Chapter 1
Sara's P.O.V.
It has been 5 years ago since the day I was found alone in the forest. Five years of not knowing where I was from, who my parents were, or any type of origin. Five years ago was when my life began for me. When I was found, I wore only a simple brown village kimono, covered in scratches and mud. No belongings were with me, the only thing that left any clue to whom I was, was a small piece of paper hidden under my obi, with nothing but my name. My founder and I assumed I was a runaway and escaping a rough life; the paper was just a reminder of my past life. Though it didn't matter as I have no memory of it. My founder and caretaker is an older lady, one whom should not be taken lightly. Orino-sama is a woman that is respected highly by villagers, and travelers that know of her. She is incredibly skilled, a very proud warrior, but also a mystery. Ever since Orino-sama found me in that forest, she has taken care of me, trained, and raised me.
I am not the only one under her care, there are 4 others. All of us have been trained to protect not only ourselves; but also humanity. We have fought and bled together; fighting bandits, demons, and humans altogether.
"Sara-nee-san!" A high pitched voice called me out of my thoughts. A small pale hand gripped the sleeve of my kimono. The voice and hand belonged to a young girl named Sakae, the girl tended to cling to me more so than the others. "Nee-san, Hiroshi-nii and Jirou-nii are back from their mission. Orino-sama wants to speak with everyone!" The 7 year old girl said, tugging my sleeve.
Simply nodding, I followed Sakae to the meeting room. Sakae was brought to
Orino-sama's home a little over a year ago; along with her twin brother Riku. Both children had short black hair, their eyes the shade of copper. They may be young, but Orino-sama thought it best to train them as well; children were easy targets if there ever were an attack. Riku can be a little rough and reckless but he is well equipped with most sharp objects. Sakae is a sweet girl, a little too kind than needed to be in this line of work. Despite her personality, the little one has been trained well in archery. Riku and Sakae lost both their family and their village to vicious bandits. The bandits were quickly taken care of, Orino-sama had been tasked to dealing with their disturbance; and that's how they came to be here.
"Riku! Come on! There's a meeting!" As we were walking passed one of the training rooms, Sakae had spotted her brother in said room. After dragging the boy along, we made it to the meeting room. The others were already here, Orino-sama sat at the front of the room. Sakae, Riku, and I made our way to the center; sitting beside the other two men in the room.
Jirou and Hiroshi were the other two that had been placed under Orino-sama's guidance. Jirou, the oldest out of all of us, had shoulder length blackish brown hair. He was not to be disregarded as a fool in a fight, he was strong and calculating. Jirou was the most proud and prized pupil, he was also a respectable person among the nearby village. Hiroshi was just a little younger than myself, with choppy black hair. Hiroshi followed Jirou on every outing, he admires Jirou greatly. It was almost silly.
My gaze traveled up to the great woman sitting silently, nodding in acknowledgment as we settled. "Now that you are all here, Jirou, state your discoveries." The older woman spoke, her voice holding authority of all of them.
The oldest trainee nodded, reaching into his sleeve, he pulled out a small wooden object. "Hiroshi and I came across a rather powerful demon. This demon caused to be quite a problem. After dispatching the vermin, it just faded into air and left this behind." Holding out the wooden object, everyone in the room got to get a good look. It was shaped like a tiny person. "It's some sort of trickery. Maybe a kitsune behind this but that doesn't seem a possibility. This demon was being controlled, if it even was real. Whoever the controller is, they are powerful and very dangerous. Kitsunes' wouldn't be able to amount the type of person we are dealing with."
My gaze lingered on the puppet, but something wasn't right. Being the observant one of the group of trainees, there was something suspicious in Jirou's voice. He was telling the truth, but there seemed to be something lacking in his tale. Whether Orino-sama noticed or not, she didn't say anything about it.
"Listen well all of you. I know you have heard whispers throughout your missions about a powerful demon after what we all know as the Sacred Jewel shards. I should have warned you all before, it was a matter of time before we crossed this demon. This demon goes by the name Naraku, he is not to be seen as all the other demons we have destroyed. And if you have the unfortunate luck to cross him, don't be stupid to face him alone, your death will be set. He is manipulative, and has many sources within his branches." There was complete silence among us as everyone took this information in. Sneaking a quick glance at Jirou, I wasn't surprised to see him unfazed by any of this.
"We will not set after this demon yet. But when we get the chance and power, we will strike. For the safety of this world, we will prevent his destruction. I will make sure to update you all. Now, off you go." With a flick of her hand, we were all dismissed. When leaving the room, I couldn't help but notice Jirou's strange vibe and Hiroshi's misty gaze.