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She was unduly optimistic two days prior when Sesshomaru had brought her into the mountains for refuge and into the safe hands of his friend Tora. She'd liked him immediately because he seemed kind and had an easy going attitude with a contagious laughter.
Looking back to that time, she she couldn't have been more wrong in her assessment. Kami he was a slave driver; on Sesshomaru's request he was instructed to sharpen her skills with the sword and to help her to improve on manipulating her reiki to form not only barriers but stabbing and slicing weapons.
She could already channel her powers to her hands and into anything that she touched, but forming her reiki into objects was another matter altogether. In two days she had actually gotten the gist of it; however, she needed more practice to maintain its form and to actually use it to cut without purifying everything it touched into dust.
It was another day and the sun streaming through the opening of the shallow cave was unwelcomed, not only was she tired her body ached all over from the brutal training she had to endure. She threw the thin blanket over head and huffed. Getting back to sleep would be difficult now. It wasn't long before a booming call of her name startled her.
"Kagome, the morning meal is prepared. I will return in a short while so make sure that you are ready on my return."
She sat up with a pained expression and sighed, her muscles tight and she hurt all over from the ruthless training and exertion courtesy of the deceptively calm and large cat.
Nevertheless, she got up unenthused and dragged her weary and sore body to the river to bathe, the water icy and she shivered. She couldn't remain in it for too long so hurriedly she got the job done and donned a pair of loose fitting pants and a light yukata. She braided her hair into one single plait and ate the stew that hung in a pot on a rack over the open fire; the food was bland though quite nutritious. It had meat, peas and vegetables in it; as she ate Tora came into view. The start of another rigorous training day was about to begin.
sksksk
A focused and vengeance driven demon lord stood on a huge mountainside cliff overlooking one of the provinces in the western domain with a frown on his face. He felt the bile rise in his throat. The very thought of the lord in charge of this region made him ill. He took to the air and flew as close as possible to the city's gate then landed into the bushes just outside its entrance.
The lord's castle was a beauteous sight as it stood out prominently on a hill on the outskirts of the city. The clay tiles that decorated the curved rooftops shone a burnished orange in the sunlight. About fifty miles to the north was a small human village. The residents were tenants of lord Miffoon.
He'd heard stories that they were constantly harrassed by Miffon's soldiers. He had no doubts the allegations were true, the lord of this province was a mean cruel bastard. He would pay the humans a visit when his business here was done.
The castle on the hill he remembered very well from his childhood, it was one of his father's earliest homes and he had lived there until he was about twelve summers old, so infiltrating it would cause him little difficulty. He made his way to the back of the hill unseen, he cloaked his huge aura close to his body like a second skin and moved silently and quickly to an area where brick pipes led unclean water from the bath house outside.
The pipes ran from the castle all the way down the hill where it settled and formed a swamp, and hence became a homes for frogs and small fishes that the overflowing river banks washed away in the rainy seasons, and a watering hole for many small animals and birds.
He recollected that a secret escape route was built in when the house was constructed some three centuries ago, his father had ruled in a time of war, and thus such a mechanism was highly appropriate to safeguard loved ones in case of an enemy attack. The land had changed somewhat in two hundred and fifty years, but not so much that he couldn't locate the exit of the escape route.
The bushes and trees were the most troubling because that much vegetation was not present the last time he had a reason to be at this site. Cutting them down would be unwise, he wanted to enter and leave the premises unnoticed, so his only option was to skillfully crawl his way through its thickness. Discarding his yukata he folded it and placed it inside the back of his hakamas to maintain his cleanness and dropped to the muddy ground.
On his hands and knees he crawled through intricate patterns of the lush and bushy growth formation, and when the vines and trees were so thick that they intertwined closely that he could not move under them on his knees, he slithered through them on his belly like a snake. He had been a warrior for a very long time, and training as a soldier in his father's army by the male he despised now and was going to pay a visit very soon was extremely helpful.
Lord Miffoon was awakened by the silence. It was a different silence, a moving silence, a hurried rush of air and suddenly he was filled up with a premonition that something was terribly wrong.
He was a bit out of sorts from drinking too much demon sake and had remained in bed trying to sleep it off. He shook the sensation of dread aside with a shake of his head and lies back down, he felt safe. His guards were poised to defend him with their lives if he was attacked, and he wasn't a pup that couldn't defend himself either. He had been a general in the army before his retirement and a very skilled swordsman to boot.
Having a burning desire for revenge was one thing; figuring out how to get it was another, but he had. Maybe the lord of the house had forgotten that he, Sesshomaru had lived in this same home, his quick mind, ruthlessnes and cunning was what made him who he was, and the fact that he had a false sense of security being surrounded by his guards would be his undoing.
He came to a halt when he felt the hard surface of the outer walls of the castle, he moved his hand around and came in contact with metal; it was the covering of the exit. He took a long sniff after he'd removed the iron bars, which was worn, covered with rust and brittle on his fingers. The path was safe, only the scent of mold and the decay of insects were present.
He crawled his way inside the tunnel which was a close fit now that he wasn't a small child anymore; nonetheless, he had to continue, delaying would not help him to accomplish his goals. The channel was at least seventy meters long that ending into an underground basement.
His soundless approach seemed longer than usual, it had seemed shorter when he was but a pup, but regardless the journey ended and he pushed at the covering and the metal easily gave way. He stood inside the basement with its unpleasant scent, it was dark and clammy, he redressed himself into his yukata.
The passageway that would lead him inside the castle and into the master bedroom was unseen; but keen eyes saw the unnatural dirt formation into the basement walls. With his claws elongated he cleared the debris away which revealed the winding staircase. Stealthily he climbed because he was unsure if anyone in the house knew of this secret passageway. When he was safely at the top of the stairs his head came in contact with the floor, he paused.
The wooden covering of the entrance would lead him inside the dressing room of the master bedroom and hopefully that would be the room the traitor occupied; but there could be one minor problem, and that was sound, the wooden flooring was old and it would surely creak if he were to push it open. And if he used his poison to dissolve it, certainly the old dog would smell its sweet noxious fumes. Nothing was going to stop him, Sesshomaru thought and gritted his teeth, not when he'd come this close, there must be another way.
Then suddenly it came to him, he remembered that there was another stairway in the basement that would lead him into the room opposite the main bedroom. Hurriedly but quietly he descended the stairs and went back down into the basement, he found the passageway, and like before he had to clear away the debris that obstructed it, only this time he did not come to a stop under the floor, he removed the covering and climbed inside a room that vaguely reminded him of his childhood bedroom.
With his sword drawn he listened and scented the air, and only the deep snores and the stink of liquor permeated it with its offensiveness. The door creaked on its hinges as he opened it, he heard rustling from the room opposite him. He tensed and waited.
The exhiliration that rushed through his veins forced his mind and body to action. He was a predator, readying himself to strike. He turned the door handle and sensed that the demon within was waking up, he had an instant to strike and to do it quickly and cleanly. He pushed the door open and allowed it slide wide open by natural propulsion, while he released a small amount of his youki to alert lord Miffoon of his presence. He wanted to witness the sheer terror on his face as he killed him.
The ploy worked, a terrified and traitorous lord Miffoon sprung awake only to come face to face with an unfeeling and murderous Daiyoukai.
His blood turned to ice as he stared death into the face, his eyes darted quickly into the corner where his swords lay, blood rushed through his veins rapidly. He panicked and made a hopeless dive for his weapon, Sesshomaru anticipated his act of desperation and ran him through the heart before he could get out of bed.
Dimmed and dying eyes looked upon his killer and tried to ask how, but blood filled his throat instead, and only a gurgling sound was emitted as the sharp edge of the sword twisted into his still beating heart. The blade tore open his chest as it was wrenched free. As he was about to take his last breath, Sesshomaru decapitated him and watched while his blood spewed and painted the walls opposite his head crimson.
He shut the door quietly behind him and went from whence he came unseen. Vengeance was served best when dished out cold. Several minutes later he climbed out of the hidden tunnel and made his way up north to the human village. He would assure them that all would be well as from now on, the problem was solved.
sksksk
Kagome was weary with the brutal yet essential training she underwent. She was barely able to block the bokken that Tora had given her to practice the art of kendo.
"Again," he commanded her as he lifted his wooden sword to strike.
She raised hers sideways and blocked his attack with renewed energy. She hit his sword over and over and came at him with viciousness that he had not foreseen.
"Enough," he ordered, "you have done well, tomorrow we will practice using real swords."
She sighed in relief and bowed. "Arigato sensei," he nodded and she walked away.
She was so tired; fatigued, pained and weary she rest her body down on the futon, and in no time at all she was fast asleep. Not one thought on her mind, not even of Sesshomaru.
Arigato sensei – Thank you teacher
Bokken - A wooden sword used as a practice weapon in kendo/swordplay