Inuyasha: Lords of the Night

Chapter Five: Shima e no Tabi

Kazuki poked his head inside the lords' chambers when he heard noises inside. The youth was tossing fitfully in his sleep almost as though he were having night terrors. Uneasiness once again filled his heart, wondering if leaving the small island was such a wise idea. Not only was Seihomaru new to ruling, the stresses of the murder would linger in the young lords' mind. Was that what was causing the dreams he was having now?

Kazuki closed the door and shook his head. Not only did he have to worry about his young charge, but he went over the boundaries with giving him his youki name. Now they were both vulnerable. Did Seihomaru think somehow that he was invincible or untouchable because he was the lads personal guard? He sighed, thinking he could have done without knowing the pups youki name.

It wasn't that he didn't feel honored that the youkai lord trusted him that much, he did, but now he felt as though his job was that much more difficult because now those barriers weren't in place between them. Kazuki snarled softly to himself. He had already given instruction on preparing the ship to sail in the morning, and still, he had no information as to what happened to the youkai two days prior. Seihomaru's first day as lord had been one of listening to his peoples' concerns and any issues to their lands or crops. The youkai lord had retired early and was rather grouchy through the decisions he had had to make.

Now morning was only a few hours off, and the ship would be ready for departure at mid-morning. Food for the trip had already been stocked, weapons, and his allotted guards Seihomaru would allow. The anger he felt rose once again, seeing as he was only allowed to bring fifteen of his most trusted. In his opinion, it was not nearly enough. Even Traylaymaru had stressed the importance of having a strong force with them, but Seihomaru decided against it because Turari made mention of bringing too many would draw too much attention.

Despite that, Kazuki ordered several of his shadow guards, and a handful of his night watch to find themselves on the ship and remain hidden. His uneasiness had grown however when Turari had made mention of his knowledge of the shadow guard when no one besides those in his barracks had even known about their existence. How the hell that adviser had any awareness of his private guard was beyond him. He had even sent Nii out to observe this sudden intelligence the adviser portrayed.

Even now Turari seemed to be aware of things he had no business knowing about, and even more disturbing was he would appear from the shadows almost as though he had been there the entire time, with no one being aware of his presence. Not a trace of youki emitted from the lords' adviser, and he seemed to be one step ahead of everything they did. Kazuki shook his head, he had far more pressing matters than what the adviser did or did not do. Just as he was about to growl in frustration, his nose picked up Ose's scent, and he glanced up with a raised brow.

Ose inclined his head. "All the preparations are finished. Nii has ventured off on his own to investigate some more, muttering about something he had seen near the human village. Shigeo has questioned all who were in attendance, but got no new information."

"Any good news?" Kazuki clenched his fists.

"We found out the pups identity. Shigeo has gone to inform the family."

"Are you ready for this trip?" Kazuki stared straight at Ose as he nodded. The hidden meaning was not missed by either. The fact that they had to basically communicate with their eyes, rather than words was not something Kazuki felt comfortable with doing, however, there were ears that could be present. He shook his head and sighed. "Finish up what you need to, and we will meet at the docks in a few hours."

Ose nodded and left quickly. Kazuki took his place once again at the lords' door and waited silently for when Seihomaru would wake and make his appearance. He didn't have to wait long before the door opened and a tousled young youkai glanced out. Seihomaru rubbed his eyes and squinted against the bright sun that shone in through the rice paper windows.