered Kenshin before Enishi's Watou ended up stabbing him right in his chest, on the same wound made by the Zettousei that got him earlier.
The pair of scars on his left cheek reappearing. Bleeding fresh blood (or, in his case, ectoplasm).
***
Back at the Okushiri Military Base...
The Blood Wind dissipated by the strength of Sanosuke's vacuum slash, but Yumi herself blocked the wind pressure with her open, glowing-red umbrella serving as her shield.
Ah, yes. The Blood Wind.
The double-edged, energy-sapping red tornado created from the heat of the spirit energy it stole and the coldness of an injured body that was losing blood.
However, this woman somehow managed to do Blood Winds without the need to be injured. Or perhaps the hole in her chest served as her injury?
Sagara originally thought it was one of Rando's moves, only to remember something about him stealing techniques. So this spirit-energy-sapping technique was actually her move, wasn't it?
Regardless, what was a desperation move for Rando was a normal move for her.
It all made sense now. Or at least that part did. As for the rest:
"How the hell did you get superpowers too, lady?" demanded Sano to Yumi. "You even went so far as to change yourself into a vampire! You really are something else!"
"Stop acting so familiar with me, you boorish lout," said Komagata to Sagara with half-lidded eyes, parrying his probing zanbatou stab from 12-feet away with her closed umbrella.
She then dug her fingers deep into his sizes until it hit a vein. A ghostly vein full of ectoplasm rather than blood. Feeding on his reiki instead of his plasma.
"You should've stayed as a ghost in the Spirit World. You'll regret crossing paths with us again after a hundred years, Sagara Sanosuke. Youki Duantoutai (Spirit Guillotine)."
Sano backhanded the woman and raised his zanbatou high up his head. "Nothing personal, Neechan. We can't let your boyfriend run amok again in this era either."
"...Son of a bitch! Rando stole that from you too?!" said Yahiko before breaking the paper-thin waves of demon energy with "Men (Head)" strikes from the Fire Stance and flying skyward with the God in Heaven technique.
"Not exactly," she said. "I learned some of the moves of the Vampire Discipline from him. The Blood Wind is one of my original moves from it."
As for Sanosuke, his attempt at chopping Yumi in half led to his 12-foot zanbatou getting blasted full of huge holes on it care of Itsuki, making it look like a macroscopic slice of Swiss cheese.
Black holes that also ate up chunks of Sano's ghostly flesh whole.
"GUUAAAHH!"
It was all due to a gun attached to where Itsuki's right hand used to be that shot miniature black holes the size of pinholes but had an event horizon the size of bowling balls that ate up any type of matter near it.
It was a (literal) handgun the Gatekeeper developed through the help of Shinobu Sensui's Kazuya personality.
The Gatekeeper took advantage of Sanosuke's moment of hesitation in killing Yumi, remembering how she originally died by being stabbed by Shishio and then having her corpse burn along with him.
Meanwhile, as the flying Myojin attacked Yumi from above, Botan attacked from below, flying low on her oar before getting off her ride and using the paddle as her weapon, letting the Kaoru inside her do the rest.
Using jaki and youki together, the succubus imbued her foldable fan and her closed umbrella with enough blood-red energy to stop the oar cold with a cross-block. She then unfurled her umbrella in time to also stop Yahiko's Ryu Tsui Sen.
From this close proximity, she was able to use her Inner Blood Turmoil to absorb their spirit energy unto herself, sapping the two of their reiki and making their souls flicker and fade.
Neither the living nor the dead were safe from this vampire queen.
***
"GOU TSUI TOU SEI! (FALLING BLADE SWORD RUSH!)" screamed Enishi after impaling the distracted Kenshin in the chest.
The Falling Blade Sword Rush allowed the white-haired martial artist to pin Battousai at last, lifting him high up and over his head with his sword and upper-body strength.
"At last. At long last. You're going to die, Battousai! You scum! You criminal! You took away everything from me! Now I will return the favor and take away everything from you! This is my Jinchu!"
The Guardian of the Youtou Shinnoken reeling, his eyes unable to tear themselves away at the visage and silhouette of his ex-wife Tomoe Yukishiro.
Red tears streaming down his cheeks and bloodstained scar.
"T-Tomoe? I-Is that really you?" he mumbled in disbelief, as though not even noticing Enishi's watou inside him.
He was no longer the Hitokiri Battousai (Battousai the Manslayer). Instead, he transformed back to the Rurouni Kenshin (Kenshin the Vagabond).
"Tomoe" then told Enishi with a deep old man's voice, "My apologies. This is the best help I can give you for now. That damn Okashira stole all the jaki the Chojin gave me and sealed me and my precious Iwanbos away with it, turning it into solidified reiatsu."
"You did splendid, Gein," said Enishi, who was smiling for once. He couldn't face the reanimated corpse of his elder sister, though. "Now please take that puppet away. I don't want you to soil my sister's memory with it."
Kenshin went pale. He'd been duped by one of Gein's puppets. However, his trickery paid off. He didn't feel like hurting Tomoe's little brother any longer.
"Did you know what I went through to get to this moment, Battousai? I ate human flesh in the battlefield to survive. I was adopted by a rich couple, only for me to kill them. I ended up becoming an arms dealer for good measure. I even waited and died, only to be reborn in this era when I found out you're still in existence as the Demon Sword's guardian."
Enishi dragged Kenshin's bloody (or ectoplasmic) body all over the forest on the foot of Mt. Kannon, savoring the moment before pulling his sword out and stomping on the Battousai's bleeding wound for good measure.
"I'm not sure whether I should wield your damn sword myself or just destroy you along with the sword. Oh well. It doesn't matter. You could die a thousand deaths and it won't bring back my sister. Even after I died, I couldn't find her anymore. All that's left is to make you feel the despair I felt when you stole her away from me."
***
Back at the Okushiri Military Base...
The chaos continued. Fires broke out everywhere. The wind howled like wolves to the moon. The base was in shambles. It was Hell on Earth. Hell in Hokkaido.
Komagata's Inner Blood Turmoil created her own version of reiatsu—her youki mixed with the Kenshingumi's reiki, the blood of the soldiers she fed on, and the Chojin's jaki—before releasing the pent-up energy towards Yahiko in the form of the "Blood Fire Wave!" projectile.
However, thinking fast on her feet, Botan purified the surplus of jaki around them then used it to replenish the reiki she and Myojin lost from being in contact with Yumi.
'Wow. She's doing the thing! The same thing Urameshi did when he got hold of the Meikai's crystal ball thingy,' thought Kuwabara. 'She's purifying jaki into reiki!'
Again, she used spirit bandages that doubled as sealing magic, acting more like a priestess than the shrine maiden Hinageshi or Houji the Onmyouji.
"Nice one, Tanuki-chan!" said Yahiko. "I mean, thank you, Botan."
Botan smiled at the samurai boy. "Go get them."
'This woman is seriously getting on my nerves,' thought Yumi while eyeing the ferry-girl whose astral body housed two souls instead of just one.
A rejuvenated Myojin then did the sword-breaking "TSUI GAMI!" to neutralize the Blood Fire Wave and the black holes that Itsuki's sneaky Kazuya personality shot right into his heart and head using the Black Hole Gun.
The samurai kid kept moving forward, practically swimming in the thick of "it", with "it" being the Chojin's ocean of jaki.
However, Houji frowned, his arms crossed. 'This goddamn brat. I swear.'
He thought that the Chojin allowing him more access to his boundless negative energy—enough jaki to, quite frankly, revive the long-dead kingdom of Meikai (Nether World)—but his output remained low and it even started dwindling.
Like opening your water main at full capacity yet still ending up with less water than you expected when filling up your bathtub.
Defying the very will of the Overfiend himself.
'The boy is starting to get better control of his neutralization powers, isn't he?' the Onmyouji thought, tapping his scythe to the ground impatiently.
To Yumi and Itsuki, he only had one command. "Kill him."
Yumi then made it rain blood like the Battousai would back in the Bakumatsu.
It was literally a rain of blood, but each droplet contained razor shape scalpels. A bloody rain that cut you apart in order to induce a bloodbath as well. It pelted the ground like suppressive fire from a machine gun.
She called technique, "Bloody Rain."
It was a bloodsucker's way of creating the energy-absorbing Blood Wind without having to sacrifice the plasma that they had already drained from their other victims.
"I don't know who you are, lady, but you leave that boy alone!" said Kuwabara.
***
Yusuke Urameshi had actually been in a punching match with Toguro Ototo all this time.
Right in the middle of Okushiri Island, in fact. Along the Tsurikake River.
Instead of playing with percentages of his power, the Younger Toguro instead went all out from the start, displaying 100% of his full strength.
'His B-Level strength,' was what Yusuke avoided in even thinking, remembering how easily he manhandled the A-Level Rando earlier, now that he wasn't faced with any distractions or dirty tactics.
In kind, Urameshi himself released his first pair of Spirit Cuffs. Just like the good ol' days, they ended up in a slugfest that turned the river in roiling rapids from the shockwaves of their punches.
"You've struggled in every encounter you've faced with the Chojin's forces yet won every time," said the Younger Toguro. "Why is that?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, man," said Yusuke before blasting the gigantic hulking grey behemoth before him with the "SHOT GUN!" technique, bombarding him with the purest reiki.
The vascular and muscular Toguro pressed on, healing the missing pieces of his flesh instantly like his older brother would.
An impressive feat a power level or two ago. Now it somehow became old hat. Any S-Level worth their salt should be able to regenerate fast enough given they have enough spirit or demon energy left in their person.
"I took on Rando, Souther (Xinhai), Suzaku, the blind guy (Usui), and the rest of the Chojin's New Ten Swords fair and square. All I'm doing now is killing time in keeping you from ruining Kurama's plans to take your whole lot out. Right until your big bad boss the Chojin shows up."
Toguro's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. 'His reiki is... overflowing. It almost reminds me of the Chojin's own jaki.'
Yusuke dodged the Shi Dan (Finger Flip Bullets) by reflex even though he had the feeling he could survive direct hits from Toguro's finger flicks at this point in time.
They were even more powerful than the strongest human punches, capable of blasting through concrete, but against Urameshi's wealth of spirit energy, he doubted that they'd even faze him.
Even with his powers sealed like this, he teetered from a high A-Level to low S-Level.
'Are you hiding your power level, Toguro?' he thought. There was just no way that the likes of Rando, Xinhai, Usui, Saito, or Suzaku would end up stronger than the Toguro Ototo himself.
Then again, while it took Toguro 50 years to reach B-Level, it took only 10 years for Sensui to reach S-Level.
Meanwhile, it took less than 3 years for Yusuke to surpass them both and take a centuries-old archdemon, Yomi, to the brink of defeat.
To Toguro, Urameshi asked, "What happened to you deciding to stay in Hell for 100 million years to atone for all the crimes you've committed? Where you plucked from Hell by the Chojin and forced to work for him? Answer me, Toguro!"
"...We're not so different, you and I."
"OH, COME ON! Not this tired cliché again, Toguro!" the teenaged living warhead told off the mountain of a demonized human in between bone-crushing punches.
He didn't want to hear such things from someone much weaker than him.
***
The veiny (actually nervy) Enishi got talkative all of a sudden, Kenshin realized. His life story was as pathetic as the vagabond expected. Maybe even more so. He even killed a family after he was given a new lease in life? How much of a monster did he become?
This was a lot for Himura to take in. He could barely breathe right now, much less digest Yukishiro's words.
Meanwhile, Enishi snarled in remembrance of the things he'd been through. The people he killed. The opportunities of happiness he turned his back on.
The innocents he murdered in order to harden his heart enough to take on a monster like Battousai. When he died, he resisted the reincarnation cycle for so long, hoping against hope he'd find Himura's soul and drag him to Hell along with him, torturing him for a million years.
However, his chance had finally arrived only a few decades ago. He reentered the reincarnation cycle and avoided becoming an insect or a slug, getting instead the body of a Chinese boy with his memories of the past as a Japanese man.
He trained his body in martial arts, went to prison more than a few times, became a career criminal, and climbed the ranks of organized Chinese crime known as The Triad (what the Shanghai Arms Dealers eventually developed into a hundred years down the line).
In fact, until a few couple of years ago, he occupied the position of Dragon Head that his protégé, Feng Xinhai, currently occupied. He had a Chinese name himself, but he long ago abandoned that identity as well to become Enishi Yukishiro.
Under the guidance of the Chojin and his reformed Shin Juppon Gatana, he also learned how to use his spiritual powers on top of reviving the lost martial arts of Wattoujutsu. He studied Japanese. He began slaying demons himself by helping fund technology that linked the Demon World with the Human World.
And now, while serving under Tenro the Demon-Slayer's Yakuza Family as one of his enforcers, he finally crossed paths with the man who stole his happiness a hundred years ago.
His revenge, his Jinchu, was literally a hundred years in the making.
"I will kill you now and take away the rest of your friends afterwards. I'll break apart the Demon Sword or steal it for myself. Become its new guardian. From there, in the Spirit World, I will also hunt you and your friends down and kill you again until all memory of you is erased. Suffer like I did. Suffer for eternity, Battousai!"
Something stirred inside Kenshin when he heard those words. It was one thing for Enishi to swear to kill him. However, what did the rest of his comrades have to do with him? Was he really going to kill the Kenshingumi or even the Reikai Tantei and the Oniwabanshu all in the name of his Jinchu?
Just as Enishi prepared to finish Kenshin off, a shinigami flew between them like a bolt from the blue.
The woman who sported a black kimono and raven hair zeroed in not on Enishi and Kenshin but instead on the Tomoe puppet of the Puppet Master.
'Ah, I remember her,' thought the Guardian of the Demon Sword. He met that death goddess before while assisting the training of Sanosuke and Yahiko when they first arrived in the Human World.
From his limited interactions with the shinigami, Kenshin surmised that she mainly did research work for Koenma Daio, not unlike the child inspector Sayaka.
'Ayame, was it? She's the shinigami that Kurama assigned to the Southeast Quadrant of Okushiri. Did she follow us all the way here?'
***
Yusuke wanted to end the fight with one gigaton punch or one Chou Rei-Gan (Mega Spirit Gun) on the gigantic muscle-bound freak of nature before him, but he held back.
Kept his cool. He wanted to bet on a "maybe". As in, "Maybe Toguro is holding back and is about to show me something more amazing than 100% of his power".
Otherwise, Urameshi would've blasted him back to Hell where he belonged and has a 100 million year sentence in and waited for the Chojin or someone to arrive and force him use 100% of his power instead.
Finishing this fight early presented too much of a risk. Like eating an unripe fruit or something.
But maybe he could go all out and wipe the map out of several mountain ranges and riverbanks. So far, none of his attacks fazed Toguro in turn.
Or maybe he was risking hundreds of thousands of lives over his own selfish whims.
'Fine. I'll push a little harder, then.'
The "REI-KOU-DAN! (SPIRIT WAVE BULLET!)" that fissured the surrounding ground and threatened to break the world was all absorbed by Younger Toguro's beefy body.
His 100% form before might instead be his 000.1% now. Maybe he'd been training all this time in Hell. A Training from Hell.
Or maybe it was all wishful thinking and Urameshi had outgrown his boogeyman from his past.
He put his hip into his last punch, manhandling the "ultimate" form of Toguro that earlier on threw him around like a rag doll the first time he saw it.
"You want to rise to your greatest potential, but unfortunately you've already been there and done that and more. You've become too powerful," Toguro said after fixing his twisted neck that had his head staring straight behind him.
"You're not begging for mercy now! Are you?" asked Yusuke with an bone-crushing uppercut to Toguro's jaw.
"...Nothing challenges you anymore, but you don't want to sever your attachment to this world of weaklings."
Toguro flexed and did a full-powered tackling punch with enough force to move or even obliterate mountains. Alas, Yusuke ate mountains for breakfast ever since achieving S-Level in his fight against Sensui.
This was nothing to him. Drop a building on him, and he'd wonder if it was raining.
He hated to think this, but fighting Toguro now at this point was akin to fighting Kuwabara.
"You honestly sound pathetic now, Toguro. What happened to you? Keiko can hit harder than that. Put your hips into it."
But nothing major really happened to Toguro after dying back in the Ankoku Bujutsukai (Dark Martial Arts Tournament). It was Urameshi who had changed.
Toguro's form doubled or even tripled in size. He was now doing his "100% of 100%" technique that had him stake even his very soul's life force in order to unleash his fullest potential.
Any of the current roster of Roku Youkai (Six Demons) could take him on and turn him into roadkill, to be honest.
However, his fullest potential ended up just B-Level in the end. Not even at A-Level.
'Quit messing around and go 1,000% power or something already, Toguro!' Yusuke inwardly begged. But that never happened. He kept dealing with a Toguro who could barely make him flinch.
"In order to continue to live the lie you call your life, you're someone strong pretending to be weak so you could fit in with the rest of the weaklings."
"You're still talking, huh? I'm more impressed with that fact than any of your punches."
Yusuke did his signature finger gun pose and focused his ocean of reiki at a single point of his finger, gathering all that limitless energy into one concentrated shot.
"Great fighters refuse to lose, but you refuse to win just to get back that feeling and exhilaration of conquering something greater than you. So what do you do now that you're in a world where nothing is greater than you?"
Yusuke sighed. If Toguro really was going to unleash a new power on him, he would've done so by now. Meanwhile, he himself hadn't even worked up a sweat yet.
Was this some sort of long-con, Sun Tzu's Art of War deal? Was Toguro hiding his power level like he always had, using only a small percentage of his power? Or was this indeed his limits after his defeat in the Dark Tournament?
"Maybe you're right. Maybe I have been a little careless in my fights lately. However, in the end, I keep winning anyway, so who cares? It's my curse, I know. REI-GAN!"
***
Back at the foot of Mt. Kannon...
Ayame the Shinigami grabbed hold of the corpse puppet of Gein and cut off its spiritual connection with the mad scientist using her reaper powers.
She then said to Enishi, "There's no way your sister is smiling down on you in heaven! Not while you're doing something as terrible as this, stalking Himura-san for decades! A century!"
Enishi scowled at the impudent ferry-girl. How dare she say such things to him.
"What do you know? How can you possibly know the pain I've been through? The pain that my sister and her fiancé suffered from? You're nothing but a stranger! You have nothing to do with this!"
Kenshin tried standing up, but Enishi kicked his chest wound and pinned him down with a foot stomp. "And as for you, stay down! I'm not done with you yet!"
Enishi was about to punch Koenma's ferry-girl away when she chanted an incantation that led to the body double of his sister Tomoe to frown at him and cry tears of blood.
"Don't you hear it? Don't you hear the cries of despair of your dearly departed sister Tomoe from a hundred years ago? The last thing she wants to see is see you suffer or make everyone suffer along with you!"
Enishi shook and shuddered before he himself screamed in anguish, screaming until his throat was ragged. Clutching his chest at that baleful look that rocked him to his very core.
"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! Enough of your lies, Reikai! I don't believe it for a second!
However, like with Kaoru Kamiya, he couldn't for the life of him kill even a puppet of his sister. Any young woman who reminded him of his sister, he couldn't kill.
He damn well tried to, though, his hatred rising. His cognitive dissonance assuring him these were all lies. That his sister had wanted to kill Battousai all along to avenge her fiancé's death.
That the rumor how Battousai pledged to not kill ever since he killed his sister was just a rumor.
That he hadn't wasted his multiple chances at a new life all for nothing.
He slashed the Tomoe corpse puppet apart with the Sho Ha Tou Sei, his own tears flowing down as he did so. Nauseated by the act, he moved away and puked soon after.
Even though she wasn't the real Tomoe.
'I have to do this. I have to destroy all lies!' He had waited so long and come so far. In the end, it should matter. If it didn't matter then what was the point of all this.
It was all Battousai's fault. He was the one who ruined his life. He was the one who forced him to suffer like this. Everything was perfect until he came along.
Even in the afterlife, Himura haunted him even though he was the one who was ghost at the time."
"Himura Battousai must die! Suffer! Die a thousand deaths! A million deaths! I won't rest until he has suffered as much as I have and MORE!"
Enishi prepared to do his ultimate attack on Kenshin, only for Ayame to get in his way.
This looked mighty familiar.
He hesitated for a split-second in cleaving the shinigami in half. Here was another woman the same age as his sister. Everywhere he looked, maidens like her kept reminding him of what he lost.
A split-second was an eternity in a fight, though.
Kenshin rose up and blocked Enishi's sword strike even though, unbeknownst to him, his brother-in-law intended to miss Ayame by a mile anyway.
His heart swelled at doing so. Here and now, he was able to do the sword block that he failed to do against Shishio.
Had he done the same block against his hitokiri successor, would he have survived their assured mutual destruction? Had he not given up back then and decided to fight on, would he have been able to come back to Tokyo with the rest of the Kenshingumi? With Miss Kaoru?
He really wished he had fought on instead of gave up and died along with Shishio. That he did.
"...I will fight to the end to protect those I hold dear! That is my truth!"
Himura's resolve in defeating Enishi finally hardened after wavering for so long, his cross-shaped scar seemingly glowing with a red light.
The crouching tiger faced off against the hidden dragon one more time.
"KOFUKU ZETTOUSEI! (CROUCHING TIGER SEVERING SWORD RUSH!)"
"AMAKAKERU RYU NO HIRAMEKI! (HEAVENS GLIDING DRAGON FLASH!)"
Last time, the tiger was able to cut deep wounds into the flying serpent even as it was buried into deep underground.
Would the tiger finish what it had started? Or did the dragon have something hidden behind its sharp claws?
***
Kazuma attempted to create a portal to serve as an shield over Yahiko, only for Itsuki to seal that portal for a change with Kazuya's Black Hole Gun, the twin rends in space-time canceling each other out.
However, Kuwabara expected this and teleported right in front of Itsuki in order to slash apart the firearm at pointblank range with the Jigen Tou.
"Motherfucker...!" shouted the foul-mouthed Kazuya, grasping his damaged handgun.
Itsuki then awoken Sensui's George personality in order to gain access to a hyperdimensional gun vault filled with Tommy guns, pistols, Desert Eagles, mini guns, shotguns, AK-47 rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, and bazookas.
He had actually restocked his guns by stealing many of the armaments and ammunition available in the very military base they were invading right then and there.
Knowing full well that ordinary guns were more useful against living, fleesh-and-blood beings like Kuwabara versus the solidified souls of shinigami and ghosts from the past.
In retrospect, this made Houji's efforts to shoot Yahiko, a ghost, with a gun moot, but at least he had a backup plan.
"I'll kill you all!" said Hitoshi. "I will purify the Human World by getting rid of all the humans...!"
However, before he could use one magazine or clip from his guns, he got pummeled to submission by a revived and teleported Sanosuke Sagara.
Botan had healed up his wounds yet again with purified jaki turned into reiki, which allowed him to get the jump on the green-haired youkai through brute strength instead of fancy teleportation techniques.
'Her again?' thought Houji, noticing how Battousai's woman had again served the same function as he did with the rest of the Shin Ju by supporting the Reikai Senshi. 'That Reikai shinigami is making this mission needlessly difficult.'
Furthermore, every attempt Itsuki made to get away was blocked by Kuwabara, who himself punched the demon back to portals that redirected him towards Sano's waiting fists and "FUTAE NO KIWAMI! AHHH!"
"All right, enough of this!" declared Yumi, who instead of targeting Yahiko now instead aimed her Spirit Guillotines and Blood Fire Waves at the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu kendoist turned shinigami Botan/Kaoru Kamiya.
Kaoru assisted Botan in deploying evasive maneuvers against the succubus, with her using the reiki-imbued boat paddle to bat and parry away the projectiles headed towards her before flying away from the bloodsucker.
She then ended up blocking the scythe of the unskilled but jaki-empowered Houji, which kept her from taking flight and escaping. "Keep still like a good girl."
Finally, a hole where her chest to be appeared as a portal sucked all that ghostly flesh and ectoplasm away.
Gatekeeper Itsuki closed the portal that created the cavity in Botan's person with a wave of his hand.
The ferry-girl's jaw opened, clenched, and froze at a soundless shriek, her red eyes rolling upwards until only her eye whites were visible.
"KAORUUU! BOTAAAAAN! NOOOO!" said Yahiko with an anguished, bloodcurdling scream of his own.
Itsuki mouth curved upwards in curiosity. 'What will you do now, Samurai-san? Is this enough to break you into pieces like what happened to my dearest Shinobu (Sensui) when he saw the Black Chapter Tapes?'
***
Back at the foot of Mt. Kannon...
As Enishi Yukishiro's heart wavered, Kenshin Himura's resolve hardened. Tempered by his will to protect those around him.
The Kofuku Zetsu Tou Sei should've countered the Heavens Gliding Dragon Flash by avoiding the first slash completely and countering the second slash with a well-time riposte, unfazed or even aided by the void created by the first slash.
The Zettousei was seemingly designed to break the Hirameki, as demonstrated earlier with Kenshin barely surviving it the first time it was used.
It should've halved the effectiveness of the second slash, but by Kenshin drawing the sword low and weakening the ground-based leverage of his crouch, Enishi stood no chance.
Kenshin's much faster and stronger Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki (Heavens Gliding Dragon Flash) hit low to loosen Enishi's crouch then hit high with the multiplied centrifugal force of the follow-up second strike of his ougi, his Kofugi Zettousei (Crouching Tiger Severing Sword Rush) buckled under pressure.
Enishi's counter was ultimately overpowered by the much stronger and better applied succession technique.
However, like before, even after his counter was countered by a more experienced, worldlier version of Battousai guarding a powerful demonic sword, he still kept standing.
Sure, he was shaking like a leaf and heaved belabored breaths because his double-edged, hypertrophied Nerves of Insanity multiplied his pain to the point where an ordinary man would've blacked out from the pain in a dead faint.
But he wouldn't go down. He refused to go down. He'd rather die than go down.
Whether he was thrown into magma at the center of the earth or cut down to oblivion with the Legendary Youtou Shinnoken (Demon Sword: The True Blade), his willpower continued to defy fate and destiny itself.
He braced himself for Battousai to deliver the finishing blow, relying on his twitch reflexes and his thick pulsating nerves that were practically on fire at this point to launch another counter.
Instead, Kenshin told him, "You didn't really mean to raise your sword at Miss Ayame, did you? Cutting down the fake Tomoe puppet to you was like ripping your heart out."
He spat, "What of it, Battousai?! That's just a puppet I tore apart, not my real sister! My sister that you killed!"
"It doesn't matter if the puppet was fake or not. Ripping her apart hurt you at your core. The pain you felt is real."
"DAMN YOU TO HELL! Push me any further, and I'll do the same to the shinigami (death goddess)!"
Himura replied, "Even though you've murdered others because you couldn't stand how happy they were, you hesitated in killing Ayame-dono. She reminded you too much of Tomoe to go through with it, didn't she?"
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY HER NAME, BASTARD! Her murderer has no right to do so!"
"...In the end, what stopped you was your sister. So I ask you the same question you asked me. Is your sister smiling down on you from heaven?"
Delirious, he started having visions.
Visions of his sister taking care of him when he was sick with the flu, sleeping in his bedside. Cooking for him. Taking care of him. Serving as the only family and mother that he ever knew.
His revenge against Kenshin was all he had. All that mattered. His only reason for being, since Battousai robbed him of the original reason for his being. Without this one goal, he'd be nothing.
He could do anything as long as his sister was smiling back at him.
He closed his eyes. All he could see, the face he claimed was a lie made by the Spirit World, was his sister frowning at him with sad eyes full of pity.
The things he'd ignored earlier that bothered him also started making sense.
Why his sister threw herself in between Battousai and the leader of the Yaminobu.
Why Battousai vowed never to kill after "easily" killing so many people for such a long time.
'He did that because he's guilty of killing my sister! And everyone around him! He's a criminal who's celebrated as a hero because he killed during a war when it's 'legal' to do so!'
Why his sister stayed with Battousai for so long and even became his wife (being a deep cover agent wasn't enough to explain that away).
He opened his eyes. The image of his unhappy, melancholic sister coalesced into Shinigami Ayame's face while bearing the same grim expression with her mouth.
He fell to his knees and broke down, bawling. A broken man.
It wasn't the strike from a mystical demonic blade or the most powerful technique of a ghostly guardian from the Bakumatsu that brought him to his knees.
No. It was him realizing his sister's disapproval of his Jinchu that unraveled his single-minded determination to kill Kenshin and/or make him suffer for eternity.
Only sheer willpower kept Enishi standing. So when Kenshin broke even that, he had nothing left.
His will to fight was gone. All that was left was anguish, despair, and hopelessness.
"Neesan... Neesan...! (Big sis... Big sis...!)"
What was he supposed to do now?
***
To Be Continued...
The main event is about to start, and it's a doozy. Tenro will finally make his appearance to complete the Okushiri Arc!
Ciao,
Abdiel
#kenshin himura#enishi yukishiro#demon sword#youtou shinnoken#妖刀真の剣#rurouni kenshin#るろうに剣心#yuyu hakusho#幽☆遊☆白書
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“Mr. Kuwabara why do you keep your hair up like this?”
“Hmm?” Kuwabara blinked, suddenly becoming aware that his student actually had asked him something worth answering.
For the past half hour, rather than serving her detention, Usagi Tsukino, has taken it upon herself to badger her teacher’s aid. From questions such as, ‘Why is your shirt pink?’ (he had left a red sock in the wash) to ‘How old are you?’ (Twenty-six) and even, ‘What type of underwear do you like?’
The latter question had led to Kuwabara threatening another detention, with the poor blonde apologizing and explaining she was trying to get something for her boyfriend--which then led to Kuwabara wanting to know why Usagi was thinking of getting her boyfriend underwear (you’re too young!)(wait we’re not!).
And then of course after all that, led to a much needed, albeit very awkward silence.
But at some point, the young blonde had crept up behind him, and was patting his head, and asking about his hair.
Sighing, and trying hard not to smile, he shrugged, “It’s just something leftover from when I was a teenager.”
“So you were in a gang or something?” Usagi asked leaning against him with ease, and patting his pompadour gingerly, “You seem too nice to have ever been in a gang!”
Kuwabara smiled and half turned to look at her, “But don’t I have one of those faces that you think is scary? I think I’d be suited in a gang.”
Usagi looked at Kuwabara’s face seriously, “No. You’re always smiling. You’re not scary at all!” She then laughed, flashing a great big smile as she continued, “you should change your hair! You’re not scary at all, so you should have a different haircut! You know my friend Mina...”
Kuwabara sighed, and let the full strength of his grin shine as the petite girl rambled. It was hard not to smile around this girl. Besides the radiating aura or pure innocence and kindness Kuwabara could see shining from her, no matter how far she was from his sight, Usagi was one of those special students who could just charm anyone that she met. Her grades may be abysmal, but her empathy, caring heart, and her general zeal for life mattered far more than her grades ever could.
There was definitely something odd and magical about Usagi Tsukino.
Usagi smiled back and then glanced down at the papers in his hand. Shooting an accusing finger over his shoulder she cried, “AHA! You are the one drawing cat smiley faces! I knew it was you! Miss Haruna said it was none of my business, but I knew that you were doing them! She’d never do something so cute!”
Kuwabara bit back a bark of laughter and faced away from his student. The last thing he needed was this chipper girl to see how much he agreed with Haruna’s grouchy attitude.
“Now that’s not nice. She could have been making them!”
“No! Stinky Miss Haruna-”
“No. No name calling Tsukino!”
“...There’s no way Miss Haruna would draw cat faces on our papers! She just puts mean notes!”
Kuwabara sighed looking back at the paper, which indeed had a half drawn cat on it. Next to its face were the words, ‘Please try harder.’ The paper belonged to Usagi herself and she had scored 45 points.
“Miss Haruna is just worried for your future. She’s angry because she cares. Even adults can have a hard time communicating. Her notes aren’t really mean, they tell you to study harder. She cares about you and all her students,” Kuwabara said in a calm tone.
He smiled glancing back at Usagi’s uncertain face, “You know I had teachers who would call me terrible names to my face, and one even went out of their way...well to cause me quite a bit of grief, even going as far as trying to fail one of my paper’s when I had passed. Trust me, Miss Haruna isn’t as terrible as you think.”
Usagi seemed shocked by what Kuwabara had revealed, and pressed affectionately closer to Kuwabara, “Well...if you say so.”
Kuwabara smiled at Usagi’s words. Her tone clearly indicated she believed Kuwabara, even if her words didn’t quite match up.
Bringing out a red pen he circled something on Usagi’s paper, “You got the work right here Usagi, but the answer wrong. Can you explain to me how you got the answer you wrote down?”
Usagi, with an arm, still draped over his shoulder and a hand to his hair peered closer. This was perhaps too close for a student and T.A. to be, but Kuwabara had not realized this.
A sudden clatter and the startled face of an older teen, gawking in the classroom door, made Kuwabara suddenly very aware of his student’s close proximity. While Kuwabara was taking Usagi’s closeness as harmless...to a stranger this might look very bad.
Feeling the tips of his ears burn, Kuwabara opened his mouth, but Usagi was suddenly shouting, one arm curling tight under his chin, “Mamoru!” She then enthusiastically waved at the young man, while simultaneously choking her teacher. While uncomfortable, this had managed to break the sudden tension in the room.
Kuwabara tugged at Usagi’s arm, “Hey,” he chuckled and looked back at his student with an exasperated face, “Tsukino, you’re choking your teacher here.”
“Oh..? OH!” Usagi released Kuwabara, laughing and waving a hand at him in a hurried gesture of apology. And then her eyes were back to the teen who stood at the doorway, her face flushed with sheer affection.
Kuwabara glanced back at the older teen and noted he was not one of his middle school students. The young man also was looking at Usagi in a way so tender, that Kuwabara felt intrusive. But then the older young man’s sharp blue eyes fell on him, and those eyes were inquisitive, mistrusting, and maybe even a little accusatory.
Sensing Usagi was about to run to the young man (no doubt the mysterious boyfriend), Kuwabara got up and placed a heavy hand on her head.
“Don’t try and bolt for it Tsukino, you are still in detention!”
“Ahhhh Mr. Kuwabaraaaaa!” the girl whined, her eyes perilously big, and her expression crushed.
Kuwabara looked back to the teen and suppressed the smile at the other boy’s face. The teen was clearly taken aback by Kuwabara’s height, and a flash of jealousy was in his eyes.
‘Yup. The boyfriend...’
“Did you come to pick her up?” Kuwabara asked, plucking off his reading glasses and placing them in his front pocket.
The young man cleared his throat, “Her friends were looking for her. I thought perhaps she was here...”
Kuwabara nodded, “Well you were right, and I’ll gladly release her in just a moment...”
“YAY!” Usagi cheered, throwing both her hands up in the air, and skipping a bit.
Kuwabara leveled Mamoru with a suspicious look, “Why was miss Tsukino interested in getting you underwear as a present?”
Usagi’s embarrassed squawks, and Mamoru’s serious face comically flushing red, and drastically changing to stark embarrassment had Kuwabara roaring with laughter. He had a long way to go in terms of ever being taken seriously as a teacher, but boy would Urameshi love to hear about this!
#kazi fanfic#oh swiggity swoo a queue#crossover#sailor moon#yyh#yu yu hakusho#usagi#kuwabara#student teach kuwabara#mamoru
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