Chapter Thirty-seven: The Great Escape-ade
It was the night of the new moon, plunging the forest into darkness as the last strains of sunlight faded. Bow rubbing an angry welt where it was tucked against her back, Kagome winced as she struggled to keep up with the single-minded taiyoukai. He appeared hell-bent on making it to the stronghold as soon as possible. Ostensibly he expected the majority of its occupants to be distracted by their suppers.
I could sure use some dinner, too, Kagome complained to herself.
The comparative silence of the darkened forest soon gave way to the casual clinking of metal, muffled voices, and the clucking of chickens as the miko and her demon companion emerged from the tree line. She had her weapon; now all she needed was a strategy.
Careful to shield her backside from Sesshoumaru's view, lest he discover her newly acquired insurance policy, Kagome came to a stop a few feet behind him.
"So… What now?"
"Now," Sesshoumaru drawled quietly, his voice holding a tint of mirth, "you stay here like a goodrift locus and let me take care of some unfinished business." He'd started to advance again when Kagome's voice halted him.
"How exactly do you plan to find Izayoi-hime? I mean, it's not like they're just going to let you waltz in there and kidnap their princess."
"Foolish girl, do you honestly believe the meager sum of peasant men in that castle pose any danger to me?" He snorted, "Now stay here, be silent, and I will return shortly." He paused, eyes narrowing, "Rest assured, miko: if you are not here when I return, I will find you."
"H-hai."
Reasonably satisfied that the girl would stay put he continued his advance on the stronghold, stealthily gliding towards the back entrance.
"All right, Kagome, think. Think, think, think! This would be so much easier if I had eaten something. Stop getting distracted; this is serious." She began to pace, wearing a small rut into the moist, mulched ground beneath her feet. "Okay, this is simple. Break it down. What's my first goal? Save Inuyasha's mother. Easy enough, right? I just have to get her away from Sesshoumaru. Now to do this, I'll need to buy some time. Hopefully the 'meager sum of peasant men in that castle' will keep his lordship busy for at least thirty minutes. That could be enough time to sneak in, locate Izayoi-hime, and convince her to escape with me."
Kagome paused mid-pace, a hopeful expression taking hold of her face for a brief moment in time.
"Oh, who am I kidding? He's already nearing the back gate and no one's even noticed him! Not to mention that I have to convince a frightened, sheltered princess that I'm here to help her without any good explanation." An intense golden gaze flashed in her memory, and Kagome's skin tingled with longing as tears welled up in her eyes. Inuyasha…
Bolstered by her firm resolve Kagome stood up straighter, her eyes burning in her determination. "I'm going to do it. If I don't try, then Inuyasha will be gone and there's no hope for me anyway."
When the hell did I start talking to myself, anyway? Kagome suddenly thought as her feet carried her toward the front entrance of the stronghold. She was well-aware that her scent would drift easily to the taiyoukai, even distracted as he was. Wisely, the miko kept herself downwind of his demon nose.
With a speed that surprised her, she arrived atthe front castle gates. Kagome noted with no small amount of concern that the residents had yet to raise a ruckus. Either Sesshoumaru was biding his time, or he simply remained undetected. Yelling a warning was out of the question. That would bring her instant death at the taiyoukai's hands. Still, she had to draw their attention to the danger somehow…
Hesitantly, Kagome reached back and grabbed at her stash of weaponry. Loathe to waste any of her precious arrows, she nonetheless nocked one on the bow and pulled the string taut. If she aimed well, the sudden appearance of an arrow from the darkness would alert them to danger. Granted, they'd be expecting ninjas and not demon lords, but that wasn't her concern.
Swoosh!
Silence.
Moments passed as Kagome, crestfallen, began to eye her last remaining arrow. Suddenly –
"Youkai!"
Sure enough, a piercing shriek rang out through the courtyard. Kagome plastered herself against the wall surrounding the front courtyard, waiting for the commotion to increase. If enough frightened people were running about, she could search for Izayoi without being detected.
The unmistakable sound of a poison whip lashing at flesh resounded in her ears, making the miko cringe. No time for regrets, Kagome, she chastised herself, you have work to do. Now if I were a hime, where would I be hiding…?
A cacophony of fearful shouts tore through the breezeway outside her modest room. The young woman bit her lip in fear. She'd known this day would come and agonized over whether or not to put her clan in such danger. Demons were dangerous enough on a good day; they were doubly so when threatened.
Lord Sesshoumaru had never accepted her, despite all her kindness toward him. Whether he saw her a direct threat to his father's sovereignty or to his own inheritance she did not know. Suffice it to say, she was likely to soon be a very dead woman. Her beloved had begged her to return home. With her family, he'd insisted, she had a fighting chance of surviving his heir's resentful ire.
Apparently putting her beloved father, aunts, and uncles in danger was all for naught. Already she could hear the familiar slash of his whip and the agonized cry of its hapless victims. Terrified tears sprang to her eyes and she curled herself into a tight little ball of limbs.
"Izayoi-hime?"
A voice in the darkness called to her,persistentand kind. She was wary, but these were desperate times. Her maids had already abandoned her, feeling no loyalty for the demon whore they'd been instructed to serve. Gathering up her resolve, Izayoi spoke up in a quivering voice.
"In here…"
She blinked. That had been simple. Almost too simple… were all princesses so careless about giving away their location while being besieged? Shaking off the thought, Kagome followed the source of the soft voice, coming to a standstill in the doorway of a dark, little room.
"Izayoi-hime…?"
She had to squint to see her but sure enough: this woman was definitely Inuyasha's mother. Kagome's eyes adjusted to the darkness – Izayoi had blown out the torches in her room – and at last she could make out more of the woman's features. Clutching at a bundle of blankets, the hime's eyes were shadowed in fear and suspicion.
"Who are you?"
"I'm here to help you," Kagome assured the woman, falling to her knees before her. "Sesshoumaru is attacking the castle to get to you. If we leave now, quietly, we might make it to safety for the night."
"Make it to safety? Sesshoumaru is the son of the Inu no Taisho," Izayoi cried out in disbelief. "How do you expect to outrun him?"
"I'm a miko – sort of. If he comes after us I might be able to take him down for a short while with my last arrow. Please, Izayoi-hime, I need you to trust me. We're running out of time."
Indecision flashed through the princess' eyes for a moment as she regarded the strange young woman before her. She was a sitting duck if she remained. This unusual girl offered her the possibility of surviving, which was better than awaiting death in a darkened room, alone.
"I have a baby," Izayoi announced suddenly, watching Kagome with no small amount of concern. "He— he's the reason Sesshoumaru is after me."
A baby? Could it be...? Her heartbeat accelerating rapidly, Kagome watched as Izayoi turned her gaze down to the bundle of blankets in her arms. Pushing aside the top layer, the princess timidly revealed her precious bundle.
He sported a mop of hair as black as the finest ink, and his button nose was twitching in dream-spasms. As the first drafts ofcold, night airswept over his exposed face, the infant opened glassy eyes and began to wail. Kagome clutched at her chest, an acute lance of pain within gripping her. Those violet eyes…
"The new moon…"
Izayoi froze, shooting a glare filled with her distrust at the miko. "What do you know about the new moon? Who are you?"
Kagome shook her head, tearing her eyes off the crying infant. "It's not important right now. Please, Izayoi-hime, just follow me. Once we're safe, I'll answer whatever questions I can."
Outside, the commotion seemed to draw nearer. Kagome's eyes pled with the other woman, begging for her trust. Nodding her agreement at last, Izayoi came to a stand grasping onto her baby tightly. "Where will we go?"
Now that was a good question.
Biting her lip in thought, Kagome decided the best course of action would be to leave the way Sesshoumaru came. He'd likely scour the stronghold thoroughly before giving up, using his superior sense of smell to the best of its abilities. Backtracking would only give him a fresh path to follow.
"Come with me," Kagome beckoned. She glanced left and right outside the doorway and, satisfied that no one was watching, began to hurry down the corridor toward the back gate of the stronghold. All around her, the air continued to resonate with the sounds of battle and the pitiable keening of a single, human infant.
They'd traveled far for such a short period of time. The sounds of battle had faded into nothing but the occasional distant clang of a sword striking armor. Izayoi panted heavily, struggling to take in enough air. She was a small wisp of a thing, but obviously unaccustomed to athletic activity of any kind.
Kagome approached the hime and held out her arms. "May I?"
Izayoi clutched her howling infant tighter, appraising the young woman for a moment.
"I won't hurt him, I promise."
A sharp, stabbing pain in her side made up the hime's mind and she carefully handed her baby over to the miko. Almost instantly his wails died down to mere sniffles, and his violet eyes blinked up at her. "He's beautiful," Kagome whispered, smiling softly at the tiny little fist that reached up to grab at her hair.
"You know what he is, don't you?" Izayoi asked her savior, tone still measured in caution.
Kagome looked up from the child in her arms and nodded. "His father is Lord Toga, right?"
"How—"
"Let's just say that I'm a friend of the family, and leave it at that."
"But… miko-sama, no one else knows about the new moon. I only just discovered it a few months ago myself."
"I wish I could tell you everything I know, Izayoi-hime, but I can't. It's just not safe." Inuyasha's sobs began to fade into agitated sniffles as Kagome mechanically rocked on the balls of her feet. At last he fell into a fitful sleep, prompting the miko to hand him back to his agitated mother.
Silence fell between the women, each lost deep in thought. Kagome wondered if she could successfully keep her two charges alive. Izayoi, on the other hand, debated whether or not to keep trusting the odd girl who knew too much about her and her son.
"He'll find us, soon," Izayoi whispered.
"Yes," Kagome agreed. "We must keep moving."
"I'd give up my life for my baby, miko-sama. I just… I don't know what I can do to protect him."
A sudden rustling in the leaves behind the pair sent Kagome's heart into overdrive. "Who's there?" she demanded, proud that her voice onlytrembled slightly.
"Princess Izayoi, you're alive!"
Apparently the Kami saw fit to spare her yet again. A foot soldier from the stronghold, haggard from battle but seemingly uninjured emerged into the dimly star-lit clearing. Izayoi beamed at the man, relief flooding her features. "Yukino-san!"
The man bowed to Izayoi, then darted a questioning glance at Kagome. "Who is your companion, cousin?"
"I—I must confess I do not know her name. She is a miko and claims to be a friend of my lord husband's family."
"Youkai?" The man grabbed at the hilt of his sword, a flash of protective heat lighting his stare.
"No, Yukino-san. My name is Kagome."
He hesitated a moment longer before standing down and returning his attention to his cousin. "The demon seeks you, Izayoi. We must make haste."
Tears sprang to her eyes at the utter hopelessness of her situation. "We will never outrun him, Yukino."
"Leave the child, Izayoi. He will do nothing but weigh you down. Perhaps if your lord's heir learns that the hanyou is dead, he will allow you to live."
Izayoi backed away from her cousin, a flash of anger passing over her normally serene countenance. "Leave my child? Here? In the wilderness to be fed upon by beasts? Never!"
"Izayoi—"
"IYA."
The man sighed heavily, his shoulders bowing under the stress of his conflict. "I understand that you love the hanyou, princess. Still, your family will be in danger as long as Inuyasha remains in your care. Your father has sent your sisters and aunts to the southern castle. Come with me, and I will take you to safety there. This half-demon should have been his father's responsibility, not yours. Onegai... come with me now."
Izayoi shook her head firmly, hugging her baby closer to her breast.
"Izayoi-hime," Kagome interrupted quietly. "Yukino-san is right."
The princess' eyes widened as she shifted her stare to Kagome. "You would have me abandon my child?"
"No, of course not," Kagome insisted. "If Sesshoumaru finds you without your baby, he'll probably believe that Inuyasha is dead. Yukino-san is undoubtedly an accomplished fighter; follow him to your family going one way. I will take Inuyasha and follow a different path. Since he'll assume the baby is with you, Sesshoumaru will allow me to escape him for now. By the time he realizes what we've done, you and Inuyasha will be reunited at the other castle."
Considering her options with helpless, darting glances between her two companions, Izayoi hung her head and nodded. "Hai… I'll do it," she whispered.
Kagome stepped forward and accepted the infant from his mother, hushing Inuyasha as he started to sniffle and whine.
"What will you do for food?" Izayoi cried, arms suddenly reaching back toward the miko.
Kagome hugged her precious bundle tight, and smiled reassuringly toward the despondent mother. "How many months is he?"
"S-six, miko-sama."
"I'll stop off at a village and get some rice gruel. It won't be the best nutrition, but it'll dountil we meet up. He's hanyou, Izayoi-hime; Inuyasha will survive just fine."
Yukino stepped forward and lightly tugged at the hime's arm. "Izayoi, we must go now. Sesshoumaru was nearly done scouring the stronghold when I left."
"Hai, but I—Inuyasha—"
"He'll be fine; the miko will protect your son."
Kagome nodded in agreement, adjusting the infant's weight on her shoulder as Yukino gave her the location of their second home. The distant sound of a horse neighing jarred the hime from her depression. "He's coming." Turning away from the miko, Izayoi waved a hand toward her, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "Go, miko-sama, and take good care of my beloved baby. He's all I have left of his father."
"Hai. We'll see you soon," and with those last words, each pair left the clearing in opposite directions.
Author's Notes:
You know what? I don't like this chapter. It was supposed to be one of the more exciting ones to read and write, but I just despise it. Maybe I'm being overly critical. We'll see. Also, I cut the review responses short this time. Work is piling up and "arisu" needs to pay her bills :-)
More drama to come, so please "stay tuned".
Reviewer Responses:
Black Betty: Hm… will he? Depends on how you look at time travel. Some look at it as a parallel universe situation. In that scenario, changes made to this, other, timeline would have no effect on their pasts. Of course, if that were the case here then Sesshoumaru shouldn't even bother and the time weaver demon would have told him as much. There are, however, other possibilities. Did you see that scene in The Matrix where the Oracle asks Neo if he'd have still broken the vase had she not said anything? Just something to consider…