Chapter 10

Kitsune was oddly silent as they walked into the woods. Yuuji was use to her starting small talk, and yet as of late, she wouldn't reply. "Kitsune, is everything okay?" he asked.

She stopped; slowly she turned to him and said. "The divine users have been bothering you, haven't they?" she asked.

"They were, I admit, but they haven't been as of late, not after Suiryu scared them off from when they tried to make me blow up…"

"We took care of those ones ourselves…" Kitsune said in a dark tone. "The loss of one hands was insufficient penitence for what they did to you."

"Kitsune…"

"As such, as your teacher and guardian, we took it upon ourselves to warn them not to come in contact with you. But I fear many of them are merely regrouping and will try again. I need to have you ready young master. For if they come, they will not leave without you."

Yuuji froze to the news, he shook his head to it all. "Why do they want me so badly? Just because I can ask the divine for help?"

"It's more than that. They know of the dragon in you, and to them, that is a sacred beast. They are the strongest out of the divine and their power is unmatched. Those of the divine users are seeking the power so they can have unlimited summons to command. Some even wish to start a new world with only divine users…"

"Sounds like the same ones from the curse users…" he muttered. "Kitsune, they can't take Ryujin out of me, can they?" he asked.

She muffled a giggle to him. "Young master, you forget yourself, Ryujin was trying to escape from you when he first took over your body. How do you think the divine users will take him if Ryujin himself cannot escape?"

"It's not that simple is it Kitsune?"

Yuuji froze as Suiryu came out from the woods. He looked at her oddly and she at him. Her nose instantly turned up at him. "I don't care what Ryujin says about you, you reek of Sukuna!" she protested to him.

He wasn't hurt by the comment, if anything he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I get it, but still, the longer you treat me like an enemy the more you lose me as an ally" he warned. "Besides, you are not telling him the whole story"

Yuuji looked between the two. "Whole story?" he asked.

"The divine users have lost their power and way from what I have learned through Ryujin and seeing through your eyes as well, brother. They are desperate to regain what they have lost over the centuries, and they believe the easiest way to do it is to harness the dragon's power. It's far easier said than done, since dragons are nearly non existent now in the mortal realm."

He nodded in understanding to that. "Young master is aware of that…" Kitsune said bitterly.

"Yeah, but he's not aware of the OTHER thing is he?"

"What other thing?"

Kitsune however wasn't that worried. "The last time a human tried was thousands of years ago… Sukuna was the last or at least look into it!" she protested.

"What?!" Yuuji demanded as he felt he was getting no closer to the answer let alone understand what they were talking about.

Suiryu turned to Yuuji. "There is a method, for a sorcerer to cultivate and reach a new point of power, for there are many stages. Sorcerer, demon, grand sorcerer, and the last… is dragon. For they are considered heavenly and the ultimate being."

He paused to his words. "You can get enough power to be called a dragon?" he asked.

"Yes, Kitsune told you this once before had she not?" he asked curiously and looked towards the fox woman oddly. "Sukuna was considered to be a dragon in his prime, when he reached to the demonic sorcerer level of strength. But why wasn't he a dragon?" he asked aloud.

Kitsune sneered. "There are many ways to go about it, some are far more dangerous than others, and it depends on the cultivator." She said bitterly. "HOWEVER, I stand by the statement that no human nor demon has reached that level since! For that matter, all who tried failed…"

"What does this have to do with me?" Yuuji asked.

Suiryu sighed. "Part of the method that may allow a human to reach that level. I do believe you recall many of them stated they slay dragons to gain their power? Well, some will test that theory on you, for they are considering you one in the same as the beast within you. One who contains a dragon, may very well just call themselves one."

Yuuji smirked for a moment. "Me… a dragon?" he said and then snickered. "They are going to be greatly disappointed!"

Suiryu however wasn't laughing. "Yuuji, please take this seriously." He said as he bore no grin of his own.

He stopped laughing immediately.

Yuuji took a seat on the forest floor as he let the information sink in. It's not like he hasn't dealt with divine users before, they weren't that strong in his books to say the least. But if it has Suiryu and Kitsune concerned, he is starting to think he should be as well. "What do you suggest I do?" he asked.

"Keep learning your divine energy, but bro, I strongly urge your keep with your cursed abilities for the most part. Your power in that can easily overwhelm them, you have the most control over that as well. Divine also cannot sense cursed energy."

"But he needs his lessons!" Kitsune protested.

"I agree he does, but I am merely suggesting that he does not use divine energy in battle." He paused for a moment. "You haven't been able to use it since the incident have you?" he asked aloud. "You said so yourself to me that your jujutsu was off…"

Kitsune paused as she turned to Yuuji. "Incident?" she asked.

"He mixed the two out of desperation." Suiryu stated. "I never felt power like that before, not even Sukuna has. He was able to combine the two, it's what destroyed the curses and most of the followers that tried to get him to burst with energy. You were out for four days after that… that would have made you a sitting duck for those who are seeking to control you!"

Suddenly, Yuuji found Kitsune glaring at him. "You MIXED them! You barely have even used divine energy and YOU MIXED THEM!" she protested.

He was silent. "I… I didn't know what else to do…" he said meekly.

"If it's any consolation, he did rather well for his first attempt, but I noticed since then, he has merely been cultivating divine and curse energy. He hasn't been able to use it again… which makes me believe he has done something to himself… a wound that has yet to be addressed let alone healed in that time frame."

"Why didn't you say anything before!" he protested.

Suiryu shrugged his shoulders. "Quite frankly, you are the one that should notice the changes to your body more than me. I merely observe and can see from there what has happened. Right now, I am sensing the flow of energy in your arms has stopped completely."

He suddenly found Kitsune grabbing his arms, her fingers traced up and down each of the limbs before she turned to Suiryu stunned. "He burst the energy veins…"

Suiryu nodded. "Thought as much…"

"Wait, I burst energy veins?"

"Why else have you not been using divine energy let alone ask Kitsune for lessons?" Suiryu questioned. "As energy circulates the body, if there is a path cutting it off, it won't flow, no flow and you have no use of that power."

"Wait, how can YOU see this?" Kitsune demanded of him. "How can you see me for that matter? I never gave you permission."

Suiryu smirked to her. "Ryujin taught me how to see divine energy, similar to using reverse jujutsu. I just modified it to fit my needs."

Yuuji stared down at his arms, be tried to sense the flow of divine energy in him, but found that it stopped the moment it hit his arms. In fact, he felt sick more than anything as he tried to make it flow properly again. "STOP!" Kitsune ordered.

Yuuji did so at once as she took her fan and smacked him over the head!

"OW" he protested.

"You need to tell me these things!" she scolded him. But sighed aloud. "He can't train until the veins are healed…" she muttered.

"Allow me, it will be a few treatments but I think I can do something…" Suiryu approached him and just as Kitsune ran her fingers down his arms, Suiryu did the same, but Yuuji felt a small surge follow! "This will be a few treatments, but we will get everything flowing once more, for now, no summoning divine energy. You may even want to hold off on the curse energy too."

Yuuji merely nodded his head and lowered it before them. "Thank you Suiryu, and I'm sorry Kitsune."

She on the other hand was looking at Suiryu oddly. "Is this why my master kept you around?" she asked. "To help him?"

He shrugged his shoulders in an uncaring manner. "I don't give a shit as to why he kept me around, all I know is that I'm here and I can do a lot to assist in the matter at hand."

"You are becoming less repugnant in my mind…" she said offhandedly.

"And so are you in mine" Suiryu replied.