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Youtou Shinnoken
A Yuyu Hakusho/Rurouni Kenshin fic
By Chester Casta�eda
chester.castaneda@gmail.com
Original concept by SeventhOne
chadjill@ms3.hinet.net
http://www.fanfiction.net/~abdiel
The Battousai will finally awaken... once Yusuke
descends into the abyss of his mazoku self.
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Chapter 10: To protect loved ones (Part 6)
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A distant memory of an event from the recent past...
"Yusuke... Yusuke!" Keiko shouted in panic before coughing hoarsely. She
covered her eyes and ears reflexively as noise and dust assaulted her
senses. As far as she could tell, she was floating off the ground in
unknown heights by a... dusty hurricane of sorts. She prayed that
somehow, somewhere, 'that idiot Yusuke' was safe before she altogether
lost her bearings.
***
Yusuke shivered a bit. Fear? He was far too reckless and rash to even
give fear a second thought. Cold? His drained spirit energy aside, the
large wooden gates of the dojo remained closed, so no sort of cold draft
could enter there. In fact, he felt a bit feverish... although, as far
as he knew, his half-demonic body was immune to all the local human
diseases. It must have been anticipation, then... He wanted to get this
impromptu battle over with as soon as possible.
<Yusuke-dono! I say, LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!>
Yusuke easily recognized the effeminate voice. "Wimpy? I mean, Kenshin?
Is that _you_? Where the hell are you? Man, I never thought I'd be glad
to hear that annoying girly voice of--" he marveled out loud, cutting
himself off at the last minute as his companion's words sunk in.
He felt it; the dreadful, nauseating mass of malevolent energy that
filled the entirety of the dojo. As he unwillingly focused on the
peculiar and repulsive feeling, he soon discerned the origin of the
miasma of jaki.
He shivered as he felt the tingling sensation of foreboding crawl down
his back like a thousand centipedes. He didn't even bother to turn as he
desperately leaped away from the surge of plain pandemonium that
congregated behind him.
D-Level imps and demons of various shapes and sizes materialized
everywhere. They were the inferior beasts of Makai, creatures who
physically did not look anything human. A cacophony of sounds came out
of their gaping maws as they eyed Yusuke like a piece of succulent human
meat. The demonic vultures circled the half-human confidently, for he
hadn't even a wisp of spirit energy left in his body. They felt no need
to fear him.
Under normal conditions, Yusuke would have easily annihilated the demons
with no problem whatsoever. In fact, during the Makai Tournament, he did
just that to far more numerous and powerful youkai... but that was under
ordinary circumstances.
Even Yusuke, son of Raizen, couldn't survive simultaneous attacks by
both light-green spirit blades and D-Class demons if he were ki-less and
heavily injured. He was strong, but he was no Son Goku by any stretch of
the imagination.
Nevertheless, with help and a bit of luck on his side, perhaps he could
still survive.
Startling the demonic horde before him, Yusuke soon outnumbered both the
Spirit Guillotines and the Class-D youkai combined. A myriad of Yusuke
doppelgangers crowded the landscape, leaving the mob of fiends
confounded and confused. Oddly enough, even the non-sentient guillotines
seemed puzzled by the turn of events.
<What the hell am I doing? How am I doing... this? The afterimage thing,
I mean. And how am I keeping this up? I can go really fast if I wanted
to, but not this fast! It's like I'm everywhere and nowhere at the same
time,> Yusuke pondered before regaining control of his bodily functions.
That done, he halted his excited pace and hid behind a nearby fallen
column. Consequently, his numerous afterimages ceased to exist.
A slight migraine manifested itself. Yusuke leaned against the pillar
and closed his eyes until it passed. Rookie mistakes! He had been
making mistakes in this fight with Randou that he had not made since his
first mission as a Spirit Detective. If not for the afterimage technique
he so conveniently learned out of the blue, he'd be dead by now. <What
was that strange technique anyway?>
Amidst the enraged howls of the army of beasts, the buzzing sounds of
the Spirit Guillotines, his faint headache, and his growing frustration
came Kenshin's sultry voice. <It's the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu's Shinsoki
technique... The Divine Speed,> the rurouni explained succinctly.
Yusuke blinked once, twice, then looked vapidly at the darkness before
him. <Oh I see... Wait. No, I don't! Why...? How...?> Yusuke mentally
stammered. Afterwards, another thought occurred to him. <Hey... You're
talking inside my head! What are you doing in there? Get out of there!>
<Calm down, I say! It's just the Youtou Shinnoken's link to our souls.
When we're in... sync with each other, our shared bond has the potential
to become our greatest asset. We can share our thoughts, emotions, even
our experiences with each other. Isn't it great, I ask?> Kenshin
cheered.
<Yeah, yeah... Just peachy, Kenshin. So I suppose the mental tele...
tele... Y'know, the talking-to-each-other-through-our-minds thing... is
also part of the oh-so-great powers of the Demon's Sword,> Yusuke
observed drolly. He contemplatively rubbed his chin. <Still, that
Shinsoki thing we just did was the SHIT! Man oh man, this is just what
I need! C'mon, let's do it again!>
<My pardons, Yusuke-dono, but I believe it's a bad idea to-->
Yusuke mostly ignored Kenshin's polite plea, hollering a savage battle
cry as he stood up and rounded on the nearest of the demonic imps. The
beasts didn't even stand a chance against his scarlet fury.
<My pardons...> Kenshin telepathically apologized as he unleashed the
Kanashibari upon Yusuke, paralyzing him before he could even reach
Randou's cocoon-wrapped form.
Kenshin had already used the Kanashibari--a powerful skill used by
spirits to hold or bind the bodies of the living--on Yusuke before. It
was during the time they first met, when Yusuke was about to finish off
Iehog.
"Kenshin! What the hell are you doing? Let go, dammit!" Yusuke protested
as several youkai and Spirit Guillotines headed straight for him.
<Relax, Yusuke-dono. Let me show you something,> Kenshin all but cooed
as he took hold of the Spirit Detective's body. Yusuke's eyes widened.
<I can feel them. I can feel the presence of every single one of those
disgusting monsters and spirit blades,> Yusuke mused as he and Kenshin
dodged the concurrent strikes of both demon and razor alike.
<This is the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu's ki-reading technique. By reading the
intent of your opponent by means of his aura, you can easily predict his
movements,> Kenshin elucidated affably as he compelled his companion to
again hide himself from his countless adversaries.
<HEY! No fair! We were doing so well, too! Why aren't you letting me use
your damn Shinsoki on Randou? Look at him, he's as helpless as a baby!>
Yusuke expressively protested.
<I believe we must be more subtle with our advances, or else we'll fall
right into the pale-faced demon's trap,> Kenshin responded.
<Trap? What trap? We got him where we want him, Kenshin! With your
Divine Speed backing me, I can easily plow my way through the demons and
the Spirit Guillotines. And once that's done, I can finish off Randou
before you can even say 'sitting duck'.>
<No. I can't let you, Yusuke-dono. This is for your own good. You must
believe me, it's a...>
"Dammit, Kenshin... Make yourself useful for once!" the ki-less Yusuke
couldn't help but exclaim, his temper finally reaching its limit.
"You're going to make me lose this fight!"
There was a lengthy pause, followed by the palpable feeling of regret in
the air. <My pardons, Yusuke-dono. I'm sorry for...>
"And stop that already! Geez... I don't need any of your pardons or
apologies... I need action! If you're not going to help me beat Randou,
then stay the hell out of my way! It's bad enough that this fight has
become a handicap match because of your moralistic bullshit and...
and..." Yusuke sputtered the last of his words. <...And your martyr
act.>
<If you won't let me apologize, then at the very least let me make it up
to you, Yusuke-dono,> Kenshin pleaded. <Please, give me another chance.>
Yusuke gulped guiltily as he remembered his rather similar promise to
Kenshin. <I can't let that wimpy samurai get hurt just because I myself
have gotten careless. Hell, I can feel his regret all over me. Dammit,
it ain't your fault... it's mine. Let me make it up to you, Kenshin,> he
had vowed.
Yusuke took a deep, relaxing breath and whispered to Kenshin, "Hey... I
never got to say thank you for saving Botan and Keiko's life. So...
thanks." Sighing, he continued, "Look, I was so intent on finishing...
_winning_ this fight against Randou that, well, I acted like an asshole.
But you really have to stop apologizing to me, 'coz I should be the one
to apologize."
<Yusuke-dono, you really don't have to...>
"Let me finish," Yusuke cut Kenshin off, which was fast becoming a bad
habit of his. "Sorry 'bout that, but please listen. I'm trying to
apologize here." He paused. "I'm sorry for being such a jerk and a dick
to you all this time. When we first met, we instantly clicked. But once
I got to know you, you did kind of irk me with your girly voice and your
holier-than-thou attitude and... Well, let's not get into that right
now. What's important is that we should let bygones be bygones, right?"
Yusuke couldn't see it, but he felt the warmth and relief in Kenshin's
hidden smile. <I'd like that.>
<So what's the plan? We obviously can't hide forever, and Randou's
probably half-healed by now. Also, what's going on with your own fight?
Genbu's not giving you a hard time, is he?> Yusuke inquired.
<Things could be better,> Kenshin admitted sheepishly. <In any case,
we've both been tricked by our enemies. I've been trying so hard to
finish my opponent off as quickly as possible that you've suffered for
it... and vice-versa. That's their whole plan. Without daring to attack
us directly, they've invited us to destroy ourselves; the technique of
self-destruction is indeed a deviously simple but effective maneuver.>
Yusuke cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. <Okay. Sure. Fine. So
what's the plan?> he reiterated. <Don't beat around the bush so much.
You're starting to sound like Kurama.>
Kenshin briefly wondered about the many parallels he and this 'Kurama'
person shared before he carried on, stating, <I believe it's about time
we forced our enemies to take a dose of their own medicine _and_ used
the Youtou Shinnoken's bond to our advantage. I beseech you to follow my
lead.>
Yusuke shrugged. <Whatever you say, Kenshin. You're the boss.>
***
The feeling of loneliness was a weight which Kenshin carried like a
stone set upon his heart. He was no fool; he knew Kaoru Kamiya loved him
as much as he loved her, and he knew that she would love him still up
until his death... or up until hers. Perhaps even beyond that. It was
this lost love that made his heart ache so.
The time that had passed from the day Kenshin bid his farewell to Kaoru
up to his present state of circumstance were filled with his loneliness.
But he felt for quite a long time now that the word loneliness was not
enough to describe what he was feeling. Not quite enough. Not for what
he felt as the stream in his heart that flowed out of a well, the well
of loneliness. Loneliness in his spirit. Loneliness in his heart.
Loneliness in his mind.
Kaoru probably never understood why he left her... Why he died. There
were times when he himself didn't understand why he let things be.
"What comes, comes, what withers, withers, sunlight does not last all
day," Kenshin murmured the age-old saying to himself. He had a more
important task at hand.
"What was that, samurai? Are you talking to yourself? Have you finally
lost it after feeling the true power of my new and improved Bakuretsu-
Ganshou-Dan?" Genbu jeered.
"Hardly," Kenshin confessed, much to Genbu's chagrin. "Though you have
the potential to become a fairly decent warrior someday, you've wasted
it all through your own folly and insecurities. You're about as
dangerous as a toothless old tiger in a cage. It's about time you
discovered the truth about yourself."
The Shisejyu harrumphed. "You wimpy ol' ghost... You dare say such
things to me? You can barely even _scratch_ me, let alone defeat me. I
already have you on the defensive. One more blast of my Bakuretsu-
Ganshou-Dan and you, as well as Urameshi, will be history!" he declared
defiantly... perhaps a bit too defiantly, as he seemed to say it more
out of the need to convince himself than to intimidate Kenshin.
"That's right... I am a ghost. Right now I'm just a ghost living in this
sword. Answer my passion... my sword," Kenshin proclaimed as he fell
into his formless stance. "In this battle, one shall stand and one shall
fall. No more, no less."
"Pretty words, but I have no use for them," Genbu snarled as he melded
his deadly tail into the rubble-strewn ground. "After all, poetry never
did save anybody's life."
Predictably, Genbu swung his snaking ball-and-chain tail out of
Kenshin's line of sight, intending to strike his quarry down from
behind. But the blow never hit home.
Kenshin, reacting in kind to Genbu's treacherous strike, faded into
nonexistence, reappearing a quarter of a second later behind the holy
beast's back.
"Ah. The famous speed I've heard so much about; the one that can cause
you to make afterimages of yourself. Both Randou and the Chojin hold you
in high regard because of it. But in a contest of speed, I won't be the
loser," Genbu asserted as he melded with the ground, appearing behind
Kenshin moments later.
"Our speed is equal, but I am far stronger. And with my whipping tail
and iron armor, I can make use of it the most!" Genbu boasted. "Well?
What do you think?"
"That's nothing to be proud of," Kenshin remarked in deadpan, dodging
yet another one of the Saint Beast's backhanded attacks with relative
ease. "Try harder, Genbu-dono."
As Genbu charged in blind rage, Kenshin flipped over the youkai, landing
several feet away from him. The swordsman afterwards reversed his
momentum and swung the Demon's Sword towards the ground. A devastating
and earth-shattering wave soon followed, destroying almost everything in
its path.
"DOU RYU SEN!"
Well, almost everything. "Stop tickling me. Haven't you learned your
lesson yet?" Genbu mocked as he emerged from the thick clouds of dust,
virtually unscathed. He then charged with his ball-and-chain tail,
sliding through the debris-filled ground like it was made out of air.
"You've run out of options, samurai. Give up."
Kenshin again reacted in kind to Genbu's assault, acrobatically evading
all of the tortoise-like monster's advances with his inborn athletic
prowess. He executed several more Earth Dragon Flashes at random
intervals, directing each and every one of them at his adversary's
direction. Of course, this was all just an elaborate ruse.
So the attack pattern had finally been established... and Genbu fell for
it hook, line, and sinker. All Kenshin needed to do was to bide his time
and pretend to wait for exploitable openings while attacking
sporadically. He was going to teach Genbu his long overdue lesson the
hard way. The stone golem's self-destruction had finally commenced.
***
<Lemme get this straight... You want _me_ to punch right through the
floor every time you feel like doing that Earth Dragon Flash thingy of
yours? Are you kidding me? Do I look like an idiot to you?>
<Please, Yusuke-dono. I can't do this alone. As much as possible, we
need to be 'in sync' with each other to win both our battles,> Kenshin
explicated, adding, <Besides, I think your 'audience' seems to be more
interested in stripping the flesh off your bones than laughing at you
for looking like an idiot.>
Yusuke blinked as he stared at the approaching demon horde in all their
guttural and rabid glory. <Hmmm. Good point.> Using Kenshin's Divine
Speed, he easily evaded their unwanted advances. <Well, what do you
know? You do have a sense of humor. To think, I had you pegged as the
serious type...>
<On the count of three, Yusuke-dono,> Kenshin insisted as he carefully
matched his movements with his unwilling accomplice's.
<...And I was apparently right.> The sleek-haired teen grumbled
incoherently. "Fine. Let's get this over with. One."
<Two.>
"Here goes nothing," Yusuke muttered, shouting, "THREE!" as he plunged
his fist right through the marble pavement. A subsequent, bomb-like
explosion followed, blinding the nearest of his demonic nemeses with
dust and debris.
In the middle of the ensuing chaos, several of the Spirit Guillotines
collided with the blinded imps and each other, inadvertently taking
themselves out.
"Hey! Will you look at that? It actually worked," Yusuke said as he
admired his... and Kenshin's... handiwork. "This 'self-destruction'
technique of yours is the bomb... No pun intended."
Yusuke could just about sense Kenshin's sage nod. <Just keep this up and
we'll be rid of both our problems in no time at all.>
<How could I've ever doubted you, Kenshin?> Yusuke stated with delight
as he gleefully hurtled himself towards the army of low-level imps,
enjoying himself for once.
So the trap had finally been set... and the mindless multitude of imps
and razors fell for it hook, line, and sinker. All Yusuke needed to do
was bide his time and pretend to flee for his life while attacking
evasively and intermittently. He was going to teach Randou his long
overdue lesson the hard, 'Himura Kenshin' way. The pale-faced demon's
self-destruction had finally commenced.
***
Inside his silken safe haven, Randou scowled.
<What's going on? Urameshi was supposed to attack me while I'm still
'helpless' in my cocoon, but so far he hasn't. Why is that? This is
very uncharacteristic of him.>
Randou had already made his move in his and Yusuke's metaphoric chess
game, fully expecting his rival to fall for his subterfuge. Instead,
the half-demon opted to act very unpredictably, even for him. Granted,
the critically-injured demon now had an opportunity to rest his tired
and weary body, but still...
Randou telepathically contacted his designated pawn. <Genbu, what's
happening? How is your fight with the guardian of the Demon's Sword? Is
it going well?>
<R-Randou?!> Genbu exclaimed. <I... W-Well, things couldn't be
b-better!> the holy beast stammered, failing to reassure both himself
and his superior with his diffident words. <I have the samurai on the
run, and-->
Randou's eyes narrowed. <If things are truly going well, then Urameshi
Yusuke should be dead by now... but the opposite is instead true, is it
not?>
<W-Well... Don't be so smug with me, Randou! The fact that Urameshi is
still alive is all _your_ fault, not mine. I've done my part. The
samurai can't hurt me, but I can hurt him. So what's taking _you_ so
long in killing _your_ prey? What's your excuse?>
<He will die, just as long as you don't bungle things up.> Had Randou
spoken the words, they would have been said through gnashed and grit
teeth, his aching jaw be damned. <At any rate, I want you to take your
battle with the swordsman up a notch.>
<What? Didn't you hear what I just said? I already have him on the run!>
<Of course I heard it. I just don't believe a word of it. You're too
much of a buffoon to realize that the samurai has you eating in the
palm of his hand. This isn't open to debate. Use everything you've got
on him... or else.>
<A-And what about Urameshi? You're not going to lounge around while I do
all the hard work, are you? I won't fight two battles at once for you!
We had a deal!> Genbu whined and sputtered pathetically.
Randou snorted in disdain as he rolled his eyes, fully remembering
Genbu's alleged vow although Genbu himself seemed to have already
forgotten.
"No, Randou. You can have the others, but Urameshi is mine," Genbu had
boasted, as if he stood a chance against the mazoku descendant.
But they were just words. Genbu could never be anything more than a
pawn, Randou surmised to himself. Weak but proud demons like the stone
golem disgusted him to no end. What the Chojin said was true... the weak
truly were mere fodder for the strong. Nothing more.
To the Shisejyu, Randou guaranteed, <Of course not, my stony friend.
I've taken care of everything. All you have to do is kill the samurai...
by all means necessary.>
<Then consider it done,> Genbu asserted proudly.
***
"BAKURETSU-GANSHOU-DAN!" Genbu suddenly roared, catching Kenshin's
attention but not necessarily surprising him. Instantaneously, all of
the rubble and debris from the rurouni's successive Dou Ryu Sen assaults
disintegrated into a maelstrom of dust, creating a veritable sandstorm-
like wave headed towards him.
Kenshin typically evaded the earthen tsunami and the expected follow-up
strikes from Genbu's tail before either one could do real damage to him.
What he didn't expect were the stalactite-like formations that abruptly
appeared in the middle of the dusty sky.
"Ushiro-Bakuretsu-Ganshou-Dan... TETSUZAN KOU!" Genbu chanted in one
breath, even though he literally had rocks-for-teeth in his mouth.
Kenshin shook his head clear of the Yusuke-like digression as he
desperately steered clear of the pseudo-stalactites that fell from the
filthy, polluted heavens.
<This is going to be a bit difficult... Unlike the Spirit Guillotines
and demonic imps that Yusuke-dono's facing, Genbu-dono's attacks don't
have ki-signatures. After all, rocks and rubble don't have any aura in
them; they're non-living things, I say!>
"Chou-Bakuretsu-Ganshou-Dan... GENBU NO HOKO!" Genbu shouted as he
completed his deadly combo.
Just as Kenshin hastily weaved through the torrent of pointed rocks, the
ground underneath his feet buckled, spewing out hundreds of faux
stalagmites that flew wildly through the air as though they were trapped
in a hurricane. The sheer number of converging fake stalactites and
stalagmites was impossible to dodge. Numerous times they impacted
against Kenshin repeatedly, feeling nearly as painful as the flogging
Genbu gave him earlier in the bout.
In the face of his ungodly speed and reflexes, Kenshin suffered at least
two dozen blows before being laid low. The storm abated just as he hit
the ground, fragments of rock littering the length of what was once a
pristine shrine foyer. At that point, the only identifiable proof left
of the vestibule's previous identity was its rickety Tori Gate.
Kenshin struggled to keep his looming exhaustion at bay. He was in deep
pain, but he gave it no mind. He had to soldier on; how else could he
show Kaoru... and himself... the true power of the will to live? Even
though it wasn't his life... or rather, because it wasn't his life... he
must survive at all costs.
***
"Ow. That hurt."
Yusuke thanked his lucky stars for stumbling near one of the dojo's
nearby walls, away from all his present dilemmas. He blinked. "Kenshin!
Are you all right? What happened to you? It feels like a house fell down
on me!"
<Sorry, Yusuke-dono... I slipped up. We've gotten out of sync. Genbu-
dono has pulled out all the stops, and I wasn't able to anticipate his
moves. Our synchronization is affected by pain, it seems. From now on,
we need to concentrate harder to keep our link harmonized.>
Had Yusuke possessed the strength to rise up, exit the dojo, find
Kenshin, and punch him on the nose, he would have done so. He instead
chose to simply tell the rurouni off.
<Oi, Kenshin! Stop fooling around!> Yusuke admonished, putting as much
crossness and righteous indignation in his telepathic voice as possible.
<If you had bungled up while I'm in the middle of dodging several dozen
demon and spirit blade attacks, then we'd both be in big...>
<Get up, Yusuke-dono. We don't have time for arguments. We should
concentrate on the plan instead.>
"Huh? Hey, I'm not yet done telling you off! Screw the plan, I..."
<No matter what happens, we stick to the plan. Even if it's you who made
a mistake, we stick to the plan. Even if we both mess up at the same
time, we stick to the plan. Even if either one of us botches a dodge, a
jump, an attack or whatnot, we simply get up, dust ourselves off, and
stick to the plan. Understand?>
Yusuke, surprised by the disarming earnestness of his usually polite and
fretful companion, nodded in acquiescence. He proceeded to do just what
the vagabond spirit instructed him to do... Stick to the plan.
***
It wasn't time for apologies or excuses; it was time for action.
Kenshin leapt into the air, drawing his sword back in order to parry
Genbu's tail with a vicious chop, when he sensed an attack. He twisted
his body into a ball and used one of the more difficult techniques of
the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu to change his path in midair. It was more a case
of sensing rather than seeing the weighty steel fists flash past him,
creating two gigantic craters on the ground with their metal knuckles.
Landing acrobatically on his feet, Kenshin tried to locate the origin of
the attack. From the look of anger on Genbu's face, he reckoned that the
youkai was ready to use more attacks on him.
<Genbu-dono's now using his whole arsenal of techniques... Just as I've
planned. So far, so good.>
With a surprising burst of speed, Kenshin lunged for Genbu. The monster
was barely able to deflect the first couple of attacks aimed at his
head. The vagabond's speed seemed to double for a moment before he
landed a blow to his adversary's side. Genbu winced in either
frustration, irritation, or concealed pain.
A couple of moments ago, Kenshin sacrificed trying to counterattack
Genbu in favor of gauging the prowess of his foe. He went completely
defensive, trying to get an accurate feel of what the Shisejyu was
capable of doing while lobbing endless amounts of ineffectual Dragon
Earth Flashes towards his quarry. Retreating into a defensive shell, he
accepted that the fight would end a lot quicker if he demonstrated some
patience. He wasn't as hot-tempered as Yusuke, after all.
Parry. Thrust. Dodge. Jump. Dou Ryu Sen. <...Rinse. Repeat,> Kenshin
thought half-jokingly to himself as he followed his pattern of attack
methodically. For the most part, he was merely reacting to all of
Genbu's aggressive maneuvers.
Even though Kenshin was fairly sure that Genbu would sooner or later
recognize the method to his seeming madness, he still went on with his
plan... but he didn't do it out of desperation or pride. The ghost
surveyed his surroundings. <Just a little bit more...>
***
Parry. Block. Dodge. Jump. Punch the floor into powder while the demons
and razors destroyed themselves in the ensuing chaos. <...Rinse.
Repeat,> Yusuke thought to himself in chagrin as he followed Kenshin's
pattern of attack the best he could. For the most part, he was simply
reacting to all his (undead and energy-based) enemies' aggressive
maneuvers.
Yusuke had smashed through the floor so many times that it now resembled
the surface of the moon. <'Stick to the plan,' he says... Fuck, what
plan? Plan Nine from Outer Space? There is _no_ plan here!>
Doing his best to keep in sync with Kenshin's movements even though he
had his own 'personal' demons to handle, Yusuke was just about convinced
that the swordsman's solitary confinement for more than half a century
had driven him absolutely insane. <Jeez, I'm wastin' my time!>
It was at that moment that a gigantic demon screeched, gaining Yusuke's
attention. He mentally chided himself for forgetting about his numerous
opponents, even for a moment. He looked up to see that the number of
demons and Spirit Guillotines had decreased ever since he started
following Kenshin's so-called strategy. <Huh. Will you look at that?
It's working.>
The momentary distraction cost Yusuke as a bright blur came from the
darkness at his left. His reflexes were such that he probably could have
warded off the attack, but the frightful feeling of miasma he felt
earlier came back to haunt him, freezing him into place.
He never felt such power since he fought Yakumo, the God of Meikai. The
feeling left him with a terrible sense of apprehension and foreboding.
***
Randou knew from the start that he couldn't depend on Genbu to finish
the job.
Judging from Genbu's half-hearted lip service about taking care of
Urameshi up to his unwillingness to sacrifice himself like the good pawn
that he was, Randou concluded that the Shisejyu was useless to him.
The demon with the crimson mane grunted. He finally understood what the
Chojin meant when he said, "If you want something done, do it yourself."
<INNER BLOOD TURMOIL!>
He summoned all his remaining blood-ki, feeling its power sear into his
flesh until his blood boiled; it enabled him to gather the remainder of
reiki which he absorbed from Yusuke via the Blood Wind.
<IBUKI!>
Randou fell into the Iron Horse stance, his rather stretchable cocoon
swathe fully accommodating his posture. Slowly but surely he summoned up
enough chakra to make up for his lack of blood-ki. The chakra and the
transmogrified reiki coalesced with his youki to form a veritable
hodgepodge of jaki. Thankfully, his prey was still busy with his little
minions and specialized attacks; it was a lucky break for the youkai,
for he was wide open when he executed this particular skill.
<Even though I've only recuperated half of my health, I will fight. I'll
risk it with the same reckless abandon Urameshi has. It's about time _I_
pulled out all the stops and took a gamble.>
"JIGEN TOU!" Randou let out a muffled shriek, cutting through the silken
cocoon--with threads that had the tensile strength of one-hundred and
twenty pounds per square millimeter of cross section--like it was made
out of thin air.
***
A distant memory of an event from the recent past...
"Yusuke... Yusuke!" Keiko shouted in panic before coughing hoarsely. She
covered her eyes and ears reflexively as noise and dust assaulted her
senses. As far as she could tell, she was floating off the ground in
unknown heights by a... dusty hurricane of sorts. She prayed that
somehow, somewhere, 'that idiot Yusuke' was safe before she altogether
lost her bearings.
Then, as soon as the earthy tempest started, it stopped. She opened her
eyes tentatively as she patted the ground with her hands... the solid
ground. She sighed a sigh of relief... She was safely back on Earth. She
sat up as she further surveyed her surroundings. It seemed that she was
on a... cliff of some sort, probably on the other side of the mountain,
away from Genkai's place. She wasn't completely sure.
***
Before Yusuke could even react, the floor beneath him was split in half
care of an incredible, imperceptible force. His blood spilled on the
halved ground shortly after. Quickly, the Spirit World Detective felt as
if the whole world fell on his shoulders, threatening to crush him as he
was sapped of his strength.
<A blade that can cut through spaces and dimensions... Jigen Tou!>
Realization dawned to Yusuke fairly quickly as he looked at the
direction where his nemesis supposedly lay. "So you've finally decided
to come out of your lame-ass cocoon and fight... eh, Randou?" Yusuke
hissed before disappearing in the blink of an eye.
<Yusuke-dono, NO! Have you forgotten everything that I've just told
you?> Kenshin cried out psychically in alarm, but to no avail. It was
too late.
"What? You're doing that again? Urameshi, you're _too_ much," Randou
drolly said, smirking. He swung the Dimension Sword repeatedly, leaving
streaks of light in the air around him.
Yusuke did a zigzag of steps, escaping several key strikes from the
Jigen Tou. Feinting to the right and then charging to the left in a
split-second, the half-demon was able to make Randou hesitate at the
last possible moment.
Taking an extra step to ensure that he was within Randou's blind spot,
Yusuke attacked in an awkward angle, the ground under his feet buckling
under the weight of his impassioned strike.
As Yusuke suddenly appeared by Randou's side, the demon's image faded
into nothingness. The teenager was left dumbfounded by the turn of
events.
"Whu--?" Yusuke elucidated as he skidded his charge to a halt.
"You can't use the same technique on me twice," Randou said matter-of-
factly seconds later as he stood a good six feet away from Yusuke.
"Hell, it's such a pathetic technique that I won't even bother stealing
it from you."
"So what are you going to do now? Shrink me?" Yusuke countered
defiantly.
The youkai harrumphed. He afterwards screeched wickedly. "You want to
see a _real_ technique? The type that you'd be _dying_ to steal and make
your own if only you could? Then take a good look at this."
A myriad of Randou's afterimages filled the entire length of the dojo.
There were hundreds of him, appearing and disappearing successively like
the dancing waves of the ocean.
"Shinsoki," Yusuke and Kenshin unanimously whispered as they surveyed
the dozens of phantasms Randou left in his wake. If Yusuke still had
enough reiki in his body, he would have decided to 'fuck it' and blast
all of the doppelgangers with one fell blow of his Rei-Gan.
<How is it possible,> Yusuke started, <that he knows how to do your
Hiten whatchamacallit's special technique, Kenshin?> He shook his head.
<Never mind. It ain't important. After all, we can do that Shinsoki
thing too... Right, samurai boy?>
<Let's not.>
<WHAT? But I thought...!>
<Randou could use the Shinsoki against us because of his knowledge of
the technique. The so-called 'Chojin' he mentioned before probably
taught it to him. It makes me kind of wonder...>
There was a pregnant pause. <Let's make use of your 'normal' speed for
now, Yusuke-dono. I think that it'll be enough for the moment.>
<Kenshin, this is hardly the time to feel insecure about yourself and
your skills. We gotta...>
<I'm not. Trust me. We can still stick to the plan. Just concentrate on
keeping our minds in sync. Everything will be made clear in a little
while.>
Yusuke briefly wondered if Kenshin was merely getting back at him for
repeatedly cutting off his statements moments ago. He decided to let
the issue drop. <At the very least, Kenshin means well. Besides, we've
pretty much hit rock bottom in our fights. We've got nothing to lose.>
The multitude of apparitions coalesced into one as Randou slashed at
Yusuke with the intent of decapitating him.
Just as Yusuke dodged and prepared to counter Randou's strike with an
uppercut, the youkai's eyes grew so wide that they looked like they were
about to fly out of their sockets. Strangely enough, they also shimmered
like bejeweled cat's eyes.
"SHIN NO IPPOU!"
<I... I can't move my arm! How did...?> The half-demon's eyes darted
toward the grinning demon's direction.
<Could it...?> Kenshin telepathically started before he was cut off by
Randou's powerful hypnosis.
<So I got something useful from hanging around that goddamn creepy
maniac Jine after all,> Randou mused as he smirked at Yusuke's paralyzed
condition. <As an added bonus, I seem to have gotten Urameshi and
whoever the samurai is out of sync.>
Seeing that he was currently indisposed at the moment, Yusuke contented
himself to spit at Randou's self-satisfied face.
"You'll pay for that. Spirit Guillotines."
The Chojin's self-appointed apprentice proceeded to rip the hapless
tantei apart with the remainder of his energy razors. Yusuke howled in
agony.
Yusuke landed in the most pain he'd ever had in his life. Worse than
Suzako's electrical shocks. Worse than a punch from a fully-powered,
hundred-percent Toguro. Worse than the shots he took from Sensui's
(actually, "Kazuya's") Gun. This exquisite agony was beyond anything
he'd ever experienced. The fact that he couldn't even summon any reiki
to buffer the pain left him in even more pain. He staggered to his feet
and looked at Randou contemptuously.
"It looks like I've made you bloodier than before," Randou observed as
he surveyed the damage his opponent took. <I won't take any stupid
chances this time. I'll make sure that I'll win. Demons! Dog pile the
human scum,> the pale-faced youkai mentally instructed the survivors of
the Urameshi massacre. They obediently did as they were told.
Randou pondered, "Hmmm... Should I cut your head off with the Jigen Tou
or suck you dry with a Blood Wind used on _your_ blood? Which one, which
one? Which technique shall I use to finally be rid of you once and for
all?"
"Randou, you spineless son of a bitch... You ain't got no guts!" Yusuke
raged amidst the numbness and pandemonium that surrounded him.
Ignoring Yusuke's seething words, Randou exclaimed, "I know! I'll use
both techniques on you; first the Jigen Tou, then the Blood Wind. It's
brilliant, I say! Pure genius." Randou smiled a wicked, harlequin smile,
the edges of his lips seemingly reaching all the way to his eyes. "I
told you that I'd win over you _absolutely_."
***
<Shin no Ippou... So he also knows that technique. What a dangerous foe
he is, that Randou.> Kenshin's eyes narrowed.
The rurouni grit his teeth as he felt the icy fingers of death claw
through the remnants of his borrowed life.
<Yusuke's in big trouble,> Kenshin deduced calmly as his legs buckled
underneath him, his blood spilling to the ground. <It's now time for our
counterattack.>
Kenshin had ascertained long ago that while Genbu was unquestionably
fast and strong on land, his actual skill level was greatly inferior to
his. It was the rurouni's desperation to end the fight coupled with
Yusuke's reckless imprudence that led to their current debacle. The
Shisejyu was merely a pawn to the whiles of a bigger pawn, Randou. <And
Randou, in turn, is the pawn of the true 'King' of this demented chess
game... The Chojin.>
After adjusting his tactics to compensate for his opponent's raw
physical abilities, Kenshin had found an opening in the Holy Beast's
defenses; he could now launch his long awaited counterattack.
Shrugging off the effects of Udou Jine's specialized hypnosis technique,
Kenshin darted out of the way of another Bakuretsu-Ganshou-Dan and went
for broke into the heart of the devastation.
In a split second, he knew what he had to do. Running with godlike
speed, he hit his sword into the ground and unleashed a furious Dou Ryu
Sen.
"Oh please, PLEASE don't use that damn technique on me again. I might
die... of boredom," Genbu heckled, unaware of the hell that awaited him.
Kenshin's battle plan was finally complete. The self-destruction
technique was carried out at last. By loosening up the ground with his
multiple Dou Ryu Sen while leading Genbu towards the center of the
desolation, Kenshin had baited his enemy into his unforeseeable trap.
Ironically, it was Genbu who helped Kenshin defeat Genbu. All of the
Saint Beast's techniques were based on grinding down the land which
surrounded him. The combined powers of the Bakuretsu-Ganshou-Dan and
the Dou Ryu Sen were the main factors to what happened next.
The combined weight of crushed earth caved in, collapsing into the focal
point of Kenshin's strike. Genbu stood in stunned silence as the ground
opened up and swallowed him whole, howling at the last minute as the
force of the falling debris overwhelmed him.
The destruction filled the air with tons of earth merging upward then
falling down, with nearly a third of the landmass collapsing into an
eroding sandpit thanks to Kenshin's desperation move. Much of it fell
directly on top of Genbu, since that was where the wave of destruction
was aimed. Then, when everything was said and done, there was silence.
For five long minutes, the dust settled.
Kenshin breathed a sigh of relief. <Finally, it's over.>
***
Going in sync with Kenshin at that opportune time, Yusuke mentally
shrugged off the effects of the Shin no Ippou. He afterwards shot out of
the demonic dog pile like a bat out of hell just as Randou landed his
first sword strike.
Blood was spilled endlessly as one demon after the other was murdered
brutally and efficiently. Body parts which were as assorted and varied
as the menagerie of beasts from which they came from were strewn
everywhere. Randou slaughtered all of his minions pitilessly and
mercilessly.
"You moron! You killed your own men without even getting a scratch on
me!" Yusuke taunted as he made his way to the center of the dojo.
"They'll better serve me this way," Randou explained equably, then
declared, "BLOOD WIND!"
The multicolored blood of the deceased demon horde coalesced into a
highly compressed and extremely massive maelstrom, far bigger than the
earlier Blood Wind. Its suction and velocity were so strong that its
gale winds literally crushed everything in its path into powder and
dust.
Feeling the intense power that added even more exhaustion to his already
fatigued self, Yusuke bit his lip as he resisted getting vacuumed into
the wild abyss. The womb of nature and perhaps her grave, of neither
sea, nor shore, nor air, nor fire, but all these in their pregnant
causes mixed confusedly, were swallowed by the unnatural windstorm of
bloody pandemonium; the anomaly.
Whole chunks of the floor were smashed into bits as hundreds of sharp
and small shards of debris whirled around in frenzy care of the tornado
headed towards Yusuke's direction. But it still wasn't enough for
Randou.
"SPIRIT GUILLOTINES!" Randou beckoned as he literally shoved all his
techniques en masse towards the errant Spirit Detective Leader.
"URAMESHI'S EXPLOSIVE PUNCH TO THE GROUND!" Yusuke countered as he did
exactly as he said.
"HA! _That's_ the best you can do against my powerful skills? A stupid
punch to the...?" Randou then ate his words, and the plaster that came
with them, as the unexpected happened. They left a very bitter taste in
his mouth.
The steel and concrete foundations of the dojo groaned in unison as the
walls began to slide away from one another. The unstable ground buckled
into itself, creating a sinking pit of doom as it finally gave in to
Yusuke's previous exertions.
<The structure's collapsing into itself because of the unstable floor!>
the anemic demon noted in distress. Then the walls came tumbling down.
Yusuke's last punch was indeed the proverbial straw that broke the
camel's back.
Neither the Blood Wind nor the Spirit Guillotines stood a chance against
the cave in of epic proportions. The destruction filled the air with
tons of construction material falling down, with nearly a third of the
dojo collapsing thanks to Yusuke's desperation move. Much of it fell
directly on top of Randou, since that was where the wave of destruction
was aimed. Then, when everything from above had fallen, there was
silence. For five long minutes, the dust settled. Then the calm was
disrupted again by a resounding boom as a fist disintegrated some of the
debris. Slowly, painfully, Randou dragged himself to the surface. His
chest hurt. His back hurt. Muscles he didn�t know existed hurt. He made
a mental note to never fight in an enclosed space ever again.
As Randou's head poked to the surface, he was surprised to see Yusuke
standing over him, waiting patiently, holding a hefty chunk of the floor
beside him. While he looked dusty and a number of scratches lined his
form, he didn't look very injured. Enraged, but not injured.
The Master of a Hundred and One Tactics stared at Yusuke in disbelief.
"How could you have fared better than me?"
"Just as the ceiling started to fall, I used this slab of marble as a
makeshift umbrella. I ducked under it, using it to protect me and
bracing it up so it wouldn�t buckle from all the weight. It makes for an
excellent shield."
After pondering for a bit, Yusuke said, "I think I'll kill you now," and
smashed the piece of debris on Randou's head.
Unfortunately, Yusuke missed. The red, white, and blue blur that blasted
off from the pile of wreckage was proof of that. Randou went charging
through the temple, blindly hitting and breaking through the rubble and
the gingerbread columns.
"Shit! What the hell does it take to kill you, you stupid bastard!"
Yusuke cursed as he chased after his demonic foe.
"That's my line! JIGEN TOU!" Randou again summoned Kuwabara's best
ability as he turned and charged straight for the adolescent
troublemaker.
"TAKO NAGURI!"
As Yusuke did another one of his impromptu and improvised techniques,
his arms began striking so fast that for a second it seemed like he had
eight arms instead of just two... hence the aptly named "Octopus
Assault."
The multitude of strikes from Yusuke's iron fists thundered in the whole
expanse of the dojo. Randou could only stare in helpless shock as his
half-demon adversary literally punched apart his lance-like Dimension
Sword in a fraction of a second. He winced afterwards at the intensity
of the explosion of light which surrounded them both.
Minutes later, Randou went flying through the rubble-filled temple.
Wreckage and debris were flung around him like so many breadcrumbs, the
wood and concrete of the shrine easily giving way to his abrupt flight.
Randou flinched as he slowly got up from the ruins, completely
exhausted. The demon limped across the trail of crushed and powdered
fragments of what was once the floor, a nasty scowl plastered on his
face.
"Is this the best that you can do? Surely you can do better."
Surprisingly enough, the voice Randou heard wasn't Yusuke's at all.
Instead, it belonged to the one person which he both respected and
admired; the last rational and sane being in the entirety of the three
worlds.
<Chojin-sama.>
"After all, in this world the flesh of the weak is the food of the
strong. The strong live, the weak die."
<Strength... What a loaded word, master.>
"So what are you? An insect or a god? You decide for yourself."
Slowly, surely, Randou focused his attention to his nemesis; no... his
prey. <It's time to turn my contemplations back to the situation at
hand.>
Randou's heartbeat started to slowly rise. <I will not give up. I will
never give up. I have never quit in anything in my life, and I'm not
about to start now.> Randou's demonic heartbeat began to beat even
faster.
"You are a god among insects. Never let anyone tell you otherwise." As
the Chojin in his mind said those words, Randou let his thoughts turn
black. He raised his hand, palm outstretched, as even now he was cloaked
in a dark aura.
"When you dance with the devil, you don't change the devil. The devil
changes you," Randou snarled to a stunned Yusuke in an abnormally deep
baritone as he struggled to keep his posture straight. "Let us now see
which one of us is the true devil."
"Whatever, Randou. Let's dance."
Yusuke gasped in surprise as Randou suddenly vanished. <Shinsoki again?
So where the heck did he go _this_ time?> He had just started to spin
around in his search when he heard a soft thump and felt an almost
simultaneous series of sharp burning stings across his shoulders and
lower back. He tried to react with a left hook and a combo to his
attacker's chest and head, but instead collapsed when only his torso
moved, his legs frozen and his arms flopping numbly. He seemed to fall
slowly as his unbalanced body tipped over, hitting the floor left
shoulder first with a dull thump.
"KUGAI!" Randou stated proudly after executing his stolen Shaolin
Pressure Point Technique.
Before, Yusuke experienced what it was like for his world to explode.
This time, he felt it shatter into a thousand pieces, emptied out, and
silenced.
At that moment, a thousand pathetic moans and cries of agony echoed
inside his asphyxiated mind.
***
Kenshin felt something was horribly amiss.
<What...?>
Amber flames of malice and anguish replaced the lavender hue of
Kenshin's kindly eyes just as the ground began to rumble.
***
Yusuke's eyes widened in shock; he then blinked at the feeling of a
forgotten urgency. He felt that there was something... different about
himself. He couldn't explain it. Everything was where it was supposed to
be, yet at the same time everything just... changed. His world swirled
all around him, merging into utter nonsense.
Yusuke almost couldn't believe what was happening. One moment, he was
fighting a good fight against an old foe, and the next moment he was...
he was... what?
Where was he? What was happening?
He went into complete panic when his mind was unable to register what
just happened. What was worse was that a sharp coldness shocked his
system and he felt his fingers, arms, feet, and legs beginning to go
numb even as he struggled to swim back towards the surface of sanity and
consciousness.
His attempts to awaken all proved futile against the roiling waves of
darkness, and he began to feel like he was being pulled down beneath
Enma-knew-what. He managed to screech in terror before the shadows of
his mind washed over him and pushed him under.
He was floating. He was falling.
No. He was flying.
Strands of his own hair floated in front of him as he fell and he mused
how it reminded him of seaweeds in an aquarium.
He looked straight ahead, straight at the forgotten urgency he felt
before. Though a storm seemed to rage outside of his own little world,
inside it was calm and tranquil. He watched the surface ripple and
glide. He thought it was like watching a storm trapped inside a
bottle... if there was such a thing.
Then he wondered if he could look past the fascinating ripples on the
surface. Then he saw the night sky, beautiful and full of stars. Each
star caused a small ripple on the fabric of the sky as it twinkled,
causing a dazzling display of resonating light. It was like they were
dancing. It was like they were singing. He thought he heard music and
voices as he continued to sink towards the bottom of nothingness. He
thought he heard that song before but he couldn't quite place it. On the
radio? On some television program, perhaps?
<Focus, Yusuke! Focus!>
Then he thought someone held his right hand. He turned his head, and
there was a girl beside him, holding his hand as if he was lying on a
bed and she merely dropped by to visit him. He tried to look closely at
her, but his vision was beginning to blur. All he could make out was her
short, brown hair that floated and flowed all about her lovely face.
Yes, he knew she was beautiful though he couldn't make out her features.
He'd never admit it to her, but he knew. He just knew it, and he smiled
at her. She smiled back and he saw her lips move to form words before
the world swung around, and she disappeared.
<K-Keiko? Why...?>
Deeper and deeper, the impenetrable void pushed him, and probably for
lack of oxygen, his mind began to wander, and fleeting thoughts visited
him, only to be replaced by another one more fleeting than the one
before. The ideas in his mind became desultory, drowned by thoughts that
may or may not be his.
He struggled to breathe, to get his head back to the surface, to break
through the eternal darkness, to make his arms and legs get him there,
but his body did not respond. He felt panic and fear engulf him the same
way as the out-of-the-blue emptiness did. What was the reason for this
cold dread? It was the finality of death.
The inevitability of one's identity being erased in an instant... the
half-demon never entertained such thoughts up until now. Sure, he had
flirted with death many times. It was a constant companion to him. But
even he, the powerful Yusuke Urameshi, could not escape the
inexorability of death, yet he never had to fear of having his entire
existence erased.
It was an existence full of contradictions. He never had to second-guess
himself before, but he had to with the kind of life he had now. He never
expected himself to be the heir of a Demon Warlord. He never expected
himself to become a Spirit Detective, even if he was forced into it. He
never expected himself to be anything other than a delinquent, which was
probably why he could never see himself as one person. He was both the
human Yusuke Urameshi and the Demonic Son of Raizen, the last of the
Mazoku.
He was human yet he was youkai... He never considered himself a demon,
but somehow it simply became a part of him. It was merely a byproduct of
his ancestry, yet his demonic persona fit quite nicely with... himself.
He could not deny that it was now a component of him, an element which
made him whole, one way or another. Being part demon didn't bother him a
bit, as with his choice to live as a human despite the fact.
Then, at that very moment, the numbness that permeated in Yusuke's whole
body was shattered by a plethora of...
Coldness. He grit his teeth as he felt coldness beyond mere cold. It was
as if Death himself embraced him. Through his chattering teeth, he was
able to stutter, "F-f-fuck, w-what is this?!"
<K-Kuwabara? This is Kuwabara's pain?> Yusuke belatedly thought as the
cold agony made the darkness flash in his eyes. He could feel his
longtime rival's presence inside his head, haunting his delusional mind.
<Why am I feeling his pain?>
Yusuke's knees buckled, the pressure of his own weight too much for his
weakened state to handle. The half-breed cursed his apparent moment of
weakness as his arm served as a cane that kept him from collapsing
altogether... collapsing like a helpless old woman.
<I feel so weak. I wish... No! Genkai-baasan! _She's_ the one who's
feeling helpless, not me! I shouldn't be feeling like this. What the
hell is going on?>
Pain seared on all four limbs of his body while the numerous other
injuries on his person vied for his attention. It was pain that wasn't
supposed to be there. It was pain that he wasn't supposed to feel
because it wasn't his in the first place.
<Seiryu...?> Yusuke shuddered in disgust as he felt the Blue Dragon
Shisejyu's reptilian presence in him. <But he's dead! I don't know how
or why I know this, but he is! So why am I feeling _his_ pain? Is this
suffering coming from his ghost? Why would his ghost continue to
suffer?>
Yusuke then heard a maniacal, inhuman laugh as he stared straight into
the eyes of lunacy.
<I hate you. I've hated you from the time you've killed me in the Maze
Castle up to the time we've spent together in Hell.>
Frustration. Anger. Hatred. Violence. Retribution. Vengeance. All those
emotions, Yusuke felt; they besieged him.
<I've hated you since the Chojin revived all of us from damnation in
exchange of our loyalty and freedom. I've hated you as Suzako became one
of the Chojin's elite. I've hated you as Suzako trained us to become
stronger by means of ruthless torture.>
Yusuke screamed as he nearly tore his hair out; the emotions that
brimmed inside him proved too much for his mind to handle.
<I've hated you even after the Chojin made me go mad with power just to
prevent me from murdering you. I hate you so much that I would kill you
and revive you repeatedly just to kill you again and again.>
Byakko's last cackle before his body shattered into cold, brittle pieces
echoed inside Yusuke's psyche.
The Reikai Tantei struggled long and hard to stabilize his panicked
breathing. <I'm not Byakko. These thoughts aren't mine. Byakko's dead...
again... and I'm alive. This isn't what I'm feeling right now. This
isn't what I'm supposed to feel. Shit, what _am_ I supposed to feel?
Nothing makes sense.>
Yusuke struggled to remember his present situation, pointedly ignoring
the alien pain and anxiety that he felt inside him. He reckoned that his
impulsiveness had left him at the mercy of Randou... had left him
sprawled on the floor after he was blasted, burned, slashed, thrown into
a vortex, sapped of his reiki, and slashed again, in that order.
Nearly blacking out with the incredible amount of suffering and emotional
trauma he was subjected to, Yusuke was only clinging to a single,
coherent thought... the only thought that was able to break through the
heavy brick wall of utter anguish.
His friends were hurt and Randou must pay.
<I can feel it... I can feel their pain! All their pain. Kenshin's.
Genkai's. Kuwabara's. The Shisejyu's. Dammit, Randou... What have you
done to me?!>
>From there, Yusuke's condition progressively worsened. He obviously
'spoke' too soon in regards to his previous thoughts of landing in the
most pain he'd ever had in his life. Compared to what he was feeling
now, his earlier pain felt more like a needle prick.
Agony. He couldn't think... because of it. <Somebody... anybody... Stop
the pain.... please...> he beseeched to no one in particular, the mere
fact that he was in such a pathetic condition not angering him in the
least simply because it was hard as hell to think of anything else
except the unworldly pain that was now coursing through his entire
body.
He subsequently remembered something he felt he shouldn't be remembering
for it was an event that never happened to him. He had been replaying in
his mind a memory that didn't belong to him over and over. He recalled
and forgot about it repeatedly, up until the point where he now realized
what it meant. He hated himself for realizing its meaning.
As comprehension dawned to him, he wished that the recurring images
would stop. But they never did. They kept on playing continually,
mercilessly, up until all that was left of his mind was madness.
"No."
***
A distant memory of an event from the recent past...
"Yusuke... Yusuke!" Keiko shouted in panic before coughing hoarsely. She
covered her eyes and ears reflexively as noise and dust assaulted her
senses. As far as she could tell, she was floating off the ground in
unknown heights by a... dusty hurricane of sorts. She prayed that
somehow, somewhere, 'that idiot Yusuke' was safe before she altogether
lost her bearings.
Then, as soon as the earthy tempest started, it stopped. She opened her
eyes tentatively as she patted the ground with her hands... the solid
ground. She sighed a sigh of relief... She was safely back on Earth. She
sat up as she further surveyed her surroundings. It seemed that she was
on a... cliff of some sort, probably on the other side of the mountain,
away from Genkai's place. She wasn't completely sure.
The teenage girl felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Y-Yusuke?" she
queried hopefully as she looked over her shoulder. She noticed that the
hand felt deathly cold... colder than a winter gale. Before Keiko could
shriek in panic, time stopped for her altogether.
***
Sometimes, Yusuke realized, even the worst expectations were optimistic.
***
To be Continued...
Next: The Battousai and the Mazoku.
I usually geek out when writing these author notes. You'll be glad
to know that today is no exception. Wait, I'm repeating myself, am
I not? :P
First off, regarding the narrative prose's comment on Yusuke's
strength (He was strong, but he was no Son Goku by any stretch
of the imagination) the Son Goku referred to is _of course_ the
Legendary Son Goku from the Legend, "Journey to the West", not
the Dragon Ball Z Son Goku or the (God forbid) Gensomaden Saiyuki
boy toy Son Goku. So no, there's no Fourth Wall Breakage by means
of anime references found in that comment. There's enough Fourth
Wall Breakage already with the sheer amount of video game and
anime references found in the special moves, after all. :P
Secondly, here're some interesting (but rather digressive and
totally irrelevant) trivia about Class-D demons that I want to
share:
"Class-D: The inferior beasts of Makai. This class points to all
creatures in Makai who physically do not look anything human.
Although inferior, some beasts can understand language and can
form their own society. There are also beasts who are stronger
than those of a B Class. There have been roughly 2,000 beasts who
are of B+ class confirmed. Hannya and Kien are also of the B+
class. The total number of beasts in Makai is said to be higher
than 30 billion." (Source: Darkstalkers Plot Guide by Saiki
<saiki_s@hotmail.com>)
Furthermore, here are the rest of the techniques that Randou has
used so far:
16. Shinsoki: Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Technique. Taught to him by the
Chojin before the events of Genkai's Tournament. A Nobuhiro
Watsuki creation.
17. Ibuki: Special Chakra Wave Technique Randou uses to replenish
his youki. Stolen from Lee Rekka of Last Blade fame.
18. Shin no Ippou: A technique he stole from Udou Jine even before
the events of Genkai's tournament.
19. Kugai: Literally, 'World of Suffering.' It makes a person
completely emphatic to all the physical and emotional pain around
him. A technique stolen from some Shaolin Monks before the events
of Genkai's tournament. An Abdiel creation.
And here we are... nineteen techniques into Randou's one-hundred
and one skills. So that's eighty-two techniques to go.
Also, starting in the end of this first major arc, I'll be making
an 'exciting' new promotion for Youtou Shinnoken. A separation of
the 'brand' has come. In accordance to the wishes of my former co-
author Danyal Herder, I'm now going to give his ideas a try by
branching the story out into two series... the "original" Youtou
Shinnoken and the newer series, Demon's Sword. Simply put, I'll be
working on my story developments in YS while working on Danyal's
story developments in DS. Stay tuned for further developments.
Disclaimer: Yuyu Hakusho is the rightful property of Yoshihiro
Togashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV and St. Pierrot. Rurouni Kenshin is the
rightful property of Nobuhiro Watsuki and Sony. This disclaimer
also covers all the other copyrighted material that are far too
many to mention here. Don't sue us please, we are very poor.
Ja!
Abdiel
__________________________________
Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005
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