InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Seven Feudal Fairy Tales ❯ Fire and Arrows ( Chapter 30 )

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

 

 

Chapter Thirty: Fire and Arrows

 

 

“The Centipede, not a centipede,” Kagome mumbled under her breath, staring at the enormous, serpentine creature choking the mountain in fire as it tightened its snaking body around it.

 

“Hn,” Sesshoumaru snorted in agreement, his sight like her own, settling on the burning battlefield awaiting them. Glowing like hot coals, the Centipede's many splinter legs dug into the hard earth, leaving trailing, hot pools of molten rock as it passed. Growing plumes of billowing smoke quickly engulfed the horizon, concealing the beast in a polluted haze lit below in orange by the rising flames. Dulled little by the veil of ash, the fires of its eyes observed the distant castle in sinister anticipation.

 

“Are you ready, miko?” he asked again, shifting his gaze from the smoldering mountain to the softly shaking woman at his side. Her wide eyes lingered on the creature before meeting the strikingly calm expression of the tai youkai.

 

“You're going to help me, right?” she answered with another question.

 

“I do not go back on my word,” he replied with a rare and fleeting smile. She sighed in relief, feeling her confidence returning. It was strange and foreign to be without it, even for a moment. Perhaps the weight of so much had never been placed so completely on her shoulders. It was more than the virtue of a conceited princess, but the delicate lives of children that were in her hands. Whether or not they were real seemed inconsequential now, because they were loved and in her heart that was enough.

 

She looked up at the demon in silence as she breathed deeply, thinking on his offer and his presence. There had always been others to share the burden of battle. The youkai huntress, the wandering monk, the kitsune pup and the brash hanyou had always been there to fight at her side, to right the world tormented by abusers of the Shikon-no-Tama. Now she had a new and unlikely comrade, a stoic, youkai lord who once proved more an enemy than an ally. She turned to the far-off mountain and the once brilliant flames seemed dimmer than before and she smiled. She could do it. They could do it.

 

“I'm ready,” she spoke up with a nod, smoothly reaching over her shoulder for an arrow from her quiver.

 

“Good,” the tai youkai commented before leaning close to her and slipping his hand down to her waist.

 

“Wait! What are you doing?!” she reacted in a flustered voice as she felt the points of his claws caress her skin as he gripped her gently. In one easy motion, he lifted her above him and sat her carefully on his broad shoulder. Satisfied that she was securely against the curve of his arching armor, the demon eyed her blushing shock coolly.

 

“This isn't a sword fight!” she managed angrily after a brief loss of words. “And I'm not that bad of a shot that I have to be next to it to hit it.”

 

“If I am to guide and aid you, we will go to meet it before it can meet us and that which we are protecting,” he reasoned with a faint sigh.

 

“Fine,” she conceded with a huff. “But, you could at least warn me before you pick me up.”

 

“Unlikely.”

 

“Sadist.”

 

“Hn,” he snorted, raising a brow as he considered her insult. “More likely.”

 

“You know--” she began, before whooping in surprise as he sprang forward onto the crest of the outlying wall of the courtyard and then over the rim, his pelt trailing behind him as they disappeared.

 

The Dragon King followed suit as far as the wall, watching on with his arms crossed across his chest as their silver blur skimmed over the broad plane of the lake and toward the patient monster looming before them.

 

“May the hunt be with you, good lord.”

 

 

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The checkered reflections of amber on the black water moved by in a swift blur as they crossed the surface. With boots grazing the gentle, rippling waves, the travelers were slowly enveloped in the hot and heavy air born from the stirring flames surrounding the approaching mountain. The waves grew slightly in intensity as their depths grew shallow and with one final leap, the youkai lord's feet met the soft, black sand of the shore.

 

“Prepare yourself, miko,” he commanded, bounding up the hillside and into the charred skeleton of a pine tree with ease. Nodding, her hands gripped the red, patterned collar of his coat and the sturdy, metal arch of his armor. The wind of his youki swelled at his ankles and with lurching speed, they launched into the air.

 

Kagome gasped for air as the familiar, wrenching pull of gravity bent her down against her thighs mercilessly. Gradually its steady drag eased as the tai youkai's climb into the sky reached its peak. Slowing to a stop in midair, they hovered above the water and earth plagued by the lower half of the shifting, plated beast.

 

“Ready your arrow,” Sesshoumaru said turning slightly to look at the serious miko perched upon him, his once pale face as golden as his eyes in the fiery light. Swallowing at any nervousness, she reached back, feeling the delicate tickle of feathers with her fingertips. Retrieving a silver arrow, she deftly nocked it to the bowstring and leveled its horseshoe tip up between the blazing fires of the towering Centipede's eyes. The tingling warmth of her power radiated down her spine through her arms and into her hands as she drew the string, tickling her nerves in anticipation.

 

“Wait!” the youkai lord cautioned loudly, but as his warning flew, so did the arrow. In a halo of glowing, pink glitter, it sailed forth and pierced the heavy smoke, leaving a widening tunnel of cleansed air in its wake. Ahead, the giant, shiny black head of the creature lay and with a sparkling burst of color, the tiny arrow shattered against it.

 

“Huh? What?” she sputtered, worry rushing into her voice. “It didn't work? Did I do something wrong?”

 

“You used your power.”

 

“Of course I did,” she replied defensively. “I'm a miko. That's what we do!”

 

“Naturally and it is a wise practice against demons who can be purified, beings of the earth that we are.”

 

“So?”

 

“That is a conjuration of a god. You have used the power of the gods to purify a creation of a god.”

 

“In other words, I've given it more power rather than taking it away?”

 

“And,” he began as the beast roared shrilly, tearing the sky asunder with its cry before leveling its sight on the two, diminutive interlopers invading its domain, “You have disclosed our presence to it.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Oh, indeed.”

 

With unnatural speed, the Centipede slipped around the mountain, its rapid legs grinding into the earth as it moved. Crumbling, molten boulders tumbled under the swiftly shifting weight, their crushing path forging quickly towards the woman and demon beneath.

 

“Sesshoumaru-sama?!” Kagome exclaimed, bow still in hand as she desperately gripped his armor and coat again.

 

“Hn.”

 

Drawing Toukijin in a single, smooth movement, he met the rock and lava with flame of his own. With a miko hunched low against him, he sprang forward. His glancing steps found the cool surfaces as he unleashed torrents of fire and electricity, turning the bombardment into harmless dust as it passed. A final, enormous blast finishing the last of it flew and filled their vision with its brilliant explosion. Then through it, dove the head of the Centipede, dissipating the dwarfed flame in a rush of air.

 

Its razor sharp mandibles agape, the beast pivoted towards them to strike, closing the distance in a vanishing blur. Instinct governing his movements, the tai youkai dodged narrowly and landed on the blunt edge of its jaws.

 

“Tch,” he grumbled, baring his teeth as he felt the heat of the creature's body melting his boots and burning the soles of his feet. Nimbly, he leapt onto the monster's smooth, disk-shaped head. His heels barely touching the armored plating, he sprinted along its face and toward the burning wells of its eyes. In a tone more irritable than usual, he called out to the woman huddled on his shoulder. “Miko, prepare another arrow.”

 

Her fingers trembling, Kagome reached for another arrow from her singed quiver. Retrieving its shining length, she carefully nocked it to her bow. The unwanted prickling of her power returned and she gulped down as she willfully quelled it.

 

“I've never hit anything without my power,” she admitted shakily as she drew the string.

 

“You hit the ground, did you not?”

 

“Ye-Yeah,” she answered with a nervous laugh.

 

“In this moment, that is all you must do.”

 

“All right,” she whispered with a nod, summoning her confidence. “Just hit the ground. That's all I need to do.”

 

A twang rang out as she released the arrow. It wobbled slightly as it flew in front of them before striking the Centipede's flesh harmlessly and skittering across its skin. The heat overtook it after a few bounces and the arrow combusted into shattering embers.

 

“No!” Kagome called out plaintively. “I didn't use my power. Why didn't it work?”

 

Before the tai youkai could reply, the determined beast rolled, driving its back and shortly the crest of its head into the molten face of the mountain. Springing to the side, he moved in the opposite direction, staying but a few paces from the fast approaching, crushing grind of liquid rock and the harder shell of the monster's body.

 

Swiftly, he met the edge before the underside of its chin and the glowing heat that melted rock and more than likely tai youkais and humans as well. Leaping out into the air, he gathered his youki and spun around as he skipped to a stop through the sky, his eyes never leaving the writhing creature before him.

 

Spying its quarry, the Centipede screeched its thunderous roar and struck away from the mountain with blinding speed. Too swift to outrun, Sesshoumaru readied Toukijin and briefly considered that the battle within the beast's gullet would not be avoidable nor pleasant.

 

A hollow boom shattered the heavens as the monster's mandibles surrounded the pair and then the Centipede was gone, whipped away in ball of black flame. The barrier sizzled around its body, protecting it from harm as its tangled body tumbled helplessly over the terrain. Caught in the path of the blast, the massive mountain disintegrated, leaving a smoldering, concave valley in its place.

 

A distant, dark chuckle drifting to their ears, the two travelers looked over their shoulders and at the casually flying silhouette of a serpentine dragon.

 

“That was satisfying,” the Dragon King remarked as he closed in, spiraling around them with a body that could rival the Centipede's in size.

 

“That was amazing,” Kagome finally answered breathlessly.

 

“Hn, a mere yawn,” the king commented before shifting directions toward his castle, “And pointless. I can only delay it for a moment. You must use the kiss of arrow.”

 

“What does that mean?!” she called out to the departing dragon only to be left without an answer. “Why does everyone have to be so damn cryptic?! Kiss of arrow. Kiss of arrow. Kiss… kiss.” She pulled the last arrow from the quiver and balanced it in her open hand. Maybe it was just that. A kiss. For some reason it seemed right when she thought about it. It had been so long since she had heard the fairy tale that the most vital part had slipped her mind. The kiss of arrow. Mindful of its sharp points, she held the tip up to her mouth and wet her lips. With a gentle kiss, she moistened the arrowhead.

 

“Miko, it will be returning soon,” Sesshoumaru spoke up, crooking a brow at her strange affection for her final arrow.

 

“I remember the story now. The lord slays the Centipede using human saliva. It's the only thing toxic to them.”

 

“Hn …human stories,” he snorted. “Are you ready then?”

 

“I'm going to need your help one last time. I don't think I can do it without your guidance.”

 

“Very well.” Gliding hastily over the hillsides, the Centipede slithered towards them, swallowing up the ground with its body effortlessly. “Close your eyes, miko.”

 

Nodding, she closed her eyes.

 

“Firing one hundred arrows a day is nothing compared to firing one arrow well a day. I want you to envision your prey. Envision nocking your arrow and envision drawing your bow. See your target and only your target. Do so until there is nothing else.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Imagine your arrow's path and its strike. Imagine your success. And in that moment release your fingers. No later.”

 

Softly, she let out a deep breath, her eyes fluttering open and falling to the demon beneath her.

 

“I think I'm ready,” she said quietly.

 

“Do not doubt your skills. You are ready. Believe in yourself as I believe in you.”

 

With another nod, she nocked her arrow as the approaching beast dipped into the remains of the mountain and scaled the opposing sheer side.

 

“Draw your bow.”

 

She pulled the string back and leveled her aim on the head of the Centipede as it breached the crater. Sesshoumaru remained still facing the impending jaws of the monster stoically, his confidence resting squarely on the miko settled upon his shoulder.

 

“See your target,” Kagome whispered under her breath, “Until there is nothing else.”

 

“Imagine the path and the strike.”

 

“Imagine my success.”

 

“And release.”

 

The arrow flew from her hand as the hot breath of the beast engulfed them in its heat and its sharp mandibles wrapped lovingly around them. Innocuous in appearance, the thin missile struck the roof of the Centipede's mouth, piercing it as it drove towards the brain. Finding its mark embedded in the soft organ, the creature roared in pain and defeat. Not one to waste an opportunity, the youkai lord and his passenger dove out of the briefly, gaping jaws as the monster plummeted to the lake below, seizing and thrashing in its final throes as it died.

 

Breathing heavily in shock and relief, the school girl watched as the gigantic beast stilled, dyeing the lake red with its blood.

 

“We won,” she murmured in disbelief.

 

“You won, miko.”

 

“Not without you. Thank you.”

 

She felt his shrug under her seat and she smiled. He really wasn't used to being thanked.

 

“Shall we return?”

 

“Let's.”

 

 

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“A worthy victory, good lord,” the Dragon King called out as the travelers landed in the courtyard. His congratulations were swiftly interrupted by the overwhelming, joyful cheers of the dragon children that swarmed the grinning school girl and the less than welcoming tai youkai.

 

“Thank you,” Kagome replied giddily under the tickling embraces of the unruly boys.

 

“I must thank you,” the king corrected. “You are the hero, even when you could have chosen not to be.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I assaulted you. You could have chosen to let my brood die at the jaws of the Centipede for my transgression. You could have chosen to wait until the story began a new before slaying the beast so that you may move on to the next tale.”

 

“It was my own pride that offended me, Dragon-ou-sama, not you. My own selfish altruism and my own reckless compassion and you and your children don't deserve to be punished for my own failings. I have learned much in your company.”

 

“I have no doubt for I see it in you,” he remarked with a gentle smile. “And I have a reward for you, one that you have truly earned.”

 

“I hope it's not a bag of rice.”

 

“No,” he chuckled “As likely as that should be.” His black clawed hand slipped into his sleeve and from it he withdrew a plaque. It glowed hot in his hands, like the bright amber of metal dipped in a forge. “Take this. It is quite cool despite how it appears.”

 

Hesitantly, she reached out and grasped the proffered gift in her hand. Gentle warmth flowed from it and engraved on its surface was the triangular kanji for fire. She turned it over in her hand and on its reverse were the next lines of the poem.

 

The youkai lord freed himself from the overly affectionate and inquisitive attentions of the sons for whom scowls and glares had failed to repel. The children of Yamata-no-Orochi were no doubt difficult to intimidate. The school girl held out the plaque for him to see.

 

“A turtle in jeopardy. A fisherman with kindness,” he read aloud slowly.

 

“Journey to the sea,” she followed with her verses. “A princess awaits her love. Timeless in her keep.”

 

“Land will not wait for him. Many suns and moons will pass.”

 

“A box of secrets. Who will bear its gift within? A choice must be made.”

 

In a sparkle of blue, glittering dust, the plaque shattered in her hand. Strolling over to the courtyard door leading back into the palace, the Dragon King slid it open, revealing the sun of midday and a narrow path of smooth steps made of large, round stones.

 

“Your way and your destiny, good lord,” he said with a bow.

 

Kagome nodded and looked back at the indifferent demon who had already stepped toward the waiting entrance, inwardly pleased to be rid of this story and the sinister prisoner that dwelled within it.

 

“I hope you will always have your peace,” the school girl said softly to the king as she approached the threshold.

 

“And I hope you will never know loneliness, good lord,” he answered as he stepped back among his children.

 

“I hope so too.”

 

And with that, she crossed the doorway, leaving the castle of marble and crystal forever.

 

 

A/N: Yay! The fourth story is complete! Whether you loved him or hated him, you have to admit the Dragon King was complex and entertaining :P Next week out of love for all of you who read, I'll be having a very special Q&A chapter hosted by our favorite nudist and the greatest evil ever known. So, if you have any questions about this story, past, present or future, go ahead and ask away.