"If you can handle it, go ahead." Yusuke picked up his pace.

"Hey, what does that mean?" You ran up to Yusuke. "Yusuke, what do you mean by that?"

By the time you caught up to Yusuke, you were at the temple. To your surprise, Botan, Keiko, Kuwabara, and even Kurama were waiting. A short man with black hair and red eyes was talking with Kurama.

"It's about time you found her." Kuwabara jeered. "Did you get lost?"

"Not everybody has the ability to sense spirit energy." Yusuke said defensively. "You said she didn't have any. And you were too scared to go into the woods."

"Jun, what were you doing there?" Kurama interrupted the two. "You shouldn't be in the woods alone."

"I was looking for you." You shrugged. "I only ran into one demon and he ran away when he heard Yusuke approaching."

"Anyways, now that we are all here," Botan smiled. "Let's head out."

"Where are we going?" You asked.

"You are staying here." Kurama answered. "Keiko will take you back to my house. We have business in the demon world."

"What?" You slouched. "I want to come with."

"They are going on a mission in the demon world, Jun." Keiko touched your shoulder. "It would be too dangerous."

You frowned. The demon world was something that you wanted to see. Maybe it held answers about your past. There was so much you could learn about yourself if only Kurama let you… At that moment you realized something. The only way you would be able to discover your past, was if you left the one who was protecting you. Thinking back on it, Kurama stopped you in the garden, he didn't want you in the demon world and he didn't let you out of his sight in the human world.

"Alright…" You nodded. "But if I follow Keiko now and got stronger, I could go."

"Exactly!" Kurama smiled, seeing you had resigned.

"Fine," There was a bit of a sting in your voice. "Keiko, let's leave."

It was awkward at first, but you were able to get home fine. Keiko dropped you off with a smile, completely unaware of your plan. When she left, you packed a bag with clothes, your coat, and the book on plants. If strength would allow you access to your memories, then you would get stronger. You closed the door to Kurama's house with a ping of guilt in your heart. He had given you so much. Without his guidance and support, you would have been left in the park.

'The park…' You though slowly. 'He found me in the park…'

Cautiously, you made your way to the park. As you walked, you looked at all the stores. They all had such strange and wonderful things. Baked goods, dresses and toys filled shop windows. A small smile spread across your face when you saw a stuffed cow in a toy shop's window. It was cute and fluffy. Shaking your head, you continued to walk to the park. You weren't sure where in the park Kurama found you, but you continued walking. Soon, you found a large tree. The leaves were just beginning to bud. You felt a lump form in your throat as you touched the tree. It didn't matter if you had your memory or not, your body remembered the sensation. Repressing the memory of pain your felt that day, you sat at the truck of the tree.

"How could I get here?" You pondered aloud. "It's a fair distance from town… Come to think of it… Why was Kurama out this far in the park? He said he had a feeling someone was near. Maybe he was meeting a girlfriend?"

"Mistress!" A sharp pitched voice snatched you from your thoughts. A small troll like creature with dull blue skin walked over to you with a smile. "We've been looking for you everywhere. To think you were in the human world this whole time! Everyone else was searching…" He voice trailed.

"What are you talking about?" You questioned.

"You disappeared." He explained. "I was the only one weak enough to slip through the barrier. How did you get out? Never mind, let's just head back."

The creature grabbed your hand and started to drag you away. You ripped your hand from his grip and glared at him.

"I'm not going anywhere." You folded your arms across your chest. "Tell 'our master' to come get me himself."

"I-I don't know, Mistress…" He looked at the ground nervously. "He won't like that."

"I don't care." You turned around. "I will be leaving this area soon, anyway. Now, that's all I care to discuss. Leave."

It was clear he was your underling. He had no choice but to follow your orders and to leave. When you spoke to him, you assumed a tone and stance of power. For some unknown reason, you knew how to control the situation. Shaking your head, you left and walked to Genkai's temple.

The grounds seemed strange without the others. It was calm, but something about the calm put you on edge. You turned a corner only to jump back as a ball of light zoomed past your head.

"Hn." You heard Genkai's voice. "You came back. Maybe you have more spunk than I thought."

"I came for training." You stated. Your voice was still shaking by the earlier attempt on your life.

"Why did you leave?" She questioned. "How do I know your worth my time when you were so hesitant to come?"

"I was preparing for my goal." You gestured to your pack. "Kurama said if I followed Keiko home and got stronger, I could go to the demon world. I had to follow Keiko first." Then you bowed to Genkai. "Please, help me become stronger."

It was quiet. You could hear the plants nearby whispering and giggled about nonsense. You heard one mention running and you immediately jumped out of your bow and onto your feet just in time to avoid a ball of light.

"You're quick." Genkai smiled. "Let's see how quick you are."

***Kurama***

Kurama finished his mission easily. An up rise had occurred in one of the three kingdoms. Some lord had offered a large reward for anyone who could find his lost fiancé. Many demons tried to force their way to the reward. They offered stolen women and others posing as the bride-to-be. Yusuke and the others had to put down the mob and return the women to their homes. The lord quickly withdrew his offer to prevent future chaos.

As Kurama turned the lights, he wondered why Jun hadn't turned them on. He smiled at the idea of her simply not knowing it was possible. The little quirks about her never ceased to intrigue him. She could be stubborn, but also shy and unsure. He didn't quite know what to make of it. He continued through the house only to find Jun was nowhere in sight. A small note his bed read:

I'm sorry for the suddenness of my action, but I decided to go train with Genkai for a while. I need to be stronger to find my past. Your family will be back soon and I was supposed to be a temporary guest. However, I do thank you for allowing me to stay with you as long as you did.

Kurama sat down and rubbed his temples in contemplation. He couldn't figure out why, but he felt a ball of uneasiness rest in his stomach. Genkai would be a great teacher. However, Kurama felt he should be there for her like he had been from the start.

*** Back to You***

After a long and hard training session, Genkai made some tea. She wanted to discuss some things before your training continued.
"Tomorrow we'll assess your current ability to channel spirit energy and capacity to grow." Genkai stated. "What do you know about that currently?"

"Not much, I'm afraid." You looked down. "But I do hear whispers… Or at least that's what I call them." Genkai raised an eyebrow in interest. "It's like I can hear things others can't. Usually it's the plants that whisper. They give me hints and move when I ask."

"And it's just plants?" Genkai asked. "Are you sure?"

You were about nod, but then you remembered the time when you first met Kuwabara. You thought you heard him say something, but nobody else did. It was different than what happened with plants. With plants it was like a conversation. With Kuwabara, it was like you heard what he was feeling… But that is silly, and it only happened once since then.
"Yes." You replied. "It's only happened with plants."

"I see." She nodded. "You're a plant wielder, like Kurama… We'll look at this more tomorrow. Good night."