A God's Game
VI. A Mother's Legacy
He was looking at the mirror again. He had been doing that recently, spying on the Tapestry of Fate in hopes of learning what was to come. True, it was illegal, and he knew he should not do what he was doing, but there was a sixth sense in him that told him if he did not find out what fate had in store for them, he would never have the chance to find out again.
He usually wasn't the type to believe in the end of the world, or the end of the rule of heavens, or anything to that similarity, but this time was different. He was connected to the tapestry, his mother being one of the original who had tended to the giant loom before passing onto the next phase of the souls, and he could feel destiny's cloth getting ready to end.
So he peered into the mirror, into the forbidden room to see if there was any possible way to avert the catastrophe that he was sure would soon come. The tapestry wove itself with a hypnotizing rhythm, seemingly not changing, but he noticed that there was something different about the weaving of fate. With each thread that was strung in and out of the loom, a thick black one accompanied it. And to him, Fate was no longer being indecisive. A path had been chosen.
It was the wrong path.
He watched in silent dread as the dark thread steadily weaved itself in magnificent embroidery, securing the destiny of this world. The black string, he thought. Haha-ue always used to say that the day the black string appeared was the day I would stop my metal working, he thought as he remembered times when his mother became annoyed with him for tinkering in metals all day long. I never would have thought that her words were true. The black thread signifies the coming end of the tapestry, and when that happens… He paused, not liking his conclusion. I will stop my metal working because I will no longer be.
He looked at the tapestry again, despair starting to eat at him. He saw the minute strings weave the history of the world, and saw that a figure in red appeared quite often. Who is this? he wondered, searching his mind for one who would don the color of blood.
Hi-nezumi! he thought suddenly, realizing the scarlet cloth to be that of the fire rat's fur. And unless I am mistaken, there is only one person in the world who has such a suit, he thought, realizing whom fate was weaving. And it seems like Ryuten's recent actions have provoked Fate to the path that will benefit us least of all, he understated. But out of all the people in this realm with significant power, why did fate choose to weave him? He could think of several people who were in a greater position to alter fate than that young lad did, and yet, destiny had chosen him.
He set the mirror down, pacing the expanse of his home and starting to worry. That mortal… Perhaps I can warn him of what is to come so that he can change it, he thought. But did he even know what fate had planned?
His eyes suddenly strayed to an alcove in the wall, expecting him to realize what lay there. He walked over and saw a dusty scroll lying among bits and pieces of unused metal. Carefully, he picked the scroll up, remembering that particular scroll to be one of the last inheritances he had gotten from his mother. He blew the fine layer of dust off the cloth, and unrolled it, and saw that the bottom part of the scroll had been torn, or burnt off long ago. He remembered that his mother had done something to the scroll before giving it to him, but could not, for the life of him, remember what she had done. Was she the one who destroyed it? he wondered.
He looked at the scroll, and a terrible chill washed over him as he read the characters written in fine, beautiful calligraphy, in the language of those that were connected to all.
"Change so subtle so as not to be seen
The world sleeps so calm or so it may seem
The light and the dark for once shall separate
And shall return only to obliterate
Waters of Heaven shall be washed with Flame
Rise high sun from false Avalon it came."
"Prophecy," he said in shock as he remembered why his mother had given this scroll to him. To prevent it from happening… She gave me the beginning of the prophecy in order to guide fate to another path, he remembered. But what was he supposed to do? He did not understand the meaning of the lines, much less try to divert Fate from the chosen path.
" 'Change so subtle so as not to be seen,'" he recited, pacing around the room again. " 'Change so subtle…' What does it mean?" he asked in frustration. How was he supposed to note a subtle change if it was subtle?
He wondered if the change had something to do with the hanyou. After all, if fate was weaving him… But how would he know a subtle change had occurred if he didn't know what it was like before the change?
He looked outside the window, watching the clouds move lazily below him, and suddenly had an idea of what he could do first. He knew that what he would do could cost him his life if things went wrong, but he figured that if he failed, he was going to die anyway, so shrugged off the danger and started out of his house, headed towards the River of Time.
He arrived at the gate a few minutes later, staring at the high, cold wall, and hoping that the three sisters were in a good mood today. Before he could knock on the gate, an old lady opened the door, and staring at him with piercing eyes, she allowed him to enter into her domain, shutting the door behind him with a thud.
"We know of your mission," the old lady said. "The Past shall guide you."
"Thank you, Lady Future," he said, trying to remain calm, and bowing to the old woman before him.
"Fear not, for we shall harm not," a middle-aged woman said, appearing from one of three doors. "Sister Past is not one who harms."
But you two are? he thought, the two woman making him uncomfortable. He should have been more prepared to meet the Sisters of Time, but it was too late now to regret his decision anyway.
"We too will not harm you," the Lady of the Present said, reading his mind. He stopped his thoughts immediately, remembering now that the Present was truly the present in that she could see all that was happening, including knowing the thoughts of those around her.
"Follow Sister Past," the older woman commanded. He saw a little girl standing silently next to an ominous door, and wondered if he should have come here in the first place. He walked reluctantly to the child, and the child brushed her fingers against the giant door, opening the path with a loud creak.
She walked through the passage, not waiting for him, and he quickly followed her in. I keep forgetting that the Past is a child, he thought to himself. But what a depressing thought it is that the Future is an old woman. I suppose in the future, we will all become old…
The girl stopped suddenly, and he could hear the roaring sound of water somewhere in front of him. She walked towards the water, calming the raging river with her presence, and looked at him, beckoning him to discover what he wanted to know.
He walked towards the river and saw images flash and fade before him, and decided to concentrate on the one with the red-cloaked hanyou in it. He tried not to notice that the river was running opposite the direction that normal rivers did, flowing up the waterfall instead of falling down it.
He saw the hanyou pinned to a large tree, later awakened by a giant centipede and a young girl who was running through the forest. He saw the young girl say to the hanyou that the monk that was currently unconscious was not a bad person. He saw the hanyou say something wrong, and the girl subduing him with a spell. He saw her become upset when a kitsune child had said something about Inuyasha, but she did nothing but walk away.
He saw another similar scene, but this time, instead of walking away, she had glared at the child when he had suggested Inuyasha liking some princess. Was this what the prophecy meant? A change that was not easily noticed? But he saw the scenes after that, and it seemed like the girl had never done the same action again. So did she really not change?
Or is her unconscious action a part of the prophecy? he wondered. "The world sleeps so calm or so it may seem." Does that mean the change goes unnoticed and the world believes itself to be at peace again?
"So, Inuyasha is not the one the prophecy refers to," he said out loud, forgetting the little girl to be standing next to him. "All I have to do is find this young lady and tell her." He was reminded of the girl when she made a subtle movement that allowed the river to run at its original pace again. She looked at him, and indiscernible expression in her eyes.
"I, um… Thank you," he said, getting ready to leave.
"Kintaro," the girl in a soft voice. He turned to her, wondering if this was the part where he lost his life. "Often Fate deceives you. What is truth in your mind is not truth in Fate." He looked at her, not understanding what she was trying to say.
"You have seen the past," she continued in the same, whispery tone. "You have made your conclusions. But beware applying your conclusions to those that are not concerned." He stared at her, still not understanding. She looked at the door behind him, and the door swung open, allowing him to leave.
"Not only the Destiny of this plane is threatened," she to herself quietly as he left. He passed through the rest of the Sisters domain and saw no one. He breathed a sigh of relief once he was out of their territory and safely in his, deciding immediately to call up an old friend to contact the mortal.
"The test was a success," the windy voice said as he bowed quickly to his lord. "It went as you had predicted."
"Yeah, that Inuyasha was really strong," said Raijin in a deeper tone, earning a disdainful look from Fuujin.
"So he is strong in that side…" Ryuten said mostly to himself. "Take this, Fuujin," he said, handing the wind god something incredibly beautiful and elaborately designed. Fuujin gasped as he realized what it was.
"Ryuten-sama, this—! This is Amaterasu o-mi-kami's…!" he stuttered as he held the sacred object of the Sun Goddess, Queen of all Gods in his hands.
"Yes it is," Ryuten said, pleased that Fuujin had realized the value of what he was giving to him.
"But how…?" he asked, wondering what method his master had used to procure such a treasure.
"I have many contacts," was all his lord would reveal. "Now go. And do not fail." Fuujin and Raijin bowed hastily, leaving the mansion with Fuujin in shock of what he held in his hands. He shook himself out of his stupor, and was immediately set on the task at hand.
He walked through the Halls of Hell, the souls there disgusting him. Some of them were waiting peacefully for their chance to reincarnate, while others were weeping or raging about things that had occurred in their lives. To him, they were all pathetic.
He approached a particular woman who sat silently against the wall, seemingly at peace. But he knew better. She was one of those few who could not let go of the past and reincarnate. Well, he would use that to his advantage.
"Woman," he said in a rude manner. "I have a deal for you." She barely stirred. He started to get impatient. "I will grant you life, so long as you do not change your heart."
She paid no attention to him.
"Damn bitch!" he snarled, grabbing the soul before him by its neck. "Did you not hear my offer?" He felt like squeezing the soul until it was destroyed, but her voice stopped him.
"Return me to my original form," she said in a voice laced with fury and hatred. "I request nothing else." He put her back down and smiled, satisfied. Another had been taken to help accomplish the plan. Soon, those pesky insects could be eliminated, and they would be able to proceed about their business without any interference.
The wind blew the dust off the barren ground, carrying it across the place where a day ago had been a vast forest. The debris from the fight, as well as parts of dead bodies, were strewn carelessly about, looking like a storm had gone quickly through them and left without a trace.
Or so it seemed.
But he, son of a great lord, could detect a small trace of the one who was guilty of this destruction. As he walked through the forest that was not, he could smell the scent of the one who had taken his father's inheritance from him, and wondered what had happened this time to incur this new change.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" a child' voice piped, running after him. He pretended to ignore her, and started to concentrate on what had happened here instead.
"Eew!" Rin said, seeing the body pieces around her. "Smells bad! Like Jyaken-sama!" The green youkai growled angrily in the background.
"Stupid girl!" he yelled. "How dare you say this Jyaken smells bad?"
"Stinky!" Rin said, giggling as Jyaken's face puffed in anger.
"Rin, we're leaving," Sesshoumaru said, having affirmed his suspicions.
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" she said, walking after her guardian. She skipped behind him, humming happily while he tried to make sense of what had occurred at this place. That Inuyasha… he thought. His blood had changed again. And this time to one that even I, Sesshoumaru, do not readily recognize.
He glanced at the calm skies above him, and could not help but feel as if things were going to go through a dramatic alteration soon.
He glared at the monk before him, drunk and unconscious on the floor. One would think that after all these years, and after his countless warnings of how the alcohol was not good for him, the old man would listen to him, but no… Honestly, he was so stupid sometimes.
"Oi, you drunkard!" Miroku said, kicking the monk. He was glad that the others had decided to wait outside, just in case the monk before him wasn't dressed appropriately. Now, he could use whatever language suited him, and when dealing with these types of people, the most vulgar of languages were always needed.
"Oh, Miroku," the monk said, scratching his belly. "What brings you here?"
"Hachi told me that you were ill, so I came to visit," Miroku said, crouching next to the old man. "But when I arrived, I found you out cold, obviously from drinking too much." He gave an accusing look at the monk. "How many times have I told you to quit drinking?" he demanded.
"And how many times do I have to tell you that I won't?" he replied, taking another swig from a nearby bottle. He hiccupped and grinned embarrassedly.
"What am I going to do with you?" asked Miroku, standing up and sighing in exasperation.
"You could just go and leave me alone," his stepfather replied. Miroku looked at him, his face clearly showing that he wasn't going to do that.
"Even if you are drunk, I can still tell when you're sick," he answered, opening the door. "And if you died because of this illness, I would not be able to forgive myself." After all, no matter what either of us say, you are the only family that I have left, Miroku thought, his face betraying none of his concern for the wayward monk.
"Miroku-sama, can we come in?" asked Kagome, already walking up the steps to the shrine. "Mushin-sama, how are you feeling?"
"Eh? What's this?" asked Mushin. "You've brought all your friends with you?" He looked on as the rest of the group appeared inside the temple, and was slightly touched by their worry for him.
"And we'll be staying until you get better," Sango said, letting the heavy boomerang lean against the wall. "It's our way of saying 'thanks' for saving Houshi-sama."
"Yeah. So hurry up and get better so that the rest of us can go hunt for Shikon shards again," Inuyasha said grumpily.
"Inuyasha," Kagome said sharply, not believing him to be so untactful.
"You can all leave right now," Mushin laughed. "I'm really quite fine." But he didn't quite suppress the cough that surfaced at that moment.
"And you say you're fine?" asked Miroku as he leaned over in concern and patted the old man's back. Sango coughed suddenly and everyone stared at her, wondering if she had caught a cold too.
"Ah… The coughing is very contagious," Sango said nervously, and as if to prove her point, Kagome suddenly coughed too.
"Don't tell me you two are both sick?" asked Inuyasha, snorting at their weakness.
"Well, excuse me for getting sick," Kagome said. "Not that I am," she added as an afterthought.
"In any case, all of us will be staying here for a while, so I think that someone should go down to the village and start getting more supplies," Miroku said reasonably. "Inuyasha, Kagome-sama, would you two mind staying here? Sango, Shippou and I will go to the village to get some food and other necessities."
"What about Kirara?" asked Inuyasha, who was standing next to the smaller version of the cat demon.
"I suppose Kirara can choose wherever she wants to stay," Miroku said thoughtfully. "If Kirara wants to follow us, she can. If not, well then, she won't."
"Kirara, are you going to stay or go with us?" asked Shippou to the cat. Kirara sat down, purring contentedly.
"I guess Kirara is staying," Sango said. "Makes sense. She's been carrying us around an awful lot, so I think it's fair to let her rest for a bit."
"All right then, let us head on out. See you all in the evening," Miroku said, heading out of the temple with Sango and Shippou following him. He walked across the empty field, noting his father's grave, and hoped that one day, he would not suffer the same fate. He heard Shippou patter up to him.
"Miroku, do you really need me to go with you?" asked the little kitsune, looking up to the much taller man.
"Well, I was going to use you as a bargaining chip to get the villagers to sell me their goods cheaper," Miroku said, smiling in his special way that usually meant that something was up his sleeve.
"You mean use me to con them out of their goods," Shippou said sarcastically.
"Don't say such horrible things!" Miroku said, feigning innocence. Shippou shook his head in exasperation.
"Anyway, I think I should go and gather some firewood. It wouldn't be good to bring back food without fire to cook them, right?" Shippou asked. Miroku looked at the child in surprise.
"I suppose so," Miroku said, looking at Shippou suspiciously. "But what gave you this sudden desire to collect wood?" he asked.
"Ah…um… I feel like it!" Shippou said nervously, quickly running off towards the temple. He felt Miroku's suspicious eyes on him as he ran, and didn't bother to look back. I did what Kagome told me to do and left those two alone, Shippou thought. I hope those two will get the hint and get moving. But knowing those two, it'll probably never happen. He sighed as he slowed down to a walk, wondering why he was surrounded by a group of impossible people. You'd think that at least one of them would get a clue…
"What did Ryuten-sama give you?" asked a thundering voice.
"None of your business," the God of Wind said. "If you actually had a brain, you would recognize this prize too."
"Why you…" the Thunder God threatened.
"Silence!" Fuujin said. "I need complete silence to complete my spell."
"What spell?" asked Raijin sourly.
"The one we will use to capture Inuyasha, you moron," the Wind God said, unbelieving of how stupid his partner was. "Now shut up and let me do my job."
"You shut up," Raijin muttered under his breath, and thankfully, Fuujin didn't hear him. A few moments later, Fuujin stood up, his spell completed.
"All we have to do now is wait until the hanyou succumbs to his weakness. And then," he said, forming a blade of wind in his hands, "we can kill him."
Miroku swung the bag of rice over his shoulder, while Sango carried the vegetables that they were going to eat that day. He was pleased to find that the little village had not changed since he'd last seen it six years ago, and it was comforting to know that there were at least some things in the world that were not touched by the ravages of war.
"Houshi-sama, we can stay here for a while if you like," Sango said, noticing how Miroku seemed to be taking his surroundings in and storing it in his memory. "It's not like the others need the food immediately. Kagome-chan still has enough food in her pack to satisfy any immediate hunger, so…"
Miroku smiled at her consideration, but shook his head. He didn't want to stay too long and find out that something had indeed changed.
"Mai, please dance for us," he heard a villager say some distance away, and turned in that direction out of curiosity. Mai? he asked, wondering if it was coincidence.
"Houshi-sama?" asked Sango as Miroku headed off towards where the crowd was. He gestured for her to follow him.
There was a young woman dancing in the middle of the village, her raven dark hair flowing around her as if it were part of the dance. Her feet moved lightly on the ground, giving the illusion of her floating, and she had such unearthly grace that had it not been for the dirt that was slightly shifted beneath her as she danced, Miroku would have sworn that she was not of this world.
She stopped dancing once she saw him, and the crowd fell silent as she looked at him, or more like glared at him from her position. Miroku fought the urge to take a step back when his eyes met with ones that were darker than the darkest nights, a brown so deep that it seemed to be an endless chasm.
"Houshi-sama," she said in a soft voice that sounded like the nightingale singing.
"Mai-sama," he bowed respectfully, recalling the name from earlier, and from a time period long ago.
"Mai, you know this monk?" a villager asked, and the dancer smiled in confirmation.
"Houshi-sama," Sango said quietly to Miroku, hoping that he would fill her in to what was happening at that moment.
"I have no place to stay," Mai said suddenly. "Would you mind very much if I stayed at the temple for a night?"
"I would have to request the permission of Mushin-sama," Miroku said, wondering what was going on. "But I am sure he will have no objection to an extra person staying." Sango was about to protest to a stranger staying so close to the Shikon shards, bur Miroku silenced her.
"Just bear with me, all right?" he whispered to her, and when he turned back to Mai, he noticed she looked rather angry. "Shall we go?" he asked, shoving his misgivings aside. This woman… Why does she look so much like—? he thought, walking back up the shrine. He saw that Sango looked a little upset with him, and decided that he had better explain everything to her later. But for now, he let his mind puzzle out why this woman had such a mysterious aura. And why, why in all eighteen levels of Hell did she look exactly like his mother?
Inuyasha sat outside the door while Kagome sat near it, reading her history book. Even if it was summer vacation for everyone else, she still had to study and make up for the work that she had missed. She sighed, but continued on reading, letting Inuyasha's presence comfort her.
Oda Nobunaga, otherwise known as "Baka-dono" for his sometimes seemingly foolish actions, was born the second son of the Lord of Owari, she read, remembering the other Nobunaga that she had met in what seemed ages ago. In his effort to consolidate his power, he had his younger brother killed when his brother rose against him as an example, and defeated his older brother for power. He is known as one of the unifiers of Japan, and his constant goal was to defeat or make alliances with the other lords. However, before he was able to achieve this, he was betrayed by one of his men and killed himself, rather than be captured. He was known as a ruthless man, and one prime example of this is the Buddhist hunts he conducted to eliminate the threat of the power of monks, who were repeatedly allying against him. Kagome stopped reading for a moment, wondering how someone like him could be so cruel, and was about to say so to Inuyasha when she noticed that he was leaning against the doorframe and sleeping.
She closed the book quietly, not wanting to awaken him, and giggled silently at his sleeping face. He looked so innocent and vulnerable when he was sleeping with none of his tough masks hiding him, and Kagome had to suppress a sigh as she looked at him, knowing that it wasn't often for her to catch Inuyasha sleeping, if ever at all.
She got up and put the book back into her backpack, and saw Inuyasha's ear twitch at the slightest of noises she made as she placed the book in. He didn't wake up, and she knew that it was a sign of how close they'd become in that Inuyasha was no longer alarmed by any sound she made.
"Kagome!" Shippou shouted suddenly, waking Inuyasha up. "I've got the firewood you asked me to collect."
"Good job, Shippou-chan," she said, patting the child's head as Inuyasha yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Did you see Miroku-sama on your way back?"
"No," Shippou said, and as if by coincidence, Miroku and Sango appeared coming up the slope, carrying the food they had promised. But there was someone else behind them.
"Who is that?" asked Kagome, trying to squint her eyes to see better.
"She smells kinda, I don't know, funny," Inuyasha said, experimentally testing the air. A few moments later, the three arrived at the shrine, and Kagome couldn't help but notice that the stranger was a beauty, and wondered if Miroku was cheating on Sango so soon after their relationship had improved.
"Hello, Kagome-sama," Miroku said, letting the sack of rice down with a thud inside the temple. "I would like you to meet Mai-sama. She is a dancer, I believe," he said, his unbreakable mask on, not allowing anyone to get any involuntary information from him.
"I'm pleased to meet you," Kagome said, smiling at the woman, but was only met with an emotionless glance. The woman seemed more interested in Miroku than anything else.
"Let's just hurry up and prepare lunch," Sango said a bit callously, carrying the vegetables inside to the kitchen. Mushin walked towards the door, noticing Sango storming off and wondered if Miroku had done something stupid again. He arrived to see what the commotion was all about, and barely managed to suppress a gasp as he saw who stood before him.
"Mai!" he said in surprise and in anxiety. "What are you—That is, how did you—?" he said incoherently as he tried to understand what had allowed her to return to this world.
"Mushin," she said, her voice strangely cold with a tint of icy laughter in it. "I'm glad you remembered me even after all these years." She surveyed his appearance and smiled a smile devoid of true emotion. "Looks like you haven't changed a bit."
"Neither have you," Mushin said, discreetly gesturing for Kagome and Shippou to go into the temple behind him. They got the clue and went inside, exchanging looks of confusion to one another.
"What are you trying to do, Mushin?" Mai asked, seeing his efforts as an obvious attempt to protect the women and children. "You know I would never hurt them, if that is what you are implying."
"Get inside," the old monk barked at Miroku, surprising him.
"Don't move from where you are, or this old man gets it," she shouted, her eyes never leaving Mushin's. "You know what I came here for," she said to the old man. "You know that I will not rest until I get what I want."
"You've already gotten it," Mushin said, unable to hide the panic in his voice. "Shigure is dead."
"Dead, is he?" she asked mockingly. "Then who is this?" she demanded, pointing to Miroku. Miroku just looked at her in surprise, as did everyone else who did not know what was going on at the moment.
"That's Miroku," Mushin said reservedly. "Your son."
Miroku could hear the silence drop on them like a thick blanket, and he heard the two girls inside the temple gasp audibly. Inuyasha didn't seem that surprised, and Miroku figured that was because he was able to smell the similarity in their scents.
"My son…huh?" she said in a soft voice, her hair hiding her eyes from view. "You're a sickly old man now, Mushin. You know not what you speak of. And even if you did," she said, looking up at him, her eyes a terrible, ruby red color, "what makes you think I will spare him?" With one swing of her arm, she tried to slice Miroku in half, but thankfully, he backed up in time.
"Okaa-sama," he said in a quiet voice. If he was hurt by her words, his face showed none of it.
"You are truly Shigure's son to have dodged that one," she said, her voice unforgiving with a hint of demented joy in it.
"But he is also your son!" Mushin shouted, trying to get the woman to understand.
"I appreciate your past efforts to help me, Mushin. But," she said, her arm elongating into a scaled arm, "I think it is high time for you to die." She swung the pointed arm at Mushin, aiming for his heart as was fitting for his name.
"Mushin-sama!" Miroku yelled in alarm, but the sound of a Mai shrieking and Tessaiga's sheath buzzing told him that Inuyasha had protected his stepfather.
"Oi, Miroku," Inuyasha said, standing in front of Mushin with Tessaiga in his hands. "Am I allowed to dispose of this 'lady?'" he said, asking Miroku if he would give the permission to allow him to kill his "mother."
"Little boy, you would not be able to dispose of me even if my foolish son gave you the permission to do so," Mai laughed, her voice echoing across the field.
"Mai, the past is the past," Mushin said. "Just let it go."
"I'll never let the past go," she snarled at him. "Never. Not until I destroy every last trace of Shigure."
"You've already destroyed any traces of Shigure when you cut open his Kazaana," Mushin said angrily, losing his patience. Miroku and Inuyasha looked at him in surprise. She cut… She cut Oyaji's Kazaana? Miroku thought in shock. Then that day, that day when Mushin blocked me… Was it to prevent me from seeing—?
"And he had no qualms about sucking me into his Kazaana," she said bitterly. "Did you know that? One that he pledged his love to; one that he pledged to protect…and he didn't even hesitate to destroy me." She laughed a laughter filled with pain and sorrow. "I was right. He never did love me."
"You know that is not true!" Mushin insisted.
"You don't know it is not true!" she shouted. "You don't know that he lied to me, promising to stay by my side when in fact he was running around getting in with every pretty girl he saw," she said in fury. "You don't know anything at all!" she screamed, her rage causing her to change from a beautiful, slender woman, to a long, thin, green snake whose fangs dripped with venom and bitter sorrow.
"Mai!" Mushin said in alarm.
"I don't care anymore," she said. "I've been to Hell for 'killing' my husband. I've refused to reincarnate with this hatred within me. And so," she said, turning to Miroku, "what makes you think I would hesitate to kill the last vestiges of my mistaken bonding?"
"No matter how much you hate this Shigure guy, Miroku is still your son!" Inuyasha yelled at her angrily, surprising the others. "You make me sick, ranting on about love and betrayal when you are doing the exact same thing to Miroku."
"Be—Be silent you fool!" she shouted, swinging at Inuyasha with her tail. Inuyasha just ducked and jumped away. "How could you understand anything!" she half screamed, half sobbed. "How could you understand anything?" She brought the tail down, trying to crush either Inuyasha or Miroku; she didn't care which.
She suddenly dived at Inuyasha, who was just barely able to evade her attack. Shit! I'm getting slow, Inuyasha thought as he ran, trying to figure out a way to subdue her without hurting her. Miroku never really gave him that permission to kill, otherwise he would have ripped through her body already. It wouldn't be pretty, but he couldn't think of any other way to stop her rampage.
"Okaa-sama, please stop!" Miroku yelled up to the giant snake, who paid him no heed and just dashed him against the wall of the temple.
"Houshi-sama!" Sango screamed, running to him and picking up the boomerang along the way. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Miroku said, straining. He stood up again, trying to find an answer to this problem in his jumbled mind. What was he supposed to do? Kill his mother? Let his mother kill him?
"Mai!" a deep voice suddenly shouted. The snake turned to face him, and couldn't help but gasp at the person before her.
"Shigure…?" she asked, her voice soft and filled with unspoken emotion.
"That is enough," the man said, and Miroku could only stare in wonder as he saw his father standing there, glowing with ethereal light. "I understand now. You don't have to be angry anymore. I understand."
"You…understand?" she asked, her voice slightly quivering.
"Yes. I know… I know I was wrong, and I hope that despite it all, you can forgive me," he said, his voice cracking a bit. "Forgive me for being foolish. Forgive me for not realizing that I had everything I ever needed when I was with you."
"Shigure…" she said, her voice sighing like the breeze in the trees. "That is not enough!" she shouted suddenly, diving for him and ready to snap his form in half.
"Okaa-sama!" Miroku yelled, trying to get her to her senses. This wasn't… This wasn't the mother that he remembered from his childhood. This wasn't the mother that Mushin had said died of an illness. This was a twisted soul: one who was bound by hatred and bitterness.
"Ahhh!" Miroku's "father" screamed in fear. "Your idea stinks, Mushin!"
"Shippou!" Inuyasha shouted, dashing forward and picking up the child in his arms as the kitsune transformed back to his original form.
"Houshi-sama, Shippou has already tried to call your mother back to reality," Sango said, her boomerang ready to destroy. Miroku looked at her, feeling as if his memory of his family was being desecrated and torn apart. "There is no hope of return for her. So if you cannot kill her, I will," Sango said, schooling her face into that of a hardened warrior. She rushed forward to meet the giant snake, dodging the venom that the snake tried to shoot at her.
"Hiraikotsu!" Sango yelled, swinging the massive boomerang with all her might. The snake just deflected the attack by hitting it up into the air.
"Sango!" Miroku shouted as Mai was about to use her tail to knock Sango out. He ran to Sango and knocked her down, letting the large snake's tail pass over the both of them without harm.
"Sorry, Sango," Miroku said, getting up. "But you are right. My only choice is to destroy her."
"Houshi-sama," Sango said, knowing how difficult it was to slay someone whom you had once loved dearly. "You don't have to—"
"No, Sango," Miroku said, his staff ready to battle the human-turned-youkai. "This is something that I must do." Because I can't bear seeing someone like that… Someone like my mother becoming like that…
"Oi! Snake!" Inuyasha shouted up to the snake to distract her. "Your life ends here now!" The distraction worked, and the snake started moving towards Inuyasha, giving Miroku and Sango the chance to go to Kirara and ride on the cat youkai to slay the woman demented by sorrow.
"You will stop interrupting me, boy!" Mai shouted, managing to knock Inuyasha back.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, her bows and arrows ready in case of an emergency. When the dust settled down, she saw that Inuyasha had turned human. Like… Like the time we were fighting the oni, she thought. But this time, there is no feeling of great youki coming from him, or that mysterious power. He just feels… Human.
"Inuyasha!" Sango shouted in worry, throwing the boomerang to keep the snake from attacking him.
"Damn it!" Inuyasha shouted as he dodged another attack from the snake. Hiraikotsu landed uselessly behind him.
"This is where you die," she said, neither happy nor sad, her mouth open to inject the poison into him.
"Gomen nasai, Okaa-sama," Miroku said, getting ready to send his mother to the other world with the power of his staff. "But it's time to put you to rest." He thrust his staff forward as Kirara got closer to the snake, sending sparks of power and causing the snake to scream in agony.
"Get away from me, Shigure!" she screamed, lashing out at Miroku again. Kirara quickly backed off, protecting her two passengers from danger. Does she still think that Miroku is her husband? wondered Sango, knowing that the woman before her held no reason in her mind.
"Mai, you must stop!" Mushin said desperately. "You must stop before you do something you will regret even more! He isn't Shigure!" he shouted at her, trying to make her see the truth. "He's Miroku!"
"I know that!" she said in a terrible voice, filled with all the dark emotions of the world. "He isn't Shigure! He is Miroku! But he is the Miroku that Shigure influenced! He is the Miroku that Shigure tainted with his sins!" She swung her tail around in a large arc, nearly knocking Sango and Miroku off Kirara. "I want my son back!" she sobbed in anger and frustration.
The snake opened her mouth and let out a stream of poison, causing the nearby plants to turn black with venom. Inuyasha quickly picked up the boomerang and dodged out of the way.
"Shigure!" she screamed, turning on Miroku. "Give me Miroku back! Do you hear me? Give him back!" she shouted, lunging forward to clamp her mouth down on Miroku. Kirara quickly sped away, but the speed of the snake could not be denied, and the snake quickly turned around and knocked Miroku off the giant cat.
"Miroku!" Sango shouted in fear.
"Get away from him!" the snake hissed at Sango, surrounding Miroku with her tail.
"Get it through your fucking head!" Inuyasha shouted, "He isn't Shigure or whatever the Hell you think he is!"
"Do not speak of what you do not know!" she said, momentarily distracted by Inuyasha and turning to glare at him. "Shigure is there! I can see it! Shigure has consumed him!"
"What are you talking about?" demanded Mushin, fearing for Miroku's life.
"Are you all blind?" she raged. "Miroku did not look like this!" She pounded the ground with her tail, causing everyone to lose their balance as they felt the earth move beneath them.
"Okaa-sama," Miroku said, his paper spells ready to use in his hand. "Please forgive me." With a flick of his wrist, the spells flew from his hand and landed on the snake's neck and heart, their power burning and immobilizing her, causing her to scream in pain and despair. She fell to the ground, her body making a terrible thudding noise as the earth shook one last time. Her chest moved with difficultly as she struggled to breathe, her body returning to that of a woman.
Her eyes were still filled with fury as she glared at Sango, determined that she was the woman who had led her family away from her.
"Kitsune, transform Miroku to a young child," Mushin said quickly. Shippou didn't understand what the old priest hoped to accomplish by this, but did as he was told, trying to do his best to hold the illusion.
Sango watched in silence as she saw a child Miroku approaching his mother. She bit her lip in worry, hoping that should the woman attack, he would still be able to defend himself.
"Okaa-sama?" Miroku asked in a child's voice, his voice quivering slightly with emotion. Sango couldn't tell if he was just acting, or if this was his true emotion. His voice caught the woman's attention, and she slowly turned to him, unable to move the majority of her body.
"Miroku?" she asked, her voice soft and filled with concern and hidden pain.
"It's me, Okaa-sama," Miroku said in a hope-filled voice, walking closer to his mother. "It's me." He knelt near his mother, brushing stray strands of hair away from her face.
"Miroku," she said, smiling, but her voice shook with silent sobs. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this," she said quietly, a gasp escaping from her throat as she tried to suppress her tears and the agony she felt.
"It's all right, Okaa-sama," Miroku said, trying his best to smile. Kagome moved closer to Sango and patted her back, her gesture telling Sango not to worry. Sango smiled back to her friend, glad of her companionship.
"Have you been a good child?" his mother asked, closing her eyes as her breathing became more ragged.
"Hai, Okaa-sama," Miroku said, trying his best not to cry as he saw his mother dying. "I-I finished copying the scriptures. I finished it this morning."
"That's good," she sighed, opening her eyes to look at him. "You'll grow up to be a good man," she said, her arms moving slightly as if to hug him. He took the initiative and hugged her, feeling his mother wrap her arms around him gently, just like she used to. He hated for her to go, right after he finally met her again, but he knew that it was inevitable.
"I have faith in you, Miroku," she said, feeling her worn soul fading away. "Try not to be influenced by your father's evils," she whispered, growing increasingly tired.
"I will," Miroku whispered back. His mother let go of the embrace, looking at him with pride and love. Finally, she smiled as she faded from her false body, her soul returning from whence it came.
Shippou let out a gasp for air as the illusion faded away, and the small kitsune collapsed on the ground, his energy spent. Miroku stood up, recomposing himself, and once his mask was in place, he headed back to the others.
"So she's gone," Inuyasha said, handing Sango her boomerang. Miroku turned and saw that he was still in his human form, and wondered what had occurred for such a thing to happen, allowing this distraction to keep his mind away from other matters.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, running towards him with Shippou resting in her arms. "Is it… Is it like before?" she asked, concern overwhelming her.
" 'Like before?'" asked Miroku, looking at the three suspiciously. "What do you mean?"
"Why don't you all come back in the temple?" Mushin asked, walking towards them, and for once looking somber. "There are many things to be explained, not least of which concerns your mother." The old man disappeared back in the building, and the others walked in, feeling burdened by secrets and the unknown in the air.
"So, Mushin-sama, care to explain yourself first?" asked Miroku, looking at the monk suspiciously. "If I remember correctly, my mother died of an epidemic when she went to the village, right?"
Mushin seated himself on the floor and looked at Miroku, knowing that it was time for him to know the truth concerning the deaths of his mother and father.
"Your mother left for the village, but she did not die of an epidemic," he finally said. "But before I tell you what she did next, you must first understand your mother before she met your father."
"Oh really?" asked Miroku, sitting down along with the others. He buried his emotions for later, wanting only to concentrate on the business at hand. He could feel Sango looking at him with worry, but he ignored her for the time being. He didn't think he could take any more prods at his feelings for the rest of the day.
"She was a beautiful dancer and singer," Mushin started. "People used to go to Kyoto just to see her perform. She was that good. And when your father met her, he decided to court her. And little by little, he won her heart, until she finally decided to marry him. But something happened so he had to leave unexpectedly, leaving her alone in the capital.
"The place she was working at kicked her out once her pregnancy became obvious. I suppose that she was of no use to them once she grew large with child," Mushin said, shaking his head. "And for a couple months, she wandered the streets, looking for work, singing for money, for she did not feel well enough to dance, and begging for food when she became desperate. One day, your father appeared in the city again, and took her back to this temple. When she arrived here, she was so pale and thin that I had thought Shigure had brought back a corpse."
"Then they got married?" Shippou asked with childish innocence.
"I'm sorry to say that neither of them ever got married," Mushin said.
"Why?" asked Kagome, wondering what kind of man this Shigure was.
"Shigure never got around to it," Mushin shrugged. "So I suppose that Mai had every reason to become angry. In any case, she had Miroku here, and still bore her love for her 'husband,' but when she found out that he was chasing girls even after all his promises to her, she started to become furious with jealousy. I don't blame her. She lost everything because of her love for him. She could have had anything that she had wanted before he came, even marrying the son of a great lord, but your father took all that away from her and left her nothing, except for you, of course."
"And this drove her to madness?" asked Miroku, knowing he had copied his father's footsteps, despite his mother's wish against it. Well, he knew that the one thing he was never going to do was make Sango into someone twisted like his mother. He would never, ever betray her trust and do that.
"Yes. It came to a point where whenever the two of them met each other, a fight was surely to follow," Mushin continued. "Shigure came with the rain, and left with the sun. He was rarely at this temple, and when Mai insisted on going with him, he turned her down, telling her that it was too dangerous for her. She never understood why his life would be so dangerous, for in his effort to shield her, he told her nothing of the dangers he faced, nor the curse upon his hand. She thought that he wanted to be free to play with the girls, while he thought that she was being too possessive.
"But I know your father never stopped loving your mother. The same goes for your mother. But at that point, their love for each other became a burden; each tried to protect the other from what they deemed was too unpleasant for the other to know. Your father never told your mother what he was doing, and your mother never told him that she was upset by the rumors of his actions for she didn't want to hurt him. Then one day he said he wasn't going to be coming back for a year, and I believe that broke your mother.
"He left, and for several months, was not seen again. I knew that he had gone off to find Naraku, for each year the hole in his hand grew bigger, until I was certain that it would swallow him up at anytime. But I did not tell your mother, because your father had instructed me not to do such a thing," Mushin said regretfully. "I should have. In the end, she went to the village to start looking for your father. One day, your father returned to this place and told me what had become of her. Her emotions of desertion by Shigure and finally gotten to her, and your father told me that he had seen her in the form of a snake, trying to kill him for betraying her.
"On the day that your father was swallowed up by his Kazaana, your mother was here," Mushin said. "No one told you because no one wanted you to see your mother in such a terrible form, trying to kill your father. Your father went outside the temple to face her, and a battle ensued between them. I'm going to guess that as a last resort, when your father realized your mother could not be saved, he used his Kazaana on her. As she was being sucked in, she probably realized the fragility of his air void, and cut open the hole even wider in hopes of destroying him with her.
"And she would be right in her assumption. Your mother was very intelligent, Miroku, and so was your father. But in the end, their intellect did not save them, and rather, they were destroyed by it," Mushin said, standing up to get a jug of sake. "Your father's methodical way of thinking led him to use the Kazaana, and your mother's ability to improvise caused her to widen the air rip. And they left you with no one except me."
Miroku stared hard at the wooden floor, keeping his emotions in check. So my parents destroyed each other, he thought cynically. And love is supposed to conquer all? Sango's warm hand suddenly engulfed his, and he looked at her in surprise. She only smiled at him, trying to comfort him, and squeezed his hand, telling him without words that it everything would be fine. He squeezed her hand in return, and didn't miss the blush that came to her cheeks. Surprisingly, he was comforted by her small gesture, and secretly thanked her.
"She must have wanted to destroy you because she thought that you were Shigure," Mushin said thoughtfully. "After all, you do look very much like your father."
"Maybe she didn't recognize Miroku," Kagome said. "She died when he was still a child, right? So maybe in her memories, he should still be a child."
"Because in her mind, I never grew up," Miroku said quietly. "I suppose she hates my father so much that since I resemble him, she didn't hesitate to try and kill me."
"She didn't want to kill you for looking like your father," Mushin said. "She was trying to destroy what she saw was her failure. She believed she made a mistake in befriending your father, and she felt that she had made another on when she saw the similarities between your father and yourself, for she had tried hard to bring you up to be someone better than Shigure."
"So you made me turn Miroku into a kid so that she would see Miroku as someone who could still hope to be different from Miroku's dad?" asked Shippou, having recovered from his fatigue.
"Yes," Mushin said, shaking his had sadly. "The reason that Shigure and Mai fought in the end was probably over Miroku. After all, Shigure told me that he was going to set a warding around the temple to keep Mai from visiting Miroku the day before he died."
"So it was a child custody battle," Kagome said to herself, no one else really understanding what she meant.
"I suppose that your explanation is sufficient," Miroku said, taking his hand out of Sango's. She put her hand back in her lap, not offended by his want of semi-privacy, and turned to look at the other three in their group with strangely guilty faces on. "And now, Kagome-sama, Inuyasha, Shippou," Miroku said, looking at them. "Would you care to explain what you meant earlier?"
"Well," Kagome started when Inuyasha declined to say anything. "The day when you were attacked at the kitsune village, we were attacked by a group of oni," she said.
"And you didn't think this was important enough to tell us?" asked Miroku, gesturing to himself and Sango.
"Inuyasha didn't want us to tell you!" Shippou said, laying all the blame on Inuyasha.
"Why would you do that?" asked Sango, looking at Inuyasha who was currently finding the scenery outside to be much more interesting. She frowned, frustrated with the walls that Inuyasha kept around him, remembering that Kohaku used to be easier to pry open than Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha… When he was fighting the oni, the oni kept on putting this strange powder on him," Kagome said, her voice filled with worry. "At first I didn't think the powder did anything, but then, when this one oni dumped the entire thing on Inuyasha, Inuyasha just collapsed on the ground and—and became almost like a human."
"You make me sound weak," Inuyasha grumbled, trying to figure out what was in that powder. He may not have told the others, but for the past few days, he had been discreetly sniffing the herbs that they encountered, hoping to find something close to the scent of that strange powder, but without success.
"What do you mean, 'almost like a human?'" asked Miroku, ignoring Inuyasha's comment.
"He looked human, but his youki—um, well, his youki almost disappeared for a moment," Kagome said, trying to explain it successfully. "And was replaced with something else. I don't know what it was but then, that power disappeared too, and was replaced by an even stronger youki."
"And then Inuyasha just blew all the oni away with one swing from Tessaiga," Shippou said. "The entire forest was flattened."
"The entire forest?" asked Sango in surprise.
"It wasn't the entire forest," Inuyasha said. "And this is nothing to worry about. I'll have it figured out soon."
"Oh really?" asked Miroku. "Then what about right now? Why are you human right now?"
"How would I know, stupid?" Inuyasha grouched.
"You should have told us from the start," Miroku said.
"So that you can worry about something you can't do anything about?" demanded Inuyasha. "Thanks, but no thanks."
"Well, at least we would know, or at least be less surprised if such a thing should happen again," Sango said, a bit irritated, and starting to grow worried for him.
"Who cares?" grumbled Inuyasha.
"Don't be so stubborn and just admit you're wrong," Shippou said wisely.
"Just shut up," Inuyasha said, not bothering to bonk Shippou on the head. Shippou ran over to Kagome just in case Inuyasha might change his mind later.
"We should go back to Kaede-baa-chan to see if she can help us," Kagome said.
"But—" Miroku was about to protest about Mushin, but the monk interrupted him.
"I'm fine, Miroku. This is more important than a slight hangover I got from drinking a strangely colored sake," he said shamelessly. "Hachi just overreacted. I wasn't ill to begin with, but I must say that I am touched by your concern." He suddenly coughed again. Miroku frowned.
"The sake is just strong, that's all," he said, handing the jug to Miroku. Miroku sniffed the sake a little, and got dizzy from just smelling it.
"You drink this?" asked Miroku. "No wonder you're coughing."
"What did I tell you? Now go," he said.
"Let's go," Sango said, picking up the boomerang and walking outside. "We should try to get back before sundown."
"Come on, Inuyasha," Kagome said, dragging Inuyasha out. Kirara transformed to her larger form, and the group sat on the giant cat, ready to depart.
"Take care of yourself, Houshi-sama!" Kagome waved to Mushin, and Kirara leapt into the air, and they headed back to Kaede's village.
They arrived before sundown to a familiar voice, and turned to see a small flea leaping towards them.
"Inuyasha-sama!" Myouga said. "What happened to you?"
"What are you doing here, Myouga-jiijii?" asked Inuyasha, walking to Kaede's hut.
"I have news to tell you," the flea said, following his lord inside the hut. Kagome set her heavy pack down, taking out the instant noodles that she had packed away.
"Kaede-baa-chan, let's just eat this tonight, okay?" she asked as the old lady entered the hut.
"Of course, Kagome," she answered, then turned to look at Inuyasha. "Why do you look like a human today, Inuyasha?"
"How would I know?" he growled, getting annoyed by their interrogations. Not to mention that he was starting to feel a weight in his bones that was starting to make him tired and sleepy. He fought it, though, not wanting to worry anyone else any more than he had to.
"Myouga-sama, would you know anything about this?" asked Miroku to the flea, hoping that he would have some answers.
"It seems to me that there is a spell cast upon you," Myouga said, trying to discern the nature of the spell.
"Like the spell Tsubaki placed on Kagome?" wondered Shippou out loud.
"This enchantment is not of this world," he said, his brows furrowed in thought. "It is not done by a youkai or human. It is something else entirely."
"Is it similar to this?" asked Inuyasha, taking a piece of cloth out from his sleeve. He opened whatever the cloth was covering and revealed some glowing powder.
"Wha—What is this?" asked Myouga, looking closely at the powder.
"Where did you get that powder?" asked Kagome, looking at the fine, shining dust in the cloth.
"There was still some left on my clothes after I wiped those oni out," Inuyasha said, shrugging. Everyone else gave him a weird look, not believing him to be smart enough to save some of the mysterious powder. "What?" he demanded angrily. "You think I'm stupid or something?"
"Well, I originally thought you weren't smart enough to do that, but I suppose I have to refine my thoughts again," Miroku said mildly.
"Shut up, bouzu," Inuyasha snarled. He turned to the flea youkai. "Well? Is it similar or not?"
"It seems to have come from the same source but the nature of each is drastically different," Myouga said, taking a tiny grain of powder in his hands. The powder disappeared upon contact.
"Don't touch it!" Inuyasha snapped, rewrapping the cloth around the precious clue. "It disappears whenever it touches the skin."
"And how would you know that?" asked Shippou.
"You stupid! How do you think I tried to get this junk off me?" Inuyasha shouted at the kitsune.
"Eep! You don't have to be mean about it," Shippou said, hiding behind Kagome.
"Dinner is ready, so let's just start eating," Kagome suggested, trying to disperse the tension in the air. They did as she suggested, trying to ignore the fact that strange things were happening recently.
He paced in the halls of heaven with annoyance, irritated that his plan had failed. The woman he had sent had failed to kill any of them, and now she was back in Hell, this time getting ready to be reincarnated. He punched a nearby wall out of frustration, the wall crumbling under his force, but immediately repairing itself.
"Humans, even when they are dead, can do nothing right," he muttered. If he didn't come up with another plan soon, his boss was going to have his head.
He looked at the moon outside and wondered. Should he just let Fate take its course instead of trying to help it along? The moonlight cast an icy glow on the ruins of a mortal's castle somewhere below him, and he wondered.
"Perhaps I can use that to get rid of him," he said, his face with a smile that was unbecoming of a god.
"Houshi-sama, I'm worried," Sango said as she carried a bucket of water while Miroku was busy getting another bucket. "Inuyasha, although he denies it, looks more tired than usual to me."
"It must be an effect of the spell," Miroku grunted, heaving the bucket up. "Whoever is doing this must want him to be weak."
"Weak enough to kill?" asked Sango quietly as they headed back to Kaede's hut. She was more than a little worried about him at this point, having seen Inuyasha go through more difficulties before. This unseen spell was starting to scare her. At least when Kagome was under the spell, it had been pretty obvious as to what the source was, but this new one… It left no trace, and seemed to have no purpose. She shivered suddenly, feeling as if a strange wind had just passed near her.
"Are you cold?" asked Miroku, trying not to spill the water. She shook her head, and couldn't help but feel that there was something out there, watching their every move.
"We're back with the water, Kaede-sama," Miroku said, putting the bucket down. Kirara was in her larger form, and it looked like Inuyasha was sleeping peacefully against her, but Miroku knew better than that. Besides, it looked like he was starting to have trouble breathing.
"What happened?" asked Sango, remembering Inuyasha to still be awake when she left a few minutes ago.
"He just started falling asleep, so I went to get Kaede-baa-chan in the fields," Kagome said, biting her lip in worry. "I told Kirara to transform and keep an eye on him."
"And he's been asleep since we've come back," Kaede said, trying to piece together what was happening.
"Where is Myouga-sama?" asked Miroku, looking around for the ancient flea.
"He disappeared some time ago," Kagome said, her voice showing none of her emotions. They all knew what that meant. When Myouga disappeared, it meant danger was soon coming.
"Kagome-chan, take Inuyasha to your world again," Sango said suddenly. "Maybe the spell will wear off if he's in your world. The person who's doing the spell can't possibly penetrate through the well, right?" she asked, turning to the others to see their opinion.
"Sango is right. I'm going to guess that something is going to come here to attack Inuyasha, so it would be in our best interests to get Inuyasha away from this place," Miroku said. He didn't bother hiding the apprehension in his voice. Things were just happening too fast lately.
"All right," Kagome said, getting her pack ready.
"Inuyasha, wake up," Shippou said, shaking Inuyasha a bit. Emerald green eyes met hazy lavender ones as Inuyasha opened his eyes, trying to wake himself up. With effort, he pushed himself up to a sitting position, trying to keep himself awake.
"Inuyasha, we're going to my house, okay?" Kagome said, worry starting to eat her heart. She extended her hand to Inuyasha and helped pull him up, while Kirara pushed him from behind. "I'll come back every three days, okay?" Kagome asked the others. "Try to find out who's doing this, so that…"
"We know, Kagome-chan," Sango said. "I just hope you can handle Inuyasha until we do."
"Don't worry about that," Kagome said, trying to smile.
"Stop talking about me as if I'm not here," Inuyasha said grumpily in an effort to return the atmosphere to one that was more normal. "Oi, Miroku," he said, his voice still sounding tired. He tossed the white cloth with the powder to Miroku. "Try to figure this out."
"I'll do my best not to disappoint you, Inuyasha," Miroku said, catching the package.
"Kirara, protect them until they get to the well," Kaede said the cat. "I want the rest of you to follow me. We're going to have to start gathering and testing herbs to find one that matches the qualities of that powder."
"The sooner we find the herb, the better, right?" asked Shippou, trying not to let his fear get to him. Kaede nodded. Kagome and Inuyasha left the hut, with Inuyasha stumbling a bit, while Kirara followed after them. Sango clenched her fists tightly. Whatever was happening to Inuyasha, she would get to the bottom of it. She absolutely was not going to lose someone else she cared for in this lifetime.
"Hey look, they're leaving the house," Raijin said, watching the village closely. "Do we attack them now?"
"Idiot," Fuujin said, rolling his eyes. "Can't you see that there's a cat youkai protecting them? Besides, the plan is to get him alone so that no one will suspect us, you nitwit."
"I don't see why we have to care if someone did suspect us," Raijin said angrily.
"If someone is suspicious of us, then Ryuten-sama's plan will go to waste," the God of Wind said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Not to mention the Great Emperor would waste us."
"He wouldn't find out," Raijin thundered.
"How do you know?" asked Fuujin.
"Because Ryuten-sama told me something that he didn't tell you," Raijin said smugly.
"Why would he do that?" asked the Wind God.
"Because he doesn't like you," the Thunder God taunted.
"Why you little—!"
"I'm bigger than you are," Raijin said. Raijin was about to throw a punch when Fuujin smacked him on the head with wind.
"Look what you've done! Now they're gone again!" he said, pointing to the village devoid of their target.
"It wasn't my fault," Raijin said, crossing his arms. "You're the one who wanted to fight."
"Why, oh why, do I have to work with such idiots?!" Fuujin lamented to the heavens. The heavens had no answer for him.
Miscellaneous Comments and Such: Do you people mind if the chapters are this long? This chapter is actually the first half of the original chapter, but I don't think I can finish a near 30 page chapter anytime soon, so I split it into two so you people can read what I've already written. But the question is, do you mind such long chapters, or would you prefer them to be divided into smaller ones? I just don't want to bore you with these excessively long chapters…
Avalon: not a Japanese term, if you don't know what this is already. A land in the western sea where supposedly King Arthur went to after he died. I guess it would sort of be like heaven or the Elysian Fields.
Amaterasu o-mi-kami is the Sun Goddess who is the supreme ruler of all the heavens. The first emperor of Japan is one of her sons, and she has three sacred treasures, of which I'm not going to tell you because then that'll ruin the surprise.
Mai: her name is supposed to mean "dance." You know, like Kagura's "Fuujin no Mai."
Shigure: literally means "time rain." I think.
Oda Nobunaga: a real historical character. Everything that Kagome read about him is true, and I know because I did research on him. His actions will affect the group later.
The story of a woman becoming a snake because of an unfaithful monk is actually from a Japanese tale that I cannot remember the name of. Basically she fell in love with the monk, the monk ran off with another woman, she got mad and became a snake and then went after the monk. Sort of like with Miroku's parents, right?
The plot thickens in the next chapter! Let's just say that whatever plan Fuujin and Raijin have for Inuyasha, it'll work. ^_^