Sunday, September 4, 2005

Running To Stand Still: The hidden ones
*episode 10*

Miroku has been accepted as the next father of the village and his friends are no longer imprisoned. They are now honored guests of the village; but the armed guards are never out of sight and they’ve been advised not to try to leave. A feast is being prepared to welcome Miroku to his new office and the whole village seems in a holiday spirit. The monk is wandering around, eyeing the ladies he won’t even have to ask to bear his children. To his delight, he likes what he sees and has to admit that the young women of this village are, in general, above average in looks. Likewise, these young women seem pleased with him and he could probably have a lovely afternoon, were it not for some custom about the right of the first night. Walking past the dojo, he hears noises from within. Poking his head through the door, Miroku sees the child Ko struggling to hold a weapon meant for someone no less than twice her age. As he watches, she raises the weapon and promptly loses her balance. She falls backwards. A single cry of pain is all that comes from her; she stifles the rest while wiping her tears. Miroku steps into the room and picks the weapon up off the floor. The girl looks up at him in surprise as he returns the weapon to its place on the wall. He asks, “Do you know who I am?” Ko nods, she says, “You…you’re a man. You’re going to be the father of the new children. But not mine.” A great look of sadness fills the girl’s eyes. Miroku kneels and places a hand on her shoulder. He says, “I can be.” The girl is stunned for a moment, then she realizes what he means. Unleashing the tears she had held back, Ko throws her arms around Miroku’s neck. As he embraces her in return, he says, “It will be some time until the new children arrive. In that time, you will be my only child. When they do come, I will still be yours as well as theirs. Then one day, when you are a woman, you will stop being my child and become one of my wives; just like all the other women. Then you will bear my child and raise it to so that it is never alone as you have been.” Clinging to the monk like a lifeline in a stormy sea, Ko nods and cries. Gently stroking the girls hair, Miroku looks up and is surprised to see Yamaneko standing in the doorway watching. The look on her face tells of pain and joy; but is neither one. She does not cry; but to Miroku, it seems she wants to.
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Saturday, September 3, 2005

Running To Stand Still: The hidden ones
*episode 8*

Yamaneko leads Miroku to a large barn or storage building. In side, a number young women of varying ages await. Yamaneko says, “The poison tests your resiliency; but there are other aspects of your physiology which we must evaluate. We must see that your bloodline can be, and has been, shaped into a warrior. This is where we train our young in fighting; both hand to hand and with weapons. You will be tested as well; choose.” She indicates a wall; against it are an assortment of wooden mock weapons. Miroku grabs a staff. Yamaneko says, “Do not mistake that for the weapon you carry, monk; we do not use harmless weapons. Hold that as you would a spear; you will be judged as such.” One of the younger ninja takes another mock spear and steps out into the middle of the room. After getting a nod from Yamaneko, Miroku joins her. He lets her make the first move…her mistake. With a single strike, Miroku knocks her weapon from her hands and brings the point of his weapon to her face. Yamaneko says, “Very well; next!” Miroku proceeds to fight with every girl there; progressing mostly in age, but always in skill. Finally, he has a spirited match with Kousetsu which ends with him being credited with a wound. Kousetsu is the last of the girls there, and Miroku replaces the spear and prepares to leave. “Not so fast.” Yamaneko says. She is holding the second spear and facing Miroku. More than a little cocky after defeating all of her sisters, Miroku grabs the weapon and turns to face Yamaneko. After he acknowledges his preparedness, Yamaneko strikes. Miroku doesn’t see the attack; one instant she is standing there, the next she is standing over him pointing both spears at his neck. She turns and replaces the weapons on the wall. Kousetsu helps Miroku to his feet and says, “Don’t worry, you still pass. Nobody beats Yamaneko; nobody ever has.”
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Running To Stand Still: The hidden ones
*episode 9*

Walking out of the dojo, Yamaneko tells Miroku, “You have done well. Resiliency, character, combat, you have passed them all. But one test remains; you might call it the hardest. I will now present you to the village elders. I will report on your progress so far and then they will examine your body; looking for obvious flaws, and other such things.” Miroku asks, “Examine how?” Yamaneko says, “Visually.” Miroku says, “You’re telling me I’m going to have take my clothes off in front of a room full of old women?” “Yup,” she says, “Old women who haven’t seen a man in 8 years. If they don’t like what they see; you and your friends die.” Miroku shudders, but nods his accent. Yamaneko guides him to the largest house in the village. In a small room in the entrance, she tells him, “On the bright side, if you pass this test you will have been accepted. Now, disrobe.” Kicking off his sandals, Miroku pulls loose the knots which hold his robe in place. He wraps his garment around his right hand as he pulls it off. Noticing that Yamaneko does stop to look before they proceed, he says, “Let’s get this over with.” Yamaneko says, “A word of advice: smile.”
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Friday, September 2, 2005

Running To Stand Still: The hidden ones
*episode 6*

After what seems like an eternity, the first rays of morning light creep through the door. In Miroku’s friend’s eyes, taking her own sweet time about it, Yamaneko enters the hut and approaches the cage. “Does he still draw breath?” she asks. Kagome says, “Yes, but with difficulty.” Nodding, the ninja pulls another container of antidote from her robes. She hands it to Kagome who quickly force-feeds it to the monk. With in seconds, his breathing becomes normal and his fever breaks. Yamaneko says, “Fear not; he shall live. We have had generations to perfect this test. There has never been an instance where a man received the antidote and died…from the poison.” Inuyasha says, “There, he played your stupid game, can we go now?” “He has a rather short attention span; doesn’t he?” the ninja asks. “Yes,” Kagura says, “He does.” Kagome says, “This was just the first in a series of tests; if he passes them all, he gets to stay here and we get to…what happens to us if Miroku is accepted?” Yamaneko says, “As friends of the father of our village, you would be free to go.” Kohaku says, “What about him; he’s not going to want to stay here forever.” Inuyasha says, “He might.” Yamaneko says, “It is not uncommon for the father to not live here. After we had enough confirmed pregnancies, he could leave as well. Of course it would be expected that he return from time to time.” Kagome says, “I don’t think you’d have to worry about that.” Yamaneko says, “We are getting ahead of ourselves. First he must be proven acceptable. I will return in one hour; he must be ready to proceed with the testing then.”
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Running To Stand Still: The hidden ones
*episode 7*

An hour later, Miroku goes forth from the cage. He feels much better. But he has the worst hangover of his life; and that’s saying something. Kouu, Kaze, and Kousetsu are guarding/escorting him. He sees Yamaneko leaving a large house; she walks to him. “Leave us.” she tells the guards. Turning in the obvious expectation that she will be followed; Yamaneko walks off. When they have cleared the others, she says, “Before the tests continue, you should see what prize awaits you. This village would be your home; and a fine one too. We’re self-sufficient: we grow our own food, make our tools and clothing. We buy metals from feudal lords; but never openly.” Miroku’s eye is drawn to a young girl sitting by herself. He says, “That is the first young child I’ve seen. One of my predecessor’s last?” Yamaneko shakes her head, “No, the last father died 8 years ago; Ko is 4. She is of this village; but not of our flesh. It must have occurred to you that we do not only bear female offspring.” Miroku says, “Indeed it had.” She continues, “It is the way of the world that many families will gladly accept a boy child, if they can have none of their own. It is also the way of the world that many girl children are simply killed at birth; so as to allow for more sons. We have arrangements with a number of villages; they give these children to us; and, when there is a father, we give our boys to them.” Nodding Miroku says, “So that child, Ko, has no companions her own age?” Yamaneko says, “No, but even if we had a father, she would have been alone. Such children are ostracized by the others.” Miroku says, “That’s terrible.” The ninja says, “Is it? Such children become strong warriors; the pain forges them into hard steel. I should know; I am not of the flesh.” The two progress in silence until they reach the woods at the village’s edge. Yamaneko leads Miroku into the shelter of the forest. “Quickly,” she says, “Go; I do not want to see you killed! No patrols will pass that way for some time!” Miroku says, “My friends, what will happen to them if I leave?” Yamaneko says, “They will be put to death; but you cannot save them. Go now before we are discovered!” After a slight pause, Miroku says, “I will not abandon them; let us return to the village and begin the tests.” Smiling smugly, Yamaneko says, “They have already begun; and you have past this one. If you had gone, I would have killed you. We are not a people driven by honor, but the father must have some principles. As you say, let us return now.”
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Thursday, September 1, 2005

Running To Stand Still: The hidden ones
*episode 4*

Some time has passed and the guards have returned to their previous silent selves. Shippo & Kagome have dozed off and Kohaku and Kagura are showing signs of tiredness. Inuyasha is, as always, vigilant in his guardianship of his sleeping comrades. Miroku, on the other hand, seems to be restraining excitement…who could blame him? After several hours, Yamaneko returns carrying a tray. She enters the cage and sits opposite the monk. On the try is a sake jug and two cups. She pours into each of the cups and hands one to the monk. Waiting until she drinks, Miroku downs his own portion. The Kunoichi says, “The elders have discussed your offer. It is not our custom to accept such propositions from one in your position; but for our own reasons we have decided to make an exception. Naturally, we cannot accept you without measuring your alleged strength; so there will be tests for you to face.” Nodding, Miroku asks, “When do we begin?” “Now.” She tells him. She reaches into her robes and pulls out a small porcelain container. Uncapping it, she quickly drinks its entire contents. The monk asks, “What was that?” “Antidote.” Yamaneko says. Inuyasha jumps to his feet as Kohaku and Kagura are instantly awake. Miroku clutches his side as he begins to turn pale. “The…sake…” he says. She nods, “A fast-acting poison; it has been diluted. The sun will rise in about 4 hours. If you still live you will be given the antidote then. Only the strongest can be accepted to father our young. Your strength will determine your fate.”
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Running To Stand Still: The hidden ones
*episode 5*

At nearly 3 hours have past and Miroku isn’t doing too well. Kagome, who was woken up as soon as Yamaneko left, has been trying to do something for him; but without her medicines she is virtually helpless. Her desperate, even frantic pleas that her medkit be brought to her have fallen on def ears. The guard called Kouu brought pillows towels and water; but whispered that she could do nothing else. Kagome has settled for making him comfortable and keeping a moist towel on his feverish brow. Unable to stay awake any longer, Kagome has handed the duty off to Kohaku and gone to sleep. The boy is kneeling over the fitfully sleeping monk, when suddenly Miroku’s eyes open. In a shaky voice, he says, “Sa…Sango?” Kohaku says, “No, I’m not Sango. Miroku, can you hear me?” Inuyasha says, “It’s messin with his head; and you got’a admit, there’s a family resemblance.” Kohaku turns his attention back to the monk. “Sango…” he says, “I…I wanted to…” Kohaku says, “No last words; tell my sister yourself when you seeeeee!” Inuyasha groans as he sees Miroku’s hand tenderly stroking Kohaku’s butt. *Smack* Inuyasha says, “Family resemblance alright.”
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Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Running To Stand Still: The hidden ones
*episode 3*

“Before I die, will you bear my child?”
Inuyasha groans, “Will ya give it a rest monk?!?” The elder woman asks, “Do ye mean this offer?” Miroku says, “I do.” Inuyasha says, “Sure, just like he means it to every other girl he meets.” Turning to him, the woman asks Inuyasha, “And what of his strength; is this also as he says?” “Sure, I guess.” Inuyasha says. “You ain’t seriously thinkin about…” “Silence!” the old woman snaps. “There is much to discuss and more to prove; but ye may survive after all. Return the hostage; but I warn ye, ye shalt not escape this village with thine lives.” As the two women leave, Kagome is brought to the cage and put in with the others. Inuyasha asks, “Are you ok?” She nods. Turning on the monk, Inuyasha shouts, “What were you thinking!?!” Miroku says, “You should be thanking me. She was about to decree our deaths; I have at least bought us a respite.” “How?” Kohaku asks. “What was the deal with that old woman?” Kagome says, “She wasn’t a priestess.” Kagura says, “From the deference she received from one of the village’s leading warriors; you would think she was the headman. Except she can’t be because she’s a woman.” Miroku says, “For that matter, everyone we’ve encountered so far has been female.” Kohaku asks, “How can you be sure?” Miroku says, “Trust me; I know.” Kagura says, “If this is their village, maybe all the men are way; working as ninja.” Inuyasha says, “I don’t think so. Other than me, the monk, Kohaku and Shippo, I can’t smell any guys at all.” Kagome says, “A village of warrior women…they we’re interested in the human guys…I think, hey!” Kagome calls to one of the guards. “In my bag there were some books; can I please see the blue one?” Two of the guards begin to whisper to each other. Miroku says, “They fear that your books may contain spells.” Their discussion completed one of the ninja leaves. She returns shortly with the book and 4 additional guards. She hands it to Kagome. As Kagome begins to flip through it, Miroku reads the words on the binding, “Western Mythology? From the western lands?” Kagome says, “A bit further west…ah! Amazons; in Greek legends there was a tribe of warrior women who lived without men. They reproduced by…” Everyone looks to her. Blushing, she passes the book to Miroku. Taking a moment to find the right place, he begins to read silently. When he sees what she had seen, he grins. “Somebody wan’a fill us in?” Inuyasha asks. Miroku says, “They reproduced by taking men from other villages and then returning them when they were done with them.” Kohaku asks, “So when they wanted to know if there were any men from my village…” One of the guards says, “The demon slayers were well known for their strength. Now that they have fallen, their blood would be a valuable asset to our daughters.” Another guard snaps, “Kousetsu; be quite!” The one called Kousetsu responds, “Calm down Kaze. If they’re going to live, they’re going to be told; and if not it doesn’t matter.” Miroku asks, “And might one of you lovely ladies be interested in bearing my child as well?” “She’s wrong.” Another ninja says, timidly. “At least about us. We don’t take men. Every 16 years we find a man; he fathers our village. Weather you meant to or not, when you proposition Yamaneko, you were asking for that job. Your offer is being discussed by the elders now.” Kaze says, “You too Kouu? Both of you stop talking with the prisoners.” Miroku says, “Kouu, Kaze, and Kousetsu; you were the ones who captured us.” A nod from Kousetsu who then gets an evil stare from Kaze is the only answer he gets.
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Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Running To Stand Still: The hidden ones
*episode 2*

Inuyasha slowly regains consciousness. He sits up and rubs his eyes. “Easy,” Miroku says, “no need to rush.” Inuyasha looks around. His vision is still blurry, but he can tell he’s in a cage. “Kagome?” he asks. The monk says, “She’s safe; for the moment.” Shaking his head, Inuyasha says, “Then let’s get out’a here.” Kohaku says, “We shouldn’t.” He points: Inuyasha looks and is instantly awake. “Kagome!” he shouts, getting to his feet. “Inuyasha!” she says. She is sitting outside the cage being guarded by two female ninja; their masks are off. Miroku says, “We have their assurances, for whatever they’re worth, that she won’t be harmed if we cooperate. However, I doubt their good intentions.” “Why?” Shippo asks. Miroku says, “I have had a small number of encounters with ninja in the past. They guard their identity with great care; however, these ones have removed their masks. Further more, I suspect we are in their village. To maintain their pretext of being a mere peasant village; our deaths may be considered necessary.” After a heavy silence, two people enter the room surrounding the cage. One is the female ninja who had led the group which captured them; she is now dressed as a peasant woman. Her companion is a much older woman. They approach the cage and the younger one holds up Kohaku’s armor. “Whose is this?” she demands. The older woman says, “I shall handle this; Yamaneko.” Looking at the suit and then at the prisoners, she turns to Kohaku, “This can only thine. Ye child; are ye a survivor of the Demon Slayer tribe?” Kohaku says, “What of it?” The one addressed as Yamaneko says, “Perhaps…” Her companion says, “Nay, he is too young. Lad; have ye any kin? Men of thine village who also yet live?” Kohaku shakes his head, “I’m the only survivor.” This draws a puzzled stare from Shippo, but even he has the sense to not shout out Sango’s existence. The older woman sighs, “Ye have trespassed and seen that which must not be seen. Know ye what must we do?” Miroku nods, “I understand; but I have a request. My bloodline carries great spiritual strength and I cannot allow it to end here.” He addresses Yamaneko, “Before I die, will you bear my child?”
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Monday, August 29, 2005

Running To Stand Still: The hidden ones
*episode 1*

Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Shippo, Kagura, and Kohaku are gathered around a campfire in a clearing. The thick surrounding woods prevented them from doing as Sango had said earlier that day and finding a village. They are tired and upset by the day’s happening. Trying to lighten the mood in his usual gruff manner, Inuyasha says, “Ahh…Kirara know what she’s doin and Sango can look after herself. They’ll be fine and they’ll find us in a couple’a days.” That said, the group returns to a depressed silence. Kagura reaches out and puts a hand on Kohaku’s shoulder. Miroku says quietly, “I think you should all know, we’re surrounded.” Not moving, Inuyasha says, “I know. Four, maybe five up close; more holding back. They’re human.” Kohaku says, “The fire puts us at a disadvantage. Kagura?” She squeezes his shoulder in accent. Miroku says, “Kagome, Shippo, get down; on 3…1…2…3!” As Kagura flicks her fan open the fire smothers. Kagome drops to the ground covering Shippo and the others all spring to there feet.

Kohaku heads for the nearest assailant. The forest is too dense to for him to throw his weapon, but he can go hand to hand. Suddenly he realizes that that is, in fact, not the nearest enemy and the nearest one is right on top of him. As he ducks under a sword thrust, he raises his scythe to his opponent’s side and presses it to his flesh. At the same time he feels the blade of the sword come to rest on the back of his neck. As both of them freeze, Kohaku takes a moment to observe the stranger. He is short, perhaps a child like himself. His clothing is black and shapeless. His most noticeable characteristic is the black cloth mask completely covering his face.

Miroku ducks back and tries to buy time to think. Responding quickly to a noise he has rarely heard, he swings his staff in front of him and feels a jolt as something embeds itself in the metal staff. Running his hand down to the point of impact, he feels something which confirms his suspicions. “Shuriken.” he says. Figuring that information is more valuable than stealth, he calls, “Inuyasha; they’re ninja!” Undoubtedly drawn by his voice, 3 more throwing stars fly at him. He deflects two, but one grazes his arm.

Kagura heads upward navigating her feather between the branches. Seeing that she is not alone, she jumps onto a passing branch and puts the feather back in her hair. “Dance of Blades!” she shouts. Swinging like a monkey, her adversary doges her attack and grabs onto Kagura’s ankle pulling them both into an uncontrolled fall.

Inuyasha draws the Tetsusaiga and stands over Kagome and Shippo. His attention is focused on anyone approaching the two. After a moment he picks his foe. This one is heading straight toward the two and he moves to intercept. As he draws near, the black figure throws a smoke bomb. Jumping clear, Inuyasha gets just enough of a whiff to know that a small amount of that stuff getting to his delicate nose will put him out of the fight. Clearly knowing this as well, his opponent throws another and another. Inuyasha jumps clear holding his breath and turns to face the ninja. He is standing over Kagome and Shippo holding a long knife. Pulling his mask aside, the ninja reveals hi…her face. She shouts, “Drop your weapons or the girl dies! I have two squads on standby; there is no escape.”

As each of the group members turn to see Kagome’s predicament; they each drop their weapons and stand back. The unmasked Ninja says, “Kaze, Kouu, Kousetsu; get their weapons.” One of each of her companions moves to collect the scythe, the staff, and the fan. Inuyasha has still not dropped his weapon. The ninja moves the knife against Kagome’s skin. Inuyasha sheathes his sword. “You are too dangerous to be moved as you are.” she says. She throws a smoke bomb and this time Inuyasha doesn’t dodge. When the smoke clears he is lying senseless on the ground. The ninja says, “Bind them.” Each of them has their hands tied behind their back and a cloth sack pulled over their head. They are led, or in Inuyasha’s case carried, away.
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