Warnings: sarcasm

The Wielder of BlackFire:

The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance

Chapter Fourteen: Rose's Taste Of Pain

"What do you want now, Dimwit?"

The woman who spoke these words had a raspy voice and was wrinkled with age. She sat on the front steps of a large temple that stood at the top of a large flight of stone steps. The morning was sunny, but not overly-brightly so, yet the temple was slightly shadowed from the surrounding forest, fingers of umbrage cooling the stately structure. The woods were shadowed as well, and a sinister looked gleamed from them.

Four people stood in the courtyard of the property, consisting of Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, and Rose, the latter of whom's breath was deep after walking up the long flight of stairs. The girl looked around curiously, her dark eyes sharp to her surroundings, but keen to the older woman, who sat placidly, sipping from a cup of tea. Her pink hair had long since faded gray, and her brown eyes had turned hard from the passage of time. She was dressed in a red and blue fighting outfit with a squat little hat. Her aura gave an impression of grave wisdom.

"C'mon, Grandma, I know that Koenma told you we were comin' today," Yusuke retorted. He stood at the front of the group, annoyed and aggravated from being awoken so early in the day.

"Hm," the woman mused, lowering her cup. She looked up, her eyes critical as she looked over the group. The girl opposite of her straightened, squaring her shoulders defiantly.

"So I have less than a week to transform this rag-tag slip of a girl into a fighter?" She snorted. "Who does he think I am? I'm a master, not a magician." The girl's hands moved behind her back, hiding the clenching of her fists, although her expression remained impassive.

Yusuke shrugged in aggravation. "That's the toddler for ya," he replied.

"I'm an old woman, I shouldn't have to deal with this," the old master said with a sigh.

"C'mon, Grandma, we all know you've got enough spunk to keep up with this one for a week," Yusuke said, gesturing toward the girl, who glared at him out of the corner of her eye. There was something about the American that grasped GenKai's attention. Maybe it was the proud way she stood, or the fire she could see raging in her dark eyes that suggested there was more to her than the hard expression she wore. And yet, there was nothing really special about her appearance that would catch a strangers eye, but for her glorious hair. She was average-looking, good-looking only in her plainness. She couldn't be more than five four, her boots giving her an extra half-inch, and all leg. She had a determined square to her powerful shoulders and thrust her stubborn chin forward with pride. It was evident that she had done rough physical work at one time, and apparently still did, but not to the extent as before. However, without constant conditioning the muscles had begun to grow slack from lack of proper use. Her hands, or what the master had seen of them, were beaten raw with cuts, but neatly calloused as well. GenKai studied her a moment more, scanning her from head to toe before finishing off her tea.

"I'll help, but only if she's willing to work hard," the older woman said, setting aside her cup. Yusuke smirked and they all turned to look at Rose, who stood in silence.

"Are you willing to do that?" GenKai asked her seriously, looking up with hard, beady eyes.

"I am willing to do whatever it takes."

For you to leave me alone, where her unspoken words, but the boys that surrounded her filled in the empty space. GenKai nodded.

"Very well," she said, gaining her usual bark as she stood. "C'mon. Let's get started." Rose said nothing, but stepped forward confidently.

GenKai walked back into the temple as dusk. A worn and wan girl stumbled in behind her. Her shoulders had lost their defiant straightness in her exhaustion, but her eyes were bright, and livid, refreshed, as though the most likely strenuous exercise was what she loved. But there was also anger in her eyes. Yusuke had no doubt that he knew why, thinking back to his own training with GenKai, as he quickly studied the girl. She had thrown insults at him like punches, only they hurt more, and got better results, while the punches... well, they just let him taste pain.

"Go clean up. We'll eat soon," GenKai informed her. Rose said not a word as she turned and left.

Her body ached as though the fire of hell had suddenly started living within it. Her clothes, a spare fighting outfit that GenKai had found for her because her own was her only current clothing, were stained with grass and sweat. Her gait was languid, lacking its usual spring. But, for the oddest of all oddities, she felt almost, well, happy. At least, happier than she had in a long while. It was very strange. Should she not feel loathing, stress, and downright angry at her current treatment? But, it seemed, it was familiar, something set and stable. Something you could hold onto when there was nothing left. Like a lifeline. An extremely familiar lifeline.

The water was cold, so she made her shower swift. She was back with the group in twenty minutes, in fresh clothes that GenKai had left for her, and neatly brushed hair, which was burnished a deep black-brown by the water that it held within it.

The girl with the mint-green hair served them. Yukina wasn't it? Yes, that's right.

"Do you three plan on staying?" GenKai asked a long while later, after the dishes had been cleared away. She sat, looking at them with the superiority that the older generation give the younger. Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei glanced at each other, slightly confused.

"The girl stays here, so we can get an early start," the master explained. "You are free to stay if you want." Rose hid her bewilderment with knowing. Her great-uncle would have said the same thing. He had been some kind of trainer for some form of martial arts or something and was a hard older man. He must have known GenKai or something, because they seemed to have the same personality. He had given her fighting outfits for Christmas a while back. Had. He was dead now. He was murdered. Rose shook her head slightly. No need to dwell upon things of that sort. He had died when she was sick and so it did not surprise her.

Hiei nodded. "I'll stay," he said. Kurama glanced at him, his eyes giving an unspoken warning. But the kitsune gave no protest and said nothing. He wasn't one to pressure people, especially not Hiei, about their personal life. Besides, it was none of his business, as long as what needed to be done was accomplished.

"I'll visit frequently," Kurama said. Yusuke nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I'll stop by. Once Kuwabara finds out Yukina's here I don't think I'll have much of a choice. Keiko'll want to visit too," the boy said, sighing. Rose looked at him quizzically at the mention of Kuwabara's name. He glanced at her.

"He's the one you socked in the face," he explained with a cocky snort, tapping his right eye as further explanation, which brought a smirk to the weathered features of GenKai. So, it seemed, she had attitude beneath that mask. The girl nodded slightly and turned away, her mind elsewhere.

"Yeah, well, I'd better get home," Yusuke said, standing and dusting off his pants. "Keiko said she'd call about some stupid notes for a test." He sighed once again and walked out the door, giving a small wave over his shoulder. "See ya!" he called. Kurama left not long after, but only to return later after retrieving Rose's green duffle bag, receiving a gruff 'thanks' as payment for his troubles. The kitsune left for the night just as the sky grew dark. He wanted to be home as to clean the house before his mother arrived back in the morning

Hiei went in and out, hardly noticed, unless he wished for himself to be known.

Rose lay in a bed that GenKai had given her later that night. It smelled of the cleaner Yukina used on the wooden floors, and she almost missed the scent of roses that had imbedded itself in Kurama's pillow. She looked up at the ceiling. It wasn't late, for the moon had yet to enter the window to her left, and she was tired, but she didn't want to sleep just yet.

It was cool in the mountains, but free. Free enough so that Hiei had stayed behind to watch her. To ensure she did not escape. But the feeling she got when she was here were revitalizing, even if she knew she was still under surveillance. And the feeling wasn't just in body, but in spirit as well. It felt like home. And she loved it.

She reviewed the day, starting with the mild pain of straining muscles and ending with numb limbs. GenKai, for being such an old lady, had energy to spare. The master had pushed her to the brink, and when Rose had thought she could inch away from the ledge of exhaustion's cliff, the master had pushed her off its edge, watched her fall, and told her to deal. And deal she did as she fought to hold her grip on the jutting stone. But, as the day passed, she had fallen lower and lower, her hands slipping on the slick rock. And the further down she slid, the easier it seemed to just let go, to let the cold and numbing river of ultimate exhaustion to claim her, but GenKai refused to let her listen to the soothing and coaxing bubbling below her. The master demanded not only total physical control, but mental and emotional as well.

She had discovered soon after her visit with Koenma that the woman had trained Yusuke for a rough total of eight months. Rose knew she couldn't even began to fathom the hell she must have put him through. But, with his annoying attitude, the master must have gone to hell and back. Well, it wasn't any of her business.

The girl sigh and placed her hands behind her head. She took a deep breath, savoring the scent of earth and openness around her, and closed her eyes. She might not like the reason she was training, but she liked it in general and she would work hard to enjoy it until it was time for her to leave.

………………………………...

Authoress' Note: it's a pretty long chapter. Anyway! Here's an update for ya'll! Sorry it was so late, school keeps getting in my way, and for the past week, so have the Harry Potter books, one, two, and three, plus the first two movies. --. Don't ask. Anyway. Reviews rock so many socks!

Reviews:

Damage145:

I'll update sooner now, no more SATs to study for until ACTs in June. So more updates!

Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha:

Thanks yeah, the cliffy isn't so bad for now. They'll get worse later on, sorry to say. But yeah, sometimes they're good. And the 'evil dude' will show 'his big ugly head' sometime soon. I might add some stuff that wasn't there originally because them not being around makes it like 'wtf?' kinda thing. Thanks for the Genkai tip. I've seen it written both ways. Blah!

Good chappy. And this cliffy isn't bad at all. Although, cliffies do get me wondering what happens next, they aren't that bad. Sometimes it's good. Heh... I just contradicted myself. Go figure. Omoshiroi(Interesting), Rose finally believes them and also now knows what happened back when Thorn was around. Though... evil dude still didn't do anything, I can only assume that he'll be showing his big ugly head sometime soon. Oh yes, um... Genkai is one word, well name... you know what I mean. Just thought you'd want to know. I rate this Summa cum laude (Latin 'With highes praise'). Gotta love foreign languages, and hate stupid teachers that can't teach crap. Though, sometimes that's a good thing cause you can just cruise, but it also screws you up at the same time. Oh well, keep up the good work.

The Password:

This is just a note for all of you who think you know the password right now. I would just like to say that I will not make ANY comments in yer review replies about it. Not only would, if you are correct, it spoil it for others, but I do not wish to make you think that you are right when you are wrong, or vice versa. I've gotten comments in the past about the password as well, and that's dandy, but please just know that if you think its blatantly obvious that the password is 'Blah Blah BLAH!' please keep it out of reviews. If you would, however, like to send me an e-mail about it with questions, I would be happy to see what I can do as an author without spoiling my story. In truth, I'm going to stop giving any and all hints as to what might occur in my stories out of contexted. I think it really might be spoiling the over-all story. But I do thank you ALL for the great reviews!

Reviews help make the fat lady sing! LALALALALA!