InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Small Moments ❯ Regrouping ( Chapter 13 )
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By: ladygriddlebone 
The Inu-tachi regroup and devise a plan of action... or not.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.11.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 479 | Status: Completed
The Inu-tachi regroup and devise a plan of action... or not.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.11.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 479 | Status: Completed
"Where are we?"
Miroku had assumed that the stony silence would last until someone had a brilliant idea; Sango's outburst caught him a bit off guard. And not just her outburst, but the angry tone that suffused her voice. Still, determined to minimize the damage his ill-considered actions may have caused, he did his best to keep his own voice calm and rational when he responded. He had not intended to cause offense, and he hoped she would eventually realize that. "We are outside the Suijin's mansion."
Sango looked unimpressed.
"I was also here when I awoke," he added. It was not the entire truth, but he hoped it might make her feel better. "I saw you in the water... I was worried you might have -"
"Something's coming."
He strained to see in the dark and the fog - and wondered how Sango knew something was coming - before he caught sight of a red form in the water. "Inuyasha..."
There were a pair of large fish pushing the hanyou in their direction. Fish... both of which were wearing ornate headdresses. He would have bet money that these were servants of the water god, and had to wonder what they were doing helping the intruders. As soon as they got close enough, he helped them push Inuyasha up onto the island.
He heard Sango mutter, "Are you going to help him breathe, too?"
Smoothly, he answered, "He is breathing on his own. You were not."
She looked as if her temper was still hot, so he let it drop. Once he and Sango had Inuyasha safely out of the water, he turned back to the fish. "Did you also assist us?"
The fish gave what looked like a nod, and one answered, "Yes."
His guess seemed to have been right on the mark - they were probably lake spirits, rather than demons. "Aren't you worried about what the Suijin will think? He won't be happy that you've helped us."
"That Suijin is a fake," the fish said.
"A fake..." Miroku repeated.
"So it is a demon," Sango mused. "I'd wondered about that."
"I don't think that's the case," he disagreed. "It's using a holy weapon. Demons can't touch such things without being purified."
"The impostor used to be just a spirit like us," one of the fish supplied.
"He served the real Suijin," the other added. "But he imprisoned the real Suijin in a stone and stole the holy weapon so he could take the Suijin's place."
Mournfully, the first fish continued, "And now that he has taken the holy weapon, he has the powers of a god and no one can oppose him."
"I see," Miroku said, thoughtfully. "Well, then we'll just have to rescue the true Suijin."
There was a rustling behind him; Inuyasha must have woken up. A moment later, a gruff interruption proved him correct. "That's stupid."
"Ah, so you're awake, finally," Miroku countered, as pleasantly as possible.
"You guys do whatever you want. I'm going back to the shrine."
"Rescuing the Suijin would be the wisest course of action at this point -"
"I'm rescuing Kagome first!" Inuyasha's indignant tone brooked no argument, and Miroku was wise enough to let him go. As the hanyou vanished into the fog, Miroku turned back to Sango and the fish spirits. Sango was staring into the fog where Inuyasha had disappeared; for a moment Miroku wondered whether she would choose to follow or stay.
Finally, she seemed to come to a decision, picking up her weapons and making sure everything was in place. "Let's go get the Suijin," she said.
"This way," the fish said. The humans followed into the water, Sango's cat companion riding on her shoulder, the short distance to the island where the Suijin was imprisoned. It was a small island like the first one they had taken refuge on, but it was rocky and rose up high out of the water.
"The Suijin is locked in a cave at the top of this island," the fish explained.
"We'll take care of it," Miroku promised, though he was not at all sure how easy the task would be. There could be a trap waiting for them, or guards, or...
As they scrambled up the hill, Sango said, "We should hurry, Houshi-sama. I'm worried about Kagome and the others..."
"They'll be fine," he assured her, though secretly he was glad that she seemed to be less angry with him now than she had been a few moments ago. Her temper made him nervous, especially when it was directed - with painful results - at him. "I'm sure Inuyasha is with them already."
Sango paused and frowned. "Is he really that strong?"
Miroku considered this for a moment. "Well, if you ignore a couple of personality flaws..."
The demon slayer did not respond, and they continued the last short distance to the top of the island. It was a rocky peak, with a sealing fuda pressed against a crack in the stone. That had to be the cave the fish spirits had spoken of. "This is it..." he murmured.
"Is someone out there?" He paused right as he was about to pull the fuda off, when a voice suddenly came from behind the seal. A female voice. So the Suijin was...
"It sounds like a little girl," Sango commented.
"Then the Suijin is a goddess," Miroku agreed, wondering what this goddess might look like. He was not sure he had ever glimpsed such a divinity before, much less a female one. Perhaps she might be amenable to -
"Quick, pull the fuda off and let me out!" the voice continued, interrupting his wandering thoughts.
"Of course, right away!" he said, and ripped the paper off.
The island top burst open, showering them with rocks. But when the dust settled, a small cave appeared, and within it a tiny woman was visible.
"The true Suijin," he murmured, his tone duly reverent.
Sango was... less impressed. "She's... kind of small, isn't she?"
"It would seem so," he agreed.
"We must get back to the shrine as quickly as possible," the Suijin urged, ignoring the humans' conversation. "I must regain my halberd if we are to stop the impostor."
"Yes, of course," Miroku said, gently scooping the goddess up. They raced back down the hill as quickly as they could without stumbling.
Sango paused at the water's edge; Miroku almost bumped into her, but managed to avoid it at the last moment. "Let's fly," she said.
"What?"
"It'll be faster than swimming. Kirara, can you help us?"
The fire cat growled and transformed into her larger form, the one that could fly. Sango climbed onto Kirara's back as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Miroku only watched, feeling slightly horrified. He had ridden on Kirara once before, and was not sure it was an experience he wanted to repeat right now. Unfortunately, Sango was not in the mood to be patient.
"Are you coming?" she demanded.
Trying his best to quell his misgivings, he nodded and joined her on Kirara's back. I guess she's forgiven me, at least a little...
As they took off, which left him feeling slightly nervous, Sango turned back to him and added, "Just be careful. If you fall off, I'm not going to save you."
Then again, maybe not.
Miroku had assumed that the stony silence would last until someone had a brilliant idea; Sango's outburst caught him a bit off guard. And not just her outburst, but the angry tone that suffused her voice. Still, determined to minimize the damage his ill-considered actions may have caused, he did his best to keep his own voice calm and rational when he responded. He had not intended to cause offense, and he hoped she would eventually realize that. "We are outside the Suijin's mansion."
Sango looked unimpressed.
"I was also here when I awoke," he added. It was not the entire truth, but he hoped it might make her feel better. "I saw you in the water... I was worried you might have -"
"Something's coming."
He strained to see in the dark and the fog - and wondered how Sango knew something was coming - before he caught sight of a red form in the water. "Inuyasha..."
There were a pair of large fish pushing the hanyou in their direction. Fish... both of which were wearing ornate headdresses. He would have bet money that these were servants of the water god, and had to wonder what they were doing helping the intruders. As soon as they got close enough, he helped them push Inuyasha up onto the island.
He heard Sango mutter, "Are you going to help him breathe, too?"
Smoothly, he answered, "He is breathing on his own. You were not."
She looked as if her temper was still hot, so he let it drop. Once he and Sango had Inuyasha safely out of the water, he turned back to the fish. "Did you also assist us?"
The fish gave what looked like a nod, and one answered, "Yes."
His guess seemed to have been right on the mark - they were probably lake spirits, rather than demons. "Aren't you worried about what the Suijin will think? He won't be happy that you've helped us."
"That Suijin is a fake," the fish said.
"A fake..." Miroku repeated.
"So it is a demon," Sango mused. "I'd wondered about that."
"I don't think that's the case," he disagreed. "It's using a holy weapon. Demons can't touch such things without being purified."
"The impostor used to be just a spirit like us," one of the fish supplied.
"He served the real Suijin," the other added. "But he imprisoned the real Suijin in a stone and stole the holy weapon so he could take the Suijin's place."
Mournfully, the first fish continued, "And now that he has taken the holy weapon, he has the powers of a god and no one can oppose him."
"I see," Miroku said, thoughtfully. "Well, then we'll just have to rescue the true Suijin."
There was a rustling behind him; Inuyasha must have woken up. A moment later, a gruff interruption proved him correct. "That's stupid."
"Ah, so you're awake, finally," Miroku countered, as pleasantly as possible.
"You guys do whatever you want. I'm going back to the shrine."
"Rescuing the Suijin would be the wisest course of action at this point -"
"I'm rescuing Kagome first!" Inuyasha's indignant tone brooked no argument, and Miroku was wise enough to let him go. As the hanyou vanished into the fog, Miroku turned back to Sango and the fish spirits. Sango was staring into the fog where Inuyasha had disappeared; for a moment Miroku wondered whether she would choose to follow or stay.
Finally, she seemed to come to a decision, picking up her weapons and making sure everything was in place. "Let's go get the Suijin," she said.
"This way," the fish said. The humans followed into the water, Sango's cat companion riding on her shoulder, the short distance to the island where the Suijin was imprisoned. It was a small island like the first one they had taken refuge on, but it was rocky and rose up high out of the water.
"The Suijin is locked in a cave at the top of this island," the fish explained.
"We'll take care of it," Miroku promised, though he was not at all sure how easy the task would be. There could be a trap waiting for them, or guards, or...
As they scrambled up the hill, Sango said, "We should hurry, Houshi-sama. I'm worried about Kagome and the others..."
"They'll be fine," he assured her, though secretly he was glad that she seemed to be less angry with him now than she had been a few moments ago. Her temper made him nervous, especially when it was directed - with painful results - at him. "I'm sure Inuyasha is with them already."
Sango paused and frowned. "Is he really that strong?"
Miroku considered this for a moment. "Well, if you ignore a couple of personality flaws..."
The demon slayer did not respond, and they continued the last short distance to the top of the island. It was a rocky peak, with a sealing fuda pressed against a crack in the stone. That had to be the cave the fish spirits had spoken of. "This is it..." he murmured.
"Is someone out there?" He paused right as he was about to pull the fuda off, when a voice suddenly came from behind the seal. A female voice. So the Suijin was...
"It sounds like a little girl," Sango commented.
"Then the Suijin is a goddess," Miroku agreed, wondering what this goddess might look like. He was not sure he had ever glimpsed such a divinity before, much less a female one. Perhaps she might be amenable to -
"Quick, pull the fuda off and let me out!" the voice continued, interrupting his wandering thoughts.
"Of course, right away!" he said, and ripped the paper off.
The island top burst open, showering them with rocks. But when the dust settled, a small cave appeared, and within it a tiny woman was visible.
"The true Suijin," he murmured, his tone duly reverent.
Sango was... less impressed. "She's... kind of small, isn't she?"
"It would seem so," he agreed.
"We must get back to the shrine as quickly as possible," the Suijin urged, ignoring the humans' conversation. "I must regain my halberd if we are to stop the impostor."
"Yes, of course," Miroku said, gently scooping the goddess up. They raced back down the hill as quickly as they could without stumbling.
Sango paused at the water's edge; Miroku almost bumped into her, but managed to avoid it at the last moment. "Let's fly," she said.
"What?"
"It'll be faster than swimming. Kirara, can you help us?"
The fire cat growled and transformed into her larger form, the one that could fly. Sango climbed onto Kirara's back as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Miroku only watched, feeling slightly horrified. He had ridden on Kirara once before, and was not sure it was an experience he wanted to repeat right now. Unfortunately, Sango was not in the mood to be patient.
"Are you coming?" she demanded.
Trying his best to quell his misgivings, he nodded and joined her on Kirara's back. I guess she's forgiven me, at least a little...
As they took off, which left him feeling slightly nervous, Sango turned back to him and added, "Just be careful. If you fall off, I'm not going to save you."
Then again, maybe not.