InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tsubaki's Revenge ❯ Son of the Dog General ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied.

 

Tsubaki's Revenge, Part IX: Son of the Dog General

“Mistress? Mistress—what's wrong?! I-I just peeked in to see why you hadn't called for the dinner yet and I found you like this--!”

Tsubaki flinched from the paws trying to help her sit up. “I am—I am fine, Yukuuku! I do not need your help!” Pressing one hand against the table and the other against her forehead, she forced herself upright. “If you want to help, get me a cup of tea.”

“Of course, mistress! Right away, mistress!”

Tsubaki didn't listen to the patter of paws leaving the room, trying to understand what had happened. She had turned the healing spell against the hanyo, she recalled, intending to make him scream, to make him acknowledge her superior power. But he had proven more stubborn than she had expected. He had resisted, refusing to cry out, staring her down. Angered, she had matched his glare, increasing the power of her spell, until -what?

There had been a pulse, she recalled. A pulse of power, not her own. It had shattered the muting spell she had placed on the hanyo. The backlash had broken her concentration on the anti-healing spell, and before she could recover, another pulse of power had shattered that as well.

Where had it come from, that power? Surely not from that hanyo! Half-breeds were weak, useless abominations; everyone knew that! It was amazing enough that this hanyo had survived to near adulthood, let alone be able to defy her spell for even a moment. Was someone helping the hanyo—oh, that was ridiculous! The only one who would, that spell-blinded Kikyo, was not the source—it was anything but spiritual in base. So where had it come from?

"M-Mistress? Your tea?"

Tsubaki opened her eyes. A female tanuki—a youkai in the form of a raccoon dog—knelt before her table, a mug in both paws, looking worried. “Are you sure you are all right, Mistress?”

“I will be fine, Yukuuku.” Lowering her hand, Tsubaki reached forward and took the mug. It was warm in her hands. She sipped, and swallowed. The taste was odd but not unpleasant. She took a second swallow, eyed the anxiously-watching youkai, and decided not to question her about the contents. Yukuuku was a stubborn youkai in her own way, and Tsubaki had learned the last few months that some things weren't worth arguing about.

“You may bring in the dishes now,” she said. Her stomach twinged slightly. “No, wait. Just the miso soup and the rice. I will not want anything else for now.”

“Of course, Mistress,” said the youkai with a seated bow. She looked around. “But, Mistress, what about your guest? Your instructions…”

Tsubaki's thin smile was unpleasant. “He—it chose not to be a guest. Please do what I ask, Yukuuku.”

“Yes, Mistress!” The youkai scrambled to her feet and backed towards the side entrance, bowing all the way. “Immediately!”

Tsubaki sighed as the youkai vanished, and sipped again. She'd never intended to have servants, other than any shikigami she created. She hated the groveling of the terrified servants she seen growing up, and a human willing to work for a dark priestess was automatically untrustworthy. But shortly before her failed attack on Kikyo, she had, out of idle curiosity, followed the sound of whimpering to find the tanuki caught in a trap. It had been an intricate trap, woven with spells, and clearly intended to capture a youkai. Intrigued, she had spent some time carefully dismantling the trap, committing its details to memory. The tanuki had fled as soon as she was freed. Satisfied at having unraveled the trap's secrets, the dark priestess had shrugged off the lack of gratitude and gone about her business.

Then came the disastrous attack on Kikyo. Staggering away from the confrontation, dizzy and in pain, she had collapsed in the woods, too weak to raise even the most basic wards against danger. Her last desperate thought had been the horrified realization that she might not ever wake up, that she was utterly vulnerable to the first wild animal or youkai that decided it wanted to snack on a human being.

She had woken up to find herself back in her own house, on her own futon. Staring at the rafters, wondering how she had managed to return to her hut without remembering, she turned her head at a whispered question, and found herself looking at the tanuki she had freed. The youkai had stubbornly insisted on helping Tsubaki, much to her bemused surprise. By the time she was on her feet again, they had come to an understanding. Tsubaki preferred not to have anyone around when she was working. But she had no objection to Yukuuku foraging for food or keeping the woodpile stocked. Yukuuku was also a better cook, though Tsubaki preferred to prepare her own meals more often than not. The tanuki did not live in the house, but she had some way of knowing when Tsubaki wanted her. Which suited the dark priestess just fine.

She shook her head, irritated by her straying thoughts. “Kuroshinshin,” she addressed the air, “The hanyo?”

It did not escape. It is paralyzed, from the poisoned knife.

“Very well. Please bring it back here.”

She felt its assent, and sighed. Leaning back, she drank more of the tea, feeling better by the moment, save for the annoyance she directed at herself. She had let the hanyo's resistance to her first jabs loosen the bounds on her temper. She had let the odd surge of attraction shake her determination. She had let his reactions annoy her, and made assumptions about his strength that were obviously wrong. She had neglected to blend her borrowed youkai energy into the spells she had placed on the hanyo. She was fortunate that the hanyo had been more intent on escape than on revenge, and that the defensive weapons she had created for her shikigami had proven up to the task of re-binding the hanyo.

The shikigami dragged the hanyo back into the room, moving easily, but too short to be able to keep the hanyou's feet from dragging the floor. Kuroshin eased the hanyo down to the floor, and then proceeded to twitch the clothes back into some kind of order. Tsubaki studied the hanyo's lax face, with its half-open, dulled eyes and slightly open mouth, and sneered to herself. The hanyo was not nearly as attractive now, she thought. Nevertheless, she found her hands itching to smooth the long, silky hair the shikigami had pulled forward over one shoulder. She found herself watching as Kuroshin folded the hanyo's hands across his waist, looking at the long, lean hands with their claw-like nails. The fingernails should have struck her as ridiculous. Only a very high-ranking official could take the effort to grow nails long: they should have looked ridiculous gracing the hands of a barbaric creature like a mere half-human. But the hands and nails fit together, and somehow bespoke of power—physical power.

She wondered if those strong hands could caress as well as destroy.

A gasp and the shattering crash of breaking ceramics brought Tsubaki's attention away from her wandering, embarrassing thoughts. Whipping her head around, she saw Yukuuku in the side entrance, tray, broken bowls, soup, and rice scattered about her feet. The tanuki's paws were in front of her snout, and she was shaking, and whimpering. Her gaze was on the hanyo.

"Yukuuku—Yukuuku!" The youkai started, and then looked at Tsubaki with terrified eyes.

"Mistress, oh mistress, please don't let him get me! I'll do anything you want, oh please, please, please!"

Tsubaki stared at her servant. "What are you talking about, Yukuuku?" she demanded. "The hanyo? Surely you're not afraid of a lowly hanyo!"

The tanuki shook harder. "He's not just a hanyo, he's a monster!" she wailed. "Terrible, terrible monster! He hates youkai! He kills youkai! Dozens, dozens and dozens of youkai! He killed three ogres last year! Three! He killed the first, then the two went after him to get revenge, he killed both at once! Oh, Mistress, please be careful! He's not just any hanyo—he's the son of the great Dog General!"

Tsubaki realized that her mouth was hanging open, and shut it with a snap. The hanyo was strong enough to kill a youkai as powerful as an ogre? She glanced at its body. Take away the obvious signs of youkai blood, and the hanyo looked to be no more than a tall, well grown young man, whose abilities lay more in agility and speed than in sheer strength. Able to kill a youkai that was at least five times his height and many times that in weight?

Dozens of questions leapt to her mind, but the first thing to do was to calm the hysterical youkai. "Yukuuku." She smiled gently as the tanuki looked at her. "You have my word; I will protect you from the hanyo. I am stronger that it is: a hanyo is nearly as vulnerable to spiritual power as a youkai, and I have youkai energy to draw on as well. At the moment, it would not even be able to kill a flea: it is completely paralyzed; unable to move." She gestured. "Come, take a look. It can't harm you."

The tanuki nevertheless shivered, though she looked a bit less terrified. "Oh, no, I-I couldn't!" She looked down at the mess at her feet. "I-I must clean this up, mistress—please forgive me for dropping everything!"

"Of course," said Tsubaki, with a slight shake of her head. "Please clean everything up. Then bring back a pot of tea—and a cup for yourself."

Yukuuku looked startled, which was much better than looking terrified. Mistress?"

"I want you to tell me everything you know about this hanyo. And about the Dog General."

 

He'd been paralyzed by poison before. Several times, his brother had attacked him with his poison whip, leaving him helpless or nearly so, though why Sesshomaru always seemed to get distracted before finishing him off was one of those mysteries that Inuyasha had never figured out. There'd been a snake demon once, whose grazing slash had left him numb and clumsy for over a day. But this paralysis was far more complete. Nothing seemed to be moving, save his lungs and his heart. And even his lungs didn't seem to be working that well, for he felt horribly short of breath.

A strong scent and far less strong youki billowed into the room, signaling the return of the tanuki. Inuyasha listened to the youkai's hysterics, somewhat astonished at the tanuki's description of him. A monster? Yeah, he killed youkai, but only because so many couldn't get their tiny minds wrapped around the concept that his half-youkai blood didn't mean he was a weakling. Though if the youkai population of the area decided to leave him alone because they thought he was a `monster', he could live with that description.

He heard the tea being poured, and concentrated on sorting through the scents as an alternative to thinking about his helplessness. The tea had at least five identifiable herbs, though he couldn't have named them all. It was probably rather flowerly tasting, he thought. Not what he'd care to drink.

“Thank-you, Yukuuku,” came the dark priestess' voice as the pouring stopped. “Now, please, be seated. I'm sure there is a lot you can tell me about this hanyo.”

“Yes, mistress.” Inuyasha heard the tanuki seat herself. “What would mistress like to know?”

“Everything,” came the prompt reply. “You mentioned this `Dog General'?”

“The Inu No Taisho used to rule over the Western Lands,” said the tanuki. “He was a very powerful taiyoukai. It's said he turned back several invasions from the west. It's said that he could slay a hundred youkai with one swing of his sword. It's also said that no youkai ever defeated him, and yet, it's also said he died fighting humans, to save the human woman he'd taken as mate, and his hanyo son.”

“So even a taiyoukai can be vulnerable to humans, hmm? Interesting. So what happened to the human woman?”

“I-I don't know, mistress. She's probably dead—humans don't live very long.”

“You do not need to point that out to me, Yukuuku.”

The irritable edge to Tsubaki's voice surprised Inuyasha. He hadn't thought humans might resent their short lives. Of course, he'd never thought about it, period.

“I-I'm sorry, mistress.”

There was a sigh. “Go on.”

“The Inu No Taisho also has an older son, a full youkai, named Sesshomaru. I-I don't know much about him, except it's said he's still young and hasn't gained as much power as his father held.”

“Would he come after some one who killed his brother?”

“I-I don't know…”

Inuyasha mentally snorted. The only reason Sesshomaru would go after someone who killed him, would be because he was furious at not having succeeded in doing it himself.

“… but, well, why would he? I mean, it must be horribly embarrassing to have a hanyo half-brother. To have someone in your family fall in love with a-a human—I-I meant no disrespect, mistress.”

“No.” Tsubaki's voice was thoughtful. “So, this hanyo has a taiyoukai for a father. And, from what you've said, he has a fair amount of power himself. Do you know how he uses his power? Is he fast, strong?”

“I—I don't really know, mistress,” faltered the tanuki. “Inu youkai are supposed to be really fast, and most of them use their claws as weapons. And, of course, they are also supposed to have really good noses.”

Inuyasha swore silently as Tsubaki's aura flickered with her surprise. Why couldn't that wretched tanuki have forgotten that little piece of information! Human noses were so weak, that they tended to rarely think about the smells around them. He'd hoped she wouldn't figure out that particular characteristic until after he'd gotten away.

“Interesting.” Tsubaki's voice was silky, giving no indication by its timber that she'd been surprised. “I would have thought an inu youkai would have been more like a dog, in how it attacks.”

“I think they do, when they're in their true form,” replied Yukuuku. “But they mostly stay in a human form. I—I don't think the hanyo can change form.”

“Well, one wouldn't expect it to be able to do everything a youkai can.” Silence followed, broken only by the sounds of tea being drunk. “Can the hanyo fly, do you know?”

The tanuki did not reply immediately. “I—I've never heard it said he could. But… the story about the ogres … it's said he got above them, and then slashed down with his claws.”

“Hmm.” Inuyasha wanted to growl in pure frustration. Why couldn't that cursed tanuki just shut up! “Does anyone know what the hanyo's weaknesses are?”

“Weaknesses?” The tanuki sounded surprised. “He's hanyo, so I suppose he loses his youkai blood once a month—all hanyos do, or so they say.”

Tsubaki chuckled. “Yes, well, that, I had heard.” Inuyasha would have tensed, if he could, then relaxed as Tsubaki went on without mentioning her personal knowledge of his exact time. “So. Powerful enough to kill two ogres. What other youkai have you heard of, that he's killed? Are there any who survived his attacks? Any stories of his escaping a youkai?”

Inuyasha found his focus starting to waver as the talkative tanuki went silent to consider her reply. He felt cold, dizzy, and his head was starting to ache. He tried to take a deep breath, but nothing happened. A stab of sheer fear shot through his brain. He couldn't breathe! He felt his heart react to the sudden panic, pounding in a fierce, fast determination for several moments. But then it began to slow. His body took a short, light breath, but it wasn't enough—not nearly enough! He tried to move, and his muscles didn't even tense.

Panic like he hadn't felt since he was a child blazed through him, except it felt almost distant, almost a thing apart from him. He screamed a denial in his mind, but it was barely a whisper in a gathering darkness. His fading thoughts cursed the stupid, oblivious woman. Surely she had been planning a more interesting death than this! Surely she had been planning something that he could have fought against, would have snarled in defiance even as she took his life! Not - this - way - stupid - cold

Nothingness.

 

Kikyo finished setting the wards about her camp, then checked her mount. The horse raised her head and eagerly accepted the chunks of sweet potato she'd saved from her pot, then returned to the main business of eating grass. Sighing, Kikyo returned to her tiny fire, checking the stew with the point of her chopstick. In many ways, she would have preferred to travel on foot. The horse would not give her that much advantage in speed, except in an emergency, given the time the mare would need to graze. Her movements were also far more restricted—alone, she could cut through a forest, rather than be restricted to the roads or taking chances on a trail.

But the overriding concern had been Inuyasha. Assuming he'd survived his night in the human form Kaede had described—and of that, she was certain—he would still be very weak. And whether Tsubaki had somehow figured out his responsibility in destroying the Shikon No Tama, or was merely using him to get at her, the dark priestess would not be kind. If everything went well, Inuyasha might be able to ride. More likely, she would need to fashion a drag-sled for the horse to pull.

If Tsubaki didn't manage to kill him.

Biting her lip, Kikyo straightened and pulled the bow and quiver off her back. Removing the bowstring, she wound it neatly and tucked it into a sleeve before seating herself. Opening one bag, she removed a small cylinder and a rag. Dampening the rag with the oil, she began to work on the bow, polishing the wood, and inspecting it for any signs of splits or other flaws. Her thoughts drifted back to that day when Tsubaki had attacked her. She had seen no need to kill that dark priestess, and had been uncomfortable at the very thought. She had accepted the necessity of killing the youkai who sought the jewel: their intent was never less than deadly, and hesitation would mean more than her own life. But to kill Tsubaki would have been different. A matter of choice, not of need, when the dark priestess was clearly injured and helpless from the backlash. To have chosen to kill at that moment—I would have lost my ability to purify the jewel, she thought to herself. And who knew what would have spun from that chosen path? Nothing good, and the jewel would not be gone.

With a sigh, she cast a last glance down the bow's gleaming length, before setting it down on the mat she had unrolled. Checking the pot again, she decided that the stew was finished, pulling it off the fire. Pouring the contents into a wooden bowl, she stirred the food with her chopsticks, waiting for it to cool. Brooding, she wondered what magic Tsubaki had used to get the hanyo and herself out of the village, and more than a day's walk away. Kaede had said Inuyasha had said that the shikigami had smelled of youkai energy. Had Tsubaki taken Onigumo's path? Surely not—Tsubaki surely must have heard at least as many tales as she had, during her training. Nor did such an act seem to fit with what she'd seen of Tsubaki's nature. But there were lesser bargains. Was Tsubaki that greedy—or desperate—for more power?

She had best make the assumption that Tsubaki had made such a bargain, Kikyo decided, picking up the bowl. Which meant that the dark priestess would have more power to draw on than herself.

She was going to have to be very, very careful.

Tsubaki's Revenge, pt 9, page 9