InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bound to Tomorrow ❯ Silent Village ( Chapter 9 )

 

I'm back again and ready to work. I will try as hard as I can to make sure I turn out chapters in a timely manner. If all things go according to plan (cross your fingers, guys) then I should be done with college this semester. I have two classes. One of them is my worst subject ever (math) and the other is another art class. The lady who teaches my art class is a bit of a slave driver so I can't promise you guys that I won't be terribly busy. So far I've had a lot of lovely free time to work but I don't know if it'll last.

Anyway, special thanks go out to Raian and Jessie Angel for all of their wonderful help and insight. Jessie accidentally gave me the epiphany I desperately needed over a plot issue I had been struggling with for some time. Thanks guys!

I've also begun work on a silly idea I had bouncing around in my brain for some time for Kaze no Stigma. I started writing with the intent to make a one-shot… and then it blew up into another epic adventure of Green Bunny proportions. I'm not going to post any of that story until it's complete. The reason for that is because it was strictly written on a lark and I don't want it to compete with my work on BTT.

Random Question: Uh… does anyone recall if I gave Sango's twins names? Did Rumiko Takahashi ever mention their names yet? If I did give them names can someone remind me what they were? I've totally forgotten. I feel silly for asking...

 

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Shippo's name came out in a surprised gasp from Kagome's lips as the boy crumpled. As she said it she rushed over to the boy and gathered him up in her arms. Her hands gently brushed through his hair to push back the ginger strands from his face so she could get a better look at him. However, they immediately came back when her digits encountered a warm, sticky fluid.

“Oh, gods, he's bleeding!” She cried out.

Inu Yasha squatted down next to the boy and used his nose to scent out the location of the cut. It was not long before he discovered a gash near the top of his head. Mercifully, the cut appeared to have been a glancing blow. The wound was mild, and were he to guess, the hanyou suspected Shippo had passed out from extreme fatigue rather than injury. What concerned him worse were the patches of blood covering his shirt. It reeked of human blood.

Kagome had wrapped the fox demon's head in gauze before Inu Yasha had time to tell her it was pointless. Demon or not, advanced healing or not, the miko was dead set on wrapping up any wound she laid eyes upon. It never mattered to her how he felt about it. When his wife began to peel off the layers Shippo's hakama to check for more injuries the dog demon emitted a short, embarrassed grunt.

“Feh, there's no reason to strip him, wench. The fox is fine. That ain't his blood on his clothes. It's human.” When her horrified expression met his gaze he elaborated, “It doesn't smell like Miroku or Sango, but it's not good. We need to--…”

“--Uh, where… where's Sango?” Shippo croaked, peering up into Kagome's face.

Kagome shook her head and stroked the side of the boy's cheek, “Shippo, don't you remember? You came here to find us. Sango's back in Edo.”

Shippo stared at the miko for a few moments in apparent confusion, then seemed to find his wits and tried to sit up. Inu Yasha was there to nudge him back down onto Kagome's lap. He also pushed a small ceramic container of water into his wife's hands which she brought to the kitsune's lips.

“Drink this first; then tell us what happened. It won't do anyone any good if you can't talk.” She murmured as she continued to pet his cheek with her free hand.

The boy drank greedily from the flask until his dry throat no longer burned. When he was finished he pushed the container away but continued to lie in her lap. He could not help but mentally agree with the dog demon that her scent was most comforting in that position. Within the safety of his beloved companions the kitsune was finally ready to relate the situation:

“Two days after you all left the demons from those villages came to Edo. They attacked in a swarm and killed any men that got in their way. A couple of other demons followed behind the attacking demons and took any woman they could lay their claws on. Kaede and Sango fought them with the other men. I fought them, too. But when I saw them taking all the girls I told Kaede that I should use my magic to hide them. They agreed. So, while Kaede and Sango kept the demons occupied I gathered up all the girls I could sniff out and took them to the shrine like Kaede had said. I used my magic to make an extra room in the back of the shrine look like it wasn't there and that's where we hid.”

Shippo paused for a moment when Kagome offered him more water. When he was finished he continued. “I held the illusion all day until the sounds of battle died down. Just as I was about to see if everything was okay I heard the demons. They were prowling all around the shrine.”

“Did any of them say anything?” Inu Yasha spoke up, though he did not open his eyes, which had been closed while he listened. To one who did not know the dog demon well one might have thought he was insolent, but his friends could tell he was simply concentrating on capturing every word. Kagome learned some time ago that he closed his eyes so he could tune his hearing to an individual while one ear remained cocked to any external danger that might have been lured by the sound of voices. Sight was a distraction when he concentrated so hard on his hearing, so he kept his eyes shut.

Shippo sighed and shook his head, “What they said didn't make much sense. Most of the time it was too garbled to understand… like someone had scrambled their brains… they did say one thing, though. The word `master' came up again and again. Then they all got quiet. I could hear them, but they all stopped growling; and then I heard someone walking around inside the shrine. I think he was looking for the girls. Gods, it was so hard trying to keep them all quiet. I had to use extra energy to soundproof the illusion because some of them thought it might be their parents. I knew better. The guy didn't smell human. He didn't smell demonic either. It was weird.”

“How is that possible? Even if he was hanyou he should have had some sort of scent.” The dog demon interrupted.

“I don't know…his scent… he smelled like pine, or maybe cedar, or…” The kitsune boy screwed up his face in frustration, “He smelled of the forest, but not like he'd been running around in it… I don't think I'm explaining this very well.”

Kagome gave the boy's hand a gentle squeeze, “It's okay; we can worry about that later. Please, go on.”

With a nod, he focused his thoughts back on his ordeal. “I knew it was a man because he spoke to himself. He complained that he had hoped for a bigger catch. I could hear him moving around the shrine; looking for us. One time he was in the room just next to ours… and then he said something strange. He said that sixty years' worth of studies would have to do. That was it. I heard him leave. Then all of a sudden everything started shaking--an earthquake or something--and the shrine folded in the center like it was made of paper. Thankfully, we were on the outer edge of the building. The roof collapsed away from us, but the walls on that side somehow stayed up. The demons left soon after that.”

“I waited for a long time, even when I was sure they were gone and their scents were fading. I thought someone would come for us. Someone had to give us the all-clear, right? After a while I let down the barrier and told the girls to stay put while I looked around.”

Shippo stopped abruptly. Kagome watched as his lips pressed together into a thin line and his jaw clenched. His jade eyes sparkled with tears he fought to leave unshed. The miko opened her mouth to ask what was wrong but stopped when the boy let out a long, shaky breath and began again.

“I… I found Kaede by the steps to the shrine. She was lying in a pool of blood and all cut up. I couldn't smell it but I thought she had to have been dead. Her eye was open and I went to close it but… she suddenly looked right at me! I tried to patch her up like Kagome but she stopped me. She-She said that I shouldn't waste my bandages on her…” One of Shippo's fangs dug into the corner of his lip until a trickle of blood flowed down his chin.

Inu Yasha had opened his eyes when he had scented the boy's change in mood from fearful to intense sadness. When he smelled the fresh blood he realized the kitsune was struggling to keep his emotions in check. He was not finished yet. Kagome held his hand gently, her thumb stroking its' back comfortingly. Her gentle touch seemed to spur the Shippo to continue.

“I tried to tell her to stop talking and let me help her…but… but… she said I needed to listen to her and that she had important things to tell me. Then she told me that I had to go find Miroku; that a strange being—a man, but not a man—had taken Sango and the twins. Kaede told me to hurry; that every time I spent here made it harder to find her.”

Kagome was the next to interrupt, “Why didn't the twins hide with you?”

Shippo quickly replied. “I tried to find them. I found all the rest of their kin but after a while the fighting got so intense that Sango told me that she would find them herself. She said her girls were made of tougher things than the village girls. I needed to defend the helpless.”

Inu Yasha muttered something about the stubbornness of women and was met with a withering look from his wife. Shippo could not help but crack a tiny smile at the silent exchange.

He quickly grew serious again. He had to tell them the rest of the story. “I told Kaede the other girls were safe and she smiled and said I did well… and then…” His voice cracked and he choked back a sob, “…and then…she said I needed to hurry and go. She said she would be fine… but I knew, you know? I had to find you guys and I knew she wasn't going to make it. I should have stayed! At least to the end…” At that point, Shippo had begun to fight hard against his tears.

Inu Yasha turned his back to them and spoke softly, “She's right. You did well. If we hurry home there still might be a chance to track Sango. Miroku is already on the way, right?”

The kitsune nodded and reluctantly scooted away from Kagome's lap so that he was up in a sitting position. “He said he was… but he was really upset when I told him. I think he might go after her alone if he finds a way to track the demons.”

“Shit, we have to get going then. Shippo, get on my back—don't argue with me about this—you're in no shape to run. Kagome, I'll carry you in my arms.”

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Kagome could not tell how much or how little time had past when they arrived in Edo. The town was a mess. Almost every hut in town had some sort of damage caused by searching demons. Several homes on the northern end of town were charred from an apparent fire. Everyone had expected to find the village as deserted but was relieved to discover villagers shuffling about. Most of them were women.

One of the girls, by Kagome's estimation barely ten, spotted the group and began to run towards them, a farming sickle in hand. She was brought to an abrupt halt by Miroku. Kagome silently thanked the Buddha that the monk had not run off, though Kohaku was nowhere in sight.

After a moment of conversation with the girl Miroku waved an all-clear to them. Shippo was already halfway to the monk; he had scrambled out of Inu Yasha's clutches the moment they landed on Edo's home turf. The little girl ran towards him and she locked the kitsune in bear hug the moment they met. Kagome easily deduced that she was one of the children Shippo had helped protect. He spoke with her for a moment and then led him by the hand into town. As Kagome and Inu Yasha caught up to Miroku they could see several more women run towards Shippo. The houshi raised an eyebrow when some offered him tofu or azukimeshi.

“The fox sure is lucky with the ladies today.” He muttered.

“So what's the situation? Where's Kohaku?” Inu Yasha asked, ready to cut to the chase.

Miroku frowned. “Edo's a mess, but from what the villagers have told me Sango and Kaede dealt enough damage that they ended up retreating, rather than stick around and capture more women. A lot of men died protecting them, but if Shin's village was any indication of how bad it could have been then I can say they held up well.”

Miroku quickly explained what had become of them during that time. In Shin's village the story was much the same as it had been for Inu Yasha and Kagome. Miroku, Kohaku, and Kirara arrived to a ghost town; though their ride took less than a full day. The bodies were scattered about in the same fashion along with a destroyed shrine as its center piece. They used the remaining sunlight to search the woods for evidence of the missing women but found little to work with. The smell of decay had made it impossible for Kirara to scent anything. A rainstorm had happened a day after the youkai attack and had eliminated any demon tracks to follow. As night descended the men had agreed to clean up the village the following morning. It had taken an entire day to take care of all the bodies. Kohaku and Kirara had been tasked with body removal while Miroku performed all of the funerary rites and rituals until nightfall. Shin's village had been slightly larger than the one Kagome and Inu Yasha occupied and because of this they had been forced to continue some of the funerary arrangements the following morning. By mid-afternoon the next day they were finished and with no leads to follow the gang slowly made their trek back to Edo. Halfway through their trip Shippo had discovered them, explained the situation, and they had rushed to get back home. Kohaku had been the one to send Shippo on to find Inu Yasha and Kagome.

When Miroku, Kohaku and Kirara returned to Edo they immediately sought out Kaede. At the time Shippo had just the sense enough to tell them that she had been gravely wounded. They quickly discovered that she had succumbed to her injuries only minutes after Shippo had left. The remaining women had cleaned and moved Kaede's body back to her hut. They could do little more for her after that because they had been too busy readying the rest of the dead for cremation. By that point Miroku had grown reluctant to explain much more, as if it pained him to continue.

“What about Sango?” Kagome's voice softly interjected. “Where is she?”

The monk was silent for a long while before he was able to find the words necessary to go on with the story. She watched as the houshi gripped the handle of his staff so tightly his knuckles went white. Unable to maintain eye contact his dark eyes glared daggers at the ground near his feet.

“…She was taken.” Was all he managed to whisper out.

Inu Yasha turned his gaze in his wife's direction. His wife was far better at gently prying information out of a tortured soul than he. She caught his unspoken request and nodded that she understood. Once again, the hanyou was convinced of the power of the miko. In reality she did not read his thoughts at all, she simply knew him so well that she almost always knew where his thoughts were heading.

“Did Kohaku go after her?” She pressed gently.

“I think so. He said he was going to ask the forest for help.” He replied.

“Why didn't you go with him?” Inu Yasha's blunt question made his wife wince a little.

Miroku's eyes met the hanyou's golden ones and narrowed. “I tried but he knocked me out cold. When I awoke not one damned villager here could tell me what direction he left in! My wife and two daughters have been kidnapped and the only one who might know something just ran off without me!”

Kagome could tell from then furious glint in the monk's eyes that she needed to calm him down so she quickly asked, “What about your other son and daughter?”

She could tell she asked the right question immediately.

Miroku's fingers relaxed on his staff and his eyes softened as they fixed onto Kagome. “They're safe, thank the gods. I'm sorry for yelling. I just… I feel so helpless.”

“Its okay, Miroku, we'll find them.” The miko replied. Her eyes turned when she caught sight of her husband shuffling around in the corner of her vision. “What is it, Inu Yasha?”

The dog demon did not respond. Instead, he raised his head to sniff the air a few times and then dropped to the ground and snuffled around near the monk. Exasperated, Kagome called his name.

“I can smell him.” Came his gruff reply.

“Smell who?” Miroku and Kagome chorused together.

The hanyou stared at them in surprised disbelief like flowers had suddenly sprouted from the tops of their heads. Then his eyes turned directly on the houshi and narrowed. Suddenly he pounced on the surprised man and clawed at his obi. Kagome's flabbergasted, “Sit!” came out before she even had a chance to think about it which, in turn, caused the dog demon to come crashing down on top of a wholly unprepared Miroku. The three stood (or, in Miroku and Inu Yasha's case, laid) in stunned silence. Some of the villagers came out to stare. Inu Yasha was the first to recover; scrambling off the houshi with a small piece of cloth in hand.

The dog demon raised the cloth triumphantly. “I knew it! This is Kohaku's scent!”

“Kohaku…?” Miroku's dazed voice emanated from the dirt.

“Yes, dumbass, Kohaku's scent is all over this.” Inu Yasha drawled in an irritated, yet matter-of-fact tone.

“But, how would I have something of Kohaku's?” The houshi said as he slowly got back up onto his feet, eyeing the dog demon warily.

“Kohaku probably left it with you… in order to help Inu Yasha track him.” Kagome responded with a smile.

“He's a smart kid, that's for damn sure.” Inu Yasha grunted, “I remembered his scent a little, but I haven't been around him long enough to really know it. Now that I have this I'll be able to find him, no problem.”

“You think he left this on me when he knocked me out?” Miroku asked in a quiet voice. He felt more than a little guilty about his initial reaction to his disappearance. Kohaku must have known Miroku would be far more capable among friends, especially with his wife and two of his children missing. Waiting for Inu Yasha had certainly forced him to simmer down significantly.

The hanyou did not answer. He was already headed for the tree line, ready to pick up Kohaku's scent. Kagome hurried to catch up with him while Miroku turned back to the village to let Shippo know where they were going. By the time he had done that the duo had almost given him the slip in the trees, thankfully, the capable monk was able to catch up just in time.

 

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