Author's Note: It is finally here! The long awaited Chapter 22. I wrestled long and hard with this chapter, trying to make it perfect since it is important to the story's progression. It was fully written back in February, but even though it said what I needed it to say, it was lacking... feeling. So in-between work, overtime, conferences, and other time-eating and energy-sapping responsibilities, I managed to revise it.
Can't get enough of Tora, Sesshoumaru, and Katsutoshi? Check out my From Deep Within related art! Links located in my profile. Enjoy! =)
Chapter 22: Only A Hanyō
Tora moved closer to the daiyōkai's side, eyes locked on the stationary kodama in the center of the garden. She had never witnessed the casting of a barrier, and one strong enough to give even Sesshomaru difficulty was worth careful observation.
Katsutoshi stood tall, feet firmly planted apart and his hands held in front of him. Deep concentration spread across his face as he began to focus his yoki, and a faint green light appeared between his palms. As it grew, the manifestation of his yoki brightened until it was a swirling, green sphere. In the center of the sphere, she could just barely make out three strands of multicolored hair: silver, gold, and ebony.
Then the kodama took a deep breath and his eyes closed. All around him, the air was electrified with his power. Suddenly, as if silently commanded, the exquisite foliage of the garden pulled back, revealing four massive trees standing on the four compass points. So quickly that Tora's eyes were barely able to follow, the kodama twisted his wrists and the sphere exploded. Four beams of light burst forth, striking the trees and vanishing beneath the bark, as if the trees were drinking the power.
Right before their eyes, a shimmering barrier began to materialize around the garden, growing up from between the four trees. In the center of it all, Katsutoshi stood, arms outstretched, tensed hands shaking, and perspiration forming on his furrowed brow. The sheer amount of yoki he was radiating was astonishing.
Shivers ran down Tora's spine, and her limbs tingled. A throbbing began at the base of her skull, and she tore her gaze away from the kodama to Sesshomaru. The daiyōkai stood undisturbed, gold eyes narrowed as he watched the kodama's every move. The pain in Tora's head intensified, and she looked across the garden. Rin was sitting on the steps of the cottage, swinging her legs slowly and looking perfectly fine. Tora took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart and clear her mind.
As the barrier closed above them, its color darkened briefly and then it vanished. Instantly, the pain disappeared. Katsutoshi's arms dropped heavily to his sides and his shoulders slumped wearily.
"It's done. The garden is completely protected and only we three are able to pass through freely," he said.
He turned his gaze on the daiyōkai and Tora. All of his exuberance was gone, and even his voice was tired. Clearly, creating a barrier of such strength was taxing on the kodama. The lady samurai rubbed the back of her head and neck with her hand. The forest yōkai caught the motion and a smile reappeared on his face.
"I apologize, Tora-san. I forgot to mention that becoming immune to the barrier causes a certain level of discomfort."
He was teasing her again, and the lady samurai's dislike for the yōkai escalated to a new level. Yet her composure was flawless as she turned away. She had been trained in suppressing feelings, which were a weakness that could be deadly in battle. Another weakness for a samurai was impatience, though it did not seem a hindrance to the daiyōkai. Tora had been with him long enough to notice the subtle changes that hinted at his moods, and there was a slight tension to his shoulders.
He was impatient, and that bothered her. Just what was it the two yōkai had planned? And why was she accompanying them? She was filled with apprehension.
"Come," Sesshomaru ordered.
He stepped into barrier, causing a slight greenish ripple in the air, and then vanished from sight. Tora hesitated, her eyes flickering back towards Rin. Would it be safe to leave her in this enchanted garden with only Jaken and Ah-Uh?
"Do not worry about the human child. My garden will care for her while we are gone," the kodama said.
"Tora-san..." Rin called out. The little girl grinned and waved. "Take care of Sesshomaru-sama."
A soft smile spread across the lady samurai's face at the girl's naivety. "If anything happens to her..." she warned under her breath.
"Now, now. If I were you, I would worry about myself," Katsutoshi whispered back. With a chuckle, he stepped through the barrier.
Tora clenched her fist before following the irritating kodama. A tingling sensation washed over her entire body, as if she was being pricked by thousands of needles. Then the sensation was gone, and she was on the other side. Both Sesshomaru and Katsutoshi were already moving away. Towards the north.
The lady samurai could not help but wonder about the relationship between the two daiyōkai. As she moved through the trees, stepping lightly so not to leave a trail, she realized that she knew almost nothing about the world of yōkai. Her mother and Katsutoshi were strangers, whose lives and motivations were shrouded in mystery. Even Sesshomaru, after six months, remained an aloof shadow, always so close yet untouchable. Even for someone like Tora, raised under the harsh discipline of a samurai and seen many a disturbing scene, she found her lack of knowledge unsettling.
The three unlikely companions journeyed in silence. Sesshomaru set a grueling pace yet neither yōkai was bothered by the hilly terrain, fallen trees, and partially hidden boulders. As Tora brushed a gnarled branch out of her way, she noticed that the kodama was strolling as leisurely as if walking through a meadow, no longer fatigued from casting the barrier. Her quick eyes caught the subtle movement of trees and bushes from his path. The hairs on her arms stood on end, and she could feel the subtle release of yoki he used, without word or gesture, to manipulate the forest around him. He was dangerous, and her distrust of him grew.
"Having trouble keeping up, Tora-san?" Katsutoshi suddenly said. He flashed a mischievous grin as he paused long enough to fall in step beside her. "I will explain this mission to you as we walk. Just north of here, a daimyo has taken residence in an old castle, and from it, he has oppressed the local humans and organized his many bloody campaigns."
"Why would yōkai get involved in the affairs of humans?"
"This is an unique case. The daimyo is called Ura Kotoku."
She was surrounded. Armed soldiers pressing in on all sides, and no matter how many she struck down with her sword, more would immediately fill the gap. Her blade danced about her. If she was to die, she would die fighting. A blade sliced her arm and another grazed her exposed side. In a brief moment, her katana was knocked from her grasp and hands reached out to grab her. Weaponless, she continued to defend herself until a vicious blow sent her to her knees. Her eyes closed against the overwhelming pain and a sense of calm filled her. The death blow never came... a silvery haired daiyōkai slaughtered them with one hand and without even drawing his sword.
Tora's hand unconsciously touched the familiar hilt of her katana at the vivid memory. Had Sesshomaru not intervened... but she was weaker then. Though time had seemed to stand still, many months had indeed passed since that incident with Ura Kotoku's men. She was stronger and faster, the blood of yōkai flowing through her veins.
"I know of him," she replied flatly.
"He is determined to have the loyalty of a certain lady samurai—"
"I have no intention of pandering to a worthless, power-hungry, self-proclaimed daimyo like Ura."
"Hmm, you are surprisingly out-spoken and I have not even finished explaining," the kodama murmured. "Ura is a powerful yōkai disguised as a human, and he is infringing on my father's territory and oppressing our humans. You will infiltrate his inner circle to discover Ura's true identity, his intentions, and his strengths."
"And how do you expect me to accomplish this?"
"Use your feminine wiles."
The light, melodious sound of the lady samurai's laughter rant out through the woods, surprising Katsutoshi. From the tone he had used, she knew he was serious, but she could not hold back.
"My feminine wiles..." Tora repeated with the hint of a condescending smile on her lips. "I'm a lady samurai, not a kunoichi. Ura knows my reputation and should I suddenly appear with a change of heart, it would arouse suspicions. No, if you want his secrets, we must find another way."
"And what way would you suggest, O Honorable Samurai," the yōkai asked dramatically.
Tora said nothing. Her mind was already running through all possibilities, and none of them ended well. Her finger unconsciously traced the leather hilt of her katana. She brushed a low-hanging branch out of her way and carefully picked her way down a small ravine towards a stream. Sesshomaru was waiting at the bank, and he turned his narrowed eyes on the kodama and hanyō as they joined him.
"This is where we part," Katsutoshi announced. "Two daiyōkai would instantly be detected by Ura if we venture any closer. Follow the stream north, and you will find your way to the castle."
"How do I contact you?"
"I will contact you in three nights." The kodama brushed his long golden hair over his shoulder, sleeves rustling as softly as leaves in the breeze. His eyes glittered slightly as he glanced towards the silent daiyōkai. "It seems he wants to say something so I will take my leave."
As soon as Katsutoshi vanished into the trees, the lady samurai felt a steady gaze on her, and she was all too aware of the daiyōkai's powerful aura. She waited for him to speak, and the forest was filled with the sounds of life. The bubbling of the brook. The rustling of the leaves in a gentle autumn breeze. The call of birds as they flittered from treetop to treetop. The scent of the daiyōkai, like the forest before a rain, lingered in the air.
"Tora, no matter how much you have improved, you remain only a hanyō. Stay focused. Leave no opening. Never hesitate," Sesshomaru ordered.
As he spoke, his golden eyes studied the young woman as she stood by his side. She was small, but there was nothing fragile about her. Despite her human appearance, yōkai blood flowed through her veins. Serious yet calm, in that moment, she exuded the confidence of a yōkai. The irritating kodama's words flashed through his mind, and Sesshomaru suddenly laid his hand on her shoulder. He caught the glimmer of her surprise as he tightened his grip, claws disappearing into the silky fabric of her kimono.
"Do not disappoint me."