InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Forgotten ❯ Black Threads ( Chapter 44 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Black Wren 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.20.2013 | Pages: 8 | Words: 13.3K | Visits: 165 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.20.2013 | Pages: 8 | Words: 13.3K | Visits: 165 | Status: Work In Progress
Following a string of successful raids, Sessh omaru leads an attack against a supply < br>
caravan only to fall into a trap.
145 years before the search for ;the jewel shards.
Chapter 33: Black Threads
It was inevitabl e that I would have to suffer the c onsequences of my choice to create
Tenke n. I just didn’t realize I would experience it so soon or how&nbs p;close it would
come to dooming us ;all.
- Sesshomaru
Sesshomaru peer ed down the slope at the line of pa ckhorses and men. They were
coming ;from the south into Tenji. Their scout s were certain the train were
supplying& nbsp;Kuromakaze with metal ore, extra soldiers&nbs p;and other basics that could
not be&nbs p;obtained in the lands he currently held.&nb sp; Sesshomaru growled quietly at the
th ought of the murderous hanyou who had pl otted his father’s death, encouraged
Noriko’s insurrection and plun ged the entire country of Tenji in chaos for his own
enrichment.
With Noriko in full retreat it was Kuromakaz e they were dealing with directly or, more accurately, his supply chains. Kakib oufuu was still nervous about doing
anyt hing too grand that would cause the hany ou to reprioritize his attacks. Despite ;
his brother’s earlier misgivings,&n bsp;Kuromakaze had not made a direct move&nbs p;against
the inuyokai clan. This, for& nbsp;some reason, made Kakiboufuu even more a nxious.
The hanyou was certain his ;cousin was planning something. Sesshomaru t hought
his brother was being paranoid. < br>
The older demon had observed h is brother carefully since discovering Kakiboufuu& nbsp;
had prophetic powers but nothing he ;said or did indicated he was speaking w hile
his power was awake. It all&n bsp;seemed mere conjectured based on past exp erience. So
Sesshomaru felt confident n one of his brother’s misgivings ;was based on visions of
the future.&nbs p; He’s just over thinking this , he thought as he and his team rea died their
ambush.
Sesshomaru rais ed his hand and the other dog demons&nbs p;crouched ready to spring.
He dropped& nbsp;it and all six of them launched off the slope with a roar. Horses
screamed and men scattered. Samurai drew&n bsp;swords as archers hurried to notch
a rrows, but demons were far swifter than men and the several died before they
realized their opponents were before them.
Sesshomaru summoned Bakusaiga as he&nbs p;drew Tenken, parrying one human’s& nbsp;blade
with the latter and cutting h im down with the former. If they w ere intent only on
destruction, using lo ng range attacks while staying on the sl ope would have
sufficed, but Kakiboufuu wanted the supplies for their own needs. ; Big attacks of
high destruction were&n bsp;not permitted. The men in charge of the horses were mere
peasants and fled into the forest at the sight of&nbs p;the demons. Horses reared in
terror,& nbsp;dropping their loads and injured whoever ;was fool enough to stay close to the&nb sp;
frightened animals, before bolting in all& nbsp;directions. Some of the panicked animal s
slammed into samurai as they ran, ;some grievously injuring the men, some being
injured and collapsing in turn.
&n bsp;
Against human opponents not even of Tenji and without trained spiritualists, a team of six was overkill. Sesshomar u could have handled the entire operation&nbs p;
himself. However, it was the combinat ion of supplies to carry back and his&nb sp;
brother’s paranoia that had them in a relatively large group. Kakib oufuu believed
teams were necessary for all operations, even if it was a simple& nbsp;seek and destroy
mission, for safety.&nb sp;
With the last of the warri ors dead and the servants fled, the cara van’s supplies
were secured. &n bsp;Sesshomaru stood up, shook his head and&n bsp;muttered, “Too easy.â€
“Indeed, too easy,â€&n bsp;said a dark voice from behind the ta iyokai. Tenken and
Bakusaiga ripped fro m his hands, as did the weapons of the other five inuyokai.
Sesshomaru whi rled around even as his vision darkened; ;a side effect of losing his
connection& nbsp;to Tenken.
A silver haired ha nyou emerged from the shadows of the tre es, his appearance very
similar to Kakib oufuu but far more sinister as he smiled at the ambush party.
Several indi viduals in black and gray armor stood be hind him. The weapons of the
other demons flew into their hands. Sesshoma ru’s swords flew to the all&nbs p;too
familiar hanyou, dressed in black armor and a powder blue kimono. A black
naginata rested lightly on his sho ulders.
“Kuromakaze, I pr esume,†said Sesshomaru as he dropped& nbsp;into a fighting stance,
the unfamiliar&n bsp;weight of his body already beginning to&n bsp;hinder him as it slowed his
movement s.
“You would be cor rect, Reihane,†said the hanyou. ;He let his naginata slide to the
g round where its weighted end hit. He&nb sp;then reached for the swords floating in&nb sp;front
of him. Bakusaiga pulsed in&nb sp;outrage but little else. Tenken, however, barked
lightning that surrounded both s words and forced Kuromakaze to withdraw his&n bsp;
hand from the blades. The sudden&nb sp;movement caused him to drop his jutsu&acir c;€™s hold on
them and they f ell to the ground.
Sesshomaru laun ched himself forward, shifting forward with b linding speed.
However, without his cel estial power he moved slower than he was used to and
Kuromakaze had time to respond before the full demon could rea ch the swords. The
swords rose&nbs p;and flew behind him even as he raised& nbsp;his naginata and drove the blunt
we ighted end into Sesshomaru’s stomach .
Sesshomaru’s men cried& nbsp;out and began to charge but Sesshomaru&n bsp;shouted, “Stay
back! Tenko must not be taken lightly. Donâ& euro;™t lose your focus!â€
“Wise words, but a little late to apply them,†said Kuromakaze&n bsp;raising his hand.
Sesshomaru heard& nbsp;things creaking and groaning from among the scattered
supplies. The ore! He rose from the ground and shouted, &ac irc;€œRun! Retreat now!â€
& nbsp;
“Far too late,†sai d Kuromakaze with a smirk then he laughe d. The sacks of iron
ripped and&nb sp;the granules of ore rose into the sky . There they disintegrated into dust then bound together to form cords of metal that moved like snakes to the
kanetenko’s dance.
Sesshomaru ran to join his retreating men, despite his worries about leaving his
swords&nb sp;behind. I can’t retake them now, he thought with a growl. We& acirc;€™ll just have to
think of&n bsp;a way to retake them later.
A cord of iron weaved toward him and& nbsp;caught his foot, tripping him. One ;of his men
turned back when he saw his lord had fallen. It was the&n bsp;last thing that inuyokai
would do in this life. A second cord flattened&nbs p;into a blade and sliced him into
several pieces.
No! â€&oeli g;Don’t look back!†Sesshomar u shouted. “Don’t&nbs p;look back!†Another demon fell ;
to pieces as the cords caught him in a deadly embrace. “RUN!&aci rc;€ No more, he
thought and turned around to face the kanetenko behind&nb sp;him. The cord still
entangled his&nb sp;foot; escape was not possible but attack&n bsp;was not.
“You be tter start worrying about me instead,†shouted Sesshomaru and raised his
hand& nbsp;toward the Tenko. Poison rose in h is claws and sprayed toward the line. &n bsp;He
hadn’t gotten far before he was caught; his strike was pointblan k. Still three of the
Tenko were&n bsp;able to jump clear but lost their ho lds on the iron cords. The other t wo
weren’t as fortunate and&nbs p;screamed as they’re flesh melted.& nbsp;
Kuromakaze was unaffected, however,&nbs p;a wind barrier having risen at the mom ent of
the attack, scattering the poison away from him. He still had his&n bsp;smile even as the
three surviving de mons vanished from sight. A weight sett led into his stomach at
the sight o f the smile. The cord around Sesshomaru ankle hadn’t loosened the leas t
bit; it was being controlled by t he smirking hanyou.
Kuromakaze glanced& nbsp;at his dying men then said, â&euro ;œNow that wasn’t nice, Reihan e.â€
The smirking didnâ€&tr ade;t fade the smallest bit.
Cold& nbsp;dread filled Sesshomaru and he cursed. & nbsp;He whipped his hand to launch his < br> demon whip but another cord wrapped aroun d it, arrested its motion. Kuromakaze < br> twitched his fingers and a third cord&nbs p;took hold of his left arm. With a spin of his
wrist, the cords stre tched Sesshomaru’s arms out then&nbs p;lifted him above the ground.
The ;cord around his leg unwound itself then ;began winding around both his legs. Sesshomaru struggled but he couldnâ€&trad e;t move.
“Taro,â€& nbsp;Kuromakaze called and one of the men&nbs p;who had escaped Sesshomaru’s
poison stepped forward with a bow. &aci rc;€œWhat do you suggest would be fair penance to
inflict upon our demon&n bsp;lord here for the slaying of two of& nbsp;our nakama? Keep in
mind that ;we need to keep him alive, so nothing&n bsp;too extreme.â€
Sesshomaru gro wled. Taro glanced at Sesshomaru with h ate in his eyes then raised
his han ds. One of the abandoned cords rose&nbs p;into the air and encircled Sesshomaruâ&eur o;™s
abdomen. The man clenched hi s fist and the dog demon inhaled sharply as the
metal extended a barb into his stomach then withdrew it. The& nbsp;man moved his
fingers like a puppet master and the circling cord continued to move, inserting and
withdrawing barbs ;at random as it did.
Sesshomaru gasped and growled as the device&n bsp;made its slow journey around his
mid dle then he called up all his demon ;energy. His eyes turned scarlet and hi s aura
darkened until it was visible.&nb sp; The small wounds in his abdomen clos ed at once. He
pulled hard on ;his restraints.
“ Oh,†said Kuromakaze looking more amus ed than concerned unlike Taro who had retreated a step and stopped his barb ;crawl torture. “I wouldnâ&eu ro;™t transform,
Reihane. It would&nbs p;not go well for you.†A r ing of metal clamped around
Sesshomaruâ €™s neck and blunted points pressed&nbs p;against the exposed flesh.
Sesshomaru froze, recognizing the threat. If I&nb sp;transform, my head will be sliced off,&nbs p;
he thought, howling in helpless fury. He had been confident he could slip&nbs p;the
restraints on his legs, arms and&n bsp;torso during the brief moment when he&nbs p;lost
physical form before he grew big. His head he wasn’t so&nb sp;sure about. It was always
the f irst thing to change before he became in substantial.
He looked at the smir king hanyou. I can’t let myself me taken prisoner!
†œYou hesitated,†said Kuromakaze.
“Eh?†Sesshomaru&nbs p;had little time to contemplate the hanyou&a circ;€™s words before his
back exp loded in white agony and he was suddenly unable to move. Not even a
f inger! With his body no longer respondi ng, transforming was impossible.
â ;€œFor a demon of your lineage, a& nbsp;broken back doesn’t have the&nb sp;same far reaching
consequences as it would for a human or even a lesser demon,†said Kuromakaze
with a&nb sp;chuckle. “You’re p aralyzed now, but in a week or so y ou should be able to
move around ag ain. But only if I remember to str aighten and support your spine
until it& acirc;€™s healed.â€
The&nbs p;metal rod that had cracked several of his vertebrae, bruising the spinal cord,
aligned itself with the spine, curving where it needed to. Small tendrils, at the evil
hanyou’s command, punc tured the flesh and wrapped themselves around bone to
hold them steady. Sesshom aru only felt a third of the piercings&n bsp;but those were
enough to draw a ;small cry from his lips. The collar&nb sp;merged with the rod and
extended tend rils into his neck. He felt the me tal move like water up to his skull ;
and cradle it, now his head couldn&acir c;€™t move.
He was lowered&n bsp;back to the ground. The metal cords around his waist and legs
merged, looping his legs from ankle to hip and&n bsp;up further to his middle. It forced
his unresponsive body to kneel even&nbs p;as the metal along his spine kept him& nbsp;upright.
The bindings on his wrist s pulled his arms behind them and connec ted with each
other. Sesshomaru panted; his shoulders burned from the strain of being held up by
his arms and ;the position they were forced into when ;bound behind him.
“This& nbsp;momentary discomfort will be eased once we return to my fort,†said
Kuromakaze as he strode forward to stand ;before his captive. “There I& nbsp;can bind you
more appropriately and ;it won’t be such a hassle.&aci rc;€
“Spare me your& nbsp;mock concern,†snarled Sesshomaru. &nb sp;“Why haven’t you ki lled me
yet?â€
†œI have several reasons,†replied&nbs p;Kuromakaze. He raised his hand and Se sshomaru
came off the ground. â&e uro;œAmong them is Noriko’s lo yalty.†The surviving kanetenko
trotted over to join their lord. â ;€œThe other is bait is more entic ing alive than dead.â€
&nbs p;
Sesshomaru growled at Kuromakazeâ€&tr ade;s words in helpless anger. He had&n bsp;been
careless in his attack; over co nfident in his and his subordinatesâ€&t rade; strength. He had
dismissed his&nb sp;brother’s concerns when he had&nb sp;warned of this potential threat.
“I’ll be sure to make your stay most comfortable whil e we await the arrival of your
brot her, Reihane,†said Kuromakaze with a& nbsp;laugh as he patted Sesshomaru cheek. &nb sp;
If he could have moved his head, ;the taiyokai would have bitten his hand.&nbs p; Instead,
all he could do was lev el his infuriated gaze on the hanyou.
“Come,†called Kurom akaze to his Tenko. The men stepped&nbs p;forward and took hold
of the metal&nbs p;binding Sesshomaru’s body. â ;€œThis time will go differently from&n bsp;the last.
Since I know he can& nbsp;control his power I won’t act carelessly like I did last time.â&e uro;
“Last…&nbs p;time…?†gasped Sesshomaru as they moved away from the ambushed
caravan’s remains.
â&e uro;œDidn’t he tell you?â&eur o; asked Kuromakaze, his amusement irking Ses shomaru. “I
used a simila r ploy decades earlier involving his wife.&nb sp; At the time, he had trouble
con trolling his powers so I thought to play with him. He surprised me then wi th
what the pressure enabled him to ;do. He will not surprise me again.&aci rc;€
“He won†™t come,†hissed Sesshomaru. &a circ;€œDo you think him so foolish ;to fall for the
same trap twice?â €
“I’ve&nbs p;anticipated he’ll come knowing it& acirc;€™s a trap,†replied Kurom akaze, his smile
spreading into a broad& nbsp;grin of malice and insane joy. He& nbsp;then threw back his head
and laughe d.
Sesshomaru shivered and thought,&nbs p;Don’t come! No matter what!& nbsp; Don’t come,
Inuyasha!
*****
The commotion in&nbs p;the courtyard drew many of the clan, i ncluding Himawari and
Temari. Three dog demons stood in the center of the gathering, breathing hard
from their flight.& nbsp; The others were throwing questions at&n bsp;them and, in the
confusion, nothing was being understood nor answered. Himawari& nbsp;and Temari both
pushed their way to the front just as the crowd parted ;for Kakiboufuu.
Silence fell as t he Taisho strode forward, his eyes intense.&n bsp; Himawari glanced at the
group, she& nbsp;remembered that all parties held six mem bers or more depending on the
type of mission and the risks involved. She& nbsp;glanced at the three and tried to r ecall
who they had been with. Kaki boufuu had no such trouble with his memo ry.
“What happened?â&eur o; he demanded as the three hurriedly bo wed to their lord. “Where ;
is Aniue?†Several in the surrounding crowd gasped and Himawari felt he r heart
flutter in fear.
&aci rc;€œForgive us, Taisho,†said t he middle demon, a young, blonde man wit h violet eyes.
“The attac k on the supply chain was an overwhelmin g success, but just as we
finished off the samurai guarding it, six kanetenko&nb sp;emerged from the woods. They
stole&n bsp;are weapons. Your brother, Sesshomaru-sama,&n bsp;tried to reclaim his when the
leader dropped them. He was overpowered immed iately. Sesshomaru-sama
ordered us to r etreat, however, he was unable to get aw ay. They cut down two of us
a s we fled.â€
“ You fled, abandoning your lord?†deman ded Lady Kou from her place at the edge of
the crowd. Her blistering gaze caused the already terrified men to ;cringe further.
“Kou-oba a-sama,†snapped Kakiboufuu, staring her&nb sp;into submission. He returned
his att ention to the men. “Who w as the leader?â€
â€&oe lig;It was hanyou,†replied the blonde man. “Not unlike you in& nbsp;appearance. He held a
black nagina ta. I think… I think I&n bsp;recall Sesshomaru-sama called him
Kuromakaze.& acirc;€
Kakiboufuu’s gold en eyes blazed as the crowd began to&nbs p;murmur. The name was not
unknown ;to the many. Kakiboufuu had brought up the name and the man in his
f irst meeting with all the heads four yea rs earlier. It had sense spread to ;other
members in the clan. Still he had not been brought up since and&nbs p;they had seen no
sign of him in&n bsp;all their raids against Noriko’s remaining followers and the supply
chai ns of the Kuro Tenko.
“Do you know what became of&nbs p;Aniue?†asked Kakiboufuu in a hushed voice. Others
fell silent save fo r the Lady Kou.
“Obv iously he is dead like the other two,&ac irc;€ she stated with a huff.
;
Himawari hugged herself, her heartbeat painf ul in her tight chest. He canâ&eu ro;™t be
dead! Not Sesshomaru-sama!&nb sp;
“Well?†pressed ;Kakiboufuu, ignoring Lady Kou’s com ment.
The man hesitated then looke d down and replied, “We don&aci rc;€™t know. He told us to < br> run and not look back after he was&n bsp;caught. We don’t know what happened after we
escaped.â€
“He is dead, Taisho,â&e uro; said Lady Kou. “There&nbs p;would be no reason for Kuromakaze to < br> keep him alive.â€
â ;€œThere are many reasons for him to be kept alive!†shouted Kakiboufuu, his eyes
taking on a red sheen&nbs p;as he glared at the elder. â&eu ro;œIf he was going to be kill why
didn’t that happen the mo ment when he tried unsuccessfully to recover& nbsp;his swords?â€
â€&oelig ;If he’s alive, then we need&nb sp;to rescue him,†said Himawari. &nbs p;“Who knows what theyâ€&trade ;ll
do to him while he’s&n bsp;their prisoner?â€
â€&oe lig;We live by a code of honor not unlike the human Samurai’s,â€& nbsp;said Lady Kou. “His
capture is a disgrace. He should at&nbs p;least accept his terrible death with his&nb sp;
remaining honor and not burden us wit h trying to rescue him.â€
“Kou-obaa-sama!†cried Himawari in horror.
“Donâ&e uro;™t wail, Himawari,†snapped the&n bsp;elder. “You were raised wi th better self-
control than this.â€&nbs p; Kakiboufuu’s eyes were hidden&nbs p;in the shadow of his own bangs.
He seemed lost in his own thoughts. ;
Himawari regarded him and cried, “You would abandon your own bro ther?â€
Kakiboufuu murmured to&nb sp;himself, though the sharp-eared demons all ;heard his
cryptic remark. â€&oel ig;Will I step into this trap again?â&e uro; He looked up at the sky, his& nbsp;
expression twisted in torment.
“Yes, go and save your brother,†sneered Temari, her eyes&nb sp;flashing her contempt.
“Any of us would have been dismissed without so much as a second thought. You& nbsp;go
ahead and save your precious bro ther. Put all our lives at risk fo r one man who
shares your blood. &n bsp;Abandon the ones that don’t.&aci rc;€
She hated Kakibou fuu for what she had forced her to endure. He had played the
fool tha t long ago night only to turn around&nbs p;and force her father to take action against her. The elders and her fath er had punished her. Her! They ha d never
raised their voice against her&n bsp;before and that night she had been f orced to bare her
back to the reeds ’ cruel kiss like a common ;servant. Worse, she had learned any adverse action taken against the servants would be met with the same punishment. & nbsp;
She had gone under the reed many&nb sp;times since then. Seeing him in turm oil gave
her much pleasure.
L ady Kou eyed her kinswoman with misgiving.&nb sp; She knew Temari’s true feel ings
and feared her barb might bring&nbs p;the Taisho’s wrath down upon them. She needs to
learn to hold&n bsp;her tongue, though Himawari is hardly any better, she thought in
frustration. &nb sp;Once Sesshomaru is declared dead, weâ&eur o;™ll have to retrain Himawari.
S he has allowed her emotions to overcome her.
“Temari!†cri ed Himawari, taking a step away from her in shock. She hadn’t
realized how deep her cousin’s&nbs p;hate for the Taisho ran. Temari tosse d her hair and
refused to look at&n bsp;the younger woman.
“H imawari,†said Kakiboufuu in a quiet&n bsp;voice. “Enough, sheâ€&tra de;s right.â€
Himawari gaped ;before she remembered herself and hid her&nb sp;face in her sleeve.
Temari was equally shocked. The crowd was stunned, ;even Lady Kou hadn’t
expected& nbsp;his agreement. He was still young and his brother was his only trusted
support.
“I can†™t risk everyone just so I can hav e my brother,†he continued, though&nb sp;his voice
cracked as he spoke. “You don’t win wars&nb sp;by being sentimental. You win them b y
battling wisely, not wastefully. If&n bsp;we launch a rescue now we’l l sustain heavy losses
at the minimum.&n bsp; All the advantage we have will be&n bsp;lost.â€
Himawari felt te ars slide down her cheeks at his words.& nbsp; His hands were clenched in
fists&n bsp;so tight they trembled and bled. Ho w could I say such things without
c onsidering his own feelings? Heâ€&trad e;s hurting as much as I am.
Naomi pushed her way through the crowd.& nbsp; No one knew when she had returned& nbsp;
from her own mission but she had&nb sp;clearly heard enough to realize the situat ion.
Her expression thunderous, she ste pped before her uncle.
â€&oe lig;So you are not even going to try?&ac irc;€ she demanded. “We d on’t even know where he
ha s been taken and you are just giv-â ;€
“He’s&nb sp;been taken to Castle Arai,†snapped the hanyou, his eyes flashing with
suppressed fury. The crowd took a step back; the snapped remark had been
accompanied by a blast of authoritative chi.& nbsp; Naomi didn’t even flinch. ;
“If you know where he is then-†she started but Kaki boufuu interrupted her again.
â&e uro;œHe’s expecting that! He& acirc;€™s expecting me to run in t o rescue Aniue. He’s expecting
me to lead the clan to Castle ;Arai to save Aniue. He’s ;expecting that,†snarled
Kakiboufuu. “I said earlier there were&nbs p;many reasons to keep Aniue alive. One is to
keep Noriko on his side.&nbs p; The other is to use as bait. &nb sp;He’s set a trap with the&nbs p;
expectation of the entire inuyokai clan&nbs p;coming after him. He’s prepa red for that
scenario. If I go&nbs p;alone, I take just a few or if I& nbsp;take several but not all it wonâ&e uro;™t
matter. It will just make& nbsp;things easier for him.
â&eur o;œCastle Arai is his stronghold. Ther e will be many others there, not just&nb sp;him.
There will be demons of va rious skills, there will be spiritualist of&n bsp;various orders,
and there will be Te nko or various styles. If we go, n o matter the outcome, it will
make a mockery of all of Aniue’s&nbs p;struggles to protect his clan prior to ;my arrival. I
thought I made ;it clear before that Kuromakaze is not an enemy you can take
lightly. We& nbsp;march on his stronghold we die!â€& nbsp;
“You’ve bee n to Castle Arai before?†asked L ady Kou.
Kakiboufuu turned his sea ring gaze on the elder but she remained& nbsp;unmoved. He
then reached up and&nb sp;pulled down his kimono on his right s houlder, exposing a scar
of twisted fles h. “I only breathe today because of several unpredicted elements.
Even then I failed in my purpose of&nb sp;breaching the castle and, worse, my action s
nearly facilitated an insurrection among&nb sp;the Shiro Tenko.†He pulled h is kimono
back into place.
&a circ;€œIf you know how he is going to respond-.†Once again, Naomi couldn’t finished her
thought& nbsp;before her uncle was cutting her off.&nb sp;
“I don’t ;know how he’s going to respond ! I only know that he wouldnâ&eur o;™t do this if he
didnâ€&tr ade;t have something in mind. He doesn& acirc;€™t do anything without purpose. He didn’t
take Sesshomaru ;just to appease Noriko. If that were&n bsp;the case, he would have done
it ;decades ago. It is because Iâ€&t rade;m here. He’s trying to&nb sp;lure me back into his nest
where ;he had the greatest control in order to finish me off.â€
â&eu ro;œOji-!â€
“Drop& nbsp;it, Naomi!†ordered Kakiboufuu. “This is not easy for me, either. I have lost
much to him&nb sp;already. To lose more…â&e uro; He closed his eyes as he brea thed heavily,
struggling to bring his ro iling emotions under control. â€&oelig ;This is not easy for me,†he&nbs p;
repeated in the softest of whispers. & nbsp;He then stepped around Naomi and walked& nbsp;
passed her.
“No further missions are to be conducted un til we have had time to adjust our
strategies,†he said in a clear&n bsp;voice that carried throughout the clearing.&nb sp; “Inform all
returning parti es of this and recent developments. Tom orrow night we’ll meet to
discuss our future movements. Until then&nbs p;everyone is to remain on guard around
the temple.†He walked as h e spoke, weaving slightly, and the crowd ;parted. He
came to the tree line& nbsp;as he finished speaking. He reached&nbs p;his hand toward the
trunk of an o ak in appearance of steadying himself. A light pulsed once through the
tree&nbs p;then it vanished with only small puffs ;of fine ash falling to the ground where it
had been. A hole in the&n bsp;ground was the only sign of where it had stood a second
before. He&nbs p;staggered forward and disappeared in to the shadows.
Temari blanched at the&n bsp;passive display of power. Himawari tremb led and wept
silently into her sleeve.&n bsp; Naomi growled in frustration.
Do you what you feel is right, Oji-san, she thought with venom. Iâ€&trad e;m not going to
abandon Chichiue.
--------------
Author Chat:
I do want to respond to comments made&nb sp;on my story. However, if you are&nbs p;
commenting as a guest I canâ€&tr ade;t reply directly to you. I can ;only answer what I can in
the most recent update chapter.
Aeglos: &n bsp;Thank you for all the comments, I lo ve it when people talk to me about my
work. It helps a great deal&nbs p;in motivation as well as recognizing proble ms in the
story’s presentation. I put this chapter out sooner tha n planned just so I could
address s ome of your questions.
Ch 44: Hmmm, I liked the chapter a great deal, especially the interaction between Kakiboufu u
and Sesshomaru, but I am also a bit disappointed that you did not writ e the content that you
advertised in&nbs p;the last chapter, the one revolving around& nbsp;Toromaru.
I’m sorry you were looking forward to “Ho mecoming†after “Line of ;Tyrannyâ€. I
wrote â€&oeli g;Line of Tyranny†three years ago&nbs p;and then inspiration died. Admittedly,
“Homecoming†and the next&n bsp;chapter, “Sympathy for the Devil â€, were written six
months ago.&n bsp; However, when I went to write the&n bsp;following chapter I was stuck.
That chapter would have dealt with the creat ion of Tenken. I also was trying t o
figure out how to bring up the&nb sp;subject of the phoenix, Hotaru. Nothing&n bsp;seemed to be
worthy of a chapter&aci rc;€™s attention and I was stuck. Since I’m participating in the
NaNoWriMo that is currently in progress this month, I decided to sit down and
figure out how to get the plot& nbsp;moving again. I reread “L ine of Tyranny†and thatâ€&trade ;s
when I came to the conclusion th at the time slip between “Line& nbsp;of Tyranny†and
“Ho mecoming†didn’t make sense.& nbsp; I had created a set up in the final pages that
needed to be addr essed. As a result “Homecoming †has been pushed back. It will
have its debut but not when it was originally slated. I’m&nb sp;actually happy that
figured out the m ain issue and these new chapters helped to finally place a lot of
tricky pi eces that will be important later.
;
Ch 41: Is there any significant reason for you to rename Inuyasha as Kakiboufuu? The battle did
not seem so incisive to me that Inuyasha wou ld feel his old self to have died in the course of it...
It actually is traditional f or hanyou Tenko to change their names wh en they reach a
certain point in th eir development. It usually occurs when ;their human family
members, the non-hanyou&n bsp;Tenko, have all passed on, though it ;can happen sooner.
I didnâ€&trad e;t express that very well but it wasn&a circ;€™t a spontaneous decision on Kaki boufuu’s
part. It was jus t the first opportunity to announce the change in name. He had had
such&nb sp;trouble with his powers before that he&nbs p;was originally a mere scout, not allowed&nb sp;
in major combat. After all the lonely decades of training, he was finally&nb sp;a
worthwhile warrior. He never expec ted to become Taisho, though he knew he& nbsp;could
play a serious role in the&nb sp;clan’s defense and offense now,&n bsp;which he couldn’t before.
The name change acknowledge the great&n bsp;change in his abilities that he was striving
for even if becoming Taisho&nbs p;wasn’t on his list to achieve . The name “Kakiboufuuâ€
usually goes to hanyou hikazetenko of&n bsp;the top three houses of the Tenko. & nbsp;This
custom applies only to first g eneration hanyou Tenko. While some later&nbs p;generation
hanyou may change their name,&nb sp;it isn’t as common and usual ly has special
meaning.
Ch 35 : I am throwing myself away laughing -&n bsp;you just gave a totally whacked-up but&nb sp;brilliant
explanation as to why exactly Sesshomaru's body harboured a blo ody sword...
I love your way to exp lain random little titbits of the canon within your storyline. Do y ou plan
that in advance or do you just make them up as you go?
Yeah, when I first re ad that in the manga I thought, â& euro;œWhat the hell? How did that ;
get in there and how did Totosai k now about it?†When I started&nb sp;writing the story
in 2005 it was ;before the release of the chapters that ;revealed his mother was alive
let alone about Bakusaiga. The first seventeen c hapters were written in that period
whic h was why Bakusaiga wasn’t ment ioned in any of them. However, after&nb sp;
Bakusaiga debuted in the manga I quic kly came up with that idea and waited&nb sp;for
the opportunity to reveal it. &nb sp;The remaining quirk is Sesshomaruâ€&trade ;s mother. That
detail and that de tail alone isn’t fitting. So&n bsp;in this version of tales the one tha t
appears in the manga and the anim e will be his aunt. The entire sto ry would be
upended if I tried to&n bsp;go back and change it. That is ;the only detail that won’t fit
with Rumiko-san’s vision, but& nbsp;I’m too invested in this s tory to dump it… again.
(Yes, there was a previous version that& nbsp;got trashed. I still have those ol d files on
my thumbdrive.)
An ything else discussing the ending or other&nb sp;spoil points will not be bought up. & nbsp;At
least not here. If you rea lly want to be spoiled you can go t o my deviantart account.
I have so me artwork that represents not only written&n bsp;scenes but future scenes as
well. &n bsp;Some are hastily done and very sloppy&nbs p;others are pretty good for what I can& nbsp;
do. The cover for the story I commissioned another artist to draw. M y penname for
deviantart is Black_Wren.
Glossary:
Translations:
Tsuchi:&nb sp;earth
Hi: fire
Mizu: water
Ki:&n bsp;wood
Kane: metal
Kaze: wind
Him izu: as discordant as fire and water
Hikaze: fire wind
Tenki: weather
Enzer u: angel
Hanyou: half-demon
Obi: the&nbs p;sash that is wrapped around a womanâ& euro;™s waist to hold her kimono closed .
Matte: wait!
Shoji: sliding door. ;
Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the&n bsp;outside of the buildings.
Temee: you,&nbs p;derogatory term, very insulting.
Kisama: yo u, derogatory term, more vulgar than temee&nb sp;
Ano: uh
Hai: Yes
Aniyome: elder& nbsp;brother’s wife; sister-in-law
H ime: Princess
Waka: Young lord, used for the son of a noble.
Otouto: Little brother.
Onii-(__): Big brother, general.&nb sp; Honorific added on to end, determining&nb sp;level of
respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young man .)
Aniue: Big brother, formal.
Imouto:&n bsp;Little sister.
Onee-(__): Big sister,&nbs p;general. Honorific added on to end, d etermining level of
respect of love. &nb sp;(Can also be used when addressing a y oung woman.)
Aneue: Big sister, formal.
Ojii-(__): Grandfather, general. Honorific a dded on to end, determining level of
respect of love. (Can also be used&nb sp;when addressing an elderly man.)
Obaa-(__) : Grandmother, general. Honorific added on&n bsp;to end, determining level of
respect ;of love. (Can also be used when a ddressing an elderly woman.)
Oji-(__): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to end,&nb sp;determining level of respect of
love. ; (Can also be used when addressing a&nb sp;middle-aged man.)
Oba-(__): Aunt, general. ; Honorific added on to end, determining ;level of respect of
love. (Can al so be used when addressing a middle-aged ;woman.)
Mina wa ookii aho desu: E veryone’s a big idiot.
Sumimase n: Excuse me.
Oyaji: Father, informal ma sculine.
Otou-(__): Father, general. Honorif ic added on to end, determining level of respect
or love.
Chichiue: Father, ;formal.
Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine. ;
Okaa-(__): Mother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect
or love.
Hahaue: Mother, formal Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children of cou rt nobles to their mothers.
XX-(blank): Intimate or rude address depending on usage.& nbsp;
XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly
XX-chan : Female or young boy honorific, friendly&nbs p;
XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or& nbsp;Ms.)
XX-sama: formal or very polite ;honorific, used for those of superior status or to show
great respect. (Lord or Lady)
XX-dono: more formal honorific, m ore respectful than XX-sama. Derived from&nb sp;tono
= lord.
_____________________________ _________________________________________________
Chapter 34 : The Firebird
Sesshomaru has been captured by Kuromakaze. Blindly rushing&nbs p;to his rescue will
lead to the sl aughter of the inuyokai clan. As Kakibo ufuu tries to figure out a how
to&n bsp;outwit his archenemy; Naomi risks all to& nbsp;save her father.
145 years before the search for ;the jewel shards.
Chapter 33: Black Threads
It was inevitabl e that I would have to suffer the c onsequences of my choice to create
Tenke n. I just didn’t realize I would experience it so soon or how&nbs p;close it would
come to dooming us ;all.
- Sesshomaru
Sesshomaru peer ed down the slope at the line of pa ckhorses and men. They were
coming ;from the south into Tenji. Their scout s were certain the train were
supplying& nbsp;Kuromakaze with metal ore, extra soldiers&nbs p;and other basics that could
not be&nbs p;obtained in the lands he currently held.&nb sp; Sesshomaru growled quietly at the
th ought of the murderous hanyou who had pl otted his father’s death, encouraged
Noriko’s insurrection and plun ged the entire country of Tenji in chaos for his own
enrichment.
With Noriko in full retreat it was Kuromakaz e they were dealing with directly or, more accurately, his supply chains. Kakib oufuu was still nervous about doing
anyt hing too grand that would cause the hany ou to reprioritize his attacks. Despite ;
his brother’s earlier misgivings,&n bsp;Kuromakaze had not made a direct move&nbs p;against
the inuyokai clan. This, for& nbsp;some reason, made Kakiboufuu even more a nxious.
The hanyou was certain his ;cousin was planning something. Sesshomaru t hought
his brother was being paranoid. < br>
The older demon had observed h is brother carefully since discovering Kakiboufuu& nbsp;
had prophetic powers but nothing he ;said or did indicated he was speaking w hile
his power was awake. It all&n bsp;seemed mere conjectured based on past exp erience. So
Sesshomaru felt confident n one of his brother’s misgivings ;was based on visions of
the future.&nbs p; He’s just over thinking this , he thought as he and his team rea died their
ambush.
Sesshomaru rais ed his hand and the other dog demons&nbs p;crouched ready to spring.
He dropped& nbsp;it and all six of them launched off the slope with a roar. Horses
screamed and men scattered. Samurai drew&n bsp;swords as archers hurried to notch
a rrows, but demons were far swifter than men and the several died before they
realized their opponents were before them.
Sesshomaru summoned Bakusaiga as he&nbs p;drew Tenken, parrying one human’s& nbsp;blade
with the latter and cutting h im down with the former. If they w ere intent only on
destruction, using lo ng range attacks while staying on the sl ope would have
sufficed, but Kakiboufuu wanted the supplies for their own needs. ; Big attacks of
high destruction were&n bsp;not permitted. The men in charge of the horses were mere
peasants and fled into the forest at the sight of&nbs p;the demons. Horses reared in
terror,& nbsp;dropping their loads and injured whoever ;was fool enough to stay close to the&nb sp;
frightened animals, before bolting in all& nbsp;directions. Some of the panicked animal s
slammed into samurai as they ran, ;some grievously injuring the men, some being
injured and collapsing in turn.
&n bsp;
Against human opponents not even of Tenji and without trained spiritualists, a team of six was overkill. Sesshomar u could have handled the entire operation&nbs p;
himself. However, it was the combinat ion of supplies to carry back and his&nb sp;
brother’s paranoia that had them in a relatively large group. Kakib oufuu believed
teams were necessary for all operations, even if it was a simple& nbsp;seek and destroy
mission, for safety.&nb sp;
With the last of the warri ors dead and the servants fled, the cara van’s supplies
were secured. &n bsp;Sesshomaru stood up, shook his head and&n bsp;muttered, “Too easy.â€
“Indeed, too easy,â€&n bsp;said a dark voice from behind the ta iyokai. Tenken and
Bakusaiga ripped fro m his hands, as did the weapons of the other five inuyokai.
Sesshomaru whi rled around even as his vision darkened; ;a side effect of losing his
connection& nbsp;to Tenken.
A silver haired ha nyou emerged from the shadows of the tre es, his appearance very
similar to Kakib oufuu but far more sinister as he smiled at the ambush party.
Several indi viduals in black and gray armor stood be hind him. The weapons of the
other demons flew into their hands. Sesshoma ru’s swords flew to the all&nbs p;too
familiar hanyou, dressed in black armor and a powder blue kimono. A black
naginata rested lightly on his sho ulders.
“Kuromakaze, I pr esume,†said Sesshomaru as he dropped& nbsp;into a fighting stance,
the unfamiliar&n bsp;weight of his body already beginning to&n bsp;hinder him as it slowed his
movement s.
“You would be cor rect, Reihane,†said the hanyou. ;He let his naginata slide to the
g round where its weighted end hit. He&nb sp;then reached for the swords floating in&nb sp;front
of him. Bakusaiga pulsed in&nb sp;outrage but little else. Tenken, however, barked
lightning that surrounded both s words and forced Kuromakaze to withdraw his&n bsp;
hand from the blades. The sudden&nb sp;movement caused him to drop his jutsu&acir c;€™s hold on
them and they f ell to the ground.
Sesshomaru laun ched himself forward, shifting forward with b linding speed.
However, without his cel estial power he moved slower than he was used to and
Kuromakaze had time to respond before the full demon could rea ch the swords. The
swords rose&nbs p;and flew behind him even as he raised& nbsp;his naginata and drove the blunt
we ighted end into Sesshomaru’s stomach .
Sesshomaru’s men cried& nbsp;out and began to charge but Sesshomaru&n bsp;shouted, “Stay
back! Tenko must not be taken lightly. Donâ& euro;™t lose your focus!â€
“Wise words, but a little late to apply them,†said Kuromakaze&n bsp;raising his hand.
Sesshomaru heard& nbsp;things creaking and groaning from among the scattered
supplies. The ore! He rose from the ground and shouted, &ac irc;€œRun! Retreat now!â€
& nbsp;
“Far too late,†sai d Kuromakaze with a smirk then he laughe d. The sacks of iron
ripped and&nb sp;the granules of ore rose into the sky . There they disintegrated into dust then bound together to form cords of metal that moved like snakes to the
kanetenko’s dance.
Sesshomaru ran to join his retreating men, despite his worries about leaving his
swords&nb sp;behind. I can’t retake them now, he thought with a growl. We& acirc;€™ll just have to
think of&n bsp;a way to retake them later.
A cord of iron weaved toward him and& nbsp;caught his foot, tripping him. One ;of his men
turned back when he saw his lord had fallen. It was the&n bsp;last thing that inuyokai
would do in this life. A second cord flattened&nbs p;into a blade and sliced him into
several pieces.
No! â€&oeli g;Don’t look back!†Sesshomar u shouted. “Don’t&nbs p;look back!†Another demon fell ;
to pieces as the cords caught him in a deadly embrace. “RUN!&aci rc;€ No more, he
thought and turned around to face the kanetenko behind&nb sp;him. The cord still
entangled his&nb sp;foot; escape was not possible but attack&n bsp;was not.
“You be tter start worrying about me instead,†shouted Sesshomaru and raised his
hand& nbsp;toward the Tenko. Poison rose in h is claws and sprayed toward the line. &n bsp;He
hadn’t gotten far before he was caught; his strike was pointblan k. Still three of the
Tenko were&n bsp;able to jump clear but lost their ho lds on the iron cords. The other t wo
weren’t as fortunate and&nbs p;screamed as they’re flesh melted.& nbsp;
Kuromakaze was unaffected, however,&nbs p;a wind barrier having risen at the mom ent of
the attack, scattering the poison away from him. He still had his&n bsp;smile even as the
three surviving de mons vanished from sight. A weight sett led into his stomach at
the sight o f the smile. The cord around Sesshomaru ankle hadn’t loosened the leas t
bit; it was being controlled by t he smirking hanyou.
Kuromakaze glanced& nbsp;at his dying men then said, â&euro ;œNow that wasn’t nice, Reihan e.â€
The smirking didnâ€&tr ade;t fade the smallest bit.
Cold& nbsp;dread filled Sesshomaru and he cursed. & nbsp;He whipped his hand to launch his < br> demon whip but another cord wrapped aroun d it, arrested its motion. Kuromakaze < br> twitched his fingers and a third cord&nbs p;took hold of his left arm. With a spin of his
wrist, the cords stre tched Sesshomaru’s arms out then&nbs p;lifted him above the ground.
The ;cord around his leg unwound itself then ;began winding around both his legs. Sesshomaru struggled but he couldnâ€&trad e;t move.
“Taro,â€& nbsp;Kuromakaze called and one of the men&nbs p;who had escaped Sesshomaru’s
poison stepped forward with a bow. &aci rc;€œWhat do you suggest would be fair penance to
inflict upon our demon&n bsp;lord here for the slaying of two of& nbsp;our nakama? Keep in
mind that ;we need to keep him alive, so nothing&n bsp;too extreme.â€
Sesshomaru gro wled. Taro glanced at Sesshomaru with h ate in his eyes then raised
his han ds. One of the abandoned cords rose&nbs p;into the air and encircled Sesshomaruâ&eur o;™s
abdomen. The man clenched hi s fist and the dog demon inhaled sharply as the
metal extended a barb into his stomach then withdrew it. The& nbsp;man moved his
fingers like a puppet master and the circling cord continued to move, inserting and
withdrawing barbs ;at random as it did.
Sesshomaru gasped and growled as the device&n bsp;made its slow journey around his
mid dle then he called up all his demon ;energy. His eyes turned scarlet and hi s aura
darkened until it was visible.&nb sp; The small wounds in his abdomen clos ed at once. He
pulled hard on ;his restraints.
“ Oh,†said Kuromakaze looking more amus ed than concerned unlike Taro who had retreated a step and stopped his barb ;crawl torture. “I wouldnâ&eu ro;™t transform,
Reihane. It would&nbs p;not go well for you.†A r ing of metal clamped around
Sesshomaruâ €™s neck and blunted points pressed&nbs p;against the exposed flesh.
Sesshomaru froze, recognizing the threat. If I&nb sp;transform, my head will be sliced off,&nbs p;
he thought, howling in helpless fury. He had been confident he could slip&nbs p;the
restraints on his legs, arms and&n bsp;torso during the brief moment when he&nbs p;lost
physical form before he grew big. His head he wasn’t so&nb sp;sure about. It was always
the f irst thing to change before he became in substantial.
He looked at the smir king hanyou. I can’t let myself me taken prisoner!
†œYou hesitated,†said Kuromakaze.
“Eh?†Sesshomaru&nbs p;had little time to contemplate the hanyou&a circ;€™s words before his
back exp loded in white agony and he was suddenly unable to move. Not even a
f inger! With his body no longer respondi ng, transforming was impossible.
â ;€œFor a demon of your lineage, a& nbsp;broken back doesn’t have the&nb sp;same far reaching
consequences as it would for a human or even a lesser demon,†said Kuromakaze
with a&nb sp;chuckle. “You’re p aralyzed now, but in a week or so y ou should be able to
move around ag ain. But only if I remember to str aighten and support your spine
until it& acirc;€™s healed.â€
The&nbs p;metal rod that had cracked several of his vertebrae, bruising the spinal cord,
aligned itself with the spine, curving where it needed to. Small tendrils, at the evil
hanyou’s command, punc tured the flesh and wrapped themselves around bone to
hold them steady. Sesshom aru only felt a third of the piercings&n bsp;but those were
enough to draw a ;small cry from his lips. The collar&nb sp;merged with the rod and
extended tend rils into his neck. He felt the me tal move like water up to his skull ;
and cradle it, now his head couldn&acir c;€™t move.
He was lowered&n bsp;back to the ground. The metal cords around his waist and legs
merged, looping his legs from ankle to hip and&n bsp;up further to his middle. It forced
his unresponsive body to kneel even&nbs p;as the metal along his spine kept him& nbsp;upright.
The bindings on his wrist s pulled his arms behind them and connec ted with each
other. Sesshomaru panted; his shoulders burned from the strain of being held up by
his arms and ;the position they were forced into when ;bound behind him.
“This& nbsp;momentary discomfort will be eased once we return to my fort,†said
Kuromakaze as he strode forward to stand ;before his captive. “There I& nbsp;can bind you
more appropriately and ;it won’t be such a hassle.&aci rc;€
“Spare me your& nbsp;mock concern,†snarled Sesshomaru. &nb sp;“Why haven’t you ki lled me
yet?â€
†œI have several reasons,†replied&nbs p;Kuromakaze. He raised his hand and Se sshomaru
came off the ground. â&e uro;œAmong them is Noriko’s lo yalty.†The surviving kanetenko
trotted over to join their lord. â ;€œThe other is bait is more entic ing alive than dead.â€
&nbs p;
Sesshomaru growled at Kuromakazeâ€&tr ade;s words in helpless anger. He had&n bsp;been
careless in his attack; over co nfident in his and his subordinatesâ€&t rade; strength. He had
dismissed his&nb sp;brother’s concerns when he had&nb sp;warned of this potential threat.
“I’ll be sure to make your stay most comfortable whil e we await the arrival of your
brot her, Reihane,†said Kuromakaze with a& nbsp;laugh as he patted Sesshomaru cheek. &nb sp;
If he could have moved his head, ;the taiyokai would have bitten his hand.&nbs p; Instead,
all he could do was lev el his infuriated gaze on the hanyou.
“Come,†called Kurom akaze to his Tenko. The men stepped&nbs p;forward and took hold
of the metal&nbs p;binding Sesshomaru’s body. â ;€œThis time will go differently from&n bsp;the last.
Since I know he can& nbsp;control his power I won’t act carelessly like I did last time.â&e uro;
“Last…&nbs p;time…?†gasped Sesshomaru as they moved away from the ambushed
caravan’s remains.
â&e uro;œDidn’t he tell you?â&eur o; asked Kuromakaze, his amusement irking Ses shomaru. “I
used a simila r ploy decades earlier involving his wife.&nb sp; At the time, he had trouble
con trolling his powers so I thought to play with him. He surprised me then wi th
what the pressure enabled him to ;do. He will not surprise me again.&aci rc;€
“He won†™t come,†hissed Sesshomaru. &a circ;€œDo you think him so foolish ;to fall for the
same trap twice?â €
“I’ve&nbs p;anticipated he’ll come knowing it& acirc;€™s a trap,†replied Kurom akaze, his smile
spreading into a broad& nbsp;grin of malice and insane joy. He& nbsp;then threw back his head
and laughe d.
Sesshomaru shivered and thought,&nbs p;Don’t come! No matter what!& nbsp; Don’t come,
Inuyasha!
*****
The commotion in&nbs p;the courtyard drew many of the clan, i ncluding Himawari and
Temari. Three dog demons stood in the center of the gathering, breathing hard
from their flight.& nbsp; The others were throwing questions at&n bsp;them and, in the
confusion, nothing was being understood nor answered. Himawari& nbsp;and Temari both
pushed their way to the front just as the crowd parted ;for Kakiboufuu.
Silence fell as t he Taisho strode forward, his eyes intense.&n bsp; Himawari glanced at the
group, she& nbsp;remembered that all parties held six mem bers or more depending on the
type of mission and the risks involved. She& nbsp;glanced at the three and tried to r ecall
who they had been with. Kaki boufuu had no such trouble with his memo ry.
“What happened?â&eur o; he demanded as the three hurriedly bo wed to their lord. “Where ;
is Aniue?†Several in the surrounding crowd gasped and Himawari felt he r heart
flutter in fear.
&aci rc;€œForgive us, Taisho,†said t he middle demon, a young, blonde man wit h violet eyes.
“The attac k on the supply chain was an overwhelmin g success, but just as we
finished off the samurai guarding it, six kanetenko&nb sp;emerged from the woods. They
stole&n bsp;are weapons. Your brother, Sesshomaru-sama,&n bsp;tried to reclaim his when the
leader dropped them. He was overpowered immed iately. Sesshomaru-sama
ordered us to r etreat, however, he was unable to get aw ay. They cut down two of us
a s we fled.â€
“ You fled, abandoning your lord?†deman ded Lady Kou from her place at the edge of
the crowd. Her blistering gaze caused the already terrified men to ;cringe further.
“Kou-oba a-sama,†snapped Kakiboufuu, staring her&nb sp;into submission. He returned
his att ention to the men. “Who w as the leader?â€
â€&oe lig;It was hanyou,†replied the blonde man. “Not unlike you in& nbsp;appearance. He held a
black nagina ta. I think… I think I&n bsp;recall Sesshomaru-sama called him
Kuromakaze.& acirc;€
Kakiboufuu’s gold en eyes blazed as the crowd began to&nbs p;murmur. The name was not
unknown ;to the many. Kakiboufuu had brought up the name and the man in his
f irst meeting with all the heads four yea rs earlier. It had sense spread to ;other
members in the clan. Still he had not been brought up since and&nbs p;they had seen no
sign of him in&n bsp;all their raids against Noriko’s remaining followers and the supply
chai ns of the Kuro Tenko.
“Do you know what became of&nbs p;Aniue?†asked Kakiboufuu in a hushed voice. Others
fell silent save fo r the Lady Kou.
“Obv iously he is dead like the other two,&ac irc;€ she stated with a huff.
;
Himawari hugged herself, her heartbeat painf ul in her tight chest. He canâ&eu ro;™t be
dead! Not Sesshomaru-sama!&nb sp;
“Well?†pressed ;Kakiboufuu, ignoring Lady Kou’s com ment.
The man hesitated then looke d down and replied, “We don&aci rc;€™t know. He told us to < br> run and not look back after he was&n bsp;caught. We don’t know what happened after we
escaped.â€
“He is dead, Taisho,â&e uro; said Lady Kou. “There&nbs p;would be no reason for Kuromakaze to < br> keep him alive.â€
â ;€œThere are many reasons for him to be kept alive!†shouted Kakiboufuu, his eyes
taking on a red sheen&nbs p;as he glared at the elder. â&eu ro;œIf he was going to be kill why
didn’t that happen the mo ment when he tried unsuccessfully to recover& nbsp;his swords?â€
â€&oelig ;If he’s alive, then we need&nb sp;to rescue him,†said Himawari. &nbs p;“Who knows what theyâ€&trade ;ll
do to him while he’s&n bsp;their prisoner?â€
â€&oe lig;We live by a code of honor not unlike the human Samurai’s,â€& nbsp;said Lady Kou. “His
capture is a disgrace. He should at&nbs p;least accept his terrible death with his&nb sp;
remaining honor and not burden us wit h trying to rescue him.â€
“Kou-obaa-sama!†cried Himawari in horror.
“Donâ&e uro;™t wail, Himawari,†snapped the&n bsp;elder. “You were raised wi th better self-
control than this.â€&nbs p; Kakiboufuu’s eyes were hidden&nbs p;in the shadow of his own bangs.
He seemed lost in his own thoughts. ;
Himawari regarded him and cried, “You would abandon your own bro ther?â€
Kakiboufuu murmured to&nb sp;himself, though the sharp-eared demons all ;heard his
cryptic remark. â€&oel ig;Will I step into this trap again?â&e uro; He looked up at the sky, his& nbsp;
expression twisted in torment.
“Yes, go and save your brother,†sneered Temari, her eyes&nb sp;flashing her contempt.
“Any of us would have been dismissed without so much as a second thought. You& nbsp;go
ahead and save your precious bro ther. Put all our lives at risk fo r one man who
shares your blood. &n bsp;Abandon the ones that don’t.&aci rc;€
She hated Kakibou fuu for what she had forced her to endure. He had played the
fool tha t long ago night only to turn around&nbs p;and force her father to take action against her. The elders and her fath er had punished her. Her! They ha d never
raised their voice against her&n bsp;before and that night she had been f orced to bare her
back to the reeds ’ cruel kiss like a common ;servant. Worse, she had learned any adverse action taken against the servants would be met with the same punishment. & nbsp;
She had gone under the reed many&nb sp;times since then. Seeing him in turm oil gave
her much pleasure.
L ady Kou eyed her kinswoman with misgiving.&nb sp; She knew Temari’s true feel ings
and feared her barb might bring&nbs p;the Taisho’s wrath down upon them. She needs to
learn to hold&n bsp;her tongue, though Himawari is hardly any better, she thought in
frustration. &nb sp;Once Sesshomaru is declared dead, weâ&eur o;™ll have to retrain Himawari.
S he has allowed her emotions to overcome her.
“Temari!†cri ed Himawari, taking a step away from her in shock. She hadn’t
realized how deep her cousin’s&nbs p;hate for the Taisho ran. Temari tosse d her hair and
refused to look at&n bsp;the younger woman.
“H imawari,†said Kakiboufuu in a quiet&n bsp;voice. “Enough, sheâ€&tra de;s right.â€
Himawari gaped ;before she remembered herself and hid her&nb sp;face in her sleeve.
Temari was equally shocked. The crowd was stunned, ;even Lady Kou hadn’t
expected& nbsp;his agreement. He was still young and his brother was his only trusted
support.
“I can†™t risk everyone just so I can hav e my brother,†he continued, though&nb sp;his voice
cracked as he spoke. “You don’t win wars&nb sp;by being sentimental. You win them b y
battling wisely, not wastefully. If&n bsp;we launch a rescue now we’l l sustain heavy losses
at the minimum.&n bsp; All the advantage we have will be&n bsp;lost.â€
Himawari felt te ars slide down her cheeks at his words.& nbsp; His hands were clenched in
fists&n bsp;so tight they trembled and bled. Ho w could I say such things without
c onsidering his own feelings? Heâ€&trad e;s hurting as much as I am.
Naomi pushed her way through the crowd.& nbsp; No one knew when she had returned& nbsp;
from her own mission but she had&nb sp;clearly heard enough to realize the situat ion.
Her expression thunderous, she ste pped before her uncle.
â€&oe lig;So you are not even going to try?&ac irc;€ she demanded. “We d on’t even know where he
ha s been taken and you are just giv-â ;€
“He’s&nb sp;been taken to Castle Arai,†snapped the hanyou, his eyes flashing with
suppressed fury. The crowd took a step back; the snapped remark had been
accompanied by a blast of authoritative chi.& nbsp; Naomi didn’t even flinch. ;
“If you know where he is then-†she started but Kaki boufuu interrupted her again.
â&e uro;œHe’s expecting that! He& acirc;€™s expecting me to run in t o rescue Aniue. He’s expecting
me to lead the clan to Castle ;Arai to save Aniue. He’s ;expecting that,†snarled
Kakiboufuu. “I said earlier there were&nbs p;many reasons to keep Aniue alive. One is to
keep Noriko on his side.&nbs p; The other is to use as bait. &nb sp;He’s set a trap with the&nbs p;
expectation of the entire inuyokai clan&nbs p;coming after him. He’s prepa red for that
scenario. If I go&nbs p;alone, I take just a few or if I& nbsp;take several but not all it wonâ&e uro;™t
matter. It will just make& nbsp;things easier for him.
â&eur o;œCastle Arai is his stronghold. Ther e will be many others there, not just&nb sp;him.
There will be demons of va rious skills, there will be spiritualist of&n bsp;various orders,
and there will be Te nko or various styles. If we go, n o matter the outcome, it will
make a mockery of all of Aniue’s&nbs p;struggles to protect his clan prior to ;my arrival. I
thought I made ;it clear before that Kuromakaze is not an enemy you can take
lightly. We& nbsp;march on his stronghold we die!â€& nbsp;
“You’ve bee n to Castle Arai before?†asked L ady Kou.
Kakiboufuu turned his sea ring gaze on the elder but she remained& nbsp;unmoved. He
then reached up and&nb sp;pulled down his kimono on his right s houlder, exposing a scar
of twisted fles h. “I only breathe today because of several unpredicted elements.
Even then I failed in my purpose of&nb sp;breaching the castle and, worse, my action s
nearly facilitated an insurrection among&nb sp;the Shiro Tenko.†He pulled h is kimono
back into place.
&a circ;€œIf you know how he is going to respond-.†Once again, Naomi couldn’t finished her
thought& nbsp;before her uncle was cutting her off.&nb sp;
“I don’t ;know how he’s going to respond ! I only know that he wouldnâ&eur o;™t do this if he
didnâ€&tr ade;t have something in mind. He doesn& acirc;€™t do anything without purpose. He didn’t
take Sesshomaru ;just to appease Noriko. If that were&n bsp;the case, he would have done
it ;decades ago. It is because Iâ€&t rade;m here. He’s trying to&nb sp;lure me back into his nest
where ;he had the greatest control in order to finish me off.â€
â&eu ro;œOji-!â€
“Drop& nbsp;it, Naomi!†ordered Kakiboufuu. “This is not easy for me, either. I have lost
much to him&nb sp;already. To lose more…â&e uro; He closed his eyes as he brea thed heavily,
struggling to bring his ro iling emotions under control. â€&oelig ;This is not easy for me,†he&nbs p;
repeated in the softest of whispers. & nbsp;He then stepped around Naomi and walked& nbsp;
passed her.
“No further missions are to be conducted un til we have had time to adjust our
strategies,†he said in a clear&n bsp;voice that carried throughout the clearing.&nb sp; “Inform all
returning parti es of this and recent developments. Tom orrow night we’ll meet to
discuss our future movements. Until then&nbs p;everyone is to remain on guard around
the temple.†He walked as h e spoke, weaving slightly, and the crowd ;parted. He
came to the tree line& nbsp;as he finished speaking. He reached&nbs p;his hand toward the
trunk of an o ak in appearance of steadying himself. A light pulsed once through the
tree&nbs p;then it vanished with only small puffs ;of fine ash falling to the ground where it
had been. A hole in the&n bsp;ground was the only sign of where it had stood a second
before. He&nbs p;staggered forward and disappeared in to the shadows.
Temari blanched at the&n bsp;passive display of power. Himawari tremb led and wept
silently into her sleeve.&n bsp; Naomi growled in frustration.
Do you what you feel is right, Oji-san, she thought with venom. Iâ€&trad e;m not going to
abandon Chichiue.
--------------
Author Chat:
I do want to respond to comments made&nb sp;on my story. However, if you are&nbs p;
commenting as a guest I canâ€&tr ade;t reply directly to you. I can ;only answer what I can in
the most recent update chapter.
Aeglos: &n bsp;Thank you for all the comments, I lo ve it when people talk to me about my
work. It helps a great deal&nbs p;in motivation as well as recognizing proble ms in the
story’s presentation. I put this chapter out sooner tha n planned just so I could
address s ome of your questions.
Ch 44: Hmmm, I liked the chapter a great deal, especially the interaction between Kakiboufu u
and Sesshomaru, but I am also a bit disappointed that you did not writ e the content that you
advertised in&nbs p;the last chapter, the one revolving around& nbsp;Toromaru.
I’m sorry you were looking forward to “Ho mecoming†after “Line of ;Tyrannyâ€. I
wrote â€&oeli g;Line of Tyranny†three years ago&nbs p;and then inspiration died. Admittedly,
“Homecoming†and the next&n bsp;chapter, “Sympathy for the Devil â€, were written six
months ago.&n bsp; However, when I went to write the&n bsp;following chapter I was stuck.
That chapter would have dealt with the creat ion of Tenken. I also was trying t o
figure out how to bring up the&nb sp;subject of the phoenix, Hotaru. Nothing&n bsp;seemed to be
worthy of a chapter&aci rc;€™s attention and I was stuck. Since I’m participating in the
NaNoWriMo that is currently in progress this month, I decided to sit down and
figure out how to get the plot& nbsp;moving again. I reread “L ine of Tyranny†and thatâ€&trade ;s
when I came to the conclusion th at the time slip between “Line& nbsp;of Tyranny†and
“Ho mecoming†didn’t make sense.& nbsp; I had created a set up in the final pages that
needed to be addr essed. As a result “Homecoming †has been pushed back. It will
have its debut but not when it was originally slated. I’m&nb sp;actually happy that
figured out the m ain issue and these new chapters helped to finally place a lot of
tricky pi eces that will be important later.
;
Ch 41: Is there any significant reason for you to rename Inuyasha as Kakiboufuu? The battle did
not seem so incisive to me that Inuyasha wou ld feel his old self to have died in the course of it...
It actually is traditional f or hanyou Tenko to change their names wh en they reach a
certain point in th eir development. It usually occurs when ;their human family
members, the non-hanyou&n bsp;Tenko, have all passed on, though it ;can happen sooner.
I didnâ€&trad e;t express that very well but it wasn&a circ;€™t a spontaneous decision on Kaki boufuu’s
part. It was jus t the first opportunity to announce the change in name. He had had
such&nb sp;trouble with his powers before that he&nbs p;was originally a mere scout, not allowed&nb sp;
in major combat. After all the lonely decades of training, he was finally&nb sp;a
worthwhile warrior. He never expec ted to become Taisho, though he knew he& nbsp;could
play a serious role in the&nb sp;clan’s defense and offense now,&n bsp;which he couldn’t before.
The name change acknowledge the great&n bsp;change in his abilities that he was striving
for even if becoming Taisho&nbs p;wasn’t on his list to achieve . The name “Kakiboufuuâ€
usually goes to hanyou hikazetenko of&n bsp;the top three houses of the Tenko. & nbsp;This
custom applies only to first g eneration hanyou Tenko. While some later&nbs p;generation
hanyou may change their name,&nb sp;it isn’t as common and usual ly has special
meaning.
Ch 35 : I am throwing myself away laughing -&n bsp;you just gave a totally whacked-up but&nb sp;brilliant
explanation as to why exactly Sesshomaru's body harboured a blo ody sword...
I love your way to exp lain random little titbits of the canon within your storyline. Do y ou plan
that in advance or do you just make them up as you go?
Yeah, when I first re ad that in the manga I thought, â& euro;œWhat the hell? How did that ;
get in there and how did Totosai k now about it?†When I started&nb sp;writing the story
in 2005 it was ;before the release of the chapters that ;revealed his mother was alive
let alone about Bakusaiga. The first seventeen c hapters were written in that period
whic h was why Bakusaiga wasn’t ment ioned in any of them. However, after&nb sp;
Bakusaiga debuted in the manga I quic kly came up with that idea and waited&nb sp;for
the opportunity to reveal it. &nb sp;The remaining quirk is Sesshomaruâ€&trade ;s mother. That
detail and that de tail alone isn’t fitting. So&n bsp;in this version of tales the one tha t
appears in the manga and the anim e will be his aunt. The entire sto ry would be
upended if I tried to&n bsp;go back and change it. That is ;the only detail that won’t fit
with Rumiko-san’s vision, but& nbsp;I’m too invested in this s tory to dump it… again.
(Yes, there was a previous version that& nbsp;got trashed. I still have those ol d files on
my thumbdrive.)
An ything else discussing the ending or other&nb sp;spoil points will not be bought up. & nbsp;At
least not here. If you rea lly want to be spoiled you can go t o my deviantart account.
I have so me artwork that represents not only written&n bsp;scenes but future scenes as
well. &n bsp;Some are hastily done and very sloppy&nbs p;others are pretty good for what I can& nbsp;
do. The cover for the story I commissioned another artist to draw. M y penname for
deviantart is Black_Wren.
Glossary:
Translations:
Tsuchi:&nb sp;earth
Hi: fire
Mizu: water
Ki:&n bsp;wood
Kane: metal
Kaze: wind
Him izu: as discordant as fire and water
Hikaze: fire wind
Tenki: weather
Enzer u: angel
Hanyou: half-demon
Obi: the&nbs p;sash that is wrapped around a womanâ& euro;™s waist to hold her kimono closed .
Matte: wait!
Shoji: sliding door. ;
Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the&n bsp;outside of the buildings.
Temee: you,&nbs p;derogatory term, very insulting.
Kisama: yo u, derogatory term, more vulgar than temee&nb sp;
Ano: uh
Hai: Yes
Aniyome: elder& nbsp;brother’s wife; sister-in-law
H ime: Princess
Waka: Young lord, used for the son of a noble.
Otouto: Little brother.
Onii-(__): Big brother, general.&nb sp; Honorific added on to end, determining&nb sp;level of
respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young man .)
Aniue: Big brother, formal.
Imouto:&n bsp;Little sister.
Onee-(__): Big sister,&nbs p;general. Honorific added on to end, d etermining level of
respect of love. &nb sp;(Can also be used when addressing a y oung woman.)
Aneue: Big sister, formal.
Ojii-(__): Grandfather, general. Honorific a dded on to end, determining level of
respect of love. (Can also be used&nb sp;when addressing an elderly man.)
Obaa-(__) : Grandmother, general. Honorific added on&n bsp;to end, determining level of
respect ;of love. (Can also be used when a ddressing an elderly woman.)
Oji-(__): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to end,&nb sp;determining level of respect of
love. ; (Can also be used when addressing a&nb sp;middle-aged man.)
Oba-(__): Aunt, general. ; Honorific added on to end, determining ;level of respect of
love. (Can al so be used when addressing a middle-aged ;woman.)
Mina wa ookii aho desu: E veryone’s a big idiot.
Sumimase n: Excuse me.
Oyaji: Father, informal ma sculine.
Otou-(__): Father, general. Honorif ic added on to end, determining level of respect
or love.
Chichiue: Father, ;formal.
Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine. ;
Okaa-(__): Mother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect
or love.
Hahaue: Mother, formal Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children of cou rt nobles to their mothers.
XX-(blank): Intimate or rude address depending on usage.& nbsp;
XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly
XX-chan : Female or young boy honorific, friendly&nbs p;
XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or& nbsp;Ms.)
XX-sama: formal or very polite ;honorific, used for those of superior status or to show
great respect. (Lord or Lady)
XX-dono: more formal honorific, m ore respectful than XX-sama. Derived from&nb sp;tono
= lord.
_____________________________ _________________________________________________
Chapter 34 : The Firebird
Sesshomaru has been captured by Kuromakaze. Blindly rushing&nbs p;to his rescue will
lead to the sl aughter of the inuyokai clan. As Kakibo ufuu tries to figure out a how
to&n bsp;outwit his archenemy; Naomi risks all to& nbsp;save her father.