Disclaimer: I do not own Wolf's Rain or Inuyasha. Can't think of any witty comments to put here so I shall move on. It is too depressing.
Wow! I got a lot of reviews, they're mostly all from the same person, but hey, who am I to complain. A review is a review! I tried to make this chapter a little longer, but sacrificed the ending because I was getting really tired of writing. I'm so sorry! Please keep reading! I swear it will never happen again! Maybe... Anyway, writer responses I promised.
New York Vanilla- I'm glad you love my story! I will try my hardest to keep the same quality of writing if not better because I have been getting a lot of compliments for it. You'll learn more about Luna and Aurora later, I still have to figure them out! Sesshomaru is a character from Inuyasha, you'll learn a little more about him in this chapter, but suffice for now to know he is neither human nor wolf.
Nikkler- first of all, I appreciate all of your reviews! A Sessy X Toboe fic? Hmmm, hadn't thought of that, I may just have to dwell on that for a while. I'm glad you think my X-over is understandable. I'm doing my best so anyone can read it and at least have an idea of what is going on.
XLoneWolfX- I'm glad you like my story. I'm planning on keeping it going for a while.
OK peeps, never say I don't pay attention to what you people tell me! I have already had my whole plan for this story changed twice by passing comments from you the readers. I appreciate all the advice and suggestions I can get! Plus, the more reviews I get the happier I am, which is good for everyone concerned. I forgot to mention, I will not be able to update on Sundays except for on rare occasions, so I will try to work on just writing the story instead and update on Monday. Thank you SO much for liking my story! I hope you like this chapter (except the end, I was so tired of writing and I have to get to work on a big project I have due in two weeks and need to get some of it done, so the end got a little chopped, Sorry!) As for making my stories longer, I'll do my best! Oh yes, sorry about my spelling, there is something wrong with my spell check.
Ghosts of ParadiseChapter 5: A Half Forgotten Tale
Kiba, Tsume, Blue, Hige, and Cheza ate in silence at a corner booth in the bar. One thing haunted their minds, the lunar flower upstairs. They all knew that that must have been what attracted the large number of wolves to the area in spite of the danger. The question was though, how did it come to be in Aurora's possession? Kiba had so many questions for her, but Aurora had merely smiled her wicked little grin and told him it would have to wait. Now here they sat with lunar flowers and lost puppies on the brain until 2:00 AM when Aurora's shif would be over. They all picked at their food uninterestedly. Everyone but Hige that is. Eventually the other four just stared at the wolf as he shoved every scrap of food he could into his mouth.
"Disgusting," Tsume admonished.
"What? Can't let food go to wast!" was all Hige said.
Tsume sighed in disgust and took another bite out of his hamburger. The door to the bar opened and a cold breeze rushed in, sending paper, hair, and skirts everywhere. A crash was heard as Aurora "accidentally" dropped a tray full of beer onto a man's lap when his hand found its way up her skirt. The man who had just walked in laughed and said, "Glad to see you up to your usual antics, Aurora." Aurora gave a mock sneer, smiled, and went to refill the order.
"Hey Manch, what's up?" asked a wolf at the bar.
"Oh, not a whole lot. The nobles are more active than usual, but that's it really," the man replied. The few humans in the bar did not seem to care aobut this tidbit of information, but all of the wolves did.
"What do you mean, Manch?" someone asked.
"The Nobles have started arresting certain individusals," Manch said.
"Where are they taking them?" Tsume asked. Manch shrugged.
"Who knows? They don't come back though, dead or alive."
At this the whole place started whispering about torture chambers, incinerators, and other such gruesome fates. Manch forced his way through the babbling crowd to the bar. He then made his way to the corner booth where Kiba and his friends were sitting.
"You know, you could ask anyone in the city the question you just asked me and they would do one of two things. Either they'll tell you they don't know, or shoot you on the spot. There is a pretty little story you would probably be interested in hearing. Appearantly there is, or rather, was, a great castle here abouts that belonged to a great dog deomon Lord. As the story goes, our little nobles barged in, knocking the mighty king from his throne and taking the castle. Maybe you shouldn't be looking for a person, but for a castle in the sky," Manch recommended, raising his glass to the wolves. He then walked away, leaving the others to their thoughts.
"I'm afraid the story is a little more complicated than that," said Aurora, who had just walked up to their table. "Come on, my shift is over. You have questions and I may or may not have answers. If you're done eating, lets go upstairs."
Once upstairs everyone found a place around the fireplace. Tsume took the armchair because of his injuries, Kiba leaned against the wall next to the fireplace, Blue and Hige sat ont eh floor together, Cheza sat on the arm of Tsume's chair and petted him, much to Tsume's supposed dismay, and Aurora sat on the hearth in front of the fireplace.
"The flower, how did you get it, tell us," Kiba quietly demanded.
"The flower, sure, I'll tell you about the flower. But first you need to know the story of this city, the one Manch tried to tell you. These books are almost all banned. Banned, because they tell the truth. I have spent countless hours locked away in here pouring over these volumes of magic and long forgotten lore. To tell you the truth, I didn't much care about any of it until six months ago. That's when they came and took my little sister. When the Nobles take someone, all evidence of that person is erased. Their names are lifted from documents, certificates are destroyed, records are altered, but they can not erase their existance from living memories. Not that it hasn't been tried. The failed experiments of that venture are sitting in an insane asylum. I salvaged these books and have learned about almost a thousand years of transgressions against human life, disregard for the human soul, and horrible greed.
"It all started almost a thousand years ago. That was when she first appeared. A young human miko (priestess) named Kagome fell through a well into the feudal era. To make an incredibly long story relatively short, she joined forces with a half-demon, a kitsune pup, a monk, and a demon exterminator and her pet demon in order to rebuild a jewel known as the Shikon No Tama which had been shattered and kill a demon created from greed and lust named Naraku. By the time the final battle with Naraku came to a rise, the small army of friends had turned into a large army, created by the military expertise of the demon lord, Sesshomaru.There was now the group of jewel hunters, as the six were so fondly known, Lord Sesshomaru, demons loyal to Sesshomaru, demons loyal only to themselves, a pack of wolf demons, and the undead miko, Kikyo.
"The battle raged on for days, neither side really winning. This was a testament to the jewel hunters and their allies power, because they were facing a demon who was using the power of an almost complete Shikon No Tama. 'The jewel is most beautiful when bathed in blood.' That was also when it was at its most powerful, and bathed in blood it was. Countless innocents had been killed to strengthen the great Naraku and his minions. The jewel was crying for its other half, the power rising constantly. That is when Kagome made the decision that changed the coarse fo the battle. She called Kouga, the leader of the wolf demons, and asked for the jewel shards in his legs. This would slow the wolf prince down drastically, but was essential for her plan. Kouga loved Kagome and was willing to go to the ends of the Earth for her. He ripped the shards from his legs and gave them to Kagome. Kagome then tied her portion of the jewel to one of her sacred arrows and aimed for the piece Naraku had in his possesion. The arrow sailed towards its target, destroying everything in its way. This could be the end of the battle, but Kikyo had other plans. She got between the sacred arrow and Naraku, putting a barrier in place. She undersestimated Kagome's power though, and the arrow pierced the shield and Kikyo's heart.
"The jewel had an intersting quality to it. Whoever possessed it could not die. The jewel would call the body back together, restoring life. The explosion. Caused when Kagome's arrow pierced Kikyo's shield was enough to knock Naraku back and make him drop the jewel. The jewel was whole once again, but the arrow was still through Kikyo. 'The jewel called the split soul to be one again. Kagome and the undead miko were reunited in one body once again.' That is how Sesshomaru described it. Kagome now had the power to destroy Naraku, and she did. The explosion caused by this act ripped a hole in the fabric of time and space for a moment. For just a moment, paradise opened.
"Life changed from that day on. Kagome's powers, multiplied by Kikyo and, for some reason, the opening of Paradise, could not control herself without the jewel. The wolves swore to protect her by any means necessary.
"This is were records begin to get vague. Something happened, Kouga and his wolves vanished and were never mentioned again in any records I could find, Inuyasha was sealed away, and Kagome's sould was devoured. Her lifeless body was sealed away in Sesshomaru's palace, where it supposedly remains to this day.
"Sesshomaru continued to protect the Western lands and Kagome until a force was raised by the Nobles and the palace was conquered. Sesshomaru was locked away to be forgotten by time and the people he ruled. His palace, hidden by spells and enchantments, remained that way, overrun by Nobles. Alas, that is all I know," here Aurora finished her tale. Everyone was silent for a moment, thinking about what they were told.
"Wow, that sure bites," Hige muttered.
"What happened to the wolf demons?" Tsume asked. Aurora shrugged.
"So, in order to find Toboe, we have to find the palace," Kiba mused.
"Yeah, the one hidden so no one can find it. Sounds about as easy as finding paradise," Tsume pointed out bitterly.
"Yeah, but obviously it can be done. The Nobles found it, didn't they?" Hige retorted.
"Where do was start?" Blue asked.
"We start at the Forbidden Lake. In all of the legends discussing travel ot he castle, there are boats. The town was built around the lake, so it makes sense," Aurora informed them.
"Then let us go! Lets go now!" squeeled Cheza, excited by the prospect of seeing Toboe again.
"Wait, that still does not answer the question as to why you have a lunar flower," Tsume snapped.
Aurora smirked. "All will be answered in time, my patient little lamb. Now, Pinky over there is right, lets go!" Aurora tormented, clearly enjoying herself. Tsume growled at her, but she pretended not to notice.
"What?! Leave now?!" Hige shrieked.
"Why not?" Kiba calmly asked. Hige mumbled something about beauty sleep but reluctantly gave in.
"Come on, lets see if Manch and Mizu are still here, we can use all the help we can get," Aurora suggested.
"Cool," said Hige. "Um, no offense, but, should Tsume..."
"Don't even think about suggesting I stay here, Porky," Tsume snapped, growly low in his thoat and glaring daggers. "I'm FINE!" Blue rolled her eyes. They then went downstairs in search of the other two wolves. They were found at the end fo the bar, chatting and nursing drinks.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. We need you two boys to helpus, if you'd be so kind," said Aurora. Manch and Mizu turned to look at the young wolf female and smiled.
"What can we do for you, Toots?" asked Mizu.
"You can help us find the Nobles," said Tsume. The two men looked at each other then at the other wolves.
"All right then. Nothing like a suicide mission to add some mild excitement to your life."
"Lets go."
"Something is coming," said Sesshomaru.
"What is it?" asked Toboe.
"I don't know, but something big is going to happen. I can smell it."
"Maybe, we'll get out of here?" suggested Luna, hopefully. Sesshomaru did not respond. Something had awakened the devil in the castle, and blood was going to spill before the next nightfall.
Well, I hope you liked it, please REVIEW! I do listen!