I think I'm going to post a part everyday since I only have three more days
to go before school reopens... 

As usual, thanks to Rhionae for pre-reading this fic.

All previous parts is posted up at my page: http://members.xoom.com/hiei 
Direct link: http://members.xoom.com/hiei/ppf.htm 

Siew Lee 
[wsiewlee@tm.net.my] 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

		~~~The Past, The Present And The Future~~~ 

			~~~The Present - Vengeance~~~ 

			Chapter 15 - The Final Battle 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

	One week passed very quickly. Unhappy hearts stayed in Reikai 
as a long string of incidents had happened within a short period of 
three months. Yamaro and Murashi's challenge one month ago haunted 
their thinking day and night, giving all the Reikai tantei barely any 
rest. 

	Tomorrow was the ultimate tournament, itself determining the 
fate of Ningenkai. It was Reikai's duty to ensure that three worlds 
stay in perfect harmony... 

	Tomorrow was the big day. Each of the Reikai tantei had 
thoughts of their own as they stayed at a hotel somewhere near the 
core of Makai where the tundra and deserts met. 

	Imagination and thoughts were very magical as they existed in 
every single being alive, whether ningen or youkai. 

	Like living things, they swirled in minds. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

[Yusuke] 

	A lone figure was seen sitting on the steps of the hotel, 
looking at the dark skies of Makai. One look at his face confirmed 
that he was waiting anxiously for tomorrow and he was sitting here 
all alone in this blasted hotel. *Huh! So stingy of Koenma to rent us 
this so-called luxurious Makai hotel. Strange grubs were crawling all 
over the place and the damned bed was just so hard!* Yusuke thought 
as he flicked an eight legged fly-like insect off his T-shirt. 

	Actually all that didn't quite matter to him now. As he gazed 
out to the plains, he was busy thinking about the tournament he and 
his teammates were about to face. He still hadn't forgotten the hate 
and disappointment when he was defeated *twice* by those demons. 
*Twice*! Could you imagine that? To the boy, it was a symbol of his 
weakness. 

	Yusuke was prepared to die tomorrow regardless of whatever 
conditions. Deep inside his heart, he knew the truth and it hurt just 
as much as if Kuwabara had just punched him on the stomach. Everyone 
understood this point - the chances of Reikai winning were very slim. 
Yamaro and Murashi were far too powerful compared to them, but Yusuke 
Urameshi, as the leader of the Reikai tantei team, was willing to 
battle to death for the sake of Ningenkai. 

	Although he had straightened out what he should do tomorrow, 
there was one burden that he could never bring himself to put down. 
He kept thinking about *her* - Keiko Yukimura. A sober smile lit up 
his face as he thought of the girl. Would he ever make it back to 
Ningenkai to see her one more time? 

	Reminiscences of the times they had together swirled wildly in 
his mind. He knew he was not a good boyfriend, nor would he make a 
good husband, but the fiery passion that Keiko reserved for him could 
never be challenged by any other girl. 

	Yusuke looked at the ground and finally his sight settled on a 
single pink flower sprouting out from the barren earth by the steps 
of the hotel. Using his thumb and index finger, he plucked it and 
studied its fragile petals. He knew he wasn't the type to think 
poetically about nature and things like that but he simply couldn't 
help it this time. 

	The pink flower reminded him of Keiko. Her smiling face was so 
fragile that Yusuke was so scared of kissing once, but her inner self 
was one of the bravest he had ever seen, like a single flower among 
the barren grounds. The only one to bloom was the most beautiful to 
his eyes. He smiled a wry smile this time as he reminisced those 
times they had together. He owed his life to Keiko after that fire 
that nearly caught his body... He owed his life to her also after 
she gave him the kiss of life after that big joke that Koenma-sama 
played on him... 

	He was dead twice and Keiko bravely lived through it although 
he understood the strong passion that the girl had for him. It almost 
broke his heart to think of the fact that he might cease to exist 
starting tomorrow. 

	Bringing the flower up to the level of his eyes, he whispered 
softly to the wind, "Keiko, I promise you that I'll come back... I 
promise you that I'll give you a happy life... I promise..." 

	Clutching the flower in his fist, he got up and ran into the 
hotel, awaiting the final battle. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

[Kuwabara and Yukina] 

	"Yukina-san..." said Kuwabara, clasping Yukina's pleasantly 
cool hand with his own. "Yukina-san... Please don't go to the 
tournament..." pleaded Kuwabara softly as he felt his heart ache for 
the girl. 

	"Kazuma-san... I have to go... I must help Reikai and I must 
help you too for the sake of Ningenkai," whispered Yukina back, her 
crimson eyes starting to fill up with tears slowly. 

	"No! You know you won't be able to withstand Yamaro and 
Murashi's power!" protested Kuwabara as he threw his hands up in the 
air. 

	"They need me to complete the Ring of Power," answered Yukina, 
pulling her hand away from Kuwabara's grasp and placing it on her 
chest. 

	"B... but..." 

	"Kazuma-san, please don't say anymore or else... or else I 
can't bear to leave you..." cried out Yukina and the tears dropped 
from her eyes to the bare floor. The koorime deftly caught one of 
her tears and pressed it into Kuwabara's right palm. 

	"Yu... Yukina-san?" 

	"Promise me... If, if I perish in tomorrow's tournament, wear 
this as a remembrance of me..." said Yukina, looking straight into 
Kuwabara's eyes. 

	"Yukina-san!!!" wept Kuwabara openly and engulfed Yukina in a 
hug with his muscular arms. 

	A dark shadow flitted by and stared momentarily at the weeping 
couple. It ruby red eyes flickered on Yukina's hunched form for a 
while before disappearing into the dark. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

[Hiei and Botan] 

	Botan stared at the brooding fire youkai for quite a while. *He 
seems very cool and collected alright...* She sighed softly, looking 
at Hiei endlessly. She was here as a guide to help them reserve a 
booking for the hotel rooms and get them to the venue in time. 

	But she was here for another personal reason - Hiei. It had 
been three months since they had encountered each other's warmth and 
comfort but Botan still felt lonely. She smiled wistfully at the 
youkai, wondering how ironic it was that they actually got together. 
She was a happy-go-lucky and a cheerful person, and the fire youkai 
had a foul-tempered and obnoxious personality. 

	*Maybe destiny played a huge joke on couples,* thought Botan. 
On the second thought, she wasn't exactly the prefect match for Hiei. 
She looked at Hiei again, noticing his face was sullen as usual. 

	"Hiei, smile for me," demanded Botan suddenly. She really had 
the urge to see Hiei *smile* because this might be the last time she 
ever spoke to him after tomorrow and her heart writhed painfully just 
to comprehend that fact. 

	Hiei glared at her but said nothing. He had a lot of things to 
figure out also and that stupid blue head was asking him to *smile*. 
He rolled his eyes and looked away. 

	"Onegai, Hiei?" pleaded Botan, her pink eyes were starting to 
fill up with tears as she studied his depressed look. She knew it. 
She knew that he was worried about tomorrow's battle as it determined 
the fate of Ningenkai and Reikai. Now Hiei was acting Mr. Tough Guy 
again, pretending that he did not care. 

	Hiei sat there, unmoving. He had just returned from paying his 
sister a visit and he had seen her hugging that moron, crying her 
heart out. He could never stand to see his sister weep and he had the 
temptation to go in her room to comfort her. *That moron!* Hiei 
ground his teeth and closed his eyes, trying to imagine tomorrow's 
battle. 

	*Yamaro and Murashi...* muttered Hiei under his breath. *I 
swear I will blast you until you are just a handful of ashes!* 

	"Hiei?" A high pitched voice asked again, this time drawing 
his attention. "Smile for me, please," pleaded the girl who was 
sitting in front of him. 

	*Botan...* thought Hiei as he turned his head to gaze into her 
pink eyes. This very pair of eyes reminded him of Kurama and he felt 
a dull ache in his heart when he thought of those emerald green eyes 
that showed concern for him every time he was injured. 

	Hiei heaved a short sigh. The black dragon tattoo on his right 
arm hadn't been released in long time and it writhed painfully under 
those bandages that hid it. One question still plagued his mind - Was 
Botan really that important to him? Now, he even felt a little twinge 
of guilt when he pushed Kurama away that night. 

	"Hiei... Onegai? This might be the last time," spluttered 
Botan tearfully, looking at the fire youkai. 

	"Hn," snorted Hiei at Botan's request but his heart softened 
when he saw tears streaking down her cheeks. Forcefully, he flashed a 
half smile at her. 

	"Doumo, Hiei," whispered Botan as she wiped away her tears with 
the sleeve of her kimono. 

	Hiei looked at her. Sooner or later, he must tell her. "Botan, 
listen here," began Hiei slowly and paused for a while before 
continuing. "If, if I do not survive this tournament, promise me that 
you will find another man who is better than I am. Someone that 
treats better than I do." 

	"No! You will survive! You will survive!" yelled Botan and 
buried her face into her hands. 

	"Botan," said Hiei in a serious tone. "I don't want you to be 
bound to me just like that. Promise me." 

	Botan looked up and gazed at the face. He was so slender and 
small framed that it hurt her to know that he might die once the 
dawn shone on Makai. "I... I promise," pledged Botan and swallowed 
painfully. 

	Hiei acknowledged her and closed his almond shaped eyes. 

	He needed peace and concentration tomorrow. For tonight, he 
must rest. Rest. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

[Kurama and Arisa] 

	A sequence of clear notes echoed in the room, one after 
another. Two figures were sitting far apart, one on each side of the 
room. Kurama was looking out of the window into the far and wide 
plains of Makai. He had been sitting here since he arrived in this 
room. 

	To him, the plains represented freedom. Kurama inhaled slowly, 
breathing in the sweet scent that the wind carried with it. It had 
been such a long time since he had been here as a youko. *Kuronue... 
It was Kuronue who brought him here for the first time when they 
celebrated their first hoard of stolen treasures from a Makai 
warlord.* Kurama sighed weakly, Kuronue was long dead... 

	Another sequence of musical notes interrupted his thoughts. 
*Arisa sure is getting better and better day by day at playing that 
Chinese lute,* smiled Kurama at that thought. His mood suddenly 
darkened. 

	Arisa indirectly reminded him of Hiei. *Does Hiei know what I 
really feel every time I am with Arisa?* wondered Kurama aimlessly. 
Little did he know that it was Hiei who advised Arisa to come back to 
him. 

	Tomorrow was the final battle between the good and the bad. 
Kurama wasn't even sure that he could be labeled as 'the good'. He 
rested his brilliant eyes on the serene scenery before him. 
"Tousan..." whispered Kurama softly. Kabato had sacrificed his own 
life in exchange for his'. 

	*Is a youko always that cruel and cold?* asked Kurama inwardly, 
smiling at that thought. Kabato had proven to him that even the most 
heartless being could give his life to save someone he truly loved - 
his son. He might continue to think in this way if he hadn't been 
Shuichi Minamino, but about two decades of living a human life had 
softened him. Now, he even felt a little twinge of guilt every time 
he thought of that fact that he had failed to call him 'tousan' when 
he was still alive. 

	Kurama adverted his gaze back to Arisa. His green eyes looked 
at Arisa endlessly. There was still a niggling doubt in his mind; why 
did Kabato give Arisa one whole scroll while Kuwabara had to settle 
with sharing with Yukina? Technically, Kuwabara was stronger than 
Arisa in terms of raw power. Even with the sharing, Kabato had 
strongly disapproved because of his reiki incompatibility. *What did 
Kabato know about Arisa?* asked Kurama again. 

	Kabato had a very strange personality, even Kurama could not 
catch the head or tail of his words. Huh! Talk about being careful 
and not using the Ring of Power... *Ring of Power.* These three words 
repeated itself in his mind, giving him a sense of the unknown. 
Kabato had once told them not to use it until the very brink of 
defeat because of its massive destructive force. 

	Kurama understood the risk that lay in tomorrow's battle. He 
knew that he might be killed anytime soon but he still had Arisa to 
worry about. If, if he was not going to live beyond tomorrow, what 
about her? His eyes were focused on her sweet face, thinking of her 
future. If he had the choice, he wouldn't let her come here but the 
whole team needed her to complete the Ring of Power. 

	Kurama closed his eyes and remained silent. As if reaching out 
for help, Kurama prayed continuously in his heart, "Inari-sama... 
Please protect Arisa from any mishaps tomorrow... Please..." 

	Five notes rang out aloud as Arisa's slender fingers trailed 
across the strings gently. Kurama seemed to be looking at her too as 
she played the musical instrument for one last time before the fight. 
She placed a hand at her belly, feeling the slightly bulging part. 
Perhaps her child wouldn't get to see the world, thought Arisa 
soberly. She was ready to die tomorrow for the sake of Ningenkai. 
Only Kami-sama knew what would happen if Ningenkai fell into their 
hands. 

	Airsa's index finger plucked a string, hearing a clear note 
sounded at the move. Koenma-sama had agreed to arrange to tell 
their immediate family members if they were to perish here in Makai. 
Arisa shuddered at that morbid thought and roughly pushed it away. 
Forcing herself to think optimistically, she began to imagine the 
battle tomorrow but her attention kept shifting over to Kabato's last 
words. 

	Kabato's phrases still echoed in her mind - 'The red mark 
symbolizes you'. First thing, how did he know that she had a 
birthmark on her left arm? How did it symbolize her? After all, it 
was a red mark on her arm! A cold chill raced down her spine as she 
remembered the fortune teller's words. Things were getting more and 
more confusing. Using her left hand to hold the lute, Arisa reached 
into the pocket of her pants to retrieve the small pouch that Kabato 
gave her. 

	She stared at it, wondering about its contents. Tentatively, 
she groped the bag only to hear a rustling sound of a piece of paper, 
and something hard and round. Arisa sighed, eager to know what Kabato 
wrote there but she resisted the temptation. 

	Her fingers clutched at the pouch; she would know tomorrow. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

	Five Reikai tantei and a koorime dressed in a kimono stood side 
by side in a straight line, waiting. A tall girl with an oar stood a 
little further away, also waiting. 

	A gust of blazing hot wind blew past, lifting their hair a 
little. The little group stood exactly at the front of a gigantic 
stone arch shaped gracefully by the forces of nature. The bridge of 
the arch crumbled down as a rook rested lightly on its middle 
section. The rocks and pebbles fell down, leaving only the two great 
pillars standing. 

	Minutes ticked by, still no one. 

	"Urameshi, did you get the date correct?" grumbled Kuwabara 
anxiously. They had been here since early morning and there was no 
sign of the couple. "Thank goodness I optioned to wear this," sighed 
Kuwabara as he fanned himself with the white coat he wore leaving him 
with a bare chest. 

	Yusuke nodded slightly and stood there silently. Arisa reached 
up a hand to wipe away beads of sweat that were forming at her 
eyebrows. Her long-sleeved and mandarin collared shirt with butterfly 
buttons was blotched with sweat. Kurama wore something similar but 
the hem was slightly longer. 

	"Hiei, did you bring your katana?" asked Kuwabara irritably. 

	"Hn," snorted Hiei as he produced the slender weapon with its 
sheath. 

	Yusuke folded his arms and looked up at the sky. Suddenly, two 
flying forms appeared in the sky and two screeches sounded loudly in 
their ears. *Eagles?! Strange!* Yusuke thought and placed his arms 
down by his sides. 

	"Come out! Stop playing hide-and-seek!" shouted Kuwabara. He 
concentrated for a while before a scintillating form of a sword 
shot up from his clenched fist. 

	"Sorry for the long wait," a high pitched voice spoke from the 
one of the tall arches. 

	"Glad to see you, Murashi," smiled Yusuke, stepping forward and 
a large cloud of dust surrounded as he exerted his youki suddenly. 
The form jumped down from place he was standing onto a spot in front 
of Yusuke. Murashi hadn't changed much, except for his clothes. 
Dressed in a dark brown robe paired with white pants, Murashi stood 
there haughtily. His hair flew backwards upon the force of the 
explosions but it didn't come in loose strands as a tie held it back. 

	Murashi produced his iron fan and flicked it open. Loftily, he 
began fanning himself in a slack way. Finally, the dust cleared and 
a toushin with cascading long hair was standing in the place of 
Yusuke. Strange markings adorned his bare chest as the force had 
blown his shirt and jacket apart. 

	"Oh? A toushin," said Murashi, his eyes showing surprise. 

	"Where's Yamaro? Ask him to come out if he has the guts!" 
challenged Yusuke, pointing a finger at Murashi. 

	"No need to have Yamaro-sama here. He will come to finish off 
all of you. He said I should have some fun first, shouldn't I?" 
Murashi ended with a disparaging tone. 

	"Stop bullshitting, attack me if you dare! Sissy!" yelled an 
enraged Yusuke. His patience had its limits! 

	"Really? Pretty boy... Come here..." cooed Murashi and in a 
blur, he was already standing next to Yusuke and slightly brushing 
Yusuke's face with his index finger. 

	"Get lost!" shouted Yusuke and a series of small explosions 
occurred around him. Next moment, Murashi was flung off a few meters 
away. Kurama and Arisa both stifled a grin when they saw Yusuke's 
disgusted expression before he blasted Murashi away. 

	"Eh? So our pretty boy here doesn't like me," laughed Murashi 
as he quickly got up and dusted his clothes. "Say, your power has 
increased a lot since we last met. By the way, I can't wait to taste 
your blood!" Before even finishing his sentence, Murashi whirled 
towards Yusuke and aimed his fan at his solar plexus. 

	"Think again, sissy," smirked Yusuke and he jumped up, easily 
avoiding Murashi's attack and counterattacked with a punch on 
Murashi's back. 

	"Ha! Got y..." shouted Yusuke in victory, almost certain that 
he had successfully planted a fist into Murashi's body. "Where the 
he..." cursed Yusuke as his target went *missing* and by instinct, 
he adverted his punch backwards. 

	"Wrong side, boy," snickered Murashi from above Yusuke and 
his fan snapped shut to hit Yusuke on a point behind the neck. 
*Kuso!* muttered Yusuke and tried to avoid the attack by landing on 
the ground first. 

	"Too late," a deep voice spoke and the next moment, Murashi 
crashed through sandstone arch, creating a hole through the walls. 

	"Hiei?" asked Yusuke as he landed on the sandy ground and 
looked up. The fire youkai stood next to him, his right arm burned 
with a golden flame - his Jaoh Ensatsu Ken. 

	"Leave him to me, Yusuke," spoke Hiei coldly and threw his 
cloak neatly over his shoulder without taking it off. Yusuke nodded 
and stood back. The fire on his right arm died down and Hiei coolly 
unsheathed his katana. "Kuwabara!" shouted Hiei. 

	"Here!" yelled Kuwabara, running towards him and halting beside 
him. "We will show that bastard how good we are!" 

	"Cheh!" spat Murashi as he climbed out of the hole and spread 
his fan. "Show me something more powerful than attacking me from the 
side!" 

	"We will!" shouted Hiei and Kuwabara in unison. Hiei began the 
attack with a thrust of his sword followed by Kuwabara's Rei ken. 
Their swords formed a circle, rotating around each other in a 
clockwise direction and whirled towards Murashi. 

	"Easy point!" smirked Murashi and his fan poked right into the 
spinning circle. Kuwabara doubled over in pain as the youkai's left 
leg rose up to kick him on the spleen. 

	A cracking sound echoed through the plains and Murashi laughed 
out loud. "One rib broken." His leg pulled back and Kuwabara slumped 
down on the floor. 

	"Kuso..." cursed Kuwabara as a searing pain shot up his spine. 
At first, he could even swear that he saw stars swimming around his 
head. "Get up, Kuwabara," said Hiei softly but Kuwabara could detect 
a cold tone in his voice. 

	Kuwabara gritted his teeth and tried to stand up but the awful 
pain numbed his limbs. Kuwabara closed his eyes powered up his Reiki, 
creating a barrier around him and thus blocking his pain momentarily. 
Yukina looked at Kuwabara through her fingers and winced when he 
gasped in pain, "Kazuma-san..." 

	"Yukina-san... Daijobu desu yo!" called out Kuwabara and braced 
himself. 

	"Shut up, we haven't shown our full power yet," boasted 
Kuwabara as he took a deep breath and the shining form of a sword 
shot up again from his clenched fist. Hiei poised his katana in his 
classical pose of holding the weapon 45 degrees towards the ground. 

	"One... Two..." counted Hiei in a whisper. "Three!" shouted 
Hiei suddenly and the duo began attacking Murashi with force, speed 
and agility. Clenching his fan shut, Murashi blocked off the attacks 
deftly. 

	"Yes!" shouted Kuwabara as their swords pierced together into 
Murashi's right side and a stream of blood spurted out, hitting 
Kuwabara directly on his coat. 

	"Kuso!" screamed Murashi and exerted his youki with an open 
palm facing Kuwabara. "Wah!!!" yelled out Kuwabara before being 
thrown away by a wave of ki. Seeing the golden opportunity, Hiei 
withdrew his katana from the wound and leapt upwards. With a half 
somersault, he spiraled down, the tip of the sword aiming for 
Murashi's head. 

	"Don't think that I am already defeated after a minor wound!" 
shouted Murashi and counterattacked Hiei with the fan flipping open 
and shut. "Blast you!" A ki disc shot out and a scream echoed through 
the air. Seconds later, Hiei's body slammed onto the ground, creating
a small crater. 

	Murashi laughed out loud and in a blur, he stood before Kurama. 
"Here is a another pretty boy," smiled Murashi and before Kurama 
could even react, the youkai planted his lips firmly on Kurama's and 
one hand reached around his waist to hold him close. The red head's 
eyes widened in shock as he tried to pry himself off the youkai's 
firm grip on his waist. 

	"No one kisses Kurama other than me!" screamed a female voice. 

	"No one touches my friend!" snarled another voice, this one a
deep baritone. 

	Murashi pulled away from Kurama and turned to look at the first 
voice. Arisa stood there, her index finger glowing with a bright red 
light. "Spirit beam!" In a split second, a stream of Reiki shot 
towards Murashi. 

	Murashi snickered and his fan reflected the ki away harmlessly 
while his leg rose up for a kick directed to her belly. "I feel 
another life pulsating in your body, girl. Feels like Kurama's ki 
signature. Kurama, your child's dying!" 

	Seeing the kick coming, Arisa leapt away and Murashi felt 
someone grabbed him by the back of his robe and he placed something 
cold there. *Metal?!* thought Murashi in shock and the pain of his 
flesh being slashed registered in his mind. Murashi reached behind 
and held the blade of the katana with his bare hands. "Clink!" The 
sound of metal breaking under pressure rang out loud and the youkai 
formed an oval fiery ki ball before throwing it at Hiei. 

	A stream of blood rained on the ground as the ki ball hit Hiei 
at point-blank range, causing him to slam down onto the ground at 
full force. 

	"Doumo, Hiei," said a deeper voice coming from Kurama's 
direction. "Murashi, look properly first before kissing someone the 
next time," A cruel laughed echoed through the air and a foot 
embedded itself in Murashi's midriff. Kurama took the opportunity 
created by Hiei to transform into his original youko form thus 
turning his emerald green eyes into a liquid golden shade. He 
conjured a red rose and with a flick of his hand, the flower turned 
into a long whip equipped with glinting sharp thorns. 

	"Youko Kurama?! Still too weak!" shouted Murashi and leaped 
back a few meters. Carefully, he touched behind his neck. "What a 
sharp sword!" commented the youkai and wiped his blood onto the lower 
panel of his robe. "Hah! I have never kissed a youko before! I have 
never expected that I would get to kiss the legendary Youko Kurama," 
said Murashi and smiled wickedly at Kurama. 

	"Your mouth stinks, by the way. Say goodbye," whispered Kurama 
evilly and threw a seed onto the floor with the back of his hand. 
"Greet your death!" Two large plants with huge thorns sprouted from 
the barren earth and began rushing to Murashi at break-neck speed. 

	"Think twice!" returned Murashi and flames began erupting from 
his palms. "Burn them!" yelled Murashi and two pillars of white hot 
fire shot out. The plants stopped in mid-way and began burning with 
a crackling sound. 

	Kurama stamped his foot on the ground and leaped up to exchange 
blows with Murashi. "Pretty youko!" teased Murashi as he agilely 
avoided those plants that Kurama had grown at an amazing speed. "Why 
don't you be my lover too?" 

	Kurama glared at him and spat on the ground. 

	"Watch me," whispered Murashi into Kurama's ear and with a 
push, he shoved Kurama away. "What?!" hollered Kurama and a wall of 
youki hit him, blasting him a hundred feet away. Kurama got up and 
held his stomach. 

	"Bastard..." cursed Kurama as blood dripped down from his mouth 
and onto the dry ground. His robe was torn at the shoulder from the 
blast and his arms was bruised from blocking the youki that Murashi 
produced. 

	"Watch me this time." Yusuke didn't wait for Murashi's reaction 
and he ran at full speed towards Murashi. "Bastard..." cursed Yusuke 
and rammed his fist into his chest, threatening to poke through the 
youkai's body. Murashi gasped and powered up, forcing Yusuke to 
backtrack a few steps. 

	*I don't believe it! Why doesn't he feel anything?* asked 
Yusuke mentally as he channeled more youki into a forthcoming punch. 

	"My youki protects me," laughed Murashi flirtatiously and 
fanned his loftily. "I know what are you thinking at the moment!" 

	"Liar!" snarled Yusuke and moved forward with his fist. 

	"Don't you understand? You and your team of Reikai tantei are 
bound to be defeated!" smirked Murashi and formed a huge ball of 
youki floating above his opened palm. White fire encircled the ball, 
spluttering and fizzing at the wind that blew past. 

	Yusuke ignored him and focused his attention on the huge youki 
ball that Murashi formed. Concentrating all of his youki on his index 
finger, Yusuke began to prepare for his attack. 

	"Goodbye!" shouted Murashi, launching the youki ball. 

	"Rei-gan!" screamed Yusuke and the shining tip of his index 
finger shot out a brilliant light, driving for a head-on collision 
with Murashi's fireball. 

	The two powers clashed in a huge explosion, pushing at each 
other wildly. 

	"You are dead," said Murashi coldly and a sudden surge of power 
shot out from his opened palm. 

	"No!" shouted Yusuke and braced himself with his arms for the 
ultimate blast. 

	The fireball finally exploded, shaking the earth like a massive 
earthquake. Kurama blinked open his eyes forcefully and glanced 
cursorily at his surroundings. Smoke was rising up from a body 
slumped over a large rock. *Yusuke!* thought Kurama in shock and 
tried to stand up. He gasped in agony when a blinding flash of pain 
shot up from his arm. *What?!* thought Kurama, surprised, as he felt 
a strong youki signature radiating somewhere near and it seemed 
awfully familiar. 

	Slowly, Hiei also crawled out of the crater shaped around his 
body from the crash. He was still holding the broken handle of his 
katana and his black cloak was torn off, leaving only his tank top 
and pants intact. Hiei looked around for Yukina in shock, worried for 
his sister's safety, only to see Kuwabara protecting Botan and Yukina 
from the explosion. Kuwabara shielded Yukina with his body, thus 
bloody scratches were visible along his chest and face. 

	Hiei narrowed his eyes as he detected a very strong youki 
presence in the area. No, it wasn't Murashi's youki. No, it wasn't 
Yamaro's, but one that was very similar to Kurama's. Kurama's?! 
Kurama was lying there not very far from him and he could just feel a 
weak ki pulsating through his body. 

	Hiei ripped off the bandage that protected his Jagan. Opening 
it, the Jagan began giving off a greenish light as Hiei looked with 
it. 

	He saw someone standing face to face with Murashi. 

	Someone he knew. 

	A sequence of clear notes echoed through the silent plains, 
forming a distant melody. 

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Copyright reserved 1998 W. Siew Lee 

All standard Yu Yu Hakusho disclaimers apply to this fanfic. 

E-mail: Siew Lee [wsiewlee@tm.net.my] 
URL: http://members.xoom.com/hiei 
UIN: #14025577 

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