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Youtou Shinnoken
A Yuyu Hakusho/Rurouni Kenshin fic
By Chester Casta�eda
gab_ab@edsamail.com.ph
Original concept by SeventhOne
chadjill@ms3.hinet.net
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1377336
http://www26.brinkster.com/callie/
Part three's here. :)
We have a very intense Genkai-Byakko fight going
on down there... so check it out.
The wolf has returned... but is the doppelganger
Goro Fujita the _real_ Miburo, Hajime Saito?
A few more notes before proceeding:
< > indicates character thoughts
" " indicates character speech
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Chapter 7: To protect loved ones (Part 3)
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Genkai gripped her shoulder hard in an effort to stop the profuse
bleeding. Byakko really surprised her with his last attack. "That's
quite a high-level technique you've got there. I didn't expect that you
had it in you to do such a thing."
Byakko bared his teeth in response. "So you only consider me as a
C-level demon, old hag?"
Genkai chuckled as she shook her head. "Not unless you could give
me a decent fight with that iron arm of yours." She then gave her
opponent a 'come hither' gesture with her hand.
Byakko snorted as he began to execute his second attack... the
Byakko Shu. The white tiger Shisejyu then began stampeding forward with
a titanium-hard shoulder tackle.
Genkai easily evaded the powerful charging technique with a quick
and easy handspring. <Charging forward like that with an attack that one
can see a mile away... how disappointing. Perhaps this Shisejyu is
really nothing more than a Class C creature.>
Genkai was then suddenly blindsided by Byakko's follow-up midair
kick... the Byakko Shu Tsuika... unable to turn in time. The old woman
flew a good few meters away from her opponent as parts of her garments
got ripped and torn as her body got dragged through the dirt-laden
ground. Half a second later she crashed through one of the scattered ice
blocks with tremendous force.
It took Genkai quite a bit before she regained her senses. She drew
ragged breaths as she contemplated the situation. <I didn't expect that
maneuver at all. Byakko... even his kicks hits like a hammer. I
previously thought that his only advantage was that iron arm of his. I
was wrong... he was able to use the momentum of his tackle to power that
kick of his. He's no amateur... he's really proving himself to be a
formidable foe.>
"Stand up," Byakko grunted. "Don't let it end like this. Stand up
and take your punishment in full."
"Amazing. Your iron arm technique is in another level altogether...
yet your own body is doing its best to compensate and keep up with such
power. Where'd you learn such a technique?" Genkai inquired curiously.
Byakko grunted as he began his assault anew. "Die," he subsequently
elaborated as he stabbed his Kaiwan outward. An overwhelming blast of
pure energy soon erupted from his open palm... this was the explosive
Retsu Hoko.
<He's releasing large amounts of jaki,> Genkai surmised as she
struggled to protect herself from the explosive waves of erratic energy.
<I cannot counter this with the Rei Kou Kyou Han Shyo... Byakko will
just absorb the energy and counterattack with a Mei-Ko-Shou-Kai-Ha.> The
elderly martial artist's eyes brightened up as she smirked. <Let's try a
different tactic.>
Ignoring the shooting pain from her shoulder, Genkai suddenly
hurtled herself with a shoulder tackle similar to the Shisejyu's Byakko
Shu. The attack hit home with a sickening wet crunch.
<Foolish woman... attacking in a manner that adds more injury to
herself,> Byakko thought, snorting in disdain as he extricated his
fingers from Genkai's bleeding and shattered shoulder...
Only to discover that the blood that was splattered on Genkai was
his own. The Shisejyu yowled in agony as he tried desperately to mend
his dislocated fingers.
"HIRYU KYAKU!"
Moments later, the Sacred Beast's gaping mouth was slammed shut
care of a powerful Flying Dragon Kick on his chin. Several of his molars
and fangs shattered in the impact.
"Even though your arm muscles are now as hard as steel, your joints
and bones aren't. Keep that in mind in your next attack," Genkai
taunted. "Did you enjoy that kick? My Supine Kick Kougeki isn't my only
effective physical attack. I have more where that came from."
"Irritating," Byakko spat as he spewed out blood and bits of tooth
on the ground. He then again stabbed his bloody hand forward.
<Using a technique twice, even though I've already devised a
countermeasure against it? Strange,> Genkai thought as she dashed
forward with another shoulder tackle.
The aged martial artist's eyes went wide in shock.
<It's a different technique!> Genkai thought as she struggled to
halt her momentum. <No good... I can't stop!>
Byakko subsequently snatched and lifted Genkai in midair, his large
and bloody fingers choking the Spirit Light Wave master. Then, with a
mighty roar, the Shisejyu slammed the old woman on the ground with full
force. Thus was the power of the Zetsu Hoko.
Unfortunately for the holy beast, Genkai avoided bodily harm by
landing feet-first just as she was hurled on the ground. She then
began extricating the feline-like monster's bleeding fingers from her
neck, causing further injury to the saint demon.
Frustration. The old, imp-like human was beginning to grate on
Byakko's nerves. Why wouldn't she die? Even with the gifts that the
Chojin had given to him, he still couldn't defeat the old, decrepit
bitch.
Anger. It wasn't fair... he was supposed to be far stronger than
before... more powerful... was he going to be beaten by a weak human
again? Was he going to show his wretchedness and weakness once more?
Hatred. Hatred soon consumed the dark heart of the Shisejyu known
as Byakko... destructive, vicious hatred that threatened to overwhelm
the beast-like youkai, making him numb of all pain... of all things...
nothing else mattered to him. He soon became a destructive, mindless
behemoth that would go to great lengths just to sate the hate burning
inside of him.
<This jaki I'm feeling... it's incredible!> Genkai reflected in
near panic. <This Byakko is producing ridiculous amounts of jaki no
power! I was right about my assessment before... he's practically a
negative energy magnet. But... how? How could he produce so much
destructive force?>
Byakko grappled Genkai with both hands this time, the Sacred
Beast's eyes feral and pupil-less. He didn't even bother to announce
his technique as he began executing one of the most powerful maneuvers
of the Byakko's Claw... the diamond-smashing Kongo Sai.
Genkai was again unceremoniously flung on the ground. This time,
because she had no leverage, she crashed helplessly on the earth, bits
of debris and stone pelting all around the two combatants. The old woman
coughed and choked amidst the settling dust.
Afterwards, before Genkai could react, she was yet again lifted and
slammed on ground... this was Byakko's follow-up move, the first Kai.
The elderly fighter felt several of her bones crack and snap against the
pressure.
Byakko once more lifted up the half-unconscious Genkai as he
stomped his foot on the ground, making it buckle and crack into a mass
of spikes. A nasty, maniacal grin appeared on the Shisejyu's face
briefly as he began to execute the final Kai.
***
Finally, the duo of Goro Fujita and Kazuma Kuwabara arrived at the
foot of the seemingly serene mountain, the stairs leading to Genkai's
temple well in sight.
"Well, it looks like we've finally made it, Officer Fujita,"
Kuwabara respectfully noted as he eyed his strange companion warily...
as guardedly as one would watch a dangerous viper. "Shall we...?"
"Yes," Fujita answered as he took a drag from his cigarette.
Both occupants of the well-traveled black Honda Accord suddenly
stopped and paused in mild surprise and shock as they both felt a dark
and sinister presence emanate in their psyche.
Fujita smirked darkly as Kuwabara shivered reflexively. "Did you
feel that?"
Kuwabara nodded slowly. "What the hell was that?"
Fujita chuckled darkly. "Jaki no power."
"N-negative energy power?" Kuwabara hesitantly reiterated. "Why
would there be jaki here? Dammit, that's the same kind of power the
Meikai used!" The carrot-top boy gave pause again as he looked at
Fujita suspiciously. He then sighed. "Ah, what the hell. You certainly
don't look like an agent of the Meikai." He then reconsidered what he
said as he scratched his chin contemplatively. "On the other hand...."
Fujita merely raised an eyebrow as he got out of the automobile.
"Get rid of such silly thoughts. There's no need to concern ourselves
with nonsense." Afterwards, he sinisterly grinned as he made his way to
the car's trunk.
"Hey, watcha got back there...?" Kuwabara curiously inquired as he
followed Fujita, only to yelp, "WHOAH! What the hell are you doing with
a katana!? Where the hell is your gun, for Enma's sake?!" moments later.
"I assure you, this isn't standard issue," Fujita creepily joked
as he slipped the sheathed weapon into his belt. "But, as you know, when
dealing with ghouls and bogeymen, a Human World gun is next to useless.
The only weapon you could really rely on during such encounters is a
good old-fashioned katana. It's especially efficient with
decapitations."
"Heh. You're quite the joker, Officer Fujita."
"Who ever said that I was joking?"
"...."
Kuwabara gulped as he unconsciously gripped his throat. True, the
young man had done his own share of 'decapitations'... but the way
Officer Fujita described it....
The younger Kuwabara shivered yet again. The lean-looking policeman
was undoubtedly one of the most disturbing people he had ever met.
Fujita merely smirked, cigarette in hand as he motioned Kuwabara to
follow him towards the long staircase. "C'mon... it's a long way up."
***
Genkai fought against the darkness that threatened to engulf her as
Byakko lifted her high up in the air. <This grappling technique of
his... part of its deadliness comes from the fact that attacks can be
chained with it!> She then heard the ground buckle and break underneath
Byakko's feet... the sound filled her with uncertainty and dread.
The former champion of the Ankoku Bujutsukai quickly focused all of
her concentration on her blurry vision. She struggled to make out and
decipher the protruding, hazy shapes she saw on the ground... soon,
comprehension dawned on her psyche.
With a mighty roar, Byakko threw the old woman on the spiky ground
as the saint demon carried out the final Kai.
Pure desperation was what forced Genkai to do the "REI-KOU-DAN!"
just as she was about to get impaled by the rocky, stony spikes. The
move instantaneously incinerated the barbed stones. The subsequent
explosion was strong enough for Byakko to relinquish his hold of the
aged martial artist.
Genkai painfully rolled away from Byakko as parts of her skin and
a tuft of her hair went missing after her forceful extrication from
the white tiger's grip. As she stood up, she realized something was
amiss. <Oh no.>
The Kiyodai Ka technique easily absorbed the reiki that surrounded
Byakko. Pinpoints of electric energy entered Byakko's fanged maw in a
manner reminiscent to how Yusuke charges his Rei-Gan. The lively reiki
was soon changed and distorted into potent youki that mixed with the
intoxicating jaki inside the sacred beast's body. It was a chaotic
mix of hatred and death.
"MEI-KO-SHOU-KAI-HA!" Byakko shouted as a raging blast the size of
a house disintegrated the entire mountain landscape.
***
Seiryu felt it... the incredible amount of jaki that his beastly
Shisejyu companion had released. <It seems that Byakko's fight with the
old woman has risen an ante or two.>
The dragon-like sacred beast scowled. <Deluded fools... Byakko,
most especially. He's just a passionate idiot who happened to have an
affinity for negative energy. A wonderful gift wasted on such a
simplistic buffoon... what a pity. Personally, I think this 'jaki no
power' is overrated.>
He then smirked as he stroked the raven, black hair of his newest
victim. <On the other hand, jaki no power did manage to rescue us
Shisejyu from the lowest depths of Hell. Also, the amount of strength
the Chojin gained from negative energy is astounding to say the least. I
want the same sort of strength... and I shall have it. After all, the
only thing I need to acquire such force is to find a focal point for
it... an avatar, if you will.>
Seiryu then gazed deeply into Keiko Yukimura's bottomless, black
eyes as he chuckled maliciously.
***
Byakko admired his handiwork with glee. Most of the mountain's peak
had been leveled thanks to his last, incredible attack. <That was one of
the largest and most powerful Mei-Ko-Shou-Kai-Ha I had ever used.> The
white tiger smirked. <I even had to use a portion of my jaki no power to
increase the destructive force of the blast. That old imp really gave me
a hard time. I almost enjoyed that fight.>
The Shisejyu gave a mock salute at the place where Genkai had
stood. "That was a good fight. You were a great warrior. Rest in peace,
you old bitch."
"Who are you calling a bitch?"
Byakko sneered as he swung his head wildly toward the origin of the
voice, only to stare dumbstruck at the vision before him.
A young girl who didn't look to be any older than fourteen now
stood amidst the dirt, dust and debris. "I'm nobody's bitch," she
daringly stated. Most of what she wore was ripped and torn, but her
outfit was still unmistakably the same as Genkai's.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Byakko straightforwardly
asked, eyeing his surroundings warily lest Genkai suddenly came back
from the dead and snuck behind him while he was distracted by the girl.
Was she one of the old crone's disciples? He wasn't quite sure. "Run
away, child. This is no place for the likes of you."
Instead of doing what was she was told, the girl walked towards the
imposing beast.
Byakko looked at the girl in mild confusion and annoyance. He
thoughtlessly swatted the child, but to his surprise, she merely
somersaulted away from the assault.
"Still don't recognize me? Perhaps this will refresh your memory,"
the girl said as she reversed her momentum and did a familiar move on
the large youkai.
Just like a pig that suddenly found itself airborne, Byakko gawked
in shock and disbelief as he flew up into the sky despite his enormous
girth.
The Supine Kick Kougeki... it was a force to be reckoned with
indeed.
"You...!" Byakko started once he finally landed from his
unceremonious flight.
The young girl smirked. "You're not the only one with an energy
absorption technique. You've released so much ki from your little
technique that it literally rejuvenated me. It's rare that for me to use
this revivification technique nowadays, but you've proven yourself to be
quite the fighter worthy enough for it. Now, come at me with everything
that you've got."
The White Tiger Shisejyu merely grunted as he charged at the
younger and livelier Genkai.
***
"Hey... HEY! DON'T YOU DARE TURN YOUR BACK ON ME! Y-you... didn't
even finish me off, you coward! Take me seriously, dammit! I AM NOT THE
WEAKEST OF THE SHISEJYU!!!" Genbu shouted pathetically, his mask of
bravado slipping as his voice cracked and choked... unfortunately, his
appeals fell on deaf ears.
Kenshin shut his eyes as he started to walk away from Genbu,
feeling deep remorse for what had happened. <Sessha didn't mean to
humiliate you so, Genbu-dono... but what needs to be done has to be
done. This lowly one does hope that someday you'll find your own path to
glory and greatness... but for now, this fight is over.>
Genbu gritted his teeth as an image of a whip-wielding,
crimson-uniformed redhead superimposed itself against Kenshin's form.
"IGNORE ME, WILL YOU?! Well, I will soon teach you to fear the name
of GENBU! Ushiro-Bakuretsu-Ganshou-Dan... TETSUZAN KOU!"
Kenshin eyes went wide as he felt youki well up anew in his
Shisejyu opponent's shattered body. <That technique... it's the
technique that Genbu-dono used on Yusuke-dono, de gozaru! At the time,
it caused bits and pieces of the ground to reform into one gigantic
mound. Could it be that...?> He turned towards his enemy's direction.
His mouth then fell open in shock.
Soon, the bits and pieces of Genbu's shattered body soon reformed
and reconstituted themselves. After a moment, the stone golem Shisejyu's
body was whole again. Genbu gave the rurouni his trademark grin.
Kenshin drew the Youto Shinnoken from its sheath once more. "Sessha
had already warned you. This lowly one doesn't have time to play with
you, Genbu-dono. This unworthy one still has to find and rescue Keiko-
dono and Botan-dono, de goza--"
"SHUT UP!" Genbu spat. Satisfied that _that_ worked, the tortoise-
like saint demon continued, "I'm sick and tired of your over-politeness
and unassuming behavior. It sickens me to the very pits of my soul. For
being such a complete and total wimp, I'm going to punish you tenfold,
samurai! Tetsuzan Kou... DEFENSE UP!"
Kenshin watched in fascination as Genbu's outer shell soon acquired
a gray sheen to it. The rurouni narrowed his eyes... sure enough, he was
able to make out glistening metallic particles that surrounded the large
youkai, coating its stony body with...
"Iron de gozaru!" Kenshin couldn't help but exclaim.
Genbu's broken teeth morphed into a sinister grin as he melded with
the ground and charged at the errant swordsman.
***
Byakko let out a prodigious howl as he performed the Byakko Sou,
slashing quickly with his Kaiwan. Genkai, on her part, didn't even
flinch as her enemy's iron arm descended upon her person. Then, with
a half-angelic, half-devilish smirk, she announced...
"ABARE-HIRYU!"
Several repetitious clangs resounded from Byakko's Kaiwan as
Genkai's flurry of blows kept his metallic arm at bay. She then aimed
her fists at the ground, causing it to buckle and break under her
offensive. A column of dust temporarily blinded the saint demon, which
gave the young lady an opportunity to throw in a flying kick at the
Shisejyu's head. She then flipped over the youkai, landing several feet
behind him.
Byakko snarled as he whirled around and stuck his hand forward,
letting out a fearsome blast from his Retsu Hoko attack.
<Like before, it's too dangerous to use the Rei Kou Kyou Han Shyo
against Byakko's blast of energy,> Genkai contemplated as the surge of
energy literally ripped apart the landscape. She then grinned. <I'm
becoming too precautious in my old age. I should be more adventurous.>
"REI KOU KYOU HAN SHYO!" the teenaged Genkai shouted excitedly as
the Spirit Light Mirror Counterstrike deflected the incredible amount of
youki emanating from Byakko's Retsu Hoko.
The White Tiger Sacred Beast's Kiyodai Ka maneuver automatically
absorbed the repelled demonic energy. Soon, Byakko's mouth was again
brimming with fiery vigor.
Before the large, feline youkai could even utter a word or open his
mouth, the young Genkai was already upon him, her own finger overflowing
with reiki. She then aimed it at his mouth and smiled. "Want more? Here.
Open wide. REI-GAN!"
The resulting explosion almost blasted the Shisejyu's head off.
"GRRRRAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!"
Almost.
Byakko screamed in agony as he deftly grabbed the cosmetically-
young martial artist's injured shoulder, nearly crushing it with his
tight grip. His face... particularly his mouth... had several third-
degree burns that bled profusely. As the pain worsened while he came
to, his clutch on his opponent tightened.
Genkai bit her lip amidst the pain, but her grin was instantly
recognizable.
"What are you smiling about?" Byakko snarled as he wiped the blood
on his face with his free hand.
"Nothing," Genkai teased as she giggled at the reaction her
adversary gave her.
She then laughingly shared, "It's because of that last attack I
did. I must have been out of mind! I could have lost a finger or my
whole arm with that attack. Only the likes of Yusuke could have the
guts... and the stupidity... to do that." The rejuvenated woman
chuckled. "It was a refreshing change of pace for someone as old as I
am."
"You don't say," Byakko snorted in disdain. "That's right, little
girl. You're too old. It's time for you to go."
Genkai smirked. "Is that so? The fight isn't quite over yet. I can
still beat you."
"No. It's over, all right," a different, sinister voice said.
Both combatants felt it... the cold. The numbing, unfeeling and
unforgiving cold.
***
Seiryu stood in the middle of the devastation that resulted from
Genkai and Byakko's fierce battle.
"This fight has been drawn out long enough. You and your numerous
parlor tricks are just child's play if you cannot use them to finish-off
each other instantly. All of your techniques are next to worthless. All
it really takes is just one, effective and all-powerful attack. Let me
demonstrate."
Byakko grunted at Seiryu as he held the teenaged Genkai in front of
him. "This is my prey. Leave me be with _my_ prey. Let me feed, Seiryu."
The self-declared 'second most powerful' of the Shisejyu smirked as
he shook his head in derision, ignoring his supposed ally's demands.
Fierce, cold winds began to gather around the reptilian Shisejyu.
The temperature of the area immediately dropped as a strange,
dark energy began to gather around the Blue Dragon Holy Beast's clawed
hand.
"Behold. The perfect technique that surpassed and succeeded my Ma
Tou Tou Ryuu Ken. Kyomei Jisatsu Jin--Fu no Senrei." Seiryu's face was a
stony, unmoving mask as he executed his attack.
<Legend of Hades Onslaught...?> Genkai started as she repeated in
her head the elaborate name of Seiryu's techniqe.
<The Trial of Negation!> Byakku thought, for the first time showing
traces of dread in his features.
It began as a deluge. Nimbus clouds appeared from nowhere and let
loose a torrent of sleet, blanketing the area with ice and water several
feet deep. The icy rain stopped as quickly as it had started, and it was
deceptively calm for a moment.
Then it arrived. Woken from untold centuries of dormancy, rising
from ice-cold water that was somehow shallow yet at the same time
infinitely bottomless, a serpent-like creature leapt up and hung in the
air, light reflecting off each iridescent scale. It howled a shrill cry
reminiscent of the bloodcurdling scream of the innocents.
But it proved to be more than just a reptilian sea serpent. As the
icy waters took a more elaborate shape and form, what it really was soon
became readily apparent.
It was the true form of the blue dragon... Seiryu, the God of
Dragons. It had a body of at least a hundred feet in length, seemingly
made of blue-green water. Its shimmering crimson eyes glinted in rage.
With an ear-piercing screech, the leviathan-like creature rose up
further into the sky until it was hovering high above the awestruck
Byakko and Genkai.
<The Trial of Negation isn't a youki attack! It is used to summon
an ancient spirit, reminiscent of Hiei's Koku-ryuu-ha!> Genkai assessed
as she struggled to free herself from Byakko's grip.
The serpentine dragon began to fly in tight circles, its speed
growing ever faster as a shimmering whiteness began to form within its
path. The God of Dragons then quickly descended in the middle of its
encirclement, thundering down onto the luckless duo like an unstoppable
avalanche of ice and snow drawn from the very depths of the Demon World,
in the Land of the Koorime.
***
"Oi, Officer Fujita! You're going the wrong way! Genkai-baasan's
shrine is this way!" Kuwabara shouted to his unlikely companion as he
pointed at the seemingly never-ending stairs. <How can he possibly
get lost with a setup as simple as this? All you have to do is follow
the friggin' stairs up, right? He must be suffering from menopause or
something.> "OI, OFFICER FUJITA!"
"I heard you the first time, aho," Fujita declared as he made his
way through the dense thickets of the forest on the left side of the
stairs.
"A-ho?" Kuwabara repeated, not sure if he should be insulted or
not. That was the first time anybody has called him... that... and he
wasn't quite sure how to react. "Hey, I thought you wanted to find
directions on how go to granny's house! WAIT UP, OFFICER!"
***
The gigantic dragon unerringly homed in on Genkai's ki-signature as
it headed right towards her direction. The mountain's hard precipice
crumbled like brittle chalk as the charging reptilian passed through. It
crashed unto its intended target moments later...
"GUAAAAA!!!"
Taking Byakko's Kaiwan with it.
Byakko roared in agony as his hardened, iron-like arm literally
exploded from the snake-like Seiryu's assault, sending bits and pieces
of frozen guts, bones, muscles and fat across the landscape.
Genkai, on the other hand, didn't fare any better as she struggled
against what seemed to be a veritable force of nature. She was flung
around helplessly by the fierce, icy winds, tumbling inside the spiral
the monstrous snake had made. The snow, sleet, water and ice whirled the
girl all over the landscape like a wet dishrag inside a Human World
washing machine.
The errant martial artist plummeted powerlessly into the abyss of
the gigantic dragon's serpentine hurricane as she awaited oblivion.
But she didn't want to wait for oblivion.
Using the last remaining vestiges of strength she had after the
arduous experience the godly manifestation of Seiryu put her through,
Genkai halted her momentous drop by means of a well-aimed...
"REI-KOU-DAN!"
Her trajectory changed instantly, sending her flying in the
sky again. Then, with some rather gymnastic flip-flops, she landed on
the ground safely moments later. Unfortunately, she still collapsed in
fatigue after her legs buckled in exhaustion. Her youthful appearance
soon faded to that of her true age.
"Performing the highest form of Rei Kou Hadou Ken can sometimes
rejuvenate the user's body back to the time when he... or she... was
most active. In your teenage body, you're more agile and nimble...
impressive, but the effects are only temporary," the Shisejyu Seiryu
surmised while the God of Dragons Seiryu hovered behind him. "Even the
highest form of Rei Kou Hadou Ken is no match against my Fu no Senrei."
"For someone who has to rely on the power of the God of Dragons to
do his dirty work, you're quite arrogant," Genkai rejoined as she
struggled to get up on her feet. "So you probably came up with the great
idea of summoning the true Seiryu after watching Hiei perform the Koku-
ryuu-ha back in the Human World while you were burning in the pits of
hell."
Seiryu smirked as he answered, "Don't you dare compare my Fu no
Senrei with that fire demon's pathetic technique. The true mettle of
the Trial of Negation will be tested once it completely overwhelms the
dark flames of the Black Dragon Wave."
"Humph. So it _was_ based on the Koku-ryuu-ha." Genkai disdainfully
snorted. <But... where did Seiryu get all this jaki I'm feeling? It
certainly didn't come from him. His lust for revenge is strong, but not
strong enough to summon the Lord of the Dragons himself. How...?>
There was a maniacal scream in the background... the desperate howl
of a wounded animal.
"SEIRYU! How dare you take my prey away from me! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Byakko yowled hysterically as he stampeded towards his original
Shisejyu murderer.
***
Three figures remained hidden in a nearby cliff overlooking the
devastated backdrop that was Byakko, Seiryu and Genkai's battleground.
"We're in over our heads, big brother!" Iehog said in demonic
fright and panic as he looked dumbfounded at the humongous creature
that loomed over Seiryu.
"Nonsense! We have just what we need here! We just have to...
confirm something!" Iehik hissed from behind Iehog, not wanting to
even _look_ at the gigantic... something, lest his courage failed
him then and there.
"Shut up and move over! I'm trying to see what's going on!"
Botan said as she primly waved the two youkai brothers aside with her
wooden oar. <Something's not right there. Call it a gut feeling, it's
as if something... bad has happened,> the ferry girl thought in an
uncharacteristically contemplative manner. <And I'm not talking about
that stupid, copycat Koku-ryuu-ha.>
"Confirm something? But big brother, what are we going to confirm?
The old lady's death or our own death once either Byakko-sama or
Seiryu-sama spots us?" Iehog whined pathetically.
"Well, if you stop whining, then we won't be spotted!" Iehik
hissed. To himself, he reflected, <Actually, I have heard that running
away is the better part of valor... or some such Human World nonsense.
But still, here we remain... it's as if something has beckoned us to
this spot... that something being....>
"Well, I still want to know what the hell are we going to
'confirm', big bro--"
"Our destiny."
"Whuwhuzzat?" Iehog asked in puzzlement and confusion. His big
brother was acting very weird... again.
"Nothing. Now be still or I'll brainwash you into thinking that
you're a little girl again!" Iehik hastily yet nonchalantly threatened.
"WA-AH! No more! The last time you did that, the demon horde we
were with at the time laughed at me behind my back for a whole week! I
was the butt of all their jokes! Though, in retrospect, it's a good
thing most of them are all dead now."
"I SAID QUIET, IEHOG!"
"B-but you're the one who's screaming loudly, big brother!"
"Oh no."
Both brothers looked at Botan in askance as she stared in fear
and dread, shaking her head while muttering, "No," over and over like
it was some sort of mantra.
"W-what's wrong, woman?" Iehik queried the blue-haired girl
uncertainly, not sure what to make of the situation.
Subsequently, Botan screamed her head off... or would have screamed
her head off had the brothers not cover her mouth with their clawed
hands.
***
"SEIRYU! How dare you take my prey away from me! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Seiryu chuckled as he beckoned his namesake dragon familiar with a
wave of his hand. "You? Kill me? You don't know your own limits. Fu no
Senrei."
Using the immense anger incased inside of him, Byakko countered
Seiryu's Fu no Senrei with his own, "MEI-KO-SHOU-KAI-HA!"
The God of Dragons soon descended from its perch high up the nimbus
clouds, but not upon Byakko, to the White Tiger Saint Beast's
surprise... instead it swooped into its "master's" body and possessed
the Blue Dragon Shisejyu just before the raging Mei-Ko-Shou-Kai-Ha hit
its intended target.
Seiryu's image soon changed as his features became more reptilian
than human. His teeth sharpened into fangs and his hands morphed into
claws. The new, more powerful Seiryu swatted away Byakko's attack like
it was a mere paper weight. The ki-blast exploded elsewhere moments
later.
<It's just like Hiei's possession technique using the Koku-ryuu-
ha!> Genkai assessed as he saw Seiryu's transformation. <It would seem
that Seiryu really did his research on the Jaou-en-satsu.>
But Byakko was not yet finished with Seiryu just yet as he charged
with a hearty shoulder tackle, even though it was now without
the assistance of the Kaiwan.
"What a waste."
Seiryu literally punched a hole through his fellow Sacred Beast's
stomach with no hesitation. "The only reason you have that much jaki
in your system is because of your overflowing rage and humiliation for
having been defeated by a mere human stripling. You're nothing but a
whipped dog."
Byakko could only groan as he fell down in a boneless heap, clawing
the ground in agony.
"For someone who has a mediocre amount of jaki in his system, you
seem quite confident," Genkai retorted. "You're too emotionless and
detached to produce and harness jaki on your own. A bit jealous of your
comrade?"
"Half right, old woman," Seiryu acquiesced in a decisively non-
acquiescent manner. "But my methods of jaki-extraction more than makes
up for that triviality. What Byakko could get through humiliation and
self-condemnation _I_ could get through..."
The Blue Dragon Saint Demon raised a clawed hand over his cohort's
fallen form, extricating the jaki the white tiger exuded.
"The suffering of others," Genkai finished for Seiryu as she glared
at her newest opponent. "You're a sadistic coward that doesn't want to
get hurt himself. Victimizing others to suit your own purposes and to
make up for your own inadequacies... you're the pathetic one, not
Byakko."
Seiryu shrugged. "I couldn't care less about what you say. If you
have problems with my methods of extraction, then come and attack me...
but I can see that you haven't, have you? Perhaps the word 'coward'
applies more to you than it does to me."
Genkai's face remained impassive, but neither did she rise to
Seiryu's challenge.
"Just as I've suspected." Seiryu chuckled. He subsequently scowled.
"This will not do." He kicked away Byakko's fallen form, frowning. <The
suffering of a warrior... even a pathetic one like Byakko... produces
only negligible amounts of jaki. Only the pure torment of an innocent
can truly quench my thirst for power.>
Genkai felt it... the negative feeling and emotions that flowed
within the emotionless Seiryu. <That evil aura inside of Seiryu... he's
siphoning it from somewhere... or someone... nearby. There! Behind the
mist and shadows that surround him!> "REI-GAN!"
Seiryu looked on in mild irritation as the Rei-Kou-Hadou-Ken
master's spirit ball dissipated the white blanket that hid his secret
weapon. "Oh well... it's not that you could do anything for her now."
Genkai plopped down on her legs as she shook her head in disbelief.
"You bastard."
Keiko's inky-black eyes stared at Genkai impassively, her snowy
complexion a stark contrast to the darkness of her surroundings.
"Come and meet... my avatar."
***
"Are you out of your mind, woman!? They'll hear us!" Iehik hissed
as his clawed hand remained firmly clamped on Botan's mouth. "Once they
find out where we are, they'll send us straight to where they've been
the last few years or so... HELL!"
"I told you that woman was trouble, big brother!" Iehog nagged.
Both brothers went silent one they heard sobbing and sniffling in
Botan's part. "M-miss...? Are you alright?" Iehik awkwardly asked in
puzzlement.
Through the muffled sobs, all the two youkai could make out through
Botan's blubbering was the name, "Keiko-chan," and the derisive
appellation of "Botan no baka."
***
"The suffering of the weak and the innocent... their cries give me
power. Their tears give me strength. Their screams give me the precious
jaki I need to become... invincible." Seiryu went behind Keiko and held
the young girls shoulders as if to flaunt his newfound source of power.
"Would you believe that this little girl enabled me to execute my
powerful Fu no Senrei? Pretty impressive, I say. All that jaki no power,
produced from such a weak little human's torment... can you imagine?"
Keiko could only look on with the blank stare of a lifeless
mannequin.
Genkai gave her Blue Dragon opponent a sickened look. She was at
a loss for words.
Seiryu continued, "Don't worry too much... even though on the
inside she's going through intense turmoil and pain, at least on the
outside, she's as calm and collected as I am."
"Be silent."
"I'm only telling it as it is."
"You're making her scream on the inside. Her screams are silent,
BUT SHE'S STILL SUFFERING THROUGH HER SILENT SCREAMS!" Genkai's visage,
for a split-second, returned to that of her of younger self as she
finally lost her temper.
"Humph. Anger... how quaint. You're more like Byakko that way,"
Seiryu noted in mild distaste. "I thought you would be much more
civilized concerning this jaki business, old woman. Nonetheless, it's
entertaining to see your emotions go awry once in the while... but I
don't want your anger... I want your pain."
Genkai didn't even seem to bother to listen to Seiryu's latest rant
as she fell into the basic Rei-Kou-Hadou-Ken stance.
As tension filled the air, an eerie hush seemed to settle over the
entire area.
***
"Oh shit! Not again!" By this time, Kuwbara was starting to dread
those strange moments of quiet because bad and unnatural things usually
ended up happening. There was no telling what would occur this time.
<Dammit... I must be feeling that 'jaki no power' shit again.>
A cold, biting wind started to blow and what little light there was
began to fade.
<Wait... this isn't the same... I'm feeling a different kind of
spirit. Still dreadful and cruel, but not 'negative' or 'evil' in a
sense... I wonder what it is?>
"Officer Fujita! Have you also been feeling the weird vibes I've
been getting lately? OI! OFFICER! Where the hell are you?" The youth
then began approaching the egress of the forest. "Finally, I'm out of
that stupid... WHAT THE--?"
Kuwabara's eyes then went as wide as saucers with what he saw.
***
Seiryu, Keiko and Genkai turned to look as they all sensed a
strange... nearly alien... presence manifest itself. So did the hidden
Botan, Iehik and Iehog. Even the semi-conscious Byakko took a glimpse
of what was going on over his shoulder.
They all felt it.
At first they could see nothing except a few cracks of lightning
that burned in the distance, then even those few sources of light
started to disappear. Soon everything faded from view, except for two
amber orbs glimmering in the darkness....
Then they saw it... a thick mass of dark mist that steadily flowed
down the ground towards them. As it came ever closer, they almost
couldn't believe their eyes. Something was in the fog... to be exact,
it was a lean, four-footed silhouette of _something_ prowling forward
on misty paws....
***
Kuwabara shook himself sharply.
<Hell, I'm imagining things. I've got to be!> His eyes then
narrowed as the second and third biggest shock of the day stood just a
good few yards away from him. "Seiryu?! Byakko!? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING
ON IN HERE?!?"
The smaller forms seem to coalesce, merging to form a single large
form that threatened to dwarf even Seiryu's 'God of Dragons.' Those
amber lights seemed to burn into the very souls of all those present,
staring at them like sharp, fiery...
<Eyes?> Genkai thought in slight confusion.
Botan gasped as a ripple passed through the cloud of mist, pulling
it into fine, long streamers that were strangely reminiscent of
feathers... or fur. Her youkai companions, for lack of a better
descriptive phrase, were scared shitless.
Seiryu watched the shadowy mass so rapidly approaching in mild
interest... though he still readied another Fu no Senrei attack, just in
case.
Finally, it appeared... the misty, yet unmistakable form of a giant
wolf, its amber eyes glowing in the gathering darkness.
And out of the dark mist, directly under the great beast's grinning
jaws, stepped Goro Fujita, his lips curling with the exact same feral
grin as his amber eyes gleamed with cold expectation.
***
To be Continued...
Next: Aku Soku Zan.
Yep... here we go again... the addendum of techniques. :)
The rest of the Kaiwan (Arm of Annihilation) techniques:
These are techniques taken from another 'Byakko' of sorts...
Naoe Shigen, also from Last Blade, blah, blah, blah...
bad-ass techniques.
Hiryu Kyaku (Flying Dragon Kick): Taken from the SNES Yuyu
Hakusho 2. It is described as "A move that doesn't consume
energy. Genkai does a flying kick that goes across the
screen."
Abare-Hiryu (Violent Flying Dragon): Taken from the SNES
Yuyu Hakusho 2. It is described as an "Unblockable move that
can only be performed when health gauge is under 20%, stun
gauge is empty and energy gauge is full. Genkai unleashes a
flurry of blows, finishing with a Hiryu Kyaku."
Kyomei Jisatsu Jin--Fu no Senrei (Legend of Hades Onslaught,
Trial of Negation): Actually, these are _two_ desperation
moves rolled into one. :P Kyomei Jisastu Jin is Shiro
Amakusa's DM in Samurai Shodown, while Fu no Senrei is
Shinnosuke Kagami's (the 'hyper' Kagami in the game... the
one with the flaming blue sword) DM in Last Blade. The names
sounded nice together, doncha think? :)
The whole chapter was... shorter than I expected and I had to
delete a few select scenes so that I could include the Goro
Fujita entrance. ^^; Oh well, things have already heated up
for YS, so stay tuned. :)
Disclaimer: Yuyu Hakusho the anime, the manga and its many video
game incarnations are the rightful property of Yoshishiro Togashi,
Shueisha, Fuji TV, Namco, Sega/Treasure and St. Pierrot. Rurouni
Kenshin is the rightful property of Nobuhiro Watsuki and Sony.
Last Blade and Samurai Shodown are the property of (the now
defunct) SNK. Don't sue me please, I'm very poor.
Ja!
Abdiel
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