Yu Yu Hakusho: The After Years

Episode 31: Zombie Boogers

Scarlett rubbed her temples. She had so hoped to earn the necessary three wins with only three of their fighters, but now it seemed that they would need a fourth person to fight. She looked at her options. Ayame was good with barriers, but that hardly seemed to have a good offensive use. She pictured one of these beasts wearing her down until she was out of reiki and an easy target. There was something a little scrappier about Gadget, but she was so small and young that Scarlett couldn't in good conscience allow her to fight.

"I suppose I'll just have to do the next two fights," she wondered aloud.

"Wow, and Team Kabuki's next member has already stepped into the arena! What a great show of bravado, folks!" called Nao, "Though this one is sort of small, so I wonder if maybe he's just a glutton for punishment?"

Scarlett snapped back to reality, "Gadget, no!" she hissed at the edge of the arena, "You don't have to fight!"

Even from underneath the demon mask, Scarlett could feel Gadget's stony glare. She was not about to back down.

The next creature stepped into the arena. It was somehow even larger and more intimidating than his predecessor. This one had a Frankenstein sort of look, with metal bolts sticking out of its neck.

Well, that's not going to respond to punches or kicks...Scarlett thought bitterly.

By this time, Hiro had returned to the team's side, "You're not seriously letting Gadget fight, are you?" he said in alarm.

Rieka murmured in her sleep, "Chips in brains...I like chips n' guac better, thanks..."

Scarlett's eyes flickered with understanding, "Of course!" she shouted, "Get 'em, Gadget!"

In the stands, the crowd murmured.

"Well, Hiei was even littler than he is now in the Dark Tournament, so the little guy might do okay," said Kuwabara.

Hiei shot Kuwabara a dangerous glare, but said nothing. He held a private wish that the little one would demolish the monster swiftly, to uphold the honor of the vertically challenged everywhere.

Gadget was as still and as steady as a rock until the referee shouted, "Ready? Fight!"

She leapt off to the side lightly with her toes, and began to encircle the beast. Like the previous one, he was powerful, but slow. She drew her circle in closer to tempt the creature into striking her. The monster lifted both arms in the air as if he were going to spike a volleyball. He brought them down on the cement where Gadget had been standing, sending shards of the arena in every direction and creating a crater in the middle of the arena.

The time it took for him to get his arms back up was all the time that she needed. She dashed up the length of his tree-trunk thick arms and across his shoulders. Hooking one arm around his neck, she slid to the front of him, then promptly jammed two fingers up the creature's nose.

The crowd exploded in a combination of disgust and guffaws. But the expression on the creature's face was not one of rage, but of confusion. As Gadget slid off the front of him, the creature took a few puzzled steps, then began walking off the arena. Gadget sat back on the pavement, then watched the chaos she had planted unfold.

"Umm, well, Team Faustus is out of the arena, so I guess I should start counting," said Nao, "But wait, what's this? He's continuing to walk. He's going into his team's section! He...he's fighting his teammates!"

It was true, the creature had marched back into his team's waiting area, and limbs had begun flying up and into the stands as he tore them apart. The action was happening far from Team Saotome's spot, and Hiei tched with disappointment as one might when missing a fly ball at a baseball game. He admired the little warrior's fighting style and would have liked to be closer to the action.

"They must have controlled those creatures with microchips in their brain," Kurama surmised, "The nasal passage is the quickest way to the brain, so I wonder if that fighter was able to reprogram them somehow."

Gadget held her belly in silent laughter. Quiet little rasping noises escaped her mouth, but that was all.

Nao laughed nervously, "Well, Team Faustus has certainly been out of the ring for at least ten seconds, but that makes only two wins for Team Kabuki and as long as Faustus has one able player..."

A gunshot echo sounded in the arena as a streak of red steamed across it. The remaining member of Team Faustus' head burst in the distance, and then he was still.

"Now they don't," said Scarlett, as she stood in the arena holding one smoking gun, "Oh, should I have waited for you to say go?"

"You can't use outside weapons!" Nao hissed.

Scarlett shrugged, "The bullets are made from my own reiki. As long as I don't pistol-whip him I didn't hurt anyone with an outside weapon, right?"

Nao flipped through a pocket-sized rulebook and sighed, "Yes...you're right. Team Kabuki wins." she didn't sound particularly enthralled about the victory.

But the crowd whistled and cheered. Apparently a quick fight which toed the line of the rules was just fine with them.

"Ha!" Yusuke shouted, "I'd like to see them in the finals!"

"Indeed," said Kurama. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The red streak had caused alarm with him for a moment, something like recognition. What was even more alarming was how he had felt his mind nudged to think of other things. Something strange was going on with that team.

Gadget took a cleansing wipe Hiro had offered her when she stepped off the arena, "That was amazing!" he said.

Ugh, zombie boogers, Hiro heard a voice echo in his mind. The voice sounded young and softly effeminate, though a little rough. Hiro's eyes shot to Gadget who was cleaning her hand, "Gadget, was that you, just then?"

Gadget's demon mask turned to face Hiro, Yes, she admitted in a voice in her mind.

"I hear her too," said Scarlett, softly smiling under her mask.

"Could you always do that?" Hiro asked.

I guess so, said Gadget, I just didn't feel like being heard until now, y'know?

Ayame smiled and nudged Hiro in the arm. "It means she's starting to trust you guys," she whispered.

If Gadget had heard Ayame whisper, she gave no indication of it.

"Not to break up this touching moment," said Scarlett, "But could someone give me a hand moving Rieka? We need to rest up and prepare for our next match."