Half Demon Swordsman
Chapter One: What's going on?

Asagi

It was an average day in the Tuskino household.

Serena woke up late as usual while I was up at dawn to practice my martial arts and meditate to control my demonic energy, I ate breakfast and took mine and Serena's lunches with me (so that she wouldn't eat it in class and Mom wouldn't get another complaint from our teacher Miss Haruna).

"Have a nice day Asagi," Mom called as I ran out the door. "Don't forget that Molly invited you and Serena over today after school."

"Thanks Mom!" I called back. "I'll see you after school. Oh, and I think Serena went back to sleep again. Just figured I'd warn you. And I don't think she studied for that last test either, so expect a bad grade." I faintly heard Mom sigh. She was probably going to yell at Serena.

I shook my head and ran faster (of course my school uniform didn't make that very easy to do, with the skirt and all. Man I hated that stupid thing). Along the way I saw a group of boys tormenting a cat and made them stop, and continued on my way, skidding to a halt in front of the school with practiced ease (while I was never as late as Serena, I was occasionally late).

"Hey Asagi!" Mine and Serena's friend Molly called. "Where's Serena?"

I shrugged. "Where do you think?" I asked as I opened the door and went in. "Last I knew, she was still asleep." Molly shook her head and sighed, but said nothing, used to Serena's bad habits (all umpybazillion of them) by now (although a few of the she only made worse). We walked in silence for a few minutes until we entered the classroom. I sat at my desk, trying to remember that strange dream I had last night.

Actually, now that I thought of it, it was the same dream I'd had since I could remember.

I was wearing a royal blue silk tunic and white rope belt. Strapped to my back was a golden sword shaped like a lowercase Q, as well as a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Standing beside me were six others dressed similarly, and they too had swords on their backs. One of the swords was downright huge. Like a freaking meat cleaver or something.

"Hey," Serena said gleefully as she walked into class. "Did you know the latest Sailor V game is out? I saw it on TV." I groaned. If Serena spent half as much time studying as she did playing video games and watching TV, she'd have straight A's. No joke.

"What you need Serena is more time studying, and less time watching TV." Miss Haruna scolded as she held up Serena's latest test, which, in large red numbers, clearly bore the number thirty. "There isn't any excuse for failing this exam."

"I failed?" Serena asked, clueless as usual. "How can that be?"

I groaned. "Oh for the love of Kami." I muttered under my breath.

"Have your mother sign this and return it to me." Our teacher continued.

After school

"Aw chill out Serena, it's just one lousy test, it's not like it's the end of the world or something." Molly comforted as Serena moaned.

"You don't get it Molly," Serena whined. "If Mom finds out I failed a test, she'll ground me and cut my allowance, and then I won't get to play the new Sailor V video game."

I groaned. "Oh for the love of Kami, Serena." I sighed as I put my hat on to cover my pointed ears (I'd changed into regular clothes after school, since my school uniform was so uncomfortable, and not to mention impractical). "There are more important things in life than playing video games you know."

"Such as?" My sister wanted to know.

I groaned. "Oh I don't know," I answered sarcastically. "Getting a good job. Being successful. Actually making something of yourself."

"Hey Serena!" Melvin called, interrupting me. I swore he was some sort of stalker. "I heard 'bout your test. Want me to be your tutor?"

"About as much as a toothache." Serena moaned.

"You're such a dweeb Melvin." Molly reprimanded. "She doesn't need a tutor she needs a trip to the mall to get her mind off this."

I groaned again. "Molly, you may be one of my good friends and Serena's best friend, but I think that's about the last thing Serena needs."

Molly ignored me and gasped. "Tell your mom you're at my house studying!"

"You're going shopping?" Melvin gasped. "What's more important than your grades?"

He held up his last test, which displayed a ninety five. "Look, I didn't study and I only got a ninety five. How will I ever be able to explain this to my parents?"

I groaned. I would kill to be able to not study and get a ninety five in Math! I complained mentally. I think that ninety five is a perfectly respectable score, and he got it without even studying. Man this is so not fair. Then again it might be different to his parents.

"Do we care?" Molly asked as Serena began wailing.

"Maybe he's right."

"We're going shopping." Molly comforted. "By the time you get home your mom will have forgotten all about that dumb test."

I rolled my eyes and snorted. Not likely.

"Do you think so?" Serena asked hopefully.

"I know so." Molly answered proudly. "I saw some major awesome boots on sale."

I groaned again. "Well count me out." I said and stood up to go make a call to Mom.

No, I wasn't going to tattle about their plans to go shopping when they were pretending to study, I was just going to inform Mom about Serena's test score. I loved my older sister dearly, but honestly, Mom probably wouldn't get as mad at her if she heard it now rather than later. I mean, I busted my butt studying, and I only got a eighty five on the test (although that could be because it was math, which was, admittedly, my worst subject). After dialing the school pay phone, I waited for Mom to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" She asked after a minute.

"Hi Mom." I said after making sure Serena wasn't around. "Just thought I'd let you know that what we were dreading actually happened."

Mom sighed on the other end. "She's planning to avoid me?"

I snorted. "Naturally." I replied dryly. "She and Molly are going shopping. If you want I'll go find them at the jewelry store."

"Just tell her that she's grounded." Mom said and that was all the answer I needed.

I grinned. "Got it. Love you. Bye."

At the store

"Come on, make me an offer!" Molly's mom shouted into a megaphone. Smirking, I remembered the latest American novel I'd read and finished, in which one of the main characters tweaked the coach's megaphone so that it alternatively made him sound like a Sith Lord or blurted out random things like 'the cow says moo.'

"Hey Serena." I called, allowing my smirk to grow wider.

My nee-chan sighed upon seeing me. "Asagi. You told her?"

"Of course. She says you're grounded."

"My mom's sure acting strange." Molly commented.

I raised an eyebrow. "How so?" Molly didn't answer.

"Today only, everything in the store is ninety percent off!" Mrs. Baker continued. Now that Molly mentioned it, her mom was acting weird. "Please feel free to try on anything."

I walked around the store, seeing if they had any jewels that I might like, which was mostly sapphires and garnets. Diamonds were okay, but they were vastly overrated.

"Something feels off about this." I said. I thought I saw energy being drawn into the jewels, so to confirm my theory, I placed my hand on one of them and pretended to feel it. Like I thought, my energy was pulled into the jewel. I jerked my hand back. I smirked deviously. "Oh it wants energy does it? Since it's feeding off humans, it probably wants spiritual energy, not demonic."

Long ago, I had discovered that I wasn't fully a human, but a half-demon, or as they were properly called, I was a Hanyo (it literally means half apparition, but it's the same idea). Of course, I'd never shared this with anyone, but afterwards I had learned to draw on both my spiritual and demonic energies. I closed my eyes and began to breath as my teacher, a man who was like my older brother not to mention a sadist, InuYasha, had showed me so long ago and placed my pointer and middle fingers on one of the jewels.

Breathe in, and hold it for seven beats you little brat. I heard InuYasha's voice when he first taught my friends and I to meditate. Now breath out, and hold it for seven again. And no questioning me brats, or I'll have you doing pushups until your arms fall off.

Slowly and carefully so as not to mess up, I pulled my demonic energy into a small ball and shoved it into the gem, and it exploded.

"So," I muttered. "My theory was right after all. Just what is going on?"