InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Journey of the soul: The panther devas' plot ❯ Unforeseen developments ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

As the panther devas realize Naraku's true nature, they realize that they're nothing more than pawns and devise a plan to draw Kikyo toward Naraku and have her take care of their problems. Meanwhile, Kikyo and Inuyasha are on their way to meet with Rishido, an old sage who might be able to help the miko with her youkai blood issues. As they draw closer to their destination however, Kikyo rapidly starts to weaken until Inuyasha is forced to carry her the rest of the way. What really awaits her at the old sage's dwelling however is definitively not the truth she had come in search of.

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Adventure | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 08.17.2006 | Pages: 6 | Words: 6.4K | Visits: 303 | Status: Work In Progress

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 6: Unforeseen developments

Walking briskly down a number of corridors, Toran of the ice rapidly made her way to a small and secluded room, well away from any prying ears. Sliding the door open, she entered and, without even a second glance at the three other people present, sat at her appointed place.

"How are the preparation going?" she asked simply.

"The excavation of our old master's remains is going very well. We should be finished within the week. After that, all we'll need to do is haul his body to the ceremonial ground," answered a rather imposing figure otherwise known as Shuran.

"Excellent, and how about the gathering of suitable sacrifices?" questioned Toran again.

"We've rounded up about thirty humans so far. We only need twenty more and we'll have enough. Considering the time span we have, this will be easy work," answered the fiery form of Karan.

"And what of the dogs Shunran? Are they aware of our plans?" inquired the blue-haired panther youkai, turning to the last person present.

"All of them are blissfully oblivious to what we're doing. It's as if we don't even exist to them," replied the youngest of the group smugly.

"Good, make sure it stays this way. The next full moon is still some time away and we can't revive our master before then. It's vital that the dogs do not find out we're up to something or everything will be for nothing," replied Toran firmly.

"Of course, you can leave it to me sister," answered Shunran with a mischievous smile.

"Now, regarding Naraku, has anyone been able to find out anything about him?" she questioned.

"I've sent spies to the village where the shikon jewel was being kept and they've come back with some rather interesting stories. It appears that the miko who guarded it has left in chase of a bandit named Onigumo who successfully managed to steal it from her," replied Karan.

"Interesting... and what else did they find?" urged Toran with a thoughtful frown.

"Concerning the bandit himself, very little was known. Apparently, he was a crippled man the miko was taking care of. He supposedly disappeared shortly before the theft. The one thing my spies did find however was a cave with extremely strong residual youki, so strong in fact that it kept them from approaching," answered the panther youkai.

"So the jewel is stolen by a bandit named Onigumo and shortly after, Naraku shows up and offers to lend it to us to aid us in our quest for revenge. Something does not fit in this whole picture," muttered Toran.

"Yeah, Naraku and Onigumo... it feels like there's one piece too many in this whole puzzle," grumbled Shuran.

Jerking violently in surprise, Toran whipped her head to her brother and fixed him with an intent gaze. "What did you just say?"

"Well... that I thought there was one piece too many in the puzzle... why?" answered Shuran, confusion plain on his features.

"Recombination..." murmured the blue-haired youkai in a haunted voice. "Naraku is the product of a youkai recombination!"

Silence reigned supreme in the room as the four panthers absorbed this new piece of information with more than a little apprehension. "Sister... youkai recombination will only work if the human soul is so black and rotten that it hardly exists anymore. What's more, the youkai and the human must have some degree of common feelings. Such a thing has not been accomplished successfully for centuries," replied Shunran quietly.

"The shikon jewel alone is enough of an incentive for youkai and human to align their feelings," shot back the blue-haired panther. "What's more, it would explain the cave your spies found Karan. Just because something hasn't been done in a long time does not mean it cannot happen again."

"I suppose you might be right sister... but what do we do now then?" questioned Shunran.

"Shuran and Karan, you continue on with the plan. You Shunran will take off in search of that miko and point her the right way. We'll have her take care of the pest extermination... and once she's done then we take care of her and we end up being free to use the jewel as we please," explained Toran with a malevolent smirk.

"Brilliant sister! You really are the best!" exclaimed Shuran enthusiastically.

"Yeah, just as expected from our leader!" agreed Karan.

"Enough with the useless flattery," muttered the blue-haired youkai irritably. "Does anyone has anything more to say?"

Only silence answered her question and she nodded in satisfaction. "Good then you are all dismissed. Shunran, this entire plan depends on how well you'll be guiding this miko to us. Failure is not an option is that clear?" questioned Toran firmly.

"Don't worry sister, I won't disappoint you," replied the younger panther youkai before filing out the door with the others.

Only once she was completely alone did Toran stand up, a worried frown plastering her features. "Something still feels wrong about all of this," she murmured before she too left the room.

******

Imagination has always been a double-edged gift. Used positively, it will allow someone to create the most beautiful of paintings or the most incredible of sculpture. However, used negatively, it will magnify fear, amplify unease and create false tensions. In short, a wonderful gift of creation becomes a terrible gift of destruction, especially when it is turned against its owner.

Sitting in front of the campfire in a praying position, Kikyo closed her eyes and focused solely on the heat of the flame before her, letting all of her thoughts simply fade away into nothingness and letting her tense muscles relax at last. This was one of the first exercise she had learned during her miko training. It was meant to relax the body and empty the soul, which was something she greatly needed at the moment.

Ever since Inuyasha had mentioned Rishido almost a week before, she had found her anxiety rising with each passing day. It was rather ironic that the questions she had about herself scared her just about as much as the possible answers, but the fact was there. She was deathly afraid of what she would hear from the old sage. The same questions that had haunted the back of her mind were now finding whole new meaning because they were about to be answered.

Not a minute had passed during those fateful six days when she hadn't envisioned herself sprouting claws and fangs and turning into a mindless animal. This caused her to grow increasingly paranoid as the slightest sensation that was out of place in her body caused her to anticipate the dreaded transformation.

Inuyasha had not been much help either. He had not volunteered a single piece of information concerning the old sage aside from his name. His personality as well as the circumstance that had lead the hanyou to meet with such a mysterious man remained a complete mystery, which was not helping calm her frazzled nerves in the least. Had he not visibly been struggling with demons of his own, she would have been more insistent in her prying, but as it was, just going to see the hermit seemed to take all the courage the hanyou could muster.

And so, that was why she was reduced to perform this little focusing exercise as often as their schedule permitted it, so that she could maintain some semblance of sanity. But as the days passed, she found its effectiveness diminishing, the sense of calm was harder to achieve and the peace more and more fleeting. Uncertainty was eating at her so much that she could no longer be certain she had the necessary focus to summon her powers.

Opening her eyes, she took a deep breath and let it out almost immediately in a discouraged huff. Already, her tension and anxiety were returning, chasing away the calm she had struggled so hard to achieve.

"Doesn't seem like a very effective trick to me," commented Inuyasha, making the miko jump about a foot in the air in surprise.

"If you have nothing better to say then I suggest you remain silent," shot back the miko acidly.

Snorting noncommittally, the hanyou crossed his arms behind his head and lay back down against a tree.

"Actually, I was about to ask what's been eating at you this last week, but since you take it this way."

"I believe I could ask you the same question," shot back the woman sardonically.

This time Inuyasha did laugh, though it was only for a few seconds and the sound was devoid of any joy whatsoever. "Seeing that old geezer again isn't exactly one of my fondest wish you know. The guy's a freak, not to mention a complete wacko."

"I find it hard to believe such a man could present the solution to my problem."

"Okay, maybe he's not a complete wacko... but the guy can tell some pretty unsettling things. One look from him and he'll instantly know you better than you know yourself. He can also tell your past with remarkable accuracy and predict your future. I tell you, the guy freaked me out big time when I met him five years ago."

"And what exactly did he tell you that was so unsettling?" asked Kikyo, suddenly interested.

This question earned her a considering look from the hanyou. She could see him purse his lips, visibly trying to decide if he should share this information with her or not. Finally, he seemed to decide on the first alternative because he let out a long sigh before reciting a strange verse.

"Power you will seek, love you will find. Betrayal will wound you, truth will heal you. The devil you shall meet, a soul you will save. Confused and divided, back to me you will come. So I have seen, so it shall be."

"Interesting verse. I gather it was not of your making."

Inuyasha did not even bother with answering the slight tease. He merely rolled his eyes skyward and let out an annoyed tsk at the obviousness of the statement. "This was what he said to me when I left. The funny thing was that it didn't bother me much until I actually mentioned him to you."

"And you realized everything in his prediction had come to pass."

"Yeah... that's pretty freaky, especially since he made it five years ago."

"An unsettling feat indeed... however, I doubt this was the sole reason for you to keep silent about this for an entire week," agreed Kikyo, shooting a piercing gaze at her companion.

Unsurprisingly, the hanyou was unable to meet the miko's eyes and was forced to turn away. "Keh! The rest isn't any of your business," he grumbled uncomfortably. "But how about you? Care to tell me what's been on your mind lately?"

"While I am tempted to say my worries are not really any of your concern..." she grinned slightly at the frown Inuyasha directed at her. "... I would be lying since they are at the heart of our current situation. So to make a long story short, I am slowly turning into a monster and I find this prospect more than a little unsettling."

"Keh! So now I'm a monster eh?" shot back the hanyou nonchalantly.

The unexpectedness of the retort was so great that for a few seconds, all Kikyo could do was gape stupidly at her companion. "If I thought of you as a monster, I would have killed you long ago and you know it. However, I fail to see what this has to do with anything."

Letting out a small snicker of amusement, Inuyasha crossed his arms behind his neck and leaned back against the tree trunk behind him, a very satisfied smirk plastered on his features. "And you say I don't think things through enough. Tell me Kikyo, the youkai blood that now flows in your veins... who was it that gave it to you?"

And the woman reeled back in shock as the hanyou burst out laughing.

******

Something was wrong with her. That was the conclusion she had reached when she awoke this morning. The first thing that had given her a clue was the fact that it actually took her an effort of will to wake up. The fog of sleep just wouldn't go away. At that time, she had placed the fault on their constant travel without proper time to rest, but as the day advanced and the drowsiness clung stubbornly to her, she started to really wonder what could be the matter with her.

Another thing was that some odd memories kept flashing back and forth in her mind. While vague at first, the images gradually became clearer and now, she could even remember a blurred voice that accompanied them, whispering things to her, important things she could not quite make out. Had she not been struggling as she was to keep on following Inuyasha, she might have found it a bit odd that the more scattered her mind became, the clearer those hidden memories seemed to become.

"We're almost there. All that's left is to follow this path all the way to the summit," announced the hanyou, dragging the miko out of her musing.

Kikyo followed her companion's gaze and couldn't suppress a groan. The said path was nothing more than a narrow trail that meandered randomly through the undergrowth and climbed treacherously up a steep cliff. Already having trouble keeping up with Inuyasha on even ground, she did not really fancy being forced to do it on such a steep incline, especially in her state.

"Would you like me to carry you? You've been looking rather pale today," offered the hanyou with a touch of concern.

"I will be fine, no need for concern," she refused politely yet firmly.

"Suit yourself, but you're going up first," replied Inuyasha in a tone that brooked no argument.

Kikyo merely ground her teeth and nodded, understanding the unspoken "That way, I'll notice right away if you fall". She found it mildly irritating that the hanyou didn't believe her strong enough to climb this path on her own. But then again, she couldn't really blame him for doubting what she doubted herself. Nevertheless, she was determined to overcome this obstacle by herself, her sickness be damned.

The first few minutes weren't exactly that bad. While the trail was indeed steep, the footing was even, thus allowing her to focus on keeping her nausea at bay. However, after that, the path became what could only be described as a mess of rocks and roots that marked the beginning of the end for her. Her mind growing more and more dissipated by the minute was unable to provide the focus necessary to fight off the sickness in her stomach and keep her upright. So it was that three steps into her trek, she lost her balance and collapsed to her knees, frantically sucking up air to try and keep the content of her stomach from lurching upward.

"Kikyo! Are you okay? Kikyo!"

She could hear Inuyasha's alarmed voice echoing in her head, but with each breath she took, it became more and more distant, until she could not hear him anymore. Alone in a sea of gray mist, she started to panic until she saw a ghostly shape slowly make its way to her.

"The time is close but has not yet arrived. You must hold on until then."

And with that, she was brutally hurled back into her own body. Reality crashed down on her so abruptly that her head spun for at least a minute before she could steady her vision. Instantly, she was confronted with a pair of very concerned golden orbs hovering above her face.

"Kikyo! By all the gods! What happened to you?" questioned the extremely relieved hanyou.

"I... don't know," she answered dazedly. "I... think I might have lost consciousness for a bit."

"Dammit! If you were so fucking sick, why didn't you just say so!?" he demanded gruffly.

"I did not think it was this bad," replied the woman defensively. "And besides, once we reach Rishido's dwelling, I'll be able to rest."

"Yeah, well I'm carrying you there... and I'm not taking no for an answer this time!" said the hanyou sternly.

"Very well, it will be faster this way anyway," agreed the miko.

While she helped Inuyasha transfer her share of their traveling kit to his own back, she couldn't help but think back on the odd figure she had glimpsed through the fog. It had been so familiar, like she had seen her before, but she couldn't for the life of her remember where or when.

Her train of thought was brought to a halt when the hanyou scooped her up in his arms bridal style and started bounding up the slope. The sensation of the wind rushing against her face chased away some of the fog clogging her mind, having the side-effect of chasing the topic of her musing away from her reach. Knowing it was futile to pursue this particular train of thought while they were moving, she resigned herself to simply sit back and enjoy the ride.

Well... at least that had been her original intention, but after a few rapid bounces through the undergrowth, her nausea came back in full force and pretty soon, all of her concentration became focused on the sole purpose of not loosing the content of her stomach. Fortunately for her, the ride up the path did not take long and pretty soon, they were standing in front of a small wooden hut guarded by one very particular fellow.

The stranger was wearing a navy-blue fighting haori with matching hakamas. The clothing fitting rather loosely on the individual allowed Kikyo to notice traces of a skin-tight juban made of a slightly lighter blue underneath the vest. A ninja mask and a wicked-looking katana completed the ensemble, giving the person a pretty threatening look, especially with the stance he was in.

While Kikyo took in this new arrival with more than a little wariness, Inuyasha on the other hand seemed completely unimpressed, he merely snorted in derision before addressing the stranger.

"Keh! Step aside Karura! Unless you want me to kick your sorry ass... again?"

"Karura?" thought Kikyo, realizing that she was not faced with a man, but a girl.

"Pfeh! You're no fun Inuyasha, you could have at least played along. I even took the care of getting all dressed up for you," replied the said woman while taking off her mask.

"I've got no time for games, I need to see Rishido."

"Actually... she needs to see grampa, not you," replied the woman with a pointed look. "That means we have more than enough time for the rematch you promised me five years ago."

"Inuyasha... would you mind explaining to me?" questioned Kikyo more than a little irritated.

"Last time I was here, she provoked me into a fight and I kicked her ass. She wouldn't let me go until I promised her a rematch," grumbled the hanyou.

"That's not what I was talking about," replied the miko with an irritated sigh.

"My grandfather's words are for one person and one person only to hear," answered Karura formally. "You don't like, you leave, it's as simple as that."

Slightly taken aback by the abrupt shift in language level, it took a few seconds for Kikyo to process what had just been said and gather her thoughts enough to formulate an answer. "I will see Rishido alone. However, I would greatly appreciate it if the two of you could refrain from killing each other."

"Don't worry, I'll just give her a good spanking that should keep her from sitting down for a few weeks, nothing more," replied Inuyasha with a rather feral grin.

Sighing in discouragement, the miko disentangled herself from the hanyou's arms and started for the hut on unsteady feet. When she got inside, she immediately wrinkled her nose as the overpowering scent of incense attacked her nostrils. Before her, an old man with snow-white hair and more wrinkles than she could count was sitting in front of a small cooking fire. At his left, facing away from the door was another figure, completely wrapped in a cloak, all of his features concealed by the pulled-down hood.

"Rishido-sama, I have come seeking your guidance," she greeted with a formal bow.

"Then come and sit before me," ordered the old sage gently but firmly.

Only when she had comfortably settled down did he speak again. "Many have come to me, seeking answers to their numerous questions. Some have left and died because of what I've told them and some have left feeling lighter than birds. Everyone comes to me in search of the truth and the truth is what I give them whether they are prepared or not. Are you prepared child?"

"Yes, I am," answered Kikyo in an unwavering voice.

"Then so be it. Child, look closely... for this is your truth," replied Rishido solemnly.

With a nod of assent at the cloaked figure on his right, the stranger stood up and threw back the hood of the cape. Eyes wide in both shock and horror, her mind racing to try and process what she was seeing, Kikyo was unable to do anything but stare as the figure slowly made its way to her.

"Your forgotten memories, the time has now come for you to remember them," murmured the figure.

As if a dam had just been opened, the images that had been bothering her all day long flooded back in her mind, as clear as day. Letting out a strangled gasp and clutching her head in pain, the miko collapsed forward, trying desperately not to be blown away by the maelstrom currently ravaging her soul.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed like this, sprawled on the ground and panting in exhaustion, but eventually the storm calmed down and her surroundings gradually came into focus once again. Laboriously righting herself, she glanced at the cloaked individual, her eyes filled with sudden worry.

"Did you succeed?" she asked.

"Yes, I was indeed successful."

The miko breathed a huge sigh of relief before she broke into an amused chuckle. "Amusing... even though I know it is time, I cannot help but wish it was not."

"For what it might be worth, I am not proud of what I did... nor am I proud of what I am about to do, but..."

"You have no regrets. Believe me, I know," replied Kikyo wryly.

The figure remained still for a few moments, taking in the miko's retort before nodding in assent. "Then there is no reason to drag this out much longer I suppose."

"No... there is not."

The woman watched with resigned eyes as the figure gently placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. Numbness immediately spread through her entire body, making her collapse forward into the waiting arms of the cloaked person.

"I'm sorry," whispered the stranger

And that was the last thing Kikyo heard.