FicWad

A.N. – A big shot out and thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I got some great responses and some very inquisitive questions. A few of you seem to be catching on to certain parts quick, lol. So without any further ado, let’s move on to the chapter!
Poltergeist Report 2: The Untold Saga
Chapter 7 - Training Day pt. 1
By: Shisoukengo
The bullet train sped surprisingly quiet along the outskirts of the city, the passengers inside equally silent. Many of them had materials to occupy their time, the young kids standing in groups, chatting away about their upcoming time off manga books, others reading over work materials. Kuwabara himself stood in place on the train, staring out of one of the windows as he watched the city’s buildings pass by.
His thoughts were occupied, torn in different directions. One part of him was thinking about his upcoming training. Another part was thinking of his friends, whom had made grand plans for their own school break. Kuwabara had hated it, but he’d had to reject their offer when they announced said plans to him.
‘I remember the day after Urameshi came back from his training,’ he thought to himself. ‘I wonder what type of training she’ll put me through? I sure hope it doesn’t involve that pit of snakes Urameshi mentioned.’ He visibly shuddered at the thought.
He’d been excited at the prospect of finally getting some training at first. Kurama’s training had been tough, he’d readily admit that. But the former Yoko’s training had been based more on refining his then current abilities rather than strengthening them. When he asked, Kurama’s answer had been forthcoming, as if he’d expected the question at any time during their training.
“Tell me, Kuwabara-kun, what is your favorite sport?” Kurama asked curiously.
Kuwabara, taken aback by the seemingly irrelevant question, blinked for a moment before grinning and puffing out his chest.
“That’s easy, it’s baseball of course!”Kurama smiled and nodded enigmatically, content with the answer.
“I see. Well, does simply strengthening one’s arms and shoulders automatically lead to an improved batting average?”
Kuwabara scratched the side of his head, confusion again evident in his facial features. It only took a moment to answer, however.
“No, not really, I guess. I mean, ya gotta have a pretty decent aim too.”
“Exactly my point, Kuwabara-kun. Having one does not guarantee the other. Likewise, strengthening your reiki doesn’t do any good if you lack the control necessary to wield it. That is what I intend for our training to provide for you.”
‘Gotta admit,’ Kuwabara thought to himself as the bullet train continued along its path, ‘typical school look aside, Kurama knows his stuff. That training of his definitely gave me the tools I needed to survive the first couple of rounds of that tournament.’
He remained contemplative the rest of the trip, rarelty taking notice on the doings of any of the other passengers. This was mainly whenever one or more of them bumped against him as they moved to another cart, or stepped off of the train entirely. Muggings, he knew, were fairly easy to accomplish and quite frequent in trains, especially during the morning and afternoon rush. Seeing as the train ride would take some time, generally a little over an hour, followed by a hike that was even longer. Kuwabara drew out a book that was a part of his summer break’s reading material. He’d been advised by his principle, prior to the last day of class, to see his homeroom teacher for the materials he would need to complete the assignments he would have during his home-schooling.
While the content of Genkai’s discussion with his principle remained a mystery, he was no less grateful to the baa-baa for looking out for him. Thinking of his upcoming school assignments also reminded him of his discussion with his crew. Each of them had discussed plans for their upcoming break from school. Okubo, whose mom was no longer sick and was back at work, and had offered her son a trip to Kyoto along with his friends. Sawamura and Kirishima had been eager to accept, but Kuwabara had had to reject the offer.
‘Sucks I won’t be able to go,’ he thought regrettably. ‘But those SDF jerks ain’t gonna let me be, and I can’t protect Ningenkai as I am.’
His thoughts continued aimlessly as the bullet train barreled along to its next destination. Coming to another stop, Kuwabara looked up to see the Shinkansen had arrived at its next location, recognizing it as his drop off point. Exiting the train within the smooth traffic flow, Kuwabara wanders up the platform and down the sidewalk. Although his head is held high and his gaze straight ahead, Kuwabara remained consumed by his thoughts, his body tracing a path that he’d made numerous times before. After some time of walking, he’d made it to the outskirts of the city, continuing along a cemented path that eventually took him to a large set of temple steps.
Moving past the protective spiritual charms set up on the trees along the steps, Kuwabara began his ascent, taking in the impressive surrounding scenery.
‘Never fails to amaze,’ his head turned to and fro, noticing the animals moving through the trees, as well as the lower level yokai that inhabited the deeper parts of the woods.
Before he even made it near the top of the steps, his senses picked up another, albeit more familiar presence at the top. As he neared the top of the steps, the presence revealed itself to be Genkai, who appeared to have sensed him also and stood calmly awaiting his arrival. Kuwabara stopped at the last couple of steps, taking a moment to bow to the aged master.
“It’s about time you arrived, for a moment I was beginning to think that second thoughts had gotten the better of you.” Her hands were loosely clasped behind her back, her body relaxed and her tone holding no hint of condemnation.
“Sorry, Genkai-ba-san, took longer than I planned for me ta pack.” Kuwabara responded as straightened up, locking and holding gazes with the old woman.
“Hm, well, you’re here now, so follow me inside and I’ll show where to put your things. After that, we’ll get started immediately.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked back to her temple, Kuwabara following along.
Leading him up the temple steps and along the engawa*, the two made their way around a corner to the back end of the temple, to a room Kuwabara remembered as being the one where he’d first awakened his reiken. Kuwabara blinked as they stepped inside, removing his shoes before doing so, and noticing the lit candles and the giant buddhist statue at the opposite end of the room. Sensing his confusion, Genkai spoke in a calm tone of finality.
“You’ll be staying in this room throughout the majority of your training. That means you will train, sleep, eat, and even meditate in this room. Yukina has already placed a futon by the wall over there,” she pointed to a rolled up object laying just before the statue.
“Be sure you set your bag down along the wall so that it doesn’t get in the way, and then make yourself comfortable. I’ll be back in a just a moment and then we’ll get started.” Genkai then turned and walked away, again not waiting for a response.
Having remembered the woman’s offer, Kuwabara had already drilled it into his head not to protest or question anything she said. Though he was confused by being placed in such a room, he trusted her judgment and decided to let her lead things as she saw fit.
‘Heck, if it means I can finally control my power and get stronger, I’ll do whatever she asks.’ He thought as he stripped off his jacket, leaving him in his navy blue track pants and white tee.
He paced around the center of the room, taking a few moments to stretch, before pausing to admire the statue, his hands casually placed in his pockets. The sound of the shougi door reopening drew his attention, Kuwabara turning around to glimpse Genkai strutting into the room with a cloth-covered object in her arms. The diminutive spirit master set the object on the ground, before pulling the cloth away. Kuwabara sauntered forward, leaning over as the cloth was pulled away to reveal what appeared to be a large metal spike. Kuwabara blinked, not sure what uses the device served.
“Umm, Genkai-ba-chan, what’s the deal with this thing?” He asked while scratching his head.
Genkai simply smirked, straightening up and then pointing down at the device now seated on the floor.
“This is going to be involved in the first part of your training.” Genkai sighed as Kuwabara stared blankly. “Your first task will be to balance on top of that needle, upside down, on one hand.” Kuwabara’s eyes widened more and more as Genkai continued to describe his task.
“Are you serious?!” He yelled, completely unnerved at the thought of what she was asking of him.
“Are you questioning my methods?” Her no nonsense tone caused him to pause, remembering their agreement.
“You must balance on top of the needle on one hand while concentrating your reiki into the tips of your fingers. You must channel your energy to the point of exhaustion, and when you think you’re about to run out, push yourself beyond that limit.”
************
The loud roar of machinery roared in a wooded plain of Makai, as various yokai toiled alongside the equipment. The workers were very diverse in form, ranging from hulking brutes, to smaller yet toned beasts with wings, to lithe flexible monsters. Each also carried out specific functions unique to their appearances and capabilities, such as carrying materials and erecting support structures. Not far from the laborers, the architect group in charge of overseeing the project went over their building plans. The stadium they were building was something that could only be described as massive, easily thrice the size of the stadium utilized in Ningenkai’s Dark tournament.
“No, no! Line those beams up at a space of 12x28 ft., we’ve got to make sure the spectators can have plenty of room to sit!” One yokai barked as he turned away from drilling in studs to connect a row of planks.
“Be sure to lay that mortar evenly, we have to be certain that the tiles are leveled equally.” Another shouted before going back to cutting sheets of cement squares.
Outside, away from the building site, two yokai sat at table, contraband cigarettes from Makai dangling from their lips.
"Man, this sucks, we've had lines of demons for miles every day since the tournament was announced. Now there's hardly anyone here." One grunted, eyeing his cigarette.
"Relax man, I'm glad for the break. Besides, it makes sense that no one's showing up now, Mukuro and Yomi competing would make anyone turn tail." The other demon spoke, taking a cool drag out of his cigarette and then exhaling a moment later.
"That's true, I just can't believe so many bastards signed up, and then quit not a month later. It's not like everyone competing is gonna have to fight them. I mean it's decided by lottery and all."
"Yeah, but lots mean shit if you get stuck with the same number as those two. And they're not the only ones either."
"Whattaya mean they're not the only problem? Only other person I know of that could compete with those two is Raizen, and word on the grapevine is that he bought the farm recently." The first one leaned forward, wondering what his co-worker knew that he did not.
"Yeah, that's what I heard too. But I also heard he had a son. Kid's supposed to be entering the tournament too."
"You gotta be kidding! Ya mean there was a female actually willing to screw that guy?"
"Hahaha, you're right on that one. She'd have to be one balsy chick to do it. If the rumors are any true, the kid's supposed to be balsy too. Walked straight into Yomi's city and actually suggested the tournament instead of war."
"And he managed to get both Yomi and Mukuro to agree? Wow, kid must have some low-hangers on him to do that. And if he's really Raizen's kid, he's gotta be packin some serious power too."
"Sure hope so, cause goin up against either of those two with anything less is just plain suicide."
The two lapsed into a steady silence, the loud roar of construction behind them the only thing heard.
*************
“Is this shit really necessary?!” Kuwabara asked for the 5th time since they’d started.
Currently balanced in a hand-stand position on one finger, reiki surrounding the entire digit, the teen grit his teeth in frustration at the arduous task he was enduring. He’d been in this position for only a little over an hour, though to him the time seemed much longer. Genkai, to whom his question had been directed, sat only a few feet away in annoyed silence, calmly sipping tea that Yukina had recently brought. While the old hermit wouldn’t have minded the young demon’s company, she’d had to regretfully send the girl away, as she knew the Koorime would ultimately only be a greater distraction to an already unfocused student.
“For the last time, yes, this part of your training is necessary, particularly when we begin working on advanced reiki-refinement exercises. Now shut your trap and focus on what you’re doing! You’ve got eleven more hours to go.” She snapped, before taking another sip of her tea to ease the strain in her throat.
She remained silent, gazing out of the open corridor towards the woods that surrounded her temple. Aside from his initial reaction when she described his first task, and the previous questions, the young man had been largely silent. Save for the occasional straining grunt, of course.
‘Not sure if it’s because he’s concentrating, or if he’s really afraid I’ll send him packing,’ she thought as mumbled another curse. ‘Still, if it means him getting his ass in gear, I certainly won’t complain. Although, I wouldn’t really send the baka home for the occasional question here and there,’ she smirked to herself.
Taking another sip of her drink, she paused to admire the surrounding landscape while reflecting on her time spent in seclusion. Having never been much of a people person by nature, she didn’t regret her self-imposed exile. But, sensing that her time was drawing ever closer, her thoughts had left her wondering how things might be if she’d had at least one person to share the more intimate details of her life with. However, that time had passed and she’d made her peace with the Younger Toguro, and the core of her techniques would continue on through her protégé in Yusuke, so she was more than content with that.
Glancing behind her at the straining teen, Genkai couldn’t help but wonder what, if anything, she could pass on to him as well. Deciding that a little kick to proverbial rear was in order, the aged hermit addressed her current student.
“Do you know what it is you lack that separates you from the rest of your teammates?” Kuwabara glanced up at her words, careful not to allow himself to lose his balance.
“What? You mean besides speed, intelligence, and a ridiculously strong punch?” He stated, causing Genkai to smirk at how he automatically listed the advantages his teammates possessed over him.
‘At least he’s thought about it before,’ she shook her head, both in amusement and in rejection of his attempt at self-deprecating humor.
“No, actually, what you lack is focus.” She turned to meet his confused stare, which only spurred her on. Turning, she approached the spike that he was balanced on before stopping right in front of him.
“Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama certainly each have their own strengths, as well as their own faults. Yusuke has had great spiritual potential, and is certainly quite strong physically, but his emotional detachment impeded his growth for the longest time. He was always afraid of letting down the few people that cared about him, so he always went out of his way to never give those people any reason to expect much from him. That sort of attitude carried itself over into his fights, and nearly cost him his life, and yours.”
 Kuwabara looked startled at Genkai’s opinion of Yusuke, baffled that she could call her own student out like that. To his experience, most teachers tended to focus mainly on their students’ good qualities, rather than the bad ones.
 “Hiei is no better,” Genkai continued without skipping a beat. “He tends to keep others away as well. While it’s probably due to his practice of self-reliance, it causes him to look down on those around him, both friend and foe. That often could, and at times it has, led to him underestimating someone and making mistakes that he normally might not make. Kurama, however, is the exact opposite. While he certainly doesn’t make the mistake of underestimating or looking down on his opponents, likely due to his time as Yoko Kurama, his recently acquired human nature tends to make him softer than he might not be otherwise. That’s never been more apparent than his match in the semi-finals of the Dark Tournament, anyone with a decent enough sob story could cause him to lower his defenses, and leave himself vulnerable.”
“Understand what I’m trying to tell you, before I continue any further. Every fighter who calls him or herself a warrior has weaknesses that must either be fixed or suppressed.” She looked back at him, confirming that she had his rapt attention, even as he didn’t appear to notice that his reiki was beginning to recede.
“Keep concentrating baka! I’ve told you, make one small mistake and you’ll end up puncturing either your finger or hand on that spike!” The authoritative tone in her voice caused him to glance back down abruptly, even as he strained to push more of his reiki down to the tip of his finger.
  “Which brings us back to you, and your strengths and weaknesses as a fighter,” she turned facing back out of the open doorway. “You certainly have great physical strength, especially for someone your age. You also hold great spiritual potential, possibly more than Yusuke himself. But your greatest weakness is that you lack focus.
 I’ve watched your fights since you first appeared at my tournament. You have a braggart’s nature, boasting about skills that you are limited in, even at times when you have the opportunity to capitalize on an advantage. You seem to always want to impress your peers and those around you, to the point where you will charge recklessly at an enemy without fully knowing anything of their abilities.” Although it was never a pretty sight to rub someone’s flaws in their face, as evident by the teen’s hang-dog expression, she knew that ultimately these were words he needed to hear.
 “And while the progress you’ve made up to this point, especially when considering your lack of formal training, is certainly impressive; that does not mean that you can afford to continue to be reckless or inattentive in battle. The fights that you have had, and are likely to have in the future are not things to be looked at like some random playground scuffle. They’re dangerous, potentially fatal, and approaching one with anything other than the utmost focus and resolve to defeat any opponent could cause you to find yourself paying Koenma a visit sooner than you planned.”
 The ensuing grimace on the boy’s face caused Genkai to nod in acceptance.
 ‘At least he’s paying attention, that’s good.’
 “That brings me back to the reason behind the training exercise you’re doing now. By pushing yourself to your utmost limits, to the point where you can’t go any further, and then pushing past those limits. Only then can you break free of those limits, and increase your power further.  That is what it means to make your body and spirit one, and that is why it is crucial for you to discard your childish pride and focus only on the task that you have before you; whether it is this exercise or a fight with a powerful opponent.”
 Upon finishing her speech, Genkai spared a glance at Kuwabara once more, seeing his face settle out of an expression of rising panic, to be replaced with one of sheer determination. Deciding to allow him room to focus on achieving the goal of 12 hours and check on Yukina, the diminutive woman stepped out of the open doorway and shut it, leaving Kuwabara to his task.
“Dammit,” he grunted as he continued to channel his energy, the old woman’s words sinking in with a sobering clarity.
***************
Night fell on the temple, the sounds of wild animals echoing in the otherwise stillness of the night. Kuwabara laid in his bed, his body protesting even the slightest movement, due to his day of heavy training. Genkai had forewarned him of the difficulty of his training, and so far had proven good to her word. She hadn’t taken it easy on him in slightest, and had in fact saw fit to warn him that things would only get tougher the further he progressed. Her reasoning that as his powers developed further, more would be required in order to push him further, made logical sense.
Still, that didn’t mean he had to like it.
“Ugh, damn old lady. She tryin to kill me or something?” His question was directed at no one in particular, but he had somehow hoped it would soothe his aching body. It didn’t, and he still found himself dealing the occasional muscle cramp. He’d barely lasted an hour and a half on that damn spike, before he toppled over in exhaustion.
Dinner that evening had been a quiet affair, the food and drink having helped by ridding him of a long bothersome hunger. However, the arrival of a new guest and her two children had effectively broken the peace of the evening. The kids, a young boy named Kaisei and his sister Fubuki, he found to be obnoxious, though he’d heard himself described in a similar fashion on occasion. The bombarded him and Yukina with various questions, ranging from how he styled his hair, to why Yukina’s skin wasn’t blue if she was an ice demon.
The mother, who introduced herself as Kuroko, seemed pleasant enough, and apparently had a bit of a mischievous streak as she found humor in her kids’ antics. Still, this did not stop her from ushering them into silence when Genkai presented her with a pointed look. As for himself, Kuwabara had spent the remainder of dinner between stuffing his face and trying not to catch himself staring at the woman’s beautiful features. Instead, he’d dragged himself out to the training hall and into his bed after hearing of Genkai’s promise that he would be up early in order to start the full scope of his training. That knowledge did not comfort him in the least, and he found himself again questioning whether or not he wanted to continue.
That doubt, however, was silenced when he reminded himself that the only alternatives would be either to receive Reikai’s punishment of having his powers stripped, thus leaving him normal and unable to protect Yukina; or to be killed outright, neither of which he sought to do any time in the near future, if at all.
Eventually, sleep overtook him, his mind shutting out the pain in favor of pleasant dreams where he was able to leisurely spend his days with Yukina. Where Yusuke and Kurama and, yes, even Hiei weren’t on opposing sides of a territorial dispute that had nothing to do with them but were instead together in Ningenkai. It was unknown to him how much time had passed, but as he slept, a familiar sensation washed over him. His eyes scrunching, his mind simply wrote it off as a reaction to his earlier training activities.
However, the feeling refused to dissipate, instead only growing progressively worse from subtle to outright nagging. As the sensation began to become borderline bothersome, Kuwabara managed to scrunch open his eyes. Just in time enough to catch the doors to the training hall being thrown open. The sudden footfalls drew his attention, the glowing hue of reiki his only warning as he clumsily rolled out of his bedding. He grunted upon landing on his shoulder, right arm supporting his upper body, and his eyes now fully wide and awoke. The fabric of the sheet tore and, at last, his eyes were able to gaze at his attacker.
Her dark brown eyes, once shining with a jovial light, now glinted in the moonlit night, fierce and uncompromising. Her entire aura radiated danger, her hand still glowing with that same violet energy that he had only caught a glimpse of at first.
“What the hell’re you doing, lady?!” He demanded as the soreness of his muscles was forgotten as he braced himself for another attack.
“My, my, you’re not very good with names are you, Kuwabara-kun?” Her question was redundant, as they both knew the answer.
“Very well, allow me to reintroduce myself. I am currently a housewife and mother of two, though I once served as Reikai’s first official detective. My name is Sato Kuroko, and I will be your combat training partner.” She brandished her glowing hand in front of her face.
“A pleasure to meet you.”
To be continued…..