Japanese Lesson
Nanushi: head man of village
Outo-sama: father
Okaa-chan: mother
Saya: sheath for katana
ikeike: very bad word
Zori: Traditional Japanese sandals
Tabi: traditional split toed sacks
Obi: sash worn with kimono

Chapter IX

Fate of Hisuibara

Back at Kaede's hut, the returning fighters inform everyone of what happened. Kaede bandages and tends to the unconscious Nobara's broken shoulder. Kagome helps Kaede by cutting out a sling and helping the old woman move the broken limb in the soft cloth. Miroku boils some tea for Sango who changes into her pink yukata and sits by the fire. Everyone was lucky to not have gotten badly injured; everyone except Nobara. The small hut was silent after stories were shared and the mystery deepened over the injured hanyou. Inuyasha sat alone near the corner and watched Kagome. He was ever in Miroku's debt for saving her life, though he would never tell the houshi that.
"She can be so reckless," he thought, watching her tend to Nobara. Kagome stops and looks over at him. Inuyasha and her eyes meet for just a moment until he quickly turns them into the fire. Kagome stares at him for a moment then returns to helping Kaede.
"Inuyasha, you were worried about me, huh?" she thought to herself as she ties the sling to Nobara's shoulder.
Hisuibara was set before the fire in its onyx saya. Myouga sat before the blade deep in thought. Kagome watched the blade as she sat down near Inuyasha. The light of the fire danced across the black saya. The sword seemed as if it was alive, like a beast sleeping near the fire to keep warm. On the saya faint markings could be barely be seen that were carved into the hard wood. Myouga continued to sit deep in thought.
"Myouga-jiji," Kagome starts, her eyes unable to move from the sleeping blade. "What can you tell us about Nobara's katana?"
The small flea grumbled a bit to himself in thought.
"Hisuibara is a katana that Toutousai made, I believe. I do not know much about it. What I have heard this night about how Nobara used the katana I do not ever remember seeing when she was with Inu no Taisho-sama. But the katana was brought to the light of day the day that Tenseiga and Tessaiga were commissioned. Hisuibara was always Nobara-sama's katana," Myouga tries to explain. The group looks down at the sheathed blade in the fire light. The hilt wrapped in deep red and dark green traditional silk. On the tip of the hilt a gold rose was carved. A crimson sash tied around the saya near the hand guard.
As they looked at the blade, Kagome remembered Nobara's burning red eyes. Those eyes reminded her of Inuyasha's when he went into youkai form. The thought caused her to shudder.
"It is a youkai katana that belonged to my Outo-sama," Nobara's voice suddenly cracks the silence. Everyone turns to see her standing outside the circle around the fire. Her face seemed expressionless, her raven black mane of hair falling about her shoulders. Kaede's jaw drops at the hanyou's quick recovery as Nobara slowly walks over to where Myouga sits before Hisuibara and slowly lowers herself in his spot. The flea quickly jumps out of the way. She sits there for a moment her dark midnight eyes staring at the blade solemnly. She slowly picks up the saya with her good arm and holds it before her in the fire.
"Nobara-" Kagome started then stopped.
"Myouga, you should have been paying better attention back then," she teases the old flea, her small smirk returning to her mouth for a moment. "Toutousai did have this katana with him when I went with Inutaisho to commission the new katanas. But Toutousai did not make this katana. It is unknown who did. Toutousai was asked to keep the katana by its previous owner, my Outo-sama. Outo-sama was a tai-youkai as I am sure Myouga has told you." She pauses for a moment, her brow furrows as she examines something before her, either the fire or the blade. "I never knew my Outo-sama, he died before I was born and my Okaa-chan….died shortly after giving birth to me. When I was young I lived with a miko, Yuuga-sama, who claimed to be my mother's sister, though I will never know if that is the truth or not. We never spoke of my mother."

A young girl about 12 years of age is running through a temple garden. Sakura blossoms fall gently like snow. She carries a small bamboo pole and was playfully hitting some of the garden rocks with it. She is wearing a white kimono and black hakama. Zori with white tabi cover her feet. She is smiling and laughing, her yellow mane of hair flying about her shoulders, sakura petals embedding themselves in the yellow waves.
"Nobara!"
Nobara turns her small pale eyes towards the figure standing behind her. It is an older woman in similar white kimono and black hakama. Her long silver hair was held behind her in two sticks. Her slender build loomed over the young girl. Her fiery brown eyes were stern amiss from the soft features of her creased face. The young girl cringes and drops the bamboo pole.
"Nobara, what are you doing? We have guests at the temple we must attend to. We need your help child!" "Gomen nasai, Yuugi-sama!" she pleads bowing her head. The old woman looks at her sternly and then jerks her hand towards the small building in the distance. Nobara crouches past her and runs towards the building as the woman follows, a small smirk over her lips.
Nobara quickly pulls her hair back and buns it using two chopsticks. She then ties a cloth around her head to hide her pointed ears and yellow tresses. Another miko hands her a tray and she goes outside to a courtyard before the temple. There many men in armor sat around shouting and talking. Nobara freezes for just a moment as she sees the blood on their clothes and senses the death in their hearts. She feels afraid. "Nobara!" Yuugi's voice carries itself to her ears and the young girl quickly steps into the courtyard and offers some men the rice. They just glance at her and take it without acknowledging her presence. She keeps her eyes lowered so that no one will take notice of her pale blue eyes. This was almost routine for her, to hide who she was from strangers. She goes from group to group offering food and water and taking away empty bowls. Many of the templemiko were tending to wounded and their screams of agony could barely be heard over the clamor of voices and laughter. Suddenly a large hand grabs the young girl's wrist as she tries to walk past a group of samurai.
"You girl!" a harsh voice calls as the hand pulls her closer to the smell of sweat and blood. She closes her eyes; to afraid to look at whoever grabbed her. She tries to pull away but the hand digs into her arm. She feels hot breath on her cheek, the stench from it suffocating her. "You are pretty little temple maiden, what is your name?"
She said nothing and keeps trying to pull away.
"Baka!" he yells pulling her closer, causing her to drop her tray, the sake on his breath sickening her. "Look at me!" "Yuugi-sama!" her heart pleads as another dirty hand touches her face. The rough hand scrapes her soft cheek. She could feel her fear begin to anger her. Anger her that she was so helpless.
"Let go!" she screams as she suddenly jerks her hand away. Her claws accidentally cut into the man's cheek. He lets go alarmed by her sudden strength and the pain on his cheek.
"You little ikeike!" he shouts angrily feeling the blood on his cheek. Nobara shocked at her actions looks over at his dirty face and fiery eyes. His eyes widen as he sees her pale inhuman eyes. "Huh? Youkai!?"
Nobara runs to where she sees Yuugi-sama. The courtyard silences. A young miko senses trouble and runs out of the courtyard into the village. "Youkai!" the man calls rising and drawing his katana. Yuugi pushes Nobara behind her. "Samurai-dono," the old woman shouts. "We have offered you the hospitality of our temple. For you and your men to rest here until you meet your next battle."
"Miko-sama! You are harboring a youkai there! Youkai are filthy thieves and murderers. No need for their existence. Does your nanushi-san know of this!?" Yuugi looks sternly at the man, her hand holding the child behind her. Other miko's stand beside her. "This child is not a youkai," the old woman explains. "She is an unfortunate hanyou; she is not of any concern to you Samurai-dono."
"Hanyou, eh? Even better to wash my blade with her blood," he sneers. Nobara gasps and cringes behind Yuugi as the man takes an ominous step forward.
"Samurai-dono!" The crowd turns and sees the nanushi-san, the small miko who ran away earlier behind him.
"Please, there is no reason to cause such a problem," the Nanushi-san gestures. A band of armed soldiers behind him. "Your men were offered asylum, as were many including that unfortunate child. Leave her in peace." The samurai sneers and sheathes his blade, nodding to his men to follow suit.
"Come, Samurai-dono," the Nanushi-san smiles. "Why don't you come to my home and we will discuss your travels. Your men seemed to be healed and rested."
Nobara looked at the Nanushi-san strangely. She had known this man for many years since she and Yuugi came to that temple after being kicked out of other temples again and again. She could sense something about his warm demeanor that caused a chill to travel down her spine.
"Very well," the samurai turns and bows to Yuugi, he then sneers at the hiding hanyou. "But I will not forget this little one."

That night dark clouds billowed into the moonless sky. The samurai had ordered his men to attack at nightfall for his disgrace. They were massacring the village.
"Yuugi-sama!" Nobara cries as flames burn the air around her. Screams echo into the night as the soldiers continued their killing spree. She stood in the temple garden figures running around her. The shadowed figures mirrored in black pools of blood dotted with sakura petals.
"Nobara!" the woman cries and grabs the girl, running her out the back of the temple. Out in the woods they stop for a moment. Blood coming from the woman's arm.
"Yuugi-sama! This is all my fault! All my fault!" the girl cries trying to place pressure on the woman's cut. The old woman hugs her.
"No, Nobara, do not blame yourself! This is not your fault!" Nobara cries in her arms. She heard the words and understood them but in her heart she knew what the truth was.
"Nobara, listen to me," the old woman starts looking down at the girl. "You must leave this place…..the Nanushi has allowed the samurai to attack our temple…his soldiers are no where to be seen." Nobara looked at the woman wide eyed realizing what had taken place. The Nanushi and the nobles escaped leaving the rest of the village to the slaughter and rage of the samurai. Yuugi gritted her teeth and hard tears squeezed out of one eye.
"Yuugi-sama."
"Ah there you are you, little youkai ikeike!" Both gasp and turn to see the samurai, grinning wickedly at them. Yuugi pushes the girl behind her again but this time without hesitation the man pushes the blade of his katana through her. Yuugi gasps for a moment and falls. "YUUGI-SAMA!!"
Nobara runs forward and holds the woman. His eyes widen as he looks at Nobara.
"So the old miko was right, you are a hanyou aren't you?"
Nobara was in her human form, the moonless sky barely illuminating her dark tresses. Tears ran down her cheeks from her dark eyes.
"You filthy little hanyou ikeike!" he shouts as he lunges towards her. His body falls on top of her and she screams trying to get away. She tore at him with human fingernails, her strength not enough to pull away. The man licked drool from his lips and his slimy tongue licked her face. She desperately grabbed for something, anything. Her eyes widen as her fingers feel the small handle. She grasps it, the small cutting blade that Yuugi always carried with her. She looks up at the black face of the man and can only see his dark twinkling eyes as she feels his hands try to invade her. With all her strength she screams and jams the blade into one of the twinkling lights. The man suddenly screams and jerks back allowing her to push him away and stand. She looks and sees Yuugi lying there. Her white kimono soaked black with her blood. The man falls on the ground holding his face screaming.
"Yuugi-sama."
The old woman turns her fiery eyes weakly to the young hanyou as she clings to death.
"Run, Nobara," she gasps. "Run!"
"Yuugi-sama..." Nobara senses the urgency and sadness in the woman's heart and runs into the forest not looking back.
"Nobara..." The old woman's eyes fade as she watches the young girl run into the woods. Tears falling down Nobara's face as she ran from everything she ever knew that horrible night.

The memory of the night faded into the fire in Kaede's hut. Nobara's sad eyes continue to stare into it, tears forming in her eyes.
"I failed to save Yuugi-sama. The samurai band that betrayed our hospitality and destroyed our temple I found later were bribed by the Nanushi. He made a deal with these marauding samurai and allowed his family with select nobles to escape the massacre. All of this because the samurai found me, a youkai child, in the temple. Yuugi-sama's death haunted me as did the massacre of the village. I hunted down the Nanushi and slit his throat in his sleep. After that I lived alone, surviving day by day eating whatever I can. I knew that I would have to become stronger in order to survive, continuing to hide from everyone and everything. I had learned to be alone. For protection I used the only tool I knew, the bow with shouki arrows. Yuugi-sama had trained me to protect myself. She showed me how to use my jaki to create shouki arrows instead of hamaya. Years pass like months and my journey for power brought me to Inutaisho. I found that samurai again and I avenged Yuugi-sama's death with Inutaisho's help," Nobara's dark eyes continue to examine the saya until she slowly places the saya in her right hand; she carefully coils her fingers around the saya and unsheathes the blade. The sword felt funny in her left hand as the tip rose to ceiling of the hut for a moment until she held the blade before her. The steel swallowed the light from the fire and seemed to burn and bask in the orange glow. Near the hilt on the mirrored steel a dragon coiled menacingly, its form forever etched into the blade. Kagome realized she never noticed the dragon there before. The impression of the creature seemed to dance in the fire light. Nobara sighs, her eyes unable to turn away from the blade.
"And that brings me to the story of this katana, Hisuibara," she began a solemn tone in her voice as her dark eyes danced across the blade. "My Outo-sama took his own life with this katana."
The room gasped as the groups voices echoed in the silence. Their eyes widen as the mysterious woman slowly turns the blade causing it to flash lightly in the firelight.
"Like Inutaisho used his fangs for Tenseiga and Tessaiga, a doragon-youkai's fang created the base for this katana; a katana that is cursed with the legacy of my race and my family." Nobara pauses for a moment as she lays the katana on the wood floor before her. "The first doragon-youkai was cursed by a dark miko, for reasons now unremembered. Doragon-youkai were sad creatures who eventually, like my Outo-sama, took their own life. For all doragon-youkai are born with the memory of their own death. My father had this curse, and took his own life to avoid the premonition of a painful passing. Toutousai told me this when I went with Inutaisho. This katana called to me when I was in Toutousai's lair and Toutousai then gave me the katana, Hisuibara. He understood that the blade was calling to me and that it would call only to one of my bloodline. He then told me the story of my Outo-sama and gave me the katana. A blade that I have kept by my side ever since. A blade that is ancient and full of unopened secrets and that harbors the sadness and great jaki of a once great race. A race of which I am the last."
They look at her sadly, each unknowing what to say.
"This blade," she continues and looks down at the blade regretfully. "This blade that I know will one day take my own life."
Everyone looks up at Nobara shocked. The dark haired woman sat their sadly as she stared at the dragon etched into the steel. She gently let her fingers graze the carving and then she took the blade by the hilt and reverently slid the hypnotic blade back into the saya.
"Nobara," Kagome says unsure of what to say.
"I have not yet seen my own death. As a hanyou I believe that I have been able to escape the curse of my family. But this katana," she pauses for a moment as she sets the blade down before her. "This katana holds and knows my fate; I have known this since my hand took hold of its saya. This youkai blade was never meant to be wielded by a hanyou. The jaki from centuries that lives within is one much stronger than mine. This body cannot withstand the power of the blade, it will someday fall victim to it. The youkai blood that created it speaks to the same youkai blood that runs in my veins."
Nobara sighs and glances over the group before her.
"And this night you saw part of that truth," she continued looking over at Sango, Miroku and Kagome. "You saw the power of the blade posses my body and soul. If I use it as I did tonight, I become a full youkai. My blood transforms as many hanyou's blood might at times." She glances over to the quiet Inuyasha and then continues. "My body will one day give out. It is a fate I have accepted since I was given the katana. It is a fate that I am bound to for life."
The silence filled the void around them; the whispering fire was all that could be heard.
"Why is it then, Nobara, that you do not return the blade to Toutousai?" Shippou asks. She looks with old dark eyes at the small kitsune.
"As the last doragon-youkai it is my fate to be the master of this katana. I never had a reason to not want it, it is just what is. Situations will continue to arise due to the path I chose and I will wield the power of Hisuibara again. Despite whatever consequences follow. This is my fate. The fate Hisuibara has chosen for me."
Silence again consumed them as Nobara suddenly rises, the sheathed blade in her left hand.
"Arigatou, for coming after me," she says looking away from them, unsure of how to face them. "Though I am unsure as to why you did."
"Nobara, we came after you because we had to," Kagome tries to explain. "For Inuyasha," Kagome thought glancing over at the unusually quiet hanyou. Nobara looks away, uncertainty in her defensive heart.
"Inuyasha," she suddenly states, glancing her dark eyes to him. He looks up at her wondering what she wants. "Inuyasha, please come outside with me, I will even leave Hisuibara here since you do not trust me. But I would like to speak with you."
The young hanyou studies the woman for a moment then nods in response and replaces Tessaiga through his obi at his side and walks to the door.
"Huh? What does she want with Inuyasha?" Kagome wonders as she watches Inuyasha walk out in front of Nobara, as Nobara slips behind the grass flap behind him.

.....End Chapter