Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Enter Ceridwen ❯ Testing ( Chapter 4 )

Hiei opened the door and three people were sitting at a table talking, when they saw Ceridwen they stopped. Kurama stood up and walked over to her. He offered to take her bag but she just glared at him, instead he shook her hand. A guy with orangish hair stood gaping at her. "A girl," he said loudly. "You brought a girl to join our team Hiei?"

Ceridwen crossed her arms and glanced at Hiei. "I take it the fool with the orange hair is Kuwabara?"

A small smirk fell upon everyone's lips as Kuwabara worked out what she'd said and finally realizing it had been an insult to him he said, "Hey!"

Yuske shook her hand and said, "If Hiei brought you here immediately in not even half the time we gave him then you must be good. May we have a demonstration."

"She should take on Kuwabara," said Kurama.

Ceridwen said flatly, "I'd prefer a challenge."

"Alright now we're fighting," Kuwabara said indignantly.

"Fine, if you have a wish to be made to look the fool in front of your team, we will fight." Ceridwen dropped her bag and took off her cloak. Then she removed her two swords on her back, and one by one took out her daggers. She was now only armed with one sword and her powers. "As it's already unfair I will only use one material weapon. Then of course I still have a huge advantage but I'll hold back on you."

Looking unfazed Kuwabara said, "Yeah right. Let's just get into the arena we have set up and fight." She smiled. He didn't fool her at all. She could sense the uneasiness in his voice and knew this would be equivalent to level one training in the Lai organization. In other words the easiest fight she could hope for.

She followed him into the arena. The others sat on a raised platform and gazed at her with interest. Around Hiei she had been nervous but not for a fight. She had been nervous because he knew about what had happened to Bane. He could easily blame her for his death. This would be different. The idiot standing before her was only on the team because he was friends with Yuske. Whether or not Yuske would admit it didn't matter. All of them knew it was true, except perhaps Kuwabara himself but Ceridwen doubted he knew anything of importance.

She smiled to herself and said to Kuwabara, "I will let you attack first or give you a head start at running for your life, whichever you prefer." Kuwabara didn't even appear to be listening. He ran at her fast, but not fast enough. She used her speed to run up behind him and remained there until he realized she was gone. She tapped him on the shoulder and when he turned around, punched him in the face.

Kuwabara stumbled back and produced his spirit sword. She smiled. She needn't have even kept the one sword with her. As if to let him know this she took off her sword and tossed it. It landed perfectly inside her open bag without making so much as a clang. Kuwabara rushed her again but this time she didn't move. Instead she raised her arm and stopped him with her telekinesis. She lifted him off the ground and turned him upside down. She then entered his mind telepathically and brought sleep from the back of his brain. She set him gently on the ground and he began to snore. Up in the stands she knew each of the three remaining members were pleased. She had used minimal force and caused little damage to the opponent. She also used no spirit energy or other weapons, she had gone all natural. Ceridwen turned to face them. "May I have a tougher opponent?" This time Kurama stood and walked into the arena. "Thank you," she said. The her mind switched to her mission statements. Kurama used the rose and turned it into a whip. He could also plant a seed inside you that would allow him to control you.

She decided that as soon as battle started she would keep a shield up at all times so as not to be infected by the seed. Kurama smiled at her pleasantries and said, "You are welcome. I am using my whip of course so to be equal if you do not wish to use a weapon at least tap into your spirit energy."

"If you insist."

"I do." With the talking over they circled each other. Ceridwen had read about Kurama and had much respect for him To be polite and show her respect she did tap into her spirit energy. At the same time she used the distraction that her new aura caused to set up her telekinetic shield. Hopefully Kurama could not sense it. She set the shield at level two. No minor attacks such as his seed could touch her. However, if he used the whip...

Deciding to test him and see if he were holding back she sent a small burst of energy at him. When it didn't even make it halfway before he destroyed it she smiled. "Good," she said. "You aren't holding back. If you were it would be an insult to both of us."

"I'm glad you see it that way Ceridwen. I expect that you won't let your respect for me stop you from attacking at your best as well."

"It is my respect that will make me attack you fully, never doubt that." They continued to circle each other. Both realized that the other was indeed an intellectual and manner equality. It was this that made Ceridwen almost joyful to be tested by him.

He seemed to sense her thoughts were drifting and attacked with the whip. She dodged it and got inside it's reach, close enough to make physical contact but his whip was now useless. She punched him in the stomach and with that distraction she shot away thirty feet and increased her shield. It was now at level ten. Not even his whip could penetrate it.

He came at her apparently unaware of her shield. Ceridwen sent out an astral projection behind him and kicked him in the middle of the back. She purposefully missed the spine because she was enjoying the fight. Ceridwen didn't want to end it too soon. He attacked her projection. As it darted in and out of solid form she let her body move forward. Her shield at level ten forced him closer to the projection.

He made a mistake, a simple one, but one that gave her the advantage. As he looked at her shielded body her projection slammed his arms to his sides and slammed him to the ground. She sent a ball of spirit energy at him at full force. She stopped it an inch away from his face. She let him dart out from her grasp and her projection rejoined her body.

"Well done. Had I not underestimated you and jumped out of the way I might have won. It also was a mistake to look behind me. I also should have sensed your shield move up to a higher level. You did disguise it, wonderfully when you tapped into your spirit energy. I didn't even sense it until I stopped your test run to see if I was holding back. I will not complain that you are on this team."

He walked back to his seat and Yuske looked at Hiei. "I already tested her Yuske. I would not have brought her here if I didn't think she could do it. It's your turn in the ring, not mine. I will only train her now, not fight her until I am convinced she is trained enough."

For a moment Yuske looked worried. He stepped into the arena as Hiei and Kurama watched. Ceridwen made sure her shield was off and her spirit energy was prepared. She sensed all her surroundings and was in everyone's mind. Now she would put doubt out of anyone's head.

She suddenly took all of her awareness and focused it on Yuske. Several voices were inside his mind now. All telling him different things and advising him about her moves that were all wrong. When he listened to the one she hoped for and was ready to fight the exact opposite of what she would do she charged. She first made it appear that he had guessed right but changed her stance at the last second.

Yuske was quicker than he looked. He changed position at the last second and blocked her attack to a point that he would get a hard blow but not as bad as it would have been. He pushed her away and she slid on her feet to the edge of the arena. She smiled, he was good. She again charged him but this time the voices in his mind were so loud and so real to him that he was wondering where they were coming from.

She made a particularly loud one shout at him from his left. Her plan worked and he looked in that direction. She jumped into the air am pummeled him into the ground. She jumped as he fell and landed ten feet away from the now small crater.