Chapter 18: Resurrection and Deception
Sunlight filtered through the windows of the tiny shrine. Song birds chirped sweetly among the trees just outside. A man meditated oblivious to it all before the statue of Buddha. He centered his thoughts and sought a peaceful harmony within his soul.
It was still hard to find.
A brief image of the dead members of the Obiwaban flashed through Shinomori Aoshi's mind, breaking his hard won concentration. Aoshi shook it off and attempted to empty his mind again. He failed. With a sigh, he stood up, knowing that he wouldn't be able to achieve nirvana just yet.
Aoshi looked up at the morning sun and realized that he'd been in the shrine for nearly three hours.
"Aoshi!"
The tall man looked blankly over at the young woman running his way. Misao. Aoshi often had to remind himself that she was no longer a child. Her cheerful face lightened up even more when he looked over at her.
"Misao?" he asked with little emotion. The young woman planted herself in front of the dispassionate man and placed her hands on her hips.
"Okina says I have to go shopping," she scowled. "He thinks you should go with me, says it'd do you good to get out."
Aoshi eyed her suspiciously, wondering if this was perhaps a scheme of hers and not Okina's. Usually the old man never passed up an opportunity to go into town and look at the young women.
"Shopping?" he asked flatly, indicating that hell would have to freeze over before he went shopping. Misao's grin only widened.
"Shopping," she confirmed. Aoshi mentally sighed, knowing that she, Okina, and the others meant well. He considered just brushing her off and thought better of it. Misao's voice usually tended to help keep his demons away. Why that was so, he hadn't figured out yet.
"Very well," he assented. Misao gaped. Clearly she hadn't expected him to agree so soon, or even at all. She smiled brightly and began marching back to the Aoi-ya. She wasn't going to give him a chance to change his mind. The tall man silently trailed behind her.
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Gojin sniffed himself with disgust. He'd shed his snake skin to don a human one. He'd taken the skin from a human merchant he'd found on the way to Kyoto. He grimaced again.
Filthy humans.
The snake youkai didn't understand why Naraku was interested in this Shinomori Aoshi. He knew that the human was supposed to be dangerous...for a human. But still...
But still, the orders of Naraku were not to be questioned.
Gojin gave himself one more disgainful sniff before looking to see if the others were ready. His little party stood at attention. Good.
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"Is this all Old Man?" Misao asked sarcastically. She stared in dismay at the large list that Okina had just handed to her. A blank faced Aoshi mentally shook his head. Apparently this little scheme was in fact Okina's idea after all.
"Don't complain Misao," Okina said. "I'd like nothing more than to go. So many pretty girls in Kyoto..." The young woman punched him in the head before he could finish. Aoshi gave another mental sigh, before deciding that Okina probably had deserved it.
"Grrr..." Misao started to yell. She halted when Aoshi suddenly swung his head to the left and stared hard into the distance.
"Whaa.." she started to ask. Misao blinked as the drum of hoof beats and human screams reached her ears. Aoshi gripped the handle of his short sword. The young woman fingered a shuriken. She gave a start as a horse carriage came rushing around a corner.
Misao gasped.
On the roof of the carriage was a creature she'd never seen before. It was hideously misshaped, with pale albino skin and three horns sprouting from its forehead.
"What the hell..." Okina gasped. The creature punched through the top of the carriage. Another ugly creature suddenly assaulted the screaming horses. Without a second thought, Aoshi drew his twin blades and attacked.
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Kaoru hastily threw some items into her bag. Inuyasha wanted to leave within the next ten minutes. He would have left already if it wasn't for them.
"WOULD YOU ALL HURRY THE HELL UP BEFORE I GET OLD?" Inuyasha barked loudly. Kaoru shoved down the impulse to yell back at him. As far as she was concerned, he was perfectly in his rights to be angry. Even so...
"WE'RE HURRYING AS FAST AS WE CAN!" she yelled back at him. Inuyasha growled to himself up on the roof. The kitsune at his side tried to calm him.
"They are hurrying Inuyasha," Shippo calmly reminded him. The hanyou gave a frustrated sigh. Of course they were.
Megumi watched everyone with a sigh of her own. She was being left behind yet again. The doctor knew she had a duty to her patients and to keep an eye on the dojo, but still...
She sighed again.
Sanosuke stuck the fish bone thoughtfully in his mouth as he watched the others. He and Kenshin were already standing in the yard, ready to go. Namu, Sango, and Jaken were sitting on the wooden steps. Kirara was curled up in Namu's lap, with Myouga hiding somewhere in her fur. A moment later, Kaoru and Yahiko came rushing out. Miroku was tucked safely in Yahiko's sash.
Inuyasha and Shippo jumped down to the others. The hanyou cast Megumi a quick glance.
"Aren't you bringing anything?" he asked gruffly. Megumi gave a start before answering.
"I can't," she answered. "I have a duty to my patients here and someone needs to watch the dojo while you all are gone." Inuyasha felt a touch of respect for the woman, but he could tell from her scent that she'd rather be going with them.
The hanyou turned around and walked a few steps before pausing.
"Where we're going, we may need a good doctor," he admitted gruffly. "You have a duty to your friends too." Megumi's eyes widened and then gaped at his next sentence.
"Besides," Inuyasha continued, "If you're half as good as Rooster Head here says you are..." He was cut off by a suddenly red faced Sanosuke.
"I didn't say she was..." he stammered. Megumi winked slyly before slinking up the tall man.
"So you think I'm a good doctor Sanosuke?" the Fox Lady asked craftily. Sanosuke recovered enough to yell back.
"Good doctor my ass, you drug pushing wench!" Sano yelled. Kenshin smiled to himself as Sanosuke continued to deny having given any compliment about the doctor. Inuyasha interrupted the argument with a loud growl.
"Are you coming or not Woman?" he asked.
"Tae and Doctor Genzai can keep an eye on the dojo," Kaoru told her. Megumi nodded her head then and began to run back to the clinic to get some supplies. Inuyasha gave an irritated sigh at this delay. He looked over at the other hanyou in the group.
"Namu, take her to where ever she's going. It'll be faster," he said. Namu nodded quickly before racing after the doctor. He scooped her up in his arms and raced into the town.
Inuyasha crossed his arms and tapped his fingers in agitation. He wanted to go NOW, but still, a doctor might be useful. He looked up the bright sun.
Kagome...
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Binh chanted loudly as she sprinkled the strange concoction of herbs around the clay body of Kagome. Naraku drummed his fingers against each other as he waited impatiently. Gojin had left nearly two hours ago. He hoped that the snake would precisely follow his instructions. Naraku knew from Yahiko's memories that Shinomori Aoshi was not a man to be trifled with, human or not.
Naraku allowed himself a brief smile.
Aoshi...he'd planned to seek him out after learning of him through the boy's memories. A man who was nearly Himura Kenshin's equal, a man who had previously attempted to kill Sesshoumaru's reincarnation. A man with a tragic past.
A man who, as he had recently come to discover, was the descendant of a youkai slayer. As Kohaku had once served him, so would the child of his children's descendants.
Naraku paused in his thoughts as he realized the ancient crone had stopped her chanting. She was now standing over the body with a air of anticipation. He stepped forward in contained eagerness.
"Is it time Woman?" he asked sharply. She waved him off and he felt a flash of irritation. Binh seemed frozen for a moment before a flash of bright light surrounded her and the clay body.
"ARISE AND BE RESURRECTED HIGURASHI KAGOME!" She screeched loudly. As the light dimmed, Naraku heard a gasp of life within the now animated body. The priestess sat up with a jerk and stared around her with widened eyes. Naraku stepped forward to greet her.
"Welcome, Kagome. I'm sure you remember me," he said smoothly. Kagome gazed around her with shock before throwing a hand out in front of her, intending to blast him with spiritual energy. She stared silently at her hand before yelling at the smiling Naraku.
"WHAT...WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?"
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Aoshi spun around with his twin Kodachis as he fended off an attack. Another creature had joined the other two. While he distracted the strange creatures, Misao and Okina rescued the injured survivors within the carriage.
He parried the smallest one's attack and stabbed it through the eye. Even though he never showed it, Aoshi felt a twinge of shocked horror. Never before in his life had he ever encountered anything such as these.
Had he been a lesser fighter, he'd surely have already lost the battle. Fortunately for him, he was Shinomori Aoshi, former Okashira of the Obiwaban.
He performed his Spiral Sword Dance.
Aoshi was already wiping the blood from his blades as the dead youkai bodies fell to the ground. Misao gave a sigh of relief as she helped a young girl sit up.
"Are you all right?" she asked in concern. The child, who looked to be about six or seven, smiled brightly up at her.
"Uh huh!" she replied. Then the girl looked over at her caretaker, the only other human to survive. "Right Mr. Gojin?" she asked. Playing his part, Gojin smiled in relief at the child.
"Of course Miss Kaia," he answered. Gojin cast a glance at Aoshi. So the human can fight after all, Naraku was right not to directly confront him. The snake youkai bowed to the icy calm human.
"I believe we are in your debt, Mr., ah..." he said. Aoshi cast him a cold, inquiring look.
"Shinomori Aoshi," he answered him.
"Ah, Mr. Shinomori," Gojin replied. "I am Harata Gojin and this is my ward, Onigumo Kaia." The small girl bowed to her rescuers before casting a sparkling smile to the emotionless Aoshi.
"Wow!" she exclaimed. "You're really really really strong Mr. Aoshi!"
Misao saw something flicker in Aoshi's eyes. Was that amusement? No, she decided, it must just be a trick of the light.
"What happened?" Okina asked quietly. "Are there more of those...creatures?" Gojin shrugged his shoulders and feigned fatigue.
"I'm not sure," the disguised youkai admitted, "Frankly, I'm afraid they took us by surprise." The little girl sniffled at his side and Gojin placed a hand on her head. "There there, Miss Kaia, it's all over now."
"It was very scary!" she sniffled. Okina rubbed his beard for a moment before inviting them inside the Aoi-ya. He insisted that they come in for some rest.
"And," Okina continued, "Perhaps you can tell us exactly what happened." Gojin bowed his head.
"That would be very kind, thank you," the youkai answered humbly. Okina nodded his head as he headed back to the house, followed by Gojin.
"I'll have some of my friends see to your horses," he said.
Misao held out a hand to the little girl. The child smiled brightly as she grabbed her hand. Aoshi gave a start as the girl also slipped a small hand into his. The girl smiled sweetly up at him and Aoshi didn't have the heart to rip his hand away. He let the child lead him and Misao after Okina and Gojin.
Aoshi had no idea what he was about to get into.