InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Soul Exchange ❯ War Breaks ( Chapter 17 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: RozeFire 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy / Angst / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.29.2003 | Pages: 6 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 1.6K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy / Angst / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.29.2003 | Pages: 6 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 1.6K | Status: Completed
AN: Well, I just recently discovered that someone has used my e-mail address to sign an online petition to get Cartoon Network to move Inuyasha back to Saturday nights. I am NOT happy about this because I don't appreciate people giving out my e-mail address in that way or pretending to be me by signing in as 'Rose'. I'm pretty sure I didn't sigh this thing (unless it was during another one of my black outs).
This is a stupid thing to do since the subject of the petition involving Cartoon Network's line up for Inuyasha doesn't bother me since I don't live in North America. However, I do sympathise. But if someone abuses my address like this again I will get very mad (something that doesn't happen a lot) and I will take it off my profile page and Iridescent Dreams and so on, which will be a shame because then people won't be able to contact me with questions and comments and things like that.
Well... there's my little rant over with... on with the fic. (I'm so effing mad right now...)
But just before I race on: I haven't forgotten about my other fics just yet - 28 Days is just being slow on me...
Soul Exchange
War Breaks
Night approached at an agonisingly slow pace. Kagome waited in her cell, barely bothering to move for hours. Her wrists now had sores from where the chains had rubbed continuously against her skin... and slowly her sorrow and misery was changing to anger. How dare Inuyasha treat her like this? She'd done nothing wrong? So she'd forgot to mention the fact that she was making deals with the man who'd wrecked Inuyasha's life a little while ago... that was nothing to get too mad over was it?
Sure he thought she'd lied to him, made him believe that she was his friend... but she really WAS his friend. She deserved at least a chance to explain herself.
Of course on the surface he looked all calm and collected - but calm and collected people didn't make snap decisions on whether people lived or denied. He was just being unreasonable... making mistakes... making bad judgement...
Kagome let her chin drop against her chest with a small sigh. He was doing just what she'd done. She'd made a mistake and a flash decision to deal with Naraku... just like Inuyasha was making a mistake and deciding she should die. She'd done it because she was in pain... so maybe he was too.
That would mean of course, that his pain was her fault. She'd caused it. He'd trusted her, he'd liked her, it was obvious. Anybody would have been hurt if the people they thought were friends turned out to be someone else. And to Inuyasha, who had been mislead by Kikyo before... a second blow would hurt twice as much.
All she needed was five minutes alone with him and she was sure that she could change his mind - show him that she really could be trusted and she could still be his friend. She was trying her hardest not to hurt him in her current situation, but it seemed impossible. Everything she touched seemed to turn to chaos.
But Inuyasha wasn't even going to give her a chance to explain. She was doomed if Sango didn't find a way to get her out.
^_^
Sango slipped through the back door of the throne room and glanced across to where Inuyasha, the Captain of the Guard, and several advisors were gathered around a table, obviously discussing something intently between them.
"Inuyasha...?" She called as she approached.
"Not now Sango."
"But-"
"Is Mom out of her room yet?" he asked without turning around to look at her.
He was distracting her from the topic she wanted to talk to him about. She sighed and told him anyway. "She's still isolating herself. She won't even let me in to bring her food."
"Fine... keep her there." Inuyasha shrugged.
Sango blinked at him in surprise. "What?"
He glanced back at her. "She has enough to fret about over Dad dying. I don't want her finding out about Kagome or Sesshomaru. It might just kill her."
"What about Sesshomaru?" Sango stepped towards them.
"He's started a march. Our spies have revealed that he's set off every soldier he has towards the border. He's starting the war. Apparently the spies say that he thinks I'm out of town." He smirked. "Yeah right..."
Panic seized Sango as she glanced out the window. "No... no... not now - he can't start to war tonight! Tomorrow is the new moon!"
Inuyasha shrugged. "Perhaps the fight will be over before tomorrow night."
"Fights are never over in under twenty four hours!" Sango hissed. "We can't fight now - not with Lord Inu's funeral - and Kagome-"
"We have no choice." Inuyasha snapped. "You think Sesshomaru will camp out and have a picnic, while they wait for us to get ready. He doesn't care about Dad's funeral, he'll attack tonight and if we don't intercept him then the first people to die will be the people in the villages closest to the border. I can't allow that."
Sango tried to absorb it all. "This is all going wrong..."
"Don't jinx it, Sango." He turned back to the table with the map laid out on it. "What did you want anyway?"
"Um..." Oh yeah, to convince him to release Kagome. "Never mind."
"Get back to dealing with my mother then."
"Yes, your highness." She bowed in a slightly mocking way and stormed out.
There was no need to try and talk him out of killing Kagome. By the looks of things, every soldier in the kingdom would be heading off to fight Sesshomaru - meaning there would be no one left to execute Kagome. During that time Sango could easily sneak her off the island since the Sand bridge would have risen by now in preparation for the new moon.
^_^
Urami couldn't wait. Soon Sesshomaru's forces would arrive and then without much trouble they'd conquer the South... then Sesshomaru would finally pay her and she'd be at last rich enough to buy her way into a noble title. She could be LADY Urami... and she could marry the richest lord around with her looks.
Urami hummed happily to herself as she folded the sheets that the seamstress had given to her. She couldn't wait... it would only be a matter of days perhaps... maybe even less. She'd make a beautiful Lady... maybe she could even become Sesshomaru's queen? Now there was an exciting thought...
"I should have known the one last happy person in this Kingdom would be you." Inuyasha's voice said from behind her.
Urami spun around, the colour draining from her face. All coherent thought left her mind as she stared at him. "What... what are you doing back?"
"Well, you're a fast one aren't you? I've been back for two days already." He smirked and suddenly dumped a sword in her hands. "Give Mikato his sword back."
"Who?"
"Mikato... the Captain of the Guard, bird brain." Inuyasha rolled his eyes and started to stalk away. Urami glared at his back in annoyance. Of course... he was only ever nice to her when Lady Kagome was around. Where was Lady Kagome anyway...
That wasn't important - what WAS important was finding Sesshomaru and telling him that Inuyasha was back from the mainland - with Tessaiga strapped to his side. This might put a hinder on her plans to become Queen... but first things were first. "Lord Inuyasha?"
"What?" he barked, looking back at her.
"Can I be permitted to visit my family... I'm just worried about them being as close to the border as they are." Urami didn't need to fake her nervousness.
Inuyasha just shrugged. "Fine. But don't come crying to me when you end up being slaughtered with them."
Such a delicate way to put it... Urami slung the sword over her shoulder and headed off to find the Captain so she could deliver the sword. Then she would set about heading North to intercept Sesshomaru... no doubt he was already making a move towards the border by now.
^_^
Kagome rolled her head to the side with boredom. She half prayed that they had forgotten her... but that would mean she would starve and die a lonely, drawn out death. She sighed experimentally tugged at the chains for what could have been the hundredth time... she'd lost count.
She only knew one thing... it must have been close to midnight and Sango hadn't come back yet... and her execution was only a short time away.
Just then she heard footsteps outside and some distinct mutterings of conversation. She could have sworn she'd heard the word 'execution' and 'I've come to pick her up for'. Kagome's heart beat pitched and she suddenly found it hard to keep calm. This was it... she was going to be killed... this wasn't right... Where was Sango?
The door bolt clanged open and she braced for it, watching the doorway, fearful of who would come through. She half expected a big man with a hood and an axe to come through... so she was surprised when dainty Sango came through. "Hey..."
"About time!" Kagome gasped. "It's almost midnight!"
"Some things came up." Sango glanced back through the cell door, checking if the coast was clear. "I just sent the guards up to join the men."
"Why?" Kagome frowned.
"The war's started."
"Oh no..." Kagome whispered. Sango pressed her lips tightly together as she crouched down beside Kagome, producing a set of keys to unlock her chains.
"Sesshomaru is attacking tonight. Inuyasha is leading the South off as we speak."
"Oh no..." Kagome repeated. Now she was even more frightened then before. "What if they're killed? What if Inuyasha is killed?!"
Sango swallowed hard. "I know... considering it's the new moon tomorrow..."
"Oh god, oh god, oh god..." Kagome pulled her freed wrists to her chest to nurse them. "Sango - I can't go! I can't leave them like this!"
"You have to! If you stay then you'll die - you have to go back to the main land." Sango gently pulled her to her feet. "Your brown gelding is waiting outside for you - he'll take you across the Sand bridge - I'll lead you there. But we have to wait a while... Inuyasha hasn't left yet - it's best to wait until he sets off and then we'll go too."
"Sango... I can't abandon him..."
"Why not? He's abandoned you." Sango pointed out with a hint of spite in her voice. "All men do it. Inuyasha's no different. It's best just to go back to you country and forget about this place."
Kagome couldn't forget. She needed to stay there in order to save herself. She needed the Shikon... she needed the cure... she couldn't leave.
"Promise me you won't come back. If you do, I know Inuyasha will kill you." Sango watched her intently. "Promise me."
"I won't come back..." Kagome told her. "For a day at least..."
Sango sighed with anguish, before helping Kagome make her way out of the cell. We'll just keep our heads down for a while ok... They're just waiting for Kouga's troops to arrive and then they'll set off. It shouldn't be too long."
Kagome couldn't help but feel guilty about leaving them all in a mess, but there wasn't much she could do in the mean time other than run away. But she would come back... she couldn't stay away from Inuyasha, that was just asking the impossible of her. Besides... she still had unfinished business and she still needed to explain things to Inuyasha.
She would be back when the battle was over... if Inuyasha was still alive...
^_^
"Som eone's coming!" one of the soldiers on his right yelled and Sesshomaru quickly turned his attention forward, focusing through the trees to see someone rapidly approaching on horse back. He held up a hand to draw the march to a halt as he recognised Urami was the one riding the horse.
This undoubtedly meant some bad news.
"Lord Sesshomaru..." Urami panted as she drew up before him with a quick bow. "It's Lord Inuyasha... he's returned... he's taken the thrown and brought Lord Inu's body back from the mainland..."
There was a tense silence and a few of the warriors swapped unnerved glances.
"Does he have Tessaiga?" Sesshomaru asked after a long pause.
"Yes..."
"Has he mastered it?"
"I don't think so, your highness." Urami gripped her reins tightly, waiting for someone to just shoot her for her ineptness.
Sesshomaru's scrutinising gaze made her shift uncomfortably on her horse... Surely he wouldn't kill her for this... it was in no way her fault that he'd returned early anyway.
"We'll continue." Sesshomaru gestured to his men to move off again. As he passed Urami he darted a cool glare at her. "Inuyasha doesn't pose much of a threat anyway. I'll kill him myself if he lasts that long. You are to head back to the South palace, Urami, and make sure they don't see you."
"Yes, your majesty." She nodded and waited for the men to pass her by before moving off. She did however notice that there were a lot more men on this side than on Inuyasha's side, and they all looked better trained for war. But then again, she hadn't quite seen how many wolf men had joined the South... so the two armies could be at evens now.
One thing was for sure... she was glad she'd been born female... otherwise she would have had been forced into this battle...
Besides... she wouldn't have been so pretty as a man anyway.
^_^
When Kouga and his men arrived at the South palace they came upon a great many people gathered by the lakes outside, watching what looked like a bonfire in grave silence. A few of the women were crying here and there, but most, like Inuyasha, had their heads bowed.
"What's this?" Kouga smirked as he sauntered up beside Inuyasha. "Mourning for your deaths already? A little hasty aren't you?"
"It's a funeral, you asswipe." Inuyasha ground out.
"Oh yes..." Kouga glanced at the bonfire, vaguely able to make out the body being cremated. "Your king, huh?"
"I'm the King now." Inuyasha folded his arms angrily.
"Let's see how long that claim holds up." Kouga turned and started walking back towards his men. "Please try and remember you have a battle coming up. You can't weep all night you know."
Inuyasha, of course, knew that. They were just about finished anyway. He ordered his men to move out, following Kouga's men. He stayed behind until they'd all passed by more or less, before turning to one of the youngest palace maids. She'd been born in the palace, so he knew he could trust her... besides... a thirteen year old couldn't really be a spy.
"Takao... go back to the palace and release Kagome from the dungeons." He said quietly. "Tell her to take her horse and get off the main land and never come back unless she wants to die. If anyone asks where she's gone, tell her she's been disposed of. Got that? Keep it secret. Guard it with your life."
"Yes, your highness." She blushed and bowed slightly.
Inuyasha turned and left the rest of the palace to grieve at the funeral. He fetched his horse and caught up to the head of the marching army. "Hold on a minute!" he yelled, causing everyone to stop. "We have to sort something out before we go..."
"What now?" Kouga called impatiently from a short distance away. "Are you just stalling, 'fraidy cat?"
Inuyasha flashed him a dry look. "We ride only geldings and mares tonight."
"What?" Mikato, the captain of the guard said with surprise. "We don't have enough geldings and mares... we mostly have only stallions."
"And stallions, once they catch the scent of a mare mid battle won't give a shit about serving you - they'll be off chasing the ladies." Inuyasha led his own stallion apart from the others. "That means we can't ride the stallions, they'll disobey. So only mares and geldings. And if we don't have enough..."
He unsheathed Tessaiga in one smooth motion.
"We make the geldings ourselves."
Almost every man on the grassy plains cringed with sympathy pains.
^_^
"Come on, they're gone." Sango tugged Kagome's hand as she ran down the steps of the palace and turned left to head around the corner for the stables. Kagome half dragged her feet with hesitance.
"Sango... I'm not sure about this..." Kagome called quietly.
"We don't have a choice. We have to get you out of here while the men are gone." Sango reached the stables and looked in the doorway. "Good - there's one left."
After disappearing inside the stables for a few moments, she came back out dragging the brown gelding behind her. "Guess no one wanted him."
"Typical." Kagome took the reins off Sango and stroked the gelding's nose gently. "Sango I really don't want to go..."
"You don't have any choice..." Sango beckoned her to follow her. Kagome hesitated for a few moments before following her with a heavy hearted sigh through the gates and between the lakes. Once again as the passed the lake on the left, she got a tingled sensation, but it vanished almost too soon for her to notice.
"Come on Kagome!" Sango called impatiently over her shoulder as she saw the younger girl slow down. "The sooner you get out of here the better..."
"But I really don't want to go..." Kagome whispered to herself as she jogged to catch up, trailing the horse after her.
It was a long walk to the coast where the bridge joined the beach, but Sango didn't want to risk riding in case the heavy sounds of the gelding alerted stray warriors from either the North or the South.
"Where do you think they are now?" Kagome fretted. "Do you think they're fighting yet?"
"I'm not sure... depends on how much ground Sesshomaru's covered. They may have chosen their battlefield by now though..." Sango whispered as she treaded through the sands.
The sand bridge came into view soon and for a long time the two girls just stood before it, staring out.
"I'll miss you..." Sango smiled weakly. "Lady Inu will too when she finds out."
Kagome found a lump forming in her throat. She felt sorry for the Queen... well... she felt sorry for everyone on this blasted island. "I shouldn't leave you in this mess."
"What can you do to help it?" Sango rubbed her arms to keep warm. "You did good things while you were here... you may not believe it but Inuyasha calmed down a lot since your arrival. Before you came he was as hot tempered as... um... a woolly mammoth wearing three or four layer of clothing and sitting in a hot spring in a volcano... on a hot day."
"That's hot."
"Yeah..." Sango cleared her throat. "It's a shame you had to go and get mixed up with... you know..."
"I'm really sorry."
"You don't have to apologise to me." Sango walked forward and pulled Kagome into a hug. "Just get out of here with your head still attached, ok. Don't come back."
Kagome didn't say anything. She promised herself to come back as soon as possible... maybe even tomorrow night.
A sudden flash lit the space behind Kagome's eyelids and she snapped her eyes open, blinking rapidly, trying to clear the dancing sunspots from her vision. Everything was in black and white again and Sango and the gelding were gone.
"Kagome?" Sango called hesitantly as the girl pulled back from the embrace and seemed to be looking intently at something further up the beach. She looked in the same direction but saw nothing but sand and rocks and inky black waters lapping at the sands.
"Someone's coming." Kagome squinted her eyes. "They're on a horse..."
Sango looked harder. "Kagome... there's no one there."
"No - I'm having a vision."
"Not now - don't get distracted - you have to leave!" Sango clapped her hands before Kagome's partially unseeing eyes. "Wake up - you have to leave now if you want to make it back to the mainland in time for morning!"
"Wait..." Kagome took a few steps forward at the approaching rider. She couldn't see colours but everything about him was dark. Dark horse, dark hair, dark clothes and his face was cast in shadows. He was heading right for the bridge. "He's human."
"I don't understand..." Sango was looking around the way Kagome was, as if maybe she could catch a glimpse of the past as well. "Who do you see?"
"I don't know... I can't see his face properly..." Kagome toddled off as the rider passed right by them, walking slowly towards the sand bridge. "He's... he's got a black horse I think... black hair... it's pulled back in a small tie."
Sango was getting a nagging feeling. "Is he carrying a staff?"
"Um..." Kagome looked. "No."
Sango cast her eyes to the sand. "It's Miroku... he's leaving... he left his staff here for some reason."
"That's Miroku?" Kagome stared after him, stumped into complete shock for a moment, before bursting into movement. "Where's the gelding?"
"Right here." Sango took Kagome's hand and pulled her to the horse.
"Good." Kagome started to swung herself into the saddle "Now I'll just-"
"You're sitting the wrong way."
Kagome corrected herself before starting again. "I'll follow him."
"Kagome that's crazy..." Sango sighed. "Don't bother."
"I can follow him to wherever he is now!" Kagome said as if it were the most logical thing in the world.
"Miroku left almost a year ago - he's long gone now."
"No harm in trying." Kagome saw the other rider in her vision kick his horse into motion and start to fly down the bridge at top speed. "Gotta go - see you tomorrow Sango!"
"No! Don't come back!"
"Sorry!" Kagome called over her shoulder as she spurred the gelding to follow Miroku's trail.
Sango watched her chase after her invisible vision and sighed. She wouldn't find Miroku... she probably wouldn't come back. And if she did she had better not bring Miroku with her.
She waited patiently until Kagome was finally gone from sight and had faded into the darkness out at sea, before finally turning and heading back in the direction of the South palace. She made sure to take the long way around the edge of the island, just in case she bumped into any trouble tonight.
^_^
Mika to, the captain of the guard watched warily as Inuyasha crouched down to the ground and pressed a hand against the earth. Tiny vibrations in the soil told him what he wanted to know. He rose to his feet and scanned the forest on the opposite side of the meadow they'd found.
"They're in the those trees, heading this way." Inuyasha told the others who shifted restlessly. "This'll be the place."
"Are you sure this is a good place to fight?" Kouga scowled grumpily.
It wasn't like the meadows outside the palace, considering the grasses reached up to well past knee level... but the earth was hard and dry, so at least the footing would be secure. "The only thing we'd have to look out for would be rattlesnakes."
Kouga shuddered. "Hate snakes..."
Inuyasha made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snake's rattle. Kouga turned a glare on him, watching the hanyou smirk and make his way further into the meadow. The others felt less inclined to follow and stayed put beside the tree line as Inuyasha stopped a couple of metres away, hand braced against the hilt of his sword.
Kouga skulked up beside him. "You're scared. Aren't you?"
Inuyasha gave him a flat look. "Not for myself." He suddenly smirked. "Just don't go running back to Mommy, the first time you get stabbed."
"At least I don't still live with my Mommy." Kouga shot back.
"Well at least I'm the King of an empire - and you're not." Inuyasha retorted.
"Oh, dog-turd, you have a little something on your shirt..." Kouga touched the cloth of Inuyasha's shirt under his chin. When Inuyasha looked down he haplessly flicked his nose. "Idiot... even my baby sister wouldn't fall for that one..."
Inuyasha, feeling less restrained, felt free to pop Kouga around the jaw with his fist calmly enough.
Mikato leaned down and whispered something to a fellow warrior who nodded. "They seem to be getting on better, don't you think?"
Just then, movement across the meadow drew all activity to an abrupt halt. The silence was so eerie... even the crickets had fallen quiet as the South looked on with rapt attention as a few men on horse back appeared through the trees in the distance.
The man in front certainly looked the best... and by far the most beautiful of all of them. It had been a while, but Inuyasha vaguely recognised his brother. Out of pure instant reaction he gripped his father's sword even tighter.
Kouga broke the silence with a scoff. "Is that all they have?" he smirked. "This'll be a doddle."
He'd barely finished his sentence when men on foot appeared out of the trees, followed by more men on foot behind them... exiting the trees in a trickling leak along the whole line of the forest. Everyone behind Inuyasha began to get uneasy all over again. Kouga had promptly shut up.
A few minutes later and the whole border of the opposite tree line was swamped with soldiers from the North, all looking rather formal and organised. There was no doubt in Inuyasha's head that there were more men behind that first wave.
They were severely outnumbered here and definitely outmatched. They were as good as dead already.
"Draw!" Inuyasha yelled as he unsheathed Tessaiga in a sweep.
The sound of scraping metal on metal filled the void of silence as hundreds of blades glinted as they were drawn from their scabbards. The archers up front drew their bows and aimed at the enemy lines. Not that any of the arrows could pierce Sesshomaru's armour.
Inuyasha didn't dare take his eyes off Sesshomaru. His cool expression didn't give away much... and it almost took Inuyasha by surprise when his brother suddenly yelled out his order. "Charge them!!" Sesshomaru, however, hung back as his men raced forward.
"Fire!" Inuyasha quickly followed and the archers released their arrows.
The shafts of wood and metal flashed through the air with faint whistling sounds to sink into the midst of the army converging on them. A few dozen men were felled... but that was a minuscule number compared to the majority that survived.
"Again!" Kouga yelled.
Inuyasha didn't like the wolf man giving orders like he was in charge, but since that was the order he was going to give anyway, he didn't bother arguing.
Another wave of arrows soared through the air, this time hitting more targets as the archers steadied their nervous hands. But it was still in no way enough to strike down the entire onslaught.
By now they'd approached too far and too fast to continue firing at with arrows. Inuyasha swung back on his horse and gave it a sharp kick in the flanks, not bothering with any verbal order to set the battle in motion. The men just followed instinctively behind him as they raced forward.
Inuyasha could see Sesshomaru still hung back around the trees...
And he had the gall to call Inuyasha the coward...
< br>
AN: Next chapter 'New Moon' Oh - I bet you can't guess what THAT means! ¬_¬
This is a stupid thing to do since the subject of the petition involving Cartoon Network's line up for Inuyasha doesn't bother me since I don't live in North America. However, I do sympathise. But if someone abuses my address like this again I will get very mad (something that doesn't happen a lot) and I will take it off my profile page and Iridescent Dreams and so on, which will be a shame because then people won't be able to contact me with questions and comments and things like that.
Well... there's my little rant over with... on with the fic. (I'm so effing mad right now...)
But just before I race on: I haven't forgotten about my other fics just yet - 28 Days is just being slow on me...
Soul Exchange
War Breaks
Night approached at an agonisingly slow pace. Kagome waited in her cell, barely bothering to move for hours. Her wrists now had sores from where the chains had rubbed continuously against her skin... and slowly her sorrow and misery was changing to anger. How dare Inuyasha treat her like this? She'd done nothing wrong? So she'd forgot to mention the fact that she was making deals with the man who'd wrecked Inuyasha's life a little while ago... that was nothing to get too mad over was it?
Sure he thought she'd lied to him, made him believe that she was his friend... but she really WAS his friend. She deserved at least a chance to explain herself.
Of course on the surface he looked all calm and collected - but calm and collected people didn't make snap decisions on whether people lived or denied. He was just being unreasonable... making mistakes... making bad judgement...
Kagome let her chin drop against her chest with a small sigh. He was doing just what she'd done. She'd made a mistake and a flash decision to deal with Naraku... just like Inuyasha was making a mistake and deciding she should die. She'd done it because she was in pain... so maybe he was too.
That would mean of course, that his pain was her fault. She'd caused it. He'd trusted her, he'd liked her, it was obvious. Anybody would have been hurt if the people they thought were friends turned out to be someone else. And to Inuyasha, who had been mislead by Kikyo before... a second blow would hurt twice as much.
All she needed was five minutes alone with him and she was sure that she could change his mind - show him that she really could be trusted and she could still be his friend. She was trying her hardest not to hurt him in her current situation, but it seemed impossible. Everything she touched seemed to turn to chaos.
But Inuyasha wasn't even going to give her a chance to explain. She was doomed if Sango didn't find a way to get her out.
^_^
Sango slipped through the back door of the throne room and glanced across to where Inuyasha, the Captain of the Guard, and several advisors were gathered around a table, obviously discussing something intently between them.
"Inuyasha...?" She called as she approached.
"Not now Sango."
"But-"
"Is Mom out of her room yet?" he asked without turning around to look at her.
He was distracting her from the topic she wanted to talk to him about. She sighed and told him anyway. "She's still isolating herself. She won't even let me in to bring her food."
"Fine... keep her there." Inuyasha shrugged.
Sango blinked at him in surprise. "What?"
He glanced back at her. "She has enough to fret about over Dad dying. I don't want her finding out about Kagome or Sesshomaru. It might just kill her."
"What about Sesshomaru?" Sango stepped towards them.
"He's started a march. Our spies have revealed that he's set off every soldier he has towards the border. He's starting the war. Apparently the spies say that he thinks I'm out of town." He smirked. "Yeah right..."
Panic seized Sango as she glanced out the window. "No... no... not now - he can't start to war tonight! Tomorrow is the new moon!"
Inuyasha shrugged. "Perhaps the fight will be over before tomorrow night."
"Fights are never over in under twenty four hours!" Sango hissed. "We can't fight now - not with Lord Inu's funeral - and Kagome-"
"We have no choice." Inuyasha snapped. "You think Sesshomaru will camp out and have a picnic, while they wait for us to get ready. He doesn't care about Dad's funeral, he'll attack tonight and if we don't intercept him then the first people to die will be the people in the villages closest to the border. I can't allow that."
Sango tried to absorb it all. "This is all going wrong..."
"Don't jinx it, Sango." He turned back to the table with the map laid out on it. "What did you want anyway?"
"Um..." Oh yeah, to convince him to release Kagome. "Never mind."
"Get back to dealing with my mother then."
"Yes, your highness." She bowed in a slightly mocking way and stormed out.
There was no need to try and talk him out of killing Kagome. By the looks of things, every soldier in the kingdom would be heading off to fight Sesshomaru - meaning there would be no one left to execute Kagome. During that time Sango could easily sneak her off the island since the Sand bridge would have risen by now in preparation for the new moon.
^_^
Urami couldn't wait. Soon Sesshomaru's forces would arrive and then without much trouble they'd conquer the South... then Sesshomaru would finally pay her and she'd be at last rich enough to buy her way into a noble title. She could be LADY Urami... and she could marry the richest lord around with her looks.
Urami hummed happily to herself as she folded the sheets that the seamstress had given to her. She couldn't wait... it would only be a matter of days perhaps... maybe even less. She'd make a beautiful Lady... maybe she could even become Sesshomaru's queen? Now there was an exciting thought...
"I should have known the one last happy person in this Kingdom would be you." Inuyasha's voice said from behind her.
Urami spun around, the colour draining from her face. All coherent thought left her mind as she stared at him. "What... what are you doing back?"
"Well, you're a fast one aren't you? I've been back for two days already." He smirked and suddenly dumped a sword in her hands. "Give Mikato his sword back."
"Who?"
"Mikato... the Captain of the Guard, bird brain." Inuyasha rolled his eyes and started to stalk away. Urami glared at his back in annoyance. Of course... he was only ever nice to her when Lady Kagome was around. Where was Lady Kagome anyway...
That wasn't important - what WAS important was finding Sesshomaru and telling him that Inuyasha was back from the mainland - with Tessaiga strapped to his side. This might put a hinder on her plans to become Queen... but first things were first. "Lord Inuyasha?"
"What?" he barked, looking back at her.
"Can I be permitted to visit my family... I'm just worried about them being as close to the border as they are." Urami didn't need to fake her nervousness.
Inuyasha just shrugged. "Fine. But don't come crying to me when you end up being slaughtered with them."
Such a delicate way to put it... Urami slung the sword over her shoulder and headed off to find the Captain so she could deliver the sword. Then she would set about heading North to intercept Sesshomaru... no doubt he was already making a move towards the border by now.
^_^
Kagome rolled her head to the side with boredom. She half prayed that they had forgotten her... but that would mean she would starve and die a lonely, drawn out death. She sighed experimentally tugged at the chains for what could have been the hundredth time... she'd lost count.
She only knew one thing... it must have been close to midnight and Sango hadn't come back yet... and her execution was only a short time away.
Just then she heard footsteps outside and some distinct mutterings of conversation. She could have sworn she'd heard the word 'execution' and 'I've come to pick her up for'. Kagome's heart beat pitched and she suddenly found it hard to keep calm. This was it... she was going to be killed... this wasn't right... Where was Sango?
The door bolt clanged open and she braced for it, watching the doorway, fearful of who would come through. She half expected a big man with a hood and an axe to come through... so she was surprised when dainty Sango came through. "Hey..."
"About time!" Kagome gasped. "It's almost midnight!"
"Some things came up." Sango glanced back through the cell door, checking if the coast was clear. "I just sent the guards up to join the men."
"Why?" Kagome frowned.
"The war's started."
"Oh no..." Kagome whispered. Sango pressed her lips tightly together as she crouched down beside Kagome, producing a set of keys to unlock her chains.
"Sesshomaru is attacking tonight. Inuyasha is leading the South off as we speak."
"Oh no..." Kagome repeated. Now she was even more frightened then before. "What if they're killed? What if Inuyasha is killed?!"
Sango swallowed hard. "I know... considering it's the new moon tomorrow..."
"Oh god, oh god, oh god..." Kagome pulled her freed wrists to her chest to nurse them. "Sango - I can't go! I can't leave them like this!"
"You have to! If you stay then you'll die - you have to go back to the main land." Sango gently pulled her to her feet. "Your brown gelding is waiting outside for you - he'll take you across the Sand bridge - I'll lead you there. But we have to wait a while... Inuyasha hasn't left yet - it's best to wait until he sets off and then we'll go too."
"Sango... I can't abandon him..."
"Why not? He's abandoned you." Sango pointed out with a hint of spite in her voice. "All men do it. Inuyasha's no different. It's best just to go back to you country and forget about this place."
Kagome couldn't forget. She needed to stay there in order to save herself. She needed the Shikon... she needed the cure... she couldn't leave.
"Promise me you won't come back. If you do, I know Inuyasha will kill you." Sango watched her intently. "Promise me."
"I won't come back..." Kagome told her. "For a day at least..."
Sango sighed with anguish, before helping Kagome make her way out of the cell. We'll just keep our heads down for a while ok... They're just waiting for Kouga's troops to arrive and then they'll set off. It shouldn't be too long."
Kagome couldn't help but feel guilty about leaving them all in a mess, but there wasn't much she could do in the mean time other than run away. But she would come back... she couldn't stay away from Inuyasha, that was just asking the impossible of her. Besides... she still had unfinished business and she still needed to explain things to Inuyasha.
She would be back when the battle was over... if Inuyasha was still alive...
^_^
"Som eone's coming!" one of the soldiers on his right yelled and Sesshomaru quickly turned his attention forward, focusing through the trees to see someone rapidly approaching on horse back. He held up a hand to draw the march to a halt as he recognised Urami was the one riding the horse.
This undoubtedly meant some bad news.
"Lord Sesshomaru..." Urami panted as she drew up before him with a quick bow. "It's Lord Inuyasha... he's returned... he's taken the thrown and brought Lord Inu's body back from the mainland..."
There was a tense silence and a few of the warriors swapped unnerved glances.
"Does he have Tessaiga?" Sesshomaru asked after a long pause.
"Yes..."
"Has he mastered it?"
"I don't think so, your highness." Urami gripped her reins tightly, waiting for someone to just shoot her for her ineptness.
Sesshomaru's scrutinising gaze made her shift uncomfortably on her horse... Surely he wouldn't kill her for this... it was in no way her fault that he'd returned early anyway.
"We'll continue." Sesshomaru gestured to his men to move off again. As he passed Urami he darted a cool glare at her. "Inuyasha doesn't pose much of a threat anyway. I'll kill him myself if he lasts that long. You are to head back to the South palace, Urami, and make sure they don't see you."
"Yes, your majesty." She nodded and waited for the men to pass her by before moving off. She did however notice that there were a lot more men on this side than on Inuyasha's side, and they all looked better trained for war. But then again, she hadn't quite seen how many wolf men had joined the South... so the two armies could be at evens now.
One thing was for sure... she was glad she'd been born female... otherwise she would have had been forced into this battle...
Besides... she wouldn't have been so pretty as a man anyway.
^_^
When Kouga and his men arrived at the South palace they came upon a great many people gathered by the lakes outside, watching what looked like a bonfire in grave silence. A few of the women were crying here and there, but most, like Inuyasha, had their heads bowed.
"What's this?" Kouga smirked as he sauntered up beside Inuyasha. "Mourning for your deaths already? A little hasty aren't you?"
"It's a funeral, you asswipe." Inuyasha ground out.
"Oh yes..." Kouga glanced at the bonfire, vaguely able to make out the body being cremated. "Your king, huh?"
"I'm the King now." Inuyasha folded his arms angrily.
"Let's see how long that claim holds up." Kouga turned and started walking back towards his men. "Please try and remember you have a battle coming up. You can't weep all night you know."
Inuyasha, of course, knew that. They were just about finished anyway. He ordered his men to move out, following Kouga's men. He stayed behind until they'd all passed by more or less, before turning to one of the youngest palace maids. She'd been born in the palace, so he knew he could trust her... besides... a thirteen year old couldn't really be a spy.
"Takao... go back to the palace and release Kagome from the dungeons." He said quietly. "Tell her to take her horse and get off the main land and never come back unless she wants to die. If anyone asks where she's gone, tell her she's been disposed of. Got that? Keep it secret. Guard it with your life."
"Yes, your highness." She blushed and bowed slightly.
Inuyasha turned and left the rest of the palace to grieve at the funeral. He fetched his horse and caught up to the head of the marching army. "Hold on a minute!" he yelled, causing everyone to stop. "We have to sort something out before we go..."
"What now?" Kouga called impatiently from a short distance away. "Are you just stalling, 'fraidy cat?"
Inuyasha flashed him a dry look. "We ride only geldings and mares tonight."
"What?" Mikato, the captain of the guard said with surprise. "We don't have enough geldings and mares... we mostly have only stallions."
"And stallions, once they catch the scent of a mare mid battle won't give a shit about serving you - they'll be off chasing the ladies." Inuyasha led his own stallion apart from the others. "That means we can't ride the stallions, they'll disobey. So only mares and geldings. And if we don't have enough..."
He unsheathed Tessaiga in one smooth motion.
"We make the geldings ourselves."
Almost every man on the grassy plains cringed with sympathy pains.
^_^
"Come on, they're gone." Sango tugged Kagome's hand as she ran down the steps of the palace and turned left to head around the corner for the stables. Kagome half dragged her feet with hesitance.
"Sango... I'm not sure about this..." Kagome called quietly.
"We don't have a choice. We have to get you out of here while the men are gone." Sango reached the stables and looked in the doorway. "Good - there's one left."
After disappearing inside the stables for a few moments, she came back out dragging the brown gelding behind her. "Guess no one wanted him."
"Typical." Kagome took the reins off Sango and stroked the gelding's nose gently. "Sango I really don't want to go..."
"You don't have any choice..." Sango beckoned her to follow her. Kagome hesitated for a few moments before following her with a heavy hearted sigh through the gates and between the lakes. Once again as the passed the lake on the left, she got a tingled sensation, but it vanished almost too soon for her to notice.
"Come on Kagome!" Sango called impatiently over her shoulder as she saw the younger girl slow down. "The sooner you get out of here the better..."
"But I really don't want to go..." Kagome whispered to herself as she jogged to catch up, trailing the horse after her.
It was a long walk to the coast where the bridge joined the beach, but Sango didn't want to risk riding in case the heavy sounds of the gelding alerted stray warriors from either the North or the South.
"Where do you think they are now?" Kagome fretted. "Do you think they're fighting yet?"
"I'm not sure... depends on how much ground Sesshomaru's covered. They may have chosen their battlefield by now though..." Sango whispered as she treaded through the sands.
The sand bridge came into view soon and for a long time the two girls just stood before it, staring out.
"I'll miss you..." Sango smiled weakly. "Lady Inu will too when she finds out."
Kagome found a lump forming in her throat. She felt sorry for the Queen... well... she felt sorry for everyone on this blasted island. "I shouldn't leave you in this mess."
"What can you do to help it?" Sango rubbed her arms to keep warm. "You did good things while you were here... you may not believe it but Inuyasha calmed down a lot since your arrival. Before you came he was as hot tempered as... um... a woolly mammoth wearing three or four layer of clothing and sitting in a hot spring in a volcano... on a hot day."
"That's hot."
"Yeah..." Sango cleared her throat. "It's a shame you had to go and get mixed up with... you know..."
"I'm really sorry."
"You don't have to apologise to me." Sango walked forward and pulled Kagome into a hug. "Just get out of here with your head still attached, ok. Don't come back."
Kagome didn't say anything. She promised herself to come back as soon as possible... maybe even tomorrow night.
A sudden flash lit the space behind Kagome's eyelids and she snapped her eyes open, blinking rapidly, trying to clear the dancing sunspots from her vision. Everything was in black and white again and Sango and the gelding were gone.
"Kagome?" Sango called hesitantly as the girl pulled back from the embrace and seemed to be looking intently at something further up the beach. She looked in the same direction but saw nothing but sand and rocks and inky black waters lapping at the sands.
"Someone's coming." Kagome squinted her eyes. "They're on a horse..."
Sango looked harder. "Kagome... there's no one there."
"No - I'm having a vision."
"Not now - don't get distracted - you have to leave!" Sango clapped her hands before Kagome's partially unseeing eyes. "Wake up - you have to leave now if you want to make it back to the mainland in time for morning!"
"Wait..." Kagome took a few steps forward at the approaching rider. She couldn't see colours but everything about him was dark. Dark horse, dark hair, dark clothes and his face was cast in shadows. He was heading right for the bridge. "He's human."
"I don't understand..." Sango was looking around the way Kagome was, as if maybe she could catch a glimpse of the past as well. "Who do you see?"
"I don't know... I can't see his face properly..." Kagome toddled off as the rider passed right by them, walking slowly towards the sand bridge. "He's... he's got a black horse I think... black hair... it's pulled back in a small tie."
Sango was getting a nagging feeling. "Is he carrying a staff?"
"Um..." Kagome looked. "No."
Sango cast her eyes to the sand. "It's Miroku... he's leaving... he left his staff here for some reason."
"That's Miroku?" Kagome stared after him, stumped into complete shock for a moment, before bursting into movement. "Where's the gelding?"
"Right here." Sango took Kagome's hand and pulled her to the horse.
"Good." Kagome started to swung herself into the saddle "Now I'll just-"
"You're sitting the wrong way."
Kagome corrected herself before starting again. "I'll follow him."
"Kagome that's crazy..." Sango sighed. "Don't bother."
"I can follow him to wherever he is now!" Kagome said as if it were the most logical thing in the world.
"Miroku left almost a year ago - he's long gone now."
"No harm in trying." Kagome saw the other rider in her vision kick his horse into motion and start to fly down the bridge at top speed. "Gotta go - see you tomorrow Sango!"
"No! Don't come back!"
"Sorry!" Kagome called over her shoulder as she spurred the gelding to follow Miroku's trail.
Sango watched her chase after her invisible vision and sighed. She wouldn't find Miroku... she probably wouldn't come back. And if she did she had better not bring Miroku with her.
She waited patiently until Kagome was finally gone from sight and had faded into the darkness out at sea, before finally turning and heading back in the direction of the South palace. She made sure to take the long way around the edge of the island, just in case she bumped into any trouble tonight.
^_^
Mika to, the captain of the guard watched warily as Inuyasha crouched down to the ground and pressed a hand against the earth. Tiny vibrations in the soil told him what he wanted to know. He rose to his feet and scanned the forest on the opposite side of the meadow they'd found.
"They're in the those trees, heading this way." Inuyasha told the others who shifted restlessly. "This'll be the place."
"Are you sure this is a good place to fight?" Kouga scowled grumpily.
It wasn't like the meadows outside the palace, considering the grasses reached up to well past knee level... but the earth was hard and dry, so at least the footing would be secure. "The only thing we'd have to look out for would be rattlesnakes."
Kouga shuddered. "Hate snakes..."
Inuyasha made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snake's rattle. Kouga turned a glare on him, watching the hanyou smirk and make his way further into the meadow. The others felt less inclined to follow and stayed put beside the tree line as Inuyasha stopped a couple of metres away, hand braced against the hilt of his sword.
Kouga skulked up beside him. "You're scared. Aren't you?"
Inuyasha gave him a flat look. "Not for myself." He suddenly smirked. "Just don't go running back to Mommy, the first time you get stabbed."
"At least I don't still live with my Mommy." Kouga shot back.
"Well at least I'm the King of an empire - and you're not." Inuyasha retorted.
"Oh, dog-turd, you have a little something on your shirt..." Kouga touched the cloth of Inuyasha's shirt under his chin. When Inuyasha looked down he haplessly flicked his nose. "Idiot... even my baby sister wouldn't fall for that one..."
Inuyasha, feeling less restrained, felt free to pop Kouga around the jaw with his fist calmly enough.
Mikato leaned down and whispered something to a fellow warrior who nodded. "They seem to be getting on better, don't you think?"
Just then, movement across the meadow drew all activity to an abrupt halt. The silence was so eerie... even the crickets had fallen quiet as the South looked on with rapt attention as a few men on horse back appeared through the trees in the distance.
The man in front certainly looked the best... and by far the most beautiful of all of them. It had been a while, but Inuyasha vaguely recognised his brother. Out of pure instant reaction he gripped his father's sword even tighter.
Kouga broke the silence with a scoff. "Is that all they have?" he smirked. "This'll be a doddle."
He'd barely finished his sentence when men on foot appeared out of the trees, followed by more men on foot behind them... exiting the trees in a trickling leak along the whole line of the forest. Everyone behind Inuyasha began to get uneasy all over again. Kouga had promptly shut up.
A few minutes later and the whole border of the opposite tree line was swamped with soldiers from the North, all looking rather formal and organised. There was no doubt in Inuyasha's head that there were more men behind that first wave.
They were severely outnumbered here and definitely outmatched. They were as good as dead already.
"Draw!" Inuyasha yelled as he unsheathed Tessaiga in a sweep.
The sound of scraping metal on metal filled the void of silence as hundreds of blades glinted as they were drawn from their scabbards. The archers up front drew their bows and aimed at the enemy lines. Not that any of the arrows could pierce Sesshomaru's armour.
Inuyasha didn't dare take his eyes off Sesshomaru. His cool expression didn't give away much... and it almost took Inuyasha by surprise when his brother suddenly yelled out his order. "Charge them!!" Sesshomaru, however, hung back as his men raced forward.
"Fire!" Inuyasha quickly followed and the archers released their arrows.
The shafts of wood and metal flashed through the air with faint whistling sounds to sink into the midst of the army converging on them. A few dozen men were felled... but that was a minuscule number compared to the majority that survived.
"Again!" Kouga yelled.
Inuyasha didn't like the wolf man giving orders like he was in charge, but since that was the order he was going to give anyway, he didn't bother arguing.
Another wave of arrows soared through the air, this time hitting more targets as the archers steadied their nervous hands. But it was still in no way enough to strike down the entire onslaught.
By now they'd approached too far and too fast to continue firing at with arrows. Inuyasha swung back on his horse and gave it a sharp kick in the flanks, not bothering with any verbal order to set the battle in motion. The men just followed instinctively behind him as they raced forward.
Inuyasha could see Sesshomaru still hung back around the trees...
And he had the gall to call Inuyasha the coward...
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AN: Next chapter 'New Moon' Oh - I bet you can't guess what THAT means! ¬_¬