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Poltergeist Report 2: The Untold Saga

Chapter 1 - A Life Ordinary

By: Shisoukengo

It was a crisp autumn evening in the fall, as the warm summer air began to drift away in order to make way for the winter chill to set in. Inside a modest two story home in the city, a teenage boy sat at his desk, working on his mountain of homework. His window was cracked open, allowing a fresh breeze to enter the confines of his room, but he was otherwise oblivious to his surroundings. His concentration was focused solely on his work, which is something that would've been unheard of with his former self.

On his bed, his pet cat Eikichi is sound asleep, her soft purring and his annoyed grumbling the only sounds inside the room. Downstairs, his sister was preparing dinner while trying to relax from her day of working at a boutique. Life has become ordinary for the red-headed young man, his days filled with mundane activities equivalent to the average teenager. No one would ever suspect that the former gang member and hot-headed Kuwabara Kazuma was fighting with otherworldly beings not more than a year ago.

He sighed as he placed his pencil down on his notebook and kicked back, having decided to take a little break from studying. He turned his head slightly to stare out of the window, watching as the last of the suns dying rays vanish from the sky, turning the once blue sky into a darker version of itself. Memories from not long ago came back to him, and although he knows they really happened, he sometimes questions if it were all a dream.

'I wonder how the rest of the guys are doing?'

He leaned back further, the chair he's sitting in now supported solely by its two back legs, causing him to have to prop his feet up on his desk in order to maintain balance.

'Humph, probably off having cool adventures and getting stronger, while I'm stuck here doing math.'

He'd thought about it before, and had tried to put it behind him. After all, he had agreed that he couldn't necessarily keep fighting youkai forever. He knew his sister was right, and had resigned himself to a life of mediocrity, and yet his thoughts still plagued him. While his sister could certainly take care of herself, after all she'd taught, or rather pounded it into him how to fight, she wasn't necessarily a fighter like he was.

He had grown up having to fight in the streets, and at school, and then later on in brawls against beings no one thought existed at all. It wasn't that he enjoyed fighting, well at least not anymore, or that he liked picking on others. He was just a man of action, and his ways of expressing himself were always through action.

It just so happened that his actions constituted mostly of using his fists, whether he was defending himself, his gang, his turf, or someone else. He was a man of action, a warrior at heart, but his actions would not get him far and thus had no place in his life. He knew his sister wanted better for him, and in her own ways encouraged him to buckle down and get through school, but he couldn't totally silence the part of him who wished he could be fighting alongside his friends and wondered why it had to be so different for him when he couldn't go with them.

He'd never felt like the outcast in their little band of fighters, at least not at first, as he was almost equal to his partners in strength. He also held something that neither of the others possessed, a heightened reikan* shared by both he and his sister Shizuru, which coincidentally was also the basis of his power.

However, as time passed, he watched his 3 partners grow stronger and stronger, eventually surpassing him completely in almost every way. And while he still held the upper hand in awareness, it was not enough to keep up with his fighting partners, or even the human psychics who had come before him.

He continued to stare out of the window, as nighttime fully descended upon the city. He sighed as he placed his feet back down on the floor, his chair now supported by all four legs.

'Man, I really need to talk to someone about all this. Sis wouldn't understand, she'd just tell me to keep studying.' He thought as his gaze lingered for a moment longer, before a twinkle in the sky caught his attention. 'Yukina!Yeah, talkin to her always makes me feel better. And Genkai! She's apsychic too, and one of the best fighters out there, she can definitely help me.'

He sat up excitedly, the chair thumping loudly under his heavy weight as he continued to make his plans for the weekend. He would go visit Yukina and Genkai at Genkai's compound, since the Koorime native had decided to take up residence in Ningenkai*, she was virtually a stranger in a strange land. So he was sure she would be there, and Genkai most likely as well, since the old woman was a hermit and rarely ever left her residence.

"Kazu!!!Dinner's ready, come on and eat!!" Shizuru called from downstairs.

Normally she would go out of her way and bring his dinner straight to him, to make sure he wasn't interrupted in his studies. Since his grades had begun to take on a vast improvement though, she had lightened up on him. Either that or she was tired of bringing him most of his meals during the week. He stood up quickly, as his stomach let him know just how hungry he was at the mention of food. His mood had brightened considerably, and he only hoped Yukina's comforting presence and Genkai's wisdom and experience could help him out.

His stomach suddenly growling, Kuwabara quickly made his way downstairs, the realization that he hadn't eaten practically all day setting in. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, the scent of the food wafting in from the kitchen grabbed his attention, averting his mind from both his schoolwork and his earlier contemplation on his life. He sat at the table with his sister, and after a quick "let's eat", Kuwabara began to dig into the food in front of him. Shizuru, who was more reserved than her younger brother, sat quietly observing him from across the table.

Shizuru could tell something was on his mind, and she knew it certainly couldn't be his school work. While she noticed and gave him credit for having taken his studies more seriously, they had never occupied his thoughts like now. She had a high amount of reikan, in fact she had a better grasp on it than he did, but it didn't take a psychic to tell something was bothering her baby brother. Sticking her chopsticks into her bowl, Shizuru lifted a clump of noodles to her mouth and began chewing silently, contemplating a way to broach the subject of what was on Kazuma's mind.

"So Kazu, how have your studies been going?"

Kuwabara looked up from his food, staring at his sister for a moment. Shizuru's face seemed unreadable, not giving any hint as to why she would inquire about his studies so suddenly. Chalking it up to her making sure he wasn't slacking on his work, he shrugged his shoulders and answered just as coolly.

"They're going fine. My English is coming along a bit slow, but Keiko-chan has been helping me out with that, so I'm doing alright."

Shizuru smiled to herself, knowing that with Yusuke's sudden departure into Makai* almost a year ago, Keiko and Kazuma had developed a closer bond of friendship. It wasn't anything to worry about, as it was common knowledge amongst their circle of friends that Keiko was strictly devoted to Yusuke, and Kazuma was far too smitten with Yukina to turn his affections elsewhere.

Still, she found it rather cute and a little funny that the former detective's two closest friends would bond together in his absence. Looking up, she noticed that Kazuma had slowed down in his eating, and seemed to be picking at his food. A tell-tale sign that something was definitely up with her baby brother. He never fiddled around with his food like that.

"So where's Mom?" His question startled her as she wasn't expecting him to speak so suddenly. It dawned on her then that his question was an attempt at a distraction. 'Pretty smart baby bro,'she thought as she took a sip of her beer.

"Mom called earlier while you were upstairs studying, said she had a business meeting that might run late."

Kuwabara nodded at her answer, as it wasn't unexpected for their Mom to be working late from time to time, as being an office worker sometimes meant late hours. Shizuru helped out of course, working at the boutique, which helped their parents out a bit with the expenses. He was close with both his mom and his sister, but felt much closer to his sister because she was the one who mainly looked out for him, given his mother's work habits. Shizuru's voice suddenly brought his attention back into the conversation and to her.

"Alright baby bro, something's obviously up with you so spill it. Tell me what's wrong."

Kuwabara lifted his eyes, meeting his sister's penetrating stare, as if she were trying to see the answer inside his head. He looked to the side away from her, knowing he was unable to avoid the question. Shizuru was rarely inquisitive about his life, but if she felt something were seriously wrong she wouldn't stop until she knew what it was, and she would be forceful if she had to.

He knew he couldn't really tell her what was really on his mind, he hadn't even so much as had a fist fight in the street since his deal with her to take his studies seriously. He suddenly realized something that would allow him a reason to visit Genkai without telling his sister the entire truth. A half-truth really.

"Nothing much really, just been having a little trouble with my reikan again lately."

Shizuru wasn't surprised, as she was very aware that he had a history of his reikan going out of control. She thought that after Genkai's tournament, however, that it wouldn't be a problem anymore. She raised an eyebrow in response.

"Really?I thought you had learned to control that back at Genkai's tournament."

"Yeah, but since the scrap we had with Sensui, my reikan has been out of whack again."

Shizuru lowered her eyes back down to her food, remembering the group's confrontation with the former detective. She hadn't been there to see it, neither had Keiko, but she clearly remembered the fuss that was created when it was learned that her very own brother's power held the key to cutting down the barrier that separated Ningenkai from Makai.

Kazuma never said much about the battle or what effects his reawakened power had on him. But she could sense it, slowly over time she noticed her brother's reikan had been going through subtle changes. His recent prediction of an earthquake that hit just last month was proof positive of that.

Kuwabara decided that this would be the perfect time for him to announce his decision to go and visit Genkai. Squaring his shoulders, he looked back up at Shizuru, his voice firm as he spoke.

"Well, I decided to go see Genkai-ba-san this weekend. I figured she helped me back when I first started having trouble, she might be able to help me now." He shrugged his shoulders as if it made perfect sense.

"Just remember what we talked about Kazu," he looked up to see Shizuru's sharp stare locked on him. "You gave me your word that you would do better on school work."

"Yeah I know. I'm just going to ask ba-san for advice, it's not like I'm going out to start a fight club or anything."

He gazed at his sister, hoping she wouldn't attempt to probe too deep into his reasoning. Shizuru stared back at him, studying his eyes momentarily before sighing. He'd been keeping his word so far, so she had no reason to believe he was lying to her. It just wasn't in his nature to lie to anyone. She shrugged her shoulders, he'd been doing well lately, and as much as she cared about him she couldn't really force him not to do things.

"Sure, go ahead, if anyone's going to help you with it, it'll be Genkai."

"Thanks sis." He grinned that boyish grin of his that she could never grow tired of despite herself. Shizuru smirked as she fished a cigarette out of her pocket.

"No problem bro, just try not to bug the poor girl too much." Shizuru had to resist the urge to laugh as Kuwabara's grin faltered into a clueless expression.

"W-wha?Who?" Kazuma stared at his sister, not knowing who she was referring to. His perplexity compounded by the fact that he never saw the elderly reiki master unless it had something to do with Yusuke. Shizuru continued to smirk as she blew out a stream of smoke before addressing her brother's confusion.

"Oh you know what I'm talking about Kazu. Don't think I don't know your real reason for wanting to go pay Genkai-san a visit. So I'm telling you try not to bug Yukina-chan too much."

A sly look was sent from the elder Kuwabara sibling to the younger one. Her brother stared bug-eyed at her for a moment before sputtering, his finger pointed back at her in indignation.

"T-that's not it at all! You don't know what you're talking about, I really am going so I can talk to ba-san about my new power! This has nothing to do with Yukina-san."

A doubtful look filled Shizuru's eyes as she looked at her brother in a silent stare down that lasted only a few moments. Kazuma's indignation only lasted during those few moments before he slumped back in his chair and sighed.

'It's no use, Sis really is good at this mind reading stuff.' "Alright well, maybe that was part of it too."

Shizuru said nothing in response as she continued to take a puff of her cigarette for another quiet moment before standing, her chair sliding back due to the movement. Sliding her chair back in, she walked toward her brother, giving him a smack on the shoulder.

"Like I said, just try not to bug the poor girl too much." She proceeded to walk past him and out of the room, tossing over her shoulder. "Oh, and do the dishes, seeing as I made dinner. And when you're done, get back to your studying."

"Yes Mom!" Kazuma responded in a sarcastic manner. He turned and looked back down at what little was left of his meal, his thoughts going back to his musings from before. He wondered again what Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama were doing at the moment. Were they fighting in some battle together? Against each other? Kazuma was sure that Yusuke was surely fighting someone by now.

Standing, he gathered up all of the dishes and sat them in the sink, turning on the hot water to fill up the sink. As he waited for the water to build up to it's appropriate level, he found himself staring out into space, his thoughts unable to focus on the task at hand. Memories came unbidden to him, of fighting with Yusuke in a parking lot or alley after school.

He remembered fighting with trained warriors from all over in Genkai's tournament to decide her apprentice. Of traveling to Maze Castle in a remote area of Makai to fight alongside Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei(much to his displeasure) against four of the most frightening beasts within Reikai's territory in Makai.

He remembered the feeling of accomplishment when he'd taken down the giant beast Byakko. Then there was the mission to rescue Yukina, the one fight that had changed in his life. Not just because he had found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but also it was this mission that brought he and Yusuke face to face with the Toguro brothers.

The fight led to a showdown that eventually took them to the Dark Tournament, and the most amazing moments of his life. It was here that he not only learned more about himself, but he was able to show his true merit in battle.

But what he also remembered from that time, were the losses he suffered, and the disappointing realization of just how out of his league he was when compared to his teammates. Genkai had held far more knowledge and skill then he had, so he hadn't really seen any point in comparing himself to her. Not to mention that she was older than him by at least 60 years. Plus, she hadn't once insulted his fighting ability during that time, of course she hadn't ever praised him either. Of course, he also took solace in the fact she had never praised Yusuke either.

'I remember those days,' he said as he cut off the water.

Pouring some soap into the water, he stirred the water with his hand until the bubbles had spread enough. Removing his hand, he gave it a good two shakes to get the excess soap and water off of his hand, but only managed to shake it onto the front of his clothing. This did not dawn on him however, as he immediately grabbed a sponge sitting by the faucet, stuck his hands back into the soapy water and began scrubbing the random assortment of dishes. His thoughts were still far away as he went on with his menial task.

'I remember Sis's words after our match in the semifinals, leave it to her to spoil the mood by bringing up the fact that I was the only one to lose a match. And what's worse, Hiei agreed with her! He's always been looking down on me, him and Urameshi. I guess compared to them I'll never be anything more than a street punk.'

The thoughts hurt but they remained, unbidden and unwilling to leave him alone. He didn't understand why Yusuke and the others couldn't see his potential, or acknowledge his accomplishments. They were only concerned in pointing out his shortcomings. He still didn't think his sister thought that badly of him, but then her words still lingered, taunting him in their truthfulness.

She certainly had never taken the time to congratulate him on the fights he did win, when he was still celebrating his victory over Risho. A victory that was solely responsible for advancing them into the semifinals in the first place. It was Yukina who offered words of congratulations to him. Shizuru's response was simply to tell him to enjoy himself because he would most likely not be as lucky in the next match, even going so far as to give him permission to drink beer. He knew she meant it as a tease, but with her words after the semifinals, well, he figured those thoughts were better left untouched.

Finishing the dishes, he pulled the plug from the drain, watching the water swirl and swirl until it was gone completely. It was funny how the water symbolized how he felt at that moment, swirling around and around until he was swallowed up in the shadows of his friend and teammates.

'Heh, I've probably always been in Urameshi's shadow. Come to think of it,'he gazed out of the window that sat atop the sink, the stars in the sky still visible despite the amount of light radiating from the city.'I've always been in his shadow. Ever since we first met, he didn't even remember my name after those first few fights of ours. At the time he died, I demanded he get up because I wanted to fight him again. I didn't want to be left behind when it came to being stronger. And yet even after all of the fights we've been through, I'm still no closer to beating him than I was back then.'

Looking back down, he noticed his hands had gripped the edges of the sink, a sign that his thoughts were beginning to frustrate him.

'Am I, really being left behind again?' His teeth began to grind against themselves at the silent question. Shaking his head, he forced himself to calm down.'Get a grip Kuwabara, you've got a life to live now. Like Sis said, you can't spend your entire life fighting, even if it's to protect this world. No matter what happens with Urameshi and the others, they're demons and you're not. It's time to get back to being a normal human.'

Sighing again for the third time that evening, he turned and made his way out of the kitchen and toward the stairs, heading up to his room. What had started out as innocent musing ended up draining him mentally, or it maybe it was all of the cramming he had been doing. He smirked as he reached his room, glad that the end of his freshmen year was almost at an end. All he'd have to do is pass his finals and he'd have a much needed 3 month break to hang out with his friends. Flopping down on his bed, he stared at the ceiling for a few moments.

'Maybe I'll take Yukina out for a weekend. It's been a while since I've spent any time alone with her.'

Closing his eyes, he couldn't help the goofy smile that once again adorned his face at the thought of the young woman. The smile never left his face and he instantly felt his spirit lifted at the thought as he reached over and flipped the switch to his bedside lamp. Turning over, he lay sprawled out on his bed, his eyes slowly closing.

'Yeah, I should definitely spend some time with her. It'll be good for her to be as comfortable as possible if she's gonna be staying here in this world.' It was his last waking thought before sleep overcame him.

To be continued.......

Glossary:

Reikai- Spirit World, the plain of existence where souls go to receive their afterlife. King Enma, Koenma's father, presides over this world. Koenma rules in his father's absence, and Botan is also from this world. This place is also described as the gateway to the afterlife, not the afterlife itself.

Makai- Demon World, the plain of existence where demons live and inhabit. It is comparable to a basement, with numerous levels stretching down into an infinite void. Out of all of the levels that make up this world, Reikai only controls half of the first level. The strongest demons inhabit the deeper levels.

Ningenkai- Human World, the plain of existence where humans live and inhabit. This dimension not only includes the planet Earth, but possibly the Universe humans live in as well. It is where most of the events of the series takes place, is governed by Reikai, and considered part of its territory.

reikan- spirit sensitivity, known as the tickle among Kuwabara and his friends, due to their lack of understanding it. It is best described as the ability to detect supernatural occurrences. Both he and Shizuru possess this useful ability, which could mean it is a genetic trait, though Shizuru's is slightly stronger.