InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Once Upon a Time ❯ All Kinds of Warriors ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: I still don’t own them, but I refuse to give up hope. :D

11. All Kinds of Warriors  

The old woman awoke to darkness and a vague sense of oppressive wrongness. The good news was that the disturbing sensations seemed to originate at some distance from her village. From what she had been told of events transpiring throughout the countryside, Kaede could only conclude that the unsettling feelings were somehow linked to the fight her young friends were waging against Naraku.

Since sleep was now out of the question she rose and started water heating for tea. While waiting for the water to boil, Kaede considered her options. She, perhaps more than anyone else present in the village, possessed some degree of understanding of the kind of power Naraku had at his disposal. As confident as she tried to sound when speaking of the matter, she was not entirely certain that the force led by Kagome and Inuyasha would be enough to prevail against him.

In any case, what could she do? While it was true that she had been successfully defending her village for decades, it was equally true that those decades had taken their toll. Though she could still ride and use her bow, she tired more easily than she once had, and the vision in her remaining eye had been gradually worsening for some years now. Her skills as a warrior would be entirely inconsequential to the ultimate outcome of the battle.

Similarly, her abilities as a miko were even less necessary to the group who had gone to face Naraku. That girl Kagome, despite her youth and her complete lack of formal training, already possessed far greater power than she herself did.

About the only skill she had to offer was her extensive knowledge of healing. That, she was sure, was a contribution that would be welcome. Even though she would much prefer to have the matter of Naraku resolved without casualties, growing up in an age marked by seemingly endless civil wars had taught her that injuries and death were an integral part of any conflict of a violent, physical nature.

Still, although she couldn’t do anything to protect her young friends on the battlefield, there were steps she could take to minimize the effects of the fighting--at least in the cases of those not killed outright. Her decision made, the old miko started to check her inventory of medicines and supplies for anything that could be spared for the battle.

As the sun rose, Kaede realized that she would never be able to pack everything she might need on her horse. It was, she decided, time to visit the village leader. She was fortunate in that both the wife and daughter of the village headman often acted as her medical assistants. The two would surely help to convince the village leader to help her out.

Nakita listened carefully to the old woman’s explanation, then nodded. Though not especially superstitious, he felt that refusing any request within his power to grant would be to invite disaster. Once he had been reassured that Kaede would be leaving the fighters who helped her destroy marauding youkai behind to protect the village, he even offered the old woman the use of his wagon for the journey.

Bowing her head in gratitude, Kaede returned home to prepare. She packed carefully, leaving behind the medicines she used most often: mild painkillers, treatments for colds and minor illnesses, and the preparations designed to promote good health rather than to treat any specific disorder. These would, she decided, be of little use in battlefield medicine.

In addition to her medicines, she loaded the wagon with her bow and quiver, several extra water jars, and sufficient food to keep both herself and the horses alive for an extended trip.

Satisfied that she had left her home village in as good order as she could on such short notice, Kaede set out in the hope that she would arrive at the scene of the fighting in time to do some good. Mentally reviewing what she had been told of Naraku and his tactics, the old miko became concerned. Between the poisonous insects he commanded, the toxic effects of his barriers, and the potentially innumerable kinds of youkai venom he could probably produce from his own body, Naraku seemed to be a master of poisons.

That worried her, as she had had little experience with poisoning aside from the occasional insect sting or youkai poisoning contracted by one of the village guardians during the course of a battle. It was not only her lack of specific knowledge that concerned her--though her stock of medicines contained several antidotes, they were really very general and may not be suitable for some of the poisons she might encounter. And what, she wondered, would she do if Shippou or Kirara were to be poisoned? She had no real knowledge of how to treat youkai.

She drove along, thinking about the brave young people who would be risking their lives to remove the darkness that was Naraku from the world of men. Not at all surprisingly, those conversations with her friends had given her the very piece of information she would need to locate both the medicines and the knowledge she lacked. Turning the wagon around, she drove back toward a road she had seen heading west. Though she had no reason to think that he would leave his isolated existence to accompany her, the master healer who lived only a short distance away would certainly be willing to provide her with the supplies and knowledge she would need to protect her friends a little more completely.

On the second day after making her decision to visit the healer, the old miko arrived at an especially prosperous-looking village. It was not so much that there were quantities of jewels and fine silks in evidence. Rather, it was the look of the people themselves--though none of them seemed overweight, all looked well-fed and content, with the clear skin, bright eyes, and shining hair that spoke of adequate nutrition and a notable lack of disease.

Obviously, Kaede was growing very close to her goal.

Realizing that she would attract significant attention by her mere presence, she decided to leave the wagon at the edge of the village. Proceeding on foot, she asked the first person she met where she could find the hanyou called Jinenji.

The reaction she received was both unexpected and puzzling. The man looked at her, muttered, “I’ve never heard of him,” and scurried as though he had suddenly remembered a very important appointment. After the third such incident, the old woman was certain that she had indeed found the right place.

Returning to the wagon, Kaede decided to simply circle the village--from Kagome’s description the farm where Jinenji and his mother grew and prepared their medicinal herbs was much too large to be located within the village boundaries anyway.

By the time she arrived at the meticulously maintained fields that could only be Jinenji’s farm it was late in the afternoon, leaving her with a decision to make. Would it be better to approach the hanyou with her request now or to withdraw for the night and meet with him in the morning? Her uncertainty about what was going on with her friends--she didn’t even know exactly where they were--made the decision for her.

Parking her wagon and tying the horses’ reins to a handy tree branch, Kaede approached the modest dwelling. As she had expected, there was no sign of the hanyou, although an old woman sat on a mat near the door, sorting herbs into bundles to dry for future use.

From what she had been told of this woman, Kaede knew that approaching her as a supplicant would be useless. Gesturing at the long red peppers the woman was cutting into uniform, flat strips for drying, she asked, “Do you use them for flavoring, or just to treat digestive and joint problems?”

The woman looked up in surprise: she hadn’t heard anyone approach. She scanned Kaede’s appearance quickly. “What do you want here?”

“I’m looking for Jinenji. Is he here?”

The woman’s eyes narrowed, and a defiant edge crept into her voice. “What does a miko want with Jinenji?”

Kaede suddenly realized that the old woman thought she meant harm to her son. “No,” she said, shaking her head, “It’s not like that at all. There’s a war brewing in the northeast, between a powerful rogue hanyou called Naraku and a small force made up of youkai, humans, and another young hanyou. I’m going that way to help treat the wounded. That’s why I’m here--to ask for Jinenji’s help.”

The other shook her head. “You’ve wasted a trip. Jinenji won’t leave this place.”

Kaede shook her head again. “That’s not why I’m here. Naraku frequently uses poisons against both his enemies and anybody else who happens to get in his way. Jinenji knows much more about treating poisoned wounds than I do--a few months ago a young friend of mine came here to get the medicine we needed for a poisoned comrade.”

The old woman looked up in surprise. “A young friend? You mean Kagome?” At the other’s silent nod, she closed her eyes with a pained expression. “He’s in the drying barn. If you tell him what you told me, I’m sure he’ll be willing to lend what help we can.”

The old miko went behind the house to where the much larger structure in which the herbs were prepared for storage and later use stood. As the door had been left ajar, she had no compunctions about sticking her head through the portal. “Jinenji?”

Though the building was only dimly lit by the small vents near the top of the walls, the shining eyes of the huge hanyou were clearly visible when he turned around. “What is it?”

Although Jinenji had lived most of his life in fear and had only recently discovered that he was in fact strong, he was still very shy around people he didn’t know. The old miko bowed her head. “Jinenji, I need your help.”

The hanyou considered briefly. Though extremely intelligent, he was almost always underestimated because of his deep, slow speech. Settling himself on the floor in the middle of the cavernous space, he gestured at a woven mat nearby. “Sit and tell me.”

Kaede was once again glad for Kagome’s act of releasing Inuyasha from her sister’s seal. Without her interactions with the bad-tempered hanyou and Kagome’s endless kindness, she was certain that she would have been unable to see Jinenji as anything but a huge, inhuman monster. Thanks to her to young friends, she instead saw the strong but sad heart hidden inside the scarred body. As she sat on the mat, she began. “Jinenji, I have some young friends who have gone off to fight in a war to the northeast of here. Their enemy uses many kinds of poison in battle--some of them youkai venom he makes inside his own body. I’m not sure I can treat them if they get poisoned. Also, some of the fighters are themselves youkai--I know little about treating wounded youkai.”

This last thing caught his attention most of all. “A miko has youkai friends?”

The old woman nodded. “I do. You have even seen them, I think--a small firecat youkai and a kit of the fox youkai. They were going to stop here for a visit several weeks ago.”

“The ones with Kagome?” At the old miko’s nod, he continued, “I liked Kagome--she’s the only one except my mother who ever treated me as anything but a monster.” He straightened suddenly, towering over the old woman. “Stay with us for tonight--I can be ready to go in the morning.”

Kaede understood the level of sacrifice Jinenji was prepared to make. Once again she was struck by the tremendous influence the girl from the future world had over people, even after only a brief meeting. She rose and stepped forward, resting a hand on the hanyou’s scarred forearm. “No, Jinenji. I won’t ask you to go to the war with me--it would leave your soul as scarred as your body. Besides,” she added, “You’re needed here. How would your mother manage this place while you were gone?” Now that she had him thinking about the potential results of his rash but undeniably generous offer, she continued, “What I really need are some of your special medicines and the instructions for using them.”

The hanyou considered the matter for a long moment. Then, realizing that her refusal to take him along was motivated by a concern for his--and his mother’s--welfare, he nodded. “I can have them ready by morning.” Almost as an afterthought, he continued, “When the fighting is over, could you and your friends stop here on your way home? I’d like to see them again, especially Kagome. She has a big heart, just like the little girl who came here a while ago to get medicine for a sick youkai.”

Kaede was curious and more than a little surprised. “A youkai child came to you for help?” In general, youkai hated their hanyou brethren even more than humans did.

Jinenji shook his head. “No. She was human. She even looked a little like Kagome.”

It seemed to Kaede that every time Kagome was involved her entire universe was turned inside-out. A human child seeking help for a sick youkai? It was beyond belief, but not, she thought, any more so than a human girl gradually healing the withered, tormented heart of a rude, self-centered, and often obnoxious hanyou. “We seem to be living in interesting times, Jinenji. Now,” she said, crossing to the door, “Let’s go and find your mother. I think she’s afraid I’ll take you off to war with me.”

“I would have gone….”

Kaede turned back to face the hanyou, suddenly realizing that she had been looking beyond his appearance to the gentle spirit within the massive form. “No, Jinenji. Spears, arrows, and swords are not for you. You’re as much a warrior in this as any of them, but your weapons are roots and herbs, and your enemy is death itself.” Seeing comprehension growing in Jinenji’s eyes, she opened the door. “Let’s go.”