How Ninja Do

by speed killz

Inu, kicked out of his castle by the king, his father, to protect him from the killer who murdered his mother, must train under the guidance of two ninja to become strong, to find and defeat the killer before he strikes again. Has an RPG/FF feel to it.

How Ninja Do, Chapter 1.

The early morning sun peeked over the green tree tops, casting long shadows across the clearing, rippling the ground with light and dark patterns. The shadows moved slowly, as the trees rocked in the wind, but the beauty was lost on the lone boy training below.

Hands curled into fists, knuckles on the ground, InuYasha did his push-ups as swiftly as he could, feeling the muscles in his arms burning. His long silver hair swirled about his naked back, and his volumous red hakama moved gently in the light breeze, and quick motion as he did his exercises. The pants were loose around his hips, proof that the last week he had spent out here was tearing the fat off him. It was turning straight to muscle, leaving him slim in the stomach, and curved in the hips. His abdominal muscles were slowly developing, but after living for sixteen years inside a castle, with everyone bowing to his every wish, he hadn't been dedicated toward maintaining a healthy body. Now though, it was important that he be in good shape, or else he would easily fail in his task, and his promise. InuYasha's golden eyes blinked as sweat dropped into them, and he shook his head, trying to get the droplets of sweat off his forehead. He could feel his muscles screaming at him to give up, but he couldn't, or else his Masters would be furious.

He smirked at that one. He called them his 'Masters', even though they were under his comlete control, and when they had to get him to train, they phrased everything as a very polite suggestion. InuYasha didn't care though, he enjoyed working out. He had seen the proficiency of the Masters, their speed and skill with weapons, the way they could use their very bodies as the most dangerous weapon in their arsenal, and he wanted to be just like that. Also, their skill with the Light and Dark magic arts was unbelievable.

Golden eyes caught a glimpse of a worm crawling through the dirt, mere inches from his face, before he pushed himself back up again, the rapid, jerky movement making him lose sight of it. He lowered himself back down again, and caught another glimpse of it, before pushing himself back up again.

Not too long ago, he had broken the required two hundred push-ups, but seeing as the requirement was going to go up by another hundred in a few days, courtesy of his accelerated training schedule, he figured he better get used to doing more. Besides, he liked to work out until his Masters made themselves present, to show that he had dedication, and was serious about the training.

A few seconds later, his sharp ears caught the sound of rustling fabric, and before he could blink, one of the Masters was at his side.

"That's enough, Lord InuYasha, you've done 213 push-ups, you're past the requirement." He said. InuYasha laughed, slowly rolling over onto his back. "No, I did 214 push-ups." He said.

The ninja shook his head. "No, your 186th push-up wasn't low enough, so I didn't count it." He said. InuYasha nodded. "Ahh, I see." He picked up his haori, and shrugged it on, tying it up.

The ninja nodded, and extended a hand to InuYasha, helping him up. "Come on, let us prepare food."

InuYasha nodded, and turned, taking a step toward the fire pit that he had scraped out. He stopped short as the taller one of his Masters dropped out of the sky in front of him, bowing.

"Lord, the perimeter is secure, there were faint traces of demons and monsters, but nothing that would indicate an attack or an assassination on you, my Lord." He said, straightening up from his bow.

InuYasha waved a hand lazily at him. "Ahh dispense with that formality crap, it has no place outside the Holy Castle." He said. "But I'm starved, what's for food?" He asked.

The ninja swallowed his protests, and pointed to the side of the fire pit.

"I've gathered some foods whilst you were training, so if you can cook a meal, you can eat." He said. InuYasha smirked. "Of course I can cook." He said. He walked toward the fire pit, and began the tedious task of starting the fire with a rock and a piece of flint, wishing that his ninja would have let him burn the fire all night.

"You guys want anything?" He asked, blowing gently on the few sparks that had landed on the moss-covered kindling.

The ninja shook their heads. "No, we've eaten earlier this morning, we won't require sustenance until later this night." They said.

InuYasha shrugged. "Suit yourselves." He said, grinning as the fire caught. He waited until it was a proper blaze, before throwing on more logs. The 'foods' that the taller Master had bought was nothing short of a feast. There were three fish, a small bundle of berries, some mushrooms, and some unknown green things that appeared to be tall grass. He snickered, and picked one up by the stalk, holding it up.

"Hey, guys, what's with this?" He asked. "Surely we aren't so low on Gil that we've been reduced to eating grass like common cows." He said. The shorter ninja shook his head, and folded his arms across his chest.

"That's part of your training diet, so make sure you eat it." He said, his voice muffled, and dangerously quiet beneath his mask and hood. "It has high concentrations of water inside it's stalk, so it's essential to your health. Ninja eat things like that all the time, when they might not have a chance to find drinking water. Knowing your environment, and how it can benefit you can save your life." He said.

InuYasha nodded, and without another word, took a bite out of the stalk. It didn't have any particular taste, but it was filled with water, proving the ninja right. He set it aside, and set about spearing the three fish on thin spikes, holding them over the fire.

As they cooked, InuYasha stared into the flames, and thought about why he was here.

"Son, you must leave this castle. Whoever killed your mother might be after you." His father said, ushering InuYasha out of the room. InuYasha took a second to look back into the room, frantic to see his mother one more time before he left, but his father wouldn't let him.

"You must remember her as she was, my son, a gentle, kind woman. I don't want your last thoughts and memories of her to be of her when she was slain." He said. InuYasha could tell that he was angry, frustrated, scared, hurt...a lot of things, but everything was moving so quickly that InuYasha couldn't comprehend it all. And now he was being forced to leave the castle, his home, because someone had murdered his mother. It was weird how clear his thoughts were right now, he thought, feeling his fathers hand on his shoulder. He knew his mother was dead, he knew he would never see her again, but he felt no pain, no sadness, and no fear. Only amazement. So quickly it had happened, that he had barely had time to realize that his mother was being attacked before she was dead. Right now, he knew he felt nothing, but he knew that later on, he would feel the worst.

"I'll call you back once I've found the murderer, but for now, I want you to leave. I've assigned two of the specialized elite ninja corps to protect you, and they will do a fine job. Grow strong, and come back once the trouble here is taken care of." His father said, still speaking quickly. "I'll find the murderer of your mother, trust me, and we shall both have our due revenge."

InuYasha sighed, and flipped the fish over, lest they burn in the flames of the fire. The memories were so scattered, so impossible to sort through, that he wondered if it really had happened. Then he felt the aching in his chest, and he knew it was. It was painful, not even being able to visit her grave, but his father wouldn't allow it. Her grave was inside the castle walls, and his father, sure that the murderer was after InuYasha too, wouldn't allow him back inside the castle. His father had said that he was sure the murderer was someone from his council, somone who resided inside the castle. So anyone who left the castle, even with good reasons, was under suspicion, since InuYasha himself had been kicked out of the castle. Now it was a waiting game, to see who would strike first. His father, at the murderer, the murderer, at his father, or InuYasha at the murderer.

Suddenly, gloved hands covered InuYasha's, jerking him out of his thoughts. The gloved hands gently pulled on his wrists, raising the fish out of the fire.

"Before they burn, I suggest you eat them, my Lord." He said.

InuYasha smiled up at the taller ninja. "Indeed, Keiishi." InuYasha said, taking a bite out of the first fish. He held up the other two, similarly impaled upon wooden stakes.

"Kaoru? Keiishi? You sure you guys don't want any?" He asked.

Both ninja shook their head, and declined InuYasha's offer. "You eat it, you need the meat to stay healthy."

InuYasha smirked, and wondered if they were elite fighting ninja, or health nuts. He turned to the mushrooms, and grimaced. "Ah well, guess I got to eat these too, eh?" He asked. He recieved no reply, and he choked one down as he looked around. Neither Kaoru, the short one, nor Keiishi, the tall one, were anywhere in sight. He shrugged, knowing that they often dissappeared, whether it be to check the surroundings, or check out some noise or something they had sensed. They would be back soon enough.

InuYasha left the two fish for later, to get rid of the taste of mushroom, and crammed them down, eager to finish them. He could throw them away, but the two ninja would undoubtedly know.

He finished the vegetables, and stood up, stretching. In his right hand he still held the two fish, planning to eat them while they walked. They were planning on heading into a town not too far away from the base of the mountain, atop which perched the mighty Lord's castle. They were going to steadily make their way away from the castle, and see if they had any followers who could be distinguished as enemies, and gather strength, weapons, and knowledge along the way. Then, once they were finished, they would circle back around, to see if the murderer himself, or any hired assassins were on their trail. InuYasha took a bite out of the second fish, and chewed it thoroughly, not wishing to swallow any fish bones. He stretched all his muscles, something that the ninja had told him that was almost more important than any strength training, and while he stretched, he wondered where his ninja had gotten to.

They were back soon after, and they set out, walking along the small forest path that lead to the village ahead. It was a short walk, for they were just outside the village gates, and they walked slowly, not in any type of hurry. They had to be careful for ambushes, traps, or assassination attempts, and the ninja would occaisionally leave InuYasha's side to go scout ahead.

"What are we doing once we get to the next town?" InuYasha asked, folding his arms behind his head as he walked. Kaoru, the short one on his left, answered him first.

"We, as in myself and Keiishi, are going to look for extra shuriken and kunai, whilst you will entertain yourself at a bar, or a shop, keeping yourself inside and out of trouble." He said. InuYasha nodded. "Seems fair." He said. "We're low on Gil though, so I might have to pilfer a bit." He took a bite out of his fish, and once again was careful to check for bones.

Keiishi laughed, but it was muffled a bit by the cloth over his mouth and nose, and the deep hood over his head. "Well, just don't get caught then, we don't have any Gil to bail you out, and we don't really want to kill anybody, just to get you out of guard custody." He said.

InuYasha smirked. "Since when have I ever gotten caught stealing?" He bragged. Kaoru shrugged. "I don't think you ever have." He said. "But still, there's always the chance, so stay cautious."

InuYasha nodded, and they entered the village. As soon as they were inside the village gates, Kaoru and Keiishi took off, leaving InuYasha to entertain himself. InuYasha, feeling just a bit thirsty, and still unable to get the taste of mushroom out of his mouth, despite the two fish he had devoured earlier, decided to head for the nearest tavern. Taverns were the best places to listen to drunken rumors, and pick-pocket the drunk and stupid. He nodded to two women standing on the side of the street, selling flowers, and a few other worthless items for a low price, and entered the tavern on their right. He didn't bother to check the name; he didn't care anyway. He walked deep into the dark building, heading for the bar at the back. He sat down, and dug a few Gil out of his pocket, throwing them on the table.

"Whatever's got alcohol in it that can be given to me for that price, is what I want." He said, not bothering to check to see what was offered. The bartender behind the wooden bartop swept up the change, looked at it, and tossed it in a bucket beneath the bar.

"Not much my friend, but I'll see what I can do." He said. He grabbed an empty cup, and filled the bottom of it with straight liquor, about half an inch of it. On top of that, he poured a dark red liquid, until the cup was full. He swirled it around, and set it in front of InuYasha, who thanked him properly. He turned in his seat, and scanned the crowd. It was the appropriate place to try to thieve, for it was pretty dark, and the room was full of big, stupid looking guys. Wooden benches lined the walls, and men were either sitting on them, sharing a drink and a laugh or two, or they were passed out, their height taking up the whole bench. People filled the corridor between the wooden benches, and it was these people that InuYasha targeted.

He took a sip from the cup, and found that it was a bitter tasting berry-like liquid, poured straight on top of the alcohol. It wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't the best. He shrugged, and took another drink; he wasn't a hardcore drinker anyway, he only visited places like these to make some money. He got off the stool, cup in hand, and walked down the corridor between the rows of benches, keeping an eye out for anyone who looked drunk enough not to notice someone's hand in their pocket. He had almost reached the end of the corridor, and was nearing the exit, when he spotted exactly what he wanted. He sidled up close to a young drunk, who had his money sack hanging out of his pocket, and InuYasha looked away from the man, even as his hand reached for the man's money. InuYasha's clawed fingertips found the rough fabric of the cloth, and, sneaking a quick look back to the man to make sure he hadn't noticed, gave a light tug, freeing the money purse from the man's possession. InuYasha quickly shoved it into the folds of his haori, and stood idly by for a few seconds, to make sure no one had caught on. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the guy look around, confused, then look down. Thinking he was busted, InuYasha tensed up, and risked a full look at the guy to gauge his expression. The man merely raised his head to meet InuYasha's look, then smiled, and raised his glass.

"'Hello sir, how are you?" He asked. InuYasha grinned back at the man, feeling relief slice through him. "Just fine, and yourself?" He asked. The man nodded, then shrugged, blinking slowly. "Jus' enjoyin' a drink." He said. InuYasha nodded, and the man turned back to staring out one of the few dirty windows in the tavern. InuYasha grinned dangerously to himself, and made his way back up to the counter. Along the way, he spotted a money bag laying out in the open, on one of the bench-tops! He couldn't believe his luck! He walked by, and as casually as he could, reached out and hooked a claw inside the loop of one of the drawstrings to the money bag, pulling it off the table without so much as a jangle. It was pretty full too, he judged, by the weight, and that too went inside his haori.

"Wait a minnit, you tryin' tah steal from me?" A loud, drunken voice bellowed, behind InuYasha. InuYasha turned quickly, raising his hands in front of him, as he expected at least a punch.

Instead, he was relieved to see that two men were arguing about who had who's wallet, and who it belonged to. InuYasha watched, seeing that the bag of money was in the hands of the slightly larger man, and InuYasha hoped that they would start fighting, so he could duck in there, grab the bag, and get out, unnoticed. He watched for a few minutes, but they resolved it peacefully, and InuYasha didn't have a chance to snag it. He shrugged, and decided it was time to leave anyway.

Apparently, another man was thinking the same thing, and took a final swig from a mug full of alcohol, before dropping it back on the table. He got up, dug into his pocket, and dropped seven Gil onto the table, before heading for the door. InuYasha smiled at his good fortune, and went right behind the man, swiping up the coins before the last one had even stopped rolling across the table-top. He drained his cup, and tossed it onto the table, before following the man out.

He went outside, the man holding the door for him, and InuYasha thanked him appropriately. He started back toward the main gates, where he had come in, and nodded again to the two pretty ladies behind their flower cart. He reached into his pocket, and tossed five of the seven Gil he had aquired, the only free coin he had besides the ones inside the sacks he had stolen, onto the table top of their cart. The women accepted his donation gratefully, bowing to him, but he never noticed, instead, he looked up to the sky.

I wonder how much money is in those sacks?

He sighed, and continued walking, knowing that he merely had to be outside and his ninja would find him within seconds, or more commonly, minutes. InuYasha stopped, and decided that he was far enough away from the tavern, and he pulled out his money sacks. He emptied them into his hand, but there was more than he exected, and they spilled over onto the ground. InuYasha grinned, and knelt down, dropping all his money onto the ground, and pulling the ones that had rolled away closer to the pile. He added the contents of the second sack he had swiped, and sorted them out, gold, silver, and bronze pieces of Gil. The gold were worth ten, the silver five, and the bronze one. He quickly added up the pieces, and found that he had 138 Gil. Not a whole lot, but better than the two Gil he had come into town with. He picked up all the Gil, and dumped it into a single sack, picking up the empty second one. The full one went into his haori, and he carried the empty second one over to a cheap stand near the entrance to the village.

"Hey, can I sell this money sack?" He asked. The aging man behind the counter put on some spectacles, and took the sack from InuYasha with slightly shaking hands. He inspected it carefully, checking to make sure that there were no holes, or defects, then set it on the counter. Although he was old, and his hands shaking, his voice was still strong, and it's deep chuckling surprised InuYasha.

"Haha, well now, it seems to be in good shape, but it is just a basic money sack." He said. "The most I can give you for it, without losing profit, is three Gil." He said. InuYasha smiled. "How 'bout thirty?" He joked, revealing his white fangs. The man laughed, his blue eyes shining in the sunlight. "Ahh, no way would I give you three gold pieces of Gil for this thing." He said. "The most I can do is three bronze pieces." He said.

InuYasha hummed. "Well, tell ya what." He said. "I'll take it for two, saving you a Gil, and you let me exchange some Gil here." He said. The man, seeing that it was no loss to himself, readily agreed. InuYasha accepted two bronze pieces from the man, and put them on the counter. He then dumped out the contents of his half full money sack, and paired off as many silver Gil as he could, and ten of each bronze. The man sorted through them, and took InuYasha's ten silver, and twenty bronze, and gave him seven gold Gil in return. InuYasha now had the same value, 138 that he had started with, plus the two from selling the sack, which made 140, but now he had it in all gold pieces. Same total value, smaller number of over-all pieces. InuYasha jangled the considerably lighter bag in appreciation, as the grinning old man swept the multitude of bronze and silver chips into a bucket beneath his counter.

"Thanks old man." He said. "I'd have hated to travel to the next town just to get to a bank that did the same thing you did for me." He said. The old man nodded, and waved. "Any time, young one." He said. "Just bring me something nice to sell, and I'll accept your bronze and silver any day." He said.

InuYasha returned the wave, and walked away, tucking the money bag safely into a pocket on the inside of his haori. He took another couple steps, heading toward the centre of the village, and a few seconds later his two ninja joined him, materializing at his side, and making the other villagers stare, wondering where they had come from.

"Did you find anything?" Kaoru asked, and InuYasha caught his meaning. "Yeah, 140 Gil, all gold." He said.

Kaoru nodded. "That's a pretty good haul." He said. Keiishi nodded, agreeing. "Yeah, and we didn't do too bad ourselves, we got a fair amount of kunai, and shuriken." He said. "I even managed to work my way to a free kodachi." He said, proudly holding up the new short sword. InuYasha's eyes widened, and he grinned, slapping him on the back. "Aww, way to go man! How'd you pull that one off?" He asked. The ninja laughed. "Wellll, it sorta became mine after one of my kunais came a wee bit too close to the managers throat." He said. "That, and Kaoru was right behind me, with dual spinning shuriken, he got the point pretty quick." He said. "He was lucky I didn't take more, but then, that wouldn't be too fair." He said.

InuYasha laughed, and held his hands out, at waist height, palms up. He summoned the small powers that he had, and channeled them into his palms, a small, unrefined version of the technique that was used to summon and cast all magic. He tried summoning a curing spell, but he couldn't remember the incantation, nor did he have sufficient mental strength for it. It wasn't that he was stupid, it was just that he had not trained his mind in the art of capturing and releasing magical power yet.

He sighed, and stopped, a tiny splash of uncast, summoned magical power leaving his hands in the form of white fire. He shrugged. He had only found out about it a week ago, and he had been grieving for most of it, so he hadn't retained most of the taught information. Now was as good a time as any to relearn it, and he figured he would ask for help later with it, get the basics all explained to him again.

His thoughts were inturrupted by Kaoru gently saying his name. He looked up from his hands, and looked at him.

"Yeah?" He asked.

Kaoru handed him five kunai, the single pointed thrown knife-like weapons, and two shuriken, the multi pointed ninja star.

"Whilst we were away, myself and Keiishi set up seven targets on the walls and rooves of the buildings in this village." He said. "We will lead you in the general direction of them, but it's up to you to seek them out, and score a direct hit with the kunai and shuriken." He said. "Consider this part of this day's training."

InuYasha nodded, not at all confident in his ability to throw shuriken and kunai. But, he was an excellent runner, so he should be able to keep up with his servant ninja, and get close enough to the target to at least get the shuriken near the middle of the target.

InuYasha slipped four kunai in between the fingers of his right hand, placed the last one in his mouth, and slipped the two ninja stars onto his pointer, and middle fingers of the left hand.

"Ready." He mumbled, around the kunai in his mouth. The two ninja swiftly raised their left hands in front of their chests, and folded their pinky and ring fingers into a fist, while extending their middle and pointer fingers straight into the air. They held that position for a split second, before they shimmered into nonexistence, dissappearing before InuYasha's very eyes.

Damn! They ain't running, they're using shadow-arts!

InuYasha, unable to do the technique himself, for it was months beyond his skill, looked around, hoping they had appeared somewhere within sight. He spotted them across the narrow street, atop the very tavern that he had gotten his gold out of. InuYasha grinned. He might not be able to use the shadow-arts, but he could very easily weild his half-demon strength. He crouched down, clutching his kunai tight, before jumping into the sky. He landed on the roof a few buildings down from the tavern, and another jump quickly covered that distance.

He had just touched down, when they disappeared again, and InuYasha understood that this was going to be a fast-paced run. He jumped again, seeing them shimmer into existence just a few houses down.

As he landed, they disappeared again, and InuYasha looked around, wondering where they had reappeared. As he found them, and was about to jump, he remembered the purpose of this training. He was supposed to be on the lookout for targets.

He looked around, but could spot none. He jumped again, clearing the narrow road separating the rows of buildings, houses, taverns, and stores side by side in this busy village. He landed, and across the street, pinned to the chimney of an old smithing cabin, was pinned a piece of paper, with a red bulls-eye painted on it. Suddenly, Keiishi appeared beside him.

"There's a straight line between you and your target; use your kunai." He said. InuYasha nodded, and whipped his right arm toward the target, releasing his thumb and throwing the kunai toward the bulls-eye. His aim was a bit high, but it was still a hit within the second innermost circle, and his ninja nodded approvingly.

"At a distance of eight metres, you throw well with a kunai." He said. "But quickly, on to the next one." He dissappeared, and this time InuYasha didn't hesitate, jumping straight into the air. Once he saw them appear on top of a building, bringing him closer to the village centre, he turned his body toward them, and began his descent. As he landed, he caught a glimpse of his next target, but it wasn't across the road, pinned on the chimney of a house in plain view, it was on the same side as he was, but there was a chimney separating them, and blocking his view.

This time it was Kaoru, and he appeared on his right side. "This time, you must strike at an unseen target." He said. "You've caught a glimpse of it as you came down from the air, now use your mind's eye to pinpoint it's location. There's yourself, then, three metres in front of you, a chimney, then around that, the target, pinned to a wall, but completely hidden from your current position. Hit it without moving from your position, and use the shuriken." He said.

InuYasha nodded, and had to think about this one for a second. When he felt he was ready, he lifted his left arm, and threw a shuriken toward his right side, releasing it so that it tilted to the left a bit. InuYasha then jumped into the air, to see if his shuriken was on target. He watched it zip past the chimney on the right side, then, the tilt in the left side started to take it's toll, and the shuriken started to turn back to the left, evening out and aiming for the bulls-eye. InuYasha watched hopefully, wondering if it would make it.

It missed by almost a foot, zinging into the street below, but no one was hit. InuYasha landed, feet impacting the roof, and he sighed.

"Damn, missed that one." He said. "It had too much curve to it."

"Almost, though." Keiishi said, appearing at his side. "Come, there are still five more targets." InuYasha nodded, and straightened up, as the two ninja disappeared.

With that, InuYasha took off, determined to at least get a decent score with his last remaining shuriken, and four remaining kunai.

InuYasha sat down on the ground, breathing heavily, exhausted. The last couple had been terrible, making shots around slight corners, and even nailing a target that was four feet inside an enclosed archway, while still on the roof of a building across the street. He couldn't even see that target, so he had to make approximations, and all this had to be done within a second's thought, or else he would fall behind and fail.

As he attempted to catch his breath, he noticed that Kaoru and Keiichi were sitting on either side of him, Kaoru on his left, and Keiichi on his right. He took a few minutes to examine their outfits, and found that he only had to examine one, for the other was exactly the same.

Kaoru's outfit consisted of, from the bottom up, white wrapped feet, and the wrapping extended almost halfway up the shin. Over that were the large kind of hakama that samurai's use, pure black, and for a shirt, a sleeveless, low cut black haori. His chest was wrapped in the same kind of bandage that his ankles were, and his wrists were also. His face was covered by a tight mask, that covered his mouth and nose, leaving just his eyes visible. Kaoru had removed the large black hooded cloak, and it lay by his side, as they all took a break.

"Say, why do you guys mask your faces, anyway?" InuYasha asked. Kaoru looked at him, then shrugged. "To conceal our identities." He said. "We can't have ourselves known." He said.

InuYasha thought about it, "Well, that's true, but how come you never show your face to me?" He asked. "We're good friends, it should be okay."

Kaoru laughed softly. "No, we are far from friends, you are our Lord, and we are your subjects." He said. "We cannot speak so casually to you, or talk of showing ourselves to you. You own us, and we are your tools, to be used as you see fit, even if we die in the process." He said.

InuYasha's eyes widened slightly, and after his mother's recent death, he wasn't ready for anyone else close to him to die.

"No, that's not true." InuYasha said. "You guys can speak casually to me."

Keiishi was about to protest, when InuYasha cut him off. "Anyway, why do you guys mask your scent with that weird perfume?" InuYasha asked.

The ninja hummed. "It keeps demons and monsters from identifying us by scent." He said. "Also, it keeps yourself from establishing a more personal connection with us, which will be useful if we ever fall in battle." He said.

InuYasha nodded. "Hunh, I see." He then remembered that the ninja also had to gather shuriken and kunai while they were gone, and he asked them how well they did.

"Well, minus the two shuriken and five kunai that I gave you, i still have about twenty of each left." Kaoru said. "So I'm not doing too badly."

InuYasha wondered how long it took to get that good with shuriken and kunai.

"How long have you guys been training with those weapons, anyway?" He asked.

Kaoru withdrew a kunai, and started spinning it between his fingers, and InuYasha watched, mesmerized, as it slipped between his fingers, over and around his thumb, and spun back across the back of his hand, before landing in his fingers to repeat the swift performance. "We've been training since we were five." He said.

InuYasha was surprised. "That young?" He asked.

The ninja shrugged. "It has to be that young, or else you don't have enough time to master the required arts." He said. "If we started when we were younger, we probably wouldn't have the required attention span, or motor skills to progress very quickly, but starting any later than five years old, and you risk falling behind, unless your gifted." He said.

InuYasha found himself attracted to the idea of learning how to be a ninja.

"So, are you guys teaching me the fundamentals of being a ninja?" He asked. Keiishi laughed. "Well, you're certainly learning skills you would need to become a ninja, but learning to become a ninja at sixteen, now that is somewhat difficult." He said. "You've got two choices: Casually learn the arts and skills, and settle for being a second rate ninja, or accelerate your learning schedule, and try to catch up to those who have, and always will have, eleven more years of experience than you." He said. "Almost all ninja start at age five, so that means you, starting at age sixteen, have a deficit of eleven years experience."

InuYasha shrugged. "I'll give it a shot, as long as you guys teach me, I'll learn." He said. "I find all this stuff interesting; before, I wasn't much of an athletic person, living back in the castle, I had everything I'd ever need, but now, living out here, it's shown me that the most important skills are those mastered using your body and mind." He said. Then he grinned. "It's only been a week, and I'm still doing basic training, but I hope that soon I can get as good as you guys."

Kaoru put his hand on InuYasha's shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much, the key to becoming a ninja is mastery over your body and mind, the two things you should never let anyone take from you, or try to control." He said. "It will take a very long time, but keep at it, and eventually you too will become adept at all sorts of things."

InuYasha looked back and forth between Kaoru, and Keiishi. "Are you two masters yet?" He asked.

They both laughed. "No, not at all. We may be commissioned for your father's elite ninja corps, but there are still higher classes of ninja, whose skills defy all knowledge and logic." Keiishi said. "We've seen examples of these ninja, and just how we may inspire you to train harder, the memories we both have of those higher class ninja drive us to train harder than we ever did." He said. "We are mere children compared to the ninja of the AkuKasumi - the evil mist - class." He said.

InuYasha's face was blank. "I've never heard of them."

Kaoru nodded slowly. "Let us hope that you never do." He said. "And we'll leave it at that." InuYasha nodded, and reached inside his haori, checking to make sure that his money was still there.

"Say, where we sleeping tonight?" He asked. Kaoru nodded, standing up. "Excellent thinking, my Lord." He said. He swiftly slipped on his oversized cloak and threw up his hood, concealing his face.

"Follow us through the village, and forest, until we reach our destination, and try not to lose us." Keiishi said, standing up. "We will be running this time, not using the shadow-arts, so you should be able to keep up fairly easily."

InuYasha nodded, and the ninja took off, running toward the gates of the village, leading toward the forest, with speed and ease. InuYasha watched them run for a second, then took off, not wanting to lose them. He quickly powered up to top speed, slipping around people walking along the village streets, and jumping over carts and stands that were being pushed along the hard dirt road. The two ninja had taken to rooftops again, but InuYasha stuck with the streets, giving him the chance to scout out shops that might be useful in the future, while still keeping the ninja within eye-sight.

It wasn't long before they leapt the village gates, unwilling to wait for them to be opened, and headed toward the forest that lay on the west side of the village, with paths leading from the village heading north, south, and east. They had come in the south exit, which meant that they could either go north, or go east to get away from the castle, or they could go north, then cut west at the next village they came to. InuYasha had no plans as of yet, he wanted to consult with his ninja first.

As soon as they entered the forest, his ninja again took to the high places, this time running through the tree tops, swinging off branches, and vaulting fallen logs. InuYasha didn't have the speed or the coordination for that, so he stuck to the ground, jumping everything he couldn't run over.

He kept his eyes on the ground, not wanting to trip, and used his nose and ears to track the ninja as they slipped through the tree tops above him. The ninja lead him deep into the forest, stopping as they came to a small clearing. The trees here were thick, and blocked out a majority of the sunlight, but enough light forced its way through the canopy of leaves to illuminate the small clearing.

InuYasha saw that the clearing was not much more than a few knocked down trees near a hot spring that had a small cold water brook draining into it. It was naturally made, which helped convince the ninja that no one would be around, but still they disappeared into the forest, scouting out the perimeter.

InuYasha sat down on the ground, waiting for his ninja to come back, and he dangled his bare feet in the hot spring. He sighed, wondering what he would be doing if he were at home right now, and he decided that he wouldn't be doing much of anything, really. He had lead a very boring existence inside the castle; everyone had done everything for him, leaving him to do almost nothing on his own. At least out here he had to train, cook, and learn by himself, with only his two ninja to guide him. It was starting to feel like a better existence than what he had been living, and he was looking forward to the rest of it.

The ninja were back, and they jumped out of the high tree tops, Kaoru landing on his left, and Keiishi landing on his right, neither making much noise as they impacted the ground.

"The area seems mostly un-inhabited, and the fact is supported by the abundance of wildlife in this area." Kaoru said. "It seems alright to bunk here for the night."

InuYasha nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna take a soak in the hot springs before I turn in, I probably won't have enough time to do it when I wake up." He said.

Keiishi agreed. "Yes, as soon as you get up, you will be practising first your light magic, then your dark magic."

InuYasha laughed. "Yeah, I figured." He said. He slipped out of his haori, and dropped it on the ground. He slipped his fingers in the waist band of his hakama, and the two ninja realized his intentions.

"M-my Lord, we'll leave you, and give you your privacy." Kaoru said, before jumping into the tree tops and disappearing. Keiishi nodded to InuYasha, before disappearing also, leaving him alone.

InuYasha paused for a second, and wondered what that was about. He shrugged, and slipped off his clothes, before wading into the hot spring, and sinking down until the hot water covered his mouth. He closed his eyes, and stayed completely still, not wanting to upset the water, and make it splash his nose. He breathed slowly, and deeply, and tried to relax, like his ninja had told him to do at the end of every day.

I wonder what those guys do when they take off every time?

Kaoru slipped silently through the trees, heading back toward the hot spring. Keiishi was following closely, and both stayed as silent as they had been taught to do, so quiet that the dog demon they were to protect wouldn't hear them coming back.

"Why do you always want to go and watch Lord InuYasha while he's in the hot spring?" Kaoru asked quietly, leading the way through the forest.

"Oh, and like you don't." Keiishi scoffed.

"W-well..."

"Shush, we're getting close!"

The two ninja silently jumped to another tree, and stopped there, their keen eyesight allowing them to see through the thin foilage that was in front of them. They could see InuYasha's back as he stood in the hot spring, the water around his waist. They waited a few minutes, and InuYasha eventually turned around, presenting the ninja with a view of his body. Both were in awe of the demon, who only a week before had only the slight emphasis of his natural muscles, now he was cut and built from his training. His shoulders were accented, but not too muscular, and his chest was starting to develop nicely. He had thinned down a bit, and his abs were lightly toned, not too extravagant, leading down to his wide, almost female-like hips. Both the ninja admired his well built body, and although they were supposed to be giving him his privacy, they both couldn't help but sneak back to catch a glimpse of him.

"Jeez, who knew we were so perverted...?" Keiishi whispered, not glancing away from the hanyou.

"Speak for yourself, you drag me into this every time." Kaoru mumbled.

"Yeah, but it doesn't take much convincing on my part to get you to go along."

"Oh shut up..."

InuYasha got out of the hot spring, and dried himself off, slipping into his clothes. He laid down on the ground, staring up at the leafy canopy above, and wondered when his ninja would be back. He rolled over onto his right side, putting the hot spring at his back, and was surprised to see his two ninja crouching on the ground just a few feet away.

"Damn! You guys freaked me out, coming outta nowhere like that." He said. "You guys going to sleep too?"

The ninja shook their heads, and Keiishi spoke up. "No, we'll continue to stand guard against enemies."

InuYasha laughed. "Do you guys ever get any sleep?"

Kaoru shook his head. "Well, we require sleep just like you, but to keep up our appearance of being superb, unearthly beings of greatness, we must appear as if we don't need to sleep."

InuYasha laughed, and rolled onto his back. "Well, don't hurt yourselves." He said, before closing his eyes.

The ninja didn't answer, and when InuYasha glanced back to see where they were, they were nowhere to be found.

InuYasha awoke, feeling sunlight on his face. He squeezed his eyes closed to block out the light, and sat up, yawning. He would have rather had another couple hours to sleep, but getting up early also provided him with the advantage of being up during the most peaceful hours of the day. He opened his eyes, squinting slightly in the morning light, and as usual, the ninja were at his side, waiting for him to eat so that they could train him.

"What are you teaching me today?" InuYasha asked. Keiishi spoke up.

"You must have better control over your magic, and be able to conjure it three times in a row." He said. "So far, it's been weak streams of healing magic, and only about once a day. So for today, no matter how weak or powerful the magic you cast, you must do it three times." He said. "A simple enough task to begin with, it should take you about a minue, and they we're done."

InuYasha grinned. "That should be easy." He said. He focused on the power he felt flowing around inside himself, and guided it along his arms, down to his wrists, where it manifested itself in the palm of his hand, a ball of pure, glowing healing energy.

"There, I've brought it forth once, now, to do it two more times." He said. He cut off the flow of energy, and let it disappear, before summoning it again. This time though, he found it a bit harder to concentrate on, for some reason. Still, he succeeded in manifesting a second basic healing spell, and his ninja nodded in approval.

"Now, a third time." Keiishi said.

InuYasha nodded, and let the energy fade away, before searching for it again. This time, it was a bit hard to find the energy within himself, almost like it was depleted, but he found it, and dragged it out.

Using the magical powers was a lot of focus. Just like focusing on a cut, or a specific pain, and isolating it, concentrating on it, that's what it was like for using his magic. He could always feel the faint magical power within him, but to use it, he had to focus on it, isolate it from everything else. Next, to manifest it, he imagined it going through his body, down his arms, to his wrists, and into his hands. From there, the magic manifested itself into whatever spell he was thinking of at the time, and the magic was cast.

This time, he lost the power while pulling it halfway down his arm. Like blood flowing through his veins, he had to pull the magic down his arm toward his hand, but somewhere along the way, he had lost it. He tried to feel the magic floating around, but there was nothing. He closed his eyes, and a few seconds later, a wisp of magical energy swirled into existence inside him, somewhere close to the core of his body. He just imagined the energy coming out of his chest, and so it was easy to concentrate on dragging the energy from his chest to his arm, where it could be directed to his palm. Now that the magic had resurfaced, he grabbed a hold of it, and made it follow the same route his blood did, toward his hand.

The spell manifested, but it was weak, and he couldn't hold onto it long before it faded away. But that didn't matter, he thought, as he opened his eyes. He had summoned the spell three times, and that was enough.

"What was with the third spell?" Kaoru asked, sounding like he already knew.

InuYasha shrugged. "The energy that I use to cast just...disappeared for a second." He said. "That, and it was harder to manifest."

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah, that's what happens when you try to cast too many spells in a row." He said. "An energy deficiency. You have a set amount of energy, and once you use it, it takes a while to restock, so you have to be careful how you use it." He said.

InuYasha looked at his ninja questioningly. "Wait, does that mean I can only cast two and a half spells for the rest of my life?" He asked.

Keiishi shook his head. "No, you have to build upon your stores of energy." He said.

"How?" Was InuYasha's only reply.

"Well, in a way, you already did it just now. Once you reach your limit, in your case, two healing spells, then you push yourself to cast another one, no matter how it turns out. As long as it gets off, then you've increased your mana supply, and next time you train, you'll find that you can get three off easily, or maybe even three and a half, and you have to keep building upon it." He said.

InuYasha nodded. "Okay, so I can do that again tonight then, and build my way up to four?" He said.

Keiishi nodded. "Yeah, how strong you get is entirely up to you, and how much you train." He said. InuYasha nodded.

"So, now that I've exhausted my magic, how do I train for learning spells?" He asked.

Kaoru spoke. "You must now train in the dark arts." He said. "Something we haven't delved into as much as the light arts."

InuYasha nodded. "So I take it that the energy for the light magic and the energy from the dark magic come from different places?" He asked.

Keiishi nodded. "In a way." He said evasively, not sure if he should explain or not.

InuYasha looked at him. "In what way?"

"Well, the energy for your light magic comes from your heart and soul, which must be pure, or a pure as you can get it, to effectively use strong healing magic." He said. "However, the energy for dark magic comes from your body, and your emotions." He said. "As a result, it's a bit more dangerous, and a lot harder to control." He said.

InuYasha nodded. "How to I control and manifest it?"

"Well, first, you must grab hold of either a strong dark emotion, or a strong dark memory." He said. "Unfortunately, in your case, you should have a fairly recent memory and emotion, which will serve just fine for this." He said. InuYasha knew he meant the murder of his mother, and he was silent for a minute, remembering her.

"Once you are ready, think of the person that killed your mother, whether you know his name and face or not, it doesn't matter, as long as you can concentrate your rage and anger and negative feelings on something, then they will be focussed, concentrated, and obtainable." He said.

InuYasha thought about the murderer, and he started to get slightly angry. Hate, fear, and confusion were the dominant emotions though, and he focussed on them.

"Now, once you have your emotions, envision them as a black ball of energy, instead of thinking of them as emotions, think of them condensing down into a black liquid, or energy, and that should unlock your dark powers. From there, it's channelling them just like the light powers, and they manifest automatically."

InuYasha continued with his thoughts of avenging his slain mother, and his mind was filled with images of killing the assassin, in the utmost brutal ways possible.

Once he was trembling with excitement, anticipation, fear, hatred, he did as he was instructed, focussing those emotions in his chest, squeezing them down until they liquefied, and inside his mind, a small, bubbling black ball took form, sparking into existence. InuYasha's eyes flashed red, then swiftly faded to gold, even as a feral growl escaped his throat.

InuYasha had unlocked his black magic.

Some time later, InuYasha flopped down on the ground, extremely tired. The dark, or 'black' magic had taken a heavier toll on his body than he had expected, and it really wore him out.

"Now you see, while healing magic is simple, dark magic is much more formidible, but also as tiring." Keiishi said. "Now that you've mastered the basics of black magic, it's time you learned how to control it."

InuYasha held up a hand, eyes closed, dying for a break. "Wait wait, don't I have to do that cast thing so it raises the amout of black magic that I can cast?" He asked. "You know, like what I have to do with white magic?"

Kaoru shook his head. "No, the limit to black magic is the limit of negative feelings and emotions you can handle." He said. "And how much your body can take without quitting." He said. "Black magic and white magic have almost nothing in common, they come from two different sides of town, so to speak."

InuYasha nodded. "So far, then, the only similarities to the two magicks is how you channel them to your palms." He said.

Keiishi nodded. "That is correct."

InuYasha sighed, and sat up.

"Hey, can you demonstrate some dark magic?" He asked.

Kaoru stood up. "I'll show you a prime example of the power of black magic, and pay attention, for I'm going to perform just a small, basic move." Hhe said. "Yet it is entirely useful in combat situations against slow moving targets."

InuYasha watched, as Kaoru stretched his arms out in front of him, his palms facing out, shoulder height.

"For this spell I'll use a casting word, which you won't really need, but it's good to know the times between when the command is activated to when the spell is actually cast." He said. "The casting word is pretty simple for this one, and like I said, with a strong mind, you can visualize it, and you don't even need it."

Hhe faced the forest, and took a deep breath, relaxing his muscles.

"Caste!"

Slowly, a large pentagram of dark light materialized in front of Kaoru's hands, then a circle slowly formed around that.

"Emittam!"

The large pentagram shot forward, heading toward the forest. When it reached the trees, it sliced through them like they were made of paper, and continued on into the forest, wreaking destruction upon everything it touched.

"Disperse!"

There was a large flash of black light deep in the forest, and the sound of falling trees came to a halt.

"That was a pretty low level spell, but depending on how much force you put behind it, it can become really deadly." He said. "Also, I slowed down the casting time a lot, for that demonstration. Normally, I could have that attack formed, launched, and out of my sight within a second."

InuYasha laughed. "Wow, low level eh? I wonder what the high level spells are like..."

Kaoru shrugged. "Well, when you reach that level, then you will know, won't you?"

"I guess so." InuYasha said. "I guess so..."

"So, as you can tell, there are two types of magic, light, and dark. They are controlled in vastly different ways, and have a wide variety of uses. There isn't any stupid stuff like casting fireballs, or creating waves of water on dry land, you can get items and weapons to do that, sure, but as far as basic magic goes, and even high level magic, light and dark is all there is, and all you'll need."

InuYasha nodded. "So does that spell always come out shaped like a pentagram?" He asked.

Keiishi shook his head. "No, that was just a preference of the caster, in this case, Kaoru." He said. "It could have been manifested in whatever shape that was desired, and a pentagram was desired. It could have been an arrow, and in some cases would be more effective, or it could have been in the shape of a horse, it's up to the user." He said.

InuYasha nodded. "How do you create the specific shape?" He asked.

"Well, besides thinking of horrible things to create the dark energy you need to make the magic, you also got to imagine the shape you want the finished product to be. Along with concentrating on the route the magic will take in leaving your body, things can get a bit complicated when you're in large battles or even wars." He said.

"In fact, the ninja who survive the longest aren't always the luckiest, or the most skilled, but whoever can outthink the other usually claims victory." He said.

InuYasha nodded. "Wow, so much stuff to think about, and all of it has to be done perfectly within seconds." He said. "Battles must be incredibly taxing."

Kaoru laughed. "Yes, sometimes they can be." He said. "As a matter of fact, intelligence is a big part of this, so please study these three angles of attack using shuriken." He said, pulling a piece of paper out of his cloak pocket.

InuYasha looked at it, and sighed. "Now I'm really screwed." He said. "Damn."

The ninja said nothing, just lookd at him expectantly. InuYasha wasn't sure if they were joking about the assignment or not, but he decided to be cautious, and go along with it.

"Okay, but can you do me a favor?" He asked. The ninja nodded. "Anything, my Lord." They said.

"Can you make me breakfast while I work on these?"

They nodded, and turned around, getting ready to build a fire.

InuYasha watched their incredible efficiency for a few minutes, before turning to the first of three problems.

"Ahh damn, check this stuff out...ABC is a triangle, and B is your position. The enemy, C, has placed an illusion over your comrade to make them look like an enemy, and placed them at A. To psyche out your enemy, and kill the real one at position C, determine the speed, angle, and force of the throw of your shuriken, so that it will head toward comrade A, then curve and come at enemy C from the side."

InuYasha stared at it for a few minutes, then moved on to the next one.

"When bouncing kunais off walls and other flat surfaces, the angle of entry is equal to the angle of exit, with the speed decreasing exponentially on the exit angle for every specific increase in the angle of entry and exit. If a kunai is thown at a wall at ten degrees, a very shallow angle, the exit angle is ten degrees. The throw was measured at forty feet per second, and on the exit, the speed was measured at thirty seven feet per second. Determine the relationship between angle and speed on the entry and exit if a second throw was recorded with an angle of forty five degrees in, and forty five degrees out, with an entry speed of fifty feet per second, and an exit speed of 31 feet per second. If a third throw was recorded at 30 feet per second in, at ninety degrees, in other words, straight at the wall, and the exit speed was zero, (the kunai stuck in the wall), use these three pairs of data to determine the relationship between entry and exit angles, and speed retained from the change in direction."

InuYasha was stuck on that one too, and he didn't even want to see the third question. He sighed, and tossed the paper aside. "That thing is filled with so many big words that I can't even understand, I wouldn't even know where to start." He said. "I mean, come on, determine? Retained? Exponentially? The? Gimme some words I know!" He said. Kaoru laughed.

"Well, instead of thinking about that, which isn't as important as instinct anyway, come over here and help prepare your breakfast."

InuYasha nodded, and walked over to the fire, which was blazing quite hot now.

"Say, is there any magic like levitation, or anything?" He asked.

'"Well, sort of." Was the once again cryptic reply.

"How so?" InuYasha asked.

"You can you either your light or dark powers to create something like what I created, remember the pentagram?" Kaoru asked. "Well, first, create something in your mind that you could easily stand on, usually a small platform of some kind, then imagine creating it near or underneath your feet, instead of in front of your hands. Once you have that, you have to really apply a lot of energy to it, so that it can bear your weight, then it's a simple matter of jumping on, and increasing the power output until you can control it and make it rise." He said. "Watch, I'll demonstrate."

InuYasha watched as Kaoru formed a small pentagram beneath his feet using black magic, the pentagram crackling and sparking. Kaoru slowly juiced up the pentagram, and it began to lift him into the air.

"Now, this is for demonstration purposes only, so you can see the application of the dark arts, but normally, to instill fear and admiration in the hearts of their enemies, ninja would removed the visual trace of their black magic, while still keeping it there, and it would appear as if they were floating in mid air." He said. "Like this."

A second later, the platform faded into nothing, but still he continued to stand about two feet above the ground, looking as comfortable and relaxed as he always did.

"Wow, that's cool!" InuYasha said. "How long does it take to learn that?"

"Not long, actually, once you master the visualization aspects of casting black magic, then the rest is simple."

InuYasha nodded. "I can't wait to learn..."

"Well, anyway, I'm low on Gil, so in any event, we should return to the town to make more money, before setting out for the next one." He said.

"Ahh yes, Lord, I've found a way for you to make money legally." Keiishi said, speaking up. "Last time I was checking out the town, I found myself in the centre of the village, where the announce missions that anyone can accept and try to do." He said. "They even pay out Gil to those who complete the missions!" He said.

InuYasha was interested. "Oh, so do we get to go kill stuff for people?" He asked. "Wait a minute, who creates all these missions, anyway?" He asked.

The ninja shook his head. "They aren't created, they're added, as often as fifty a day, by regular villagers looking for people to do the things that they are either uncapable, or unwilling to dot themselves." He said. "It ranges from picking flowers for a few Gil, to slaying entire groups of monsters for several thousand Gil." He said.

InuYasha's ear twitched at the mention of several thousand Gil.

"Well then, what are we still doing here?" He asked. "Let's go fnd ourselves some monsters to kill!"

Back in town...

InuYasha walked up to the tall, musclular man holding a sheet of paper, announcing various missions, and their pay, and nodded to him.

"How are you doing, sir?" He asked, being polite.

The man grinned widely at him, setting the paper down on the table of his booth. "Well enough, Lord InuYasha." He said.

InuYasha was a bit confused. "Heh?" You know me?" He asked.

The man nodded. "Of course, anyone who has kept up with the current events of the castle knows you by name and sight, and, unfortunately, of the terrible fortune that has befallen your beloved mother." He said. "My condolances for that."

InuYasha nodded. "Thank you sir, your respect is duly noted." He said. "I am here to find out if there are any tasks I can complete to raise some Gil." He said.

The man stroked his black beard, humming to himself.

"Do you have your Hunter's liscence?" He asked.

InuYasha shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know what that is." He said. "This is my first time requesting jobs like this."

The man nodded. "Okay, come over here and we'll get you filled out." He said, moving over to the right side of his booth. He produced a stack of papers, took two off the top of the pile, and returned the rest.

"I just need your name, age, basic info, as well as any four digit number that we can assign you as a password, for your payment." He said. InuYasha nodded, and took a pencil from the man, rapidly filling out the paper.

"As for the password...5073." He whispered to himself, quickly writing it down. He handed the paper to the man, who scanned it over to make sure it was filled out correctly.

"Seems in order." He said. He took a small, half-inch by two inch blank metal card out of his pocket, and grabbed a chisel off the junk-filled desk behind him, carving the numbers into the metal card.

"There, now keep this number secret, and the card to yourself, or anyone who gets this card and knows your name will be able to make cash withdrawals from the Keepers under your name." He said.

InuYasha raised an eyebrow. "The Keepers?" He asked.

The man laughed. "Well, I guess a week out in the real world isn't enough for you to learn everything." He said. "For some people who are good at business, or making money, they sometimes get too much money to carry, so they store it in secured places. The people that handle the import and export of the money are called Keepers." He said. "So say you make 100,000 Gil here in this town doing missions, but you only want to carry around maybe 15,000 Gil, then you dump the rest with the Keepers, move on to another town, carrying a considerably lighter load, then when you get to the new town, and see a shiny new weapon or something, go to the Keeper in that town, and take out the rest of your money."

InuYasha nodded, then saw a problem. "Wait, how will the people in the next town know that I've given money to the Keepers in this town?" He asked. The man laughed. "That problem has been easily solved." He said. "Every night, after the Keepers have closed, they update documents with all the numbers of the people registered, and how much money they have, or owe, and send a copy out to all the other villages." He said. "So if you deposit 100,000 here, and ride to the next town, chances are they won't know you have 100,000 Gil until tomorrow morning." He said. "But some banks are sending out copies every twelve hours." He said.

InuYasha nodded. "Seems fair, thanks for your help." InuYasha said.

"Haha, no problem." He said.

InuYasha looked at the metal card in his hand, before another question hit him.

"Wait, if this is my card for the Keepers, what happened to me getting a Hunters card?" He asked.

The man pointed at it. "The number there, while serving as an identifier for money issues with the Keepers, also acts as an identifying number with us, the Missions Guild." He said. "To make money off any missions completed, merely show your card, and we can either pay you in cash, or send it to the Keepers for use later on." He said.

InuYasha grinned. "Okay, let's get to the missions!" He said.

The man nodded. "Okay, acccording to my last updated list of available Level 1 missions, there's a woman here who needs a lot of firewood, but is unable to collect it herself, due to problems with old age." He said.

InuYasha stared blankly at the guy. "...Do I kill her?" He asked.

The man burst out laughing. "Hahaha, no, you gotta collect firewood for her." He said. "She's unable to do it herself."

InuYasha was slightly confused. "Wait, I thought I got to kill demons and stuff, why do I gotta collect firewood?"

"Well, the missions like that are given to those who have proven themselves by doing other, less dangerous tasks first." He said. "Since you just joined, you are a Level 1 Hunter, you can only do Level 1 missions." He said.

InuYasha sighed. "Aww man, and here I was ready to kill something." He said. "Oh well. How much firewood does she need?"

"She's sickly, so give her enough to sit by a nice burning fire for a week without having to request some more." He said. "That should be enough to pass the mission."

"How much is the mission worth?" InuYasha asked.

"10 Gil."

InuYasha nodded. "Fair enough. So do I just go do it now, or do I have to register anything else?"

The man shook his head. "Nope, I just give you this paper that has your rank, and mission on it, and when your done get it signed by the lady who ordered the wood, bring it here, and I'll pay you." He said.

InuYasha took the paper, and folded it up, stuffing it into the pocket of his haori.

"Thanks, I'll be back soon." InuYasha said, turning away.

"See ya."

InuYasha sighed, and jangled the money in his pouch. Through various menial tasks, he had secured enough Gil to go buy a decent weapon. He had over three hundred Gil, a hundred of it was with the Keepers for safe-keeping, while the other two hundred was with him to go buy a decent weapon. His ninja had disappeared again, and he entered the weapon-smithing shop alone. It was nearing the end of the day, but the weapon smith was still working, forging a new katana, by the looks of it. InuYasha looked at all the weapons hanging on the walls, and saw everything from kodachis, to katanas, nodachis, bladed bangles, staffs, even one large bone boomerang, with metal spikes sticking out of the edges. He stared at that weapon for a minute, wondering what it was doing inside a metal shop, but shrugged, walking up to the counter, where he was finally noticed.

"Can I help you sir?" The man near the blast oven asked, withdrawing a red-hot piece of metal from it, using a pair of tongs. InuYasha nodded. "I've got about two hundred Gil, and I want to buy a cheap katana, got anything that will help me out?" He asked.

The man hummed, lifting up a large hammer, and slamming it down on the red piece of metal, throwing up sparks as it skidded against the surface of the anvil it rested on.

"Well, I messed up an earlier katana, it turned out kinda long, so its a bit between the length of a katana and a nodachi, so if you want the mess up, which is still a good sword, and pretty damn sharp, then I'll give it to you for a hundred Gil." He said. "As long as you don't say that the mess up came from this here shop." He said, laughingly.

InuYasha nodded. "Sure, I'll take it." He said. He picked out ten gold pieces of Gil, and set them on the counter. The man nodded, and got up, going into the back of the shop. He returned a second later with a moderately long sheathed sword, and handed it to InuYasha.

"You can check it out, make sure its something you'll want, before you buy it." He said.

InuYasha nodded, and drew the katana, the shiny blade sparkling in the light. He tested the joint between the blade and the handle guard, and found that it was strong.

"Well damn, this is good, the only thing that is wrong with it is the length, or so you say, someone like me wouldn't even notice." InuYasha said. "You sure you can afford to sell it to me for 100 Gil?" He asked.

The man nodded. "Yeah, I can afford it, because I just got a huge order placed for my new carbon shuriken and kunai." He said. InuYasha's ears twitched.

"What's that about?" He asked.

The man grinned proudly. "Well, I discovered a new way to heat the metal so that it becomes super strong, and retains a matte black finish to it." He said. "I'm going to call it 'carbonized metal'." He said. "Here, take this for example." From beneath the counter, he withdrew two shuriken, and and handed them to InuYasha.

"Okay, the one in your left hand is a regular shuriken, designed for ninja, and is top notch, but notice that when you tilt it in certain directions, you still get the glare of light off it's surface. Plus, a strong fellow like you could easily bend that in two." He said. "Go ahead, just to prove it."

InuYasha set down the shuriken in his right hand, and grabbed a hold of the one in his left hand. He started to bend the sides together, and was surprised at how easily it bent.

"Wow." He said.

"Yeah, and now, with the carbonized shuriken, you get none of that." He said. InuYasha picked up the carbonized shuriken, and tilted it around, trying to catch a glare on it. Nothing. Not even a hint of light, it retained its dull black finish in any light.

"Now try to bend it." He said. "I dare you to prove me wrong. In fact, if you can bend or break it, I'll give you that sword for free." He said.

InuYasha, always willing to take advantage of a nice deal, nodded. "Okay!" He said. He gently held the shuriken in his hands, and powered himself up, tensing his muscles in his arms, getting ready to unleash the explosive energy that his training had given him.

He gritted his teeth, then released his tense muscles, applying all his strength to the shuriken, trying as hard as he could to bend the metal. He could feel the points cutting into his hands, but he ignored it, as he strained against it for almost a whole minute, before giving up, breathing heavily.

"God damn, that thing is deadly." He said, examining the cuts he now had in the palms of his hand, from the shuriken's blades.

"Ha ha, yes, and quite a quality weapon." He said. InuYasha nodded. "Can I buy two?" He asked.

The man hummed. "Well, they're 100 Gil each, but just for now, I'll give you them for fifty each." He said. "Just 'cause you bought that hideous sword from me." He said. "100 Gil and two of those carbonized shuriken are yours." He said.

InuYasha grinned. "Thanks."

"No problem."

InuYasha happily emptied out his pouch onto the counter, and slipped his sword and sword sheath through a loop on his hakama. He slipped the metal shuriken onto his fingers, and walked out, quite happy with what he bought for 200 Gil.

As soon as he stepped outside, his two ninja materialized at his side, bowing.

"Did you find a weapon of your choice, my Lord?" Keiishi asked. InuYasha nodded. "Yeah, I got a katana, and something for you guys." He said. He held up the two carbonized shuriken, and handed them both one each.

"The guy in there said they were a new type, and he sure proved it." He said.

Kaoru looked at the shuriken in his hand, and nodded.

"Reduced glare, better finish, overall better weight distribution, and appaarently more." He said, eyeing the cuts on InuYasha's hand.

InuYasha nodded. "Yeah, can I see one of your other shuriken?" He asked.

Keiishi produced one for him, and he easily bent it, showing it to them.

"Doing that, with those new ones, is impossible." He said. "I tried."

The two ninja bowed, and thanked him for the gift, Kaoru even going so far as to hug him.

InuYasha laughed, and patted him on the back, feeling just a bit awkward from recieving a hug from his ninja guys.

"Don't worry about it, it wasn't too expensive, and besides, you guys earned it." He said.

His ninja thanked him again, and InuYasha waved it off.

"Let's go back to the forest, get some sleep, I'm tired from all the missions." He said. "Besides, the earlier I get to sleep now, the earlier I can get up and make more money tomorrow." He said, walking toward the west gate.

"Okay, unless you two have any objections, I was planning on staying in this village for a few more days, making money, before moving on to the one to the east." He said.

Still grateful for the expensive gifts, both ninja bowed again. "Excellent plan, my Lord."

InuYasha laughed. "Okay, let's go!"

A1N: Well, theres the first chapter. This is gonna take on a bit of an RPG/FF feel to it, so I think it's gonna be interesting. If you've managed to read this far, please review !