Finally! The last part before my fanfic ban... ;_; Anyway, I would REALLY
appreciate comments this time as this is the last part of 'The Present'. I
dunno when I'll release 'The Future' because I need to change stuff here
and there and my fanfic ban makes it difficult to do anything.
Anyway, thanks to Rhionae for pre-reading this fic.
Other credits go to Bulma, Jeremy, Sylvia and a whole huge bunch of others
for their support (you guys know who you are). =)
Siew Lee
[wsiewlee@tm.net.my]
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~~~The Past, The Present And The Future~~~
~~~The Present - Vengeance~~~
Chapter 17 - Fire, The Element of Purity
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"Ring of Power?" asked Yamaro quizzically. It sounded awfully
familiar to him but he couldn't remember when or where he had first
heard of it. His eyebrows knitted together in a frown as he looked at
the strange arrangement that all the tantei had placed themselves in.
"Fire!" announced Hiei and black flames erupted from his right
arm, burning away all the old bandages that covered his dragon
tattoo. Hiei's bloodshot eyes glared at them dangerously, ready to
give his life to defeat them. Murashi shuddered a little at that
look. Although he knew he had higher levels of youki than this small
fire youkai, he wasn't sure of his potential yet.
He was almost certain that Hiei would be his final opponent.
Fear. This was that very hateful sensation that he felt during the
last match between Reikai and himself thousands of years ago.
"Water!" screamed Yukina, raising her arms and a flimy layer of
ice began forming on the barren rocks and sand. Her blue hair was
covered with tiny crystals of ice, glistening in the daylight.
"Metal!" shouted Yusuke and raw youki radiated from him. Kurama
gazed at him in wonder as the youki had formed an aura around the
toushin.
"Earth!" Kurama yelled at his turn and plants sprouted on the
ground he stood. Flowers adorned the green stems, giving off a
pleasant smell. A green tendril curled around his left leg
possessively and the youko smiled coldly at the pair.
"Wind!" whispered Arisa in a hushed tone and drew her fingers
across the five remaining strings of her lute. A cold breeze blew
across the plains, chilling the surroundings a few degrees lower.
"Kuwabara! Go and distract them while we complete the ring!"
ordered Hiei in a snarl and slowly placed his opened palms on Arisa's
back.
"Why me?!" protested Kuwabara angrily. *Hey! That shrimp is
ordering me around!* thought the boy irritably.
"Because you are the only one free here!" answered Hiei
hurriedly and began channeling energy into Arisa's body. Arisa
followed suit, placing her hands on Kurama's back. Kuwabara rolled
his eyes and sprinted out. Waving his hands up high in the air, he
yelled, "Here, you sissy!"
"Ignore him," said Yamaro with a simple wave of his hand. He
was still frowning before it suddenly dawned on him. "Murashi!
Destroy the weakest here! Don't let them complete the ring!" shouted
Yamaro suddenly and Murashi acknowledged him. *Ring of Power! I
should have recognized this name earlier! Five elements combine to
accelerate the destructive power of each attack,* remembered Yamaro.
Closing his eyes, Murashi felt around for the weakest.
Weakest?! Which one was the weakest? Not Hiei, not Yusuke, not
Kurama, not Arisa... It was the girl with blue hair! Murashi narrowed
his eyes suspiciously. True, he had never seen her fight! Flipping
his fan shut, he blurred and whirled towards her at his fastest
speed.
The next moment, his fan hit her on the chest just as about
when Yukina was going to complete the ring with placing her palms on
Hiei's back.
An agonized scream escaped from Yukina's throat and the girl
was thrown out of the ring. She stumbled on a rock a few meters away
and lay there, injured. Hiei looked at Yukina anxiously and saw blood
spurting out from Yukina's mouth. A pool of blood was already there
on the ground. Hiei tried to reach out but the force of the ring was
80 percent complete and he couldn't leave it without all of them
withdrawing their youki all at once. Withdrawing now could give
Yamaro and Murashi the chance to attack them again!
"Yukina-san!!!" shrieked Kuwabara and came running over to
Yukina. "Yukina-san... No! Don't die!" wept Kuwabara openly over
Yukina's limp form. Murashi smirked at that sight, seeing that Yukina
was already helpless thus causing the ring to be incomplete.
"Kazuma-san... Take my hand and complete the ring for me..."
gasped Yukina painfully. "My chest... I can't breath... Quick... I'll
pass my youki to you... Remember, complete the ring..."
Kuwabara took Yukina's hand and saw a slightly bluish light
radiating from it. The light slowly consolidated into a small ball
which floated above their hands.
"Kazuma-san... Take the ball and complete the ring for me...
Don't take care of me now... Defeating them is the most important
thing now..." said Yukina breathlessly. Slowly, she let go of her
consciousness and her eyelids slid close.
Kuwabara witnessed as the girl fainted and her head lolled to
the side. He wept even harder as the ball of bluish energy floated
there.
"Quick, moron!" growled Hiei fiercely as he felt tears stinging
his eyes. *That bastard!!! Yukina!* screamed Hiei internally at the
limp body lying on the ground.
"Yukina!" screeched Botan and hurried over to Yukina. Using
both of her hands, she dragged Yukina to the side further from the
ring and sought for minimum shelter. Quickly, she checked Yukina's
pulse but found it normal. "Don't worry about Yukina! She's fine! She
has fainted just because she is suffering from a sudden loss of
blood!" shouted Botan to the group, bringing instant relief to
Kuwabara and Hiei.
Kuwabara looked up at the duo. "I swear that I'll make both of
you pay for Yukina's blood!" Upon saying the oath, Kuwabara took the
ball and inserted it into his body through his hands. He shivered
suddenly as a cold draught assaulted the very core of his flesh and
blood. Struggling and taking the empty place in the ring, he powered
up and slowly placed his hands on Hiei's back. He concentrated for a
while and directed Yukina's remaining youki to Hiei according to the
'Sui' scroll when he was training with Yukina in Reikai.
"Kuwabara, are you ready?" asked Yusuke.
"Hai," answered Kuwabara with his eyes closed.
Yusuke extended his palms on Kuwabara's back and centralized
his energy on his palms. Using the method that Kabato taught them, he
began sending his youki into Kuwabara's body. The carrot hair boy
accepted it easily and stored it in his own body.
"Should I go and kil..." suggested Murashi quickly and prepared
to take off again.
"No, don't! They are nearly completing the ring and you might
get killed there!" stopped Yamaro and reached out to prevent Murashi
from advancing to the ring.
"What the hel..." commented Murashi before a sudden burst of
blinding light shot out. He and Yamaro reached out an arm to block
the light.
The Ring of Power was finally completed! The whole area
crackled and spluttered with static electricity that gathered around
them and dark clouds were beginning to assemble above them. Their
auras mixed and turned, throwing off bolts of energy every now and
then. A flash of lightning struck down into the middle of the ring
and exchanged charges with the massive youki ring that they brought
together.
"Yamaro, do you want to die first?" asked Kurama softly,
the booming thunder emphasizing the tone of his voice. Without
waiting for any response, everyone of the Reikai tantei released
their hold on the ring and stood next to each other.
"Fire, Water, Metal, Earth and Wind! For once, let the five
elements destroy the descendants of evil!" shouted everyone
together. Their auras shot out and centralized in front of Yusuke.
Yamaro and Murashi's faces were consisted only of horror, nothing
else. Once the youki of all five elements adjoined, they would be
reduced to absolutely nothing!
"Run or we will be a handful of ashes only!" shouted Yamaro and
grabbed Murashi's hand.
The energy was already beginning to centralize at the tip of
Yusuke's index finger. "You are dead. Rei-gan!" shouted Yusuke and
a ki bullet shot from his finger, chasing the fleeing couple.
Yamaro and Murashi both leaped up high and the ki bullet flew
past them. "Kuso!" cursed Yusuke and slammed his fist into his free
palm. "Kokuryuuha! Rose Whip! Spirit Beam! Rei ken!" shouted four
voices almost at once and huge ball of youki gathered, rushing
towards the two forms at top speed.
Five elements strengthened the destructive powers of each
attack by five times. The huge ball of youki contorted and shifted
shapes as it lashed out at the couple.
"Watch it!" yelled Yamaro as the dragon opened its large jaws
in a roar, threatening to eat up both of them. He then deftly avoided
the spirit sword that Kuwabara was handling from the far distance
with two of his fingers. "Murashi!" shouted Yamaro and reached for
his hand.
Murashi glanced sideways to acknowledge Yamaro. A sudden
headache struck him... The sound! The high frequency that that vixen
sent out with her 'spirit beam'! His eyesight was going slightly hazy
and the accuracy of his distance judgment was slowly distorting.
"No!" screamed Yamaro when the spirit Rose Whip came crashing
down on Murashi's head. "No!" Without any thought further, he lunged
forward and pushed Murashi away, putting himself under the whip's
power. A sickening cracking sound was heard and Murashi looked at
Yamaro fearfully.
"No!" screamed Murashi this time when blood trickled down the
the youkai's forehead. He tried to get Yamaro's hand but was forced
away by a shooting beam of youki.
"No!!!"
The black dragon which was encircling them came crashing in
sudden directly on Yamaro's path. Desperation immediately turned to
helplessness when the dragon roared and opened its wide jaws,
swallowing Yamaro whole.
"Rei-gan!" shouted Yusuke again and a silver bullet shot out,
aimed at Yamaro's chest. The bullet went through the dragon easily as
both of the attacks were originally from the same mass of youki.
"Bull's eye!" announced Yusuke and threw his fist in the air.
Murashi's face was full of horror when the black dragon
swallowed his love and only agonized screams from Yamaro were heard.
A youki bullet shot out and hit Yamaro directly on his weak point -
his heart. Yamaro screamed as his body burned away, leaving
absolutely nothing.
Seeing Yamaro had finally vanished from the face of three
worlds, Yusuke and the rest slowly pulled back their youki thus
breaking the ring. The next moment, the entire swirl of youki slowly
dematerialized, leaving only Murashi flying up high in mid air.
"We won..." whispered Yusuke softly and knelt down on the
ground with exhaustion. "We defeated them..."
"How come I didn't see Murashi being eaten up by that dragon?"
asked Kuwabara curiously and slumped down on the ground.
"He's dead..." assured Kurama.
"Kurama..." groaned Arisa softly and collapsed on the ground.
"Arisa!" gasped Kurama in shock and caught her on the back
deftly. He tried to sustain the tired ache in his stomach but failing
miserably. Slowly, he slumped over Arisa with his five senses still
functioning, but very weakly.
"Yukina..." groaned Kuwabara weakly before he fell and lay back
on his back. "Yukina-san..."
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Murashi looked up, tears were starting to well up in his eyes.
Slowly, an object fell from the sky, embedding itself upright on the
ground. Slowly, Murashi floated down and looked at the object with
loving eyes.
Two teardrops dropped from his eyes on to the object and rolled
down onto the ground.
It was Yamaro's ice jade flute.
"Yamaro-sama!" wept Murashi openly. It was all his fault...
Yamaro was already dead. His body wasn't even left to let him bury;
and it was all his fault. Yamaro-sama had sacrificed his own life to
save him, Murashi.
More tears came to him as he stared at the motionless flute. A
gentle breeze blew through flute, sounding it softly.
Dim, yet haunting.
"I'll make all of you pay for this!" screamed Murashi and
powered up. "I swear I will!" Giving the slumped members of the
Reikai tantei team a murderous glare, he bit his lower lip in search
of someone innocent. Using his youki, he formed a fire disc above his
palm.
The next moment, an agonized scream escaped from a female
throat. The very scream alerted the entire team, making them look up.
"Kuso!" yelled Hiei, and looked at Yukina and Botan.
"Botan!" shouted Hiei and he flitted towards the two lying
figures on the ground.
Another scream and Botan moaned softly in pain. "Mu...
Murashi... He is still alive..." gasped Botan breathlessly and
pointed in the direction of the fire disc.
"Let me support you with my youki!" offered Hiei and held her
hand, channeling youki into her weak body. Her pink kimono was
soiled with blood so was the ground. The liquid spread through the
four layers of the kimono, staining her entire side red with blood.
"No, Hiei, don't... Reikai must win!" refrained Botan weakly
and her index finger trembled as beads of sweat were beginning to
form at Hiei's forehead.
Hiei refused to let go and closed his eyes. Botan pulled her
hand away, disconnecting the youki stream from Hiei. "Sorry... I
know I am dying... Hiei, please smile for me once... Onegai..."
pleaded Botan, blood flowing down her chin and onto the collar of her
white robe underneath her kimono.
Tears stung Hiei's eyes as he gazed at Botan's suffering face.
Slowly, he smiled. His face muscles ached from the lack of smiling
all over this years. His heart throbbed at the blood that stained the
ground; but still, he smiled. He smiled a painful smile.
"Thank you, Hiei... This is the only true smile you have shown
me..." smiled Botan back. Her breathing grew slower and slower as
minutes ticked by. The light in her eyes faded more and more until
her eyelids finally slid closed. A tear rolled down her cheek,
landing on the loose sand below.
"Rest in peace, Botan. I'll get you vengeance," whispered Hiei
and lay Botan gently on a flat boulder. He felt so exhausted over the
fighting that lasted for so long and it had also sapped a lot of his
youki; but Botan's words gave him strength to fight on. Pure
strength. A tear fell from his eyes and crystallized in mid air. A
black pearl took form from the teardrop and it landed on Botan's
chest. "Botan, this is my only gift to you..." Turning around, Hiei
looked at the faraway figure coldly.
"Murashi, I will never forgive you!" screamed Hiei, releasing
all the pent-up grief in him and Botan's smiling face appearing in
his mind giving him the strength to fight on. Hiei screamed again,
black flames forming a strong aura around him. "You killed Botan!"
"Yamaro-sama! Give me power!" screamed Murashi and raised his
hands to up high in the air. White flames erupted around him,
creating electrical bolts around him as he walked towards Hiei. "I'll
make you pay for Yamaro-sama's life."
"Botan..." murmured Hiei as the flames covered his right arm.
"Jaouh Ensatsu Ken!" shouted Hiei and rushed at Murashi, his fist
aimed at Murashi's weak points.
"Fat chance," sneered Murashi and white flames engulfed both of
his hands before engaging in a fight between him and Hiei. Shaping
his youki into a knife with his hands, he slashed at Hiei
mercilessly. Hiei also didn't give him any chance to attack further.
Gathering more power into his fist, he punched into Murashi's
midriff, forcing him to backtrack a few steps.
Murashi walked a few steps and blurred quickly. Hiei closed his
eyes and concentrated. *Feel his youki... Feel his youki...* chanted
a voice in his head. "Here!" yelled Hiei and slammed a fist into the
air.
"Wrong. Here!" shouted a voice behind him and the next moment,
Murashi drove his knee into Hiei's backbone, forcing the small fire
youkai to leap up to avoid any further injuries. Hiei turned a half
somersault before landing agilely on his feet a few meters away.
"Very powerful," commented Hiei stonily and rubbed his wrists.
Although Murashi didn't act or walk like a normal male youkai, his
power and strength exceeded the limits of an ordinary male youkai.
*S-class...* muttered Hiei as he powered up again.
"Await your death, bastard!" Hiei's right arm burned again with
an even stronger force. With a slight tap of his heel, Hiei jumped up
and his fist went crashing down into Murashi.
Murashi whipped open his fan and blocked off the punch,
expecting to hurl Hiei to the side. Murashi stamped his feet down on
the ground but Hiei pushed forward even more, leaving two trails of
Murashi's footprints. "Go to hell!" screamed Hiei and pinned the
youkai into the still-standing cliff, pushing Murashi into the stone
walls until he was about 2 meters deep. Murashi was rendered
powerless as his fan came in contact with Hiei's fist. Like a strong
current, the fire youkai's youki came streaming into the fist while
Murashi looked hatefully into Hiei's ruby red eyes.
What did he see? Hatred, anger and deceit.
Hiei released his punch and leaped away from the embedded
figure. Closing his eyes and his face looking up to the sky, he
prayed silently. He knew he didn't have enough youki to launch
Kokuryuuha now but he prayed and prayed. He understood this point
that if he launched the dragon now, he might die of total fatigue.
He had no choice; he must use the Kokuryuuha one more time, one
last time.
Slowly, he mouthed out the words. "Fire. Dragon. Reikai. Makai.
Ningenkai. Give me the power to defeat this demon. Give me the power
to reclaim vengeance for Botan. Give me power!" screamed Hiei at the
last phrase. He snarled and growled when black flames covered his
entire body. The black clouds over the plains had not dispersed yet,
in fact, they even aggravated Hiei's powers by the stark contrast.
Kurama looked up weakly at the rumbling sound of Hiei's youki
gathering. "No! Hiei! Don't! You will die of exhaustion!" shouted
Kurama, reaching out a weak hand.
Hiei ignored him, his eyes already fixed on Murashi who was
trying in vain to escape from the stone cliff. The fire youkai's eyes
gleamed with energy as he focused on the struggling figure.
"Jaouh Ensatsu Kokuryuuha!" screamed Hiei and the black dragon
tattoo around his right arm came to life, swirling around his arm
slowly. Hiei punched out, setting the dragon free. The long black
body of the dragon flew around him, crashing and turning the ground.
Loose sand and pebbles flew in various directions but Hiei paid no
heed to them. He must win! He must defeat this demon!
At that moment, Murashi gathered all of his youki and flexed
the energy around him, blasting the cliff into minute pieces. Murashi
stood there calmly on the leveled ground. Breathing in deeply, he
called out: "Yamaro-sama! Grant me the strength to conquer Reikai!"
A burst of white flames and Murashi began radiating with a
brilliant light. Earthquakes shook the ground and thunder rumbled in
the sky. A gigantic white aura surrounded him and a white phoenix
rested above him, flying effortlessly in the sky.
Their gazes met in a flash.
"Fire! The element of purity!" screamed Hiei and the dragon
rushed at Murashi at neck-breaking speed.
"The Phoenix defeats the Dragon!" shouted Murashi and the
phoenix above him flew at the dragon. A screeching sounds filled the
air as the spirit bird rushed forward.
Kurama braced himself and quickly knelt in front of Arisa,
protecting her from the explosion that was about to happen in
seconds. He winced as tiny shards of pebbles scratched his bare skin.
The two forces clashed and the ground shook as the winds howled
even more fiercely than ever. The blinding white light grew even
brighter when Murashi powered up fully. Yusuke raised an arm to
shield the rays from his eyes but he could feel that Hiei was slowly
weakening under the white flames.
Yusuke heaved himself up as he remembered his promise to Keiko.
His limbs were strangely heavy and his promise granted his power.
Trudging weakly, he made his way to Hiei. The black dragon was pushed
back by the phoenix and Hiei panted heavily to sustain the dragon
from hitting himself back.
"Hiei! Take my youki!" offered Yusuke and placed a hand on the
fire youkai's shoulder. Using his remaining youki, he channeled the
energy into his body.
"Me too..." mumbled a voice behind him. It was Kuwabara.
Yukina's innocent laughter kept ringing in his ears and that very
sound gave him strength to go on. *If I help Hiei, I'm helping Yukina
too,* thought Kuwabara silently.
"Me too..." continued another voice. Kurama stood behind
Kuwabara and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. Arisa lay by his
feet, still unconscious.
Hiei nodded and accepted all the youki. With a sudden surge of
power, his dragon rose to life again, crashing straight into Murashi.
"Take my life!" shouted Hiei agonizingly and the black fire around
him burned more strongly than ever, his Kokuryuuha forcing the white
spirit bird back at Murashi.
"Together as one!" shouted all of them at once and the black
dragon encircled the youkai once before it opened its wide jaws,
swallowing Murashi in. A scream rang out loud and the Reikai tantei
winced inevitably as the black dragon slowly disappeared with
Murashi's body.
"We won. Reikai won," whispered Kurama as he stood there, the
wind blowing his hair softly. His white robe was soiled and tattered
from the battle just now. Slowly, he bent down to pick up an
unconscious Arisa and held her lying in his arms.
"Let's go back to Reikai..." urged Yusuke with a wave of his
arm. "Go, get Yukina and Botan first before we leave..." whispered
Yusuke softly.
Hiei slowly collapsed down on the ground and sobbed. His knees
felt so wobbly but he didn't take any notice of them. Tears fell
freely as the small fire youkai wept in front of his friends. He
couldn't bring himself to act Mr. Tough Guy anymore after this
battle. It was much too costly to win this tournament. Yes, he won.
He won in exchange for Botan's life.
He had lost her forever.
"Hiei, let's go," comforted Kurama gently. Hiei got up slowly
and walked towards Botan's body. "I'm sorry..."
A sudden sob escaped to the air and a haunting note from a
flute echoed around them. It wasn't from Hiei or any of the tantei.
Yusuke glanced around curiously, his eyes searching for the source.
His eyes caught sight of a figure slumped right in the middle
of plains. *Murashi?!* thought Yusuke in shock as he watched him
pick up Yamaro's flute and start to play a slow tune on it.
"Murashi!" snarled Hiei fiercely and started to put down
Botan's body. His arm burning a strange black flame again as he
attempted to attack him.
"No, Hiei. He is powerless now," stopped Kurama. Hiei bit his
lower lip and reluctantly put down his arm. Kurama felt pity for the
youkai. He knew how painful it was to lose someone you loved and when
that person had perished trying to save you.
Murashi looked at them sadly, an unmistakable heartbroken
expression in his eyes. "Why did you kill Yamaro-sama? It is worse
than killing me..." moaned Murashi softly. Yusuke and the rest looked
at him, feeling sympathy for the youkai.
"Surrender to Reikai, Murashi," advised Kurama, his hands
clutching Arisa tightly, feeling her weak pulse beneath her robe. He
must get back to Reikai soon. Very soon or else...
Murashi ignored them and kept playing the flute. The black
clouds in the sky gathered even more intensely as the cold notes
rang out one after another.
Suddenly, he stopped. With the last bit of his energy, he
stabbed the stem of the flute into the ground, upright. Reaching into
his robe, he retrieved a short dagger. The sheath of the dagger was
adorned with little minute rubies and Murashi stared at it
melancholically. His left hand holding the ebony cover, he withdrew
the sword from its sheath. The blade reflected the flashes of
lightning as he pointed it at the sky.
"Yamaro-sama, all I wish for is to be with you forever... I'm
joining you now..." whispered Murashi as the sky began raining
softly. With a swing of his hand, the dagger pierced into his
midriff. Blood spread instantly around the wound. Flicking open his
fan for the very last time, he threw it up high in the air and
watched it float down gently.
He laughed a satisfied laugh and collapsed on the ground with
the rain soaking him slightly. "Yamaro-sama... Hello Yamaro-sama..."
greeted Murashi softly and his hand reached out weakly before the
dimmest light in his eyes flickered out.
The fan whirled down gently with the wind. Finally, it rested
beside the flute. The beautiful painting on the fan was blurred by
the rainwater, but still, it was a painting of the love they shared.
The clouds slowly dispersed as the drizzle came down to a
slight trickle. Standing together, the Reikai tantei bowed a little
to the legendary flute and fan. Through evil souls and bloodied
hands, love still existed between them.
They bowed in respect of the love the two youkai shared.
A single ray of light shone through the clouds to fall upon the
winners of the tournament, marking a new tomorrow, a new future for
the three worlds.
Winning or losing was too costly.
Vengeance sought, but love lost.
Turning away, the battered group walked back to Reikai,
sorrowfully victorious.
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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
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-Keeper of Hiei's Sword (A Katana!)
URL: http://members.xoom.com/hiei
UIN: #14025577
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Malaysia Boleh!
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