InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kikyo's lonely journey ❯ A new warrior ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: Most of the characters in this story are the actual work of Rumiko Takahashi. I do not own them in any way.

 

----------------------------------------------

 

Chapter 9: A new warrior

 

Masahiro couldn't help but fidget a little in nervousness as he waited outside the doors to his leader's chamber. He was normally not so fearful when making his report, mainly because he never had to report a failure before. But how was he to know that this stupid miko would be able to stand up after being riddled with arrows and use a teleportation technique over it!

 

"Damn you Kikyo! I swear if I live through this interview, I'll make you pay!" he mentally cursed.

 

He jerked as the voice of his lord called out to him, inviting him to come in. Apprehension flashed briefly in his reptilian eyes before he resolutely pushed the door open and ventured in. The silence that reigned in the room was absolute. Only the sound of his footsteps and the slight ruffling sound of his blue robe could be heard disturbing it.

 

"Kuro-sama," he said while bowing deeply in respect.

 

"What do you have to report?" questioned his superior in a cold and emotionless voice.

 

Masahiro didn't look up from the ground as he formulated his answer. There was no point anyway, his leader's name meant black and he chose it well. His figure was all clad in black robes that hid all of his features, making it impossible to see what he looked like.

 

"We have successfully eliminated all but one of the sensors present in the village and are currently hunting down the last one," he said in a steady voice, though he quaked inside.

 

"What happened?" asked Kuro, his voice not betraying the slightest of emotions.

 

"A miko appeared out of nowhere and saved the girl. We trailed them to a neighboring village where we successfully cornered the two of them. However, the miko used a teleportation technique to transport both her and the girl to an unknown location," he summarized.

 

"This miko... do you know her name?" inquired his leader once again.

 

"We heard the sensor refer to her as Kikyo," replied Masahiro.

 

"Kikyo..." repeated the figure pensively.

 

Abruptly, his leader turned to him and his tone returned to its normal icy emotionlessness. "Begin the infiltration phase of our plan immediately," he ordered.

 

"With all due respect sir... what about the sensor and the miko?" asked the blue-clad youkai.

 

"Give their description to your agents, they'll do the searching. Now go!" snapped the black figure.

 

"Yes Kuro-sama," answered Masahiro before standing up and heading for the door.

 

He was about to reach it when his leader's voice stopped him dead in his tracks. "Oh and Masahiro. You know what will happen if you fail me again do you?"

 

"Y...Yes Kuro-sama," he replied faintly before making his exit.

 

"Kikyo... where have I heard that name before?" said Kuro when he was finally alone.

 

******

 

"Come on Susune! You can do better than this!" coaxed Sango in a firm voice.

 

The girl took another step forward before her foot slipped in the grass and she tumbled back all the way down the hill she had been trying so hard to climb along with the pouch of rice that had made the task so difficult. One week now, one week since she had naively said that she wanted to become strong enough to fight like all of them. She had thought at the time that it merely involved mastering the use of a bow... Oh how wrong she had been!

 

The training always began at dawn when she had to make running laps around the village to increase her lung capacities and her stamina. After that, there was archery lessons from Kikyo for two hours. Then, there would be agility and speed exercises given by Inuyasha followed immediately by katana lessons given by Sango. Finally, as if that wasn't already enough, she had to go through a whole set of strength improving exercises also given by the demon slayer followed by sessions of spiritual training given by Miroku. Needless to say that she had no problem falling asleep at the end of the day.

 

"If you want to learn how to fight, then we'll teach you, but don't expect it to be easy, especially since we don't know how long we actually have," the demon slayer had said.

 

Truth be told, she had not expected it to be easy... but she had not expected it to be this hard either. Still, she had no regret about her choice. She would not be weak anymore! She would not let anyone die anymore! She would fight... and she would win!

 

With that thought in mind, she raised her head and looked once again up the slope she had to climb and saw Sango waiting for her. Eyes burning and jaw set in determination, she laboriously started to push herself to her feet, ignoring the protest of her overused muscles. Once she was erect, she started on her way, step by step, slowly but surely. Twice more she fell, but always she managed to prevent her slide by digging her fingers into the ground. And she always got back up and took her slow steps toward Sango, her determination never wavering, fueling her tired members with the strength to go on for just one more step, and then another.

 

Finally, after an eternity, she arrived on top of the hill where she collapsed, panting, sweat dripping freely down her face.

 

"You have remarkable determination," complimented Sango while handing her a flask of water. "Many would have simply given up when they fell, but you just kept going. Congratulations."

 

That was one of the funny thing about her training. As long as she was "in lesson" her teachers kept taunting her and teasing her about her obvious weaknesses. When the teaching was over though, they always complimented her about her biggest achievement. It felt strange in a way, but she somehow understood. They were doing this to help her because, deep down, they were all concerned about her, that was why they were pushing her so hard... and that was also one of the reason she was so determined not to give up.

 

"Now then, follow me," urged Sango once she had drank her fill.

 

Gritting her teeth, she got back to her feet and laboriously started to follow after the demon slayer. She was surprised to see that they were heading back to the village instead of going to the clearing where she usually practiced swordsmanship. Her skills with such a weapon were rather limited, she was far better with a bow, but as Sango said, you can't always fight with long range weapons, so she did her best.

 

"Why... are we heading back... to the village?" she asked, panting slightly.

 

"You'll see," answered the woman.

 

And so, it was back to walking silently once more. Not that Susune could find much of anything to say right now, it took most of her concentration just to keep her legs functioning. Fortunately, it didn't take them very long to reach the village, though it still felt like an eternity to the exhausted child. What surprised her though was when they actually reached Kaede's hut. Everyone but Kikyo was there, neatly lined up, waiting for her it seemed. At a nod from Sango, she was finally allowed to put the pouch down, and she sighed in relief.

 

As she was rolling her aching shoulders, Kaede walked forward and stopped a short distance from her. The old woman was standing tall despite her age, and when she spoke, it was in a voice that was both powerful and regal. The type of voice that commanded respect.

 

"It has been one week now since you asked us to train you, to help you walk the path you had chosen: the path of a warrior. During these seven days, we pushed you to the edge of your limits, we trained you more intensely than even a soldier would be trained... and you prevailed. By doing so, you have successfully proved the strength of your resolve. So, in commemoration of your undying will to fight, we now present you with... your battle gear," spoked the woman.

 

With that, everyone parted as Kikyo walked slowly out of the hut, carrying in her arms a bow with a full quiver of arrows, a small katana and a carefully folded uniform that resembled the one Sango was currently wearing, except that the patches were blue instead of pink.

 

"Take this uniform and these weapons now Susune... and be forever recognized as the warrior you truly are," said the undead miko, her tone mimicking her sister's.

 

Almost as if she was in a trance, Susune extended her arms to accept the gift that was presented to her. She could hardly believe it. Her very own weapons and body armor. This was almost too good to be true. If the weight in her arms hadn't felt so real, she might have thought she was dreaming.

 

"I..." she said and her voice trembled under the strength of her emotions. She coughed slightly and continued, her tone firmer this time. "... wish to try them on."

 

"Then go inside, Susune and put on your new gear," invited Kikyo with a gesture toward the door.

 

Not needing any further invitation, the girl entered the hut, trying desperately not to make it look like she was hurrying. In truth, she couldn't wait to put on this uniform. She wanted to feel the fabric rub against her skin, the katana beat against her leg, the quiver of arrows bump against her back. She wanted... to feel like a warrior.

 

It took a little work as she wasn't exactly certain how to work some of the parts on the uniform, but, after a relatively short amount of time, she was fully clad and her hair was tied back in a high pony tail, just like Sango's. She grabbed the katana and slid it through her belt. She took the quiver of arrows and slung it on her back. She grabbed the bow and took a deep breath before walking resolutely outside.

 

What greeted her were looks of complete disbelief. No one was speaking, everyone was just staring as if they couldn't recognize her.

 

"Well... how do I look?" she asked and noted with a dim satisfaction that her voice betrayed none of the nervousness she actually felt right now.

 

"You look... lovely," answered Miroku, making everyone's gaze abruptly turn to him.

 

"Don't even think about it Miroku!" growled Sango darkly.

 

"My dear Sango. I have absolutely no idea what you could possibly be talking about," replied the monk innocently, a little too innocently.

 

"Don't try me houshi-sama!" she shot back.

 

As those words were exchanged between the couple, Kikyo walked forward with a completely emotionless look. The woman stopped a step before her and gazed at her coldly. Not knowing what else to do, Susune stared back as best as she could, though she knew full well that trying to hold Kikyo's gaze was an impossible battle to win. As it was though, a contest wasn't what the miko had in mind because her mask quickly faded away, replaced with a smile filled with pride.

 

"You are... a warrior now Susune," whispered Kikyo and, at the corner of her eye, one lone tear appeared and trailed lazily down her cheek.

 

******

 

"Well Susune? Do you see anything peculiar in my aura?" questioned Miroku.

 

"Not... really," gulped the child while fidgeting slightly, indicating nervousness.

 

"I realize that my being a monk might make you uncomfortable, but this is for your own good. I'm the only one here who has enough knowledge about sensors to help you harness your potential," sighed the monk in discouragement.

 

"I know houshi-sama," she answered with an embarrassed blush.

 

"In any case, we're done for today. I've already taken too much of your day off as it is," he replied while waving toward the door.

 

"Thank you Miroku-sama," she said before standing up and heading outside.

 

She was almost immediately met with Shippo and Kikyo who had been waiting the end of her session with the monk.

 

"Is Miroku really making you this uncomfortable?" asked Shippo when he saw the relieved expression Susune was wearing upon exiting the hut.

 

"It's not really him that's making me uncomfortable... it's his aura," replied the child with a frown.

 

"His aura?" questioned Kikyo with a raised eyebrow.

 

"Yes, his aura. It's always the same thing with him. Whenever he's with a woman, it flares up in pretty much the same way, whether it's me or someone else. So how am I to tell him that what I actually see... is that he has a one track mind?" she answered, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment.

 

There was a second of stunned silence before both Shippo and Kikyo burst out laughing.

 

"Oh that is SO typical of him!" exclaimed the kitsune with barely contained mirth.

 

"Indeed," agreed the miko with a shake of her head. "But don't worry too much about it, Susune. He may have a 'one track mind' but he's not that bad of a person."

 

"Yeah, but it's not exactly helping me train... I always see the same thing," complained the girl.

 

"Then we'll just have Sango assist to one of your lessons. That ought to... alter his mood," snickered Shippo mischievously.

 

At this, Kikyo's smile which had been rather playful until now, turned downright evil. "A most excellent idea Shippo. I shall see to the arrangements right away," she said, her tone low and almost menacing.

 

The two children watched her go with bemused expressions on their face. Neither of them had ever seen Kikyo behave like this before. The miko had just revealed yet another hidden face to her personality. Not only was she capable of laughing... but she had just proved that she was capable of playing tricks on people.

 

"Say Susune... When did Kikyo turn so... open?" asked the kitsune, though he winced at his lame choice of word.

 

"Does it really matter? I like her better this way," answered the girl.

 

"Not really, it's just a radical change to her personality that's all," shrugged Shippo. "Anyway, do you have anything planned for today?"

 

"Well, I am rather sore from my training so I thought I'd take it easy for a little while," she answered while rotating her shoulder to demonstrate her point.

 

"Oh I see," said Shippo, slightly disappointed.

 

"But then again, it is my day off. It would be a shame to spend it lying around, doing nothing," added the girl with a playful wink to the kitsune.

 

"So tell me, what do you have in mind Shippo," she whispered in a mischievous tone.

 

The kitsune stared at her, surprised by the shift of mood before he broke into a full fledged grin. "Come on, I'll show you," he said and with that, they were both off.

 

******

 

"I can't believe that she's the same kid as yesterday," commented Kagome as she watched Susune and Shippo barrel past them both giggling like the kids they still were.

 

"Oh she is, Kagome. She just understood one of the fundamental rules of any good warrior," commented Inuyasha lightly.

 

"Which is?" she asked, frowning in puzzlement.

 

"Relax while you can," recited the hanyou. "Today she decided to let herself have some fun, but I guarantee you, tomorrow she'll be back to training with even more determination than before."

 

"If you say so. It's just strange to see her act all grown up one minute and then sort of... turn right back into a child the next," commented the schoolgirl.

 

"Yeah well, if only that was the only problem plaguing her," sighed the hanyou.

 

"What do you mean?" questioned Kagome.

 

"She may not show it, but she's suffering. The memories of the attack on her village, of seeing Kikyo shot... she didn't have time to deal with them yet. These demons will come back to haunt her there's no doubt about it... I just hope that by then, she'll have recovered enough to face them," explained Inuyasha somberly.

 

"Since when have you turned into such a mentalist expert?" asked Kagome with a bemused expression on her face.

 

"Keh! You of all people should know," he shot back.

 

"I suppose," chuckled the schoolgirl lightly. "But... speaking of troubled heart... you never explained to me... what happened between you and Kikyo the other day," she added hesitantly.

 

The hanyou gazed at her for a long time, as if he was considering what to say, but then he sighed deeply and spoke.

 

"There isn't really much of anything to say Kagome. Kikyo knocked some sense into me and we both realized that there was no more love between us. So we cranked things down one step and decided to be merely friends," he explained.

 

"I see... so you really have no more feelings for her?" she asked, unable to keep the spark of fear from showing in her voice.

 

Surprise flashed for a second in the hanyou's golden orbs before he broke into an amused grin.

 

"My Kagome aren't you... jealous?" he taunted.

 

"J... Jealous?!" she stuttered in surprise, her cheeks turning a nice shade of crimson.

 

"I am NOT!" she immediately denied, but it was already too late.

 

"Oh but you are... even though you have absolutely no reason to," he whispered, his smile turning somewhat feral.

 

"I told you I'm not..." but she didn't go any further as Inuyasha's lips suddenly crashed on hers, stifling any possible retort she may have had in store for him.

 

Kagome's body instantly went rigid with astonishment at the unexpected gesture, but it didn't last. Her surprise was quickly wiped away by passion and before she knew it, she had her arms wrapped around the hanyou's neck and she was kissing back with an intensity equal to his own.

 

Finally, after a blissful eternity, the two broke apart, only to gaze lovingly into each other's eyes.

 

"So tell me Kagome... what was it that 'you were not'?" asked the hanyou somewhat playfully.

 

For the first time in her life, the schoolgirl found that she had absolutely no answer to give to Inuyasha. His surprise kiss had successfully wiped every coherent thought from her mind. But right now, she didn't care in the least, she had been waiting forever for this moment to come and she'd be damned if she let him have all the fun. So, gathering what was left of her wits, she formulated the only answer she could think of at the moment.

 

"Shut up and kiss me," she murmured hotly and Inuyasha was only too happy to oblige.