Chapter 4
"Kill her."
Kaori's golden eyes widened in shock, then anger. "W-w-what!?" She sputtered. Then quickly scooted back as Gantatsu's blade neared her throat. He sneered as he hissed, "Ready to die, girly?"
At first, Kaori was frightened. How could Haku do this to her? He was her guardian! Weren't guardian's supposed to guard not kill?? But as soon as Gantatsu raised his sword for the killing blow, Haku's previous words came to her mind: 'Use your speed as a defense!'
She rolled to the side just as Gantatsu's blade came down, just missing her. She grabbed her fallen katana and raised it in a right block as his blade made a side sweep. She used her demon enhanced speed to get behind him and kick at the back of his knees. He caught himself in a roll as he fell and turned to face her. With great speed, Gantotsu did several blurred moves with his sword and Kaori found herself unable to see some of his sword thrusts, causing her to get cut many times. Desperately she swung her sword high then low, trying to catch an opening, to no avail.
'Why can't I get him?' Kaori mentally asked worriedly.
'Watch for the signals of your opponents movements then strike!'
Again, Haku's sharp commands came to her mind. Backing out of range of his sword and continuing to dodge his advances, Kaori calmed her mind and observed his movements. A muscle twitch and a step turned slightly, 'There!' she thought and jabbed at his side as he feinted to the right. Unfortunately, Gantatsu was ready for her and blocked her sword just in time to keep from getting stabbed. Kaori was perplexed, clearly she had predicted his movement but still he had blocked it.
'Faster!'
Sheathing her sword, Kaori read his movements. He was going for a down side sweep from the left. If it connected it would wound her fatally, if not cut her in half. In a blur, she sped past him to the right, unsheathing the sword at the same time and felt his flesh connect with blade as it slid through. Gantatsu halted as Kaori's sword cut his side. Clutching the wound, he fell to his knees.
Kaori turned and faced her opponent, her eyes glittering with loathing for the greedy creature. "No, I'm not ready to die. Are you?" She raised her sword threateningly. He said and did nothing except cling to his wound to stop the bleeding.
Convinced the lizard demon would do nothing more to her, Kaori walked towards Haku. He looked at her with a neutral expression but said nothing. Kaori struggled to keep her emotions in check. She wanted to cry, laugh, spit at, and thank him all at the same time. How dare he try to get her killed! However, he did make his point, but he didn't have to scare her like that! Overall, it was his previous advice that saved her life. So instead of telling him off, Kaori bowed and said simply, "Thank you, Sensei."
--
During her fight, Haku could see the changes in Kaori as she realized what he had been trying to tell her all along. Her speed was amazing and the way she perfectly predicted Gantatsu's right feint had nearly made him swell with pride. Haku had hoped that she would not be stupid enough to get herself killed. He knew he should not have lost his temper like that, especially since she was his responsibility, but the girl had to learn. He and Kita would not be around for much longer and would not be able to protect and guide her forever. When Kaori walked towards him, he kept his face void of emotion, testing how she reacted to her ordeal. Like a true student who had learned her lesson, she simply bowed and thanked her teacher.
Haku nodded and also bowed. "I am pleased you have learned, my lady. Perhaps we can also make progress tonight with your aim."
--
For whatever reason, tonight's transformation wasn't so bad, but it still hurt. Kaori composed herself, and walked outside. 'How do humans survive with such bad sense of smell and eyesight? It's been how many years and I'm still not used to it!' Kaori thought as she wandered almost blindly to the small clearing in the trees they used for practice. The night was especially dark because of the new moon, but otou-san was insistent that they practice.
She saw Haku standing next to a big tree, waiting patiently. He had something in his hand but because of the dark night, she could not make out what it was. He motioned her closer, and handed to her the object he had been holding. "You will practice with this tonight." Haku said.
Kaori looked down at the thing in her hand, expectantly. It looked like --"A tooth?" She asked confused.
"A fang." Haku corrected. "One of your father's to be more precise."
Kaori was still confused, "Very touching, otou-san. I mean Sensei. But what am I supposed to-"
At that moment, she felt a blade at her throat. "I will show you." Came his cold voice suddenly behind her. Her heart beat rapidly, more out of surprise than out of fear. 'How did he do that?' she wondered. One minute he had been in front of her, and now he had blade at her throat from behind. The object in her hand felt heavier and when she held it up, she gasped.
Behind her, Haku relaxed his stance and lowered the knife at Kaori's throat. "It reacts to your emotions." He explained as she marveled at the intricate throwing knife she now held in her hand. "Anytime you feel vulnerable, your heart pounds, your thoughts race, and your father's fang grows into the small knife you see now. It is guaranteed to hit anything it is aimed at. But it is for protection purposes only; it was forged to be used as a last resort."
Kaori's green eyes sparkled and her more humanly instincts took over as she enveloped Haku in what was probably his very first hug.
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Author's Note: Is it just me or does Haku threaten her a lot? LOL. Now that Kaori received her toothy gift from dear old dad (InuTaisho's legacy among his kids right? ) I think i will get rid of the parents and move on with the actual story line. Does that sound good?? REVIEW PLZ!! I know for a fact over 50 people have read this story so far, but i only have like 4 reviews! Plz plz plz leave me some indication as to what you think of the story so far, or what you'd like to see next! THNK YOU!