Hello people! Sorry for the long wait! My beta actually has a life so I was patiently waiting for her to have some free time XD So here is chapter 9, a minor accomplishment in and of itself! chapter 10 will be a fantastic celebration!...when it comes around.^_^ Now ON WITH THE SHOW!
Disclaimer: I never have and never will own anything beyond my own imagination...
"We need to talk."
A portal opened next to the park bench. The swirling vortex slightly surprised Kurama, though his face never betrayed it. He hadn't expected Koenma to be so prompt. The red-head carried Tay through the portal, directly into Koenma's office. The toddler's look was directed to the unconscious girl in Kurama's arms.
"I would ask why Tay was with you and unconscious, but I'm not sure I want to know. Just set her down over there," Koenma directed, motioning toward the couch against the back wall. Kurama walked over and gently placed her down. Then, he turned to Koenma, expecting answers to his obvious questions. After a few moments of silence between the two, he decided to speak first.
"Koenma, you have not told me everything when it comes to these sisters. It would seem that this one needs more assistance than the other."
"Kurama, I wanted you to keep track of Cara because I wanted prying eyes away from Tay. Cara is the more…..subtle of the two, if you couldn't already tell."
"How can Cara be subtle when she releases energy with no control? And how can Tay even attempt to hide herself when she knows nothing of her powers? From what I've seen since she arrived in Japan, she is a magnet to trouble."
Koenma gave a sigh and popped his pacifier out of his mouth. "That's because she doesn't have her sister to keep her I check. The opposite effects their powers have kept their powers from coming out at all."
"Opposite effects…" repeated a surprisingly puzzled Kurama.
"If you recall the event with Latham and the library…." Koenma trailed off, leaving Kurama to come to his own conclusions.
"I remember," Kurama finally responded. "His illusion was given too much energy and exploded." Koenma could see the wheels in Kurama's head turning. "Cara gives off energy. Do you mean to tell me, that if they were to keep each other in check, Tay would then absorb energy?"
The toddler nodded. "That's exactly what I mean."
"Koenma, that fact makes her a dangerous variable. Internalizers have not been in recorded history for many hundreds of years. In the wrong hands, she could be used to throw off the balance of the world."
"I know," replied Koenma gravely. "That's why I've given Genkai instructions to seal off her abilities if it becomes necessary."
Kurama spared a glance toward the unconscious girl before confronting the prince of the spirit world. "What should I tell her, then? She observes more than she lets on. She already knows that there's something I am keeping from her."
"That's why I want her at Genkai's place. Genkai, master of deflection and the master of spirit energy might be able to help Tay master her lack of energy." Koenma sighed. "Kurama, if you do this, I'll knock off time from your probation."
Kurama contemplated the offer before replying, "Fine. You do know, however, that this girl is going to be more trouble to all of us than she is worth." Kurama picked up Tay and walked to the doors before Koenma could say another word. He stopped before the door and turned back to the prince of the Spirit World. "If you find any information about the demons chasing Cara, let me know. Tay deserves as much."
Koenma nodded in response and opened a portal for them to Genkai's temple. Kurama stepped through without another look back. The other side of the portal let out at the bottom of a tall set of stairs leading to a temple. He looked down at Tay only to see the dark blue eyes looking back at him.
"Put me down. Now." The red-head set the girl on her feet and kept an arm on her shoulder while she steadied herself.
"How long have you been awake?" inquired Kurama.
"Concious would be a better word, but long enough to know you're going to successfully avoid my questions yet again." Tay gave a frustrated sigh. "Just get out of here Kurama. I can tell where I can find Genkai," she said pointing at the temple at the top of the flight of stairs.
"Very well Tay. Just try not to get yourself injured. Yusuke promised to 'kick my ass'," he stated in his awkwardly formal voice, "if you did." He turned and walked down a path Tay assumed led to civilization.
"Kurama," Tay called out. The red-head turned around. "Answer me one question." Kurama nodded. "What's an internalizer?"
With a shrug, he answered. "You are."
'Gah! That guy is infuriating.' With a muster of her courage, Tay pivoted and started the trek up the stairs. The long climb left her time to think about what might happen with this Genkai. Who was this mysterious person? Why did Tay not have any energy? The short guy who kidnapped Keiko had said something to that effect. 'Hiei I think his name was.' And what the heck was an internalizer?
Before she knew it, Tay was in front of the large temple doors. She took a deep breath and gave the doors a great heave. They swung slowly back and revealed an open square, surrounded by large buildings. Tay was awed by the architecture and slowly turned, taking in all the buildings.
"Hey! What do you want, girl?" Tay was interrupted from her awe by a raspy voice coming from behind her. She turned to see a short, older woman with faded pink hair and a powerful presence.
"Well from what I heard, Koenma wanted you to help me master something or another."
"Oh, so you're the one," Genkai mumbled as she turned on her heels and walked into the main building. Tay, having nothing with her and not knowing what to do, just stayed where she was. "Well don't stand there gawking," echoed Genkai's voice from inside the hall. "I haven't got all day." Tay raced up the wooden stairs to catch up with the shorter woman.
The next few minutes were a flurry of motion. Tay did her best to keep up with Genkai as she was shown the more important rooms of the temple. Living quarters, followed by the kitchen, the training room, then the game room. It was hard for Tay to believe that all this was in one building. Before she knew it, they had reached the back doors. Because they were open, Tay could see the vast expanses of forest behind the temple. Just standing near it, Tay felt a chill coming over her.
"This forest is off limits to you. It's home to many demons of varying strengths that I have no control over." Before Tay could argue, Genkai continued. "Since you have no control over your abilities, you will remain inside this building.
"In a month, I am hosting a tournament to find an apprentice. If you haven't mastered them by then, I'm locking you in a room until the tournament is done."
"Why?" asked Tay quickly, before she could be cut off again.
Genkai gave her a pointed look before addressing the question. "It's going to be full of high, spirit energy fighters, you numbskull. If one lower level demon can turn you into a stuttering ice cube, imaging what 20 people of three times the energy level would do."
"Oh," was Tay's only reply.
"Now go get ready and meet me in the training room. We start training in five minutes."
"How am I supposed to get ready when I don't have anything to get ready with….at all…?"
"Koenma's ogre dropped off some things earlier. They're in your room. And now you have four minutes."
Tay ran off to the living quarters trying to remember which one Genkai said was hers. It took her three tries to remember but she finally found the room with her bag on the bed. She dug through her stuff and threw on some workout clothes. When she was done, Tay ran back to the training room. Genkai was standing in the middle of a large, padded room. Obviously this room was made for people to take a beating in.
"Get in here girl. We have work to do."
Genkai spent the rest of the day discovering Tay's stamina level (relatively high), what fighting skills Tay had (none), and what control she had over her abilities (none again). By the end of the day Tay was completely sore, and was limping out of the training room.
"Be ready by seven tomorrow morning!" Genkai called after her.
'Seven! This old woman's crazy.' Tay limped down the route she had taking earlier that morning, hoping she was headed in the right direction. Without changing or shower, Tay threw herself on her bed and fell right asleep.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Tay shot up and started blindly reaching for whatever was making the noise. When her fingers came in contact with the recognizable shape of an alarm clock, she pounded on it until the noise stopped. When she opened her eyes, she saw little light coming through the blinds and realized she was supposed to be ready for training in twenty minutes. Tay quickly hopped into the shower and threw on some loose workout clothes before running to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. She then pounded down the hall until she came back to the beating room. Ready for another day, she walked into the training room with a quick look around.
Suddenly, Tay heard a noise from behind her. She turned to see Genkai running straight at her. It was all Tay could do to try and dodge the punches and kicks that the older woman threw at her in rapid succession. Most of them landed, though she managed to actually dodge a few. When Tay was tripping over herself and could barely breathe, Genkai relented on her assault.
"What the heck was that about?" Tay got out when she could finally breathe. "I thought we figured this out yesterday….I CAN'T FIGHT!"
"Your reactions are faster from yesterday. I got less hits this time."
Tay still looked confused. "What is one day going to do? I'm still gonna be feeling all those you did get tomorrow," she retorted, rubbing her sore arm. Genkai gave her a sharp look for the smart remark.
"So you really are an internalizer," said Genkai, as if to herself. Too bad Tay heard her.
"A what?" questioned Tay.
"An internalizer. Did the fool tell you anything?" Taking Tay's shrug as a no, Genkai continued. "An internalizer: someone or something who takes the energies of others and claims them as their own. But it comes at a price." Genkai looked directly at Tay as if telling Tay it was about her. "There is always a physical side-affect that internalizers must deal with."
"So like me turning into a popsicle the other day, during Yusuke's fight with the short dude."
"Yes," came Genkai's short reply.
"But what does that have to do with me being slightly less of a punching bag?" asked Tay, stull rubbing her arm.
"You are a simpleton, aren't you?" Tay took a moment to register the insult, but before she could retort, Genkai continued. "Every living thing gives off a signature, energy specific to them, fighters especially. Since you have no control, you unconsciously absorb the energy given off in a fight. In that instance, you gain little amounts of their abilities."
Tay paused, trying to retain all that she had been told. "So how does this affect me being locked in a room?"
Genkai smirked. "Oh, that hasn't changed. You still have a month."
Well there she be! Thanks for reading and reviews are always welcome/suggested/wanted! ^_^