Chapter 12-Truth in Pain
Even though Totosai was the first to be summoned to the castle with the giant walls that protected its occupants outside the castle, it was Kilala who was the first to arrive with Kaede. "Sorry I'm late my ox took a wrong turn at a crossroad and I had to go around some jagged rocks before getting back on the trail," said Totosai who had that empty headed look on his face.
'If Inuyasha was here right now he would punch the old man for acting so stupid,' Kilala thought as Kaede finally got off her back when they entered the area.
Almost immediately two lines of demon soldiers appeared before them with one man in the middle of the two. "Totosai and the priestess Kaede?" said Lieutenant Shinn.
"Ye be correct demon I am the priestess Kaede and this is Totosai we must see Inuyasha immediately," said Kaede who sounded like she was in a hurry.
"Yes Kaede of course if you follow your demon escort I have prepared for you here they will take you directly to him," said Lieutenant Shinn as both Kaede and Totosai nodded to him as they followed their escort that now surrounded them on two sides.
Kilala growled at Shinn indicating that she had fulfilled her part of the deal made by Inuyasha. "General Inuyasha has not forgotten about you Kilala as he intends to live up to his end of the deal he made with you. In fact he wanted me to tell you to go back to your mistress Sango and it is their in the room...a very special surprise is waiting for you," said Shinn who bowed his head, turned, and walked away leaving Kilala shocked at Shinn's words before she took off to Sango's room.
(Sango's room)
Sango was quite surprised when Kohaku came in the first time asking for Kilala at the command of Inuyasha, but when Kohaku appeared a second time to see her she nearly turned pale and fainted from disbelief. Ko...Kohaku why are you here? Why aren't you with Inuyasha right now?" said Sango as Kohaku sat down across from her.
"Inuyasha sent me here so when Kilala gets back we can all leave," said Kohaku in an almost unnatural calm.
"What? Why?" said Sango who did not understand why Inuyasha was letting them all go like this.
"Because of a deal he made with Kilala to retrieve Totosai and Lady Kaede in return for Kilala, you, and I being released from here," said Kohaku who looked as well as sounded somewhat disappointed from Sango's ears and eyes.
"You sound as if you don't want to leave Kohaku?" said Sango who frowned slightly.
"I do Sango I truly do. It's just that...I don't want to leave until General Inuyasha is healed and back on his feet. I feel like he's part of our family and should be watched over as if he was Sango. I can't abandon my General, my teacher, and...my surrogatefather," said Kohaku who had sad look in his eyes that were of worry for Inuyasha.
Sango tried to think of what to say to Kohaku as she stared at her little brother who was more miserable now it seemed, then when he would remember bits and pieces of himself when he wasn't under Naraku's control while serving THAT monster. "If you really want to Kohaku we can wait till Inuyasha is better before we leave so you can say goodbye to him when the time comes," said Sango who saw Kohaku's eyes light up with happiness.
"Thank you Sango!" said Kohaku whose voice was filled with joy as he hugged his sister with all his strength.
"Your welcome Kohaku," said Sango putting her hand on top of Kohaku's head as the door opened and Kilala appeared before them in her little cat form.
(In the infirmary)
Though both Totosai and Kaede were shocked to see Inuyasha they were even more shocked when they saw that Inuyasha's physical appearance was much different then when last they saw him. None the less they still decide to lecture him on the principles of living after fighting. "Well Inuyasha I'll give you this you definitely can put yourself in one hell of an interesting predicament," said Totosai when he saw Inuyasha on the table as his left his body where his wounds were.
If Inuyasha wasn't so weak at that moment he would have pounded Totosai on the head several times for that remark and the old man probably knew it too. "Ye has to agree with Totosai's assessment Inuyasha. When last I saw ye Inuyasha you were in a similar, yet different wounded state," said Kaede as she tried to mend the wounds with a wet towel, but found that wounds wouldn't heal as if his demon healing powers had left him.
"I didn't...ask for...for your opinion...you...you old...hag and fool. The reason...I had brought...you...both here...was to...to heal and fix what has...has been broken in...me," said Inuyasha as his body contorted in pain.
"Inuyasha I don't know what to tell you. Tenseiga was never created to hurt anyone only heal others or protect its user from dying," said Totosai as he stroked his white skinny beard.
"Inuyasha ye must tell us why you are like this and why ye wounds refuse to heal themselves with your demon powers," said Kaede as she placed some medicine on the wounds that was already in the room before they came in.
"I will...not and...I refuse to...in anyway. Totosai you...you said that...Tenseiga has...the power to heal...people? Could it...hurt someone...if their...body and blood were...were both running...with poison in them?" said Inuyasha curiously.
Totosai frowned as if deep in thought and nodded. "Yes. Tenseiga has the power to heal as well as cure someone of a lethal poison if it's deadly. Are you saying your body is filled with some sort of deadly poison?" said Totosai.
"Is this true Inuyasha?" said Kaede who eyed him with her only eye.
"Have...either of...you ever...heard of the...the 'dark pit'," said Inuyasha and after seeing their faces knew their answer.
"THE BLACK PIT!" they both said at the same time in shock.
"I...I'll take...that as...a...a yes," said Inuyasha as he chuckled a little from their reaction.
"Inuyasha this is no joke the black pit is an evil beyond all other things that are evil. In fact if memory serves me well I believe that it is where miasma, both liquid and gas originally came from. It gives a person unimaginable strength and power to fulfill one's desire, but at a terrible cost of their life as it spreads through their body. The more they fight the more it spreads till it kills them by causing the heart to decay from the inside. Tell me you didn't drink such a liquid!" said Totosai whose eyes were nearly bulging from their sockets.
"No I...I didn't," said Inuyasha.
"Oh thank the gods. Your father would kill me if he learned what you did," said Totosai as he took a handkerchief and dried his sweating head off.
"I was...bathed in...in a whole...pool of...it," said Inuyasha seeing Kaede's shocked look while Totosai fell over from what looked like a heart attack.
"Inuyasha this is serious Tenseiga obviously hit you with the blast that sent a current of healing magic into your body to purge the poison in you. Only your body is having a difficult time with the purging process and its killing you inside," said Totosai who got back up and in Inuyasha face.
"Is their any...anything you can (coughing up blood)...can do to...to help me," said Inuyasha.
"We can try Inuyasha, but ye cannot guarantee it," said Kaede.
"I...I see. GUARD!" said Inuyasha who coughed when he yelled for the guard outside.
The guard entered and stood at attention when he came in. "Yes General," said the guard waiting for Inuyasha next command to come.
"Get Shinn...in...in here now," said Inuyasha in an angry voice.
"Yes sir General!" said the guard who nodded and turned to leave however, before he did he saw that Inuyasha's eyes were almost the same blood red color they were when he was at full strength.
"Inuyasha what are ye thinking bringing him in here?" said Kaede who turned to see Shinn running into the room and stood attention.
"General! You called sir!" said Shinn who awaited Inuyasha's response.
"Yes...Shinn my...my loyal Lieutenant. I need...you to...to do me a...a favor that...that must stay...stay between you, me, and...the other two in...this room," said Inuyasha who turned his face all the way to see Shinn who stared at him with curiosity and suspicion.
"Anything General Inuyasha! You name it I shall do it without hesitation," said Shinn eager to do what General Inuyasha would ask of him.
"You and you...alone must...go down to...to the arm...armory to retrieve the...the weapons of...of Kagome and...the others. Then...release...Kagome along...with...the...the...others from...from their...cells. I...I want...you to get them...as far away...from here...as possible. Take them...to Kaede's village and...stay...their till...till further...notice," said Inuyasha who found his breathing becoming increasingly shallow.
"Why General?" said Shinn who was unsure of Inuyasha's strange request.
"Please Shinn...do...do as I...I ask," said Inuyasha whose body started convulsing in pain as his scream of pain became gargled with the blood that left his mouth.
"Yes sir!" said Shinn who saluted Inuyasha who ran from the room to do what he had been order to do.
"Inuyasha since when did ye become a General and when did ye imprison Kagome and the others?" said Kaede.
"That's not...important right...now...Ka...Kaede. You...you have to...to help me...heal so I...I can right the...the wrongs...that I have...have made," said Inuyasha.
"I guess you don't need me anymore," said Totosai who scratched his head and started to leave the room.
"Wait! Totosai I...I have a...special assignment...for you," said Inuyasha who amazingly grabbed Totosai's wrist stopping him dead where he stood.
"You...you do?" said Totosai nervously.
"Yes. Find Sesshomorru...tell him I...I no longer wish...to fight with...him, but instead ally...with him...against a...a greater evil," said Inuyasha.
"YOU WANT TO ME WHAT!" said Totosai before covering his mouth from the fact he had yelled so loud.
"Tell him...that Tsubaki...rules this...this castle and everything...else that I...I am about to tell you...you about what I've...done in her...service," said Inuyasha as he told them both everything that he knew.
(A Moment Later)
"Tsubaki lives? Ye thought she had perished when she absorbed the powers and body of the giant ogre demon," said Kaede when Inuyasha finished telling them everything.
"You're not...not the first...to say that, but still...if you want to...stop her you must...help me Kaede...before...before she discovers my...my betrayal," said Inuyasha who coughed and puked out more blood from his mouth that was more black then red.
"This old priestess will try Inuyasha to ye end. I will work quickly to help you the best I can," said Kaede as she went to work on healing Inuyasha with the medicines and herbs she had been given.
"Thank you...Kaede. And in case...I don't get a...a chance to say it...I'm sorry for...for all the times...I...I called you...a...an 'old hag'. Just...don't...tell...anyone I...told you," said Inuyasha who shocked Kaede when he said that.
"Ye need not apologize Inuyasha as long as you right the wrongs you have created that only you yourself can end. I won't lie to ye Inuyasha the healing I'm about to perform on you will hurt more then you could ever know," said Kaede as she tried to help Inuyasha who just nodded as he stared up in the ceiling as he slowly went to sleep.
(Meanwhile...where Kagome and the others were)
Kagome along with Shippo, Koga, Miroku, and Kikyo were quite surprised when they had found themselves forcefully moved into one large room once more. This time with a demon soldier standing in front of and facing them with their weapons as well as items behind him against the wall. "Sorry if you were forced in here quickly, but time short," said Shinn who saw the angry glares they all gave him.
"Why did you bring us here? To see if we would serve your precious General and his armies of death?" said Koga with a bit of sarcasm in his voice when he said it.
"No. However, I was ordered to bring you here by General Inuyasha himself to tell you something extremely important," said Shinn.
"What? He's going to let us go?" said Miroku who was being even more sarcastic then Koga was.
"Actually yes I have been ordered to set you free and make sure you get to Kaede's village as soon as possible," said Shinn who from his tone of voice and expressionless face made everyone think Shinn was actually serious.
"Really? Is this some sort of trick because you can't trick a trickster like me," said Shippo who walked several feet in front of Kagome and looked into Shinn eyes with his own.
"This is no trick. He needs you free for reasons he has not yet revealed to me out of the necessity of secrecy," said Shinn who turned half way around, picked up Kagome's bow and threw it to her before throwing Miroku his staff.
"What about Kilala and Sango are they freed as well?" said Shippo as Shinn tossed Kikyo her bow and Koga his sword.
"Of course Shippo my General would never forget them. In fact General Inuyasha ordered them freed not long ago with Kohaku after Totosai and Kaede arrived here to help heal Inuyasha's inflicting wounds he received from Sesshomorru," said Shinn who stared at them as they looked at him in surprise.
"Who won that fight?" said Koga.
"Inuyasha was victorious against Sesshomorru, but barely survived and he paid a heavy price for it so that the army stays undefeated once more," said Shinn who had a sad look on his face.
"How bad is Inuyashas condition?" said Miroku frowning with curiosity as were the others.
Shinn told them everything from the fight with Sesshomorru, the question Inuyasha had asked him concerning where his loyalties lied, and the fact that Totosai recently left here for the Western Lands to see Sesshomorru. "As you can see General Inuyasha isn't the cruel bastard of a half-demon you thought him to be," said Shinn as saw their shocked expressions.
"If what you are saying is in fact true then Inuyasha has been manipulated by Tsubaki on every level ever imagined. What can we do to help him?" said Kikyo as Shinn opened the door and looked to find none of the guard were their as per his orders.
"We? I am to follow my orders and make sure you get back to Kaede's village and to keep you their till further instructions from him. You cannot help him now and if we don't leave as soon as possible Tsubaki may discover General Inuyashas attempted betrayal and punish if not kill him for it. I may have been recruited by Tsubaki, but my loyalty has always been to the General, as well as all the people in this sanctuary who he created it for, and...half the army who have fought beside him on the campaigns he has been in," said Shinn who was more serious then before as he motioned them forward out of the door.
As they started walking they heard an unholy that sounded like an animal being torn in half from the inside. "Is...was that...?" said Shippo who was scared out of his mind to finish the sentence.
"Yes Shippo. I'm afraid so, but it's strange. It sounds like General Inuyasha is getting closer to us" said Shinn as they made their way passed the narrow corridors of the castle.
As they walked for some time down the corridors they saw an unconscious Inuyasha who was being carried by Kaede, who found the half-demons weight a considerable struggle for her old bone. "General sir!" said Shinn who ran over to take the weight off the old priestess.
"Be careful with him Lieutenant Shinn the medicine I gave Inuyasha to assist in his healing of his wounds makes him very sensitive to pain," said Kaede who then saw that Kikyo was free s well as the others.
"Sister Kaede you were able to treat Inuyasha's wounds properly I assume," said Kikyo as she saw Inuyasha who was still bleeding considerably despite the heavy bandaging done on the wounds he suffered.
Kaede nodded, but had a worried look on her face. The black pits internal poison like effect on Inuyasha is starting to recede itself from his body thanks to Tenseiga's help from an unwilling Sesshomorru. However, that doesn't mean that Inuyasha is out of danger because his body doesn't know how to handle it. The removal of the poison like liquid from his body may cause it to shut down and that will kill him," said Kaede as an unconscious Inuyasha spat out more blood from his mouth.
"If that doesn't kill him the loss of blood might," said Koga pointing to the pool of puked up blood.
"All the more reason we need to get out of here before we are discovered," said Shinn who showed them a secret passage that would take them directly outside the castle.
Unfortunately, it was spiritually locked with a barrier wall covering the door for extra protection. Fortunately Kikyo with the help of Kagome disarmed the barrier and exited the castle's great walls. Once outside they saw Sango, an asleep Kohaku, and Kilala transformed into her more demonic form. "Sango! Kilala! Were did you come from?" said Kagome who ran up and hugged Sango who was a little surprised they weren't mad at her for her betrayal.
"You're...you're not mad?" said Sango surprised as she hugged Kagome with her one free hand.
"No Sango we could never be mad at you for long. You did what you had to do to get Kohaku back and it's not like anyone died doing it," said Kagome optimistically.
Sango could only smile until that is, she saw Inuyasha being carried by Shinn causing her smile to become the opposite. "What is HE doing here?" said Sango pointing at Inuyasha who breathing was getting shorter.
"Long story, but we can talk later when we get back to Kaede's village," said Kagome as Shinn place Inuyasha on top of Kilala who growled furiously at caring Inuyasha on her back.
"Please Kilala...for...for old times...sake," said Inuyasha scaring everyone over the fact that he had regained some form of consciousness.
"Inuyasha how long have you been awake?" said Kagome who saw his eyes were still without pupils, but were no longer red...they were a blackish brown she had never seen before.
"Long enough...to know...I...I cannot serve...Tsubaki any...anymore," said Inuyasha who puked more blood out of his mouth that dripped down Kilala's fur and onto the ground before he fell unconscious.