InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Seven Feudal Fairy Tales ❯ Kintaro and Monkey ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi and other associated companies.

 

 

Chapter Four: Kintaro and Monkey

 

 

“Kintaro, I've caught you.”

 

A sword clanged to the ground.

 

“Hn.”

 

“Where have you been? I missed you. I've been looking everywhere for you. I'm tired of this game,” the rough voice went on plaintively.

 

`I missed you?' Kagome wondered wordlessly, the doleful tone of the beast enticing her to peek, `Game? What game?' Hesitantly, she finally looked up, not sure what carnage would greet her. Perhaps it would be the bloody, charred smear of a bear or a flattened demon lord, but it would almost definitely not be the relatively loving scene that awaited her.

 

Reared on its thick haunches, the huge animal sat with its heavy paws draped gently around the rather diminutive daiyoukai. Less than pleased, Sesshoumaru was not receiving the embrace without objection. After dropping Tokijin, his now freed hand gripped the bear's throat fiercely and a glowing vapor began to melt from his claws. As they dispersed, the noxious fumes caught in Kagome's throat and her body shook with wracking coughs. However, despite the potent effect it had on the youkai lord's companion, the poison did little to curb the bear's affections as it stooped its head to nuzzle his face with its cool, wet nose.

 

“Tch,” Sesshoumaru grunted in disgust and then he bunched his legs beneath his body. Summoning his strength, he quickly threw his shoulder into the beast, knocking it easily back through the trees. Trunks snapping like brittle twigs, the animal tumbled hard down the mountainside before sliding to a stop in a small clearing. Wiping his cheek with the back of his hand, Sesshoumaru then casually bent over, retrieving his sword. The bear was slowly rising back onto its feet and the youkai lord wasn't going to let it off the hook so easily.

 

“Sesshoumaru,” Kagome called out as the demon headed down the mountain to finish it off, “Wait! I don't think it was trying to hurt you!” Ignoring her, his step quickened as he closed in on his prey. When energy blasts from his sword and his poison claws appeared to be useless, perhaps the actual blade would do the trick.

 

“Kintaro, that was amazing!” the bear exclaimed, shaking the dirt and splinters from his thick fur coat, “And here I was hoping that I would win this time.”

 

“There will be no next time,” Sesshoumaru replied coldly and sprang forth, moving like a silver shadow through the air. Then in a flash, he was upon it, slicing the blade across the beast's neck. It was strange, though. His sharp sword came down against the flesh, but instead of carving through the animal's hide; it simply glided harmlessly through the fur.

 

“Is this a new game?” the bear asked, looking at the stunned daiyoukai. Sesshoumaru silently stared back in return, his mind at work. This was perplexing. The creature was completely uninjured no matter how he attacked. He could almost accept that his sword was ineffective. The fire blast had already proven to be undependable and the blade itself was something he rarely used anyway, but even his own razor sharp claws were dull against this animal's skin. And his poison, which can melt the thickest armor into bubbling slurry, was useless. With each attack, it felt as if he was tearing and ripping at a cushion of air and not at a real enemy. At a cushion of air…

 

“Or a barrier,” Sesshoumaru spoke under his breath.

 

“A barrier?” Kagome repeated as she made her way down the final bit of rock-strewn slope before sliding to a stop beside him, “Is the bear being protected by a barrier?” Ignoring her yet again, Sesshoumaru walked towards the beast and landed a blow with his fist across the animal's muzzle. Blunt force was always an option.

 

“Kintaro, I don't like this game. It feels like you're trying to hurt me. I thought you were my friend,” the bear pleaded as he grabbed it by the nape of its neck and flung it hard into the ground.

 

“Stop Sesshoumaru!” she yelled as he pulled the dusty animal out of the bear-shaped crater. Like a massive rag doll in the smaller demon's hand, the bear was hurled again, but this time against a boulder, fracturing the rock on impact.

 

`Stupid, stubborn youkai who don't listen,' the schoolgirl raged silently as her cheeks began to flush hot with anger, `Why don't they ever listen? It doesn't matter if they're full or half a youkai, they still just charge ahead, their pride nullifying their brains. So what if the damn thing gave you a hug and a kiss? Are you going to kill our only clue out of this place over something dumb like that?! Stupid youkai!'

 

“Kintaro--”

 

“SIT!” Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs, her straining voice echoing down the mountainside and into the valley below. The word lingered unnaturally in the air, haunting her as the color leeched from her face. Frozen in mid-strike, Sesshoumaru slowly retracted his fist and turned to face the small, human woman who now had effectively gotten his attention.

 

`Stupid, stupid Kagome.'

 

“Did you just tell this Sesshoumaru to sit, human?” the daiyoukai asked flatly, his even tone not quite concealing a murderous edge.

 

“N-n-no,” she answered with an uncomfortable laugh and she slowly started to back away, “You misunderstood me.”

 

“Did I?” he replied, taking a deliberate step toward the stuttering schoolgirl.

 

“I-I was kidding. You know us lowly humans and our bad sense of humor.”

 

“So it would seem,” he remarked after another step. As he approached, visions of her much more fragile body being flung through the air and into the hard, rocky ground plagued Kagome's mind and she hastily stumbled back in retreat. Well, maybe she'd be lucky and survive this time, like she had before. However, that comforting thought quickly flitted away as she stared at her inevitable demise that was printed so clearly in his icy glare. She was screwed.

 

`Here lies Kagome. She told a dog demon lord to “sit” and he splattered her against a tree,' she thought, imagining her epitaph and finished with a sigh, `Wonderful.' Then, she furrowed her brow. At the very least, she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

 

Pausing briefly in her pointless attempt at escape, Kagome bent down and picked up a splintered branch. Then she held it out in front of her in a threatening fashion, the burnt black point trembling. Stopping momentarily, Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow at her shaky attempt at defense. Yet despite her weak stance and unwieldy choice of weapon, he did find himself admiring the determination that hardened her expression. Fazed not for long, he took another step.

 

“Oi Kintaro!” a small voice squeaked loudly as the daiyoukai strode forward one last time, his tall figure looming over the schoolgirl, daring her to strike, “What are you doing to Monkey?”

 

“Monkey?” Sesshoumaru asked, silently irritated that he had even responded to the ridiculous name he was given. Indifferent to the threat of being jabbed by a stick, the daiyoukai looked over at a tiny, brown creature that sat casually scratching behind one of its long ears with a hind leg.

 

“Yeah, Monkey,” it replied with growing annoyance and gestured to itself with its forepaw, “You know. I'm Hare. You're Kintaro. That shaggy beast over there is Bear and well, the dumb, ugly creature in front of you is Monkey. Boy, you're gone for a while and you forget all your friends.”

 

`The dumb, ugly creature in front of you is Monkey?' Kagome thought, forgetting the impending danger that was overwhelming her a moment earlier. Hot and flustered, she could feel her anger brimming once again and not even a youkai lord could stand in her way. Striding forth with a fiery rage, she brushed past Sesshoumaru and stomped up to the furry mound with the fluffy white tail.

 

“What's wrong with you, Monkey?” the rabbit spoke up with disdain.

 

“Who the hell do you think you're calling a monkey?”

 

“I'm calling you a monkey, Monkey.”

 

“I'm not a monkey.”

 

“Well, you're ugly and stupid. Sounds like a monkey to me,” it leered, “Although your name being Monkey and you arguing against it definitely proves that you're stupid.”

 

“That's not my name. My name is Kagome. Ka-go-me!”

 

“You can say that, but that doesn't make it true.”

 

“Hush both of you,” another voice called out and a tan animal with a stately rack of antlers emerged from the forest.

 

“Aww, I was only teasing,” Hare whined, laying its ears back at the rebuke, “Besides Monkey started it.”

 

“Enough,” the deer said with finality, silencing the rabbit. Gracefully on thin legs, the buck then approached Sesshoumaru who was somewhat amused by the scene, though his impassive expression did nothing to let on. “It has been a while, good friend.”

 

“Hn,” the daiyoukai snorted.

 

“The time for greetings however is over,” it decreed, the black marbles of his eyes catching everyone's glances. “The field awaits.”

 

“What's in the field?” Kagome asked, her voice still a bit flustered.

 

“It's where we go to play the game,” the bear answered, keeping a fair distance between himself and Sesshoumaru. Warily, he eyed the youkai who now strangely seemed uninterested to his presence.

 

“What game?”

 

“The game we play every time Kintaro visits.”

 

“And you think he's Kintaro?” she wondered aloud and then nodded towards the tall, light-skinned youkai lord, “A chubby, red-cheeked, human boy with the kanji for gold on his chest?”

 

Sesshoumaru snorted at the description. The day's events were becoming less and less amusing.

 

“It's not that we think he is. He is Kintaro, like all the others before him,” the deer said walking towards the clearing, “Just like you are Monkey.”

 

“Look, I'm not a small furry animal that plays in the trees and eats bugs out of other animals' fur,” Kagome stated, furthering her obvious distaste for her new nickname.

 

“That doesn't mean you aren't Monkey,” the stag sighed, growing weary of the argument.

 

“But--”

 

“Who were the others you mentioned,” Sesshoumaru interrupted.

 

“Kintaro, you have passed through here many times. And each time you arrive, we go to play the game as it has always been.”

 

Together, they followed the deer out into a bright clearing. Droplets of dew clung to the thin wisps of tall grass, wetting their legs as they passed. Song birds fluttered to and fro, their warbling songs celebrating the gentle sunlight. The serenity was a welcome relief to the tension from a few moments ago in the forest and Kagome's mind began to relax, settling around a single thought.

 

“The game,” she said thoughtfully, tapping her lip with a finger, “Are we going to wrestle?”

 

“Of course,” Bear chimed in, “It's what we always do.”

 

“It's just like the story,” she whispered to herself, lost in thought and oblivious to Sesshoumaru's steady stare in her direction.

 

“What is the story?” he asked finally when an unsolicited explanation didn't seem forthcoming.

 

“You don't know the story of Kintaro?”

 

“Human folktales do not interest me.”

 

“Well, it's about a really strong boy who lived in the mountains. He used to knock down trees with an axe and had a bunch of different, animal friends. Then one day after a wrestling game, a samurai showed up and took the boy into the city where he joined the army and became really powerful.” The daiyoukai looked at her blankly and Kagome silently found herself lamenting her poor story-telling skills. “Anyway, it seems like we're in that story.”

 

“So, this is the tale mentioned in the poem.”

 

“The bear challenges. Boy of golden will and strength. Trees hold victory,” she repeated the last stanza. With all of the unexpected, recent events, the poem had completely slipped her mind. “Maybe, if we complete the story, we'll get more of the missing lines and a clue how to get back home.”

 

“Perhaps.”

 

Absorbed in silence, they walked for a few paces longer before the deer stopped in front of a large, perfect circle of hard-packed dirt. Stooping its head down, it snipped a leaf with its delicate mouth and tenderly held it between its lips. Springing with glee, the rabbit hopped onto the smooth surface, patting down the few uneven areas with its long hind legs. Disinterested in playing anymore games, the bear collapsed onto the soft grass next to the platform. He had already had more than enough wrestling to satisfy him for the day.

 

“Perfect,” Hare declared, surveying the flatness proudly and then spun around to face the schoolgirl, “Monkey, I challenge you!”

 

“Me?!”

 

“Yes, you stupid monkey. Now, come on or are you afraid? Do you have a yellow belly to go with your red butt?”

 

“Now, look here,” Kagome snapped, storming up to the smug, little animal with her fists clenched.

 

“Begin,” Deer proclaimed, dropping the leaf to signal the match once she stepped onto the platform to tower over her furry assailant. Before she could realize what was happening, the rabbit attacked. Hind legs kicking out from beneath its nimble body, it landed a hard blow against the back of her knee and sent her to the ground with a shocked yelp. Then in a flash, it leapt onto her prone back, thumping her hard repeatedly and knocking the breath out of her with each smack.

 

“Oww! St-Stop it!” she coughed, trying desperately to breathe as her hands vainly grasped for her agile tormentor and its delighted laugh. Twitching its whiskers, a devious thought then rose to the rabbit's mind. With one quick movement, it flipped up her short, green, pleated skirt and slipped her panties down just enough to expose the two rounded cheeks. Then with one hard, resounding thump, its hind foot came down on Kagome's rear end.

 

“Now you really do have a red butt,” it cackled, springing away from the vice-like fingers of the now fully enraged schoolgirl.

 

“You're dead, roadkill!” she yelled in seething rage as she pulled up her underwear and adjusted her skirt, both sets of cheeks burning hotter than the sun. She then staggered to her feet, her fierce glare seeking the vicious, little creature that would soon be nothing more than a smear on the bottom of her shoe.

 

“Monkey's out. Hare wins,” Deer abruptly announced, nodding toward the grassy patch that Kagome had stumbled onto well outside the dirt platform. “Excellent moves, Hare, by the way.”

 

“Thank you, Deer. I'd say it was too easy of a win though, but then again it was only Red Butt,” the rabbit replied, combing its ears before turning to Sesshoumaru, “Oi, Kintaro. Where's my prize?”

 

“Prize?” the daiyoukai asked reluctantly.

 

“Yeah, when we win, you give us a prize. It's what you're supposed to do. So, where's my prize?”

 

Sesshoumaru stared at the brazen animal, contemplating his answer. If he was meant to follow the story, then he had to give this boorish, undeserving beast a gift.

 

“Very well,” he finally answered at length, “If I decide to kill you, I shall do it quickly instead of making you suffer for being an irritating lout.”

 

The hare opened its mouth as if to protest when it was suddenly grabbed roughly by the ears, fingernails digging into the tender skin. Squealing in pain, it was quickly thrown back hard onto the dirt.

 

“I want a rematch,” Kagome declared, her voice low and leaving no room for debate.

 

Almost before the deer could drop the leaf, she was on the move, bounding across the platform with easy, loping strides toward the dizzy and confused animal. With one sweeping, arching kick, it met her loafer with full force and sent it sailing through the air before it landed into a distant patch of stinging nettles. Letting out a triumphant cheer, Kagome proudly stepped off the packed earth.

 

“Now for your gift,” the stag spoke up after a moment, still held in shocked amazement by the scene.

 

Everyone turned their heads, looking expectantly at Sesshoumaru.

 

“No, that's okay. I've already gotten my prize,” the schoolgirl insisted, not really wanting to know what the youkai lord would come up with for her.

 

“If you are satisfied, then we shall move on. I am certain Hare will catch up to us eventually.”

 

“Where are we going now?”

 

“Home, of course.”

 

“Whose ho--”

 

“Do you ever tire of asking questions, Monkey? You will find your answers soon enough,” Deer sighed, walking through the clearing and toward the open valley below.

 

Quietly they all followed, absorbed by the myriad of colors surrounding them. Blue, red and yellow wildflowers peppered the fields, their inviting hues enticing delicate butterflies to flutter about them. In the distance slipping through the bright green grass, ran a ribbon of shimmering water. The river's dark blue cut through the length of the valley and as they neared, it soon became clear that its dark depths would pose yet another problem.

 

Crossing the pebbly shore, Kagome knelt beside the swift, clear water, scooping a handful of it up to her lips to drink. Running down her throat, the cool water revitalized her after the long hike and the embarrassing wrestling match.

 

“We must cross,” Bear spoke up after stealing a drink of water as well.

 

While it was a narrow river, it was indeed far too deep to simply wade across and Kagome looked along the bank, hoping to find a way to cross it without getting wet. Strangely alluring, her sight kept returning to the same patch of river, drawn by some mysterious feature that appeared out of place. Finally her eyes brightened as they focused on a massive tree standing alone on the shore, far from any others of an equal size. In fact there were no other trees in the valley except for this one.

 

“Sesshoumaru,” she called out, “The poem. I remember what to do now.”

 

“What did you remember?” he replied. As it was, he could not see why the animals didn't simply swim across like any other beast.

 

“The poem says that the trees hold victory and now that I think about it, I know how. In the story, right before they go home, they come across a river with no way to cross. Kintaro sees a tree and uproots it so that the animals have a bridge to get over the river. If you push over that tree, I think we'll find the key.”

 

“Hn,” he snorted and walked toward the mammoth tree.

 

With barely a grunt, the daiyoukai pressed his hand against the trunk, easily ripping the sturdy roots from the soil. Teetering for a moment, it relished its final moments touching the sky before thudding to the ground in a thundering crash. Nestled in the overturned earth where it had futilely gripped the ground, a golden seal laid with the imprint of the character for gold on its gilded surface. Sesshoumaru knelt down and retrieved the hefty piece of metal from its freshly exposed home. Feeling the fine pattern of writing on the back with his fingertips, he flipped the seal over for a welcomed discovery.

 

“Good luck,” the stag said warmly and then leapt gracefully onto the fallen tree. After a few strides across the makeshift bridge, it vanished into nothingness.

 

“I will defeat you next time, Kintaro,” the bear vowed with a grin growing across its broad muzzle. It too climbed onto the tree and swiftly disappeared as the deer had before it.

 

Then a swift brown blur darted across the ground and scrambled up the steep bark. Pausing at the top, the disheveled rabbit scratched desperately at its itchy skin.

 

“Red Butt!” it yelled with unrivaled contempt at Kagome before shaking its fluffy, white tail derisively at her. Then before she could protest, it sprang across and faded from sight.

 

“Stupid rabbit. It'll be a long time before I think one of those is cute again,” she muttered under her breath.

 

“Danger mounts seeking your lives. Bird nor insect will give peace,” Sesshoumaru slowly read aloud, recalling his newly memorized kanji before sending her a look to go with his command, “Read woman.”

 

“Oh!” Kagome murmured and he handed her the polished metal. Engraved on the shining surface were the next elegant written lines of the poem. A soft glow immersed the first stanza in blue light. With a grin spreading across her cheeks, her eyes followed the next sequence of words. “Great journey begins. Rowing to your destiny. Seek house of glory.”

 

“Tiny voice echoing pride. Hand of princess you do find.”

 

“A bandit slices. A hidden needle stabs fear. A mallet grants hope.”

 

The final syllable spoken, the seal shattered into sparkling dust and an empty space behind them ripped open, revealing a series of steps reaching into a darkened space of sky.

 

“Let us go,” Sesshoumaru ordered as he stepped up the hard, white blocks with strange black markings.

 

“Mahjong tiles?” she wondered, looking at the steps more carefully, “But, I've never seen mahjong tiles this big before.”

 

Looking up to hopefully catch his glance, she instead found the daiyoukai halfway up the steps and ignoring her as usual. Frowning, she began her climb until she was struck with a disconcerting thought.

 

“Sesshoumaru, what happened to my kanji notes? Sesshoumaru?”