~Year Six~
~Choices~
~Izu~ Lord Sesshomaru has chosen to meet with the southern lord, Ryku.
It came as no surprise for myself, though the rest of the western and southern lands seem to be in a state of shock from this decision. They do not understand the full reasoning for Lord Sesshomaru’s visit. They do not know he has little interest in trying to get Lord Ryku to reconsider his alliance with the east. It is merely a cover.
His true intentions were to find a way to get into the north. Yet he cannot simply enter the north. He plans to make it appear as alliance negotiations. He is traveling to the south first so that no one questions his true intentions.
He spent the spring in the south going through ‘talks’ with the southern lord that went surprisingly well. The south has retracted its’ public alliance with the east and has declared itself an independent nation that has no need to receive or give aid to another nation. They boisterously announced that they can support themselves. Despite this public display, I doubt that the south has truly severed all ties with the east for long.
Word of the newest residence of the Ryu-Inu village has finally reached us. I had assumed Lord Sesshomaru would have been a bit peeved at having so many from another land having taken refuge in his land without his knowledge. Yet the western lord took the information with a small ‘Hn’, his way of saying he’d allow them to stay. The guardian leader, Masaru, says that he sees no immediate threat from the orphans but that he is still keeping a close eye on them.
The other guardian, Sage, and a few of his helpers have been making more and more frequent trips to the castle. They have been sorting through the scrolls with such an intensity it makes me wonder what it is that they are looking for. They never speak of what they are searching for, but I can guess that they are making progress because the occasional exclamation of jubilation can be heard from the room they use.
During the summer we received quite the venom laced letter from the northern lands. It was not from Lord Di, but instead his mate Lady Lily. Her anger was more so pointed towards Kazuko and her pack, than the western lands in general. But with Kazuko and the others being in the eastern lands, it puzzles me why Lady Lily chose to send the letter to us, rather than confront the Ryu-Inus herself. I know that Kazuko’s location is a mystery, but from what I gather, Ryo and Katina are in the Ryu-Okami village.
I only read the first line which told me, in a very angry fashion, who the letter was too. Once I saw that the recipient was to be Kazuko and her pack, I placed it aside, to be given to them upon their return.
~Shippo~ I’ve chosen to stay with the Ryu-Inu.
It’s not exactly a new choice, but I’m finally voicing it to my aunt and uncle. Lord Di took it well enough, but he also said that he’d always had a feeling I would choose such. The northern lord has told me that all he wishes is that I will visit often and try and learn as much about fox culture while I'm here. I’ve told him that I wouldn’t have it any other way, they’re my family by blood, and I cannot forget that.
Lady Lily on the other hand was not so happy to hear this. I could still remember the conversation that I had accidently over heard the night I told them.
I was heading towards the training grounds for some night training with the northern army recruits, as I passed my uncle’s study I could hear Lady Lily’s voice. It was raised to such a level that she almost seemed to be shrieking. “Surely you’re not going to just let him leave?!” She said in a shrill voice. “I see no reason to make him stay. He can make his own choices.” Lord Di said, his voice maintaining a level calm. “He’s just a kit! He’s too young for choices like this.” The northern lady responded. “He may be young, but he is not a kit. Given the life he’s had so far, he has grown faster than most.” Her mate responded. “Still, he’s the only male of our bloodline; it makes him the true heir for now. You can’t let him go running off with mutts into a mutt infested land.” Lady Lily growled. “Are you insulting the lord of the western lands?” The fox king questioned and I could imagine his eyes narrowing as he awaited the response. “Uh…well no of course not!” She hastily replied. “I’m talking about the bitch he mated with and their pathetic little pack.” She sharply added. “Insulting the mate of a lord, and the leader of one of the Ryu clans, that’s taking it too far Lily.” Lord Di said the warning clear in his voice. “They’re going to war with the east, and that half demon menace! Shippo will not be safe with them…” She was cut off. “The decision is Shippo’s and we will stand by him no matter what. Remember it was them that have been there for him since his father’s death, not us.” He said. I quickly took off as I heard the door beginning to open. Lady Lily has been distant since then, and I can only hope that eventually she will come to see why I made the choice I did.
~Katina~ The Ryu-Okamis have chosen to help us should the war between the west and the east become realized as we all know it will.
The leader, Kiba, told us that he intends to speak with Lord Di before the next council meeting about it. He believes that if for some reason we fail, that Naraku and Toro will not be satisfied once they get the taste of victory. Kiba says it’s better that we stand up against them together than to fall separately. I’m not entirely sure if his words were a complement or a hidden insult, but I am happy that they are choosing to fight beside us.
Ryo is getting further in his training with every passing day. He has managed to get his swords to come to life with power and even manage to keep them that way throughout a heavy sparring session. He still becomes very weary once he has finished, but progress is still being made. His goal is still to match or surpass his father’s powers and get the blades to come to life at his mere touch, and I believe he will be able to do it eventually.
Masaru has reported that the orphans are making good progress, and I think he is even beginning to enjoy having the orphans around. I wish I could meet them now, but I look forward to seeing them when we return to the village. It will be like a ‘welcome back’ gift for all of us. Apparently he also had sent over something for Kazuko, no one knows what it is exactly because it had been wrapped, but the word around the land is that it was a weapon of some sort.
Our reports and letters from the Ryu-Tori have shrunken to nothing, and I wonder what is going on in the east and I can tell Ryo feels the same. It was comforting to have an inside report from the east, so that we could know if anything big was coming up that we needed to know about. But since Naraku’s surprise visit, we haven’t heard anything from them. Now we are blind to the east and it makes us uneasy.
We heard about Sesshomaru’s trip to the south and how well that worked out. As usual rumors have again popped up, since he made the trip on his own without Kazuko. It is common for mates of a lord to travel with them to other lands, but it is not required. We’ll just have to wade through these rumors like the last, though these have an added element of annoyance. It would appear that some have taken these rumors too seriously and apparently courtship request are being sent for Lord Sesshomaru. I doubt he is taking any of them seriously, but it irks me to think that there are those out there that would think they make a better match to the western lord than Kazuko.
Supposedly Sesshomaru plans on coming to visit with Lord Di, I wonder if Kazuko knows about that. From what I heard they haven’t been telling her about anything dealing with Sesshomaru. So I suppose they would keep this information from her as well, considering it would be a huge distraction.
~Masaru~ I have chosen to accept the orphans as possible members of the of the Ryu-Inu clan. I cannot accept them as full members, only Kazuko can do that, but I have expressed my feelings that I accept the orphans.
The village is thriving and the young ones are becoming more and more immersed in our customs and history. Though I heavily miss the Ryu-Inu clan of old, I cannot deny that this new clan brings me hope and a sense of joy as I watch the village thrive.
Fuho, Sira, Ayki, Hio and Po have discovered their magical abilities, and have chosen to go the path of a mage and Sage is more than happy to train them. They are coming along well in their studies, though often times I will be alarmed at loud noises and smoke that come from where they are practicing potions and spells at. So far we’ve gotten away with a few minor injuries, like burnt patches of fur or temporary blindness, nothing too serious; though Sage did go hairless for a few months.
Wei, Pyra, Iko, Tryu, Lia, Riyo, and Xio are all continuing with battle training and show great promise. They have skills that can only come from living at outcast for so long. All have already learned the value of teamwork and dependence on their comrades having lived with each other in the wilderness for so long. Only Iko, the oldest, has any true formal training, but even that isn’t very extensive. They are all working hard and many nights I have awaken to see them sparing and training on the training grounds. Each has found their weapons of choice from the vast collection of weapons we were able to recover, most of which had been held in the western armory.
Wei and Lia have chosen twin daggers that go well with their fire element. Pyra’s choice of twin battle fans makes sense considering her wind element. Iko has chosen a pair of gloves with metal claws that spark with his lightning element. Tryu’s water element flows well with his staff. Riyo now has twin swords to control his wind element, and his brother Xio has chosen twin maces to control his earth element.
The youngest two, Meipo and Nyko, are too young to do any training so they have been doing their studies over the history of the clan and helping tend to the village and the crops we have started growing in the fields we have re-sown. Neither has discovered their elements yet, and that has always been the marking point of when a pup is to begin training. Both look to have the potential to become warriors, since neither has shown any magical prowess that mages have, and they spend any spare time they have watching the battle training sessions. But only time will tell which paths they will choose.
~Tai~ The south has chosen to retract its alliance with the east.
Toro is furious.
Naraku seems unconcerned.
That damn half-demon almost seems happy that the south has retracted, but I know the spider’s game. I didn’t become general of the entire eastern army for my looks.
Naraku, as well as Toro, knows that now Naraku holds a greater upper hand. With the south allied to us, if things went sourly, Toro could depend on the aid of the south to drive out Naraku and his forces. But now, with the south no longer an ally Naraku’s forces outnumber ours over ten to one. While the boost in numbers is great for taking down Sesshomaru and the western lands, it will prove to be a major problem if the half-demon grows too arrogant.
There is a bit of good news.
An old prophecy has resurfaced that has Naraku concerned, though he refuses to admit it. I can sense his fear as he thinks about it. But given the prophecy, he has good reason to be worried.
An old seer had entered the war room while Toro and Naraku had been discussing a plan of attack, now that the south has retracted. I watched the seer walk in with a passing glance, knowing the old, blind demoness often wandered through the castle. She had never proven to be a problem and we had more important things to discuss. Yet her milky, unseeing eyes had locked onto Naraku as she walked forward so that she was standing directly in front of the spider. “Toro, if you would excuse your subject from the room.” Naraku said in a slightly disgusted look to the seer. “Ai, leave this room immediately and do not return until…” Toro was cut off before he could finish his order. “So you’re the half demon that has resurfaced the prophecy.” She stated, still locked on Naraku. “Have you no control over your subjects, Toro.” Naraku questioned with an annoyed tone. “Did you know that every seer is born with a prophecy? It is called a Life Prophecy. The fulfillment of this prophecy marks the end of that seer’s life.” Ai said. “Finally see your prophecy come true? I guess you’re here to tell us your time is coming soon and that we should find another seer.” Naraku sneered. “My time has not come yet, but it is coming soon.” The seer said, cracking an ominous smile. “But I believe you would be interested in knowing my Life Prophecy.” She said closing her eyes only to have them open, shining a lethal red. “The spider will weave many in its web and cause great division. It will seek to control all, but it shall fail. Its’ demise will come on the wings of a dragon, between the fangs of a beast and in the paws of one who controls the storm.” The seer’s eyes faded back to their normal white as she left the room. ~Kilala~ Sango chose to go through with her pregnancy.
Once she was within a month of her birthing, Miroku finally decided to tell her of the risks, since he and Inuyasha hadn’t been able to find any help for the situation and had no choice but to tell her. It had come as a huge shock for Sango, Kagome and I, bringing tears to the eyes of the two women. Miroku offered her the choice of terminating the pregnancy and not trying for a child until Naraku is dead, but Sango refused.
Miroku nearly died when he heard her decision to still birth the child, he passed out on the spot before she had finished explaining her choice. Inuyasha and Kagome had to help get him into Kaede’s hut until he came to the following day.
Sango expressed that she was fearful, but at the same time she didn’t want to lose the life of her child, her mothering instincts having already kicked in. Miroku only tried to talk her out of it once more, but it was clear that Sango was not going change her mind.
Kaede and Kagome came up with an idea to try and deliver the infant safely. They were able to have Miroku make another pair of prayer beads. They created a barrier around the child while it was still in Sango and kept it in place while they delivered the child and figured out which hand it had the wind tunnel on. Once the child was fully out, they dropped the barrier and successfully placed the beads around the child’s cursed hand, the left hand.
It had been a grueling day, as Inuyasha and I had the responsibility of keeping Miroku occupied and away from the birthing room. Yet it was all worth it once Kagome came and got us, with the good news that both mother and child had made it through safely.
Miroku was overjoyed to see his new infant daughter. She had Miroku and Sango’s shared black hair and brown eyes. They named her Megumi, and call her their little blessing. Sango stayed with Kaede until she had recovered enough to make the trip back to the slayers village. Sometime during the birth, Rin had disappeared from the village. No one knew where she was, and a lot of the villagers feared what would happen when news of this reached the western castle, and more specifically Sesshomaru.
Luckily, we came across the young girl as we headed for the slayer’s village. Rin was on a dirt path heading in that direction. It would appear that she is determined to become a slayer, and we could not persuade her otherwise. She said if we took her back to the village, she would just keep leaving to come to the slayer’s village. Sango and Miroku finally gave in and allowed her to come with us, figuring it would be safer than having her traveling through the wilderness by herself.
~Kazuko~ I chose to sleep with Koru.
I had already lost the battle to my instincts, and the change in Koru’s eyes and aura told me the same for him.
Thankfully Dagger showed up before it could escalade to that point. The guardian had to be sent by the kamis because he showed up just in time.
“I’m not going to be able to train while my heat is interfering, and we both know what it will take to get it to go away.” I heard my voice growl seductively. “I would never disgrace you in such a way, Lady Kazuko. You are Lord Sesshomaru’s mate and lady of the western lands.” Koru said, sounding as if he were trying to settle his own mind. “Sesshomaru is not here, and we don’t have to tell him.” I snarled. “Dagger is…” Koru said quickly, only to look around for the missing guardian. “Dagger is at the northern castle for the week.” I finished for him. Koru seemed at a loss for words as his eyes flashed from their usual green to red. “This…is…not right.” Koru’s voice strained as he battled with his inner demon that seemed to have no objections to what I offered. “It’s for the greater good.” I wish I could have said I was disgusted with myself for the sultry tone that I used, but at the moment I didn’t care. ‘Koru! Kazuko!’ Dagger’s howl split through the tension in the air and immediately diffused the situation. I crouched and slashed out my claws, and Koru jumped back, almost completely across the clearing before I looked up to Dagger. “Hey I thought you wouldn’t be back for days.” I said, straightening myself. With a sidelong glance I could see that Koru’s eyes had returned to normal, though his aura still had a slight edge to it. ‘That was the plan, but something important has come up. Lord Di wanted me to come and inform the two of you right away.’ The guardian said as he landed. ‘Naraku was at the northern castle.’ Dagger said getting a low growl from both Koru and I. “Was Toro with him?” Koru asked. ‘No it was just Naraku.’ Dagger said. “What did that coward want?” I huffed. ‘He apparently tried to lure Lord Di into an alliance with the east and south.’ Dagger answered. ‘Lord Di refused of course, but he wanted to let you two know. He doesn’t think Naraku picked up any hints of your presence in these lands, but he wanted to make sure that you knew just in case.’ Dagger answered. ‘I’m going to head back to the castle now, to finishing helping…’ “NO!” Koru and I had shouted at the same time, earning a surprised and confused look from Dagger. “We would like you to help. I believe facing two opponents will push Kazuko to be able to get through this part of the training faster.” Koru said, and I was thankful because I hadn’t had an excuse for my outburst. ‘Oh, well I’d be honored to help Lady Kazuko with her training.’ Dagger said with a dip of his head. Training from there had started off a bit awkwardly, with Dagger sensing out unease. But as our mindsets returned to what we had ahead of us, we were able to fall back into the usual routine of keeping the sparing up. The rest of the year passed without any other major incidents.
I’ve been getting better at calling forth my elements and Koru thinks I’m almost there.
“Four elements, not bad.” Koru said as he charged me, and I dove out of the way and rolled to soften the impact. I had managed to get my lightning, earth, wind and water elements to become one with me and activate at my will. The only thing left was fire and it was being a bitch to work with.
Dagger was already swiping at me with his claws and I had to jump to avoid any serious damage. He managed to scratch my leg, but with the small tornado wrapping around my leg only four small scratches appeared.
“Any hints how to get fire on the same page with the rest of the program?” I asked, and mentally sighed as they both gave me confused looks.
‘I suppose that isn’t a common saying quite yet, sometimes I forget this isn’t the time I grew up in.’ I thought before rephrasing myself. “Do you have any tips to help me get fire down?”
“Oh,” Koru said drawing the word out a bit. “It is all about balance. You’ve reached a balance with the rest of the elements, now you just have to do the same with fire.”
“Really helpful.” I mumbled as I jumped towards Koru.
The Ryu-Okami dodged and I could see Dagger coming out of the corner of my eye. I sent a quick blast of ice towards the front paws of the guardian, causing him to stumble and trip. I refocused on Koru and kicked, aiming for his chest. This time he jumped back and I gave a slight smirk, as I kept my foot out and allowed a pillar of packed earth to shoot from my leg and into Koru’s chest, sending him backwards.
“It would seem I am losing a bit of my edge.” Koru said as he pulled himself up and stood facing me.
“More like I’m getting better.” I replied with a smirk.
“No… that can’t be it.” Koru responded with a smirk of his own.
“Wow, can’t just let me have one compliment can you?” I rolled my eyes as I ran forward and aimed a punch at his head.
He moved over and grabbed my wrist before pulling it behind my back and trapped it there. I could feel the heat of his breath, contrasting to the cold air against the tip of my ear. “You’re scent is alluring.” He whispered.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I growled back quietly, so that Dagger could not hear. My eyes widened slightly as I thought about what time of year it was and took a deep inhale. I could just barely pick up traces of my impending heat. With a quick twist I was able to land a knee in his crotch and wretched my hand away, causing a little discomfort.
I jumped back so that I was standing next to Dagger. “You know there was one time when I truly felt the control over fire I now have over the other elements.” I called.
Koru mumbled a few select words as he straightened up from where he had been hunched over. “When was that?” He asked his voice strained.
“I don’t remember it all completely. But Inuyasha, Sesshomaru’s younger brother, had really ticked me off. I felt myself gather control of the elements before I blacked out.” I answered.
“Extremes can cause brief expanses of full power.” He responded in a more level tone.
“What if we did something like that? I might help me get this fire element under control.” I suggested.
“I don’t think now is the time to let emotions run free.” He said and I understood his hidden meaning.
“What about a life-threatening situation?” I continued when I got a nod. “Inuyasha’s demon blood takes over when his life is in danger. What if we tried that? If it works, then we’ve managed to speed up the training. If it doesn’t then we lose a week at the most for me to recover.” I justified.
“I suppose…” Koru trailed off. “If this doesn’t work, we tell no one about this. I’d prefer your mate not think I tried to kill you.”
“You have my and Dagger word.” I answered and Dagger gave a nod.
‘How are we going to do this exactly?’ Dagger barked cautiously.
“I have an idea.” Koru said. “I’m going to entrap you in water. I’ll monitor you and if it looks like this isn’t going to work you signal and I will release you.”
“Not bad.” I said and nodded to Koru.
“Step away please, Dagger.” Koru said and waited until the guardian moved to stand beside him. He raised his hand and I watched a bubble of water form around me.
I had to fight to keep myself from instinctually trying to free myself. Instead I closed my eyes and tried to find that hidden source of power that I hadn’t yet been able to tap that was my fire element.
‘You alright in there Kazuko?’ I heard the muffled voice of Dagger through the water.
I gave a slight nod and went back to searching. Being a demon it took longer for my lungs to begin craving air, but I eventually felt the familiar feeling of suffocation coming over me. My head started to feel light and my muscles began relaxing without my say so.
What on earth are you doing? Said a familiar voice I hadn’t heard in a while as my inner demon stirred to life.
‘Training.’ I replied briefly.
By trying to kill us? My demon growled.
‘Yep.’ I responded.
Idiot. I gave a small smirk as I heard this and felt my inner demon recede back to wherever it was that it resided.
The familiar chill of death began closing in and still nothing. I was about to signal to Koru, when I felt it, the same spark I had felt when Inuyasha had pissed me off. The water began to heat up and I looked down to my right arm where I could feel power radiating. The water around my arm was sizzling and evaporating from the heat, before the entire bubble collapsed. Once the water was gone my arm engulfed itself in a spiral of flame.
“I think I’ve gotten it.” I said and Koru shook his head.
“There is only one way to know if you’ve really gotten it.” Koru said motioning to the sword still lying in the crater.
I walked over to the crater as I felt the fire around my arm dissipate. Once it was completely gone I grabbed the sword and felt some excitement as it glowed but didn’t reject me again. I gave a pulse of my aura and called forth the elements. I felt the elements spark up one at a time. Lightning first, air next, followed by earth, then water and finally…
I grinned as the fire swirled around my arm again. The glow of the sword finally receded so that only a light multi-colored shine pulsed around it. I turned around to show Koru and Dagger and smirked as the Ryu-Okami spoke.
“Yea you’ve got it.”
