My neighbor is a demon! (Hiei x OC)

32 Winner or loser (Yuko)

I half remember Elder Toguro getting to his feet once more before Kuwabara smacked him down again like a fly, gaining victory. I barely recall Elder Toguro entering the scene shortly after and his own brother condemning him.

But by the time my body had stopped shaking and I could move myself from Botan's lap while she never stopped petting my hair in a motherly fashion, Yusuke was already well on his way battling the Younger Toguro brother, who, according to Toguro the Elder, is supposed to be my grandfather.

And despite every fiber in my body is wanting and needing it to be a lie; I can't help but see the truth in the suggestion. This is really insane.

"Yuko-san? Are you okay?" Yukina asks quietly, clasping onto my hand gently as I manage to right myself. I stare at her for a moment, half expecting her to shun me. Wasn't she once a prisoner to Toguro? If I'm really related to that guy, why is she still looking at me with tender eyes?

"I... I'll be okay." I stammer, squeezing her hand back slightly. She smiles sorrowfully, but as she turns back to the fight, she doesn't let go. And I feel really grateful for that, because I really need something to keep me grounded as events unfold below us.

Looking down and seeing Toguro as he is now, he is looking completely different from before. His skin has a grey tone to it and every muscle is bulging to its limit. There is a power to him that leaves everyone shaking. And right now, Yusuke is on the receiving end of that power. He's not doing so well at all.

The power Toguro exceeds has also done a lot of damage to the stadium's population. Most of the weaker demons in here just died on the spot. And as Toguro starts to consume their lost souls before starting on the souls of those still living, we hightail it out of there, standing as far away as possible.

If it weren't for Puu somehow covering us with a shield, I don't have a doubt that we wouldn't be standing here alive and breathing anymore.

The onlookers that were left after the first assault decide that now it the time to run. The mass of demons rush towards the exit, screaming for dear life.

Suddenly the ground starts to tremble and if it isn't for the gaping hole in the side of the stadium, we couldn't have seen what happens next. To everyone's horror, large walls rise from the ground, blocking the exit. There is no way to run. They are all left as food for Toguro.

The crowd turns on Toguro, seeing that as their only option, but it's completely useless as they are destroyed before they even come close.

Seeing all this happen, I don't think I've ever felt more scared because of one man. This is a complete nightmare.

I can see Keiko trembling next to me. It's so hard for her that she has to watch Yusuke suffer like this as he gets pounded into the ground. All she wanted was to come here and bring Yusuke back home with her, like I want to take Hiei back home with me; in one piece and safe, to continue life like normal is what we want, but normal will never come again. That much is clear.

What is it going to take? What is it going to take for us to at least survive? To survive and take another chance at happiness in this new world we find ourselves in. What is it going to take?

Too much.

.............

It is bittersweet. Yusuke does have the strength to beat Toguro, but at the cost of a life; Kuwabara's.

I can't wrap my head around it. How can grandma possess Puu like that, only to tell Toguro that one of Yusuke's friends has to die to tap into that power? And Toguro took that advice and took the boy's life. He would stop at nothing to make Yusuke an opponent worth fighting, or maybe rather, an opponent worth beating him.

And here we stand, the four of us watching Yusuke put an end to it. Me, feeling numb and disorientated; Shizuru, broken inside; Yukina, tears clattering on the floor and Keiko unresponsive altogether.

But nothing beats the anger Yusuke feels right now, not towards Toguro, but himself.

Toguro braces himself as Yusuke readies a final Spirit gun, putting in everything he has. He is determined to make sure there is no coming back from it for Toguro, maybe even himself if he has to. Every last drop of energy is poured into that ball of spirit energy.

He finally releases it and Toguro runs up to meet it. Clasping first one hand onto the energy that wants to devour him and then the other.

Yusuke's power dims, no longer able to put more into it, the line between him and the massive ball of energy is cut off. Now all we can do is wait and hope that it is enough.

The ball continues to push at Toguro, slowly inching him back as he has both his arms wrapped around it now. Blood starts to squeeze through the very pores of Toguro's being at the strain.

But our hearts sink as he manages to squeeze it so tight; it implodes, leaving Toguro still standing. How is this possible, after all Yusuke put into this, after all the sacrifice; How is it that Toguro still stands?!

Yusuke crashes into the dirt, spent and a feeling of acceptance starts to come over me. There is just nothing more that could be done. It's over.

Toguro steps closer to Yusuke, seeming to say something to the now unconscious boy, something sounding close to words of gratitude. Only a moment after that, his body grows alight as his body literally starts to crack.

I blink in surprise. Could it be?

The grey skin bursts off the man, revealing a slimmed down Toguro underneath. He then too falls face first into the dirt, no longer moving and his skin turning white and fragile like paper. He died.

What is even more remarkable, is that Yusuke's eyes open only shortly and he gets to his feet, now staring down at his former opponent in wonder.

"He's okay." I breathe as Botan cheers. "Yusuke is okay." I repeat, feeling such a relief course through me.

Koto and Yuri run up to the winner with bright smiles; "Contestant Urameshi is the winner!" they declare in unison.

I happily turn to Keiko who has slouched against the wall with Puu in her arms. "Keiko, did you hear?" I ask excitedly, expecting to be met with the biggest smile yet.

There is no reaction though and I crouch down next to her in worry. "Oh Keiko." I sigh, seeing her lost in her mind. She's still in shock.

"Hey Yuko-chan, look over there." Botan nudges me, causing me to look where she is pointing. I blink in surprise to see Kuwabara suddenly on his feet.

"Huh?" I can only manage to say dumbly.

"Looks like it was a ruse to help Yusuke." Botan explains, making me sigh. What a guy.

Before we can completely breathe a sigh of relief though, Sakyo, the one who owned the Toguro team and who bet his life against Koenma's for the win, decides it's time for him to own up to his end of the bargain. However, no one suspected that he would do so by destroying the entire stadium, with everyone still in it. What follows is another final struggle through chaos.

Somewhere along the way I have lost sight of Shizuru and we could only get to running after Keiko was literally knocked some sense into by Yusuke.

Only several near death experiences later and with the help of some former foes, we manage to make our way outside and just in time. The dome explodes behind us and I sigh in relief when Shizuru and Koenma, together with the ogre come running out of the dust towards the rest of us.

"It's over huh?" Kuwabara says quietly once the stadium has been reduced to rubble.

"Yeah, it's over." Yusuke confirms.

Suddenly Botan shrieks in realization, making the rest of us jump. "W-what's wrong?!" Kuwabara asks, startled.

"Once you win, you each get one thing you want right?" Botan reminds us of the grand price. "Now you won't be able to get anything. We're worse off for having been invited." she complains.

"It's alright." Yusuke cuts in. "After all, the thing I want most... they wouldn't be able to give me." he states sadly.

I turn my eyes to the ground, knowing that he's talking about grandma. But right now I can't continue grieving. I can't reflect on all that I have learned either. Right now... I'm just tired.