AN: Been so long since the last update… I am still alive, thank you for asking. Nearly half dead though from lack of sleep. As I type it is exactly 4:37 in the morning. No joke. And I'm starving… but I'll just post this and then make myself some breakfast/supper and then hit the hay just before the sun comes up and the noisy birds start singing – they like to keep me from my beauty sleep. Better be fast in that case…
Life Exchange
Chapter 9
On Sesshomaru's Trail (not tail)
It was dark when he woke up… but then again, it had been dark when he'd knocked himself out, so no surprise there. However, for some reason it seemed a little darker than usual… and slightly quieter.
He knew this feeling… the feeling that he's suddenly been wrapped up with cotton wool or something and all his senses had dulled. New moon… human night… crap…
Now he ached all over… his neck was stiff and his limbs were cold, and it wasn't until he smelt the tangy salt air that he realised where he was, and what he'd been doing before he'd fallen unconscious.
Destroying the bridge… running from the island because… Kagome…
He lay there for a long time, just staring up at the dotted stars in the heavens. His mind replaying the scene in the throne room, again and again. She was dead… she was really dead…
And he was here because he was going to save her, he remembered that much. He was going to follow Sesshomaru and he was going to get Tenseiga from that chicken legged bastard and revive Kagome. He forced himself to sit up, grunting slightly at the pain that shot through his stiff body. He couldn't dwell on Kagome now… he had to concentrate on getting Tenseiga so he could save her.
Still… that overwhelming pain and emptiness filled him at the thought of her dead and cold on the floor of the throne room. It literally took his strength away and he cringed as he fell back on the lumpy sand with a broken gasp. "D-Dammit…"
He had to lay there for a while, an arm strewn over his eyes as he tried to banish Kagome's image from his mind. It sort of worked… but he only ended up remembering stranger things…
Things like talking to a tree… desecrating his room… kissing Bankotsu and… hurting Kagome – more than once. What on earth had possessed him to do all those things?
"I really must have been crazy…" he began to sit up again, trying to search his brain for some hint of insanity… some thought that was odd… something to give away that he was still crazy.
He found nothing. Everything made sense and he had no urge to suddenly strip off his clothes and run down the beach naked screaming like a truly insane person. No… everything was striking him with perfect clarity, most of all Kagome's death. His memories were a little rough around the edges, like they'd happened a long, long time ago, even though he knew they'd only happened over the past week.
It was strange… like for the past few days he'd been a completely different person…
And speaking of stripping off clothes…
He looked down at himself and stiffened again. What the hell had happened to his clothes? His thick haori that kept off the cold was gone, leaving him only in his thin white kimono that reached mid thigh, and an equally thin pair of three quarter length pants that usually went under his hakama… which was also missing, along with his boots as well.
"Fucking typical…" he grumbled as he rose shakily to his feet, trying to brush the sand off his wet skin. Obviously some good Samaritan had passed by, seen the unconscious guy with the good shoes and fire rat haori and hakama that was as good as any poor man's armour, and decided since the sleeping guy wasn't using them…
He growled angrily as he shook his head wildly, trying to dislodge the sand in his hair. Sand was amazingly resilient stuff… it seemed to get everywhere… He'd be picking the stuff from his hair for at least another week…
Eventually he gave up trying to rid himself of sand, it was getting him no where, and he had more pressing matters to attend to. Fortunately Tessaiga was still at hand. Whoever had stolen most of his clothes had fortunately overlooked the rusty old katana in his hand. He picked up the scabbard and secured it in place at his waist, slipping Tessaiga back inside as he turned his eyes out to sea again.
With his human vision, and it being night, he could barely see more than a few metres out in the water. The bridge should have risen by now, but being the genius he was, he'd destroyed it.
Why? He didn't really remember… it was all too much of a blur.
For a serious moment he contemplated going back to the island that moment, either by swimming or boat, he didn't care. The point was, Kagome was back there… he had no idea what had happened to her body by now. He'd been stupid to leave so hastily, and he wanted to go back and set things straight before he left on his mission to find Tenseiga.
But another more urgent part of him was telling him to get a move on. Sesshomaru was probably waltzing off to Kyoto by now with Tenseiga strapped to his side. Inuyasha couldn't afford to waste anymore time, for Kagome's sake…
He had to get moving…
Though with human senses, he didn't have a clue where to start looking…
It was time to just 'follow his nose' as it were. He sighed and began picking his way up the slope of the beach, up towards the narrow road that ran along most of the Western coast in that domain. He knew that if he went North he would be heading towards neutral lands where no war lord ruled and the villages were free and, well, neutral. If he went south he would be heading straight for a country called Nagato… a place he didn't fancy going ever again.
Which way would Sesshomaru have gone? Knowing that git he probably would have gone neither way and headed off into the forest, taking the roughest and hardest path to wherever he was going. If he was actually going anywhere, that was. He was a wanderer now wasn't he…?
Well for his sake he better have gone North, because Inuyasha certainly wasn't heading for Nagato or the forest at this time of night. Now where was that horse…?
It turned out the horse had been stolen too. Either that or it had run off, abandoning its master. But that wasn't too much of a problem, not when the land was swarming with traders on their way to a trade centre east of Nagato. And traders often liked to bring pack horses and all kinds of goods along with them on their travels to such trade centres.
It meant that Inuyasha didn't have to go far until he bumped into a group of traders on their humble way. Six horses and three men… they could spare at least one horse.
Of course, stealing a horse from three men whilst in human form was no easy task, but somehow he managed to distract them long enough to swipe one of the stronger mares and make a quick getaway. He hadn't been followed since the traders couldn't abandon their goods. Simple.
But now he was exhausted and had to fight to keep awake and stop from falling off his new ride. He had a mission… and if he could just make it until morning without falling asleep, he'd be that much better off for it. He had to fight to keep his mind occupied as well, otherwise his thoughts would ultimately lead him back to the throne room… back to Kagome.
He mentally shrugged off the lifeless look in her eyes and forced his attention back onto the narrow road he was following through the forest. On the outside he may have looked calm, cool headed and sure of where he was going… but inside his heart was in turmoil and his mind was in a worse state. He stared glassily at the road as the mare walked on steadily… he wasn't really aware of what was going on around him as he found himself slipping off with thoughts of Kagome again.
The vague memories of the past few days weren't pleasant it seemed. He remembered thinking some of the most horrible things he'd ever imagined… things that could upset even him. Thoughts of hurting Kagome, breaking her arm… breaking her spirit.
He grimaced and shifted in the saddle as he remembered what had happened that time in the spring. She'd been terrified of him… and he hadn't cared at the time. Looking back it was obvious how frightened she'd been, but at the time he hadn't noticed. It was very disturbing. He'd wanted to put her in her place… punish her for being outspoken and different – the two traits he admired her most for. What the hell had been wrong with him?
A cold feeling passed over him as he remembered the way he'd touched her… violated her… seen her pain and heard her scream. He was disgusted with himself, he'd enjoyed it for that split second until she'd spoken about love and made him feel bad and brought his mind to a crashing halt. His memories of the moment after that were fuzzy, he didn't really recall them at all, his mind had been too scattered when she'd thrown the L word in his face.
That was closest he'd ever gotten to Kagome in that way…
She probably hated his guts. It was nothing he didn't deserve though… not for treating her like that.
A distant sound of laughter brought him back to that moment in time and he blinked out of his thoughts to look up along the road. Ahead he could see a flickering light through the trees, like a campfire. Even with his human ears he could hear the talking and chatter, all sounding light hearted and if not slightly drunk. It wasn't men he could hear, but mostly women and childish voices.
As he drew nearer to the light and the camp, he wondered what he was walking in on. Some troop of gypsy people maybe? A stray group of traders? There was a burst of blue, glittering light through the trees as he got closer, nearly making him start. Following the burst were sounds of appreciation and cheering. He could recognise that kind of magic anywhere, he snorted in contempt. Wood sprites no less. Well, wood sprites saw lots that went on in the woods, so perhaps they would know if Sesshomaru had passed through the area.
"Evening ladies." He coughed loudly as he came upon the little clearing with the fire and the sprites. They all looked fairly human, but their smiles did not falter as they turned to look at him. Young and old, but all women. "I was wondering if you could help me out."
"He's a bold one." An older sprite chirped. "Arrogant."
"Blame my father." Inuyasha retorted flatly.
"Stubborn." Said another. "Blunt."
"Blame my mother."
There was a general murmured laugh. "He thinks he's good and noble! What a lark!"
"I am good and noble!" Inuyasha snapped, his patience already running thin. "Look – are you going to help me or not?!"
"Help you to find yourself? Find your soul?" a young girl piped up at his knee and he scowled.
"I don't need to find myself – I was never lost! And I know where my soul is!" he thumped his chest. "Right here! I'm looking for a pretty-boy Inu Youkai. You seen one around?"
"Don't be silly." Another random woman snorted. "Everyone knows their soul is in their right arm."
"Or left, depending on which side of the brain you use." Another sprite argued.
Inuyasha shook his head. "Look." He said slowly, like he was talking to children, which in a way he was. "I want to find an Inu Youkai. Just tell me – has any Inu Youkai passed through this forest within the last week."
"A pretty Inu Youkai?"
"Yes. Looks like a woman."
"You're jealous." Was the blunt reply.
"What?!" Inuyasha barked angrily.
"Of his superior intelligence and charisma!" a woman crowed by the fire. "You're jealous – yes you are!"
"If I wanted to be the living incarnation of an icicle then I wouldn't have any trouble – get off!" he slapped away the wondering hands of the young girl who'd been exploring his leg a little too far. "I just want a straight answer – yes or no?! Did you see him?!"
"A possibility. We see many things."
"And did your oh so great peripheral vision see the white haired geezer with the fuzzy brush around his shoulder?" Inuyasha demanded. "I need to find him – it's a matter of life and death."
There was a spontaneous sound of sadness of sympathy around the gathered wood sprites. He darted a looked around him in confusion. Weirdoes… every bloody one of them…
"Great sadness dwells in your soul." The girl at his side pointed to his right arm. He rolled his eyes and looked pleadingly up at the heavens.
"Just tell me if you've seen the dog demon and the sadness will go away." He breathed, in fear that if he raised his voice any more than a whisper than it would crack.
"So terrified of his own control…" the old sprite by the fire spoke again. "Will he fall off the straight path again and lose himself to the madness that bubbles under the surface like a scream clawing to escape?"
Perceptive little buggers. "You get paid to be this fucking vague don't you?" he grumbled, shooting the distant horizon a glance over the treetops. The light was beginning to spread as morning approached rapidly towards the crack of dawn.
"Take the leap, why doesn't he?"
"Your quest is in vain anyway."
"You won't survive alone."
Inuyasha absently pushed the wandering sprites hands away again as he scowled at the women around him. "Would you stop with the depressing 'you're doomed' crap – all I want to know is where Sesshomaru is."
The sun peaked over the horizon at that point, and he felt the stir of his awakening Youkai blood within his veins. It was a light tingling sensation that seemed more refreshing than painful as his nails toughened and lengthened, his ears turned furry and pointed and slid upwards on his head. He heard with new clarity the gasp of delight from the sprites as they watched his hair spread white from the roots to the tips like he'd suddenly aged a few hundred years.
"Hanyou!" the old sprite laughed and clapped her hands together. "Do it again!"
"Now we see why you want the Inu Youkai!"
"We shall tell you in that case."
"Where?" Inuyasha felt the exhaustion creep out of his bones as he leaned forward. "Have you seen him? Which way is he heading?" he once more had to push away the hands of the sprite who was now pulling his toes apart to examine the nails.
"Hmmm…" a middle aged sprite inhaled deeply as though breathing in the information to answer his question. "The Inu Youkai… he heads towards the silver mines in the North."
"Silver mines?" Inuyasha echoed. "What's he going there for?"
"We didn't examine his soul. Couldn't. Too many layers – unlike you who's as simple minded as the day you were born." The woman replied. "We found no answers to his motives and questions."
"Fine." He pulled the reins to get the horse moving again. "You've been… helpful…"
"Visit us again when you are whole!" they chorused after him.
"Not on your life!" he yelled over his shoulder as he sped off, heading north again.
^_^
Jakotsu yawned lightly as he picked up his kimono to bunch it around his knees as he waded through the shallow water from the boat to the beach. The cold water nipped at his feet and he hurried the pace up as he clambered out of the water and up a sand dune that had piled up after the destruction of the sand bridge. At the top he dropped his kimono and looked around, scanning the area for some sign of the Hanyou King.
Obviously, it had nearly been two days since Inuyasha had left, and the Hanyou was no where to be seen… but…
Jakotsu's gaze rested on a patch of disturbed sand some distance away. No attempt had been made to hide it… and the indentation in the sand indicated that a person had been lying there only a short while ago. Even better, were the set of bare foot footprints that led away from the disturbed sand, first heading to the waters edge and then doubling back to climb the rising slope to the road above the beach.
It couldn't have been anyone else. And by the looks of things, he was unaware that he was being followed… this was just child's play…
It was a simple matter of just followed the trail up the slope to the road and taking the north way in pursuit of the runaway King. He couldn't wait, it was all he could do to contain his excitement. The Hanyou King was being handed to him on a silver platter. Beautiful King Inuyasha… with the cute ears and the hot little body. So naïve and so aggressive at the same time. He really was just a boy in many ways…
"Hey you!"
Jakotsu perked up and looked behind him to see a band of traders approaching. "Who me?"
"You're a queer looking one, ain't ya?" the lead trader squinted at him.
"Perhaps. I've been told." Jakotsu moved to rest his scabbard on his shoulder, eyeing up the band of men. "I need a horse. Mind if I take one?"
"You'll have to trade something for it." The traders came to a stop a few metres away. "How 'bout that sword?"
"What about it?" Jakotsu lowered it from his shoulder to rest the tip against the ground.
"It's pretty fancy lookin'." The trader nodded. "Show it us and we'll consider a trade."
"By all means…" Jakotsu smiled darkly as he slid Jakotsutou out of its scabbard. "I'll demonstrate for you."
^_^
Kagome hadn't come out of her room for a whole week. Yes, it was natural to grieve so deeply for the loss of a loved one, and Sango understood just as well as anyone else that Kagome had loved Inuyasha, probably more than she loved herself. But now it was getting to the point of real seriousness. She wouldn't eat, she would see anyone and she wouldn't talk through the door to anyone either.
"Kagome?" Sango rested her hands lightly against the door. Her soul ached for her friend, and even more for Inuyasha. But she had to remain strong for Kagome. "Please… Kagome open the door?"
There was no answer.
Miroku had speculated that maybe she wasn't in there. Maybe she'd locked the door against them, pasted ofuda spells over the frame to stop guards breaking it down, then jumped out the window to run away and kill herself by jumping off the same ravine.
He'd earned a heartfelt slap for that.
"Kagome… please!" Sango stressed her words. "You're not eating! You have to at some time or you'll just die! Do you think Inuyasha would want that to happen?"
There was still no answer. But at least she wasn't in any immediate danger. Humans could go without food for weeks some times. Water was more of a pressing problem, but fortunately she seemed to be taking the few goblets that were left outside her door, but only when no one was around.
Sango's nerves were running frayed as it was. She wanted to talk with Kagome, share her pain, and relieve some of her own. "You think you're not the only one suffering here?!" she accused bitterly through the door. "You think after knowing him my whole life – I don't grieve either?!" she thumped the door angrily with her fist. "Kagome! Open the damn door!"
Unsurprisingly, after two weeks of isolation, Kagome still didn't open the door to her friend.
Sango managed to gather herself again and pushed back the tears biting at the edge of her vision. "I'm sorry… I'll bring you you're supper in an hour… you can take it or leave it. It's up to you."
She stepped silently away from the door and stared at it a moment before turning to head back to her chores. She stopped at once when she saw Miroku standing there a few metres away, watching her sadly. He was the one person she couldn't stand to be around. Not because he angered her or irritated her… but because he could see her pain for what it was and know that she was only just managing to hold it together for herself. She couldn't break down and cry… she had to be strong…
Lady Inu was unwell still, and getting worse. Kagome was starving herself and Fushi was making it a daily habit to disappear without a trace, worrying her to no end during the daylight hours and on top of it all. Inuyasha was dead. The kingdom was King-less and everyone was in a state of terror over when the South would invade and conquer.
"Don't hold it in." Miroku told her quietly, seriously.
Sango felt her resolve crumble and her face crumpled into despair as she fell into his arms and sobbed her heart out.
^_^
Something hadn't been right about that body…
Of course it hadn't felt right. He was dead. How was that supposed to feel right?
Kagome narrowed her eyes ever so slightly as she gazed at the ceiling, eyes skimming over the faint grain patterns of the wooden beams that criss-crossed above her head.
She couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw the contents of that coffin. And the few times she had snatched a few hours of sleep after exhausting herself with grief, all she ever dreamed about was the horrible reality that Inuyasha was dead. Well at least it was a change from the dreams where she was the one who died by his hands.
And she couldn't eat, because the sight of the body haunted her, making her want to retch.
She wished she'd never looked at that body.
The last few days she had tried to banish the images from her mind… but for once she just let her mind dwell on it. Why fight what her brain was showing her? Again and again. It was seared into her mind's eye, and it wasn't going to leave her until she accepted it.
His face had been lacerated. Cut up beyond recognition… upon seeing that she had almost wanted to scream that it wasn't him. It couldn't have been Inuyasha. Until she saw his dead and lifeless face she would not accept he was dead! But then she'd seen his ears, drooping back against his pale, familiar hair…
Even if there had been other Hanyou's on the island, she doubted they would all have resembled Inuyasha. Those ears were Inuyasha's…
Even if one of them had been half chewed off by those wild animals.
If she'd been able to sense some kind of aura, she would have known if it was him or not. But she felt nothing other than the cold slumber of death… no familiar warmth of his presence, no unfamiliar presence of a stranger either. Just death.
Her eyes had blurred with tears at that point. She'd tried to examine the rest of him for proof that this was not the man she loved… but she couldn't see! And what little she could see was just too horrific for words…
Why had she asked to see this body?
Inuyasha was gone. That body wasn't him… it was just his empty shell. Flesh and bones. Wherever Inuyasha was… he hadn't been there with her. Maybe now his soul was floating off to nirvana or something stupid like that…
She'd never believed in the afterlife. That had been until Naraku came along of course…
She hoped Inuyasha would have been a good enough person to get into a happy place. Maybe he'd be reincarnated… as a dog maybe? Maybe he'd be reborn as Sango's next child?
No… that had a slightly disturbing sense to it…
Perhaps he was looking down on her right that minute and snorting at her grief. He'd probably tell her to slap it together and get on with life… she was boring to watch when she was just sitting on her bed crying all day. She knew how uncomfortable that made him. He'd tell her to do something interesting… like gardening.
He'd tell her to marry some nice bloke who would take care of her…
Actually… no he wouldn't. Whenever she'd been courted over the last three years, from stable boys to noble friends of his – he'd always clamp down on any developing interests, saying she could do so much better than that kind of trash.
Somehow, she felt that the only person he thought fit to be with her… was himself.
But he didn't give her himself.
He was dead now. Had he ever loved her? Was he crying in his grave, cursing his stupidity for not bearing his glorious feelings to her sooner? Or was he still indifferent?
Kagome closed her eyes briefly and threw an arm over her eyes. As soon as she realised what she'd done she dropped her arm. Inuyasha usually made that same gesture when he was tired or stressed out. They'd shared time together… and although he didn't always seem to make the effort to make time for her, she saw him at least once a day. But that had never be enough for Kagome. But he just didn't seem to care…
She made hints, made occasional discreet moves on him – moves that were innocent enough so she couldn't be accused of trying to hook him. But maybe they were too discreet and innocent, as he never seemed to pick up on it. She helped him with the work-load sometimes. She visited the villages he didn't have time to expect. Of course, for the last few weeks she'd been accompanied by Bankotsu. She hadn't gone out this week…
The people were interesting, and so different from her own culture, but the same in all kinds of ways. They'd gotten used to having humans in the royal circles, since they'd been living with Lady Inu for many years now. Her enthusiasm to learn more about the Inu people was what made her such an adorable person to them. They were only too happy to share knowledge about bloodlines, agriculture, the makings of the kingdom they now lived in.
The people adored her. And she'd fallen in love with the island in return… she could never leave. It was out of the question.
But Inuyasha was dead. And life had diminished completely. People mourned everywhere. The funeral had come and gone. The body had been burned and a new King was to be elected soon. Bankotsu was probably the best candidate… but everyone was still reluctant… he was so new…
They had to wait for direct orders from Lady Inu. As it was, the kingdom was on her shoulders that moment in time. Of course, it was only temporary – but she was the one who would choose the next in line for the throne – be it the stable boy again or the noble friend. Or Bankotsu.
But Lady Inu was ill. She couldn't recognise the faces beside her bed. She mumbled when she was awake and she screamed with nightmares when she slept. She didn't even know Inuyasha was dead…
It would break her when she came out of her fever. Her husband and son taken from her in the space of three years. It would kill her…
But she was the only one who could select a new King.
She should pick Bankotsu, Kagome thought. He seemed good and honest. He made wise decisions and had strength that was questionably equal to Inuyasha's. He'd make a good King… though he may not last long considering he was human after all. It was a human mind that had allowed Inuyasha to go insane anyway.
He'd gone insane. Now he was dead…
A small sound from the adjoining room made her sit up boltright and she looked across the chamber, trying to find the source of the noise. "Who's there?"
A moment's silence.
"Why won't you come out?"
"Fushi?" Kagome's brow creased in concern. "Where are you?"
He edged into the doorway or the adjoining room. "Mama's crying for you."
Kagome stared at him a moment before shaking her head. "How did you get in here?"
"You didn't lock the small window… I fit through." He was looking at her like she was a stranger. Perhaps she was. She didn't feel like the same person who had fled into this room.
"I just… just wanted to be alone for a while, Fushi." She told him, honestly.
"A week alone?" he frowned. "Aren't you bored?"
She gave him a very weak smile. "My mind keeps me busy."
Fushi frowned at that.
She opened her arms and beckoned him forward. He approached but he didn't come into her embrace. He thought he was past the age of needing hugs. She dropped her arms with argument.
He looked down and frowned as he wiggled his bare toes against the boarded floor. "Everyone's saying Uncle Inu's dead…" he continued to watch his big toe. "I haven't seen him in the palace for ages. There was that funeral thing… Mama said I couldn't go. I went out anyway and watched from the sakura trees. Uncle Inu was on the bonfire wasn't he…?"
Kagome nodded silently, praying Inuyasha would forgive her for not being present to honouring his body passing from this world.
"I'm confused." He said, a little sullenly. "He's dead… but… when will he be back?"
Kagome swallowed hard. This was something Sango should have to teach him… it wasn't her place. She'd learnt about death younger than Fushi… she's known that sometimes bad things happened, and people just stopped doing what they usually did. They just stopped. It had scared her for a while, but she had accepted it by the age of four. But Fushi hadn't ever had to deal with the concept of death. He lived in a wealthy palace where no one had died for the last four years… well… for the last seven days at least.
"Where do you go when you die?" Fushi pressed hesitantly. "You come back, don't you? Eventually?"
Kagome shook her head. "Fushi… sometimes people get sick… or get old… and their life leaves them. Their souls leave their broken bodies to be reborn in better bodies… or to explore without the restraints of a physical body…"
"But when will he come back from exploring?" Fushi asked, a little more demanding this time. He was scared.
"Dead people don't come back to their broken bodies…" Kagome told him quietly. "Inuyasha's gone… he's not coming back to us. He may be watching us… maybe he'll visit us later on in life in some other form… but he won't come back."
"But…" Fushi was breathing hard, obviously trying hard not to cry. "But he was here last week! He can't just leave and not say goodbye! That's mean! Won't he miss us?!"
Kagome nodded, finding it hard not to cry as well. "Very much. And we'll remember him forever. I'm sure he'd go on remembering us too. He loved you very much you know… he never wanted children… but I'm certain he was glad to have you as a substitute."
Fushi's brimming eyes locked with hers, and without a moment's hesitation, he threw himself into her arms, sobs wracking his entire body. She held him close, willing away her own responding sobs as hot tears slid down her cheeks to fall on his hair. Sango was going to kill her.
"H-he left! W-without s-saying good b-bye he went!" Fushi stammered against her kimono. "I-if he loved m-me h-he wouldn't do that!" his words so broken with sobs it was hard to tell what he was saying.
"It was too quick. He didn't have the chance." She whispered. If she'd spoke above that her voice would have broken with emotion as well. "He loved you like a real nephew… he used to baby-sit you when you were small… carry you to bed when she first could walk and ran out of your rooms to fall asleep on the stairs… he was your guardian… he will always look out for you. Remember that. Don't think badly of him for leaving so soon."
And I'll try hard not to either…
Where was he now she wondered… if an afterlife truly existed…?
^_^
"Useless… fucking… sprites…" Inuyasha grumbled as he snapped a twig in half again and again until he was left with little pieces. He threw them angrily at the road ahead, punctuation each hissed word. "Couldn't… possibly… be… the gambling hall! Has to be the secret silver mines!"
He hadn't even known there was a silver mine up north, let alone where it was exactly. It was in Iwami… and that country was just a little too far north for his taste. He needed to get this mission done with and back in time to save Kagome before anyone decided to cremate her body and ruin his chances of reviving her.
Where the hell was he anyway?
His narrowed gaze fell on a completely desecrated sign post up ahead. It lay flat on the road and was now tangled in ferns and ivy. He urged the mare forward and stopped beside it to unsheathe Tessaiga and push the green plants aside so he could read the sign.
"Welcome to Kozushima-mura…" he stared with a frown. "Where the hell is Kozushima when it's at home?"
AN: A plot twist is coming rather soon that may have me pulling out my flame proof mac again. Just bear with it and don't shout at me when you're done reading! (I bet that's got all your frustration out now – I'm not telling you what it is though ^_^ you won't have to wait long, I swear!)
Next Chapter – 'The New Ruler'