Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, I do not claim any rights to any of the characters or
concepts created or owned by Viz Video or Rumiko Takahashi. This is just the work of one fan to the others. The only characters or concepts that I claim are the ones I created or introduced. That said, I bring you:
The Annals of the Heroine Akane, and the Dreaded Demon King. A Tale of the Mirrorverse.
Chapter 17: The quiet before the storm.
The traveling companions were woken just before dawn by Nabiki who had a pensive look on her face. While Kasumi prepared a quick meal, Nabiki gave a brief summary of the previous night's events, while she kept certain events to herself.
"We are being followed by what I think is a large group. I don't know how many are in their main force, but the scouting force that I ran into last night was large. They won't be following us anymore, but that won't stop them from just sending out more scouting parties. And I can't guarantee that was the only force trailing us already." Nabiki stated as she kept petting Xian Pu.
"You took out their scouts alone? Nabiki, it's not like you to be so reckless!" Kasumi admonished with pursed lips.
"I.. wasn't exactly aloneā¦" Nabiki hedged. "Someone was stalking the same group as me and helped, then they left once they had finished."
Akane nodded, a thoughtful look on her face. "Probably one of the rangers. They patrol in this area, and a lot of them tend to not be very sociable. We will have to keep moving, and avoid the local villages. We don't want them to get drawn into this."
Nabiki had a thoughtful look on her face, then nodded. "I have a few ideas if we want to slip them. But, there is a decent chance we won't be able to give them the slip. What do we do if we can't? Head for one of the fortified towns and wait them out?"
Akane shook her head. "Not a good option, either. It gives them a chance to gather , or they might just start to raid the nearby settlements. No, we have to keep them focused on us, and if we have to, bring them to battle where it favors us."
"This isn't some small band, Akane. And yes, you may be the Heroine, but that doesn't make you immortal. I'm good if I can get the drop on my opponent, but we have multiple non-combatants. I don't know if that is the best idea." Nabiki said.
Akane gave Nabiki a sharp look. "You know it's not in my nature to run from a fight. I can handle any number of them, as long as we can keep them from completely surrounding me. All we have to do is find some place we can funnel them in, and I will take care of it."
Ranko laid a hand on the irate Heroine's shoulder, and the effect was almost comical in how immediately Akane seemed to lose her head of steam, a fact that the other two sisters took immediate notice of.
"What if we split up? I can take my little band and head off. We are good at avoiding trouble, if needs be. And it might draw some of them off from you, after all." Ranko said, while she was sure that she was the target, and not Akane and the rest of her party. That is what Xian Pu had suggested, and she had to agree with her. It smelled of one of the Priest's plots to make sure that only the strongest sat on the Obsidian Throne. Once they were a safe distance from Akane, she could resume her true form and deal with the malcontents in the manner that they deserved.
Akane looked at Ranko with a stricken look on her face and shook her head. "We can't let you do that. It's far too dangerous. We all know what the demons do to anyone they capture." Akane shook her head again. "No, that's not acceptable. We will deal with this together. I promise that we can keep you safe, Ranko." Akane said earnestly, and Ranko had to admit, it was difficult to not give in to those intense, pleading eyes.
After a long moment, Ranko sighed and bowed her head in defeat. "Okay, we will stay with you. We will keep moving until we come up with something, then?"
Akane nodded as Kasumi exchanged a look with Ryouga. Kasumi did her best to hide her smile. She would just have to find some time to take Ranko's nice little boar for another walk. She needed a chance to talk to Ryouga about what was going on, and what he thought they should do. Kasumi glanced back at Akane and Ranko and furrowed her brow a bit. She would also have to talk to Ryouga about the attachment that seemed to be forming between the two people who should never have been able to get close, much less be in the same room together without a war literally breaking out.
Nabiki nodded as she stood up and looked at the adorable little furball in her hands before she sighed and set the fluffy little slut on her shoulder. The cat seemed all too pleased with itself as she sat on her shoulder and gave Nabiki what she was sure was a smug look. Nabiki sighed as she grabbed her pack and slung it over her other shoulder. "Alright, let's get this caravan of idiots and bad ideas moving, then." She groused as she moved out to break the trail.
Akane had already engaged Ranko in some sort of discussion over music and local cuisine, Kasumi noted as she walked at the end of their little group with Ryouga at her side. She idly let her fingers rest lightly on his massive, muscled shoulder as she walked and contemplated the oddities of what fate had brought them. She once again had found that she had started to doubt some of the teachings, because how could what she had learned her entire life apply to these three? It was obvious that Akane and Ranko had more than a passing fondness for each other. She didn't even want to hazard a guess about what had been going on between Xian Pu and Nabiki since she had seen the new marks on her sister's neck and back. And she had to admit, she had grown quite fond of the strange, enigmatic being that walked at her side, and brushed against her leg from time to time. It made no sense, not unless at least some of what they had been taught was wrong, or these three were the exceptions to what they had been taught? But how could that be, when it was the Demon King, and his retainers that they were dealing with?
Kasumi let her fingers slide gently over the rough fur of her companion. She would have to have a long talk with Ryouga as soon as it was safe to.
Ranko cast another glance to the side as she walked alongside Akane. It would have been so much simpler if she had just insisted, or gone off on her own. She could have reverted to her true form and dealt with the nuisances, and then gone back to the kingdom to plan the next stage of the war. Instead, here she was alongside her most hated foe. Her hated foe that she just couldn't seem to stop talking to. It was all so very confusing, and Ryouga would not be of any help at all. He seemed to have grown attached to the Priestess Kasumi. And Ranko could not entirely trust the motivations of Xian Pu, either. The fact that she was sitting on Nabiki's shoulder and not her own spoke volumes of where her rather fickle attention rested at the moment. The furry little traitor.
Ranko sighed then turned her attention back to the woman who walked alongside her. Such a strange combination of conflicting sides, it made her want to get to know her better. To understand her more. And, she had to be honest with herself, it was no longer about just finding a way to beat her. She genuinely enjoyed their talks, liked feeling like she had a peer, an equal she could talk to. It made no sense at all, but still she found that she did not want these days to end.
It was all so very confusing.
The group traveled throughout the dy, only stopping for a short time for lunch, and to let Nabiki rest for a hour or so. Afterwards, they pressed onward and didn"t stop their travels until just before nightfall.
:We are making good time, and heading away from the nearest villages. Do you want me to try and give them the slip, or do we keep acting as bait?" Nabiki asked as they sat down after setting up camp.
"How far behind us do you think they are?" Akane asked as she tended to the fire.
"That is hard to say, exactly. They probably found what was left of the camp at some point either early this morning, or late last night. Either way, that will set them a bit behind us. And if they are using a force that relies heavily on goblins, they will have to do most of their traveling at night." Nabiki said as she idly petted Xian Pu who rested in her lap.
Kasumi looked up from the food she was preparing with a concerned look on her face. "You should be resting, Nabiki. And Akane, you need to let her rest. You can talk strategy while we eat, okay?" She said as she gave her two younger sisters a pointed look.
Nabiki chuckled as she rolled into her side and cuddled Xian Pu close to her chest. She quieted her struggles with a gentle stroke or two and Xian Pu gave up and settled in as Nabiki smirked and said. "Yes, mom." Before she dozed off with Xian Pu in her arms.
Akane sighed and moved off a little to talk to Ranko as Kasumi smiled and kept to her cooking. She stole the occasional look at each of her companions as she felt a contented warmth as it settled in her chest. As strange as it seemed, Kasumi felt happier than she had in quite a while, almost like a hole she hadn't noticed before in her heart was a bit more full now. She hoped that these days could continue, but maybe without them trying to draw a hostile force away.
Still, she couldn't help but feel that these peaceful days would end soon.
