Disclaimer: Nope, not mine at all. They belong to those big name superstars of anime and manga.
Hi again, folks! I've been working through writer's block, so bear with me. Another bit of a short one, but we're getting into the classes now. Might do a chapter each for the classes, then jump a bit, or I might not! I don't know yet:) Anyways, no one's sent in an idea for my little contest, so I'm considering just calling it off. Oh well, I tried, right?
darkpriestressofhell: Heh, well I hope the wait didn't kill you. Thanks for the review!
Kagome113287: Heh, I try. Thanks for posting!
Silver Rain Drops: You know, you're probably right. Is there any way I can disable that? And thanks! Cali's my baby, and I'm glad someone else appreciates her! I might have to write a background for her, so you guys can understand why she is the way she is. We'll see!
Chapter Nine – Combat
Sunday had passed without much of a hitch, if you could ignore the way Kouga glowered at Inuyasha at every chance, or the look of enlightenment that said hanyou carried on his face for most of the day. Kagome questioned neither, knowing why Kouga was upset, and having a good idea of Inuyasha's reason for contentment.
Kagome had been thoroughly impressed with Father Wolfwood, and in Lady Kaede's healing ability. Unfortunately, the old miko had no better luck in figuring out what was ailing Kagome than her doctors had.
Luckily, it seemed Caligo wasn't the secret-telling type, so their little event of the morning went blissfully unknown by the student body. That night, Caligo happily let Inuyasha take her bed, and she opted to sleep on the armoire.
Monday dawned even colder than the previous day, with a high bank of clouds looming in the northern horizon. Inuyasha was actually up before the girls, probably due to the fact that first on their schedule was…
"COMBAT TRAINING! ALLRIGHT!" The hanyou was practically bouncing off the walls, ignoring the mystified stares of Caligo and Kagome. The neko had leaped down from her perch to sit on the bed beside Kagome, both of them still in their nightclothes.
"I'm nervous, actually. I've never really had any combat training." Kagome confessed, staring down at her slightly shaking hands. "But I guess that's what the class is for, huh?" She managed a weak smile.
Caligo simply laughed. "Ah, don't worry about it, babe. I doubt they'd have us fighting each other on the first day. And I have it on good authority that you made a good impression with Master Vash at the opening ball." Cali gave Kagome a wink, giggling when the girl began blushing.
Kagome leaned back against the headboard and watched Inuyasha bounce around, before suddenly remembering something and turning back to the pale neko. "What did you say to me yesterday? Was it in Latin or Greek or something like that?"
Cali frowned for a moment, then broke into a grin. "Ah, you mean 'sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare.'" Kagome nodded vigorously, and Cali laughed. "You're right, it's Latin. Literately, it means 'I think some people in togas are conspiring against me', but since there's no word for hakama in Latin, toga was next best thing!" Cali chuckled again at Kagome's confused expression. "I was talking about Inuyasha. You know, I get the feeling that he doesn't like me very much." She said with a pout.
Inuyasha had finally ceased his bouncing while the two girls were talking, and pounced on the bed to growl at Caligo. "Damn right I don't like you, you freakin' furball of a feline!"
"Oh, sit down, Inuyasha. She isn't hurting you or anyone else." Kagome rolled her eyes, but allowed the annoyed hanyou to plop down next to her on the bed. "So, Caligo, have you had any combat training?"
Cali grinned toothily, making Kagome shiver and Inuyasha growl slightly. "Ah yes. I'm actually quite good, if you don't mind me bragging a bit." She flexed her arms, contorting her face into a mock grimace. "But seriously, babe, nothing to worry about. I won't be killing ya in your sleep or anything like that." At that, she leapt over Kagome's head and sauntered into the bathroom. "We'd better get down and get some breakfast, it's gonna be a fun day!" She called over her shoulder.
The three had descended to breakfast together, Caligo taking Kouga's place on Kagome's other arm. They ate together with Kouga and Ayame, both of which had joined Inuyasha in giving the seemingly oblivious neko icy glares. Kagome festered in her chair, watching the silent and motionless battle the four seemed to be waging with growing disgust. Finally, she snapped and jumped up from her chair, bringing her fists down on the little table.
"Alright guys, that's enough. Caligo hasn't done anything to you, and I am quite frankly ashamed of you!" She practically screeched, earning her the sheepish glances of the two males, and the outright confused expression of Ayame. Caligo remained silent. "I hope she kicks all of your behinds today!" With a huff, she flopped back in her chair, arms over her chest and glowering at the ceiling. Caligo was trying desperately hard not to laugh.
The rest of the meal passed in silence, with each paying attention only to their plates. Kagome was quite proud of herself.
At the bell, the doors to the breakfast hall opened to reveal Masters Vash, Kenshin, and Spike. Kenshin stepped forward and called for silence. Vash gave a little wave. Spike just looked bored.
"All right, everyone, please rise and follow us." Kenshin's voice, though soft, carried through the hall easily, and everyone stood and formed a line. Caligo had rushed forward to stand behind Kurama, and Kagome found herself once again sandwiched between Kouga and Inuyasha. Kenshin led the line out the doors, Spike next to him, but Vash hung back to walk next to Kagome.
"We meet again, Lady Kagome. Are you ready for today?" Vash said with sly smile.
Kagome laughed lightly, and somewhat shakily. "I honestly don't know, Master Vash. I've never really had any combat experience."
Vash chuckled. "Ah, then you're starting fresh. That's good. Actually, I'd recommend the bow to you. Noble weapon, that, and it'd keep you out of the direct line of fire." His grin had dropped, along with his voice, his expression all seriousness.
Kagome gulped and nodded. "Yes, sir. I understand."
The rest of the walk to the large dojo-like building was taken in silence, most just admiring the cool morning or mentally psyching themselves up for what was to come. Inuyasha was fairly bouncing along behind Kagome, and Kouga also seemed to have a spring in his step. Once they entered the imposing building, Master Kenshin had them line up along one wall.
"All right, everyone. All those who have brought their weapons, or at least know what they'd like to try, please step forward and retrieve them." Kenshin said in that quiet but commanding voice of his. Kagome's heart dropped when nearly all of the other students stepped forward to claim their weapons. Some, including Kouga, simply went off to the side to buckle on knuckle gloves or pull out, of all things, flowers and small toys. In the end, the only one's left along the wall were Kagome, Winry, and Shiori. Kikyo, Kagome noted, had claimed the bow she had been using on Saturday.
Vash was the one to step forward this time, after a short conference with Kenshin and Spike. "Winry, Spike would like to speak with you. And now for you two…" Vash turned his gaze on Kagome and Shiori, the former looking mildly apprehensive, the latter looking downright frightened. "Kagome, I stand by what I said before; you'd do well with the bow. Now Shiori, could you tell me what your skills are?" Vash put on a soft smile, obviously trying to comfort the shaking girl.
"…barriers." Was all the girl could say. Vash simply nodded, his smile growing slightly wider.
"All right, my dear. You may go take a seat along the wall. We might train you in something later on, but right now, barriers are very good, very good indeed." As Shiori scampered off, Vash turned to grin at Kagome's confused expression. "Shiori is a bat hanyou, and the bat demons are famous for their barriers. No use getting her all worked up and afraid for no good reason." He shrugged and put an arm around Kagome's shoulders. "Now, let's find you a bow."
It took nearly half an hour before Vash was satisfied with his selection. The bow they'd found for Kagome was light and thin, but very strong, more of a ranger's bow than a long bow. By the time they'd returned to the class, Kenshin and Spike had separated the students out into three groups. Spike's group was sitting down at one edge of the bleachers that lined one wall, and what was obviously Vash's group sat at the other end. Kenshin stood at the edge of the large mat in the center of the room, his group spread out behind him. Kagome quickly took a seat next to Shiori, but it took a moment for her to realize what was going on.
In the center of the mat stood Inuyasha and Caligo, both standing straight and barehanded. Inuyasha's rusty-looking sword sat at his hip, and Caligo had two long, though oddly shaped sheathes at her sides. The silence was thick.
"All right you two. I want this clean. This is only a test of your skills." Kenshin's normally soft voice had taken on a harder edge, and his hand rested on the sword at his hip. "I will not hesitate to break you up if I feel it's going too far. Understood?" Nods from both figures. "Very well. Ready?" He raised his hand. Inuyasha put a hand on his blade and crouched slightly. Caligo crossed her arms to grip both hilts, but stood straight. "Go." Kenshin's hand dropped.
A bright flash. A collective gasp.
Inuyasha's old sword had been replaced by a huge glowing fang of a blade, which now stood pinned between Caligo's twin scimitars. The pale neko had taken a step back, but was giving a huge smile to the hanyou, who was slowly gaining a smirk of his own. They broke apart when Caligo leaped back, Inuyasha following at a sprint. Cali spun, both scimitars' hilts held against her chest, causing a mini whirlwind. Inuyasha had to retreat a few steps to avoid the spinning blades, then broke into a dash again, dropping and sliding to kick at the neko's legs. Caligo leaped at the last moment, but lost her momentum and nearly went down.
"Enough, you two. That's good for today." Kenshin's voice broke through the silence that had descended. Both straightened and bowed, albeit a bit reluctantly, before turning and making their way back to the side. Kenshin gave them both a smile. "All right, for the record, please state the names of your blades."
Inuyasha held up the fang and puffed out his chest. "This is Tetsuaiga, forged from the fang of my father." He set it on his shoulder and grinned up at Kagome, who blushed slightly.
"Adiuro and Praesul. Both family heirlooms, though I don't know how they came to be." Caligo said as she replaced both blades back into their sheathes with practiced grace. Kenshin smiled at both, then motioned to Spike, who motioned to his much smaller group and ambled over to take Kenshin's place.
"Okay, boys and girls. I need Tifa and Kouga to get out there and show off a bit." Spike's voice was, to put it mildly, bored. He stood with his hands in his pockets, his hair just as messy as ever. "You heard what Ken said, keep it clean."
Kouga positively strutted onto the mat, dressed in his school uniform and normal high ponytail. Tifa bounced along – literally – tightening her gloves and pushing her hair out of her face. She was smiling. Kouga was smirking.
"Ready?" Spike lifted his hand a bit half-heartedly, and both combatants took their positions. Spike yawned and let his arm drop. "Ah…GO!"
No flash of light this time, and both combatants seemed content to circle, feeling for a weakness. Silence had fallen once again as the two paced around the mat, each moving to get into a better position. Kouga was the first to strike. He flew at the buxom girl, aiming for her knees, but Tifa dropped into a squat and blocked the kick with her arm. The wolf was surprised, and Tifa took that moment to strike. She rose fast, bringing her fist up to connect with Kouga's chin, throwing him off balance and sending him to the mat. He was up before she could deliver a follow-up to his stomach, and came at her again. They threw punches for awhile, neither really landing anything, before Spike called them back, this time to shouts and cheers. Both were slightly out of breath and grinning. They bowed and went to stand with their group.
Vash stood and waved to get everyone's attention. "If you'll all follow me, we'd also like to give a demonstration." It took a few minutes, but soon everyone was out in the firing range set up behind the dojo. "Ezekial and Sango, please come forward. Everyone else, stand to the sides, but please stay with your groups." Kagome followed Shiori to stand with the rest of their group alongside Spike's group. Kenshin's group lined the other side of the firing range.
Ezekial stepped forward, a briefcase rolling along behind him. He knelt beside it and pulled out a rifle. With practiced air, he lifted the gun and aimed, stifling a yawn. A shot rang out a moment later, followed by three more in quick succession. Ezekial set the gun against his shoulder, smirking ever so slightly. "Master Vash, what say you?"
Vash threw back his head and laughed. "Ah, very good, very good indeed. See everyone? Four perfect bull's-eyes." And so they were. "Sango, let's see if you can one-up Ezekial here."
Sango stepped forward as Ezekial knelt to replace his gun in his briefcase. On her back was a huge boomerang, obviously heavy and strong, though Sango seemed to carry it with ease. "I'd advise everyone to step back!" She yelled, smiling slightly as everyone scrambled away. Lifting the bulky weapon over her head, she gave it a single spin before flinging it out with a cry. "Hiraikotsu!" The boomerang swung out in a wide arc before turning and cutting through the line of targets. She caught it easily as it swung back around to her, taking a step back to break the momentum.
Silence.
Then wild applause.
Kenshin moved forward and again called for silence. "All right, everyone, now that we've had a bit of showing off, I want all those with blades to put them away and get practice sticks." A collective groan from Kenshin's group. "We'll all be practicing separately from now on. Stay with your combat group, and don't interfere with anyone else's training." With that, he bowed and led his group back into the dojo. Spike called together his group and entered the dojo through another door. Soon, the group of long-range fighters were left alone in the cool morning.
Adiuro - oath or promise
Praesul - dancer
((Little side note, all Cali's attacks and such will be in Latin. And since I forgot earlier, Caligo is Latin for mist, and Hebeny is Egyptian for black. Just a few fun facts.))