Chapter 15: Then and Now
"We met Yuki while our parents were off, then one thing led to another so we decided to go after Naraku's son on our own after we caught him. We decided to help him confront Naraku's real acolyte so that we could all be free of Naraku." Setsuna informed Shippo.
Who was surrounded by the three girls and Hisui.
"Go after Naraku's son? On your own!?" Shippo asked. "How do you kids even know about that? Inuyasha and everyone had planned on dealing with that on their own." Shippo's expression changed.
"We are not kids." Towa said. "How does that even work? We are old enough to slay demons but not all of them?" Towa asked, annoyed.
Of course. Shippo told himself in his head with a sigh.
"My bad." Shippo said.
"People aren't always what they seem and things change. Naraku's son's not all bad, it's his Uncle who's got the problem." Moroha said.
"Wait a second, You've met Naraku's son!?" Shippo repeated in disbelief. Only just now processing the fact that that monstrous child might be with the children of his closest friends.
Shippo looked past the four kids that he knew and to the two others that were traveling with them.
"Seeing as one of those boys is the spitting image of Koga, I'm assuming that Naraku's son is the latter. Do you 4 have any idea the kind of monster that you're dealing with here? Naraku is a master manipulator the moment that he thinks he's got your trust he'll try to kill you. This could all be a ploy." Shippo said.
"Listen I know what you're thinking but that's not Yuki, that's Narauku. Yuki is not a bad person. We can't let dad kill him." Moroha said.
"Oh he's definitely going to kill him. We can't do anything about that." Shippo said absently.
"Just listen." Moroha said annoyed before quickly bringing Shippo up to speed on how they met Yuki.
"He pretended to be human before trying to hold you hostage and then pushed you down the well! Now that I know that, I really think that Inuyasha really is going to kill him. I don't think that I like this guy very much either." Shippo added.
"Hey, he apologized for that and I stabbed him pretty good in the aftermath of it too." Towa said.
"Uncle, regardless of how you and everyone else might feel Yuki is our friend now and we won't easily let our families harm him." Hisui said.
"Even you, Hisui? And Setsuna you too?" Shippo asked in disbelief. Those two were usually more level than Moroha and Towa so if this Yuki person has got even the two of them fooled they must have gone through a lot together.
"Believe me if he had shown other colors by now I would have killed him myself." Setsuna said.
Shippo sighed. "Fine, introduce us would you?" He asked seriously. Shippo had come a long way since he was just a weak little kid chasing behind Inuyasha and Kagome. He was a man now and he could more than hold his own in a fight now that he had grown up. Since Inuyasha wasn't here to protect his daughter, Shippo would keep her and the others safe. No matter what.
The other two members of the group had made their way over to Shippo now after Shippo had been talking to the 4 that he knew for a few minutes and Towa turned to introduce them all.
"Yuki, Jade this is Shippo. He's pretty cool and knows all kinds of fox demon spells." Towa smiled, introducing Shippo proudly.
"The four of us have known Shippo since we were babies. So pretty much our whole lives." Moroha smiled as well.
It was no wonder that they all seemed so excited to see Shippo. Yuki had thought. He had better try to make a good impression since he was important to Moroha.
Jade and Yuki both exchanged greetings with Shippo who then cut to the chase immediately.
"Listen." Shippo said seriously as he eyed Yuki suspiciously. "I was one of the strong warriors who fought against your father all of those years ago, and my fox demon arts were a big part of why we were able to win against Naraku on many occasions. So if you're planning anything, anything at all it won't work. Not with me around." Shippo said.
"Fox demon arts?" Yuki repeated quizzically. He had never heard of those before but if he used them to fight against his father then Shippo no doubt must be very strong despite his looks.
"Do you think that your arts could help against a demon corpse master? Rain is somewhat of a necromancer but if you've fought against my father. I'm sure that you'll have no problem against Rain." Yuki asked with intrigue he hadn't expected someone with strong sorcery abilities to accompany them.
"Of course, I could defeat this Rain demon easily with my fox demon arts but my top priority right now is to make sure that Moroha and everyone else are safe to travel with the likes of you. What a coincidence that you've even managed to get Koga's son tangled into this too. Just know that I've got my eye on you." Shippo said seriously.
"Shippo!" Moroha scolded.
"Wow, how did you know that I was Koga's son?" Jade asked, surprised.
The eastern wolf demons didn't associate with many outsiders unless they were also wolf demons so how did this fox demon know his father? Jade wondered.
"You look like you're his twin. You know he once kidnapped Kagome and me back when I was a kid. He kidnapped us and not even a day later professed his love to Kagome officially setting off Inuyasha for days with what followed. I could never forget your dad." Shippo laughed lightly before turning to Moroha.
"Moroha, I hope that you haven't been getting kidnapped half as much as your mom used to since you've been away from home. If so, don't worry your Uncle Shippo is here now." He smiled.
"I have not gotten kidnapped at all." Moroha answered annoyed.
"Well you did.—" Hisui started.
"Shut up, we were all knocked out." Moroha huffed.
"So you have huh." Shippo laughed. "Like mother, like daughter."
"We haven't come across many demons that have been super challenging yet but the one time that we fought against fire demons, Yuki bailed us all out and we were all fine." Towa said.
"It wasn't a big deal, I'm the only one who can't be poisoned. So I couldn't be put to sleep in that way."
"You came to save me and that's what matters. Friends never leave each other behind." Moroha smiled.
It sounded like Yuki had gained all of their trust Shippo noted, but Shippo would need to see for himself first before he actually believed Yuki and he wasn't going to make it easy for him to earn his trust either. Not when, not so long ago he had been declaring that his life's goal was to get revenge against the dog demons that killed his father. None of them had been alive back then when Naraku had finally died but Shippo was and he knew all too well who Naraku was.
In times like this Shippo wished that he wasn't an adult and could just take their word that he could trust Yuki like he might have dove when he was a kid. But he was grown up now and he had a responsibility to make sure that they all stayed safe even Koga's kid who had unsuspectingly been dragged into this.
Shippo had spent a long time with his friends chasing Naraku, as a kid and even as a kid Shippo understood the evil that was Naraku and he knew first hand how bad each of Naraku's incarnations had been even if they didn't all end the same.
This kid might be a ticking clock and the children of Shippo's most precious friends had no idea.
"Well Shippo we were just on our way to find the demon Rain. Do you want to come along? Or are you on your way elsewhere?" Hisui asked.
"I'lll come along for the time being, what I was up to before can wait." Shippo had said he had actually been on his way to see Soten. Hopefully she wouldn't kill him later on for not showing up on time. Maybe he could try to send a message her way. He had pondered.
Shippo went on his way with the 6 of them. The four kids that he had watched grow up were happy to have him around as always. Moroha was asking him all kinds of questions per usual and asked if he had learned any new tricks.
Shippo always visited them back home after he learned new tricks but he insisted that they were secret this time and that he would show her once she went back home to the village, to which she then changed the subject and they talked about something else before she fell into conversation with Yuki. Who Shippo noticed always fell into step beside her.
The two of them even slowed down as Shippo talked to the others and soon Moroha and Yuki were both a few paces behind the group. The two of them even started to speak low to each other so that no one else could hear what the two of them were saying, which made Shippo fear the worst immediately as the two of them laughed together and kept quiet away from the group.
Yuki, that despicable bastard, was trying to pray on her heart. Shippo had thought angrily.
Inuyasha definitely wouldn't want Moroha to be close to Yuki and he'd freak out if he knew she was traveling with Koga's son. As Inuyasha's friend it was up to Shippo to watch over his daughter and find out what exactly was going on between her and Yuki.
Shippo asked them to catch him up on everything that he had missed since they had left the village. He knew that Moroha would be eager to tell him every detail of each battle they had won and he was right she was. She had quickly halted her conversation with Yuki and started to recount all of her adventures to Shippo and he was proud of himself for this.
Both Towa and Moroha were happy to retell their stories as if they were grand tales of heroes and to their credit Shippo was even shocked to hear some of the details of their encounters. These kids really were related to his friends and when push came to shove they sure as hell didn't need any real protection.
When the sun had gone down and dinner time came around Shippo was happy to eat food that tasted like what Kagome would have made. When the sun was down and the moonlit sky shone over the group and the campfire. Shippo noticed how close the group was once again, especially Hisui and Setsuna now.
That wasn't mentioned once in their stories. Shippo had noted and of course he noticed Yuki sitting right next to Moroha again while Towa sat on her other side. It looked like it had somehow become natural for him to be by her side and Shippo didn't know how to feel about that. He could only imagine what Inuyasha's reaction might be.
"Hisui, Setsuna, how long have the two of you been courting each other? I have to admit I didn't expect to see Hisui so happy, after that Princess ended your engagement. I'm glad that it was for the best." Shippo smiled, and both of their faces turned red immediately.
The two of them were used to being around their group but Shippo who was like an extended family member was different.
"Oh I guess you wouldn't have known." Hisui said. "Setsuna and I have decided to get engaged. I just need to ask Sesshomaru's permission and then everything will be final." Hisui said with a smile.
"His permission is not needed." Setsuna rolled her eyes as she took a sip of her tea.
"Agreed." Towa said. "Father doesn't care about stuff like that."
"You both say that but once I ask I'm sure that he'll appreciate the fact that I respect tradition."
"Shesh, and I thought that asking Inuyasha for his blessing was going to be a struggle for whoever wants to spend their life with Moroha or Yuna." Shippo said.
"Come on, aren't you all being a little dramatic here. The worst he can say is no." Hisui said.
"I'm not sure about that. He most definitely can do worse." Shippo added concerned.
"That's why it doesn't matter because even if he says no. I'm not going to change my mind." Setsuna affirmed.
"You are definitely Sesshomaru's daughter." Shippo laughed.
"Well that's good for the two of you. After seeing him handle the demon that Towa fought you couldn't offer me anything that might get me on his bad side." Jade said.
"Now who's being dramatic." Towa told him.
"Yeah, he's not that scary. When we were kids, Towa and I used to sneak up on him when he was sleeping and braid the bottom of his hair." Moroha smiled.
"There is no way in hell that the two of you were ever able to sneak up on Sesshomaru. Count blessings that he cares about you girls or that could have ended very differently." Shippo said and both Towa and Moroha shrugged him off.
"I can't believe that Hisui here was actually engaged to a Princess. It's hard for me to believe when all he seems to care about is strategy and Setsuna." Yuki teased him.
"Hey." Hisui laughed. Yuki was making it sound like he was playing the field more than he actually was.
"I'm not proud about what happened with that engagement, if I could go back I would have never agreed to get engaged in the first place. I would have just waited until Setsuna was ready to be with me." He said honestly which made Setsuna blush.
"What are you talking about in front of so many people?" She said annoyed but he knew that she wasn't not really.
"Damn I need to take a few pages out of your book if it will get me a Princess." Jade said.
"That only works when you can also beat the princess in a fight. Most Princesses will want someone a little tougher than you Jade." Towa teased.
"You always do this." Jade huffed while rolling his eyes at her and Towa just laughed and he soon smiled before teasing her too.
It's all of them, Shippo noted eerily they're all close. As the camp fire burned and the teens all laughed and chatted with Shippo.
Shippo finally decided what he was going to do.
"I will stay with you all until this is all finished and once you go home I'll let Inuyasha know whether or not this guy's okay." Shippo said pointing to Yuki with his thumb during the later part of his sentence.
Which at first sounded like an alright idea to the teens who had all grown up with Shippo. But with Jade and Yuki now here Shippo felt the need to take on more of a guardian role and the teens soon realized that having Shippo around wasn't going to be as fun as it usually was.
The reality check with Shippo first came when the 6 of them were setting up to go to sleep that night.
Hisui and Setsuna had laid close together like always and the others had all found a nice spot to lay down under the stars but as soon as Yuki took his usual spot next to Moroha. His spot which was also a friendly distance away from her. Shippo had spoken up.
"We should all change our sleeping spots. The boys should all be on one side of the campfire and the girls can stay on the other." Shippo said.
"Why? Who cares." Towa said she was next to Moroha with no one to the left of her and even if there was she wouldn't have been bothered.
"I just think that your parents would appreciate it if you all slept like that." Shippo said.
"But, they're not here so I'm going to bed." Moroha said.
"Fine, but I will let both of your fathers know about how bold the guy's were being by sleeping so close to you girls. I don't think that Sesshomaru nor Inuyasha would have very high opinions after that." Shippo said nonchalantly. It was completely up to them.
Hisui immediately sat up in response.
"What are you doing?" Setsuna asked him, annoyed by his sudden movements.
"You heard Shippo, I don't want your father to hate me before I even ask him the question."
"Uncle Shippo. I think it's time for you to leave." Setsuna said flat.
"Wanting to make sure that everyone is behaving appropriately is not a bad thing Setsuna. You two will have plenty of time to sleep next to each other once you're married." Shippo said.
Yuki also got up from his place next to Moroha.
"Are you serious right now?" Moroha asked Yuki.
"I think Shippo has a point. We should behave more properly with each other."
"Whatever." Moroha rolled her eyes before turning over to her side.
She had gotten used to falling asleep while chatting away with Yuki. Shippo was starting to feel more like a chaperone rather than a friend. She would have to take back what she had said to Yuna about not minding if he came over to be in charge while their parents were away next time.
This continued on for three days and during which half of the group each had their own annoyances with Shippo.
Setsuna and Hisui didn't like that they never got to have anytime alone together while Shippo was around and Moroha was upset along with Setsuna that the guys were listening to that stupid thing that Shippo had said about sleeping on opposite sides.
Jade, Towa and Yuki on the other hand didn't seem to be too bothered but Setsuna and Moroha were especially ready for Shippo to leave.
When they got close to a village. Farm lands had lined each side of the path and villages were working away here and there.
A lesser demon had confronted them shooting up from the dirt and making a small group of farmers scatter.
Shippo moved first before anyone else could react and before any of the farmers could get hurt. Shippo jumped far and high meeting the demon as he held out his hand releasing tall blue flames that instantly burnt the demon to a crisp.
Shippo smiled big. "Did you all see that? No other demons had better try anything while I'm around or they'll be done for!" He boasted excitedly.
The powerful blue flames had been impressive. So much so that one of the farmers immediately rushed to thank him.
"You were amazing! Might you all be demon slayers by any chance?" An elderly farmer asked.
"We are." Hisui said and the man smiled excitedly.
"After all of these years I had almost lost hope, but this has to be fate." The old man said.
"Fate?" Yuki repeated.
The old man nodded. "For the last 20 years our village has been plagued by a monstrous demon who forces us to send people to him each year for sacrifice. That or we risk the lives of the entire village. We have no choice but to comply with the yearly sacrifices of 4 souls in exchange for our village's continued safety."
"No choice? Why not just leave? I bet whatever's attached to this place can't follow you too far if you all decided to just pick up and leave." Jade said.
"Some have but everyone who has ever decided to leave has never been heard from again after leaving here. Us elderly folks remember how things were before the sacrifices started and before our scholarly lord arrived in our village. This land used to be half dead and many of us were disease stricken as our resources were scarce after years at war with a horde of demons until one day our people stopped coming across demons as frequently in this area and then the demon encounters stopped all together. It was a miracle that the demons stopped attacking. We could finally live freely but just because there were no more demons to fight didn't mean that we didn't have other problems to deal with." The old man went on.
"Our land was still in bad shape and there were only so many able bodied people who lived here at the time that the demon attacks stopped. That was until Lord Izumo passed through our village. Lord Izumo noticed immediately why our land had become barren and crops refused to grow. Out of the kindness of his heart he helped us to repair our lands and even taught us how to heal the worst of ailments that even our eldest healers couldn't understand. Such accomplishments gained him the attention and gratitude of our late lord before him who took a liking to Izumo. The late lord's daughter had fallen in love with Izumo too almost immediately after she had met him. Once the two of them were married the village experienced some of the happiest times and our population grew tremendously as our village flourished and scholars from all over came to live here and study under lord Izumo that was until people started to disappear. Two years after the previous village lord had died. The first time that 4 people went missing we didn't know what happened but then it happened two more times after that on the exact same day the following years. Our great lord along with some of his most trusted scholars finally thought that they had found the cause of these disappearances. It had to be the work of a demon. He along with a few of our best men left to fight the demon bravely but to no avail. Izumo was the only one to return alive after he had pleaded with the demon to just let the people of this village live happily again but the demon refused. Even after the demon had slaughtered the men who had gone along with the lord. Lord Izumo still managed to stay calm even in his bloodied and injured state. Izumo had stayed calm enough to try and reason with the demon and it worked. The demon was fascinated by the man who could stay calm for the sake of others and gave lord Izumo an ultimatum. The demon agreed that if Izumo brought him back 4 souls at the same time every year according to his request then he wouldn't kill us all but if Izumo refused or ever tried to leave this village then a mass of demons would once again plague our lands. Izumo tried to reason with the demon farther. Izumo pleaded with the demon to take his life in exchange for all of ours but to no avail, it was either sacrifice the lives of the innocent or sacrifice us all. After the village heard of what our lord did for us one by one we pledged to stay by his side. Lord Izumo is the reason why we were all able to take care of ourselves after years of war so we owe it to him even if he thinks we don't. But I think that you all might have a real chance to help free us. Monks and other demon slayers alike have tried to save us before and to no avail but if demons and salyers are both working together maybe you all could be the ones to finally end this. Can you please come and meet our village lord? Lord Izumo would love to meet anyone who might be of help." The old man told them.
"What do you think?" Hisui asked his friends.
"I think that we need more information before we can deduce what kind of demon we're actually dealing with here but I'm not worried about slaying it." Towa said.
"Yeah, we can definitely slay the demon, we just need to figure out what kind of demon we're dealing with first so we can protect people." Moroha said.
"Really!? You're not scared off?" The old mad asked in shock.
"You have no idea." Shippo said. "These six can take on almost any demon and with me as their leader were unstoppable." Shippo smiled and the teens just let him have it. Even though he hadn't even been traveling with them for a full week.
The old man took the 7 of them to the village lord's house and guards escorted them in right away.
Lord Izumo's estate was decorated modestly for a lord. There weren't many flashy pieces of elaborate and expensive statues throughout the building. Instead the estate looked more like a library or a temple rather than a lord's estate.
The 7 of them were escorted in by 5 soldiers to lord Izumo. With the head guard Zen taking the lead. The guards escorted them through a series of halls and then to a large study where books lined the walls and Izumo offered for them to take a seat anywhere that they'd like.
There were chairs all over the room and a few in front of him. Not very practical Yuki had thought as he took a seat next to Moroha.
Once they had all taken a seat. Izumo dismissed all of the guards except for Zen, his son. It wasn't hard to see the resemblance. They both had dark hair and similar facial structures but Zen looked more beautiful in comparison and his blue eyes made his appearance more striking than his older father. It was obvious what features Zen had inherited from his father and what had most likely come from his mother.
"Are you sure that it's wise to be alone with us with no guards?" Jade asked. Humans were always so cautious. He wondered what this man could possibly be thinking alone in here with all of them.
Izumo only smiled. "My son Zen is as strong as 20 men. I'm not afraid and I can sense that you all hold no hostile intentions towards me."
Shippo's brain was then picked again once he heard lord Izumo's voice. He was sure that he had known this Lord Izumo from somewhere but he just couldn't place it. Izumo just looked familiar to him.
Lord Izumo looked at them with brief skepticism before speaking.
"I heard what the farmers you saved today had to say. Do you really think that you can help us with our demon problem?" Izumo asked.
"We've been dealing with this for more than 20 years now which is probably as long as most of you have been alive and you think that you can make all of our problems go away so easily just because you're demon slayers that travel with demons?" Izumo said.
"Not because of that, we're just confident in our abilities and that we as a team can defeat any demon that's terrorizing your village. Myself as well as Moroha possess substantial spiritual powers so if the demon turns out to be an apparition of some sort as is often the case with soul collecting demons and demons that want sacrifices there is a good chance that either her or myself can exercise it." Hisui said.
The village lord then looked at both Hisui and then Moroha closely for a moment. His glance lingered for a second longer as he watched Moroha as if he had just realized something before speaking again.
"I'd like a demonstration of the girl's spiritual powers. I myself have latent spiritual abilities yet I sense something odd about her, something not entirely human." Izumo said.
"Watch your words. Was that meant to be an insult?" Yuki asked the village lord with a sharp tone.
"Agreed, what do you mean by that?" Shippo contered.
"I don't think he means it in the way the two of you are assuming." Moroha rolled her eyes. "People with powers like ours can sense spiritual auras differently. My aura is different because my father is half demon but he's way stronger than any full demon out there and my mother is probably the most powerful priestess in the world." Moroha told Izumo proudly.
Izumo's expression immediately changed as she had just confirmed what he wanted to know and Yuki noticed Zen's expression change as well once Moroha had spoken.
"I see." Was all that the village lord said. "A demonstration will not be necessary. I've heard of your parents before. Inuyasha and Kagome, am I correct?"
"Maybe you met us during our travels back then?" Shippo asked, still unable to place Izumo's familiarity.
"Never." Izumo answered quickly. "I just know of them through their reputation, that's all. I'll provide lodgings and meals during your stay in exchange for the defeat of the demons but just know that if you should fail the demon will take souls just like he has done with countless other villagers. If you can't beat the demon then your souls will take the place of this years. Sacrifices. If you're comfortable with that follow Zen if you still agree to slay our demon." Izumo said quickly and soon they were all being ushered out of Izumo's study.
"That ended abruptly." Towa said low to Hisui.
"The villagers all called him a scholar. He's probably squeamish when it comes to the gorey details of this." Hisui said.
"Most scholar types are like that." Moroha added.
"My father is sensitive when it comes to the village people. He's spent a lot of his life trying to make life better for the people here. He taught them how to prevent and cure what used to be dangerous illnesses. He's worked with farmers in their fields and taught them how to make their crops grow better. He's never acted like he's too good to help anyone and helping people makes him happy. That's why they love him and he'd happily send you all to your death if it means that these people get to live longer." Zen said.
"We understand how he must feel so we'll still help you. No need to worry about us. The 7 of us are pretty good at slaying demons. You're dad sounds like he's a good person." Moroha said with a smile.
"He tries to be." Zen smiled at the compliment.
Innocent enough but Yuki thought it looked somewhat forced. How the corners of his lips barely twitched and he avoided Moroha's gaze when he spoke.
"Does anyone know exactly what type of demon we're dealing with? Your dad has seen this demon before hasn't he? What did it look like? How does it tell Izumo to pick its victims?" Setsuna asked.
"Father doesn't like to recall that meeting with the demon so he's got everything written down in a journal. I'll let you see it after you're all settled in but if I recall correctly father wrote down that it's some sort of toad demon" Zen said as they reach the guest rooms and Zen left them alone.
A toad demon being the culprit of all of this took the group all by surprise. Toad demons aren't particularly capable of plans that span over years and they aren't particularly strong either. Toad demons typically are weak demons who try to use their shape shifting abilities to manipulate situations to their favor but this toad demon sounded different.
"If we're dealing with a toad demon it may be like something we haven't seen before." Hisui said.
"That's if that guy was telling the truth. You heard him yourself they have to provide souls or else everyone in the village will be killed. What if he's lied to us so that our guard is down and he can easily offer us up to whatever demon we're dealing with?" Yuki said.
"If he wants to make that mistake of lying to us then let him. I'll kill that demon and then turn right around and kick Izumo's ass too if he's pulling that crap." Jade said.
"Shh, lower your voice we are in his home. The walls could have ears." Moroha said.
"Zen looks at you weird." Yuki said.
"How so?" She asked, confused.
"Nevermind, just don't let him get close to you." Yuki sighed.
"Someone sounds jealous." Towa teased.
"Let's get back to business, you all." Shippo cut in and Yuki was thankful that the subject was changed quickly because it wasn't like that.
"Regardless we've got demons to slay. How many we have may vary if it's true that whatever is demanding sacrifices has connections to more demons so we need to be focused on the job at hand." Shippo added.
"Shippo's right we should get changed and figure out how we're going to move." Hisui said and the teens all readied themselves to go demon slaying.
XXXX
After leaving the 7 of them in the guest quarters. Zen stopped by his mothers room which wasn't so far down from the guest rooms and quietly cracked the door as to not disturb her.
His mother was sitting by the window like she always did with her back to the door and not uttering a word just like she had for the last 10 years. Zen had been 8 the last time that he had heard his mother speak and ever since that night 10 years ago she had become almost deathly skinny and mute as well. Nobody knew how to help her. Not his father nor the countless scholars that lived in the village now. It wasn't hard to feel hopeless when it came to his mother's condition.
Zen quietly closed the door after a few moments and went back to meet his father like he was sure he wanted him to.
His father. "The perfect lord."
When Zen arrived back in his fathers study he was surprised to see him smiling. In the past when people made the promises of saviors his father had always appeared indifferent but not this time.
"Father, are you really going to let those outsiders wander about our village like they're actually going to save us?" Zen asked.
"Zen." Izumo looked at his son with a lighter expression almost completely at ease. "Those demon slayers are going to save us." He smiled.
"What do you mean? They don't look any better than anyone else and didn't you hear that girl talking about being the daughter of a half demon. She's delusional."
"She's not the daughter of just anyone. She's the key. She's the person that's going to end all of this and once this is over and the sacrifices stop. Your mother will finally be back to normal again, don't you want that Zen?" Izumo asked.
XXXX
After Towa, Setsuna, and Hisui had changed into their slayers gear they met back up with Zen ready to investigate more about this mysterious soul collecting demon.
"Here are fathers notes." Zen said while handing the book to Hisui.
The demon had requested the souls of the brave the very first year and then the souls of lovers, and of friends as well as other defining factors in cycles over the years.
"The demon was specific with what it wanted over the years and this sketch looks like the toad demons that we're familiar with." Hisui said, turning the book. to the group so that they could see to.
"Let me see that." Shippo asked and Hisui handed it to them.
"Maybe the toad's a mix with another demon. Or it could have evolved." Towa said.
"It could be possible but how often does that actually happen?" Setsuna said.
"I wouldn't imagine often. I've encountered toad demons too and most of them are pretty weak." Yuki said.
"How about we quit with the conjecture and just go straight to the demon already." Zen said.
"You know where the demon is?" Hisui asked.
"It's in the book that along with the nest of demons that father found years later that the Toad has bound to a cave unless we disobey his request."
"Nest of demons?" Jade repeated. "And you're just telling us this now?"
"If that changes things you're all more than free to leave still. Father might not care if people from outside of our village get hurt but I don't like to see needless slaughter no matter who it is so if you want to leave then go." Zen said nonchalantly.
"Don't worry about us Zen we said that we'd save you so we will. I'm sorry that you had to watch so many people die before but that won't happen this time," Moroha reassured him and he smiled.
There it was again. Yuki thought he couldn't be serious. His expression just looked so forced. Maybe it was his own past of constant deception but Yuki didn't trust Zen one bit.
"If you all really mean it then I'll help too." Zen said.
"We couldn't possibly ask you to do that. You aren't a demon slayer." Moroha said.
"No but I am a soldier. I would be happy to fight alongside you for the sake of my village. There's a reason why father's not afraid with only me to guard him." Zen continued.
"Zen, if you come with us we can't guarantee that anyone of us will be able to protect you at all times." Setsuna said.
"I'm sure, I want to do this for my father. Please let me come with you." Zen pleaded.
"Okay, since it's suspected that the Toad demon is in one location while other demons are sealed in another. Shippo, Setsuna, and I will take Kilala and go handle the Toad demon on our own. Toad demons hate fire and since Shippo can control it that gives us an advantage. The rest of you can go take care of the demon nest since that job will most likely require more people. We'll meet you at the cave to back you up as soon as we're finished." Hisui said and they all agreed.
"You cool with that Zen. Looks like you'll be with us." Towa said.
"Don't worry, I promise I won't burden you." Zen said honestly.
"How will your dad feel about you coming with us? I know he doesn't care much if we get hit but if it's you—" Towa asked but Zen cut her off.
"He trusts me and he told me that he believes in you all while you were getting ready so I'll put my trust in you all also." Zen said.
"Well it's settled then let's get going." Hisui said.
"Ready so soon? Did you all need anything before you take off? Izumo asked just as he caught them leaving.
"No, we're done. thank you, we will see you again once we're finished." Hisui said and Moroha felt something funny when she saw Izumo this time.
She hadn't felt it before but something was odd about the wooded pendant that Izumo was wearing around his neck. It almost seemed like it was glowing but no one else seemed to notice anything, not even Hisui so she let it go and the teens all went their separate ways to kill the demons.
XXXX
Hisui and Setsuna had taken to the sky on Kilala while Shippo followed behind them and the others went on foot to the demon cave.
"The cave is half a days trip on foot so it's good that we're setting off a little before noon." Zen said.
"From what was described the 5 of us should be able to take those lesser demons no sweat." Jade said.
"I'm sure they seem easy to experienced demon slayers such as yourselves but to the humans of my village an encounter with anyone of those demons could turn deadly fast." Zen said.
"I understand." Moroha. Said. "Where Towa and I come from people weren't always protected until Kohaku built the slayers guild but now with my dad around and the slayers guild in our village nobody worries about demons where we live anymore."
"I hope that one day our village can know that peace too." Zen said.
"They will after today." Towa said.
"Pardon me for asking but are the two of you related? I can't help but feel that you two have some sort of resemblance to one another." Zen asked.
"We're cousins." Towa said.
"Oh. Are you both quarter demons then?" Zen asked.
"No, I'm quarter demon. Towa's dad is full demon." Moroha said.
"How interesting and the two of you never faced any troubles before due to your parentage?" Zen asked. "I hope that you don't mind me asking, it's just rare to see half demon children living peacefully with others."
"Sure people can be ignorant from time to time but I've got my friends and my family loves me so why wouldn't I love the person I am and where I came from." Towa said.
"I agree with Towa sometimes people can be mean but we've always had each other and my dad has always taught me to be proud of who I am and I'm proud to be his daughter, so I've never been ashamed to be quarter demon." Moroha said.
"Well you're both stronger than most demons anyway so you sure as hell shouldn't feel ashamed to not be fully demon. If I could go back I would knock Gin out before he could do anything on the day that he challenged Towa to a fight." Jade said.
"Really? To save yourself from embarrassment later?" Towa smirked.
"Him and me both." Jade stated flat and it looked like they were all having a normal conversation now but Yuki still had his eye on Zen especially as he listened to Moroha and Towa speak and it was obvious to Yuki who had put on more acts and kept more ruses at play than any of his friends.
Zen was hiding something.
They went on normal enough after that and Yuki kept a close eye on Zen who was acting oddly close to Moroha as if he were trying to lower her guard. Yuki knew because he had done all of this before to get close to many victims of his own in the past but Zen wouldn't be getting away with this.
Who did he think he was? He was a human and there was no way that he could possibly take on 4 people at a time especially with how strong all of his friends were.
By the time that they had reached the cave the sun was just about set and the 5 of them walked in with their weapons drawn. They didn't even make it a quarter of the way into the cave before the walls sunk in and they were all split up.
Towa and Jade were thrown in one direction while Yuki had grabbed Moroha immediately, snaking his hand around her waist and summoning a barrier around them as soon as he felt the ground shake. The walls had suddenly sucked them in and an attack came right at Moroha's throat.
XXXX
Hisui, Shippo and Setsuna had flown to the place where Izumo had written the Toad demon resided and the three were greeted with an eerie sight of an abandoned temple.
Most of the buildings had crumbled and succumbed to what Hisui would assume must have been a natural disaster but a few structures still remained standing.
This is where everything finally clicked for Shippo as he remembered that this is the place was where the half demon Gyuoh died.
Gyuoh who was a demon at night and a human named Izumo by day had died all of those years ago after consuming too many fake sacred jewels. He was never able to create a real fake and died stuck In between or so Shippo had thought.
"We need to leave now! Izumo, I remember him now, he's not who he says!" Shippo spoke quickly right before a giant snake-like demon burst through the temple and came straight at the 3 of them.
Hisui and Setsuna quickly jumped back on to Kilala. While Shippo darted in the opposite direction as he continued on.
"I've ment Izumo before when I was a kid. He's a half demon who used to make fake sacred jewels. He can't be up to anything good, especially if he hid the truth about who he was." Shippo said.
"He lied about the toad demon being here. He could have sent us off on opposite jobs because there might be more demons here than we anticipated." Setsuna said.
"Or there might never have been any toad demon stealing souls in the first place." Hisui said as the grim realization hit them all and the demon moved quick to attack them again.
Slithering at them head on and spitting out miasma that melted the old stone walls of the temple.
Setsuna and Hisui went higher up in the air to avoid the poison so the huge snake slithered fast towards Shippo.
Shippo turned just as fast towards the snake and dropped a row of small red mushrooms before dashing fast the opposite way again. The snake ran right into the mushrooms that Shippo had dropped only realizing its mistake once they all started to grow bigger than trees the moment it even touched one. The mushrooms grew and the snake's body was tangled all around the stems of giant mushrooms and it was stuck now.
Setsuna and Hisui flew close to the snake's head now as it struggled to try and escape from Shippo's mushroom stems.
"You can speak, can't you? Tell us what the hell is going on here?" Hisui asked cold.
"I'm not answering to a lowly human." The demon scoffed.
"Oh, really?" Setsuna asked scarily.
"Fine." The demon hissed. "Izumo promised me a favor if I took care of the three of you. Years ago he was in the business of making fake sacred jewels. He went so far back then that it nearly killed him but now he said that he's got another chance." The snake demon finished just as it managed to break the stems that had him bound.
The giant snake dived straight at Setsuna who attacked it with her scourge of swallows attack right before following through and slicing the demon clean in half killing it in the process.
XXXX
The cave had started to move in on itself, the earth under their feet shook and half of the ground crumbled away. Towa had grabbed Jade's arm right above his elbow once it started as he was the closest to her and she wanted to ensure that they all didn't lose each other.
She had seen Yuki pull Moroha close to him and had assumed that the two of them were going to look out for Zen.
Towa hit the ground merely moments later landing right on top of Jade who was mad that he was the one to fall first.
"Ow, was this your intention the moment you grabbed me?" Jade asked as the two stood up.
The cave was lined with glowing crystals that allow them to still see in the dark of the rocky walls.
"I grabbed you because I didn't want us to get split up when we don't know how many demons are down here." Towa said.
"What now? I don't think that we can get back up there easily." Jade asked as he pointed up from where that had come from.
The roof of the cave was much higher than either of them could jump and even if they did touch the roof, who knew how thick the earth would be.
"We just should just start walking." Towa told him. "Behind us is a dead end. So Whatever made the cave crumble like that obviously wants us to go this way. Why not oblige and finish this faster." Towa said and started to make her way towards the only way they could go.
"Do you think that the others will be okay?" Jade asked.
"Without a doubt. Moroha is strong and so is Yuki. We'll see them for sure in no time." Towa grinned. "Now hurry up before I leave you. I don't want to be here all night." Towa told him.
"Alright, alright." Jade said as he ran to catch up to her. "Geeze woman I should have tried to get stuck with the other three instead."
"And leave me all alone?" Towa feigned hurt.
"You are not the least bit afraid of being left alone." Jade said flat out.
Towa laughed lightly. "It's better to be with the strongest person in the group safety's guaranteed with me." She smiled.
"Yeah from demons not from the prolonged effects of your company."
"Ohhh, you going to challenge me again and make me kill you this time?" She teased.
"We're trapped in a cave and you're worried about teasing me instead of figuring out a way out of here?" Jade asked.
"We can't do anything right now but walk. I'm doing all that I can but the same could be said of you. We're trapped here and you're worried about me hurting your feelings in front of nobody at all except the cave bugs."
"Whatever, I'm not concerned about any of that at all." Jade said.
"Wait." Towa said low. "Be quiet for a second." She told Jade and he did as she said. A moment of silence passed between them as they heard the sound of increased rumblings get closer and closer.
The two of them got serious and Towa took out her broken blade and lit it blue a moment later.
A mass of demons were now in their view how many too much to count and Towa instinctively got closer to Jade.
"You don't have much experience fighting like this so listen up. When we're outnumbered we never leave each other's blind spots. Understand. It may look like a lot but those kinds of lesser demons are weak, we just need to watch ourselves." Towa told him fast right before slashing one of the long scaley demons that was flying towards them she moved fast and swift killing multiple demons and evading attacks as well.
Jade jumped over one of his attackers and slashed through multiple demons with his claws Jade prefered to fight with his hands in most cases. He carried a small sword at his hip but overall he liked to fight with his hands when he could and his kicks were nothing less than deadly with the amount of strength that he possessed.
Towa moved so decidedly with every well placed attack hitting its mark she was untouchable. Or so it looked like to Jade who was doing his best to watch her back while fighting off demons as well.
Thick drops of demon blood hit Jade's shoulder moments later and he watched Towa as she moved from killing a demon that could have really hurt him.
"Pay attention! I can't watch both of our backs at the same time!" She yelled and Jade snapped out of it.
Now was not the time to be admiring the way she fought he scolded himself he would never let know the truth of how her skills distracted him.
Jade made himself focus on the demons and he kicked from one to another almost effortlessly. Towa followed behind him after those moves, finishing the demos off with only one long slash and now as masses of demon remains were falling down around them fewer and fewer demons remained until. They were all gone and the two of them. Stood catching their breath as both of their chest heaved and the stench of fresh demon blood and poison filled the air as some of the demons bleed toxic chemicals.
"That wasn't half bad." Towa told him. "I was wondering when I'd finally get to see you fight for real. You've got a pretty effective fighting style when your head isn't in the clouds." Towa told him
Of course she wouldn't let him off easy.
"I've never fought so many demons at once before and besides you've seen me fight. We beat Kyuki together." Jade said lying about the reason he had been slow during the start of their battle.
"That wasn't at full strength after the dream gazing spell, but don't worry your abilities didn't disappoint me. I knew that you could handle coming with us." She smiled, her ruby eyes sparkled under the dim glow of the cave crystals.
Jade's cheeks flushed slightly at her compliment. He hadn't expected to hear that from her, not when he was already so used to her constant teasing.
"I was impressed with you too." Jade said low and she gave him a knowing grin.
"What was that?" She asked him.
"I'm not repeating myself." Jade started flatly looking away from her as he started to walk forward.
"Aww come on. How can you expect me to hear such a low mumbling?" She teased making him instantly regret letting her know the truth.
Towa's nose twitched Jade hadn't caught it because of all of the blood and poison in the air but Towa caught the scent first.
"Hey. There are more demons." Towa said calm as she sensed another demonic aura close by.
A bat demon fell straight from the ceiling and Towa had just barely reacted in time, only just narrowly holding it back with her bule blade that she had pulled fast.
"A second later and I would have had your head." The bat demon smiled crookedly at her as he pushed down harder.
Jade kicked the bat across the cave and it crashed into the walls hard making everything around them shake.
"Are you okay!" Jade asked frantically.
"I'm fine." Towa stood up fast her right arm was stretched weirdly Jade noticed but then she just popped her right arm back into its socket not even wienching as she did so.
"Daman basted really caught me by surprise." She said bitterly as the bat demon stood up again from the rubble around him.
"We don't get much food wondering about these days. So kind of the two of you to wander in." The bat demon smiled wickedly before starting to take on a new form making its wings expand and its body grow even more monstrous.
All of a sudden Jade's memories flashed back to when he was 13 and being hunted to his death by another bat demon and his hands started to shake. His father wasn't here this time. He was nowhere near his pack, he was truly alone this time. He'd for sure die against this bat demon, for sure his thoughts spiraled out of control only being brought back to reality by the sound of Towa's voice saying his name sharply.
"Jade! You are not a kid anymore! How do you expect to ever beat me if you can't even handle one damn bat!" She told him before charging at the demon.
Jade watched her slash at the demon who stroke back with his wings. She was right Jade told himself as he calmed himself while watching her fight.
Jade's hands stopped shaking and he steadied himself firming his ground. He was not a kid anymore and he wasn't alone he was with her and they were friends and if anything he knew that with Towa fighting beside him he had no reason to need to run ever again.
The bat demon spit miasma Towa's way and she jumped over him before swinging around cutting his back and the demon scream turning its head all the way around and moving to bite Towa only to have its head hit the ground moments later thanks to Jade pulling out his blade just in time.
"I know how you hate it when demons bite you." Jade teased.
"Thank you. Had he bit me I would have had no choice but to burry us all down here." Towa said seriously angry that the demon had even tried that.
"We need to get you out of here as soon as possible. I don't want to die in a cave surrounded by dead demons and bugs because you snapped." Jade said with urgency which made Towa smile running ahead first.
"I told you we didn't need to be super worried." She sprinted past him. "Now come on, let's get out of here." She called and Jade chased behind her.
XXXX
The ground had fallen in behind them at one moment and just as Moroha had turned to check on Towa and Jade once the earth shook. Yuki had pulled her close to him and she crashed into his chest before she could ever process what was happening.
She heard the loud clink of silver hitting stone behind her.
"You've finally shown your true colors Zen." Yuki said harshly and Moroha turned to see that Zen's blade had been stopped by Yuki's Barrier around them.
"Zen!" Moroha gasped. As she moved from Yuki's side.
"Looks like you found me out." Zen scoffed.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Moroha asked.
"Moroha you've lived a good life despite being quarter demon, while I've had to hide my entire life. My own mother won't even speak anymore. She's so disgusted about the fact that she ever laid down with a half demon and gave birth to me that she became mute but that ends today if you die father can use your soul to really recreate the sacred jewel and then we'll become humans and rid ourselves of this cursed blood." Zen said.
"Though shit." Yuki said, pushing Zen back with his barrier. Zen's back hit the cave wall hard and he slumped over as Yuki took out his twin swords. "You're going to be face down in the dirt in less than 10 minutes." Yuki said scarily.
"Try it if you can." Zen challenged as he picked himself up and pulled out his own sword as well.
Moving straight for Yuki, Zen wielded his blade in a deadly fashion that no doubt was typically effective. But Yuki was too skilled, he forced Zen's blade out of his hands after their swords met a few times. Yuki immediately went for the kill once Zen was disarmed.
Moroha almost intervened, wondering if Zen really deserved to die just for betraying them when there had to be much more to this story then he was letting on.
That was when Moroha felt that strange feeling again. The same feeling that she had felt before leaving the lord's estate that morning.
"Yuki move to your right now!" Moroha said with urgency, wasting no time to shoot an arrow his way.
"What the hell, Moroha!" Yuki yelled as he did what she asked, surprised when her arrow hit the stone wall and something shattered before lord Izumo appeared. He was dressed just as he had been before and was carrying a wooden club.
"Keen eyes just like your mother. You destroyed my last replica." Izumo said and both Moroha and Yuki eyed him silently before Moroha spoke again.
"What is the meaning of this! What's really been happening to the villagers every year at those damned sacrifices." She asked coldly.
"To put it simply, those are the terms of my contract. Over 25 years ago your parents nearly killed me. If one of the demons that had been working for me hadn't taken pity on me and saved my life that night by removing all of the poison from my body I would have died. My body was stuck in an in between state of human and demon and I was miserable. After I had failed so badly to recreate my own sacred jewel I gave up completely and resigned myself to living in isolation until one day I met a witch who told me that she'd grant my wish to remain a human so long as I sacrificed so many souls in her name each year. If I broke that deal then I'd be stuck as a demon forever. After she cast her spell for the first time in my life I got to be my truest self and take the place where I truly belong. I even managed to weave the sacrifices into my yearly routine and still be loved by my people. I was happy and I loved my wife dearly. After Zen was brown things changed because even though I was human somehow he wasn't and it started to become apparently more obvious no matter how hard I tried to hide it. He was too strong and he had natural resistance to things that would normally kill humans. 10 years ago my wife found out the truth and it changed her, so I started to research the jewel again because if I had that I wouldn't need the sacrifices anymore. I could fix both myself and Zen and I realized my mistake all of those years ago. I don't need multiple souls when it comes to the good forces at play within the jewel. The jewel was born from the soul of a single priestess and then again brought back to this world from the body of one powerful soul. I just need the power of one powerful soul to make my jewel complete and I've already got the demonic souls compressed. That just leaves you."
"Over my dead body." Moroha spat.
"You dying is the entire point of this. Once you die two will be reborn. Why can't you see the beauty of that?" Izumi asked.
"You're insane, you took the lives of innocents for years and that stops today!" Moroha said as she took out her sword the silver shone.
"Try if you can but this will only end one way." Izumo said before swinging his club at her and reaching for her with such fast speed that she could barely react. Yuki's barrier was the only thing that blocked Izumo from her.
"I wouldn't if I were you. I've got your son here disarmed. You touch her and I'll kill him." Yuki said.
Izumo eyed Zen sad as he thought briefly before he spoke.
"Zen I love you, but after this I'll have the chance to have an heir free of the cursed blood that we share. Please understand." Izumo said.
Yuki dropped his barrier and Moroha moved quickly, attacking Izumo. "Human or demon, you're a monster. Who leaves their own son for dead?" Moroha's blade clashed with Izumo's club and she felt her demonic energy slipping from her once she came into contact.
"My weapon is unique now that I'm human it protects me from the likes of demons. He swung at her hard and she dodged his attack.
Moroha fought on against Izumo countering each of his blows. While Zen still fought Yuki. Moroha then moved from Izumo creating distance between them as he chased her and she put her sword away.
Turning fast when she felt she was ready and in a flash released as much spiritual energy that she could, killing the demon soul that Izumo had collected and destroying his weapon.
"You'll never be human with a heart that black Izumo." Moroha said and he spat up blood.
"Not again." He said weakly looking up at her from the ground. "I may be doomed but I died as a human and that's all I could ask for." Izumo said before he died. And the cave around them disappeared.
"Any last words?" Yuki asked Zen with his sword held high above him. Zen was on his knees with no intention of fighting back any longer.
"No, just do it." Zen said.
"Wait! Zen just because your father was bad doesn't mean that you have to be. Your father hated his blood but you don't have to hate yourself too. You can continue what was good about his legacy here and protect people. The cycle can end with you." Moroha told him.
"But I knew, I knew for 10 years what he was doing and I never stopped him. I was going to kill you even though he didn't care if I died or not." Zen said seriously.
"Maybe so but you still have the chance to do better. To actually change things. Think about what your mother would want." Moroha said to Zen.
"There you all are! Are you okay?" Towa called and soon even Shippo and Setsuna were near.
"Moroha!" Shippo called with teary eyes before burying her in a hug.
"Shippo, why are you crying?" She asked, breaking free moments later.
"I'm just glad that you're safe." He said.
After that Zen had agreed to go back to the village. Zen told the villagers that his father had died protecting them so that it would be easier for him to take over as the next village lord. His mother smiled at him for the first time in years after he told her what happened and how he wanted to be better than his father. The group left the next morning but not before Moroha had quietly spoken to Setsuna about what they were going to do about Shippo.
Setsuna told Hisui later that night and on their first night after leaving Zen's village Moroha had mixed some pouder from Setsuna's moths into Shippo's soup and once he was quietly passed out. Moroha had left a note in his pocket while the 6 of them quietly made their escape.
Shippo
This was fun but unfortunately we must go our separate ways here. Don't bother trying to catch up or we'll tell everyone back home that you were tricked into going to bed with a toad demon.
Until next time, bye.
A.N: Thankyou for reading. The next chapter is titled the Moonless Night and will be up next Saturday.