Hey, thanks for checking out my story. This first chapter is like a flashback/memory, like at the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean. Anyways, hope you like it!

Prologue

Past

"Kagome, where do you think you're going?"

Turning around, a young girl about ten years old with black hair reaching the back of her knees, bangs sweeping across her forehead and bright blue eyes, dressed in full kendogi and bogu faced the stern look of her mother, apron-donned with her short, curly, black hair pinned back.

"I'm going to practice with otou-san", Kagome explained as she readjusted the men under her arm and positioned her shinai on her shoulder. Kagome knew that the second her mother had spotted her walking down the hall towards the back door that she was in a world of trouble. The look of pure lividness and outrage on her mother's face only confirmed her suspicions.

"You certainly will not! You spend too much time swinging around that stick and not enough time learning things that are actually important for your future. No man is going to want a wife that would rather hit him with a piece of bamboo than cook him a meal. Now, you go change and come back with me to the kitchen and help me make dinner", Kagome's mother commanded.

Kagome was on the verge of protest when a man's voice spoke from behind her.

"Hanae, Kagome has to train if she wishes to reach Judan and become a kendo master like Takeshi."

An elderly man, bald on the top of his head with gray hair pulled up into a top knot and wearing kendogi as well, approached and stood to the side of the mother and daughter pair to mediate as he always did. Kagome immediately made a deep bow to the man before standing up straight at attention. The man turned slightly to the side to give Kagome a little wink, assuring her that he would handle this.

"Otou-san, you, yourself, have said that there is no place for a woman, or a young girl no less, in a dojo", Hanae argued.

"Hmph. That was a very long time ago when women were not allowed no matter what my opinions were. I have never held anything against female kendoka, but in those times it was believed that women were incapable of the strength required for learning kendo, and we were most definitely proven wrong. Now, weren't we", Katsuo answered with a chuckle as he motioned towards Kagome as a perfect example.

"Kagome, you go on to the dojo. Your otou-san is waiting for you."

"Hai, ojii-san."

Kagome bowed once again before turning to hurry down the hall. Sliding open the shoji, she stepped outside and looked back at her mother and grandfather before sliding it closed again.

The second Kagome was gone, Hanae swiftly turned to fully face her father. "Otou-san, Kagome is my daughter and it is my job to raise her, not yours!"

Katsuo's expression suddenly turned serious and determined, as well as his voice, "Hanae, Kagome has been gifted with an extraordinary talent of which you should be extremely proud. Yet, you continue to try and suppress her from one of the few things she finds happiness in. You never interfere with Souta's training, however little that may be. Do you find enjoyment in this?"

"Of course not! My only wish is for her to be happy, but I am thinking of her future happiness which she will not find in kendo. Everyone says that men and women are now equal, but when it comes down to her having a successful career in a male dominated sport, she doesn't have a chance. She would do better to pursue a safe and secure future in a husband. Kami-sama knows how hard it is for a woman to find even a normal job. So, I would appreciate it if you would leave my daughter's future in my hands."

Katsuo's eyes softened at the truth I his daughter's words. "I understand your feelings, Hanae. But, you must realize that what you are attempting to do is all in vein. In reality, Kagome has no need for training. She is already at the physical, intellectual, and spiritual level for a Judan and no matter how much pressure you put on her, she will choose her own path in the end."

With that said, Katsuo left to go rest before dinner, leaving Hanae to stare after him in disbelief and contemplate his words.

Otou-san, if what you say is true, then you are telling me Kagome is on the path to a hopeless future. No! I don't care what he says. I will ensure my daughter's future even if she hates me for it.

With a newly discovered determination, Hanae returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

The loud clunk of the souzu echoed in the distance as Kagome made her way to the family dojo just across the courtyard. No matter how many times she had seen the Higurashi dojo, it was always breathtakingly beautiful. Surrounding the traditional styled building was a lavish garden filled with hundreds of exotic flora. A small water fall spouted from the side of the mountain which the Higurashi family home and dojo sat at the base. Fed by the waterfall, a winding creek cut through the garden with stone paths occasionally following its banks, but never crossing it.

However as she slowly strode by, Kagome was distracted from the beautiful scenery by the look of anger and disappointment on her mother's face when she left.

I can't stand it when she's mad at me. I guess it wouldn't hurt to spend some time helping her in the kitchen, but all I would be doing is running back and forth to get ingredients, not actually cooking. Snore! I just wish she'd understand how much I love kendo.

Deciding not to brood over it any longer, Kagome increased her speed as she deviated around the dojo and onto one of the garden paths which followed the creek until it came to a large koi pond with water so clear that every koi fish could have been seen if it weren't for the dozens of water lilies covering the surface.

As Kagome continued along the path, she headed to a certain area on the bank where there was a dense amount of water lilies. She then left the path to approach the back before hopping across the pond on stepping stones about two inches from the surface of the water, completely hidden from sight unless one already knew they were there.

Once across the pond, Kagome hurriedly weaved through the dense foliage to reach a roughly carved set of steps heading up the mountain side. She sprinted up the stairs, skipping every other step until they stopped at a leveled cliff like area. Grass mostly covered the area except for the small trees and bushes bordering three sides of the cliff. Amongst the trees were wild rose bushes whose petals were white at the base and light pink at the tips.

Across the field at the edge of the cliff stood a tall man dressed in kendogi with dark brunette hair that reached below his shoulder blades pulled up in a top knot and long bangs framed his face. His back was towards Kagome, facing the horizon where the sun was beginning its descent.

As Kagome approached the man, he turned towards her and smiled warmly. "What kept you, bara kaben?"

The guilty look on Kagome's face alone was enough to tell Takeshi what had happened. He sighed and picked up his shinai.

"Don't worry about it too much, Kagome. She will come around eventually. For now, how about we have a few matches before your oka-san comes looking for us and discovers our hiding place. If that happens, we'll never get a moments peace. In fact, she'd probably scold the both of us for hiding from her."

Kagome laughed at her father's obvious attempt at cheering her up. Although, the offer to practice her kendo would have sufficed.

"Hai, to-chan! Let's have a match."

Glossary

kendogi: kendo uniform consisting of a kimono and hakama

bogu: protective armor

men: helmet worn for kendo to protect the face

shinai: sword made out of either bamboo or carbon fiber

Judan: highest kendo rank (the tenth dan)

kendoka: practitioner of kendo

shoji: sliding door

souzu: device made to scare away birds and beasts damaging agriculture; consists of a segmented tube, usually of bamboo, pivoted to one side of its balance point. At rest, its heavier end is down and resting against a rock. A trickle of water into the upper end of the tube accumulates and eventually moves the tube's center of gravity past the pivot, causing the tube to rotate and dump out the water. The heavier end then falls back against the rock, making a sharp sound, and the cycle repeats

Thanks for reading. Please review if you'd like.