“My Sweet Emotion”
by Ash
Chapter 03:
Truth and Fate
My eyes shrank to slits as I stared at the newcomer. His face was ageless; he could’ve been twenty-five, or he could’ve been forty. Black hair hung down raggedly almost to his waist, hair that was worn loose and free and looked as if it hadn’t been washed in ages. The man’s outfit was entirely dark: a navy blue gi and hakama with matching tabi, making his pale face stand out even more. His bokken and shinai cases were slung over his shoulder, proof that he had been walking home from kendo practice and hadn’t bothered to change.
I felt the all too familiar pang in my chest I had whenever Naraku approached. The hate burned inside of me. This man had killed both my parents and little brother within a span of twenty-four hours. I had been only ten when they were murdered; Kohaku had only been five. Their cries pierced my ears as they were buried alive in our own backyard. From then I vowed revenge. I went to the police, but they wouldn’t help, they couldn’t help. But if they couldn’t do anything, what chance did a kid have? That was when I was discovered by Amethyst. She took me in and cared for me, teaching me all the summons I know. Amethyst had been the greatest necromancer in the country. Her skills were known far and wide, but no one really knew who she was. Emerald and Sapphire, her sisters, had taught Inuyasha and Kagome their trade as well.
Still, though, at sixteen with my six years of training I was not powerful enough to defeat Naraku. Revenge would have to wait.
Naraku walked casually up to the gate. His movements were graceful, yet so deadly. “Ah, Miroku,” he said, “What a coincidence meeting you here.” He sniffed the air lightly, tasting the death in the atmosphere. “Died already, have we?”
Houshi came at his offender briefly, but I stopped him with my arm. The last thing I needed was a battle in my yard.
“Is it that obvious?” he asked, his voice dripping with loathing.
“Of course it is. You really do stink that horribly. You ought to do something about that, you know.” Naraku turned to me. “Now, Sango, I thought you had better taste than this. A dead man?” He sucked his breath in through his teeth. “Not exactly a strong foundation for a relationship, wouldn’t you agree?”
My fisted hand swung at him as hard and fast as I could manage. I was quick, but Naraku was quicker. He easily dodged my blow, stepping backward a bit before bowing.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, my dear. I’ll be on my way now. Have fun with that slave of yours. See ya.” And he walked off down the road again, leaving us to glare at his back.
As I breathed in deeply I heard Houshi curse under his breath. The air was crisp and cool but thick with the stink of death. I wondered briefly if the death was Houshi’s but changed my mind almost instantly. The stink was Naraku’s, no doubt; he carried the smell with him everywhere. Whether it was his own death or the death of the many he had murdered, I would never know.
“I got a letter today from Aunty Sapph.” Kagome swiveled around in our office chair. Houshi and I had just come in from the yard, and I hadn’t the chance to tell them about Naraku yet.
“No kidding? What’d it say?”
“‘My Dear Sweetie Kagome-chan,’” she recited in a regal, old-ladyish voice as she held the letter up to her face. “‘How are you? The three of us are fine.’ And then she goes on and on about how I should go to school… the usual. Oh, here. ‘I know you’ve been wanting to expand your studies beyond that of what I have taught you, and to do so you know you need to study! Even though you don’t want to go to school, I think you should go to the Library and look up some hydromancy books. I recommend Intertwining the Elements: An Advanced Lesson in Hydromancy, Geomancy, and Pyromancy. Long title, I know. But it is a very helpful book. It has a wide section on hydromancy. Spells, how to master certain this and that’s, you name it. Lots of useful stuff.’”
Of course, no necromancy. Typical. It’s common knowledge that we necromancers are often frowned upon. The whole twisting fate and death thing can really make people squirm.
“‘Your aunties and I will be coming soon for a visit. A few months, probably.’ Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.”
“Aunty Sapph?”
“Yeah,” I said to answer Houshi’s question, “Sapphire. Sapphire, Amethyst, and Emerald were our teachers of trade.”
“The Sisters?”
“One and only.” Inuyasha walked into the room, banana in hand. “Pissed Hag, Brainy Hag, and Celtic Hag. I was ‘lucky’ enough to get the mean Hag, Emerald. She’s like a wrinkled version of Xena Warrior Princess with a bad attitude.”
“Don’t be so disrespectful!” Kagome scolded him. “And besides, Aunty Em isn’t that wrinkly…”
“Got that right. She’s no where near as bad as you.”
“I’m not wrinkled! You’re the one who’s wrinkled!”
I looked over at Inuyasha and, for the first time that day, realized that she was right, in a sense. Inuyasha had horrible trash-bags under his eyes, his face twisted into a scowl in an attempt to hide it.
“She’s right, Inuyasha. You don’t look so good. Have you been getting enough sleep?” asked Houshi from our over-stuffed loveseat.
“I ain’t got any wrinkles or anything like that! And for your information, no, I haven’t been getting enough sleep. Not as much as I’d like to, anyway. Who the hell does nowadays?”
“That so? I wonder why that is… What have you been doing up so late at night, Inuyasha? I mean, you’re always in your room, and Sango tells me that sometimes she can hear strange noises coming from inside,” said Houshi suggestively. I smiled.
“Oh, Miroku, have you forgotten already?” Inuyasha asked, a smirk evident on his face. “Do I really mean so little to you?”
“I’m so sorry, Inuyasha. Of course you do. Would you like a hug now—”
“I’ll pass.”
“Suit yourself,” Houshi said with a shrug. Then he turned to me, holding his arms out wide. “Sango?”
“Don’t get any stupid ideas,” I told him. And with that, I ran upstairs to Kagome’s room where she had escaped to just moments earlier.
“How’d it go?” she asked me when I’d closed the door behind me. Kagome lay on her stomach, arms propping up the front of her body off her bed.
“Do you even need to ask? Houshi’s not gay. I think he loves female attributes way too much to ever give up his interest.”
“Figures. All the cute ones are either gay, pervs, or taken,” Kagome said nonchalantly.
I gave in to the temptation of rolling my eyes. “Sure. Cute. Uh huh.”
“I need to go to the Library and pick up that book before Aunty Sapph gets here,” she said, changing the subject.
“Tell me about it.” I imagined old Sapphire arriving at our house only to find that Kagome had not obeyed her orders. Not a pretty picture. “I think I’ll get a book too. We can go tonight.”
“OK. The public one or the icky one,” she asked, her question more of an aversion than an inquiry. I knew what she meant. There was no way the public library would have the books we were looking for. We’d have to go to the “icky” library – the ancient, dusty, hidden library that always had the books we needed.
“The icky one, of course. You want to be the one to tell the guys?”
“No, that’s all right. You may have the honors,” a hand waved furiously at me.
“Right.” I stood, turned, and headed back out the door. “Shikon Library, here we come.”
The Library wasn’t an ordinary library – never has been, never will be. Young mages like us had good reason not to enjoy excursions to it. First of all, it stank of death worse than Naraku. People had fought and died defending these books. Most of the documents were in good shape and couldn’t have been more than a few generations old. But some, the ones in the very back, were as old and timeworn than the Peking man. They were still readable, of course, but they weren’t exactly something one would want to touch.
The boys took the news of our decision rather well. Inuyasha could have cared less, actually, unless he was only pretending to look casual because he was excited that he would have a phenomenal chance to scare Kagome out of her skin. He was scared too, though, as we all were, if even a little bit. A place that was only open from midnight till dawn would scare anyone.
Houshi looked a little suspicious. He asked if we thought this was such a good idea, reminding us that the Library was creepy and scary and not at all fit for the weak-minded.
I told him we weren’t little kids and certainly not weak-minded. Although many young mages believed there were undead creatures that lived in the Library to protect the knowledge, they were nothing but rumors.
At least, I was pretty sure they were.
At a quarter to midnight we arrived at the entryway to the ancient athenaeum. The entrance was built within a sewer, but a narrow, hidden path lead straight to the very sewage-free library.
Three to twelve, and we finally reached the Library’s doors.
“It smells in here,” commented Kagome, who held her hand to her nose in disgust.
Inuyasha’s feet sloshed through the inch-high water. “No shit.”
“You positive about that?” I asked him, moving my hand to imitate Kagome’s.
“Just wait a little, the three of you. The doors will open soon enough and the stench will disperse afterward.”
And so we waited. Two to twelve. I began to fear that I would smell like this permanently. I had only been to the Library twice before, once when I was ten and once at fourteen. Both times, Amethyst was with me. It had been she who told me that the one could only enter the Library from the outside for fifty-nine seconds after midnight, she who had reminded me time and time again to never forget to leave the Library before dawn. Why? She never did say. But I’d heard rumors – more rumors – that if one was trapped within the Library while the sun rose, they would transform into an Archaic, the living dead of the Library.
True or no, I didn’t want to ever find out.
The seconds counted down as I remembered Amethyst’s teachings.
Five, four, three…
“Two, one…” we chanted in unison.
Then finally, with the moaning creak of the damned, the tall oak doors opened out toward us. The inside was as dark as a moonless night and as we stepped inside our eyes took a moment to adjust to the lack of light. Soon we could spot enormous shelves that could have dwarfed a dinosaur – one of the things I’d hoped not to see on this visit to the Library. Dim lights snapped on one by one in the aisles; they didn’t help to see much, though. The farthest corners of the room were still pitch black, and I didn’t really want to venture to see what I would find there.
“So, uh…” Kagome began tentatively, “What section do you think it’ll be in?”
I felt Inuyasha stiffen behind me. “What, are you three scared? Chickens. I should’ve figured.” There was a sliver of fear in his voice, barely disguised by an arrogant tone. “You want to leave?” he asked.
“Don’t you mean you want to leave?” Miroku said simply.
“Shut up.”
“Let’s go find that book. It’s what we’re here for, remember?” I reminded them.
From then we split up, each checking the unlabeled aisles for Intertwining the Elements.
“Damn book,” I whispered to the shadows. “I don’t want to be here.”
Afraid? a little voice in my mind said.
Afraid? No. No, I’m not afraid.
“Found it!” shouted a triumphant voice from a few rows away.
“Thank God.”
“Keh. Now let’s get the hell outta here.”
“Agreed,” I said.
“What? No way!” cried a small, childlike voice.
“Who was that?” I heard Kagome ask.
“No clue. Wanna check it out?” We met up again at the end of the aisles, and Inuyasha motioned for us to move in the direction of the voice. Houshi had a large book under his arm.
Near what should have been the reading area, the round tables had been pushed roughly aside, leaving a small circle in the middle of the room near the tall windows. I knew there weren’t any lights outside the window, and the fact that the glass gave off a dim blue glow baffled me. In the circle, I could make out silhouettes of six people standing in a circle surrounding the very smallest of them.
“What…?” Inuyasha mouthed silently.
I looked over at Houshi. A grave look was upon his face, and recognition in his eyes. Did he know who these people were?
“You must.” It was Naraku. I would know that vile sound anywhere.
“He’s right,” said a female’s voice, “To be a part of us, you must.”
“But I…”
“You wish to find your parents, am I correct? Or have I assumed wrongly?”
“I want to help them, but…”
“C’mon, kid, just do it. It’s just a little blood.” A different person this time, a male. His voice had a harsh quality to it, but it was not one that I identified.
“Shippou…” Naraku said in a deceptively sweet tone. He kneeled down on one knee and held out his hand to the child. “Please trust us. Just a little prick of the finger, and you’re one of us. Your parents will be as good as back. I promise.”
His promise meant nothing, I knew. We all knew.
There was silence and stillness for a moment before the child brought up his hand and gave it to Naraku to hold. A knife was handed to the old necromancer – I could tell by the opalescent glint that reflected into the stark blackness.
“Stop it!”
It was plain to see that Kagome, out of all of us, was the most surprised at her own outburst. She was courageous and stubborn when it came to protecting others, though, and she followed through with her protest, stepping out into the light.
“You can’t hurt a little kid, you jerk!”
“Oh, Miss Kagome. I assume your friends are here with you as well?”
We all followed my best friend. It was too late to back down now.
As we stepped nearer I could see the faces of our foes. Naraku stood closest to the child, a small boy merely a fraction of the man’s height. Kikyou was the female that had spoken earlier. Around them were Kouga and Kagura; Sesshoumaru stood off to the side, looking bored, as usual.
“I hadn’t expected you four to be here, but somehow I’m not surprised. You know, you should be careful. Haven’t you ever heard stories of Archaics as children?”
Inuyasha stepped forward, drawing his sword Tessaiga from his side. If he were to fight he’d have an easy time blending in, what with his black vest and black pants.
“The Archaics are just that – stories! Don’t expect us to go running to our mommies because of your bullshit!” he spat.
“But the stories are quite real, Inuyasha, and I would prove it to you, if only I could. Unfortunately, seeing as I have you all here, I’m afraid I can’t allow you to leave. You see, I simply can’t have you interfering with our initiation. Young Shippou here wishes to join with us.” He turned to Kouga. “Take care of them for me.”
Our opponent grinned wickedly. “With pleasure.”
“Don’t act so big, stupid wolf!”
His grin was quickly replaced by a frown of frustration. “Who the hell are you calling stupid, inukkoro!”
“Inukkoro??”
I looked over at Kagome. “Here we go again,” I mouthed, and she gave me a tired look.
Inuyasha and Kouga went way back – not quite as far back as him and I, but still rather far. They had been old enemies since… forever, basically. Kouga liked Kagome, and he made that fact very obvious. This, of course, upset Inuyasha (although that’s the understatement of the century) and the next thing you know, the two are enemies. There must have been something deeper than their jealousy for each other, though, because there was no way two guys could get so upset over a girl.
Was there?
Back to the fight. Once the two boys finished their childish bickering they jumped into the air. The upper expanse of the Library seemed endless, and regardless of the height of their jumps, they never seemed to hit the ceiling. They circled each other, then charged with weapons held out – Inuyasha with his sword and Kouga with his… er... Naraku’s.
Blows were struck again and again, and I was beginning to feel left out. Kouga was thrown against one of the many shelves and several books fell on top of him.
“Kouga-kun!” Kagome rushed forward to help him. True, she didn’t like him in any romantic sense at all, but she still cared for him.
Someone should tell Inuyasha that. Because a guy with a look as confused as his needs to be kept well informed or he might get lost.
“Why are you helping him? He’s our enemy!”
“Your enemy maybe,” she corrected doggy-boy over her shoulder. “Kouga-kun, are you all right?”
He got quickly to his feet, replying with a scoff, “Me? I’m fine. It’s inukoro who’s going to get hurt.”
“Keh!”
“Admit it, inukoro! You’re not invincible, not by a long shot. It’ll be easy for me to crush you.”
“Stupid wolf! Sure, I get hurt, but it’s never you who kicks my ass. yes"> You never have been, never will be.”
Too true, but I wasn’t about to say that.
“Give us the child, Naraku, and we’ll call off the fight,” Kagome called.
“No way!” snarled Kouga. “I can take this son of a bitch with my hands tied behind my back!”
“Ha! I’d like to see you try!” Inuyasha made a rude gesture at him, taunting.
Naraku paused in thought, as if deciding precisely what to say. He turned his head sideways toward us. “Have you any inkling of an idea to why Shippou would like to be a Kuro?”
Did we really want to?
“Young Shippou is trying to save his parents, like a good son would. It’s one of the Confucian teachings, isn’t it? ‘Honor your parents in life.’”
“He says that if I go with them, they’ll help me find my parents! He says he knows where they are!” cried the child hopefully, looking over at Inuyasha.
“I bet he does. A word of advice from a big boy, kid: don’t trust a thing that damn bastard says.”
Naraku clucked his tongue in a berating manner. “Such language in front of the young one, Inuyasha. But, unfortunately for you, I’m not lying this time. No, this is very much the truth, I’m afraid. Something horrible has happened to Shippou’s parents – something… quite horrible indeed. And I am the only person who can save them from their eternal retribution.”
Suddenly my mind jumped to a man and woman chained up and doing hard labor. Where that image came from, I can’t say, but a person’s mind can imagine quite a bit when it hears the words “eternal retribution.” It looked as if Naraku had expanded his vocabulary to that of at least a middle-schooler. Hurray for the evil side.
The little boy looked up at Naraku inquiringly. “What’s that?”
“It’s a fancy way to say your folks are gonna be put through hell for rest of time,” the extremely sensitive Inuyasha told him.
Shippou’s eyes widened in fright and shock until Naraku put a hand on his little cheek and reassured him, “Not if you join us. I can save them from their fate.”
“Why do you want him so badly?” Kagome accused. “And why did his parents deserve what they got in the first place?”
“There are many ways I could answer that. Potential, usefulness, I’m tired of the number five – many, many ways.” His sarcasm wasn’t overlooked.
When he shifted his gaze over to Houshi, I too noticed that the mage hadn’t spoken this whole time. He had seemed very intent on staring at one corner of the room, and I hadn’t bothered to look into it.
“Sense something that interests you, Miroku?” Naraku asked slyly.
Without looking away Houshi answered, “And if I do?”
Naraku’s laugh echoed through the vast rooms of the library. “Then I would tell you you’re insane. There’s nothing there but dust and cobwebs. No need to be paranoid about dying again. The only thing you can fear now is imprisonment.”
Ignoring his cryptic response, I looked deeper into the dark corner; we all seemed to be doing the same. Every moment or so a glint of light would appear in the corner, shattering the darkness. Was the light a good or bad sign?
“Care to take a guess at what you see?”
“You’re just so full of answers, aren’t you?” Inuyasha couldn’t seem to decide whether to fight or watch.
To his remark, Naraku only smirked. “Full of answers, yes. This Library is rich with mystery, mages. Rich with mystery, secrets, lies, deceit. You never know what’s real and what isn’t. These books have seen too much, lived too long. Even books need protectors.”
“Resorting to rumors now?”
“Sango dear, you and I both know that rumors begin with some of the truth. I know more about the Archaics than you ever will.”
“You are one to know all about imaginary creatures.”
His smile widened as we all stared. “The Archaics are very real. Don’t try to deny that you feel somewhat inclined to believe me. The rumors have to come from somewhere, after all.”
“Keh. Yeah. They all come from you and your lies, right?” said Inuyasha. I swear I saw Naraku’s eyebrow twitch. He wasn’t one to lose his resolve.
“No, no lies. All truth. Would you like to see them now? The Archaics?”
“Why would I want to see something that doesn’t freaking exist? More of your illusions?”
Naraku averted the question and turned to Shippou. “Would you like to know what happened to your parents?”
A scared look at first, and then a small nod matched with nervous eyes. “Yes, sir.”
“Very well. Those who trespass into the realm of knowledge too often are considered meddlers. In other words, those who venture into this Library too many times are considered nosy. Nosy people need to be punished.”
Where was he going with this?
“Shippou, your parents were very nosy people. They came to this place too often, too long. One night while they were researching, they were attacked by the Archaics. You know what those are, don’t you?”
The little one nodded again.
“Horrible creatures, correct? They’re said to be corrupted human beings. They have no souls, much like Shells,” he hinted with the look to Houshi who looked away with a locked jaw. “And they have no logical minds. Their only goal is to protect the books and make sure no one gets out alive. They aren’t very successful, as they’re quite stupid, but they’re stronger than a hundred men and as fast as a cheetah. Their blood-colored flesh is supposed to be festering with boils, and their eyes are a dark crimson too. Your parents fought their very hardest,” he said solemly.
“However, they were somehow… knocked out. They awoke just as the sun was rising. You know what happens then, don’t you?”
Realization and despair flashed across Shippou’s face, but he quickly hid them with a stern look. “They –”
“Want to meet them?” he asked mysteriously. Raising one hand, he beckoned to the darkness. The sparks of light ceased, and two large, red eyes shone through the thick, dusty air. An arm emerged, then another, until the beast’s face and entire body was exposed to the light. More eyes opened; more muscular, undead creatures made their presence known.
What had always been said was true. The peach-colored flesh was splattered with age-old blood, and the creatures’ postures were that of a hunchback. Their oversized, razor-like teeth stuck out from their mouths at odd angles, bringing one’s attention somewhat away from their bulging eyes.
There were six of them, and they looked thirsty for blood.
Go Previous Chapter
Return to Fan Fiction