InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tangled Ambitions ❯ Disturbing Plans ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer- I do not own InuYasha or any of the original characters; they are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation for personal and shared enjoyment of true InuYasha fans that I hope is up to the quality of the real series. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Chapter 6: Disturbing Plans

Miroku and Sango come to a large village bordering a wide river overshadowed by a walled compound with large buildings set above on a nearby hill. They direct Kirara to land just beyond the village in a wooded area.

With her giant boomerang across her back and carrying the now tiny cat, the Taijiya follows the Monk into town to look for information. He suggests a public house or eating establishment as the best places to find lots of gossip or news and she agrees with him.

The dust churns at their feet and people stare at the strangers before hurrying away. This behavior continues the farther they go and it was also growing more noticeable that the person they are staring at the most was Sango.

An old woman stares at the Taijiya with an alarmed look on her face before picking up her basket and hurrying away, still casting glances back over her shoulder. Sango stops walking to watch her go with a frown.

Miroku sighs and turns to her, "I don't think we're going to have much luck getting anyone to talk to us…"

"No…" she sighs back and says resignedly, "not with me here."

He looks around at a few people who were eyeing them suspiciously, "Maybe you should wait back where we landed while I ask around instead." He looks back at her, "I'll come to you when I find out what we need to know."

Sango nods reluctantly then squints her eyes and says distrustfully, "Only asking…no flirting." She pokes him in the arm with her finger, "We don't have the time your games…"

He looks at her innocently then sighs and nods, "only asking," holding up his free hand in promise.

She stares hard at him then turns on her heel to stomp back out of the village.

He watches her go and straightens his shoulders, "Well now…" He looks around and spots a small group of variously aged men standing and talking to one side of the dirt street. Miroku brushes at his robes to remove any dust and approaches them. "Pardon me…"

----------------

Sango sits in the shade of a tree while the afternoon passes slowly and petting the sleeping Kirara in her lap. `If that Monk is taking so long because of some pretty face…' She sighs and leans back against the tree-trunk. `I'm not going to let myself get angry…it's not like I care or anything…' She yawns and her eyes close, `…he just better not…' her thoughts drift as she joins the cat in slumber.

The musical jingle of the Monk's staff is familiar enough that it only makes the cat's ears twitch and disturbs the sleeping woman not at all.

Miroku slowly approaches the pair under the tree and stops just inside it's shadow on the ground to stare at her lovely features in repose dappled by playful sunlight that had found it's way through the canopy of leaves overhead. He leans with both hands wrapped around the staff and enjoys a few moments of silent contemplation before Kirara lifts her head and stares unblinkingly back at him. She "mews" and jumps down, waking her mistress.

Sango blinks, looks up at him and stands. "Houshi-sama," she takes a few steps toward him and asks impatiently, "what did you find out?"

He moves closer to stand in front of her, "Yes, the man is well known here." He turns his head, breaking eye contact, and frowns slightly as he steps around her to sit down near the tree and lays his staff in the grass beside him.

Sango follows and kneels facing him, watching his troubled expression and braces herself, "And…?"

He meets her eyes with heavy concern, "You were right Sango…it's Akunin."

Her breath comes out in a rush and she shifts sideways to sit with a plop.

The Monk pulls a tender shaft of grass from the rougher outer sheath and twirls it in his fingers as he continues, "It seems that he is working for Lord Narushi up at the castle we saw above the town."

She watches the piece of grass in his fingers spin like her thoughts, "Doing what?"

"The villagers say that he has been capturing youkai…" he takes a deep breath, "…to pit them against each other in fights to the death for the Lord's personal amusement."

She stares at him in disbelief and Miroku nods at her with a serious expression, "The people are scared to talk much because Lord Narushi is also in the habit of tossing the odd human in with the demons to be `executed' for the flimsiest of reason-"

Sango gasps and jumps up, outrage overflowing and her hands clenched, "Unforgivable!!" She reaches for her boomerang and slings it onto her back in one smooth motion, "Let's go, Houshi-sama!"

Miroku frowns up at her but remains sitting, "Sango, wait…"

She turns back to him, impatience dominating her being, "Nani?"

"Think for a moment…" He looks at her seriously and sighs, "We cannot just walk up to a Lord's castle and demand our friends back…"

Sango stares angrily at the sensible sounding Monk, her brain racing to find a way past his logic before her shoulders droop in defeat. She steps back, unslings Hiraikotsu and drops onto her knees in front of him again, resting her hands on her thighs with her head bowed.

Kirara "meows" and rubs against her leg then curls up to begin washing a paw.

Miroku crosses his arms and bends his head down in thought, "Hmm…I also heard that Lord Narushi hires sooth-sayers and so-called-mystics by the dozen." He looks at the top of her head, waiting until she raises her eyes in question. The slight gleam in his catches her attention, "Rumors say he's obsessed with prophecies and," he starts to smile, "…and Omens."

Her eyes widen and she returns his smile.

"Now," his smile fades as he rests his chin in his hand and ponders out loud, "that might get us in…" he sighs, "but then what?" He sighs again and shrugs, "We don't know if they're even…" He looks at her then away, not wanting to say the words.

Sango frowns and nods, "Hai, Houshi-sama…they…could be…" She swallows hard, bites her lip in anxiety and blinks back tears.

Kirara finishes cleaning her paw, jumps up and "Meows" loudly at them with all four legs held stiffly, her tails raised high and twitching. Her human companions look at her and she flicks her ears and gives then a growling "merrow" with her eyes open wide, staring hard at her mistress.

Sango gasps and exclaims, "Kirara…scout? In the Castle?"

The cat nods her head once then sits and wraps her tails primly around her feet.

"Eh?" Miroku turns from the Taijiya to the cat and back again, "Do you think she can?"

Sango smiles and reaches out to pick up the brave cat, nuzzling her with affection. Girl and cat both look at the Monk and Sango nods at him, "Who would notice a small cat who is smart enough to use the shadows and hide when necessary?"

Kirara "Mews" at him and jumps down to sit in front of Sango and stare up at her.

Sango gazes back and says in a serious tone, "We need to know if Shippo, Kagome & InuYasha are there and where they are." She watches Kirara blink at her and adds, "We will be waiting outside the walls of the Castle where you can find us." The cat stands to shake her whole body, then leaps away on her mission.

Sango straightens with renewed hope, looks at the Monk's frowning face and asks, "What is it, Houshi-sama?"

He sighs, "I may be able to get us in…but I don't know if `Bad Omens' will be enough to get Lord Narushi to release them." He looks at her, impatience to be on the move practically radiating from her and continues, "And then there is Akunin to deal with. I'm sure he will argue against any superstitions and misgivings the Lord may have." He watches Sango's face turn cold and her eyes harden with determination.

"You get us in Houshi-sama…" She draws her sword, fishes out her sharpening stone and begins to rasp it along the blade's already sharp edge. "I'll deal with Akunin."

He re-crosses his arms and watches her rhythmic motions with an uneasy feeling.

-------------------

The polished floor in the long hallway is smooth and cold. Looking down, as he sits waiting, he sees his reflection and pushes back the loose mop of hair that flops annoyingly back over his bright blue eyes.

Shippo tugs at the hateful collar around his neck and holds back a useless growl. `I wonder if InuYasha feels like this about his necklace…?' He sighs and stares at the embroidered slippers peeking out from under the Lord's rich robes as he continues to wait for the conversation between the two men to end.

The other man bows to the Lord and Narushi turns away, pulling on the metal-fiber leash attached to the Kitsune's collar.

Shippo jumps up to follow obediently though he silently seethed inside. `Damnit! Now where are we going?' He scrambles to keep up with the Lord's strides.

They turn down a side way and head for huge double-doors at the end, `Oh, no!' Shippo's steps lag and the leash yanks him forward, stumbling to keep his balance, all the while a deep dread growing as they approach that place that he had been to once before. `Not there…' He grabs hold of the leash and leans back on his heels to resist against the pull…and slides across the slick surface of the floor. `Damn!!'

An irritated yank from the Lord sends him sprawling at the base of the heavily carved wooden doors, and he has to scurry backwards to prevent being hit by them as two guards on either side pull them open.

The Lord walks through and Shippo reluctantly follows him into the almost cavernous room. They approach a heavily decorated and cushioned wide chair standing alone near the wall in front of the doorway located near the corner of this end of the columned room.

Lord Narushi seats himself, head up proudly with the appearance of totally ignoring the ragged Kitsune that plops himself down to one side of the `throne' on the floor.

A soft sigh escapes Shippo's lips as he sits with head bowed, not wanting to look down the long expanse of dirt floor that stretched from one side to the other between the towering columns where an immense cage made entirely of metal had been erected. The smell of blood and death were almost overpowering to his sensitive nose.

A few of the Lord's attendants and council enter and move to stand on either side of him in small groups whispering among themselves. The small and insignificant Youkai on a leash stays hidden behind his unkempt hair…eavesdropping shamelessly.

"…Again so soon?"

"…Something special, Lord Narushi is quite excited."

"…With the Taijiya?" Shippo flinches and shrinks into himself.

"…Don't know who…do you…?"

"…Never saw her before."

Shippo's curiosity gets the better of him and he parts his hair to peek around the chair at the dark man, who was responsible for his being here, standing a few yards away and shudders. There is a woman in a blue kimono on his other side. He can't see her clearly until Akunin turns to her and Shippo sees her face…

He gasps, "Ka-!" and slaps both hands over his mouth and darts his eyes here and there to see if anyone had heard him. Akunin's deep voice rang in his head; "If you utter so much as one word…one peep…I will rip out your tongue and eat it for breakfast! Then I will serve the rest of you to the Lord's dogs!"

Shippo crept backward out of sight and held back sobs. Self-disgust and fear causing his tiny body to shake uncontrollably. `Oh Kagome…me and my big mouth…' He curls into a miserable ball on the floor, his crying stifled into soft whimpers, and punches himself on the head. `It's my fault she's here…'

He wraps his arms around himself and begins to rock back in forth.

---------------------

The tight grip on Kagome's arm is more than enough to remind her that Akunin has all of the control right now, but her attention is captured by the huge metal cage in the center of a building large enough to rival the Gymnasium back at her school. The iron monstrosity, illuminated by light streaming through high windows placed between the tall columns all down both sides of the long room, was covered with symbols, ofudas, and other containment charms.

She stared at the carved dragon-heads capping the ends of the heavy poles that supported the conical roof of the enclosure and the golden ball that caught the light at the apex in the center at least twenty feet high. She measured with her eyes the width of the circular erection in amazement, `It must be about forty feet across…as big, if not bigger than the lion tamer's cage I saw at the circus! Now why…?' Her thoughts fall silent as she tries to imagine what they would possibly need a cage of those proportions for.

Two men are standing on high platforms on either side of the gate on the far side of the cage with ropes and pulleys for the raising and lowering of the door within their reach. A loud creak from the opening of the doors at the far end of the long room breaks her fascination. She turns her head to watch a good sized cage on wheels roll in, pushed by six strong men by way of an extended `T' shaped handle, well out of reach of the occupant dressed in red.

Her eyes widen in shock and she gasps out, "InuYasha!"

Akunin's grip tightens painfully and he leans forward to whisper in her ear, "Not another word, or you'll both regret it…Kagome."

Her head whips around at the sound of her name, her loose hair slapping him in the face, to stare angrily at him. His feral smile enhances his promise of violence and totally infuriates her. Reflexively, she tries to pull out of his grasp but he only forces her closer, squeezing her arm hard and making her wince.

He chuckles softly and loosens his hold on her, though not letting go.

She looks away to watch the smaller cage rattle closer. The Hanyou was stubbornly standing in the center of the wagon-cage despite the unsteady rocking of its floor under his feet with every jolt, aloof with his hands hidden in his wide sleeves. `He looks all right.' She breathes a small sigh of relief before tensing at the clanging sound of the wagon latching onto the big cage wall and the squeaking of both doors being levered up.

One of the handlers moves forward to grab one of the spears leaning against a platform and proceeds to poke it through the bars to try and prod the irritated Hanyou to exit the wagon. InuYasha snarls and swiftly reaches out to snap off the head and tosses it to the floor contemptuously. The man jumps back, looks at the splintered wood where the tip used to be and turns a questioning glance at the overseeing Taijiya.

InuYasha follows his gaze and feels his heart skip, `Kagome…' He watches Akunin slip his free hand around the girl's slender neck and raise a taunting eyebrow at him. Her pleading eyes are the only thing that reminded him to keep the ravening beast, that howled for release, locked deep in his soul.

His gaze narrows, focusing on the real enemy, and hops out of his small prison down onto the dirt floor of the larger one. Here was the source of that wretched smell of fear and death, old blood mingled in the dirt under his feet, churning up with the dust to assail his senses and chipping away at his precarious control.

The gate slams down and is locked before the wagon-cage is pulled away. InuYasha keeps his back to them in a show of unconcern and slowly walks to the very center while calculating the possible strength of the barred barrier isolating him. `No way of knowing until I try them,' his eyes swing back to the smirking man holding Kagome and feels his lips lift in an answering sneer, `and no way I'll risk…I just have to wait for an opportunity.'

Hands hidden once more in the voluminous sleeves, InuYasha continues to glare at his foe and takes a deep breath to await whatever was planned. He rubs the small piece of green material he had tucked into one sleeve between his fingertips and feels a small amount of calm ease the growing need to shred everything in sight.

The sound of the doors leading to the holding area open again and he turns to see another wheeled cage pushed through. The frenzied movements of the youkai trapped inside were accompanied by its frightful screeching as it throws itself from one side to the other in a futile effort to escape.

He watches for a moment then turns back to stare at the devious man, finally understanding his earlier words, "…Kill or be killed." He feels a growl begin to rumble deep inside as his disgust for this man grows.

Kagome drops her eyes and closes them from the overwhelming feeling of helplessness, knowing that she is being used to hold InuYasha in check.

Akunin shifts his hand on her throat to force her head back and wraps his other arm around her waist to pull her snugly against him. "Oh no, my Little Bird," the arm around her middle tightened as he hissed the hated nickname in her ear, "You will watch." His breath is hot on her ear, "That is what you wanted, is it not?" She tries to push his arm away but it might as well be made of steel for all the good it did.

She opens her eyes and watches InuYasha turn to face the screaming youkai that, upon being released into the arena-cage, immediately leapt to attack him and the sight is blurred by tears that spill over and slide down her discolored cheek. She blinks them away to see him dodge another rush, turning once to glance her direction before spinning around to slash out with his claws at the lunging creature and quickly end its life.

InuYasha stands over the dead thing and fists his bloodstained hand in frustration, the satisfaction of his baser nature adding to his anger. He shoots a hate-filled look at Akunin with his arm around Kagome and grits his teeth to keep from howling like the beast that seethed inside him was longing to do. His internal struggle drowned out the muted sounds of approval coming from the other occupants surrounding a solitary seated person in their rich clothing.

The creaking of the wooden doors opening again at the far end reaches his ears, making him turn to see three smaller cages slung on long poles being carried by more men and feels his heartbeat speed up.

----------------

Feline eyes watch unblinking all that happens from the shadowed heights of the massive roof beams near the ceiling of the huge building. Intelligence unknown to normal cats lurks in the depths of the misleading shape of the tiny enigmatic Kirara, and she holds perfectly still as one does when stalking prey.

Only the slitted eyes show any movement, flicking from the shivering movements of the small Kitsune half hidden behind the `throne-like' chair, to watch the rolling progress of yet another wheeled cage pass through the large doors. From the panting silver-haired Hanyou standing among a growing litter of youkai corpses inside an enormous metal cage…to the thoughtful young girl, who always had a treat for her and gentle hands, being held in the clutches of one that the cat-youkai remembers all too well.

Her ears go flat and her eyes narrow in hatred as she bares her fangs. `Time to go,' and she turns to leap down to the floor behind one column and back through a crack that she had discovered earlier that led to the outside. `Find Sango.'

-----------------------

Thanks to - LadyOrion(notsignedin)

Please Review!

Thanks, Darkless