Touch the Sky

Forget (Chapter 8)

"Kagura, I need you to go and find someone," Naraku says. "His name is Yuma, he's a hitogami that lives in the south."

"Might I ask what for?" Kagura inquires.

"There is a young woman," he muses. "She needs to be taught a lesson."

"I see," she lets out a breath. "What's the message that I'm giving to this 'Yuma' character?"

"Tell him that there's a woman able to heal the darkest parts of a man's soul," Naraku tells her. "That she's become a bit of a bother and to help me be rid of her. He does not need to kill her, though he may if he wishes to; he just has to have her out of the way."

"She must be quite lovely if she bugs you that much," Kagura notes. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Melody," he says. "And she is the very definition of lovely."

..............................

"Come on Jakotsu, hurry it up would ya?!" Bankotsu yells.

"Keep your pants on!" Jakotsu emerges from the trees. "I had to take a piss, so lay off!"

"What, did you drink a lake?" Bankotsu prompts.

"Okay kids, settle down," Melody jokes.

"How far south are we going anyway?" Kagome asks. "We're practically at the border."

"We'll be in Okinawa at this point," Melody concurs. "Wonder what it looks like without all the beach resorts."

"We'll go as far as we need to," Inuyasha muses. "Until we find Naraku and defeat him once and for all."

"What does Naraku look like anyway?" Melody asks. "I need a face to put to the name."

"He's got long black hair," Sango replies. "His skin is white as snow."

"His eyes are just as dark as his hair," Miroku adds. "And his face is wicked."

"Wicked being, what exactly?" Melody inquires. "Handsome, ugly, somewhere in between?"

"He's a fairly handsome man," Bankotsu tells her. "I've only met him a twice, and he always seemed either bored or cold. Not very expressive."

"He does sound handsome," Jakotsu admits. "Too bad he's such a vile being."

"It's going to be getting dark soon," Sango notes. "We should stop and setup camp somewhere."

As she says that, an estate comes into view.

"Or we can see if there's a more comfortable alternative," Miroku suggests.

"Here we go again," Jakotsu jokes.

They walk up the steps to the large estate and are greeted by a couple guards.

"Halt! Who goes there?" one of them shouts.

"No need for such hostility," Miroku turns on his charm. "We're just harmless travelers, looking to seek shelter for the night."

"Yeah right," the other one scoffs. "Travelers in the company of mercenaries and demons? Do you take us for fools."

"Come now, don't be so rude," a woman's voice says from the building behind them. "Some of them are young women. Surely they could benefit from a warm bed."

"Yes of course, my apologies milady," the first guard apologizes.

"My, such lovely ladies at that," the woman was wearing a thick veil to hide her face. "Our lord would surely welcome you in. Wait right there."