Scroll 12: Plan

Many of those that slept on the castle grounds were awaken by the lizard demons' hiss and some even within the walls of the castle itself. The rest of the company was among them, as Karoru found when Inuyasha and Miroku hurried to her, closely followed by the larger form of Kirara, Kagome, and Shippo.

"What the heck's going on!" Inuyasha demanded at once.

Karoru turned and began striding purposefully towards the castle. "I'm going to talk to the lord. We have to do something right now."

"Wait! I'll go with you!" Shintaru rushed to catch up with the tiger demon.

"Hey! Hold on!"

The others quickly followed.

"Where's Sango?" Miroku asked once he managed to keep pace with her.

The hanyou appeared next to Shintaru. "An' who the heck's this guy?"

"You must be Inuyasha," the young swordsman said, smiling at him cheerfully. "I'm Shintaru, one of the warriors hired by the lord of this castle." His face grew grim, and he stared ahead as they manipulated the steps and headed inside. "Miss Sango is turning into one of them, or at least something like them."

Miroku's eyes widened. "What! But how? Where is she?"

"One of the demons scratched her during the battle. I was treating it for her. It was probably infected or something."

"But Sango couldn't have been the only one to get scratched by one of those things!" Inuyasha cut in. "How come none of the other soldiers are being affected?"

Shintaru gazed over at him, his expression serious. "None of the others lived."

This was followed by silence. Karoru continued leading them through the castle, ignoring anyone who objected to their presence.

"Sango is a demon slayer," Shintaru went on quietly," a taiji-ya. I recognized the outfit she wore. She's obviously an expert at what she does." He crossed his arms pensively. "The lizard demons have a new queen. A powerful one."

"What are we gonna do?" Kagome voiced in a concerned tone.

"What else?" replied the tiger demon. "We're getting her back."

All other thoughts to be said were put on hold as they approached a pair of soldiers who were obviously guarding the room ahead from intruders.

"Halt! Who are you and what do you want?" one said, drawing his sword.

"Get out of my way," said Karoru, gazing at them without blinking once. She was not in the mood to waste time.

Before an arguement could break out, Miroku stepped forward with the palm of his left hand raised in peace, the rings of his shakujou clinking against one another as he moved. "Something has come up. We must speak with the lord and discuss plans of action. Please let us pass."

The two guards looked at each other as if trying to evaluate the truth of the monk's words. After a moment, they nodded and stepped aside, and the company entered.

The lord of the castle was already awake and talking with a man who had the look of an army leader about him. The room was obviously not a bedroom, for a lord's chambered would most likely be more lavishly furnished. This room, however, was pleasant enough with two large windows opened to the lightening sky, vases of many flowers situated around, a stack of red, comfy-looking cushions sitting in a croner, and a number of fragrant powders burning in metal holders.

The two men jumped with the arrival of the company, twice as high at the sight of the fearseom neko demon. This time, Shintaru voted himself spokesperson for the group.

"We have discovered a new problem, my lord," he stated. "We wish to discuss a few plans of action with you."

The lord only seemed to half hear the swordsman's words. He pointed a trembling finger at the enormous cat. "G-Get that thing away!"

The others turned.

"Kirara," Kagome said, bending down slightly.

The neko demon transformed in a blaze of fire and hopped upon her shoulder with a high pitched squeak. The lord and is associate relaxed visible. The former, regaining his composure, nodded curtly and gestured for them to sit.

"What is this problem you spoke of?" he asked after they were kneeling before him. Though the lord was young, he had the look of a mature leader, probably made so by the disaster that had befallen his people.

"The demons have a new queen," Shintaru replied solemnly. "They will be more organized than ever before and will most likely attempt something very soon."

The lord and the other man looked at each other.

"Yes, that does provide a problem. General, what do you propose we should do?"

The man rubbed the scruff of his chin pensively. "I don't believe my current plans in mind will work now that they have a leader. The young lad is right. They probably will try something drastic. We have to do something. I must admit I am at a loss as to what that would be, however."

"Excuse me for interupting," Shintaru said, choosing his words carefully and making sure to show his utmost respect, "but I do believe my friend here has a few ideas." He gestured to Karoru.

"Friend?" the General repeated incredulously. "But she is a demon! Who let her in in the first place?"

"That I am, sir," Karoru stated, "but that queen happens to be a good friend of ours. Her wound was infected by the demons. We intend to get her back."

The General looked to his ruler. "My lord..."

The lord nodded at the tiger demon. "Continue."

Karoru folded her arms into her wide sleeves. "I know a bit about war. We do live in Sengoku Jidai, the Warring States Era, and although I'd prefered to stay out of the troubles between humans, circumstances led me to enter a few battles in my day. I am no ordinary demon. You can be sure of that." She paused to look out the window at the coming dawn. "This is what I suggest. My comrades and I will visit the waterfall and cliffs that these lizards supposedly call home. We'll find our friend and figure out a way to heal her. We'll use your secret exit. To make sure we don't get caught while slipping out, you and your men will engage the demons to distract them."

"What!" the Generl cut in. "That would be suicide! We'll lose the men unnecessarily! Why should we sacrifice them just so you can rescue your friend!"

"Let me explain, General," Karoru said calmly. "It is a matter of, say, equivalent exchange. You help us get our friend back, and we'll get rid of the demons that hold this place under siege." She smiled slyly. "Our puppy can make sure of that."

Inuyasha suddenly leapt angrily to his feet. "Hey! Who are you callin' a puppy! Are you tryin' to start somethin'?"

"You have my word," Karoru said, ignoring the tempermental hanyou.

"The word of a demon is not enough," the General stated firmly. "We need more than that to make sure you'll come back to keep your side of this so-called exchange."

"Would the word of a monk suffice?" Miroku spoke up. "We also have a priestess in our midst." He nodded to Kagome, who was trying to get Inuyasha to site back down. "Surely our word can be trusted."

The lord and the General looked at each other and seemed to hold a silent discussion.

"Alright," the former said after a while. "We'll go with your plan."

"But my lord!"

"What else can we do, General? We need all the help we can get. These people might really rid us of these demons, and then we can go back to living in peace and prosperity." When the General did not answer, he continued. "When do you wish to leave?"

"As soon as possible," Karoru replied.

The lord nodded and stood, the others within the room following suit. "Very well. I will send a guide to lead you to the entrance of the escape tunnel. General, round up your troops."

Inuyasha: Alright! Now we can kick some more demon butt!

--Sure. Let's go with that.

Kagome: I hope Sango's okay. How are we gonna change her back to the way she was?

--You'll just have to find out.

Inuyasha: -:scowls:- These type of things are always like that!

--Duh.