Chapter 6: Kakuju
"Why did it have to be spiders? Why couldn't have been a bunny or a little bird" Alice complained as the group set off towards the old temple once more.
"Quit complaining, the sooner we get to the temple the sooner we can squish that overgrown spider," Inuyasha growled.
Alice sighed. Hopefully this won't take too long; we still have to look for those villagers. The group was walking along a path that led to the temple and she found it surprisingly peaceful for a place so feared by the villagers. When the group rounded a corner they spotted an old man staring out at the river in front of them.
"What strength in Shikigami power," he commented as he continued to stare out at the river.
"Huh?" Alice said as she walked closer to the old man who turned around to face the group.
He had a light blue kimono on with white triangles scattered around it and a darker blue haori on. Around his neck were purple beads of enchantment and he held a good sized oak branch to help him walk.
"Tell me, how it is that one as young as you has come to wield Shikigami with such strength?" the old man asked Alice.
"Shikigami? Oh! You must mean my powers! Who would've thought they were called Shikigami," Alice replied, growing interested in what the old man was saying, "But to answer your question, I don't know. Maybe it's because I've practiced so much."
"Hmmm, that could explain things but I guess we'll have to wait and find out," the old man chuckled.
"Who are you?" Inuyasha rudely interrogated the old man, pushing his way through the group to stand in front of him and next to Alice.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded.
"What? We should at least know this old man's name since he knows about her powers," Inuyasha defended himself.
"Your right. How did you know I had these powers," Alice went on suspiciously.
"Do you have the same powers as Alice?" Shippo asked innocently.
"I would guess so, I mean I do sense a mysterious aura coming from him," Kagome whispered to the child.
"One at a time, one at a time," the old man replied, holding his hands up.
"First of all, my name is Kakuju. I come from a faraway village and am currently enjoying exploring the world we live in," Kakuju smiled as he explained further, "I knew about your Shikigami because I simply sensed it, and yes I also possess Shikigami."
Everyone stared at Kakuju in amazement before Alice squealed in excitement and ran up to the old man, "That's great! My name's Alice by the way. Hey, can you tell me about Shikigami? Like, why do I have it? Where did it come from? Do you know any techniques? Can you teach them to me?"
Kakuju laughed, "Patience young one, patience." When Alice finally calmed down he spoke, "Shikigami is a type of spiritual power that exists in every living thing, but few can wield it."
"Wow that's amazing!" Kagome exclaimed.
"Yes it is, and for you to have such control and strength in Shikigami amazes me," Kakuju praised Alice, "Usually it takes years for someone to fully master Shikigami, but it looks like you're still missing some of the basics of Shikigami."
Alice blushed at Kakuju's praise and looked down at her feet while twisting a strand of her black hair. "Would you mind teaching me those basic? They'd help a lot when I'm fighting demons," she asked shyly.
"Sure, I'd be glad to help," Kakuju agreed.
"Great! I was thinking, maybe I could somehow combine my Shikigami with this," Alice said as she held out her sword.
"Use what?" Kakuju questioned.
"This," Alice replied, waving the sword in front of Kakuju, "It's a sword. Can't you tell?"
Kakuju sighed, "My eyes aren't what they used to be. I can't see your sword nor can I see what you look like."
"Oh!" Alice said, suddenly understanding why Kakuju asked what her sword was, "I'm sorry."
His hair was covering his eyes so I would've never guessed he was blind. His other senses must be sharp since he knew I was a girl and where we were standing.
Kakuju chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I've become quite accustomed to this way of life."
"So, when do we begin?" Alice continued, brightening up a bit.
"Okay. First, stand in front of me, hold my hand, close your eyes and be very still," Kakuju instructed. The girl nodded and did as Kakuju ordered.
When Alice closed her eyes she felt her Shikigami moving within her, growing ever stronger with each passing second. This feels amazing she thought as she felt her hair swish around her shoulders I feel like I'm flying!
Images of people using Shikigami filled Alice's mind, as if each picture was teaching her a new technique. After a few minutes she felt like she wouldn't be able to remember all the moves, when all of the sudden the scenes stopped and she felt her hair rest on her shoulders.
When Alice opened her eyes she looked around and saw that she was back in the woods overlooking the river. Everyone in the clearing, with the exception of Kakuju, was staring in amazement at her.
"That was so cool!" Shippo exclaimed from where he sat on Kagome's shoulder, "Was that your Shikigami Alice?"
The girl shrugged before she directed her attention towards Kakuju and hugged him saying, "Thank you! That was amazing! What were all of those scenes? Were they memories?"
"Yes," Kakuju replied, "What you just saw were memories passed down from generation to generation of Shikigami users. You see, by using a special technique Shikigami users can relay their memories to anyone. It sure beats having to teach techniques to more than one student. That and the student can learn independently."
"Now, onto the question you asked me earlier. Your sword seems to be made of purine, an element that reacts strongly to Shikigami. With practice you can combine your Shikigami with your sword, increasing its strength. But first," Kakuju said before Alice could attempt the task, "try this. You see that rock over there?" Kakuju instructed as he pointed to a rock on the left side of the small clearing, "That rock is called serpentine, and like purine, it reacts strongly to Shikigami. But unlike purine that channels your Shikigami, serpentine shatters when it comes into contact with Shikigami. Now, use your Shikigami and combine it with your sword to shatter the rock."
Alice nodded before realizing she had no clue where to start with combining her Shikigami with the sword. She was about to ask Kakuju for advice when an image flashed across her vision.
/././././././Vision/././././././
A woman was holding a jet black sword almost identical to Alice's, in fact she looked surprisingly similar to the Shikigami user herself. As she raised her sword, she closed her eyes and focused on letting her Shikigami flow into the sword. When she opened her eyes, the sword was blazing with fire from her Shikigami. The woman swung her sword and the huge rock in front of her was immediately cut in half.
/././././././End Vision/././././././
Alice jumped when she saw that the vision ended and lowered her sword. What was that? She thought as she pulled a hand to her head.
"What's the matter? Hit the rock already!" Inuyasha yelled impatiently.
"Chill! I'll do it, just give me a second," Alice yelled back.
"I assume you saw a vision?" Kakuju asked as she turned to him.
"Yes, I saw a woman use a sword like mine and cut a rock in half by letting it channel her Shikigami powers," Alice replied.
"Wow! You saw all of that just now?" Shippo said in amazement.
Alice nodded as Kakuju went on, "That's great. Your first vision and what great timing! Well I guess all I can say now is to practice what you saw in that vision."
The girl closed her eyes, focusing on letting her Shikigami flow into her sword. Please work she prayed. When Alice opened her eyes she smiled as she saw her sword was blazing with fire that her Shikigami caused. Swiftly, she swung her sword down on the rock. After a few seconds, the rock glowed red before bursting in a flash of fire. Alice turned around and smirked as she saw their amazement.
"That was amazing!" Kagome said as she ran up to her.
Inuyasha, who eyed Alice with what looked like awe when she struck the rock, regained himself and said uninterestedly, "Whatever, I could do that easily."
"Ha, yeah right," Alice teased.
Inuyasha gave her a quick glare before turning around. "Keh."
Alice also turned her back on Inuyasha, flicking her sword so the fire would disappear. "Hmph."
"No need to get competitive," Shippo sighed.
"That's right, this isn't the best place to be waving your swords around and showing off," Kagome warned the two.
Both Inuyasha and Alice sighed before turning back around to face each other, though both avoided eye contact. Kakuju laughed, earning him the attention of everyone else.
"My, what fun it was to be young," he said happily, "Seeing you two compete against each other brings back so many fond memories. So Alice, do you think you can learn all of the techniques of Shikigami from the previous generations?"
Alice nodded. "Of course! I'll master them all!"
Kakuju chuckled. "Yes, yes. I'm sure you'll be able to do it. But from here on out, you'll be learning from those visions."
"How do I activate them? I mean, it's not like I can just say 'Come teach me'" Alice asked.
"They'll come when you're ready. But if you ever see me again then feel free to ask me anything you'd like and I'll do my best to help."
"Thanks Grandpa Kakuju!" Alice said as she ran up to hug him.
"Let's get going to that old temple," Kagome said as Alice turned to face the group.
"Yeah, it's about time we go and squash that overgrown spider," Inuyasha agreed.
"Yep," Alice added before turning to Kakuju, "Thank you so much for everything, you were a great help. I hope we see you again."
"I'm sure we'll meet again," Kakuju chuckled, "But until then, may your travels be filled with happiness." Alice smiled and the group set out for the old temple once again.
Aww I think I like Kakuju~ He's such a sweet old man 3
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