Chapter 24: Friendly Sparring

Aku follows Tarin into the dark door as it closes behind him.

'It's pitch black in here?'

"Tarin what's going on here?"

Aku looked around him as the area he was in suddenly lit up. But Tarin was nowhere in sight.

*Biff*

Aku felt a kick on his face that sent him back. Looking up he saw Tarin standing over him with a smile.

"Tell me Aku, do you know anything about how to use your Demon's Aspect or even your own Shiryoku for that matter?"

Aku sat up looking down.

"What does it matter to you?"

"It matters to me because I've been wondering how a Yami fugitive survived for nearly 11 years being hunted like a dog without even knowing or understanding his own capabilities. To put it shortly you impress me and yet you disappoint me."

Tarin then kicked Aku across the area as suddenly Aku stopped as he hit a hill of sand.

*Cough*

"I lived because I had to. There wasn't room really in my life to go and die trying."

Aku sat up as he realized the area around them was different, looking like an abandoned junkyard in a desert. He looked towards Tarin who was standing on top of a car.

"That's an interesting point but again have you ever thought about your potential once before?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your Shiryoku has been in base form your whole life and somehow you've beaten some fierce demons to get here if I had to guess?"

"I hate to repeat myself but what the hell does this have to do with anything?"

"Don't you want revenge Aku? If so you are getting nowhere the way you are, pulling cheap tricks like you did on the roof will get you nowhere. So I want you to throw everything you have at me right now."

Tarin stepped off the car as he appeared behind Aku.

"Otherwise this fight wouldn't be close to fair."

Aku swung his arm around to strike but found nothing but air as Tarin stood upon the car again.

"Aspect is the main thing that sets humans and demons apart. It was gifted to us from the dawn of our world. It comes in many different ways in different types of demons but ours is special."

Tarin points at his eyes.

"A Shiryoku is one of the two main types of Demon Aspect's manifest in demons. Can you guess what the other is?"

"Karada."

"Yes indeed, have you ever seen a demon with a Karada before?"

"I've worked with a few."

Aku thought back to The Boss and Hunter. 

*Shink*

A katana shot from the sky stabbing into the ground between Aku's feet.

"A Karada will enhance the demon's body giving them abilities, it is your Aspect power either deriving or originating from the body. A good example are Sound Demon's when a user activates their Karada they are given the ability of complete silence or even Sun Angels whose Karada's enhance their physical capabilities when the sun is out. Some even find ways to to project their odd properties of there body onto others. Others have odd abilities like hardening, moving in weird ways or being super fast."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"Nothing I'm just warning you for the future…Anyways your eye is very, very rare might I add. Shiryoku, your Aspects power derives from your eyes or more so in your case, your eye. You'd think Shiryoku by default would be weaker than a Karada just due to its limiting factors of where it originates from. That however would be a very bad assumption, some of the strongest demons of our times are wielders of Shiryoku. Shiryoku can even act like a Karada with some of the physical amplifications it gives its users at times, BUT…almost all Shiryoku are unique with unique abilities of their own. Tell me Aku, what is yours?"

"I...I don't know my ability yet. What does this have to do with anything?"

"We are about to fight, I want to see how easy I should take on you."

Aku stood there silently annoyed.

'Who does he think he is?''

Aku activated his Shiryoku and dashed at Tarin as his strike with the katana was blocked he swung his left arm at Tarin with intensity. Making contact Tarin didn't move in the slightest, bringing Aku into the air with his katana and throwing him into the ground causing sand dust to surround them.

'I don't have a chance of beating this guy. I know that much, I need to find a way to win this without winning...'

"You seem to leave a lot of openings when you're thinking, Aku."

*Crash*

Aku was sent into an already broken down car but slowly gets up looking ahead of him seeing Tarin standing almost like a prince receiving his crown.

"Do you get off by beating me up or what?"

"No, I just love teaching the youth!"

Tarin started to hover into the air.

'What the fuck? Just how strong is this guy? Is this his Shiryoku's ability? No his Shiryoku's not even out yet.'

"I'm going to show you my ability now Aku, whatever you do please don't die Ms. Ezzy would be very upset with me."

A gash was made in the air as it opened, seeming to appear have an infinite amount of space within it.

'What the hell is going on? His Shiryoku is not even...wait...no way!'

Aku looked closer at Tarin's eyes as his pupils and iris were similar to a white hole.

'His Shiryoku are perpetual!'

The hole in the sky above him stopped opening as Tarin slowly whipped his right arm back.

"Run Aku. I don't know many men who have taken this head on that have survived."

He swung his arm back forward as suddenly thousands of sharp shards came out of it all darting at Aku. Aku looked in horror at the display of the sheer amount of power one man could hold. This was the true strength he looked for, on the inside that boy smiled, but on the outside he wore that same old look. He took a stronger stance holding his katana ready to take it head on.

'Ha the boy has guts.'

*Shink*

Aku made contact with the first shard.

'I'm tired of having to run and hide. There's no reason to, even if I die here! This is how I can win!'

Aku began to block the thousands of sharp shards hitting him.

-5 Minutes later-

*Huff*

*Huff*

"You're an Idiot."

Aku stood there in shredded clothes bloodied up.

"Me and you both know you could have evaded every last one of those blades at the low speed I sent them. Yet you sat there and took them. A man who chooses to get hurt for no reason is nothing more than a fool. You are nothing but a fool at the edge of death. I thought you were more than that but…"

The area then went back to that black box with everything disappearing around them.

"You proved to be a failure."

'Can't lose, must move, must move…MUST MOVE!'

*Clash*

Aku moved as fast as he could, clashing with Tarin's shielding himself with a wall seemingly out of nowhere. It looked like the shards he had sent flying at Aku.

"So the fool has more life in him I see?"

"Enough to move…"

Aku positions his katana slightly better, cutting Tarin's shield away causing him to have a shocked expression.

"That's more than I had before."