Japanese Dictionary:

1. Gomen nasai: I'm sorry.

2. Hai: Yes.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Zelda are not mine. Onegai, don't sue!

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The Legend of Kagome: Tessusaiga of Time

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Chapter 12: Of a Haunting Song and the Thunder Composer Bros

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The sun had risen and Inuyasha was well on his way to reach Kakariko Village. He frowned at his clothes; Kaede had insisted for Inuyasha to wear typical Kakariko clothing. He was now wearing a green tunic with brown leather boots, a green cap to hide his doggy ears, and he had both his sword and his shield strapped with leather belts. He had a brown leather belt tied around his wait and another one that crossed his chest diagonally from right to left; this one was holding in place his sword and shield for easy access.

He had to admit: this outfit was much handier than his old one. Sure, the old one was more comfortable, but this one had handy pockets inside the tunic. It also allowed more movement with his sword and shield on his backside; he didn't have to tie his sword around his waist anymore.

He walked a bit further, though Myouga was nowhere in sight. The previous night an army of Stalchildren, the earthy remains of children who lost their families to famine and war, attacked Inuyasha. He had been fighting for most of the night but then figured out there seemed to be an endless supply of them and decided to keep lookout somewhere high. He had hidden between the foliage of a sturdy tree, one high and that could support his weight.

"With age comes wisdom . . ." Inuyasha mumbled out loud.

"You can say that again!"

Inuyasha jumped. He looked around.

He then spotted an owl perched on a tree. He knew he wasn't one, however: owls did not have green eyes and orange feathers. He must be a shape shifter; then again, who knew? Maybe the shifter had something important to say.

"Allow me to introduce myself! I am Shippou, the Great Owl!" The owl replied, flapping its feathers.

"Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" he heard a small voice said and smirked when he saw Myouga flying straight out of the owl's feathers. Inuyasha caught Myouga with his fist and cast an iron grip on him. "Hello, there."

Myouga gulped. "Let me go, Lord Inuyasha!"

"Feh! You wish!" the boy replied smartly and pulled a strand of hair from his scalp, which he used to tie around Myouga's tiny waist. He then tied it around his shoulder strap. "You're staying right there, you coward!"

"Gomen nasai, Myouga, old friend!" Shippou laughed. "Now, Inuyasha, heed my words. You will encounter many hardships ahead. That is your fate! Don't feel discouraged, even during the toughest times!"

As the owl flew away, Inuyasha glared down at the flea. "Chicken shit."

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Kakariko Village

That's what the sign read and Inuyasha immediately felt awkward around the place. There seemed to be some kind of unsettling silence, like that of the peace before the storm. It was relatively empty, only a few houses and shops here and there. Most of the villagers were building new structures. There was a tall watchtower to the far left and a well right in the middle of the town. Inuyasha felt spooked by the structure and instead walked as far as he could around it.

Inuyasha made his way around town, mindful of everyone around him. He saw that most stores were closing up. Inuyasha walked towards a man with a shovel in hand.

"Excuse me, sir. What's going on?"

The man grunted and looked at Inuyasha. "Royal Family crisis, boy! Haven't you heard the news? Our Royal Family, Lord King Sesshoumaru, Princess Kagome, and young Prince Souta have been attacked!"

"An ambush, I tell ye!" another older man added.

The man with the shovel grunted again. "No interrupting me, boys! Now, Lord Sesshoumaru had gone to Lake Hylia for some kind of frontier business and their camp was ambushed by bandits. Now, I doubt anything happened to our Highness! Youkai, see? And all the Royal Guards! To tell ye the truth, I think they're well but when the Royal Family suffers, Kakariko suffers also. We are born to serve the Royal Family. This is just a safety precaution, nothing serious."

Inuyasha gaped. "So where is everyone going?"

The man was quiet for a moment. "Well, in case of an invasion, we should be leaving for the windmill. Or maybe the graveyard, but I doubt the people here would want to hide out in such a scary place."

"The graveyard?"

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The graveyard turned out to be some type of burial ground, for the Sheikahs and the Royal Family. It was distanced from the town, partly shadowed by the great windmill, Kakariko's source of power and water. As he walked around the entrance he saw a huge stone tablet that read:

R.I.P.

Here lie the souls of those who

swore loyalty to the

Royal Family of Japan.

The Sheikah, guardians of the Royal Family

and founders of Kakariko, watch over

these spirits in their eternal slumber.

"Well, isn't this welcoming." Inuyasha muttered, getting chills from the sight. Graveyards and crypts are so not my thing.

"Fear not, Lord Inuyasha, for the Sheikah were a righteous and fair race. They dedicated their lives to serve the Royal Family for ages and even in their deaths do they continue to do their task." Myouga stated, respect noticeable in his tone of voice.

Inuyasha nodded dumbly, walking alongside the path that circled around the graves. On the north corner of the graveyard laid a huge tombstone, about ten feet in height and five in length. Besides the tombstone were two smaller graves, one on the right and one to the left. He approached the one on the left and read out loud:

Thunder Composer Bros

Jakotsu the Elder

R.I.P.

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, the ghost of a pale man with black hair and azure eyes, dressed in expensive robes appeared. He had some type of cross on his forehead. Inuyasha took out his sword and stood ground. When the spirit saw him, he launched for Inuyasha but Inuyasha poised his sword and stabbed the ghost through the chest. The ghost saw the sword and retreated.

"You are not one of Naraku's men, are you?" he asked, calm.

"No, I am a messenger from the Royal Family." Inuyasha replied, still a bit shocked to be speaking with the undead.

The ghost bowed. "Let me introduce myself. I am Jakotsu, one of the ghostly composer brothers of Kakariko Village. All the people in this village are born to serve the Royal Family of Japan. We brothers also served and were assigned to study the hereditary powers of the family. Though we never could figure out the power of the Triforce, we had almost completed our study of controlling time with the tones of Ocarinas. I mean, we did complete that study!" Jakotsu added, nervously. "We would have been famous, if that hateful Naraku had not tried to steal the results! We could never let him reap the fruits of our research! That's why we gave our lives to protect the secret."

Inuyasha moved towards the other grave. "So this is your brother's grave?" Jakotsu nodded. "Go ahead and wake him up."

Inuyasha kneeled down on the barren July ground and wiped the dust from the stone.

Thunder Composer Bros

Bankotsu the Younger

R.I.P.

Another ghost came out of the stone, this one with grey hair and black eyes. He had two purple stripes on his face. He was dressed also in expensive cloths and ribbons. The ghost bowed. "I am Bankotsu. It is a pleasure to meet you, young messenger." He looked at Inuyasha carefully and then at his brother. "Somehow you remind me of our King Sesshoumaru . . . Am I not correct, Jakotsu?"

The older sibling nodded. "Most indeed, my brother."

Bankotsu faced Inuyasha again. "Since you may have some connection to the Royal Family, I will tell you a little more of our tale."

"Back then, people called us great composers because of the many musical masterpieces we wrote. But we brothers weren't just composers. We had a mission to analyze the mysterious powers of Japan's Royal Family. Our names would be a part of Japan's history if we could complete our research! We kept our study extremely secret until it was finished. To tell you the truth, each of us was studying a different song."

"Do you mean to say the legendary song of the Celestial Sisters?" Myouga questioned, amazed.

"Hai, Master Myouga! One song summons the sun and another summons the moon! Now, if you were really sent by a member of the Royal Family, I will tell you about the results of our study." Bankotsu looked at his older brother.

"We inscribed it on the Royal Tombstone. That's where all of Japan's Royal Family has been buried. As a messenger of the Royal family, you should show your Royal credentials on top of the Tombstone." Jakotsu advised.

The two ghostly brothers vanished into a silver mist and Inuyasha stood there, speechless. There was a dark aura surrounding the tombstone. He took a couple of deep breaths and took out his Ocarina. He then remembered the song that Kaede had taught him a few days back. . .

He felt his fingers move by themselves. He was in a trance, and he felt he could not stop playing even if he wished to. As the notes resonated across the graveyard, he felt the earth trembling as if it was at his Ocarina's command. A surge of power crept through his veins as the ancient stone began to split in half.

As the song came to an end, the monument rumbled down and Inuyasha felt a mysterious force pulling him towards the grave. He was soon enveloped into eternal darkness. Inuyasha felt the spirits of the Sheikah surround him and heard the sorrowful howling; he was slowly being consumed by the presence of the warriors. He felt a sickening calm that haunted his insides and a lonely embrace, like that of Death's soft touch.

And as he felt himself being pulled into an eternal slumber, he knew he was slowly dying. Hypnotized, he thought if he had to die, it would have been there in their arms.

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This is the most beautiful chapter yet! I love it! Please read and review!

Fourth Child of Destiny

7/14/05