Chapter 14: Rumors and Reports
The Inutachi gang, minus Kagome and Shippo, finally reached a village to rest. The village was quite peaceful, too. Funny enough, that there no demon problems at all. While Inuyasha and Kikyō were spending time with each other, Miroku and Sango along with Kirara went out to get supplies. What they really were doing was avoiding Kikyō as much as possible. They really couldn't stand her. As they went to get food, a conversation between two village men caught their attention.
"Did you hear about that miko and her demon comrades, Goro?" The villager asked.
"No, I haven't. What about them, Aki?" Goro asked.
"Well, that miko and her demon comrades finally got rid of that band of tengus that was threatening a far away village near the mountains." Aki said.
"You're joking aren't you? There's no way a miko would fight alongside a bunch of demons." Goro said, crossing his arms.
"But I heard it's true. They saved a bunch of women who were captured by the tengus and the women told everyone about who rescued them, too." Aki said. Miroku and Sango walked up to the two men.
"Excuse me, sirs." Miroku said.
"Yes, can I help you two?" Aki asked as he turned towards Miroku and Sango.
"You said that a miko and a group of demons helped destroy a band of tengus, right?" Miroku asked.
"Yes, she had a kitsune cub, a white tengu, a dragon demon, a hanyō lion cub, and an onmyouji as well." Aki said.
"What did she look like?" Sango asked.
"She had long black hair with blue highlights and gorgeous blue eyes." Aki said, "She was quite the beauty too. If only I had the chance to court her." He gave a small chuckle. Miroku and Sango were smiling at the news they heard about their two beloved comrades.
Later that night, they decided to catch some fish while Inuyasha went to go and get firewood. When he came back Kikyō was starting the fire and Miroku began cooking the fish. Inuyasha noticed how quiet Miroku and Sango were being. It began to irritate him for some strange reason. He also began to notice that Miroku hasn't been touching Sango lately. It felt odd to him.
"Okay, why are you two so quiet?" Inuyasha asked. Miroku and Sango remained silent as they sat on the other side of the camp fire while they ate their catch and sitting next to each other against a tree.
"Why should we tell you, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.
"Because we're pack and you have tell everything to us! That's why!" Inuyasha said.
"We don't have to tell you everything, Inuyasha." Sango said. Sango was internally smiling. She was glad that their two friends was alright and they weren't alone. Her guess about Kagome and Shippo leaving the pack was because of Kikyō. She never liked Kikyō, she was always so dark and creepy, not to mention that she was always in a sour mood when Inuyasha wasn't looking. Miroku was also thinking the same thing about Kikyō. He kept sensing a dark aura around her. He felt bad for Kagome, the other half of her soul was being tainted by another. He couldn't believe that Inuyasha was too blind to see that Kikyō was not the same woman he knew years ago.
In the Eastern mountains, there laid a palace. A palace that belonged to the dragons of the East. Inside the palace, Shinji, the first prince, sat beside the window. He overlooked at everything that he could see outside his window. The village down below the mountain. He could see the hard labor he was putting them through. He was enjoying their misery as they worked. Then Shinji went back to his desk and began filling out requests for alliances. It has been many years since his father stepped down and handed him the throne. That's what the public believes. What really happened: he killed his father to assume the throne. He couldn't believe how easy it was to kill him. Not to mention how weak his mother was. He didn't know what his father saw in that demoness. But he had no concerns for his little brother, since he was a less powerful demon. He knew that he had took off. He didn't care about him and he never will. He heard a knock on the door.
"Enter." Shinji said as he worked.
"My lord." A dragon demon soldier said when he walked in and kneel before his lord.
"What is it, Kohei?" Shinji asked.
"Kaira is dead, my lord." Kohei said. Shinji stopped writing when Kohei told him that Kaira was dead.
"How?" Shinji asked. He knew that Kaira was one of the strongest tengu he had heard of.
"Apparently it was a miko and a group of demons who defeated him, my lord." Kohei said.
"A miko and a group of demons?" Shinji asked, his brow arched.
"Yes, my lord. The miko had incredible amount of reiki in her." Kohei said.
"And the demons that were with her?" Shinji asked.
"A kitsune cub, a hanyō lion cub, a white tengu, a dragon demon, and an onmyouji as well." Kohei said.
"A dragon demon?" Shinji asked, his other brow arched.
"It was a male with long purple hair. His name was Masahiro." Kohei said. Shinji's body stiffen when he heard that name. He didn't think his weak little brother would be able to defeat someone like Kaira even though he had jewel shards. He didn't expect that his little brother would already have comrades with him. But it made him curious to why a miko would join forces with a group of demons.
"Perhaps I've underestimated you, little brother." Shinji said with an evil smirk.
What everyone didn't know at that time was that Kagome's pack will find out a secret that will test the bond between all of them. Will they stay together as pack mates or will they fall apart?
