Seiko felt herself begin to awaken but did not open her eyes in fear of any harsh light she might see. With a defiant motion she let one lid slide up to survey her surroundings. It wasn't very bright at all, in fact only a distant crackling fireplace and a few candles were lit. Seiko sat up from where she was, feeling a blanket come away from her chest and a plush futon give beneath her. With both eyes now open she took a better look around and found herself in a finely furnished room. She gave a sniff and sensed someone in the corner of the area. A female oni emerged in a simple kimono with a sash around her head to tie back the long yellow hair she adorned. The youkai appeared beside the bed with a low bow and Seiko raised an eyebrow to her.
"Where am I?"
She looked up at Seiko with a small smile. "You are in Lord Sesshomaru's castle ma'am."
Seiko's eyes got a bit bigger and she crossed her arms in slight disbelief. "So, he actually let me in this time?"
The servant gave a giggle as Seiko smiled at the joke. She then gave a straight face and another bow. "Begging your pardon but I am to escort you to Lord Sesshomaru's dojo. He wishes to speak with you upon awakening."
Seiko gave a nod and slid out of bed. Things felt different though; perhaps Sesshomaru knew why. The servant girl led Seiko down the east wing hallway and around to a foyer beside the kitchens. They then went through a thick shoji screen and into a large and very bright training room. Sesshomaru stood in the middle of the dojo with his youkai whip crackling beside him and a plain but stern face. The servant bowed herself out of the room and Seiko stood alone near the door. Sesshomaru motioned for her to come closer, there was quite a distance between them, and she complied. Looking around on her way she noticed the many exotic weapons, shields and types of armor placed on the walls of the dojo. They all looked ancient, some even foreign, but in mint condition, all with their own stories of past battles fought. When she was close enough to reach out and touch him she stopped, hopping she hadn't crossed any boundaries by standing so close. Sesshomaru did not seem nor care to notice.
"I have come to a conclusion. It would be in your best interest to know how to create a weapon such as mine in times of battle. There will be a war; a war which you are partially responsible for so I do expect you to fight in it when needed. Of course Lord Hachiro has battalions which are strong against hand-to-hand combat so that would prove to be your weakest point. You will learn and master this ability or you will be at a great disadvantage in battle. Now, after your training you will clean yourself and come down for dinner, then retire early for you will be exhausted, physically and mentally. Come dawn tomorrow morning we will greet Inuyasha and his group for they will be arriving as well then back to your training, we have no time for minor interruptions such as the hanyou."
Seiko gave a few blinks at all he had just said. That had to have been the most he'd spoken, at once, to her. She gave her head a slight shake then a nod when he raised an eyebrow at what looked to be her first answer. "But I thought this takes years to master."
"I took years for me to master. My father could use this ability in six days. We can only hope you are better than he was in this situation for you only have four to fully control this power. We have a limited window but the exact date of Hachiro's attack is unknown, although I do know he can not gather his armies in less than the four days."
"This is gonna be difficult then..." Seiko bit her bottom lip in worry but pressed on determinedly. "Okay, how does this whip thing work?"
"Is the whip your weapon of choice then?"
"Well, no, it can be pretty much anything, right?"
Sesshomaru gave a small nod.
Seiko looked around the room again; her gaze resting on a whip that was identical in shape to Sesshomaru's conjured one. Not far from it was a beautiful wooden spear with an ebony tip, spiked and jagged like the fangs of a deadly youkai. Seiko walked to it, her hands coming up and brushing over the smooth shaft and touching one of the three pointed tips; instant bleeding. She admired the purple fur that tied around the twine which brought the two ends together. Seiko had made her decision. She took the spear into her hands only to find it was much lighter than she had anticipated.
Sesshomaru felt his whip dissipate as Seiko stood before him once again, holding the spear like a fine staff at her side. "You have made your decision then?" Seiko gave a nod and Sesshomaru bowed his head slightly. "What color do you want it to appear as?"
Seiko looked at the fine plum colored fur. "Purple seems like a good idea."
Sesshomaru gave a look of understanding and sat down, Seiko joining him, resting the spear in her lap. "Now, I want you to concentrate and visualize the exact form of the spear. You must see every crevice and detail of the tip and every line in the wooden handle. See it as if it was part of your mind's eye."
Seiko closed her eyes, letting her hands wander over the spear, memorizing every feature. The smooth wooden handle without a single flaw or blemish and the steel rod it surrounded that gave it the durability to last but was thin enough to keep it light and springy. After many minutes Seiko opened her eyes and Sesshomaru was watching her.
"Do you have a feel for it then?"
She gave a brief nod and placed the spear down in front of her.
"Now comes the difficult part. You must find your center and for this weapon I recommend forming it in the palms of your hands. You must gather and direct your energy, your chi, and force it to those points. You must visualize the shape you want it to form upon release. Do not expect results on your first try; it's nearly impossible."
Seiko nodded again and closed her eyes, leaving her hands open palm up and trying as best she could to center her energy. She found it difficult to do that and visualize the spear clearly. After a minute or so a bead of sweat dripped down her left temple and she felt a strain between her eyes. She gave a pained cry as they sprang open, glittering silver and she shook her concentration away but the pain stayed.
"The first attempt is never pleasant but gradually you will become accustomed to the ache it causes," he stated matter-of-factly as if she should have known the consequences. Seiko rubbed her forehead with squinted eyes and tried to regain her composure. With a sigh she went back to her previous sitting stance and closed her eyes once again, the task being much harder than it seemed.
Many hours later Seiko lay on her back, exhausted and her mind overrun with a burning pain. Sesshomaru took the spear and placed it back on the wall from which it came.
"Today was the first lesson: dealing with the stress this causes. If time is on our side, in two days there will be no pain and only minor exhaustion during this procedure. You shall be escorted to the east wing and bathed. Afterwards I expect you down to dine in proper attire. Once dinner is over you shall retire to your quarters for a long day awaits you tomorrow," he said heading to the door.
Seiko sighed quietly before sitting up. "Sesshomaru?"
He turned to her with a hand on the dojo screen.
"Thanks for doing this... I mean you didn't have to but for doing so, I'm grateful and with this new skill, forever in your debt," she said with a small bow of her head.
"I shall not forget your due," he said with a hint of a grin but perhaps only a mere muscle spasm of his mouth. He exited the great room and Seiko stood to follow, finding the hallway near deserted with only a servant to take her back upstairs. In fact it was the same help from her room that morning.
"Hi again," Seiko said as she shut the screen and began walking with the other oni down the hall.
"Good evening. I see you have been working hard. I am to escort and thoroughly wash you at the spring."
"At the spring? Damn, I was hoping for something a little more... indoors."
"It is ma'am. Lord Sesshomaru has two indoor springs, one on the east wing where you'll be staying and one on the higher level adjacent to his Lordship's quarters."
"Ah, that's good to hear... so, you got a name?"
The servant looked at her, somewhat surprised. "We servants are not to fraternize with the guests. Rules of his Lordship."
"Well if that's the case, I won't tell if you don't," Seiko said with a wink. "The name's Seiko."
The servant girl gave a small smile in return. "Koiso... Lord Sesshomaru must not know of this though or it could be the death of me."
Seiko shook her head. "Of course, this is just between me and you."
Koiso gave a grin and she led Seiko to the end of the manor where the spring was located; the back half of the castle was built right into the mountain behind it. After opening a screen, an array of pools steaming with fresh, crisp, and hot water greeted the two. Seiko gave a squeal of delight and hurried behind a dressing panel to change out of her clothes.
"These springs are much better than any ones outside of the castle. The water is changed early every morning and the water is warmed by two dragons trained for only this and combat; Lord Sesshomaru's other personal guards for Lady Rin whenever Ah-Un is unavailable. The best springs in all the land I believe," Koiso said as she checked the temperature with a dip of her hand.
Seiko came out and eased herself into the water; her muscles instantly relaxing. The training had taken more of a strain on her then she thought. Koiso came around with a bucket, several glass vials and large pieces of cloth. Seiko took a moment to let her head soak underwater, all strain from before slowly lessening. Upon resurfacing she gave her hair a quick run through with her hands when she felt Koiso begin to massage something sweet into her scalp. A heavenly smell and an even more comforting feeling; the sensation of someone else grooming her was something she hadn't felt since she was very young. Her purr ignited immediately and she felt her eyes drift shut as Koiso maneuvered her hands through any tangles, sorting them out with a flick of a finger. Seiko had never felt anymore at peace as the feeling and smell of utter enjoyment radiated all around her. Koiso rinsed out the concoction in Seiko's hair and opened up another vial, dipping a cloth into the water and soaking it in the contents of the small bottle.
"Will you sit up for me?"
Seiko gave a nod and pulled herself out of the water and sat on the edge of the pool where Koiso kneeled behind her. Her body could not have relaxed any further unless she intended to slip into a coma. The unknown fluid that the cloth was soaked in had a deep and penetrating effect on her skin and the muscles hidden beneath. It was as if an army of endorphins was running rampant through every nerve and muscle she had. As Koiso rubbed the cloth over her back she also had to rinse the foam it created away quickly or it would cause Seiko's muscles to seize from all of the tranquility it brought.
"Nice?"
"You have no idea," Seiko said oh so lazily.
Koiso gave a smile and Seiko's shoulder a small squeeze.
"Feel free to continue your bath. I shall go retrieve your clothes for dinner. Lord Sesshomaru has instructed me to dress you," she said standing with the bucket and walking to the screen.
"Hey Koiso."
She turned with a look of attention.
"Thanks," Seiko stated with a truthful smile.
Koiso gave a grin in return and bowed herself out of the room.
Seiko swam around the pool lazily, barely able to move. It was all so surreal as she felt her eyes close while her body merely floated, her tail framing around her body for support.
Seiko found herself back into the desert with much surprise on her face. Many things had changed since she'd last set foot in the realm. There were more plants than ever before and the beginnings of trees as well. She walked through the dirt, her feet brushing occasionally over a developing tuft of grass. There was still much the same about the desert, all the changes were subtle but noticeable nonetheless. She had a thought and headed for the tree she had encountered on her first visit. When she neared the cliff she noticed the pungent smell of the sea was no longer apparent and had faded to the scent of salt and water. The tree itself looked the same, not a single change but the water surrounding it was a bit bluer than it had been before and Seiko swore she saw the shadow dance of a fleeting school of fish. She gave a smile and turned to leave running right into Sesshomaru.
"Whoa!" She clutched at her heart in surprise. "You scared me half to death, Fluffy."
He gave her a minute scowl but let the name drop anyway. He was becoming more and more tolerant of her and he was unsure how to respond to it so indifference was always the best way to go.
"What are you doing here?" he asked stoically.
"I dozed off a bit in the spring I suppose," Seiko replied, walking around the old tree and continuing to gaze into the changing waters below. "What are you doing here?"
"I was going over some things in my study and must have nodded off. It's such tiring work preparing for war."
"I see... so... any new theories on this place or are we still undecided?"
"I do not sense it as something dangerous; also there are no traces of Naraku so I do not believe his previous appearances were true formations. It is a definite link only we seem to share but I believe it became active that day when Inuyasha nearly killed you."
Seiko thought for a moment on the several occasions when the hanyou was foolish enough to do that, pausing until the one he was talking about came to mind. She forgot... she'd made herself forget...
Sesshomaru began to wonder why Seiko could no longer make eye contact with him. "You are suddenly quiet. Why?" He asked with a calm but slightly curious tone to his voice.
There was an abrupt change in her scent that Sesshomaru remembered from before.
"You are not leaving. Tell me what is troubling- SEIKO!"
She started retreating, running but not in an attempt to escape, just to have some distance. He was chasing her and she knew he would catch up. Severing the link wasn't something she was ready to do; she had to face the issue but also needed a minute to think.
Running through a stream and over rocks on the opposite bank Seiko kept moving, coming to a hill of solid dirt. Charging up to the top she stopped, Sesshomaru looking at her with a scowl.
"You defy me? This is unacceptable. Now tell me, what is wrong!"
Seiko squinted at the harshness of his voice but turned to him, holding back a strange lump in her throat and a burning in her eyes.
"Sesshomaru, there is no need for you to worry. I'm fine, I just, well..."
"You lie so poorly, cease it at once."
She rolled her eyes and placed both hands on her hips, "Fine, you wanna know? Well I'll tell you! It doesn't make any sense to me and there's now way you'll be able to fathom it either but... that day, when you died and came back... I... was, I was, crying."
A blank face and even blanker 'words', "..."
"This is why I didn't wanna tell you! It's impossible for you to understand!"
"Do not raise your voice over something so dismissible."
"See!? You don't get it and I'm too afraid to explain why!" Seiko turned away and plopped down on the ground, sitting in the same way Inuyasha would when disgruntled.
"Woman, you are so difficult," Sesshomaru walked back down the hill, going to the stream that they passed over and smothering some sprouting flowers on his way with annoyance. A scream of pain and he turned back to the hill and saw Seiko writhing on the ground. Dashing back he knelt down to her side.
"Ah! I feel like my chest is caving in!"
Sesshomaru looked back to the flowers that he had stepped on then back to Seiko.
No. It couldn't be... could it?
Startling himself awake, Sesshomaru gazed around the room with a bemused tint to his eyes. It wasn't making any sense and yet, perhaps it made all the difference in the world that he did not understand...