InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Family Ties ❯ Rumors ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

 

Chapter 5: Rumors

 

The girls returned from their bath relaxed and smiling. A servant had already entered and departed. He apologized repeatedly for the simplicity of the meal, explaining that supper had already been eaten and this was all that they were able to put together on short notice. While he bowed and stammered, he kept one nervous eye on Inuyasha. The irritable hanyou finally growled at him to leave the food and go. The poor servant nearly tripped over himself in his haste to comply. Kagome took her usual position next to Inuyasha, not seeming to mind his grumpy silence.

 

Miroku picked at his food, not really hungry. When would they get to see Kimiko? And what kind of curse was she under anyway? Mentally, he listed every curse and exorcism technique he knew. There could be no failure. But what if they did? He couldn't fail, he ju—

 

“Hey, Miroku!” Shippou leaned over to examine the contents of the monk's tray. ”Are you going to eat that?”

 

“Help yourself.” Miroku pushed his mostly untouched dinner in the kit's direction. Sango and Kagome exchanged concerned glances.

 

”Everything will be fine, Lord Monk,” Sango said.

 

Miroku smiled weakly. The old miko entered the room with the same servant who had brought their dinner behind her. He gathered bowls and trays and vanished again without saying a word. Several more servants brought in extra bedding, casting nervous glances at the various youkai in the room.

 

“Well,” Inuyasha demanded. “Do we get to see the hime or not? It's kind of hard to undo a possession when you're not even in the same room as the victim.”

 

“Patience, hanyou.” The woman seemed totally unconcerned with Inuyasha's rude attitude. “The Lord visits his wife every evening. No one is allowed to disturb him.”

 

“Should we wait until morning to see the hime?” Kagome asked. “The Lord must be very concerned. We wouldn't want to get in his way.”

 

“The Lord has retired,” she responded. “The possession seems weaker during the night. Now might be your best chance.” Although she was talking to Kagome, she kept her eyes on Miroku. There was a thoughtful, almost puzzled look on her face.

 

“Will we meet the Lord before we try to help the hime?” Sango examined the edge of Hiraikotsu that she had been honing. She looked up and followed the old miko's gaze to the monk. Miroku shifted uncomfortably, wondering again why everyone kept staring at him.

 

“The Lord has spoken to no outsiders since the hime was possessed. You must think carefully. There will be only one chance for success or failure. And if you fail, you will never leave this castle.”

 

Miroku looked around at the circle of his friends. His gaze passed over Hachi, moaning miserable to himself in a corner. The raccoon-dog would be less than useless in this instance. He had no abilities beyond his shape changing and his courage was tentative at best.

 

Depending on the possession, Sango's abilities as a taijya could be helpful. She knew quite a bit about youkai and their weaknesses, and was a skilled fighter. Kagome, though untrained, was a potentially powerful miko. It might be possible to channel her powers in a productive direction.

 

Inuyasha and Kirara, alone or together, had the strength to subdue the fiercest youkai. Miroku hoped it wouldn't come to that, because he hated to unleash the hanyou and his Tetsusaiga on anything while it was still inside the castle. For a little kit, Shippou could be brave. Foxfire might not do more than annoy the youkai, but as a distraction it was great.

 

After cataloging the group's collected strengths, Miroku felt a bit more confident. Of course, he couldn't be sure of anything until he knew what kind of possession it was. Smoothly, he rose to his feet and retrieved his staff from where he had left it.

 

“No time like the present.” He smiled to disguise the nervous, fluttery feeling in his stomach. “Please lead the way, Miko-sama.”

 

“I still say I know you,” the old woman announced abruptly. She shook her head and led the way out of the room. “My mind may not be what it used to be, but I'll remember eventually.”

 

Shippou trotted after Miroku on his short little legs. He gripped the frayed edge of Miroku's robe in small hands and tugged insistently. Sighing, he scooped the kit off of the ground and deposited him on his shoulder. Kagome spoils the kit, carrying him or allowing him to ride on her shoulder. Now he expects the same treatment from everybody.

 

“Ask her,” Shippou whispered loudly in Miroku's ear. His bushy tail swished from side to side, tickling the back of the monk's neck. “Ask her about Ki--the hime's family.”

 

“Is there something you would like to know, Lord Monk?” the old miko asked mildly.

 

Miroku flushed and carefully removed Shippou's hand from his ear. This was not how he had planned on starting this particular conversation. Though, without the kit's prodding, he might not have said anything.

 

“My father traveled through this area many years ago.” Miroku paused to gather his thoughts. “He spoke highly of the old daimyo. I was wondering what became of him.”

 

The old woman shot him a shrewd glance over her shoulder. “You ask peculiar questions, Lord Monk. The daimyo was old and died when the hime was barely out of infancy. Fortunately, the hime had already been promised to the youngest son of a neighboring daimyo. The marriage ceremony was performed by proxy and the Lord came to govern our lands.”

 

“Wasn't the Lord too young to govern? What about a regent?” Miroku was slightly disappointed that he wouldn't be able to meet the old daimyo, but from what Mushin had said, he hadn't really expected the old man to still be alive.

 

“The Lord had spent twelve years since he attained manhood patrolling his father's lands.” She sighed. “The old daimyo had expected to live for several more years, despite his failing health, and refused to let the Lord set up residency in his domain. I advised him to give more power to the one who would one day govern his lands, but he ignored me. Stubborn old fool.”

 

“What about the daimyo's wife?” Miroku tried to keep his voice casual, betraying none of the tension he felt. Even if he could never tell her who he was, he would like to see his mother at least once.

 

The old miko sighed. “She had hoped to be there to see her daughter into adulthood, but it was not to be. Barely two winters after the death of the daimyo she died of the coughing sickness.”

 

“Oh.” Miroku had no memories of his mother, so why did it hurt so much to know that she was dead. He fell silent, lost in thought.

 

“What brings you and your companions to our humble domain, Lord Monk?” she asked abruptly.

 

He started slightly and tried to think up a good reason that would not reveal the whole truth. “We heard rumors of a Shikon shard in the area. My companions and I are dedicated to locating all of the shards and eradicating the youkai, Naraku, once and for all.”

 

“Is that your only reason?” The old woman's gaze was disturbingly sharp.

 

Miroku swallowed hard. “When we heard of your plight from the villagers, we had no choice but to offer our assistance. Tell me, why are there so many barriers surrounding this castle?”

 

“The Lord has decreed that all who fail to lift the curse should pay with their lives. In order to prolong their lives for a few more days, each one has erected a barrier of protection to prevent any harm from befalling the castle or its occupants. The barriers allow only those whom I deem worthy to pass in or out.” For the first time, a hint of worry shadowed her eyes. “The hime fights, but she cannot last much longer. And then all those lives will be forfeited.”

 

Shippou jumped from his shoulder to run ahead, but he called the little kit back. With the hime under some sort of possession or curse, the people inside the castle were understandably wary of any kind of youkai—no matter how cute or innocent-looking. Shippou wasn't stupid; he came back immediately and leapt for Kagome's arms. She greeted him with a smile that earned a deeper scowl from Inuyasha.

 

They passed row after row of rooms, most of them seemingly empty though Miroku could feel curious eyes following their every move. As they passed one of the rooms, a small dark-haired boy dashed through the doorway and crashed into Inuyasha. A young girl who had been chasing him barely stopped in time. Inuyasha grunted with the impact.

 

The child stumbled back to stand beside his sister. Two pairs of wide violet eyes in identical faces stared at the small group of strangers. An instant later, an older woman came puffing after the children. Her eyes grew round when she saw who was before her.

 

“Forgive me, Miko-sama.” She bowed and grabbed hold of the children's hands, pulling them with her as she straightened and backed away. “The children are restless since being confined to the castle.”

 

“The restriction will be lifted soon,” the old woman replied. The nursemaid bowed again and hustled the children back into their rooms.

 

Miroku stared in the direction they had disappeared in. The old miko followed his gaze. “The hime's children,” she said with a fond smile. “Twins are not common. Even though one is a girl, the people rejoiced that a healthy male heir had been born. It is a little known secret that the hime herself was a twin. I am one of the few who remembers that night.”

 

Miroku almost choked. Kagome patted him on the back until he could breathe again.

 

“She was?” Sango prompted.

 

“I had just arrived at the castle from the last village I had served. The resident midwife had been attending the hime since midday. As a miko, I was called upon to prevent evil from entering the newborn baby. Near dawn twin cries split the air as the hime was delivered of a son, closely followed by a daughter. The hime's personal servants, including the midwife, disappeared after that night.” She shrugged. “The old daimyo presented Kimiko to the people a few days later. I know my place and I have never spoken of what I know. It is possible that the other child did not survive, but I have always harbored suspicions. A guest of the daimyo, a traveling monk, soon departed with a heavy bag and a small bundle that he carried as if it was something precious.”

 

Shippou squirmed in Kagome's arms. “Great story! I bet the baby was Mir—“ Kagome shoved a lollypop in the kit's mouth. She always kept a supply of them handy for situations just like this.

 

“Who knows what could have happened!” Kagome smiled brightly. Shippou, realizing that he had almost said something he shouldn't, mumbled around his lollypop and nodded vigorously.

 

“Who knows and who cares,” Inuyasha grumped. “Let's just get this over with so we can leave. This place is making me edgy.”

 

“I agree, Master Miroku,” Hachi piped up for the first time in hours. “You don't need me here. Couldn't I wait for you outside the castle?”

 

“No one leaves.” The reminder from the old miko caused Hachi to lower his ears. He dragged his feet like someone being led to his execution.

 

Kirara mewed and wiggled out of Sango's arms. She ran forward to trot at Miroku's heels with her tails held high, looking determined.

 

The old miko dismissed the youkai, her attention once again on Miroku. “You bear a strong resemblance to the children. I would almost say that you are related.”

 

“I have a common sort of face,” Miroku replied. “Both my father and my grandfather were quite popular with the ladies. Who knows how far their blessings may have spread.”

 

She shrugged, still looking faintly suspicious. “I suppose. Don't worry, Lord Monk, I will remember. Now, tell me about this Shikon shard rumor that brought you to us.”

 

Kagome quickened her pace until she was near enough to talk without shouting. “I could feel the presence of a shard as soon as we reached the castle. It's faint but definitely there. Have you noticed anything unusual, Miko-sama?”

 

The old miko gave a bark of humorless laughter. “Besides our hime becoming possessed? Everything was fine until two weeks ago. The hime made one of her frequent trips to the village. She complained of a headache and went to bed early. The next morning she wouldn't' wake, no matter how hard we tried.”

 

“How could you be sure it was possession?” Sango asked. “Maybe the hime ate something that didn't agree with her.”

 

The look she leveled at the young tajiya made Sango fidget uncomfortably. “I am a miko. It didn't take much to sense the evil aura surrounding the hime. The possession didn't seem to be too strong at first, but something is boosting the youkai's power, making it difficult to get rid of.”

 

“You say that all of this happened two weeks ago,” Miroku clarified, his hands tightening on his staff as something occurred to him. “And the hime hasn't spoken or moved since. Why hasn't she starved to death?”

 

The white-knuckled grip was not lost on the old miko. “The dark barrier surrounding the hime keeps her in an enchanted sleep. The youkai does not wish to destroy her yet. When the possession is broken and the hime wakes, it will be as if no time has passed for her.”

 

Miroku heaved a sigh of relief and relaxed fractionally. “That will make our job much easier. I have heard of this type of possession. It is rare that the youkai capable of using it would be able to affect something as large as a human. I have never heard of anything larger than a dog being used in this way. Of course, if this youkai has a shard of the jewel, that would explain things.”

 

“But what does it want?” Kagome frowned in thought, absently scratching behind Shippou's ears as if he were a cat. Shippou leaned into her hand, going nearly cross-eyed with bliss.

 

“Who cares?” Inuyasha growled, glaring at the kit in Kagome's arms. His hands twitched, but he managed to restrain himself. “We're going to find it and we're going to kill it. We don't need to know its reasoning.” Miroku spared the young hanyou a brief thought of sympathy. If he'd just stop scowling so much or insulting Kagome every chance he got, she would probably show him the same affection she gave Shippou. Probably more if Sango was right about the depth of her feelings for the hanyou.

 

The old miko made a sound of agreement and abruptly stopped outside of a closed door with two guards stationed on either side. There were a few grunts as the rest of the group tried to avoid crashing into each other as they came to a stop. Kirara bounced off his leg with an indignant mew, sat down, and began to wash as if that was what she had intended to do all along. Kagome stumbled backwards to avoid colliding with the old miko. Inuyasha automatically reached out to steady her. He kept his hands on her waist a moment longer than necessary and Miroku saw his nostrils flare. Scent was very important to a youkai and Inuyasha's instincts were pressuring him to check that no strange males had been near the young miko. The oblivious hanyou probably didn't even realize what he was doing, but both of them were blushing when Kagome moved away with a stammered “thanks.”

 

“The hime's quarters.”

 

^**^

 

Food for thought: I always try to go the extra mile at work, but my boss always finds me and brings me back.