by Max Jager
With a nod and a smile, Takara gave a bow. "Of course My Lord." Then she rushed off to find Takahashi.
Going to the room where his mate and niece were he smiled and his mood brightened. Things were right to appoint now. With the exception of the miko in the next room. But Kiyoshi would deal with that when she woke up. In a week or so at most when the miko was gone, it would be back to normal with only those that care about her around her.
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A/N: This end Part 1 :D Next up is going to be Making of a Lady. Where you learn all about Yokiyo.
~ 7 ~
Making of a Lady Chapter 45
"Yuki! Yuki where are you?" Stopping with her hands on her hips, Chizuru smiled as she shook her head. Her sky blue eyes scanning the bushes for her daughter. "Come on Yuki where are you?"
With a giggle, a young girl with jet black hair and the same large brilliant sky blue eyes as her mother came running out of a bush and jumped into her mother's arms. "Here I am mama!"
Smiling as she hugged her daughter Chizuru laughed. "Where have you been?"
"I was just playing."
With a giggle as she leaned her forehead onto her daughter's Chizuru smiled into her innocent eyes. "I see. Well you do remember what today is right Yuki?"
As her mother sat her down, Yuki nodded with a bright smile. "I do. Today you go and meet up with Papa to help with the war. While I go and stay with Kaien and his parents until you get back."
With a smile as she nodded, Chizuru dropped to her knees so she could look her daughter right in the eye. "That is exactly right. Papa and I will be gone for a long time though. We have to stay gone until the war is over. So I want you to make sure that you behave yourself and do as you are told alright?"
"I will Mama I promise."
Her smile still in place, Chizuru stood and took her daughter's hand as they headed back to the village. Honaka and Tomoya would take good care of her and she was already close with Kaien. Though she hated having to leave her little girl at all. Sometimes she wished that she never let anyone know that she was a miko. But she did. And married into the Lord's army. And she couldn't not go and help her husband when asked either.
Looking down at the way her daughter smiled and skipped along with her she sighed. 'I do wish that your Papa and I could take you and just leave and live all alone just us.'
"Don't worry so much Chizuru. She will be just fine and waiting for you when you come home with Souzou."
Looking up to see Honaka standing there as they got to her house, Chizuru nodded. "I know. Honaka. I have started her training with her purification that she got from me. You will keep her training for me?"
Giving her a sharp nod, Honaka crossed her arms as she smiled. "Of course I will. After all what is a best friend for." Honaka then bent down into Yuki's face and smiled brightly at her. "After you say goodbye to your Mama come on in and sit down for diner. Kaien is excited to have you stay with us."
"Yes Auntie Honaka."
Dropping to her knees again, though she forced the tears away, she just wanted to cry. She hated leaving her! Cupping her face on either side, Yuki smiled into her daughters dazzling sky blue eyes. Mirrored of her own. "Yuki. You be a good girl and practice hard. You have power in you that still hasn't awoken yet. I will hurry home with Papa as fast as I can baby girl. When we get back I wanna see how much stronger you are alright."
"Yes Mama."
Brushing her hair behind her ears Chizuru took a deep breath. "I love you Yuki. More than anything. So does Papa."
Still willing her own tears to stay away, Yuki threw her arms around her mother's neck as she forced a smile. "I will be right here when you get home with Papa, Mama! I love you Mama!"
Letting go of her daughter Chizuru kissed her cheek then stood without a word and walked in the other direction. Her heart breaking as tears fell from her eyes, knowing that Yuki would do the same if not right now, later that night. 'Curse these powers and that damn Lord. I just want my husband and my daughter with me.'
Once her mother started to walk away, Yuki was still fighting to keep the tears out of her eyes. Rushing to the door of the hut that would be home until her parents came back Yuki stopped and turned to watch her mother walking away into the night. Her extra-long black hair billowing in the wind wrapping around her red and white outfit. Her head held high with pride as she carried her bow in her hand. With a smile as her eyes half closed Yuki sighed. "I promise you Mama. I will work hard and be as strong as you are one day. You will see. I will make you and Papa proud."
Looking up as the girl walked in her home Honaka smiled at her as she got the rest of the food ready. "Welcome to our home Yuki. I hope you enjoy your time here."
Sitting down next to Kaien Yuki smiled as she managed to keep the tears back still. "Thank you. I am sure I will."
Watching from the door as the girl sat down right next to his ten year old son Tomoya smiled. A glance back where her mother vanished into the night and he sighed. Walking in the room and past the girl, he patted her on her head as he took his seat across the fire from them. "We are glad to have you here Yuki. Perhaps now Kaien will stop being so lazy and start to show off for you."
Crossing his arms as he glared over at his father, Kaien growled. "Whatever dad. If you didn't try to work me like crazy all the time I would be able to do more."
"You are just being lazy and you know it boy. What I have you do I did at your age. You could do what I do in a day which is ten times the amount."
Rolling his eyes as he turned to Yuki, Kaien dropped his black eyes to the floor. "I am sorry about him Yuki. I really am not as lazy as he says that I am. I promise."
Looking up and taking the bowl of food, Yuki giggled as she looked back at Kaien. "That is alright."
"It is just that he works me to the bone and….." Then he turned a glare on his dad when he felt a rock hit him in the head. "Come on dad what was that for!"
Glaring at his son with a half-smile as his wife finished sitting the food around them. "Don't make her think that you are over worked and abused cause of it Kaien. I swear. You are just lazy if you would apply yourself and not complain it wouldn't be that hard."
"But you do!"
"I said stop saying that. It makes us look like bad parents."
The face that her son made making her laf, Honaka looked over at Yuki with a bright smile. "Don't worry Yuki they do this all the time. It is best to just ignore them when they do. You will get used to it soon enough."
"Mom!"
As she sat there and listened to the family she was staying with, Yuki already felt like she was at home. But though she smiled and laughed with them. Inside she wanted to cry a river. The second she couldn't see her mother anymore, she got a bad feeling. Though she hoped she was wrong, something told her that she may not get to see her Mama again.
Looking over at Yuki as her smile started to face, Honaka sighed. "So Yuki. Your Mama said she started teaching you how to be a miko right? What all do you know how to do?"
Looking over at her Yuki blinked as she thought. "Well. I know how to shoot an arrow. Mama says that I am a crack shot. Papa said one time that I could take a fly off a horse from across the river."
Giggling as her son's eyes about popped out of his head, Honaka shook her head. "What do you know how to do with your purification?"
Looking up as she let her head fall to the side, Yuki had to think harder on that one. "Well I know how to do barriers. She was starting to teach me how to charge my arrows for a sacred arrow. But that was when she was told she had to go with Papa to fight."
"I see. Well then I think I know where to start." As she started to gather up the dishes Honaka half smiled. She remembered when Chizuru found out she was pregnant that she prayed that her child wouldn't have purification. But she did. And now the only way to keep her safe was to train her as best they could in how to use it.
Looking back at her she winked as she saw the girl looking at her then laughed. "Well. Let's work
on getting more of it in your arrows and make them as strong as we can get them. After that I will also show you how to charge your hands with it."
Her sky blue eyes going wide and full of wonder Yuki stared up at her with a blank look on her face. "Wait you mean that I will really be able to charge my hands with it? That you can to? And what do you do that for?"
Laughing Honaka held her hand out for Yuki and walked with her outside and around the back of the hut. "You see Yuki. Sometimes we can't always stay far enough away from the demons for arrows only to work. Or there are just more demons than arrows and we can't shoot them off fast enough. Your mother was an exception. She could add barriers to her arrows and take our hordes with a single arrow. You may get that from her, but right now, we are going to train you like you won't be able to."
Looking up at her as they stopped by a small tree, Yuki understood what she was saying. At least she thought that she did. "So what you are saying is that if I can charge my hands with my purification then if I am close enough to a demon, I can fight them with my hands like a weapon?"
"That's right. The better you get at it, the more you will be able to do. Once you master charging your hands and arrows you will be able to charge anything that you want. Even a rock. Watch this." Honaka then held her hand up and charged it so it had a brilliant pink glow then tapped the tree slightly and it exploded in a cloud of dust. "Did you see that?"
With wide eyes Yuki nodded her head. "I can't wait to learn something like that!"
Laughing Honaka crossed her arms. "First comes your arrows. You must perfect the sacred arrow if you want to learn how to do that. Charging your body no matter the part is a totally different thing than charging your arrows. The sooner you focus and perfect your arrow, the sooner we will work on this and a few other things also."
With a smile as she followed Honaka back to the house Yuki was jumping up and down. "I can't wait. I promise I will work extra hard on everything."
"Good."
X
Looking up as first Yuki ran in and to the other side of the hut where Kaien was giggling, Tomoya smiled. Looking up at his wife as she sat next to him he sighed. "I take it that you showed her exactly what you can do?"
Nodding Honaka looked over at the kids with a smile. "She did." Then turning to face them she laughed. "Kaien. Yuki. There is still a little time before it gets dark. Why don't the two of you play outside but stay close to the house."
"Right!"
Both Honaka and Kaien laughed as the kids raced through house and outside. Standing they both walked to the door and laughed as they were met with friends. Honaka leaned on her husband as she sighed. "She was really excited when I showed her. I hope that Chizuru won't be too angry with me taking her training past the barriers and arrows. She wasn't at all happy when Yuki showed when she was a year old that she was a miko. But in the times we live in, she has to be ready for anything."
Putting his arm around her waist Tomoya leaned over and kissed the side of her head. "I know she was. But she will just have to deal with it. Like you said she has to be ready for anything and everything. If Yuki is going to have a life, with the amount of power that even I can sense in her. She has to be able to fight more than just those. I am going to take a step in too."
"You are?"
Looking down at his wife with a smile he winked at her. "Kaien is training in a spear. I am going to add Yuki in that with weapons too. If a demon has a long sword she won't be able to get in reach of him. She will need weapons training as well as miko training."
"I think that is a wonderful idea." Honaka then turned back to Yuki and how she giggled and played with Kaien and the others. "Tomoya. Do you really think that Chizuru and Souzou are going to come home from the war?"
Leaning down and kissing her Tomoya laughed. "That is a silly question. I am sure that they are going to be home before you know it."
Whipping the tears from her eyes, Honaka watched her son and Yuki. "I hope so for her sake. She is too young to have to go through that."
Turning her head up to look up at him, Tomoya kissed her again before he winked at her. "I doubt that will happen. They are both strong and both have a daughter to come home too." Seeing her mouth open he held his hand up and laughed. "If the worst shall happen she won't not have a family. She will have us." Then Tomoya went out and started to play with the kids.
Watching her husband become a kid herself, Honaka smiled as she crossed her arms. They have tried and tried since Kaien was a year and a half old to have another baby. She did so want a daughter to dote on. Then her eyes landed on Yuki. 'I promise you this Chizuru. If you should fall in war. I will make sure that Yuki is raised just like my own daughter. However I do hope you come home my friend. She needs you more than me.'
Making of a Lady Chapter 46
Standing back and watching as Yuki went through all her drills once again that day. Showing everyone in the village exactly how much power she had and whose daughter she really was. Even the old people would say that even her mother didn't have that much power. Three months have past since Chizuru brought her to them as she left with her husband to fight in the war.
However it was a sad time just three weeks after she left. They received word that both her mother and father had fallen in battle. They were murdered by their own army. Men who felt that because of who Chizuru was, that they got special treatment. Though they were least expecting that she was sure. They would not have thought they would get stabbed in the back so wouldn't have watched for that.
For a solid week after they were told, Yuki lost all interest in everything. All she wanted to do was lay in the corner that was her own space and cry. Holding onto an extra miko outfit that Chizuru had in their home, and the jade pendant necklace that Souzou made for her the day she was born. Those were the only things that she had left in the world that were from her parents.
But even she knew that her parents wouldn't want her to cry forever. Picking herself up she dove back into her training a hundred and ten percent. Her goal was to be the miko of the village when she was old enough, and step solidly into her mother's footsteps. A position that she would gladly let her have, seeing as once Chizuru was slain, they made her village miko in place.
With a giggle as she growled when she landed the the final move, Honaka shook her head. "Good job Yuki. That is enough for today. You have nearly mastered everything that I can teach you. All that is left is to keep going with me to get the experience you need."
Looking over at Honaka with a smile as she came toward her, Yuki gave a sharp nod. If it wasn't for this kind woman and her family, Yuki knew without a doubt that she would just die. But she had someone to help her up and she would forever be grateful for that. "Honaka. When will I be able to be the village miko again? I want that badly. Just because that is what Mama was."
Laying her head on the small girls head Honaka smiled with a sigh. "I know. I will give it to you on your sixteenth birthday. Until then we will just keep our skills sharp in training and fighting. And on the day you turn sixteen, it will be all yours."
"Right. Thank you Honaka."
When they reached the village, Yuki reached around behind her and pulled her hair over her shoulder to look at the braid. She was growing it out and hoped to have the same extra-long black hair that her mother had. "Honaka can I ask you something."
"Anything. What's up?"
Looking up at her as they walked, Yuki had serious eyes. "I am eight now. So in eight years you will let me be village miko when I am sixteen. Mama and Papa never cut my hair as I grew. So if I never cut it either, then it will be double this when I am village miko right? And just keep getting longer?"
Looking back down at her with an odd look, Honaka blinked her eyes. "Well yeah that sounds about right. What is the question about your hair all of the sudden?"
Smiling brightly as she closed her eyes, Yuki let her hair fall back behind her again. "That was one of the things that I remember most about Mama. That
she had the most beautiful extra-long hair that I have ever seen. I want my hair to look just like hers."
Tears misting in her eyes, Honaka reached over and hugged the girl as she sighed. "I am sure that your hair will be every bit as long as your Mama's was. And just as beautiful by the time you are sixteen. I just know it!"
"I hope so."
X
Sitting on the roof of the hut, Yuki went back and forth. She could see the roof of the house she was born in and the full moon rising. The village Headman let the house stay standing for her to have when she was old enough and married. Or when she was village miko. She had every intention on the day she turned sixteen and took the title, she was going back to that home and that was where she would stay.
Looking down at her lap she sighed. "I will also feel closer to you Mama. Papa. I can't wait to go home. I know you will be there with me."