Girl Warrior by Rainumora

Chapter 1

This is a completely edited and rewritten Girl Warrior. The quality is much, much better than the original and thank you to all my fans!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and I never will. Not making a profit either.

Story Notes: This story is in first person, so if you don't like that sort of writing, leave now. All flashbacks will be in italics, and thoughts will be written with ' '. Please read and review.

I never believed in predestination, but sometimes I felt like the gods were mocking me. It was like my life's journey had already been decided by fate. In other words, I was the youngest of a pair of twins.

Twins could be the best, and the worst, for a ruler. If an Emperor, lord, or even a common were to have twins, it meant that the god's had wanted to grant them a favor, but only if the twins were male. Unfortunately for my father, my sister and I could never be the son he hoped for.

My sister and I were a disappointment in my father's eyes from an early age, but that did not stop him from attempting to make the best of the situation. My sister, Kikyo, was the older twin and thus received slightly more care and endearment. I did not hate her for that- it had been ingrained into my being that I was the lesser of us; Kikyo would always have priority. I simply accepted my situation in life.

Because we were both girls, father decided to educate Kikyo in the ways to run a country, warfare, politics, and diplomacy. And by educate, he dictated to Kikyo's tutors exactly what to teach her. I rarely saw Father for more than a few hours at a time.

My sister and I were, for the most party, separated from the day of our birth. She went off to learn how to rule a country while I was left behind. It soon became obvious that Kikyo had no interest in politics, war, economy, or anything other than fashion and her social position. I developed the exact opposite tastes, enamored with everything that had to do with the country or scholarly knowledge. Maybe it was because I was never allowed to e formally trained, or to learn how to use a weapon, that I felt the desire to obtain what was out of my reach.

Our nanny, a pleasant old woman named Kaede, taught me how to use a bow and arrow along with a small amount of aikido. We had to keep our meetings brief and to the point, so I was never usually allowed to ask questions, but one day Kaede looked pale and frazzled, so I had to ask her what was bothering her.

"Kaede?" I looked at the old, wrinkly woman and I happily stretched my arms above my head, and then bent down to my toes. "What's the matter?" I had been looking forward to this afternoon's lesson, the snow had finally melted from the trees and we would be able to train together again.

Kaede shook her head, not wanting to answer my question right away. She only did that if the answer would cause me more harm than good. "Your dear father has found out about our meetings, child, and we will no longer be able to train because of his orders."

I stopped, my hear thumping in my ears. No more training? But... I enjoyed this so much! "That's unfair!" Standing up, I stamped my foot, annoyance going through my every fiber. "He probably thinks it'll interfere with Kikyo's education somehow. It's always about Kikyo!"

The elderly woman shook her head, reaching over to rest a hand on my arm to still me. "Nay, child. I think it's because he's taking the advice from his Seer to seriously."

"You mean Naraku, that idiot?" Crossing my arms, I sat down next to Kaede after a moment, thoroughly upset. This was so like Naraku. He would find out something that I enjoyed then my father, and Father would usually take it away, using the excuse that it would somehow interfere with Kikyo.

"I think it is because your father believes what Naraku says, that one of you or Kikyo carries Midoriko in your soul." Kaede replied calmly, gently putting an arm around my shoulders. She tried to comfort me, but I was still angry.

"I doubt that. Midoriko has been dead now for almost a hundred years. Father's just being superstitious."

"That's probably true, but you must remember because your father is the Emperor and a grown adult, while you are still a child." Kaede said quietly, fingers gently petting my hair.

"I am not a child Kaede, and I am old enough to make my own decisions on what I want to do!" I stood, a bit angry with the entire affair and with how Kaede still saw me. I was fifteen, going to be sixteen in about seven months, and by common standards already a woman.

Sometimes I wish I could go back to that time- the time just before I met him and others like him. Everything was so much simpler then, but, like I aid, I was old enough to make my own decisions.