Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Elemental Education ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Bekka followed Kurama back to his room, looking down at her clothes. They were big on her since she'd been pregnant when she had put them on originally. She picked at the excess fabric over her abdomen, biting her lip as she did so to keep from sighing again. She thought she'd done the right thing, but had she? Would it have been better to choose the child over her husband? Not looking where she was going, she ran into Kurama when he stopped inside his room. With her lip still caught between her teeth, she looked up at him, blushing, “I'm sorry. I was lost in thought.”

 

Kurama had not missed her actions. He had seen her fidgeting with her top. Choosing to ignore her apology, he pointed at the bag still sitting on the bed, “Your things.”

 

She gave him a quick bow, unsure how to take his response. She walked over to the bed, sitting cross-legged on it, and pulled the bag into her lap. As she started pulling things out and holding them in front of her, she began making faces. “He can't be serious. This is what I'm supposed to wear?”

 

From where Kurama stood, he couldn't see what the problem was with the clothing. He moved over to stand behind her, trying to understand her comment. The item she was currently holding was a sleeveless black top with red ribbon laces up the center front. “I think it looks nice.”

 

Snorting, Bekka shook her head, “Looks like I don't have much choice, other than color. At least until I can get something different to wear.” She wadded the shirt up in her lap and began rummaging for the bottom half of the outfit. This time, she brought up a skirt that looked like it would fall to her ankles. It was black velvet with a slit up the front that revealed a panel of red fabric. “At least it's a decent length,” she muttered. Kurama snorted at this comment. Smiling over her shoulder at him, she grabbed her brush and rose from the bed. “Lead on, I promise to watch where I'm going this time.”

 

Kurama refrained from snorting at the girl again. In spite of himself, he was finding her amusing. Silently, he pointed over her head. She followed his arm with her eyes, bending over backwards to see where his finger pointed. Her eyes lit on an arch way she hadn't noticed before. “Oh,” she muttered and turned around so that she was fully upright again and walked across the room. Reaching the opening, she turned around and smiled, “I can deal with being amusing.” Kurama laughed at this comment.

 

Bekka entered the room. It was a large spacious chamber. The left half of it was taken by a large pool of water that steamed slightly. Along the wall to her right was a ledge that contained towels and a couple of jars.

 

“Those are cleanser,” Kurama's voice spoke from above her head.

 

How had he gotten so close? He was almost touching her. Controlling herself enough not to squeak, she looked up to the golden eyes staring down at her, “Okay, thanks. I think I can handle it from here, thank you.”

 

The side of his mouth quirked, “Are you sure about that? I really don't mind helping.”

 

Bekka could feel her cheeks getting warm, “I'm sure, thank you, really.”

 

His ears twitched a bit as he seemed to fight a smile, “Mind if I watch, then?”

 

Bekka could not maintain eye contact any longer. She dropped her eyes to the floor in front of her, “I'd rather you didn't,” she muttered.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because the last time I saw my body, I was pregnant. I need to deal with things before I can cope with someone else seeing me.”

 

Kurama placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up again. His eyes and face were serious, “I'll take that as a promise, Bekka. After your bath, I'll show you around. I also want to see how well you were trained. Hitting your head on the wall doesn't convince me much of your skill or that of your teachers.”

 

Bekka nodded at this and Kurama left her in the bathing room. She could feel him a lot stronger when he touched her. He really did want to see her without clothing, more than see her, but he would not force himself on her. That comforted her. As for fighting, she knew he would start of easy, running her through all the basics first. He wasn't sure if it was because she was human or because she was close to passing out that caused her to hit the wall, nor was he entirely sure how the elite fighters of the Ningenkai would measure up in the Makai.

 

Putting her stuff on one of the bench height ledges, Bekka sat and began working out the tangles in her hair with her fingers as she thought. `Well, I guess I can deal with being here, though I don't quite understand where here is. Demons are going to take a little time to get used to. At least he looks mostly human. Cute ears, I wonder if they're like a cat's? And that tail? It's rather interesting. You can tell how he feels just by looking at his ears and tail. I wonder if he knows how easy he is to read, even without trying to use this empathy stuff?'

 

Sighing, she picked up the brush and began running it through her hair, continuing in her musings about her host. `I wonder what his powers are. I remember blaming him for the vines dropping me, but is that really his power? I should ask. How will he train me to use whatever it that Loki stuck me with now? Oh, well, I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.'

 

Bekka watched the brush as she pulled it through her long red hair. She knew that behind her musings as an attempt to delay removing her clothes and seeing her body. She knew that her stomach would be flat, unmarked by even the faintest marks that it had once been distended with child, but as long as she didn't see it, she could deny the fact that she had chosen to kill her own child for the sake of a man who then rejected her. If she didn't look at her body, then the past wasn't real. Putting the brush down firmly, she stood up. “Denial will get me no where,” she muttered under her breath. She took a deep breath and pulled at the ties that kept her shirt tied around her upper body. The brown over shirt slid down her arms onto the floor along with the belt. Underneath was a white shirt that she pulled over her head. With her eyes closed, she untied the belt holding up the pants and stepped out of them. Completely naked, she stood for a bit with her eyes closed, breathing deeply, trying to prepare herself to open her eyes. She could feel her body trembling. Biting her lip, she opened her eyes and brought her hands up before them. Locking her eyes on her hands, she slowly brought them to her belly. It was flat, like she knew it would be, not a mark, nothing left to show she'd ever been with child. Groaning, she fell to her knees, tears streaming from her vacant eyes. Her body rocked back and forth as she wrapped her arms around her waist. She was unaware of the constant stream of “why's” falling from her lips as she allowed her grief to overcome her.

 

While he did not watch her directly, Kurama was aware of what Bekka was doing through his connection with the plants in the room. Her grief was palpable, even in the bedroom. He wanted to offer her some comfort, but he knew that she also needed to trust him. He sat on the bed, trying to block out his awareness of the plants in the bathroom without causing them to wither. She needed to be alone. That's what she wanted. He sighed, determined to wait.

 

After a time, even the heaviest grief dissipates, if even only for a brief moment. Bekka's eyes became aware again of the room around her and her tears slowed. Shivering, she placed her hands on the ground next to her knees. Her breathing was ragged gasps as she worked on focusing on the ground in front of her. She felt numb, empty, not even alive as her breathing evened out. Sighing, she pushed herself back to sit on her heals, looking again at her belly. She was too drained even to feel a twinge of sorrow over its deflated state. With a shake of her head, she pushed herself up to stand, again feeling the dizziness sweep over her. It was worse this time with the emotional exhaustion. Her body collapsed in a heap where she had just been kneeling, a startled gasp managing to escape her lips as she lost her grip on consciousness.

 

Kurama heard when her crying stopped. He allowed himself to become aware of the room again. She had exhausted herself. He sighed to himself. Her weakness was going to be problematic if he was supposed to train her. Walking to the doorway, he looked at the crumpled heap of girl on the floor. Shaking his head and sighing again, he picked her up. She responded to his touch by leaning into him and clutching the front of his shirt. He approached to the pool and walked in with her. Sitting in the warm water with her in his lap, Kurama began to run his fingers through her hair, wetting it. Bekka sighed and relaxed into his touch, remaining unconscious. He continued wetting her hair, adding in cleanser when it was completely dampened. Satisfied that her hair was clean, he brought the hand that had been wrapped around her up behind her neck, guiding her back to dip her head in the water. This movement caused her to open her eyes to open in surprise. Her eyes took a moment to focus on him, however, a sign of her continued exhaustion.

 

“Quiet,” Kurama ordered before she could protest. “You are exhausted. You need more time to recover. Just relax. I won't try anything. I like my partners willing and able and you're in no condition for me to even consider you as a partner.”

 

“I'm sorry I'm such a problem,” she managed to whisper.

 

“Didn't I tell you to be quiet? You've been through a lot. Loki said that most humans would have died experiencing what you have. You're not dead, but you do need time to recover.” The words surprised the kitsune as they left his mouth, but as he said it, he could see the sense of the words. “I'm going to finish rinsing your hair and then you're going to bed. When you wake up, you can tell me about the elements, okay?”

 

Bekka nodded, allowing herself to relax in the demon's arms. She watched his face as he continued to lower her until her hair was completely under the water, only her face above. His expression was still, calm as his fingers massaged her scalp and ran through her hair. With such close contact, she was having trouble sorting out which impressions were wholly hers and which were his. She felt his surprise when he comforted her and his sincerity when he said he wouldn't try anything on her and the lingering `yet' behind those words. He stood up with her, causing her to gasp and grip his shirt again. It occurred in some part of her brain that he was dressed while bathing her, reinforcing that he would not force his attentions on her. Bekka barely managed to remain awake as he wrapped her in a towel, using another to dry her hair.

 

Kurama twitched an ear in what would have been a smirk had it been on his lips and began to massage the girl's scalp. She was very responsive to his gentle touch and fell asleep in his arms. He carried her to the bed and gently placed her on her back. She murmured and promptly turned over on her side, curling into a small ball with her fingers touching her lower lip. She looked almost like a child sucking its fingers in her sleep. Were she a demon, she would be considered a child, but it was obvious that she was not, by the depth of grief she has just experienced. Returning to the bathroom, Kurama removed his wet clothing and reentered the pool. It bothered him that he had said things without knowing why before hand. That wasn't normal for him. But, then, having someone else with him in his personal space wasn't normal, either. `This ningen girl has managed to turn my life upside down. Not that it's really her fault. She seems sincere in her desire to not be a burden. What is it Loki sees in her? Why am I bothering myself with her? I hate being trapped. Damn them both.'

 

Frustrated with his line of thinking, Kurama decided he needed some relief. Getting out of the pool, he dried himself off, dressed, and, after checking that the girl was soundly asleep, left his caves for the nearest town.

 

When Bekka awoke, she could feel Kurama's arm draped over her waist and his chest pressed against her back. His mind was asleep, more relaxed. She guessed he had relieved himself with someone while she slept. Why was he holding her, though? She felt his mind waken and, somehow, he knew she was awake.

 

“You're cute when you're asleep,” he murmured into her ear as he nuzzled into her hair. Bekka wasn't quite sure how to take this. “Tell me about your elements, Bekka.” He continued to hold her.

 

“Like this?” she asked.

 

“Aren't you comfortable?”

 

“Physically or mentally?”

 

He snorted at her answer and moved to sit up, releasing her in the process. “You seem in a better mood. How do you feel?”

 

Bekka frowned slightly at the question and the fact that she was only wearing a towel. Binding the fabric as well as she could around her body, she sat up while thinking of the answer to his question. “Kind of drained, but not so exhausted. I guess that's better. I feel numb, almost.” She shrugged, looking at him with a little grin, “Did your partner enjoy you last night?”

 

The only thing that gave away his surprise at her question was a quick flick of his ears, “Yes, of course.”

 

“Good. Now, as for the elements, or at least I'm pretty sure these are the ones Loki means, there are four major elements and one combined. Well, there are more combined, but only one that really matters. The four are fire, water, earth, and air. The combined one is known by several names, akasha, void, spirit, soul, and life are among these.”

 

“Where did you learn all this?”

 

“From my oma,” Bekka smiled at him.

 

“Your grandmother could use elemental magic?”

 

Bekka thought a moment before answering, “Not the way Loki wants me to, I think. She did believe that understanding magic was important. My mother thought it was silly for me to spend so much time learning about such useless trivia. My oma was my father's mother, you see. Anyway, she believed that by understanding the elements and bringing them into balance, that it would help make life better and more fulfilling. I liked being at my oma's house mostly because my brother and sister wouldn't go over there. They liked to beat me up, and they both were bigger than me, even though I was older.”

 

Kurama was amused by this confession, but also realized the girl was getting off track. “What did your oma teach you about the elements?”

 

Bekka blushed a little, “Sorry. Okay, each element has characteristics that are associated with it, physical and emotional characteristics as well as colors, plants, gems, and metals that are supposed to help focus and invoke the element. Earth is a cool wet energy, solid, stable. Its color is green, plants are things like patchouli and mosses that smell earthy. Gems are either dark opaque, like coal, not that it's much of a gem, or green, like emerald. The metals are iron and lead. Earth energy is stabilizing and firm.

 

“Air is cold and dry, dynamic, free, always in motion, suspended. Its color is yellow, plants are fragrant, like flower blossoms or dill. Gems are light or reflective, like mica. The metals are tin or copper. Air energy is intelligent and dynamic.

 

“Fire is hot and dry, dynamic, but grounded, consuming and creative. Its color is red, plants are either stinging, thorned, or hot, like thistles or chilies. Gems are red or clear, like jasper or quartz. The metals are gold or brass. Fire energy is passionate and has the potential to create or destroy.

 

“Water is hot and wet, cleansing, healing, purifying and receptive. Its color is blue, plants either grow in water or are fleshy, like water lilies or lettuce. Gems are transparent or translucent or blue, like amethyst or aquamarine. The metals are silver or copper. Water energy is life affirming and loving. Any questions so far?”

 

Kurama looked at the girl, amazed at the quantity of information she'd managed to impart so quickly. “Not yet. Continue please.”

 

Bekka thought a moment before continuing. “Oma said that people had what she called a `native element,' one that would always be the easiest to use and learn. It's possible to learn all of them, it just takes work, she said.

 

“Akasha comes from a work that means `sparkling' or `radiant.' It is the fifth element, but its form is unknown and unknowable. It contains the other four elements in perfect balance. Akasha is nothing and everything. It is the spirit and spark that creates life. To be able to work with it would allow the witch to do almost anything.

 

“I have a question, please,” Bekka interrupted herself.

 

Kurama's eyebrow twitched in confusion at this sudden remark. “Ask.”

 

“What's your power?” Bekka had to almost physically bite her tongue to keep from rushing on, explaining and justifying her question.

 

“I can control plants.”

 

“All of them?”

 

“I haven't come across any I can't.”

 

Bekka thought for a moment, frowning intently at the bed. “Well, I guess that's why Loki wanted me to train with you.”

 

Not quite following her logic, he asked, “Why?”

Bekka brought his eyes up to meet his. “As I said, plants have elemental associations. IF you can control any plant, then you have some control over akasha. As much as I hate to admit it, Loki does always seem to stick me in the best places to learn.” Kurama's ears flicked slightly and she continued, “I was at the monastery to learn self-defense and over come a fear of heights.” Her eyes began to show signs of mirth, “There are legends about the monks, some even saying they could fly.”

 

“Well, could they?” Knowing that she had set up this line of questions, Kurama played along, some how relieved she was playing.

 

“Could they what?” she asked, feigning innocence badly.

 

“Could they fly?” he growled at her, acting as if her were irritated, though his ears and tail indicated he was having fun.

 

“Could who fly?” her voice shook with the laughter she was trying to hold back. `Why does he make me feel silly?'

 

Kurama pulled himself to his hands and knees, approaching the girl with mock menace, “Could the monks at the monastery fly?” He reached out a hand to grab her arm.

 

Before he could catch her, though, Bekka managed to leap backwards off the bed, seeming to almost float several feet away, “I don't know,” she replied, laughing, “You tell me.” She then started feeling dizzy again.

 

Kurama noticed the change in the girl's breathing. Dropping the game they'd been playing, “You're not recovered enough to fly. Sit back down.” That she obeyed without arguing surprised him.

 

“If you're right, it's stupid to argue,” Bekka muttered as she sat on the bed.

 

“Exactly how much do you pick up with your empathy?” Kurama was finding her continued remarks on his thoughts disturbing.

 

“When we're just like this,” she waved her hand to indicate the space between them, “only very strong thought, which I comment on. I'm telling you everything I read off of you. When you touch me, it's easier to read more, but then it's mostly sensations, not really thoughts. This morning, I could feel that you were relaxed and satisfied. I put two and two together to reach my own conclusions and asked a question to confirm it. If you hadn't been touching me, I don't think I would have picked up on that.”

 

“You seem to be learning it pretty quickly,” he commented dryly.

 

Bekka frowned slightly, catching the implication that he thought she was not being entirely honest with him, and that he expected that. Sighing, she tried to explain, “It's like another voice in my head, almost like hearing you directly in my head. Most of the time, it's like a low hum or murmur, but if I focus on it, it gets louder and more distinct. Sometimes, I hear comments without even focusing on them.” She continued to watch him, uncertain what else to say to put him at ease.

 

Before he could say anything, however, Bekka's body made its own comment. Kurama flicked an ear and grinned at her embarrassment. “Stay here, I'll bring you something to eat.” She looked ready to apologize when he continued, effectively cutting her off, “I need to eat, too. And do quit apologizing for everything. It gets tiresome.” With that, he left the room