InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Edge of Resistance ❯ The Caverns ( Chapter 29 )

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

The Edge of Resistance
Book Two: The Dissidents

“The speaking of any word is futile unless there are other words, words that are unspoken.” –Gene Wolfe

Rage and joy are strange companions.

Shippou could feel the presence of Inuyasha as they flew back to the caverns. Hell, he could feel the touch of the hanyou’s very skin. As they drew closer to their destination, his nose picked up the traces of Miroku and Sango, mixed in with numerous humans and demons. He could still smell the blood of the Tsuchigumo, and somewhere to the south he sensed the presence of demons he did not know.

Being close to Inuyasha again, the thought of seeing Sango’s face and hearing Miroku’s voice, made Shippou’s soul quake with an unbridled joy, a feeling like he was going to explode. But, on the other hand…

God damn it, he thought, so much blood!

His claws still ached to kill. Something about seeing Inuyasha again set his mind flaming. He could not quite work it out.

He dropped Inuyasha on the ground outside the cave mouth and came down as himself. The quiet was surreal, for a place overflowing with wounded refugees. Above them the cold stars winked and danced just as they had six months ago, a year ago, five years ago, as if nothing had happened.

As if nothing’s happened!

Shippou stood for a long time, his knees shaking, his head low, and his fists clenched.

“You’ve grown,” was all Inuyasha said.

Shippou could say nothing.

“What’s the matter, kid?”

Shippou raised his head to glare at him. Inuyasha returned the look with deliberate pugnacity.

“So, what…you’re mad at me, right? If you’ve got something to say, then say it!”

But Shippou choked on the words. Inuyasha stood there in the dark with his sword hanging at his hip, wearing the same red robe and hakama as before, not even all that worse for wear. He had the look of a man who expects to be whipped, and has accepted it.

“M—Miroku and Sango are here?” Shippou asked, and then berated himself for not saying something better.

“Yeah, they’re inside. Least they were, earlier today.”

“So, they’ve been with you? All this time?”

Inuyasha shook his head. “It’s only been a few days since I found them.”

“And Kagome-chan?” Shippou asked with his heart lying on his tongue.

“Not yet”.

Shippou sighed and lowered his head, which felt twice as heavy as normal.

“Don’t worry,” Inuyasha told him. “We’re gonna find her, soon.”

They were silent for some time.

“So…you were alone then?”

“For some time, I was. There are others, though. You’ll see. Come on inside.”

Shippou tried to look at him. “Inuyasha…I…”

His poor throat stopped working. He looked down again at his bloody hands and feet.

“Come on,” Inuyasha said again, taking hold of his shoulder. “Things are gonna get better now, kiddo.”

Shippou tried to smile as he followed the half-demon into the fire-lit caverns.

“We’ve all got a lot of catching up to do,” Inuyasha said as they walked in. “I for one, would like to know how you go so strong!”

This time, Shippou found that he could smile, if only a little.

“We need to take a look at that wound, too,” Inuyasha said.

For a moment, Shippou had no idea what he was talking about. Then he brushed his fingers against his temple and winced. The spot was tender, caked in dried blood, and it felt like a rock the size of an egg was trapped under his skin.

“It’s alright,” he said. “I can hardly feel it.”

“Shippou-chan!”

Shippou turned and saw the most beautiful sight he had seen in months. Sango, wrapped in layers of drab, peasant cloths, with her long hair held in a braid down her back, ran toward him, her face flushed and eyes wide.

“Shippou-chan!” she cried again, falling into him and laughing. “How wonderful! Thank goodness you’re alright!”

Her scent, as familiar and safe as home baked bread, filled his head and his throat. His chest constricted. She pulled away and looked into his face.

“How did you get here?” she asked, breathlessly searching his face. “Where have you been?”

She touched his bright hair.

“Ah, yeah,” he laughed, his voice shaking only a little. “I guess I haven’t had time to trim it.”

“You’ve gotten so big, Shippou-cha…Shippou-kun,” she smiled at him, and a great tear formed on her lashes and fell heavily.

He only smiled.

“Yes, that is amazing.”

Shippou looked up into Miroku’s face. He was also wearing peasant cloths, but otherwise appeared the same. He even had his jangling, clinking staff.

“How on earth did you manage it?” the monk asked, smiling.

Shippou could not think of an answer.

“It’s great to see you two again,” he said instead. “I…

His throat clenched and he tasted tears on his tongue, so he stopped talking. He looked around and saw that the caves were full of terrified people, many of them wounded.

“There are so many people in here,” he murmured.

“More than you might think,” Miroku said. “The caverns wind deep into the mountains, and people have been pouring into them for hours.”

“They came from a battle, by the river,” Sango told him. “Did you see it?”

The question required a week's answer or none at all, so Shippou only nodded dazedly.

A man came up them, filthy with mud and blood, wild-eyed and panting.

“Shippou-sama, Shippou-sama!” he cried.

Sango and Miroku turned around in confusion.

“What is it?” Shippou answered.

“It’s Norio-san,” the man croaked, gasping and pulling at Shippou’s coat. “He’s dying!”

Shippou’s jaw set, and his hardened.

“Take me to him,” he said harshly.

As he started to move away, following the stranger, he hesitated for a second and turned back, grabbing Sango’s hand and squeezing it once. Then he was gone, leaving them staring after him in amazement.

“Inuyasha,” Sango murmured. “What’s going on?”

“Let’s go find out,” he said, nodding his head in the direction Shippou had gone.

The three of them followed the young fox demon deeper into the torch-lit tunnel. When they caught up to him, he was kneeling next to a man who was sitting with his back against a burgeoning of the cave wall. The man was fairly young, with sharp features and long, black hair that he wore clasped at the nape of his neck. His face was devoid of any color and his eyes wandered back and forth, sometimes rolling up into his head. His entire left side was soaked in blood.

Shippou was holding the man’s hand.

“Norio-san,” he called. “Norio-san, can you hear me?”

The man gave no indication that he could.

“What has happened here?”

Shippou looked up and saw a young woman standing over them. She was rather ordinary looking, with straight, dark hair that just touched her shoulders, but she was dressed in leather and furs from head to toe.

“Who are you?” he asked her.

“My name is Eri,” she answered. “I tend the sick, as best I can, anyway.”

“His arm is hurt,” Shippou pointed.

The girl bent down to examine the poor man. Her expression was grave.

“This arm is worse than hurt,” she announced. “It is irreparable.”

“What do you mean?” Shippou asked, alarmed.

“I mean that it will only get worse. As the tissue and bone die and decay, it will take his life with it.”

Shippou gaped at her. “Isn’t there anything we can do?”

“Of course there is. It has to come off.”

“Off?” he gasped. “You mean…”

He trailed off, his mouth still open and his hands shaking.

“Shippou-sama,” the wounded man whispered.

Shippou turned back to him.

“Don’t try to talk, Norio-san, we’re gonna get you better in no time.”

The man weakly shook his head.

“I can tell the end is near for me,” he said. “I will go to a place of warriors. I hope I will not be ashamed.”

“Norio-san, don’t say that! You’re the bravest man I know!”

The man gave a slight smile. “Shippou-sama…”

His head rolled back.

“Norio-san!” Shippou cried.

The girl lifted Norio’s lids and peered into his eyes.

“We will have to hurry,” she said. “As it is, it is doubtful he will survive the procedure. The longer we wait, the worse are his chances.”

She turned around. “Has anyone seen Kouga-kun?” she asked.

“Kouga?” Shippou was startled. “You know Kouga?”

Inuyasha stepped forward. “What do you need?”

“Someone who is able to cut it off. They must be precise, and strong, and with a blade as sharp as possible, of course.” The girl fretted. “Damn. I wish I had more…more everything!”

“I’ll do it,” Inuyasha said, putting his hand on his sword.

“Not with that rusted thing, you won’t,” Eri retorted.

“Trust me,” he said.

“No, Inuyasha,” Shippou stood up, putting his hands on his chest. “I’ll do it.”

“You sure as hell won’t!” Inuyasha protested.

“I’m strong enough!” he shot back. “He’s my soldier. I’m responsible for him.”

“Are either of you qualified to do this?” Eri interrupted. “It’s not like hacking down a tree limb, you know.”

“Wait for just one minute,” Miroku spoke up.

He turned and walked further into the caves.

“Where’s he going?” Inuyasha asked Sango.

She shrugged and spread her hands, then she turned to Shippou.

“Shippou-kun,” she said. “I don’t understand. How do you know this man?”

“It’s a very long story, Sango,” Shippou sighed. “I hope we can all sit down soon and go over it all, but not now, OK?”

Another girl dressed in furs, this one with ropes of long, braided hair, approached them.

“Eri-chan, I think the worse of it is over. Most are settled…or dead already.”

Shippou noticed the girl’s hands were smudged with blood.

“There is one,” she added. “A female with a broken leg. I think she was involved in the fighting. The men seem to show her some deference.”

“That’s Kagura!” Shippou exclaimed.

“Kagura?” Sango repeated, amazed. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, yes,” Shippou answered. “I was there when it happened. Kouga was supposed to bring her back here.”

“He came in with her,” the long-haired girl confirmed. She indicated the caverns. “She is back there.”

“Otherwise, she is alright?” he asked.

“I think so. She was asking for someone named ‘Shippou’.”

“That’s me,” he cried. Then he looked back to Norio.

“Pleased to meet you,” the young woman murmured.

Shippou turned back to her.

“Ah…I’m sorry. I am Shippou,” he bowed briefly to her.

“Yuka,” she said, with an incline of her head.

“Are you a friend of Kouga’s, too?”

“Something like that.”

“I didn’t know Kouga had any human friends, besides Kagome.”

“You know Kagome?” she asked sharply.

“Yeah,” he answered slowly, somewhat mystified. “Very well. I used to travel with her, and that half-demon and woman standing there, and—

“A monk,” the girl supplied. “His name was…Miroku.”

“Yeah,” Shippou looked at her closer. “Who are you, exactly?”

“He’s over here.”

It was Miroku’s voice. He had returned, followed by an older man of stocky build, with a scarred face. A young woman walked behind him, pale, with straight brown hair cut bluntly above the shoulders. Behind her followed an even younger girl, no more than twelve of thirteen years old.

Eri looked at the newcomers and then to Miroku.

“I think Kyotou-sama can help,” he said to her.

“You need an amputation?” the man called Kyotou asked her.

“Yes,” she replied. “Can you do it?”

He nodded, his face grim. “I’ve done it before, a few times, and seen it many.”

“Some luck at last,” Eri said. “Now if we only had something to cleanse the site. Something to give him for pain would be too much to hope for, I suppose.”

“How long can you wait?” Inuyasha asked her.

“No more than half an hour.”

He nodded and abruptly ran into the caves.

Exasperated, and near witless with confusion, Sango spread her hands.

“Where the devil is he going?”

Miroku raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

Less than a minute later, Inuyasha appeared again, this time running toward the mouth of the cave, flanked by a giant of a demon with long arms, a long face, and bulging blue eyes, who ran behind Inuyasha in earth-shaking strides. They were gone before anyone could say anything.

“Wait a minute,” Shippou exclaimed. “Was that Jinenji?”

“He has been with Inuyasha for some time now,” Miroku told him.

“What does that mean?” Eri asked.

“Well, if I had to guess,” Miroku answered, “I would say that they are going to try to find medicine. Jinenji-san is very knowledgeable when it comes to medicinal plants.”

“Oh,” she said, turning back to Norio. “That’s useful.”

Kyotou had found a spot to sit down out of the way, and he began the grim work of sharpening his blade. Shippou, meanwhile, was looking at the women who had come with him.

“Don’t I know you?” he said to the older one.

She peered at him, narrowing her eyes, but shook her head. “I don’t think—

“This is Momiji-sama,” Miroku said to him. “You remember the two priestesses that Tsubaki tried to use against us, that time.”

“Really?” he stared at her. “That’s incredible. How have you been?”

She furrowed her brow doubtfully. “You’re…you’re the young kitsune!”

He nodded.

“My goodness,” she murmured. “You’ve gotten so big.”

“Yes,” he said. “Everyone says that.”

She indicated the young girl. “This is Suzi…ah, Suzume. She is a training miko under my care.”

Shippou nodded at the girl, who bowed to him, and he looked at Sango and Miroku.

“Momiji-sama took care of us,” Sango explained. “After…you know. Her sister, Botan-sama, is actually the one who found Inuyasha, and nursed him back to health, from what I understand.”

“Speaking of,” Momiji said, “Suzi-chan, why don’t you find Botan and stay with her? See if she needs your help with any of the wounded.”

Suzi looked at the wounded man, then nodded and returned to the tunnels.

“Don’t you think that’s a little beyond belief?” Shippou asked.

Miroku and Sango looked at him with perplexed expressions.

“Momiji finds you, Botan finds Inuyasha, who later picks up Jinenji. Here we are in the caves with Kouga, and somewhere in here is Taroumaru.”

“Taroumaru?” Sango asked.

“He was that brat we saved from the fake water god. It was a long time ago.”

Sango’s eyes lit up. “Oh yeah, I remember that.”

“He’s in here somewhere,” Shippou chewed his lip. “At least, I hope so.”

“Well, before we go any further,” Miroku said, “you should know that Nobunaga and Nazuna are here as well. Nobunaga you wouldn’t remember, but Inuyasha and Kagome-sama knew him. Nazuna…Inuyasha says you were with him when he helped her fight off some spider demons.”

Shippou shook his head. “This is getting too confusing.”

“It gets better,” the nurse said suddenly.

Shippou looked up at her.

“I grew up with Kagome-chan,” she told him. “I knew her when she was a little girl.”

Shippou pursed his lips and furrowed his brow. “Wait…that doesn’t make any sense.”

“This girl here, Yuka, she is the same. Kagome-chan’s mother is here as well.”

Shippou paled visibly. “What?” he exclaimed. “That’s impossible!”

“We said the same thing,” Sango said. “But Inuyasha, who has met them on the other side, has confirmed that it is true.”

Shippou shook his head. “All of this is too much. I can’t think of all this stuff right now.”

“I still want to know how you know this man,” Sango said to him. “What have you been doing all this time? And what was all that talk about Kagura? Do you mean—

“Yes,” he cut her off, “the same Kagura. But she doesn’t belong to him anymore, understand? I found her. I kept her alive, and in turn she has saved my life many times. Her leg was broken because she was trying to save me.”

Sango and Miroku were speechless. Eri handed Shippou a cloth that was soaked in cold water, which he pressed to Norio’s face.

“Time is running out,” she told him.

“Just a few more minutes,” he said. “Inuyasha…in the end, he always comes through.”

Shippou looked up at Yuka.

“Could I ask you for a favor?”

Yuka, looking at the wounded man and Kyotou’s sword, paled visibly. She nodded, chewing one of her fingernails.

“Please go back to Kagura, let her know I’m OK, and that I will go to her as soon as I can. Please.”

Yuka nodded again, turned, and left.

“I’m going too,” Sango said to Miroku, “I’m not needed here and I am very curious to meet Shippou’s Kagura.”

Miroku nodded, but remained behind as she followed Yuka into the caverns.

Momiji knelt next to Eri.

“If there is anything I can do to help you…I know I may not look it right now, but I am a priestess.”

Eri nodded, but did not take her eyes off of Norio. “Thank you.”

“How did you get here?” Shippou asked her in a quiet voice.

Eri’s expression darkened.

“A monster, a demon, came and took us away. He captured and tortured us.”

“You mean yourself, Yuka, and Kagome’s mother?”

“Yes, and one other, a girl named Ayumi, who has fared worse than the rest of us and is resting now.”

Shippou pressed his lips together.

“What happened to the demon?”

“We don’t know. He left us one day and didn’t come back. When we were brave enough, we tried to make our way back home. Kouga-kun found us in the wilderness.”

Shippou looked back to Miroku.

“Again, don’t you think that’s a little peculiar?”

Miroku shook his head.

“Not anymore, I don’t.”
“Hey, we’re back.”

Inuyasha walked into the circle of light, followed by the lumbering giant, Jinenji. The horse demon went to Eri.

“You are the doctor?” he asked.

She looked startled.

“Well, no, I’m not a…ah, yeah, sure. That’s me.”

He held out his hand and bowed his head.

“If you please,” he said.

She reached out and took something from him. When she opened her hand, Shippou saw that she was holding something wet and green, which looked like a clump of wet grass.

“You must make him eat that,” Jinenji rumbled.

“All of it?”

“It is a small dose,” he answered. “Relatively. But I dare not give him more, or he may not wake up.”

Eri nodded. She pulled on the injured man’s jaw and slowly pried it open. She put small pieces of the glob on his tongue, then tilted his head.

“I hope he doesn’t choke on it,” she murmured to herself.

“What now?” Shippou asked her after she was done.

“We’ll wait, a few minutes or so, to see if it affects him.”

At first, nothing happened. Norio slumped, with his chin on his chest, with Shippou’s anxious eyes on his.

“Shippou-sama!” the poor man exclaimed suddenly. “What’s happening?”

Shippou looked at Eri, who shook her head in perplexity and looked back to Jinenji.

“It is not uncommon for there to be a period of sharp lucidity, in the beginning,” he said. “It won’t last long.”

“It’s going to be alright, Norio-san,” Shippou took the man’s hand. “I’m going to stay right here.”

“Am I dying?” Norio whispered.

“No, I won’t let you die,” Shippou put his other hand on his forehead. “But…but Norio-san, you’re badly injured. We have to remove your arm, understand?”

Shippou could see the whites of Norio’s eyes get bigger.

“My…my arm?” the man’s voice squeaked with terror.

“My son,” Miroku knelt beside the man. “I know I don’t look it, but I am a monk. Let me offer your soul comfort in this dark hour.”

Norio looked up at him with desperate eyes, saw his monk's staff gleam in the torch light, and nodded. Shippou looked at Miroku for a moment, who returned the look with a grave expression. He moved to allow the monk to take Norio’s hand.

“Pray with me, monk,” Norio whispered.

“Life is a flame before the wind. The future life is the all-important thing,” Miroku said in a solemn tone. “Goodness is the return of goodness. He who has forbearance brings benefit to others as well as to himself. He is also treading on the path to enlightenment.”

Norio repeated the phrases in a hoarse whisper, and their intonations echoed in the cavern, along with steely hiss of Kyotou’s sharpening strap. In short time his eyes began to roll back in his head and his voice faded.

“Where is she?” he whispered. “I believe she was just here, just now.”

“We have to act now,” Eri said. “I think it’s working.”

Miroku and Shippou laid the man down on his back, as gently as possible, and looked to Kyotou.

“Let’s get this over with,” the burly man grumbled, standing up.

***

Kagura sat with her back to the damp, chill wall of the cave. There were people all around her, some sitting, some prostrate with exhaustion and injury, others moving by, deeper into the caverns. The light of torches danced and flickered, casting strange shadows on the gleaming walls.

She had managed to get this far on her own, despite her leg, which felt as though something had chewed it off. She cast frequent glances down at it, to reassure herself that it was still there. There it lay, twisted and useless.

When she had dragged herself into the caves, following Kouga, plenty of people were already there. She recognized most of them as her own army, but she could smell the presence of others, people she knew. As soon as she sat down and caught her breath again, she knew that Miroku and Sango were somewhere nearby.

There were also some strange people that she did not know. A couple of girls, human but dressed as wolf-demons, were moving about the tunnels, handing out skins filled with water and bandaging wounds. One of them, with hair almost to her waist, came to Kagura when her eyes landed on her. She knelt beside her.

“Are you injured?” she asked.

“It’s nothing,” Kagura answered. “Just my leg.”

She glanced down at it.

“I’m not a physician,” she admitted, “but it looks broken.”

Kagura only nodded.

“You must be in some pain,” the girl said. “I will get some help for you.”

“It’s nothing,” Kagura repeated. “Worry about the humans.”

The girl froze, and Kagura saw that she had not noticed, in the dim light, that she was not human.

“I see,” she said after a moment.

She rose to leave.

“Wait!” Kagura called. “If you see Shippou, please tell him where I am. I need to see him.”

“I don’t know who that is,” the girl replied.

“He’s hard to miss,” Kagura smiled wearily. “He’s a young fox demon with bright, red hair. And he’s the other captain of this army.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” she answered, before turning to leave.

Kagura waited, sitting quite still to avoid disturbing the leg, and listening to the trickle of water, the whisper of air through cracks and fissures in the rock, the moans of the wounded. It all mixed together into a mournful song in her ears.

Holy hell, she thought, so many…dead! Just that morning she and Shippou had lounged lazily in their warm tent. That now seemed like days, weeks ago. She realized in that solitary moment that in the past few weeks, the past few months, despite the bloodshed and losses, she had always felt that things were going well. After all, she was free of Naraku, she was getting stronger every day. She was sure that somehow, it would all work out in the end. Now the truth was unavoidable. Things had gone to shit.

What if…?

She heard footsteps and looked up. The girl had returned, but was followed by someone else. As they came into the light, Kagura almost laughed when she saw it was Sango.

“Long time, no see, Slayer,” she called. “I thought I smelled you in here.”

Sango stood over her, her expression baffled.

“It is you,” she murmured. “I don’t think I really believed it.”

“Shippou-san says to tell you he is well,” the other girl reported. “And that he will come to you as soon as he can.”

Kagura nodded.

“I’m surprised you’re not with him,” she said to Sango.

“He is preoccupied. My husband is with him.”

Kagura looked up, surprised.

“Oh. You must mean that monk,” she said. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Sango answered simply. “How have you been?”

Kagura almost laughed again. She shook her head and looked around.

“You can see, not so good.”

“I see your leg is broken.”

“Yeah, and it hurts like a son of a bitch, too.”

Sango examined the leg, giving it a slight press, which made Kagura wince.

“I do know something about broken bones,” she said. “This isn’t too bad. I can set it right now, if you think you can bear it.”

“It will hurt?”

“Quite a bit,” Sango answered. “If you want, we can send Jinenji out for more medicine.”

Kagura took a deep, shuddering breath, then shook her head.

“Let’s just be done with it,” she said. “It’d be better if Shippou weren’t here.”

“Oh?”

“He gets upset when I’m hurt.”

Sango gazed at her, her expression mysterious.

“Very well,” she said after a moment.

The other girl was still standing behind her.

“Are you friends with Kagome-chan?” she asked suddenly.

Kagura looked up at her, then looked away, her brow furrowed.

“Kagome and I were—are—not close. But the last time I saw her, she saved my life.”

Sango’s expression clouded, and her hands grew still.

The long-haired girl sat down next to Kagura, taking one hand in her own and putting her other arm around Kagura’s shoulder. For a moment, Kagura flinched, and it occurred to her that she had never been close to anyone, in tenderness, except Shippou, and even that was limited. She swallowed hard.

“My name is Yuka,” the girl said.

“I’m going to use the wall to brace you,” Sango said. “It will be quite painful, but quick, and then it’ll be over.”

Kagura licked her lips and nodded.

“On three.”

Kagura scream once, so loud that those nearby, who were still conscious, turned their heads. Yuka let her squeeze her hand. Kagura yelled out one, blistering epithet, and fell to panting.

“There,” Sango said. “The worst is over. We just have to immobilize it.”

“I have to tend to others,” Yuka said.

Panting, Kagura nodded. “Thanks.”

“Do you know who she is?” Kagura asked Sango after the girl was gone. “The way she’s dressed…”

“Like a wolf demon, I know. From what I gather, she is one of Kagome-chan’s childhood friends.”

“Really?” Amazed, Kagura's eyes followed the girl.

“Apparently, some demon was able to go through the well—ah, do you know about that?”

“Yeah, Shippou told me.”

“Well, used to be, only Kagome-chan and Inuyasha could go through, but this demon went through and kidnapped three girls and Kagome-chan’s mother.”

Kagura drew a sharp breath. “Was it Naraku?”

“We don’t know, but I doubt it was him. It may have been one of his servants.”

She looked closely at Kagura. “Come to think of it, you should talk to them about it. Maybe you'd know him.”

Kagura responded by changing the subject.

“So, Kagome’s mother is here?”

“That’s what I’ve heard. Inuyasha said he’s already seen her. She’s around here somewhere.”

“What happened to that demon?”

“No one knows,” Sango answered. “The girls say that he just left them one day, in a cave somewhere, and never came back.”

“If he was a servant of Naraku, he must have been killed,” Kagura said.

“Why do you say that?”

“Why else would he leave his charge?”

“You turned your back on your master,” Sango pointed out.

“I did, but there’s a big difference. Someone came along to set me free. I could never have done it on my own.”

Sango had nothing to say to that.

“Shippou!” Kagura cried.

Sango turned and saw that Shippou was coming toward them, walking into the lighted tunnel flanked by Inuyasha, Miroku, and Kouga. His face pale and his side covered in blood, he hurried to Kagura’s side.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yeah, but what about you?” she looked alarmed. “All that blood!”

“It’s not mine.” Shippou’s eyes were dark and grim.

“What’s the matter?”

He shrugged and looked away. Sango and the others, without thinking, began to pull back to a slight degree, giving the two space.

Kagura swallowed hard and lowered her head.

“We really messed up, huh?” she said in a low voice. “We tried so hard, and it was all for nothing.”

Shippou sat down beside her, with his face towards the wall, brushing against her good leg.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “I know.”

“Hey,” Inuyasha interrupted. “Don’t say that! You two fought like hell. You did really good!”

Shippou turned on him.

“So what?” he demanded. “What’s the use of fighting well? Who cares if everyone says we were brave and valiant? It won’t bring any of those people back. We were responsible for them, and we failed them!”

Kagura tried to hide her face.

Inuyasha was taken aback and fell silent. Miroku let his staff lean against the wall and he sat down next to the pair, taking in a heavy sigh.

“Shippou, you don’t know how it grieves my heart to hear your suffering. If anyone failed here, it is us. We led you to this place.”

Shippou would not look him in the eye. Sango and Inuyasha stood by in a stilled silence.

“You were a child,” he went on, “who followed us out of love, and loyalty, the noblest of reasons. The calamity that befell us was entirely of our making. Torn from us, and alone, you did the best you could, and it turned out better than anything the rest of us could do.”

Kagura heard Shippou choke back a muffled sound, and she felt a peculiar tightening in her throat.

“Kagome risked everything for Kagura, and that would have meant nothing if not for you. The two of you saw these people in trouble, and you did your best to fight for them, and to give them a reason to fight for themselves. I tell you now Shippou, truly, that is better than anything I have ever done.”

Shippou sniffed loudly, raised his head, and tried to smile.

“If all that’s true,” he said in a thick voice, “what does it mean now, that I am so glad you guys are back!”

Miroku stared at him for a moment, then laughed. He reached out his hand and ruffled his hair.

“Your love and loyalty are still your noblest virtues.”

“You did good, kid,” Inuyasha said again.

“We shall call him, Shippou the Valiant,” Sango announced, smiling.

“That sounds good to me,” Kagura said with a strained voice.

Shippou blushed.

“Now that we’ve got that nonsense out of the way,” Kouga spoke up gruffly. “We can get down to business.”

“I’m a little incapacitated at the moment, Kouga,” Kagura responded. “Sango went through all the trouble of setting the bone.”

He gave her a startled look, then rolled his eyes.

“Pfft! Not you!” he waved her off. “I was talking about what we’re all going to do next.”

“There’s really only one thing we need,” Inuyasha answered.

He did not say what that one thing was, but he didn’t have to. Others, people who had some stake in the matter, began to gather nearer from other parts of the caverns. Jinenji, Nazuna and Nobunaga stayed together as a group, and in another group were Momiji, Botan, Suzi, and Kyotou. They did not put in their opinion, however, but only listened.

“Does anyone have any ideas?” Shippou asked them.

“I have one, but it’s a long shot,” Inuyasha said.

“What is it?”

“Well, it’s hard to explain, but for several reasons I’m beginning to think we ought to go to the Hyouden.”

“The Hyouden?” Shippou was startled. “Sesshoumaru’s place?”

Inuyasha looked at him. “You know it?”

“I know where it is. I saw it from the sky, a long time ago. We were going to go there but, well, we got sidetracked, as you can see.”

“That’s weird,” Inuyasha murmured.

“You know,” Kouga said, “I picked up Kagome’s mother and the girls not far from there.”

Everyone turned to him in surprise.

“If that’s true,” Kagura pursed her lips in thought, her eyes on the ceiling, “we can guess what might have happened to that demon.”

“That’s a good point,” Inuyasha agreed. “If Sesshoumaru picked up the scent of a servant of Naraku on his land, he’d kill it for sure.”

Sango sighed. “I hate all this speculation. The Hyouden is our only lead. Let’s just decide to go there and be done with it.”

“I still think we should proceed with caution in that area!” a little voice squeaked with fright.

Kagura raised her head. “What the hell was that?”

Inuyasha growled and picked something from his hair.

Kouga laughed. “I always said you were a flea-bitten mongrel!”

“Oh har-har,” Inuyasha muttered.

“It’s Myouga!” Shippou cried, getting to his feet.

“Who?” Kagura looked around.

“He’s here,” Inuyasha showed her a tiny speck between his fingers. “He’s a flea demon, and an old servant of the family.”

“So…” she said, “Kouga is right?”

Kouga laughed.

“Oh you people can kiss my—

“Hi Myouga-jii-chan!” Shippou smiled down at the tiny demon. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Ah, Shippou-chan,” the old flea said. “How it does my soul good to see you alive and well. And so tall, too!”

“You were saying, you don’t think we should go the Hyouden?” Shippou asked.

“He’s been barking up that tree since we picked him up last time,” Inuyasha growled and shook the flea by his little coat.

“Ah! I just mean to be careful!” Myouga protested. “What about going to Midoriko’s shrine? I still like that idea.”

“Hmm,” Kouga considered it. “I know for sure that the old priestess has something to do with all this.”

“Just so!” Myouga exclaimed.

“But that’s much further away,” Sango argued. “The Hyouden is close, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Shippou said. “It’s just over the hills, to the south.”

“But Sango-chan, wouldn’t you like to return to your old village again?” Myouga asked.

Inuyasha shook him again. “Don’t go trying to pull on her heartstrings just to get your way, you old scoundrel.”

“Oh, Inuyasha-sama, how you mistreat me!”

“Whatever,” Inuyasha sighed and tossed the flea over his shoulder.

Miroku stretched and yawned.

“We can’t do anything tonight, anyway,” he said. “Everyone here is in dire need of rest.”

“Speak for yourself,”  Kouga declared.

“OK, OK,” the monk waved his hand, still yawning. “Everyone but Kouga.”

“There are still wounded that need tending,” Sango pointed out.

“Very well,” Miroku sighed. “Let’s spread out, do our best to help those that can be helped, then try to get some sleep. We can decided once and for all in the morning.”

His tone, however, led many in attendance, Sango especially, to believe that he had already made up his mind on the matter.

***

It was difficult to tell the passage of time in the caverns, but Sango believed that only a few hours remained before dawn when she rose from her sleeping place beside Miroku and went in search for a place to relieve herself. It took some time to find a spot that was solitary. After, on a whim, she decided to go outside. The air in the caves was warm and close, now that they were packed with so many people. The thought of fresh, cold air on her face was inviting.

The air was cold, but not as biting has it had been in previous weeks, and the moon was almost full, washing the land in a bright paleness. Just beyond the mouth of the cave, she saw someone sitting with his shoulders hunched and his legs hanging over the ledge. The moonlight dyed his hair the color of blood.

“Shippou-kun?” she put his hand on his shoulder.

He jumped and looked up at her, and she saw that his eyes were burning and red.

“Why don’t you rest?” she asked him.

He turned away.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered.

“You should go back to bed yourself,” he told her. “You need rest more than I do, and it’s cold out here.”

“I’ve endured worse, and you know it.”

He took in a deep, shuddering breath.

She sat down and put an arm around his shoulder. For a second, he pulled away.

“There’s no one here,” she said, looking into his green eyes.

God, she thought, he really is still so young!

Shippou’s eyes widened, his mouth quivered, then he pulled her closer and buried his face in her chest, weeping and sobbing in heavy, cutting gasps of air.

She patted his back.

“There, there,” she whispered. “I know. It’s alright now.”

***

Yuka wished hard to go back to sleep, but after some time surrendered to the understanding that sleep would not return. Yuka stepped away carefully to avoid waking Higurashi and her friends. Nearer the mouth of the cave, most people were awake and stirring, and she saw that outside the sun was already up. She could smell food cooking and realized that her stomach was empty.

“Morning,” Kouga said to her. “Are the others still asleep?”

She nodded.

“Ah, well, let them get their rest. Here, take something to eat.”

She took the food he offered her, some smoked meat on a couple of sticks, and she sat down near a fire to eat it. Having satisfied her hunger and thirst, she wondered if a bath was even a remote possibility.

Probably not. Heaven only knows what sort of water she might find, and where, not to mention it would likely be freezing. She sighed and comforted herself that no one else smelled any better than she did.

Yuka watched Inuyasha come to the fire, warm his hands, refuse food, and speak briefly with Kouga. He wore the same red clothes he had worn the first time she had seen him, years ago at Kagome’s home, when she innocently believed he was just some teenage boy that Kagome liked, some thug from the rough streets of Tokyo. She almost laughed out loud at the memory.

“Where’s Higurashi?”

His sudden, rough voice snapped her out of her reverie.

“She’s still asleep,” she answered in a tone more sullen than she meant to.

He started to turn away, but hesitated.

“Did Higurashi explain all this to you?”

Yuka put down her food.

“Explain?” she repeated, her expression perplexed. “What do you imagine she might be able to explain?”

He stared at her.

“Perhaps why a monster would come out of the Higurashi shrine? Wound, maybe kill, Souta, kidnap us, terrorize and torture us? How we might be able to get to a past time and place by going through the well? How everything Kagome has ever said to us from the time she was fifteen was a lie?”

Yuka’s voice rose higher with each question, and she found herself standing in front of him, with her fists clenched. Anger that had steeped in her soul since her days at the secretive shrine began to bubble to the surface like lava. Her face reddened with it.

“How would you suggest she might explain such things, Inuyasha?!”

“Hey!” he shouted back. “Get off my case! What do you want me to do about it? I am what I am and always have been. My destiny is what it is. I don’t have to apologize for it to you. And Kagome wouldn’t either, if she were here!”

“If she were here!” Yuka spat back at him. “But she isn’t, is she? Weren’t you suppose to take care of her?”

His expression was, for a fraction of a second, as though she had slapped him in the face. A terrible silence fell around them.

“Go to hell,” he muttered, and stalked out of the cave.

“You really shouldn’t have said that,” Kouga told her.

“You’re defending him?”

“You have no notion of what you’re talking about. I’m the last to defend Inuyasha, but Kagome would be scandalized by your behavior.”

Yuka glared at him, but he seem unperturbed.

“We will meet Kagome again,” he said to her.

“Good!” Yuka retorted. “I will tell her the same thing, when I see her.”

“I hope you’re wrong about that.”

***

Many people in the caverns slept through the day. Those who were more able-bodied assisted in gathering what supplies could be found in the hills, such as food, water, and fuel for fires. Jinenji and Nobunaga rose early and went out to forage for more medicine. Sango, Momiji, Botan, Suzi, Higurashi, and Yuka spent the better part of the day continuing to care for the wounded, under the general direction and instruction of Eri. She went from patient to patient with an even, if grave, expression, asking brief questions and giving crisp orders.

In the morning hours, Shippou tried to help them as best as he could, but by lunch time he was restless and announced he would go out and scout the area.

“We have a lot of men out there,” he said. “I want to make sure everybody’s alright.”

Sango started to tell him to be careful, but checked her tongue.

Kagura was forbidden to move. She sat in the same place where she had slept, her expression growing more and more sullen throughout the day. When she heard that Shippou had left, she was outraged.

“Why does he get to leave?” she demanded.

“He does not have a broken leg,” Sango reminded her.

“Bah! My leg is fine. See?” she rapped on it a few times with her staff.

Her face turned red, then purple, while Sango kept a steady gaze on her.

“IIEEE!” she burst out finally.

Sango shook her head. “Just stay still, Kagura-san. Do it for Shippou-kun. He’ll be worried, if you don’t.”

Kagura’s face contorted with injured pride, but she said nothing.

Once, when Yuka happened by her, Kagura called out.

“It’s Yuka, right?”

Yuka stopped. “Yes.”

“Won’t you come here for a moment?”

“Are you in pain?” Yuka walked toward her.

“No…well, yes, but that’s OK. I just…” she sighed and dropped her arms.

“What is it?”

“I have to sit here, and there’s no one around. I hate it.”

“You’re lonely?”

Kagura looked surprise.

“Umm…maybe,” she muttered.

“Well, there’s a lot of work to do, but I guess I deserve a break.”

The young woman put down her basket and sat next to her.

For a minute or two they sat in a somewhat awkward silence.

“You said before that Kagome saved your life,” Yuka said. “Would you explain that to me?”

Kagura chewed her lip.

“I don’t know,” she said, doubtful. “I don’t know if they’d want me to—

“Please,” Yuka touched her hand. “I want to hear it.”

Kagura’s eyes wandered to the girl’s hands, which were red and raw from the cold and from so much washing. Grateful for the company and the ear, Kagura took a deep breath and told Yuka everything, much, much more than Higurashi would ever have been able to reveal. She explained her origins, her former master and what she knew of his past with Inuyasha, Kikyou, and, later, Kagome. Yuka questioned her closely about the matter between Inuyasha and Kikyou, but all Kagura could confirm was that they had been lovers in the past, that Naraku had tricked them into deceiving each other, which led to their demise, but, in one form or another, Kikyou walked the earth again.

“That explains certain things,” Yuka murmured.

“What?”

“It’s nothing. Please, continue.”

Kagura told her, with honesty that shocked even herself, how she had originally delighted in her master’s cruel machinations, and how she had regarded Inuyasha and Kagome as bitter enemies. Yuka listened to all this with a grave, intent expression, but she did not betray a hint of fear or disgust. Kagura explained how her thinking changed over time, how she grew close to the human boy, Kohaku (Sango’s younger brother, she mentioned). She even delved into his sad history. She touched on the monk and his wind tunnel curse. She retold, with some bitterness, how the past five years became a repetition of the same useless defeats and empty victories. She explained how she had hoped that Inuyasha, or Sesshoumaru, or even Kouga would lead to her freedom.

“Who is Sesshoumaru?” Yuka interrupted her.

“He is Inuyasha’s older half-brother,” she explained. “Unlike Inuyasha, he is a full demon, and very strong. He and Inuyasha do not care for each other at all.”

“Why is that?”

Kagura chewed her lip for a moment. She remembered the last time she had seen Sesshoumaru, when she had saved Kohaku from him.

But damn that was a long time ago.

“Sesshoumaru is very proud,” she said. “He believes that demons are infinitely superior to everything else in creation, and he believes that he is superior to every other demon. It doesn’t leave them much to talk about.”

“I see.”

“You’ve been fortunate to meet many demons who are friendly to humans, like Kouga. But if you should encounter Sesshoumaru, don’t make any assumptions. He looks nice enough, he kind of looks like Inuyasha in some ways, but he can be very dangerous.”

“I will remember that.”

“You’ve heard the others mention the Hyouden?”

Yuka nodded.

“That is where he lives.”

Yuka looked alarmed. “But, some of them want to go there! Is that wise?”

“I don’t know,” Kagura admitted. “I don’t know what will happen. That’s why I’m warning you. And of course, Sesshoumaru is nothing compared to Naraku, not because he is not as strong—I think he may be stronger—but Sesshoumaru lacks true malice. He's just proud and selfish.”

Finally, she arrived at the point in her history when she last saw Kagome. She recounted her every step that day, from when she lost her temper at the Hyouden, to when she told Sango that Kohaku was dead. Kagura closed her eyes and described, in vivid detail, that last confrontation with Naraku, how he had come planning to kill her, how she heard Kagome screaming Kikyou’s name, and how she woke up, weak, but free.

When she was finished, Yuka took a deep breath.

“Thank you, Kagura-san,” she said. “I am very grateful to you for this information.”

Yuka then looked around, somewhat dismayed.

“That took a lot of time,” she said. “I really should get back.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Kagura said. “Thanks for keeping me company.”

“No, thank you. I’ll come back and check on you later.”

Time began to crawl again after the girl was gone. Kagura sat in the still silence and went over her own story again and again, her head ringing with all the words she had poured forth. She regretted her openness, but only a little.

That girl has been dragged into this, she thought, she deserves to know some truth.

***

Every time she stood up, dark spots danced before her eyes and for a moment, the walls, floor, and ceiling of the caverns blurred together and she couldn't tell up from down. Higurashi was exhausted.

Exhaustion was a good thing. Indeed, it was the best thing she had going at the moment. She went through the repetitive motions of tending to the wounded and preparing food in a numb daze. Eri had to correct her on several occasions, and Yuka must have asked her if she was alright more than a dozen times throughout the day.

Higurashi was absorbed in doubt and confusion. She often gazed at the wolf demons, the peasants, Inuyasha and the others, to remind herself that she really was in the feudal era.  

Am I dreaming?

The days of the rain, when Yuka first came to sleep in Kagome’s room, the phantom of the dog demon haunting the shrine with his heavy footfalls, the death of her father-in-law—these things receded in her memory down a hazy tunnel, into a dusty attic. Her mind ran over recent events again and again, desperate to find rhyme and reason, and more than once she saw in her mind her young son, prostrate on the ground, unconscious, or dead. This thought screeched through her mind again and again like a wailing ambulance, and she would flinch and gnash a scream behind her teeth. More than once she repressed the wild urge to put down everything and run off into the wild and make her way, somehow, to the well.

I’d never get there, she kept telling herself. She remembered what the dog-ghost had said to her.

Mine will always look after yours.

“I must have faith,” she murmured.

“What was that, Higurashi-san?” Ayumi asked her.

“Nothing, child, just thinking out loud.”

Ayumi nodded absently and her eyes became distant again. She did not help with the food or the wounded, but spent her time sitting in silence by a small fire, as indifferent and remote as a satellite. It was a rare, brief moment when something drew her attention. The others did not attempt to engage her or to ask for her assistance.

“She is not well,” Higurashi told a female wolf demon who inquired of her. “She needs her rest; let her be.”

The wound on her hand was still red, but no longer inflamed. Higurashi wondered idly if it felt strange to Ayumi to pick up and handle objects, but she recoiled and threw the thought away, like something burning and poisonous.

“Higurashi-san,” Yuka whispered.

The young girl came up to her and pulled on her sleeve, looking around in a clandestine manner.

“Yes, what is it?”

“I’ve learned some information,” she whispered. “Come over here.”

They withdrew to a spot out of earshot and just outside the reach of the light. Yuka repeated, almost word for word, everything that she had learned from the demoness Kagura.

“Did you know all this already?” she asked her.

Higurashi shook her head.

“No, only a tiny part of it.”

She sighed, and Yuka took one of her hands in her own, trembling.

“Oh, Mikomi,” she whispered, her eyes frightened. “It’s all so awful!”

Higurashi put her other hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“I know,” she said. “We have to be strong, and have faith that fate will be kind to us.”

“I thought,” the girl cried. “I thought this was all just a weird mistake, and I’d wake up from it, or it would go away on its own. I thought it would be brief, temporary. But we’ve been drawn into something…something huge and terrible!”

Higurashi nodded.

“I know,” she said again. “I’m sorry, Yuka-chan, I shouldn’t have let you stay at the shrine. I am destined to be here, I’m sure, but you and the others…I’ve twisted your fate.”

“I have no one to blame but myself,” Yuka admitted.

She rubbed her red and swollen eyes.

“Eri and Ayumi are the innocent victims here,” Yuka went on. “I want to get them home again.”

“We will,” Higurashi whispered. “Somehow, I think—

She stopped and looked around. They both noticed a growing commotion. People, humans and demons, were moving past them in hurried, jumbled steps, and a cacophony of chaos grew around them.

“What is it?” Yuka asked.

“I don’t know, but it looks like everyone is going outside. It’s this way; let’s go.”

They went back towards the entrance tunnel and, on a whim, Higurashi stopped long enough to grab Ayumi’s arm and force her to rise and walk with them.

The opening of the cave was crowded with a throng of people, some pointing, all talking in an excited hush. Before she got there, Higurashi saw Kouga and Inuyasha standing just outside. The monk Miroku and the demon slayer Sango were there also. Holding on to Ayumi’s hand, she pushed her way through the crowd. The two of them emerged into the daylight with Yuka.

The path outside the cave, which held close to the side of the mountain, winding down to the right, was covered in a new, strange carpet. Those outside the tunnel stood with upturned faces, and Higurashi looked up in wonder at a soft, slow shower of purple flowers.

“What is this?” Yuka whispered in a strangled voice.

“I don’t know,” Higurashi murmured.

Unknown to Higurashi then, people had filled the tunnels like water poured into the mountain. Now, many of them made their way out to the numerous openings on the hillside, so that the mountain was dotted with them, standing here and there like flowers themselves, with their faces turned to the sky. Later, they would all report that the mysterious shower could be seen as far as they eyes could make out, in all directions.

It did not, however, last long, perhaps ten minutes. Higurashi was bemused, but not surprised. She realized that, on some level, she had expected it. A line, a fragment from one of her books that up to now was too enigmatic to make out, had hinted at it, and she had stored the information away into a compartment of her mind.

The sound of a violent sneeze snapped her attention back like a rubber band.

“Are you alright, Inuyasha?”

“Yeah,” he grumbled. “The scent is heavy.”

Kouga held a handful of them in his hands, and did not move for a while.

“Irises,” he said.

“What was that?” Inuyasha asked.

“These are irises. I wonder…”

Something in the air stirred the petals at their feet. Higurashi heard the flapping of great wings, then the young kitsune stood among them.

“Hey,” he said. “What’s with the flowers?”

“They’re irises,” Kouga repeated.

“So?”

“As in ‘Ayame’,” Inuyasha said.

Kouga looked at him.

“What do you know about it?”

“Not much,” Inuyasha shrugged. “But I know she’s dead, I’ve seen her ghost myself.”

“So have we,” Sango spoke up.

“Kouga-kun, and the rest of us, also saw her,” Higurashi said.

“I guess that’s no coincidence,” Kouga said.

“Well, I’ve never seen her.” Shippou said.

“Maybe that’s—

Inuyasha stopped himself, his eyes growing troubled.

“What?”

“It’s nothing. What brought you back? Did you see anything?”

“Oh, right,” the young demon exclaimed. “You won’t believe what I saw. We should get everyone together.”

“Everyone’s standing out here,” Inuyasha pointed out.

“Not everyone,” Shippou said. “Come on inside.”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and followed him. Others did the same, including Higurashi and the girls. Shippou went through the first space in the caves and continued through the tunnels until he came to the spot where Kagura was recuperating.

When Kagura saw them coming, the light that came into her eyes was almost painful. Remembering her history, Higurashi thought to herself,

She ‘grew up’ in darkness, and never learned to hide her emotions.

“How are you feeling?” Shippou said to her.

“Oh, I’m fine,” she answered. “Just bored out of my mind. I appreciate you finally coming around to check on me.”

Despite her sarcasm, her eyes were smiling.

“Actually, I have some new information, and you should hear it with everyone else.”

Looking into his face, Kagura’s eyes grew wary.

“What is it?”

Shippou looked around. Rather without thinking, Higurashi did the same. She noted that Sango and Miroku were standing close to each other, and near to Inuyasha. Kouga stood near Yuka, and Eri and Ayumi were standing between herself and Yuka. Ayumi looked much like she would have preferred to be elsewhere. Nearby, the priestesses Botan and Momiji, along with the young girl Suzi, stood in a cluster together, apart from the larger group, listening intently. Nazuna, Nobunaga and Jinenji stood a few steps behind Inuyasha.

“I guess everyone is here,” Shippou began, taking a deep breath. “When I went out this morning, I went north for a bit, to check if maybe there were any survivors from yesterday that hadn’t made it here. I didn’t find any, so then I went south, just to see what was going on in the area. It didn’t take long before I could see the Hyouden. It looks like a large house,  built into a mountain side, with a sheer wall facing the valley. The valley is extremely wide, with the river, the same one we fought in yesterday, winding through it and going to the sea, which I think is just behind the house.”

“Actually,” Kouga interrupted, “the front of the house is technically the side that faces the sea. You were looking at the back of it.”

“Whatever. As I flew a little closer, I saw more Tsuchigumo.”

Higurashi drew a sharp breath, and she felt the air around her become still and tense.

“How many more?” Kouga asked.

“More than we’ve ever seen before.”

A silence fell.

“Damn it!” Kagura burst out, slamming her fist down on the floor. “Where do those bastards keep coming from?”

“It gets worse,” Shippou said.

“Out with it,” Inuyasha told him. “Just get it all out.”

“They’re not like the ones we’ve seen before,” Shippou explained. “They looked the same, but they were…organized. Those trolls that we saw for the first time yesterday, now they act like captains, or colonels, and they’re leading the spider monsters in uniform regiments, in a vast army!”

“Well,” Kouga threw up his hands. “That’s it. We’re done for.”
“You’re gonna give up already?” Inuyasha was incredulous.

“Already? What do you mean, already? While you have been wondering around the countryside, we’ve been fighting this pieces of shit for months, and to what end? After all we’ve done, they’re stronger and more numerous than ever.”

“Where were they going, Shippou”? Sango asked him.

“No doubt about it, they are marching on the Hyouden.”

Silence fell again. Higurashi heard the slow drip of water coming from somewhere in the dim passages.

“You do what you want,” Inuyasha declared. “But I ain’t gonna sit here, skulking in a cave.”

“Wow,” Kouga said in a sarcastic tone. “I had no idea you were so loyal and protective of your brother.”

“I don’t give a damn about him!”

“Then why should we all risk our hides for him?” Kouga demanded.

“Weren’t we going to the Hyouden, anyway?” Miroku pointed out. “Our reasons for doing so have not changed.”

“But now we have all the more reason to think twice about it,” Sango countered, “as Myouga-jii-chan said.”

“We’re not going to start listening to that coward, are we?” Inuyasha scoffed.

“Come on, Inuyasha,” she said. “Would Sesshoumaru welcome us, even if we came to deliver him from disaster?”

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” Kagura burst out. “Those monsters are responsible for the murder of countless people. They are our enemy. More than that, I’m sure they come from Naraku. I, for one, will never stop hunting them!”

“Kagura’s right,” Shippou said. “I’m going to fight them.”

“Hey,” Inuyasha said. “You’re not on your own anymore.”

“What, just because I’m with you again, I can’t decide for myself?”

“You’re not being reasonable,” Sango said, “you or Kagura.”

“Alright,” Higurashi spoke up finally. “That is enough.”

Everyone turned to stare at her.

“There are some things I need to tell you all,” she said. “I should have already, but…”

Higurashi recounted her own steps since she last saw Kagome. She explained, in great detail, her encounters with the spirit of the dog demon, her discovery of the prophecies, and what she already knew about what had happened and what was to come. They listened in stunned silence, as she added the death of her father-in-law and of Kaede. Sango and Miroku were dismayed to hear this news, and Sango wept openly, wringing her hands.

“Why didn’t you mention that, Kouga?” Inuyasha growled.

“It slipped my mind, alright?” he retorted. “I’ve been a little distracted.”

“How was Hachi?” Miroku asked him, his face subdued. “Did he seem alright?”

“He was upset that he couldn’t find you,” Kouga answered. “But he looked in good health.”

Higurashi returned to the subject of the prophecies, and what they revealed of those present.

“I knew all of you,” she said, “the moment I saw you. Because I am the Seeress, I see your other self, your higher self, walking beside you, in your shadow. I see the signs on your foreheads, very clear, that proclaim who you are.”

Many of those listening to this revelation chose to sit down on the damp cave floor.

“I have seen a vision of Kagome,” she went on. “I know she is alive, and the more I think about it, the more I am convinced she is at the Hyouden, waiting for us.”

“I think…” Sango said slowly, “that would make a lot of sense.”

“I don’t know,” Inuyasha said. “That would mean that Sesshoumaru is protecting her. He’d never do that.”

“Just like we’d never be in a cave, having this conversation, with Kagura and Kagome’s mother?”

“She makes a good point,” Miroku said to him.

“We’ve heard Higurashi-san’s story,” Shippou said. “Maybe, before we decide anything, we should recount all our stories. We’ve been separated for a long time.”

“That’s a good idea,” Miroku said.

He looked to Sango, who nodded, her expression solemn.

“We’ll go first,” he said.

Miroku left out nothing. He described the dreams that haunted him during the long sleep before he gained consciousness again, in the flower-strewn hut in Momiji’s village. Momiji herself, standing nearby, only spoke up to fill in the gaps in his memory as Miroku recounted their journey to the sea with the comatose Sango. He even mentioned the short period when he and Sango bickered bitterly, though the recollection obviously pained him. This was how Shippou learned that they were married.

“What the hell?” he exclaimed.

“Yeah, sorry we didn’t mention it,” Miroku smiled. “We’ve been distracted, like Kouga says.”

Miroku continued, telling how the Movement had come to the village and they had made a near escape of the vengeful flames.

“That almost happened to me, too,” Botan murmured.

“Anyway, the rest you know,” he concluded, sitting down next to his wife.

“I’ll go next,” Inuyasha said.

He recalled waking up after the explosion, his wounds and the toxic rain, slipping in and out of sleep for weeks. He told how he followed Botan into the hills, provided food for the villagers, but more or less did nothing else for months.

“I had just begun to think that maybe I should leave, stop moping around feeling sorry for myself, when the Rains stopped and the stars came out.”

“Sango and I were getting married at that very moment,” Miroku told him.

“After that,” Inuyasha went on, “I kept trying to go back to Edo, but I was forever getting interrupted, and moving further and further away.”

“Interrupted?” Sango asked.

“You know, people needing help because of the Rains, or the oncoming winter. Then I ran into Nobunaga, then Nazuna, then Taroumaru, then Jinenji.”

Shippou laughed. “It was like you were retracing your steps from the beginning.”

“The same thought occurred to me,” Inuyasha grumbled. “I was getting sick of being led around by the nose.”

He told them of Midoriko’s visitation at the abandoned temple. He got Nazuna to again repeat what the priestess had said.

“You’re the only one she’s spoken to directly, that I know of, ” Higurashi told him. “Even I’ve only received messages through the prophecies.”

Sango was ticking numbers off on her fingers.

“If what Midoriko says is accurate,” she said, “we still have some time before we are supposed to go to her shrine, if that’s what she meant. It would not take more than two or three days to get there from here.”

“Nazuna said the same thing,” Inuyasha said. “Apparently, she remembers everything she hears verbatim, so you might want to keep that in mind. So, anyway, I found Botan again, and you and Miroku, and now I’m here.”

“OK, Shippou,” he said. “Your turn.”

Shippou stood thinking, for a moment, then took a deep breath.

“I was never asleep,” he said. “I remember the very instant after the explosion that I thought took Kagome’s life. I figured the rest of you were probably dead, too. I walked around forever, looking for you, but I found Kagura instead.”

He told them how he had revived her, then retraced their steps through the hills, during a period of rain, illness from poison, and near madness. He told how they first encountered Tsuchigumo, and how they began amassing an army.

“You’re leaving out Totosai,” Kagura murmured.

“Oh, yeah,” he said.

“You saw that old geezer?” Inuyasha exclaimed. “Where?”

Shippou explained how they had found him, after a random encounter with the raccoon demon, Hachi, and how the old demon had forged a new weapon for Kagura.

“So, you lost your powers?” Kouga asked her.

“Yeah, when I was cut off from Naraku.”

“That makes sense. It explains why you don’t even smell like him anymore.”

“I don’t?”

“Of course not!” Shippou exclaimed.

“I guess I hadn’t thought of it,” she shrugged.

“So, the rest you pretty much know,” Shippou concluded. “We’ve been gathering more and more people, the wolf demons were added to our forces, and we’ve been fighting Tsuchigumo ever since.”

“That is an amazing story,” Miroku said, “but it doesn’t really explain how you got so strong so fast.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Shippou shrugged.

“It’s common knowledge,” Kouga said, “that kitsunes can age in either direction, as needed. Shippou is young, but still quite a bit older than he looks; he stayed small before because he could.”

Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku were stunned, and looked at the young demon.“Well I didn’t know that,” he said, a little defensive. “I haven’t had much to do with other fox demons.”

“So now that we know everything,” Kouga said. “What are we going to do?”

“We can’t just sit here doing nothing,” Sango said. “And we’ve already decided it’s unlikely we should go to Midoriko’s cave right now. Sesshoumaru is an enemy of Naraku as well. He is named on the Warrant. There is an old saying, the enemy of your enemy is your friend.”

“It’s a stretch,” Inuyasha said. “Even if we decided to go, how are we going to go about it?”

“What do you mean?” Kouga asked.

“You, me, I’m not worried about. But overall, we as a group don’t stand a chance against that force that Shippou saw. We need more fighters.”

“There’s something else I haven’t told you,” Shippou cut in.

“Huh?” Inuyasha turned to him. “Why the hell not?”

“I got distracted!”

“I swear, if one more person says that…” Inuyasha growled.

“Anyway,” Shippou cut him off, “what I was going to say, was that there were others that are fighting the Tsuchigumo, even now.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know, I just know I saw other demons harassing their flanks as they marched along.”

“That’s it then,” Kagura said. “Shippou, we should gather what people that can and will fight, and go join these other demons. Time is of the essence. We should leave now.”

“How are you going to go anywhere?” Kouga laughed at her.

Kagura struggled, a little clumsily, to get to her feet. Her left leg was bound with layers of tight cloth wrapped around two boards, so she could not bend it.

“I’m fine,” she said, leaning with one hand against  the wall. “I can already put some weight on it, and I don’t need my legs anyway to be able to fly and kill Tsuchigumo.”

“I can see there’s no arguing with you,” Shippou sighed. “I’ll go through the caves and see who I can find, and we’ll meet you on the south side of the mountain, alright?”

She nodded.

“Wait a minute,” Inuyasha started to grab the kitsune’s collar.

“There’s no time, Inuyasha,” he said, shoving his hand away. “We’re losing daylight. Don’t worry. This is what I do now.”

With that, he turned and disappeared into the tunnels. Inuyasha stared after him in amazement.

“Well, there you have it,” Miroku said. “We march on the Hyouden.”

“We don’t even know who these other demons are!” Kouga protested.

“We’ll find out, soon enough.”

***

They moved out shockingly fast. Yuka was astounded at the efficiency and mobility of the soldiers, in particular the wolf demons. Kouga had left them with clear instructions to follow Shippou and Kagura, as before, and to kill as many Tsuchigumo as possible.

“We have distant kin to the north,” he said. “I’m gonna try to pursued them to help us. We need all the help we can get. While I’m gone, make sure nothing happens to the girls.”

‘The girls’ was how everyone had come to refer to herself, Eri, Ayumi, and, sometimes, Higurashi. It was a term that grew among the wolf demon tribe when they were the only human women around, and now it just stuck. Even the others they had met, Inuyasha, Shippou, and the rest, began to use it. If anyone said ‘the women’, they were referring to all human females (except Sango), who had to be kept out of harm’s way. If they said ‘the girls’ or, worse according to Yuka’s thinking, ‘wolf girls’, she knew that she and her friends were being especially singled out.

Kouga had to instruct his men to protect them to ease his own worrying, because he had already tried and failed to convince them to stay behind in the caverns. When Higurashi told Yuka to get ready to leave, Kouga told her she was talking nonsense, that she would definitely not be going anywhere near the Hyouden. Higurashi turned on him with burning eyes.

“Just who do you think you are giving orders?” she demanded. “I am the Seeress, the mother of the Beloved, and if there is a chance that my daughter is there, then I am going, and you can just try and stop me!”

She stalked away, leaving Kouga wide-eyed and more than a little taken aback. The others snickered.

“If I didn’t believe it before,” Sango said, her eyes laughing, “I do now. That is definitely Kagome-chan’s mother.”

So Kouga left, taking only Ginta and Hakkaku, and Yuka found herself with a bundle strapped to her back, walking through the caverns for what felt like hours. She realize with surprise that she missed being carried by Kouga, just a little. Eri walked beside her, similarly burdened, and Ayumi walked behind them, her eyes downcast, not seeming to care where she was being led. Higurashi went ahead of them, talking to Inuyasha. On and on they pressed forward, until at last the light began to grow again. It was a natural light, wholesome compared to the orange, oily light of the torches. Yuka began to push toward it, impatient to feel the touch of fresh air.

When they emerged, it looked like mid-afternoon. Though winter hung on, the days were getting longer. Yuka looked around and saw that they were not far from the valley floor. The mountain now loomed over her shoulder, and the country opened up at her feet, empty and wild. Everywhere she looked, she saw only bare trees and evergreens, except for a clearing here and there and, far ahead, a space that looked more open, fading to a bluish-yellow line on the horizon. There were no crowded towns or shining cities, no stretches of black wires crisscrossing through the trees, no hum of highways or jumbo jets. She suppressed the faint edge of panic, which had become her constant companion in the past week.

Her eyes drifted to Eri and Ayumi, and she could sense that they were thinking the same thing. Ayumi, in particular, seemed almost overcome with something that looked close to hatred.

“Don’t think about it,” she told them.

They looked at her, startled.

“I know, it’s all crazy, but try not to think about it.”

“How do you suggest that we do that?” Ayumi asked in an acidic tone.

They began to follow the others down the slight incline of a dirt path that descended the mountain’s slope.

“Let’s sing a song, a song that only we would know,” Yuka suggested. “It will be a good distraction.”

“Do you think we should?” Eri asked, her face concerned.

Yuka laughed.

“Do you think someone here will write it down, and mess up our timeline?” she asked. “To hell with it, I say. Come on, suggest something.”

“Ah…” Eri trailed off. “I can’t think of anything.”

After a minute or two of silence, Ayumi began to sing.

“I'm sitting in the railway station,
Got a ticket for my destination.
On a tour of one night stands,
My suitcase and guitar in hand.
And every stop is neatly planned,
For a poet and a one man band.”

The other two joined her.

“Homeward bound,
I wish I was
Homeward bound.
Home, where my thought's escaping,
Home, where my music's playing,
Home, where my love lies waiting
Silently for me.”

They continued the song as they came down into the heavy scent of pine that lay over the valley, the sound rising up through the tall trees. More than a few souls turned their heads, perplexed, but the girls paid no attention to them.

Homeward bound,
I wish I was
Homeward bound.

***

On his own, Inuyasha would have ran ahead, he would have already been there, but armies, especially human armies, do not move that fast. Though, you could hardly call what they had managed to muster an army. He cast frequent glances over his shoulder, and shook his head.

These poor chumps don’t stand a chance, he thought.

His nerves frayed and hummed like an overused lute string. Today was going to be a big day. However slow they moved, they would confront the army of the Tsuchigumo by nightfall. The two forces were closing in on the violence that awaited them, as inevitable and awful as a titanic tsunami.

“Do you believe that Kagome-sama will be there?” Miroku asked him.

“No, I don’t,” he answered.

“Can you sense, or smell anything ahead?”

“Nothing but humans and wolf demons,” Inuyasha said. “I can smell some blood that I think is Tsuchigumo, but I can never sense them.”

“Yeah, me either. They don’t feel like anything. If Naraku made them, I wonder how he managed that.”

“We don’t know yet that Naraku is behind them. It’s all guessing right now, and I hate guessing.”

“You sound like Sango,” Miroku said.

“She’s a level-headed woman, her choice in mate notwithstanding.”

“You never pass up an opportunity to tweak my nose, do you?” Miroku scowled at him.

Inuyasha flashed him a quick grin, and the look Miroku gave him in return was startled.

“What?” Inuyasha asked.

“I just…never saw you smile before,” Miroku said.

“What? That’s not true.”

“It certainly is.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“I cannot recall a single instance,” Miroku insisted.

“Don’t blame me for your lame-brain memory.”

“The only time I remember you smiling, you were drunk, or something like that.”

“I’ve never been drunk in my life,” Inuyasha protested, indignant.

“Whatever you say, Inuyasha-sama.”

“That’s very big of you, Miroku-sama.”

“Are they always like this?” Higurashi, nearby, asked Sango.

Sango rolled her eyes.

“You have no idea,” she answered in a long-suffering tone.

“As fascinating as all this is,” Shippou said, “I’m going to fly up and look around. If we can’t sense these demons, I don’t wanna stumbled across them later, in the dark. Besides, Kagura’s up there somewhere, flying around like a crippled little bug. I need to find her.”

Inuyasha watched in fascination as feathers sprouted on his shoulders, then he was off and away in less than two seconds, casting a wide shadow over the little army.

“That’s really unsettling,” Sango complained. “Don’t tell him I said this, but I kind of miss the old Shippou.”

“Is it just me,” Miroku began, “or are he and Kagura—

“Stop,” Inuyasha cut him off. “Just stop.”

“What?”

“Shippou is like a brother to me,” he said. “Kagura is our ally now, and I’m getting used to that, but the thought of her as a sister-in-law is a bit too much.”

“Well, I hate to tell you this, Inuyasha,” Miroku said. “But you said it.”

“You’re both crazy,” Sango disagreed. “Shippou has grown up a lot, but he’s still way too young for that.”

“Perhaps you are right,” Miroku said, but did not sound convinced.

Inuyasha put the thought out of his mind, choosing instead to concentrate on thoughts of the battle ahead. That, and what on earth he was going to say to Sesshoumaru.

He may not even be there.

In  a way, that seemed likely. In all the years he’d known him, Sesshoumaru had never been much of a home-body. However, if that was the case, why would an army be marching on his gate?

Inuyasha was getting used to the sounds and the movement of air he now associated with Shippou; he knew of the kitsune’s return before anyone else saw him.

“What’d you see?” he asked him as soon as he saw ears to talk to.

“I can tell you that you are going to see the enemy in about ten minutes or so, when we step out of these trees.”

Inuyasha stopped walking.

“How close will we be to them?”

“Ah,” Shippou scratched his head. “About…half a mile, maybe less.”

“So that’d be the valley where the Hyouden is, I guess.”

“Right.”

Inuyasha turned to others.

“We need to plan what to do,” he said. “We can’t just run screaming out of the woods.”

“We also need to do something about them,” Shippou indicated the girls.

Just then, Kagura came down to earth, her right foot barely touching the ground. She kept most of her weight still elevated.

“Where you been?” Shippou demanded. “I was looking for you.”

“I went to the Hyouden,” she replied.

“You what?” several of them shouted in dismay.

“Don’t worry,” she shrugged. “No one saw me.”

“What did you see?” Inuyasha asked her.

“Not much. I saw Sesshoumaru, and another dog-demon who looks a lot like him. They were just standing around, watching the Tsuchigumo come right at them.”

“Typical,” Inuyasha snorted.

“I hope he at least had the decency to get that girl out of there to safety,” Sango said.

“Oh yeah,” Inuyasha said. “I forgot about her. Ren, wasn’t it?”

“Rin.”

“Right, right.”

“I didn’t see her,” Kagura said. “Or Jaken.”

“So he’s not preparing himself or the structure at all?” Miroku asked.

“Well, it did look like the doors and windows were barricaded or boarded,” Kagura told him. “And there were bows and arrows on the balcony that overlooked the valley, a lot of them.”

“Bows and arrows?” Inuyasha was puzzled. “I’ve never seen Sesshoumaru use anything but a sword.”

After a few moments of silence, Inuyasha tried to bring them back to the original subject, designing some sort of plan of attack. No one had much to suggest, as none of them had any experience in large scale fighting, except Shippou and Kagura.

“Wait just a sec, guys,” Shippou said.

He walked back towards the soldiers and returned a few minutes later, followed by three other men. Inuyasha knew Kyotou and Nobunaga, of course, but did not recognize the third fellow. He was of stocky build, like Kyotou, but with softer features. He kept himself a little more neatly, with his hair gathered at the crown and braided.

“This is Fukushima-san,” Shippou introduced the stranger. “He’s…ah, one of our lieutenants, like Norio-san. I thought we could use the advice of people who have experience in fighting.”

“That would include you, Shippou-sama,” Fukushima murmured.

Shippou smiled briefly, then began to explain the situation to the three of them, often gesturing towards the south to indicate the general location of the Hyouden, the enemy, and possible allies.

“We need a map,” Kyotou grumbled.

“Definitely,” Nobunaga agreed. “I’ve never been this far west before. You could tell me the ocean was just twenty feet away and I’d know no better.”

“I wish Norio-san was here,” Shippou complained, rubbing his neck. “He knew this area pretty good, and had a talent for geography.”

“He may still make a good soldier,” Kyotou said, “but right now he’s better where he is.”

Fukushima looked puzzled.

“Oh, I guess you didn’t know,” Shippou said, “but Norio was hurt very badly the other day. We had to remove his arm.”

Fukushima’s eyes widened. “Which one?”

“The left.”

“That’s a mercy anyway,” he murmured. “So he is back in the caverns?”

Shippou nodded.

“Does anyone have anything to write on?” Nobunaga asked, looking around.

“Oh wait,” Higurashi said. “I do.”

She removed the bag from her back, which she had managed to hold on to through the well and across the wild land. The rice balls were long gone, as were the matches, and all that remained were books, binders, and wads of paper. Higurashi pulled out one of the binders and tore from it a few pieces of paper. Her fingers searched in the bottom of the bag and at last she pulled out several small pencils.

“Here,” she said, presenting the items to Shippou. “You can use these.”

For a long, quiet moment, Shippou stared down at the pencils in his hand. Inuyasha recognized their peculiar, multi-sided shape, the beige writing tips, the tiny, red nubs of rubber. The sides of all of them were nicked and dented, and he wondered if Kagome had chewed on them, sometime in the past. He suspected that Shippou was wondering the same thing.

“Shippou-kun?” Sango asked him.

“Ah, yeah,” Shippou shook his head. “Here, I’ll try to draw what I saw.”

He sat down in the dust at the foot of an old cypress with the paper, of one of Higurashi’s books, on his lap. The three men stood over him.

“This forest ends soon,” he said. “We’re in the foothills, which will soon flatten out to a large valley, with a river. The river is big, but it looked shallow. It’s between us and the Hyouden.”

“Have the Tsuchigumo crossed it?” Kyotou asked him.

“No, not yet.”

Shippou continued drawing.

“The valley is circled on the sides with more mountains, here, and here. The Tsuchigumo
Were here, last I saw them, and other demons were harassing their flanks, here.”

“Other demons?” Kyotou asked sharply.

“Yeah, I didn’t get a good look at them,” Shippou scratched his head. “I don’t know what kind of demons they are, but they sure seem to hate the Tsuchigumo.”

“That is out first order of business,” Nobunaga said.

“I agree,” Kyotou said. “We need to find out who they are, and if we can join them.”

“We could send them emissaries,” Fukushima suggested quietly.

“Who’ll go?” Shippou asked.

“Well you definitely have to go,” Inuyasha told him.

“Come again?”

“You a leader of this outfit, aren’t you?” Inuyasha asked him. “Either you or Kagura have to go.”

“He is correct, Shippou-sama,” Fukushima murmured.

“Just me?” Shippou asked, incredulous.

“No,” Kyotou shook his head. “We should send several people. We want them to know we are serious.”

“It should be people who can travel fast,” Nobunaga said. “Who can quickly get to them and bring back word.”

“That’s me, then,” Inuyasha said.

“I think I should go as well,” Higurashi said.

Everyone turned in surprise.
“The oracles said that there would be allies on this field,” she said. “I cannot say more than that I feel that I should go.”

“Alright,” Inuyasha said. “I’ll carry you.”

“Anyone else?” Shippou asked.

“No,” Higurashi  answered. “I don’t think so.”

“Ah, ok,” he gave her a puzzled look, then shrugged. “We may as well go on then.”

He was about to lift himself off the ground, when he stopped.

“Try to exercise some caution, Kagura,” he said.

She waved him off. “Just go on. I’ll be fine.”

Inuyasha knelt with his back to Higurashi.

“Let’s go,” he said. “I run fast, so hold on tight.”

“I know,” she said.

“We’ll be back as soon as possible,” he said to the others. “I wouldn’t try to cover any more ground right now. Let everyone rest.”

Inuyasha leapt away into the wind of the winter afternoon, falling into evening, with Kagome’s mother clinging to his shoulders.

***

Sango sat in the sun in the middle of a small clearing. The wind had picked up as the sun sank slower in the sky, but some light was still coming through the trees, and it was pleasantly warm. All around her, men were taking advantage of the opportunity to rest. She heard snatches of their hushed conversation. They spoke in low voices, maybe trying to conserve their energy, maybe oppressed by the thought of the upcoming battle.

From what she heard, they did not resent being led into another battle so soon, and that was good. Indeed, most seemed eager to kill as many Tsuchigumo as possible, and were grateful for the opportunity. They always spoke of Shippou and Kagura with respect and a regard that was almost tender. Sango tried to imagine what it must have been like for Shippou, fighting on and on for months, but she just couldn’t.

Miroku lay in the grass next to her, his hand thrown over his face. Her eyes were caught by the gleam of the sun on his rosary beads, and Sango wondered what would happen when they caught up with the enemy. She did not wish for her husband to use the Wind Tunnel, as every use shortened his life span by a fraction. This had always meant something, always an unspoken thought haunting the rafters in her head like the whine of a cold wind. Now that he was her husband, time from the end of his life meant something more, and the thought became a terrifying bat, flapping the clawed wings of panic. Aside from all this, Sango herself felt more than useless in the face of such a titanic threat. Not only was she weakened by what happened on the Plateau, by the long sleep followed by months of cold and deprivation, but what was she without Hiraikotsu?

The battle was imminent, and she knew these things should be addressed, but instead she put her head down on Miroku’s shoulder and lay beside him on the dry grass. Not long after, Eri covered them with a fur blanket.

***

Yuka paced around the clearing with her arms crossed, her shoulders hunched in the cold, casting frequent glances in the direction Higurashi had gone. Her eyes fell on the slumbering Miroku and Sango.

“How can they nap at a time like this?” she demanded to no one in particular.

“Their lives have been chaotic and dangerous for a long time,” the young samurai Nobunaga told her. “Their seeming indifference is just how they manage it.”

As far as Yuka remembered, it was the first time he had said anything to her. She still found the experience of talking to someone who would be long dead when she returned home—if she ever returned home—to be more than a little disconcerting.

“Did you know them?” she asked. “I mean…before all this?”

“I am not sure what you mean by ‘all this’, but no, I had never met them before, only Inuyasha-sama and Kagome-sama. But, I know much of their history, since I’ve traveled with Inuyasha-sama for the past couple of months.”

“How did you meet them, the first time?”

“Inuyasha-sama and Kagome-sama helped me rescue someone from a demon, someone I cared for very much. This was years ago. I was quite young.”

He wore a soft, sad smile.

“But I thought Miroku-san and Sango-san traveled with them,” Yuka said.

“Not then. I suppose they may not have met yet. Even Shippou-san was not with them back then. It was just the two of them. They were looking for sacred jewel shards.”

Yuka knew that part of the story full well, and did not want to revisit it again, so she changed the subject.

“Have you fought in a battle before?”

“Many times,” he answered. “We live in a troubled world.”

“Hmm.”

“You do not have much experience with war?” he looked at her closer.

“No, I do not,” she answered, crossing her arms again. “Where I come from, war is a distant thing that does not concern me.”

He smiled. “That sounds like a beautiful country. I would go there, by the shortest path possible, if I could. Why do you not return?”

This question only fueled Yuka’s exasperation.

“It’s not that simple,” she said. “It’s the same place Kagome comes from, but she does not return either. She is involved in this…mess.”

“So, you are as well?”

“I don’t know,” she threw her arms up in frustration. “I guess so. Probably. If you don’t mind, I’d rather go back to pacing than talk about this.”

“As you wish.”

She started to turn away but stopped.

“That woman who is always with you,” she asked, “is she your wife?”

He looked surprised for a moment, then smiled.

“Ah, you must mean Nazuna. She and I…” he smiled wryly. “We have not had a marriage ceremony, no, but we are…”

He left it hanging.

“Ah, OK, never mind. I didn’t mean to pry.”

Yuka went back to pacing. After a few minutes, however, she stopped, tilting her head slightly.

“Do you hear that?” she asked Nobunaga.

He also tilted his head. Several people nearby stopped what they were doing. Sango sat bolt upright, the blanket falling from her shoulders.

“The ground is…humming,” she put her hands down on the grass. “I’m sure of it.”

Miroku sat up and looked around, blinking in the slanted light of the sunset.

“It must be the enemy’s army,” Nobunaga said. “They must be moving, and we’re close.”

Another sound grew above the trees, carried on a wind that moved fast and strong from the sea to the mountains. At first it sounded like the wind itself, murmuring in the pines, but then they could hear the unmistakable sound of a  multitude of voices. It was a repetitive chant, a low drone accompanied by the stamping of thousands of feet and, perhaps, the low bass of a few drums.

They stood silent, listening to the sound go on and on, gripped by the terror of its enormity. Only moments later, Inuyasha and Higurashi appeared again, now accompanied by a woman none of them had seen before. She was as tall as most men, with jet black hair that she wore in a long braid down the center of her black. Her clothing was made of tight-fitting leather hides with simple, silver buckles. Her features were elegant and her carriage regal, but her dark, almond eyes were kind.

Shippou, transformed once again, landed nearby, panting.

“This is Shinme,” Inuyasha said to them, indicating the stranger. “She is in charge of the horse demons, which, as it turns out, are the ones fighting the enemy in the valley.”

The others bowed to her.

“It is most uncustomary and uncomfortable for me to be so brief and uncivil,” she said to them, “but alas, we do not have the time for the expected pleasantries. Know, however, that I recognize all of you and am overjoyed to be among you.”

“It sounds like we’re all going somewhere pretty soon,” Kagura said.

“You still got that map?” Inuyasha asked Nobunaga.

The young man nodded and produced the folded paper. Inuyasha spread it out on the ground again.

“Shinme’s demons are here,” he pointed to a spot between them and the western mountains and the river.

“Are we going to join them?” Kagura asked him.

“I think I have a better idea,” Kyotou spoke up.

“Our chances of success will be greater if the enemy is forced to fight multiple fronts. They are already defending their western flank. If the occupants of the Hyouden will defend it, they will have to defend their southern front.”

“Sesshoumaru is only one demon, but he will definitely give them something to worry about, believe me,” Inuyasha said.

“So you think we should attack them from the east?” Nobunaga pointed to the map.

Kyotou nodded.

“There’s something else,” Shippou pointed out. “If we do that, we’ll be able to stay hidden from them a little longer, and get more of a jump on them. The gap between us now means they’d see us coming for a mile.”

“You’re turning into quite the little general, aren’t you?” Inuyasha nudged him.

Shippou responded with an epithet that made Sango wince.

“Anyway,” Miroku waved his hand, “it seems we have the best plan we’re going to get.”

“When do we act?” Sango asked.

“We must waste no time,” Shinme urged them. “We may be too late as it is.”

“What about the girls?” Miroku asked.

“Someone, maybe a couple of the wolf demons, will have to carry them away,” Inuyasha said.

“Away?” Higurashi interrupted, alarm.

“Do you think the four of you are ready to take up swords and spears?” he asked her directly.

“No, of course not, but I won’t be sent far away.”

“We don’t have time to send you far away,” he said. “They’ll have to stash you in the Hyouden.”

“I agree,” Miroku said. “It is the only shelter nearby and, even under the worst circumstance, it can be hoped that Sesshoumaru will be too distracted to make an issue of it.”

Inuyasha turned back to Higurashi.

“Will you see to it?” he asked her. “You know the wolf demons better than I do, and they’ll listen to you if you ask a few of them to help you.”

“We’ll go with you,” Shippou said. “They’re used to taking orders from me and Kagura.”

He and Kagura and the girls went back into the trees where the wolf demons and soldiers were resting. Shippou stopped and turned back to them.

“Don’t wait for us, Inuyasha,” he said. “Go ahead now. We’ll catch up.”

Then he left.

“You heard him,” Inuyasha stood up. “We leave now.”

Sango raised her hand, and opened her mouth, but hesitated, her expression conflicted. Miroku put a hand on his wife’s shoulder.

The forces moved out. Word was spread to the men and wolf demons and they turned along the eastern edge of the dark woods, quickening their pace into almost a run. A handful of wolf demons carried Higurashi and the girls and ran ahead at full speed. At the front of the small army, Nobunaga, Fukushima, and Kyotou walked with Shippou and Kagura. Shippou noticed that Kagura only seemed to walk with them, but in fact was keeping a few inches above the ground, and he wondered how long she would be able to keep the injured leg safe. Inuyasha ran a short distance ahead, to make sure they did not stumble into a trap. The sun sank lower, and the din of the voices of the enemy grew louder.

As Shippou walked beside Kagura, he worried what would happen when Higurashi got to the Hyouden alone. Maybe he should have gone with them. If he had, he might encounter Sesshoumaru. What if they get there alone, and the hateful dog demon is waiting at the door? But he could not bear to separate from the forces on the edge of battle. He wondered what those around him were thinking in this hour. They were set to throw themselves in the teeth of an enemy, with scarce chance of victory.

If it all goes wrong, which seemed almost certain, what will happen? Will we all die anyway? Sango and Miroku? Inuyasha and Kouga? Kagura?

Without thinking, he reached out and took Kagura’s hand. She accepted it without taking her eyes from the path.

Could even Sesshoumaru die today?

Will I die today?

***

[End of Chapter 28]

[Next chapter: The Siege]

Author's Notes: I believe that there is only one chapter left to go for book two. However, as I am finishing said chapter, I fear it may be so long that it will have to be split into two. When I look back on all the chapters, I can see that, overall, they have been progressively growing in length. I wonder why that is? In any case, I'm excited about the prospect of finishing the second book. The next installment will be action packed, as we must defend the Hyouden and [finally] reunite everyone.

Speaking of which, I fear that the reunions themselves are somewhat problematic. I try to reunite the characters without spending too much time retelling things you've already read. I figure a light recap is warranted anyway, considering the length of time between the posting of chapters and the volume of the material. Please let me know, however, if all the talking and explaining bore you to tears.

Faithful reader kokoronagomu pointed out in a review that the previous chapter bore a striking resemblance to material from Star Trek. I've since been unable to find that review again, but I'm sure I saw it and didn't just dream it. Anyway, I had to look up “Bajoran”, but once I did I understood. I watched Star Trek with my mother when I was child. I remember seeing the episode of Deep Space Nine in question, but my only clear memory of it was “you exist here”, which stuck with me. The memory receded, with most of youth, and in fact I lumped it into Next Generation and thought the beings were manifestations of “Q”. Thanks to kokoronagomu, I have reacquainted myself with an old friend; I discovered that all the Star Trek series are on Netflix and have already watched all of Next Generation and half of Deep Space Nine. So...thanks!

This piece of the previous chapter is not the only reference in Edge, though it may be the longest. Every chapter is filled to overflowing with references to my favorites books, songs, movies, and T.V. series. This is something I have had the most fun with while writing the fic.

Anyway, if you're reading this, thanks so much for reading the long note and especially for getting this far in my fic. I appreciate every reader; I know that this work will never be wildly popular for any number of reasons, but I have so enjoyed working on it and have even come to rely on it as a retreat away from a humdrum and agitating world. Thanks again!