Two Months in the Forest

Two Months in the Forest
Chapter One: First Impressions

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH

Thanks Willow.

cillaxox: My thanks go out to all who reviewed, I really appreciated it.
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It was early morning shortly after the sun had risen. The fiery globe was still low in the horizon giving everything a reddish-orange glow. A small pond was sparkling in the background. The grass was low, considering this was a forest area; it was about ankle high. The area was wide and clear of trees and rocks, allowing plenty of room for movement. For the next to months this would be Kuwabara and Hiei's training spot.

Hiei stood with his arms crossed authoritatively over his chest. His eyes were narrowed in annoyance and he spoke in a stern voice, “The only reason I’m wasting my time training you is, because I have no choice. I have no choice, because if you are to die in the first round then that will only hurt my odds of survival.”

Kuwabara felt like he was going to explode if he didn’t say something. He wanted the fire demon to train him, not lecture him. He tactfully said, “The sooner you start training me the sooner I can start to improve.”

“Are you that anxious to be shown how little you know?”

The young man was gritting his teeth, but managed to say, “How else am I gonna learn?”

“Perhaps you’re not as thickheaded as you look.”

Kuwabara manifested his sword. “Are we gonna start or what?”

Hiei looked at the weapon as if he was already bored. “Put that away.”

“But this is my weapon!”

“We’ll start with the basics, hand to hand combat first.”

“I already know how to fight with my fists. I’m one of the toughest street fighters you’ll ever meet.”

“Then you should have no problem successfully attacking me.” Hiei smirked at the young man. “Come at me if you’re ready.”

Kuwabara cocked a fist and charged at the demon. He swung downward aiming at his target’s head. Hiei quickly step backwards out of reach. “So close,” he taunted. The human switched to a jab, which the apparition also dodged. “What are you aiming at?”

And so the next hour passed much the same way, Kuwabara swinging at the speedy demon and Hiei avoiding all of the boy’s clumsy attacks. No matter how hard he tried, young man simply wasn’t fast enough.

“I’m not done…I’ll get…you,” the human gasped.

Hiei gave his version of a smile. “I didn’t know you were delusional.”

“I’m not delusional, only optimistic.” Kuwabara summoned his sword. “If I had been using this you wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

“Do you really believe your sword will make a difference?”

“Yeah, I can take anybody on with this!”

“Hn.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you really are as thickheaded as you look.” Hiei shrugged his shoulders. “If you really think it’ll make a difference then use it.”

Kuwabara lowered his weapon. “Aren’t you gonna use your sword? I don’t wanna attack a defenseless shrimp.”

“I don’t need a weapon to defend myself.”

“That’s what you think.”

“Enough talk, come at me Kuwabara.”

The word nimble wouldn’t even begin to describe Hiei’s abilities. Every time Kuwabara thought he had Hiei cornered the demon would slip through his fingers. The apparition danced around like a leaf floating on a breeze. He hardly had to put any effort into his movements they came easily enough. His body would shimmer as it disappeared leaving behind a faint after image that deceived Kuwabara. Whenever the apparition reappeared it was always in a spot just outside the human’s reach.

Hiei grew tired of playing with the boy and decided to put an end to it. He ducked down low and grabbed Kuwabara's right wrist, turning the boy’s hand inward. He pushed the arm back, aiming the sword at its creator’s belly stopping inches away from striking a fatal blow. He looked into Kuwabara's eyes saw that they were full of realization, realization of how little he knew. The demon spoke in a wise voice, “First lesson, a weapon is only as powerful as its wielder. Master your body before mastering a sword.”

Kuwabara smiled bashfully. “I guess that means we’ll be sticking to hand to hand for a while.”

“That’s the smartest thing you said all day.”

“Are we done or what?” the young man asked.

Hiei looked up at the sun, it was directly above his head. “That’s enough for today.”

“So how was I? What do you think?”

“My first impression is that you are weak,” Hiei stated bluntly.

Kuwabara didn’t say anything, no matter how many curses and foul words came to mind.

The demon added, “Whether or not my opinion will change is dependent on you.”

“A little respect is that too much?” Kuwabara mumbled to himself. He had forgotten about the demon’s sensitive ears.

“I’ll respect you when you get better.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Get better and you’ll find out for yourself,” Hiei turned his back on the boy, “I’m leaving now; you’re starting to bore me.”

Learning from his previous slip up the young man mouthed, “You’re no picnic either.”

Kuwabara had two hours before his training session with Kurama started. It would be the only time he had to himself all day. From 7am to noon he trained with Hiei and Kurama took over the duties from 2pm to 6pm. He didn’t like the extra hour he had to spend with Hiei, but it made sense because they both fought with swords.

He decided to spend his free time eating lunch and resting from his strenuous workout with Hiei. He made his way back to camp where he found Kurama waiting for him. The fox offered him a small plate of food. “I was beginning to think you had gotten lost.”

Kuwabara gratefully accepted the food. “Where’s Hiei?”

“Knowing him he’s probably in a tree somewhere. He’s never been one for company.”

“Good, because I’ve seen enough of him for one day.”

The fox chuckled. “Before long you’ll be saying the same thing about me.”

Kuwabara spoke around a mouthful of food, “No, you’re not a pain in the ass like him. Besides, I like you.”

“You say that now, but we’ll see how you feel after our first day of training.” Kurama stood up and stretched. “I think I’ll go for a short walk. I’ll see you at two.”

After finishing his food Kuwabara stretched out on his sleeping bag and stared at the canopy of trees above him. The sunlight shining through holes in the leafy green roof blinded him so he closed eyes. When he opened his eyes again Kurama was smiling down at him. “It’s time to start Kuwabara.”

The younger redhead wiped away a trickle of drool that some how made its way from his mouth. He pulled himself to feet and tried his best to look awake. “I’m coming.” He followed the fox to a part of the forest that he didn’t know existed. The area was thick with trees and other bushes. Birds could be heard chirping, but were not seen.

Kurama stood in front of Kuwabara pacing a line that only he saw. While he walked he spoke to his pupil, “Hiei can teach you how to hone your skills, but he can’t teach you how to survive. He has far too much honor for that. That is where I step in. I won’t go easy on you Kuwabara. I’m not honor bound to treat you carefully. I’ll beat you within an inch of your life if I think it will get my point across.”

Kuwabara, whose thoughts had previously been drifting, snapped to attention upon hearing the last statement. “An inch of my life! What if you go over that inch and kill me?!”

“Better to die at the hands of a friend than at the mercy of a stranger.”

“That’s cold Kurama.”

“Life usually is.” The fox reached into his pocket and pulled out a brown jar closed with a cork, which he tossed to Kuwabara. “This is for you.”

The younger boy shook the vial. “What is it?”

“It's a special salve, I made it just for you. It will come in handy during your training.”

“You really think of everything don’t you?”

“Planning ahead is essential to survival. Let that be a lesson to you. Now let’s commence with your training.”

Saying Kurama's training session was intense would be a major understatement. For almost two hours he lashed at Kuwabara. In between the lashes the fox would critique the young man’s defense and offense. Kuwabara could hardly stand up straight. He was blinded by blood in his right eye due to a cut on his forehead. He was short of breath. His muscles quivered from the strenuous exertion. He would have collapsed where he stood, but his desire to better himself kept him going.

Kurama began pacing a slow circle around Kuwabara. He chose to focus his attention on his whip instead of the younger boy. “My whip does have its advantages, wouldn’t you agree?” Kurama took his pupil’s silence as an agreement. “It’s long, so I am able to control how much distance is between us. From the very beginning I controlled the battle.” To prove his point he cracked the whip in Kuwabara's direction causing the boy to jump back. “Did you see the way it snaked? That’s another advantage. Multiple striking points are always a plus. Even if you dodge the first hit there’s a good chance I can still get you.” Kurama began coiling his whip around his hand. It looked like a dangerous green snake poised to attack at any moment. “There still one more at advantage. Do you know what that is Kuwabara?”

The tall carrot-top shook his head no.

The fox lightly fingered his weapon of choice. A sharp point punctured his fingertip drawing a single bead of blood. “The thorns. It’s like having two weapons in one.” With one shake of his arm he uncoiled the weapon. He spun in a circle letting the whip turn with him. When he stopped spinning several trees that were behind him fell to the ground with tremendous thuds. “It can slice as well as strike.” He then stuck again, only this time it wasn’t at an unmoving tree. Kuwabara barely sensed the attack coming; he only had time for a quick defensive maneuver. He crossed his arms over his chest and was able to offset most of the damage. He felt the razor sharp thorns easily slice through his flesh like a knife through gelatin.

Kurama pulled his whip back and once again coiled it around his hand. "From the very beginning you were out matched. This weapson has excellent offensive as well as defensive capabilities. You need to think of a way to counter those advantages. Only after you do that will you have a chance at defeating me.”

Kuwabara said, “The only way I can beat you is if I get closer.”

The fox cocked an eyebrow. “Do you really think that is the way to go?”

The taller redhead nodded his head confidently. “If I can get in close enough your whip won’t do you any good.”

“How about we test that theory?”

“All right, but don’t start crying when you get hurt.”

Kurama smiled at the younger boy’ arrogance. “I’ll keep that in mind. Now try to get close enough to attack me.”

Kuwabara was up to the challenge, but he failed to succeed. Not once did he even come close to shortening the gap between him and Kurama. Kurama, as promised, did not go easy on his inexperienced student. He came pretty close to beating his friend within an inch of his life, as he also promised. “Did I make my point? Kuwabara? Kuwabara?”

Kuwabara was passed out in the grass. A person can only take so many lashes before finally succumbing to the pain. The first things he saw when he came to were Kurama's green eyes. “Good, you're finally awake.”

“How long was I out?”

“Not too long.”

The carrot-top sat up in the grass. His body felt a little stiff, but otherwise it didn’t feel too sore. He examined the damage only to discover that most of his wounds were already healing. He saw the half empty bottle of salve Kurama had given him resting next to his feet.

The fox followed the young boy’s line of sight then told him, “Don’t worry I have plenty more of that.”

Kuwabara stared at his friend. He saw that the previously cold green eyes had soften and returned to the kind ones he was familiar with. “I didn’t do too good did I?”

“It was only your first day.”

“Do you think I’ll get better?”

Kurama knelt down next to injured boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. “That depends entirely on you and your desire to improve. Do you want to become stronger?”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m here!”

The fox squeezed the strong shoulder below his hand. “Then I will do everything within my power to see that you do.” He let his hand remain a little longer in its resting place. “You must remain determined. Don’t give up even if things seem impossible. Can you do that for me Kuwabara?”

The younger boy pushed away his friend’s hand. For some reason he found the well-meaning touch patronizing. “I already told you I’m not a quitter.”

“I know that. I’m just trying to encourage you.”

“Thanks,” Kuwabara added under his breath, “I think.” He stood up and brushed the dirt and grass off his pants. “I think we should head back to camp.”

The fox patted his friend’s broad shoulders encouragingly. “Yes, we are done for the day. I think some dinner will do wonders for you.”


~*~*~*~*~*~


Hiei nodded his head in the direction of Kuwabara; the boy was laying on his side wrapped up tightly in his sleeping bag. “Is he sleeping?”

Kurama leaned towards the carrot-top for a closer look. “I believe so.”

“How did his training go with you?”

“He passed out. How about you?”

The fire demon leapt onto a low tree branched and settled down for the night. “The fool didn’t pass out, but he still got his ass kicked.”

“He’s just a beginner.”

“He’s hopeless.”

Kuwabara rolled over and looked at Kurama and Hiei. “I really appreciate the kind words, but I’m trying to sleep. I have training in the morning.”

Even though he couldn’t see it, Kurama gave the younger boy a smile. “He is rather determined.”

Hiei didn’t look impressed at all. “I suppose you could call it that, but I think it’s more like-”

Kuwabara interrupted the fire apparition midsentence. “I said I was trying to sleep!”

Kurama told the younger boy, “Good night Kuwabara. We won’t keep you up any longer.”

Kuwabara grunted in acknowledgement then snuggled deeper into his sleeping bag. His body was weary, but his mind was still racing. He wondered whether or not he would actually improve. He wondered how much he could actually be accomplished in two months. He wondered if his friends could be this harsh then how much worse would things be at the tournament. His fatigue finally overwhelmed his mind and sent him to sleep. He would need his rest, because tomorrow would be another day.