A.N.: You guys are lucky, two chapters in one week. Looks like my inspiration has come back with a vengance! You might not see an update for a few more days-tomorrow's my b-day, and I'm going to be busy all weekend. So enjoy this chapter!

Warnings: violence and Yusuke's potty-mouth and twisting cannon into unrecognizable shapes.

Without being told, we all made a semi-straight line and drew an envelope from a giant jar bigger than her.

Kuwabara sighed. "All I came for was some advice."

"Quit whining. The longer you stay the better your chances of getting that advice."

He glared at me, but didn't say anything.

"Everybody got one?" she waited a few moments, and when no one answered, she continued. "Good. Open them please. If there's a piece of red paper inside, you've passed."

Now, granny explained this to me a while back. She said she treated the paper to turn red if the holder had any significant spiritual power.

So it should go without saying that both mine and Kuwabara's papers were red.

Around us I could hear guys either excited it was red, or, more often, depressed that it was white.

"Those who've passed, follow me. Everyone else, you are excused."

Out of nowhere these two giant guys appeared, towering over Genkai. "Just a minute there! We're famous spiritualists from Kyushu!" said giant number one.

Number two put in his two cents. "We didn't come all this way to get turned away like this!"

"They don't look happy." Kuwabara muttered to me. He shifted, ready to spring in to defend the old hag. Like she needed it.

I snorted. "Can you blame them? They probably think it's just a giant rip-off."

"What have you got to say for yourself?" giant number two growled. I bet he practiced that for hours while asking for lunch money from kids.

"It'd better be good, or you're gonna be in for it!" And giant number one just won the award for most clichéd and overused threat in history. Is anyone over the age of ten even scared of that anymore?

Genkai didn't even spare them an eye-roll. "Listen, you pipsqueaks, and listen good. I gave you a chance to leave quietly and save face, but you're blowing it. You call yourselves spiritualists? You don't even know why you lost! You're phonies, and you're wasting my time. Go home, knock back some brews, and get a life."

Ouch. And I know that was sugar-coated, too.

They growled (and just between you and me, Kuwabara's cat made scarier noises when hungry) and giant number one just had to get the last word. "Enough of your insults! We will not be mocked!" then they charged.

Genkai made no obvious move to defend herself. Instead, I saw her aura shrink in, then expand out like a blast. It hit the giants, stopping them in midair and killing their momentum, and flung them halfway across the courtyard in the opposite direction.

It was over before Kuwabara had taken two steps to help her.

The old hag sighed. "Once upon a time I could make guys like that wet themselves just by looking at them. Now…humph. Getting old sucks. Anyway, these applicants now see that size isn't everything. And those who have passed the first phase of testing are at least somewhat gifted." To us, she snapped. "Don't stand there gawking! Come on!"

Kuwabara and I just looked at each other. "Whoa."

"You said it. Lets go!"

Genkai would forever deny it, but she talks to herself, even when other people are nearby. It's a carry over from her time alone.

"About fifty left. Not bad."

Like now.

"We will now proceed to the second phase of testing!" the doors she lead us to were plain, but sturdy. Once again, my imagination was overrun with possible horrors she could subject us to. The doors themselves didn't disappoint, making an ominous creaking noise when swung open.

Of course, an arcade was the last thing I was expecting here.

"What the Hell?"

"We're gonna be tested here?" grumbled Kuwabara. I don't know what he was upset about—the guy plays a mean game of arcade racers back home.

"That's right, now listen up! Each of you will play these games to the best of your ability. These machines have been designed to measure your capacities in various ways. Your spiritually-derived capacities, I should say. The rock-paper-scissors game measures your sixth sense. The punching game measures your spiritual might. The karaoke game measures your life energy. Of the three games, you must pass two of them. Oh, and one more thing."

Everyone leaned forward.

"They're 100yen each to play."

More face–faulting at mach 2.

"Greedy old hag."

"Outta the way!" some bozo with plucked eyebrows and a black shirt pushed his way through to the punching game. "Lemme show you how it's done!" he strapped on the glove and swung his hardest at the bag. "Ha."

He needed to be at 120 to pass; his score was 18.

"What? But I hold the record for the Nishiogi punching game!"

Genkai sneered. "Good for you! But there's no hint of spiritual power working with your physical strength! You've failed!"

Completely embarrassed, he threw off the glove and ran from the arcade. Kuwabara picked up the glove and pulled it on, approaching the machine with intent in his eyes. The same intent I see when he fights (and still loses to) me.

Blam!

His score was 140. Nice.

"Can you top that, Urameshi?"

"Watch and learn, Kuwabara!"

I took the glove and focused for a minute, picturing myself fighting him for a second.

Blam!

My score was 165. Good.

"There you go."

He didn't like that. "I'll beat you in rock-paper-scissors!"

"Fat chance, bucko!"

Except that he did. This is where we discovered that my sixth sense is nothing compared to his. But that's okay, I'm still stronger.

Our little competition was enough to break the ice and all the other guys started playing too. One guy even scored higher than me on the punching game, but no one got a perfect like Kuwabara on the rock-paper-scissors. And one guy got a perfect 100 at karaoke, even though he couldn't sing his way out of a paper bag.

"Karaoke! That's what'll settle this!"

"Bring it on!"

I did better on the karaoke, but not by much. Still, any win is a fair win to me. I'm still better than Kuwabara.

The games dropped us from fifty applicants to twenty. Genkai seemed pleased as she led us out of the arcade and through a winding back path. I glanced at the remaining contenders and choked on my spit.

There he was! Rando! But he didn't look that dangerous, with that soft face and clumsy walk. I looked closer at him as he 'tripped'. Since I was watching, I could tell it was faked, especially since he had to take three shorter than normal steps to convincingly trip over that branch. Shit. And looking at the rest of these guys, they're too busying eyeing up each other's muscles to pay any attention to him.

Fan-freaking-tastic.

We stopped in front of a section of forest that was creepy enough to give everyone chills. Kuwabara's face was white as he stared at the boundry line.

"Dude…"

"I don't like this, Urameshi. There's…things…around us. Things that don't feel right."

"If you wanna back out, now's the time."

"You calling me a coward?"

"No." Clearly Kuwabara's picking up the demonic aura, but he can't tell what it is or where it's coming from. Can't Genkai sense this? Damn, I gotta take this guy out before he kills someone. Although, it would be better for me if he wore himself out first in these trials, but that means I'll get worn out too, waiting to face him fairly. Gotta make this quick. "Kuwabara, I'm not here for Genkai's techniques."

"Then why are you here?" he kept his voice as quiet as mine. Good.

"You see that guy over there?" I nodded to the short guy and the idiot had enough sense to look at him from the corner of his eye, instead of facing him directly. "He's a demon, and my next case. This guy's already killed off ninety-nine other masters just to get their techniques, and he'll kill you just to get to Genkai."

"Crap."

"You've passed the preliminaries. Now for a serious test of your capabilities." Genkai called all attention to herself and the boundry marker. "This is a primitive forest teeming with dangerous beasts and deadly traps, where compasses won't function and all manner of demons dwell. It's called the Cursed Forest. It's no place for ordinary people. None ever come out alive. See that large tree in the distance? That is your goal. You'll pass if you reach it within two hours."

A couple guys panicked. "That's it, I'm outta here!"

"Risk my neck for a bunch of martial arts tricks? No thanks!"

They ran for their lives.

The grin on Genkai's face was down right scary. "Those departing are wise. Facing the tangible menace of the forest, many learn their limits and heed the lesson."

"So it should be." We all turned to look at the guy with wicked scars on his face. "Only those who have had proper training should take this challenge."

The ninja wannabe next to him smirked. "Yeah, all you pretenders go home!"

I knew a challenge when I heard one, and I've never backed down from a fight. "Who says training will make any difference? Is that the only advantage you two have?"

Oh, they didn't like that. Did I mention that I can pick a fight with the best of them? Iwamoto frequently accuses me of being able to make a saint swear. I frequently accuse him of (badly) impersonating a saint.

"If you're doing it, then I'm doing it!"

And here's Kuwabara, totally playing up the rival card.

"It's your neck, idiot!"

"I'm not letting you face this alone!"

A light-bulb went off in my head. He's trying to back me up against Rando. I wasn't expecting that. Again, he surprised me with his loyalty, and again, I don't know what to do about it. All I can do is warn him.

"If you come across him, don't let your guard down, and don't waste time bragging. Just hit him hard and fast, and stay out of his reach-"

Whoa. Idea. If I could ambush Rando in the forest…

"Everyone who's going in, get in line. Ready? Set? Go!" Damn, that granny's fast! "If you use your sixth sense to avoid danger, you might just make it! Keep up with me and you'll get there quicker!"

And my sixth sense sucks. I nod to Kuwabara and he pulls ahead, clearing an easy path for me to follow. We're making pretty good time, I think, and sometimes I can see flashes of blue and orange from the corner of my eye. Those would be the other applicants.

What I didn't count on was there being so many fuckking demons here! There's so much red, and I can't tell if one's Rando or something native to the forest! Plus Kuwabara refuses to slow down; I guess this place is really freaking him out. I wonder if there are ghosts here too.

There's nothing for us to do but run. I'm starting to question Kuwabara's choice in paths when we come across Rando, looking terribly focused on his path as he licked bright red blood from his hands.

He hasn't noticed us. Perfect.

An extra burst of speed is all I need to close the distance between us, and when he realizes I'm there, it's too late for him. I punch him with all my might, sending him skidding on his shaved head through thorny bushes into a tree.

It takes him a few tries to get to his feet, and when he does, he's grasping at his face in surprise.

"Th-that hurts." He sounds so pathetic and weak, I had to remind myself that it was an act. A good one, but still an act. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I know why you're here." My fist spasms, and I realize that it's starting to tingle. Did he hurt me back? When did he get the chance?

"To be Genkai's apprentice?"

"To learn all you can then kill the hag, making her your 100th kill, Rando."

He drops the sweet act like a bag of cold shit. "So, you're the new bounty hunter."

"Got it in one. I'm here to stop you. Any last words?"

"A few." He brings his hands together, and starts chanting.

But since I'm the Number One Punk at Sarayashiki Jr. High, I'm not honorable enough to let him finish his chant. Again I rush him, and again, I deck him hard into a tree, ending his chant prematurely. This time, when he gets to his feet, he's clutching his broken jaw, eyes wide in surprise.

"I'm not letting you get to the hag." Dammit, now my fist is really starting to throb. What the Hell did he do to it? I didn't dare take my eyes of Rando to look, not even for a moment.

That surprise quickly changed to anger, and his aura fluxed, the red becoming stronger, overwhelming the even air around him. I could hear animals tearing through the forest as they ran away from us. Hey, wait, was he-?

He was transforming! Botan's words came back to me, warning me that the 'true form' is much more powerful than the 'disguise'.

Crap. I couldn't let him finish. There'd be no way to stop him.

I ran at him again, clenching my fist and ignoring the pain that cause me, and aimed for where I last saw his face. Turns out he got a little taller, so I didn't hit his face in the middle. Instead, I hit his broken jaw with enough force to completely rip it off his body.

His blood was purple, and it sprayed everywhere, giving me a nice coating before I could jump back. One look at Rando told me he was dying. The way his aura retreated into his body, like being sucked in by a vacuum, was a horrible thing to see. His body thrashing in agony wasn't any better, and I know that image will haunt me for a long while.

I turned to Kuwabara, who apparently had stayed to watch my fight instead of run to Genkai. He was pale, and I suddenly remembered that this was his first demon, even if Rando hadn't completed the transformation.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I should be asking you that, Urameshi!"

"I'm fine, geeze, just need to get my breath back."

"Not that!" he stomped closer and grabbed my wrist, holding up my hand for me to see. "What about this?"

My hand was grey and refused to unclench from the fist it was curled into. I touched it with my left hand, which was still flesh and blood and flexible. It felt like stone.

"Shit."