The Long Road to Freedom Part 1: The Dastardly Prince

Fire

Finished with his meal, he rose from his seat, Kazawa already gathering the tray and dishes to sweep back to the kitchens. Sesshoumaru took a moment to arrange his fur comfortably before stepping through the door Kazawa had insightfully left open for himself. Knelt in the hallway, patiently waiting, was the half‐breed. He took a moment to examine it again and found, quite satisfactorily, that the errors in the manner of its dress had to be corrected. Indeed, this only served to raise his spirits as he made his way through the halls and out toward the practice fields.

He did not need to glance to ensure he had not left the hanyou behind, for its steps told him it was exactly where it needed to be.

Kazawa was waiting at the entryway, where Sesshoumaru stepped into his outside shoes , and Kazawa moved to fasten them, shooting a look around the young lord's leg that Sesshoumaru was sure was unkind, but could not be bothered to care about. The sound of its own shoes on the path behind him again assured him that the creature was in its proper place as he made for the furthest practice field. The air was thick and heavy, the wall of rain moving closer, and aside from Rekkonji and a couple of helpers in the weapon's shed, the area was empty, as Sesshoumaru had predicted it would be.

He positioned himself outside the line of the field, crossing his arms into his haori sleeves after motioning for the half‐breed to stand some distance before him among the broken and abandoned practice dummies here.

'And so, it shall begin.'

Kuroihi, strangely, moved more easily out here on the uneven ground. Something about it felt more comfortable to her, and she didn't fear damaging her new clothes. Hands clasped in front of her, head down, she awaited Sesshoumaru's direction. The young demon lord dispensed with pleasantries and came right to the point.

"Tell me how you control the flames." He commanded simply.

'So, she thought, that's what this is all about, huh? No. There has to be something else. This is too simple a thing for him to go so far.'

Kuroihi worried at her lip for a moment, trying to put together both the answer to her inner query and how to answer his. It wasn't something she'd ever tried to put into words, and she started to wonder if there even were words for what she could do.

Sesshoumaru tilted his head a bit, eyes narrowing as his patience grew thin with her silence and Kuroihi decided something was better than nothing.

"It...is a sensation, like a pool of power inside that pushes forth into the fire. If it accepts the power, then they become one, and your servant can influence it with her will."

"Does this power work only on fire that is already present?"

"It does not. It requires more energy, but your servant can create the fire herself. It requires some sort of external fuel, however."

'Interesting...' He thought and indicated one of the broken dummies. 'I will begin my experiment with this.'

"Show me."

She glanced at the dummy, uncertainty written on her face as she approached it slowly. She was keenly aware of Sesshoumaru's scrutinizing gaze as she rubbed her fingertips together nervously before placing them on the frayed and dry straw.

'Please... Please work,' she begged the gods, her nameless ancestors that had given her this power, 'don't let it sputter out in front of him.'

She took a steadying breath and focused. She felt heat flush over her and she reached deeper, coaxing at the stirring power within. She pulled at it, guiding it along her arm and down through to her fingers.