Chapter 10: Decisions
Inuyasha sat on the roof of Kaede's hut, staring into space. He was thinking about the conversation he'd had with Kouga and Kikyo after waking up a few hours ago. Kikyo had told him that Kagome, their Kagome, had miraculously returned from the dead, apparently destroyed one of Naraku's henchmen and then attacked Kouga, cutting the jewel shards from his legs. He couldn't rap his mind around it, couldn't believe it, yet he could detect no lie in his old love's scent.
He'd still refused to believe it at first, but Kaede confirmed it, said she'd seen the girl. Kouga was a slightly different matter. He admitted that he'd seen Kagome, but refused to believe that it had been her, claiming instead that some malevolent, evil spirit or something similar had taken possession of Kagome's body, that it hadn't been Kagome who had cut up his legs. He said that the creature had enjoyed causing the pain and that Kagome would never do something like that.
Inuyasha desperately wanted to agree with him, but a small, sad voice in the back of his head kept telling him that it really was her, and not some spirit. And Kikyo was absolutely certain that it was Kagome, she said that she had recognised the soul immediately. That had made Inuyasha remember Kikyo's resurrection. Her fragmented soul had drastically changed her personality, making her cold and cruel. He wondered if it was the same with Kagome this time. Again that small voice said that the explanation was much simpler, but this time he chose to ignore it, placing both his hope and despair in his new theory.
He wouldn't mention it with Kouga near though. Who knew how the wolf would react. And Sango and Miroku probably shouldn't know either. Not even Shippo. He sighed. It was all so confusing and complicated. He had the feeling that somewhere some cruel god was amusing himself with his dilemma and laughing at his sorrow. He heard one of his friends shift under the roof he was sitting on, then Miroku groaned, slowly waking up. Inuyasha frowned, not looking forward to having to inform the monk of their current situation. So he decided to leave that part to Kikyo and Kouga.
His hated half-brother's scent pulled him from his reverie, and he leaped up without thinking, once again almost fainting from the pain of his injuries. He sniffed the air, trying to make out were Sesshoumaru was coming from, and where he was headed. His relationship to the western lord who happened to be his half-brother had been gradually improving before Kagome's death, but her demise had done little to help that slow process. At first Sesshoumaru had viewed his half-brother only as a stain on the family honour, but after that tragedy he changed his mind, deciding that he wasn't just a stain, but a disloyal stain. Inuyasha hadn't seen much of the ice lord after that. 'So why is he coming here now?'
The hanyou frowned, thinking. 'Maybe,' he wondered, 'maybe he's run into Kagome too. Kaede said that she was heading west when she left.' Before he could take that idea any further his half-brothers cloud came into view, followed by his two headed dragon steed, carrying that odd child and the annoying Kappa. 'This is going to be interesting' Inuyasha thought, slightly worried. 'If he wants to kill me for Tessaiga, he couldn't have picked a better time for it.' He carefully stepped of Kaede's roof, wincing at the pain of his wounds. 'Well, let's see what he wants.'
Slowly he walked to the edge of the village, determined to bring some distance between himself and the others. 'If he wants me, I'm all he'll get, no use pulling the others into this, especially when they can't defend themselves.' He came to a halt about 40 feet from the village. He watched with silent apprehension as his half-brothers cloud drifted towards him. The daiyoukai touched down about a dozen feet from the hanyou and stared at him, unsettling Inuyasha even further. His ward and retainer didn't land right away, obviously awaiting their lords command. "Well," Inuyasha grunted, "what do you want?"
Sesshoumaru lifted an eyebrow, a simple movement that agitated Inuyasha more than most enemy's taunts ever had. "I asked you something you bastard!" Inuyasha was already yelling. "What the hell do you want!" He grabbed Tessaiga's hilt and growled. Sesshoumaru sighed, "Where is the old miko, half-breed." The daiyoukai sounded like he was asking a bumbling fool for directions, not really expecting a coherent answer. "What?" Inuyasha stared at his brother as if he had just announced that the moon was green and made of wasabi. Sesshoumaru gave up. With a flash he shot past Inuyasha before the hanyou could even flinch. "I will find her myself, then." Inuyasha whirled and this time really did collapse from the pain. He gritted his teeth and tried to get to his feet, expecting his brother's claws to hit him at any moment.
But Sesshoumaru ignored Inuyasha's predicament and kept walking. He simply couldn't be bothered to pry information out of his half-brother, quite aware that Inuyasha wouldn't give him the time of day if he didn't have to, so he had decided to look for this village's old miko or maybe one of the other members of the jewel crew. He had noticed that Inuyasha was wounded, and wondered what or who had caused the injuries. Kagome's face flashed through his mind briefly, but he wanted to be certain before taking any steps. He sought out Kaede's scent and followed it. He was mildly surprised when he found the old woman waiting in front of a hut. The scent of blood, healing herbs and sweat emanated from the wooden dwelling, as well as the scent of Inuyasha's comrades. Apparently the hanyou hadn't been the only one to get wounded. _
Kaede watched the approach of the aristocratic assassin with mixed feelings. He wasn't here to fight, that much was obvious in his behaviour towards Inuyasha, so he had to have a different reason for his presence in Edo. And right now she could only think of one thing that may have brought the stoic lord to her small village. "Greetings, western lord, how may this old miko assist ye?" Nothing wrong with being polite. Especially when the person she was being polite to could level her entire village without breaking a sweat.
Sesshoumaru regarded her coldly. "Your comrades were attacked." Kaede frowned at the statement. "Yes," she answered slowly, "Naraku and his detachments came upon us yesterday, we were almost defeated." She told him of the encounter, what her sister had told her and what she had seen herself. When she got to her own encounter with Kagome she noticed Sesshoumaru narrow his eyes as if concentrating. She quickly realised why he had come to her village. "Ye have met her too, have you not?" He merely looked at her for a few minutes, then nodded. "Near the border of my lands." He gave a brief summary of the event, drawing a pained gasp from Inuyasha who had joined them during Kaede's narration.
"So, " a harsh voice growled, "that thing is looking for the shards." Sesshoumaru looked up to see Kouga leaning against the hut's entrance, his legs still bandaged. "Thing?" Sesshoumaru asked with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, thing!" Inuyasha growled. "You can't really believe that that really was Kagome, can you?" snarled Kouga. "Sesshoumaru looked at Kaede who merely shrugged. "They have decided to believe that their old friend is truly dead, rather than accept that death has changed her."
Sesshoumaru ignored the two men's protests and turned to face the way he had come, flaring his aura slightly. Moments later Ah-Uhn, Jaken and Rin came into view. "This Sesshoumaru would ask you to take care of his ward and retainer while he tries to find information about this new situation." Inuyasha huffed, preparing to deliver a loud rebuke. Before he could open his mouth, however, Sesshoumaru cut him off. "This Sesshoumaru did not ask you, Inuyasha, his question was directed at the miko." Said miko looked at Sesshoumaru's entourage and nodded. "They are welcome to stay here, as long as the kappa and the dragon behave." Sesshoumaru nodded, accepting her conditions.
"The dragon won't be a problem and you may punish the kappa should he be an annoyance." Jaken paled when he heard his masters words, but did not dare to ask any questions, unsure just what would count as an annoyance right now. Rin accepted her lords command with her usual enthusiasm, already running off to explore the village, a quietly complaining Jaken on her heals. Ah-Uhn ignored everyone and everything and simply slumped down to sleep. "Where will ye go?" Kaede was genuinely curious. Sesshoumaru turned to the west, his country. "To visit an old friend of my fathers. He may know something about this kind return." With that he stalked off, completely ignoring his half-brother and his half stuttered cajoleries and threats. None of them, not even Sesshoumaru, noticed the crow sitting in the tree that Inuyasha usually occupied. Even though it was over fifty feet away from them, it seemed to be watching them intently, focusing its gaze on the western lord.
_
Far away from Edo in a remote corner of the western lands, where the landscape was rocky and uninviting, lay a deep ravine. If one were to climb to the bottom of this ravine and search the area carefully, one may find a cleverly concealed entrance. Behind the nondescript stone door was a short corridor, and at its end lay a spiralling staircase. Descending that staircase, one would arrive at another stone door, this one large and ornate, with elaborate symbols carved into it. Beyond that door lay a series of chambers and tunnels, all well lit by strange crystals that emitted a pale light.
The chambers were mostly empty, but some were in use. There was a smithy, a kitchen and some chambers had beds. One of the larger caverns at the far end of the complex resembled a throne room. A great stone chair was set on a large platform at one end of the room. To the left and to the right of the throne were doors. The door on the left led to an obviously unfinished area, where a swarm of diminutive reptilian creatures were digging at the rock with crude tools. The door on the other side led to a far more inviting room.
One side of the room was dominated by a pile of furs and cushions, forming a large and comfortable looking bed. The same strange crystals lit this room, but they were veiled with red cloth, making the light the crystals shed more pleasant to the eyes. Another door led to a bathing room, and the Kobolds had chosen the area purposely, for they had tapped into a hot spring and created a bathroom with hot water for their mistress. Said mistress lay at the centre of the makeshift bed, resting from the spell she'd been forced to use to escape the ice lord.
She was watching said lord visiting dog-boy and the rest of them, asking for information concerning her revival and announcing that he'd be visiting some old friend. She wondered at that, unsure if there actually was somebody in this realm who might know about the Martyrs. She'd have to ask the others about that. But first she'd have to bolster her ranks with an actual fighting force. But that would be difficult. Creating fighters wasn't too difficult, but she wanted more than club swinging thugs, she wanted capable warriors, and that kind of skill wasn't so easily created. An image of golden eyes, silver hair and deadly skill flashed through her mind, making her smile.
'Well, at least I already have one ingredient for my newest creation,' she thought and lifted her hand before her face, eying the silver strands appreciatively. 'That's for strength, speed and control, but I need more for true skill. I won't be able to get him for that part.' She frowned, deep in thought. 'What I need is a true sword master. I'll have to send more crows out to find an acceptable...donor.'
She briefly thought of Inuyasha and Kikyo, and decided to take action in that direction as well. 'It'll take a while before I can proceed with the plan,' she thought, 'so I may as well amuse myself in the meantime. But what to send them? Something iconic. One of my own maybe? Or maybe..' That devious smile appeared as she thought of what or who she might send to "play" with the hanyou and his comrades. She saw slightly pink hair and deadly claws as well as slashing blades of bone in her mind, like memories of a past life. 'Well, in a way they are memories of a past life. Now, getting those two back shouldn't be much of a problem if the others help me. Plus, those two should be an adequate challenge without completely outclassing Bakayasha and the others sheep. After all, they've already defeated them once.'
'Wouldn't want Inuyasha to snuff it too early, oh no. I want to enjoy this little game.' Having decided on a course of action she settled down, resting herself before trying to get the two creatures back from the realm of the dead. She slipped into a restful slumber, with two names echoing through her mind. 'Kageroumaru and Juuroumaru. You two have been dead for long enough. Let's see if I can get you back.'