The White Tower
This story is rated PG-13 for sexual situations
Chapter 21 - The Search
"You know where they are?" Kurama exclaimed, jumping up.
"Yes! InuYasha said it -- they are hiding in a deep hole. And where would Rye go? He does not know this land. The only place he knows is Seiryuu and the mountain where his father slept."
"But the mountain no longer exists. Vash's power obliterated it completely."
"True, but aren't there other mountains nearby with caves? Some of them must go deep under ground, beneath the mountains themselves." Aara asked. "The mountain that Vash destroyed was only one of a range of mountains."
"True. But to find the right cave -- the right mountain even! There are hundreds of caves!" Kurama exclaimed.
"We can ask Tekken to use his Bobcats to search the caves."
"It would be very dangerous."
"Not if they were careful. If they sensed anything at all, they must leave immediately and report back. And we will explore that cave further."
"I would not want to send anyone down a dark hole where at the end of it, there might be a Dragon." Kurama said, and then exclaimed, "Wait! We could use Kamui. He could sense what was inside the cave and he wouldn't have to go very far inside."
"Wouldn't the rocks get in the way of his sonar?" InuYasha ventured.
"Not if I give him a couple more crystal shards. His power would allow him to see through the cave walls." Kurama smiled. "I will contact Tekken and ask for his help. And also talk to Kamui and have him test his powers with two more shards."
He stood up to leave, and then turned to the Dog Demon, "Thank you, InuYasha."
InuYasha blushed bright red at the compliment, especially coming from Kurama. And then Aara reached over and gave him a hug. "My wonderful InuYasha!" she exclaimed, turning him even redder.
Kurama asked Aniki to help Kamui test the new shards. The Bat was thrilled to be able to help and grateful that he was being trusted with two more shards. He wore them like the Thunder Demons did, on his forehead, since all of his sonar senses were in his face. Similar to a real bat, Kamui emitted silent radio waves that bounced back to him when they touched an object. But the shard fine-tuned his power so that the Bat could eliminate inanimate objects and the wave bounced back only when living tissue was touched. And with three shards, his power would go even farther and become even more discerning.
Kurama himself went to Suzaku to enlist Tekken's help. The Bobcat was glad to help and immediately sent out Bobcat scouts to scour the mountains of Seiryuu, warning them not to make contact with anything, rather to report their findings. Chichiri spread out a large map of the mountains and would mark every finding on the map; then Kamui and Aniki would then check the marked places.
While he was waiting for results to start coming in, Kurama went to see Vara. She greeted the Fox warmly. After all, Kurama had been her bound male for sixteen years.
"How are you?" She inquired, as they strolled around the lake. They were heading to the willow that Kurama had planted for Toyna. He wanted to make sure it was healthy and sound.
"I am fine, My Lady. But I rarely have time for myself any more. Heading the Protectors has become a huge task."
"Tekken doesn't seem to have that problem." Vara mused.
"In Suzaku, soldiers do a lot of the protecting and they are not under his command. In Otherworld, even the guards and human patrols are under my command. And there is always something happening, especially along the border with Demon World." Kurama explained.
"Perhaps you need a lieutenant to help you?"
"Well, Kouga helps with the wolves, since he commands them. But that is an idea. But who would want the task -- and be good at it?"
"I have an idea. Didn't Kenshin serve in the army in the Human World? He might be your answer. At least you could give him the human guards to command. I think he would be perfect."
"I'll certainly give it some thought. It is getting to be too much of a job for one person. Ah, here we are!" Kurama said as they reached the willow.
While he checked out the tree, Vara knelt by her second male's grave and put a single white rose on it. "My sweet Toyna. May you have peace in your next life."
After a short while, she rose and Kurama quickly put out a hand to help. "Do you think he has been reincarnated yet?" Vara asked as she took his hand.
"I don't think there is a set amount of time. I think the soul decides when the time is right."
"I would love to know him in his new life, like my mother knows Aniki. Not so much to be bound to him, but to know that he is happy. He had such a short life this time."
"If it is meant for you to find him again, I am sure you will know him the minute you look into his eyes. They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and in each life, the look stays the same."
"Thank you, Kurama. That comforts me." Vara brushed away a single tear, and then the pair continued their way around the lake, walking mostly in silence, each deep in private thoughts.
A week passed, and Chichiri's map now had many marks on it. Kamui and Aniki had arrived three days ago, and were already checking out the various caves. Souten went with them for added protection. So far, all they had uncovered were small minor demons, a few bears and one Snake Demon that hissed angrily at them before going even deeper into his cave.
A few days later, the trio was hovering near the crater that marked the capital city of Seiryuu and the graves of Vash, Ashara, Naraku, Keiki, Malik and Rhu. Except that there were no true graves for everything had been turned to dust. But a black marble pillar had been erected in the center of the crater and the six names were listed on it. Both Aara and Vara had insisted that all the names be put on the pillar, for all died here. For a while there was a seventh name was on it -- Jodah -- but his name had been removed when they found him alive in the Human World.
At the northern edge of the crater, many caves could be seen and there were many marks on the map. Kamui sent his sonar out and when it returned to him, he asked to be set down on the ground. He walked to the mouth of the largest cave, with the Thunder Demons close behind, and sent his sonar deep -- deeper than it had ever gone. "I sense a lot of things down there, small demons and something else. It feels like two humans."
"Rye and Jae!"
"It might be." Kamui agreed, still reading the waves as they returned to him. "They are very deep under the mountain. And there are many smaller demons near them."
"We found them! Now, how do we get them out of there?"