A/N: I've been MIA for a week or so, I know. But I have access to the net
once again, so you guys get two updates two days in a row... That's right!
Expect the next update tomorrow. For now, read and enjoy.
Golden Fire
Chapter 14: Cave of the Guardian
I woke up in a big luxurious bed, and silently thanked Kuri for remembering to move us former slaves to better rooms. I rolled over and found Shippou looking up at me from the floor. "Morning, Shippou. You're up early."
"It's afternoon already, Kagome."
"Afternoon? Hmm, I guess I missed breakfast then. Where is everyone? Why didn't they wake me up?" I got out of bed and started to root around in my bag for clean clothes.
"Most are still resting and healing. Inuyasha and Miroku are awake though. Kuri too. He says that all the youkai have pledged allegiance to him. They hated Yama as much as we did!" He jumped up onto my shoulder. "Kagome? Why don't you hate Kikyo?" Talk about a change of subject.
I stopped picking lint off my sweater and glanced at him. Sighing, I said, "I don't hate her because I can't hate her. What happened to her was horrible and no one deserves that kind of pain. So you see, I can't hate someone who I have so much pity for."
"She doesn't want pity though. She wants Inuyasha's life."
I took him off my shoulder, set him down on the bed and patted his head. "Inuyasha is in charge of his own life. He will give it to whoever he wishes. I don't think even Kikyo can change that."
Shippou hung his head. "He seems to think he doesn't have a choice."
I grabbed a towel. "He'll realize it sooner or later, Shippou. I'm going to go to the bathhouse now. Try to stay out of trouble, okay?" I gave him a wink and went to find a much needed bath.
///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///
When I came back, a simple green silk kimono was laying on the bed. "Where did you come from?" I asked the garment.
"Kouga said you had to have something nice to wear when you go in front of court today," Shippou piped up. "He hoped it would match your eyes."
I frowned slightly. "I see. What about Sango and Kikyo? Did they get new kimonos too?"
I could see my surrogate son gulp from across the room. "No, they didn't get anything new. He said that you were the only one who needed one because of how dirty your clothes got."
"But I have other clothes," I whispered. I didn't know whether to feel grateful or annoyed. Kouga had been avoiding me ever since I had made it clear that I didn't want to be 'imprinted' again with his smell. Was he trying to buy his way back into my good grace? I sniffed in disgust. Sometimes Kouga really acted like a stuck-up noble. Not to mention, my eyes weren't green.
Shippou tilted his head to one side. "I think you'd look pretty in it." He gave me a sly smile. "Inuyasha would think so too."
I lifted the kimono and held it to my body. Even if Inuyasha did think I looked pretty, he wouldn't admit it to anyone, including himself. Oh, well. I shrugged to myself and shooed out Shippou so that I could change. As an afterthought, I gave him the kimono and told him to give it back to Kouga. After closing the door, I pulled a clean shirt over my head and slipped into jeans. I might not look like a royal lady, but I was presentable.
Fifteen minutes later, I walked into the throne room where I first met Yama. Everyone had apparently woken up, because they all turned to watch me enter the room. "Um, hello, everyone." I could see Kouga frowning slightly in my direction. He held the bundle of green silk loosely in his hands. Inuyasha was talking in low tones to Kikyo and my heart sank. Maybe I should have worn the kimono.
Sango smiled at me. "Kagome, you're just in time. We were going to talk about getting the Orb." She escorted me up to the dais. Kuri was smiling and talking to Sesshoumaru, who was not smiling back but did appear slightly less sour than usual.
Kuri turned his face towards me and gave me a warm grin "Good. We're all here." He set his hands on the armrests and pushed himself out of the throne. "Well, everyone, to get the Orb, it's very simple. You must go into the cave and get it. The entrance is just outside the city gates."
"That's it?" asked Inuyasha with a suspicious glare.
"That's it," Kuri responded calmly. "Of course, Lord Sesshoumaru must have told you about the barrier, and that is your only real obstacle. But I should warn you. They say that not only do you have to pass the barrier, but you must talk to the ghost of the youkai seer who created the Orb."
"So what if we might have to talk to some old crone?"
"She's the guardian of the Orb and, although your intentions might get you past the barrier, you must pass her test as well. That's how the legend goes. Several have gotten past the barrier, but to get past her," he paused, "that's another story."
"What kind of test?" I asked. I really didn't feel like two battles within twenty-four hours.
Kuri paced along the edge of the dais. "No one knows, miko. No one has come back after passing the barrier." He gave me a half-smile. "Don't worry. If I've learned one thing in the past day or so, it's that anything is possible when you're around, Kagome."
///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///
"At least this cave is just one straight path," Sango murmured, "We can't really get lost in here."
"Just wait until we meet the seer," I muttered in return. Glancing behind me, I saw the pinprick of light where we had come in. Kuri had left us there, saying a short goodbye and wishing for our return. I wasn't sure if he wished our return to his city or our return from the cave. Both seemed equally unlikely. He had made it rather clear that he didn't want to see us again until after Naraku was defeated. His city had seen enough trials already, he said. I guessed that he thought we would bring more. He was probably right.
After a few more minutes, the passage widened into a large cavern. Most of it was encased in a shimmering green dome. Slowly, we skirted our way around the edge of cave, carefully avoiding contact with the magical barrier. I don't think any of us were sure of what we were doing. Even Sesshoumaru looked slightly apprehensive.
When we made a full circle, I turned to the others. "Look, we know that we're worthy to pass this barrier. No one has a greater reason to need that Orb than to stop Naraku. So let's just do this."
"I think it's the old crone that we're worried about, Kagome," pointed out Kouga. "It's not very promising that no one has returned from taking her test." Silence followed this statement and I frowned at the wolf prince. He could be as cynical as Inuyasha sometimes.
We heard a small shriek and looked over in time to see Sesshoumaru kicking Jaken through the barrier. He landed on his head on the other side, but otherwise seemed to be in good health. The Western Lord turned to the rest of us and met our shocked expressions with a calm gaze of his own. "If he can pass the barrier, so can we."
"Um, well, that's not the method I was thinking of," I said, "but it works." I reached out and touched the green magical wall. It felt like rippling water underneath my fingertips. I stepped through and looked around me. In the center of the dome, there was a huge rectangular stone that had obviously been carved with primitive tools. Beside it stood an old woman, very similar to Kaede, except that she had the wings of a dragonfly.
As soon as we were all inside the dome, the youkai woman bowed. "Greetings to you. I suppose that you have come to claim the Orb, hmm?" She smiled and I remembered my grandmother giving me that same smile right before she died. It was reassurance in the face of the inevitable.
"Listen," Inuyasha began, "just give us the Orb, okay? We're in a hurry."
The rest of us gave quiet sighs of exasperation, but the old woman just laughed. "But, my dear hanyou, I have all the time in the world. I'm the spirit of a dead woman, you see."
Before Inuyasha could say anything else, I stepped forward. "Please, we really do need the Orb. We want to use it to defeat an evil demon whose only pleasure is in making other people miserable. I know that our intentions are good enough to use the Orb."
She nodded. "I know that, my child, because you were able to pass through the barrier. Now, however, you must pass my final test. I foresaw the heart of the person to take the Orb, not the face, unfortunately. I must give you a warning though. If you fail my test, you will die. You must be willing to risk everything. However, if you chose to not take the test, I will let you go on your way again."
"Do we all have to take it?" asked Miroku. "Do we have to risk all of our lives?"
"No. For if only one passes the test, they will become the glue that holds you together until the end of your task, whether it end in success or failure."
"But I thought this thing guaranteed success!" yelled Inuyasha. "Now you're telling me that one of us might die and then it might not even work?" He threw a few angry glances at his brother, who just responded with a small shrug.
"It all depends on who uses the Orb, hanyou. A few of you have potential, but only one can be the Orb's true master." She tilted her head at Inuyasha's perplexed expression. "In other words, it might work for you since you're using it for its purpose, but if this demon Naraku got hold of the Orb, it would not work for him, because of his evil heart."
"Good. Sesshoumaru can't use it, then," muttered Inuyasha. His brother just narrowed his eyes. "But one of us has to."
Quiet bickering began. Various members of the group were volunteering, while others were pointing out why we couldn't afford to lose them if they failed. I scrunched my nose in thought for a second before speaking up. Over the noise, I declared, "I'll take the test."
Everyone stopped talking immediately. "What? No way!" Inuyasha got into my face. "Stupid girl! What the hell are you thinking?"
"Inuyasha, sit!" I watched in satisfaction as he landed on his face. Crouching down, I brushed his hair out of his face as he snarled at me. "Inuyasha, I know you don't understand, but I'm the only logical choice. The rest of you are needed to fight and Kikyo can detect shards in my place. Please, let me take this chance. I need to do something for this group."
"Kagome." Yuki stepped forward. "I can see that you're determined, but please consider what you're doing. Your family is waiting back at the village."
I smiled at her. "I know that. I also know that I'm going to pass this test."
Sango raised an eyebrow at me. "Can you be sure of that?"
Shippou looked up at me with fear in his eyes and tugged on my jeans, silently begging me to not go. But I had to. "Yep!" I chirped back to Sango. I patted Shippou on the head and faced the youkai seer. She gave me a soft smile and shooed the others out of the dome.
So there I was, alone with a dragonfly youkai fortuneteller. "Come here, child," she said, beckoning to me with her clawed hands. She turned her back to me and faced the stone.
I stood next to her, wondering when and if she was going to say anything. After a few minutes, I whispered, "What should I be doing?"
"What's your greatest fear, child?"
I frowned, already not liking this. I looked behind me, trying to find my friends, but the barrier didn't allow me to see the golden eyes that I needed desperately to see. "I fear losing the people I love," I responded as I realized its truth. I gave her a crooked smile. "That's kind of a cliché though, huh?"
"I suppose so, but not a surprising one." She turned to me. "But the real question is, would you use the Orb, even if you knew that they would die? Would you kill them to kill Naraku?"
My breath caught in my throat. Surely, she didn't mean to say that if we used this Orb, that all my friends would die? I gave her a piercing stare. "No," I choked out. "Never. I don't care if it's the only way to kill Naraku. I won't lose them."
"If Naraku lives, you will lose them anyway. And your own life as well. This is the only way. Remember, my girl, I am a seer."
"No!" I screamed, making her jerk backwards in surprise. "There must be another way! I'm not losing them! I love them!" Tears started to flow. "If it means I lose them, I don't want it!" I slammed my fist down onto the rock.
It began to shake and glow. I stopped crying and looked at the youkai seer in shock. "Congratulations, child. You have the heart that can control the Orb. To care about others' welfare so much and not want the power of defeating Naraku. Impressive, I must say."
With a final burst of light, the Orb of Sada appeared on the stone. She picked it up and handed it to me. "That was it?" I asked. "That was the test?"
"Of course, child. What did you expect? A hand to hand fight with me?" She laughed softly. "Because, if that was true, the Orb would have been gone long ago. I have found that a short, simple test of loyalty is the best."
I stared at the clear crystal filling my hand. "But no one has refused to sacrifice their friends?"
"You would be surprised, child. Besides, most of the seekers of the Orb have been youkai, and they usually fear a loss of their power or land. And they are never willing to risk that. They would rather die. And so they do." During her short speech, the seer began to fade.
"Thank you." Then, I had a sudden thought. "Wait! My friends won't die, will they?" I reached out to her.
Her translucent fingertips brushed mine. "I do not choose what I see, child." She gave me a sad smile. "As much as fate may play a part in our lives, it is our choices that truly dictate our future. I see blood and I see rage. I see death in many forms. Do not worry, though. Mostly, I see love." She disappeared. There was a gentle hiss and the barrier vanished.
"Kagome! You're alive!" Shippou ran and hugged me fiercely.
"Of course I am, silly. I wouldn't lie to you guys." I was shaking slightly. "Come on, let's go." I ignored Inuyasha's glare and walked out of the caves with the group at my heels.
///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///
Without stopping in the City again, we walked through the twisted tunnels to leave the Demon City territory.
As soon as we exited the tunnel, Yuki stretched beside me in her usual leather outfit. "As nice as Kuri is, it's nice to be out of court. Yama's harem was still hanging around." She smiled. "Specifically around Lord Sesshoumaru."
He gave Yuki such an annoyed look, that the rest of us burst out laughing. Even Inuyasha and Kikyo smirked.
"Well, now. What are we laughing at?"
Black Death stepped out of the trees to our right, wearing a trench coat over his usual black clothes. We all immediately tensed and drew our weapons. He moved forward and took off the black cloth that covered his face. I was surprised to see a rather handsome, young man, despite his red eyes and flame-colored hair.
Yuki took in a sharp breath. "Ryu!"
He gave her a wicked grin. "Hello, lover."
Golden Fire
Chapter 14: Cave of the Guardian
I woke up in a big luxurious bed, and silently thanked Kuri for remembering to move us former slaves to better rooms. I rolled over and found Shippou looking up at me from the floor. "Morning, Shippou. You're up early."
"It's afternoon already, Kagome."
"Afternoon? Hmm, I guess I missed breakfast then. Where is everyone? Why didn't they wake me up?" I got out of bed and started to root around in my bag for clean clothes.
"Most are still resting and healing. Inuyasha and Miroku are awake though. Kuri too. He says that all the youkai have pledged allegiance to him. They hated Yama as much as we did!" He jumped up onto my shoulder. "Kagome? Why don't you hate Kikyo?" Talk about a change of subject.
I stopped picking lint off my sweater and glanced at him. Sighing, I said, "I don't hate her because I can't hate her. What happened to her was horrible and no one deserves that kind of pain. So you see, I can't hate someone who I have so much pity for."
"She doesn't want pity though. She wants Inuyasha's life."
I took him off my shoulder, set him down on the bed and patted his head. "Inuyasha is in charge of his own life. He will give it to whoever he wishes. I don't think even Kikyo can change that."
Shippou hung his head. "He seems to think he doesn't have a choice."
I grabbed a towel. "He'll realize it sooner or later, Shippou. I'm going to go to the bathhouse now. Try to stay out of trouble, okay?" I gave him a wink and went to find a much needed bath.
///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///
When I came back, a simple green silk kimono was laying on the bed. "Where did you come from?" I asked the garment.
"Kouga said you had to have something nice to wear when you go in front of court today," Shippou piped up. "He hoped it would match your eyes."
I frowned slightly. "I see. What about Sango and Kikyo? Did they get new kimonos too?"
I could see my surrogate son gulp from across the room. "No, they didn't get anything new. He said that you were the only one who needed one because of how dirty your clothes got."
"But I have other clothes," I whispered. I didn't know whether to feel grateful or annoyed. Kouga had been avoiding me ever since I had made it clear that I didn't want to be 'imprinted' again with his smell. Was he trying to buy his way back into my good grace? I sniffed in disgust. Sometimes Kouga really acted like a stuck-up noble. Not to mention, my eyes weren't green.
Shippou tilted his head to one side. "I think you'd look pretty in it." He gave me a sly smile. "Inuyasha would think so too."
I lifted the kimono and held it to my body. Even if Inuyasha did think I looked pretty, he wouldn't admit it to anyone, including himself. Oh, well. I shrugged to myself and shooed out Shippou so that I could change. As an afterthought, I gave him the kimono and told him to give it back to Kouga. After closing the door, I pulled a clean shirt over my head and slipped into jeans. I might not look like a royal lady, but I was presentable.
Fifteen minutes later, I walked into the throne room where I first met Yama. Everyone had apparently woken up, because they all turned to watch me enter the room. "Um, hello, everyone." I could see Kouga frowning slightly in my direction. He held the bundle of green silk loosely in his hands. Inuyasha was talking in low tones to Kikyo and my heart sank. Maybe I should have worn the kimono.
Sango smiled at me. "Kagome, you're just in time. We were going to talk about getting the Orb." She escorted me up to the dais. Kuri was smiling and talking to Sesshoumaru, who was not smiling back but did appear slightly less sour than usual.
Kuri turned his face towards me and gave me a warm grin "Good. We're all here." He set his hands on the armrests and pushed himself out of the throne. "Well, everyone, to get the Orb, it's very simple. You must go into the cave and get it. The entrance is just outside the city gates."
"That's it?" asked Inuyasha with a suspicious glare.
"That's it," Kuri responded calmly. "Of course, Lord Sesshoumaru must have told you about the barrier, and that is your only real obstacle. But I should warn you. They say that not only do you have to pass the barrier, but you must talk to the ghost of the youkai seer who created the Orb."
"So what if we might have to talk to some old crone?"
"She's the guardian of the Orb and, although your intentions might get you past the barrier, you must pass her test as well. That's how the legend goes. Several have gotten past the barrier, but to get past her," he paused, "that's another story."
"What kind of test?" I asked. I really didn't feel like two battles within twenty-four hours.
Kuri paced along the edge of the dais. "No one knows, miko. No one has come back after passing the barrier." He gave me a half-smile. "Don't worry. If I've learned one thing in the past day or so, it's that anything is possible when you're around, Kagome."
///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///
"At least this cave is just one straight path," Sango murmured, "We can't really get lost in here."
"Just wait until we meet the seer," I muttered in return. Glancing behind me, I saw the pinprick of light where we had come in. Kuri had left us there, saying a short goodbye and wishing for our return. I wasn't sure if he wished our return to his city or our return from the cave. Both seemed equally unlikely. He had made it rather clear that he didn't want to see us again until after Naraku was defeated. His city had seen enough trials already, he said. I guessed that he thought we would bring more. He was probably right.
After a few more minutes, the passage widened into a large cavern. Most of it was encased in a shimmering green dome. Slowly, we skirted our way around the edge of cave, carefully avoiding contact with the magical barrier. I don't think any of us were sure of what we were doing. Even Sesshoumaru looked slightly apprehensive.
When we made a full circle, I turned to the others. "Look, we know that we're worthy to pass this barrier. No one has a greater reason to need that Orb than to stop Naraku. So let's just do this."
"I think it's the old crone that we're worried about, Kagome," pointed out Kouga. "It's not very promising that no one has returned from taking her test." Silence followed this statement and I frowned at the wolf prince. He could be as cynical as Inuyasha sometimes.
We heard a small shriek and looked over in time to see Sesshoumaru kicking Jaken through the barrier. He landed on his head on the other side, but otherwise seemed to be in good health. The Western Lord turned to the rest of us and met our shocked expressions with a calm gaze of his own. "If he can pass the barrier, so can we."
"Um, well, that's not the method I was thinking of," I said, "but it works." I reached out and touched the green magical wall. It felt like rippling water underneath my fingertips. I stepped through and looked around me. In the center of the dome, there was a huge rectangular stone that had obviously been carved with primitive tools. Beside it stood an old woman, very similar to Kaede, except that she had the wings of a dragonfly.
As soon as we were all inside the dome, the youkai woman bowed. "Greetings to you. I suppose that you have come to claim the Orb, hmm?" She smiled and I remembered my grandmother giving me that same smile right before she died. It was reassurance in the face of the inevitable.
"Listen," Inuyasha began, "just give us the Orb, okay? We're in a hurry."
The rest of us gave quiet sighs of exasperation, but the old woman just laughed. "But, my dear hanyou, I have all the time in the world. I'm the spirit of a dead woman, you see."
Before Inuyasha could say anything else, I stepped forward. "Please, we really do need the Orb. We want to use it to defeat an evil demon whose only pleasure is in making other people miserable. I know that our intentions are good enough to use the Orb."
She nodded. "I know that, my child, because you were able to pass through the barrier. Now, however, you must pass my final test. I foresaw the heart of the person to take the Orb, not the face, unfortunately. I must give you a warning though. If you fail my test, you will die. You must be willing to risk everything. However, if you chose to not take the test, I will let you go on your way again."
"Do we all have to take it?" asked Miroku. "Do we have to risk all of our lives?"
"No. For if only one passes the test, they will become the glue that holds you together until the end of your task, whether it end in success or failure."
"But I thought this thing guaranteed success!" yelled Inuyasha. "Now you're telling me that one of us might die and then it might not even work?" He threw a few angry glances at his brother, who just responded with a small shrug.
"It all depends on who uses the Orb, hanyou. A few of you have potential, but only one can be the Orb's true master." She tilted her head at Inuyasha's perplexed expression. "In other words, it might work for you since you're using it for its purpose, but if this demon Naraku got hold of the Orb, it would not work for him, because of his evil heart."
"Good. Sesshoumaru can't use it, then," muttered Inuyasha. His brother just narrowed his eyes. "But one of us has to."
Quiet bickering began. Various members of the group were volunteering, while others were pointing out why we couldn't afford to lose them if they failed. I scrunched my nose in thought for a second before speaking up. Over the noise, I declared, "I'll take the test."
Everyone stopped talking immediately. "What? No way!" Inuyasha got into my face. "Stupid girl! What the hell are you thinking?"
"Inuyasha, sit!" I watched in satisfaction as he landed on his face. Crouching down, I brushed his hair out of his face as he snarled at me. "Inuyasha, I know you don't understand, but I'm the only logical choice. The rest of you are needed to fight and Kikyo can detect shards in my place. Please, let me take this chance. I need to do something for this group."
"Kagome." Yuki stepped forward. "I can see that you're determined, but please consider what you're doing. Your family is waiting back at the village."
I smiled at her. "I know that. I also know that I'm going to pass this test."
Sango raised an eyebrow at me. "Can you be sure of that?"
Shippou looked up at me with fear in his eyes and tugged on my jeans, silently begging me to not go. But I had to. "Yep!" I chirped back to Sango. I patted Shippou on the head and faced the youkai seer. She gave me a soft smile and shooed the others out of the dome.
So there I was, alone with a dragonfly youkai fortuneteller. "Come here, child," she said, beckoning to me with her clawed hands. She turned her back to me and faced the stone.
I stood next to her, wondering when and if she was going to say anything. After a few minutes, I whispered, "What should I be doing?"
"What's your greatest fear, child?"
I frowned, already not liking this. I looked behind me, trying to find my friends, but the barrier didn't allow me to see the golden eyes that I needed desperately to see. "I fear losing the people I love," I responded as I realized its truth. I gave her a crooked smile. "That's kind of a cliché though, huh?"
"I suppose so, but not a surprising one." She turned to me. "But the real question is, would you use the Orb, even if you knew that they would die? Would you kill them to kill Naraku?"
My breath caught in my throat. Surely, she didn't mean to say that if we used this Orb, that all my friends would die? I gave her a piercing stare. "No," I choked out. "Never. I don't care if it's the only way to kill Naraku. I won't lose them."
"If Naraku lives, you will lose them anyway. And your own life as well. This is the only way. Remember, my girl, I am a seer."
"No!" I screamed, making her jerk backwards in surprise. "There must be another way! I'm not losing them! I love them!" Tears started to flow. "If it means I lose them, I don't want it!" I slammed my fist down onto the rock.
It began to shake and glow. I stopped crying and looked at the youkai seer in shock. "Congratulations, child. You have the heart that can control the Orb. To care about others' welfare so much and not want the power of defeating Naraku. Impressive, I must say."
With a final burst of light, the Orb of Sada appeared on the stone. She picked it up and handed it to me. "That was it?" I asked. "That was the test?"
"Of course, child. What did you expect? A hand to hand fight with me?" She laughed softly. "Because, if that was true, the Orb would have been gone long ago. I have found that a short, simple test of loyalty is the best."
I stared at the clear crystal filling my hand. "But no one has refused to sacrifice their friends?"
"You would be surprised, child. Besides, most of the seekers of the Orb have been youkai, and they usually fear a loss of their power or land. And they are never willing to risk that. They would rather die. And so they do." During her short speech, the seer began to fade.
"Thank you." Then, I had a sudden thought. "Wait! My friends won't die, will they?" I reached out to her.
Her translucent fingertips brushed mine. "I do not choose what I see, child." She gave me a sad smile. "As much as fate may play a part in our lives, it is our choices that truly dictate our future. I see blood and I see rage. I see death in many forms. Do not worry, though. Mostly, I see love." She disappeared. There was a gentle hiss and the barrier vanished.
"Kagome! You're alive!" Shippou ran and hugged me fiercely.
"Of course I am, silly. I wouldn't lie to you guys." I was shaking slightly. "Come on, let's go." I ignored Inuyasha's glare and walked out of the caves with the group at my heels.
///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///*///
Without stopping in the City again, we walked through the twisted tunnels to leave the Demon City territory.
As soon as we exited the tunnel, Yuki stretched beside me in her usual leather outfit. "As nice as Kuri is, it's nice to be out of court. Yama's harem was still hanging around." She smiled. "Specifically around Lord Sesshoumaru."
He gave Yuki such an annoyed look, that the rest of us burst out laughing. Even Inuyasha and Kikyo smirked.
"Well, now. What are we laughing at?"
Black Death stepped out of the trees to our right, wearing a trench coat over his usual black clothes. We all immediately tensed and drew our weapons. He moved forward and took off the black cloth that covered his face. I was surprised to see a rather handsome, young man, despite his red eyes and flame-colored hair.
Yuki took in a sharp breath. "Ryu!"
He gave her a wicked grin. "Hello, lover."
