My friend, My Enemy
By Tomo-Sama
Chapter 1
The smoky air burned her eyes and lungs, all around her the cries of the terrified and dying nearly drowned out the hideous screams of the Oni and Youkai that attacked the village she grew up in. She leaned against the side of a burning hut, her black shoulder length hair damp with sweat and blood clung to her head getting in the way and making it harder to see.
"Izumi" someone yelled through the clamour, the girl looked up, violet eyes locked on the form of a man running towards her. The man was one of the elders in the village his old demon exterminator armor was torn in many places. "Look lively girl" he yelled, running head long into a large snake demon with a no-dachi. Izumi shook her head hard, snapping out of her daze. "Keiji-sama she gasped, griping her Katana she when for the demon's belly. The snake hissed and flung its spike lined tail toward the two exterminators. Izumi quickly dived to the ground but old Keiji had not been fast enough.
The tail impaled the poor man sending him flying to the ground. His blood spilled over Izumi's dark green and black armor. Jumping up from the dirt Izumi let out a wordless snarl and lunged at the demon. She smirked when she felt the blade hit flesh, the snake let out a gurgled scream and lashed out with its tail again. Blocking the attack Izumi jumped back and flung a couple of her Shuriken she kept hidden. The snake dodged and rammed head first into the girl sending her flying into a wall. Izumi groaned the heat was affecting her worse then she first thought.
Thinking the battle won the snake lunged at her mouth open. 'NO' Izumi yelled in her head 'I won't die here' lifting her katana just in time for the snake to impale itself on the blade. One of its fangs prised her leg when the body fell on her. She let out a scream which quickly turned into a cough. She had to get out of the village. Slowly she pushed the dead snake off her and crawled across the ground.
It was growing quiet, as the demons finished off the last of the helpless villagers and went looking for the accursed jewel shard. Slowly she crawled to the wall that surrounded her village. Taking up the biggest rock she could find she hacked away at the wall until the wood gave away and she was able to make it to the safety of the forest and collapsed.
Opening her eyes Izumi sat up, that dream again she thought. The attack had been a couple of long months ago and she had been plagued with these nightmares. Izumi glanced up at the sky noticing the sun had just rose, standing she brush out the wrinkles in she brown/gold Kimono that hid her Exterminator armor before she put out the small fire she lit the night before.
Izumi had been on her own traveling from village to village, killing demons here and there for money. She tired to settle down and start a new life but couldn't the pain in her heart and lust for revenge kept her going, she lived for the hunt now and thirsted for demon blood. Sliding her katana into her obi she started down a path that lead east.
Izumi's mind wander back down memory lane like it always did after reliving her personal nightmare. She remembered all the faces of her past, family and other villagers, Keiji her teacher and her best friend Sango. Izumi often wondered about her, she and Sango had grown up together and she missed her. If anything good had come from that awful night it was that Sango wasn't in the village at the time and for that she thanked the gods.
As the morning became day, Izumi came upon and small village. A grin spread across her face she could use a bath if the village had an inn.
Keade left her hut and hobbled over to her herb garden; Kagome soon popped out of the same hut and followed the old priestess. It was such a good day she didn't want to stay in besides Keade could teach her some new herbs. Shippo sat on Kagome's shoulder sucking on a lolli pop.
Kagome sat down next the Keade who began her lesson. Shippo watched for awhile before pulling the candy out of his mouth "this is boring Kagome can't we do something fun" he protested loudly. Keade chuckle a little and Kagome turned to face the fox "why don't you go find one of the others to play with then" she said "I gotta learn this while I have the change."
"Why is this so important anyway" Shippo muttered popping the lolli back in his mouth. "It helps when Inuyasha decides that it would be much more affective to run into an enemy's attack then avoiding it." She answers getting a laugh from the fox, A laugh that was cut short when he noticed a strange woman walking towards them.
Izumi eyes scanned the village for anyone she could ask about an inn. Her eyes fell upon a group of people in a garden. An old woman who looked to be a priestess, a child and a young girl in a really short Kimono, of you could call it that. As she got closer the child darted away behind the young girl, smiling she bowed respectfully. "Excuse me but does your village have an inn"
Keade was about to answer when a loud slap cut through the quiet followed by a yell. Miroku turned the corner with a grin on his face, holding one cheek that was stinging. "Lovely day isn't it ladies" he said as he past by. Kagome rolled her eyes at the monk and Izumi watch him with a smirk.
"Does that baka ever learn" Shippo said as he came out and took of after the monk. Izumi didn't noticed the fox demon go by, her heart stopped and her eyes widened twice there size at the girl who just turned the corner. "S-Sango" she said. Sango stared at Izumi, mouth moving wordlessly, finally she whispered the name of the person she thought was lost to her "Izumi"