InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Children of Light ❯ Chapter 20 ( Chapter 20 )

Chapter 20

"Well? Is it done?" The old woman's raspy voice carried over the line, static from the cell phone's inability to get a clear connection in the woods making it a little difficult to hear at times.

"Yeah, almost." The figure covered in the traveling cloak spoke hesitantly into the phone. Trying to ensure that he was far enough away that sensitive dog-demon ears would not hear him.

"Almost?" The voice on the other end inquired.

"Yeah, they've found the tree, and the weapons, but I don't think they know what it means yet." The figure in the cloak could practically see the old woman nodding her head on the other end of the line. He could hear her many bracelets tinkling on her arm in the background as she moved around with her cell phone plastered to her ear.

"They must understand if this is going to work out the way we have planned. It is imperative, or all of our planning will have been in vain. It has happened sooner then expected, but we can not allow that to interfere with our plans."

He could hear the seriousness in her voice. Adeke had been mildly surprised when she first discovered that Inu Yasha and Kagome had regained their former memories and that they, in turn, had awakened their friends as well. But it was to have been expected. The day the little group had been attacked in the bar was the day Adeke had intended to put their plan into action. A plan that had to be postponed due to the unexpected attack. They hadn't realized it would all happen so quickly.

"I understand. But what if they don't see what we need them to see?" The cloaked figure was a little uncertain as to whether or not they would actually be able to pull this off. After all, this was a large and complex puzzle they were putting together, and they were relying on people that didn't even have all the pieces, or even know what they were involved in, to complete this puzzle for them and bring them what he and Adeke had been planning so many years for. They were the key. Without them, everything would have been in vain. He needed to be able to steer the little group where he needed them to be, he needed their power to make it all happen.

"Then do what you must. Make them see."

It was clear that the time for games was over. This was it. This was the moment. It all came down to this and whether or not the past would indeed repeat itself.

"I understand."

"Good. And what about the other one?"

"Don't worry, I've got someone on it."

********

Sango fell to her knees. "How can this be?" The emotions that chocked in her voice threatened to burst at any moment. The shocked and bewildered expressions on everyone's faces, spoke volumes of the turmoil they each felt inside.

"I don't…" It was too difficult to think. Too difficult to even fathom the possibility of how their old weapons had come to rest under the God Tree, this spot that had, in a sense, been a symbol of the their final resting place, their graves. Kagome's mind whirled with the possibilities, but in the end, it was clear that there was only one possible way the weapons could have found their way to this spot. A thought she couldn't think about right then, as she reached out a tentative hand towards the broken bow that had once belonged to her.

"Wait." Miroku's hand reached out to stop her.

Everyone turned, giving him a quizzical look. "Miroku?"

"Sango, there is something wrong."

"What do you mean? What's wrong? Why won't you let us touch them?" Granted it was a little disturbing to be seeing their old weapons. More disturbing still, that they had been unearthed from the ground, where obviously someone had gone to great lengths to bring them there.

"There's a spell on them. I'm not sure what kind, but I can sense the power."

"Yes," Kagome nodded in agreement, "you're right Miroku. I can sense it too. I guess I wasn't paying attention."

"Ah, but understandably under the circumstances, wouldn't you say?" Miroku tried his best to give his most sincere smile, but it was killing him, seeing his old staff, and not being able to reach for it. But he didn't want to take any chances. They still didn't know who had brought them here, what their motives were, but whoever it was, obviously knew what was buried under the God Tree.

"Why are they broken?" Inu Yasha had stepped back to allow the others a chance to absorb the revelation. It had been their weapons after all, that had been buried under the tree. Inu Yasha still carried the Tetsusaiga at his side, concealed under its own spell, and his weapon had not been broken.

"In the battle." Sango spoke in a far-off, drifty tone, as though reliving a memory. "I was going after Naraku. I…I don't know where any of you were. There were so many demons…everywhere." Tears rimmed in Sango's eyes as she relived those moments again in her mind. Miroku scooted next to her, placing a reassuring hand on her knee, squeezing it gently, as she continued to speak.

"I was standing over Kohaku…he…he was dead. Naraku had taken the shard from him…had taken him from me…I… I didn't know what else to do. I threw Hiraikotsu with everything I had, all my anger, all my hate…I thought I could make him pay for everything he'd done, but it wasn't enough. I…I watched it splinter in half and I knew…I knew it was over then." Tears had silently begun to stream down Sango's cheeks as she spoke, but she waved Miroku away when he tried to embrace her. She wasn't ready to be comforted yet. The memory was still too strong, her anger felt fresh as it burned within her, like she was there again.

Miroku looked down at his broken staff. He understood how Sango felt. He knew exactly how she felt. "I couldn't take in any more demons. I had sucked in too many poisonous insects; the air void was starting to get unstable." Miroku subconsciously rubbed at the hand that had been his curse as he continued to relive those final moments.

"I could hear you, Inu Yasha, yelling at Naraku. Screaming at him, telling him that he would never hurt your pack again. But I didn't know where you were. When I finally caught sight of you, you were fighting some Oni demon that Naraku had thrown at you, and…and that's when I saw the snake youkai coming for you from behind. You didn't know what was happening. You were so focused on the Oni, on getting through it to reach Naraku. I couldn't risk using the air void, not with you so close. I saw the snake coming at you, I could hear Naraku laughing, and somewhere in the distance, I heard Sango yell." Miroku swallowed as he wiped quickly at his moist face.

"Something in me snapped. I don't know what it was. But I was so mad, so angry. It felt like nothing we did was getting us anywhere. And when I saw the snake coming at you, and you not knowing that it was there…I just couldn't let it get you. So I hurled my staff at it, I didn't know if it would make it. Maybe it was my anger…my grief… I don't know, but somehow it carried. It carried across the field towards you, just as you swung the Tetsusaiga, killing the Oni you had been fighting. It struck the snake youkai dead on, seconds before it tried to swallow you as you sat unprotected in the field, regaining your breath. I don't think you ever knew it was there, `cause you moved on again, leapt out of sight, but the snake had disintegrated, and my staff…it lay broken next to where the snake had been. That's when I collapsed…I couldn't stand any longer…couldn't fight. That's when Kagome found me a little later."

Miroku closed his eyes as he willed the painful memories to recede into the back of his heart again. He felt Inu Yasha's hand clasp his shoulder. He looked up into his friend's eyes. Inu Yasha nodded. No words were needed. It was a gesture of thanks, for the friendship and trust the two had shared, both on and off the field.

Silence fell over the friends as they digested all that had been revealed.

"I don't know how mine broke."

Everyone turned to face Kagome, who was staring at her broken bow, her forehead crinkled in deep thought as she tried to think back to that day.

"To be honest, I don't even think I brought it with me when I started running through the forest. All I knew was that I had to find you all. I was in such a rush that I think I left it back at grandmother Kaede's hut. I don't know what happened to it after that. But it was whole when I left, I'm sure of it."

"I wonder what happened to it then." Inu Yasha squatted down next to his mate, as the friends continued to look at the pile of broken weapons. The weapons that had been an extension of their bodies, of their very souls.

"Pretty symbolic though, don't you think?" Inu Yasha continued to stare at the weapons, there was something about them that was bothering him, but he couldn't place what it was.

Kagome lifted an eyebrow at her mate. "What do you mean?"

Inu Yasha scratched the top of his head, uncertainly. "I don't know, it may sound stupid I guess, but our weapons have always been like an extension of ourselves. I mean, we never went anywhere without them." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"And they were broken in the final battle. It's like, when we fell, so did they."

An eerie silence fell upon the little group as the truth of Inu Yasha's observation struck a cord within each of them.

"So, dog-demons aren't as stupid or useless as I always believed them to be."

Four heads snapped immediately in the direction of the new voice. There, at the forests edge before the trees began to thicken, stood a tall scentless figure, covered in a simple traveling cloak.

~~~~~~~~

Everyone stared on in shocked silence. The mysterious person they had been searching for, that had led them to this place, that had led them to these discoveries, was now only a few meters away from them. The one person that could possibly shed some light on the mysterious circumstances they had uncovered. The demon that had most likely carried the Tetsusaiga, and lived.

It was too good to be true.

"Who are you!? What do you want!?" Inu Yasha was the first to react as he leapt towards the cloaked figure, taking a fighting stance in a position close enough to allow him room to move and react quickly if need be.

"Now, now hanyou, is that anyway to treat a friend?" The strangers voice seemed to laugh lightly, his face concealed within the shadows of the hood that covered his head.

Kagome, Miroku and Sango ran up to take their positions behind Inu Yasha. It was odd really. Unknowingly, they had resumed the same positions they always took in the past, when getting ready for a potential battle. Kagome stood to Inu Yasha's right, off to the side and just slightly behind him. Miroku was a mirror image on his left, his feet positioned in a way that allowed him to move quickly, while Sango stood to Miroku's left, in a similar stance. The cloaked figure seemed to notice this, if the others had not. He gave an amused chuckle.

"Who are you?" Kagome repeated from her place beside Inu Yasha. "What do you mean, you're a friend?"

"Just what I have said Lady Kagome." A brief gasp sounded from the group. There was only one lifetime when Kagome had been referred to as `Lady Kagome'. A title given her in honor of her Miko abilities, and that lifetime had ended painfully, over 500 years ago.

Inu Yasha growled as he tensed his knuckles. "How do you know who we are?!"

The figure seemed undisturbed by Inu Yasha's threatening stance. "As you've probably guessed, I know much about you, and who you really are." He paused for emphasis, allowing his statement to take full effect on the group before him.

"You… you are the one that carried the Tetsusaiga." It was more then a statement then a question, as Sango waited for his response.

The figure's shrouded head seemed to nod in agreement. "I am." His answer came softly, quietly. An odd contrast to his earlier bantering tone.

"Then please," Kagome stepped forward as Inu Yasha shot an arm out to keep her from going any further. She ignored him as she continued to speak. "Tell us, who are you, why have you brought us here? If you know who we are, then you must know the battle we fight." Her eyes pleaded with him to answer her, to be honest with her. She wasn't sure what his motives were, none of them had any idea, but she had to believe that if he had brought them here, to this place, that he was someone that might be trusted.

"I'm sorry, I can not tell you who I am, and yes, I do know about the battle you fight." His voice sounded pained, but only for a moment. Unsurprisingly really, Naraku had hurt a lot of people in the past.

Inu Yasha was starting to get annoyed. Fast. "Well if you're not going to tell us anything, why the hell did you bring us here?!"

"I see your legendry temper is a trait that's stayed with you through the years, Inu Yasha. A pity really. One would have thought you would have learned some control and enlightenment in the after life."

Roaring loudly, Inu Yasha leapt towards the figure, his claws extended and ready to tear apart the annoying demon. Not really remembering when it was that he had removed his concealing beads.

"You bastard!" As Inu Yasha's claws came slicing down, he impacted with the forest's floor, tearing up shoots of grass and soil.

"What the..?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Just as I thought. No control, and a little slow I might add."

Inu Yasha whirled around to face the cloaked figure who now stood a safe distance away to his left.

"Inu Yasha, wait!" Miroku called out as he jogged towards his irate friend and the annoyingly mysterious figure.

"Grrrrr, come on Miroku, I just want to cut him up a little bit." The deep growl in Inu Yasha's chest would have given any sensible demon momentary pause. But apparently, their little mystery visitor was not of the sensible kind.

"Come on and try dog breath." They could practically hear the figure grinning under his cloak.

But just as Inu Yasha crouched down to leap towards him, Kagome and Sango ran up to him, halting him where he stood.

"No Inu Yasha, don't." Kagome's tone and expression left little debate in the conversation. "We need him to answer some questions first."

"Yeah," Sango added, "you can tear him apart later." She added reassuringly with a smile.

"Keh." Was as much as Inu Yasha would give in agreement as he relaxed the bunched muscles in his body.

Miroku turned back to the figure. "It's not that I don't enjoy taking shots at Inu Yasha's expense," Miroku ignored the irritated growl behind him, "but if you claim to be our friend, then perhaps you might shed some light on a few things."

Miroku took the silence from the cloaked figure as a gesture to continue. "For instance, you can tell us why you have led us here."

"I think you already know." The figure replied seriously.

Miroku glared at the stranger. "We don't…," when realization dawned upon him. "The weapons."

"Exactly."

"But… but why?"

"Why do you think? What else are weapons good for?" The cloaked figure seemed amused now.

"But how can a bunch of broken weapons help us in a fight against Naraku?" Sango was getting just a little bit tired with all the guessing. Why wouldn't this person just tell them what they needed to know! "And how could you possibly have carried the Tetsusaiga without getting hurt? It doesn't make any sense!"

"That, my dear Sango, is not important at the moment. What is important is that those weapons can indeed help you in your fight against Naraku."

"If you're really on our side, then tell us how." The cloaked figure flinched at the emotion in Kagome's voice.

"I can't. You've got to figure it out for yourselves." Again, his voice had taken on that brief pained sound.

"The spell," Miroku interjected. "There's a spell on the weapons. I wasn't sure what it was though."

"Yes," the figure confirmed, "but you don't have to worry about the spell. It can't hurt you. The spell will activate when the missing piece is added."

"What missing piece?" This was really starting to test Inu Yasha's already limited patience. "All the pieces are there."

"Come now Inu Yasha," the figure, thankfully, had decided to forgo tempting the hanyou's volatile temper this time round. "And you were sounding so smart just before I arrived. Perhaps a momentary lapse in sanity?" Or maybe not.

Inu Yasha growled but refused to take the bait. What had the figure said? Before he had arrived, Inu Yasha had said something that was obviously important. He thought back to the last moments before the figure had appeared. His golden eyes widened in understanding.

"The weapons. The final battle." The figure nodded his head, urging Inu Yasha to go on.

"I had said it was symbolic. That when we fell in the battle, so did they. They broke. But not all the weapons broke in the battle." Inu Yasha scratched at his head. "But that doesn't make any sense. There's no connection then."

"Isn't there?" The figure sounded deeply amused now. Maybe, just maybe, they could figure this out.

"No, it doesn't. Kagome's bow wasn't with her in the battle, yet it broke. Tetsusaiga was with me though, right till the end, and it's whole. So it doesn't make any sense. How could some break in battle while others didn't, or weren't even used in the battle to begin with? And besides, what the hell does it matter about the weapons!!" Inu Yasha's head was starting to hurt. This was all much too complicated.

"Ah, but you are so close Inu Yasha. Think for a moment. Your weapons. You yourself said that your weapons were like an extension of your bodies, of your spirits. Doesn't it make sense that your weapons would be infused with the power of your own souls? Why do you think the Monk's staff carried as far as it did to kill the snake youkai that was trying to sneak up on you? Because he willed it too."

The little group stood in stunned silence. It was true. It was said that a person's most personal and cherished items, became infused with that person's energy. Their spirit. That was why even in today's world, modern voodoo's or even psychic's, used personal items belonging to people to strengthen their connection and spells towards a particular person.

"But how can we use broken weapons?" Sango would be beyond thrilled to carry Hiraikotsu into battle again, especially if it could help her against Naraku.

"Sometimes, even broken things can be mended." The cloaked figure's voice took on a thoughtful tone. "But you must first understand how the object was broken in the first place, before you can even hope to understand how to repair it."

"But we know how they broke," Miroku interjected, "in battle." He couldn't understand why this guy wasn't getting it. Maybe he was a lesser level demon and not the brightest crayon in the box.

"Do you?" He inquired sincerely. "Then please, tell me, how did the Miko's bow break and why is the Tetsusaiga unscathed?"

Okay, maybe he was the second or third brightest crayon in the box.

"That's what I said!" Inu Yasha spat. "It doesn't make sense!"

The figure shook his head in defeat. Maybe they wouldn't get it. "Back to this are we? Alright then, one last time. "

Annoyance and agitation had begun to etch its way onto everyone's features as they held Inu Yasha back, who was ready to throttle the insolent demon. Just who did this guy think he was!? He agitated Inu Yasha almost as much as Kouga did, and that was saying a lot!

"Remember, we've already determined that objects, like weapons, can be an extension of someone's spirit, as they almost, always are. So doesn't it reason, that a break does not need to be of a physical nature?"

"You… you mean, the weapons broke because of a spiritual reason? But how? Why?" Miroku wasn't sure if he had ever heard of such a thing.

"Ah, that my wise friend, is what you must figure out. And when the final piece is in place, when the circle is completed, when the un-fallen has reached out to the fallen, the spell will activate."

Everyone struggled to understand the depth of the stranger's words. Could it possibly be true? Had the weapons broken because of a spiritual reason connected to themselves? If so, what reason? What had caused them to break? And most importantly, would they be able to solve the riddle that would in turn, activate the spell that would hopefully restore their weapons?

Pulling themselves out of their musings, they looked up to find the mysterious figure gone.

"Keh. Figures. He ran before I had a chance to beat him senseless."