Lessons Learned

Author Shortey 83

Chapter 9- The Dragon's Forge

Disclaimer: I do NOT own InuYasha or Skyrim! I only borrow ideas because trying to drill them out of my head with power tools doesn't work! ^.^

Story Start:

The rain was still coming down as Takara sat opposite of the fire from Sesshomaru eating her mushrooms. He was quiet as usual but at least he didn't seem to be brooding. Takara hated when he did that. It had been a good thing she had gathered a few extra mushrooms because the first two had burnt up while she was wrapped up with Sesshomaru, but now she was dry and warm; her kimono had to dry a bit from being in the rain as did Sesshomaru's and she was glad she couldn't see herself. She was probably a mess, but Sesshomaru looked as perfect as ever and she sighed. Why couldn't her hair be like his? Her hair was soft, true, but there was something about how the silver white strands felt on her fingertips.

A flash of red in the distance caught her eye and there was no mistaking that it was InuYasha. "Just so we are on the same page, I've been annoying the hell out of you so that is why we stopped here." She told Sesshomaru, he arched a brow but nodded. He knew that she wasn't going to let InuYasha know anything had transpired between them.

It wasn't long before the drenched half demon stepped into the cave. It was heartwarming to know that InuYasha had also been searching for her in this weather. "Takara, what the hell happened?" he demanded stepping closer. She had bit her tongue long enough as she covered her nose and looked over to Sesshomaru. "You see? This is why I wanted to stop. I hate the smell of wet dog." InuYasha growled at her and she laughed. "You know I can't smell you InuYasha. I was just teasing." When he suddenly sat down and shook to get rid of some of the water, Takara laughed even harder.

InuYasha glared at her. "What happened, Takara? Everyone has been looking for you?" She sighed "Oh you know, the usual, I just happened to get myself kidnapped. I think I may start making a habit of it to get a few thrills." She rolled her eyes at the angry half demon before her before she told him what had happened and how Sesshomaru had rescued her. "And despite his gallant rescue, I couldn't help but irritate him. He didn't really like how I kept asking "Are we there yet?" over and over" InuYasha huffed and looked at his brother. "He only came after you because Rin was upset." Takara put a finger over his lips to silence him. "Don't tell me that." She told him. "I am trying to convince him he did it because we are best friends." The irritated look on InuYasha's face was priceless. Yeah… ok…sure." With that Takara let out a yawn and moved to lie down. "Wake me up when it stops raining" she yawned to them "And please don't try and kill each other while I'm asleep."

Takara didn't know how long she slept, but something against her cheek made a wonderful pillow. It was soft, fluffy, and smelled delicious; like the woods after a storm. "Are you sure, you don't want to wake her up, Sesshomaru?" she heard InuYasha ask and that was when she figured out that the steady rocking motion she felt was Sesshomaru walking. "I do not want her awake." Sesshomaru replied "She doesn't stop talking while she is." Takara almost laughed. Sesshomaru was rather good at playing this game.

She could feel the sunlight fading on her face a little while later. That was when she finally opened her eyes and saw the village not far off in the distance. Takara smiled up at Sesshomaru as he looked down to meet her eyes. Those molten honey eyes could bring a woman to her knees, especially now as the sunset danced in them. "You awake?" InuYasha asked her, but she didn't look away from the demon carrying her. "So… are we there yet?" she asked him sweetly and he growled at her just before he almost dumped her on her ass. Takara quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed. Perhaps he was a little too good at this game. She released his neck and she realized that she actually had to drop a bit to hit the ground. Damn he's tall she thought, holding onto him as she righted herself.

"TAKARA!" she heard someone screaming her name and saw Rin running towards her but the little girl was quickly overtaken by a blur of black. "Kaos," she yelled holding out her hand to try and stop him but it was useless. The next thing she knew he had launched his big body at her and knocked her down, effectively knocking the breath out of her. Then all she could feel was his warm tongue on her face as he whined pitifully. "No Kaos! No more of "the kisses"" she laughed as she tried to push him away, but he came right back until another body fell onto her. "Takara are you ok?" Rin asked her and she could feel the little girls tears on her neck. Takara merely nodded, not because she was unable to speak but because she thought she was going to experience the French version of "the kisses" if she did. She laughed to herself There's only one dog that gets to do that…

It was a little while later before Takara finally managed to drag herself from the ground and to Kaede's hut. The old priestess had been kind enough to prepare her dinner and that was finally when everyone quieted. That night Takara laid down to sleep, Rin on one side of her and Kaos on the other, only she found herself unable to sleep. Thoughts of Sesshomaru plagued her mind. She couldn't imagine suffering the pain he had all alone for as long as he had. It was no wonder he had come to resent humans so much. At least now she understood why he has disliked her so much when they had first met. Well according to Rin, he really liked her and that's when a disturbing thought occurred to her. Did he only like her because she resembled the woman he had once loved? Did he see Takara when he looked at her, or did he see the other woman? With those questions as her final thoughts, Takara fell into an uneasy sleep.

The following day, Takara sat alone underneath an old oak, her mind still abuzz with questions, but afraid to ask them for fear of Sesshomaru becoming angry of the reminder of his past.

She hadn't been sitting there long before Sesshomaru suddenly stood before her. "Why are you out here?" he asked "Rin has been looking for you." She glanced up at him and felt jealousy rear its ugly hair as she looked at the devastatingly handsome demon before her. "Well, I am currently thinking about a few things. I don't make a habit of it, you know, thinking. It's kind of painful for me." She answered with a little smile before she stood up. "I should probably go and find her before she starts to worry, huh?"

Before she could move away from him, he held out something to her. Takara held out a hand, giving a curious look that turned to surprise as he placed a comb in her hands. It resembled Ivory, and Takara prayed that it really wasn't. There were little flowers carved into the top of the comb with a few little birds around them and she hoped that those little birds weren't really sapphires.

Looking from the comb to the demon lord before her, she wasn't even able to get a word out before he spoke. "I would be displeased if you cut your hair simply because you didn't have a comb" he explained before he turned abruptly and left. Takara didn't know when the flush had spread to her cheeks, but it was definitely there. If she hadn't been so flustered, she probably would have made some comment about him spying on them while they had been in the bath a while ago. Her heart skipped a few beats before she made her way into the village after him. He probably intended to let Rin know where she was, but instead of looking for the little girl, Takara made her way back to Kaede's hut and began to comb the tangles from her hair.

It took a few minutes to work them free, but once she did, she picked up a pair of polished chopsticks that Kagome had gotten her to put her hair up with while they worked in the fields. Putting her hair into a low ponytail, Takara twisted her long hair into a bun before she maneuvered one of the chopsticks into her hair to hold it in place then added another one opposite of the other. Her bangs weren't quite long enough to put up yet, so they hung freely mostly to one side of her face. She looked at the comb in her hands for a moment before she secured it to the top of her bun.

Not even a moment later, Rin came busting through the door. "Takara where were you?" she questioned. "I just needed some alone time, Rin. I have a lot I need to think about." Takara told her, giving her a little pat on the head. "What kind of stuff do you need to think about?" she asked giving Takara a reassuring hug. "Well, like about how I'm stuck here. I know it could be worse, but I lost the life I had and now I have to deal with that change. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the extra time and responsibility that has been given to me as well." Rin seemed to ponder that for a moment. "You're not happy here?" Takara shrugged. "Well, I'm not unhappy to be here, so that's a start. I just miss my family."

"Did you have any brothers or sisters?" Rin asked as she moved to sit in Takara's lap. "I didn't have any sisters, but I did have a lot of older brothers. I have eight of them." Rin's eyes widened at that. "That's a lot of brothers." Takara nodded. "Yeah, the running joke in my mom's family was that all the women were cursed. If you were to trace my mother's family tree, you would find that the youngest child is always a girl who has one more child than her mother. Being next in line, I'm supposed to have ten children and that is NOT going to happen." Rin giggled "Is that why you don't want to marry anyone?" Takara nodded as a shiver coursed through her. "I can't imagine putting myself through that."

With that, Rin stood up and gave Takara another hug around her neck. "Well I think you would be a good mother. You remind me of mine." She probably didn't even understand how much that small statement made Takara feel so much better. "You should keep your hair like that, Takara. It's pretty." Without another word the little girl picked up Kaos' ball and throwing stick and ran out of the hut yelling to the other children to come and play with the dog.

A while later, Takara stepped out of the hut to go find Rin and the other children of the small village. Lately they had all taken to playing on the dragon bones of Takara's defeated foe. It was amusing to see how much entertainment they all could get from jumping over them and making each other and especially Kaos jump over them. They weren't able to budge them, so Takara didn't worry too much about them knocking them over onto one another, but her she was now getting an idea.

"SAH LOK NIR!" she shouted the dragon's name as she walked away from the group of children and into another field. Within two minutes, she heard the dragon's answering roar before a streak of deep, glittering blue appeared against the light blue of the sky. His landing shook the earth a bit as he landed, but other than that he made no noise.

"I had begun to think that you had forgotten how enamoring my company was, little one." He purred leaning down so Takara could pet his snout. "What can I do for you, Vulombrii?" He then settled his long body down and wrapped his tail behind her to provide a seat. "I ran into another dragon two days ago." She began, but the dragon simply smiled "It is alright you sought another, and possibly less intimidating creature to spend your time with, I forgive you, but next time I insist you come to me if you are feeling a bit… lonely." Takara couldn't help but flush at his outrageous accusation. "That's not what I meant and you know it!" she scolded him but Sahloknir only laughed in earnest. "I know," he chuckled at last, "do continue, Dovahkiin."

Sighing she continued. "Do you know a dragon by the name of Yolheimin?" Sahloknir scratched his chin as he thought. "Yes although I haven't heard that name in many years. He is Fire Kin and a master smith. No dragon can forge a finer sword or armor than he." The deep blue dragon seemed to think back to earlier years. "I may still have a blade that he forged for me as well somewhere in my hoard." Takara thought for a moment "Could you take me to him? I have a favor to ask of him." With a nod, Sahloknir agreed. "Give me a few minutes," she told him as she stood up off of his tail "I have to let the others know where I'm going so that I don't worry them."

Takara jogged back into the village where she met Kaede in her hut and explained to the old priestess where she was going. "I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I will be back. Tell Rin not to worry for me." Takara then slung her backpack onto her shoulders and the bag with her bow and arrows onto her shoulder before she ran off back to Sahloknir. By the time she reached him, he was standing and waiting for her. "Hold onto me tightly, Vulombrii" he warned her as she settled onto his back. He may have appeared slender, but he was too wide for her to wrap her legs around so she clung to one of his spines and gave them the okay. As soon as she nodded, she closed her eyes and waited. She only felt a little lurch before she felt him tilting his body up and a moment later, it felt as if he had leveled out. "You may open your eyes, Dovahkiin and see the world as only a Dovah can."

Upon opening her eyes, Takara's breath was stolen away as clouds lingered just out of her reach, while below her the world was quickly flowing beneath them. She had never seen such a beautiful sight, but that still didn't mean she was going to keep her eyes open while Sahloknir landed about an hour later. She did, however, refrain from screaming as the Earth seemed to get closer and closer before her mount touched down with a thump that rattled her teeth.

Upon looking at their surroundings, Takara took note that they were in a quaint little thicket that lay before the opening to a massive cave. It was not at all what she had expected a dragon's lair to look like. "Call to him before you go too far inside," Sahloknir told her settling down in the thicket "We don't want him to think you're trying to sneak in. Tell him that I am here too so that he doesn't believe me a threat as well." With a nod, Takara stepped into the cave, it was nice and cool with a few lit torches along the wall. "Yolheimin?!" she called out to him. She was afraid he hadn't heard her, but then the sound of scraping against the ground and a few soft thumps where heard and she knew that he was coming. "It's me, Takara and I've brought Sahloknir with me." With a few more soft thuds, Yolheimin's head came into view, glittering in the torchlight.

"Drem Yol Lok, greetings Dovahkiin," he purred to her "How may I be of assistance?" He turned his head to the cave entrance and let out a soft growl which Sahloknir returned before he returned his burgundy eyes back to her. "I was wondering, and I know it may be a tender subject for you, but could you forge me a sword?" She could see that her question surprised the large, ruby scaled creature but he thought for a moment. "Why would you ask this of me, Dovahkiin? You do not seem like one who would fight in battles, so why would you need a weapon besides your bow?" Those were indeed reasonable questions. "I was captured by our favorite lord the night before last" she began and both Sahloknir and Yolheimin growled lowly. "Even if I had known his men were behind me, I couldn't have defended myself at close distance with my bow and arrows very effectively." The red dragon nodded at this, thinking over his decision. He finally seemed to reach a conclusion.

"I will not forge a weapon for you." He told her and she had to admit that she was a bit disappointed. "However," he continued, "I will teach you to forge your own weapon." That took her for a loop, but before she could object, he growled something to Sahloknir in dragon speech and then ushered her deeper into his cave. "What did you say to him?" she questioned the red dragon who kept nudging her gently deeper into the cave. "I asked him to fetch me the bones of some of our kin and to inform your companions that you would be remaining with me for a time while you learn to forge dragon bones." With a sigh, Takara hurried in front of the dragon. Rin wouldn't be very happy about this and neither would Kaos.

They finally exited the long tunnel into a well-lit cavern. It was much warmer here than the cave entrance and Takara felt a bit of sweat forming on her brow. "You may stay in that alcove" Yolheimin nodded to his right, but it was what stood to her left that left her astounded. It was a dragon sized forge that seemed to be carved out of the stone of the cave they were in. It was shaped into the beautiful form of a dragon. Its mouth was agape in a silent roar while the base of the forge was formed from its coiled body. Its arms were the supports to two long and high benches that held an assortment of things on top of them. "It's beautiful" she whispered, admiring the forge. "I made that forge many, many years ago" Yolheimin told her as he nudged her to the alcove. "Change into different clothes if you do not wish for those to be destroyed."

Quickly, Takara changed into the jeans and T-shirt she had come to this time in. It would be easier to move in these, but she wasn't sure how safe it would be to work around fire. She could only trust Yolheimin had thought of this. She looked around the room Yolheimin had given her and thought that it would do perfectly for her. There was a futon in the back of the room, tucked away neatly with a small fresh water spring in the corner. Other than that the room was empty. She then headed back out to the main chamber where Yolheimin was waiting patiently for her.

"So where do we start?" she asked the dragon with a smile. "There are things you must learn before we start working to forge your sword, Dovahkiin." Takara nodded. She had expected that she would have to earn the right to forge her sword. "It will be difficult to begin with, but in the end the sword you forge will truly be your own." He paused and settled down. "You see, what many do not realize is that for them to truly understand their blade of to forge one of their own, although this is because many do not have the skill to do so. I will teach you all you need to know." He then motioned to a large, empty basin with his tail where two buckets sat. "First, take both of those buckets to the lake at the end of the tunnel behind it, fill them with water and dump them in the basin." Takara nodded and walked over to the basin, realizing that it was a lot bigger up close than it had appeared. "You will do this several days until the basin is filled." He chuckled at Takara's shocked look. "Do not fret, Dovahkiin. You will be allowed to rest, but the quicker you fill the tub, the quicker you earn the right to forge your sword."

Takara thought about his words as she walked down the fairly steep path to the lake. The right to forge my sword she thought. He must take a lot of pride in his work. Then again, why shouldn't he? In order to forge a sword from dragon bones, there had to first be a dead dragon which meant that one had to first possess the prowess to defeat a foe before the bones could be obtained. To slay a dragon was no simple task either. It must take a dragon strong of heart to slay their own kin, good or evil.

The lake at the bottom of the slope was large and she could feel the drastic change in temperature as the cooler air cooled the sweat from her brow that the forge cavern had gathered on her skin. Looking at the two small buckets in her hands, they were nothing compared to the large basin that Yolheimin wanted her to fill, so with a sigh she dipped both buckets into the water before hauling them back up the hill. Two down only about half a million to go…