InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Journey of the soul: The panther devas' plot ❯ Betrayal and confusion ( Chapter 19 )

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 18: Betrayal and confusion

 

Everything was quiet in the small cave where the group was sleeping. Their ordeal with Sesshomaru had taken a great deal out of them and they were all pretty much wiped out. Kikyo was lying on her back near the fire, her breath coming out in short and wheezy gasps due to her broken ribs. Inuyasha and the rest were all huddled around what was left of the space and snoozing blissfully.

 

After a time, however, Shunran cracked an eye open and looked around carefully, taking in everyone's scent to make sure all her companions were asleep before heading out soundlessly into the night.

 

After everything that had happened tonight, it was imperative that she report to her sister immediately. The appearance of Tessaiga was not something that was to be taken lightly and, what was more, Sesshomaru's involvement was a serious threat to their plans. Toran needed to be informed of this immediately.

 

She walked for a few minutes until she reached a spot she deemed safe and waited. A few minutes later, she felt the familiar presence of the leader of her squad materialize behind her.

 

"Is everything well?" she asked without preamble.

 

"Perfect, Shunran-sama. We await your report and orders."

 

"We've just had an encounter with Sesshomaru, lord of the west. I doubt he suspects anything of our plans, but he is likely to send spies within our borders soon. He came in search of the Tessaiga which happened to be sealed in Inuyasha's eye. He was denied, however, and, right now, the sword is in the hanyou's possession. Kikyo was wounded in the confrontation and, unless Toran-sama sends pursuit squads after us to keep us moving, we won't make it in time for the full moon."

 

"Understood, Shunran-sama. Is there anything else?"

 

"No, that will be all. Continue your surveillance and be careful not to leave any trace behind, especially now that we're in our own territory. This operation is supposed to be a secret, after all."

 

"Very well. We shall await your next report."

 

With that said, the presence behind her vanished, leaving the youkai alone with her thoughts once again. Unwittingly, she found her thoughts straying to the events of the tomb. Many things still remained unanswered. Why had the blade chosen Inuyasha? How did Kikyo know her presence would be necessary? And why had she, Shunran, spoken in favor of the hanyou and thus helped him acquire such a formidable weapon?

 

She wasn't sure herself why she had done so. She had acted on impulse. She hadn't wanted Tessaiga to fall into Sesshomaru's hands, as this would have been disastrous... but was it really any better to have it in Inuyasha's hands? Sighing deeply, she shook her head and turned around. No sense in worrying about that now, it would only make her lose her focus.

 

She started to walk back to camp, wishing to simply lie down and go to sleep; the day had been a long one, after all. However, all thoughts of rest fled her mind when she emerged from a bush and saw a shape leaning casually against a tree.

 

"Karura? What are you doing out so late?" she asked, carefully hiding her surprise.

 

"I would ask you the same question... except I already know the answer," shot back the woman levelly.

 

Shunran's blood froze in her veins and, this time, she couldn't hide her shock at all. "You... know?" she repeated numbly.

 

"Yeah, I just overheard you talking to your spy. I have to admit you're good, I didn't expect you to be able to hide this for so long."

 

"But how? We didn't feel or smell your presence at all. You can't possibly have..." stammered Shunran in complete denial.

 

"I've been trained by demon slayers. I know how to conceal my presence, even from youkai. So it was easy for me to listen in without being spotted."

 

A long and tense silence followed this declaration, broken only by Shunran's nervous fidgeting.

 

"What... happens now?" she finally asked.

 

In one swift movement, Karura drew her blade and brought it to eye-level, gazing at it dispassionately. "I should kill you, I suppose," she said absently.

 

"You suppose?" repeated the youkai incredulously.

 

"Killing you would serve no useful purpose. Whether you're a spy or not, you're our only link to Naraku and, without your help, we won't be able to sneak to him without being caught. So you're more useful alive, I guess."

 

By now, Shunran was completely bewildered. The Karura before her now was nothing like the warm and petulant human she had come to know. In fact, she looked quite the opposite right now... cold, distant... and completely disconnected.

 

"What..." she started but hesitated, unsure herself why she felt such sudden concern for Karura's wellbeing when the woman was quite obviously a threat to her plan that should be swiftly eliminated. "... Is wrong with you."

 

That was the wrong question to ask because, when Karura leveled her gaze at her, what she saw dancing in her eyes was so incredibly unbearable that it took all of Shunran's willpower not to avert her gaze.

 

"Naraku killed my grandfather right before my eyes... I can still remember the sight of him as he died in my arms, the gaping hole in his torso as I held him... I WILL kill him, Shunran! And I couldn't care less what happens afterward... just as long as he's dead!"

 

"Karura..." Shunran faltered, not knowing what to say or do and knowing even less about what the human was trying to say.

 

"When you came to us with your extravagant story I thought I could relate to you... your pain and mine... they were both similar after all. But I suppose it was naive of me to believe someone could ever sympathize with my suffering!"

 

"I..." began Shunran sadly, but trailed off as she realized there was nothing she could answer to this.

 

"You know what? I don't care anymore," announced the woman suddenly. "You keep on doing whatever the hell you want, I just don't give a damn anymore."

 

And without another word, Karura stalked away, leaving a completely baffled Shunran behind to gawk at her retreating form. For a long time, the youkai remained immobile, too stunned to even think about what had just happened. After a while however, her wounded arm started to ache and she lowered her gaze to look at it. It was no longer bandaged, but her flesh was still sickeningly red and puffy from all the poison that had been injected into it. Still, it did remind her of who it was that had saved it and of the debt she had yet to repay.

 

"What do you think, Kikyo? Will you be able to save her arm?"

 

Shunran jerked as the foggy memory resurfaced from the deep recesses of her mind, making her heart clench painfully in her chest.

 

"Karura... did you... honestly care about me?" she asked quietly and, of course, only silence answered.

 

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As she opened her eyes groggily, Kikyo took in her surroundings and instantly knew she was not in her physical body. She was sitting beneath a tree that overlooked a small pond and, not too far away from her, a small bridge crossed the water and the other side of the ridge was completely shrouded in mist.

 

"The border at the edge of life and death? Why have you called me back here?" she asked to the empty air.

 

From across the bridge, a silhouette could suddenly be seen making its way through the fog. It solidified itself into the shape of a beautiful woman wearing expensive and richly embroidered kimono. Calmly, she crossed the bridge and sat down in front of her, her features unreadable.

 

"I merely wished to talk a bit more to the woman my son has come to love so much," she said, a small blush coloring her otherwise smooth features.

 

Kikyo blinked and blushed a bit at this before averting her gaze. "Our feelings are strong... but I doubt they are as strong as you make them out to be."

 

"Really now," giggled the ghost. "Quite frankly, I believe it is you who are underrating them."

 

The blush on the miko's cheeks deepened. "B... Believe what you want," she stammered in visible embarrassment before allowing irritation to chase away her discomfort. "Have you crossed the border between life and death merely to see me blush or did you have a valid reason to do so?"

 

At this, the woman's smile evaporated and she sighed deeply. "I was wondering... if you still desired Inuyasha to become a human?"

 

"Why are you asking me this?" questioned the miko in a troubled tone.

 

"Inuyasha is who he is because he is a hanyou. If he becomes human... then he will not be the same. Is that really what you want?"

 

"I want him to be happy. And as a hanyou, he will forever be shunned by both youkai and humans. Do you believe he can be happy under those circumstances?" countered Kikyo firmly.

 

"Yes, he can... because he has you, Karura and even Shunran. He found people who accept him as he is! And that makes him happy, even if he does not show it!"

 

"Even if you say that, we're only three people... what can we possibly do against the rest of the world?" countered Kikyo, pain flashing in her eyes.

 

At this, the woman sighed and shook her head. "Giving you the answer would be pointless. You have to find it on your own."

 

The miko chuckled wryly. "You sound like somebody else I know. A stubborn and irritating woman who kept bullying me until I finally opened my eyes enough to see what was right in front of me."

 

The ghost giggled slightly at this and smiled herself in amusement at the description. "I do not fancy bullying myself... but I am not in the habit of pointing at something that people should be able to see plainly."

 

"The way things are going, I suppose I'll find out soon enough. After all, I changed so much in the past month... that I wonder if Kaede will still call me sister when she sees me again."

 

Kikyo felt her heart clench painfully in her chest at the image of her little sister turning away from her in denial. It was shattered when the hand of the woman before her squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.

 

"And how about you? Would you stop calling her sister if you found her changed beyond recognition?"

 

The miko blinked and finally shook her head, a small smile of relief creeping back onto her cheeks. "No... I suppose I wouldn't."

 

"And why is that?" questioned the ghost knowingly.

 

"Because she's my sister... and nothing will ever be able to change that."

 

"You are starting to learn Kikyo... you are most definitely starting to learn."

 

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Kikyo emerged from the mists of unconsciousness... and instantly wished she had stayed asleep. Her eyelids felt like lead, her chest pulsed with pain every time her heart beat, her muscles were sore and, to top it all off, she was both thirsty and positively starving. Her doctor's mind calmly linked this last bit of information with her current condition as her surroundings slowly began to register and she opened her eyes.

 

The first thing she noticed was the face of an unknown feline youkai looking at her from one of the taller branches of the tree she was currently propped up against. She saw his lips curl up in a cruel smile as he jerked his fingers and extended his claws. It was then that it dawned on her that if she did not do anything right now, she would be sliced neatly in half in the next few seconds.

 

Narrowing her eyes at her opponent, she shifted her vision in order to gage the strength of his aura and couldn't help but frown slightly in puzzlement. Something was off about his youki, but before she could wonder too much about this, he had jumped off his perch and was sailing through the air toward her, his intentions obvious. Hastily summoning her powers, she erected a barrier around herself just as the feline reached her. He hit her shield and energy crackled for a few seconds before he was pushed back and fell a few feet away, his hands smoking.

 

"Dammit! Where did that barrier come from!? You shouldn't be strong enough to raise one." spat the feline in frustration.

 

"You are weak. I strongly suggest you leave before I lose my patience," she said, her voice dry and raspy from lack of use.

 

"Weak!? You're one to talk when you can't even stand by yourself!"

 

As much as it pained her to admit it, Kikyo knew the youkai was right. She was already beginning to feel the strain of holding up her barrier and knew it was just a matter of minutes before she'd be forced to drop it. Dimly, she started to wonder where on earth Inuyasha and the others were, but that question was answered rather easily when she heard shouts mixed with the telltales sounds of battle coming from behind her.

 

"What's the matter, miko? Don't tell me you've lost your voice now?" taunted the youkai.

 

"Hardly. I merely find this conversation less than interesting and am not eager to continue it," she answered calmly while dropping her shield.

 

Surprised by this sudden gesture, the feline looked at her suspiciously. "What the hell are you up to?"

 

"Nothing. But since you're obviously too afraid to attack me, I fail to see the point in maintaining my barrier."

 

"WHAT!?" snapped the youkai in visible outrage.

 

"All you do is stand there and talk. If you really wanted to attack me, you would have done so by now."

 

"Why you arrogant..." growled the feline, his entire body shaking in barely controlled rage.

 

"You are being uselessly noisy. If you want to make a racket, go somewhere else. I would very much like to get some sleep," the miko yawned before settling back against the tree and closing her eyes.

 

That was the last straw holding the youkai's temper in check. With an inarticulate roar of fury, he lunged at the miko, his claws held high to better bring them down and slice her neatly in half. All lost as he was in his anger, he never noticed Kikyo's lips curving upward in a victorious smile, nor did he notice the faint glow of power gathering in her hands. The only thing he noticed was her eyes suddenly snapping open, and by that time, it was already too late.

 

In one brisk gesture, the woman had thrown her hands in front of her and sent two concentrated blasts of energy straight at him. They slammed against his chest and brought his mad dash to a screeching halt, yet when he looked down to assess the damage, not a scratch could be seen marring his skin. He smiled then, the way predators smiled when they are about to finish off their prey.

 

"Seems like you're a lot weaker than you originally let on," he bragged while slowly advancing on the now helpless woman.

 

Kikyo looked on grimly as the youkai got closer, not understanding what could have happened that her powers had been rendered so utterly ineffective. Sure, they had realigned, but the blasts she had sent should have been more than enough to absorb all of his youki and kill him. Fear began to insinuate itself in her brain when suddenly, her opponent stopped and clenched his chest in visible pain.

 

"W... What's... going... on?" he stammered through clenched teeth.

 

Eager to find this out for herself, the miko shifted and gasped at what she saw. She hadn't really had any opportunity to experiment with her powers in the last few weeks, the only thing she knew was that, when used in combination with her arrows, some sort of bubble was formed that sucked in and neutralized whatever youki it could find in its vicinity.

 

Now, pretty much the same thing was currently happening, only there was one main difference, it was happening from the inside. Her blasts had been so concentrated that they had penetrated deep in the feline's body before settling down and beginning their insidious work. The end result was that his aura was fluctuating madly as it tried to resist the pull of her neutralizing energy.

 

Before her eyes, she saw her own energy gradually darken as it absorbed more and more of the youkai's energy. By the time it turned black, Kikyo felt worry creep up her spine as her opponent's aura was still far from being completely neutralized. When they finally did dissolve away, a trickle of cold sweat had begun to trickle down her back as she realized the feline was still standing, breathing heavily, but still alive and well.

 

"Damn... bitch! What the... hell did..." began the youkai, but he never finished his sentence.

 

His eyes widened abruptly and his mouth opened up in a silent scream of agony as he fell over, dead before he even reached the ground. Kikyo let out a long breath she hadn't known she had been holding and hunched forward in relief. She instantly regretted her motion as her ribs protested and she promptly righted herself, opting to lean back against the tree instead.

 

"My blasts left holes in his aura when they dissolved away... and his body couldn't handle the stress when his youki rushed in to fill in the void," she summarized out loud, her lips curving up in an amused smile. "I wonder if this is what they call the devil's luck?"

 

Behind her, she heard the sounds of battle die out and she turned her head in an attempt to see what was going on, but the tree she was sitting against blocked her view and she definitely did not feel up to the task of pushing herself to her feet to overcome this obstacle. As it turned out, she did not have to wait very long for the familiar shapes of her friends to come loom over her. Looking up, she could see a great deal of concern as well as a bit of puzzlement marring their blood-stained faces. Unsurprisingly, it was Inuyasha who spoke first.

 

"Kikyo, what on earth happened? Are you okay?"

 

"I have not sustained any additional injuries if that is what you wanted to know. I merely had a bit of a heated discussion with this particular individual, that is all," she answered dispassionately.

 

"Some heated discussion it must have been, the guy's dead," commented Karura with a frown. "And we didn't even feel his presence," she added as an afterthought.

 

"The ones we defeated were merely scouts. This one's different, he's a shinobi," cut in Shunran, her face a mask of disapproval. "And not just any shinobi... he was part of my personal squad! What's the meaning of this?"

 

"A shinobi? You guys train ninjas?" countered Inuyasha suspiciously.

 

"What do you expect, we're panthers after all. Darkness is our main element."

 

"What else can you tell us about those shinobi of yours?" interrupted Kikyo before the argument could escalate.

 

"They're trained to avoid any sort of detection. They can control their scent and aura and are highly skilled in close combat. It's really no surprise that he was able to escape our detection. However... shinobi are elite units used for infiltration and assassination missions. It doesn't make sense that he would mix up with a bunch of scouts like that."

 

"He knew a lot about me, so I think we can safely assume that I was his target from the start. Yet... for an assassin, he was surprisingly clumsy, giving in to anger with only the slightest taunting. That is not a telltale sign of an elite unit."

 

Just then, Inuyasha, who had remained silent through most of the exchange, noticed something strange at the base of the youkai's neck. It looked like some sort of bump and could very well have been one... except it was moving.

 

"The hell's this?" he questioned, bending down to take a closer look.

 

No sooner had he done so than the dead feline's skin burst open in a shower of blood and a large spider jumped out of the gaping hole, heading straight for the hanyou's face. At the last second, Inuyasha threw himself sideways, the creature missing him by no more than an inch and landing on the ground not far behind him. It started to turn around on itself, obviously intending to attack again, but Karura's blade put a definite stop to this when she sliced it straight through the spider's torso. It twitched for a few seconds before melting away into a pool of black ooze that hissed as it dissolved into the ground.

 

"Nasty creature," she commented while cleaning her sword by wiping it on the ground.

 

"I'll say... what do you think it was?" questioned Shunran in confusion.

 

"Some sort of demonic spider that controls his victims, I believe... and there's little doubt as to exactly who sent it. However, even if I was his target, I doubt his ultimate goal was to kill me. If so, Naraku wouldn't have made him so clumsy," answered Kikyo.

 

"If not to kill you then why did he send him? We want him dead remember?" shot back Inuyasha irritably.

 

"If Naraku wanted us dead, he would have not have allowed you to heal me with your blood. No, right now, it is safe to assume we are still useful to him in some unknown way. And that panther youkai was quite probably sent to us in order to serve that purpose, whatever it was."

 

Standing a little behind everyone else, Shunran's face betrayed none of the turmoil she felt within. Based on the fact Kikyo was aware of, the youkai had to admit that the conclusion reached was flawless. However, she knew quite a bit more than the miko and, as such, she was able to reach one very different conclusion: Something did not add up.

 

Naraku had obviously gone to great lengths to infect a member of her unit. So why would he then order him to not only reveal himself, but also reveal the way in which he was being controlled? No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't see this as anything other than a mistake. After all, now that they knew he used spiders to control people and collect information, shutting off his link to the outside would become nothing more than a formality. No, something was definitely not right about all this... she just wished she knew what it was.

 

"Naraku... what on earth are you up to this time?" she thought silently, but, of course, only silence answered her.

 

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Author's note: What's this? A mistake on Naraku's part? Odd wouldn't you think? What on earth could he have been thinking anyway? More next chapter.