Disclaimers Notice: The only thing I own is the way in which I chose to use the characters and setting (oh, and a few of my own creations...)
Authors Beginning Note: Action! Kawaii mushy moments, and a whole lot of butt-kickin just waiting to be read! Are you ready?
Shout it outs!
Tanwen-Whitefire- Yes...it's true...he is on the dark side. Hopefully Kagome and Rin can help the two brothers see the light.
Rayame325-Shippo does tend to get the short end of the stick, ne?
Laz-Hopefully if you read more, you'll think more highly of the story. My first chapters I admit kinda suck, and have a lot of errors. I don't have a beta reader, and probably won't get one, because not a lot of people I know personally, share my passion of writing. My town is soooo small that there are no writing workshops either. So basically, what I know is what I've been learning by reading other books and observing.
Though a famous Author once was asked how to become a great writer. He said 'In order to become a good writer, one must write 1000 words each and everyday.' So going on what he said...
But thanx for the critisism.
not so annoyed anymore-As many as it takes to get to the end I suppose. Most indefinatley less than 100 (jeez, it would be a novel than!) Anyhoo, glad to hear that you like my writing so much!
Valese-Yah, the whole power core thing is kinda confusing, thats why I spent nearly two chapters trying to explain it. If you need me to explain it in more detail, I'd be more than happy to in my next Shout Out.
Hmm, yes. Kagome does know. I decided that humor was a must. It was getting too seriouse for me to handle! LOL!
purplepixie89- So nice to hear!
Chapter 52
Black Raven Yukai
Jakan jumped at every noise, as Rin found out, sighing once again.
"Jakan, Rin is bored. Will you play a game with Rin?"
"No, I most certainly won't! Don't you know that we are in grave danger! And all you can think about is playing games!" Pacing back and forth, jumping at every imagined sound, Jakan continued ranting.
"Rin is bored and not having fun." She slid off of the fine silken sheets on the bed, softly making her way around the room again. She reopened all of the doors to closets full of royal robes that Sesshoumaru never wore unless deemed appropriate and necessary for such an occasion, an armory, A washing room filled with foreign spiced soaps, a laundry chute, his own little art gallery kind of room filled with rare and exotic paintings, sculptures, and other things that didn't really interest her.
She had obediently treated each room with reverence and respect, though restraining herself from curiously poking, smelling, touching, and otherwise curiously causing trouble, was very hard.
Bored even further, she went to the study, took out a sheet of paper from Sesshoumaru's dark wooden desk, a quill, ink, and began to draw little pictures.
"Rin! Don't wander off like that! Who knows who may just come and grab you! And I wouldn't know it till it was too late! Than when Lord Sesshoumaru comes back and were to hear such a thing..." He shuddered.
Thunk
Thunk
Jakan jumped so high, his head hurt from hitting the ceiling. Rin was still and rigid.
"Jakan?"
"Shut up! Someone might here you!" He hissed and crept back to the big entryway.
Thunk!
Jakan jumped back as the door vibrated.
"Rin, you must hide! Quickly now!"
"What will you do Jakan?"
"Don't question my authority! Now go!" The wood began to splinter when a huge yellow curved blade like thing protruded from the wood. Rin screamed and whimpered. Jakan jumped back, staff ready. The next hit and the door was smashed to pieces. Shards of wood rained over their heads and fell to the carpet.
A giant monster stepped in. Greasy feathers covered his body, and three twisted horns covered in blood sat upon his head. His grin showed rows of oddly shaped teeth in his bird, maybe slightly catlike, mouth. Rin backed away, afraid, her eyes wide.
Jakan, flamed the bird with his staff, but the Yukai was unscathed.
"Foolish frog." He snorted. He swung his arm and hit Jakan, flinging the poor toad into a wall where his body slumped.
"Jakan!" Rin screamed.
"You next." Flinging her arms up for protection, she screamed as two massive trunks of arms swung down.
"Sesshoumaru?" The woman questioned. The stoic figure had stopped. The Panther Yukai that had been following the two abruptly came to a halt, wondering why they had done so.
"It has begun." He said and began walking along the path they had been taking. The woman whom had started out with him on the journey looked confusedly back at the direction of Sesshoumaru's Castle laid, so far behind.
"What do you mean by that?" Sesshoumaru was silent.
"Do you want us to rough him up?" Said a big cat looking man. She shook her head.
"No. We'll let it go." She and the others began to follow.
"Well it's not my fault!"
"Is to!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Enough!" Ayame yelled. Natsuko and Ginta were arguing over who's fault it had been that their meal had gotten away. They glared at each other.
"Not until he admits it was his fault!" Natsuko growled. Her tail bristled.
"If you hadn't been so loud..."
"If you hadn't been so clumsy..."
"Well, if didn't look like a wet dog!" Natsuko snapped. This was one of the worst insults that could be handed to a wolf. In an instant she was on him, trying to gouge his eyes out. Ginta however was not weak, and fought back too.
"Natsuko!"
"Let them work it out." Kouga muttered, taking a seat and watching the show.
"We don't have time for this!" Ayame hissed.
"Well, it's better than hearing them bicker the rest of the way." He yawned. Ayame's tail flicked in annoyance. She crossed her arms and watched the two in their heated brawl.
Mariko paced back and forth watching the two. Every so often taking her braid and playing with the ends only to throw it over her shoulder and pace some more.
"You shouldn't worry. Natsuko looks like a strong fighter, and Ginta won't hurt her too badly." Mariko shot Hakkaku a nervous glance.
"It's not Natsuko I'm worried about."
"What!" She shook her head and watched as Natsuko scratched Ginta's face. They faced a few feet from each other. Ginta didn't pay attention to his cut. Natsuko wasn't exactly fresh as a spring blossom either. She had her fair share of teeth marks, bruises, and scratched. Natsuko lunged at Ginta, and Ginta leaped right at her. Each kicking up a geyser of mud.
Only for them both to fall to the ground mere inches from each other-their stomachs growling.
"All right. I give up." Ginta said meakly
"Okay. I win." No enthusiasm from Natsuko even.
"Sure."
Mariko looked down as her stomach gave a little squeak. Hakkaku's stomach rumbled too. Ayame looked over at Kouga worried.
"I know."
"Maybe at a nearby town or..." He shook his head.
"I don't know what people are like around the mountains, but here, they don't take to kindly to demons." She scanned the barren hills. Everything was slick with mud and water. Far off in the east, it looked like they were in for another storm.
"Then there's nothing we can do but keep going." She looked at the others. Hakkaku was sleeping on his back, already snoring loudly, Mariko was curled in a ball, and Natsuko and Ginta hadn't moved an inch. They too had fallen asleep.
Ayame sat on the ground and took a nearby stick, drawing figures in the ground. After a while, she realized that she had drawn a full story using pictures. The story of Naraku and how he had destroyed so much, and caused the balance of the food chain to fall out of place. How if it weren't corrected somehow, all of the wolf Yukai and many others would die of starvation. Villages would be raided, and many killed, all for the sake of food. She became so engrossed that she didn't notice Kouga walk over and look at the drawings.
"Stop." Startled, she jumped, dropping the stick. Angrily, Kouga stepped on it, breaking it into many fragments.
"That won't happen. We'll defeat Naraku."
"Maybe. But even if Naraku is defeated, look at how many crops have been destroyed and game killed off. All because of useless fighting. So much damage has been done. It almost seems like a dream when my Grand father ruled and there was food so plentiful, that we could have feed all of the mountain villages if that was what was needed." Kouga looked down at her as she gazed at her drawings.
She's right...It will be a long time before anyone can grow plentiful crops again...and before the food population reproduces...Japan is just about to go through a famine...and there's nothing to do about it...
He shook his head.
"We should get going. It's about to rain and if we let them four sleep like that, they'll be stiffer than a bored when they get up. Then we'd have to listen to them whine the whole next day." Ayame perked up amazingly. Her tenacious fire alighting her eyes again. . No more depressing talk or standing around waiting to rot. She was ready to get busy.
Kagome looked down at the gifts. A long curved bow covered in detailed carved designs that would make and elf exclaim at the good craftsmanship with a fresh string that twanged and vibrated with a solid hum. It came with hundreds of easily replaceable and travel friendly spares.
With it came a finely made quiver that had a leather strap that could be worn over the shoulder or across the chest. The strap had pockets in it so if any spare things like flint, strings, of other small necessities needed to be accessible quickly, it was there. With her quiver came thousands of thin, smooth bows. The butt of the arrow had strangely colored feathers, some purple, gold, green, or blue. The tips were sharp. Testing them, she barely pricked her finger on the shiny stone, and droplets of blood fell.
Most wonderful of all however was the gift that she opened last. Red clothes almost identical to Inuyasha's slipped out of the rapped paper. Fit of course to her small size, the sleeves were made so that if wanted, you could tighten a few strings that would hold them back, and the leggings could be tied to hike up to right below her knees. To hold the top and pants together was a long sash. To top it off, a pair of shoes had also been fashioned. Made out of tough leather, inlined with a soft fur, and a crude, hard almost rubber like sole and thong laces that would reach up to the middle of her shin.
"It's made out of Fire Rat Fur." Inuyasha said nervously. When she didn't speak he began to get jittery.
"I didn't make any of it, but Toutosai had a friend who owed him a favor, so that guy and his daughter made them. His daughter is a Miko to, so she knew exactly what you would need." He stopped rambling.
Why ain't she saying something...if she don't like it...than just say so...dammit it all..
"Well? Say something!" He said fed up. It was too quiet, and Kagome hadn't said a word. In fact, the only thing she seemed to have done was breath, and if he hadn't had such great hearing, he wouldn't have even thought she did that. His nerves were being fried and his heart was hitting his chest too hard.
Finally she looked up, he sighed, relieved to finally get some reaction out of her.
"You got all of this...for me?" He blushed.
"But, I don't have anything for you. I can't take it." He looked incredulous.
Is she serious..."What do you mean, of course you can."
"But..."
"Just shut up for once and take the damn presents. Jeez." He stood up agitated.
Stupid selfless wench...why can't she just accept a few things here and there...goodness knows she deserves them enough...damn girl...
"Inuyasha...thank you. They're...wonderful." Kagome smiled. Tears nearly spilled.
"What are you crying for now? You're worse than a baby! Always crying!"
"Sit boy!" Kagome stormed off to change in to her new clothes, breaking the barrier. She'd have no time the next day.
"What did you say to her now!" Shippo gave Inuyasha a large bump on his head.
"Who said I said anything?"
"Because you always say the wrong thing!" Inuyasha pulled the kit off of his head by the cuff.
"Care to say that again?" Shippo stuck his tongue out and Inuyasha grabbed it.
"Ey! Et Oh Ow! U Ig Ully!(hey, let go now, you big bully)" He yelped. Biting hard on Inuyasha's hand he jumped down.
"Naraku's army is attacking!" Came a cry out in the distance. Keio sat right up, Inuyasha and Shippo stood stock-still. Keio's eyes clouded over. Quickly he shook his head.
"Why didn't I see this before!"? He cried jumping immediately.
"Keio." He bowed quickly to Miyako.
"Have you heard..."?
"Yes. It seems Naraku played a little ruse on us, making us think his army was lagging behind in preparations. We must go quickly. The first battalion will not last long. Send word through camp quickly."
"Yes my lady." He quickly left.
"And you! Go find Kagome, and do not let her out of your sight!" Inuyasha looked at Shippo.
"Come on runt." He began running through the camp of Priestesses who were hurrying in an almost unorganized chaotic fashion.
"Where, where is she dammit. I can't smell a thing. Or jump out of the way to look for her." He cursed more under his breath at his lack of power as a human. The sun wouldn't be up anytime soon either.
"Look out! Flying demons! The Black Raven Yukai!" Cried a young girl who looked no older than 13, though wearing priestess robes. Inuyasha quickly looked up at the huge grotesque raven like creatures that swooped lowly. Arrows flew through the air. Some of the bird went down, not all did. These attacked the priestesses. One was snatched into the air, screaming for help.
"Sankon Tetsuso!" Inuyasha clawed the air, and tore the bird to pieces. The girl fell and he caught her, quickly dropping her to the ground looking up at the sky where another woman was caught. It was too late for her, as the filthy birds ripped her limbs to parts, and her blood rained onto the ground. Inuyasha growled.
"Sankon Tetsuso!" He yelled again and all three of the birds and the dead woman's body fell. The rest of the flock screeched unmercifully in rage.
"Hurry! Someone alert the troops behind us!" A few priestesses fled through the trees, running and shooting the birds that followed.
That's when he heard it. A long piercing scream.
"Kagome." Inuyasha whispered.
"That way!" Shippo pointed.