ME: Mwahaha! That was fun! I wasn't sure how everyone would take the last chapter, but since it was a generally good reaction…I have amazing plans!
Hiei: Hm…I think you've reached a new level in this story now…
Ghost: Indeed…especially with how dark she went in the last chapter.
ME: (grins deviously) That was just the beginning. After all, this is the beginning of the Makai…there is SOOOOO much more to come. Since there was such a positive response…yeah I'm going to keep it up.
Hiei: We'll see how well this goes…
Ghost: Something tells me there's a lot of hell just around the corner.
ME: I only own my characters and my crazy ideas. Let's get a move on! Chapter start!
Hiei: Well she dove right into that didn't she…
Ghost: She's…pretty pumped for this…everyone hang on for what's coming up next.
-Chapter Start-
Chapter 53: Work It Out
"Thanks Ghost," I replied as he left. I waited until I heard him rattling around in the kitchen before throwing myself back on the pillows to stare up at the ceiling. Was I losing my mind? Or was it just me trying to cope with what I had seen? Or maybe…my human side was rejecting my demon side…which wouldn't end well considering I was purposefully trying to get it stronger. Not to mention now I was going to have to tell Ghost what happened in the fight with Sensui too…this wasn't going to be very fun. I slowly sat up once again and looked at the chakram in the wall. Leave it to me to destroy a really nice home.
"I'm a terrible house guest."
When I was sure that I had calmed down and composed myself, I slipped out of the bed and reached for the belt that held my chakram. Yet…I couldn't immediately put the remaining weapon on my hip where it belonged. My thoughts flashed back to the dream and…lingered on the vision of the chakram sticking out of Hiei's chest. The mere sight…horrified me despite how unrealistic it was. It was completely beside the point that Hiei would never even give me such a chance. He was far too fast and far more adept at kicking ass than I was. It would be child's play for him to avoid a devastating attack like that and it was so unlikely that it was silly to even think about it, but the image just wouldn't go away. I saw the blood dripping from the wound in his chest and the utter betrayal in his eyes…it scared me. An image of Yukina had flickered in his eyes and there was no doubt in my mind that after everything I had put together in the dream, I was the one who killed her. That…would undoubtedly be the worst thing I could ever have done to him and the betrayal I had seen reflected in his eyes…was just the beginning of what would've come after that. Realistically, there wouldn't have even been a chance for me to kill him after that… hell there wouldn't have been a chance to kill any of them after that. The guys would've swarmed me in an instant and ended the threat. What the hell was I thinking? They would've destroyed me the second I had even turned a violent glance on any of the girls…that dream was absolute crap. I shook my head vigorously and wrapped the belt around my waist, deciding that I was a fool to have thought such things. I adjusted the way it hung on my hips before fastening it into place and focused my mind on other things.
I went about making myself somewhat presentable and ran my hand through my hair trying to make it look a little neater. I pulled the shirt up and little more so that it hung evenly on my shoulders and then looked over at the chakram that I had thrown. It was almost amusing that I had thrown it with so much force when I was still asleep, but I quickly grew serious when the realization dawned on me that if it had in fact hit someone I cared for accidentally…it could've been a killing blow. I sighed and walked over to it carefully inspecting the damage I had caused. I halfway wondered how deep it had gone into the wood and the beams behind the wall, but then I remembered that Ghost had built this house himself and I felt extremely asinine for damaging it. Now all I wanted was to get it out of the wall so I took hold of the grip tightly and tried to give it one good tug. It didn't even budge. I arched my brow in annoyance and growled darkly. Of course, the only time I would prove to be dangerous would be in a state of semi consciousness right after waking up from a horrible dream. I took hold of the chakram with both hands this time and even braced my body against the wall with my left foot. I grit my teeth in annoyance and tried to wriggle it out of the hole, but once again, it remained lodged in place. I huffed in annoyance and realized that now I was going to have to put a little more force into it. So taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, I allowed my aura to flare out around me and with yet another forceful tug, I ripped it clean out of the wall. Of course, I hadn't thought about the momentum behind this action and I flew backward without a chance to catch myself. My feet flew up in the air and I smacked into the floor so gloriously, the jolt knocked the chakram from my hand and caused it to roll out of the open door and into the damn hallway. Meanwhile I hit my head against the bed and rolled over curling up from the various pains shooting through me.
When I was finally composed from this little incident, I got back to my feet and once again had to readjust my appearance so that I was at least somewhat presentable. When I was finally done with this and ready to face Ghost…which the mere thought of doing made me feel extremely weak, I turned to walk out of the room. I swiped my chakram from the floor as I moved past it and turned the corner just as I placed the weapon on my hip where it belonged. I looked up as I did so and saw Ghost sitting in the same chair that I had knocked him into before and there were two mugs of tea on the table before him. He was watching me intently as I entered the room and his eyes immediately honed in on the chakram bouncing on my sides. I walked over to the table and took my mug before slowly sitting in another chair that was sitting directly across from him. I noticed that his eyes lingered on the chakram before he finally looked up and said, "Well, now I have to admit that I'm interested to see exactly how much damage was done to the wall. Here I was thinking that you had driven it into the wall with minimal force and that it was the sharpness of the blade that cut so deeply, but upon closer inspection of those weapons I see that the blades are relatively dulled from all the fighting you have done. Instead of the blade cutting through, you launched it forward with some intimidating force. I'd be inclined to say that you were quite distressed when you woke up."
I could only sigh, "Distressed isn't the accurate word for it…however, I never actually thought about…sharpening my weapons. Stupid I'm sure but when I think about it…I haven't really taken care of these things since they were given to me…I'm sure that…Koenma would be a little more than disappointed about them."
I reached down and unsnapped the weapons from my hips. I held the weapons out in front of me carefully and looked over them. I remembered the exact day Koenma had given them to me. It was only a few days after the end of the whole Saint Beast fiasco and both Yusuke and Kuwabara were still so weak that none of their powers had returned. He was asking Kurama, Hiei, and me to keep watch over them so nothing happened. He had noticed that I didn't have any weapons and pulled some straight from the Reikai to give to me. Now that I was actually paying attention to it…they did give off a strange aura of their own… I could tell that they were made in the Underworld and they had adapted quite a bit to my own growing power. I closed my eyes for a moment and could even sense the aura around them more clearly than before. The blades were worn and in a few places I could see were sharper than others. The grips were in just as used shape considering the dragons that had marked it before were starting to wear away and some of the gripping itself was tearing in some places. I had used these things into the ground and not taken proper care of them…it was honestly a disgrace in my opinion. I seriously doubt Hiei would've ever let his sword get like this and I sighed slightly. I looked back at Ghost who was taking a sip of his tea. When he put the mug back on the table, he reached his hand out and said, "Let me see them."
"I…guess…" I replied and hesitated only for a second before giving them to him. Ghost took the weapons carefully in his hands and looked over them tentatively. I sat there looking at my hands for a few minutes in shame. Koenma didn't have to give me those weapons and the least I could've done was keep them in better condition. I looked over at Ghost tentatively and saw him still inspecting them closely. His expression was unfathomable at first before he made a small sound in the back of his throat. I tilted my head to the side and noticed there was a smirk curling at his mouth.
"I'm impressed. These are fairly high quality weapons made by a skilled smith in the Underworld. They were made to grow in power with that of the user, but most weapons created in the Reikai are specified for humans whose spiritual prowess exceeds that of your basic trained fighter. From my experience, these weapons would've been given to an Underworld Detective who would have already seen their fare share of battles and had a decent amount of experience under their belts. No offense, but these weapons would not usually be given to someone like you and the main reason being your aura is not compatible with it. You have both Reiki and Youki mixing together and normally this would make weapons such as these unable to connect with their owner. Strangely enough, these weapons seem to have adapted to you and have absorbed both demonic and human attributes. They're a bit worn and could do with a little care, but ultimately they're pretty decent weapons. Don't be so down about yourself. Although, if you would like, I can sharpen them for you?"
"Uh…yeah…if you wanted to…I didn't know that those weapons were so specific," I stated tilting my head to the side in surprise. Ghost only smirked in response.
"You're not supposed to, Rin. This is the work of a highly skilled weapon maker in the Reikai and you haven't been trained like I have. Not to mention, you haven't even realized your own power level until just recently. It's likely that these weapons have absorbed your experience and power just by you wielding them and because of that you haven't truly paid it any attention," Ghost stated as his expression slowly grew extremely serious as he looked at me. I nursed the mug of tea I had gotten and was quiet as he said, "Rin…I'm not one to pry usually, at least I try not to when you're involved because a part of me is afraid of what the possible answers may end up being, and sometimes it's better to let things be, but I don't think this is such an occasion… you were screaming quite a bit when I returned to the house this morning… it sounds like you had one hell of a nightmare."
"Even that doesn't really do it justice… I feel like the person I was before I met the rest of the group has died and this new me…can't figure out exactly where she wants to be. There's so much that I've witnessed that I couldn't have even imagined back home and there are things I wouldn't have been able to handle…" I trailed off as my mind flashed back over Genkai's dead body and Yusuke's dead body. Their faces lingered at the forefront of my mind and I shuddered slightly. I closed my eyes and tried to keep the images of my other friends dead from following them. I failed. Though it was true that I hadn't seen them die, I could easily imagine it because of the fact that I had watched two of them die right before my very eyes and that was enough in itself to haunt me. I slowly opened my eyes and looked back at Ghost to continue, "I am struggling between who I used to be and who I've become. The human and demon within me are clashing and I'm not sure what's going to happen…if you really want to know…I will tell you, but it might take some time."
"In case you haven't noticed, we've got nothing but time here. No demons frequent this area and we're in a fairly safe location. Besides you owe me an explanation as to why you're here in the first place," Ghost laughed as he placed my weapons on the table between us. I arched my brow at him curiously and faintly wondered if he had taken my weapons away from me on purpose because he couldn't be sure if I was stable or not. It was rather slick of him in my opinion.
"Ghost…can't you just read my mind and figure out what was going on?" I inquired quietly.
My friend merely offered a chuckle that didn't make it past his throat. He looked at me over the mug he was drinking from with a dark look before putting it down. Ghost cleared his throat and growled in a disgruntled way when he answered, "You know I usually pride myself for my ability to get into people's minds considering I'm not a gifted psychic, but you've got someone whose skills I can't top… And don't think I didn't try. I was immediately repelled when I made contact with your mind. It reminded of those flames from your friend, Hiei. Not to mention it burned just the same when I placed my hand on the middle of your forehead."
Ghost waved his left hand up in front of him wiggling his fingers at me as he did so and I blanched upon seeing slight burns across the palm of his hand. I blinked in surprise and subconsciously brought my hand up to the exact spot I'm sure he put his hand on. I felt a disruption in aura around my mind at that exact point and almost laughed. I had completely forgotten about the barrier Hiei had placed around my mind before I set off for Irima Cave. It would seem that Hiei was definitely keeping a step ahead when it came to keeping me out of trouble. I would have to thank him for that later. I lowered my hand and shrugged slightly, "Yeah…I forgot Hiei had done that…anyway, if you really want to know what's been bugging me I'll tell you…but I am gonna have to give some back story so it makes sense."
I don't know what possessed me to do so, but I stared from the beginning. There was a voice in the back of my head that told me that he would be able to handle it and not think that I had completely lost my forsaken mind. I told Ghost about how I didn't really belong in the reality they all called home. I told him how back home, I was a normal human with only the impressive ability to make people ignore me. I told him how I came to be in this reality and how I knew things I shouldn't. I told him how I had met Yusuke as a ghost knowing he would come back to life…and how ignorant I had been back then. I thought I knew everything back then and wasn't fazed by seeing a ghost…in fact, I had thrust myself into their lives and was lucky none of them had killed me on the spot. Kurama had the perfect chance that day on the roof but something stopped him and honestly, if I had been him, I wouldn't have been so…forgiving. As I told my story, I realized that I had definitely changed as a person. I had been a royal bitch when I first fell into their world and I deserved every ass kicking I had been given. Every punch my friends and enemies had laid on me, I deserved. In actuality, I had deserved a lot worse. Not to mention the way I treated them when I first came into their reality…especially Kuwabara. I glossed over much of the Dark Tournament, considering he had been there for most of it, but did inform him what happened with Genkai's death. Then I moved on to the trial Genkai had put me through and then, finally everything that happened with Sensui. As I progressed, I watched Ghost keep his expression completely unfathomable, but his eyes flashed with dozens of different thoughts. He was shocked at some things and thoroughly amused by others. Ultimately, he was intrigued and honestly I would've been insulted if he hadn't been. There was a lot of craziness that followed behind me and sometimes I didn't even believe it was actually happening to me. As I reached the point in the story where Yusuke took Sensui's fatal attack for me, Ghost sat up a little straighter and arched his brow. Then…he grew deeply amused by the fight that ensued.
"Wow…you have definitely changed since the Dark Tournament. It sounds like you would've given Sensui one hell of a run for his money if the fight had been just a little more balanced. I'm honestly astonished some of that fire has been hiding within you and no one's really noticed it. Not even you!" Ghost laughed as a grin shot across his face. I blushed faintly and looked down at my hands about to protest until he said, "You're being modest. You were trained by some of the most powerful fighters the human world has ever seen. Now you're in the Makai to test your mettle… and I bet there's a lot more hidden up your sleeves than you realize."
"Heh…maybe," I admitted quietly before continuing on with the story. Ghost was only further amused as I went into Yusuke's magnificent revival and ass kicking he delivered to Sensui. I quickly finished it up all the way to the point where he found me and tucked a few strands of hair behind my right ear before looking at him to say, "There's been a lot that has gone on…and I have changed as a person, a fighter, and sometimes I don't know what to think about it. Not to mention there are times when I feel like…I can't control what's going through my mind. Because of that, I don't always know what I am changing into and…well you watched me in the clearing against those demons. I'm fairly brutal when…given the chance."
"I don't particularly see the problem with brutality when it comes to fighting against someone else who has no qualms with taking your life," Ghost stated in a matter of fact way.
I sighed rolling my eyes, "No there's not a problem with you've been raised as a demon your whole life. I was raised human. So all this is…foreign and familiar to me all at once. I was thinking over the lives I have taken since coming to this reality before I went to bed last night and…didn't stop thinking about it when I went to bed. Then it sort of just spiraled from there."
"You imagined all the people you care about dying…most likely from your own hand… is that about right?" Ghost inquired in monotone. Something flashed behind his eyes.
"How did you know?! Did you get past the barrier?!" I snapped at him in anxious excitement as I bounced to my feet and slammed the mug onto the table in front of me with a little more force than I needed to. He was completely unfazed by this reaction and looked back calmly.
"Believe it or not, that was just a guess. An accurate one I assume from your reaction. Considering you went from being a human to a demon in such a short span time, it would seem that your mind struggles to balance them and you flip between moments of being ruled by your emotions and others when you couldn't seem more detached. This is all just conjecture, but I think there's a way I could help you. Ultimately, it comes down to you being able to balance them on your own and I think I might have a way for you to focus enough to figure out how to do that," Ghost stated as he finished off the last of his tea before quietly placing the mug on the table next to mine. I bristled in frustration at his ability to remain calm but as he slowly got to his feet and all that separated us was the table. He was taller than I was and I was sure that now we were far more evenly matched than we were in the Dark Tournament, but I would be hesitant to fight him. His look was absolutely calm as he said, "There's a bag on the table. It has clothes for you and a cloak and mask of your own just in case we'll need to travel again. Why do you change into one of those outfits and meet me out in front of the cabin. From there, I'll test my little theory."
At that moment, Ghost picked my weapons up from where he had laid them and disappeared from the room. I faintly caught sight of him disappearing out the front door and leaving me alone in the house. It aggravated me to no end his ability to know more than he should, but it irritated me further when he acted like it was of little concern. How in the hell could he just guess my dreams with that much accuracy? How could he act like it wasn't that big of deal? How the hell was I supposed to handle that?! I growled in frustration and resisted the deepest urge to throw the mug I had been drinking tea from against the wall. I decided that the whole in his bedroom was enough for the moment and stalked over to the table. I snatched one of the fruits I had gotten from Kurama's plant and went about eating it as well as I pulled the bag from the table top. I grumbled darkly over the whole situation and went back to the room to change. I kicked the damn door shut behind me and tossed the bag onto the bed in annoyance. I couldn't get a handle on Ghost. There was something he wasn't telling and I wanted to know what it was.
I was sure he hadn't broken past the barrier to get into my thoughts. As badass as he could be, I was sure that Hiei's skills surpassed his. If he hadn't been able to read my mind, then how in the hell did he figure out exactly what it was…Then I stopped as it dawned on me. The bastard wasn't psychic. He even gave it away when he was in the room with me when I woke up… My talking in my sleep must've given him what he needed to deduce what was going on. Now I only wondered what I had said in my sleep and what specifically he knew from it. Depending on whatever it was, I was going to wish Hiei had ripped my vocal chords out a long time ago. I trudged over to the bed and proceed to go through the bag to see what exactly Ghost had gotten for me to wear. After placing the blood red cloak and mask on the side of the bed, I quickly pulled out six different fighting outfits that…well didn't exactly look cheap. I whistled as I looked over them and felt the clothing in my hands. They were lightweight, but made well enough that they wouldn't fall apart. They were made for mobility and durability in fighting. I found myself drawn to a midnight blue outfit that was sleeveless and had black trimmings along the edges of it. There were silver spirals through the back of it and it honestly looked…hypnotizing. I couldn't wait to get it on so in a matter of seconds I had thrown the others that I had borrowed from Ghost onto the floor and quickly slipped into the new midnight blue outfit. The shorts were a perfect fit and the belt for my weapons rested on my hips easily. The shirt was form fitting without being tight and the outfit made me feel…Absolutely badass!
I walked over to the mirror and looked over myself as I adjusted my hair to make it look better. I froze in shock. After fixing my hair I brought both of my hands up and placed my fingertips on the sides of my face. My blood red eyes were a darker shade than I remember them being and they looked…way cooler than they did before. My teeth looked far more…wolfish than before and my ears easily poked out from my hair at a fine point. I was slimmer than I was before and when I stepped back to get a full look over the outfit…I didn't recognize a single shred of the old me. This female who stood reflected back at me was fierce, strong, and most of all not a damsel in distress like I was when I first came to this world. The outfit actually drew attention to the fact that I had gained some decent muscle tone and not to mention it looked amazing just by itself…but somehow I felt amazing in a way I never had before. I halfway wanted to take a picture of this or…better yet I wanted Hiei to see this. Growling in contentment, I straightened up and turned away from the mirror. I wasn't sure how to explain it but this outfit made me feel like it had been made from the midnight sky itself and the silver designs were the stars even though the designs looked more like clouds than stars. I slipped on the fighting shoes that Ghost had also retrieved for me and then stood to look over myself one final time. It was amazing, but there was something bothering me slightly and I decided that it was something I needed to speak with Ghost about quickly. So I made my way out of the room and dashed out of the house. The storm from the night before had left the world outside slick, but for the most part, it was fairly bright outside. Shielding my eyes from the sudden change, I stepped further out and looked around trying to find where the hell Ghost had disappeared to. My ears twitched as I faintly heard something going on in the back of the cabin and figured whatever it was, Ghost would be behind it. So, I made sure the door was closed behind me and started walking around the side of the cabin. It turned out that a majority of the plants Ghost had taken care of where on the side going into the back of it. Large, gorgeous hedges of dark green leaves and brightly colored flowers outlined the edges of it all.
As I neared it, I reached out and cupped one of the many beautiful red flowers that were resting about eyelevel with me on the hedge. It was absolutely gorgeous…even Kurama would have admired it. The petals were soft like velvet and the rick green color of the stem looked healthier than anything I had seen in the Ningenkai. There was fresh dew on the petals and I couldn't help but put my nose close to it and smell the intoxicating aroma. Yet…even when I drew back from the flower, the scent lingered in my nose…and it tingled in a manner that was not normal. I brought my hand up to my nose and rubbed it carefully. I made sure to get all of it out of nose before continuing on. The foliage was absolutely astounding and as I walked further in, it felt as if I had stepped into a sacred garden of some sort. I followed the path, being careful as I went not to step on any of the plants and continued walking toward the back. The strange sound was getting louder and just as I finished walking around the side, I stepped into another world. There was no way this was just a backyard! The hedges went out past what I could see and the middle of it all was rather…well it wasn't plain because of the healthy grass but it was less covered in colorful plants than the entire outside of it was. I stepped out into the thick of it all and was astounded to the natural beauty that surrounded me… I think the only person who could hold a candle to Kurama would be Ghost when it comes to plant life…then again, Kurama could control the plants and use them to fight. As amazing as Ghost was even he couldn't do that. Speaking of Ghost…I turned toward the sound just as it ended. Ghost was straightening and moving away from a little table with dozens of tools along it with my chakram in his hands. I blinked upon catching sight of the weapons.
"Holy…those are my chakram?!" I blanched pointing at him in shock.
"Take a closer look and tell me what you think," Ghost replied before abruptly launching the weapons in my direction. I tensed as they whistled through the air they were cutting through and bounced forward to snatch them out of the air with little effort. As soon as my hands came into contact with the grips, I was surprised to see that not only had he sharpened them, but he has repaired the grips as well. Was there no end to this man's talents? How long did it take him to do all of this? How long did it take for him to grow this lush space of nature? How long did it take for him to build the cabin he now lived it? An even better question was…just how old was Ghost? Demons aged differently than humans I knew that all too well. In fact, they could be well into the hundreds of years and still look no older than twenty years old…so just how old was my friend? I continued looking over him thoughtfully long enough to make him chuckle and say, "Are you going to stare at me or look over your weapons that I had so carefully worked on to repair for you."
"Ah! Right," I nodded quickly looking away and turning back to my weapons. Just as I had thought, the grips looks almost new and the markings all over them look pristine. The blades were sharp and…frankly anything I cut with them now would easily split even with the slightest amount of force. If I had been…lethal before, I would be even more so with these. I grinned at the thought and almost wished I had taken better care of them during the Dark Tournament. Surely sharper weapons would've given me a better edge in battle. I laughed at how clueless of a fighter I really was. It was amazing how much the weapons seemed to have changed just in the short amount of time Ghost had them. I proudly hooked them onto my hips and looked up into the sky overhead feeling like a completely new fighter. Was it a girl thing to feel this way after get a new outfit and upgraded toys – aka sharper chakram? I looked back at Ghost with a smile and said, "Well, now I'm just itching for the chance to use these things against some moronic fool who dares to screw with me."
"Sounds like you're just chomping at the bit to get ahead of yourself, but there's a few things we need to go over before you even think about leaving this place. You're safe here, but everywhere else…let's just say you need to get your thoughts all in order unless you want someone a little more skilled with psychic abilities to use them against you," Ghost said immediately bursting my bubble. I deflated and was almost sure that he took some enjoyment out of that.
"Right…" I said looking back at him carefully. He calmly walked past me and moved out toward the middle of his back yard. I followed after him and looked over it once again. From the front of the cabin, it looked like a simple little place hidden off in the middle of nowhere. From the back, it reminded me greatly of Genkai's temple…the back was large enough for a moderate fighting arena. There were a few bushes and patches of flowers that I would've felt bad for harming if I stepped in them, but upon closer inspection they looked fairly sturdy. The large hedges outlined the boundaries and no doubt served as a means to keep those who didn't belong out. There had been a slight scent to the flowers that I couldn't quite place but to a degree it was beautiful…and dangerous all at the same time. There was something that was hiding behind those petals that gave me chills. It reminded me of Kurama's plants. Gorgeous and lethal all wrapped up in one small package. It was enough to make others disregard it, but I knew better. I looked back to Ghost who had stopped right in the middle of the open yard and was waiting for me patiently.
"There are a lot of things that you know about already. You know better than to let things trick you no matter how small they seem. The flowers you see around the hedges are a well known repellant here in the Makai. The intoxicating aroma brings prey in, but if you inhale the pollen directly for too long, it starts to shut down the nervous system. It doesn't take long for your brain to shut down and the rest of the body soon after. I'm sure your friend Kurama knows all about them. There's a radius around them that's dangerous, but in the current situation I have it marked," Ghost stated and pointed at the outlining wall. I looked closer and realized that there was a thin almost unnoticeable yellow wire just a mere four feet the hedges, but was so close to the ground that it was practically hidden by the blades of grass. Satisfied that I had seen his point, Ghost continued, "Just be sure to stay on the opposite side of the wire than the hedge and you'll be fine…and if you happen to fall into them, I will get you out but not before letting you see just how dangerous they are. Understood?"
"Got it," I nodded counting my blessings that I hadn't stayed around the flower longer than I had.
"Now, let's get down to business. Ready for a fight?"
"Say what?"
Ghost at this point had walked over to me and was reaching his hand into his pockets. Once he stood all of three feet away from me, he pulled out this strange little pouch and held it up so I could see. Ghost's eyes were glinting with devilish glee as he went on to say, "I think the best way to approach your situation is with a spar and this little pouch will give you a little insight on the things that are bothering you. You see, this pouch contains a powder that brings out the things that are currently causing you turmoil. Its chemicals will react with the part of your brain that brought out those nightmares and…well perhaps you fighting through them will fix the problem a little quicker than just thinking it through. All I say is that you should focus on physically taking these thoughts down. Don't use your weapons. Just your fists."
I arched my brow at him thoughtfully and shook my head with my hands on my hips. I looked back at him carefully and replied, "You're not one for taking time when it comes to these things are you?"
"Of course I am. Why else did I go sharpen your weapons for you? Also giving you new clothes to change into as well. Not to mention, I even had tea made for you and patiently waited while you drank it. I gave you more than plenty of time to think it over and now it's time to face the challenge ahead," Ghost said a charming smile. I sweatdropped.
"Not exactly what I meant but ok. I'll go along with it. Let's give this a shot shall we?" I said with a sigh. I ran my hand over my face thinking that I after being in the Makai I was going to be used to taking beatings like they were candy. Just as I looked back up at Ghost, I was met with a cloud of powder being blown right into my face. Upon breathing it in, I started choking and staggered back as the world started to distort around me. I slowly went down to one knee and held the side of my now pounding head with my right hand. The world looked blurred and grey all around me. What I could see was swimming and pulsing in rhythm with my heartbeat and I closed my eyes growling. I hissed as I felt my chest starting to constrict and spat out, "You sure didn't waste any time did you?"
"No…now get up and fight me," Ghost replied and even the sound of his voice was…strange. I took a deep breath and got back to my feet shaking my head as I went. I let my arms fall to my sides and slowly lifted my head up as I opened my eyes. It was strange. The world was now in black and white and the edges of my vision flickered like I was watching an old horror movie. As I looked ahead of me…the very sight of Ghost caused my heart to flip in horror. Instead of standing in front of me as he had been, he was covered in blood splatters and there were gaping wounds decorating his entire his body. The worst of it was that it looked as though slash marks had gone deep enough into his chest that…they could've been fatal blows. His skin…looked far paler than it usually did and his eyes…looked like there was no life left in them. I stepped back and looked down at myself to see that…I was covered in splatters of blood as well. I shivered and looked back at him as he was saying, "What you see before you…how can you come to grips with it? How can you accept it? How can you live with it?"
There were whispers echoing all throughout my head. They were telling me that I had done this. That I was responsible for what was before me. I was a killer and a betrayer of those I cared for. I bit down on the corner of my lip and shook my head. That wasn't possible. I growled and hissed, "No. I am not…I would not do such a thing…It's a lie!"
"Then destroy it! Banish it from thought. If it's not true, if it would never happen, why do you give it such power over yourself?!" Ghost's voice bounced all around my head and I planted my feet in the ground. I focused his form with a serious stare and rolled my shoulders. I wouldn't turn on my friends. No amount of power could ever be enough to replace them. Nothing could justify such a thing in my mind. They were more than friends. They were my family and through everything we had gone through they had become a part of me. I would sooner die than let any sort of harm come to them. Let alone being the one who causes such harm. To even think of such a thing was stupid.
"I've had enough of this!" I howled and lunged forward in fury. I rushed him and immediately drew my fist back. Just as I came within reach of him, I swung my fist toward his head and was shocked when his hand reached up to grab my wrist mere inches away from his face. What once looked calm in death now looked horrific as he looked down on me with a wicked gaze and laughed. In one swift moment, he delivered a fierce punch to my jaw and then yet another to my gut. The whispers in my head were getting worse and I felt all the air leave my lungs. I doubled over and twitched. The whispers increased and this only…pissed me off even further. I took a deep breath and straightened up in one single bounce. Just as I moved I delivered one powerful uppercut to Ghost's jaw. It was a surprise to him and he stumbled back away from me while I pulled myself together. I shook my head wolfishly and rubbed my jaw. Damn he had one wicked hook and I swear I heard my jaw pop when he landed the hit. I slowly looked back up and expected everything to have returned to normal…how stupid could I have been?
Instead of seeing Ghost standing there…I saw Kuwabara.
He was just as bloody and banged up as Ghost had been. The injuries were no doubt fatal and the voices came back just as bad as before. Once again I felt as if I had hit a wall, but I pushed through it and lunged at him. However a seconds hesitation resulted in him landing a strong kick to the middle of my chest and I had to make a second attempt to strike him. However just like the first, I landed a punch into his gut and when I looked again he had changed form once again. This strange reality continued, only each time I was assaulted with the face of yet another dead friend. The blood splatters that covered me were only getting larger and…it felt as though they were weighing me down. It was like every ounce of blood that had congealed on my clothes added another ten pounds. I was moving slower with each time and it felt like I was being beaten down even though the hits I was taking weren't that damaging. The images of seeing my friends dead and yet…fighting me were enough to knock my senses around. It was truly wearing me down, but I kept fighting through it all as much as I possibly could.
In fact, I felt…like slowly but surely I was being able to get through it. It wasn't easy by any means…and not to mention just fighting them. Ghost wasn't that kind. No while I started fighting the next illusion, he would cause the others to plague me. They would float around the peripherals of my vision and their voices would join those that were in my head. The things I felt were enough to make me doubt everything I had thought, but then my own voice was stronger. My resolve was superior to my horror. No matter what happened, I knew that I would fight to keep something like this from happening and I would sacrifice everything I had, everything I was, to keep them from harm. This went on for…hours. The illusion kept cycling through the guys and even the girls… The images of the girls were harder to handle. Considering they didn't physically fight back. No, they just spoke and their words…did far more damage than any physical wound could. It was a lot harder for me to work through them and the other ghostly images spinning around my head made it all worse, but I fought. I didn't stand down.
Finally…after what had to have been at least four hours…the final part of the issue came to light. When I looked up one final time none of the others were standing there. In fact, it was the one who hadn't made an appearance just yet. It was the one who drove the knife even further into my heart. It was the bloody image of Hiei Jaganshi. Yet, unlike the others, he didn't just stand there in once place. No. Hiei jumped from place to place, circling my tired and exhausted being leaving dozens of after images in his wake. His voice had taken over my mind and the smell of blood was so thick in the air that it was making me sick. I felt as though hundreds of pounds weighed down on every limb. This was the worst. Feeling like I had attacked the one person I cared so much for. Hearing his voice telling me that I was a monster. Especially coming from him. It didn't matter that it wasn't possible. The mind makes all horrors real. It makes all fiction fact and it makes things that could never happen, a reality. That's what I was fighting at that point. As I broke into a full out spar with Hiei, I was face with the physical and emotional pain being inflicted on my very being. I had to call on the same demonic strength, speed, and aura that supposedly did these grievous injuries unto him. We broke into a furious fist fight, of which I didn't move nearly as fast as I should have. Bruises swelled up on my body and I was struggling to find the sanity.
I couldn't have known that it would be there in a single look into his eyes.
In that moment, I knew that even if Hiei hesitated in striking me down…there was no power strong enough to make me hurt him. If it came down to it…I would direct the attack unto myself. Of that, I was one hundred percent sure. With that thought in my mind, I drew my fist back one final time and howled in fury as I launched the punch forward. The second it connected with his jaw, the illusion that swallowed me shattered magnificently. The sound of glass breaking thundered through my eardrums and the world flashed around me in color once again. All the imagined blood disappeared and there was a weight off my chest. Feeling woozy and somewhat exhausted I slowly sank to my knees and fell over catching myself with my hands. I stared at the blades of grass in front of me. It was strange…coming out of that strange reality back into what was true. It was that same feeling of having run on a treadmill for miles and then stepping onto stable ground. Or even riding an escalator or moving floor for an extended period of time and finally stepping onto the floor with your feet. My body felt like it was moving and leaning this way and that even when I was just resting there motionlessly.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I felt like I had been put through hell, but when I thought over the nightmare…I was not as affected by it as I had been before. In fact, I felt at ease with myself and there was almost a harmony setting in. This meant one of two things. One, either the two halves of myself had finally fallen into a state of coexistence. Or two, the demonic side of my personality…had completely taken over my human side. I coughed and shook my head, still not sure as to which it was, but decided that…I had indeed worked out a good chunk of my issues. I opened my eyes and slowly straightened up to see Ghost standing over me. I shook my head and said, "That…was hell…why is it that you, Genkai, Hiei and everyone else loves making me delve into my own psyche? Sometimes I don't think it's the best idea."
"It would seem that your mind…is a very interesting thing. In my couple hundred years of living…I haven't met a human…or…being quite like you," Ghost stated shaking his head with an amused smile. He extended his hand down to me and I reached up to take it. The second his hand touched mine, I felt a warm spreading through me. I didn't realize just how cold I really was and that this cold also made my muscles feel as though they were stiff and difficult to move.
"Interesting…couple hundred years? You don't look a day older than twenty to me," I grunted as he pulled up to my feet. Ghost only chuckled as he pulled my arm over his shoulder and lead me back toward the house. I leaned against him for support but forced my stubbornly tired legs to work on their own. I was a burden, but damn it not a total one.
"Remember demons age quite a bit differently than humans. Although I'm not exactly sure what will happen in your case, but as for me, I'm still in the early stages of my life. Keep that in mind as you encounter more experienced demons in this world. In the meantime, now that you seem to have a better grip over your thoughts, it's about time you get some rest. You were in that state for five hours nonstop fighting the phantoms of your own thoughts. That's enough to knock untrained demons on their asses…and as much as your friends did for you, you are considered untrained as far as fighting here in the Makai goes," Ghost said sounding…I would dare to say impressed. This only made me feel more content with myself than I had before.
"Heh…thanks…like I said, though I've had enough people screwing around with my head that facing it myself is…second nature?" I laughed allowing him to direct me back into the house. We were walking along the side of the house by this point and I faintly looked at the hedges around us. I sighed and said, "Although it felt a lot longer than just five hours."
"I can imagine, but now you should be able to fight without those thoughts clouding your judgment anymore," Ghost commented as we made it to the front door and he pushed it open. The farther we walked the more exhausted I felt and I was extremely happy when he took me straight back to the room. However, being the smartass he was, Ghost couldn't help me to the bed like a gentleman. Oh no that would be like doing the right thing. He walked me halfway into the room and then pushed me roughly toward the bed. I tripped over my own two feet and fell face first into the bed. I growled in frustration and glared back at him to see him barely composed. However, he managed long enough to flash an innocent and charming smile before saying, "I'll leave you alone, but if I were you I would try to get the best rest that I possibly could. After all, I think it would be best if we started to train you on how to fight here in the Makai."
With that, Ghost quickly exited the room…but didn't get far enough to keep the uncontrollable snickering from reaching my ears. It seemed like he was entirely too amused with the situation. I narrowed my eyes on the spot he had been standing and growled, "Bastard…"
By that point though, I was so exhausted that I honestly couldn't have cared any less. All I wanted was to get a good rest and maybe this time it wouldn't be filled with the same terrors I had the night before. I just wanted to get some rest and be ready for whatever "training" he had in store for the next day. Although as far as I was concerned, I'm sure it was going to be strikingly similar to the nonstop hell Hiei and Genkai considered being training. It was a wonder none of us had died from it just yet. Oh well. I adjusted myself on the bed and moved the bag of clothes to the floor that I had left in the way. I was too tired to bother with getting under the covers so I just unhooked my chakram and dropped them onto the floor beside the bag. After kicking my shoes off as well, I curled up into a ball on the cushioned mattress and quickly drifted off into what was luckily a very peaceful slumber. In that moment, I did not give a damn as to what lied ahead. At least I could finally sleep.
-Chapter End-
ME: Sorry it took so long for this chapter to get out. I was in training for a new job and there were a lot of tests I had to take so I was working on those. I am NOT letting this story fall to the wayside. I just was setting the groundwork for a new career.
Hiei: Hn…we'll see when the next chapter comes out.
Ghost: Interesting ideas…
ME: Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed and…well…Either in the next chapter or the chapter after that…unless I get another idea to throw in…I'm bringing another character into the mix. If you wanna take a guess, its one out of the three choices I'm about to give. (snaps fingers and three banners sprawl out overhead. The names read thusly: Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei.)
Hiei: Interesting…
Ghost: And here I was hoping I'd have more time on my own…ah well I know I'll have quite a bit of time to shine further in.
ME: (looking over my outline) Wow…I have a lot planned…Anyway, drop a review and tell me what you think! See everyone soon and happy readings!
