Chapter six
Petitefeeme: And here is another chapter! ^_^ Currently I'm passing my exam but don't worry I'll still post a chapter each week. And if I pass my exams, I'll post two chapters in each of my story!
Haruko : And we want to thank Kate-chan for her enthusiastic reviews. Thank you Kate-chan =) ! Also, two known characters will appear in this chapter. ^^
Petitefeeme: I don't own any of Inuyasha's characters, just my OCs! Read and enjoy!
Seventy eight years passed since my encounter with Totosai and the beginning of I and Haruki's education with Akio-sama.
When I first entered the dragon's main den, I immediately didn't like the place. It was dark, a bit damp and made me claustrophobic after an hour.
The only place that caught my eyes was the council headquarters.
The dragons were living in a mountains' chain and in a deep gorge with eleven peaks emerging out of nowhere for the dark space under, the eleven dragons representing the council received us.
The eleven had each a different scales' colour. Akio-sama told me they were also representing the eleven elements and powers.
After a few hours of debating, they accepted us in the community and our training began.
I don't know how it was for Haruki, but I was sure it was light for she was still young. As for me, each night I fell asleep right after touching the ground (I was forced to live there in my dragon form).
First I was given to an old dragon demoness who was in fact Akio-sama's mother. She taught me all I needed to know about dragons and other demons' customs.
After that Akio-sama himself taught me how to fly properly and also the basics of fighting in the air.
I spoke to him about my changing hairs and eyes and he immediately understood. He explained to me that if my features could change, that was meaning I had more than one or two bendings.
We did some tests and I discovered that I could use all eleven powers.
Of course I was more at ease with a few of them and some were giving me headaches so difficult they were for me to use. And for the moment using more than two of them would tiring me greatly.
After a lot of pressure from me and Akemi, Akio permitted me to learn a few things like dancing, music, fighting, politics and economy.
I was very good with daggers, quickly developing a fighting style around them. I also liked using senbons, a bow and a naginata.
True, the dragon den was the place I grew up and did my studies (I particularly liked their huge library), but I was never fully accepted. Sure the dragon were above racism and were polite, but there weren't accepting me fully, I wasn't fully a dragon after all.
Unfortunately it was the same with Haruki. Being with me all the time, she surprised everyone when she transformed in a human form. Plus, me being her model, she wasn't submissive and compliant. Like me she loved being free and independent.
In the village, my situation was a bit better but it wasn't homey ever. I was highly respected because I was a great healer, and a great teacher, but it was all.
Seeing the state of education (I wasn't really surprised but still), I decided to do something.
First I taught everyone how to read and write with more or less success. Then, each morning, I was teaching all children from 30 to 40 (which was more or less in human year 6 to 8). Before that they were too young and after that they had to help their parents or learn their future job.
I was also teaching self defence, the basic manipulation of weapons and to recognize simple healing plant, as well as how to give first aid.
When I turned 98 years old, my apprenticeship with Shizen-sama stopped, but I continued to help her.
I was now 108 years old, an age I never though to reach while looking like an eleven years old girl. When I finally got control over the colours of my hairs, I decided to colour them the way they were before all of these crazy things began. So my hairs usually are dark brown and my eyes light green. That was meaning I had an almost constant connection with the earth and nature around me (which is why I mostly go somewhere barefoot). With this appearance I was able to train intensively with those two elements which were my worst with fire.
I was currently outside the mountain's ring protecting the village in search of a few herbs that couldn't be found around the village for Shizen-sama.
Her age was catching to her and she had more difficulties moving than before, even with her remedies.
So here I was, walking down a dirt path while singing a song softly.
My daughter Haruki was dancing lightly in front of me, a slight bounce in her steps.
She was a big girl now, looking like a nine years old girl (she was 88 now), long and smooth golden hairs shining under the sun's beam.
Each time I looked at her, I could see her real mother in her dark green eyes. This fiery look and sunny attitude was what defined her being.
She laughed and twirled, I smiled and sang a bit louder.
Though they were sparse, living in little village and all, I greatly enjoyed time alone with my daughter. When I was sad or depressive thinking of my family, she would find me and bring the sun and warmth I needed and I truly thanked her and loved her for that.
The peaceful atmosphere I and Haruki were in was however broken when we heard a thunderous growl.
My daughter, curious as ever, bolted almost immediately to investigate.
"Wait Haruki!" I exclaimed before running after her, careful to not dirty the hem of my kimono.
Soon I came upon a clearing were two demons were fighting. One dragon and one inu yokai.
"Isn't that a messenger from the ryu clan?" asked my daughter, pointing to the silver dragon.
I decided to stop their fight and tapped my foot on the floor.
Almost immediately a big crack appeared between the two protagonists and creepers like plants appeared, forcing the two to separate.
"Stay behind me." I ordered Haruki before walking to them.
My daughter followed me, knowing when to be silly and when to obey without question.
"What's the meaning of this?" I asked in an authoritative tone "Since when messengers fight?"
"I apologize for my behaviour." Said the dragon in a deep voice after a moment, bowing his head slightly "I have a message from Akio-sama."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Akio-sama will be late to take you and Hikari-sama this season. There was a matter he had to see to first and it is taking him longer than necessary."
"And what is this important matter?" I asked, half expecting to not receive an answer.
"This is a secret matter I myself don't know anything about." Replied the messenger before taking off.
I huffed in frustration before turning to the inu demon.
"I'm apologizing on the dragon's behaviour." I said in an official tone "Are you wounded anywhere?"
"No." said simply the demon before turning and walking away.
He had long silver hairs with blue highlights kept in a braid and dark amber eyes. He was wearing a silky white ensemble. He seemed of royalty but of a low class one because of the lack of mark on his forehead.
'What a strange demon.' I though before being distracted by Haruki who tugged at my kimono's sleeve.
"So ojii-sama isn't coming to get us?" she asked, unsure
"Not now." I answered "He will be a bit late. But I can train you no problem until you meet your instructors."
The nine years old girl nodded silently before following me back in the woods.
We found the herbs we were searching for and we transformed into our dragon forms.
Before we returned to the village, I had to pass by Totosai to give him his medicine.
Staying all days in his forge, the relatively ageing demon had a bad cough. I took it upon me to bring him some strong cough medicine whenever the chance arose.
"Go back to the village." I told Haruki who had the bag full of herbs "Bring this to Shizen-sama. I need to visit Totosai to give him his medicine."
"Why can't I come with you." Whined the golden scaled young dragon.
"Because you don't control you power enough to harden and cool off the ground around Totosai's place." I answered "And I'm not powerful enough to do it for the two of us. I will not be long dear. And you told me you wanted to annoy Kiseki before dinner."
"I just want to play with him." Said innocently my daughter.
I chuckled before telling her that I would come back before sunset and setting off.
Approaching Totosai's place, I changed my silver scales for dark red ones and the rest of my features changed from silver into a dark brown.
I landed softly on the ground near Totosai's hut (or what he used as a hut) and transformed back.
I only noticed the demon sitting in front of Totosai's hut when I finished.
"Oh, it's you." I said "I suppose you're here to commission a sword from Totosai. Did he accept?"
He didn't answer me so I shrugged and entered the skeleton house.
"The dragon!" exclaimed Totosai when he saw me "Is mini-you with you?"
"No Haruki isn't with me and how many time do I have to tell you that my name is Haruko." I told him, exasperated with his silly ways.
He just looked stupidly at me and I sighed before giving him his medicine.
"This is for your cough." I told him, now used to his forgetting mind "Take one spoon of this syrup morning and evening."
I couldn't resist to ask: "Why is there an inu yokai sitting at your doorstep?"
"Really?" asked Totosai, scratching his head.
I almost fell over, but sighed and got up, dusting my kimono.
I said goodbye to Totosai and bowed politely to the demon sitting outside before transforming and taking off in the village's direction.
I sat on a fallen trunk, looking after the young children who were playing in the coloured fallen leaves.
Sometimes the wind would pick up, creating a little whirlwind much to their delight.
My gaze turned to Hikari who was making a leaf crown with a few of her friends.
I was very worried. Autumn had come two weeks ago and still no sign of Akio-sama.
Of course I hadn't voiced my fears to Haruki, but the child was anything but stupid, and knew something was wrong.
I was distracted from my sombre thoughts by Haruki who neared me with a colourful crown of dry leaves.
"For you." She simply said, giving the crown to me.
I smiled to thanks her and took the leaves contraption before putting it on my head.
At that moment a powerful wind came down to us, the fallen leaves literally taking off the ground much to the delight of the children.
I looked up to see the messenger dragon from before landing softly, crushing the leaves under him with a soft sound.
"I have a message from the dragon council." He said to me before eyeing the children around me who were looking at him in awe "This is a private matter."
I nodded before sending the children home, even Haruki who pouted but obeyed under my stern stare.
Once that was done I turned to the messenger and waited.
"As you know." Began the brown scaled dragon "Akio-sama and a squad of dragons went to investigate disturbances at one of our stronghold in the east. It appeared that some turncoats had invaded it in search of a dangerous weapon sealed there. Akio-sama and his squad had just arrived when the seal broke, letting the weapon loose."
There was a silence before the dragon continued.
"This weapon is a sword called Sou'unga, the sword of the underworld. It had the ability to open a path to hell and has a mind of its own. Where ever the sword pass, it leaves chaos, death and destruction. Akio-sama and his squad fought bravely, but in the end, only the youngest of them came back alive to tell us the story."
The implication of his words crashed down to me and I leaned on the bark of the fallen trunk behind me, my eyes wide.
"Akio-sama is dead?" I asked in a whisper.
"I'm sorry." Said the dragon, bowing slightly his head "After what happened, the dragon council decided to close its doors to the world for some time. You and Haruki are welcomed."
"What?" I whispered "No!"
I became angry knowing that the dragons were going into hiding without doing anything to stop Sou'unga.
"You have to stop the sword! It is the dragons' responsibility!"
"It isn't my decision to take." Replied evenly the dragon.
I knew when I was fighting a lost battle. I huffed in frustration and annoyance before replying:
"I decline your offer." I said with a cold voice "You can return to your council."
I walked away and heard the dragon taking off in the air.
When I got to the village, I found Haruki annoying Kiseki while he was practicing with a wooden sword.
The boy was the same age as Haruki, but while my daughter looked like a nine years old girl, Kiseki looked like a twelve years old boy. He looked even older than me with my ten years old body.
This was the difference between hanyos and demons. The latest was ageing a lot slower than a hanyo. But that didn't stop him and Haruki to be friends.
However at this moment Kiseki was ready to pummel Haruki with his wooden sword. But despite his superiority in training and age, Haruki laughed while dodging almost effortlessly (which wasn't really calming the boy's temper).
I smiled at this show of weird friendship between the two before stepping in.
"Enough you two. Haruki you should know not to disturb Kiseki when he is training. And Kiseki, you have to control your emotions better than that if one day you want to be a good warrior."
Kiseki, pouted and looked away, ashamed, and Haruki smiled sheepishly and apologetically before running to me.
"So okaa-san." She asked me curiously "What the dragon wanted to talk about?"
The previous sort of serene feeling that filled me earlier evaporated instantly and I asked Kiseki to leave us before sitting with my daughter on a rock.
It was really hard, seeing her usually joyful face tear up.
She threw herself against me and cried for hours, wetting my kimono.
I would never forget the sound of her cries and the desperate face she made when I announced that her grandfather would never come for her again.
I also would remember my helplessness as I only could hold her tightly against me.
When she finally fell into a restless slumber, the sun was going down.
I brought her back into our hut (Hiro built up one for me when I turned 70) and put her gently in bed before going to wash myself in the river.
Dragons' tears were really hot, and they didn't really go well with cotton.
So I washed myself quickly before changing into a white under kimono and a black outer kimono with dark red roses embroidered on it.
I tied the whole thing with a dark red slash and went back in the hut, lying beside Haruki and hugging her still shivering form close to my body before falling asleep.