A/N: (Sings!) The computers fixed! Read on and enjoy!

Disclamer: Don't own Yu Yu Hakusho

The moment they entered the two to be thieves even stepped into the guild, Youko knew. He knew life was about to change. For better or worse, he couldn't tell. Ryouta pushed them through quickly, Youko could only get brief glances and scents of what was going on around him. It seemed to look like any other tavern. He looked to Kuronue, to see his reaction. Kuronue had the same look of curiosity, looking around the dimly lit room, the smells of alcohol….

But Ryouta wasn't giving them the chance to even try to comprehend this strange place. He directed them into a hidden corridor, where the lighting was even dimmer. Being a fox demon, Youko's eyes adjusted quickly.

Ryouta quickly briefed them that they were going to have an individual teacher, to enhance their enhance skills. It all happened so fast.

Kuronue slashed high, and then went down to parry the incoming blow. It was too late, he was still too slow. Again, he was knocked down. His mentor, didn't even bother to introduce names, had been on him for how many weeks now? Four? Five? Had it only been that many?

In that short time, Kuronue had given up his scimitar and adapted a new weapon. He recalled that moment, the very moment he set foot in this room…

Everything was so bright, he couldn't see. The light hurt his sensitive eyes, but through squinting, he knew (and sensed) he was not alone.

He drew his scimitar, he could tell whoever this was wasn't here for a social, they were here to fight. Kuronue saw himself planning carefully and eventually taking down this foe. But even before he could be rid of that thought, his opponent was on him.

He slashed mercilessly, Kuronue felt helpless. How was he supposed to defend himself? This was too hard!

Then all of a sudden he was thrown to the ground.

He was ready for the final blow, any minute now.

But it never came.

He didn't realize he had closed his eyes in fear, but now they were open. The room was dimmed, he could see. It was a stone room with all sorts of weapons mounted all over.

More importantly, his adversary stood there; starring at him with…with…he couldn't understand the emotion in his eyes.

"I am your tutor, and I can tell you now, this will be no walk in the park. My name is not of concern to you, once you become strong enough to take me, perhaps then you will learn it."

The young apparition on the ground opened his mouth to speak.

"SILENCE!"

His mouth shut quickly.

The tutor bent down, took his sword hand. "This weapon is not suited for you. Your wrist movements are too lose. You will begin training with this."

He handed Kuronue an old, rusty sickle on a chain.

Looking at the weapon with disinterest, Kuronue opened his mouth to protest, to say if he only had another chance…

"SILENCE!"

This time, the weapon (which was quickly found out to be an ax) his tutor was using was slapped against his check with the blunt side. A red mark formed rather quickly, and Kuronue felt it would be foolish to raise his hand to rub his cheek.

After a small sizing up, Kuronue dropped his eyes, saying not a word.

"Tonight, you are to hit all these targets, and you will not rest until you hit them all with absolute precision!"

The tutor snapped, and what seemed like billions of targets appeared.

He was in for a long night.

"Get up."

Kuronue got up, without question. He got a better scythe since that night, more suited for the mock battles they did. Although, Kuronue wondered if his teacher would get carried away, sometimes he really thought he was fighting for his life.

Kuronue bowed, he learned he must do this the hard way, and took a fighting stance, as did his teacher. His mentor did not move.

So he made the first move.

He swung the chain around his left hand and let the scythe hurtle forward with deadly precision. Kuronue's tutor moved to block, just as he suspected, the shifted his hand to the right, which was in the process of being parried.

Then he spun around and pulled the scythe back toward himself.

Then threw the deadly blade to the left. Kuronue saw his tutor had no way to parry it in time, he had moved too fast!

It hit him in the ribs. Kuronue felt a big grin form on his face.

But…

His tutor grabbed the chain and yanked Kuronue forward. Kuronue couldn't get his hand unraveled from the chain, he had it to tight!

He got smacked in the face with the ax.

His tutor grinned as Kuronue fell unconscious to the floor, "Fool."

Moss.

Who ever would have ever guessed Youko Kurama would be reading a book about mosses?

It was ridiculous.

Nodin, Youko's master, had told him he was kitsune. Well of coarse, he already knew that. All kitsunes have ties to some sort of element, and as it turns out, Youko was tied to plants. He endured a simple test of trying to manipulate some element, and just as Nodin said, Youko manipulated a plant by putting his energy into it.

Now he was stuck reading books. Started from the simplest plant structures, which happened to be moss.

Youko Kurama now had a deep hatred for moss now.

Youko turned away from his book, laying his head back on the over furnished room with big pillows. Life was boring for the kitsune. He wanted action, wanted adventure, isn't that what Ryouta promised?

Now that he thought about it, what did Ryouta promise? "I don't think I listened very well."

Just then Nodin entered Youko's over-furnished quarters. Nodin was a short, withered creature. He also had abnormally huge grey eyes and small wisps of hair.

The guy gave Youko the willies.

"Now Youko, I see you have been reading, now let me see what you have learned."

For such big eyes, he sure didn't seem to have that great of sight, if he looked Youko only read a few pages.

"Fine." Youko grabbed some spores and focused his energy into them.

For a few beats…nothing happened.

Nodin was about to say something to his student when all of a sudden, moss grew at a rapid rate, all coming at him!

"Youko STOP!"

At the last moment possible, Youko depleted his energy. The growth stopped.

Nodin, looked nervous for a moment, then applauded his young student, "Good, Good! Now your next lesson will be the next chapter, in how the mosses…"

Youko tuned out, now he knew probably why he didn't hear all of Ryouta's conversation on the night he left his mother behind, sure, he acted like he paid attention, but truthfully…

Not really….

He just wanted to get away from that moody old…

"Understand the importance of this next lesson?"

Youko nodded, "Yes, of coarse sir."

Nodin smiled, "I will leave you to it then." He couldn't believe what a bright a resilient student this young kitsune was!

As Nodin left, Youko threw the book and flopped on his pillow, poking around at the moss in his hand. He didn't really need this tutoring, did he? This was too easy.

He wondered how Kuronue was fairing.

After a few moments of musing, he looked back to the book; it had hit the bookshelf that blended into the room, causing another book to fall. It was a jade green book with goldish color writing. It was titled Using Plants as Weapons Effectively.

Youko opened it up, he disregarded a note in the front cover from Nodin, something about students were not to rummage through or something to that nature…and read.

After a while of reading, Youko shut the book, smile on his face.

Things were just about to get interesting around here.

A/N: Well, hope you all enjoyed that. I think this chapter is sort of fast paced...but I want to get through this part as soon as I can! Well, I apologize a million times over for the delay, and hope you will all forgive

Pan Jaganshi:Thank you for such a great review, and also for disagreein' with the whole Kuronue/Youko pairing shivers The guys are gay!

SoarMoreFlyHigher: Ouch, harsh, I'm suprised you haven't killed me yet...(nervous laugh)

darksaphire:...you are so right...Why not flatter a kitsune!

Griffen-galYay! The computers back! (obvously..) but just so you know..I do not like yaoi...so no they are not...I'm going for a strong brotherly relationship.