A.N. - As per usual, all characters (with the exception of OC's) are not mine, but are the property Togashi Yoshihiro. Thank you to all of you who read & reviewed the last chapter, those of you who are new to the story, and most of all those of you who have continued to read despite my chronic absence from writing. Please enjoy this latest chapter!

Poltergeist Report 2: The Untold Saga

Chapter 10 – Demonic Alliance pt. 1

By: Shisoukengo

Kuwabara had called it correctly when he'd told Bui that his offer of further training would not be well-received. Having wanted to enjoy the rest of her retirement after her time with Kuwabara, Genkai explained to him, in her own not so nice and typically blunt manner the only reasons as to why she'd offered him training in the first place.

"This isn't some revolving door where you can drag in any yokai out of the woods to ask me to train. I only offered to train you for two reasons, the first being that you've helped Yusuke quite a bit throughout his tenure as Reikai Tantei. Even though you had no obligation to do it. The second reason is due to not only your potential in terms of your reiki and reikan, but also because of that Jigen-to weapon of yours. It would be a folly for me to allow you to continue to run around with such a weapon in your possession without any proper instruction, especially as it could fall into the hands of some demon should things in the Makai go sour."

Turning, she leveled the teen with a stern gaze, while Kuroko, Kanekita, and Enomoto watched the discussion play out, as she continued on.

"However, I owe no such obligation to a yokai who just a little over a year ago was aligned with Toguro. Especially if his only reason for chasing power is so he can one-up a dead man." Thinking the discussion over, she turned to leave the room, only to be stopped by the calm, deep voice of her student.

"Ya know, I don't know about Sato-san's time as tantei, but I do recall both Sensui and Urameshi havin yokai partners helpin them out in their missions and watchin their backs. I don't see why it's such a bad thing for me ta want the same, 'specially since we all know Koenma has already let the cat outta the bag that I'm the strongest human in Ningenkai. While I know from first hand experience that Sato-san is as strong as you were before ya handed your power over to Urameshi, she's also retired, so I can't look ta her ta back me up in any given situation. If things do go sour in Makai, and Urameshi and the other guys fail to settle things there, then it'd go a long way in helpin me protect this world if I got someone strong and capable watchin my back. Plus, ya did agree to train those guys from the Dark Tournament for Kurama."

"That was a different circumstance. Not only has Kurama also helped Yusuke as you have, but training those six yokai potentially benefitted him in protecting Ningenkai by possibly challenging Yomi or Mukuro's soldiers."

"I get that, Baa-san, but trainin Bui could potentially do the same thing." Gesturing with his thumb to the tall yokai standing outside of the temple, Kuwabara continued on.

"I think that helpin this guy become stronger and givin him a chance to recover his honor could be in tha best interest of Ningenkai as well." He argued, watching as Genkai fully turned back toward him, willing to hear out the teen's reasoning. "We all know I ain't a deep thinker or nothin like that," a snort was given in response to that, "but I know what the guy's goin through. I used ta be obsessed with beatin Urameshi in a fight, ta the point that I would challenge tha punk every day. Unlike me though, Bui didn't get the chance ta get his rematch, like I got so many times with Urameshi, and Urameshi got with Toguro and Sensui. That kinda thing can eat away at a man, and mess with his head, and could possibly turn him into another Toguro. And I'd have ta deal with him, on top of whatever else comes outta the potential shit storm in Makai."

Moving to stand in front of the old master, Kuwabara knelt down and then bowed low in front of her.

"I know why ya went outta your way to train me, and even convince aneki to let ya train me, and I'm deeply grateful to ya, Baa-san. All I'm askin is that ya give Bui some trainin in controlling his yoki. Sato-san can work with me on the rest of my reiki training to free up some time for ya. Please, Genkai-baa-san!"

Genkai looked down on Kuwabara with her typical poker face, not outwardly expressing which way she was leaning in making her decision, or if the teen's words had even affected her original stance. Inside, she was debating with herself whether or not to change her mind. She had to admit he'd made a sound argument, both in having a strong and capable fighter watching his back, as well as insuring that another Toguro wasn't born out of a desperate need for power. Turning back toward the open doorway, she watched the demon as he stood off to the side, observing Kaisei and Fubuki, the two children of Kuroko, playing with the ice demon Yukina. While his face appeared to be etched in stone, giving nothing away, she could see the potential in him in terms of which direction he could go. Taking in a silent breath, before letting out a sigh, she made her decision.

"I'm assuming you made it clear to him that I won't take any crap, and that I expect 100% effort from anyone I decide to give my time to, right?" She asked, half turning back to meet his gaze.

Kuwabara sat up, responding with a firm "Osu."

"Fine, I'll take a chance and help him out this once. However, I'll only cover enough to make sure this guy gains firm control and understanding of his yoki and how to properly wield it. Beyond that, the progress he makes is solely up to him." Kuwabara nodded in acceptance of the offer, also thinking of how he could contribute to his new yokai partner's training.

"Good, now get up off of your ass! Kuroko-chan, I'm leaving this idiot in your hands for today, make sure he doesn't slack off." Genkai spoke her tone once again all business.

"Yes, Genkai-san." Kuroko nodded as she stood up, leading Kuwabara outside into the middle of the clearing in front of the temple, to continue instructing the teen in the finer points of manipulating his reiki.

"Oi, knucklehead," Genkai called out to the stoic demon, a clear reference to the knuckle-shaped scar on his forehead. "I'm not getting any younger and don't have all day, so let's get started with your evaluation so I can determine how much work we've got ahead of us."

Not awaiting a response, the aged master walked into the adjoining training room, a frowning Bui following her. His eyes cut back to the human who had gone out on a limb for him and kept to his word, watching as the woman called Kuroko had him summon his reiken. The demon couldn't help but notice the slight difference between the more stream-lined, elegant looking weapon he now wielded vs the jagged, crude-looking version he'd used during the tournament. Stepping into the training room Genkai had entered into, Bui made a silent vow that he would repay the human's generosity by watching his back, at least until he got a chance to face either the demon who defeated him or the former detective who had defeated his greatest rival.

[]-[]-[]-[]-[]

One Month Later...

Rain fell upon the rooftops from dark clouds that hung over the city. Traffic continued at a more sedate pace than usual, as drivers cautiously navigated the water-laden streets. Umbrellas of various sizes and shades of color dotted the sidewalks as citizens paced briskly from one destination to another, trying to avoid the rain as much as possible. The lights from the buildings and screen advertisements stretched up and outward as if attempting to push back the blanketing darkness of the cloudy night sky.

On the rooftop of one skyscraper, shadows stirred and danced, before beginning to coalesce and take shape. One by one, the shadows emerged from the dark, taking on more defined characteristics. Glowing eyes opened in different colors, pearl white teeth gleamed as if reflecting the light below.

"We finally made it through at last." A voice, soft and scratchy, spoke dispelling the silence. "Ginma-sama's discovery of opening the right portal for us to travel to Ningenkai is quite convenient."

"At least we didn't have the barrier to worry about, that's given us so much more access than we otherwise would've had." A second voice replied, this one silky as two figures began to emerge from the shadows.

"That's to be expected for B-class demons like us." A third voice, gruff and deep, emitted from another figure stepping forward. "Though tha barrier only bein strong enough ta repel A- and S-class yokai's gonna bite those Reikai bastards and these humans in the ass."

"Calm yourself, Douketsu*, don't forget that we are trying to be as inconspicuous as possible." The first figure spoke, stepping out into the light to gaze down on the population below their perch.

A short, lean male, his body covered in wood brown feathers gazed out, his onyx pupils surrounded by amber rings narrowed at the brightness emanating from below. His arms containing fleshy protrusions that connected to his shoulder-blades, operating as wings that contained matching feathers. As such, he only wore plain dark brown trousers.

"Yes, we've only just arrived here, and I'd much rather not have our trip cut short before we've had the opportunity to sample such tasty morsels." The second figure spoke as it too emerged from the shadows, revealing a slender yet busty female form with pale white skin and crimson red eyes. "Do keep in mind I was allowed to accompany you two on this foray only so that I may obtain a meal suitable for goze-sama*."

Two matching horns adorned her forehead, extending outward a few inches before tilting upward, the sharp tips pointing toward the sky. Pale brown hair stretched down her back, ending in multiple barbed tips that matched her blood-red eyes. An elegant black dress, sleeveless and backless, garbed her body, but otherwise doing very little to conceal her physical attributes.

"Hey, Mimizuku*, Sayonaka*, I told ya I'd be cool once we got here, but don't expect me ta hide my glee. After all, we're finally gettin to taste real human flesh for the first time in ages." Douketsu replied as he emerged from the shadows.

A giant, hulking form with skin the color of Earth, his body solid as stone and just as thick, possessing many cracks which adorned his body like battle scars. Standing at least 9 feet tall in height, he too wore only trousers, black in color, with matching boots and a pair of matching gloves. Metallic shackles adorned his wrists, three links of broken chains hanging from them.

"Well, I suppose that is enough sight-seeing. Let's begin the feeding, but remember to keep a low profile." Mimizuku responded, extending his arms in preparation to take flight. His sharp gaze having already selected an isolated prey in the city streets below.

Sayonaka and Douketsu nodded, each of them preparing to descend on their unsuspecting victims below.

"Fraid I can't let you guys do that." Another voice spoke, deep and gruff, surprising the three yokai, causing each one to turn sharply in its direction.

Stunned expressions were worn by all three as they spied a lone human leaning against a cement wall. Arms folded across his chest, his face concealed by the white jacket he wore. His right blue jean-clad leg supported his body while the left bent at the knee, foot rested against the wall in a typically relaxed and nonchalant pose.

'That such a one could sneak up behind me, without my keen senses detecting him! Impossible, there's no way one such as I could have possibly missed his presence.' Mimizuku thought as he addressed the mysterious individual. "Who are you?" His eyes narrowed at the question.

"Oi, you guys are really doin a number on a man's feelings ya know that?" The individual stated as he pushed off of the wall, his arms unfolding as stood tall. "Here I've been doin Urameshi's gig for all these months now, and I still got no rep ta show for it."

He lifted his head then, the hood that helped keep him dry from the rain peeling back slightly to reveal brown eyes and a stony face topped by a deep orange pompadour hairstyle. Douketsu looked back and forth between his comrades and the intruder, his forehead creased in a frown of confusion at the hesitancy of the two youkai.

"What're ya two so afraid of?" He asked as he turned back to the human intruding on their plans for a meal. "We get ta warm-up wit an early snack!"

With a burst of speed that seemed unnatural for someone of such size, Douketsu launched himself at the human, right fist drew back to deliver a devastating punch. The giant stone fist struck home, impacting its target with such force that, for a few short moments, it dispursed all of the rainwater. This had the effect of creating a bubble-like area where no rain fell, while at the same time creating a surrounding mist that momentarily obscured the human from vision.

Douketsu smirked at his triumph, his mouth salivating as he eagerly anticipated devouring whatever was left of the human. It was at this point that the bubble dissipated, and rainwater was once again allowed to fall upon the rooftop of the high-rise building. A strong gust of wind blew, clearing away the mist to reveal the human male standing not only in one piece but in the same upright posture he'd been in before the strike. The stone oni's face was a vision of complete and utter shock, so much so he did not immediately attempt to remove his fist from the human's chest. That is until the human reached with his left hand, grabbing hold of the demon's wrist.

Mimizuku and Sayonaka both also starred equally in shock, as they knew all too well of their companion's reputation as one of the physically strongest demons in the Western section of Makai. Douketsu, shaking off his shock, moved to withdraw his fist to ready another strike, only to find that the human's grip was surprisingly powerful. As if his fist were welded to the smaller being's body.

"Man, guess manners ain't taught much down in tha Makai eh? Ya could've at least let me finish my introduction. Allow me ta reintroduce myself," With this, the human grinned in what could only be described as a combination of cocky and feral manner.

"Reikai Tantei*, Kuwabara Kazuma!"

At the mention of his name, a sudden wave of pressure immersed the group of demons, momentarily paralyzing them. Only their thoughts remained, though their bodies refused to obey any commands for movement whatsoever. A crushing feeling that seemed stifling and overwhelming, encapsulating them in a stranglehold, like the constricting embrace of a python.

'Impossible! No human could possibly possess this much raw power, let alone take Douketsu's punch dead on!' Mimizuku thought, his mind working frantically even as he willed his body to break the hold Kuwabara's innate reiki had on them all. Sayonaka was finally able to voice what the tengu was thinking.

"That can't be! The one called Kuwabara is said to be an ogre of Reikai! One that could crush demons and dispel spirits! There is no way it could be human!" Her voice had lost much of its cultured composure from earlier. Kuwabara's eyebrow twitched at the response, irritated at such a revelation.

'Ya gotta be freakin kiddin me! After all tha crap I've been doin these past few months, I STILL ain't gettin tha credit I should!'

Douketsu was the first to recover movement, once again trying to remove his fist from Kuwabara's grasp. However, this proved to be an exercise in futility as the teen's grip remained strong. The yokai's movement drew Kuwabara's attention however as if reminding the teen that he held the ogre's hand in his grasp.

"That's a mean right hand ya got there big guy," Kuwabara spoke as he raised his own right arm, fist slightly clenched by his face. "Lemme show ya mine!"

With blitzing speed, Kuwabara drove his fist forward, buried into the center of the youkai's abdomen. A loud groan accompanied by the sound of cracking drowned out by the rain. The blow was delivered with such force that it lifted Douketsu off of the ground, his massive frame hanging off of the tantei's fist. Without a word spoken, the teen slowly removed his extremity, stepping aside as the youkai's body dropped to the ground like a stone.

The tantei's eyes remained trained on the other two youkai, watching them in a fashion reminiscent of a jungle cat eyeing its prey.

'We have to move! This is far out of our league!' Mimizuku thought as his will finally snapped the invisible hold on his body. Leaping upward, the youkai's wings spread out as he took flight. "Sayonaka, move!"

The tengu's yell, and movement, snapped his companion into action as she leaped back, putting distance between herself and the human teen. Her hair lengthened and extended, the ends parting then twisting together, forming several separate drill-like braids. Kuwabara quirked an eyebrow as the protrusions shot forward like bullets.

As this took place, Mimizuku drew his wings back, then flexed them forward, glowing feathers dislodging and launching towards the teenager with equal speed to his female companion's attack. Kuwabara appeared unfazed in the face of the two youkai's attacks, seemingly allowing them to strike home. More mist was created in the aftermath of the attack, the rainwater obliterated under the force of both attacks.

Mimizuku hovered in the air, his keen eyesight trained down below while Sayonaka tried to stare into the mist. Being a tengu, Mimizuku's superior eyesight was just barely able to make out a shape in the heavy curtain of mist. His eyes widened even further as the mist slowly began to dissipate, so stunned by what his eyes were discerning that he missed the look of both frustration and pain on Sayona's face as she attempted to recall her locks of hair, only to wince as the braids seemed stuck.

The mist of rainwater finally cleared to reveal Kuwabara standing in the same spot, the female yokai's dark tresses held in his iron-like grip. The seemingly lifeless body of Douketsu still laid at the feet of the human teen, apparently untouched by the destructive force of the attacks. This, as well as the appearance of the surroundings, did not escape Mimizuku's attention.

'This is insane! Not just this human, but even Douketsu, or this structure itself! None of it is damaged at all!' Mimizuku thought as he took everything in.

The lapse in attention proved ill-advised, as Kuwabara's eyes cut from one yokai to the other. With as little movement as possible, the teen formed his left hand in a yonhon nukite* position, before lashing out in a horizontal strike. The strike served to sever Sayonaka's hair cleanly, the sharp tips still held in his grasp as her locks were finally able to return to her. She grimaced, face contorting into a look of rage as she espied the damage done to her dark tresses.

Mimizuku, however, followed the teen's movements and at the last minute, quickly veered to the side, avoiding an attack that would've bifurcated him.

'He somehow was able to conceal his reiki completely! How is that even possible!' He thought, having noticed the shimmering and disturbance in the rainfall. 'I only just managed to notice that attack because of the disturbance in the droplets of rain. Otherwise, he would've cut me in half!'

Turning to warn his comrade, he could only watch in horror as Sayonaka's face transformed from anger back to shock as a cut opened across her chest, blood spurting from the open wound as she collapsed to the ground. Turning his gaze upward, Kuwabara locked eyes with the last yokai, his stony features morphing as he grinned at his opponent.

"Hoh, so ya managed ta dodge that last attack huh? Pretty sharp eyes ya got there." He turned fully towards the flying yokai. "Still, I doubt ya noticed the strike before that eh?"

At this, Mimizuku wore a look of surprise, before suddenly experiencing a feeling of vertigo as he twisted and then plummeted to the ground, striking with a loud thud and groan. Blood erupted as multiple cuts formed at numerous points on his body. As the yokai groaned once more, and then went still, Kuwabara palmed his face in exasperation.

"Damn it, didn't mean ta actually kill the guy," he spoke aloud as he removed his hand from his face. Turning toward the other two yokai, he sighed again before turning toward the direction of the roof entrance, where he'd been standing he when first made his presence known.

"Oi, ya can come out now, Mitarai!" At his call, a figure cloaked in a yellow raincoat stepped around the side of the roof access.

"Sugoi, Kuwabara-san! Your plan seems to be a complete success." The smaller teen stated as he surveyed the prone forms of the two yokai, and the lifeless corpse of the third. "Just what type of yokai do you think they are?"

"Hmmm, lessee," Kuwabara stated as his eyes scanned the three youkai, starting with Mimizuku, "looks like a tengu." His gaze then swept to the stone ogre, "an oni," before a soft groan drew his attention to the female youkai, "and a harionna."

Both teens watched as the demoness tried to sit up, only to wince in pain and fall back down as another spurt of blood erupted from her open wound. Casually placing his hands in his pockets, Kuwabara walked over to the yokai.

"Oi, I wouldn't try ta sit up if I were you," he stated as he stood over Sayona's fallen form. Cracking open her eyes, she watched him warily and with no small amount of fear.

"P-please don't kill me," she pleaded. Kuwabara blinked, honestly perplexed at the youkai's words.

'Man, they've really gassed those rumors up,' he thought before releasing a sigh. "Relax lady, I got no intention to kill ya. In fact, ya play nice, and I'll even see that ya get patched up."

The yokai's eyes widened at the teen's revelation, unable to comprehend the human's motives. They then widened further as a flash of light was followed by the appearance of a metallic sword the color of fire. The blade, shaped in the form of a daito*, so unlike the crude and jagged appearance of his former reiken, was held mere inches from her face. His gaze piercing, he stared down at her with unwavering focus, an action which did not go unnoticed by Mitarai.

"I'll let ya live, patch ya up, and even send ya back to Makai, as long as ya make sure to do one thing," he grinned at her stunned and frightened look, "make sure ya set tha record straight about who's really protecting Ningenkai now."

Feeling the heat being given off by the energy of his blade, yet unable to look away from his eyes, the youkai could only mutter a single response.

"Kuwabara...Kazuma" She whispered, then fainted from shock. Withdrawing his blade in the same flash of light, Kuwabara relaxed, turning to address his fellow teen.

"Thanks for tha help Mitarai," he spoke as he passed the blond, patting him on the shoulder as he did so.

"It was no problem, Kuwabara-san. Though I must say your plan was really effective and intuitive." This drew the attention of the tantei, who glanced over his shoulder with a mock glare.

"Oi, ya tryin ta flatter me, Mitarai?" The blond shook his head in response, and Kuwabara grinned back at him. "Good, now let's clean up here so we can hit the road and get out of this downpour."

Holding his right hand out while clasping his wrist, a look of focus reappeared on his face as with a grunt of effort, he summoned a different blade of reiki. Emitting a golden glow, a stark difference from his previously summoned reiken, the Jigen-to illuminated the surrounding area, the glow so bright it actually managed to draw attention from the civilian passerby below. Gripping the weapon in both hands, Kuwabara swung the weapon in a series of concentrated strikes, a pattern that appeared to carve out a glowing kanji before he suddenly stabbed the center of it. Giving a slight twist, the energy patterns swirled, widened then convalesced until a circular void was seen in front of them, a very rip in the fabric of space through which a red, thunderous sky and an almost barren patch of land could be seen.

Disengaging his weapon, Kuwabara nodded to Mitarai, before turning and lifting the still unconscious form of Douketsu. Straightening back up with a slight grunt of effort, he then bodily threw the oni into the void, Mitarai dragging the lifeless form of Mimizuku over to the tantei. Kuwabara assisted Mitarai in lifting the youkai, before depositing him into the void in much the same manner he had his comrade. Both teens then watched as the void slowly shrunk before closing completely. They both then turned to the unconscious Sayona, Kuwabara finally sighing and rolling his shoulders.

"Alright, I'll carry this chick. You keep some pressure on that wound til we can get ya to tha temple."

Mitarai nodded and, considering their task officially over, snapped his fingers. The water surrounding the building they were standing on glowed to reveal that the structure had been ensconced in it, before suddenly falling away to join the rest of the rainfall in the streets below. The female youkai in his arms, Kuwabara turned and led the way back through the roof access door, Mitarai following behind him.

"Unbelievable, that kid actually defeated three B-ranked yokai with such ease!" A brown-haired woman stated from her position on the roof of an adjacent building.

"Agreed, Oho, but what's even more surprising is that he managed to do so without endangering the humans below." A raven-haired man spoke in concurrence, standing a few feet away from the woman. "Using that other kid's psychic talent of controlling water to engulf the building, and isolate it in a separate dimension was quite an idea indeed."

"Yes, as was his tactic of using the pressure of his reiki to distract them from the kid's presence. Though I'm still unsure as to how he defeated the tengu." A third individual spoke, blue hair tied up with a bandana, as he turned to speak to a figure in a direction behind them. "It really is impressive that Genkai-san could develop such improvement in such a trainwreck of a pupil."

"Yare yare, you Defense Force guys have to be some special kind of assholes to hold an old lady solely responsible for my cute little pupil's development," the anonymous figure spoke in response, refusing to rise to their bait of insulting his student. A student whose pose he ironically adopted as he addressed the Reikai soldiers. The blue-haired man smirked in reply, familiar with the human male's reputation in the martial arts world, as well as his temperament.

"I see, so you instructed him in her stead?" He frowned after a moment of thought. "But that can't be possible, considering you lack the spiritual talents as that kid."

Expecting a crack in the human's cool demeanor, he was met instead with a smirk as the man lifted his hands, shrugging in response.

"Nah, the spiritual stuff was all Genkai-san and Kuroko-san's doin, I just made sure the kid stayed in shape." He spoke as he shoved off of the wall, placing his hands in his pockets as he moved to the rooftop's exit, much in the same manner as his pupil previously.

"Interesting, a joint effort between one of the greatest psychics alive, the first Reikai Tantei, and the only surviving pupil of...him." At this, the Reikai captain finally got the response he desired, a fleeting pause accompanied by the slightest tense in the human's shoulders. "Something wrong, mikagiru-san*?"

Turning his head slightly, the man gave a look of wry amusement. While it perplexed the other Spirit Defense Force members and thus put them on edge, the Reikai captain didn't flinch in the slightest.

"Please, do stop with the scare tactics, Enomoto-san. You're only of middle B-class level at best, you don't have the strength to stand against A-class soldiers like us," the captain's eyes then cut to a dark corner of the roof near the martial artist, "even if you've taken to associating with an A-class yokai."

At the mention of the demon, a figure stepped forward from the shadows, clad in demonic-looking samurai armor. An orange tunic wrapped around dark blue pants, coupled with matching orange shinguards and a long-sleeved blue shirt completed the yokai's look. A quiet chuckle drew the Reikai commander's attention back to the human male.

"Fraid you're mistaken on a thing or two." He gestured with his thumb toward the armor-clad demon, "Bui-san here ain't with me. He's my cute little pupil's partner and fellow disciple."

The yokai said nothing, merely continuing the heavy breathing that he'd become known for. Enomoto's smirk then grew almost feral in appearance as he set his sight back onto the Reikai captain, his body beginning to glow in a faint crimson glow.

"Shunjun-taichou!" the two Reikai soldiers cried out, their captain's eyes widening in surprise.

However, their reactions weren't in response to the reiki of the human in front of them, but to the glowing yellow sword that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and now rested against the captain's neck. Turning his head, Shunjun was met with the hardened gray eyes of the teen psychic they had just seen leave not long before.

"And the other thing you're mistaken on is that there are TWO A-class fighters here!" Enomoto grinned at the response of the captain of Reikai's most elite soldiers. Rare was it that he was ever caught off-guard.

Turning from the teenage tantei back to his sensei, Shunjun raised his hand to signal his two soldiers to stand down. Still keeping cool under pressure, the captain addressed his would-be assailants as if he were wholly ignorant of the weapon drawn against his throat.

"Again, quite impressive, I must say. It appears Genkai-san trained you not just in understanding the full abilities of your blade, but increasing the speed with which you can summon it."

"Yeah, baa-san ain't really one to half-ass things when it comes ta training," he spoke while disengaging the Jigen-to. The captain kept his poker face intact, careful not to let too much of his curiosity seep through his visage.

"I do have a question though, how did you strike down the tengu?" His question caused the teen to quirk an eyebrow, which only spurred the Reikai captain to elaborate. "My teammates and I were watching your confrontation carefully, yet none of us noticed you strike the killing blow."

Kuwabara remained silent for a moment, as he regarded the Reikai force carefully. Finally, he settled for giving a smirk, before walking past the trio to approach his sensei & youkai partner. However, he spoke as he walked forward.

"Sorry, but I've learned the value of keepin my cards close ta my chest." He stopped just before reaching the other two, glancing back with one gleaming eye, "ya can just consider it a by-product of my training."

With that, the trio leaped off, skipping off across rooftops and disappearing into the darkness. The Reikai captain finally allowed his mask to fall, a confident grin of his own slipping into place.

"Hmm, very interesting indeed." Turning to his subordinates, his grin was replaced with one of contemplation. "We must inform Enma-daiou of this new development right away, as well as the rest of our team. This could prove useful in the times to come."

With a nod from the other two, the three glowed in a brilliant light before shooting up into the sky.

[]-[]-[]-[]-[]

Dark eyes surveyed the chaos spread before them, the fires and other destruction a pleasing sight for the creature to behold. Blood pooled into puddles & streams from the bodies of victims who lay slain on the ground nearby. The demonic steed the being sat on grunted as it huffed a breath, though otherwise, it didn't stir. This held true even as in a flash of movement, a demon landed before it, crouched low in a bow before the beast and the master who sat atop it.

"All enemy forces have been either slain or subjugated, Ginma-sama."

Covered in gleaming, grey, serrated armor, Ginma's gaze glanced down upon it's subordinate, its face giving no hint of any other reaction to the news.

"What of our objective?"

"Achieved milord, we have obtained the mystic that you sought."

"Excellent, my crusader, prepare the skull knights for departure. There is one more task to achieve before the path to Ningenkai can be carved." Its dark eyes glowed with renewed zeal at the thought. "Then, I will lead us on the path of carnage and usurp the rule of Ningenkai from incompetents in Reikai."

The crusader, garbed in obsidian armor with a matching tattered cape draped from his shoulders, soulless eyes in a human-like skull topped with flowing red hair, glanced upward, staring straight past the demonic steed his master sat on rather than make eye contact.

"What of our connection with the leader of Reikai's forces?"

Ginma glanced back ahead, continuing to observe the carnage that surrounded him.

"It matters not. I have accumulated enough power in my time here in Makai to challenge Enma himself. And having handed their greatest assets, the Reikai Tantei & his yokai partners, over to the three kings, has ensured that there is no defender in Ningenkai who can match either yours or the Talwar's strength. Combined with the skull knights at my disposal, and even Reikai's Defense Force will not be able to stand in my way."

The dark crusader nodded before standing, turning to join his master in gazing out on the carnage displayed before them.

Kuwabara reveals a glimpse of the results of his six months of training under the tutelage of Genkai and the others. But who are these dark figures who have set their sights on the human world? And what type of terrible plot are they seeking to unleash?

To Be Continued...

Glossary:

Douketsu – meaning grotto, it is a reference to the demon being a stone oni or ogre.

Mimizuku – meaning horned owl, a reference to the breed of tengu, or bird tribe, this demon is a member.

Sayonaka – meaning midnight, a reference to her being a member of a vampiric breed of demons.

Goze-sama – meaning "my lady", or a way of saying "mistress", inferring she serves a female leader.

Ginma - has two separate parts, gin meaning silver, and ma meaning fiend, translating to "silver fiend" and fitting with this villain's theme.

Daito – a type of blade which averaged 40-42 inches in cutting edge length, and compared to a katana was generally lighter in weight in proportion to its length, had a greater taper from hilt to point, was more curved with a smaller point area, was worn with the cutting edge down, rather than up like the katana.

Yonhon nukite – a hand strike derived from Karate, where the hand is kept open and rigid, and the focal point of delivery of the strike is on the very edge of the palm (known as the shuto).