UnSpoken Love By: OtakuSailorV

Chapter 19:: Adversaries and Allies

Kikyou looked up at the sky with a small smile. "Ah, yes." She said as she saw the twinkle of light from far away, up among the clouds. "I should have known you would ask for his assistance, Lady Keade."

Keade chuckled, seeming to smile in joy, though it was weighed down with some knowledge of a bleak future. Her one good eye looked sad, making the grin she wore appear awkward and out of place. The wrinkled skin of her face seemed more creased and drawn, and showed more as the smile ebbed away from her features, showing some form of deep thoughts still be pursued within the withered old mind.

Kikyou halted, her own slight smile faltering and finally disappearing as she looked sidelong at her elder. "Keade-baba, what is it that your mind is so troubled by?" She asked, her tone cool as she watched the strange creature that was to be their ride descend upon the trees.

Keade only shook her head slowly from side to side, and her face became drawn with sudden weariness. "It is nothing, my child. Fear not for me. I am merely reveling on something that I learned long ago."

Kikyou was again silent, and as the creature drew closer, she knew she would have to act, for Keade would fall silent on the subject as soon as it was landed, and she would lose the chance to gain some knowledge of the future for forever.

"Am I allowed to share in this knowledge with you, Sensei?"

Keade sighed wearily, her withered hands clasping each other tightly. "Nay, you are not allowed the knowledge of the visions I have perceived unless I see fit." And she added, upon seeing the disappointment shining in Kikyou's eyes: "But you are allowed to know that I did not anticipate that this would come so soon."

Kikyou turned her head ever so slightly in question. Though her face, usually impassive, registered no emotion, her eyes could be read easily. At least by the old woman, whose years of experience with the girl made it so that she could. She did not even have to ask, for the question seemed to ring in the very air around her – "This?"

Keade gave another withdrawn sigh and peered up to see that the ride had almost descended upon them and someone was atop it was waving brilliantly at them. "Aye, this. The world will start to change this day, it will never again be the same."

And before any more questions could be answered, a large, yellow and black-striped creature touched down in front of them. Its bulbous eyes were mostly white, with the pupils themselves but tiny black dots amidst the expansive white. Its large mouth had gruesome, sharp teeth sticking from it, and a mashed, misshapen nose was placed in the middle of the large lumpy head of the beast. It had no arms or legs with which to crawl or walk on, and on either side of its face there were whirls of black painted on. Two black bands were across what was supposedly its neck.

Atop it stood a man clad in purple on black monk robes. He smiled, his teeth shining a brilliant, charming white from under a mop of black hair that was pulled back in a messy little ponytail. In his right hand was a golden staff that stood about the same height as the man, and had a strange formation of rings upon rings at the top, with a pointed tip that made it both a weapon and a religious decoration.

As the both of these landed near, Keade smiled warmly, obviously whatever had been troubling her had been soothed by the simple appearance of this boy before her.

"Keade-sama!" The blimp-like, bulgy-eyed creature that was ridden by the man cried happily to her in a voice that did not fit it's massive bulk.

Keade smiled wider, though her teeth were never shown in the act. "Hachi, Miroku-kun." She greeted, nodding to them each in turn.

Kikyou remained silent, though she was smiling softly and – as she always did – sadly. She was not sad, no, but there was something about her personage that always seemed to tell of some ever-lasting sorrow alive within her.

"Greetings, Keade-san." Miroku said, giving her a hand up onto Hachi. "How have you been lately?"

Keade took the offered hand and climbed up onto Hachi's back, her bones creaking with age. "Let us not waste time on idle chit-chat, Houshi." She advised, her eyes closed as she sat down comfortably. Miroku helped Kikyou up, smiling delightedly at her, but she slapped his hand away before he could touch her anywhere else but her open hand. Keade took no notice of this and went on: "You know why I have summoned your aid, we must leave with haste."

Miroku sighed at back the hand mark on his face, and the fact that Keade was scolding him for trying to lighten the mood. "Oh, dear, the life of a humble monk. . ." He mumbled to himself before turning a stern face toward Keade and the now-seated Kikyou. "Let us go, then."

Then, turning back to his raccoon-dog friend, Miroku ordered: "Onward, Hachi!"

The blimp-like form rose into the air with the sound of helium expanding, though he rolled his eyes at his Master. 'Why does Miroku always have to make things so dramatic?'

Rin felt the sudden pinpricks run along her spine, and almost out of instinct, her body withdrew on itself. Her chest tightened and her breastplate allowed her to cave in slightly. She knew her ribs must be showing through her body, for all her muscles had contracted and held the small whisper of air she still had deep inside of her. Every hair on her body rose in protest to the dark feeling that had just crept through the air. Her eyes widened and wavered with uncertain, suddenly frightened thoughts. She felt like a rabbit caught in the trap, ready to jolt forward at the first movement of life near her.

The tall, stoic youkai Lord next to her, who had been lounging at the time, preparing for what he knew was coming with a steely resolve, looked to her now, starring idly, though his mind was whirling with questions. What was the matter with the human now? Suddenly the feeling of dread had overcome her, and he could see that her small frame was shaken and stiff from some inner worry. Her gaze was lost on the horizon, and he turned his golden eyes to follow it. Reaching out, he touched his youkai powers over that crest and beyond, trying to find the source of her distress. His narrowed eyes widened for a brief moment before sliding back into their usual place and he withdrew his gaze from the hilltop. Ah, so that is what she could feel?

He smirked, knowing she would ask questions soon enough. Though, surprisingly, she did not. She remained eerily silent and eventually sat down in the dirt beside him, her head bent to hide her eyes. Still, she was shaking and he could almost taste the fear in her. "He's coming. . ." She finally whispered in a soft tone, almost inaudible.

Sesshoumaru watched her, knowing there was more coming, for he could hear the whisper of her breath between her lips that were moving in the form of words. Still, his eyes were alight with a foreign type of possessive anger, and they lit every so often to the blue sky above.

Ignoring the roaring of the cars going by on the road, he strained his ears to try and pick up her words, but they were lost to him. Slightly angered that he could not pick up the words, he moved closer and decided that asking her would make her tone pick up. "Who is coming?" He questioned in a flat tone.

"I-I don't know who. He says he's coming and there's nowhere to run anymore." Rin replied in a shaky tone, though he could tell she was trying her hardest to control herself. She turned her head, lifting it now so that he could see the frightened brown eyes.

Sesshoumaru's eyes darted toward the horizon she had been gazing at and thought he saw the gathering of storm clouds coming closer, though he could smell no hint of rain from any of the directions. "Do you know where he is?" Sesshoumaru questioned idly, getting to his feet and watching the horizon with interest.

Rin shook her head slowly; staying seated for she saw no reason why she should get to her feet. "No. . .he. . .I," She did not seem to want to tell him, and he looked to her with a questioning, demanding gaze. "I heard him. . .inside of me. In my head, I'm pretty sure. But it felt like he was everywhere, watching and listening to everything. And he spoke of horrible things."

She had said too much, she knew it, for her frame shook with the memory of his silky voice hissing in her mind and body, telling her of painful things to come. How he would destroy them all for defying him. She knew that the youkai who had become somewhat a protector to her needed to know these things, but the atrocities could not make their way from her mind to her mouth. Her tongue refused to form such hated words of death and destruction. And her mind was screaming, plunging into darkness even as her inner light – her miko powers – pulled toward her, banishing the darkness rapidly in an attempt to save her.

Sesshoumaru watched her, half-wishing that there was some way that he could calm or comfort the terrified miko, and half-hoping that he hadn't had such thoughts as that. She was human after all, why should he care. . . ?

Despite that, his golden eyes narrowed in rage that he was unaware had crept into his personage. How dare some stranger engulf the mind and body of this girl that he, Lord of the Western Lands, had claimed was useful, with such vicious, horrible thoughts?

The girl shivered again and this time got to her feet, looking toward the gathering dark clouds with fear. "He's coming." She repeated, trying to gulp down the visible fear as she nodded hesitantly toward the dark clouds.

Sesshoumaru spared a glance in her direction before looking toward the clouds and straining his senses again. Despite his power and own youkai aura, this sinister black one made the tips of his senses want to turn away and flee, but he was not about to admit defeat to such a thing. Pressing forward, the buzzing of wings filled his mind. His eyes widened slightly in amazed shock.

'The Saimyoushou? But it couldn't be. . .'

Listening intently now, he could see that he was not mistaken. The irritating buzzing, the humming filling the air around them, deafening those that listened too long to their noise.

'But the demon wasps have long been dead, destroyed by the remaining taijiya's years ago. . .' Sesshoumaru thought, confusion setting in. 'There is not even a possibility that they could come back in such a great wave, even if they were not all extinct!'

Too proud to go so far as to check again, he took in the fact that the information about the destruction of the wasp monsters was invalid. Still – where had they come from, and what dark power were they hiding behind themselves that reeked so much of deadly miasma?

Lady Tsumi sat in the dark, her whole body seeming to glow as she sat in her high-backed, regal western chair. There was the harsh, grating sound of fabric being torn as her nails suddenly dug into the arms of the chair, destroying it's high-dollar value on the spot.

Her shoulder's were only slightly tense though, and there were no wrinkles and tugs on her features to show that she was angry or in pain. Slowly, her eyes flickered open; revealing golden orbs that glowed fiercely in the dim light. Her eyes were not alight in shock though, as one might have imagined, instead her eyes were dancing with malicious laughter. A dark aura spun out around her, and though her mouth had not opened, the cackle of her amused, jeering laughter could be heard echoing lightly within the room around her. To any that did not know her, they might have thought the woman had gone mad, and she very well might have been at that point.

Soon, another pairing of gleaming eyes appeared, but to one side of the chair, and higher up. Yuwakusha, servant to Lady Tsumi, and daughter of a prestigious youkai family. She was an inu youkai, and had been trained in the cunning and clever ways of Lady Tsumi as well. She had been intended to be the fiancé of Lord Sesshoumaru, Lady Tsumi's son, but the plan's had gone awry with the arrival of a human girl, and the words of a prince twenty-one years past.

"Did you see that, Yuwakusha, darling?" Tsumi asked, pulling her crossed legs closer to the chair and disengaging her claws from the chair arms before too much of her toxic poisons were lost in the fabrics. Next to her, the sharp eyes of the tall, beautiful young youkai laughed evilly, though not giggle escaped her little lips.

"I did indeed, My Lady." She replied elegantly, not even moving to lighten the dark room, for both of them could see as if it were daytime inside of the room. "Poor Lord Sesshoumaru has been trapped."

Yuwakusha sounded less than concerned, and her eyes narrowed with the need to strangle the human girl she had seen through the eyes of the Saimyoushou. Still, there was the mocking look in her eyes, and she was actually quite gladdened that Sesshoumaru was in such danger after he had shot her down to find that wretch of a human. 'He chose that filthy human over me, Yuwakusha. How dare he! I'll see him in hell for this!!' Her mind raged and her youkai blood boiled, seething as one they both begged for the wrath of her youkai self to be unleashed. Despite this, she checked herself, making sure that she had a tight control over her inu blood.

"Hmm, what a fool my son turned out to be. And I had such confidence in him, too." Tsumi said with a prolonged sigh. Getting to her feet, she took a few paces forward before stopping. "But he did mention a 'light' coming from that girl. . ."

Her voice sounded grated, and tension flickered through her muscles a moment before she calmed. "That's impossible though. . ." Tsumi pressed one thumb to her chin, the other fingers wrapping around and poking at the underside of her lower lip thoughtfully.

Suddenly, a spurt of rage overtook her mind, and Tsumi lashed out, decimating what was left of the chair she had been sitting in, and startling Yuwakusha out of her cold trance. Nervously, The silver-haired youth looked to her mistress in distress. "M-My Lady?"

"Fool!" She roared, a deeper voice joining her tone, and her eyes glowed red with blood lust. "He can't have seen. . .not in that weak human!" The deep voice ground out through bared teeth, the canines growing out and becoming like daggers.

Yuwakusha came tentatively toward Lady Tsumi. "What did he see, My Lady. . . ?"

Tsumi seemed to have calmed, but still, there was a mad, dangerous sort of rage behind her calmed features as she looked at Yuwakusha out of the corner of one eye. Her eyes had returned to their golden color, and now they held a sadistic kind of gleam to them. "It is only a secret passed down through the Inutaishou family line, it has to do with the choosing of a life mate."

Yuwakusha listened earnestly, for this was what she had been promised since before she had come to Lady Tsumi, that someday she would Sesshoumaru's life mate, though he was unaware of the transaction. She waited, knowing that she would be told in confidence of what this secret was; though the tension was killing her at the moment.

"There is a 'light' that can be seen from the soul of he or she who will become the life mate of the inutaishou that is searching." She said, venom in her tone and it turned even more and more acidic as she went on. "But it has never, never but one other such time been seen in the soul of a human! And then it was only briefly, for their powers are so insignificant!"

Tsumi seemed to be working herself up again, for briefly, the room seemed to shudder under her mounting aura, swirling away from her and threatening to collapse in on itself.

Yuwakusha took the news in calmly, her eyes swirling with dark intentions. "This. . .'light', this beam that guides those that will love each other together. . .when was it last seen in a human?" She asked, and immediately regretted the question.

Tsumi's rage came out in a swift, sharp smack to Yuwakusha's face. The unpredicted strike knocked the pretty youkai from her feet and threw her to the ground, grasping at her poison-burned cheek with a hiss of pain. Recoiling, she slowly got back to her feet and bowed, blood running down her chin, mixed with poison and dripping tot he floor. The sizzle of youkai healing blood meeting potent youkai poison sounded in her ears and her cheek pulsed with pain. A small tear of pain went to her eye, but she moved it away before it was noticed. "I forgot myself, My Lady, forgive me."

Tsumi was no longer facing her though, but had turned from the youkai servant in scorn, her thin eyebrows twitching in anger. "There is no more time to chat, there is much to do, come Yuwakusha."

Slowly, Yuwakusha followed her Lady to the door, trying to forget the red streaks on her cheek, and the blood and poison that mingled there, causing a jolt of pain to wrack her face every so often. She was youkai and could withstand it, and upon her Lady's word, she would take every ounce of her frustration out on that whelp of a human child when they met.

Woo, long couple weeks, very busy. I made the chapter longer though, see? It's 7 pages long this time! Most times I only do up to 5 or 6 pages! proud

Oh, oh! And the 'light'!! I finally got it partially explained! More will come in later chapters, but for now, that's all there is. I hope that kinda fixes a few problems at the moment, and get ready for a reappearance of Nara-chan!!! fangirl squeal

Ah, well, enough of that. Thanks for the continued support and reviews everyone, I really truly appreciate it. I've never had a story get over one-hundred reviews before!!! So happy I want to give you all hugs, you're all so great! (Ok, that sounded weird. . .)

See you all soon! Thank you all so much! I'm beyond words with gratitude!! Ja'ne!

Review please!