InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Blemished Armor ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Blemished Armor: Untainted Innocence

By:lito-muffin

Chapter 2-

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She felt the glow surround her body, warming up her chilled skin from staying too late down in Sesshoumaru's world. She licked her drying lips and closed her eyes, enjoying the luxurious warmth that the light gave off. She was just starting to relish the heat when she was dumped unceremoniously onto the rocky ground in her own world, in front of the now familiar wooden door.

Quickly, she scanned her surroundings and seeing that it was clear, quickly scurried out of her hiding place and onto the old worn path, she neatly swerved and dodged protruding branches and boulders along the way, mechanically leading herself to where she lived.

She hurried a bit more when she saw the sun coming out from across the shore where she was running alongside, if she was caught before the sun came up, she would be in deep trouble. She had no business being up before the sun has awoken. She would be severely punished if anyone knew of her daily escapades, now at the age of what those humans call, eleven, she knew all the rules of her race, all the punishments and all the stories of what happened to the caught ones.

Kagome pushed herself to go faster without running, running would only bring attention to herself and she'd be damned before she got caught. Twirling the lavender bouquet she managed to get Sesshoumaru to help her make, she opened her own door and slipped into her room. Placing her little spray of blossoms in a small makeshift chest of chestnut, she promptly removed her soiled kimono and replaced it with a clean, fresh one of orchid silk and white stitched cherry blossoms.

She saw the sun now parallel to her own home and immediately scrubbed her face and hands free of soil and filth. Seeing she looked somewhat presentable, she opened the thin shoji door and walked quietly to the dining room where she knew everyone would appear in a few moments, she took her rightful seat as daughter on the far left side of where her father would sit.

A maid walked in carrying their breakfast and bowed gracefully to Kagome while balancing the dishes in her hand and proceeded to set the dishes in a decorative manner.

A scuffle was heard and Kagome turned her head to find her mother looking at her.

"Sleep well I hope Kagome."

Kagome gulped at her mother's emotionless voice and nodded meekly, "yes Mother, I did. Thank you for asking."

Her mother nodded and continued her way to the table to sit at the other side of the table across from her.

"Kagome, you are now eleven in human terms, the laws are decided. You will start your training, starting today."

Kagome widened her eyes, confusion swimming in the endless pools.

"W-what?"

She watched her mother sigh impatiently, "Kagome, did you not hear what I had to say? I said you are starting your training."

Kagome nodded dumbly. "I know what you're talking about, what do you mean training Mother? I'm only eleven!"

"In human terms, Kagome, please. You know how old you are. You are reaching the point where a child is turning into a maturing teen, you have to go and fulfill your destiny." Her mother's voice was unsympathetic and Kagome found herself shivering at that. "Wait, you will see what I mean in a few moments."

She felt a sudden pricking on her hand and lifted it up to her eyes to inspect them, her eyes widened when she saw the slowly appearing pink stripe on her wrist, the unmistakable sign of maturity.

She looked up at her mother with fear in her eyes and was shocked to see her mother smirking down at her.

"I've proven my point, my dear daughter," she said the last three words with extra emphasis, "You are reaching your turning point. Your life has been decided, your life is to become a protector, and you have no say whatsoever in it."

Kagome felt her throat clench and her hands unconsciously started to bunch up her kimono, successfully wrinkling the delicate fabric.

"N-no..." she managed to murmur weakly before she succumbed to the ever-present darkness.

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The moon was full tonight, and she had a front row seat to see the breath taking beauty.

Full and round, flawless and beautiful.

She lowered her gaze and looked sadly at the grass that seemed to wilt under her pain-stricken features. She inhaled deeply and slowly breathed out, enjoying the small line of condensation flowing out of her mouth due to the coldness surrounding her. She rubbed her hands slowly together and blew on them gently. She may be growing up, but she has yet to become a full grown-up.

She closed her eyes as she remembered her mother's last words.

`I know where you go Kagome, I know where you go. You have to say your last farewell to him, you are never to go and see him until you are fully done your training. Go and tell him of your departure.'

Kagome swallowed thickly and rose to her feet unsteadily; she was going to say good-bye to her friend. Her only friend, deciding to get it over with, she made her way through the leafy foliage to the wooden frame that allowed her happiness.

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She looked down at her slipper-covered feet, unable to match his unwavering gaze.

"Sesshoumaru? I can't come to play with you anymore. I-I have to train." Kagome stuttered out while keeping her head bowed down, letting her bangs hide her face.

"What? Why Kagome-chan? Training? For what?" Sesshoumaru looked at her confused.

Kagome took a shuddering breath and let it out with a small `whoosh'. "Because Sesshou-kun," she let a small smile grace her features remembering her childhood nickname for the youkai prince, "...I need to train to become what my mother was and is. I need to become something that I was destined for, I'll try to see you every so often Sesshou-kun. Don't forget me alright?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head, bewildered. "But Kagome-chan, we're future mates! Mates don't leave one another. Where are you going? Can I come with you? Kagome?"

Kagome shook her head in turn, "No Sesshoumaru. You can't come, just promise to remember me alright? I'll come back to be your mate and be with you forever. Friends forever, remember?" She held out her pinky and waited for him to interlock his with hers.

He linked the digits together and shook it up and down once. "Forever Kagome. Come see me often alright?"

"I'll try. I need to go back now Sesshoumaru, bye."

Kagome sadly turned away and left her friend standing there still slightly dumfounded by her announcement.

She ran to the wooden door and flung it open to swing herself in. She felt the warm light surround her again, but this time, unlike the many others could not comfort her, she had just lost her first friend. Her first and may be her last friend...could she even call him her friend? What was a friend? That was something she never had never known of before...friends.

After all-

Kamis don't have friends.

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"Kagome, you did a very fine job these five years, I'm proud of you as a teacher. Now at the age of sixteen in human years, you will get your first assignment. Protecting."

Kagome nodded dumbly at her teacher, she was going to finally get an assignment? This quickly? She had only had five years of training, that was usually the amount someone takes in order to get to the first level of assignments, and here was the teacher telling her that she could skip all those to go to the fourth of the five levels?

"What do you mean Protecting? I don't have the training to do that! I don't have enough experience, aren't you suppose to get me to learn how to heal first?" Kagome's brows furrowed to emphasize her point.

"Kagome, I know you're surprised at the speed of which you are progressing at, but I assure you. You are the most dedicated student I have yet to teach, I'm proud to say that you have managed to unknowingly learnt three out of the five essentials of the Kami race, Healing, Leadership, and Faith." He smiled at her, pride written clearly all over his wrinkled face.

"You need to now learn the Protection and Sacrifice parts. I have faith in you Kagome, you will succeed this chance I am giving you. Now go off to Kechi-san, he'll tell you the overall rules on Protection. I'm done as your trainer, you will now be on your own. I wish you best of luck. Good bye Kagome."

He rose and left the small confinements of the classroom and she could only sit there in shock, `I am going to be protecting.' was the only thought going in her mind. She was really going to do the one thing that she had yearned to reach since she started my training at the age of eleven. Now, at the age of sixteen in human terms, she has reached her goal. To protect.

She had wanted nothing more than to protect the world where she spent her whole childhood playing in. She wanted to protect the world where she first experienced true happiness, she wanted to protect the world where she found the actual meaning of friend, she wanted to protect the world where Sesshoumaru was.

Finally snapping out of her stupor and shook her head quickly, she got to her feet and immediately ran for her new teacher's room. She slowed her pace down to a fast walk when she spotted the sophisticated kanji done by a professional.

`Protectors of those beneath us.'

No doubt this was the place, she walked in front of the door and froze, not knowing whether to knock or wait until she was called for.

"Come in child."

She jumped back when a rough but gentle voice wafted through the thin screen. She walked back up to the door and pushed it open and peered into the darkness. She shuffled uncomfortably on the wooden floor and licked her dry lips.

"I don't bite child."

Kagome tensed when she heard the voice and relaxed when she figured out it was the one who was suppose to help her with her Protector powers.

"Greetings Kechi-sama, I'm Ka-"

"Kagome, I know. I'm aware of who my students are." The old worn voice replied back with unnerving calmness and tranquility.

Kagome nodded slowly and began, "Tachi-sama told me to come to you, something about the rules of Protecting."

A small flame flickered on suddenly and Kagome blinked when the sudden darkness was taken away only to be replaced by the light from the flame. After allowing her eyes to slowly adjust to the sudden brightness, she looked around the room to the furniture that adorned her own dwelling scattered throughout the room, only more sophisticated.

An old woman sat on a silk covered cushion, her hands folded primly on her lap, face expressionless, in a calm, soothing way. Kagome shifted her weight to her left foot and repeated the motion to her left, and was delighted when Kechi motioned for her to take a seat on the opposite side of the low table.

Kagome shuffled over to the soft pillow and sank down on it, glad to feel the cool silk touch her bare ankles. Kechi was now leaning over the dark maple table, pouring hot green tea into a small delicately designed clay cup in front of Kagome.

Kagome took the small cup in her hands and sipped the tea, allowing it to sooth her dry throat, she watched as Kechi tilted her head slightly back and lower the cup onto the table top.

"Kagome."

She snapped her attention back to her teacher-to-be when her name was called, nodding slightly to show she had her attention.

"You have tremendous potential in you my dear, you are strong willed and brave, loyal and kind. You will one day become a great Protector...but first of all, you must know the consequences of becoming one, you must realize that protecting has certain rules to it and you are not to be acting foolishly on instinct. There is certain things you must be able to obtain in order to become a successful Protector-my job being to teach you them-and you also must learn to do the one thing that most struggle on the most, controlling your emotions."

Kagome watched as her teacher tilted her cup up to her mouth once again and sipped the cooling liquid slowly, drawing out the slightly bitter taste, before setting it quietly on the table and looked straight into her own eyes, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the gaze directed to her, she averted her eyes to where she held her own cup in her hands, only to look back up at her teacher when she spoke up again.

"You have to understand, I know kamis cannot feel, but you have to understand, we do have emotions, we just don't know how to control them, you must promise me, when you are doing your Protecting, that you will never let these feelings get the best of you." Kechi urged with great vigor. "I know you don't understand what I am saying Kagome, I doubt you even understand emotions...but one day, one day you will understand."

Kagome could only nod mutely, she had been brought up knowing there was no such thing as silly as emotions, emotions were a `pathetic tact practiced among the ones that was below their honorable race'. For her whole life, she was deprived of friendship, something she learned that gods should never have. It was simply unacceptable, kamis were the ones who molded the earth, breathed life into those living underneath her feet, shaped the animals and trees, they were far too superior to lower themselves down to experience such foolishness.

She had always thought that she would too remain honorable to her race and keep herself pure of the tainted interactions the breathing did below her home, friendship, emotions and something she had heard...love was what it was called. It was `absolute folly' as her mother so kindly placed it, Kagome didn't know what it felt like to be loved, or how it felt to love, to her, love seemed almost artificial, almost too good to be true.

She bowed politely in front of her teacher.

"See you tomorrow Kechi-sama," receiving a nod from the older kami, she straightened up and slowly made her way to the door, a new thought floating in her head.

Love doesn't exist...because kamis didn't believe in it.

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"G'morning Kechi-sama," Kagome murmured, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes, she looked up to see the old woman ever so calm and refreshed.

"Morning to you child, get in here so we can begin our training shall we?" Kechi inquired raising a wrinkled brow at the child's disheveled appearance.

Kagome felt her face go slightly hot before she willed the color to fade away, she knew she should of have brushed her hair before running over here, she knew she looked terrible with black semi-circles underneath her eyes and how blotchy her skin must look from the lack of sleep due to the worrying she had done the night before, but now that she was already here, there wasn't much she could do about it, shrugging sheepishly, she walked over to the low table and sat down.

"So....?" she slowly asked, wanting to start her training.

"I have to explain the rules to you dear, patience is a virtue; remember that, now, where was I? Oh right, rules. Alright, would you like some tea?" Kagome declined the warm brew and continued to listen to the old woman talk, "I have been taught by my teacher, who was taught by hers and so on, that one must always believe in one thing."

She paused, adding to the dramatic suspension lingering in the air. Kagome sat with her hands folded on her lap, resembling the posture that her mother had taught her-one on how every young woman should sit- and waited patiently for her to proceed with her speech.

"Always believe that whatever happens has its own reasons for happening."

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A/N:I have realized how I always seem to end when someone's talking...weird, ah well, anyways, this was only...5 pages and two paragraphs, not exactly `wow material' but nonetheless, I feel very proud, I'm not exactly Beverly Clearly or some famous writer...but still, one can pride themselves on writing can't they? Okay, I just sounded so...full of myself back there...*looks down ashamed* I'm sorry all!

Also, I guess you have figured it out-or maybe not-that Kagome is a kami (god), hope that answers all those reviews out there who asked me that question, but I can't tell you anymore or I'll be spoiling the plot big time! But I have big plans for this story...hope it turns out right though...*nods firmly* yup, it'll turn out right alright...that just sounded funny!! Haha!

Anyway! Reviews are greatly appreciated! They help motivate me write quicker!! =)

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