1. I Am A Priestess
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Chapter Thirty-Four: I Am A Priestess
"Alright, that's it," Genkai dismissed, and then waved her hand for added emphasis, "do as you please."
Perched atop a mountainous boulder, Genkai chuckled quietly as Karen all but bolted off toward the temple for a late lunch before her next session with Lena.
Eyeing her student with calm eyes, Genkai reflected back to the past month (and what a
difficult month it had been, for both student and teacher!). Now, Genkai prided herself on bringing the best out of any student (_kami,_ did she have her hands full with Yusuke), but for Karen, it had been more difficult, because instead of teaching the young woman to fight and harness energy, she was teaching her defense and confidence. The defense was easy and
Karen learned well enough, following directions quickly and learning to improvise during extreme situations. However, her confidence was challenging, because the young woman's
confidence was completely shattered that when she arrived on the first day she looked like an abused puppy.
- Flashback –
"I don't know," began Yusuke softly. He stared at Genkai and waited for her to nod to confirm that she could hear him among the loud music, "she's just not well, Grandma, and maybe she
should stay behind with Keiko." His eyes softened as he admired his family from across the room, "they could – keep each other company, you know…"
Genkai stared at her former student with a look of disapproval, "Karen is a priestess, Yusuke," she followed his gaze to where Keiko, Botan, and Karen were talking, "she has responsibilities to uphold that not even you can keep her from."
"This training will kill her – just look at her, she's still shaken up about what happened that night."
Observing Karen, Genkai took note of the shadows beneath Karen's dull eyes, the girl's pale complexion and her rapidly thinning state. It was the look of fear, a horrible affliction so strong that it began eating one in a slow death. She had seen that look before, had known
that look before, but as strong and silent as it was, it was not impossible to overcome.
"I understand you've come to care for her as your own, in fact, there are many people who
have come to love her," Genkai looked away from the young woman, "but Lena will still insist on the training despite your views," she eyed him carefully, "you do know that, don't you?"
Stubbornly, Yusuke crossed his arms and hardened his eyes, "Hiei thinks it's best she remain home," he paused to let his answer hang in the air, "and I agree."
_- _End of Flashback -
Just like that, it was all decided.
Around Karen, it was how Yusuke and Hiei operated, by making all of the decisions and leaving her completely dependent on them. She had seen Yusuke act this way around Keiko, but Keiko
was strong, stubborn, too, and always made it a point to have her say in life. Karen, well
Karen had been this way once, in the beginning, but then she disappeared inside herself after the incident.
Perhaps, the last great act of free choice and defiance for Karen was when she sacrificed
herself for Nessa by causing a distraction. Karen's confidence and strength had been at full blast, and then it fell, taking her with it, as Cain brushed her aside as if she were made of nothing – a fly, mere paper! Instead of helping Karen to stand, Hiei and Yusuke shielded her in cage where she would remain until she could free herself. Genkai could provide the tools, but Karen had to unlock the door.
The tools were easy to provide but Karen refused to work at the lock on her cage. Sure, Karen learned quickly and followed her every demand, but Genkai did not want a puppet. She wanted
Karen to yell at her – curse and scream, but the woman just mutely pushed herself off the
ground, never arguing, and prepared for more. Thus, Genkai pushed harder, and at times, maybe she pushed too hard, but Karen always reacted the same, eyes dull, voice non-existent, and
readied herself for more.
She had become a lifeless corpse with no emotions.
Then, she saw it, the burning anger of annoyance as Karen finally hit the ground and instead of getting up, she seemed to huddle there as pain overwhelmed her, a true pain that cut
through Karen's numbness. However, it began fading away, and Genkai, in desperation,
inflicted more pain and yelled into Karen's ear with as much criticism as she could muster. It worked and Karen awakened, fighting back with a flickering light that knocked the door of her cage clean off its hinges.
She had brought Karen back and had completed the first step in Karen's recovery.
Genkai hope that 'the first step is always the hardest' would describe Karen's breakthrough, but Genkai had a feeling that she would have to continue struggling up the mountain in her
life.
When I was a little girl, a particularly favorite past time had been jumping out of trees. In my world, being a bird was something akin to being invincible, and as an orphan,
invincibility was a craved trait. I remembered every feeling, from weightlessness, to the wind in my hair. It was a happy time, because worry and pain did not exist, were mere
strangers, as in the end, there was always someone to catch me.
Eventually, as you grow older, you will have to learn to catch yourself. "I'm falling!"
I fell, a _lot_, downstairs, _ups_tairs (and no, it was not tripping on the stairs), and even on uncluttered ground, a feat that was impossible until I entered the picture. These days,
falling had become a new profession and it had few candidates. Yet, despite every occurrence,
I still felt the need to scream out, 'I'm falling', as if to alert myself, that yeah, I was going to fall, and yeah, it was going to hurt.
One would think I would settle into some sort of routine, perhaps have learned to catch
myself, do a nifty flip, or even cover up my fall by rolling onto my feet, but no - I just
hit the ground, _hard_. The ground was my friend and we were real close because no friend of mine had ever caught my face, back, or ass as many times as the damn earth.
"Gr-ah!"
Pieces of bark crackled and scattered to the ground as my sneaker slipped off the side of the thick branch. I flung my arms out and tried to hold still, but the branch swayed violently
enough to toss me away. Closing my eyes, I loosened my muscles, which was about the only thing I could do, and braced my body for the impact. Air whooshed out of my lungs, dirt filled my nostrils and my body flared with pain as the ground, the oh-so-familiar ground enveloped me with murderous arms.
"Not fun," I breathed out. Opening my eyes, I stared numbly as the treetops spun around in the never- ending circle of life. Soon, Lena's face joined the dance as her face blended in with the trees.
"How many, "asked Lena, her fingers wiggling before my eyes.
Squinting, I took a moment to answer softly, but the pain caused me to hiss out, "three."
Lena eyed me carefully, searching for any signs of an injury, but besides the aching muscles and cruel headache, there was nothing worth worrying over. I had had a concussion once, my
fault of course, and thanks to a healer, whom I saw on a daily basis, were able to recognize minor injuries. The great thing about my teachers was that they trusted me enough to know
when I was critically injured or just hurt. Likewise, in both teachers' eyes, critical was serious and hurt was learn-the-lesson-or-suffer-the-consequences. I usually suffered before learning.
"Back onto the branch and try again," Lena turned away, "concentrate, breathe through your
nose and out the mouth, and shut out the world."
Resisting an eye roll, I was tempted to mock her by mouthing her words as she said the same thing every time. However, biting my tongue, I reached for a low branch and pulled myself up to resume training.
It had been two weeks since Lena appeared unexpectedly, looking all innocent and kind, but
she played me for a fool as I learned her cruel ways. The exercises were simple enough, climb here, stand there, but the lessons seemed to rip apart my skull, say 'what's up, it's me, and I'm here to be the ache to your head'. No, an ache would be tolerable. This was a wall banger and just as the name implied, I wanted to bang my head against the wall.
I always thought I was averagely calm and patient, but that was before I became Lena's
student. At least with Genkai, I could voice my frustration, curse and holler. With Lena, I was gritting my teeth so much that if it kept up, I would be spitting out teeth dust.
"Remember, focus," reminded Lena as I balanced atop the swaying branch once again. Focus, sure, I can do that.
"Breathe."
Breathing is also not a problem.
…
…
…
"Seventy-eight thousand, five hundred and eight, seventy-eight thousand, oh, wait – was it seventy-eight thousand, five hundred and eight or seventy-eight thousand, five hundred and seven before I was interrupted?"
Yeah, it was definitely a wall banger.
The task was simple: climb an eight-foot tree, balance on the branch, and focus. Focus how, I do not know. Focus on what, I also do not know. Why do I not know – simple – because Lena
never explained how focusing was supposed to help strengthen the barriers of my mind!
"… I was sure it was seventy-eight thousand, five hundred and eight, but – ah well, I will just start over."
I could hear my teeth grinding against one another, but forced myself to remain silent. Lena was just trying to elicit a response from me, trying to ruin my concentration, and this time, I was not falling for her tricks.
She pulled this sort of torture since she led me to her training grounds, ordered me to climb the tree, focus, and all while she counted to one million. Why one million, well because that was the magic number, and once she reached a million, I could move onto the next task. It was easy stuff, but I kept focusing on the numbers, focusing so hard that her voice echoed in my head. That was why I could not focus! That was why I kept falling off this damn tree! Falling was bad, brutal, because then she would have to pause, take the time to criticize my lack of commitment to her lessons, lose her place in the counting, and have to restart counting from an even thousand.
Down below, Lena cleared her voice.
_Hah, its fine_, _she is just going to restart from seventy-eight thousand._ "One, two, three," began Lena.
My body jerked and the branch began swaying dangerously.
"Four, five, six –"
This was maddening! Lena could not be serious about recounting because it had taken so long for her to reach seventy-eight thousand! I had done the math (Keiko would be so proud) and based on my hours of training, sometimes eight or twelve hours, once sixteen hours, and
factoring in the time it took to criticize me and check on me after each fall, then it would be about three weeks before she reached one million. Three weeks was too long to be suffering the constant droning of numbers. Another three weeks will kill me!
"…twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four – "
I could feel frustration bubbling beneath my skin again. I needed to be patient. I was trying to be patient. I did not want to lose my temper, not with Lena, because I needed to succeed. I needed to strengthen my mind. I needed to remember the correct number!
"…thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine – "
I could not get the numbers out of my head and like in some toddler show; the numbers formed into plastic and were dancing before my eyes. Lena's voice was echoing in my ears and the
numbers were laughing; they were LAUGHING! The numbers were all holding hands as they merrily sang along with Lena's voice and it kept going on and on and on –
"Forty…"
…
"Fifty."
…
"Six hundred and ten –"
Genkai was hardcore, but Lena, now, she was a killer.
"I'd like to thank you for what you've done for us," said Koenma, as he stared at the person seated before him. "I honestly don't know how to repay you… do you have any requests?"
"I heard humans, without spirit energy, were allowed to be guardians, because some of the priestesses' families are getting involved."
"Yes," began Koenma slowly as he scrutinized the young man, "these humans are very close to these priestesses and are quite insistent to be their guardians. The only thing is that they are normal and it would be dangerous for us to allow humans to be involved in such a
dangerous situation –"pausing, Koenma leaned forward in his chair, "Kenji, you're not considering putting your name down as a guardian, are you?"
Kenji averted his eyes and drummed his fingers along his chair's armrests, "yes, I am."
"Kenji, you're a good person, and an even better friend, and I thank you for the help you've already contributed to the cause, as without it we would've had no idea how to begin in the first place."
"But?" asked Kenji gloomily.
"These potential human guardians are all related to the priestesses, and you have no relations – "
"The Urameshis' are my family," interrupted Kenji, "and the Kuwabaras', Kurama, they're all my friends."
"I understand Kenji," Koenma held up a hand and shook his head, "no, really, I do, but you
should have never been involved in this. Kenji, you're a remarkable young man and you should be focusing on living a normal life."
"Well, it's too late for that, because like it or not, I became involved the moment I met Karen."
Koenma watched quietly as Kenji stood abruptly and walked over to the large window of his office. A few minutes of silence passed between them.
"Human life is more valuable than that of a demon," Koenma sighed heavily, his eyes pinned to Kenji's back, "you have no idea the repercussions Spirit World faces when human lives are at stake. I actually protested the human guardians, but I was overruled."
"All of the priestesses are human," countered Kenji as he turned around, "so this is already out of hand."
Koenma's eyes saddened as he stared at the young man before him. "Kenji, some things are just meant to be kept hidden from humans."
"All things aside, I'd still like to volunteer as a guardian," Kenji glanced up at Koenma,
"you're going to need them. Grant me access to training with the specialized weapons and I'll consider that payment."
A good five minutes must have passed before Koenma nodded slowly. He reached for a sheet of
paper and scrawled out a message. "Access granted. You'll be given our newly developed energy gun. It uses energy ammo – our greatest invention for humans. Also, our new communication
ring, which also allows one to see demon and spirit energy, since you have no spirit awareness," explained Koenma.
"Are priestesses using these gadgets, those without powers?"
"Priestesses automatically see energy." Koenma reached for his official seal. "However, yes, the gun is being granted to those without powers. It is a useful weapon and will add greater protection." Stamping the paper, Koenma stared at the note with a solemn expression. "Are you sure? You're a bright, young man. Life your life while you can, Kenji," suggested Koenma.
"Yes, I'm sure," answered Kenji firmly. "I can't sit around while my friends are risking themselves."
Koenma nodded, as he could see the stubborn defiance in Kenji's eye. "A guard will arrive to train you, as I'm sure you'll need time to break this news to your father. We are allowing
information to be given to the families involved. Once the guard deems you ready, we'll set you with a team to help. You're right. We could use more help, as those involved will
eventually need breaks."
Standing, Kenji bowed his head and reached for the paper. Without a word, Kenji left the office to hand the paper in to the SDF office in order to receive his own training.
"The bravery of friends," murmured Koenma.
"You're improving," muttered Jet.
"Yes, improving," lifting an eyebrow, I turned my head slightly to stare up at my guard, "and just where is this improvement you are seeing?"
Jet coughed, either from the awkwardness of his comment or from the smell of my current work, and backed away. Shaking my head, I stared down sadly at the blackened bowl, which had been a nice, blue color before my experiments charred away its beauty. Picking up a set of tongs, I poked around inside the bowl to check out the contents, but nothing survived aside from the
crisp remnants of a once beautiful, purple, velvet flower.
"I don't understand this medical plant stuff, Jet," I picked up the small book Genkai had
instructed me to study. Scanning down the page, I searched dejectedly for answers. "I thought for sure the _Chykon _would combine perfectly with a simple blade of human _sage_."
"Well, it didn't explode like last time."
"But I've tried over a hundred combinations," I tossed the book, harder than necessary, on
the desk and dumped out the charred pieces from my bowl. "Saruh and Yen picked up this skill quickly," I set the bowl down harshly as I whispered to myself, "so why is it so difficult
for me?"
With only a month left before I was allowed to go back home, Genkai had decreased her morning training sessions from six hours to three hours, and that was great, or so I thought, until
she explained why she was decreasing my morning sessions.
After her lessons, I spent an hour reading up on various first aid manuals in the temple's small library as Genkai assured me it would be useful knowledge. Once I finished, Genkai
constantly quizzed me by watching as I bandaged Jet up (who was the forced victim of my
lessons) like a mummy or making makeshift splints out of random objects. With a criticizing eye, Genkai missed nothing and constantly pointed out my mistakes from knotting loose
bindings or assembling splints that broke apart with the slightest pressure. Each time my
splints broke apart, Genkai would remind me, none too kindly, of stepping up, as the lessons would only become harder.
Learning about first aid and the use of medical plants wasn't mandatory, as only three
priestesses, including myself, were the only ones learning such aids. To me it seemed like it was just something to keep us busy, make us seem more useful, for we were the only three whom seemed unable to reveal any special powers. I wasn't sure how knowing basic first aid was
useful since there were plenty of guards who had healing abilities, which made learning first aid pointless. However, Genkai assured me that there wasn't always going to be a guard
around, and that their healing abilities were limited because they required a constant supply of energy, whereas the old-fashioned way would always be available.
Medical plants, something I was also having a difficult time with, was much harder and
required having knowledge about plants, both human and _demon_ plants. So after being handed a small book, consisting of words nearly too small to read, I was left to figure out how to combine both plants to help aid with healing without the use of energy. Apparently, the use of medical plants was a lost art as there were limited books concerning the subject and even
fewer people who still practiced it. Aside from an extensive list of all the plants available for combinations and a few pictures (poorly drawn, I might add), the book Genkai had provided was not very convenient.
-Flashback-
"Kurama uses plants," I suggested to Genkai as I shuffled through the pages, "maybe he can add something to this book?"
"Kurama deals mainly with Demon world plants and is able to use his energy to manipulate them into serving his needs. The types of plants he uses are of a high class compared to the
plants in your book. This is an ancient art, once available in both Demon world and Human world, but it didn't last long, as energy and technology makes medical plants useless."
"Well, we still use plants, sort of, like herbal tea for headaches or herbs in place of
vitamins and some natural remedies, right – whoa!" I stared around the room in awe as Genkai led the way into the middle of the greenhouse.
"Those are not the same sort of plant uses," Genkai touched the hanging leaf of star shaped bush, "it would be something akin to the myths that humans placed around witches."
"Like – potions?"
"Yes, but obviously you won't be using crow feet and toad innards," Genkai waved a hand. "You are free to use whatever is in this room. I'd start with asking Saruh and Yen for help as to how to get started since they've been doing this for a while." Turning, Genkai pointed at my book, "there are some simple examples in your book, but other than that, it is mostly guess
work."
I gave Genkai a startled look when she handed me a silver key.
"I will not be checking up on you so you are on your own. Do what you will, but this is
something I cannot help you with, as I have no knowledge in this area. However, you may be able to create something that can be useful."
I stared at Genkai as she began heading for the door, "wait, that's it?" "Oh, good luck," my teacher, replied.
-End of Flashback- Good luck, indeed.
Aside from making a paste that could heal a small cut and a gel that could slowly relieve and heal a bruise, the only two examples in my book, I wasn't having much luck.
Saruh and Yen, on the other hand, were much more accomplished. Yen had greatly enhanced the examples in the book, such as improving the paste to heal larger wounds, and enriching the gel to speed up the recovery of bruises. And Saruh had developed a binding paste for gaping
wounds, an herbal drink for greatly boosting energy, several curatives for headaches, aches, fevers, and had just finished creating an herb that could heal broken bones.
Thinking that I might be able to do something useful too, I did as Genkai suggested and asked them for help. Surprisingly, Saruh and Yen were extremely secretive with their recipes and
refrained from helping. I was extremely surprised when Saruh said it would be best if I figured it out for myself as she had done.
"_I'm sorry, but I don't have any powers and this is something that I can actually be of some use. It took me a long time to make my curatives and I had no help," Saruh packed away her
supplies, "Yen and I didn't help each other either and it turned out for the best. You'll get the hang of it."_
Saruh's words echoed in my head while I put away my things. I suppose it was only fair to go through this blindly. Did I really expect to learn all these neat curatives without having to contribute? Of course, they could have prodded me in the right direction, maybe give a little bit of advice, instead of having me grope in the dark. I wanted to help too…
Wrapping a hand around my necklace, I took a deep breath to soothe away my frustrations. As always, the cool gem seemed to chase away my worries. Once I was more relaxed, I cleaned up the rest of the mess and reached for my bag. My energy gun fell out with a 'thump' and a
little blast squeaked forth to create a skid mark near Jet's large boot. "Oops," I mumbled in apology.
"Trying to take my toes out, I see," joked Jet.
Jet was rather odd. At first glance, he appeared intimidating. He was 6'4". That was hella tall. I knew he was tall, because I measured him with some wrappings while practicing on
binding wounds. He also wore those ever-present sunglasses. Honestly, he had nothing to be ashamed of, but he kept them on to hide his eyes. He had yellow, cat-like eyes and they
glowed slightly at night. He wasn't a demon. He was from Spirit World, so I wasn't sure what he called – spirit person, I suppose.
In the beginning, Jet was silent, more so than Hiei. He wasn't rude or mean, just quiet. He followed orders without question, but eventually, a week in, he began loosening up. I think it had to do with us spending all this time working together. He constantly helped me train.
We ate every meal together. He never laughed when I failed. I never made teased him of the crush he had on Nessa. He never ordered me around or made decisions for me. I never treated him like a low guard and always made sure to respect everything he did for me. We became
quick friends.
Despite looking like a big Indian commando, what with his deep, russet skin, and thick, crew cut hair, Jet had a soft side. A few weeks ago, Nessa arrived to the temple to do some
meditation after arriving back from her vacation. I had just limped away from Genkai's lesson when she came bounding out of the temple. Jet was by my side and waiting until we were far
enough from Genkai's glare in the woods before carrying me to the nearest medical guard. However, Nessa came running toward us and yelling my name.
It was like watching Kuwabara and Yukina when they were staring at one another – these two
were lost in each other's eyes. I never thought I would see the 'love at first sight' between two people. Grinning, I was ready to limp away, give them some alone time, but Jet appeared
frightened. He hurried after me and I was ready to bop him on the head. Why, that tall man was shy in her presence!
I missed Nessa. She had only stayed a few days, but we spent the time talking. I was
surprised at how close we were to each other, but it must have been everything that we had
experienced together. I was actually a half-inch taller than she was and it was nice to have someone at a normal height. I did try to get Jet to join us, but he would always say he was on break. He left us alone.
I dusted my gun off with a frown.
My gun was small as hell compared to the other weapons some of the priestesses were using. It was like a baby gun. Genkai said I was to use it as a concealed weapon. It had the same
impact, but it was lighter for me to use. It didn't recoil as greatly as the other weapons I had practiced with – this one worked well with me. It was black as night and had tiny blue
lights lining each side. Jet said it looked like a small Beretta Nano, but I didn't know what those looked like, so I couldn't compare my little gun. I wasn't great with the weapon, but I could hit the targets… after a few tries. Like with everything else, every new thing took me time to accomplish.
I don't think I could take another life. However, if I had to, I would use my little gun to end life. For now, I was using it as protection.
"I was thinking," began Jet softly.
I switched off the power on my gun and slipped it in my pocket. It may be small, but it was strong if I upped the power knob. "Does it have anything to do with helping me learn these herbs," I asked in sarcastic humor.
Surprisingly, Jet nodded. "Yes." He unfolded himself from the desk he was leaning against and turned to me. "… How do you feel about cheating?"
At his question, I zipped up my bag. "What?"
"Saruh and Yen write their creations down. We've seen them doing so every time we come in."
I slipped my bag on and headed toward the door. "That's not right. Besides, how would we explain my suddenly, fantastic creations that look very similar to their creations?"
Jet opened the door and I headed outside with a yawn. "We don't," he answered. Turning, he locked the door. "We keep it to ourselves and use it for when you go to a temple."
"I still haven't approached that subject with Genkai and Lena."
We set off back to the compound. It was nearly ten and the skies were black, as there was no moon. I was ready to eat the late dinner I knew Rose (she was a pretty, busty ogre) would
have set aside for us.
"But you want to," said Jet.
I did want to, but I was still trying to figure out how to explain this decision to Yusuke
and Hiei. However, I pushed them away from my thoughts. Looking up at Jet, I decided to amuse him, "okay, so let's say we cheat. How would we get the book they've been keeping their notes in, Jet? And don't forget about their guards hanging around," I saw the compound approaching. "I'm not good at sneaking."
"Both guards hang outside. Both priestesses use the greenhouse on different days. We can attempt each group separately."
My eyes widened. Jet was serious! "Jet, why are you insistent about his?"
Sighing, Jet crossed his large arms. "I've seen how hard you've worked. I know how much you want to help. I've helped you in everything else, but this is an area that I am useless in assisting. You know more about plants than I do."
"… but I don't know anything about them." "Exactly," he quipped.
I was silent while we headed inside Genkai's temple. The lanterns were glowing softly and illuminated our shadows. I could smell the late dinner and my stomach rumbled.
"If you can make the necessary healing herbs, it will help grant you as officially trained enough for your missions."
I sat down at the long wooden table. Staring up at Jet, I smiled. "Okay. Let's do it." He smirked. "Then, this is what we do."
Hiei waited in darkness, seemingly invisible, save for his eyes that glowed eerily into the night. He was crouched in the upper branches of a tree, observing his surroundings as a
powerful panther would watch for his next meal. He had been waiting for hours, hardly moving, that even a skilled demon standing below him wouldn't be able to sense his presence. He was
an outcast, a banished demon, which made him an expert at blending in with the shadows,
something he had done for the majority of his life. Now, his skills were needed as he waited to test the patrol
"No sign of Night Stalker," cackled a voice in his right ear.
Grimacing, Hiei reached up to respond into his earpiece, a rather bothersome invention, that Kurama suggest he use. He actually didn't care for the earpiece because he was able to
communicate via telepathically. Yet, with Cain's abilities, telepathy was banned as it
weakened one's mind. Mukuro agreed with the device, and not wanting to bother arguing, Hiei conceded. Besides, he needed prompt reports as of late. Still, the device was uncomfortable and he wanted to rip it out, crush it to pieces, and toss it into a decaying pond.
Nevertheless, he snapped out a quick reply, "run a round near the border and give me fifteen minute reports."
Without bothering to end his command with, 'over,' he clicked his com off and settled back against the trunk of the tree. His men might enjoy using silly coded words, but he'd rather be done with it. It was maddening to have to listen to them say, 'over', after every com
interaction. Like children, they were enjoying the device too much by giving each other nicknames.
Night Stalker was the name his men had given the demon that they were currently on the
lookout for, and like his name, he only appeared at night, skimming along the borders, and
eluding all measures of capture. For the past two weeks, Night Stalker, would flit along the border and entice them all into a game of tag.
Hiei was Night Stalker – stupid name. And he was testing them… again.
He didn't have the patience to train anyone, especially demons that had an IQ of five, insisted on acquiring nicknames, and wanted to challenge each other every five minutes.
Training them had been tiresome, even more so than the time he had had to train Kuwabara for The Dark Tournament, at least that fool had a bit of control over himself.
Of course, his teaching methods might have been easier to do if he wasn't constantly plagued with images of his mate. It had been two months, _two months_, of pure torture as every
waking moment of their separation had her face flashing inside his mind. It was driving him insane, being away from her (not that he would _ever_ admit it), and he had to keep himself from visiting her during their time apart. He was also tempted to use his jagan to see her,
but he knew if he did, then he wouldn't be able to stay away from her, that, and he would have that damn witch, Lena, breathing down his neck for using such a method on his mate's vulnerable mind.
But he wouldn't cave into such a ‒ _human –_ weakness, because he was in control of himself.
Karen was in her world, and safe, he had made sure of that after he had looked over the
layout of the temple grounds, and had even chosen the strongest SDF guard available to watch her. He was supposed to be free of distractions – no, he _was_ free of distractions!
"Brigadier, checking in, north area is free of distractions –"
His body jerked as his musings were interrupted by his men's reports. "Checking in with zero movement – "
"Clear – "
_Damn woman_, he mused angrily as he settled back against the tree, _the times that I need control and you cut through everything like a sharp blade._
He shouldn't think so much of her, but he did, especially at night, or anytime he slept.
Actually, 'think' was a rather loose term, as it was more along the lines of dreaming. But
how could he be dreaming if she even bothered him while he was awake? All his discipline was ripped apart as the images of her face, eyes, voice, and body – _oh, kami_ – her body, now
that was torture. He had endured much pain throughout his life, and he'd experience it again if it would simply take the damn dreams away.
A normal man would have ravaged the nearest village's women to satiate their needs, but Hiei, was stronger. Besides, no amount of women could satisfy his needs and at this rate, he would have to hit up every village on Mukuro's lands, and he simply had no time for that. Demon
women were not appealing anymore. Human women were not appealing anymore. No woman was appealing aside from his mate.
She had the body he wanted as it was untouched by anyone. No one felt her velvet skin as he
had when she whipped off her shirt. He was still reeling from that unpredictable move. In all honesty, he had been completely stunned. He still hadn't seen the rest of her, but he'd work on it when he went on leave. She was hidden in her clothes that he planned on removing…
But he did have more control now. He was tortured, but not agitated. He had dreams, but they were only hauntings. He could feel his instincts stabilizing. Of course, they were still
there and he would always have to keep them in check with that beautiful woman. He gave his word that he would wait until she told him she was ready. He didn't know if that still
applied should he smell her arousal. He groaned inwardly. There was only one way to find out, but he couldn't be _that_ out of control. And she couldn't be that _in_ control of herself
either, considering what happened at the temple.
Hiei wondered if she was done with her fears. In truth, he wanted to hear voice. He wanted to see her wrinkle her nose in annoyance or anger, but she was silent after Cain's attack. His
hands tightened. That damn bastard had scared his mate into a shell. Hiei wanted her scared, but not to the point that she would start withdrawing. He had hardly seen her, but within
those few hours with her, he knew she was different.
Time might heal her, but he wouldn't know until he saw her in another month. If not, he would have to figure out how to make her understand that she was safe.
Concealing his energy and lowering the volume on his earpiece, Hiei grimaced. He forced away thoughts of his mate and jumped down. Blurring toward the border, Hiei began the test again, even though he knew they would fail. _Pathetic, low, life demons_, he fumed.
You think they would have caught on by now.
_Saruh's Day – Karen's Mission_
"I don't like this," I sang under my breath while eyeing the blade in Jet's hand.
Despite being shy around Nessa, Jet acted normal around other women. I had remembered Saruh admiring my guard's muscles the time I went to ask her for help. Recalling this observation,
I told Jet that he should try to charm her with his good looks. Jet agreed, but seemed unsure of how to go about it. So, he practiced on me. We worked out a way for him to use the fact
that he rarely smiled. If he were to get close to Saruh and show a little grin, maybe she
would faint (I'm positive that she was lonely). If not, Jet was going to knock her out by her pulse point and take pictures of her notes with my phone. However, he would feel bad for
doing such a thing – so seduction was the way to go with first.
Yet, there was still Boss, her guard, to deal with, and I was supposed to distract him. He
usually sat outside the greenhouse, like the other guard, and smoked. Jet revealed that Boss was a pervert for legs but I doubt I'd be able to distract him long enough to draw him away from the greenhouse. Jet still needed time to get in and work his plan. Agreeing, Jet said
that Boss had healing abilities and if I were injured, he would have to take the time to heal me.
I sighed. Jet decided to use my legs with an injury as a distraction. I didn't want to be a seductress. I don't think I could be convincing enough, but Jet told me to think of every
romance movie I had seen with Keiko. I hoped Hiei would never find out about this. However, it was only fair to use my body as Jet was going to use his against Saruh. Keiko's soap
operas were about to be put to the test.
"Just the back of your thigh," he instructed.
I was wearing some cutoff shorts (cutoff even more for this occasion). February was a little breezy for such shorts, but given that it made dodging, running, and training easier, they
were proper. We cut these ones especially short.
"Why the back of my thigh," I asked blandly. Realizing that Boss may look at my backside, I shook my head. "Never mind," I sighed.
Jet was going to cut the back of my thigh. It wasn't a big deal for him to touch me. He saw
me in my sport's bra plenty of times while he waited for the healer to heal my fractured ribs (Genkai's doing). Sadly, Jet didn't have healing abilities. I think that's why he wanted to
learn herbs with me. We were both trying to learn something useful.
Stretching out on my bed, I buried my face in the pillow. He didn't carve in, but he cut it as if we had been practicing dodging knives. Still, I winced at the angle of the blade
slicing into my skin. It didn't last long and Jet hurried to wrap a bandage around my thigh. "Okay, let's hurry before the bleeding stops."
"Easy for you to say," I grumbled while hobbling after him. "For the record, don't mention this to Hiei."
Jet knew all about Hiei and had even mentioned that Hiei had chosen him as my guard. I should have known that was why I had a big ass guard. Still, Jet grimaced.
Leaving my side, I hobbled toward the forest and rounded back up to the greenhouse. I was trying to appear as if I had come back from training. Being without my guard wasn't a big deal. They were allowed breaks. I would simply say so should Boss ask me.
Seeing the greenhouse, I sighed. Grimacing (which wasn't hard), I started limping up the
hill. I made sure to keep my head down, as if I was extremely injured. When I knew I was far enough away from the greenhouse, but close enough to alert Boss, I collapsed onto the ground.
The action made my thigh throb, but I remained unmoving. Getting a lot of injuries wasn't uncommon for me and some of the other guards already knew I was one of the weaker
priestesses, which is why Jet was using the injury method, too.
I felt a flutter of air. Keeping my eyes closed, I allowed the person to roll me over in
their arms. Dramatically, I peered up at Boss, as if I could hardly keep my eyes open. His cigarette was hanging limply from his mouth as he stared down at my bare legs. I felt like sighing irritably. These legs were for one person only, even if he didn't notice them.
Boss was a short man. He was a few inches taller than I was and had a lean frame. He didn't look like much compared to Jet, but he was able to punch out several trees with his fists.
Boss had a brown goatee and brown eyes. His pale skin made him appear washed out when he stood next to the other guards.
"Priestess, what happened," he mumbled around his cigarette in a lazy drawl. He was a slow speaker.
Trying to recall Keiko's soap operas, I lowered my voice into that of a damsel. If anyone
else, say my family, or Hiei, was here, I would have looked pathetic. However, I had to bide Jet time. This would never leave the compound.
"My leg," I moaned. I was depending on Keiko's shows to help me. I reached down shakily and touched my exposed thigh, "I d-didn't dodge the knife in t-time." Inhaling shakily, I closed my eyes again. "I was looking for an h-healer. They're on break." I fingered the edge of the bandage. "I w-wrapped it as best as I could…"
"Where's your guard," he inquired. "Were you using the shooting devices? You're supposed to have your guard with you."
_Oh crap,_ I thought. Thinking quickly, I decided to act as if I didn't want to be a burden. "No, please don't tell. He was eating lunch. I just w-wanted to get a head start," I grabbed at the front of his shirt.
His eyes softened and he nodded. "Alright, we'll keep this between us." He stared into my eyes.
My eyes were watering from the pain.
…
…
…
My thigh was really aching. Why the hell wasn't he healing me yet? Losing my patience to the pain, I said, seriously, "my thigh?"
"Yes, sorry." He cleared his throat. Glancing back down, he reached up slowly and removed his cigarette to flick it away.
Grimacing, I decided that Jet had more than enough time now. I awkwardly removed the bindings from within his arms and tossed them aside. I eased from Boss's arms and rolled onto my
stomach. Resting my head on my crossed arms, I waited for him to heal the wound. If he didn't do anything in ten seconds, I was going to limp away to find someone else –
Calloused fingers skimmed below the wound and I glowered. _Hey_, I thought sourly. _There's
no need to touch in order to heal wounds._ My teeth set on edge as his fingers lingered below the wound.
Luckily, I kept from swatting at his hand. There was a cooling sensation and I sighed as the pain began ebbing away. After a minute, I knew the wound was closed. Hurriedly, I sat up to thank him.
"Uh," Boss began, "I know this is weird, but –"
"Karen, I've been looking for you for ten minutes," interrupted Jet as he approached. Catching on, I pretended to appear meek. "Sorry, Jet."
"Boss," greeted Jet before helping me stand.
Hurriedly, Jet and I headed back to the compound. Boss fell back against the grass and I
heard him say annoyingly, "ah, it wouldn't work anyways."
_Saruh's Day – Jet's Mission_
Cutting into Karen's thigh, Jet tried to be quick. He was comfortable enough around Karen
that touching her bare thighs didn't bother him. Karen was beautiful, but he didn't see her in that way. It was most annoying when one of the guards would elbow his ribs and snigger, asking what he thought of his priestess. He never answered the jibes. He cared for his
priestess as a friend and he was smitten with one of her friends. Thinking of Vanessa, he grinned.
But they had a mission.
He knew how hard Karen had worked. She pushed herself to her limits during training. Seeing
her struggle to prove herself made Jet want to help her in her endeavors and he knew, that if she could create strong healing herbs, Karen would be granted permission to travel. He was
also curious to know a few of the herbs, too.
If only those stubborn priestesses would have helped Karen. Jet respected women, but at times, some of them were annoying.
Once he saw Karen collapse to the ground and Boss rush to her aid, Jet snuck into the
greenhouse. Saruh didn't even notice his entrance until he made sure to close the door hard enough that it clicked in the quiet room. The thirty-year-old woman whirled in alarm, but
refrained from screaming. Even though he had on his sunglasses, Jet made sure to keep his face in her direction, as Karen instructed.
"Is there something I can help you with," asked Saruh after a long moment.
Jet was surprised she didn't ask why Boss had allowed him inside the room. However, he strode forward quietly and watched her eyes move over his body. He had purposely cut the sleeves off his shirt to reveal his biceps, which seemed to be doing a good job in distracting the woman.
If only he could act like this with Vanessa…
Shaking off those thoughts, Jet murmured softly, "my priestess left her book." "Oh… did she?"
Knowing he had limited time, Jet headed toward the priestess's station. He decided to go in for the kill. That and he wasn't much for talking unless he knew the person. This woman was
attractive, yes, but he only admired Vanessa. But, Saruh was wearing some interesting perfume and deciding to investigate, Jet leaned in close once he reached the older woman. He heard
her breath catch when his body brushed up against her and he sniffed discreetly. It was nice, like flowers.
"W-what are you doing?"
Being honest, Jet rumbled lowly, "you smell good." When he heard her little gasp, Jet moved until he was staring down at her face. He saw her pupils dilate and he leaned down. His face was inches from her when his lips lifted up at the corner. For some odd reason, that was
enough to cause the priestess to faint. He caught her in his arms. _Huh,_ he wondered. _Karen was right_.
_Maybe I can use that with Vanessa,_ thought Jet. He shook his head.
Setting the woman in the nearby chair, Jet whipped out Karen's phone. It still had full
battery used from being unused. Remembering Karen's instructions on how to use the device,
Jet found Saruh's journal and snapped pictures. He hurtled through the pages and clicked the button as fast he could move. Once he was done, he blurred toward the door.
_Mission accomplished,_ he grinned.
Turns out, Saruh's herbs were enough to get us by until we could figure out our own
creations. Jet had left for a few hours after the mission to download the images onto papers in the guard office. When he returned, we spent the rest of the day pouring over the pages.
But we still had to mix them.
"_You added too much Reddelin," I shrieked up at Jet. "It's ruined!"_
_Jet threw down the wooden spoon. "I can't do the damn measurements! You said a smidgen." He held up a lean, but large finger, "do you see the size of my fingers!"_
"_Well, it's not my fault my fingers are burnt from the last time! Otherwise, I would have
–"_
_Before I could finish, Jet pushed me and I went skidding along the floorboards. There was a loud explosion, like fireworks. I somersaulted backwards, rolling onto my feet, and hid
behind the nearest cabinet._
It was going to take a little work.
Currently, I was sitting beside Jet as we waited for Genkai and Lena to settle in their
chairs. A week from my leave and I was going to ask permission to be allowed to fulfill my
duties. Jet was with me for support and as a witness to my accomplishments. If I were allowed to visit the temples, Jet would be my constant companion. We were in this together.
When Lena nodded with a polite smile, I cleared my throat. "I'd like permission to attend to the temples."
Glancing at Genkai, Lena exchanged an unreadable look with the tiny woman. After a few seconds, Genkai turned to regard me with a frown. "You're not ready."
"When I am ready, then," I insisted. "I'd still like it to be taken into consideration."
"Karen has been working diligently," began Jet as he shifted in his chair, "and she has curatives to provide."
"Do you now, Urameshi," inquired Genkai. "I wasn't aware you made any progress."
Really, I didn't have any curatives. I was working on them. "Yes, well I'm still testing them, but I do have some good strong ones to help aid the teams."
At my statement, Genkai narrowed her eyes. "How have you learned so quickly? It took Saruh and Yen months to develop their curatives."
I felt Jet stiffen beside me and I averted my eyes to the table. An uncomfortable silence settled where they were scrutinizing me. Unable to handle the gazes, I decided to be
truthful. "We cheated and stole Saruh's notes." "Karen," moaned Jet under his breath.
"… They were going to find out anyways," I whispered back.
Leaning across the table, Jet said hurriedly, "we only did so because Saruh and Yen refused to lend aid to Priestess Karen."
Leave it to the man to point fingers, even if it was true. I hung my head and waited for criticism. I waited for Genkai's scolding. I waited for Lena's soft glare. I waited for – laughter? I raised my eyebrow as Lena threw her head back and erupted into whimsical
laughter. It rang beautifully in the air, like that magical harp in the corner of a fancy
room. Panting, a giggle here and there, Lena wiped at her eyes. Genkai was shaking her head
in amusement. Jet and I exchanged wary glances.
"Oh, priestesses can be so amusing at times," murmured Lena with a smile.
More seriously, but still smiling, Genkai explained. "Saruh found another ancient curative book in my temple. I had no idea I had one –"
"Actually, she has no idea what is in there," interrupted Lena with a serious expression.
Ignoring Lena, Genkai continued, "and she's been using them to create her curatives. Her work is actually copied from the book. Yen's guard knocked out Saruh and her guard, and they stole the book, which is how we found out about the book. They came running to us when they argued for the rights to the book."
Clasping her hands under her chin, Lena rested her elbows on the table. "How did you two go about this?"
Jet crossed his arms and glanced away to observe the wall. I looked pointedly up at the ceiling and wondered about the make of the hanging lantern. The paper frame was rather beautiful with its brief designs of red.
"Yet, I'm sure you're still figuring out the conversions," questioned Genkai and bringing us back into the conversation.
"Yes," I answered while straightening my shirt, "but we're getting the hang of it."
Nodding, Genkai looked me over critically. "Like I said earlier, you are not ready." My left shoe began tapping the floor. "You're gun handling isn't as up to par as I would like, but
you are improving. You still need work on your first aid, too. I would like that down pat now that you are underway with your herbs."
Accepting that, I turned to Lena, "Lena?"
Completely serious and face unreadable, Lena stared at me. "Actually, you underwent a good amount of mind training on your own at the temple."
"… I don't understand," I mumbled.
"Valon related to us about the obstacle you two had to undergo, remember?" She waited for me to nod before saying, "I usually use fear to lure the priestesses into a sense of calm to
control their emotions in extreme situations. Genkai has used such a thing before, as well." Closing her eyes, Genkai said dryly, "I made Urameshi sleep with snakes for three weeks."
I blinked. "I didn't know he was scared of snakes."
She smirked, "he was. He was in tears the first night."
"Valon said you fear snakes." Lena furrowed her brows. "I imagine that must have been a
traumatic event for your mind. Valon had training for such a task, which is why she managed to make it as far as she did into pit before allowing it to warp her head. You, on the other hand, had to walk through the entire obstacle without Kurama's help."
I thought of Hiei's face as I was lowered into the cavern. "I had to do it."
"Yes, well, it helped develop your own mind barrier. You conquered your own fear." Frowning at her, I murmured, "then what have we been working on?"
"I was simply working on your balance and patience." She said simply. "You have been done with me from the beginning."
My jaw fell open. "You mean all that was just extra!" Lena stared patiently at me. "It was fun though, hm?"
"But," I stared at my hands, "I don't feel any different than before – my head feels the same."
"Trust me," Lena peered into my eyes calmly, "when faced with a task, barriers and such, it will come to you. I have not been wrong in that area."
"However, we do have a dilemma with you, Karen." Genkai sipped from her cup of tea.
Sighing, I rested my elbow on the table and held my head up with my hand. "Yes, I know. Hiei and Yusuke have ruled against me."
"That's not all," Genkai set her cup down. "Yusuke we can deal with, but Hiei is another matter. The only reason Hiei is assisting us is because you're his mate."
I eyed her curiously.
"In order for us to receive his services, he bargained that you remain from temple work. Hiei pulls a lot of weight with Lord Mukuro. Without Mukuro's aid, we would have had to trespass
on her lands. She's a hard one to negotiate with, considering all that she already does, but Hiei successfully made the deal. As negotiated, he helps train the new patrol for the border and is stationing the men in needed locations."
Hearing this, I exchanged a glance with Jet. I could see his mind working for a needed response to state our case.
"You need him," I said.
"Yes," Lena's soft voice answered. "We need as many temples as possible. Access to Mukuro's lands is a must."
Not to be ruffled at the news, I straightened in my chair. "What if I can… talk to him?"
Genkai cackled at my idea. "I think you're going to need every known deities help in order to convince –"
"Wait," Jet interrupted, seeming to have an idea. He looked at Genkai. "That's it," he said, "she can convince him. What if Karen can prove herself capable of handling the temples?"
Brightening at the idea, I nodded. "I'm not a fighter, but I can keep safe and go about solving any obstacles. I'm even getting better at first aid."
"And would he allow you to convince him," asked Genkai.
_Damn_, I thought angrily. "Well," I shuffled through my thoughts, "… like I said, I can talk to him. Once I can handle a few temples, prove that I'm capable," I faced them seriously.
"I'll be the one to state my case to him, but I need time to work the idea across."
"It could work," murmured Lena to Genkai. "As much as we need Hiei, we also need Karen's help. He knows Cain's powers and he needs the added protection we have given the
priestesses."
"I'm all for deceiving, but what if this doesn't work. He may withdraw and Mukuro might restrict us from using her lands –"
"No," I interceded with a glare. "I can handle Hiei, just… just trust me. I can do this. It's my choice. As a priestess, I deserve the utmost respect in my decisions. This is my choice,"
I repeated and Genkai's eyes danced with an odd light. "Hiei _will_ allow me to join the
temples, but I need the chance to prove myself to him and everyone else. I am not going to sit around like a princess in a tower while everyone else works." I hardened my eyes. "Just give me the time to talk to him."
The two women exchanged looks again and I crossed my arms. Jet imitated my stance to try and lend more intimidation. If this didn't work, I was going to whip out my baby gun and start
threatening. I didn't work this hard to remain useless.
"Priestess Karen," began Lena, "you're in."
A huge grin stretched across my face at those words.
"We will have to work carefully. You need to up your aid skills and gun control, after that we will set up a team for you. I would also like you to have at least one guardian. Genkai and I will search for a few candidates and see what you think of them. Jet will decide the other guard." Lena smiled at me with something akin to pride. "Now, since you want this
chance to prove yourself, you will obviously have to work in secrecy until you feel you are ready to reveal the news."
Genkai pierced me with her stern eyes. "This means we'll have to work around Hiei's schedule.
You're Karen when he's home. You're Priestess Karen when he's gone. The human temples are
done with and we can't send you to Urameshi's territories. Mukuro's lands are out of bounds, too. However, Yomi's lands are slowly being worked on. There is the chance Kurama may
discover your team, but he's been busy escorting other groups. It's a chance we'll take."
"As extra precaution," alerted Lena, "you will always be the decoy priestess. We send two priestesses to the same location, but you will travel separately. Allow her to drain the
temple and you will be the backup – it is how we have been arranging everything. You gave us the idea at the first temple."
I raised an eyebrow at that, but Genkai elaborated. "You're energy doesn't register. Spirit
World has what they call an _Eraser_ to diminish energies. It should work fine in covering up the claim Hiei has on you."
I jumped at that idea, recalling the way he had looked when Takeo touched me. "No, you can't erase that!"
"We won't," Genkai frowned, "it'll only cover the energy and scent he places on you. We need those out of the way so that you're rather bland to any bandit groups. The Eraser wares off in twenty-four hours. It's a nasty seed to take. Kurama developed it – most of his seeds
aren't very nice to take anyways."
"It is nifty," assured Lena. "Sometimes a priestess takes it, sometimes a guard woman,
pretending to be a priestess, takes it. We have been switching it out in the groups to keep
things thrown off, as Demon World will soon start learning of the nature of priestesses. They will be after us while Cain is hiding."
As the conversation dwindled down, Genkai finished her tea. "We'll need to discuss this with Koenma, but he'll allow it. Priestesses do have their say, you're right." She smiled at me.
"I will be gone next week," informed Lena. "As I've said, you are done with me. Work on your stuff because Genkai still needs to approve you. However, I will be back the week you are
home. I will arrange a meeting with Koenma and have a guard, or Yusuke, if he's there, bring you to Spirit World." Lena stood gracefully as she prepared to leave. "Should anyone ask,
explain that I am merely confirming that you succeeded in my training. I've done the same
with the others. Obviously, we will be revealing your decision to Koenma. Await my calling, Priestess Karen."
Watching Lena leave the room, I turned to Genkai. She was smirking. "You do know that we had already planned this out, do you?"
"What you guys waiting for?" I asked.
"For you to be a priestess," she bowed her head and stood. "If we're lucky, we'll be able to work around Yusuke's schedule, too. Otherwise, I'm leaving you to explain everything."
The door slid shut and I slumped in my seat. A nearby clock was ticking loudly in the room
and the big man beside me stood to his feet. Standing with my guard, I turned to him. We both were staring at one another with blank expressions.
Then, we hugged each other with grins.
"C'mon, we got herbs to mess with," he ordered.
Grinning, I collected my bag and hurried out of the room.
I can do this. I just needed a chance. I only hope I could prove myself to Hiei… and that he didn't get too angry when he found out. No matter – I would handle his anger. I'm not afraid.
A/N: For any readers that just read through this entire story and now returned to this
update, I have some news. I did a rewrite of the entire story. Why – well, it needed it for one, and I was always too lazy to work on it.
Don't worry. I kept everything pretty much the same, but I did intensify a lot of the bonds
between people, especially Karen and Hiei. I just couldn't believe I would keep them so bland together after they spent six months alone together – yeah, my older readers (hey, young,
too, I guess) would know that's just not possible. Even the most disciplined person gives into temptation. Of course, they remained innocent. I simply turned up the heat, a lot. I
also fixed a lot of scattered scenes and conversations (sometimes, I was like, who the hell is Kurama talking to?).
I've been working on this rewrite since January and putting in all the constructive criticism (seven, eight years' worth). I think I did all those readers I failed justice (sorry, it took so long). All scenes are still in, like the stir-fry, Hiei running Karen down on the bike,
and all that, but there are like a few little new scenes. I have an old friend that's read through this and she liked it more than the original. I like it, too, so I'm going to keep it.
Now, because of the scenes between Karen and Hiei, I need your opinion. I don't plan on
writing a lemon (why the hell is it called a lemon anyways. Sex isn't sour. I always thought it was sweet like melons, honey, or a jelly-filled donut). So, I'd like to keep the T rating for now, but that depends on how you guys view it... scratch that, I was joking. It's time to upgrade and I'll see what I can do... *grins*
Review if you want, send a message to me, tell me it sucks, tell me it rocks, either way it's going on guys. I'm not going to be one of those authors that demand reviews. I've been a part of this site for a while and I'm mature enough to handle a variety of things. Sorry, for the long wait. Sorry, for having this story unfinished for so long, but any older readers will
tell you that I'll keep coming back until it's finished. 2012 was rough on me, horrid,
actually, but I survived. I'm here to finish and my story is leading in the direction I want. Just know, it's long since I've decided to keep it one part – no, part 1 or 2.
So do what you want. I love you and I'll put the other chapter up soon.