Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Nikanaru
By : Koday
Category: InuYasha > General
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Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.
Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
PREVIEWS! Little Glimpses into future happenings of
Niknanaru! (And a few other trinkets as well.)
Preview number 1:
www.deviantart.com/view/34160785/
(Remember, copy, paste, then close
the spaces)
In future installments of
"Nikanaru", Max will be armed, as you can expect there to be plenty
of violence... and I decided to go with that sword I designed a little while
back. It was originally called "The Lament of the Innocent", but then
I found out that there's a Castlevania game out there with an almost exact same
name. So, I've tentatively renamed it the "Revenge of the Innocent."
See, most weapons in Inyuasha are made out of demon bone� this one�s made out
of bone AND living flesh.
Spooky.
www.deviantart.com/view/34161987/
So, that's Al introducing you to her
not-so-little friend. Where on earth does she get a gun, despite being about
500 years in the past, when handguns didn't yet exist in a convenient form?
That'll be explained (and convolutedly so) in later chapters. Just rest
assured, she ain't gonna be no damsel in distress for the entire story.
It�s also a similar deal to the bow
and arrow traditionally used by mikos in this series, except bullets will be
holy empowered. Big, pink shots of justice�yeah!
www.deviantart.com/view/34161226/ (Warning: Just a little bit bloody)
Sooo... as it turns out, Max DOES
have a bit of a temper. What circumstances led to this bloody little escapade?
Who's the unfortunate victim? Does Max have a potential future as the
spokesperson for "Clear Eyes"? (Gets a claw across the face for that
lame joke.)
Stay tuned!
And� not previews, but some random
Inuyasha-related things I�ve been doing in the meanwhiles�
www.deviantart.com/view/34160933/
I took a try at drawing an older
version of Kikyo. I wrestled with the whole "Anime Eye" thing that's
been giving me so much trouble lately, and I think I've sort of circumvented it
by going for a cross between classic eye dots and the style I saw on
"Naruto."
I guess it turned out A'ight.
And, finally�
www.deviantart.com/view/33116976/
A request from another author. She's
really into Kouga/kagome stuff. I only sort of am. This was the result.
Let's assume, for whatever reason,
Kouga gets stuck in Kagome's time. Let's also assume he adapts quite shockingly
fast, and in all the wrong ways.
This is the oldest work here� you can sort of tell the problem I was having
with anime eyes beforehand if you look at Kags here� God, that�s abysmal. Would
you believe that I drew about five versions of her, and THAT was the best one I
could come up with? Pllttthhh!

Nikanaru
Chapter 13:
What Time is it?
Or
The Great Rooster Epiphany
Why had he hated camping so much as a
kid?
This place is really� um, pretty,
I guess. That was a kind of
girlish assessment, he supposed, but that was the only one Max found to be
fitting as his golden eyes wandered about the moonlit forest. In this bright
night, the normally green and brown forest was paletted with several lovely
shades of dark blue. Occasionally, there would also be the sparkle of a
firefly, and even the gleaning eyes of a small animal. Something that also
strangely aroused a pleasant feeling in him were the smells. When the scent of
this pure, untarnished forest had first hit his nose, it came in like a massive
lump of unfamiliarity. Over the course of this ten-minute walk through this
place, though, Max had gotten used to the smells and had managed to separate
and decipher them.
It would be difficult to understand
by human standards, but for a creature such a Max, for whom smelling things was
almost as crucial as seeing them, all of this was like experiencing a brand new
sensation for the first time. Not only was the air completely free of toxins
and pollutants, something he�d never imagined possible, but his nose had picked
up on a wealth of new smells: Plants, animals and all sorts of other things
he�d never smelt before. If the sense of smell was to be compared to the sense
of sight, then this experience was like being surrounded by all sorts of cool,
flashing bright lights and neon Vegas-style signs. Only less tacky.
In that sense, though, it was also
maybe a little blinding. The sheer number and potency of all these aromas were
kind of overwhelming.
After everything that had happened to
him in the last few days, Max should have been, by all rights, completely
batshit paranoid of anything unfamiliar. But here in these woods, it was�
pleasant somehow. As though it somehow excited from within him a child-like
curiosity and sense of wonder. Part of him even wanted to chase down each of
these new scents and investigate what they were.
Of course, he wasn�t going to be
doing that anytime soon. Naturally, the safety of both Al and himself were
paramount, with or without his funky newfound feelings. Right now, the plan was
to follow this �Kikyo� lady to this stream, get some water, and figure out
where the hell this fresh-smelling place was.
Still, though� this place isn�t
half bad. I really should try to get out of the city more often. It�s weird
though, we only camped a few times back when I was a kid, and I distinctly
remember hating the hell out of it� why was that?
A prick occurred on his cheek, and
Max reflexingly smacked at it.
�Oh� Right.
The bugs, the mosquitoes, the
greasy insect repellent, the canned spam, the hour-long struggle to get a
campfire started, the musky tents and lumpy sleeping bags, the being bored out
of my mind� and, oh my God, having to shit in the woods. Jesus, that was
horrible.
�but, of course, when we were
camping, we at least brought toilet paper with us� now�
Holy hell, we�d better find an
outhouse or something before I have feel a number two coming on. I have NO idea
what the fuck I�m doing here, and knowing my luck, I�ll end up substituting
Cottonelle with some poison Ivy leaves.
�Just over there.� Kikyo spoke,
snapping Max out of his rather dreadful train of thought. She was pointing some
distance ahead of them, and a few steps later, as promised, there flowed a
nice, big stream of natural water. In fact, it bordered on being a river,
though Max wasn�t sure what the exact size was that makes the difference
between a stream and a river. In any event, it was a decent sized body of
knee-deep, flowing water. Even it held a distinct, kinda pleasant smell in
Max�s nose.
Coming to a stop at its edge, Max
looked back at Al, who still stood behind him, ever wary of Kikyo. With a
comforting smile, Max leaned foreword and dipped his hand in.
�Well, it�s nice and cool�� He
announced. ��think it�s safe?�
�I guess�� Al pondered, leaning in as
well. �The water�s running, so that usually means it�s okay to drink.� Both of
them then simply stared at cool blue liquid, unsure of how to proceed.
�Don�t suppose you have a juice
bottle on you, huh?� Max tried.
�Nuh-uh.� Some movement off to the
side caught Max�s attention. Looking over, Kikyo had also kneeled down before
the stream, although a comfortable distance from them. Evidently, she was well
aware of their uncertainty of her, and chose to respect that by staying a safe
few meters away. Observing her with some curiosity, they watched her hands
dipped into the river, cupped together and brought the dripping liquid to her
lips.
A rather efficient technique.
They looked at each other again. With
a hesitant shrug, Al tried the same thing. It may have been a bit primitive,
but she was both hungry and thirsty, and in no position to complain. Her hands
dipped in, cupped, and brought it to her lips, gulping as much in as she could.
Finding the retrieval process satisfying, she reached in for another handful.
Well, it�s a little less than
dignified, but hell, who�s judging? Not me. No sir. I know how pissy she gets.
Max, keeping his promise not to let
his guard down, leaned back a little and watched Kikyo, making sure Al could
drink with peace of mind. Oddly, the older woman had only taken a few handfuls
herself before standing up again and staring into the forest. Trying to appear
nonchalant, Max stretched his arms a little above his head.
�So, um� Kikyo�� Max tried, hoping
some friendly conversation would continue to allay any awkward silences. �� if
you don�t mind my asking, do you� I mean, do you actually LIVE out here?�
�I do.� Her tone was as even as ever,
and his eyes still stared off into the distance. �Why does this seem so unusual
to you?�
�Well� it�s just� I�ve HEARD of
people who, y�know, get sick of modern-day life, abandon civilization and go
live off in a cabin out in the woods. I just never actually� met one of these
people before, that�s all.� He maintained his smile to make sure she knew he
wasn�t trying to be insulting or condescending. �And I didn�t think you guys
took roughing it out here so hardcore. I mean, no phone, no generator, and no
flashlights� that�s some commitment. See, me, I�m spoiled. I could never live
without indoor plumbing.� Her eyes glanced to the side at him with a slight
frown appearing on her brow. She didn�t seem at all offended, but she found a
few of his words unfamiliar.
�I�ve grown accustomed to a solitary
life.� She explained simply, deciding to ignore and circumvent his foreign
vocabulary. �It suits me better. And my doing so suits others better as well.�
�Oh� But, uh, why, though?� He
persisted with a slight chuckle. �I mean, are you� you�re not, like, on the run
from INTERPOL or the mafia, right?� Again, she paused, as if deciphering what
she could from what he�d just said.
�No. I am not running from either of�
those.� She looked off into the distance contemplatively. �Though there�
several other matters that led to my desire to seek escape and isolation.�
�Grind of the daily life got too much
for you, huh?� He guessed. This was good. She seemed to be warming up to him a
little.
�I suppose it could be put that way.�
�Boy, I can sympathize. A few weeks
ago, I had these midterms, and, lemmie tell you�� A whistle was added for
emphasis. �� I was goin� bugshit out of my mind. About every five minutes, I
just couldn�t help fantasizing about how much easier it would be to just throw
all my textbooks in the furnace and clean toilets for the rest of my life.�
Another pause was given as she digested his words.
�Indeed.� She muttered simply. �The
simplest, most painless path� it is good that you did not take it, then. To
evade your responsibilities and lead an impulsive life is a decision which will
only lead to ruin.�
�Well, yeah, I do need that stupid
diploma if I�m ever gonna become filthy rich someday.�
��Of course you will.� She mumbled
again in a noncommittal response.
�Why were you lying on the ground
like that?� Looking back, Al had sufficiently quenched her thirst over the
course of their conversation and had decided to join in. Although it was as
slight as the rest of her mood-changes, Kikyo showed irritation toward the
young girl�s sudden intrusion.
�I was recovering.� She explained, as
though doing so was a nuisance.
�From what?�
�I had used up a great deal of
spiritual energy. I�m sure you can imagine that a frail, old body like mine
needs time to recover after such intense expenditures.�
�Spiritual... energy?� Both Max and
Al spoke almost in rhythm.
�Yes.� When another paused pregnant
with the perplexified expression of Max and Al passed, Kikyo took as a sign to
elaborate. �I speak of the holy powers imbedded in one�s soul. Those with the
training of temple priestesses are most familiar with it.�
�Oh!� Max perked up. �So you are
a temple priestess? No shit, my family runs a temple!�
�I was a priestess.� She icily
corrected.
�Oh� Ok, So what are you now?� As the
question came to her, Kikyo�s eyes lowered slowly.
��I am nothing.� It was almost
whispered, but clearly heard nevertheless. Closing her eyes, Kikyo turned away
and began pacing slowly down the river. They both watched after her until she
was some several meters down. She wasn�t leaving them, but still wandered quite
a ways away.
Creep-a-licious.
A sputter and a cough brought his
attention from the weird woman in front of him to the no less, but
alternatively weird woman to his side. Seeing Al coughing up a bit of the
water, Max gave her a few pats on the back without a second thought.
�Hey, there. You doing all right?� Al
nodded while coughing out the last bits of drizzle from her windpipe.
�Yeah�� She finally muttered between
coughs. ��just� held some in my mouth too long.� A few pats and clearings of
the throat later, Al was breathing normally again. She looked back to him, then
strangely at the hand still on her back. Sensing awkwardness, Max quickly
retracted it.
�So� you feeling any better?� He
inquired carefully.
�Um� yeah, I guess.� She spoke with
meekness uncharacteristic of her. More silence permeated the woods� Seeing Max
looking unsettled in her presence made her feel just a little bit guilty� she�d
gone and exploded at him, practically accused him of spiriting her away, been
giving him a bit of a cold shoulder and making him feel uncomfortable around
her�
�he, in return, had been his usual
kind, (albeit asinine) self and had been taking steps to make her feel more at
ease. It was really no way to treat him, considering.
�Hey, I�m sorry about before.� Max
spun his head right around to stare at her with bewildered eyes.
Huh??
�Huh??�
�I�m� I�m apologizing.�
�Oh� cool.� Max quickly accepted,
then took a moment to wonder what he�d accepted. �Um� apologizing for what?�
�Well, for, y�know. The way I freaked
out on you before.�
�Oh.� A moment was taken for him to
try and remember any �freaking out� on her part. Considering that it had only
been fifteen minutes ago, it didn�t take too long. �Oh! Pff! THAT?�
�Yeah. That.�
�Nah, nah, don�t worry.�
�No, I�m serious.� She insisted in
spite of his attempts to dismiss it. �I� I was rude and� well, I was scared.
But, it was still wrong of me, so� I apologize.� The last part was spoken very
formally, as she didn�t want to appear casual about it.
�Well� yeah, I guess I should
apologize, too, then. I mean, I also got a little weird back there.� He
admitted. �But hey, you know, you�re handling this a lot better than I probably
would have. Me, see, I would probably be one of those guys you see in horror
movies who loses his cool, goes nuts and runs off screaming into the night and
gets killed by the horror movie monster.� The analogy was polished off with yet
another one of Max�s trademark smirks. Al probably would have found herself
annoyed with it, but the sight of his fangs protruding slightly out from his
upper lips did comfort her in the same odd way his otherworldly appearance
always did.
�So, we�re� cool, right?� She asked
quickly.
�We, ma�am, have always been cool.�
He assured her.
�Great. So� you said you were only a
little less informed than I am about what�s going on.� She continued. �Any
chance you could let me in on exactly how much less?�
�Well...� An inquisitive thumb was
brought up to his lips. ��only so much in that I can fathom this kind of thing
happening at all.� Seeing that that answer didn�t satisfy her, elaboration came
next. �That is to say, I do know that �magic� and other occult, wizardy stuff
does exist� but mind you, I don�t actually know much about it, besides that it
exists. As for what, exactly, happened to us� well, I�m clueless.�
�So, magic� is real??� She echoed,
slightly disbelieving look accompanying it.
�Call it what you will� magic,
enchantments, mystic energies, chi, soothsaying,� all I really know is that�
kinda like shit, it sometimes just happens.� He shrugged. �Besides my crystal,
I�ve never even actually seen any of it.�
�Your� crystal?�
�Yeah� you know that stupid thing I
always wear around my neck?� She nodded. �Well, I don�t wear it because I�m
trying to make some kind of fashion statement.�
Not for lack of trying, though. I
mean, twelve years I�ve been wearing that thing, and it never caught on.
�That thing is the reason I looked
human. I don�t have the slightest fucking clue how it actually works, but I
just put it on, and� poof! I can walk down the street without anybody wondering
what the deal with that freak is.�
�But�� Al�s eyebrows splendidly made
clear her remaining perplexion. �� how come I didn�t�see?�
�Yooouuu�ve� got me there. I dunno
why it didn�t work on you. Like I said, I don�t know the technical aspects of
it, and I never really bothered to figure it out. It just does what it does, and
I accept it at face value.�
�I see�� She nodded, accepting that
explanation. �Are there� more people like you?�
�Oh, Al, no one is like me.�
Again, a stupid grin.
�There can only be one Max Higurashi.
C�mon, you remember that motivational speaker from 4th grade. �You�re the best
and only you there will ev�� Her scowl quickly wiped the grin and off his face
and the stupid proverb out his mouth. �Okay, okay� if by people like me, you
mean �demons�, then no. I�ve never met any, and I don�t know of any others.�
�Huh.� Al was silent afterwards,
digesting all this. Turning his head, Max saw that Kikyo was still pacing with
her back to them, a few yards away. He guessed she was waiting for them to
finish drinking.
�So�� Max started asking the
questions now. �What do you think of her?�
�Um�� She readjusted her glasses as
she scrutinized the form off in the distance. �I� I really don�t know.�
�Me neither.� He concurred with a
slight nod. �Whatever her deal is, though, I don�t think she�s gonna try and
kill us or anything.�
�Are you really sure about that?�
�No.� He shrugged. �She gives off a
way creepy vibe� but she just doesn�t seem to me to be the murder-ey type.�
�And on what authority are you making
that assessment?� Under her scrutiny, Max bit his lip slightly.
�Well, again, I�m going by my
intimate knowledge or horror and slasher movies.� He spoke with a hand going
behind his head. ��and based on the archetypes characters you usually see in
them, she just doesn�t fit the bill.� Glaring at him, Al shut her eyes real
tight, took a deep breath, before slowly reopening them with a disturbing level
of calm.
�I�m going to humor you for a second
and say that we�re willing to stake our lives on applying B-movie stereotypes
in real life� if she�s not the sneaky, stab-you-in-the-back murderer, then
what, pray tell, film clich� does she befit?�
�I dunno�� Max was aloof under her
insulting interrogation. �She�s� something original. Something like you�d see
in one of those pretentious art flicks.�
�Fuck�s sake, why are we even having
this conversation??�
�Because I�m thirsty, too. And I
wanna know if you�re okay to watch my back while I take a drink.� The frown
left her face, and she took another look between Kikyo and him.
�Um�yeah. Okay.�
�You sure?�
�Yeah� I�ll yell at you if something
goes wrong.� With a nod, Max turned toward the stream. Doing like he saw done
earlier, Max cupped his hands in and tried to hold as much water in them as he
could between the trip from the surface of the water to his mouth. His position
was a bit awkward, though, and he slurped so noisily that Al could have sworn
he was doing it on purpose.
�Stop that.� She hissed at him. �I
know your grandmother taught you better than that.�
�Hey, I can�t help it. When my lips
get too close to my hands, my fangs dig in to my palms.� He scowled back.
�Unless you happen to have a straw on you, don�t patronize me!�
�Oh.� It was an unorthodox excuse,
but acceptable nonetheless� she guessed. Max tried a few more times, but the
slurping was very obviously repulsing Al. And, while she still stood
impassively a few yards away, Kikyo could probably hear it, too.
I know I shouldn�t really care
what complete strangers think about me, especially in these kind of
circumstances, but� who knows, maybe when all this is over, I might want to
invite her over for dinner one night to thank her or something. And then she�d
turn me down because of my poor table manners�and then that rumor would spread�
it would follow me all the way up to college admissions� Stupid snowball
effect!
�Aw, the hell with it.� He decided
before, without warning, leaning in and dunking his whole face in. Obviously
surprised, Al stared at his submerged head for a few seconds before glancing
down a ways at Kikyo, who had also turned her head around to watch the bizarre
display. Al just shrugged as the woman gave her a questioning look.
Seconds later, Max�s head shot back
up almost urgently, spitting and coughing.
�Aaugh! Oh, oh! Aw, Christ, something
slimy went in my mouth!� With his tongue wagging out, he looked to Al for
sympathy, but she only offered a look that suggested that if was dumb enough to
try that in the first place, then he�d rightly had it coming. With a despaired
whimper, Max spat out a few more times and stood up, deciding that he�d had
enough.
Eh, I can go awhile without food.
Hell, I�ll just wait until we reach the next burger joint or something. I�m
desperate enough for fast food.
�You are finished, then?� Kikyo
called over as she approached them.
�Uh-huh.�
�Good.� She came to a stop a few feet
in front of them. �Perhaps now, then, we could discuss your intentions?�
�In�tentions?� Al repeated.
�You previously claimed to be lost?�
Max scoffed.
��Claim� nothing� we ARE lost.�
�And do you have any clues as to
where you are?�
�Uh�� Max turned to Al, who gave a
light shake to her head. �That�d be a no.�
�You have no idea, whatsoever?�
�Well, we are still in Japan, right?�
Kikyo�s gaze narrowed disapprovingly.
�So you are only capable or narrowing
your location down to which nation you are in?� Max paused, receiving the
berating blankly.
��so that a �yes� to the Japan
question?� Kikyo�s gaze fell, and then gave a sigh.
�You are in Japanese territories,
yes.� She confirmed. �Do you know anything beyond that?�
�Uh� nope. See, this is why I was
kind of hoping that you could help us.� Max offered a slight bow with his
request. With Max�s head down, he couldn�t see Kikyo�s look of disappointment,
although Al managed to catch it and wonder curiously about it.
�I will� do what I can, I suppose.�
Kikyo exhaled.
�Really? Thanks!�
�Hardly. It is in my interest as well
that you leave this place as swiftly as possible. This forest will become noisy
with you two stumbling around aimlessly.�
�Uh�� Max shrugged that off. ��okay.�
�What will you need to find your way
back?� Max puzzled at that question. It seemed fairly obvious to him.
�Well, not much� a phone� a radio� an
on-line computer� GPS� signal flares� one of those Morse-code thingies� whatcha
call those?� Fumbling for the right term, the demon paused in thought.
�Telegraphs.� Al finally interjected.
�Do you even know Morse code?�
�No, but I figure if we annoy someone
long enough with jibberish, they�ll eventually come looking for us just for the
sake of shutting us up.�
Sort of a 1800s version of
spamming, I guess.
�And where would you find these�
things?� Kikyo cautiously asked, still careful to gloss over her ignorance of
these terms.
�Anywhere where there�s a sign of
civilization, I guess. Like, any city, town, outpost�� Kikyo breathed an
internal sigh of relief at the mention of something she could finally
understand.
�A village I can provide you with.�
She explained. �There is one a few hours West of here.�
�A village?� Max�s face lit up.
�Sure! That�s great.� He turned to Al, and held a hand out to her. �You feeling
up to a hike?�
�Well, I�m definitely not gonna wait
around here any longer than I have to.� Accepting his hand, she stood up, and
the two faced Kikyo.
�If we leave now, we can be there by
dawn.� She looked off to the West. �You are certain you�re well enough to
travel?�
�I feel pretty spry.� Max
volunteered.
�I feel like I want to get the hell
out of here, already.� Al volunteered.
�Then I will show you the way.� She
said with a nod, and began walking off. Max and Al followed.
�So, this village�� He kept wondering
aloud. �Uh, what�s it called?� With any luck, he�d maybe recognize the place�s
name and get a better idea of where they were.
�Shahskul.�
�Uh� �kay.�
So much for that. That didn�t sound a thing like any town he�d
ever heard of� hell, that didn�t even sound like a word in any language he�d
ever heard.
�At least, that what it was the last
time I�d been there.� Kikyo added.
�Huh?� That addendum muddled Max a
tad. �How do you mean?�
�It has been some time� the village
may have been re-christened� possibly several times, if not destroyed entirely.
I suppose it�s only fair I mention that.� Al slowed down a little, a thought
developing in her head at this new information.
�Pardon??�
�There has been some heavy fighting
nearby of late. It could have spread to Shahskul.� The old woman elaborated.
�Is there a� a war going on around
here??�
�Of course there is.� Kikyo�s voice
once again because slightly venomous toward the girl. Al stopped entirely, her
dubiousness in this woman now having evolved into outright disbelief.
�There� there are NOT any wars going
on!� Al nearly shouted accusingly. �Japan hasn�t been involved in any wars in
six years, let alone one on the homefront! What the hell is WRONG with y��
� Jesus, Al!� Max hushed her up with
a wave of his hand. �Would you relax? I�m sure she�s just talking
figuratively.�
�I can quite assure you that I am
not.� Kikyo flatly asserted.
�This is bullshit.� Al muttered.
�Just�� Max hissed back to her.
�Just� play along, okay? At least until she shows us where this place is.�
�I DON�T trust her.� Al growled back.
�She�s either insane or� or��
�Look, she�s not really my favourite
person, either, but I think we can at least go with her until she leads us to
somebody relatively sane who can tell us where the hell we are.�
�And then what? How the hell are we
supposed to explain HOW we even got to wherever the hell we are without telling
them that you�re�� Al�s opened mouth ceased its riposte to Max�s argument when
her own train of thought suddenly brought a certain detail to her attention.
That ever-frowning expression immediately went from anger to marble-eyed shock
when she looked down a little ways at Max�s neck.
�What?� He asked, sudden concern
filling him. �What�s wrong?� Al licked her lips a little as her eyes darted
between Max�s face and throat.
�Uh�� She coughed slightly, voice
lowering. �� didn�t� didn�t you say that the crystal thing you wear is what
makes you look like a human to everyone else?�
��yeah. Why?�
�It�I�� She just pointed at his
neckline, and Max looked down. With great sudden impact, he remembered one very
important little detail.
It wasn�t there anymore.
And it hadn�t been there the entire
time Kikyo had been with them.
The whites around those golden eyes
widened very fast, validating Al�s particular concern with regard to his
appearance. Swiftly, he spun about and faced Kikyo, only to appear even more
shocked.
He�d plan to confront her with
another question� instead, she was confronting him with something quite
unexpected� a bow and arrow, taught and drawn.
What the � Before even the mere thought could pass
thought his head, the arrow was released. Max couldn�t even blink before it
whizzed by his face in a flash of pink so close and so fast that the air
whooshing sounded more like a ripping. �HELL?!?!
Something screeched behind them. Once
again, Max spun around, and his eyes would have widened further, if that were
physically possible at this point. Kikyo�s arrow had found its home, imbedded
in the head of a� thing. There was only time to get a brief look at this
creature�s lizard-like appearance before it seemed to dissolve in a glow of
pink light.
HOLY BALLS!!!
�What� what� what� what�?� He
continually kept trying to jump-start his speech functionality as though it
were a rusty car engine, but found it to be perfectly useless.
�What just happened?� Al filled in
for him.
*************

Her lined face
wrinkled further as Kikyo lowered the bow. She�d sensed the chameleon-demon
approaching them for quite some time, but had decided to wait and see when Max
would detect it; A test, perhaps, just to see how he�d react, and how the boy
would handle it. But worse than reacting late, he didn�t react at all. She�d
waited and waited� until the monster had crawled too close. She�d had no choice
but to take care of it herself.
This was extraordinarily troublesome;
even the most base inu demon should have been alerted by that creature�s scent
before it got anywhere near that close.
************

�Did you not even
smell that creature approaching??� She asked incredulously.
�Smell??� Max echoed.
�Yes! It was right next to you� how
could an inu demon like you possibly have not picked up its scent?� Speech
capacity was now in utter decimation as Max�s jaw hung uselessly slack from its
cartilage hinges. �Well?� She pressed on angrily.
Okay, Max, get it back together�
it�s best not to irritate the lady with the deadly weapons and crack aim�
�You�� He finally managed. �You know
what I am??� Kikyo�s eyes rolled as she snorted in an ever-so-slight manner.
�Well, of course I do. My best years
may be well behind me, but these eyes still see clearly enough that they can
tell what�s right in front of them.�
�Uh� wow.� He mumbled. �You know
about demons??�
�Obviously, I would have been a very
poor priestess if I didn�t.�
*************

What in the world was
WRONG with this boy? He couldn�t smell worth spit, he had no sense of direction
or orientation, and, to top it all off, he didn�t seem to be particularly
bright.
When first she�d brought him here,
she worried that he�d be too powerful, too arrogant, and difficult to control,
and that recklessness would lead to his demise if ever confronting Naraku.
Instead, it turned out to be the opposite problem� he was simply ignorant. She
should have expected it, she supposed. After all, he�d been sent through the
well� sent to the same place SHE had come from.
Her �reincarnation�.
� That girl had been ignorant, too.
Untrained, na�ve, inexperienced, unsure and damn near useless, save for a few
base miko abilities. The boy appeared no different. It served logic well to
deduce that he must been raised in the exact same environment that her
reincarnation had been; A place, wherever it may be, that held no proper
knowledge of demonology or spiritual powers. She�d wondered if perhaps he might
have turned out unlike her because of his different, more obvious natural
abilities, but evidence proved otherwise. The brief glimmer of hope which had
the effrontery to appear in her mind was quickly being dashed away. Perhaps she
had made a mistake after all�
� but then, even if he had come from
the same place as her, did that necessarily mean failure? After all, SHE had
changed� Pathetic as she�d been in the early days, Kikyo�s reincarnation had
possessed incredible determination and willpower� she had endured, she had
fought, and over the course of those two years of hardship, she�d become a miko
nearly on par with Kikyo herself. Who was to suggest that the same thing
couldn�t happen with him?
What she needed to know now� she
needed to know if the boy possessed that same determination. With a deep
breath, she gathered her thoughts.
**************

�Enough of this.� She
waved off the debate. �The lizard�s screams will likely attract more predators
and such nuisances. If we are to go to this village, then we leave now.�
Without waiting for so much as a response, Kikyo resumed walking off in her
chosen direction. The fact that Max and Al didn�t immediately follow her
appeared outside of her caring.
They both stood there, watching after
her in stupor.
�Didn�t you just say that no one else
knew about demons?� Al asked him with near-accusation.
�I did.� Max slowly replied. �And up
until these last couple of particularly screwy days, that was true, as far as I
knew.�
�Okay.� Al continued watching as
Kikyo kept deepening the gap between them and her. �Are we� still going with
her, then?�
��I�� Max scratched the back of his
head, well and truly lost. No matter how hard he tried to get a grasp on the
current situation, it would violently break his grip, spinning more wildly out
of control with each seizure. �I� think we should, yeah.�
��Really?� She was unsettled slightly
by the sudden loss of confidence she saw in him while he continued to insist on
following Kikyo. He was very plainly starting to look scared, and no longer
appeared at all enthused.
�Well� it does come down to a choice
between her company and� more of whatever the fuck that thing was.� He
hesitantly reasoned, looking over at the pile of ashes which were all the
remained of that creature. Swallowing unpleasantly at the sight of it, Al
aversely nodded.
That much, at least, was true.
Whatever that thing had been, it managed to sneak up on them, and it was hard
to imagine it had done so for any other purpose than ambushing them. Kikyo had
probably saved their lives when they had not even been aware that they�d been
in any mortal danger. Even if neither of them were particularly inclined to
trust her, the thought that there were other things like that lurking around
here somewhere certainly made them think they should stick as close to her as
they could.
Seeing as how her silhouette was
about to vanish off in the distance, Max and Al made haste to catch up.
The priestess� head didn�t move, but
she caught the two chasing after her, and gave an internal grunt of approval.
The strange thing now, though, was
that Max seemed more� afraid of her now than Al had been. Even as they caught
up to the woman, Max now kept his pace a good few feet behind her, following in
silence. Worry, and even fear were now obvious in his countenance, and Al
supposed she could guess why.
Max was, after all, a creature who
had survived on secrets. She had no reason to disbelieve him when he asserted
that no one else knew about him belonging to an entirely different species than
human, and that no one else was supposed to even know about said species�
existence. The only time she had ever seen him seriously scared was not so long
ago when she�d first admitted that she�d known. Of course, that was to be
expected, considering this was the kind of thing that could easily destroy his
life if exposed.
She�d been lucky enough that he knew
and trusted her enough to keep it secret. But this Kikyo woman� a complete
stranger was holding his life in her hands�
So, yeah. Now he was, maybe, just a
little scared, and not without some legitimacy.
�I�m uh�� He whispered over to her.
�I�m not going to be able to go into this town, when we get to it.�
��I know.� She nodded in
understanding.
�So, you can handle going in and
asking the people there for help, right?�
�As long as they speak Japanese,
Spanish or French, yeah.�
She speaks French, too? Man, today
is just full of surprises.
�Great.� He spoke quietly before
resuming the silence of the trek. As much as Al had always though that Max
should have a healthier amount of caution and circumspection, Max being at ease
in these particularly stressful times had helped her stay at ease. It wouldn�t
do to have the both of them paranoid. So�
So�
�So� you smell things?� Her question
came out of the blue.
�Huh?�
�She said you should have been able
to pick up that thing�s scent.� She explained. �So, what, you�ve got an
enhanced sense of smell, to boot?�
�Something like that� yeah.�
�Like a dog?� He grimaced, not at all
caring for the comparison.
�Well, it�s not like I go around
smelling people�s asses.� He actually looked offended! It was almost cute, and
Al barely averted smiling.
And with all these weird, new
smells out here, it�s totally throwing me off.
�Can you can pick up scents from,
like, miles away?� She persisted, now fascinated.
�Well, not miles. Depends.� Pausing
in thought, he wondered how he could explain it. �I�m always smelling a lot of
things. Sometimes stuff does stands out from a distance, yeah.�
�That�s so weird.� He scowled further
at her thinly veiled amusement. �What�s that like?�
�I dunno.� He shrugged. �I�ve always
had it, so I couldn�t tell what it�s like without it.�
�Hmm.�
�I guess it�s like any other sense.
Like, y�know, just hearing stuff. But with your nose.�
�Must make going into a public
bathroom painful.�
�Christ, you don�t know the half of
it.�
�So� how do I smell?� To that
question, a mischievous sneer washed over Max as he simply looked her directly
in the eye for a few seconds.
��Nah.� He finally turned away. �WAY
too easy.�
*************

By the Gods, did he
never stop talking??
She liked the silence. It helped her
think.
And she had a great deal of that to
be doing. Much had to be decided upon with respect to what to do with �Max�.
Yes, �Max�. That would be his name
from now on. Gone now was the name she�d known him to be. She would have to
refer to him as �Max�, not only verbally, but mentally as well; Exercises for
the mind to ensure that she wouldn�t accidentally call him by his birth name�
or his other name. If she called him anything other than what he�d been told
her his name was, he�d become further suspicious of her. For now, she would
feign ignorance. For now, he would believe that she and him were mutual
strangers. She would wear the mask of a somewhat benevolent woman who was willing
to assist some strangers who had lost their way.
Events were being set in motion. By
bringing �Max� here, into this world, she had caused the delicate threads of
fate to shift� though there was no telling, at this point, which way they would
go. This time, though, she refused to allow affairs to go uncontrollably awry
again. This time, she would be the one in control. And control was best
executed when the one being controlled remained unaware of it.
Perhaps, then, it was to her
advantage that Max was so na�ve. It would make subtle manipulation all that
much easier.
While there was still much to learn
about him, she already knew the first thing that had to be done� the boy had to
be taught about all the basic abilities he possessed. He�d have to learn everything
that being raised in whichever backwards world he grew up in had deprived him
of. After that, she�d decide where to go from there.
But there was one immediate concern
that didn�t factor into her plans, no matter how she tried to design around it:
That girl� this Alexandria. She was a
problem.
He was quite obviously attached to
her, somehow. Protective, even� an instinct inu demons felt towards those they
considered pack members. It was difficult to determine the nature of their
relationship, but it was very obvious that he would be adamantly against the
idea of abandoning her.
The girl was a hindrance. If she
stayed with them, she�d get in the way and slow them down, and Kikyo already
envisioned that preparing Max was going to be a lengthily process on its own.
She certainly wasn�t one to tolerate wasting time. Far too much was at risk for
that.
She considered� she might have find a
way of getting rid of this girl, somehow.
**************

The sky overhead made
the fateful transition from night blue to a pinkish hue, as the morning sun
threatened to peak out over the mountains overhead at any given second. The
trio�s march had continued on throughout the morning hours, without tire or
rest. Max and Al had spent nearly the entire time talking, while Kikyo lead the
way in silence, speaking only on those odd occasions when she was spoken to.
It had mostly been Max, asking �Are
we there yet?�. After the fifth time, something about the look in her eye told
him he shouldn�t ask that again. Ever. To anyone. Under any sort of context.
The ex-priestess had actually found
it to be most convenient, nonetheless� Max and Alex had spent mostly the entire
hike talking about him� what he was, what he knew of himself and his heritage.
He patiently answered her questions as best as he could, with only the
occasional insult flung and brief argument breaking out.
Although Kikyo appeared completely
disinterested, she had been paying extremely close attention. While the girl
was bothersome, her questions to Max did offer Kikyo some much needed introspective
into how he was, and what he knew about the circumstances surrounding his
existence� which was next to nil.
�� If the claws get in the way so
much, then why don�t you just cut them?�
�Gee, why didn�t I think of that?�
�Why, is something stopping you?�
�Well, we tried. Several times. I
broke the nail clippers on them. Hell, I broke the goddamn hedge trimmers on
them. Just lucky they never grew out any further than this� I probably woulda
had to rent out a diamond cutter.�
�And you�ve gone your whole life
without accidentally puncturing somebody?�
�Nope. Though I did learn pretty early
on not to pick my nose.�
�Ew.�
�Yeah, but that�s not even the worst
incident. This one time, I was going to the bathroom and��
�I�m gonna go ahead and stop you
right there.�
�Huh? Why?�
�Does this story involve bodily
functions and blood?�
�Yes. Generously so.�
�Then I can easily live without that
knowledge.�
�Pff� fine then.� He scoffed,
squinting a little as the first rays of sunshine began to seep over the
horizon. �So� what haven�t we covered?�
�What, are you eager to get this out
of the way?�
�No� but it is kinda cool that I can
actually talk about this stuff with someone.�
�What about your family?�
�Oh, I could NEVER tell Grandma about
half this stuff. She�d kill me. Hell, she still thinks that those porcelain
dolls I knocked over with my tail were stolen by a guest at our New Year�s Eve
party.�
�YOUR grandmother? Kill YOU? She�s,
like, the single sweetest old woman in existence.�
�Oh, trust me, she�s usually pretty
chill, but when she gets seriously mad�wow. I�ve been on the receiving end of
it a time or two, and I can assure you that�s nowhere near where you wanna
be�Hey!� He realized. �That�s right! You haven�t asked me one question about
the tail.� At that, Al seemed to stiffen, a little.
�Oh. Yeah�� She kind of mumbled,
looking off. �It just didn�t� um, jump out at me.�
�Seriously? Jesus, of all my demony
traits, I figured this one stood out the most. I mean� it�s so big� and poofy.
No?�
�Well��
�We are here.� Al was almost thankful
for the interruption. The inquisition forgotten, Max and Al caught up to her�
where she now stood, the forest ended, a line of trees cutting off at the top
of a hill, overlooking a long range of flatlands surrounded by mountains.
And amongst those flats was the
village, still standing.
Wow. And we�re here right at the
crack of dawn, just like she said. Punctual woman.
The higher perspective on the hill
gave them a chance to get a good look at the pace� the whole town was spread
out over what must have been a few kilometers, with buildings and huts tightly
strewn out over the land. A little small and compact, but�
The buildings� they were� old. Like
Kikyo�s hut, not �old� as in aged, but old as in older styled.
Weird.
�and that�s a little funny� that
place is giving off a bunch of more weird scents I don�t recognize, too.
�Well, okay then.� Max slowly pushed
foreword, deciding to ignore this strange feeling in his gut. �Al, I guess you
can just�� As he turned to look at her, he noted the incredulous look she was
giving this place, her eyes scanned the town, and the surrounding mountains.
��what?�
�Look at that.� She pointed. �No
roads� no cars� no telephone wires�no antennas��
�Oh, relax. I�m sure SOMEbody down
there must have some external means of communication.�
�Yeah, but�� Her head shook a little.
�This has really been bugging me� I mean, didn�t you notice how we ran through
the woods for hours without ANY sign of human life beyond� her.� She spoke that
last word almost sarcastically, not really caring if Kikyo noticed. �And now
we�ve got this village that looks like it belongs in a period drama��
�It�s� yeah, that is peculiar, I
guess. But we should still��
�And those mountains� I don�t see any
watchtowers or anything� and by law, there had to be one at least every five miles
of woodland!�
�Maybe they�re� down for repairs?
Look, there has to be a something we can use out there somewhere, and we�ll
find it, okay?�
�Yeah, but� God, this is so frikkin�
weird� it�s like we just stepped out into the sixteenth century.�
�Heh heh. Well, that�d be pretty cool
if that were possib��
CLICK
Max seized up when something in his
mind simply snapped into place. Several things, actually. Most notably, all
these weird times he�d try and grasp the situation, and would fail because
there was some missing puzzle piece he wasn�t getting.
And now he could see it.
In that moment, several things came
back to him� Most notably, a story his Grandmother had told him a few times.
Something about a well, in the back of the yard� something about her daughter�s
various travels through it. She went through a well, and it took her somewhere.
Where had that been again? What had been so damned special about that well?
��Max?� Al asked, wondering why he
was just staring in the space ahead of him.
Yeah, that�s right� the well did
something really special for people. Took them somewhere� no, not somewhere. It
actually left them in the same place�except�
�except�
�whoa.
So, yes, that kind of thing IS
possible.
Now, did that possibility, by chance,
apply to the current situation?
Let�s review� a woman with medieval
weaponry and no knowledge of Tokyo� no electricity� no sign of industrial
development� no engines� no paved roads� no...
Yup.
�Max, are you okay?�
�Oh fffff��
**************

As the dawn broke out
overhead, the residents of Shahskul weren�t awakened by the caw of a rooster,
as they were mostly accustomed to� instead, they were awakened by Max
Higurashi, standing on the hill some distance outside of their town, suddenly
and spontaneously shrieking out over the landscape:
��FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!�
And so the day began.
End Chapter 13
***************
Koday: ��.
��
��
��
Well, the preceding post-chapter
ramblings had about as much substance to them as any of my previous ones had.
Much Love,
Koday.
- 12
- 13
- 14
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Nikanaru	By : Koday Category: InuYasha > General Views: 3209 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Nikanaru