Note - The greater part of this chapter has been written in the 2nd person point of view for purposes of putting the reader directly into the story. The title of this scroll is "The Interloper" which basically means "one that intrudes in a place or sphere of activity". As the reader, YOU are the interloper as the scene unfolds and you will find yourself pulled into the world for a short amount of time. I admit that this sort of writing can be jarring to some readers but rest assured it does serve its purposes when a writer needs to be descriptive. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

- The Interloper -

The castle that lay in the foothills of Mt. Jibou was a desolate place. Once an active center of life full of merchants, travelers, and townsmen, the castle and its town now lay as quiet as a tomb. One would even say that it looked like the town had been abandoned for years with the tattered homes and trash-littered streets. But the truth of the matter was that it had only become this way after HIS arrival two months ago.

Naraku was known for the destruction he would leave in his wake, the shattered lives and broken dreams meant nothing to a demon whose drive in life was power and revenge. He had moved from one place to another, taking over the headman of a village or the lord of a manor at his whim until he got bored and then he'd summon his demons to eat their fill of the humans.

It was after such an episode in nearby Ayame village that Naraku found the bustling, would-be metropolis near Mt. Jibou. He took it over easily enough by enticing the greedy lord with unimaginable riches and everlasting life.

"Humans are so easily fooled," thought Naraku as he took over the body of the lord, controlling its now rotting flesh by trapping the soul inside. From there "leading" the town proved to be child's play as Naraku continued to collect taxes and play "house." It wasn't that he needed the money or that he suddenly felt sympathy for the fools that followed the lord so blindly. No, Naraku continued the charade because he could; because manipulation and deceit fueled his soul. Because he enjoyed causing pain and suffering to those he considered weak.

It wasn't until a group of samurai figured out what was going on that Naraku ended his game. He summoned his brethren to ravage the town while he killed the noble samurai and all the occupants of the castle. And while Naraku would have normally abandoned the castle and town for a more fruitful area, the raven-haired demon found that Mt. Jibou held extraordinary demonic power. Power that he could tap into to create a barrier that shielded him from humans and demons alike.

The castle lies upon a bed of mist that seems to reach out from the underworld. Its soft, wispy tendrils creep up the sides of the wall slowly and deliberately as if it was stalking something just out of reach. A lone bird flies out from the trees momentarily breaking the eerie silence before a large, flying demon snatches it from the sky, devouring it instantly. And then all is silent once more.

The castle itself is steeped in evil. Every corridor, every room, every corner that has been touched by Naraku's presence is now filled with a lingering sense of doom. Death lines the halls turning the castle into a veritable crypt and yet you see a young girl dressed purely in all white roaming amongst the dead. Her bare feet tread along the blood-stained hallways as if it were commonplace to do so. It is Kanna, Naraku's first incarnation.

She holds little expression upon her face as her dark eyes stare blankly ahead. Her white hair falls neatly around her shoulders and there is a flower nestled peacefully in her hair. Her white nightgown flows easily around her body and occasionally brushes along the heads of the dead that sit against the wall. She seems lost in this sea of death as she steps through the rotting corpses that line either side of her feet.

It almost seems as if the hands of those dead servants and samurai could reach out with their rotting flesh to touch the young girl. You wonder if all the halls are like this one, if all of them reek of decomposition and putrid flesh; if the buzzing of flies and the presence of maggots seem a part of the natural environment. You watch Kanna as she continues to walk and notice that she holds a mirror, facing outward, in front of her chest. She is stoic, determined almost, in the task of holding the mirror, a small circular thing that would normally have little consequence in grander schemes. And you wonder what exactly she uses it for.

She turns a corner and you follow because now you're drawn in, curious about the demon and her 'mission.' In some way you feel as if your presence will keep her safe from the devilry that saturates the air and yet you know that she holds power that you never could. And then you see it! Another demon of enormous proportions, one that towers over the young girl with threatening fangs, blood-red eyes, hungry claws and an even hungrier stomach. It growls and the girl stops in her tracks yet no fear clouds her dark eyes. She watches the creature intensely as it stalks forward, saliva dripping onto the ground at its feet, mixing with the blood that is already there.

The demon holds its hands out in front if its body and begins to accumulate energy in between his palms and still the small demon girl does not move. You wish you could push her out of, tell her to run but you're even more helpless than she seems. And then as quickly as the demon appeared he releases his attack upon Kanna. You close your eyes expecting a pile of ashes in place of the girl demon once you open them. But what you do you see is that the mirror the girl holds has absorbed the attack and redirected at the demon, annihilating it as it would have done her.

The quiet girl moves down the same corridor and enters the room at the very end of the hall and for the first time you hear her speak, a quiet sound that barely resonates through the air.

"You called for me."

"Kanna." Naraku sits on a mat near one end of the room, his face flickering in and out of the shadows as the flame dances upon its wick.

"Kagura has found Inuyasha."

"Good," says Naraku, his voice dripping with wickedness. "And has she done anything about it?"

"See for yourself," says the girl quietly as the mirror swirls to reveal an image of Kagura sitting in a tree as she watches Inuyasha and his companions sit around a campfire.

"What does she think she's doing!" He snarls angrily and narrows his eyes. "Kohaku!"

A young boy emerges from behind a screen; his lifeless eyes stare forward as he drops to one knee in front of Naraku.

"Yes, Master?"

"Kohaku," Naraku growls seductively. "I want you to go to Kagura and assist her in her task. Take the new slave with you."

Another shadow emerges from behind a sheer screen. His red eyes are lifeless as well as he shuffles forward, a limp on his right leg. His clothes are bloodied and torn, his face bears numerous scratches, and his light-brown hair is matted with the signs of battle. He moves up to stand next to Kohaku and it is then you see his pointed ears, a clear sign that this man is a demon.

"Master," he mutters in a gurgle.

Naraku smirks. "Go with Kohaku. Prove yourself to me."

The new slave demon nods. "Yes, Master."

Kohaku nods and turns on his heel to leave, the new demon slave following closely behind. You watch them disappear through another door and then all is silent. You find yourself catching your breath for fear that Naraku and Kanna might hear you.

"Kanna," calls Naraku. "If anything changes…"

The girl nods and turns around as she begins to head out of the room, leaving behind the wicked demon that has only the light from the moon and the shimmering Shikon jewel to keep him company. He pulls it out from beneath regal robes and holds it in his palm. There is a significant part of it missing but this does not take away from its beauty. He eyes it carefully and for a moment you think you see a red spark within the depths of the crystal, then another, as if there is some sort of life force inside it.

And then suddenly Naraku doubles over, his face contorting with pain just as the Jewel of Four Souls slips out of his grasp. His dark eyes widen as the pupil contracts, clearly exhibiting the pain that must be coursing through his body. A hand reaches up for his mouth and covers it as he begins to cough. A murky substance seeps between his fingers and drips onto his hakama. His eyes seem to relax for a moment before another fit overtakes his lungs and he discharges something from them, something that flies out of his mouth and lands on the wall opposite of the demon.

Naraku sighs in relief and slumps against his own wall, eyes glazing over with slight exhaustion. Your own eyes move to the black lump that has already begun to slide down the bamboo walls and you cringe in disgust. You have a curious urge to go and examine the matter that has come to rest upon the floor. You inch closer as the light of the moon dances off your skin and casts eerie shadows beyond your body, shadows that seem to take on a life of their own in this mystical place.

Your eyes focus in on the dark material on the floor and you are about to crouch down to examine it when suddenly it begins to bubble violently, sprouting tentacles and forming a venous body. You stumble back and fall to the ground and desperately try to put more distance between you and the moving blob. You realize that it isn't actually moving in any direction yet and finally calm for a moment. And then you see Naraku as he walks past you and toward his bulbous creation. He stands over it for a moment before he brings a bare foot down upon it, crushing it under his weight. The barely formed body stretches under the force before it explodes, sending its dark, viscous material splattering onto the floor and all over Naraku's foot.

The demon smirks wickedly and walks away from the dark spot on the floor leaving murky footprints in his wake. He leaves the room and you are alone once more. You breathe a sigh of relief and rise to your feet, moving toward the Shikon no Tama that Naraku has left so carelessly in the room. You watch it glisten in the moonlight and you can't help but wonder how such a little crystalline jewel could have caused as much trouble as it has. Your eyes avert to the moon and you move toward the open window. Sitting upon the ledge you hug your legs to your chest and close your eyes as you drift off into a peaceful slumber.