Complete Summary: Behind these rotting wooden walls and corroded and warped ceilings lay individuals who are tortured and tormented down to their very souls. Inescapable fates went unabashed, unhealable scars and wounds that ran so deep marred once beautifully creamy skin. Blemishes of the earth, nay- lower than the dirt they walked on and scorned for their association, they await an ultimatum, for an absolution that they all knew would one day come. It was all a matter of when.
NOTES:
This is a DARK fic. It will more than likely have controversial topics and extensive dark scenes. This is a challenging fic for me and written for personal reasons.
Please, if you are underage or too immature to handle dark themes and adult situations, please leave.
No major notes for this chapter.
"So what's going on?" Kagome asked as she stepped closer.
She noticed, up to this point, that Inuyasha was also in the room but had his arms crossed. He seemed to be deep in thought and, for once, not getting too hyped up over anything.
Sachiko decided to speak then. "Villages in all territories have been decimated in one form or another. There have been mass reports of burnings all over the country." He bent over a scroll that was spread out over the table they all stood around. "We have marked each one that no longer exists." Kagome came to stand between Ryu and Sesshomaru, inspecting the map herself. Her eyes widened as she saw the black chicken scratch all over the map. She glanced at Sesshomaru and back at the map with wide eyes, wondering what he was planning to do about it.
"Lord and Lady Hoshiko, who once resided in the North," Ryu informed as he pointed to a spot on the map, "have been reported missing. Prince and Princess Takeda in the mid-north have also been listed missing."
"I have sent reports to the far south, further than my den," Kouga said as he also pointed to spots on the map, "here and here. Lord Kaido and his offspring have not responded, and the Lord and Lady furthest South are missing."
"Have there been any humans that you may have noticed of importance that have disappeared?" Sachiko asked her directly.
"No, but people go missing all the time with humans; none would think it odd and attribute it to just pillaging bandits or barbarians," Kagome said, "some would even accuse demons, but that's pretty common and nothing note-worthy."
"We have sent messengers to several important persons along the coast and have received no reply," Sachiko said with a frown, "my best guess is that they have either been captured or killed."
"I've had wolves who have gone missing, too," Kouga said after a thought, "I just didn't think they were missing because they like to horse around so much. Usually takes them a while to get back with anything, but not this long."
"What do we do? There aren't many resources that we have left, and almost all human communication has been intercepted or completed closed off to us." Ryu stated with narrowed eyes at Sesshomaru. "There's no possible way to investigate, even if Sesshomaru were to leave his home."
"What about the demon slayers?" Kagome asked.
"What about them?" Sachiko asked, "They would likely hunt us down and kill us rather than help us."
Kagome shook her head, "I have a few friends who are demon slayers. They could be our inside men. We can wait till the festival is over and then go to see them directly because they still reside in Sesshomaru's territory. It would be, maybe, a two or three-day trip to get there unless we hustle and bring it down to maybe a day." She could see the skepticism bloom across both Sachiko and Ryu's face. "I know that the slayers aren't exactly on the greatest of terms with demons, but the ones that I know are actually admirable. They are loyal and trustworthy and used to travel with Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, and me. Even Kouga knows them."
"She's right," Kouga said, backing her up, "the slayers are a force to be reckoned with, but they trust us. They also have a monk in their arsenal."
"So, what's the plan?" Inuyasha said, finally speaking up. "Even if we went, I agree with Sesshomaru. We can't just leave our home unprotected while we go running around looking for goons."
Kagome bit her lip. "Then, we need to prepare harder to make sure that these walls stay strong." Even she didn't feel as convincing as she wanted to be. "Look, it might be a necessary risk for Sesshomaru to leave. If we hurry, we can literally be back in three days tops before anyone will notice we're even gone."
"Why don't we just stay behind, then? Sesshomaru can go by himself while we hold down the fort," Inuyasha interjected, his brows furrowing.
"Because even if the slayers trust us, they trust you and me more than they trust Sesshomaru. A demon just waltzing up to the village full of demon slayers isn't exactly the smartest way to get their attention."
"Then... you stay here, and Sesshomaru and I can-"
"That's not a good idea, Inuyasha," Kagome said with a shake of her head, cutting him off effectively. "I just said that you can't just walk on up there and expect things to be all hunky-dory. That's why I need to be there. And I already know that if I go, you go. Which means the three of us are going."
All of them remained quiet for a time before Sesshomaru started to roll the map up. "We will reconvene at the end of the festivities. After our meeting, we will set plans into motion."
With his dismissal, everyone aside from Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, and Kagome remained in the library. "I'm going to take an educated guess here and say that the festival is a cover-up," Kagome commented. "Why wasn't I told about any of this?"
"I did not think it important," Sesshomaru informed as he placed the map back on a shelf. "As you said, missing individuals is a common occurrence. As it so happens, villages burning is commonplace as well."
"Yeah, but we're smack-dab in the middle of winter," Kagome said with a frown, "people going missing and villages burning are less likely during the more frigid seasons."
"The reports have been coming in since late spring of last year," Sesshomaru commented as he turned to look at her. "We had an arid spring last year and an even dryer summer. Crops across the land have been set ablaze due to natural events caused by the dry air and the sun. It would serve to note that villages are not immune to this event."
"This... this has been happening since last year?" Kagome said with wide eyes. "We were traipsing across the North and hunting down Naraku at that time."
"Yes," Sesshomaru said, looking at her with all seriousness, "it is why Naraku had become such a pain. He kept me from my duties of being able to investigate this matter. We searched for that abomination until late summer, did we not?"
"Yea, but... you left Rin with us for four years," Kagome said, "we thought..."
"I had no time to attend my duties as I was still in search of the bastard those four years as well. The issues were not brought to my attention until mid-fall last year. It is why I stayed away until this year. I needed to regroup and take care of political issues. Once finished, I immediately sought out you and my brother to come here with Rin. Though, at the time, I did not think you and my brother would be coming along."
Kagome remained quiet as the demon walked toward the library doors. She shared a look with Inuyasha, and the two followed him out of the library.
"So what do we do now?" Kagome asked as they exited the library.
"We enjoy the festivities this evening, tomorrow, and the day after before reconvening and finalizing our plans." He said nothing more and disappeared down the hall while Inuyasha escorted Kagome back to her room.
"I don't like this, Inuyasha," Kagome commented with a frown. "Something isn't right here."
"Yea well," Kagome looked over at him. He stared straight ahead, his brows furrowed and his arms crossed, as always. "Let's just listen to Sesshomaru and get this all over with. I got a bad feelin' about all of it, too."
Kagome nodded. "See you at the festival?" She asked as they came upon her door. Inuyasha nodded in affirmation before turning back from where they came and walking away while Kagome disappeared beyond her bedroom door.
The festival was buzzing. You could feel the excitement and alight energy course through your very being just from watching. Kagome and Shippou stepped out onto the courtyard, and a sense of wonder completely overpowered everything they felt. Decorations glittered and gleamed, lighting up nearly every inch of the square. People were filtering in, kids were laughing, adults were already in a drunken stupor. It was every bit the party that it was intended to be.
"Hey, there's Rin!" Shippou exclaimed excitedly and pointed in a direction. Kagome followed his tiny finger until her eyes landed on the little girl getting one of the delectable treats from a stall. Sesshomaru stood tall behind her, paying for the treat as Rin excitedly bit into it. He watched her features light up with excitement as she skipped away from the stall. Shippou ran over to Rin before Kagome could even utter a word, but she wasn't too far behind. Inuyasha suddenly appeared next to her just as she got to Sesshomaru's side, and she laughed at both of their sullen faces.
"C'mon, you guys!" Kagome said, grabbing both of their hands, "Let's enjoy the evening while we have it!" She tugged them in the direction of the kids. The children wandered over to a large water fountain at the center of the festival.
"Shippou, Rin," Kagome said with a smile, "why don't you guys cheer up Inuyasha and Sesshomaru while I grab some grub for us?"
"Okay!" The two cried in unison, each of them quickly latching on to the brothers and bombarding them with questions.
Kagome quickly found a squid bar and immediately grabbed four sticks, knowing Rin was still enjoying her own delight. She paid for her items, and when she returned, she found Rin trying to force-feed Inuyasha with whatever she had gotten from the stall earlier. "Here you go, you guys!" Kagome smiled, handing each person a squid. Everyone was eager to dig right in.
"Hey, Kagome! I want to get a kabuki mask!" Shippou suddenly exclaimed. "Well, I guess we're just going to have to go find them," she said with a grin of her own as she finished up her squid. Soon enough, everyone was done eating, and the three adults followed after the kids as they wandered about.
It was charming. Peaceful in a way. Kagome thought about how much the bouncing environment reminded her of her family's shrine during the holidays. It had a similar feel to it but more docile than regular parties. It was always nice to have the community come together for the events, and she thought about how similar and familiar it all felt.
Shippou managed to find the mask stand, and both he and Rin quickly found their favorites. Excited to have their masks, both Kagome and Sesshomaru paid for them, and the kids were soon chattering rather animatedly about them. It wasn't until the kids grew bored that they decided to get ideas.
"Lord Sesshomaru, dance with me!" Rin exclaimed, and Kagome watched as he complied and led her out onto the courtyard to dance to the upbeat music. Kagome laughed and never would've even come close to imagining Sesshomaru adhering to a little girl's request. Her eyes glistened with admiration as the two twirled about on the floor, oblivious to onlookers.
"Would you like to dance, Mama?" Kagome looked down at the little kit, twiddling his thumbs in anticipation.
"Why, I thought you'd never ask!" Kagome said as she grabbed his hand and headed out onto the floor. She giggled and laughed as Shippou bounced around happily, not caring to look absolutely silly when dancing. After Shippou grew tired, Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha standing on the sidelines. Quickly, she went over and dragged him out, and his ears immediately went flat.
"What's wrong? Can't dance?" Kagome said, "Or are you chicken?" She gave him a smirk, and he huffed before twirling her around on the floor. She shrieked with feigned surprise and happily spun in circles with her friend.
The group soon grew tired of dancing, and the kids...well, they were still overflowing with energy.
"Kagome, can we go to the stables?" She asked. Rin looked up Sesshomaru, forming her lips into a semi-pout.
Kagome eyed the kids thoughtfully before smiling. "I don't see why not," Kagome said with a nod, "but I am tuckered out!"
"It's okay if you want to rest for a little bit... we can take Yuki and Yumi with us... would that be okay?" Rin said as an afterthought.
"Hmmm, okay, but only if Yuki and Yumi go with you; if they say no, you have to come back here with us, okay?"
"Okay!" The two said excitedly as they scurried off in search of the maids.
Kagome sighed with relief as she sat at a table. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru pulled up a chair near her, and the three sat in comfortable silence. "Lady Kagome," a voice infiltrated her mind, and she blinked, momentarily confused. Looking to her left, she found Ryu approaching the table, and she greeted him with a smile.
"Hello, Lord Ryu," she said with a small bow, "are you enjoying the festival?"
Ryu didn't smile. In fact, his face stayed just as impassive as Sesshomaru's as he bowed respectfully. "I am, very much in fact," he replied. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior upon arrival yesterday. I was rather tired of coming all the way from the southern coast. It was not my intention to ignore your greetings last evening."
"Oh, that's okay," she said, quirking her head to the side, "I didn't overthink about it. If I may ask, why do you use telepathy for communication? Why not just speak?"
Ryu regarded her a moment before he opened his mouth wide. She gasped, her eyes going wide. Past his astonishing, two rows of teeth was a gaping hole. His tongue had been ripped clean out of his mouth.
"Do not fret, My Lady," he said, "I have long since come to terms with it. It happened when I was but a dragonling."
Kagome could do nothing but openly gape at him. He bowed again, and she bowed in turn, and then he took his leave.
"What'd he say?" Inuyasha asked.
"Nothing much, honestly," Kagome said, "wait, you couldn't hear him? What about you, Sesshomaru?"
The two of them just looked at her, and she shrugged. "Well, I guess if you guys didn't hear it, then it was a conversation meant for just the two of us."
Inuyasha huffed and opened his mouth to say something but was distracted when screams were heard down the court. She watched as Yuki was nearly slammed to the side of the entrance to the stables with wide eyes. Her heart pounded in her ears as she watched Rin and Shippou hustle out into the square. Chasing right after them was a firebird, a phoenix. It squawked loudly, screeching it's anger as it let loose a breath of fire. Just before the children could get burned alive, Sesshomaru swooped in, scooping them up in his haste to get to their side.
Kagome, panicked as she was, stopped her frantic running when she realized Sesshomaru had gotten to them in time. The phoenix screeched once more overhead, and Kagome looked up just in time to see fire hurled at her person. Inuyasha practically tackled her straight to the ground only to avoid the bird.
Sachiko came running up and smoothly calmed the beast before escorting it back into the stables. It settled itself as Inuyasha and Kagome met up with Sesshomaru and the children.
And right then, a fire burned in Kagome's eyes as she directed her attention to Yuki, who was picking herself up off the ground. "What the hell just happened?" She demanded as she pulled Yuki the rest of the way to her feet.
"I-I," Yuki stuttered. Kagome took in her countenance and realized the woman had a massive bruise forming on her face. "I swear, I didn't do anything! The kids were playing around in the stables, and I was watching them. I turned to look at the festival, and people were dancing, and I turned back, and the children were trying to climb atop the bird." The woman brushed herself off, coughing to clear her throat. "I panicked and rushed over to get them, and then the stall gate came loose and-"
Kagome could figure out what happened from there. "I warned you to not let your guard down around children," she glowered as the two of them glanced back at the kids. "And now look at what has happened. Someone could have really gotten hurt. This is the whole reason I had sent the kids to come to find you and Yumi."
"Yumi is not here," she said, confused. "She is in the palace keeping the buffet in order and catering to guests." She paused for a moment, and her voice got hushed. "Am... am I... fired?"
"That is not for me to decide," Kagome said, still miffed about the whole ordeal. "Sesshomaru will decide your punishment."
Kagome turned tail and reached for Shippou, who was shaking and crying in fear. His eyes were tightly closed as he gripped the front of her clothes. "Why don't we take the kids to bed," Kagome said gently to Sesshomaru. She could practically see the pain and panic in Sesshomaru's eyes as he tightened his hold around Rin. She was still shaking herself, and her sniffles were subsiding, and she was sure the adrenaline was still pumping through both of them.
"Kagome can... can I come to stay with you and Shippou tonight?" Rin asked, looking up at the two of them.
"Of course you can, sweetheart, as long as Lord Sesshomaru says it is okay," she said, taking a hand and smoothing out the little girl's frazzled hair.
"You may, Rin," he said with a nod, and the four of them made their way inside while Inuyasha stayed behind to survey and supervise.
A/N:
See you guys in the next chapter!