*Updated 3/14/2013 This chapter was Beta read by akasoeki.

Chapter Six: Genkai's Tests-Part Four

"Alright kiddies, lets start the semi-finals," Genkai's voice roused me from the cat nap I'd fallen into when the others started verbally working out the mechanics of what they'd seen take place in the fight between Daisuke and I. "The first match is Amaru and Yusuke."

The younger boy looked shocked and irritated. Amaru had this smug happy look. "Haha, I've been waiting for this."

"Woah, woah, woah, old lady! Can you at least throw another cigarette?" Yusuke growled and gestured animatedly with his hands.

"No, we won't be fighting the semi-finals in here." She turned and started heading back towards the door, which opened to reveal the radiant sunlight. Judging from the groans everyone else made, it must have been too harsh for their over-sensitive eyes.

"Follow me," Genkai ordered.

This time the group was lead further up the mountain. Yusuke and the girl, who he'd called Botan, were talking about how he was going to have a tough time winning while he was tired. They spoke of him needing to defeat some guy named Rando. I tried not to eavesdrop, but its difficult with senses like mine.

Byakko was nestled in my arms, sleeping. The little cat's spirit was strong, but it was nothing like when he'd been active in me for those scant seconds at the end of my fight. I tried to puzzle over why this could be when Takara interrupted my thoughts.

You will have much to read when this is over. Do not worry about the depleted energy. Its normal for him to be at full strength when purified and awakened in you, but now he has his own form. Much of what she said was still confusing, like starting a movie in the middle without even knowing what you were going to see. I knew it would make more sense when I could read the entries she was referring to, but it didn't stop the questions from popping up. My confusion didn't deter her from continuing, As you get strong, so too will he. Eventually, he will fight for you again. Treat him well and protect him while he is weak. Her advice I could take to heart.

When we finally came through the tree line, the forlorn landscape made me pause and pull Byakko closer up to my chest. The atmosphere was green, like a swamp. The gasses in the atmosphere rose up, turning the distant sky a toxic pea colored green. The trees were dead with spiky branches. Some jutted out of the ground at odd angles, but it was hard to tell if it was because of rot or some long ago force that uprooted them. There were ponds of swamp water dotting the land and the ground was covered in some of the thickest, healthiest grass I'd ever seen. When I sensed the startling number of spirits congregated over the terrain I realized it must have been fertilized with corpses. Lots of corpses.

"This will be your new fighting ground."

"Uh...what is it?" Kuwabara rasped.

"This is the sight of an ancient battle. An entire army was overcome by madness." Genkai's voice was as close to reverent as I'd heard so far. "Thousands of soldiers attacked their own men." As she spoke, the spirits took shape and I could see ancient warriors in Samurai army, many carrying arrows protruding from their spirit forms. Some lurked in the distance, walking slowly, ominously, closer to the group. "Souls fill this place."

Kuwabara, who'd been growing edgier and edgier jumped back, "I'm seeing things here I never wanted to see!" He grabbed his head and I recalled his earlier words about coming to Genkai's because he wanted her to turn the volume down on his spirit awareness. "Please, please, someone take me home!" I felt my heart strings tug and moved to stand closer to him, hoping that my presence alone might help. He did glance over when I moved near, I saw his eyes rest on Byakko and soften.

"On this hillside, spirit energy begins to overtake the body. Its perhaps the best place on earth to use spirit power and so the best place for your fight," Genkai explained.

"Excellent, their energy is circulating through me now. I'm stronger already." Amaru really did look thrilled as he looked down at his glowing fist. After a minute, Amaru's entire body was covered in the glow.

Botan turned to Yusuke, "What about you?"

Yusuke looked at this finger and strained for a moment. "No use," he said finally. "I'm feeling some of my power coming back, but there's no way its enough to use my spirit gun."

As the ninja and the surprisingly resilient junior high boy squared off I felt drowsiness once again tug at my senses. "Hey Kuwabara-san," I whispered.

He looked over, "Huh?"

"Wake me up if something dramatic happens..." My voice was a bit higher pitched as the words fought to make it out over the yawn that overtook me. It took a few fumbling tries, but I managed to wrap my mind around a weak barrier spell. It was just big enough to cover me in a bubble when I sat on the grass. The ambient energy was enough to make it stronger and keep it running while I dozed. It appeared as a light blue mist around my form.

The restorative fugue state I slipped into was extra effective on this strange hill. Fugue itself is a very personal experience, as it is something deep within your soul. When in this state, I could usually feel Takara buzzing at the edges of the energy and even though I sometimes thought of her voice as coming from within, it was very distinct and separate from my domain. Until my fight with Daisuke, I'd never felt or heard other voices than my own originate from that spot, but, "Take the sigil. Save Byakko." had come from in there and it sounded different from what I identified as myself. It had come from within, though, not from somewhere else. It sounded of power, of nature and primal things, but was distinctly feminine. I chalked it up as a puzzle I'd ask Takara about later.

I floated in prismatic color for a while, feeling my energy brighten and my body begin to restore itself. Aches and pains began the slow journey towards normalcy and I basked in the feeling of not having to think or plan for a moment. I could just be. I'd only caught fleeting glimpses of this kind of carefree calm in the past. Once Takara had taught me how to reach it, I spent many hours a day training in partial fugue and at least some time just meditating and restoring balance to my being, much like I was now.

Time was a tricky thing to tell when in a restorative fugue state, but it couldn't have been more than fifteen or twenty minutes before I was instinctively snapped out of it by outside sources. An explosion had gone off and thick smoke was curling in the air over the battlefield. It had been loud enough that even Byakko was awakened from his much deeper sleep.

"Oh, perhaps I neglected to mention the gunpowder stored in the tip of every blade," Amaru's smug voice could be heard over the sound of something whistling through the air. It took me a minute to realize there were flying bits of metal zooming through the sky in search of a target. "They blow up on impact. Even if you dodge the blades, you can't avoid the explosion."

If you have to fight him you can use your barrier to avoid that nasty result, Takara's voice whispered in my consciousness.

I smirked. If I have to fight him, I'll put the barrier around him and let them explode inside.

Or you could use high energy barriers to make false targets while you mask your own, the last voice was little more than a soft hiss in my mind. My eyes were drawn to the little cat in my arms. His ears flicked once, but his gaze was drawn to the two fighters.

My gaze wandered back to Yusuke as the shuriken came in for another swipe. My heart tugged in sympathy. The poor kid was out of luck, it seemed. I hoped he wouldn't die. I'd be willing to expend my energy and drop out to save either one of the kids. I wouldn't be able to stand myself as a human being if I didn't, curse or no curse. I had a kid brother their age back home and I hoped that someone would do that same for him.

Suddenly, Yusuke started running closer to us. "You have to listen to me Kuwabara!" he yelled. "You have to win the tournament now!" He swerved suddenly and headed for Amaru. I was confused. "See ya!" he yelled one last time.

He's going to sacrifice himself...Byakko's low voice held an appraising tone. Interesting strategy, child.

"What do you think he meant? I thought he wanted to win," Kuwabara, it seemed, was confused as well.

"I see," Genkai spoke, "he knows he can't escape so he's trying to kill two birds with one bomb."

"Hey, what?!" Kuwabara's bark was filled with anxiety. "Urameshi! Don't do it! Can't you think this out a little more?!" I could tell by his stature that he was really worried about his friend, and though I hadn't known Yusuke very long, I found that I was as well.

Yusuke ran straight at Amaru, who seemed to be powering up his spirit energy attack. A starburst of shimmering blue and purple light appeared as he gathered the energy. He was just about to fire when Yusuke disappeared from view entirely. My senses felt him fall straight through the ground and into one of the murky ponds hidden in the grass. I could only assume that the pond scum covering the top was the exact shade of green as the grass, so it was camouflaged from immediate notice by everyone else.

A few seconds later, Amaru's own weapons collided into his spirit energy and caused a massive explosion that rocked the atmosphere. His body went flying, along with ripped bits of his clothes and his own blood. He hit the ground hard. From this distance away, I couldn't tell if it was the sort of thing he would get up from.

Botan and Kuwabara ran over to the scene of the explosion. "Do you see that? He's gone!" Kuwabara was looking around the ground as if expecting Yusuke to pop up out of nowhere.

I was just going to mention the water in case he was drowning, but then Yusuke's bubbles popped up out of the murky water and his hand came waving out of the mud. When he came out he was gagging out nasty water and gasping for air. He relayed that he hadn't been hiding to Kuwabara, who'd asked him, and that he'd slipped.

That boy has the oddest luck, I mused.

One could say he has a touch of fate about him. Reminds me of someone actually...Takara's tone took on a slightly smug tinge and I knew exactly who she was referring to.

Shut it, Flatface, I'm going to break this curse if it kills me! I fist jabbed into the air as if making a declaration.

I could feel Byakko's alert presence, but he stayed silent. Instead of commenting, he flicked his ears over at the group, Genkai and Shorin had walked over to join the others. He could hear what I could not at this distance.

Instead of wondering what the pensive cat was thinking, I stretched my hands out to touch the barrier, which had grown much brighter and stronger during Yusuke's battle. With some focus, I started absorbing the energy from the barrier, along with the energy it had collected from the atmosphere.

That was smart, brat, Takara's vibrations held a tinge of pride. You found a way to gain back twice as much energy as the others could.

You taught me to work smarter, not harder, was my quick response.

Byakko tensed some in my arms. Instinctively my fingers moved to scratch the spot behind his ears, "What's wrong little guy?"

He paused as if pondering the endearment, but didn't comment on it. I overheard what Urameshi and Botan were whispering about. He's here to fight a demon in disguise.

That got my attention. Was that the "Rando" they were talking about? By elimination, he hissed, it is the one called Shorin.

How did he know it wasn't me? Not that I wanted to be a suspect, but Yusuke hadn't known me long enough to count me out and in reverse positions I wouldn't have counted him out.

Botan recognizes the prismatic energy and what it means. He tilted his head into my fingers and I moved closer to the group since the new battle seemed like it was about to begin.

And what's that? I asked, but my question went unanswered, although I did get a vibe from Takara that prismatic energy would be explained in the book. It hit me suddenly, how irritating it was to have a book that only let me know things once I'd come in contact with them...and even then I had to wait until I had safe, focused times to study the damn thing. I always felt like I was a step behind where I wanted to be.

"Lets move to the second match of the semi-finals. Shorin and Kuwabara."

I sat down a respectful distance from Genkai. She was in front of me and to the left. With my renewed energy stores it was easy to grab the barrier spell, but instead of letting it go immediately I held onto it and adjusted my focus. Much of the time, intent, willpower and energy was all that was needed as long as I knew the theory behind the spell I called on, but if I wanted to adjust the parameters of the spell, I had to look at the equation that made it up and kept it balanced. Takara, is there a way for me to not only absorb the ambient energy here, but any energy blast the shield takes?

Takara thrummed in thought, I could feel her vibrations scanning along my equation, Yes, I think so. You have the mental focus to bend the spell and maximize it to suit your needs, but it'll take longer than you have right now to figure out and set up.

Set the barrier up now, Byakko's mental hiss was a command, not a request.

It was then that I felt Shorin's spirit energy mutating and sparking up. Flaming balls of energy shot straight at Kuwabara, who dodged the first two. The fighters were only fifteen or so feet away from me, ten from Yusuke and Botan. I dropped my mental pondering and flung the spell out in a fear response. It went wider than I intended, covering all of the bystanders, instead of just myself. It had taken more energy with it that I'd been prepared for, causing the onset of a headache that settled behind my eyes.

I noticed Genkai's attention flicker in my direction, Botan's as well, but I just stared at my hands in shock. This was definitely the biggest barrier I'd ever cast.

Shorin's next fireball was summoned into existence. Kuwabara pulled his own energy sword into the atmosphere and batted the fireball right back at Shorin.

Why do you think they're after this demon? You said not all demons are evil-...What the fuck is he doing? My original thought had been cut off by the strange incantation Shorin was reciting. It felt awful when he said it, the power in his voice was a dark thing. His eyes glowed red and he stared at Kuwabara fiercely as the taller boy charged at him with his spirit sword raised high.

Well, that wasn't a smart move, Takara hummed.

Byakko's voice was soft and groggy, I'll never understand why people let wizards finish their incantations before trying to bash their faces in. He rested his little chin down on my forearms, looking cute, adorable, and completely at odds with his violent words.

Before my eyes, Kuwabara shrank into the grass and disappeared. I watched in stunned shock. That was far beyond anything I was capable of.

Sarai, that's beyond what you'll be capable of after fifty years of hardcore study. He is old. Takara's voice was not mocking, but clear and honest as if trying to get me to understand the gravity of the situation. This is no longer an option for you. If that is the least of his powers you would still need to drop out.

My first instinct was denial, but then Shorin leaned down and picked up the red head, squeezing him cruelly. Shorin slowly broke the boy's arm. I felt bile rising in my throat as Kuwabara begged for mercy. It was sickening and I truly had no idea what the hell I could do in this situation besides set up a healing link...and that would just get me killed if Shorin never stopped.

"I can't stand this lady! I'm going in there!" Yusuke yelled.

"No, I'll call the fight. That's enough Shorin." Genkai's voice was still calm and collected.

Shorin just gave off a dark little chuckle, "Ooooh right." He'd drawn out the sound like a child who'd been told they couldn't have their desert until after they finished their vegetables. I saw something in his eyes, something dark and hungry and vicious. He continued to squeeze Kuwabara's ribs until there were little popping noises.

Yusuke snapped, "Ah! This punk's not going to listen to you anymore old lady!" He started running forward.

I stood too and with a whiplash of energy pulled in my barrier and the meager amount of ambient energy it had gathered. I wasn't sure what was about to happen, but if Yusuke was going to try and take him down for cheating...well, I'd probably help.

Suddenly Shorin literally threw Kuwabara through the air like a tiny, broken little doll. As injured as he already was, I didn't know if he would survive the impact with the ground.

With another whiplash of blue energy I pulled the healing link spell into existence and snapped it onto his tiny form before he could hit the surface. I felt the damage of the impact run through my body instead of his, though the pain was both of ours to share. So intense and cruel were the breaks in his bones that I was overcome with the sudden onslaught of agony and sunk to the ground, gasping for breath.

I'd dropped Byakko, needing my hands to keep my face from slamming into the ground. Being a cat, he of course landed on his feet. With a hot, concerned gaze the little cat looked up at me with a mix between agitation and pity. The pain was so strong I couldn't focus enough to actually allow the healing to begin.

"Takara." My moan was pathetic, but I'd never been in this much pain before. It was like Kuwabara's arms had been crushed and there were several more breaks besides that.

Focus, she growled. The link will be more effective at a closer distance. Move. She used the same tone of voice she used in my most intense and dangerous training sessions, the one that brooked no argument.

It took every ounce of willpower I had, but I managed to make it to my feet and stagger over to Botan and the broken boy. Byakko stayed ahead of me. On some level I knew Yusuke and Shorin were fighting again, but I had to focus on what I was doing, despite all the screaming, growling and cackling coming from that direction. When I finally made it, I knelt down and placed a hand over Kuwabara's chest. Byakko curled up by the red head's ear and started purring, as if trying to reassure the teen in his questionably conscious state.

It took several moments for me to clear the pain out of my head to start scanning his injuries with my power. They were so extensive I couldn't see how mundane medicine would ever fix the damage. I was interrupted by the darkest presence I'd ever felt in my life. When I looked up, I realized Rando had revealed his true form and was about to take on Yusuke at full power.

A/N: I would have updated sooner but I got a Beta! :) We've been working on editing all the previous chapters and she's almost finished editing up through Chapter 17 already. Thanks akasoeki. :) Next Chapter: Shit. Gets. Real.

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