[FFML] [yyh][ry][rewrite] Youtou Shinnoken Chapter 5: Heart of Sword (Part 5)

[Abdiel]

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Youtou Shinnoken: Demon Sword
A Rurouni Kenshin/Yuyu Hakusho fic
By Chester Castañeda
chester.castaneda at gmail.com
Original concept by Chad Yang
chadjill at ms3.hinet.net
http://www.fanfiction.net/~abdiel

Er, hi. Abdiel here. Youtou Shinnoken's back. I have some good news and
some bad news, though. Oh well. Just check out the Author's Notes.

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Chapter 5: Heart of Sword (Part 5)
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The combined attack of Yusuke and Genkai _should_ have disabled at least
most of the charging Saint Beasts... in theory. However, it was not so
in reality, because the obese demon known as Byakko had some very unique
abilities that enabled him to counter the deadly combination of the
Shotgun technique and the Rei-Kou-Dan maneuver.

Byakko cackled has he opened his mouth and completely sucked and
absorbed the two attacks like they were nothing at all. From there, he
let out a deafening roar as he hollered an ear-splitting, "MEI-KO-SHOU-
KAI-HA!"

A furious stream of youki subsequently came forth his gaping maw; youki
that had been transformed from the pure reiki of the previous offensive.
Under the furious assault that they were subjected to, Yusuke and Genkai
barely had time to duck for cover as an entire portion of the patio
disintegrated into nonexistence.

"Goddammit. It seems like the not-so-saintly beasts really have gotten
better since the last time we fought," Yusuke noted as he nimbly avoided
the larger pieces of rock, stone and debris that fell upon him and his 
companions. "They're not the Class-C shit they used to be."

"You should expect as much. They're no ordinary youkai. Not anymore, at
the very least. Aside from youki, I can also sense the overwhelming jaki
churning inside of them. They're now like vengeful, corporeal spirits.
In their quest for vengeance, it's their own negative feelings of hatred
and spite that provide them with nearly unlimited reserves of power,"
Genkai informed as she began assessing her best approach of attack.

"Humph. They're just like that loser Yakumo, then," Yusuke derisively
appraised, snorting in disdain. "I don't really have that much respect
for people who don't rely solely on their strength of their fists.
They're just a bunch of sissies to have to depend on jaki to win a
fight." Eventually, the sleek-haired young lad noticed that something
was amiss.

"Hey, granny; where's Kenshin?"

"I'm not sure. I thought he was with you," Genkai said, merely shrugging
as she spotted another wave of ionized gas headed towards their
direction. "Keep on your toes, Yusuke! There's more where that came
from!"

"I know! You don't need to tell me!" Yusuke yelled back, furiously
punching his way through the rain of rubble as he consciously avoided
Byakko's second assault. 'Looks like the Rei-Gan's out of the question
now, what with that fat pig in the way. Where's that wimpy samurai when
you needed him? I thought he was supposed to be this legendary swordsman
and shit...'

In the meantime, at the Shisejyu's side, Byakko had already run out of 
ammunition and energy; so much so that he could barely control himself
and his hunger pangs. He was practically starving for more reiki to
corrupt. The youkai soon became near-mindless and feral as he lunged at
the fleeting image of Genkai in an attempt to satisfy his insatiable
appetite for blood and power, only to be put in check moments later by
Seiryu himself.

A cold and menacing look from Seiryu, Byakko's original murderer, was
all it took to silence the massive youkai. The light of intelligence
finally returned in the demon's untamed eyes, only to be replaced by a
glint of frustration and disappointment. It was as if Byakko's eyes were
saying, 'Let me eat.'

Seiryu merely shook his head, and left it at that.

Genkai didn't miss any of this as she began pondering the meaning of the
two Saint Beasts' wordless gestures. 'Could it be that their attack was
just a ruse of some sort?'

Genkai subsequently became aware of the flash of red energy that
emanated from far away. "Oh no. Yusuke! Look out! It's a trap!
They're...!"

She was then silenced by the elaborate yet razor sharp patterns of ice
that suddenly materialized in front of her. She could not possibly warn
Yusuke in time, not with the awkward position she was currently in. She
could only pray to the gods that somehow Yusuke would figure everything
out by himself as she did her best to avoid getting impaled by the
lethal onslaught.

But it was already too late.

Yusuke's eyes widened in shock and fright as he heard a duet of
panicked, female screams. 'What the hell?' He then felt it--the huge
amount of youki that was headed straight for Keiko and Botan. 'Rando! I
can feel Rando's ki signature from that attack of his! Damn that
bastard!'

He had to do something to stop it. He desperately lunged towards the
direction of the shrieks, using every last bit of his speed to somehow
get there in time and deflect the errant attack. Instead, he saw the
last thing he expected to see.

Kenshin Himura, the person he labeled as a 'useless wimp', was the very
person who was standing in the way of Keiko and Botan's oblivion.

"Kenshin!" Yusuke shouted in shock as the misidentified samurai absorbed
the brunt of the attack. The spirit detective clenched his fists until
his knuckles became white and grit his teeth in a combination of
frustration, anger, and pain. Of course, he didn't miss the fact that
the energy ball was an underhanded ploy of his past nemesis. 'Damn. Damn
that Rando!'

'Wait. Why am I...?' Yusuke reflected incredulously as he felt a
shooting anguish on his right shoulder and on the side of his abdomen;
which was a strange coincidence, since Kenshin himself was hit on his
right side as well. 'Did Rando fire a second shot? Was I hit by him
too? That bastard!'

But Yusuke knew that it wasn't the case. No other shot was fired and
none of the Saint Beasts were able to hit him with their attacks. Then
he remembered the numerous instances where Botan or Keiko would whack
either one of them and then they would both feel the pain. 

'Shit! I almost forgot! Whatever happens to Kenshin also happens to me
and vice-versa!' Yusuke dolefully remembered as he held his bleeding
shoulder while tending to the painful ache of his now-broken ribs.
'Fuck. Fuck all to hell! If that's the case, then we really are in deep
shit.' He eyed Kenshin bitterly. 'Why'd you have to make a martyr out of
yourself, you moronic, half-wit samurai?!'


***


"Keiko-dono, Kaoru-dono! LOOK OUT!!!"

Kenshin braced himself as the blast impacted on his torso, feeling
what could be the equivalent of pain had he still been alive. it was
as if the pressure from the surging energy had metaphorically broken a
couple of his metaphoric ribs and shoulder blade. 'It's been a while
since I've felt pain like this,' he contemplated as he unceremoniously
fell down flat on his back.

After a few more seconds of intense pain, he managed to sit up and
look over his shattered shoulder. A small smile crept up his lips after
he saw that Botan and Keiko, albeit crying, were still mostly safe.
"Yes," he whispered hoarsely, relieved.

Botan was the first one to come to the ex-rurouni's aid. "Dummy! What
possessed you to do that? Koenma-sama said that your physical form is
still unstable. What if something happened to you and the sword!? We
could've lost you forever! Kenshin, you jerk!" she managed to choke out,
sputtering everything she had said in a span of a few seconds before
Kenshin altogether silenced her with a quiet smile and a finger on her
lips.

"Shush. Don't look so sad. It doesn't become you."

Flustered, Botan rejoined, "You are a complete and total idiot! You
didn't even get my name straight! Don't you know that it's insulting for
a girl to be called by some other girl's name? I'm Botan, not Kaworu or
whoever! BO-TAN... Botan!" Even the saddened ferry-girl had to smile a
bit at her remark, despite her tears and all. "Never do that again,
Kenshin!"

Kenshin chuckled weakly. "I promise to."

"Well, she's right about one thing. You really are an idiot."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing the malicious statement because it was
an avowal made by Yusuke himself.

Keiko was the first one to break the ice, stating, "Yusuke! Don't speak
like that to Kenshin! How could you...?" before she noticed that,
strangely enough, Yusuke was also in a similar incapacitated state as
Kenshin. "W-What happened? Are you all right?" But Yusuke wasn't
listening to her.

The half-demon straightforwardly glared at Kenshin, his eyes aflame in
contempt. "Because of your 'martyr' act, you've gotten us into deep
shit. I could've taken out Rando and his goons with one hand tied behind
my back, but not anymore. Not like this! Because of your highfaluting, 
moralistic bullshit, we're all going to get screwed!

"Hey! Yusuke! How can you possibly blame Kenshin for what happened to...
you?" Botan demanded confusedly, still not understanding the situation
at hand completely.

Kenshin looked mournfully and apologetically at Yusuke. "Sorry. I only
wanted to protect Keiko-dono and Kao... Botan from harm. I only wanted
to save those who are important to you. I never realized that you would
also be--"

"Save it," was Yusuke's only reply, silencing the rueful ex-rurouni. He
then added, "I know what you wanted to do and why you did it. But it
won't change the fact that everything's now screwed up." The young
spirit detective could only pull his hair out in frustration as he
shut his eyes. "Besides, it's too late for excuses or apologies," he
growled as he looked into the horizon.

Keiko, Kenshin, and Botan could only stare as they followed Yusuke's
determined gaze towards a gleeful and cackling Rando a good fifteen
yards away.

Rando chortled mightily. "I only used that ki-shot as a way of angering
Urameshi by taking out his two floozies. Nonetheless, I think things
turned out better this way. This time you're really going down, Urameshi
Yusuke! And that bitch Genkai, too!" 

'And that samurai's just the person to help me do it,' Rando added to
himself, chuckling.


***


"No, Rando. You can have the others, but Urameshi is mine," Genbu
remembered himself saying earlier when he finally approached the Saint
Beasts' designated objective. Of course it was Urameshi whom he needed
to defeat; after all, it was him who conquered their great leader
Suzaku, right?

The giant stone tortoise-golem did feel a bit disappointed with the
fact that the red-haired whip-wielder--Kurama, the one who actually
defeated him in battle--was not present in the current fracas. But
those were just silly thoughts. His supposed true target was Urameshi,
after all. Wait, was he the one with the sleek-black hair or the
redhead?

Genbu searched frantically for his intended objective. It would really
be embarrassing for him to mistakenly attack someone _other_ than his
prey, after all. It all came down to deducing which was which. No,
Urameshi wasn't the red-haired gaijin samurai that was hit by Rando's
cheap shot or the old crone/martial artist that was currently trapped
in one of Seiryuu's attacks. He must be the third fighter then, since
Yusuke wasn't a girl either, right? He studied the boy carefully. It
seemed that the young lad was still okay for the most part save for his
inexplicably bleeding shoulder.

The titanic, boulder-like Saint Beast's jagged teeth morphed into a
twisted grin as he stared at Yusuke's current state. He didn't
particularly care how or why his opponent was injured; all he knew was
that this was the perfect chance for him to strike.

Genbu chuckled in a self-congratulatory manner. This was going to be
great! He was about to take down Suzaku's killer with one, easy strike!
He was now about to gain the title of "The Strongest of the Shisejyu".

"You mortals are still confined by the earth that you walk on. Because
of this, I have complete control over you. Urameshi! Take this! 
BAKURETSU-GANSHOU-DAN!"

Instantaneously, all the rubble and debris from Byakko's last attack 
disintegrated into a maelstrom of dust, creating a veritable sandstorm-
like wave headed for the hapless Spirit World Detective.


***


Yusuke could only stare wide-eyed in shock and confusion for the second
time that day as a gigantic tsunami of rock fragments crashed upon him.

Rando shouted maniacally at Genbu; however, his words were drowned out
by the loud and noisy Bakuretsu-Ganshou-Dan. 'Dammit. The original
version of Genbu's attack was a lot quieter than this. Hell, a herd of 
stampeding elephants would have been preferable. That idiot doesn't know
what he's doing!'

"Yusuke...!" Keiko started as she made her way toward the crashing waves
of dirt, only to be immediately held back by Kenshin. "Let me go! I have
to help Yusuke somehow! He's in trouble!"

Botan bit her lip as she covered her teary eyes from the dusty winds of
the vicious onslaught. "We can't do anything for Yusuke, Keiko. It's all
up to him now."

The brown-haired girl sobbed inconsolably on Kenshin's good shoulder
after she heard the ferry-girl's remark.

Genbu laughed heartily at his accomplishment. "I did it. I killed
Suzaku's murderer! I AM THE STRONGEST OF THE SAINT BEASTS! BWAHAHAHAHA!"

"Humph," Seiryu snorted as he continued to cage in Genkai using
intricate and elaborate ice patterns resembling enlarged snowflakes.
"That fool thinks he defeated Uramehi, yet he didn't even live long
enough to watch the boy fight Suzaku back in the Maze Castle. He has no
idea what he's getting into."

"Bastard," was all that Byakko growled as he bared his fangs and
unsheathed his claws in irritation.

Kenshin patted the sobbing girl's back as he looked intently at the site
of the crashing waves of dirt. "Don't worry. He's all right."

Keiko sniffled as she looked up at the ex-rurouni's face, her eyes red
and doubtful. "How can you be sure? H-He was injured a-and he didn't
make it out in--"

"This lowly one knows," Kenshin cut Keiko off gently, his velvet eyes
clear and sure. "I have discovered that whatever happens to Yusuke-dono,
due to our connection through the Demon Sword, happens to me too. _That_
was why he was so, pardon my saying, 'pissed-off' by my actions. What's
more, I know he's all right because..."

The earthly tide was suddenly split in half as a tremendous force began
pushing the waves of dirt and debris back to its owner.

"...I am also okay. Besides the shooting pain on my shoulder, I am
perfectly fine," Kenshin reassured, smiling confidently.

"What the hell?" was all Genbu could squeak out as his attack started to
ebb and weaken.

"HYAKU RETSU-KEN!"

Genkai smirked as she heard Yusuke scream out that attack. It wasn't a
real Rei-Kou-Hadou-Ken technique, nor was "The Hundred Punch Rush" its
real name. But the move, like her former student, was simple and brash
enough to finish the job.

She frowned as she eyed her two opponents, Byakko and Seiryu, warily.
She felt a coldness and apathy in Seiryu that completely contradicted
his claims of vengeance and retribution. It was as if the whole battle
was just a script that he had to act out for Kami-sama-knew-what.
Byakko, on the other hand...

'His ferocity and viciousness are undeniable. The amount of jaki
inside him is far more than all of the present Saint Beasts' negative
energy combined. Yet his mindless attack just a while ago seemed
almost forced; unnatural, even. It's as if his hunger for murder has
absolutely nothing to do with his own vengeful feelings. Something is
not right with his soul,' Genkai concluded, perturbed.

Seiryu sneered at the old woman in contempt. 'So this is the Master of
the Spirit Light Wave? Bah. Without her Spirit Light Gem, she's nothing
to me. I'll show her a power worthy of the so-called A-levels; a power
strong enough to counter even the evil-eyed Fire Demon's infamous
Kokuryuha.'

Soon, Genkai was trapped by a veritable cubicle of ice as wall upon wall
of frost surrounded her. The arena was set. 'Oh well. It's just as well.
At least Yusuke and Himura-san's worries have been reduced
considerably.' To the two demons, she called out, "C'mon!"

Byakko merely snarled, licking his lips in anticipation. That was all he
lived for: vengeance for his defeat, honor, and pride. 'No. None of that
really matters. There is only one thing that's important to me; my
hunger for violence.' His feral eyes then became glassy as he started to
stalk his aged prey.


***


Yusuke continuously kept on swinging and punching against the crashing
earth waves with his good arm, creating a vacuum of sorts that shielded
him from the upsurge. 'Like I said; I can take on all these clowns with
one arm tied behind my back.'

Genbu could only stare, dumbfounded, as the human--no, half-demon--known
as Yusuke Urameshi reduced his offensive into a mere quibble. This could
not... should not be! His rocky teeth grinded hard against each other as
he hissed, " Ushiro-Bakuretsu-Ganshou-Dan--"

Yusuke's eyebrows furrowed as he saw all the waves of dust around him
begin to form into clumps. 'Explosive Rock Assault _Reversed_? What
now?'

"TETSUZAN KOU!"

The clumps of dust instantly solidified into solid rock, encasing Yusuke
in a mountain of iron-hard stone.


***


Kenshin suddenly had trouble breathing. He knelt down in agony, as
though the whole world was on his shoulders.

"Oh my gosh! Kenshin? Are you all right?" Botan inquired the wheezing
rurouni worriedly.

"Yusuke... dono... he's... in trouble..." Kenshin managed to say as
his vision blurred. His slow suffocation, as well as his present
injuries, quickly made his present condition infinitely worse.

"Oh no. Yusuke!" Keiko shouted at her literally petrified childhood
friend.


***


Genbu appreciatively examined the results of his attack. "Didn't expect
that, didn't you? Get crushed by my iron mountain like a pancake, half-
breed!"

"Yusuke, you dummy! You're better than this! Don't be such a wimp!"
Keiko shouted determinedly, despite her obvious distress.

"Of course not," Yusuke shouted back in a muffled voice. "That guy's got
nothing on me."

Keiko squealed in spite of herself. "Thank goodness, you're alive!"

"HA! You can still talk big, even though you're trapped under my
enormous mountain? You should just shut up and die," Genbu retorted
gleefully.

"Mountain? More like a molehill. JYU REI JYOU ANTE!"

Kenshin suddenly felt a chill on the nape of his neck. 'This is...?'

Botan blinked as she noticed a large number of leaves fly past her, and
then gawked, bewildered, as each and every one of those same leaves
began to snap in two. "W-What's going on?"

Concurrently, cracks began to appear on Yusuke's stone prison as
tendrils of reiki glowed underneath the slowly-breaking mass of rock.

"My kenki is reacting to Yusuke-dono's reiki, as far as I can tell,"
Kenshin informed, finally able to breathe after a large portion of
Yusuke's rocky prison collapsed under the barrage of spiritual energy.

"Sword-ki?" Botan slowly repeated, her voice full of wonder. "The
swordsman's presence?"

Before long, the transmuted rock that incased Yusuke was obliterated
completely by means of the Spirit Detective's Luminescent Spirit Ante.
The furious blast of reiki soon came forth in the form of a flaming blue 
phoenix, rising from the shattered rock like a resurrected firebird
emerging from its egg.

After the stunning spectacle, Yusuke rose from the conflagration of rock
and reiki, his eyes burning with a passion and desire like no other.
Those were the eyes of Raizen's descendant. Those were the eyes of a
Demonic Warlord.

Rando could only shake his head at the idiotic, gargoyle-like Saint
Beast. 'You've bitten off more than you can chew, small fry.'

Awestruck; spellbound; no words could describe the expression etched on
Genbu's face as he witnessed the true abilities of Yusuke Urameshi.
'I've heard stories about him from the other demons--and he _was_ able
to defeat Suzaku--but I never imagined that he could be _this_ powerful!
The phoenix god is what Suzaku is supposed to be. But this boy, can he
actually be an even _stronger_ Suzaku?'

The granite-hard Saint Beast felt the glare of the young man... half-
demon... whatever... burn into him like one of Suzaku's Ankoku-Raijin-
Ken. If he could only sweat, then he would be bathed in perspiration
right then and there. "I-Interesting," he stuttered, pretending to be
'intrigued' and failing miserably. "You have forced me to use my final
attack! Take this. GENBU NO--"

"Eat this."

Rando winced. "Eat this," was a very familiar statement to the red-
haired demon. Moreover, he knew what that particular declaration meant,
and what soon followed after it.

Yusuke aimed his pointer finger at Genbu with no hesitation whatsoever. 
From there, tiny pinpoints of light that produced a strange whistling
noise gathered to the tip of his pointer finger and coalesced into a 
concentrated sphere of destructive power.

Genbu could only stare in dumbfounded alarm and fright, his planned
counterattack soon forgotten as he winced under the glare of the Reikai
Tantei's impressive reiki.

Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the energy from the tip of Yusuke's
pointer finger quickly vanished. A confused look crossed the spiritual 
detective's face as he stared at Genbu in puzzlement.

The stone golem Shisejyu was not one to question opportunities when they
arose. "'Eat this', my ass! Chou-Bakurestu-Ganshou-Dan: GENBU NO--!"

"Stop what you're doing right this instant if you still want to live."

The gigantic granite tortoise-demon could only gawk in utter disbelief
as he looked over his shoulder and saw a very annoyed and irritated
Rando. Little wonder, since the pasty-skinned demon now had his pointer
finger aimed at the Saint Beast in the same manner as Yusuke had before,
his fingertip brimming with burning youki. "W-What the hell are you
doing, Rando?"

"Don't you dare refer to me in such a familiar tone," Rando coolly
stated as he regarded his supposed ally in contempt. "You should know
your place. You've crossed the line this time, Genbu. Your stupidity
knows no bounds."

"What are you talking about? I had Urameshi where I wanted him!"

"The only thing you had was a death wish," Rando stated grimly, his
imitation Rei-Gan almost fully charged. "You're cowering under my power
now, but imagine what would have happened if you were facing Urameshi's
Rei-Gan instead. I bet you'd have the same frightened and pathetic
expression then as you have now."

The Sacred Beast of Stone could only swallow and nod in acquiescence. As
much as he hated to admit it, he had been lucky this time. If Rando
hadn't shocked Urameshi out of his planned Rei-Gan attack, then Genbu
would have been a goner by now. The young half-demon was simply out of
his league. He bowed down in mortification and defeat.

"The Chojin gave you another chance. Don't blow it," Rando reminded
grimly.

Yusuke narrowed his eyes as he straightforwardly demanded, "Pray tell,
chuckles; who the hell is the 'Overfiend'?"

"You have no right to know the identity of the Chojin," Rando sneered,
and then turned his attention back to Genbu. "There has been a change
of plan." Afterwards, using stolen telepathic skills, he relayed his new
strategy to all of the Shisejyu.

Seiryu snorted, stating, "Of course. That was what I intended to do in
the first place."

Byakko snarled, not at all acknowledging Rando's orders. His prey was
his only concern, after all.

Genbu's jagged teeth again formed into a demented smile. "I like it.
Let's do it."

Kenshin walked towards Yusuke's side in all humility, but the younger
fighter merely gave him the cold shoulder. "Yusuke-dono, I..."

"I know, I know. Just don't get in my way," was the spirit detective's
impatient reply.

Rando smirked at the two warriors. "After observing you two for quite
sometime now, I have discovered a number of your weaknesses. As such,
all you could do now is wait for your oblivion. GENBU!"

"At last! This is what I've been waiting for," Genbu cheered as he
prepared his long-delayed technique. "Chou-Bakuretsu-Ganshou-Dan...!"

"Keiko-dono, Kaoru-dono! My pardons, but you have to stay back! There's
no telling what Genbu-dono has in store for us."

"GENBU-DONO?! Are you nuts? Don't be polite to your enemy! And for the
last time, my name is Botan! BO--"

"GENBU NO HOKO!"

A large explosion subsequently rocked the entirety of Genkai's property.
The clouds of dust from the blast soon formed into a spiral that shot
upwards into the sky, creating a tornado-like sandstorm that swallowed 
everything in its path.


***


"Botan! 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 exhaled a sigh of relief as she sat up and further surveyed
her surroundings. It seemed that she was on a cliff of some sort,
probably on the other side of the mountain. She wasn't completely sure.

The teenage girl looked up the sky and saw the beautiful, sparkling star
just beside the big dipper once more, her round face illuminated by the
pale moonlight. She afterwards 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. The
bad omen known as the "Harbinger of Death" star had taken yet another
victim.


***


Kenshin rubbed his eyes for a bit as he struggled to get up from his
current prone position. The worst of Genbu no Hoko was over... or so it
seemed.

But where were Keiko and Botan? And whatever happened to Genkai and
Yusuke? Kenshin inspected his immediate surroundings. Even though he was
one of those in the forefront of the dust storm, it would seem that he
had never really left his current location. The swordsman spirit could
only scratch his head in confusion. 'If the others were carried off to
wherever, then why am I still here?'

"SAMURAI!" a proverbially loud voice boomed.

Kenshin turned around in time to see a gleeful-looking Genbu rise up
from the dune-filled ground as broken tiles and fragments of rock
scattered all over the Sacred Beast.

"Let us fight!"


***


Darkness. Botan was deathly afraid of it; which was a little ironic
really, since she _was_ Death.

Perhaps it did somehow make sense. Death, despite what other people
thought, was a people-oriented job. She just loved being around lots of 
people. In fact, in the Reikai ferry-girl admission test, she scored the
highest on the Social Skills section.

Okay, so she made the 'Reikai ferry-girl admission test' part up, but if
there were one, she knew that she'd have a high score on the Social
Skills section. That was Botan; the 'Miss Lady Death' type of people
person.

Where was she? Oh yes; the damnable darkness. She hated the darkness
because it reminded her of loneliness and isolation, which was something
that just didn't sit well with her personable personality.

But enough of the darkness monologue. All she had to do was open her
eyes to get rid of it anyway. 'Du-h.' But before she did, she heard
voices; voices from presumably ugly people. Either that, or they were
decent-looking people with the misfortune of having really horrifying
voices.

"We made it just in time, big brother! I thought I was going to die in
that hurricane!"

"Shut up! Don't remind me. Most of our band had already fled when they 
discovered that Rando-sama has teamed up with those two other psychos
from the Chojin's mental ward. Plus, what little that was left of our
demon minions was sucked up into that stupid dust storm! Dammit! Dammit
all to hell!"

"But at least we got the girl, right?"

"That's only the consolation we had on this trip. Damn Rando-sama and
his pigheadedness. If he only took the Demon Sword as a way to defeat
Urameshi like we've planned!"

Who were these losers? 'How'd I end up in this mess? While we're at it,
where are Kenshin and the others? The last thing I remember was that
stupid sandstorm.' Botan sighed, daring to sneak a peek at her two
'supposed' captors. She winced. 'Ew. I was right with my first guess. 
They're really ugly.' She blinked. 'Gee. They look awfully familiar.'

"Big brother!" Iehog called out, pointing at the ferry-girl that he
carried on his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. "The Reikai woman is
awake."

"Oh, great. Knock her out again. I heard her awhile back before Genbu-
sama's tornado attack started. She's very noisy and irritating. She's
better left unconscious," Iehik offhandedly ordered.

HEY! Don't I get a say in this?" Botan shouted as she materialized her
oar and shoved it in Iehog's face. Screaming more in surprise than pain,
the large, bearded demon unceremoniously dropped the ferry-girl down on
the ground.

"Ouch!" Botan exclaimed as she rubbed her sore bottom. Before it could
even occur to her that _this_ was the perfect time for her to escape,
Iehik was already upon her. She held her oar forward protectively.
"Don't come near me! I have a wooden paddle and I'm not afraid to use
it!"

"Relax, will you? We're all in the same situation here," Iehik stated
simply as he offered his claws to Botan, his smile seemingly friendly;
as friendly as a grinning crocodile's, anyway.

The ferry-girl looked at the diminutive youkai suspiciously. "What do
you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're all just spectators in this grand battle of
really powerful people," Iehik explained. "We have neither power nor
influence in the matter, so in the end we can only do what spectators
do best: Watch."

"So what about it?" Botan asked warily, her grip on her oar still tight.

The large-headed demon smiled toothily. "We have a proposition for you."

"No. Uh-uh. Not interested," Botan said as she slowly got up from her
sitting position. "I know better than to get into a deal with lower-
class youkai. No dice."

Iehik shrugged. "That's too bad, really. Me and my brother have been
searching for the Demon Sword for ten long years, so we've discovered
very important facts about it that not even the Reikai knows about." He
smiled impishly. "And here I was, thinking you would _want_ to help your
samurai friend who's now in grave danger."

Botan lifted the portly youkai to his toes with her oar over his neck,
which elicited a yelp of, "Big brother!" from Iehog as he nearly lunged
at her in alarm. However, Iehik held his brother back with a wave of his
claws.

"What do you know about the Demon Sword?" Botan demanded.

"I'll tell as soon as you agree to come with us," Iehik replied snidely
yet soothingly. "All we ask for is your company. After which, you'll
learn everything you need to know about the enigmatic Demon Sword."

Botan contemplated their proposition for a while. On one hand, the
short, fat demon could be lying through his teeth. On the other hand, he
could be telling the truth. But could she really risk trusting these two
shifty characters?

'C'mon. Don't be a fool like Rando-sama,' Iehik thought, annoyed.
'Rando-sama, Suzaku-sama, even Jine-sama; none of them realizes the true
power of the Demon Sword.'

'Oh, what have I got to lose? They're right. I have no control over
these 'grand battle' thingies. Besides, they're, like, what? D-level to
C-level demons? What can they do? Shed fur on me? Besides, Yusuke's
always there to bash these youkai into submission if ever. That is, as
soon as I find that good-for-nothing. Other than that...'

She smiled unconsciously as she remembered how Kenshin's finger touched
her lips. 'This is all for Kenshin's sake.' She subsequently grimaced in
mild irritation after she realized what she was just thinking. 'Get a
grip, girl. He's hung over some other girl. Some Kaworu-something-or-
the-other.'

"Well?" Iehik asked, half-annoyed and half-hopeful. "Are you done with
your internal monologue?"

"Oh, what the heck," Botan relented as she put her paddle away and
backed off. "Let's shake on it. Or maybe not," she hastily corrected as
she cautiously looked at the portly demon's clawed hands.

"Good, good. Iehog, come. Let's get moving. We have a lot of ground to
cover."

"Oh, one other thing; don't ever let your... _pet_ touch me again. I am
not, I repeat, _not_ a sack of potatoes," Botan warned.

Iehog merely grunted in response. 'What am I? Chopped liver? What the
hell does she mean by 'pet'?'

'She means that you're as stupid as a dog,' Iehik answered for his
brother telepathically--a technique that Rando graciously 'borrowed'
from him.

'I don't understand why you have to go through the trouble of fooling
the girl like that. We could have killed her and be done with it.'

'Don't be a fool! Do you have a death wish? We need her alive, at most 
unconscious. Anything other than that would be suicidal!'

'I don't understand,' Iehog admitted, scratching his beard in confusion.

'Of course you don't.' Iehik rubbed his chin contemplatively. 'I didn't
realize it before, but I now know who the guardian of the sword is. I
heard it a while back when the old woman was talking to the samurai.
He's the Youkiri Battousai! It's his dark soul that made the Demon Sword
what it is today. The ferry-girl is apparently important to him. If we
don't play our cards right, _we_ will be facing his wrath!'

'The wimpy samurai? Dangerous? Pigs will sooner fly!'

'What I speak of is the truth. I intercepted Rando-sama's telepathic
orders for the Saint Beasts; the ferry-girl was supposed to be used by
Genbu-sama as bait for Battousai. With her around, the overprotective
samurai won't be able to concentrate in battle. Unfortunately for Rando-
sama, we have other plans for her.'

'What other plans? Our only plan was to steal the Demon Sword while all
the others were busy fighting. You're making things up, big brother!'

'Shut up! That was also part of the plan, fool! Now be silent and let me
think.'

Botan looked at the glaring brothers in disinterest as she continued to
trudge forward. 'Freaky. I sure hope I made the right decision in going
along with these two bozos.' To the two supposed 'bozos', she asked,
"Where _are_ we going, anyway?"

"To the other side of this mountain, at the uppermost peak. A great
battle is happening over there right now, and we wouldn't want to miss
it for the world."


***


Just like a pig that suddenly found itself airborne, Byakko gawked in
shock and disbelief as he flew up into the starry night sky despite his
enormous girth. Genkai's Supine Kick Kougeki was a force to be reckoned
with indeed.

The White Tiger Shiseyju landed on his feet hard as the ground crumbled
under his heels. The ice cage that Seiryu created for them had already
shattered in the onslaught of the powerful Genbu no Hoko, but in its
place stood dozens of ice fragments and crystals; remnants of the
aforementioned hoarfrost prison.

The feral youkai had already tried his previous tricks on the old woman.
The beastly fiends, the Kiyodai Ka absorption technique, even his vastly 
improved Mei-Ko-Shou-Kai-Ha; absolutely nothing worked. The aged martial
artist was just too powerful for such low-tier attacks.

Byakko was getting really annoyed and frustrated, which only served to
fuel his burning desire for brutality all the more. His eyes glazed over
once again as a killer instinct manifested itself deep in his psyche. He
became a savage beast, no, even more than that; because beasts merely
killed for survival. He, on the other hand, killed because he could and
because he enjoyed every minute of it. He needed no other reasons but
those.

He was no ordinary beast. He was now a monster. As such, his right arm
suddenly stiffened as its muscles hypertrophied.

With a speed that belied his gargantuan mass, Byakko was quickly upon
the Matriarch of the Rei-Kou-Hadou-Ken style, quickly slashing downward
with his claws as he shredded and tore through the forearm of one very
surprised Genkai. This was the first move of the Kaiwan; the Byakko Sou,
the White Tiger's talon.

The real fight had finally begun.


***


Kenshin breathed in deeply as he gripped the hilt of his sword. 'Has it
been _that_ long a time since I have last fought? I mean, aside from the
little scuffle I had with those two familiar looking demons. When was
the last time I drew my sword? I just don't know. This is the first time
I'm going to _seriously_ fight after a long time.'

Genbu lumbered over to Kenshin's direction. "Well? Are you really the
great Guardian of the so-called Demon Sword? The Chojin himself has
taken a keen interest in that sword of yours; though personally, I
couldn't care less about it."

Kenshin nodded, smiling. "I understand. In my opinion, the Demon Sword
doesn't suit you at all, what with your earth-based techniques and so
on."

Genbu grunted at the misidentified samurai. Rando convinced him to
fight _this_ loser? What a rip-off. "We're not going to have a tea
party, samurai. _We're_ going to battle, and _I'm_ going to win. Stop
being such a wimp and draw your sword!"

"Um, I'm not really a samurai, since I wasn't of noble birth..."
Kenshin politely corrected.

"I DON'T FUCKING CARE WHAT YOU ARE! Let's just fight and get this over
with already!" Genbu shouted in a decisively non-friendly manner. The 
samurai's... whoever's over-politeness was grating on his nerves. He
wasn't used to anybody being nice to him at all, really. It was just too
weird for him.

"To be quite frank, I don't really want to fight you, Genbu-dono,"
Kenshin honestly admitted.

Genbu sighed dejectedly. He really wished that the blue-haired girl was
with them right now. Then he would have some leverage against the red-
haired swordsman. At the very least, the Guardian of the Demon Sword
would be forced to take him seriously, lest the fool risked having his
lady friend suffer the consequences. "Why the hell _don't_ you want to
fight me?"

"For one thing, I don't really like fighting for the sake of fighting,
which is what you're trying to convince me to do right now. For another,
I believe that you aren't really a bad person. You are actually quite
harmless."

That was the single most insulting thing Genbu had heard his entire
life; hell, even including his afterlife. "So you think I'm _that_
pathetic? Eh, samurai-or-whatever?! I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S PATHETIC!"

"Um, that's not what I meant," Kenshin meekly said as he tried,
strangely enough, to explain to his opponent that he was actually
complimenting him. However, his words soon died in his lips as Genbu
melded into the solid ground, disappearing amidst the pock-marked tiles
in an instant. "There's no reason for us to fight, Genbu-dono! If you
would allow me to leave in one piece, then I would be eternally
grateful!"

"Shut... the FUCK... UP!" Genbu screamed at the top of his lungs--
metaphorically speaking, since it was debatable whether or not the
Tortoise Saint Beast even had lungs--as he reappeared behind Kenshin,
his balled-up fists literally like boulders that were ready to crush
the erstwhile rurouni like a gnat.

Genbu slammed each of his rocky fists hard on either side of the
swordsman, intending to end the fight then and there before it even
started. A light crunch was heard, followed by silence. The Stone
Shisejyu had won, which was the way things should happen. Except things
didn't turn out that way.

"What the...?!" Genbu elaborated as he looked down upon Kenshin. The
guardian interposed his sheathed sword between Genbu's two gigantic
fists, the sheathed weapon acting like a protective jam against the
large, boulder-like appendages. The golem pushed hard against the
Demon Sword, but to no avail.

"I really do apologize for whatever rudeness you've construed from my
remark. But..." Kenshin pulled the Demon Sword free from Genbu's two
fists, disappearing just in time before said fists crashed hard unto
each other. He rematerialized a second later behind his opponent, his
back turned as he slowly walked away.

"...I cannot possibly remain here. I still have to find both Botan-dono
and Keiko-dono so that I could keep them safe from harm. I have no time
to play with you. I hope you understand."

'S-Such speed! I must be dreaming. This guy's speed is incomparable to
anyone I've ever met!' Genbu thought in awe. 'The red-haired plant
user's speed was more on smoothness of movement. This red-haired
swordsman, on the other hand, makes use of quick bursts of speed with
reflexes that are beyond human! So he's been holding back his strength
all this time?'

The Shisejyu gnashed his teeth hard. 'NO! I still have to finish off
Urameshi. This cannot be! I won't let a pacifistic nobody like him make
a fool out of me!' 

"BAKURETSU-GANSHOU-DAN!"

Kenshin didn't even bother to turn as a large, rising tsunami of dirt
and debris noisily approached him from behind. "I do not have time for
this. I've seen that technique, and I already know several ways to
counter it. This is my final warning," Kenshin declared--at first
politely, and then with a hint of annoyance.

"SHUT UP! It's your kind that I hate; self-righteous, higher-than-thou
shit like you deserve to die!" Genbu stated angrily as he melded into
the ground once again, disappearing immediately.

Kenshin narrowed his eyes as he shook his head. 'This annoyance I feel;
it isn't mine. It must be from Yusuke-dono. He's probably battling with
the pasty-skinned one right now, and it's annoying him for some reason.
I mustn't get carried away by Yusuke-dono's emotions.' A second later,
he easily leapt away from Genbu's intended surprise grapple from behind,
while also escaping the appropriately named Explosive Rock Assault.

Kenshin seemed to hang in the air for a moment as he contemplated the
situation further. 'Despite Genbu-dono's apparent bravado, he is still a
mostly inexperienced fighter. Most of the fights he had were probably
with weaker demons and the like. Perhaps he had one or two fights with
stronger opponents, but not enough to make him into a full-fledged
warrior.'

An instant later, before Genbu could react in time, his own Bakuretsu-
Ganshou-Dan crashed onto him hard, shattering his body into a hundred
pieces. From there, Kenshin ingeniously used the volatile blast's strong
air pressure to hurl himself away from harm.

Kenshin could only sigh at the pathetic situation Genbu was currently in
as it confirmed all of his suspicions. 'He'll probably hate hearing
this, but the truth of the matter is, he's just small fry.'

The spirit guardian looked at Genbu in pity. 'Though I have to admit,
Genbu-dono _is_ trying his very best. He even challenged Yusuke-dono to
a fight, despite the fact that he was obviously outmatched. He kind of
reminds me of certain young boy that way. But still, I really am just
wasting his time here. I must get going.'

"SAMURAI!" Genbu wailed maniacally, his shattered face staring straight
at the red-haired, cross-scarred spirit's visage. "This isn't over yet!"
he spat. "Now get a taste of the original BAKURETSU-GANSHOU-DAN!"

The shattered parts of Genbu's body began to attack Kenshin
individually, much to the vagabond spirit's surprise.

'So this is the original version of his revised technique,' Kenshin
thought with mild interest before going into his formless stance,
seemingly just standing there in the middle of Genbu's onslaught. But as
soon as his opponent's rocky parts started to bombard him, his image
became a blur, easily weaving through the offensive with little trouble.
'This is getting wearisome, even for me. I must find a way to escape
Genbu-dono's tedious attacks before he wastes any more of my time.'

The separated components of Genbu's person gradually recombined behind
Kenshin. Once whole, the golem shouted, "Now, once again, here's the
revised BAKURETSU-GANSHOU-DAN!"

Kenshin resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he reflexively readied
himself. What technique would be most suitable to disable Genbu at this
point: a mountain-splitting Ryu Tsui Sen or an earth-shattering Dou Ryu
Sen? Oh well. He'd probably just 'play it by the ear' again, if ever.

But before Kenshin could react, his whole world suddenly spun into
turmoil as a fleeting spear of agonizing ache tore through his
shoulder, which left him open to attack.

The Bakuretsu-Ganshou-Dan crashed hard against the errant vagabond as he
mouthed a silent scream of anguish. Every pore of his skin did the same
soundless screech as his whole body burned with torture beyond
comprehension. He valiantly fought against his blinding agony as one
urgent thought kept on recurring at the back of his mind.

'Yusuke-dono; he's in trouble!'


***


"What a stupid technique. PTOOOIEE!" Yusuke spat as he cleaned the dirt
from his mouth with his wrist. "Dammit, he even ruined my pants. Just
wait till I get my hands on that walking pile of landfill." He
eventually noticed that his surroundings were a bit darker than before.
'Hey. Where'd all the lights go?'

"I'm sorry, but Genbu's busy right now," a familiar voice stated with an 
undertone of contempt and malice. "Won't you play with me instead,
Urameshi Yusuke? JIGEN TOU!"

Rando's Jigen Tou slashed through Yusuke's injured shoulder even though
the demon was a good ten feet away from the spirit detective. That was
the power of Kuwabara's ultimate attack; the special ability to cut
through dimensions and spaces as well as flesh.

'Jigen... Tou?' Yusuke thought as he fell down in a boneless heap.
'How did...?' Yusuke then remembered that Kuwabara had supposedly fought
Rando earlier, so the Jigen Tou was probably just another stolen
technique care of the sadistic demon.

Then, as soon as Yusuke rested on the ground, a wave of pain beyond a
mere migraine or even a seizure took hold of his trembling body. 'What
the hell's going on?! That slash couldn't have been _that_ powerful!
This pain I'm feeling; it feels like a house fell down on me!'

Rando looked at the grunting and sweaty Yusuke with mirth in his eyes
as he asked, "What's the matter, Urameshi? Couldn't take a itty-bitty
cut from my sword technique? What a baby."

"Your sword technique? That's Kuwbara's technique, you bastard! Fuck
that, I doubt that you've actually developed _any_ of the techniques
you're using!" Yusuke's eyes widened in realization as he hatefully
cursed, "Damn you, Rando! Kenshin's--!"

The red-haired youkai laughed with uncontainable delight. "I told you
before, human. I know all your weaknesses. I saw what happened to you
when I shot the samurai. Because of your spiritual bond with the sword,
whatever happens to this 'Kenshin' happens to you as well. That's why I
sent Genbu to roughen up your friend for a bit."

Yusuke growled as he attempted to stand up, but he was in too much pain
to do much of anything else but lie in misery. Now it all made sense;
the excessive pain he felt; the fact that he was inexplicably feeling
pity for Rando; it was all Kenshin's fault. "You coward. You're using
the wimp to get to me."

Rando grinned maliciously. "So what are you going to do about it,
Urameshi? Whenever the samurai gets injured, you'll get injured too,
and you can't do anything about it."

"You talk too much. Let me shut you up, asshole."

With no further contention or hesitation, Yusuke aimed an energy-filled
finger at Rando.

"REI-GAN!"


***


As Kenshin flew backwards, Genbu suddenly materialized behind him. "I
got you now, samurai!" the rock golem shouted as he cupped his gigantic
hands, intending to catch then squash the flying 'samurai' of sorts.

Kenshin regained his senses just in time to acrobatically flip himself
over and land on Genbu's palms feet-first. He afterwards leaped up
before the Saint Beast realized what had just happened.

Kenshin narrowed his eyes. The situation had changed. It was time for
some drastic measures.

Genbu looked up the sky and yelled, "DIE, SAMURAI!" as he balled up his
fists with murderous intent.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu--"

In midair, Kenshin quickly unsheathed his Demon Sword, a pale gleam on
its blade. He subsequently spun in a complete arc before he altogether
dove down on Genbu with a quickness and strength that was equivalent to
a thunderous blast of lightning.

"RYU TSUI SEN!"

Kenshin's powerful technique cleanly cleaved the monstrous stone
tortoise in half. Genbu let out a silent scream as the two halves of his
body went down. However, his adversary wasn't quite done with him yet.

"DOU RYU SEN!"

Kenshin followed through his previous attack with a devastating, earth-
shattering assault that completely destroyed the remnants of Genbu's
body. After the redhead was through, all that remained of his Sacred
Beast opponent was half of his face.

Genbu grit his teeth in pure misery as he struggled to look up at
Kenshin. He wretchedly grinned. "So it would seem that I've pushed your
back far enough against the wall to get a half-decent fight. I've even
forced you to use some of your most powerful techniques!"

Kenshin shook his head at Genbu in pity. "I apologize, but those were
not my most powerful techniques. Also, I only attacked you because I
didn't want Yusuke-dono to get hurt on my account. Sorry, but I have to
get going, Genbu-dono."


***


To be Continued...

Next: The myriad of fights continues.

Hmmm. Okay, um, where do I start? ^^; Bad news first, I guess.

First of all, if you haven't noticed in the title art, my good
friend Danyal has already decided to drop out of Demon
Sword/Youtou Shinnoken for strictly professional reasons that I
won't delve into. 

Nonetheless, he will still remain as my consultant on certain arcs
of the series; because really, parts of the story are and shall
remain as his ideas now, right? Ultimately, this was for the
best. Danyal, my friend, this fic is now officially dedicated to
you as well as to Chad Yang.

Anything else? Well, all I can say is stay tuned!

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. Don't sue me
please, I'm very poor.

Ja!
Abdiel




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