|| A Bouquet of Red and White Roses || [Yu Yu Hakusho Fan-fic] {Edits}

Ceasing Existence

After watching Oka suddenly be shoved away from my side, my eyes skimmed through the darkness in front of me and landed on a familiar face that stood there staring at me. I glared at her and used the tree beside me to push myself up from the ground. 

Oka and Eion were fighting nearby, however Luurè and her duplicate were no longer in sight. I tightened my hands into fists and scowled. In order to waste time, they had switched places. And now, I had Xeila to worry about. They knew that things were going to go this way. 

"I really don't want to waste my time on someone like you", Xeila was saying from where she stood, "So I'll give you a choice. You can turn around now and let that human die or you, instead, will die here. Which one do you prefer ?"

Say, switch with me.. You must be exhausted.

Don't fight alone, I'm still here.

Allow me to get rid of the nonsense that stands in your way.

Trust me.

"Just don't kill", I muttered and closed my eyes.

A gust of wind suddenly blew by us as the strands of her hair blew along with it. When I opened my eyes, I could see myself standing in a familiar place. I smiled to myself and brought a hand up to her lips. Xeila stared at me with a suspicious gaze. Yet she said nothing.

"I'd rather die than leave her to die in your hands", I replied, attempting to sound the way that Shiori usually did when she spoke. It didn't matter to me if Xeila caught on but she did shift around. I brought her hand down to my side and glanced at the deep wound on her side. It was the one that Oka had attempted to clean before Eion had suddenly shoved her aside. It was bleeding a little, but during the short time when we weren't moving, it had stopped. I wanted it to close before I decided to fight with Xeila. And in order to do so, I had to avoid getting hit. I placed her left hand on her side and stared at Xeila.

"And here I thought that maybe you would've gotten smarter from the last time we met here", she said as she slowly began to approach me. "I'm afraid I was wrong." I shifted my position and waited for her to reach me. When she finally did, I jumped to the side and stared at the blade in her hand as she tried to cut me in half. It was nostalgic, the blade that she was using. Of course, she didn't stop there. The second time she tried to hit me, she turned around and managed to cut a small strand of Shiori's hair. I watched it drift away in the wind as we both settled down. "What's wrong ?", she asked me in a taunting tone, "Why aren't you attacking ?" "You aren't my opponent", I replied bluntly. "You're just wasting my time." "How would you know ?"

"There is no reason for me to fight you if all I want is that one item", I called out dryly. "My real opponent is that duplicate. By standing in my way, you're only saving time." Xeila huffed and glanced over to where Oka and Eion were standing. "I assume that you're the same ?", she asked. "You're wrong." I took a step towards her and grimaced. "If I get rid of you here, then I'll be able to find out where Luurè took her." "So you plan on killing me ?", she asked. "I don't. I just want to get out of this dull place." I took another step. She cautiously watched me. 

"Yes well, I don't think that'll happen." I smiled at her and stopped in my tracks. "Prove it to me", I replied, "Those words. You'll fall before you can even touch me."

There was a sudden change in expression before she chuckled. "You remind me of an idiot that I used to know", she called out, slowly starting to come towards me. "Always checking things before she actually moved.." I sighed in dismay as a memory slowly began to unfold in my head.

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"Xeila you're too open ! If you're not paying attention, Eion will knock you over before you know it !", I recall shouting while I observed them fighting with Luurè. "Shut up !", she had replied, "What would you know !? You can't even bring yourself to fight Luurè !" "I'd rather waste my time with something else." Beside me, Luurè chuckled. "An insult ?", he asked. I casually hit him on the shoulder and grinned. "I wonder", I replied and turned back to Xeila and Eion. Eion appeared beside Xeila and aimed for her leg. She noticed and dodged by pushing herself up into the air. I leaned against the railing of the stadium and sighed. "Xeila, you're too slow", I remember muttering to myself before watching her slide across the stadium inside of Fragment 5. Eion appeared beside her and loomed over her as she stared up at the ceiling. "What was that again ?", he asked her with a laugh. She pushed herself up and grabbed Eion by the shirt and dragged him down. "Okay, okay", Luurè called out as he clapped his hands together, "That's enough for today." The both of them broke away from each other as they both made their way up. I waited for Xeila with an amused smile. When she noticed she glared at me which only made me laugh. 

"Ready for round two ?", I asked her optimistically. "What for ?", she asked. "Don't you want me to help you get stronger ?" "Why bother ?", she said. "I'm too tired to train with you." I looked around for Eion. "Eion~", I called out with a grin. He looked up and turned to me. "Yeah ?", he said. "Round two ?", I asked. He looked at Luurè, who shrugged. After a minute, he walked over to me and nodded. "Sure", he said with a grin, "I'll take you on any day." I chuckled. "Don't get too confident", I mumbled, following him down the side of the stadium. "It'll be short." 

"You're not going to stop them ?", I remember Xeila asking Luurè. He grinned. "Let them be", he said, "After all, they are both the right and left hand of the council." 

"I'll try to go easy on you", Eion was saying as he was getting himself ready, "No promises." "Oh, no need", I replied, "Just come at me. I'll take you down before you can even touch me."

"Yeah ?" "Mmhm."

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There was a loud crashing sound that drew me away from my thoughts. When I looked around, I noticed Xeila standing much farther than usual. "Why do you stand so far away ?", I asked with a smile. There was a reluctantly expression on her face. "What're you playing at ?", she said. I shrugged. "I don't know", I replied. "You tell me." 

She looked around before disappearing into the night. I took a deep breath and sighed as I looked up at the red sky. Shortly after, Xeila appeared in front of me and just as she was about to stab me, she stopped. "What ?", I heard her say. I took a step back and looked down at the ground below her. "What's wrong ?", I asked as I watched a dim light begin to appear underneath her. "Why'd you stop ?" Her eyes widened.

"This is..?!", she had shouted, attempting to break free. "But how !??"

"I told you didn't I ? You'll fall before I do."