InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Journey of the soul: The panther devas' plot ❯ Growing tension ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: Most of the characters in this story are the actual work of Rumiko Takahashi. I do not own them in any way.

 

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Chapter 3: Growing tension

 

Sitting on a rock, Inuyasha watched intently as Kikyo slowly ate one of the rice balls she had packed for their trip. After half a day of traveling together, the two had yet to exchange a single word. It wasn't discomfort that created this silence, no definitively not discomfort. It was just that... he couldn't seem to find anything to say to the miko. Every time he tried to engage the woman in conversation, he found the words fleeing his mouth before he even opened it.

 

"At least it doesn't seem to bother her yet," he thought to himself glumly.

 

"Is anything the matter Inuyasha?" questioned Kikyo suddenly, making the hanyou stiffen abruptly in discomfort.

 

"N... No, it's nothing," he stammered while whirling away.

 

"Inuyasha, you know as well as I that we cannot afford to be divided if we are to prevail against Onigumo... so tell me what's on your mind," urged the miko firmly.

 

"What's on my mind... What's on my mind... what the hell am I supposed to answer? 'I can't seem to work up the courage to talk to you?' Yeah right, as if..." he reflected furiously but then his train of thoughts was brought to a screeching halt when Kikyo giggled slightly behind him.

 

"You mean that you've actually been trying to talk to me all morning and could not work up the courage to say anything? That's rather unusual for you," she said lightly.

 

"Shut up! I never said..." he exclaimed but then his eyes widened in horror. "...that aloud did I?"

 

"Yes you have," answered the woman with a small taunting smile. "So then, what was it you wanted to talk about so much Inuyasha?"

 

"If I knew that then I wouldn't have spent all morning wondering stupid!" grumbled the hanyou.

 

"A sound point, though getting angry at me is not likely to accomplish anything," agreed Kikyo while taking another bite from her rice ball.

 

"I'm not getting angry at you!" snapped Inuyasha, his cheeks beginning to color.

 

"Fine then, irritated," conceded the miko calmly.

 

"I'M NOT IRRITATED!" he yelled, finally unable to contain his anger any longer.

 

"No of course not, you're angry," countered Kikyo with a small smile of amusement.

 

"I'M NOT..." began Inuyasha but he stopped short when he realized just what was going on.

 

Taking a deep breath to calm his raging temper, the hanyou fixed the miko with a death glare so intense that it could have melted a rock. "Are you happy now that you've made me sound like an idiot?" he muttered contritely.

 

"I assure you it wasn't my intention at all," she replied rather smugly.

 

"Then what the hell was your intention!?" he demanded.

 

"Just a bit of friendly teasing that's all," admitted the woman with a frown. "What else do you think it was?"

 

"Nothing," grumbled the hanyou. "It's just that you never actually engaged anyone in 'friendly teasing' before so excuse me if I was a bit taken aback!"

 

This time it was Kikyo who found she had nothing to say at all. Inuyasha was right, she had always considered that teasing was a childish thing to do... so why on earth had she suddenly felt the urge to do something like this? What had she been trying to accomplish by teasing Inuyasha like this? And also, why on earth did she feel so... disappointed?

 

"Is this... another side-effect of the blood I ingested?" she thought, feeling suddenly a bit apprehensive.

 

"Oh, never mind that!" exclaimed the hanyou when he saw the woman's troubled expression. "Maybe you can explain to me why we're heading east."

 

"Huh?" retorted Kikyo a bit taken aback by the abrupt change of topic.

 

"Well by all logic, we should have been heading north. That's where most of the bigger villages are. If we head east, the closest village is two days away and it's even further after that," argued Inuyasha.

 

"Well, I'll admit it may sound a bit far fetched but I'm trying to throw Onigumo off," explained the miko.

 

"Throw Onigumo off?" repeated the hanyou, visibly confused. "And how exactly will heading east accomplish that?"

 

"Because he's very likely to have reasoned exactly as you have. So if we do something unexpected then he's going to want to know why," added the woman.

 

"And when he comes to ask, we beat the crap out of him," concluded Inuyasha with a satisfied smirk.

 

"That is the general idea," agreed Kikyo with a slight nod.

 

"But how can you be sure he's actually aware of what we're doing?" continued the hanyou, his grin replaced by a worried frown.

 

"Well to put things simply, we're the only two enemies he has right now. So it's only natural for him to want to keep an eye on us," answered the miko simply.

 

"Yeah, I guess so," agreed Inuyasha with an irritated growl. "I just wish I knew exactly how he can see us without us seeing him."

 

"That is something I have yet to figure out myself. But I would not worry needlessly if I were you. The answer will most likely present itself to us eventually. For the moment, let's just keep advancing and see what the future brings us," reassured Kikyo calmly.

 

For a few seconds, Inuyasha actually stared at the woman's peaceful features in disbelief. They were hunting an abomination of nature that could very well be hunting them back in return, they had no idea where he was while he was aware of their every move. They knew absolutely nothing of his powers while he knew pretty much all there was to know about them... And Kikyo still managed to sit and enjoy her meal as if all was well in the world.

 

"With an attitude like that, one thing's for sure. Whatever's coming our way definitively won't be good," he finally muttered with a small huff of annoyance.

 

And Kikyo only smiled in response.

 

******

 

Safe in an unknown location, a baboon-clad individual watched as a bee-like shape profiled itself against the window of the room he was currently occupying. Smiling slightly to himself, he rose from his sitting position and slid the frame open, thus allowing his spying insect inside.

 

"So they finally left have they?" he said with a satisfied smirk. "That's a good thing, I was starting to get tired of waiting."

 

Moving toward a round table, he carefully picked up a small box decorated with a complicated motive that was designed to seal whatever was contained within. When he snapped open the lid, there was a small spark of energy as the barrier dissolved and the imprisoned treasure was finally revealed. Glowing with an ominous purplish hue that seemed to actually absorb the light around it was a small fragment of what appeared to be glass. When Onigumo picked it up, the thing pulsed with increased malice as he stared at it with increased contempt. Shifting his attention back to the insect that was still hovering in midair he let out a low chuckle before he threw the shard toward it. The bug caught it deftly between two of its legs and flew back out the window.

 

He barely had time to slide the shutter close before his door was abruptly thrown open to reveal a woman's shape with long flowing blue hair and wearing a matching light blue fighting uniform. If one were to look closer however, he would quickly notice that this person was anything but human. The pointy ears and sharp fangs showing at the corner of her mouth proclaimed her a youkai. And not just any youkai, she was one of the four leaders of the panther devas tribe: Toran of the ice. A woman as cold as she was deadly with a cunning mind and eyes that could pierce your soul.

 

"Is there anything I can do for you Toran-sama?" questioned Onigumo in a perfectly calm voice.

 

Scanning the room rapidly, it didn't take long for her eyes to fall on the box lying open on his table. Immediately, she leveled her gaze at Onigumo and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What was that surge of youki I felt just now?" she demanded in a tone that brooked no nonsense.

 

Knowing that this particular woman was not one to be taken for a fool, the creature advanced toward the table and deposited yet another small fragment of what appeared to be glass on the polished wood. There was one key difference between this one and the one he had just given to his bee-like insect though. This one was completely transparent and did not glow at all.

 

"That was merely a small experiment of mine," answered the creature with a respectful bow. "You see, I discovered that a small crystal like this can store a certain amount of youki."

 

As he talked, an ominous red mist started flowing from him and into the crystal on the table. After a few seconds however, the object pulsed violently and dissolved into dust.

 

"But unfortunately, I have yet to discover a way to prevent the stored energy to destroy its container," he finished solemnly.

 

"And what good could that possibly do?" she questioned coldly.

 

"I'm afraid I have yet to discover a proper use for this. But once I succeed, I might have an answer to give you," he replied.

 

"Hand over the remainder of your crystals," growled the female youkai ominously.

 

"But Toran-sama..." tried to object Onigumo.

 

"Hand them over," she repeated, unsheathing her sword and pointing it at his throat.

 

"... As you wish," he finally complied, pulling out a small pouch from under his pelt.

 

Grabbing it with the tip of her weapon, the panther youkai deftly recovered the bag and placed it in one of her own pocket, frowning icily at him. "Let's make one thing very clear Naraku... I trust you about as far as my sword reaches. So the next time anyone catches you doing an unauthorized experiment... you can consider your life forfeit, regardless of whether you have the shikon jewel or not, is that understood?" she murmured in a tone so cold that the air around her seemed to frost.

 

"It will be as you command, Toran-sama," bowed Naraku respectfully.

 

"Good," snapped the female youkai before storming out.

 

Alone at last, Naraku went back to the window and opened it again to stare at the palace's courtyard extending several stories below. He gazed at the scenery in silence for a few seconds before allowing a small, satisfied smile to grace his lips. Everything was now moving more or less according to his plans. Kikyo and Inuyasha had finally started their search for him leaving a young and defenseless Kaede behind for him to pick up whenever he chose. The panther devas were planning their invasion of the western lands which conveniently happened to be where the miko resided at the moment. And last but not least, the jewel was in his possession. Yes, things definitively looked good for him right now.

 

True, not everything was going as he wanted. The fact that Inuyasha and Kikyo were currently heading east was something he had definitively not expected. The loss of his crystals was another dent in his plans, but this was only a minor annoyance as he had more or less expected them to be taken away. However, thanks to the vast amount of knowledge he had gained upon his birth, he had been able to start weaving the complex web of manipulation that would ultimately make him emerge on top of everyone else. Still, there were some annoying remnants from that good-for-nothing thief that would need to be taken care of before he could truly claim victory as his own, but all would come to him in due time. For the moment, he needed to concentrate on the next phase of his plan.

 

"Soon my dear Kikyo. Soon you will know the terror of my name," murmured the creature before closing his window.

 

******

 

Inuyasha sat across the campfire, glaring at Kikyo murderously as she chewed on the fish she herself had caught earlier. While there was nothing really wrong with this... the fact that she had absolutely refused to eat those he had caught proved to be rather irritating if not downright insulting to the hanyou who had affected great care in catching enough food for the both of them.

 

"I thought we were supposed to be a team?" muttered Inuyasha through clenched teeth.

 

"How long are you planning to drag this out? We had a slight misunderstanding, I see no reason to make such a big deal out of it," answered the miko irritably.

 

"We had a misunderstanding!?" repeated the hanyou in disbelief. "Dammit! I said I was going to get food and the minute I return, I find out that you already caught some for yourself! If anyone misunderstood here, it's you not me!"

 

"Very well then, I apologize. Does this make you feel any better?" grumbled Kikyo.

 

"That was the lamest apology I've ever heard!" snapped Inuyasha hotly.

 

"Shall I get on my knees and beg forgiveness then?" shot back the miko, her voice rising in volume.

 

"Of course not you stupid wench!" exclaimed the hanyou. "But you could at least sound as if you mean it!"

 

"Fine then! I shall be the one to catch our food for the next two weeks, is that apology enough for you!?" snapped the woman hotly.

 

"Like hell I'll let you catch me anything!" barked back Inuyasha. "You can get your own damn food from now on! I'm not fetching you anything!"

 

"Fine!" spat Kikyo venomously.

 

With that said, the miko rose to her feet started gathering her stuff.

 

"Where the fuck do you think you're going!?" asked the irritated hanyou.

 

"To the river... I need a bath!" exclaimed Kikyo sharply before storming through the trees.

 

Inuyasha stared at the trees for a few seconds before letting out an irritated "Keh" and snatching the nearest fish from its cooking stick. He immediately started biting into it, hoping that the taste would somehow wash away the bitterness that had invaded his mouth. Of course, it didn't work at all, the food tasted like ashes and it was only sheer stubbornness that prevented him from just throwing the fish out into the forest.

 

Minutes passed and Inuyasha kept eating, his anger gradually cooling down toward irritation and finally settling to simple annoyance. In truth, he wasn't really angry at Kikyo, he was hurt. She had been the one to say they must be united if they were to prevail against Onigumo and yet, she hadn't even trusted him to bring her a meal. What's more, every time they talked to each other, the blasted woman always seemed to find a way to make him sound like a conceited idiot. And she had the audacity of actually calling it 'friendly bickering'. Somehow, he had the distinct feeling she was testing him in some unfathomable way that only women could understand. The only problem was that he had absolutely no idea what she could be testing him for. If he did, then maybe things would go a bit more smoothly between them. The way things were now, Onigumo might kill them both while they were arguing over who would attack first.

 

"Keh! Friendly bickering! Goddamn wench, go and take your damn bath and see if I care!" he muttered, giving up on the topic for the moment and reaching for yet another fish.

 

He blinked in surprise however when he realized that there were no more. Huffing in annoyance, he flopped down on his back and watched the crescent moon shine peacefully in the sky above him.

 

"Damn! Only a few more days before the night of the new moon," he thought grimly. "If I was a full-blooded youkai then I wouldn't need to worry about that."

 

His train of thought was brought to a halt when a twig snapped a short distance away. Instantly, the hanyou was on his feet, ready to leap at the slightest sign of danger. He relaxed however when his nose picked out the scent of Kikyo about a second before her shape outlined itself against the darkness of the surrounding forest.

 

"You look just about ready to bite someone's head off," observed the miko when she noticed his rather peculiar stance.

 

"Better to bite someone's head off than to get yours bitten," shot back the hanyou.

 

"And a too-tense bowstring will snap the moment you try to use it," countered Kikyo with a small grin.

 

"Oh knock it off with the damn lecture!" snapped Inuyasha irritably. "It's your own damn fault for making a twig snap in the first place."

 

"I was not aware that I needed to conceal my presence from you," replied the woman in her ever taunting smile.

 

There was a second of silence during which Inuyasha contemplated how exactly to reply to this last retort, but then he realized that whatever he would say would again found itself twisted and turned by the woman in front of him.

 

"Keh! This conversation is pointless. I'm going to sleep. At least this way, I won't be a 'too-tense bowstring'," he said sourly before jumping into the nearest tree.

 

Alone on the ground, Kikyo was left with nothing better to do than follow her companion's example. So she took out her blanket, spread it on the ground and wrapped herself in it. Before she closed her eyes though, she cast one last look at the branch where Inuyasha had just settled with mixed feelings. One one part, she felt regretful at having been so mean to the hanyou for no better reason than she had been unable to keep herself from doing it. And then, there was again that odd feeling of disappointment that was always present during their numerous arguments.

 

This last she couldn't understand at all. She knew it had to come from the youkai blood in her, there wasn't really any other options after all. But that was about as far as she could get in her reasoning. She couldn't see the point in constantly teasing Inuyasha like that, but she couldn't help herself. Something was driving her... and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

 

"I just wish I knew what I'm unconsciously trying to accomplish," she thought to herself.

 

But then, she let out a heavy sigh and closed her eyes. They had a big day ahead tomorrow and worrying over things she could not change would only rob her of her much-needed sleep. So she pushed these thought out of her head and relaxed as best as she could. Minutes later, she was asleep.

 

******

 

In another part of the forest, a bee-like insect flew through the trees, following a path only it seemed to see. It twisted and turned like this until it arrived at the entrance of a cave. Not hesitating for even a second, the bug entered it and quickly found what it was looking for. There, sleeping fitfully on the ground was an enormous snake-like youkai.

 

Sensing the unfamiliar presence, the creature opened his eyes and looked above him. He blinked in surprise when he saw his visitor.

 

"What do you want?" questioned the youkai, irritated to have been disturbed.

 

Of course, the bee was unable to actually speak so it merely remained hovering in the air a short distance away.

 

"If you have nothing to say to me then leave!" hissed the serpent again.

 

The bug did not move by an inch.

 

"Stupid insect, I told you to get lost!" rumbled the youkai, anger beginning to show on his features.

 

Again, the bee remained stationary.

 

Finally having enough of this little game, the snake lifted his tail and swung it toward the offender. This at last got the bug to move, though not exactly as the youkai would have expected. With surprising speed, the bee avoided the blow aimed its way and hurled itself at the youkai's forehead. Before it could react, it pressed the crystal it was carrying between the serpent's eyes and the object almost instantly sank into its skin.

 

There was a pulse of energy and the youkai suddenly howled in agony. Violent convulsions started to animate his body as he rapidly morphed into something else. His size rapidly started to increase, his skin began to harden, his fangs started elongating. His voice too changed, lowering in pitch and becoming colder than it was before.

 

The process lasted for quite some time, but eventually, the youkai settled down, panting in visible exhaustion. After a few minutes of rest, the creature slowly started to rise from its lying position only to find the cave too small to allow him such a gesture. Not deterred by this minor detail at all, the youkai merely struggled harder against the obstacle until the very rock started giving way under his push. Minutes later the entire ceiling collapsed to the ground, revealing the cloudless sky.

 

Finally able to rise to his full height, the youkai began to laugh. It was a low grating sound, filled with madness that echoed through the night and froze the blood of all those who heard it. Animals hid in their dens, birds flew away, insects grew silent, in short the very forest seemed to suddenly hold its breath in answer to the new malice that had just emerged from the remains of the cave.

 

"Yessssss," hissed the serpent madly. "Fear me! Fear me!!!!! Tremble before me for I will kill you all!!!!!"

 

And once again, the creature exploded into a fit of insane laughter, totally ignoring the bee-like shape that flew away into the darkness of the night, ready to execute the next phase of Naraku's plan.