Playing with Power A Yuuka Kazami x Yuugi Hoshiguma fic By Sasha Rose “Would you like to meet someone...stronger than you?” --- Down a dirt path, a lone youkai trudged along, nearly causing earthquakes with every step she took. This youkai was a particularly strong one - and nothing exemplified that more than the two ox-carts she carried on her shoulders, filled to the brim with large boulders. Yuugi Hoshiguma, the former member of the Big Four, the so-called unexplainable phenomenon, prided herself on that strength. Because of her pride, she rarely left the Ancient City, let alone the Underworld as a whole. Why bother, she’d think; there’s no one stronger out there (save for that one miko, but that was a fluke really). But somehow, an old acquaintance of hers had convinced her otherwise… --- “You’re joking.” “I’m not.” Being an oni, a challenge to Yuugi’s strength was not a thing to throw around lightly. And yet...here was the one-armed horned hermit, Ibaraki Kasen, throwing her ego back in her face. The two had been enjoying a few drinks together, and then seemingly out of nowhere, Kasen pulled out a simple statement: “Would you like to meet someone stronger than you?” It nearly sent Yuugi into a state of shock. “What do you even know about strength, hermit?” “I know that sometimes, it isn’t just about muscles and brutality.” “This coming from someone who has yet to beat me.” Kasen chuckled. “I’ll give you that one.” The gigantic oni took another swig from her dish. “So then, what can you tell me about them?” “I’d be willing to tell you in exchange for something. Your dish, specifically.” Yuugi laughed. “So much for being a hermit, huh?” “It’s not for me, you know. I’m taking it to a flower-viewing party. A flower-viewing party where that individual will be there. I’ll tell her about you, send you a message by bird, and from there...who knows?” The oni sighed. Was giving up her quality sake for a while enough to meet someone who could give her a challenge? Ibaraki seemed confident enough, and despite everything, they’d never lied before… ---- A few short days later, the bothersome newspaper tengu, Aya, showed up at Yuugi’s door, a letter in hand. “Didn’t know you got into mail delivery.” “Nah, this is just a one-time thing. But the hermit promised me a scoop on you two if I did it, so I couldn’t refuse~!” As quick as she’d arrived, the tengu left before Yuugi could even say anything. She was left with no other choice but to open the letter that had been promised. But...it wasn’t from Kasen. Good evening. I understand that you were expecting a letter from the hermit. However, when she told me of her plans, and of you, I found myself curious enough to contact you directly. If it is a strength test that you desire, then it is a strength test you will get. But I will not go lightly. To make things even, bring whatever you wish to use in the test with you. I’ll accept whatever you choose to do. I only ask that you meet me in the Garden of the Sun. I’ve left a map with this letter, just in case. [Be careful of the human village, they may not be as kind to you as they are to me.] I look forward to fighting you soon. Sincerely, The Flower Master “The Flower Master”? How could someone so strong...use such a non-threatening name for themselves? Nevertheless, she had a challenge sitting in her hand, and she damn well wasn’t going to refuse it. The Flower Master would be crushed like her namesake, and once again the oni would reign supreme. And yet...beneath her pride, something else was stirring… --- The Garden of the Sun: a field filled to the brim with shimmering sunflowers. According to Ibaraki, this was a frequent gathering place for the humans, especially during the spring, but...today, despite the clear weather, it was strangely deserted. This slightly unnerved Yuugi, but she held onto her pride. There was a strong opponent waiting for her amongst the flowers, and she would not back down, not after coming this far. With a loud THUNK, she practically tossed both of the ox-carts onto the ground. “OI,” she screamed at the top of her lungs, nearly knocking over the entire field with her voice. “FLOWER MASTER. COME ON OUT HERE. IF YOU’RE STILL BRAVE ENOUGH.” “You know, you should calm your voice. The plants can hear you, you know.” A soft, yet undeniably firm voice caught Yuugi by surprise, nearly causing her to leap into the air. She turned to see who had said that, hoping to set them straight, but she was surprised once more by the person that stood behind her. The woman behind her was rather small, compared to the absolutely gigantic (by comparison) Yuugi. She had forest green hair, a red-tartan patterned attire, a frilly pink parasol, and perhaps most importantly, a smile - a smile that somehow managed to both calm and terrify the oni. Surely this wasn’t “The Flower Master”, though? She looked...too small and cut--er, puny, to be them. “Who are you, and why do you stand between me and my opponent??” “I’m Yuuka Kazami. I live in this field. And for the record, I’m the opponent you’ve been looking for.” There was a long, awkward silence soon after. Yuugi sheepishly coughed, breaking the silence. “So...you’re the Flower Master.” “Yes, I’m the Flower Master.” Sheepishness immediately turned to extreme pride as Yuugi’s tempers flared, and she got pumped. “THEN IT’S TIME FOR US TO TEST OUR STRENGTH, AS PROMISED.” Yuuka, on the other hand, went from a simple smile to a grin that could only be described as evil incarnate. “I hope you are ready for this, oni. I’m stronger than you might imagine.” WHAM. Almost as soon as Yuuka had finished her sentence, Yuugi had slammed a boulder right in front of her. Looking beyond it, she could see another boulder, of a similar size, in front of Yuugi. “FIRST TEST. BREAK THIS BOULDER. ANY WAY WORKS. JUST BREAK IT, IF YOU CAN’T DO THAT YOU CAN’T BE STRONG.” “Ah. I see. Alright, I’ll let you have the first go then, since you seem so experienced.” “NO PROBLEM. I’LL SHOW YOU THE ONI WAY.” With a loud WAAAAARGH Yuugi chopped the boulder, and it shattered cleanly down the middle. “That wasn’t even a fraction of my strength, you know. But I dare you to keep up.” “Challenge accepted, oni.” With those words, Yuuka floated upwards, and sat elegantly upon the top of the boulder. She retracted her parasol, and tapped the side of the boulder with it. It initially seemed to do nothing, and Yuugi was almost prepared to laugh at her...until a large series of cracks spread from where she tapped it, and the entire thing collapsed into a puddle of pebbles. Yuugi was, for a moment, dumbfounded, but she snapped out of it real quick. Yuuka simply continued to float, looking down upon the oni. “By the way, oni, I never got your name.” “I AM YUUGI HOSHIGUMA OF THE FORMER HELL, THE STRONGEST ONI AROUND.” “Ahhh, that’s a nice name. Well then, should we move this out to the open field? I do believe that clogging the road with our challenge is a fairly bad idea.” “ABSOLUTELY. BUT CHANGING THE SCENERY WILL NOT HELP YOU WIN MORE. YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE LIMITS OF MY STRENGTH YET.”