“Power, huh?” Shin said, grinning. As Kaori rolled her eyes, he asked, “So how do I fix my grip, then, sensei?”
Kaori sighed, good and long. But after that, she got off her high horse and showed him how he ought to be holding his practice sword—both singled-handed and double. It felt weird at first, but after a few swings he settled into it. They squared off again, and while he still didn’t manage to land a real hit on her, he did force her back a few times.
“Ha! Got you again,” he said proudly, as her stick bent toward the ground under his and her sandaled foot skidded left a few inches.
“It’s really nothing to brag about,” Kaori muttered, driving him back from her with a flick of the wrist. “You’re nowhere close to being a match for me. Back home, I’m the best in my class—I even got to do a sparring session with Kenji, once.”
Shin squinted at her. “Who?”
“Nakamura Kenji,” she snapped impatiently, before clasping her bendy stick to her chest and going all moony-eyed in a way that made Shin want to hurl. “He’s the rising star of our clan—he’s only fifteen, but he’s slain more youkai than almost anyone else. When our village was attacked by the evil hanyou Naraku and his horde, Kenji’s mother put him on the back of a giant hawk who flew him away into the mountains so he wouldn’t be killed along with everyone else. That’s where he grew up, battling demons in the far reaches since he was barely old enough to hold a sword. After my Uncle Kohaku rebuilt our village, he went and found Kenji there, and brought him back home to fight with us.” Kaori finally paused for a breath, then blushing and sighing, she said, “He’s so elite…and after we sparred he said to me, ‘Not bad, kid.’”
Shit, Shin thought jealously, this guy is cool…
But he wasn’t about to tell her that. Instead, he shrugged and said, “So all he knows how to do is fight? Sounds pretty lame to me.”
“Well, what do you know?” Kaori shot back. “You didn’t even know how to hold that fake sword of yours!”
“But I do now,” Shin said, winking at her, “thanks to you, sensei.” As Kaori went red in the face, he laughed and said, “And I know how to have fun.”
“Kenji’s fun, too!”
“How d’you know? It’s not like he’s hanging around with a kid like you.”
“I…I just do!” Kaori said hotly, balling her fists. “And anyway, he’s not that much older than me. In just a few years, I’ll be a full-fledged taijiya warrior, just like him.”
“I’m gonna be a warrior, too,” Shin said, smiling as he gave his practice sword a swish. “Just like my dad, and my grandpa—he was a legendary general. That’s what I wanna be. I’m gonna raise armies and build castles, and battle bad guys and save princesses—and anyone who doesn’t side with me is gonna be ancient history.”
Kaori huffed, crossing her arms at the chest. “Sounds like you’ve got a long way to go, Ouji-sama.”
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
They are already planning their hopes and dreams 🥺
Why does it feel like this is going to be a love-triangle when they get older? Kaori is going to be obsessed with Kenji and Shin is going to have deep feelings for Kaori. Kenji and Shin are going to be at odds because Kenji will have a hatred for demons who killed his family, especially half-demons because of Naraku. I’m making up my own plot now 😭
…mysterious rival with an edgy backstory has entered the chat
I am so locked in 👀
The start of an epic YA supernatural romance 🤣 Love triangle included! Are you Team Shin or Team Kenji? Maybe somebody’s gotta take off their shirt first.
Shin’s got the fluffy, four legged part down. Kenji’s probably the broody warrior with a chip on his shoulder against demons, sharp enough to rival his glass-cutting cheekbones 🤣
I’m getting ahead of myself but I hope the cheekbones are true. Omg I love this sm
He wants to follow their path of Supreme Conquest 🤣 The viking urge to pillage and conquer is probably a normal phase for hot-blooded young demons. He’ll grow out of it just like Sess did.
Do Kohaku and Rin have kids?? Eagerly anticipating a namedrop from Kaori. What happened to them in these seven years? Did Rin try to find Sesshoumaru too?
“I’m gonna be a warrior, too,” Shin said, smiling as he gave his practice sword a swish. “Just like my dad, and my grandpa—he was a legendary general. That’s what I wanna be. I’m gonna raise armies and build castles, and battle bad guys and save princesses—and anyone who doesn’t side with me is gonna be ancient history.”
–
Aw 🥰 I hope he’ll have the chance to etch his own name in demon history. Maybe Shin and Sesshoumaru would have built an empire 500 years into the future? 👀 That would be awesome. He’ll usher in a new golden age for the Western Lands. And for human-youkai relations. Become the perfect bridge between the two worlds (along with his uncle Inuyasha too).
Maybe in the future we’ll also see more youkai/reiki wielder pairings and their young, especially among Sesshoumaru’s subjects 🤣
“Well, what do you know?” Kaori shot back. “You didn’t even know how to hold that fake sword of yours!”
“But I do now,” Shin said, winking at her, “thanks to you, sensei.”
—
LITTLE ONE YOU ARE EIGHT YEARS OLD. HOW DO YOU FLIRT LIKE A FRAT BOY???
I want all of Shin’s dreams to come true 🥰 (even his bloodiest ones involving chipmunk massacre)
By the time he grows up he’ll be a professional in princess rescues – his mom’s an excellent source of practice after all 😂 She’s constantly in danger from demons and her own clumsiness.
plot twist: shin ends up becoming a bigger fan of kenji than kaori 😂