Saturday, April 30, 2005

Winds of Change: For a Friend
*episode 2*

The work to repair Kaede’s village progresses. Inuyasha’s party help as they can; here a strong back, there a helping hand. Naraku has disappeared and they have no way of knowing where to look for him. All in all, this village is lucky. Their loses are few, due to the fact that they were defended from the first onslaught by capable warriors. The survivors have the benefit of antibiotics, antiseptic supplies, and simple medicines, centuries ahead of their time. There is even a monk to bury the dead. Three days after the attack, a strong wind comes upon the village. The old priestess, still recovering herself, looks up from the child’s bandage she is changing to note the strange shift in the weather. The demon slayer looks up from her carpentry to wonder if a storm is coming. The monk, sanctifying the last graves, feels relief from the sweat that accumulated as he dug the graves himself. The school girl, hurrying back from the well with fresh supplies, wonders, not for the first time, if her legs would be warmer if she wore a longer skirt. The great cat, who has been watching against demonic incursions on the weakened village, looks off into the distance, then dashes off, chasing a small speck. The half-demon, who has been felling timber, looks up and sniffs the air. He rushes to the village and gathers the others. “It’s Naraku’s scent.” he says. “Is it strong enough to track?” Miroku asks. Inuyasha nods. Sango says, “Wait a minute. It has to be a trap. We’re not ready to face whatever he has prepared for us.” “She’s right.” Kagome adds. Then, Kirara approaches the summit. She walks to Sango and holds out something in her mouth. Sango takes it. “A feather?” she says. “There’s hair wrapped around it.” “Le’me see.” says Inuyasha. She hands the feather to him. He pulls the hair loose and brings it to his nose. “It’s Kohaku’s!” he says. “Then that must be one of Kagura’s feathers.” says the monk. “I think this is a message.” “Ya! An invitation from Naraku!” says Inuyasha. “No.” Kagome says. “While you we’re fighting Naraku, Kagura brought Kohaku to me so that I could purify his jewel shard. She said she wanted to set him free.” Miroku adds, “And she told us that she hated Naraku and was trying to escape from him.” “Don’t tell me you believed her!” says Inuyasha. “But if she was telling the truth,” Sango says, “then this could be an attempt to lead us to Naraku before he’s ready for us.” “She might even be able to get your brother again.” says Kagome. Miroku says, “It may be a trap, but it’s an opportunity we can’t pass up.” “Just a minute ago, you two were saying it was too dangerous.” Inuyasha says to the girls. “Now, just because Kagura says so, it’s suddenly safe? I expect that from Kagome, but I would have thought you’d have better judgment Sango.” “Hey!” Kagome shouts. “Sango,” Inuyasha says, “We all want to get Kohaku back, if for no other reason then because it will upset Naraku. But you can’t let that desire cloud you’re judgment. That said, I trust your judgment over any of ours. If you think it’s worth all of us taking the risk, I’ll follow your decision” “Inuyasha.” Kagome says in surprise. “Well Sango, are we going?” asks Miroku. Sango takes a minute to consider her choice. “I won’t deny that the possibility of saving Kohaku is affecting my judgment.” she says. “However, if this isn’t a trap, it may be the best chance we’ll ever get to catch Naraku. We’ve walked into Naraku’s traps before, and we’ve paid for it. But we’ve always come out alive. Miroku is right, we can’t afford to let this chance slip away. Besides, knowing that there is a trap is the first step in evading it.” Inuyasha nods, “Ok, we’ll go. But let’s be careful. We’re not taking Koga, or my brother.” They assemble their gear and begin to track the scent.
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