Author's Note: Okay, if I try and explain where I went here, then I'd take up too much space. Try going to my authors page, I think I explained everything there. But I'm back now, (supposedly) with three new stories, which will be uploaded soon, although my internet connection is quite unstable right now, which means I might not be able to upload all of them at the same time. Anyways, enough of that, here's my newest story, The Path of Asura
Credits: I got lots of inspiration for this story from Aniiston's Tainted and His Picture (see below author's note for more details) which was taken off the site a while ago. The only copy of it that's left out there is the first thirteen chapters, which is on Spirit Shadow, a Genkai fan site which you can find out easily on Google.
Also, I got the path of Asura from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind manga, book seven. It's a wonderful movie and an even more wonderful manga. Anyways, I think that's it, but I don't know…
Oh yes, I realize that I never put a disclaimer on Lily Evan's Diary… I felt really bad for that, I can't believe I forgot, although I do think it's sorta pointess to make a disclaimer, since everyone knows I don't own anything. But there's a disclaimer for this one:
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters.
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"But it would have been a beautiful life."
His words echoed in his own ears, as he stood at the final gate to the purgatory. He had heard her small smile, and her murmur of "Baka" as he turned away from her and walked to the first gate.
"I don't regret what I did."
He searched his mind again for regret, and he found none. He was glad. He had lived his life how he had, and although it hadn't gone according to plan, the completeness of it all won over some of the minor regrets in his life.
"I walk the path of Asura, Genkai. Bloodstained and ruthless, demonic and brutal. You know that, and you know why."
The words that had left his lips years ago came back to him, as did many other phrases. An involuntary flood of memories came back to him along with the words, and amidst all of the scenes playing through his head, a face shone through, the face of the woman who he had befriended, loved, and killed.
He tilted his head towards the sky above the purgatory, the sky's floating clouds and poetic pink color a contrast to the dark depths of the building in front of him. A faint smile crossed his lips as the sky brought him back to another day, years afore…
The Path of Asura
I walked through the shadowy streets of the assumedly abandoned part of the town that was infested with the weaker youkai that had managed to sneak into ningenkai somehow. The sky, which had been a beautiful pink color before the sun set, was now black as if someone had poured a bottle of ink over the pink lower layer. The streets were dark, the misty half-moon the only source of light. Although I knew that I was safe from all youkai that came here, I stayed on my guard, hoping to evade any such creatures in a small attempt of peace.
However, as I neared a small alley that conjoined two of the larger streets, I heard a commotion coming from the shadows. I sensed many weak, demon ki, but another more powerful, experienced ki that belonged to… a human? I quietly slipped into the alley, hiding among the shadows and hiding my ki as best as possible.
A gang of demons had encircled a young girl, who was in the center, on her guard and ready to react to whatever they might do. The lead demon hissed slightly, as he grinned at her. The girl looked like easy prey, but her ki contradicted her appearance. Long, elbow length, sakura-pink hair was braided and tied back, fitting perfectly with the pink-red fighting gi that she had on top of white pants. Dark hazel eyes gazed reproachfully at the lead demon, holding both a glare and an air of peace. She was in an ordinary fighting stance, and she seemed to have moved into it as if she had forgotten what she was doing, only that she had done it so many times that she could do it without thinking, yet sill remain in perfect form.
I knew that she could kick their asses.
"Hello, little girl. Would you like to come with us tonight?" He asked, advancing on her. The other demons nodded as well, mutters of "She's one hot ningen" coming from the creatures.
"No, I don't think I will." She said calmly, her voice fluid and graceful and cool, as her face remained calm although her eyes flashed slightly. "Please let me continue on my way, I do not want to start an unnecessary fight." She said quietly. They ignored her last comment though, and snickers came from the crowd of demons.
"No?" The leader hissed. "I think you're quite mistaken…" He said, before leaping at her. She immediately executed a high kick, catching him in the stomach, before turning to the rest of the demons who were inevitably coming towards her as well. One by one, they were thrown against the walls of the alley, but some got back up, determined to kill the human girl who had humiliated them.
At that point, I stepped from my place in the shadows, my tall figure looming up above them. A couple of gasps came from the demons, and a whisper of "It's Toguro!" confirmed that they too knew of my unwanted reputation. Many of them had already begun to run away, although the braver ones stood their ground.
"Please leave." I said quietly. "I do not wish to harm you." I said. Growling, the last couple of demons leapt at me, and I quickly downed them, letting their unconscious bodies drop to the ground.
"Thank you." The girl said, although I knew that she could have stopped them herself. I said so, and she laughed lightly. "That's true, although I didn't want to hurt them. They just wouldn't leave me alone." She said, sighing slightly, her voice not trying to defend herself, simply giving the truth.
"I understand." I said, knowing the feeling of when you simply had to fight in a defense, although you wished to hurt no one. I had never fought any other way, and I had a feeling that this girl was the same. "My name is Toguro." I offered, although I knew perfectly well that she knew who I was.
"I've heard of you." She said, her voice slightly amused. "I must admit that you seem different than who I thought you might be." She said. "But then, I guess I'm the same." She amended slightly. "I'm Genkai."
"The master of the spirit wave?" I asked interestedly.
"Yes." She said, walking alongside me.
"You're quite well known yourself." I said mildly, although it was an understatement. The name Genkai was known through ningenkai as a fighting prodigy who was a master at many things, both wise and compassionate and in makai, she was known as one of most powerful humans to have ever existed, because she controlled the now legendary spirit wave. However, I myself was known for my inhuman strength and impressive control of spirit energy. We were both in the S-class category, two of the few humans that shared the trait. However, my image was as well known as my reputation, where as the image of the human girl Genkai was a shadowy figure that no one really had ever seen. For this, I envied her slightly, but I had learned to live with the life I had, and I had dealt with it for many years already.
"I know." She said, not bothering to hide the exasperation mixed with disgust in her voice; she too did not like her reputation, and her attitude toward it interested me.
"So where are you headed?" I asked casually, as we stepped out of the narrow alley and onto the larger street.
"West." She said shortly, continuing down the road.
"Near the forest?" I asked.
"Yes. Close to the pond. At the Temple, in fact." She said.
"You're quite close. A couple of miles away, I think. My own dojo is on the north side of the pond." I said.
"A dojo?" She asked, glancing at me.
"Yes. I train my students in martial arts." I said, stating the obvious. She smiled slightly.
"You must be a good teacher. I would like to see you teach sometime." She said, this time tilting her head to look at me. I was already extremely tall, and her petite figure was dwarfed by my height; she reached up to about my knee.
"You are welcome to come at any time; it's not hard to find." I said, knowing that she probably wouldn't come. Meetings like this were always short lasting, and the few fighters that I had met hadn't ever further contacted me. I understood; the peace of being solitary was almost an art itself, and it was practiced by many a good fighter, partly including myself, although I did teach students. However, I hadn't ever encountered such a master, and so I presumed that of course that the master of the spirit wave lived in self-created and complacent isolation as well.
However, she simply nodded politely and sincerely, replying with the same tone.
"I look forward to it." She said, still smiling.
We arrived at the landmark-known huge tree, with part of the temple in the distance. We were already upon her grounds. I thought of all of the times that I had traveled through this forest, not knowing that the master of the spirit wave owned it. Silently, we set off into the dark forests. For any amateur fighter, the forest was already hazardous and scary enough in the daytime, and in the darkness, it was lethal. However, I had taken the forest short cut many times, even on a moonless night, and I knew every path in it.
We calmly made our way through, taking the shortest path that went directly through the forest. The wolves already knew not to disturb me, as did the insufferable bat that had flown around me madly until I knocked it flying to the other end of the forest. I calmly sidestepped a vine as she jumped to avoid the grasp of another one, and she nimbly jumped through the tree branches almost noiselessly, finally jumping down at the edge of the forest.
"The path diverges here." I said, uttering four words that seemed so innocent at that moment, but yet would come to mean so much many years later. She nodded.
"I'll see you around then." She said, giving me one last smile before continuing on my way.
I smiled back, before turning away and walking down the dusty road that lead home.
Author's Note: Okay, I decided to write a very uncommon, (it might even be the first one) Toguro point of view fiction. It's probably going to be pretty long, so bear with me. But I suddenly realized that one of the best GenkaiToguro fictions of all time, Tainted and His Picture, written by Aniiston which was sadly taken off for some reason, starts out nearly the same as mine does. Now I feel really bad, as if I'm committing plagiarism. In that story, they start out in some demon city, and Genkai gets into a fight, and Toguro intervenes. However, it's not exactly the same… but I feel horrible anyways.