InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sight Unseen ❯ Not Quite a Fairytale ( Chapter 21 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Sight Unseen

Chapter 21: Not Quite a Fairytale


"Maruku, can I ask you something?"

The winged demon finished chewing the food he had in his mouth before responding. "Certainly, Lady Kagome."

The trip so far had proved rather uneventful. They had walked for several hours, until Maruku announced that they were on the edge of windwalker territory. By then, it was early evening. Since they needed time to stop and rest, it was decided that remaining in a more protected area for the night would be wise. They found a small clearing and began preparing space for a fire. Fortunately, they had been given food by Nadira, and so would not need to hunt. Kagome's supplies from home were dwindling, as she had not returned to her time for nearly two weeks.

It was now nearly dark, the crackling fire sending shadows racing throughout the clearing.

"I... I hope you don't mind, but I was wondering if you could tell us more about what happened with... the demoness we met just before you? Shiori?"

"I see." His flat tone told her it was not a topic he really wished to discuss.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I was just trying to piece together everything we've been told, and what's happened. I thought maybe there would be something important in the story that might help us now."

"There is no need for an apology. You could not possibly know what has gone on before. I doubt you will find anything useful in the tale, but I will tell you if you wish."

"Thank you." Kagome smiled in his direction, settling more comfortably against the tree trunk she was leaning on. Shippo climbed into her lap, leaning back against her stomach as if ready to listen to one of the bedtime stories she would tell him on occasion. The others were shifting about as well, though they remained silent as they waited for the windwalker to speak.

"I suppose I should start at the beginning. Though much of the story has nothing to do with Shiori's involvement with Ataru, it does include her relationship with my brother."

"I assume you do not mean Morihiko?" Miroku asked.

"You are quite right. Meitarou was the youngest of my brothers. Morihiko is the eldest. But he is not truly part of what happened with Shiori, other than her role in the assassination attempt on him and Lady Tamaeri."

The winged demon paused for a moment to clear his throat and gather his thoughts.

"Shiori has always been greedy. She wants to be the best, and have the best, or as close to it as she can get. She knows how to play on others so she can get what she wants.

"She originally had her gaze set on me. As Morihiko was already taken, she believed the commander of the hunters, second only to the leader's mate, would be almost as good as the leader of our clan. I could see through her tricks, however, and refused to fall for them. So she went straight from me to Meitarou.

"My brother... was easily fooled. He had just finished his apprenticeship as a healer and was looking for a mate. As I mentioned, Shiori knows how to manipulate those around her, in order to obtain what she desires. She had Meitarou following her every whim within a few days. She thought I would become jealous of what he had, and come after her. I merely warned my brother about her, though he did not believe me."

"Those who believe they have found their mate rarely will," Miroku commented.

"This is true."

"Sometimes, people in love jump to the worst possible conclusions about one another as well. Especially if there isn't enough trust between them, and things happen that really aren't what they appear to be," Kagome murmured, thinking of Kikyou and Inuyasha and absently stroking Shippo's head.

"Unfortunately, that was not the case with Meitarou. He placed too much trust in Shiori. He could not see her for what she was, and it cost him in the end." Maruku paused to collect his thoughts, staring into the dancing orange flames.

"Around the same time, Ataru began campaigning against Lady Tamaeri. He did not agree with the joining of our two clans, nor with our ability to live at peace with each other. He believed his own clan to be the dominant one, that any other was merely fit to be slaves to it. For the most part, each windwalker clan does keep to itself. Some animosity arises between them, but most of the disputes are over territorial lines, and nothing more. Such arguments are easily settled by compromise, which we have learned far better serves our purpose than warring against one another."

"You have reached a higher state of understanding than most humans, then," Miroku commented before the winged demon could continue.

Maruku nodded. "So it seems. But, as you can see, our kind are not without our own faults." He rolled his shoulders and stretched his wings, then went on with his tale.

"Ataru began to gain ground with some of the members of his clan, inciting them to treat members of mine as inferior-- no longer allowing their children to learn with the others, no longer treating the sick. A few small fights even broke out among the hunters, though most are too well-disciplined to bring such personal feelings into their work."

Miroku held a hand up to halt the windwalker's narrative once more. "Where did he acquire his Shikon shards?"

"None of us are certain. He did not have them when he first began to provoke those of my clan. Our theory is that he has held them for some time, however, or else he would not have gained so much popularity."

The monk nodded, waiting for Maruku to go on.

"What about Naraku? Ataru could've gotten the shards from him," Inuyasha muttered. After all, many of the enemies they faced either found the shards themselves, or were given them by Naraku. Not many had found multiple shards on their own, however. Naraku had, which increased the possibility of Ataru's involvement with him.

"Perhaps, Inuyasha. But, we do not have any other evidence. Why would Naraku help a windwalker? Especially one that has no real promise of power?"

The hanyou snorted. "He's given shards to others with no power before. It wouldn't be the first time."

"That's true," Shippo put in. "Like that wolf demon we fought a long time ago, that was terrified of Inuyasha. He wasn't scared anymore when Naraku gave him the shards."

"Kouga?" Sango asked, confused. When was the wolf prince ever afraid of Inuyasha?

"No, it was the one before we met Kouga," the kitsune told her.

"If I recall, it was just after Sesshoumaru received the human arm from Naraku and tried to steal the Tetsusaiga. We had Inuyasha imprisoned in a hut to allow his wounds to heal, when Naraku sent Rouyakan to attack us."

"When Inuyasha shoved me back down the well and stole the Shikon shards," Kagome added, frowning.

"It was for your own good!" the hanyou protested. "I was trying to keep you safe."

Sango tried to get the conversation back on track, wanting to stop another argument from starting as well. She could hear the story of Rouyakan's attack later, when their current task was over. "But these problems with Ataru started several months-- or moon cycles-- ago, didn't they?" She looked to Maruku for confirmation. At his nod, she continued. "Most of those we've encountered that were given shards by Naraku... myself included," she added in a much quieter voice, swallowing and ducking her head, "were somehow in line with where we were traveling, or were searching for us, like Sesshoumaru. There is no way Naraku could've known we were going to head this way."

Inuyasha tightened his folded arms and glared into the fire. "We can't just ignore that he might be involved, though."

Miroku shook his head. "No, we cannot. But with no further proof, we cannot assume he is plotting behind the scenes, either."

The hanyou grumbled to himself, turning his face to stare out into the darkness.

"Please go on," Miroku waved a hand at Maruku to indicate the windwalker should go on with his tale.

Maruku cleared his throat. "Shiori took notice of Ataru's growing power, possibly in light of the shards he carried. Instead of dropping Meitarou to chase after him, however, she kept my brother under the illusion that she still wanted him. Unfortunately, Meitarou was extremely naive where she was concerned."

"Wait," Sango interrupted, brow furrowed in puzzlement. "I was taught that your clans are identified by coloring. Is that right?"

"Yes, that is correct. The color of our wings generally distinguishes us from one another. It is also the color of our feathers in our non-human form."

Sango tilted her head to the side. "And you have dark wings." She paused a moment, eyes narrowed as she tried to remember the fight of a few days before. "Doesn't Shiori... have dark wings as well?"

"Indeed, she does."

Kagome picked up on Sango's line of thinking. "So she must be part of your clan, or a similar one. If Ataru didn't like demons from any other clan besides his own, how did she think--"

"I was just getting to that, Lady Kagome," the windwalker chuckled. His wings relaxed a bit from their folded position, easing the stiffness in his back and shoulders that had been growing steadily as his story progressed. "If you will allow me to continue?"

"We're sorry for interrupting."

"No need for an apology, as I told you before. Your question was a valid one." Maruku cleared his throat, then continued. "As I was saying, Shiori wanted Ataru because of his power. She cared not that he despised those of our clan, believing she could easily find a way around his feelings. It was not an easy task. For what must have been the first time in her life, Shiori could not get what she wanted simply by deceiving Ataru to gain his trust. He would have nothing to do with her, throwing her out of the territory he and his followers declared their own.

"Shiori did not give up, however. She became more determined, willing to use any means necessary to win Ataru's trust. She tried making sure she and Meitarou were seen together in public, with an obvious intimate connection. When that did not work, she began bullying her own family and what friends she had, to imply she found them inferior, just as Ataru did. This ploy did not work, either."

The winged demon paused to draw in a deep breath and look down at the hands resting on his crossed legs. "Her most risky attempt was also her last. Shiori had devised the perfect plan to draw Ataru's attention. A few of her cousins and her brother have disliked my own brothers and I since we were young, their entire family greedy for the power mine had inherited. They picked on Morihiko the most, as he was our father's heir. Once he joined with Lady Tamaeri, becoming joint leader of two clans, Shiori's family's hatred grew. She knew this, and sought to manipulate them in a game of her own devising.

"Shiori sent her cousins and brother on night raids into Ataru's camp. A few of the times, they left what appeared to be notes written by Tamaeri, ordering the attacks. During the raids, they began listening to Ataru's plans for striking back. Shiori had her actions perfectly timed to his.

"After nearly one moon phase, Ataru was ready to retaliate. On the night of the celebration of Lady Tamaeri's son's day of birth, he and a few of his followers managed to sneak past the hunters guarding our village. They hid in the trees in their bird forms for several hours, waiting for the right moment.

"When everyone was ready to salute the Tamiko's health, they were prepared to leap from their hiding places and attack. Shiori's cousins beat him to it, however. They were waiting, as well, and landed in the middle of the revelry as if out of nowhere, arrows trained on Tamaeri and Morihiko from many different angles. Shiori, herself, was there as well. She, however, knew she would not get away with even an attempt on our leaders' lives, and was counting on Ataru to save her before the hunters reached her.

"Shiori had severely miscalculated, though. Ataru may or may not have continued to see her as inferior, but he did not help her or her family members at all. He stayed hidden, sneaking away in the commotion that followed. A few of the hunters discovered them just as they were reaching less-patrolled territory, and chased them into open land. The hunters' intent was to scare, not to harm, and so they eventually returned to their posts later that night."

"I believe we can piece together most of the rest of the story," Miroku commented when the winged demon paused. "I am curious, though. How did you manage to gain this information from Shiori? I cannot believe she would willingly confess."

Maruku sighed before meeting the monk's gaze. "She did not. Our laws do not allow us to take a life for a life, nor for an attempt on a life. What is permitted is much worse, in any of my people's opinion.

"You know that we are telepathic?"

"Yes," Kagome quickly put in as the others nodded.

"It is considered an invasion of privacy to deliberately delve into the thoughts of another, without being invited to do so. Criminals forfeit their right to privacy. Those assigned to question them are allowed to pry into their thoughts if they do not admit to their wrongdoing, or if they have committed such an atrocious crime as murder or even the attempted killing of another.

"That is not the end of their punishment, however. My people are very social beings, among ourselves. We do not live in solitude, preferring to spend our time in the company of others. It is part instinctive, for protection in our bird forms, and part the way our society has developed over time. For the worst crimes, offenders are sent into exile, as Shiori was, with no permission ever granted to return to their home, or the village of any other clan. To a windwalker, this exclusion is far worse than death, as a banished one is forced to continue living with the reminder of their wrongdoing."

Silence followed the rather grave explanation, the sounds of uncomfortable shifting drifting to Kagome's ears as she, herself, crossed her arms over her chest defensively. Something seemed to be missing from the windwalker's story, however. It occurred to her when she mentally ran back over the beginning of the conversation. "What about Meitarou? Shiori... I remember her saying something about him..."

Maruku's fists clenched where they rested against his legs, his eyes sliding closed in pain. His chest rose and fell with the breath he took before responding. "Meitarou... was caught in the chaos that erupted with Shiori's attack on Tamaeri and Morihiko. Shiori had not planned for him to be so, but, as I said before, her plot had backfired.

"She was standing, waiting for Ataru to come out of the trees, her own bow aimed at Morihiko. Meitarou saw, and moved to stand in front of his brother. At the same moment, a hunter flung himself at Shiori, the angle of his charge knocking her arm, and letting the arrow loose."

Kagome gasped, raising a hand to her mouth in shock. "She...?"

"Shiori was the one who killed my brother, doubling her crimes with his death."

"I'm so sorry," the girl whispered, horrified that she'd asked him to tell of the events in the first place. "I never meant to--"

"I know, Lady Kagome. You have nothing to explain. I gave you the answers of my own free will."

No one else was willing to speak. The quiet was interrupted only by the soft sounds of the night around them.

Miroku eventually rose and added more wood to the fire, the new fuel sending bright sparks high into the air.

"I will take the watch tonight," Maruku murmured, standing in order to stretch his dark wings wide. "You all need rest after your short night."

The others nodded in agreement, shifting where they sat but making no move to attempt sleep for quite some time.