Shikon and the swordmaster Chapter 1, an inuyasha fanfic

Shikon and the swordmaster

By Kin-Ryu Chikara.

I do not own anything from the anime/manga Inuyasha or Rurouni Kenshin.

This is purely for fun. I get no profit for this, sadly.

Enjoy.

By the way Tenchu and Tori in this story are OCs of my creation. Tori is the younger sister to Kagome's mother, making Tenchu Kagome's cousin.

And please keep in mind that I have not read much of the Inuyasha manga or seen much of the anime, so this story will not be true to the Inuyasha storyline.

Hiko Seijuro blinked in confusion. In front of him stood his last student, with a child.

"Hiko-sensei. It's good to see you." The woman greeted.

"Tori. It is good to see you as well, but why are you here?" Hiko asked. Tori looked pale, and she didn't carry herself with the same strength she used to.

"Can I come in?" she asked. Hiko nearly smacked himself for being so rude.

"Of course. Come in." he said and ushered her in before going to make tea.

After the tea was made, the three sat in the living room, or rather Hiko and Tori did. The baby laid sleeping in Tori's arms.

"I have a request, Hiko-sensei." Tori began.

"Go on." Hiko said with a nod.

"You told me once that if I needed something, I could ask, right?" Tori asked and Hiko nodded. Tori seemed to breathe out in relief.

"Good. Now is that time. Hiko-sensei, please help me raise my son." Tori said while she bowed as deeply as she could without disturbing the baby.

Hiko Seijuro blinked in confusion, again.

"W-what?" he stammered.

"Perhaps I should explain. After I left you, I meet a man. We were in Med. School together, and we fell in love. We got married almost two years ago. I thought you got the invitation, but…" Tori trailed off.

"I did get it, but it didn't seem appropriate. Besides, I was never one for weddings." Hiko explained and Tori nodded.

"I understand. Anyway, I became pregnant about a year ago, but unfortunately my husband was killed." Her look saddened at this.

"He was run over by a truck. The police told me he saved a little girl. That was just like him." Tori said as a tear made its way down her cheek.

"I see. I'm sorry." Hiko said.

"Thank you. The thing is…I'm sick. I have a rare disease that will claim me. I do not know how long I have, and that is why I came here." Tori said.

'That explains the loss of strength' Hiko thought.

"You lost me." he said.

"I want my son to grow up to be a fine warrior. I want you to help me raise him and train him to be strong, even by your standards. Please, Hiko-sensei, I know I'm asking a lot, but it is what I wish for, and what my husband would wish for as well." Tori stated while bowing again.

Hiko looked at her for a while. It was true that it was a lot to ask for, but he did promise. And if her son was like Tori, then it would be fun as well.

"One condition." He said and Tori looked up hopefully.

"You live here." Hiko said and Tori nodded gratefully. Obviously she had wanted that as well.

"Very well. When can you move in?" Hiko asked and just like that, his previously empty house was no longer so empty.

A five year old boy was running as quickly as his little legs would carry him. He had to hurry, he was a bit late. Jumping trough some bushes, the boy had to let his body fall to the ground in order to dodge the throwing knife heading towards him.

"You're late." Tori scolded.

"Sorry, kachan, but…" the boy said.

"No buts. You know your punishment, Tenchu." Tori said, her voice stern.

"Yes, kachan." Tenchu said before getting down and starting with his punishment, which was push ups, sit ups and squats.

When he finished, his mother nodded thoughtfully.

"Next time, add ten repetitions." She said and Tenchu had to suppress a groan. He didn't want anything added to his already strict punishment.

"Well then, today we start with unarmed combat. You excited?" Tori asked and Tenchu smiled while he nodded.

"Good, because I want you to work hard, okay?" Tori asked and again Tenchu nodded.

"Alright, let's start. This will be your basic fighting stance." Tori said and crouched down, her knees slightly bent, one leg a bit in front of the other. Her arms were raised to about chest height and held at the ready.

"Now you do it." Tori said and Tenchu nodded.

Hiko smiled. His little pupil was dirty, sweaty, tired and eager. Just as Hiko liked him.

"Right, today we start your training in the way of the sword. But before we start, there is something I must tell you." Hiko began and Tenchu instantly snapped to attention.

"Kenjutsu, no matter what pretty name or reason for using, is a way of killing. The whole point about kenjutsu is to kill. You must always keep this in mind, but also know that you can not kill for the wrong reasons. When you fight, you must make a judgment of your opponent. Does your opponent deserve to die? Your own sense of justice is what makes that judgement. Has that opponent done something that deserves your justice and your blade, or perhaps he will in the future. When you kill someone, and I know that you will, even in today's anti violence society, if you believe that person deserves to die, then be reassured that you believed it to be right. If you let someone you think deserves to live, live, then be reassured that you believed it to be right. It is a very adult problem, and only when you are able to make that decision will you be a true adult." Hiko explained and Tenchu nodded slowly. He was scared, but he refused to let it show, although Hiko could tell easily.

"Don't worry. You won't have to make that judgment for some time, but someday you will. And I hope you will be strong enough to do what's right." Hiko said, before he grabbed a boken (wooden sword) and threw it to Tenchu, who barely caught it.

"Now, I will begin with teaching you the basics. This is how you hold a sword." Hiko started his lecture.

Tenchu stood opposite his mother and teacher.

"Kaa-chan, Shisho, why are we here?" he asked, while looking at the river that ran trough Hiko's estate.

"We are here to start your new training, little one." Hiko said.

"This will build your strength, stamina, speed and alertness." Tori explained.

"What will I do?" Tenchu asked.

"You will run up this river." Hiko said and Tenchu's eyes widened.

"W-what?" he asked.

"That's right. This river is special in that the speed the water travels at changes from location to location. The same with the dept, so as you grow you can still train this way. You are going to run in the river, while carrying weights to keep you from floating. The resistance of the river, as well as the weights, will help build your strength, speed and stamina. Alertness is trained because you have to be on constant alert so that you won't slip, and avoid getting hit by anything that can drift down the river. Do you understand?" Hiko asked.

Tenchu slowly nodded, before scratching his head.

"What if I slip?" he asked.

"Then it will be difficult to get up again. That is why you can never train this way without me and your mother here. Understand?" Hiko asked and Tenchu nodded again.

"Right, now put these on." Tori said and gave Tenchu some wrist weights, ankle weights and a weighted belt the same as divers use.

"It's heavy." Tenchu complained.

"It's supposed to. Now, run around a bit on land so that you get used to the weight." Tori said and Tenchu complied.

The next day, the three was once again at the river.
"Alright, time to start your river training." Hiko said and he and Tenchu waded into the shallow part of the river, the water reaching Tenchu to his upper chest, almost his neck.

"Alright, now start running." Hiko ordered and Tenchu complied. His run was very, very slow, but he was moving.

"It's heavy to move. Why?" Tenchu asked. Tori sat down on the bank next to him.

"Because the water flows one way and you go the other. It is almost like walking in wind, only the water has more mass. It's more solid than wind." She explained.

"Oh." Tenchu said before resuming his run.

"Watch your footing." Hiko warned but Tenchu slipped and Hiko had to quickly get him out of the water. On land, Hiko helped Tenchu throw up the water he had swallowed when he slipped.

"You see? That is why you have to focus on what you do. When you get older and more skilled, you can walk and run in the river while talking, but not yet. For now, focus only on what you are doing." Hiko said and Tenchu nodded slowly, before coughing some more. Tori rubbed his back with a concerned expression.

"Can I try again?" Tenchu asked and Hiko laughed.

"As long as you don't slip." He said and Tenchu nodded.

"I'll try." He said.

"Good boy, but there is no 'try'. Either you do, or you don't." Tori said and Tenchu nodded.

A year later, Tenchu was wondering if his Shisho hated him. Hiko had taken Tenchu to a part of the river where it got larger and stiller, forming a small pond. There Hiko had placed a small pole, not much larger than a spear, in the middle of the water. And he had forced Tenchu to balance on top. The problem was that the pole would move with his movements. Luckily it wasn't very large, only about a foot above the water, but still.

"AHH!" Tenchu cried out as he fell once again. Spitting out water as he surfaced, he glared at the offending pole.

"I will not give up." He said and got up on the pole again.

Not far away, Hiko and Tori stood and watched.

"He's really determined, isn't he?" Tori commented and Hiko chuckled.

"Yes, he reminds me of someone." He said while looking at Tori, who smiled at the praise.

"But he has his father in him as well. I think he will grow up to be a fine man and a even better warrior. Too bad I won't be there for him." Tori said, the last bit was filled with pain.

"It's getting worse!?" Hiko stated and Tori nodded.

"It has gotten to the point where it is difficult to breathe." She said and Hiko sighed.

"I see. I wish I could do something to help you, but I am powerless." Hiko said and Tori nodded.

"I know, I know. But you are helping me, by taking care of Tenchu. That is a big relief." Tori said and Hiko smiled.

"Well, I was right. He is fun to train. I have no doubt he will master Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu." Hiko said and Tori smiled.

"Me too." She said. Just then Tenchu fell into the water again.

"But…not yet." Hiko commented.

"Alright, now you have been balancing on the pole for half a year. It's time to up the scales a bit." Hiko said. Tenchu was only half listening. He was staring at the four poles where only one had stood before. Two of the poles were about three inches taller than the smallest ones, which were as tall as the one he had been using originally.

"From now on, you will be constantly moving form pole to pole. Do not stand still on one for more than two seconds." Hiko instructed and Tenchu gulped but nodded.

"Oh, I can't wait to see Kagome-chan again. I hope she is good." Tenchu said and Tori giggled at her son's antics.

"I'm sure she is just fine." She said. The two of them were walking to the Shinto shrine Tori's sister lived at. It was a tradition. Once a year they would go and visit each other, and Tenchu and Kagome would play. Outside school, Kagome was the only playmate Tenchu had, something that Tori was a bit sad about.

"I see it, kachan." Tenchu said excitedly and Tori nodded.

"Yes, we're here. Now, I expect you to behave." She said sternly and Tenchu nodded.

"Yes, kachan." He said, if a bit subdued, making Tori laugh.

"Come on, I'll race ya." She said and took off.

"Kachan, that's not fair. I'm wearing weights!" Tenchu yelled after her as he gave chase.

The race was a short once, since Tori began coughing when they reached the entrance to the shrine. Tenchu looked worried while he rubbed her back as well as he could.

After a few moments, her coughing died down and she smiled at her son.

"I'm alright. Come on." She said, before grabbing his hand and leading him into the shrine.

"Obasan, Tenchan." Came a voice and the two looked up to see a little girl, no older than four, running towards them.

"Hello Kagome-chan." Tori said. Tenchu smiled and ran towards her. When they reached each other, Tenchu grabbed her in a hug and lifted her in the air, making her giggle.

"Now be careful, Ten-chan. Don't crush Kagome with your strength." Came another voice and the three looked up to see Kagome's mother walking towards them.

"Nee-chan." Tori said and walked over to her sister. The two shared a hug while Tenchu put Kagome down on the ground again.

"Huh? Where is Hiko-sama?" Kagome's mother asked.

"He couldn't come, said he had to prepare a surprise for Tenchu." Tori replied.

"Probably another way of training me." Tenchu said with a shudder, making the two older women giggle, while Kagome looked confused.

"Play?" she asked while tugging at Tenchu's sleeve. He nodded and picked her up before he ran towards a sand box.

"Be careful!" Tori yelled after him before she followed her sister inside.

"So, how is he?" Kagome's mother asked.

"He's fine. He is growing so fast, it's amazing. And he doesn't have it." She said and Kagome's mother let out a relieved sigh.

"The doctors weren't sure if it was inherited, so that's a relief." Someone said and the two turned to the newcomer.

"Otosan." Tori said happily.

"Ah, Tori-chan. Nice to see you." He said while embracing his youngest daughter.

"How about Kagome?" Tori asked after he let go of her.

"She doesn't have it either." Was the reply and Tori relaxed.

"That's good. At least I can die knowing my son and niece won't die like me, rotting away from the inside." She said, the last part bitterly while clutching her chest.

"Still, you are amazing, imouto. The doctors said you'd be dead two years ago." Kagome's mother said and Tori chuckled.

"I can't die yet. I still have so much to teach Tenchu. But I don't think I have long left. I can't be as active as I used to anymore. Just now I raced against Tenchu the last hundred meters here or so, and I nearly coughed up a lung." Tori said and her father sighed.

"You are both so strong. I can't imagine how it is for the boy, watching his mother die before his eyes. And he probably knows better than most what is happening, with the training you and Hiko-dono make him go trough." He said and Tori looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Sometimes I wonder if it is the right thing, making him into a warrior like this. It's not like those skills will really be useful to their full extent in todays society. He doesn't have much friends, because his training and tutoring takes most of his time. I just wonder if I'm doing what's best for him." Tori asked. Who she asked was a bit uncertain.

"We can't answer that for you, but I have a feeling he will need those skills one day. Besides, he enjoys it, so you shouldn't worry." Her father said and Tori nodded.

"Yes, you're right otosan." She said, while smiling slightly.

"Let's build a castle, Tenchan." Kagome said and Tenchu smiled while nodding.

"Sure, Kagome-chan." And the two children began building a castle out of sand, Tenchu filling sand into buckets and placing them on top of each other, while Kagome shaped them with her tiny spade.

"Ne, Tenchan. Why are you so strong?" Kagome asked suddenly. Tenchu looked at her, before he smiled and playfully flicked her on the nose.

"To protect you of course." He said. Kagome, who was holding her nose, looked at him in wonder, before smiling cutely.

"Thank you." She said and he smiled at her before both went back to building the castle.

"Oh, what a pretty castle." Tori said. She and the other adults had been fetched by two proud kids, and were now watching Kagome go and point out things with the castle, like where the princess was and where the prince charming would get in and slay the dragon. Tenchu just stood next to his cousin and smiled at her obvious happiness.

"Wow, you're both amazing." Kagome's mother said and the two kids blushed, before grinning at the praise.

"Come on, there's cake inside." Tori said and the two kids cheered.

A year later, Kagome and her mother were walking trough Hiko's estate. They had tried the house, but no one answered. So they searched trough the grounds, and eventually found the ones they were looking for.

Seven year old Tenchu was running up the river, his mother being the goal while Hiko took his time.

"Come on. You can do it. Just a bit faster." Tori encouraged and apparently it worked, because when he reached her, Hiko smiled.

"Ten seconds faster." He said and Tenchu seemed pleased.

"But still not enough." Hiko said, effectively deflating Tenchu's growing pride.

"WOW! Tenchan, that was amazing!" Kagome yelled and Hiko and Tori turned to the guests with smiles while Tenchu jumped, not having heard their approach unlike his mother and teacher.

"Welcome. I apologise that we forgot the time." Hiko said but Kagome's mother shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. It is always a pleasure to walk trough your estate. This forest is very beautiful." She said while indicating toe surrounding trees.

Meanwhile, Tori and Tenchu had climbed out of the river, Tenchu helping his mother, and approached the three. Kagome, seeing Tenchu coming, ran towards him.

"Wow, how did you do that?" she asked.

"Um, do what? I just ran." Tenchu answered and Kagome practically had stars in her eyes.

"Can you teach me? Ne, teach me. Pwease?" she asked, while putting on her best puppy eyes and pouting cutely. Tenchu backed away and turned slightly.

"No. Ask Shisho or kachan to teach you." He said. Kagome got angry and walked over to him before kicking him on the shin.

"Ow. What was that for?!" he yelled at her while hopping on one foot.

"For being a meanie." Kagome said before she began to run away.

"Why you…" Tenchu said as he gave chase.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Kagome's mother asked.

"Naw, let them play. Besides, little Kagome is a quick one. Since he's tired from training, I doubt he'll catch her." Hiko said and Tori giggled.

"Even if he did, she'd just kick him again." She said and the three laughed.

"Haha, you can't catch me." Kagome taunted as she ran away from the tired Tenchu.

"Grr, I'll get you." He said before he jumped and climbed a tree. Kagome was surprised to see that he was gone and slowed down. That is, until she shrieked when he dropped down in front of her.

"Gotcha." He smirked, but yelped when she kicked him again.

"How did you do that?!" she yelled at him as she ran away again.

"Shisho's poles have given me super balance. I can jump much better than you." Tenchu said as he dashed after her again.

"Eek!" Kagome yelled when she saw he was drawing closer.

When he finally caught up, he grabbed her and lifted her in the air.

"W-what are you going to do?" Kagome stammered a bit. Tenchu got a evil look on his face.

"This." he said and started tickling her.

Her laughs echoed trough the forest.

Almost a year later, Tori died. The funeral was held on a cloudy day at the Higurashi shrine. Not a lot of people came, some of Tori's friends from Med. School, her sister and father, Kagome, Hiko and Tenchu. Tenchu, now eight years old, had a hollow look to him during the funeral. He looked as if he lost his best friend. The look crushed his aunt, who wanted nothing else than take him on her lap and console him, but he sat next to Hiko, staring at his mother's casket.

After the funeral, Kagome's mother told her to stay with Hiko and her grand father, and grabbed Tenchu's hand while leading him into a separate room of the shrine. Kagome cried when she heard Tenchu's wails, and she latched onto a surprised Hiko.

Kagome did not know how long her mother stayed in that room with Tenchu, since she fell asleep before they came out, and she didn't wake up until the next day. When she did wake up, she rushed to Tenchu's room and finding him sleeping she sighed in relief. Then she noticed that he was pale and shivered, so she joined him on his futon, embracing him and falling asleep next to him.

Hiko and Tenchu stayed at the shrine for a week after the funeral, before they left, Tenchu wowing to make his mother proud by becoming stronger. Kagome was sad to see him leave, but she didn't say anything.

Her mother's pregnancy kept them from going to visit the pair, so Kagome wasn't able to see him for a long while.

Tenchu was standing on one of the twenty poles Hiko had placed in the pond, each pair of poles higher than the last, and as they got higher, they got wobblier, and harder to stay standing on.

"I will make you proud, kachan." Tenchu wowed, before he began moving from pole to pole, trying to increase the speed he could move at.

Hiko was watching and nodded to himself.

'Soon I will begin teaching him Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu.' He decided.

"Tenchu, for the next two months, all you are going to focus on is the river run. But instead of just running, I want you to move as if you were fighting, which includes swinging your sword." Hiko said and Tenchu nodded while continuing to move. He stopped before replying though.

"Can I ask why, Shisho?" Tenchu asked.

"Of course. It is to increase your strength, speed and stamina. Just like the original exercise." Hiko answered and Tenchu nodded before resuming moving along the poles.

Two months later, Tenchu stood in front of Hiko, both having swords in their belts.

"Alright. Up until now, I have not taught you a specific sword style, simply generally about swords. But from now on, you are going to learn and master Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu. It is a sword style that uses Godlike speed, which is partly why I wanted you to do the advanced river run. Are you ready for the first lesson?" Hiko asked and Tenchu nodded.

"Alright, this is a technique known as Doryusen (earth dragon strike)" Hiko stated and thus began Tenchu's apprenticeship in Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu.

Two years later, eight year old Kagome rushed trough the trees of Hiko's estate. She, her mother and her little brother Sota had arrived, and been welcomed by Hiko. He told her that Tenchu was by the pond with the poles, so she went there. What she saw when she got there almost took her breath away.

Tenchu was moving among the poles, going trough complex kata after kata, all the while maintaining his balance, although Kagome could swear he almost fell several times. Still, it was impressive to watch. But she didn't run so fast just to watch him wave a sword around.

"Hey, Tenchan!" She yelled. Tenchu almost tripped, but regained his balance and turned to look at her. His frown morphed into a smile and he jumped of the poles and landed on the bank. Sheathing his sword as he made his way over to her. When he reached her, he hugged her and lifted her into the air again, making her giggle.

"I grow, but you always manage to lift me." she said with delight in her voice.

"Heh, of course. Come on." Tenchu said and he carried her bridal style before jumping onto the lowest pole.

"Try standing on this." he said while stepping up and crouching down on the next, so he could catch her if she should fall.

Kagome nodded and tried to balance on the pole, but it kept going from side to side, almost throwing her off.

"Picture your foot. Keep your weight on the front of your foot, while you imagine a cross. That cross is your balance. Keep that balance right in the middle of the part that is touching the pole." Tenchu advised. The result was that she lost her balance faster, forcing him to catch her.

"Mou, that was hard. I want to try again." She said and Tenchu smiled before nodding.

Even though Kagome didn't manage to keep standing on the pole for more than five seconds at a time, she never fell into the water, since Tenchu caught her every time.

"Oh well, let's get back to the others." Tenchu said and Kagome, who was now rather tired from focusing so much, nodded. She didn't object when Tenchu lifted her onto his back and carried her either.

"Ah, Tenchu. How are you?" Kagome's mother asked when she saw the two come into the living room. Tenchu smiled at her.

"I am alright. Kachan wouldn't want me to waste away mourning anyway, so I have to cope." Tenchu replied and his aunt nodded happily.

"So, this is Sota." Tenchu said and Kagome nodded happily.

"Yep. I'm a big sister now. Lot's of responsibility." She boasted and Tenchu chuckled.

"Obasan, you have to make sure Kagome doesn't ruin little Sota." Tenchu said.

"What? What do you mean 'ruin'? Oh, I'm going to get you!" Kagome yelled and she began chasing him around, growing more and more annoyed as he kept laughing at her, along with the grown ups.

But they were both thrown out when Sota began to cry though.

After that, Tenchu and Hiko began Traveling. Hiko wanted Tenchu to have experience from different places, and not always stay cooped up in the same place. Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu masters were originally wanders.

The downside was that they were gone for two months at a time, so Tenchu and Kagome got to see each other even less than before. They'd be lucky to see each other once every two years, which made them both sad.

Seven years passed, with Hiko and Tenchu Traveling two months, then training for ten, before Traveling again. Tenchu grew just as fast as Hiko and Tori expected and he quickly became a strong swordsman. The first time he killed was when they were in northern Mongolia. There they ran across a robber who had kidnapped a young girl to use for his pleasure. He was the first to taste Tenchu's wrath. Afterwards, Tenchu had been withdrawn for a while, before shaking himself out of the depression his first kill brought and he began throwing himself even harder into his training. Hiko wasn't sure if it was to kill more effortlessly, or be better at judging people though.

"Yo, Battosai. You ready to go?" Hiko asked.

"Yeah. It's been far too long. I'll see you later, Shisho." Tenchu said and Hiko nodded.

"Sure thing. Ja ne." he said.

Tenchu was smiling. For the first time, he had come here alone. After mastering Battojutsu, he decided to go visit his family, which is why he was at the shrine now, looking around.

"No one here?" he wondered. Just then, he caught sight of something white and something black.

"That looked like people." He thought, before shrugging and rushing towards where he saw it, making sure to be silent as he went.

"That is, the concealed well." Tenchu commented when he saw the white going in there. Now that he was closer he could identify two people, one of them was Kagome, the other a boy in red, baggy clothes, and with white hair and…

'Dog ears?'Tenchu thought, blinking to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Then he saw the odd pair jump into the well. Going over there to see what it was all about, Tenchu was shocked to see that no one was in the well.

"What the?" he thought, but instead of following, he turned and hurried to the main house.

Kagome's mother was just finishing clearing away the empty ramen cups from Inuyasha's visit, when she heard the door open and a familiar, yet unfamiliar voice call out.

"Obasan? Jijii? Sota? Anyone home?"

'It can't be.' She thought as she hurried towards the entrance, and sure enough, she found her nephew standing there, although she had to blink a few times to make sure it was him.

"My, haven't you grown?" she asked as she walked over to him.

"Hey, obasan. Nice to see you again." Tenchu said as he hugged her.

"It's been too long Tenchu. When did you come back? Last I heard, you and Hiko-sama were in Switzerland." His aunt asked.

"Two months ago. I've been busy, so I couldn't come until now." Tenchu said with a smile on his face.

"Well then, you have to tell me what could possibly make you more busy than normal." Tenchu's aunt said as she walked back into the kitchen, her nephew trailing behind her.

"I've mastered Battojutsu." Was the simple reply and she nearly lost the mug she had reached for.

"Wh-what?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"I've mastered Battojutsu. Shisho calls me Battosai now." Tenchu replied. He grew concerned when his aunt had to sit down though.

"Obasan? You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's just…your mother never did that, did she?" she asked and Tenchu shook his head.

"No, she didn't. She left for Med. School before that." Tenchu replied.

"So, you've already surpassed her. That's amazing." His aunt said as she rose again and resumed her preparations with the tea.

"Obasan, when I came here, I saw Kagome and a boy with white hair and dog ears. They went into the old well. Do you know anything about that?" Tenchu asked. He noticed his aunt shake a little bit when he said that, but she pulled herself together admirably.

"No, I don't. Did you follow them?" she asked.

"No, I didn't. But I know you are lying. What's going on, obasan?" Tenchu asked. His aunt seemed a bit surprised before she chuckled.

"I can't hide from you, can I?" she asked and he shook his head.

"No. Part of being Battosai means I can read people's emotions. You're nervous about something, scared about something else. What is it? What's up with Kagome?" Tenchu asked.

"I guess I can't hide it from you. Oh well, perhaps you can help even. It all started on Kagome's fifteenth birthday."

And with that, Tenchu's aunt told him the whole story, as far as she knew, about Kagome going to the feudal era, battling Yokai, having special powers, Inuyasha, the Shikon no tama. By the time she was finished, Sota and Jijii had arrived as well.

"I see. That's quite the story." Tenchu said, before sipping some more at his tea. The other three looked at him as if to judge his reaction.

"While I want to help, it is too late for me to go after her now. I am not familiar with the feudal era, so I would easily get lost. How long is she usually away?" Tenchu asked.

"Between two days and several weeks." Jijii replied.

"I see. I will go back to Shisho. He still hasn't taught me the ogi. For some reason, I believe I need to have mastered Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu before I am strong enough to really help. I don't have any supernatural powers like the ones you describe Kagome to have. Anyway, could you call me when she returns. I shall follow her then, I think." Tenchu said and Sota nodded.

"Leave it to me. I'll call you when Nee-chan gets back." he said and Tenchu smiled.

"I'm counting on you." He said and the little boy beamed with pride.

Meanwhile, in the feudal era, Kagome and Inuyasha arrived at Kaede's hut.

"You're back." Sango said before hugging her friend.

"Welcome back, Kagome-sama." Miroku said and Shippo jumped up on Kagome's head.

"Thanks. It's nice to be back." Kagome said with her usual smile.

"Kagome, who was that guy?" Inuyasha suddenly asked.

"What guy?" Miroku asked.

"Back in your home, a guy appeared. He followed us and saw us jump down the well." Inuyasha said and Kagome paled a bit.

"Did he have emerald eyes and black hair?" she asked and he nodded.

"Oh no." Kagome said.

"What is it?" Sango asked.

"That was my cousin, Tenchu. He probably came to visit. I haven't seen him for about two years." Kagome said.

"Let's go inside and you can tell us about this cousin of yours." Kaede said and the others nodded.

"He is my cousin, we have known each other since I was born. We were pretty close, but we haven't seen each other very much lately. He's been so busy, Traveling and training. He is a martial artist, and is trained in several styles. I don't know if he's actually mastered anyone though." Kagome said with a thoughtful look.

"How does he look?" Sango asked. Kagome grinned slightly.

"He has deep emerald green eyes and black hair. His face is handsome but stern, and often he is frowning. I think it is because of his mother dying. He has many girls after him, since he is so handsome and strong. I saw his body once, when he came out of a bath." When she saw Miroku's expression, she blushed.

"He was wearing a towel around his waist. It was a accident. Anyway, he's really muscular, but not bulky. I don't really know how to explain it…but he has larger muscles than Inuyasha. I think his mother once described his body type as 'powerful and fast', but I don't really know how to describe it. He is tall though, taller than Inuyasha. About as tall as Sesshomaru I guess."

Kagome finished and Inuyasha looked at her.

"Sounds like you really studied him." He remarked and her blush deepened.

"As I said, we were close." Kagome said.

"You said he's a martial artist. Is there a chance of him being capable of helping us?" Sango asked.

"I don't know. Perhaps. I have to ask him though. If he saw us jumping down here, and I have no doubt that he did, then he will have a lot of questions when I get back." Kagome said and Inuyasha 'khed'.

"Anyway, that's something we can worry about later. Let's eat and be off." Miroku said and the others nodded.

"Battosai? What are you doing back?" Hiko asked.

"It seems Kagome has some adventures of her own." Tenchu replied, before giving a short version of what his aunt told him.

"I see. I can understand why you came back then. So, you want to finish your training. Right?" Hiko asked and Tenchu nodded.

"Yes. Please teach me the Ogi, Shisho." He asked and Hiko drained the sake cup he had made himself.

"Very well. Three days from now. Until then, train the river run." Hiko said and Tenchu nodded in understanding.

End chapter 1. New story I'm trying. I hope it sounds okay enough.

Read and review, and please keep in mind that this is my first Inuyasha fic. It is also my first crossover, so a lot of first on this.

I am only going to use the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu and Hiko Seijuro in this fic. Kenshin will not be making an appearance, at least not from my plans anyway. I may change my mind later though.

I hope everyone can take the time to read the "Shikon and shinigami" and vote on which one i should choose to continue.

Ja ne!