InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Alternate Storyteller ❯ The Joys of Reunions I ( Chapter 12 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

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I followed the shoreline until it ran parallel to the main road into Shimonoseki. I left the ocean behind and trudged my way to town, going with the flow of highway travelers. Curiosity had me searching out the damage from the past battle, and although a few areas were still rebuilding, the rest looked as though that night had never happened. I shook my head and continued on.

I did my best to stay anonymous walking through town, but it was no use as I approached the inn I had stayed at six months previous. One of the servant girls caught sight of me, recognized my face, and bolted inside, probably to alert the female innkeeper of my return.

Sure enough, I was just making my way up the step to the front door, when it was opened by the good woman herself. We stood on opposites sides of the door and stared at each other, when her face suddenly broke into a huge smile.

“Welcome back, great warrior,” she greeted and moved back to let me in. I couldn’t help my stupid look. I certainly wasn’t expecting an appellation like that! She caught my boggled expression as we halted in the hall, and explained.

“Many believed that you had died battling that terrible monster, and some even claimed you were responsible for the attack. I did not believe either rumour. I saw you rush to the water, even as some of our most experienced samurai ran away like children. I thought to myself ‘If she, a stranger, is willing to face death for this town as though it were her own birthplace, she is worthy of respect.’ And you have returned, as I hoped for all these days since. You are worthy of the respect of a great samurai!”

I’m sure I was bright red from my roots to my toes by the time she had finished. I did my best to look everywhere but her face, so great was my embarrassment. She seemed to understand my discomfort and, in silence, led me to the set of rooms I had occupied. With a bit of flourish, she pushed the shoji open and ushered me in. There were two servants waiting with clean clothes and, as I looked closer at their hands, my pack!

“You still have that?” I exclaimed, pointing to the sack in the one girl’s arms. All three women beamed proudly and nodded.

“We kept the same hope as our lady,” replied the younger of the two girls, “We ensured its safety.”

“We knew you would need it when you returned,” Lady Innkeeper continued, “It has been locked in one of our cupboards.”

“Wow,” I whispered, lowering my eyes. I was humbled by the faithfulness of these total strangers, “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you will tell us the story of your battle and absence!” Young One said eagerly, while her older friend nodded enthusiastically.

“Not until she has eaten and washed,” the innkeeper scolded, “I’m sure she would enjoy a good meal and some rest before indulging two young girls who ignore their work for a tale.”

The servants, properly chastised, bowed and rushed to their duties. After watching them for a moment, I turned to the innkeeper and asked, “I know this sounds silly, but I never heard your names when I was here last time.”

“I am Nozomi. The older girl is Yoji and the younger is Akari.” At the sound of her name, Akari popped her head in and announced the bath empty of guests and ready for use. I dumped Ryuuseijin and my outer clothes on the floor as Yoji brought a clean yukata in.

“I will keep the other guests out of the bath, milady,” Yoji told me, walking me to the public washing area, “Your return has excited much talk amongst the other merchants in the neighbourhood. The common room will be busy tonight with people wishing to hear of the return of our great warrior.” She left me at the door of the washing room. I stepped into the room and rolled my eyes when I was sure I was alone. Once I undressed and scrubbed myself pink, I rinsed off and sank into the steaming furo, embracing the soothing heat.

:Must thank you for leaving us on floor: came a sullen comment some time later.

:Ooops. Musta forgot in the excitement of a real bath: I replied unapologetically :I’ll switch you as soon as I get back.:

:Next time you do this, We will sleep and leave you to deal with problems.:

:Somehow, I believe you would. I’ll ensure it doesn’t happen again: I promised. I managed to enjoy the glorious soaking for another twenty minutes before Akari came running in, totally out of breath.

“Nozomi-san is turning people away at the door, there are so many coming to see you!” she cried and picked up my yukata, clearly wanting me to hurry.

Show time, I sighed to myself, and dragged my unwilling body out of the warm water. I hated being a celebrity if it meant denying myself a decent bath.

:Some days, are lucky if you get bath: Ryuu chuckled. I grunted in reply and jogged back to my room. Yoji was waiting with my freshly laundered clothing in hand. I shooed her out and changed while I thought of the story I had to weave for a potentially hostile audience. I finished organizing my data just as Akari called that a visit to the common room would be greatly appreciated. I said I would be there shortly, and picked up Ryuuseijin and stuffed It in my sash for the time being. Just before I headed out, I made sure my female disguise was in place.

Entering the common area was like physically hitting a wall of noise and heat, and people were packed wall-to-wall all four ways. I shouldn’t have been surprised, yet I involuntarily jerked back when I saw the number of townspeople. The current of tension and curiosity was palpable, and I sure hoped they would enjoy my tale.

The talk was so loud that Nozomi had to finally wave at me to get my attention. I nodded my head and walked around the multitude gathered around the tables, before getting into earshot of the innkeeper. I bent over to hear her words.

“There is a corner table that has been saved for you, Lady,” she shouted in my ear, “I will serve your dinner before asking you to indulge the curiosity of the crowd.” She motioned an unknown serving girl over and told her to take me to my table. I shouted my thanks to Nozomi and followed my guide to a table in the farthest reaches of the room. Almost as soon as I sat down, I had fresh, hot food placed before me, and cold water followed right behind. I ate heartily with rising spirits, so by the time I was done, I felt ready to take on anything the crowd might throw at me. Nozomi came by while the girls were cleaning up and asked if I was prepared.

“Yes,” I shouted back, “You can announce it, if you want.” Her response was to clap her hands while almost bellowing the impending event. Immediately, the noise dropped to a murmur. Yoji and Akari scurried around the front, clearing a sitting area where everyone could see me. My innkeeper tilted her head to it, and I took the cue and stood up. The walk felt a bit like running the gauntlet with all the eyes staring at me, the whispers running through the crowd.

Once I finally took my seat, the dam of curiosity burst and everyone shot out their questions all at once. Even my high spirits were assaulted, and I was ready to jump ship when Ryuu sent out an unexpected wave of encouragement. I grasped at it and bolstered my poor, abused spirits. Holding up my hands got my audience’s attention, and the talk stopped at once.

“Good evening,” I began, “I gather from what I’ve heard, everyone would like to know what happened during my battle with the giant demon.”

:Am not ’giant demon’:

:Shut up! I know that!:

“I will tell you the story” I continued. Everyone waited expectantly for me to go on.

So I did.

I told them a rip-roaring tale of excitement and battle, embroidering parts to cover up certain facts, like being the chosen of the beast. Some of the dialogue I left out altogether, since the last thing I needed was speculation on my love life or sanity. Certain parts brought on murmurs of appreciation, like my journey up Ryuu’s back, or murmurs of anger, such as my experience with the miserable bastard Chikurin. The ending was the most nerve-wracking section because there was no way I was sharing the months of bonding and training. I gave vague descriptions of falling into the ocean with the beast’s body and somehow swimming to a distant shore, ending with a return boating trip. They would have quartered me before sunrise if they knew I was the dragons’ new mistress/partner.

Other than the murmuring, I didn’t have any interruptions and they hung on to my every word. Such a captivated crowd was rather unnerving, but gratifying. Once I finished up, the questions were very few in number. It seemed like the majority of their curiosity had been satisfied by the narrative.

While I was relieved the crowd was pleased with the evening’s event, several questions of my own came to mind once the people had filed out for the night. I continued to mull over them while I pulled the covers back to retire.

:What made you reject Wu Fei?: I asked suddenly, pausing in my preparations.

:Great power appeared in this land: Ryuu replied :Managed to break bond with inferior master.:

:You managed or the power?:

: Both: was the enigmatic reply.

:Fine: I huffed and crawled under the cover :Have your riddles. When did it happen? He certainly wasn’t dead six months ago.:

:Seven of your weeks before I came to these shores: I wasn’t sure how to proceed, since it led back to what broke them apart, but Ryuu heard an unvoiced question and helped me out.

:Power was what broke me from Old One: They sighed :Once We changed, felt it move from central mountains to southern shore. Followed it. Searched for it. Knew it was here, but did not know who was new master until We saw you next to stake.:

:Seven weeks before I showed up in Shimonoseki…: I traced my journey back through the coastline, to the foothills on the western side of the mountains, and up the rocky spine until…

:No: I breathed :I was in the pass with Sesshoumaru and Jaken. I didn’t do anything that could possibly have triggered any kind of disturbance!:

:Happened. Think.:

I sifted through the actions I had taken those few days, at least, the activities I could remember. I drew Tomoshibi several times, but I knew it had no magic. I used herbs to treat Sesshoumaru, but they also had nothing to do with mystical forces. The only other deed that stuck out was when I had erected a barrier with Hoshi’s ofuda. The ofuda, which now that I thought about it, could only be used by someone who had some kind of magic talent. In the show, your average person couldn’t use ofuda, it was always a mystic-type.

:I most certainly am not a miko!:

:No, are not holy person: Ryuu agreed :But wield great sorcery, even before you knew.:

I hardly breathed as my thoughts bounced around in my head. I broke the binding between Wu Fei and Ryuu, before I knew they even existed. I had changed the course of history without even knowing what I had changed. This reality could suffer the Butterfly Effect, and I wouldn’t even know how to stop it because I had no knowledge of the future beyond the end of the manga. I could completely obliterate this universe. The possibilities were infinite, terrifying. As I wound myself up to the point of absolute panic, Ryuu broke in.

:Will face it as it happens. No need to throw self off cliff to save what is to come, what you do not know.:

I took a gasping breath and calmed my rattled nerves as best I could. They were right. I couldn’t change what had happened, nor what was to come without knowing it in the first place. After several moments of calm, I asked yet another burning question.

:What the hell were you guys talking about when I was on your back? I couldn’t hear you back then:

:We were deciding when to leave battle. Were getting annoyed with idiotic attacks: Ryuu grunted reluctantly. I gave a grunt of my own in response.

:They couldn’t have been that stupid if they could affect you! I seem to recall a few stumbles.:

Ryuu growled angrily. They didn’t like being reminded of chronic weaknesses, apparently. I waited for some kind of reply, but after almost ten minutes of silence I mentally shrugged and started dozing off. I quickly slid into oblivion and knew nothing the rest of the night.

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I was halfway through dressing the next morning, when Ryuu suddenly blurted out :Was detached from host. Power lessened when not bound to master.

:Uhh, okay: I replied :It took you long enough to answer: I considered his words while tying my sash up. If their power was diminished when unattached, then what did they draw on when master and dragons were bound?

:Spirit: they whispered :The soul of master draws on power that we can never possess.:

:Ah. That’s why you guys were so desperate to unite with me that first day:

As no answer was immediately forthcoming, I headed to the empty common room for some breakfast. I made it two-thirds of the way through before Nozomi came bustling up with the news that an elderly gentleman was asking for me. Since I didn’t know anyone in town outside of the inn, my curiosity was aroused. I told her to show him in and bring some extra tea. She came back shortly, followed by a rail of an old man, with a head of bushy white hair and a long beard. He stopped short when he saw me, before taking the last few steps to the table and seating himself directly across from me. I couldn’t place him at all, but he saved us both the trouble of introductions.

“I am delighted to see you alive, Lady Kijinko,” he began, “I feared the sword had taken you to an early grave.”

I was still clueless. A split second before I asked for his name, Ryuu groused :It is Old One. We thought we had destroyed him. Must be slipping in our old age:

If the revelation wasn’t so serious, I would’ve laughed, but as it was, all I did was cry out “Wu Fei! I’m elated to see you!” and reached my hand across the smooth surface.

He grabbed it, a smile tugging at his lips, “As soon as I heard the great dragon slayer had reappeared after so many months, I had to see for myself if it was truly you.”

“Bloody hell! I seem to have a multitude of names around here,” I groaned unhappily as I poured him a cup of green tea. We both took large swallows, savouring the woody, earthy taste, and I took a closer look at him while he helped himself to some more. He had aged considerably in the last six months, as though time itself were playing catch-up. His face was creased with hundreds of wrinkles, and his hair was more white than silver. His hands shook slightly whenever he gestured, and he had hobbled in here with a cane. I couldn’t help feeling sorry for this shadow of the man I had first met in battle.

“Where have you been all this time, Wu Fei?” I finally asked.

“Here,” he answered, “I have been waiting to hear of some kind of news. They had sent out fishing boats the next morning to find your body, but some had gone as far as the south Korean coast before admitting defeat. Most believed you had drowned and your body taken to the ocean floor. I did not hold to their conclusion, nor did Nozomi and her staff,” he nodded to her as she scurried by on an errand, “We kept hope. Although, your disappearance helped increase your reputation a great deal, as you may have noticed.”

I rolled my eyes. “I seem to have developed from a stranger who summoned the Beast to a national hero. Honestly, I would prefer to remain unknown, especially in light of who my enemies are.”

“Ah, you mean Inuyasha and his friends,” he said with a knowing look, “They aren’t what they appear to be, you know.” I eyed him warily as he chuckled and continued, “They were all trying to save you, in their own ways. Especially Lord Sesshoumaru.”

“WHAT?!”

“Oh yes. One could say he was almost desperate to get you away from the Beast. Although, that is mainly speculation on the others’ part.” He took a sip of tea.

“’Others’? You mean the rest of Inuyasha‘s pack?” I asked dazedly.

“Lord Inuyasha said he hasn’t seen his brother that intent on fetching someone since his ward was kidnapped by Naraku. And it has apparently been a long time since he was that angry. So speaks his retainer, anyway. I myself was more concerned with the battle at hand.”

I grasped desperately at the change in subject and asked, “What happened during the battle? I know everyone was throwing their strongest attacks. I could see and hear them everywhere.”

Wu Fei nodded, “Everyone used their strongest powers, but the Beast simply would not die.”

I shook my head in disagreement and said, “Not everyone’s strongest attacks. Sesshoumaru didn’t even try using Bakusaiga, and Inuyasha never used the Dragon-scaled Tesseiga.”

“Lord Sesshoumaru decided since he couldn’t fling it directly into the Underworld with the Meidou, there was no use in wasting power on an unfruitful alternative. Lord Inuyasha couldn‘t use his attack because he needs youki to achieve the desired affect.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Fluffy,” I said wryly, “Waste not, want not. But I forgot Dragon-scaled Tessaiga needed a demon aura to latch on to. Still,” I sighed, “they did little good, if anything at all.”

Wu Fei thought for a moment before going on, “I believe that if you had not been on the dragon, they would have done everything possible to destroy it, even after I told them it could not be done.”

I snorted. “Sesshoumaru tried to send me to Hell on that thing. I’d hardly call that holding back.”

“Ah, but that was before I informed them about your position. I know the Demon Exterminator tried to coax you off, before being beaten back by the dragons and your refusal.”

“And what about Sesshoumaru?” I asked, “What did he have to say when he returned to you guys?”

“He said nothing, especially about seeing you before the end,” Wu Fei replied with some confusion, “However, I did not notice much beyond casting my own spells at the time. And remember, much of what I know now came from talking with the warriors after the battle. Lord Sesshoumaru did not stay around after the dragons had left. In fact,” and here he looked at me slyly, “He pursued the dragon over the water, attempting to rescue you.”

“Whoa!” I squeaked, “He was trying to rescue me?! Wait,” I said , looking at him suspiciously, “How would you know that? Fluffy certainly didn’t tell you.”

“No, but he did alert his brother before taking off. Lord Inuyasha told us afterwards. We were all wondering what was happening between you and the Demon Lord to make him rush after you in such a manner.”

I blushed until I’m sure I could have put a tomato to shame. It was bad enough going through what I did in the mountains, but to have to deal with this idle gossip was even worse, because I knew as well as Inuyasha that something was up. I couldn’t deny it, but neither did I want to confirm it. It would set Inuyasha on my tail for the rest of my days. Once I removed any emotion from my face, I crafted a response that would have made a Vulcan proud.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said flatly. The old man stared hard at me, but let it slide. He took a sip of tea before moving on to a new topic.

“Would you allow some assistance in your training?” he asked mildly. Yes, that would be wonderful was on my lips, but at the same instant, a headache and a resounding NO! echoed in the common room. Wu Fei jerked back, sloshing his drink everywhere, and Yoji dropped the tray of dishes she was carrying by at the same time. My head felt fuzzy and sore as my jaw continued to move against my will.

“Do not need help, Old Fool,” the multiple voices growled, “Have nothing of value to teach her.” I could vaguely see Wu Fei and Yoji with their wide eyes and gaping mouths as Ryuu continued, “Abandoned you for good reason. Your powers nothing compared to Mistress. Does not need useless words that mean nothing and gestures that waste energy.” The old man closed his mouth with an audible click and took a minute to gather his thoughts, where as Yoji left the dishes and took off like a shot.

“You abandon me?” he finally asked, “How is that possible? It was supposed to be until death. This is unprecedented in all the records!” Ryuu launched into the story of how he left and what had given him the ability in the first place. When it was finished, Wu Fei’s jaw was on the floor again.

“I lost my powers prematurely!” he all but accused me, “But at least the destruction is not on my conscience.”

I knew that not all anger I felt coursing through me was my own, but I tried controlling it all the same. The last thing I needed It to do was burn the inn down around our heads. After what seemed like an endless time, I prevailed with final pull, and the world came back into focus. The headache stayed. I looked at the foreigner with an unkind eye.

“What happen was beyond everyone’s control, Wu Fei, so don’t you dare try to pin it on me!” I spat out.

“You are right,” he conceded, “I apologize.”

Nozomi carefully poked her head around the corner just then, asking us if we wanted the midday meal served. Startled, I looked at the nearest outer shoji and saw the intense light of the noon sun beating through it. I gave my assent, and we ate a rather tense meal before settling with a fresh pot of tea. A short, awkward silence reigned while the help cleared up the remains of our meal. I finally got fed up and broke it by asking if Wu Fei would help me improve my sword and hand-to-hand skills. He looked relieved and said he would. We talked about some general topics before he finally got up to leave.

“I will come tomorrow evening, since I have business to attend to during the day,” he said as we headed for the door. I nodded and said it was fine, since I wasn’t going anywhere soon. We parted at the door, and I returned to me room.

:What the hell was that?!: I demanded as soon as I shut the shoji screen. I plopped down in the middle of the floor and waited for an answer.

:Am tired of Fool pushing his way into business that is not his: Ryuu grumbled :Was lousy sorcerer.:

:I was asking for help in the physical realm, you moron: I snorted :I’m still weak in the combat department: They didn’t response, so I spent the day wandering around town.

The next evening, Wu Fei came by as promised and helped me clean up and strengthen my combat skills with the sword. It went well enough, so we continued on for several weeks. I was decent to start with, but now I was a hundred times better, thanks to his patience and superior knowledge. Little did I know I would be needing it in the following days.

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I was sitting in the common room one night waiting for my instructor, when he burst into the inn, shouting my name. I ran to the entrance, wondering what was up. Wu Fei was jabbering at Nozomi a mile a minute until he spotted me. He grabbed my upper arms and propelled me towards my rooms, shouting that He had found me and was threatening death. I stumbled into my room and threw my things into my pack before I turned to the trembling man and demanded who “He” was.

“Inuyasha!” he cried, gesturing me to hurry up, “Inuyasha has arrived and is hunting you down even as we speak!” I gulped and finished tossing my stuff into the bag. I wasn’t ready to face off with him yet. Making sure everything was in place, I tossed a bag of money on the futon and tore out of the inn. I could hear Inuyasha bellowing from the other end of town, but I only made it to the north-west outskirts before he caught up to me. He leaped over my head and landed in the middle of my escape route, brandishing a transformed Tessaiga.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going, bitch?” he demanded, “And why are you hiding behind those rags?”

“I have no quarrel with you, Inuyasha! So piss off!” I bellowed. Shoreline I heard in my head as the half-demon fumed over my response. It sounded as good an idea as any, so I unexpectedly bolted back the same way I had come from, followed by a string of curses from my opponent. Draw came the voice again, and I drew out Ryuu, wondering what They were up to. Inuyasha was catching up to me, and I started to panic.

When he landed in front of me, I instinctively swung Ryuuseijin across my body and parallel to the ground with every bit of physical and mental strength I had. The land between us heaved as a huge dragon erupted out of the ground, screaming at Inuyasha and rattling every eardrum within ten miles. It morphed in and out of the earth, blocking him every time he moved towards me, so I took the opportunity to make for the shoreline on the west side of town. I sprinted down the dark streets, ignoring the townsfolk’s stares and praying my new bodyguard would keep the half-demon occupied long enough. Shouts were picking up as I ran past a group of people, who kept calling after me. Two seconds after I left them behind, I realized the idiot dog had brought his friends along. I caught sight of the water and bolted for all I was worth. I splashed into the shallows just as he came tearing down the street, hollering for all he was worth.

“Nowhere to go, you stupid wench!” he crowed when he saw me standing in the surf with my back to the water and full moon. The rest of the gang ran up to the edge of the street, but didn’t dare enter the combat zone. They continued shouting at Inuyasha to back off and calm down, to no avail, while I stood there scrabbling for an escape route.

I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing, until my lessons flooded back to me.
Wind, Water, Shadow, Spirit, and Earth at my fingertips, I thought as I desperately tried to put into place something resembling a plan. If he unleashed anything, I’d be ready. Sort of. And I didn’t pay any attention to Inuyasha’s talk, until…

“Sesshoumaru will blast you to pieces unless you get out and come with me!”

I glared and contemplated his statement for a moment, stalling while wondering what he was playing at. I needed more information, needed to keep him talking. Offensive, it is.

“Now, why would I want to go with some idiotic half-breed mutt who keeps threatening to kill me?” I asked with a snarl. I knew I was playing with fire, but as the saying goes ‘desperate times…’ However, the look of rage crossing his face almost made me recant. He drew Tessaiga swiftly and held it at the ready. Shit! A great big F for that tactic. One swing and I’m toast.

“I come offering you an escape from my ass of a brother and you throw it back in my face?!” he roared, “Let’s see how your precious dragon handles this!” He raised the enormous blade and screamed Kaze no Kizu as I swung my own sword in response and bellowed Earthwalker. The two powers roared towards their respective targets, collided and exploded into sparks. The shockwave was so strong, it blew me off my feet and into the water. We both eyed each other warily through the floating dust as I stood up and tried catching my breath. If Ryuu and I could cancel out that attack, we had a chance.

A small smirk tugged at my lips, and I couldn’t resist taunting, “Is that all you got, half-breed?”

His only response was to snarl and raise Tessaiga for another blow. I quickly went through my options, and hoped my next idea worked. I concentrated on the chosen Element, and formed its attack before shrieking Water Serpent! My shimmering dragon sped towards him, jaws wide and ready. When it was only feet away, Inuyasha smirked and bellowed Bakuryuuha. His power swirled around mine and forced my water serpent back towards my position. I quickly summoned Earthwalker to act as a breaker. It lessened the impact somewhat, but ultimately shattered and I was thrown thirty feet deeper into the ocean from the force. I thrashed my way to the surface hacking up water, furious with Ryuu and that stupid mutt.

:OI! I thought you were more powerful than anything on this planet: I snarled. The silence was louder than Inuyasha’s laughter booming over the water. I swam towards shore, convinced Ryuu was doing this to punish me for some unknown offence. I managed to drag myself out of the water and stood before my adversary, seething and vowing avenging plagues on both their houses.

“What was that?” he wheezed, still chuckling, “Spitting at me would have worked better.” I could feel the tears building up with my humiliation and frustration before I just finally snapped.

“I hate you! I hate the fucking arrogance that runs through you and Sesshoumaru! I hate how I can’t get away from you stinking demons! I hate you all!” I screamed, preparing to end it all with one final, devastating stroke.

:No!: cried Ryuu :Not strong enough! Will be destroyed!:

:I will not let him go unpunished! I have the power to take him out once and for all!:

I wrestled to bend the Elements to my will. I managed to set them up, and loosed them with an inarticulate scream of pure rage. Four dragons burst out of nowhere and raced to get him first. Inuyasha responded with Kongousouha, sending the diamond shards flying straight at me. The dragons stopped some of them, but most of the jagged knives passed right through them and continued on.

I could see Death coming for me, even as I struggled to evade Him. Time slowed as Inuyasha’s shards came closer, and the lower ones pierced my legs and left hip. But as the higher-flying ones came within inches of me, a wall of water burst out of the ocean to surrounded my battered body. I felt my body get dragged down to the deeps and watched the shards fly through the space my head had occupied only seconds earlier. I lay in the water, stunned and struggling to process this latest development, as shouts of concern reached my ears, muffled by the otherwise silent ocean. I gathered my wits as best I could and made for the surface, while my lower body burned painfully from the open wounds.

My head broke the surface as Sango and Kirara arrived at my position. The Exterminator reached a hand down, and I grabbed it and let myself be pulled onto her partner’s back. The combination of salt water and wind made my injuries burn so fiercely, the tears streamed down my face in a never-ending waterfall. We landed on the street a few feet away from the beach, and I was treated to the sight of Inuyasha being restrained by both Miroku and a red-haired boy as I slipped off Kirara’s back.

“I’ll finish you off!” Inuyasha shouted, fighting to get free while I slowly made my way to him. My confusion and curiosity overrode my pain and tears for the moment, so I went and stood as close as I dared.

“Stay back, Lady Kijinko!” Miroku warned, “We barely have a hold on him as it is.” Now that I was closer, I could see both the monk and the young one had erected barriers to keep the wrathful half-demon at bay. I also took a better look at the young boy, feeling as though I had seen him somewhere.

As I mulled over the situation and the stranger, Sango came over and asked, “How much longer can you hold this up, Shippou?” My attention snapped back to the boy. So that’s Shippou. He’s grown in strength, but he’s still a shrimp.

The small demon simply shook his head as his barrier fell to pieces, leaving Miroku to handle Inuyasha by himself. Both Shippou and Sango turned to me with concern in their eyes. I knew what they were thinking; I’m injured and not totally in control of my powers to defend against an enraged being swinging a big sword. I decided to take action, and I didn’t care if they liked it or not. I pulled my blade from its sheath, and started gathering the Elements to myself. Miroku and Shippou could sense the change in the air at once. Sango picked up on their change in mood immediately, and she and Kirara took a defensive posture.

“No!” the fox cried as he and Sango leapt for me. I quickly swung Ryuu and a strong burst of wind blew them back several meters. Miroku stood directly in front of the now equally exultant and wrathful Inuyasha, trying to protect his friend from certain death.

“What the hell are you doing, monk?!” Inuyasha demanded, “Let me go so I can finish this wench off!” His friend merely shook his head and continued to stand directly in my line of fire.

“Get out of my way, monk!” I screamed, “I still haven’t repaid him for all the insults and injuries!”

“Let her come to me, Miroku! I’ll make her pay for spitting in my face,” Inuyasha shouted.

“This isn’t the way, Lady Kijinko!” Sango cried, “We’ll protect Inuyasha, regardless if he is in the wrong right now.” I stared at her and stood by my decision by raising Ryuuseijin over my head. The Exterminator and her husband both readied their weapons, and the moment I hesitated was all Kirara and Shippou needed to plough into me and pin me to the ground. Unfortunately for the four defenders, I was hell-bent on avenging my humiliation, and unleashed Earth and Water on them. In the ensuing confusion, I jumped to my feet, which triggered the excruciating pain, but I simply used it to fuel my now-implacable rage. I struggled to suck as much of the Elements in as I could and summoned Shadow, Earth, Fire, and Water to my side. The dragons formed several barriers just in time for Inuyasha to run into them.

My laughter at his antics fuelled his own rage, and he bellowed empty threats as he bashed himself against my Elements again and again. When he was gearing up for another run, I formed the dragons up behind me and unleashed their primal forces.

Or so that was the idea.

Instead, the dragons simply sat at my back as Inuyasha charged at me with everything he had. I freaked out and escaped to the only place I knew was safe; the ocean. Once again, Water yanked me out of the jaws of death and into sea, surrounding me with its dark, silent embrace. At first, I was terrified of drowning, until I remembered Water was permitting me to breathe like a fish. Once I had recovered more of my wits, I also noticed we were travelling at a dizzying pace.

:Where are we going?: I finally asked. I didn’t want to return to that unknown shore we had spent so many months on.

:Going to safe place: they said :Somewhere where you have check against such utter idiocy: I disliked the implication, and said so.

:Do not care: was the retort :Stupid reason to die back there. Did not choose, only to have another useless death on our hands.:

It was amazing my head didn’t just explode from the confusion and anger. This thing I had bound myself to made no sense half the time, sending me in circles. And I was angry beyond belief that I wielded the most powerful weapon on the planet and I had still been beaten by Inuyasha. But in the end, all my fuming was just too taxing for my poor head, so I decided to let it go for the time being. I eventually drifted off into a restless sleep with the sound of the ocean in my ears.

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I awoke to the sun shining through a rich green canopy and birds twittering merrily. All around me were trees, brush, and stillness, kick-starting my brain into intelligent thought once more. Cautiously raising myself into a sitting position, I took a better look around and tried to place my position. However, I had no landmarks to go by, and I couldn’t even hear the waves beating against the shore.

I must really be inland if the ocean isn’t even close, I thought, getting to my feet. I collapsed to the forest floor right away, having forgotten my injuries. I muttered a variety of insults in Japanese and English as I did a cursory inspection of my legs and torso. Inuyasha had done an impressive bit of damage despite Ryuu’s intervention, flinging several shards right through my legs and gashing my poor hip. I would need several weeks and a skilled healer before I was back to normal. But first I had to get to one. I cast a thought around in my mind until I found a faint trace of my companions’ presence.

:Ryuu: I called, :Ryuu, where am I?:

:Kyuushuu: came the soft reply, :Am finding village. Can’t talk now: And they cut off before I could clarify further. I sighed and did what I could to make myself comfortable.


I dozed on and off while the sun journeyed westward. The times I was conscious were used for trying to contact Ryuu, but they refused to answer. The pain of the injuries got progressively worse, and the damaged areas stiffened up to the point where I could barely move. I began losing hope as dusk settled in, by now in so much pain I curled up into a ball and started weeping and praying it would all just end. As if in answer to my prayers, voices floated around the forest. As they came closer, I realized they were calling for me, and I struggled to find my voice. Croaking like a frog didn’t catch their attention, but it didn’t matter, because the next thing I heard was the calm tones of my beloved friend Hoshi.

“I found her!” she called as she quickly knelt next to my prone form. Even the gentlest of her touches made the pain blossom into a raging fire, tearing moans from my parched throat. Several fellow villagers carefully laid me on a crude stretcher and placed a cover over my body. Spending God only knows how long incapacitated in the woods had allowed infection to set in, and the journey back became a nightmare with every degree my body temperature rose.

After what seemed like days, we arrived in the village I had started off from all those months ago, and I was carried into the shade of Hoshi’s hut and put next to the central firepit. By now, my fever was so severe that I was seeing the brothers and other demons everywhere, leering at me and promising horrible deaths by the edges of their blades or claws. I thrashed around on the floor, fighting to get away from them, but something caught my arms and held them down. I felt a set of cool hands hold my head, and liquid began trickling down my throat. After a time, the world went hazy, and I entered the realm of peaceful forgetfulness.





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