OF DEMONS AND HUMANS
Chapter One
Old Acquaintances
By Ashley
"Well, it doesn't matter. The point is that I'm going to crush Naraku once we can find his castle!" Inuyasha exclaimed. The fire cracked and a few sparks flew for him but dissipated in the air before ever reaching the blood red kimono. Clawed digits curled into a fist that slammed into the palm of his other hand. "I've already learned the technique to break the barrier by destroying that crystal that the guardian of the bat tribe used to put up their barrier."
"That's right. Allowing Tetsaiga to absorb the blood of the crystal heightened Tetsaiga's power. Breaking through Naraku's barrier shouldn't be too much of a problem..." Miroku's intellectual voice waned into a less confident tone. "The problem is finding the castle."
"We need to pull together our strengths. The sooner we locate the castle, the better." Sango piped up. The others, minus Inuyasha, nodded in agreement. "I think a formal test would be best. We don't know for sure if your sword is strong enough to break the barrier."
"Mmhm." Kagome quickly agreed. "Naraku is growing stronger every day! When we hit him, we have to be at our best!"
"Oh, will you three quit your doubting. You guys got nothin' to worry about. My Tetsaiga will break the barrier and then I'll just blast him with my Wind Scar! It ain't like it'll be hard or anything."
Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou exchanged glances. Shaking their heads, the four went about preparing their bedding for the evening. Inuyasha's brow twitched.
"Over-confident, as usual." Miroku mumbled as he patted the pillow and prepared to lay out on the soft blue material. Sango eyed Inuyasha with one of her looks before lying down. Kilala bounded over to her and curled up at her chest.
"Over-confident with a major ego and a total lack of teamwork." The accusing voice of Kagome hit him the hardest. Miroku and Sango didn't mean much, but to hear Kagome say it was even worse. A growl was heard within his throat, eyebrow still twitching.
"After all we've done for him." That was the last straw. Shippou's comment drove the hit home. "OW!" He cried. A lump welled onto his orange and fuzzy head as Inuyasha pounded his frustration out on him. "KAGOME!"
"Rrrrrrrr... Inuyasha..."
"Eh?" Those yellow orbs widened and he took a step back as if he might escape the command.
"SIT BOY!" The scream echoed into the dark forest and the resounding BANG! was even louder. A bird soared overhead and could see the soft glow of a fire deep within the greenery. It cawed and flapped its wings, gliding off into another direction. Silence followed the departure. The only other noise was the occasional cry of an animal within the trees, the soft breathing of the five friends all but Inuyasha bundled within bedding, and the crackling of the vibrant fire.
The lights were dim. An eerie power buzzed silently around the castle. There were no guards. There were no servants. Thrice were the dwellers of the large mansion. The sky was dark, eminent. The pattering of tiny and slow footsteps approached a door. A small child dressed in a white kimono stepped through the curtain and out into the open. Her hair was as pale as the moon and her eyes were as sad as a weeping willow. Between her hands she held a mirror, its iron frame blanched. Her sad orbs lifted as the giant feather descended upon the dreary castle courtyard. A woman stepped off as the feather grew smaller. The woman was tall with hair colored pitch and a rather colorful kimono. Her eyes were rubies that held a certain resentment and malice. She captured the feather in her hand and placed it into the bun on her head.
"Kanna." The tall one began. "Where is Naraku?"
"He is in his chamber." Answered Kanna, her voice hushed and emotionless. The woman brushed passed her younger sister and entered the castle doors. Kanna turned and slowly followed her in. After several turns through the halls, the woman arrived to the location she desired. The silhouette of her master was outlined by the moonlight shining through the window and sifting through the slits of the blinds of the door. Inhaling deeply, the woman pushed back the curtain and entered.
"Kagura." The man began. His oceanic orbs were focused on the moon, his face solemn as stone. He was sitting on the floor, right arm draped on his right knee as it was bent upward. Ebony cloth pants draped loosely around his hips traveling down to his ankles. His muscular chest was bare. Long, curly brown tresses caped his back from his head. "I hope you bring me good word."
"Tomorrow, Inuyasha and his company are headed for the castle. They will have to cross the Field of Bone. There are many demons residing there. They will not go unnoticed. If you wish, I can attack as well."
"That will not be necessary." He replied, his tone as cold as always. He then directed his speaking to another. "Miyu..."
A red and black aura began to glow from behind another curtain. The kneeling form of a third person was visible behind the slits.
"Are you ready to under-go this task I have set for you?"
"Yes... Master Naraku." Replied the monotone voice of a woman. It was clear that she was under some sort of enchantment. Kagura grimaced. Her like for Naraku's latest tool was almost as little as her like for him. The puppet woman was powerful, yes... but she couldn't destroy Inuyasha or the others. So why was Naraku wasting his time sending her? As if reading her thoughts, Naraku replied to Kagura's mental question. A blue glare was shot in her direction.
"You underestimate the power of division, Kagura." Those blue orbs returned to the focus of the moon. "Go, Miyu. You will find them in the Field of Bone."
"Yes... Master Naraku..."
The sun was blaring as they climbed over the dusty hill. Before the traveling troupe lay a plain. Across the way the mountainous stretches could be seen. Smiles were poised on the lips of all five of the travelers. Even Kilala seemed joyous. But their smiles quickly faded when the expanse of bones entered their line of vision. The field was littered with corpses and skeletons. Kagome grimaced and inched backward. A horrid stench rose from the valley, intensified by the heat from the sun.
Inuyasha covered his nose with the sleeve of his kimono. Taking a step forward, he began the troupe's trek into the Field of Bone.
"Come on." He said. "We aren't gettin' through it by just lookin' at it."
Though they knew he was correct, the others were more hesitant on following him in. However, in a moment's time, they followed him down the hill.
The sun was high over-head and the group of friends had crossed nearly three-fourths of the field without encounter. It was disgusting. Human and animal skulls stared up at the travelers with their empty eye-sockets. Dusty bones crunched beneath their feet. Vultures were picking at decaying corpses and the rancid smell of rotting flesh numbed their senses.
Inuyasha suddenly came to a stop. Kagome practically ran into him but managed to throw her weight back into Miroku to avoid the collision. Just as she was about to thank Miroku for catching her, she felt a hand gliding across the curve of her rear. Cheeks bright red in embarrassment, Kagome lurched forward and smacked him hard across the cheek.
"You pervert!" She exclaimed, hands balled into fists. Miroku chuckled nervously and took a step back. Sango's brow was twitching. SMACK! Her hand was imprinted on his other cheek for his messing around.
"Lecher..." She grumbled. Though during this little dispute, Inuyasha remained completely silent. He was staring out at the field, oblivious to the amusement behind him. Lowering his kimono sleeve, Inuyasha willingly sniffed the air. Though the smell of decay was powerful, it could not cover the stench of a demon lurking close by. But where? His yellow orbs darted around the plain.
"Be quiet." He finally commanded, right hand going for the handle of Tetsaiga. The left thumb flicked the pommel and the sword slid an inch from the scabbard. From left to right, Inuyasha glanced for a sign of movement somewhere. Nothing. Where was the demon? He knew it was getting closer. Kilala suddenly growled, spreading her legs and crouching in an attack position. Her body was engulfed in flames for a moment as her size more than tripled to that of a giant two-tail, saber-tooth fangs protruding from her top row of sharp teeth.
All of a sudden, skulls and appendage bones went flying into the air directly behind them. What seemed like hundreds of legs branched down the long belly of a centipede as it lurched into the air and reared back behind them. Its mandibles retracted and a glob of poison gook was hurled from the creature's mouth. Sango jumped onto Kilala, who bounded out of range with one swift leap to the left. Miroku managed to dodge the blast radius by stumbling to his right. Kagome, however, was trapped in the center. A gasp caught in her throat, the knuckles clutching the bow stark white from her tight grip. In the moment of terror, strong hands gripped her waist and she was jerked into the air. Inuyasha pulled her close to his chest as they soared over the creature's head. He landed several yards ahead of the creature and the mess of purple goo, which was now melting the bones beneath it. Gently setting Kagome to the ground, Inuyasha's right hand instinctively went for the weapon on his left hip.
"Stay back, Kagome!" Inuyasha commanded, clawed digits curling around the frayed handle of Tetsaiga. Whipping it from the sheath, light blazed as the blade transformed into the mighty sword forged from a fang of his father. Gripping it with both hands, he prepared to do battle. Kagome trotted away from the frontline, joining Sango and Kilala nearby.
The centipede lurched forward, falling down to crush Inuyasha. He was too quick, leaping into the air and bounding over the creature just as its jaws came crashing into the bone beneath where he once stood. Swinging in with a quick rebound, the monster spun back around. Inuyasha countered its blow with ease, his sword clanging with the tough mandibles of the demon. In a short ballet of battle, Inuyasha hacked away at the demon while dodging globs of acidic poison. Sprinting up the length of the demon's back, he glided Tetsaiga through the thick mass of skin, tracing a path where the creature's spin was located. It shrieked in terror just before Inuyasha made the final blow to its skull. Shrilling, the centipede flopped around as its own acidic goo seeped from the wounds and melted it into the bones of the field.
All seemed quiet... momentarily. Inuyasha landed on the ground, taking shallow breaths.
"Piece of cake." He muttered, lifting his weapon into the air to return it to its sheath. Another scent caught his attention... and then another... and another! Demon signals were suddenly rising up all around him. "What the?" He blurted, but his words were interrupted as the entire field seemed to erupt. Demons of all types surrounded them, growls and screeches drowning out the gasps of the five friends located at the center of the valley. Kilala growled, roaring at the demons before her. Inuyasha bounded over to where Miroku and the others were standing.
"What's going on?" Kagome asked. "What's with all the demons? Don't tell me they're upset cause we killed one of their friends!"
"This must be the Field of Bone." Miroku reasoned, his hands tightly gripping his staff.
"Field of Bone?" Kagome mimicked.
"I've heard of it." Sango explained. "A sort of demon graveyard! It's supposed to be inhabited by hundreds of demons who feast on the flesh of the departed."
Kagome winced and Shippou bounded up onto her shoulder.
"What are we gonna do?" The tiny fox demon asked, his tiny voice trembling as he saw the snarling demons slowly advancing.
"Hn! They ain't nothin'." Inuyasha parted his legs, feet sliding along the clutter of bone, angling his sword in front of him. "Just a bunch of demon SCUM!" In his sentence, he pulled back on Tetsaiga and then swung forward. Power emanated from the sword as the wind scar wend thundering forward, splitting the ground as it blasted to destroy one hundred demons in one sweep. Sango swung her hiraikotsu, smashing into a demon as Kilala leaped through the onslaught. Miroku was twirling his staff, smashing monsters using spells and the head of his staff to crush the life force from them. In a moment, the field was cleared of the pathetic demon entourage.
Inuyasha was the only one left fighting. A monster of a demon was swinging wildly at him. Inuyasha bounded around on rocks dodging the attacks of the lumbering monster. It roared and balled its fists together, coming down in a crushing blow to pound Inuyasha into the ground. Jumping out of the way, Inuyasha heaved the power of his sword to come crashing down upon the monster's skull. A black blur came zipping between him and his target, the power of the object tossing him back. Inuyasha landed on the ground, barely recovering from the strange interference before the demon came down into another attack. Inuyasha barely managed to dodge it. Angered, he spun about face and hacked off the creature's forearms. Blood splattered everywhere and the monster reeled in pain, stumbling about. Inuyasha swung the mighty Tetsaiga once and the demon was vaporized in the blast.
Silence fell over the group. Curious as to what the object of interference was, his yellow orbs traced a path off to his left.
"Sango!" He exclaimed. "What's the big idea, huh? Throwing your boomerang in the middle of a battle and not even hittin' the target!"
Kilala took several leaps through the air toward Inuyasha, Sango's hiraikotsu slung over her shoulder.
"What do you mean, Inuyasha?" She asked, following his gaze to the object a few yards off. It was planted in the field, sticking up from the ivory clutter. A gasp caught in her throat, eyes wide with shock. Curious as to what Inuyasha and Sango were talking about, everyone turned to see what they were staring at.
There, protruding from the mass of decaying bones was a hiraikotsu of the purest ebony.