Chapter II: Mercenaries

Written: July 15, 14


Kagome awoke early the following morning, stretching herself before allowing a small groan to escape her lips. Getting up and out of bed, she surveyed the room and smiled. Outside, the sun had briefly begun to rise from the eastern horizons, signalling the commencement of another day – a joyous and wonderful day, she dubbed.

Making the bed, she set about changing from her night clothes and into her knightly garments. Sliding on the last bit of undergarments and under padding, she stalked towards the vanity and quickly brushed and combed her hair. She settled for tying her waist long hair back into a braid before pinning it up into a nice and firm bun. Making sure that no pieces were protruding, she then attempted to pin back her bangs, but scowled when a large portion refused to cooperate.

She rolled her eyes. I suppose this lopsided fringe of mine will just have to remain... as usual.

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind, before continuing to dress herself. Moments after finishing, a knock at the door caught her attention.

"Coming," she said and walked forward. Twisting the door handle, she was greeted by the sight of Therius. Her eyes softened. "Good morning, Therius." She nodded, smiling.

He nodded accordingly. "I see that you are still habituated to your early morning habits, Lady Kagome."

She arched a brow before sighing heavily. "Therius, how many times have I told you, when it's just the two of us, we don't need to address each other with our usual titles."

"My apologizes, Lady Kagome."

"Uh," she uttered, "Therius I—no, never mind." She banished the thought from her mind. For years, both General Asthar and she fought tirelessly to have Therius speak to them in a less formal tone when merely in the company of each other. However, unsurprisingly, the knight struggled to grasp and retain such a habit.

I guess he's constantly in 'Knight Mode' twenty-four seven. She thought, grinning.

"Lady Kagome, if you are willing and able, I would like to test your skills with your blade. I am interested in seeing whether or not your capabilities have strengthened or remained the same during our year long absence." That caught her attention.

"Therius… you wish to have a duel, now?" She hadn't even been up for ten minutes, and already the knight was interested in a one-on-one combat session. "Goodness, what time is it?"

"Roughly, it is five minutes before five," he answered simply. "If you are not willing to spar now, then speak up. I can return at a later time, if you prefer." Though inviting, his tone left no room for argument. Kagome knew from experience that Therius could – and would – wait for hours whenever he wanted a suitable sparing partner.

She sighed dejectedly. "Give me a moment to retrieve my blade. Afterwards, I suppose we'll make our way down to the Military Wing?" Luckily at this hour, not too many knights would be training. Only a handful would be awake, and would be too busy grumbling over the fact of having to be up at such an ungodly hour to pay attention to herself and Therius.

"Understood, I shall wait outside." She watched him walk towards the wall directly across from her bedroom, and lean against it, crossing him arms all while maintaining perfect posture.

She stifled a laugh. To her, Therius's stance resembled much of the statues situated throughout the castle. The only difference is he has better hair then them. There was no use in denying it; Therius possessed a long and lean lush of beautiful white tinted hair. Sometimes, from the back, I've heard people mistaken him for an old man. She bit her bottom lip to prevent herself from chuckling. But then again, his white mane is envied by many girls. Kagome would never admit it openly, but she too was envious of the man's perfect hair. He literally does nothing to his hair but brush and wash it regularly, and yet, they're somehow perfect… all the time! It wasn't fair. His hair looked soft enough to resemble a perfectly white cloud floating in the sky on a lovely summer afternoon. Meanwhile, mine looks like a haystack before and after I pin it back.

"Uhh!" she hissed and grabbed her blade. Sliding the sheath to fit comfortably by her side, she exited the room, locking the door behind her. Pocketing the key, she cast Therius a small glance before following him down the hall towards the Military Wing.


"Hmm!"

"Uhh!"

Their blades clashed violently against each other. For a minute, Kagome struggled to maintain her stance against Therius. In contrast to her, he was much stronger physically. With his toned ligaments and well devised attacks, it made the situation difficult for Kagome, as she struggled to both dodge and locate a suitable opening to strike.

He might possess stronger attacks, but I'm quicker on my feet. She would have to use her speed to her advantage. When fighting Therius, speed was her only positive. But where and when can I?

"Above!" She then hissed, raising her sword just in time to block his incoming attack. Damn. She gritted her teeth. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small black strand fall to the ground. Her eyes widened. Therius had sliced off a small – well, rather miniscule – portion of her hair. Her jaw partially dropped. That no good—

"Hmm!" Without realizing it, Therius had managed to knock her blade from her hands. The raven haired knight watched it skid across the training grounds, towards the nearest wall.

"Damn," she hissed, breathing hard. Sweat dripping from her scalp, she placed her hands on her trim waist, feeling the redness of her cheeks flourishing further. "It looks—it looks like you've bested me."

Therius as well appeared partially clammy. The upper portion of his forehead was covered with perspiration, and Kagome saw a slight redness in his cheeks. She watched him slide his sword away, saying nothing about her skills. Instead he uttered something far worse: "You were distracted."

Kagome's jaw dropped. She felt her blood boil. Prepared to unleash a hefty retort, she caught herself midway when seeing several others gawking their way. Most consisted of knights, informers and guards. With several stationed throughout the corridor and beyond, Kagome knew raising her voice and shouting profanities at Therius was out of the question.

She settled instead with sighing heavily. "I wasn't distracted," she stated, walking forward to collect her sword. "I was merely… lost in thought." Therius's narrowed eyes only made her laugh lightly. She slid the sword back in its holster. "Those are two very different things."

"How so?" he challenged her. "They both imply the same; that you were distracted. In a real fight, you would have perished long ago."

Vexed, she crossed her arms. "Well, I, hmm—" She puffed out her cheeks. She wanted no more than to scream. Here it was still early morning, she hadn't eaten, was still tired, and with Therius critiquing her in front of so many people… well, it didn't make her a very happy camper.

In an attempt to maintain some form of composure, she enclosed the distance between herself and Therius, whispering, "You had the unfair advantage."

"Which was?" Therius questioned, choosing his words carefully. When it came to Kagome, he always had to be on guard. Her emotions varied widely throughout the day, generally from content to livid in a matter of minutes.

She titled her head partially to the left. "… I hadn't yet eaten," she mumbled before walking off. Struggling to contain herself from blushing profusely, she stalked past the guards, refusing to look back – even when feeling Therius's gaze boring into her backside.

Goodness, how stupid could I be? She thought, fiddling with the straps of her gloves. 'You had the unfair advantage… I hadn't yet eaten?' Ah! How stupid am I! Wanting nothing more then to bang her head against the wall, she waited for the elevator to reach the lower floor and open, before pushing her way inside, still struggling to conceal her growing blush.

I'm such an idiot!


Hours passed by slowly for Kagome as she struggled to keep herself occupied. With the larger portion of the castle staff preoccupied in preparing for the evening's festivities, she more or less had free reign for several hours until her evening shift of watching the ball commenced.

I guess this break is good in some ways… it gives me some time to avoid Therius. Kagome still could not get over the immense fact of how she embarrassed herself in front of the knight. I haven't seen him in a year… and then I had to go and say that?! What kind of a moron am I?

She struggled to hold herself together. Although she was currently alone, there was no telling who might be watching. Even if a lowly maid or nobleman were to see her, she could only imagine what form of idle gossip would soon be passed around the castle walls. Based on her loss earlier this morning in the Military Wing, she could already imagine the knights were having a field day. They loved to hold anything they could above her, as many still believed her to be incompetent and unworthy of her title as knight.

She hissed with displeasure. Perhaps I ought to visit Kaede; she might make me feel better… or have something I might be able to do to pass the time.

Kaede was the castle's top healer. She had been appointed the position by the former Count many years before the birth of Lady Calista. When Count Arganan took the throne however, he was hesitant on keeping Kaede on staff. It took multiple referrals from other nursemaids and even several knights to keep the woman working. However, in the end, it had been General Asthar who had the final say. With his words, he had managed to convince the Count to not only allow Kaede to stay, but receive a larger annual fund for the purchasing of herbs and potions to be bought and shipped to the castle and island.

Kaede is quite kind, if a little rough. There was no other way to describe the woman. But I suppose she'd have to be tough, what with the life she endured. Kagome knew very little regarding the woman's past. She merely knew that Kaede had grown up in a small village protected by her elder sister, who acted as the village's head priestess. One day when fighting a monster, her sister was gravely injured and passed on. Kaede, who was no more than a young girl at the time, tried her best to help the others combat the monster. Despite being young, she was quite proficient in the art of archery, and with her skills, she managed to help the villagers defeat the beast… but had lost her left eye in the process. Since then, she's sported an eye patch.

"I suppose Kaede would be in need of some assistance." The more Kagome thought of visiting her, the more she liked it. Kaede was quite happy whenever Kagome visited her in the Medical Wing, and would almost always help her, whether it be through expanding her knowledge in the art of healing, or merely providing a temporary ear to listen to. On account of such, Kagome had developed a large amount of trust with Kaede. And similar to her views towards General Ashtar, she greatly admired Kaede and sometimes considered the woman to be that of a second mother.

In order to head to the Medical Wing, I'll need to pass through the Great Hall, which isn't too far from where I'm currently docked. It would take the girl a matter of minutes to reach there. With a hopeful smile lining her face, she departed for the Medical Wing, slowly beginning to feel her past sentiments of sorrow and embarrassment banishing. Who knows, maybe I can even have the chance to practice more of my healing magic. That made her smile widen. Besides her love of being a knight, Kagome loved to help others. One of the best ways she found to do so was through her healing magic.

I may not be as good as Lady Kaede, but I certainly have improved since my early stages in the area. At nine, Kagome began to train as a healing mage. I was training in the art of healing for eight years before having met General Ashtar. Similar to Kaede, Kagome once resided in a small forest village, which specialized particularly in growing wheat to be shipped across the Ocean to the nearest cities. At the time, Kagome lived with her grandfather, as both her parents and younger brother had passed on years before when their house was set afire. Kagome happened to be out at the time… but the rest of her family wasn't as lucky. I was only seven when I lost all three of them… I barely remember them, but it still hurts to think about them, even to this day…

With her startling loss, Kagome was quickly shipped off to the neighbouring village where her grandfather resided. Her grandfather was a history fanatic and lover of storytelling, and also managed the Higurashi Shrine, which had been passed down throughout the family for generations. Before the death of her younger brother, Souta, Kagome's parents were planning to send him to live with his grandfather, so that one day he could take over the Shrine… Sadly, that never transpired. Thus, before her grandfather's passing, he planned to take on a future student to train and one day marry Kagome, as she would be the key to keeping on the shrine's familial blood line in check. Yet, before he even began his search, her grandfather insisted – more like enforced – Kagome to learn the art of healing and the background of the shrine. He claimed it was his granddaughter's duty to undertake such a task, and even went as far as to locate a suitable instructor to begin training her. By the age of nine, Kagome had begun her studies under the tutelage of Lady Midoriko.

Lady Midoriko was a stunning woman; a person Kagome could not forget. She had made a name for herself throughout the area as being a wandering priestess. She travelled from towns to villages alike, tending to the injured, dying and weak. In part, it was because of her kind and gentle nature, which made Kagome's interest in healing accumulate to such a large degree.

I always wondered what happened to Midoriko. She thought, turning down the corridor. The day that our village was attacked by bandits, she had rushed off to help the children hiding within the school… but afterwards, she never returned. Kagome remembered that day well. Days after her seventeenth birthday, bandits invaded the village. They set the houses ablaze, robbed the people of their little treasures and livelihoods, and killed the men, before deciding to take the women and children for themselves – most likely to sell to brothels or keep for servants of pleasure. Kagome shuddered at the thought. I thought we had almost been done for that day, but then General Asthar and his knights appeared. She vaguely remembered their appearance; the knights riding into town on horseback, ready to take on battle with the General at their side.

General Asthar… he was simply magnificent… His skill and kindness had left me speechless that day. At the time, Kagome had been struggling to defend the village with several others. The majority had been older men, who were first hesitant to allow Kagome to help them; but after seeing her take down a bandit relatively easy with her blade, they no longer had any issues. It must have seemed surprising at the time, Kagome Higurashi, the granddaughter of the village's Shrine keeper was able to wield a blade surprisingly well. They knew she was undergoing healing training by Lady Midoriko, but none knew the woman had been training Kagome in the art of swordsmanship as well. It was a task that Midoriko wished to keep secret, and Kagome remembered having to swear secrecy about it.

I always assumed it was because she didn't want grandfather to know... Perhaps she feared that if he found out, he would have terminated our lessons. That was the reason Kagome had assumed that Midoriko wished to keep their sparing sessions a secret. I wished I could have asked her why… but whenever I attempted to raise the issue, she would always sidetrack me with something else. It almost seemed like Midoriko was avoiding the question. Partially, it had irked Kagome; she only wanted her question answered, but the older woman seemed hesitant—better yet, she seemed to flat out refuse but was merely too polite to say so directly. I suppose I'll never have the chance to ask her… with her disappearance and grandfather's death caused by the bandits during the invasion, I had much more important matters to worry about…

After the attack, I had no clue as to what I would do with my life… grandfather still hadn't selected a suitable apprentice, and I would not have been able to take on all of the Shrine duties on my own… Then there was the village. So many innocent people had died that day. How would the village function? There had been too many issues to resolve. Even to this day, when thinking about the village, Kagome's head begun to spin. She recalled how everything was in shambles; houses burning, people fighting to take back their stolen goods, children crying, people dying. I knew that I had to help heal the others and help keep the children safe, but there was so much going on… I felt like my head would have exploded… But then, General Asthar and the knights approached again, making things a little bit easier to handle.Kagome recalled that moment best of all. It was hard to forget, after all, General Asthar certainly knew how to make an impression. He seemed interested… especially in having a discussion with me… He inquired about the village and what had occurred… He even had his knights aid in extinguishing the flames and rounding up the children and injured… Afterwards, once things had settled down, he approached me again, and spoke to me. I can recall our conversation perfectly.

"Young woman, you certainly are well adept with a blade. Tell me, what is your name?"

"Kagome Higurashi, Sir—"

"Asthar, call me Asthar."

"Sir Asthar then, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"You as well, Lady Kagome… Please tell me, where had you learned such skills with a blade?"

I had been hesitant to answer his question. With Midoriko swearing me to secrecy, I wasn't sure if I should reveal such to the General. Regardless of the fact that he helped protect the village, I vowed to keep my promise to Lady Midoriko—and have done so to this day. "I have been practising on my own for several years, Sir Asthar."

It appeared as though he hadn't believed me, yet he never questioned me further on the issue. "I see. In any event, you are quite skilled. I am impressed to have located a suitable swordswoman in these parts. That is quite a rare feature in itself…" His eyes had appeared to twinkle with something. Curiosity? Perhaps… interest? I wasn't too sure, but what I did know was that he seemed determined in continuing our conversation.

We may have ceased our tête-à-tête that night, but by morning he was at my side again questioning me further… He inquired about my family, and I vividly recall that when he learned of me being an orphan, he suggested: "Why not join us, Lady Kagome?" I had been stunned, far too confused to generate a proper answer. He had continued. "If you are interested, I would be keen on taking you on as my future pupil. You are well adept with a blade and are quite skilled in the art of healing. Those two areas combined with training under my area of expertise would one day make you a suitable candidate for knighthood."

… Knighthood… Just thinking about it then sent shivers down my spine… I knew for a fact that I was nowhere near suitable for such a position… It seemed too dream-like to accept… but then again, what else did I have? I didn't have many friends in the village, and no one seemed too keen in taking me in. Grandfather's shrine had burnt to the ground, along with all of the familial heirlooms… I had nowhere else to go… And General Ashtar was the only one who showed relative interest in me… When I think about it even to this day, I don't regret accepting his invitation to becoming his student… Had it not been for him, I wouldn't be standing here today…

Kagome stopped mere inches from the central staircase of the Grand Hall. Her eyes were moist with fresh tears. She struggled to withhold the urge of blatantly wiping them in public. She knew it went against her principles to appear weak in the eyes of the public—especially in the eyes of nobility. With it being mere hours before the ball, more noblemen and noblewomen were wandering the central halls and floors of the castle. Anywhere she went, she would have to be extra cautious and maintain proper composure like there was no tomorrow. Sometimes she detested this part of being a knight; the fact of having to maintain her decorum at all times… but again, it was merely part of her position, and something she would have to learn to live with it.

I've dealt with it for years, long before I was even appointed knight at Lazulis Castle… I should be more than used to it.

"Syrenne, stop gawping like an idiot," a man shushed.

"Hmm?" Interested, Kagome leaned closer towards the northern railings, and noticed a small group approaching the central staircase. It was a group of six, composed of two women and four men. All six sported an overwhelming majority of black clothing, and the female redhead and blonde haired male appeared to be looking around whilst squawking to each other quietly.

Kagome suppressed a laugh. Those two seemed quite like the handful.

"The ball is due to start soon." The one she assumed to be the leader spoke up. "There could be feuding nobles together in the same place. So take care that nothing unfortunate happens." He turned around and appeared to stare at the redhead in particular.

The blonde smirked. "Sure thing. Syrenne, try not to show off your complete lack of class, eh?"

Syrenne glared. "Shut yer pie hole, Lowell. You're a fine one to talk!"

Kagome softly snorted. I wonder how she would respond to Therius. She smirked at the thought before focusing her attention to the group once again. Curious, she briefly surveyed each, noticing that each member appeared to have some form of weapon on them. The other woman and the youngest male – who wore an eye patch – both had small daggers strapped to their sides. Kagome assumed one to be a mage while the other was most likely a healer. My guess is that the female is the healer. The blonde, whose name appeared to be Lowell, also had a dagger strapped to his side. Another mage… perhaps? The remaining three each had a typical sword strapped to their sides. But again, the female redhead – Syrenne was her name, right? – In particular had two swords strapped to her sides. This caught Kagome's attention. She arched a brow, whistling softly. A female capable of fighting with two blades; now, that is impressive.

Lost in thought, Kagome snapped out of her daze several minutes later when realizing she had nearly forgotten to visit Lady Kaede. Straightening herself, she fastidiously brushed off any pieces of dirt or grim covering her uniform before commencing once again to walk in the direction of the Medical Wing.

Heading straight past the central staircase, a low whistle caught her attention. "Well, well, would ye look at that, a female knight."

She stopped walking upon recognizing the voice. It belonged to the female redhead Syrenne.

"Uh oh, Syrenne, it looks like she heard you," Lowell, the blonde, whispered in a teasing tone. "Do you think she'll come over here and have a word with ya?"

Kagome arched a brow, deciding to ignore his words. I've already caused a large enough 'scandal' for today, I better not try my luck at another. With that thought in mind, she kept walking, refusing to look their way. She could feel several gazes upon her, and never once doubted that a set belonged to Syrenne and Lowell. Right before leaving the room, she discreetly heard her snort.

"That woman is nothing more than another stuck up knight. Probably got a pole shoved up her arse too high and doesn't know how to remove it."

The comment made her stop in her tracks. Blinking profoundly, she turned herself around only to mentally scold herself before moving on. I mustn't start anything; I mustn't start anything, she kept repeating to herself. I must maintain my decorum; after all, I am in the eyes of the public.

Biting her tongue, Kagome exhaled loudly and exited the Great Hall, swallowing the urge to turn around and teach the redhead a lesson in not judging others based upon a single glance.

But who am I to say such things, when I've done the same before too?


Author's Note: I was bored and decided to write this all in one day. Honestly, I could have made this chapter even longer. I have quite a bit planned, but I suppose I'll include the rest of what I had planned for this chapter into the next. Don't be too surprised if the next chapter is posted up quite soon. I'm thoroughly enjoying writing this story, and since I'm off for the next few days with nothing much to do, I'll probably be spending most of the days writing… Yay!

Also, thank you to zgirl16 and xXCrossoverLoverXx for reviewing the first chapter. I'm happy to know that people are enjoying the story. Thank you to everyone else who placed the story on their alerts and favourites. It truly means a lot to me. Also, to anyone else who is interested, in the next chapter, we'll be seeing several other InuYasha characters appear. Not counting Kaede, Shippou and Kirara will be making an appearance. I'm still struggling to find a way to include Miroku, Sango and InuYasha, but I'm really trying, since I want them featured in the story. Again, if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to comment on it.

Well, I suppose that's it for now. I hope you liked the chapter.

All the best, and thank you for reading,

-TFSA

P.S., Before I forget to mention it, in case anyone is curious about Kagome and Therius's ages, here it is:

Therius – 30 years old

Kagome – 28 years old

I looked it up, and apparently Therius is somewhere between 30-35 years old… Kind of shocked me, but I suppose it fits. Nonetheless, to make their 'relationship' more accurate and suitable, I decided to make Kagome roughly the same age as him, but a couple years younger.

As well, if anyone noticed any grammar and/or spelling mistakes, feel free to point them out. After hours of staring at the same document, I might not have caught some. X3 I think loads of people on this site can relate, no?