Suzume.

Fourth day on the job and I'd been practicing my cover with the customers. The persona of Ito, Yori, was fun… in its own way.

Ito, Yori was flirty and spunky. I owed that persona to watching the college teens that strolled through and spent time in the little nook of a coffee shop I worked at.

I gave credit to the main three I had to watch over. They were next in line.

"Yori, biiiiiitch," Natsume sighed. She hiked her messenger bag over her shoulder before picking up a couple of bagged pastries and setting them on the counter. "Black coffee, pleeeeaaase."

"As usual." I smiled and glanced to the blonde. "Hayashi?"

She smiled and tapped her index finger against her lips as her eyes scanned the menu above my head. "I've wanted to try it for a while, so… hot chocolate, please!"

I nodded and looked to the quiet girl in the group. She was tying her locks in a tight bun atop her head. "Fukui?"

"Uh… I guess I'll have the orange juice drink," she replied.

"The one with a splash of caffeine or the bottle?" I asked, pointing behind me with the pen to the small refrigerator that contained all our bottled drinks.

"The one with caffeine." She nodded.

Hayashi paid and the three sat at the little bar stools off to the side of the counter, away from the line. With their textbooks in front of them on the counter, they ate their treats and talked quietly among themselves.

I finished their orders and set the cups in front of them as Natsume picked up her jingling cell phone.

"Akane speaking." She flashed me her index and middle finger and gave me a little wink as I nodded.

I decided to run for my coworkers and finish their orders instead of taking new ones. If I didn't focus on listening to a customer I could eaves drop on the conversation. But the number of caffeine shots this young man wanted in his coffee distracted me.

What was wrong with children these days? I watched them more than I interacted with them. The youth I carried over weren't too bad; it was the youth I observed.

So different…

It was as if the generations' youth became dimmer and dimmer in intelligence as time passed.

I set the drink on the counter next to my coworker just as they handed the customer their change.

"Thanks, Ito!" He grinned.

"No problem, sugar." I patted his shoulder and walked to another register.

Reading the order, I focused more on Natsume and her friends.

"Christ, Ami, what the fuck is that?" Natsume gasped, looking at Hayashi's textbook.

"Physics," she replied with a blasé shrug.

"Physics, huh," Natsume snorted. "Can't you find like circumferences and speed and distances with that shit?"

"Well, yeah—"

"Find the circumference and speed of my ass before it hits the couch when Kinpachi-sensei is on." Hayashi sighed as Natsume cackled childishly. *

"Well." Hayashi gave a playful smile. "Considering your hip measurement is, what? Thirty-six inches?"

"Fuck you."

Hayashi glanced to me, noticing me watching her. It happened every time they came in here the past four days. The first time she caught me I was a bit nervous so I did what Ito, Yori, would.

I gave a playful smirk and wink, just like I did today.

Hayashi lips puckered to repress a smirk, and Natsume noticed her lips curve and cast a glance to me. Like the school girls they were, Natsume covered her mouth and looked back to Hayashi to gossip.

The first time this happened, I was nervous they were calling me out in my disguise, figuring me suspicious. But each time this happened, Hayashi would turn her attention back to Natsume. I realized the whispers were always about something else.

My coworker handed his customer their change and my attention piqued when I heard Fukui speak.

"Fujihara wanted to know if we're going to his party tonight," Fukui interrupted. It was with such little emotion it was as if she was saying this despite knowing Natsume's answer.

"We're going to the dealer's tonight," Natsume replied, tone laced with irritation. "You know that."

"Yeah, I know." Fukui shrugged, eyes still on her textbook.

"Then why the fuck would you even bother bringing that up?"

Fukui didn't reply; she merely stared down at her orange drink with the same distant, tired look she always bore.

I made a mental note to call Aiko later tonight and mention the word "dealer's" to see if she knew anything or if it was important. It was the first mention of anything not related to school or their social circle I figured I should note.

Koenma.

There was a joke about our file's room. Employees said it was so big it was another level of hell.

It was true, though, how big it was. If one wasn't careful, they could get lost for weeks on end in the room. With files on every being since the dawn of Reikai, the room might as well have been another realm all its own.

That was why I'd given up searching through here before.

I'd decided to go through the files many times before but was never able to make it far due to the sheer amount. The most recent time was when Sensui first disappeared with the tape. When the tape disappeared, along with him, the reaction from officials and my father wasn't a huge one.

It didn't settle with me and so I began searching—and unfortunately I gave up about two weeks into my little case. I went in blind and no idea what to look for, so I was on a wild goose chase.

Sadly, years later, I still was on a wild goose chase.

I knew at least to narrow the time line of my search down to the last few hundred years—when Reikai put up the barrier. Still, hundreds of years' worth of files on every being was daunting and far from promising.

"Lord Koenma," Jorge mumbled behind me, holding up the lantern to shed more light in the dim room. "Do you have an idea of what you're looking for this time?"

"No…" I grumbled, walking down the first aisle. "But I do know I need to start looking within a certain time frame."

"But Lord Koenma, that still leaves billions of files regardless."

"You don't think I know that, Jorge?!" I snapped, feeling better when I watched him flinch away from me. "I need more of a direction than that."

"Well…" He followed after me down the aisle, looking up at the sky scraper-esque bookshelves that towered above us. "Why not look at all the barrier official's records?"

"Yeah and find them squeaky clean! If there really is something going on with them like hell will it be in the records, idiot Jorge!"

He twiddled his thumbs, mumbling to himself about just how unappreciated he was and blah, blah, blah. It all went in one ear and out the other.

"No matter what I narrow it down to in this time frame, I'm still going to have billions of files to go through," I griped. "I'm going to have to go through them all until I find something wrong or Aiko comes back with information."

Jorge sighed behind me. "I'll get started…"

As much as I would have loved pushing the task on him, I knew I couldn't afford to let something slip by because he was ignorant of some text.

"Let's start looking a couple years before the barrier went up," I said, turning out of the aisle and into another.

Aiko.

There was something about my relationship with mechanical pencils. It was an off-again-on-again thing; it was strong and magical but devastatingly short. No matter how diligent I was about putting them back in my pencil case they always seemed to turn up missing the next time I opened it.

I used pens for notes, not assignments, and using wood pencils was out of the question because I wasn't a godless heathen.

I stole Kurama's brand new pack of pencils. It wasn't fair that I had to keep losing mine and his always seemed to stay put. Obviously, this didn't bother Kurama in the slightest because, well, they were fucking pencils. But I felt real smug with a brand new handful of them in my bag.

I sat in the botany club's room with him as he finished club activities.

He stood across the room in front of the window with the two other plant dweebs, mulling over some weird vegetable at their workbench. I sat at one of the benches near the doors working on the new subsection of chemistry that my teacher started. The first few weeks were our review of general chemistry, and now we entered the next set.

This was easier than gen chem so far, so I didn't mind all the assignments.

Pretty absorbed in the work, I jumped in fright at the sudden bout of beeping that came from my blazer pocket. I knew the two plant dweebs were also tech geeks so I figured I should take the call in the hallway. Last thing I needed was for them to see Reikai's advanced technology.

Closing the sliding door behind me, I looked around the hallway as I leaned against the wall. Plenty of students were still here. I could hear their chatter from behind the other closed classroom doors. But they were all inside and occupied, not in the hallway.

Pulling out the compact, I noted the familiar golden hue flashing in tune with each beep under the silver lining. Suzume was calling. Flipping it open, the screen flashed the sunset's color. I pressed a little button and Suzume's face flickered into view.

"Got anything useful?" I asked.

"Not sure," she replied. "The girls mentioned the dealership."

With a deep breath, I looked out the window. Eyes squinting from the sun's setting rays, I thought aloud. "Could be, but… her mother owns plenty of dealerships throughout Japan." I looked back to the screen. "Keep tabs on it, though. That's her family after all. It could be something."

I wasn't too upset about having such little information coming in from Suzume. It'd only been roughly four days. I didn't expect her to give me anything worthwhile so soon.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"Is it natural for her to treat Fukui like that?"

The question took me by surprise. "Like what? Shit…? Yeah."

"She didn't want to go to the dealers," she replied.

"She said 'no' to Natsume?" I scoffed a laugh. "No way."

"No, she didn't say 'no'," she corrected me. "She was noticeably upset about having to go."

I found myself scratching the back of my neck, confused. "Well, they usually go to the dealerships to see Natsume's mom and pick up whatever new prescription drug she has."

After that mental breakdown in her room, I figured Fukui would want to numb herself for a while. Especially now with having to live with Natsume.

"Thanks for ear hustling, though." I smiled and gave her a wink. "See how often they go."

"What's the usual?"

"Well, when she lived here with her parents, her mom got a new prescription every four months or so. The stuff she's prescribed is really strong. She either needs to get off it so she doesn't become physically dependent on it or it 'doesn't work' and she gets new medication." I remembered the day I watched her pop almost five milligrams of klonopin. She still managed to function like the sales queen she was. "I'd say if she goes every week, there's something fishy. She's close to her mom but not that close."

Suzume nodded. "That's all I have then. I'll keep you updated."

I returned the gesture. "Thanks."

Her screen flickered out and I stared out the window again. With a heavy sigh, I figured I should make a call to Natsume and "hang out." But just as the thought passed through my mind, my compact started beeping again. I glanced down to the bright pink light flashing on the screen.

Botan.

Pressing the middle button, the reaper's cheery face showed on the other end. "Hello, Aiko!"

Teasing her, I matched the exasperated tone to my expression. "Oh, great. What'd I do wrong now?"

Okay, so I wasn't teasing her.

"Nothing." Her lips split apart into her trademark cheerful smile. "I'm just calling to let you know you have an appointment with Genkai this Friday afternoon!"

"You make it sound like a doctor's appointment," I replied. "What's it about?"

"Pack a spare change of clothes," Botan said, and my face dropped.

"I'm not doing any work or training, right?" I glared at Botan.

She shrugged. "I'm not sure, to be honest."

Yeah fuckin' right. She was deliberately hiding something from me.

"All I know is Koenma said you need to show up and talk to her. It's important and regards your case."

Inhaling dramatically, I let out a rivaling sigh. "Okay. Friday. What should I tell my parents I'm doing?"

"Koenma is going to take care of it!" Botan flickered off the screen without even saying goodbye. She knew I was going to ream her.

Closing the compact, I shoved it in my blazer pocket. Something was fishy. Why was I going to stay the night at Genkai's if she didn't have something in mind for me?

Ugh. I had a bad feeling about this.

Kurama.

"Well, look, the first batch's parents were both pure bred." I glanced over to Matsu, the tallest of the three here this evening. He was writing down numbers on his notepad, calculating data we received when we went to the garden last weekend. "First batch's progeny all came out purple. That's pretty rare."

"We won't know they're pure bred until the next generation comes out," I reminded him. I was careful in putting the white and purple hibiscus into a smaller pot.

The botany club filled their room with plants. A myriad of flowers and other greenery hung from the ceiling in pots and decorated the benches and shelves. Most of these would be leaving to decorate the garden.

The botany club recently decided to begin their own garden in a small lot a ways off campus. I offered the idea of making vegetable gardens in places around the prefecture. This was to give me an alibi for weekends and long trips away from Mother when I went to Makai. I'd be aiding in a cold war under the guise of creating gardens in low-income areas to provide fresh, cheap produce for the locals.

Meiou High's board was still mulling over the possibility, but I knew they would agree. So long as we could find some funding for the beginning of the project, there shouldn't be a problem. They would allow us one garden to begin with and see how we fared with the project.

The simple genetics experiments we began on the pea flowers were for our biology project.

"Second batch gave a few white flowers," Aki replied.

A familiar spark, like the one that night at the department store, flickered briefly in the air. With a wave of anger washing over me, I took off the white lab coat, folded it, and set it on the workbench behind me.

"If you'll excuse me," I said, drawing Aki and Matsu's attention to me. "I'll be back."

The two nodded in response and returned to their work as I went to leave. The door opened as I approached it. Aiko stopped and cocked her head to the side in curiosity. I nodded to the hallway and she stepped out of my way.

Leaning against the wall, I leaned down to whisper. "Yomi's subordinates are here again—"

"Where?" she hissed; irritation radiated from her every pore.

"No, I need you to stay here," I replied, hoping my harsh tone would get through to her. "Stay with Aki and Matsu; stay in people's sights."

"Are they trying to fight…?" she asked, bewildered. "Here?"

"No, I don't think that's their intention, but I won't take the possibility off the table," I replied. "I need you to stay in sight of people. They won't harm humans but if something happens to you at least it will be easier tracking you."

"Damned if I go up there and damned if I don't," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Stay alert," I said, turning to leave. "Stay safe."

Her arm gripped my jacket's sleeve and I glanced over my shoulder to her. Her tone and features were just as demanding as mine had been. "You stay safe."

With a reassuring smile, I placed my hand atop hers and gently guided it off my arm. "I will."

We parted ways and I could hear her answering Aki's question of where I went. "The bathroom."

I headed to the roof, knowing that'd be the smartest place for them to hide. They were hiding around the door, leaning against the wall. I approached the chain link fence and kept my distance from him as I gazed out to the city skyline.

It was the same wrapped youkai from the alley that night. He kept his hat low still, shielding his face from view. I waited for him to speak, tell me why he dared show himself again, but he didn't.

"I excused your last appearance." I decided to speak. "And I'll excuse this one as well since I'm sure you're here for my answer. But do note if you continue to linger around this realm to keep tabs on me and my human life, I will not hesitate to produce your corpse to Yomi."

He gave a low, throaty chuckle in response. Either he was ignorant or arrogant. Either would be his downfall.

"Don't worry," he replied. "Whatever information Yomi wanted, he already received. I'm here for your answer."

"Subtle threat," I noted. "I'm not afraid to revoke my help."

Another laugh. "It wasn't a threat, I assure you. Just the truth. Now, are you willing to aid our Lord?"

I'd been mulling over my response ever since I received the message. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and then I knew exactly what I had to do. And they were the same answer. Part of my reasoning was from guilt and the need to repent. Part of it the need to protect those dear to me from Yomi's newfound political power. And part of it, a small part of it, was the desire to again taste the past I left behind sixteen years ago.

The words flew out effortlessly, sealing my fate. "I have terms he must be willing to accommodate."

"Such as?"

"I've embedded myself in this realm. Disappearing for an extended amount of time is not an option."

He was quick to reply. "There is no way to help Lord Yomi from this realm. He needs you present in Makai."

"I would be present in Makai," I replied. "But only for a certain amount of time each visit."

He paused in thought and gave such an authoritative answer it was almost as if Yomi had planned to hear this from me. "He'll agree to it if you're able to come and go through the barrier as you please, without suspicion."

"That won't be a problem," I assured him. "You can tell him I'll arrive in a few months to discuss this with him further."

"B—"

I cut him off. "Mukuro plans to attack Yomi when Raizen passes on. Based on my information of how long Raizen hasn't eaten, he still has at least a year left to live. Waiting a few months to solidify my alibi won't hinder Yomi's protection or plans to win the war."

There was a pause again, and then I knew for sure Yomi was aware of my every intention. "July."

"Yes. Now leave and do not show yourself here again."

And with that, he disappeared.

I waited on the rooftop, sensing the immediate area for any others lurking. When I felt it was safe, I returned inside Meiou. Walking down the stairs and through the halls, I wondered how often Yomi was keeping tabs on me. I knew he would send his stealthiest men to watch over my human life.

How deep had they dug into my personal affairs? He knew of my mother's wedding. What else had he surfaced? And what would he use against me?

"He's been gone for a while if he's just using the bathroom." Aki's voice carried through the quiet hallway.

Aiko's voice came next, dragging me out of my worry and letting exasperation take its place. "He's probably just having some trouble dropping the kids off at the pool."

I gave a heavy sigh as Aki and Matsu paused in confusion. It hit Matsu first and he groaned in disgust.

"You have to be the classiest girl at Meiou, you know that, Hojo?"

Her laughter washed the exasperation away and surfaced another worry in me—that she could be a target. That she was on Yomi's radar. Opening the door to the classroom, I watched her keeling over in laughter, holding onto the nearby workbench to keep from falling.

If Yomi was watching her, would he take an interest in her habits? In her presumed identity as part of Reikai to the ignorant spies? We assumed that would be enough to keep them away from her, but was it really?

Did they take their chance and spy long enough to learn she was just a regular girl?

"Oh, oh there you are." Aiko tried breathing steadily through her laughter. She stood upright as I approached the group and she placed a hand on my arm, still laughing. "We were wondering what was taking so long."

"I got distracted by another classmate," I replied, and she snickered and keeled over again.

Laughing into my arm, she gave it a squeeze and nudged it. Towards the door. She wanted to leave.

"Another painful reminder that Minamino gets every girl in Meiou. Even the one that hates men," Aki sighed and turned back to the plants, and Aiko's laughter died in her throat.

She chocked on it.

"We just need to write down the data, Minamino," Matsu said as Aiko comically craned her neck around to glare at them. "You and Hojo can go."

"What kind of petty…" I nudged Aiko to stop talking and get her bag.

"Mother did want me to pick up some things for dinner tonight," I said as she glowered at Aki and Matsu.

I verified the schedule and upcoming dates with Aki and Matsu as Aiko and I packed up. I had to push her along when we left the classroom to keep the two from seeing her petulance. She stuck her tongue out at them, flipping them off, and I had to all but shove her away from the door.

We walked through the hallway, and just as I said her name to let her know of Yomi's lurking, she cut me off.

"Sorry," she said simply, not bothering to look over her shoulder at me.

I paused, confused, until she noticed I wasn't walking and stopped as well. Was she apologizing for—?

"So what did they want?" she asked, nodding her head towards the end of the hall to the staircase.

Pushing it aside for another time, I began walking again, passing her by. She picked up her stride.

"Yomi's subordinates have been watching me for quite some time," I replied, keeping my voice low as we passed a few students. "Which means they've been watching you."

"They're dumb enough to come near me when I'm with border patrol officials?" she scoffed. "Watch that backfire real fucking fast for them."

"Spend more time with them," I replied. "Do whatever you need to keep Yomi's men off your tail."

"Okay," she mumbled. "But what did they want?"

"My answer."

She descended the stairs faster, walking ahead of me. She didn't speak until we reached the first floor. "So when are you going?"

"When my mother leaves for her honeymoon."

She turned around in surprise—surprise filled with relief. She gave a bright, genuine smile. "July?"

I nodded.

She sighed. "That's a while away… Not too bad."

"And with the weaker barrier in Irima's cave from the portal, it'll be easier to travel back and forth there."

Spinning on her heels, she faced me with a grin and walked backwards. "Things always seem to work out for you, you know? You're pretty lucky."

"A fox is never lucky, only capable," I replied.

She laughed so hard she failed to notice the small step that lead from the hallway to the shoe lockers. Slipping back, her laughter caught in her throat again as she slipped backwards. Her hand extended, I grabbed on to hold her from falling. I didn't pull her off the step and she balanced her foot on the ledge.

There was a moment of silence where I waited for her to put her other foot on the ground and steady herself. Instead, she scoffed and returned to laughing.

"Shut the hell up, you loser! That's the lamest thing you've ever said!"

I loosened my grip and watched her laughter catch her in throat again as she flailed to keep balanced. She quickly snatched my hand again to stay balanced. After just two seconds of giving me a sour glare, she stomped her other foot on the ground.

"Wipe that smug ass smirk off your face."

We stood in silence again, both waiting for each other to move away or speak first. But neither of us seemed to bother.

I kept my smile. She kept her grip.

Maya.

I crawled out of the forest on my hands and knees with staggered breath. I'd been at it since midnight and with the sun perched directly above me in the sky it had to be noon now.

Genkai let me out of the forest but I wasn't allowed near the compound. So long as I didn't touch the stone steps that lead to the entrance or the outside wood-floored hallways, I was still in.

I heard the rip in the air. It was subtle, but after twelve hours nonstop I was able to distinguish it. I could feel her presence, her youki was unique—palpable, at this point.

Muscles burning, I lept out of the way. A thick, purple whip cracked down on the grass almost grazing my arm as I rolled into nearby bushes. Chunks of dirt and grass flew into the air from the impact and I grabbed the whip.

She sucked her teeth just as I let my reiki go. Sparks traveled up the whip, and I watched the bright blue electricity climb the weapon as she let go and jumped back. With heavy breaths, I yanked on the whip and wrapped it in my hand, feeling the softness of her hair in my tight grip.

She appeared behind me—ready to chop me in the back of the neck, no doubt—and I ducked out of the way. I pivoted as I rolled to the ground, striking the whip at her legs. She jumped out of the way in time but didn't count on my reiki.

Her outfit, like a long cheongsam, exposed her legs with fabric just long enough to cover her front and back. I knew if I aimed for her legs, like I'd been trying all these hours, I could do some real damage.

Reiki zapped along the hair whip, travelling off the tip straight to where she would land. The electricity hit the dirt fast; she couldn't change momentum. She tried pivoting out of the way but the ki caught onto her shoes and traveled up her legs.

Her legs kicked up and… I swear in that little moment as her dress flipped up with her…

She fell on her bottom and I stood still, confused.

She was ready to get back up until she saw the look on my face, and her face blushed a deep red.

"You're…" I paused.

"A woman," she spat defensively.

But that bulge… but the breasts…?

"You're transsexual…?"

She… he… sniffed and stood up, brushing dust of his… her? bottom.

"I am a woman." A declaration so strong I felt horrid for even speaking the words. Was that a slur? I didn't know anything about this and I went and ran my mouth... "You've seen me as a woman until now, so that shouldn't change anything."

I nodded hastily. "Yeah—you're totally right. I'm sorry."

We stared at each other for a minute, and I was trying to backtrack how rude I was but I couldn't quite find out how… Maybe if I asked her about it?

"Um—" She cut me off.

"I understand you're curious and that's fine," she said curtly. "But I'm not comfortable talking to you about why or when or how."

"No! That's totally okay!" I flustered. "I'm sorry!"

"Let's get back to sparring," she grumbled, furthering the churn of guilt in my stomach.

A sharp whistle drew our attention to the edge of the forest. Right at the edge of the bushes, with the dojo doors in the distance behind her, was Aiko.

I found my hands up in the air as I cheered. "Aiko! Why are you here?"

She hiked up her backpack's strap on her shoulder as she gave me a wink. "Botan said I had to talk to Genkai about something."

"But a backpack?" I asked. "Are you staying long?"

"Botan warned me that I may need spare clothes depending on how things turned out," she replied as I ran to her.

She dropped the backpack at her feet and I eyed her over. I was almost envying the comfortable outfit: sneakers, sweatpants, and a t-shirt. I stood in rags—ripped sweatpants and a camisole following in its footsteps.

"I already talked to her for a minute. But she said before we got started I could drop by and chat," she said with a smile as she tied her hair up in a tight bun atop her head. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

"You know, I asked myself if this was really what I wanted." I found myself laughing, and the truth spilled out instantly. "But guess what? It is. I'm exhausted, drained, and in constant pain—but this is so exciting! I don't train under Genkai directly; she tells Miyuki what to do with me, but either way it's great!"

"That's good!" She grinned to me, and I found myself jerking my head out of the way of her sudden flying fist.

Another came at me, and in a gradual pace, I found myself jerking my head around to avoid her punches.

"What the hell?!" I snapped, seeing the girl who had picked fight in the streets in junior high.

"Genkai wasn't going to tell me what she wanted unless I played with you first, girl!" She gave me a wink. And though her tone was apologetic, the swiftness with which she lifted her legs to kick me in the abdomen with showed she was far from sorry.

I side-stepped from the kick, jabbing my fist at her bruised cheekbone. She cocked her head back in surprise and grinned, becoming light on her feet.

I remembered the way she'd start fights with guys that passed her by after cram school. They'd whisper comments about us girls, saying how hot they thought we were or what they'd do to us. Or how ugly we were and what they thought we should fix about ourselves. Others, though rare, were vocal and would catcall or harass.

After the train incident, whether they were quiet or vocal, if Aiko ever heard them say anything, she'd start a fight. She'd yell at them and call them "pigs" and "walking scum" to provoke them and bring them back to us. I only saw three fights. Two where she gave the boys black eyes and kicked them in the family jewels, and one where she beat them to the ground with her school bag.

She never fought with prose or accuracy—hell, she couldn't even fight how they did on the street. She swung recklessly; she fueled her attacks with repressed anger and held no real style or talent.

But if she ever laid one on you… Boy, she could break skin or cartilage and draw blood.

I knew if there was ever a physical fight between us, she'd win hands down. But now, after almost two weeks of this intense training at Genkai's, I was just as good as her—maybe even better. Plus, her stamina wouldn't hold for long, not with her diet.

I gained on her, making her step back to dodge each perfectly aimed punch. She ducked to the ground and took me by surprise as she kicked my ankle in. My leg locked as I crumpled to the ground but I regained myself.

She moved her head away as I pulled myself back, hands planting on the ground to backflip. My foot missed her chin by a hair, and I steadied myself on the ground as she sprinted at me. I pushed her hand off track, shoving it past me as I side stepped her. I lifted my hand, remembering how Miyuki had recently tried chopping me in the back of my neck.

I had a clear shot.

"Idiots!"

The voice stopped me from laying it on her, and she snaked away from me.

We turned to find Genkai at the open hallway, annoyed. I grimaced, wondering how much worse the exercise would be if we weren't doing what she wanted.

"The both of you need to be working with your reiki," she said. "That's the issue you both have. Learning how to fight comes after you learn how to handle your ki, you incompetent children."

"Sorry, Master Genkai," Aiko and I said at the same time.

"Aiko, let's see your reiki," she ordered.

"You haven't shown her?" I asked.

Aiko shook her head and turned to Genkai. "…Will I pass out, though?"

"Maybe before you would have, but with the new amount of ki you have you should be able to let it go and be fine. Expending it, we'll have to find out."

I stepped back, remembering when I let my reiki go. It zapped everywhere and almost took out Yukina's eye had she not constructed a small barrier at the last second.

"You told me you had a handle on it," I said to her, and she held her right hand palm up.

"Yeah, to make sure I didn't let it go," she replied. "I didn't want to pass out so I just learned how to keep it under wraps."

"Well, let's see it," I said, watching a pretty blue flourish around her hand.

Bright sparks came with the glow as it darkened into a deep navy blue. The ki darkened as the sparks grew wilder, but nothing else was happening.

"Did… did you do it?" I asked.

She shook her head and gave a sheepish smile. "I'm… kind of nervous. What if it explodes or something?"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Genkai's frame growing larger. Aiko almost jumped out of her skin seeing the old woman fly through the air at her with her little, yet lethal, legs aimed right for her face.

Aiko was able to see Genkai coming at her, so I knew Genkai was just trying to get a rise out of her. The fact Aiko was even able to react in time was enough to say Genkai was toying with her.

She jerked her head to the side and her glowing hand flew into the air, wrist connecting to the old woman's ankle to push it away. With her adrenaline peaked, sparks collided with each other and ignited. The reiki exploded, and around her hand burst a purple flame.

Genkai landed in front of Aiko with her hands behind her back and stared up at the burning hand. Aiko held her hand out, a tad nervous, like it was a dirty pair of underwear that was stuck to her arm.

Once I started laughing, I couldn't stop.

"W-what?!" she snapped, still in awe at her hand.

"It's one hundred percent you!" I cried from laughing, doubling over and holding my sides.

"The hell does that mean?!" she retorted, glancing to me before staring at her hand again. "Teach me how to do something with this. It's just sitting there!"

"That's the place you're most comfortable with releasing your reiki," Genkai said. "Fingers and hands are the most common body parts where ki is easiest to manifest."

"You focused it on your hand when she attacked you." I tried breathing through the laughter, but it didn't work. I hoped she could understand me.

"But if I like, you know, use it, won't I pass out?" she asked, and I was finally able to calm a bit.

"Time to find out." Genkai began walking back to the temple. "Remember what you have to do."

I stood and snapped my finger, sending am electric trail of reiki from my fingertips to Aiko's feet. She jumped out of the way just in time, squealing in fright.

"You'll singe me with that!" she yelped. "Keep it away from my face."

"I've had two weeks of this bullshit!" I laughed, ignoring her cries. "I've got the upper hand here, Aiko!"

"Yeah, I'll manage to one-up you." She winked and ran into the forest, where Miyuki still stood, and disappeared behind the trees.

"I still have four of those left for the day, you know!" I called after her as I stepped up next to Miyuki. "Are you on my team now or is this a brawl?"

"I'll play on your team for now." Miyuki gave me a playful smile, and we headed into the forest after Aiko.

Miyuki jumped through the branches of trees above me as I ran through the bushes and dirt trails. The purple whip cracked above my head and flew into the large bushes ahead of us. I knew she would be going easy on Aiko for now, just as she had for me.

She landed next to me and we continued down a dirt path.

Aiko surprised me with how well she was able to hide. Either that or I was subconsciously going easy on her too. Either way, I knew we'd stumble upon her sooner or later and decided to strike up a conversation with Miyuki.

I wanted her to know I was sorry and that nothing changed how I thought of her.

"So what did you do before coming to Genkai's?" I asked, looking around the forestry, searching for any movement or ki.

"I was part of a gang full of apparitions," she replied. Her pointed ears twitched in search of any foreign sound. "We were the elite unit of the Apparition Gang, known as the Triad."

"Ooh!" I squealed. "Sounds so cool!"

She let out a small sigh. "Not really… I regret it."

"Why?" I asked, eyeing the green around us, searching for any movement not brought on by the wind.

"I was working for criminals," she replied after a minute or so. "Horrible criminals that abused and used other youkai and apparitions to get what they wanted."

That surprised me. She didn't seem like the type to be evil.

"It's hard repenting. Even if the other apparitions and youkai accept your apology," she said solemnly. "It still doesn't change the facts."

"It takes a lot of courage to forgive someone for something like that," I said with a certain person in mind. "Some people are never forgiven."

"Some people don't deserve to be forgiven," she echoed words I heard verbatim many times.

She stopped walking, and before I asked why, I felt the presence. We honed in on a large hedge of wild bushes.

Quietly, Miyuki pulled out another whip and let it glow a bright purple. I readied my ki, pressing my thumb, index, and middle fingers together to snap some out. Miyuki lept into the air, cracking her whip down into the bushes, and Aiko rolled out of them with twigs and leaves in her hair.

As Miyuki landed, she dragged her whip to circle back around Aiko. The brunette stayed crouched and extended her hand out towards the whip. Just seconds before it touched her hand, the fire spread and latched onto the weapon.

Miyuki sucked her teeth and let go of her whip. I snapped my fingers again, sending a string of electricity to Aiko. She jumped out of the way as Miyuki took her head on.

With Miyuki holding back, Aiko was able to reflect each fist or foot flying her way. She got the hang of it with ease and Miyuki picked up her pace, pushing Aiko back to square one. I ran to the fight, sneaking up behind her and kicking in the back of her knee.

She jerked backwards with a yelp of surprise as Miyuki laid a fist square in her face. She hit the ground with a hard thud, and we stood over her, readying another group attack in case she didn't want to admit defeat.

Sparks flew around my hand wildly as Miyuki readied her fighting stance. Aiko groaned through heavy breaths, lifting herself on her elbows as she looked up at us. Taking us by surprise, she held both hands in front of her and let out an explosion of fire.

We jumped away from the burst of ki. It lingered in the air, burning brightly but dying quickly. She ran through the flames, fist cocked back.

Miyuki grabbed hold of Aiko's wrist before she could lay one on me and pulled her back. Aiko dropped all her weight at Miyuki's touch, falling to the ground, and kicked my ankle in as Miyuki dragged her.

I fell to the ground as she reached her free hand up, laced it with fire, and swung at Miyuki's wrist. Aiko freed herself as Miyuki stepped back, and she disappeared in the greenery again.

"She's so reckless with her ki," Miyuki sighed. "That blast of fire was strong but if she was in a real fight then who knows how much she wasted. She doesn't know how to fight with it like that."

"That's why we're playing with her right now, yeah?" I nodded with a small smile, excited to teach Aiko a few things. "She has to learn how to conserve it."

"She's headed to the side of the hill," Miyuki said, taking off after her. "Let's corner her against the rocks."

I followed Miyuki into a small clearing that stretched along the rocky wall. Above us towered the large cliff I remembered climbing with weights attached to my ankles and wrists. Granted, it was only about an extra seven kilograms, but it was horrid... and I didn't finish... **

Miyuki took the lead, walking along the wall and searching for Aiko. I scoped the landscape, looking back in the forest as we walked in the open path.

"Think she'd go in the cave?" Miyuki asked, nodding to the huge hole in the wall a couple yards down the path.

"It could be a good place to hide," I mused.

We approached the cave and I eyed the large opening before shaking my head. "No, even she knows not to corner herself in a place like that… but we can push her in there."

I grinned to the beautiful ogre as she passed me a smirk, but it disappeared quickly as she jumped out of the way. Feeling the temperature to my right rise, I stepped back.

Aiko caught on how to use her reiki as an appendage—but she was still wasteful. Another jab to the face and a stream of fire poured out of her fist, extending towards me like a flamethrower. The heat pushed me back more and more until I stepped into the shade of the cave.

Another snap of my fingers from my lifted hand brought a small, jagged shield of electricity in front of me. The sparks exploded against the fire. Fizzes of smoke blew around us as she sent another fire fueled jab my way, pushing me further into the cave.

"Now!" she yelled, pulling herself away from me as her voice bounced off the cold cave's walls.

Confused, I paused as she retreated from the cave and stepped in sunlight. Her bright frame was visible for just a split second before a dark mass crashed to the ground in front of me, clouding me in darkness.

Confused, ears numbed from the loud crash and eyes unable to see… I didn't know if I'd died or she—

"Aiko?!" I cried, running forward and slamming into the hard mass—a boulder.

I beat my fist against it before sparking my ki at it in hopes it'd break. It didn't. Not even a scratch.

"Sorry, Maya!" she called to me through the other end. "Genkai told me to trap you in there!"

What.

"This was… planned?!" I screamed through the boulder.

"Yeah, she asked me to team up with Miyuki to trap you in there!" she replied. "Are you okay?"

I hung my head and heaved a heavy sigh. "Yeah… What about you?"

"Fine."

"Did she say how long I'm stuck here?"

I could imagine her shrug. "No, but she said you better figure what she wants from you. Sorry. I have to get back to the temple, Maya."

I groaned, looking around the darkness that my eyes were slowly adjusting to. I let ki spark around my hand to provide some light. It was sparce, but enough to shine a faint blue glow on my surroundings.

"Have fun, I guess," I called through the boulder as I looked around the damp walls and floor.

The atmosphere was so melancholy. Depressing, really. Cold, and sad. The air had a moldy smell, mixed with pollen and dirt. There were faint hisses and scurrying in the distance, echoing off the walls.

I knew I was going to be stuck here for… well, at least three days, and at most a week or two. Honestly, whenever the old biddy wanted to send Miyuki for me. Unless I had to find a way out of here. But that seemed a bit simple.

I sat on the damp floor and tried to figure her line of thinking. I was alone in the darkness… what training could she want from me here?

I sat on the floor for what felt like hours, mumbling and grumbling in confusion and irritation. I eventually began talking to myself aloud.

"Really, what could she possibly want from me in here? Is it really as simple as trying to find a way out?" I griped. "I don't understand…"

It was then, as my voice bounced off the walls around me, echoed loudly, I realized what she wanted.

Straightening up, legs crossed, I clasped my hands and set them in my lap and began concentrating. She wanted me to know myself, my ki—my being.

In the darkness alone, I had to learn how to understand myself.

A/N:

* Kinpachi-sensei is about a third year junior high class and its teacher, Kinpachi Sakamoto. More of a TV Drama. It covered a lot of issues and confusions teens face such as bullying, teen suicide, gender identity, mental health issues, etc.

** 7 kg is approximately 15 lbs.