#man younger me was so mean to kuwabara

[natsunoomoi]

Togashi calling hiei a child really makes me not want to ship hiei and mukuro as a couple?!

He's a child in that he's probably about the equivalent of Yusuke's age at the start of the series because Yusuke was a 14 year old Jr High school student and that's still a child. That's kind of why in the live action they aged up everyone to at least high school because a lot of the things that they do are unacceptable things for a Jr High School student. My current job I actually teach children of about that age in Japan, and yeah, they are children. Japanese idea of children though is maybe a bit different in that children are considered children until they become of legal age. I teach kids from age 2 until high school or even sometimes until university because sometimes kids stay longer past even high school. They all still fall under the purview of a "kids eikaiwa" because they are underage (under 20 legally in Japan). Japan also has a ceremony for people who will become adults every year in January called "Seijin no Hi". It's a national holiday celebrating the coming of age of all children in the country turning 20 that year.

Further, Hiei and Yukina are twins. If the gang doesn't have a problem with Kuwabara chasing after Yukina because of age, then the two of them are around the same approximate age. I also think that Togashi is not being exactly literal about Hiei being a child. He and Yukina are twins and the same age, but he says that about only Hiei? I think it is more like lack of socialization since he was alone for most of his life so his outlook on life is more like a child in comparison to others including Yukina. Yukina would have had more socialization with other children and members of Hyouga no Kuni even if she ultimately disagreed with their outlook. It's probably more a comment about traumatic and circumstantial stunted development.

Togashi also says that he made Mukuro to be the kind of person that Hiei would date. As I mentioned to someone else, I don't ship. I follow canon. Mukuro also generally keeps a respectful distance and allows Hiei to do as he likes, but they have a special place for each other and care for each other, which is something that could grow into something else later as Hiei gets older. If we look at both of them though, they connect though because they have pain and trauma from awful people. Hiei was lucky enough to have other resources, but Mukuro had nothing growing up, and then only built up her empire by masquerading as a man and hiding her identity and being ruthless and earning respect via fear and skill. The people under her definitely respect her and care for her, but more in an official capacity. Hiei is the first time in her entire life that she connects to another person through empathy and that means a lot to her and I kind of respect that. Hiei will also not stay a child forever, and he can decide for himself what he wants.

Also, just because they are made to date each other doesn't mean it's a thing that will last. Age difference relationships as long as both parties are legal are difficult, but not impossible if both people can adequately communicate with each other. They are very easy to have power imbalances as often the younger person is less established in life and can become dependent on the older one and the older one can use that dependency to control them. For Hiei and Mukuro, the power imbalance thing basically doesn't matter. Mukuro has more experience, but Hiei is a genius thief and has his own incredible skills himself, so there's a mutual respect between the both of them and Hiei has his own independence and is free to come and go as he pleases. The normal dangerous dynamics in an age difference relationship don't exist between them.

However, what would become an obstacle in their relationship is Mukuro's unresolved issues about her past. Her past is not her fault, but at the same time she wasn't given an opportunity to heal properly from them and the way that she views her chains as a badge of honor is an admirable attempt at reclaiming her past, but at the same time she isn't really letting go. In the manga, she also punches Hiei for causing a trauma trigger over her memory over her father. I didn't use to be okay with that scene, but recently I had my own trauma actually triggered and I learned that you literally temporarily lose your mind and all sense of what you should do and your brain throws you into self-defense mode and you lash out unintentionally. It is a bonkers experience and while what you do in that state is still your fault, there's some amount of grace that can be afforded and you can try to make up for it later when you're lucid and get treatment so that it doesn't happen again and you can respond appropriately to triggers. You can learn signs and means to ground yourself and keep strong in the present and what's happening now instead of flying back into the past in your mind like you're still in that moment of trauma. Mukuro is not getting treatment and she has those issues. Hiei ends that chapter by kind of forcing her to address her issues to a degree by bringing her Dad to her frozen by Kurama's plant for her birthday so she can decide if she wants him to live or die, but honestly it's going to take more than that to fix her trauma and fixing it is a choice. If she doesn't choose to fix herself, Hiei will eventually get tired of her traumas. He does have a bit of an abrasive way of trying to help, but again he is well-intentioned. But Mukuro recovering from her trauma and being able to handle her triggers responsibly are the hurdle that would determine whether or not a long-term relationship would become something viable. That's up to them, but also things are in some ways promising because they both at least have each other, so there's opportunity and an out to have support as Hiei's friends are also all very friendly and probably wouldn't mind so much being supportive if Hiei decides that's what he wants. Mukuro's subordinates on the other hand are supportive, but kind of in a yes-man kind of way where they don't really give Mukuro the healthy level of support she needs to grow as a person as instead they kind of just enable her to do whatever she wants.

[kyrianne]

@smardalek

just one of those days...

[kurama-is-love]

An unusual proposal (Oneshot)

It's been a while since I wrote in english, so please bear with me if this is not perfect. English is not my first language ;-;

Oh and this time it's a female Half!Demon/Human Reader x Kurama. Just to let you know! Again as warning, much much fluff between you and Kurama.

The Dark Tournament was looking forward to its grand finale.

Team Toguro faced Team Urameshi, consisting of Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama. Their fifth member, Mask, or rather Genkai, was 'killed' in battle by the younger Toguro brother the night before. Although you and your friends mourned about your deceased comrade, the others were not allowed to give in to their feelings now. One single mistake could result in the next death, everyone knew that.

You hadn't left your friend's side since the beginning of the Tournament and you were even allowed to stay at their side near the battle field. Though now you were concerned about the last battle.   You had asked to stand in for Mask as the fifth participant, but before you were able to speak to the competition officials, you were prevented from doing so by your friends, mostly Yusuke and especially Kurama. It was a lengthy and exhausting discussion that followed with the two of them. Yusuke was anything but calm and tried to dissuade you from your idea with irrelevant threats for "beating the shit out of you if you continue to try to participate". Of course he would never lay a finger on a friend, especially not if he were to draw the wrath of a certain fox on him ..

Speaking of the fox. It was Kurama's empathetic and factually convincing words that finally led you to abandon your idea and not take part in the fight. As much as you hated not being able to stand by your friends, it was clear to you aswell that you would not survive 2 minutes in the ring against a member of this diabolical team from Toguro .. It was just maddening ..

Before the fight started, you cleared your throat to attract the attention of your friends.

"Before you fight, I want to get rid of something .." you began and looked at the ground slightly.

"Spit it out, [Y/n]-chan." Kuwabara tried with a calm and understanding tone of voice to reassure you that none of them were mad at you for your earlier discussions. He thought that, because you were trembling all over and he could also tell that you were fighting back tears.

"I want you .. to be extra careful this time .. Your opponents are of a completely different caliber than all your opponents before .. And if ..Uh.. when you notice that you .. can't do it .. that you. . " you stopped, the thought of what should follow your sentence stung your heart. "... you will die if you keep going .. I beg you to give up .. just give up and end the fight .. Fuck this stupid tournament, your lives are way too precious ..!" you spoke a little louder and more determined as you looked at your four friends.

Hiei's expression was disinterested as always. Kuwabara looked away, slightly embarrassed, while Kurama had put on an illegible expression. Yusuke crossed his arms before briefly closing his eyes.

"Sorry, but we can't promise that." he said then.

"W-What ..?"

When you looked up, startled, you felt a hand on your shoulder. It was Yusuke's.

"If we give up, everything was in vain. Our training, the preliminary fights. And ... also the death of that old witch ... The least we owe her is to try to defeat her killer." He continued serious, but his face showed no sign of annoyance or anger towards you. He showed you .. friendliness and a small smile. "Anyway, thank you for taking care of us all. With that knowledge, we can do our best," he added.

"B-But .." your quiet objections were stopped again when Kurama took Yusuke's place and put both hands on your shoulders. A slightly worried smile graced his pale lips.

"Yusuke is right. If we give up here, everything we have been through so far will be wasted. Besides .." he continued and his expression darkened slightly as he looked at his opponents, especially at Karasu. "..we can't allow these .. monsters to continue their mischief to continue their murders in the world of spirits, demons and humans. If we don't stop them, who should do it?" he asked you.

You didn't know the answer and looked to the side. Kurama smiled sadly and put his hand on your cheek to turn your face back to him.

"Just trust us, okay?" He said softly and lovingly before placing a gentle kiss on your lips.

"Kurama .. I trust you. But I'm still scared okay ..?"

"That's perfectly okay." The redhead whispered and you sighed softly.

"I'm serious. I don't want to go through the same fear that I did during your fight against Bakken ..."

"Mhm .."

[Flashback]

The battle against the members of Team Masho had reached worrying proportions after Kurama lost consciousness while standing shortly after he was named as the victor in the battle against the ice demon Touya by Koto. The rules of this match were like an endless battle. As long as a member could fight, he fought against any opponent. This is exactly how he had defeated Gama at first and was able to win against Touya with the last of his strength. But now the luck of the kitsune seemed to have run out when he stood bleeding and unconscious on the battlefield and Koto checked whether he was still alive.

"That's enough now! I'll take over for Kurama!" Yusuke called to the judge when the third opponent, a tall, dark-skinned man with short black hair, stepped out.

"Not so fast. That guy is still there, so I'm his opponent now." The shinobi grinned maliciously and was already flexing his fists.

"You can't be serious! You can see that he is not able to fight!" You said and looked angry at Bakken.

"You stay out of it, you brat. I say: He can fight." With these words he turned to Koto, who looked back and forth between the two parties, perplexed.

"Well .. Well .. I also think that Kurama is incapacitated. We have to wait for the decision of the competition committee before an exchange takes place .." the cat demon spoke uncertainly.

All attention was then turned to the speakers when the committee announced its decision. They disagreed with the exchange and declared Kurama's ability to fight.

Yusuke and you had to watch in shock when Bakken started hit the unconscious Kurama again and again and injured him so badly that it was a miracle if he could survive this ordeal for long. When Bakken pulled Kurama up by his top and beat him again, the fabric on the top tore and Kurama fell to the ground. Blood ran down his forehead.

While you could only watch in shock, the stadium echoed under the calls of the demonic audience, who very unanimously demanded only one thing.

"Kill him!"

"Kill him, Bakken!"

"Yes, kill this traitor !!!"

You clenched your fists in anger before turning to the bleachers.

"SHUT UP YOUR DAMN MOUTHS ALREADY!" you shouted so loudly that the stadium fell silent and Yusuke and the others looked at you too. "I CAN'T STAND YOUR HATE TIRADS ANYMORE! The next one who says anything about 'kill this bastard' will get a free ticket to hell from me. WAS THAT CLEAR?"

Your friends had seldom seen you so loud and serious. The girls, Botan, Shizuru, Keiko and Yukino were very shocked by your exclamation.

Suddenly one of the demons jumped down from the stands and stood next to you.

"Pretty loose mouth for such a shitty, weak half-breed, darling."the green-colored beast grinned and licked its lips with its iguana-like tongue. "You are nothing but a shabby one demon, who has human blood in them. It doesn't surprise me that you are on the traitors side. But don't open your mouth like that if you know what's good for you. " He threatened you.

Your eyebrow twitched menacingly as the demon extended its claws and tried to slit your stomach. You reached for your weapons,  chakrams, and a reddish-orange aura flooded the metal, your Reiki, mixed with Yoki. The audience held their breath when they could only hear lightning-fast cuts and white clouds of energy sliced the demon that was attacking you until the attacker fell dead to the ground.

"Anyone else has something to say to a " failed half-breed "? you asked the ranks, but the audience fell silent before you could finally devote yourself to the fighting again.

"T-That's enough! Kurama is on the ground and can no longer fight! I think a countdown is also unnecessary .." Koto interrupted the scene now when she saw the battered Kurama.

Bakken seemed to disagree and lifted Kurama up in the air again by his top.

"Now he's standing again. That means the fight goes on."the black-haired man smirked and wanted to make the final punch that should blow out Kurama's life light forever.

"Stop. That's enough, Bakken." a masked figure behind Bakken, another member of Team Mascho, spoke up.

"Why are you stopping me, Risho? I was just about to finish it." Bakken grumbled while Risho pointed to the opposite side of the arena.

"If you had landed this punch, that would have been your death." Risho spoke only dryly, while Bakken blinked and looked in the direction in which Risho was pointing.

Yusuke and you stood there, both of you in your strongest attacking postures. Yusuke was ready to use his "Rei-Gun" while your chakrams had turned into icy-tessen (Metal fans), the tips of their spikes were reinforced with your Reiki and turned into razor-sharp blades that could be shot individually. You were both ready to kill Bakken if he made any move.

"Tch. Fine. Well, you can have him back." Bakken sighed and threw Kurama carelessly out of the ring. Yusuke and you immediately rushed to the passed out Kitsune and Yusuke carried him to the edge of the ring. You were right behind him. After Yusuke dropped him off, you kneeled down at Kurama's side and looked up your human best friend.

"Yusuke." You spoke in a serious tone. Yusuke turned to you. questioningly. "... Beat the shit out of him. Hit that asshole really hard with a greeting from me." You muttered with bared teeth. Yusuke grinned and gave you a thumbs-up.

"Rely on me, [Y/n]. I will make sure that he gets a proper rubdown. And greetings from you. Just take care of our Kurama." Yusuke answered with a wink.

You nodded gently and put your hands on Kurama's damaged chest to let your Reiki flow into his body. That should give him enough energy to activate his own self-healing powers. At least that was how it prevented him from having too little energy.

He almost died ..

When Kurama woke up a little later, he promised you to never again risk his life so lightly.

[End of flashback]

"Remember your promise." you said softly and took Kurama's hand in yours to give it an affectionate squeeze. The fox just looked at you apologetically, but he was weighing whether he could really tell you that he couldn't keep this promise.

"I'm sorry. This may be my first promise, which I can't keep, as much as I would like to. But ..." he began before you could sigh in frustration. Kurama smiled and put a strand of hair behind your ear. "I'll give you a new promise for that." He said and made you blink in curiousity.

"One that you will keep?" you asked.

Kurama smiled and pulled you close for a moment.

"Yes. I promise you, if I survive my fight against Karasu .." he almost sounded as if he didn't believe in it himself, which only unsettled you even more. "... I will take you as my wife as soon as my human body is 18 years old."

Your eyes widened, speechless, at these words. Kurama, who had sworn off love and certainly did not want to settle down in the human world, had just given you the promise of marriage if he should emerge victorious from the battle ..

"K-Kurama .." you started, touched, when the Kitsune put his index and middle fingers on your lips and gently shook his head.

"I have to go into the ring now." He said, because the referee Juri had to call his name again.

Kurama broke away from you and went to the battlefield, where Karasu was already waiting for him. You held your breath as the fight began. It was going to be the hardest fight of all time for him, you were sure of it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The fight was clearly dominated by Karasu for a long time, who seemed to foresee every one of Kurama's steps. His rosewhip basically crumbled to dust before it could hit Karasu due to a miniature bomb that the black-haired man had already placed. Knowing that Kurama would resort to his signature attack.

Even the transformation into his Youko form only briefly gave Kurama the upper hand in this fight.

Karasu was strong, incredibly strong. Kurama was already bleeding profusely on his legs and arms from the bombs that hit his flesh. The transformation into his demon form had already reached its limits. Now everything seemed to be over for the redhead when he went down and his robe was already completely bathed in red blood.

It was a horrible sight, almost worse than Bakken's back then. Kurama stopped moving when Karasu tried to put an end to it.

With the very last of his strength, Kurama was able to mobilize his last reserves and thus also make his Reiki to zero when he conjured up a large, gray plant. Shortly afterwards he sagged dead and his friends, as well as you, cried out in agony.

"KURAMA!"

Karasu stopped. Not because he thought his opponent was dead, but because something had pierced his chest. Everyone stared in disbelief at the three vines of the plant that Kurama had conjured up with his last strength. They seemed to suck out Karasus blood.

"What is happening?" Kuwabara asked in disbelief.

"The plant sucks out its blood. Like a vampire." You explained and looked a little more composed again. Apparently you knew this technique. Since dated Kurama, the others weren't surprised.

Before the crowd could properly process what had happened, Karasu fell to the ground. His skin was pale from massive blood loss and his eyes were blank and torn. He was dead.

But what about Kurama?

Kurama opened his eyes. The bleeding wounds had closed again as if by a miracle and he straightened up slightly wobbly. Did the vampire plant fed him with the blood of his victim to save his life? It was the only logical explanation.

Tears now ran down your cheeks. No tears of sadness, tears of infinite joy. He was alive. Kurama had kept his promise and survived this fight.

Without hesitation for a second, after Juri made him the winner, you ran onto the battlefield and threw Kurama to the ground in a stormy embrace. The Redhead was unprepared for the impact and lost balance when you buried your face in the crook of his neck.

"Idiot. Idiot idiot idiot." You repeated several times, still sobbing slightly. This kitsune almost seemed to enjoy causing you so much grief by letting himself be beaten up in every fight.

Kurama smiled gently and caressed your back soothingly.

"Ssh. Everything is fine.", He whispered and heard only briefly loud sobs before you pulled away from him and stared at him.

"DO. THAT. NEVER. AGAIN." You warned and if Kurama wasn't grinning at you so sweetly, your anger would also come across convincingly. Instead, you just sighed softly and patted him gently on the shoulder. "But you also have to keep your promise," you added.

"Don't worry, I will." Kurama chuckled and turned to Yusuke with a hand sign. You blinked perplexed when Yusuke grinned and threw a small velvet box to him. Out of the corner of your eye you could see that it was a box with a beautifully decorated rose on the lid.

"Kurama .."

Kurama got on one knee and took your hand in his.

"I should do this formally and properly, don't you think?" He laughed and you suddenly realized something.

"... You already planned everything in advance, right ...?" You wanted to know.

Kurama gave a small laugh and kissed your palm lovingly before looking intensely into your eyes.

"Quite possible. No, but .. I've never met a woman like you in my life - and that applies to my human and demonic life - and I never expected to lose my heart to someone who makes me as happy as you. "

"Kurama .."

Kurama smirked when you didn't let him finish and cleared his throat to continue.

"Originally I wanted to stay in the human world because my mother and my friends were so close to my heart. But now there is another reason why I don't want to leave this world anymore. I want you by my side until the end of my days and ... start a family with you. In the human world. That is why I ask you, here and now, [First Name] [Last Name], do you want to be my wife and eternal mate? ", He asked and opened the box. Inside it was the most beautiful diamond ring you ever saw. Its sides were adorned with two beautiful jewels, a shiny [gem with your eye color] and a shimmering emerald. It was more than obvious that these jewels symbolized the eye colors of the both of you.

"Yes .. Yes, I want Kurama. Of course I want that!" You said overjoyed and let a smiling Kurama put the ring on your finger before he pulled you to him and kissed you passionately.

"U-Unbelievable! A marriage proposal during the final of the Dark Tournament! I've never seen anything like it!"Koto announced, she sat in the crowd as the second announcer and looked dreamily at the engaged couple.

You smiled and looked at the ring.

"So beautiful. But something's missing," you mumbled.

"Huh?", Kurama asked and you turned to him and grinned slightly.

"A topaz." You answered with a smile.

Now Kurama was the one whose eyes widened and he even blushed a little.

A topaz as golden as Youko Kurama's eyes. His demon form.

Now he was more certain than ever. He would never let you go again. He swore to himself.

[throwawayfiction]

Ascension Part 1

    Raizen(yyh) x OC FIC AT yOUr SerVICE. Based off of a fic I wrote years ago. I want to see more Raizen fics so please be inspired by mine AND I would absolutely love to read it!!! So tag me in it.      Three years since the demon world tournament, well almost three years. The demon who won, Enki, struggled to maintain control over the realm. Some followers of the former of the three kings Yomi have been creating mass havoc in the human world for some time. In just two years, demons have crossed the threshold into the human world and made it their home. Some of them lived in peace, trying to escape the chaos of the demon world in its current state. Enki and Koenma agreed that maybe the demons and humans should try to live together in harmony, at first, but it was a mere six months after that decision that it blew up in their faces. Yusuke,former detective of the spirit world, paced the room with Koenma in the room. Koenma was sitting on the couch of Yusuke’s flat, he was turned, facing the window. His hand was rubbing his chin deep in thought. “Yusuke, all that pacing is doing us no good. We have to make a decision.” Koenma spoke, facing the pacing detective. “Yeah, but why does it have to involve him?” Yusuke thought out loud. “He’s the only way, Raizen is the only one to tip the balance and gain control over the demon world again.” “I know but, he’s going to kill me because I would be involved in bringing him back. He missed that girlfriend of his or some stupid shit..” Yusuke trailed off, scratching his head out of frustration. “How long have you known me Yusuke? I always have all the minor details in order. There is a reincarnation of the mortal doctor. You probably have met her before.” Koenma flashed a small photograph before Yusuke, throwing it on the coffee table. “No way,” Yusuke whispered. “That’s the girl that Kuwabara hangs with at the university. You better not tell Yukina about her.” Yusuke chided, unable to take anything seriously. “Her name is Darcy Young.” “So Mr. small details, how do you think this girl is going to come to play in all of this? You think that’s going to keep the old man happy? I mean that’s a little weird, toddler. She’s like a few thousand years younger than the old man. We can’t force her to give him a kiss or whatever; ‘Heya Darcy! Come kiss the old man so he doesn’t commit suicide!’ Koenma sighed, “We are going to have to work on those details Yusuke. We couldn’t have gone to her ahead of time, ‘Hey there’s a dead guy who happens to be your soul mate, yeah we are going to resurrect him so we can stop all the problems in the human world and it lies on your shoulders’” Koenma shot back. “Oh and we should also tell her right now, that he’s also a demon! We have to be cautious about that, we don’t know how she feels about the demon kind, especially how the world has been these past 2 years.” “I guess you’re right..” -------------------- “I didn’t want to be brought back. I was perfectly happy burning in the deepest pits of hell.” Raizen said firmly, growling at the young king of the spirit world. “This was the doing of that human brat son of mine wasn’t it?” “Wrong again Raizen. The human world is in trouble and you’re the only one who can fix it.” Koenma spoke. “I don’t want to fix their problems.” “BUT it is your problem.” “How so, brat?” Raizen spat. “The mortal you fell in love with, her soul made it back to the human world.” “Impossible, I waited 500 years.” Raizen was almost whispering now. Koenma flipped on the screen, displaying the human girl named Darcy Young. “The only connection we have is through Yusuke and his friend Kuwabara. She’s there Raizen and she’s in danger, potentially. There’s no control over what kind of demons are crossing in to the human world. You can be with her, if you comply with our plans.” They had the king on his knees. Raizen had complied with the plans from the spirit world. He couldn’t believe he was now working with the enemy on this matter, he quite literally turned in his grave. Now he was alive and well, no more rest for the king. No was on the tip of his tongue when Koenma showed him the picture of the human girl that was the reincarnation of his soul mate. But yes took over. Yes is what rolled from his lips. Was it his heart speaking? Was it greed? Demons were naturally greedy beings, they always got what they wanted. Strength, power, control. Darcy, her name in this life, would never accept him. He was a monster. There was a catch to all of this, they weren’t telling him and he knew it. He knew as soon as she would love him back, she would fall through his hands again. And be gone indefinitely for another 500 years or more. He would die another painful death. 500 years of sitting with his anger, learning that his anger was actually grief. Raizens duty in this world was to team up with his ancestral son to defeat the problems arising in the demon world and human world. They suspected Yomi, the former king had something to do with all of the chaos, as it was his followers causing most of the problems in the human world. There were non followers in the human world to escape the ones causing problems. Those apparitions lived in peace and merged in to human society. Raizen, Yusuke, and Koenma had no intentions of harming or making those apparitions go back to the demon world, but they had to come up with a plan for those apparitions. Even though those apparitions chose to be peaceful and members of human society, some humans didn’t care and didn’t want them part of their world. The news everyday was filled with commentary on violent events. An apparition going to school was hurt by humans. Humans found in trafficking organized by demons. It was best to keep the televisions off and Genkai’s. Yusuke was more verbal about his distaste in the world’s problems. Keiko, his now wife would stress, still unsure how to approach her now husband about his separate, not-normal, life with apparitions. She would never understand the struggles he went through and she had to be okay with that. She was an intelligent human girl with lots of promise in the world. Yusuke and Keiko decided it was best to go live in the country with Genkai, as most of the problems were happening in the cities and towns. They were safer from all types of threats at Genkai’s temple, she had psychic energy concentrated around the perimeters to keep evil beings from coming in. The hours after training and planning with Koenma and Yusuke were more exhausting for Raizen. All he thought about was Darcy. He saw one photo of her and his feelings washed back over him like and unleashed water dam broken from years of neglect. As if a storm came through and pushed the gates to destruction. His heart felt like a thousand bricks. If he wasn’t a demon who feels things more strongly then he would assume Koenma was tugging his leg about Darcy being the reincarnation of the lady doctor he fell in love with long ago. Raizen wondered if somehow, this human could remember him. Sometimes humans that are spiritually aware can remember their past lives. So badly, he wanted to find Darcy while no one was looking and find a way for her to realize he was her soul mate. ----------------------------------------------------- Oh my god yo, it took me 20 years to transfer this to tumblr. 

[luckychild]

Hi Star, my dog of fifteen years died today and I was hoping for some prompts to cheer me up. Obviously Kuwabara is a cat man, but what pets do the others get, and how do they handle picking them out with their SOs? Thanks :)

I am SO SORRY to hear about your precious pupper! I hope I can do these justice. I sometimes let asks percolate in my head for a bit before answering, but this I felt required a rush job given the day you’ve had.

To start, here are Yusuke and Hiei; they came to me very quickly, but I confess I’m currently stumped for Kurama (I keep imagining him trying to convince his S/O to “adopt” a sentient Venus flytrap with him). I’ll come back and reblog with an update once I figure out Kurama’s entry.

So sorry for your loss, anon, and I hope this can cheer you up even a little bit.

YUSUKE: Man’s Best Friend

Yusuke isn’t really the type for pets. He doesn’t like having to take care of something or be its sole caregiver, considering such an arrangement a chore. But after Puu hatched, he started to see the value in keeping an animal companion…. so when his S/O asks about getting a dog, Yusuke reluctantly agrees to pick one out. Puu’s enormous size forces him to stay at Genkai’s temple in the countryside, and Yusuke misses Puu a lot, though he’ll never admit it.

But while buying dogs is common in Japan, Yusuke is not the type to go for something from a breeder. Yusuke sees himself in a rescue dog: rough around the edges, living on the street, but with a lot of heart. Like him, really. He and his S/O are definitely going to visit a shelter and lots of animal rescue sites until someone catches Yusuke’s eye.

This is where we learn Yusuke is… picky.

Click “Read More” for the rest of Yusuke’s story + Hiei!

“Too fluffy. Too small. Too yappy.” The pair of you walk down the row of cages at the shelter almost without pausing, Yusuke shouting out dismissal after dismissal as he sees the current selection of dogs. “Too big. Too ugly. Ugh, and that one’s a puppy. Too much work!”

You trail after him, glancing at dogs and voicing protests over the thunderous sound of all the shelter dogs barking in tandem. He rejected a bunch of great potential pets right off the bat; isn’t he being too judgmental? You grab his arm and drag him back into the shelter once you reach the end of the rows of cages, making him take his time and look at each dog more thoroughly. Row by row, cage by cage, you inspect all of them—and just as you think you’ll never find a dog, Yusuke spots a certain cage and stops cold.

The dog inside that cage isn’t the prettiest. He’s an older yellow lab mix with a mottled muzzle and a scar over his eye. His paws are calloused and his tail doesn’t wag. He lies on his belly and stares out between the cage bars in silence, not barking like all the other dogs who’re yapping their heads off. He’s just… quiet. Quiet and still, eyes dull and unseeing. And Yusuke holds still, too, as he and the dog trade a long, silent stare.

Quietly, you slip your hand into Yusuke’s. He startles and squeezes your fingers, rubbing the back of his neck with his other hand.

“Think we can meet this guy?” he says in a low voice.

The yellow lab isn’t the most conventional of choices. There are certainly cuter dogs in the shelter, and younger ones, and a few pure-breeds, too. But this is the only dog Yusuke has given a second look, so you nod, and the pair of you go get a shelter worker to take the dog out of his cage.

The worker says something about that dog not being an ideal pet, citing his age and sullen temperament, but Yusuke shoots him a death stare, and the shelter employee falls silent with haste.

You meet the yellow lab mix in a small outdoor yard ringed by a tall fence. The dog doesn’t react to you at first, instead sniffing around the edges of the fence and ignoring you and Yusuke alike. You hang back as Yusuke plops onto the ground, watching the dog in silence for a bit. You can’t read Yusuke’s face just then. He looks serious, especially when he holds out his hand and pats the ground in front of him.

It gets the dog’s attention. The animal halts, brown eyes fixing on Yusuke without blinking.

Yusuke smiles and pats the ground again.

The dog doesn’t move.

“Hey, boy,” Yusuke says. “C’mere.”

The dog doesn’t move.

“It’s OK,” Yusuke said, cracking a big grin. “You can trust me.”

The dog’s ears prick forward. Yusuke chuckles.

“I get it. Still figuring out if I’m all right,” Yusuke says. “I’m that way, too. Enough people knock ya around, you start wondering if any of ‘em are OK.” He grins again. “But I’m not giving up on you so easy, you got that?”

The dog does not move.

Then, slowly… his tail starts to wag.

Your eyes prick with tears at the sight of that wagging tail, the tiny spark of light in the dog’s eye, and the look of understanding on Yusuke’s face. And although it takes a few more visits for that yellow lab mix to come around, Yusuke never once gives up on him—and you know in your bones that you and Yusuke have found the newest member of your family.

HIEI: Demon’s Best... Uh... "Friend” Might Not Be the Right Word...

Yusuke found man’s best friend, but Hiei isn’t interested in something so mundane. No, for Hiei, a pet needs to be useful. It needs to earn its keep. So when you start pestering him to adopt an animal with you and bring a new companion into your lives, he’s initially quite skeptical.

What do dogs do, though? And cats, they just laze about? He’s equally critical of birds and lizards, and don’t get him started on the uselessness of fish and rodents! But you are relentless in your quest to get something to cuddle (since Hiei isn’t the cuddliest by any means) and you make your feelings crystal clear. Hiei is a very come-and-go-like-the-wind sort of man, which means you’re often left alone for extended periods. Sure, you have your friends to keep you company, but a pet would make Hiei’s absences just the littlest bit easier to bear.

Still: Despite you telling Hiei that you want a furry friend, when he informs you that you’ll be taking a little trip with him to Demon World in the coming weeks, it doesn’t occur to you that this might have something to do with your request. Any pet you get will come from Human World, after all...

...or will it?

Hiei’s quite tight-lipped about why he’s taking you to his home world, but soon you find yourself in a Demon World market in the heart of Gandara, walking beside him through the crowd and staring with an open mouth at the passing demons. Soon you duck into a dimly lit shop, where a demon with a long beard escorts you into a back room.

There you find an object draped with a black cloth. The elderly demon removes this cloth with a flourish, revealing a basket full of squirming fur. You gasp and shrink back as a small growl trills from the basket, but Hiei nudges you forward with a hand and points.

“Pick one,” he commands.

You blink at him in confusion. “Huh?”

“Pick one,” he says. “One of the pups.”

Pups? The word certainly piques your interest. You pad forward and peer into the basket again, this time making out vague lumps amid the pile of fur inside. They look like small puppies with oddly domed heads, eyes barely even open, all of them covered in thick golden and white fluff that gleams in the light of the lamp nearby. But there’s something vaguely not-doglike about their anatomy, and you’re not entirely sure what you’re looking at.

“What… are they?” you eventually ask.

“Fu dogs,” says Hiei.

“Those big stone dog statues that guard temples?” you ask, poking one of the squirming pups with a fingertip. It gives a little peep and a growl; you snatch back your hand, a memory occurring to you. Turning to Hiei in alarm, you say, “Wait. Fu dogs aren’t actually dogs—they’re lions!” Your voice rises an octave. “Are these pups actually lions, Hiei?!”

But Hiei only scoffs. “No, you fool. They’re demons. But they inspired those statues you mentioned, if the legends hold true.”

Uh... OK. OK, then. This… this is weird, but it’s far from the weirdest thing Hiei’s ever told you (the fact that demons exist at all took that prize). Taking a few deep breaths, you steady yourself and stare at the fu dog/lion puppies, trying to figure out just what the heck Hiei is showing you these things for—

The penny drops in short order. Surely he doesn’t mean you’ll be taking one of these back as a pet, does he? You can’t have a lion-dog-demon for a pet! But Hiei looks impatient, and you realize that’s exactly what he wants you to do. You swallow down the nervous lump in your throat and poke again at the squeaking, squirming basket, trying to figure out what the heck to do, to say.

“How big do they get?” you eventually ask.

Hiei replies at once: “Massive.”

You look at him in horror. “I can’t keep one of these in my apartment!”

“Of course you can,” Hiei retorts. “They’re fastidiously clean, and they’re far smarter than half of the humans I’ve met. It won’t be a burden.” His eyes darken; he looks away. “But more importantly… fu dogs are unfailingly loyal to those that raise them. Anyone who raises such a creature can count on it to provide them protection until the end of their days.”

You look at the basket with new understanding. “Protection…”

“It will guard you when I cannot.”

The two of you trade a long, silent look laden with meaning. Hiei has never made excuses for his long absences from your life. He needs his solitude, his space, and you do not fault him for that. You understand him, and you respect his needs. But at times you’ve wondered how much he cares about your needs when he’s not around, and this… this is proof he’s thinking of them quite seriously.

A companion and a protector as a pet, you muse. It satisfies both your needs and his at once. How very ‘Hiei’ of Hiei to suggest such a thing…

Taking another deep breath, you once more approach the basket, tracing a finger down the head of one of the small pups. It opens its pink mouth and gnaws on your knuckle with bare gums, paws pressing gently against your skin.

“Well… I guess they are pretty cute,” you admit—and behind you, Hiei begins to smile.

Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed these imagines/headcanons/whatever they ares!

Headcanon & Imagine Masterlist | Tip Jar

[cynthiaandsamus]

Custom Toonami Block Week 76 Rundown

Code Geass: So we’ve come to this, been kind of avoiding this episode, part of the reason I did the Rebuild marathon last week was to put off this episode for as long as I could. Shirley’s death is fucking bullshit, the whole thing feels like a farce, she dies from trying to help him against someone that wasn’t even trying to kill him just because she triggered Rolo’s Yandere Simulator instincts. It’s a foregone conclusion that Shirley would die at some point, Lelouch is a tragic figure and having him be happy doesn’t really fit his character arc as the martyr that will save the world, like the Zero Requiem would be really fucked up if Shirley was still alive and had to watch Lelouch become Gundam Hitler and then get stabbed. But still the matter of fact nature of her death is so weird, like I feel like a lot of people originally knew this was coming and kind of braced themselves for it but it’s so weird and contrived and sad, Euphy’s death made me cry and this didn’t quite get there but I did get a bit weepy, like fuck this show man, it knows what it’s doing and pulls on the emotional manipulation hard.

Inuyasha: Another filler episode this time around, this one’s pretty funny though with Jaken doing all kinds of Team Rocket-esque hijinks to steal the Tessaiga, it’s some good character building for Jaken and Rin before Rin gets kidnapped leading to the actual canon part of this story and plus there’s a lot of cute fluff with Inuyasha’s group just kinda killing time, like they’re still traveling but they seem to be taking it easy and playing games and shit this time around. Also Kagome definitely saw Inuyasha’s junk in the hot spring so that’s a good reverse on that, we get basically no fanservice for the girls but Inuyasha gets splayed out and spends the climax shirtless so that’s some defying expectations right there.

Yu Yu Hakusho: The Black Black Club arc concludes with Yusuke and Kuwabara vs the Toguros. Honestly this fight does a really great job of subverting expectations since you think it’s going to be two on two but then Younger Toguro basically uses his brother as an Equip Spell Card and it’s essentially one on two. Kuwabara gets his flash of Yukina’s backstory and his Super Saiyan powerup which is pretty standard for how these arcs end but Toguro doesn’t seem that phased by it which is because he isn’t and this is all a ruse and Toguro fakes his loss so Sakyo can win his bet and get rid of Tarukane. The Black Black Club shenanigans have been in the background of this whole arc and spicing up the fights that are otherwise Yusuke and Kuwabara just plowing through mooks so it’s really neat that it ends this way so it can subvert how things are supposed to go and still give us a cool fight, it reminds me of how arcs tend to end in Hunter x Hunter where the climax is often undercut because of outside forces. I think I like this version better though because HxH tends to go for an anticlimax, this is a standard climax but it doesn’t mean what we think it means at first and that’s really kinda cool. Also Kuwabara tells Yukina to not give up on humans and Hiei saves her without telling her he’s his brother cause he thinks she’s better off this way.

Fate Zero: We take a detour from anything of importance to see how Baby Rin is doing, it’s pretty much completely unrelated to anything going on but it is pretty cute and gives some nice character stuff for her that puts her arc from UBW in a new light so that’s nice. Also Kariya shows his face again and reminds us that he’s really the only one who has any good reason for trying to get the Grail amongst all the child murderers, arrogant kids, arrogant adults and general war criminals in this fight. Everyone’s basically “I am a dick, gimme the grail” or “My family’s a dick, gimme the grail to shut them up” and while Kariya is in the latter camp, he’s also doing it to save Sakura and not just “Welp that’s life.” Given that Sakura’s still with the Matous in UBW and no one besides Kiritsugu and Kotomine and Waver are confirmed alive, we probably know how that went.

Konosuba: So the big showdown with the Mobile Fortress is here, I do kinda like how Konosuba peppers mentions of the big bad throughout the arc so it builds the hype when it finally shows up. Everyone gets serious and actually does shit to take down the Wild Wild West Spider Tank, unfortunately it’s not piloted by a racist old man in a wheelchair but a dead guy that didn’t know what the fuck he was doing. For building it on the cheap he sure made it sturdy at least, but Kazuma basically acts as a Mana Dumpster and gives the important people the energy they need to get rid of the core and blow up the carcass. This is Konosuba and our Protagonist is essentially a glorified battery. Also Kazuma’s insane luck betrayed him and threw the core into the Capital so now he’s a war criminal, oops I guess.

Sailor Moon Crystal: So everyone goes to the moon surprisingly easy and fights out from Usagi’s Fortress of Solitude Recording Mom all about how the moon was cool and shit but then everything changed when the humans attacked and the princess was such a little bitch that she gave up right after her man died and the queen had to do all the magic sealing and shit but that also destroyed the kingdom for some reason. Also the Four Kings are formerly Earth Knights also reincarnated like the Sailor Guardians and used to be less dicks and were even the guardians’ boyfriends which feels REALLY forced and even more gross and weird than Usagi’s reincarnation relationship just being told “Hey you love this guy now, you don’t get a say, past life shenanigans decided” and everyone decides that they can’t fight the people they love that they only just remembered so Usagi has to boomerang some bitches in the face and then there’s a four way Solar System Kamehameha to get the Four Kings to fuck off again. Now Beryl’s working on borrowed time since she had to re-brainwash her pawns so she’s gonna brainwash Tuxedo Mask to do it even though he doesn’t have powers and should be less effective than the kings but it’s really dramatic if Usagi has to fight her boyfriend so let’s go with that.

Durarara!!: Reporter Shuuji Niekawa is digging around Ikebukuro to find out about the crazy amount of tough customers the city has. The first half of the episode is the “fuck around” half where he talks to much of the main cast, and then as everyone knows, when you fuck around, that leads to the “find out” half where he is promptly stabbed and becomes a Saika kin and stalks Anri and Shizuo and wants to stab everyone before getting crushed behind a car door by Shizuo while thinking he can finally get his life back on track. RIP Reporter-chan, you fucked around and found out.

[gabriel-gabdiel]

Youtou Shinnoken: Demon Sword Chapter 58: Living Sin (Part 10)

The B-Class Toguro fights the S-Class Yusuke Urameshi before unleashing a power beyond the one he had before he died.

Tenro, the reincarnation of Makoto Shishio, finally makes an appearance and wreaks havoc against all the Reikai Senshi before facing off against the man who killed him originally: Kenshin Himura.

The original source of this idea comes from Chad Yang. I continued his story idea found here.

The rest of the chapters of my Yuyu Hakusho and Rurouni Kenshin crossover fan fiction are available here and here. Enjoy.

First | Previous | Next (Youtou Shinnoken) | Next (Demon Sword)

About a hundred years or so ago...

In 1878, after fighting Kenshin "Battousai" Himura to a draw, Makoto Shishio died in a literal blaze of glory (through his own spontaneous combustion when his overheating body broke its limits) and went to Hell.

When he got there, he ended up right before the imposing, gigantic figure of Enma Daio, who asked him, "What are you doing here, mortal? Go back to the Gates of Judgment in order to be judged."

Shishio then replied, "Get out of my throne. I'm the new King of Hell."

***

Youtou Shinnoken: Demon Sword

A Rurouni Kenshin/Yuyu Hakusho Crossover Fan Fiction Story by Chester Castañeda

Original Concept by Chad Yang

Tenro has finally arrived in Okushiri. How will the Reikai Senshi answer his challenge, especially after learning the truth about him?

Disclaimer: Yuyu Hakusho is the rightful property of Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV, and Studio Pierrot. Rurouni Kenshin is the rightful property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shueisha, Shonen Jump, Viz, Sony Studios, Fuji TV, Studio Gallop, Studio Deen, and ADV. This disclaimer also covers all the other copyrighted materials that are far too many to mention here. Don't sue me please, I'm very poor.

***

Chapter 58: Living Sin (Part 10)

***

Back at the Okushiri Military Base...

A shouting, crying Yahiko kneeled in front of Botan's unmoving body, seeing the huge hole in Botan's person.

A hole in the shinigami who somehow was also his kendo master from a former life, Kaoru Kamiya  (he didn't quite understand it).

Had he failed again? Like before, when Enishi Yukishiro...?

No. He would not let Kaoru down again. Not after what the Kenshingumi had been through right after Kenshin Himura died and...!

"Bloody Rain," said Yumi Komagata, who again made it rain blood mixed with what seemed like scalpels.

Right above the dark clouds filled with the scarlet squall were Houji Sadojima's shikigami (familiars) that looked like grim reapers in and of themselves due to their ragged clothes, faceless voids covered by hoods for heads, and long scythes.

And beyond them was Gatekeeper Itsuki, who had a mini-gun at the ready in order to test the limits of a solidified ghost body before it became incorporeal once more. Knowing that gunpowder had no spirit energy for Yahiko to neutralize.

"DOU GAMI! (GOD ON EARTH!)" Yahiko's earth-shattering technique blasted away the razor-sharp precipitation and Itsuki's suppressive fire into oblivion, allowing him to dissipate the slicing rain bullets around him and the soul-crushing pressure of the borrowed aura of the Onmyouji (Occult Priest).

"Insolent welp...!" Houji said the thing.

"TEN GAMI! (GOD IN HEAVEN!)" Myojin shouted as he did a much more powerful version of the God on Earth that shot him up high into the heavens. Even the nimbus clouds parted from the strength of his slash.

This rocked and shook the military base like an earthquake while the Tokyo Samurai Descendant himself approached the Onmyouji like the resulting tsunami of such an earthquake.

"INGA GAMI! (KARMIC GOD!)"

It was this technique that suddenly turned the poisonous miasma of the Overfiend into something else. Something filled with positive energy and life-giving, nourishing soul power.

Sanosuke Sagara then noticed how the crimson, purple, and black miasma of jaki surrounding them changed in color, texture, and volume. Flickering back and forth from a cool blue wave to a scarlet mess.

He then checked on Botan, only to gasp in surprise despite being a ghost that didn't need to breathe or have sudden oxygen intakes.

The hole in her chest caused by one of Itsuki's black holes had begun healing. The jaki surrounding them, as Sano suspected, was slowly being purified into reiki, which in turn the ferry-girl used to heal herself.

Not only herself, actually. She shared the wealth by beaming the spirit energy she absorbed unto Kazuma Kuwabara and Sanosuke too. Replenishing their depleted spiritual power and increasing their health at the same time.

A full restore for all her allies, if you would.

'What's going on here? Is this Yahiko's doing? Or hers?'

It was actually both.

Yahiko neutralized the overpowering potency of the Chojin's jaki just short of making it altogether disappear. Botan then purified the weakened negative energy into reiki she used to heal herself and the others while also powering them up, as though she filled the role of the Onmyouji for the Reikai Senshi (Spirit World Warriors).

Meanwhile, Kuwabara and Botan exchanged knowing glances.

They'd gone through this incident before. To be more specific, they witnessed Yusuke do the same thing Yahiko (and Kaoru) attempted to do firsthand.

It was when Urameshi got a hold of the Meikai Crystal and attempted to use it against the last Meikai God standing, Yakumo. The negative energy almost consumed him before his sheer willpower (and at the time hidden demonic lineage) turned the jaki into reiki instead.

Yahiko had decided it was easier to weaken the Chojin's overwhelming negative energy so that Kaoru could turn it into positive (spirit) energy instead of attempting to neutralize or seal it all at once.

The tag team of Yahiko and Kaoru allowed them to replicate what Yusuke himself did alone.

Break it down to its core components first, bit by bit.

The samurai boy then said, "BANZEN GAMI. (PERFECT GOD.)"

***

"Great fighters refuse to lose, but you refuse to win just to get back that feeling and exhilaration of conquering something greater than you. So what do you do now that you're in a world where nothing is greater than you?"

Those were Younger Toguro's words even as Yusuke Urameshi effortlessly tanked through and walked down his offense while blasting him to nigh-oblivion with the Renshya Rei-Gan (Rapid-Fire Spirit Gun).

'What the hell was that supposed to mean?!' Yusuke thought.

Was Toguro Ototo right? Had Urameshi become too powerful? Was he holding back his power level in order to drag out fights he would've easily won otherwise, thus endangering the lives of those he protected?

Ha. As if.

Those words truly did sound deep. They'd sound even deeper and more meaningful if said by a guy who wasn't getting his ass kicked care of him.

If that were true, he would've already hunted down and killed the Chojin himself. He wasn't even the most powerful being in Makai (Demon World), let alone all three worlds. He was a level below the likes of Mukuro and Yomi as well as his deceased ancestor/father figure Raizen.

Not to mention Raizen's old comrades having power levels so high they could band together and conquer both the Human and Spirit Worlds if they so chose.

No, instead of it being a case of Yusuke growing too ridiculously powerful, it was instead a matter of Toguro remaining stagnant and weak by comparison.

The martial artist who belonged to the "baby boomer" generation might've been powerful for a demon not trapped in Makai and blocked off by the Spirit World Barrier. However, he was a pissant compared to the likes of the monsters Urameshi eventually faced in the Demon World Unification Tournament.

On top of all that, Yusuke didn't want to hear that nonsense from the King of Holding Back. The Emperor of Power Percentages.

"Rando's Kugai (World of Suffering) is a low-level technique used by monks to empathically feel the pain and suffering of those around them. The fact that you're still suffering from its effects isn't because of its curse but because of how you reacted to it."

Yusuke frowned. Indeed, for quite sometime since his fight with Rando, every punch he threw at his opponents he also felt. For once, he found out what it was like to get punched by himself.

However, it also served as his training. The more he felt his own punches, the more resistant he became of his own power, thus raising his threshold of pain and his ability to take a punch. He could dish it out and take it.

He wasn't sure he could say the same about Toguro.

His ripcord muscles strained to their utmost, the Younger Toguro ended up having his muscle fibers ripped apart, cracked, and shattered like pottery. The anabolic state he used to grow his muscles to absurd sizes ended up completely wasted because he couldn't handle A-Level to S-Level bursts of power.

Yusuke nevertheless conceded one point to Toguro: The teenager did miss staking his life and limb to defeat an enemy, using all his strength to defend his friends and family.

He hadn't really done so lately. Not really. The last time he had a satisfying match was against Yomi.

Ever since then, his enemies mainly resorted to trickery reminiscent of Kido Asato freezing him with his shadow powers or Hiei kidnapping Keiko Yukimura to defeat him.

All of the Chojin's Shin Ju ended up as weaklings compared to Urameshi. Each and every one of them. To go against them with his full powers would be a waste of effort.

Like lighting a candle with a flamethrower or cutting grass with a chainsaw. Complete overkill.

Then again, wasn't this also the reason why Toguro, even though he was only B-Level, tended to hide his power level or only use a percentage of his power?

Huh. They were more alike than he thought.

***

Botan smiled in spite of herself. Or rather, her lips curved upward on their own and then said things not of her own volition due to her astral body's second inhabitant: Kaoru Kamiya.

"There it is. The Perfect God. That's Yahiko's answer to mastering the Mujinken."

A hundred years or so ago, Kaoru originally taught Yahiko the Tenchijinken (forethought-based techniques involving the prediction of an opponent's moves) and taught Yutaro Tsukayama the Mujinken (reflex-based techniques that reacted to whatever the opponent did in the heat of the moment) to fill in their respective weaknesses.

The two were actually more suited for each other's techniques, since Yahiko fought more off-the-cuff while Yutaro fought more methodically.

She intentionally sealed away the techniques that played to the two's strengths so that they could overcome their weaknesses with the opposite techniques, believing that someday they'd figure out how to do each other's ultimate attacks down the line anyway.

While the Inga Gami showed Yahiko's version of methodical fighting (with him focusing on every counterstrike to unleash the best counters without any wasted movement or energy), it was the instinctual Banzen Gami that showed his fullest potential.

Yahiko was more of a natural with the Perfect God than the Karmic God. It was the opposite for the more thoughtful Yutaro (who now went by the name and identity of Natsuki Shinkai/Xinhai).

"INSECT!" sneered Houji, his wide eyes glowing red, his voice booming like thunder as he produced what seemed like an endless stream of shikigami. Only for Myojin to seemingly cut and disintegrate them with a couple of reflexive waves of his sakabatou.

He wasn't even looking at the reapers as every reflexive slice of his blunt sword blew them apart and sent them to oblivion, his gaze aimed solely at Sadojima

The miasma of black jaki turned into white and blue shining reiki as Myojin neutralized it and Kaoru converted it into pure reiki. Once he reached Houji, their respective weapons clashed, the entire area split between the morning light colors from behind Yahiko and the pitch-black darkness from behind Sadojima.

It was like the clash of day and night, with the point of impact serving as their dusk or dawn. Twilight or daybreak.

To Houji's alarm, his scythe then started to crack and break. 'What the HELL is with this stupid brat!? I thought our only real threats are the Youkiri Battousai and Urameshi Yusuke! Chojin-sama, HELP!'

***

Instead of going down from the barrage of Rei-Gan shots, Toguro merely said, "Stop wasting energy," as though Yusuke left the light or electric fan turned on or something.

To Yusuke's surprise (or perhaps disappointment), the B-Class Toguro reacted to the Spirit Gun bombardment the exact same way as he did during the Ankoku Bujutsukai (Dark Martial Arts Tournament): By attempting to charge at the growing spirit energy bullets to stop them with his bare hands and feet as well as his purely anabolic, hugely muscular body.

And just like that, it was over. With Toguro face down on the ground, his body shattered and torn from its exploded musculature. A tall, lean husk of its former self.

Another one bit the dust. Like the rest of Yusuke's revived enemies that came back stronger because of the Chojin but not quite strong enough to take him on.

To Yusuke's mild surprise, Toguro was still "alive".  Or this revived zombie version of himself made by the Chojin's own personal Dr. Frankenstein was still moving.

The muscleman mercenary then said, "I'm merely at B-Level and I was able to push you this far? Your fighting senses have dulled, Urameshi Yusuke."

"Oh really? Well, I've discovered that at this point, no one could beat me but myself. You're welcome to prove me wrong, though," said Yusuke.

Again, Urameshi pulled something right out of Toguro's playbook. They both looked down on people who weren't on their level.

Toguro looked up at the night sky, which rekindled his memories. The Shichousei (Death Omen Star, also known as the Lifespan Star, Jumyoboshi, Alcor, or 80 Ursae Majoris) wasn't present near the Big Dipper.

"I can't see the Shichousei in the heavens."

"W-What are you talking about, Toguro? Have you gone cuckoo?"

Legend had it that when two warriors fought to the death under the Star of Death and it shone upon one of them, that person would die.

Was the star missing because he was already dead? Or because this wasn't much of a death match?

Fine. He'd turn this match into a death match then.

On the other hand, other Japanese myths and legends alleged that when a person couldn't see the Lifespan Star, he'd pass away within a year. That was appropriate since Toguro himself was not alive anymore.

Thusly, every broken bone from his body reset and healed, but instead of going back to normal, they formed sharp calcified bone spurs that protruded right out of his craggy, callused body like horns or thorns.

"...I knew it! You still had another form after 100%, you son of a bitch! CHOU REI-GAN! (MEGA SPIRIT GUN!)"

As Toguro got a power boost from the way his body decided to recover from his injuries, he punched back the Chou Rei-Gan Yusuke fired at his changing form before punching the teenager as well with his bone spur claws on his fist right at the moment of impact, quadrupling its effect.

He just jumped from Class-B to Class-A in a mere second.

"Ooof!" The world-stopping punch emptied the air from Yusuke's lungs.

"My former 100% has actually become less than a percentage point of my power, but for the sake of giving you a point of reference, I'll base my power increases on what was 100% of my power."

He grew about as big as his 100% of 100% form, perhaps even a little bigger, but this time around the demonized behemoth's black hair turned as grey as steel along with the rest of his vascular body that was covered with huge bony protrusions.

"So you can call this form of mine as me at 500% of my power."

"Whatever! HYAKU RETSU-KEN! (HUNDRED RENDING FISTS!)"

Appropriately enough, the attack Yusuke then used in response to Toguro's transformation was one he saw on television from his favorite anime show as a child of the 1980s, "Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star)".

The Shichousei or Death Omen Star was, after all, also referenced by the same program.

Honestly, it was just Urameshi going ham on an opponent by randomly striking his heavy-handed punches at every opening available to him, with him naming the "technique" after the fact.

***

The devastation of the Okushiri Military base extended outward, with the pairs of Kazuma and Yumi as well as Sanosuke and Itsuki traveling eastward in a trail of devastation that followed Yahiko's own blaze of glory.

The green comet that was the Tokyo Samurai Descendant clashed and burned through the spherical cloud of miasma protecting Sadojima, like a shooting star entering the atmosphere.

The two pairs of enemies fought tooth and nail for proper positioning. The Reikai Senshi pushed the Chojin's forces back to protect Myojin from their interference.

Sanosuke punched through everything Itsuki threw at him from his hyperdimensional portals and busted portal gun. Sano also dodged the dense scattershot black holes and threw pavement debris at the Gatekeeper for good measure.  

Meanwhile, Kazuma fought from afar using his blade that can literally cut through anything and anywhere in order to slash apart every attempt of the wind vampire Yumi to blast tornadoes and energy-absorbing jaki at him.

Finally, Myojin himself struck the Chojin's (and at this point, it was the Chojin controlling the Onmyouji) scythe hard, the blade covered in miasma and dark energy.

The tides of battle then turned.

Using the jaki Kaoru purified into reiki, Yahiko's green aura became denser and denser, creating a white shining void at the center of his body that sucked the darkness of the Chojin away. Acting like a reverse black hole or even white hole that absorbed all of the Overfiend's darkness into his pure light.

'This is it, Botan,' thought Kaoru "telepathically". 'This is the power of Mu (Void). The power of emptiness.'

'Emptiness...?' repeated the ferry-girl.

'Yes. A true martial artist is able to fight with instinct, freeing his mind of all thought and distractions, leading to a Zen State. Yahiko manifested this Zen State into his unique skill: Neutralizing spiritual energy.'

A second later, all energy from everyone dissipated, and from there Houji's scythe shattered like glass as both he and Yahiko plummeted into the docks of the Okushiri Pier.  

The samurai spirit fell into Ryu Tsui Sen (Dragon Hammer Flash) stance and slammed Sadojima into one of the metal crates of the pier below them with an emphatic crash.  

"You stupid kid! I'll show you! ETERNAL...! Wait, what?! My powers are gone!"

Yumi Komagata attempted to do the Hi-Ougi (Hidden Art) of Vampire Martial Arts—a move stronger than the energy-sapping Blood Wind—but nothing of the sort manifested before her. Her aura, the energy she gathered from sucking many a soldier's blood, had disappeared.

The same happened to Itsuki, who couldn't summon his Reverse-Man or escape into his pocket dimension any longer.

Yahiko's reiki had also went out, which normally was dangerous for a ghost but he somehow reached homeostasis with the way he cancelled out the Chojin's jaki.

His dense green aura had now completely neutralized the powers of everyone near him instead of merely mitigating their flow, including the now unconscious Onmyouji.

Like how no light could escape the event horizon of a black hole, not one shadow of the Chojin's dark energy could exist amidst the blinding green light of Yahiko's converging spiritual aura.

However, as a consequence, even Yahiko's allies lost their powers as well, as though he was acting as the reverse version of the Onmyouji. Instead of boosting the powers of those in his vicinity, he nullified them.

Regardless, Sanosuke and Kuwabara immediately took advantage of the loss of powers from Itsuki and Yumi with their physical strength, with the former beating Itsuki to a pulp and Kuwabara breaking the umbrella and fan of Komagata bareheaded before tackling and pinning her down.

"Give it up, lady. You lost," said Kuwabara. "You can't cheat your way out of this one by resurrecting your goons every time we defeat them. Your precious Onmyouji's down for the count."

Yahiko "heaved" a sigh of relief despite being a solidified ghost who didn't need to breathe. "It's finally over."

Botan giggled in glee. "We did it! You did it! The number one pupil of Kamiya Kasshin! I'm so proud of you, Yahiko!" The last few parts of that statement was Kaoru talking.  

Sano looked at his own bloody fists and winced. 'We've won, but why do I feel like it's not yet over? Like there's still something afoot.'

Even though the blood from his right fist wasn't his own but Itsuki's, it burned and ached something fierce. Like he broke his hand or something. 'What's going on? I have a bad feeling about this.'

Sanosuke's bad feeling then turned into reality.

***

At Class-A, Yusuke Urameshi's Hyaku Retsu-Ken would've turned the B-Plus Toguro into mince meat. Or roadkill.

At Class-S, his Hyaku Retsu-Ken would've turned mountains like Mt. Kannon, Mt. Kamui, and even Mt. Fuji into molehills, plains, or even outright trenches and canyons as deep as the United States of America's Grand Canyon.

Like he was a pint-sized Paul Bunyan.

The teenager harrumphed. "Really? 500%? Like I'm fighting 5 Toguros at the same time? So what? That's still nothing compared to the demons I've faced since defeating you, Toguro...!"

The bone-breaking punches cracked the shell of Toguro's chitinous muscle armor bit by bit. However, in turn, Toguro let his fists fly as well but in a more methodical manner.

Targeting his punches at Yusuke's openings rather than punching randomly. Using his martial arts experience to take down the stronger foe.  

His bony yet muscular fists pounded on Yusuke's smaller body, cracking bones here and there.

Yusuke's fists ached from every punch he did on the rock-solid body of Toguro, the multitude of Spirit Cuffs holding his power back also getting pushed to their limit. The restraining cuffs and seals he placed upon himself were at their near breaking point from him merely flexing his immense power.

Thank goodness the likes of Yomi, Mukuro, Enki, and the rest of Raizen's friends (as well as Raizen himself when he was alive) put him in his place early on regarding what real power looked like, or else he'd be full of himself right about now.

The Toguro with chitinous bone spurs and keratinous horns all over his muscle-bound body ended up breaking each and every one of his thick, calcified bones from the impact of Yusuke's attacks.

Toguro's bones rattled as micro-tears appeared all over his muscles and tendons. Despite this, he pushed forward. Like his older brother, he healed quickly, which alerted Urameshi that he still had something in his sleeve.

"All right. Then how about this? TAKO NAGURI!"

The Octopus Assault—Yusuke's version of the Kuzu Ryu Sen (Nine-Dragon Flash) that hit 8 times instead of 9 times in an instant—hammered the horned gray body of the zombified and demonized Toguro before he could get the chance to stab, gore, or spear Yusuke with his many protruding bone spurs.

Urameshi once heard that it took either 23,034 slaps to cook a chicken. Either that, or a slap traveling at 1,665.65 meters per second.

He wasn't sure about the math, but he cooked Toguro's goose at a rate of 8-16 punches a second with every punch traveling at 1,000-2,000 meters per second, so it would've took about 20 minutes of non-stop Tako Naguri to get to around 20,000 punches or 2,500 super-powered Tako Naguri.

Or he would've cooked/burned 20,000 whole chickens with his speedy punches at around the same time it took to cook a chicken in the oven.

However, it was at the second minute that Urameshi broke his hand. He hit a hard shell reminiscent of Usui's shield.

From the pile of minced meat, torn muscle cords, and viscera emerged yet another Toguro form.

What stood before him wasn't the spurred behemoth Toguro but instead a fully armored Toguro, with every inch of his body covered in craggy white bone.

As though his shattered bones healed wrong and ended up calcifying right on top of his pulsating muscles. He broke the calcified armor in sections by flexing his limbs in order to give his new outer shell moving joints.

It also made him look like a white lobster man, thought Yusuke in chagrin.

"This is 1,000% of my power. 100 times the power of my 100% self."

***

At the Okushiri Pier, around 9:47 PM...

The mangled remains of a man landed right in front of Reikai's finest from out of the shadows of the dark harbor.

The Reikai Senshi (and their accompanying shinigami) then felt goose bumps form at the napes of their necks—even the ghostly ones that didn't even have tangible skin, blood, or hair to make such a sensation possible.

Even Itsuki, whom Sano beat from pillar to post with bare-knuckle fisticuffs, looked none the worse for wear compared to the person before them.

He was bathed in blood and his torn clothes were dyed crimson because of it. He looked like he'd been ravaged by a pack of wolves.

The only thing recognizable about him was that he was male.  Probably.

Sanosuke was the first one to try and poke at the figure to see who it was. If he had a ten-foot pole, he'd prod the man with it. As it was, thanks to Yahiko manifesting his full neutralization powers, Sano couldn't even summon one zanbatou right now.

The street fighter then stumbled back, which made Kazuma ask, "What's wrong? Who is it? Is that one of the Chojin's Shin Ju or whatever?"

Botan gulped, hoping against hope that the man before them was the injured body of one of the New Ten Swords instead of one of the Spirit World Warriors.

Before Sano could answer, someone else answered for him.

"That's what remains of Hajime Saito. The former captain of the Shinsengumi's Third Unit."

"...What? Who said that?" demanded Yahiko.

The Reikai Tantei, the shinigami, and the Kenshingumi then turned in time to see the silhouette of a pony-tailed person from the distance.

There stood a human(?) of about S-Level power with sleeked-back hair, a lengthy ponytail, and a half-undone kimono that showed off his rippling swimmer's muscles on his long build.

As realization dawned on them one by one, their mouths went agape, practically unhinged from their upper jaw.

The blood drained from Kuwabara's face while the three spiritual beings' faces (Botan/Kaoru, Sano, and Yahiko) looked more transparent than usual.

The ghosts all looked like they'd seen a ghost (ironically enough), forgetting they were ghosts themselves. Gasping for air they couldn't breathe anymore.

Even Kuwabara, who was alive, looked like he'd seen a ghost himself or even turned into one.

The man, who himself was a bloody mess with stabs wounds and cuts at every inch of his body, held something in his arms.

It was his trophy. His prize after a hard day's battle.

It was the head of his enemy. It was the head of Hajime Saito.

Botan screamed. Or rather, Kaoru did.

The Kamiya Kasshin Master couldn't believe that Kenshin's greatest rival who was so famous he became a Japanese historical figure later on had been defeated.

On the other hand, Botan—through centuries of being a death goddess—had seen worse things before, so she was desensitized enough to not scream. Her own feeling of dread was around the same level as Kaoru's, though.

The pony-tailed assassin then took one look at the Kenshingumi sans Kenshin, the Reikai Tantei sidekick, and their shinigami babysitter then sighed.

"Oh, no one but weaklings left? Pathetic. Imagine, after such a delicious meal, I'm left with leftovers and expired food."

The new arrival then placed Saito's head beside the rest of his body. Almost reverently. "Rest in peace, Saito Hajime. You were truly a worthy rival. I acknowledge you."

"You killed Officer Fujita! You BASTARD!" screamed Kuwabara, a knife-sized Rei-Ken ablaze with reiki and righteous indignation in his grip.

Kazuma would've produced a full-length Jigen Tou with the rage he felt, but Yahiko's neutralizing presence kept his powers in check.

"Wait. Boke (Fool), he's...!" Sano trailed off, moving in front of Kuwabara to block him from doing anything hasty. 'If anyone's going to do something hasty, it was going to be me!' thought Sagara.

"Who are you?" said Yahiko as he pointed his sakabatou at the stranger.

"I'm Youkiri Tenro (Tenro the Demon-Slayer). Remember that name before I send you back to Heaven."

***

Yusuke quickly checked his Spirit Detector. Toguro was now at A-Level with his Bone Armor form. Around the same power level as the most powerful members of the Reikai Tokubetsu Bouetai (Spirit World Special Forces).

This turn of events definitely piqued his interest. Somewhat. Maybe this time, he'd get the battle he so craved from this new version of Toguro since being defeated by Yomi in the Makai Tournament.

However, the extra layer of bone armor made it harder for Yusuke to break apart Toguro's muscle armor with mere punches, no matter what velocity he reached.

As though Toguro now had double the armor.

Also, in turn, the Class-A Toguro Ototo pummeled and stabbed Yusuke with earth-shattering strikes from his bony fists, horns, and claws as well as shattered pieces of his bone armor that kept calcifying and regrowing over and over. Layer by layer. Like samurai armor or shingles on the roof.

Stubbornly, the bloody and bruised Yusuke kept on punching the armored demon to push him away and give himself breathing room.

The bony yet muscle-bound contradiction of a monster that looked ridiculously gigantic yet unencumbered by his musculature having an extra layer of armor on top of it, turning him into a veritable tank with the speed of a Mack truck. He even hit like a truck.

However, as his wounds healed in Toguro Ani fashion, Urameshi realized that he had long ago surpassed the version of him that could get killed by being hit by a car. Or a truck. Or a tank. Or perhaps even a nuclear warhead. Maybe.

"Rei-Kou-Dan (Spirit Light Wave Bullet)."

One of his Spirit Cuffs broke as he put his hip into his punches and imbued his fists with actual spiritual power. They were already harder than steel because of the spirit energy contained within his body. When he emanated reiki from inside and outside himself, his punches also become explosive.

One reiki-imbued punch was all it took for him to crack the bone armor of Toguro at 1,000%. However, he wasn't done.

Perhaps he might have gone overboard, but he decided to punch Toguro 20,000 times in 3 minutes rather than 20 minutes. But it sure felt like 20 minutes.

Furthermore, these weren't just physical punches. His fists were set on fire with spiritual energy this time around. He shot out 20,000 Rei-Kou-Dan blasts, to be more precise.

Every supersonic punch had the impact of a blockbuster bomb, with it breaking the sound barrier and sending extra shockwaves to Toguro and all. Perhaps he'd become even more explosive than multiple blockbusters.

Perhaps Yusuke had turned into a teenaged nuke or warhead himself.

However, out of the mangled mess of bone armor emerged yet another Toguro. The armor that should've served as his coffin ended up becoming his cocoon for his newest metamorphosis. Which, to Yusuke's surprise, made him breathe a sigh in relief.

Yes! He could still push himself even further!

Was this excited feeling the same one that Toguro felt when, just a few years prior, Yusuke was able to withstand the might of 80% of his power when he killed Genkai in cold blood?

Regardless, a bronze-skinned, taller, and four-armed Toguro emerged from all that mush and burnt flesh he'd become earlier, impossibly towering even higher over Yusuke than before. His current ginormous form made his former seven-foot form look normal-sized in comparison.

His muscles were like taut steel cords now, like those used in heavy-duty tires and conveyer belts. Perhaps even harder. They were definitely harder than the pieces of thick calcified bone armor that they crushed like egg shells with a simple collective body flex.

"This is 100,000% of my power. This is what fighting 1,000 clones of my 100% self looks like."

Yusuke thought for a second what Toguro meant by that, only for him to test the theory out with an additional 20,000 Rei-Kou-Dan blasts in a minute. 20,000 palm blocks later and Urameshi now had a better idea of what his nemesis meant, followed by 20,000 counterpunches in between those blocks.

All in a minute's time.

'100,000% Toguro? He didn't even bother going to 10,000%? Jeez!' Urameshi thought as he got hit with a two-armed lariat that dragged his body across the landscape and river like a trailer home in a tornado.

This was it. This was the A-Plus version of Toguro.

Yusuke couldn't even hide the grin from his face even as this newest form of Toguro beat him to the punch every time.

Toguro at 100,000% had even tighter and tauter musculature with enough strength and torque behind them to break bones to dust. His ripcord muscles could handle punching velocities similar to that of or even faster than Yusuke's.

It also didn't help that Toguro now had a body that could accommodate four arms, thus giving him twice the hand speed and arm speed due to his literal extra limbs.

***

"...SHISHIO!" screamed Sanosuke at Tenro, his blood (ectoplasm) boiling. His right fist, which Makoto Shishio broke, pulsating like a second heart.

Even though Tenro wasn't wearing bandages and his skin wasn't burned to a crisp, Sano could recognize that voice and that demeanor anywhere.

'Shishio?' thought Kuwabara. So Tenro was the man who founded the original Juppon Gatana? Kenshin's greatest rival? The man who ultimately caused Kenshin's demise? The man who might actually be the alter ego of the Chojin himself?

The guy who not only pushed Hiei to his limits, but also possibly two of the Demon World's three kings, Yomi and Mukuro? Was Tenro Shishio's reincarnation or something...?

Before they knew it, they were suddenly faced with the final boss of the game.

The fighting spirit of Sanosuke rose high enough for him to defy the nullifying presence of Yahiko and form half of a zanbatou in his hands, which he swung at the (presumably) non-burned version or reincarnation of the ex-hitokiri and Meiji rebel known as Makoto Shishio.

With one swing of Tenro's Mugen Jin (Unlimited Blade) sword, Sagara's suspicions were confirmed.

"Secret Sword One: HOMURA DAMA!"

Shishio's signature Homura Dama (Burning Soul) technique where his sword burst into flame clashed hard against the 6-foot (normally 12-foot) horse-chopping sword, smelting it in the process like a blacksmith's forge in a shower of sparks.

"A weakling like usual, Sagara Sanosuke," sneered Tenro. "It's been a while, though."

"I don't understand. Wasn't Shishio supposed to look like a mummy or something? He's some guy who was burnt to a crisp and covered in bandages, right?" said Kazuma.

Sano answered, "Yeah, but obviously it's been 100 years. He must've found a way to get a new body, or ended up with a solidified soul, or got reincarnated as this Tenro clown."

Myojin gulped. He considered deactivating his powers to allow either Kuwabara or Sanosuke to attack the youkiri. However, if Tenro was this powerful with his spiritual power nullified, how much more powerful could he get when Yahiko's powers ceased working?

The disheveled Yumi then cackled in the background, the hole in her chest throbbing with a ghostly heart that the man before her had "stolen" from her.

"It's about time you got here, Tenro. What took you so long? Don't tell me the Miburo (Mibu's Wolf) gave you all that you can handle and then some."

Tenro harrumphed. "Perish the thought, Yumi. I merely gave my respects first to the Shinsengumi in the Battle of Hakodate Monument, and guess who I also found there? That's right, our favorite Shinsengumi Captain, Saito Hajime."

'Hakodate?!' thought Yahiko. 'That's four hours away from Okushiri! All the way on the other side of Hokkaido, at that!'

Sanosuke himself snarled at Tenro, his fist burning with pain and fire, as though it remembered how Makoto had shattered it when they'd faced each other back at Mt. Hiei.

'Hakodate is the place that served as the Shinsengumi's last stand. Did Saito go there to pay his respects to his squad? In the middle of our war against the Shin Ju? It's not like him to be so sentimental.'

The street fighter spared a glance at the remains of Hajime Saito. Unbelievable. Just earlier, he pushed several of the Shin Juppon Gatana to their limits, but now he ended up as dead as the rest of the original Shinsengumi.

Well, Saito himself was supposed to already be dead and buried in the first place, but this time around he got killed off for real by Shishio. Or Tenro, which was probably the reincarnation of Shishio.

Kuwabara turned towards Yahiko and said, "Kid, turn off your powers! I'm going to face off with the final boss one-on-one at my full strength!"

"But...!" the ghost kid trailed off before Botan filled in the rest.

"Kuwabara-kun, he can't. He's the only one sealing Tenro's immense power. If he was able to do that to Saito, imagine what he could do to us! Let Yahiko seal his power for now until either Kenshin or Yusuke arrives!" warned the ferry-girl.

"I DON'T CARE!" shouted Kazuma. "Let us face him at his full strength while we're also at full strength! As a real man, I won't back down!"

Tenro smirked. "Fine then. If you're not bluffing then come at me. In this world and beyond it, the same rules of nature apply. Only the strongest survive and the weak are food for the strong."

Sano's eyes narrowed. That convinced him that the man before him really was Shishio. That was totally a Shishio-type line. 'It's now or never. We just have to keep him here until either Kenshin or that delinquent best friend of Boke arrives!'

***

"REI-KOU-DAN!" shouted Urameshi, his Spirit Wave Light Bullets bursting through his fist like bolts of lightning from a Railgun.

The 100,000% Toguro blocked the punch with his elbow, shattering Yusuke's hand bones in the process. "Is this the power of an S-Level? Don't make me laugh. Me at 100,000% of my power is enough for you."

Toguro then grabbed hold of Urameshi's limbs with all four of his arms in a bid to tear the teenager apart literally from limb to limb.

Yusuke considered Toguro's statement for a second and then said, "Fuck that," before flipping the four-armed monster off with his right hand.

The mere idea that someone like Feng Xinhai or The "Beautiful" Suzuki was more powerful than Toguro just didn't sit well with Urameshi. At all.

At any rate, the middle finger he raised at the 100,000% Toguro then flowed with energy he'd been saving for a special occasion.

Yusuke discovered that he could actually save and store his dormant spirit energy as a reserve or extra Spirit Gun blast for use in case of emergencies since it usually took forever and a day to charge his Rei-Gan.

The energy for this one he'd been gathering for weeks' on end.

Also, in order for him to not mistakenly fire off his reserve Rei-Gan, he had this special energy bullet stored in his middle finger. This was how the new technique that he improvised when facing off against the S-Level Xinhai ultimately evolved.

This was his "Fuck You!" Spirit Gun. Also known as the "FAKKU GAN! (FUCK GUN!)"

The 100,000% Toguro chucked Yusuke away like a hot potato in order to better dodge the point-blank spiritual projectile then punted the Fuck Gun back to the teenager who fired it.

However, by instinct borne from his hundreds of fights against spiritually powerful humans and demons, Yusuke jumped away from the Fakku Gan, grabbed Toguro by the ankle, dragged him towards the ball of plasma fire he actually outran, and then threw the monster back into its path.

From there, as the 100,000% Toguro braced himself for impact, Urameshi emerged from behind him. Attacking him from the rear for good measure.

Toguro was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. Or between a demon and his energy blast.

"REI-KOU-DAN! SHOT GUN!" screamed the half-demon prince.

While the Fakku Gan blasted and disintegrated the giant from the front, Yusuke attacked with his Spirit Light Wave Bullets and reiki scattershot from behind, which kept even the four-armed monstrosity from defending himself from the upcoming onslaught surrounding him.

The charged-up blasts of energy in particle and wave forms bore on Toguro like plasma tides or a solar wind. An endless series of reiki tidal waves from the vast ocean of Urameshi's power.

Thanks to the extra pressure brought about by his stored energy blast from many weeks ago, Yusuke's Rei-Kou-Dan was able to penetrate deep into Toguro's core. The technique ripped apart the steel cord muscles of Toguro as they got softened by the comet of energy that cooked him alive.  

Then, as Yusuke had hoped deep in his unbeating heart, the mangled Toguro changed form yet again.

The same heart that stopped beating after Shinobu Sensui first pierced it felt like it had started beating again in anticipation. In excitement. In nostalgia, even.

Toguro still had more forms and powers up his sleeve. Just like old times.

And from there, out of the ashes and melted muscle of the 100,000% Toguro came forth the One Million Percent Toguro.

"One Million Percent. This is me at One Million Percent of my power, Urameshi Yusuke."

***

Kuwabara and Sanosuke attacked Tenro at the same time while Yahiko struggled on the spot to focus all his neutralizing powers on the Shishio reincarnation(?) alone.

Botan checked her Spirit Detector again. Hope sprouted anew within her heart. 'Yes! Tenro's power level went down to A-Level. He's still on the cusp of S-Level, but at least he's not as powerful as someone like Sensui or Xinhai! We have a chance!'

Tenro frowned. His aura of jaki had become fainter and weaker due to Myojin's powers.

'Hmmm. The Shin Ju had warned me about this impudent brat. Even Toguro Ani couldn't heal properly thanks to this kid's neutralizing reiki.'

As Yahiko slowly mastered his neutralization powers so that only Tenro was affected by them, the energy levels of Kuwabara and Sanosuke went up higher and higher than before, their auras flaring with spiritual might that was boosted by Botan's healing powers for good measure.

"JIGEN TOU!" screamed Kazuma, summoning his Dimension Sword.

"ZANBATOU!" shouted Sanosuke, producing his 12-foot long Horse-Chopping Sword.

"How appropriate. Isn't this just a reflection of today's society? The weak are using their great numbers to suppress their betters, not realizing that without the strong to lead them or the will to become strong themselves, they will end up extinct. The world stands on the shoulders of giants."

"SHADDAP! I don't know who you are, but all's fair in love and war," declared Kuwabara.

"Not all men are created equal. Like in the Animal Kingdom, some men are simply better than others. Equal opportunity doesn't guarantee equal results. Forcing equal results in an aberration of nature, like forcing animals to act like men, the pinnacle of evolution."

Tenro used a bare hand to grab hold of Kuwabara's Dimension Sword and used his other hand holding the saw-like Mugen Jin to block the full-length zanbatou.

"Ganging up on the strong can lead to the survival of the weak temporarily. However, their own respective weaknesses will sort them out. Their celebration of mediocrity will make them food for other apex predators in the future or have them subjugated by any of their own who decide to become rams instead of sheep."

The Youkiri then broke the Jigen Tou apart like it was made of cardboard instead of pure energy and stabbed Sanosuke's chest with it while also melting the zanbatou with his Mugen Jin's Homura Dama.

"Regardless, it is better to live one day as a lion than one hundred years as a sheep. These are... THE RULES OF NATURE!"

"AUGH!" grunted Sanosuke, his recently recovered soul flickering in and out of existence, his chest spewing ectoplasm, and his aura dissipating into pinpoints of light like a disturbed nest of bioluminescent fireflies.

He felt the light inside him slowly fade all the while.

"Bastard...!" said Kazuma, who repurposed the broken shards of his Jigen Tou and shot it pointblank at Youkiri Tenro's face, turning them into "REI-SHURIKEN!"

He should've hit him with the projectiles from a distance, though. The first few blades bounced off of the intense aura of jaki that covered Tenro's body like armor, which reminded Kuwabara of the aura that Detective Matsudaira developed.

Reiatsu (Spirit pressure).

Tenro's aura was dense enough to become spirit pressure reminiscent of Bui from the Toguro Team. Or Yusuke whenever he unleashed his full power.

So this was the Chojin's secret weapon? If not the Chojin himself altogether?

The demon-slayer then grabbed the teenager's wrist and redirected the shuriken at Sano again, injuring him further. From there, he broke Kuwabara's hand altogether then grabbed him by the collar, declaring, "Secret Sword Two: GUREN KAINA! (CRIMSON LOTUS ARM!)"

Using his Mugen Jin to ignite the gunpowder-laced glove, the youkiri blasted Kuwabara with the force of a bomb.

The gunpowder-inside-the-glove trick that Shishio used on Kenshin was also used against Kazuma, with the explosion violently blowing him away. A hundred years ago, Makoto's hand was kept safe from the blast using a special metal gauntlet underneath the glove full of gunpowder that resisted the impact.

Tenro somehow ended up doing an even stronger version of the Guren Kaina that was imbued with the chaotic negative energy of the Chojin, which made the explosion strong enough to injure a human with the A-Class power level of Kuwabara.

Yahiko's power-suppressing aura didn't help in this case.

Tenro then shot the samurai ghost teen a look that chilled him to his "bones" or "spine". The youkiri then declared, "You will not drag me down to your level. Know your place, child."

However, while Tenro was distracted, the flickering spirit of Sanosuke stabbed the youkiri with hot molten metal of what was left of his sword in a spectacular display of sparks.

This was Sano's one chance of making a dent, so he had to make it count. However, as he attempted to punch Tenro's heart out, his hand ended up crushed with the youkiri's elbow block.

With a harrumph, Tenro proceeded to punch Sanosuke on the forehead, just like when Sano fought Shishio. "You never learn."

"I don't understand," murmured the Kaoru inside Botan's body. "Isn't Yahiko's aura supposed to suppress Tenro's powers too? Why is he still so strong!?"

She then noticed the unconscious Itsuki open his eyes and wake up, which led her to keep her guard up.

The black-and-blue Itsuki chuckled, tracing his finger over the scar Kuwabara had made on his face back when the Reikai Tantei faced off against Shinobu Sensui. "Y-You don't understand. This is him with his power held back."

"W-What do you mean? That's impossible!" Botan checked her Spirit Detector. "Oh no. His power is fluctuating between A-Level and S-Level when earlier it was just A-Level. That can't be! How powerful is he?"

Sneering, Itsuki said, "Who knows? Rumor has it he's about as powerful as one of the Former Three Kings—Mukuro, Yomi, and even the Late Raizen. He might even reach the mythical X-Level like Kurama did when he took hold of the Demon Sword."

Botan's face went pale blue as though unseen hands suddenly grabbed hold of her thin neck. "X-Level?!"

She remembered the event like it was yesterday.

The Spirit World went on high alert when Kurama went Class-X after wielding the Youtou Shinnoken (Demon Sword). They even called the entire Reikai Bouetai in. Not that it would've done them any good, since the Special Forces were composed of Class-A agents and Class-X was a level beyond Class-S.

She couldn't even fathom how strong an X-Level was since Kurama immediately rejected the Demon Sword, which transformed him back into his "human" self.

However, stronger than Yomi, Mukuro, or Raizen gave her a ballpark estimate of what they were dealing with. Someone as strong as or stronger than a Raizen-possessed Yusuke who ragdolled the mountain-destroying Sensui with ease.

All the same, Tenro stood victorious over the beaten figures of Sanosuke and Kuwabara.

"Will you become rams or sheep? Lions or feral street cats? Wolves or mongrel dogs? Can you evolve and turn into apex predators yourselves? It's natural selection. Kill or be killed. Make your choice."

***

The peaceful Tsurikake River had now become a war zone. A swamp in one part and a desert in another.

It was Baghdad. It was bedlam.

The 1,000,000% Toguro was there at the epicenter of the devastation. A nuke all his own. An unnatural force of nature.

An over-muscled demonized human even taller than his 100,000% version. A walking contradiction of chaos and order.

He had no skin now. He was all pure, red muscle and tendons pulsating and wriggling in every which way.

He also had six arms instead of two or four, with him towering even higher than before because he had to elongate his torso to cartoonish levels just to accommodate his extra pair of limbs.

Curious at how strong this Toguro was, Yusuke flipped the bird on Toguro with his other hand.

Yes, he had also stored another Fuck Gun on his other hand, with about the same amount of potential spiritual energy gathered for multiple weeks since he fired his first Fakku Gan at Feng Xinhai.

"FAKKU GAN!"

Again, Urameshi blasted all of his pent-up "Fuck You!" energy at Toguro by flipping him off, shooting the bolt of concentrated lightning that came out with the force of a shooting star.

Again, he outran the modified reserve Rei-Gan and came up from behind the six-armed insectoid Toguro with the intent of making sure he got hit by it.

He then attacked Toguro with both hands using the Rei-Gan and Shot Gun.

"DOUBLE-BARRELED SHOT GUN! DOUBLE BERRETTA REI-GAN!"

Those extra pair of hands on an even bigger and sturdier body made all the difference.

Two of six arms grabbed and held back the charged-for-weeks Rei-Gan. Another two of the arms parried and blocked all of Yusuke's energy-laden punches as well as the projectiles blasting through them.

This freed up the Million-Percent Toguro's two remaining hands that grabbed hold of Yusuke and pummeled him into submission.

The Younger Toguro utilized punches that carved the landscape. Made and destroyed mountains.

The kind of unnatural force of nature (as contradictory as it sounded) that could affect plate tectonics, weather patterns, or change the area forever, like in the case of Mt. St. Helens when it exploded or the nine ghost villages of France that remained wastelands to this day thanks to the Battle of Verdun in the First World War.  

If Yusuke's reiki-dense body weren't there to absorb the blows they would've shattered and sunk Okushiri right off of the map.

Even though Urameshi was breathing through his mouth, had lost several teeth, and ended up with a shattered jaw he couldn't close, he couldn't help but grin. Or at least do an open-mouthed smile.

"I'm beating you to the punch at every turn. So why is it...?" Toguro tilted his head to the side in askance. "Why do you have such a happy look on your face?"

Disturbingly, Yusuke's teeth grew back. They weren't supposed to do that but they did. Even accelerated human healing wouldn't allow the return of lost permanent teeth. All his bruises healed. All his broken bones mended themselves. His shut black eye's swelling subsided and went back to normal.

There he hung from Toguro's grip. Smiling. None the worse for wear save for torn clothes that couldn't restore themselves to their previous state.

"Come on, Toguro. You can do better than this, you son of a bitch! Gimme your best shot!"

Toguro then proceeded to smash Yusuke and his own heavenly body of a Fakku Gan together, which resulted in a mushroom cloud of pure destructive power.

Another atomic blast had hit Japan.

Toguro the Younger turned Urameshi into the atomic bomb he was afraid he had become.

***

Back at the Okushiri Pier, two things happened.

Botan, using the wealth of leftover negative energy that Kaoru purified earlier, again started healing the damage inflicted upon the available Reikai Senshi.

Kuwabara and Sanosuke stirred, as if shot by multiple doses of adrenalin.

Also, when the youkiri decided to deal with the shinigami herself to keep her from aiding her comrades, Yahiko himself confronted and attacked Tenro head on.

For all the good it did. Bless his ghostly heart.

"DOU GAMI...! (GOD ON EARTH!)" shouted Yahiko, hoping against hope it'd land on Tenro's head or sword or at least near him so that he'd get pelted by rocks and debris.

'So this is Shishio. The leader of the Juppon Gatana. Kenshin's most powerful rival,' the samurai spirit thought.

Tenro caught the reverse-edged blade between his fingers before it could make contact with him or the Mugen Jin. The God Hammer relied on recoil to give Yahiko enough space to consecutively strike something or someone three times fast in order to break their resistance and apply a zero-resistance strike.

No recoil meant the technique was neutralized.

Myojin's jaw dropped. "How...!?"

"So you're the brat who can neutralize spirit energy," said Tenro with narrowed eyes that traveled from Houji's unconscious form then all the way back to Yahiko.

Readjusting his grip of the sword tight with a gloved hand that smelled of gunpowder and negative spirit energy, Tenro again did the "GUREN KAINA!" on the blade.

The explosion blasted Myojin clear away from (presumably) Shishio, the shrapnel from his own spiritual construct of a sakabatou hitting him at the speed of bullets. His spirit fading and dissipating with pinpoints of energy.

''YAHIKO!" both Botan and Kaoru chorused in one unified body, fearing the worst.

However, the shards of Yahiko's shattered blade also penetrated Tenro's body, sealing his power further away from S-Level.

'What a problematic child this is.'

Myojin got up to his feet and charged with his broken reverse-edged blade, hoping to buy Sano and Kuwabara time. Buy Kenshin and Yusuke time as well.

He intended to do the Inga Gami on Tenro's head, only to revert to the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu ougi for Hadome and Hawatari when his opponent beat him to the punch and struck first with the Homura Dama.

However, as he defended against the downwards flaming strike with a crossed-wrist block, Tenro grappled with him and kept him from parrying the strike. "Do you want to know how your idol, Himura Battousai, died a century ago? Like this. Guren Kaina. Homura Dama."

After the explosion from the gunpowder happened, Tenro allowed the resulting fire to flare and roast the hapless ghost of Yahiko Myojin.

"AAAHH...!" screamed the burning Yahiko.

"YAHIKO!" shouted Sanosuke.

"BRAT!" yelled Kuwabara.

Tenro himself stood in the middle of the conflagration, but like in his confrontation with Hiei, he ended up none the worse for wear from the roaring bonfire.

"Too strong... He's too strong...!" gasped Yahiko. "Even after all this time, I'm still as weak as I've always been."

The bright yellow flames turned green then blue as Yahiko's form reverted to that of a hitodama (will-o'-the-wisp).

Meanwhile, Botan shrieked, fell on her knees, and covered her eyes with her hands.

"Who is stronger? A wolf in sheep's clothing or a sheep in wolf's clothing? Don't deny your true nature. Embrace what you really are. It's either you know your place or claw your way up the food chain. Evolve. Transform. Step up or step aside."

The entirety of Okushiri then started to rumble as Yahiko's neutralizing reiki ebbed away.

Like a dam that was about to break.

***

A nuke did damage in three stages.

It irradiated heat and light, it blasted everything to Kingdom Come, and it scattered radioactive materials around.

The bigger you went, the less relevant the radioactive materials became relative to the other effects as the heat irradiation had a much greater and more noticeable immediate effect. Effectively, when a nuke went off, the temperature of the resulting fireball could go up to millions of degrees, but it dissipated relatively quickly.

However, instead of having a repeat of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1993, Yusuke's dense aura (arguably going at reiatsu level at this point) allowed him to absorb most of the impact of his own Fakku Gan.

The explosion became a blockbuster level blast instead of an atomic bomb mushroom cloud.

Yusuke collapsed on the ground, taking the brunt of his own spirit energy.

Before him towered a behemoth of a demonized man. His exposed muscles bursting out of his skin. His six huge arms giving him an insect-like vibe.

This was Toguro using a million percent of his power. He had become the Demigod Asura, a six-armed demon of war and destruction.

However, even in the face of this absolute unit of a monster, something else from many miles away grabbed Urameshi's attention.

Over the horizon, he felt a suppressed Low S-Level power grow and pulse. Like a leaking and cracked dam ready to burst.

Once that dam finally burst forth, Yusuke broke all of his limits at once. Every last Spirit Cuff. Every last bit of hesitation he had from the Kugai curse placed upon him by Rando.

He caught even the Million-Percent Toguro by surprise at how fast his power level rose.

He summoned his version of the Sei Kou Ki, the golden aura serving as his barrier against Toguro's atomic punches.

His hair grew long and turned white for good measure before he proceeded to punch the Million-Percent Toguro a million times. A glowing golden punch for every percentage.

"SEI-KOU-DAN!" Yusuke cried, blasting Toguro with the Sei-Kou-Ki version of the Rei-Kou-Dan.

He had to. That dark presence in the distance sounded all of his internal alarms and red flags. His primitive flight-or-fight instinct activated.

As though feeling the rise in power from a distance spurred him into action more effectively than the golem before him that, quite frankly, took too long to get to S-Level and beyond.

Whichever Reikai Senshi was out there, they were fighting the final boss. The Chojin himself, even.

***

Botan rushed towards Yahiko's side, doing her best to heal his injured hitodama form. But the damage was extensive on his human soul, the light within his spirit fading away fast. "Hold on, Yahiko-kun! I got you! Everything's going to be fine!"

However, no matter how much spirit energy she used to heal Yahiko's damaged soul, it never healed. His hitodama continued to remain in its fireball state, flickering like a candle in the wind.

Kuwabara was the first to get up shakily on his feet, the Rei-Ken in his hand (also) flickering back and forth between its normal form and its Jigen Tou form.

"You talk too much, you bastard!" said the redhead, who attempted to create a portal to send the youkiri to space, only for Tenro to grab the teenager by his curly regent-style hair and put his face into the portal in an effort to suffocate him.

"What happened to Japan? Is this the best warriors that this new age can pony up? Pathetic," said Youkiri Tenro. "It's so sad. The United States of America turned the proud Empire of Japan into a whipped dog. An island full of losers and weirdoes."

Kuwabara ignited Tenro's glove with a small Rei-Ken on his free hand, which made it explode in the youkiri's face. Gasping for air, the redhead attempted another blind swing at the would-be dictator, only for him to end up stabbed in the lung.

He coughed blood as his eyes watered. His insides drowned in his own blood through internal bleeding.

"Sheep will always be sheep. Wolves will always be wolves. Lions will always be lions. A hitokiri will always be a hitokiri. A youkiri will always be youkiri. It's an aberration of nature to be one thing and claim to be another. If you want to become strong then change yourself for real. Defy or accept your fate. Become the predator or become the prey. It's up to you."

Ignoring the throbbing pain from his right fist that somehow trumped the ectoplasmic bleeding he got from the Rei-Shuriken, Sagara attempted a Futae no Kiwami and aimed it right into the chest of Shishio.

Or Tenro. Or the Chojin. Whoever he was or claimed to be.

Tenro tossed aside Kuwabara's quivering body like trash then blocked Sanosuke's punch with his own punch.

Last time, Sano broke his fist on Shishio's concrete face, his own Futae no Kiwami deflecting back to the bones of his hand. This time, his Douhle Extreme was enough to match Tenro's strength.

Only enough to match Tenro's strength though.

As Tenro again attempted to punch and crack Sanosuke's skull open, something unexpected happened.

"...SANJO NO KIWAMI!"

Sano blew Tenro's fist away with the Triple Extreme, which opened up his chest to a direct heart punch.

The coup de grace.

"FUTAE NO KIWAMI! DORYAAH...!"

Sanosuke landed the Futae no Kiwami right into Shishio's heart. Or Tenro's heart.

A second passed. The youkiri cackled.

"Congratulations. You're a little bit stronger now than before."

As the fading, transparent visage of Sanosuke let out a soundless scream, his pupils constricted into tiny dots on a white expanse, Tenro finally attacked the street fighter with his flame-producing weapon, its Homura Dama splitting Sano's head apart in a spectacular spray of ectoplasm.

"S-Sano..." choked out Kuwabara, his own vision fading along with Sanosuke's soul.

All that time, even in his will-o'-the-wisp form, the soul of Yahiko kept sealing the power of Youkiri Tenro. However, he couldn't contain the immense power of the Shishio reincarnation(?) any longer.

His soul finally succumbed, fading to black before shattering into a thousand pinpoints of light.

"Yahiko, no! No! NOOO!" cried Botan. "Dammit, come back! Oh no, what's going on? Why is everything going wrong?!"

Okushiri rumbled as the unleashed power of Tenro began to expand into a tall pillar of darkness and miasma. His jaki shot up into the sky, which gathered nimbus clouds all around them.

The localized quakes grew stronger and stronger. It felt like the world was about to split apart. This was the power of an Upper Class-S being that somehow ended up in the Human World.

He felt like power made flesh. A walking disaster area. A humanoid cyclone.

Tenro smirked as he surveyed the pier. He felt their presence. They were coming. He felt their power, anger, and desperation travel towards him like moths to his flame.

He could feel their strong presences, spirit energy, sword energy, and aura even from miles away.

One was on land, on foot, going faster than a cheetah. The other in the air, presumably ferried by one of Reikai's shinigami.

Who could they be?

First, there was the one half-demon, half-human mazoku descendant of Raizen, Makai's God of War, who was able to harness his demonic power and lineage. Raizen's true son. The Last Son of the Mazoku.

Yusuke Urameshi.

Second, there was the man who "defeated" Makoto Shishio to a suicidal kamikaze draw.  The Hitokiri Battousai who died and then became the Youkiri Battousai, the Guardian of the Demon Sword.

Kenshin Himura.

"Come forth. Show me the best and most powerful champions that this era has to offer. I'll defeat them all!" declared Tenro the Demon-Slayer to his upcoming opponents.

However, before Tenro knew it, his chest tightened. His heart stopped beating.

His negative energy wasn't able to heal the damage in time. He stood there, frozen. His time had stopped care of Sanosuke's efforts.

This happened due to the combination of the Futae no Kiwami and the shards of Yahiko's neutralizing reiki damaging his mortal heart. It kept him from manifesting the full breadth of his power that managed to take down even Hajime Saito.

The Kenshingumi's curse, if you would.

"Before challenging the champions of this era, watch out behind you. The past has a way of catching up with you, Shishio Makoto!"

Speaking of Saito, it was then and there that the headless corpse of Hajime Saito began moving on its own, with his one arm cradling his decapitated head.

As though he were the Headless Horseman. Or a Dullahan of Irish folklore.

That bastard. He was playing possum all this time!?

Tenro willed himself to move, but couldn't. He felt his left arm go numb. The shards of Yahiko's sakabatou might've reached all the way to his coronary arteries.

There was no telling how much cardiovascular damage Sanosuke's punch had done to his heart.

Dammit.

He began to sweat hard while clutching his chest. "Damn you, Saito Hajime."

"I've never seen you so sweaty and pathetic before," the head of Saito mocked before charging with his Gatotsu Ishiki from behind Tenro. "Then again, your sweat glands did get all burned up in your past life."

Instead of aiming at Tenro's head like with his encounter with Shishio, Saito instead aimed his sword right at Tenro's stopped heart while he was in the middle of a heart attack.

Appropriately enough, instead of being defeated by someone stronger than him, it was the desperate alliance of those weaker than Tenro that ultimately dragged him towards his ultimate defeat.

The ultimate irony.

"Go back to Hell, Shishio...!"

"No, I will make this world Hell and feel right at home!"

No. This was the same method Hajime used to "kill" Usui (temporarily). He took advantage of other people's hard work then opportunistically struck at the right time.

There was no way Youkiri Tenro would go down like a punk. Like Usui, of all people. An outsmarted weakling.

Tenro willed himself to move to block the strike.

His Homura Dama melted right through Saito's sword. Apparently, the Shinsengumi Captain was already using the last of his soul's strength to even make the strike, resulting in a vulnerable blade with barely any spirit energy to protect it.

Nevertheless, the rest of the hot blade plunged right into one of Tenro's lungs, spraying his blood all over the empty pier.

Saito smirked and closed his eyes. Instead of a solidified soul, Shishio really was reincarnated into an extra powerful human being. But a human being nonetheless. A mortal one that could be killed.

Tenro awaited the Gatotsu Zeroshiki that never came.

Alas, Saito already spent most of his energy fighting a full-powered X-Level Tenro earlier, with him sacrificing his very life force to just injure him now.

"I win again, Saito Hajime," hissed Tenro, coughing blood. "I survived your attack while you're already as good as dead. I can easily heal this damage and finish off the rest of the Reikai Senshi."

"That's my parting gift," said Saito, his own spirit fading. "You won't be able to reach X-Level in time now."

Before Tenro could wonder any further what Saito meant by his words, a gigaton punch shattered his face from out of the blue.

"Wha...?! GUAAAAH!!!"

Again, the wolf outfoxed him at every turn.

The youkiri realized that he'd just been punched by Raizen's "Son". The Mazoku Descendant. The hanyou (half-demon) that scared the great Enma Daio himself.

His brain sloshed inside his broken skull, leading to a concussion.

Any other impact from a weaker opponent wouldn't have even registered to Tenro. But a punch from an S-Level mazoku? That was a punch that could tear apart entire continents.

He also spotted from behind the long-haired, tattooed, and angry Mazoku Yusuke a warp portal that Kazuma Kuwabara probably made to shorten his best friend's travel time.

This was bad news.

His compromised heart and lungs hadn't recovered yet. Even though his energy levels were rising, his mortal damage kept him from manifesting his full power. He wasn't healing fast enough.

But this also excited him.

Tenro missed out on slaying Raizen—one of the greatest, oldest, and most powerful demons of the Demon World. Fighting his distant half-breed offspring was the next best thing to it.

With Yusuke's white hair and boundless energy, he himself looked to be at the cusp of achieving X-Level.

"Far more important than your power level, you've upended the natural order of things in both the Spirit World and the Demon World," said the gasping yet calm Tenro.

Yusuke picked up the pace, his nuclear-powered punches reaching speeds so impossibly, superhumanly fast that they came with their own eardrum-obliterating sonic booms.

However, the tough-as-nails Tenro absorbed every punch with his hard body and boundless jaki, so his mountain-obliterating punches "merely" made the pier shake and quake like a frightened child suffering domestic abuse.

"When Raizen died, you took over and found a way to keep the warring factions of Mukuro and Yomi from leading Makai into another millennia-long war for power."

Tenro gurgled but laughed with what sounded like a death rattle. Knocking at Hell's Gates with the sea of punches he had to wade through while punching and slashing at the elusive demon spawn in turn.

"You even helped expose the corruption within Reikai and had Koenma Daio depose his father, Enma Daio. Then you saved the Human World again from a Spirit World terrorist group. Imagine that."

The constant battery of kicks, punches, knees, elbows, and headbutts that barely gave Tenro any breathing room took their toll, making him cough and spew blood from many of his body's orifices, like his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth.

"The Chojin views you as a threat not because of your power level but instead of how you affect everyone and everything around you. You're a spanner in the works. Someone who can defy fate itself."

The threat of death made Tenro feel alive. His flight-or-fight instincts were on high alert.

After the thousands of demon hunts he'd participated in for the sake of turning his reincarnated yakuza boss self into someone worthy of housing Makoto Shishio's soul, this was the first time he actually, remotely felt threatened.

It was as he had imagined facing Yomi, Mukuro, or Raizen would've been like when they were still the Three Kings of Makai or at the peak of their power.

"We're cut from the same cloth, Urameshi Yusuke." Tenro sneered, wiping the blood from his nose. "I too exist to spite God. I defied my ultimate fate of death. From one lion to another, I will fight fate itself to write my own destiny. Just like you have."

"What the hell are you blathering on about?" said Yusuke, who kept up his endless barrage of Sei Kou Ki punches and kicks in order to pummel Tenro to submission.

Although he was winning the exchange, Toushin Yusuke's fists ended up aching and bleeding.

They might've even been broken by the dense thickness of Tenro's own reiatsu of negative energy serving as a barrier from inside and outside him, keeping his human body intact in spite of this mauling.

Regardless, the human-demon spawn had to finish Tenro off immediately.

Even though Urameshi was able to best Toguro by going all out, he could still feel his old enemy's presence. The Younger Toguro could still reemerge and possibly go beyond a million percent of his power. Perhaps a billion or a trillion even.

"Let's end this, Tenro. Or Shishio. Or Chojin. Whoever you are.  I'll finish you and your Shin Juppon Gatana off for good! SEI-GAN!"

A black-and-blue Tenro grinned as he felt a meteor-sized blast of purest Sei Kou Ki grow bigger and bigger from Yusuke's pointer finger. A miniature sun that glowed gold instead of bright blue.

This was the correct move. In order to finally penetrate through Tenro's reiatsu, Yusuke had to use his ultimate, ultimate move. A Rei-Gan powered by Sei-Kou-Ki shot by his white-haired demonic form.

However, the Chojin foresaw all this. This was why he gave (back) Tenro his original Mugen Jin.

When Yahiko still had his neutralizing reiki activated, the Mugen Jin could only be used the way it originally was made for, which was to create flames through the body fat and human oils it collected.

However, a hundred years later, the sword itself became a cursed sword with supernatural powers like the Youtou Shinnoken. It gained an extra property.

Without Yahiko's powers sealing its supernatural abilities away, it could absorb, steal, store, and release the spirit energy of others.

Thus, Tenro's Mugen Jin absorbed every last bit of the Sei-Gan from Mazoku Yusuke, only for him to do the third secret sword on him powered by Urameshi's own Sacred Light Spirit Energy.

"Secret Sword Three: KAGUZUCHI! (FIRE-BEARING SPIRIT GOD!)"

A fire tornado that mixed Tenro's demonic negative energy reiatsu with Yusuke's angelic sacred energy tossed the teenaged warhead around in a maelstrom of malcontent (since jaki was basically just energy derived from humanity's hatred and grudges).

If the mixture of volatile energy didn't kill the demonized Urameshi, then the centrifugal force of an F5 hurricane that would normally turn any normal human being into liquefied butter would.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Ougi: AMAKAKERU RYU NO HIRAMEKI! (HEAVENS GLIDING DRAGON FLASH!)"

The void created by the ultimate attack of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu destroyed the red, black, and gold wind funnel that had threatened to rage against Okushiri like a seasonal typhoon.

As a battered Yusuke fell from the sky, an erstwhile Kenshin jumped and caught him in midair before he could've crashed into one of the many cargo containers, if not outright fall into the hard concrete below.

They landed safely on ground zero of Yusuke's fight with Tenro, which was filled with craters and debris. From a distance, they could hear the blaring siren of many an ambulance.

"I came here as fast as I could with Ayame-dono's help," said Kenshin.

"K-Kenshin. S-Sorry. I-I almost had him, but he still had a trick up his sleeve," rasped Yusuke, who had transformed back to his human form, with most of his long hair burned away by Tenro's Kaguzuchi.

"Don't worry, Yusuke. I will finish off what you have started. What everyone had started, that I will," said Himura.

Tenro harrumphed, clutching his side. His chest still ached, his heart beating so fast it felt like it could explode. His brain throbbed and pounded inside his skull as well.

However, his adrenalin and his thrill for the fight coursed through his body, making him ignore every bit of pain he felt. He was about to pass the point of no return, after all.

In the corner of Kenshin's eye, he saw Botan stare at him with her own glistening eyes. He had heard the bad news directly from her care of the Spirit Communicator. She reported that the souls of Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Saito were no more. Also, Kuwabara was in critical condition.

They all fell against the hands of the man... the monster... before him. The wannabe dictator that he should've defeated a hundred years ago.

"I also look forward to fighting you again after all this time, Battousai. Come and die in my hands once more. The only law I follow is Survival of the Fittest. Only the strongest survive!"

"Survival of the Fittest, eh?" asked Kenshin. "Tell me, do you know what the first sign of human civilization is? How humanity became the most dominant species on earth?"

"...What?" asked Tenro in turn. "What are you talking about, Battousai?"

"I believe that the first sign of civilization is a femur that's been broken and then healed," said Himura. "In nature, a broken leg meant death. Kill or killed, right? Humans became the dominant species against stronger animals because of our cooperation and compassion. Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts. We are at our best when we serve others. Be civilized."

"No. Nonsense," said Tenro. "Humanity stands on the shoulders of giants. Normal people are trash. Don't let the weak punish the strong for being strong while they themselves drown in their own mediocrity. Civilization or progress came about because of the strong. The exceptional. The best. The intellectuals. The Superman. The Overman. The Ubermensch. The Chojin."

"So you're the Chojin, huh?" said Himura. While it could be translated as "Overfiend", the name "Chojin" could also be translated as "Superman" or "Overman".

"The fates conspired against me and denied me my destiny to rule. I will write my own destiny now," said the youkiri to his fellow demon-slayer. Fellow manslayer, even.

"Regardless of what you say, both fate and time have already decided that you will not emerge victorious," Kenshin insisted. "You're destined to lose."

Tenro cackled. "Fate and time have chosen poorly, hence the pathetic state of Japan. The state of the world that's being led by sheep in wolves' clothing. Let me correct that century-old mistake. Even now, the weak are depending on your strength to protect them. Let the Ubermensch show the world what it's truly like to be strong! I will show them how to win!"

"It is neither the strongest of the species nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change," said Kenshin, quoting Charles Darwin himself as he fell into his battoujutsu stance.

Himura had to attack now, while Tenro was injured and recuperating. He would've attacked sooner, but he himself had barely recovered from battling Enishi.

As soon as the Shishio reincarnation healed and achieved X-Level, it was all over for the Reikai Senshi.

"AMAKAKERU RYU NO HIRAMEKI!"

"KAGUZUCHI!"

Kenshin and Tenro—or rather, Battousai and Shishio—finally clashed swords, the Youtou Shinnoken glowing bright-blue against the bright-red Mugen Jin. They picked up where they left off.

On one hand, Yusuke's leftover sacred energy powered up the Kaguzuchi and overwhelmed the initial strike of the Hirameki. On the other hand, the resulting void still formed, which multiplied the power of Kenshin's second strike many times over.

Tenro learned from his mistakes, understanding a century ago that there was a void formed after blocking the first strike of the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. He sunk his stance low and pierced his Mugen Jin in the eye of the maelstrom so that his technique could be magnified in power instead of Kenshin's.

Kenshin hesitated, his soul remembering how Shishio snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat. He willed himself to slash upward regardless as an image of Kaoru filled his mind. Followed by all his friends and comrades.

He wished the same image had filled his mind a hundred years ago too. Then he wouldn't have died against Shishio.

Reality seemed to split from the lightspeed slash Kenshin did that clashed hard against Tenro's... no, Shishio's... red-hot cursed sword Mugen Jin.

On Kenshin's left was one timeline and on his right was another.

In one timeline, Kenshin found the strength and will to live to block Shishio's strike before he spontaneously combusted and died from overheating. Soon after, Shishio became the new King of Hell.

In another timeline, Shishio finished Battousai off then murdered Saito, Shinomori, Sagara, and the rest of the Oniwabanshu and Shinsengumi before forming a New Juppon Gatana and leading a coup d'etat against the Meiji Government. A second Bakumatsu. Afterwards, he died a despot. Japan's Genghis Khan.

In the timeline they were in, Kenshin and Shishio fought to a draw, with Kenshin dying along with Shishio in a blaze of glory. A hundred years after their fateful battle, Shishio ended up forming a New Juppon Gatana in order to lead a coup d'etat against the Spirit World.

In nearly all timelines, Shishio woke up from beyond the grave and ended up with an army of the undead, leading the charge towards world domination. Like a phoenix reborn from its own ashes. Again and again.

Even after his death, he was inevitable.

Would Kenshin falter like a hundred years ago or would he rise up and correct his century-old mistake? Which timeline would prevail?

A shining star of a whirling convergence of afterimages happened afterwards, followed by a huge explosion far into the distance. Right into the Sea of Japan.

A 7.8 earthquake then rocked the west coast of Hokkaido.  

On Monday, July 12, 1993, at 10:17 PM, a tsunami had formed off of the coast of Okushiri, leading to the loss of many lives.

***

To Be Continued...

Oh god, finally it's done. This took years to finish due to real-life things cropping up. Regardless, the arc that's been decades in the making is at last over.

Next up, the Spirit World deals with the aftermath of the failed Okushiri mission. Also, the first sign of civilization speech was taken from a quote from Anthropologist Margaret Mead.

Ciao, Abdiel

[intobarbarians]

part two to clothes

The dresser is a hand-me-down from Shizuru, scuffed from one childhood move and three apartments on Kuwabara’s end. Sometime around high school, his sister had cornered him with her beautician’s scissors and told him to invest in his appearance more. “Wash your face and wear clothes that fit.”

The insinuation was scurrilous--he did wash his face, thank you very much, sis--but Kuwabara kept his mouth shut and his head very still while Shizuru trimmed his hair. As a rule, he didn’t bicker with his sister when she held a sharp object near his eyeballs.

He tilted his head forward when she instructed him to move. What was the point of all this? Kuwabara spent seventy percent of his time in a school uniform and the rest in sweatpants either sleeping or studying.

He plotted to steal her fancy face wash.

“You’re a handsome guy under all the bluster, little brother. I want you to see it, is all.”

Okay, her face wash was safe...for the moment.

He let Shizuru drag him out shopping afterward with no complaints. She spent a week’s worth of tips on new clothes for him because she’s been as much his parent as she is his sister. Kuwabara ended up hauling her old, oak dresser into his bedroom. As the younger sibling, he got the smaller room and thus the smaller closet. All those clothes had to go somewhere.

Hiei probably doesn’t have any hang-ups about his appearance, the shirtless bastard.

The funniest drawer to give Hiei is a toss-up between the top and the bottom one. He’d have to get up on his tiptoes for the former, and the latter would be understood to mean ‘haha, you’re short.’

Then it occurs to Kuwabara that he actually wants Hiei to use the drawer--jokes aside--so he settles for cleaning out the middle drawer.

The whole exercise ends up with him emptying out the entire dresser and reorganizing his clothes like he’s been personally possessed by Marie Kondo. Does this teddy bear t-shirt bring him joy? Hell, yeah it does.

Three hours later, Kuwabara bites his lip. Somehow, he’s got two empty drawers.

He ruthlessly forestalls the impending crisis caused by the question of whether or not he should offer both drawers to Hiei like a man in a long term relationship desperate to know if it’s going somewhere and looks around his room. The rest of the place could use a bit of tidying up, as well.

Kuwabara runs his hand along the top of the dresser. Yeesh. It’s kind of dusty up here.

It’s a lot of mopping, dusting, throwing out garbage, and watering the snake plant Kurama gave him last spring. Kuwabara sits on his couch and admires the space. Not a bad place to bring someone home to, he thinks.

Oh, fuck. The thought propels Kuwabara to his feet. He marches over to his dirty laundry and drops his workout shorts on the floor. There. Now no one will suspect him of having cleaned his apartment for Hiei, especially not Hiei.

He probably won’t come, Kuwabara assures himself. Hiei prefers Makai over the human realm. The brat only mentions that fact a million times whenever he’s forced to spend five minutes on earth.

Kuwabara picks through his junk bin until he finds a roll of masking tape and a purple marker. He rips off a couple inches of tape and sticks it to the middle drawer in his bedroom dresser. Popping off the cap. he hesitates before writing a clear invitation.

Shrimp.

Clear as day, if Hiei comes.

***

Kuwabara doesn’t open the drawer to see if it’s being used or not. He’s not rude.

***

But if Hiei’s been in the apartment, Kuwabara can’t tell. The only thing he notices is the disappointment clinging thickly to his ribs.

***

He washes the workout shorts. He does not buy the soft blue shirt.

***

The next mission claims everyone’s shirt, except for Hiei’s, because he still doesn’t have a new one.

Nudist, Kuwabara accuses silently. He pads the thought with spiritual defenses since he’s never gotten a clear answer on whether or not Hiei can read minds.

Yusuke flicks off a bit of goo from his shoulder. “Let’s go home and not talk about this.”

They all nod solemnly in agreement. Goo cases are the fucking worst.

Kuwabara opens a portal to earth, providing the gracious, interdimensional cab service that he does. He waves everyone through--including Hiei, surprisingly enough.

Kurama and Yusuke chat about Yusuke’s ramen cart rivals, a couple of entrepreneurial sixteen-year-olds encroaching on his turf near the train station.

“These kids have no respect, Kurama! They staple their flyers over my ads. Who knew teens could play so dirty?”

Kurama hums in sympathy. “I can’t imagine anyone they might remind me of.”

Neither of them comments on Hiei tagging along to the human realm, even though it’s so fucking weird.

They hit a crossroads. Yusuke and Kurama peel off to their homes, leaving Hiei and Kuwabara alone and trusting that they won’t end up killing each other.

It’s just Kuwabara, Hiei, and Hiei’s nipples.

Time to go home and take a long, cold shower.

It’s around the time he hits the block with the library and the bicycle repair shop near his apartment that Kuwabara realizes Hiei apparently has the same idea.

Kuwabara swallows. It would be unaccountable of him to complain about Hiei coming over when he offered the little guy a drawer.

He panics all the way to his front door. Hiei knows, doesn’t he? About the Crush?

Kuwabara unlocks the door and lets Hiei in first, because he is a gentleman and also he needs three seconds for his face to make a series of anguished expressions where Hiei can’t see it.

“Dibs on the shower,” Kuwabara says. He skedaddles to the bathroom, dripping goo fucking everywhere. Door safely closed between them, his face full on freaks out.

The drawer did not give away the Crush, he reasons to his reflection. How could it? Hiei knows shit all about human relationships. The drawer has no meaning to him. It does not say ‘Kuwabara thinks you’re hot, you gorgeous goblin.’

He strips out of his pants and sets the shower to a punitive cold.

His hasty actions have consequences: he forgets to bring new clothes with him into the bathroom and only has a towel to wrap around himself.

Kuwabara grits his teeth. Whatever. Hiei does not Suffer as he Suffers. He ties the towel around his waist and heads to his bedroom.

Hiei’s there--digging through the middle drawer.

There are clothes in the drawer, and not just shirts. Hiei’s stocked a few different outfits, some even in the human fashion. One of the items looks suspiciously like Yukina’s favorite pullover.

Hiei’s also got a collection of pouches socked away. They take up the more space than the clothes. Kuwabara has no idea what’s in them.

The drawer is pretty full.

“Why weren’t you wearing a shirt earlier?”

Hiei looks at Kuwabara like he’s lost all his brain cells. “It’s a goo case,” Hiei says slowly. Goo cases are always a disaster for their clothes.

He closes the drawer and glides past Kuwabara without making a sound. No wonder Kuwabara never knew that he’d been here filling up his little hidey-hole.

Hiei gives him a once over. He’s carrying one of those pouches--a brown, leather drawstring with silver flames embroidered around the opening. “I hope you left some hot water for me.”

“Plenty.” Unfortunately.

The bathroom door squeaks shut before Kuwabara fully processes that Hiei is taking a shower here in Kuwabara’s apartment, like it’s a perfectly normal thing he does on a regular basis. Here. In Kuwabara’s apartment.

Kuwabara bites his knuckles. Fuck. He might as well give Hiei the other drawer.

[youngmistressofchopchop]

I did it. Now I dont write, I draw so this is not gonna be so good. Its been through many revisions and I realized I spelt "Yuseke" as "Yueske the entire time so forgive me ill fix that next chapter. My Kuwabara x oc story:

It was finally cold again. Miyoko was overjoyed, she had never liked summer. Sure there was no school and she had more time with friends, but she couldn't stand the heat. She detested those sweaty nights, or how the bugs always bothered her, actually she didnt care for any part of summer.

Miyoko had dropped so many hints over the years and yet somehow, Kuwabara still had no clue. His air-headed-ness was cute, but it made things difficult for the shy girl Miyoko was. She just couldn't work up the nerve to say something, and when she did, something would always interrupt her. However, today she planned to change that! Miyoko got dressed up as cozy as she could, ready for what her and her friends had planned and with a gleam of excitement in her eyes, she headed out the door. 

 That was apart from going to see her crush, Kazuma Kuwabara's baseball games, he would play every summer. When they were younger, he played in an official team wearing his "Mötor Head" jersey and smoking every opposing team he played against. Miyoko never missed a single game! Every home run, every strike, and every fight that broke out because of a bad call, she was there. When they got older, she would be there to watch him play against his friends, still wearing that jersey. She was always supportive of him, she was madly in love with him, and had been for awhile.

"Urameshi!! Where do you think you're going?? I was talking to you!" Kuwabara's feet hit the sidewalk with force as he sprinted after Yueske, who had walked only a few feet, forcing Kuwabara to stop abruptly frantically trying to steady himself without falling. After regaining balance, Kuwabara grabed a fists full of his friend's jacket to pull him close aggressively. 

"D-Dont tell anyone! Or I'll break your mouth, so you cant tell anyone nothin' ever again!!" Kuwabara's face was as red as the setting sun. Unfazed, Yuseke stared at Kuwabara blankly for a short second before sighing and shrugging the big flustered fool off of him. 

"Listen man, I wont say anything. But this is getting really annoying. Ive told you before that you should just go through with it. Whats your problem with admitting to her anyways?" Yuseke looked to the helpless man and immediately regretted asking. Kuwabara looked off dramatically twords the orange and red sky. His shoulders slouched, slumping over, and fiddling with his hands. 

"I....Shes really pretty, ya know? And...Im well...ya know?" His voice trailed off, as if wanting reassurance he was being foolish. When there was no reply, Kuwabara peeked up with a quivering bottom lip. 

Yueske stood with his hands in his pocket saying nothing, only wearing a furrowed brow and tight lips. Suddenly, he burst into laughter. Causing Kuwabara to stand up straight and look at him even more embarrassed, and ready to punch him.

"I never thought I'd hear the great Kuwabara, warrior of love, admit to being ugly!!" Mocked Yueske. He bent over shaking his head and slapping his leg, resting his other elbow on his knee and laughing loudly. He straightened and wiped a fake tear from his eye. Kuwabara gasped in shock. 

"What?? Ugly??" Again Kuwabara grabbed at his friend, this time missing and falling. He quickly got up and held up a threatening fists. 

"Im not ugly!! Im just not a romantic type!!" He rubbed his fists on his chest. 

"I am a warrior of love, so I know how to treat a lady and how to talks to girls, I just....." He paused, his mouth moving like hes trying to remember how talking works. "She's different!!" He finaly blurted out. "She reads them girly romance books that Kurama likes!!" With a frustrated grunt, Kuwabara rubbed his neck nervously and spoke in a much more serious tone.

"Ive known her a real long time, and I cant tell her yet cuz I'm kinda worried she only thinks of me like how Shizuru thinks of me." Yueske picked up on the seriousness of the situation and scoffed trying to lighten things up again. 

"Well you are ugly, but I think she likes you anyway. Besides man, why asks me? You think I read them werid books?" Yueske pat Kuwabara awkwardly on the shoulder. 

"No way. I asked cuz you have a girlfriend!!" Kuwabara turned to look at Yueske who was moving his arm away. 

"So? Doesnt mean I know what im doing, just asks Keiko." The boys laugh, seeming to have calmed down a great deal. Before much more could be said, four familiar and approaching voices could be heard chatting playfully. 

"Oh dear, you didnt actually take me seriously did you, Miyoko?" Botan said in a teasing tone. 

"I did!! I'm gullible, you cant just tell me anything about spirit world.I will believe it!! Everytime!" The two girls laughed. 

"I've noticed," Interjected Kurama. "You have managed to retained alot of attributes from your childhood haven't you? I find that interesting." Kurama continud, wrapping an arm around Botan. 

"Alot of people say that...is that a bad thing? I'm not immature am I?" Miyoko felt nervous now. Maybe that was the why Kuwabara never seemed to return her feelings, perhaps she wasn't mature enough for a relationship.

Keiko quickly spouted, "No no! I don't think he meant it like that, I think it's cute!" Keiko put a reassuring arm around Miyoko and smiled a friendly smile. 

"Ofcourse! Its an admirable trait." Kurama said as Botan giggled. 

Botan wagged her finger and pointed it at Miyoko with a knowing smile "Im on to you! You shouldn't feel so insecure!" Botan pulled her arm back and used it to hug Kurama's arm. "Don't be so hard on yourself, I know you're simply nervous, so you're being extra critical of yourself, but you'll do fine!" Botan hummed encouragingly. "And, we all look fantastic!" Botan added as they all rounded the corner.

Keiko stopped dead in her tracks, and started tapping her foot. "Well, most of us are...Yueske! I thought I told you to dress up!!" Keiko pouted, walking over to her boyfriend's side. 

Yueske was the most casually dressed out of all of them. Just wearing his usual faded blue jeans, black converse shoes, plain yellow shirt and favorite green and yellow windbreaker jacket. He looked even more underdressed standing next to Keiko. She was wearing a lovely pale pink turtleneck, a plum purple suspender skirt reaching to her knees, long white socks, and loafers to match her skirt. Despite their contrasting attire, they somehow matched perfectly. 

Yueske wrapped his arm around Keiko's shoulder and smirked."Kuwabara isnt dressed up." He looked over to Kuwabara and nodded his way while jutting his thumb twords his friend. 

"What!! I am too!! This is the nicest thing I got!! Other than like...a tux or something!!" Kuwabara wore a blue Letterman jacket, a red sweater with dark blue jeans, and brown dress boots laced in black, he was indeed dressed up quite nicely. Miyoko blushed at the sight of his clothing, he cleaned up nicely as always. She couldn't help but smile at him, it was always a slight surprise to see him out of his school uniform. Kuwabara had a simular reaction to Miyoko's choice of clothing. She dawned a wine red A-line dress, knitted black leggins, and shin high beige lace up boots. She wasn't one to dress up like this, but she wanted to tonight, it was a special night after all. 

Trying to redirect the situation and prevent Yueske and Kuwabara from fighting, Botan chimed in. "Well, I never have to worry about Kurama when it comesto presentation! Unless ofcourse, he's overdressed and making me look a fool!" Kurama and Botan giggled to eachother looking the most put together, like they were the parents of the group. Tonight, everyone was going their part to help Miyoko's odds, evident by Botan, who was wearing something much different from her usual choice of clothing.

She modelled a white turtle neck dress, form fitting reaching just above her knees with a small slit on the right side, with sleeves that reached slightly past her palms, she wore her wedding ring, hoop earings, beige velvet tights, and blue slip on flats to top off the look. To match her, Kurama dressed just as nice. Wearing a white button up tucked neatly into his dark brown pants, red suspenders with red suede shoes laced in black, and a matching wool trench coat to top complete it all. Now everyone felt underdressed. 

"So what are we doing anyway?" Yueske asked scratching his cheek. Keiko shook her head "Are you serious? You've been waiting around this long, and you dont even know why??" Yueske simpled shrugged "I guess?" 

Botan sighed looking tired, Yueske was a handful for everyone. "Dont you remember, Yueske? I told you this morning! We're all having dinner!" 

Botan motioned to the brick building everyone was standing next to. "You've been standing right next to the restaurant! Where I told you we would be meeting up, seriously! You didn't connect the dots?" Botan tilted her head with a hopeless look. Yueske gritted his teeth and roughly pulled Keiko by her hip to his, talking through his teeth. "Whatever!!" He sighed and let go of Keiko fixed his hair flustered, he brought his fists down onto his palm talking loudly. "So now that we're all here, can we go?? Im starving and you guys took all damn evening to get here!"

Keiko lightly kicked his shoe pouting up at him. "Hush!! Its not our fault you dont listen, besides you didnt even try to dress nice! So I dont feel sorry for you." Yuseke quickly stepped aside and raised his voice a bit "Hey! Didnt ya hear me?? I didn't know what was going on!!" Keiko roughly poked her boyfriend's chest, "Again, not our problem! Listen and you wouldn't have to worry!!" 

Kurama was the first to put a stop to the bickering. He took a wide step twords the brick building and grabbed the glass doors handle, he opened the door and motioned for everyone fallow him inside.

So theres that. I'll write more soon. I hope its as fun to read as it was fun to write.

[kazimakuwabara]

The Right Path

Summary: Kuwabara thinks about his choices and path in life in Genkai’s forest.

****

He had never thought himself a spiritual wandering type, yet here he was.

In the middle of Genkai’s forest... “seeking guidance”... he supposed.

“Oh this is stupid... this is so stupid. What am I looking for?” Kuwabara muttered to himself wiping some sweat from his brow.

His friends had left him--well not really left him. But they weren’t here. On the human realm. At this time.... and Kuwabara was here... alone.

Kuwabara groaned as his mind began to take a pity-spiral, and he stopped walking, allowing himself a break. He really didn’t know what he was doing here or even where he was going anyway. 

Sitting against a thick tree, that seemed purple in hue and radiated with a strange power, Kuwabara looked around. Years ago, he and Urameshi had run through here, Kuwabara using his spiritual awareness to guide him safely out. Yusuke had gotten stuck where he had to fight some crazy Man-bat. Baltok. Borvok. Baldok. Ballsack... something like that.

When Yusuke came out of the forest, the pair had hugged, before breaking apart embarrassed at their own actions. When they parted after Yusuke won the tournament, it was with an unsaid understanding that the pair were for real, and for true friends.

Strangely, Kuwabara felt it all started for him here, which wasn’t true. And yet... for Kuwabara, running through this forest felt like it had been choosing to run down a path that would lead him to follow Yusuke. Which would lead him to Botan. Which then lead to Kurama and Hiei. Then Yukina. And then all the rest, all tumbling after each other.

All the friends, enemies, and people that were important in his life, Kuwabara met them by deciding to run through this forest. And why had he done that? 

Because Yusuke Urameshi did it, and he took Yusuke doing it as a challenge.

Where would he be if he had taken Yusuke’s advice and left the shrine that day? If he had tried to seek Genkai another day to help him with his budding spiritual powers... well...

“Well, I wouldn’t be back here years later, brooding because I miss my friends!” Kuwabara snorted aloud, chuckling momentarily to himself.

And that was true. He wouldn’t be here now. Who knows where he would be now. Hell, who knows where his friends would be. Maybe Rando would have won the tournament, and Yusuke would be...

Kuwabara shook his head, no he didn’t like that chain of thought.

“What am I doing?” Kuwabara muttered, sighing loudly.

“I was hoping you’d tell me that Kazuma,” a familiar voice startled Kuwabara.

His head snapped up, and he looked up seeing Genkai about a yard away, slowly approaching him with a lantern in her hand. She smiled, just a little bit at Kuwabara, a withered brow arched into her graying hairline, “You’ve already conquered this place, so why are you back?”

Kuwabara smiled, “I conquered it?”

“You managed through it... and look. You even sit in the center, your own abilities making the things that haunt this forest too afraid to approach you. The scariest thing in this forest right now is you Kuwabara,” Genkai said, standing in front of Kuwabara.

“Huh. Is that why nothing has jumped out at me?” Kuwabara mused, puffing a strand of hair out of his face as he looked around.

“Not even this tree, which has the ability to crush those in its vines, has dared to even reach out for you. You’re too strong,” Genkai said.

“But not enough,” Kuwabara sighed, cringing at his own bitter tone.

“Is this about your friends leaving?” Genkai asked sitting down across from Kuwabara, groaning as her bones ached, “Or is this about you choosing to go on to school?”

“...A little of both I think,” Kuwabara sighed shrugging, not quite able to meet Genkai’s eye. “Even if... if Yusuke or the others had taken me to the Makai... I don’t think... I don’t think I fight like them.”

“In what way do you mean?” Genkai asked, her voice remaining level and calm.

“I don’t think... we keep having close calls. And... meeting people...” Kuwabara fumbled for the words. He slowly stopped, and then sighed long and slow. “We keep meeting people who... are fighting for their lives. Fighting to end something or start something... I miss the days when... when I just fought because I wanted to. Fought because it was fun. I miss... Urameshi’s arrogant laugh and smile. Things have changed since the Dark Tournament. Since Sensui. And will change again when they get back I imagine. I don’t know if I like how... serious fighting has become.”

“Kazuma Kuwabara, the warrior with a heart of gold,” Genkai said, voice full of affection and gentle understanding. “You’ve gone from an innocent young man to one who has seen many things. Not all good... not all bad. How can someone not be changed by that? Do you regret your changes?”

Kuwabara shrugged, “No... maybe. Maybe I regret that I’m... not moving forward with them. I’m here. They’re fighting in a fight that has nothing to do with me, but even if I could help... I don’t know if I would anymore. I don’t want to fight, and it feel like a struggle for my life or someone else’s life... I want fighting to be... fun again.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that being your truth Kuwabara,” Genkai said honestly, “When I was younger the Dark Tournament changed me. I lost my friends, my lover... and I came here to... figure out where I stood again. You are not the first or the last person who finds themselves diverting from a path they had once loved.”

“I’d like to enjoy fighting again,” Kuwabara muttered quietly, his brow furrowing, “I... this is dumb. But I thought coming back here... I would find a way to enjoy it again.”

“I think in time you will,” Genkai said, her voice earnest and knowing, “I think when your friends are back, you’ll find fighting for them and with them, and this is what makes you happy. Running off headlong into suffering and life and death situations... sure you are willing to help, but that’s not for you. And there’s nothing wrong with that. You’ve done a lot Kazuma... there is no need to do more. Do what you can.”

Kuwabara remained silent his face full of uncertainties.

“I know another way for you to help heal your restless heart, and wandering spirit... but it will take time,” Genkai said voice stern.

“Yeah?”

“Yes. Help this old woman up, and let’s go back to the Shrine. I’ll make some teas and snacks... and we can talk about how you’re feeling emotion-NOW! Don’t make that face!” Genkai’s warmth faded quickly into scolding as Kuwabara began to scowl.

She waved at Kuwabara, “Come on now. Talking it out is good for you. Good for anyone. We need to help you compartmentalize. And you can keep this old lonely woman company. I have no one to pick on without Yusuke’s constant visits.”

Kuwabara sighed, a scowl still on his face, but he got up and gently helped Genkai to her feet. She took his offered arm as she righted herself, and then with a firm hand on his bicep, held Kuwabara still until he looked her in the eyes.

“There is nothing wrong with being kind Kazuma, you can be brave, noble, and good... all without seeing a fight. You’re a good young man Kazuma... please don’t forget that.” Genkai said, gently patting Kuwabara’s face.

He smiled, the effort of it a touched force, but a little more sincere. 

Gently she tugged Kuwabara, back towards her shrine, gently asking questions about his classes, and how he was doing. Hoping that she, with all her experiences, could help put Kuwabara back on the path he wanted.

[unlockthelore]

Love Me Still

Here is my hand for you to hold

Here's a part of me they have not sold

“Alright, what do you think?” Kuwabara asked, stepping out of the view of the mirror and folding his arms, eagerly glancing between it and Hiei.

Hiei pressed his fingers to the knot in his tie and smoothed his fingers over the silk black shirt. All things considered, he couldn’t argue with the results. His hair was still messy and “fluffy” as Botan and Keiko had put it but Yukina insisted that Kurama would have it no other way. It was “trademark Hiei” as they put it and Hiei rolled his eyes, enduring the teasing before they left with varying calls of congratulations and quick hugs exchanged. Yukina’s hands lingering on his cheeks and her forehead rested against his own as she muttered soft words that would linger in his heart til the end of time.

“Mother would have been happy,” she said in a hushed whisper meant only for them.

Hiei squeezed his eyes shut at the thought and felt a warmth building in his chest. Resting his hand over it, the dull aching reminding him of a creaking lock on the verge of breaking and a snap as something warm rolled down his cheek.

“Woah, is it that bad?” Kuwabara called, hesitantly reaching for Hiei and as the fire demon focused, he noticed why.

A thin trail of moisture falling from the corner of his eye and the soft tap of something against the ground drew their attention to the floor.

“Holy shit, are you alright, Hiei?”

Hiei bent down and scooped up the tear gem. It didn’t look like Yukina’s. It’s small and dark, muddled with grey like a frozen flame. It glistens in the light and Hiei rolls it about in his palm before closing his fingers around it.

“Kuwabara,” Hiei grits out, looking up at him with his lips pressed into a thin line. “Can you find me twine?”

I've wandered far, I've had my fill

I need you now, do you love me still?

“So, what’s the deal with this park?” Yusuke asked, walking across the bridge with his hands tucked in his pockets. Kurama strolled ahead of him looking about as the flowers on the cherry blossom trees bloomed, the sun shining from overhead, a cloudless blue sky and the quiet lull of nature leaving him with a smile. “Has to be something special that Hiei wanted to get married here, yeah?”

“It is,” said Kurama, laying his hand on the railing of the bridge and running his fingers over the splintered wood and the holes. “It’s where we had our first date.”

Yusuke chuckled. “No kidding?”

Kurama glanced back at him and Yusuke whistled low, shaking his head.

“Hiei didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who dates.”

“The man you know is different from the one that I see when it’s the two of us,” Kurama said warmly and with a love that was bone-deep.

“Guess that’s what love is like, huh?” Yusuke muttered, coming to stand by his side, looking down at the stream running beneath the bridge. “Being able to be your whole self with the person you like.”

Kurama laid his hand against his chest over the mark etched into his skin and the very fibers of his soul.

“It is.”

Only you have seen the hidden part of me

Call me fool hearted if you will

Mukuro’s energy gave her away but she hadn’t been hiding it either. Since the moment she stepped into the Ningenkai, Hiei felt her presence and as she passed the threshold of his front door, he turned to greet her from the living room.

“You came.”

Mukuro walked from the entry hall, her hands tucked into the pockets of her suit pants, a smile curving her lips as she took a look at him. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.” She said, unwilling to hide the pride in her voice as she neared him. “Are you ready?”

Hiei glanced down at his suit then sighed, smiling faintly. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Then you’ve always been.” Mukuro laid her hand on his shoulder, tilting his head up with her thumb pressed to the underside of his jaw. “I’m proud of you and how far you’ve come.”

Hiei swallowed thickly and nodded, feeling the pressure welling up though he fought it back. Her one good eye looked him over as she cradled the back of his head as if he was something precious. Hugging him close to her with her arms wrapped around him loosely, he closed his eyes and laid his hand against her back.

“And you have a ways to go.” Mukuro said, running her fingers through his hair. “But you won’t be alone.”

Kuwabara’s fumbling continued upstairs and broke the stillness. Hiei pulled away and went to go check on him to make sure he didn’t kill himself, leaving Mukuro standing in the living room to watch him go.

I loved you then, do you love me still?

So many smiles and lies surround me

“Did we miss it?” Jin shouted, ricocheting through the tree boughs before coming to float right over the stream’s surface.

Yusuke looking over his shoulder as he leant against the railing then turned to face him. “Nah, everyone’s just on their way over.”

A few others, Shishiwakamaru, Suzuki, Rinku, and Chu had already showed up. Jin telling that Touya would be by but he wanted to visit Hiei first. Yusuke didn’t quite like the sound of that but he figured the Ice Master wouldn’t make a scene on today of all days. And Hiei wouldn’t want to ruin it for Kurama either.

While they greeted Kurama and joked about the day’s events, Yusuke spied a small group walking up the pathway leading to the bridge, one in particular breaking into a sprint.

“Big brother!”

Kurama’s head jerked up at the cry and he looked over his shoulder, eyes wide. “Shuuichi?” He held up his hands to steady his younger brother as Shuuichi doubled over, trying to catch his breath once he crossed the bridge to him. “What are you doing here, I thought you had exams.”

Yusuke huffed. Leave it to Kurama to remember what’s important.

Shuuichi straightened up with a deep breath then threw up his hands. “What do you mean what am I doing here?” He gestured to Kurama’s entire ensemble. “You’re getting married!”

At the flat look Kurama gave him, Shuuichi shrugged with a sheepish smile.

“And I took them.”

Rolling his eyes, Kurama hugged his brother tightly, spying Shiori and Kazuya standing at the far side of the bridge.

“Mother…”

Shiori opened her arms to him as he stepped away from Shuuichi and walked toward her, practically engulfing her in a hug and lifting her off her feet. Kazuya looked on with a fond smile and stepped forward to join the hug, clapping a hand on Kurama’s shoulder. Yusuke let the moment linger before speaking up.

“Now, I hate to be the one to ask, but..how are we going to fit everyone on this bridge?”

Empty expectations, faceless fears

Sometimes this life is a bitter pill

“Come on, man!” Kuwabara shouted from the doorway. “We’re gonna be late, Hiei!”

“I’m coming!” Hiei growled for the fourteenth time, trying to make sure that he had everything as he darted from one room of the house to the next. Untethering his ring from his sword and stuffing it in his pocket, he patted himself over and muttered curses under his breath.

“Brother, please hurry up!” Yukina called and Hiei sighed loudly, racing downstairs.

“Where did I put it, I just had it…”

Hiei looked around before finding it right where he left it on the table. The gem on a twine necklace, glimmering in the sunlight pouring in from the windows.

“It’s beautiful…”

Hiei turned on his heel to find Yukina standing a few paces away, her hands resting at her stomach and smile soft.

“Did you…?”

Hiei opened his mouth to tell her how it happened but Kuwabara interjected, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

“Saw him cry it myself.”

Staring at Kuwabara flatly, Hiei turned to Yukina and asked. “… Is it too late to get Yusuke as my best man?”

“Hey!”

I love you now, do you love me still?

You have been mine since time untold

“I can’t believe this is happening…” Botan sniffled and wiped her eyes with her handkerchief. Shizuru patted her side, arm wrapped around her waist, a lollipop between her lips. Out of respect for Kurama and Hiei, she decided to forgo smoking for today. Atsuko stood next to her without nary a drink in hand, nursing a bottle of water with a wistful smile as she watched Keiko fuss over Yusuke’s suit jacket.

“Hold it together, Botan.” Koenma said, clearing his throat and swiping his finger under his own eyes.

Jorge leant closer and though he tried to keep his voice low, everyone nearby heard. “But Lord Koenma, you’re crying too.”

“Hush!” Koenma snapped and Jorge recoiled, hiding behind Botan who laughed cheerily.

Yusuke turned and shouted, his hands cupped around his mouth. “Hey everybody! Move your asses, they’re coming!”

Our love is immortal, don't you know?

Others will come and they will go

Out of all the people that Hiei thought he’d be stopped by before coming to his wedding, Touya wasn’t one of them. The Ice Master stood in silence and Hiei motioned for Kuwabara, Yukina and Mukuro to go along ahead of him, walking alongside Touya in silence. There was much that went unsaid between them and while they never may be friends they did have a common thread.

Hiei breathed in deeply then sighed, glancing toward him. “How I treated you at the party was uncalled for.”

Touya opened his mouth then closed it as if unsure whether he should reply then finally glanced toward him. “…I shouldn’t have put your feelings for him into question.”

As the bridge came into view and Hiei saw Kurama waiting for him, it took everything not to snap at Touya when he gripped his wrist before he could run forward. Looking back, the Ice Master looked at war with himself but finally came to a conclusion and gave him a smile.

“Congratulations, Hiei.”

Hiei’s eyes softened and he nodded, Touya’s grip on him easing and they clasped hands, giving a firm shake.

“… Thank you, Touya.”

But I love you young and I love you old

Only you have seen the other side of me

“Jorge, are you recording?!” Yusuke shouted as everyone else found their places, wanting to see the couple as well as they could. Some floated in mid-air with Jin, others sat on the railings or the grass, but Hiei and Kurama stood in the middle of it all side by side.

Jorge checked the camera once more then nodded. “Yep!”

“Why do we need to record this?” Hiei grumbled lowly, glancing at Kurama.

Kurama seemed happy that everyone was so excited and glanced at Hiei. The glimmer of happiness in his eyes and the bright smile that lit up his face made his heart skip a beat. “Posterity, so you always remember.”

Hiei huffed, rolling his eyes. “As if I would ever forget.” He said, smiling at him fondly.

Kurama looked taken aback for a moment then smiled warmly, leaning closer.

“Don’t you dare kiss him now!” Yusuke shouted.

Call me naive, I think you will

I loved you then, do you love me still?

After their vows had been said and the rings exchanged, Hiei held up his hand to stop Koenma from talking. Koenma looking on irritably and then awe-filled as Hiei pulled the necklace from his pocket.

“Where did you…” Kurama whispered and Hiei shook his head, motioning for him to lean down.

Slipping it around his head and easing it down the length of his hair to rest against his neck, Hiei gently eased his hair from beneath the twine.

“It was from you,” Hiei muttered, liking how the darkness of the gem contrasted to Kurama’s white suit. “From thinking about you. And everything after.”

Framing Kurama’s face in his hands, he gently ran his thumbs beneath his eyes, letting his gaze drift to the gem.

“An immortal flame.”

Here are the eyes that only see you

Here's the mouth that only calls your name

Koenma cleared his throat to get their attention and Kurama stood upright, gaze flicking to Hiei who smiled at him instead of looking at Koenma. “Well, if there are any other words you both would like to say?”

“Just three.” Hiei interjected and Koenma squinted at him before gesturing for him to continue. Looking at Kurama pointedly, green eyes focused on him and for a moment, there was a flicker of gold. Hiei smiled wider, wondering if Kurama could see the flicker of violet in his own. Reaching out for his hand and lacing their fingers together, Hiei asked. “You and me?”

Kurama grinned and squeezed his hand. “You and me.”

Here is the song they cannot kill

I love you now, do you love me still?

[iwroteyoualoveletter]

Megumi Ogata Livedoor Interview (May 2018) [1/2]

I could make it this far because I overcame that adversity. Megumi Ogata on fighting to the end with Kurama during her newcomer period.

The Female Voice Actors We Fell in Love With

It’s been more than 10 years since I first heard their dreamy voices from anime men, charming my heart completely. In the blink of an eye I was dazed, to find out the possessors of those voices were female, so astonishing it was not to be forgotten. Completely different from the “sweet girl” voice actresses, it became natural to chase after them. Despite their dignified femininity, they could still voice powerful men, sway my heart with mysterious sex appeal, and manage to sound more boyish than a real boy in vocal purity and forwardness… at that time, I fell in love with their colorful voices, the same ones that color the anime world today.

Here at Livedoors, we’re featuring the women behind those cool and charming voices who are continuing their fight on the frontline. There are 3 interviews in total. In this second feature, I listened to the story behind Megumi Ogata’s acting of the ever calm and composed Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho.

Photography: Tetsuya Arai

Reporter: Kaori Aoyama

Hair & Make-up: Naoko Sugiura

Pushing my senior voice actors out of the way and getting to the mic, that’s how the recording began.

In 1992, Yoshihiro Togashi’s popular boy’s comic Yu Yu Hakusho (Shuueisha) became a TV animation. Killed in a traffic accident, juvenile delinquent Yusuke Urameshi goes through a series of events that allow him to return to life, and the story follows his activities as a spirit detective. Ogata played the role of a former demon thief.  Appearing first as an enemy, he later becomes an ally to Yusuke in protecting the human world.

-- In December 2017 it was announced there would be brand new animation for Yu Yu Hakusho’s 25th anniversary Blu-Ray boxset. Please say how you felt when you heard the news.

First, “Will the cast be the same?” was something I wanted to know. I didn’t want to celebrate prematurely in case they changed the casting, so until I knew I kept a careful watch. (laughs)

-- When they pitched it to you, how did you feel?

I was happy. “I can act him again.” Now that the staff are earnestly working on production, I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

-- I believe the fans are waiting with heartfelt anticipation too! Next, I’d like to hear about the period of time around the anime’s original airing. Yu Yu Hakusho was your debut work, wasn’t it?

It was my first work, so it was a lot to absorb. Even the terminology in the script, things like, “OL(※1)” and “PUN UP(※2),”  were words I didn’t understand…

-- That terminology isn’t something a newcomer can go somewhere to learn, right?

That’s right. There were so many things I didn’t understand, and it was a really big role, so I felt like there was pressure building up on all sides. (laughs) At the same time, it was decided I would be in “Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinaisai” (in the role of Yamaguchi Shizuo). Both required all my strength, and I knew I’d have to give them my all or die trying.  

-- Did you receive advice from any of your seniors at the studio?

Yes. For example, in the beginning I couldn’t use the mic well, and I was told, “You don’t need to try so hard. It’s going to pick up your voice anyway.” (laughs) For Yu Yu Hakusho, we had 3 mics, and since the lead(s) spoke often, there was a dedicated “leading role mic.” The other 2 mics were used by supporting cast.

When Kurama first appeared in the “Three Bandits” scene, there were two others with me. Because we had to record the protagonist Yusuke’s voice too (voiced by Sasaki Nozomu), the 3 of us had to use the 2 remaining mics. I was new so I worried over, “Which mic should I be using…” until the scene finished.

-- You must have been nervous about the timing of when to start speaking alongside your seniors.

(In the role of Gouki) Norio Wakamoto was an actor who used to be part of the police riot squad. His way of speaking and moving was loud, because of the training he’d received as an officer, and he approach the mic with his whole body saying, “Uwooo! Haaaa!” while waving his arms about. Then, alongside him was Hiei’s voice actor Hiyama (Nobuyuki). At first, Hiei also required quite a bit of energy so he was shouting, “Haaaa!” waving his arms around too. I thought someone was going to get hit. (laughs)  

While I was debating where I should go, their scene finished. The voice actress for Kurama’s mother, Kumiko Takizawa, guided me by saying, “You can just push them out of way and take your place,” and Wakamoto also said, “Come over here.” I gave a timid, “O-okay then” and made my way over. (laughs) That was my first appearance, my first recording.

Editorial Annotation:

OL(※1)  - Overlap - While the first video is running, the scene gradually becomes the next scene’s video.

PUN UP(※2) - The camera angle pans from down to up.

“Don’t lie to the heart” The teachings of the audio director live on even now.

-- What was the atmosphere like at the studio?

In the animation business now, people tend to gather with others from the same generation, but back then everyone was on their own. I was the only real new one. Though Hiyama was also relatively new, he’d still started before me, and above me were other young people who’d already made a name for themselves like Nozomu and Megumi Hayashibara.

Above them were the backbone actors, like Mayumi Tanaka (Koenma) and Shigeru Chiba (Kazuma Kuwabara), and then above them even we had people like Tesshou Genda (Younger Toguro) and Hisako Kyouda (Genkai). Because there were so many people of that generation, it really encouraged me to learn a lot.

-- So many prominent people!

Among my superiors was the audio director Kan Mizumoto, who had a large presence. When overlaying the audio, he’d say things like,”It’s ok if it doesn’t match to the second (while pointing at his chest) as long as it doesn’t lie here.” Cute or cool voices aside, more than clearly pronouncing the sounds like “ga” or “wa,” he said it was important to be honest, because real stories came from the heart. Keeping the meaning of those words in mind, I continued on with the story more at ease with my acting.

-- What a lovely piece of advice!

Isn’t it? But there were times my superiors were against me too. Scolding me like, “Just now, you sounded too much like you’re acting in a romance and it wasn’t good. Can you stop that?” I’d listen to them shaking but only be thinking, “In any case, I didn’t lie” or “My heart is one with the role.”

-- Those words have stayed with you even now, haven’t they?

Yes. Because of that, if I thought I’d done a really good take, even if it was slightly off I’d negotiate with the director about altering the art to match. It wasn’t digital like now, it was film and not an easy thing to fix, but the director (Noriyuki) Abe really did his best to accommodate me. I felt nothing but gratitude towards him.

Masafumi Mima, the audio director in my other debut work “Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinaisai,” was of a similar mindset, insisting it was critical for one to be “born into the work.” Those two had a huge influence on me in my first 2 years. Really, I owe a lot to them, that I came to embody those words in my heart and turn them into habit. The director of “Haameru no Biolin Biki” Junji Nishimura who I’ve worked with once told me, “You’re the least suited voice actress in Japan for lip syncing.” [T/N: Lip syncing as in pacing her words to the already animated mouth.]

-- What!

While laughing the director continued, “But, when I’m listening to your acting, I want to change the work to match you, so it’s fine.” I believe that having those supportive directors and audio directors allowed an unskilled actor like myself to get by. Of course, it wasn’t that I didn’t see the arrogance in asking them to change the animation to suit me, but in my heart I always felt that I wanted the work a certain way, for the work to resonate with people. Of course, the effort it takes to be in sync [with the animation] is a major premise too! (laughs)

Pressure from all sides! … Troubles with no one to listen.

-- When we interviewed Hongo Kanata, who you worked with on “Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School,” he said, “When I nervously entered my first recording session, I was really happy when Ogata took the time to introduce herself to all of the cast.” Would you say you’ve always been that mindful of and considerate towards others [when working]?

During my newcomer days I didn’t have that kind of time at all! I didn’t know anything about the business, and suddenly I was a regular on a major production. There was so, so much going on. Like I said earlier, “there was pressure from all sides.” At that time, the production company president said to me, “If you keep putting in your best effort, your relationship with this company might improve,” and I was shaking like, “But it’s only my first time doing this…!” (laughs) There was a lot other than that, but it felt like fighting for my life every day, thinking, “If I mess up this role, there’s nothing after!”

-- By “all sides,” do you mean there was pressure other than that from the production company?

Yes. One was, not counting child roles, but roles from high school and older, I was the first voice actress to attempt voicing a young man.

--  You have an amazing story for how you were chosen at the audition. The first thing you did was give your name, “Megumi Ogata” and they immediately reacted, “This is the exact Kurama voice we’ve been searching for!”

(Link to Tweet story.)

Yes. When I went to the recording studio, the staff said things like, “If we compare you to [someone else] your balance is a little… well, we picked you, your voice suits the role. But, it needs a bit more something?” I worried, “A bit more ‘something’? What should I do?”

-- That’s when you received those words about “a story that doesn’t lie” from the voice director Mizumoto…

He was the person to say, “You’re forcing your voice lower, but you don’t need to.”

-- How were you able to overcome that obstacle?

I’ve casually spoken about it before, but I was aware my vocal cords were on the rare side and long for a female. Japanese people often have short vocal cords, but mine are more like a black person’s… That’s to say, they’re vocal cords with the possibility to expand. You can think of vocal cords the same way you think of a violin or double bass. The violin’s strings are short and produce a high sound, the double bass has long strings that produce a low sound.

You can train to a high pitch (singing range) and extend [your ability], but the length of your vocal cords is something you are born with, so people with short vocal cords cannot produce a low sound. But, for me to deliver my voice, teachers in my major said if I trained the muscles throughout my body that I needed like any average man, it seemed possible my singing range would naturally expand. I believed their words and started frantically working out at the gym.

-- You had multiple things within the company coming at you, pressure from the production management, pressure performing as a young male character, in addition to all the pressure you were feeling during actual recordings. Even though it was your first work, it was a difficult situation to be in. Did you have anyone you could talk to?

No, there was a lot more official stuff going on too, so there was little time for personal matters. I got the job and many other problems popped up around the same time… My family and friends were worried for me, as well as the classmates I’d had with me up till then, who as you’d expect talked with me.

I didn’t have any accomplishments to speak of, and there was a period I was regarded as the lucky newcomer. Outside the top tier, many staff and senior actors would say things like, “Your role should’ve been my role.” One senior actor actually said that to my face. Of course, not all the senior actors were like that! In any case, there wasn’t someone to talk to [about my troubles]. I had no choice but to make my own resolutions and overcome.

-- It was the first case of a woman acting a young male’s role, so I imagine not all fan reactions were genial.

In truth, though people said things, I did not get any complaint letters (about how I acted Kurama). At the beginning it was more that people thought things like, this popular character should be played by a normal male voice actor, or where did they get this nobody from to play this role.  But, in playing the role, it’s true I didn’t feel I had [the fans’] consent. Putting that thought out of mind also took personal effort.

-- While you were fighting with yourself you were still able to overcome so many challenges. I think that’s really incredible.

It’s only that I had to! (laughs) Conversely, you could say my first year and how I spent its beginnings sticking out Kurama’s role might be how I was able to do everything that followed to now.

-- Didn’t you ever think, “I don’t want to go to work anymore!”

At that time I never thought, “I don’t want to go.” Just, after the show had been airing for about half a year, suddenly my voice refused to come out. The doctor said to me, “It’s due to stress so if you rest about 2 weeks it’ll be fine.” That’s when a lot of stuff happened that I can’t say in interviews.

-- I see… well, how about when you heard people’s opinions that “Kurama’s voice is really lovely!” Did you feel something like relief?

Before the first event, one of my seniors who’d been a big anime’s lead teased me by saying, “I got hit with an egg.” (laughs) Other levels included things like, there might be razors in fan letters so be careful, and “what would you do if someone threw something,” all of which had me nervous.

The event began with the anime opening playing, with me on stage in the wings (where I couldn’t be seen from the audience). At the lyric Kurama is shown, I heard loud cheering. “Huh, maybe it’ll be ok…” I thought with surprise, and made my way on stage to meet the loud cheering. I was so relieved! For the record, I don’t think I ever received razors in a letter.

→ Part 2

Translator’s Note: Do not take everything written in this interview word-for-word. There were many places I struggled to find the appropriate English for and I might have misunderstood the original Japanese. If you noticed mistakes, please tell me so I can fix them and learn.

Part Two of this interview strays away from YYH and Kurama into what happened next in Ogata-san’s career as a voice actress and musician. As a huge Ogata fan, I’ll keep on plodding through for myself, but give a comment if you’d like me to post that too when finished.  

[tomioneer]

yyh rewatch number 11 WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY KIDS NOW

been a few days bc I am BUSY AF irl, and I made it through the dr ichigaki fight--just barely without tears--by watching with a friend. now we’re at episode 35 and watch straight through to 42, and I can’t help but blog about it because HELLOOOO, NINJA BABES

guess who’s here

it’s jin and TOUYA BITCHES

kurama recognizes them, I wonder if he's actually fought them before

I remember that hiei and kuwabara both get taken out of the fight, but can’t recall if genkai does as well

what I figured out when my friend asked why koenma knows genkai’s younger face is that since she was on a mostly human team in the past, she was probably one of the special guests at the tournament? and thus a member of a team koenma technically owned 

it’s upsetting that toguro didn’t seem to recognize his EX GIRLFRIEND.

jin speaks so quickly I can hardly understand him

it’s like merida in the new wreck it ralph trailer, just.. irish

ps JERRY FUCKING JEWELL again, for those keeping track

I’m gonna go ahead and mark yusuke and jin down as a ship now before I lose control

also, jin and touya

ship count: 8/400

I should really make a list of whose’ who in that count lol

oh yeah, here’s the medical exam, I remember it

her hair is gorgeous I would marry him if she asked

WOW she doesn’t even take kuwabara just genkai and hiei

a barrier master

and she’s just

oh man she took her coat off and I melted

STOP ELECTROCUTING MY KID BABE

epilepsy warning for this whole arc

koenma you’re a jerk

jin decides to fuck off because he doesn’t like fixed fights, bless him, he’s a terrible shinobi

demon makeup cool. not cool? the FUCKING RACIST image in the back during the explanation. I SAW that feathered headdress, togashi!!

kurama isn’t BOTHERING to attack because he’s observing

and hiei tells us why kurama is going to be fucked

jin is so done with this subterfuge bullshit

the audience is eating this up and touya speaks at last, my love, my darling, my short spiky blue beautiful man

I would kill to be able to put on makeup that perfectly, that easily

I know how kurama finishes this fight, but my friend can’t remember. I love it, this is so good.

“with his hair??” she asks, shocked

“only an amateur depends on arms and legs for victory”--kurama, with a whip coming out of his hair

“How is he controlling that?”

“With his spirit energy?”

isn’t there more behind why this guy is trying os hard? they’re not being blackmailed are they

oh.

there’s more, the patterns--

fuuuuck

and of COURSE his reiki is sealed, and as long as he’s standing--goddamn

wait

touya fights an immobilized kurama?

I don’t remember that!!!! son of a BITCH

“how will yusuke’s shattered team survive” asks the narrator. “This is bad” says yusuke

this is not good

I hate that kurama seemed to observe that gama’s paint was made of blood but didn’t like. pay attention to it?

friend just punned: “Touya is a cool dude”

I’m screaming she hates puns

one of the black black club just asked sakya why he is sharing “Ass space” with demons. fucking. what.

why does the committee want yusuke so dead, when they invted him? I guess that’s the whole REASON they invited him, ugh.

genkai tries to be optimistic for the first time in this series, and kiei shuts her down immediately

ohhhh the shinobi just need attention so they keep getting jobs

koto freezes to death, it’s very sad

touya somehow thinks a theif can’t keep running.. and seems to be right

“running like a baby is perfectly brave if the odds are uneven enough”--Koenma’s words of wisdom

such an inspiring leader the spirit world has

doesn’t he smudge the seal withhis own blood HEY he does

I am remembering these things seconds before it comes into play

touya’s attacks are honestly amazing

koto is a bit twisted

kurama plants something in himself, and then that’s what holds him immobile for the next guy right?? the big one yusuke kills

why doesn’t touya know who he is??? I thought, if they called him a traitor, we could ASSUME they knoew who kurama was??

why was touya blishin’?

the ICE SWORD man oh man one of my old old old old mary sues had that attack

oh yeah there it is, the arm wound, he plants it in that

“son of a frickin bitch”--yusuke urameshi

Koenma: Why do I get the feeling our most intelligent fighter is about to do something incredibly stupid?

Kurama: Let me do what I must... *does something stupid*

touya decides they’re friends now, so he wants to kill kurama painlessly

is

is touya fucking DEAD

oh good he’s alive

but also it’s not good

oh but okay kurama won

three more then

I know kurama vs. bakken is terrible

kurama also thinks they’re friends

faint heartbeat

amazing

ah, bakken

I hate him

“a fighter standing in the ring cannot be removed agains this will. as will cannot be determined...”

hatred

hiei is ready to go to war for his man

how is that motherfucker even a shinobi

yikes that last shot of the ep is absolutely awful

yusuke promises the audience that of he goes, it will be with a bang. I remember more of a whimper when sensui kills him.

who is that last guy on team masho? I remember bakken, and it’s clearly jin, but the third one, I can’t remember

BAKKEN JUST BITCH SLAPPED KOTO

yusuke is my BOY

I love him

this “kill the traitor” count is just. horrible

kuwabara is STILL out for the count

kick his ass baby boy

yusuke is my hero

why is uh. bakken sweating so much

mist made from his own uh. sweat. that’s pretty nasty

yusuke: I hate saunas.

I don’t remember this fight taking even this long???

yusuke has such great eyelashes

boy is already so like. pumped to fight jin. 

yusuke just used eighth grade science”you can get on your hands an knees and start begging.and maybe, just maybe, I’ll listen.”--yusuke urameshi

KILL HIM YUSUKE 

he’s ready to commmit murder and it’s amazing

jin didn’t even flinch

“That’s a pretty good fight”

kurama’s gorgeous and also awake

he’s making plant jokes and I hate it

I STILL DONT REMEMBER THIS RISHO BITCH

look how great these kids are. 

I DID remember about ruka’s barrier thing healing hiei

no way jin can’t fight first if he does how does yusuke fight him SECOND????

“If I win my whole team’s screwed and if I lose I have to fight again.”

jin is amazing. seriously. also, can these boys get married please?

you know I’m a multi shipper right 

well that was a fun match, sad it’s over

jin is just

such a happy guy I love it

they call them brothers but really the chu thing is much closer to that

“ass space” bbc guy now claims to pull the tournament committee by his the “ass hairs”

so quick!!

kuwabara seems insistent on the fact that he is “spiritually aware” in situations where he lacks that talent to actually observe

yusuke lands exactly one punch and jin floats up to let the impact wear off

“Hey, I needed that!” says yusuke when his spirit gun is deflected by jins wind 

jin thinks he’s very funny

he’s right

why is boan lashing out at kuwabara, when she’s supposed to be TREATING HIM

somehow Jin with his irish accent--or rather, Jerry fucking jewell  with his irish accent--isn’t triggering at all lmao. maybe because this is how I prefer him

yusuke’s hero eyes, at it again

how many reigun shots does yusuke have left?

jin’s so good at fights I love him so much

“something always comes ot me at the end” say yusuke about his battle stretegy

hiei

genkai, sarcastic: you truly havbe a way with women, hiei

JIN IS HUMMING LOVE HIM

yusuke plans to try the spirit wave, somehow forgetting his shotgun move???

shizuru once again knows exactly what’s up

bless the kuwabara family sixth sense

it’s so weird how genkai is speaking in third person

have I mentioned how much I love Jin’s eyes? 

yusuke call shimself a freak because he enjoys fighting

okay we’re back to who the fuck risho is???

if jin’s the official captain---

oh my god I just screamed when risho revealed himself and dropped my laptop holy shit

like a gut punching, throat-tearing godawful scream. 

“IT’S YOU!!!”

oh my god I don’t reember anyting about him other than earth and rocks and how much I HATE HIM

does he fight kuwabara? yukina just showed up trying to get in to see the tournament, does she heal kuwabara for this fight?

touya comes up. does risho attack him? that would explain why I hate him

yusuke defends koto, who he doesn’t like

hiei

i love

these two children are so angry

lkjlkjdasdflkjsadfkhjsdfasdf;lkjsadf

shizuru finds yukina and recognizes her from watchign that video, bless her

girls helpin’ girls

kuwabara was never technically ruled ineligible to fight, and I hate life

ginger son, don’t do it

he is so goddamn fucking helplessly sacrificial

yukina, go inside and heal your goddamn boyfriend

yukina is looking for her brother, oh SHOCK

shizuru intimadates an entire crowd of demons

her legs oh my god

just wait kuwbara, your girl with healing powers will be there soon

kuwabara is doing his best

keiko gets hit on by a bouncer and murders him

shizuru once again takes out a demon

can kuwabara shizuru marry kino makoto please???

risho is a dick

koto is clearly a sado-masochist

hiei GET OUT OF THERE

ruka is just like. a fetish indulgence of the artists. I know she’s hot but how long are they going to draw this out? 

koto: I’m goign to take the ocunt now, so everybody make sure to tell me how I’m doing it wrong, okay?

savage

START the DOUNT KOTO, he’s OUT of the ring

shizuru WRECK THEM

oh yukina has ptsd flashbacks when she runs into toguro

sakyo lets shizuru escape bless her

kuwabara prepares to sacrifice his ENTIRE FUCKING LIFE and becomes telpathic?? bless

kuwabara can’t imagine what to say to yusuke, who means so much to him, goddamnit

yukina is in the stadium, babies

YOU’VE GOT TO BELIIIIIIIIIIIIEVE IN THE POWER OF LOOOOVE

IT GIVE MEANING TO EACH MOMENT

IT’S WHAT OUR HEARTS ARE ALL MADE OF (just look inside)

oh my god

amazing

“That’s my girlfriend!”--Kuwabara Kazuma, aged fourteen

yusuke is astounded by his boy

koto isn’t counting either of them

SPIRIT SWORD

GET IN THE RING 

damn kuwabara

I can’t beleive he did it that’ s an highly unlikely triumph

hiei

“She’s... really here.”

Kuwabara bonds with yukina while keikpo and keiko FINALLY talk

KILL HIM BABY GIRL

pls get married

t;dr I would marry shizuru in a heartbeat if I didn’t know she was meant for sailor jupiter

shoutout to @batmares!!! thank you ever so much for joining me today for the Urameshi vs. Ninja arc of the dark tournament saga!

[too-raph]

Dragons, yu yu hakusho!

Sorry this is late..!!

Dragonsthe first character i ever fell in love with:Ruffnut!! When the second movie came out, I saw all those gifs of her ogling Eret and I was sold :’Da character that i used to love/like, but now do not:potential spoilers, but what they revealed about Trader Johan in this new RTTE season makes him more unappealing to me when he was a fun character before,a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not:Used to be more into Ruffret than I am? I still prefer it to lots of other Ruff ships tho…my ultimate favorite character™:RUFFNUT FOR SURE My wonderful daughter, the best girl, who is allowed to be “ugly” and ridiculous and even gross,prettiest character:Still Heather, probably,also a lot of the dragons just have really cool designsmy most hated character:Viggo, and now Krogan, too. I am not a fan of villains, usually, they tend to have personalities that I find unappealing. Too competent, lolmy OTP:Don’t really have one?? my NOTP:Ruff/lout and Ruff/legs and especially Ruff/settling down, having children, and proceeding to lead a normal, boring, run-of-the-mill life(…really tho I do hate the idea of her having children like have you met her?? what part of her makes everyone think she would want to be a mother ever. and what part of her makes everyone think she’d be fine being a housewife. like holy shit. she’s not even the marriage type, imo.I really despise that, since she’s a girl, everyone shoehorns her into this kind of bullshit without even considering her personality./end rant that literally nobody asked for)favorite episode:I love any episode that showcases the twins caring about each other and being competent, oh man. Also ones where Snotlout does good things. Snotlout and the twins doing ridiculous stuff together is also Great ContentFree Scauldy was really good, too! A rare Ruffnut spotlight episode.saddest death:Has there ever been like…a dragon that stayed dead..? My memory is failing me haha. Ah, and Stoick of course…favorite season:This is difficult, bc I have trouble keeping episodes straight, aha,They all have their good and bad moments, imo. I’d probably have to rewatch the whole thing to give a better answer :’Dleast favorite season:^^^character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate:I mean I don’t necessarily hate Hiccup or Astrid but to me they can be…pretty boring…my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave:Dagur, maybe? :’DThe twins and Snotlout also unfortunately probably qualify, lol. Love these problematic kidsmy ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave:I still want more focus on Barf and Belch…they are a good dragon…my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship:I mean, Ruffret isn’t exactly, reciprocated, but then, I don’t exactly ship it fully anyway, somy ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship: Astrid/Heather

Yu Yu Hakushothe first character i ever fell in love with:Kuwabara for sure, he’s been so lovely from day one, I’m gonna crya character that i used to love/like, but now do not:Don’t think there is one..? I don’t fall out of love with characters easily ahaa ship that i used to love/like, but now do not:also none?my ultimate favorite character™:Kazuma Kuwabara is on the fast track to becoming one of my absolute favorite characters of all time ngl. He’s just got such a big heart, and he’s so…genuinely good, and yet ridiculous and a bit rough, maybe a little dumb and a little “ugly”, but he never gives up and will do anything for people (and animals) he loves and Idk he’s just such a pure soul who proves you can achieve anything if you tryprettiest character:Botan and Shizuru!!Yomi, too. And both Kuramas, bc why would you be one pretty anime boy stereotype when you could be two pretty anime boy stereotypes.my most hated character:Toguro brothers, maybe? They made me so angry all the time.The older one was at least ridiculous but imo the younger was an ass for no reason

my OTP:I have so many feelings about Kuwameshi…they just…care about each other so much…my NOTP:Nothing really stands out but this one time I saw a fic that was Yusuke/Hiei/Kurama and completely left out Kuwabara and I felt personally insulted…also I really don’t think Toguro has ever deserved Genkai everfavorite episode:There are so many wonderful episodes bc I just really love this cast of characters BUT one that stands out is episode three, y’know, the one where Kuwabara has to keep from fighting and also study to bring his test score way up just so his friend can keep the job he needs and even tho ppl beat on Kuwabara he refuses to fight back or mess this up in any way and okay listen I’m crying againsaddest death:The second time Yusuke died really got to me, what with Kuwabara crying and begging him not to while remembering their first meetings and all,also when Kuwabara “died” and Yusuke was so devastated he released more power than he even knew he hadthe fact that both of these involve both of them feeling incredibly useless for not being able to save the other makes for added sadnessoh manfavorite season:There isn’t one that really stands out, I really enjoyed the series as a whole! Wasn’t bored once.least favorite season:My heart wants to say season four bc of the (relative) lack of Kuwabara, but even the way that was handled made sure he still had plenty of presence, and it didn’t feel like he was being tossed aside at all. Plus, we got really good Hiei, Kurama, and Yusuke content, not to mention the return of the best minor characters from the Dark Tournament, So ye, in the end I love season four just as much as the others, hahacharacter that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate:this doesn’t count at all but I didn’t understand why everyone apparently loved Kurama so much until I met himmy ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave:Shishiwakamaru or Suzuki maybe? If they even count anymore, they seem pretty harmless when all is said and done..Hiei…? lolBui maybe?? He was my favorite on Toguro’s team, at least,my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave:Mitarai…like I mean his canon storyline was actually really good but he definitely fits the first partmy ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship:…Karasu/Bui?my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship:Jin/Touya is really good!!Botan/Shizuru too!!And Hiei/Kurama, of course. Oh, also Yusuke/Keiko, especially doubled up with Kuwameshi feat. polyamorous Yusuke,

[cheritsundere]

I need help...... I've finished 2 animes in the past week and now I have no idea what to do could you recommend something for me to watch please -shanon

I’m on it, Shanon!

Well, I’m not too sure what exactly to recommend, since I don’t exactly know your personal taste and there are few anime out there for “everyone”. However, I’m going to assume you have seen most of the shows on my blog, such as Haikyuu, Yoi, Bnha, HunterxHunter, etc. (if not, those 4 I mentioned are the ones I would recommend you to watch first)

I’m gonna say therefore that you like comedies/shounens/underdog and growth stories. If that’s the case I got a few recommendations for you and I list them in order of what I think you would like most/have the best qualties/etc.

1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood:

Although the original is good in a different way, Brotherhood is superior in most of the animation, plot, and character development. 

The story revolves around Ed and his younger brother Al in a world of alchemy, tragedy, and hope. After having lost very important pieces of themselves, they journey together after joining the military to hunt down the Philosopher’s stone: an ancient myth that could bring them exactly what they need. Follow along with their travels as they discover friends, a hidden ulterior motive to the military’s actions, and the true meaning of what is really important in life.

Pros: Good animation, Great voice acting in dub and sub, Al is literally the cutest, strong cast (female characters have great roles in this), interesting and engaging plot, satisfying conclusion

Cons: A little on the long side with 64 eps (still shorter than HxH but), a few running gags that might get a little stale after a while, some 1 dimensional villains??? Idk I’m reaching.

2. Assassination Classroom:

Middle school can be difficult when you’re stuck in a classroom with the lowest of the low when it comes to grades, motivation, and skills. Class 3-E isn’t even allowed on the main campus due to their labels as school delinquents. Enter a Killer Octopus who moves at Mach 20, is indestructible, and wants to destroy the world. 

Oh yeah. And he’s their teacher.

Pros: Comedy is on point, character designs are unique?, every kiddo in the class gets their moment in the spotlight for the most part, endearing characters from the students to the teachers, satisfying conclusion.

Cons: Animation isn’t the most “showy” and can be stiff at times, rushes towards the later half of the second season, some characters realllllly needed to be expanded upon, plot is kinda ridiculous??? but entertaining nonetheless.

3. Bakuman:

Man, you ever look at an anime and then go look at it’s manga and think: “Wow, I wonder what it takes to be a mangaka. Wouldn’t a story about 2 kids making and becoming published mangaka be interesting???” 

No. No one did. But man is it a good fucking story.

Meet Mashiro and Takagi, 2 middle schoolers with dreams to become published mangaka in Shounen Jump and their journey throughout life as they go through the joy and pain that comes with gambling their careers in the trade of manga.

Pros: The partnership of the two MCs will bring the biggest smile to your face ever (Honestly the first Brotp I’ve ever had), Romance is well handled in the series and brings butterflies to your heart??? LIKE IT’S SO PURE IT HURTS, plot is really fucking good for a show about kids making manga, THE SECONDARY CAST IS GOLD

Cons: 75 episodes, last season seems rushed??? Idk, You won’t get a lot out of this if you don’t like the MCs

4. Yu Yu Hakusho:

14 yr. old Yusuke Urameshi is about as “Keith” as they come, constantly ditching school, causing trouble, and getting into numerous fights everyday. This isn’t to say such a delinquent kid is full of no redeeming features though as, in a strange stroke of fate, he sacrifices himself to save a little kid by jumping in front of a car. Sadly though, the afterlife wasn’t ready for his death and as such they offer him a second chance at life by becoming a GHOST COP - er “Spirit Detective” and gaining his right to come back to life. Along the way meet his enemy-turned-best-friend Kuwabara as well as the demons Hiei and Kurama as they fight against evil spirits to protect the world!

Pros: From the creator of HunterxHunter, Fucking awesome plot and characters, Yusuke is literally best “cool kid” in existence and is actually just a big dork underneath that bad-ass exterior, childhood friends ship that actually ends up sailing, the english dub voice acting is hilarious and will make you have nostalgic flashbacks to your childhood, fight choreography is gorgeous and inventive putting you on the edge of your seat, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS GODLIKE

Cons: It’s a fucking old ass show so the art and animation might turn you off a bit it was the 90s what do you want from me, tbh this is the longest recommendation on the list at a whopping 112 eps but trust me it’s worth it, cheesy puns and humor that might make you cringe since it’s an acquired taste but if you like it BOY WILL YOU LIKE IT

5. Birdy the Mighty! Decode:

What happens when a super awesome badass female alien police cop accidentally kills a normal teenage guy like Tsutomu Senkawa? Well, she has to fuse their bodies until his can regenerate! Duh.

Join these two polar opposite characters on their journey to hunt down intergalactic forces that land on earth while having to keep up with schoolwork without anyone finding out their little secret.

Pros: Holy shit Birdy is such a great female character like I can’t stand it, animation is on point??? Like the fights are awesome, comedy is good tbh, for a “guy and girl sharing a body” thing it really is handled tastefully and is light on most fanservice tbh, uh??? DID I MENTION ALIENS???

Cons: A little unsatisfying with some plot points??? Like some story lines seem to not…go…anywhere, romance does feel a little forced with Tsutomu and his love interest but Birdy’s romance subplot is handled well for the most part, kinda lacklust ending but it’s mostly forgivable

Hope these helped Shanon and sorry I didn’t answer sooner!

[fighttowinfanfic]

Fight to Win - Kazuya Mishima Vs Toguro

These two sacrificed their humanity for vengeance. The monster within the man will rise, but only one will fall.

Humanity, at times is all we have, but some will deliberately blacken their hearts if it means tearing apart those that wronged them.

Kazuya Mishima, head of G-Corporation

And Toguro, the younger of the infamous Toguro Brothers

I’m Tommy the Bomb-Y, and it’s my pleasure to pit fiction’s champions against one another, in a

FIGHT!

TO!

WIN!

The millionaire mastermind of the King of Iron Fist Tournament--Heihachi Mishima. While a charismatic figure in public and highly successful mogul, he was far less successful in the field of being a father than any other. Deeming his son too weak to live, he dropped the young boy down a ravine, leaving him to the odds to either die or climb out a changed man.

...The latter occurred, and Heihachi’s son, forever changed and bittered by the experience, would rise again to challenge his father. He would make his name known; Kazuya Mishima.

Name: Kazuya Mishima Age: 49 Height: 5’11” (186 cm) Weight: 168 lbs. (76 kg) Homeland: Japan Race: Human/Devil gene Alias: Devil Kazuya Son of a Distinguished Family Kazuya trained for years in preparation of the day he’d exact revenge on his father. He entered Heihachi’s tournament and won, throwing Heihachi off of the very same cliff he was thrown off of as a child in the final round. By doing so, Kazuya took over his father’s corporate conglomerate, corrupting the blackened heart of the distinguished martial artist even further.

Kazuya fights with the Mishima Style Karate passed down by the generations of his family. The style is fictional, but takes very clear influence from many real life martial arts such as Shorin Ryu and Shotokan, which share a common link in their up close and intensely solid body structures--emphasizing circular over direct motions. His martial arts training make him a deadly foe--capable of throwing around armored JACK robots as if they were limp dolls and slam a man’s head into a reinforced metal wall with enough force to leave massive cracks. 

Unknown to many, Kazuya has another source of power. An evil entity simply known as Devil is what saved Kazuya from dying at the bottom of the ravine Heihachi threw him down as a child. Devil promised that he’d have the power to overthrow Heihachi if Kazuya allowed him to take refuge in his body. From then on, Kazuya acted as Devil’s host, greatly enhancing his strength. By tapping into Devil’s power, Kazuya can produce shockwaves capable of destroying buildings from the inside.

While Devil used to take control of Kazuya’s body as he pleased, Kazuya was eventually able to turn the tables on his demonic host; and with extensive training as well as supplement from his own company, G-Corporation, Devil became a power source for Kazuya to wield rather than the other way around. Kazuya can channel Devil’s energy into powerful strikes that are practically explosive upon contact. The Devil Gene has also made Kazuya incredibly durable--able to survive when Heihachi tried to finish him once and for all by dropping him, this time, down an erupting volcano.

And when Kazuya needs an extra punch, he’ll allow Devil further influence over his body, transforming him into Devil Kazuya. In his demonic form, Kazuya gains access to long reaching laser eyes, as well as flight via two beating wings. Although the Devil form is incredibly powerful, it’s by no means an instant victory--a skilled enough fighter, such as Heihachi, has been shown to be capable of taking down Kazuya in this form.

However Kazuya is one of the most feared Iron Fist combatants, and few that have seen his demonic form have lived to tell about it.

If you have a band of fighters willing to help you do attain your wildest dream, the Dark Tournament, a contest of the Demon World’s most unruly combatants, will have you feeling right at home. There, combatants fight to the death for a chance at any wish of their choosing.

Any wish...even transcending your own humanity. One man, struck by grief and guilt when he dojo was slaughtered by the demon Raizen, won the tournament and wished to become an unstoppable demon. That man was named Toguro.

Name: Toguro Age: Ageless Height: Variable Weight: Variable Race: Demon Homeland: Demon World Champion of the Dark Tournament Ever since his victory and transformation into an unaging demon, Toguro became an infamous hitman in the criminal demon underworld. He remains the reigning champion of the Dark Tournament--that is, until he is challenged by Yusuke Urameshi…

Toguro’s primary demonic ability is that of expanding his muscle mass, and with it, his strength. He does so in numeric values, gradually raising his power to high percentages from his causal state. At a mere 40% of his full power, Toguro can snap a monster many times his own size in half with just a flex of his arm. While the Dark Tournament is generally fought in teams, Toguro’s immense strength has allowed him to clear entire teams by himself if his team is feeling lazy, tossing around five demons at once with his bare hands without breaking a sweat.

Practically a one man wrecking crew, at less than half his full power, he can kick a man’s head off of his shoulders with ease, as well as tear down a massive building from the inside. His own immense strength makes him strong enough to create bullets out of thin air--the aptly named Finger Flip Bullets are created simply by the absurd force created by Toguro flicking his finger, shooting air at an opponent with all the force of a gunshot--an absurd 2,500 feet per second.

Toguro’s strength isn’t simply physical. His increases of power also add to his demonic energy aura. Upon reaching levels of around 80%, his own energy can no longer contain itself, releasing as a bright red aura that can topple strong foes and level the Dark Tournament arena. He can also concentrate this aura and enhance his physical blows, a tactic that has instantly killed demons of a lower class.

Toguro also has a healing factor--allowing him to heal injuries such as when he was impaled on Kuwabara’s Spirit Sword, or given a nasty gash by Genkai’s energy blasts. Speaking of Kuwabara and Genkai, two of the most dangerous human fighters in the series, Toguro has beaten them both in battle, creating a nice topper on his already impressive resume of several Dark Tournament victories.

Fighting at 100% full power makes Toguro nearly immovable--however, it’s also quite taxing. Toguro is required to consume souls in order to keep this form together, however, he had little trouble consuming the souls of the entire Dark Tournament spectator’s crowd when this dilemma arose.

One of the most fear demons in existence--the bigger he is, the harder you fall.

The clash of the two embodiment of yin and yang, man and the demon that lies inside awoken! Who will survive this brawl?

Location: Japanese Hotel Plaza

DJ Funky Freeman’s Music Choice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6mDxjG49K8

Kazuya entered the multiplex plaza surrounded by bodyguards, walking stiffly in their three piece suits. “Right this way to your room, Mr. Mishima.” Kazuya was staying overnight for a convention--one where he’d reveal sensitive G-Corporation information anyone would kill for. Naturally his best bodyguards were on the job. Left of the lobby Kazuya entered was the hotel bar, where the staff was growing weary of a mountainous looking man, who had loitered on his select barstool, ordering several glasses of plain orange juice the entire day. The moment Kazuya’s guards lead him inside, the towering stranger’s attention, for the first time in hours, left his beverage. The guards only broke their circle around Kazuya when he whose name the room was under had to sign a piece of paperwork. Irritating as it was, the mogul of G-Corporation looked down to deliver his hancock. With a quick movement of his hand, Kazuya fulfilled the contract. He lifted his head, only to see the desk attendant with a look of horror painted on his face. Kazuya smirked as he turned around. Standing there was the behemoth from the bar, standing rather nonchalantly, the bloodied remains of the G-Corporation guards in his hands. “I thought I was being forward.” The assailant spoke. “But I don’t believe you noticed me.” “I did.” Kazuya confirmed, facing the stranger and cracking his knuckles as he did. “It’s just been a while since I’ve had any proper exercise.” “This is no exercise.” The man adjusted his sunglasses. “I’m the younger of the Toguro Brothers. You, Kazuya Mishima, have been affiliated with a very large bounty.” “My father’s doing?” Kazuya chuckled. “No one you’ve heard of.” Toguro removed his jacket. “I’ll make this quick.” Kazuya chuckled. “Oh, will you?” FIGHT! A quick kick the neck will end this quickly. Toguro tried to land a roundhouse kick on the spot, but Kazuya quickly reacted, grabbing hold of Toguro’s leg before his kick could hit him. Kazuya tightly gripped his foe’s leg before swinging him around, throwing Toguro a few feet into the air. Toguro crashed into a few neatly aligned chairs by the lobby desk. The socialites walking about the hotel gasped and scattered in fear. Kazuya crept toward where he threw his opponent, while Toguro pulled himself back up. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t feel like exerting myself today.” Toguro seemed to brace himself where he stood, straining his arms. “But I do many things I do not feel like.” Kazuya was surprised to see the stitchess on Toguro’s jacket burst off onto the floor. Toguro opened his mouth and let out a yell as his chest and arms gradually expanded. Before long, Toguro’s shirt and jacket could no longer contain his body, as his torso and arms developed immense muscles. “Fifty percent of my power should suffice.” Toguro admitted, taking a deep breath as he was relieved from the expanding sensation. He pushed his glasses back up his nose, readjusting to his newly grown body. “You think mere size will intimidate me?” Kazuya stepped forward, preparing to strike Toguro with his fist. His bare fist made contact with Toguro’s abs, and the second it did, he felt a pain shoot up his arm. It’s...hard as a rock! Kazuya cringed. “That’s how most people react.” Toguro said before sending Kazuya flying backwards with a single swing of his arm. Kazuya careened back, breaking through the decorative fish tank that stood tall in the lobby above the sign in desk. Kazuya picked himself up off of the hardwood floor, covered with water, flailing fish, and shards of glass. Toguro pointed his shoulder forward, not hesitating to charge forward. The man at the front desk yelped in fear before hopping out of the way as Toguro crashed right through the desk, through the wooden stand that the fish tank once sat atop of, and into Kazuya, who was recovering behind it. Kazuya took the full brunt of Toguro’s immense body in his midsection. Toguro continued to charge, until both crashed into the wall across the hall. Kazuya felt himself crushed between the the jagged walls and his foe’s suffocating body. I see I have to rely on my old crutch again… Kazuya felt the power of the Devil Gene seep into his hand. His palm glowed with red energy before he sent his fist into the bottom of Toguro’s jaw. This blow sent Toguro rocketing straight into the air, crashing through the ceiling and up into the floor above. Toguro landed hard, leaving a massive dent that nearly broke the floor, much to the horror of the couple inside the room, who were quick to run out with a scream. Kazuya had leapt up into the room through the whole his opponent’s body left. Toguro rubbed his chin before returning to his feet. “That sort of power...felt familiar.” Toguro said. “I’m sure it’s nothing you have experience with.” Kazuya indulged in a devilish smirk, his left, red eye gleaming. “You’d be surprised.” Toguro took a stance. “Either way, now I see why the demon underworld wants your head. As such...I have to take you seriously now.” Red energy surrounded Toguro as, once more, his body stretched and contorted, his muscles hardening and growing. Kazuya took a step back, he could feel his foe’s demonic energy. Toguro let out a pained yell as his shadow cast over Kazuya. “I’ll honor you…” Toguro sighed as his transformation ended. “With eighty percent of my power.” “Flattering.” Kazuya rolled his eyes, before swinging his leg around for another attempted kick. Toguro quickly blocked the blow, before returning with his own punch, which Kazuya leaned out of the way of. The two next attempted a punch at the same time, their fists colliding in precise unison. Their respective red energies sparked off of their knuckles each time they made contact. The two traded blows, blocking each other’s punches and kicks, neither landing a decisive blow until Toguro extended his arm, his incredibly thick fingers wrapping around Kazuya’s neck. “I’m not looking to spend the entirety of my reward for killing you on the repairs for this hotel.” Toguro droned. “This ends now.” Toguro tightened his grip--Kazuya felt immense pressure in his head. He wasn’t sure if his skull would burst, his neck would snap, or if he would simply suffocate. With a raspy cry for air and blood, Kazuya’s eye flashed red a second time, triggering the release of a shock wave from his body. Toguro was blown into the wall behind him. Kazuya inhaled, finally regaining his own circulation since he forced Toguro to release his grip. The Mishima heir panted shakily, his eye glowing and dulling repeatedly. “Not...yet…” Kazuya forced his demonic energies back into his own body, before standing up straight. “Still attached to your humanity, I see.” Toguro pried himself off the wall. “For your sake more than mine.” Kazuya barked. “You know, I’ll be a little disappointed now if I don’t push you to your limit.” Toguro lifted his arm, the entire length radiating with a blinding, red energy. Toguro leapt forward, swinging his arm with incredible force. Kazuya could only attempt to block before Toguro’s arm slammed into him, creating a massive explosion of red sparks. Kazuya crashed through the rice paper shutters separating the hotel room from the outside of the building. Kazuya rolled over the black tiles that covered the massive awning which etched out below the window, looming over the streets of Tokyo. The yellow, paper lanterns that hung off of them were the only source of light in the pitch black night. Toguro stepped toward the now empty door frame, looking out, the cool, night air tickling his face. Kazuya had clinged a hand to the awning fast enough to keep himself from rolling over the edge. “Afraid you’ll lose your balance?” Toguro raised a single hand, his thumb pursed behind his index finger. “You might want to be careful.” Without warning, Toguro flicked his thumb over his finger several times. Each time, he sent out a tiny pocket of air. Kazuya was initially confused, before the invisible shots of sheer force picked tiles off of the awning like bullets as Toguro’s aim crept toward him. Kazuya tried to climb further onto the awning, only to find himself riddled by the ‘bullets’ produced by Toguro. Blood sprayed from Kazuya’s shoulders as he endured each shot. Kazuya coughed up a splash of blood before he released his grip on the awning, tipping and falling over the edge. Toguro sighed. “Makes it something of a hassle to find the body…” The gigantic hitman stepped out onto the awning, stepping toward its edge with care. It couldn’t hurt to peek and see if he was still moving. ”This is far from over!” Before Toguro reached the edge of the awning, Kazuya shot up from the ground below, now clad in purple, dark energy. Massive, bat-like wings on his back beat up and down, carrying Kazuya through the air. Toguro couldn’t help but smile. “Showing your true colors at last.” Kazuya’s eyes were now both gleaming red, his body covered head to toe in purple scales. “DIE!” Kazuya’s eyes released a flash of red, demonic energy, two beams of red blazes crawled up the awning, slashing across Toguro’s shoulders. Toguro yelled in pain, as he grabbed his arm where Kazuya’s attack left nasty burns. Kazuya allowed his wings to carry him down to the tile, stepping towards Toguro. “Looks like it’s MY turn to push you to your limits!” Kazuya quickly turned around, slashing Toguro across his face with his tail. Blood sprayed from Toguro’s cheek as the strike knocked his sunglasses off of his face, sending them spinning off of the awning. Toguro gripped the Devil formed Kazuya’s tail, swinging him over his shoulder and back into the awning, tiles flipping over with each slam. Kazuya turned his neck around, and with a sinister smile, shot another set of eye lasers at Toguro’s face. Toguro released his firm hand on Kazuya, as he buckled backwards. Toguro wretched in pain while Kazuya returned to his feet. “I had go through hell and back for this power.” Kazuya trudged toward Toguro, grabbing him by his neck. “This is just a small taste of the pain I experienced!” Kazuya punched Toguro in the face, before winding around with a kick. Kazuya landed several bruising strikes on Toguro. One last kick sent Toguro hurdling over Kazuya’s leg, sending him crashing to the floor. Kazuya crossed his arms, his wings expanding proudly. The demonic heir chuckled. “So much for that reward you were working toward.” Kazuya turned around, before Toguro got back up. “Something of a glutton for punishment, aren’t you?” Kazuya snapped back to his foe, before he felt his stomach drop at the sight of Toguro’s bruises disappearing off of his body. “Can’t say I saw this coming…” Toguro dusted himself off. “None who see me at this state live to tell the tale.” Toguro’s magenta hued aura burst around him. Toguro’s once human skin seemingly decayed on the spot, turning from a tan color to a rock like grey. Toguro’s body grew once more, his own legs snapping the tiles below his feet as his shoulders developed immense spires. Kazuya grit his teeth at the sight. “You’re fighting me well beyond 100% of my power now.” Toguro smiled. “Let’s settle this!” The two demons rushed at each other, and the instant they collided, the entire hotel shook. The pressure of their fists was nearly enough to tip the entire building, pieces of wood and metal flying all about. Both fighters yelled furiously, releasing auras of demonic energy that crashed into one another. From the point of view of someone far away, the entire layer of the building burst from below the rest of the hotel with crimson light. Demonic blazes and flames scattered as the floor the two fought on top of fell apart. Kazuya beat his wings, positive Toguro would fall to his demise while he made an escape. He couldn’t see very much within all of the dust and debris falling around him, and although this caused him to be somewhat aimless, he felt secure with his flight. ”Got you!” Kazuya was frightened by the sight of Toguro, bursting out of the clouds of dust and fire they had caused. The hulking demon wrapped his arms around Kazuya’s chest, dragging down the flying demon. “You aren’t going anywhere.” Toguro said, his tone remaining calm despite the calamity surrounded them both. The demon hitman began to savagely slam his fists into Kazuya’s back. Kazuya writhed in pain as the pressure Toguro applied forced him to descend faster and faster. The two crashed like a nosediving airplane into the ground below the hotel, Kazuya crushed beneath the immense pressure of his foe. An immense cloud of dirt rose from the impact of both fighters’ crashing bodies. Toguro stood tall above Kazuya, who was bloodied and smashed into the street. As the dust cleared, Toguro looked down. Despite all he had exerted, his foe was still alive. Kazuya wheezed as he tried to pick himself up. “I’ll...get you...for this!” Toguro, somewhat disappointed, kneeled down toward his foe. “I wish I didn’t have to dishonor you like this, but it seems an earnest death in combat simply won’t suffice.” Toguro looked Kazuya in the eyes, and took a deep breath. Before Kazuya knew it, he felt the very air in his chest escape through his mouth. His very life force was crawling out of his body and into Toguro’s. Toguro patiently allowed the stream of Kazuya’s soul to be passed unto him. Within moments, Kazuya was reverted to his human form, before he fell limp where he laid. Toguro stood back up, consuming Kazuya’s soul completely. KO Toguro pulled out his cell phone as he turned around, still in his fully demonic form. “Brother? I finished the job...no thanks to you.”

((Victory circle music: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctk5WtJf63U&t=135s )) Kazuya’s Devil Gene let him hold his own, but he quickly found himself in over his head as Toguro’s power levels only continued to rise. Both had power capable of leveling buildings, but what Kazuya is only seen achieving with energy projection, Toguro is handily capable of with only his bare hands. Toguro outpaced Kazuya in skill as well. Kazuya has won his fair share of battles, but very rarely against anything more impressive than a mere human during the King of Iron Fist tournament. The only other super powerful, otherworldly being he’s been shown to explicitly keep pace with is his less experienced son, Jin, who inherited his powers. Toguro, on the other hand, has an incredibly long track record of not only demons ranging from his own ranking to below, but has also slain superpowered human spirit detectives who are specially trained to kill demons. Toguro was truly prepared for anything. Kazuya’s wings and long range energy attacks in Devil mode gave him an advantage in distancing himself from Toguro and an effective control over the battlefield, but Toguro’s energy waves were more than enough to compensate. And while Kazuya had an immense threshold for punishment, Toguro didn’t even need physical force to kill him. Considering Toguro could consume the souls of an entire stadium, doing the same to Kazuya and Devil if need be probably wasn’t much of a challenge. It’s highly unlikely Devil could possess Toguro if given the chance considering Toguro is, too, a demon among the highest calibre, a position he has protected in tonight’s battle. The winner...is Toguro.

Next time on Fight to Win...

Straight out of the ant hill! Ant Man is ready to battle! Against who, you ask? Stick around this blog to see!