InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Synthetic Twilight ❯ VIIII ( Chapter 9 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Shippo laid in the grass upwind clutching his nose and moaned miserably. Daimasaru laughed, "Mommy, lookit Shippo, he's being a big baby!"
"Daimasaru! Stop making fun of Shippo and pay attention!" Sango barked. She turned back to Kagome, who was fanning the smoke off of a fire. "This is one way to bring out a demon and will sometimes incapacitate them but is not always reliable because, as you can see, the wind is not always reliable. We wear masks when using this method because the smoke affects humans as well, but not as serverly as demons. You can put that fire out now, Kagome-chan." Kagome nodded and poured the bucket of water that they had brought with them over the small flames. "Shippo," Sango called, "you may want to head back to the village, we're going to be using the pellets now."
"Okay," Shippo answered weakly and, still holding his nose, crawled back in the direction of the village.
"Now," Sango stood before her two pupils holding up a small, round green ball, "last week I had you make these, among other useful tools that we use." She checked the masks that were on her friend and son's faces. "Good, I'm glad to see that the two of you know how to properly wear your masks. We're going to see how well you've made these pellets yourself," she adjusted the mask of her own and her voice became somewhat muffled. "When you throw yours down," she said throwing the pellet she previously held hard on the ground, "the plume of smoke should look like this. This is a much better way of smoking something out because you do not have to rely on the wind, just throw it where ever you need it. It will also works as a deterant from a demon attacking you in a pinch, but does not hide where you retreat to like the blinding powder does, so only use it in this way as a last resort. Remember, this only works on demons with a good sense of smell so certain types of demons, like snakes for instance that only use their tongues to smell, will not be affected by it if they keep their mouths closed." Sango waited for the smoke to clear before she spoke again, "Okay, show me how well you've made yours!"
Kagome nodded again and threw one of the pellets that she had made the week before. She smiled behind her mask as the large plume of greenish smoke rose from where her pellet landed. Sango patted Kagome on the shoulder, "Good, good."
Daimasaru stood with his arms crossed over his chest looking disappointedly at the small wisps of smoke rising from where his had landed. Sango shook her head, "Not good enough, you'll have to go back over making those. Head back to the village and ask Jiro to show you how to make those again."
"But mommy-" he whined.
"Do as I say, you need to learn how to make these correctly before I'll train you any further."
The little boy put his head down and turned around, "Yes, mommy."
Kagome watched the little boy walk slowly up the hill heading into the village, "Sango-chan, aren't you being a little hard on him?"
Sango shook her head, "No, he approaches this as a game, but when he's older this could very well save his life. It's important for him to learn how to do these things correctly while he's still young."
"I see. Sango? How old were you when you first learned?" Kagome asked while unstrapping her mask.
Sango sighed and unsnapped her own mask from her armor, "Around his age, we've always encouraged the parents in our village to start training their children early. That way, if there's anything they have problems learning, they have a lot of time to perfect it before they set out on hunts of their own. We don't require everyone in the village to be demonslayers, though most of the people living here are. Still, it's useful knowledge to have."
Kagome sat the bag filled with the little green pellets gingerly on the ground, "Do you think- well, do you think that I'll have a hard time learning all this now?"
Sango smiled at her friend, "No, if you're determined to learn, then I am confident in you." She glanced around, "To be honest, I had a hard time with the pellets myself when I was a child and here you are making them so well first shot!" she finished laughing. "So have you decided on a weapon that you would like to learn how to use yet?"
Kagome laughed along with her friend, "Ah, not yet. The weaponsmith had so many to choose from!"
Sango nodded, "Choose a couple the next time we stop by and we'll stick with the one you're most comfortable with." She motioned for her friend to follow her up the hill.
Kagome walked beside Sango, "We're going back already?"
"Sort of, we've got to stop by the armorsmith first. Remember when I had Yuka take your measurements for a kimono?" Kagome nodded. "Well that was a half-truth," she said smiling, "most of the measurements were used to make a suit of armor like the rest of us have."
Kagome looked at her friend excitedly, "Really? I thought it was kind of strange that she was measuring around my arms and legs," she laughed.
Sango held open a flap to a hut, "Ren, is the armor I requested ready?"
The older man looked up from the metal he was shaping into a mask, "Yes, Sango-sama! I'll be right out with it."
Sango looked back at Kagome, "Hope you like red," she said smiling.
The man came back out carrying a black and red bundle in his arms and sat it down on the table. "Here you are! I'll be in the back while you try it on, let me know if it isn't a good fit!" he called disappearing into the back room again.
Kagome took off her clothes and pulled on the supple, mostly black leather body suit. Sango hovered around her, adjusting the straps on the red, hardened leather guards on her legs, shoulders, and arms. "Do the boots fit?"
"Yes, Sango."
"Are they a comfortable fit?"
"Yes, Sango."
Sango stood back and eyed Kagome critically, "Something looks missing. Ah!" she pulled out a black obi and tied it around Kagome's waist. "There we go. Walk around with it, how does it feel? Too snug? Too loose?"
Kagome marveled at how well the armor was made as she walked around the room, "No, it feels great! Yuka and Ren are pros!" she said laughing.
"Good," Sango said smiling, "because we're going to be starting on the more physical aspect of training tomorrow and it's better if you learn in what you'll be wearing."
Ren walked back into the room looking pleased with himself, "Glad to hear you appreciate our work!" He looked at the mask that Kagome had sat down on top of her clothes, "No design? Tch. I'll have to fix that, tell me, what would you be interested in?"
Kagome stared at the man, dumbfounded, "It needs a design?"
"Well of course! The trend going on lately are the demon faces, looks absolutely fearsome!" He held up the mask he had been working on, showing the large nose and growling mouth proudly, "Like this?" Kagome shook her head. Ren pouted, "I didn't think so, but it was worth a try! Did you have something in mind?"
Kagome thought for a minute, "I think so, wait here, I'll be right back!" Kagome ran to Sango's home and into the room she had been staying with Shippo. Pulling out a book on first-aid that she had a "Starry Night" protective cover over, she ran back to the armory clutching the book. She pointed to the sky on the painting, "Can you do something like this?" she asked.
Ren scratched his chin, "Looks complicated, but I like a challenge! He sat the mask on the book, "Come back in a week and I'll have a real mask for you!"
Kagome gathered her clothes and walked out with Sango. "So why that particular design, Kagome?" Sango asked.
She sighed, "It reminds me of the lights against the sky in my time," Kagome answered.


"Weave! Weave!" Sango shouted.
Kagome ran, zigzagging around trees as Shippo flung balls of foxfire at her from different angles. Her breath came out in pants, she had spent most of the day learning how to block basic hand to hand attacks with Miroku and then Sango had taken her out into the field to teach her how to evade attacks. It didn't hurt when Shippo's foxfire hit her, but Sango would start the exercise from the beginning. She couldn't figure out what exactly the goal to this exercise was, but she secretly thought it was because Sango simply enjoyed shouting "weave". The woman was making Inuyasha look like a saint, even when he'd push them at a hard pace for days at a time. He didn't make them start all over again when they got tired. Kagome looked down and saw her side glowing, Fuck!, she was hit again.
Sango shook her head, "Go back to the starting point and try again. Ready? Go! Remember to use the manuvers you've learned!" she shouted at her friend's retreating back.
Manuvers, yeah, I can do that. She would've laughed at the thought that even her thoughts sounded winded, she supposed, if she hadn't felt like she had been hit by a truck. She saw a blue ball of light coming at her and dove into a roll to escape it, regaining her footing quickly, she kept dodging and leaping over the logs Sango had placed around the trees. She was quickly coming to the point in the makeshift obstacle course where her friend told her would be the end of the day's exercises when Shippo started to rain more foxfire orbs at her. Christ! You'd think he'd go a little easier on me. She remembered that she was allowed to use the blinding powder she had made, though earlier she'd decided she wouldn't simply because it was Shippo that had been firing at her. Still, the end was so close and with his increasing blasts this became war. Sorry Shippo, but I can't hold out much longer. She grimaced as she pulled out two of the white capsules from under her left shoulder guards and threw them at Shippo.
Shippo sneezed and kept trying to shoot foxfire at his adopted mother. He heard the leaves of the trees rustle as his attacks flew into their branches instead of his target. Whoops! When the smoke cleared he saw his mother drinking greedily from the pitcher of water that had been left at the end of the course with Sango congratulating her.
"You could've finished this exercise earlier if you'd just used the blinding powder sooner," Sango said rubbing her friend's back.
"I was worried that it'd hurt Shippo," Kagome said between gasps.
"Ah, no, the powder doesn't physically blind the opponent. Think of it as being in a thick fog, you can't see anything unless it's very close to you -that's why you were allowed to use it. Aside from that, you moved very well!"
"Thank you, Sango-chan!" Kagome said, reaching for the pitcher again.
"Don't thank me, just remember, for every time you were hit and had to start again, that would have been a serious injury or death. If you have to retreat, whether it's to set up for an attack or to save yourself, use what you have to get it done. The demons we fight aren't ever going to take it easy on us, they know what we're there for, and we either kill it or it kills us. It's that simple."
"You don't have to say it like that" Shippo said with a disapproving look on his face.
"Yes she does, Shippo. I need to hear it." Kagome said softly.


"Ladies! Welcome, what can I do for you today? Has our newest addition come to arm herself?" asked the owlish-looking old man sitting amongst demon scraps and a multitude of very sharp, and very dangerous looking weapons. Kagome idly wondered if every weaponsmith had the same look about them. Granted he was only the second one she'd ever met, the first being Totosai, but this man seemed to be much more coherent.
"We're getting a manriki for certain, Toshi-san. The rest is dependent on what sort of weapon Kagome-chan chooses."
Toshi scratched his stringy white beard, "Manrikis I have a lot of. Take your time, look around. Ah, Kagome-sama? Might I suggest a close range weapon?"
Kagome sat the kusarigama she had been looking at back on the rack, blushing, "Toshi-san, there's no need to be so formal."
"No? You are not the Kagome-sama that traveled with Sango-sama and Miroku-sama to defeat the evil demon Naraku?"
"Well, yes, I am, but-" Kagome stammered.
"Then humor this old man, Kagome-sama." he said smiling. Reaching down he pulled out a scabard holding two short swords and sat them down, hilts facing Kagome, on a low table. "I made these shortly after you began your training with Sango-sama. I hesitated in giving them to you since I forged them using the remains of a fire demon, some demon enhanced armor and weapons are choosy about whom they serve, so I wasn't sure how it would react to you." Kagome touched the hilts gingerly and, when nothing happened, pulled the swords out of the scabard. Toshi clapped happily, "Oh they sang! They approve of you, but what do you think of them?"
Kagome admired the feel of the smooth leather wrapping around the handle and crossguard of the swords, Let's see if you really approve of me, she thought to herself. Concentrating on one of the swords, she let a little bit of her purification powers to flow into it. Both swords lit at the same time and small pink flames danced off of the blades. Toshi chuckled, "Uchikirijihi proved to be a fitting name for that pair, I'm glad they suit you. I'll keep the demons who cross you in my prayers."
"Toshi-san," Sango said, staring at the weapon in awe, "I've never seen a weapon like that before. How did you come up with the idea for them?"
"I can't take the full credit for them, I'm afraid, though I did improvise on the blade a bit." he brought out two more blades in a scabard like the one he had just gave Kagome. "These," he said, showing the blunt blades, "butterfly swords were my inspiration. The Shaolin Monks from China used these solely for defensive purposes against bandits who occaisionally try to steal their offerings.bought these in Kagoshima from a nanban and a half demon companion of his, they said that while in China, they met a monk who sold it to them so he could feed a family of orphans. I doubt there was any truth to it though, the nanban also told me that on a previous journey he and his crew were charged with piracy, but they were sent free when they charmed the women of the island they were being imprisioned on who then convinced the guards to let them go." he finished chuckling. Sango rolled her eyes.


Myoga broke out into a cold sweat as he waited outside the room Shoga was staying in. Natsuki popped her head out the door, "Shoga-chan will see you now".
He gulped as he saw his betrothed standing next to a Shinto priest. He was about to make a mad dash for the door when the memory of Sesshomaru's poison claws came to mind. "Myoga, do not run from this order."
"A-ah, Shoga, nice to see you again." he said nervously. "I hear you," gulp, "er, know something about a priestess reappearing?"
Shoga smiled wickedly, "I might know something" she purred. "Where a something is, what a something is doing, but for the life of me, I can't bring myself to tell what I know just yet." she batted her eyes coyly. "I know! Why don't we consider it my second dowery that I'll give to you after our wedding night?"
"W-wedding?" Myoga squeaked.
"Baricade that door, Natsuki-chan!" Shoga shouted. "Yes, wedding and after. I'm not making the mistake of giving you anything beforehand again. Now get up here and let's finish this." Myoga sobbed into his hands as he walked up to the alter with his future wife.




AN: manriki- a simple chain with weights on both ends used for snaring, disarming and attacking
kusarigama- the sickle-chain weapon Kohaku uses.
Uchikirijihi- Mercy's End (I probably worded it incorrectly, but it's fun to say!) From Uchikiri (end) and Jihi (mercy)
nanban- "southern barbarian" This was the term used to describe the europeans (except for the dutch who were called komo [red haired]) who traded with the japanese during Inuyasha's time period.
The butterfly swords Kagome is using are the modern versions, but they weren't crafted or used for killing until the 17th century... before that time, the monks used them to simply maim their attackers using the blunt blades because it was considered more 'humane'.

I do not own any of the characters from the manga/anime Inuyahsa.
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