Disclaimers Notice: Nope, nada, el Zippo, nothing, that's what I own.
Authors Beginning Note: Um...not much here. I'll probably have a few comments down at the bottom though.
***
Chapter 31
Dangerous Tidings
****
"Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha gritted between his teeth before jumping down and barely jumping right into the air into a summersault to land gracefully to his feet, as an attack was shot at him when he first tried to land then blocking a sudden and unexpected swipe at his head. Soon they were both engaged in an all out fight, no words of declaration said to begin the fight. Upward slash, block, parry, forward thrust, chest block, was the dance that Inuyasha followed as he and Sesshoumaru fought. This battle was much more different than any they had experienced before. Inuyasha, for once was focused and wasn't nearly as reckless as usual. They lunged at each other, their swords crossed both defending off the others attack, and shoved each other away, to land ten feet apart, and both crouched in a fighting stance.
"So. You have gotten better at wielding our father's fang. One of the last times we fought you could barely hold Tetsusaiga."
"What do you want Sesshoumaru?" They talked as they circled each other, sizing up one another.
"I want you dead, but for the time being, I will let you live." Sesshoumaru said standing up straight and sheathing Tokijin at his side. Inuyasha didn't move from his position.
"What kind of trick are you trying to pull? Do you think I'm stupid?"
"I will refrain from answering that. We have important matters to discuss."
"Feh. Since when do you lower yourself to have a conversation with your half-breed brother?" Inuyasha spat. Sesshoumaru gave no indication that he had heard Inuyasha.
"Naraku has an army at hand, and is going to set out for war soon." They were silent, and Sesshoumaru's scent proved what he spoke was the truth.
"How big and how soon?" Inuyasha said. This thing was new to him. Him and Sesshoumaru were actually having a conversation, a fairly civil one at that, and he wasn't sure he felt comfortable about it.
"The army is bigger than you can imagine. I have no doubt that unless the people, demons and half-breeds of this world fight together in this everything as we know will cease to be. Chaos and war will ensue, and it won't belong before it is brought to the East, West and North. We have until the next new moon to prepare. That is the best I can guess he will have his army here." For a moment Inuyasha felt like retching. Such a thing to happen, and on the day he was supposed to be human. What scared him more is that for a second, he felt fear radiate off of Sesshoumaru, something that had never happened before. Inuyasha pulled himself together.
"What do you suppose should be done?"
"Gather an army as big as you can, even if the people aren't trained warriors. There is still time to teach them the basics."
"And you?"
"I will return once the time nears. I have a hoard of demons, and humans that should be hear within the time you should next see me." He turned and left swiftly. Inuyasha stood there, feeling as if a cold iron bar had been pressed against his back.
` ` ` Sesshoumaru...scared? Him? Naraku must have a very large and deadly army...but if that's so, do we stand a chance? ` ` ` ***
"I sense a dark presence." Miroku said quickly standing up from the circle he had been sitting in. Sango and Kagome followed his example and followed out of Keade's hut armed with their weapons. Shippo shrugged at Kirara who followed them as well. They waited at the road and saw a small white blurry figure coming their way.
"It's Kanna." Sango said.
"But what is she doing here?"
"Be prepared, and don't look in her mirror." Miroku warned, and sent a few words to the gods he praised.
"Shippo, I want you to go and warn the villagers to go somewhere safe. If I am correct, we will have a battle afoot any moment from now." Miroku said.
"But I want to fight too! I'm not weak you know, I'm just as strong as any of you!" Kagome knelt down at eye level to Shippo and ruffled his red hair.
"Of course you are Shippo, but right now, we need you to do this for us...please?" Shippo thought about this and nodded.
"I'll be coming back though, so don't think you can get rid of me that easily." Shippo took off and the three waited. More than once, one or two of them sighed as they waited. Shippo soon came back as well, and sat on the dirt road drawing pictures. So they stood prepared waiting for what was to come, wondering too more than once where Inuyasha could be. Soon the small blurry white figure stood a few feet from them.
"That's far enough. What business do you have here?" Miroku said with dominance and authority. Kagome's arrow was raised, Sango stood ready with Hiraikotsu, Kirara was in her saber form, and Shippo had many of his illusionary tricks on hand. Any passerby would have thought this quite unfair and over done by the Yasha gang, but they knew better. Kanna's young, slender, milk white face showed no expression, her icy blue/white eyes showed no fear or emotion. Her white dress barely whispered, and her hands stood steady before her as she held her perfectly round mirror. Her footsteps had ceased the moment Miroku had spoken. Her silver hair barely even trembled. The sun seamed to ignore this girl, as she seemed so impossibly pale.
"I have come to tell you." She said in a child's lifeless voice.
"Tell us what."
"There is a war. Naraku is waging war." The three stood there, stiff, ready, suspicious and shocked.
"Why would you come to tell us this? Are you not one of Naraku's incarnates? So why betray him?" Kanna stood still.
"Because, I seek revenge on him. He struck me and later planned to kill me by crushing me heart, which he holds in his hands. I have come to warn you."
"But that doesn't even make sense." Shippo cried.
"It does, because by doing this, you can prepare, and you have a chance to kill Naraku. Telling you, would alter his plans, in this way I have beaten Naraku." She said simply.
"How do we know what you say is true?" Miroku asked suspiciously, not once giving in to what Kanna has said. She shifted her Mirror and Kagome stretched her arrow back.
"Don't, or I'll shoot." Kanna stopped.
"I am not after your soul. I have no need for it or your body. I merely wish to show you the current state that lays around Naraku's fortress." She said simply.
"I don't trust her." Sango said. Miroku nodded in agreement and Shippo gritted his teeth, while Kagome lowered her bow and stepped forward, surprising everyone.
"I think she's telling the truth."
"But Kagome..."
"I don't know how, but I just have this feeling. I think I should trust her. If you want, I'll let her show me just in case, and if something happens, you can take action, but I don't think she'll do anything." Kagome said.
` ` ` Girl, I sure hope you're doing the right thing. I would sure feel stupid after saying all that if I was wrong. ` ` `
The others seemed hesitant, but Sango nodded biting her lip. Kagome smiled a weak smile and stepped so she was directly before Kanna and kneeled in front of her. S
"Relax, and stay calm." Kanna said and Kagome nodded. "Ready." And barely after she had said that, the mirror stopped reflecting her image and swirled with both sharp and dull colors. Swirling, round, and round, making Kagome so dizzy she felt like she was falling when suddenly it stopped.
"Whoa...what? But...EEP!" She squealed as she looked at the horrific scene before her. Men, and monsters all training, fighting, and grubbing down wolfishly on greasy food fried over fires. Dark shadows loomed everywhere and to her it looked like she was somewhere in hell, surrounded by demons.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no! This can't be good. I hope they don't notice me!" She said obviously scared.
"Don't worry. They won't."
"Ahhh!" Kagome jumped and fell back, only to see that it was Kanna that spoke and quickly got up.
"What do you mean?"
"You aren't really here. I just projected the current situation of Naraku and his army into your mind in a realistic image, so no one can hear, see, touch, or smell you. You are perfectly safe." She said looking at Kagome. Kagome nodded.
"Yah well, it still creeps me out. Is this how you showed Naraku things?"
"No, I distrusted him form the start, so instead of showing him the better parts of my abilities, I showed him the cheap tricks I am capable of."
"So in other words..." I just had him look at the mirror, no projections, just what he saw in the mirror." Kagome nodded and stared at the gruesome sight before her. Blood was smeared on almost every weapon, and most looked as if they haven't bathed in ages.
"But this doesn't look like that many. Unless they are really strong, I don't see how Naraku thinks this will really dominate all of Japan." Kanna's eyebrows slanted downwards in a slightly warning glance, more emotion than the girl usually shows. She flicked her wrist and soon they hung way in the air.
"On my gosh!"
"You won't fall." Kagome opened her tightly closed eyes and uncurled herself from the ball she had made herself in. Sure enough she floated in air at a seeming height of one or two whole miles.
"You see that valley?"
"Yah, it's huge, and completely black."
"That is Naraku's army. The entire solid black you see is his army, and the building in the middle is his castle. Very few are ever allowed to enter there." Kagome 'stood' speechless and her eyes widened in fear.
"All of the black...every...last...speck? B-but...it's a whole valley! How...I mean..." She couldn't even finish her own sentences, her throat constricted and it took work for her to get herself to breath.
"Yes, that is Naraku's army. Every last black speck is a human, demon, or Hanyou. All here for greed, lust for falsely promised goods, hunger for shed blood, and the thought that maybe they could somehow sneak form the fight and kill Naraku, thus having the Jewel Shards to themselves." She said. They stayed like that for a moment longer.
"I-I." Kagome began.
"I want to go back." Kanna nodded.
"Very well. Close your minds eyes, and count to ten. Then you may open your eyes and you will be back as you were." Kagome gulped and did as said. Her eyes snapped open and her body stumbled back. She shook and trembled her breaths came in big gasps. Everyone rushed forward to her. Sango took Kagome in her arms and helped her stand, while Miroku took a defensive stance.
"What have you done to her?"
"I merely showed her what is." Kanna said calmly.
"Fox..."
"Shippo, no." Kagome said looking at the Kit who was ready to attack.
"But Kagome, she..."
"No, she did not harm me. She was true to her word." Turning to Kanna.
"Now, what do you plan on doing?" Kanna just stared straight ahead at nothing before looking down on the ground at her feet.
"If you have no where else to go, will you stay with us then?" Kagome gave the others a harsh glare that clearly said 'not a word out of any of you'. Kanna looked up and a small smile appeared. For a moment she looked like a real child.
"I would like that, thank you." She whispered. Kagome smiled.
"We were almost done eating some vegetable soup. You traveled all the way here, you must be hungry. Come into the hut, I'm sure Keade won't mind." So Kagome and Kanna walked into Keade's hut leaving the others stupefied.
"Do you think she's possessed?" Shippo asked.
"No. Kagome appears to be herself, and nothing seems amiss with her aura."
"Than she really does believe Kanna is telling the truth. But what exactly is it that she saw is what I want to know. IS the army that big or is it that gruesome? " Sango said.
"I think Kagome will tell us later, when Inuyasha is here. Until then, we'll just have to be on our guard in case this is all a trap."
"How is Inuyasha going to react when he gets back?" Shippo said feeling slightly left out.
"And what about this war, if what Kanna says is true, than..." Miroku held up his hand for silence.
"One problem at a time. We'll try to sort this out at a more appropriate time." He sighed and the others nodded.
"Mew." Came the usual sound Kirara makes. Sango looked down at the adorable kitten like fire cat demon.
"Huh?" Kirara began to prance around with her head high up and rubbing against Sango's leg.
"My, feeling a bit vain are we?" Miroku said with an amused smile. Kirara let out another 'mew' before jumping on Sango's shoulder and being petted.
"Well, Kirara seems okay with the situation right now, so I think we'll be fine." Sango said before going back into Keade's hut herself. Miroku sighed.
"Well, you know what they say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Shippo rushed to the hut to join Kagome.
"That's what I'm afraid of." Miroku said and followed back in. His staff rings jingling against one another. ` ` ` Yes...this should most certainly be interesting. ` ` ` Authors Ending Note: So what do you peoples think? Good so far? I know that when first faced with Kanna, none of them could detect her presence, but in this chapter they did, and it's because I think after they've fought with Kanna once, they can detect her should they face her more times. That's my theory anyways.
Any questions, comments, and criticism, welcome, just no flames please.
Authors Beginning Note: Um...not much here. I'll probably have a few comments down at the bottom though.
***
Chapter 31
Dangerous Tidings
****
"Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha gritted between his teeth before jumping down and barely jumping right into the air into a summersault to land gracefully to his feet, as an attack was shot at him when he first tried to land then blocking a sudden and unexpected swipe at his head. Soon they were both engaged in an all out fight, no words of declaration said to begin the fight. Upward slash, block, parry, forward thrust, chest block, was the dance that Inuyasha followed as he and Sesshoumaru fought. This battle was much more different than any they had experienced before. Inuyasha, for once was focused and wasn't nearly as reckless as usual. They lunged at each other, their swords crossed both defending off the others attack, and shoved each other away, to land ten feet apart, and both crouched in a fighting stance.
"So. You have gotten better at wielding our father's fang. One of the last times we fought you could barely hold Tetsusaiga."
"What do you want Sesshoumaru?" They talked as they circled each other, sizing up one another.
"I want you dead, but for the time being, I will let you live." Sesshoumaru said standing up straight and sheathing Tokijin at his side. Inuyasha didn't move from his position.
"What kind of trick are you trying to pull? Do you think I'm stupid?"
"I will refrain from answering that. We have important matters to discuss."
"Feh. Since when do you lower yourself to have a conversation with your half-breed brother?" Inuyasha spat. Sesshoumaru gave no indication that he had heard Inuyasha.
"Naraku has an army at hand, and is going to set out for war soon." They were silent, and Sesshoumaru's scent proved what he spoke was the truth.
"How big and how soon?" Inuyasha said. This thing was new to him. Him and Sesshoumaru were actually having a conversation, a fairly civil one at that, and he wasn't sure he felt comfortable about it.
"The army is bigger than you can imagine. I have no doubt that unless the people, demons and half-breeds of this world fight together in this everything as we know will cease to be. Chaos and war will ensue, and it won't belong before it is brought to the East, West and North. We have until the next new moon to prepare. That is the best I can guess he will have his army here." For a moment Inuyasha felt like retching. Such a thing to happen, and on the day he was supposed to be human. What scared him more is that for a second, he felt fear radiate off of Sesshoumaru, something that had never happened before. Inuyasha pulled himself together.
"What do you suppose should be done?"
"Gather an army as big as you can, even if the people aren't trained warriors. There is still time to teach them the basics."
"And you?"
"I will return once the time nears. I have a hoard of demons, and humans that should be hear within the time you should next see me." He turned and left swiftly. Inuyasha stood there, feeling as if a cold iron bar had been pressed against his back.
` ` ` Sesshoumaru...scared? Him? Naraku must have a very large and deadly army...but if that's so, do we stand a chance? ` ` ` ***
"I sense a dark presence." Miroku said quickly standing up from the circle he had been sitting in. Sango and Kagome followed his example and followed out of Keade's hut armed with their weapons. Shippo shrugged at Kirara who followed them as well. They waited at the road and saw a small white blurry figure coming their way.
"It's Kanna." Sango said.
"But what is she doing here?"
"Be prepared, and don't look in her mirror." Miroku warned, and sent a few words to the gods he praised.
"Shippo, I want you to go and warn the villagers to go somewhere safe. If I am correct, we will have a battle afoot any moment from now." Miroku said.
"But I want to fight too! I'm not weak you know, I'm just as strong as any of you!" Kagome knelt down at eye level to Shippo and ruffled his red hair.
"Of course you are Shippo, but right now, we need you to do this for us...please?" Shippo thought about this and nodded.
"I'll be coming back though, so don't think you can get rid of me that easily." Shippo took off and the three waited. More than once, one or two of them sighed as they waited. Shippo soon came back as well, and sat on the dirt road drawing pictures. So they stood prepared waiting for what was to come, wondering too more than once where Inuyasha could be. Soon the small blurry white figure stood a few feet from them.
"That's far enough. What business do you have here?" Miroku said with dominance and authority. Kagome's arrow was raised, Sango stood ready with Hiraikotsu, Kirara was in her saber form, and Shippo had many of his illusionary tricks on hand. Any passerby would have thought this quite unfair and over done by the Yasha gang, but they knew better. Kanna's young, slender, milk white face showed no expression, her icy blue/white eyes showed no fear or emotion. Her white dress barely whispered, and her hands stood steady before her as she held her perfectly round mirror. Her footsteps had ceased the moment Miroku had spoken. Her silver hair barely even trembled. The sun seamed to ignore this girl, as she seemed so impossibly pale.
"I have come to tell you." She said in a child's lifeless voice.
"Tell us what."
"There is a war. Naraku is waging war." The three stood there, stiff, ready, suspicious and shocked.
"Why would you come to tell us this? Are you not one of Naraku's incarnates? So why betray him?" Kanna stood still.
"Because, I seek revenge on him. He struck me and later planned to kill me by crushing me heart, which he holds in his hands. I have come to warn you."
"But that doesn't even make sense." Shippo cried.
"It does, because by doing this, you can prepare, and you have a chance to kill Naraku. Telling you, would alter his plans, in this way I have beaten Naraku." She said simply.
"How do we know what you say is true?" Miroku asked suspiciously, not once giving in to what Kanna has said. She shifted her Mirror and Kagome stretched her arrow back.
"Don't, or I'll shoot." Kanna stopped.
"I am not after your soul. I have no need for it or your body. I merely wish to show you the current state that lays around Naraku's fortress." She said simply.
"I don't trust her." Sango said. Miroku nodded in agreement and Shippo gritted his teeth, while Kagome lowered her bow and stepped forward, surprising everyone.
"I think she's telling the truth."
"But Kagome..."
"I don't know how, but I just have this feeling. I think I should trust her. If you want, I'll let her show me just in case, and if something happens, you can take action, but I don't think she'll do anything." Kagome said.
` ` ` Girl, I sure hope you're doing the right thing. I would sure feel stupid after saying all that if I was wrong. ` ` `
The others seemed hesitant, but Sango nodded biting her lip. Kagome smiled a weak smile and stepped so she was directly before Kanna and kneeled in front of her. S
"Relax, and stay calm." Kanna said and Kagome nodded. "Ready." And barely after she had said that, the mirror stopped reflecting her image and swirled with both sharp and dull colors. Swirling, round, and round, making Kagome so dizzy she felt like she was falling when suddenly it stopped.
"Whoa...what? But...EEP!" She squealed as she looked at the horrific scene before her. Men, and monsters all training, fighting, and grubbing down wolfishly on greasy food fried over fires. Dark shadows loomed everywhere and to her it looked like she was somewhere in hell, surrounded by demons.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no! This can't be good. I hope they don't notice me!" She said obviously scared.
"Don't worry. They won't."
"Ahhh!" Kagome jumped and fell back, only to see that it was Kanna that spoke and quickly got up.
"What do you mean?"
"You aren't really here. I just projected the current situation of Naraku and his army into your mind in a realistic image, so no one can hear, see, touch, or smell you. You are perfectly safe." She said looking at Kagome. Kagome nodded.
"Yah well, it still creeps me out. Is this how you showed Naraku things?"
"No, I distrusted him form the start, so instead of showing him the better parts of my abilities, I showed him the cheap tricks I am capable of."
"So in other words..." I just had him look at the mirror, no projections, just what he saw in the mirror." Kagome nodded and stared at the gruesome sight before her. Blood was smeared on almost every weapon, and most looked as if they haven't bathed in ages.
"But this doesn't look like that many. Unless they are really strong, I don't see how Naraku thinks this will really dominate all of Japan." Kanna's eyebrows slanted downwards in a slightly warning glance, more emotion than the girl usually shows. She flicked her wrist and soon they hung way in the air.
"On my gosh!"
"You won't fall." Kagome opened her tightly closed eyes and uncurled herself from the ball she had made herself in. Sure enough she floated in air at a seeming height of one or two whole miles.
"You see that valley?"
"Yah, it's huge, and completely black."
"That is Naraku's army. The entire solid black you see is his army, and the building in the middle is his castle. Very few are ever allowed to enter there." Kagome 'stood' speechless and her eyes widened in fear.
"All of the black...every...last...speck? B-but...it's a whole valley! How...I mean..." She couldn't even finish her own sentences, her throat constricted and it took work for her to get herself to breath.
"Yes, that is Naraku's army. Every last black speck is a human, demon, or Hanyou. All here for greed, lust for falsely promised goods, hunger for shed blood, and the thought that maybe they could somehow sneak form the fight and kill Naraku, thus having the Jewel Shards to themselves." She said. They stayed like that for a moment longer.
"I-I." Kagome began.
"I want to go back." Kanna nodded.
"Very well. Close your minds eyes, and count to ten. Then you may open your eyes and you will be back as you were." Kagome gulped and did as said. Her eyes snapped open and her body stumbled back. She shook and trembled her breaths came in big gasps. Everyone rushed forward to her. Sango took Kagome in her arms and helped her stand, while Miroku took a defensive stance.
"What have you done to her?"
"I merely showed her what is." Kanna said calmly.
"Fox..."
"Shippo, no." Kagome said looking at the Kit who was ready to attack.
"But Kagome, she..."
"No, she did not harm me. She was true to her word." Turning to Kanna.
"Now, what do you plan on doing?" Kanna just stared straight ahead at nothing before looking down on the ground at her feet.
"If you have no where else to go, will you stay with us then?" Kagome gave the others a harsh glare that clearly said 'not a word out of any of you'. Kanna looked up and a small smile appeared. For a moment she looked like a real child.
"I would like that, thank you." She whispered. Kagome smiled.
"We were almost done eating some vegetable soup. You traveled all the way here, you must be hungry. Come into the hut, I'm sure Keade won't mind." So Kagome and Kanna walked into Keade's hut leaving the others stupefied.
"Do you think she's possessed?" Shippo asked.
"No. Kagome appears to be herself, and nothing seems amiss with her aura."
"Than she really does believe Kanna is telling the truth. But what exactly is it that she saw is what I want to know. IS the army that big or is it that gruesome? " Sango said.
"I think Kagome will tell us later, when Inuyasha is here. Until then, we'll just have to be on our guard in case this is all a trap."
"How is Inuyasha going to react when he gets back?" Shippo said feeling slightly left out.
"And what about this war, if what Kanna says is true, than..." Miroku held up his hand for silence.
"One problem at a time. We'll try to sort this out at a more appropriate time." He sighed and the others nodded.
"Mew." Came the usual sound Kirara makes. Sango looked down at the adorable kitten like fire cat demon.
"Huh?" Kirara began to prance around with her head high up and rubbing against Sango's leg.
"My, feeling a bit vain are we?" Miroku said with an amused smile. Kirara let out another 'mew' before jumping on Sango's shoulder and being petted.
"Well, Kirara seems okay with the situation right now, so I think we'll be fine." Sango said before going back into Keade's hut herself. Miroku sighed.
"Well, you know what they say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Shippo rushed to the hut to join Kagome.
"That's what I'm afraid of." Miroku said and followed back in. His staff rings jingling against one another. ` ` ` Yes...this should most certainly be interesting. ` ` ` Authors Ending Note: So what do you peoples think? Good so far? I know that when first faced with Kanna, none of them could detect her presence, but in this chapter they did, and it's because I think after they've fought with Kanna once, they can detect her should they face her more times. That's my theory anyways.
Any questions, comments, and criticism, welcome, just no flames please.