This is an attempt at writing a complex plot with an Inuyasha fanfic. I am trying to gain experience in writing a story. Constructive criticism welcomed.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.
"Are you ready for the summoning?" Kagome was in the middle of changing into the training uniform. A pair of shorts, a tank top, and a jacket made from special fibers. These fibers make fabrics durable enough for combat and comfortable. She was fiddling with the zipper of her jacket. "I mean…I am looking forward to it but this could determine a large majority of our lives."
The FORT Organization provided the training suits for their affiliated training sites. The Familiar Observation and Research Taskforce is an organization in charge of the world's research of the tradition of familiar summoning. They have taken the lead in developing the Summoning Ceremony, an organized event to keep summoning documented by turning it into a coming of age tradition.
A major deciding factor for a willing, cooperative supernatural being summoned is the potential of growth as well as the strength of the summoner physically and mentally. FORT introduced training sites on a global scale to train children in combat to help make the summoning happen as safely as possible. Training sites accept children between the ages of four to fifteen. Training at these sites continues until the results of the ceremony are known. Then, the training is based on the appointed classes and the individual decision of the pairs.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Rin answered as she put her hair up into a ponytail. She had finished dressing a while ago and was just making sure she had all of her weapons and if they were strapped in properly. "The ceremony is only two days away and I can't help but get anxious." Rin's wrecked nerves are caused by the piling pressure to awaken as a combatant from her estranged family. He wasn't the easiest man to please and has no patience for those he deems as weak or incompetent. "I just hope that I am strong enough to summon a combatant class familiar."
Kagome laughs as she picks up a bow and a quiver of arrows. "Yeah, I forgot that we are the deciding factor. Way to make a girl feel worse."
The ceremony can be a person's defining moment as their innate power will be awakened by an equally strong supernatural. The FORT Organization has been able to identify the potential or overall strength of the summoned supernatural and by extension the initial strength of the summoner. These discoveries lead to the creation of the three major classes of strength: the civilian, supporter, and combatant.
The most coveted class is the combatant class. The class has the most opportunity to accomplish their goals and get the best resources for education and training. The combatants' advantages are balanced by their duties to their fellow denizens of the planet. They are to act when supernaturals pass through realities' barrier into the human world without an anchor. These supernaturals are dangerous as they are not bound to the rules of reality and can cause chaos while damaging the barrier they crossed. Combatants need to capture the supernatural and force them to return to their side of the barrier. This task is dangerous and as a reward for their service they receive the tools to succeed, including prestige, but reaching success is up to their own determination and skill.
The girls make their way toward the courtyard to listen to the annual speech the head trainer. The training site they are attending was one of the best in the area. They provided classes for almost every type of combat style that includes martial artists, swordsmen, archers, assassin, and the list goes continues.
Most training sites are operated by FORT, but the students are expected to pay tuition. Tuition prices are reasonable, but it can cause some people to seek out cheaper, personally owned training institutions that have fewer options that would best suit some clients. Some parents manage this obstacle by paying for a professional combatant that has retired or a personal trainer for their children. Although almost all children start with the FORT Training sites.
"All right, you all only have two days to prepare for the Coming of Age Festival. Those of you that have turned fifteen this year or have been given special approval will be taking part in the Summoning Ceremony that is the main event of the festival." The director of the site made this speech every year for the upcoming festival. Rin had heard to the point of memorizing it. She spent most of the speech admiring the white snake that was his familiar. "I expect you all have memorized the spell that initiates the ceremony."
The director went on to state that they would be the participants last day at the site and that to always keep the skills that they have learned sharp.
Rin was still in a fantasy about what her familiar would be like as the assembly ended. She had wished for a companionship that familiars represented since she was small and was just as excited as she was anxious for the ceremony.
"Hey! Rin, we need to get going to our classes." Kagome was shaking her arm and pointing to the retreating backs of a few of their peers. The lesson for the day was to begin any minute.
"Oh...I'll see you afterward." She said sheepishly a little embarrassed at being caught daydreaming again. She headed toward a building in the opposite direction from Kagome's destination.
Rin is a part of the assassin class due to her petite frame and dexterity. She practiced a dual short sword wielding style as well as throwing knives and a gun. The assassin class is a type of stealth fighter that focused on the art of remaining unseen before striking a killing blow. She was at the top of her class in stealth and precision.
This classification task includes taking out targets and espionage. However, they are also trained to hold their own in a one on one battle or a struggle against several opponents. Rin focused on being able to take on several opponents at a time and take part in the vanguard position if need be.
Kagome is in the archer class due to her high precision rate. She has practiced marksmanship with several types of bows and guns. The archer class is a type of support for the vanguard fighters. This class's task includes covering other players and taking out enemies from a distance. Along with her marksman abilities she trains as a field medic. Kagome wanted to help those she supports outside of battle as well.
They decided to learn these skills in hopes of being assigned to the same unit if they both managed to get into the combat class. The pair wanted to support their unit and familiars as much as possible in a battle to the best of their abilities.
The training for the day had ended and Rin had made it home. She lived alone in a large house at the edge of town. Rin inherited the house after her only family died in a car crash seven years ago. As she looked upon her silent home, she couldn't help but remember how warm and inviting her home used to be. Her father had a respected position in the FORT Organization as a part of the support class.
Rin remembered how he would come home from the FORT base with a smile as he asked about her day. The way his crow familiar would complain about hearing her unending story about her friends and classes after being stuck inside all day. Her father would laugh and ask if she wanted to help make dinner.
Her father had been the light of her world, always there when she needed him. His death was a major blow to her little world and the treatment she received afterward shattered it.
The phone began to ring, and Rin came out of her reverie. She saw that it was her uncle and quickly answered the phone. "Hello, Uncle Hirohide."
"The Summoning Ceremony is soon. You must know what that means." He spoke with the briskness of a business reminder.
"Yes, sir. I need to get into the combatant class to continue getting support from the Mori family." This was a conversation that has become redundant over the years. The Mori family has had a reputation for having strong descendants that are always in the combatant class. Her father, however, was a supporter and ostracized for shaming the family by tarnishing their legacy of combatants.
The bias got worse when he married without his father's consent and left the family entirely. Rin only found out about her father's family after his death.
"Good. I expect great things from this ceremony. Get some rest." Hirohide ended the call as quick as it started. The man was not as bad as most of the Mori Household, but he was not a sociable or soft person. He cared enough and provided Rin the best resources but is rarely directly involved in her life.
Rin was again left alone with her thoughts. She had the backing of her prosperous uncle to cater to her needs. He had made sure she could take care of herself since the day they met. Lessons about household chores like cleaning and cooking, budget, and the training to become the best combatant she could. No effort to make her exceptional was too much for the young orphan.
She knew how to live alone, but it did not make it any less lonely.
The Coming of Age Ceremony was the largest event of the year. The whole community comes together to celebrate the next generation's ascension to adulthood.
Rin is trying to comfort her friend before the main event of the festival began. She wasn't calm either, but Kagome was on another level of toxic anxiety. 'I wonder how someone can get so nervous over something out of her control,' she wondered as she patted her friend's back.
Kagome had been kneeling in a corner for nearly thirty minutes and looked like she was on the verge of passing out.
"I don't think I can do this. What if I mess up the poem?"
"Kagome. You're overreacting."
"What if my familiar does not want to cooperate with me because I'm too weak."
"Kagome, that's..."
"What if nothing happens when I do the ceremony and I have to go through life as a failure."
"Kagome…"
She was spiraling into hysteria. "I would be an outcast and be shamed by others every time I go outside. I'll become a shut-in. Unable to do anything."
"Kagome! You will be fine." Rin yelled softly while throwing her arms up making the robe's sleeves billow around them. "You have worked hard and learned every skill to support yourself and those around you. You are not weak and if your familiar cannot see that then you will just have to knock it into their head."
The two were in white ceremonial robes. The ceremony happens while wearing plain, white robes that are affected by the summoning. Summoning a familiar cause the Summoner's inner power to awaken and creates a design onto the robes. The design and colors that show up will give a hint as to what the powers that they have will be.
Kagome was staring at her friend a little shocked that she could yell at all with her quiet disposition. "Yeah, you're right." The shock was what she needed to get out of her own head. "I can just take charge and show them that I am the best partner they will ever have." She finally stood up straight and looked ready to take on the challenge in front of her.
Kagome's little episode ended just in time as the FORT officials came into the room they were in and told them that they were to go into the summoning rooms next.
The summoning ceremony takes place in the official FORT office that is in almost every prefecture of Japan and any other country. This consolidation of teenagers makes the ceremony take some time to happen. The building is deceivingly small as it is only three stories high but has ten stories of basements.
Several rooms were filled with the entire prefecture's teens anxiously waiting their turn to summon a familiar. Many youths are using this time to check if they have the poem memorized, talking to their peers, or just on their phones. The time it takes for over 200 teenagers to recite the poem and do the ceremony and take their familiar to allow the next group to commence.
The whole ordeal takes time, and this does not consider the many familiars that come comatose because it is there first time being summoned. This problem was taken care of by the festival that keeps the families' of the child taking part in the ceremony. Crowd control is implemented through the festival activities and food stands that are arranged outside of the FORT building. The festival entertains the younger children of the families while the parents wait for their participating child.
The area is secure as several FORT units are patrolling the perimeter and stalls as the large-scale summoning event would cause the barrier to weaken and cause a few stragglers would cross over by accident.
A pair of adults in FORT officer uniforms announced that they were next to go to the summoning chambers. "Group six, you all will be going down to basement nine. You will be expected to stay in your group until you make it to your personal chambers." The male counterpart spoke. He was a large man with a rooster following him. The bird was enjoying the attention it was getting by the teens in its presence.
Rin was watching them with a bit of confusion. She had thought that the ceremony would happen in something like a gymnasium and the entire group would do it together.
Another teen voiced the same concern. The official then turned to them and explained that the system of summoning changed to make it less stressful so that the ceremony would have fewer mistakes. The summoning is performed in individual rooms with one other FORT official to ensure the summoner's safety.
"Oh…" Kagome sighed in relief. "That is comforting. I wouldn't want to mess up and cause a crisis."
Rin was still skeptical. "But if the supernatural that is summoned is aggressive would one official be enough to handle it?"
"Great question back there!" The other official finally spoke. She had let her counterpart speak for most of the encounter with the Summoners.
Rin blushed in surprise. She didn't intend to be heard by the officials. She had not wanted to seem that she was distrustful of the safety measures in place by the organization.
"The way of summoning familiars has set up a clause that weakens the supernatural for the first week that they are in the mundane reality. They will not be any stronger than any of the animals or objects they take the form of. The only thing they can do is move and talk. The summoner's safety will easily be ensured with tranquilizers and other means of immobilization." The official had a small and muscled frame with a tanuki by her side. The small familiar was eyeing the rooster with distaste.
"Yes. It is not harmful to lose your powers for a week, but it is annoying to feel vulnerable for such a long time." The tanuki sounded annoyed at the memory.
"The time during this period is when you try to form and deepen your relationship with the supernatural you summon." The male officer said. "As Kaoru said, the first week is the safest time to feel out the boundaries that you can push with the supernatural that will be partnered with you."
Rin wondered whether that was fair to put the supernatural through such an uncomfortable state. She understood the need to ensure the safety of the person who summoned the familiar as well as those around them. However, what about the supernatural in this unfamiliar place and unable to return for years on end.
Her thoughts derailed when Kagome nudging her and gesturing towards the line of teens leaving the room. She had gotten so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't realize that the time to head towards to chambers had come.
Rin hoped that the familiar she met wouldn't mind the separation and would willing to find solace with being friends with her.
The bright hallway showed successful people with their familiars in portraits. These were people in the support class or higher. They had made a name for themselves not just from battling chaotic supernaturals, but through the work, they did when they were not on call for service.
Many of the framed people are accomplished doctors, Nobel peace prize winners, and Successful business owners. They made something of themselves while staying on call for emergencies. This is the track for many people who do not want to stay and make a career of a militant citizen or a FORT officer.
Combatants are expected to stay in the reserves or on-call whether they care for violence, have other responsibilities, or have opportunities that would conflict.
Rin and Kagome looked at these people and awed by the successful lives people lead.
"I wonder if I could receive acknowledgment for making my documentary series," Kagome spoke while looking at a frame with a man holding a camera and a tiger by his side. The portrait's nameplate stated that this man had made an extensive portfolio capturing the world's beauty and cruelty through a lens. He looked quite content where his life has led him.
"I guess it depends on how much you're willing to work to make it the best documentary series. But I believe you are stubborn enough to keep at it until you have reached your goal."
They had reached the individual rooms for the Summoning Ceremony. The pair that had overseen their group was sending the participants to their rooms and were approaching Rin and her friend. "Hello, you two. Your rooms will be the last two at the end in the hallway to the right of us." Kaoru spoke.
"Hope you get into the class you want." The rooster said in parting.
"Well, I guess it's time to possibly ruin our lives." Kagome joked as she awkwardly marched away.
Rin uncomfortably looked at her friend afraid that she may start freaking out again. "Don't you think that's a little pessimistic? Shouldn't we try to be thinking of the goals that we want to achieve?" The idea of the summoning ruining her life had never crossed her mind and now she could all the things that could go wrong.
Kagome wasn't paying attention anymore as she made it to her designated room. She went in without looking behind her. Rin shook her head as she went into her own room. Nerves on high alert as all the weight of the situation came upon her.
The individual summoning chamber was not as luxurious as the area that surrounded it. The room was white with hardwood flooring. The only interesting thing was the raised dais made of dark stone situated in the center. A table was beside the dais with a first aid kit and a knife on it. A single FORT official was waiting for her on the opposite side of the room.
"Hello. I assume that you already know the procedure for the ceremony, but I will summarize for you anyway." The official spoke stoically. "You will take the knife and recite the poem correctly. Then, you will make a small cut on your hand and allow the blood to drip on to the dais."
The dais had the Zen circle with the journey symbol inside carved into it. The rim of the circle had an inscription of an ancient form of Japanese.
Rin noticed a powdered substance in the carvings of the dais. She knew when learning about the ceremony that the powder is made of amblygonite. A crystal that originates from Brazil. The crystal was implemented to help steady and strengthen inner power as well as being a source of energy. The effects should last for the week the supernatural is powerless.
"Do you understand what you are expected to do?" The official finished.
Rin walked towards the table and picked up the knife. She smelled the hint of bleach and alcohol coming from the object. Feeling relieved at the cleanliness of the knife, she made her way toward the dais. "Yes, sir."
She made the cut and began the ceremony. As she spoke the inscription of the old language glowed.
"I call upon powers of the beings that were ousted.
I call upon beings that reside outside reality.
The barrier's objective shall become clouded
And allow balance to reform an enemy.
The fear of danger wants for preparation.
A shackle prepared for unchecked might,
The fear of the mighty ignites,
A period of seven earthly rotations.
The outcast shall return into the fold.
The partnership formed, more precious than gold."
As she finishes the poem, Rin brings her hand over the middle of the dais letting the blood flow into the powder. Upon contact, the powder in the carving started to glow. The air in the room felt like it was wavering. The room seemed to warp and go out of focus as the light grew brighter.
When it settled down after a few seconds the powder was a deep red color and was still luminescent.
Rin was so ensnared by the spectacle of the ceremony that she failed to notice that her robes had turned orange embroidered with leaves and vines. She also wasn't aware of the official softly taking her hand to bandage it. When she got out of reverie, she noticed the large white dog that laid on the dais. As she approached, she saw it was about the size of a Great Dane but did not have the features of any dog she had seen before. The dog also had some strange streaks of magenta and a crescent moon on its forehead.
"Hmm...I guess this one hasn't been summoned before." The official said as he looked over the large familiar. "He's out like a light"
He turned to examine Rin and then back to the dog. The official shook his head and grabbed the walkie talkie attached to his belt. "Hey, we gotta another unconscious one here. There is no way that the kid will be able to pick it up."
Soon after that conversation, someone came into the room. It was the man with the rooster familiar from earlier. "Yep, that is one big dog." He stated the obvious. "I guess we're gonna have to call your parents or guardian to get it home."
"Uhhh. Then I can give you my uncle's details."
The large dog opened its eyes and surveyed its foreign surroundings. He was on a western-style bed with silk sheets and seemed stuck in a smaller version of his true form. He saw that he was in a large room and a pair of glass doors that lead to a balcony. In slight irritation, he tried to remember what had happened to him.
He remembered being in the forest outside of the family manor practicing his swordsmanship when a bright light appeared, and he lost consciousness. Now that he thought about it, this situation seemed similar to what his foolish father and brother had told him about being summoned.
As he finished this thought, he noticed an unfamiliar scent coming closer to the room. The door opened to reveal a small youth.
She gasped. "You're awake. Hi...umm." She stuttered flustered and uncomfortable at being caught in an encounter before she could prepare what she was going to say to him.
"Are you the one that summoned me?" He spoke to the child with indifference. She seemed as helpless as a babe, but he saw that she held herself with the ease of skilled fighter even as she stumbled her words.
Rin stopped and took a deep breath to calm herself. "Yes, I summoned you last night, but the instructors said that supernaturals that are summoned for the first time usually pass out." She spoke more calmly and confidently. "I'm Rin and I look forward to being your partner from now on."
The large dog looked displeased for a moment. The human before him seemed to expect him to work with her. This development is outside of his expectations of what happens when summoned. His father had left out some details when explaining his time in the human world as had his brother. He wanted answers and an understanding of the purpose of his being here.
He looked toward the girl again. "Why am I here and what is it you expect of me?" he got straight to the point.
Before she could answer someone came into the room. "Hey, Rin! Can you help me with that brat? He is getting on my nerves." Kagome asked in a huff. Clearly pissed at whatever this familiar had done.
"Oh...um. Yeah, be there in a minute." She said "Will you join us in the other room. We are discussing that right now with Kagome's familiar as well." She looked towards him hopefully. He simply nods and makes to get up.
Rin smiles sweetly and follows Kagome out of the room. They go into the living room to find a white dog looking defiant while sitting on the couch. "I am not getting involved in no human affairs again. You better send me back if you know what's good for you." He yelled at them.
"Though I'm not surprised by your immaturity, I do not believe that is the response that father wanted when we make contact with humans." He spoke as he approached the couch and sat on the opposite side of the other dog.
"I wasn't talking to you, Sesshomaru, so but out. The old man was talking to you when he said that anyway." Inuyasha looked ready to jump onto the elder dog. He was pissed because of the summons. Now, he doesn't even have the solace of being nowhere near his bastard of a brother.
"Hmm." Sesshomaru did not look amused. "And yet, you're the only that the precaution applies to."
The girls watched on confused by this turn of events. Their familiars knew each other? Were they related?
"Umm. Do you two know each other?" Rin ventured.
She noticed that Inuyasha was a plain white dog with a single magenta stripe on the sides of his head. While Sesshomaru had two magenta stripes on each of his legs and on the sides of his mouth. He also had a blue crescent moon between his brows. Rin also saw that unlike Sesshomaru's, Inuyasha's ears are like regular dogs.
The arguing dogs looked towards her. "Yes. This uncouth fool is my little brother, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru spoke. "Now, I believe you were going to explain our situation."
Rin spoke first, "Ummm. Then, Inuyasha, what do you remember about the familiar system?" She knew that the notion of familiars being equal was something that became common only recently.
Inuyasha glared at her. "Familiars were at best servants and were used as shields. I was at least with a priestess, so she wasn't completely useless."
"She was capable enough to mortally wound you." Sesshomaru commented.
Inuyasha growled jumping toward him from. He tried to attack the neck, but he didn't reach it because Sesshomaru reared onto his rear legs and stomped down on his head.
The brothers fought while the girls watched. "I guess that means He was around before the familiar system was reformed," Kagome spoke absentminded as they watched two white dogs fight.
"Yeah...I think we should start by explaining the way things are now. Then what type of partnerships there are." Rin watched as the brothers growled and bit at each other. They looked ready to kill each other. "I think we should talk to them separately for this discussion. They seem to not get along all that well."
"Alright. Hey, Inuyasha!" She yelled at the smaller of the two dogs. "We're going to my room, so I can explain the system to you."
Kagome walked toward the stairs in the back and started up without looking back to see if he followed.
Sesshomaru took the chance to bite onto Inuyasha's neck and throw him off the couch while he looked shocked at being ordered around. "I believe you need to follow, little brother." He spoke sardonically while placing emphasis on the word 'little'.
Inuyasha just growled while he trudged towards the way Kagome had gone.
"I am guessing the system, as you called it earlier, has changed since Inuyasha was last here. Could you explain how it works now?"
Although, Rin heard it as a question she understood it was a demand. Rin was trying to keep up through her haze of confusion. The behavior he has shown thus far shows that this dog is used to being obeyed. She guessed that he must have been in an important position before she summoned him here. Before she analyzed his actions further she answered him. "I'll be happy to."
"The system used to be about making the familiar submit and obey the summoners orders, but that method usually led to many people, and familiars, dying." She started her lecture off casually. "The mortality rates led to the construction of an organization that regulates the summoning and treatment of supernaturals. They made it where the familiars are equal to the summoner and must be treated that way."
She continued, "It only made sense because many of the supernaturals that were summoned during that time were not proportional to the strength of the one that summoned them." She sighed as she thought of all the problems that could cause. "The organization implemented the use of the Summoner's blood into the summoning so that the strength of summoner and familiar would be about the same."
"You mean to say that you are as strong as me." Sesshomaru sounded offended with the idea. "What criteria is this based on?"
Rin was a little startled by the reaction her explanation caused. "Well, the criteria are the supernatural power that awakens when a person summons a supernatural. People don't know the strength of it until it awakens."
Sesshomaru looked thoughtful for a moment, then motioned for her to continue with his paw.
"Well, the system also includes a contract that is signed at the end of this week." She spoke. "The contracts are placed in three categories of partner, master-servant, and guardian-ward. These contracts are as the name suggests. They will be the basic form of relationship the pair of Summoner and summoned will consent to maintain. And that's basically all you need to know about the system."
"Oh, and you will be back to full strength by the end of the week as well." When she finished saying this, she heard yelling coming from upstairs. 'I guess they both have a temper,' she thought.
Sesshomaru studied the girl in front of him as she distractedly looked where the yelling was coming from upstairs. Her explanation left him questioning his presence in this reality and the way of life in general. She seemed well trained and smart enough. She does not speak as though she holds a rank or cares about those who do. 'Is there not a monarchy anymore?'
He supposed it could be worse and decided he would wait for the end of the week to make his final judgment. If he truly could not stand being with her for his time here he could remedy that at the week's end as well.
He thought about the way his brother returned and how it seemed that it was cut short despite him being there for over fifty years. "Rin. How long do you human's live for?" He questioned.
"Um, depending on the strength of the familiar summoned aging can slow to almost a standstill. The longest recorded lifespan for a human was almost a thousand years old." Rin said feeling excited that he takes an interest in the reality around him.
"Hnn," Sesshomaru responded going back into thought over his situation.
"Well, if you don't mind me asking…" she stalled trying to continue the conversation. "What exactly do you like to eat?"
"I don't eat." He spoke in a monotone with an obvious disinterest toward the topic.
"Oh...but even if you didn't eat in your original reality. You will need to eat something at some point."
"I see." He looked a bit irritated at the news of something else out of his control.
"Ah…" Rin was feeling awkward and anxious. "What t-type of dog are you? Oh! And you're in a position of power, right? What is it that you do?"
Sesshomaru turned his head toward the suddenly excited youth. He was impressed with how observant she is. "I am a Moon demon dog. As for my position, I'm the heir to the Inu Kingdom and that mess I am forced to call a brother will become the General when Father decides to retire."
Rin wondered at how weird the ascension is being handled in the Inu Kingdom. The way the position of power is passed down in human history is usually at a set age or when the previous ruler dies. The thought that it would only happen when the current ruler decides otherwise seemed odd; what would happen if he was weak but doesn't abdicate? It seemed that succession is decided by arbitrary thoughts of the current ruler at best.
Before she could ask any further questions, he spoke again. "I have learned all I need from this discussion for now. Where will I be staying for my time here?"
Another requested demand was thrown her way. She had many more questions and topics to talk about with her new companion, but it would do no good to continue when he did not want to. "Well, my room is the one that you were in earlier. If you don't want to go in there again then there is another on this floor you can use. I can show you to it." She motioned to the hallway that they went through earlier.
"That would be acceptable." Rin looked disappointed as she got up to show him toward the room.
'I wonder if I should call Uncle and get his perspective on how to get closer to her familiar.'
A crash from above and shouting that startled Rin. She wasn't used to so much noise in her home. Rin had always gone over to Kagome's home and rarely ever in the reverse. 'Maybe I should do it to help Kagome as well.'
A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I am open to constructive criticism. Please review!