Inuyasha: Lords of the Night

Chapter Four: Seijin No Hi

Kazuki stood staring at the wall of his chambers, his back facing the sliding door, and his mind thinking back on the past few days. Now that he was in the privacy of his own rooms, doubt and uncertainty that had lingered in the back of his mind, came full force to his current train of thought. Today was the day his lord and commander became an adult in the eyes of youkai, and officially would have the title to back it up. But something didn't sit right with him about this particular day and he could not put his finger on it.

With a great sigh, Kazuki moved away from his door and towards the shoji in the far corner. Moving them aside revealed a great display of armor handed down to him by his father. It sat unused and untouched for as long as he could remember, only seeing his father don the great leather, stone and metal plates that made up the impressive setup once.

He shook his head and turned away from the display and pulled off his own shoulder plates, and chest plates to change out of his usual attire. Today he would need something more signifying of his rank. Kazuki fingered the silk material of the long kimono and hakama he pulled out of the small chest at the foot of his bed. It was the last piece his mother had given him before his own coming of age day, several months before her death. The larger youkai remembered watching his mother stitch the silver and white bamboo shoots into the red material at the sleeves, her fingers moving impeccably and with precision.

Kazuki shook his head of the memories before they could overwhelm him. This was not something his mind needed to dwell on with the importance the day held. He needed to be fully aware of everything in order to keep his young charge safe. Far too many times, history told of assassinations happening to young heirs on their name day, and today was not going to be one that history repeated itself.

Kazuki switched out his cotton haori and hakama's and placed the silk attire on, retying the obi absentmindedly. Then his eyes moved back over to the armor sitting on his right behind him in the corner. Was he prepared to shoulder his families legacy to don that particular armor today?

He knelt down in front of the display and pondered the huge responsibility wearing that particular armor was. It not only held a huge significance to his family heritage, pride and honor, but it also had a huge bearing on how the one who wore it grew to such prestige. The weight of responsibility was almost crushing him in spirit, a history of his line that looked back on him, his family legacy starring back at him. Kazuki shuddered, as a shiver ran over him, almost as though his father's spirit and his grandfather's scrutinized him through that armor.

He clenched his fists and snarled softly, remembering seeing his father in those stone and metal shoulder pads, leather chest plate, metal arm guards, and waist guards. That feeling of awe and wonder flooded over him again, his mind racing through time, back at the time when the civil war of wa had crashed upon them. It had been a human war, and he recalled the humans begging the youkai for assistance as the Gods had descended in anger. The alliance had granted them a win, a small one for both races, with losses on both sides, but a win no less.

That honor of wearing that armor and upholding everything his family stood for, shouldering the responsibility of his rank and line, all sat there on display, mocking him. Kazuki shook his head and sighed. Today marked importance and obedience, and he needed everyone to know just who was in charge of protecting their lord and commander. He needed to put aside all his hesitation and fear of dishonoring his family, to finally rise to those expectations of his line. His eyes glanced at the deep blue, gold, and white obi that would hold his weapons around his waist. Deep gold eyes then moved to the display behind the armor stand, and he grunted.

His hands grabbed the three swords off their stand, and he inspected them carefully. One sword was his father's, a great massive odachi, longer than most swords made these days. The hilt was simple, with no decoration, or fancy lettering marking who had made the great blade. The other was his grandfather's, an old chokuo. Which was a straight sword, not holding the more used curve blades that they used. The hilt was more ornate on this one with etchings on the hilt, and blade. Finally his that he had been gifted with on his coming of age day. It was a normal tachi that his father had commissioned for when he became an adult, but Kazuki had never used the blade. The hilt was wrapped in black leather strips, as it never having a proper hilt fitted for him. Kazuki noticed that they were dull, so for the next part of the hour, he crouched beside a basin he filled with water, and he began using the stone to sharpen them. Not only was he going to wear each sword, he was also going to carry his own preferred weapon, and a tanto in his chest plate.