The only time Kohana could remember being as frustrated as she was now was a stupid middle school science project. She had top scores in every other subject, if she could ace that project, which coincidentally was due the same day as the high school recruiters were coming to visit, then maybe one of them would take interest in her and offer her scholarship after she took the entrance exam. All she'd had to do was light different chemicals on fire and record their colors and show how knowing what colors certain chemicals burned could be used to discern the atomic composition of stars. But of course, the stupid lighter wouldn't work, the chemicals got mixed up, and no matter how many times she tried nothing would catch fire. The recruiters had completely ignored her…
Not like it matters, she thought bitterly, I never went to High School anyway. When you get sent to the past and become a mother while fighting an evil demon, things like school seem to take less precedence.
Except here she was again, trying over and over again to just get the mystical lights to flash, and it wasn't happening, and instead of her teachers she had Kaida…and instead of recruiters she had Seiko…and instead of getting into a good high school, she had to stop a demon from gaining ultimate power and killing her children and friends…
Oh, and she had to get it the same time as her partner, otherwise it wouldn't work.
No pressure.
"Hell's Flash!" Ronuku's voice rang across the training area as flame erupted from his sword and he took out several of the shikigami, human-like wooden dolls given motion and strength, summoned by Seiko to attack them. The inferno torched the few unfortunate enough no not evade, but there were several who managed to dodge. The bushi attacked again, his strong attack running wild without precision.
Kohana was facing her own swarm of shikigami on the other side of the sandy clearing. Relying on the ability to be quick of step, as Kaida had taught her years ago, she was landing quick blows and dodging others but she wasn't inflicting significant damage. The wooden dolls faced her with simple weapons, though combined with Seiko's magic they were tougher than expected. Kohana needed strength, but no matter how she tried the blade refused to erupt into white flame and aide her in combat as it had done several times before.
"Gyah!" She swung her sword in a calculated upwards side sweep at one of the shikigami. Instead of harming it, the blade wedged itself into the doll's side and became stuck.
Why isn't it working? I've tried every stance they've forced into my head, what do I have to do to make this thing power up when I want it to? What step am I missing?
While she was busy trying to free her weapon, another shikigami took its opening and attacked. Kohana yelped when the wooden weapon collided with her side. Abandoning her own weapon, she leapt back and aimed a kick at the doll's leg, hoping to topple it. Her foot collided with solid wood, it was like trying to destroy a house with a feather.
Another yell from across the clearing signaled that Ronuku was frustrated with his lack of success, but Kohana had no time to look as she dodged another attack, only to be faced with another shikigami. A third came up on her left, and she was surrounded.
Suddenly, a clap rang out and all the shikigami stopped moving.
"I think that's enough for now," Seiko called, "Perhaps we should take a short break."
Kohana swayed on her feet, feeling the fatigue of her muscles. Grunting, she managed to pry her sword from the still shikigami and walked over to the dais where the mentors and Seiko sat.
"So," Ronuku said when they approached, "Why the break? Have we improved any?"
"Not at all," Naoe replied, "Your movements are too brash, you have no clear focus of where your enemy is and just swing blindly."
Ronuku glared at him.
"Kohana," Kaida called to her student, "Why did you lose your weapon?"
"It got stuck," the younger woman growled, "I thought it best to not waste effort trying to get it back with those stupid dolls after me."
"This isn't the first time I've seen you abandon your weapon in battle," Kaida scolded, "You should know that you lack the physical strength to fight without it."
Then why teach me unarmed fighting moves if I'm never supposed to be without a weapon?! Kohana didn't say it aloud, sick of arguing with Kaida and getting nowhere.
"For now," Seiko called over them, "I believe a small rest will do them some good." She began to hobble towards her hut, the nicest one in the village right next to the temple, where they had been staying these past several weeks. The four followed, two students seething in the back.
After a brief snack with tea, Seiko settled down for a nap and suggested that they all do the same before they set out to the practice field again. Kaida and Naoe were happy to comply, but Kohana was too agitated to nap. Deciding to take a walk around the village, which took her roughly twenty minutes as is consisted only of a small group of tiny huts and rice paddies, she found a tree with thick branches that provided shade and she sat beneath it.
Why won't it work? She thought angrily, My sword has helped me out before, why can't I activate it when I need it too? What am I doing wrong?
"Great. Now I know I've been around Sesshomaru too much, I'm sitting here brooding about a sword," She mumbled with a half laugh. It'd been almost a month since she last saw her husband, right now she'd give almost anything to see even just his grumpy brooding face.
"Huh, never thought I'd hear you say something like that."
Kohana yelped and turned around to see Ronuku.
"Did you follow me?" She asked, surprised. The bushi shrugged.
"There's nothin' else to do here," he replied, "And I'm not sleepy right now, not when we could be figuring this 'bond power' out sooner and get back to the others." Kohana frowned, but nodded.
"You're right, this is taking too long," she sighed thinking of her son, the bright curious little hanyou that she adored. How many things had she missed in his life by being away? Was he happy? Being fed properly? Her motherly instincts screamed at her every day that she was away from her toddler, not being there to protect him…of course Sesshomaru would be there to protect their baby, she knew with absolute certainty that no harm would come to the child with his father nearby. She refused to think of any other alternative.
"Do you think Sango's already had her baby?" She decided to ask. As far as she could remember it had been several months since the slayer had started showing.
"I don't know," Ronuku sighed, folding his arms and staring at the ground "I promised her I'd be back before then…" Kohana looked at Ronuku and felt a rush of sympathy, not used to seeing him look so sad. So much time had passed, it was entirely possible that he'd missed the birth of his child.
If the others are even still alive…
"I'm sorry," she said, choosing not to share her dark thought, "We'll just have to try harder to master this power so we can leave sooner."
"Says you," Ronuku snorted, "I took out those stupid dolls, you're the one who's struggling with it."
"What?" Kohana stood and put her hands on her hips, "You only make hits because you get lucky, your form is sloppy and all over the place!"
"But at least I took some out!"
"So? Why do you think they've been drilling us on kata so much? I bet if you actually applied what you learned to what you're doing you could actually aim your fire attack-"
"Hell's Flash!"
"Whatever it is, you could probably aim it at your opponents instead of just hoping that they happen to be in the area of the blast!"
"Oh yeah? And what has all that kata and thinking done for you? You didn't even take down a single one!"
"That's because my sword won't power up, my stances were perfect!" Kohana gritted through her teeth.
"And why not?" Ronuku huffed
"If I knew that I wouldn't have this problem," Kohana snarled, "I've tried all of the stances Kaida and Seiko taught me, I've kept on my toes, I try to balance myself when I land, I think about where the blade will strike before it hits, I think about how the recoil will affect my hold, I-"
"You think about it too much."
"What?" She glared at him.
"Yeah," Ronuku put his arms behind his head, "What about all those other times it lit up? I bet you weren't thinking all that technical stuff then."
Kohana opened her mouth to retort, but paused. What had she been fighting whenever it lit up? The first time had been a bandit attack where oddly enough Sesshomaru had been the one in danger due to a fire and his over-sensitive senses. Other times Futeki had been in danger, or like her fight against the bear demon and her duel against Kagura she'd been cornered and nearly killed.
Kohana looked at her sword, the blade that she had constructed with her own two hands under the tutelage of Kaida. Though it had no demonic base, like the Tetsusaiga and the Tenseiga or Sesshomaru's Bakusaiga, she'd still but her heart and soul into making the thing, and Kikyo had once said that she could see a piece of Kohana's soul shining within the sword.
I made this thing, she thought, there's a piece of my soul in the sword. It reacted and burst into flame when Sesshomaru and Futeki were in danger...when I was about to die…I was angry…and threatened and…I felt it, I HAD to win, I was so furious and determined and….
"Emotions! That's it!" She suddenly blurted out.
"Huh?" Ronuku raised an eyebrow
"My sword reacts to my emotions, because a piece of my soul is in there fueling it! Ronuku, you're right, I can't make it power up because of my stances and technique, I have to let my emotions take over!"
"You're listening to me?" The bushi blinked, "That's something I never thought I'd hear."
"Oh stuff it," Kohana shoved him lightly, "We've got to work together on this. Which speaking of," her mind was reeling, "Seiko said that Hisae and Tsuneo's souls, our souls, were united. I bet if we want to work on that we'll have to fight in unison too!"
"You mean like the Fusion Dance?"
"What…? No," Kohana shook her head, "I mean, don't you see? My problem is that I rely on my thoughts too much and don't give enough to my emotions, while you fight with your emotions and don't think about what you've been taught. I bet if I let my emotions run my attacks, and you try and use the techniques we learned…if we both use our minds and hearts I bet it'll work!"
"Allright, sounds good enough," Ronuku nodded, "But when are we gonna try this?"
"Right now," Kohana said, "Let's go back to the practice area and try it." She turned and ran off back to the sandy clearing, Ronuku following after. When they reached it, she turned around to face him.
"What are we gonna fight?" Ronuku asked, "Seiko's still asleep, and she powers the dolls."
"Let's not bother with her," Kohana said, "We can fight each other." She unsheathed her sword and aimed it at him, "I'm ready when you are." Ronuku narrowed his eyebrows, but then smirked and nodded taking out his own weapon.
"Right, let's do this. We'll get it this time!"
"Yes," Kohana, "For our children and everyone else's sakes, we'll do it!"
Ronuku wasted no time. Bellowing, he rushed with his weapon raised, but as Kohana side-stepped to avoid the blow and strike his back when he passed, he turned his body and met her blade with his own before she hit. She jumped back, and Ronuku entered a stance she had seen Naoe use many times before. He crouched low and struck at her legs, and she had to jump to avoid it.
As the two of them sparred, Kohana felt a surge of glee as she recognized all of the moves Ronuku were using as something one of their mentors had taught them, even a few Seiko had tipped on.
He actually listened to me for once, she laughed aloud at the thought while aiming another strike that was blocked.
The sound of their sparring must've woken Seiko, because she, Naoe, and Kaida came running towards the field in confusion and alarm. When Kaida opened her mouth to speak, Seiko held up her cane and shook her head. The lady stayed silent and the old priestess fixed her blind gaze on the combatants. A few of the villagers passing by stopped to see as well, everyone watching the sparring match.
Kohana felt her pulse racing as she dodged and struck, waiting for Ronuku to unleash the fire blast from his sword. It briefly occurred to her that if her plan didn't work then she could potentially suffer some pretty nasty burns, but she chose not to dwell on it. Ronuku actually seemed aware of this too and was hesitating to use it, but at Kohana's slight nod and glare of determination he leapt away from her and raised his weapon.
This is it! She thought, pulse quickening even further. We've got to do this!
"Hell's Flash!" He shouted, and a wave of fire swept out from his sword directly at her.
I won't be burned! Kohana thought, I have to see them, Futeki and Sesshomaru! I won't let us be stuck her any longer, we will get back and won't let Naraku defeat them! A wave of fury swept over her as the quick picture of being stuck in this village while her friends and family were slaughtered raced across her mind.
Fuck that shit!
With a savage battle cry, she felt the heat race up her arm as she rushed into the flames. Her sword, an extension of her body and of her soul, erupted in white flame. Her weapon diverted Ronuku's attack, the flames dying around the white fire. Faster than she'd ever run before, she raced toward Ronuku and swung down. Reacting on quick and furious instinct, Ronuku raised his weapon to meet hers.
There was a sound as though an explosion went off, the metal song of the blades crashing through the village. Those watching screamed and ducked as a blinding light flashed, as though the sun itself had rushed into the clearing. Roof tiles from nearby huts went flying, and the sand in the clearing had all blown away from the epicenter of the blast.
In the center of a small crater stood Ronuku and Kohana, their weapons raised against one another. Between the two swords ran a wave of white light that at once seemed to push and pull the weapons towards each other. Both combatants seemed to have waves of light pulsing around their bodies, and their eyes glowed in white fury. The power surrounding them whipped their hair around as though there were a fierce wind.
The villagers looked up and stared in shock.
Then, just as suddenly as it had occurred, either Kohana or Ronuku blinked and finally seemed to see what had happened. Their fury gave way to surprise and the light quickly faded: their link between their swords vanished and their eyes returned to their normal color.
"Wh-what the…" Ronuku gasped, his voice shaking.
"I..I don't…" Kohana trembled, at a loss for words.
"That light was the manifestation of your power," Seiko said confidently as she stepped forward, "You two have unlocked the power of the sacred siblings."