InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Buffy the Youkai Slayer ❯ Hard-Won Lessons ( Chapter 11 )

11. Hard-Won Lessons

Author's Note: Thanks tothegymrat for asking some hard questions about Buffy's strength and speed relative to Inuyasha's.

Musashi's Domain, late 16th-century Japan

"But, I--I can't be the leader!" Kagome protested, and Buffy saw that she was holding the winning stalk of grass in a death-grip. "What if I decide to walk in the wrong direction?"

"If I think you're walking in the wrong direction, I'll tell you, moron," grumbled Inuyasha. But he moved to stand protectively at her shoulder.

"But what if someone gets hurt--or killed?" Kagome looked around, pinning each of them with her panicked gaze in turn. "It'll be my fault!"

"No, Kagome-sama." Miroku lifted his hand in soothing gesture. He's really a pretty good people-person, thought Buffy. When he isn't being a lech. "If, the gods forbid, the worst should happen, we will pin the fault where it rightfully belongs--on Naraku."

"I know you'll do your best, Kagome-chan," said Sango, with a brisk nod.

"Yeah, you'll do fine. Don't worry about it," Buffy said, because it seemed her turn to offer a pep talk. Privately, she had some doubts. Kagome was a nice girl, but what if she froze up under pressure? "And, like Inuyasha said, it's not like we won't be offering advice. All you have to do is decide whether to take it."

Kagome took a deep breath, and raised her chin. "Then, I guess my first decision is which direction we should walk in the morning."

Atta girl!

"See, it's not so hard, Kagome!" Shippou said, leaping to his usual perch on her shoulder. "At least, now that you're the leader, you won't hit me as often as Inuyasha woul--OW!"

Inuyasha's fist sent the little kitsune tumbling to the ground, where he took hasty refuge behind Miroku's long gown. "Kagomeeee! Make him stop!"

"Osuwari!" she snapped.

And Inuyasha plummeted face down just in front of Kagome's feet.

After a moment, the spell wore off enough for him to lift his face out of the ground. "Kagome! What the hell?"

"See?" Buffy knew she was pouring gasoline on the fire, but she just couldn't help herself. "You're already taking charge."

* * *

As Buffy had predicted, it was a long walk back to Kaede's hut.

Inuyasha was moving slowly, too, but it still seemed like he had more energy left than Buffy. She glared at his oblivious, red-clad back as he strode along ahead of her, Kagome at his side.

Of course, given the way that Kagome was smiling up at him, maybe he had more motivation to look alive.

Keh! she thought, experimenting with his favorite phrase. It was short. Expressive. She kinda liked it.

Womanfully, Buffy managed to stay on her feet until she had ducked through the doorway, noticing as she did so that the split-bamboo curtain had been replaced.

It was pitch-black inside the cottage, so she felt her way to the edge of the raised wooden floor, removed her shoes with a sigh of relief, then groped her way to the nearest floor cushion.

Kaede was gone.

"Probably tending to Mrs. Yoshida," Sango said, somewhere to Buffy's left. "When we left this morning, the baby hadn't come yet. Oh, thank you, Shippou-chan," she added, as the fox-cub entered, his arms filled with sticks of wood, followed closely by a flashlight-wielding Kagome.

Sango stirred the banked fire, and began coaxing it back to life. As the flames rose, Kagome switched off her flashlight to save the batteries. It was still pretty dark inside the hut, but at least Buffy could see everyone's faces now.

She stretched out on her stomach, and propped her chin up on her hands. That settles it. I'm not going anywhere else tonight. Even if a horde of giant demons attack. What the hell, Mr. Spunky over there can handle it.

She threw a resentful glance over to Inuyasha, who was sitting cross-legged in his usual place, back against the wall, sword propped up against his shoulder. He looked suspiciously alert.

What, he recovered already? I so dislike him. She still felt like she was trapped in an invisible pool of chest-high water, which slowed every movement.

Kagome opened her pack, and produced two folded maps. She spread them out on the floor next to the hearth as Sango rose gracefully, pulled a flaming twig from the fire, and lit a couple of oil lamps.

One of the maps was of feudal Japan, and it looked like it had been photocopied from a history textbook. The other map was the regular kind, and it was of modern-day Japan.

Everyone gathered around. Miroku's eyes grew huge as he sat down and perused the modern-day Japan map. "There are so many villages! And cities!"

"No more forests?" Inuyasha asked, leaving his post. He bent down and peered over Miroku's shoulder. "Everything looks like your home village, Kagome? Buildings--streets--cars?" He wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"Not all of it," she said, looking a little uncomfortable. "There are quite a few national parks, with forests and mountains and lakes---"

"Parks?" Inuyasha looked horrified.

"And how do you grow enough rice to feed everyone?" Sango wanted to know.

"Well, we import a lot of food--" Kagome and Buffy spent the next half-hour explaining some of the oddities of the modern world, with frequent reference to the national statistics chapter of Buffy's Lonely Planet guide.

In a world where travel was limited to the distance you could cover on foot or horseback, it did sound inconceivable that most food was imported from countries that didn't exist yet, and even if they did, it might take weeks or even months to sail there in this era.

Finally, Kagome steered the course of the conversation back to their quest for Naraku.

Buffy borrowed a highlighter pen from Kagome. "Where does Naraku like to hang out? Where has he been seen before?"

Interrupting each other frequently, Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha told of their various encounters with the über-demon.

It wasn't as easy to mark those locations on the map as she had thought. Most of their directions were couched as it was a two-day walk from Tanaka-san's mansion and it only took Kirara an hour to fly there from that little fishing village on the coast.

Luckily, Kagome was able to fill in a lot of blanks--she had apparently been keeping track of their wanderings with the feudal-Japan map. Once Buffy had finished highlighting Naraku's guesstimated locations on the modern-day map (which included mountains, rivers, and lakes missing from the feudal-Japan map), Kagome smoothed out the map and studied it.

All of the dots were clustered in a rough arc to the northeast of Kaede's village.

"Sango-san, when we first got here," said Buffy. "Shippou told us that you and Miroku had been fighting swarms of youkai trying to get to the well."

Sango nodded. "I am sorry we did could not kill them all. And I'm so glad Inuyasha was on the other side to defend Kagome-chan and her family."

Inuyasha tucked his hands into his sleeves with a smug expression. "Eh, they were big and dumb."

"What direction were the swarms coming from?" asked Kagome.

"From the direction of this mountain," answered Sango, putting one slender finger on the map just south of Naraku's last known location.

"Then--then that's the direction we should go!" Kagome said, but she looked at Inuyasha for his approval.

He nodded. "If that bastard Naraku is anywhere near there, I'll sniff him out." He craned his head and looked at the map one more time, shaking his head in disbelief.

Then he stood up and went outside, presumably to hang out on the roof. More like a cat than a dog, Buffy thought.

As he left, she heard him mutter: "Parks. Keh!"

* * *

Thankfully, everyone went to bed shortly thereafter. Perhaps Buffy's increasingly frequent yawns were the tip-off that it was bedtime, but no-one protested. Even for the non-combatants, it had been a long day.

Nice thing about the Sengoku-jidai--they don't believe in pulling all-nighters, was Buffy's last thought before sleep overtook her.

In the morning, they shared Kaede's breakfast, supplemented with ramen from Kagome's pack. Inuyasha seemed especially fond of the salty noodles, and slurped down his portion in record time.

Then they packed up and headed out. They were an odd convoy of two bicycles loaded with packs, one dog-demon, a Buddhist monk with jangling staff, a small boy with a large fox-tail, a petite girl carrying a boomerang taller than she was strapped to her back, and Kirara.

Buffy had noticed the little cat-creature hanging out with the group, and heard references to her during various stories, but Sango's pet hadn't seemed anything but a weird, two-tailed cat. She begged for morsels of food, liked having her tummy scratched, and generally acted like a nice, mostly-normal kitty.

Now, with a roar of flames, she transformed into something that looked like a giant sabertoothed cat. Buffy couldn't help staring as Sango got on her back.

"I'll scout out a place for us to camp tonight," she called over her shoulder as the fire-cat sprang into the air. Then, with a whoosh and the distinct smell of sulfur, the two of them were airborne and rapidly fading into the distance.

"Hurry up! " Inuyasha called impatiently. He was already several hundred yards ahead of them, and had apparently forgotten that he wasn't the leader.

"I hope Sango finds a place near some hot springs," Kagome remarked to Buffy, as they climbed on their bikes. "I'd really like to soak in a bath tonight."

"Amen," said Buffy.

* * *

After a good night's sleep, Buffy had woken up feeling mostly recovered from her all-day match against Inuyasha. Still, she was glad that the group seemed to be taking it relatively easy. They covered about twelve miles that first day, and only the last two sections were uphill.

It was pretty countryside--rolling hills, fields, and lots of trees. Some were already showing autumn foliage, and stood out against the darker evergreens like bursts of yellow and red fireworks.

Finally feels like a vacation, thought Buffy, pedaling along at a moderate pace.

When they stopped at the base of some hills in the late afternoon to cook dinner and camp, Kagome was happy to hear that there were, indeed, hot springs nearby. They ate a quick meal--ramen again, supplemented by grilled fish, thanks to Inuyasha, who had returned from a nearby stream with his hair and his kimono soaking, and a string of flopping prizes slung over one shoulder.

The biking had loosened up Buffy's muscles, and reminded her that she hadn't had a regular practice session in a while.

As Kagome pulled out a pack of playing cards, Buffy leaned over to Sango. "Sango-san, there's still at least an hour of daylight left. How do you feel about practicing swords with me?"

Sango brightened. "That would be wonderful, Buffy-san! I'm a little weak in sword technique."

Buffy stood up. "Sure--and willl show me how to work that boomerang of yours? I've never seen anything like it."

"It's made from youkai bone," Sango said, proudly. To Buffy's surprise, she untied the belt of her long robe, and slipped it off. Underneath, she wore a close-fitting, high-collared outfit that looked like a leather jumpsuit. It was reinforced at the shoulders, knees, and elbows with dull gray plates.

"Armor made from the tanned hide of a snake youkai, with centipede-shell armor," Sango explained. "The people of my village are--were--youkai slayers for generations. We let nothing go to waste."

"I can see that." Buffy said, wondering what Sango's people did with the youkai who looked human. Like Inuyasha. "Does that armor really work? It looks sort of thin..." And really form-fitting. Miroku looks like he's going to start drooling any second now.

Sango nodded. "It's nearly as strong as the metal kind. It can be pierced, of course--arrows are the most dangerous. It's not quite as strong as Inuyasha's armor, though."

"He's got armor?" Buffy thought back. She hadn't detected any armor under his clothing when they fought.

"His robes are woven from fire-rat fur," Sango explained as she walked over to where her boomerang was propped against a tree. "They protect from weapons, but also protect from burning."

And there I thought he wore that red kimono-thingy all the time because he had limited fashion sense.

Buffy untied the sword that Koji had lent her from the frame of her backpack, but left the naginata where it was.

Together, she and Sango walked to a clearing some distance away from the campsite. They left Shippou, Kagome and Miroku playing cards next to the fire. Inuyasha was sitting in the fork of a tree overhead, but as Buffy and Sango left, she noticed him looking at them.

He didn't say anything, though, so they kept walking.

The boomerang was unwieldy at first, and heavy. Sango showed her how to grasp the straps on either end, and how to throw it in just the right way to achieve lift, spin, and return.

Buffy's first few attempts ended with the boomerang going straight down into the ground (where it proved surprisingly difficult to pull out again--the edge had been honed knife-sharp) or embedding itself in the trunk of the nearest tree. But Sango was a patient instructor, and by the fifth try, the boomerang was sailing around the meadow--a little wobbly-looking, yeah, but at least it was flying.

Then came the hard part: learning how to catch it again without losing fingers. You had to relax as the large, sharp blade came whooshing back to you, then reach out, and grab the rough rope strap at just the right moment, whirl around, and release the boomerang again..

"Don't duck!" Sango repeated over and over again, but reflex was a hard thing to overcome. "Fling it smoothly! Smoothly!"

Finally, everything clicked into place, and Buffy got the rhythm of fling-catch-release. She did it twice more, just to prove she could, then brought the boomerang--named Hiraikotsu--down gently.

"That's very cool," Buffy said, handing it back to its owner. "I bet you get a high kill rate with this thing."

Sango nodded. "It's very useful against swarms of youkai. For a single youkai, especially the smaller, faster ones, a sword is more effective." She looked over to the edge of the meadow. "Inuyasha, would you like to practice swordplay with us?"

Absorbed in mastering the basics of boomerang slaying, Buffy hadn't even noticed he was standing there, watching them.

He stepped forward, and drew his sword. In the last rays of the sun, it looked even rustier and banged-up than Buffy remembered.

"Two against one?" He sounded like he liked those odds.

Sango nodded, drawing her own sword. "Your technique needs work. You shouldn't always rely on Kaze-no-Kizu."

Wound of the wind? What the hell is that?

"You talk big, slayer," he said, lunging forward with a wolfish grin. "But let's see you try to touch me!"

They circled round and round, thrusting, cutting, parrying, and Buffy noticed that Sango was right: he was sloppy in his technique, relying on brute strength to fend off her attacks.

Despite her claim to the contrary, Sango was very good--her strokes fast, supple, and smooth.

But was she a true Slayer, the Chosen One of her generation? How much of her skill and strength was the result of long training? How much was raw potential?

Inuyasha turned his face in Buffy's direction as he parried an overhead blow. "What are you waiting for, foreign slayer? I thought you wanted to practice!"

She unsheathed her sword. "Okay, but you asked for it, dog-boy!"

It was fun.

Inuyasha was fast enough that Buffy soon stopped being quite so careful--the news that his kimono-thingy was actually armor helped in that respect. She and Sango quickly fell into a teamwork rhythm, one lunging while the other parried, each taking a side to attack.

Then Sango vaulted neatly over Inuyasha's head, easily achieving a height no ordinary girl could, and Buffy was sure that she was indeed, a Chosen Slayer. I really, really need to sit down and talk with her.

But for now, there was just the total concentration needed for dancing with two partners and three very sharp weapons...or, if Inuyasha's sword was anything to look at, two very sharp weapons, and one dangerously dull and rusty one.

Yeah, that would just suck. The Slayer done in by tetanus, thanks to the dog-boy.

The fading light forced them to stop, finally. They stood in the middle of the clearing, grinning at one another, breathing hard.

Buffy felt great--tired, but relaxed and energized at the same time. She told herself she was going try and get the others to practice with her every evening that she was here.

Sango sheathed her sword. "Inuyasha, your technique really sucks, but you've got such great control," she said. "You managed to give us both a really challenging match while still restraining yourself. Thank you." She bowed to him, smiling broadly.

Restrained himself? But I could have sworn he was going full out! After all, I saw him do it yesterday, thought Buffy. An awful suspicion began to form. "Sango, what did you mean, restraining himself?"

Inuyasha stiffened. "It's noth--"

"Oh, Inuyasha is very, very strong," said Sango, cheerfully oblivious to the Look of Death that Inuyasha was issuing in her direction. "I've seen him tear a giant demon apart using only his claws, and carry a boulder the size of a house. And then there was the time he killed an entire troop of bandits who were attacking a village--"

"Shut up, Sango," growled Inuyasha.

She fell silent as he turned away, hunching his shoulders.

"Sango, would you excuse us please?" Buffy could scarcely hear herself speak over the sudden buzzing in her ears. Restraining himself! That bastard! "I need to speak with Inuyasha--privately."

Without waiting for the demon slayer's reply, she took the hanyou by his elbow, her fingers clenched in the material of his jacket, and tugged him in the direction of the trees. He didn't look happy, but he didn't resist her, either.

"You--you--" Buffy took a deep breath and looked up at him. He was easily a head taller than she was. Calm down, she told herself. You're a grownup. You can handle this. "You went easy on me?"

"Keh!" he said, not meeting her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

He wove his fingers through his hair in a gesture that Buffy had come to interpret as a sign of extreme discomfort.

"Inuyasha!" She hated yelling, she really did. It meant that she'd lost control of the situation. "Just how strong are you?"

He sighed deeply, seemed to come to a decision, and marched over to the nearest tree. Its trunk was wider around than she could circle with her arms. "Get out of the way."

She measured the tree with her eyes, and retreated. No way. There's no way he's gonna be able to--

He squatted, wrapped his arms around the base of the tree, and dug in his talons. Then, with an explosive grunt, he straightened up.

Taking the tree with him.

Dirt and fallen leaves erupted from the ground as the roots emerged, their clenched fingers still gripping handfuls of soil as if reluctant to let go.

He turned, pulling it free, then, with a guttural shout, heaved the tree into the clearing that she'd just vacated. It crashed down with a deafening roar of cracking branches. He stood, panting for a moment, then grinned at her with his usual cockiness.

"You did go easy on me," she said, dully.

"Eh, maybe a little." He was smirking now. As he had every right to.

In fact, he had probably been laughing his ass off at the whole idea of a duel...Except...

Except he fought to a draw. "Why? Why didn't you just kick my ass? You could have done some serious damage with just that first punch. You could have killed me before--"

"I don't like to kill humans," he said, vehemently, and wiped his hands convulsively down the sides of his trousers. Bad memories? "And I'd never hit a human at full strength."

Dear God, she had, finally, met a demon stronger and faster than a Slayer. It was only sheer luck that he had some kind of ethical code.

As the truth sank in, Buffy crossed her arms and tried to look tough. She hoped he hadn't noticed her hands trembling. Damn it! If Inuyasha can do this much, then what can Naraku do?

"So, um, are you like, the strongest demon in Japan?" she asked, cautiously.

He shook his head. "I'm only a hanyou. My asshole brother is a pure-blooded youkai. And he never lets me forget it."

"You have a brother." It figures. "But getting back to our duel...why, Inuyasha?"

She hit a nerve there, because his fingers immediately went back into his hair.

"For Kagome," he said, finally, as if that explained everything.

And in a way, it did. "You didn't want to make her choose which one of us to listen to--or look like the bad guy by beating me to a bloody pulp?"

"Eh, you're smarter than you look, slayer." He tucked his hands into his sleeves and raised his chin in that annoying way he had of signaling that the conversation was over.

But Buffy wasn't quite finished. "Well...thank you."

"For what?" She had finally managed to surprise him.

"For--for letting me save face, I guess." And for not dismembering me. "And...for being such a good friend to Kagome. She's really worried right now, you know."

"I know." He kicked at a tuft of grass. "I don't like it when she's suffering. It makes me feel..." His voice dropped until she could barely hear the next word. "Helpless."

So, chivalry wasn't dead...it was just potty-mouthed. Maybe it was the sappy romantic in her, but she suddenly liked him a lot better. "Will you talk to her?"

"What?" His eyebrows--surprisingly dark--flew up into his hairline. He sounded a little...unnerved. "I'm not good with talking. You talk to her! Girl to girl! I'm not a girl. I'm just--"

"Her boyfriend?"

"No! That's such a stupid thing to say!" But the expression on his face belied his words.

Buffy sighed silently. Ah, teen-aged love, tortured and tongue-tied. I wonder how I ever survived it.

To be honest, she barely had. At least Inuyasha isn't likely to start killing Kagome's friends if he gets his moment of true happiness.

"I'll talk to her, too, if you think it'll help, but Inuyasha--she needs to hear it from you. Whatever you're willing to tell her. " Still suppressing the memories of that dark, bad time with Angel, she turned to go.

He walked back with her, in silence.

Strangely enough, it didn't feel like a hostile silence, this time. It felt sort of...comfortable. As if they'd somehow crossed the invisible chasm separating enemy from friend.

Just ahead, the campfire shone orange and red in the gray dusk. Still out of earshot of the others, Inuyasha stopped.

"Hey, Buffy."

It was the first time he had ever called her by name. "Yeah?"

"I meant what I said. You're a good fighter for a human. Better than Sango, even." He paused, and she knew what was coming. "But I can still kick your ass anytime I want."

"Shut up," she said, cordially. "Or I'll--"

"You'll what?" He gave her one of his rare grins, displaying a lot of sharp white teeth.

The better to eat you with, my dear, she thought, a little dizzily.

"I'll sic your brother on you. You know, the full-blooded youkai guy." Smiling to herself, she started walking again.

One...two...three...wait for it....

"Keh!"