InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Lost Art of War ❯ Preparations ( Chapter 3 )

 

 

 

 

 

The Lost Art of War

By Sasori and Shiro Hikage

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Two:Preparations

 

“Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.”

-Excerpt from Sun Tzu's The Art of War

 

 

When he felt the urgent tug on his soul, he knew something had gone terribly wrong with his ward and the miko. Patrolling the borders of his lands would have to wait. His surroundings blurred into colors as he sped toward the miko's home. He was there within moments, taking in the aftermath of the battle fought in the once pristine clearing near the miko's dwelling.

 

The clearing was painted with the blood of fallen demons, their bodies scattered across the area with the accompanying scent of burnt flesh. This was Kagome's doing. He had seen such results after the final battle with Naraku.

 

The miko was propped against a tree, her blood falling from the wound on her torso in scarlet rivers. Her arm was twisted almost entirely backwards, a sickening sight for even him. Rin was nowhere in sight, and there were no traces of the miko's assailants. Cursing whoever did this, he hastily approached the dying miko, lifted her and left the battle scene behind.

 

~

 

 

He reached his ancestral home in less than an hour, tuning out his irate mother as he passed her dais at the top of the stairs to the clouds. Sesshoumaru immediately made his way to the healing wing, depositing the woman on one of the beds and ordering the current healer to attend to her immediately.

 

“Inform me of her health as soon as she is stable, and if she wakes beforehand summon me immediately” Sesshoumaru gave the priestess one last look before turning to deal with his mother. She obviously was displeased he had brought another human into the palace, and a half-dead one at that.

 

He didn't even make it out the doorway before his mother's ranting began.

 

“How dare you bring a miko into the palace? First that little human brat, now this! You accumulate humans faster than your father!” She seethed, waving her arms animatedly to emphasize how irritated she was.

 

Sesshoumaru glared openly at her “They have taken Rin, leave me be”.

 

“What of the miko?” she shouted after his retreating form.

 

“She is merely information”.

 

~

 

 

She was surrounded by darkness. Slowly but steadily she felt as though she was being pulled somewhere, but where? As the pull began to get stronger she was filled with dread. Where was she being taken?

 

“Am I dying?” with that notion Kagome was besieged with panic.

 

“I can't die” she thought “Rin! I have to save Rin!”

 

At that moment the miko's eyes opened and she wished they hadn't. Excruciating pain from her injuries accompanied her awakening. Without painkillers, the needle working her skin together was almost unbearable. Her eyes scrunched in agony as she tried futilely not to scream as she felt the coarse thread travel through her skin. Luckily whoever was stitching her wounds stopped abruptly, their footsteps fading into the distance. She attempted to lift herself to see how much damage the youkai had done, but failed.

 

She knew he was coming before she saw him, and she knew he was displeased before she looked into his furious golden orbs. She realized with remorse that he wasn't able to save Rin either. She had taken note that the girl was not there, but somewhere she still held a glimmer of hope that he had. She quickly and shamefully turned her eyes away. Sesshoumaru, the demon lord that was infamous for his abhorrence of humans, had trusted her with the little girl he considered his own. And Kagome lost her. Now they might not have a chance to reclaim Rin

 

“They took her.” She stated her self-loathing stepping.

 

“I am aware of the fact, miko”. Sesshoumaru bit out.

 

Kagome shuddered at the hatred behind his words, frightened for her life, but more worried for the little girl she failed to protect.

 

Rin wasn't so little these days, but she still held the same blithe spirit she had as a child. Kagome would always think of her as the little girl who followed her every move around the village, the little girl who sat with her in a field of flowers making crowns and jewelry from the pretty blossoms. The scared little girl who she would protect from nightmares of wolves... Kagome felt the tears begin to well up in her eyes; she wasn't able to protect her this time. Part of her hoped Sesshoumaru would just kill her; she was growing tired of wallowing in a pool of her own despair, and blood. Why was he still here? Why hadn't he killed her or at least left her so that she could fall back into the darkness.

 

“I need answers miko, you will remain conscious for the time being” Sesshoumaru's voice was curt and demanding.

 

Perhaps there was still hope. Perhaps there was something she could do to help, she had to, and she couldn't even fathom what the poor girl was going through right now. She looked straight at him through determined teary eyes

 

“Anyway I can help I will” she replied with as much nerve as she could muster.

“Who did this?”

 

“I'm not sure; I've never seen them before. They spoke an unfamiliar language…I can only recall a few words; I might be able to write them down. Though they used a range of different weapons they all seemed to be skilled archers that much I know for sure. I know they wore black armor with matching tunics and red lining. They also had some sort of horsetail symbol on their helmets…” Kagome paused trying to summon every possible piece of information she could about the foreigners.

 

“Leave it to a woman to only notice clothing…” Sesshoumaru sneered as he turned to walk away.

 

“Your information hasn't been completely worthless, I will retrieve Rin but you will never see her again”

 

“Wait!” She pleaded “let me come with you. I love that child and would do anything to make up for my failure”

 

“What gives you the audacity to presume that this Sesshoumaru would require or even desire your help ningen? It was clearly an error on my part to even call upon you for assistance with Rin in the first place. Why would I allow such an incompetent being to assist me in this crucial matter?”

 

“Listen demon, you know that I am the only one who can correctly identify these people and that you are going to need all the help you can get. You know I am a capable fighter and a powerful miko, so get off your high horse and let me help save Rin!”

 

There was silence for a moment all that could be heard was Kagome gasping furiously. Sesshoumaru just stared at her as she struggled to find any indication of what he could be thinking. She wasn't concerned about him being furious, hurting her or killing her, the only that occupied her mind was rescuing Rin.

 

“You will write out all of the words you remember, and if you are able by the time I depart, you may do as you please”

 

 

~

 

 

Sesshoumaru had said that she never would see Rin again, knowing it was a lie. The miko had been the only woman in Rin's life for years that didn't hold prejudice against her human heritage. The females in the palace all sneered at the thought of caring and educating a ningen girl, and would have no part in such a demeaning task Rin adored the miko, and though she was a very obedient child, he had no doubt that the girl would rebel against the idea of not seeing the woman.

 

He looked briefly at the parchment the miko had written the words she remembered the foreigners say, recognizing them immediately. So, after hundreds of years they had decided once again to grace Japan with their presence. They foolishness would be their downfall.

 

He turned the corner, entering his mother's study without knocking.

 

“Send for Yu-Wen immediately, this Sesshoumaru requires his services”.

 

Xue Fang narrowed her eyes suspiciously “Where are you going that requires Yu-Wen as your transport?”

 

He held out the paper in his hand and she snatched it, her eyes scanning it rapidly before widening significantly in recognition.

 

“Those fools!” she spat, “they have learned nothing!”

 

“Indeed”

 

“Zhao-kai will accompany you as well; his skills in navigation and battle will aid you on your journey.”

 

He nodded in appreciation, leaving to make other necessary preparations for their departure.

 

~

 

 

The healer returned shortly after Sesshoumaru left to continue stitching up the nasty gash on the miko's abdomen. Though it was extremely painful, Kagome endured the procedure without complaint, if she wanted to go assist Sesshoumaru in the rescue she would need to heal.

 

“How long before I'm able to walk?” Kagome asked the woman cleaning her wounds.

 

“Depends, normally I'd say a month, but I'm not sure since you're a miko” she replied, grabbing her arm and twisting it back into place. Kagome bit her lip as she tried not to scream, couldn't she have warned her or something?

 

Frowning, she tried to call forth her dormant powers, only to find them exhausted. Kagome's frown deepened, perhaps rest was in order. She dozed off; hoping that she was right and she'd be ready to go in time.

 

~

Zen, noticing the castle had gone into pandemonium, stopped training early to see what was causing the mad rush of servants. They were everywhere, rushing about the hallways with loads of supplies. What was going on here? Were they hosting a party he didn't know about?

 

He choose to start with the most probable source of this frantic hustling, Sesshoumaru. Starting with the study, he knocked and heard a muffled “Come in”.

 

“What's going on out there?” Zen asked peering curiously as his lord pulled several scrolls from the shelf behind him and unrolled them on the paper cluttered desk.

 

“Rin has been kidnapped, prepare to leave.” Sesshoumaru said, staring down at the large maps with a keen eye.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

Sesshoumaru distractedly pulled the miko's scribbled notes from under the map and thrust it into his hand. Zen read it and cursed as he also recognized the language “I thought they had given up hundreds of years ago!”

 

“Hn.”

 

~

 

Nearly a week had passed and the woman had yet to wake from her self-induced slumber. They had carefully moved her into the guest quarters when she had stopped bleeding. Her wounds, the healer noted, were healing at a startling rate. The laceration on her front had already scabbed over, all minor cuts and bruises had disappeared entirely. She was unsure how the broken bones were coming along; she only could assume that the signs of progress on her exterior extended to her internal injuries. She would have to wake soon if she wished to join the rest on their journey. The healer left the room and the miko continued sleeping.

 

 

~

 

 

The intruder's actions echoed of murderous intent as he crept silently across the dimmed room, his furious gaze as sharp as the blade he held above the prone figure resting on the bed. The battered woman would die for her failure, and for his beloved Rin.

 

The unconscious miko did not deserve an honorable death; she would die without a fight. He raised his sword and brought it down, only to have it melt in a familiar acid before it reached her neck. His throat constricted as he was violently slammed into the adjacent wall, claws digging warningly into his neck.

 

“You will not harm the miko Lie!”

 

Lie struggled against his masters' grasp, to no avail.

 

“That bitch should be executed! Not sleeping peacefully in the guest quarters like pampered nobility!” Lie growled out choking and gasping for air between words.

 

“Has your vision failed you? Do you not see that she is near death from the injuries brought about by Rin's captors, wounds from defending Rin?”

 

“I don't care, I'll kill her!” Lie screamed, tearing away from Sesshoumaru's grip on his neck.

 

“You would kill the woman that Rin considers a mother?”

 

His question effectively stopped the bodyguard from any further attempts on the miko's life. Seeing that the miko's life was no longer in jeopardy, Sesshoumaru took his leave.

 

“We depart tomorrow whelp.”

 

Lie nodded at his retreating form, following him out of the room.

 

 

~

 

 

It had taken nearly a week before Yu-Wen finally docked in the harbor, and an extra day to stock the ship with supplies. Today was the day they would depart. Sesshoumaru strode purposefully down the hall, entering the second room in the guest wing.

 

Kagome was sitting up against the headboard as if she had been expecting him, already dressed in one of the kimonos from her provided wardrobe. She appeared to have fully recovered, but looks were deceiving.

 

“We're leaving now” Sesshoumaru stated, turning swiftly and walking from the room. Kagome, winced as she stood shakily, and followed.

~

“Etsu!” She called out, her method of summoning coming out more like a command than anything.

 

Almost instantaneously the beauteous Etsu was at her side.

 

“You requested my presence Gobodou-sama?”

 

The lady reclining on the dais gave the faintest of nods, too preoccupied with the foreboding grin plastered on her face. Now normally, that particular smile could only mean your death, however that obviously was not the case. She was plotting something…

 

“Etsu!” Xue Fang suddenly exclaimed, startling the younger woman. Once her attention was gained she continued, “You will accompany my son on his trip to ensure he will not take the path of his father”.

 

Etsu nodded in agreement. She too had seen the human woman trailing after Sesshoumaru as he left the castle; it was a cause for worry.

 

“Do not fail me in this” Xue Fang warned dangerously.

 

“Yes Gobodou-sama”.

 

With haste Etsu returned to her room, grabbing the necessary items she would need on the journey and speeding to catch up to the group.

 

Xue Fang looked on as Etsu joined her son's entourage at the bottom of the stairs, hoping her boy would have more sense that his deceased father.

 

 

~

 

 

It had been a week. She had been captive for a week. Her allotted time with Kagome had ended yesterday; Sesshoumaru-sama was a timely man, he would not be late to retrieve her. Kagome's injuries would hopefully be seen to, and then he would come for her.

 

Her faith in Kagome was strong; she was confidant that Kagome did not die from the encounter with her captors. This was not the first, and probably not the last time she would be taken from her guardian; never had he failed to rescue her. She would be patient.

 

When she was dragged from the clearing days earlier, her face had been clouded in tears; she had not cried since. It would not do for the heir of the western lands to be perceived as a weak, sniffling ningen woman. If her eyes were clouded with tears, she would be unable to observe the enemy and unable to potentially find means to escape. Rin was no fool; she would not irrationally try to outrun a group of highly trained youkai. Having lived and traveled with Sesshoumaru for years, she knew how fast youkai of his caliber could be. Recalling the man who taught her the game of shouji, she remembered that his patient observations and skillful maneuvering of the pieces had been the key to his win. Like him, she would be patient. Like him she would succeed.

 

 

~

 

 

Night came and he was speaking to her again in his native tongue; she did not understand. Rin could only shake head. She didn't even know why he bothered talking to her everyday, in a language she was not familiar with. Unlike the rest of the rest of the party, this man whom she assumed was the leader of the group had been surprisingly civil to her. She was well fed and was not bound by ropes or shackles. Tarpaulin was provided to keep her from the elements, as well as a circular hide so she didn't have to sleep on the ground.

 

The talkative youkai nudged her, moving to sit next to her by the campfire. He offered her one of the bowls of food he carried before starting on his own.

 

Now that he was up close, she would observe him in detail as she ate.

 

It was obvious that he was youkai. Like many youkai that were able to uphold a humanoid appearance, he held the natural beauty that was common when it came to powerful demons like him. His hair was as blue as the night's sky with skin as pale as the waning moon. Though he still wore armor, she could tell he was muscular, but not overly so. His eyes were his most attractive feature, glowing silver like the stars scattered across the heavens. No matter how much she wished to hate him for his involvement in her capture, there was no denying that his features were striking.

 

Pulling her traitorous eyes away from her handsome enemy, she looked down at her food, only to be once again interrupted by the youkai next to her. Never had she encountered such a talkative man. It would seem that even eating did not hinder his ability to talk between bites.

 

“Mini ner Saran” He said slowly as he pointed towards himself, hoping she would understand what he was trying to convey.

 

“Saran?”

 

He repeated his previous statement, again motioning towards himself.

 

Hoping she was correct, she poked him timidly and asked “Saran?”

 

He nodded enthusiastically, apparently pleased that she understood him.

 

“Saran…what a pretty name” she muttered offhandedly, knowing he didn't under stand. Someday, she thought, she would like to know the names meaning.

 

Deciding to tell him her name she tried out his language “Mini ner Rin”

 

He smiled knowingly, reminding Rin that though he seemed nice, somehow he still had a role in her kidnapping and she was going to find out.

 

Finishing her dinner, she bowed politely to excuse herself. Deciding to observe him more tomorrow, she retired to her tent, curling into the warmth of the fur and instantaneously falling asleep.