Well, Chapter Three and all in quick succession! Who knows, maybe this will go well for me, a beginning author.
*smiles waterily*
Okay! Time to begin before I get soppy!
Keeper of the Apocalypse- Thank you for the translation. And no, it won't be Bane and Hiei. That seems like a receipe to kill everyone in Genkai's temple. Personally, I'm thinking that Grace (You know, Bane's friend?) is going to go with Hiei, since I'm so fond of Kurama/Hiei stories and Grace is a feminine version of Kurama.
Seessha- Thank you for your correction. My sincerest apologies for the mistake.
-x-
Chapter Three: Rigorous Training
Genkai's Temple-Four Days Later:
Kurama and Yuusuke were out Kuwabaka searching. Which left her alone with Hiei. And, fortunately for her newly broken leg, Yukina.
Whom she was currently limping towards.
"Jerk!" she muttered. "No need to use that technique on me. I'm not that damned good, you ugly, evil, mean bastard."
Yukina looked at Hiei with her most upset look yet. "It's a complicated break in four different places. This is going to hurt, Mychela."
Yukina turned her back to Hiei, who looked devastated.
Then, her eyes widened.
Yukina had called it right. It hurt. Bad. So much that she couldn't even gasp.
"Back to you, Hiei! Why must you hurt everyone you train with?! You must learn to be gentler!"
"Life isn't gentle," he said gruffly, moving to walk away.
Yukina grabbed his collar. "Stop hurting your training partners! You don't want a Healer mad at you and this one's very close. A Healer knows how you're put together and what will hurt."
She released Hiei and he stumbled several steps before walking away.
Mychela blinked at the not-too-subtle threat.
Okay, Yukina's cool. Not the too-goody-to-be-true that I first thought her to be. She's got my respect. She leaned back against the post behind her as Yukina propped up her second complex break.
"Nice threat."
Yukina blushed. "I'm tired of Healing his victims. You wield a nice blade, Mychela."
"Thanks. As one of Hiei's 'victims,' I can feel for you."
Yukina laughed and Genkai stepped into the courtyard. "Where's Hiei?"
Mychela spoke first. "He got Yukina half-angry with him and she threatened him with bodily harm."
Genkai raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"He broke my left leg. Again."
Genkai winced. "Bad?"
"Complex. Nearly shattered," Yukina supplied.
Genkai made several uncomplimentary comments about demon men who 'beat up on' ningen females.
Mychela shook her head, amused. "Don't worry. I'll sic Kurama on him next time."
"'Sic' Kurama on whom?" queried the object of her sentence.
"Hiei broke her left leg. Twice. And her right arm once," Yukina said.
"Where is Hiei?" he asked politely.
Too politely.
"He went that way!" Yukina and Mychela chorused.
When Kurama was out of hearing range, Mychela turned to Yukina, grinning. "Don't treat his injuries too gently."
"I won't."
Genkai's Temple-Three Hours Later:
Hiei limped into the dining area where Genkai quietly was sipping her tea, Kurama, Mychela, and Yukina talking, and Yuusuke eating faster than he could move his hand to his mouth.
"Hiei! You're hurt!" Yukina cried, swapping a knowing glance with Mychela.
She stood. "I believe I'll retire for the evening. Good-night, Genkai, Yuusuke, Yukina, Kurama."
"I'll walk you to your room," Kurama immediately offered.
She smiled. He stood and they left the room a second before Hiei screamed.
"Ouch. What did you break?"
"Two ribs and his collarbone."
She laughed.
Once they reached her room, they sat on the floor. "The stars are different here, for some reason. Or so they seem."
He pulled her close and laid her head on his shoulder. He was slightly startled when she didn't resist.
Instead, she wriggled until she was comfortable and sighed. "Thank you for hurting Hiei for me. I won't manage it any time soon."
He smiled at her self-effacing comment.
A half hour of quiet communion passed. Then, he noticed that her breathing pattern had changed.
She slept.
"Poor little one. You're pushing yourself to your limits and it shows." He kissed the top of her head, a fraternal gesture, before picking her up.
Despite his brotherly display of affection, the feelings he sensed in his demonic side concerning her were anything but fraternal.
His youkai side was strangely stirred by her continued presence in Genkai's temple. He didn't understand it. Normally, if there was something about his youkai side, he'd ask Genkai or (embarrassingly enough) Hiei, but this time was different. Something inside him told him that it would be best to be silent about this for a little while.
He flipped on the light in her room, noting the abundance of flowering plants and the color black.
That told him more than she ever would about her personality.
She was warm, a lily waiting to bloom, but she was a dark lily. Her conscience was burdened with her past, whatever it was that she had done.
Quietly, he laid her on the futon and smiled down at her.
"Yes. It shows."
-x-
She awoke on her futon, not knowing how she'd gotten there. She sat up, popped her neck, and yawned.
"Good morning, sleepy."
She looked to her right, saw Kurama, and stuck out her tongue. He smiled.
"It's eleven o'clock."
Her eyes widened. "You're frickin' joking!"
"Nope."
She fell back on the futon. "Tell me that Hiei went Kuwabara searching and I don't have to have any more bones broken today."
"Hiei went to look for Kuwabara. As for the broken bones, it's possible, but I doubt you will break any today. You have strength training with me."
"Damn," she moaned. "Any more good news?"
"Hiei and Yuusuke are picking up Arelia today."
She sat up again, grinning. "You're serious?"
"Yes. Very much so."
She jumped up and said, "Give me thirty minutes to get ready for the day. I smell like the blood Hiei shed yesterday and sweat."
Kurama nodded. "Wear something loose. Strength training with me is difficult enough. It's more difficult when you have clothing sticking to your skin."
She wrinkled her nose. "Thanks for the advice. Now, scat!"
He made a face and left.
She began to go through her clothes to decide what she was wearing.
Loose clothing… My jeans and that shirt that Arelia gave me? No, if Arelia's showing up, she'd kill me for wearing it for 'strength training.' Probably painfully. She winced. Okay, what then? The 'Angel' shirt?
She grinned.
Oh, yeah! Time for that! Besides, it only has evil flames in the background and white wings with devil's horns!
Her mood shot up.
-x-
Kurama waited in the courtyard patiently for thirty minutes before deciding that if Mychela didn't show up in five minutes, he was going to drag her out of the shower.
"Here I am!" she yelled.
He winced.
"Oh! So sorry, Kurama! I'm just excited."
He smiled at her enthusiasm. "It's all right." He noticed her clothing. Jeans, blue for once, and a T-shirt that read 'Angel' with a girl with white wings, red horns, and skimpy clothes. "I thought I specified loose clothing."
"You did. I chose not to listen."
He shook his head. "Fine. How much can you lift?"
She looked at him, lost in thought. "Perhaps seventy-five pounds. That's pretty good considering I'm only one-thirty."
He nodded. "Right. How's your lower body strength?"
She blinked. "I don't know."
He led her to the weight room generally used by Yuusuke and Kuwabara.
"I smell stinky, sweaty male in here. Yuck!" she protested.
He smiled at her and said, "Yes, this is Yuusuke and Kuwabara's area."
"Then why did you bring me here?"
"Would you rather run four miles?"
She was silent for a second before saying "YES!" emphatically.
"Then, go."
-x-
She hadn't thought him serious! she mused as she made her fiftieth (or was it seventieth?!) lap around the complex. But he had been.
Very serious.
When she'd moved to protest, he'd given her a LOOK that didn't book arguing.
Damn him! Oh well, at least I'll be in half-way decent shape before I get to the Dark Tournament, she realized With this running, Hiei breaking every bone of mine he can get his sword-stick-thingy on, and avoiding Yuusuke's idiotic flirting, I'll be able to actually hit Hiei before this is over!
She would have smiled if she wasn't so tired.
"Okay, Mychela. I can tell you're about to faint from exhaustion," Kurama said, even though she wasn't even three-quarters around the complex. "Come with me."
He's not even sweating!!! she thought angrily. He's been with me the entire time!
He stopped in a small clearing and told her to cool off. She slid down the nearest tree trunk she could to the ground. He looked at her sweat-soaked clothes and sighed. She met his eyes and mentally tallied all of the insults she knew that she could apply to him. Even some of the ones she couldn't.
No mere male had a right to look so perfect after following a girl around a huge temple for five hours, not breaking a sweat, not even misplacing a hair.
"Now, you need to learn to shield your thoughts, even though your insults are highly amusing." Her mouth fell open.
"You've been listening to my thoughts?!?!?!" she shrieked.
"You've been 'shouting' your thoughts!" he defended.
"You're so dead!"
"OW!" he protested as her fist landed in the general area of his abdomen. Finally, he managed to grab her wrists. "Listen to me!" he ordered.
She stopped struggling.
"I did not mean to over-hear your thoughts. It was purely accidental and I apologize for it."
She looked at him, eyes dark with anger. "Fine. I won't apologize for hitting you, though."
"I wouldn't expect you to," he countered. "If you did, I'd be upset that you gave a false apology."
She smiled. "I'll be sorry if I leave any bruises, fair?"
He sighed. "I suppose that's the best I'll get out of you."
"Damned right. Now, teach me how to 'shield' my thoughts."
-x-
He sighed. She was catching on quicker than some of the demons he'd taught this technique.
And a hell of a lot faster than any human.
"Right. Now, I'm about to try to force my way into your mind. Think of something that angers you."
She nodded and closed her eyes.
He caught the trail end of a thought and followed it before figuratively butting his head against a brick wall.
Ow! Okay, she's good. She's really good, he thought, trying to find a weak spot in the 'wall.' Then, he was in.
She was fighting a girl, blades glistening red with shed blood, some of it her own. The girl had razor blades, had taken them down her face and shredded her legs.
And yet she stood.
"You won't win, Katiana. You can't. I won't let you."
This is so stupid. Me fighting this chick over her boyfriend who she thinks is cheating with me! she thought, amused, yet angered.
Katiana came at her, razors held out.
She dodged and managed to twist herself around to where she was in control. Her blades were at Katiana's throat.
"Katiana, I have never been alone with Adonis. I swear to you now. Trust me, please."
"I… WILL NOT!"
She broke the link.
"Oh, God, Kurama. I didn't mean for you to see that. You told me to think of something that angered me!"
He looked at her. "Did that really happen?"
-x-
Okay, I'm evil. Major cliffy! Don't you hate me?
*dodges thrown items*
Next chapter soon!