Chapter 4 Shogi
It took a couple of false starts, a review of all the names and moves of the pieces – Kagome had no idea why there was a piece name Drunken Elephant on the board – for them to figure out a variant both were familiar with and could agree to play. Then a practice game, just to be sure.
Just as Sesshoumaru was about to set the shogi board up to finally play a real game, Inuyasha's voice cut through the night, grating on their ears.
"Oi, aren't you done with that silly game yet? You've been messing around the whole time, not getting anywhere. We've finished both picture piece-ers."
"Puzzle pictures, Inu-baka," corrected Shippou.
"Whatever! We've finished. Game night is over. Time for sleep so we can be up early to look for shards and Naraku."
"I can sleep here with Rin, right, Mama?" asked Shippou.
"That's not entirely up to me, Shippou. I don't have a problem with it, but you'll need to get permission from –" Kagome started to answer.
Sesshoumaru interrupted, "This one finds the arrangement acceptable.
Rin - Ah-Un and Jaken are waiting for you. Take the kit with you and go to sleep,"
"Good night, Sesshoumaru-sama. Good night, Kagome-sama," chirped Rin, as she headed across the camp to where the two-headed dragon and her blankets waited.
"Thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru. Goodnight, Mama. Goodnight, Sango, Miroku, Ba- errr, Inuyasha", said Shippou, following the younger girl to the blankets.
"I'm done for the night, too," yawned Sango, "You coming, Kagome?"
"I…umm," Kagome stole a look at the demon lord, still setting up shogi pieces and made a decision, "I'll be there in a little while. I want to play at least one game with Sesshoumaru before I sleep," she said with a little laugh.
"Do not be afraid of the night, my dear Sango, I shall escort you back to the village safely," assured Miroku.
"I'm more worried about your hands then the night," Sango retorted, as the two ambled off towards the village. They were scarcely out of sight, when a resounding slap echoed through the forest clearing.
With a noticeable eyeroll at the confirmation of the monk's usual antics, Kagome turned her attention to the Shogi board, making her first move.
Play began in earnest. Then Sesshoumaru used a tricky move that Kagome recognized, and she immediately responded with the counter to it. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened. He looked at her with a mixture of surprise and respect reflected in minute changes to his expression. "Where did you learn that counter measure? No one has ever responded to that move in that manner before."
Flashback
8-year-old Kagome is playing on the swings at the park. She executes a flying dismount landing with a happy squeal. She then heads to the line of shade trees where her grandfather sits playing Shogi with other adults. He is also the keeper of the snacks and drinks for both of them. Kagome is absolutely sure it's time for a snack break.
As she approaches the Shogi area, she catches a brief glimpse of Grandpa's opponent, platinum haired head nodding slightly before heading towards the park exit. Evidently, a game has just finished.
"Did you win, Grandpa?" Kagome asks, while reaching for the bag of refreshments.
"Not this time, Kagome. My opponent pulled a move I hadn't seen before. But I'll get 'em next time. I just need to practice a counter move to that one," he answered.
"Maybe I can help you practice," she said eagerly. "I'm 8 now. I'm old enough to learn how to play."
"Perhaps you are at that," Grandfather looked at her thoughtfully. "Alright, take a seat and will start with the pieces and how they move. You aren't ready yet to tackle advanced strategy moves like the one my opponent used, but you will be soon enough. Let's start with a practice game as you learn the basics.
Over the time, Kagome's game improved. Eventually, the two of them even came up with a counter for that play.
"Oh, I learned to play Shogi from my grandfather. He encountered that particular play from one of his casual opponents that met in the local park. It took awhile to come up with a good counter."
"This Sesshoumaru's mother taught this one to play. It is one of her signature moves. How could a human know of it?"
Kagome shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe your mom played with a human at some point and they picked it up? Or maybe someone else came up with the same move on their own? There are only so many ways to move the pieces, Sesshoumaru, so it can't be that weird that Grandpa and I know about it after 500 years."
After mentally sorting through Kagome's strange speech patterns and vocabulary, Sesshoumaru was forced to concede to her logic. "What position does your elder hold in your future village, that he plays The Game of Kings with such skill and at his leisure? And who was his opponent?"
"Oh, he's the shrine keeper at Higurashi Shrine. But Mama, Sota, and I all help. We encourage him to keep active and to enjoy his hobbies. In this particular case, I was still too young to help much, so he took me to the park so I could play with other kids, climb on the playground equipment, stuff like that. As for the other player, I have no idea who she was. I just saw her once, briefly. She had light hair; I'm guessing she was around Grandpa's age because of that. I guess I could ask Grandpa when I get home next."
"Hnn."
A short time later, Sesshoumaru played the winning move, ending their game. With all the formality learned from playing with her grandfather, Kagome rose and bowed her head in respect to her opponent. "Good game, thank you. I look forward to our next match."
Echoing her motions, Sesshoumaru also rose and nodded to Kagome. "I, too, anticipate an enjoyable re-match. Come, I shall escort you back to the village. It is far too late for you to walk there alone and," glancing at the back pack and bags, "over encumbered."
Slightly embarrassed, Kagome went to where her parcels were set. "I don't need to bring all of this stuff with me. We'll be coming back here tomorrow, before we start on the hunt again. Let me just sort through this real quick…"
Kagome knelt down beside the bags she'd brought back from home, muttering under her breath, "Okay, this bag has the ramen and other travel food. I'm just going to leave it here for now. Move this bag into that one…" She started shuffling packets around the bags and backpack, until she finally seemed satisfied with her organizing. Leaving the yellow pack and one of the bags, she picked up the other bag. "This is it. Everything else can stay here for the night, if that's okay with you?"
"Very well. Come, miko, it is time you were abed, to sleep." With that, the daiyouki began walking in the direction of Kaede's village, leaving Kagome to hurry to catch up. As they walked, Sesshoumaru began to ask her questions about her schooling, about teaching Rin, and about what other games she planned to share. She couldn't tell what he thought of her answers, as his tone of voice gave nothing away and it was too dark for her to see anything on his face. Once they came to the village proper, conversation stopped. They paused beside the door to Kaede's hut.
"Thank you for walking me back, Sesshoumaru. It probably wasn't necessary, but thanks anyway. I'll see you in the morning." She hesitated, feeling slightly awkward. It wasn't like this was a date, but still she felt an air of expectation.
"Sleep well, miko," he responded. Then to her surprise, he lifted his hand, placed it on her head, halfway between a pat and a hair ruffle. Similar to how he treated Rin when she had done something he approved of.
"Yeah…you, too", Kagome murmured, then she quickly ducked through the doorway in the hut, her heart beating a bit faster in her confusion. 'What was that for?', she wondered.
Sesshoumaru swiftly headed back to camp, no longer held to human speeds. 'Interesting. Her hair is quite soft. It has a pleasing scent. She has a pleasing scent, unlike most humans this one has encountered. Is this some other trick from the future?' Putting the thought at the back of his mind for further consideration, he sat at the base of the tree to guard his sleeping pack.
A/N
Drunken elephant was a piece that was dropped from Shogi just prior to becoming its current form. Hence why Sesshoumaru would have the piece and why Kagome would have no knowledge of it.