The Bargain - Ch 3
With the part of his mind that was not busy scanning their surroundings for impending danger, Sesshomaru thought back to the previous night's revelations as he led his little band along a winding hillside path.
He had sensed the pain that filled Kagome as she forced herself to remember Inuyasha's last battle, seen the tears that ran down her face as she recounted his death, but her emotions were of no real concern to him. What did concern him was how those emotions might affect their ability to fight Naraku. He, Sesshomaru, had not managed to take his father's place as Lord of the Western Lands by permitting his emotions to control him, and he had little experience in fighting alongside those who did.
Would the humans be able to put their grief and pain aside, or would they allow their emotions to lead them into folly? Would Naraku be able to exploit them to his advantage?
Not that he was particularly concerned for the monk and demon hunter. Those two could die screaming for all he cared, and if their deaths helped bring about Naraku's own, so much the better. But he had sworn an oath to assist Kagome in accomplishing her task, and to fulfill it he needed to keep her alive, at least until Naraku had been destroyed.
Although his customary mask of indifference had hidden it, Kagome's account of how Naraku had stripped Inuyasha of his demon powers disturbed him. How had the creature done it? What spell or artifact had he used, and could it be used on a full demon as well?
The thought disturbed Sesshomaru, and he decided that it reinforced his decision to return to his lands. In the library of his palace were numerous texts that might contain the information he sought, and he would be able to consult with his advisors, who might be able to determine how Naraku had done this thing and if he, Sesshomaru, would be vulnerable. If he might find himself *human*.
The mere thought appalled him: he, Sesshomaru, a human, powerless and mortal. He would rather be dead.
Behind him, he could hear children's laughter. It warmed him, though he would never admit it. Rin had been delighted to have a playmate close to her own age, and had rapidly managed to drag the fox into a game whose rules seemed to change at random. Now they were chasing each other through the trees in a game of hide and go seek, the boy using his powers of illusion to try to confuse Rin into overlooking him in the light underbrush.
Not for the first time, he wondered if Rin would have been better served if he had left her at his palace. He found that he enjoyed the presence of the human child, and she seemed content with their travels. But would it have been better for her to be near other children, and females who could teach her proper behavior? And she would be protected, as she was not now, from Naraku, who could spring upon them at any moment.
Kagome had been letting her mind drift as she trailed behind the others, exhausted after the previous night's storytelling. She winced as her foot came down on yet another rock, twisting her ankle and threatening to send her sliding down the leaf scattered hill. Miroku reached out to catch her arm, helping her regain her balance, and she flashed him a grateful smile. He returned it with a distracted nod, his eyes locked on a figure ahead of them, and Kagome frowned.
This was a problem.
"How is she?" It was her first real chance to talk to Miroku privately since her return, and from the looks of things, she was afraid his answer wasn't going to be what she had been hoping to hear. Oh, Sango. I wish...
"I don't know." Miroku looked over at her, and Kagome could see the pain in his eyes. "She won't talk to me, won't let me help her." His laugh was harsh and spoke more of frustration than humor. "She doesn't even react if I grope her. She just stares off into the distance with that look on her face."
The once lecherous monk and the demon hunter had grown close over the years and Kagome had been anticipating them announcing a wedding, or at least becoming lovers, before the battle that had cost them all so dearly. But the relationship seemed to have been derailed by Kohaku's death, when Sango had been consumed by the hatred of Naraku that had been simmering below her calm surface since the death of her father.
"It's natural for her to be angry," Kagome reminded him. "She's lost so much because of Naraku. It's only been a few weeks. She just needs some time." They were platitudes, she knew, but hope was all she had to offer her friend now.
"I know, Kagome. But I fear that Sango will do something ... intemperate ... if we don't find Naraku soon. I see her becoming more impatient every day. I'm not certain she is willing to wait for him to come to us." Kagome could see strain and fear in his face, and she was opening her mouth to say something, she wasn't sure what, when a child's scream pierced the air. Rin!!!
Sesshomaru beat the rest of them to Rin and the fox handily, the green glow emanating from his claws a clear warning to anything threatening his foster daughter that it should flee instantly, but there was nothing there to heed the threat. The only thing occupying the clearing was a partially dismembered human corpse whose entrails appeared to have been eaten. He allowed his power to dissipate and placed his hand on Rin's head, hoping to comfort the girl. Despite all she had seen and experienced in her short life, Rin retained an innocence that Sesshomaru tried to protect, and he felt regret that he had not smelled the odor of death before she had come across this sight.
He heard the others coming up behind him at a run. There were several gasps as the humans saw what lay in the clearing, and Kagome came to catch Shippo up in her arms.
She retreated several steps and examined the corpse from a distance, trying desperately to keep the lunch she had consumed earlier from coming back up. "What could have done this to him?"
"A flesh eater of some sort," Sango told her, carefully checking their surroundings to make sure whatever had killed the man was gone.
"It has departed," Sesshomaru told her, his acute senses having informed him that they were the only living beings in the vicinity. "This corpse is hours old. Come," he turned back to their path, dismissing the body without another thought. "We must continue our journey."
"But we can't just leave!" Kagome exclaimed, shocked by his callousness. "We need to find whatever killed him and stop it!" Her voice was determined, and she could see Miroku nodding from where he stood beside the remains.
"Why?" Sesshomaru ignored the monk, directing his question at Kagome, curious about this human's tendency to seek out trouble. The man was dead after all, and nothing she did could reverse that. "He is past caring."
"But whatever did this might attack other people." She was going to be stubborn, Sesshomaru realized. He wondered if he should just carry her off despite her protests.
"We shouldn't bother," said the demon hunter, her voice as frozen as Sesshomaru's own. "If we go after it, we risk getting ourselves killed before we can deal with Naraku. And then who would be left to claim vengeance for what he has done?"
"I don't care. I'm going after it." Kagome looked around her, obviously trying to figure out where 'it' had gone. Eager to help, Shippo jumped out of her arms and sniffed at the ground. He found a scent trail leading off through the trees.
"It went that way," he said, pointing past the body and away from the path they had been following. His contribution was rewarded by Kagome's smile.
"Ok, let's go," she said, pulling an arrow from her quiver and taking several steps in the direction Shippo had indicated, then stopping when Sesshomaru stepped in front of her to block her way.
"I have no interest in wasting time or effort tracking this killer of humans," he told her, golden eyes glaring down at her. "I have promised to assist you in destroying Naraku, not every demon you wish to be rid of."
"It might not be a bad idea," Miroku said, before Kagome could open her mouth to argue. "We haven't had to fight together since we lost Inuyasha. This might be a good opportunity to try fighting without him. Practice, so to speak." He looked at Sesshomaru and Sango as he said the last, obviously hoping that they would take his advice.
Sesshomaru could see reluctance on the demon exterminator's face, but despite it she nodded her agreement. Having lost his only potential ally, he turned his gaze to the male human, and was forced to concede that the human does have a point. If they were to battle Naraku together, as seemed to be his fate, then it would be best if they took the time to learn each other's fighting styles before they did so. Otherwise, they risked stumbling blindly into each other and offering Naraku unnecessary advantages.
"Very well. Jaken," he called without looking around has he allowed his nose to lead him in the direction of their prey, "protect Rin until I return." He strode off, leaving the others to hurry to catch up with him.
Within an hour, the trail led them to a small village. It was only with effort that Sesshomaru managed to refrain from wrinkling his nose at the rank smell of human and fear that hovered over it. Following the spoor, he tracked the man-eater through the villages main square. He was heading toward the forest on the far side when a voice called out.
"Hold demons." The firm command came from a young woman in the red and white robes of a Shinto shrine priestess. In her hands, she held a drawn bow, the arrow pointing at Sesshomaru's chest. Behind her were ranged several villagers armed with rakes and spades. "What business have you here?"
Sesshomaru was furious at their temerity. He, Sesshomaru, was deigning to destroy the creature that threatened these insignificant mortals, and in return they dared threaten him? He was on the verge of killing the wench, and all of her her defenders, when Kagome intervened.
"Hi!" She stepped between the demon and the priestess and waved at the assembly. "Can you help us? We found a man's body on the path up the hill there, and we tracked whatever killed him here." Behind her, she heard Sesshomaru growl deep in his throat but she ignored him.
"You hunt the man-eaters?" The priestess asked with surprise. The travelers could see suspicion in her eyes as she peered at the tall demon lord in front of her and the smaller fox demon holding Kagome's hand.
Kagome nodded. "We found a man's body up there," she gestured behind her, in the direction they had come, "about an hour ago. It had been partially eaten. We thought we'd track whatever did it down and kill it."
The priestess bowed her head for a moment at her first statement, and when she raised it they could see tears glimmering in her eyes.
"The man was Yujiro. He was trying to get away from the village. He thought he could find a demon exterminator to help us rid ourselves of this threat." The voice that had been so firm when it challenged them now held despair.
"What is the threat, exactly, Lady Priestess?" Miroku asked her curiously, stepping forward to draw her attention. "Can you tell us?"
She nodded sadly. "I must make arrangements to have Yujiro's body attended to, but when I return I will tell you of our demons," she told them. She gestured to one of her attendants, an older man, who came forward reluctantly. "I will have tea brought to you while you wait," she told Kagome.
"Are you sure, Lady Mei? They look like trouble to me." He fingers didn't relax their grip on his shovel for a moment.
The priestess looked over the travelers again, assessing them and the danger they posed to the village.
"I believe that as long as they offer us no direct threat, we should not provoke them, Hogo." Her eyes stopped on Sesshomaru, whom she clearly saw as the greatest threat. "We have enough trouble with our own demons. We do not need to borrow more."
The man bowed to her and turned to the travelers.
"If you would please," he bowed slightly and indicated that they should precede him to a house located near the shrine. Sesshomaru stood motionless, uninterested in anything this humans could tell them and irritated by the delay. Kagome gave him a glare and headed toward the small building. Shippo and the others humans followed her. Finding himself the cynosure of the villagers' eyes, Sesshomaru resigned himself to the delay and followed them.
The hut to which they were guided was oddly familiar, reminiscent of Kaede's. After their guide departed, presumably to arrange for some refreshments, they seated themselves on the matted floor. Sesshomaru once more occupied the seat nearest the door, closest to the less stifling air outdoors. The man had just returned with the tea when the priestess came in.
"If indeed you wish to help our village by destroying the demons which plague it, then we are in your debt," she told them, after she had filled their cups "but I am afraid we have little reward to offer you."
Kagome shrugged, still self-conscious after years of this kind of thing. "That's all right. We're not doing it for a reward." It was a measure of how things had changed six weeks ago that neither Miroku nor Sango saw fit to argue with her. "What can you tell us about the thing that killed that man?"
Her eyes grew distant, focusing on something the others could not see. "Several years ago, a young man in a nearby village fell in love with one of the young woman who lived here. He pursued her quite persistently, but she was betrothed to another and she refused his attentions." At this her eyes grew clearer, and she looked at them as though willing them to believe the rest of her tale. "After her rejection, he withdrew to his house and refused to eat or drink. In time, he became ill, and when he died, his skin split open and a snake crawled out."
Miroku nodded calmly. "I have heard of such things before. Unrestrained lust is a snake that burns in the hearts of some, and can be brought to true life if the wish is great enough."
"Ah," said the priestess, obviously relieved that her odd tale was being believed. "That is not all, however. This snake then came in search of the woman who had refused him and killed her with its poison. When she died, she too became a serpent. I was tending her that night, and when I saw the snake emerge from her, I destroyed it, but I was unable to destroy the other one and it escaped."
"Since that day, the demon has travelled from village to village in this area, killing and consuming men and poisoning and transforming young women. Now it has returned to this village with several of it's offspring, and it has been hunting us." "So that means we should try not to get bit, right?" asked Kagome. Privately, she was wishing she'd listened to Sesshomaru and Sango. Snakes, she shuddered. I hate snakes..
Lady Mei nodded. "It's venom is always fatal."
"Do you know where the nest is?" Even with her rage focused on Naraku instead of the present threat, Sango was cooly practical about her job.
The priestess shook her head. "We tried tracking them at first, but they killed all of the men we sent out. The attacks are frequent enough that I have been forced to stay in the village to protect it, but I fear that if the demons are not soon stopped, eventually I will fail."
"Do you know when the demons are active?" asked Miroku. "Do they sleep at night, or during the day?"
"They have attacked during the night as well as the day," the priestess responded with a sigh. "It is what makes defending against them so difficult."
"Well, that's what we're here for," Kagome told her, rising to her feet with determination. "Let's go," she said to the others. "The sooner we start, the sooner it will be over." And the sooner this is over, the sooner I can stop thinking about snakes.
Everyone followed her out of the house. She took several steps in the direction they had been traveling when they entered the village, then stopped abruptly, blushing as she looked back over her shoulder. "Where are we going?"
Relieved that the delay had been so short, Sesshomaru sighed and strode forward, taking the lead. But Kagome's confusion amused him. Humans, so determined, but so helpless he thought.
An hour later they stood on a crag in the hillside looking down on snakes' nest. It was a small cave near the bottom of a ravine, near a swampy bend in a stream. From their vantage point, they could see two of the snakes, but Sesshomaru insisted that there were several more of the creatures in the vicinity, probably in the cave.
"So how do we do this?" Kagome's question was uncertain as she looked down on their prey. Although it was aimed at Miroku and Sango, Sesshomaru overheard the question and turned to face her.
"You are unprepared for battle?" he asked her, mildly curious. This assault was her idea after all.
"It's not that. It's just ... usually, we get jumped. Or Inuyasha," she was proud of her self for saying the name without faltering, "would just charge in swinging Tetsusaiga and the rest of us would follow. I don't think we've ever really planned an attack before. They just sort of happen." She shrugged sheepishly under his blank stare.
For the first time in decades, Sesshomaru had to work at maintaining his impassive expression. They just sort of happen!?! *These* are the humans who thwarted my attempts to gain control of Tetsusaiga? He was torn between a desire to laugh hysterically and a desire to scream at the girl and her companions. All my careful plots confounded by chance. After we defeat Naraku, I may have to kill them to prevent that knowledge from spreading.
Dismissing the thought, he turned to look down at the visible snakes. "I suggest we leave the fox cub here to serve as a sentry. The rest of us will surround the cave and destroy the snakes." He looked at the Kagome, then at the other humans. After all, they are to be a part of this as well, he thought in resignation. "Since you all have weapons which can be used at a distance, and since as mortals you will be susceptible to the snakes' poison, I suggest we try to avoid close contact with these creatures."
"But I want to stay with Kagome," Shippo whined, only to break off at a cool look from the older demon.
"You will be a distraction to her, and will better serve us by remaining here and warning us if any snakes should approach from our rear." And Rin's playmate will be safer up here than in the middle of combat.
"Please, Shippo," Kagome added coaxingly, and Shippo agreed reluctantly. He searched for an inconspicuous place to hide while the others crept stealthily down the hillside, one that would let him see out over the floor of the ravine and keep an eye on the combat to come.
"Kagome." As they worked there way towards the trees they would be using for shelter, Kagome heard Sango call her name. She looked over to see her friend watching her with shadowed eyes. "What is it, Sango?" she asked. "If we are to do this thing, I wish you to promise me something." The shadows had lifted and Kagome could see the pain burning down in the depths of Sango's soul. "What?" She was curious as to what Sango could possibly want that she would need a promise for. "If I am killed, then promise me that you will make Naraku pay for what he has done. To us, and to Kohaku." Oh, Sango. You know I'll do that, for all of us. "I promise. But nothing is going to happen to you. This is just a dry run, remember?" She hoped, anyway. It had sounded good when Miroku suggested it, and she was the one who had wanted to do this, but Snakes. "No one is going to get hurt." "Thank you, Kagome." Seemingly satisfied by Kagome's promise and ignoring the rest of her words, Sango returned her attention to the clearing, and Kagome crept to her designated station. She caught Sesshomaru watching Sango, and the expression in his eyes made shivers crawl down her spine. It wasn't threatening, it was ... calculating somehow. As though he had seen something important he thought he could use. Once they were all in position, Kagome started the fight by loosing one of her arrows at one of the snakes, bisecting it before either of the creatures could react to the unexpected attack. As the demon writhed and died, its companion hissed shrilly, summoning assistance. The mouth of the cave exploded with writhing darkness as the demons within erupted to confront their attackers.
There were more of the snake demons than they had expected after hearing the priestess' tale. Kagome managed to count at least twelve before she lost track as the creatures bodies knotted over each other. The sheer number of the creatures helped in the attack: several of the newcomers were cut down by a single blow from Sango's boomerang as they slithered toward her. As the weapon was returning to Sango's hand, Kagome managed to fire off several more arrows.
Once begun, the slaughter was quick and relatively easy. Kagome and Sango stood near the stream, using their weapons to eliminate the snake demons from a distance. Miroku stood between them, his Air Rip devouring any snake that managed to avoid the airborne attack. Sesshomaru stood behind Kagome, prepared to leap forward and destroy anything that managed to get through their offense. He was shredding one such demon with his claws when he heard the fox cub's panicked shout.
"Kagome! Miroku! Behind you! Watch out!"
Adrenaline shot through Sesshomaru, boosting his already superhuman speed, and hu spun away from the dead snake to see two new demons, larger than the ones they had been fighting, rising from the stream to attack the humans from the rear. One of them, the smaller one, was closing on Miroku, too close for him to use the Air Rip. The monk was frantically trying to reseal his hand and bring his staff around so he could use it to strike at the creature.
The larger of the two new snake demons was slithering quickly towards Kagome, who had somehow managed to lose her bow and who was making a stumbling retreat toward Sesshomaru, her eyes locked on the creature approaching her.
Reacting without thought to the threat to Kagome, Sesshomaru launched himself into the air, poison claws extended. As he flew toward the larger snake, he heard the other human woman cry out, and from the corner of his eye he saw her pummeling the other snake. The corrosive acid of his claws easily severed the head of his prey, and he turned to assess the situation.
He was pleased to see that Kagome was unharmed, and that she had retrieved her bow and was taking care of the few remaining demons from the cave. The monk was kneeling, his staff still held in one hand, his arms wrapped around the demon hunter, who was sobbing into his shoulder. The demon that had attacked him lay in pieces on the ground behind them.
Dismissing the humans, Sesshomaru stalked around the area, scenting the air in search of other, hidden, threats. Finally assured that the snake demons were all dead, he turned to look at Kagome. "Do you not have a weapon to use in close combat?"
Sesshomaru's voice was emotionless as always, but something in the question made Kagome wince. She didn't want to speak, and she was too tired to think anyway, so she simply shook her head silently as she stood and watched her closest friend crying. I hope you're back, Sango. Please be back.
The demon lord studied Kagome, seeing the exhaustion lining her face. She did well, given that she was up most of the night, but she must be allowed to rest soon. He was unwillingly impressed by her lack of complaints about having to walk and fight on next to no sleep.
"That must be remedied. And we must work on your tactics. This was a simple enough battle that you should have been able to plan it yourselves."
"Hey," Kagome protested, "we would have figured it out. Sango's done this kind of thing before. And we've managed to survive this far, haven't we."
Sesshomaru didn't respond, turning instead to the way back to the village.
As Kagome drew level with them, Miroku helped Sango to her feet, keeping his arm around her shoulders he lead her in the direction Sesshomaru had taken. Kagome wanted to speak, to express her relief at seeing Sango reacting to something other than her hatred of Naraku, but she was too drained by her lack of sleep and the intense battle to do more than put one foot in front of the other.
They stopped in the village to let the priestess know that the snakes had been destroyed before continuing on. It was nearly sunset by the time they returned to where Jaken and Rin were waiting. The villagers had obviously been, since the corpse had vanished. They set out once more, but they hadn't been walking for more than fifteen minutes when they came to a small clearing and Sesshomaru spoke. His words surprised everyone.
"We will remain here for the night." Kagome might have been grateful for whatever had moved him to this decision, but she was too busy setting out her bedroll and collapsing to think about it.
Hours later, after the others were all asleep, Sesshomaru sat at the foot of a nearby tree, scanning the night for danger and planning the defeat of Naraku.
***
Notes: Season's Greetings everyone. Pick your holiday and enjoy it. Sorry this took a while to get out. There's an old curse "May you live in interesting times." If you've ever thought that it doesn't sound like much of a curse, trust me, it is. Boy, is it ever.
Isn't thwarted a great word? I just had to use it. Thwarted. Thwarted, thwarted, thwarted. I'm happy now. :)