InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Secrets of the Past ❯ Half the Battle is Knowing the Game ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
Chapter 2: Half the Battle is Knowing the Game


Nintashiro stared at Inuyasha. Inuyasha became annoyed, and turned his back on the youth.
"So you're my uncle."
"Feh," Inuyasha replied, " Your mother gave you an interesting name." Still facing away from the boy.
"Oh, well, yes. I would have never guessed you were the type to play Shio-ghi. You look more like a warrior."
"I am a warrior." Inuyasha said as he turned back around to face Nintashiro, " I do not play Shio-ghi or petty noble politics. I am, although, aware of what the pieces are called. My mother tried to teach me when I was little."
"You think my name has to do with some political game?"
"Baka, I am surprised you don't."
"Hmm, lets see. Father would be the Sho, mother the Kin, I'm the Hisha of course. Ah, I see now. Kagome is the Kaku and you are the Ka-Ma. Thank you uncle, you have cleared that up. But, who are we fighting? Who is controlling the other side of the board? Who is the other Sho?"
Nintashiro's summation of the various Shio-ghi pieces caught Inuyasha off guard. The boy was smart, very smart.
Inuyasha pondered and realized that Sango was the Ghin and Miroku was the Nari-Kaku. The Nari-Hisha could be Kouga. Anyone else who was along with them were Fu and Hio in the game.
"Uncle, are you alright?"
"Naraku" Inuyasha replied.
"What did you say?"
"The one controlling the other side of the board, is Naraku."


"There, you see Kagome, you flour the strand, stretch it, flour it again, then fold and repeat. Keep repeating the process until the noodles are the size you want, then , when the greased plate is very hot, cut off the ends, brown the noodles, then put them in the water pot to boil."
"I did not realize noodles were so easy to make. No wonder it is so cheap."
"You will make Inuyasha a wonderful wife someday."
"What? Oh I'm sorry I think you have misunderstood. Inuyasha and I are just friends." Kagome replied, her face growing flush.
"Like I said earlier, that is not what I smell. You are in love with him. Admit it. It is alright now if you are too self conscious to admit it to him, but I am a girl. I have been through the same thing. You can say it to me. I will reveal nothing. Girls need to have their secrets. Don't you agree?"
"I.. I suppose so. Yes, I do love Inuyasha, but he loves someone else. It's complicated."
"I see. Oh well, he will come around. After all, he had already put his affection scent mark on you."
"He has what!?"
"Oh, I forget, you are not a youkai or a hanyou. You might not be aware of it. Has Inuyasha taken you into his arms, held you tightly then simply nuzzled your neck or your ear or both with his chin?"
"Well, yes. He has done that a few times."
"He may not be aware of what he was doing. He was very young when he was separated from his parents. That nuzzling motion mixes the heavy skin oils on his chin with the heavy skin oils on your neck or ear or chin. The skin oils mix and sink deep into the skin, where the mixed scent stays. It identifies the two as close friends, more or less. When picking up the scent, it can tell a demon if the person coming towards them is friend or foe. Since he has nuzzled you more than once, it is obvious that his feelings for you run deep, whether he likes to admit it or not."
"Oh, alright. I can accept that. Tell me. How is it that you are both a youkai and a miko. I would think the two would cancel each other out."
"Not all demons are evil, and not all men are good. Purification and healing powers can take many forms. With me, sometimes it is a curse. I can purify a patient and the person become more evil. It does not happen often, but it does happen. Many years ago, a human man came to my shrine here for healing and purification. It turned out that he had little good in him. He was trying to ensnare me in one of his plots. When I purified him, he became more evil instead of having the evil purged. He frightened me so much that I used my powers to put a permanent mark on his back. Any time that evil human comes near, I can sense his mark. He will never rid himself of it, even if he dies. Purification is not my best power anyway. My powers more go towards repulsing the undead and healing the possessed, than to just purification."
"Mine, well mine seem to center around the shikon no tama. "
"That makes sense. It is part of your heart after all. Once it is completed, you have the power to accept or deny any wish made upon it. All mikos possess a shikon of some sort in their hearts. It is part of what makes us mikos."
"I never realized that before. I suppose it should be obvious, but I did not think of it."
"Well, dinner is almost done. We should get it out to those two before they decide to come in here and bite our ears off."


Inuyasha and Nintashiro were still discussing how the rules of Shio-ghi applied to the current state of affairs when Kagome and Murasaki came in with the food.
"It makes sense, doesn't it uncle. In order to take over the world, you should start by taking the least hospitable lands and move from there. The western lands, because of the power of the youkai are the least hospitable. Sesshomaru is Lord of the Western Lands. This Naraku must have father as one of his ultimate targets."
"Feh, Naraku does not care which land he conquers first, as long as he has the shikon no tama. As I told you, he aided Seshomaru at first."
"But it makes sense, get close and conquer the Sho, then the Sho will conquer his own pieces. "
"I was unaware that you still played Shio-ghi, Inuyasha. You used to love to play that with me and your mother when you were little."
"I don't. "
"Oh, well it is good that you and Nintashiro are getting along. I am positive he enjoys having company. We get so little of it these days."
"It is time to eat." Kagome said.
"This is delicious, Lady Kagome. Mother does so much better when she has help. Thank you for helping lift her spirits."
"I am glad to. Your mother is a very nice lady."
Nintashiro smiled as he finished up the last of his soup.
"We should be getting to sleep," Inuyasha said," We need to get up early tomorrow."
"Alright," Murasaki replied as she gathered up the dishes and showed Kagome where the futons were kept.


Late that evening, Inuyasha awoke to the sound of a flute. He went outside to see where it was coming from. He found Murasaki on a high branch of the tree, playing the flute.
"I am sorry, Inuyasha, I did not mean to wake you. I couldn't sleep."
"Its alright. You play the flute very well. The tune is romantic, but sad."
Murasaki pointed up to the sky where a crescent moon hung in the sky.
"Feh, now I see."
"This is a lover's flute, in particular, the female flute. Sesshomaru has the male flute. When played together, the song is beautiful, but apart, it sounds lonely. Your father gave us these flutes when our mating was first arranged. Tell me, does Sesshomaru still have the male flute tied to his obi?"
"It was there the last time I saw him. I kept my distance. I did not realize that's what it was until you mentioned it just now."
"Then there is still hope. Sometimes, when I play this flute, I feel that I can sense his thoughts. He turns his mind to me and then he mourns. I think he thinks the thoughts are just the feelings in his memory welling up. He still believes that I am dead."
"That may be a good thing for you. You may still see him as kind and loving, but now he is just bitter and heartless. You would not know him anymore."
"I see. But, I still have hope. That loving person is still inside of him, even if he has buried it deep."
"You will have a long way to dig. I am going back down to get some sleep. Kagome and I are on our way to meet with some friends. We shouldn't leave them waiting."
"Good night Inuyasha."
"Good night, Murasaki."


Japanese High chess: Sho- King; Kin- Queen; Hisha and Nari-Hisha- Rooks(castles); Kaku and Nari-Kaku- Bishops; Ka-Ma and Ghin- Knights; Fu and Hio- Pawns
strong castle or castle that perserveres.
Murasaki- purple eyes (because that is what color her eyes are)
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