Title: Hatsukoi (First Love)
Summary: When Soukisho of the Southern Plains struck out westward, he had grand ideas of fame and glory. But nowhere in his dreams did he expect what fate held in store for him, nor whom it was that would bring it all about.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its elements. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.
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- Two -
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Aware to mo
Iu beki hito wa
Omohoede
Mi no itazura ni
Narinu beki kana.
-- Ken-Toku Ko
Winter receded reluctantly, lending a chilly bite to spring showers. The inu youkai pack led by Kanekazu stirred from winter quiescence, impatient for action after long days of dull routine. Weaponsmiths put away their tools, and the tailors and tanners likewise prudently ceased pestering edgy warriors.
Days became filled with intense training to relieve boredom and release pent-up energy. At night, the idyllic, sheltered valley in the heart the inu youkai territory blazed with bonfires where spare spring game was shared, and tales recounted and unwise boasts spoken.
Outside the pool of firelight, the hills stood dark and silent. Faint sounds of revelry floated between the stately stand of trees, like a dream, to be lost against the bubbling of a brook that ran down from Kiso-sanmyaku, swollen with snowmelt. The waning moon played shining beams over wavelets, painting it silver in the night.
Having slipped away from the merry-making, Soukisho sprawled on one grassy bank, his sword beside him. Cradling his head in linked fingers, he drew a long breath, letting it out slow and silent.
He was in an odd mood.
Ten years had passed since he had left the lands of his birth and found a place in Kanekazu-taisho's company. Ten years; a mere breath in the long lives of youkai. The golden season of a youkai's prime stretched across thousands of years. He, over seven hundred years old, was counted barely adult. Most of the pack were centuries older, including – Soukisho had found to his dismay – Mizuki.
Ten years was hardly any time compared to seven hundred years but it felt that it encompassed his entire life; he hardly remembered being other than a warrior within the strict hierarchy of the pack.
And yet, there was a niggling in the back of his mind, a restlessness that drew him away from the bustle in the valley below, a melancholy that made him increasingly court the notion of leaving.
It was odd. Inu youkai were social creatures who sought companionship and identity in the ordered structure of a pack. Why should he want to lose it, having found somewhere that gave him everything he had ever dreamed of and more?
He was not stagnating or in danger of being cast out; as fifth in power, his position was as secure as anyone else's save the top two: Kanekazu and Mizuki.
Yet, Hisano, his deceptively gentle teacher, his strong and cunning opponent, was proving a difficult cliff to scale. They have been training together for the better part of a year, and still he did not seem any closer to besting her. He was beginning to wonder if he ever would, while another voice inside whispered that he had already come so far, yet Mizuki showed no signs of even being aware of him.
His black thoughts were interrupted when, upstream, something flashed, reflecting moonlight. Instantly, all downhearted thoughts were banished. In the blink of an eye, he went from being a young inu youkai contemplating life-altering decisions to a seasoned warrior on alert, crouching with blade in hand.
The flash came again.
Keeping close to the ground, Soukisho crept towards it, a hundred possibilities dancing in his mind. An enemy, a spy, a waterfall, an amorous pair shedding clothing and armor...
That last gave him pause but he continued his stalking until he was close enough to make out a silhouette wielding a blade.
There was no sound; neither the rustle of clothing and hair nor footsteps. As Soukisho watched, the figure raised the sword and brought it down and up again in a curve. Pivot, stab, whirl, slash, turn, upward stroke. The movements where slow but precise.
Someone training? But who could it be? He did not recognize the person, and the style was unfamiliar—
The blade flared, reflecting another moonbeam and for an instant, the face of the sword-wielder was carved in sharp relief. A face he knew. A face that had appeared in his dreams many times.
Frozen, Soukisho watched Mizuki as she ran through a kata he had never seen before.
She seemed unaware of his presence, her movements never ceasing its fluid precision. Thrust, parry, kick, smash; the sequence morphed, taking on new elements, speeding up. It took up a rhythm, and a light, dance-like grace. The sword was a blur, ever in motion, delivering one imaginary attack after another.
Watching her, Soukisho felt himself awkward and inept in comparison. Nudging such thoughts aside, habit took over and he began analyzing her movements for weaknesses, storing away little lessons to be used at some later time, perhaps to vanquish Hisano.
So entranced was he in watching and learning that he did not notice that her steps brought her closer to him, right until the moment when the swish of the sword sent a small eddy towards him, and then he felt the careful, dainty touch of a blade beneath his chin.
Shocked, mortified, he stared at her.
She was silhouetted against the trees and sky, statuesque in moonlight and shadow. Unable to read her expression, he could only stare at her in shock and mortification. Of course she had known of his presence; he was silly to have thought otherwise.
The blade pressed upwards ever so slightly and Soukisho moved with it, his breath hitching.
The movement caused the flat of her blade to catch and reflect, throwing a line of light across her face.
Her expression was devoid of emotion, alarming in its chill blankness. The tip of her sword pressed to his chin made him conscious of a need to swallow nervously. His skin felt prickled and gooseflesh rose, the only physical response to dread.
Then, against all possibility, she smiled, head tipping. "Soukisho," she acknowledged and the sound of his name rolling off her tongue stole his breath completely.
I dare not hope my lady-love
Will smile on me again;
She knows no Pity, and my life
I care not to retain,
Since all my prayers are vain.
-- Prince Ken-Toku
Authorspeak: I have been remiss in giving appreciation: to Atelaar and to Sirona, who dropped me notes of encouragement; and many times more to my fellow writers and friends, n0leafclover, alterfano, fenikkusuken, ladyrhiyana, manonlechat and wicked-oni, thank you for your support and feedback while I was writing this fic!
To everyone else, thanks for reading! I hope you continue to enjoy Hatsukoi!
Glossary
inu youkai / inugami - Dog spirit of Japanese myth.
Kiso-sanmyaku - Central Mountains of Japanese Alps
kata - A system of basic body positioning and movement exercises, as in a number of martial arts.
youkai - Creatures in Japanese folklore. Some possess part animal and part human features. Generally have a sort of spiritual or supernatural power.
