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"Come now, Kagome! It's not much different from what ye do with InuYasha!"
The old priestess' voice wheedled at her from where she crouched tending the fire, a pot set above the small flames in preparation to make whatever food the Kaede had in store.
Kagome groaned and burrowed herself farther under the covers.
"But granny, it IS!" She wailed plaintively from her cocoon. Already her imagination ran rampant, mostly filled with visions of falling.
Off a horse.
As it galloped reinless and, in her mind, uncontrollably down the long track at a breakneck speed.
She had seen yabusame done before, in her time. Mainly it was for show, at a festival. Some Shinto tradition held every April. Back then, (before then?) she had been too young to care much about it and more entranced by the colors and activity. The archers had been fascinating, of course, in traditional hunting regalia, but mostly she has been terrified.
And now she was expected to do that same thing herself.
"Horses are scary! And my legs HURT!"
For months now she has been practicing, training her body and mind for what she would soon be expected to accomplish; present herself to the Hachimangu deity and then shoot her large yumi bow successfulluly at targets.
From the back of a galloping horse.
It was NOTHING like what she had done before with InuYasha! Not even close! He had a brain (sometimes) and listened to her FAR better than she expected a near wild animal to! And what was she supposed to hold on to??!!
The sore muscles in her thighs and calves reminded her.
There was no putting it off, she supposed. One way or another, she would have to do it.
She sat up and looked over at Kaede.
"Can't I.....just ride InuYasha?" She squeaked quietly, only half in jest. The older woman raised a brow but didn't look up from her pot as she flung....something...into it and stirred.
"I'm sure that InuYasha will be kept busy himself, Kagome."
That was her only answer. Kagome huffed and slowly extracted herself from her bed and streeeettttched, grimacing at the pain that ricocheted along her sore body.
The training had been brutal. This was a sacred event, after all, and she was expected to meet, if not exceed, all their expectations. Riding lessons and archery lessons often crossed paths, as well and ground work for building the muscles in her legs. She'd never had to think about that with InuYasha and the way his arms held her legs snug against his sides. She would have no such luxury today. Maybe she could fool herself into believing that the horse was InuYasha instead?
No. That wouldn't do at all. Though the two shared the same hair color, Aki was....a horse.
And InuYasha was not.
*~*
Everything was loud.
The village was bustling with merchants and food vendors setting up shop in preparation for the expected crowds. Kagome had to admit that it was exciting, but oh how she wished to be on the other side of today's activities, watching the spectacle rather than being it. The more she thought about it the more nervous she got. Oh Gods she was going to vomit-
"Oi! Kagome!"
InuYasha!
She spun around to greet him, taking care of the large Yumi bow that she held. It stood nearly 7ft tall, well over her height and even InuYasha's as he came striding towards her, boxes in hand.
The sleeves of his bright red robes were tied back to free his arms. He looked her up and down and then smirked, his eyes resting finally on the hat she wore.
"Not. A. Single. Word."
".....Cute."
oh
Well, she wasn't quite expecting that, though maybe he had simply decided that was the safest word. She brushed an invisible spec of fluff off the spotted red deer hide chaps.
"Thank you. I know." Was her clipped reply. She stepped forward and stood on tiptoes to peer into the box before he lowered it. "What'cha got there?"
The small wooden squares glared at her with challenge.
"Your targets."
*~*
well they aren't all my targets... she thought as she worried her lip. There were three others here at the shrine to participate in the event as well. All seasoned archers. All men. All staring at her from their place in the line as they presented themselves and made their way to the long track down in the clearing.
And it was long. The track. Roughly 200 meters. She made out the red of InuYasha's kimono as he worked to help set up the stands along with the targets.
He's like a walking red flag
The thought made her smile. In the year since shed returned from her side of the well, there had been a noticable change in him. Not so much red anymore. Though she didn't think it fair to assume that it was only her doing and girlish charms that had tamed him, or at least made him slightly less of an obscene gesture and frustrated noise, she liked to think that she'd had some influence on his growth. He was even in the process of properly courting her, though he would never admit it.
Aki shifted her weight beside her and blew air through her nostrils. The little pony shook her head, causing her tack to jingle merrily. She wore a red bridle that matched the long fringed breast collar that attached to the saddle. Altogether, the grey pony was a striking image. The other horses stood nearby, decked out similarly. A bay and two chestnuts.
"How pretentious," she let her thoughts wander as Aki bent her head to graze the spring grass. "They're brown and red."
*~*
It was nearly time. The crowd was gathering along the edges of the track, kept far enough back by a few marshals to avoid any spooking of the horses. A man walked by with a steaming box of meat on skewers and passing a few out at a time in exchange for a few coins. Kagome's stomach rumbled; she was so nervous in the early morning that she hadn't been able to eat. Now, nearly four hours later, she was still nervous but figured she would be okay to eat something.
Her feet were just about to follow after when a hand slid around her waist.
"Nope. Mount up."
She could have cried. So close, she sighed as Inuyasha grabbed hold of Aki's reins and bent his knee so she could boost herself up. Just as she grabbed a fistful of mane to pull up he grabbed her wrist.
His eyes were on her side when she looked at him, at the tachi hanging there. Strictly ornamental and honestly she didn't know why it was such an integral part of the outfit though she could assume it stemmed from, like, the fact this was warfare and usually done by samurai. At least she had been able to get away without the short Maezasi sword that would go in the front of her garments.
"Hang on a moment," he reached forward and began unfastening the sword from her belt and finagled it to hold both it and the reins in his left hand while he removed the Tessaiga with his right and held it out to her. When she hesitated, not understanding his gesture, he rolled his eyes and thrust it at her again. "Take it ya dummy."
"But-no, Inuyasha! That's your sword! You need it! What if we're attacked-?"
"Don't worry 'bout it! Miroku and Sango are patrolling, Shippo's around here somewhere, and you've got arrows. It'll be fine."
"Arrows with blunt tips! They wouldn't do us ANY good in a fight! I'm not even sure they could be made sacred! "
Inuyasha let out a halfhearted growl and shot his hand forward to catch her belt his his claws and yanked her forward. Her trade cut off with a squeak and face turned bright red at their sudden proximity. He dropped the ornamental tachi to the grass below and looped Aki's reins over his arm so he could use both hands.
"Now," his voice was soft. Low. A hint of laughter dancing at the edges. "Take the dumb sword. It'll bring you luck. And the heavens know you need it if you're going to hit anything." He worked quickly to slip the Tessaiga into her empty belt and smooth out the wrinkles of the green kimono she wore beneath the darker green igote she wore to protect her left arm. Next he straightened her hat and finally tweaked her nose when he was finished.
Kagome left his hold and spun around slowly with her arms outstretched. "Satisfied?"
"Not nearly." The half-demon closed the distance between them again and tilted her face up with a finger, kissing her softly. She hummed against his mouth and melted into him.
"Can't I ride you instead?" A repeat of the question she had asked Kaede earlier and again seemed to miss the connotation. InuYasha chuckled and stepped back to grab the horse's lead again.
"As much as I would love that, Ka-go-me, I have important duties today that don't involve carrying your fine ass down a track like some beast of burden. Now hop up."
Once again he bent his knee and patted his thigh. She used the makeshift step to climb easily onto Aki's back. The mare stood there quietly for a moment before shaking her entire body. Kagome grabbed her mane and flung herself forward.
"I can't do this!" She wailed, fighting against InuYasha's hands to dismount. "I can't I can't I can't I CANT!!"
"KAGOME!"
It was suddenly very quiet as she caught the tears that threatened to spring from her eyes. He rarely yelled at her now, and it had startled her. But it had worked to shake her out of her panic. He looked at her and matched his breathing to hers until she grabbed the reins, straightened up, and with a watery smile towards him, and moved Aki towards the waiting track.
Inuyasha watched and smiled softly with his hands folded in his sleeves.
"That's my girl," he said to no one and followed after her to his own duties.
*~*
The riders lined up, Kagome third in the order. Not first, but not last either. The men in front turned their heads to watch over their shoulders and the one behind tilted nearly sideways in his saddle to see around to her face.
"You'll be okay, Miko," he said. He was an older gentlemen. His voice rough. "Just think about it this way: you're making history as the first priestess, let alone woman, to participate! A real honor to be sure!"
Fantastic, she groaned. Nooooo pressure. No pressure at all. Then a thought hit her and she smiled Look at me, gramps! Making history! Maybe you'll read about it some day.
A flash of red at the middle of the long track caught her attention as InuYasha stepped up. In his right hand he held a large fan, the symbol of the Track Marshal, which he unfurled with a snap of his wrist and a pop that resonated through the valley and grabbed the attention of all those watching. A hush fell over those attending. He raised his arm high into the air. The fan was large enough for all to see, with a bright red circle in it's center. The first man on the bay horse stepped forward, fighting to keep his horse from bolting down the track.
The fan closed with a snap as he lowered his arm and stepped back. The bay horse thundered away from them.
He hit two targets, which they saw from the two red (so much red) parasols that opened up. The targets he hit were reset and the broken ones taken away to later be auctioned off after he signed them with his clan name.
The next rider went, the red pony off like a loosed arrow herself. Three targets hit. Three red parasols.
It was Kagome's turn now. She fought to steady her breathing. Aki beneath her was calm and steady, waiting her cue. Despite her earlier freak out, she was very glad to have been paired with the dappled grey pony. She was rooted and nothing seemed to phase her. Her steady spirit leveled Kagome's own flighty one.
"You'll do fine lass," the man behind encouraged her once more as his horse pranced in place and chomped at its bit. "Trust your horse and she'll see you right. Just dig deep and focus on yourself."
Fan up.
Hush.
SNAP
Terrified though she was, Kagome squeezed her feet to Aki's flanks. The little grey horse dug her heels and shot off, forcing Kagome to grab onto the slashing mane before her to steady herself. She raised onto the floating position required to keep her upper body steady as they flew into the chute.
No time to think. Grab an arrow. Knock. Raise. Draw. Track. Release.
CRACK!
One target. On to the next!
CRACK!
A solid hit! One more! Let's go, Aki!
The remaining track was eaten up with the horse's quick strides. Her breath came huffing out as they sailed past a beaming figure in red.
CRACK!
Cheers rang out as she drew the excited mare to a halt and sat deep in the saddle to turn around and see three red parasols line the track.
*~*
The day wore on. The rider after her hit three targets as well. Not bad for a history-making event!
Kagome was still jittery from adrenaline as she walked Aki out until her breathing settled and returned her to the picket line. She loosened the girth and smiled as the horse groaned and full-body shook again. When she returned from fetching water for her steadfast steed, InuYasha was standing in front with his arms tucked in. She watched as he bowed deeply to the horse and turned around to see Kagome standing there smiling at him.
"I was just thanking her." Came the answer to her unasked question as he took the water pail from her hands. He held it as Aki drank deeply. By his feet was a stack of three boards. He nodded towards them from his place. "Those should auction off for a high price, what with you being a Miko an' all." Aki finished and he lowered the bucket back down.
His.......Woman? Betrothed? Thorn-in-his-side? was standing with Tessaiga in her hands, picking awkwardly at the fraying wrap on it's hilt. She stepped forward and offered it to him without making eye contact and he took it wordlessly, securing it back into his waistband. Then he bent forward to try to catch her eye.
"See now? I told you it would bring you luck! You hit all targets dead center, I'm surprised we have anything left over for you to sign!"
InuYasha turned and picked up the three boards and held them for her to see. When he did, her arms were crossed and she still wasn't looking at him. He frowned.
"Hey. Kagome, helloooooo?" He tapped the top of her head with the boards "Ya in there? Earth to Higurashi-"
Fuck
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck
No no no no nonono
"Hey, stop yer crying! You did great! And I'm sure there's still room to write-"
"I don't have a clan, InuYasha!"
He stopped. She breathed.
"I don't have a clan, or a family, or a-a-a pen! What do I write?! What do I sign?"
Oh.
Oooohhhhhhhh
It was quiet except for the sounds of her sniffles and the noise of the crown far off. And so warm. Made it definitely feel like nap time. She could definitely use one. Maybe after he got her some food, seeomg as the silly girl looked like she would fade from hunger any moment now.
"Well," he started, sliding his arm over her shoulders and steering her towards the food vendors as he heard the most ungodly growl come from her empty stomach. "I mean, you don't have to, it's all up to you, but Taisho has a nice ring to it."