The work of the world is done on hate. All work done well is well done
only when persons hate work done shoddily. Justice can exist only when
injustice is hated, laws only when lawlessness is hated, and education only
when ignorance is hated. Every improvement this world has ever known was
brought about because someone hated intolerable conditions.
Dunlop, Jane
Changes
When they left the forest the group found themselves walking through the field they had fought Naraku in. The ground here bore no signs of life. No plants, no animals, nothing. The whole world had changed and yet this field had stayed the same as they left it.
All around them were signs of the battle. You could still see the scar marks their weapons had made on the ground. There were also burn marks here and there, presumably form Kagome's arrows.
Miroku reached down and picked up a hand-full of dirt. "I feel evil here but not enough to halt the growth of plant life." He straightened himself out and shook the dirt form his hands. "The ground should have recovered by now, something must be stopping it."
"What is this?" Shippo was crouched in front of a large burn spot. He reached out to touch it but immediately pulled his hand back. The air around the spot felt hot, really hot, it burned his hand before he even got close.
Grabbing Shippo by the tail, Inuyasha quickly yanked him away from the spot. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Don't go touching things you don't know what are. It could be some kind of a trap."
Miroku bent down to examine the curious spot. There was a great deal of energy here, but unlike what he felt in the rest of the field, this energy was pure. Strangely enough, it also seemed to be fading.
"What do you make of it houshi-sama?" Sango asked knelling down beside him.
"I think this is the after energy of the spell Kagome used to get us here. It's the best explanation I can come up with. Whatever it is, its power is fading, it will be gone by morning."
Sango leaned over to get a better look at the spot. If this really was where they came from maybe there was something here that could help them. All thought of examining the area quickly left her as she felt a certain perverted hand rubbing her backside. She was about to turn around and beat it's owner upside his head when Inuyasha beat her to it.
Inuyasha smacked Miroku in the back of the head. Effectively knocking him away from Sango and straight to the ground. "Damn it Miroku! Can't you be serious about this? If you can't.."
Inuyasha was going to threaten to cut the monk's hand off when he caught an odd scent coming their way. "Something's coming." Inuyasha looked around for someplace to hide. There was a large mound of earth, with an overhang where they could all easily fit under. "Everyone over there now."
Inuyasha grabbed Shippo and Sango and ran towards the overhang with Miroku following close behind. Everyone pressed their backs as close to the earth as they could, trying to hide in the shadows. Inuyasha motioned for everyone to keep quiet. He pointed in the direction the scent was coming from.
From the tree line of the forest came twelve mounted solders. Each was a demon, heavily clad in armor. Each carried a different weapon, spear, sword, bow, ext. By themselves they weren't much of a threat. It was what they were riding on that that really worried Inuyasha.
Each solder rode a canine like beast, twice the size of the largest horse he had ever seen. Long brown fur shone anywhere not covered in armor. Each beast had a set of huge fangs jutting from either side of its mouth.
The canines stopped for a moment, their red eyes scanning the darkness. Their huge black talon-like claws dug into the earth as they restlessly pawed at the ground. Their breath came out in hot puffs as they sniffed the air. Satisfied that there was nothing worth holding their interest they began to move on.
Shippo wrapped his arms around Sango's leg. He was trying not to move but couldn't stop himself from shaking. "What are those things?" he whispered.
"Shhh." Hissed Inuyasha. He glared down at Shippo and let out a small whimper but stayed quiet. The demons weren't coming towards them. That probably meant they couldn't smell very well. On top of being big, dumb, and ugly, they had poor senses. Good thing too, a fight was the last thing he needed right now.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief once the demons were out of sight. Shippo jumped up into Sango's arms and she held him close and stroked his hair. "It's ok Shippo they're gone now."
Miroku moved away form the overhang. "Those must be the patrols Koga was talking about."
Inuyasha started walking in the opposite direction the demons had gone. "We'll go this way. Maybe we won't run into any more of them."
Inuyasha had just walked past Miroku when he felt something hit him over the head. He turned around and glared at Miroku.
"What the hell was that for?" said Inuyasha as he rubbed his head.
Miroku just kept walking. "That's for ruining my first grope in five hundred years."
******* The group had been travailing for hours. They had run into a few more patrols, each time managing to avoid a confrontation. Eventually the forest gave way and they saw the first real sights of civilization. What should have been a welcome site was more like a nightmare.
There were small groups of buildings here and there nothing permanent or large, nothing to suggest these people had been here more than a few weeks. The humans and demons that inhabited the reign looked worn down and tired.
There was no permanent home for these people. Everything about them suggested they were ready to pick up and move at any time if need be. It was like the entire world had been set on edge. What had replaced villages were huge battlefields littered with the dead. All the warring that had gone on in the past was nothing compared to what was happening now. Everything seemed to be covered in a dark shadow that would not lift no matter how brightly the sun shown.
One change that stood out more than any other was the fact that there were more demons then there were humans. Demons and humans seemed to live side by side here but you could tell humans got the short end of the stick in most things. Compared to humans, demons looked well feed and better dressed and even they looked worse for wear.
Over all the balance of power had done a complete turnaround. With the demons in control humans lost the foothold they needed to create the world Inuyasha had seen in Kagome's time.
Inuyasha could remember Kagome's time clearly with all its humans and technology. This land was the exact opposite.
The information they had on how people lived in this time was limited to what they could see. They did their best to stay out of site and quickly walked away if anyone did try to approach them.
Since starting off no one had spoken much. It seemed everyone was lost in his or her own thoughts. Night fell and the group set camp. Dinner was as quiet as the rest of the day had been. It was Miroku who finally broke the silence. "So Inuyasha are you sure you know the way to your father's castle? The landscape has changed so much in five hundred years. I hardly even recognize where we are."
Inuyasha picked at the cooked rabbit in front of him. "My sense of direction is better than yours monk. We're talking about the place I was born, I could find my way blind-folded."
Sango could tell Miroku was not quite satisfied with that answer. "Demons usually have an inborn knowledge of their home territory. I don't doubt Inuyasha for a second when he says he can find his birth home."
Shippo was glad everyone was talking again. Things had just been to tense between the adults. "That's right I could find my old family den if I needed to. I bet Inuyasha's the same way, even if he is only a half demon."
Shippo covered his head from the pounding he knew was coming. After a few seconds of nothing he peeked up at Inuyasha. The hanyou was once again staring into the fire. He probably hadn't even heard what Shippo had said.
Not wanting to fall into silence again Miroku asked another question that had been bothering him. "Inuyasha? When did you and Kagome get so close?"
That brought Inuyasha back to reality. He shoved his hands into his sleeves and ducked his head hoping to hide how red his face had become. "That's none of your damn business you pervert."
Sango leaned over and whispered into Miroku's ear. "I'll bet it was the night before the battle. Remember how the two of them went off to talk and didn't show up again until morning?"
Miroku shook his head and whispered back to her. "Yes, I had thought that was what he might have been up to."
Inuyasha glared at the two of them. "What the fuck are you two talking about?"
Miroku and Sango both raised their hands in front of them. "Nothing at all." They said in unison.
Inuyasha stood and jumped up into one of the trees. "I'll stand watch tonight. The rest of you get some sleep I want to get an early start tomorrow."
Sango watched as Inuyasha disappeared into the trees. "He's been really quiet this whole time. Maybe I should try to talk to him."
Sango tried to stand up but Miroku stopped her. "What can you say Sango? Naraku's taken everything he loved and would have loved from him. Nothing we can say will help. All we can do is help him set things right again." Sango sat back down.
The three fell into silence once more. Nothing seemed right and nothing seemed real. Somehow each of them knew that, short of a miracle, nothing would ever be right again.
Kagura stood outside of Taku's chamber. When she last spoke to Taku she had expected the little idiot to go confront Inuyasha without a second thought. He however had proved her wrong. After receiving the news, Taku had sent for Bouken, one of the higher-ranking generals, and Taku's best friend.
Of course she had been kicked out as soon as she had given Taku all the information she had. Kagura had no idea what had been said or what orders had been given. She figured if she hung around long enough she could figure out what the little twerp was up to.
Her patience was soon rewarded. Bouken was coming down the hall toward her. His long red hair was tied back in a ponytail and he was dressed in more armor than was warranted. Then again maybe he was right to watch his back, someone as powerful as he had many enemies. "Well the little errand boy has come back. What news do you bring for your master."
Bouken sneered at her. "Go away wind witch this does not concern you." He pushed past her and into Taku's chamber.
Bouken entered the room to find Taku starring out a window. Kanna was also in the room, she stood in the corner silent as ever looking deep into her mirror. That girl always gave him the creeps. As old as she was she had never aged a day. She had not uttered a word for years now and her silence was unnerving.
"Kagura still out there?"
Bouken bowed even thought Taku could not see him. "Yes my lord. The witch is still here."
Taku turned around. "She's showing too much of an interest in this; she's up to something."
Bouken stood and smiled. "May I dispose of her my lord? It would be my pleasure."
Taku sat on the windowsill and looked out into the night. "Let's not get hasty we may need her yet. Did you find Inuyasha?"
Bouken nodded "He's headed for the western lands just like you thought. Nonixcia is not yet aware of him."
'Good' Taku thought 'It's best she live in her little dream world, she never needs to know the truth. Father knew how much it would hurt her and that's why he never told her even after she turned on us. I have to make sure Inuyasha never reaches the western lands.' "Did you find Gozensama?"
Bouken sighed. "Yes my lord I told him to kill the dog demon at any cost just as you ordered. But he is not in the best of health, I think he's sick and may be dying. On top of that, Inuyasha is not alone, he has three other companions and I fear Gozensama will fail you. I can go to help him if you like."
Taku laughed "If I wanted him dead I would have gone myself. I fully expect Gozensama to fail. Tonight is just a test, I want to see how Inuyasha fights. If father taught me anything it's that you never walk into a fight blind. You must always know your enemy. " Taku walked over to Kanna and she held out her mirror to him.
The show was about to begin.
Name note
Bouken - watching from afar
Gozensama - Your Excellency, the (Imperial) presence
Changes
When they left the forest the group found themselves walking through the field they had fought Naraku in. The ground here bore no signs of life. No plants, no animals, nothing. The whole world had changed and yet this field had stayed the same as they left it.
All around them were signs of the battle. You could still see the scar marks their weapons had made on the ground. There were also burn marks here and there, presumably form Kagome's arrows.
Miroku reached down and picked up a hand-full of dirt. "I feel evil here but not enough to halt the growth of plant life." He straightened himself out and shook the dirt form his hands. "The ground should have recovered by now, something must be stopping it."
"What is this?" Shippo was crouched in front of a large burn spot. He reached out to touch it but immediately pulled his hand back. The air around the spot felt hot, really hot, it burned his hand before he even got close.
Grabbing Shippo by the tail, Inuyasha quickly yanked him away from the spot. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Don't go touching things you don't know what are. It could be some kind of a trap."
Miroku bent down to examine the curious spot. There was a great deal of energy here, but unlike what he felt in the rest of the field, this energy was pure. Strangely enough, it also seemed to be fading.
"What do you make of it houshi-sama?" Sango asked knelling down beside him.
"I think this is the after energy of the spell Kagome used to get us here. It's the best explanation I can come up with. Whatever it is, its power is fading, it will be gone by morning."
Sango leaned over to get a better look at the spot. If this really was where they came from maybe there was something here that could help them. All thought of examining the area quickly left her as she felt a certain perverted hand rubbing her backside. She was about to turn around and beat it's owner upside his head when Inuyasha beat her to it.
Inuyasha smacked Miroku in the back of the head. Effectively knocking him away from Sango and straight to the ground. "Damn it Miroku! Can't you be serious about this? If you can't.."
Inuyasha was going to threaten to cut the monk's hand off when he caught an odd scent coming their way. "Something's coming." Inuyasha looked around for someplace to hide. There was a large mound of earth, with an overhang where they could all easily fit under. "Everyone over there now."
Inuyasha grabbed Shippo and Sango and ran towards the overhang with Miroku following close behind. Everyone pressed their backs as close to the earth as they could, trying to hide in the shadows. Inuyasha motioned for everyone to keep quiet. He pointed in the direction the scent was coming from.
From the tree line of the forest came twelve mounted solders. Each was a demon, heavily clad in armor. Each carried a different weapon, spear, sword, bow, ext. By themselves they weren't much of a threat. It was what they were riding on that that really worried Inuyasha.
Each solder rode a canine like beast, twice the size of the largest horse he had ever seen. Long brown fur shone anywhere not covered in armor. Each beast had a set of huge fangs jutting from either side of its mouth.
The canines stopped for a moment, their red eyes scanning the darkness. Their huge black talon-like claws dug into the earth as they restlessly pawed at the ground. Their breath came out in hot puffs as they sniffed the air. Satisfied that there was nothing worth holding their interest they began to move on.
Shippo wrapped his arms around Sango's leg. He was trying not to move but couldn't stop himself from shaking. "What are those things?" he whispered.
"Shhh." Hissed Inuyasha. He glared down at Shippo and let out a small whimper but stayed quiet. The demons weren't coming towards them. That probably meant they couldn't smell very well. On top of being big, dumb, and ugly, they had poor senses. Good thing too, a fight was the last thing he needed right now.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief once the demons were out of sight. Shippo jumped up into Sango's arms and she held him close and stroked his hair. "It's ok Shippo they're gone now."
Miroku moved away form the overhang. "Those must be the patrols Koga was talking about."
Inuyasha started walking in the opposite direction the demons had gone. "We'll go this way. Maybe we won't run into any more of them."
Inuyasha had just walked past Miroku when he felt something hit him over the head. He turned around and glared at Miroku.
"What the hell was that for?" said Inuyasha as he rubbed his head.
Miroku just kept walking. "That's for ruining my first grope in five hundred years."
******* The group had been travailing for hours. They had run into a few more patrols, each time managing to avoid a confrontation. Eventually the forest gave way and they saw the first real sights of civilization. What should have been a welcome site was more like a nightmare.
There were small groups of buildings here and there nothing permanent or large, nothing to suggest these people had been here more than a few weeks. The humans and demons that inhabited the reign looked worn down and tired.
There was no permanent home for these people. Everything about them suggested they were ready to pick up and move at any time if need be. It was like the entire world had been set on edge. What had replaced villages were huge battlefields littered with the dead. All the warring that had gone on in the past was nothing compared to what was happening now. Everything seemed to be covered in a dark shadow that would not lift no matter how brightly the sun shown.
One change that stood out more than any other was the fact that there were more demons then there were humans. Demons and humans seemed to live side by side here but you could tell humans got the short end of the stick in most things. Compared to humans, demons looked well feed and better dressed and even they looked worse for wear.
Over all the balance of power had done a complete turnaround. With the demons in control humans lost the foothold they needed to create the world Inuyasha had seen in Kagome's time.
Inuyasha could remember Kagome's time clearly with all its humans and technology. This land was the exact opposite.
The information they had on how people lived in this time was limited to what they could see. They did their best to stay out of site and quickly walked away if anyone did try to approach them.
Since starting off no one had spoken much. It seemed everyone was lost in his or her own thoughts. Night fell and the group set camp. Dinner was as quiet as the rest of the day had been. It was Miroku who finally broke the silence. "So Inuyasha are you sure you know the way to your father's castle? The landscape has changed so much in five hundred years. I hardly even recognize where we are."
Inuyasha picked at the cooked rabbit in front of him. "My sense of direction is better than yours monk. We're talking about the place I was born, I could find my way blind-folded."
Sango could tell Miroku was not quite satisfied with that answer. "Demons usually have an inborn knowledge of their home territory. I don't doubt Inuyasha for a second when he says he can find his birth home."
Shippo was glad everyone was talking again. Things had just been to tense between the adults. "That's right I could find my old family den if I needed to. I bet Inuyasha's the same way, even if he is only a half demon."
Shippo covered his head from the pounding he knew was coming. After a few seconds of nothing he peeked up at Inuyasha. The hanyou was once again staring into the fire. He probably hadn't even heard what Shippo had said.
Not wanting to fall into silence again Miroku asked another question that had been bothering him. "Inuyasha? When did you and Kagome get so close?"
That brought Inuyasha back to reality. He shoved his hands into his sleeves and ducked his head hoping to hide how red his face had become. "That's none of your damn business you pervert."
Sango leaned over and whispered into Miroku's ear. "I'll bet it was the night before the battle. Remember how the two of them went off to talk and didn't show up again until morning?"
Miroku shook his head and whispered back to her. "Yes, I had thought that was what he might have been up to."
Inuyasha glared at the two of them. "What the fuck are you two talking about?"
Miroku and Sango both raised their hands in front of them. "Nothing at all." They said in unison.
Inuyasha stood and jumped up into one of the trees. "I'll stand watch tonight. The rest of you get some sleep I want to get an early start tomorrow."
Sango watched as Inuyasha disappeared into the trees. "He's been really quiet this whole time. Maybe I should try to talk to him."
Sango tried to stand up but Miroku stopped her. "What can you say Sango? Naraku's taken everything he loved and would have loved from him. Nothing we can say will help. All we can do is help him set things right again." Sango sat back down.
The three fell into silence once more. Nothing seemed right and nothing seemed real. Somehow each of them knew that, short of a miracle, nothing would ever be right again.
Kagura stood outside of Taku's chamber. When she last spoke to Taku she had expected the little idiot to go confront Inuyasha without a second thought. He however had proved her wrong. After receiving the news, Taku had sent for Bouken, one of the higher-ranking generals, and Taku's best friend.
Of course she had been kicked out as soon as she had given Taku all the information she had. Kagura had no idea what had been said or what orders had been given. She figured if she hung around long enough she could figure out what the little twerp was up to.
Her patience was soon rewarded. Bouken was coming down the hall toward her. His long red hair was tied back in a ponytail and he was dressed in more armor than was warranted. Then again maybe he was right to watch his back, someone as powerful as he had many enemies. "Well the little errand boy has come back. What news do you bring for your master."
Bouken sneered at her. "Go away wind witch this does not concern you." He pushed past her and into Taku's chamber.
Bouken entered the room to find Taku starring out a window. Kanna was also in the room, she stood in the corner silent as ever looking deep into her mirror. That girl always gave him the creeps. As old as she was she had never aged a day. She had not uttered a word for years now and her silence was unnerving.
"Kagura still out there?"
Bouken bowed even thought Taku could not see him. "Yes my lord. The witch is still here."
Taku turned around. "She's showing too much of an interest in this; she's up to something."
Bouken stood and smiled. "May I dispose of her my lord? It would be my pleasure."
Taku sat on the windowsill and looked out into the night. "Let's not get hasty we may need her yet. Did you find Inuyasha?"
Bouken nodded "He's headed for the western lands just like you thought. Nonixcia is not yet aware of him."
'Good' Taku thought 'It's best she live in her little dream world, she never needs to know the truth. Father knew how much it would hurt her and that's why he never told her even after she turned on us. I have to make sure Inuyasha never reaches the western lands.' "Did you find Gozensama?"
Bouken sighed. "Yes my lord I told him to kill the dog demon at any cost just as you ordered. But he is not in the best of health, I think he's sick and may be dying. On top of that, Inuyasha is not alone, he has three other companions and I fear Gozensama will fail you. I can go to help him if you like."
Taku laughed "If I wanted him dead I would have gone myself. I fully expect Gozensama to fail. Tonight is just a test, I want to see how Inuyasha fights. If father taught me anything it's that you never walk into a fight blind. You must always know your enemy. " Taku walked over to Kanna and she held out her mirror to him.
The show was about to begin.
Name note
Bouken - watching from afar
Gozensama - Your Excellency, the (Imperial) presence