InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Reincarnation ❯ Nervous Planning ( Chapter 3 )

Reincarnationby FireFalcon1414

 

Disclaimer: I do not own, in whole or in part, the Inuyasha series. All rights belong to Takahashi Rumiko. I do, however, own the plot to this fanfiction and I'm very proud of it!

 

 

Chapter 3: Nervous Planning

 

Kagome took a deep breath as she brought her fist down to rap quietly against the sliding door. “Enter,” came the low voice from the other side, and she complied slowly to stand fidgeting just within the doorway.

 

“Ano…” she rasped out, before clearing her throat nervously. “Sesshoumaru-sama…” He looked up at her from what he was doing - seemingly reading some report - and raised a calculating eyebrow. She fidgeted a moment more before stopping herself and placing her hands determinedly within her sleeves, opening her mouth to say something, anything, to break the silence.

 

“You look nice,” he said before she could, and she blinked cluelessly at him and shut her jaw with an audible click. “In the traditional kimono, that is. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

 

Did he just… compliment me? she thought, mind whirling around and forgetting the second part of what he had said. But… the royal icicle? Complimentingme? How? Is that even possible? Her head babbled on and on, circling about that same thing, until he brought her back to earth.

 

“I asked you a question,” he prompted.

 

“Oh! Right…” Reorganizing her thoughts, she stepped forward to seat herself on the cushion before his desk. “First of all, I was wondering if I could teach Shippou.” Another raised eyebrow. “Reading, writing, math, you know… stuff that would be useful to know.”

 

His eyes lowered back to the paperwork he was previously working on. “If you wish. He trains in the mornings. You may instruct him on these things in the afternoon.” He picked his pen up and set about signing something.

 

The dismissal was obvious, but she ignored it. “Ano… Sesshoumaru-sama, could I be trained, too?”

 

His head remained bowed over the desk, but his eyes raised to meet hers, and the intense golden color made her mind stop its nervous giggling altogether, if only for a moment. “You wish to learn to fight?”

 

“Hai!” she chirped.

 

“What weapons do you already know?” he asked, putting the pen and papers away, his attention focused solely on her as it had not been before.

 

She started fidgeting again. “I'm pretty good with a bow; I was in the archery club at school and got my own for my birthday… I think I saw it in my room when I woke up this morning?” He nodded. “Other than that… we worked a bit on martial arts in P.E. last semester, so I know how to fall and throw people, but that's about it…” The nervous giggling escaped for a moment, but she bit her tongue to stop herself after the first bubble of laughter popped.

 

He gave her a look that said quite plainly that he thought she was more than slightly crazy before standing, indicating that she should do the same, and leading her out of the room and down the stairs. “I will have one of my generals train you every morning before the midday meal. You will learn the use of a katana, daggers, staff, and your body, as well as further practice with your bow. I will meet with you once every other week to observe your progress. For now, I wish to assess what you know.” The stumpy green Yoda clone met them at the floor housing the royal apartments, and he paused to order it - Jaken, he called it - to fetch her bow from her room and bring it to the dojo as quickly as possible.

 

While he was busy talking to toads, she blinked. I think that's the most he's ever said to me! I mean, you could take every word he's ever said to me in bothlives, and added it up, and it would be about half of what he saidjust now! Wow, we must be making progress! she thought sarcastically. By now they had left the main building, and he had cut across one of the gardens - this one with a fiery theme, she noted absently. She had to jog every few steps to keep up with his longer strides, but she didn't complain. What would he say if I asked him to slow down? Probably kill me. Or say something like “Do not presume to give me orders, human.” And then kill me. She giggled again, and he shot her a look out of the corner of his eye, a clear command to shut up.

 

She complied with a click of teeth, only to nearly give herself whiplash from turning her head to see Shippou sparring with what appeared to be a massive cat in the garden. “Shippou!” she cried happily, waving.

 

He twisted around to wave back, only to be knocked down by the flaming neko. “Kirara!” he yelled indignantly. “Get off of me! I want to see Kagome! Kirara!”

 

“Ki... Kirara?” Kagome mumbled, coming to a stop on the path as that same fuzzy memory feeling brushed against her mind. The cat lifted its great mammoth head to look at her over its equally large shoulder before turning completely and leaping into a full-on charge toward the unsuspecting girl. She froze like a deer in headlights, finally giving off a strangled “Kyah!” and throwing her arms up in attempted protection, closing her eyes tightly and saying a hasty goodbye to her family. I love you, Baachan, Kaasan, Tousan… even if I do usually think you're all insane… I'm sorry, but it looks like this is the end of the Higurashi line…A flaming roar sounded from just a few yards in front of her, and she shuddered, readying herself for the powerful impact that was sure to come. Waaah, I'm too young too die! I want my mommy!

 

Needless to say, she was quite surprised to find a light weight rest itself across her upheld forearms. Flicking one eye open briefly to scan around for the obviously dangerous feline, she was shocked to find what appeared to be a small orange kitten, one of the most adorable things she had ever seen, nestled there. Blinking her other eye open, she brought her arms - now tired from all the muscle strain she had put on them to hold off a gigantic neko youkai on a rampage - down across her chest to cuddle the tiny bundle of cuteness. “Um…” she trailed off, confused.

 

“Kirara!” Shippou, called, jogging toward them. He paused momentarily to bow formally to his lord, who stood a bit further along the path, glaring coldly over his shoulder at them. “Hey, Kagome. I see you've met Kirara - or remet. Whatever.”

 

“Kirara?” Kagome asked, holding the cat up before her and looking into her eyes.

 

“Myew!” Kirara purred, batting at her nose with one little paw.

 

“Aww! So cute!” the girl exclaimed, pulling the cat back to herself to give her a crushing hug. She was suddenly struck by a memory of another girl, a bit older than herself, in skintight black clothing, holding a huge boomerang in one hand and hugging this cat with the other. “Sango…” she whispered absently, holding the kitten a bit more firmly and burying her face in the soft fur. The purring intensified, vaguely reminding Kagome of a miniature motor boat. She giggled, then looked back up at Shippou. “Hey, Shippou! That reminds me, I'm having lunch tomorrow with the daughter of one of the servants here, Iyashii. Her name is Sango! She might be our Sango's reincarnation! So, do you want to come?” she chirped energetically.

 

He hesitated before responding, “I'd love to, Kagome, but my lunch break is about an hour after noon, when you'll probably be eating… and I really can't get out of training early… Maybe I could meet you guys later?”

 

“Yeah, sure! That sounds gre…” she trailed off, turning her read towards a movement she had caught out of the corner of her eye, finding Sesshoumaru walking slowly towards them. She turned to face him politely, expecting him to stop, but was surprised when he continued until he was just a foot in front of her. She took a nervous step back, but his gaze, unaware of her discomfort at his proximity, remained steadily trained on hers, showing nothing of his thoughts.

 

“You are meeting with the reincarnation of one of your companions?” he finally asked coldly, shocking her with his smooth voice, and she unconsciously took another small step backwards.

 

“Y-Yeah…” she mumbled hoarsely, swallowing out of reflex.

 

“Then I will accompany you. Noon tomorrow.” He turned on his heel and set off back towards the dojo, and she was forced to just glance and smile at Shippou (who was standing there dumbstruck, blinking from one to the other) before jogging to catch up.

 

“Hey,” she said, trying to get his attention. When he showed no reaction, she tugged insistently on his sleeve, and tried again. “Hey!” His gaze shifted slightly to acknowledge her, the sleeve sliding out of her hold in a move that, in anyone else, would have been sharp, if not for his damn aggravating fluidity. She had the sudden urge to bang her head against something hard, like a wall… Hmm, that shoulder might work… Dammit! Muscles! Why does he have to be so annoyingly… perfect?!? Grr!

 

His focus on her intensified slightly at the odd guttural noise coming from the back of her throat. He didn't know humans could growl. “Yes?” he drawled slowly when it became obvious that she wasn't going to continue, as she currently appeared to be fascinated by his shoulder.

 

She jerked her glare up from the irritating limb to the irritating taiyoukai. “Hey!” she repeated, “Why'd you do that?”

 

He returned to looking forward. “We are there,” he announced, gesturing forward slightly.

 

“You're avoiding the question! Answer me! Why did you insist on… Ooo…” she trailed off as they neared the dojo, repeating her upward viewing from her experience with the bath. “Big…”

 

If she had still been looking at her escort, she would have seen the faintest hint of a smirk at the corner of his mouth before it smoothed swiftly and he stepped forward, giving a curt nod to the guards stationed there and letting them fling open the great double doors. The powerful scent of the incense within billowed out, enveloping his sensitive nose in its various fragrances.

 

“Mmm…” she hummed contentedly at the sweet scent, eyes sliding closed slightly as her head tilted back and her nose twitched to catch as much of it as possible. He snorted elegantly at the sight she made, bringing her back to glaring at him before shifting her gaze to the inside of the dojo itself. As the outside implied, it was very large, with polished hardwood floors and towering windows lining the walls, and the far side was covered in weapons' racks. He led her in a beeline to this wall, easily weaving his way through the darting pairs of sparring soldiers, leaving her to leap around them and try not to get stepped on.

 

They reached their destination - her after numerous apologies for tripping the fighters - and her jaw dropped at all the katana, hishu, staffs and glaives. About a dozen bows hung to her right, a wooden box full of arrows neatly beneath them, and she instinctively moved toward her weapon of choice.

 

The doors opened again, and she quickly returned to Sesshoumaru's side, casting a longing glance back toward the well-crafted weapons, before it settled back on the creature scuttling through the wide doors, the Yoda look-alike again - Jaken, her mind supplied - now clutching her own bow in his slimy green hands. When he reached them, she quickly snatched her prized possession away from him, furiously polishing the wood where he had gripped it with a bit of her sleeve. After another glare at both of the males, she snapped out “Okay, where's the shooting range? You want to see me use this, right?”

 

His eyes narrowed slightly in her direction, and she cringed inwardly, though she refused to let it show. “You will not presume superiority, miko. You are staying in my home, and will show proper respect,” he hissed, before turning to a side door and ordering “Come.” She glowered at his back, but complied, Jaken shuffling along beside her and grinning evilly at his master's obvious putting of her in her place.

 

Kagome was seriously considering kicking that ugly green thing he called a head.

 

She didn't get a chance, however, as they came to a line of archers shooting at several targets about thirty yards away. She blinked at the distance. “I-I can't shoot that far!” she complained, and actually saw him smirk this time as he continued down the line of archers to another set of targets, these only ten yards distant.

 

“These are for beginners,” Jaken said snobbily. “I thought you were supposed to know how to shoot?”

 

The urge to kick him in the head returned, full force.

 

This time, she gave in.

 

“Ow! Stupid human wench! Show more respect for your superiors!” he shrieked, sitting up and rubbing the growing lump on the bulbous growth that contained his pea brain.

 

She stared down at him dubiously before bursting into hysterical laughter. “My… superior?” she cackled, wheezing slightly. “Don't make me laugh!” she ordered, far too late for him to comply. He stood with a dark glower and began to swing his Staff of Heads, only to find it caught in a daintily clawed hand.

 

“Jaken,” came the stern voice of his lord, and the toad quieted with a whimpered apology (if one could call “Just don't let it happen again, wench!” an apology) and waddled off, alternately glaring at her over his shoulder and walking with his nose held pompously in the air, before walking into the doorframe of the dojo with an undignified squawk, falling back onto his butt, jumping up angrily and stalking inside, screaming at another unfortunate enough to have to see him. The taiyoukai turned back to his new charge. “Shoot,” he commanded.

 

She glowered up at him, that familiar kicking impulse returning yet again, though now she would aim lower than his head… And we're back to getting killed. Joy. Maybe I should try another approach… Proving him wrong would do nicely. “I would, but I don't seem to have any arrows,” she said in as falsely sweet a voice as she could muster. He gave her another one of those looks before gesturing behind her, and she whirled around to find a young soldier - in training, she guessed - bowing there with a full quiver in his outstretched hands.

 

“Um… Thank you…” she muttered, taking it from him and slinging it across her back. He bowed slightly lower before straightening and moving to seat himself with the others who had been practicing before she had arrived, all of whom were now sitting on a grassy hill, watching her expectantly. She shifted nervously under their eyes before getting a string out of a pocket on the quiver and stringing her bow, hardly struggling to bend the stiff wood, and looked up briefly, proud of her minor achievement, to find Sesshoumaru staring critically at her.

 

She scowled back before slipping out an arrow and knocking it, turning to face the target. She drew back to her cheek slowly, two fingers cradling the end, one steadying the arrowhead, sighted down the shaft to the bullseye… and released, feathers zipping past her face to shiver delicately, sticking straight out of the target only about a foot below and to the left of the target. She grinned confidently and turned to see Sesshoumaru with a dark scowl on his face. How expressive, she thought dryly. “What?” she snapped.

 

“Not good enough,” was his low response, face smoothing back into dispassionate lines. “Try again.”

 

“Hey! I'd call that pretty good, considering I haven't shot under this much pressure for a while, and it was just my first try!” she shrieked, stalking toward him and ignoring the few youkai on the sidelines who winced at her shrill tone hitting their sensitive ears. Serves them right, she thought sourly, for putting me underthat pressure.

 

“Pretty good,” he agreed in an acidic monotone, stepping forward until he towered over her, “but not good enough. Do you think you will not be under that much pressure when you are being attacked and must rely on this very weapon to preserve your life? You will need to hit where you aim. Every try. Especially the first.” He reached forward with one hand, over her shoulder, whipping out another arrow. “Try again.”

 

She glared up at him, trying to hold his gaze, before failing and snatching the arrow out of his hand. “Fine.” She wheeled back around to the starting point, facing the target and knocking the arrow.

 

“Place your feet before knocking,” came the cool voice of her tormentor.

 

She set her legs with exaggerated care, not sparing him a glance, before re-knocking and bringing the bow up. Supporting the arrowhead with one finger and holding the end with two, just like before, she began to draw back to her cheek, again mimicking her actions, when…

 

“Hold it with three fingers, one above and two below. It will give you a steadier aim,” sounded the Hated One before adding, “Pull back to your ear for added leverage.”

 

She somehow managed to glare out of the corner of her eye, then shifted her hold on the arrow and continued slowly pulling back, to her ear this time.

 

“Your opponent would have killed you by now. You will have to be faster than that if you are fighting anything other than a slug demon,” he drawled from his place behind her.

 

She scowled to herself, but sped up and pulled directly to her right ear. She sighted carefully, aiming down the shaft.

 

“Only look through your right eye. Your left is throwing you off. And I know it doesn't take you that long to see the bullseye. Unless there is something wrong with your eyesight? Don't hesitate.”

 

She just closed her left eye, refusing to let him get a rise out of her, sighted quickly and let go, watching as the arrow flew to stand, quivering, only a few inches below the bullseye. “Hey! It worked!” She heard a grunt behind her, and turned to Sesshoumaru's blank face. “I almost got a bullseye! Would it kill you to smile?” He glared. “Never mind, never mind.”

 

“Better,” he allowed, glare softening. “You need practice. Again.”

 

“Okay!” she chirped, and pulled an arrow out of the quiver, setting her feet and knocking it confidently. She swung her bow up, facing the target, placed her fingers easily, drew back smoothly to her ear… Glanced down the shaft, aimed and released. The arrow flew straight and true, embedding itself on the upper edge of the bullseye.

 

“Whoo-hoo!” she shouted, spinning to face her instructor, grabbing a bit of his loose sleeve and jumping up and down with it. “I got a bullseye! Did you see that? Me! I got a bullseye!”

 

He stared at her as though she were something completely atrocious stuck to his shoe. “You got the edge of the bullseye. You may celebrate when you get the center. Every time. It took you three tries. How long have you been practicing archery? A month?”

 

“About half a year,” she responded moodily, her face darkening from its glowing smile. She stopped bouncing, but retained her grip on his sleeve until he gave his arm a sharp tug, at which she looked down at her hands curiously before releasing the fabric as though it burned. “Well, you certainly are good at putting a damper on a good mood. How long have you been practicing? Your entire life?”

 

“Yes.” He turned to go back inside the dojo, and she stuck her tongue out at his back until realizing that he wasn't paying attention and all it was doing was making her look even more immature in front of the soldiers. She jogged after him. “I wish to observe your affinity with other weapons in order to decide which you shall be trained in,” he said in that same monotone. She continued to scowl at him.

 

“You do know that you don't have to talk like that all the time, don't you?” she muttered as they reached the weapons wall.

 

“Of what do you speak?” he asked formally, and her scowl grew until he shoved something into her hands. “How does this feel?”

 

She felt the weight of the staff she was holding, deciding that it was well-balanced, though she really had no idea how to tell. “Um… good enough…” He nodded sharply before piling more weapons onto her, and she quickly leaned the staff against the wall to repeat the balancing act with a sword, which she rested beside the staff, and a dagger, which she tucked into her obi as she had seen women in movies do. When it simply fell out, she began to lose faith in the wild Sengoku Jidai fantasy movies she had grown up on, but did manage to tie it on more securely, if less aesthetically. She repeated the process with the sword sheath, and gripped the staff firmly. She looked up and grinned at Sesshoumaru, watching blandly. “I feel like a warrior now!” she chirped jokingly.

 

“Well, that's nice, because you do not look it,” he reprimanded, and added, almost as an afterthought, “or act it.” She huffed, but he gestured to her hastily fastened sword and dagger. “Those will fall off at the first quick movement. And you are holding the staff too low; the top is too heavy, it will take more energy than necessary to keep it from falling over. You do not want to waste energy when in combat. And,” he ended, dragging his eyes across her body distastefully, “you are not dressed properly for a fight.”

 

She shifted her hold on the staff and looked down at herself, at the clothing she had earlier declared worthy of a hime, and now wished she had chosen an outfit more user-friendly. She looked back up at him and huffed again. “Well? What do you suggest we do now? I didn't exactly know I'd be showing off my amazing martial arts skills for the All Great and Powerful Taiyoukai of the Western Lands, Sesshoumaru-sama, when I got dressed this morning - afternoon -, did I?” she wondered sarcastically aloud, and imagined she could almost hear his teeth grinding at her audacity. “So, All Great and Powerful Taiyoukai? What would you suggest I do?”

 

“Change,” he said simply, turning to scan the dojo full of soldiers.

 

“But - I don't have any clothes with me! Other than the ones I have on, but you said they weren't appropriate for fighting, and even if I did have the right clothing, I'm not going to change right out here in public like this, I do have some modesty you know, and-” Her babbling cut off when he gestured to a female youkai in the crowd to come forward.

 

“State your name and species,” he commanded the newcomer.

 

She bowed low, pitch black hair falling over her shoulders from its high pig tails, before stating her answer to the wooden floorboards. “Reikou. Ookami youkai.”

 

Well, that was direct and to the point, Kagome thought dryly before refocusing on the one-sided “conversation” Sesshoumaru was having with the girl, who actually appeared to be a few years younger than Kagome herself. She managed to catch the end trail of what the taiyoukai was saying.

 

“… switch outfits.”

 

“What?” she yelped, again ignoring the nearby demons' flinching at the loud noise.

 

“The two of you will switch outfits,” he repeated slowly and clearly, as though he expected her to be incapable of understanding so complex an idea.

 

“Wha - Where?” she asked, managing to switch to a new trail of thought rather than have her hearing ability brought into question in addition to her intelligence.

 

He indicated a small door to the side with a slight tilt of the chin. As though he thought her truly slow enough not to comprehend the motion, he clarified, “In there.”

 

“Oh,” she mumbled, before turning toward the door to follow the ookami into what, upon entering and blinking away the darkness, she found to be a walk-in janitor's closet, of sorts. Cleaning supplies for the dojo floors, weapons, and armor sat in neat stacks beside extra incense and flint.

 

“So,” she began nervously when they were alone together in the tiny cubicle, “You're Reikou? A wolf demon? Glad to meet you. I'm-”

 

“-Human,” Reikou finished in a snarl, so different from the cool calm that she had shown in the main building. “That is all I need to know. Just undress so we can get this over with.”

 

“-Kagome,” the human finished quietly for herself, setting about untying the obi and unwrapping the layers.

 

Reikou finished escaping her practical clothes long before Kagome peeled off the last of her under-kimonos, and she leaned casually against a wall in her under-clothes, watching with a cold, scrutinizing gaze, leaving them in an uncomfortable silence.

 

As always, Kagome felt it to be her responsibility to break that uncomfortable silence.

 

“Hey, how come you don't like humans so much?” she asked, actually wondering at the answer.

 

Reikou grunted noncommittally, and Kagome thought she wouldn't say anything, until she did. “Before he came to his senses and mated my mother, my father thought he was in love with a human.” Her green eyes flashed angrily before settling back into that same cold, scrutinizing gaze.

 

“Really?” Kagome pushed, still curious.

 

“Yes. He had promised himself to my mother when she was young. The mating would have forged an alliance between his pack, of the South, and hers, of the far North. But before she could find him, to remind him of his promise, he met some priestess who could see the shards of some stupid jewel that a rival clan was using to empower their leader. He decided to look for the rest of these shards, to give himself power as well, and since she was apparently the only one who could find them…” She shrugged. “…he decided to mate her. Not unheard of, but he completely forgot about his promise. When my mother showed up, asking for help for her pack, he shrugged her off, choosing instead to follow this miko around like a lovesick puppy. Disgusting,” she sneered. “And - the most disgraceful part - the bitch didn't even love him back! She was following some idiotic inu hanyou around in the same way! And he didn't love her back, `cause he was still hung up over some dead bitch, who was, well, dead!” By this point, the wolf woman was in a full-fledged rant, and Kagome was feeling slightly sick to her stomach. “Pathetic. All of them. And, since he didn't come to her pack's aid, they were destroyed! Every last one of them! Dead! And Mother still loved him. Of course, the miko disappeared shortly after, and he did come to his senses, but since it took him so long, by the time my mother was finally pregnant - with me - they were at war with the same hanyou who had slaughtered her pack! During one of the battles, she received a hit to the stomach, and managed to get away just in time for an enforced labor. I came out fine, as you can see, but she died then, leaving the pack without an heir. And I… I am a girl, and incapable of inheritance. I was lucky just to get this position in Sesshoumaru-sama's military, in return for his hospitality towards my family, allowing us to take refuge here in the West. It's the only one of the four cardinal lands not to have fallen to Naraku, the same hanyou that has caused us all so much trouble. And, according to legend, he has been after that damn jewel, too, just like everybody else. Everything that ever goes wrong revolves around that jewel, and everything to do with that jewel goes wrong. And here I am, spilling my guts to some human miko with the same name as the bitch my father loved. Ironic, ne?” she asked, mouth twisting into a wry smile. “Are you done yet? I think there's a draft.”

 

Kagome nodded mutely, that nauseous feeling refusing to leave her, and handed the kimono layers over, accepting the soldier's uniform with a quiet “Thanks.” She put it on quickly, pulling the elegant chopsticks out of her hair and handing them over as well, slipping a hair tie from her wrist and putting it up in a low ponytail.

 

Reikou just shoved the chopsticks into a sleeve of the under-kimono she was wearing - having decided not to bother with the entire ensemble of cloth - and turned to the door with a curt “You ready?” before sliding it open and walking out, layers folded sloppily in her arms.

 

Kagome swallowed her nausea and sudden nervousness at having to spar with a demon lord who'd had over a hundred and fifty years to perfect the art before stepping outside after her new “friend”, blinking away the sudden brightness as she had the darkness upon entering the room.

 

 

(Random) Japanese Vocabulary: (shortened, v2.0) (new vocab in italics)
Hishu - Dagger
Houshi - Monk
Iyashii - “Humble” (the name given to Sango's mother/Kagome's servant)
Katana - Sword
Kitsune - Fox
Miko - Priestess or Shrine maiden
Neko - Cat
Obaasan - Grandmother (respectful) (“Baachan” is more familiar)
Ohayougozaimasu - “Good morning”
Okaasan - Mother
Ookami -Wolf
Otousan - Father
Oyasuminasai - “Good night”
Reikou -Strict enforcement (the name given to the demon who lends Kagome clothing)
-sama - suffix meaning Lord
Taijiya - Demon exterminator
Wabi - Quiet refinement (the name given to Kagome's mother)

 

 

Author's Note:Hey all, I know this is a bit shorter (and a lot later) than you're used to, but I figured I should get something up. I actually think I've sufficiently slaughtered my Writer's Block, at least for now, but reviews help a lot to keep it dead! Don't want another Kikyou on our hands! And If you didn't catch that reference to Kouga and Ayame, no offense, but you are unhealthily slow. You should see a doctor about that. Either that, or you haven't seen those episodes, in which case… I recommend looking for the episode summaries, available online! (What isn't?) So REVIEW! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

~FireFalcon1414