InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Blue Anshan ❯ Seeking 3 - The Temple ( Chapter 7 )

The Blue Anshan

By Alesyira

Summary: Another waste of time? So many secrets tiptoeing just out of reach...

Chapter Rating: PG. Nothing really big here...

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction.

Arc 2 - Seeking 3 - The Temple

1505

The field grass tickled my bare feet and I glanced at my clothes in a moment of self awareness. My tattered pants and shirt served merely as an instrument of modesty and had no purpose beyond that. Looking back at it now, I feel somewhat amused that I cared so little for my appearance that I traipsed across the mainland for years dressed little better than a wandering beggar. (At least I had the sense to keep myself clean.)

My sharp gaze easily picked out a handful of individuals within or near the large complex, and all appeared to have clothed themselves in simple gray robes. Now, based on my limited experience with humans during our travels as well as Miroku's occasional stories, it seemed logical that we would be welcome no matter what we wore... But I felt that our presence would be more easily accepted if we looked like we had come to find knowledge rather than a free meal and a place to rest.

I closed my eyes and touched a finger to my brow in a moment of concentration, calling forth a small amount of youki for a simple change in my appearance. The illusion adjusted my clothes from "wandering beggar" to "middle class", with attention to an appropriate fit and quality of cloth, dyed with simple earth tones. My hair darkened as well as I pushed my illusion to hide the attributes that set me apart from humans. I turned back to see if Hu had done the same - well, to at least hide her tail and ears (I wasn't sure at that time if she had any ability to change her appearance) - only to see she had stopped a short distance back. I opened my mouth to call out her name, but she waved me on with a shake of her head.

"I wait here for you," she said, turning her gaze toward the sun overhead. An unexpected shiver of apprehension zipped through me and I hesitated. For one thing, I didn't know a damned thing about the people inside this temple; they might have been scholars with only a care for their archives, or they might have been some crazy-suicidal-extreme holy men trained in the art of doom (who just happen to like guarding old books). In the short time I'd known her, Hu had never displayed any real care or tolerance toward humans, so either way, splitting up (or I should say... 'leaving her alone') seemed like an awfully bad idea.

One of two outcomes seemed inevitable: either she'd kill one of the inhabitants for her occasional "energy snack" and I'd get kicked out of the archives... Or she'd bite off more than she could chew and I'd be short my guide (and in danger as well). I ran my fingers through my bangs and watched her carefully. "You... aren't going to, um..." I trailed off, not wanting to voice my thought and hoping she'd get my gist.

She seemed somewhat distracted by the cloudless sky, but her gaze soon met my own and she flicked her clawed fingertips in my direction. "No, no... these humans are safe. Go now." And then, as though she meant to punctuate her dismissal of me and my concerns, she sprawled out in a patch of tall grass and tucked an arm beneath her head to watch the thin clouds overhead. I stared for a moment at the grass that hid her from sight and heaved a sigh. ...I don't remember why I sighed then, but I do remember how sweet that air was on my lips and the sense of peace that followed.

As I rounded the side of Haeinsa Temple, a large set of doors came into sight. Both were open, and from what I could see of the interior, it was nearly as bright within as it was without. An older man stood before this entrance, and although he seemed aware of my approach, he also appeared completely unconcerned with my presence. The skin of his face was crisscrossed with innumerable wrinkles, revealing some hint of his generous age, and even though his light gray robes concealed his body from the neck down, his posture was unnaturally straight and steady. I was somewhat surprised when he gave me a kind smile and wordlessly motioned that I should enter.

Uncertainty crept into my thoughts as I entered the great hall before me. I'd assumed that Hu would come with me to help translate, but she'd left me to my own devices. Sure, with enough time I'd be able to understand every word spoken or written within these halls, but I doubted she'd want to sit around outside for however long that might take. I banished my worries for the moment and glanced around at my surroundings.

The old man led me swiftly through the main hall; its height was well over twice my own, and it was wide enough for a large crowd of people to walk with plenty of space. Light spilled along its length through skylights, and there were no doors, only open archways leading into other passages. The walls were constructed of heavy stone that had been buffed somewhat smooth, and near each arch I could make out finely chiseled blocks of text in varying lengths.

About halfway down this main hall, he turned and entered one of the large rooms, where another robed man sat at a low table. The older man leaned down to speak quietly to his seated colleague, and then the younger of the two motioned for me to sit at his side. "Welcome to Haeinsa Temple, young traveler." I was at a complete loss as to how he knew exactly which language I spoke, and it must have been obvious in my expression because he smiled and motioned at the older man still standing nearby. "The elder has remarkable hearing."

(As if that explained everything.)

"How may I be of service to you?"

It took little time for the knowledgeable man to guide me through their selections on folklore and legend, and as he read and translated passages of note, I couldn't help but wonder how much information these archives contained... and if they freely offered such access to just anyone, like they had for me.

The rest of the afternoon was spent much like this, and although I didn't learn anything particularly useful, I did get a better understanding of how their archival system worked. As the sunlight faded that evening, he replaced his materials, bowed, and told me I could meet him here when the sun rose the next morning. The elder from before suddenly reappeared in the archway nearby and smiled at me with a hand extended to his left.

The elder led me once again through a series of narrow passageways and up several flights of stairs, and eventually we stopped before a small room. It contained nothing but a bed and a small table with a bowl of water. The elder motioned that I enter, and then he smiled and bowed before he turned to leave. A small window overlooked some of the valley, and I glanced down to see if I might catch sight of where Hu had hidden herself. The light of the waning moon spilled over the fields of gently waving grasses, but I could see no sign of her presence. In fact, I couldn't detect a hint of her.

I sat by the small window for the next few hours, alert and awake. It had been a while since I'd slept last, a day or two... maybe longer, but I felt nearly refreshed, as though I'd just had a great night's sleep. Many thoughts kept my mind occupied and free of the boredom that would normally plague me during the normal hours of rest.

The morning crept up quickly and the quiet stillness was broken by the sound of shuffled footsteps heading toward my room. No other sounds had been apparent during the night, leading me to believe this particular area of the building was reserved for guests of the Temple. A young apprentice brought a small offering of bread and tea into the room and placed it upon the small table, bowed, then exited the room without a sound. I wasn't very hungry, but I found the simple meal to be pleasantly satisfying as I ate quickly.

I soon found myself wandering the halls, retracing my scent from the evening before to find the same room in which the monk had instructed I meet him. We spent the morning walking through the rows of texts and scrolls; some parchments were so old that they crumbled at the edges when touched. These fragile specimens were gingerly collected and handed over to individuals working at a long table, who would then spend the better part of the day copying the materials onto carefully prepared scrolls for renewed storage. The monk and I found several texts from which to work before returning to his table.

The man scanned and translated certain portions of the selected scrolls. A particular line caught my wayward attention and I touched the man's shoulder to have him stop speaking. "Can you tell me about that again?" I asked. The monk skimmed the line and translated key phrases, giving alternate meanings so that I could discern the meaning behind the somewhat cryptic tale.

This particular legend made strong mention of an object a kitsune would use to store a great deal of energy - and that said object could be used by another to gain control of the kitsune, thus making the object both the kitsune's greatest weakness and most treasured possession. I had always thought my kind stored their excess energy in their tails, but this story suggested otherwise (because I certainly could not picture someone holding onto my tail to have power over me)... The furry appendage, still hidden by illusion, twitched in amusement. While I couldn't necessarily feel the youki coursing through it, I knew that my family could channel energy into and out of it. At certain ages, my kind have leaps in power and the excess energy forms a new tail to mark the occasion. And, in times of extreme duress, power from the tails can be harnessed to perform great deeds. These were things I'd learned during my youth. (Come to think of it, no one ever told me exactly how they knew energy could be used to do "great deeds"... Maybe it was some legend that had been distorted over time?)

Perhaps there was more to the concept than I knew. It was entirely possible that my relatives didn't tell the young ones about using such an object so that we might remain safe in our youth. I knew I'd have to ask Hu about it later.

Time passed faster than I expected within the chilled hush of that room. Days passed as the monk continued through many other selections of texts, and as he spoke, my eyes constantly scanned the texts to pick up language clues. After a few days, I asked him to first read the line in the language it had been written before translating it so that I might come to understand the language, and soon I began to point out particular phrases to ask their meaning.

It quickly became apparent that this information, while interesting and perhaps somewhat useful in my long term search for general kitsune-related knowledge, would not lead to any good clues as to where I might actually find others of my kind (let alone anyone related to me). On the fourth day, I asked him to limit his searches to any mention of identifying landmarks and locations that might lead me to finding these places. The next two days continued in much the same fashion, with only vague references to locations that couldn't give more than a hint of where each story might have taken place. As he finished the last of the sources, he stood and gave me a slight bow.

"I humbly apologize that our information could not aid in your quest."

I smiled and returned his bow. "Thank you for your help." He turned to lead me back to the entrance, and I suddenly recalled the question I'd mulled over previously. "Do... the monks here always offer such free access to the knowledge contained within this temple?"

"We're not in the habit of refusing those in search of truth."

I couldn't help but frown in concern at his easy response. "Sometimes the truth can be dangerous." The monk nodded as we walked. I could just imagine some awful human or youkai coming here to learn an enemy's secrets... For that matter, I could easily imagine any number of individuals that might be ruthless enough to just take the knowledge from these timeless archives and kill the apparently defenseless caretakers.

I sighed in slight frustration as we reached the exit. It seemed like such a waste to leave such an amazing source of information after so little time. "Thank you again for your help." The monk bowed his head in response. "If my search proves fruitless elsewhere, I would like to return and study here."

The monk smiled and gave a final bow. "As you wish. Best wishes for your journey ahead."

'Those monks are too helpful for their own good.' The corner of my mouth quirked in disbelief at the surreality of the situation. Such a place seemed like an untapped resource, just ripe for the taking. I could feel the hairs on my arms and neck bristle with anticipation of how many power-hungry maniacs might... I shook myself from that train of thought. These men lived at the top of a mountain within the walls of a temple. Surely they had some form of protection against those that would do them harm. I turned to look back at the plain walls and resolved to return, if only to prove to myself that they could last...

(Some years later, I came back to study for an extended period of time. The temple and its inhabitants were still remarkably intact, although I should have expected that a temple of that age would remain just as safe as they had for the centuries before my arrival. The monks taught me a variety of languages, both written and spoken, and I had the privilege of perusing the countless texts available as I learned how to preserve and copy the fragile bits of history.)

I turned to look for my traveling companion. The breeze pushed her scent away from me, but I could sense her nearby, apparently still resting amongst the grasses that blanketed the chill, wind-sheltered valley. The sun was still shining, but it had approached the mountain range nearby as evening drew near. Wispy clouds danced along the mountainous rim of the valley, as though they were forbidden to cross some invisible threshold.

My attention was drawn back to the grasses nearby, rustling and sparkling brightly in the last rays of sunlight. As I drew near to the spot, the shimmers faded and Hu sat up, tucked a small object into the pouch at her waist and lazily stretched her long limbs.

"You are done already?" she asked, blinking up at me.

'Strange,' I thought, 'the setting sun makes her hair and eyes shine with golden light.' My chest warmed as I looked down into her smiling face, and then the sun dipped below the horizon and the valley fell into shadow. She tilted her head and gazed at me for a moment, and the moment of warmth and golden glow faded as suddenly as it had come. I blinked with two realizations: I was staring, and she had asked me a question...

"Oh, I - um, yes."

"You must rest this night, here. We will continue to Seonggyungwan in the morning."

I plopped down into the grass at her side, feeling a bit dismayed. "There wasn't anything here that helped. Do you think we'll find something there?"

Hu gave a half smile and lay back in the grass to watch the darkening sky. "You and I, we have much time. It is better to look now and find nothing, than look later and find something." I lounged half on my side and plucked at the bristled grass and she continued to speak. "After this, we will make long journey north. There is a place I know... people there might help."

I dozed off a short while after that, my head propped up on my hand. Admittedly, that night was the first time I slept well while still in Hu's presence. There was something different about her aura that suddenly seemed far less threatening...

We left early the next morning, and I felt vaguely confused at the altered state of my companion. She seemed different somehow. There was a strange glow about her, as though she'd soaked up the very sunlight around us and shone with the intensity of it. She did not show me whatever it was that she held in the small pouch at her side. Our next destination, she said, lay a few weeks' travel to the west. She spoke of a large university that might contain texts and records that might prove useful, although by this time I began to seriously doubt that any human would have written evidence of the existence of my kind... let alone youkai, for that matter.

The next day, we traveled quickly with few words. I was considering how to ask Hu some of the questions I'd come up with during the short time at Haeinsa Temple. For one, I was curious as to how she'd discovered the place, but that wasn't as important as asking her about energy storage and usage... We continued to run throughout the night and next day without slowing, but the next evening we stopped for a short reprieve to eat. The sunlight spilling over the mountain range shimmered in the misty air and warmed my shoulders. As I picked at a small piece of bread, a strange sensation hit me and drew a shudder from my spine. I glanced over at my companion; she sat quite still nearby, her face turned toward the warmth of the setting sun, still fully visible just over the mountains. Her dark tail swished once, and I could see the fine hairs on her arms stand on end as the strange sensation intensified.

"Hu...?" I asked tentatively.

She didn't seem to hear me at first, but as the sun slowly sunk beneath the horizon and left us in the gloom of twilight, she glanced back at me with a raised eyebrow. "Yes?" she responded, and I was unsure of what to say.

"What was that?"

She shrugged lightly and turned her gaze skyward once more. "It does not matter."

"I think it does. Aren't you hungry? When was the last time you ate?" I carefully emphasized the last word, hoping she'd understand what I meant. I'd been within the walls of the temple for nearly a week, and I couldn't believe that she had no need to stop for one of her energy "snacks."

Her gaze drifted toward the horizon where the sun had set, and her expression shifted to slight bitterness. "I..." she trailed off and cast a wary glance in my direction. She stared at me for a long while. Her eyes sought some answer from my own, and her concern was plainly written on her face. "That is a story for another day." Her voice was low and warm, sending an odd trill up my spine.

She turned her attention to the sharp tips of her claws and meticulously picked them clean. "What is that?" I pointed to the small pouch at her waist, but she pretended as though she hadn't heard my words. "What is wrong with you? Why won't you talk to me?"

"You ask too many questions. I will tell you these answers when the time is right."

I pressed my fingers to my temples in annoyance. "Why isn't now the right time? Why won't you tell me these things - do they relate to what I'm looking for, and you're afraid I'll leave if I know the truth?"

She met my hard stare with an easy glance and a shrug. "These things are not so important to you." Her emphasis left it clear that she held secrets perhaps too sensitive to share with me. I bit my tongue and turned away from her then, tucking my arms into my sleeves.

Two weeks passed in a blur of scenery and relative silence. The rain had lessened considerably, and while Hu had yet to divulge any further information, I became more and more aware of a subtle change in her appearance. Even after this extended period of time, I had yet to feel that tingle of malevolence that always occurred right before she would have left to find sustenance in her human prey.

The clouds cleared often after we had left the temple, and so we made it a habit to stop on occasion for short breaks to enjoy the weather. More often than not, I found my sights settling on her lithe form as she stretched out in the grass under the warm sun. Her skin sparkled in the light and her hair took on a golden shine. She almost always pillowed her head on one arm and stuck a few fingers from her free hand into the pouch at her side. The longer she allowed me to watch her engage in this strange behavior, the closer I felt I was to her giving me some answers.

By the time we made it to our destination, several things had become apparent. First, Hu no longer had pitch black hair and dark eyes, for they had both taken on a seemingly permanent golden sheen. When night fell, her skin nearly glowed with the remnants of the sunlight she soaked up each day, and it only grew in intensity with each day that passed without the plaguing rain. She hadn't hunted a single human since we'd left the temple in the mountains, and she seemed an altogether different youkai.

There was another very obvious change to our surroundings as we drew close to the city. There was some sort of civil unrest, visibly apparent in hundreds of slanderous posters strewn across the city. Royal guards were in the process of trying to remove each of the pieces, and several angry-looking peasants attempting to put up new posters were apprehended by other guards. Hu and I crouched within the branches of a tree to examine their behavior. "Seonggyungwan is near. It is an old school with many texts and students," she whispered to me as a group of soldiers patrolled beneath us. "We will go tonight."

I nodded once, relaxing into the trunk at my back to watch our surroundings in uncertainty. I had an awful feeling we'd just stepped into a potentially dangerous situation...