A different kind of Rose (Kurama x OC)

Part 57

"Alright! Come at me!" Kuwabara calls to the old man opposite of him. The man looks unimpressed however. I'm not sure what to think of this Onji-character. He must have a secret to him, a special weapon of sorts, because his energy level itself is pretty low. That, or I'm here underestimating the hell out of him. Knowing my luck, I probably am. So what is it about this guy?

Kuwabara doesn't take any chances and quickly starts off with throwing punches. Those are easily dodged with a display of speed and agility I wouldn't expect a senior to have...although...Genkai is a senior. I nearly cringe, imagining what she would do to me if she heard me call her that.

"No more mercy! Spirit sword!" Kuwabara shouts, quickly seeing that his previous way of attacking is getting him nowhere. Kuwabara seems to have learned to size his opponent up before going at it wildly. He looks to be more in control and calculating this way. It's pretty weird to see Kuwabara act like that, but it's better. I nod to myself, impressed.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. "Never mind." I mutter to myself as Onji starts to taunt Kuwabara while dodging every slash. Of course he had to take the bait and Onji successfully pushes Kuwabara's patience to the limit.

Appearing from behind the referee after dodging once again, Kuwabara rounds on the man. "Why you...! If all you do is scurry around, this isn't much of a fight you know?!"

"In that case, come and get me. I've grown a bit tired from all that running around." Onji taunts, acting like he's working on a sore muscle. Yeah, as if.

"Alright!" Kuwabara calls. "Just stay where you are! I'm putting you to rest now." With that said, he again rushes towards Onji, Spirit sword drawn.

"It's no good! It's a trap!" Kurama says, speaking what all of us are thinking.

"Tell him that." I mutter with a sigh, seeing Onji form a dark ball of energy that grows to a decent size. Instead of stopping, Kuwabara rushes right into it, bouncing back once he's inside. He's officially trapped. "Remind me to smash his head in a wall later. Might knock some sense into that guy's head." I say, agitated by Kuwabara's reckless behavior.

"I'll hold you to that." Hiei mutters, looking bored. Of course he would.

"This is the true form of the Mantle of Death Shishiwakamaru used. Using fabric that was loaded with spectral energy, space becomes blocked off, while inside, an entrance to a different realm is created." Onji explains. "Though when it comes to me, I don't need to use any Item of Darkness to manage this." he continues, making the ball float upwards, much to Kuwabara's dismay. He can already figure out what comes next.

"This was nothing more than the first act as it were, in order to gather enough members for the Uraotogi team. The Items of Darkness were only toys I created for them, to suit their various natures." Onji finishes explaining.

At that point, the ball that holds Kuwabara is starting to act funky. "There he goes again." I sigh, watching him spin and shrink until he has disappeared completely.

Juri is quick to declare Onji the winner and I curse to myself. I really wish we stopped losing battles this way. It sucks.

"So who will be next?" Onji starts as we gather on the ring. He pulls out the dice. "I have a hunch it will be Kurama's name that comes up. If you beat me, I won't mind telling you the secret of the smoke from the Reverse treasure box that Uraurashima used." he says, catching Kurama's attention. I'm sure he's dying to know more about that.

"Just hurry and roll the dice." Kurama urges, being impatient. I hardly hold back a frown, knowing this is unlike him.

We look on as the dice is tossed before rolling to a stop in front of us. I perk up in surprise when I see my name on top. "You have no gift of foresight you geezer. It seems like you will have to make due with little old me." I tell him with a smirk.

The others step to the side as I face the old man. "Are you sure you can still handle me? I'm sure you're tired after the last fight." Onji taunts me.

I shrug. "I'm sure I can pull out a trick or two from somewhere. What about you though?" I ask, catching him by surprise.

"Me? Nah, it's not time for my midday nap yet." he smiles innocently.

I smile knowingly. "I was actually revering to your silly act. Don't you get tired from the pretense?" I ask, making him smile devilishly in return.

"Oh? So you've caught on. You are smarter than you look." he says, making my eye twitch. "I tried very hard though. Even altering my energy to fit the outfit. What made you believe it is all just an act?" he wonders.

"Hardly anything seems what it appears in your team. You must have created the Uraurashima guise as well if you created the tools. So why not disguise yourself as a silly old man to throw us off when you're able?" I deduct.

He claps joyfully. "Very good! Hit it right on the head." he exclaims before lifting his hands to his face before ripping off half of it to reveal a different face beneath. "However, the old man guise has another purpose than to deceive you. I happen to hate the elderly and disguising myself as one makes my fighting spirit rise." he explains before raising his hands and starting a chant.

There, from a puff of pink smoke, his real face is revealed fully. I blanch at the character before me. "A clown? Really?" I ask in disbelief as I assess the figure dressed in a way too colorful outfit and the matching face paint. And don't even get me started about his hair. It beats Hiei's when it comes to gravity defying. I shiver at the sight of him.

The clown strikes a dramatic pose. "Old age is ugly. I plan to die before it happens to me, while I'm still beautiful. However, before then...I will create a legend, a terrifying myth in which I play the main role. My victory at this tournament will be the first chapter of this legend. And all those here that bare witness will be the narrators. I may be late in introducing myself, but I am a man of a thousand forms and a thousand techniques: the Beautiful Demon Battler Suzuki!" he announces theatrically, only to look appalled when he finds no attention from me.

"Okaaaay... Anyone want to trade?" I ask turning to the boys with a sheepish smile.

They look at me surprised. "W-what? Why?" Kurama asks dumbfounded.

"Please don't ask any questions. So how about it? Kurama? Hiei?" I nearly beg.

Hiei cocks his head, looking deep in thought before suddenly laughing obnoxiously. "You want to switch because of some childhood trauma?!" he nearly gasps, making me glower at him.

"You've been poking through my head?!" I shout, shaking my fist at him.

My glare turns to Kurama as he bites his thumb to keep from laughing, but he made a mistake by letting a snort slip past. He holds up his hands in defense. "I'm sorry Rosa. I would help if I could, but...the rules." he says, making me groan.

"Screw the rules!"

"Suck it up!" Hiei calls, looking very much amused. "It's just a clown." he adds, making steam come out of my ears.

"Just a...!" a voice sounds indignantly. Looking beside me, I see Suzuki standing there, equally pissed.

I stiffen, before rounding on him. "Distance!" I shout in his ear, making him stumble back, holding his head.

Turning back to the boys angrily, I take a deep breath. "I'm not talking to you for a week after this." I threaten, making Kurama look at me like a puppy that got smacked. Hiei on the other hand seems rather pleased. "On second thought...." I drawl out, watching him carefully as I effectively wipe his smirk of his face. "You and me are going to have a thorough and lengthy talk about privacy. After that I'm going to teach you the ways of humans, starting at the mall!" Hiei's eyes grow wide as he sucks in a sharp breath. His face is filled with horror.

Taking another breath to prepare myself, I turn to the annoyed looking Suzuki. "Let's get this over with." I say as another shiver goes up my spine. "I hate clowns"