Inuyasha: Lords of the Night

Chapter Eight: Keiko, Renshū, Kufū, Kankaku

Kazuki lead Seihomaru into a wide field, explaining the training he had planned for the young lord.

"You're going to blindfold me?" Seihomaru gasped.

"Yes."

"Why?" Seihomaru protested, wanting to use the sword that he had been ordered to put against a tree.

"The first thing you need to do is be aware of your surroundings."Kazuki shook his head. He pulled out a dark cloth which he folded and held it out. Walking behind Seihomaru he placed it over his eyes and tied a knot at the back. "With this, you won't rely on sight. Instead, use your senses, hearing and sense of smell."

'Kazuki, you do realize that sight is a sense, do you not?' Taizo interjected.

'Oh shut up.'

'Well it's true.' Taizo grumbled.

"If it wasn't considered self mutilation, I would stab you." Kazuki growled out loud. Taizo chuckled inside his head knowingly.

Seihomaru lifted the edge of the blindfold and glanced at his personal guard.

Kazuki narrowed his eyes. "Not a word." He warned his young charge.

'I feel like having some tea.' Taizo pipped up out of nowhere and Kazuki rolled his eyes.

Seihomaru laughed and lowered the blindfold again, listening to the sounds around them. His nose twitched detecting Kazuki's scent moving around, startled, Seihomaru whirled around as Kazuki's smell switched places. "Dammit, you move fast." Seihomaru commented.

Kazuki chuckled. "What do you hear?"

Seihomaru cocked his head to the side, even though his hearing had improved greatly since taking on his father's youki, he still couldn't pinpoint certain things. "A buzzing, birds, the leaves rustling. Not sure what the buzzing is."

His attention was stolen by movement behind him and he dropped to the ground quickly. His nose picked up a new scent, one he knew to be Traylaymaru.

"Good dodge."

"No fair, you didn't say anything about there being more than only you,Kazuki." Seihomaru grumbled.

"In battle, you will find that you are not facing only one foe, but many.Your senses need to be tuned to that." Kazuki explained. "Always be aware of all that around you. There may be enemies hidden, not exposing themselves in plain sight until they think you have dropped your defenses."

Seihomaru nodded in understanding.

"That buzzing you hear are cicada's." Traylaymaru answered his earlier inquiry. His voice sounded on his left and Kazuki was behind him somewhere.

Seihomaru nodded. "So both of you are training me?" His ears picked up the unsheathing of a sword and a gasp escaped his lips.

"Listen, use your ears, smell, use your nose. If you are ever blinded in battle, rely on your other senses. Feel the wind on your skin,determine changes in movement. Listen for the shift in steps upon the earth, breaking of branches, use your nose to detect scents."Kazuki instructed.

Furrowing his brow, Seihomaru listened, his hearing increasing as his eyes were covered. He sniffed the air again and realized that Traylaymaru was moving, extremely quietly however, which was throwing him off. A crunch caused him to move to the side and he ducked as a whoosh of air came at him. Rolling forward, Seihomaru got back to his feet and whirled around. "That was a sword." He accused, his nose having picked up the smell of metal.

"Indeed." Traylaymaru affirmed.

"Sometimes you are disarmed, you must find a way to resolve that situation." Kazuki instructed.