Somewhere I Belong
Story: Before the Twists of Fate
By: Sky
"Izaiyoi Takahito, how many times have I told you to move your feet?" Ken bellowed, slapping Izaiyoi hard in the thigh with the flat of his wooden blade. It stung, and she tried to hide the tears that formed in her eyes. He had hit her in the same place yesterday, and had left a good bruise. Now, it was going to be bigger and blacker. She continued in her forms, raising her wooden katana high over her shoulder, trying to balance lightly on her feet. She should have mastered these forms long ago. She had cousins that were doing better at it then she was, and had surpassed her. And they were a few years younger as well. But they were all the same, or should have been. They were the remnants of the proud Exterminator clan, once spread out in the feudal times, and now banded together under one banner. Modern technology had helped.
The clan never suffered the delusion of thinking all of the demons were dead. A majority had been killed off over the years, but the older and smarter ones, who could take on a human form, were still around. Some lived right in Japan, and since they lived as good citizens, the clan left them alone. Some went crazy, and became serial killers or other things. Ever wonder why sometimes when a really brutal serial killer just stops and is never found again? He was probably a demon, and the clan took him out to end his rampage. It is their job to hide demons from the world, for now the world would not be able to handle them, but they keep them from trying to destroy it. That is the job of the modern day Exterminator. In America, they have many different names, but they are still a band of Exterminators. They have demons there too.
As tradition stands, each Exterminator learns their basic weapons forms, learns hand to hand combat, and then moves on to modern weapons. Izaiyoi was still working on her basic Katana techniques. She had always been slower to learn things then her other kin. She was built very slender and delicate, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not seem to build the muscles the other girls obtained in their training. Her blue-black hair was pulled back in a long ponytail, and unlike the others, she constantly fussed at it, trying to keep it straight, and even, even during the middle of practice. Many called her vain, but she did not look in a mirror. She just felt the need to groom more than the others. She loved dresses more than practice garb, jewelry instead of weapons, and the local news instead of fantasy stories of demons. And try as she might, Izaiyoi just couldn't seem to fit in. Even her mother and father seemed to give up on her. They left her to Ken's brutal care and training, and they never checked in with her anymore. She knew she was a disgrace.
She had made her way, limping, to the nearby tavern, where most of her kin came for stories and drink. And this night in particular, the Sake ran like a river. She indulged herself, which she normally didn't do, and found herself sitting next to a rather intriguing man. He told her he wasn't from around there, and she could hardly pay attention to his words; for she drowned in his dark blue eyes. They talked for most of the evening, and Izaiyoi found her way with him to his apartment, and he proceeded to make her feel loved and wanted, distracting her so that she could not think, only feel; something that the 14-year-old really desired.
This continued for many weeks. They would meet down at the tavern after Ken was finished beating her, and he would take her back to his apartment to soothe her, and make her forget about the world for a time. She knew it was wrong too be with him, but he made her feel so warm, and so happy, that she just couldn't stop. Even Ken's training and beatings couldn't dampen her spirits when she thought of him, and how they would be together again that night. And they would always head to his apartment, and he would show her his care and passion for her. After resting for a time, they would have to part, and she would sneak back to her room, and spend the rest of the night dreaming of him, with his charming smile and warm caresses.
Then, he just stopped coming. There were no calls, and no notes. He simply vanished. Izaiyoi kept going to the tavern, hoping that he would show up, and that something had delayed him for a time, but he never re-appeard. As she started becoming sick in the mornings, she prayed that she was just coming down with something, but the test she had bought and smuggled to her room told her otherwise. She was pregnant. Her family would surely disown her for this. The other clan-members would most certainly. She kept quiet, hoping that it was a false reading. During one of Ken's more brutal training sessions for her, as he was yelling at her and telling her how stupid and slow she was, she broke. It was the last straw.
Running to her rooms, crying, she quickly packed everything of value, which was not much, and slipped her grandmothers necklace over her neck. The central gem glowed softly in the light, and she clasped her fingers around it, knowing that many generations had fought and died to keep the stone, and for the first time in 600 years, it was being removed from the care of the Exterminators. And she used what skills she did know, and escaped. She might not be very good with a sword, or any other weapon, but no one had ever bested her in stealth, and she used it now.
The next several months dragged by. She found herself a small apartment that, though not very clean, would serve her purpose. She tried to pull odd jobs, but many didn't want her help. So she finally resorted to inviting a few men to her bed, to pay for things she needed for she and her child. She didn't do it very often, and the first time, she had cried the rest of the evening. And she saved back the money she could to give her child a decent place to sleep, and clothing. She remained hidden from her clan the entire time, making sure they could not find her if they came looking. But she kept her head raised, no matter what she had to do to raise money and save it back, and soon, Yasha was born.
I know some of you were wondering about Izaiyoi, and why, or how, she left. So, here is a glimpse back at her, and her life. So here it is.
Nevermind, Izaiyoi had something to say about her own past, so this is now an AU of the AU. This would have been one possibility.