Chronicles of the West

Here's another, story will start picking up soon. Also lemons in next chapter. Enjoy! Oh and Anon thanks for pointing out my oopsie, it's fixed now. Thanks so much.

Chapter Sixteen

Toga and Ippiku glanced back at the muffled sound of a voice. The cave they stood in was sloping slightly downward and water was to Toga's hips. This was most likely a dead end, or flooded for the water to stand as it was. The water carried the flat taint of staleness, proving the unsaid point.

"Sounds like Ryu" Ippiku offered. Toga nodded in the dark and moved unerringly toward the mouth of the cave. Damn darkness, he knew he'd go mad if there was no light. How did Aislin manage it? A flare of brilliant green swirled up ahead, throwing the craggy rock into stark relief. Shippo and Kurama stood in the main chamber. The small sphere of green flame hovering over the palm of the younger fox. They shook their heads at his unspoken question. "No luck for us either" Ippiku told them.

The sound reached them again, and they stared at the center passage. With a shrug Shippo headed inside. The cave floor was uneven and he glanced down several times to keep his sure footing. The darkness grew heavier before his eyes and he stopped. "It ends here" he said.

Ryu saw the ghostly green light and sighed with relief. "Not quite" he called up. The light grew brighter as the kitsune peered over the lip. "Ryu?" he called down. The hanyou stood, keeping Silvana against him. She was almost recovered at this point but he didn't want her to collapse on him.

"Yeah, we're here" he called back, "And so is the cave we want". Shippo glanced back at Toga and he nodded. Kurama pulled forth yet another seed and sent his vines creeping down over the edge and into the inky blackness below. Small buds formed unseen in the dark and then they bloomed, casting a soft silver light that barely pushed back the darkness.

"Moon flowers" he said quietly, and he swung himself over the lip and scaled the vine to the bone covered floor below. He glanced at Ryu and Silvana, noting the tired pallor that clung to her. "Used the elemental force did you?" he asked. She nodded. He sighed, "That exhausts you" he pointed out. She nodded again, "Not much choice" she told him.

The light of his flowers allowed them to peer around the small chamber as the other's descended around them. There was little to see besides the small cave, and the pile of bones they perched on. It must have taken a long time for the amount of bones to pile up. Lifting eyes upwards one could not miss the deep gouges and stains that indicated more than one victim of this place had attempted to claw their way out.

The scent of death lingered here and although time had dimmed it, the rank odor was strong to the demons. The sooner they left this place behind, the better. "Now all we need to do is find the lantern" Kurama quipped. Ippiku fluttered in the corner, just within the dim light.

With silent nods, they allowed Shippo to lead the way into the once hidden cave with his foxfire. The cramped path seemed to wind on forever, until they spied a fork in the path ahead. Both appeared to dead end in stone walls. Shippo moved in the direction of the right, there was on a rusty peg driven into the wall, a lantern. Rusty and battered, covered with the grime of forgotten years.

"I take it we go this way" he said to the others, rubbing the detritus of time from the object in his hands. Using his foxfire he lit the wick of the lamp, slightly surprised when flame leapt to life. The glass panes of the lantern lit up brilliantly and there they saw, one path was clear.

Toga took the lamp from his cousin and drew his sword, moving to the front of the pack, Ryu took up the rear. They squeezed past the outcroppings of rock that were so deceptively formed the so called 'dead end'. They were more than grateful when the path opened up again..

Toga noted the number of deep holes littering the pathway. Several were filled with bones impaled on the sharp wooden stakes rising up from them. He made sure that his group avoided them. Something glittered in one and Kurama paused.

Kneeling down, he watched as the light filtered over the sad remains of some unlucky demon. Kurama's brows rose as he slowly reached his hand down to catch a length of chain and gently pull it up. "Rosin" he whispered, recognizing the strange charm that had once hung from his friend's sword. "You knew him?" Shippo asked, Kurama nodded, "Yes, he went in search of the granter of wishes. He never returned".

"Guess that explains why" Ryu said, "Looks like this place took the lives of those unable to light the lantern. My guess is that they figured with youkai senses they wouldn't need it". Toga nodded his agreement, "But the dark is not natural and we can't see past it". Silvana sniffed, "The scent of death permeates this place, they'd not be able to scent any danger in advance either".

Well this was a fine place for demons to be, Ippiku thought ruefully. They were severely handicapped here. He didn't like that. Not one bit. "Hey, Ryu" he called out nervously, the hanyou turned golden eyes on him, "What is the riddle again?".

Ryu didn't pause as he continued on, "At the topmost peak , In the lowest cavern. Without flint or tinder, Try and light the lantern .Acrobatic serpent hidden in the bones .Grants the key to the maiden, Who's youth is withered away .Steal the first kiss of frost To know another, hidden in plain .And yet never found .The ice maker wields the key. The truth cannot be seen " he repeated from memory, "However that seems rather abrupt for most riddles".

Not knowing what else to say, they carried on in silence. Each lost in their own thoughts. Toga wondered what they would find on this journey, it didn't really matter, they had one goal and that was to restore sight to a mortal woman. He would see to that, and he'd make sure to get them all out of here safely. Even if that meant without him.

He wondered if this was how his father felt at one time. He knew that in the mists of time, his father stood among the purists. Believing human to be far beneath demons. Dirty creatures, unworthy of life itself. He'd slaughtered hundreds of humans in his time. Then he'd taken a human ward, much like Aislin. Of course his father had never lusted after his ward, no she'd been the child that fate had robbed him of. When it had ripped his human mate from him.

Odd that his dislike of humans stemmed from that deep pain at her flight from him. Yet, he'd loved her endlessly and she him. They'd met in strange times to renew the bond between them with the clash of swords and the shattering of hearts. Until his father had been willing to give anything just to have her with him again. His mother.

He thought of Aislin, waiting in the halls of the fox court for his return. He should have told her. Told her that he was going to return her sight, or die trying. No, that would be one more thing that she would feel she owed him for. This was the only way. Once she had her sight back, he would take her home and then he would allow her to make her choice. No matter how long that took.

Long hours passed as they trudged along. The air slowly losing the scent of decay and giving way to the damp mustiness of subterranean environs. Ryu, Toga and Ippiku disliked the heavy scent, they were not den dwellers, never had been and this place felt more like a grave to them. The foxes showed no such distress.

They reached a large cavern then, piled high with bones, and more bones imbedded in the wall. Ippiku fluttered along the walls, "Acrobatic serpent right Ryu?". The hanyou nodded, as the imp diligently searched. "Hey, this is the skeleton of a very large snake in this wall here" he announced.

Ryu and Kurama shared a glance and then looked upward, in the center of the ceiling there appeared to be a frayed bit of rope imbedded in the ceiling. Ryu lifted his sword and focused his youki. A bright flash lit the room, before bits of bone and stone rained down on them. The others glared at him as the debris settled, "False stone ceiling" Kurama told them. Ippiku waved a tiny hand in front of his face, "How did you know?" he asked. Kurama and Ryu wiggled their ears, "Sound didn't reverberate from that direction the same as the others" Ryu explained.

Silvana looked at him with wide eyes as he brushed past her, catching her gaze. "Imagine that" he said, "I'm good looking, tough and smart". She gritted her teeth at him. Kurama shook his head in his amusement. Toga looked up at the tangle of rope that hung above them. "Acrobatic serpent" he whispered.

Ryu leapt up to the rope and began to climb. His muscles bulging as he went. "You take things too literally Ippiku" he said to the imp, how fluttered near his head. "This is a riddle and therefore not every thing is going to be verbatim. It has this far, so I'd start preparing myself for more difficult clues coming up".

Toga wrapped an arm around Silvana, "You next" he told her. She nodded and ascended the flimsy rope. Ryu was already at the top and his strong hand wrapped around her wrist to lift her the rest of the way. With a muttered thanks she turned to help Shippo.

When they were all blessedly above ground, they turned to view the sight before them. This didn't look anything like the lands they'd just come from and the air smelled oddly. Like cool ozone. No trees, no water, no living things. Just ozone. There was a large craggy mountain and at it's base a large farmhouse. Working the garden there was a woman, a human woman. Kurama and Ryu looked at each other and sighed. Reaching into their sleeves they withdrew silken sashes.

Toga watched impassively as they deftly tied the silver silk in place, effectively covering their ears. Ippiku nestled under the shoulder guard of his armor. With a look to the others, they made their way to the wooden building. The woman in the garden smiled warily as she looked them over. She wasn't much older than Aislin if Toga guessed correctly and he always did.

"Hello" she said, "My name is Marian. Can I help you?". Shippo smiled, a most unexpected and disarming smile. Silvana blinked, as he turned on well practiced charm. "Actually we are looking for rooms for the night" he told her gesturing to the crimson streaked sky, "Hello Marian, I am Shippo and these are my friends, Silvana, Toga, Ryu and Kurama. Would you know where me might be able to procure some?".

The house behind her was obviously an inn of sorts. Shippo exuded a calm, playful aura and the young woman was obviously taken with him. "Well, we do have rooms here" she admitted. Toga stepped forward, "How much for them?". She turned wide blue eyes to him, "Just the one night?" she asked.

He nodded, "We are only passing through". She smiled at them warmly, "We don’t get many one night travelers in these parts" she admitted shyly, "It's been a while since anyone came by from the outside. Why don't you just stay? You can keep my company for your rooms. It's been so long since I had anyone new to talk to"

Poor thing, isolated and lonely. Toga shook his head, "We will have to give you something for the rooms" he insisted. She glanced around and sighed, "Rooms are twenty famshins" she told him. Famshins? What the hell were famshins? She cocked her head at him, "But you are from the outside and I don't recall what you use there".

Kurama opened a small bag and poured several coins into his palm. She looked at them in curiosity. She smiled at the handsome man and lightly lifted three silver coins from him. "This will suffice for five rooms" she told him. Kurama blinked for the amount was quite small. With a smile, he pressed another coin into her hand and whispered in her ear.

Toga could only imagine what he'd said. Shippo however grinned as the girl blushed prettily and nodded. Kurama handed her a few more coins and she tucked them into the pocket of her apron. "This way please" she said brightly. She led them inside and up the stairs to the second landing. Your rooms are here. I haven't had a full house in some time".

Toga nodded his thanks and she headed down the stairs, "Sir?" she called out and Kurama answered her. "I will be gone for about an hour to get what you've asked for. I'll make dinner then". Kurama nudged Shippo. "You are going out?" the red head asked. The girl nodded, soft brown braids dancing on either side of her head. "May I come along?". She blushed but agreed, hurrying downstairs.

"Observe what you can, this place is odd" Kurama whispered to him. Shippo nodded and headed down the steps after the woman. Toga carefully went from room to room, checking for any danger. He found none, however it seemed that Marian lived here alone. "Don't you go getting yourself another ward" Ippiku grumbled from his shoulder.

Kurama had gone outside and was wandering among the trees. He returned several minutes later. "I was right, this place is not normal" he announced. Toga had known that much, it was targeting the oddness that eluded him. "The trees outside were not grown". Toga blinked at him, "What do you mean, they are real trees"

Kurama nodded, "They are real, made from everything a natural tree would be made of, but they carry a scent that doesn't belong with trees". Toga sniffed lightly, the scent was off, but that wasn't news, they'd noticed it when they arrived. There was something familiar about the scent though. What was it?

"Not grown. How then?" Ippiku piped up. Silvana met Ryu's eyes as she spoke, "They were created". It wasn't long after that Marian and Shippo arrived with a covered basket in hand. "I hope I got the kind that you like" she told Kurama and lifted a dark bottle from the basket.

"Kurama you sent her shopping?" Silvana asked. The fox grinned, "Of course, we are going to enjoy this evening" his golden gaze settled on the girl, "All of us".