by: Del_kaidin and Tiranth.
Chapter 7 Midoriko's Cave
They had walked easily past the barrier, she had let both pass. Now they stood before the figure who long ago became stone. Eternally locked in battle with the demon who held her in its mouth. The hole where the jewel had sprung forth still visible. Leena knelt to the ancient miko, her silver hair fanning around her in a silken cloud. She knew the pup watched, but it could not be helped. Rising to her knees she spoke. "Midoriko-sama, why have you summoned us, from different worlds?" She watched as the figure began to glow and the small amount of the Miko's spirit that remained in the cave coalesced before her.
"Leena, and Taka, you have made your way here. Naraku holds the Shikon No Tama. It must be returned to this cave, where I may protect it once more. Inu Yasha never met Kikyou in this world. Naraku killed her and stole the jewel. Kagome never came through the Bone Eaters Well. The peace between Youkai and Ningen that Inu Yasha and Kagome's love would bring about will never occur on this world. But as always my daughters you have a choice. Will you accept this quest, or shall I send you each home to your own realities?"
"I accept this quest Midoriko-sama." Leena turned and looked at her companion, awaiting her answer.
She was nervous as she entered the cave. Her Grandsire and uncle Kouga had always warned her away from it for fear that Yuki would awaken. Her hand hovered above the hilt of her sword, ready and alert she watched as Leena knelt and spoke to the stone statue. When the miko appeared before then and started to speak she almost yelped with surprise, her legs tense, ready to run. Yet she didn't not and discovered their purpose here. Midoriko was asking them to retrieve the Shikon no Tama from Naraku. She realized that both Leena and the miko were looking at her, awaiting her answer. Quickly she went down on one kneel, bending her head. "I too shall accept the quest you lay before us, Midoriko-sama."
Leena turned back to the ancient miko who nodded at the acceptance and spoke. "I am glad my daughters. In your quest you shall be joined by three others. Each will hold their own magic. I can not tell you whom two are. Only that one shall live under a curse, one shall walk in sadness. Leena you know the third." From behind the statue walked a brown and black kitten.
"Kiarara." Leena bent and lifted the fire cat, rubbing her cheek against the kitten.
"Naraku grows stronger soon he will threaten this world." Midoriko's figure slowly faded as she smiled at the two girls. "My blessings on both of you."
Taka stepped up next to Leena and studied the fire cat, sniffing her tentatively. "So this is Kirara? I never met her." She reached out a hand, letting the cat sniff it before petting her on the head. "So what do we do now?"
"Yes, this is Kirara. As for what we do now.... Midoriko said that our companions would join us on our quest. So we start hunting Naraku. The best place to start is at the beginning, so back to Tokyo and the Sunset Shrine." Leena thought for a moment. "If this was my world I'd say one of our companions was Miroku and the other Sango. Yet in this world Sango's village still exist, besides the fact they would have long ago died of of age. I wonder if they met in this reality?" She shrugged.
They walked in silence through the cool forest. Taka's mind was a whirlwind. They were going to fight Naraku. Would she be able to hold her own against the evil youkai. She fingered the hilt of her sword, felt the comforting weight of the dagger strapped to her calf. She'd always been able to defeat her enemies in her reality but then she came here and met Leena. Leena could have killed her at anytime, of that she was certain. "Um...Leena...can I ask you something?"
The cool evening air was as comforting to Leena's soul as the small fire cat kitten perched on her shoulder. She didn't know if even she could defeat Naraku, but she had given her word. She would die before giving up. She began to think who the two others could be. Midoriko had said they would meet them on their quest, and that she trusted, but who were they. Taka's questions brought her back to the moment. "Yea, sure."
She looked down at the ground, unable at first to make the words come. "Could you train me?" With that said she rushed ahead, giving Leena a pleading look. "I know I can do better than I do. Please, will you?"
Leena looked at the girl, "Train you..." she finally was able to get out. "You mean to fight?"
Taka nodded. "You don't have to if you don't want to," she replied, embarrassed now, "I just don't want to be a burden...you were right...I'm a spoiled chibi hime...I--" She stopped, waiting for an answer, unable to look at Leena. The cold uncaring face she tried to wear for the rest of the world would not stay in place around Leena. With her she became the pup she really was, the scared little girl who missed her mother but that was what they needed right now. She needed to be strong and that meant to be able to fight to the best of her ability.
"Hey I didn't say I wouldn't. Yea, you can be a spoiled brat. I can be a heartless cold bitch. I'll teach you, but I warn you... I'm a harsh sensei. You've got good instincts, and techniques. Your biggest weakness is you fight with your heart not your head. Didn't your," her distaste showed as she uttered the next word, "Grandsire ever teach you the Demon Kata?"
She breathed a sigh of relief. Taka had been afraid Leena would refuse. She shook her head. "No I never learned anything like that," she gave Leena a low bow, "I will do whatever you say Leena."
She laughed at the girls antics. "All right, watch." She motioned for the girl to sit against a nearby tree. Placing Desu beside her she warned, "No matter what, never, ever touch Desu." At the girls nod she stepped back. Once again she pulled her hair back and knotted it on itself. "The reason it is called the Demon Kata is the speed. Most are done at a slower pace than the attack, as Kata's are used to train the body. What makes the Demon Kata impossible for a human is the slowness it must be performed at. It will look easy, but each movement will test your muscles strength and flexibility. It took me a hundred years of doing it twice a day to master it. I'm going to do it even slower so you can see the movements" She began the slow movements allowing her body to flow from one movement to the next. Each movement agonizingly slow, even the backflips were executed in the same fluid slowness. Finishing with a bow, she looked once again at the girl, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She was not surprised to find her armor soaking with her own sweat. "That Taka is the Demon Kata, the hard way. Now I need a bath."
"Arg!!!!" she cried, after messing up for the hundredth time. While Leena was taking her bath, the girl attempted the Demon Kata. Sweat was rolling down her back and cheeks but she refused to stop. She returned to the starting position and started again, after wiping the sweat from her brow.
Returning to the clearing she saw Taka attempting the Kata. She knew the girl was desperate to learn it. She watched as the girl missed a move and return to the starting position. "TAKA!" she watched as the girl jumped at her voice. "Did you not hear? It took me a 100 years to master it at normal speed. The speed I showed you took another 200. Go bathe. We will work more tomorrow."
She bowed and hurried to the lake. First she stripped her clothes and dipped them in the water, washing away the sweat and dust. Then after laying them out to dry lowered herself into the water. It soothed the aches developing in her muscles. She would be sore tomorrow. She sighed. 100 years to master that kata. No matter she would do her best and learn as much of it as she could. She had to be stronger. Slowly her mind drifted to who the other two companions might be. Would they be ningen, youkai, or hanyou? Would they be from this reality or others? She finished bathing and returned to Leena. The sun was beginning to set. "Do we sleep or continue on?" she asked.
She might be a harsh sensei, but she wasn't that harsh. Leena knew the girls muscles ached, and tomorrow she would be stiff. "First I hunt, you start a fire, then we talk and then sleep." She walked away from camp to hunt. Her ears twisting at ever sound. She had noticed the scent of duck near the small lake and positioned herself to wait. As the sun slowly drifted below the horizon, the ducks returned. With a quick snatch she held two ducks, before returning to camp she bleed and cleaned them.
As she reentered the camp she held up her catch. "Duck, tonight."