Chapter Seven of "To Be Human: Prelude"
By Melinda-chan
Rin was in a dream.
She was in a field surrounded with flowers. She saw lilies, azaleas and other colourful flowers around her. Rin felt so joyful.
"This one is for Sesshoumaru-sama… this one is for Jaken-sama…this one is for Nobu-sama…" Rin said as she picked flowers one by one. She then looked up. "Sesshoumaru-sama! Jaken-sama! I got some flowers for you! They are so many and so pretty! And I got some for Nobu-sama too! Sesshoumaru-sama?"
She then saw the backs of her beloved dog-eared lord and his imp servant as they walked away. They did not even turn their heads to acknowledge her. Despite Rin's shout, they continued to walk.
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Jaken-sama! Wait for me!" Rin yelled but the more she ran, the more distant that the demons became. Rin dropped the flowers and held out her hands in an attempt to reach them.
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Jaken-sama!" Rin cried out. But as she did, they faded away.
"No!!! Sesshou-" Rin yelled. She suddenly woke up to see Nobu staring right back at her.
"Are you feeling well, Rin-chan?" Nobu asked concerned.
"Rin is okay," she said. However she felt sweaty. "It was just a nightmare".
"That is great to hear," Nobu said, relieved. "Grandmother will be here soon to give you some tea".
"Thank you" Rin said. She then noticed that Nobu was still looking at her. She backed away from him, a little afraid.
"Who is Sesshou?" Nobu asked. Rin looked surprised.
"Sesshou?" Rin said. Did she say that out loud? She wondered.
"You called out 'No! Sesshou-' and then woke up. I don't want to sound nosy but I was just curious" Nobu said.
"He-he is my lord" Rin answered. 'That is true' she thought.
"Is he a daimyo?" Nobu asked.
"A daimyo?" Rin asked, not sure what he meant. Nobu took a deep breath.
"Does your lord have a castle? Does he have servants? Does he have an army?" Nobu asked her.
"No, my lord does not have an army," Rin answered. Nobu looked visibly relieved.
"I am so happy to hear that" Nobu said. "There are evil men who use local villages as sites for their battles. I would not want any of them to come here". Rin puffed up her chest with pride.
"My lord is more powerful than a mere mortal!" Rin exclaimed. "He is more powerful than ten mortal lords! But he's not interested in invading villages".
"That's a relief," Nobu said. "So your lord is not a daimyo? Where does he live?"
"He lives out in the west," Rin told him. "But he travels a lot".
"Do you travel with him a lot?" Nobu asked her.
"Oh yes. He is very kind to me and he protects me," Rin said. Nobu smiled.
"He sounds like a good man," the boy said. He then took out his sword and looked at it. "This village has battled Himitsu since a year ago. We do not need to worry about evil men".
"Why does Himitsu want to attack this village so bad?" Rin asked. Nobu stared at the floor for a short time, before answering.
"He wants to kill me," Nobu finally answered.
"What?" Rin said a little shocked. "Why does he want to kill you?" Nobu put the sword on his lap.
"It is partly because of my father and partly because of what I did a year ago. You see, my father was the high priest of this village. It was his responsibility as well as a few other priests to keep the village spiritually strong and also keep the village safe from spiritual threats like demons. From my infancy onward I was taught to follow in my father's footsteps. All of the priests were devout Buddhists so their spiritual power was very strong, especially my father. So when Himitsu came, they thought they could expel him like any other demon. But they were wrong and they got killed instead," Nobu said. All of a sudden Toyoka appeared.
"Do you want any tea, Rin?" she asked her, holding a cup of tea.
"Yes please" Rin answered. Toyoka put down the cup of tea into the girl's hands.
"Be very careful. It is still very hot," the old woman warned. She then looked at Nobu. "My grandson, do you want any tea for yourself?"
"Not right now Grandmother" Nobu replied. She nodded and walked away. Rin put the cup to her mouth and sipped it slowly. "Do you think your lord is looking for you?"
"I know he is" Rin answered. 'I hope' she thought nervously. The dream of Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama leaving her came to her mind. She didn't think her lord would do that but the very thought brought shivers down her body. Nobu saw her shiver.
"Is it the poison acting up?" he asked her. He then took off his robe and put it around her. "That should keep you warm".
"Is that the only robe you have?" Rin asked.
"It is my kesa" Nobu replied. "I patterned it after my own father's robe but of course I had it made to fit me". He put the right fold over the left fold and tied the kesa at the front. "I want you to be warm. I cannot allow Himitsu to kill another person, especially a girl like you". Rin looked at the prayer bead at her left hand.
"I wonder how long will I have to wear this?" Rin questioned.
"I do not know" Nobu answered. "All the other victims of Himitsu died within half an hour". (Note: In feudal Japan an hour would consist of two hours today so Nobu really said an hour).
Rin didn't know what to say. She remembered how she felt when she got bitten. She lost consciousness quickly but not before feeling like she was in a blazing fire with pain in all her insides. She felt so weak afterward. How could she survive after that?
"They must have died in horrible pain!" Rin exclaimed.
"I cannot rest until Himitsu is killed" Nobu told her. "He has killed so many people. It is not just here but in other villages as well. After the first attack I erected a demon barrier so he cannot enter but I cannot keep everyone inside forever. If I can just take off his head, then we would not live in fear anymore".
"How can you kill such a demon?" Rin asked him. He looked at his sword on his lap.
"This sword is a holy sword made of spiritual energy. I do not know how and where my family got it but I found it when Himitsu was attacking the village. He was in his full demon form. He looks like a great black snake that can excrete great amounts of poison from his long fangs. I don't know how I did it but I awakened the power inside the sword when I tried to attack him. I used all my anger and strength to extract the sword's power and aim it right at Himitsu's head. I knew I succeeded but I was too tired to finish him off. I went asleep. When I woke up, I realized that every priest, including my father, was killed and that I had to become the new priest. And because of that and the barrier, he has been seeking to kill everyone in the village ever since, but especially me," Nobu explained. Rin looked down with a sad expression on her face.
'He probably don't want to hear more about Sesshoumaru-sama,' Rin thought. 'If Himitsu is like this, he probably would not want to hear about Sesshoumaru-sama'. Her eyes suddenly went wide open as she realized something. She spoke out loud. "Did you manage to find the demon that you were seeking?" Nobu at first said nothing. What can he say to her?
"I did try to find the demon but it was gone by the time I went to the spring" Nobu answered. "I will try to find it again but I am not sure if it'll come here again." Rin smiled, relieved that Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama was not seen. Nobu mistook the expression for gladness and smiled back. "You know there is going to be a tea ceremony in two days. Would you like to come along?"
"A tea ceremony?" Rin asked. "There is a ceremony for tea?"
"The art of serving tea has existed for hundreds of years" Nobu explained. "It is a graceful art and can be a pleasant experience for the body and mind. We also eat other foods as well. It is a big ceremony and both males and females can participate. You'll enjoy it". He then looked at her, covered with o-fudas and prayer beads. "Of course it depends how you feel at that time".
"I will love to come," Rin answered. "It sounds good". She then untied the kesa and handed it to him. "I feel better now. It does not fit me anyway".
"Oh," Nobu said. He then put the kesa back on. "You know, I think you are a special girl. I'll love to see you when you become a woman". Rin had to blink in surprise. She then turned a bit red in her cheeks. Just then the room separator slid open.
"Supper is ready, children" Toyoka announced. Nobu nodded. He then turned back to Rin.
"We should eat now. Afterwards, I can teach you how to write more characters" Nobu told her. Rin smiled. They went to the kitchen area. For the first time since Rin found herself in this village, she felt happy.
Toyoka smiled as well. She noted that the children looked like a very young couple as Nobu helped her put soup and rice in her two bowls. Toyoka could not help but feel proud for her son for raising Nobu before his death. She also felt proud for Rin's parents or guardian for raising such a nice, sweet girl.
'I hope that someone does find her,' Toyoka thought. 'I would like to know who raised her and thanked them for raising her. She'll be quite a woman when she grows up'.
"Grandmother, are you coming to eat with us?" Nobu asked her. He had his chopsticks in his rice bowl while Rin was looking at her with her own chopsticks in her mouth.
"Of course my grandson," Toyoka said. She then joined them as they ate their supper.
End of Chapter Seven
My readers will have to wait for Chapter Eight. I will have to order a book from the library in order to write the chapter. It may take a few days to a month to receive so readers will have to wait until I get the book to write Chapter Eight. I'll inform all my readers when I am done like always. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. My readers should know more about Nobu now. This is almost halfway through the story now so I hope to pick up the pace after a few more chapters. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please do not forget to review!
