A/N: Well, whaddya know – the story's back on its feet again. Sorry for the delay, thanks for the reviews and here's hoping that this chapter makes clear where exactly I'm going with this thing…
IV
Time, slowly sifting by.
Kagome Higurashi watched through half-lidded eyes as Miroku argued in low tones with his perpetually drunk mentor, Mushin. The cup of water she held in her hand shook as she forced down an enormous yawn. There was something heavy in the air about Mushin's temple, and it was, aside from making her philosophical, was also making her incredibly sleepy.
It just sifted by, with no purpose, no end.
"So this is Miroku's 'great idea'," Inu Yasha growled from beside her, arms folded crossly over his chest. He didn't seem to be affected by the heaviness. "And here I was, expecting something useful for a change."
Kagome frowned. Miroku's doing his best, after all… what right has he to criticise him? She didn't feel that she had the strength to voice out her chide, however, and settled for just slapping Inu Yasha on the elbow. Besides, why should she waste her voice on him?
No purpose. No end. No meaning.
"I've heard that this temple houses a rather extensive library," Sango said, drooping on her boomerang weapon as she fought off sleepiness herself. "Maybe Miroku thought he'd find something about the creature there. He did seem pretty knowledgeable about the seal – maybe, just maybe, he knows what he's doing." She finally sighed, and slid to a sitting position. "If he isn't, well, we'll just have to scout it ourselves."
Why? Why did this kind of life go on?
"Hmph." Inu Yasha gave one of his majestic snorts. "And how? You say this thing might have a connection to Naraku. In case ya haven't noticed, Sango, Naraku has gotten much better at hiding himself these days." Shippo suddenly jumped onto his lap. "Wait a second, Inu Yasha," the young kitsune said seriously. "There was something wrong in that sentence."
Such a life of insanity wasn't permitted by nature.
In response to Inu Yasha's curious glare, Shippo said, "Well, if Naraku is hiding himself better these days, of course Sango wouldn't have noticed, ya know what I mean?" This was replied to with a furious "Wise cracker, eh?" and the thud of well-worn knuckles meeting a fluffy demonic head. Kagome smiled wanly. At least Shippo's still in good spirits…
No – Life must move on to better things, greater things. Must evolve.
Inu Yasha watched sullenly as Miroku disappeared into an inner chamber along with his mentor. "What's wrong with you two?" he asked finally, after a few minutes of tense silence. "I know humans are weak, but come on. We haven't even fought in over four days."
The infidels must be vanquished, and true power, better power, greater power must reign.
"Just shut it, Inu Yasha," Kagome said wearily, coming to rest in a sitting position beside Sango. "This is already a very testing situation – you're just making it worse." She closed her eyes, hoping that the faint throbbing behind her forehead wasn't the sign of an impending headache. She felt so cold…
Only then can things reach a full circle, restart, reform… and restore.
Inu Yasha, noting Kagome's shivering body, pulled off his red haori and wrapped it around her trembling form. She didn't seem to notice the gesture, however. The hanyou sighed – this was taking longer than he had hoped it would. To top off the agony of waiting, for some convoluted reason, both Kagome and Sango seemed very, very tired – and very, very irate. It could be the unusual chill, or the uncomfortable atmosphere, but really. Were they fighters or housewives?
Restore a life of hope, of new beginnings, of sanity, of light.
Sango shifted uncomfortably. She desperately wanted to go to sleep, but knew that she couldn't afford to. Had to keep an eye on surroundings… be aware… Gods, it was chill… it seemed to seep into her muscles, bones, her very being, creating an icy core within her heart. And from that core emanated wanton whispers…
Before the restoration, however, the present insanity must be eliminated.
Inu Yasha jumped up with an "ah-finally!" air as Miroku entered the room at long last. The monk looked rather haggard, Inu Yasha noted. His lips were set in a thin, grim line, and he held a yellowed scroll of parchment in a tight grip in his hand. "I might have found the answer," Miroku said in a low voice. "But it's not good."
Darkness precedes every light.
A sudden swelling… a great explosion…
The great Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks, hand tightening on the hilt of the Tokijin. He looked to the skies as a strange darkness permeated the azure blue, and a chill wind played with his long hair. This is strange… why do I smell…?
His eyes widened as the Tenseiga started rattling violently within its sheath. He pulled it out, his surprise escalating as the steel blade darkened, its shining surface now a glossy black – a mirror of black night. For the first time in his life, Sesshoumaru found himself unable to comprehend what was going on around him. Why would the Tenseiga get corrupted? More importantly, how?
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. Maybe, Jaken…
Rin.
Nearly tangible rage gathered around his form, as he followed the scent of his loyal vassal and the little girl to the destroyed riverbank, taking in the destruction in a practised glance. He finally spotted Jaken higher up the bank, lying in a pool of his own blood. The frog demon's skull had split after an explosive contact with a nearby rock, and he was clearly dead.
Sesshoumaru unsheathed the Tenseiga once again, levelling the blade over Jaken's corpse. Through a black-tinted inner eye, he spotted the messengers of the dead frolicking over Jaken's body. In a swift stroke, he obliterated the goblin-like creatures and watched as Jaken's injuries disappeared, and the green-skinned demon opened his eyes. "L-Lord Ses-Sesshoumaru!" He scrambled to his feet. "I t-thank the lords you found us, Lord Sesshoumaru. It was terrible, it…"
"Jaken." His master's cold voice stopped him in his tracks. "Where is Rin?"
"R-Rin?" Jaken cast a nervous glance further down the bank. "She – she was fishing there, my Lord, when this – this wave of catastrophic proportions – I have no idea as to what caused it, though the brief swelling of energy I felt a few moments before it struck might provide a clue – it washed her away into the forest and…" Suddenly he threw himself at Sesshoumaru's feet. "I'm so sorry, my Lord! Really, I tried! I –"
"Quiet, Jaken. I will not punish you yet." Sesshoumaru turned, concentrating on finding Rin's scent. He could detect it faintly nearby a copse of trees, but the water hindered with his sense of smell, making Rin's signature weak and indistinct. One thing was obvious, however – she was nowhere in the nearby vicinity. Even the force of the water couldn't have carried her so far back in. New misgivings – the cause of which he couldn't place – cropped up in his mind, and the renewed rattling of the corrupted Tenseiga in his hand sealed his decision. "We will find her."
No matter what.
"Not good?"
Miroku sighed and gripped the scroll tighter. "This matter greatly concerns your brother, Inu Yasha."
Inu Yasha narrowed his eyes. "Sesshoumaru has something to do with this creature?"
"He possesses the Tenseiga, am I correct?"
"Yes, but –" Miroku interrupted him by putting up a palm. "To explain this, I must refer to the matter of the Sacred Jewel. It was made as a fusion of four souls, a manifestation of Priestess Midoriko's power, yes? Well, the Tenseiga was created in pretty much the same way."
"You mean by the power of somebody like Midoriko?" Kagome asked, eyeing the scroll with interest.
Miroku shrugged. "It might be. I cannot be sure. Well, it is said that the great Dog General – Inu Yasha's father – met with an incredibly powerful foe in the prime of his youth, centuries ago. This was no demon though, but a half-demon priestess, with extraordinary spiritual powers. While fighting a losing battle with your father, she called on her last and most desperate measure." Miroku sat down, deeply involved in his narration. "She summoned the evil forces from the barrier between life and death – where I believe your father's grave is located now – and sold her soul and body to it. The evil took on a physical manifestation in her body.
"This time it was Inu Yasha's father who was on the losing end of the battle. After all, the combined forces of the netherworld are nothing to be taken lightly. At the last minute – one could say when practically at the threshold of defeat – he sunk his fang into the creature, skewering it through its heart."
"Heart?" Sango repeated sceptically.
"I was only talking figuratively," Miroku said. "Well, through whatever that powered the creature. And despite the fact that the creature wasn't completely vanquished, it was subdued enough by your father to allow the great spiritual men of the age to seal it – for what they hoped was ever – underground in that grave we… stumbled into. And as for the fang…"
"It was used to make the Tenseiga," Inu Yasha finished quietly.
"That's right."
"It does explain a lot," Kagome said thoughtfully. "Like how it has the power to bring people back from the dead, for one. And also, how it's so effective against creatures in the barrier between life and death."
Miroku nodded. "I'm not completely sure I understand the dynamics of how that works, but the root is basically how you said it is, Kagome."
Inu Yasha gave an impatient snort. "That's all well and good, but it doesn't explain how this creature managed to break the seal. What happened?"
Miroku ran a hand through his hair. "That is what I do not understand, Inu Yasha. By all accounts, the creature should've remained sealed – forever. What event could've provoked it into awakening, I do not know…"
"Event?" Shippo cocked his head. "What do you mean?"
"What he means to refer to is the tidings of the prophecy." The others looked up to see a remarkably sober Mushin enter the room. He gazed at them tiredly. "Tell them, Miroku."
The monk looked rather reluctant, but he resumed his narrative. "It is prophesied that, the day the creature does awaken, the world is doomed to come to an end. All of the present life, society, history – will be vanquished, making way for new life to bloom." Miroku shook his head. "It could be some errant, ancient rumour, or –" He stopped abruptly, clutching the scroll tightly. His words hung in the air and an uncomfortable silence ensued, before Inu Yasha broke it.
"So how will this 'end' come about, then?"
"It is said that we will bring it upon ourselves. There will be darkness, and hatred, and a war, the likes of which history has never witnessed before. And when the catastrophe reaches a full circle, there… there will be nothing left."
"And you think that's what's going to happen?" Inu Yasha gave a short laugh. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but there's got to be dozens of so-called 'prophecies' like that. None of them ever come true."
The four humans in the room narrowed their eyes, before Miroku sighed. "I really hope you're right, Inu Yasha."
"But anyway," Kagome broke in, "Do you think we ought to find this creature?"
"We've already got our hands full trying to find Naraku," Sango reminded her. "Besides, I'm sure we'll run into it." Suppressing a yawn, she rose to her feet. "But whatever it is, we ought to leave now. Thanks, Mushin, for –"
"Wait," Miroku's mentor interrupted. "You should at least know this: if the prophecy ever looks like it's going to come true, then the Tenseiga is our only hope. I don't know, how, or when, but… I do know it."
"I hope it doesn't come true, then," Inu Yasha said, "if only for the fact that I never want to have to depend on Sesshoumaru for anything, and –" he stopped abruptly, his nose twitching. "I smell blood – lots of it. Human blood."
Kagome got up as well, suddenly infused with new energy. "Human blood? But the nearest village is simply miles away!"
"It is rather indistinct," Inu Yasha admitted, "but there's enough of it to actually reach my nose, all the way out here. I can say with certainty that there's been a massacre in a nearby village."
Sango gasped. "You don't think that… it's that creature…?"
Inu Yasha's lips set themselves into grim lines. "We won't know unless we check it out ourselves." He gestured for Kagome to get onto his back. "We'd better get there as fast as we can. Thanks, old man, for… well, whatever you said." With that, he took off with Kagome.
Miroku and Sango quickly expressed their gratitude as well, before taking off after their companions on a transformed Kirara, along with Shippo. Mushin watched their fast receding forms into the sunset before trudging back in, and opening a concealed cupboard – and his secret stash of sake. Pulling out and opening a bottle, he lugged in a mighty gulp. He finally removed the half-empty bottle from his lips and wiped off the sake that had dribbled onto his moustache. He eyed the remaining bottles with a bittersweet smile.
"Better finish this off before the world ends – hate to see good sake go to waste."
Misery might love company, but evil hates it.
Half demon Naraku, foe of millions, extended a tentacle into the abyss above which his temporary abode was located, dipping it into the icy chill water of the river that flowed through. The tentacle finally closed around a large, struggling trout, whose struggles stopped abruptly as poison entered its blood. Naraku brought up the limp fish, ripping it apart with further appendages that sprouted from his body. He watched with a hungry gleam in his eyes as the blood escaped the body of the trout in a short-lived, gory fountain, accompanied by still-writhing innards. Naraku tore it into further pieces before finally throwing the carcass into a corner. He had no intention to eat it. Something was wrong that night…
The sky roiled with inexplicable energy, the heaviness in the air making his hair stand on end. But it was not the sign of an impending storm, he knew. It was something deeper, darker.
And he didn't like that, not one bit.
A quiet, if young voice came to life by his side. "Naraku," it said. "What is this thing I'm sensing?"
"What do you think it is?"
"I – I'm not sure." The owner of the voice – a young boy – came into view. His light-coloured, almost dead eyes gazed at the restless skies speculatively. "Seems to me that a great spiritual force is at work here. Do you think it might be Kikyo?"
Naraku's eyes narrowed. "I cannot be sure." He got up. "Which is why I call upon your services, Hakudoshi. Find the source of this unrest. Kill it if you can."
Hakudoshi's emotionless eyes betrayed surprise. "You will not consider the possibility of an alliance with something so powerful?"
"No." Naraku clenched his fist in a rare show of anger. "I do not understand this force, and I will not associate with things I do not understand, or with things for which I have no use. I eliminate them. Go now, Hakudoshi – you have no more need to question my intentions."
"As you wish, Naraku," Hakudoshi said, and soon disappeared from the room. Naraku watched as the boy receded into the night, mounted on the demon horse Entei. He knew that Hakudoshi wouldn't be able to defeat… whatever it was. But Naraku needed the valuable information regarding it, and Hakudoshi was a necessary sacrifice. Even Hakudoshi could be brought back to life, but ignorance of this new threat meant the permanent loss of his monopoly.
There can exist only one evil.