Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or it's characters. I do own Angela.
Legend:
Music
Noise
-Telepathy-
-Thought-
/Flashbacks/
/Visions/Dreams/
Chapter Fifteen.
Genkai and Yusuke walked through the woods, not talking. They reached the tree that had been infested by Tree-Eater demons.
"Hm...It looks like it's had a rough time," Genkai commented.
"Yeah, two parasites latched onto it and started to feed off of it, turning into demons as they fed. Me, Kurama and Angela defeated them, and Angela was given the task to heal it," Yusuke explained, half distracted.
Genkai inspected the tree. "She's pretty good." Yusuke was quiet for a while. "I hear the tree wasn't the only thing that's had it rough," Genkai said quietly. Yusuke kept up his silence. "I'm sorry Yusuke. I didn't mean to leave you all like that, I didn't mean to leave you when you needed me the most," Genkai continued to look at the tree. "I was old. I was old when I first met you." Yusuke looked away from his mentor. She continued "Remember why I had that tournament to decide who would inherit the Spirit Wave technique. I hadn't expected to live much longer. It surprised me that I had lived as long as I had when I died."
Yusuke opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. They stayed in silence for a long time. Finally Yusuke found his voice. "I had come to think of you as a grandma, you had been there for me for so long. You had been there for me when Keiko had died. I knew you wouldn't be around forever, but I wasn't ready. You died too soon after Keiko. I couldn't really take it. I left and went and trained in Demon World. There I was able to forget, but after awhile I realized that I couldn't run from the truth about what happened forever. I came back. I acted like I had gotten over it, but I guess I did the same thing as Angela and hid my pain."
"Hm, Dimwit," she said affectionately. "You didn't do a good job. Everyone could see it." Yusuke shrugged. Genkai stared at the tree a little longer. "Well, time to teach Angela," she said, shrugging. She looked at Yusuke. "I hope she's not like what you were, a punk who had a problem with authority."
Yusuke laughed. "I hear she's easy to teach, she's mastered every element within a few weeks."
Genkai laughed. "Spirit energy will be harder to master. I hope she's easier to teach than you."
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That afternoon Genkai closed off the training room for her and Angela.
"I hear that you've been taught to meditate. I also hear that you've been able to find your elemental power by finding it first in something around you," Genkai said. She then gave the girl a hard look. "But you can't do that with Spirit energy. Everyone's spirit energy is unique from the rest of the world. Take as an example the way it materializes into an attack for everyone. Yusuke's spirit energy comes out as a bullet that he fires from his hand like a gun. Kuwabara's is a sword. I'm sure you heard about Sensui."
Angela nodded, "A little."
"Well his spirit energy came out as a ball that he kicked. You see, everyone has a different type of spirit energy, so you won't be able to find a 'feeling' that you can identify within yourself. You need to find your spirit energy on your own. Now, lets get started," Genkai said as she sat down in the middle of the room.
They meditated for what seemed like forever. Angela constantly looked within herself, looking for a power that wasn't earth, wind, fire or water. She thought that she had found it several times, but it wasn't it. Finally at dinner time, Genkai called it quits, saying "We'll start early tomorrow."
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That night Angela had the dream about her relatives.
/She started to talk to the group of great great aunts and uncles. After learning all about them she moved on to a group of fifth cousins. After several hours of talking with various groups of distant relatives, she began to see a pattern. Everyone she talked to was related to her by blood. No one had been related to her by marriage. -Odd- she thought. She also found out that she had alot of distant relatives./
She woke up again, feeling like she had gotten to know her family more. -Are these dreams visions?- She shrugged. She didn't care, it comforted her. It gave her a feeling that they were really there. "Well, time to go to work."
She and Genkai trained all day long. Angela managed to catch a glimpse of her spirit power, but she couldn't get a grasp on it. Genkai nodded as they went to get dinner. "They said you were a quick learner. At this rate it will take about a month, maybe a little more."
The next two weeks Angela would meditate all day long, learning how to find her spirit power and slowly control it to the point that she could materialize it in her hands as a small shining spikey ball, like a star. Each night she would dream of her family, slowly making her way to her parents.
The day Angela thougth she was going to dream about her parents Genkai let her off for the day. She went to her garden. When she got there, she found two figures standing in the middle of her garden. Angela slowly walked up to them, her eyes wide.
"But, how?" she asked the man and woman.
The man had sandy hair, a weathered brown face, and twinkling gray eyes. The woman had pale blonde hair with hints of gray pulled up into a loose bun, her green eyes sparkling at Angela. Both wore gentle smiles.
"We were allowed to speak to you one last time," the man said.
"Why...why...?" Angela asked, in a daze.
"We were given special permission to see you in the waking world instead of your dreams," the woman said. Opening her arms, she said "Come here, baby."
Angela ran to her and hugged her tightly as she started to cry. "There's so much I want to tell you, Mommy, Daddy," she cried as her mother patted her head.
"Shh shh," her mother whispered. "We know."
"We're so proud of you. We want you to know that we love you so much," her father said as he patted her back. Angela cried into her mother's arms.
They stayed like that for awhile, reminiscing over the good times in their lives, how Angela would wear her bathing suit as a child with her small blanket tied around her neck and how her dad would carry her on his shoulders as she opened her arms and made believe that she was a super hero, of the time they took her to Disney world and how she insisted on riding the baby rides over and over, of her first day to kindergarten. They talked about her first day to junior high, about the song she sang in the talent show, about her first dance and how she dressed up in a pink dress and how her mother curled her hair into ringlets. They talked about her first day in high school, her first time driving, how she accidentaly ran the car into the garage door, her first boyfriend, her sixteenth birthday, her slumber parties with her best friends, her first prom where her mother cried about how her baby was growing up. They then talked about her first time to college.
"Remember when you called me in tears, crying to be with us?" her father asked, smiling. "Remember what I said about the stars?" Angela nodded, starting to cry again. "Keep looking at them, we'll be there, watching our baby girl. We love you dearly, you've made us proud." He and her mother started to fade.
"No! Don't go!" Angela cried.
Her father held her tightly. "Remember, you're our baby girl." His voice faded as they disappeared.
Angela fell down, sobbing. -Is this punishment? Why did you give them back again then rip them away!- she asked the sky.
Hiei saw her sob on the ground from where he had hidden in the trees to watch over her. He couldn't take it. He jumped down in front of her. "Angela," he said as he knelt beside her.
Angela looked at him, still sobbing. "Why were they taken from me? And why were they given back to me only to be taken away again?"
Hiei took her into his arms, rocking her as she cried. "Koenma and I thought this would do you good. We thought that knowing your family would help ease the pain. We wanted to give you the last chance to see your family and know that they love you."
Angela cried, "I don't think I can take it, I don't think I can go on."
Hiei held her tighter. "Don't say that, your family wants you to live. They don't want you to die, they know it's not your time, you have to live for them. And what about us? Think about what your death would do to us. You still have family, remember. We're your family too."
Angela slowly stopped crying. She looked at Hiei. Hiei stared into her teary eyes. He leaned in and softly kissed her. Angela pulled back, surprised. Hiei stopped, surprised himself. He got up and pulled her up with him, saying "We should probably go back to the others."
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That night Hiei walked through the forest, thinking about the kiss. -Maybe Kurama and the rest are right. Maybe I do like Angela. I care about what she thinks, I want to protect her, I want to see her happy, and I want to comfort her when she's sad. Do I love her? That's the question. And if I do, do I want to make it known? I lead a dangerous life, despite what she thinks. I'm only here to protect her and train her. She doesn't realize this isn't what I normally do. If I did tell her I love her and she said the same thing, she'd be in twice the danger. There are demons that would do anything to get at me, and if they found out about Angela they would attack her to get at me.- He thought long and hard. -I can't tell her or anyone. Once this mission is over, I'll leave forever.-
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The next three weeks Angela was practically put through the ringer. Genkai trained her hard and long in the ways to use her spirit energy. They discovered that she could use it several ways. She could turn it into a bomb, make a barrier, blast it from her palms, and several other things. After she trained all day, they would eat then go to bed. She no longer had the dreams about her relatives, but she was glad to know that they hadn't been made up by her imagination. Knowing that she had really been talking to them made her happy. The next day she would wake up early to start training again. It became routine so when she entered the training room one day she was surprised to hear Genkai say that they weren't training.
"Do I have another day off?" she asked.
Genkai shook her head sadly. "No. Your training is done."
Angela saw the sad look in her eyes. She then noticed Yusuke sitting in the hollow area. "You're leaving. Aren't you?" Angela asked, starting to feel sad. Through the past five weeks she had come to think of the old lady as a grandmother, despite the harsh training. She had hoped maybe the old lady would stay after training her, but she knew deep down that Genkai couldn't stay. She went and hugged the old lady. "I'll miss you," she said.
Genkai nodded. "I'll miss you too."
Angela looked at the sad Yusuke. She walked out of the room, looking back for the last time on the old lady.
"Yusuke, I'm sorry. But we both knew I couldn't stay," Genkai said, not looking at her old pupil that she had come to consider as her grandson.
Yusuke nodded. "Hm...at least this time I'm ready for it."
Genkai walked to the front door where Botan was waiting. "Well, Dimwit, take care of yourself and the others." She turned around once more to say something. "Keiko told me to tell you that she is there and she does look after you."
Yusuke smiled. "Somehow, I already knew the answer. Seeya Grandma."
Genkai shook her head. "Not for a long time."
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"So...Have you asked him yet?" Angela asked Botan a few days later as they walked through town, window shopping.
"Asked who what?" Botan asked back, trying to look innocent.
Angela laughed. "You know what I'm talking about. You've been hanging out with Kurama for the past five weeks. You're practically a couple."
Botan blushed. "Er...well..."
Angela sighed "Just ask him out already."
Botan spluttered for a few seconds. Finally she came back with a reply. "Well...what about you?"
Angela looked at her, confused. "What about me?"
"Why don't you ask Hiei out? We all know that you two are in love," Botan said, smiling.
"You think he feels that way? I mean, I know I probably feel that way."
Botan gave an exasperated noise. "Probably? Angela you've got it bad for Hiei. And Hiei's got it bad for you."
"Why do you say that?" Angela asked.
"Well, look at how he treats you. He's never like that with anyone. With the exception of Yukina."
"What about this Mukuro? I remember hearing Koenma say something about her."
"Mukuro was a king of Demon World and had asked Hiei to help her take control of Demon World when Raizen died," Kurama said, coming up behind them. Botan let out a sigh, she didn't know what she was going to say to Angela. "But when Yusuke thought up the demon tournament and when Hiei and Mukuro lost they became part of the border patrol. Mukuro's captain and Hiei's her second. It was long thought that they were lovers but I don't think they are." He smiled. "So what are you two doing here?" he asked smoothly, changing the subject from Mukuro to them.
"Oh, we're window shopping. You?" Angela asked, half paying attention as she thought about what Kurama said. -'It was long thought that they were lovers'? Is it true? Or is what Kurama thinks true? I'll have to ask Hiei directly.-
"...So do you want to come over?" Kurama was asking. Botan blushed.
Angela, taking advantage, nodded. "Sure, I've wanted to see where you live. We would love to come over, wouldn't we Botan." Botan blushed some more.
Kurama smiled. -I know she only caught half of what I said. I'm certain she was thinking about the possibility of Mukuro and Hiei being together. I tried to tell her other wise, but I bet she won't bleieve it until she talks to Hiei.- Kurama thought, leading the girls to his apartment. He looked at Botan. -I know I used to care for Angela, but now I think I'm starting to care for Botan. Should I talk to her about it?-
In Kurama's apartment Angela found something akin to a green house. There were so many plants. "Wow, they're beautiful!" Botan said. Angela nodded.
Kurama showed them through the apartment. The whole apartment had plants growing every where. "It's like a tropical forest," Angela said. She paused to look in a room dedicated to roses. Inside she found red roses, yellow roses, pink roses and her favorite, blue roses. As she turned to exit, something in the corner caught her attention. On a pedestal was an ornate box. Wondering what was inside, -Probably seeds,- she opened it. Out poured smoke. Surprised, she quickly shut the box. But it was too late, she had inhaled most of the smoke that had poured out. She began to feel funny. She looked around, her mind feeling fuzzy. The room around her started to grow bigger...