A/N: REVIEWS!! GLORIOUS REVIEWS!!
tbiris- Thanks! It's good to know that the story isn't a Mary-sue
Bronze Dagger- Thanks a lot! If you like the past chapter, you'll like this one. ^_~
Psycho Rurouni Kitsune- Thanks for the encouragement!
FluffysBijin05- Yeah, I like the mind reading scene too! I think you were referring to the sentence "Motto, motto tsuyoku ni naru. Zettai ni." Well, roughly translated it means "[I] will become much stronger. For sure." The 'naru' means to be or become something or someone, the 'na' and 'ni' are just figures of speech, it's, um, like words to make a sentence more colourful, I guess. For instance, "Arigatou na." The word 'na' isn't necessary. It's just to make it sound nicer. Same goes with 'ni'. Well, at least that's how I perceive it as it may have another meaning.
Ayako the wolf demon- Thanks! Don't worry, go ahead and write another fic! I promise to read it when you do! ^_^
Asilin Kheldarson- Yeah, I kinda see your point. Well, you need to train that kind of ability up or else how'd you get better, ne? Thanks for the encouragement!
Rita- Thanks for the review! ^_^
Well, since you guys have waited long enough; let's get on with the story. I'll try to make it longer and fit more stuff in, as a treat to my reviewers. Oh, I'll put in a rough physical description of Mizuko at the end too! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: You know the drill.
"…" talk
[…] thoughts
//…// telepathy (mind reading included)
* * * * * * change of scene/time
Chapter 5: Shiren! Kage no Kou! : Test! The Child of the Shadows!
Hiei's POV
I turned my attention to Mizuko who was approaching me. I quickly blocked my mind from being read. Genkai said she wasn't able to control the ability yet. She seemed to be hesitating. "What is it?" I said in my usual cold tone. "Anou, I was hoping…Hiei, can you train me in swordplay?" "Hn." Seeing that I wasn't giving a positive response, she looked at me pleadingly. [Does she expect me to fall for puppy dog eyes?] "Onegai ne, Hiei…" "No." She thought for a while and said, "I'll buy you sweet snow." [How does she know I like that? Did she manage to read my mind?] "Kotowaru." It was kind of tempting though. She pouted and immediately retorted "I'll tell Yukina you're her onisan." [What? She even resorted to blackmail! And how does she know? Did Yusuke and Kurama tell her?] I dropped my guard and hissed threateningly, "You say a word about this and I'll kill you!" "You're wondering how I know Yuki's your sister. No, no one told me and if you want me to shut up, then train me. And don't think you can kick me around just coz I'm a girl!" I hastily blocked my mind again. "Well?" The ningen looked at me hopefully. "…I hope you won't die from the training, onna." "Yeah! Arigatou, Hiei." With that she ran off skipping, after blackmailing me into training her. I hate ningens.
* * * * * *
Mizuko's POV
I got up early and headed to a clearing in the forest where Hiei had told me to meet him. I reached the clearing and saw that no one was there, yet. [Well, I am early.] I took out the twin daggers (A/N: It's those ninja swords that are shorter than a katana, maybe about 12 or so inches. I don't know what to call it.) I began to practice on my own. I held my blades in my usual fighting style, right blade facing out, left blade facing in. Right swing, left swing, and then jump and do a clockwise turn, both daggers landing in the front. A forward thrust. Flip backwards and swing the daggers in an upward motion. I landed clumsily on the forest floor. [Still need to work on that one. It's just tough to flip backwards with the feet up and head down. I can't even land on my feet properly.] "Not bad, but the last one needs some work."
I looked up and saw Hiei standing on a tree branch with a smirk on his face. [Was he watching me all this time?] I thought as he jumped down and landed in front of me. "We will start now." I paused for a while. [Is he planning to train with real weapons?] With his personality I knew he wouldn't go easy on me. He seemed to sense my hesitation. "Since it's the first time, we won't be using the katana or daggers. Instead, we will use these." He tossed me a bamboo stick and held his out. I stood and looked at the bamboo stick. I broke it into two. "There. It's just right now." "Hn." I slid into an attacking stance and we circled each other. I lunged at him and tried to take a swing at him. Hiei disappeared and before I knew what was happening he struck my side. "Itai!" [These things hurt like hell.] I swung to my right but again he evaded and struck my left leg.
He was merciless in his attacks and I was soon bruised all over from being hit many times. [God, does he have to be so serious?] I tried to read his mind so I could at least evade the next attack but I couldn't. As a result of that moment of distraction, I got hit full on the stomach. I doubled over and coughed. That blow knocked the wind out of me. Hiei just stood in front of me, demanding I stand up. [Well, at least he has the grace not to attack me when I'm down.] Wrong thinking. The next moment he leapt into the air and struck down. I panicked and did the first thing that came to mind. I spread my youki around me. "Nani?!" He let out in surprise. I smirked lightly to myself. The mental barrier I created threw him off balance. "I forgot that you didn't know I could now create a shield with my mind and the youki can materialize the shield." Hiei stared at me for a while before actually smirking. "Hn. Omoshiroi." He looked at his bamboo stick, well, what's left of it anyway. "That is enough for today."
I let out a tired sigh as I stood up shakily. My body was aching all over and I'm almost black and blue. "Itai!" A sting in my lower arm made me exclaim. I lifted my left arm to find it bleeding from a gash. Suddenly, Hiei was beside me and took my arm. I was prepared for a little pain but he was surprisingly gentle with my arm. I relaxed slightly. "It's not deep." He said softly. Then to my astonishment, he brought it to his mouth. I gasped softly as he ran his tongue over the bleeding wound. I wanted to tell him to stop it but my breath was hitched in my chest. Feeling his warm and wet tongue against my skin caused colours to rise to my cheeks. My body was paralyzed and all I could do was watch as he licked my wound clean. When he was done, he glanced up to look at me. Abruptly, he straightened himself and left quickly, leaving me alone to reflect on what just happened.
* * * * * *
Hiei's POV
I moved farther away from the clearing, mind still confused. At last when I think it was far enough, I rested on a branch and thought about the incident just now. [Why the hell did I just do that?] I had shown concern for her and treated her wounds. That would've been normal but I had licked her wound! [I'm not even aware of what I was doing then. What is happening to me?] I didn't need to feel more frustrated than I was already. I remembered that I was actually relishing in what I was doing, to look up and see the ningen blush. I shook my head and said aloud to myself, "It's the heat." I leaned against the tree, trying not to think about it. [Her blood…it tasted so sweet.]
* * * * * *
Mizuko's POV
I let out a sigh of satisfaction as I slid into the hot water. [A hot bath is the best thing for a tired body.] I sat still for a while, letting my sore muscles relax. Then I grabbed a bar of soap and begun rubbing my body. After working up a nice bubbly lather, I rinsed it off. My hand ran over the gash this morning, now merely a scratch. I looked at it. There's not much sign of it, so it probably won't leave a scar. It was pretty shallow anyway. Gingerly running a thumb over the scratch, I let my mind wander. At first I thought about how long I've been here already. I thought about how I overcame the grief of my parents' death. I thought about the many new friends I made. [Yusuke's like an onisan. Kuwabara, well, he may be pretty idiotic at times but he's really a nice person. Botan-chan and Genkai-sensei are very nice too. And Kurama, he's such a calm person. It's so great to be around him. If it weren't for him, I would've probably still been in depression.]
Flashback, 3rd Person's POV
Mizuko was dead tired, but she stubbornly pushed on. Concentrating her youki in her palms, she shot another bolt of energy at the target she was practicing on. There wasn't much difference on it. Letting out a frustrated cry, she sank to the ground. She felt like giving up, like crying. It was already way past midnight, she was tired, hot and hungry, and her training wasn't going on well. She fought the tears that threatened to surface, biting on her lower lip so hard it began to swell. "Mizuko-san?" Mizuko stood up hastily and put on a fake smile. "Kurama, what are you doing here at a time like this?" "I should be asking you this question." Kurama scanned Mizuko from head to toe. [What had she been doing? She looks pretty beat.] "Oh, I, uh, was training." She looked down. Kurama approached her. "Is something wrong?" "Iie, nanimo." Kurama noticed her look away as she said that and gently said to her, "You look depressed. Would you like to share? You'll feel better talking about it." Mizuko looked up and stared into Kurama's emerald green eyes. Suddenly, she felt all her burdens weigh down on her all at once and she broke into tears.
Kurama was slightly alarmed at her outbreak but patted her lightly on the back. "What's wrong?" "E-E-Everything! I've b-been trying so hard! It's b-been a w-w-week and I've trained as hard as I c-could. But t-there's no improvement, not one f-freaking bit!" She said in between sobs. Kurama tried to calm her. "There, there. It's okay. Everyone grows up in a different pace." "But I'm hopeless!" Mizuko sat down, still crying. Kurama kneeled beside her. "Mizuko-san, no one is hopeless in anything, especially someone who works so hard to get better. Well, I think you've improved." He offered a smile. Mizuko looked at him with watery eyes. "You-You think so?" "Hai. You have to learn not to put yourself down so much, Mizuko-san. Have faith in yourself and believe that you can do it. I'm sure you'll succeed." "Hontou?" "Hai." Mizuko wiped her tears away and smiled a genuine smile. "Arigatou, Kurama. I'm such a baka, to cry over this kind of thing." "Everyone needs an outlet from time to time. It's okay to vent out stress. But really, don't cry anymore, Mizuko-san. You scared me, you know?" Kurama pretended to look terrified. Mizuko laughed weakly, "Usotsuki." "But you did! I don't know what to do when a girl cries." They burst into laughter. As the noise died away, Mizuko was beaming again. "Arigatou, Kurama. I feel much better now." "Anytime. Let's get back to bed." "Hai, but before that, can I ask you something?" "Nani ka?" "Anou, is it okay…if I call you Kurama-nisan?" Kurama looked a little surprised but then he smiled. "Of course, imotou."
End of Flashback
I smiled a little. [Kurama-nisan. That name suits him.] I stared at the reflection in the water. [Hiei…] Suddenly, I felt the heat rising to my face. [What's was wrong with him today? He's usually cold and he doesn't care about me. Yet…] I remembered how he licked my wound today and I blushed a deeper shade of red. I noticed that I had the tendency to do that when I think of him. [It's just, he's so cute!] An image of Hiei floated into my mind. Ruby red eyes, black hair that defies gravity with a white starburst tinged with blue at the ends, the sharp and cold way he looks at people. My face felt terribly hot. I got out of the bath and dressed quickly. On the way to my bedroom, I met Yukina. "Yo." "Mizuko-chan, your face…it's so red." "Oh, I, uh, must've spent too much time in the hot bath." "Oh, okay." She swallowed my excuse and I walked back to my room.
* * * * * *
Hiei's POV
I stared out the window, listening to the rain beating against the window. The sky was dark and rain was heavy. I turned my head to behold the scene in front of me. Yusuke, Kurama, Botan and the idiot were playing cards. Genkai sat and watch TV while Yukina sat beside them watching them play. I glanced over at Mizuko, who sat leaning against a wall. She had these things called headphones on her head and her eyes were shut. She held something in her hand. Kurama told me it's called a Walkman. It's for listening to music. [Ningens need so many things.] //Well, ningen or not we still need to relax, Hiei.// I looked at Mizuko, stunned. Her eyes were opened and she was looking at me. It was happening again. I couldn't look away from her eyes. //Hn.// I finally replied. //Don't you ever relax?// //Hn….So you can even do this now?// She grinned. //Yup. Telepathy. Cool! Let's scare Kuwa baka. I see he's having some thoughts about Yuki.// I smirked a little. [Now that would be something to see.]
* * * * * *
Mizuko's POV
I grinned slyly and I looked at Kuwabara. His thoughts were as clear as if he was declaring them aloud. //With Yukina-san beside me I'll win this game.// I glanced at the others, their thoughts being read out to me. What can I say? I can't control it yet. Yusuke's thoughts were bent on how to win the game. //Hm…I've got some pretty good cards. All I need is another three of spades.// Kurama-nisan's were, //An ace of hearts, three sevens of spades and three eights of spades.// Botan-chan's, //Mou, I'm losing here!// I saw Kuwabara stole a glance at Yukina. //With the power of love, I will beat them and Yukina-san will smile upon my victory.// I sweatdropped. [Doesn't he realize that Yukina doesn't really understand the stuff he says?] I shook my head and concentrated.
Trying to make my voice sound scary, I spoke to him telepathically. //Kuwabara…// He jerked up. "Who called me?" "Huh?" "Never mind." He sat back down. I bit back a chuckle. //Kuwabara…Kuwabara…// He shot up, face pale. "Okay, who was calling me?" "No one did, baka." Yusuke said. I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. Even Hiei was smirking a bit. They stared at me, obviously thinking I've gone crazy. "Gomene, Kuwabara, but it was such a good joke." He was puzzled for a while but after that, "It was you?" I laughed harder at the look of disbelief and it took a lot of effort to straighten my face. "You did it? How?" "I can communicate telepathically now. Hell yeah, that was so much fun!" Yusuke and Botan were staring at me, impressed. "Wow, that's totally cool." "Yeah!" "You're improving greatly." Kurama-nisan said with a smile. "Hai." Genkai-sensei simply smiled. All of a sudden, we felt a strong presence outside the house and a voice sounded. "Sairen Mizuko, come out." We stood quickly and ran outside.
* * * * * *
3rd Person's POV
Mizuko and the others ran out into the rain, trying to pinpoint the location of the presence. Suddenly sensing a huge force heading towards them, they jumped away just as the ground below them exploded. In the smoke and rain, they saw an outline of a figure. As the smoke cleared, a tall, lean man, dressed in a black ninja outfit stood in the middle of the destroyed ground. He had two long katanas crossed in front of him. Other than the patter of the rain, silence was in the air. "Dare da, kisama?" Kuwabara yelled at the man. Slowly, the man sheathed his katanas and turned to face Mizuko. Mizuko stood warily, not daring to approach him. He looked up and met her eyes. Mizuko was taken aback. [His eyes…those are the eyes of those who kill on orders. Did someone send him here?] Meanwhile, Yusuke and the others observed his appearance. He was about as tall as Kurama. He had sharp grey eyes and he bore no expression on his face.
The man slowly began to walk towards Mizuko. The said girl couldn't move. He gave out a cold aura that seemed to numb her body. When he was in front of her, he did a very unexpected thing. He kneeled in front of her. "Heh?!" "O hime-sama, your father orders your return." "What are you talking about?" Mizuko said, bewildered. "Tai-sama, your father, wishes you to go back to him. Please come with me to Makai." "Nani?! Makai?" Yusuke was shocked. Mizuko felt something amiss. Her mind was screaming danger at her. "Iya da." The man looked up and said, in a more commanding tone, "Please follow me back to Makai to see Tai-sama." "I'm not going with you." The man stood up and sighed, "He told me to expect this. If that is so, then I must test your strength." He drew his katanas and held it out in front of him. Suddenly, he disappeared from Mizuko's sight. Mizuko barely had time to dodge as he swung a katana at her. "Mizuko!" "Mizuko-san!" Immediately, everyone else rushed forward but they hardly moved before stopping. Kuwabara looked at Yusuke. "What the hell is this?" Hiei tried to move but to no avail. "Karada ga ugokanai."
"I froze your shadows." The man said. At this, they looked at their shadows and noticed that a shuriken was embedded in each of their shadows. Kuwabara stared in shock, "When did he…?" "Kage no Kou." Mizuko frowned in confusion. "Ore no namae. Sa te, hajimeyou ka?" Mizuko slid into fighting stance, daggers held before her. Once again, Kou disappeared and reappeared beside her, swinging his down at her. Mizuko raised her dagger to block it but the other one came towards her. She jumped back quickly. Kou moved too quickly for Kuwabara to catch. "Ha-Hayai! I can only see blurs." Hiei gritted his teeth. He knew that Mizuko was no match for this shadow child, but he couldn't move. Suddenly, he had an idea. //Mizuko, move to the left!// Mizuko obeyed quickly and missed the katana narrowly. //Now duck! Roll to your left!// //Hiei?//
Mizuko did as he told her to, all the while keeping her eyes on Kou. Panting, she got up. //Watch out!// Mizuko saw a katana coming from her right. Reacting quickly, she blocked it with her daggers. But the momentum sent her sliding away from the opponent. Both of them jumped into the air and steel clashed. As they landed on the ground, everyone watched with bated breath. Drip. A drop of blood trickled to the ground.
Onegai-Please
Kotowaru-[I] refuse
Itai!-Ouch!
Nani (Nani ka?)-What (What is it?)
Omoshiroi-Interesting
Onisan-Elder brother
Hontou-Really
Usotsuki-Liar
Dare da, kisama?-Who are you? (Dare refers to 'who', kisama refers to 'you', a rough way of saying it/for scolding someone)
O hime-sama-Princess (the word –sama is added when the person referred to is a master/highly respected)
Iya da!-[I] don't want to! / No!
Karada ga ugokanai-[My] body can't move (karada-body, ugokanai-unable to move)
Sa te-Now,…(informal expression)
Hajimeyou-Begin
Hayai-Fast
A/N: Heehee…How's this chapter? I think it's okay, I guess. Well, please R&R ne? Ja ne. ^_^ (Oh yeah, Mizuko's bio after this one.
Name: Sairen Mizuko
Age: 17 years
Hair colour: Brownish red, at first (you'll see later ^_^) Always kept in a ponytail/braid
Eye colour: Rich gold (Darker that Youko's)
Height: 4 ft 9 in. (That's my real height!)
Frame: Petite, slender
