Chapter 12:
Ryuusei Village
(Opening: Grip!)
- "So tell me, Tenebross... who is the incompetent one now?" – asked Naraku in a self-important tone.
- "I completely wasted my power summoning Ankon… that idiot self-destructed without managing to accomplish anything!" – growled Tenebross – "But it doesn't matter… I won't send out such a weak demon next time!" –
- "We'll see about that," – said Naraku with a mocking smile as he received one of his saimyoushou, which deposited three Fragments of Shadows on his hand – "At least it wasn't a complete loss: we recovered the Fragment Ankon had, and we found other two" –
Meanwhile, Inuyasha and his friends were exhausted: it was morning already, but they didn't really sleep well the previous night. However, they still pushed on regardless of sleepiness and exhaustion, deciding they would rest once they reached Ryuusei.
- "That was the worst night I've ever had…" – said Gerardo yawning.
- "Yeah, Gerar… that stupid dark demon didn't let us sleep…" – said Gabriela, who was more asleep than awake, as she was staggering as she walked. Both she and Gerardo had large eyebags.
- "Don't lose heart! The village shouldn't be very far away from here!" – said Sango trying to cheer them up.
- "Whatever…" – said Gerardo half-asleep – "Heiwa wo shinjiteita ouji wa, nanimo kizukazu ni ita, osanai Pietro no baasudei, unmei ga ugoku..." –
- "What was all that?" – asked Inuyasha puzzled.
- "Oh sorry… I sang it aloud?" – said Gerardo – "It's a song that cheers me up, but I thought I was just hearing it in my head…" –
- "It didn't sound too bad… but this isn't the best of times to be singing" – said Miroku sighing.
- "But I wanna hear it!" – said Kagome excitedly.
- "Hey, don't leave me out! I wanna hear it too!" – said Shippou.
- "Me too, Gerar-nii!" – said Rin, which made Gerardo blush.
- "Me too…" – said Kaede a bit embarrassed – "Can we listen to it later, onee-sama?"
- "Yes, but we'll do so later" – replied Kikyou – "And what is that song about?" –
- "It's part from a story: it's about a prince that had to go into the world of darkness to rescue his mother's soul from the clutches of an ice demon" – replied Gerardo cheerfully.
- "Sounds great! It's like a fairytale!" – said Kagome cheerfully.
- "And I'll tell you that story later, okay?" – said Gerardo winking an eye.
- "Yeah!" – said all the children in the group
After a short while walking, they saw a little above of themselves what seemed to be a wall protecting a village, and upon closer look, they noticed that is what it was.
- "At long last, we're arriving at Ryuusei!" – said Gerardo as his eyes sparkled and he began running off, leaving the others behind.
- "Hey, wait!" – said the others as they picked up the pace to follow him.
Finally, after walking through a small forest patch, they found themselves before a large wooden gate, which had the following words etched on it:
"村へ入ります貴方に誘う
だけど、悪な人の様なを振舞えば
貴方をほうり出す"
(We invite you into the village
But should you behave wickedly,
Expelled you shall be)
- "Apparently, they examine us or something before letting us in…" – said Miroku as he examined the writing as soon as they caught up with Gerardo.
- "Yeah. Maybe they are very xenophobic or something" – said Gerardo with a serious look.
- "Whatever. Can we go in already?" – asked Inuyasha irritated.
They knocked on the gate, but there was no response.
- "What's happening here?" – said Sango as she knocked on the gate – "Is there anyone inside?" -
- "Excuse us!" – shouted Gerardo – "We are travelers, and we came to this place seeking shelter!" -
A few instants later, a small slit opened in the middle of the gate, revealing a couple of black eyes. Apparently it was a guard.
- "Are you truly travelers?" – asked the guard in a mistrusting tone – "Aren't you bandits, soldiers or youkai in disguise?" –
- "We are indeed travelers. But why do you have so much distrust toward us?" – asked Miroku puzzled.
- "Because there was a great number of people that came to our village to pillage and attack it in the past, and they asked for shelter just like you are doing right now…" – said the guard – "Therefore, we won't grant you entrance until we have examined you!" –
- "Okay. So, how do you examine us?" – asked Sango.
- "Wait here for a moment. I'll go and call our priest…" – said the guard as he closed the slit.
- "I wonder what that examination is about…" – said Kaede thoughtfully – "I never thought a village could be under such tight security…" -
- "There are many things you don't know about this world, dear sister" – said Kikyou. Kaede just looked at her puzzled, but the others looked at each other with apprehension.
- "It's gonna be dangerous?" – asked Kagome as she held tightly to Inuyasha.
- "We'll know when it's time…" – said Gerardo.
- "Gerar, you should stop acting so know-it-all…" – said Gabriela irritated.
- "And you should learn to be less annoying" – said Gerardo narrowing his eyes in response to the comment.
- "You always say the same thing! You're always scolding me for that, and I'm fed up with that! SIT DOWN!" – she shouted, and both Gerardo and Inuyasha ended up in the ground.
- "Damn it! I'm sick of us being connected by these stupid rosaries, and of having that brat sitting us down when she wants to!" – said Inuyasha irate from the ground.
- "The same goes for me! I can't even say anything to her, because I'm sent crashing down at once!" – said Gerardo every bit as enraged as him.
- "Are you done playing around?" – asked an unknown voice. They didn't notice that the gate had opened, and that a tall and old man, wearing brown priest clothes, had walked to them, flanked by two guards. He was completely bald, had a short gray beard and moustache, and had brown eyes in his wrinkled face.
- "I apologize for our behavior…" – said Gerardo as he stood upright at once – "Are you the one who will examine us?" -
- "That's correct" – said one of the guards that came with the priest – "He is the chief priest of our village, Takurou-sama, and thus he is in charge of protecting it and examining the outsiders that come here" –
- "So, what is the examination about?" – asked Sango.
- "I'll just see inside your souls in order to see your true intentions" – said Takurou – "If you came with good intentions, we'll allow you in. Otherwise, we'll have to eliminate you…" -
- "Sounds logic. So, how do you look into our souls?" – asked Gerardo as some sweatdrops ran to the side of his face.
- "Using that rosary he has on his hand" – said Kikyou pointing at the blue rosary Takurou had rolled around his left hand – "It is done through a spiritual power technique called the Reigen. Though it's very unusual, as few priests or mikos can use or even know about it" -
- "Precisely, miko-sama" – said Takurou bowing briefly in front of her in signal of respect – "I see you are very well-informed. Now everyone, please close your eyes so we might begin" -
And so they all did, including the youkai in the group. Takurou made some movements with his hands to in the end unfold the rosary in front of them, releasing a great flash of white light. When they were touched by the flash, several formless masses of light appeared at the side of each of them, but none noticed.
Little by little, the masses of light began taking form, until they became clearly visible. Miroku, Rin, Jaken, Shippou, Kirara and Sango didn't have anything special, as the masses of light, or better said the projections of their souls, were mere reflections of themselves.
However, Takurou got a surprise when he examined the souls of the others: Inuyasha and Kagome's had their souls split in two parts, with Inuyasha having one that looked like him as he was now and another with him at his true age, while Kagome had one of a child that looked as she was currently but slightly older and another one at her true age but that seemed like it had something similar to static running through her. Kaede was similar, though her soul wasn't completely split: instead, it was as if her current form and her old age form were fused and standing side-to-side with each other.
Sesshomaru's projection showed his human form and his demon dog form, while Kikyou's was only a reflection of herself, though it had a much thicker outline due to being made out from many souls. However, the most impressive ones were Gerardo and Gabriela's: their two parts were a reflection of themselves and a couple of impressive dragons, one blue and the other white, and both Takurou and the guards accompanying him were shocked to see that.
Takurou then noticed they didn't seem to harbor any sort of evil intentions or anything similar from the energies they seemed to emit, and thus he rolled the rosary around his hand again, making the projections disappear.
- "You may open your eyes now…" – said Takurou, and they all opened their eyes at once, feeling as always though a bit confused.
- "I feel a bit strange, as if something had gone out from me and went back…" – said Gerardo as he put a hand over his chest.
- "I think we're all feeling similarly…" – said Miroku as he looked at the others.
- "I have finished examining your souls…" – said Takurou looking a bit taken aback – "And I have learned a bit about you all…" –
- "Then, are we allowed to go in?" – asked Sango.
- "Yes, I could see most of you had very… uncommon souls…" – said Takurou, making them feel nervous since the priest had just learned about some of their secrets – "However, they are all quite gentle, even those of the youkai and hanyou in your group. Therefore, I see no problem to granting you entrance into our village" -
Before that answer, most of the group sighed in relief. Then, the guards opened up the gates to allow them to enter the village.
- "To all of you, tired travelers, we bid a welcome to our village: Ryuusei Village!" – said the guards.
(BGM: Ancient's Village – Final Fantasy III)
- "Whoa, this is quite the beautiful village!" – said Gerardo upon seeing it. The entire place was covered in soft green grass, and the huts were a bit larger than those of the other villages. A bit above of them, there were the crop fields together with some larger huts, and a bit farther in, there was a large and beautiful palace. And at the border of the village, a river ran at which the women and girls were busy doing laundry.
- "I agree it's really pretty… It's no surprise they call it the best place to live" – said Sango with a smile.
- "Yes, it does have quite some beautiful things to it…" – said Miroku as he took a step in direction to the girls, but Sango stopped him at once.
- "And where do you think you're going, Houshi-sama?" – asked Sango with an obvious furious tone in her voice.
- "Ehh… to no place in particular… Sango…" – said Miroku as he nervously laughed.
- "Keh… looks like he's never gonna learn his lesson" – snorted Inuyasha.
- "Miroku-sama has always been like this?" – asked Kagome a bit worried.
- "Yeah, unfortunately" – replied Shippou – "He's a womanizer, even though he already promised Sango to marry her" –
- "Shippou, haven't you ever heard that this is something you shouldn't tell other children?" – asked Gerardo a bit annoyed.
- "Oops… sorry" – said Shippou as he put on a silly smile.
- "It's too late to do anything about it anyway" – said Gabriela as she looked at the ground and shook her head.
- "Hey!" – they heard some screams from the distance.
- "Looks like you got yourselves a nice welcome!" – said one of the guards in an amused voice – "The kids always like to welcome travelers and show them around the village" –
(end music)
A group of children came closer to them, all of which went barefoot, even though the clothes they wore had a very fine appearance to them, as if they were made from silk, and seemed to be new.
- "Hi!" – said the oldest of the kids, which gave Gerardo a bit of a shock when he saw him.
- 'No way…! This child is just like how I was when I was little…!' – thought him as his eyes turned the size of saucers.
- "We wanna welcome you to our humble village!" – continued the boy with a smile. He had his brown hair tied up in the way usual to the time, and wore a kosode and hakama that were both sky blue, and had hazel eyes.
- "Pleased to meet you. Could you tell us your names?" – asked Gerardo gently. The other members of the group also showed their courtesy, though some didn't even bother doing so, while Inuyasha just snorted.
- "I'm Jousui" – said the boy – "This girl at my side is my little sister, Akiko. And the other kids are Daichi, Midori, Setsuhi and Akari" -
- "Thanks for the welcome!" – said Sango with a smile.
- "Don't mention it!" – said Akiko, who seemed to be the youngest of the girls, and was dressed in a light pink kosode with a dark blue obi, adorned with yellow flowers, and had her brown hair loose except for the tip being tied in a bun with a white ribbon, similarly to Sango. She also had eyes of the same hazel color as her brother – "Do you wanna see the village?" -
- "Yeah..." – said Gabriela, who also fixed her gaze on Akiko similarly to how Gerardo did with Jousui: leaving aside her being smaller, they looked exactly like each other.
- "But first, could you tell us your names?" – asked Akari gently. She wore a dark yellow kosode with a dark red obi, and had her hair tied up similarly to Akiko, but with a red ribbon instead. She also had quite a resemblance to Kagome, which left Inuyasha and Shippo stunned.
- "Ehh… yeah, of course" – said Gerardo, but he decided it'd be better to use an alias here, just in case anything happened – "My name's Seiryuu" -
- "What're ya…!?" - started Inuyasha, but Gerardo silenced him with a glare before he could say anything else. As for Gabriela, she decided to follow his example.
- "I'm Yumeko, and Seiryuu's my bro!" – said her as she jumped to the arms of her brother – "Right, Sei-nii?" -
- "Yeah, Ga… I mean, Yumeko-chan" – said Gerardo asking himself why she chose that name while he tried to hold her – "But could you get yourself off me, please?" –
- "Hehe, they both love each other a lot. Just like us, right? Onii-chan?" – asked Akiko to her brother as she smiled.
- "Yeah, that's right, Aki-chan!" – said Jousui as he patted the head of his little sister. The others then introduced themselves and once they finished, they asked their ages.
- "Well, Jousui's the oldest of us, he's ten" – said Setsuhi, who wore a light blue kosode with a dark blue obi – "On the other hand, me and Akari are nine, Akiko's five, Midori's eight, and Daichi's seven" –
- "Well, I'm 16, Ge… I mean, Seiryuu is 18, Yumeko is eight, Kagome is five, Inuyasha is eight, Kaede is ten, Houshi-sama is 19, Shippou is five, and Rin is eight. However, I don't know what Sesshomaru's and Kikyou's ages are" – said Sango a bit intrigued.
- "Hey, are you omitting me!?" – shouted Jaken, but none paid him any attention.
- "If you wish to know it so much, my age is 18 years" – said Kikyou as if she didn't mind it.
- 'Plus the 50 years she spent dead' – thought Gerardo rolling her eyes while Gabriela giggled.
- "We youkai have no need to tell our age to the humans…" – said Sesshomaru coldly.
- "Keh, do whatever you like, dear brother. Well, can we begin looking around?" – asked Inuyasha as he crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently: he was tired of the conversation.
- "Yeah, of course, Mr. Impatient!" – replied the boy called Daichi, who had black and short hair and wore a gray kosode with a dark blue hakama. However, his face was very similar to Inuyasha's, as well as his temper – "Can't you wait a bit more!?" –
- "Daichi always had a difficult personality, so please don't let his words get to you" – said Akari as she and the others laughed upon seeing them growl at each other, to then turn around in opposite direction and cross their arms with peeved faces.
- "Inuyasha is just like that. Fortunately, dealing with him isn't very difficult" – said Miroku as they looked at the little scene.
- "It's getting late, it's near lunch time" – said Midori as she looked at the sky. Curiously, she wore a kosode and obi that were of different tones of green; her kosode had green leaves as decoration, and had her long brown hair loose – "We better hurry" –
- "Come on, Midori. Don't stick so much to that schedule you made" – said Setsuhi coldly – "Don't you know surprises are the best part of life?" -
- "Ah, yeah. Midori worries a lot about time, while Setsuhi doesn't mind it much. However, she's pretty smart, though she's also a bit cold" – said Jousui as he shook his head.
- "That description sounds a bit familiar to me" – said Gerardo as he pointed to Kikyou with a gesture of his head.
- "Okay then, let's begin our walk through the village. Follow me!" – said Jousui as walked in front of the group with the other children.
A short while later, they stopped in front of the huts.
- "As you can see, these are huts in which we all live in this village" – said Jousui puffing his chest proudly.
- "And they look much better than the huts in the other villages we've visited, and they're larger too!" – said Gabriela joyfully.
- "Yeah. It's all because the daimyo of this village, Taishin-sama, is a very nice and gentle-hearted man… so much that he chose to build this village in a hidden place so none of us would be in danger. He also made several schools, allowed us to choose up to which time we could work, and asks for a very small part of our crops and money as taxes. He also improved the huts of everyone in the village" – said Akari proudly.
- "Looks like he's the gentlest daimyo in the world" – said Sango with a smile.
- "Well then, can we proceed?" – asked Miroku.
They continued their walk until they arrived at the large huts they saw when they first arrived. Upon entering, they noticed they looked like schools, as they had rooms that resembled classrooms, and areas for practicing kyuudo, kendo and athletics.
- "These huts here are the ones that make up our school. It's where we learn to read, write and many other things" – explained Midori with a smile.
- "They seem like a nice place for learning" – said Miroku.
- "And I'm learning how to be a swordsman!" – said Jousui puffing his chest with pride.
- "Hehe, good luck with that. The road might get hard at some points, but never let anything discourage you from your goal" – said Gerardo patting him on the shoulder.
- "Thanks!" – said Jousui smiling.
- "Hey, Jousui!" – said a man dressed in a white and black kendo outfit as he walked to them, who also had a long black hair tied up into a ponytail – "You haven't forgotten about the kendo session we'll have today, right?" -
- "Ah, Kenzan-sensei! I haven't forgotten about it!" – said Jousui – "We're just showing the village to the visitors!" –
- "Ah, okay! Make sure to not miss out today's session, as I'll be teaching the Mangessai during it!" – said Kenzan.
- "At last!" – said Jousui jumping excitedly – "I've been waiting months for this!" –
- "And I see three of our visitors wield swords!" – said Kenzan with the excitement brimming on his face, especially when he knelt in order to better examine the swords the party was carrying – "And looks like their swords were made by quite the experienced blacksmith, and also hold a great hidden power!"
- "How did you know that?" – asked Inuyasha surprised.
- "All the villagers here can feel the aura and powers that people and items emit" – said Kenzan as he closed his eyes in a proud expression – "Anyway, make sure to pay us a visit once you're finished walking around" -
They left the school behind and began walking toward the palace.
- "This is the palace where Taishin-sama lives?" – asked Miroku when they came before the gate, which was flanked by two guards armed with spears.
- "Yeah, this is it" – said Daichi with disdain – "Though I don't really like coming here…" –
- "Hehe, he says that because he made a mess here once, and got himself kicked out" – said Akari giggling, which also caused everyone else but Sesshomaru, Kikyou and Daichi a good laughter.
- "Don't remind me of that, Akari…" – said Daichi as he began sulking.
- "Sounds like something I'd do" – said Inuyasha laughing.
- "Yeah, because you and him are both stupid!" – said Shippou as he laughed, but that came to an end as two fists landed on his head.
- "Come on, don't be mean to him!" – said Kagome as she pulled Shippou away from them.
- 'Huh? She's still covering that pipsqueak even though she doesn't remember him?' – though Gerardo astonished – 'Looks like the feelings still remain even if the memories get erased' -
- "Oh, are you thinking of something?" – asked Setsuhi with a mischievous smile.
- "Huh…? Err, no, I'm not!" – said Gerardo as he woke up from his self-absorment.
- "Hehe, you're just like Jousui! Setsuhi and Akiko always wake him up when he's thinking too much!" – said Midori giggling.
- "I see…" – said Gerardo a bit taken aback as he looked at Jousui, who just smiled at him.
- "We've come here to bring the new visitors to meet Taishin-sama" – said Jousui as he walked in front of the others and faced the guards at both sides of the gate.
- "Very well. Go ahead" – said one of the guards as the other opened the door.
As soon as they entered, they noticed how beautiful the palace was; all made of polished wood while the scrolling doors that separated the rooms had beautiful paintings drawn over them. However, it seemed to be cleaning day, as the servants were pretty busy polishing the floor and cleaning the walls and doors.
- "This happens after every full moon" – explained Midori – "The palace servants dedicate fully to cleaning, so Taishin-sama and his family must make their food themselves" –
- "Hi, everyone!" – said a boy that came running to them, who was wearing a dark blue kosode and a gray hakama. He had black short hair, and looked like a miniature version of Henry, which left Gerardo, Gabriela and Inuyasha surprised – "Showing the palace to the visitors?" -
- "Yeah, that's right, Souin" – replied Jousui with a smile, and he then turned to the visitors – "He's Souin, and he's Taishin-sama's son" –
- "But we're all friends here, as our parents are friends too" – said Souin smiling – "By the way Jousui, did you bring the book I asked you this morning?" –
- "Sorry, I couldn't. But you can always go to the library and pick it up whenever you want" – said Jousui a bit embarrassed. He then stood at Gerardo's side to whisper at him – "He's a nice guy, but he's a bit crazy: he likes monsters and Hell a lot. He's always saying that he's someday going to be Hell's ruler" –
- "I know what you mean. I've got a friend that's just like him" – said Gerardo as he smiled and shook his head while he looked at the ceiling.
- "Well, if you're going to meet with my father, you better hurry. See ya later!" – said Souin with a smile as he ran off to the exit.
A little later, they were in front of Taishin. Despite him being a daimyo, he seemed like a nice person at first sight from the pleasant smile he had on his face and relaxed disposition he showed when he received them. He wore a black kosode with a gray haori over it and a dark gray hakama, was sitting over a futon, and had short black hair tied in the form of topknot and black eyes. His wife was sitting at his side, had long black and silky hair, black eyes, and wore a light purple kosode over which she had dark purple haori.
- "Welcome everyone!" – greeted Taishin jovially as soon as they entered, waving at them and inviting them inside – "And don't worry: both youkai and hanyou are welcome in our village as well! But first than anything, I'd like to ask what reason you had to come here" –
- "Taishin-sama, our reason is that one of our friends was turned into a child, losing her memories in the process, and when we tried to give her memories back to her through the memory medallion, the jewel that used to act as the memory restorer shattered" – said Miroku as he showed Kagome to Taishin, to then show him the silver medallion she had around her neck – "We learned recently that there was a way to restore her memory in this village, and we came here seeking it" –
- 'I was turned into a kid? So… this isn't how I'm hafta be? That's so weird…' – thought Kagome a bit confused.
- "Hmm… well, there are many special crystals in the cave behind my palace. I'm sure one of these should be able to restore her memories, and I guess that will be a great help in turning her back to normal" – said Taishin thoughtfully – "However, you'll have to wait, as the cave only opens at night" -
- "It's no problem. We can wait a little longer" – said Sango shaking her head as she smiled.
- "Well then, you should use this time to continue sightseeing in our village" – said Taishin with a smile – "But don't forget to come back here once night falls" -
They then left the palace and headed to the village's library, which was located beside the school. They were rather surprised when they saw how large it was from the outside, but they were beyond shocked when they entered it.
- "Okay, what's this supposed to be?" – said Gerardo as he and the others looked around with their eyes the size of soup platters – "Is this a normal library, or a library founded by an emperor from the mainland?" -
- "The number of books here does seem like one suitable for an emperor" – said Miroku as they walked between the bookshelves – "I've never seen such an ample selection" –
- "And why do you care so much about this all?" – asked Inuyasha said a little later after the group had broken up, each had taken different books, and they all began reading them. Excepting of course, Daichi, who seemed to not like books either, and Kagome, who apparently didn't remember how to read and instead held tightly to his arm.
- "'Coz books help you get smarter" – said Akari with a serious voice pretty similar to Kagome's as she read a book about flowers and gardening.
- "Besides, it would go a long way in helping you mold that useless brain of yours, Inuyasha" – said Sesshomaru coldly as he read one titled Heraldry of the Youkai Nobility – "Hmm, interesting. It's a surprise to see your mother and you in our genealogical tree…" -
- "Keh, whatever!" – said Inuyasha annoyed, while Kagome just laughed at this.
- "Hehe, they're fighting again!" – said her. Apparently, she began finding this amusing.
- "They're brothers, but they hate each other so much?" – asked Akari as she raised her face from the book to look at them.
- "Half-brothers, actually… sons of the same father but from different mothers" – replied Gerardo a bit absent-mindedly, as he was absorbed in the reading of a book that was titled Genealogy of the Dragons and Dragon Types (Includes Brief Introduction to the Dragonian Language) – "Hmm, I didn't expect to find a book like this outside of the Dragonia world in my dreams…" -
- "And as Inuyasha is son of a human and a youkai, and Sesshomaru of two youkai, Sesshomaru hates him" – said Gabriela as she read a book titled How to Be a Good Archer.
A few seconds later, Miroku came out from behind the bookshelves holding a book titled Advanced Exorcisms.
- "It was the only interesting book I could find. I've read all other books on exorcisms during my training to be a bonzo" – said he before sighing in disappointment – "And there was no other kind of books I was interested in…" –
Most of the group glared at Miroku with intent to kill for that comment, as it was pretty obvious what kind of books he was talking about.
Shortly later, they left the library.
- "By the way, wanna see where the cave is?" – asked Setsuhi with a smile.
- "Yeah, please. It'd be a good idea to check the place we'll be going to tonight" – said Gerardo nodding. There were no objections, so they went to the part behind the palace.
- "Do you see that shadow?" – said Midori as she pointed to a piece of the rock wall that seemed a bit darker than the rest – "That's where the cave appears at night" –
- "But why it shows up only at night?" – asked Kagome weirded out by the cave appearing and disappearing.
- "The village elders think it's because something in the cave reacts to the starlight" – said Setsuhi shrugging her shoulders.
- "Anyway, if you're gonna stay tonight, you can go to my home. My parents would love to lodge you" – said Jousui offering himself with a smile on his face, which Akiko also shared.
- "But they can also stay at our homes" – added Akari raising an eyebrow before clapping as a smile formed on her face – "Hey, why each of you don't stay in with a different family?" –
- "Hey, that's a good idea!" – said Midori hopping cheerfully.
- "Okay then, Seiryuu-nii and Yumeko-chan will stay at our home!" – said Jousui with a smile.
- "Yay! I wanna play with Yumeko-nee!" – said Akiko jumping in Gabriela's direction, who caught her laughing.
- "Then the hanyou kid's coming with me!" – said Daichi in a very pedantic way – "I wanna see if he's got what it takes!" -
- "Okay, then Sango-san and Kagome-chan'll come with me!" – said Akari cheerfully.
- "Inuyasha-nii…" – said Kagome looking a bit sad.
- "Don't worry, you'll be fine with them" – said Inuyasha trying to reassure her – "And don't you wanna play with Akari?" –
- "You're right. I wanna play with her!" – said Kagome running to Akari's side, who received her as if she was her own little sister.
- "Kikyou-sama and Kaede-chan will spend the night at my home then" – said Setsuhi bowing before them.
- "Okay, thanks!" – said Kaede with a smile.
- "I'll gladly accept your hospitality" – said Kikyou with a slight smile.
- "Okay, I guess I'm stuck with the leftovers, as they say" – said Midori smiling – "Miroku-sama, Shippou-chan and Rin-chan will stay with me" –
- "Thanks for your hospitality" – said Miroku with a smile.
- "Yeah thanks!" – said Shippou jumping up and down – "And be careful, Miroku…" –
- "Yeah, I know, Shippou…" – said Miroku sweatdropping as he saw the irate face Sango was giving him as a warning.
- "Hehe, I'll be glad to stay with you, Midori-chan!" – said Rin fidgeting a bit.
- "I'll spend the night outside the village" – said Sesshomaru inexpressively – "And make sure to take good care of Rin, or you'll pay for it…" –
He then enclosed himself in a light sphere and flew away.
- "Sesshomaru-sama! Please wait for me!" – shouted Jaken as he ran after him.
- "The irremediable loner never corrects himself, huh?" – said Gerardo sighing to then turn to Jousui – "Okay then, where do you live?" –
- "Ah, right. Come with us!" – said Jousui – "You should first meet my parents before you split up!" –
Shortly later, they were in the hut where Jousui's family lived, which was located between the entrance and Taishin's palace. The inside wasn't very different from Kaede's own hut, though it was a bit larger and less cramped.
- "Mom! Dad! We're back!" – said Jousui.
- "We're back, mommy!" – said Akiko.
- "Welcome back, my dears. Are they the new visitors?" – asked their mother with her back turned to the entrance as she cleaned the hut.
- "Yeah. They're Seiryuu-nii and Yumeko-chan, and they're staying with us tonight" – said Jousui cheerfully.
- "Pleased to meet you. My name is Mizuboshi Seiryuu, and she is my little sister Yumeko" – said Gerardo bowing.
- "The pleasure's mine. My name is Miyuki" – said Jousui's mother as she turned and bowed. However, everyone in the group, except for Kagome, Kaede and Kikyou, were shocked when they saw her: the woman in front of them was identical to Gerardo and Gabriela's mother, except for her having hazel eyes instead of blue. She had her hair covered by a pink triangular bandanna, and was dressed in a pink kosode decorated with dark pink leaves, which was tied with a dark red obi and wore a light pink apron over it – "Is anything the matter?" –
- "It's nothing, Miyuki-san… it's just that you look a lot like my mother…" – said Gerardo a bit embarrassed.
- "Too much for our tastes, huh?" – said Gabriela still a bit shocked.
- "And where's daddy?" – asked Akiko.
- "He's making some repairs to the archery training grounds. He should be coming back any time now" – replied Miyuki right away.
- "Miroku, you better not try saying your ridiculous lines to her, or I'll make you pay for it" – whispered Gerardo when he saw how Miroku was trying to take steps toward Miyuki.
- "Don't worry about it. I'd never dare to tell a married woman such things" – said Miroku with a serious face.
- "I'll believe that the day you stop acting like a pervert, Houshi-sama" – said Sango irritated.
- "If you wish, you can eat lunch with us. My husband should be returning soon" – said Miyuki with a smile. She then sat down near the hearth and after igniting the fire, she began putting some greens into a pot filled with water.
- "We humbly accept" – said Gerardo with a smile.
- "And thanks for inviting us" – said Kaede with a smile.
They waited until Miyuki finished making lunch. A few minutes later, a man that would have been identical to Gerardo and Gabriela's father if it wasn't for having his hair tied up in a way similar to Jousui arrived. He wore a dark yellow kosode with black stripes and a gray hakama.
- "I'm back!" – announced the man.
- "Welcome back, dear" – said Miyuki with a smile when she saw her husband enter the hut.
- "Hi, dad!" - said Jousui.
- "Welcome home, daddy!" - said Akiko.
- "I see we got some guests today" – said Jousui's father when he saw the large group gathered near the hearth – "I'm Sekiryuu, and it's a pleasure to have you in our humble abode" –
- "The pleasure is ours, Sekiryuu-san" – said Gerardo bowing.
- "Come on, young man" – said Sekiryuu laughing – "Don't mind formality so much. And what is with that gaze I see on your eyes?" –
- "It's just amazement… It's because when I see you and your family, it reminds me of when my sister and I were still with our own parents…" – said Gerardo a bit saddened.
- "I see… you must really miss them a lot…" – said Miyuki in a tender tone, to which both Gerardo and Gabriela nodded – "Your names were Seiryuu and Yumeko, right?" -
- "Eh… yes, that's right, Miyuki-san" – said Gerardo a bit embarrassed while Gabriela seemed like she wanted to cry.
- "And I see you both are members of the nobility, as you both have surnames, the beautiful design of your clothes, your manners, and because Seiryuu-kun is wearing glasses" – said Miyuki as she examined him carefully.
- "Well, I can't say it's not true… our family lives pretty far away from here, and they sent us in a journey so we could improve our abilities and become able to protect our friends and dear people from any kind of danger…" – said Gerardo, even though they actually were on that journey out of their own volition.
- "If you wish, you can stay here all the time you wish" – said Sekiryuu gently to then begin laughing – "However, know you'll have to help us with the work in the village in exchange!" –
- "I appreciate your kind offer, but unfortunately we can't stay here for long…" – said Gerardo saddened – "Our friends need us, and we came here because one of them lost part of her memory…" -
- "And you're here to help her regain it" – said Miyuki guessing why they had come – "Don't worry. I'm sure Takurou-sama will help you with this when the cave opens tonight" –
- "Meanwhile, you're our guests here" – said Sekiryuu – "So eat as much as you want!" -
Lunch was ready and they began handing small bowls to everyone before serving the food.
- "Itadakimasu!" – said everyone at the same time when they began eating.
Lunch consisted of several kinds of steamed greens, and everyone thought they had never eaten such tasty vegetables in their lives. Especially Gerardo and Gabriela, as they both hated greens to death.
- "Gochisousama!" – said everyone as soon as they finished eating.
- "I dunno what ya do to the greens, but ya made 'em tastier than in any other place we've been to!" – said Inuyasha satisfied.
- "We just nurture them the best we can from when we plant them to when we harvest them, and we also put some crystal dust next to them, as it seems to make them grow better" – explained Sekiryuu as he took out from the pocket in his hakama a small bag filled with a shining light blue powder.
- "You take that dust out from the cave, Sekiryuu-san?" – asked Miroku intrigued.
- "Yes, but we never take too much from it. We only grab as much as we need for a harvest once per month" – he replied as he put away the bag inside his hakama again.
- "I've gotta go now, as my kendo class is about to start" – said Jousui as he took a boken that was propped against one of the hut's walls and ran off – "See ya later!" -
- "Hey, wait! I'm going too!" – said Gerardo as he ran after him – "See you all on the afternoon!' -
They ran so fast that in less a minute they had already reached the kendo training grounds in the school. Kenzan was already preparing to start teaching the students, most of which were children, though there were a few adults too.
- "Good…" –
- "…afternoon…" – said both between gasps.
- "Good afternoon, you both!" – greeted Kenzan as soon as they arrived – "You're just in time for today's session!" –
- "Of course! I'd never miss out on one of your lessons, Kenzan-sensei!" – said Jousui excitedly.
- "Well, you better draw your swords, as we'll begin now" – said Kenzan - "Oh, and I see one of our guests decided to join for this session too" -
- "Err… yeah, that's right" – said Gerardo a bit embarrassed.
- "Very well, but first could you give us a demonstration of one of your techniques?" – asked Kenzan.
- "Sure. What kind of technique would you like to see?" – asked Gerardo a bit confused.
- "Well, it'd be great to see one that requires energy to work" – said Kenzan with a smile.
- "Okay then" – said Gerardo as he unsheathed Ryuuga.
- "Oh, what a sword!" – said Kenzan excitedly as he took it from Gerardo's hands to check it – "Very well ornamented, very well-sharpened, forged by a true expert, and made from very good quality metals! This sword is a real wonder!" –
- "Eh… thank you… could you give it back to me, please?" – asked Gerardo.
- "Ah, sorry. Here you go" – said Kenzan as he returned the sword to its owner – "I get a bit overexcited when I see swords like this" –
- "No problem. And well, here you have one of my techniques! Alt tok, lay hydrast, baprou, gaivz tast pawatz sos ulkirea ika..." – he said as he imbued his sword with energy, and its blade began shining until it turned into a blue light sword – "Water Saber!" –
He then ran toward one of the straw dummies they were using for the kendo lessons and cut it four times. Initially, it seemed he didn't even scratch them, but a few instants later, when Gerardo sheathed Ryuuga again, the dummy split cleanly in four parts after a small explosion of water and bubbles.
- "Excellent technique!" – said Kenzan excited – "And it was pretty interesting that you chanted before doing it… I'd like you to teach it to us, but I guess it must be some kind of trade secret to you" –
- "Yes, that's correct. I'm sorry about it, but still thanks a lot for your praise" – said Gerardo as he bowed.
- "Okay then, go line yourself with the others so we can begin the lesson" – said Kenzan. Gerardo nodded and went to Jousui's side, who gave him a thumbs-up signal and a smile with a wink. He just responded by smiling back.
The first thing they did was doing some warm-up exercises to then begin practicing the way they swung their swords. Then, at the end, Kenzan asked everyone to pay him close attention.
- "Very well, now look carefully at the movement I'm going to do" – said Kenzan as he took a combat stance. He moved his sword in a circular shape to then quickly cut the circle in half with a diagonal slash – "That was the Mangessai technique. Now, go to the training dummies and begin practicing it" –
They all began practicing at once. Kenzan noticed that several of his students seemed to have problems drawing the circle and some even lost their balance as they tried doing it. However, Jousui, Gerardo and a few of the other students, while they didn't do it as quickly as Kenzan did, they still were doing it the best out of everyone in the class. Kenzan went to the students, and one by one, he began correcting the way they were doing the movement and explained them how they could improve doing it. At the end, everyone was doing it perfectly, even though Gerardo and Jousui were the ones doing it the fastest.
- "Excellent!" – announced Kenzan – "We're now done with the class for today!" –
He then left the training grounds, and the students began following suit shortly later.
- "Whoa, I'm exhausted!" – said Jousui wiping off the sweat of his face when they were leaving.
- "Don't remind me" – said Gerardo as he did the same with the sleeves of his clothes – "But at least it feels pretty satisfying" -
But before Jousui could reply, Inuyasha ran up to them.
- "Huh? Where are you going?" – asked Gerardo.
- "Where else? To see that kendo lesson with ya guys!" – said Inuyasha.
- "Err, we're leaving it now" – said Jousui – "The lesson has already ended" -
- "What!?" – said Inuyasha irritated – "Heck! I missed it out because that Daichi didn't want to leave me alone, all with that stupid excuse of wanting to test me!" –
- "Well, we can show you what they taught us later" – said Gerardo – "Anyway, the lesson wasn't very difficult" -
Akiko, Gabriela, Rin and Kagome arrived at that moment, all of them carrying bows and quivers. However, Kagome was grabbing on Gabriela's arm, was sweating and was panting and gasping.
- "Onii-chan!" – said Gabriela to call him when they saw them.
- "Yumeko?" – asked Gerardo – "Where did you four go?" –
- "We were in the kyuudo lesson!" – said Akiko joyfully.
- "Huh? And how is it Kaede-chan and Kikyou-sama aren't with you?" – asked Jousui.
- "Oh, it's 'coz they wanted to explore by themselves, and went to talk with Takurou-sama and the other village priests" – explained Akiko giggling.
- "By the way, Rin, did you do anything during the lesson?" – asked Gerardo as he noticed the bow and quiver she was carrying.
- "Yup, I was practicing a little! I thought I could help you a little with the youkai that always come out, if Sesshomaru-sama allows me" – said Rin joyfully.
- "And Kagome was really amazing. She's as little as me, but she's very talented with the bow" – said Akiko as she looked at Kagome with admiration – "And I've never seen anyone using an arrow like that" –
- "Huh?" – said Inuyasha surprised – "What kinda arrow did she use?" –
- "It got covered in purple energy when she shot it!" – explained Akiko jumping up and down while smiling. However, she stopped jumping and her face changed to a sad expression the next instant – "But she got all exhausted from it…" –
- "In other words, it was a Sacred Arrow…" – said Gabriela in a serious tone as she looked with worry at the little girl that was holding onto her.
- "But… Yumeko-nee" – said Kagome smiling: she was also playing along with the aliases both siblings were using – "That white arrow you shot was so pretty" –
- "Hihi, thanks… but I still need much more practice for my Light Arrows to be really powerful" – said Gabriela laughing embarrassed at the compliment.
- "Anyway, shall we head back? Night's about to set in" – asked Gerardo as he looked at the sky: it had begun turning orange as they talked.
- "But, we weren't going to the place where they make the kimonos?" – asked Kagome.
- "Ah, I forgot about it… Onii-chan, can we go there?" – asked Akiko in a pleading way.
- "Yeah, we can. But let's try to not stay for too long, okay?" – replied Jousui.
The girls jumped in joy, and since neither Inuyasha nor Gerardo had objections against the idea, they walked to the loom, which was located in a large hut next to the village river.
As soon as they arrived, they were received by a teenage girl dressed with a bright blue kosode adorned with butterflies. She had brown long hair and black eyes. The walls of the hut were covered with the different kimonos that were hung in them, all of different colors, designs and sizes.
- "Welcome everyone, to our loom!" – said the girl as she smiled – "It's great to see you again, Jousui, Akiko!" –
- "Hi, Oriko-nee!" – said Jousui as they entered – "We've brought guests today!" -
- "Ah, are they some of the travelers that came today to the village?" – asked Oriko excitedly.
- "Err… yeah, we're some of these travelers" – said Gerardo a bit embarrassed – "I'm Seiryuu, this is my little sister Yumeko, the boy is Inuyasha, and the two girls are Kagome and Rin" -
- "Again, welcome! Feel at home, and don't worry about anything!" – said Oriko cheerfully – "But if you came to see the kimonos, you'll have to wait until mom comes back" –
- "And where's your mother now?" – asked Gabriela a bit puzzled.
- "She's on the back room making some kimonos" – said Oriko as he pointed to a door that was right behind her. A few instants later, a woman dressed with light green kosode that was tied with a red obi, with the same eye and hair colors as Oriko, came out from it.
- "Good afternoon to everyone, including our guests" – said the woman gently – "Don't worry about the introductions: I already heard your names when you said them a moment ago" –
- "Guys, she's my mother" – said Oriko proudly.
- "Pleased to meet you. I'm Orimi" – said the woman as she bowed.
- "The pleasure is ours" – said Gerardo as he and the others bowed.
- "Keh, stop the stupid formalisms already" – said Inuyasha crossing his arms and snorting impatiently – "Didja come to see the kimonos or just to introduce yerselves?" –
- "Ah, I guess that's the reason for your visit. But first, can I examine your clothes?" – said Orimi.
There was no problem with it, so Orimi spent the next quarter-hour examining carefully the clothes everyone here was wearing, as well as the wearers themselves. All of them felt as if she was looking at something deep inside them, like Takurou's Reigen did.
- "Well, I'm done. You can begin looking around at the kimonos I have exhibited here while I explain how I choose one for each person" – said Orimi finally.
The girls were extremely delighted as they looked at each of the kimonos hung in the walls, admiring their designs, colors and decorations.
- "I might not know much about this, but you seem like a true master in your craft to me, Orimi-san" – said Gerardo as he looked how every single kimono was carefully sewn, embroidered and dyed.
- "Thank you, Seiryuu-kun" – said Orimi humbly – "And just so you know, I choose the kimonos for each person depending on their personalities and the elemental energy they have" –
- "Elemental energy?" – asked Gabriela, Gerardo and Inuyasha surprised.
- "Yes. There are several kinds of that energy, and each person is chosen by up to two of them at the time of their birth" – explained Orimi – "And I always take care to choose the kimono for each person based on which one of them resonates the best with the personality and energy of that particular person" –
- "I see…" – said Gerardo thoughtfully – "I didn't know that Seirei magic and its related concepts were known here too…" –
- "Oh, so that's the name you know it by? Anyway, Jousui and Akiko have no need for new kimonos right now, as I'm the one who always made them for they both" –
- "And she always does it when our clothes begin being too small for us" – added Jousui – "As you can see, she's the master tailor of the village" –
- "As for Seiryuu, Yumeko and Inuyasha" – sai Orimi as she turned to face them – "Their clothes are made out in a way that adapt perfectly to their elemental energies as well to their personalities… However, the fabric used in them is something I've never seen before" –
- "Mine is made from Fire-Rat wool!" – said Inuyasha proudly – "And it's a memento of my father and mother!" –
- "Ours are made from silk and some dragon scales turned into fabric" – said Gerardo. However, he instantly had to come up with an excuse, as dragon scales weren't exactly easy to come by – "Err… they're both family heirlooms…" –
- "Hmm, that explains a lot. I've read about these materials from books, but I've never seen them with my own eyes, given how hard they are to find" – said Orimi surprised. She then fixed her eyes on Rin.
- "Huh? What's it, Orimi-sama?" – asked Rin a bit worried.
- "It's nothing. It's just that while your elemental energy isn't very strong, your clothes go perfectly with your personality" – explained Orimi as she smiled at her.
- "Hehe, thanks! Sesshomaru-sama chose it for me" – said Rin as she showed an ear-to-ear smile.
Finally, Orimi focused her eyes on Kagome. When she finished examining her, her face was very serious.
- "This is so strange… this child's kimono is very well-made, and the person who made it for her put a lot of love into it, but…" – Orimi sighed in sadness before continuing – "It doesn't resonate well with her personality or energy. In fact, both her elemental energy and spiritual powers are currently in a very unstable state, as if something was interfering with the source of them" -
- "A-and is that bad?" – asked Kagome as she tensed up scared.
- "It isn't very bad, but it doesn't let you use the powers that lie dormant within you. In fact, while it's possible for you to use them, that'd greatly weaken you and it could even endanger your life" – explained Oriko.
- "So that's why she got so tired from firing that arrow…" – said Gabriela as she and the others looked at Kagome with pity and worry.
- "And can we do sumthin' 'bout it…?" – asked Inuyasha anguised. He feared that Kagome couldn't help them in their coming battles even after they returned her to normal, as she could die just from using her miko powers.
- "Yes, there is something. Kagome, I need you to come with me" – said Orimi.
- "'Kay…" – said Kagome as she followed Orimi into the back room.
- "What do you think they'll do back there?" – asked Gabriela a bit worried.
- "Maybe they'll just make her try out kimonos until they find one that helps her with her powers" – said Jousui shrugging his shoulders, which Oriko confirmed by nodding as she smiled.
In fact, they both returned shortly later, with Kagome now dressed in a green kosode with blue obi and adorned with white flowers. The yukata she wore until now was folded in her arms, which she then gave to Gabriela for her to store it in her Dragtemn.
- "We're done. I've chosen these clothes based on how they fit with her energies, and I think they'll help stabilize them back to how they used to be" – said Orimi with a smile.
- "Thanks!" – said Kagome radiant of happiness when she bowed before Orimi, to then begin spinning and twirling around.
- "By the way, Oriko, you still don't help your mother in her work?" – asked Gerardo with a smile.
- "Not yet, as mom tells me I still have to improve my abilities in making clothes as well as learning to discern between the aura types better" – said Oriko a bit embarrassed.
- "Well, it's getting late, and we're gonna get scolded if we're not back in time for dinner. See you later!" – said Jousui as he exited the hut along Akiko.
The others bowed, bid their farewells, and went back to Jousui's home to make their final preparations for their expedition into the cave that night. During dinner, they were so nervous due to not knowing what to expect about the things that would be inside the cave, so they didn't talk or eat much. When they thought it was about time, they went to the area behind Taishin's palace. They were very surprised because the entire village was gathered there.
- "There's some kinda ritual or something like that tonight?" – asked Shippou intrigued.
- "No, it's just that we came to watch over you as you enter the cave, as there is something very important within it" – replied Taishin gently. His wife and son were also present for this little event.
- "I don't care as long as we can enter quickly!" – said Inuyasha tapping his foot impatiently and snorting.
As soon as night set in and the first stars began shining, the dark part of the wall rock vanished, revealing the entrance to a cave with walls made of blue crystal.
- "Very well, I shall be going by myself from here on" – said Takurou to the other priests and priestesses that were gathered there – "Our guests only need one of us to serve as their guide" –
- "Understood, Takurou-sama!" – said the other priests.
- "Now everyone, please follow me" – said Takurou as he entered into the cave followed by the group, leaving just Shippou and Rin behind them.
(End of Chapter)
(Ending: Every Heart)
