UnSpoken Love By: OtakuSailorV
Chapter 18:: Struggle"Keade-Obaa-chan?" Rin questioned. "Of course I know her! Well, I don't know her personally, but she taught my sister and my cousin. How do you know about her?"
She knew it was a silly questioned before she had even finished. It was no wonder he had heard of her; he had been around for sometime, hadn't he? Well, at least she was pretty sure. He didn't look that old, but he talked in a fashion that just seemed to tell her that he had seen more things than she could ever possibly hope to imagine.
He studied her face for a moment, as if he were coming to some decision inwardly. "It is," And here he stopped, as if searching for a word that she would understand. "It is uncommon to find humans that have heard of the great Keade-Obaa-chan. And even rarer to come across humans who have been taught by she."
Rin was in no one stunned by this at all. Now that she thought about it, it probably was very uncommon to hear of such a woman, especially since even The Council was not known to the common human being.
Desperately, she sought words to reply with, but everything seemed to escape her in that moment and she knew she would only say something stupid if she spoke anymore. And it seemed that he was expecting no reply from her anyway, for his entrancing golden orbs left her almost immediately after he spoke.
Rin licked her lips, pondering everything that had happened so far once again, thinking things over and coming up with more and more confused questions. Before long, she found that she had to ask one of them, for she couldn't stand the drawn silence like he could.
"Where are we going, youkai-san?"
He had turned so that they would go around the city instead of through it, and she wondered why this was so. And before, when she had fought off that strange dark, sinister, gripping hand on her heart, she had felt dark energies pouring out from everyone toward them. But the feeling had gone before long, leaving her feeling even more befuddled with the murky thoughts.
As usual, he did not answer her right away, but took his sweet time instead. Rin figured this was actually a good habit, as it gave him time to think out everything he had to say and make sure it came out right, unlike humans who usually said the first thing that came to mind after being asked a question.
"The destination is unknown." Sesshoumaru finally said, narrowing his own eyes as he confronted the problem in his mind. "There is no need for one. There is no where to go that they will not follow." He seemed to be speaking more to himself than to her.
". . .'They?'"
Sesshoumaru looked down at her, his eyes calming as they met hers in a way that he did not understand. "Those that are following." He explained, thinking that she would understand. But her face registered only more questions on them. He decided then that the human face could be convenient at times, if not completely dead give-away's to their thoughts.
Rin was silent, remembering the creature that had attacked her car at a time that seemed so far away at that moment. "Why are they following us? Are they from The Council like they say?"
She was worried, he could tell. For herself, of course, and also worries for others. Even, for a moment, he thought he saw some of that worry reflected toward him before she completely masked it in her chocolate eyes.
He closed his eyes, reaching out with his youkai senses, just to see how close they were coming.
He growled as he realized that they would be right on top of each other soon, and no matter where he turned, there was no where to run that they could not follow. In other words, they would be trapped soon, and the knowledge of this angered him.
"Most are. There are others who may prove as allies that are also coming." His eyes opened and he looked back to her in a level manner. "They close in. There is no where else to run to."
With this, Sesshoumaru dropped from the sky; his silver hair flowing upward, some of it mixing with the human girls as well as the wind pushed the fine strands upward.
The human girl stiffened slightly, obviously fearful, though she did not seem quite as afraid as he had assumed she would become. He supposed that the gripping terror would come later, once all had congregated, but still he admired her courage for the moment. Most humans could not keep a level head in situations like this, and she was proving to be very unlike the rest of her species.
Rin was glad when he let her to her feet on the dirty ground next to the high way. Carelessly, he looked to one side, investigating the horizon that they had come from before turning his eyes toward other areas and scrutinizing them in the same manner.
However, Rin was not so dismissive of the eyes that were watching them from the road. People had stopped their cars upon seeing them fall from the sky and land in such a delicate manner, and sat in their metal beasts, watching with disbelieving eyes. Some of their mouths were agape in wonder, and children pointed at them, their eyes mostly on the heavenly figure of Sesshoumaru with his long silver hair that swept around him. That's not to say that they completely ignored Rin. No, she was watched just as intently as Sesshoumaru, for the simple reason that she was the one not ignoring their intent gazes.
"Youkai-san. . ." Rin began nervously, drawing his attention away from the skies. "Should we be standing here in the open?" She jerked her arm discreetly at the watching people at the roadside.
The youkai didn't spare them a glance, he already knew they were watching, but such gazes had ceased to bother him long ago. "Those that follow will find us no matter where we are." He answered shortly.
She accepted this answer and tried her best to ignore the eyes on her back. The people would have to go away sometime, it was just a matter of not paying attention to them until they did.
Eventually, she did forget the eyes on her back, but by that time, something new had taken over the worrying spot in her mind and expanded it until she was fearful.
Keade led Kikyou slowly through the forest trails. They had not been used in many years, and so leaves, roots and twigs cluttered their path. Keade made a mental note to make sure that the path was well kept for future use after this, for she did not need it to deteriorate quite yet.
Her ward was quiet, something that she liked in her pupils. Calm and accepting, only asking questions if they truly could not see the truth behind things on their own. That was a valuable trait in a miko, and in miko's-in-training.
It was strange in the forest, for no birds were singing, and there was no noise among the foliage that gave away sneaky squirrels or other forest rodents. It was completely still as they passed through, making it even more eerie that it already was. Just the swish of the two mikos' clothing as they walked; not even the sticks broke under their feet, though they were trodding hard enough that they should have.
Over their shoulders they had quivers with a number of arrows set in them, sealed and protected, they were made from the wood of a god tree. Not the same tree that had held the hanyou all those years ago, but one that had created the seed from which that tree had sprung. A much more powerful and sacred version of that tree. A legendary thing that was said to sprout from men's' dreams, a tree from which all others sprang, a tree that did not exist. And yet here were the arrows made from its sacred wood to prove it. Still, men would have not believed their power. What is a dream in man's eyes shall always be a dream to him. It takes a special kind of believer to see the truth.
A bow was clasped in both of their hands, and these were said to also have been made from the wood of the God tree. Though the strings were said to be fine as silk and made from the web of a powerful youkai spider hidden away in the caverns to the East. But that was another legend, another tale to be told to eager children.
Keade peered into the distant, waning sky with her one good eye. Something glowed warm in the old woman's eye for a minute before she stopped, Kikyou halting behind her. "Keade-Obaa-chan. . . ?" Kikyou questioned in a low voice, turning her emotionless eyes to follow her elder's gaze. But in the pale sky she saw nothing but white clouds.
"Hmm, it would appear our ride has come." She chuckled softly to herself, her arms folded behind her as she stood on the forest pathway, still looking to the sky.
Kikyou lifted her eyes and smiled knowingly as she saw a faint glimmer in the sky. "Ah, yes."
The hanyou knew they were getting closer to his brother. Not long ago, he had sensed his brother halt, and as he did, Inuyasha turned his mind elsewhere, trying to find the cause for this. His nose sniffed at the air, twitching in the breeze, but he could pick up nothing.
Looking over his shoulder, he locked eyes with Kagome. "Can you sense anything, Kagome?" He inquired.
Kagome frowned, obviously she had been thinking on just the same thing herself, and for some time by the look on her face. "Many are coming together at the spot where they are. Many bare un-pure aura's." She sounded tense and reminded him of his brother for a moment. She quickly shook it off with a toss of her head. "There's going to be another fight, Inuyasha."
He smirked, cracking his knuckles on one hand gleefully. "Good, I need a good work out."
Sango, however, was silent, her fingers twining into Kirara's fur as she listened intently to their conversation. ". . .Yes, but what are we fighting for?" She asked finally, her eyes sad.
The other two looked to her, puzzled. Sango noticed and smiled at them, trying to brush off the sadness inside of her. "I was just thinking. . .what is to be gained by fighting them. . .You know, if we are caught, what was our cause?"
Kagome smiled brightly back at her, but Inuyasha was the one who spoke. "Feh, who needs a damn cause?" He asked gruffly. "We're fighting those Council bastards because they've gone way out of line this time. That's all there is to it."
Before Sango could even reply, Inuyasha had sped ahead of her and Kirara. "Don't slow us down, taijiya!!"
Back again. And what a crazy two weeks it has been! End of first quarter, report cards, OGT's and not to mention a dozen other things that are driving me crazy at the moment.
Anyway, I know you guys are getting frustrated with the whole 'light' thing, but it's coming up, and there's a reason it's been drawn out. Sorry guys, but I do have my reasons as to why it has not been mentioned yet.
As to questions about Miroku: Yes, he'll be in here soon. No worries. Hmm, I wonder who is picking up Keade and Kikyou. . . ?
Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, as always! And of course for your patience! I'm so happy with all my readers; you guys are awesome!!!!
See ya in two weeks! Ja'ne!
Review please!!