Oh make up your own author's note.
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Disclaimer: Sue me and you will die a slow and painful death. I obviously don't own Inuyasha, or Kill Bill, etc., if I'm in this state of affairs.
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Lei non Deve Parlare, Sento
Chapter 12-Sword Swings
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Totosai shook his head stiffly, slowly. It had been at least a minute since either of them had said a word or even moved an inch. This first gesture was rigid, awkward, like he was having difficulty doing it.
"That isn't possible," he said quickly, and then he started to laugh. It was a wicked laugh, Kagome could help but shiver with apprehension. "That was hundreds of years ago human!"
She lowered her gaze dangerously, "How can I convince you that I'm the girl?"
"Keh!" He spat with disdain, he no longer revered her as a priestess. "I don't know how you came to know about Tetsusaiga, but I'm not about to believe that a foolish human girl survived for five hundred years; even with Goddamned powers!"
Kagome bristled with rage, but could only respect his disbelief. She would have insisted it as being farfetched if someone had told it to her. "Totosai..." she began slowly, "I can assure you, I am that girl. I was lucky enough to escape Sesshomaru that day, but when I went back through the well–"
"What well?" He interrupted shortly, hand still wrapped tightly around the doorknob.
Her eyes darted around as she swallowed, "In a shrine by my house there was...a well that, well, it," she fumbled for the right words, "When I jumped into it I would be transported through time to the...feudal era."
He cackled insultingly, "You're pathetic, is that the best you can come up with?!" His hand rocketed towards the wall and slammed against it imposingly, "I'm through with this! I'll listen to no more of your idiot claims!"
The elderly demon moved towards her in an effort to get back down the steps, but she snatched at his arm and held him where he was, "Stop!" she cried, "Please, I'm telling the truth!"
Totosai made a deep growling noise in his throat as he gave her a withering stare, but Kagome refused to be intimidated, "I'm really telling you the truth!" she insisted.
He snorted and tried again to push past her; she could feel her footing slipping on the stairs, "When I came back through the well Sesshomaru was there, he had waited for me for five hundred years – he wanted revenge for Tetsusaiga! He took me away from my family and trained me for years and then one day he, he...I became pregnant."
Totosai stopped his aggressive attempts to get past her and fixed his bulging eyes on her face again. There was still disapproval and fury in his composure, but also curiosity. Kagome took advantage of the momentary relapse to speak more evenly. "It's true. I-I'll prove it to you," she said adamantly, and then reached around to her hip.
Her hand flew back in front of her face bearing a tiny dagger, and Totosai flinched a little at her deftness. "I won't try to hurt you," Kagome assured him as she suddenly tore the blade across the palm of her open hand. A streak of crimson flowed immediately from the cut, and Kagome lifted it to him. "Can you smell that?"
He stared at her awkwardly for a moment or two before leaning down hesitantly like a frightened animal. His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, and then he stood up and turned away. Kagome was startled by this, and gripped his shoulder tensely with her untarnished hand.
"There's demon in you," he barked quietly.
She nodded slowly, "Yes there is."
"It smells like the elder brother."
"It smells like Sesshomaru."
He sighed with frustration, "I still can't believe that you're the girl! How do I know?!"
"You'll just have to trust me..." She tugged on his shoulder to turn him around again, "Look at my face, do you really think I'm lying to you?"
Totosai glared at her fiercely, "Yes! You could be lying to me, you could be from Sesshomaru himself! You could be telling me these things just to get a weapon!"
"I am telling you these things just to get a weapon!" she snapped.
"Well then how do I believe you?!"
She was almost silenced by rage, and clenched her fists on the steps. "He killed everyone I ever loved! Make me a sword so I can kill him!"
"Who did he kill?"
"It's a long list..." Kagome said in a low voice, trembling with anger.
"Is that so?"
"Yes it's so!" Her voice rang around the dense space thunderously. "Make me a sword!"
He was momentarily startled by her sudden outburst, and could only blink in surprise before he snapped back. The initial shock had been great enough, however, for her to drive some sort of point through.
Kagome settled down visibly somewhat. A great exhaustion seemed to pass over her. "Please..." she begged, "I must have a sword. I must kill Sesshomaru." Her body was shaking, like his, as they stared raggedly at each other. He still seemed reluctant, and could only watch her eyes shine with tears as the seconds dragged by.
Then finally, he sighed in surrender, and bowed his head. Kagome was anxious for his next move; she swallowed tensely. His dextrous fingers stiffened around the doorknob they'd been resting on, and he turned it slowly, then opened the door.
"Follow me."
She entered after him, heart still beating wildly, and together they entered a small, naturally lit room. This light flowed through several square windows, and they were all that kept the space from making Kagome feel slightly suffocated. It was dense and quiet; the air seemed to press her down farther into the ground with every step she took.
"Where are we?" she asked tentatively as the floorboards sagged and whined beneath her.
Totosai moved ahead wordlessly, and motioned for her to come in completely before he shut the door behind her securely and bolted it. His spindly fingers moved gracefully over the lock as Kagome watched him. She noted acutely that he was very familiar with his surroundings for such an old creature and subconsciously became more cautious in his presence.
He suddenly swerved around her, still disregarding her previous question with as much haughtiness as his age and experience deemed him. Totosai scuttled out of her sight for a second, leaving the small corridor they had been occupying to roam around the corner. Kagome followed after him warily.
Having rounded the small bend, she was suddenly afforded with more of a view of the small room, and her eyes immediately rested on the walls of weapons she was surrounded with. It was overwhelming, every one had obviously been designed for a certain individual, and she could only gape in awe and amazement at the detail that had been so delicately woven into each piece.
Kagome's spirits rose with the encouraging sight of all the masterful creations, but while her eyes traveled over them all, noting their uniqueness and fashion, she began to realize a problem. Only a fraction of the weapons were swords, and even less could be wielded by someone her size, or shape.
Hesitating first, she turned around in search of Totosai, who she found leaning against a wall, watching her observe his work. His gaze was stern and judging.
"I..." she began, "Th-they're beautiful, but..." She returned her attention to the display and laughed grimly, "But none of them would fit me!"
Totosai snorted critically and pointed in front of her to a thin, elegant sword still confined by it's scabbard. It's handle was woven with red and black, and the hilt was a bloom of flat iron roses. "Try that one."
As instructed, she stepped out toward the blade confidently. Her pale fingers slid over it admirably before she gently lifted it from it's place on the wall. The scabbard dripped off of it silently like water, but she paused before removing it completely. A well of power was begging to be released from the sword, and it almost made her afraid.
"Are you sure?" Her voice came out of her throat trembling slightly.
"Yes."
With a sigh to prepare herself and a sudden flicker of movement she ripped the sword away from it's case and held it, wavering, before her. It shook falteringly in her grasp as if it had a will of it's own. Kagome grit her teeth immediately and the case was soon discarded to the floor. As both hands curled around the handle her feet began to slide underneath her.
"It's heavy!" She bit out, beginning to groan a little under the sword's tremendous, and unexpected weight.
Totasai stood up quickly and came to her side, "Do not let it dominate you!" he barked shortly.
She nodded and blinked; beads of sweat stood out on her forehead while she battled with the weapon threatening to tumble out of her grip in seconds. It took much stubborn determination, but Kagome finally was able to achieve a fairly stable control of things. But the control was precarious, and it threatened to break at any moment.
"Raise it," Totosai commanded. He had suddenly been lit up by something other than rage or arrogance.
Kagome bowed her head for a second and panted heavily as she struggled with the weapon. Her fingers were rapidly turning colors for their efforts, and also becoming slick with sweat, she wasn't sure if she could hold up much longer...
A spark of determination fueled by the possible consequences of saying "I can't" burst inside of her. In a second, her outlook on the situation changed totally. Kagome realized furiously that not only would she refuse to let a weapon defeat her, she would not give anyone, everyone, the satisfaction of knowing that it could. It was a strange, wild thought, difficult to explain, but it was often present in her mind whenever anything threatened her.
The familiar light that she carried inside everywhere grew around her shaking fingertips, and then spread. Gradually it encompassed her entire body, and darkened considerably as the minutes dragged by. It even seemed to leak into her eyes, which lost their own light and became shadowy and unfocused. Totosai watched her progress anxiously.
Slowly, still shaking and protesting, the sword was lifted inch by inch into the air. Kagome smiled victoriously at the sight, and was filled with satisfaction as she saw her goal getting accomplished. Then finally, as the tip was just below the wooden ceiling, it stopped resisting.
Below it, it's new mistress was blinking awkwardly. Her body ceased it's shaking, her eyes were restored to their natural appearance, and little by little her aura dimmed until it became too faint to see anymore. At first, she was at a loss, shocked by the change, and then she swung the weapon downwards to the ground in a mighty swipe.
Her smile returned as it hissed through the air magnificently. It was no longer special by any way that she could tell. To Kagome, it was just a normal sword then. The vibrant metal flew through the air imposingly in a few more experimental swings before she guided it's point directly in front of Totosai's nose, where it stopped.
"What now?"
It was then his turn to smile as he reached out for it. "You have conquered this sword, it's yours now."
Kagome fumed immediately, "But you have to make me one."
Totosai fingered the blade almost lovingly before he suddenly withdrew, as if he'd been wounded. As he stroked his hand consolingly he looked up again at Kagome's angry face. "I told you already, I no longer make swords."
A heated sigh escaped her lips as she studied the sword in her hand, frustrated. "Well...What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Use it," he responded smartly.
"But," her breathing grew frenzied, "This is nothing! This can't beat Sesshomaru! I need a sword that will...that will compliment my powers."
"It has the potential to do that."
"I don't know about that."
Totosai touched it's tip lightly and proceeded to walk around her in a circle carefully. "It is your size...It fits your shape, with modifications...it could do whatever you want."
Kagome turned to him swiftly, "Then you must modify it for me!"
"Yes..." He drawled slowly, revealing the fact that he had been making her guess for the sake of his promises about his abandoned practice, "I suppose I could do that."
Her hope was fully restored, and she beamed radiantly at the elderly demon with as much delight as she had expressed more than a decade ago. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you so much..."
He halted his circling of her and grinned slightly. Her simple naivete was charming, although she didn't care to let it slip very often. It seemed that in just a scant few minutes she had been able to blissfully forget all of their previous hostilities towards one another. Yet beneath her presently happy demeanor he could clearly sense a layer of fury. A wild animal inside her yearned to be released, and whatever had set it off would surely pay.
"You really do intend to kill him, don't you?"
Kagome nodded, her smile fading, "Yes. I have to. And all of his group..."
"Group?" he asked, suddenly intrigued. He wondered vaguely if they were thinking of the same party of demons.
Again she tilted her chin, "I don't know who they are. I don't really know anything about Sesshomaru's life in this time, but I know that they deserve to die for what they have done to me."
He chose not to inquire about just what they had done, sensing that she did not want to peruse the details of her no doubt blood-soaked story. "What are the names of the members of this 'group?' Do you know?"
"Yes." She closed her eyes. "Kikyo, Kagura, Sango, Naraku. I won't ever forget those names."
His eyes narrowed dangerously at the mention of the killers' titles.
"What's wrong?"
"Do you swear that if I change this sword for you, you will kill all of them?"
"Yes," Kagome answered confidently.
"Then while you are here, I will tell you all that I can about them."
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Sort of awkward place to end the chapter, but I'm emotionally and physically exhausted and not much appeals to me besides sleep; least of all trying to add a few more lines to this. Bleh, teen angst, deal with it.
