Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Strange and Unexpected Beginnings ❯ Aspiration ( Chapter 6 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

If anyone's even still reading this, hiya! Long time since Ch. 5...^_^; Damn my laziness...I think a lot of people may have stopped reading because of this...I hope not... cries It might have been updated sooner but for the past month my computer's been in the shop. They found a virus. It was torture not having any access to online stuff, but thank god for my friggin' PS2! I also took this time to draft Chapter 6. And made a lot of revisions. I'm pretty unhappy with the way this story is going, I think I'm writing worse each chapter.... . Anyway, I hope you guys will still read on and tell me what you think. And I apologize if this chapter looks weird...I'm trying to remodel the story according to what I heard on I hate double-spacing! The show must go on... please enjoy!

“Random” dialogue

` Random' thoughts Random emphasis

() () (): Denotes scene and/or time change

Vocabulary Corner: (Pay attention, children!)

Kitsune: Fox

Youkai: Just demon pretty much in this case

Sweatdrop: (Yes, there are some readers that are unfamiliar with this!) A large tear-shaped drop that appears on the back of characters heads; denotes embarrassment.

Suffix “Chan”: Used at the end of one's name; a term of affection for girls or crushes

Suffix “ Kun”: Same as Chan except for Males

Previously:

“ LET ME GOOOOOOOO!” In a blinding flash an incredible amount of youki burst forth from the Natsumi's body, destroying a good part of the clearing, including some of his plants.

Youko called back the ones that had managed to survive and stared at the scene before him in complete awe. The timid, weak little kit he had taken in was no longer there, in her place was an angry young kitsune projecting the image of a being with ominous strength far exceeding that of most of the demons in Makai. He'd never seen anything like this in all the centuries he existed. He had only heard rumors and legends of this sort of power. He would never believe it, if he weren't seeing this with his own eyes.

“This girl...is a psychic?”

Ch. 6: Aspiration

The blast that occurred could very well have blown a much weaker demon sky- high, despite the size of the kit. Fortunately Youko was not one of those weaker demons, and so didn't need to worry about such matters. What was of concern at the moment was the kit. He had no idea where that kind of power was coming from.

`Far more potential than I could have imagined,' he thought to himself. `Although fairly life-threatening if one isn't careful.' It would be addressed later; for now she needed to return to her normal state before his campsite was blown to bits.

“ Kit? Can you hear me? “ He shouted to her. No response. Kurama moved closer, partially shielding his sensitive eyes against the bright light.

`Kit?'

`Unnnhhh...?'

` Come back. You can stop now...calm down. Or it is likely you'll kill yourself.'

Natsumi's blank eyes moved to the kitsune, but her youki raged on as blood dripped from the cuts on her petite body.

`Damn.'

Kurama summoned a thin barrier of youki to provide himself at least some small amount of protection. Getting through this mass of energy proved to be fairly difficult but the youko wouldn't stop pushing. He was certainly no peon after all. Only an amateur demon could be held back by this amount of youki. His efforts paid off when he was close enough to touch Natsumi. By this time the ki was cutting into his skin, though it could have been far worse. Grabbing Natsumi's shoulders he focused on communicating with her.

`Stop. Let yourself go. Lose your focus...'

He some of his own energy to try and suppress hers. At first it appeared nothing was happening, but then...the aura surrounding Natsumi faded, slowly at first, then more rapidly. Finally, it was all gone, and Natsumi looked like a normal kit again, to his relief.

“Well, you certainly surprised me,” he commented. “I guess I'll have to work you even harder now that I have a better idea of what you can do.”

Natsumi merely stared at him for a moment before looking down at her hands.

`...!'

“ I guess we'll call this match a draw then. Yes, that makes more sense.” Youko grinned.

Natsumi nodded in assent.

“Yup.... But I'll beat you one day...”

That seemed to be the last her of energy, as she collapsed at the end of that sentence. Luckily Youko caught her before she hit the ground.

“A psychic?” Kuronue exclaimed. “But they're supposed to be just a legend, a myth. You'd never see any here in the Makai.”

Youko scowled. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“No, of course not. I just find it hard to believe.”

“Well believe it. I know what I saw.” He rested his head on the palm of his hand.

“That youki wasn't the kind you'd sense in just any demon.”

“ How do you know that it's a telepathic skill or something exactly?”

“Do I look stupid? I've done my studying.”

“ You're rather touchy tonight. Why are you taking everything so personally?”

“I'm not. I hope you don't expect me to be overly cheerful every second of the day.”

“As if.” ` Like you're all that cheerful anyway, Mr. Grouchy.'

“Good.” Kuronue rolled his eyes.

“Hiya.”

“Aaaack! Where the hell did you come from?!” “ Kitanaru had made his appearance once again.

“I was just passing by...”

cough “Liar” cough

“And couldn't help but overhear your interesting conversation.”

“Don't you have better things to do than eavesdrop and annoy people?”

“That's cruel. Why are you always so mean?”

“Whatever. What do you want?”

“Just to hang out.” Kitanaru took it upon himself to sit down with the other two thieves, much to Kuronue's annoyance.

“So let me in on this convo.”

“Convo?! You're talking like you're one of those ningen teenage onnas.”

“To a souless being such as yourself, yes.” Kitanaru noticed that their leader was being rather quiet, not that he normally ever was a talkative person.

“Are ya dead over there?” Blank eyes focused on Kitanaru.

“Oh, you're simply too fun to be around.” Kitanaru commented sarcastically.

“Well no one invited you.”

“ sigh ....”

“I've already explained myself.” To the surprise of the others, their leader spoke up.

“I don't feel like explaining it again. To put is shortly-“ Kuronue jumped in.

“The brat's a psychic so Youko's gonna make her into another of his minions. Now go away.”

Kurama sweatdropped. “ Not exactly what I had in mind...”

“ Yes it is. You said you didn't feel like explaining much, so I summed it up for you so this idiot will leave us be.” Kuronue shot a meaningful look toward Kitanaru.

“But how do you know she's a psychic?”

The other t thieves facefaulted. There was no getting through to this boy.

“Because.... I've familiarized myself with various legends. And let's just leave it at that.” Youko responded.

“Fine.” Kitanaru pouted . “See if I care.”

“Happy now?” Kuronue asked of Kitanaru. “You can stop harassing us now.”

“What the hell is it you have against me?” It was one of those rare times Kitanaru frowned.

“ YOU'RE ANNOYING!” Kuronue exploded. “Haven't you gotten the message yet?!” Was he this stupid?

Kitanaru shrugged.

“Whatever then. Hey, where's the squirt?”

“Who knows where that brat is. I don't care.”

“Now you're holding grudges against children? You really are a low-life” Kitanara laughed.

“Son of a...”

Their quarrel (the usual choice of entertainment for the entire group of bandits) was interrupted by Natsumi's entrance. Obviously it was a quick recovery. It was amusing; even if they never saw her all day, they could always count on an appearance when it came to food. Luckily, she was used to all the looks she got, but that didn't mean that they had to do it every time she came around. Her ears twitched at the sound of shouting nearby. It was the same two demons yet again. How could anyone who's supposed to be so much older and wiser than her be so...

“Immature.”

“Childish, but a good show.”

“Idiots.”

It was pretty funny to listen to the insults circulating around the camp in addition to the minor brawl. (only of the tongues, instead of the fists for the moment). The distraction allowed her to snag some food in peace. Making sure she got plenty of meat, she looked for a place to sit and watch the show. She decided to go sit near Youko.

“ I was wondering where you had wandered off to,” The kitsune commented.

“ Been around,” She replied, taking a seat on a nearby rock and munching on her food.

It was at this point that the fight began to come to a conclusion.

“Are you two through with acting like lunatics now?”

“I wasn't,” Kitanaru protested. Kuro-kun started it . He's always so mean to me.” Kitanaru tried to act like he was genuinely hurt.”

“Bite me. You're a terrible liar.”

Kitanaru stuck his tongue out at him, and moved to walk away when he noticed Natsumi.

“Oh, hey squirt.” He grinned. “It's about time you made an appearance.”

“Yup.” She replied. “I was hungry.”

“ Well, then here ya go.” Out of nowhere he pulled out what appeared to be some sort of mini-cake. “It's not healthy not to eat sweet stuff.”

“Hey!” Kuronue protested. “That was mine. Kitanaru, you bastard!”

“Oh, here.” Kitanaru tossed another cake over to Kuronue. Lemon-filled. Your favorite, right?” He left his nemesis stunned. What do you know; the boy actually DID have a decent side of him. He turned his attentions to the kit, making sure she wouldn't swipe it or something of the sort. She merely gave him a blank look. He glared back.

“Has the highlight of your day become having a staring contest with a child?” Youko commented with much amusement.

“Shut up.”

The glaring contest continued, until Kuronue finally decided not to waste any more time on something so idiotic. He decided to simply ignore her again.

“That is so sad.”

Kitanaru smirked. It was clear he wasn't going to leave anytime soon. The partying of the bandits was VERY audible. There were going to be a lot of hangovers this time tomorrow.

Kuronue picked up a goblet full of alcohol and took a swig. “ Like you're much better.” He set the goblet down, resting his head on his arms.

“Enough. I have a headache. I don't know why you two dislike each other so much.” Youko rubbed his aching head. Too much noise...

The other two sweatdropped. “Sorry...” If his bandits got any more dysfunctional he would kill them all. He sweatdropped as he could have sworn that Natsumi was nodding in assent. Of course she'd be able to read his thoughts.

The next day

“Are you certain you're ready?” Kurama questioned. “I won't be held responsible for your death if you're not.”

Natsumi merely scowled and nodded.

“Then I'll get on with it. This time, we're not going to spar.”

He silenced her before she could protest. “ Of course, I'll aid you in that area later. There's a far more pressing issue I want to focus on. This time, I want to concentrate on that telepathic ability of yours.”

“ What do I gotta do?”

“You're going to tap into your....unique ability.”

“....?”

“Just sit down, close your eyes, and focus. And I mean really focus. I can tell if you're not trying.”

He just wanted her to sit?! What kind of training was that?! Nevertheless she obeyed. If this kitsune knew what he was doing, it would probably be worth it in the end. Focus on what? There was nothing but blackness, emptiness.... Youko's voice entered her thoughts.

` Focus on nothing else but awakening your other sense.'

Natsumi squeezed her eyes shut even tighter and tried to focus her energy on making something happen. Nothing was happening so far

`Focus your energy. If you do it right, something should happen. Though specifically what, I can't say.'

As if she wasn't trying already.

` We're not leaving until I see proof that you've made any progress.'

Still...minutes went by and nothing happened. Minutes that seemed like endless hours to the impatient fox-child. She was about to quit . Who needed this? It was taking too long and it was a waste of time really. Then...

` mutter shouts '

` What?' Natsumi could swear she heard something just now, but she couldn't believe it. It sounded as if a chorus of voices lived inside her head, but she couldn't understand them at all. Ugh, it was giving her a headache.

Youko was quick to notice the sudden change in Natsumi. The sudden rise in youki, the glazed over eyes. Except the energy wasn't nearly as dangerous as the last time. How fortunate. This emergence of her telepathic power was obviously temporary; he could feel her youki decreasing every moment. He'd have to teach her to control it far better in the near future.

“.....” Natsumi returned to normal. It was probably one of the strangest experiences she'd ever had.

“How are you feeling?”

“O.K.” She gave Youko a confused glance. “ Not gonna ask about what I did?”

“I know,” He stated. There was no explanation for why he could read what was on her mind, it didn't matter for now. There were more important issues to deal with.

“??”

He walked over had put a hand on her head.

“Don't worry about it. You did half-way decently for today, but we're going to work on it a little bit longer.”

Natsumi grinned widely, sharp little fangs exposed. Intense training; gotta love it.

After a few hours more, the sun began to set, and Youko decided to call it quits. It became a little easier for her to tap her psychic power, but the voices remained unclear all the same. He had also managed to keep her from exploding so much once she was able to reach that state. Oh well, couldn't expect to get it EVERYTHING done in a day's time....

The sun had long since gone down. The sky had darkened considerably, so that the distant stars were clearly seen shimmering over the landscape of the Demon World. The only genuine source of light in the heart of the body of darkness. It was `Boys Night In' back at the campsite which was pretty much every night of course. And the name doesn't count the numerous whores the bandits took in and kicked out. Beyond the campsite however, was a silent cliff overlooking a lower level of the forest. If you really looked, you could catch a glimpse of the river in the distance. It was on this steep cliff that a lone figure stood, back against a nearby tree. The moonlight revealed his long silver tresses, and revealed his cold golden eyes. His hair swayed in the lightest breeze that touched upon the cliff. If you didn't know who he was, it would be almost a romantic image. Although some fools would most definitely see him that way anyway.

`Feh. Those fools wouldn't be able to appreciate a night like this...' He smiled, something no average demon ever lived to see. It was too bad, because it made him look even more handsome.

` Mm...might be a good night to rob somebody. But nobody has anything enticing left to steal for the moment...damn.'

He didn't care much about that though. Tonight, he couldn't care less about anything. Even the sound of footsteps approaching him did nothing to make him react, kthough he knew who it was.

“Yes?” He asked, turning around lazily to face Natsumi.

“I want to train more. I'm bored. Those morons don't know anything so I came here...”

Again?! This kit was truly insatiable when it came to battle. But that was one of her best qualities, and she was quite cute.

“You seem a bit more confident than usual, if that's at all possible.” Youko surveyed her curiously, but feeling very amused.

Natsumi merely gave another cute grin and seemed to be focusing on something. Her eyes were closed. After a few moments, nothing happened, and so Youko tried to dismiss her.

“You're worn out. You should rest before we continue this. Now come along. It's late and we're up early tomorrow.”

He continued to walk on, ignoring the fact that Natsumi was not following.

He also failed to notice the wide smirk on Natsumi's face as something slowly began to form in her hand.

It was then that Kurama finally noticed that something was up. Just as he turned his head to address Natsumi, something flew by his cheek, slightly cutting his skin in the process. Looking towards a tree, he saw dagger with a violet hilt stuck within the trunk. Picking it up, he turned back to Natsumi, who slightly luminescent eyes shone of triumph.

Finally, Ch 6 is done after all these weeks! I forced myself to get off my ass and work on it and I made it! Thank god for the chocolate milk and raw cookie dough that I consumed which provided the energy. Thank you for your patience, if anyone's still following this after it's been delayed so long. I don't know if I will be doing a sequel at this point, it depends on you guys and if I feel up to it. I will TRY to update on a more frequent basis, even though school has started...I'm hoping to have Ch. 7 up by the end of September.. Please, please continue to read and review, I think my writing's getting worse and I really need to hear what YOU think of it.

Waves Bye-bye....

PS: Is anyone interested at all in a lemon later on? ( Though I'll probably write it even if no one is) I'll most likely repost this on so I have more freedom.