I apologize again for borrowing directly from Kill Bill, but once you find out which character I chose for Hattori Hanzo, I think you'll agree that he seems like the guy who would end up running a restaurant. It's such a cliche, but I couldn't resist. He's perfect, after all.

By the way, I'm surprised no one has mentioned that if Kikyo exists in present time...which Kikyo did Kagome know about in the Feudal Era? It's the same for some other people. But to make up an explanation would be a huge hassle, and I'm up to doing about zip extra work right now. So if anyone does bother to question that little detail, let's just pretend that Kagome never actually heard Kikyo's name spoken, she just knew her as the mysterious woman everybody liked better when she was dead.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Kill Bill or anything related to either of them.

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Lei non Deve Parlare, Sento

Chapter 11-I Sleep With My Guns

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Clouds passed under her window quickly slowly, and beneath them, ocean. It dragged by without changing pace, and the scenery never changed color. The long, beautiful expanse of crystal blue had become tiring long ago, and the occasional island to liven things up was welcome.

Her eyes closed gradually in surrender to sleep. She hadn't had that in a while, and although she was not yet considered wicked, she knew she would become so, and there is no rest for the wicked.

A layer of underground crime exists everywhere. In every country there is a network of conspiracies and evil connecting things. It's almost like a private world, and once you enter it, laws and rules become ineffectual. Those who operate under this network are deemed to do anything they want, and most often, if they're truly professionals, they're never caught. It's a system that operates above the law, naturally, but it is never touched or combated by the rest of the world in a way that might actually hurt it. It simply exists, it always has, it always will.

This dark net of crime is gifted with many freedoms, and many pleasures. What it's operatives want, they take, what they need, they have. They abide by a certain code of honor, but it is light and rarely enforced. It seems that usually there is strong brotherhood among the criminals, or none at all.

They typically refuse intervention from society; police are rarely brought into any situation, no matter how great. Instead they find their own ways of eliminating concerns. But this underground does deal with the clean world occasionally; that is usually when it is in the mood to dispose of a threat.

Kagome had no trouble tapping into the network of crime, all she had to do was drop the name of one of Sesshomaru's party, and information was yielded on the spot, or after a little persuasion. Sesshomaru himself was hardly known at all, and she had difficulty trying to discover things about him, thus the importance of the names of his proteges was proved. It seemed that his group was well known, though she seemed never allowed to know why, but Sesshomaru.... People knew him, unknowingly. They were very aware of the distinct connection between Sango, Naraku, Kikyo, and Kagura. Everyone knew that they worked under the command of a single ridiculously powerful person, but they did not know his name, who he really was, or really anything at all.

But Kagome hadn't necessarily been searching for things about Sesshomaru, or his killers; she usually couldn't find anything useful anyway. What she had been searching for, was the maker of their weapons. It was a difficult, specific thing to find, and her frustration grew steadily.

Eventually, however, she realized another way to phrase her question, and soon rather than asking for the maker of Sesshomaru's weapon, Kagura's weapon, Naraku's, or Sango's, she started asking for a person who could make weapons for people with unique skills.

Kagome had known right from the start that she could not just go charging after her murderers without being properly armed. And that in turn had raised an interesting question: what was the weapon for her? Originally the bow had been the obvious choice, but training with Sesshomaru had taught her that her power could be channeled into a number of different things. With this broad range of choices she finally decided on a sword, as she'd always been more adept with a blade in Sesshomaru's presence than anything else.

There were few priestesses left, but a small number of demons quietly blended in unnoticed by nearly everyone, including monks and priests, etc. They were so well disguised and clever about their identities that few even in the network knew what they were. But the point was, there had to be someone out there who could help her find the right person to make her a weapon. Because she knew there was a demon out there who had powers like her who'd needed a sword at some point.

After a long search, someone, a demon with certain strengths of his own as she'd predicted there would be, was able to point her in the right direction. He warned her first that the one who had forged his sword, also a friend from many years back, was liable to refuse her. He had quit the trade many years ago But Kagome was determined, and it was the best bet she had.

Now on a plane to Japan, in search of the sword master she had been directed to, Kagome fought the onslaught of sleep and felt the addictive pleasure of knowing that with every mile she traveled she was getting closer to achieving her goal.

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The tips of her fingers delicately brushed away the little curtain that barred her entry before she stepped in. It was small, and somewhat dingy restaurant; outfitted with little more than a few timeworn tables and chairs, as well as an equally plain bar with some stools set in front of it.

There was a man standing behind it who looked both considerably out of place and right at home in the stuffy, dusty, somewhat cozy restaurant. He raised his head at her arrival. Kagome smiled at him, and he immediately flashed her a toothy grin. "A young lady!" he exclaimed in perfect Japanese. "I assume you must be a native!" He was referring to her physical attributes.

She bowed her head and smiled charmingly, "I'm sorry," she did her best to banish all traces of an accent, unsure is she should be revealing her origins to someone who had made swords for villains of all kinds for hundreds of years, "I don't speak Japanese."

His grin became even more large, and he began speaking in English for her immediately, "Ahhh, wonderful! I love to practice my English!" Every movement he made, every syllable he pronounced was entirely fake. Kagome wondered what had made a life of insistent pseudo-delightfulness so appealing to him.

"I don't know much of the language here; it's so good to be able to talk to someone in English," she said sweetly, with the precise enthusiasm of a friendly foreigner.

"Is that so? That is good, it is my honor to make a pretty girl like yourself more comfortable!" he managed to sound decently interested, and waved her toward him, "Come sit at the bar, sit! Tell me about where you come from."

Kagome did as he requested and settled herself on a stool before him. "Well," she began, "I'm American. And man," she looked around in awe, as if she could see through the walls, "I thought we were industrial. This is amazing."

He laughed loudly and shook his finger at her, "You are very funny!"

She flashed him a little smile and nodded her head, "Thank you."

"Now..." he put his hands on the table and stared intensely at her, "What may I bring you?"

Kagome paused in thought, and then shrugged casually, "I suppose tea would be just fine."

"Wonderful!" He clapped his hands together in approval and spun around to pry about the little kitchen that was set up behind him. As he wove around the small space, grabbing the necessary supplies, he continued to try and carry on a conversation with her.

"What brings you such distance from home?" he asked her, "seeing sights?"

Kagome smiled wryly, though he couldn't see it with his back to her. "No..." she drawled, deliberately making him guess.

"Family? Friends?"

"I suppose you might say that..." she responded coyly.

"Aha! And who are the lucky people who are allowed your company?" He set the kettle on his small stove cheerily, completely unobservant of her sudden shift in tone.

Kagome leaned a little closer to him, and let a touch of her accent slip into her voice, not much, but just enough to make him curious. "It's just one person. A man."

He stood up, and turned around to look at her suspiciously. With a bit more hesitancy, and much more solemnity, he asked her the inevitable question. "What man?"

She drew very close then, with a sympathetic smile on her face, "You're Totosai, aren't you?"

He immediately stepped back from her, his hand reaching out swiftly towards a row or knifes strung up on the wall, Kagome sat up quickly, "I'm not here to fight!" she said stiffly, in her native tongue.

"What do you want with me?!" Totosai snapped fiercely. His voice had lost its warmth, its stupid joy, all of which had been replaced with alarm, and even fear. His strange eyes seemed to bulge even more with concern. "Who are you?!"

"I need you to help me," Kagome said calmly. "Please, I don't want to fight."

"Who are you?" he repeated, his hand never straying far from the knives.

She glanced at them silently before answering him. Even if he did try a weapon on her, and even if he was a demon, Kagome was confident that she could defeat him easily. Nevertheless, the last she wanted was to confront the old, withered demon. "I'm Higurashi; Higurashi, Kagome."

"Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't know if I could trust you."

His fingers suddenly dropped from the vicinity of the blades, but he still stood rigidly, "Who do you work for?"

She swallowed, "Myself."

At that reply he snorted impudently, "How bold. What do you want with me." Apparently he was through asking questions politely, as his last request was bitten off like a command instead.

Kagome swallowed her pride and ignored his rudeness, "I need you to make me a sword."

Totosai huffed and whipped away from her, "No."

"Please!"

"No!" His fierce eyes froze her in place with a sharp look over his shoulder, "I do not make weapons for killing anymore!"

A heavy silence ensued as Kagome struggled to find some way to explain her situation to him persuasively. "I'm begging you," She stood up and placed her hands on the bar sternly, "Please make me a sword."

The sincere desperation in her eyes reached him slowly. It was obvious, even to someone with a heart as cold as his, that she was truly in need of a blade. Reluctantly, he let some of his barriers fall to her convincing stare.

"Why? You aren't even fit to wield one of my swords. You're just a human woman."

Kagome smiled slightly and shook her head, "No, I'm not. And my purpose is a good one, I assure you."

"Not human you say?" he sneered, "You can't fool me girl. I can smell it."

"But can you sense it?" she shot back. He visibly faltered; the confusion was clear in his eyes. Kagome tilted her head to him, "I guess you need a demonstration?"

Her fingers splayed on the counter and sat straight and still before the skin on her hand became illuminated by the faint violet light she could summon any time she wished. The light gradually intensified while Totosai's shock and amazement grew before her.

"A...a petty magic trick," he stammered.

"No."

Her fingers suddenly formed a fist and she jerked her arm back. Not even a second after she had pulled it away, her hand bathed in what resembled lavender flames, she let it strike the table. The surface immediately succumbed to her bare hand, a blaze of purple burned away the rest. When it had finished, a hole roughly the size of her fist had been formed all through the table to the ground.

Totosai took a shaky step back from her again. "That's just the beginning," Kagome said cunningly, her girlish naivete returning for just a moment.

"But, that's not right!" he hissed, baffled, "You're human!"

"I'm a priestess," she informed him succinctly.

Reverence had suddenly replaced all of the fear and apprehension in his eyes, "A priestess?" he asked her in a faint whisper. He came towards her in a hurry. "I didn't think there were any real ones left."

To Kagome's surprise, he suddenly brought both of her hands palms up to his face, sighing with amazement. She blushed at his sudden change of mood. "Well, that's the best way to describe me I guess...I'm actually really one of a kind."

"Oh no no," he chittered, "You're definitely a true priestess if I ever saw one. And I have seen one!"

Her hopes rose with his admiration, "Then does this mean you'll make me a sword?"

He suddenly dropped both of her hands, but his gaze remained fixed on the counter, "I am sorry Priestess, but I cannot make you a sword..."

"Why?"

"I stopped making instruments of death and pain many years ago...To go back on my word would be a terrible sin. Even I, a demon, respect my own promises. Especially the ones I make to the world."

"This is very important," Kagome insisted, "You must make me a sword that can handle the power I've got. Please."

Totosai was silent; his large eyes gazed at her steadily, never moving from her. He studied her face, the emotions it conveyed, the position of her body. She was leaning forward earnestly, pleading with every strength of appearance she had. After inspecting her thoroughly for just a few moments, he gave her a look of pure regret and said, "Come with me."

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Totosai had been guiding her up rickety old steps for a while. They had been silent during the ascent, but just as they rounded another corner, he chose to speak.

"Do you want to know why I stopped making swords for killing, Priestess?"

She pointed her chin downwards warily, "Yes."

"I will tell you then." He took a deep breath before beginning, "For many years, I forged swords of all kinds and sizes for many different demons and men. It was my craft, I loved it. And if I was ever fortunate enough to see my swords put to use I smiled. The only emotion I felt when I saw the blood of an innocent fly was satisfaction."

Kagome stared thoughtfully at the space in front of her.

"And then one day, a very powerful demon, my dear friend, asked me to create a sword from one of his fangs for his youngest son."

She nearly froze where she was, but said nothing and made no sudden movements as he went on.

"I was happy to make the blade, and put more care into it than I had ever done for a weapon before. And while I made this sword, my friend explained to me its purpose. He said that his young child had been born to a human mother, that he was an outcast half-breed. He wanted the sword to be for him, to remind him that he had ability to summon the power that would always lie in him. He wanted his son to be strong, but as a demon and a human; because nothing was more beautiful and binding as his mortal mother's love. The sword was thus also meant to make him aware of the good strength that rested in the human race, of the love they could give, and how wonderful they were to protect."

Kagome could feel the tears rising in her eyes.

"He had an older brother as well, who was hard and cruel. He despised his brother for his human blood, and his father for loving him. As a parting lesson for him, my friend had me create another sword, one that could not kill, but could only heal and revive the dead. This brother was enraged, he coveted the destructive power of his brother's weapon and when his father died and his sibling went missing he began his search for the blade so that he might find it and apply it to his own desires."

She bit her lip to keep from weeping.

"Eventually he discovered the sword's hiding place, but it was his father's tomb, placed within his brother's own eye. Thus when it was found out, they chased after it together, along with a mortal girl who was a companion of the younger son. They fought, and the elder of the two brothers killed the other."

They suddenly stopped before a door, but he did not open it. Nor did he turn around and face her as she wept quietly. Totosai merely kept his head bowed as he continued his tale.

"To know that it was my creation that tore his children apart the most, that it killed the half-breed, was heartbreak enough. But it did not end there. The girl that had gone with them was used by the remaining son to carry the sword, because he could not touch it due to a spell. She used the spell against him just a few hours after they left the tomb. Soon after she attempted to kill him, she destroyed the sword without meaning to by using her strange abilities. As revenge, the son murdered her entire village, down to the last child..."

His hand gripped the doorknob before him, as if for support. "I came as soon as I heard the news, how it reached me I'm not sure. As I traveled the only grief, the only regret I felt was for the sword and the son. But when I reached the village, I saw what my creation had done. And I knew that all of my other weapons had done damage on the same scale, of the same kind. Because of one of my swords a whole village, a son, and his companion were murdered. I don't think I truly understood what swords were used for until I saw the remains of all of those humans."

He didn't say anymore, he didn't have to. It was Kagome's turn to speak.

"Totosai..." He turned around, hearing the tears in her voice. "I think you will make me a sword."

Pausing, he stared awkwardly at her delicate, shivering frame. He was surprised by her crying, and her statement; his voice had dwindled to a whisper. "Why?"

She smiled up at him woefully, "I was the girl who destroyed Tetsusaiga. And I need a sword to get revenge for a few things, Inuyasha and the village included."

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Okay okay...violence soon. That's the second time a chapter's ended with Kagome saying something like that. Annoying much?