InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tomorrow ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter Seven

 

Rin chuckled as Michio and Yoshinori sped out of the hut, basket in hand. It had become their weekly ritual- seeing who could come home with more ink plants. Miroku would then help them turn it into ink, and they'd bring it back to Takumi. The little boy seemed to love painting. He certainly had some talent. Painted pieces of cloth were tacked up all around the hut now. Rin was starting to wonder whether she should try and trade for some paper the next time a peddler came through the village.

 

“At first I thought it was sweet that they wanted to help Takumi,” Sango commented, also watching the boys run off, “But now it seems to have turned into another contest for them.”

 

“Everything is,” Rin sighed.

 

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Michio's face split into a grin and he knelt under the bush. Yoshinori didn't know about this patch of plants. He could get as many leaves as he needed…

 

He suddenly froze. He could feel an unfamiliar youki coming up the path towards him. He ducked behind the bush and felt for the handle of the small knife in his belt. He couldn't tell if it was dangerous or not. He watched the path, waiting for the youki to appear.

 

It was a girl, thin and filthy, clutching a tiny baby. Michio took his hand from the dagger. This girl looked like she could barely walk, let alone fight. He stepped out into the path.

 

“Hello?” he said. The girl's reaction was instant and frightening. She shrieked, turning her body to hide the baby from view and raising her hand, drawing claws. Michio threw his dagger on the ground to show her that he meant no harm.

 

“It's all right,” he said. “I have no desire to harm you. The creed of the youkai-taijiya dictates that we only exterminate those who are a danger to humanity, and frankly, you look a few meals short of standing upright, let alone killing.” The girl instantly dropped her claws.

 

“Is this the village she told me of?” she said, her voice a thin whisper. “The village where youkai, hanyou and human live together peacefully?”

 

Michio wasn't sure who “she” was, but he nodded. “Yes. You are safe here. Come on.” Then, as an afterthought, he yelled, “YOSHI!” Yoshinori instantly dropped out of a tree branch. “You were spying on me, weren't you?” Michio said accusingly before the girl could start shrieking again. Yoshinori just shrugged.

 

“What kind of youkai are you, anyway?” he asked the girl as they started walking back to the village. “That hair looks like tiger stripes.” The girl just nodded. Michio wasn't quite certain how she could keep walking. It looked beyond the limits of her energy to speak again.

 

“Yoshi, can you run ahead and get Kagome-oba-san to cook some rice or something for them?” he asked. Yoshinori nodded and ran off. Suddenly, the girl whispered again. Michio had to listen very hard to hear her wispy voice.

 

“You said you are youkai-taijiya?” she was saying. “Yet you have youkai friends. And you are helping me.”

 

“Because Okaa-san taught me,” Michio said, “That just being a youkai doesn't make you bad, and being human doesn't make you good. Kagome-oba-san also said,” he added, “That humans can be worse than any youkai.”

 

The girl smiled humorlessly. That smile sent a chill down Michio's spine.

 

“What could have done this to a youkai?” he wondered as he led her on to the village.

 

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SesshoMaru sat in the shadows of a cave over a mountain pass. Dozens of youkai families were fleeing north, faster than the armies could move, but even youkai tired. Those walking up the path were the ones who'd fled from the furthest south, and they looked exhausted, yet they couldn't afford to stop. Yamazaki had realized that youkai families were fleeing the towns in his path and was pressing his armies forward faster. SesshoMaru watched the paths to the south. He could see the faint orange glow of hundreds of campfires in the distance. At least the humans had to sleep more often than the youkai did.

 

He wondered as he watched the families moving north again. They were tiring much faster than they might once have. As he watched the families with his eyes and nose, he noticed less inhuman features, the scents of weaker breeds of youkai in human forms. Were youkai truly becoming more human?

 

The last of the stragglers left the pass. It was not yet midnight. By the time the soldiers had begun to move, the fleeing youkai would be too far north to be caught. Groups were taking every route north, in the hope of warning others. SesshoMaru stood, deciding to head north himself. At the rate the armies were moving, they would reach Rin's village in little over a month. They would best be warned.

 

Besides, he felt he had no more reason to be this far south. He was feeling drawn to the north. Not bothering to think what the reason might be, he leapt into the darkness.

 

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“Where did you come from?” Kagome asked, filling the tigress' bowl for the fourth time. The girl kept eating, she said she hadn't in nearly a month.

 

“Far to the south, by the sea,” The girl said, pointing on the map in Kagome's book.

 

“Osaka,” Kagome mused. “Were your family…?”

 

She stopped when the girl's eyes filled with tears as she nodded. Then she wiped her eyes. “Gomen,” she said. “It's been a month, but...”

 

“I understand. You miss them,” said Kagome soothingly. The girl was getting her voice back now that she'd eaten something. The little boy had ravenously devoured several bowls of soup and then curled up to sleep by the fire. She still had a very soft voice, but the boy hadn't spoken at all.

 

“Forgive me, Kagome-sama, but I haven't given you my name yet,” the girl said. “I am Mitsuko, and my little brother is Akira. Arigatou Gozaimasu for the food and shelter. We are in your debt.” She made to bow but Kagome waved a hand.

 

“Don't worry about it,” she said. “Eat and sleep. You're safe here. Oh, but I have to ask… Who told you to come here?” she added thoughtfully. She'd been wondering for some time who would direct youkai to the village as a safe haven.

 

“A girl by the name of Kazeko,” Mitsuko said. “About my age- oh, I'm seventeen. Akira is only a year and a half. Anyway,” she continued, “Kazeko said that she had heard of your village, that humans, youkai and hanyou lived together peacefully. She is also…” Mitsuko seemed hesitant, as if there was something about this girl that worried her.

 

“Is she all right?” Kagome asked.

 

“She may be in danger if her father finds that she helped me,” Mitsuko murmured, “for he is the one who is leading the campaigns in the south. She mentioned the inu-youkai here, and SesshoMaru-sama, yet if the general finds that she has been consorting with youkai…” Fear and rage filled her voice as she continued. “I have seen him kill his own men for refusing to obey. He will not accept what he will see as betrayal in his daughter.”

 

Kagome nodded, looking troubled. “Get some sleep,” she said soothingly. “We'll get someone to keep an eye on Kazeko. Don't worry.”

 

Mitsuko's eyes were already closing, but as she lay next to Akira she murmured, “blood on the path…”

 

Kagome stood outside the hut where Sango, Miroku, Rin and Kohaku had been listening in to the conversation.

 

“So, do we know a Kazeko?” Miroku asked, glancing at Mitsuko, who was already fast asleep.

 

“The name don't sound familiar,” InuYasha said with a frown. Sango also looked worried.

 

“But she knew there were Inu-hanyou here,” she said, “And she mentioned SesshoMaru…”

 

“That's it!” Rin cut in. Everyone stared at her. “Well, SesshoMaru-sama said that in the village he stayed in when he was injured, there'd been this human girl who cleaned up his wounds, yes? She must be Kazeko!”

 

“That makes sense,” Kohaku said, “but…”

 

“I know,” InuYasha said. “her father's the bastard that's killing the youkai in the south, she said. So if he finds out his own daughter saved a youkai…”

 

Kagome was growing even more worried, remembering Mitsuko's sleepy words. Blood…

 

“InuYasha-sama!”

 

InuYasha swiped something out of the air near his neck with lightning precision. He held the little flea up to his nose.

 

“Hell, I thought you were dead,” he complained.

 

“Myoga!” Kagome exclaimed. “We haven't heard from you in years!”

 

“Well, there's not been much happening,” Myoga said. “Not even meals, apparently,” he said with a sigh, staring at InuYasha's jugular.

 

“Never learn, do you?” InuYasha snarled, raising his hand to swat the flea. Myoga waved his tiny hands hastily.

 

“Okay, okay, I'll just starve!” He said huffily, and hoped into InuYasha's finger. “Anyway, InuYasha-sama, I came to find out if you know anything of the rumors of massed youkai extermination happening to the south.”

 

“We know they ain't rumors,” InuYasha said, looking suddenly serious.

 

“We've already got two refugees,” Kagome said, waving her hand towards the hut where the tigers slept, “and SesshoMaru went to warn youkai of the danger so no doubt there'll be more soon.”

 

“SesshoMaru-sama went?” Myoga said. “Hmmm… I'm not entirely surprised, actually. No doubt he doesn't want to see it repeated…”

 

“See what repeated?” InuYasha said sharply. Myoga seemed to realize what he'd just said.

 

“Nothing! Nothing!” He said quickly. “Just the ramblings of an old man…”

 

“Really?” Kagome said skeptically. “Sounds like a massacre or something…”

 

“It's not my right to talk about it,” Myoga said. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.

 

“Not your right to talk about something that didn't happen?” he asked shrewdly. Myoga nodded, than looked a little confused.

 

“Anyway…” the little flea said, “Have you considered some of the offshore islands?”

 

“We're thinking of the ones farthest north,” Kagome said.

 

“I'll go investigate them for you,” Myoga offered, then hopped off. InuYasha stared after him with a frown.

 

“What was that all about?” he wondered aloud.

 

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I have been asked where Jaken, Koga and Shippo are. I don't like Jaken and Koga much, so I don't like writing them into my stories. I think I already sent Jaken home to his clan, and Koga and Shippo will be mentioned in due course, so be patient. I have no idea when, since I've only ever written two chapters at most ahead of what's posted.

 

Oh, and Happy Birthday, Sueroxmysox (Iloveanimecartoons)!

 

InuYasha is the property of Takahashi Rumiko-Sensei, and I claim no ownership of any of it. All couples not involving original characters will be strictly canon. Aside from Haruka, Yuki and Kazuki, I made up all of the kids, though since birthdates other than Kazuki's were never really stated in the manga, nor names, I've made these up as well. This fanfic will make little sense if you have not read the entire manga, and I'm afraid that to read the last twenty or so volumes you will have to (at the time of writing) venture into the internet, but I strongly suggest that you do buy the Tankoban volumes for yourself, so that Takahashi-sensei can afford to continue gracing us with her imagination. Anyway, hope you enjoy the fic. ^_-