Golden Fire
Chapter 6: The Orb of Sada
Our newest ally sat calmly as he listened to our story. He hardly flinched when I told him of the well and the existence of a different Japan. He nodded solemnly as I described the Yakuza's maniacal desire for the Shikon no Tama. Put that together with the fact that he was actually acknowledging me, a human, and, all in all, he was being a good listener. How can brothers be so different?
"Well," he began, "that certainly explains a lot. Like your odd kimono and the reports I have been receiving."
"What reports?" asked Inuyasha. He eyed his brother suspiciously.
"Of a man robed completely in black who seems to enjoy killing, yet takes no spoils. His victims wear their jewels until thieves or friends find them. Not human, nor demon, as far as anyone can tell."
I shuddered. "That definitely sounds like our guy. I wonder how he made it through the barrier we put on the well though? And why didn't he just come and kill us if he's been around for the past week or so?"
Sesshoumaru looked surprised. "Week? I've been receiving reports like this for three months. I have tried to find him myself several times, but he only holds the scent of evil and death. It is as if he has no scent of his own, and that is very difficult to track."
"That's impossible, Sesshoumaru!" answered Inuyasha. "I would have smelled that guy if he came out of the well in the past three months!"
"Perhaps there is another portal to your woman's time, little brother."
I watched Inuyasha blush as I felt my own blood rise to the surface. He huffed. "She isn't my woman, idiot. And how can there be another portal?"
The youkai lord didn't answer for a few minutes. When he did, his answer came slowly. "Naraku holds much power. If he desired another portal, I have no doubt that he could create one. You say this Yakuza of yours has been under another's influence. Naraku could easily hold sway over some weak humans from the future."
My eyes widened. "But, that would require a tremendous amount of power. Naraku must be more powerful than we originally thought if he can do that."
Sesshoumaru stared at me. "This is happy news, if it is the truth. Instead of two separate foes, you have one. Defeat Naraku and the jewel will be complete and your family can return to your time."
"But how can we defeat him?"
He looked down to Rin, who had fallen asleep at his feet. Even in sleep, she clung to his leg. Finally, he returned his gaze to Inuyasha and me. "I believe that we cannot beat his power before weakening it. For that, we must use the Orb of Sada." Sesshoumaru looked around and saw nothing but blank faces. Instantly, his old sneer was back. "Well, aren't I stuck with a pack of idiots? A powerful youkai seer created the Orb of Sada after prophesizing that only it could defeat the great evil yet to come. It has laid in its resting place for centuries with a barrier that rebuffs anyone who comes near it."
"Then how're we supposed to get it, genius?" growled Inuyasha. He shrugged off the hand that I put on his arm.
"Legend says that the barrier will break to the one who wants to use it for its true purpose. To vanquish the great evil. Who is to say that the great evil is not Naraku?"
"So you want us to go find this dusty old orb that's probably in some damp cave somewhere and hope that this barrier breaks for us?" Inuyasha had stood up and crossed his arms by now. "No way. That wastes way too much time that we could be using to look for shards!"
"Fool!" spat Sesshoumaru, his eyes flashing red again. "This is the only way! Naraku has all the remaining shards! Soon, he will come for you and your weak human friends. And then, you will regret the day you did not heed my words!"
I stood up. "Fine! Fine, Sesshoumaru. We'll go and find this Orb and hope it works. Where is it?""
His eyes returned to their natural amber color. "That is the difficulty of this plan. It lies in a dungeon of the Lord Yama in the center of the Demon City, which is surrounded by perilous mountains."
"So, it should be a piece of cake," muttered Inuyasha. "Fine, I'll go, Sesshoumaru. But don't get any ideas, especially about the Tetsusaiga."
"I wouldn't dream of it, little brother."
Inuyasha stalked off. Sesshoumaru shifted his gaze onto me. "I suppose my arm will not be returned tonight?"
I flashed an apologetic look towards him. "Tomorrow, I promise."
He nodded and scooped up Rin. She snuggled into his fur instantly and I could have sworn I saw him give her a tender look. He walked to his part of the camp as I decided to find Inuyasha.
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He wasn't that hard to find. His curses would bring creatures from a mile around, if they had any care to investigate. I watched him for a few moments, mostly because he was aware of my presence and could choose when to acknowledge it. I got impatient, though.
"Why are you ignoring me, Inuyasha?"
"Feh. Go back to camp, wench." He swung Tetsusaiga a few times, with his back turned to me.
"No. Not until you answer me. Why have you been ignoring me?" I walked close enough so that he had to stop practicing with Tetsusaiga. I knew he would never hurt me.
"Go back to camp where you belong. It's safe there."
"Aren't I safe here? I'm with the great Inuyasha after all." I gave him a half-hearted smile, but he didn't notice.
"I told you to go back!" He suddenly pushed me back, almost making me lose my balance. "Go back to him!" He stopped and glared at me, as if I had made him admit something.
"Is this about Kouga? How you spied on us the other day?"
"Hey! I was there to make sure he didn't do anything!"
I rolled my eyes. "Oh come on, Inuyasha, Kouga would never hurt me. And even if he did, it's not like you would care."
"I would care! You're my shard detector and nothing can happen to you until the jewel is completed!"
"Fine, Inuyasha! This is what's going to happen. We finish the jewel, you become youkai, I go home." He looked shocked at my outburst, so I continued before he could recover. "Actually, I think I'll stay here. After all, even if Naraku dies, I might not be safe in my era. I'll just stay here with Miroku and Sango and Shippou." I lowered my voice. "And Kouga. I'll stay with Kouga. At least he cares about me, Kagome, not me, the shard detector."
"And what about me?" His voice sounded hoarse, and although his arms were crossed, his eyes held no anger.
"You do what you want, Inuyasha," I responded, keeping my voice to a whisper. "You want to become youkai and be with Kikyo until she drags you into hell. Just like you promised her. So you can do that. I won't stand in your way."
I turned and walked away, back to camp. Even without demon hearing, I could tell he made no move to follow me. He just stood, staring at my back.
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I returned to camp trembling but dry-eyed. I sat down next to Yuki, who had been silent since her secret had been revealed hours before. Shippou jumped into my lap and hugged me. I felt better instantly. The little kitsune was a good friend, even though he was so young.
He turned to Yuki. "What kind of youkai are you?"
She looked startled at his question, and then noticed the rest of the group turning to hear her answer. "I'm a mixed breed," she answered simply.
"Yeah, I figured that. You don't look like one kind or another. What kinds of youkai are you then?"
Yuki tilted her head. "If you really wish to know, I am half kitsune and half snow demon, hence the name."
"Snow demon?" Shippou studied her. "You don't look like any snow demon I've ever seen. But you're a fox demon? That's so cool!" He bounced up and clapped his hands.
Yuki gave him a rare smile. "It is because I'm half kitsune that you can't tell I'm a snow demon. It's also the reason you could not tell I was a demon at all."
"How does that work?" Miroku asked from across the clearing. Sango watched him warily for a perverted comment, but saw that he was genuinely interested.
"Fox demons specialize in illusions. Many of those tricks you see us do are not actually real. However, they fool the senses into believing it is, in fact, reality. Adult kitsune can become so accomplished that their illusions are indistinguishable from the real thing. I wished to look and smell human, and so it happened. But if I let the façade fall away, I would once again be my normal demon self, quite like Sesshoumaru, Shippou and Kouga."
"Then why could Sesshoumaru smell your youkai blood?" Sango asked.
Yuki shrugged. "I lose my concentration when my life's in danger or when I'm angry. I was both at that moment."
"Do you have a tail?" I let the question slip before I could stop myself. I groaned inwardly. I sounded like Shippou, and now Sesshoumaru's eyes were glaring at me from across the fire.
To my surprise, Yuki gave a slight chuckle. "No, I do not have a tail. I inherited my mother's kitsune skills, but my father's snow demon appearance. I look like a full-blooded snow demon, although I possess hardly any of their powers. I doubt I could put our fire out."
"Don't try," warned Sango. "It's cold enough as it is."
"I'll warm you up, Lady Sango." Miroku moved closer to the demon exterminator, but was only rewarded with a large bump on his head.
"I don't think so, monk."
Chapter 6: The Orb of Sada
Our newest ally sat calmly as he listened to our story. He hardly flinched when I told him of the well and the existence of a different Japan. He nodded solemnly as I described the Yakuza's maniacal desire for the Shikon no Tama. Put that together with the fact that he was actually acknowledging me, a human, and, all in all, he was being a good listener. How can brothers be so different?
"Well," he began, "that certainly explains a lot. Like your odd kimono and the reports I have been receiving."
"What reports?" asked Inuyasha. He eyed his brother suspiciously.
"Of a man robed completely in black who seems to enjoy killing, yet takes no spoils. His victims wear their jewels until thieves or friends find them. Not human, nor demon, as far as anyone can tell."
I shuddered. "That definitely sounds like our guy. I wonder how he made it through the barrier we put on the well though? And why didn't he just come and kill us if he's been around for the past week or so?"
Sesshoumaru looked surprised. "Week? I've been receiving reports like this for three months. I have tried to find him myself several times, but he only holds the scent of evil and death. It is as if he has no scent of his own, and that is very difficult to track."
"That's impossible, Sesshoumaru!" answered Inuyasha. "I would have smelled that guy if he came out of the well in the past three months!"
"Perhaps there is another portal to your woman's time, little brother."
I watched Inuyasha blush as I felt my own blood rise to the surface. He huffed. "She isn't my woman, idiot. And how can there be another portal?"
The youkai lord didn't answer for a few minutes. When he did, his answer came slowly. "Naraku holds much power. If he desired another portal, I have no doubt that he could create one. You say this Yakuza of yours has been under another's influence. Naraku could easily hold sway over some weak humans from the future."
My eyes widened. "But, that would require a tremendous amount of power. Naraku must be more powerful than we originally thought if he can do that."
Sesshoumaru stared at me. "This is happy news, if it is the truth. Instead of two separate foes, you have one. Defeat Naraku and the jewel will be complete and your family can return to your time."
"But how can we defeat him?"
He looked down to Rin, who had fallen asleep at his feet. Even in sleep, she clung to his leg. Finally, he returned his gaze to Inuyasha and me. "I believe that we cannot beat his power before weakening it. For that, we must use the Orb of Sada." Sesshoumaru looked around and saw nothing but blank faces. Instantly, his old sneer was back. "Well, aren't I stuck with a pack of idiots? A powerful youkai seer created the Orb of Sada after prophesizing that only it could defeat the great evil yet to come. It has laid in its resting place for centuries with a barrier that rebuffs anyone who comes near it."
"Then how're we supposed to get it, genius?" growled Inuyasha. He shrugged off the hand that I put on his arm.
"Legend says that the barrier will break to the one who wants to use it for its true purpose. To vanquish the great evil. Who is to say that the great evil is not Naraku?"
"So you want us to go find this dusty old orb that's probably in some damp cave somewhere and hope that this barrier breaks for us?" Inuyasha had stood up and crossed his arms by now. "No way. That wastes way too much time that we could be using to look for shards!"
"Fool!" spat Sesshoumaru, his eyes flashing red again. "This is the only way! Naraku has all the remaining shards! Soon, he will come for you and your weak human friends. And then, you will regret the day you did not heed my words!"
I stood up. "Fine! Fine, Sesshoumaru. We'll go and find this Orb and hope it works. Where is it?""
His eyes returned to their natural amber color. "That is the difficulty of this plan. It lies in a dungeon of the Lord Yama in the center of the Demon City, which is surrounded by perilous mountains."
"So, it should be a piece of cake," muttered Inuyasha. "Fine, I'll go, Sesshoumaru. But don't get any ideas, especially about the Tetsusaiga."
"I wouldn't dream of it, little brother."
Inuyasha stalked off. Sesshoumaru shifted his gaze onto me. "I suppose my arm will not be returned tonight?"
I flashed an apologetic look towards him. "Tomorrow, I promise."
He nodded and scooped up Rin. She snuggled into his fur instantly and I could have sworn I saw him give her a tender look. He walked to his part of the camp as I decided to find Inuyasha.
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He wasn't that hard to find. His curses would bring creatures from a mile around, if they had any care to investigate. I watched him for a few moments, mostly because he was aware of my presence and could choose when to acknowledge it. I got impatient, though.
"Why are you ignoring me, Inuyasha?"
"Feh. Go back to camp, wench." He swung Tetsusaiga a few times, with his back turned to me.
"No. Not until you answer me. Why have you been ignoring me?" I walked close enough so that he had to stop practicing with Tetsusaiga. I knew he would never hurt me.
"Go back to camp where you belong. It's safe there."
"Aren't I safe here? I'm with the great Inuyasha after all." I gave him a half-hearted smile, but he didn't notice.
"I told you to go back!" He suddenly pushed me back, almost making me lose my balance. "Go back to him!" He stopped and glared at me, as if I had made him admit something.
"Is this about Kouga? How you spied on us the other day?"
"Hey! I was there to make sure he didn't do anything!"
I rolled my eyes. "Oh come on, Inuyasha, Kouga would never hurt me. And even if he did, it's not like you would care."
"I would care! You're my shard detector and nothing can happen to you until the jewel is completed!"
"Fine, Inuyasha! This is what's going to happen. We finish the jewel, you become youkai, I go home." He looked shocked at my outburst, so I continued before he could recover. "Actually, I think I'll stay here. After all, even if Naraku dies, I might not be safe in my era. I'll just stay here with Miroku and Sango and Shippou." I lowered my voice. "And Kouga. I'll stay with Kouga. At least he cares about me, Kagome, not me, the shard detector."
"And what about me?" His voice sounded hoarse, and although his arms were crossed, his eyes held no anger.
"You do what you want, Inuyasha," I responded, keeping my voice to a whisper. "You want to become youkai and be with Kikyo until she drags you into hell. Just like you promised her. So you can do that. I won't stand in your way."
I turned and walked away, back to camp. Even without demon hearing, I could tell he made no move to follow me. He just stood, staring at my back.
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I returned to camp trembling but dry-eyed. I sat down next to Yuki, who had been silent since her secret had been revealed hours before. Shippou jumped into my lap and hugged me. I felt better instantly. The little kitsune was a good friend, even though he was so young.
He turned to Yuki. "What kind of youkai are you?"
She looked startled at his question, and then noticed the rest of the group turning to hear her answer. "I'm a mixed breed," she answered simply.
"Yeah, I figured that. You don't look like one kind or another. What kinds of youkai are you then?"
Yuki tilted her head. "If you really wish to know, I am half kitsune and half snow demon, hence the name."
"Snow demon?" Shippou studied her. "You don't look like any snow demon I've ever seen. But you're a fox demon? That's so cool!" He bounced up and clapped his hands.
Yuki gave him a rare smile. "It is because I'm half kitsune that you can't tell I'm a snow demon. It's also the reason you could not tell I was a demon at all."
"How does that work?" Miroku asked from across the clearing. Sango watched him warily for a perverted comment, but saw that he was genuinely interested.
"Fox demons specialize in illusions. Many of those tricks you see us do are not actually real. However, they fool the senses into believing it is, in fact, reality. Adult kitsune can become so accomplished that their illusions are indistinguishable from the real thing. I wished to look and smell human, and so it happened. But if I let the façade fall away, I would once again be my normal demon self, quite like Sesshoumaru, Shippou and Kouga."
"Then why could Sesshoumaru smell your youkai blood?" Sango asked.
Yuki shrugged. "I lose my concentration when my life's in danger or when I'm angry. I was both at that moment."
"Do you have a tail?" I let the question slip before I could stop myself. I groaned inwardly. I sounded like Shippou, and now Sesshoumaru's eyes were glaring at me from across the fire.
To my surprise, Yuki gave a slight chuckle. "No, I do not have a tail. I inherited my mother's kitsune skills, but my father's snow demon appearance. I look like a full-blooded snow demon, although I possess hardly any of their powers. I doubt I could put our fire out."
"Don't try," warned Sango. "It's cold enough as it is."
"I'll warm you up, Lady Sango." Miroku moved closer to the demon exterminator, but was only rewarded with a large bump on his head.
"I don't think so, monk."
