InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ After-effects ❯ The calm before the storm ( Chapter 12 )

Disclaimer: The usual crap, I don't own Inuyasha and the gang

 

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Chapter 11: The calm before the storm

 

"Are you certain that everything will be alright?" asked Kaede dubiously.

 

"Perfectly certain, Kaede-sama, now go, that sick child needs you more than us right now," reassured Miroku.

 

"If you say so," replied the miko, though it was plain obvious that she didn't believe a word the monk had said. "In any case, I'll be back around sunset, try not to break anything," she admonished sternly while adjusting her umbrella hat.

 

"Rest assured Kaede-sama, your hut is in good hands," said the monk in his ever calm tone.

 

The old miko humphed a little at that, but nonetheless turned around and walked outside in the heavy rain. It had been six days since Inuyasha and Kagome had gone and little of importance had happened. The gang had taken quite a liking to Yuna however, especially Shippo who found in her the playmate he always dreamed of having. It warmed everyone's heart to see her slowly cast away her slave's skin and become a sweet and innocent ten years old once again.

 

But it was by far Kagura who surprised everyone the most. Once she had overcome her initial embarrassment at being stuck doing simple chores like laundry and cleaning, she had proved herself to be a most enjoyable companion. She had learned quickly how the current flowed in the small group, especially when it came to matters concerning a certain lecherous monk. As Sango had predicted, the man had eventually asked his trademark question. A threat to chop his personal parts off and feed them to the birds had been more than enough to keep Miroku and his venturing hand at bay though. All in all, she and Yuna were fitting in rather nicely. Even the villagers had stopped staring at the unfamiliar youkai so she could walk around freely without having heads turn in her direction, much to her relief.

 

"Not that it would be much of a problem today," mused the sorceress, a wry smile appearing on her face, though it was quickly replaced with a frown.

 

Ever since she had been awake, the female youkai had had an ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had the distinct impression that something bad was going to happen today, though she couldn't tell exactly what. So it was somewhat of a relief when Kaede had been summoned to another village to treat a sick child. She now knew that whatever would happen, the miko wouldn't be part of it. Her brooding was interrupted by the enthusiastic call of Yuna

 

"Kagura-sama, please you have to try this game," said the child eagerly.

 

"Oh well, we'll just have to see how things turn out," she mused, shrugging off the matter for the moment.

 

Turning around, she noticed that everyone was sitting in a circle, holding strange rectangular things with symbols she couldn't quite make out from the distance. "Oh? And what game would that be?" she asked as she made her way to the sitting bunch.

 

"It is a very entertaining game that Kagome-sama brought from her home," explained the monk.

 

"It's called Uno," cut in Sango from her place in the circle. "The object of the game is to..." she cut short as she drew a card from the stack, a wicked smile appearing on her face when she saw what it was. "Draw four Miroku and the color is now red," she exclaimed, prompting a groan from the monk.

 

"Get rid of all the things you hold in your hand I presume?" guessed the sorceress.

 

"Cards actually, but you got the right idea," answered the demon slayer while watching with sick satisfaction the number of cards increase in the man's hand.

 

"You know, you're right Yuna, it does sound like fun," said Kagura, an evil smile dancing on her lips as she looked at the monk.

 

Miroku couldn't help but feel a small chill run down his spine as the sorceress sat down thus enlarging the circle. "It's going to be a long game," he mused and looked around the other players discreetly. Shippo had a malicious twinkle in his eyes when he looked at him. Yuna was trying hard to look like she was only focusing on her game, but her eyes darted to him every few seconds and a gleam of amusement could be seen dancing in their depth. And of course, there was the predatory looks he received from Sango and Kagura, the two of them looked just about ready to eat him alive.

 

"Yep, quite long indeed," he reflected once again as he dropped one of his numerous cards on the pile.

 

******

 

Thirty miles east of where Inuyasha's gang were playing cards, there was an array of long abandoned huts that had, at one point been a village. The soil was all rocks and angles, making it close to impossible for even weeds to grow. This was probably the reason why the people originally living here had left. However, as desolated and quiet as the place was, one silhouette could be seen standing in the village's square, totally ignoring the rain violently pouring down, as if waiting for something.

 

It was clad in a black robe quite similar to the one Miroku wore, except without the purple streaks. It had dark eyes that were devoid of any pupils thus giving it an unnatural expression. If you added to this the sharp fangs and pointed ears, you ended up with a bone chilling face that was definitively female looking. She was also holding a very particular staff. The thing was about as tall as she was, which made it around six foot in size. It was made of wood, all twisted and gnarled to give it an ominous look and it had a dark purplish gem embedded in its end that pulsed every now and then with evil energy.

 

The figure looked up when a loud and piercing screech could be heard over the noise of the rain. The large form of a bird could be seen making its way through the storm toward where the youkai was currently standing. It made its landing, causing violent gusts of wind to blow water and mud everywhere. Somehow, the fact that her robe was now covered in dirt and that an eagle about fifty times her size was standing in front of her didn't seem to phase her at all. If anything, she even seemed pleased at that occurrence.

 

"So you've come back Washisuto," she said to the bird, her voice dry and cracky.

 

The eagle shifted his head lightly as if acknowledging the youkai in front of him and let out a series of low wailing sounds.

 

"I see, it's just as I predicted. That fool failed miserably," she continued, as if answering to what the bird had said.

 

"You there!" she spoke sharply, whirling around. This caused a bunch of panther youkai to suddenly come into view.

 

"Go to the village and kidnap one of them," she ordered briskly, not bothering to precise exactly who she was talking about.

 

"But... Akkimaru, what about the wind sorceress," said one of her underlings, fear lacing his voice.

 

She looked at him with narrowed eyes for a few seconds before pointing her staff in his direction. The youkai started clawing at its throat frantically, trying to get air back into his lungs, but an invisible force prevented him from doing so. After a few seconds of this, she put her staff back in a vertical position and ground its tip in the ground brutally.

 

She barely gave the panting offender a glance before she spoke up. "If anyone of you incompetent fools wants to address me, you will do so with the title 'sama'. I will kill anyone who fails to remember it," she spat angrily.

 

A chorus of 'Yes, Akkimaru-sama' told her that the lesson had been understood. "The sorceress will not be a problem for you if you do not give her the space she needs to attack," she said, answering the question.

 

"Now go! And make sure the hanyou and the miko find their way here!" she ordered icily, prompting the kneeling youkai to scurry away.

 

"Bunch of fools," she grumbled and turned back to the eagle. "Keep an eye on them Washisuto, I doubt they will succeed without your intervention," she told the bird in what could be considered a friendly tone, but still sounded very cold.

 

It wailed in acknowledgment before opening his wings and flying off in a gust of wind. "Quite an impressive pet you got here," launched a voice in an appreciative tone of voice.

 

Whirling around to face the newcomer, she immediately spotted the kitsune sitting lasily on the roof of a house about twenty feet away. "Who are you?" she questioned sharply, eyes narrowed in suspicion. She didn't like the fact that this particular individual had managed to sneak up on her unnoticed.

 

"Who me? I'm the youkai sitting on the roof of course," he answered petulantly.

 

This had the effect of severely pissing Akkimaru off. She couldn't believe the nerve of that guy. Not only did he take her by surprise but he also had the audacity of insulting her. That didn't stand very well with her. "Time to teach this impudent kitsune a lesson," she mused and leveled her staff at him.

 

She expected to see him fall down on the ground howling in pain but instead there was a small puff of smoke and a leaf appeared in the place the youkai had been sitting. "Very handy toy you have there, can you tell me where to find one?" asked his mocking voice coming from another roof, once again behind her.

 

She turned around and glared at the troublemaker in annoyance. She didn't bother raising her staff though, it was likely just another illusion and it would be a waste of energy to destroy it. "I doubt you came here for the sole reason of pissing me off, so get on with it, I have better things to do," she hissed, barely containing her anger.

 

"Ah! Straight to the point, exactly like the hanyou and the miko, I like that," he said petulantly.

 

"You know of them?" she asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

 

"But of course and I must say that they are quite an interesting pair," admitted the kitsune.

 

Something suddenly clicked in Akkimaru's mind and her eyes widened in sudden realization. "It was you! You're the one behind their sudden departure!" she accused.

 

"Just like you were the one who came up with the idea of asking Kikyo for help. A very neat plan, and it would have worked if your soldier hadn't grown careless at the last second, giving the girl the opening she needed to summon her powers," chuckled Mattemaru.

 

"Spare me the lecture kitsune!" snapped Akkimaru. "Now tell me your real reason for being here," she demanded angrily.

 

"Oh you're no fun," he said in a disappointed tone, even adding a slight slump of his shoulder for emphasis. This of course caused Akkimaru to start growling in annoyance. "Anyway, I came to tell you that my boss is finding your attempt at recovering the jewel rather annoying so he's coming in person to dispose of you," he piped in before she could say anything, all traces of disappointment gone from his voice.

 

"I fear no one," answered Akkimaru with disdain. "Let him come and then we'll see then who will dispose of who," she finished and turned around, considering the conversation closed.

 

Though her face had regained her composure somewhat, inside she was fuming. She had taken great pain to make sure all her tracks were covered and that no one was aware of her presence here. But now, not only was someone aware of her intention, that same someone knew exactly where to find her. Despite the wound her pride had just sustained, she found herself wondering where she had gone wrong, where the leak had come from.

 

As if sensing her thought, Mattemaru ended up supplying her with an answer, in a way that made her bristle of course. "By the way, if you want a few lessons in the art of creating illusions, I'd be happy to oblige. The one you put on that bird to hide it while it flies was rather lame," he chuckled lightly before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

 

She stared at the spot where the youkai had been sitting for quite some time, eyes burning with hatred. Finally, with a supreme effort of will, she managed to get her emotions under control once again. "You kitsune, when I get my hands on the jewel, I swear you'll be the first to go down," she hissed before turning around and heading in one of the houses to make her last preparations.

 

Had she not been so blinded by her own anger, she might have stopped to wonder why Mattemaru's taunting had gotten to her like this. She might have then noticed that in the space of a few sentences, he had successfully destroyed all that she had been so proud of. He had mocked her acute senses by sneaking up on her. He had mocked her efforts to stay hidden by simply being there and by saying that whoever he was working for also knew where to find her. And finally, he had mocked her skills in the art of creating illusion by following Washisuto all the way here. Yes, Mattemaru had been very thorough in his taunts, but of course, she didn't notice any of this, just like she didn't notice the small cracks that had mysteriously appeared on her staff.

 

******

 

"Uno!" announced the monk and indeed he had only one card remaining in his hands, thus justifying the call.

 

33 games they had played and 33 games he had lost so far. In other circumstances, he would have said that luck was simply not on his side, but this time he just knew that luck had nothing to do with his losing streak. If he had any doubts, they were completely wiped out by the look of acknowledgment the other players shared upon hearing his announcement.

 

"I don't think so Miroku," announced Sango. "Draw four Shippo, and switch to blue," she announced.

 

The kitsune merely smiled mischievously as he placed a draw two card on top of the one already present. "Draw six Yuna," he said, turning to the ten years old who was currently extracting a card from her hand.

 

"Draw eight Kagura-sama," she said, adding her own misery to the stack.

 

"Well Miroku... draw twelve," announced the sorceress with satisfaction as she sealed the monk's fate with her card. "And I change the color to yellow," she added as an afterthought.

 

Strangely, the man did not make any move to draw, instead, he was currently in a praying position and looked in deep concentration. "Miroku, what are you doing?" asked Sango in confusion.

 

"I am asking Buddha to forgive me for what I'm about to do," he answered cryptically. "And now I ask you to forgive me Sango... draw sixteen," he announced putting his last card on top of the pile. "And I switch the color to green," he said, his eyes gleaming with vindictive pleasure at having finally won a game.

 

"I don't believe it," exclaimed Shippo in surprise.

 

"Me neither," added Sango.

 

"The monk actually won," finished Kagura, not believing what had just happened.

 

"I suppose one can't always be unlucky," reflected the kitsune in an innocent tone.

 

"Of course," answered the monk. "And devious plans can't always succeed can they?" he asked in a knowing tone.

 

They all looked at each other in silence for a few moments before everyone burst out laughing. "I suppose it's only fair that he should win at least one game," said the demon slayer, voice filled with mirth.

 

"We did make him lose 33 games after all," said the quiet voice of Yuna. She instantly clamped her mouth shut and fear flashed in her eyes when she realized what she had just said.

 

Every eyes in the room turned to her in surprise before shifting to the monk who sported a discouraged look on his face. "And here I thought you were actually playing fair, how naive of me to believe that," he shot back in a falsely hurt tone of voice.

 

"Anyway," chuckled Sango after yet another laughing fit. "I think it's high time we consider getting something to eat, we have been playing all morning long after all," she said in good humor.

 

"Yeah! Food!" exclaimed Shippo enthusiastically. "By the way, who's cooking?" he asked innocently.

 

At this, a heavy silence suddenly filled the hut. They had completely overlooked that small detail. It was usually either Kaede or Kagome who was in charge of the cooking and at different occasions, Sango could also be seen doing her share. Now though, all of these people were either gone or in no state to accomplish the task. Kagura felt suddenly very self conscious as three pair of eyes turned to her expectantly.

 

"W... Why are you all looking at me like that?" she stammered, though she already knew the answer.

 

"Well Kagura, it would seem that you have been appointed our cook of the day," answered the monk with barely concealed mirth in his voice.

 

"Oh no!" she exclaimed in horror. "I... I... don't know how to... cook," she stammered, cheeks burning in embarrassment.

 

"But being the only one valid and able makes you the logical choice," countered the monk seriously.

 

"Really, and what about you, I'm sure your injuries are not serious enough to prevent you from doing such a simple task," she shot back, openly fuming at the monk's amusement of her situation.

 

"As light as my injuries are, they are preventing me from putting any strain on my arms," he answered truthfully but still with a touch of vindictive pleasure in his voice.

 

"That monk, he's actually enjoying this," she bristled, while frantically fumbling for an answer to give him. Surprisingly, it was Yuna who saved her from further embarrassment by pulling at her sleeve lightly.

 

"Kagura-sama, do you think... I could do it?" asked the child nervously.

 

As if asking the question hadn't been hard enough for her to do, the girl now had to deal with four pair of eyes that looked at her like she had suddenly grown a second head. Unable to stand that much pressure, she lowered her gaze to the ground, her slave conditioning kicking in, making her feel both ashamed and embarrassed. "I... I'm... s... sorry," she managed to stutter, her cheeks flaming red.

 

Kagura felt her heart ache at seeing the girl act like this. "You still have a long way to go haven't you Yuna?" she mused sadly. Looking around, she could see that all eyes were fixed on her expectantly. "Great, now everyone's expecting me to clear up this situation," she thought frustratedly.

 

"Yuna..." she began hesitantly, frantically raking her brain for something, anything to say to the child that wouldn't crush the tiny spark of confidence she had just shown. She was rewarded when the memory of their first encounter replayed in her mind.

 

***Flashback***

 

"You saved my life, good mistress, I can't thank you enough. Please if there's anything I can do for you, name it," said the young girl while looking up at the wind sorceress with grateful eyes.

 

"Anything?" asked the sorceress surprised.

 

"Anything that is within my power," answered the young girl.

 

"Well looks like I just found the solution to my food problem," thought Kagura wryly. "Can you cook?" she questioned.

 

This brought a huge smile on the kneeling girl's face. "Yes, better than anyone in the village," she beamed proudly. "If you shall accompany me, good mistress, I will cook you a meal fit for a queen," finished the young girl while getting to her feet.

 

***End flashback***

 

"That's right, she does know how to cook," mused the sorceress in sudden illumination.

 

"... what do you want to prepare?" she asked the child with a smile.

 

Yuna's reaction to this announcement was rather comical to watch. First her scrunched back stiffened and her eyes snapped open wide. Her head then shot up to stare in complete disbelief at the youkai in front of her and finally, her mouth began opening and closing as if she was trying to say something and was unable to do so.

 

"R... Really," she finally managed to say after a few unsuccessful tries.

 

"Sure, after all you did say that you were 'the best cook in the village' when we first met," she said with a playful wink.

 

A small blush appeared on the girl's face as she remembered her own words. "But Kagura, what about her arm?" Shippo piped in innocently before Yuna could get over her embarrassment.

 

"Well I suppose I could help her a little, after all, we wouldn't want Miroku to put too much strain on his arms now would we," she countered jokingly, prompting a snort of laugher from Sango and a sour look from the said monk.

 

"Yeah me too!" exclaimed the kitsune enthusiastically. "I'll help too!" he added, bouncing with excitement.

 

Yuna stared at the smiling Kagura and the jumping Shippo with an unreadable expression on her face. Quite frankly, she felt a little hesitant about going through with it. For one thing, she loved to cook... with a passion. Over the last few days, the urge to hold a knife and chop down vegetables had been growing steadily stronger until finally, she had spoken up just a few moments ago. On the other hand, if the two youkais were to help her, she would have to tell them what to do and that was definitively not something she was comfortable with.

 

"So what do you say Yuna, are you up to this?" asked the wind sorceress when no answer came from the child.

 

As it was, she didn't even get the chance to decide for herself because Shippo as bouncy and energetic as ever ran up to her and grabbed her by the arm.

 

"Yeah, come one Yuna, it'll be fun!" he said as he started dragging her to the side of the room reserved for food preparation, Kagura following close behind, an amused smile on her lips.

 

The kitsune's energy coupled with the incentive of being able to jump back into her element finally got rid of her fears and when they reached the "kitchen" she was ready and eager to start with her self-appointed task. Behind the trio, Miroku turned to Sango with a raised eyebrow, the question he wanted to ask obvious on his features "Do they know what they're doing?". Sango simply shook her head and shrugged in answer "No idea Miroku".

 

They watched a bit surprised as Yuna started picking out the ingredients necessary for her recipe without hesitating even once. And then she began giving timid suggestions on how the vegetables were to be chopped down. After a few tries, Kagura managed to get the hang of it somewhat, but Shippo was a lost cause. So he was instead relegated to the task of fetching water for the soup or whatever it was that they were preparing. By the time the kitsune came back, Sango and Miroku's surprise had turned to amazement and by the time the last rice ball was put neatly on the stack, amazement had turned into open wonder. The girl was not just good, she was a born natural.

 

"Well looks like someone underestimated your abilities Yuna," chuckled the wind sorceress when she brought the food back to the wounded couple and she noticed their expression.

 

"Well we are hardly to blame, she has demonstrated a level of skills that would take a lifetime to attain normally," praised the monk.

 

"I agree with Miroku for once," seconded Sango. "You really are a born natural Yuna," finished the demon slayer.

 

Beside Kagura, the girl could not remember her cheeks having felt so hot before. She reflexively turned her gaze downward to try and control her whirling emotions. She had never really been praised about anything before now and quite frankly, one could get used to the feeling. The warmth that spread through her being was definitively worth the embarrassing blush that covered her face.

 

"There you go, Yuna," announced the wind sorceress while depositing a bowl of soup, "my soup," she couldn't help but think proudly, in front of her.

 

Looking up, she noticed that while she had been trying to overcome her embarrassment, everyone had been served and was eagerly waiting for the signal to dig in. Once the wind sorceress settled back down in front of her own serving, a chorus of "ittadakimasu" was heard and all the people present took their first bite.

 

A heavy silence fell on the room as everyone froze. Yuna too stopped her motion when she saw everyone's reaction, though it was more out of nervousness than anything. She had started to wonder if something was wrong with the food when Sango spoke up.

 

"This is beyond good," the demon slayer praised.

 

"It tastes even better than it smells," added Shippo.

 

"Even a high lord would be unfit for such a meal," said Miroku in admiration.

 

"Absolutely delicious," finished Kagura while smiling proudly at the girl beside her.

 

Upon hearing the positive comments, the ten years old let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Though they had shown their appreciation even before tasting the food, it was still a relief to know that it had met their expectations. As she stared at the piece of radish between her chopsticks, she felt both happiness and pride flow through her. Happiness at being able to give something back to the people who had given her so much already and pride at having successfully carried out her task. Something clicked in her mind as a long forgotten memory suddenly replayed itself.

 

***Flashback***

 

"Mommy, here, I made this to help you get better," said the six years old Yuna, handing a bowl of stew to her mother lying in bed.

 

"Thank you dear, that's very nice," answered the older woman with a gentle smile, right before a violent coughing fit wracked her body.

 

"Mommy," cried the child in alarm.

 

"It's... alright dear, everything's... alright," panted the said woman.

 

"Tell me Yuna... is there anything you want to do when you grow older?" she questioned weakly.

 

"I want to cook food for the whole wide world," answered the child enthusiastically while spreading her arms wide for emphasis, causing her mother to laugh softly.

 

"Then cook Yuna, cook and keep on cooking until the whole world learns of how good you are. And then everybody will want to taste the food prepared by the great Yuna," she said with that ever gentle smile.

 

***End flashback***

 

That was one of the last memories Yuna had of her mother. She had died of her unknown disease a short time later. "Mommy," she thought with a small twinge in her heart at remembering the woman. "I'll follow my dream mommy, and I'll make you proud, I promise," she reflected again, with the same determination as when she had made her promise with Kagura.

 

"Is everything all right Yuna?" asked the sorceress, jarring her out of her musing.

 

Looking up, she suddenly realized that she had been sitting there with her chopsticks halfway to her mouth. She felt her cheeks redden in slight embarrassment as she answered. "Everything's fine Kagura-sama, thank you," she said meekly and promptly started to eat.

 

The youkai looked at her curiously for a few seconds before shrugging and digging in herself. Whatever had happened to the child in those few seconds didn't look like a bad thing at all. If anything, she sat straighter now than she could ever remember her sitting before. "Keep it up Yuna, you're doing great," thought the sorceress fondly.

 

The rest of the meal passed pleasantly with the occasional praise at the ten years old's skill, earning an almost instant blush. All too soon, the food was eaten and everything had been put back in its proper place. Now that she was back to watching the rain fall, Kagura's foreboding feeling came back, stronger than before. Turning around, her gaze met Miroku's and Sango's and in their eyes, she could see that they sensed exactly what she had been sensing since morning. "Something's coming," she thought grimly. "Something definitively is coming."