"So he has no choice but to go and participate in this tournament. He and Kazuma both will have to fight and risk their lives just because they managed to make a few people angry?"

"The committee board is infamous for hating humans that pose a threat to their system. For centuries they have been controlling this tournament, creating a sort of peace between humans and demons in their lust for bloodshed so they can continue to use demons at their will, to torture them and keep them under their thumb. The weaker of the demons, anyway. To be ordered to the tournament means that they stepped on toes that even they might have underestimated in their impatience. I can't promise their survival, but I can promise you that I will do everything in my power to make sure that Yusuke is prepared mentally as well as physically, and that Kazuma will strengthen his resolve as well as his powers before the day comes where they are forced to step onto that boat."

I bit my lip, chewing to try and alleviate some of the stress and tasting blood in my mouth. She raised her eyebrow at me, and I resisted rolling my eyes but released the hostage bit of skin.

"There's no way out of it, is there?"

"No. There isn't."

I nodded, closing my eyes and trying to calm my heart down. My cousin was an idiot, but he was a good guy. And while he was a tank of a human being, he wasn't going to fare well against a hoard of demons, if my own limited experience was any indication. It was terrifying to think of him out there, choking on his own blood or his limbs torn off, his eyes lifeless and staring into the chasm of darkness that was the only remainder of what his life once was. I clenched my fists and let out a breath, standing up and walking out to the porch.

The sun was setting. It felt symbolic, like the ending of my cousin's childhood and potentially his life. I had never resented something so beautiful in all of my life, and kicked training bag next to me as hard as I possibly could, watching the sand fly and the bag skid on the ground away from me. Any other day I would have been celebrating or staring like a moron or anything other than feeling progressively more angry about this situation.

"Is there any way that I could go in his place?"

"You already know the answer to that question, kiddo. It was he that was chosen, and he that must go."

"He's a kid!" I whipped around to face her, watching our glasses fly into the opposite wall. "What kind of monster would force two boys barely passed puberty to fight for their lives?! It's cruel, it's unbelievable!"

"It's what monsters do." She motioned me to sit down again, and it took my legs a few moments to obey. I sank down in front of her, deflating as I did so. "Monsters come in every species, Gavriella. In demons, in animals, and in humans. And sometimes, to defeat a monster, you have to play their game. That is what happens now; the boys will all of them play this game, they will fight for their lives and the lives of everyone they care about, and in the end they will have to rely on their training and their resolve to win. Only then will they be free from them, and perhaps then they will be able to kill them."

"I don't want Kazuma to have to do anything of the sort. He's not a killer, Genkai. He's a punk, he's dumber than a box of rocks, and he thinks he's Billy Badass, but he's a sweet boy. Killing someone will destroy what's left of his innocence."

"And to live the rest of his life, perhaps that is what he will have to do. Your cousin is stronger than you give him credit for. You are too. Put your faith in him, help him, and make sure he can hold his own. You're only as strong as your weakest member; don't let him be the weakest in the group."

I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling parts fall out of the braid, and pulled hard on the end of it. I wanted to scream and cry and throw a fit, but what good would it do? She was right. Kazuma was in way over his head, and as his older cousin it was my responsibility to take care of him and make sure that he could stand on his own in this endeavor. It didn't stop the desire to hide him in every way I possibly could, but I doubted anything would ever stop that instinct. He mattered too much for it to stop.

"So what happens now?" I caved. "You can't focus your time on both Yusuke and I, and as you said, I need to help beat Kazuma into shape."

"I am taking Yusuke on again to train him." She confirmed. "I know that we had a deal, but with the events standing as they are, I am going to have to end our training. However, I did promise to answer all of your questions if you underwent my training. We've discussed much in the last couple weeks; I will answer one more of your questions."

I didn't even hesitate. The question was out of my mouth before my mind had time to process it. There was no reason to ask her, and there was no way that she could answer it. Maybe I just needed to say the words out loud and someone to acknowledge them. Maybe I was stircrazy from my little temper tantrum. Whatever the case, I asked the question that I had been waiting to ask and too afraid to know the answer to since the day I first came here.

"Why did you agree to train me in the first place? You've had thousands of people ask you to train them, you knew that my family line held whatever power this is... what made me so different?"

She smiled, shaking her head like she wasn't surprised.

"You came to me with a question about a power that I couldn't place. This is unusual; I have been around a long time, came into contacts with a lot of demons and psychics both, and I have never met anyone who saw into someone's soul when they came into physical contact with them. I was intrigued. When I rejected you, I realized that your power had barely tapped the surface of it's potential. You had so much buried underneath your consciousness that you weren't even aware existed, had been rejecting so long that you had repressed memories surrounding what you could do. Following an apprentice that had disappointed me with his arrogance and his lack of desire to learn what he had rightfully earned the right to inherit, this made me curious of if I could bring out what you could do. Your ability to improve is higher than I have ever seen, and I wondered if I could teach you my abilities. Yusuke is my successor, and he will be granted my power when his body can handle it, but I don't want my abilities to die with me. If I could teach them to you, I would have the perfect balance of power and skill passed on in this life, and I could rest with the knowledge that these skills would not be forgotten."

"You took me on knowing that I was a Kuwabara; that was risky business in and of itself."

"It was. You and your cousin are different, Gavriella, despite your similarities. You are patient, capable of learning from your mistakes the first time around, and you have a mind for strategy. True, you have a temper, and yes you have the unmistakeable mouthiness that seems to be inherited, but you have a level of control that is higher than that of most children your age. You have pain and frustration that is written all over your face and your body, you have fears that have rooted so deeply they may never be purged. All of this can break you or make you stronger. It is not in the Kuwabara family to let anything break them."

I sighed, rubbing my palms over my thighs. I wanted to ask so many questions, a little annoyed at asking a question that was so arbitrary, but something in my chest relaxed at hearing words of praise that raised a blush to my face instead of harsh words of indifference. To my elders, that was the best I had begun to hope for in their opinions of me.

"I should probably pack my things and head down to the bus stop."

"You can head out in the morning. I'll let you get to sleep early tonight, ease your mind before you leave for home." She stood up, going to her shelf with my schoolwork. "You're ahead in your classes; that doesn't mean that you should relax on your studying. You still need work on your reading."

"My headaches have been minimal since the first week being here. If being a psychic martial arts expert in the middle of the woods doesn't work out for you, you should consider being a teacher." I sassed gently, accepting the books and papers she stacked into my arms. She shook her head, but I noticed the smile. She was going to miss my constant sass.

"I'm starting Yusuke's training at sunrise; I won't be able to walk you down."

"I'm a big girl; I can handle it."

"You're a klutz who walks backwards; call me overbearing for worrying about your safety on your own."

"I'm going to miss you, Genkai." I admitted, setting my things in one arm and hugging her without thinking about it. She stayed stiff for a moment, but touched my shoulder with one hand after the shock of being touched wore off. "You're cranky and have little mercy, but I'm going to miss you."

"Get some sleep, Gavriella." She urged, her eyes uncharacteristically soft. I smiled, nodding and turning to go to my room.

I was going to miss her, and I was going to miss this place. I don't even know when it changed, but it felt like I had been here for years. In a strange, corny, cliche way, this place had started feeling just a little bit like home.