Wow, six reviews! I feel loved! Yay! Uh.I found out that there's a computer
here at the hotel with internet access; that's how I'm writing this.
Forgive me if this chapter is a little strained; I'm not allowed to close
the door leading to the hallway and people keep walking past and glaring at
me. It's disconcerting. The keyboard is also noisy. Oh well. Onward!
(note: for some reason, my double spaces that I use to separate parts of a chapter turn into single spaces when I upload, so from now on I'm going to use "--" instead to mark a new section, and "*---*" to mark the beginning and ending of each chapter. Whoopee.)
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-yasha, Rumiko Takahashi and Viz do, but I have dibs on his immortal soul.
*---*
The old saying was true: The walk from the battlefield is far longer than the journey leading towards it. The steps of the company were slow and methodical, beyond caring as the rays of the new sun shone on their backside like the mocking eyes of scavengers. Inu-yasha's lids were low, his nose caught in a perpetual grimace due to the stench that followed them. Even Shippou seemed quiet compared to his normal self, as he draped his arms about Kagome's neck and dozed off and on. As the sun rose, the heat increased, until beats of sweat coated Kagome's forehead and upper arms.
"I can't believe we didn't find a village yet," Kagome commented in an apathetic whine.
Shippou stirred from his perch and yawned, sliding from Kagome's shoulder and coming to stand on his own feet. "Yeah. We've been traveling *forever*."
"Shut up," Inu-yasha mumbled, scratching behind a hairy ear in distracted irritation. "Your complaining is only making it worse."
"For once, I must agree with Inu-yasha." Only slightly interested, Kagome turned to face Miroku as he spoke. "Let us dwell instead on more pleasant matters, such as the decrease in demons since we last attacked Naraku. True, we still do battle, but much less often than before. Has no one else noticed this?"
"It's all in your head, Miroku," Inu-yasha replied. "Now shut up and find someone to ask about the barrier. I want Tetsusaiga back!"
"Can't you use your staff to find the right direction, Miroku?" Kagome asked, quickly cutting Inu-yasha off before his ranting could gain much amplitude. "How does that work, anyway? Oh well. At least try to find a water source, as I don't think I could stand another night still covered in this stuff." With a disgruntled wave of her hand, Kagome indicated the dried filth that coated most of her body. It was worst in her hair: she looked more like a mud monster than a human, at that point.
Miroku paused, holding up his staff and admiring it speculatively. "Why, you're absolutely right, Kagome. Trust a pretty woman to think of something as ingenious as that." Miroku turned away from Inu-yasha's red-eyed glare and brought his staff down quickly, lodging the bottom end a few centimeters into the caked earth. He closed his eyes in prayer, then let it drop of its own accord, looking upward when the staff fell slightly to his right. "That way."
"At last!" Suddenly youthful and sprightly once more, Shippou bounded in the direction Miroku indicated, jumping over a blackened ditch in the ground and scampering past it, towards the dusky low hills ahead. The horizon was only visible for a few miles before it disappeared into a featureless haze of dust; they would have trouble spotting a gigantic white demon there, let alone a small town or settlement.
The others followed, slightly less affected but purposeful nonetheless. At last sharp edges began to delineate themselves from the smog, and Kagome let out a gasp of delight as she recognized the vertical pentagon of the short side of a longhouse. They had no sooner come into full view of the village than one of the townspeople saw them, and as to be expected ran towards them, waving a pitchfork threateningly. Miroku raised his hands as a sign of peace and the farmer seemed to settle down, though he kept his pitchfork raised as the dog demon came forward.
"Ho, good villager. I am a simple monk and these are my friends. We are in need of a bath and boarding for one night. Would you be willing to accommodate us in the name of the good Buddha?" Miroku bowed humbly, keeping his eyes suitably lowered to the ground. The farmer eyed him suspiciously, a sign that this village was more oft than not plagued with hostile visitors.
"How do I know ye aren't some manner o'foe? No, I thinks it be safer f'r me 'n me family if ye's leavin now. Go! Go away! We d'n like strange folk here." A bit of spittle flew from the man's voice as he shouted vehemently, and Miroku wiped it from his cheek in irritation.
"Please, sir, we have traveled far and w-Dear Buddha! What is that?!" Miroku pointed directly above the roof of the man's farmhouse and started marching towards it, raising his staff in readiness as he moved. "Stand back, man, if you value your life! There is an evil aura hanging above your abode! Please, allow us to stay with you this night and I will dispel the evil cloud immediately!"
The farmer snorted, then started laughing excessively, startling all of them. Kagome peered at the man in disbelief as Miroku hesitated and watched the man, completely caught unaware. 'That plan always works,' Miroku mused, his brows slightly furrowed in anger at the man's effrontery. 'Why was it unsuccessful this time?'
"Fool o' a monk, yeer lies will not work 'ere. This village is protected by a powerful priest, so ye see, what ye say c'n't be true. Go away, before I set me dogs on ye!" The farmer laughed and made a rude gesture in Miroku's face, showing his total disrespect for the monk's position. Miroku's gaze grew dark, and his hands itched for the man's throat. Only the knowledge that this was the only village for miles kept him at bay, though inside his mind he played through lovely fantasies of removing the farmer from his tongue.
"Give it up, Miroku." Inu-yasha snorted and wiped at his nose unceremoniously. "'Sides, I have *no* desire to share a house with a bunch of pigs like these villagers." Inu-yasha laughed, then grunted as Kagome jabbed him in the stomach with her elbow.
"How stupid are you?!" Kagome hissed fiercely, knowing only Inu-yasha could hear. "Do you want a bath or not?"
Sango, however, was thinking of other things. "A priest, you say?" she asked, leaning on Kiraikotsu and looking towards the farmer curiously. "A powerful one? Do you think we could speak with him?"
Kagome looked up at Sango's tone, and sent her an inquiring glance. "Are you planning to ask the priest about the temple?" she whispered, realizing the possibility and wondering why she hadn't thought of it herself. Sango affirmed her conjecture with a slight tilt of her head, and Kagome smiled, turning towards the farmer with a coy smirk on her lips.
The man looked from one female to the other, his expression the archetype of incredulity. "Yes...what be he to ye? Do ye plan to kill 'm?!"
"No, no! We simply have some...questions...for the good priest. Please, allow us to speak with him. In the name of Buddha," Miroku added, stepping forward as a mark of his earnestness. The farmer hesitated for a long moment, then finally bowed, a signal that they could pass. Miroku smiled and made a gesture over the man's head as he passed. "Walk with Buddha."
"That went well," Kagome stated as they traveled through the village towards the bathhouse. "Hey, aren't we going to speak to the priest now?" She asked Miroku, noticing the direction they were headed.
"No. First we must bathe and feed ourselves; to do otherwise would be a sign of disrespect to the priest," Miroku explained. Spying a plaque that advertised a public bathhouse, Miroku walked to the door and held it open for the females, letting it shut in Inu-yasha's face as he followed the women. Inu-yasha growled but discovered Miroku had already begun negotiations with the owner of the bathhouse, and after a few skillful compliments on the owner's "fine curls" and "exemplary skin", the flattered hostess ushered them forward, calling to her servants to bring them towels and soaps.
The group separated into the men's and women's bath chambers and sent their clothing off to be washed as well, though Inu-yasha refused to part with his fire rat robe (much to Kagome's disgust). The girls took turns scrubbing each other's backs, as Shippou jovially doused a disgruntled Inu- yasha with hot water and Miroku quietly cleansed himself by the embers of the sauna. All too soon their time was up and Kagome was forced to dry herself off and put on a set of robes that were ordained to be used until their clothing was dried in the sun. Sango pulled her hair tight with a ribbon and Kagome couldn't help laughing when the men came out, Inu-yasha's ears and hair soaked through to the roots. Kagome greeted Shippou with a smile as the kitsune bounced onto her shoulder, and winced as Kirara suddenly decided to shake her coat and spray them all in the process.
"Well, that was pleasant," Inu-yasha muttered in a displeased tone. "Have you forgotten about our weapons, monk?"
"Not at all, Inu-yasha," Miroku countered, his reply ready on his tongue. "While we were in the bath, I was considering what to say to the priest. I have decided we should test him first, to see if he is trustworthy, before telling him of our plight. Otherwise, he might send out warriors with a counterspell and steal our weapons from right under our noses."
Inu-yasha shuddered and shook his head, apparently unsettled at having water dribble down his ear canal. "How the hell do you test a priest? Ask him to recite some religious mantra?"
"No. You'll see." Miroku bowed to the hostess and rewarded her with a prolonged kiss on the hand at the exit, while Sango stroked her boomerang in readiness, supposedly testing that it had not been damaged after having its ropes and tassels washed.
"Let's go, Miroku." With a tug on Miroku's arm, Kagome led the reluctant monk out of the bathhouse and onto the street, where she paused and waited for the rest of the group before posing her next question. "Should we see him now? Do we just go up to the temple and ask to see him?"
"Though it's usually considered rude, I'm afraid we'll have to in this case...and as for eating, we'll have to do that after." Miroku patted Kagome's shoulder reassuringly after her stomach let out a tremendous growl. Kagome blushed and tried to shrink into the background, following slowly when they walked to the temple.
As they rounded a gathering of residential houses, the small home of the priest came into view, almost unnoticed in its simplicity. Only the telltale styles of the roof fixtures made it apparent that it was a temple, and Kagome admired them for their minimalism, as opposed to the useless grandiosity of most temples. "Kind of boring, isn't it?" Inu-yasha announced, startling her from her thoughts. "Are you sure this is where he lives?"
"Yes." Miroku stepped forward and bowed his head to the lone guard standing near the entrance. "We seek an audience with the priest who resides here," the monk stated, bowing slightly. "Please give him word that a monk waits outside for him."
The guard eyed him, then nodded, disappearing into the building only to return a few minutes later. "You may enter," the guard said, pushing open the door for the monk and his friends. Nodding in thanks, Miroku and the others entered.
"Hello, Miroku, monk and Ruler of the Wind Tunnel. Hello, Inu-yasha, son of the Demon Lord of the Western Lands. I have been expecting you," said the dark, veiled voice from the depths of the interior. Inu-yasha blinked and grabbed at his sheath absently as an automatic reaction.
'Naraku?!'
*---* Is it Naraku? Or maybe his goodly brother? Maybe it's Bill Cosby! Maybe it's Sesshoumaru (well, I already told you Sesshou doesn't make an appearance, but still) who can it be? Read the next chapter to find out!
I rambled on this chapter. Sorry. I'll write better when I get home. I'll try to write a new chapter before I leave if people ask it; otherwise I'll probably wait until next weekend, as I have school immediately following my return (stupid school).
Um...Enjoy! And thanks for reading!
And thanks again for the reviews!
(note: for some reason, my double spaces that I use to separate parts of a chapter turn into single spaces when I upload, so from now on I'm going to use "--" instead to mark a new section, and "*---*" to mark the beginning and ending of each chapter. Whoopee.)
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-yasha, Rumiko Takahashi and Viz do, but I have dibs on his immortal soul.
*---*
The old saying was true: The walk from the battlefield is far longer than the journey leading towards it. The steps of the company were slow and methodical, beyond caring as the rays of the new sun shone on their backside like the mocking eyes of scavengers. Inu-yasha's lids were low, his nose caught in a perpetual grimace due to the stench that followed them. Even Shippou seemed quiet compared to his normal self, as he draped his arms about Kagome's neck and dozed off and on. As the sun rose, the heat increased, until beats of sweat coated Kagome's forehead and upper arms.
"I can't believe we didn't find a village yet," Kagome commented in an apathetic whine.
Shippou stirred from his perch and yawned, sliding from Kagome's shoulder and coming to stand on his own feet. "Yeah. We've been traveling *forever*."
"Shut up," Inu-yasha mumbled, scratching behind a hairy ear in distracted irritation. "Your complaining is only making it worse."
"For once, I must agree with Inu-yasha." Only slightly interested, Kagome turned to face Miroku as he spoke. "Let us dwell instead on more pleasant matters, such as the decrease in demons since we last attacked Naraku. True, we still do battle, but much less often than before. Has no one else noticed this?"
"It's all in your head, Miroku," Inu-yasha replied. "Now shut up and find someone to ask about the barrier. I want Tetsusaiga back!"
"Can't you use your staff to find the right direction, Miroku?" Kagome asked, quickly cutting Inu-yasha off before his ranting could gain much amplitude. "How does that work, anyway? Oh well. At least try to find a water source, as I don't think I could stand another night still covered in this stuff." With a disgruntled wave of her hand, Kagome indicated the dried filth that coated most of her body. It was worst in her hair: she looked more like a mud monster than a human, at that point.
Miroku paused, holding up his staff and admiring it speculatively. "Why, you're absolutely right, Kagome. Trust a pretty woman to think of something as ingenious as that." Miroku turned away from Inu-yasha's red-eyed glare and brought his staff down quickly, lodging the bottom end a few centimeters into the caked earth. He closed his eyes in prayer, then let it drop of its own accord, looking upward when the staff fell slightly to his right. "That way."
"At last!" Suddenly youthful and sprightly once more, Shippou bounded in the direction Miroku indicated, jumping over a blackened ditch in the ground and scampering past it, towards the dusky low hills ahead. The horizon was only visible for a few miles before it disappeared into a featureless haze of dust; they would have trouble spotting a gigantic white demon there, let alone a small town or settlement.
The others followed, slightly less affected but purposeful nonetheless. At last sharp edges began to delineate themselves from the smog, and Kagome let out a gasp of delight as she recognized the vertical pentagon of the short side of a longhouse. They had no sooner come into full view of the village than one of the townspeople saw them, and as to be expected ran towards them, waving a pitchfork threateningly. Miroku raised his hands as a sign of peace and the farmer seemed to settle down, though he kept his pitchfork raised as the dog demon came forward.
"Ho, good villager. I am a simple monk and these are my friends. We are in need of a bath and boarding for one night. Would you be willing to accommodate us in the name of the good Buddha?" Miroku bowed humbly, keeping his eyes suitably lowered to the ground. The farmer eyed him suspiciously, a sign that this village was more oft than not plagued with hostile visitors.
"How do I know ye aren't some manner o'foe? No, I thinks it be safer f'r me 'n me family if ye's leavin now. Go! Go away! We d'n like strange folk here." A bit of spittle flew from the man's voice as he shouted vehemently, and Miroku wiped it from his cheek in irritation.
"Please, sir, we have traveled far and w-Dear Buddha! What is that?!" Miroku pointed directly above the roof of the man's farmhouse and started marching towards it, raising his staff in readiness as he moved. "Stand back, man, if you value your life! There is an evil aura hanging above your abode! Please, allow us to stay with you this night and I will dispel the evil cloud immediately!"
The farmer snorted, then started laughing excessively, startling all of them. Kagome peered at the man in disbelief as Miroku hesitated and watched the man, completely caught unaware. 'That plan always works,' Miroku mused, his brows slightly furrowed in anger at the man's effrontery. 'Why was it unsuccessful this time?'
"Fool o' a monk, yeer lies will not work 'ere. This village is protected by a powerful priest, so ye see, what ye say c'n't be true. Go away, before I set me dogs on ye!" The farmer laughed and made a rude gesture in Miroku's face, showing his total disrespect for the monk's position. Miroku's gaze grew dark, and his hands itched for the man's throat. Only the knowledge that this was the only village for miles kept him at bay, though inside his mind he played through lovely fantasies of removing the farmer from his tongue.
"Give it up, Miroku." Inu-yasha snorted and wiped at his nose unceremoniously. "'Sides, I have *no* desire to share a house with a bunch of pigs like these villagers." Inu-yasha laughed, then grunted as Kagome jabbed him in the stomach with her elbow.
"How stupid are you?!" Kagome hissed fiercely, knowing only Inu-yasha could hear. "Do you want a bath or not?"
Sango, however, was thinking of other things. "A priest, you say?" she asked, leaning on Kiraikotsu and looking towards the farmer curiously. "A powerful one? Do you think we could speak with him?"
Kagome looked up at Sango's tone, and sent her an inquiring glance. "Are you planning to ask the priest about the temple?" she whispered, realizing the possibility and wondering why she hadn't thought of it herself. Sango affirmed her conjecture with a slight tilt of her head, and Kagome smiled, turning towards the farmer with a coy smirk on her lips.
The man looked from one female to the other, his expression the archetype of incredulity. "Yes...what be he to ye? Do ye plan to kill 'm?!"
"No, no! We simply have some...questions...for the good priest. Please, allow us to speak with him. In the name of Buddha," Miroku added, stepping forward as a mark of his earnestness. The farmer hesitated for a long moment, then finally bowed, a signal that they could pass. Miroku smiled and made a gesture over the man's head as he passed. "Walk with Buddha."
"That went well," Kagome stated as they traveled through the village towards the bathhouse. "Hey, aren't we going to speak to the priest now?" She asked Miroku, noticing the direction they were headed.
"No. First we must bathe and feed ourselves; to do otherwise would be a sign of disrespect to the priest," Miroku explained. Spying a plaque that advertised a public bathhouse, Miroku walked to the door and held it open for the females, letting it shut in Inu-yasha's face as he followed the women. Inu-yasha growled but discovered Miroku had already begun negotiations with the owner of the bathhouse, and after a few skillful compliments on the owner's "fine curls" and "exemplary skin", the flattered hostess ushered them forward, calling to her servants to bring them towels and soaps.
The group separated into the men's and women's bath chambers and sent their clothing off to be washed as well, though Inu-yasha refused to part with his fire rat robe (much to Kagome's disgust). The girls took turns scrubbing each other's backs, as Shippou jovially doused a disgruntled Inu- yasha with hot water and Miroku quietly cleansed himself by the embers of the sauna. All too soon their time was up and Kagome was forced to dry herself off and put on a set of robes that were ordained to be used until their clothing was dried in the sun. Sango pulled her hair tight with a ribbon and Kagome couldn't help laughing when the men came out, Inu-yasha's ears and hair soaked through to the roots. Kagome greeted Shippou with a smile as the kitsune bounced onto her shoulder, and winced as Kirara suddenly decided to shake her coat and spray them all in the process.
"Well, that was pleasant," Inu-yasha muttered in a displeased tone. "Have you forgotten about our weapons, monk?"
"Not at all, Inu-yasha," Miroku countered, his reply ready on his tongue. "While we were in the bath, I was considering what to say to the priest. I have decided we should test him first, to see if he is trustworthy, before telling him of our plight. Otherwise, he might send out warriors with a counterspell and steal our weapons from right under our noses."
Inu-yasha shuddered and shook his head, apparently unsettled at having water dribble down his ear canal. "How the hell do you test a priest? Ask him to recite some religious mantra?"
"No. You'll see." Miroku bowed to the hostess and rewarded her with a prolonged kiss on the hand at the exit, while Sango stroked her boomerang in readiness, supposedly testing that it had not been damaged after having its ropes and tassels washed.
"Let's go, Miroku." With a tug on Miroku's arm, Kagome led the reluctant monk out of the bathhouse and onto the street, where she paused and waited for the rest of the group before posing her next question. "Should we see him now? Do we just go up to the temple and ask to see him?"
"Though it's usually considered rude, I'm afraid we'll have to in this case...and as for eating, we'll have to do that after." Miroku patted Kagome's shoulder reassuringly after her stomach let out a tremendous growl. Kagome blushed and tried to shrink into the background, following slowly when they walked to the temple.
As they rounded a gathering of residential houses, the small home of the priest came into view, almost unnoticed in its simplicity. Only the telltale styles of the roof fixtures made it apparent that it was a temple, and Kagome admired them for their minimalism, as opposed to the useless grandiosity of most temples. "Kind of boring, isn't it?" Inu-yasha announced, startling her from her thoughts. "Are you sure this is where he lives?"
"Yes." Miroku stepped forward and bowed his head to the lone guard standing near the entrance. "We seek an audience with the priest who resides here," the monk stated, bowing slightly. "Please give him word that a monk waits outside for him."
The guard eyed him, then nodded, disappearing into the building only to return a few minutes later. "You may enter," the guard said, pushing open the door for the monk and his friends. Nodding in thanks, Miroku and the others entered.
"Hello, Miroku, monk and Ruler of the Wind Tunnel. Hello, Inu-yasha, son of the Demon Lord of the Western Lands. I have been expecting you," said the dark, veiled voice from the depths of the interior. Inu-yasha blinked and grabbed at his sheath absently as an automatic reaction.
'Naraku?!'
*---* Is it Naraku? Or maybe his goodly brother? Maybe it's Bill Cosby! Maybe it's Sesshoumaru (well, I already told you Sesshou doesn't make an appearance, but still) who can it be? Read the next chapter to find out!
I rambled on this chapter. Sorry. I'll write better when I get home. I'll try to write a new chapter before I leave if people ask it; otherwise I'll probably wait until next weekend, as I have school immediately following my return (stupid school).
Um...Enjoy! And thanks for reading!
And thanks again for the reviews!