Hokai watched the far off blue dome gleefully in between spell casting. Every so often they had to cast strengthening spells on the barrier to ensure it would hold. The two main spell casters that were chosen from the three were Hokai and Mikata, after the demoness had complained bitterly that she had not had the power surge of both her own and Tsumetai's power for some time. Tsumetai was clearly reluctant to relinquish his power, but eventually realised he had no choice if he wanted to appease his lover. Hokai wondered what it must feel like, to be sapped of every once of demonic energy he possessed.
Tsumetai, grumbling, took on the role of look out. His binding with Mikata also meant he could connect his mind with hers, and could advise them both when Sesshomaru and the priestess were to emerge and attempt to fight their way free. With Tsumetai keeping watch, they knew at what points they needed to focus on damage control. They were hidden in the depths of the nearby forest, and the creatures native to these parts the had given them a wide berth. With nothing to disturb them they could focus on their attack unhindered.
Tsumetai watched, poised, as Sesshomaru and Kikyo came out of the castle and attempted to break themselves free. Sesshomaru's Bakusaiga wave shook the barrier hard, and for a moment Hokai worried he would break through, find them and kill them all. But with the pressure of their repairing spells, the barrier righted itself.
Another moment of anxiety rose within Hokai when Kikyo's sacred arrow shot through the barrier.
"Quick! We have to close it! We have to close it!" Mikata shrieked.
It was difficult, exhausting work to keep the demon and priestess trapped like bugs underneath a glass, but Hokai knew it would be worth it. Once their enemies were stuck inside for a good long while, they would overexert themselves until they had no energy left, then Hokai would bring down the barrier in a preemptive strike. Sesshomaru and Kikyo would be too weak to fight back, the whole castle would be diminished. Then their chance would come.
Eventually, once Hokai saw Kikyo leading the dog demon around the perimeter, likely looking for a weak spot or join, he disengaged himself from their conjuring and looked around with his many eyes. Under the canopy of the trees, he could see two corpulent messenger spiders awaiting him, unidentifiable in the shadow of the trees.
Hokai squinted, and with a thrill of apprehension realised the messengers must be from Kumonosu.
Hokai looked at Mikata, she was concentrating fiercely on the barrier. "Keep the barrier intact. If they begin to attack again, call me over immediately," he told her.
Without waiting for a reply, Hokai scurried off to meet the new arrivals.
The closer he got, the more clearly he could see his visitors. The slightly smaller spider was Sabu, whom he had sent to lead his top secret errand, she carried in her pincers a small bundle...Hokai's heart leapt painfully with excitement and anticipation. Had she found what he was looking for? Sabu's appearance was a welcome sight.
Next to Sabu, and a sight much less welcome, was Chiygo, Kumonosu's right hand arachnid. Chiygo stood proudly on his eight legs, watching Hokai with distrust.
"Lord Chiygo, Lady Sabu. To what do I owe this distinct pleasure?" Hokai asked silkily, trying to sound unconcerned. He hoped Sabu would have the sense to keep her pincers shut in Chiygo's presence about the secret mission he had given her, for if the clan knew what he had been searching for…
Sabu gnashed her fangs to speak, and Hokai became tense with anxiety, but she was mercifully interrupted by Chiygo.
"Spinner Hokai, Weaver of the wicker arachnids. Our leader Kumonosu, commands that you return immediately to Wicker Hollow, where he will await your report in the Onyx hall," Chiygo said, clearly reciting his drab instructions word by word, pincers clicked together arrogantly. Hokai resisted the urge to bite Chiygo.
Chiygo had been one of the spiders to argue against Hokai being chosen as the clan's next Spinner, a fact Hokai would never forget or forgive. There was no particular grievance between them, but it was safe to assume that Chiygo deeply mistrusted Hokai, perhaps believing Hokai was too selfish for such an important role, and would inevitably manipulate the position to suit his own ends.
As Hokai watched Chiygo blather on, he cursed the fool's astute sense of character. Chiygo was irksome, and so far under Kumonosu's pedipalp it made Hokai want to scream.
Chiygo finished his long speech about duty and loyalty. Hokai widened his fangs into a grimacing smile. Chiygo's appearance was not ideal at all, he had to try and get rid of him. "Weaver Kumonosu gifted me fifty soldiers to avenge my brother's murder, he gave me no time limit, and I am not done."
Chiygo glared openly at Hokai, sceptical of every word. "You don't fool me, Hokai. I was there when Weaver Kumonosu granted your expedition of so-called revenge. He allowed you the pleasure of killing the humans who murdered Naraku, he expressly forbade an assault on the western lord…Yet here you are, disobeying orders, involving yourself in a nationwide war with dangerous demons. I knew you would extort the Weavers' understanding manner in some way," Chiygo snapped, spitting on the ground in front of Hokai.
Hokai bristled with anger at Chiygo's words. Behind him Tsumentai emerged from the woods, abandoning his post as look out. Mikata was still maintaining the barrier, but she had obviously called her lover once she realised something was afoot, looking over her shoulder curiously.
"As for the fifty soldiers," Chiygo continued doggedly, "where are they? Surely they are not so essential to your plans if you can just abandon them somewhere."
"They are nearby Chiygo, patiently awaiting my signal. After all, evasion and stealth has always been our way. With regards to my going after Sesshomaru, I'm sure the Weaver would have given me his blessing, once he saw my allies and knew of my plan to entrap the dog demon. I will send him a mes-"
"You will return to Wicker Hollow. Now. I will not tell you again!" Chiygo yelled. Next to him, Sabu jumped in alarm, nearly dropping her mysterious cargo. She was staring at her superiors anxiously.
"You misunderstand the situation!" Hokai retorted quickly, "we have the dog demon and the dead priestess Kikyo surrounded! It would be a great victory for the clan, but if I leave now…and he escapes, we will all of us be in danger," Hokai said. Chiygo rushed up to Hokai, pincer to pincer, so furious he could barely breathe his putrid breath all of Hokai. Hokai stilled his body, ready for any sign of attack.
"And what if you did win a great victory? What about the dog's brother and mother? You think they would just stand by whilst you go around murdering the aristocracy? I will not allow you to manipulate this, I will not listen to your excuses. I warned Kumonosu you would try and slink out of going back, and he told me that if you did not return…you would be stripped of your title of Spinner. Not only that, he'll bring the full force of the clan back here and drag you back to Wicker Hollow by force, and put a stop to your dangerous schemes before they destroy us all."
Seeing that Chiygo would not be talked round, Hokai bowed his head in acceptance, hiding his fury. Chiygo could not be bribed or persuaded, he was loyal to a fault to Kumonosu.
"Of course, of course. As the Weaver wishes. We will leave momentarily, but first I must speak to Sabu," Hokai said.
Looking relieved and seemingly satisfied with Hokai's submission, Chiygo moved away and waited. Sabu came forward skittishly, and dropped her bundle at Hokai's feet. Making the contents clatter loudly.
"DON'T act clandestine. When you speak, make it look like your giving me a scout report on the area..a review of the terrain, something that looks and sounds boring! We don't want to arouse Chiygo's suspicions," Hokai hissed. Sabu nodded her understanding, and tried to look unconcerned.
"I…er..you asked us to go to the last battle sights of your brother, to see what we could find, and to see if we could recover his remains. We searched for a long time before we found anything. We realised that some demons were guarding an area in the forest. It took us time to sneak through and see what they were hiding, and it was this-" Sabu picked up her sack and held her bundle aloft, "tiny fragments of this skull, the tiny pieces had been buried deep in the ground. They were determined these remains would never be found, but we managed to pilfer the skull eventually, using some sleep inducing venom. We had to use some black magic to solidify the skull into one piece again," Sabu explained to Hokai, trying to quell her own excitement. For she knew she had done well, had met the goals her new master had set for her.
Wordlessly, Hokai took the mess of fabric and opened it with his front legs. He studied the skull that lay grinning up at him, his eight eyes wide with wonderment. The skull was dry, bleached and cracked. When Sabu pressed her macabre package closer he could make out a hairline fracture by the temple, running downward near to the jutting teeth, only half of which remained.
"Are you sure Sabu? Are You sure that this is Naraku's bone?" Hokai whispered rapturously.
For the first time, Sabu's confidence wavered. "Well…I don't know for sure. Identification magic is not really my strongest ability," she said. But Hokai could feel it, the faint residue of demonic energy that held his brother's signature. Like a breath on the wind with Naraku's scent clinging faintly to the air.
'At last! My secret goal is complete! I have my brother's remains in my possession! All these years of being unrecognised for my talents, years of being a servant to that gargantuan fool Kumonosu. With this skull my reality of being an underdog in the Wicker clan will end. No one would dare challenge my leadership with Naraku at my back. If I can resurrect my brother, we can join forces with our new allies and rule all of the spider clans in this region. If Naraku was revived, his reputation alone would guarantee us followers.
I have his skull, how can I use it to bring Naraku back to this mortal plane? Sesshomaru has the tenseiga, perhaps I could force him into using it, or steal it somehow? Or is there another way? The skull is all that remains of Naraku's body, so I must be careful not to destroy it with magic. And as the skull is all the if left, perhaps my brother will need a new body….'
"You've had your chat with Sabu, now it is time to return," Chiygo barked, creeping forward impatiently. He was eyeing the spell preoccupied Tsumetai and Mikata, and was evidently keen to achieve his goal and be off.
Tsumetai, whom had been trying to continue the spellcasting with Mikata, whipped his head round, yelling with indignation. "Oh no you don't Hokai! This is your plan and you are staying here to see it through! I'll kill this whelp if he continues to interfere!"
Hokai turned to Chiygo slowly, his pincers quivering. His whole demeanour had changed from apologetic to belligerent very swiftly. Chiygo stepped back smartly, out of reach of Hokai's fangs.
"These bones delivered by Sabu change everything Chiygo," Hokai said, his eyes glittered with a mad, malevolent light. "In this bag is the skull of my brother Naraku. I will do everything in my power to return him to this world…Then we'll be coming after you Chiygo," Hokai cackled loudly.
Chiygo spluttered with disbelief, skittering on his eight hair legs. "It can't be! I don't believe you Hokai, it's just another lie to get what you want! The Weaver will hear of this, then you'll pay for your insolence!" Chiygo shrieked, but his eight eyes were dilated with fear at the mere mention of Naraku's name.
"Good! I want the Weaver to hear, for that fool to start quivering in fear like you. Our clan should be ruled by the powerful Chiygo, and Naraku was the most powerful of all."
Chiygo shook his monstrous head in disbelief, backing away in horror, staring at the skull Hokai now wielded like a talisman. "Even if it is true, and you carry the wretched remains of that vile trickster, the likes of you would never acquire the skills needed to give him new life. You're clutching at straws Hokai!"
Hokai's eyes gleamed with promise and he clicked his pincers defiantly. "We'll find out soon enough. Run along now, little Chiygo. Go and tell daddy what a bad boy I've been."
Without hesitation Chiygo fled, as fast as his eight legs could carry him, disappearing quickly into the safety of the forest, into the camouflage of a thousand leaves and branches. Sabu hovered uncertainty nearby, her pincers wide open with shock.
Tsumetai and Mikata had watched the interaction carefully. Tsumetai signalled for Mikata, "hold the barrier for a moment," Tsumetai said. Mikata nodded, too curious to whine. A blue-green light engulfed the pair as Tsumetai muttered the spell to transfer his power to his mate, allowing Mikata to once again hold their barrier alone. Up close, relinquishing his demonic energy so completely was clearly draining for Tsumetai, and his face had a waxy, weary quality.
"What is going on Hokai? Why was that insect trying to take you away? And why are you walking around with that old skull?" Tsumetai asked.
Hokai still gazed at the spot where Chiygo had scuttled away, looking pleased with himself. "That insect was a peer of mine, coming to tell me our current leader wants me back underground. Our leader, Kumonosu, is unaware of my allegiance with you. This old bone belongs to my late brother. When he was alive, he was the most feared and most powerful demon in the region, even more so than the dog. But Sesshomaru, his oafish brother, and some humans murdered him before he could totally dominate the west. But there are ways to bring the dead back to life. Sesshomaru himself has a life giving sword."
Tsumetai nodded, "I hear his mother Sora also has some otherworldly pendent in her possession as well," he said.
Hokai listened to this with interest. Perhaps with a little tweaking, these items of power could be used to resurrect Naraku. But he would need Tsumetai's and Mikata's help, and needed to show them that reviving Naraku would be in their mutual interest.
"With Naraku's cunning on our side, we could defeat our enemies easily. Maybe take over Japan one day. If you want a world without humans, Naraku could make that a reality for you."
Tsumetai looked puzzled. "I have never heard of this Naraku demon you speak of. And I thought spiders like you just skittered about on your own, I didn't know you had clans."
Hokai bristled with irritation at the northern lord's comment. "You are mistaken then, Tsumetai. In any case, we are getting ahead of ourselves, and must focus on the task at hand. Once Sesshomaru is dead I can inspect this unique sword myself. And when he is returned, Naraku will be pleased to hear that Kikyo has been eliminated again. We must hold that barrier with all our strength until they are both sapped of their strength!" Hokai said. With renewed determination, the trio turned their attention to the great dome, fortifying their magic until the air crackled with their combined power.
"Sabu, tell our forces to get here quickly, we have Sesshomaru cornered. He will not escape!" Hokai urged, panting with excitement.