InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Journey of the soul: The panther devas' plot ❯ Toran of the ice ( Chapter 18 )

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

 

Special acknowledgment: Many thanks to kikyounokanashii for her amazing job on this chapter :).

 

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Chapter 17: Toran of the ice

 

Toran glanced at the board for what seemed like the thousandth time and scowled. She had lost. There was no other way to put it; Naraku had quite effectively outsmarted her at every turn. She had feigned, backtracked, attacked and defended to the best of her ability but the evil hanyou had outsmarted her.

 

"It would appear that this match has been decided, Toran-sama," said Naraku a bit too respectfully.

 

"It would seem so," replied the youkai levelly. "You seem to have elevated your level of play since our last meeting."

 

"Considering that I have little to do in this room aside from playing against myself, such a fact is less than surprising. Nonetheless, you have proven quite capable for someone who has so much on her mind."

 

At this, Toran instantly became more alert, though her outward appearance remained perfectly unchanged. What was Naraku implying with that statement? How much did he really know about the state of the outside world? She took every imaginable precaution to keep him from communicating with the world beyond his door... but somehow, all of her efforts came to nothing; information still leaked in. She contemplated what she could say that wouldn't give away too much and finally resorted to something that even a child would know.

 

"With the full moon approaching, everything must be set up perfectly. Waiting another month is unacceptable."

 

"Of course, if you kept your level of activity for another month, it is likely your enemies would grow suspicious. Though I'm sure a tribe as powerful as yours would find repelling a few... 'forceful' inquiries from your neighbors a mere walk in the park."

 

"Flattery will get you nowhere. It's true that we normally would not have anything to fear, but if rumors of the shikon jewel spread, then we would have every youkai in Japan barreling to our door in hope of stealing it from us. THAT is something I am definitely not looking forward to."

 

"That would indeed be a problem. Though if you were to use it yourself to increase your powers, Toran-sama..."

 

The panther youkai cut Naraku off sharply by emitting a low hissing sound and baring her fangs dangerously. "Any other preposterous suggestions like this one and even the birds will not want your carcass by the time I'm through with you."

 

"My apologies, Toran-sama. I merely believed that you would prefer to use the jewel yourself instead of seeing it passed to the hand of a weakling or worse, one of the dogs of the west."

 

"I will do what is required when it is required, that is all you need to know," shot back the youkai girl coolly.

 

Just then, their exchange was interrupted by a quiet knock on the door.

 

"Enter," called Toran without bothering to see if Naraku agreed.

 

The door slid open to reveal a nameless servant who bowed respectfully. "Toran-sama, your presence is required in your study."

 

"I'll be there shortly, you may leave now."

 

The servant bowed and left without uttering another word, leaving youkai and hanyou alone once again. Standing up, the panther brushed imaginary wrinkles from her clothing before turning back to her opponent.

 

"I have duties to attend to. I shall see you tomorrow night for another game. Good evening, Naraku," said the youkai sharply.

 

"Goodnight, Toran-sama," answered the hanyou with a small bow.

 

Without another word, Toran slid the door shut and stalked away angrily. Her plan was not working well at all. Naraku was proving to be a much more formidable opponent than she had originally expected. Her plan to keep him occupied and force him to make a mistake was in the process of backfiring. Right now, he was the one pushing her on the defensive... and if she ever hoped to come out on top, she was going to have to turn things around once again and fast... the problem was how.

 

"I need something completely unexpected... something that even he can't foresee," she reflected as she entered her study and sat at her desk.

 

She was still in the process of trying to figure out what could throw Naraku off when the main door opened to admit her agent linking her with Shunran. She noted rather absentmindedly that he seemed a bit more agitated than usual.

 

"Report, what is the latest news."

 

"Shunran-sama and her group have encountered Sesshomaru, Lord of the West, at the edge of our borders. Though there was no mention of our current plans, Shunran-sama fears that it's only a matter of time before the lord of the west puts two and two together and sends his spies to investigate."

 

Toran scowled at this. She knew Sesshomaru well, having been at odds with him for centuries now. He might be extremely arrogant and over-confident... but he was definitely not stupid. He would send spies, that was certain... and that meant time was now limited. If he so much as smelled anything wrong, Sesshomaru would come and ask questions... and that was something she needed to avoid at all costs.

 

"What else do you have to say?" she questioned slightly more sharply than she had intended.

 

"It seems that Kikyo was injured by Sesshomaru and that Inuyasha has procured himself a new sword," replied her agent succinctly.

 

Toran frowned in confusion. Sesshomaru was not in the habit of picking fights with a ragtag group of humans and a hanyou unless they somehow provoked him, which was highly unlikely considering that the encounter had occurred inside their own borders. And then... how on earth had this encounter managed to get Inuyasha a new sword? Something did not add up.

 

"They stole Sesshomaru's sword?" she demanded incredulously.

 

"Not exactly Toran-sama. It seems that Sesshomaru came to them in search of his father's hidden fang, the Tessaiga..."

 

"Tessaiga!? You mean the Inu no Taisho's legendary fang!? The blade that can slay a hundred youkai in a single swipe!?"

 

"It... would appear so, Toran-sama," gulped the agent nervously. "From what I was told, the sword was hidden inside Inuyasha's right eye. However, for some reason, it rejected Sesshomaru... and accepted the hanyou as its master."

 

The panther youkai didn't answer right away, she just ground her teeth in both frustration and apprehension... Tessaiga was not a weapon to be taken lightly and she knew it. However, before she could get very far in her musing, the door was suddenly thrown open to reveal a panting sentry.

 

"What is it?" she demanded sharply.

 

"I've just received a report, Toran-sama! There was a bout of unusual activity on our western borders. When our agents arrived on the scene, there was no one around, but numerous scents were picked up, one of them belonging to Sesshomaru himself."

 

Toran saw the yet unspoken words on her officer's face. And she knew exactly the words he had not yet spoken. She knew because her agent had just told her exactly what happened on their western border. The thing was that aside from the small elite force sent to give credit to Shunran's story, only five people knew the truth of her mission. With information leaking everywhere, she couldn't allow the truth to be known or Naraku would hear of it immediately. And so, she was forced to play dumb.

 

"What else?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

 

"Toran-sama... among the scents picked up on the scene of the incident were that of one hanyou, two humans... and that of Shunran-sama."

 

And there it was. Their covert operation was in danger of being uncovered by her very own underlings. She wasn't really surprised that the force she had sent to help her sister had not been detected, they were her very best shinobi and were especially trained to move silently and without trace. She couldn't very well reveal the truth to this officer... but in the end, what could she tell him. Brand Shunran a traitor? She could see from here the loud clamor of protest it would cause and what's more, she didn't want to have to kill her. No, she needed to find something reasonable, something fair that would give her sister a way out.

 

"Continue to comb the area. If you stumble upon the intruders, you have the right to dispose of them as you please. However, I want Shunran brought to me alive and, if possible, well. I have a few questions to ask her."

 

"Yes, Toran-sama," saluted the officer before sliding the door shut.

 

Silence fell on her study as the two youkai waited for the agent to get safely out of earshot. When they were sure he would not hear, the agent decided to speak up.

 

"Do you not want these people to live until they accomplish their task, Toran-sama?"

 

"If they cannot worm their way through our sentries then they will be of little use to us against Naraku. And what's more, if we do not act as we should then Inuyasha and the other humans will grow suspicious."

 

The youkai nodded in understanding. "As it turned out, Shunran-sama also requested that you send a few patrols after them to force them onward despite the miko's injury, but it seems that this issue has already been taken care of."

 

"It would appear it has," snorted Toran. "Is there anything else?"

 

"No, Toran-sama."

 

"Good, then you are dismissed."

 

The agent bowed low and exited the room, leaving Toran alone with her thoughts at last. Still, she waited a reasonable amount of time to make sure the agent was safely out of earshot and slammed her fist on the table before her. The wood bent under the impact and a cracking sound was heard, but the furniture held on.

 

"What did I do to deserve this?" she asked to the empty air, holding her face in her hands and closing her eyes.

 

And then, the memory of that fateful day replayed itself in her mind. She remembered it so vividly. The smell of the battlefield, the sounds of swords clashing, the screams of people dying, the whistling of the arrows as they cut through the air... How long ago had it been? One hundred? Two hundred years? She couldn't remember exactly... but every detail was carved in her memory never to be forgotten... for this had been the day when her tribe had suffered its most crushing defeat... and this had been the day her life changed forever.

 

--Flashback--

 

Pivoting on her left foot, Toran nimbly avoided the vicious swipe of her opponent's claws and retaliated, slicing the other youkai's gut in half with her blade and then she executed another full turn and slashed her sword horizontally across her victim's throat, separating the head from the lower body.

 

Quickly turning around, she hastily disposed of another western youkai that had the bright idea of trying to sneak up on her. Only when that new threat was safely disposed of did she allow herself to look around. Everywhere she looked, people were fighting, people were dying. The stench of blood was overpowering, it littered the ground, it covered her clothing... but they were winning.

 

The western dogs were being relentlessly pushed back. Their defenses were broken and their lines were barely holding on as it was. Nothing would rob them of their victory now, nothing. Her head snapped to attention as she noticed two more western dogs rapidly approaching her. With a snort, she raised her arm and summoned her powers, sending two deadly spikes of ice toward them. They both fell like rocks.

 

She raised her eyes and watched with great satisfaction as their front line finally pushed through the enemy and started to advance on the dogs. Inwardly, she yearned to be there, to be at the forefront and charge the dogs' headquarters and sever the head of their leader... but she was still young and inexperienced. She would need to earn the honor of being in the front line... for now, she was merely happy to be here and witness their enemy's complete and utter defeat.

 

Her feet itched to start running to the front row with their main army, but she promptly squashed that urge. She belonged to the rear guard and it was her job to prevent any stray dogs from getting too close. Ironically enough, it was that decision that saved her life because, at that moment, she saw a tall and imposing figure suddenly blocking their army's advance. She saw the light of the sun reflect on the blade of his sword and, suddenly, all hell broke loose.

 

An enormous energy wave suddenly shot forth from the blade and decimated their front ranks in the space of an instant. In front of her incredulous eyes, she saw the beam tear further through their ranks, digging a hole through the very center of their formation. And then, everything seemed to slow down as Toran abruptly realized the wave of energy was now heading straight for her. Distantly, she reflected that she should be afraid, that she should move out of the way... but her brain simply couldn't process how it was that victory, so close a second ago was now nothing but a dream.

 

But all this faded as the beam hit her. Pain. There was no other way to describe it. Searing white hot pain laced her body as she was thrown backward by the force of the blow. And then, darkness enveloped her and she knew nothing.

 

She was oblivious to what happened next as the next thing she knew, she was lying on a stretcher as their army retreated. It took her a while, but she finally managed to piece together what had happened.

 

And that was how she had managed to learn how their great leader had been defeated by Inu no Taisho. How their victorious army had been utterly crippled under foot. How they were now forced to return to their home, broken and bloodied... and shamed beyond belief.

 

Despair flooded Toran's being. She couldn't believe that a single stroke of a sword could have such disastrous results. She closed her eyes in sorrow, feeling all her hopes and dreams burn away into oblivion as she envisioned the future. Without a leader, inner conflict would arise, people would split into factions and their strength would dwindle.

 

Her eyes snapped open, horror flooding her being. She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let their power drain away through petty squabbles and inner conflict! And so, like a phoenix rising from its ashes, Toran picked herself up from her stretcher.

 

Beside her, a nameless soldier tried to stop her movement, claiming that she was still too weak to move... but she leveled him a glare that was so cold and piercing that he immediately shied away from her. Placing her feet firmly under her, she pushed herself upright and, ignoring the searing pain in her body, stood to her full height. Turning to the soldier beside her, she stared at him with the gaze of someone who expected to be obeyed.

 

"Who's in charge now?" she snapped sharply.

 

"T... The captain."

 

"Go find him and tell him I want to see him," she ordered and then, when she saw the youkai remained immobile. "NOW!"

 

She watched the underling promptly scurry away with an odd sense of satisfaction. True, she was young and lacked experience... but she knew what had to be done and she was willing to do it. Yes, from this moment on, she was not Toran the soldier anymore... she was Toran of the ice, and she was about to officially assume command of the entire panther devas tribe.

 

-- End flashback --

 

Of course, things had not been nearly as simple as that. The opposition to her claim had been extremely strong. But she was strong, she was cunning and she had an uncommon charisma. She had wormed her way up step by step. From barely a handful, her supporters grew in number until she finally attained supremacy. However, the price to pay had been high... and the power her tribe once held was nothing but a shadow of its former self. It had taken centuries to rebuild their strength... and she did not want to go through it again.

 

"I have not rebuilt this tribe from nothing to see it fall down again! Tessaiga... I will break that blasted sword! I will snap it in half and melt the pieces! This time I will not let it rob us of our victory!" she snarled quietly.

 

Taking a few deep breaths, she calmed her raging emotions and sat back down. Anger and hatred clouded judgment and she needed all her faculties if she was to find a viable solution to this spiky problem. So, first of all, Sesshomaru did not get his hands on the sword... that was a good thing. Not having heard of the sword's existence before, it was likely Inuyasha had no idea how to use it properly.

 

"Still, it doesn't necessarily mean he won't know by the time he gets here," she reflected out loud.

 

For hours, she turned the problem over and over in her head without much success. Somehow, she just knew that the solution to their problem lay somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, but it seemed the more she thought about it, the more confused she became.

 

In the end, she sighed in irritation and walked outside, hoping the calm of the evening would soothe her and offer her some sort of solution. For a while, she wandered through the quiet gardens, occasionally meeting with a sentry who immediately bowed to her. She hardly noticed though, so deep in thought as she was.

 

"Sister?"

 

The voice in itself did not register right away. However the imposing form of her younger brother barring her way did make her stop.

 

"What is it, Shuran?" she asked.

 

"That's my line. You look deeply troubled."

 

Toran did not answer right away. Instead, she turned away and looked at the starry sky in which the crescent moon shone brightly. The night's breeze caressed her face gently, bringing her no comfort whatsoever.

 

"To be a leader is not always an easy thing, Shuran. To have people look up to you and expect you to solve all their problems can sometimes be... taxing. When in doubt, it is only natural to look up to someone else for guidance... however, when you are on top of everyone then there's no one left to give you the guidance you sometimes need. You are alone."

 

"That's not true sister. Whether you're an emperor or a lowly peasant, there's always someone somewhere willing to give you guidance. All you have to do is look for him."

 

Toran watched her brother, surprised by such an unexpectedly inspirational sentence.

 

"You are being unusually wise tonight," she commented wryly.

 

"I'm not the one who came up with that quote. But nonetheless, I still think it's true and it helped me numerous times to clear up different issues."

 

"Really now, that's nice to know. And who exactly was it that gave you such sensible advice?"

 

"It was you, sister. On the very day you finally managed to reach your current position and quelled the last of the infighting."

 

Toran could only stare at her brother in surprise. She couldn't recall ever saying such words to him... but then again, the day of her ascension had been so incredibly hectic that it was a wonder she remembered any part of it at all. Still, regardless of its origin, the advice was sound... and quite frankly, she was at her wits' end. She needed help to solve their current situation... and she needed it badly.

 

"Go fetch Karan and then come to my study... I think this time, the situation is beyond my abilities to solve... and do try to be inconspicuous, the last thing we need right now are silly rumors spreading around."

 

"Of course sister. You can count on me," said Shuran before briskly walking away.

 

"Yes, silly rumors like the fact that everything is currently spiraling out of control, it really would be a problem if such a thing spread around... especially since it's true," she reflected, suppressing the urge to sigh.

 

She couldn't remember a time when she had felt more at a loss than she was now. For her to ask for her siblings' advice was proof enough of just how utterly tangled the situation had become. She needed a fresh view on this... and she hoped Karan and Shuran would be able to provide it.

 

"If not... maybe if we pray enough our problems will be magically solved."

 

As soon as the thought formed in her head, she couldn't help but let out a small chuckle of amusement at its silliness. Prayers never solved anything and she knew it. Still, it had been incongruous enough to dispel at least some of her discomfort and restore her inner calm. That was a neat little trick that her father had passed on to her.

 

"If your emotions threaten to overwhelm you, then think of something silly and stupid and laugh. It will only take a moment... and people might stare curiously at you, but that is a small price to pay to regain control of yourself."

 

She had used it countless times in the past and it had always worked. Now proved to be no different as the despair that had engulfed her a minute ago was now gone. She felt both refreshed and invigorated by her momentary lapse into humorous silliness and her mind was clear and focused once again.

 

True, the path ahead was riddled with traps, invisible holes and steep crevasses... but the path was there... all she had to do was find it. And find it she would... for she was Toran of the ice, leader of the panther devas tribe.

 

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Author's note: Well, sorry for the delay everyone but I got a little busy. Anyway I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter. More to come in a few minutes ;).