College has been kicking my ~ass~ but now it's spring break, and guess who's back (for now) with another chapter!
Chapter 6: The Secret of the Sacred Jewel Revealed! / Stop Apologizing So Much, Daitan!
It had been a few hours since Daitan had told the truth of her heritage, and after cooking up some dinner, the group had thankfully calmed down immensely. Inuyasha still turned up his nose at her, but it wasn't as if that was anything new.
Daitan set down her bowl and chopsticks and turned to Miroku, who now had his stomach bandaged up neatly. "You know, I thought you would have blown up like the rest of them, but you're oddly calm about this."
"Well," Miroku started. "I've suspected for a while that you weren't entirely human. Thinking back, you gave yourself away in a lot of small ways… after all, no mere human could possess the strength and speed you do."
Daitan brought her palm up to her forehead. "Ah, man… and I thought I had a pretty good handle on those things…"
From behind Daitan, Sango spoke up, having laid down due to her wounds.
"I can't say I was all that shocked - a lot of youkai disguise themselves as human, but accidentally let loose some small aspects that might make a human - even one not trained to recognize youkai - suspect something odd about them. But I will admit that your disguise was extremely well executed. I had no idea what you were until you let the illusion fall. Then again, I haven't known you quite as long as everyone else here." she said.
Daitan nodded, and glanced over to where Kagome was pointedly avoiding looking at her. The girl had take Daitan's admission hard, and hadn't spoken more than a few words to Daitan after her initial 'explosion'. Daitan looked down at her clasped hands, a weight in her chest. Miroku set a hand on her shoulder and said quietly,
"Listen, if we know anything about Kagome, it's that she'll forgive you. I'm sure she understands why you would keep your nature a secret, but it's still a big change for her. It'll take her a little time, but she'll open up to you again eventually."
Daitan just nodded silently.
The group, now with Sango in the mix, began to head back to the taijiya village the next morning. Kagome had chosen to walk nearer to the front of the group with Inuyasha this time, Shippo riding on her shoulder. Daitan took up her usual post at the back, behind Sango, who was laying on Kirara's back due to her wounded state, and Miroku let himself fall into step at the back as well. Daitan gave him a sideways look.
"This seems very sweet of you to keep me company, but are you being a good friend, or did you just want to ogle Sango's backside?" she muttered to him, and he shrugged, a sheepish smile on his face
"Is it wrong to do both - ow!" Miroku clutched his arm where Daitan had given him a smack. "Ah… I suppose I deserved that… I know you're still upset." he said. Daitan pursed her lips, a pensive expression flitting across her face.
"I'm not exactly upset, there's more to it… youkai feel emotion a bit differently than humans do, it goes deeper than being upset that Kagome won't talk to me, and the only description I could really give would be something more like worry."
"Worry? About what?"
"Well, Kagome clearly doesn't trust me anymore, and that worries me, even if she will forgive me eventually. Inu youkai like me rely on belonging to a pack, which is very much like a family. There are alphas, the leaders, but in healthy situations, they're more like the main caretaker of the group," she leaned in to whisper very quietly into Miroku's ear. "Inuyasha likes to think that he's the alpha of this pack, and he's well on his way to becoming just that, but frankly, with all his recklessness, I would say that it's really actually me at this point." she said, and both of them started chuckling. Up front, Inuyasha's ear twitched.
"Hey, what are you two gasbags giggling about?!" he shouted, turning his head to look at them. Daitan and Miroku fell silent, but still let loose the occasional snort. Inuyasha grumbled and turned his head forward again.
"So… your worry?" prompted Miroku, and Daitan sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Yeah… it comes from being in an important position as a main caretaker of this pack. Because if Kagome doesn't trust me anymore,"
"Then it disrupts the balance if she's in trouble and doesn't trust you enough to help her out?" guessed Miroku, and Daitan nodded.
"Exactly. And also…" she hesitated, pursing her lips. "...I failed to protect you back there. That was my mistake… I'm sorry."
"It's okay, really. It'll take more than a shallow stab to take me out. And you should really give yourself more credit, you were fighting and keeping up an illusion at the same time. I'm sure that next time you'll be more powerful when your focus isn't split. After all, just take a look at how powerful your father is." said Miroku. Daitan thought back to the minor illusion she had cast on herself to keep Kagome, Sango, and Shippo's focus off of her.
I see what you're trying to say, Miroku… but that's not it.
They all arrived back at the taijiya village in the late afternoon, taking a bit longer than expected, since Sango's wounds were still aggravating her. Upon arriving, Sango and Kagome retreated into one of the buildings still standing to tend to Sango's wounds. The group stayed in the village ruins for days while Sango healed. Daitan had taken to perching on top of one of the buildings that hadn't completely collapsed, eyes gazing out at their surroundings for anything heading their way. Inuyasha was beginning to get more and more restless, and Daitan had to endure his near constant impatient complaints coming from below.
"...We've been waiting ten days! I would've been up in three!" he shouted, and Daitan's patience finally ran out. Dropping down from her perch, she landed on her feet in front of Inuyasha, staring him down with a piercing glare.
"Well she's not a hanyou like you, is she? Sango is only human, you can't expect her to just be up and about again after what she's been through."
"Yes," agreed Miroku. "I would have probably been bedridden for a month, and you have to remember that she's not just suffering physically - she's just lost her entire village and family, her heart is wounded as well."
"Oh, a wounded heart, huh?" Inuyasha mocked, and Daitan just sighed and sat down beside Miroku, closing her eyes in steadily rising irritation as Inuyasha launched into another tirade. "...Well the best cure for that is vengeance, and to get our revenge, we have to find Naraku's castle! I'm gonna see if she remembers anything!" Inuyasha attempted to run over to the house where Sango was resting, but Miroku gave him a quick whack on the ankle, tripping him up.
"Leave her alone to rest for a while. I guarantee you that will be the best medicine."
Another couple of days had passed, and Sango had finally found the strength to walk for short amounts of time. Kagome had called everyone together, now that Sango was willing to tell them about the Shikon Jewel, and they all made their way back to the cave with the holy barrier. Sango, who had not yet healed completely, was being carried on Inuyasha's back. Daitan had once again put up her disguise, since Kagome seemed to have a hard time looking at her without it.
"At long last, we'll be able to enter the Limestone Cave, birthplace of the Shikon Jewel." said Miroku contemplatively.
"So… how is this going to work? Is there an incantation…?" asked Daitan. In modern times, there weren't very many humans with holy powers putting up barriers, making her experience in the matter very limited.
"That's just right, Daitan. We need to know what age-old incantation your villagers chant in order to break it and pass through safely." informed Myouga, but Sango shook her head.
"There isn't any incantation." she said. Myouga spluttered in disbelief.
"What? Of course there is, how else-?"
Inuyasha clicked his tongue, and with a sharp puff of air from his mouth, sent the flea youkai flying off his shoulder.
"This place is a graveyard," said Sango. "It's useless to just look for a way in - at first, the villagers had thought the youkai had placed a curse to keep anyone from entering. But eventually, we realized that she is the one who keeps intruders out."
Daitan shivered a little. The way Sango was saying it, it sounded a lot like a ghost story…
"...And who is 'she'?" asked Miroku.
"The person in whom the Shikon Jewel was born. Her spirit is full of sadness and regret, and it prevents others from entering. That's what I sense. It'll be easier to understand once we go in. Go ahead, step through the barrier."
Inuyasha hesitated, clearly remembering what happened the last time he tried to get in.
"Uh… are you sure about this?"
"Countless people have been killed because of the Shikon Jewel's dark power, and it is the sympathy you show for the victims that leads me to believe that she will allow you to enter the cave."
Still a bit hesitant, everyone stepped through the barrier, and Daitan felt an icy sensation like water running down her body as her disguise fell away without her taking down the illusion herself.
"That's odd…" she muttered. No matter what she did, she couldn't put up the illusion again.
"Hey, she was right, we got through!" exclaimed Shippo, who then noticed Daitan's missing disguise. "Hey, what happened to your illusion, Daitan?"
"It must be the spiritual power in here… it washed it away somehow." she replied, intrigued, but still mildly concerned. If holy barriers could do that, she would have to be more careful in the future if she wanted to keep her true nature hidden.
As the group made their way farther into the cave, the skeletons of varying youkai littering the floor became more and more frequent, until they came upon a large chamber with hundreds of youkai corpses, all of them fused together into a single mass in the center of the room. A small hole in the ceiling of the cave allowed the slightest bit of sunlight to shine onto it. None of the youkai had decomposed into skeletons, and were instead turned to cold stone.
"Wh-What the heck is this?" stammered Inuyasha. Sango didn't seem surprised in the slightest.
"There was a time when oni, dragons, and other youkai merged their bodies together to wage a fought against one powerful human." she said. Daitan looked up at the mass, and saw the figure of a single human woman right near the top, eyes closed and head bowed, as if in prayer. She too was made of stone.
"There's a person in the stalagmite…" whispered Kagome.
"The youkai has her in its jaws!" exclaimed Inuyasha. Daitan felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up the longer she looked at the woman. The residual spiritual power, while not hostile, still made the air thick and difficult to breathe for a pure-blooded youkai. Daitan looked away, toeing a small bone under her shoe, and Shippo gripped her leg for comfort.
"That armor is ancient… is she an ancient warrior?" asked Miroku, still gazing up at the woman. Sango nodded.
"She was a priestess that lived many centuries ago." she said.
"The number of youkai surrounding her… she must have had immense spiritual power." said Inuyasha, almost in awe. Daitan raised an eyebrow.
"You mean you can't feel it?" she asked. Inuyasha shook his head. "Hm. Interesting." Inuyasha scowled, but before he could open his mouth, Sango continued her story.
"Back then, war and famine dragged on and on, and countless people perished. Youkai devoured the dead and dying, and grew into great numbers. Many priests and warriors set out to slay them, but only one priestess, known as Midoriko, was able to purify youkai souls and render them harmless. She was considered the most powerful human of her time."
"She could actually purify and weaken youkai souls?" asked Kagome in wonder. Sango nodded.
"That's right. In her world, humans, animals, trees, and even stones were all created from the four souls." she said.
"Hence the name 'Shikon', I'm guessing." said Daitan as Miroku came to stand beside her.
"I've come across that philosophy before in my studies. The four souls were called Aramitama, Nigimitama, Kushimitama, and Sakimitama. When combined, they create the soul of one person, inside the heart. Aramitama is courage, Nigimitama is friendship, Kushimitama is wisdom, and Sakimitama is love. When the four spirits work together in harmony, it is called Naobi, and the human heart is filled with goodness." he explained. Daitan smiled a little, eyes cast to the ground. It's a nice thought, I suppose. It's too bad that so many people lack such quality.
"Are you keeping up with me, Inuyasha?" asked Miroku, and the hanyou snapped back to attention.
"Uh… no, not really."
"It's way too deep for me," whined Shippo, falling back to lay on the ground. Daitan bent down and scooped him up into her arms.
"When somebody does a bad deed, the four souls energize evil, and the human loses his way. In other words…" Sango trailed off.
"...In other words, a soul can turn good or bad, and this transformation can happen within a human soul or a youkai soul." finished Miroku.
"This is why Midoriko was such a threat to the youkai – she could purify their souls and render them powerless." said Sango.
"Well now that opens up some debate," said Daitan, looking over at Sango. "Do all youkai gain their power from having an evil soul? Or did she just neutralize their souls, whether they drew their power from evil or not?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
"I'm… not sure. I just know the history." said Sango. Kagome shifted uncomfortably and avoided making eye contact. Daitan looked away. …Does Kagome think that I have an evil soul?
Inuyasha groaned.
"So what? She fought off an army of youkai by turning them into a bunch of weaklings!" he scoffed. "Her power didn't last very long, did it? I'd say she's a pretty useless priestess now."
"She hasn't lost the battle yet," said Sango, giving Inuyasha a dark look. "After battling for seven days and seven nights, a youkai got its fangs into Midoriko. With her last ounce of energy, she reached deep within herself for strength, and seized the youkai's soul. In doing so, she forced out her own soul. What flew out of her was the Shikon Jewel. She couldn't purify the youkai's soul – all she could do was imprison it, along with herself. Inside, the battle still wages between Midoriko and the youkai. That's why the fight isn't over yet."
"So a war between souls is still raging inside the Shikon Jewel…" Kagome muttered, staring down at the chunk of it she had around her neck.
"Pff. It's not like this changes anything," scoffed Inuyasha. "We just have to worry about Naraku hunting down the jewel shards. I'll take possession of the Shikon Jewel, and use it to become a full-fledged youkai, and then Midoriko can rest in peace!" he announced. Almost at once, he began to glow with white light, and Daitan could feel the spiritual power crackling around him moments before he was lifted into the air… and launched straight out of the cave. His startled scream echoed into the distance, and Daitan guessed that he had been flung clear of the barrier. Daitan chuckled, shaking her head.
"I should have known that was going to happen eventually." she said. Miroku nodded in agreement.
"Looks like people who talk of the Shikon Jewel and selfish gain get thrown from the cave." he said.
"That must be Midoriko's version of 'sit'." Shippo piped up, still sitting in Daitan's arms.
—-
Hours later, after the group had hiked back to the village from the cave, the sun having just disappeared below the horizon, Daitan had resumed her post on top of one of the buildings left intact, her glamour back in place. Inuyasha had his own perch on top of the building that Sango was resting in, his face twisted into a frown. She spent a few moments just staring off into the distance, searching for any threats, but nothing had bothered them yet, and she doubted anything would. Daitan sighed and made her way over to sit next to Inuyasha. He scoffed.
"What do you want?"
She just shrugged.
"You seem upset. We already have enough imbalance in this pack – maybe talking about what's bothering you will help."
"There's nothing to talk about. Besides, how do I know I can trust you? You're Sesshomaru's kid." he spat. Daitan sighed. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. There's more discord than I thought…
"Well, I can't really control that, can I?" she said, trying not to sound too snarky. Inuyasha pointedly ignored her and turned his back. Her eyes narrowed. Standing up, she stretched and made to go back to her original spot. "I am trying to help you, Inuyasha. If you're going to keep refusing to swallow your pride, you'll never be able to defeat Naraku."
Daitan started to walk away, intent on leaving her words to inspire some introspection in Inuyasha, but unfortunately for her, Inuyasha wasn't feeling very self-reflective at the moment.
She had barely a moment to dodge before the Tessaiga whipped past her head and dug into the roof beneath them. Daitan whipped back around in time to see Inuyasha pull his sword out of the wood and take another swing at her.
"What the hell did you just say to me, you stuck-up bitch? I could cut you in half right now, no problem!" he shouted. Daitan bared her teeth in a grin. It had been a long time coming between them. And who knows, maybe this is the only way to get through to him.
"You heard me - you're arrogant and childish, and that's what makes you weak." that seemed to be the magic word, and Inuyasha let out a roar, leaping directly at Daitan, who merely stepped to the side and let her glamour fall.
"I! Am! Not! Weak!" he growled. He was clutching the Tessaiga so hard that his knuckles had turned white. Daitan jumped onto the ground, intent on not letting the only standing building in the village be destroyed, or let the rest of the group be crushed. The ruckus they had caused already had likely already woken the others. Inuyasha followed her down, slashing wildly at her with the Tessaiga.
"Yes you are!" shouted Daitan, golden eyes flashing in the moonlight. "You insist on doing everything by yourself, and then throw a tantrum if you fail!" she dodged another strike. "Not to mention you let emotions like fear and anger distract you, make you reckless!"
"That's not true!" roared Inuyasha, aiming an overhead swing at Daitan's head. At the last moment, she caught his wrist with one hand, his hair with another, and stepped to the side, using his momentum to slam him face first into the ground. Faintly, she heard gasps come from behind them.
"Daitan, what are you doing?" squealed Shippo.
With a knee on his back, Daitan had Inuyasha pinned to the ground. He struggled underneath her like a mouse caught in an owl's claws, his Tessaiga pinned to the ground with his hands.
"Inuyasha, please, listen to me," she said, holding his wrists and hair in a vice-like grip. "You can't afford to do everything solo, nor can you be so reckless. That's a good way of getting yourself killed," Inuyasha struggled more, growling out curse words. "I know you want to become a full youkai, and I won't stop you if that's what you truly want, but you need to learn that being the leader of a pack isn't all about protecting the others in it – it's also about knowing that you can lean on them and get help, especially if you aren't very strong yet."
Inuyasha had stopped struggling, and Daitan stood up. He sat up and glared at her, spitting dirt out of his mouth.
"How would you know, huh? You're a full youkai, and you're Sesshomaru's kid – I bet you've always been pretty powerful." he spat. The Miroku, Shippo, and Kagome had started to hurry over. Daitan looked down.
"You're wrong," she said, a knot forming in her throat. "Even now, I'm nowhere near as strong as my father was when he was my age. I'm… sorry I can't protect any of you very well."
Everyone went quiet, and Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the ground beginning to shake. Kagome reached for the necklace with the Shikon Jewel shard on it, gasped.
"The Shikon Jewel shard – it's gone!"
"Something must be happening in Midoriko's cave!" said Miroku, and without another word, dashed off with Inuyasha. Daitan made to go after them, but hesitated. If she left, she would be leaving Kagome, Shippo, and Sango exposed. Daitan took a deep breath, willing away the knot in her throat, and let it out slowly. She could feel Kagome's eyes on the back of her head.
"Kagome… I'd like to apologize." she said, turning to face the human girl. Kagome looked confused.
"Huh? What for?"
"For – well – everything, really. For beating up Inuyasha, and… I didn't know that revealing who I really was would break your trust so badly. If you don't want to be friends anymore, then I'll go. You can't afford to have this kind of conflict in the pack right now, especially if you have new members," explained Daitan, bowing her head. "I'm truly sorry."
Kagome's eyes had gone wide as she stared at Daitan, before her eyebrows lifted and she began to laugh. Daitan looked up abruptly, confusion roiling in her head. Kagome's giggles trailed off, and she smiled.
"I'm sorry, it's just that… you might not have been the person I thought you were, but at the same time, even though it took me a little while to realize it, you're still the Daitan I know and love." said Kagome.
"...Well now I'm even more confused." Daitan's head felt like it was spinning. Kagome put her hands on Daitan's shoulders, smiling softly.
"I'm really the one who should apologize – you didn't do anything wrong. I was so shocked when you told us who you were, and I pushed you away, because ever since you joined the group, I saw you as something familiar, like you were a piece of home I had with me. Seeing you as a youkai changed that, and suddenly you were just as much a part of this time as you were part of our time," Kagome's smile became watery, and she pulled Daitan into a hug. "I don't ever want us to stop being friends."
Daitan was frozen in place, but eventually reciprocated, holding her best friend tightly to her. Quiet sniffling interrupted their moment, and Daitan looked over Kagome's shoulder to see Shippo beginning to sob.
"That – that was so beautiful!" he sobbed as Daitan and Kagome separated. Daitan gave Kagome a wide smile, willing her eyes to stop watering. She laughed, exasperated.
"I don't think I'll ever get a handle on human emotions… you're so complicated!"
"I don't know," said Kagome, swatting Daitan playfully on the arm. "I think you're better at it than most youkai we've met!" she gave Daitan a look and mimed Inuyasha swinging the Tessaiga around, sending them both into a fit of giggles.
At that moment, Miroku and Inuyasha appeared over the hill again to see the two of them holding onto each other, laughing even harder once they spotted Inuyasha.
"Oh great, they're talking again." grumbled Inuyasha. Miroku smiled.
"I suppose that for now, all is as it should be." he said.
A/N: Ah, friendship dynamics are fun. Also, that scuffle between Daitan and Inuyasha has been a long time coming. I had her channel a bit of Sesshomaru to really try to beat some sense into Inuyasha. That particular thread remains largely unresolved as of now, so who knows if it really took? And it appears that Daitan has some baggage... I mean, youkai live a long time, so I'm not surprised. But there certainly are a few things I'm looking forward to exploring with her character - her perceived weakness in comparison to her father is one of them.
Music Inspiration (not too much today :p):
-Reset/Thank You - Okami ost