Otherworld 3: Tala
Chapter 10 - The Gathering
They had all gathered in his room and Kamui looked around at them, daunted. These men were the Protectors of Otherworld; the legends he had heard about all his life.
Kurama, the most powerful Fox Demon to ever live; Hiei, the only Demon alive who had mastered the Dragon of Darkness Flame; Kouga, the first Protector and High Leader of the Wolf Clan; InuYasha, only a Hanyou -- a half-demon -- yet his exploits were well known throughout Demon World; Bakura, the powerful blue Demon Mage; and Hiten, the Thunder Demon who had helped save Suzaku during the Three Worlds War.
There were others there whom he did not know: Aniki, a young Thunder Demon; Toyna, an Ice Demon who had come from Suzaku for this meeting; Kome, Kouga's half-demon son; a young Blood Demon whose name he did not know, and a human monk named Miroku. Tala was sitting quietly at his side, but she no longer looked exactly like the duplicates. She had cut her long hair, purposely changing her looks.
And in the center of the group was the Princess. The beautiful Princess Protector of Otherworld: Aara. Her long dark red hair framed a kind face and her golden eyes danced with inner light. The woman had the power to bind any male she wished to her, making her the most powerful person in this room, yet she always seemed loving and kind, and Kamui knew that she had saved him from death.
"Kamui," the Princess began, "Forgive the intrusion, but we need to share information so that we can protect ourselves against Tala's duplicates." Tala blushed at the words. Noticing her blush, Aara added, "That is not a good name for them for it infers blame and you are not to blame, Tala. Let's just call them duplicates instead."
"I didn't get to examine the body but I did see that the wounds you carry were not on his body, so the duplicate was not physically inside." Kurama began. "I believe that the duplicate disincorporates his own body when he is inside another person. It is only his essence that is inside, not his physical body."
"I agree. It would be physically impossible for two bodies to share the same space, although I am not sure if that is what happened when Naraku lived. He had over a hundred demons inside of him and seemed to be able to bring them out of his body at will." Kaiba offered.
"How did it feel when he was inside of you?" Kurama asked Kamui.
"I felt him enter; it was a strange feeling, like someone crowding inside my mind and then he pushed me to the back of my own mind and I no longer could control my own body. I felt all the pain -- I don't think he felt any of it -- but I had no power at all."
"I would like to say something." Tala said quietly, "I felt the duplicate die and if I felt it, I'm sure that the three remaining duplicates felt him die also."
"That means one of two things. Either they will attack immediately before they are found out or they will go deeper into hiding." Hiten put forth. "I think we should be very careful. We know that the duplicates can only go into one body at a time; therefore, if we patrol in pairs, we should be safe. At least the second person will see the first one taken over and get help. I think the Demons who fly like I do should be safe alone -- I don't think the duplicates can fly. They seem to have the same physical qualities of our Tala."
"They have all my swordsmanship and archery skills. I no longer have any of that." Tala added.
"So they learned when you learned." Kaiba mused.
"I agree with the patrolling in pairs. I will send my patrols out in groups, two wolf demons and several wolves to each group. They should be safe that way." Kouga said, then added, "But what are we looking for?"
"That is the question that haunts us. We have no idea what to look for. If the duplicate is in his own body, then he will be easy to recognize, but if he is hidden inside of someone else, it will be impossible." Aara answered. "Only Tala can sense them. But I do not want to risk any harm coming to her, so she will stay here safe in the Castle."
"I have a question for you, Kamui." said Kurama, turning to the Bat Demon, "When the duplicate was inside of you, how well did he imitate you?"
"He knew everything about me as if he was reading my mind. He recognized everyone that I knew and acted very much like me, but not quite perfectly. There were things he said and did that I would not have done. He had my knowledge but not my way of doing things."
"That's gives us hope. We need to watch for is strange behavior in those around us. It may be something subtle, like a wrong phrase or a different way of doing things. But we must be careful not to become paranoid and accuse friends unjustly. Be on the lookout but remember, there are only three more duplicates and they cannot be everywhere." Kurama commented.
"What shall we do if we see someone acting different?" Toyna asked.
"Go to someone you trust and tell them. If possible, capture him and bring him here so that Tala can sense him. But be very careful -- the duplicate can jump from body to body in an instant."
"Would a net stop the duplicate's escape?" InuYasha asked.
"That is a good idea. It just might. Once out of the body, the duplicate has a body just like you and me."
"I will have the patrols carry nets with them." Kouga said.
"What if the duplicates just hide inside of someone forever?" Miroku asked. "They would be safe."
"That will not happen," Tala answered. "Each of them had a purpose, an agenda, planted there by Naraku. I'm sure they could not ignore the need to fulfill whatever plan was born into them."
"Revenge." Shilo's quiet voice silenced the room, "The duplicate said that Chaal's death was the beginning of the revenge for Naraku's death."
"Shilo..." the Princess began, going to his side.
"I'm alright, Princess. The duplicates will target those who had a hand in Naraku's death. Me, because I ruined his plans by escaping, and Raizen, because he stopped Mukuro. I think the duplicate that Mukuro killed was the one that killed Chaal. The Eastern Lands are just across the northern border of our lands."
"I agree." Kurama said. "So we need to watch out for those who are most responsible for ruining Naraku's plans and leading to his death. The person who actually killed him, Vash, died with him. Bakura and InuYasha were there and might be high on the list. I think Kyo is too powerful for a duplicate to go after, but Vara might be a target. And, of course, you, Princess."
"One thing to consider is that Naraku expected to have many duplicates," Aara added. "He never expected Tala to betray him and stop creating her doubles. Her good side, her human side, prevailed, and because of it, his plans were changed. The duplicates cannot go after everyone on the list. I believe they will use opportunity more than design."
After a little more discussion, the meeting ended and everyone went to their homes to impart what they had learned. Now they had to find enemies who could hide inside of friends.