The Lost and The Found-- (Inuyasha) Ch. 1

A port in China.

After so many years away from home, it was finally time to go back. It was a fabulous three years of schooling, thought Takeda Sai as he contemplated the cerulean blue sky waiting to board a commercial vessel headed for the Land of the Rising Sun. It was noon already and he had not eaten, despite there being venders a many to choose from as crowds of people huddled about negotiating prices for needed supplies and wares. At the age of fifteen, Takeda Sai was already considered an adult and old enough to take on the responsibilities his father had waiting for him once he touched home. Like all journeys, this was going to be a long one. He stood on the docks; letting out an exasperated sigh, he tugged at his meticulously made braid, waiting what seemed like forever, as merchants passed by on their little boats either waving to him in greeting or trying vigorously to sell him their wares. In which, the young man declined.

Sai, slowly, reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a piece of parchment that had been read dozens of times. It was a letter from his father, asking him to return home. The clan was in trouble. It was only two days ago, that he received it. In that time, he was forced to cut his scholaring short. Worry did not hesitate to creep into his heart. Duty called and he was not going to disappoint the people he loved.

In no time, the vessel was ready and he was granted permission by the mariners to finally board. Quickly, he paid heed to their call, but at the same time, he took his time in drinking in all that was China. Something, like a little sharp pang, told him that it would be long before he would ever return again. 





"I'm hungry!", whined Inuyasha as his belly echoed his protests.

"Well, so is everyone!," Kagome hallered back at the impetuos hanyou, who whined incessantly from his tree branch. Kagome sighed, rummaging through her backpack with clear agitation.

"It's been days since we've captured a shard. Are you sure you sense another one coming from THAT direction, Kagome-chan?," Miroku pointed from his spot under the tree to make emphasis.

"Yes, I'm sure or else I'm not called 'The Shard Detecter' for nothing."

"I hope there is a town or village that way since, at present, my dear Kagome, we are short of supplies and must restock," said the monk as he pointed out from his shady sitting spot. Kagome still rummaged through her things. There was nothing else she could say at the moment.

Sango then added from her rock seat, "If there be a shard in that direction, I surely hope we do not encounter any monster like the last ones. I have to be honest, I am still trying to wash out the horrible stench from my hair and I have not had any success. Not even with the CHAM-PU you provided is strong enough to exorcise the evil odor those creatures expunged onto us." She clentched her eyes in disgust.

"For the sake of Kami, don't remind us, Sango! I'm still trying to keep my breakfast from going up river!," barked InuYasha from his perch.

"That was really distasteful," Miroku remembered. "Really distasteful…I thought, surely enough, we were gonners this time."

Kagome stopped shuffling through her stuff to remember the events. It was REALLY disgusting! Who would have known?! It was not everyday one would encounter huge youkai made entirely out of snot! Of all things unholy-- SNOT! Suddenly, her stomach wanted to do the flip-flops. Quickly, she tried shaking the thought out of her brain. It would have worked if she still did not smell gross.

"Don't remind me," Kagome muttered to express her distaste.

"That monster felt like the same stuff I get in my nose," Shippou pointed out, sucking on a mint ball Kagome had given to him earlier to rid the awful taste.

"It WAS the same stuff," Kagome assured the little kitsune, who looked back at her with big uncertain eyes that have realized what she confirmed was true.

"I said STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!," Inuyasha yelled, feeling quite sick to his stomach. "Kami, I feel sick," he moaned as his stomach turned a little.

"I thought you were hungry, InuYasha," Sango reminded.

"Yeah, well, I WAS until YOU decided to make mention of THOSE demons! That was SO gross!" InuYasha spat out with a pout, crossing his arms before him.

"And to think I thought I have seen it all," Miroku added with half a chuckle.

Kirara, in her little cat form, mewed her disgust. Shippou pet her head to comfort the adorable animal, although, he noticed she still smelled a bit funny despite cleansing her, repeatedly. He, automatically, scrunched his nose. Kirara stared at him, bewildered.

 "Sorry, girl, but you still smell."

-oOo-


Elsewhere, in the same forest, Jaken paced back and forth as Rin washed her face in the river. Sesshoumaru sat under the shade of the sakura tree resting his aching muscles. Just days ago, he battled one huge youkai made entirely out of mucus. After fighting so arduously with the lowlife creature taking a lot of hard knocks himself, he had managed to defeat the beast with one slash of his Toukijin. All would have gone well, however, if the demon would have fallen to pieces instead of exploding all over the place. And despite of many repeated washes under a waterfall, the remnants of that demon's violent odor stuck to his skin and, especially, his silver hair like a coat of hard oil. He could still feel it clinging nastily to his skin. He felt repulsive. It was worse than being covered by dried dirt and blood.

"Stupid girl! It does not matter how many times you wash yourself the smell will not go away!," Jaken bawled-out Rin.

"Rin must keep trying if Rin wants to get rid of the smell."

"Unfortunately, that will not be happening anytime soon!"

"Rin thinks Jaken-sama does not smell any better himself. Jaken-sama should consider doing the same thing Rin is doing."

Jaken scowled at her. "Fine, then! I will wash up…AGAIN!" He let his Staff of Heads fall to his side, rolled up his sleeves and wet his hands in the water's coolness. Rin smiled, then continued on with her business as Jaken grumbled incoherencies under his breath. The child started to hum a little tune, which drove the toad up the walls. "Do you mind?!"


"Mind what, Jaken-sama?," she answered the youkai with a toothy grin.

"If you want to sing, do it elsewhere!," he commanded.

"Rin wants to do it HERE."

"Well, I do not want you to do it here, do it elsewhere!"

Rin glared at him, but turned away ignoring him, picking up where she left off in her singing. This defiance made Jaken boil in his own juices. How could his Lord Sesshoumaru allow such a filthy and disobedient human girl travel with them? It made Jaken mad just thinking about it. How he wished Rin gone-- GONE for GOOD! He glared into the river, as if, having some kind of mental conversation with it. With her gone, it would be only HE and Sesshoumaru, just like it was before-- of course, and the two-headed lizard. He sighed. How he wished Rin gone! It would only be a miracle if a kappa would whisk her away and make her its slave. Jaken stared greedily into his hands, snickering at the thought. Rin looked at him with puzzlement on her little face.

It was not long before Sesshoumaru had decided it best to move on. Rin had happily accommodated herself upon the dragon. Jaken, due to past experiences with the disagreeable animal, opted to travel on foot, staying close behind his Lord.

They trekked quite a ways until coming upon the summit of a hill, overlooking a village at the edge of the sea. Sesshoumaru and party stopped, viewing civilization below.

"Too many people," Sesshoumaru voiced softly. A slight breeze played with his hair as a wave of uncertainty splashed across his icy features. Jaken noticed something bothered his master and it had to do with the village below.

"Me Lord?"

"No, it is too dangerous," he added, as he battled his own thoughts.

He would stick out like a sore thumb, thought he. What worried the youkai lord the most was Rin. Should he let her tag along or should she stay for her own safety? It was a decision he had been wrestling with for some time. What would be best for the child? What would be best for him?

"Me Lord?"

Sesshoumaru turned to face the girl. She smiled, accompanying that with her contagious giggles. Yes, what would be best for the girl? He looked down at Jaken. Perhaps, he thought to himself, there was a better solution. "Jaken."

"Yes, Me Lord?"

"I have a task for you."


-oOo-


"Are you sure you sense a shard this way, Kagome?," InuYasha snarled as his stomach growled.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, stop complaining!"

"Feh!", he crossed his arms, pouting like the immature child he represented.

"To be totally honest, Kagome-chan, I too share InuYasha's concerns. We must restock on supplies," Miroku reminded, walking close behind her.

"A descent bath would be in order, if I am allowed to second that?," Sango chimed in.

"And I'm hungry!", InuYasha barked.

Kagome stopped. Shippou jumped onto her shoulder full of concern, "Kagome-chan, what's wrong?"

"Aren't any of you concerned about the shard?," she asked, looking at them sternly.

"Yes we are, but what good is a shard if we have not eaten," the monk replied, making sure to make a point of it.

"InuYasha?," Kagome asked.

"This is like against my better judgement but I have ta agree with the hentai," he muttered. "Could you still pick up the shard?," Sango inquired.

"The power is strong. That means it's close. I don't think we should waste time."

"How close?"

"Extremely."

"Feh! Forget about food! Let's get ourselves a freakin shard!," Inuyasha impared rolling up his sleeves excitedly.

"Well, the more we stall, the further it moves away from us," Kagome informed the group.

"Hope we don't find ourselves with another one of those monsters," Shippou voiced his desire.

They all sighed deeply in unison. The thought of fighting another one of those creatures left a lot to be desired. The smell and the taste—not something they wanted to relive. Kagome remembered getting some of that youkai right into her mouth; she wanted to throw up.

"These are times I wish I were fighting Sesshoumaru, instead," said InuYasha, breaking the silence.

"Anyone would prefer fighting Sesshoumaru if faced with this dilemma," Miroku replied.

"Gotta give the guy credit for keeping clean," Kagome added.

"Yup, it makes our job a helluva lot easier," concluded the hanyou.

They all nodded in unison.

"It is now or forever lose the shard," Miroku again made a point of it.

"Houshi-sama is right! We better not waste more time. Although, I hope it is not stuck on one of those things. Fighting it is far from pleasurable."

"I bet shit like this never happens to my brother…I mean, the guy's so freakin lucky."

"Not if he's your brother," Shippou blurted.

Silence followed by a couple of good clonks on Shippou's head.


-oOo-


It had been two weeks out into sea. As the shore came little by little into clear view, Takeda Sai's heart soared with excitement. He was finally home! It had been such a long time; to adjust to the customs of his people and speaking again in his native tongue, was going to get some getting used to. However, he welcomed the chance with open arms.

Li Ping, one of the sailors, moved up to him with a great big smile on his face. Speaking to the young scholar in his Mandarine tongue, he began, patting Sai on the back, "If this is your home, it is truly as beautiful as they say."

"I thank you for your kind words, Ping-san."

"San?"

"Master, in my language. It is a title of respect."

"I see. And do you have any body waiting for you once we dock? A lady, perhaps?"

"Not that I know of. Although, in truth, my gut tells me, 'No'," the young man replied with earnest.

Li Ping laughed whole heartedly.

"You and your sixth senses!," he blurted.

"Well, it saved us from that sea dragon," Sai smiled brightly.

Li Ping responded quickly with a heart felt chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. Sai had proved to be a great commodity on the voyage. If it were not for his special sixth sense, there was no way they could have seen that beast coming. It was of gargantuan size. Thanks to Sai's quick thinking, they were able to vanquish the creature. What amazed Ping the most was how strong the young man proved to be despite his delicate appearance. He was smaller than the rest of them but managed to pull his weight on board the ship. He worked just as hard as they did. Amazingly, it did not seem to phase him even when he was asked to help cleaning the poop deck.

Sai continued staring out into the water while keeping his eyes on the land ahead. The excitement within him kept building on and on the closer they got. He was going to see his father, mother, his two brothers and sister—and his Sensei. They must look different now, at least, they must have gotten older and wiser. That was what the young scholar had hoped for since he himself had matured quickly over the three year period he had been away. If he could, he would fly off the ship this very instant. Impatience was getting the best of him.

"I come from a very large clan. My father and two brothers are warriors, you know?," he suddenly said, breaking his own reverie.

"Heh, then you are fortunate. My family are just fishermen."

"True, but at least, their trade has nothing to do with war. For that, my friend, I envy you. You are the fortunate one." There was silence between the two commarades. Then, "Once I get home, I would have to help both my father and brothers. When you come from a long line of warriors that is what's expected of you…to help defend the lands and the family honor."

"Warriors?"

"Bushido. We are all in war with each other…one family against the other. Generations upon generations of spilt blood just to gain control of this land. We have been in war ever since I remember. I pray one day it will end so then I can live peacefully without the worry of losing my life for power. The irony to all this, my father sent me abroad so that I could learn," Sai said in his smooth voice. Li Ping listened to him attentively. He continued, "I did. I learned, now, I must apply what I have learned for the betterment of my clan."

"We all have to face responsibilities, boy. Without them, everything would be in chaos. That's what my father told me before he passed the business on to me. I was forced to grow up at a young age. Since I'm the oldest, I had a mother and five sisters to look after. So, I worked hard. They can't complain."

"Hmmm, my father hates war as much as the rest of us but it is our way of life. It has always been that way."

"Seems to me, your father is a tyrant."

Without warning, Sai broke out into hysterical laughter. Li Ping stared at him confused. "What?"

"Oh, it's nothing,Ping," said the scholar trying to catch his breath. "On the contrary, my father is far from being tyrannical." He whished his hand dismissing Ping's comment. "It is too bad you cannot stay for more than a week, Father would really like you as you would really like my father. He is a sophisticated man with humble tastes. Yes, I believe you would like him very much."

It did not take long before the vessel harbored itself on port. The tripulation quickly wasted no time to start unloading the goods which were destined to be distributed to many different locations on the island. Sai, showing his gratitude to the ship's captain, hung around helping the crew in every way that he could. Afterwards, he along with two others, including Ping, would find an inn for the night where they were promised to indulge themselves in the sweet company of geishas. But, that would not be happening anytime soon. Not until work was done. Nevertheless, after tonight, he would wave good-bye to his newfound friends and head north into Kai.

As he worked, he could not help but feel queer of his surroundings. The women were insistently staring at him, giggling to one another as soon as he established eye contact with them. It really unnerved him to be stared at that way. He decided it best to ignore them. Were they being bolder from the last time he laid foot here? It was strange but he could sense them different somehow. Eerily enough, even the atmosphere was different from what he had remembered. It was somehow, heavier and more tense. It was agitated.

Youkai, perhaps?

"SAI!," he turned to see that it was Li Ping who had called, gestering him to go to him. With a heavy sigh, he realized he had to leave his thoughts for later. There was way too much to be done. He took one last look at the giggling women-- then gave them the cold shoulder.


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Author's Note:
You are ALL probably asking yourselves, 'What the Hell is going on here?!' What does Sesshoumaru have to do with this? That's a VERY good question! And another good question, 'Who the hell is this Takeda Sai?!' 'And what's all this talk about Mucus-based youkai?!' Well, you will find out soon enough. Please review!