5

"Come on Kuwabara don't just swing your sword around like an idiot come up with a strategy!"

"Shut it Urameshi, I'm trying to concentrate here!" Kuwabara battled the white tiger, if that was even proper to call it. She looked on concerned as well as agitated, why would he come here if he didn't know how to fight? How to gauge his opponent's movements or strategize an assault? There were countless who depended on their success and yet he was flailing like a fish out of water.

"Were you born this stupid or were you dropped on your head idiot?!" She shouted at him, but she knew just what to do, she searched until she found the right bait. He saw a flash of a dark wolf with blue eyes and long white fangs flashed in a snarl, it caused him to trip which inadvertently saved his head from be ripped clean off by one of the strange tiger creatures.

"Ahhh! Where did it go, which way did it go?!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"The wolf, there was a big black wolf!" Kurama looked her way but she kept her eyes on Kuwabara, it had to go just right.

"What are you planning?! He could be killed!"

"Exactly, which is why I need to focus."

"Kuwabara stumbled to his feet getting ready for another attack, when he saw his little kitten Eikitchi walking across the stone way. Now I know I'm losing my marbles, I know I left her home. Then to his horror the large black animal snapped its jaws around the fragile kitten breaking its back instantly. The vicious monster raised his head, the blood from the poor kitten spilling from its mouth and onto the ground.

"YOU MONSTER!' He plunged his sword into one of Byakko's creatures and in his rage slashed the head of another as he quickly pulled it out. She walked forward bold and threatening making sure he would see her as he fought.

"Hurry the hell up, I'm bored and this is taking forever!"

"Don't you think I'm trying! You know what, some friend you are, you aren't very supportive!"

"Fine! Whatever, go ahead and die, then we will go on and defeat these beasts ourselves and go home! I'm freaking starving, I think Zoie could really go for some kitty stew." Her cruel smile drew gasps.

"Oh yeah, he'll I would go for some Eikitchi Fricassee actually." Zoie joined in with a laugh.

"YOU STUPID DOG BETTER NOT TOUCH MY CAT!'

"THEN YOU BETTER GO KICK HIS ASS!" Kuwabara then charged with a boost of energy, fighting remotely better to say the least.

"You're diabolical."

"But you love Me." she smiled sweetly at her childhood companion, who met her with a smirk. They both knew she helped him, even if it was momentarily and in an unorthodox way. She remembered when she had to be treated the same.

"Owww, Zoie that hurts!"

"It's a bite, it's supposed to hurt!"

"I thought you weren't supposed to hurt me!"

"Believe me child, I'm saving your life, you have to learn to let out that anger and more importantly now that you are alone you have to learn to fight, I cannot be everywhere." Blood poured down her arm and she wanted more than anything to cry, but she had stifled her tears months ago when her parents died and in their place rage had been filling her heart ever since. Zoie lunged again and this time she was quick to dodge left only for him to use his tail and slap her hard to the ground.

"You have to always watch who you are fighting, it's just as Korrin had always said; the first step in defeat is underestimating your opponent."

"STOP SAYING HER NAME!" She felt something in that moment a power she had only felt once before, she felt it in her chest first and then it spread to the rest of her body and Zoie took this time to attack her while she was distracted and she put her hands forward as though to brace but instead shot her energy in a decent sized burst and took out several large trees and Zoie too if he hadn't dodged it. She stood there for several moments confused and afraid of what she had done.

"Good, very good. Now tell me what you are feeling, what are your senses telling you?"

"Um, I'm afraid, but I hear…a squirrel running up the tree directly behind me, I hear the heartbeats of several deer a ways back, I can smell…the water…rain coming from about two miles from here and the burned wood of the fallen trees. But most of all I feel all of their life forces, I can feel their fear that I caused, each aura is different."

"Very good, your senses are open." This time he attacked much more quickly and without warning only to be violently struck in the ribs, flinging him aside.

"Good girl, that was very good, I think you broke a few."

"Zoie I don't understand the point of this, can't I just use my mind?"

"You cannot simply rely on one skill; as soon as your enemy knows of it they will strategize a way around it and then what will you do? The more capable you are in defending yourself the better off you will be. So you have to be strong physically as well as mentally. Use your senses, watch your opponent, and be in control of every part of your body including your mind. I know you are only in the first grade, but you have demon blood in your veins and every other demon that smells it will be coming for you, they don't have the fear of your mother keeping them at bay anymore and you have to be prepared. For her sake you have to survive, or else everything was for nothing." She nodded, a tear threatening to escape her eye.

"Now I want you to focus; there is a large rock on your seven I do not want you to look at it, but I want you to move it counterclockwise slowly. You have to learn to control your power down to the most minute of movements, if you cause a building to fall I want every pebble to fall where you intend it."

"Dammit I have to stop doing that."

"Welcome back, where'd you go?"

"The eastside forest again."

"Good, then maybe you can use that refresher to help us along this mission."

"What did I miss?"

"He's still fighting the tiger, but it doesn't look good, I think he's going to leap to him, but I doubt he can even make it." She gasped as he took his leap to his possible demise. A loud splash of the lava below and everyone was at a loss of breath and words.

"Is…is he..?" Yusuke stammered unwilling to finish the sentence.

"Hey, can somebody help me!"

"Kuwabara?"

"He's caught on the rock!"

"Gee…how fortunate." The guys jumped to his position to figure out how to get him up and she let out a small sigh.

"You ok?"

"Yes…every pebble is in its place"

"That's my girl."