The Retainer
One
Foreigner
A man offered prayer to the ama-tsu-kami. Akiyama sat near what remained of a once humble building that had served as a shinsha. His head was bowed as the samurai meditated beyond mere thought, deep in a silent religious prayer. While he did not possess burning zeal, something self-attributed to the long march of years, the swordsman felt a certain innate need almost to adhere to the rituals. No words were uttered when Akiyama completed his prayer, rather, he stood and walked away from what remained of the shrine and looked down a hill that led to the village below. He had mixed feelings about this place, it was a sight of pain, loss, self-conflagration and uselessness. Yet also, a place of some happiness, as short a period as that had been for them. Inwardly he wondered often who he spoke of when these thoughts possessed him. From the vantage point of the temple complex he saw the irrigated fields of rice, where many of the village's folk were, tending to their livelihoods, as well as fishermen in the nearby streams and assorted villagers going about tasks such as the preparation of foodstuffs for preservation and storage, children at play etc.
The samurai remained apprehensive about going down into the village itself. It had not been so long that all those alive who could remember him were gone. Katsurou knew for a fact that her ladyship's younger sibling was still among the living, providing healing, protection and counsel to the villagers that he looked upon from on high. Though, he did not know if she possessed the same strength of spirit as her departed sister. Shrugging lightly, the samurai started descending cracked and neglected stone stairs that led down into the village below. The torii had not remained destroyed, he noted as he reached the bottom, obliterated by his lord… Akiyama sighed deeply and continued his walk, feeling relieved that they had moved on that far. The samurai nodded his head politely to the people he passed, the farmers, farriers and tanners took notice of this, a samurai, bowing to peasants? It wasn't proper. The way he smiled at them disconcerted the people as well, it wasn't only improper when samurai were kind, it almost always led to bad things.
Still, the man did nothing offensive to them, he did not insult or belittle the men, he did not make lecherous motions towards the women, he even retrieved a ball and tossed it lightly back to the children who had lost it, allowing them to resume their kemari. Akiyama for his own part was aware of how abnormal his treatment of people was, both as a samurai and… something else. Samurai were cruel because their position allowed them power, he could be cruel because life had taught him that kindness was rewarded with people attempting to murder you and your charge for existing. All the same, he rose no hand in offense against human beings wherever possible. Do not, he thought, give them even more reasons to hate you.
Akiyama made his way towards the grandest of the houses in the village, thinking that would be the home of the headman, and in a way he was right. The presence of powerful ki however stopped him cold in the middle of the road, exceptionally awkward however it may have been, he was cautious in regards to people who could slay him, easily or not. "I am aware of you." A voice called out, which while feminine, was a tired sound, wizened by age and great toil. Akiyama stood rooted to the spot, a slow build up of terror threatening to boil over at any possible second, then, like the last time, he'd flee with his proverbial tail between his legs.
"I bring no harm." Katsurou responded in his own voice, tired from age, ragged from a lack of proper use for five decades. A figure appeared in the doorway of the structure dressed in the garments of religion, a woman in the vestments of priesthood as well as incredibly aged. He stared at her for a long moment, subtly breathing in the air to catch her scent, simultaneously he knew she was gauging him, and the threat he held towards her village as well as herself.
"My lady?" He finally asked, his words dull as he tilted his head slightly to the right, as though to get a better look at the old woman. She was more than simply vaguely familiar, he knew her face, though he could not place her name with ease. A moment of uneasy silence passed as villagers nearby watched the samurai and the miko stare at one another inquisitively before the old woman spoke again.
"Akiyama-san. It has been years." There was no hostility in the old woman's voice, no overt rage colored her words and her body language did not betray such feelings either. "I am Kaede, perhaps you recall me?"
The tension loosed from his body like a coiled spring and he sighed a deep sigh of relief. "I am sorry." He apologized without thinking, wincing as he did so. The old miko simply sighed in response and waved a hand to him to enter her domicile. He nodded softly with respect and stepped forward, her ki was vibrant and strong, not as strong as her sister, but none the less noteworthy, he suppressed his own youki on purpose, he did not wish to alarm her, or anyone else with it, though it was not so intense as to blind anyone.
"Tell me," Kaede began as they sat before a small, smokeless fire; "Where have you been these passed fifty years, I'd heard rumor that you had finally committed seppuku." Her single good eye, with the color of lustrous coal, stared at him intently and the samurai withered under her gaze before he coughed lightly to break the tension once more.
"My love for my lord has not yet come to an end." Akiyama said simply, as though that statement explained all things, though for him it certainly did. Idly, the miko poured them two shallow portions of a simple tea into equally simple clay cups.
"I am not the one to make decisions for samurai." Kaede spoke as she carefully lifted the small vessel and drank of the tea, sipping slowly and taking time to appreciate the delicacy of the flavors and complexity of the liquid.
"I should not bother you," Akiyama began as he mirrored her handling of the tea with his own vessel, marveling over the simplicity. "we are all that remains of bitter times. I bring you unnecessary grief." He sighed and set the cup down again.
"Were I offended of your presence, you would know it, Akiyama-san." Kaede said very plainly, her tone shifting to note that she was more than serious. Akiyajma gulped in response.
He went to speak again when a villager brushed back the screen of her home's doorway, "Lady Kaede, we've found an intruder within InuYasha's forest!" Akiyama choked as Kaede rose without hesitation and shooed him from her home wordlessly, he followed, morbidly curious as to why these things always seemed to happen when he was away from his self-appointed guard-posting…
Men and women stood around a young nude woman. They muttered unpleasant things in general, misgivings of her purpose, her intentions, mentioning war and demons, Akiyama chuckled internally, if only they knew… The girl for her part, nude or not, looked terrified if he was being honest. She was also familiar to him, for some reason, and as he took a moment to truly examine her, albeit from a distance, he uttered the words so softly that none could hear him, save the old lady who stood next to him. "My lady?" He did not ask it as he had asked Kaede, he did not say it with anything short of absolute reverence twinged with equal parts stark terror and devotion.
"Nay." Kaede muttered as she stepped forward to the young woman and took hold of her chin to her objections, Kaede paid her no mind immediately, though she did kindly respect her wishes and stopped touching her after only a moment of observation. "Release this child, she is clearly scared, and having done nothing to us we have no reason to treat her as though she had." The miko gave the command with an aura of absolute authority normally reserved from headmen appointed by the local daimyo. Her villagers moved immediately, snapping the binds that held the girl, who rubbed at her wrists and ankles frantically, bringing much needed blood back into her extremities. Kaede offered a hand to the girl, who upon taking it was pulled to her feet and bade to follow the miko. Akiyama did not move immediately, questioning his welcome status internally before Kaede coughed from a soft distance away, bidding him to also follow, the samurai considered otherwise, but knew his master was not in any position to move so…
The sun rays of Amaterasu washed over the world as three figures sat around a pit of fire within Kaede's hut. Akiyama sat against a far wall, his long-sword up against his shoulder, his shorter sword across his lap. The girl, Kagome come to find out her name, sat properly not far from the fire and was clearly at unease with her surroundings as the final inhabitant, Kaede herself, sat near a pot of bubbling broth and ingredients, from which with a wooden ladle she withdrew a decent amount of the stew into a bowl. "Stew?" She asked warmly, holding out the bowl for the girl, who nodded and thanked her quietly before drinking of the broth.
"And you, Akiyama-san?" The miko held out a second bowl, against his own wishes and noting that it had been quite some time since he'd eaten more than berries or tree bark, he accepted with words of thanks and appreciation before giving honor up to the gods, then eating.
Kagome said very little as they ate, only offering that she was from a settlement called Tokyo, neither Akiyama nor Kaede had heard of such a place, 'east capital'? The only capital that Akiyama knew of was Kyoto, where the Emperor and the Ashikaga Shogun sat in state. He did not dwell on it for long, however, as Kagome was offered to bed down for the evening and accepted, he nodded his head to Kaede in respect, recognizing that as his sign to leave the building. The miko offered him a small, sad smile and nodded in return before he stood, adjusted his swords and stepped outside…
A girl was running for her life, a monster from the darkest depths of her nightmares followed. Akiyama followed as well, his sword unsheathed in anger for the first time in half a century, he'd gone so long avoiding true conflict that now, as the adrenaline pumped into his veins, he found himself as excited as he was afraid. Behind them, the village was a combination of destroyed and burning, people were milling about with purpose, bows twanged, spears were ready. The people of the village were not cowards, fighting back against the monsters in the night who so threatened their homes and lives.
The samurai's sword bit at the flesh of the centipede and realization dawned on him, he was certain from memory, this thing had died, had died and been buried, how was it alive? These philosophical questions meant little in the heat of battle, however and he swung his sword once more, distracting the massive creature with flecks of pain that while it felt, certainly paid little heed to, and as he stared passed it and at Kagome, he understood why very suddenly. Intermingled in her ki was a light, both bright and dark, a light that made him hunger and shake with fear at once. Innately, he knew it, knew of it, understood it, on instinct however he simply swung again at the centipede-demon. No baubles would revive his lord, so he cared not. The battling duo, plus one terrified schoolgirl, arrived at the heart of his master's forest without him even realizing it, the sounds and scents were so familiar to him that the transition felt like coming home more than anything.
Finally sick of his interference, the centipede rounded on him, its hide wrapping around him much like a constrictor and squeezing, he held his sword up in a parrying defense to cut deep into its belly, but the sword snapped instead, the pressure too great for the normal steel, and that honestly in the back of his mind upset him greatly, as the sword had seen many battles with him, for many years. Akiyama started to black out when the centipede released him, he fell, ragged and struggling to breathe for some time as it repeated its attempts on the girl. It was then, in the next moment, that Akiyama heard a voice that brought endless joy to his soul. "Do you want to live?" Against whimpering cries and the shouts of men who'd followed he could for whatever reason hear the conversation of his lord and the girl as clearly as the temple gongs, it was a sound of beauty heard remote… Until the insults began, at least. Akiyama cringed shortly as his lord went into a tirade at the girl.
A flash of brilliant light filled the sky. Soft radiance pushed back the black of the night for an instant and an instant alone. The cracking of bone played across the air like the finest music, the smell of blood was also present, which brought Akiyama back to fuller consciousnesses. The girl clutched to the tree, his master speaking, a flash of light erupting from an ancient arrow that he himself had tried for years to pry free, only to be burned severely each time. The clink of jeweled glass… His eyes followed the radiant jewel, that sang with the voices of a thousand promises. He glowered at it, the thing that had cost him, cost them, such woe and misfortune. He did not move fast enough in his dislike however, as the centipede dove on the jewel and consumed it. Its skin cracked and peeled, vile blood spilling forth across the ground, causing the grass to wither and the flowers to wilt. The size of the creature grew to twice, if not three times of what it was and bloody red eyes held a dangerous hunger in them for more. Akiyama felt sick if only for a moment, it had been decades since he'd smelled so much blood in any single place.
In the next moment, before anyone could move, the centipede was rent down its center, divided in two, though it was not cleanly done the destruction was thorough. This did not last long, as its body reformed far more cleanly than it had been destroyed. "How many times do I have to kill you!?" His lord bellowed angrily before he cried out ancient words, claws cracking as his red clad body flew forward at great speed. The centipede fell again, as a demon at the bottom rung of both power and society, even empowered it was hardly a threat to someone as great as his lord.
Akiyama did not remain on his knees any longer after his lord struck the centipede the second time. Standing to his height, numbly he left his sword to fall, the broken hilt sinking into the forest floor as he cracked his own knuckles, claws extending. It was uncouth to fight like this, he hardly had time to care, however. From the background, Kaede bellowed orders at the girl, Kagome, who frantically looked among the displaced pieces of the centipede's body. Kagome moved as quickly as she could injured, it was then that Akiyama noticed the scarlet along her side, and reached, with objection into the mass of flesh that was a section of the former demon. Out with her hand, as the body disintegrated into dust with as much effort as a breeze moved wind chimes, came something horrible. Every eye fell to the jewel in the girl's hand, human and demon alike. It was radiant, bleeding colors of colors across every spectrum of sight and beyond, it was also screaming. Dark voices whispered even darker secrets into the ears of the demons who could hear it, while that number was currently few, it was a song the likes of which was hard to ignore. Akiyama's hatred of that little bauble held its influence at bay over him, but as he heard the claws of his lord crack once more, he sighed internally and turned to the sight of his lord, towering and mighty over a frightened child. In that moment, Akiyama broke every convention of being a servant, every single one.
"Nay, my lord!" He cried as he threw himself in front of the greater demon, and InuYasha stopped short, a growl low in his throat as he did.
"Move, Katsurou." InuYasha offered no titles, no sign of respect or appreciation was belayed inside his tone, though it was notably softer than the one used prior, against the girl and Kaede. "Or I move you." Behind Akiyama, Kagome started running again in blind terror, a moment later Akiyama felt his lord's wrath when a closed fist met the side of Katsurou's face, the punch which was delivered with enough force to shatter human bone, sent the samurai reeling for his disrespect.
In the next instant, Kaede moved, her aged hands reaching within her voluminous robe to produce a long string of prayer beads. The miko chanted a spell quickly and the beads surrounded InuYasha's neckline individually within the blink of an eye. She hollered at Kagome to speak a word of command, and Akiyama shuddered at the word that came next. "Osuwari!" His lord unceremoniously slamming into the ground…
Author's Notes: I don't have a deadline or any such thing that I can adhere to accurately, I write when I can feel the drive... Sorry about that.
Ama-tsu-kami are the gods of the sky in Shinto.
A shinsha is the primary building of a Shinto shrine, wherein the Kami gather.
Seppuku is ritual suicide undertaken by samurai who lost their honor, it is self-disembowelment and is one of the most horrible ways to die.
Ki is essentially life-energy.
Shoguns were the military rulers of Japan, nominally appointed by the emperor, in reality these men were the hereditary and absolute rulers of the nation.
and the main characters have been met. I avoided Akiyama interacting with Kagome too much yet, I'm afraid of writing her voice at the moment, I don't want to get her wrong. Regarding InuYasha himself, he's still distant, brooding and perpetually alone. He just has a friend. Which changes things dynamically but as you might note it hasn't changed much, now has it?
I don't beg for reviews but I really want to know how I did this time. ;-;
