Chapter 12: A Sense of Belonging
Tora had regained her quiet confidence, and the group resumed traveling as if the strange incident had never even occurred. They journeyed whenever and wherever the daiyōkai chose; sometimes under the pale light of the moon and other times bathed in the golden rays of the sun. Once they walked for two days with only a few stops for Rin and Tora to gather food, and twice the daiyōkai left with no warning for a few days' time. He always returned as unexpectedly as he departed and with a new direction for them to follow.
The daiyōkai spoke only when necessary and spent the majority of his time deep in thought. When she was not contemplating her own situation, Tora found the constant chattering of Rin and Jaken was entertaining enough to make the long hours pleasant. Though she was positive the little yōkai was probably very old, whenever he was around Rin, he acted like a child. He whined, pouted, complained, teased, and laughed while Rin smiled and teased him right back. Sometimes, when Jaken was in the middle of a monotonous narrative, Rin would look down at Tora from Ah-Un's back and bombard her with questions.
"Tora-san, what is that plant?" Rin asked while pointing out a strangely shaped weed in roots of a tree. Tora answered only to have the girl point her finger at another plant.
"Tora-san, how do you stop it from hurting?" the girl asked after scrapping her knee. The lady samurai tussled the child's black hair, smiled, and shared a simple herbal remedy.
"Tora-san, what are those pretty things?" Rin asked as they cut through fields to avoid a human village. Tora gazed thoughtfully at the colorful cloth kites that danced in the sky above the little houses and explained them to Rin.
"I wish I could have one" the child said wistfully. "They are so pretty. Like flowers in the sky."
"I could make you one," Tora replied.
She did not see the daiyōkai glance back over his shoulder at her for a brief moment before he continued walking.
The next time they stopped, Tora gathered a few sturdy, straight sticks and skillfully built a small frame. She cut a small piece from the end of her obi, knowing the strange fabric would mend itself, and attached it to the frame.
"What are you doing?" Rin asked curiously. She knelt in the grass next to Tora, her wide eyes watching intently.
"I am making a kite for you," Tora replied, "just as I had promised."
"It looks like a mess to me," Jaken grumbled, but Tora noticed that he kept watching her with a look of interest on his face.
"Just wait and watch," the lady samurai ordered. A faint smile appeared on her face as she spoke.
A short time later, a small kite lay on the ground in front of them. It was neither grand nor beautiful. It was just a plain diamond-shape but the fabric did contain a simple butterfly design from her obi. Tora handed the small kite to Rin and showed the girl how to release it into the wind. Rin laughed gleefully as it rose a few feet into the air and playfully tugged on the string. The vibrant violet stood out against the pale blue sky and the single butterfly on the fabric, though a little off center, was clearly visible from the ground.
"Is that all it does?" Jaken asked irritably. He waved the two-headed staff at Tora. "Fool! We do not have time to waste like this! Rin, stop playing with that toy this instant!"
"Jaken, can you not see how happy she is?" Tora asked softly.
"B-but it is just twigs and cloth on a string!"
"You cannot understand the joy and peace the fills your heart when flying a kite until you fly one yourself," the lady samurai replied calmly.
Her gaze followed the small kite as it danced in the air above the little girl. Then she closed her eyes and breathed deep of the air and all of the faint fragrances it carried.
"One day, my father woke me early but instead of ju-jitsu or ken-jitsu practice, he showed me how to build a kite." Tora's voice was no more than a whisper, and it caught the little yōkai by surprise. "It took all morning to make ours... it was a huge box-shape with wings ...and we carefully painted a dragon on it. When we lifted it into the sky, it caught the wind and soared high above the trees."
The hanyō opened her eyes, and there was just a hint of sadness behind her peaceful expression.
"Father and I, we stayed out all afternoon. Whenever a strong gust threatened to pull the kite from my hands, Father would take control. It was the only time I remember my father smiling, and I still hear his laughter on the wind."
Tora watched Rin run around the top of the hill, pulling the small kite behind her. The girl's young face so was alive and happy. It was almost impossible to grasp that she could be so happy and yet there was not a trace of sorrow or fear in her. As she looked at the child, Tora felt an overwhelming sense of belonging that she had not felt since that day, so many years ago, when she had built a kite with her father.
Suddenly, the young woman laughed. It began as a soft as a whisper and grew slightly louder until the melodious sound flittered across the top of the hill and was snatched by the wind. As Rin ran by, the kite dancing behind her, Tora grabbed the girl and lifted her high into the air to place her on her shoulders.
Rin's wide eyes were glistening with tears of happiness. One of her hands wrapped around Tora's neck and the other clutched the kite string tightly.
"Thank you for the kite, nee-san," Rin said. "Can I keep it?"
"Of course," Tora replied.
They stayed on the hill longer than usual, until the wind died down and the little kite floated gently into Rin's waiting arms. Then the daiyōkai stirred from where he had been sitting and they resumed traveling.
Whenever possible, Tora would steal quiet moments away from the others to practice and hone her skills with the blade. At first her progress was minimal, but as time passed, she began to notice a slight difference in her speed as well as the sharpness of her senses... as if only an essence of her yōkai blood was slowly seeping into her grasp. Despite all of the solitary hours and unwavering determination, she had not yet discovered the trigger that would release the full power from deep inside of her.
But she did not let that minor disappointment discourage her efforts. Be it the quiet predawn or ethereal twilight, mid-afternoon or midnight, whenever they rested from traveling and Rin fell asleep, Tora would take her katana and find a place to go through the routine.
One cloudy morning just as soft rain began to fall and the light ping of raindrops hitting the metal blade of her weapon, Tora a familiar earthy scent reached her nose and her hand nearly froze in mid-swing. He was there among the trees watching her from a good distance away. She did not doubt that he had watched her solitary practices before – perhaps each one – but her senses had not been strong enough to locate him unless he consciously made his presence known to her.
She steadied her blade before lowering it to her side. Her eyes scanned the tree line and found him in the shadows. Tora slid her katana into its sheath and waited. The daiyōkai approached wordlessly and an involuntary shiver run down Tora's spine as his powerful aura nearly overwhelmed her senses. She quickly refocused as he had taught her and the pressure eased.
"My lord," Tora greeted quietly with a respectful bow.
"Draw your weapon," he ordered.
A/N: 17 July 2007
I am currently in the process of moving from Virginia to California. (In fact, as I write this, the movers are here packing up the house.) Do not worry, though. I am still writing Chapter 13, but you guys just have to wait to read it until I get settled in California. Hopefully, I will have two new chapters ready by then. D
I know what is coming next... not the specific details, as I am writing this rather spontaneously, but a general idea of what scenes I want to write ...and I must say that I am extremely excited about the ending scene. It is just perfect! (At least, it is perfect whenever I review it in my mind's eye.) Now all I need is to write the rest of the story so we can get to the ending. ;-) I believe this story will probably end up being between 15 and 20 chapters in length. (How specific, eh?)