InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unexpected Allies: Chosen, The Tosusaiga's True Master ❯ The Tomb of Ligeia ( Chapter 13 )

{Disclaimer: No, I don't own Inuyasha. I don't even own this computer. It's a rental. What do you expect from a poor college student?}

Unexpected Allies Trilogy

Part Two

Chosen, the Tosusaiga's True Master

Chapter Twelve:

The Tomb of Ligeia

Kagome moved through the cave, thinking about her dream. 'Boy, I bet Seishou-sensei is pissed. I shouldn't have done that, but the shock on his face when I pushed him over was priceless.' Kagome sighed as her nose lead her to the dining area. 'Man, I would give my life for some oden right now.'

Kagome entered the dining cave and stood shocked when she glanced at the table. There, in two places on the table, were two bowls of oden and two pairs of chopsticks. Kagome grinned and ran toward one bowl, sinking to her knees and grabbing the chopsticks beside it. She flung the first shrimp in her mouth.

"Oh, soo good," she purred, sliding down the wall behind her. Kagome ate another piece and sighed. "I've died and gone to Heaven." Kagome glanced around dreamily.

"What would make this great is a bowl of rice."

A second later, two bowls of rice appeared on the table.

Kagome jerked up sharply, glaring around the room. "Who's there?!" she demanded.

"Calm down, we will not hurt you," sang a voice. Kagome continued to search the room, flipping up floor pillows in the process.

"Show yourself!"

The voice sang out again. "You see us. We are all around you, Kagome."

Kagome stopped searching, a bewildered look on her face. "Huh? I don't understand."

"We are all around you and are what you see."

Kagome stared at the walls around her. "You mean, you're the CAVE?"

"Correct, Kagome."

"How do you know my name?" Kagome asked.

The voice sighed. "The child, Rin, spoke it to the master of the house last night."

"She did? I didn't know Rin was awake…The master of the house was here?!"

"Hai. He left shortly after, but left instructions to take care of you and your charge."

"Wow," Kagome breathed as she sat back down. She flipped another piece of oden in her mouth as she thought. 'Man, talking walls. What's next? Can it read minds too?'

"As a matter of fact, we can," the voice called out.

Kagome gasped. "Can't you warn someone before you do that?" she scolded.

"We are sorry," the voice called softly.

"Its o. k. I can read minds too."

"We are aware."

Kagome continued to eat, striking up a conversation with the voice. "So, what's your name?"

"The master calls us Ligeia."

"That's pretty," Kagome said. "Then that's what I'll call you too. Why are you talking to me?"

"This is your ancestral home, Kagome."

"Really?!" Kagome cried. She stared around in awe. "Wow. Other people have castles and houses. I have a cave."

"Not a cave. The entire volcano."

Kagome stared, wide eyed. "No way."

"Yes. This entire volcano is your family's and will do as you command."

"For real? Hm?" Kagome thought a moment, then said "I want a Snickers bar."

A few seconds later, a Snickers bar appeared on the table in front of her. Kagome ripped the wrapper open and bit into the gooey candy.

"Oh my God," she murmured around the candy. "This is so good. How do you know what to do?"

"We read your mind, find the sensations that the item gives you and create it from your memory."

"Is this just for me, or can you do it for Rin too?"

"The child can be accommodated."

Kagome smiled "Good. Could you please fix whatever her favorite food is for breakfast please?"

The oden and rice at the other end of the table disappeared, a plate of sushi taking its place. Kagome sighed.

"Great. As for clothes, do you do the same as well?"

"We supplied the sleeping kimonos, the blankets and the bathing cloths. I'm sure clothing will not be difficult. There is something in the sleeping cavern you should see."

Kagome nodded and made her way to the cavern. The feathers glimmered, then two beside the cabinet beside the entrance lit up. Kagome opened the closet as Ligeia explained.

"In here is your armor. We insist you wear it."

Kagome lifted out the heavy armor with a grunt and examined it. It was made of two black plates held together with leather straps. On the front of the armor was a small tree with a white bird in the highest branch.

Kagome shook her head. "I can't wear this. It's too heavy."

Ligeia laughed softly, its voice like bells in the wind. "Do not worry, Kagome. The armor will adjust when you put it on. It will not be as heavy as it is now."

Kagome nodded and replaced the armor. "O. k. What about defenses?"

"The two feathers in the tunnel leading to here are a part of defense. Only blood can reach here through the feathers."

"What would have happened if Rin touched the feathers?"

"You would have been lead to a different cavern by feathers on the floor. It is not as equipped as this one, but it is protected."

"And youkai?"

"Youkai? Oh, you mean the hanyou chasing you. He cannot pass. If he or another youkai touches the feathers, the entire cavern becomes dark and the other means of defense are activated. The only other youkai able to reach here besides you and the master is your taiyoukai."

"Sesshoumaru? How?"

"You must be blood to enter here."

"Sesshoumaru isn't related to me."

"But your blood runs inside him, as his in you. He is blood now."

"Huh?" A stone hand reached from between the feathers to Kagome's left side. "Oh yeah. Sesshoumaru's mark."

"It is alright to call him by his nickname here. It is how we know him."

Kagome blushed. "Alright. Seishou-sensei is blood now. How about Rin?"

"Rin is not blood," Ligeia replied.

"But what if she needs to come back here."

"Then you must touch the feathers with her. We will respond and take care of her, but we will not make ourselves known."

Kagome nodded and reached for Rin's hand. "Wake up, Rin."

Rin blinked into consciousness, smiling at Kagome. "Hello onee-chan. Rin had the most wonderful dream."

"That's good, Rin. I need you to touch this feather for me," Kagome explained as she pointed to a feather.

Rin agreed and they touched the feather at the same time. The feather flickered, then the rest of them brightened.

"Welcome Rin," Ligeia said, startling Rin.

"What was that, onee-chan?" she asked, holding Kagome's hand and hiding behind her. Kagome patted her head.

"It's o. k., Rin. It's a friend. Ligeia, I thought you said that you only spoke to blood."

"Blood and youki are the same to us. Seishou-sensei's youki flows through her."

Kagome nodded, then picked Rin up and headed out the room. "Let's have breakfast, Rin."

"O. k.!"

They sat down in the dining cavern and ate, asking Ligeia question after question. Ligeia explained that the underground springs prevented the cave from being too hot, but provided the means for one of the various defense systems. After dinner and a bath, Kagome and Rin returned to the sleeping chambers.

"What do you suggest for Rin to wear, Ligeia?" Kagome asked as she opened the cabinet doors.

"Rin loves flowers Ligeia," Rin told her, now used to the idea of talking to walls.

* A few seconds later, a small kimono appeared inside the cabinet. Kagome plucked it out and scanned it. There was a white inner kimono, a silk kimono covered in tiny indigo flowers, and a sleeveless white silk outer kimono. There were silver slippers and matching obi as well. Kagome helped Rin dress, putting the inner kimono on first, then the flowered kimono, and last the sleeveless kimono. Kagome tied the obi and helped Rin into the slippers before looking at her.

"Beautiful," she said as Rin spun around. "Absolutely beautiful."

"Look inside the chest, Rin," Ligeia suggested. One of the feathers floated off the ceiling onto one of the chests in the room. Rin opened it and gasped.

"Look, Onee-chan! Flowers, just like the ones in Rin's clothes!"

There was a bouquet of blue lilies, with baby's breath. A wall slid to the side beside the futon, revealing a vanity and a small stool.

"Step inside and put the flowers on the table, Rin," Ligeia said. Rin sat down in front of the vanity and set the flowers down. Stone hands materialized out of the wall and embedded themselves in Rin's hair. A comb and a brush appeared on the vanity. The hands picked them up as they fashioned Rin's hair. When they were finished, the hands disappeared into the wall. Rin stared in the mirror, a wide smile on her face.

"Rin has flowers in her hair, Onee-chan!" The flowers were braided into Rin's hair, the braids forming chains against the back of her head. {SF: Think of the Olympic rings slogan.}

Kagome nodded. "I love it!"

Rin smiled and pointed to the cabinet. "Kagome's turn!"

Kagome turned around and opened the cabinet again. 'Hm…something light, something comfortable and something that I can run in easily should do fine.'

A pair of loose white pants appeared first. When Kagome pulled them out, a sleeveless white tunic appeared. Next came a white haori and an azure sash. Last was a pair of white combat boots.

"We do not understand why you want to dress like a male, Kagome, but we do as you command."

Kagome dressed quickly and asked Ligeia for a full length mirror. Kagome stood in front of it as she lowered the armor over her head. True to Ligeia's word, the armor became lighter the instant she strapped it in place.

Kagome smiled as she tied the sash around her waist, then tied the rusty sword to it. The sleeveless tunic reached mid thigh, with the pants hanging loosely off her hips. The haori fit perfectly and didn't bunch up under the armor.

Kagome moved to the vanity as the black stone hands came out the walls. She envisioned herself in a high ponytail, with a white cloth headband to keep her hair out of her face. When the hands were finished with her hair, they focused on her face, applying a bubble gum pink lip gloss to her lips and sparkling gray eye liner to her eyes. Kagome stared at her reflection in the mirror, turning to see the ponytail from a different angle. She noticed two slits in the back of the armor above her shoulder blades.

"Uh, Ligeia, the armor's broken."

"That is the way the armor is made. Do not worry. Nothing can harm you." *

Kagome nodded in defeat and stood up. She and Rin went into the receiving chamber, ready to travel the way back to the entrance to the cave and climb down the mountain when

"That is not necessary, Kagome," Ligeia called out. The feathers shifted on the wall, lighting up another tunnel. Kagome and Rin followed the tunnel to a lake of lava. Floating in the air above the lake were black boulders, the flat sides of them turned up.

"We can't go this way!" Kagome exclaimed. "We may as well climb back down!"

"That is not necessary," Ligeia said, its voice ringing in the cavern. "These platforms will obey you and take you to the field of lilies. Just call to them."

Kagome sighed. "Like this day isn't weird enough. Come here, stones!"

Instantly one of the boulders appeared in front of her. Before Kagome and Rin could step on, Ligeia warned her "You must hold Rin to make it safely across."

Kagome complied, holding Rin on her left side as she stepped on the boulder platform. As they sailed above the lava lake, Ligeia explained the purpose of such a way inside.

"This is a part of our defenses. If Rin were to touch the platform, you will be tossed into the lava. Only you and Seishou-sensei can touch the platforms."

The platform attached itself to another platform long enough for Kagome to cross, then flew away as the new platform lowered. It attached to a new platform, it moving in a straight line over the lava to another cave. When Kagome stepped off, it flew away. Kagome set Rin back on the black stone floor and walked toward the sunlight at the end of the cave.

"What day is it, Ligeia?" Kagome asked as they stopped at the mouth of the cave.

"Yesterday was what you call Thursday. Today is the next day."

"Thank you. Rin, if we get separated, I want you to come back her. Ligeia, when Rin passes the mouth of this cave, seal it unless myself or Seisho-sensei comes for her."

"Alright, Kagome."

"O. k., Onee-chan."

Kagome grasped Rin's hand, exchanged goodbyes with Ligeia, and left the cave. They stepped into a field of lilies, the flowers expanding across the enormous field to a forest on the other side.

"Wow, Onee-chan, its so pretty," Rin said as they began to cross the field.

Kagome nodded. "I know. It looks like today is the start of a beautiful day."

+++++++

Narasa crouched on the edge of the peak of the volcano, watching the dark haired woman-child and the little girl make their way across the field. His head turned sharply, his white hair billowing in the breeze as he sniffed. His azure eyes glowed menacingly as a low growl escaped his lips. He snarled in disgust as the scent of sulfur and blood assaulted his nose. He considered warning the woman-child of the danger, but stopped himself.

'If she is really my blood, she will know its coming. She will want to protect the human.' He waited patiently as Kagome and Rin reached the middle of the field.