Once Again with Love
Chapter 7
Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me.
Author Notes: Ok just so you know chapter 8 is the lemon. I decided to do this first because it was taking me so long to write it. I have up to 8 done and more than third of chapter 9. I will post them. After that I be slowing down because of school.
Thank You,
Cerulean Rose
‘Minds to minds’
~ Thoughts ~
"Spoken Words"
Chapter 7
… A view thorough death’s door.
~ What could kill an entire village without being attacked back? ~
Miroku, with a pale face, walked slowly back to the group wanting for him on the hill overlooking the village, lost in his thoughts. He felt sick, never had he seen or felt anything like that… the entire village was dead killed in mid-movement.
Miroku had felt the sorcery hanging over the village and surrounding area. The touch of something…an indescribable evil something that had been both deadly and emotionless. It's essence had impregnated the very air, made worse because you could tell that, that something didn’t realize that it was evil.
The horrified expressions of the dead that had littered the small village would haunt him till the day he died. They each appeared to have looked into the face of something that had chilled them to the bone. That thing had been so very evil that they couldn’t comprehend it or what it was doing to them.
~ What type of spell could do that, kill in seconds, draining all the life force from the victims and leave nothing but dried husks. ~ In the end he had just touched each of them with a stick and said a prayer for them before leaving the village.
Miroku paused as he arrived at the top of the hill, he didn’t know what to say to the others, but he did know that Shippo was too young still to know what had happened there. He had had enough sorry and death in his young life, Miroku would shield him from this if he could.
Behind her, Sango could hear Shippo giggling as he and Kirara were playing, while she stood guard over them, she became anxious as she watched as Miroku walked towards them, and it was obviously that he was caught up in some very unpleasant thoughts.
His shoulders were slumped, his face was ghost pale, and hlkedlked as if lead was tied to his feet as he leaned on his staff she hadn’t seem him like this since he had his void.
"Miroku, your back." Shippo eagerly yelled, as he left Kirara and began to race toward him.
"Aren’t we going down to eat now?" he complained, as Sango grabbed him and held him to her chest.
He was hungry, he wanted them to hurry up so that he could eat… hmm, and maybe he could get some stew.
"I’m…" Shippo started to whine again, but was frightened into silence when he noticed the look on Miroku’s face.
Sango had shrugged off the disturbed feeling come from the village, but now that she could see his face she knew that something very, very bad had happened in that village, something that had definitely spooked her monk.
~ Why he’s all most shaking. ~ She thought in surprise, she had never seen Miroku like this, she gazed at him with a questioning look on her face. ~ What down there? ~
She looked him over to see if he was hurt… everything look fine… except for his eyes… the ghastly look in them. Sango swallowed, Miroku looked as if he seen the depths of hell up close.
"We’ll go on. There’s nothing there for us." Miroku tried to avoid Sango eyes, but at the same time he was attempting to let her know that later he would tell her what the problem was. Turning he began walking away from the village… after a moment Sango, Kirara, and Shippo felt in step behind him.
~ Something was wrong. ~ Shippo thought as his protest die unspoken as he watched the look that passed between them. They were hiding something from him and he knew it was bad.
After sitting up camp that night, then cooking dinner and finally getting Shippo into bed and asleep, Sango was getting inpatient. She wanted to know what he had seen because tomorrow they would be entering the Western Lands to confront Sesshoumaru.
Carefully watching the balled up Shippo, who was lying on the other side of the fire with Kirara to make sure that he was really asleep, Miroku sat by Sango. This was a discussion that Shippo didn’t need to hear. Overwhelmed with fear, Miroku shivered, the images of what he had seen in the village filled his mind yet again.
~ I’m pretty sure his asleep. ~
Miroku sighed and looked at an inpatient Sango, he whispered. "Everyone in the village was dead… every man, woman and child. The town was holding a harvest festival… and they just drop were they were standing."
He paused for a moment before going on, "I never seen anything like it. There was no signs of violence unless you counted the looks on their face."
"Could it have been a youkai." Sango frowned and asked quietly so as not to wake Shippo. Miroku had seen the worse a youkai could do, she would be surprised that one could shock him, no matter what they did.
"No…." He paused, "Youkai’s leave some signs, normally a claw marks or some other mess when they attack. This reminded me of Kanna, but still different…. Kanna didn't kill the people whose souls she took, this thing did. No, everything was in great shape… the village was fine, except for the dead people littering the ground. The look on their faces…"
Miroku halted himself she didn’t to know that, not even a description, the looks on their faces would haunt him for the rest of his life.
But if a youkai hadn’t killed them, what could have done it?
Miroku looked into the fire lost in thought, would they find more villages like this and what would happen tomorrow when they entered the Western Lands?
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…The Western Castle.
Sesshoumaru cast his mind at Abigeru, ‘ Abigeru’, he called, he felt her startled surprise when she received the overflow of his heightened desire brought out by Kagome’s heat. ‘Something has happened to bring her heat on early, a drug of some type has been give to her. Find out how. Have Jiro, lock down the castle and look to the defense, this could be a trap.’
Abigeru felt Sesshoumaru’s desired filled mind fade from hers, taking her strength with it and leaving her weak knee and leaning against a wall for support. She walked drunkenly down the hallway, swaying from side to side, when she felt two strong arms wrap around her.
&;
"What wrong with you, Abigeru." Jiro’s worried voice sounded from behind her.
"Help me sit down, Jiro. Sesshoumaru touched my mind and it drained me." Jiro gently picked up Abigerd cad carried her to her sitting room and sat her down on a chair by the cheerfully glowing fire.
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He reached for the tassel cord wall pull hanging by the fireplace, and started to pull it to summon a servant to put her to bed, but paused when he hear her next words.
"Kagome-sama, Sesshoumaru-sama new mate, was drugged, her heat was brought on early. Sesshoumaru believes it to be a trap, he ordered me to have you lock down the castle and look to the defenses." She said softly, as pain began to gather behind her eyes.
"I’ll take care of it, Abigeru. You’ll need to sleep to regain your strength you’re not a mind speaker, Sesshoumaru forgets that sometimes." Jiro pulled the cord to call a servant to care for her and when Ami-ria and Amita arrived he ordered "One of you help Abigeru to bed and the other to summon the captains of the guards to Sesshoumaru study."
He saw the look pass between Ami-ria and Amita and knew that they were talking to one another in their own private little world. He stood beside the fire and watched as Ami-ria left the room to summon the captains and Abigeru leaned heavily on Amita as she was lead to her bedroom, when he saw that she was being care for he then left for Sesshoumaru study.
Jiro sat at Sesshoumaru desk and waited. So he heard the sounds of footsteps coming down the hall towards the study.
He sat back and watched as Otoya, captain of the evening guard enter, followed by Saita, captain of the day guard. Last came Shinichi the captain of the house guard Jiro motioned them to a sit and spoke.
"As you must know, Sesshoumaru-sama has taken a new mate." The men in the room smirked and nodded their heads.
"About time." Otoya started but paused when Jiro held up a hand.
"Sesshoumaru-sama new mate was drugged this evening bring on her heat early, he mindspoke with Abigeru and order the castle locked down." He watched the look of concern pass between the two men as they sit in front of him.
From his position leaning against the wall Shinichi came to attention ready to attack anything endangering the castle.
"He believes this maybe a trap of some type," Jiro said, as he watched as the knowledge that for the next few days Sesshoumaru-sama would be unavailable to lead his armies and the village and castle could be endanger came over their faces.
He gave each of them their orders. "Otoya, double your guards along the walls and place guards along the cliff facing."
He then turned to Saita, "Saita order your guards to the village and bring the villagers to the castle. And when the villagers arrive make sure that a member of the guard speaks for each or they are not to enter.
"Shinichi, after the villagers are in, lock the castle down, no one in or out, besides the patrols."
He leaned forward, "Concerns?"
"Yes, before the villagers come to the castle have them gather any food they have. The castle stores will hold for about two months during a siege but after that we’ll need extra food. I recently check the wells, and they’re find, we’ll have water but enough food…" Shinichi looked worried as he added the numbers in his mind.
"Saita, have your guards gather the villagers food as well then. I want the castle locked down by morning." The guard captains left the room to carry out their orders. Jiro stood and walked to the window and reached behind the desk and pulled the tassel cord to summon a servant.
Jaken entered the room and called self importantly, "Sesshoumaru-sama, Sesshoumaru-sama, you called Jak…you’re not Sesshoumaru-sama. What are you in his study?"
~ Why was Jiro in Sesshoumaru-sama study? I don’t like that dog, Jiro, he thinks he so smart, and he tries to take my place by Sesshoumaru-sama side. ~ Jaken thought jealously, as he looked angrily at Jiro, just wait until he informs Sesshoumaru about him being in here.
Jiro rolled his eyes as he heard Jaken irritating voice and felt Jakens’ angry looking stabbing him in the back. "Sesshoumaru has give orders, the castle is to be lock down and the villagers pulled back into the castle. Someone drugged Sesshoumaru new bride, he wants to know who and why, find out."
"I don’t believe you. I don’t know what you’re up to but Sesshoumaru would have given me those order himself. You’re not my master." Jaken looked smugly at Jiro as he denounced him.
"You are wrong, Jaken, you will follow those orders." A deadly cold voice came from behind him, Jaken shivered, and slowly turned to see Lady Abigeru leaning against a servant.
"Sesshoumaru mind touched me earlier this evening. I gave those orders to Jiro, do you call me a liar?" she asked in a voice chill to the temperature of ice, her face rivaling Sesshoumaru coldest expression.
"No…No…I apologize, Abigeru-sama. I didn’t know. I’ll get right to it." Jaken bowed and bowed again as he left the room.
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… A sad shadow in the world of the living.
‘Aniketo… hear me… free me… free your father, my child.’
The thoughts of Naraku flowed constantly though Aniketo’s mind as she walked silently thorough the woods. She appeared to be an exquisite, sad shadow that barely pretended to live in the world around her.
‘Free me…’
She was delicate and attired in a red kimono with black flowers, her long black hair fell to her knees and was held back by an ivory comb. Her empty blue eyes stared out at the world without emotions and her blood red lips where ripe and lush but had never known a smile.
Around her she knew that the forest creatures’ where cowering in the trees and bushes in fear of her, so as not to draw her deadly attention to them.
‘Free me’
Her very unnaturalness seeped into the surrounding air affecting all life around her and spoke of her not having been born into this world, but of having been created with a deadly, dark enchantment.
The enchantment that Naraku had used to create Aniketo, in the moments before the crystal prison had closed in on him so that she could free him had striped her soul from her.
"Soon, fatwillwill be free and his enemies will die." She was, in Naraku mind, his finest creation, a supposedly soulless, remorseless machine that would follow his orders to the letter and didn’t have a free will houghought.
‘FREE ME!’
Aniketo walked thorough the trees and bushes around her, for although she knew that she should only desire her fathers freedom and to punish those who had hurt him in the secret recession of her mind she longed for something else.
In her empty heart she longed for one thing, to be able to love and to know love, a longing, a need much like Dorothy’s tin woodsman’s.
Naraku read the desire in her and coldly promised her. ‘Free me, child. And I will give you what you desire most… a family.’
~ Yes, Father. Soon father will be free… and I will have a family. ~ Aniketo thought with determination as she walked, but Naraku enchantment had left her no room for the light of love within her, the darkness of Naraku filled the area where her soul should have been… and that darkness was vast, hungry and desired to be feed.
‘Free me, my daughter. Free me!’
Aniketo walked on to the next village.
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… Judgement of the Gods.
~ We need to destroy Naraku, know how do we do that. The problem is the Shikon no Tama gave him near immortality. So we need to take that immortality away, but how… ~
The woman watched as Aniketo walked toward the next village.
~ How to kill Naraku. ~
"Reika, lit the fire." The lady watched as her servant bent over to light the fire contained in the fire pit located within the center of the cavern and she then walked to the shelves that held her spell powers and herbs.
~ Hmm… what do I need. Oh, yes this will do. ~ She thought as she picked up a pale pink power and placed it on the table beside the open the fire. "Reika, I need ground up jiaogulan for immortality and ginseng for knowledge."
"Yes, Lady" Reika quickly gathered the herbs needed and placed them on the table, she snatched up the grinding stone and tablet and began working. Soon the herbs were ready for use and she cd tod to her Lady.
"Good, bring me a large bowl." the lady called as she walked over to stand between the table and the fire. Reika placed the large flower painted bowl on the table and stood back to watch her lady cast her spell.
With a small bowl, the lady carefully measured equal quantities of Jiaogulan and ginseng and placed them into the bowl she then add three measures of the pale pink power into the large bowl.
Carefully she took a spoon and stirred the ingredients much as a baker does a cake batter.
"Reika, when the spell is cast make sure to stay out of the smoke, it’s very dangerous." The lady watched as her servant walked to the edge of the cavern and stood there waiting, she then gently picked up thwl awl and stood by the fire, she took a deep breath, let it out and then she cast the contents of the bowl into the fire.
The results were instantaneous, a pale rose colored smoke snaked up and around the lady, and she gasped in pain as the smoke filled her mouth and drove into her lungs driving out the oxygen.
Gasping in pain, visions formed before her eyes, she saw a largom fom filled with the Gods and Goddesses of Japan as theet eet for the Assembly of the Gods in the Temple of Izumo. There they met each October to decide the fate of the creatures of their lands, who would love whom, and if that love will be requited.
The vision shifted and raced thorough the room. She saw the god of sorcery and medicine, Okuni-Nushi sitting on his throne. There in his hands she saw the orb of Okuni-Nushi, one he mhe most powerful objects ever created.
He looked up as if sensing her and she gasped as his eyes caught hers.
She watched, trapped by his gaze, as he reached out as if to touch her only to pause with a smirk and then place his orb in her hands. When she attempted to refuse it, her hands where forced up to reach though the smoke to him and she took the orb from his hand.
The moment that the orb touched her skin her mind and body were flooded with pain as his anger filled voice, a deep booming sound echoed endlessly thorough her mind and body.
"We know what you have done, child of fate, and there will be a reckoning. You have dared what the gods will not, you have disrupted time and changed its order of destiny. The girl destiny had been wrote, she was to stay in tuturuture but now that future is cloudy and unclear. But this is another matter."
"We have decide to take a hand in this matter for Naraku endanger all our children." He paused and looked away for a minute.
"Go to the Western Lands and tell it Lord that his mate is in danger, give him the knowledge he needs to be our champion and defearakuraku."
He paused again as if listening to something and the lady sighed as the pain lessened only to gasp aloud when it started again as he went on, "Take the orb to him for only a Tai youkai with great power can hope to use its power and perhaps live. He must hold the orb as his mate channel her powers though it. Then the Tai youkai can strike."
"We desire that Naraku meet the Ruler of the Underworld.."
"See that he succeed, child of fate."
The lady moaned and fell to her knees as she was over come with one last wave of pain. Her face creased with lines of agony from the fire of the orb that she held in her hands.
"Reika, quickly bring me a box."
"Will this do, Lady. "Reika asked as she quickly ran to the shelves that lined the walls and grabbed a wooden box lined with black velvet and took it back to her lady.
The Lady nodded and placed the orb within the box and closed the lid. The smoke from spells lifted and she was able to get a clean breath of air.
With one last moan of relief, she slumped to the floor and lost consciousness.
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