Like Father
Chapter Six:
Begrudging
I'm going to die… I'm going to be killed, and then the darkness will destroy the world. If I lose, my future is doomed. I must kill my uncle, the only family I have left. I have to kill him so that the darkness will leave him. But then how do I battle against an opponent that cannot feel my blade? How do I win against smoke?
She walked towards the well soundlessly brooding these things as the pain continued to pound through her, coming in constant waves.
I'm going to die…A twig snapped somewhere off and she stopped to look in that direction.
"I have a proposition for you," came the voice of Inuyasha.
"I stopped, didn't I?"
"I'll teach you to use the sword, if you'll stay in this time long enough to recover. If you go back now, you don't stand a chance against Sesshoumaru."
"I don't stand a ghost of a chance either way, whether I learn to use the sword or not. Why d'you suddenly care?"
"Because, I resent my father for making me what I am. I don't want you to resent me."
"I don't resent you. You cared about my mother… you didn't even get to see me before your death, but you still cared about me, enough to give your own arm to your brother, enough to trust him with your precious Tetsusaiga. I'm alive right now as proof he does love you, somewhere deep down that he'll discover in time. You don't really resent your father, or your brother. But I'll stay and recover if you really wish it. You can teach me to handle Tetsusaiga… but if your only reason is that you don't want me holding a grudge against you, then let me leave now to spare myself."
Inuyasha smirked as he walked toward her.
"Wow. Who'd you get that wit from?"
Kiara mirrored his smirk. "It's hard to tell. Mom was killed when I was younger… Uncle lost his arm trying to protect us and he couldn't use Tetsusaiga anymore, especially since it broke, but he still protected me until I was old enough to go and get it repaired, and he's held the darkness at bay up until recently… but without you in the first place, the darkness would have won before I learned to walk. So I guess I got it from the three of you."
"About your mom… Who is she exactly?"
Her smirk fades. "You're kidding, right?" He stays silent and she glowers at him. "Who d'you love?"