Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do, however, own my made up characters, so no stealing!
Also...this chappie is gonna have a song in it! The song is gonna be in plain bold. Just sos ya knows!
Lingo
"Blah" Talking
'Blah' mind talking/ talking in your head, someone quoting someone else directly, or a title of someone that someone else is talking about.
Blah thinking
Blah someone's other half speaking in their owner's mind (AN: like Yoko talking to Kurama in his head)
Chapter 4: Training
Tara, Kurama, and the three wolves walked to Genkai's. Tara walked ahead of everyone, gazing at the scenery. Kurama lingered in the back, calmly thinking to himself. Why is she avoiding me? Maybe it is because you scared the hell out of her. I think she is just scared of what you might do to her. I'm not going to hurt her. She should know this by now. Besides, I wasn't the one who took advantage of her. Well then, let's find out who she likes more!
Suddenly, Kurama was switched with Yoko. Tara didn't notice the change till he came up and put his hands over her eyes.
"Guess who!"
"Ummm...Kurama, this isn't funny."
"I'm not Kurama" Yoko whispered sexily into her ear. Okay, this definitely isn't Kurama. Now, who do I know smells like roses, but isn't him? Oh no! It wouldn't be...
"Yoko?"
"Bingo!" He released her and she turned around. Tara glared at him for a second then did something that caught the thief completely off guard. She reached up and began feeling his ears like he was a dog. A low rumbling sound rose from his chest and came out like a half moan, half purr. He leaned into her hand as he continued to 'purr'.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a cat" Tara laughed. Yoko gave her a pointed glare and jerked his head away.
"Don't do that!"
"Why not? You seemed to enjoy it and besides, you have the cutest ears ever!" She went to touch his ears again, but Yoko stepped aside and laughed as she missed.
"You're not going to get them!"
"But?"
"No!" Yoko took off in the direction of Genkai's. Tara ran behind him. Without realizing it, they reached the top and were boxing each other playfully. (AN: Sorry if Yoko is a little OOC) Genkai walked in and fussed at them. Tara, surprised from the old woman's entrance, tripped over a chair leg and would've hit the floor if Yoko hadn't caught her.
"You are such a klutz." Tara's response was to stick her tongue out at the fox. "One of these days, I'm gonna bite that tongue off and you won't be able to annoy us with your annoyingness."
"Annoyingness isn't a word."
"It is in my dictionary."
"I didn't know you were smart enough to have one!" Yoko ignored the jab at his pride as Genkai sat down for some tea.
"I suppose you're here for training. Ah! I see you have a sword. Hiei can help you with that. I, on the other hand, shall teach you of your elemental powers. Yes, you have them" she added as she saw the queer look Tara gave her. As if on cue, Hiei waltzed into the room. "Hiei, you shall teach Tara your sword fighting skills. You begin now."
"What! I have to train some silly whelp in the best fighting art..." And that's as far as he got before Tara clawed his hand that was pointing at her. He barely even flinched, but did turn to glare at her.
"I told you before, Munchkin, not to call me 'whelp'! I am not a child" she yelled. Hiei looked incredulously at the woman who dared challenge him.
"I am not a munchkin, as you so lightly put it." He looked her up and down, eyes coming to rest on the intricate sword on her hip. "Where did you get such a sword?"
"It was passed down through my family." Hiei reached for it, but drew back as blue sparks snapped around the hilt. Tara gasped.
"Don't you know what power your own sword has?"
"No, I never owned a sword before. Much less, use one!" Tara was beginning to get annoyed with the Koorime.
"Kami, training with you is gonna be hell!"
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"Kaim, what are we going to do? Without the Queen of the Wolves, this is a lost battle. We must get her here as soon as possible!" A golden brown wolf sat beside a river. Another wolf that was a crimson red sat on the ground below. The crimson one turned to gaze at the golden one and opened his mouth, as if to speak. (AN: Name is pronounced Kay-mmm)
"Touhi, I know. She isn't ready to come here in person yet. She needs more time." The golden wolf sent a heated glare to the red wolf. (AN: Pronounced Two-he)
"What do you mean?" Kaim turned his acid green eyes towards the river.
"How can we be sure she is the one?" Touhi looked at the red wolf and then turned his icy blue eyes to the sky.
"Only the guardians know. We can only speculate." Kaim laid his ears flat against his head in frustration. Touhi watched his friend as he too began to become perturbed with their situation. Suddenly, a large shadow was cast over the two wolves.
"Heads up" cried a deep voice, sounding as dark as night. A massive black wolf landed on the ground. Blood-red, bat-like wings with a black skeletal structure spread out by at least ten to fifteen feet. They quickly folded onto the wolf's back. The wolf had to have been at least the size of a small to medium sized horse. A large black cord sat around his neck as a necklace. A black stone dangled from it
"Hello Jarah. What brings you to Crystal Creek" Kaim snapped to the regal looking wolf. Jarah snarled at the smaller wolf.
"That's Lord Jarah to you! I wanted to check up on how things were going." Reddish-brown eyes glared at Kaim.
"Jarah, I told you I was going to check on the Crystal Creek area!" Jarah turned to see a humongous wolf-mermaid thing. The 'wolf' was blue-green in hue and had scales instead of fur. Its tail was more like a mermaid's. (AN: You know, with the fin at the end.) Around his neck was a necklace similar to Jarah's and Sita's, only it had a blue crystal. (AN: I forgot to mention last time that Sita has a necklace like these only it has a purple crystal.)
"Hello Oceo! I forgot which area I was going to. Sorry bout taking your job."
"Bullshit! You just didn't want to have to fly in the rain! I guess I'll have to go check out the Draku area. You are such a lazy ass!" With that, Oceo jumped into the air and 'swam' westward. (AN: You know, like Chinese dragons do, or at least I think they do!) Jarah grinned.
"Oh dear, I upset the great Oceo, Ruler of all royal pains!" He shouted after the odd, blue wolf.
"Do you two ever stop arguing?" A large, stony-grey wolf sat next to Jarah. She turned her hazel eyes to him. Around her neck hung a Malachite stone on a black necklace, similar to Jarah's. (AN: Google the image of malachite if you don't know what it looks like. I will tell you though; it is a really pretty green stone!)
"I just like to annoy him. After all, we are brothers."
"You'll never change! I'm surprised you two are brothers. He is so much more peaceful than you."
"Bael, he didn't seem so peaceful five minutes ago!" Bael laughed and out of her back sprung stony-grey angel wings, about as big as Jarah's wings.
"Let's go find Tahl and Sita. I hope their news it good."
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Hiei and Tara stood in the middle of a clearing. Both had their swords out and Tara was moving around, shadow blocking. (AN: Blocking an imaginary partner! In Orchestra, we do shadow bowing if we forget our instruments. It makes you look really funny when you try to play an invisible viola, which is my instrument, looks like a violin only slightly bigger and has a different string.) Hiei did the motions with her, only a lot smoother. Tara continued to roughly block and swing at her 'opponent'.
"Try doing it a little more smoothly. If you screw up in battle, your mistakes may cost you your life!"
"I know, I know! I'm trying as hard as I can."
"We've been working for two weeks on this one thing and you still can't get it!" Tara threw down her blade.
"No, I can't! I'm sorry if I can't be perfect. I'm still just getting the hang of being a demon! Why don't you just fuck off already! Even Genkai is easier on me than you, and that is saying something!" As Tara continued to rant, she poked Hiei in the chest. Unbeknownst to her, a black flame rose around her body, shocking Hiei. Tara took his silence as him ignoring her and she stormed off.
Hiei bent over and picked up some blackened grass. Hmmm...She seems to have elemental powers and not even know of them. He then walked over to the sword and tried to pick it up. It crackled with blue lightning and he stepped back. Doubt anyone will take it anyway. Leaving the sword behind, he walked back to Genkai's.
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Tara ran into the forest, ignoring the branches scratching her face and arms. Blood trailed down her face and arms from the many cuts she was getting. She kept running until she came across a pond. The water gleamed in the sun and the surface reflected the clouds floating in the sky. The water was a clear blue and Tara walked to the edge and sat down. Glaring at her reflection, she saw a sad little girl with drooping dog ears and scratches everywhere.
"Stupid! I can't do anything right!" Tara lifted her head to the sky and shouted "Why me! Why do I have to be a demon? Why couldn't I be a normal human girl?" Suddenly, her shouts turned into howls that rose and fell with the sadness in her heart.
The notes climbed higher and then would suddenly drop low and rise up again. The sound of her voice tore at the hearts of the animals that heard her. Birds quieted their cheerful singing and squirrels stopped their chattering. Tara felt her emotions wash over her and sweep her away like a tide. She felt as if her heart was in a vise and was being squeezed as tight as it could go. I just want to let it all go. I want to fade and not have to feel like a failure. I want to...I want to be loved. I want someone to care and to tell me everything is alright and I don't have to cry anymore. I want to not feel like the dirt on someone's shoe; the eyelash in their eye; the thorn in their side.
The song of the wolf reached a heartbreaking tone and the animals slowly gathered around the sad girl. A familiar black wolf walked out of the trees and lightly pressed its nose into Tara's neck. Tara turned and hugged the burly wolf around the neck and cried.
"It's ok Tara. Let it all out."
"I...don't want to be the failure I am. I want to know that I am worth something to someone, not my mom either! I know she cares, but she's supposed to. I want someone that doesn't have to, but loves me anyway! I hate being this...thing. I don't even know why the hell I am like this!" Tara's voice cracked with emotion as she yelled into her friend's fur. "Nightstalker, why? Why me?"
"Because, you are the Queen of the Wolves. I'm not supposed to tell you this until later, but you need to know. You were born to Shyrikon and your mother. You already know this, but what you don't know is that your grandfather on your dad's side was also a wolf demon. His name was Haru and he was the greatest king of the wolves. He never killed anyone without reasons, and good reasons at that! You know how the legend says that the Queen will come after the last bloodless king dies. Well, that king was your grandfather. You are the queen of the wolves!"
"But it also says that she has to know wolf, element, human and heart, and has to protect her territory and pack. I don't have a pack or territory. I don't have any idea what it means by element, heart, human, and wolf. I just have the black coat and timing." Suddenly, all the gathered animals scattered and Kurama walked into the area.
"It means you must know how to fight as a human and wolf and with elements and love. Your pack is all the wolves, your friends and family and your territory is Ansrama and your home here."
"I don't have any elements though!"
"On the contrary, Hiei told me you have the power of fire. Your father and grandfather had the power of wind so you could have that power too."
"What do you mean 'had'?"
"Your grandfather is dead and your father doesn't have the power of wind anymore. He lost it after he massacred several wolf packs. Nature turned its back on him after that."
"Oh." Tara became silent after this. She sat, brooding over all that she has learned while Kurama and the wolf guarded her. "But why me? Why can't some more powerful demon be the queen?" Kurama was startled by her outburst of anger and sadness.
"Because, no one else is a wolf demon, a girl, has elemental powers, and was born after the last bloodless king" Nightstalker growled. Yoko, what do I do? Her howl just about killed me and seeing her so angry over this hurts. I don't want her to be like this! Ah...you're in love! I think she just needs to know that someone cares for her besides her mother. But what if she hates me! She is already scared of me. Give her time. I am sure she doesn't hate you! I don't know about that. Kurama snapped back to attention just in time to hear Tara say something that crunched on his heart.
"No one cares, but you and my mom! I want someone who loves me for me, but I don't want to be hurt like my mom. Dad left her with a shattered heart and I don't want to have the same happen to me. I'm...scared...to be hurt like that. To be hurt so completely that you never truly recover. To be hurt so bad you want to die. I...I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me because of that."
I will not make the same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself
Cause my heart so much misery
I will not break the way you did,
You fell so hard
I've learned the hard way
To never let it get that far
Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid
I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because you know that's weakness in your eyes
I'm forced to fake
A smile, a laugh everyday of my life
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with
Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Kurama felt bad to see how lonely and scared she looked. She looked as if she wanted love, but was scared of what it could lead to. Sounds like me long ago. Kurama slowly pulled Tara to her feet and wrapped his arms around her small frame.
"It's ok. You are going to experience hurt in your life eventually. The important thing is to not let it hold you down. You can't just crash and burn. You have to roll with the dice and pick yourself up again. Plus, you will always have friends to back you up and help you get back on your feet. I will be there for you." He stressed the last part by tightening his hug. Nightstalker grinned and walked off. Young pups in love. It is so cute. Tara slowly returned the hug.
"Why? Why do you care Kurama?"
"Because..." Should I tell her? No! It will scare her away.
"Because why?"
"That is what friends are for."