Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho
Chapter 11
Korien's training began at the crack of dawn the next day, just as Gen Kai had promised. They began with a ten mile long run through the city and mountains, which Korien completed thirteen seconds under an hour. Gen Kai was surprised she could run so fast, but her small frame probably helped in that.
Gen Kai didn't give her much time to rest before they went in the back to Kurama's little training area. With the snap of her fingers a large red tunic appeared from the sky and she threw it at Korien
"What's this for?" Korien asked holding onto it
"Put it on and you'll see," Gen Kai told her harshly. Korien obeyed and threw the tunic over her sports bra and shirt. The tunic glowed and instantly stuck to her skin like putting on spandex. The only catch, it was filled with tremendous weight and Korien was struggling to stand, her knee shaking and falling down. "Let's see how strong you are. I want twenty push ups, twenty sit ups, and twenty positions of coming up squatting on the ground to standing up fully."
"Nut case" She grumbled. Korien fell onto her knees and let out a pant. Damn this stupid shirt. Korien got down into her push ups and she could already feel her arms wanting to self-implode on themselves from the weight. She brought herself down for one push up, shaking all the time, sweat dripping from her face, she finished one, and continued.
Gen Kai was very impressed, whether it was Korien being a complete idiot and being stubborn, or if she really wanted to do this, she was getting them done. Getting them done much better than Yusuke had, and at a faster pace. Korien finished, and when she did she fell face first into the ground from the weight and Gen Kai snapped her fingers, the tunic vanished before she hit the floor.
"Good. Now take a drink and a break."
Korien opened her water bottle and took a long drink. Afterwards, she poured the rest of it over her head. She shook her head and the water frizzled off everywhere. She retied her pony tail and stood up next to the waiting Gen Kai "I'm ready"
"Good," She turned and faced Korien "Next, combat styles. I can see your in a physical peak, now you just have to go from an athlete to a fighter"
"I'm not liking the sound of it"
"Good, you shouldn't" She told her unemotionally again. Gen Kai snapped her finger and a bucket of water placed itself on Korien's head. Korien brought her arms out to balance. But as she looked up Gen Kai was running at her with a punch, she hadn't even seen her move. At the last moment Korien put up an arm to defend, she flew back, and the bucket fell onto her soaking her again.
"What the hell was that!" Korien screamed
"Hmf, I'm surprised you blocked at all, you have slow enough senses. Now stand up, we're doing it again" Gen Kai spat and Korien stood up and grumbled. The bucket refilled itself and Gen Kai started again with rapid fires that Korien somehow managed to block "The point is, its alright to take a hit, as long as you can remain on your feet and balanced. If you can't you're going to get killed" Korien blocked two hits, and then fell back on the third again. "Good, at least you make progress"
"I'm going to die from being water logged before Rekan even gets to touch me grandma!
"Stop your wining"
Korien and Gen Kai continued this for another extensive time, maybe two or three hours. After a while, Korien slowly found herself in a rhythm of dodging Gen Kai's attacks, and Gen Kai would throw in new ones to keep her on her toes. Korien finished and fell back onto the ground with a thud. It was midday by now.
"Uhhhh I can't go on..." She fell back against the cold grass
"Get back up, we still have more to do"
"I haven't eaten all day Kai! I'm going to faint before I get anything else done" Gen Kai snapped her fingers again, and an apple appeared beside Korien. "You know you're very evil when you do that,"
"Oh dear, am I supposed to be nice?" She shot back sarcastically. Korien growled and closed her eyes for a second taking in a deep breath. Twenty minutes later Korien was back on her feet. Gen Kai held up a board next to her "Break this board with your fist"
"It's not like titanium and your just doing this so I break my hand,"
"Just hit it you stupid girl"
Korien glared and brought her arm up as a fist and took a swing at it, the board, remained in one peace. "MOTHER!" Korien shook her red hand and Gen Kai laughed. This girl could not break a simple wooden board. But as Gen Kai looked down, it slowly was crumbling from the center and then outward. Korien was still shaking her hand, and hadn't seen the board implode. Gen Kai smiled and quickly changed it back to a whole board. "Mother that hurt" Korien's hand was throbbing red. She looked at the board again and growled at it thrusting her fist back at it "Damn board you better break this time!" She punched with all her might, and this time, the board did break. Korien was so surprised she fell forward and landed on her face. Gen Kai laughed again and she sat back up and shook her head getting the dirt out of it.
"That's enough for you girlie. Go wash yourself off and rest. I wouldn't want to wear you out before you even get to fight. Tomorrow we'll do this all again, and then add on your demon powers" With that she disappeared from view and Korien sighed
"REVIEW and New Stuff! I swear she's trying to kill me" Korien fell back onto the grass again and closed her eyes groaning
"It seems like you're in need of assistance, here," Korien opened her eyes to see Kurama next to her holding out a bottle of water and a wrapped lunch. Korien sat up and smiled taking the water from him and taking a sip of it, then dumping the rest over her head.
"My hero Kurama!" Korien smiled and took a bite out her sandwich grinning.
"I can tell you're working very hard, you've been at it since the sun first came up."
"Well, I guess this is nothing compared to what Rekan will be like, so I really shouldn't be complaining. It was this, or my own death without even trying," Korien looked up at the sky and took another bite out of her sandwich.
Kurama wasn't sure what to say really. He was grateful that Korien was alive, but at the same time maybe they were only delaying her death by letting her train. Would it all really be worth it in the end? He wrapped his arm around her and rested his face beside hers and closed his eyes
"I hope you stay here with us for many more years, I have faith in your abilities"
Korien smiled and rested against him letting out a small sigh "If only I had faith in myself..."
Korien wandered back into the house an hour later, Kurama had to attend some committee at the high school. She showered slowly and then took Hige back outside. She laid back on the grass
and watched the clouds drift by slowly and Hige remained content with his bead playing.
Hiei came into the backyard, finally happy to get those ridiculous school clothes off of him. He looked around, surprised to find Korien on the grass. Hige looked at him, but Hiei motioned a finger to his lip to keep Hige quiet. He watched her, and watched some more until it finally dawned upon him that Korien had finally fallen asleep. He wandered up to her quietly, staring down at her sleeping figure. He got down on his knees and looked at her. She looked tired, mangled strands of her blood hair falling on her face. She was wearing a tang-top, and under it peaked out the bandages that suppressed the scar. A few of her abusive marks were still showing, but were healing.
Hiei stroked the side of her cheek, gently wiping away a strand of her hair. He sat down and looked up at the clouds. Why do I feel this...and what is it I feel... He looked back to Korien Why is it just...a mere human...but no...she isn't a human anymore is she...hmf...fool, not to know the demon that she was...Still he watched her this sensation inside of him all to overpowering. The thoughts of that night came flowing back to his mind again and again, the feel of her lips against his, this, desire, inside of him.
His heard skipped a beat as she rolled over slightly in her sleep, her head now falling onto his lap. He remained frozen, but she didn't move, and just continued her quiet slumbering. She was so innocent at moments, still clinging to the innocence, even though her chastity was stolen years ago. At other moments, she was so serious, poised, and trying to keep control over the rocky life she led. Still, within all that, she was caring, and at the same time, paining, hurting, over what had happened to her. He let his hand slip to her hair, and he wrapped it around her gently, taking her hand, and her, lost in dreams, wrapped her fingers through his.
Does it hurt so much...the pain she felt of losing so much...
Hiei had been alone his entire life, he did not have anything to lose when he gained nothing in this lifetime. Maybe it did hurt, it must have if she was this pained by it. Did everyone lose and gain this feeling? He squeezed her hand gently, allowing her the peace of dreams. The minutes ticked by so slowly, and Hiei turned his attention to the little runt as he wandered around with his beads. Hige walked up to Hiei and smiled with his goofy childish smile
"'ector!" He whispered quietly
"Again with protector eh?" Hiei asked the child unemotionally
"'ector..." He told him again quietly, handing him a bracelets of beads once more, Hiei wondered what he had done with the original, but Hige slipped it onto his wrist. "...ector"
Hiei nodded slowly, looking down at the beads, "You sure are stubborn, aren't you?" Hige giggled and wandered back to his playing and Hiei shook his head stubbornly. Korien opened her eyes slowly, Hiei was looking away from her, and she was looking up at him. She didn't know how he had gotten here, or what she was doing in his lap, or why her hand was laced with his. Korien smiled looking up at him, the strands of her hair falling back onto her face. "Hiei..?" she called to him quietly.
Hiei looked down at her slowly, "So you're finally awake," He said blandly. From a far, Hiei would sound like he was being his usual harsh and unloving self, but his eyes, they were what told the truth.
"...you were the last thing I saw...that first day we met..." Korien told him slowly. She remembered her first fight with Yusuke, and how she sacrificed herself to save them all, dying there in his arms, and him crying that one tear.
" I didn't want you to go..." he told her quietly, "For the first time, after searching this human world and originally Makai, you're the first, to be like me. I thought, that was why I wanted to find you."
"And was I what you expected?" She asked him quietly. She looked so soft, peaceful, still have wondering if she was dreaming.
"You were, your powers were amazing. But something else, surprised me more."
"What was that..." she asked quietly
"Your emotions. You could make them your biggest weakness, but for you, they are your greatest ally. They are what makes you so strong, that will to fight for something you cared about,"
"That was why...I was willing to die that day" She told him in a whisper.
"Would you die for me again?" He asked her doubtingly
Korien squeezed his hand and nodded a yes to him slowly. "Every time..." She drifted off for a moment, searching his eyes for something she wanted to ask him.
"What is it?" He asked her quietly, returning the squeeze from her hand, that sent a shiver up his spine. She was always worrying about someone else, he could read it on her face, she wanted to ask him something, she bit her lip.
"Do you care about me Hiei? Do you?" She asked quietly at last letting it out
Hiei thought for a moment, and then let a smile curve at the ends of his lips. "I'm going to protect you from every harm possible." He paused again "Otherwise, I think that son of yours will kill me" Hiei held up his other arm, where the black bracelet of beads shook.
Korien smiled, but deep down, she still felt, a longing, inside of her. A desire, that she was keeping inside, locking it down. It felt like it would eat her away, like a evil little monster. Hiei still scanned her face, wishing she'd say something to him. Korien shifted her position so she curled up in a ball on Hiei's legs, and he, without realizing it, wrapped his arms around her.
"What's wrong...Korien tell me" He asked her quietly as she rested her face in his chest. He rested his head in the depths of her silky hair and let out a sigh.
"I'm not...special Hiei?" She asked him quietly. It hurt her, because what she was holding back, was...
"YO KORIEN!" Kuwabara screamed from the sliding door at the top of the hill "YUSUKE'S LOOKING FOR YA" He shouted again
"I'm coming!" She called back quietly, getting off of Hiei, wiping the dirt from her. Hige ran up to her, and latched onto her pinky and ring finger. "Let's go baby, Yusuke's calling," Hige laughed and together they walked off. Korien turned around once to look at Hiei; Hiei was still on the grass, looking down at his now folded legs that were to his chest, one still straight. He seemed, lost in thought. Korien turned back, shaking her head a few times. "You're a fool Korien, you're nothing but a fool..."
Korien walked into the house, finding Yusuke at the table drinking a soda. She came over and sat down in the chair beside him, Hige running to Kuwabara who was already off to play. Korien let out a sigh as she rested her head on the table and Yusuke opened an eye and put down his drink.
"I can see that Gen Kai's been working you hard, how was your first day?"
"Wet...very wet..." She grumbled. Yusuke raised and eyebrow and laughed. She sat up and pouted "It wasn't that fun for me, I could've gotten hypothermia and gotten sick! I was soaked head to toe!"
Yusuke got up and put his can in the trash. He walked back over in the middle of her sentence, completely ignoring her until he wrapped his arms around her from behind and whispered in her ear. "Well, next time you've gotta be soaked you come get me, I bet my life you looked damn sexy soaked like that."
Korien blushed, but couldn't resist the warm feeling of his breath against her ear "Next time, we'll be soaked losers together, I'll take you dancing in the rain."
Yusuke pressed his lips against her neck once and she let out a low moan. He loved that sound. He let out a short chuckle and kissed her neck one more time, she moaned again, and she brought his face back up to her level. "I swear, you get more gorgeous each time I see you,"
"You're so horrible Yusuke," She wined laughing as he started to rub her shoulders.
"I'm going out to a club tonight, come with me," He cooed her as he started to get a little rougher with his rubs. He knew she liked it, her body was sore head to toe from the strain that old grandma gave her, and she let out another low sigh
"Mmmmmm...Yusuke..." she rested her head against the neck of the chair and he rubbed her again chuckling "Alright...what time are we going?" She asked him weakly
"How about now.." He asked trying not to nip at her ear
"You wanna let me change so I can get into a better outfit?" She asked him
He let go of her shoulders and shrugged "Fine, but don't you go taking forever, you stupid girls spend so much time in the shower and in front of mirrors" Korien laughed and got up from her chair and rubbed the top of his hair.
Korien wandered to her closet and pulled out a black halter top, and a short pink skirt. She grabbed a few other necessities and wandered into the bathroom. Steam filled the room and she peeled the clothes from her and she rested in the shower for a while. She purposely took her time just to annoy Yusuke, but it would be worth his wait. In an hour she walked down the stairs ready to go.
Korien was like a doll, polished head to do and beamed with pride. Yusuke was wearing a normal button down polo shirt and a pair of good slacks. He whistled look at her from down the stairs "Where'd Korien go?"
"You loser you know its me," She climbed down the stairs and wrapped her arm through his "Shall we go then?"
They drove to the club in their red convertible, compliments of Koenma for keeping them all together as dorm buddies against their will. They wandered into the bar together, Yusuke taking her hand after they'd shown their ID's. One of the bartenders looked up from his work and spotted her and waved
"April! April is that really you!"
Korien turned to him and smiled waving. She started to walk over but Yusuke grabbed her hand and brought her to a stop. "What is it Yusuke?" She asked confused
"Who the hell is April? In that case, who the hell are you?"
