Foreigner In The Sengoku Jidai
By: Patriot1776
Chapter III: Preparations
Noah was listening intently as Kagome was explaining to him her and InuYasha's quest for the Shikon no Kakera, or the Jewel Shards, and about the Shikon no Tama itself, as he ate the delicious dinner cooked by Ayaka. Jii-chan was also adding in a thing or two occasionally.
"So let me get this straight Kagome-chan, you're apparently the reincarnation of the priestess who kept this Jewel, and because of it becoming shattered, you, InuYasha-kun and your friends have to collect the pieces and reassemble it?" he asked.
"That's right. Only one shard has to be in the wrong hands for bad things to happen, and unfortunately too many of them already are. Lately, it's been more about us fighting this extremely evil, cruel youkai who's collected most of the shards already than us collecting shards." Kagome said.
"Even though I don't really believe in reincarnation due to my religion, I can see the concept you're implying about it. Who is this evil youkai?" Noah now asked. Kagome then explained to him about Naraku. When she finished, Noah took a few slow deep breaths.
"Noah-kun, what's the matter?" Kagome asked.
"I'm calming myself back down. Your stories of Naraku have irked me a little. I hope you, InuYasha-kun, and your friends finally get him someday, and when you do, I hope you give him the nice, slow, agonizing and painful death he rightfully deserves." he replied in a cold voice. He took another breath, and then looked at InuYasha curiously. "So, you're an inu-hanyou?"
"That's right. Most people hate me. The only real friends I have are Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Ayaka, and Souta, and now you I guess." InuYasha said gruffly. Noah reached over and patted him on the shoulder.
"Well InuYasha-kun, you don't have to worry about me disliking you. I actually kinda wish I had a pair of those ears myself. As for the hair, there's actually a famous musician over in the States who's got hair the same length and color as yours." Noah said. InuYasha raised an eyebrow.
"There is?" he asked.
"Yep. Now of course there are those who still think he looks strange, but he's also got a lot of people who like him for his long, white hair. Now, as I said up in my room, I'm not in any hurry yet to go back to the Sengoku Jidai with you at the moment. I do want to go there though, so I can observe and take notes of what I see because I am a history buff, and studying Japan's history and ancient culture is mostly the reason why I chose to come here when I was given the option of becoming an exchange student. This is a huge opportunity."
"Hey, wait a minute. Sis, did you actually show him the well or something?" Souta now asked.
"Yeah Souta we did. I actually managed to take him through it briefly to show him what's on the other side." InuYasha said. Souta's eyes lit up.
"You think you could take me too?" he asked. Noah then looked at Souta, smiled a little, and shook his head.
"I seriously doubt it. You really don't know what you'd be getting into. InuYasha only took me through that once to relieve my doubts about the well and also so I wouldn't doubt at all what him and your sis have just explained to me. And I wouldn't be asking to go back if I didn't have any survival, fighting, or weaponry skills, and I do have those, being as I liked to go hunting and camping a lot back home." Souta's face took on a deflated look. InuYasha now looked at Noah seriously.
"You've proven to me that you can fight hand-to-hand with what you pulled in the well house. But I'm still not letting you go with Kagome and I until you prove something else." he said.
"My archery skills?" Noah asked.
"Damn straight. After you and Kagome get back from her school tomorrow, you're going to show me just what you can do with that strange looking bow of yours. Hopefully you're a much better shot than Kagome is."
"Hey! I'm getting better!" Kagome complained.
"She can use a bow too?" Noah asked.
"Yes, I can, but I'm not really that good."
"What kind of bow are you using, Kagome-chan?"
"The kind they had back in the Feudal Era." At that, Noah shook his head and looked at Ayaka.
"Higurashi-okaasan-" Noah started.
"Please, call me Ayaka now." she interrupted.
"Ayaka-okaasan, you think you could buy Kagome-chan a modern, compound hunting bow before her and InuYasha go back through the well for a long time? I'd like to give her some archery lessons, but they'd work best if we were both using the same kind of bow. A compound bow would also be much easier for her to use than the conventional ones she's probably been using." Noah said. Ayaka rubbed her chin a moment.
"It'll all depend on what I can afford." she said.
"I'll go with you when you go to look for one, and pick one out. Kagome, you need to go in the well and bring back the bow you normally use so I can find a modern one that matches it as closely as possible in size and feel." Noah told her.
"Okay. InuYasha and I can go and retrieve it after we finish supper, and tell the others of your impending visit. Mama, we'll probably be back by morning, I'll take my alarm clock with me so I can get back early enough to go to school." Kagome said.
"Sounds fine with me dear, just don't be late for school." Ayaka said. They were now finished with dinner.
"Hey Noah-kun, could you take me back up to your room and show me some more of your stuff, and maybe play me another song on your guitar?" Souta asked.
"Sure. Come on. Arigatou for the fine supper Higurashi-okaasan." Noah said after both he and Souta cleaned up their spots at the dinner table, Noah bowing to Ayaka as he said the last sentence. Ayaka smiled at him. Meanwhile, Kagome and InuYasha left for the well house.
-
Dusk was just starting to settle in the Sengoku Jidai when a familiar red clad hanyou and girl emerged from the Bone Eater's Well. They started off toward Kaede's at a brisk pace. InuYasha was looking down at the ground as they walked.
"I still don't know if bringing him here and letting him travel with us is such a good idea." InuYasha said.
"I'm still a little doubtful too, but he seems determined to at least tag along so he can observe and see what I've seen for the past few months. The way he talks, he sounds like he's certainly capable of looking out for himself. InuYasha, I was like him somewhat when I first started travelling around with you, and look where I'm at." Kagome said.
"That's because I've been beside you and pulled your ass out of the fire a bunch of times. If not for me, Kagome, you'd have been dead a long time ago." InuYasha said sternly, looking at her. Kagome put an arm around him.
"And that's why I like to be with you, the way you protect me." she said. InuYasha was still lost in thought, but he did return the gesture of putting an arm around Kagome as well.
'Kagome, there's other reasons why I protect you, I just can't say them right now. Things are still too complex, there's too many things to be worked out, before I can say them.' InuYasha thought as they approached the village. Shippo was there to greet them.
"Kagome-chan! You're back already?" Shippo said as he pounced up and into Kagome's arms. "Did you bring a lot of treats this time?" Kagome shook her head.
"Unfortunately, no Shippo-chan, I'm going right back tomorrow morning." Kagome said. Disappointment appeared on Shippo's face.
"Why you gotta go back?" he asked.
"I've only came back tonight to retrieve something and take it to my era. Something big has come up." Kagome said as Sango, Miroku, and Kaede exited the hut and approached.
"What is it that's come up Kagome-chan?" Sango asked.
"Well, we're soon going to be having a visitor stopping by here in a few days." Kagome started as they sat down around the fire inside the hut.
"A visitor? What kind of visitor?" Kaede asked. Kagome smiled and launched into her explanation about Noah.
-
Noah had just finished playing another song to Souta, and he was now putting the guitar away.
"Thanks for the song Noah-kun, I've got to get on my homework." Souta said.
"If you need any help, don't be afraid to ask me." Noah said as Souta left the room. Noah then got up, walked over and picked up a box he hadn't unpacked yet and took it downstairs along with his bow case. He found Ayaka and Jii-chan watching the evening news. "Ayaka-okaasan, could you join me in the kitchen for minute? I've got some things I want to show you."
"Sure Noah-san. What is it?" she asked as she followed him into the kitchen. Noah first put the case for the bow on the kitchen table and opened it. Ayaka's eyes opened wide as Noah lifted the compound bow out of the case. "Is that the bow you'll be taking back with you?" she asked. Noah nodded his head.
"This bow is capable of taking down game as big as large deer if the shooter's accurate enough. And I'll prove to both you and InuYasha tomorrow that I'm deadly accurate with it." Noah then put the bow back in the case and closed it up, and set it back on the floor. He then lifted up the large box and opened it, and set out a bunch of things that Ayaka immediately saw were U.S. military surplus items. One at a time, Noah sat out onto the table from the box: a compass, U.S. Marine Corps Ka-Bar knife, fire starting sparker bar, military wristwatch, folding Army shovel, Army mess kit and canteen, and a P-38 Army can opener on necklace chain. Ayaka was amazed.
"Where'd you get all of this stuff?" she asked.
"Well, besides being a history buff, my dad liked to take me camping when I was tiny, and it stuck, and over the years as I worked my way through grade school I gradually acquired all this so I could go camping on my own, but there's more too." Noah then went back up to his room and returned with a large military surplus backpack, an army sleeping bag rolled up on top of it.
"That I remember there. Chichi-ue and I both figured we were taking in an outdoors boy when we saw that while putting your stuff in your room." she said.
"All of that stuff on the table will fit in this backpack. Plus, as you can see, I've also got a sleeping bag too."
"You're certainly well prepared. Noah-san, assuming you impress InuYasha and myself with that bow tomorrow, when are you planning on going with my daughter and InuYasha through the well?" Ayaka asked.
"This weekend hopefully." Noah replied as he started packing the military gear into the olive-drab backpack.
-
"You're serious? Somebody from your era is joining us?" Sango repeated as her and everybody else except Kagome and InuYasha were dumbfounded and in awe.
"Uh huh. He told my mom himself that before he joins us on our next outing to try and find Naraku, he'd like her to buy me a modern bow and maybe some modern arrows to go along with it. That's why InuYasha and I came back tonight, to pick up my bow and take it to my time so he can see it." Kagome said. Kaede was rubbing her chin.
"Child, you say that this Noah is from a far away land and looks much, much different than how we all look?" she asked.
"That's right Kaede. His skin color is the same as ours, but his face is different. In this time, the land he's from is just now being discovered, but in my era, his land is the most powerful one in the world and a big trading partner and friend of this land." Kagome said. Kaede shook her head, and got up.
"I'll be back momentarily Kagome. I'm going to get something that may be of use for him. Nobody in this village has really seen any kind of foreigner, except for me. And that was years and years ago, so he'll need help making the transition to this time." she said to Kagome as she made her way to the hut entrance.
"Hey, does this mean I could possibly come with you to your time once?" Shippo now asked. Kagome looked at him.
"I'm not sure. We'll just have to try it. Not tomorrow though, because Noah and I will both be off at school." Miroku was now rubbing his chin.
"I'm not sure about this. Does this Noah have any kind of other weapons and/or fighting skills other than archery?" Miroku asked.
"Well, he does have some hand-to-hand fighting skills..." Kagome started. InuYasha then suddenly "keh'd", got up and went outside.
"What's with him?" Shippo asked. Kagome giggled a little.
"He's just huffed because he was the one Noah showed us some of his martial arts skills on." she said as she struggled to keep a straight face.
"What? Oooo! Tell me, tell me!" Shippo said excitedly. Kagome then started into her recount of InuYasha getting beat up by Noah in the well house. On the roof of the hut, InuYasha was growling loudly.
'Miroku, you stupid lech! I'm pounding your face in tomorrow for bringing that up! Yours too Shippo! You'll both never let me hear the end of this!' InuYasha thought, growling even louder at the giggles he was now hearing underneath in the hut.
-
On the walk home from school the next day, Kagome was explaining to Noah a lot of what she had seen in the Sengoku Jidai so far. Noah was asking questions mostly about the daily lives of the villagers her and her friends had come across.
"Have you met up with any daimyos yet?" Noah asked.
"Only a few really. InuYasha prefers to steer clear of the daimyos' castles. He says that during a few of his travels before he met up with all of us, he wandered too far close to a few several times, and paid for it with soldiers chasing him and hunting him because of what he was. The few ones we've met we did meet because they either had problems that involved the Shikon no Kakera in some way, or just huge problems that really affected the local peasants." Kagome explained.
"Hmm. Yeah, brutal times, just as I thought. I got another serious question." Noah asked as they started up the shrine steps.
"Yes, Noah-kun?"
"Have you all stumbled across any areas where maybe one daimyo was torching the villages of another daimyo, and slaughtering the villagers to make sieges against that daimyo's castle easier?" Noah asked. Kagome was horrified at that.
"They wouldn't! I've seen the results of youkai and bands of brigands when they do it, but surely not a daimyo's army! They wouldn't stoop to being that cruel and barbaric would they?" Kagome asked excitedly, her eyes welling up with a tears a little.
"It's been done before, Kagome." InuYasha said bluntly in a matter-of-fact voice as he walked up. "I've only seen it happen once or twice, but I have seen daimyos' armies really do that. It's a rare occurrence though. Usually though its like you said. Groups of brigands, outlaws, or youkai usually are responsible when that happens, but it's not beyond daimyos to order their royal armies to do it."
"In the name of Buddha, why?" Kagome asked.
"Like I said, Kagome-chan, to make castle sieges easier. First you block off and blockade all the roads and paths the farmers and merchants use to trade and deliver their goods to a daimyo, then you wipe out the local villages and burn the farmers' fields to completely wipe out the food supply for him and his army. Now you just sit back and either wait for the daimyo and his forces to either surrender so they can eat, or starve to death. It works well, but like InuYasha said, it's very rare. Here's why. When you do all that, you usually don't have much of a domain or territory to rule over afterwards, because you've pretty much wiped out everything. So usually it only happens when two daimyos have a whole lot of bad blood between one another and hate each other so much that they'll only be satisfied seeing the other one and his kingdom wiped completely out. So InuYasha-kun, you have seen that happen?" Noah asked.
"Damn right I have. That's just one of the many reasons why I deeply despise and hate daimyos and their lot. They want it all and the little guy gets trampled by them in their quests to have everything. Now, you gonna show me just what you can do with that strange contraption you call a bow or not?" InuYasha asked. Noah smiled, nodded and went into the house to retrieve his bow and a target.
"InuYasha, when did you see stuff like that happen?" Kagome asked after Noah was out of earshot.
"Happened a few times while I was on the run after mother died, before I heard of the Shikon no Tama and met Kikyo. I'd come to a village and sneak and scout around to see if they had any extra food I could make off with and eat, and it happened during the night each time. I didn't stay too long after the plundering and pillaging started, but I did stay long enough to see that it was a real army loyal to a daimyo that was doing it instead of a bunch of lawless brigands. I didn't stay in the area after it happened either. Instead I was usually trying to get as far away from there as possible so I wouldn't run the risk of running into the army afterwards." Kagome was left staring at the ground again in slight sadness at those words. InuYasha saw this and decided to cheer things up. "Mark my words Kagome, I'm not going to let something like that happen to Kaede's village. If an army tries to come and do that, I'll use my Kaze no Kizu to stop them if I have to, but only as a last resort." Kagome looked at him.
"Thanks InuYasha." Kagome said. It was then that Noah walked back out of the house carrying his bow case and a large, layered, foam block with a target painted on it. Ayaka and Souta were behind him.
"Well, here's the target. Where do you want it InuYasha?" Noah asked as he set the block down. InuYasha looked around and noticing a nice spot with brush behind it, picked up the block and carried it over. He set it down, then carefully scouted around in the bushes behind the spot to make sure the area beyond the bushes was open parkland so that in case Noah missed, his arrow wouldn't wind up going through an innocent bystander's head. He then walked back over.
"InuYasha, you did check to make sure that there's open field beyond those bushes right?" Ayaka asked.
"I did. Okay Noah, take your shot from the other side of the shrine grounds. This'll make a good distance that Kikyo usually managed to drop youkai from really well. Let's see what that strange bow of yours is capable of." InuYasha said.
"You got it." Noah replied. He opened up his bow case and got the large, compound bow out, attaching the quiver to it. Walking over to the spot opposite of the target block, he held up his thumb for a moment over the target in his line of sight to it as the others watched. 'About 50-55 yards. Not hard at all. I've taken down deer at 80 yards on a calm clear day with this thing.' He then stuck a finger in his mouth briefly and held it up for a moment to check for wind. 'Slight wind blowing to the right.' Satisfied, he picked up the bow and his finger release glove, and put it on. He pulled an arrow out of the quiver, nocked it up, and pulled the drawstring back to take aim, the bow's cams taking the draw weight off of his arms when he finished pulling it back. He took careful aim, adjusting for the wind, and released.
The arrow soared through the air with a deadly grace, and thunked into the block just inside the 1st ring of the target from the center. InuYasha was about to go and retrieve it when they all saw Noah nock up another arrow and fire. This one flew the same as the last, this time landing a little down and to the left of the first arrow, but still inside the first ring from the center. He nocked up again and fired, this one landing in the precise center. They all then walked over to the target block.
"Pretty damn good Noah." InuYasha said as he looked at the arrows. Noah looked at them as well.
"I did a fine job adjusting for windage. I like that grouping." he said.
"Wow! You're an awesome shot Noah!" Souta said. Noah now looked at Kagome.
"How good are you Kagome?" he asked. Kagome shook her head.
"If that had been me, I would have completely missed every single time at that distance." she said. Noah nodded.
"Then I can help you a little in correcting that, but only practice can get you to where you can do that. Did you bring me the bow you normally use?" He asked.
"I'll get it then." she said.
"Souta-kun, go get my box of military camping gear and back pack please, I want InuYasha to see it." Noah said.
"Sure thing." he said, then following his sister as they both went back into the house.
"Backpack? Don't tell me your planning on bringing your school stuff and a bunch of junk too." InuYasha gruffed out.
"I'm bringing my books yes, but I'm only bringing stuff you really need for survival in the wilderness. You'll see." he replied. InuYasha turned and removed one of the arrows from the block and stared at it.
"These arrows are strange looking. I hope you realize that we won't be able to get arrows like this on the other side of the well." InuYasha said as he continued to look at the aluminum shafted modern arrow.
"I'm perfectly aware of it, and I've already got it figured out how I think I can adapt wooden arrows to work with this bow." Noah replied.
"Noah-san, when do you want to go with me to find Kagome a new bow?" Ayaka asked.
"Whenever you're ready. We've got the whole week." Noah replied. It was then that Kagome returned with her Sengoku Jidai-era bow and arrows and Souta carrying the military backpack. Souta set the backpack down and Kagome handed the bow and arrows to Noah.
"Here you go." she said. Noah studied the bow briefly, taking up to a firing position and drawing the string back without an arrow, and slowly relaxing it.
"Yep, this thing is too hard to use for somebody just starting to learn archery. I could use this, but it'd take a lot of time to get used to. Hand me one of the arrows." he said. Kagome did, and Noah looked at it for a moment, then at the end of it. He opened up the backpack and got out the large Marine Ka-Bar knife and held the edge to the end of the arrow, InuYasha's eyes opening a little at the knife. "It'll work." He handed the arrow back to Kagome and put the knife back in its sheath before putting it back in the backpack.
"Where did you get that knife?" InuYasha asked.
"I'll tell you over supper, and show you everything that's in that backpack later. Come on, I'm famished." Noah said.
"I'll start dinner then." Ayaka said as they went back into the house after Noah packed his bow back up.
-
In a large castle belonging to a daimyo back in the Sengoku Jidai, a private execution was taking place. A farmer and his family had been brought before the daimyo, and were now pleading for their lives.
"Please Takkan-sama! Spare us! It couldn't be helped that the harvest was a tiny bit less than the quota! We haven't done anything wrong!" The farmer was pleading on his knees to the daimyo, Takkan, who was brandishing a katana.
"I've had it up to here with you peasants! I've made it clear to all of you! Unless you produce the EXACT minimum of crops I specify or more, you die! I don't care if you all were just one or two ounces short! That still means you didn't meet the quota! So you pay the price!" Takkan shouted, and without further hesitation, Takkan beheaded the poor farmer in front of him, his family's wailing and crying then exploding and they tried to run to his body, but the soldiers held them back forcefully, striking the mother and her children. Two more soldiers came and carried the body and head away.
Takkan then ordered the farmer's wife and children brought to him. Soldiers rigidly then forced the children to watch as Takkan beheaded their mother while their father's blood still dripped from the blade. He then proceeded to behead the children one at a time, starting with the youngest child and proceeding to the oldest. The officer of the soldiers present walked up to him after the headless body of the eldest child hit the ground.
"Takkan-sama, what shall we do with the bodies and heads?" he asked.
"Take the bodies, pile them up in the center of the village this family was from, and set them aflame. As for the heads, place them on spikes and place them around the body pile before you light them. Finally remind the peasants that is an example of the price for failing to meet the harvest quota." he said.
"Of course, Takkan-sama. It shall be done." The officer replied, then he and the soldiers began to carry out those gruesome orders as Takkan calmly turned and strolled back into the main building of the castle. After he entered, another officer walked up to him, bowing.
"Yes?" He asked.
"Takkan-sama, Kagewaki-sama of the Kagewaki clan is here to see you. He is waiting for you in your chambers." Takkan raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm. This should be interesting. I've never heard of him really." Takkan replied.
"He just came to power in his realm and this is his first meeting with a fellow daimyo, Takkan-sama."
"Very well. Resume your normal duties."
"As you wish, Takkan-sama." The officer said as he bowed again, turned and left. Entering his chambers, Takkan saw a nicely dressed, very young man with long, flowing black hair waiting for him.
"Takkan-sama, a pleasure to meet you." Naraku said as he approached Takkan and bowed.
"Kagewaki-sama. I've never heard of you, you come to power recently?" Takkan asked as he returned the bow.
"Yes. My father died just two weeks ago and I had to unexpectedly assume the rule of his domain. He had been grooming me for it though. I understand that you are having problems with local peasant farmers not producing enough crops." Naraku said in a gentlemanly voice.
"Down to business I see. Yes, I've been having major problems of it. Just this morning I had to execute a farmer and his entire family because their yield was just barely short of my quota. Why do you ask, Kagewaki-sama?" Takkan said as he went and poured some sake for him and Naraku.
"I have a way that you could make your control over the peasants even more absolute than it already is. You would be able to completely dominate over every small detail of their lives even more than you already are." Naraku said.
"There is? Hmph. I don't see how. My soldiers are already as ruthless and professionally disciplined as they come, and I've got plenty of them so that I always know exactly what is going on in each of my villages, and I've taken away almost every single personal liberty conceivable from the peasants. What do you suggest I do to further strengthen my already iron handed grip upon them?" Takkan asked gentlemanly.
"You ever heard of the Shikon no Kakera?" Naraku asked. Takkan spit out his sake and started coughing at that.
"What? What are you getting at?" Takkan now asked in an astonished voice. Naraku then opened his hand, revealing a Jewel Shard.
"Would you be willing to make a deal with me in return for this and a few other shards Takkan?" Naraku asked, smiling evilly. Takkan noticed his smile and returned one that was just as wicked.
"You know, you're my kind of person, Kagewaki-sama. What do you have in mind?" Takkan asked in a pleasant voice.