Revelations

Chapter 6: In Search for one…we find another

Ripples danced across the water as they massaged skin. Sango sighed as she watched her reflection ebb and grow on the mirrored surface of the spring.

“What’s wrong Sango?”

As if reflecting the water, concern rippled across Kagome’s face. Something had been bothering her friend for days now.

“Oh…I-its nothing Kagome-chan”

Sango’s eyes were unsure where to look as she struggled to meet her gaze. Feeling that it was no use to hide her woes from her best friend, no she was more than that she was family…she began to pour her heart out.

“It’s just, well it quite silly actually”

Kagome moved slowly over to Sango’s side of the spring, taking her hand Kagome smiled warmly.

“Oh come on, there’s nothing you can’t tell me.”

Sango turned her gaze back to her reflection…

“Well, I just had a dream about Kohaku…it was a very vivid dream…

Oh i-it was nothing, I just saw him standing there and all” Sango quickly added as a worried expression looked to overwhelmed Kagome’s warm smile.

“I think I’m just going crazy, that dream was like a constant reminder to…to my failures. I’m the elder sister, it’s was my duty to keep his safe when none could and…and I couldn’t”

Sango seemed to twitch the slightest, her emotions struggling as they surfaced.

“Sango…”

Kagome’s smile found its way back as she recaptured Sango’s eyes.

“Your not alone. Look at us Sango…we are family. You were never alone, never. Since the day we came together each of our problems became all our problems. We’ve always done things together. So…you’ll have to suffer all of us when you search for Kohaku.”

Kagome’s smiling optimism completely disarmed Sango…yet at the same time its redundancy was obvious. There was nothing there she did not know, did not feel…but of course, it never hurt to hear it…

Kohaku had come a long way since he came under Naraku’s hold. Some time after regaining his memory, he finally fled from Naraku moments before his shard was to be removed by the beast.

This was as far as Sango and the other knew.

But after fleeing from Naraku’s control Kohaku now roamed the lands in hiding with the resurrected lady Kikiyo…

The two of them and Shippo slowly made their way back to the campsite, a pensive feeling around.

On seeing the women return, Miroku and Inuyasha got up from their places and headed for the springs.

As Miroku passed he placed a hand on Sango’s shoulder; his knowing smile causing her cheeks to turn red.

Inuyasha followed without even the slightest glance towards them. He looked as if he had been dragged into something that was-allegedly-of no interest to him.

Slowly the both of them got ready for sleep.

As Kagome sat beside the fire, her eyes carelessly wandered to the sheets of parchment scattered about Miroku’s bedding…their contents, already known to her.

She remembered the feeling of awe as she had read them nights before…

Valcos’s attention to detail was remarkable; since his return to the living only a few months back, he’d been able to amass large amounts of information…accurate information about Naraku.

It appeared that Valcos had a keen interest in all the powerful demons he encountered. The story however was incomplete; it only narrated the existence of Naraku up to the point of his regeneration at Mt Hakurei. But Naraku had become so much more…

It all began with the birth of Moryomaru; this detachment of Naraku was later re-absorbed into Naraku along with his heart. But in Moryomaru’s time as a free demon, he absorbed many powers that were now a part of Naraku, making him an extremely powerful demon.

The two most important powers that the late Moryomaru gained were, a near impenetrable shell that could deflect even the Kongosoha. This was gained when he absorbed the body of the resurrected turtle demon Meioju.

The second was Inuyasha’s very kongosoha attack! Which he absorbed by virtue of the armored shell.

Initially the group as a whole had been tentative about the notion of following Valcos’s directions. Inuyasha in fact had kept up his complaining till only a few days ago.

It had been then that all but even the faintest of doubt had been erased; local villagers and demons alike had confirmed rumors of Naraku’s whereabouts. They had followed Valcos’s words to where he had last seen him and had followed the demon ever since.

Now they rested, for tomorrow they went to face their common enemy in an old castle that resided beyond the hill…

***

He was so close; his skin was a tingle with anticipation. But he knew better…marshaling his senses with near inhuman efficiency he continued to crouch in the shadows.

‘There it still time left before we end this story’

There were many ways to stay clear from the nose of a dog demon; he knew all of hem well. His hiding place was in no threat…

It had taken him longer than expected to catch the group, but here he was, his failures behind him…his victim in sight.

He watched the two women huddled up beside the fire, no doubt waiting for the other two to return…waiting to plunge into a wrestles sleep.

Looking to the pearl hilt of his slender blade he thought of nothing but the sun…a red sun…a bloody sun…

***

Today the sun was beaten, beaten to awakening by Inuyasha and the others. None of them had slept much; the thought of battle had robbed them of the little sleep they wished for.

Nonetheless, the group packed their things and silently moved toward the castle. Not a word was heard, not a glance exchanged…all was silent as they ascended the last hill towards the castle. The wind their only companion on this day…the wind and the silent footsteps that went unheard far behind.

The castle was an old derelict monument. Its fortifications and ramparts lay broken and decayed…a memory to ages past.

The gates hung timidly on rusted hinges, unable to keep even the slightest of winds at bay…let alone an army.

On entering, it was clear that the castle was not uninhabited.

Fists clenched and faces turned to grimace as the saw the eternal residence of the castle.

Sentries adorned all the ancient doors and walkways…bones their only legacy today.

So long had these skeletons rotted here that the earth had come to reclaim them, small roots threaded themselves in and between the remains.

Still, something about them seemed odd…unnerving.

Cautiously the group made its way deep into the castle, its vastness coming in slow revelations. Hall after hall, chamber after chamber they passed with nothing but bones for audience.

After what seemed like ages the group entered a small inner courtyard deep within the labyrinth that was the castle. There…high walls and parapets surrounded them…only one exit in sight…the one behind.

“Stay alert, I smell a trap”

Kirara confirmed the hanyo’s theory by transforming into her far more…intimidating side. But Inuyasha smelt more than a trap…sadly for the others it was too late.

With a resounding boom, the doors behind slammed shut; a voice echoed out from the upper ramparts filling the cloister with an air of dread…a hideously familiar voice.

“Ku ku ku, well I’ve been expecting you…Inuyasha.”

Everyone whipped around in unison, turning their attention away from the now closed door.

There he stood, in all his hideous glory, adorned in his baboon fur cloak, his eyes a fiendish red. Naraku gazed down at his captives…smiles all about.

“Naraku!! Get down here!! We’ve come finish you off for good”

“Ah Inuyasha, its been a while since I last heard you obviously simple remarks. I regret to inform you that it will be you who is finished”

Naraku’s form showed not even the slightest hint of surprise or astonishment.

“Naraku, did you know we were coming?”

Naraku’s smile broadened.

“Still quite sharp huh monk…still quite foolish. Yes, I’ve known for quite a while that you were following me. That’s why I led you here”

The news wasn’t well received by any. But it was Inuyasha who-egged on by his earlier suspicions-was able to discern his words.

“That bastard Valcos, he’s the one who got us into this! I knew he couldn’t be trusted”

The looks of shock only widened as realization sunk in.

“Hmpf, I can’t stand your babbling Inuyasha, just die-”

But Inuyasha had already swung his tessaiga, behind came the whiz of Hiraikotsu. But Naraku was unfazed, the boomerang was deflected lazily and the wind scar surged around him, failing to scratch.

“Mmm, I should thank Moryomaru for all the wonderful powers he’s bestowed upon me.”

Naraku spoke with a smug look across his face. All the time he continued to inspect his arm. The skin seemed to ripple, its seemed to rapidly transform between Kongosoha shards and a hard deep green armor.

“These toys can not harm me Inuyasha. Now, I have already prepared you death”

Sango had known she had felt something eerie coming from the skeletons, it seemed her imagination had sprung to life before her.

All the skeletons in the court had come alive. What appeared to be dead roots where now pulsing about the undead creatures like bloody veins.

“What the, what are you playing at Naraku, come down here and fight you coward”

“Oh Inuyasha, why should I get my hands dirty when I can just use these lovely puppets of mine to finish you off”

Inuyasha stood in front of Kagome as he cut through the oncoming legions of skeletal warriors.

In one corner Sango and Kirara held their ground as they beat the demons back. Miroku did the same, brandishing his staff and his fudas…he didn’t think it wise to test the Kazanna against these demons.

The skeletons lashed out at them with rotten fingers and rusted swords. Those which fell would rise up again and attempt to restrain their opponents.

“Inuyasha!!”

Inuyasha whipped around only to see Kagome struggling with three skeletons grabbing at her around her ankles. Shippo was valiantly failing to get the demons off her.

“Kagome!! Don’t move”

But Inuyasha found himself being restrained by another two skeletons. Looking around he saw the others in similar predicaments. All of them sported minor injuries and were being harried by numerous skeletons…yet none seemed to go for the final kill.

Inuyasha looked up, seeing the conceited smile on Naraku’s face filled Inuyasha with a rage that was beyond him.

“Naraku!!”

With a burst of strength Inuyasha broke free of his skeletal shackles and leapt straight towards the demon above.

The move broke Naraku’s icy smile but for a second, with reckless abandon Inuyasha charged through the air…with no ability to move away…

Naraku’s arm suddenly transformed into bristling shards of diamond, whipping out it struck Inuyasha square across the chest.

Inuyasha went flying, landing hard on his back. Before he was able to get up he was pinned by a huge pile of skeletons.

“Enough of this, you lot bore me, I expected more from you, but its now time to die!”

With a snap of his fingers the warriors below crumbled to dust. All that remained were the pulsating veins that seemed to have brought the bones to life.

Immediately they swelled and began to wrap themselves around Inuyasha and all the others confused bodies.

“Well Inuyasha, it seems you going to die at last at my hands. I hope you appreciate my tentacles. They’re all a part of my body.”

Inuyasha struggled slightly against the bonds but they didn’t bother him.

“Ha! You think these pathetic things are going to hold me!!”

Inuyasha raised his free arm to rip the tentacles apart.

“No Inuyasha! Don’t break them!!”

Naraku’s smile-if it were possible-broadened even more.

“You should listen to the monk Inuyasha, those vines are full of shouki, if you cut them the whole thing will explode”

“Ahhh”

The short gasp caught everyone’s attention. Sango seemed to be in quite a bit of pain. But its mystery was soon solved as others too felt such discomfort.

“Oh I forgot to mention, the longer you leave them be Inuyasha…the tighter they shall wrap around you and you friends.”

“Let me out Naraku!! I’m gonna rip you to shreds.”

Naraku let out a low laugh.

“What will you do Inuyasha. Cut your constricting shackles and die from the poison or do nothing and be crushed to death…what’s you c-”

Naraku suddenly looked up, his smile quavering. There seemed to be some racket coming from the chamber from where Inuyasha and the others came.

Suddenly a sword seemed to slip between the crack between the two heavy doors. With a loud grinding sound the sword began to cut through the door.

Finally the chunk of wood fell to the ground, all eyes fixed on the small whole that had appeared in the door.

A white boot stepped through, followed by billowing white robes. Two arms entered the yard. The sword…white hilt and all…clenched tightly in the right hand.

But it was his face that shocked the group the most. The man’s hair was a cloudy white, the very same color as his pale face. His eyebrows as well were an unearthly white.

Completing his ghostly form were his eyes. As was the rest of him his irises were pearly white as well. His pupils, small black dots in a sea of clouds.

“Well well…after all these years we meet again…Vash.”

The man smiled coughing slightly as noxious fumes began to slowly leak from the whole behind him. Quickly he took a swig from a small phial in his belt, normalizing himself.

“Sorry for the delay Naraku, it seems your poison is just a little stronger than I expected. Got a little caught up in the other room”

Naraku didn’t say a word…

“Well I’ve been following this lot for a while now, seems my hunch paid off. They were able to lead me to you perfectly. Just one query…you seem a little over prepared for a party such as ours. No doubt this is a bit much”

Naraku tried to smile…but it didn’t seem to come to him…

“Huh, well there’s no getting around you is there. I might be powerful but I’m not stupid, I’ve read the signs, I’m heading north. This was just precaution in case they came for me.”

Looking back at Inuyasha Naraku genuinely smiled.

“You stupid hanyo, I never knew you were coming…but still you foolishly wandered into my trap”

“You flatter you-”

But Naraku wasn’t done speaking.

“Oh by the way Vash, isn’t this interesting. We’ve all come full circle haven’t we?”

Vash continued to look on; his ghostly visage intimidating to some, nauseating to others…Naraku seemed to be neither.

“Look there Vash, doesn’t that monk look familiar.”

Vash looked to Miroku who held his gaze…who was this man, why did he find him familiar.

Vash seemed to be asking the same thing.

“What I mean Vash is, don’t you find his hand familiar.”

Vash stared at Miroku’s arm, no acknowledgment of the rest of him.

Immediately his eyes went wide…suddenly he recognized.

“Yes Vash, it seems the grandson has come to avenge the mistake you and that pathetic man made so many years ago.”

Vash now turned his attention back to Naraku, a smile finding its way back onto his face.

“Well it seems that he will still have to wait, am I right Naraku! I’l deal with them later. There’s still the task of finishing you. ”

Now Naraku was smiling again

“Like I said, nothing gets by you”

Vash took a scroll of parchment out of his inner sleeve. On it were some odd markings.

“There are always ways to rid this world of you filth.”

With that Vash leapt towards Naraku. Effortlessly parrying his tentacles and Kongosoha diamonds. With a resounding cry he thrust the paper into naraku’s chest. He followed it up by driving his sword straight through it.

Immediately sparks began to fly all around the cloister. Even the vines holding Inuyasha and the others in stunned silence began to spasm.

Boom

With a huge flash Vash was thrown backwards and slammed hard against the wall. Arcs of energy swung about the yard. The walls crumbling.

When the light subdued Naraku was gone…all that was left was a small wooden doll with a hair wrapped around it.

“Shit, I knew there was something wrong with that bastard!!”

Vash seemed livid

But there were other problems…poison was flooding all about the castle.

Sango ran to Miroku as Inuyasha protected Kagome. The poison swarmed all around them and began eating away at the lungs of its victims.

Suddenly out of the haze, the white form of Vash appeared, ignoring Sango’s stunned expression he handed her a small phial.

“Just get out of here!! Make everyone drink the stuff!”

Looking at Miroku’s form bent over double he seemed to hesitate.

“Our paths shall cross again, there is much we need to tell each other.”

With a saddened nod of the head he quickly left the courtyard as Sango, unquestioningly, fed the others the potion.

Vash, on exiting the castle, ran towards a nearby village…he needed a horse…Naraku wasn’t getting away. But before he went too far, a small letter dropped in front of him. Looking up he saw that a white dove had delivered it.

‘Well it’s about time’

Smiling he picked up the letter and read it.

After finishing he sat down in the middle of the path, it was going to e a rough road ahead; Naraku had good reason to run north…

***
***

IMPORTANT!!

Im going on a holiday with my friends on the 16th of this month and will only be back on the 26th. So this will be the last chapter for now. Sorry for the wait…next chapter will come around the 28th .

TO THE CRITICS

SB:

PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ review!!! Thanx!!! Youre not pissed at the last post are u ???

Ginny:

No…I completely agree…you are an insane freak…I mean grow up for god’s sake!!! But then again so are all of us. I mean look at us …we’re in love with a Japanese cartoon but we cant use our limited imaginations to come to terms with it and thus all we really want to see is InuXkag and MirXsang fucking their brains out…thus we write fictions about the damn thing which would cause the honorable lady Takahashi to dig her own grave and jump in it just so that she could validate the statement…’turning in her grave’

Well as they say ‘shine on us crazy diamond’ right! Youre a ‘Mother’ and I’m ‘comfortably numb’ and here we are wasting ‘the happiest days of our lives’
Reading fan fics…but none want to read mine so I ask ‘hey you’ ‘is there anybody out there’ is there ‘nobody home’ to read my fics.

Ah what a failure ‘goodbye cruel world’ ‘good bye blue sky’ this is but ‘another brick in the wall’ of my shame!

But the ‘show must go on’ as I ‘run like hell’ to ‘stop’ this madness and finally end this story. Now its ‘one of my turns’ to take a break but ill be back ‘in the flesh’ my ‘young lust’ high (not poking fun at you age in any way >: ] )I hope you ‘don’t leave me now’
On this epic journey you have filled the ‘empty spaces’ and helped me go on.

Now my limited fan base will be put to ‘the trail’ as they are forced to wait ‘outside the wall’ while ‘waiting for the worms’ i.e me. They shall cry ‘bring the boy back home’ but I doubt they like me that much. I doubt any of their names are ‘Vera’ oddly I knwow someone with that name. Now ‘the thin ice’ of mystery will shatter when we resume our journey on the 26th.

Enjoy!! I think I got all of them.