Chapter 32: Hidden Discoveries
Determined brown eyes focused hard upon the narrow path ahead of him. The craggy cliffs were difficult to navigate on a good day, let alone a day like this. It wasn't the weather that made the journey harrowing, rather it was the millions of jumbled thoughts running through his mind. Oh how he wished he was able to make some contact with Sango. He was so close, so very close but then he was rejoined by a host of Saimyosho effectively ending his search. They were there on order from Naraku and to witness as he completed yet another meaningless task. Kohaku was certain that most of them were to keep him busy and battle sharp. None of them seemed to play any role of importance but were always somehow his priority.
Then to top it all off this morning spun his already sour mood into turmoil.
Back at the manor Naraku had made it abundantly clear that he was done taking his time to collect the shards. As a matter of fact the message had never been clearer as far as he was concerned.
*flashback*
Several eyes including his own watched on in horror and fascination as Naraku 'gifted' Kagura her heart back to her. Her scream pierced their ears as she fell onto the ground in what only could be described as writhing agony while the evil hanyo continued on with his instructions, completely unconcerned at her crumpled form seizing on the floor at his feet.
Kohaku fought not to flinch as Naraku within the blink of an eye was right behind him. Then to his own bafflement a sharp pain began to blossom at the base of his neck. It took every ounce of his own will to not react to the shock of feeling blood trickle down his spine. His eyes were steady even as the beat of his heart was fluttering wildly in his chest. He didn't get to wonder about what had just happened to him, because the vile fiend walked to his front holding a blood stained jewel shard between his fingers for him to see. Only when the slayer realized that the shard came from his neck did he begin to pale.
"Don't look so disturbed, Kohaku. After all, you knew that this was bound to happen. How could I have a COMPLETED jewel if a piece was still on loan to one such as you? Or, perhaps, your shock could be attributed to your thinking that your life's force was linked to the shards presence in your body? Foolish boy. I suppose it would seem that way to most, however when I placed that shard within your body you hadn't died just yet. You were absolutely at the verge of death, but the Shikon's power brought you back from the precipice. Thus, you healed rapidly with its aid."
Kohaku was floored by the knowledge that he was receiving. The whole time he thought he was a living corpse, similar to Kikyo, only that he did still require nourishment.
"Do you now wonder why I left it in your care?" Naraku continued. "It played a vital part in my plan to keep you...predisposed...to my own will as you were both young, confused and so very vulnerable. I should tell you, however, that I've been aware that my wishes no longer hold their sway over you, and for quite some time now."
A brief moment of panic ate at the young man. A large part of his survival had relied on the fact that Naraku assumed he was still under his control, as well as a massive hope that he could use that to his advantage to kill the evil beast.
"Regardless, you have never turned away from my orders so I do believe I can trust you to follow my explicit instructions. We wouldn't want your dear sister to be privy to the fact you willingly obey me, do we?" Naraku asked.
Kohaku did his best to mimic the western Lord whom he idolized and attempted to keep a mask of indifference upon his face, but despite his best efforts his blanched face gave away his true feelings of dread. "No, Naraku-sama." He replied.
The slayer watched as Naraku fused the shard into his portion of the jewel and wondered what his instructions would be. He needn't worry for too long because it looked like Naraku wasn't in the mood for dalliance today. Wordlessly the kumo-hanyo walked over to where the now still body of Kagura lay and took a seat beside her and pulled her into his lap.
"Kohaku. My orders for you are fairly simple but very crucial. I am very well aware of the arsenal at your village, and I am certain it will be effective against our foes. Go and arm yourself, then return. You are the only human amongst us and it wouldn't do to have you die on me. I require your complete strength for this battle." Naraku said.
*end flashback*
It wasn't too long after that they were all dismissed, but it wasn't soon enough for him. His thoughts traveled to Kagura as he made his way to his home village and he felt a lot of sympathy for her. The way she was essentially brutalized by Naraku this morning could of broken a weaker soul, but not her. She was the wind, bound in demon flesh and chained by evil. She longed to be free, just like he did. They were kindred spirits. He felt guilty for not doing anything to protect but he knew that she wouldn't hold it against him. She knew all about his plight and did everything she could to cover for him. Still, as a man he should of done something.
It was a moot point regardless. He just couldn't get the lost look on her face when she woke out of his mind. It didn't suit her. Her shock would soon wear off, that much he was certain of. She would never let herself be consumed by something so trivial.
On his way to the village he had to stop and dispatch some low level demons, only one of them truly giving him a hard time. The time he spent fighting slowed down his overall progress and so it was late by the time he reached his old home and his poor horse was looking the worse for wear.
The first thing he did was lead it to the well for a much deserved drink. Looking around it seemed almost as if people were about to come out of their huts at any moment. Only he knew that would never happen. Kohaku had taken it upon himself to slowly renovate the village and knew that sometimes his sister would return to do the same thing.
He knew her handiwork as she knew his. They even made it technically habitable with a few huts standing, a large and effective wall fortified on all sides by spikes and wards, a stable, and even kept the water well maintained.
His mind continued to wander as he lifted the filled bucket out of its confines and sat it on the floor for the steed to drink from, which it did, greedily in fact.
Tying the reins to the wells post Kohaku sat down down and put his head in his hands. The pain he felt every time he came home was always unbearable. To see graves that had been lovingly created and tended to by his sister made his guilt ridden soul quake with sorrow and regret.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself down he slowly rose up and made his way to the soft patch of dirt that held his dearly departed family. In all of the times he came back to the village he'd never truly gone to that area. Too much shame overcame his soul and he had feared that Naraku would realize he'd regained his memories and thus lost power over his will. That was all over now. As of this morning he realized all his efforts were futile seeing as Naraku had figured it out anyways. Regardless, when his shard was removed it did take with it the lingering traces of darkness that always lingered in the depths of his mind. Finally the young man reached the section that housed his family members. There was truly only one that he was really looking for.
Sango put it in a place of honor, right beside their dearly departed mother's public shrine. She must have done it so their souls could be reunited in death. His knees were shaking as he stood at the foot of his fathers grave. For so long he kept himself from coming here. Now he didn't have to hide. He was freed. Falling down to his knees upon his fathers grave Kohaku finally allowed himself to grieve. Tears that he'd never allowed himself to shed came like an unyielding stream from his dark brown eyes. Broken sobs escaped his once caged spirit and as soon as it started he couldn't stop. HIs frame was wracked with the force of his feelings finding their release. He mourned his father, his people, his youth, his beautiful sister and her suffering. So great was his sorrow that his body couldn't keep up with the fierce demanding of his emotions. Exhaustion soon set in, and sometime during his grieving he'd fallen into a deep somber sleep.
Bleary brown eyes slowly opened in question. Had he fallen asleep? When he realized he indeed had he looked to the skies to see how long he'd been out. There were brilliant oranges and yellows, pale blue and even some starts still lingering in the moons light. The sun it seemed was ready to begin its ascension into the heavens.
'I must of slept here with father all night.' Kohaku thought to himself. Wiping the residual tears from his eyes he felt a deep seated peace envelop his spirit. He didn't know how, but he knew that his father was there with him. He could feel the calming and supportive aura of the brave and kind man that raised him to be the best he could be. 'Father, I swear I will make this right. Please I beg of you to guide me in the way which I should go. I need your strength now more than ever.' He prayed.
Moments later as a silent response to his plea a soft breeze caressed his face and stray leaves began to swirl on the ground before him. Almost as if they were waiting for his attention the moment he realized they were there the leaves began to move on the breeze and made their way to his old home. Rising up the slayer followed the leaves to the threshold of the hut he shared with his father and sister so long ago. Of all of the huts they'd rebuilt, this one was the only one that hadn't received any real damage.
Stepping inside it almost looked as it used to when he was a child. The small shrine that once housed the Shikon Jewel was gone, and the mats were all worn away. Despite that it still looked like the pleasant front room to receive visitors or those who came calling on their services. Kohaku took his time relishing the sweet memories he had of his old home. He went into the back rooms and realized that his old room was actually furnished with a futon and logs by the fire pit. Sango. Always so thoughtful.
Looking across the hall opposite his room was hers and it also was furnished simply, except hers had two futons and a small pillowed cushion. No doubt that was for Kirara. Who would the other futon be for though? Kagome? That thought was ruined by the stack of blank ofudas lying innocently beside the second folded futon. The sudden image of Miroku with a red hand print of his face came into his minds eye. Oh hell no. How could he forget about that damned perverted monk who was always accosting Sango?
An eye twitch later and he moved both the extra futon and the ofudas into the living room by the front entrance. Feeling an impish joy with the new placement of those belongings Kohaku had a mind to go Midoriko's cave and look for supplies, but just as he was leaving the hut a strong breeze entered and jostled the beads that lead to his fathers rooms and separated them from the rest of the house. The young slayer realized that he'd never actually been inside there before. Curiosity, and maybe even fate, lead his unsure steps closer and closer to the beaded entry.
Moving them aside he stepped into a large room that was sparsely furnished a futon and a rug. A thick layer of dust blanketed the whole room making it very obvious that no one's been in here for a very long time. It seemed strange that Sango didn't come in here to clean as she had the rest of the hut.
Walking further inside he saw that to the left of the room was a beautifully painted standing partition and wondered at what was on the other side of it. Making the short walk to the other side he realized that it was a shrine. There was a pink comb, a set of grey kudachis, and a grey ribbon on the altar along with an incense jar that has since lost all its aroma. A small black rug was on the floor before it.
A distant memory came to the surface of his father after one of their meals telling them stories about their brave and beautiful mother. How she was also a slayer, second best to only himself. She was very tough and battle hardened, but possessed a kind and loving spirit. Although her favorite color was pink, her uniform was turquoise and gray because she refused to be seen as a female. She hated being underestimated by her foes and the victory was always so much sweeter when the misogynistic males who hired her realized that a woman was the one to save them from the demons they feared.
It was her cunning and battle readiness that drew their father to her. She constantly bested him in a spars when they were younger, and his heart belonged to her the first time she beat him. His father trained hard for years, fought hard to be the best, just so that their mother would give him a chance. He'd found out later that she'd admired him from the beginning and her yearning for him grew as he worked hard to become great. Their union was one of love and admiration. So great was their connection that not once in all the years after he'd lost her had he longed to remarry though he was pressured by the village elders. He'd politely decline every time, thanking them for their concern but reminding them of his late wife's temper. He claimed that she'd rise from the dead and seek vengeance if he ever tried to replace her. The most ironic thing was that one scheme was hatched to get his father to marry another and mysteriously the woman who'd devised the plot died suddenly in her sleep. It sufficed to say that no one ever suggested such a thing again.
A small smile tilted the corner of Kohaku's lip when he realized that he actually had seen this shrine before. Another memory flashed before his minds eye, and reminded him of the past. Once every year he and Sango were allowed into father's rooms to visit this small shrine and pay respects to their mother. It was the only time that they were allowed into his part of the hut.
The young slayer neatly sat down in seiza, bowed his head and said a prayer to his nearly forgotten mother, thanking her for watching over them and to keep their father company in the afterlife.
Whist he began to rise there was an odd creek from the floorboards. Questioningly he leaned forwards again to see if it would reoccur and was rewarded with another quick groan from the flooring.
'Is the wood rotting?' He thought to himself. Getting up slowly he crawled backwards off of the rug and moved it aside. His eyes widened in surprised at what he found. There was a large square cut in the floor indicating that there might be something underneath. At one edge of the square there seemed to be a single hole only big enough for one finger to fit in that looked suspiciously like a type of handle.
He looked around nervously despite knowing no one was there and wondered if it was alright that he investigate. The same gently breeze seemed to caress his face and he instantly knew that it was ok. Lifting the wood slowly he found that it was not the small storage compartment that he supposed it was, but an entry built into the earth beneath their home.
"What is a secret entrance doing in fathers room?" He asked himself out loud.
There was absolutely no light to speak of coming from the hole making it impossible to know how deep it was. Kohaku thought to look around for a lamp or even make himself a torch when a glint of metal caught his eye. Right there beside his mothers altar was a small black lamp. Picking it up he realized that there was still oil inside of it making it usable. Reaching into his uniform he pulled out some flint and lit the lantern. It might of been small but the light emanating from it seemed extraordinarily bright. Lifting it over the entrance the slayer realized that hidden from sight was a ladder leading into the darkened abyss.
Taking a sure grip on the lanterns handle Kohaku began his descent being careful to test each wrung before putting his whole weight on it. After a short while he reached the bottom but was still surrounded by a deep darkness. Squinting hard he made out a lamp perched on the wall and slowly walked over to it hoping that he didn't set off some kind of trap. The young man lit the old lamp and was astonished at the results. It seemed that when that one was lit it triggered an effect that lit all of the other wall torches and within moments he was surrounded in light.
Wondering at the kind of magics used to create this wonderful feat the slayer truly wished that his father were there to tell him about this secret and the others he was sure to come across here in this hidden cavern. Walking down the well lit corridor it didn't take long to make his first discovery. The hall widened out and became a room filled to the brim with scrolls, papers and what looked like correspondence. This had to be his fathers study. There was also a large low desk in the center of the area stacked with more what he assumed was important documents and he made his way over.
Dusting off an open parchment Kohaku realized he'd been correct in guessing at the contents of the letter. It was a document from a small village close by asking for aid with a demon problem they had. Laying it back onto the desk he looked at the scrolls upon the shelved walls and noted that they were all categorized with specificity in regards to their content. There seemed to be a few large content categories such as demons, poisons, weapons crafting and even one on...poetry? Interesting that. Towards the back of the room he noticed a doorway covered by a hanging mat and went to go look behind it.
This is were his jaw dropped as he made his second discovery. Walking into the next room he realized that in the center upon a stand were his fathers and mothers Brute Battle Armor. In all his memory his father has never worn it, only told about his fearsome victories that he had because of it. Prior to his marriage he and his mother fought in countless wars together as did the rest of the demon slaying clans. When they were over is when they finally settled down and began their family.
Fathers armor was black steel fitted onto green leather. The obsidian plates extended all the way to the girdle, and the shoulders were also black layered steel plates with black leather arm and wrist guards. Around the waist was a forest green and beige obi, and sitting beneath the armor were black shin guards atop of large black boots.
Mothers was almost a carbon copy aside from the leather being dyed a dark crimson, along with the crimson and grey obi. Well, that and her chest plate was an obvious reflection of the female form.
Behind the set of armor were rows of weaponry and ninja tools. Most of the weapons he recognized but never really saw his father use. It appeared that he's stumbled upon his fathers secret weapons cache. Kohaku wondered if when he became a man his father would have taken him down here and entrusted this secret to him. Unfortunately he would never know. Regardless he felt like he was meant to find it, as if he were purposefully guided to this area just so he would. Walking to the fearsome armor a missing piece of his spirit seemed to click into place as he placed his hand upon the cold black steel. He knew at that moment what he needed to do. First, he needed to avenge his father and their clans death. Then he had to truly rebuild their village and restore their legacy. Third, he had to make amends for the atrocities he'd committed while serving Naraku. Before he could do any of that he had to rid the world of the evil mechanisms of his 'master' or there would be no future to speak of. Their world must not be overcome by his dark chaos and that meant he had to die.
His resolve now set in stone the young slayer made his peace with his past and set in motion his future. Slowly Kohaku disrobed and began to piece on the black under kimono that belonged to the armor and with each piece he donned he felt a flame burning deep within himself come to life and become stronger and stronger. He was pleasantly surprised at how well it suited his physique. He had never thought of himself as built as his father but seeing as the brute armor clung to his form it appeared that he'd gained much more muscle than he realized. The last step was to tie his now waist length hair into a high tail with the left over green ribbons and to choose which weapons to take with him.
Obviously he'd keep his own sickle, and along with it he gathered some demon bone kunai, a pair of bone bladed kudachi's, an obsidian tonto, and when he was readying himself to leave he was strangely compelled to take a beautiful long sword with a emeralds encrusted into the black leather hilt. Tucking it into his obi, he was again readying to leave but felt that same nagging that he was forgetting something. Turning again he realized that his gaze was glued to his mothers armor.
Sango.
She needed that armor. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. So taking up a weapons bag he carefully placed the under kimono and armor within its confines and finally made his way out of the armory and towards the hall that would take him back to the hut.
Satisfied with all that he'd gathered the young man made his way back to the hut above, remembering to take with him the small lamp that he'd brought with him. Just as he wondered if he should put out the lights, magically all of the torches went out the same way they'd been lit. Raising his brows in appreciation for his fathers creativity Kohaku carefully made his way back up the ladder and into his fathers room. Putting the lantern down he said a quick prayer for his mother and made his way out of the hut. Luckily he hadn't spend nearly as much time down there as he thought he did and made way to his fathers grave in haste.
"Father, I thank you for everything you've shown me. I promise to avenge our people and to restore the village to the place that it once was. I swear to make you proud."
With that said he bowed deeply and headed to where his horse was happily grazing on the long grass. He was glad that it was well fed and had plenty of water, because it would need all of the energy that it could get. They had a long ride ahead of them and only a fraction of time to make a short detour. Sango would love this armor. He was sure of it. He just had to get it to her and make it to the meeting place in enough time as to not draw too much attention to himself. The last thing he needed was Naraku being suspicious of him any more than he already was.
With those thoughts spurning him on Kohaku heeled the steed into action and began his trip to Edo. The heavy weight of grief no longer on his shoulders the Slayer left a different man that he arrived.