Chapter Thirteen: Pieces
Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
Inuyasha inspected the tiny yokai in between his fingers closely. "You served my father?" he asked.
"Yes, Master Inuyasha. I was his loyal servant. Tasked, after his death, to watch over his most prized possessions, you included," the flea yokai said. His tiny, engorged body swelled grossly from between Inuyasha's pinched digits.
"I don't think you did a very good job of that then, flea," Inuyasha stated. His fingers pinching a little tighter.
Kagome tensed. She could tell that Inuyasha was aggravated and not in a very forgiving mood. "Inuyasha," she said, bringing his attention to her, "Why don't you hear him out?"
Inuyasha's brow piqued in annoyance but released the yokai. "Blessings upon you, beautiful lady!" Myoga said graciously. He hopped up into her waiting palms. "I have searched for my Lord Inuyasha his entire life. It was also because of my primary duty, that of protecting the knowledge of the entrance to Lord Inu Taisho's grave, that I failed in my second duty." His tiny head sagged upon his shoulders, his eyes closed in solemness. "It is difficult for someone of my stature to be in two places at once. Please forgive me my Lord!"
Inuyasha threw his arms together and cocked his head to the side, indicating that he was listening. Myoga continued his plea. "My Lord! It was because I had to protect that knowledge that I was not present when your mother passed. How unfortunate that was. But I had been instructed not to interfere unless your human mother could no longer care for you." He hopped from one of Kagome's outstretched palms to the other, closer to Inuyasha. "When I came, you had already been taken and I could not risk myself lest the location is compromised."
Inuyasha sneered at Myoga. "So, yer telling me...that a grave...the location of a dead man...was more important than me?"
"No! Lord Inuyasha, you do not understand!" the flea insisted.
"Oh yeah? What don't I understand, flea?" Inuyasha snapped. His ire rose, and Kagome nearly feared for the flea's life. She wondered. What could have been more important than ensuring a small child was cared for? Inuyasha's early life could not have been easy. Especially from the little she knew of his past. This Myoga character had much to explain if he expected Inuyasha to hear him out. "I was kept as an animal! Hardly becoming of the great Inu Taisho's spawn!" he spat.
Myoga's head dipped again, "Yes, I was very desolate to learn your fate. However, I had the utmost faith that you would be liberated from such a life. I, myself, could not intervene. Not without risking your father's grave's location."
"I don't think you understand, flea!" Inuyasha's hackles rose. Kagome didn't think she'd ever seen Inuyasha so worked up. "What could possibly be worth protecting at a dead man's grave?" he softened for a moment. He turned his back towards Myoga, done asking questions for which he felt there was no answer worth hearing.
The safety of the location was also entwined with your own. Myoga pleaded, "You don't understand! Had the location become forfeit, so would your life, Master."
Inuyasha turned his head, "What?"
"You need to visit your father's grave, Lord Inuyasha. You will find the answers you seek there," was all that Myoga said.
Inuyasha considered for a moment. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes in thought. "How do I get there?" he asked softly.
Myoga let out an audible sigh and hopped onto Inuyasha's shoulder. Inuyasha seemed to restrain himself from flattening the yokai. "I will tell you that you must be resolute. The path is in plain sight, as it has always been. You need only look to your right."
Kagome's brow crumpled in confusion. "Wait...what? That was as clear as mud, Myoga."
He waved one of his sets of arms at her. "It is not supposed to be, lest others chance at the answer. Lord Inuyasha must find it on his own, as his father intended…" Myoga's proclamation was cut short when Inuyasha plunged his fingers into his eye.
Kagome gasped in shock, and Myoga jumped away. "Inuyasha!" she called.
"What is he doing?!" Sango called, watching on concerned. Miroku had taken a step in front of her in order once Inuyasha maimed himself.
Inuyasha's fingers had extracted a small black object. His right eye was closed, bruised, and bloodied now. Myoga looked on in disbelief, "How-How? The black pearl. Even your brother had not determined the location."
He smiled arrogantly, "You make it sound like it was hard. Honestly, it wasn't that hard. You kept going on and on about protecting its location and how the location and my life were entwined. I'm surprised no one's found it sooner."
Myoga crossed both sets of his arms, "Hmph." He had not expected Inuyasha to ration it out so quickly, perhaps even not at all. "You still haven't opened the portal, Lord Inuyasha."
Inuyasha, squinting, leveled a glare at the flea, who was now perched on the ground. "Well, maybe that's because you haven't told me how."
He nodded sagely. "It will take a great amount of spiritual power to open the portal to your father's tomb." He jumped back up to Inuyasha's shoulder. "Great Lord Inu Taisho wanted to ensure that the way could not be opened by any mere means."
Honestly, this yokai was not doing a very good job of being cryptic. Kagome had pulled out an arrow from her quiver and channeled spirit energy into the head of the arrow. She snatched the black pearl from Inuyasha's grasp and placed it on the ground. Inuyasha did nothing to stop her, merely watching as she knelt before it and stabbed the round jewel with her energized arrow.
A black whirlwind erupted from the black pearl's opalescent depths. "The portal!" she exclaimed.
Inuyasha regarded the portal cooley, contemplating what he may find within. Kagome grabbed his arm, "Let's go!" she called. She glanced over at Miroku, Sango, and Shippo, who stood several feet away. Miroku nodded toward her, indicating they would wait.
She grabbed his hand and stepped through the black depths of the portal. She'd expected to come out walking on the other side but instead began to plummet headfirst toward the tomb of Inuyasha's father. A scream nearly erupted from her chest, but Inuyasha wrapped an arm around her waist, tethering her to himself. Their descent was quick, but Kagome could see the skeletal remains of Inuyasha's father. It would have been safe to say she'd expected a grave marker of some kind, or a stone altar, or even a building that housed some bony remains. Nothing could have prepared her for the reality of the tomb, and that being the tomb itself was Inu Taisho's colossal skeletal corpse. She gasped at the sheer size. "It's so big…" she whispered.
"Yes, this is Inu Taisho in his true form," Myoga advised. He'd hitched a ride on Inuyasha's shoulder and offered his wisdom. "Being a daiyokai, he was remarkable, to say the least."
As they neared the tomb, Myoga told them the treasure was in Lord Inu Taisho's chest. Inuyasha landed on his father's gaping jaw, dwarfed by even the sharp, pointed teeth, and jumped down toward the inside of the ribcage.
They landed one final time on a floor carpeted with human-sized skeletons. In the middle of the bones lay a pedestal with an eerie shine. "What is that supposed to be?" Kagome questioned.
Inuyasha released her and approached the pedestal. An object looked to be lodged in the center of the pedestal, but Kagome could not make it out. She'd left Inuyasha to approach on his own. Even Myoga had moved to her shoulder. This was his father's tomb, after all, so anything found within rightfully belonged to him. He walked slowly towards the pedestal; his face glowed with reverence and tinted with confusion. When he reached the foot of the pedestal, he cocked his head to the side. "So, my father's legacy is...a broken, ratty old sword?"
Myoga jumped down and hopped over to the pedestal. "By Kami's grace!" he exclaimed.
There was a sword embedded within the pedestal. The blade stuck out and glowed with a fiery light, but the top half of the blade that held the hilt was broken off and lying to the side. "It's-It is not possible!" he continued.
Inuyasha stepped onto the dias and grabbed the bottom half of the blade, pulling it from the stone within the tomb. The blade was tattered and dull. He inspected it closely before throwing it down next to its other half. "Tell me, Myoga, what answers was I supposed to find here? I see nothing but a broken blade. Just like the broken promise!"
Myoga jumped down towards the two halves of the katana. "No," he said quietly. "I don't understand."
"Welcome to my world," Inuyasha said coldly. He turned around and walked back towards Kagome. "Let's go," he said.
Kagome looked over to the dias and ran over. Myoga still knelt near the remnants, lamenting over the blade. She grabbed both pieces up and hurried back over to Inuyasha. "It doesn't hurt to bring these back with us," she gestured with the two halves of the sword. "I don't think that Myoga would be all bent out of shape if this was nothing."
Inuyasha shrugged and grabbed her by the middle again. She looked up at his face. He seemed distant; none of his questions answered. He likely had developed more questions now from this experience. His right eye was still shut and bloody from pulling the black pearl from its depths. She fought back the urge to touch it with a gentle hand, taking a deep breath while Inuyasha launched them up and back towards the black portal opening.
o - o - o - o - o
When they arrived back, Shippo bounded over. "What did you bring?!"
"Just junk," Inuyasha said blandly.
Kagome still held the two sword halves to her chest. He held them in his own hands and inspected them lightly. She offered them to Inuyasha, who looked at the blade pieces and tentatively accepted them from her grasp.
"Tessaiga," a disembodied voice told him. Inuyasha looked over, noticing that Myoga had made it out of the portal. Probably hitching a ride on his robes.
"Wha?" Inuyasha asked. He returned his gaze to the blade. Something seemed to pulse within the blade despite it being broken into two.
Myoga jumped over to Shippo, who he deemed a safe distance from the foul-tempered hanyo. "The name of your father's blade. Tessaiga. Forged from your father's fang and...well...it was indestructible."
"Keh," Inuyasha dismissed the flea.
"I managed to salvage the sheath of Tessaiga." Myoga jumped back down from Shippo and grabbed something hidden within the taller grass, pulling it with all his might towards Inuyasha. Kagome did not know how the tiny flea yokai dragged an item 3 times larger than himself through the portal, Kagome did not know, but it was here now. She noted that the sheath looked new compared to the katana, which was truly odd.
"Useless junk," Inuyasha dismissed him. He still did not throw the blade halves away, eyeing them carefully.
"No, Master. You can have the blade forged anew!" Myoga exclaimed. He hopped up and down in his excitement. "Please!" He beckoned. "Your father wanted you to have this! It is part of his legacy," he pleaded.
There had been no answers waiting for him at his father's tomb. Kagome reckoned that Inuyasha was feeling misled over what he would find. She looked at his face and wondered if this may all be too overwhelming for him or if these new facts hurt him somewhere deep down. But his face did not belie the truth. "I'll go with you," Kagome said tentatively, interrupting Myoga's pleas.
Myoga jumped up in excitement, thrilled that someone could attempt to persuade Inuyasha. "Yes! Yes! That's perfect, my Lord, for the blade was forged to protect humans."
That piqued Inuyasha's interest. "What?"
Finally, pleased to be listened to, "Lord Inu Taisho forged the blade to protect your human mother."
Inuyasha scoffed, "A lot of good that did him."
Myoga finally quieted, not sure what else he could say to persuade Inuyasha of the importance of his father's heirloom.
"I know it's not my place," Miroku stepped up, "But what is the importance of reforging the blade? If Inuyasha does not want it, what harm is there in discarding the pieces?"
Kagome nodded. That was an excellent question. The small yokai seemed too concerned about it and had not been very forthcoming with information up to this point.
"Well, I…" he began but hesitated. Inuyasha, in a quick movement, dropped the halves of the blade and caught up Myoga between his fingers.
"Talk before I give a good squeeze. You say that I'm your Master, but you aren't following my orders and I order you to start talking," he demanded with a growl.
Myoga curled in on himself and gave a mighty sigh. "There is a rumor that your brother is searching for the blade. I believe he's figured out the location and is now trying to find you. "
"My brother?" Inuyasha questioned.
'So, Inuyasha's mother was human and he had a brother?' Kagome thought. This was about to become, invariably a family reunion of sorts.
"What's the big deal about that?" He asked, which was a good question. Why would someone not want their family to find them?
"Lord Sesshomaru is not someone you want to find even on a good day!" Myoga explained. "He holds nothing but contempt for mortals and little better than disdain for you, my Lord."
"Hmph," Inuyasha responded. He was accustomed to the prejudice of both human and yokai alike. Learning that his own brother felt that way about him was not surprising in the least.
"It is because Lord Sesshomaru seeks you out that you must make haste. He will not hesitate to kill you," he looked directly at Kagome, "or any of your companions to get what he wants."
Inuyasha released Myoga and grabbed up the scabbard. He tied the sheath around his waist and then turned to find the halves, but Kagome had already brought them up, holding them out to him. "You should listen to him, Inuyasha. He's only trying to help."
"Thank you, lovely lady," he said.
Flattery would get him nowhere, but she understood the need for urgency. This Sesshomaru character did not sound like someone to mess with. Plus, Inuyasha may not be ready to face an adversary, lacking finesse and style. Every time she'd seen him battle, his strategy had been bludgeoning his foes with brute strength. However, Kagome had no idea the extent to which Inuyasha was capable of fighting. Much of his past was still a mystery to her, but with what she'd witnessed so far, he was able to take on even more formidable yokai than anyone realized.
"I fucking guess," Inuyasha said aloud. "What the hell do I need to do then?"
"You must find Totosai. Myoga advised. He is a master swordsmith. He will be able to reforge the blade."
"Where can we find this guy?" Kagome asked.
"If you follow the setting sun for five days you will reach a human village, then travel north for five days more until you come to a volcano. Totosai can be found there."
"Easy enough," Inuyasha said.
The journey was to be taken by Inuyasha alone, but Kagome had demanded that she come along, and Inuyasha relented with little persuasion. Shippo, Miroku, and Sango would remain behind and continue the search for Naraku. This was probably for the best, considering Inuyasha's elder brother, Sesshomaru, was now searching for them as well. Perhaps the elder brother had not gotten wind that Inuyasha was traveling with a monk, a kitsune, a taijiya, and a miko just yet. They hoped that separating would throw both Naraku and Sesshomaru off.
The first five days passed relatively quickly, despite the circumstances. Inuyasha made good time by leaping through the air with Kagome on his back. He'd attempted to travel through the night to cut their time for travel in half, but Kagome had fallen asleep and nearly fallen off his back. After that night, Kagome laid down a rule that humans needed sleep, and anxious hanyos also needed to rest even when they assured her they did not. Inuyasha seemed in a hurry, but Kagome could not fathom why. He was relatively quiet despite Kagome's attempts to coax him into a conversation.
On the fifth day, they reached the village that Myoga had mentioned. They camped just outside the town's perimeter before setting off on the journey's second leg. Seeing as they lacked Miroku's smooth-talking ability and money to rent a room made it the obvious choice.
Night had fallen, and Kagome had started a fire with wood Inuyasha had gathered for her before taking off again. That seemed to be the ritual of their trek. They would stop once during the day to eat, so Kagome could rest for an hour or so, then they would continue until evening broke. The process would repeat the next morning.
She stared into the flames, her eyes burning from some ash the wind had blown her way. Kagome could feel her eyes start to water, and she turned her head to blink and rub her face. 'How much longer will he take?' she wondered, expelling an annoyed breath. Inuyasha had been gone for about half an hour, leaving her only in the company of her thoughts. This trip had been ridiculously dull and not at all what she had anticipated. Though what she'd expected to happen, she was not sure. Her thoughts drifted to the smell of Inuyasha's hair and, finally, what he looked like beneath his red robes. A memory from several days ago popped into her head where she'd witnessed him coming from the hot springs topless. Reveling at the toned muscles from his back made her sink down into an explicit fantasy.
Realization dawned on her, and she waved the thought away. It's not as if she could actually have feelings for him, right? Inuyasha was her friend and companion, surely. He was protective of her and seemed to care for her feelings, which circled back to friendship. However, Inuyasha did not seem to have those thoughts for her, so she tried to settle into complacency. There was no point in worrying over silly things, she told herself.
The setting sun painted the sky with miraculous colors. Muted oranges and pinks splayed through lavender clouds creating a picturesque setting. Had Kagome any talent for painting, she would have wanted to transpose the dusk sky onto a canvas. She held a poker stick in the flames, poking the logs absently, and rested her chin on her fist while she stared up over the horizon. It was funny how the past - titled the Feudal era in her own time - sometimes seemed so peaceful. She continued to watch the last rays of the sun reach up to the heavens before sliding down and ushering in the twilight. A loud rumble erupted from her stomach, begging her to be fed. "Yes, I know, you're hungry," she said aloud. How much longer would Inuyasha be? There had to be some game around, and now she would have to wait that much longer for whatever he brought back to cook over the fire. How she missed fast food! The thought made her wonder if she'd had a granola bar of some sort squirreled away in her bag. She'd packed it full of supplies before she'd returned through the well the second time- though her stock of modern amenities ran low - and she vaguely remembered seeing one of her lesser favorite flavors of granola hiding in a side pocket.
Kagome sighed when she spotted her bag on the other side of the campfire. That meant she had to get up, and if she got up, her stomach was liable to growl again. With some gumption, she rose. The loud snapping of a branch from behind startled her. She swiveled around, expecting to see Inuyasha, only to find three men had snuck up on her. The blood drained from her face, and she cursed herself for letting her guard down.
The trio was dressed in ill-fitting robes and dirty, ragged armor padding. A look of desperation had settled over them, but now that they beheld a prize, their faces had unsettling smirks creeping into their lips. Kagome noted quickly that her bow and arrows were leaning against her bag on the other side of the fire. She contemplated jumping over the flames to grab her weapon, but even though she was a good shot now, she doubted she had the skill to take out three men in close range. The man in the middle followed her gaze and raised a finger, waggling it from side to side. Bandits then, she concluded.
"Shit," she thought. Where was Inuyasha when she needed him? How could he not scent the rancid smell emitted from this rabble? She covered her nose with a sleeve.
"Awe, she dinnae like our smell," one of the bandits said. He laughed, exposing several missing teeth.
The man in the middle gave the small camp another look over. "Ya alone, girl?"
"Of course not, idiot!" Kagome snapped. She'd just need to distract these poor cretins until Inuyasha returned, whenever that would be. He'd been gone for nearly an hour at this point but should be back any minute.
The bandits laughed in unison, causing Kagome to shiver in revulsion. "Bring er," one on the left grunted. Kagome could not honestly tell the difference between any of them. Their attire was all in various stages of disarray, and dirt crusted their limbs and faces. The man on the right stepped towards her, causing her to take a tentative step back. They already stood only 10 feet from her, not allowing much space for her to run. Kagome knew she would be overtaken quickly. The men did not look in the best health but seemed spry enough to give her chase. Also, there were three of them and one of her. Still, she decided to try.
They thought they had cowed her, that she would attempt to run. But rather than do that, she feigned to the right before doing a 180 and navigating around the flames, which bought her seconds. One of the men threw his arms out to try and put her in a bear hug, but he'd misjudged her movements and was sent stumbling toward the fire. The other two had paused to gauge her movements and were able to attempt and cut her off. She thought a somersault would work well here and put her closer to her weapon, but she doubted she had the acrobatic skills to pull it off. Instead, she slid to the ground, wrapping her hand around the grip of her bow. Rising to her knees, she gripped the bow like a club and swung it high, grunting with effort. The bandit that came towards her left staggered back once the bow connected with his skull. It connected with a sickening thud, and the man cried out, gripping his head in pain. Before Kagome could get the bow back around for another swing, she was tackled from her left side. The impact knocked the air from her chest, and her head struck the ground, causing her vision to erupt in stars.
o - o - o - o - o
Kagome's head pounded fiercely. She was sure she moaned in pain, but it was difficult to tell between pain-induced sleep and reality. She dreamed that she was being half carried, half dragged through the brush. Stinging sensations brushed over her arms, causing her to pull from her semi-conscious state. When Kagome opened her eyes, the world was upside down. She dangled over one man's shoulder and nearly retched over his place.
"Look'it Daiki! Miko's awake now," a voice said. Kagome hadn't noticed she was moving until they stopped. Blood had pooled in her head, her heart pounded in her ears, and it was becoming difficult to breathe. A grimy hand gripped her chin and forced her head up. "Purty one ain't she?"
Kagome snatched her chin away and tried to move her arms. "Drop her," a voice said. She was unceremoniously dumped to the ground and used her arms to break her fall. The impact jolted her, but she was determined to stand. "What do you want?" she stammered.
A cacophonous laughter erupted around her. Six men stood around her, leering as she pushed up off the ground. "We just wanna play with our new toy."