Disclaimer: Disclaimer: This story is loosely inspired by "A private affair" by Beppe Fenoglio.
None of the characters belongs to me.
The war described in this story is of pure fiction and in no way relates to actual historical events.
Chapter Five: Misfortune
"He ran, eyes wide open, seeing very little of the earth and nothing of the sky. He was completely aware of his loneliness, of the silence, of the peace, but he still ran, easily, relentless. Then a forest appeared in front of him, and he aimed straight at it. As he entered under the trees, they seemed to tighten and create a wall, and within a foot of that wall, he collapsed."
The sun had not yet set when Koga and his pack of wolves headed back towards the castle where Toga-sama was waiting for some news.
Just as the General had ordered, that morning Koga and a selected group of soldiers had made their way toward the borders, following Inuyasha's trail. When they had noticed that they were going further into enemy territory, Koga thought he could send the two fastest demons aside from him to call for reinforcements and go further, but he didn't even have time because voices on the other side stopped him from doing so.
The wolf demon had ordered the others to be quiet as he silently crossed the border and tried to listen to what they were saying – once he made sure there was no spiritually gifted man among them.
There were three hunters, tall, broad-shouldered, with powerful arms and... zero brains.
It was clear the war hadn't taught these imbeciles much. They stood near the enemy border babbling loudly about stuff they might have kept to themselves if they had any working brain cell – well, good for him, he thought. Not that Koga expected anything from the hunters, men more ruthless than the worst demons when it came to killing and maiming.
Unfortunately, though, what the wolf demon had heard was no good. He'd found out that Inuyasha had been caught in the eastern territory that night – what the heck had that damn mutt been up to? Why had he gone right into the enemy territory? – and that after a long hunt, he had been hit by a sacred arrow and had fallen.
Koga knew that a sacred arrow did not represent death for half-demons but only the transformation into a human. At that point, the hunters came into play, and before killing them, they usually had as much fun as possible. However, the prey they had captured was the Great General's son. He had heard they intended to use Inuyasha as a bargaining chip for a monk their prisoner.
The wolf demon had no illusions; he knew that even though it had assured Inuyasha's salvation, it did not assure him less suffering. A frown marred his forehead at the thought, and a grimace immediately followed. How would he reveal to the Inu-no-Taisho that his son, the beloved son born of his dead wife, was currently in the hands of sadistic and heartless men?
Koga would have liked to take at least one of those hunters hostage and kill the other two – the fewer of them around the better –, but he hadn't had time. He had felt spiritual power approaching and, without a second thought, had re-entered the demonic confines. He had told his companions what had happened, like in a funeral procession, they had turned westward to return to the castle.
If Koga had stayed even five seconds longer to listen to what the hunters were saying, he would have understood that yes, Inuyasha had been hit by a sacred arrow, but he hadn't been captured, and nobody knew where he was. Inuyasha hadn't been taken prisoner, and there was still hope.
Had he stayed even five seconds longer, he would have spared the General moments of agony that an already weak and tried heart should not experience.
The air in the castle immediately after Toga received the news from Koga was not the best.
Yes, Toga was extremely disappointed no one had informed him of Inuyasha's disappearance before but there was no one to point the finger at, and the anguish and fear that gripped his heart at the moment were stronger than his anger. Thus, he didn't fault the messenger, and Koga was glad of it.
Toga didn't even want to imagine what torture his son was being subjected to. What could Inuyasha have done against them in his human form?
Had he been informed in time, he would have gone in search of his son, even if it was in enemy territory – it wouldn't have taken long for someone like him to return to the castle. They would still have been in time to rescue him, wherever that fool had gone, because, according to Koga, he had only been captured just before dawn.
Damn it!
He was tired of it all, of seeing young people dying over and over, of the blood being spilt needlessly – just like last time –, of suffering. His heart clenched at the thought of his wife, who had been missing for two years, whose memory was still vividly etched in his mind, of that smile and those eyes full of love. What would Izayoi have said if she had known that he had not been able to save even Inuyasha from that suffering? What would Izayoi have said if she had known that too caught in his pain, he had ignored his son's?
Perhaps, had he paid more attention to Inuyasha, he would have known why he had gone so far into enemy territory. But he didn't know, no, Toga no longer knew who his son was, who had he become these past two years and had no idea what could have happened to him.
"Are you looking at me now, Anata?" he whispered to the wind as he gazed out over the expanses of land he had always been responsible for from the window of the chamber that had once been theirs. Yet, he had failed to defend his beloved and his son. "I have failed you, have I not? What would you say to me now, knowing the shameful way I failed both you and our son?"
His eyes, the same golden hue as his second son's – Sesshomaru's were slightly darker –, became glossy, but not a single tear was shed. He had no intention of shed any for a son whose fate was still unknown and who was most likely not yet dead.
He would take him back; he would end this useless war for once and for all. He would take his son back and ask for his forgiveness. Nothing was lost yet.
The first thing to do would have been to interrogate the prisoners currently in the dungeons. Some of them seemed more willing to cooperate than others; maybe he could glean useful information.
His face became serious, his expression hardened. The Great Dog Demon turned on his heel and left his room, determined not to end this damned war with another deep regret.
From the walls of the room he had just left, the face of a woman with long ebony hair and soft eyes smiled at him.
Kagome watched the monk's mocking smile as she advanced towards him, her arm wrapped tightly around his sister's shoulders, a goal firmly in her mind. From the disgruntled looks on almost everyone's faces, it was clear that they had searched everywhere. Perhaps they had even followed the trail Rin had left with the rabbit blood and had found nothing.
Maybe, the young woman thought, she could convince them that Inuyasha had already escaped beyond the borders even if the tracks disappeared much sooner.
She liked Kiyoshi less and less and hoped her plan would work; she couldn't stand his presence any longer. She tapped his sister's shoulder to let her know to go inside, and Rin promptly obeyed as she lifted her face and began to speak. "Good men, you'll have to excuse my tardiness, but the garden always fills up with weeds, and it's a tedious job." She ran her fingers first over her pants to clean them up, then over her cheek to get rid of the dirt she had soiled herself with some minutes before.
"Oh, don't worry, young priestess. It is a pleasure to know that you still manage to take care of these daily chores despite the war changing our life. I am sorry to bother you again, but we need your assistance a second time." The evil smile softened slightly but failed in its attempt to comfort Kagome.
The girl couldn't believe that man thought he was managing to enter into her graces or even spark a feeling other than disgust in her. Kagome was sure he had already used plenty of times those sweet words and apparently warm looks to capture attention and favours. Maybe he wasn't one to raping single women in war, but he sure took advantage of their loneliness in other ways. It had been clear to her the moment he had relaxed when Kagome had pretended to be a naive young girl ready to hang on to his every word. Unfortunately for him, he'd fallen just short in their village.
"Of course, houshi-sama. How may I be of assistance? By any chance, do you need my help with any of the wounds your men got in the battle with the demon? I hope you did not have to fight for long. We're very grateful for your service; I can't imagine how I'd feel knowing that monster is on the loose," she said with great effort. Those words had a sour taste in her mouth.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, young maiden, but we were unable to find any trace of the demon," Kiyoshi began. "We followed the trail you pointed out to us, but we did not find our prey. The blood suddenly stops at the beginning of a stream." He looked at her straight in the eye, and Kagome felt another shiver run through her body; it was as if the man was trying to peer into her soul, to glean its secrets. Nevertheless, she did not let his gaze get her down and kept up her act. She still needed to appear as the frightened little girl.
She approached Kaede, her body shaken by tremors as she lowered her head and pretended to cry. The older woman immediately wrapped her shoulders with her arm and tried to comfort her.
"B-but… how…" Kagome started. "Are you completely sure?" she didn't dare raise her eyes because she was sure that, had she done it, her entire act would have dropped. At that moment, she felt like she couldn't hide her contempt and hatred anymore. She was glad, for once, these men were no demons able to scent her lies or feelings.
"Very. The trail disappears at the stream that leads to the demon borders."
"Is there any reason to believe that the demon used the stream to make its tracks disappear then?" Kaede interjected. "If it is the one heading west, then it may have decided to continue through it. In fact, if I remember correctly, it goes into those lands."
Kiyoshi hardened his gaze again. He had hoped the old woman would not interfere, but evidently, the young priestess was more tired out than he had imagined by the incident. The granny had rushed to the rescue. "It might be. But I doubt it could have already reached the border; it was injured and probably in its human form when we lost its track," he replied. He then turned back to the girl, undaunted. "Young priestess, can you tell us anything more than what you revealed to us this morning?"
Kagome, her body still wracked with sobs, shook her head. "N-no. As I told you, I didn't dare to ascertain anything else once I heard the grunts and saw the blood. I a-am sorry... I didn't have my b-bow; I couldn't do much."
Kiyoshi's sullen expression softened for a moment, and he tried to move a little closer to the girl, but a look from Kaede stopped him. The two glared at each other for a few minutes as the priestess pulled Kagome even tighter into a hug. She wasn't going to let this slimy monk get anywhere near Kagome again.
"I am very sorry, my good man, but as ye can see, my granddaughter is very shaken. Yet she has told ye all she knows. Would ye be willing to make her suffer even more by reminding her of some unpleasant events? I'm sure a man of Buddha can understand well." She reserved another sharp, suggestive look for him. This man of Buddha should also remember that touching in certain ways an unmarried woman and a servant of the gods to boot was improper.
Kiyoshi clenched his jaw, realizing he could do no more if he wanted to keep up appearances. If he forced the old woman's hand, he would also lose the trust he had won over the girl. "Of course. She told us everything she knew," he repeated. "You don't need to worry anyway; we'll find that animal, and I'll come and give you news of it as soon as the task is done as I promised. I wouldn't want three lonely women like you to take such a risk," he added between gritted teeth. Kaede read the implied threat and mentally prayed to the Gods that the man could never again. His glances did not bode well, and she was no longer sure that his position as a man of Buddha prevented him from performing certain acts.
Kaede offered the monk another nod and waited for them to leave the clearing again, this time more disgruntled than before. After a few minutes, she brought Kagome back, who hadn't stopped shaking for a second, and the three of them sat in front of the fire pit. When Kagome raised her face again, it was ashen, and her hands trembled some more as she accepted the cup of tea her sister offered her. Hers had been a good act, but the monk frightened her, and his last promise seemed more like a threat.
"From this moment on," Kaede began, addressing both girls, "I don't want ye to leave my side for even a second. Always stay together; Kagome ye will always take yer bow with ye. Those men are not to be trifled with; they are worse than demons, and our powers do not affect them."
They both nodded, and Kaede sighed. "Hopefully, the war will spare ye more horrors, my young girls," she murmured before drinking her tea.
Toga hadn't wasted much time in heading to the dungeon to interrogate the humans who had recently been captured. His eldest, upon noticing him, had followed without a word.
Sesshomaru's attitude during those hours had not been different from what the General had imagined. He hated his second son. Like many others in these lands, Sesshomaru considered Inuyasha an abomination and, above all, had never forgiven his father his choice to copulate with a human. He, who was born from a political alliance and didn't even have any contact with his mother – and yet, Toga was surprised how much Sesshomaru had taken from her – couldn't fathom that Inuyasha was the result of the love his father still felt for that miserable human wench.
They had fought a lot both before and after her death, and despite himself, their relationship had become strained. Toga had never managed to establish with Sesshomaru the same relationship he had with Inuyasha. However, after his marriage to Izayoi, things had only gotten worse. After her death, Sesshomaru had felt even more disdain for his father, calling him weak and unworthy of the title he carried. According to him, her death's shouldn't have affected him so much; the human should already have died long ago.
It had been the last time the two had spoken to each other if one did not consider the orders Toga gave Sesshomaru concerning the war. For the first time in his life, the Inu-no-Taisho had punched his son. Although Sesshomaru had defended himself well, he had fallen under his parent's expert gestures. Toga had shown him who was the weak one.
Sesshomaru still admired his father, but the disappointment and distance were now indelible.
The news of his younger brother's disappearance had not improved his mood. Jealousy was not a sentiment that touched Sesshomaru, but his blood boiled at the mere thought of his father once again falling prey to those feelings not worthy of him. He flared up thinking about the woman who still came between him and his father through the unworthy pile of flesh that was her son.
He watched his father's interrogation without a word, yet gathering as much information as he could.
There were currently three prisoners – those they captured never lasted long enough under the skilled care of Sesshomaru's subordinates, and consequently, there were never many –, and among them, only one monk. The other two were hunters.
His father focused most on the monk.
The General did not want to listen to the reports of the two hunters that tried to tell him how they usually tortured the half-demons they captured. Sesshomaru did not know how his father had restrained himself from snapping both of their necks; he had sensed the angry aura surrounding him. He admired his control, but his gaze narrowed. How could he allow certain scum to speak to him like this? He signalled to the guards to proceed, but his father glared at him in response and blocked the guards.
"Don't lower to their level, son."
Sesshomaru did not reply, he only returned the gaze, and Toga addressed the monk – whose condition was currently no better than the other two. "What is your name?" he asked him. His son scoffed at his need for formality, but Toga ignored him and waited for an answer.
"Miroku," the one replied while maintaining the gaze of the dog demon whose eyes sparkled the moment he heard the answer.
"Miroku... your name is not new to me. Have we met on the battlefield before by any chance?"
"You are quite famous among us, General, but I assure you that I'd remember if I had met a demon with hair of your colour," Miroku offered. His bearing remained proud despite his debilitated appearance and slow movements.
"How did you end up a prisoner in our castle?" Toga continued. He couldn't quite remember why that name was familiar to him. "Have you perhaps wandered into our borders trying to perform some cunning manoeuvre?"
The monk laughed in response, despite the situation. "I'm not that crazy, General. I was alone at the time of my capture. Do you think I would dare to attack you without any help? Not to mention that I never attacked first. I only killed out of self-defence.
Toga raised a brow. "You would have me to believe you have never been guilty of any crime during this war? I know well how your army works, houshi-sama. As I know that many, whether hunters or allegedly men of God, have not hesitated to use their manners on their own people and defenceless women." The hunters in the same cell smirked mockingly as if to validate his point. Toga looked at them with disgust, also shared by the guards and his son.
"General, I can imagine the idea you have of our army. You are a centenarian demon and certainly have more experience than I do. However, that does not imply I must share the ideas of my comrades as I also imagine that within yours, not everyone shares the same opinion." He gave him a meaningful look; he hadn't missed the disgust in Sesshomaru's eyes when his father had mentioned the half-demon. Toga nodded and then waited for the monk to continue. "I have never loved the idea of this war nor believed much in its motives. I hated this war when I saw with my own eyes what it was reducing us to. For that reason, I only defended myself and preferred to invest my efforts in some damage control. I busied myself with trying to help those defenceless women, displaced villages, orphaned and starving children. Although everyone always told me that, as a fairly gifted monk, I should only deal with the enemy. And it was by doing this that I was captured," he finally admitted. "Some soldiers captured me in our lands while I was returning from a small village; I had just brought the few survivors some rations."
"Do you mean to tell me that you were not captured during an offensive?" Toga asked again, amazed by his tale.
Miroku shrugged. "Of course, I could say that, but would you believe me? My word against that of your soldiers."
Toga didn't answer. Of course, he could believe it; he had seen some of those that populated his army. Depravity existed on both sides, and yet, he gave no sign to the monk or his son and the guards watching him; he kept his expression neutral.
"You said you have always been considered a rather good monk. Do you think the people leading your army might think of coming to retrieve you? Do they think you are that important?"
"It is possible," Miroku replied. "There aren't many like me left," he admitted, "but I don't know how much of use I can be. Come all this way for a rescue operation and lose more men in the process? It's not worth it." Then he seemed to reconsider and added, "However, they're not all strategists and could think of such a stupid plan. On the other hand, if they took your son hostage, there would be even more possibilities. Does he look a lot like you?"
"Yes. The hair colour does not go unnoticed."
"I can't tell you more, General. Your son and I were very unfortunate," Miroku said with a clear reference to both the conditions in which he had been captured and the treatment he had been given. He didn't believe for a second that the half-demon had been luckier.
Toga clenched his fists. Those corrupted soldiers' actions were part of the reason his son was currently held prisoner. However, on the other hand, if Miroku hadn't been in their dungeons, Inuyasha could have been killed. Yet, it did not justify the actions of either side. Toga had always condemned free violence, and he was pleased to see that the monk shared his views; Miroku had been sincere in telling him that he had never wanted war.
And yet… look where he found himself despite it all. Sharing a dark cell with two cruel and violent hunters.
He nodded one last time, and getting up, he left the cell not before addressing the monk one last time. "Thank you for your time, Miroku. I am sorry for the circumstances of our meeting."
"Not at all, General," Miroku replied. He didn't fault him for his current situation; he had always been aware of his views, even before the outbreak of war. A demon of his calibre taking a human woman in marriage and loving her like that could never be the cruel beast that some in his army tried to depict him as. "Just hope your son has a better end than I do."
Perhaps Toga should have stayed a few more minutes in that cramped cell, or perhaps, he should have addressed some very specific orders to the guards, but he did not, and the three were left alone with Sesshomaru that did not rush to follow his father.
The look the elder demon shot the prisoners would have intimidated many more people, but not Miroku. The monk was already a resigned man; he knew he had done the possible in this war. He kept the dog demon's gaze as the latter's fingers raised to make a sign to the guards.
"What are you doing, Michi? Release him immediately. Are you out of your mind? That's the General's son. If you harm even a hair on his head, you'll be signing your own death warrant," Katsuo shouted as soon as he had studied the situation.
"How can you say that, Katsuo? To me, he is nothing more than a human trying to sneak through our ranks. The General's son is missing, and this one may very well have stolen the robe and sword after taking him out."
"You have lost your mind," Katsuo repeated. "You think he wouldn't recognize his son? Use your damned senses! He may be a human now, but he still smells like the General. Michi..." Katsuo resumed as he watched the other guard apply pressure to the half-demon's sternum again, "don't bullshit. Release him. You're taking a big risk."
The bull continued to look mockingly at the half-demon with a wicked grin. Too caught up in his desire to kill Inuyasha – he had obviously recognized him, that stench and that face remained unmistakable despite his human features. Not to mention that he looked even more like his wrecked mother in that form –, he didn't notice that Katsuo had signalled the other two guards to surround him.
They took him by surprise, and Michi, though reflexively, slid the blade along Inuyasha's throat, nearly severing his jugular. Everyone held their breath as they saw the blood mar the half-demon's neck as he hissed in pain.
"You're dead," Katsuo growled at Michi as the other two forcibly restrained him, and he rushed to help Inuyasha. The wound didn't seem exaggeratedly serious, but he was still in human form; it had been a close call. A little more to the right, and the sword would have made a more considerable scratch on him.
Inuyasha immediately got back up and accepted the piece of cloth Katsuo handed him to stop the blood from running down his neck. He growled at Michi before unceremoniously heading back to the castle. He was tired of bearing wounds in his weak human form and couldn't wait for the demonic forces to return to him.
Katsuo hurried after the three of them had pinned Michi down and then bound him; he would take him with him to the General. He didn't want to appear before him with a wounded son and no explanation; he didn't want to be the one to lose his head. The other two guards stayed behind to watch the gates with the promise that replacements would arrive as soon as Katsuo notified the command.
After a while, they arrived at the castle. The three saw a battalion of soldiers ready to cross the enemy borders under the General's orders, who was intent on finding those who had captured his son. The soldiers and commanders gathered outside the castle paused for a moment to see such a strange group arrive: a wounded human walking freely and a guard who held another, bound and subdued.
After a moment of astonishment, Koga came forward and immediately recognized his friend's figure even in this form. He was the only one, besides Inuyasha's father, to know his secret. Koga always kept him company during the new moon to offer him protection. "Inuyasha!" he shouted, jolting the others who hadn't recognized him yet. "What on earth happened to you? Your father went crazy when he heard of your disappearance. I got to the border and heard some hunters talking about your capture." He turned to look at the other two and raised an eyebrow at the sight of the dog demon holding down the bull that continued to struggle. "Katsuo, why did you tie up Michi?"
Katsuo grimaced in response. "He hurt Inuyasha," he pointed to the neck wound the half-demon still held onto. "He made himself known right away, and even in this form, it didn't take long to figure out who he was, but Michi attacked him anyway."
Inuyasha huffed when the dog demon finished his report and stopped Koga before he could punch Michi. He had recognized the murderous look on his friend's face. Koga was a good friend; they sometimes clashed, but they had grown up together and always had each other's backs. Sometimes someone had spoken behind the wolf's back, accusing him of licking the General's boots through his son, just as they spoke ill of the half-demon because of his heritage, but both were used to ignoring such comments.
"Let's move," Inuyasha intimated Katsuo. "I'm sure my father will be very pleased to hear how well you perform your duties, Michi." This time it was he who sneered. Plus, he was in a hurry to get to his father; he knew a good lecture was waiting for him, but he didn't want to prolong his torment much longer. "Send two more to guard the northern border. Katsuo and Michi will come with me to meet my father," he then ordered to the soldiers whose mission had been blown.
As he walked towards his father's offices and Katsuo followed, dragging a reluctant Michi with him, Koga reached him, still angry. "Would you tell me what the heck happened to you? Why did you go all the way into enemy territory? Are you okay besides that?" he began, pointing to the wound on his neck.
Inuyasha glared at him as he continued undaunted, then looked at himself. He was tired, he'd been running for hours, and the water Kagome had provided him had long since run out; his legs almost couldn't support him anymore, and his chest ached from the excessive pressure the bastard had applied moments before. He definitely wasn't okay; he wouldn't be until he was back to his normal state. "I don't have the will or the strength to tell the story more than once. You will hear it when I tell it to my father."
They had not even reached the pavilion that housed the General's offices when they saw the latter turn the corner in evident haste. He looked with wide eyes at his now human son. Toga had recognized the scent from a distance and rushed to make sure his was not a hallucination. He noticed that, although not in his best condition, Inuyasha was still alive and well. Without wasting a moment, he hugged him tightly, letting himself go to a public display of affection as no one had seen him for a long time.
Inuyasha, taken aback, initially remained motionless, but then, recognizing his father's feelings, he returned the gesture. He raised his arms to embrace that powerful man and, as he shamelessly sank his face into his father's chest, he became the child he had once been. The one who happily used to welcome his father back from a mission.
Now a half-demon of two hundred years, Inuyasha was still slightly slimmer and shorter than Toga, who was holding him relieved, not believing his eyes or his nose.
"Inuyasha..." he said as those emotions threatened to take over, "my son."