Same disclaimer as always. Only thing I own is the character whose POV this is told from. Don't own Inuyasha or Co.. Darn it.
I want to thank my reviewers, they mean a lot. Keep em coming and I will try to keep this going. After this week I will try to post at least once a week on all my fics. College ends this week, YEAH!
CHAPTER 3: GETTING ACQUAINTED
After my little display, Inuyasha took up a position in Goshinboku, on his usual branch I was told. The rest of us returned to the village. As Sango, Kirara and Miroku left to do whatever around the village, I was left alone to absorb my predicament. I chose to return to the edge of the woods, stopping just inside the tree line. There I planted my back against the rough bark of a tree and watched the people go about their lives. A few days and we would leave I was told. Relax, try to adjust they said. Hah. Everything I loved was taken from me, I am a stranger in a place and time I know little of. Yeah, and the doctors had called me chronically depressed a few years ago. If they only knew.
"You okay, Ami-san?" My focus dropped the introspection I had been engaging in and returned to the here and now, and I wasn't too surprised to find myself looking into green eyes topped by red hair and sided by pointed ears. Green eyes that were looking at me with concern.
"I will be, Shippo-kun. In time."
His young face turned sympathetic and shadowed by sadness. "It takes a long time, I know." The kitsune promptly sat beside me, gazing into the distance as I had been only moments ago. "My family was killed too."
I gave him a sharp, startled look, but said nothing, letting him tell me as much or as little as he wanted.
"My father tried to protect me, too. They skinned him." His voice surprised me, not much emotion to it. "I was very young then, to small to fight, but I tried. I tried to get some jewel shards from Okaa-san and Inu-baka, but they caught me. They helped me, and killed the Thunder Brothers, the youkai who had slaughtered my family." Shippo looked over at me then, the solemn expression out of place on his cherubic face. "The pain is always there, but over time it gets better. You start to see your lives together instead of their deaths, and it gets bearable."
Smiling, albeit sadly, at him, I gently tousled his hair. He looked to be about ten or son, and I remembered liking that kind of thing at that age. He seemed pleased by the attention, his face losing some of the pain it had held. "Tell you what, Shippo-kun." I shifted to look at him, making firm eye contact. I wasn't joking, and this was an offer not to be given or taken lightly. "I never had a brother, and just maybe we can help each other with our pain. So, how about, since we both lost a family, we adopt each other? I know Kagome-chan is like your okaa-san, but, if you want, I could use a little brother."
His face seemed to gleam. "I've never had a sister."
"Funny, I never had a brother." I made the effort of a half-smile, and just barely made it. "Well, then." A deep sigh accompanied my rising to my feet, taking his statement as acceptance and moving on to the next issue. My swords were returned to my sides from the grass I had laid them on while I had been thinking. Blue fastened lower on my left and red about an inch higher on my right hip.
Inquisitive kit he was, Shippo had to ask. "Where did you get those?"
"These," I began, pulling the left sword out with my right hand and vise versa in a classic cross draw, "were gifts from my parents. They were made in a single forging I am told, and bound to each other and to my blood the day I was born. This blue one is Nettou, the red is Okibi." I absently twirled the swords in my hands. "My father once said they would save my life. Apparently not my family though." My expressing was bitter as I slid the blades home in their sheaths. "Come, Shippo-kun, let's go find Sango-chan."
Not more than three seconds later a loud SMACK was heard echoing from the village followed by a declaration of "HENTAI!" Well, guess it wouldn't be hard to track down Sango AND Miroku.
"Sango-chan?"
My voice drew her attention from the still twitching monk at her feet, a large bump on his head and a flaming red hand print on his face. "Hai, Ami-chan?"
"Would you mind a little light sparring with me? Please?"
She looked confused, but open to the idea. "Why?"
My hands rested comfortably on the hilts of my swords. "When my father gave me these swords, he trained me to fight with them, but I have no idea how those skills will hold out against a fighter of this era. As you are a tayjia, I know of no one better to measure a skill against."
She blinked at me in surprise once before shrugging. "Sure. Meet me in the clearing near the forest in a few minutes, I need to change out of this kimono."
I nodded as she ducked into Kaede's hut. Glancing down at Shippo, still at my side, I got an idea. "Shippo-kun, could you take care of Miroku? When he comes to, I want both of you to watch Sango and I spar. I want you to know what I am capable of in battle before we leave, so you can know if you can depend on me or not. Not to mention, I would love any suggestions you have." A growl at my feet drew my attention lower. "You too, Kirara-san, I need the advice of a veteran."
Minutes later, Sango and I were facing each other in the clearing I had been staring at no more than a quarter hour ago. Shippo, Kirara, a now conscious Miroku, and even Inuyasha sat on the edge of the tree line, easily able to see, but far enough away to stay out of danger. I bowed respectfully to Sango, right hand resting easily on the red hilt, loosely, ready. She nodded respectfully to me, drawing her own katanna and tonto blades. Taking my queue, I likewise drew my swords, but straight out in an underhanded grip. The result was the blunt edge of the blades pressed against the backs of my arms, the razor edge out. I struck a basic defensive posture, left arm straight in front of my body in a guard, right arm bent at a right angle and held tight in against my body. With my body turned slightly to the side, my left arm was held directly between myself and Sango, and with my right arm bent at the angle it was, over a foot of blade pointed parallel to my body, perpendicular to my guard, excellent position for a counter strike. It was my father's fighting style, Slicing Arm.
"Ready?"
I gave a brisk nod to Sango's question and she charged. The first exchange was swift and brief, more of a test than anything. Her attack, my block with Nettou, counter with Okibi, her block, and both of us took a small jump away from the other. Measure had been taken on both sides. She was a seasoned expert, but I was no rank amateur. Beginning to circle, we got serious. Attack, dodge, recoil, counterattack, guard, block, break. My attack, blocked by her tonto, a counter with her katanna, she pressed her full weight against my blocking arm. With a heave I parried her sword and backed up for some time. I knew she was getting used to my style, getting a feel for it. Dad's style of fighting was excellent, for him. However, it was made explicitly for close combat, and I had a reach far too short to do that efficiently for more than a short time. Realizing that the surprise my style had had only been a short-lived advantage, I suddenly flipped Okibi over in my hand, holding it in a traditional, single-hand grip. Once again I resumed my first guard position, but instead of my right sword pointing behind me, I held it in a high guard, the blade held just over my head, the curvature of the metal seemed to match that of my shoulders. Sango shifted her stance slightly, and we began again.
Five more minutes of fighting and Okibi soared from my hand as Nettou was too slow to block her katanna. I wound up with the tip of her sword about an inch from my throat. Dropping Nettou, I dramatically fell backwards, panting from exertion. "Damn." My head rolled to the side as Sango dropped heaving to the ground beside me, and I was mildly gratified that she didn't look much better than I did. "Good…workout." She nodded, both of us too out of breath to say much for a several moments.
"You are…one of…the best…I ever… faced." I couldn't even get enough air to thank her for the compliment.
The gang reached us just as we had been able to take one or two deep breaths. The sun on the horizon was suddenly blotted out by red hair and concerned green eyes. "You okay, Ami-chan?"
"Oh, yeah." I sat up slowly, shaking my head. "Just great."
"I have never seen someone go so long against Sango-san." Miroku looked me over appraisingly with this statement, and I swear I almost blushed, and not because he was being perverted, because it wasn't that kind of look. More like I was grateful he accepted me as a fighter. A "mew" from Kirara showed she agreed as she rubbed herself against my leg.
"Keh." Inuyasha stood over us, arms crossed and his hands hidden in his haori. "Guess you won't be totally useless."
I gave him a filthy look before accepting Miroku's proffered hand to help me up. Kaede had offered for me to sleep in her hut, along with the rest of the group, with the exception of Inuyasha, who apparently slept in trees. Sorry, but that sounded uncomfortable. A short soak in the local hots prings to rinse off the abundant sweat I had worked up during our sparring match and I was more than ready for sleep. The last thing I remember before dosing off on the floor of the hut was a feeling of security, that I was safe with these people.
I slept in the next day, the sun was high in sky before I finally drug myself to consciousness. I went to explore while the others did their own duties around the village. As I met the villagers and helped out where I could, I learned about my new companions. Between helping chop firewood and bringing back water from those hot springs, I learned the why behind each person, why they endangered their lives daily to hunt this jewel and Naraku. Miroku, hunting Naraku to end his family curse and avenge his father and grandfather. Sango was after Naraku because he enslaved her younger brother with a corrupted shard of the jewel and forced him to slaughter their entire village. The Thunder Brothers that had slaughtered Shippo's parents had possessed jewel shards, he was out to be sure no one else was hurt like he had been. Kagome had been the one to accidentally shatter the blasted Tama in the first place, and she was one of the only two who could sense the shards and purify them. Inuyasha's story was equal parts tragic and stupidity. He wanted the Shikon no Tama for himself, all so he could wish to become a full demon. Adding insult to injury, Naraku, who, come to find out, was also seeking the shards, had also caused Kikyo, Inuyasha's first love, and Inuyasha to turn on each other, resulting in her death and his forced hibernation for fifty years until Kagome freed him. Payback for that one's gonna be a bitch.
Snagging some free time in the afternoon, I finally decided Shippo had the most objective, or at least informative, view on each enemy we faced, and he was more than happy to give me the rundown on each of them. Out of the mouths of babes indeed.
Naraku, once Onigumo, was a hanyou that had been born human. Onigumo had allowed his soul and body to be devoured by hundreds of demons, forming them all into the being known as Naraku. All that because he was jealous of Kikyo and Inuyasha and wanted the miko Kikyo for himself. Ironic, especially considering his first course of action as Naraku had been to turn Kikyo and Inuyasha against each other, resulting in her death. In the past five years he had gathered several times the number of shards the group had, and had thus grown stronger. His power included the ability to spawn incarnations of himself, including the Kagura and Kanna, wind and void youkai respectively.
Second on "Shippo's Most Wanted" list was Kikyo herself. Something of a shocker since he had said minutes ago she was dead. Made basically of ash and dirt, she was brought back to life by the witch Urase. The witch was long dead, but Kikyo, the "clay pot" miko still lived, er, existed, whatever. Now she was intent on dragging Inuyasha to hell with her and/or regaining her full soul by killing Kagome, who just happened to be her reincarnation. Lovely girl. And Inuyasha still carried a torch for her? Geesh, he was dumber than I thought.
Kouga seemed more ambiguous. Originally they had caught his wolves slaughtering humans, then he kidnapped Kagome because she could see the jewel shards. Real charmer, eh? Kagome, being the magnet she seems to be for males, was evidently around him enough for him to fall for her. Now, if Kagome is in danger, he tends to help out, often followed by his two best friends, Ginta and Hakkaku. Inuyasha hates his guts, though he vigorously denies being jealous of him, contrary to popular opinion. Funny, he can go do Kami only knows what with the "clay pot," but Kouga flirts with Kagome and he flies off the handle, humn. Fascinating.
Finally was Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's older brother. A full-blooded inu-youkai, he was in fact the Taiyoukai of the Western Lands. At first he had tried to steal Inuyasha's sword, the Tetseiga, a powerful weapon made from the fang of their father. In his opinion, a hanyou was unworthy to wield such a gift, brother or no. One of the swords he carried was the Tenseiga, twin to the Tetseiga. But where Tetseiga could slay over a hundred in a single swing, the Tenseiga healed, and required a compassionate heart to use it. Not surprisingly, from what I was told, he was less than impressed with his inheritance. Failing to get the sword, he resorted to simply wishing to kill his brother. What was odd about this entire story was that when Inuyasha had once turned into a feral youkai, wild and out for only blood, Sesshoumaru had used his other sword, Tokijin, a sword on par with Tetseiga for destructive power, only to stop the rampage, not to kill Inuyasha when he had every chance. Again, ambiguous. Joy. Anyone else getting a migraine from all this?