InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Cave ❯ Know Your Enemy ( Chapter 4 )

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

I own nothing connected with the story or characters of Inuyasha. I make no money from this.


I would like to thank the lovely kojika00/malitiadixie for all the help she’s provided.


Know Your Enemy


The group kept in careful contact with each other. Shippou kept up an almost constant stream of chatter, freeing the others from the need to talk. The little kit informed the others of the effects he’d suffered while under the influences of the incredible darkness.


He explained the utter desolation of watching the events of the past unfold while not being able to effect any changes. He told of the feelings of complete separation and aloneness that had taken over his entire wold. He spoke of his own inadequacies that had been brought to the fore of his mind, and they all recognized their own feelings in the child’s words.


While listening to Shippou talk they all realized that the jealous nature of the darkness was growing angrier with each step that they took toward freedom. The floor of the cave shook, and rocks tumbled from the walls at the group’s passing. Sango stumbled over a dislodged rock that had landed in her path, but due to her arm around Kirara, and Miroku’s support on the other side of her, contact was not broken.


Suddenly the ceiling of the cave in front of them gave way, and they found themselves trapped in a massive cave in. The dust was far too thick to enable sight, even with the aid of the still glowing hilt.


When the dust settled, and it was ascertained that all were relatively uninjured, Inuyasha thought back to the rather flippant remark that he’d made to Kagome before the darkness had come.
It seemed that rocks could put up a fight, indeed. They just chose their time of battle with great cunning. The hanyou knew that he lacked the strength to lift his mighty sword, let alone use it to pulverize the rocks that now lay before them. The slowed but continual weeping of blood from his leg had sapped even more of his strength and power. His right shoulder still jutted at an unnatural angle, precluding the ability to swing his Tessaiga properly. The thought that he was unable to provide the help that his Kagome needed echoed through his mind, pulling him closer to the waiting darkness.


Kagome noticed that Inuyasha was close to unconsciousness. She sensed that not only was physical contact necessary between them to ward off the dark powers, but a mental connection was required, also. Holding the boy’s face in both her hands, making a deep connection with her eyes, she spoke calmly and soothingly, “Inuyasha, you’ve got to hold on a little longer. We need you here with us. Without everyone, we’re all lost.”


Silently vowing to use every bit of strength he had to do as Kagome had requested, Inuyasha weakly nodded his head. He would find a way, somehow, to remain with his miko. The soft, warm embrace of love proved to be greater than the cold, harsh cradle of darkness.


Miroku knew that the hanyou’s strength could not be counted on to remove them from danger this time, so he cast about for anything that might remedy the situation. What he found was not what he expected.


The cave in had served to open a previously sealed niche in the cave wall. Carefully reaching into it his fingers felt the edges of a scroll that had been concealed within the concavity. Pulling it out, he wondered at the age of the brittle writing material. His innate curiosity and thirst for knowledge pushed him to let the scroll unfurl so that he could read it.


Sango could feel the monk’s movements through their points of shared contact, along with a small surge of power, and inquired, “What is it, Hoshi? What have you found?”

“It seems to be some sort of ancient text. Most of it appears to have been written in a very archaic form. It will take time to decipher it, time that we do not possess at present. The first part, though, looks to be a map of these very caves. It’s not easy to make out in this light, but I think there may be another way to escape.”

Worrying about the apparent effort it was taking Inuyasha to even hold up his head, Kagome said, “If there’s another way out, we’d better find it before too long. I have to find a way to stop Inuyasha’s wound from bleeding soon. I don’t know how much longer he can hold on.”


“Keh! I’ll make it fine, wench. You keep forgetting I’m not a puny human, like you.”


“You may have more strength than us, my friend, but from the amount of blood on Kirara’s side, even your great reserves must be strained.” Miroku always seemed to know the best way to persuade others to get what he desired, and talking to Inuyasha was not an exception.


Sango had been looking at the map over Miroku’s shoulder. Now she joined the conversation for the first time. She had been unusually quiet since she had been forced into her own nightmare world. “The shortest route out of this cave would necessitate that we backtrack quite a bit. If we go back to the closest offshoot, it would take us far longer to gain our freedom. I don’t particularly care to return so close to the source of the darkness, but I do think that time is of the essence.” The slayer didn’t like the way that the hanyou looked, even in the dim light that was granted. It was a moral imperative that she not allow anyone else in her life to die.


The group reversed the direction of their trek. The closer they came to the epicenter of the darkness, the quieter they became. As they neared the closest point to their unknown enemy they could all feel the viciousness of the attempted attacks buffeting their already bruised psyches. They could hear Inuyasha’s ragged breaths, as the hanyou seemed to be faring the worst of them all. The strain of holding on to consciousness while battling the effects of his injuries seemed to be taking a great toll.
Even experiencing the debilitating effects of the darkness, the remainder of the group redoubled their efforts to leave the cave. They knew that any delay could prove disastrous. Kagome held on to her wounded protector even tighter, as Shippou climbed aboard Kirara to help steady Inuyasha.

Sango flanked the fire cat’s other side and helped hold the hanyou in place. The memories of how Inuyasha had aided her in the past, even forgiving her for trying to take Tessaiga, ran through her mind, giving her strength. This time she would not give up. This time she would not stand by as someone she cared for died. “If you are up to it, Kagome, I can travel at a faster pace. I would just as soon be out of this place quickly.”


“I think I can stand to go a little faster. How about you, Miroku?”


“I’m always ready for a challenge, my dear ladies. I only wish to remove ourselves from this area so that I can discuss a plan I have devised that will prevent
our being trapped again.”


As they made their way away from the dark force, all watched their friend intently. Seeing how hard it was for the hanyou to remain upright, they kept close to Kirara’s sides. Even Shippou did what he could to ensure that Inuyasha would not fall.


The neko kept her steps steady and even. She could feel the wetness of the boy’s blood as it dripped slowly down her side. She could feel the strain of the hanyou’s heart as it continued in its desire to beat. She could feel his hands slowly losing their grip in her fur. When she felt him start to slip, she would nudge her mistress. Sango would set the young man to rights again without even missing a step.


Once they were far enough away from the center of the evil, Miroku felt free to tell the others of his plan. They would continue as quickly as possible, enclosed in a weak barrier. This would keep the darkness from knowing exactly what they were doing, while still not angering it with their sudden absence. They would walk in a linear mode, with himself leading the way. He would place ofuda as far in front of them as possible, to prevent the evil from reaching them, or overtaking their position. With proper care, the entity of the dark would never know what they were doing.


Knowing that there was no better moment in time to begin than the one they were experiencing right then, Miroku erected his barrier with care. He set the first ofuda down within the barrier, and threw the next as far out in front as he could. Thus the path in front of them was guaranteed to be free of evil.


They continued on in this fashion for some time until he felt Sango pull him back. She’d had to make a quick catch of the falling hanyou. While walking single file let them leave a bigger profile to confuse the darkness, it failed to provide support for the waning hanyou.


Kagome had rushed to his side when she saw him begin to slip, but Sango had reached Inuyasha before the miko could. Both girls and Shippou could see that Inuyasha was losing his battle to remain conscious. Fearing for his safety if he should lapse into sleep, Sango said, “We could cover the remaining ground more quickly if we rode on Kirara with Inuyasha between us. I don’t believe we have much further to go. According to the map, there should be a turn in the tunnel just ahead, and the entrance is just beyond that. Kirara can you carry us that far?”


Receiving an affirmative nod from the cat, Kagome held Inuyasha up while Sango climbed on the neko’s broad shoulders. Miroku kept one hand firmly holding the cat’s fur while Sango steadied the hanyou as Kagome took her place behind the boy. The two women both noticed the perspiration saturated hair and the tremmors that now wracked the body of the man they were supporting. “We have to hurry, Hoshi. I don’t think Inuyasha can hold on much longer.”


With a huff, and a ‘Keh!’ set to break from his lips, Inuyasha’s indignant reply was interrupted as the monk replied, “Come, Kirara. We can quicken our pace now.”

The monk and the cat did quicken their steps, indeed. Soon the group found themselves running through the tunnel. Miroku was hard-pressed to keep hurling his ofuda in front of them. He found his strength renewed when he spied a faint reduction in the darkness before him. It was enough to show where the tunnel changed direction. As soon as the group made the turn, the light of day could be seen shining through a small opening.

This mouth of the cave system was not as large as the one from which they had entered, but it was expansive enough to provide a comfortable egress. Just as Miroku started to pass through the arch of the opening, the rocks above began to fall. Launching himself into the air, the monk felt Kirara leave the ground, also. The two made it out just as the top of the opening fell to the ground. This entrance to the caves was effectively sealed.


The group had a second to blink in the bright sunlight and take a deep breath of the fresh air before Inuyasha lost his war with unconsciousness. “We have to get back to where I left my pack. I have medicinal herbs and bandages in there. I have to take care of Inuyasha’s injuries.” Kagome’s voice held the slightest twinge of hysteria now that they were safely out of the cave.


“Kirara, take them back to the place of our original entrance. I will return as soon as I say a prayer to seal this entrance for good,” Miroku told the cat.


Kirara took off with her passengers, and the monk turned toward the rocks covering the opening. As Miroku began his prayer, the tumbled rocks merged into a solid mass. When his job was finished he began the walk back to the place that had been their original introduction to the darkness.


Starting out at a walk, Miroku soon quickened to a run, realizing that Kagome would need his help in relocating Inuyasha’s shoulder and setting any broken bones. Sealing the cave had taken longer than he realized, and he knew that it would be best to see to his friend’s injuries before darkness settled upon them.

As he reached their original entrance to the cave, he saw that Sango and Kagome had chosen a spot in the meadow where Shippou and Kirara had romped earlier to see to Inuyasha. The girls had wanted to be no closer to the cave than they had to be. Miroku noticed that even though it was still daylight, there was already a fire burning. When he’d drawn closer he also noticed that Inuyasha’s leg was not only re-bandaged with clean wrappings, but his leg was splinted, too. His shoulder no longer seemed to jut from his body at an unnatural angle and was now secured with its own wrappings.

“However did you manage to accomplish this by yourselves? It would have taken great strength to put Inuyasha’s shoulder back into place.”


“When Sango decided she’s going to do something, it’s amazing how strong she can be,” Kagome answered, giving her friend a smile of gratitude. “Without her determination, I don’t know if Inuyasha would have made it. She managed to keep just the right amount of pressure on his wound while I sutured it. And there’s no one I would rather have with me to help set broken bones. It was almost as if she was possessed by the spirit of a great healer.”


“And I found firewood to keep Inuyasha warm,” Shippou added. “I even found just the right branches to use to splint his leg.” The small kitsune was as close to Inuyasha’s side as he could be. As much as they baited each other, there was genuine affection between the two, and Shippou was worried about his friend.


“How is he doing?” Miroku asked as he moved closer to the hanyou. No matter what answer he received from the others, he would have to see for himself in order to be satisfied.


While he inspected his friend’s condition he listened as Kagome said, “He seems to be holding his own now, but he’s lost so much blood that I’m worried about him. We lit the fire to keep him warm. He was shivering so hard by the time we got here that Sango and I almost couldn’t hold him.”


“It seems as if the pallor of his skin is lessening,” Miroku observed. “We should be able to tell more by morning. I don’t think it would be wise to move him further tonight.


“While we rest, I would like to study the scroll that I found. It may provide some insight into what it was that we encountered in that cave.”

“I don’t think rest is in my future, as long as we remain so close to that cave,” Sango said. “If you don’t mind, Hoshi, I will study the scroll with you. If it tells of how to seal the darkness again, I would like to know of it.”


The two moved to the other side of the fire to look at the scroll and learn whatever it cared to impart to them. They kept their heads together and whispered back and forth about specific passages as they went over each line of the text.


Kagome kept herself busy tending to Inuyasha. He had moments of lucidity sandwiched between times of unconsciousness. When he did awake, he told her over and over how much he’d been amazed at her calm intensity. He praised her strength and determination. He was compelled to let her know that without her, none of them would have made it out of the cave. They would have become part of the darkness that haunted the ground.


When he was awake, Kagome insisted that he drink a tea that she had made from herbs to help ward off infection. Leaving the wound untreated for so long was not the best scenario, even if it had been unavoidable. When Inuyasha lapsed into sleep, she would wipe his fevered brow with a damp cloth to help cool him. She wouldn’t be able to sleep or leave his side until she was sure of his recovery.


Shippou and Kirara were both sleeping at the hanyou’s sides. Kirara had resumed her small size once they’d landed. It had been the neko who had decided to make camp far away from the entrance to the hateful cave. She had curled up and gone into an exhausted sleep as soon as everyone had disembarked.

Kagome was startled out of her introspection by Miroku’s movement. “If you have a moment to spare, Kagome, we would like to go over what we have learned.”


“Sure, guys. Inuyasha is sleeping now, anyway. He should be okay for awhile.”


She made her way over to the others, but kept looking back at the man she was sure would be her future. She hated to leave his side, but reasoned that she would still be close enough to him if he needed her.


When she reached the far side of the fire, Miroku began to quickly fill her in on the information the scroll contained. It seemed as if the darkness was an ancient evil that had somehow escaped the depths of hell, itself. A sect of monks, now extinct, had been able to seal the darkness in this cave, but at a great cost. All but one had lost their lives in the fight, and that one remaining monk had laid dying as he wrote the scroll they were now reading.


The manuscript told of how the dark entity gained strength by feeding off the life and livelihood of any living thing with which it came into contact. When nothing but despair was left of the being in its grasp, it would absorb the unlucky victim completely. All three shuddered at that thought that this had almost been their fate.


Never once was the entity named. It was referred to simply as ‘The Darkness’. The dying monk wrote that there was no way to banish it, just as there was no way to banish lightness of the spirit from the face of the earth, but it could be contained within the cave.


Reading further they had discovered that the monks had found that feelings of affection and joy caused a jealous reaction from the darkness. In order to draw it into the cave they had sacrificed a pair of young lovers as bait. When the dark entity was occupied devouring the pair, the monks had wrestled it into the deepest part of the cave. They had sealed the being in the eternal darkness, and set a talisman to keep it from escaping. The talisman was in the rough shape of a cross, or sword hilt. The battle had proved too much for almost all of the monks. They died in the cave from wounds caused by the mighty battle. The lone survivor could only be assumed to have died after he set the manuscript in its alcove.


The last lines of the scroll translated to:

Woe to whoever finds this work, for it means that you have ventured into a place of untenable evil. If the darkness is released it will find its way into the world, once again. It will take one of greater spiritual power and strength than I possess to seal it again. If this should come to pass, the talisman must be set in one of the places of power that are shown on the map. May the grace of the Kami be with you in your endeavor.