Thursday, December 15, 2005

Inuenro
*episode 2*

The next say, the old priestess walks alone into a village. Her young ward was left behind and hopefully out of sight. She is spotted by the villagers who come out to meet her. When a suitable crowd has gathered, she says, “A humble traveler has come to beg at your doorstep. I am in need of supplies, and I have little to offer in return.” The villagers pause for a moment, then the flock around. Almost before she can tell what is happening, she is swept into the house of the village headman where she is made comfortable and asked to wait for the arrival of the local priestess; who she will of course want to see. Any attempt on her part to discuss the matter on which she came to town is met with joyful goodwill; and completely ignored. After a while, Konpon gives up and accepts that she will have to wait for this, Lady Wakai, before she can accomplish anything. So she sits and listens to the headman’s boring conversation; and even eats some of the food his wife attempts to foster on her. At last, a young priestess walks through the door and looks to her elder. After exchanging pleasantries with the headman, she says, “Sir, thank you for showing this guest your hospitality; but I must ask you to leave us, for the moment.” When the headman and his wife have left, Wakai sits opposite Konpon. She says, “I take it you have been welcome far more warmly than you would have liked. Please forgive them; they are like this anytime an elder clergy passes through our village. I am young, and have only recently received this position; they have yet to develop trust in me.” Konpon says, “Give them time; if you do your job well, they will grow to trust you. Now, as I tried to tell the headman, I am making one final pilgrimage. I have exhausted my supplies far sooner then I thought; and have come here hoping to receive aid. I have little that is of value; so I must hope that their goodwill holds out.” Wakai says, “I am sure that it will; however, do you travel alone?” Konpon says, “Yes, I have grown to value my solitude.” The younger says, “But surely it is dangerous to travel alone at your age. I find it hard to believe that you could defend yourself.” The elder says, “I have little to fear. I carry nothing that could be stolen except food; and unlike a woman of your youth, my body is not something to be desired. Also, I have not lost the ability to handle demons on my own.” Wakai says, “Even so, you could be hurt and need aid. I will talk to the villagers, I am sure that I can find one willing to accompany you.” Konpon says, “No, I wish to continue as I am.” Before the young woman can respond she says, “I am old; this trip is meant to be my last. If I had wanted to die in bed with people fussing over me, I could have stayed at home. Please, I beg you, allow me to die with my dignity intact.” Wakai sits in thought for a moment, then she nods. She says, “Very well, you shall setout tomorrow, alone, with what supplies you can carry.” Konpon says, “I thank you; but there are still many hours left till sundown; and I must continue with my journey.” Wakai says, “I don’t think that is possible. The headman will insist on putting you up for at least one night; and it is mainly his good will which will supply you with food.”
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Friday, December 9, 2005

Inuenro
*episode 1*

It’s been a week since Inuyasha and Konpon set out from her hermitage. While the two have been happy together, the boy can tell that the journey is taking a heavy toll on his companion. The old woman, already in poor health and knowing that her end is near, is in no condition to be sleeping beneath the stars, or in whatever shelter they can pull together. Nor can she be expected to be able to walk all through the long days for much longer. However, despite his objections, Konpon continues to push herself; and insists that they must put as much ground between themselves and the priests as possible. As the day fades, they camp down for another night. Inuyasha offers to hunt, but the priestess tells him that she can neither cook, nor stomach meat. As Inuyasha starts the fire, Konpon looks through their meager provisions. They are almost out of the rice with which she would make porridge. It has been three weeks since she received the supplies meant to last her a month; and that was with but one mouth to feed. No matter how she looks at it, she will have to go into a town; which means either explaining Inuyasha, or leaving him behind. The latter might be dangerous for them both. But while the boy could live on rabbits and fish, her old body can no longer handle such foods. As she prepares the evening meal, she resolves that tomorrow something must be done.
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Saturday, December 3, 2005

I want your feedback

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Thursday, December 1, 2005

Inumittsu
*episode 9*

9 days have past since the high priest’s visit; and Konpon feels as well as she has in many month. Gathering her few necessities, she tells Inuyasha that they are leaving. “Let the priests come and exorcize the whole forest for all I care. We shall be long gone.” The boy says, “But your home…” She tells him, “Little one; I was not here 4 months before you came. This was nothing but a place to die. I leave it gladly with the intent to live. Now come…” And so Inuyasha leaves another home, merely a month after he left his first. Once again he travels in the care of a single elderly guardian; however this time his sense of lose is lessened by the fact that he is with someone who cares for him. When the priest arrive the next day, the find nothing but the trees and the hut; and a cracked porcelain cup.
*The End*
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Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Inumittsu
*episode 8*

Three days have past since the visit of the high priest; and things have returned to as they once were. However, a sense of unease has come into young Inuyasha’s mind. His companion can see the burden he is suffering under, and eventually demands that he talk about it. The boy says, “There’s only a week left.” Konpon says, “Don’t worry little one, we will deal with the old fool’s threats when the time comes. But have no fear; I do not intend to cast you out.” “It’s not that. He said you were going to…” he trails off. She says, “Ah, I thought we might have to discuss this. Little one, you know I am old. I told you soon after we met that I had little time left. I know that the death of your mother and that servant she left you with are still fresh in your mind. I will stay with you as long as I can; but still, my end is not far off. But I suppose you know all that; and that just repeating it will do you very little good.” She stops and sits on a rock at the edge of a stream. She looks up at where, nearby, the river has eroded the earth from around the roots of a tree; leaving them bare. After a long moment, she says, “Little one, I’m going to try to explain something to you; something you may not be ready to understand. Look here,” she draws his attention to an ant, crawling along an offshoot of the tree roots. The boy comes over and gazes intently at the insect. The old woman tells him, “To this creature, the tree is only this root. All it sees, all it knows of the tree is right here. If it were to climb upward till it met a leaf, it would not see that as being the same as this piece here. But let us say that fate takes this little one away from its familiar root. For a time it will feel the loss; and this is right and fitting. But then later, it may meet the leaf and take joy in the new which is old. People too are like this; and while death can take them apart, in time, they may meet again, in another form. They may not even recognize each other then; but the feelings can endure. Do you understand any of this?” He shakes his head, a resounding no. She smiles at him and says, “Then never mind; perhaps when you are older you will.”
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Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Inumittsu
*episode 7*

A short time later the high priest, unaccompanied by his litter bearers, his courtiers, his acolytes, or any of the extraneous persons he had brought along, pulls aside the curtain and enters Konpon’s hut. He stands just within and looks from the boy to the woman and back. In a dignified voice he says, “So, this is the demon who has caused such a commotion.” Allowing himself a small smile, he says, “I was expecting someone taller.” Konpon says, “Yes, it does seem strange that such a fuss is being made over such a little one. Now sit, and drink tea; or else be about your business elsewhere.” The man sits and accepts a worn porcelain cup. After several swallows, he says, “You should hear the stories that are told in my temple. Those related by the priests who have been here are strange enough; but the rumors have grown beyond their tales. Before I left this morning, I heard that a demon had taken you as his lover, and promised you eternal youth. Another version says that you yourself have been possessed; by an evil too great to be named. I have little doubt that, as time goes by, the rumors will grow. But I am not here to deal with rumors. Three of my priests, who have seen it with their own eyes, tell me what I now find to be true. You, a priestess with a flawless past, have taken into your care the scion of an unholy union. To their credit, each of them assumes that the child is working some dark magic on your mind which you are too weakened by age to repel.” Speaking up, Konpon asks, “And tell me, do I seem like one under a spell? Does he seem like one able to cast such a spell to begin with? I grant that you are a powerful and experienced priest, what are your views on this?” After a pensive moment, Chuuko says, “Don’t be absurd. You are acting of your own will; so I am left to ask why.” Konpon says, “This child was delivered into my care by fate. He is my last task; of this I am certain. I will protect him, and teach him all that he must know, in the time I have left.” After a long pause the priest says, “Your compassion is admirable; it may even be directed properly. However, it is not seemly for a priestess to be giving care to one such as him. No matter how innocent he may be, there is no way for people to think of him as such. If he were to remain in your care, it would cause great unrest among the populous who must continue to look to us as the ones who shall protect them from demons.” Konpon says, “No one need know. I live in the middle of nowhere; no one comes here but your priests who I have told to discontinue the practice.” The old man sighs, “But the priests now know. In their zealousness, they will not rest until they have purged this abomination they perceive. You have put me in an awkward position, old woman.” She replies, “You and your underlings are sticking your noses into other people’s personal business, old man.” He nods, “Perhaps, but you will have a difficult time convincing my underlings of that.” There is a long, tense silence. Finally, the priest says, “You spoke of the time you have left; how long will that be? I do not expect you to know to the hour; but if you can tell me if it is days or weeks…” Sighing, the priestess says, “The latter, but very few of them. Perhaps it is because I know how little I have to lose that I am willing to risk helping this boy.” The priest sighs as well. Getting to his feet, he says, “Ten days. That is how long I can give you. If I restrain my priests any longer, they will turn on me. Ten days from now, on the day after the full of the moon, my priests will come to exorcize the boy. Die in that time; or send him away.” With that said, he turns and leaves.
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Monday, November 28, 2005

Inumittsu
*episode 6*

Over the next 3 days, two more priests come to the humble hermitage of the priestess Konpon. Not that Inuyasha knows this, but they are of progressively higher status within their order. Each time they find the still fiery priestess waiting for them, and unshaken in her determination. Eventually, after two days of silence, a procession of holy men enter the forest. In their midst, carried by four younger priests honored by their chance to serve, is a man whose age rivals Konpon’s own. As she informs Inuyasha as they watch the slow approach, this is the head priest of the largest temple in the region. For him to journey forth from his home is rare; more so as his age increases. Although she tells the boy that they should be honored by his visit; he is beginning to grasp her strange sense of sarcasm and he does not take her words literally. She makes sure they are not seen, and has them both sequestered within her home before the troop arrives. As the procession comes to a halt outside of the hut, one priest, a herald, steps forward and shouts, “The honorable and venerable high priest Chuuko has come to see the hermit known as Konpon. Allowing several minutes to pass, the priestess steps out of her home and addresses the herald, ignoring the high priest himself, “Ask the venerable, honorable high priest Chuuko if he will humble himself by sharing the hospitality of an old woman’s table.” As the herald begins to object, she cuts him off, “And tell him that if he will not, I will neither speak nor listen to him.” With that said, she turns her back on the assembly and returns to her hut.
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Sunday, November 27, 2005

Inumittsu
*episode 5*

Konpon turns to Inuyasha and asks, “Little one, are you alright?” He nods and she smiles. However, her smile is interrupted by a wince of pain. She stagers into the hut and collapses. The boy rushes to her side. She smiles up at him and says, “It’s alright little one. I…I overexerted myself. I am not as young as I once was. Here, help me to bed.” With Inuyasha’s help, the old priestess manages to traverse the distance to her mat. She knows that today’s events will have repercussions, but for now she needs rest.
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Saturday, November 26, 2005

Inumittsu
*episode 4*

Inuyasha wakes up in the morning and runs his hand over his head. Not to his surprise, he finds his puppy-dog ears have returned. At breakfast he asks, “What will we do today Konpon?” She says, “Little one, today is different from all the days before. Today, you must stay inside and remain quite. A man will come, and it will be best if he does not know that you are here.” Sometime later, Inuyasha informs Konpon that there is a new scent in the forest. She smirks and says, “My gentleman, caller. You must stay here little one; you must be quite.” Inuyasha makes a genuine effort to sit and wait patiently. When that fails, he creeps to the door and strains to hear. He recognizes the sound and scent of a horse, and he hears a man, “Greetings lady Konpon. You are well?” The old woman responds, “I’m still alive; I’m afraid you will have to make the journey here at least once more to collect my remains.” He says, “Lady Konpon, it is an honor to bring you these supplies each month…” Cutting him off, she says, “It is a burden: you were chosen for it because you are least senior among the priests of your temple. Now let me relive you of your parcel so you may be about your business.” Inuyasha hears the man dismount and say, “I shall carry it to your home lady Konpon; one such as you should not strain yourself so.” “No.” she says forcefully. “You shall not set foot in that hut until you come to carry my bones away.” The priest says, “As you wish, but at least allow me to carry it to your door.” Konpon sighs, but must have signaled her consent because the man approaches the hut. Not wanting to be seen, Inuyasha holds very still beside the door. Suddenly the man stops. He says in a hushed voice, “A demonic aura; here?” Then louder, “Stand back lady Konpon. Show yourself beast!” Inuyasha, still unbroken of the habits of obedience instilled in him as a child, shyly pulls back the curtain and steps out into the light. The priest says, “A half-breed; you no doubt intended to wait till I departed to ambush lady Konpon. This shall not come to pass.” He pulls a sutra out of his robe and holds it up toward Inuyasha. He says, “I will exorcise you; and rid the world of your abomination!” As he prepares to cast his spell, Konpon grabs his wrist with strength he did believe her to posses. She says, “Put that away or I’ll break your arm.” Shocked, the priest says, “But lady Konpon; surely you must see what this is.” She snaps, “I know what he is, and I know who he is; which is more than you can say. He is in my care and under my protection.” The priest stares from the woman to the child and back. He then says, “Lady Konpon, age has clearly deprived you of your senses. I must act now to insure your safety.” He tries to pull his arm free; but Konpon twists it around behind him and forces him to his knees. After he has spent a good 10 seconds struggling, she releases his arm and pushes him flat on his face. Walking around so that she is between him and the boy; she says, “You will go now; you are no longer welcome here. If you resist, I shall make good on my threat to break that arm.” The young priest struggles to his feet and races to his horse. As he rides away, it is obvious that his right arm is limp and useless.
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Thursday, November 24, 2005

Inumittsu
*episode 3*

Over the next two weeks, Inuyasha learns much from the priestess Konpon. He learns to catch fish, and how to make fire. He learns what plants must not be eaten, and which may. She instills in him the need to test and expand his superhuman capacities; and to use his special strengths. As the days go by and the moon shrinks in the sky, both become silently apprehensive. As the sun goes down on the night of the new moon, Konpon cannot find her young ward. Worried by her own concerns, the priestess stays out looking for him until well into the night. At last, answering her calls, the boy emerges as a shadow among the trees. He says, “Go home Konpon.” Relived, she says, “Little one, where have you been?” As she steps toward him, he instinctively takes a step back. Reaching out to him, the priestess’s hand brushes against the side of his head; and she feels something unexpected; an ear, a human ear, sitting on the side of his head. As she pulls him to her, he begins to cry. She feels his entire head, and then turns and leads him back to the hut and into the light. As she had guessed by now, she is not leading a half-demon. The boy with her now is human in every regard. His hair has turned from silver to black, his ears and claws are gone, and his eyes are a deep shade of violet. As a priestess, Konpon knows that his kind loose their demonic aspects every so often, and now it seems to be his time. He tells her, still crying, “It won’t last. I turn back a dawn. Mother always hid me when it happened, so I thought…” The priestess nods, “Yes little one; you were right to hide. I mean you no harm; but there will be many who will. They may even pretend to be kind, just to learn when you will become weak. They might then destroy you when you are powerless. Inuyasha,” she uses the name to instill in him the importance of her words, “Inuyasha, guard the secret of this night; guard it well. When the night comes, hide from humans, and from demons. No one must know of this; it is your greatest weakness.” He nods, and she smiles. She says, “Now to bed; when you wake up this will all be behind you.”
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