A Father's Embrace

Chapter Thirty-five

Searchings

For once, morning didn't seem to come soon enough for Kagome. It was definitely a moment for the record books, as the miko was wide awake well before the break of dawn. She sat up from her futon, and stretched her arms over her head. In mid-stretch, a vague recollection inexplicably touched the back of her mind.

She was sitting in someone's lap, someone with long, dark hair. He held her in a tight embrace with her back pressed against his chest. He nuzzled her ear, whispered something. And suddenly, his presence began to fade. He was leaving? No. He had no choice. He couldn't stay any longer. He was too weak, he had said. She turned around to face him just in time to see his burgundy eyes disappear from view. He was gone, and she never felt so alone. The forest she sat in suddenly morphed from soothing green to terrifying red as flames engulfed the scenery around her. And out from the blaze strolled a figure who's robes matched the angry waves of fire. From beneath silver hair, a pair of glowing crimson eyes bore down on her. And in that moment, she knew... he was coming for her!

Kagome shook the image from her head. A sickening feeling had burrowed itself in the pit of her stomach, but she did all she could to ignore it. Now was not the time to allow silly dreams to prevent her from helping Shippo and finding Maiki and Kazuki. As soon as the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon, she was dressed and on her way over to Sango and Miroku's room to roust them from their sleep. Since the headman's house was much smaller than any daimyo's castle, she had only a few steps to go before reaching their door.

"Sango-chan? Miroku-sama? Are you awake yet?"

There was silence for a moment or two, before she heard a muffled rustling from beyond the door. Another moment later, the rustling was followed by the slapping of footsteps on hardwood floors. The door slid open after that, revealing Sango's sleepy, cranky face.

Kagome winced. "Sorry to wake you so early, Sango-chan. If you want to sleep more..."

The yokai exterminator covered her mouth as a wide yawn erupted from her. Wiping the moisture from her eyes created by said yawn, she looked back to the younger woman. "Kagome? Is that you?" she inquired lightly.

Inside, the miko grew with worry. "Yeah. Why?"

"Because the Kagome I know is never the first one to wake up. It is morning, right?"

Inside, Kagome sighed with relief. Apparently, Sango still had a sense of humor even when she was still half-asleep. "Yes, but just barely. Did I wake you too early? I'm- I'm sorry if I did..."

"No, no! It's fine! The earlier, the better. Just give me ten minutes to wake Miroku."

Kagome nodded as Sango turned towards her husband, fully expecting him to be sound asleep. Instead, he was wide awake. Sitting up on the futon, with his back against the wall and his feet sprawled out under the blankest in front of him, he lifted the sheets next to him and winked suggestively to his wife.

"Come back to bed, my dear Sango. You look as though you could use some more rest..."

The slayer shot an icy glare at her husband that seemed to say, 'How-could-you-think-of-THAT-when-your-son-has-gone-missing-and-there's-a-dangerous-yokai-prone-to-extreme-mood-swings-reeking-havoc-all-over-the-countryside!' Miroku visibly shrank.

Sango turned back towards Kagome and stated flatly. "Never mind. We'll be ready in two minutes."

As the door slid closed, a grin broke out across Kagome's face as she felt amused pity for the monk. She turned away from the door and headed into the meeting room where they had encountered Shippo the day before. Reaching out with her miko senses, she could already feel Shippo's yoki gently flowing from that direction. Though her abilities were newly rekindling, she knew she needed to practice using her senses if she ever wanted them to be as strong as they once were.

Her thoughts suddenly returned to that of her strange dream the night before. She knew she had been experiencing them for several nights now, but never had she been able to remember anything about them. There was no doubt who's image she saw at the end of her recollection: Inuyasha's. But what did it mean? Was it a result of stress? Or was it a warning? If the latter were true, then did that mean that he was out there somewhere, waiting for her? And who was it that had been holding her? Was it Nanashi? No, it couldn't be. Those eyes... they seemed familiar somehow.

As she approached the doorway to the meeting room, she closed her eyes and pushed her dire thoughts away. There were far more important things to worry about at the moment.

Sleep slowly drifted away from her, like a puddle evaporating under the warm rays of the sun. Maiki knew it was morning, but not what time it was exactly. She couldn't care less either. It seemed like forever since she had last slept so well and she wasn't nearly ready to climb out of bed yet. She stretched out as far as she could before turning over and allowing sleep to claim her once again. But before she could accomplish this, the events of the previous day came crashing back to her and she found it impossible to return to sleep.

The teenage girl reluctantly rose from her futon, dressed herself and emerged from her room. Her first thoughts were to immediately check up on Kazuki. She headed down the long corridor and stopped at the first door she came to.

"Kazuki? Are you up?"

There was no answer.

Hesitantly, she slid the door open a crack and peered inside. She was weary of the possibility of catching him while he was indecent, and surely didn't want to be accused of being a pervert for spying on him. When she found the room to be empty, she was relieved that her integrity would not be at risk. But on other hand, she found herself worried due to the fact that she hadn't a clue where Kazuki might be. She hated to be alone in strange places, especially if those places were potentially hostile.

Releasing a sigh, she slid the door back into its closed position. She decided there was no better time than the present to begin her search for Kazuki within the vast castle. Spinning around, she was startled when she came face to face with Soten.

"EEEE!" came the very short shriek as Maiki nearly jumped out of her skin. She brought her hand to the center of her chest, feeling the hard beating of her heart as it tried to break through her ribcage. Panting deeply, she allowed her nerves to settle.

Meanwhile, Soten wore a very bemused grin on her face. "What's the matter? I didn't catch you in the middle of a rather questionable act, did I? Were you hoping to find something interesting in there?"

The teenager gritted her teeth. 'So much for my integrity...' "Heh. Hardly," she scoffed. "Self-righteous jerks that are completely full with denial aren't exactly my type. I was just checking to make sure he hadn't gotten himself into any trouble. And I'll thank you not to sneak up on me like that again."

Soten's grin only seemed to grow wider as she quietly regarded her guest. Whatever thoughts were on the thunder yokai's mind, Maiki didn't know. "How amusing to see a helpless human girl try to protect her male companion; her companion who has obviously had a great deal more training than she. I see that you aren't a yokai exterminator at all, not even an apprentice. Had you been one, you would have easily noticed my presence long before I came around the far corner of the hallway. No, you are just an ordinary girl tagging along behind her exterminator friend like a little, lost puppy."

Maiki eyes widened fractionally at the insult. 'Puppy? Does she know what I really am? No... she couldn't. She must've said that out of coincidence. She can't possibly know that I'm part inu-yokai.'

"If he isn't your mentor-"

--Maiki snorted at that.--

"-and if he isn't your love interest, then why do you follow him around?"

The teenager cocked an eyebrow. "Who says I'm the one following him? How do you know he's not following me?"

"Are you saying that he is interested in you?"

"Heh! No! We got stuck together by mere coincidence. He and I have barely gotten along since the moment we met."

"And how long have you known him?"

Maiki narrowed her eyes at the older woman. "Damn you ask a lot of questions. Is this really important?"

"I suppose it's not. I was merely curious."

"About what?"

Soten studied her guest for a moment, gauging the irritation the girl was so openly displaying at that moment. Deciding the girl could stand to be a bit more annoyed before blowing a gasket, she answered the question. "I just wanted to see how much leverage I have over your friend."

"What do you mean?"

It was now the yokai's turn to look a bit irritated. It seemed to her that she needed to spell everything out for the teenager. "Until your companion returns, with proof that he has disposed of my unfaithful mate, you are my captive. Should he not fulfill my request, your life is forfeit."

Maiki didn't know how to take the news. Should she be surprised or angry? In the end she chose to be angry. After all, it was how Kazuki explained it to her the night before. However, her naivety had allowed her to believe that the boy had just been full of hot air. She didn't imagine that his words would ring true. She clenched her teeth in frustration.

"Where is Kazuki now?" she demanded.

Soten looked away at that moment, embellishing a thoughtful expression as she brought her index finder to her lips. "Let's see... About now, he should be on Koryu's back as they circle over the villages in my lands."

"How do you know he'll even find your mate?"

Soten smirked. "He's taiji-ya. He'll find him."

"It's not too much farther. We should be there within a few minutes," Shippo stated to the three humans following behind him.

Miroku wiped a drop of sweat from his brow. The morning was only half over and already the day looked to be an unusually hot one. "Are you certain? You said the same thing but a few moments ago," he asked of the fox yokai currently disguised as the headman Susumu.

"I know that's what I said a few minutes ago, but this time I mean it," he reassured them over his shoulder before turning his attention to the front once more.

They had followed along the river, now less swollen than the day prior. Though the water levels were much lower than the previous day, they hadn't descended enough for safe travel down the currents like the villagers had told them it would be. It was lucky for them that Shippo contacted them and thus provided them with an easier means to attain access to Reimai Valley.

"Look! Up ahead!" called the fox, pointing to a break in the trees. Through the foliage, the wall of a cliff was visible.

"Finally," Sango muttered a sigh of relief.

As they approached the base of the cliff, the exterminator's moment of relief was dashed when there was no visible signs of a passageway through the rocky structure. Kagome and Miroku shared in her dismay. Shippo, on the other hand, remained completely calm, as if nothing were out of the ordinary. He strolled up to the rock face, examining the cracks and crevices in the surface. After a few moments of scrutiny, he placed the palms of his hands on large boulder, which, until now, had blended perfectly into the rest of the mountain. With a small flare of yoki, the boulder glowed a soft blue color. As the aura faded, so too did the boulder until nothing remained in its place except for the wide opening of a dark tunnel.

"That was... amazing..." Kagome gawked at the kitsune's skills.

Shippo turned towards the miko with a modest grin. "Aw, that was nothing. Just a simple illusion, really..."

Miroku peered into the dark depths of the tunnel. "About how far does this go before we come out on the other side?"

The yokai turned to the monk. "The cliffs around the valley are rather deep. I'd say, about an hour or so, if you make good time."

"It's so dark..." muttered Sango.

"Oh, don't worry about that," assured the kitsune. He placed his right palm on the wall inside the tunnel. "Kitsune bi!" he called out.

Immediately after doing so, blue flames erupted from a series of torches along each wall down the length of the tunnel. "Well, I'd see you through to the other end of the tunnel, but I'm afraid I must head back to the village. Though I look like Susumu, my yoki is currently undisguised and if I continue to keep myself exposed for much longer, I'm afraid I may attract unwanted company."

The monk nodded. "Understood."

The trio of humans headed towards the mouth of the cave when Kagome suddenly stopped and looked back to the kitsune. "Oh, Shippo! What about the other end of the tunnel? Is there a seal on it like on this end?"

"Yes and no," the fox explained. "You'll be able to exit the cave with no problem. It won't even appear to you from the inside that there's even a seal over the exit. But once you leave the tunnel, you won't be able to get back in. It will look the same this end did a few moments ago."

"Okay, thanks," she said before giving him a hug.

Shippo warmly returned it. When they broke free, he added one last thing. "After you talk to Soten, and hopefully if everything goes okay, she'll be the one to return you outside the valley. I'll see you all when she does."

Kagome nodded and rejoined the monk and exterminator as they proceeded into the depths of the tunnel. When the inky blackness had swallowed them completely, Shippo set to work replacing the seal over the entrance. Placing his hands on the rock next to the cave, he allowed his yoki to flare. The opening to the cave illuminated in a blue aura that seemed to solidify. When the glowing of yoki died down, the illusion of the rocky wall was replaced. For good measure, Shippo patted the surface to ensure that no one would be able to pass through.

Satisfied, he turned to leave. As he headed back into the trees, a sudden presence alerted his attention. He froze. Gritting his teeth, the disguised yokai slowly scanned the area with all his senses. He saw and heard nothing. He sniffed at the air, and thought he caught the intruder's scent, but the wind seemed to be working against him. Whoever that was out there had been smart to stay downwind. But the waves of yoki that were crashing over him was undeniable.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath. "I was afraid this would happen..."

The fox didn't want to risk leading the yokai back to the village where the safety of the villagers would be at risk. He turned away from the path which led back to the small town. He didn't dare stay to fight it. It felt very powerful and menacing. So he ran. He only hoped that he could outrun the yokai if it decided to give chase.

He reached into his kimono and pulled out a magic leaf. 'Just in case,' he thought. If he couldn't outrun the yokai, he'd have to use his powers of illusion to confuse the creature and escape. If all else failed, he'd have to fight it off. He mentally thanked himself for remembering to bring his katana along. He only hoped he wouldn't have to resort to combat. He was already exposing himself far more than he had intended.

Kazuki clung to Koryu's back as they soared over the forests between two villages within Soten's reign. It was mid-morning already and there were no signs of Shippo whatsoever. All he and Koryu were able to do was scare up some villagers as they circled over the villages and stir up some lesser yokai from the forests. A couple of the creatures had dared to attack the exterminator and dragon. But those unlucky beasts had met an untimely death via a lightning bolt or by the sharp edge of Akkiwareru.

The exterminator sighed. "How long are we going to keep looking? We've been doing this for four hours now."

"We keep searching until Soten-sama says otherwise," came the calm reply.

Kazuki rolled his eyes. But he supposed the longer it took to find the errant fox yokai, the better. As of yet, he wasn't sure what exactly he was going to do when he did find him. With Koryu present, Kazuki could not very well get away with sparing the kitsune's life. He had to think of a plan. Unfortunately, the boy was better at reacting to a situation on the spot, instead of planning out courses of action in advance should a situation arise. The slayer sighed again.

It was at that moment that he felt a flare of yoki. It was very brief, but he definitely felt it. It was to the southwest, seemingly in the direction of the cliffs surrounding Reimai Valley. He hesitated. Did he dare to investigate? It might not be Shippo. But if it was... what would he do? Should he ignore it instead and buy himself some more time to think about how he would spare Shippo's life and at the same time not risk his own or Maiki's?

Before he could make up his mind, Koryu suddenly swerved towards the direction of the yoki flare. "Did you notice that, taiji-ya?" the dragon asked.

The exterminator groaned in dismay. So much for avoiding the inevitable. "Yes."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was definitely Shippo's yoki."

'Wonderful.'

The perceptive dragon noticed the boy's unease. "What's wrong? Did you not want to end our search quickly? I could have sworn the opposite only moments ago."

The slayer didn't answer. Instead, he concentrated on the impeding encounter. He was still uncertain about what he was going to do. They were quickly approaching the source of yoki and time was running short. They were just above the treetops now and the yokai was hidden somewhere below the canopy. Suddenly, the yokai darted away. Something must've spooked it. And Kazuki immediately realized what it was. As the weaker yokai sped away, a much more powerful, overwhelming yokai moved in to take its place.

For the first time, Kazuki felt like he was completely in over his head.