InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Survival of the Pack ❯ Tsuki Shikon ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A/N: Gomen about the wait… been really busy this semester and trying to write and revive this one does get distracting. Kaminari… I was just about to write this word down in this chapter when a bolt of lightning lit up my entire window and thunder just crashed down a moment later… Apparently my roomies think I now have a Japanese spell book.

Chapter 5

“I hate doing this! Can't we go swimming or something?” grumbled a bored and annoyed kitsune. Deep in the den, four souls were sitting around a small fire with weaponry scattered all about them. Currently, Shippou was polishing several silver arrows with a felt cloth. His nose itched at the smell of the tarnish removal material, but at least he had stopped sneezing.

“Stop complaining,” replied an equally annoyed hanyou cub. Souta was sharpening Rin's daggers upon a flat stone, sparks flying with each passing swipe. His black ears were drooping from the heat of the room as well as the physical exertions it took to sharpen the weapons.

“Yeah,” came the final voice of the cubs. Kohaku was cleaning away blemishes and stains off his sickle-chain weapon. So far this was the seventh weapon he had cleaned (four arrows and two daggers proceeded). His brow was furrowed trying to see if there remained any tarnishes to the weapon before Souta would sharpen it. It was hard in the dim light of the cave, as fire light was typically never the best to use when cleaning small spots.

They had been told by their leader this morning to clean all the weapons for the meeting tonight. They understood her reasoning, since they too didn't want to be unprepared if things turned ugly. For wolf tribes this bad turn of events was normal, if not expected. It was rare, however, to get a full out blood bath, but still not all members ever returned unscathed. This particular situation was a little different. As they were the weaker party, it was uncommon for the stronger one to want to meet them. Wolves prided themselves on winning against a more challenging opponent, not a weaker one like their group. Still, one could never be too sure if the plan of the other tribe was to cause genocide to any potential threats.

“Discipline is the first step to leaving the arena of pup to adulthood, Shippou,” replied Sango, who was examining the finished weapons and fixing any remaining flaws. “Besides, would you really want to go to a meeting with another tribe without your weapons in tip top condition?”

“No,” mumbled the disgruntled kit.

“Then there is no need for complaining, now is there?” There was no answer, but the silence signaled the continued work of the three cubs each at their particular tasks.

~~ ~~ ~~

Kouga and Miroku stood side by side checking the numerous traps that protected the den, while Rin sweept the ground for locations to place the members for the meeting. Everything had to be planned out to the finest detail to insure the safety of the clan, and impress the clan with their unique skills. After all, if anything went wrong during this meeting, a good escape would be needed. Rin also believed that timing and appearance were the key. Since they were lead by a hanyou, she needed to make them look their best. Therefore, bringing out the individual strengths of the members would put a greater advantage to their side.

Not that Rin suspected anything to go seriously wrong. Sure she expected the same cold hatred the leader of the white tribe had shown the previous night, but she didn't expect blood shed. At worst, she expected a quick snide comment or two and a departure. At best, an alliance between the two. This, however, shouldn't be expected considering that their ragbag bunch of youkai had nothing to offer the more sophisticated white clan. Still, one could always hope.

“Chikushou, Houshi!” snapped an irritated Kouga. “That's my foot!”

“I am not a monk,” replied Miroku with a grin. He was currently lifting a large rock off of Kouga's foot. “Besides, you should have moved your foot.”

“You dropped that blasted thing on purpose!”

“I did not! If I had dropped it on purpose I would have made a snide comment about how slow brown wolf reflexes are.”

“My reflexes are not slow!”

Miroku snorted his opinion, adding, “A snail is faster.”

The next moment, the boulder was dropped and forgotten as Kouga pounced Miroku. Rin watched on, shaking her head at the sight. The two rolled on the rocky cliff ledge, each swinging claws at each other's faces. Several curses were exchanged, but muffled by the rip of clothes and the grunts of pain. A moment later, a hard push sent the two crashing off the ledge and into the water below.

When they surfaced, a glowering hanyou stood where they had first started their squabble. Her hair was pulled into a tight braid, which currently resided over one shoulder. Her cloak, however, billowed about her figure even though there was no wind present. That alone, was enough to cut off one's speaking ability. The most unnerving feature was the fact that her normally warm brown eyes, were dead cold with flecks of crimson. “If you two are quite finished, I suggest you get back to work on those traps.”

The two males nodded dumbly, suddenly very afraid of their leader. They had rarely ever seen Kagome in a bad mood, and right now she looked positively livid. They quickly clamored out of the water with a push or two between each other to show that their fight wasn't finished, just delayed. Rin met them at the shore, rolling her eyes at their childish antics.

“Where'd Kagome go?” asked a confused Miroku as his eyes scanned the area, showing no signs of their leader. Rin pointed a slender claw in the direction behind him. Cautiously he turned to see the said female dropping her cloak upon the ledge beside an iced over waterfall.

There were five falls that made up the valley. Two very small cascades, stood toward the right of them, drawing the cool waters from their heightened, pristine pool into the gentle rolling of two rivers. To their left were three falls that combined to make one larger fall that looked more like a layered wedding veil than actual water. Their fall, where a large cave was situated behind, fell in the far left corner of the canyon. Here the sun was able to shine upon it's waters and allowed the falls to continually flow through out the year. Its height was that of twenty-seven feet, the total height of the walled valley. The final fall stood in the deepest part of the walled valley, doused completely in shadow. It was currently iced over, as it would remain for another month, with a soft undercurrent of frigid water. This fall was slightly over twenty feet, and sprung from a tunnel in the face of the cliff. The group rarely ever traveled over to this fall because of its dangerous sharp ice picks and bitter cold water.

“Eh, what's Kagome up to?” asked an equally confused Kouga.

“She said she was going to retrieve something for the meeting. She said not to wait for her and that she'll be gone most of the day.”

“Uh… Rin, you do realize that the meeting is a long time away from now.”

Rin nodded. “Which means she'll be in that water for quite awhile.”

Kouga and Miroku exchanged glances, but before anyone could stop their reckless leader, she had jumped from the ledge and dived into the cold water. She surfaced once, swimming toward the frozen water world, before she disappeared beneath the surface. A long pause followed as the three members waited for her to resurface. When several minutes had passed, the two males began to get a little nervous.

Rin sighed. “She's fine. There's a cave down there. She showed it to me once. Now hurry up with those traps. We need everything to be ready before the meeting.”

With that, the group divided and began their duties once again. Though, the occasional glances toward the falls, kept the members increasingly unnerved and pensive. What Kagome was getting down there, was anybody's guess. They just hoped that it was worth it.

~~ ~~ ~~

As Sesshoumaru's group entered the clearing, a collective gasp of wonder resounded. Before them, with the sun beginning to descend, had left the sheer walls of the small water valley in vivid colors of red and orange. The pool waters were dark and foreboding, as night began to claim her dominance over the gentle rolling waves. If a rainbow had only stretched across the valley, the whole thing would have been sickenly picturesque. Sesshoumaru's golden eyes scoured the land searching for the pack that he was to meet.

He only spotted one figure in the clearing, as his group stepped out toward the beach. He halted them just beyond the trees, hesitant to enter this open area, when he had yet to sense the presence of others. The figure before him, was crouched in a low position, hovering above the water. With sure movements the figure rose, the black cloak it wore, unwinding around its body.

Rin rose, unfurling like the petals of a flower. She stood upon a flat rock out in the water, just big enough to have allowed her to sit in that crouched position for close to an hour. She stretched her legs, taking one last glance toward the icy waterfall where her leader had yet to arrive, before turning her gaze toward the new group. She leapt gracefully and silently from the rock, landing on the soft sand with barely a whisper of movement.

She moved forward, took a graceful bow before Sesshoumaru and his congregation of wolves, before she finally stood erect before them. She clicked her tongue twice, as Kagome had taught her to do, and was followed by an eerie silence. A soft breeze carried her scent toward the new group, as they each waited in baited breath for the arrival of the clan members.

A moment later, Kouga dropped down from a tree behind the group. He wore a cocky grin on his face, and his arms were spread wide to show that no weapon was drawn. His smile was toothless, as showing of fangs typically represented hostility or domination. His blue eyes scanned the group, flickering multiple times toward the younger adult female white wolf with blood-red hair.

Another figure faded out from the increasing shadows to make his presence known. Miroku's cloak whipped behind him to show his arms also free of weapons. He, however, did not smile, and surveyed the group with distrust. He was the cautious one, except when it came to women. Right now, however, was not a good idea to give into his lecherous tendencies. It could possibly prove his last, and he'd rather Sango give the final blow than some other person he never met.

Lastly, a rock shifted out on the beach. The group watched the progression of a woman emerge from what looked like a small boulder with the ease of an acrobat. Sango, flipped her hair over one of her shoulders, pulling out a large boomerang from the sand. She stood farther away from the group, weapon slung over her shoulder to show that any false movement on their part and she would attack.

The white wolves eyed the members of the clan with wary, yet fascinated expressions. This was the first time some of them had ever seen such an entrance from another clan, especially one that had been so perfectly executed. They obviously were skilled in their art of hiding, but that was to be expected from such a small mixed clan. The only members missing now, were the cubs and their leader. Sesshoumaru raised a delicate eyebrow toward Rin, who just smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

A stiff silence fell, until the sound of emergence from the water, announced the remaining adult member of the group. At first there was a soft water trail, and then a pale face emerged, her eyes closed to the world. She continued to walk out of the water, never a waver or slippage of her foot as she made her way to shore. The water trailed off her clothing in turrets, leaving little to the imagination of her figure. Thankfully, the black material disallowed anything more than that.

When she was half way out, her eyes opened reveling their swirling brown depths. A soft click of the tongue called out to her remaining hidden members. At the sound, the three pups dropped down from a tree to the far left of the group. As a swirl of pink youki energy dried her clothing, the cubs reached her at the shore. She grasped a cloak from one of the cubs, tossing it upon her shoulders and ignoring her still wet hair and dripping ears.

She stopped her walk, three feet away from the foreign tribe, her eyes never leaving them. Her eyes drifted to focus briefly on each of the members of the foreign clan, taking a quick sniff to obtain their scents. The whole process took no longer than a minute, even with her slight delay toward one member. She, however, didn't show recognition toward the white hanyou, but her survey of him lasted a second longer than necessary. This caused a slight smirk to spread on Inuyasha's face, in which he quickly bowed his head to hide the look.

Kagome, finally gave a slight, very formal, bow to Sesshoumaru, who inclined his head ever so slightly in response. “You wished to speak with my clan?”

Sesshoumaru tipped his head again, signifying his consent.

“Very well then. I am Kagome, original member of the black wolf clan, Yoru. Currently, hanyou leader to the Kokoro Clan. As you can see, we are a mixed and small, unimportant clan. My second is Kouga, original leader to the Shinrin Clan before the famine.” She gestured toward Kouga, who bowed completely over at the waist. As the group turned to look at Kouga, Kagome continued and gestured to her right. “This is Rin, from the Yoru Clan.” Rin mimicked the bow from before, her eyes never leaving the white wolf leader. “The one with the boomerang is Sango of the Shinrin Clan.” Sango made a slight inclination of the head, but no more. “Lastly, there is Miroku of the Yoru Clan.” Miroku made a very fancy bow, before winking over toward Sango, who growled in response. “Our pups are: Kohaku of Shinrin, Souta of Yoru, and Shippou of Kitsune Kaminari.” The three cubs made swift bows, as they stood directly behind their leader.

Sesshoumaru nodded in acknowledgement of the members. “I am Sesshoumaru, youkai leader of the Moya Clan.” He gestured to his right to show an elderly woman. “This is Elder Kaede, chief youki mage. My second, the hanyou Inuyasha. The youkai female behind him is Ayame.” Each of these members nodded respectively toward Kagome. “And finally, the hanyou Houjo.” Here, this youkai smiled and blushed toward Kagome, who raised her eyebrow in question. “The three cubs are Kagura and Kanna who are youkai twins, and the hanyou Shiori.”

Kagome nodded to each of the members in turn, before she fixed a cold stare at Sesshoumaru. “State your business.”

“This Sesshoumaru does not approve of your clans interactions with humans. My clan should kill you now in order to keep the ookami youkai free of such pollutants.”

This statement surprised the Moya Clan as much as it ticked off the members of the Kokoro. This meeting was already starting out on a bad foot. All eyes focused on Kagome, who had made no noise or reaction to the statement. She was studying the group, weighing the significance of each word and growl exchanged.

“Are you not afraid to die today, hanyou?” Sesshoumaru said, when no reaction came from the girl. He had been disappointed, yet impressed by the fact that no fear scent or look ever crossed the face of Kagome.

At this comment, though, a small smile graced her lips. “You, above all others, should understand that the life of a hanyou is constantly in threat of death, considering your own brother is one. We are, after all, lower than the status of humans in the ranking system, regarding that most hanyou stem from at least one human parent. If we feared death all the time, we would never learn to live. As for myself, I would have killed off my clan during the winter, if I feared death. Therefore, I see no reason to fear you, as fear is nothing more than ignorance.”

A silence passed over the two groups. Before she continued. “Besides, if you truly hate humans so much, I suggest you obtain new clothing. No youkai currently reside in the textile world, and therefore all your clothing is human made. I suggest you strip from them, so that you are not polluted anymore than you already are.”

A few muffled their laughter as Sesshoumaru stalked toward Kagome. `Too smart for your own good, Hanyou leader of Kokoro. A suggest a mate is needed to tame your fire, and I am pretty sure my brother would be more than happy to oblige.”

The reaction to that comment was instantaneous. Ayame and Kaede had looked at the pink tinted cheeks of Inuyasha, and lost the will to say something. Kagura, Kanna, and Shiori had all burst into giggles, latching themselves at the side of the embarrassed and growling male hanyou. Houjo had also growled, but toward Sesshoumaru and his assumptions. As for Kagome's clan, threatening growls came from Kouga, Sango, and Rin. Though Rin's were directed more toward the comment and closeness of the two leaders, than the implication of mating between Inuyasha and Kagome. Kohaku, Shippou, and Souta were held back by a hand from Miroku, to prevent themselves from lunging at Sesshoumaru or Inuyasha. Miroku, however, looked overly amused with a slight lecherous smirk on his face. As for Kagome she also had soft pink tints on her cheeks, but was responding in a defensive growl.

“Nevertheless,” Sesshoumaru continued, “you make a valid point.” At this, silence regained its hold. “This, therefore, brings this Sesshoumaru back to the reason we are meeting. In exchange for an adequate shelter area for my clan and detailed knowledge of the area, this clan is willing to form an alliance with yours.”

“What does my clan get out of this alliance?”

“Protection, food, information, and, of course, strength in numbers.”

Kagome nodded. “My clan and I will have to discuss possible locations to place your clan. Currently, there is only one safe haven, and that is where my clan resides. I do believe your clan wouldn't be too happy to be in such close confines with mine.”

Sesshoumaru turned his head to look at Inuyasha, who only shrugged his shoulders and gave a slight nod. The one who spoke next, however, was not him.

“The clan will follow whatever decision, Lord Sesshoumaru makes. Therefore, it would not matter where they were to be placed as long as it is sheltered,” stated Kaede, a small twinkle of amusement in her one good eye, a black patch covered the other.

Kagome nodded her head. She then moved her hand into a small pouch located at her hip. Reaching inside she grabbed something and then held it out to Sesshoumaru. “This is a gift from our clan, signaling the dealings of this alliance. It is far stronger than any blood oath, which I am quite sure you would rather not have... at least with a hanyou.” She slowly opened her hand to show what she held.

In the palm of her hand was a round white stone, that glowed with an ethereal light. “Tsuki Shikon are the moonstones forged in the heat of battle when the legendary Shikon no Tama was formed. Each stone holds the life force of the various individuals that were not pulled into the Shikon no Tama, thousands of years ago. This has the ability to increase the bearer's powers by two fold, but it also has another ability. If the heart of our alliance is ever broken, this stone will turn black. It will be forever polluted and will never be white again.” She placed the stone in Sesshoumaru's clawed hand.

The stone flickered for a moment, before the glow disappeared and only a smooth round white stone remained. Sesshoumaru inclined his head and stepped back toward his clan. “Our deal is sealed then.”

Kagome nodded. “Rin and Kouga will accompany you back to survey the area of your camp and gather the number of your people. I assure you that they will not cause any problems.”

“Kaede and Houjo will accompany your clan back to your dwellings as well.”

With that said, the groups split. Kagome turned to Sango and Miroku. “Take the pups and our two guests back to the den. Let them ask any questions, and answer them. I leave to hunt.” As she disappeared into the woods, another being followed her.

“This way, Lady Kaede, Houjo,” Miroku said, the kits drawing up behind the two members of the Moya clan. With that said, the groups departed, each short a hanyou.

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Translation and Pronunciation Guide:

Chikushou- (che-coo-show) Damn it.

Houshi- (hoh-she) Buddhist monk.

Kokoro- (koh-koh-row) Mind, spirit, heart, will.

Shinrin- (she-n-ree-n) Forest, wood.

Kitsune- (key-sue-neh) Fox.

Kaminari- (kah-me-nah-ree) Thunder.

Moya- (moh-yah) Haze, mist.

Ookami- (Oh-oh-kah-me) Wolf.

Tsuki Shikon- (sue-key she-con) Moon jewels.

Shikon no Tama- (she-con noh tah-mah) Jewel of four souls.