Complete the Circle
Chapter Eighteen: No Youki
Kagome tried to take deep, calming breaths as she walked out of Mr. Yamata's car. She didn't know where the man had gotten his license, but someone like him should never have passed the driving test. Kagome leaned against the cool fence surrounding the house, trying not to hurl her breakfast onto the ground. Shippou was next to her, pretending not to be sick very poorly. She saw Sango, along with Mrs. Yamata get out of the car casually, as if nothing had happened. They were probably used to Mr. Yamata's way of driving. Kohaku had decided to stay at Kagome's house to play with Souta, even though he had never met him before. He probably figured it was better to stay at a stranger's house than risk a ride with his father, a decision Kagome regretfully agreed with.
"Here we go! Hayashi-san's house. I haven't been here in, what? Ever since Sango was born?" he asked Mrs. Yamata.
"No, two years after Sango was born," Mrs. Yamata corrected her husband. "Did you call him to let him know you were coming?"
"Of course I did!" Mr. Yamata said indignantly. "He even decided to invite his grandson to spar with Sango." Mrs. Yamata gave her husband a disbelieving look, causing him to splutter angrily. Sango ignored her bickering parents and rang the doorbell.
Kagome saw the house to be in the style of mansions she had seen during the Sengoku Jidai. It had a tiled roof, and white walls, and when the door opened, she saw the inside had mats covering the wooden floor.
Kagome felt Sango elbow her very hard in the stomach, and was about to demand loudly why she had done that when she looked up and saw what had caught Sango's attention. An old man was standing there, his gray hair and wrinkles being the only thing that betrayed his age for he stood up straight and tall, and his form was lean and muscular as a result of exercise. This was not an old man who sat in front of a television set all day.
Kagome frowned, feeling that she had seen this man somewhere, but she couldn't quite remember where. It was Sango's shocked face that caused her to realize that this was the same man that had rescued her and Sango the other day: the youkai with the swords that had killed the snake youkai.
"So, I see you're still alive and doing well?" the old man said, smiling. Kagome had the feeling that he was addressing more than just Mr. and Mrs. Yamata.
"We're doing very well, thank you," Mrs. Yamata said.
"Hayashi-san, how have you been?" Mr. Yamata said, shaking his hand. The old man looked amused with Mr. Yamata.
"Did you come here after finally sharpening your skills?" Mr. Hayashi asked, looking sternly at Mr. Yamata.
"Ah, well… Hee hee," Mr. Yamata laughed nervously. "Err, no. Actually, I came here to ask you to train my daughter, Sango in you know what." The old man looked over the two girls, then at the little boy.
"I did not know you had two daughters," the man questioned, a twinkle in his eyes.
"Huh? Oh! I'm sorry," Mr. Yamata apologized quickly. "Allow me to introduce Sango. She's my daughter. This is Kagome and Shippou. They're Sango's friends."
"And I assume they all know what I am?" Mr. Hayashi questioned, winking at Kagome and Sango.
"Of course," Mr. Yamata said. Mr. Hayashi sighed.
"You and your big mouth. How many others know?" Mr. Hayashi asked, waving for them to come in.
"Just my son, Kohaku," Mr. Yamata said.
"Why isn't he here?" Mr. Hayashi asked, leading them to a very large room covered with blue mats for cushioning falls.
"I don't think he's very interested in the art," Mr. Yamata said sadly. Mrs. Yamata just snorted, and Kagome caught a smile tugging at Mr. Hayashi's lips.
"Yamata-san, please lead your daughter to change her clothes. I believe there is a size that can suite her in the third shelf," Mr. Hayashi said. Sango looked at Kagome helplessly as her mother led her away. "My grandson should be here shortly. I sent him to get some tea."
A while later, Sango appeared, dressed in a body fitting black suit, covered by a plain kimono. She looked like she was wearing her youkai exterminating outfit without the armor, and had her normal kimono over it. She moved comfortably in the clothes, for they felt like the ones she used to wear.
"You look nice," Kagome said as Sango sat down next to her. Sango smiled at Kagome's compliment.
"Shit!" someone yelled from down the hall, and everyone in the room politely tuned out the string of curses the person yelled as they heard something break. Mr. Hayashi looked slightly annoyed, but smiled like a host should at his guests, ignoring the noises coming from the other room.
"Miroku, you asshole, why the hell did you sneak up on me?" the person yelled in a familiar voice. Some mumbling was heard, presumably from Miroku, then, "I AM NOT SHOUTING!!!"
Some stomping was heard from the hallway, then a fuming Inuyasha holding a tray with tea emerged, followed by Miroku who was rubbing the bump on his head. Inuyasha turned from Miroku and saw who his grandfather's guests were.
"Huh? Kagome? Shippou? Sango? What are you three doing here?" he asked in confusion, still holding the tray of tea.
"Inuyasha?" the three questioned in unison. His grandfather raised his eyebrows at what the three called him, but said nothing.
"Musashino, please set the tray down so the guests may have their tea," he said, looking sternly at his grandson. Inuyasha put the tray of tea down and everyone got a cup of tea, except for Shippou, who didn't know if he really should.
"Shippou, do you want hot chocolate or something?" Inuyasha asked the boy, smiling. Shippou nodded enthusiastically.
"Don't destroy the kitchen, now," his grandfather said in a threatening voice, but Kagome caught another hint of a smile in his eyes.
"I didn't destroy it! I just sort of accidentally knocked a teapot over." Kagome saw Inuyasha grin nervously and Mr. Hayashi's eyes narrow.
"It didn't happen to be the one with the sakura blossoms on it, right?" Mr. Hayashi asked in a low and dangerous voice.
"Uh, maybe?" Inuyasha asked.
"Musashino!" his grandfather yelled as Inuyasha quickly ran out of the room. The group heard some pounding in the hallway, a clash of wood on wood, a string of curses, and a complaint that it was all Miroku's fault. Miroku just sat there calmly, sipping his tea.
"Don't worry," he said, smiling pleasantly, a sharp contrast from the day before, "this happens all the time." The guests decided to sip their tea and keep their thoughts to themselves. Shippou edged a bit closer to Kagome.
Finally the house, if it could be called that, quieted down, and Inuyasha and his grandfather appeared a moment later, Inuyasha sporting quite a few number of bumps on his head. He grumbled something about a "Jii-jii" and another bump was added to his head. He gave Shippou the hot chocolate and sulked as his grandfather asked Sango to explain how she had met Inuyasha.
"So you met in the mall, hmm?" asked Mr. Hayashi, stroking his beard and giving Inuyasha a sharp look. Inuyasha gulped. "And I thought that you were out studying with Miroku on Saturday." Inuyasha wisely kept silent.
"We also met Miroku," Sango said, reminding herself not to call him "houshi-sama."
"Oh? How did he respond to you?" Mr. Hayashi asked. Kagome thought that was a weird question.
"He was…nice," Sango lied. Inuyasha snorted, and she gave him a death glare. He decided to go back to sulking.
"I was rather rude to them, Hayashi-sensei," Miroku said, surprising the rest of the group. "I think you know for what reasons." Mr. Hayashi nodded his understanding.
"I apologize on behalf of my student," Mr. Hayashi said, bowing slightly. "But you need not fear us, Miko." Sango's parents looked at each other in confusion. Mr. Hayashi looked surprised as Sango did not move to explain what he was talking about to her parents.
"Higurashi-san here has great miko powers," he explained to Mr. and Mrs. Yamata. "She is the reason why my pupil may have acted, shall we say, unusual."
"Oh, because you're youkai, and your pupil thought a miko might want to slay you?" Mr. Yamata said, earning him a shove from his wife.
"Insensitive prick," Mrs. Yamata mumbled.
"It's all right," Mr. Hayashi said, smiling as he helped Mr. Yamata back to his sitting position. "Now that we understand why Miroku acted strangely to you, I think it's time you three young ones understand what I do." Sango looked at Kagome in confusion, and Kagome looked at Shippou who just shrugged.
"I am a youkai, as you should already know. And what I do during the day when I'm not hunting and slaying humans," he joked, "I run a dojo. Miroku and my grandson are my students, among other people. I also happen to train future youkai exterminators and try and polish old ones," he said, looking at Mr. Yamata, who squirmed under his scrutiny.
"Why would a youkai train youkai exterminators?" Shippou wondered out loud. Kagome shushed him.
"Good question, Shippou," Mr. Hayashi said. "I train exterminators because I feel humans should at least have some protection against youkai. Of course, I don't train humans who hate youkai, and only want to exterminate youkai for revenge or whatnot. You understand, don't you, little kitsune?" Shippou gulped and nodded.
"Shippou is a kitsune?" Mr. Yamata asked, looking at the small boy in surprise. Shippou nodded and with a brief nod from Mr. Hayashi, transformed himself to the little boy with a tail that Kagome was familiar with. Mr. and Mrs. Yamata gasped in surprise. Shippou transformed back into a normal looking boy in embarrassment.
"Cool," Inuyasha grinned. "I could never do that." Kagome looked at him in surprise. That's right. Inuyasha should still have youkai blood in him, but I don't see any dog ears or anything. And he doesn't even feel like a youkai. I'll have to ask him later, if he doesn't mind.
"Sango, please come up here and take this," Mr. Hayashi said, handing her a wooden sword. "I want to see where you're at before I start any lessons. Musashino, go up and show Sango how to do the first exercise." Kagome watched as Inuyasha showed Sango how to do each of the exercises, sometimes correcting her posture, and other times congratulating her on her good form.
"So, you're probably wondering why my grandson said that," Mr. Hayashi said suddenly, surprising Kagome. She nodded slowly, unsure of what to say. She noticed that the sounds of Inuyasha instructing Sango had disappeared, even though he was still teaching her the different exercises. She looked around her and realized that all sounds, other than the sounds emitted from herself and Mr. Hayashi, were silenced. Mr. Hayashi noticed her observation.
"I have created a small barrier that blocks all sounds made by us. I don't want the Yamata couple to hear our conversation," he explained. "And I believe Musashino would get…let us say 'touchy,' if he hears what I am telling you."
"Ano, Hayashi-san, if you don't want others to hear whatever it is you are about to say, then why would you tell me?" Kagome asked, feeling slightly nervous to the youkai. If he decided to kill her now, there would really be no one to help her.
"Because you are a miko and the guardian of the Shikon no Tama," he answered, his gaze straying to his grandson. "But before I completely answer your questions, will you please answer mine?" Kagome looked to the old man in confusion, but nodded. "You haven't destroyed the Shikon no Tama, have you?"
"Umm, no," Kagome said in a quiet voice, feeling as if though she had let Mr. Hayashi down.
"I suspected as much," he sighed. "That boy, Shippou, he has a Shikon shard in him, doesn't he? That is why he can maintain his illusion for so long, correct?"
"Yes," Kagome answered, no quite sure why he was so concerned about the Shikon no Tama. Didn't he say he didn't care for it? Then why was he so curious about it? He wasn't going to try and trick her into giving him the Shikon shards, was he?
"So the Shikon no Tama is still broken," he mused to himself. "Tell me, Higurashi-san, do you plan on completing the Shikon no Tama?"
"Why do you want to know?" Kagome asked, hoping her nervousness did not show in her voice. Apparently, Mr. Hayashi noticed.
"Do not worry," he said reassuringly, "I do not want the jewel."
"Then why are you so concerned about it?" Kagome asked, a hint of distrust in her voice.
"I suppose you do have good reason to distrust me," he said thoughtfully. "Higurashi-san, have you noticed anything different about my grandson?" he asked suddenly, his question surprising Kagome.
"Eh? Like what?" she asked, wondering why he didn't answer her question yet.
"Do you sense his youki?" Mr. Hayashi asked. She shook her head, wondering what this was leading to.
"It's because all his powers as a youkai have disappeared," Mr. Hayashi said, looking older all of a sudden.
"Disappeared?" Kagome asked. She didn't know that youki could just disappear into thin air.
"Yes. My grandson has no power to protect him from other youkai that may want to harm this family, even though he comes from a family of youkai," he explained, looking tired. "He is born into a world with the burdens of being a youkai, and yet cannot reap the benefits of being one. The rivalries and discord of youkai families have gone on for centuries, and this time period is no different. He must defend himself if rival families should decide to attack, but unfortunately, he will not have the power to survive in this world.
"Right now, the families are balanced precariously in power, so none will attack unless they have a sure chance of victory. However, with the presence of the Shikon no Tama, or even a Shikon shard, that may all change. If one family gets even a piece of the jewel, it is likely that an all out war will break out between the families. If that should happen… Musashino will definitely die."
"So that's why you want the jewel destroyed," Kagome said softly, more to herself than to Mr. Hayashi.
"Yes, for if the Shikon no Tama did not exist, it would not give any one youkai supreme power, so the careful balance that has developed in these years will not be destroyed," Mr. Hayashi said, watching his grandson instruct Sango again.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have all the Shikon shards," Kagome apologized, "so I can't destroy any part of it right now."
"It's fine as it is," Mr. Hayashi said, turning to her. "As long as you keep the shards you do have from other youkai, I think everything will be fine. Of course it would be great if you could find the other shards and complete the jewel so that it can be destroyed, but I cannot ask that of you. You have your own life, and you're doing enough as it is protecting the pieces you do have." Kagome let the silence fall between them, thinking of the Shikon shard still locked in her drawer. Wouldn't youkai in this era feel the presence of the shard? Or did they wish to prevent an all out war, so did not try to obtain the piece of the Shikon no Tama yet?
Thinking about the Shikon no Tama was giving her too many bad memories, and she looked up at Inuyasha, noticing that the sounds of the room were back again. Mr. Hayashi stood up and walked to Sango, telling her how impressed he was with her skills in the exercises.
"It would almost seem as if this wasn't your first time with a sword," he remarked, slightly curious about the girl. Thankfully, he didn't ask any questions.
"Musashino, I want you to have a little match with Sango," he said, sitting down next to Kagome again. "I want to see her level." Inuyasha nodded and picked up his own wooden sword. The match began.
Inuyasha charged at Sango not very fast, and Sango easily blocked his attack. He kept on attacking her, and with each attack he started to get faster and faster until even Sango had a hard time keeping track of where he was. And Sango's a youkai exterminator, too. Inuyasha, even though he has no youkai powers, he is still strong and fast. He's not as fast as he was in the Sengoku Jidai, but he is still fast for a person born in this time. Which reminds me…
"Ah, excuse me, Hayashi-san," Kagome said, hoping she wasn't interrupting Mr. Hayashi's observations of Sango. "But, how exactly did Inuyasha lose his youkai powers?" Kagome heard the sounds of the room drown out again. Mr. Hayashi had activated his barrier again.
"I suppose telling you the story won't do any harm," he said. "Musashino lost his powers ever since kindergarten. I don't understand why many things happened, but I will try to give the best complete story that I have.
"Because his parents decided that he should go to a human school like many other youkai his age, they put an illusion spell on him, so that he would seem to be a normal boy. Many youkai use this spell nowadays, including myself. My true form does not look like this. But, on with the story.
"One day he just came home sick. His parents thought it was just a regular illness. Although it is rather unusual for a youkai to get sick, it does happen sometimes, so when Musashino got sick, they treated it like a normal illness. However… Each day he did not get any better. Eventually he became so sick that he wouldn't wake up. His parents decided to put the illusion spell on him so that they could take him to the hospital, but no matter how many times they tried the spell, his true form would still be there. They couldn't take him to the hospital, so they tried to use their youkai powers to heal him, but that didn't work either. It just left his parents drained of energy.
"Finally, they called me to help Musashino. As an older youkai and grandfather to Musashino, I had the obligation and power to help my grandson. At first, I admit I was annoyed with my son and daughter-in-law for their inability to heal their own son, but when I tried to heal him, I understood why.
"Musashino was sucking my youki when I tried to use it to heal him. All the illusion spells and all his parents' attempts to heal him could do nothing because he was absorbing the power in all those spells. Youkai use their youki to heal and create illusions, so the reason why his parents were so tired after trying to heal him was because he was draining them of their youki. Because he was absorbing the youki, the youki would not be able to do what it was supposed to do, which was why he couldn't get better.
"Even though I knew why he couldn't get well, I still tried to heal him with my youki. But it only had the same result as his parents' attempts. So I decided that the healing spell was useless on Musashino, and as I pulled my youki away from him, he swallowed his own youki. Every last trace of his youki disappeared, and the next day he was well again. Except now he looked as he did with the illusion spell and his physical conditions became similar to that of a normal human.
"I'm not sure where all that youki disappeared off to, but my theory is that Musashino had used all that youki unconsciously, and whatever he had wanted to do in his subconscious mind had required a vast measure of youki, so that when the task was completed, all the youki gathered was spent, which is why he is as he is."
Kagome sat there, silent as Mr. Hayashi finished his story and let the barrier down, once again. She didn't know what to make of the tale; there were too many gaps and holes in it. She watched Sango spar with Inuyasha, their movements so fast that Mr. and Mrs. Yamata had trouble following them. Suddenly Sango thrust her wooden sword at Inuyasha. He ducked, avoiding it by a hair. In that moment, Kagome sensed something strange from him. It was almost as if though he was a Shikon shard. But as quickly as it came it disappeared.
She frowned and noticed that both Miroku and Mr. Hayashi had noticed the strange thing that had just happened to Inuyasha, but nobody said a word. I just felt the kehai of a Shikon shard from Inuyasha but the feeling was different from other shards that I have felt before. This feeling… It felt as if though the entire Inuyasha was a shard from the Shikon no Tama, but that's impossible!
She watched as Mr. Hayashi got up to stop the match between the two and congratulate Sango on her skills. Kagome saw that the reason Mr. Hayashi had stopped the match was because the two swords had clashed together a bit too strongly and had broken one of the swords in half. The half of the sword had flown off and nicked Inuyasha slightly on one cheek. Kagome thought she saw the blood glow slightly before it became red again, Inuyasha wiping the blood away with his hand. The blood came off red, and there was no trace that it had ever been glowing. Kagome wondered if she was starting to see things.
Author's Note: Hayashi means forest, I think. Musashino means weapon treasure (still not sure about this one). I took this name from the Rurouni Kenshin Movie (Musashino in the movie has the same voice as Inuyasha). Sorry, I just had to write this again because I think I deleted it from the other chapter in which I first mentioned this, and I just want everyone to know how talented Inuyasha's voice actor is. Did you also know that Shinichi from Detective Conan has Inuyasha's voice?