Due West of Clock Town was Great Bay, an ocean that reached as far as the eyes could see. The ocean lied just beyond a sea of sand. In all honesty, the journey there appeared easy enough to tread. In the past, the group managed well enough in long travels.
As they looked out onto the horizon, outside the walls of the town, a gentle breeze brushed past them. For a moment, they admired the sight with wondrous eyes; especially a certain ebony haired maiden.
"Ooh! It's been so long since we last visited the ocean," she exclaimed cheerily. As she stood before the long stairway leading down toward the vast sand below, Kagome could almost picture the cool water splashing across her bare feet and the moist sand between her toes. "I can't wait!"
Ignoring the school girl, Inuyasha brushed past her, calmly descending the stairs with his arms hidden in his sleeves. "Keh! Hurry up! We don't have time to sightsee!"
Pushing aside her plans, the young girl followed, with Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Link trailing behind.
The sun, which had yet to rise, was set as if waiting for the dark of night to approach as the travelers trekked through the sand leading to the salty waters just ahead. They'd be lucky not to come across anything out of the ordinary. Actually, the walk through the sand proved quite delightful in Kagome's opinion. The young maiden was eager to get to the beach.
About half an hour of walking, Inuyasha cursed a small distance in front of the group. "Damn it!"
Miroku wiped the sweat from his brow as he adjusted his robes. "Something wrong, Inuyasha?" He asked, as he watched as the half demon the sand with irritation. The girls behind him were keeping up, despite the halt of the half demon up ahead, though they were just as curious.
"Damn sand is pricking me!" He explained as he held his bleeding foot with irritation.
Kagome eyed his foot. Kneeling toward his foot, she gasped at the sight. "Oh, what are those?" She pointed at the small green needles piercing his skin.
"Hell if I know!" he grimaced at the strange small thorns before ripping a few out, much to Kagome's disgust.
Annoyed, the priestess placed both hands on her hips. "If you would wear shoes, you wouldn't have these problems!"
Shippo nodded from his place on Sango's shoulder. His eye caught sight of his feline friend pawing at the sand a few steps behind them. "What's wrong, Kirara?"
Noticing her strange behavior, the group turned to look in the feline's direction, who continued pawing at the sand. As she did this, something small but long shot up from the grit, causing the kitten to jump back as it eyed it with curiosity. It swayed in a slow motion back and forth, intriguing the feline as she pawed at it in interest.
"What's that?" Kagome asked as she sauntered over to investigate. The moment she stood a few feet away, she bent down. "It's shaped strangely." To her, it reminded her of a leaf, but it wasn't. The wind wasn't making it move; it was doing it on its own. She reached her hand out, hoping to touch it, but a hand shot out and grasped her wrist, shocking her as she glanced up. "Link?"
"Don't," he warned the girl. "Move away before it acknowledges your presence." Link released her wrist as she stood with puzzlement.
Surprised by his warning, she nodded. "What is it?" She eyed the strange green appendage swaying back and forth before Kirara. "Kirara, move away from there."
"It's best if we move away from here quickly. I'll explain—"
"And what's dangerous about that?" Inuyasha inquired distastefully. "Looks harmless enough—"
Annoyed at the half demon, the boy pulled Kagome away from danger, with Shippo following curiously. "I won't say it again." What was with him? If the group wasn't able to spot danger, then they were seriously in trouble. Without his brains, he was sure that the half demon would lead his companions to death in this world easily. It was always, 'What do you know?' Or 'I'm not taking orders from you!' Was it that difficult to trust someone?
Blinking from the shock of it all, Inuyasha was just about to throw some insults at the boy, mostly because he was holding Kagome's hand, and for also issuing orders. Inuyasha was the head of the group, not some kid. Before he could utter a word of protest, a rumble from beneath his feet distracted him. "The hell?"
Sango reached for her weapon, her eyes searching her surroundings, and Miroku readied his staff. Inuyasha wasn't slow in unsheathing his weapon; his sword was already out and ready to use. The ground beneath them and the others shook with much ferocity, but it was not so strong as to knock them over. From all the earthquakes they witnessed here, this one was weakest.
"Another earthquake?" murmured the priestess, who stood clenching her bow from beside Link with Shippo attached to her ankle.
The strange green appendage sticking out of the ground ceased its sway and shot back underneath the ground; this did not go unnoticed by a certain half demon. Just as the earthquake had come, it was gone in seconds.
"Strange," The monk commented while lowering his staff to scratch his chin. He thought for sure that something was out of the ordinary, but he must have thought wrong.
Relieved that it was nothing more than just a small shake of the earth, the group turned toward the direction they had been previously traveling, but before they could take one step, an eerie screech reached their ears, instantly drawing them back toward the commotion. As they searched about the area, they found nothing out of the ordinary.
"What was that?" Kagome asked, though all she received were shrugs. To her, it sounded like that of a baby's cry, only much louder and ear-piercing. "Where did it come from? There's nothing here."
Suddenly, small forms shot up from the sand dunes, much to their disbelief. In each direction, strange mottled green creatures surrounded them, with short tube-like bodies, with red protrusions hanging from their circular mouths. Four light green appendages rested on top of them and resembled mouths with small and sharp teeth.
"What are those?" Shippo cried, still clinging to Kagome's ankle as he glanced around the area with widened eyes. "They're everywhere!"
Link nearly rolled his eyes in irritation. He had wanted to avoid such conflicts, but there was really no avoiding them now. "Leevers," he answered their questions while looking about the area. Upon noticing one creeping up on Sango, who stood but a few feet away, he unsheathed his sword. "This is their territory, and we are a threat to them. Either we fight them and waste valuable time, or flee before they attack, it's your call."
"What should we do?" Sango asked the monk as she eyed them. "Should we fight?"
Inuyasha grunted. "We're surrounded already. So we might as well kick some ass!" There were no questions about it. Besides, they didn't look strong. Spotting the closest, he charged with his word aimed high. "Take that!"
The Leever nimbly dodged, kicking up the sand as it sped away and around the half demon, who turned with startled eyes.
"They're fast!" Kagome gasped.
Miroku, spotting one said creature dashing toward Sango, hastily pulled her out of harm's way, and raised his staff toward the beast, easily injuring it. "They are fast!"
The Leever sank back into the sand, before reappearing beside Kagome's feet, easily tripping her as she fell back. Again, the Leever circled the group, this time moving toward the fallen girl.
Upon noticing the sudden attack toward her comrade, Sango rushed over to aid Kagome, but three Leevers blocked her path. "Out of the way!" She raised her boomerang and attacked, but they would not hold back. She stepped back and a sudden excruciating pain ran up her leg, causing her to drop to her knees.
Seeing this, Miroku ran to her side, using his staff to push back the Leevers that circled his partner. "Sango!"
Rubbing her bleeding ankle painfully, the priestess winced when she felt a few needles sticking in her skin. Kagome recognized them as the ones that punctured Inuyasha recently. 'So, they're like cactus monsters, then?' Grimacing, she went to stand, only to fall on her hands and knees from the throbbing in her ankle.
"Kagome!" Shippo cried as he ran to her with tears brimming his eyes. The moment he was close enough, he clutched on to her shirt. He noticed the swelling on her ankle and gasped. "Are you okay?"
Kagome nodded, not wanting to upset the kit. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a Leever heading straight towards them. Before she could react fast enough, she fell back and pulled Shippo close to her with her eyes closed. When nothing happened, she warily opened her eyes, only to see a figure standing in front of her; Link. From her position on the ground, she spotted the Leever lying at his feet dead, its blood spilling on his boot.
"Whoa!" Shippo looked on in admiration toward the youth as he stood defending him and his mother. No matter how many times Inuyasha fought demons, his skill wasn't as impressive as Link's, and that was the truth. Where Inuyasha was fast and powerful, Link was an expert in sword fighting.
Kagome observed the boy as he maneuvered around the area, slashing at the creatures while also protecting her. His blue eyes were narrowed, and his movements were well calculated and exact. While she watched him, she could not help but awe at his speed and his aggressiveness, not to mention his determination. 'He sure is fast.'
One after another, the Leevers fell dead at his feet, leaving only a few for the others to dispel. Glancing in all directions, Link turned toward the fallen girl, eyeing her form. "Are you all right?" He asked, offering his hand to her, though she merely nodded. After helping her stand, despite her warning of protest, he kneeled beside her, with her arms resting on his shoulders.
"Link?" Shippo curiously watched as the boy removed the needles painlessly.
Kagome watched him silently. This boy hadn't even broken a sweat while eliminating the Leevers, it was as if fighting came naturally to him, just like on the mountain. "Thank you for saving me again, Link," She smiled as the boy wrapped a small white cloth around her wound before standing. "But I could have healed it, no big deal."
Not even answering her, Link sheathed his sword and glanced toward the others, who were having some difficulty trying to eliminate the creatures. 'At this rate, the land will no doubt suffer if they continue wasting time.'
Kagome, used to always having Inuyasha come to her rescue, glanced in his direction, only to frown when his attention was on the enemies surrounding him. Although her friends may not have noticed, Inuyasha was distancing himself from her, and this time he didn't even rush to save her.
Her sadness did not go unnoticed by either Shippo or Link. Shippo was just upset with Inuyasha, especially his ignorance toward Kagome. She was nothing but kind to him, but then he goes and says something to upset her. Link despised the half demon. No matter if Inuyasha was taking less care of his companion or not, Link also hated the fact that he issued orders, especially to him.
Dodging yet another attack, Sango dispelled three more before glancing toward the Monk on her right. "They just keep appearing!"
Nodding, Miroku turned toward the half demon a few distances away, who was currently hacking at the sand in irritation as sand flew in all directions. Sweat dropping, Miroku cuffed his hands over his mouth. "Inuyasha! They're too many. Let's continue on our way!"
Inuyasha glowered at the sand before sheathing his sword. Although he wanted to kill every one of those creatures, he knew Miroku was right. He was holding everyone up, and they only had so much time left. "Fine!"
As they hurried to leave, the Leevers ceased their movements oddly, that seemed questioning to Link. However, he didn't think about the strangeness of it all, considering they did half the damage than in previous years.
On their way toward the salt water ahead, a giant white fence with steel bars blocked their path. Small blue designs decorated the bottom of the exterior in what appeared like ships, the ones Kagome recognized.
"Seems like someone doesn't want us to cross over," inquired Miroku, who looked toward Inuyasha.
The half demon grunted as he bent down. "Who cares? We're going over there because that's where the next pendant is. No stinkin fence is keeping me out!" He remarked as a matter of fact as Kagome situated herself on his back. Without another word, he leaped into the air with Kagome and disappeared on the other side.
Serena, who'd been quietly sleeping inside Link hat, stirred from her partner's movement. "What's going on?" She asked as she peeked outside his hat. "Are we almost there?"
"Yeah," Link answered as he climbed the rough surface of the fence. Back when he was ten, it was almost impossible to climb the fence, and he always had to use the help of Epona; his horse. Now that he was taller and capable of climbing higher places, the challenge was now easier to manage.
As Sango and Miroku rode upon Kirara's back, Sango could not help but watch as the youth climbed the tall gate before leaping off the edge to join the others. "He could have ridden with us…"
Noticing her gaze, Miroku nodded. "Yes, but it seems he likes to do things on his own," he replied before a smile pulled at his lips. His hand, unbeknownst to the slayer, caressed her sides before falling on her butt affectionately. Ignoring her rigidness, he leaned his head on her shoulder. "How long do you think this journey will take us, Sango?"
A twitched developed beneath her eye as she felt his hands continue to rub against her virgin body repeatedly. How many times had she warned him in the past to stop? Too many, by her count. Beyond irritated, she turned and raised her hand.
"Wow, Shippo, you're getting better with your transformations!" The priestess cooed as Shippo transformed from his pink bubble to his original form.
He blushed and puffed out his chest. "Thanks!" He would remember later to show them all his other transformations that Serena showed taught him.
While Link fixed the sleeves of his tunic, a loud slap resonated from above. Before he could turn his eyes upward, a body fell and collided with the sand painfully a few feet away from him. Link wasn't even going to ask as he stared, blinking.
"Uh…" Serena looked upon the bruised man lying on his back with a small smile still etched on his face. The red handprint on his cheek did not go unnoticed by her. "Well, I never thought I'd see the day a holy man would fall from the sky… but there it is." She wasn't fooled by his act; the fairy knew he was a pervert. Somehow, a holy man and a pervert did not mix right with her.
Sitting up, Miroku grunted as he felt a slight pain in his back. Yes, it was his fault that he got injured again, but he could not help but be tempted by his lovely companion. He grinned as he massaged his reddened cheek.
Sango turned her nose in the air as she leaped off her Kirara before walking briskly ahead without a word. 'That jerk! I wish he'd stop pulling those stunts!' Even as Miroku called her name, she ignored him.
Kagome, noticing this, hurried after, despite her injury. "Wait up Sango!"
Inuyasha sweat dropped. "Again? You know if you keep this up, she's going to hate you, right?" Without even waiting for a response, Inuyasha followed the girls, with Shippo and Link following; both spared the monk a glance.
After what seemed like ten minutes, the group safely arrived at Great Bay. What they hadn't expected was a desolate beach littered with bones and carcasses, and an eerie quietness. The sky above darkened ominously and the wind suddenly grew cold.
Kagome plans dwindled as she stepped lightly through the sand. "This is strange." As she looked around the shores, she spotted and grimaced at the sight of dead skeletal fish lying across the bank near the ocean. 'So much for relaxation…'
Sango agreed. "It's completely deserted. Where is everyone?"
Shippo scratched his nose as he scanned his surroundings. He spotted a house a few distances away near a patch of green. "Maybe someone there will help."
Miroku frowned as he kneeled upon the ground, much to Sango's bewilderment. "What's this?" The monk examined the scrap of wood with writing on it.
"What is it, Miroku?" Both Sango and Kagome asked as they stood beside the man.
The young maiden recognized part of the wood to be a remnant of a sign. "What does it say?"
"It says to beware of humanoid fish…" He scrunched his nose in confusion. "I can't read the rest." Miroku dropped the scrap and stood up. "That's strange indeed."
Surprised, Sango glanced at Miroku with a hint of worry. "You don't think it refers to the Zoras, do you? Kafei told us they were kind folk." 'What happened here?'
Miroku wasn't sure as he shrugged. "Perhaps whoever living there might know," he suggested toward the hut.
As they ambled along toward their destination, Link stopped and glanced upon Mikau's grave, a Zora guitarist who died some time back. His grave was completely demolished and his remains lying all over the beach. Something was not right. First off, the beware of humanoid fish was perplexing to him. He'd always known the Zoras to be friendly, not hostile. Looking away from the grave, the boy followed the group, who stood before the multicolored blue and white patterned doorway of the round and white hut.
"There's no door?" questioned the priestess, who stood marveling at the exterior.
Not bothering to knock or anything, seeing as how there was no door present, Inuyasha marched himself inside. "We don't have all day."
The moment they entered inside, a tall, robust man turned around to face the strangers. "Who are you?" This man was quite pale with an enormous gut hanging out of his white tattered shorts. Blue tattoos covered his arms, and he was bald. What more was there to say? His home was quite small, yet he filled it with everything relating to fishing inside.
Along the walls were pots and empty buckets. Inside the right of his home was a large chest with a giant fish tank beside the door with two giant fish inside. A medium-sized net hung from the wall toward the left of the room along with some hooks, and a hearth sat behind him. There was a small single bed in the room as well, signifying that he was the only occupant in the house.
Before anyone could utter a word about why they entered his house, he looked at them with a serious expression. "I've been catching fish in these seas for thirty years. I'm even better than the Zoras. Unfortunately, I can't go anywhere near the water, haven't for a year now. Strange things are happening lately, if you haven't already seen. You should be weary during the night, and keep your doors locked tight," he explained as everyone merely stared at him. The fisherman scrunched his eyebrows together. "Hm? I don't believe I've seen your faces around these parts?"
Miroku cleared his throat as he stepped forward. "Pardon our intrusion, we are just passing by and we could not help but notice how ominous Great Bay is."
The man nodded in understanding. "I see. You're correct, young man. Lately things have gone amiss, and I'm not telling you this to be funny."
"What's going on?" Kagome asked.
"A year ago, things were quite normal. I was out fishing like I do every day when suddenly the ocean turned a strange color. I noticed that all the fish were lying dead on the shores of the beach. Then at night, the wind would blow very loud, and I swear I saw shadows outside my door," he explained as he shivered at the thought. "The next day, I found a body of one of the Zoras dead on the beach, its skin torn off its person. I was scared out of my wits, especially when I noticed one of the said creatures walking towards me."
Surprised by his short story, Sango asked, "What was it that killed the Zora and the fish?"
"Why the Zoras of course!" The fisherman continued on. "Those Zoras have completely gone wild! If I were you, I'd hurry away from here before night approaches," he warned. He suddenly noticed the wounds on the young women's ankles. "What happened here?"
Noticing his gaze, Kagome waved it off. "We were attacked by some Leevers," she answered as if it was no big deal, but the look on the fisherman's face told otherwise.
"Hurry here!" he ushered her over to a chair, as well as the Sango, before unwrapping some gauze. The man removed the bandages from her wound and pulled from his pocket a vile of dark liquid. "This is a panacea. Those Leevers are poisonous. The wound is not so deep, thankfully."
Kagome nearly gasped. It was a good thing she didn't heal it, otherwise the poison would have been stuck in her body. The moment her wound was re-wrapped, she allowed Sango to sit in her place as the fisherman went to work on her wound, which wasn't as deep, either. "I did not know those creatures were poisonous."
"So where are these Zoras?" Questioned Inuyasha.
Finishing up on Sango, the man stood up and turned toward the man with oddly colored hair. "Why do you youngsters want to know that?"
"Well, the thing is," Kagome began. "We are certain that they have something we need, but…"
He interrupted her with a grunt. "Listen here dear," he wrapped his arms around her shoulder, much to her surprise. "It's best if you forget about paying them a visit. Those creatures have turned bad. I don't know what happened, but I'd hate to see any of you hurt."
Removing herself from his grip, Kagome wondered just what the Zoras were up to. They were supposed to be benevolent creatures; at least that's what Kafei said.
"Listen here! Just tell us where they live. If they're a problem for ya, we'll take care of them," remarked Inuyasha, who stood with his thumb pointed at his person and a disgruntled expression on his face.
Kagome was surprised to hear this side of her friend, as was everyone else. Normally, he didn't go around offering help, but here he was. "Inuyasha…" 'What's gotten into him?'
Flabbergasted to hear this from the silver-haired man, the fisherman nodded. "Seems I cannot change your mind. They live on the other side of the coast through the tunnel. There is a dome on the water; that is where you will find them. Be warned, though, the water is not safe to swim in. I highly recommend you take my boats just outside."
Miroku thanked him kindly before his eyes fell upon a poster hanging on the wall beside him. "Hm?"
"Heh-heh! Isn't she pretty?" The fisherman asked, and upon noticing the young man's nod, he continued. "But you know… those female pirates are frightening, they could scare a crying baby into silence. See, it was a long time ago when I used this thing called a hook shot to catch fish off the coast… but I was attacked by those pirates and they took it away with them." The man suddenly threw his arms around both girls, who were standing next to him.
Inuyasha glared, and Miroku arched a brow at the man's friendliness.
Meanwhile, Link leaned against the doorway nonchalantly. He'd been listening to the fisherman's explanation regarding the Zoras, and so far he was unconvinced. Just how was it they could suddenly change from hospitable to hostile so quickly? Something was amiss in Great Bay, and he was sure it wasn't just the tribe of water people. 'If what he says is the truth, then something needs to be done. What could easily transform their behavior so quickly?' Link knew the tribe did not get along well with the pirates. Could they be responsible for their actions?
While Link pondered, Shippo took the time to stare at the giant fish tank near the doorway, opposite of where he stood. The moment he stepped foot inside, he'd been curious of the fish inside the giant container that resembled something almost similar to Kagome's water bottles, only not as big. With wide eyes, he approached the tank to get a closer look at the fish.
There was one that was bigger than the other, and its teeth were sharp, different from the normal fish he'd seen. Wanting to get a better look, Shippo climbed the step leading up to the giant fish tank, careful of falling before placing his face against the cool glass. 'I've never seen them so big!'
Serena, who at the time had been listening calmly and quietly, glanced over from her partner's hat to check up on the fox child. Noticing his closeness to the fish, she tapped Link's forehead, effectively getting his attention. "Aren't those man-eating fish?"
Looking to his left, Link nearly fell over when he saw the tyke leaning over the opened tank before reaching his hand in the water. Nearly cursing, Link hurried over and before the child fell in, Link grabbed him, much to Shippo's surprise.
Upon the sudden attack from behind, or so he thought, Shippo jumped with alarm before waving his arms comically in the air. The tank moved suddenly, and in an instant, the giant red fish leaped from the water, splashing Shippo in the face. Shippo fell back and slammed into Link's face, effectively knocking him over.
There was a moment of silence as the group looked at the boys, who at the moment were on the floor.
Rubbing his face, Link glanced at the kit next to him with annoyance. He was just trying to stop him and he gets hit in the face, but he knew it wasn't on purpose. Still it hurt. Thinking nothing of it, Link stood up, wiping the invisible dust from his tunic with his face as red as can be.
Shippo, who had yet to gather his composure like his friend, was holding onto Link's boot with wide and surprised eyes. "Gee!"
Serena tittered away, quite amused by both her companions. She'd seen the way Link blushed in embarrassment when he noticed Kagome's gaze on him, and Shippo was just hilarious. "Ah, I needed a good laugh."
Kagome and Sango, who were both still in the older gentlemen's grasp, overlooked the strange event, though they were puzzled.
The man continued on, smiling. "Say, just where bouts do you all come from? Never seen the likes in all my life, but of course I rarely leave the confines of my home."
Trying to squeeze herself from his grasp, Kagome explained. "Oh, far away actually." It was the truth.
"Why don't you girls stay here tonight? I'll keep ya safe?" He chuckled as they each cringed at the thought. Noticing their discomfort, he removed his arms from the girls.
Sango smiled. "No, thank you. We wouldn't want to trouble you."
Kagome nodded. "We'll be fine."
Frowning, the man took on a look of seriousness. "Very well. There's a house just across from mine that's been abandoned since last year. The person who bought it ran away. You're all welcome to stay there."
Thanking the man for his informative information, they left. They were now ready to continue on. As they ambled along the beach toward the tunnel leading toward their destination, Kagome turned toward Link and Shippo.
"Hey, what happened back there?"
Feeling his face redden again, Link walked ahead, leaving a baffled priestess to stare behind. Shippo merely kept quiet. He didn't want anyone to know, especially Inuyasha, because he knew he'd make fun of him.
Watching as Shippo scurried after the boy, Kagome turned toward her companions who too stood watching in curiosity. "Oh well, let's get going."