~Year One~
~I’m Going To Die~
~Izu~ An unhappy lord makes for an unhappy castle.
This first year has been hard on the entire western castle. Lord Sesshomaru’s patience has been reduced to just about nothing. He keeps himself confined to his mated room, only allowing outside communication for food, bathing and business. Even on the business side of running his lands it has been mostly up to me to look after such affairs, as the western lord is uninterested in them.
Even I have to admit that I miss the presence of the Lady Kazuko and her pack. The other two Ryu-Inus and the fox kit provided a liveliness to the castle that hadn’t been around since the Dog General was ruling and Lord Sesshomaru was but a pup.
The sealing spell is holding well now after a slight mishap.
I hadn’t thought of the effects of the mating season would have on the young lord. Though he held no interest in any of the females around the castle, their heat scents had caused a stir in his inner demon. Thus we have had to ban all females in their heat from being in the castle and have sent them to help work with the Ryu-Inu guardians in restoring the village. Thankfully, due to the different race of demoness working in the western castle, we didn’t have to worry about them all being gone at once, since their mating seasons fell at different times of year.
The young human girl is growing at a rate that I am unused to, since humans grow so quickly. I believe she is ten now and each day she seems to turn more and more into a woman. The young Lady Rin has been just as down as her lord in the absence of the others, and even Jaken’s mood isn’t as high as it normally was.
Word has gotten around that Lord Sesshomaru cares for a young human female, and many offers for her hand in marriage have reached our gates, from both human and demon suitors. They no doubt are seeking the western throne. Since there are currently no true heirs from either Lord Sesshomaru or Prince Inuyasha, Rin’s status makes her the situational heir, and she would inherit the western lands if something were to happen to both of the Dog General’s sons.
Lord Sesshomaru has turned down all requests and doesn’t seem that interested in having anyone near the human girl in such a manner, and it isn’t hard to see why. He knows the situation as well as anyone else. Allowing one to court Lady Rin, would open the doors for deception and assassination attempts on him and his mate.
Prince Inuyasha and his group have shown up a few times to see if any more news on the demon Naraku has surfaced. Each time we have informed them of what little news has reached our gates, but I have promised, to Lord Sesshomaru’s displeasure, to send a messenger should any major news reach us.
~Shippo~ The fox court has welcomed me as one of their own.
I am trying to fit in with them the best I can. My father died before he could teach me any real fox ways, and thus I’ve learned more Inu ways and it shows. They are trying to teach me their fox ways, but it is hard since I’ve now completely learned and become Inu in nature. Even my instincts seem confused and are more dog than fox. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully fit in as a fox, but I will continue to try.
There is a young vixen, named Krein, who I have become good friends with. She is around sixty though she appears to be no older than nine or ten in human terms. She is half fox and half Ryu-Inu, the result of a secret love affair. Her mother, the Ryu-Inu, died in child-birth and thus she came to live with her father among the foxes. She is better able to understand my struggle with fitting in and offers as much help as she can.
Lady Lily, my aunt, has been dropping hints of how much she wants me to remain in the north instead of returning with the Ryu-Inu to the west. I have no intention of staying here, but I do not wish to offend and always tell her I’ll think about it anytime she brings it up. Lord Di understands my wish to remain with the pack I have now, and he does his best to try and convince his mate that it is only natural that I would wish to go with those who have raised me.
Thankfully there are trainers helping me with my fox magic. I have to admit that this is something I needed, but was unable to receive from anyone else in my pack. I can see real growth in my fox magic and can’t wait to show the rest of my pack what I’ve learned. I’ve been informed that I am a forest fox, and have a bond with nature. I should have guessed, especially since I always use leaves to help my magic work. The bond isn’t as strong as a Ryu’s elemental bond, but I can still draw on nature for strength and some healing.
Hawk has been good to me and stayed by my side in the training. She keeps me company when I feel out of place or just wish to be away from the others.
I listen around the northern castle for any rumors concerning the west or Ryo and Katina. So far the rumors are that Lord Sesshomaru has gone into an even more reclusive state than before, and no one seems to know why. Well, no one besides the northern royalty, Ryo, Katina, Koru, Kazuko and myself.
Sometimes Dagger comes by to pick up food and exchange news from Koru to the northern lord. He always tells me that Kazuko’s doing okay with her training, but he isn’t allowed to say any more than that. I have noticed that the guardian always seems tired when he returns, almost as if he hasn’t slept.
I always wonder what kind of training Kazuko must be doing and if she is really ok. Dagger never takes more than enough to feed two of them once, and he only comes about once a month. Maybe she is hunting as a part of her training, or else I couldn’t see how she could survive on just one meal a month.
I’m receiving writing lessons and can now write to Rin, I am filled with joy when her letters arrive. She tells me of the many suitors are now asking for her hand in marriage, and I am fearful that it won’t be long before she accepts one. I guess I just have to remember what Kazuko said, and try to be the best friend I can be, no matter how much it hurts.
~Ryo~ The Ryu-Okami Clan has not been as bad as I had thought they would be.
Most have accepted us with open arms, knowing the background we have gone through. A few of the older clan members still aren’t completely comfortable with what they consider an ‘enemy clan’ living and training in the heart of their territory. Kiba has kept them in line and they haven’t done anything other than offer a few grumbles in Katina and my direction.
Katina is really improving in her mage abilities and she has gotten to the point where she can heal large wounds. She hasn’t gotten to the point of being able to heal life-threatening wounds or mend muscles and bones, but she is working really hard to get there. The mages here say she’ll be a great healer by the time we finish training.
I have been doing my training with the soldiers of the Ryu-Okami army and getting extra help from the general when everyone else finishes. Some of the ways they fight aren’t as instinctual to me but I’ve managed to get the styles down and I figure it will give me some leverage. Not a lot of opponents would expect an Inu to use Okami fighting techniques. My elemental control is improving, but I have yet to get my father’s swords to work as they had for him.
I understand now what Masaru meant by those with Ryu-Inu blood still being alive. We’ve found a set of twins in the clan that are half Ryu-Inu. Their father, the Ryu-Inu, had been trying to convince his sister and her family to come to the Ryu-Okami village for safety when the clan had been wiped out. It goes without saying that they wish to aid in our assault on the east. Understandably, the north wishes to have no connection to the war they know we are to start with the east. Kiba has told them that he is not opposed to their helping, but if they are to join us it would have to be on a permanent basis.
We’ve been receiving news from the Ryu-Tori Clan. The messages have been addressed to Kazuko, but once they were told that she was in training that was not to be interrupted, they have begun addressing the messages to me. They have confirmed that the suspicions of Toro working with Naraku are true. The spider demon has made their joining of forces public and has intensified the enslavement of the subjects of the east.
The Ryu-Tori have warned us that Naraku’s numbers are much larger than first thought and are steadily growing. Apparently the half-demon is very persuasive and has been able to convince many unaffiliated clans to join him, along with some clans who fear the consequences of not joining him. Other clans are simply smaller and weaker ones who see Naraku’s rise to be a chance to make a name for their clans.
We’ve also been warned to look out for spies. There have been reports of a few infiltrating the western lands and I really wish I could talk to Kazuko about it, but no one knows where she and Koru are. So for now me and Katina have been taking in the information and having it delivered to Masaru when important matters have surfaced.
~Masaru~ The rebuilding of the village is coming along well.
With all of the remaining guardians able to work full time on repairs we are moving closer and closer to our goal. The goal is to have the entire village done by the time the others return from the north.
We’ve had extra help. Izu sends the females entering their heats to help us, which is useful for things that prove difficult due to our lack of proper hands. I was a bit unsure when Izu had first proposed the idea, but it has turned into a win-win. We get extra help, and the females get protection and a proper place to stay.
To Shadow’s annoyance, Totosai has yet to finish, or even start, the weapons that Kazuko has requested him to make. He swears he forgot and will have them ready in a year’s time. I’m going to have to think of another group to send to retrieve the weapons. Shadow looked ready for murder when they had returned empty handed.
I’ve picked up foreign auras from time to time closer to the village than I like. Each time I’ve sent a group to investigate, they have returned with nothing. Ryo has sent reports that spies have been spotted in the western lands and I’ve made sure that everyone is alerted.
Lord Sesshomaru is unreachable, but I have a group patrolling the western castle. I don’t know why Swift is charged with staying at the castle, but I’m willing to guess that it has something to do with the possibility of an attack. So if an attack were to happen, at least there are a few there to help defend while Swift gets word to the rest of us.
~Tai~ Something is not right about that half-demon.
I had no interest in his alliance yet Toro seems to believe that he is valuable in some major way. The eastern lord is basking in the fear that is spreading throughout the east and beginning to leak into other lands.
The plan to assault the Ryu-Inu clan remains a secret. We expect that the west will send its army as an aid this time, and we cannot rely on a surprise attack anymore. Somehow we have to figure out how to get and keep an upper hand. This is the only place that I will admit that the spider comes in handy. He’s more than doubled our forces.
One of our spies has reported that they do not think that the Ryu-Inus are in the west. He claims that when he was near the Ryu-Inu village he couldn’t pick up any recent indications of their presence, the newest ones were months old. The guardians are still there, from his reports, but no sight of the Ryu-Inus.
We’re not willing to do much with this information quite yet. It’s only to be expected that Kazuko would stay at the western castle instead of the village, and we have been unable to infiltrate the castle. For now we can assume that the others are also staying at the castle, perhaps suspicious of our plans.
Naraku has begun to make plans, plans he isn’t including Toro in. Yet the eastern lord seems unconcerned. We’ve received news of numerous clans, human and demon, pledging their alliance to him alone, and not the east.
The spider demon has warned us of another half-demon, Lord Sesshomaru’s younger brother, Inuyasha. Apparently he travels with three humans and a neko demon. Naraku seems convinced that the half-demon could provide some kind of major problem for us and has constantly requested out aid in eliminating the half-dog. Toro refuses, as I believe he should. Why should we be concerned about some human loving dog? Apparently this Inuyasha has some jewel shards that the spider wants.
How weak, to depend on the power of a jewel.
We’ve already planned to seek and kill the mutt once the war is over. Our only reason for seeking him out would be to take complete control of the west. Once we dispose of Sesshomaru, Kazuko, and that human charge, that half-demon will be the only heir left that has any true claim on the lands. We’ll kill him and be able to claim the entire western lands without having to worry about anyone trying to interfere.
If all goes right, we plan to strike after the next council meeting. There is no doubt that the west and the Ryu-Inu are still tense and awaiting an attack. If we wait a decade and show no signs of hostility towards them at the council meeting, it will cause them to lower their guards. Once their guards are down, we strike.
~Kilala~ The search for the jewel shards has stalled.
The jewel Naraku has is almost complete and we’re pretty sure there are only five shards left: The two we have, the two in Kouga’s legs and the one in Kohaku’s back. Thankfully we know that Naraku can’t get his hand on those for now and we can consider them safe for the time being.
We’ve tried to search for Naraku, or we did until we found out he has formed an alliance with the eastern lord. Before, when it was just Naraku, we had no problem approaching him once we found him. But now he has an entire land protecting him and any chances of getting closer have been severely thwarted.
Inuyasha refuses to admit to it, but it would appear that the only chance we’re going to have against Naraku is to join the western force. Of course, the half demon has no wish of fighting alongside his brother but we’re trying to convince him that it is the only way that we’re going to stand a chance. Plus it has become widely rumored that a war between the east and the west will happen. Inuyasha says he’ll go if there is a war.
“If that bastard dies, then I’ll have to take over. I’m not interested in ruling no lands.” He had said and we believed him and hoped for the sake of the western people that Inuyasha never had to rule. While he was more compassionate than his brother, he was too hot-headed to deal appropriately with anything of a diplomatic nature.
We visited the western castle to see if there has been anymore news about Naraku. Every time we’ve gone, an old fox by the name of Izu has received us. He seems nice enough and has always provided us with any information he has heard, though it is usually information that we already knew.
Each time we go, Sesshomaru has never made an appearance, though his aura is always there. Something about his aura is different; it does not seem as intimidating as it normally does. I don’t know what could have caused the change. I’ve heard that bonded males are different than normal males and I have not been around the western lord since before he had fully bonded with Kazuko.
We’ve asked about Kazuko and the others, but the fox only gives us updates on Ryo, Katina and Shippo. He’s told us that the training Kazuko is going through is a heavily guarded secret and no one knows what’s going on besides her and the Ryu-Okami Shogakko. Izu informs us that she’s fine and will be back within a decade’s time.
Rin is growing. Even though I don’t know the young girl very well, I can tell that she is growing as she should. Kagome has offered to bring Rin back to the village so that she can have some human interactions that aren’t negative. We haven’t heard from Sesshomaru, but Izu says he wants her to stay at the village with us. Rin’s fear of humans has to be eased or she won’t be able to live a normal life. Kagome and Izu have agreed that starting next year Rin will stay at the village for the spring, summer and fall, and then she will stay at the western castle for the winters.
~Kazuko~ “You need to learn to master all of your elements. Since electricity seems to be your main element, you were born with a natural mastery of it.” Koru said as he motioned to the yellow dragon around my waist. “Now it’s time for you to learn how to master the others. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, each corner possess an elemental area. The electricity element is usually mastered in the center, but you don’t have to worry about that.” “Ok, so how do I learn to master the elements?” I asked. “You will go to each corner, one at a time, and sit in the middle of the area and close your eyes. The rest will come to you. The experiences differ for each Shogakko so I cannot tell you what may happen.” He said and motioned to the four corners. “You can decide which one you start with.” “I’ll start with water, it doesn’t seem that difficult. Plus it’s winter, so the snow should help.” I said going over to the stream, right under the waterfall, and sat on the boulder in the middle. “So, I just close my eyes and something will happen?” “Ah water, the element of unpredictability. One moment it is calm and serene, the next its waves are trying to destroy you. It’s an element none can fight against.” Koru commented and I gave him a raised eyebrow. “Yes, just close your eyes and the training will begin. Might I offer you one bit of advice?” “Sure.” I responded. “Don’t die.” He said with a grin. The moment I had closed my eyes I had been brought to this land of water. I was in the middle of the sea and couldn’t see any land no matter where I looked.
I had no idea how long I’ve been here. The sun never rose; the full moon just stayed bright above me.
“Just give up; you’ll never make it out of my sea.” Oh and there was her.
Upon arriving here, I had been confronted by a copy of myself, only this copy was made completely out of water. She stayed floating just above the water’s surface. She had been very insistent on making sure that I knew there was no way out.
I had tried attacking her, but it’s proved pointless to attempt to hurt something that is made out of water and is in the middle of water. Plus I had learned that I couldn’t use any of my elements here.
“How is this supposed to help me master the water element?” I questioned, glaring daggers at the copy of me. “From the looks of it I’m going to dissolve.” I murmured as I could feel my skin getting wrinkles from being wet for so long.
“Why should I help you?” She responded.
It was always the same thing with her. No help. She just kept telling me that I needed to give up. Even if I wanted to give up, I had no idea how.
I was unable to transform, which blocked any chances of flying out of here. My body was soaked to the bone. I felt the effort of staying afloat, and my lack of sleep, wearing on my stamina. The only positive I could see, was that other than the annoying copy of me and the effort of staying afloat, this was a peaceful place.
‘And this salty water isn’t even drinkable.’ I thought sourly as I tried to think of anything that could help.
‘I don’t think I have the strength to stay afloat for much longer.’ “Then it is time for me to destroy you.” The water copy of me said and I looked over in confusion. “I am you; I know all of your thoughts.” She said with a smirk.
“Of course you do.” I grumbled. I didn’t have the time, or the strength, to respond as she moved her arms and waves began to form and crash into me.
‘Shit!’ I thought as I tried to fight against the flow of the waves as they continued to buffet me.
It seemed the more I fought against the water the harder my struggle became. I got to the point where I was sinking below the surface more often and staying there longer. I couldn’t make any headway no matter how hard I tried. With nothing to hold onto I could feel my body getting tossed around.
‘Somehow this doesn’t seem to be a fitting end.’ I thought as I began to feel myself giving into the numbing sensation that was beginning to creep though my body. It was hard to tell if darkness was beginning to close in on me, since this place was in a constant state of night and under the water it was just as dark, but I could definitely tell that the moonlight was fading.
A swimming lesson I had had when I was younger came to mind. We had always been told that you never swim against the tides or a wave if you were stuck, always flow with it. I didn’t have the energy to swim anymore, but I could let my body go and allow the waves do with me as they wished.
The water stopped and I could feel myself brimming with relief.
And then I began to feel a strong pull and was confronted with the sight of a giant whirlpool.
“Ah water, the element of unpredictability. One moment it is calm and serene, the next its waves are trying to destroy you.” Koru’s words rang in my ear and I could see what he meant. Just as I thought I’d gotten a hang of what was going on, it had to change up.
‘My swimming instructor never said anything about whirlpools, most likely because there weren’t any where we were.’ I thought as I tried to think of what could be done. As I thought it over, I was aware of myself getting pulled further and further into the whirlpool so that I began spinning around the center.
‘I’m going to be sick.’ I thought as I found it hard to think straight with everything swirling around me.
‘Any ideas?’ I questioned my inner demon.
Nope. ‘Thanks.’ So I could see there wasn’t going to be any help there.
‘I wonder what’s in the middle of a whirlwind anyway. They say the center of the storm is the safest and calmest place to be, why should it be any different with a whirlwind, it’s just a giant sea storm.’ I thought but didn’t really have any real evidence to back up my thoughts. Either way, I was getting closer and closer to the center and there was no way I could swim my way out. I could wait for this thing to swallow me or I could face it head on.
“Here goes.” I said as I put the last of my strength into swimming towards the center and cleared my mind. Just as I reached the black depths that I couldn’t see beyond I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and pushed forward.
To my surprise I felt solid, sandy ground under my hands and legs. It was almost as if I was on a beach. I opened my eyes to find that, as I had thought, I was now lying face down, on a beach. I hesitantly tried to stand, and failed. However long I’d been in the water, my legs were still sea weary. I settled for simply pulling myself into a sitting position and looked out onto what I guessed to be the sea I had been trapped in.
“You made it out.” I looked up to see the same watery copy of me from before.
“What you going to try and drown me again?” I questioned.
“I might.” She said and charged at me.
The best defense I could offer was to put my arms up in front of my face. I felt that water splash at me and then began to feel it absorbing into my body. As the water entered my pores I could feel a sensation of calmness coming over me.
“Well done, Shogakko Kazuko.” I lowered my arms to see a dragon standing before me on the beach. He was covered in blue scales that glowed like the sea in the moonlight. “You have learned the mastery of the element of water.”
“What?” I questioned now beginning to understand, but still relieved.
“Water is an element of shifts and flow that ultimately requires a calmness of the mind and body to control. Your entire life you’ve resisted the shifts around you and fought them; your ‘courtship’ to the western lord an example of such resistance. To master the water element, you must learn that it is okay to allow yourself to be swept away, so long as you do it calmly and with deep thought. Just because things are not going your way, does not mean you cannot still be in control of them.” The dragon spoke as he eyed me. “Once you learned to accept the flow and became one with it, you were able to achieve more than you had from fighting against it and your thoughts became clearer. Remember that sometimes fighting against something can be more dangerous than going with it. Never let your thoughts get too cloudy like a tossing wave, but they must always remain calm like a clear pond. Don’t be afraid to go into the unknown. Even when doubts try to cloud your mind, you must remain clearheaded.”
“I think I get it.” I said as I thought over his words. He was right; it wasn’t until I cleared my thoughts and went with the flow that things got better. “Thank you.”
“Go forth and master the rest of the elements. I have faith that you will do well.” The dragon said as he came over to be and placed his nose against my forehead.
The moment he made contact I could feel my body jolt and I opened my eyes to see that I was back in the training grounds sitting on the boulder. Again I tested the muscles in my legs, and was relieved when they worked properly and I was able to stand. I shook off what seemed to be a mountain of snow.
“Welcome back and congratulations.” I turned to see Koru and Dagger standing a few feet from each other, it looked as if they had been sparing. They dropped their stances and came over to me.
“Thanks.” I grumbled as I looked down to my left arm. I now had a blue dragon whose head rested in my palm and wrapped around my wrist and arm until the tip of the tail reached my elbow. I looked up at the barely visible sun, as the snow fell and smiled. It seemed to be just past noon. “Guess it just seemed like a long time.”
“Huh?” Koru asked as he came forward and offered me a blanket and some food.
I took them and felt my mouth water. My stomach felt as if I hadn’t eaten in days. “It felt like I was in there forever, but I guess it’s only been a few hours, since the snow is still falling so hard.” I said as I sat and began to eat. Koru began to chuckle and I looked up to him and asked between bites. “What’s so funny now?”
“You were in the other realm for more than a few hours.” He said and continued when I gave him a confused look, too hungry to talk when I could be eating. “You’ve been in there for just over a year.”
Immediately I began to choke on what I was eating as I looked at him. “What do you mean I’ve been in there for a year?!”
“As I said, you’ve been in there for a year. I was beginning to wonder if we could really get this training done in a decade’s time. It normally takes a decade just to master the first element, then a few years for the ones after.” Koru said as he seemed to be looking me over for injuries. “It was rather…difficult when you’re mating season hit. I doubt you felt it in the meditation, but we definitely could. Dagger and I had to patrol the base of the mountain because the scent was attracting stray demons, and we could not afford for anyone to find this place.
“I can’t believe I was out for that long.” I said and thought about it. “I mean it felt like a long time, but I had no idea how time was passing out here, the night never ended.”
“We’ve received news from the western castle, Ryo and Masaru.” Koru said catching my attention. “Continue eating. We’ll fill you in while you do.”
As I continued eating they told me everything that had been going on.
“That’s all the news we have for now. “Koru finished up and looked towards the sky. “The sun is setting. I’d get to sleep if I were you. You’ll be starting your next elemental mastery training when the sun rises. Enjoy your one night of sleep.” He said and I looked down at the blanket I had.
‘Looks like I’ll just have to make the best of it.’ I thought which wasn’t that hard to do. The year’s lack of sleep hit me hard as I lay down.
Before my head hit the ground, I had blacked out.
