Chapter Three: The Stranger's Story
Six pairs of eyes stared at the man expectantly. Ryoko stood in the center of Kaede's hut, still dressed in his dark green kimono and yukata, while Inu-Yasha sat next to the door, blocking it. Miroku – the monk was leaning casually against a wall, his staff within reach across his lap. Sango, the demon huntress, sat cross-legged across from him, while Kagome sat next to Inu-Yasha, Shippo in her lap. Kaede watched from the doorway to the kitchen.
Ryoko glanced around, then, to everyone's surprise, took off his katana and wakizashi, and handed them to Sango. The taiji-ya glanced at the pro-offered weapons in confusion until she noticed a single ruby inset into the grip of each sword, surrounded by an intricate carving of a dragon. Ryoko could hear her sharp intake of breath that marked her realization, and pulled away, leaving the twin swords in her lap.
"Are these..." Sango's stare was glued to the swords. Ryoko nodded, albeit Sango didn't notice. "Yes. They are the pair Dójó and Jíhí." Inu-Yasha shot the man a glare. "What does this have to do with anything? Get down to it. You demanded to be brought here to explain yourself, now do so!"
Ryoko ignored him, and continued looking down at Sango, who in turn couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the weapons he had given her. Finally, he turned around and looked at each of the other occupants of the room in turn. "My story begins about sixty years ago..."
He ran. The demons were hot on his heels, but he clutched the precious mirror to his chest, and ran faster. He nearly tripped over a root, but jumped over it at the last instant. He'd been running for hours, and he was getting tired – the demons behind him, however seemed to be inexhaustible. He finally reached an abandoned old well. As he was running past it, he heard the warcries of a demon hunting party right in front of him. With no where to run, he leapt into the well.
Hours later, he woke up to the sunshine burning into his eyes. He glanced up at the sky, and saw it was past midday. Idly, the boy wondered where the demons were – surely they wouldn't have overlooked the well, and they certainly wouldn't have given up. After all, this mirror was of great importance to Naraku. The boy giggled at the thought of the face that the demon lord had made when he realized his treasure was gone.
The boy climbed out of the well on a ladder he hadn't noticed before, and froze at the top, nearly falling back down again. What he saw wasn't his world. He saw strange buildings, large huts that looked totally foreign. There were streets, but no horses – instead, some large contraptions lined the sides of the street.
Frightened, the boy fully climbed out of the well and surveyed his surroundings. He was relieved when he saw the Japanese characters on a nearby wall that read, "Higurashi Shrine". Wherever he was, the people obviously spoke Japanese. Maybe he could ask them for help. He jerked back when he thought of the mirror he was carrying, and the priestess that had asked him to steal it. Not asked, almost begged. He shook his head violently. He wouldn't trust anyone with it!
"Tadaima!" He heard someone shout, and glanced around to see a man climbing out of one of the large things on the street and opening the door to the house. Out of instinct, the boy ran, and tripped, falling headfirst into the well. When he opened his eyes again, he looked up into the nightsky. With some difficulty, he climbed out and headed for the village, back to the priestess.
A woman answered his knock at the front door of the shrine. "Go away, we don't take homeless children!" She shouted. The boy began to grow very angry, but then he heard another voice from inside. "It is all right, Sylvie. Let him in." The maid reluctantly opened the door and let him in.
"Do you have it?" The priestess knelt down next to the boy. "Hai." He nodded. "But...miko-sama...I saw something strange. I ran from the demons, and I fell into a well, not far from here." The priestess arched an eyebrow. "The old Bone Eater's Well?" "Hai. I fell in, and when I climbed back out, I saw another world!"
The priestess's eyebrow vanished under her hair. "What did you say?" She whispered. "I – I saw another world." The priestess nearly gaped. "Come with me boy," she told him. "I need to tell you something."
They finally made it to the back of the temple. On an altar rested a glittering jewel. The priestess rummaged around in the old scrolls until she found what she had been looking for. She motioned the boy to come over, and showed him the scroll. "Can you read it?"
"A little."
"It is an ancient legend that the well into which you fell, is a portal to another world. Rather, another time." She pointed at the jewel. "Do you see that? It's the Shikon no Tama, the Jewel of the Four Souls. It can be used to grant any wish, and therefore we must protect it from demons."
The boy still stared at her in confusion. "There is a prophecy here underneath the legend," she began to read,
"Both in times to come,
And in times long ago,
Those of unjust nature
Seek the Soul Jewel.
And as to subterfuge
Falls a valiant love,
Darkness shall fall
Upon the Tama.
Until, from another world
Comes the heir of the Tama
Through the lair of the
Devourer of Man.
To liberate a wronged soul
To guard the Tama,
And a quest to find
Both it and themselves.
But deceit has not been
Vanquished, though now,
Both worlds face danger
From one who seeks the Tama.
And one will have to trespass
The sacred ground and free a soul
And protect the heir where the
Guradian could not."
While she was reading, a faint aura had begun to glow around the priestess, growing stronger and more intense with every moment she read of the prophecy. Finally, she slumped to the ground, obviously exhausted. After resting for a moment, she stood back up and faced the boy. "I do believe fate has greater plans for you." The boy stared at her with large eyes that bore both hope and fear.
Ryoko glanced around the room again. Everyone seemed to be listening intently, and for a moment he was reminded of a travelling storyteller. He chuckled dryly. It would indeed have been the perfect job for him. Be took a deep breath and continued with his story.
He cried out in pain as the youkai's claw stabbed through his leg, and jammed his lance upwards, trying desperately to pry the demon off him. He half-succeeded in his task and hit the demon fatally. Unfortunately, it collapsed right on top of him.
The young man's mind swirled as the wind was knocked out of him and the blood loss began to take its toll. He knew he wouldn't get out of this demon ambush alive, but he'd give them one heck of a fight. If he only could get this youkai off him...The last thing he heard before surrendering to blackness was a hissing sound and a demon's roar.
When he woke up, he found himself in a simple straw mat bed. He wondered how he got there. The door opened, and a man stepped through. He immediately recognized the black battlegarb of a tayji-ya, a demon hunter. The man smiled at him. He had a thick mop of black hair, and sharp, angled cheekbones, and bore a demeanor that commanded authority. "Good. You're up. You had us worried there for a while."
"How long...?"
The tayji-ya chuckled. "You've been out for nearly two weeks. What were you thinking, taking on a horde of youkai on your own like that?"
The young man on the coat mumbled, "Was an ambush...where am I?"
"You're in the tayji-ya village. You're safe here."
"Thanks..." the young man's strength was fading quickly, and he laid down on the mat as he felt the dizziness again. "You better lay down and rest for a while. I'll tell the others you're better." The tayji-ya smiled and left.
When he woke up a second time, it was noon. Slowly, he supported himself on the wall to get up, then staggered out of the hut into the open. The sun was shining not too brightly, but comfortably. He looked around and saw people – even women and children – either busy making weapons, or practicing their use.
A little tug on his kimono leg caused him to look down at a little girl with long black hair. "Hi! Who are you?"
He smiled slightly and bent down. "My name's Ryoko. And who are you?"
"I'm Sango. Are you a demon hunter, too?"
"Not exactly. I'm...I used to be the guardian of a shrine, until the priestess got killed. I've been wandering ever since." He winced as he remembered the demon attack on the village almost fifty years earlier. Most of the people in the village had gotten away, but the now elderly priestess who had raised him had insisted on staying and fighting the demons.
Naraku himself had killed her, right before his eyes, and he had been powerless to stop it. Now, he glanced down at himself. He looked only barely older – the effect of the little bit of demon blood he had inherited from his grandfather.
"Now, Sango, please let our guest rest," the voice of the demon hunter came from behind them. Ryoko whirled around and winced at the pain in his leg and ribs. "It's good to see you recovered well enough to be up," he said.
Ryoko nodded. "Thank you for taking care of my wounds."
"I figure I should introduce myself – my name is Himamoto," the man smiled fondly at the little girl who had gone off.
"You're her father?" Ryoko asked, only minimally surprised. He should have noticed the resemblance sooner.
"Yes."
Ryoko smiled. "She's a nice child."
"I'd like to know again why the youkai attacked you. It's not everyday they attack a hapless temple guardian turned wanderer."
Ryoko nodded. "Of course. My name is Eien Ryoko. I've been a temple guard at a village quite a while from here for a long time. Then, the demons attacked. More specifically, that demon bastard Naraku attacked, and killed the priestess. He was about to kill me when she fired her last purifying arrow into his arm and told me to run. And I did. Now, I have no idea why the youkai would attack me, except that they wanted to finish their job."
"How long ago was that?"
"Too long ago, and not nearly long enough."
Ryoko remained at the tayji-ya village, and trained as one. He rose through their ranks quickly, and nearly ten years after his arrival, he walked the fields of the village. It was then when a girl with long black hair ran up to him. He smiled. "Hey, Sango." He glanced down fondly at his student. He'd been teaching her in the arts of Iai, the swordfighting art of the tayji-ya.
The girl squealed in delight and jumped at him. "You're back! How was the demon? Tell me all about it!" She demanded in a flurry of words. Ryoko smiled and glanced past her, at her father standing a little away. He, too, was smiling.
Ryoko set Sango down and started walking to the village. She pulled on his kimono, and he bent down. "Wanna know a secret?" She asked.
"Sure. But are you sure you can trust me with it?" He smiled teasingly.
"If you tell it, I will kill you!" She replied, equally teasing.
"All right, I don't want the wrath of the mighty Sango. I promise I won't tell anyone!" Ryoko laughed.
She leaned up to his ear. "When I'm grown up, I'm going to marry you!" She giggled and ran away, leaving a confused demon hunter to stand on the field.
"What the..." His gaze followed her. He shook his head. Nah. It probably was just that infatuation thing children go through. He had grown fond of her, though, and had been officially accepted as the "uncle" of the family. He smiled at the thought, and resumed his walk.
Ryoko was about to leave the village through the gates with his three comrades when Sango ran up to him. "Oji-san! Wait!" He glanced back at the girl. "What is it, Sango?"
He noticed the oversize bundle that was nearly as tall as the girl. She handed the cloth wrapped bundle to him. "Here! They bring you luck!" Ryoko carefully opened the bundle, and stared in amazement. Inside were a pair of swords, a matching set of katana and wakizashi. They were simple, except for the top of their hilts, which were decorated with a single ruby and a dragon carving wrapping around the gemstone.
"I picked the stones myself! And then I helped put the charms on it!" Sango beamed. The tayji-ya gaped at the swords. They were simple, but they radiated power so strongly that even with the rudimentary skills he had acquired during his stay with the priestess he could sense it.
"They're beautiful..." he whispered. "Come back soon, Oji-san!" Sango smiled at him as he nodded and turned around, leaving with his three comrades. He replaced his own katana with the one in the set, and placed the wakizashi alongside it. He drew the blades and read the inscriptions on each one. One read, "Dójó", while the other said "Jíhí". Compassion and Mercy. He smiled and continued to walk.
The battle was fierce. Two of his three comrades were dead at the hand of the four youkai before them, and the last was badly wounded. Ryoko slashed his sword at the demon, causing it to back off. He reversed his grip and backstabbed, catching the demon behind him. "Run! Tell the village!" He yelled at the other man.
"I'm not leaving!"
"Baka! Run! I'll hold them off!" He yelled before drawing the wakizashi and hurling himself into the middle of the youkai. He felt a searing pain as a claw went through his arm, and he dropped the katana. Switching his grip on the short sword, he swung it around to ward off the youkai ineffectively. He felt a searing pain as a claw stabbed through his back, then nothing.
Ryoko's gaze was focused on Sango now, as was everyone else's. Her eyes were filling with tears, and Ryoko averted his gaze.
"The man returned," she whispered. "Eight years ago, the man came back and told us that he had seen the three of you killed by the demons." Sango broke out into sobs. Ryoko stared around helplessly, until his eyes found Miroku's. The monk arched an eyebrow, then moved over to the tayji-ya and put a comforting arm around her.
"What happened then?" Kagome asked.
"Well, the demons left me for dead – again. When I woke up, I was in the middle of the woods, and it was deep at night. I collected my weapons, and trekked to the neares village. I didn't want to return to the tayji-ya village. I realized that these demons had not been sent by Naraku, and that someone finally had tracked me down, so I decided not to put them at risk. I left after a short stop in a village and travelled around again."
He looked back at Sango. She was clutching the two swords in a death grip. "Until I heard that the hanyou who had been resting near the Bone Eater's well had been reawakened, and the Shikon no Tama had been shattered, and that the tayji-ya village had been ravaged by Naraku." He took a deep breath. "I realized the prophecy was coming true piece by piece, and that I had to return to the Bone Eater's well. I did so several times. I knew you were well protected here, so I went through and set myself up in your time. And when the attack came, I jumped in."
"What about Kagura?" Kagome asked.
"When I returned shortly, I realized Naraku had bound countless souls as his servants. I don't know, but somehow, something drew me to her. She is not all that bad, you know."
They had gone to bed, however, there were two people in the hut who couldn't relax into the comfortable oblivion. One was curled up outside under the Go-Shinboku. The other turned and tossed in his bed until he decided it was futile, and left for a walk.
As he passed by the sacred tree, he noticed a lone figure sitting underneath it. Ryoko went over to Sango. She was frightening him. She just sat there, staring into nothingness, his swords still clutched against her chest. He knelt down next to her and looked at the stars for a moment, before turning to face her. "They're beautiful, aren't they?"
When he didn't get an answer, he gently lifted her cheek and turned her face around. "Sango." She stared at him blankly. The look only lasted for a moment, before she turned away again and broke out into tears. He stared at her helplessly for a moment, then collected her up in his arms and gently rocked her, as he had done so many times, so many years ago.
The tayji-ya calmed down soon, and he could hear her whisper, "Why did you leave? Why didn't you come back?" He gently stroked her long hair. "I didn't want you to get hurt. Naraku had been hunting me for fourty years, and he destroyed two of the villages I had been in. I couldn't risk putting you in that danger. And I knew the person who sent those youkai was even more powerful than he was. I didn't want to risk it."
He sighed and thought back to the battle in the woods. "And when they left me for dead, I wanted them to believe that. I took a different name, and started wandering again. I'm sorry I left you alone, but you had your family..." As the demon huntress in his arms started to sob again, he grimaced. "I meant it, you know," she finally murmured.
"Meant what?" Ryoko glaced down at her in confusion.
"When I told you I would marry you. I meant it. I loved you."
He froze. She'd been just fifteen back then, how could it be possible...?
"I gave you those swords because I thought they would protect you, and because they linked us together," she whisepered, drawing her own katana. He glanced at the hilt. It had the exact same design as his weapons. "You know, they did save my life more times than I can remember." He smiled slightly. "Wanna know a secret?" He whispered, bending down to her ear.
"Sure. But are you sure you can trust me with it?" She asked. He chuckled, and it was Sango's turn to stare at him in confusion. "What's so funny?"
"Remember that time when I came back from a hunt and you waited for me in the fields, and told me a secret? I was saying the exact same words." She grinned. "If you tell anyone, I'll have to kill you," he continued.
"All right, I won't tell," she pormised, crossing two fingers.
"I loved you, too, back then."
"WAAAH! Hentai!" She sprang up and started chasing him around. Ryoko laughed and ran in circles around the Go-Shinboku, until Sango stopped and turned around. He ran right into her. She tackled him to the ground and started tickling him playfully. They collapsed, laughing.
"I missed that," he told her.
"Yeah. Me, too."
After a moment of comfortable silence, she broke it. "Do you still...?"
"Love you?" He considered. "I guess so. But...in a different way. It's been a long time, and we both moved on. I don't want to come in between your new life here. Especially not with your new love."
"WHAT?"
Ryoko chuckled. "It's obvious you have some feelings for that monk. You've never been a good liar, Sango." She blushed a deep red at the comment. "And especially with your new wife," Sango changed the subject. "Where is she, anyway? It's not like you to simply abandon someone."
"I left here at a safe place, away from Naraku." He sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have come back."
"Don't say that." She snuggled up close. "It's good to see you again."
"Hey, don't do that, or your boyfriend will get jealous!" At her malicious smile, he gulped. She pinned him down and started a tickling fight again.
"I give up! I surrender!" Ryoko finally panted. "You are evil, you know that, Sango?" She grinned. "I learned from the best."
They sat there for the rest of the night, staring up at the stars, reminiscing about the past. A pleasant past, now that both thought about it. Ryoko stared at the stars above him. One of the quests he had left unfinished from his past was done. Now, all that was left to fix was destiny.