Disclaimer
I don't own any of the copyrighted characters. I only own Rose, her guardians, anything surrounding her. The people I don't own is Ebony and Ryan, for they belong to two of my closest people. Iiiii have a feeling that I'll have to rewrite the earlier chapters of this story as I reread them... Jesus Christ on a pogo stick, I couldn't keep past and present tense apart for the life of me, nor get a good long chapter... That figures. Lol. I finally have my room back, as well as my computer, so hopefully more chapters will finally be made!
For more than one story!!
Chapter XXX: The Many Mysteries of Life
The days of training was harsh. But in time, I finally started to learn the potential that I have in me. It only took me three weeks to get into fighting... After senseless beating-after-beating, of course.
"Nice block," Ryan comments as I fend off a punch from Inuakki. I seem to be very capable of being in the defensive mode, even before the whole training started. Not going to be enough, but still helpful.
"Thanks..." I said in an exhausted voice. But I refuse to relent my surrender to the Inu, though.
"Now if you'll only strike back," Inuakki growls as he throws a kick. I easily dodge his foot and knock out the other with a swiping kick of my own. He goes down and I stand back up, smirking.
"How was that?" I ask oh-so sweetly.
"Lucky break..."
"Good shot, Lady Rose," Myoga said as he hops onto my shoulder.
"How many times do I have to remind you that you are not to call me 'Lady Rose?'" I said as I roll my eyes.
"Not enough times, apparently," Ebony laughs as Myoga stutters.
"Feh! I said it was a lucky break," Inuakki growls out as he leaps to his feet and leaps into the air.
"He never will take his beating with acceptance," I said while laughing. Dodging to the side, I rush in and knock him down to the ground. Using a move I remember from when I used to wrestle with my dad, I hook my arms under his and lock my hands behind his neck. "Saaaaay uncle!"
"What the hell is this?!" Inuakki yells as he struggles to escape. The most he can do is flail his arms around in the air. "Let me go, you wench!"
I blink a few times then I reinforced my grip on him. "I'll only let go if you say uncle," she said with a smirk.
"OW! Dammit, uncle! Uncle!" With a laugh, I finally let go of him and back away.
Ebony laughs as she hooks an arm around my shoulders. "Now THAT is something to see," she said with a grin.
"What, the InuYasha look-alike take a defeat by a mere cheetah being such as myself?"
"Definitely!" Looking over at the disgruntled Inuakki, we laugh some more while we walk away to sit next to Ryan.
"You just might be in for a rematch," Ryan said to me as Inuakki leaps into a tree and pouts. I nod, since I've figured that, if Inuakki is anything like his father, would be back for more.
Looking back at the weeks since our arrival, it was a strange way of living. However the people before us got here, my portal abilities or not, I had sent Hararu and her friends back to their homeworld, after many days of trying to figure out how to do my portal ability again. I actually went through with them to make absolutely sure that I did it right. This vortex thing will always be a mystery to me, but maybe I'll be able to master it one day.
At least I won't have to worry about the crazy lady trying to beat me in the head with a guitar ever again...
"How has Cloud and everyone taking to all this training in an unknown world?" I ask Ebony as I look around. Everyone seems a little tense, since they just finished training.
"They seem fine from what I see. All of them are just expecting a fight soon," she replies as she smiles. "Don't worry about it, Rose. All of them are behind ya 100%."
"Woman." With a silent sigh, I give Ebony 'this is going to be one of those days' look as I stand up and face Sesshomaru.
"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama?" I said as politely as I could.
Without a word, he turns around and starts to walk away. A silent way of saying 'Follow,' as I learnt pretty much from the shows themselves. With a shrug at Ebony and Ryan, I walk after him into the forest.
After about five minutes of silent walking, he finally stops in a large clearing. Turning to me, I stop walking as well.
"You will now need to learn how to transform into your youkai form, for which would benefit you and give you the upperhand in battles," he said at last. I blink in confusion; I can do such a thing like Sesshomaru and others could?
"Um, alright..." I said a little uncertainly. "What should I know first, Lord Sesshomaru?" There's always a catch to everything, even I know that maybe transforming might turn me into a blood-lusting beast.
"To access the youkai within you, you must first learn to control the beast's powers. You may have been using attacks, but none of them would be of the beast, usually. With what you do control, signifies the attribute of your youkai." I give a nod to show that I'm following what he is saying. "Your youkai, as no doubt you can guess, is of the attribute of light, or earth. Perhaps both, for it wouldn't be uncommon."
"I can understand that..."
"While you're experiencing fear or anger, more than likely that would be your youkai trying to rise up and defend itself. During those times would be when you could accidently release your beast to the surface. Without control would mean to be ruled by the internal youkai. Unless you want to be a rampaging beast, you would be lost to its ancient instincts." That certainly doesn't sound reassuring... "For your first transformation, I will be watching to see how you will do with controlling the instincts. If you cannot, I will have to step in and subdue you so that you would return back to your humanoid form."
With those not-so-comforting words, he explains the process of accessing the youkai from within. Feeling the separate energy from within doesn't seem to be very easy, but after many tries once he told me to proceed on transforming, I suddenly felt an feeling unlike my own. Grasping onto it, I experience the feeling of power and freedom, but I kept it from overwhelming me. I can actually feel another 'energy' alongside the one that I found, but it seems to be evading my 'touch,' so I'm going to explore that energy another time. Maybe. Depends on how my first attempt at the energy I am mentally holding onto went...
"Once you have the energy in your grasp, attempt to pull at it and into your own. You want the energy to overcome yours."
Inhaling a breath to prepare myself, I exhale as I bring the energy closer. The feeling wraps around me as I surrender to the energy, but not entirely. With a surge of power through my body, I close my eyes from the feeling of ultimate freedom. The next time I opened my eyes, it was to look down at Sesshomaru from a height I don't remember having...
"This is... so strange and alien..." I said, though the sounds were like meows and yips while also something I can understand.
The height I obtained was about ten feet tall. My body is entirely covered with white fur with black-purplish spots of a cheetah, as well as that my tail seems to have obtained a sort of flare towards the end. My claws is ebony black and they were unsheathed, since cheetahs have little sheaths for their claws. They can be normally the same as a canine's claws, and when extended, far more longer and much more dangerous. Looking into the reflection of the small lake, the markings on my face has gained details of the markings. The small scar that I have is even gone, being underneath the fur. My ears, while they retain the same shape and curves of a cheetah, oddly have one golden hoop earring in my left ear. I have a small horn in the middle of my forehead like I do in my humanoid form, though nowhere near as long as it might have been. My wings, though, have obtained the size they would in this form like they do with the other form, large enough to allow me the freedom to take flight.
"You've kept your mind intact. Impressive for your first time," Sesshomaru said as though he expected nothing else from me. "What do you experience in this form?"
"The feeling of... power and ultimate freedom," I reply truthfully. "I do not feel bloodlust or urges to go out and seek an enemy to fight." Looking down at Sesshomaru somehow feels really disrespectful, and I don't know why... I guess if he felt like he was being disrespected, he can always transform into his own beast form... He is much bigger in that form than the one I am in... "Is there a way for I to not be at this height..? Ryan had done the same thing, but he had a smaller version of his youkai."
"Merely direct your thoughts to the height you want to be," was my only reply. With a silent growl, I think hard on being the size of a regular cheetah. Maybe a king cheetah, but nonetheless, something a little more fitting for what I am... A flash of light again and I find myself now looking up at Sesshomaru's face. Now I can be at ease that I won't be attracting attention from other demons... "Good." He retains that look on his face, as he always does in most situations, but I have a feeling that he's thinking on something. But I'm not about to ask the great Lord of the West. "Now, you will learn how to fight with this form. To be a fighter, you will need to learn the aspects of every angle, every advantage of both forms."
Yup. No break for me. What a swell day.
For another hour, he had fought me with his own form, but gratefully for me, it was a smaller version of his youkai form. I've received a lot of bruises from when I didn't move out of the way in time. Throughout the fight, I had to concentrate on both retaining my control over the youkai as well as to the fight. When I ask why it is hard to do both, he had told me that through time, my control over the youkai would be instinctive and natural. It is just my first time to take on this form that it would be the hardest time.
"When going in for an attack, remain close to the ground to guard your underside. An counterattack would be less affective that way," he said, along with much other advice. I may have the speed, but he has the speed, strength and the skills that I can only hope to gain someday... Comes from being the ruler of his own lands, since he was born to be the ruler, so thus, he had the proper training. From day one since he was born. Training from the previous ruler, of course.
I guess I should be thankful that Sesshomaru would waste his time on someone like myself.
"Enough." A simple yet forceful command as Sesshomaru backs off. Surprising for me, since he has put in like a million hits and I had only maybe ten out of the whole deal? Transforming back to his humanoid form, he nods as though he was satisfied with the results. "For the rest of today and of the night, you will retain your youkai form. Control the instincts entirely and never let it get the best of you.
Just when I thought I could finally take a break.
"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama..." I said without the grudge that I'm feeling. But maybe it won't be that bad. I've always loved cheetahs, so to be one... This is one of those things that I could really like.
Without anymore words, he simply walks past me and towards the village. So I merely follow behind. When we reached the edge of the forest, though, he walks a different way, towards where Jaken and Rin is at. He was just making sure that I was at the village before taking off, I guess. So without further adieu, I went into the village.
"Whoa... is that you, Rose?" Ebony cries as I approach her. With a kitty-smile, I give a nod.
"I have been given some homework."
"Quite some homework you have," she laughs. Hugging me like she would with a plushie, she drags me over to Ryan.
"Nice look for your kitty form. Maybe we should race someday!" Ryan said with a grin.
"Cheetah versus Jaguar... I wonder who would win that race," I said with a smirk.
"Don't be too sure on yourself. You might end up getting surprised."
"I wonder how Jake and them would take to you being like this, but talking," Ebony said as she giggles.
"I couldn't tell you. Have you asked how they are taking to being surrounded by demons and idiots?"
"Hey!"
"Rose?" I turn to look up at Kasiya, who's looking down at me in confusion.
"Hello Kasiya. Look at what I am!" I said to the chocobo. She kwehs at me as though laughing, but still in confusion. Her tailfeathers grew back after just a week, though they're not the full length just yet.
"And so we have a cheetah in our presence?" I hear as some of the others around finally take notice of me.
"I heard that, Marco," I shot at him, making him jump.
"Is that you, Rose?" Cassie asks as she approaches.
"Yup. I am cheetah, hear me roar," I said with a yip. Everyone just laughs at me. Well, most of everyone. Those that didn't laugh don't really have a sense of humor. Like Vincent. Cheetahs' can't roar. Period. We can yip, growl, yowl, snarl, and meow, but we can't roar.
"So, is that like morphing?" Rachel spoke up. I shake my head.
"Probably not in the same terms. This is kind of like my secondary form. But I do have to keep intact of my instincts, or else I'm whoosh!, gone. Youkai forms are so different from what I would have otherwise thought..."
"I'll bet," Ebony said as though agreeing.
"It is. The first time I used my youkai form, I nearly went insane with trying to control the instincts it went with it," Ryan said as he sits down. "Ultimate power and freedom, but I had a weird feeling of wanting to find prey. Having blood around didn't exactly help, either."
"Instincts are ancient and strong," Jake agrees. "I wonder if it's possible to obtain the DNA of a youkai?"
"More than likely, yeah. I cannot see why not. Though it might be weird, since I haven't a clue if the youkai form and the more-human form would be the same DNA or two entirely-separate ones."
"Then add in the equivalent of having the youkai powers that goes with the form," Ebony throws in.
"(Such odd ways to think about,)" Ax said as one of his hooves scrapes at the dirt beneath him. "(But with the DNA that we have, Prince Jake, we really wouldn't be able to stand a chance against such foes. While we may have the strength or agility of an animal, the opponent would have much more than we would.)"
"That's true..." Jake said thoughtfully.
"Why not see if one of you could obtain DNA from Rose, if she's willing?" Ebony suggests. I look up at her, but she actually makes a good point... It'd be far more informing than all this wishful thinking. And with the instincts I'm experiencing, it would be better than perhaps Sesshomaru's youkai form... His has bloodlust and the need for destruction. "I mean, if ya could, then it'd be perfect and better if you could morph into something that could be useful against probably Malshano. I know that he has a sword, but he also has abilities and powers."
"Huh," Marco simply went as he looks at Jake. "I can't make an argument against that."
"...If we want to know if it's possible, then it's going to have to be done by Rose's agreement."
"It is fine with me. It'd be weird, but it's alright," I said, surprising myself a little. Agreeable thing I am, ain't I?
"And now, for our first subject!" Marco said with a voice that suggests that he's trying to sound like a mad scientist.
"I would like to try," Cassie volunteers before Marco could make anymore cracks. I prefer Cassie over Marco getting DNA from me, anyday... Marco's funny, but let's face it, it'd be weird to converse with another me that's actually a guy...
"Alright,"Jake said with a nod. I approach Cassie as she kneels down next to me and places a hand on my shoulder. The oddest sensation of being hypnotized comes to mind as I felt tranquil and relaxed when she started to absorb my DNA. When she got it and removed her hand from me, I felt too peaceful to move.
"Awww, she's purring!" Ebony said as she giggles. I blink slowly and realized that I am purring.
"Oh, go and ambush Sesshomaru..." I said with a mocking growl. I still feel too peaceful to really care, though.
"Alright, here I go," Cassie said after laughing from Ebony's comment and my comeback. Backing up a little for her space, I watch as Cassie starts to morph. Now, I thought that I would know morphing, reading the books a LOT, but actually watching the morphing right in front of me is nothing like what it was in the books or even the video episodes. And knowing that Cassie had more control of what would morph first is definitely something to remember. Her head and upper body takes form first, fur sprouting from her skin as she leans onto her hands. The cheetah ears come in as the human ears morph into her rapidly-disappearing hair and her face stretches out into a muzzle. Fur continues to ripple down her body as her arms and hands changes to paws and claws. A tail shoots out as her legs takes the form of hindlegs. Then, the wings pushes out of her back, as does the horn grows from her forehead.
But as soon as she completely morphed into the replica of myself, her size rapidly changes between the size I am to the size of a horse and back.
"Keep your thoughts on the height you want!" I said with worry. She gets the hold of it and she blinks as she looks around at everyone.
"There's much to being youkai than I'd have imagined," she said in surprise.
"Welcome to my world," I laugh.
"How's it feel, Cas?" Rachel asks Cassie as she looks into Cassie's eyes. She blinks as she stands up on all four.
"Like I can take on the world and never be chained down," Cassie said with a laugh.
"Feh..." Inuakki rolls his eyes. "There's more to being demon than you could even think of."
"Oh, sit..." Ebony said in a grumble, since Inuakki is ruining the mood. Oddly enough, he makes a face-plant in the ground. That surprises the hell out of me, Ebony, AND Inuakki.
"What the hell?!"
"...You ARE wearing the beads of your father..." Ebony said as she looks elsewhere and rubs the back of her neck like she did nothing.
"Sonava-!"
"Sit," I said. It didn't do the same thing it had for Ebony, but it did make him shut-up. I laugh quietly as he glares at me. It's funny to see him flinch at the word. Not just any word, but 'THE' word. But how come Ebony can make the beads work..?
"Anyways, back to the issue..." Ryan said as he tries to not laugh. "Can you feel any powers, Cassie?"
"Uh, I'm feeling a lot of which I can't seem to understand," she remarks. "How about helping me with figuring them out?"
"That would be in my department," I said as I look back at her. "While I was learning about fighting in this form, I can still preform the attacks that I do in my humanoid form. Heaven's Strike would be the easiest one to use, as I've learned."
"How do you use it?"
"Well... Let's see, when I first used it, I sort of thought about pushing something away. In this form, the attack comes out of the mouth instead of my hands... Paws, whatever."
"So I just think of pushing something away with my will?"
"Something like that..."
"This should be good," Marco laughs. Cassie ignores him as she faces the forest.
"You go first so that I know what to expect."
"Alrighty..." Facing the forest as well, I close my eyes as I pretend that I'm facing someone. Malshano particularly comes to mind. With a growl, I felt the energy picking up in my body, and with a fierce growl, I open my eyes and seem to try and roar. What came out instead is a blinding beam of light that shoots out toward the skies. The attack ends when I closed off the energy from the channeling. Kind of like closing off your garden-hose.
From the demonstration, Cassie nods and she does something similar to what I did. I think she's looking for that pushing thing I was talking about. But after a minute, she lets loose the very same thing I did.
"Damn! I think we're in business!" Marco whoops.
"(Don't get that excited, Marco, or you'll wet your pants,)" Tobias remarks openly, screeching as though the red hawk is laughing.
"Up yours, chicken-boy!"
"How did you get the ability to use... whatever it is that lets you change to animals?" Aeris finally asks. I think it was bugging all the other people of the group. I laugh, but since I've haven't even said that I used to watch, play and read about them... I'm never going onto that subject with them.
"(My brother, Prince Elfangor, gave them the cube that lets one acquire the ability to morph...)"
As the story goes deeper while everyone was comfortable, I look up to the sky slightly. To sit under the same exact sky and talk and joke and hang out with the people that thought their lives was normal until they were heading down the path of constant fighting and protecting... I guess I'm not that out of place, really. If I really put my perspectives of 'they're not real' out of my mind, I have a lot in common with these people. All of them. Hell, even with Hararu, though she and the rest of the Fooly Cooly went back to their world.
Who would have thought it possible to be on common grounds with those that you used to admire from afar?
Night finally falls, and everyone is still just hanging about with everyone else. Cassie had changed back to her own form but strangely enough, she changed back into being me, and hanging with me. Luckily, the difference between us is that she doesn't have a golden hoop in her ears at all. Morphs would leave out the jewelry, of course.
"I know everyone's stories. Everything that happened with everyone is so different yet so familiar," Cassie said to me as she looks over at me.
"Yeah..." I look up at the stars with a sigh. "Before all this had happened to me... I had always wanted to be in something big like this..." I laugh as I shake my head a little sadly. "I should have been careful of what I wished for."
"Don't feel bad about it. I think everyone wishes that until they realize that they would either love it or hate it." Cassie gives a knowing look on that. "But in a way, it helps realizes what you want, and what friends you want by your side."
"That is true..." I look over at Ebony, and my companions. They can be overly-happy, hyper, and sometimes annoying... But I would never want to replace them. "Now if only Life would be fair and give us free lemonade instead of making us make it ourselves," I then said with a laugh. Cassie laughs, as well. I remember that if I was any character in the Animorphs books, I would have been exactly like Cassie. I guess this is one way of figuring that out if it's true or not. The irony.
"We are in the middle of something huge, and yet we have much more to learn."
"More than one planet's history-time," I agree with a small, knowing smile. "When all this first happened to me, I wanted nothing more than to die... But now there's a reason for me to stay alive and fight. For the future of my friends and companions. Oh, and the animals, of every planet" I then add with a determined nod.
"Something I can agree on entirely."
"...You know, now that we know that you and Jake and everyone can morph into youkais... What form would you want?" I suddenly ask out of curiosity.
"I don't really know. How many kinds are out there??"
"There is about every demon to an animal species... Centipedes, tigers, dogs like Sesshomaru, dragons, phoenixes... It's an endless amount of them just on this continent."
"Man... If only we had these forms when we were fighting against the Yeerks," Cassie said almost wistfully.
"Would have made life much easier yet more exciting, in one way."
"Maybe. But I wouldn't have wanted a different result than what we had." Cassie would have to be glad that the Yeerks are finished and stopped. But she, as well as the rest of us, will have to hope for a good result in the end of this battle and war... Whatever it may bring on us. "The form I would have wanted... I would have liked to see what it's like to be a wolf youkai."
"As long as you're not an arrogant prince as one I've heard of," I said with a grin. A truth, yet I don't have to explain myself. "I've heard from Myoga of a wolf demon named Kouga. He was after Inuakki's mother, Kagome, and believed that she was his woman."
"Wolves do mate for life. Did he get over her?"
"I think when Kagome became mates with InuYasha that he gave up. Maybe. Youkais here can actually battle over a woman, a mate or not. The winner gets the woman, whether she wanted the winner or not."
"That's such an old and disgusting tradition."
"I know... That's why I'm happy to not have been born here." I grin at her. "If you were born here, at least you wouldn't have to worry about the youkai men doing that. Just the humans."
"That wouldn't have been any better," she laughs.
"Power to the women!"
"Amen!"
This night is one of those that I would like to keep in my memories. I hope to remember this later on in my life. If I do live that long and more.
Woot! I feel so happy to have finally made a chapter! I'm definitely hitting that part of life where things get me down. And being unable to write chapters didn't help me one bit. Life has been chaotic for me. My sister's death was a real large blow to my mind and my spirit. But Life goes on, and I'll go on after it. Now that I have my room again, and my computer in the same room, I MIGHT be able to write more now. Without a use of cable in my room, I should be able to concentrate more on writing instead of watching tv now. XD See ya next time!