It is also my goal to be done with this story by either Thanksgiving or Christmas vacation.
Anyway, back to the story. I salute all you college students out there. Many a caffeine filled night awaits us in the coming weeks of midterms, pop tests and cranky professors.
Inuyasha: Feh, who needs college?
Kagome: Inuyasha!
Sesshoumaru: Yes, I suppose you are a prime example of someone who doesn't need college.
Inuyasha: Yeah I...wait a sec...are you mocking me?
Sesshoumaru: What to you think Delinquent?
Kenshin: Oro? (Kenshin's thought- Perhaps Sanosuke needs this college, that he does.)
Sanosuke: Hey!
Chapter 26: The Kyoto Trail
Kenshin silently stared at his reflection in the murky waters of a nearby stream. The red youkai marks on his cheeks were still present. Not only on his arms in fact, but as Kenshin had discovered, similiar markings were also on his arms and legs.
He wasn't sure what to think about that.
"Kenshin? Are you alright?" Kaoru asked in concern. Kenshin immediately stood up and flashed the woman an innocent smile.
"This one is fine, that he is," he answered. Truthfully though, he wasn't. He remembered little from when Sesshoumaru had taken control of his body, and it frightened him. In fact, every since the other night, his body felt...strange.
His hearing seemed better, his eyes more acute, and his smell...
It was as if he had regained his sight after being blind. The new influx of sensations had nearly overpowered his mind in the beginning, but now he'd gotten used to it. Now it seemed...familiar.
And that thought made him even more uneasy.
"Are you sure Kenshin?" Yahiko asked. "You've been kinda distant since we left Tokyo."
"Yes, indeed," Miroku said. "However I suppose it's not unexpected." Kenshin waved the two off.
"This one is fine, that he is. Perhaps we should continue on to Kyoto. Inuyasha seems anxious to be off, that he does."
Inuyasha stared silently at him for a moment before turning and continuing on through the forest. Kenshin sighed inwardly as they trailed after the hanyou. Truthfully, the hanyou lord had been mostly silent throughout the trip as well.
What did Inuyasha think of him? Really? Kenshin knew it shouldn't really matter, but for some reason it was important to him. Did he see his brother when he looked at him? If so, did he hate him? The youkai marks seemed to burn his skin as he stared after the silver haired man.
All those years, was the Battousai really just Sesshoumaru? If so...what did that make him? Was he human? Or was he a youkai? Or...was he a hanyou like Inuyasha? Kenshin had no idea. He wished that there was someone to give him the answers he needed.
Kenshin wished desperately that he could talk to his sensei.
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"Like this Miroku?"
"Not quite Yahiko, but almost. Focus your mind inward. Your heart must have no conflict in it's soul."
Kenshin and Kaoru watched the duo curiously as Inuyasha impatiently tapped his foot. The four had stopped at nightfall to rest briefly. Had it just been Inuyasha or Kenshin, then the two would have continued on through the night.
"Wow! Hey! I got it!" Yahiko cried. Then his face dropped in disappointment. Miroku chuckled within the confines of the bokken.
"Actually you are doing very well," Miroku said. "These are only just the most basic techniques, but some monks struggle weeks to even get this far." Yahiko beamed at that. The dead monk had been using the journey as an opportunity to teach Yahiko to control some of his spiritual power.
"Hmmph," Inuyasha muttered.
"Just ignore him," Miroku said. "Your ancestor has never been one for patience."
"Shut up Miroku, at least I never went around grabbing women's butts," the hanyou retorted with a glare. "Some pious monk you are."
"Ah, but I did manage to capture my dear Sango's heart, didn't I?"
"Feh, don't ask me how."
Kaoru and Kenshin chuckled at the arguing duo. The two friends had been bantering like this most of the trip so far.
"Sigh. How many times do I have to explain it Inuyasha? It was my radiant charm."
"Tch, radiant charm. Right," the hanyou answered. They continued to argue back and forth until the conversation suddenly turned to Kenshin and Kaoru.
"So, how exactly did the two of you get together?" Inuyasha suddenly asked bluntly. Kaoru blushed madly as Kenshin gave a start.
"Oro?" he asked.
"Have you two kissed yet?" Miroku asked.
"ORO?"
"I doubt they have Miroku. Shippo said they haven't claimed each other as mates yet."
"ORO?"
A laughing Yahiko had already fallen on his back as a stammering Kenshin rushed to explain. The young boy snickered uncontrollably as an embarrassed Kaoru began to yell at a bemused Inuyasha. Maybe this would finally get them to admit their feelings for each other.
"Oh shut up!" Inuyasha finally yelled. "I can smell it all over the two of you! Just admit it already!"
"I think what Inuyasha means is that the two of you are obviously in love. I'm in agreement with him when he says that you should drop all the pretenses."
"Oro!"
Yahiko snickered again. This was going to be an interesting night.
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"Are we almost there yet?" Inuyasha asked for the hundredth time. Kaoru glared icily at him.
"No, we're NOT!" she yelled.
"Feh, I could have been there by now!" the hanyou complained.
"Well excuse me for being mortal!" Kaoru yelled. Kenshin decided that perhaps it was safer to be far in the front.
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"Just listen to me Kenshin," Miroku explained. "Just tell her how you feel." Kenshin sighed tiredly. He was walking up front with Miroku tucked into his sash.
"And just how do you suppose that this one does that?" Kenshin finally asked warily. Inuyasha and Miroku had both been on his and Kaoru's case since last night. He wasn't sure how much more he could take.
"Ask her to bear your children," Miroku offered helpfully. Kenshin glanced down at the dead monk in disbelief.
"Oro?"
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"Would you stop badgering me Inuyasha?" Kaoru huffed. The hanyou sniffed as he crossed his arms irritantly.
"Feh, fine."
The two walked in silence as they watched the others in front of them. Kenshin and Miroku were in the lead, followed closely by Yahiko.
"I know what it's like," Inuyasha finally admitted quietly. Kaoru gave him a surprised look. What had caused this change in tone?
"You know what what's like?" she asked. Inuyasha didn't answer right away. Kaoru gave him a curious look, but the hanyou lord had a faraway look in his golden eyes.
"We're not too different, are we?" Inuyasha finally asked. Kaoru gave him another surprised look.
"Different?" she asked.
"Yeah. My friends always said I was blunt, but that's just because I go straight to the point and don't bother wasting any time getting there. If something needs to be done, I do it." Kaoru nodded her head at that. It did sound like her.
"You're like that too," the hanyou continued. "We both see things in black and white."
"You sound like Yahiko," Kaoru pointed out. Inuyasha smirked at that, before growing serious again.
"Kaoru. You and Kenshin need to tell each other the truth. I know you both sense it, but..." Inuyasha paused as he took a hold of Kaoru's shoulders.
"Inuyasha?"
"Look, Kagome and I wasted time because we were exactly like you and Kenshin. For the longest time, we couldn't admit to each other that we were in love." A pair of intense golden eyes filled her vision until she sighed and closed her eyes.
"Inuyasha...Kenshin knows how I feel. Maybe I haven't said it in words, but he knows," Kaoru explained. "When we're ready, we'll say it."
Inuyasha stared at her for a long moment before nodding. He wasn't very good at expressing his feelings, but he did care about his new friends. Even Kenshin.
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The old man sniffed a lotus blossom as he listened to a symphony of nearby cicadas. He stretched his back before draining the last of his sake. A sliver of the moon lit up the night sky. The rootops of a sleeping Kyoto lay spread out from his view on top of the inn.
A movement drew his attention to the front street as two of his Obiwaban stepped out of the shadows, followed closely by a strange quartet. Three of them he already knew.
Okina stared curiously at the fourth member of Himura Kenshin's party. The man appeared young, despite the presence of long, silver hair that seemed to shine like brightly in the moonlight. The man's eyes turned up to regard Okina, golden orbs that seemed to burn in the growin darkness.
"Okina! It's Kenshin!"
Okina nodded absentmindedly to the young Obiwaban. Of course it was. He studied the party as they came more into the light. It was then that the old man noticed the dog ears on top of the man's head.
A youkai?
"Kenshin!" Okina called out in greeting. "All of you, please come in!"
This ought to be interesting.
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"Thank you again for your hospitality, Mr. Okina," Miroku said. Okina stared at the wooden bokken. He'd nearly jumped out of his skin when the dead monk had first spoken.
"Yes, yes," he said. "It is nothing." Okina turned his eyes to regard the hanyou in front of him. Half human, not a full youkai after all.
"Inuyasha," he murmured. The hanyou's ears perked up at the mention of his name.
"What old man?" he demanded. Okina stared thoughtfully at him and the hanyou's ears gave an agitated twitch.
"You have a staring problem?" Inuyasha barked.
"I'm sure Okina means no offense, that he doesn't," Kenshin said quickly. Inuyasha grunted. Okina stared thoughtfully into the distance. Kenshin and Kaoru had related some of the story, but as the old man could tell, clearly not all. He stared momentarily at the youkai marks on Kenshin's face before explaining himself.
"According to a strange man I met recently, several top ranking Meiji officials are supposed to be youkai in disguise. He told me that they report to another youkai named Inuyasha."
Inuyasha's gaze narrowed at that as the others looked at Okina in surprise.
"Who would this strange man be?" Kenshin asked quietly.
"He called himself Harata Gojin. He says he serves a man named Onigumo Naraku." Inuyasha' back and ears stiffened. Okina felt a sudden sense of alarm grow inside him as he continued.
"We rescued him and a young girl, Onigumo Kaia, he said she was his master's child. We rescued them from an attacking group of youkai."
Kenshin stared at Okina. A sudden chill had descended upon the group. The swordsman felt a strange hardening inside him as he calmly regarded Okina.
"Where have they gone?" he asked quietly. Four pairs of eyes turned to stare at him. Unknown to Kenshin, the blue crescent moon had returned to his forehead. His eyes, however, had not yet changed to amber.
"They left," Okina answered warily. He watched with cautious fascination as Kenshin's eyes briefly glinted gold. "Aoshi and Misao went with them."
Inuyasha stood up abruptly.
"Where?" he asked bluntly.
"Kurashiki," Okina answered. Inuyasha nodded once as he began to head out the door.
"Inuyasha! Wait!" Miroku called out.
"Why?" Kaoru asked. "We have to help Aoshi and Misao!" Yahiko nodded his head in agreement. Miroku sighed and muttered something about impatient youth.
"Inuyasha," Kenshin said. The hanyou turned around. A pair of golden eyes met his and Inuyasha realized that Sesshoumaru was near the surface.
"We need to move quickly," Kenshin continued. "The two of us can move faster."
"But..." Yahiko started to protest. Inuyasha silenced the boy with a glare before turning to Miroku.
"He's right. The two of us will go on ahead. The three of you follow behind," he ordered.
"I'm not being left behind!" Kaoru protested.
"You're not," Miroku said. "But Kenshin and Inuyasha are correct. Speed is of the essence. We will follow behind. I'm sure Okina has horses we can borrow." Okina nodded his head in agreement.
"Yes, I'll fetch them at once. However, the rest of you should eat before..." Inuyasha and Kenshin were already out the door before Okina could finish. Okina sighed before looking at the remaining three.
"The two of you should eat," he instructed Kaoru and Yahiko. "And perhaps you can explain a bit more of the situation to me." Kaoru nodded her head as Yahiko stared crossly after Inuyasha and Kenshin.
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Kenshin and Inuyasha sped quickly south from the Aoi-ya. The two kept pace as they dashed through the streets of Kyoto and came out into the country side.
"Hey Kenshin," Inuyasha called out. "Any idea of why Naraku would want this Aoshi guy?" Kenshin shook his head as he ran.
"No, I don't," Kenshin called back, unconsiously referring to himself in first person. "Aoshi is nearly my equal in battle, we've fought before in the past. Perhaps he wants Aoshi and Misao in order to lure me to Kurashiki."
"Either that or maybe he wants to force Aoshi to fight for him," Inuyasha said. The two glanced at each other before picking up the pace. Neither thought was very pleasant.
The two men raced desperately towards Kurashiki, each hoping that they weren't too late.
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Author's note: The next chapter will future Aoshi, Misao, Kagomi, Sango and Naraku.