Chapter Eleven
He desperately scratched on the door, cursing his small form once again. The center of the door was merely thick rice paper stuck to a wooden frame that was divided in squares. If he had been just a few inches taller, he could have at least swipe a hole in the white paper and leap out of there (Or so he thought. He never realized that he could get caught on the square frames). Why wasn't the damn door sliding open? If it was like the other doors, it was supposed to be opened with ease with just one flick of his paw!
...Oh, yes.
He had took extra care to make the door as heavy as possible (He suspected there would be a few peeping toms) since the bathhouse was personally for his ward. He now noticed that everything would have been much easier if he had thought about replacing the paper door with a full wooden one instead if he was concerned about her privacy.
Oh, wait. Then his plan of tearing his way out through the paper wouldn't work.
He went rigid when he heard the soft sound of fabric sliding down onto the floor. He hoped she wouldn't notice that he was missing from the spot next to the main spring.
He was leaving another futile scratch on the door when he heard harsh breathing from the other side. Looking up, he saw a slender finger poking a hole in the lowest square of paper.
"My lord?"
He let out a menacing growl when he recognized the voice of Dakeru.
"We just came here to tell you that you're doing just great."
Doing great? He was about to take a bath with his eighteen-year-old ward for Kami-sama's sake!
...Did he not want to?
He shook his head, scolding himself to even think about enjoying the idea. He growled.
"Oh, come on, my lord. Who cares if it's unethical? My lord can't deny that he still wants to see-"
"Dakeru, move."
Narita shoved his companion away and quickly conquered the talking hole.
"My lord, you better be careful. Kaede suspects something now that she found the conference archive still in the library. She probably knows we're still here."
He almost let out a whine of frustration to get attention.
"What do you mean awkward? Lady doesn't even know! No, with all due respect, we won't let you out, my lord. This is your best chance! Together alone in the same spring? Do something cute at the right time and you've got that furry nuisance out of her mind!"
"By the way, Lady Rin has a lovely figure!"
The dog's growled deep in his throat. When he heard a smart slap that told him Dakeru had just received his punishment on his head, the canine curled his lips upwards in a doglike smirk. His ears perked up when he caught the scent of a newcomer. He recognized that stomping gait...
"DAKERU! NARITA!"
"Oh, shit. Run, Narita, run!"
He heard the frantic scrambling of his two men as Kaede's exasperated voice grew louder.
"Dakeru! Nairta! Get back here you two!"
He would have worried of what would become of the two demons when Kaede got her hands on them, but he soon found himself not in the position to do so, for he suddenly felt two slender arms lifting him up by his midriff.
"There you are," Rin said with a relieved voice.
Sesshomaru was currently trying his best not to focus on the soft wall of warmth that was contacting with his back. A light hue of crimson appeared on his face, which was thankfully kept hidden by his fur.
Rin slid open the door just as Kaede was passing by.
"Kaede? Did you just call Narita and Dakeru?"
"Yes, in fact I did, my lady," Kaede answered with a slight scowl. "Those two must have made it look as if they were gone so they could skip- My lady, you're only in your bathing robe!" It was then that he felt the smooth silk against his back what he had mistaken for the bare skin of her chest. Relieved, but yet disappointed(for reasons he later scolded himself for) he relaxed his tensed hind legs.
"It's not so thin..." Rin insisted as she held him closer. The lax limbs again stiffened. "Do you think Sesshomaru-sama is still here too?"
His left ear perked up unconsciously at the sound of his name.
"No, my lordship must have left alone in the first place, my lady."
"Oh..."
He could sense her disappointment and her arms tightening around him. A small bubble of pride swelled inside him and the dog wiggled smugly.
"I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru will return soon, my lady," Kaede consoled as she gently pushed Rin back through the door. "He never failed to come back within a week before."
Rin silently nodded and allowed herself to be steered into the bath house, not realizing with every step the animal in her arms was becoming stiffer.
He could feel the waves of heat and picked up the heavy smell of steaming water. Kami-sama, he never even saw her taking a bath when she was a child!
The front hall of the bathhouse ended in an open space where steam was allowed to rise into the night sky for there was no roof to trap it. The tub looked like any other natural spring except for the firm stone walls that were piled high to enclose her in a secured haven.
"Why don't you leave the robe on, my lady," Kaede said as she laid a towel next to the spring, "it'll keep you from warm from the wind."
A weak, disgruntled, guttural whimper escaped his throat as she carefully lowered a foot into the water.
"Well, at least the feline bathed himself alone with his tongue," Kaede muttered as she watched him slowly struggle in her arms.
He stopped short, giving the miko a glare, and huffed inwardly to himself, but stayed still.
"He's quite bright, isn't he?" Rin giggled as she stepped fully into the pool of water.
Oh, how he hated feeling the tip of his fur becoming heavy with moisture. Nobody could understand this incredibly stuffy feeling if one wasn't a dog who was exceptionally fluffier than others and had been soaked in hot, but not burning, water.
"Being bright has nothing to do with hygiene in my opinion, my lady. Do scrub him thoroughly," Kaede sighed as she placed a delicately folded kimono next to the spring.
"I will." Rin smiled.
"Miko-sama?"
A timid, but anxious voice was heard from the door of the bathhouse. The two women and canine looked towards the door.
"Tohu-sensei?" Kaede called.
"Yes, it's me. Please excuse me for interrupting, but there's something urgent I need to tell you. I've found something in the library."
"Excuse me, my lady."
With a bow, Kaede excused herself from the bathroom, but not before eyeing the canine with a pair of wary eyes. Slightly shaking her head, she closed the sliding doors behind her and soon the sound of the heavier wooden entrance door followed along with muffled talking of voices.
And the two were left in a comfortable silence.
"Why did we even run like hell if she wasn't following us?" Dakeru panted between breaths. He leaned onto thick bamboo tree as he tried to calm his breath. He remembered the last time when Kaede caught him playing hooky. He wasn't very anxious to face Kaede's wrath and her painful punishments again.
"My hip hurts," Narita muttered through ragged breaths as he clutched his left side.
"Oh, Kami-sama... I'm gettin' old," Dakeru wheezed.
"Dakeru, what are we going to do-"
Narita paused, standing up straight as he glared into the thick bamboo forest they were in. Leaves rustled as a soft breeze went by, but the eagle demon didn't move.
"What is it?" Dakeru asked as he straightened up as well.
"...We're not alone." Narita said in a low voice.
Dakeru tilted his head upwards and closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring slightly as he tried to catch a scent.
"I don't smell anything."
"We're not facing the wind." Narita whispered as he conjured his spear. He flexed his right hand so that his bones were punctured and the ripping of skin could be heard as a thick pole emerged from his wrist, as if it were a overgrown arm bone stretching out of his body. Normally, Narita would have winced during the process, but his eyebrows were joined together as his eyes intensely searched the forest. Dakeru unsheathed his two swords. A breeze whipped the loose hems of their attires.
"Well, I guess the bird has a bit more sense than the mutt."
The voice was mocking, feminine, and unfamiliar. The two immediately looked up to find a demon with flaming red hair looking down at them with a sneer. Her attire was simple: boots that were knee-high made of orange fur, the same material of the cloth she wore over the flexible tights. Her top was short sleeved and a red handkerchief adorned her neck. She had her hands to her hips and was smirking in a way that made the two demons below her intimidated.
"What's the matter?" She called with a mocking voice. "Cat got your tongue?"
"I'll cut yours off if you keep talking like that," Dakeru growled, baring his teeth.
"So you expect me to tell you how long that human's going to live with half a tongue?"
This caught both of them off guard. Narita was the first to recover, anger in his eyes.
"Lady Rin is fine," he hissed.
"Now that's what you think," she laughed. "She's already showing her second symptom!"
Dakeru bended his knees, ready to leap up into the air, but Narita stopped him with a glare.
"You know about the illness, don't you?" He asked.
"I should, considering the fact our village suffered from it for a century."
Narita nor Dakeru said nothing as the youkai hummed jubilantly.
"It was strange really," she continued, leisurely twitching her tail as she looked up thoughtfully. "Every one of the patients would show the same symptoms of a common cold. Then the next thing you know, the second symptom appears and immediately death follows."
Narita's ears twitched slightly at her words.
"Second symptom?" He inquired, ignoring the alarming look Dakeru shot at him.
The female gave him a sideways glance before smirking.
"Sure. Haven't you realized by now?"
Narita was getting nervous. He had noticed the first symptoms of the disease. Rin would cough, lose her appetite, and often develop high fevers. He had thought of it as a serious cold which his lady had caught in a state of emotional distress. But a second symptom?
The cat demon slid off from her seat and landed gracefully on her feet. She approached the two in a saunter, enjoying the moment of being the upper hand of the battle already.
"I'll tell you a little something since I pity your thickness," she drawled. "The reason why so many died from this disease was because it was always mistaken as some other measly sickness or perhaps in some cases... Emotional distress," she emphasized her last two words with a coy smile as she saw the fleeting look of surprise on Narita's face. "But no...It's far more lethal than that. After the first symptoms similar to a cold, the disease would die down for some time, depending on the health of the patient. But it takes less than a week for the patient to relapse and show the second, or shall I say, individual symptom."
"Individual...?" Dakeru muttered under his breath. His grip tightened on his swords when the female gave her direct attention towards him.
"Yes, half-breed. Individual," she sneered. "The second symptom is different for every patient. So far, there has been six types that has been observed back in our clan. Vomiting, boils, dehydration... The most painful one would be what your lady is suffering from now." She let out a mirthless laugh.
'Second symptom...?' Narita pondered. And then he realized. He didn't need the fleeting desperate look Dakeru shot at him as he hissed out the dreaded words.
"That time when Lady coughed up blood..!"
"That's right, hanyou!" She let out a mirthless laugh. "She's going to continue losing mass amounts of blood on a frequent basis! That pathetic mutt you call your lord won't be able to save her-"
There was a snarl from Dakeru, but Narita was the one who had his left hand firmly clasped onto the demoness's throat. His talons gleamed under the thin rays of light that penetrated through the thick layer of bamboo leaves above, and his eyes were rapidly becoming bloodshot as he lifted her slightly off her feet.
"Do- not- insult- Lord - Sesshomaru," he snarled. "We don't need that arrogant furball to deliver the herbs; we can hire the best doctors to come to our aid. Lord Sesshomaru has always come up with the best solutions and this time will be no diff-"
Narita's words turned into a painful hiss as he abruptly let go of her neck. She gracefully flipped backwards to land a good distance away from Narita and Dakeru, who had hurried to come to the eagle demon's aid. Narita's left hand had been burned; the skin was a slight hue of red and the acrid smell of burning skin reached Dakeru's sensitive nose.
"It's amazing what a tiny little bolt of lightning can do," the demoness purred. She leaped back up to the thick bamboo trees, her tail twitching leisurely as she looked down at them.
"You better not mess with the Warriors of the East," she said with a sneer. "Unlike your common filth, we have been gifted with the elements of nature. Watch who you're picking your fights with!"
"And by the way," she added as she examined her claws with a smirk curled on her lips, "the disease can't be cured with common medication. The herbs are the only chance for her survival and they're hidden within the secret dens of tree imps, who - you already should know - rarely appears in the presence of foreigners. That rumor going around in the human villages just shows how ignorant those mortals are! Silver nekos being able to contact tree imps? Well, here's something new for you! There is ONLY one silver neko in all these four lands and that happens to be Lord Kenshiro! Those pathetic mortals have been watching OUR lord contacting the tree imps for centuries and they didn't even realize that it was the same feline every single time!"
Dread filled inside Dakeru as he listened to every word the jeering demon said. His heart pounded in his ears as anger and fear made his stomach turn. Before Narita did anything, Dakeru had leapt up in a flash and lashed out his two swords. The cat demon was a second faster; she agilely jumped backwards from her place, Dakeru's swords slashing only the thick bamboo, and landed nimbly onto another tree.
"But no matter!" She jeered. "Lord Kenshiro has his eyes on that human you serve as your lady! My lord is shrewd and ambitious; he always gets what he wants! If you truly wish for her survival, it would be wise to yield her to Lord Kenshiro, the next lord of all the four empires! Heed my words, you ignorant fools: your lands will be conquered by the Eastern Lands of the Hyoneko tribe and it will be the last of this ridiculous heterogeneous land and its soft-hearted cowardly ruler!"
This time both of the infuriated demon and half-demon charged at her, catching the demoness off guard. She barely managed to grab hold of the head of Narita's spear before it plunged into her stomach, but Dakeru's hard blow on her face knocked her off from her place. Her hands gripped onto the narrow trunk of a bamboo as she fell, but her grip was torn off when Narita hit her squarely in her left rib with the pole of his spear. She fell on her back, hitting her head against the rough ground and letting out a sharp hiss. Her gleaming green eyes widened slightly when the image of Dakeru jumping off from the bamboo branches directly above her was reflected in them. His elbows were tucked in and his swords crossing each other as they aimed for her exposed chest.
"This is for Lord Sesshomaru!" he snarled.
There was a faint rustle, and the next moment Dakeru was hit by a blow in midair, causing him to crash into the thick forest. There were loud cracks from the bamboos snapping at the sudden collision as dust rose from the path Dakeru made as he slid across the dirt. His hands were held together in a crudely shaped, large block of ice and a small patch of frost was covering his right cheek.
"DAKERU!" Narita shouted. He was running towards his fallen companion when someone jumped right in front of his path.
It was the eldest demoness of the Hyoneko tribe; Karang's eyes held a cold gaze, but anger flickered in her red orbs. Narita took a step back, his spear poised in front of him. The vein in his wrist was throbbing.
"I shall apologize in behalf of my younger sibling, Shunrang; it was wrong of her to speak illy of your lord," she coldly said. "However, your capricious and violent actions towards my sister can not be justified. Your partner deserved what he got."
There was a loud rustle and some snapping of bamboo as the bulky male Hyoneko warrior appeared into view. His fists were giving off waves of frigid air.
Karang gave her fallen sister a perfunctory glance before snapping, "Get up."
Shunrang grudgingly got to her feet, slightly swaying from the concussion she got by colliding her head. Her brother came striding forwards and grabbed hold of her upper arm with a massive hand. Cautiously but quickly, Karang walked backwards towards her two siblings.
"We shall be meeting soon," she curtly said.
And without another word, the three swiftly sprinted into the forest.
As soon as the footsteps retreated, Narita ran over to Dakeru's side and gingerly helped him sit up. Dakeru stirred and his purple eyes slowly fluttered open.
"What the hell just happened?" He groaned irritably as Narita started hacking the block of ice holding his wrists. The ice gave in with a loud crack. Dakeru gingerly touched his itching right cheek and winced. The patch of frost was giving off a faint mist of cold air like the fists of the male Hyoneko. The edges were slowly spreading across the face.
"Come on," Narita muttered. "We've got to find Kaede to get that off; it looks like strong youki."
"Funny... I thought we were running away from her a few moments ago," Dakeru mumbled. He tried to stand, but soon staggered; he barely managed to stop himself from falling on his face by supporting himself with his swords. He let out a sharp scream of pain when he gripped the hilts too hard. His hands were frost bitten and swollen.
"What's wrong?" Narita asked, alarmed.
"I can't move," Dakeru groaned through clenched teeth. "The damn ice did something more than make my hands cold."
It seemed like Dakeru was right; his red hands were quickly becoming a light shade of blue. Narita swiftly helped Dakeru lean onto a nearby bamboo trunk and took off his nagagi.
"Wait here," he curtly said as he wrapped Dakeru's hands with his clothing. "I'm going to get Kaede."
"Hurry..." Dakeru said weakly.
The sun had already set when Narita sprinted out of the forest and into the plains, heading straight for the main entrance of the castle grounds. The eagle demon only had two thoughts in mind as he ignored the bewildered questions of the patrol guards at the gate: one was reaching Kaede in hopes of saving his long time friend; the other was protecting the only human woman he adored from both the claws of death and an arrogant aristocrat.
I apologize for the late update but I have been quite busy with moving(yes, excuses excuses). Hope you enjoyed this chapter!