InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In the Beginning... ❯ Finally! ( Chapter 8 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

~*A/N: Kibo, the violet-haired vixen, here with another chapter of "In The Beginning..." Enjoy!*~

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Inu-Yasha characters. They only romp around my brain at night giving me weird dreams.

WARNING: This chapter will include graphic depictions of battle scenes. If any of you have weak stomachs, I advise not reading.


Chapter 8: Finally!

One Year

Today is my fifteenth birthday. In honor of that, our first battle was today. I awoke this morning with Gendo, as has become habit since we first made camp here two months ago. We had just sent for our breakfast when Chikara slithered silently into our tent. "I have newsss," was his form of a greeting. At first I was shocked, for our messages up until today had all been brief, and delivered by the uma of Majuumi's clan. Although the silvery scaled youkai is my father's official messenger, the speed of the uma was used for the informal messages. Chikara's prescence meant only one thing: something is starting. It must be something big, or my father would not have bothered. Secrecy is needed in this message, something that could not be achieved by the uma. I listened intently as Chikara delivered his message.

"Lassst night, while mossst of the camp lay sssleeping, an arrow was ssshot into the camp. It was dissscovered thisss morning, outssside the door to your parent'sss tent. Tied onto it was a red flag bearing the mark of the Hosssokawa clan. Battle will commenssce at sssunrissse." At this news, both Gendo and I looked outside. The sun was just beginning to turn the sky pink. It was dawn. That gave us maybe an hour to gather the troups. Chikara began to speak again, "At sssunrissse, the two of you will bring a group of fifty sssoldiersss to the front linesss, infantry only. The ressst of us will do likewissse. Tonight..." He trailed off as Rei entered the tent, a tray in hand. She bowed, and averted her gaze to the ground as she placed the tray in front of where she stood. She bowed once more as I nodded, dismissing her. She promptly turned and disappeared from sight. My gaze lingered for awhile where she had stood, until the slithering of Chikara's voice caught my attention. "Tonight," he continued, "a group of my finessst asssssasssssin'sss will sssneak into the camp of the enemy, killing assss many high-ranking officerssss assss posssssible."

I was beginning to become irritated with his "hissing" voice, and retrieved our breakfast. I set it between the three of us as Gendo discussed this strategy with Chikara, and poured three cups of tea. I idly wondered how Rei had known to bring enough for Chikara as well. I ate in silence, ignoring the discussions between the two youkai beside me. I was snapped out of my reverie by Chikara's hissing. "SSSSesssshomaru-sama." How I despise that hissing. "Until we meet again." And with that, he bowed and slithered out of the tent.

I turned to Gendo, a scowl still on my face. Gendo smirked at me, asking, "What is it that has my young Lord so upset?" I merely growled in return, taking the last bite of my riceball, then drank the last swallow of tea. I stood and dressed for battle, quickly pulling on my armor and tying the sheath of my sword to my belt. I turned to find Gendo still leisurely eating his breakfast. I quirked an eyebrow when he looked up, and he merely smiled in return. When I asked why he was taking his time, he smiled again, then sipped his tea. I was growing extremely irritated, and let it show with a low growl. He simply responded, "Happy Birthday, Sesshomaru-sama."

My jaw dropped in disbelief. How could he be so calm at a time like this? Gendo sipped the last of his tea, then stood and smiled at me again. "Ah, the eagerness of youth," he sighed, stretching. I once again quirked an eyebrow at his behavior, and he approached me. He rested his hand on my shoulder, looking deep into my eyes. "Today we see how well I have trained you, ne?" and winked, turning to dress himself. I stared at him in shock for a few more seconds, before shaking my head to regain my composure. I placed the now-empty tray by the door of the tent, and waited for Gendo to finish preparing. I watched out the door, and saw soldiers walking by in full battle dress. Apparently, Gendo had already dispatched his orders. No wonder he was taking his time.

I jumped, startled, as a hand touched my shoulder. I spun around, hand going to the hilt of my sword. Gendo chuckled, raising a hand in defence. "A little edgy this morning, aren't we?" he asked after his laughter had calmed. I merely growled in response, and followed his still chuckling form to the group of soldiers which had now gathered. Some sat, some stood. A few were grouped together speaking in hushed tones. Others were stretching and swinging around their swords in practiced motions. Gendo cleared his throat, and all activity stopped. It took mere seconds, and no command, for the youkai to fall into perfectly lined rows. I observed them, standing there as still as statues. They were all strong inu youkai, dressed in armor with swords tied around their waists. Not that they'd need them. Once transformed to their "true" forms, they would slash with claws and rip flesh with teeth.

Gendo made short work of orders; nothing intricate was needed. All they needed to know was to kill any ningen in the vicinity. Grins popped up on a few faces, the hunger for blood showing in their eyes. When Gendo called out "Move out!", the soldiers did an abrupt about-face, and began marching east. As the sun poked its head above the horizon, the morning's mist dispersed to show a line of soldiers a kilometer east of us. Just north of us, I detected the shapes of ookami soldiers marching alongside of us. "Company, halt!" rippled through the air, called out by each commander.

Both sides stood facing each other motionless, as the sun cleared the horizon. For a moment I could've convinced myself that this was just another peaceful morning, as a bird called out its joyous morning song. That thought was shattered as a battle cry erupted from both sides, drowning out the morning bird's cries. Bodies collided in a cataclysmic upheaval. Blood sprayed from ningen and youkai alike, and having scented ningen blood, I felt my own blood lust rise. A hand gripped my shoulder, and I turned to see Gendo staring at me, his gaze now serious. He slowly shook his head, and I felt the blood lust recede. I relaxed, and Gendo released my shoulder. I turned back to watch the fight unfold.

I watched as transformed inu youkai picked up screaming Hosokawa soldiers, blood dripping from their jaws as their foes slowly stilled. Flailing limbs fell limp, blood dripping off of fingers. The carcasses were tossed to the side as a new target was acquired. All of the troops were mixing together, and I could see ookami wading through bloodied corpses, pausing to lick blood from their claws before attacking their next target. Here and there slithered a sune-ku, who snuck up on their prey, before sinking long fangs into flesh. At first, the ningen would lash out, attempting to release themselves from the fatal bite. Gradually their movements would become clumsy, and finally they would go limp, the poison having paralyzed them. The sune-ku would then release its prey, letting the poison finish them off.

Farther north, I caught sight of a few uma, who trampled the ningen beneath their strong hooves. Blood sprayed, and soon I could no longer discern whether it belonged to ningen or youkai, much less the individual owner. I understood why Gendo wished for me to stay in the background. I turned to look directly north, and saw the strong profile of my parents, and further back my aunt and uncle. Spaced between them were Chikara, Majuumi, and Kuroi. "The leaders do not fight in the first battles, we only observe, so as to learn more of our enemy," Gendo spoke from behind me, confirming my suspicions. "As do they," he said, his hand beside my head, pointing eastward. I raised my eyes from the battle before me, to see a group of men atop horses on the hill across from me. They were grouped close together, obviously discussing something, although their eyes never left the scene before them.

"Chikara will have memorized their faces already, and will give their descriptions to his assassins this evening. His hissing may annoy you, my Lord, but his assistance is invaluable to us." I nodded as an answer, my eyes again being drawn by the bloody mess in front of me. The sight was revolting, and yet, I found I could not look away. An ookami drove his hand into a ningen's stomach, pulling out entrails with his hand. He raised the organs to his mouth, sucking blood off of them, as their former owner watched, still alive. Not for long, though, for the ningen slowly sunk to his knees, eyes still wide, trained on the youkai grinning evilly down at him.

My eyes trailed over to an uma nearby, who had reared up on his hind legs to relentlessly bash in the face of his opponent. Even after the ningen was an unrecognizable ball of mushy goo on the ground before him, the uma continued to stomp him into oblivion. The sun climbed high into the sky as the battle raged on. I began to pace slightly, my legs were beginning to feel stiff with disuse. The sun had nearly reached the western horizon again before the battle was ended. The few living ningen had looked around for comrades, but finding most of them dead, turned and ran. The youkai simply let them, and a shout of triumph came from the troops. Cheers erupted from bloodied throats, and the wounded were carried or supported as the troops turned westward to their respective camps. A few remained to take care of the dead. All in all, we lost perhaps a quarter of the forces we had brought to battle that day.

On the way back to camp, the soldiers erupted into victorious song. The song waned as we neared camp, exhaustion finally overtaking them. Servants rushed towards them as we entered camp, carrying off the wounded towards the first aid tents. Although youkai have rapid healing, some wounds were worse than others, and those who couldn't move under their own power needed immediate attention. Rei stood in the midst of the organized chaos, shouting orders. She turned her head towards me, dropping off mid-sentence. A gasp escaped her lips, her eyes large. I then realized I was covered in blood and dirt. She approached me cautiously, her hands reaching out to me. "It's not mine," I told her, and headed towards my tent.

I had only removed my sword and armor before I heard soft footsteps behind me. I whirled around to find Rei holding a wash basin, worry and concern etched into her youthful face. Steam rose from the basin, and she set it down next to my bed. I let her push me into a sitting position and reassure herself by cleansing me from the grime that coated my body. When I was clean enough for her satisfaction, she brought me clean clothing. After I had dressed, she left, basin in hand. She had remained silent the entire time. A few minutes later, Rinsuke came with a tray of food and sake. She set it down near my bed, bowing and hurrying away. She also had been silent. I scented worry and despair on the child. I hope that the appearance of the weary soldiers has not upset her.

Where in the seven hells did that thought come from? As I pondered this thought, Gendo returned. I looked up as he entered, and he grunted in greeting before collapsing onto his bed in exhaustion. His breathing became deep and rhythmic immediately. I silently ate my meal, and drained the jar of sake. The warm liquid had made me drowsy, so I napped lightly. Rei shook my shoulder gently to wake me. The sky had darkened since I fell asleep, and a fire had been lighted. Gendo was gone. I turned my gaze back to her, and noticed that her features had softened since she left me last.

Rei still remained silent, pushing back on my shoulders so I was lying down again. She disrobed both of us, and I lost myself in the pleasures of the flesh. She lay on top of me, panting, both of our bodies covered in sweat. Then I realized the moisture on my shoulder wasn't just from our exertions, it was tears. She was crying. "Gomen, Sesshomaru-sama. I was just so worried when I saw you all bloody." Worse. She was crying for me. I gently ran my claws over her back in comforting circles. She then gave in to her sobbing. I ran my hand through her hair, unsure of how to comfort the crying hanyou. She eventually recovered, still sniffling through her apologies. I kissed her gently on the forehead, and she smiled at me.

After having dressed, she headed for the door, but stopped just as she reached it. She turned her head towards me, smiling. "Happy birthday, Sesshomaru-sama." Then she was gone. I stared at that place for awhile, before turning to you. You are constant, unjudging, uncomplicated. So unlike the neko hanyou that confuses me so. Does she love me? I shiver at the thought. Although I will admit caring for her, I don't need her love. Her tears were an unexpected turn. I did not think my fate would affect her so. Now I am even more resolved to not let this war affect those around me, those I care about, those I must protect. But still her final words echo in my mind.

"Happy birthday..."

Was it only a year ago that this journey of self-discovery began? Have I really changed so much in such a short time? Has so much really happened? It seems only yesterday that I was given this gift, this gift that has become my refuge. When the world is in turmoil, I can enter my thoughts and sort them out. I feel more at peace after having made an entry. You have become my confidante. To think that shortly after receiving you, I questioned your value. I now know you to be invaluable. And I no longer balk at addressing you as if a real person. Only you know my true feelings, my worries and insecurities.

So, for now, I say goodnight, dear friend.


~*A/N: So there's a nice, long chappy for y'all. I'm beginning to wonder if anyone is reading this besides my dear Hakurei-chan. "Is there anybody out there?" Tehe... gotta love Pink Floyd. So, if you're reading this, please review - I need some feedback here! Whether you love it, hate it, or are just indifferent, let me know! Ja ne, minna!*~