Continuing Tales

Divine Concubine

A InuYasha Story
by CiraArana

Part 5 of 11

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Second Chances Inu Yasha watched the two girls leave the clearing, and when they had disappeared among the trees, he turned to Miroku.

‘If you go on like that, Miroku, you don’t have to worry about being sucked in by the kazaana,’ he commented.

‘Yes,’ agreed Shippo. ‘Sango is scary when she’s angry! She’ll beat you over the head with Hiraikotsu until you can’t look straight anymore! And you deserve it.’

Miroku bent his head slightly, shading his eyes, but shrugged nonchalantly.

Inu Yasha snorted a laugh. ‘Yeah, a good whacking over the head, and this time she’ll take the other one!’

Shippo frowned in confusion, but Miroku’s lips twitched. ‘Ah, but Inu Yasha, it is only natural! I can’t help it that the sight of a beautiful woman gives me such a heady feeling.’

Inu Yasha grunted. ‘Which usually results in a heavy headache.’

‘That’s a sacrifice I must make.’

‘Just make sure your sacrifices won’t leave you headless.’

‘Don’t worry too much, Inu Yasha, I’m too headstrong to give in so easily!’

‘Be that as it may, but you mustn’t ever underestimate a woman who’s head over heels in love with you, monk.’

Miroku pulled a face. ‘Uh, Inu Yasha, that’s an image I really didn’t need! After all, it’s totally impossible.’ He paused and eyed the hanyou pensively. ‘Well, probably not for you. After all, dogs are rather talented in that area.’

Inu Yasha, his face nearly as red as his haori, growled. ‘You take care what you say, monk, or the headless comes sooner than you think.’

Miroku grinned. ‘By the way, my friend, what do you know about women who are head over heels in love? No offence, but past events showed that you are not really experienced in that matter.’

Inu Yasha tossed his head. ‘Keh! I hear and smell more than you think and then all I need to do is use my head to put the pieces together.’

‘But Inu Yasha, you don’t have experience at using your head ! Or am I mistaken?’

The hanyou flushed once more. ‘Monk,’ he snarled.

Miroku leant back and chuckled.

Shippo was looking from one to the other. ‘I don’t understand you,’ he complained. ‘What are you talking about? Inu Yasha? Miroku?’

‘Keh, I’m not going to tell you, brat.’

‘Yes, I agree, you are a little too young to understand and appreciate properly, Shippo.’

The fox was not satisfied. ‘But what kind of head are you talking about?’ He hopped to Miroku and began tugging on his sleeves. ‘Tell me! I want to know!’

Miroku patted the child’s head. ‘When you are older, Shippo.’

Instantly, Shippo fired up. ‘Hey, just because I’m small you think I’m too young to understand! I understand a lot more that’s going on! More than Inu Yasha!’

‘Oi, brat!’

For some time, Inu Yasha chased Shippo around the fire while Miroku sat still and stared into the flames. Finally, peace returned, and Inu Yasha and Shippo sat down, the first sporting a satisfied smirk, the second a large bump on his head.

Rubbing his poor, abused head, Shippo mumbled, ‘But I still don’t understand. And it’s not fair that you won’t tell me!’

A small, white figure uncurled from where she had lain next to the fire, and plodded over to Shippo. Sitting down in front of him, the cat extended a paw and patted Shippo’s crotch.

‘Eh? Kirara, what’s the matter?’ Shippo asked, astonished.

Kirara rolled her eyes and patted him again.

‘I think she’s trying to help you, Shippo,’ said Miroku, clearly amused.

‘Eh?’ Shippo blinked at the grinning monk, then at the smirking hanyou, then at the mug cat, and then he shrieked. ‘What?! You were talking about …? AH!!’

The two males burst into laughter. Even Kirara sniggered.

Horribly flushed, the red of his cheeks clashing with the red of his hair, Shippo, embarrassed, squealed, ‘I’ll tell them! I’ll tell Kagome and Sango what you said! Perverts!’

‘Oi, runt, let them know and I’ll stuff your mouth with your tail!’ protested a now equally embarrassed Inu Yasha.

Miroku nodded. ‘Yes, you’d better keep silent.’ He smiled into the indignant face of the small fox. ‘After all, this is men’s talk. Women wouldn’t understand it.’

Shippo eyed him uncertainly, but his ego was flattered by the fact that Miroku had called him a man. He nodded and sat down.

For a while, all of them were silent. Then Shippo looked up and inched closer to Miroku.

‘Um, Miroku …’

‘Yes?’

‘If … well, if the man has a head …’ Shippo glared at a chortling Inu Yasha, then looked back at the monk. ‘I mean … um …’ He leaned closer and finished in a whisper, ‘What does a woman have?’

Inu Yasha snorted into his sleeves.

Miroku looked surprised. ‘But, Shippo, you’re the one who is always bathing with the girls! You ought to know!’

Shippo pouted. ‘They always tell me to turn my back until they are in the water. And Kagome always wears these bathing-clothes from her land and Sango that kimono-thingy. I never really see anything.’

Miroku sighed and patted his shoulder. ‘Ah, how devastating.’ He smiled at the child and assumed a fatherly air. ‘Well, young one, the best way of describing it is a mouth.’

That stopped Inu Yasha’s mirth. ‘Eh?’

Shippo’s face expressed similar feelings.

‘A mouth?’ repeated Inu Yasha.

Miroku smiled. ‘Yes, of course! A warm, soft, wet opening, perfectly shaped and welcoming …’ He sighed dreamily.

‘Er …’ said Shippo.

‘Soft, pink lips,’ continued Miroku, ‘smiling and inviting you in ... talking in the sweetest language … and, sadly, always bearded.’

Shippo and Inu Yasha laughed hard.

‘Bearded!’ gasped Inu Yasha. ‘Women don’t have beards!’

Miroku rapped Inu Yasha’s head with his staff and the hanyou yelped in surprise. ‘You wouldn’t know, Inu Yasha,’ the monk remarked, ‘but believe me, all the women I knew did have those beards.’

‘MIROKU!’ cried Shippo. ‘How could you!’

‘Eh? How could I what?’

‘Several women … Ew, Miroku!’ Shippo shuddered.

Inu Yasha grabbed a branch and beat at Miroku’s staff, the wooden sound echoing through the forest. ‘Getting head-ish again, are you?’

Miroku laughed. ‘Head-ish. Oh, I must remember that!’

Inu Yasha grinned, pleased with himself. Shippo shook his head. ‘I’ll never understand grown-ups,’ he remarked to Kirara.

‘You see, Shippo, it is better to become a grown-up first before you get yourself head over heels involved,’ quipped Miroku.

Inu Yasha grinned, but suddenly his expression became serious. His ears swivelled and he turned his head into the direction where the girls had disappeared earlier. The other two looked questioningly at him.

‘Inu Yasha? What’s wrong?’ Shippo asked worriedly.

Inu Yasha sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. A light blush appeared on his cheeks and his ears flattened against his skull. He cast Miroku a dark glance.

‘You’d better stark thinking with the right head again, monk.’

Miroku answered his gaze blandly. Shippo tugged at the hanyou’s sleeve. ‘What’s wrong, Inu Yasha? Inu Yasha? Is something wrong with Kagome?’

‘No.’ Inu Yasha’s hard stare was still fixed on the monk. ‘It’s Sango. She’s crying. And …’ He winced and ducked his head. ‘Uh, Miroku, you’ll really be glad if you survive this.’

Miroku bent closer to the fire and prodded the smouldering wood. ‘My survival was always uncertain.’

‘That was not what I meant!’

Miroku shrugged and looked up. His face, lightened by the flames, was calm and without expression. ‘No, but that’s what I meant.’

Inu Yasha frowned. ‘What are you- Damn!’

He jumped up, pulled Tessaiga from its sheath and sprinted off towards the spring, nearly running over poor Shippo.

‘Hey, Inu Yasha!’ cried the fox, tumbling backwards. ‘What’s up?’

Miroku had already grabbed his staff and now jumped over the fire, following the hanyou. Shippo managed to get hold of the hem of his robes and was dragged along.

‘Inu Yasha! What is it!’ shouted the monk.

‘Trouble ahead!’ yelled Inu Yasha over his shoulder. ‘Damn it all!’

He covered the distance to the spring in no time. Bursting through the last line of trees, he was barely able to stop before running headlong into the spring. Miroku, who had followed him closely, could not stop and bumped into him, nearly sending them all into the steaming hot waters.

Inu Yasha growled and shoved the monk back until his footing was no longer endangered, all the while scanning the area. Miroku looked over his shoulder and he cursed inaudibly as his eyes fell on the spring, which was blatantly empty of any females.

Inu Yasha’s gaze had taken in the empty spring, the scattered bathing utensils and the neatly folded clothes. He growled and jumped across the spring, turning his head in every direction and sniffing the air. When he picked up the scent, he started, gave another deep growl and shot forward. Miroku followed him suit.

‘Inu Yasha!’ wailed Shippo from Miroku’s shoulder. ‘What’s going on? Where are Kagome and Sango!?’

‘Taken!’ snarled the angry hanyou.

‘Are you sure?’ gasped Miroku.

‘Hell, they wouldn’t go for a nice stroll in a dark forest completely naked, would they?’

‘As titillating as this image is, I think you’re right.’

‘Keh, of course.’

‘The ghosts?’

‘I think so. Not sure, though. They leave no scent.’

‘You’re following the girls’ scent?’

‘Yeah, and it’s pretty indistinct. It’s as if they were kind of floating.’

‘Floating?’

‘Yeah. And now shut up, I must concentrate.’

Silently, they raced through the forest, tearing through bushes and jumping over fallen trunks. Shippo, who clung desperately to Miroku’s shoulder, was whimpering softly. Snapping branches whipped his face and thorny tendril tore through his clothes. Not that Miroku fared a lot better. His face was soon covered with tiny, bloody scratches. But neither did his step falter nor the dark, determined expression on his face.

The two men left the forest, sprinted across a grassy plain, grey in the moonlight, and delved into another wood. Here, the trees stood at a greater distance to each other, so that their passage was not as difficult as before. Soon, the trees grew only sparsely. Inu Yasha sped up. Ahead, a huge, dark shape revealed itself as another forest. The hanyou headed straight for it.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, followed by two yelps and a dull thud. Miroku ran another few steps before he noticed that Inu Yasha was no longer in front of him and came to a skidding halt. Panting, he turned around to see where his friend had disappeared.

Inu Yasha and Shippo both sat on the ground some ten steps behind him. The hanyou looked angry and Shippo dazed.

‘Inu Yasha! What’s wrong?’

‘Keh, I don’t know! It was as if I had run into a solid wall!’

He got up and reached out his hand. A little in front of him it touched something, and bright waves of light spread from his palm. The landscape in front of him wavered.

‘Damn,’ he hissed. ‘A barrier!’

Miroku ran back. ‘You can’t get through?’

Inu Yasha tried and was repelled. Shippo whimpered. ‘What shall we do now?’

Behind them, Kirara landed and trotted towards the barrier. The giant cat sniffed at the invisible barrier, and then pawed at it. The barrier sizzled and Kirara drew back with a meow.

‘It holds back demons,’ Miroku deducted as he walked over to the hanyou. The barrier glowed softly but let him pass.

‘DAMMIT!’ yelled Inu Yasha and punched the ground.

Kirara growled and took to the air, checking from above if there was a way trough. Shippo wiped at his eyes and tried to get through the barrier but had no more success than Inu Yasha.

The angry hanyou was still punching the ground, growling and muttering under his breath. Then he paused and froze. His ears swivelled.

‘O fuck,’ he groaned and got to his feet, facing to the left.

‘Inu Yasha, wha-’ began Miroku, but his question was cut short by a whirlwind that ran over the hanyou. The monk sighed and looked wearily at the grinning wolf demon that emerged from the whirlwind.

‘Yo, dog boy,’ he said by way of greeting and looked around. ‘Where’s my woman?’

‘She’s not your woman,’ shouted Inu Yasha and got to his feet.

‘’Course she is. Where is she?’

‘We don’t know!’ whined Shippo and Miroku closed his eyes in exasperation. ‘She has been kidnapped by spooky ghosts and now we can’t get through the barrier!’

‘What?!’ Koga looked from one to the other before fixing his angry stare on Inu Yasha. ‘You, dog boy! You haven’t protected my woman! I’ll kill you!’

He shot forward, but Inu Yasha dodged. ‘Keh, it’s not as if I misplaced her on purpose, whiny wolfy!’

‘You should have protected her better! You shouldn’t have let her out of your sight!’

‘Bah, shows what you know! I can’t stay around her all time of the day! She’d go nuts on me!’

‘Who cares what’s happening to you, eh?’

‘Inu Yasha! Koga!’ whimpered Shippo frantically. ‘We have to find Kagome! Don’t fight!’

The two demons did not listen and kept on trying to eradicate each other.

‘Miroku, what shall we do?’

The monk sighed. ‘Well, Shippo, it would have been better if you hadn’t told Koga that Kagome was kidnapped.’

‘But, Miroku -!’

‘You started them, Shippo. Koga might have helped us if we had … well, presented the news a little more delicately.’

‘Oh no, it’s my fault! And Kagome is in danger!’ howled Shippo and clutched at his hair.

Miroku sighed once more and turned to the fighting demons.

‘You should’ve followed her more quickly!’ yelled Koga and attempted to stamp Inu Yasha into the ground.

‘You shouldn’t stop me from following her!’ yelled Inu Yasha and attempted to slice Koga in halves.

‘Hey, Inu Yasha!’ shouted Miroku.

The hanyou did not listen.

‘Then why are you not following her!’ yelled Koga.

‘Because I can’t go through the barrier!’ yelled Inu Yasha back.

‘Inu Yasha! TESSAIGA!’

That stopped the hanyou. ‘Eh? Miroku? What about Tessaiga?’

He was not paying attention to Koga and thus did not see the blow.

‘Oi, you fucking stupid wolf! As if killing me would get Kagome back!’

‘Do something!’

‘I try! You’re not helping me!’

‘STOP IT!’

This time, both demons paused and looked at the monk. Miroku’s eyes were flashing angrily. Inu Yasha ducked his head. He had barely ever seen Miroku so angry.

‘Inu Yasha, do use your head! No, better don’t, simply use Red Tessaiga on the barrier!’

Inu Yasha blinked. ‘That’s a good idea!’

He raised the sword and the blade began to redden. With a shout, the hanyou brandished his sword, giving Miroku barely the time to dive out of harm’s way. Red Tessaiga flashed and the air crackled with energy as the demonic energy of the sword clashed with the energy of the barrier. For some time, red and bright white light blinded everybody.

When the light died down, everybody was staring at the invisible barrier.

‘Is it gone?’ asked Shippo.

Koga did not wait and dashed forward. A blinding flash of light, a startled yelp, and Koga sailed through the air, pushed back by the barrier.

‘Dammit!’ snarled Inu Yasha and brandished the sword again.

This time, Koga was a little more cautious. He only walked. And only landed rather forcefully on his but as the barrier repelled him.

Inu Yasha swore colourfully. ‘That’s impossible! The stupid barrier shouldn’t be able to resist Tessaiga! Dammit, dammit, dammit!’

‘Ah! What shall we do?!’ wailed Shippo.

Miroku quickly weighed his options. ‘I’m going, Inu Yasha!’

The hanyou looked up.

‘I’ll see what I can do!’

‘Hurry, monk!’

Miroku nodded and turned and dashed into the forest. He ran as fast as he could, dodging trees and small boulders. His face was hard and he gripped his staff so tightly that his knuckles became white. Soon, his lungs burned with want of air. His legs cramped, each step became more and more painful. But he did not slow down and ran on, hoping and praying he was going into the right direction.

After what felt like hours to his tired body, the forest opened in front of him. Miroku stopped and nearly doubled over. Panting hard, he gripped a branch and clung to it to keep standing. Then he surveyed the view in front of him.

The forest opened to a small hill at the foot of a mountain range. The slopes of the hill rose gently and were covered with grass. On the hill’s top stretched a large complex of wooden buildings, which was surrounded by a ring of burning torches. The buildings were richly ornamented; little pennants hung from the roofs; the grass in front of the temple was trimmed, yet the place spoke of a long decade of decay.

Light shimmered through the shoji screens and shadowy figures moved behind them. A female voice rose in song.

Miroku breathed deeply, a sigh of relief. He had gone into the right direction. He straightened and then stepped forward to enter the temple, but halfway up the hill he froze. A cold shiver ran down his spine. He paused, and then quickly retreated, hiding in the shadows of the forest.

Just when he had slipped behind a trunk, two ghostly grey shapes floated around the corner of the building. Miroku drew in a surprised breath. He knew the ghosts. So Inu Yasha had been right. But he had been right as well, assuming it had to be a god who had kidnapped all those girls. And now the god had kidnapped Sango and Kagome as well.

Divine Concubine

A InuYasha Story
by CiraArana

Part 5 of 11

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