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Misty Rain Garden
Se-ji & Neko-chan Animal Crossing Inu-Yasha |
~ The Mysterious Monk Seko! Epilogue- Seko walked along the dirt path, taking care not to trip over the hem of her robes. She'd only just put them on that morning for the first time, since her merchant costume had been so badly ripped from walking into that thorn tree. Tied on her back was a pack full of clothes and other odds and ends for her journey, and in her left hand was a hard wooden staff she'd gotten in the last village, to try to make her monk costume look more realistic. The sun was high in the sky, and the day was beautiful. Seko smiled and looked around happily at the workers in the fields and children running along the banks of the small, man-made streams that ran on either side of the path she was on. One of the children, a funny faced little boy, turned and waved at her. "Good morning, Houshi-sama!" He called out happily. Seko smiled and waved back, lowering her head a bit so that the woven hat she was wearing would cover her eyes. She continued walking on, until she was out of the village and in a thickly forested area. Then she heard the scream. "What..?" Seko muttered, then started running in the direction of the scream. That sounded like a woman's scream... Seko almost tripped over her robes a couple times and her hat flew off her head, but she was determined to help whoever was in trouble. Turning a corner around some thick trees, she saw three big bandits cornering a young woman, the berries she'd been gathering smashed under their feet. "Stay away!" The woman yelled, grabbing a rock off the cliffside she was up against and throwing it at the head of the biggest bandit. It hit him on the forehead and made him take a step back. "Ow! Stupid girl! Get her!" He yelled, waving his hand at her. The other two bandits lunged forward at her, and she let out another scream and closed her eyes. Seko reached them just at that moment, her staff flying into the side of one of the guy’s heads and her foot into the other. Both jumped back in surprise at the sudden attack, Seko landing in front of the girl in a defensive stance. The girl slowly opened her eyes and stared at Seko in shock. "Houshi...sama?" She murmured slowly. Seko turned her head slowly and smiled at the girl. "Don't worry," She said, then coughed, her voice to high to pass as a man's. She tried again at a lower level. "Don't worry, your safe now." The girl’s eyes lost their scared look, and Seko went on. "You might want to run now, so your safe from the fighting." The girl nodded and ran off, the bandits ignoring her and focusing on their new opponent. The leader, a tall, strong looking man with a red shirt and workers pants and sandals, sneered at Seko. "You made us loose the girl, Houshi-sama." He muttered, spitting out the last word sarcastically. Seko stayed in her defensive position and sneered at them. "I'll be sure to make up for the loss." She said, casting her voice deeper to keep up the idea that she was a man. Driving her staff into the ground she clasped her hands together and lined her index and thumb up with each other, then spread her hands open again, her index fingers and thumbs still touching each other as they formed a diamond. "Seikon hanatsu!" Her hands turned white, then the white flashed brightly, making everyone in the area shield their eyes. A cloud of the white energy, each piece small like snow, rushed toward the bandits and covered them. "Wha..." One of the bandits with a blue shirt muttered, before falling down and joining the other two in a sound sleep. Seko straightened up and rubbed her hands together, then pulled her staff out of the ground and started running back down the path she had been taking. They'll be drained of their energy for a couple hours, it would still be smart to get as far away from them as I can before they wake up... Chapter One - It would have been a perfect day. Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, Mirkou, Shippo, and Kiara had spent the entire day quietly walking across a few valleys and through a couple villages. The weather had been wonderful, peaceful and fresh, with the sent of flowers on the soft breeze. Everyone had been in a good mood. Inuyasha had been nice to Shippo, Sango seemed more lighthearted than normal, and even Mirkou seemed happier, though that got him more slaps and hits than normal. But then, just as the entire group was sitting down for dinner next to a stream on a hilltop, they heard the scream. "What was that?!" Kagome said, hopping to her feet. She was the only one that took the time to voice the question, all the rest, save Shippo, already to their feet with weapons in hand. Inuyasha perked up his ears and sniffed at the air, the fading sunlight glinting in his silver-white hair. "It came from that way," He said finally, pointing east down the small stream. Mirkou and Sango started running along the stream, while Inuyasha mearly hopped up into the high branches of the trees around them and worked his way down the riverside by jumping from tree to tree. Already a good distance ahead, Sango suddenly turned around. "Kiara, Kagome-chan, Shippo! You three watch the camp!" She called out, then turned and started running to catch up with Miroku and Inuyasha. Kagome made a movement as if to follow them, but held herself back and stood at the edge of their camp, watching the others run off thin lipped. Sango followed Miroku, watching his back to see where to go. They ran for a while, hopping over a couple fallen trees and between the trees. Who ever screamed... Sango thought, as she lifted herself and Hiraikotsu over another fallen tree. Must have a very good screaming voice... She caught up with him just as he broke through some hedges and found their destination. It was a small clearing by the same stream they'd camped at, with three rough looking men crowded around a crumpled figure. The men, one in a blue shirt and workers clothes, one in a dirty yellow shirt and workers clothes, and the one obiously the leader in a red shirt and workers clothes, were kicking whoever was on the ground viciously. "This will teach you to interfeir with our business stupid monk!" The leader spat, delivering an expecially violent kick to the figure on the ground. There was a sharp cry of pain as the monk flew through the air and landed a couple yards away. Sango blinked in surpise and looked at both the boys. Inuyasha had his hand on Tessagia, judging the power of the bandits. Miroku, to Sango's surpise, was digging his staff into the ground and shaking with angery, his face twisted with the emotion. Of course... Sango suddenly relized. The man they are beating up is another monk. That must make Miroku angry... Miroku picked up his staff and stabbed the ground with the end of it, holding his right hand out to stop Inuyasha from advancing, just as the dog-demon had decided to take action. "No, Inuyasha," Miroku snapped. "Let me take care of these thugs." Miroku lept into the air with a yell and kicked the leader, sending him flying into the dirt. Landing skillfully, Miroku advanced on the fallen leader with a shadowy look on his face. "Bosu!" The blue shirted man called out, blinking at his fallen leader. Both he and the blue shirted man backed away, not attempting to help their leader. They still remembered what happened to them earlier, when they fought the other monk. The memories hadn't faded from their dull minds and neither had the lumps on their thick heads. The blue shirted man turned to the one in the yellow shirt, keeping his eyes on the new monk beating up his boss. "Oy, Ieroo, there sure are a lot of monks around lately, aren't there?" There was no answer from Ieroo, the man in the yellow shirt. "Ieroo?" The blue shirted man quired, turning to look at him. Ieroo stood staring at somthing, pointing in fear and shaking, a cold sweat all over his body. "Ieroo?" The blue shirted man muttered again, turning his head to see what Ieroo was looking at. "Buruu!" The yellow shirted man suddenly found his voice again. "Buruu, youkai!" He said, his voice high with fear. Inuyasha stood where the two men where looking, in his normal standing pose with his arms inside his sleeves. He blinked. Ieroo and Buruu screamed, then started to run away, but tripped over eachother and fell to the ground with a thud. Inuyasha chuckled to himself and watched them run off, then he turned back toward Miroku, watching him beat up the abandoned leader. The boss was still on the ground, Miroku standing on his back and stomping his foot down on his head every other word he said. "Never!" Stomp! "Bother!" Stomp! "A!" Stomp! "Most!" Stomp! "Reveared!" Stomp! "Monk!" Stomp! "Again!" Stomp stomp stomp stomp stomp stomp stomp stomp stomp!! Sango blinked, surpised at Miroku's anger, then suddenly remembered the monk. Quickly she turned and hurried toward him. "Houshi-sama! Are you alright?" She called, reaching his side and lowering Hiraikotsu to the ground. He'd managed to work himself up into a sitting positon using the staff in his hands, but he obiously moved with pained movements. He wore pretty much the same robes that Miroku did, but his were faded in coloring, as if the cloth was so old and had been washed so many times that the dye had faded out of it. The staff in his hands was a faded black, held tight with white knuckled fingers. His hair, even that a soft black color, was in a braid that went down a little past his neck and then was folded so that the end was held together with the top of the braid. Slowly, he turned and smiled at Sango. "I..." He stopped, then cough. "I'll be fine, thank you." He smiled, an innocent, tired grin over his rather handsome face. Sango stiffened, her right hand instictivally ready to whip out and slap. But the new monk didn't try anything, much to Sango's releif. He mearly coughed some more and moaned, rubbing his side with his right hand. Sango leaned down and put her hands on his shoulders carefully. "Here, Houshi-sama, why don't you come to our camp? Another girl, Kagome-chan, has some powerful medicanes that can help you heal faster and ease the pain." Sango said softly, helping the monk to his feet. He was a lot lighter than he looked and, to Sango's surpise, shorter than herself. Slowly she let go of his arms, as he wavered uncertinally, steadying himself with his staff. "Houshi-sama, may I ask why those bandits were attacking you?" Sango suddenly asked, out of curiosity. The monk smiled at her again, leaning heavily against his staff. "Please, call me Seko. And thank you, I would glady except some medicane from this Kagome-chan." He said, straightening up a bit. Sango smiled to herself and nodded. "Seko... that is a soft name." She said, walking toward Inuyasha. Seko followed, his limp easing a bit as he walked. "My mother was a gentle person." Seko replied cheerfully, eyeing Inuyasha carefully. Inuyasha eyed him right back, and twiched his ears. "So your name is Seko, is it?" Inuyasha growled, eyeing the new monk wearily. His features seemed to gentle to Inuyasha, like he didn't do much work and probally didn't fight often, if at all. Seko stiffened up at his growl, assuming a defence pose. Sango quickly waved Inuyasha off and put her hand on Seko's shoulder. "Don't mind him, Seko-san. Inuyasha may look tough, but he is really harmless when you get to know him." She said quickly, giving Inuyasha a dangerous glare. Inuyasha turned his head and "pehed", pretending not to be interested. Around this time Miroku figured that the leader had been punished enough and walked over to them, leaving the leader with many bumps and brusies on his head. "Ay, I beleave that he will leave any future passerbyers alone..." Miroku said, brushing himself off and turning to Seko. "It is nice to meet you, my name is Miroku." He bowed a little, then stood back up. "Ah, I heard Sango ask you earlier, but why did those thugs attack you?" His voice held a note of curiosity, as if he wanted reassurence that he hadn't spent fifteen minutes beating up a person for doing nothing wrong. Seko closed his eyes and lowered his head, chucked gently, then raised his head again and smiled, his eyes bright. "I beat them up earlier for harassing a young woman, and they attacked me when I was resting for lunch." Seko said confidentally, making everyone else blink. For some reason, I thought there was a greater purpose behind it all... Miroku thought to himself, then shook his head. "Ah, well they are gone now, and you are welcome to our camp for food as well as medicanes." "Hold it!" Inuyasha snapped, stepping forward to challenge Miroku. "Who said he could come to our camp?!" "Inuyasha!" Sango snapped, surprising both Miroku and Inuyasha. "The sun is already setting, Kagome-chan will be tending to the food, and Seko-san has been wounded from that fight with those thugs. Who are we to deny someone good food and medicanes?" "I can't say it was much of a fight..." Seko murmered softly, wearily rubbing his face. Inuyasha "pehed" again and turned his head. "Fine, he can stay at our camp tonight if he wants." He muttered grudginly. "Thank you, I do not mean to be a burden." Seko said, bowing toward Inuyasha. To be continued... |