[A/N: I'm so excited for this chapter! Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading!!!]
A low, steady growl emitted from the red-head's throat as he stood in Lord Koenma's office. He watched the images on the screen with barely contained envy.
'You brought this on yourself boy... That could have been us sparring with her siblings and stroking those precious ears, but you had to be chivalrous...' The demon half-teased half-scolded in the boy's head, and the growl grew louder causing the young prince behind him to cringe back into his chair.
An ice cold aura radiated from the boy as he watched Kenji running through the forest with his fox... His fox? When had she become his in his mind?
Perhaps Yoko was rubbing off on him, but every moment the two shared on the screen caused an ache in his chest, and he knew he had been foolish to think it wouldn't bother him to see his fellow student so close to the girl. With one final growl, he released the now splintered wood of the chair he had been gripping for composure, and stalked from the room.
________
Friday had been incredible!! Kenji had accepted Yumiko and all of her adopted siblings for who they were! Meaning now, even if he saw something he shouldn't in the tournament, they wouldn't have to erase his memories!
They had spent the latter half of the day splashing around in the stream while Sunemia caught fish for dinner, and had all gone to bed full and grinning.
Now she waited inside the dojo with Genkai while the competitors lined up outside. They peaked through a crack in the door, and she could see Kenji standing next to a boy in a green jacket and jeans, and another boy in a blue junior high uniform. "There's a lot of kids out there master, do you think it'll be okay for them to compete?"
Genkai scoffed, and dragged at her cigarette again.
"It doesn't matter how old they are, if they make it to round three there's a good chance they could end up dying. Listen girly, I gave that pup of yours the go ahead to compete because I'm curious of his power levels, but if you care for the boy, you'll have him drop out at the forest. I won't hear your blubbering if he gets eaten."
Yumiko nodded gravely. She had already considered that. She wouldn't be able to directly help Kenji without getting him disqualified, and there were powerful monsters lurking in those trees. Regardless, she watched as the orange-haired boy bellowed something, causing the green jacket one to scowl, and Kenji burst out laughing. 'He'll be fine...' She thought with a small smile.
After a few more minutes, Genkai finally let out a sigh, and straightened her hat. "Let's begin."
_______
"My, My, quite a crowd!"
The master's voice rang out from the steps of the dojo, and Kenji's head turned in excitement, ready for the day to begin!
"Uhhh, that little old hag is Genkai??" The boy known as Uremeshi asked, as Kenji took a step away from him, and closer to the orange-haired boy. He caught sight of how Genkai narrowed her eyes for only an instant towards the boy, and knew she had heard him. She made no sign of it though as she continued to speak.
"Alright people, I suppose we should get things started. The first of your screening tests will be.... The drawing of lots!"
Kenji chuckled to himself as many of the gathered people gaped at the old master. The boy next to him grumbled loudly as well, but he ignored it, focused only on Genkai.
"Everyone must draw a lot from this old jar. Come now, we haven't got all day!"
Kenji moved to get in line, chuckling again at Uremeshi's comments about the master going senile. Once they had each drawn an envelope, they stood off to the side, waiting for instructions.
"You did that fairly well. I'm impressed. Let's all open our lots now. If the paper inside it is red, then congratulations! You have passed the first of today's screenings."
At Genkai's words the three boys, and all others ripped open the envelopes. Yumiko grinned as she watched Kenji pull a red paper from his slip.
Kenji grinned brightly, holding his paper up to the sun "Look at that!!!" He watched in amusement as the other boys, who both looked like they would rather be anywhere else, pulled their slips.
"Well lucky me, I won..." Both boys grumbled in unison. As they looked at each other shocked, Kenji couldn't help but laugh! He couldn't figure out if these knuckleheads were friends or not!
"Those who won please follow me, those who lost, please get lost." The master called as she turned, ready to enter the gaming room.
Yumiko grinned to herself as she watched them leave, her tail swishing behind her happily. "What Kenji doesn't realize is the paper could only turn red if his spirit energy is high enough!"
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he can harness it... Are you gonna watch the next test too Yuyu?"
She let out a small growl, her energy spiking slightly as Ben called her by that stupid pet name, and slammed a fist down on top of his head.
"I've told you not to call me that, brat! If Kenji starts using that name I'll tie you to Baldoc's tree!!"
Outside a commotion was happening and Yumiko looked up sharply as she heard her master yell, only to see two men go flying past the dojo's entrance before slamming into the far wall. Both demons gulped as they recalled exactly what that felt like, the small argument forgotten.
They waited until every contestant had entered Genkai's gaming room before creeping forward. Yumiko placed a bit of ivy against the side of the wall and willed it to grow into a vine that snaked up the side of the building, then climbed it to where a high window allowed a view inside. From there, they would be able to watch Genkai give her speech, and instruct everyone to play the three new games Yumiko had helped set up the morning before.
First up was the punching game! The carrot-top boy managed to score 129 points, with his friend landing 155, and Kenji did well as well, with a score of 115! She was pleasantly surprised at that, but then again he had sparred off with Ben!
Next was Janken. The green jacket kid did well enough, but both the Carrot-top, and Kenji managed to tie for the high score! Yumi gasped at that, though Ben didn't seem surprised. "Come on, I mean he figured out none of us were human pretty quickly and didn't seem very bothered by Maru's horns... I'ts not that surprising!"
Finally, was the karaoke game. Both of the junior high boys scored decently, but poor Kenji only managed a score of 47! It was enough though, he had scored high enough in the other two to move on regardless, and Yumiko grinned as she jumped down from the window.
"Ok Ben, you and the others know what to do. Remember, we only interfere if it looks like someone's actually going to die! And DONT go near Baldoc! You're still not ready for his speed yet kiddo, trust me!"
With that, she took off, going to wait near Genkai's tree. She had considered pulling Kenji out at this stage, but figured he would be able to handle himself well enough. She would be focusing her energy on him during this challenge, that way she could reach him in time if things went wrong. Once she was at the tree she sat down, crossed her legs, and began to focus.
Kenji shuddered as he watched the forest, trying to focus on Master Genkai's explanation of the test. 'I have to go in there?' He almost took a step back, when he saw the confidence in the younger boy's eyes. They both seemed to notice Kenji standing there, and Uremeshi smirked.
"Hey kid, you sure you want to do this?"
Kenji bristled at being called kid by someone his junior, but he nodded glumly. The greased haired boy looked him over, then grinned "If you think you can keep up you can just follow me! I've been through worse than this, I'm not about to get scared off by a walk through Grandma's forest!"
"WATCH YOUR MOUTH YOU DUMB LITTLE BRAT!" Genkai yelled, but the boys just ignored her.
Carrot-top grabbed Uremeshi by the shoulder and spun him face-to-face. "If you're gonna do this run, then so am I!!"
"Stop looking so excited, it's embarrassing!" He grumbled, clearly annoyed by the big goofball. Kenji let out a chuckle, their silliness breaking the tension until Genkai's voice rang out again.
"Best of luck, I hope you don't die.
Ready? Set? GO!"
And with that, the challenge had began! At first, everyone headed in the same direction, but eventually most split off to take different paths. Kuwabara was one of the first to split off, a bad tingle making him second-guess Uremeshi's route. Kenji decided to stick to the green jacket kid though, feeling at ease about something in the boy's confident eyes.
If felt as if they had been running forever when Kenji finally called out.
"Hey! W-h-hold up a second!"
Hearing the kid's voice, Yusuke slowed to a stop, wondering what had happened.
"What's up, you need to piss or something?"
Kenji huffed and puffed as he crouched over, hands on his knees. "N-no... j-just need a rest."
Yusuke glared at the older boy and grumbled before grabbing him by the collar of his white tee shirt.
"Listen idiot, do you realize where we are? This forest is full of demons and dangerous animals besides, and trust me when I say most of them would rip your head off as soon as look at you!" He let go of Kenji's collar, and tossed him to the ground. "You wouldn't have made it this far if you didn't have 'some' spirit energy, so put it to good use and direct it to your legs and lungs. That way you'll be able to run longer, got it?"
Kenji looked at the boy incredulously, "How the hell am I supposed to do that???"
"Wha- wait, you mean you really don't know? Hmmm... I never really even think about it to be honest, it just kinda happens. I guess maybe try this!" He said, making a fighter's pose. "Imagine your spirit energy as your aura, and imagine wrapping it around the parts you want to use it on! That's what I do for my spirit gun at least.... A-anyways, we really gotta get moving, guy. You want to win this thing, right?"
Kenji nodded, then let Uremeshi help him to his feet as they took off again.
To kill the time, Yusuke figured some friendly conversation wouldn't hurt!
"So why are you in this thing anyway? My boss made me enter, and I know the lughead wants Genkai's help with his spirit awareness or whatever, but what about you?"
Kenji blushed as they ran, glad that the younger boy was ahead of them so he couldn't see. "W-well there's this girl I kinda like, and she's really cool and tough as nails to survive everything she's been through... and I want to ask her out, but she's a demon, you see... and I'm afraid she'll just think I'm some dumb, weak little human!"
"Well you are weak, but you can get tougher... WAIT YOU SAID SHE WAS A DEMON????"
Uremeshi had lost his balance on that one, slamming face first into a luckily flat rock, leaving a decent sized red mark along his cheek. He gave the boy an incredulous look, trying to imagine him with some big, ugly, horned beast on his arm!
Kenji nodded again, ignoring his jab.
"Yeah, but not like the oooooh, scary kind. She's insanely pretty, you'll see her if we make it to the next stage! She said she was helping out with the competition since she lives here!"
Uremeshi thought about that as he got back to his feet, and they took off again.
"Huh, you know, you're a pretty weird dude Ryumura, but whatever floats your boat! Hey, if you lose this thing, I can help you train sometime! Fighting with me and the idiot? You'll be a tank in no time!!"
Kenji laughed at that, and nearly stumbled on a root in the process. He quickly regained balance, but then fell on his face as a sudden wave of energy washed over him, and sent a shiver down his spine.
"Woah... did you feel that?"
Suddenly something sharp flew past them, cutting Yusuke's cheek, and going through the fabric of Kenji's sleeve.
"What tha-"
"UWAAA" Kenji half shrieked! Looking up, every tree branch was absolutely covered with giant bats!
"Fine, a few fruit bats are no problem!" Uremeshi said, a glare in his eyes as he prepared to fight.
"Look at this, little ones! Some human boys is wondered into Baldoc's territory... What shall Baldoc do?"
A high pitched, scratchy voice sounded from above them and they looked up to see a bat-demon uglier than all hell looking down at them. It gave a hissing screech as it eyed them, and Kenji let out an ever-so-manly scream at the sight of it!
"I-I-It's a M-m-m...m-MOOOONNNNSTERRR!!!" He fell back, pointing to the weird man-bat thing.
Uremeshi looked at the boy like he had grown a second head.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW??? I THOUGHT YOU HAD SEEN DEMONS BEFORE???"
"I HAVE BUT NOT THAT LOOKED LIKE THAT!!!"
Yusuke slammed a palm against his head and groaned. "Aw man... I just had to have pity and try to help out the kid!"
Kenji couldn't take it anymore and snapped. "YOU KNOW I'M OLDER THAN YOU RIGHT???" But Uremeshi was having none of it.
"THEN STOP BLUBBERING LIKE A BABY AND SHOW ME WHAT YOU'VE GOT!!! The only way we're getting out of here is with a fight, now get up!! You wouldn't want your girl to see you like this, would you?"
That hit a nerve in the boy, and like a flip that had been switched, he rose to his feet, and reached for a nearby tree limb he could use as a baseball bat. "Okay... you're right Uremeshi... Let's do this!!!"
_______
"Only fifteen minutes are left." Genkai said with a smile. So far, only her and Yumiko had made it to the hill beneath the giant tree. The girl was sitting cross legged, her ears twitching frantically as she tried to keep track of her friend by sound.
"They must all be having quite a struggle in there. I hope your siblings remember to rescue all the stragglers when this thing is over. Huh?"
Yumiko's eyes opened, and both she and Genkai watched as a carrot-orange pompadour crested the hilltop.
"Hello boy." Genkai said, not unkindly.
Yumiko observed the lad. He was young! Probably more than a year younger than herself, but what was remarkable is that there wasn't a single scratch on him!! Not even so much as a ruffle in his uniform! Not even Maru could do that!!! 'This boy could actually win!' Yumiko thought to herself.
The boy looked left and right once he had reached them. "Hey, am I really the first one here? Really???"
Yumiko hid a giggle as Genkai nodded, smiling at the eager boy.
"YYEAAHHH Hhahahahahaha!" He broke out into proud laughter, "THAT'S RIGHT I'M COOL!!!"
Yumiko giggled again, a little more loudly and nodded her head. "Yes, you certainly are!"
That was the first time Kuwabara had noticed the girl, and he fell flat on his backside when he saw her. "W-w-w-woah!!! W-wait a second, are you some kinda monster? Hmmm ears and a tail... but she's really pretty though, so she can't be a monster right? Hmmm..."
"Hey!!" Yumiko pouted, her cheeks puffing out at his comments.
"That's really rude you know! No, I'm not a monster! I'm a demon, and my name is Yumiko!" She scolded him, getting to her feet and pointing a dainty finger in his face.
"If you go around calling girls monsters you'll never get a date you know!"
"GYAH! A-eh, I'm sorry miss!! I didn't mean to offend you, it's just you've got ears and stuff and I ain't never seen anyone like you before and..."
Yumiko couldn't take it anymore, and placed a finger on his lips to get him to stop talking. "It's alright silly! Just take a breath, and relax! You'll need your strength for the next part!!"
As they spoke, two more contestants came up, followed soon after by four others, making the total contestants seven, but where were Uremeshi and Kenji?
"Time's up!" Genkai exclaimed while closing her pocket watch. "Only you seven have passed."
Yumiko whimpered softly, and Kuwabara glanced around frantic. "W-wait a second, there should be two more guys coming!"
"Sorry, I never make exceptions...
I'm sorry girl, but it looks like you'll need to go find them..."
"WAIT FOR UUUUUUSSSSS!"
"What?"
They all turned around to see Uremeshi and Kenji running up the hill towards them, covered in scratches and both grinning ear to ear!
"You know, suddenly I'm reminded of a fortune cookie I ate that said the straight way is not always the fastest!" Uremeshi said as he reached them. Kenji just fell to the ground though, breathing heavily.
"Uh, but listen boy... surely you didn't go straight through the dark forest... you would have faced a lethal man-bat!"
To Yumiko's shock, Kenji mumbled something, and held up what looked like a fang!!! Uremeshi tilted his head and answered:
"What, you mean Baldoc? Yeah, he was hangin out with us for a while... That guy was fast but not nearly as fast as Hiei! We took care of him real good, you'll see!! Right Kenji?"
Kenji palmed the tooth and gave a thumbs up, his face still buried in the grass, and Uremeshi just busted out laughing in response!
Yumiko watched in awe as the carrot-top grabbed Uremeshi by the collar, and shook him "Don't you see you've got nothing to laugh at idiot? You went over the time limit!!!"
Kenji let out a groan, and Uremeshi stared at him baffled, then turned to Genkai.
"WHAT??? Is that true?"
Genkai smiled, and dipped her head, then looked up at the boys. "It seems to be, but this time I think I will make an exception! Congratulations, boy."
Without thinking, they both hugged each other in the moment "WE DID IT!!" Screamed Kuwabara, seconds before they realized they were hugging, and sprang apart. Yumiko just laughed as she knelt to help Kenji into a sitting position. He was certainly roughed up, but as he looked up at her, he wore the biggest grin she had ever seen!
"I did it!!" He said, still breathing hard. "I punched him!"
Uremeshi had heard the boy's comment. Pausing for a second to take in the appearance of the smiling demon helping his new friend up, he smirked, shrugged it off, then clapped the guy on the back!
"That's right!! I told him to stay back, but no! This idiot decides he's gotta be a badass, and clocks batsie right in the side of the face!! I think he might have messed up his hand though..."
Kenji grinned even wider, holding up his right hand, which was swollen with at least two broken fingers.
"KENJI!!!" Yumiko shrieked, grabbing a seed from her hair and growing a makai aloe at once for it's healing salve.
"Why didn't you say anything sooner you crazy!!" She scolded, then blinked twice, a thought coming to her.
She had just yelled at him, yet felt none of the fear or nervousness that she usually got around Shuichi. In fact, there was only a very small part of her that was more concerned with upsetting him than scolding, and it caused a blush to crawl onto her face as she healed his broken hand.
Her healing salve was powerful, and it didn't take long for almost all of the boy's cuts and bruises to vanish completely. As the other competitors watched, several ran over to ask her to heal them as well! In fact, all but Kuwabara, who was uninjured, and Shorin, who kept eying her like she was a piece of meat! She shivered slightly, and positioned herself so that the three boys were between her and the creepy short man.
Once she had seen to everyone's minor scratches, Yumiko turned to Genkai who simply smirked at the girl's popularity with the contestants, and called the boys to attention.
"Alright, the fourth round will be a fighting tournament! This way!"
She led the way to an old dojo with no windows, and led them all inside through massive doors.
"Those who are still here will fight each other in pairs. Since there are nine of you, someone will have to fight twice!"
"A-actually master, I think I'm backing out here..."
The voice was Kenji, who looked about ready to retch. The psychic looked the boy over with a quizzical expression, then approached him.
"Are you sure boy? You've done very well to make it this far. There is no shame in knowing your limitations, but are you certain? You won't cry later about missing your opportunity?" She asked not unkindly.
Kenji nodded, a hand on his shoulder as he let out a nervous chuckle.
"Yes ma'am, I'm incredibly grateful for the chance to compete here, but after seeing what this guy did to that bat-thing?" He paused, throwing a thumb over his shoulder to point at Uremeshi.
"I'm way out of my league here! If it's alright though, could I stay and watch?"
Genkai considered him for a moment, humming to herself, then nodded. "Fine, but make sure you stay out of the way. The rest of you, come and pick the arrow you think looks pretty, that will decide the order for the matches!"
As she spoke, the doors behind them slowly creaked shut, eliminating all light within the room, except for the red glow from the tip of her cigarette.
Yumiko walked over to Kenji as the master spoke to the other contestants, and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"You did really well Kenji! You should be really proud of yourself!!" She said with a big grin on her face.
The boy grinned in the darkness and placed a hand on top of hers. "Thanks Yumi! It was definitely a challenge, but I'm glad I tried! I think I even might have made a friend out of it!"
To her surprise, the boy was looking right at her, and for some reason, it caused Yumi to blush. "You can still see me?"
"Of course I can!! Your soul shine's brighter than anybody else here!! I can see the others for the most part too.. but it's not like I see your face, it's more I see a little outline, and I can tell from that!"
They both turned their heads abruptly as a loud yell cut through their conversation. Suddenly the room was filled with light, but only for a moment before things went dark again. Kenji's face fell as he watched only one aura come back from the center of the dojo. 'Holy hell....' He thought, 'these guys aren't normal... I wouldn't have stood a chance!!!'
[A/N:
This one was pretty fun!! Kenji is in way over his head, but at least he realizes it! What will happen in the final rounds of the competition? How will Kenji react when he sees just how cruel demons can actually be? And why does Shorin keep looking at Yumi like that?? Find out next time!]