Chapter Text
Yusuke quickly decided that the basics would be a good first step. With a quick demonstration, you were able to showcase what knowledge was already there. How to properly form a fist to avoid breaking any bones wasn’t an uncommon concept, but Yusuke wanted the focus to be less on forming a fist and more on palm strikes, given the circumstances.
“Since we’ve only seen a few of these guys, let’s assume that most of them are boney or hardened enough where your knuckles could still end up breaking no matter where you hit them...” He had lightly grabbed your hand, twisting over to gently let a finger run along the base of the palm, drawing the attention there. “Let’s avoid that risk and just have you focus on using your palms. Taking out that guesswork should make you faster and, since demon’s anatomy varies, you don't have to decide what's too dangerous for a fist to hit.”
His talking point may have been over, but he was acting as though your hand held some kind of secret. His finger continued to lightly glaze over the area, his rough calluses catching on the skin there, and you were far from stopping it. To put it simply, the motion was soothing. To put it complicatedly, it was both electrifying and comforting. It was odd how the imagination could run while off of a simple touch.
Keeping your focus on his face, you did your best to stay within the context of the conversation.“Wouldn't the weak point still be the same though? Noses and throats?”
“Relatively, but like I said, you aren't used to swinging on demons. There are a lot of different types of demons, some more humanoid than others and some have an anatomy built to withstand bombs.” He finally let go, his arms crossing in front of him as he now studied the figure before him. His eyes seemed to be studying your body, though it didn’t feel perverse in any way. The furrow of his brow as he started to walk around you.
“Really?” Even though there was evidence his gaze was relatively innocent, that didn’t quite the thumping your heart was doing.
“Yeah...Like… Hiei, you haven’t seen it and he hasn’t shown it a lot lately, but he used to have a wicked form where he was covered in eyes and shit. And then Kurama used to be this tall fox guy. But then I’ve seen demons made of boulders, ones that look like deformed bats, parasite-type demons. You won't be able to apply every single thing you already know to each demon.” As he spoke he went to move your legs into a stance, making a small comment about how getting low to the ground would give you more stability.
You did as you were told, though you wondered if having two conversations at once wouldn’t make the task more difficult. A foot was nudged by one of his own, directing it to go further out. Once Yusuke was satisfied with the feet placement, his hands were on your hips, gripping them tightly to guide you. Allowing the body to sink in a deep stance had muscles contracting and pulling at one another, the position being foreign to you. The pressure on your hips then lightened for a hand to lay across your midsection, Yusuke asking you to flex what you could. Tightening the core was a bit harder than just taking a proper stance, but it wasn’t completely out of reach. It just felt off to be putting much thought into it.
“And what do you do?” Returning to the other conversation allowed your mind to focus outside of his touch and stare. His response wasn’t surprising.
With an attitude that only Yusuke could make look attractive, he spoke. “I’m different. I just keep going for the most part and then a plan usually comes to me.” It was obvious that not only did he enjoy his job, but he also took a lot of pride in his fighting skills.
“Oh, so you depend on being headstrong and stubborn.” Evidently, no joke or laughter was allowed to go unpunished today. Before it registered, your back had hit the ground, Yusuke having evidently swept your footing from beneath you. If it wasn’t for him standing before you with his arms crossed, you probably would have assumed you just managed to fall. You looked up at him, feeling your lower lip stick out in a pout.
“Hey, I’m the teacher here. No questioning me or my talents. And remember we’re training.” Despite his harsh tone, he extended a hand to offer some assistance. His help was almost accepted until a devious idea popped into your head. Partway through reaching for his hand, you decided to try and get a little even. You scooted your body forward quickly, one foot hooking behind the bend of one of his knees and bringing it forward, making him fall. He had only gotten down to one leg, but that was enough to boost your confidence.
“Remember, we’re training.” It was instinct to mock him, not able to resist being a little bit playful.
Pressure was on your ankles and your back scraped along the ground, a sharp shout escaping you as Yusuke pulled. Both of his shins now rested on the ground while your legs were on either side of him. When he let go of your ankles, you attempted to scoot back but was stopped as he gripped your wrist and pinned your arms against your chest, the limbs crossing there and making it impossible to move. He had you pinned effectively, and that confidence was right back on his face.
“That’s right. Training. And now what are you gonna do?”
That remark couldn’t go unchecked.
Bending your legs and lifting what you could, your feet managed to wrap around him enough so that you could plant your feet between his two legs. As soon as the soles touched the ground, spreading your legs forced him to do the same. His balance was lost and as he tried to catch himself, you managed to break his grip and push against him aggressively. Using this momentum, it wasn’t even a second before you were straddling his waist. There was no attempt to pin him, but the message was still delivered just the same.
And, as you looked at the scene below, his eyes shocked and face starting to form a blush at being caught off guard, a thought crept in. He looked good like this.
Before this thought could be explored, a voice had you quickly glancing to the house.
“Those moves are cute, but they aren’t going to do much against any demons. In fact, I’m not really sure if you’re still fighting.” The rasp of Genkai's voice not only demanded attention but an amount of respect that had Yusuke sitting up abruptly, causing you to fall.
Well, maybe respect wasn't the right word.
“Well, it’s not like I can teach them to use spirit gun!” Annoyance was radiating from him, and as Genkai approached, you hoped this wouldn’t turn into another long argument.
“You should leave teaching to the professionals. I don’t see them using a spirit gun by any means, but that doesn’t mean they can’t harness some of their own energy. If I’ve taught you anything it’s that all humans possess spiritual energy to some degree”
“I know that hag-” The word barely left his mouth before Genkai had a hand landing on the back of his head, causing Yusuke to wince in pain.
“Then I don’t see why you haven’t told them yet. Now get so they can actually stand a chance. I don’t need you messing it up with your damn goo goo eyes!”
Now embarrassment was starting to eat away at you.
“What googoo eyes?!” He looked as though he was ready to fight his master, but you nervously laughed to catch his attention. Breaking up potential fights wasn’t your thing, but being trained by Genkai sounded like an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.
“It’s okay Yusuke. Maybe you can show me how to break from some holds later.” You hoped the not-so-empty promise would compel him enough to surrender in the argument if only to allow Genkai to teach you whatever she was willing to.
A pout formed on his face, but the promise worked. It was a little funny watching him fluctuate between being a ball of aggression into a disappointed puppy, but on him it was endearing. Besides, you were starting to notice how the people he was close to managed to bring out these sides of him.
“Alright, fine. Don’t whine to me when she damn near kills you though.” Was that a joke?
Genkai and you watched as the detective made his way inside, the door shutting behind him and deafening the mumbles and curses that had been on his lips.
“Listen closely. I’m a little pissed about still teaching despite having retired, so I’m not gonna repeat anything I say.”
Stumbling a little, your attention went to Genkai. “Uh, can I record it then?” You winced right after the question left your lips, already expecting what the answer was and feeling silly for asking.
“No. Spirit energy is unique from person to person. Much like fingerprints and DNA, there can be similarities amongst people, but there is still a variation. It’s tied to everything about you, your emotions, feelings, and how well you can control them will play a large part in this. Considering you decided to run off into the woods to keep a child safe, your impulsivity seems to outweigh your commonsense, so this may be difficult.” Had the woman even taken a breath at any point? The information being unloaded onto you might not have been too complicated, but hearing it all at once and trying to commit it to memory was adding stress. You barely got to voice the disapproval of her referencing your lack of reasoning before she dived into the next lesson.
“With enough practice, you can weaponize it. We don’t have a lot of time since there really is no telling when they will attack next, but I want you to keep your survival as the goal. Give it all you can while you can, and hopefully the dumbass in there will be able to keep you safe long enough to do something.” The tone of her voice and the expression she carried had your stomach sinking much like it had done when you realized you were in a trap.
“I really don’t stand a chance do I?”
Had you really asked that? It had felt as though someone else was speaking for you, an odd fog in your mind as anxiety was settling back in. You thought you had already made peace with the threat over your life, but evidently making peace didn’t make the worry go away.
You weren’t sure how long the silence had lasted, but a sigh coming from the woman marked its end. “No…” The word made the pitfall in your gut worse. “But there was a time that I thought Yusuke wouldn’t stand a chance or Kuwabara... And they've managed to exceed my expectations. Don’t tell them I said that though. They don’t need their ego stroked.”
If Genkai seemed to have enough hope to even bother to teach you...then maybe it wasn’t so bad.
“That being said, I get that your goal is to survive long enough in a fight for one of us to come for you. I want you to get that out of your head. I need you to believe that there isn’t any backup coming to your rescue. If you constantly have the idea that you’ll be rescued in the back of your mind, you won't fully apply yourself to this. I need complete dedication because if this turns out to be a complete waste, I'll bring you back from the dead myself and wring your neck. Got it?” Genkai’s threat had a smile forming on your face, nodding your head to confirm that you understood the assignment.
“There are also different kinds of energies, which you probably have realized. Demons don’t possess the same energy you and I do. Life energy is directly tied to your life force, so don’t fuck around and find out about it. The last thing I need is you pulling some dumb move.” You were sure there was more to these elements than what Genkai was explaining, but you doubted there was time to fully cover it. The cliff notes would have to do.
“Considering I don’t know how to do that, I think we’re safe from that happening.” You tried to make the subject lighter, but the lack of change in her expression had you curious.
“Hopefully. Now come on, let's go further in the woods.”
“Is...that safe?”
“No, which is why we’re going.”