Chapter Five: Advancement Day
Disclaimer: I do not own the Inu-Yasha.
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The room before Sesshomaru was one of the largest in the castle, with smooth wooden floors and a high ceiling to allow more space for the various platforms located on the walls. At the far end of the room hung a row of targets for archery practice. He had never before used these training tools, as he preferred weapons that felt more connected to the bodysuch as swords. He had no doubt, however, that time to allow for practice he could use a bow with some efficiency. Fighting was becoming easier and easier for him with each passing battle.
Sesshomaru walked slowly into the training room, his every sense on alert. It would not do to be caught off guard on an Advancement Day.
He looked cautiously around the room. He knew that Takumi was nearby; he had caught the scent of his training master before he had even entered.
There you are, he thought triumphantly. He looked up to the platforms, and Takumi inclined his head in praise of his pupil's skill. Sesshomaru was slightly annoyed. He had been expecting something harder. There will be more, he decided as his training master dropped silently to the floor.
"Sesshomaru," Takumi greeted his young lord. "You will be disappointed to learn that today there will be no great battle to decide your current skill level."
Sesshomaru waited, sensing that more was coming.
"However," here his training master paused for a moment before continuing. "Your father has come up with an alternative method to test you. He feels that this test should be unlike any other since it will be your last. If you are successful then you may do as you like with your training time from now on."
Sesshomaru just prevented a smug smile from crossing his lips.
As if sensing his thoughts, Takumi cautioned, "Do not think that this will be easy, Sesshomaru. I have not yet told you of your final test."
He wasn't worried. He knew he could handle any obstacle that his father placed in his path.
"It is your lord father's wish that you protect someone for a given length of time. It will prove to be, I think, much more difficult than simply protecting yourself."
"He wishes me to assume the position of a castle guard?" This is hardly a difficult test, he thought. Since his father only rarely came to the castle now, the demons that sought to kill him had become scarce. There was only a small chance of attack.
"No…not exactly," his instructor replied. "You are to guard only one living creature. One that is too weak to aptly protect itself."
Sesshomaru's blood ran cold. This was sounding an awful lot like…
"In other words," Takumi concluded, "you will be protecting a human."
Sesshomaru suppressed a gasp of horror. Barely.
"Wh-what if I refuse," he asked, panic rising within him.
His instructor frowned. "Emotions, Sesshomaru. Control them! This is simply a test. Once it has been completed you may do as you would like with the human. Your father did not instruct me to tell you not to kill the creature."
Sesshomaru's eyes pleaded with Takumi, anything but this, he thought desperately, but his teacher turned away.
"Watch your emotions more carefully, Sesshomaru. You can never be a true warrior if you cannot mask how you feel, and as of now you are not nearly as skilled at this as I wish you to be. Practice, and someday you will be great."
In response Sesshomaru looked at his instructor blankly. "Where is the human that I will be protecting," he asked dazedly.
"I'm sure that I don't know. Find one and bring it here to receive my approval before beginning your final test."
Sesshomaru nodded.
His instructor waited.
"You may go now," Takumi said finally.
"Ah. Yes. Of course." Sesshomaru left.
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Thank you to all who reviewed for the last chapter! (Keep it up. )
StarPrincess2020- Thank you!
Kagura134- Thank you! I will.
Equanimity- Don't worry about it…it was coffee that created this fanfic. (I couldn't sleep because I'd had too much coffee at Starbucks, so I stayed up and wrote this instead.) I no longer need a surname for Sesshomaru, but if you have any ideas for the surnames of Miroku and Sango, then that would be great!
Gothic Lust- I knew I should have looked up how to spell Souta! Thank you for correcting me, and I hope that you enjoyed chapter "fiver." (I started reading one of your fanfics, but I've only read the first chapter so far. I reviewed that, and I will read the rest of it soon!)
AngelMaiden- Thank you! (Sesshomaru in background: Well, of course she likes me. Anyone with any taste at all would.) lol
Wow, it seems like my chapters just keep getting shorter and shorter… I know it took me a while to post this one, but that's because I needed to work out a plot issue in the next chapter…I wanted to make sure that there wouldn't be conflicts in what I write now and what I write later on.