~Ch. 8- Sakigami~
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Okami © Capcom
"WHOA!" Kagome cried as she ducked her head to avoid what looked flying rotted fruit...which came from a moving tree with ominous flames around it.
"What is that thing?!" asked Shippo.
"Demon Tree!" Inuyasha shouted as he dodged another flying fruit from the tree. "Just run for it! It might be a nuisance, but it's best to just ignore it for now!"
Kagome yelped as she ducked to avoid a swing from the Demon Tree's branches, then she hurriedly scrambled to her feet and ran after Inuyasha while Shippo scampered on ahead of them. They hurried along an old wooden bridge, but as they did, Kagome shrieked as her foot broke through a rotten plank, causing Inuyasha to gasp as he ran back and grabbed her hand.
"What are you doing, stupid?!" Inuyasha questioned as he pulled Kagome up onto solid ground. "Jeez!"
Kagome panted before she glanced down at the murky water below before she gulped, nervously, then looked at the Inugami.
"Th...thanks, Inuyasha," she said.
"Yeah, well...don't let it happen, again," Inuyasha rebuked. "I'm not always gonna be around to save your neck, you know!"
Kagome only pouted at the Inugami before she continued to follow after him, and Shippo, after catching his breath, jumped onto her shoulder.
"Boy, he sure is a grouch," said Shippo.
"Yeah...but I guess he has SOME good in him," said Kagome as she stared at Inuyasha's back. "He did save me, after all."
As she said this, her eyes seemed to soften a little as she continued to stare at the back of the Inugami.
'He's so mysterious,' she thought. 'He acts so surly, but he still helps me out...what's his deal, anyway?'
So deep in her thoughts was Kagome...she didn't even notice that Inuyasha had stopped walking until she accidentally bumped into him from behind, causing him to stumble forward.
"Watch where you're going, will ya?!" Inuyasha questioned.
"You're the one who stopped all of a sudden!" Kagome argued.
"Yeah, but only because I saw THAT!" Inuyasha spat as he pointed toward a large stone mural...that was covered in foreboding red ink.
"W-what's that?" Shippo asked.
"I dunno," Inuyasha replied. "Whatever it is, it's being sealed by evil magic."
No sooner did he say this that he heard the familiar sound of ominous flute music.
"And speak of the devil..." he mused before he turned around, and sure enough, two green imps appeared, screeching and growling at the Inugami, who smirked as he drew his Celestial Brush. "You chumps just don't know when to quit, do ya?"
All of a sudden, he felt the ground tremble, and before Inuyasha knew it, he was thrown up into the air by a large yellow imp with tattered clothing and a large taiko drum!
"Whoa!" Kagome and Shippo cried while Inuyasha righted himself in the air, then landed on his feet while the large yellow imp beat his drum with two large bones, then it quickly burrowed its way underground.
"Playing hide-and-seek, are we?" asked Inuyasha. "Fine. I'll deal with your two little buddies, first, then you're next!"
"Behind you!" Shippo cried as he pointed behind Inuyasha, who whirled around just in time to use a Power Slash on one of the green imps, which soon fell to the ground, dead behind him.
"Now where's that other one?" he asked as he looked around...but then, he felt the ground quake again, causing him to look down, only to be thrown up into the air again by the yellow imp, which seemed to laugh at him while he screamed in alarm.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried while the Inugami crashed to the ground.
"Ooh, that's gotta hurt!" Shippo winced.
"Are you okay, Inuyasha?!" Kagome asked.
"Ugh..." Inuyasha groaned as he stood up. "I'm just having an off day." As he turned around, he saw that the imp had disappeared once again. As he tried to pinpoint where it was going to show up, the other green imp tried to rush him from the front, only for the Inugami to slam his knee right into its face, then cut it down with a Power Slash. It was then that he felt the ground shake, knowing what was about to happen.
"Nice try!" he exclaimed as he jumped high into the air, just as the yellow imp burst out of the ground. "You won't use the same trick on me, twice!"
"Inuyasha, hang on!" Kagome shouted as she notched an arrow into her bow and after taking steady aim, she fired at the imp, the arrow itself leaving a streak of clear pink light tailing behind it as the arrowhead struck the foul creature, causing it to let an unearthly shriek. "Now!"
"Take THIS!" Inuyasha shouted as he used the Celestial Brush to Power Slash through the imp, slicing it completely in half.
All that was left of the imp was a small patch of flowers.
"That takes care of them," said Inuyasha.
"I bet you're glad I helped, huh?" Kagome asked, only for the Inugami to snort as he rolled his eyes, which caused her to pout. "You know, a 'thank you' wouldn't kill you!"
"Yeah! Kagome didn't have to help you, you know!" Shippo shouted.
"Whatever," Inuyasha muttered as he glanced up at the mural. "Anyway, look at this."
As Kagome and Shippo followed the Inugami's gaze, they saw that the red ink had vanished, revealing a picture of a small gathering of people kneeling before some sort of orb, and after that came a picture of a tiny sprout, which grew into a magnificent tree.
"So, what is this supposed to be?" asked Kagome.
"It's said that a crystal ball is enshrined in this place," Inuyasha answered. "The crystal ball itself has the power to make even the tiniest sprouts grow into huge trees in no time at all."
"Wow...!" Kagome whispered.
"...Hey," Shippo said as he squinted his eyes at the mural. "Doesn't something seem a little off to you?"
"What do you mean?" asked Kagome.
"Look at that empty space in the upper right corner," said Shippo as he pointed at the mural. "It feels like something should be there, shouldn't it?"
"...Huh," Kagome muttered as she took a closer look. "Now that I take a better look, it does feel like there's something missing."
"...I wonder," Inuyasha mused as he held up the Celestial Brush and painted a circle in the corner...and not long after, the sun appeared in the mural, shining down on the crystal orb that the people were worshipping.
"Oh! The sun!" Kagome exclaimed. "That's what was missing!"
"And the picture looks so much better!" Shippo added. "You have an eye for art, huh, Inuyasha?"
"Well...I don't like to brag," Inuyasha smirked...but then, all of the sudden, the mural began to glow, and following that, the ground began to tremble, causing Kagome and Shippo to yelp as they grabbed onto Inuyasha, who stumbled forward in surprise.
"What's going on?!" Kagome asked.
"Is it another monster?!" Shippo questioned.
"GET OFF MY BACK!" Inuyasha shouted as he threw them off.
"Ow! Watch it!" Kagome cried as she rubbed her bottom...but then, as she looked up, the boulder in front of them started to glow as the sun emblem on the mural appeared. Soon after, it exploded into smithereens, causing a river of muddy water to flow.
"Hey, look! A path opened up for us!" Shippo exclaimed.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," said Inuyasha, causing the young fox demon to pout. "Anyway, let's keep moving and see where this leads."
"Right," Kagome nodded. "Hopefully, we'll be able to find a way to bring things back to normal around here."
With that, they soon headed deeper within the valley, following the path to see where it would lead them, and it wasn't long before they found themselves standing before a teeny, tiny little sapling, still fresh and green, and before that was a large stone pedestal.
"Aww, what a cute little sapling!" said Kagome as she kneeled in front of it to get a closer look. "It's actually nice to see something so alive in such a desolate place, for once."
"Yeah, but why is it growing here?" asked Shippo as he looked around. "Where are we, anyway?"
"I don't think we'll find out anything just sitting here," said Inuyasha before he glanced over at another path that led away from the chamber. "Let's keep moving. I have a feeling we'll find the answer the further we go."
With that, they began to head further down, following the path of stones until they reached the innermost chamber of the valley...but then, as Inuyasha looked up, he gasped and began to double back, almost bumping into Kagome.
"What?!" Kagome asked. "What is it?! A demon?!"
"No...and for god's sake, keep your voice down...!" Inuyasha whispered.
"Why?" Kagome asked before she followed Inuyasha's line of sight...only to gasp and then cover her mouth. "Oh, no...!"
The reason why they were so shocked? There was a big, brown bear in the middle of the room, standing on top of a giant green sphere with a red swirl in the middle...and somehow, it was asleep.
"A bear...!" Kagome whispered in fright.
"W-w-what do we do, Inuyasha?" asked Shippo, nervously.
"What are you asking me for?!" Inuyasha asked, trying to keep his voice as low as possible.
"Well, you're the god!" Kagome whispered, harshly.
"Yeah, but even I'm not dumb enough to wake up a sleeping bear...!" Inuyasha whispered, but then he, Kagome, and Shippo yelped as they heard the bear give a growling yawn, rubbing his eye...only to return to his slumber, causing them to sigh in relief.
"Okay...let's do the smart thing and back away, REAL slow," Inuyasha instructed. "Maybe there's another path we can take."
"Good idea," Kagome agreed before they turned to silently creep away...but as Shippo took a step forward, there was a loud snap, causing them to tense up as they turned around to see that the young fox demon had accidentally stepped on a dry twig.
"I'm sorry...!" he squeaked...and that's when they heard a very unsettling growl behind them, causing them to turn and see the bear roaring as it raised its arms!
"AAAH!" Shippo screamed as he and Kagome hid behind Inuyasha, who drew the Celestial Brush.
"HE'S GONNA RIP US TO SHREDS!" Kagome cried.
"I guess there's no choice, then!" Inuyasha added. "PREPARE YOURSELF!"
But then, to their astonishment...the bear only gave a groggy yawn before he toppled off the sphere that he was standing and fell to the ground...and not long after, he began to snore loudly, a bubble forming in his nostril.
"Uh...anticlimactic," Kagome muttered.
"He sure does snore," Shippo added.
"Tell me about it," Inuyasha agreed before he noticed the orb that the bear was tottering on just before he fell down. "What's with this sphere, anyway?"
"I don't know," Kagome replied as she approached it, "but it sure looks pretty.'
"Do you think it might be treasure?" Shippo asked as he marveled at the round jewel.
"I doubt that," Inuyasha replied as he looked at the orb, as well. "Although I can't help thinking that maybe this thing has some importance."
"Come to think of it," Kagome began, "didn't we see something like this, before?"
"...Oh!" Shippo suddenly piped up. "That ancient mural! It had a sphere in the picture, just like this!"
"Hey, that's right!" Kagome replied. "This must be the crystal sphere that makes plants grow!"
"Must be," Inuyasha said, "and I think I have an idea about where it should go."
XXX
Inuyasha whistled a tune to himself as he rolled the crystal sphere down the path while Shippo ran along on top of it, giggling like a little kid the whole way as the trio found themselves back in the altar where the tiny sapling grew. It was then that Inuyasha rolled the sphere up to the stone pillar and placed the orb in its pedestal, where a small geyser of water began gushing, raising the orb into the air.
"So that really is the crystal sphere!" said Kagome.
"Yep," Inuyasha replied before he looked up at the dark sky. "And if I'm right..." He raised the Celestial Brush and drew a circle in the sky, causing the sun to emerge and for all darkness to flee the valley, as well as bringing a sense of calm and tranquility to the later. As the sun's warm rays hit the sphere, the rays soon reflected off the orb in a beam of light, which hit the sapling...and in doing so, the tiny plant began to grow into a tall and mighty tree. Not just any tree, either, but it was actually a Guardian Sapling, just like the one outside!
"Whoa!" Shippo exclaimed. "That's amazing!"
"So my hunch was right," Inuyasha said while holding the Celestial Brush over his shoulder. "That was a Guardian Sapling."
"But...it's all withered and bare, just like the one outside," said Kagome, sadly, as she looked at the tree's withered branches. "Don't tell me we came here for nothing."
Just then, there was a twinkle of light coming from somewhere in the sky, causing the three to look up...and that's when they spotted a shape in the stars.
"What's that?" asked Shippo.
"It's a constellation," Inuyasha answered. "One of the Celestial Brush Gods is trapped in it."
"Then how do we get him out?" asked Kagome.
"Like this," Inuyasha said as he held up his brush again and painted two little dots, creating two of the stars that were missing in the constellation. Not long after, there was a flash of light, and Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo found themselves standing in a vast plain of flowers and clouds as a white monkey with the same red markings as Inuyasha, and in his hand was a shō. As the monkey twirled about, extravagantly, he soon bowed before the three, causing Kagome and Shippo to clap their hands while Inuyasha yawned with his chin propped in his palm.
"Hello, Sakigami," he said, boredly.
"Ah, if it isn't the Great Inugami, Inuyasha!" Sakigami exclaimed. "The origin of all that is good! You have my gratitude for freeing me from my slumber. Please accept my humble thanks in exchange for your kindness."
"Well, it's more like I want my powers back..." Inuyasha muttered, causing Kagome to nudge him in the side. "Hey!"
"Don't be rude!" she chided.
"I, Sakigami, one of the three Hanagami members, bestow upon you the power of one of the three Greensprout Brush Techniques: the power of Bloom," Sakigami proclaimed. "Use it well."
With that, the monkey soon shrank down in a ball of light before Inuyasha absorbed it into his chest. Soon after, the trio found themselves standing in front of the withered Guardian Sapling again.
"What was that all about?" asked Shippo.
"I just got one of my powers back, that's what," Inuyasha replied.
"Sakigami said that was one of the three Greensprout techniques, right?" asked Kagome.
"Yeah, Bloom's just one of them," said Inuyasha. "I still have 10 powers left to find. Bloom is just one part of the Greensprout techniques. Once I get all three, that'll count as the whole thing."
"So...what does Bloom do?" Shippo inquired, causing Inuyasha to smirk before he raised his Celestial Brush, then painted a circle around the top of the Guardian Sapling...and then, there was a bright flash of light as the air was filled with the scent of cherry blossoms. It was then that a wave of flowers suddenly burst from the Guardian Sapling, bringing with it life and fresh, clean water as it spread throughout the valley...and the darkened skies that hung over this part of the land became bright as the Guardian Sapling bloomed in all its splendor. When Kagome opened her eyes, she and Shippo both gaped in awe at the sapling's glow as cherry blossom petals fluttered to the ground.
"It's...it's beautiful...!" Kagome whispered. "Look at all these blossoms!"
"There are thousands of them!" Shippo exclaimed.
"Heh," Inuyasha smirked. "All in a day's work for me."
Kagome turned to the inugami, who blinked at her in confusion before she bowed her head to him.
"Thank you," she said. "I'm so sorry I doubted you."
"Uh...y-yeah, okay," Inuyasha muttered. "Whatever...anyway, I'm pretty sure we lifted part of Orochi's curse from Hana Valley, so let's go back to Shinshu Field. Once we get the Guardian Sapling there to bloom, everything should be back to normal there, right?"
"Yeah!" Kagome answered.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Shippo asked. "We got a curse to lift!"
With that, they headed back the way they came. As they did, Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome, who had the biggest, brightest smile she could ever muster as she took in all the beautiful sights of the valley...and for some reason, Inuyasha could smell this scent that smelled sweeter than any of the flowers that bloomed. It made him feel warm and his heart started fluttering inside his chest.
He didn't know why...but he felt like he wanted to see that smile more often.
Before anyone says anything, yes, I know it's been nearly a year, but I'm back at it again. Hopefully, I have not gotten rusty with this story.
Review, please!