Woot! I finally got myself to write something on fanfic after a whole year. Yes, i've been lazy. oh well, please read and review or i will die of sadness.
It was just one of those days. The young girl sighed and closed her eyes, blocking out for a moment the blissfully blue sky with a fluffy cloud or two passing by. But she could still smell the fresh air and the long grass she lay in. It was quiet, but peacefully so. The day was perfect in the truest definition.
Yet Rei despised it. It was so repetitive, as if she was living the same day over and over. Standing up, she stretched as if awakening from a deep slumber. She let out another sigh and began to walk away from the emerald fields of grass, towards a village that seemed full of movement, even from this distance. Her mother would be wondering where she was, and would reprimand her for 'daydreaming' when chores needed to be done. So typical of you mother, she thought irritably.
Rei was a regular village girl of middle class. She got up each day, ate, did work, spent the afternoon to herself, and went home. Her life never varied in this routine, with the exception of holidays and festivals. But those only came a few days in the year. At age 17, she had given up hopes of leading an exciting life, and surrendered to the constant flow of tedium.
She was now back in her village, making her way back home. It was barely afternoon, and she had plenty of chores to do. Mother would be at their cottage, as always, and father would be selling his wares at the marketplace.
"Rei! Where have you been? Aisha was crying all day for someone to play with, and I am going crazy from working and keeping your little sister happy. Can you please take her off my hands?!" Rei's mother said, when Rei was back at home.
"All right. I'll take the little imp away." Rei muttered and went inside. And sure enough, her younger sister was there, as annoying as ever.
"Big sister! Guess what I found in the garden today!" Aisha said ecstatically.
Rei inwardly groaned. She only too well remembered what her sister found in their garden a few days ago. The largest worm she had ever seen in her 17 years of life. She was still utterly repulsed by it. With a shudder, she asked, "What did you discover now, Aisha?"
The 7-year-old grinned in her childish joy. The grin was identical to her father's. Aisha inherited her looks from their father, that was an obvious fact. Her consistently ruffled mahogany hair that would never lie straight, much to her mother's irritation, was much like her father's. They both shared wide, deep, and sometimes thoughtful brown eyes. They had the same rounded, jovial faces. Aisha was cute in a boyish manner, but still with feminine touches. She would be beautiful one day, Rei thought with a warm smile. Rei on the other hand, received her looks from her mother's side. Her delicate porcelain features were surprisingly unmarred by the sun or wind. She and her mother both had long ebony hair of silk. But her eyes neither came from mother or father. Her unique and pure sapphire colored eyes had come from her grandmother, her mother's mother. She was lovely, and all knew it except for her.
Aisha then ran over to the other side of the room, picked something up and ran back to her waiting older sister. She held something in her hands. Aisha then opened her hands up, "See? Isn't it so pretty?"
Rei's breath caught in her throat. It was a small sliver of a sort of stone or jewel. It was unlike anything she had ever seen in her life before. The sliver gleamed in the sunlight pouring in from a window. It was white, but with a slight amethyst sheen to it. The jewel sliver was absolutely magnificent. It had a certain aura to it, stopping Rei from looking away. The sliver emanated an unidentifiable atmosphere. It was beyond human understanding. Before Rei could be more drawn to it, Aisha shut her hand, breaking the spell. Rei suddenly understood. That jewel piece was something of malevolence. The tainted Shikon no Tama jewel that granted terrible and infinite powers to the holder. Rei remembered the village priest speaking of the jewel shards and what they could do in the wrong hands. She felt such fear in her heart that her innocent sister had discovered something that could do so much damage.
"Aisha, give it to me." Rei demanded, panic rising in her.
"No, I found it. Its pretty. And its mine. Find your own." Aisha pouted in childish stubbornness. It was obvious that the naive child had fallen to the jewel's power.
She gasped. Rei felt frantic now. Calming herself, she decided she would get it in time. Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she replied, "Ok Aisha. Lets go find daddy. You can show it to him." She held the child's hand, her own clammy and slick. They walked towards the marketplace, the center of the village. The pleasant weather soothed her hysterical mood. Aisha swung Rei's hand, humming peacefully.
They were soon at their father's store. He was an ironsmith, dedicated to his work. They entered the dark store only lit by the raging fire. At the moment, their father, Hamuri, sat in a chair, obviously taking a break.
"Here are my two lovely daughters. What brings you two here?" he beamed, standing up to hug Aisha.
"Mother wants me to keep Aisha busy. The little rascal never stops pestering her." Rei said crossly.
Hamuri laughed, "Well how about we all go take a walk while I still have some time left. That ought to appease this troublesome one a bit." He suggested, smile ever-present in his bright eyes.
They were soon strolling along the marketplace in contentment on a most ideal day. Just as Rei said she was ready to go back home, an announcement began in the middle of the village square.
"Lord Tyoi seeks soldiers for his army. All men who sign up-" Rei groaned, no women allowed to join, "-require no experience in warfare, all skills will be taught in camp. Ones who join will be given excellent pay, which is to be discussed later. Any men interested, I will be here 'till nightfall!" the man went on, but Rei had drawn back into her mind. A scheme developed in her brain.
They were only permitting males to join, of course. Typical. But it would be simple to fool them. She could merely dress as a man, and take on a man's personality. Yes. That would work out wonderfully. Then she hit a crucial bit of information. Her family. They would absolutely abhor the idea of their daughter donning men's clothing and joining an army they knew little of. She would have to sneak off in the dead of night. And as she listened longer to the army man speaking, she discovered that minimal servitude was only four months. She would return to her family, of course. Rei would only be missed for four months before she returned.
With a smirk, Rei realized life was taking a turn for the better for once.
It was a week later, and Rei was on her first day in Lord Tyoi's army. She sat around a campfire, several other men sprawled around the fire. She had bound her chest, donned men's clothing, and now was addressed as Hamuri, her father's name. Rei reached into a small compartment of her travel pack, hands closing around the small jewel shard. She let out a sigh of relief. Rei had taken it when the family was asleep, Aisha had hidden in a not-so-secret-spot that Rei found easily. This jewel was dangerous to a youngster, who could easily fall to the jewel's taint.
But a voice suddenly broke her musings. "Hey Hamuri, how old did you say you were?" a gruff man by the name of Jindo inquired.
"I'm 17." Rei/Hamuri responded nervously.
The men all roared with laughter, "17 and he barely looks like he's past puberty!" One laughed, slapping his knee, making Rei redden.
"And such girlish features with that slender frame! Maybe you're both genders, Hamuri!" Jindo teased, forcing Rei to flush crimson even more.
"Alright enough messing with the kid, we need our sleep for tomorrow's training!" one said somberly, rolling out his sleeping mat.
Silently, they all set up their beds under the clear sky. Jindo was close to Rei and he spoke dreamily, "This is the life my friend. The sky as our canopy, the nighttime lullabies of nature to put us to sleep."
Rei smiled. She then asked her comrade, "Why do you do this Jindo?"
He was silent before speaking. Finally, "For the glory. For the wealth. You?"
"Me? The adventure. The thrill. My life was so monotonous before."
"A thrill seeker huh? There's a lot of 'em like you. Good night Hamuri. You'll need it for tomorrow."
"Same to you." Rei said, turning her back to Jindo, a soft smile playing across her face.
The month had passed startlingly quickly. The days had been dedicated to training the body and mind in the art of war. And the practices were ruthless. But Rei was grateful for it. How many village girls get this sort of opportunity? To be trained to use a sword, bow and arrow, and spears. She was at ease with life now.
I could get used to living like this, she thought. But then she remembered with heartache her old village. Her family. Just three more months, Rei told herself mentally. She would return in three more months.
"Hey Hamuri! Get up and help us out!" A fellow soldier shouted to the daydreaming soldier.
She got up with a grumble and assisted the others in hauling carts of weaponry to the main campsite. They were getting equipped for their first mission.
They were to protect one of Lord Tyoi's settlement from a demon lord by the name of Sesshomaru hoping to expand his territory by conquering the settlement. Rei felt a tingle of excitement. This was going to be her first battle. But once more, she was broken from her fantasy.
"Hamuri! How many times do we have to tell you to stop daydreaming!" Jindo growled irritably. He then muttered something about worthless fighters. Rei was well aware that was her. Suppressing a grin, she began to work.
Eventually, a few more days passed, and Rei found herself with her comrades, preparing for battle. A nervousness began to settle in, replacing the excitement of the first fight. It must have shown in her face, because of what Jindo said.
"Be at peace Hamuri. It'll be fine. We have an upper hand. We are larger in number, and not to mention smarter than those barbaric demons." Jindo said with a reassuring smile.
Rei smiled back, a smile that did not reflect the rising panic inside her. Oh well. No turning back now. Hours passed until day gave way to dusk. The perfect time for demons to attack.
The army was now wary, forming ranks, weapons at the ready. A sudden boom that shook the ground forced many men to stumble. The boom came again and again. Like... the footsteps of a giant beast, Rei thought in dread. She looked as far as she could and saw a massive army approaching. Here they come, she thought, sword drawn with a grim expression on.
The battle horn sounded, signaling their army to charge. With a roar that rose from the men, they dashed onwards to the demon army. Rei soon found herself fighting her first enemy. She was suddenly extremely thankful for the rigorous training they put her through. The enemy was a vicious looking thing, with its claws at least as long as her hand. But with a sudden slash from Rei's sword, it crumpled to the ground, black blood pooling around it. She grinned victoriously until another demon attacked from behind. She parried the blow and struck the creature's head off.
But as she looked out on the field, she realized this was going to be a long battle.
From the back of the demon army, a towering giant demon looked out onto the field. It was a dumb thing, but its sheer strength balanced it out. Atop its shoulder stood a demon with flowing silver-white hair and piercing golden eyes.
The demon lord Sesshomaru was grimly looking out on the battle, calculating his strategy. His eyes suddenly widened in shock. He sensed it. A Shikon no Tama jewel shard. Only he was strong enough to sense its presence. Although the feeling was weak and wavering, there was no doubt a shard of the powerful jewel was here. But where was the question.
"Walk, beast." he commanded coldly to his giant minion. The demon obeyed his master and began to take thundering steps forward. Everyone parted for the towering monster to avoid being crushed.
The aura of it was getting stronger as he continued towards the humans. One of them had it. And he would find it, Sesshomaru assured.
This truly must be hell, Rei thought, stumbling along. They were losing terribly, the demons coming in waves. Her right shoulder was bloody from an arrow that had struck her. She pulled it out, but received great agony from it. Another demon had attacked from behind and slashed the lower part of her leg, causing her painful limp. The battle had lasted into night, and she didn't know how much longer she could endure. Suddenly, her weak leg gave way under her, and she landed painfully on her face. Out of one of the pockets in the clothes under her armor, came the jewel shard. She reached out one hand and clutched it. It will burn with me, was the last coherent thought she had before passing out.
"Stop right here." Sesshomaru commanded. The beast stopped, and the demon lord jumped down gracefully. It was here, he told himself. His eyes settled on an unconscious human soldier. His hand held something in it. But Sesshomaru smelt the human's scent again. It was a girl. A girl dressed in men's armor. He understood the girl's plan. She had hidden her true identity to join the soldiers.
Nevertheless, she still had the shard. He considered just taking it and killing her, but a new idea entered his head. She might know the location of more shards. She could prove rather useful. Prying her hand open, he took his prize. He then proceeded to picking her up and slinging the girl over his shoulder.
His massive minion lowered a hand which the cold eyed demon lord stepped onto. It lifted him to his shoulder. As he observed the battle, he was winning, driving the human forces back. The arrogant human who dared to settle on his land, his villages would be wiped out. And Sesshomaru now had one of the precious jewel shards with him. Yes, this is going smoother than I believed, Sesshomaru thought with satisfaction.