InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Remnants of the Spider ❯ The Game Begins ( Chapter 2 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Lady Sianna 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 09.04.2009 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.6K | Visits: 411 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 09.04.2009 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.6K | Visits: 411 | Status: Work In Progress
Remnants of the Spider
The Game Begins
________________________________________________________________ ________
“Are you able to stand?”
“I am very weak… and I’ve lost a lot of blood… I do not believe I can manage on my own.”
“Here,” said Izanami. “Allow me to help you up.”
But before the young priestess could move to assist the injured male, Akira grabbed her by the arm causing the miko to start slightly. “Forgive my discourtesy,” she said hastily to no one in particular before she pulled Izanami away. The priestess stumbled after her and was pulled a short distance from the stranger.
“Forgive me Lady Iza,” Akira began in a hushed voice. “but you do not know this man. He could be dangerous. Are you certain it is wise to aid him?”
“Akira, he has been brutally injured! He will die if his injuries are not properly tended.”
“But My Lady, it is not your responsibility to care for him. He is a complete stranger to you. Besides, you cannot bring him to the castle; your father surely will not approve.”
At that, Izanami’s expression turned thoughtful. “You are right, Father will not approve.” her voice was quiet and reflective. The priestess rubbed her chin pensively for a few moments before a solution surfaced in her mind. “I know!” she announced suddenly. “There is a range of mountains to the east of here. I believe there are caves there as well. We shall take him there and tend to his wounds.” Falling into silence after her declaration the miko thought over her plan. She would like to have provided better shelter for the poor fellow, but she supposed it could not be helped.
“But Lady Iza, that is not what…”
“Silence Akira!” the miko ordered more severely than she had intended. Allowing her voice to soften she continued, “You well know that I cannot abandon him! It is against my very nature to turn away from someone who is in trouble. Now please help me move him; I cannot do it on my own.” A moment of silence passed between them, and seeing the uncertainty in Akira’s eyes, Izanami gave her an uncompromising look. “Come,” she announced sternly before turning on her heel and heading back to the injured man.
Sighing, Akira’s shoulders slumped in defeat before she turned and she followed her lady back.
Izanami immediately began issuing her orders and the man was carefully lifted from the ground. Between the two powerful women Naraku’s weight was supported easily and the women followed Izanami to the mountains.
The small group traveled mostly in silence with only the occasional hiss or whimper of pain that emitted from the injured man. Passing through wooded areas and then a small village, the women eventually arrived in a spacious glade from which the mountains they sought came into view. Soon enough, they had located a suitable cave in which to house the injured Naraku.
Upon their arrival, Izanami sent Mai on a search for medicinal herbs while Akira collected moss and grass which could be used as a temporary bedding. While she waited for the women to return, Izanami turned her attention to Naraku’s injuries. It would be difficult working in the dark, but fortunately the sky was clear allowing streams of moonlight to pour into their selected cave.
She quickly noted that his haori was tattered with few areas which were not covered in blood and dirt. Instinctively reaching forward to begin a more thorough assessment, the miko paused her eye seeking his in the dark. A faint blush bled into her cheeks when she realized that she would need to remove at least some of his clothing.
“Forgive me Naraku-San, but I will have to remove your haori.”
Weakly nodding his understanding, Naraku assisted as much as he could in removing the blood-soaked clothing. As it was pulled away, Izanami absently noted the high quality of his attire. She briefly wondered why a man of such apparent affluence was traveling alone at such a late hour.
Once the silken outer robe was removed and cast aside, she was able to see that he also wore a white under kimono which was significantly cleaner, and somewhat less damaged. It was stained in places but the sleeves were relatively undamaged and could be torn into strips to bandage his wounds.
With a series of soft hisses and light groans the final layer was cautiously peeled away and Naraku fell heavily to the cave floor. Izanami winced in sympathy for his pain. “I am sorry Naraku-San. I hope I am not aggravating your pain too badly.”
“No… no need to apologize… you are too kind to lend me your aid.”
A gentle smile settled on Izanami’s lips before she focused on her work. “I will have to shred your under kimono.” she informed, compassion shining in her emerald eyes.
Naraku nodded his agreement, and Izanami quickly set to the task. She tore the kimono into several strips discarding the ones that were covered in blood and placing the clean ones across her lap. When she was finally finished, she reached for the small vessel of water which she was in the habit of carrying about the waist of her hakama. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do for now.
Being mindful of her limited water supply, Izanami moistened a strip of cloth and began cleaning his wounds. Some of the blood had dried making it difficult to remove completely but she did the best she could. The most severe of the wounds was a deep gash across his stomach. It was long and deep and it pained her to even look at it. After she had been working for several moments, Mai returned. Akira returned a short time later, and placed the bedding material a short distance from Naraku‘s prone body. Izanami took the herbs from Mai, and did what she could to disinfect the wounds. When she was finished, she wrapped his midsection, and left shoulder with the remaining strips of cloth. When she was finally satisfied that she had done all she could, she had Mai, and Akira help her place Naraku on the makeshift futon.
“Lady Iza,” Mai spoke up, “if we do not return to the castle soon, your father will begin to worry.”
“I know Mai. You and Akira wait outside, I shall join you momentarily.”
The women exchanged a look before reluctantly retreating to the outside of the cave.
Kneeling to Naraku’s side, she carefully brushed several stray hairs away from his eyes. “Naraku-San, my apologies, but I must leave you for now. I will return in the morning to redress your wounds and bring you food and water. Will you be all right here alone?”
Dark lashes fluttered opened, and Naraku focused his attention on Izanami. “I believe I will be all right for the night. But are you certain you will return in the morning?”
Izanami smiled reassuringly. “Yes, I am certain. Good evening to you Naraku-San. I shall see you in the morning.” With that, she slowly rose to her feet and made her way out of the cave. She gave the man one last look over her shoulder, and found that he had already fallen asleep. She smiled contently, and left the cave.
Exiting the cave, the priestess looked to her friends and guardians before giving a quick nod. “Let us be off.” she said quietly. With that, Akira took the lead, while Izanami walked behind her and as usual, Mai followed behind. For several paces the women traveled in silence. When they were far enough away from the cave, Akira was the first to speak. “My Lady,” she began, striving to sound casual, “Did I hear you tell that man that you would return in the morning?”
Izanami’s eyes widened slightly, but she attempted to keep any signs of uncertainty from her voice when she spoke. “Not that you should have been listening, but yes I did. His wounds are far from healed, and he will require additional treatment and nourishment.”
Having known the young priestess all of her life, Akira was well aware that it would be difficult to deter Izanami from the course of action she had decided upon. Still, she was uncertain if it was wise to continue to assist this stranger. Having seen his wounds, the hanyou had become very suspicious of him. Something about them did not seem right and if she had to guess, she would have said that they were self inflicted. Why would someone do such a thing? All in all, she simply did not trust this Naraku and she certainly did not wish for Izanami to spend more time in his presence.
“What of your father?” the hanyou asked suddenly.
“Yes,” Mai chimed in. “your father will certainly not approve of you…”
“My father will not know of this. It is not necessary for him to know what I am doing at all times.” Then raising her nose in the air Izanami added “Besides, I’m an adult now, and he cannot tell me what to do anymore.”
Mai resisted the urge to laugh. “Ah, what shall we tell him then?”
Giving a few moments of thought to the cat demon’s words, Izanami finally said. “It may not be necessary to tell him anything. He well knows that I have been working in the village these past few weeks.”
“Hn,” Akira snorted quietly and the women fell into silence again, their measured steps taking them home.
Back at the cave a wicked smile formed on Naraku’s lips. The seeds had been sown at last. He had spent the last several months seeking information, regarding a long forgotten legend; the legend of The Red Dragon, a creature that was said to possess unimaginable power.
At long last, he finally managed to locate the Tokushima clan. According to the information he had obtained, Tokushima Izumi, a human priestess, had the dragon sealed away centuries ago. Its location a secret to this day. If his sources were correct, Lady Izanami, was a direct descendant of that very priestess. If anyone could reveal to him the secret of the dragon’s location, it was her. In addition, she would likely have access to the amulet that would grant him exclusive control over the creature.
The young woman seemed to have a very caring heart and more importantly, she seemed to be very trusting. ‘How very fortuitous.’ His smile broadened slightly. It would likely be easier than he had anticipated convincing the woman to reveal the location of both the amulet, and the dragon. If there was anything he, Naraku was good at, it was manipulation. Anyone else would have simply taken the woman prisoner, and held her ransom forcing her family into giving him what he desired. Naraku however, had always taken a great deal of pleasure in watching others do exactly what he wished of them, especially when they did not even realize it.
Over the years Naraku had created many incarnations, many of whom tended to be prone disloyalty and none of them had possessed the power necessary to put an end to his enemies. They were useless, every single one of them! Naraku’s eyes narrowed angrily.
But, with the dragon under his control he would be utterly unstoppable. He would exact his revenge upon his enemies and destroy any who dared to appose him. Now he had finally found her; Lady Izanami,bhis key to ultimate power. It was only a matter of time...
_______________________________________________________________ _________
Settling in for the night Izanami sighed in content, a small smile forming on her lips. Fortunately, she had not run into her father upon her return to the castle. She would prefer not to lie to him if she could avoid it.
Her eyes drifting closed, the image of Naraku surfaced into her mind. He was rather handsome, she noted with a twinge of guilty pleasure. Having tended his injuries she had been gifted with the opportunity to see his bare chest and powerful arms. The memory caused a light blush to color her cheeks.
It wasn’t that she had never dressed a wound before, it was simply that she typically cared for women and children. Her father deemed it improper for her to do such things for a man so she’d never had a chance to do something like that before.
That night, sleep would not come easy for young Izanami. She was unusually impatient for the morning to come. ‘Sleep well Naraku-San. I shall return to you in the morning.’
______________________________________________________________________
In a small clearing, the first rays of sunlight were trickling through the surrounding trees. Cool and crisp, the morning air plaited the trees causing their branches to sway and dance. All was quiet, and calm, and peaceful and…
“Enough sleep already! Time to wake up!” groused an irate hanyou. “In case you haven’t noticed, Naraku’s still on the loose and we need to find him!”
Kagome rubbed her eyes sleepily reluctantly pulled herself to a sitting position. “Keep your shirt on there hasn’t been any sign of Naraku in months.”
“Keh! That just means the bastard’s up to something. The quicker we find him the better!”
Rubbing the back of his neck the monk sat up. “I hate to admit it, but Inuyasha is probably right. The last time Naraku vanished for such a long period of time, he was creating a stronger body for himself.”
“Course I’m right! If it weren’t for you humans stopping to rest all the time, I could have found him ages ago!”
“Yes, us pathetic humans are always holding you back.” Sango grumbled sarcastically.
“Humph! Just hurry it up already! We’ve got a lot of ground to cover today.”
The hanyou’s orders were followed by a series of moans and groans as the little group tore themselves from the relative comfort of their respective beddings. Sango helped Kagome prepare a quick breakfast of Ramen, and the group had their morning meal.
Soon after, they broke down their small camp and headed east. There had been rumors that Naraku’s newest castle was somewhere in the eastern province. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was all they had.
They had traveled for nearly half the morning before they were visited by a long absent acquaintance.
SMACK!!
Inuyasha slapped the side of his neck hard and immediately pulled it away to determine what had bitten him. A small flattened form immediately popped back into its previous three dimensional shape.
“So it’s you again Myoga. Long time no see.” the hanyou bit out sarcastically.
The flea found his barring and executed a low bow. “Lord Inuyasha, I bring you word on Naraku. My sources tell me that there is a powerful miasma approximately two days travel from here. I believe it is Naraku’s newest castle.”
________________________________________________________ ________________
The Game Begins
________________________________________________________________ ________
“Are you able to stand?”
“I am very weak… and I’ve lost a lot of blood… I do not believe I can manage on my own.”
“Here,” said Izanami. “Allow me to help you up.”
But before the young priestess could move to assist the injured male, Akira grabbed her by the arm causing the miko to start slightly. “Forgive my discourtesy,” she said hastily to no one in particular before she pulled Izanami away. The priestess stumbled after her and was pulled a short distance from the stranger.
“Forgive me Lady Iza,” Akira began in a hushed voice. “but you do not know this man. He could be dangerous. Are you certain it is wise to aid him?”
“Akira, he has been brutally injured! He will die if his injuries are not properly tended.”
“But My Lady, it is not your responsibility to care for him. He is a complete stranger to you. Besides, you cannot bring him to the castle; your father surely will not approve.”
At that, Izanami’s expression turned thoughtful. “You are right, Father will not approve.” her voice was quiet and reflective. The priestess rubbed her chin pensively for a few moments before a solution surfaced in her mind. “I know!” she announced suddenly. “There is a range of mountains to the east of here. I believe there are caves there as well. We shall take him there and tend to his wounds.” Falling into silence after her declaration the miko thought over her plan. She would like to have provided better shelter for the poor fellow, but she supposed it could not be helped.
“But Lady Iza, that is not what…”
“Silence Akira!” the miko ordered more severely than she had intended. Allowing her voice to soften she continued, “You well know that I cannot abandon him! It is against my very nature to turn away from someone who is in trouble. Now please help me move him; I cannot do it on my own.” A moment of silence passed between them, and seeing the uncertainty in Akira’s eyes, Izanami gave her an uncompromising look. “Come,” she announced sternly before turning on her heel and heading back to the injured man.
Sighing, Akira’s shoulders slumped in defeat before she turned and she followed her lady back.
Izanami immediately began issuing her orders and the man was carefully lifted from the ground. Between the two powerful women Naraku’s weight was supported easily and the women followed Izanami to the mountains.
The small group traveled mostly in silence with only the occasional hiss or whimper of pain that emitted from the injured man. Passing through wooded areas and then a small village, the women eventually arrived in a spacious glade from which the mountains they sought came into view. Soon enough, they had located a suitable cave in which to house the injured Naraku.
Upon their arrival, Izanami sent Mai on a search for medicinal herbs while Akira collected moss and grass which could be used as a temporary bedding. While she waited for the women to return, Izanami turned her attention to Naraku’s injuries. It would be difficult working in the dark, but fortunately the sky was clear allowing streams of moonlight to pour into their selected cave.
She quickly noted that his haori was tattered with few areas which were not covered in blood and dirt. Instinctively reaching forward to begin a more thorough assessment, the miko paused her eye seeking his in the dark. A faint blush bled into her cheeks when she realized that she would need to remove at least some of his clothing.
“Forgive me Naraku-San, but I will have to remove your haori.”
Weakly nodding his understanding, Naraku assisted as much as he could in removing the blood-soaked clothing. As it was pulled away, Izanami absently noted the high quality of his attire. She briefly wondered why a man of such apparent affluence was traveling alone at such a late hour.
Once the silken outer robe was removed and cast aside, she was able to see that he also wore a white under kimono which was significantly cleaner, and somewhat less damaged. It was stained in places but the sleeves were relatively undamaged and could be torn into strips to bandage his wounds.
With a series of soft hisses and light groans the final layer was cautiously peeled away and Naraku fell heavily to the cave floor. Izanami winced in sympathy for his pain. “I am sorry Naraku-San. I hope I am not aggravating your pain too badly.”
“No… no need to apologize… you are too kind to lend me your aid.”
A gentle smile settled on Izanami’s lips before she focused on her work. “I will have to shred your under kimono.” she informed, compassion shining in her emerald eyes.
Naraku nodded his agreement, and Izanami quickly set to the task. She tore the kimono into several strips discarding the ones that were covered in blood and placing the clean ones across her lap. When she was finally finished, she reached for the small vessel of water which she was in the habit of carrying about the waist of her hakama. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do for now.
Being mindful of her limited water supply, Izanami moistened a strip of cloth and began cleaning his wounds. Some of the blood had dried making it difficult to remove completely but she did the best she could. The most severe of the wounds was a deep gash across his stomach. It was long and deep and it pained her to even look at it. After she had been working for several moments, Mai returned. Akira returned a short time later, and placed the bedding material a short distance from Naraku‘s prone body. Izanami took the herbs from Mai, and did what she could to disinfect the wounds. When she was finished, she wrapped his midsection, and left shoulder with the remaining strips of cloth. When she was finally satisfied that she had done all she could, she had Mai, and Akira help her place Naraku on the makeshift futon.
“Lady Iza,” Mai spoke up, “if we do not return to the castle soon, your father will begin to worry.”
“I know Mai. You and Akira wait outside, I shall join you momentarily.”
The women exchanged a look before reluctantly retreating to the outside of the cave.
Kneeling to Naraku’s side, she carefully brushed several stray hairs away from his eyes. “Naraku-San, my apologies, but I must leave you for now. I will return in the morning to redress your wounds and bring you food and water. Will you be all right here alone?”
Dark lashes fluttered opened, and Naraku focused his attention on Izanami. “I believe I will be all right for the night. But are you certain you will return in the morning?”
Izanami smiled reassuringly. “Yes, I am certain. Good evening to you Naraku-San. I shall see you in the morning.” With that, she slowly rose to her feet and made her way out of the cave. She gave the man one last look over her shoulder, and found that he had already fallen asleep. She smiled contently, and left the cave.
Exiting the cave, the priestess looked to her friends and guardians before giving a quick nod. “Let us be off.” she said quietly. With that, Akira took the lead, while Izanami walked behind her and as usual, Mai followed behind. For several paces the women traveled in silence. When they were far enough away from the cave, Akira was the first to speak. “My Lady,” she began, striving to sound casual, “Did I hear you tell that man that you would return in the morning?”
Izanami’s eyes widened slightly, but she attempted to keep any signs of uncertainty from her voice when she spoke. “Not that you should have been listening, but yes I did. His wounds are far from healed, and he will require additional treatment and nourishment.”
Having known the young priestess all of her life, Akira was well aware that it would be difficult to deter Izanami from the course of action she had decided upon. Still, she was uncertain if it was wise to continue to assist this stranger. Having seen his wounds, the hanyou had become very suspicious of him. Something about them did not seem right and if she had to guess, she would have said that they were self inflicted. Why would someone do such a thing? All in all, she simply did not trust this Naraku and she certainly did not wish for Izanami to spend more time in his presence.
“What of your father?” the hanyou asked suddenly.
“Yes,” Mai chimed in. “your father will certainly not approve of you…”
“My father will not know of this. It is not necessary for him to know what I am doing at all times.” Then raising her nose in the air Izanami added “Besides, I’m an adult now, and he cannot tell me what to do anymore.”
Mai resisted the urge to laugh. “Ah, what shall we tell him then?”
Giving a few moments of thought to the cat demon’s words, Izanami finally said. “It may not be necessary to tell him anything. He well knows that I have been working in the village these past few weeks.”
“Hn,” Akira snorted quietly and the women fell into silence again, their measured steps taking them home.
Back at the cave a wicked smile formed on Naraku’s lips. The seeds had been sown at last. He had spent the last several months seeking information, regarding a long forgotten legend; the legend of The Red Dragon, a creature that was said to possess unimaginable power.
At long last, he finally managed to locate the Tokushima clan. According to the information he had obtained, Tokushima Izumi, a human priestess, had the dragon sealed away centuries ago. Its location a secret to this day. If his sources were correct, Lady Izanami, was a direct descendant of that very priestess. If anyone could reveal to him the secret of the dragon’s location, it was her. In addition, she would likely have access to the amulet that would grant him exclusive control over the creature.
The young woman seemed to have a very caring heart and more importantly, she seemed to be very trusting. ‘How very fortuitous.’ His smile broadened slightly. It would likely be easier than he had anticipated convincing the woman to reveal the location of both the amulet, and the dragon. If there was anything he, Naraku was good at, it was manipulation. Anyone else would have simply taken the woman prisoner, and held her ransom forcing her family into giving him what he desired. Naraku however, had always taken a great deal of pleasure in watching others do exactly what he wished of them, especially when they did not even realize it.
Over the years Naraku had created many incarnations, many of whom tended to be prone disloyalty and none of them had possessed the power necessary to put an end to his enemies. They were useless, every single one of them! Naraku’s eyes narrowed angrily.
But, with the dragon under his control he would be utterly unstoppable. He would exact his revenge upon his enemies and destroy any who dared to appose him. Now he had finally found her; Lady Izanami,bhis key to ultimate power. It was only a matter of time...
_______________________________________________________________ _________
Settling in for the night Izanami sighed in content, a small smile forming on her lips. Fortunately, she had not run into her father upon her return to the castle. She would prefer not to lie to him if she could avoid it.
Her eyes drifting closed, the image of Naraku surfaced into her mind. He was rather handsome, she noted with a twinge of guilty pleasure. Having tended his injuries she had been gifted with the opportunity to see his bare chest and powerful arms. The memory caused a light blush to color her cheeks.
It wasn’t that she had never dressed a wound before, it was simply that she typically cared for women and children. Her father deemed it improper for her to do such things for a man so she’d never had a chance to do something like that before.
That night, sleep would not come easy for young Izanami. She was unusually impatient for the morning to come. ‘Sleep well Naraku-San. I shall return to you in the morning.’
______________________________________________________________________
In a small clearing, the first rays of sunlight were trickling through the surrounding trees. Cool and crisp, the morning air plaited the trees causing their branches to sway and dance. All was quiet, and calm, and peaceful and…
“Enough sleep already! Time to wake up!” groused an irate hanyou. “In case you haven’t noticed, Naraku’s still on the loose and we need to find him!”
Kagome rubbed her eyes sleepily reluctantly pulled herself to a sitting position. “Keep your shirt on there hasn’t been any sign of Naraku in months.”
“Keh! That just means the bastard’s up to something. The quicker we find him the better!”
Rubbing the back of his neck the monk sat up. “I hate to admit it, but Inuyasha is probably right. The last time Naraku vanished for such a long period of time, he was creating a stronger body for himself.”
“Course I’m right! If it weren’t for you humans stopping to rest all the time, I could have found him ages ago!”
“Yes, us pathetic humans are always holding you back.” Sango grumbled sarcastically.
“Humph! Just hurry it up already! We’ve got a lot of ground to cover today.”
The hanyou’s orders were followed by a series of moans and groans as the little group tore themselves from the relative comfort of their respective beddings. Sango helped Kagome prepare a quick breakfast of Ramen, and the group had their morning meal.
Soon after, they broke down their small camp and headed east. There had been rumors that Naraku’s newest castle was somewhere in the eastern province. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was all they had.
They had traveled for nearly half the morning before they were visited by a long absent acquaintance.
SMACK!!
Inuyasha slapped the side of his neck hard and immediately pulled it away to determine what had bitten him. A small flattened form immediately popped back into its previous three dimensional shape.
“So it’s you again Myoga. Long time no see.” the hanyou bit out sarcastically.
The flea found his barring and executed a low bow. “Lord Inuyasha, I bring you word on Naraku. My sources tell me that there is a powerful miasma approximately two days travel from here. I believe it is Naraku’s newest castle.”
________________________________________________________ ________________