Chapter 20:

-(Ningenkai)-

"Shotgun!"

"The f---!" She evaded it barely. "What's wrong with you Yusuke!"

"Stop whining and get over it! Demons won't wait around till you get back up on your feet!"

"This is a frickin' spar! Not a death-match!" She wiped some sweat off of her forehead (d--- sun).

Yusuke glared. "Get up now."

"I don't take orders from you," she snapped back. "I'll try beating you sitting down."

He glowered. "I'll pound you." He leaped forward, drawing back his fist for a punch.

Her energy glowed in a barrier, keeping him out. Shuddering slightly, she broke a cold sweat, panicking. Could it keep him out long enough for her to make some form of a plan? Yusuke shot an attack at her. The barrier absorbed it, making it disappear into nothing. 'Concentrate.' He respectfully kept quiet, watching her for a sign of movement.

'I said I'd take him down sitting and I will.'

The barrier shattered. But instead of dissipating, the shards acted like fragments of glass, cutting when impacted. With a quick sweep of her hand, the chips re-gathered themselves into a cloud of them. Closing her eyes and sensing Yusuke to the right of her, she directed her cloud there with another hand motion.

Recalling some more energy from within herself, she formed several marble-sized balls. Fingering them, she kept on manipulating her energy to chase Yusuke in her direction. When he got closer, she threw the energy marbles into the air; they exploded, creating multi-colored shimmering dust that made him cough. Grinning, she summoned her shards to her, gathering them to hover above her hand.

She opened her eyes. There stood Yusuke, with small holes in his ashen shirt, grinning. He pointed his finger at her. "SHOTGUN!"

Barely managing to put up a weak barrier, she was blown back into a tree. She growled. It hurt like hell, but she pulled herself up into the same cross-legged position on the ground, leaning her back against the trunk.

"NEGATE!" A cloud of energy slowly expanded. When it touched the ground, it became brittle, plant life too, shriveling up and blackening completely. Yusuke shot an experimental attack at the cloud. It disappeared, canceled out. He cursed, dodging backwards.

"Yumiko, stop it! You're going to destroy the forest!"

He got no response. Opening her eyes, he saw that she was in deep meditation still.

"SPIRIT GUN!" An even bigger attack flew at her, burning through her cloud of energy. Yusuke sat, slightly winded as he watched her own attack come closer to his body.

It hit her full in the chest, causing her eyes to lose a strange sheen and close in unconsciousness. The cloud disappeared, just before it would have touched his body. He sighed in relief, crawling over to her still form. She was still alive, her soft breathing proof.

'D---.' Picking her up and adjusting her so that she rested around his back (piggy-back style), he started the slow walk back to the temple.

"What's wrong?" Jin looked up from his spar with Kurama, frowning at the sight of his two friends. Kurama also watched worriedly, whip hanging slack at his side.

"Wore herself out," responded the punk. "But she put in some good attacks." She mumbled something, clinging to Yusuke's ruined shirt instinctively so as to not fall off.

"Whoa." Kuwabara leaned in to examine her face more closely. "She almost looks innocent when she's asleep."

"Watch yourself Kuwabara. She bites." He leapt back, warily eyeing her mouth.

"Stop fooling around Jin," ordered Touya shortly from behind him. The ice elemental had been watching the spar between the two redheads, and had come up to examine Yumiko. "Are you the one who knocked her out?" he asked, directed towards Yusuke.

Yusuke chuckled nervously. "I had to, otherwise she would destroy the forest. Or the clearing at least."

Kurama nodded sagely. "I sensed her energy level rise- yours too." He held out his arms. "Let me take her." The detective nodded before handing the limp form over. "Do you need medical attention too Yusuke?"

"Nah. Couple of bumps and bruises but nothing bad. Nothing to stop me from kicking Kuwabara's ass."

"What'd you say Urameshi!"

"You heard me idiot! Do I need to pound it into your head for you to understand?" he challenged.

With a sigh, Kurama headed towards the temple, leaving Jin and Touya to watch the pair amusedly (or indifferently). Calmly climbing up the stairs, he walked down the empty hallway to her newly established room. Toeing the door open, he settled her down on the bed. Examining her body, and finding nothing but new bruises on her gut and back, he left after applying some bruise medicine on.

"K-Kurama." Her eyes were unopened, but her lips were parted in speech. "Stay please."

He hesitated- fight or flight? Reluctantly, he sat down next to her. "I'm here."

"Can I talk to you?" Her eyes were still closed, though not in weariness.

"Of course."

"Do you hate me?" she asked bluntly.

"What makes you say that?"

"Ever since… that day…"

He turned away. "I- I have to go." The kitsune disappeared into the hall, closing the door behind him.

'You haven't knocked me out yet. I'm still playing.'

-(Makai)-

Keiko, as introduced by Shizuru, was the brunette. Yukina was the one with light green hair, and Botan the blue. They all seemed so sweet and cheerful, ignoring the predicament they were in.

But appearances often hide the people under the facades.

Shizuru's face grew a little graver than usual, solemnly speaking. "There are three worlds- the Ningenkai, or Earth, is where all the humans live."

"The Reikai, Spirit World, contains the dead spirits of humans and others," Botan explained. "I help bring human spirits across, being a ferry girl."

"The last world, the Makai, is the world where most demons lived. I am one myself, originating from the floating isle of the Koorime, the ice maidens," explained Yukina, smiling gently.

But there was also some pity too in her look.

"It's where we were now, being held by a demon called Rando. He's the one you saw just before."

"What about Shuiichi? Is my son alright?" Shiori asked. "Did anything happen to him?"

Botan sighed. "His situation is hard to explain… but he is… not quite human."

"M-my husband…?"

"Oh no, not at all," Botan reassured her. "You son's body houses two spirits- one of Shuiichi, and one of a thief king, a kitsune."

"Kitsunes… are real?"

"Yes." Shizuru nodded. "The thief's name is Youko Kurama, legendary even after his death. When he was killed, his soul escaped into the Ningenkai, in which he possessed a human fetus before it gained a soul."

"My baby?"

Keiko nodded. "He's something in between a demon and a human. He now works for the ruler of the Reikai, doing odd jobs for him and stuff."

"I-Is that the secret… that he's always kept from me?"

"Yes." Yukina touched my shoulder softly. "He's still the same person that you have been raising for the past few years."

Shiori nodded softly. "Thank you for telling me the truth." They smiled, making remarks along the lines of 'No Problem,' and left her to mull over her thoughts, to discuss something or other on how they could escape.

'My son…' She could picture him, with his bright red hair and green eyes, indisputably not inherited from her, beaming at her gently and kindly. She remembered how he sat by her bedside while she was dying, and made a miraculous recovery. His everyday smiles, his constant displays of affection, his loving voice- the list went on to describe his perfection in the duties of a son.

'…can I ever look at you the same way I did before?'

-(Ningenkai)-

"I almost beat him." Yumiko sulked the next day. "Why can't you be satisfied with that?" Some clothes had been delivered to the temple, so she was now wearing a pair of dark grey sweatpants and a loose, slightly oversized blue t-shirt. Cross-trainer sneakers finished the ensemble, all which allowed plenty of movement.

"Because. It's not good enough. There are plenty of people who are better than dimwit."

"Hey!"

"Like…?"

"Quit your whining Sato."

"Ha! You can't come up with one!"

"Three laps."

"WHAT!"

"Now four."

"D--- you."

"Five."

"Okay! I'm going!" Yumiko doggedly started a quick jog towards the forest.

Genkai smirked. "I think she got her spiritual energy usage down. She just needs to learn how to use a weapon other than a conductor. Care to do the honors Touya?"

He shifted slightly in his chair. "I'd much rather not."

"Hiei then."

"No way in hell," he spat.

Yusuke grinned. "You're still on probation Hiei. Koenma-"

"Hn. Shut up." The fire apparition disappeared inside. Coming out with Yumiko's pair of swords, he disappeared into the forest.

"You do realize that her tongue will get her damaged?" Touya asked.

The spirit master lips quirked. "That's the fun in it." She took a sip from the cup of tea in her hands.

"Oi, what about Kurama?" Jin hovered just before the porch. "Isn't he touchy about his girlfriend being injured?"

Yusuke snorted. "They're still having little problems with their relationship."

"Where is he anyways?" asked Kuwabara.

"Store- he's cooking tonight," responded the ice demon.

"Ah." They sat there, calmly waiting for about fifteen minutes until they heard what they had been waiting for.

"OH MY GOD NO F---ING WAY!" A short scream was heard. "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO OFFEND YOU IN THE LAST TWENTY FOUR HOURS! SPARE ME!"

Yusuke nearly fell over from laughing, Kuwabara already on the ground. Touya was chuckling slightly, while Jin was grinning and doubling over from amusement in the air. Genkai smirked.

"SENIOR YOU HAVE SOME SICK FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT." There was some more ruckus, trees creaking and branches snapping. "Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god OH MY GOD HE'S GOING TO KILL ME!"

"I suggest you use an attack," called Genkai calmly.

"AAAAAAAH!"

"Stop screaming human," they heard Hiei order. "Or I will slit your throat."

"See!"

"You're hopeless assassin." Suddenly the din disappeared.

"What happened?" asked Kuwabara, pausing a little.

Touya shrugged. "I highly doubt Yumiko would be able to concentrate with us cracking jokes at her." He glanced at Yusuke. "He took her somewhere else to fight."

-(Ningenkai)-

A whoosh, and she was suddenly standing on the edge of a body of water. "Whoa. How did we get here?"

"Hn." He tossed her daisho to her. "Defense."

"Inari (1), if I get through this, I will consider my life not so as unlucky as before," she muttered, sliding her wakazashi out of its sheath. Screwing her eyes tightly closed, she brought up her sword, but then, last second, protected her legs.

Clang

"Eyes open." His sword struck her stomach with the flat side. With an 'oof' she fell back onto her butt. He glared down at her. "I understand why you work with your short sword. You're too weak to hold your katana."

"Got a problem Hiei?" she snapped, scrambling up. "I don't have any muscles of a swordsman."

"Hn." A roundhouse kick to her back brought her down to her knees. "Push-ups." She had only done one before he stopped her. "Real push-ups. Get lower to the ground."

"I can't."

"Do it now."

"I can't," she ground out again. "I don't have the muscle."

A foot put pressure on her back. Turning, she glared at Hiei, him returning it with twice the strength. "Hold that position. Five minutes."

"Amaterasu-dono (2), please help me get through this," she muttered breathily. She bit her lip as Hiei applied some more pressure to her back. Forcing her body to keep the position for two minutes, she collapsed. His foot still ground into her back.

"Weakling." He spat at the ground in front of her face. Her eyes hardened. She quickly swiveled her legs into the air, twisting her body upwards; he disappeared, and reappeared in front of her. "Don't even try it."

She lunged at his legs again. He easily dodged her moves, a bored expression on his face. "You're slower than the idiot."

Yumiko sneered delicately. "Got a problem with us humans, youkai?"

"Yes."

She quickly made a slicing movement through the air with her hand; a horizontal line of her energy swept through, leaving marks on several trees. "Rescind Slice!" Hiei only had ducked to avoid it. She swore. Picking up her sword again, she swung at him clumsily. With a simple flick of his wrist, her weapon was detached from her grip.

"Believe it or not onna, I'm trying to help you," he spat. "Just like everyone else is."

"Nice way to show it," she muttered. "Why can't you just drain my powers or something?"

"It's a delicate process- get off your lazy ass- do something."

Something hit Hiei across the chest. Yumiko stood, a second rock held in her hand. "Stop accusing me of doing nothing!"

"Hn. Maybe when you give me proof you aren't."

"I'M TRYING!" A huge globe of her energy expanded. "You think I don't want to get better! I'm trying as hard as I can to get ready for this task, but when I do take a step forward, you expect me to take three more! I'M HUMAN! MORTAL! I HAVE MY FAULTS!" The globe exploded. Hiei moved back, effectively dodging her attack.

Yumiko was there, panting from her outburst. "Face it," she muttered. "I'm one of those people who can never achieve enough so that the ones close to them are satisfied. I'll never beat you."

He glared. "With that attitude you won't." Grabbing her, he shoved her up against a tree, the rough bark scratching her through her shirt. "You delicate little b----. Get over it. I want you to fight me and actually hit me once. Then I will release you from my training."

She glared back. "Oh, do shove it up your ass."

(Splash)

Gasping, she swam to the surface. "F---! It's freezing you b--tard!"

The fire apparition smirked. "Too much for you to handle? You're a failure of an assassin."

She snarled, half sinking into the water. "Failure? Get used to it swordsman." She started to swim to the other side of the bank, farthest away from Hiei. He just stood there and watched her. Dragging herself out, she cursed him one more time before jogging off into the forest. Frowning, he turned and sped back to the temple

Let her get over her fit by herself.

: End Chapter

(1) Inari: the Shinto goddess of fertility, rice, and foxes.

(2) Amaterasu: the Shinto goddess of the sun. I'll put up more information later.

Insaneningen14: REVIEWWWWWWWWW D----------- YOUUUUUUUUUUUUU
you guys have been particularly lazy.
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