The Palace...
The daimyo hadn't slept though nearly enough of the day yet. His head still throbbed with a dull ache as he walked unsteadily toward the sliding doors and the calmly chatting voices on the other side.
He did his best to collect himself with a deep breath while pushing back the sheer screen to reveal Kikan-sama seated on the porch with Keiko-sama.
"What a surprise to see the two of you," he bowed politely to them, "I would have invited you inside sooner if I'd known you were out here waiting."
"No need to trouble yourself, Hideki," his former protegee's glance traveled down the older man's somewhat disheveled appearance. "you've obviously had your own matters to attend to."
The puppet ruler cringed under his leader's scrutiny. "Please forgive my rudeness, I'm at your service, my Lord!"
"Join us," ordered Kikan, gesturing to a spot on the porch.
"Do you know where your ninja is right now?" The bland young man cocked his head at the middle-aged swordsman.
Hideki's brow quirked thoughtfully, "I saw him earlier this morning...I gave him the day off."
"I saw him this morning as well," stated the priestess, fixing him with a meaningful look, "and I sent him on an errand."
"Oh?" The head man glanced between them, intrigued. "Has there been a change in plans?"
"You could call it that," agreed Kikan, a grotesque smile spread over his thin, dark lips, giving the daimyo a slightly queasy feeling. "The events are still in play at this moment, but very soon we'll be getting some visitors. I'm anxious to see how many."
"I hope my role hasn't changed." The daimyo's hand shifted to the hilt of his sword.
Kikan absently twisted the gold signet ring on his left pinky, "Patinence my old friend, you'll have your opportunity soon enough; the plague we've unleashed should be well on its way to taking effect by now. Slaughter of the weak will be unsatisfyingly easy in our upcoming venture."
"Ridding the world of those unworthy to inherit it is always satisfying," maintained Hideki with a humorless smile of his own.
"Speaking of visitors, shouldn't we start preparing for a retaliation from those henchmen working for our father's enemy, my brother," broke in Keiko, "since likely even my attack won't be enough to finish them off entirely."
"No doubt they'll be at least one or two survivors," Kikan nodded grimly, "but that's what I look forward to. I relish fighting strong people - it makes me stronger. Death does not frighten me either as the strongest are destined to survive. If I die, it only means that I was not worthy to carry on our father's mission - which will certainly not fail."
"Please don't say such things, my lord," frowned Hideki, "That'll never happen. Without you, where would the rest of us be?"
Kikan's only response was an infinitesimal smile.
Outside of a distant town...
She was confident she'd found the area her soul collectors had been frequenting recently. After traveling in the direction she'd seen them repeatedly returning from, she'd finally reached the outskirts of a town. Her bare feet halted as she came upon a young woman collapsed in the tall grass.
She approached the pallid figure carefully, kneeling to lift up a feverish head. Slowly the woman's eyes flicked open as she registered Kikyo leaning over her.
"Don't worry, I'm here to help you," assured the priestess, propping the other woman up against her shoulder and administering medicinal herbs wrapped in a leaf to her, "here, eat."
Weakly, the young peasant obeyed. She gave the shrine maiden a questioning look, "Are you here to appease the demon that's plaguing us?"
Closing her eyes momentarily in concentration, Kikyo slowly looked back at her. "I am unable to sense the presence of any demon nearby - tell me is your town experiencing a plague?"
"People in town and all around the surrounding countryside are falling ill. All of my family is ill - I'm the only one not yet bedridden."
"How long has this been going on," asked the miko.
"My parents fell ill nearly six days ago. A couple of days before that, our neighbors started getting sick, but I'd heard that the people in town were the first. We don't know why this is happening - please, if you could give us medicine or do something to drive out whatever is causing this..." her words ended in a spasm of coughing.
The undead woman peered searchingly over the countryside and up at the eerily quiet settlement beyond. She considered the feverish girl sagged against her - the likes of who's souls were so often her sustenance. Fate, it seemed, wanted her here for a specific purpose. She only hoped she'd made it in time to reverse the scheme running its course through the unwitting settlement.
"Where is your house," she asked, turning again to her new charge.
The Palace...
Nearly two hours passed and the daimyo had just finished his midday meal and settled himself on the porch overlooking the garden. While he sat contemplating his impromptu meeting with Kikan earlier that morning, he suddenly caught a whiff of something foul.
A deep crease formed on his brow as he glanced sharply around in search of the offending stench. His keen eye almost immediately fell on a mound of kicked up pebbles from his normally meticulous rock garden scraped haphazardly into the middle of the yard in front of a tall standing bolder as if a very large cat had sauntered in and relieved itself on the spot. No sooner did the outrageous discovery register than an odd, white-haired intruder stepped out from behind the large central rock and offered him an enthusiastic wave.
"Morning neighbor, I hope you don't mind me using your facilities while I was passing through; that matcha always runs right through me!"
The daimyo's eyes scanned down the red hakama and back up to the perky canine ears atop his head. "You're the hanyou," he remarked dispassionately.
"Thanks for noticing," grinned the demon-spawn, "and also, thanks for the visit from your psycho ninja - you almost got me, ya wily bastard!"
"I didn't send anyone after you," his eyes narrowed even as he smiled back at the mongrel, "but have you come here to tell me that you've defeated my subordinate?"
"Well, not just for that. I also came so I could mark all these fancy trees you've got everywhere, but yeah I did slaughter him now that you mention it."
"Slaughter him? I've seen that man have his neck snapped by a half-ogre more than twice your size and still walk away as if it were nothing." The village leader regarded him with a derisive sneer.
"Yeah, but he didn't have one of these!" With one fluid motion, the bestial youth unsheathed a rusted sword and brandished it dramatically.
"...You're right, he did not."
"Peh," sneered the rustic boy with the even more rustic sword, "If you don't believe me, then see for yourself!" Reaching behind his back for something, he then fumbled around for a few moments.
The older man shifted into a ready stance in preparation for whatever was about to take place.
"Ouch! Here it is..." The hanyou at last held up what appeared to be the mercenary's hood with his head still inside of it. "I just happened to bring this along with me."
"Am I supposed to believe that's his?"
"Whose else would it be - do you think I just carry around random severed heads?"
"I haven't the slightest idea what you do for a hobby, you unfortunate mistake."
"I could rip this mask off and show you his face!"
The village leader shook his head dismissively, "I wouldn't even know what he looked like. Besides, I thought he was a comrade of yours - don't even your kind value your comrades?"
"Not the ones trying to put me in a wooden kimono, and especially not ones that join forces with low-grade tyrants like you," the half-demon tossed the head up and down like a ball as he spoke.
"And now we're at the real reason you came here," the man rose to his feet looming over the hanyou from the porch's low railing. "If you're going to attack me, then I suggest you get on with it."
The boy gave the head one final toss and kicked it toward the house where it rolled under the porch. His pale yellow eyes fixed on the Daimyo. "Pass. I'm waiting for the man that actually runs the show - I'm not interested in sloppy seconds."
Hideki quickly stuffed down the sudden flare of rage that rose up at the little monster's insult. "What makes you think you're worth Kikan-sama's time," he asked instead with a mild smirk.
"Why don't you ask him; he went out of his way to have me put down. Seems almost like he sees me as some sort of threat."
"It seems you're determined to meddle in affairs that are beyond your feeble power to do anything about," retorted the man as he gazed imperially down his nose at the trespasser. "When and if you meet him, it will be on Kikan-sama's terms."
The beast-like boy nodded his shaggy white mane in apparent understanding. "No rush. I understand he's gotta grow some balls so he can face me on his own. Meanwhile, there's plenty to occupy myself with right here in the garden. I like playing fetch...with sakura trees. Lemme go get one!"
000
While the banter continued above, the severed head came to a rest against a beam beneath the porch. A moment later the red and black hood stirred and a dark rear end with a curly tail protruded from the bottom. P-chan wriggled the rest of himself out and peered around the dark crawl space. Somewhere nearby was the secret entrance he was searching for. Under his bandana, buckled securely against him, was the tiny cube-shaped computer that would be acting as his guide.
The pig trekked further into the darkness, the computer projecting a faint path in front of him. Soon he was confronted with a gaping hole beneath the floorboards directly above his head. P-chan approached the chasm hesitantly, kicking a small pebble into it. He waited several seconds before he heard the tap at the bottom, then steadily began to navigate his way down.
Without warning, an unmistakable crunch of debris beneath the foot of someone walking below echoed up. The pig immediately pressed himself against the rock wall and the dim light of the computer went dark. Far below, someone or something began climbing steadily up from the blackness toward him. The small animal shivered helplessly.
000
The group sprinted alongside the stream, Inuyasha, with Kagome on his back in the lead. Trailing not far behind, Miroku. Sango, who was accustomed to riding on Kirara, did her best to keep up - Hiraikotsu thumping heavily against her back. At last she watched the others ahead of her come to a sudden stop. Sango trudged up to join them at a road intersecting the waterway by a small bridge, catching her breath to the best of her ability.
"Miroku, you and Sango head over the bridge; me and Kagome will take the opposite direction," Inuyasha stared down the winding road at the distant community among the rolling hills. His keen eyes followed the activities of various villagers about their work even from his far off vantage point, searching for anything suspicious.
Kagome hopped off his back, removing her knapsack and pulling out a small pair of binoculars. She handed them to Sango. "Here, maybe these can help you keep watch from a distance."
"Thanks," Sango responded, testing out the strange device, "I sure hope our plan is working..."
Inuyasha snorted loudly and with irritation. "I just hope that bastard isn't making me look stupid while he's impersonating me."
Kagome glanced over at him, remembering their drawn out argument over who'd get to play 'Inuyasha' back at the palace. Finally it was decided that the real Inuyahsa would better serve their purposes defending the targeted villages while Wade would get the most use out of the dog demon's image in order to distract the ringleaders long enough to give the rest of them the element of surprise they sorely needed. In the end, it had taken a 2 to 6 vote in favor of Wade standing in as Inuyasha - with only P-chan (Ryoga) siding with the white-haired youth - to convince Inuyasha to tolerate the plan.
"Oh, I'm sure he's not doing anything like that; he'll be serious when it's important," Kagome waved the contrary boy off dismissively.
Inuyasha snorted even louder at this.
"Whatever he'd doing, let's hope that it's keeping them distracted," interjected Miroku smoothly, "and knowing Wade, that shouldn't be a problem." He motioned for Inuyasha and Kagome to hurry on to their appointed destination.
With a final huff, the boy collected Kagome back onto his back and sped off down the path. "Be careful," he shot back at them over his shoulder before disappearing down the hill.
After watching them go, Miroku gradually turned back to Sango, noting her still slight breathlessness from the long sprint. A mischievous smirk slowly spread across his face. "Shall I also carry you on my back the rest of the way?"
The woman looked up at him sharply from between huffs. He never actually saw it, but he felt the sudden connection of the corner of her large bone weapon against the top of his head.
"Does that answer your question," smiled Sango.
"Yes. Yes it does."
000
With the end of his rusted katana, the wretched mongrel began scratching out a crude but graphic rendering on the largest stone in the rock garden of what appeared to be the daimyo being sodomized by a gigantic bipedal reptile.
"There! Now that's what I call art. Your eye'll just go right to it whenever you look out at the garden."
The older man's hand itched to run his blade through the half-breed's belly, but he knew the consequences would cost him too dearly, so instead he maintained his passive sneer. Only a slight eye twitch gave away his profound irritation.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."
Both daimyo and "hanyou" turned with a start to see an extraordinarily average-looking twenty-something man approaching them from the other end of the porch.
"Did you invite your accountant over," the dog-eared demon cocked his head at the new arrival.
"Kikan-sama," exclaimed the older man, "you're back; I was just about to - "
The young man walked past his subordinate without pausing, "How good to finally meet you - Inuyasha-san, is it?"
"It is. I don't know what he told you, but I'm not looking to buy any magazine subscriptions today."
Kikan stopped in his tracks, looking the caustic youth full in the face for a split second. Around the white-haired impostor, the air seemed to change and suddenly thicken. The moment passed almost as quickly as it came and "Inuyasha" glanced around in confusion while he tried to decipher what almost happened.
"You are a half-demon, correct?" The mild-mannered warlord frowned slightly.
The other jabbed a clawed finger at the top of his head, "What do you think - that these ears are just some illusion I created with a mysterious device I keep hidden on my person? That's just crazy!"
"Forgive me," the boring enigma frowned at him, "I've never met one before, but aren't you supposed to have youki?"
"Oops," the supposed half-demon began shaking out his clothes, "did I leave my youki in my other pants? Damn, I hate when that happens!"
Kikan and the daimyo exchanged quick looks even as the older man reached for his sword.
"What in the hell is going on here," the village leader demanded, recognition slowly dawning over his suddenly stern face, "You're that damned ninja I hired aren't you?"
"The same ninja sent to this age to stop me," clarified Apocalypse's young heir, eyeing the pretender before him with renewed interest, "If that's true then why attempt to disguise yourself? I'm even more interested in you."
"Are you really," retorted the other, hands on hips. "Then what's the deal with stealing my youki first thing? You just see me as a fine piece of demonic energy! You don't know me!"
"Where is the real dog demon," mused Kikan to no one in particular, "has he survived Keiko's trap after all?"
"You just don't get it," sighed the likeness of Inuyasha with a toss of his illustrious white mane, "I'm a special snowflake and there's only one of me! I just happened to use up all my demon power fighting that amazingly witty mercenary. That being said, I still decided in my blind impulsiveness to immediately rush over here and confront you...ya bastard! Ya stupid...milquetoast...bastard. Feh!"
"No matter," shrugged Kikan. He turned again to his older subordinate, "Hideki, go ahead and fight him, whoever he is; I'd like to see for myself what he's all about."
The daimyo responded without hesitation. Katana brandished, he sprang at his target like a long restrained torrent through a breached dam.
The demon lookalike grabbed for his own rusty blade, a demented fanged grin splitting his face.
P-Chan...
He'd been mercifully passed over. Somehow in the pitch dark shaft, the shadow had climbed right over him without even noticing. His stubby legs still shook with relief and adrenaline as he watched the lithe shape push aside a section of flooring, light spilling through the secret entrance below the house, and disappear inside. Moments later he could hear a new voice join the conversation going on above his head. He thought he heard Deadpool say something about an accountant, but quickly turned his attention back to his own mission.
Engulfed once again in darkness, the light from the computer-cube suddenly resumed illuminating his surroundings. He realized he hadn't noticed when the device first went dark, but apparently the future technology knew how to think on its own. Gulping his heart back down out of his throat, he scurried the rest of the way down the vertical chasm.
Having reached the bottom, the directionally challenged pig spun in a slow circle while he tried to decide where he should go next. The computer, once again, had an answer for him.
A small red arrow appeared, pointing P-chan through a gaping tunnel. The pig began to unwind the long chord from around his neck as he walked, leaving a trail of tiny bead-sized explosives strung behind him as he went deeper into the darkness.
Apprehension grew steadily in the pit of his stomach with each step he advanced into the nearly complete darkness. He wondered exactly how far the line would reach. What if someone caught him before he could accomplish his goal and make it through to the other exit? There was little he could do the way he was right now; damn his cursed pig luck!
Several tunnels branched from the one he traveled. P-chan stayed his course, steadily laying is explosive line down the main pathway, praying the entire time that he wouldn't encounter any resistance. Due to the events already set in motion, he supposed that most everyone would be busy preparing the takeover of various territories and not lurking around in an underground hideout. His only job now was to get to the other end and detonate his line of miniature bombs to collapse their lair and means of retreat.
A soft sound echoed through the cavern, pricking his sharp porcine ears. P-chan turned curiously toward a side tunnel, peering into its dark depths. Another high-pitched cry pierced the blackened subterranean lair. He could have sworn it sounded like...
P-chan looked back down at the line he was feeding, then back over to the forking passageway. He was sure to get lost if he started wandering off...but maybe if he followed the string back the way he came it would be okay. He trotted off for a quick investigation.
Inuyasha...
The dog youth tasted the air of the town through his hyperactive nose, sorting through hundreds of scents for something familiar - something he could put his finger on. He felt he was finally close to discovering whatever that may be when his eye caught that of a disgruntled-looking drifter lounging near the roadside. On a whim, he turned and crossed directly over to where the ne'er do well hunched.
"What are you lookin' at, idiot? You got a problem with me?"
The other man rose slowly to his feet until he stood looming a full head over the hanyou. "What if I do?"
Standing directly before the stranger, Inuyasha was now sure he smelled something familiar. He remembered that Wade had a similar scent after he'd attacked them and been subdued - the faint whiff of a very specific blood not belonging to anyone present. Inuyasha's eyes traveled down the large man's neck to a thin twine encircling it and vanishing beneath his shirt. The half-demon had no doubt that a container of the red fluid lay beneath his clothes. The boy's fangs gleamed triumphantly up into the infiltrator's scowling face.
"How many more of you losers are squatting in this town?"
He managed to dodge the metal weight that soared toward his head right at the last moment. Inuyasha whipped around to yet another of the riffraff wielding a chigiriki; several others sporting various weapons gathered near him.
Although finishing them all at once with his Tetsusaiga would have been a simple task (too simple for a sword intended to kill youkai and too distasteful for Inuyasha) he settled instead for Iron Reaver Soul Stealer, his extended claw-slash swooped in a semi-circle at the cluster of thugs.
Rather than a pile of slashed-up rogues collapsing around him, the boy instead felt a sharp swipe of claws ripping into his own flesh. Reeling from what somehow seemed to be his own attack ricocheted back on him, he was quickly dealt a double blow by the chigiriki that had missed him the first time. His attackers did not waste the opportunity afforded them, pouncing on the befuddled and beleaguered son of the Great Dog Demon in full force.
Amid the flying blows from the rabble, Inuyasha caught a glimpse of a young boy standing apart from the group but looking on at the altercation. His observation of the odd sight broke off abruptly as his thoughts turned to Kagome. His teeth gritted as he imagined what might be happening to her. Inuyasha grabbed the short blade lunging toward his throat and flung the wielder against a large tree. He felt an unexpected blow to the back his head at the same moment, but heedlessly swung out and punched a second attacker squarely in the face. He once again received a quick pang - this time to his own face. His eyes darted with consternation back to the child still gazing at them - at him specifically.
Smarting under the unrelenting blows from his human assailants, the youth's hand automatically reached for his sword. The Tetsusaiga was quickly ripped from his side by the first attacker. Batting them all aside, Inuyasha got to his feet, intending to get serious. He leapt deftly over their heads and into the same large tree. At once, summoned by its own sheath, his father's sword flew from the grip of the tall bastard and back to Inuyasha. He glared down at them, youki swirling around his sword.
The men on the ground gazed back up at Inuyasha and the hanyou suddenly froze in mid-attack, finally seeing through the trap.
"Nice try," he growled down at them, lifting his nose to the wind as it caught a well-known scent. He spotted Kagome rushing toward the scene, bow in hand, having apparently noticed his predicament from her own nearby position.
"Kagome, grab that brat and run away as fast as you can," he shouted as she reached the child in question.
She paused, shooting him a bewildered look.
"Just do it! Hurry!"
The men turned immediately to the miko who did as she was told and snatched the boy.
The one with the chain weapon arched back his arm to lob a shot at her. Inuyasha didn't hesitate to launch himself onto the rogue. No accompanying impact hit him upon contact with the human, confirming for Inuyasha that the kid was somehow the source of the strange spell on him. He leapt between the remaining attackers and Kagome, once again collecting demonic energy around Tetsusaiga.
Somewhere deep below the earth...
The pint-sized pig gaped in astonishment at the scene before his eyes. A dimly lit nursery tucked deep into the space between two towns. Seated in the middle of the floor, surrounded by a handful of toddlers and rocking a baby in her arms, was a girl probably not much younger than himself. What were children doing in the subterranean lair of a bunch of murderous maniacs, he wondered disbelievingly. Were they kidnapped from their families, and if so, why? Babies were no use as fighters.
He started as he glanced down, remembering the string of explosives still wound around his neck. Panic instantly welled up inside him; he would have to abort his mission or else collapse the tunnels surrounding these children, cutting off any escape for them. If only...
He didn't have long to ponder the situation before being spotted by a sharp pair of little eyes: "Look! Doggy!"
A small boy dashed up to him. His babysitter, the older girl, was quick to follow.
"How did you get in here," she eyed the pig, then glanced suspiciously into the recesses behind him for anyone else that might be lurking there. "...and what have you got tied around you?" She quickly snatched back the boy that tried to grab up P-chan by the ears.
The pig, in his panic to bolt, turned several times in a circle until he'd wound himself up in his own line and fell on his face. The girl easily reached out, plucking him up for scrutiny.
"I'll bet you're a filthy little spy, aren't you," she hissed, giving him a shake from the end of his bandana.
P-chan rapidly shook his head, grunting in protest.
"What, you say you're not?" Her hand wound around the string of explosives he carried, "What do you have around your neck - is this some kind of weapon?"
His response came in a series of squeals and grunts which she frowned at attentively as if seriously weighing his argument.
"So you say, but I don't believe it - are you really serious? I've never heard a pig tell such lies before!"
P-chan gawked back, wondering exactly how many pigs this girl normally conversed with.
"Big Sis, can I hold him now," asked the same toddler impatiently reaching up for the small animal. All the other children capable of mobility also toddled or crawled over for a better look at the new plaything. Deposited for safekeeping on a futon, the baby she'd been holding earlier gave a loud cry as if also wanting in on the excitement.
"I'm afraid you can't, young Lord," she sighed, giving the line an experimental tug. Gradually, she wound in the remainder of his feed, using it to bind up the pig. "This is a very bad little piggy and we are going to keep him from causing any more trouble." Once she'd finished securing P-chan's bonds, she hung him off a hook in the wall as he continued to squeal in protest.