Chapter Two – Spirit Energy: Origins and Uses

We now move on to the second chapter of this rather unauthorized guide, Spirit Energy and its Origins and Uses. Kazuma Kuwabara will be teaching you the basics of this phenomenon that exists within all beings.

Uh, yeah. Spirit Energy is something that's in every person you come upon, humans and demons; even those weirdoes givin' you the eye from a dark alleyway have it. And with each time you use it, Spirit Energy grows and becomes stronger within you, so it has to be handled carefully and with respect as any other part of you body should be.

According to Koenma's research team, Spirit Energy has existed since the beginning when both humans and demons were emerging, and they each took their separate forms. But demon and spirit energy are still related, like distant cousins or something. And they glow different colors, personally I like the blue a lot better than the blood red energy demons have…

This is pointless, he's going to go on forever about useless information that isn't going to teach anyone anything…

And now let me give you a demonstration on proper use of Spirit Energy by obliterating this puny and ugly demon helping me to write this stupid guide…

All they'll end up seeing is your blood stains all over these pages, and not the fight itself you moronic oaf…

Will the two of you cut it out? This little scuff is definitely not going to be our demonstration of having demons as companion fighters…

Fine then, tell shrimpy to stay out of this then. As to what I was saying before, Spirit energy is related to the same energy used by demons, but it circulates in a different way through the body. And it depends a lot more on your feelings and what your mood is too; demon energy doesn't take the same concentration that spirit energy does because they're both with it already evolved, though for my little 'companion fighter' here it doesn't seem to have grown much if at all…

I guess I'll have to continue from here since the two of them are fighting. They truly may stain the rough copy of this with their blood…

As Kuwabara was saying, Spirit Energy is less developed in humans at birth than with demons, in most cases at least. There are exceptions to this rule, but for the most part only those with just a bit more Spirit Energy than usual are ever detected and then brought to the afterlife to be trained. Obviously since you're reading this you're one of the select who's energy made the quota.

While its origins are rather clear cut with its natural development, its uses can sometimes become a gray area. You have chosen the path to use yours obviously for the good of mankind, but there will be times when you will be tempted to use it for greedy and selfish reasons. Corruption is everywhere, and thus it should be recognized.

Yusuke will now be taking over as I need to go and pry Kuwabara and Hiei off of one another as they attempt to kill the other.

You're gonna want to use your powers for selfish reasons obviously, no doubt. I mean you could easily use a Spirit Gun to get into that stupid bank vault, or get back at that guy who gave you a dirty look, but abusing your abilities like that's gonna wind you up in trouble.

Since the rest of this manual talks about using it right, I'm gonna talk about misusing it for right now. First off, using Spirit Energy too often is like making yourself a rotting carcass; it'll attract demons by the dozen to you if you use it a lot. Many apparitions feed off of either fresh or deluded Spirit Energy, and they're not gonna spare you if you're young or a girl or frightened. Hell, if you're any of these things you're probably worse off than ever. If you keep it limited, however, then these things aren't bound to happen, and using it only when necessary decreases the risks of biting off way too much than you can chew.

Second of all, using it for kicks and pleasure is morally wrong. Sure, you're gonna say that with my attitude over the years that I shouldn't be one to talk, but I know the outcome of using Spirit Energy selfishly. It becomes distorted, and according to experiments done in Spirit World, greed and selfishness cause a corrosion in the energy to occur, and it becomes like demon energy instead. This might sound farfetched, and it doesn't happen often since it has to be abused constantly and over a long period of time, but it has happened. And it can to you. Never think yourself above all of that crap, or you're gonna get yourself buried in it in the end.

As for the third reason, Spirit Energy takes a major toll on your body over time too. Sure, you'll get used to it after handling it for a while, but if you keep using it over and over again your physical well-being's gonna suffer. And in the worst scenario, it could dabble into your life energy as well. That's right, one too many beams and you've just shot you future right out your friggin finger. This usually wouldn't happen, considering you can feel if your body's gettin' worn down and such, but as I said, it can happen.

If you're a demon and reading this, I shall remind you that the same principles hold the same regard to demons. More so if anything. Demons have a natural tendency to abuse their powers and abilities greatly, sometimes to the point where they lose touch with their own health, but that is what leads to their demise in the end. You'll have unknowing committed suicide.

This is an extra step for demons, because they must fight inborn tendencies to kill, and follow by the rough code of survival. But in the mortal world it isn't the same, and just because you have the power doesn't mean you have to use it in the greatest way. You're going to have to swallow that ego of yours and keep your pride restricted or you're going to end up on the wrong side of our weapons one day.

It takes patience, and it's going to be difficult to do all this, even if it sounds easy here in print. But you can get through it with the right amount of persistence. And sometimes demonic abilities can help in your tracking skills and other methods of sensing out enemies. It will be up to you to judge if you are misusing your skills or not, but in the end regardless you will have to live with the conclusion you created for yourself.

That concludes the second chapter on Spirit Energy. Please proceed to the third chapter on the basic principles of summoning and controlling the Spirit Gun.

And keep your yap shut this next chapter too Hiei…