Chapter 1 - Kohaku's Little Sister

Kohaku’s Little Sister

A blade sliced the air. As the wind tore, another swing overlapped by another blade.
Whap! Whap!
The two blades swing in circles. Up in the air they flew, and landed swiftly in the grasp of the wielder. Raising the left blade for another slice, the wielder gasped, shocked by a soft blow to the head. Angered, he turned around.
Before him was a girl, seven, two years younger. Her soft, raven black hair was in a messy braid behind her back. She held in her hand a long staff, the staff of a monk; though it was relatively smaller than the average staff of a monk, it was just as valuable and the metal just as tough. It has a puffed pink ribbon tied to it, complementing the golden metal. She smiled sweetly at him and tilted her head.
Kohaku put his blades away, agitated by the intrusion on his training. He folded his arms and gave her a slight glare.
“Happun, I am training right now, so this had better be important.”
His sister nodded, then shook her head and then crossed her eyes, unsure. “I was bored.”
Kohaku wasn’t impressed. “You were…bored? Ugh. Why not train yourself since you want to be a great Buddhist Priestess someday.”
Happun plopped herself down, sighing. “Papa’s busy at a man’s house, expelling a Youkai or something…so I can’t.”
“Then go help Mama with something…”
“She said to play with you.”
Kohaku grumbled. They always stick her with me. Great. “Oh.”
Happun looked up at her brother, expectantly. “What are we going to play?”
He accepted he was stuck to entertain her, however, he slyly thought, this didn’t have to mean he’d technically have to be around…

Kohaku pushed away the wall of reeds to reveal a large pond. Happun pushed her small face through the reeds and squealed with delight at the sight of all the pretty frogs, shiny stones and orange fish that were bouncing rays from the sun. Her face bore a huge smile. Happun was so pleased, she ventured past the reeds, and sat by the edge of the pond, dipping both her hands in, her staff close by.
“Have fun, Hap-chan,” he said, making a hasty exit.
Happun blinked in confusion. “You’re going? Aren’t we going to play?”
Kohaku scrunched up his face, but softened it before turning back to her. “Don’t worry. I’m er…off to get nice food for the…um…froggies.”
She looked unconvinced, but then widely smiled as she always did. “Ok. Hurry back Nii-chan!”
“I will…I will.”

Twenty minutes had passed. Kohaku was confident he had ridden himself of his sister for the day, until a foul stench blazed through the air. Kohaku dropped his blades and held his nose, gasping for air, turning bright green.
Along came Happun. Her clothes were covered in pond slime, and flies swarmed around something she carried in one hand, the other held three frogs. He drew back in shock from the stench as soon as she approached him. Happun smiled. “Onii-chan! You don’t have to look anymore, the froggies really like flies!” She proudly held up one hand. “See! Flies love this slime and the froggies love the flies! Isn’t that great?!”
Kohaku choked on some harsher slime air and fainted.

Happun scratched her head. “Onii-chan, we’re not supposed to play with fire.”
Kohaku let out a disgruntled sigh, he did a lot of them in her company he sadly noted. “Hap-chan, bare with me a second, these are fireflies they’re not at all the same as fire.”
“Ooooh, I see.”
“No you don’t.”
Happun lowered her head. “I know. What do I do with the fireflies, Onii-chan?”
He held out a clear box that once held candies he and Happun were given by their friends, Dokudanteki, Shikon, Kyoori and Inuko; slowly, he edged toward them, eyes fixed on their whimsical movements. He swayed the box around, until he enclosed it around a fly. The box snapped shut. Kohaku presented her with the box. She looked down at the glowing fly and giggled in awe. “Wow!”
Kohaku opened the box. The firefly returned among it’s small swarm. Happun was disappointed.
“Don’t be that way, Hap-chan, it’s your turn now,” he urged, as he handed the empty box to her. She nodded, walking toward the fireflies, the box wide open. She swung it like a net. Kohaku stifled a laugh, and slipped away.

“Ah, peace at last,” he sighed, whipping the air with a figure eight slice. “It’ll take her forever to do it right.”
“Niiiiiiiii-chaaaaaan!” Came a piercing shriek that almost caused his blade to come whipping past his head.
Kohaku threw his blades to the ground. “What?”
Happun strode up to him, cheeks nice and rosy. She gave him a peck on the nose and produced the box. Kohaku almost had a heart attack when he saw how many fireflies were in it. There was just about the entire swarm.
“How…how…”
“I said to ‘dem, I said, nice fireflies, will you do me, a little girl a favor so she can make her cool big brother proud of her and guess what…they went in for me!”
Kohaku blinked, shocked. “Uh…uh…they…listened to…you?”
Happun nodded. “Yep!”
His eyebrow cocked, recalling something she said. “You think I’m…cool?”
“You’re the best!”
Kohaku cleared his throat. “Maybe we should play another game, something we can both enjoy.”
“Really?! What one?!”
He smiled. “Hide and go seek. I’ll hide and you can…”
“Can I hide? Pleeeese! I ever so love to be the hider!”
Kohaku scratched the back of his neck. “Sure, you can. Anything you want, Hap-chan.”

They both stood among the tall grass of a paddock close by to the village they currently lived in. In view they could make out a forest. Their parents had always told them never to venture into it, for it contained all kinds of creatures, including vicious Youkai they knew the children couldn’t handle on their own.
“Now listen,” insisted Kohaku, “I will cover my eyes and count to ten. In that time you will be able to hide somewhere around –“
“Nii-chan,” she giggled. “I know how to play hide and go seek silly!”
Kohaku raised his forehead. “Oh, that’s right…now, scoot, get out of here so I can get to get counting.”
She nodded enthusiastically, racing away, carrying her precious staff. Kohaku covered his eyes, and began to count. “One…two…three…”

Happun ran through the paddock, pushing the grass aside with her long staff. The forest was straight ahead. “He’ll never find me in there!” She triumphantly giggled, entering the cluster of trees.
“I don’t know why Mama and Papa think this place is bad for us, it looks pretty.” Happun took the time to observe the flora and fauna. A family of squirrels twitched their small noses at her, holding nuts and berries. She waved to them, bending down to take a whiff of a large blossom. “So very, very pretty.”
Happun knew how smart her brother could be. Worried he would find her in no time, she ventured deeper. However, the deeper she went, the less friendly the atmosphere seemed to be. There was less light, the trees closed in around and she swore she heard a wolf howling. Happun shivered, gripping her staff tightly. “I will not…be afraid…”
A twig snapped.
“Argh! Don’t hurt me!”
A raccoon swiftly passed her. She blew a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank Buddha, I thought it was a –“
Creeping over her silently, a shadow engulfed where she stood. Happun’s heart skipped a beat. Her blood ran cold. “I s-s-sense…Youki…”
“Ppppwwwwwwlllll”
“Buddha, let that be my stomach!” She whispered to her staff, shutting her eyes tightly.
“Ppppppwwwwwwwrrrrrrr.”
A large puddle of saliva trickled infront of her like rainfall. Happun opened one eye, taking a large gulp. Holding her staff outward, Happun turned to face her foe.
“YOUKAI!” She shrieked in terror, looking up at a giant glowing wolf.

Kohaku sliced the stems of the grass around him. He had now been searching for fifteen minutes for his hidden sister. Never had she been so hard to find. “This is just wonderful,” he sarcastically spat. “When I want her to stay away she sticks to me like glue, and when I want to find her she disappears off the face of the country!”
Kohaku sheathed his blades into the holds on his back. He stood and thought it over. “Now…if I were a thick little girl and I wanted to hide in the best spot I could find…where would I go…?”
He pondered this, until…”Oh dear Buddha! The girl’s out of her mind! Mama and Papa will kill me for this!”
As fast as his legs allowed him, Kohaku dashed in the direction of the forest.

Happun inched away, shaking.
“N-n-nice…puppy….goooood p-p-puppy…” quivered her voice.
The wolf Youkai growled, more saliva dripped from it’s blood stained fangs.
Happun closed her eyes, shutting out the image of the saliva-drenched fangs and the tears that were quickly forming in the corner of her eyes.
“Hahahahaaaaahhhhhhtttsskkkkk!”
A high-pitched cackle echoed from atop the beast. It was familiar, and actually put Happun at ease.
“Oh…it’s just you Oozokuhana,” she smiled, wiping away her tears.
A small girl floated to the ground, petals flowed around her body and face. Her streaming white hair delicately fell behind her torso as her feet touched the ground.
Colorful, layered silks adorned her body. A large blossom bloomed at the right side of her hair, styled into two buns, while the rest streamed almost to her ankles. Two intense amber eyes were fixed on Happun’s. Happun admired the crescent mark on her forehead, which she always thought was very strange, but also very pretty. She didn’t like the two red lines under each of her eyes however.
“Why aren’t you afraid anymore?” Oozokuhana demanded, hands on her hips, her dog ears twitching.
Happun smiled. “Oh, you’re harmless, we all know that.” With that, Happun began to walk away, further angering Oozokuhana.
“I am a powerful Youkai, so you’d better stop right there before I really get mad!”
Happun continued walking, calling back. “That’s Hanyou! Say hi to the quads for me next time you try to steal their stu-uff!”
Oozokuhana growled, pointing to Happun. She looked up at the giant wolf Youkai, her eyed furious, and intense. “Kuu, attack!”
It snarled, nodding to its master, at once it took off after its prey.

Kohaku stumbled through the lush of the forest, pushing away vines and bushes. He sighed, non-believing how stupid his sister could be.
“Why does she do this?! If something happens to her, Mama and Papa will blame me for sure.”
Kohaku thought back to when he was only two, the day she was born. As he looked upon the sleeping infant, his mother proudly nursing her, his father had pulled him aside.
“Kohaku-chan,” he’d begun. “Now, you are an older brother, you have great responsibility. Always, must you watch over your sister and protect her. Be a worthy role model, she will look to you for guidance and wisdom.”
A bit much for a kid to handle, he thought to himself. Besides, that fool never listens to anyone!
Kohaku sliced a small tree in half, growling. “Damn it, doesn’t she know how much she makes me worry?! So help me if something tries to hurt her!”
As he sliced another small tree away he heard a loud scream close by that made him growl with fury. His little sister was in dyer trouble, it was time to act.

Happun raced through the forest as Kuu, the wolf Youkai stomped behind her. He felt so close she could smell what he’d had for lunch – and she had a hunch she was his next snack. The sound of Oozokuhana’s shrill laughs echoed behind her.
Must she be sooo mean? Sighed Happun.
Happun looked back to see the beast approaching. She screamed, stumbling over a log. Happun yelped, clutching her staff, praying to Buddha.
“Don’t you dare touch her!”
Happun looked up. The Youkai wailed, falling to the ground, one eye streaming with thick blood. It lashed out at it’s attacker, claws griping. Her savior, Kohaku, bounded back, feeling the wind from the lash.
Kohaku lept infront of his sister, looking down at her. “You OK?”
Happun nodded, “Ye..es.” Happun grabbed her staff, pushing herself up. Her eyes were fixed on Kuu, the beast moaned in agony, its eye slashed, along with it’s right front and back legs. She felt pity for it.
“Will it be OK?”
Kohaku placed an arm around Happun. “The dumb animal will be fine, however…”
“KUU!” A girl’s shriek popped their ears. Oozokuhana rubbed the Youkai’s face, sniffling. She tilted her head to the side, one eye glaring at them. “I. Am. Telling. My. PAPA!”

“Do you think she really will?” Asked Happun, twirling her staff above her head. “Her daddy’s a very scary man.”
Kohaku kept his distance to the side, weary of the staff. “I think Uncle Inuyasha’s scarier, well, when he eats anyway.”
Happun giggled, her grip loosening. The metal staff twirled out of her hands, whacking into the head of Kohaku. Kohaku fell forward, a large lump protruding from his head. “Uuuugh…@_@”
Gasping, Happun pounced on her brother, shaking him, begging for forgiveness. “Onii-chan! Onii-chan! Hap-chan’s sorry!”
“Sisters…” Sighed Kohaku, pouncing her back with a laugh.


~Kawaii Amethist



Author’s Rant:

Well, my long awaited second story is finally finished; I hope you all enjoyed it! This story doesn’t occur at the same time as “The Royal Flower”…which you should be able to tell with Oozokuhana walking, talking and being generally wicked. *^^* Oozokuhana is six in this outing. The quads are eight and far away, possibly in Kaede’s village. I hope you didn’t think Kohaku was too arrogant, like I did at first. He’s not a bad kid, just a tad stuck-up and confident. I’m proud of my development of Happun, she’s just so adorable and innocent…yet accident prone.

“Happun” is the Japanese word for inspiration (encouragement). I don’t know what “Kohaku” means, would someone be able to tell me?

If you’d like to send me comments, e-mail me at:
chibiusa61@hotmail.com
Or
kawaii_amethist@yahoo.com

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