by: Del_kaidin and Tiranth.
She grinned. "Do you understand the term girl talk? Cause for the first time in my life, I'm not surrounded by males. So as Kagome would say - let's talk some trash. Well that's what Shippo said she would say to Sango before one of their girl talk sessions. So who was your first?"
Taka cocked an eyebrow in curiosity. Girl talk? She didn't quite understand what Leena was talking about or what her grin was for. "First what?"
Leena looked at the red head shocked. "Your first... I mean haven't you ever... oh hell." Maybe the pup is an innocent. Damn. "Your first kiss."
Taka felt her face heat up, realizing what Leena was talking about. "Oh...um...well...it was um...Uncle Kouga's eldest son, Daisuke." Her face was burning as she remembered that she did more than kiss him. "Who was yours?"
"My first kiss? Don't remember his name, some human boy from the village. He was cute, smelled ok. I was curious and he was willing." The girl seemed to be warming up, even if a bit embarrassed. Leena decided this was a place, a time, and a person she could share her female secrets with. "My first time, was with Shippo."
Taka's jaw dropped. "Shippo?" Now that Leena had shared this bit of information, Taka felt some of her embarrassment slip away. She resisted the urge to laugh. Her curiosity was getting the better of her now. She remembered her first time and that it was nothing as she had expected it to be. She floated a little closer to Leena, "What was it like?" she whispered.
Leena relaxed, Taka was beginning to understand. "Shippo was sweet. That is the best word. It took a bit of trying on my part too. He had helped Uncle Inu raise me, so he at first saw me as a child. Uncle Inu had gone with Momma Sango to exterminate a snake youkai that was attacking children. Houshi-sama never did keep as good an eye on me as Uncle Inu. It was nice, but no fireworks. Now my second, was... incredible."
Taka laughed. She had the feeling that Leena had been as mischievous as a child as she and her brother had been. "I'd have to say the same for Daisuke...he was too rough. I haven't found someone to be a second...who was he?" She was beginning to like this girl talk. It was a good way to get to know her new companion.
"Daisuke? You said he was Kouga's eldest right?" The red head nodded, Leena chuckled. "Well if he was rough, he got it from Daddy." She watched and waited for realization to sink in.
Her eyes widened. "Kouga was your second??" She shuddered. "He helped my mother birth me and Enshi...that's just gross!"
"It was not!" She defended her second partner. "It was incredible, and he has the scars to prove it. But even he wasn't as good as my last partner, once I trained him."
Taka was now feeling the inexperience of her years but did giggle at the fact that Leena had given Kouga scars. Her ears pricked, "So do tell...who was the last?"
Leaning back on the rock behind her, Leena sighed the name as she remembered. "Seijuurou Hiko the fourteenth."
The name was familiar but it took Taka several moments to place it. When she finally remembered she still was confused. "I thought that...ohhh," she trailed off softly. "Kenshin."
She knew her eyes would show the pleasure just the memory brought. But looking to her companion she nodded. "He was a magnificent student. Attentive, quick learner and willing to experiment." Realizing that Taka might not be too receptive to the idea of her and Kenshin, she stopped the memory. "But that was before he met Kaoru."
Taka nodded. "Please continue if you wish. Even in my reality, there is a long period of Kenshin's life I know nothing about. Was there a Tomoe for him in your time to? Did you help heal his hurt?"
Leena relaxed, finally another woman she could speak with honestly. "Yes, there was a Tomoe. I met him shortly after she.... died. What do you know of the Legend of Amatsuotome?"
She shook her head. "I do not know much of it. It is a ningen legend in my time and as I said...I spent most of my time either alone or with Grandsir. Please tell me."
"Amatsuotome is actually the name of four maidens. Each of the four has dominion over aspects of life. One ferries souls of children to their mother's womb, one ferries their souls back to the spirit realm, one governs love and then there is the fourth. I am that fourth Amatsuotome. Christians would call me a Guardian Angel, but I could also be called Tenmou. If I am specifically requested to protect someone, I must offer them my protection. In some cases it is merely a ward placed around them, in others it is my personal protection. To garner such protection is not easy and requires a sacrifice on the part of the one requesting it. There is much more to the legend but that will serve as a foundation for my tale of Kenshin."
Taking a deep breath she continued. "You know that Kenshin parents died when he was a child and he was taken by slave traders. The caravan was attacked by bandits. With their dying breaths. the three girls called for someone to "Save this Child." He was my first 'assignment'. I veered Seijuurou Hiko the thirteenth's path to save him. It took me a week to get that fool to go back and get the child. My duty was done, so I thought until the revolution." She paused to see if her companion had questions.
Taka listened with fascination. Amazing how the same person it seemed had two different lives. Maybe she would tell Leeena about her Kenshin if there was time. When Leena paused and looked at her, asking with her eyes if there were any questions, Taka merely nodded for her to continue as she settled more comfortable against her rock.
"That brings us up to when I met Kenshin, for the second time. We disliked each other on sight. He thought I was to be his "sheath" and I thought him an arrogant brat. Still I had give Katsura-sama, my word that I would be his partner. Then I realized who exactly he was. Then I was bound by two oaths. One of Amatsuotome and one as Leena. I cared for him deeply, I would have made him my mate except for two things. One, he was grieving Tomoe and second I have known who the mate of my soul is since I was six." She smiled thinking of Souta, his scent, his kindness to a lost hanyou child. "But that is the story of how I met Kenshin."
Taka nodded. "Your story is much happier than mine I fear." She stopped, maybe Leena didn't want to hear her story, maybe she didn't really care. As she had said it wasn't a happy story but there had never been anyone to tell it to, to let the pain come with words. "May I tell you?"
Feeling the girls pain she knew that Taka wanted to talk through the pain. It had helped her deal with her sire's attack on her. "I would love to hear of your Kenshin."
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and let the story flow from her lips. "It starts with my mother. Grandsire chose a kitsune hanyou, Ruuhea to be her mate. He had been very nice at the start but when they left the castle, everything changed. Ruuhea and his mother were planning to use my mother to bear a child. Then they other conspirators would murder Grandsire and mother, using the pup to rule the western lands. Ruuhea was cruel to her and kept her away from her home. Grandsire soon demanded their presence at the castle. He saw what had happened to his daughter and would have killed Ruuhea then but Mother went into labor and Ruuhea warned of outside conspirators. Kouga came then, on the night of my birth and told Grandsire that he had taken care of the old woman and the others. One of my brothers was the first born and Ruuhea stole him, giving him to the few who had managed to escape Kouga. Grandsire killed Ruuhea but could not find my brother. My other brother Enshi was born blind but he was the connection between the three of us. Through him we could feel what our other brother was feeling sometimes. He did manage to escape his captors days before we arrived. The Lord of the North was the one behind it all and she brought an assassin claiming to be our missing brother. He killed Enshi and we lost all hope of finding Dorei. I did find him, after Grandsire and I had taken our revenge on the North. That was when my mother died. After that I went to Dorei and found that he had taken a mate and had a child Shinta. I didn't want to complicate his life...so I left them. Without Enshi, I didn't know that Dorei and his mate were sick. I didn't know that Shinta had been kidnapped. It was not until Kenshin came across the child that Naraku had given Kagome did I find Kenshin. He was just ending his reign as the Battosai. Totosai gave him the Sakabatou and I let him go to find his peace." She stopped and laughed. "When we did go to him again it was after he had married Kaoru and had Kenji. I challenged him and Kenji didn't take kindly to it. The boy attacked me with his wooden sword."
"It seems in our own ways, each of us helped Kenshin find peace. I can believe Kenji attacked you. In my reality I am his godmother, and I know my godson's temper too well. Totosai made the Sakabatou in your world. That is interesting." She lost herself in though, "You said daughter Naraku had given Kagome?"
She opened her eyes, glad to have someone to listen to her for once. "Yes...Naraku raped Kagome in an attempt to drive her away from Inu Yasha and to pollute the shards Kagome held. She became pregnant and decided to keep the child, hoping to raise it to be good and not evil like its father. Inu Yasha accepted the girl as his own but their love was not enough. The evil in her would reach out unexpectedly. When she was gripped by her youkai blood she could even defeat grandsir. After Kagome died trying to give birth to their second child Inu Yasha found it more and more difficult to contain the girl, Yuki was her name. Kouga and Grandfather helped him but their strength was not enough. Inu Yasha decided to end it, taking her to Modoriko's cave and using the Tetsusaiga, which now had the complete jewel in it hilt, to kill her. But she was not killed merely sealed. Her evil polluted the jewel and she awakened. Kenshin was passing through the town that was her first devastation. He found the Tetsusaiga, the jewel purified as he carried it and the sword transformed for him in his fight with Yuki. She was his last kill. Kouga buried her in the cave."
"Oh." Leena thought for a moment. "Knowing that I could almost wish our enemy was Naraku." She knew what needed to be done, though the thought alone made her shudder. "Back to the problem at hand. We need to find out if the Shikon No Tama exist here, and if Kagome came through the well in this time. Two people would know that. Uncle Inu and Sesshomaru." She tried, but she felt her hatred of him rising. "Uncle Inu is a nomad and never stays put. The easiest way to find out is..." she paused and whispered from between clenched teeth. "visit him."
Taka was surprised and at the same time a little happy that they were visiting him. She lowered her head a moment, then moved closer to Leena, putting her hand on the woman's arm. "I can go by myself. As long as the castle is the same...I know places to hide from him if he is..." her voice broke, "You don't have to go."
"No we go together." She could feel the girls happiness. "If he is not the gentle Sesshomaru that you know, I can fight him. I can kill him. I don't think you could." She knew her voice had grown cold, the voice of the assassin she was she shrugged of the arm on her shoulder and lifted her armor, draping it over her arm she headed back to the campfire.
Taka shrugged, a little hurt at the sudden gruffness but she understood that this was going to be hard for her new companion. As she gathered her clothes, she realized that she felt lighter inside. Talking with Leena had helped her get over the deaths of her mother and brothers as her Grandsire had not. When she got closer to camp she scent of charred flesh seared her nostrils and she groaned. "Oh no, the rabbits!"