InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Dark Past of a Demon Warrior ❯ Not for Whom It Seemed to Be... ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Kumouri and Sashi sigh as they look around their childhood village. "It's.. nearly the same, even after the bandit raid and the fire.." Sashi sighs. "Still plenty of half-demon kids around, too.. and some of our old.." She hesitates before saying "friend." ".. mates are still here, all grown up. I can smell them."

Kumouri nods. "Yeah, I smell 'em too. Let's hope this is still my mother's place." He steps up to the doorway of his old home, doorless as always. He lifts a fist up and knocks on the frame. "Lady Kumouri?"

"Yes, yes. I'm coming." His mother's voice drifts out of the small building. Kumouri exchanges a look with Sashi that tells her he is afraid. "Who is it?" She steps out of the doorway, pushing aside the cloth covering the doorway. Her eyes widen and her jaw drops when she lays her eyes on her son. "Kei-.. Keitou?"

Kumouri shakes his head. "No.. I'm not your husband, I'm your son, Genjan." He looks genuinely annoyed.

His mother's face brightens. "You have.. grown up. I mistook you.. I think about him much lately. I really am sorry, Genjy... Don't be angry."

Kumouri nods. "It's alright, mother."

She nods and holds the cloth aside. "Come in, then, and you too, Sashi." She smiles. "Don't think I don't recognize you."

They walk in past her, and she moves to sit at the table, where there are four short cushions for sitting. "Come and sit. I'm guessing you came to talk."

Kumouri nods. "Yes... I came to talk.."

Sashi nudges him. "And to show you something we found."

Kumouri sighs and sits down across from his mother, who is smiling brightly. Sashi sits in between them, on Kumouri's right.

"Well? What have you found?"

Kumouri reaches into his bag and pulls out the box, setting it on the table in front of him. "Father's.. treasure box."

She gasps, reaching out and pulling the box closer to her, examining it. "It is! It's Keitou's!" She runs her finger over the keyhole. "You have the key?"

Kumouri nods and pulls it out of the vest pocket, holding it out to her. "Before you open it, I want to know what it says on the bottom. You know I can't read that well.."

She nods, turning the box slowly over to read it.

Kumouri leans over. "I supposed it was a message to you, from when he gave it to you..."

"No, son. This inscription wasn't here when I last saw the box." She furrows her brow slightly. "It says...

'To my son, Kumouri, who I hope will find this box...

I leave this box and its contents to you, and I hope that
you find your presents useful. There is a compartment
beneath the satin that holds the first gift up, in which
you will find something else.

I'm sorry we haven't gotten to meet. If you find this
soon enough, then you may catch up to me before my end.
Don't worry - I have plenty of time left. I'm not in
danger of death yet. I just don't feel safe returning
home.

Don't lose faith.

With much love, Kumouri Keitou'"

Kumouri's mothers eyes flow with tears as the message ends. "He's.. still alive."

"But he's not coming home. Don't get your hopes up."

Sashi winces at the remark, but his mother just continues smiling. "Well, let's open it and see what he's left you." Kumouri nods and hands her the key, which she quickly inserts and turns. She flips the top open and slowly lifts the gauntlet up out of the box. "His.. gauntlet of the wind." She hands it to Kumouri. "Try it on."

Kumouri examines it for a moment, then removes his left-hand glove to slide the gauntlet on. "It fits.. perfectly." He looks at the gauntlet on his hand for a bit before sliding the glove back on over it.

His mother has already started to pull the satin from underneath the gauntlet out of the box, to reveal a hinged wood surface, with a dip the shape of the gauntlet in the center. She flips the wood up into the box's top, where it fits perfectly due to its design, to reveal an open compartment with two slips of folded-up parchment. She pulls them out and unfolds one of them. "It's... a map." She examines it for a bit, then hands it over to Kumouri. "There's a red marking in the eastern lands."

Kumouri takes it and nods, quickly identifying his current position and the marking. Meanwhile, his mother commences to unfold the other parchment. She reads it carefully, then considers it for a bit. "A riddle." Kumouri looks up, then hands the map to Sashi, who quickly commences to analyzing it. "'Look for the skull of the hill itself, but look not for an entrance. What you seek is will be revealed, when you reach the right instance. Call upon the winds to fill the empty sockets and, what I left for you will be there, in the shifted sand.'"

Kumouri tilts his head for a moment. "Basically.. I go to the spot on the map, find a hill that looks like a skull, and use this gauntlet to move the winds into the skull's eyes. Not much of a riddle."

Sashi nods. "No.. but it's a helluva task. That means you have to figure out how to use the gauntlet before we get there. Otherwise, we won't have a way to find whatever else he left you."

He turns to his mother. "Any clues?"

She smiles and nods. "He used the words, 'Kyoufuu bakuhatsu' to call the winds. It means... 'explosion of fierce winds'..."

Kumouri nods. "Mother... I'm leaving again. This time.. to find him."

She nods. "Well, get going then."

He and Sashi stand, taking the map, and start to walk out. "Goodbye, Mother."

"Goodbye, son."