Miroku woke me at sunrise. I stretched quietly trying not to wake Nozomi yet then began shuffling through my bag of clothes. I wanted an outfit that would be loose enough to move freely but tight enough that the bandits wouldn't have anything to grab onto. Finally, I found the perfect thing. I pulled out my black and red corset, it was just enough fabric to cover me from chest to the top of my stomach, leaving my arms free from constriction. And I slipped on a pair of black capris that were skintight but such a soft fabric it wouldn't keep me from moving. I stood and French braided my hair close to my scalp. I gazed at Nozomi while my fingers quickly finished the braid. Today I was going to fight, today I had to fight…to save my friends and to protect my daughter. Later I would heal, later…I would save the lives of those I meant to kill. To fight you must heal…to hate you must love. I grabbed another outfit from my bag and woke Nozomi. "It's time to get up. I have something for you to wear."
Nozomi changed quickly and pulled her long braid out from under the shirt. She wore a forest green t-shirt and light grey sweats. In her hands she clenched Ebony and held it tightly. "Mom? You will be careful won't you?"
I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her fiercely. "Everything will be fine. I'll be super careful. Now, I want you to go fine Kaede. She'll tell you where you need to be okay?" Nozomi nodded and left the hut. I grabbed my bow and slung it over my shoulder and tied my knives to each wrist using their sheaths and some ties I had borrowed from Kaede. Inuyasha stuck his head into the hut and I hurried over to him. "What's up?"
"The bandits will get here in an hour. Kagome wants to talk to you first." He said and held the hanging out of the way.
When I got to Kagome I got a shock, I'd never seen her in anything other than her school uniform but she was wearing an outfit like Sango's except her armor was the silver color of Inuyasha's hair. I gave her a quick hug then took her bow from her hands. "You look hot Kagome."
She smiled warmly at me though the nervous look stayed in her eyes. "So do you. Sango apparently had this made for my birthday but because of…today she gave it to me early. You are looking pretty sexy yourself."
I shrugged, I hadn't changed to look sexy, I'd changed to be comfortable. I pressed my bow into her hands and tossed the plain wooden one she'd had before to one of the villagers standing idly around. "This is stronger. Plus with you and Miroku both having blessed it; the shot will probably fly truer. Everything is going to be fine girl. Now get everyone into position. We need to be ready." Kagome nodded and turned to talk to the villagers and I headed back over to Inuyasha. "You are acting very different Inuyasha, what's wrong?"
Inuyasha glared into the woods in impatience before answering. "The last time I faced bandits who traveled with a demon, it went pretty bad. I ended up slaughtering the bandits, even after they tried to run."
I touched his arm gently and he looked at me. "You are probably more powerful now Inuyasha. You won't lose control and I know that you don't like to kill humans but sometimes you need too." I turned and indicated the village behind us. "If these bandits get past you and me these villagers will die. Don't purposefully try to kill all the bandits but don't hesitate if you have to."
He gazed at me confused. "Why doesn't it bother you to kill?"
I continued to stare out over the village and thought about the answer to his question before telling him. "I don't mind killing people who make their lives by killing. I wouldn't kill an innocent. But I can kill those who love the feel of blood on their hands because I am giving them a peace their life could never find. I will heal those who survive and pray for those who don't. This era is dangerous and to survive I need to be dangerous. I want to protect Nozomi and Kagome and Shippo. I want to protect those who cannot fight. I want to be as strong as you Inuyasha." I said and finally looked at him.
Inuyasha looked startled and I remembered that Kagome said Inuyasha had been raised to think that he was weak. But before he could say anything Kirara flew from the woods and went to Sango. Inuyasha's face whipped to the forest. "They're here."
I nodded and waved to Sango and Miroku as they flew off towards the well then moved out into the open space waiting for the bandits to break the forest. They came out of the woods yelling as they ran but they drew up when they saw that there was a whole group of armed villagers waiting behind me. Sayo pushed through his men until he stood a step or two in front. "Sayo do you want to finish our duel?" I called out to him.
Sayo finally recognized me and bowed with a florish. "Ahh the beauty with the deadly blades. However did you beat me here?"
I examined my nails critically, "Well once I got rid of your horses it was pretty easy."
His face closed down into an angry mask. "It was you that scared our horses away?"
I stretched up to my toes watching him closely. "Yep and I also was behind that little barrage of arrows yesterday too."
Sayo unsheathed his sword and ran at me in fury. I drew my knives from their sheaths and darted to meet him. "Don't attack until after I kill this woman!" He yelled at his men and brought his sword down towards my head.
I crossed my knives and his blade caught in the joint of the 'x'. I turned onto one leg, keeping the knives steady and brought my other around to kick him in the stomach. Sayo jumped back just before I hit him and pulled his sword free. He crouched wearily and I flipped my left blade so the point lay down my arm. He charged again bringing his sword in from the right. I spun so his arm hit my back rather than his blade and dragged the edge of my left blade across his face before I darted under his arm and away. My left wrist began to bleed sluggishly, the other edge of the knife had slipped off the sheath then I hit Sayo and sliced open my own wrist. I looked at Sayo who held his free hand to his face and glared at me with eyes filled with hatred. My own eyes widened when I saw something: his blood, it was black.
"I see you notice my blood isn't red." He said and his voice began to change, going deeper and harsher. "That's because the demon Yukio has joined with my body. He lives inside of me and gives me his strength."
I flipped my knife again and crossed the blades in front of me stepping back into a fighters crouch. "It doesn't seem that it did much good."
Sayo laughed and charged at me. His speed was suddenly tripled, I would have been gutted but for a lucky jump. He turned in mid air his feet no longer touching the ground and swiped at me but I ducked under the blade and came up close to him. He gazed down into my face and went to bring his arm back but I turned my arm so that as he brought his sword arm in he pushed my knife into his wrist and out till the bones hit the hilt. The world froze for a moment, I was inches away from his sword and well within arm reach with one of my knives driven all the way through his arm. Sayo screamed and the world sped back up. I leaned sideways so the other hand that reached for me went over my head and I kicked the wrist just under where my blade rested. My blade slid out and I dropped and rolled till I was far away from Sayo. He was holding his wrist and screaming at the sky when suddenly a black form separated itself from him and flew off towards the woods. Yukio…he abandoned Sayo. He's headed towards the well! I thought in a panic and looked to the villagers to make sure that Sango and Miroku weren't there. I was turning back when I felt something rip into my shoulder. Automatically I swiped my knife out in an arch in front of my body and felt skin separate before I was bathed in blood.
Sayo had run at me while I wasn't watching and tried to kill me. But since he was using his left hand he missed my heart and hit my shoulder and when I cut the air in front of me, his neck was sliced. He managed to say one thing before he died: "Kill them all!"
The bandits ran forward to attack. They would obey their leaders dying wish! Inuyasha came up beside me as I resheathed one of my knives and pulled the sword from my shoulder. I held Sayo's bloody sword and prepared to battle. "Kagome fire!" I screamed and suddenly the air around Inuyasha and I was filled with arrows flying towards the bandits. The whole front line went down and so did the second when the archers reloaded and shot but there was no third chance, the bandits had reached Inuyasha and me. I heard Kagome call out to pick their shots carefully and not hit Inuyasha and me and I heard the villagers with spears move up in front of the archers but after that all I could see or hear were the bandits that surrounded me. I was now fighting with a sword and had a farther reach but I was unused to the weapon. I found a rhythm soon though and began to do some damage.
Beside me Inuyasha was laying about with his fists, he really didn't want to kill the bandits and the swords they tried to get him with just broke over the fire-rat cloth he wore. As soon as he punched someone they went down for the count and around us bandits were falling with arrows embedded in them or spears sticking from their bodies.
An eternity later all the bandits lay dead or wounded on the ground. My whole left arm was drenched in blood and I had blood splattered all over the rest of me. But I didn't stop yet, I couldn't. I grabbed onto Inuyasha's shoulders and we went as fast as we could towards the well, leaving Kagome to help the injured and oversee the villagers with Kaede at her side.
We arrived at the well to see a battle. Yukio was locked in battle with Sango and Miroku was trying to fend off the bandits that had followed Yukio when he fled. Inuyasha set me down and went to help Sango while I waded into the fray with Miroku. The bandits were quickly disposed off and Inuyasha finished Yukio off with the wind scar. In the sudden quiet after Yukio's death we all stared at each other. Sango was breathing heavily but her only injuries were a few bruises. Miroku had a cut or two and Inuyasha of course was untouched. They all turned as one to face me, the bloody badly injured plain old human. And I smiled at them just before collapsing.
I woke when we got back to the village; the smell of death in the air had brought me around. I slid off Kirara when she touched down. Kagome ran to my side and quickly began to wrap my wrist which was still dripping. "Dawn you shouldn't have left. You should have let me bandage you earlier!"
I stayed still while she fussed over me and looked around for Nozomi. Nozomi was sitting with a few bandits binding their wounds with one of the spear carrying villagers watching to make sure the bandits didn't attack the maiden. Kagome bound my shoulder and helped me walk to Nozomi while the others went to help where they could. Inuyasha held Sango's poison shield over his mouth to keep the stench of blood and death from his sensitive nose. Nozomi looked up when we approached and her eyes met mine, wide and worried. I smiled reassuringly at her before putting one hand on her shoulder. "Kagome and I are heading to the river to get this blood off of me. When you're done here get my bag and Sango and join us alright?" Nozomi nodded and Kagome and I made our way to the river.
"Dawn are you sure your alright?" Kagome asked as she helped me undress and slip into the water.
"I'll be fine in a few days." I said trying to get the blood from my body. For a moment I remembered the look on Sayo's face as his lifes blood sprayed over me, it was angry and full of fear. I furiously tried to get the blood off of me, I had to or else I would never get his face from my mind. I was unaware that the movements I made to get it off were hauntingly familiar to Kagome. She waded into the water and grabbed my hands before I rubbed myself raw. I looked up at her with wild eyes and she stroked my hair gently.
"Dawn, its alright. You did what you had too. Do not let it bother you. You need to let it go." She said comfortingly.
I let myself calm while Kagome held me and comforted me and then helped me wash away the blood. As the last of it flowed from my body, I let my pain flow away with it. Kagome was rebraiding my hair when Nozomi and Sango arrived. I changed into a pair of sweats and a baggy t-shirt and pulled Nozomi into my arms. Nozomi and Kagome stroked my hair and back comfortingly and once I was calm enough the four of us returned to the village.
Inuyasha, Miroku and a few of the village men had carted the dead bodies of the bandits to the far side of the village and set them a blaze. Their bodies burned and their ashes spread with the wind. The women were patching up the wounded and sending them on their way. Each bandit who had survived was told that if they returned they would be killed on sight. When she saw us Kaede wandered over. "The villagers have all survived thanks to ye Dawn. How can we ever repay ye?"
I waved away her thanks. "Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku all helped too. I just wanted to protect my home."
Kaede studied me with her one good eye. "So this is ye home now is it?"
I gazed over the village, the forest and the mountains before looking back at her. "It is if you let me stay."
Kaede laughed and turned to lead us back to the village. "Ye saved this village. We would be honored to have ye stay."
Nozomi linked hands with me and I smiled at her. I looked over to Kagome. "Kagome, could I move in with you in the modern world. I have graduated so I don't have school to worry about and I would like to stay with you and my new friends."
Kagome smiled brightly and hopped up in down giggling. "I was hoping you'd day that. Mom already cleared out one of the guest rooms for you!"
I matched her grin with one of my own. "Well then it looks like you got yourself a permanent guest."
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