Unordinary Silver by Striking Falcon

Prologue

Disclaimer: Come on people. If I owned it, would I be doing fanfiction when I could get paid for it. Nooo!

Unordinary Silver

Prologue

Deep in the jungles of Central America...

The porter lagged behind the excavation party, the large black crate strapped to his back shifted from side to side with each footfall. He wiped his sweaty brow and glanced up at the sun, guessing the time to be mid afternoon as sweat trickled down the back of his neck.

'And to think,' he grumbled to himself as he followed the others into the think jungle. 'I could have been at home, enjoying the air conditioning but noooo...my dear wife just had to suggest this. Well, I am getting paid $100 a day.'

"Hurry along Manuel," the guide at the front of the group called to him as he raised his machete against another thick branch. "We want to be there before nightfall, yes?"

"I'm coming," Manuel huffed. He shifted the crate to a more comfortable position in the center of his back and trudged along behind the other porters and the two foreigners. He'd taken notice of them earlier in the week, observing both their differences and their likenesses as they walked with one a little ahead of the other.

Both men had long dark hair and dark brown eyes with facial structures that mimicked one another, but there was where the similarities ended. The one in the front was dressed like a rich American, though Manuel could tell by his facial features and speech they both were from Japan, with a white linen short sleeved shirt, a pair of olive khakis and a sturdy pair of hiking boots. He wore his hair back in a low ponytail, with the ends of it brushing against his lower back. His eyes were lighter than his brother's but chilling, almost as if he could freeze the world with a single glance.

Manuel looked from the eldest to the one trailing behind him. He wanted to laugh at this one with his brown leather pants, leather jacket and long sleeved white shirt. To Manuel, he looked like an 'Indiana Jones' groupie, right down to the dirty brown hat and ragged whip at his side. He trailed a little behind the eldest, his loose hair reaching a little below mid-back.

Manuel yawned again and sighed before the guide hollered for a rest stop. He sat down gratefully, slid the crate from his back to the grass below, pulled a pair of headphones from the hip pack at his side and drowned out the rest of the excavation party as the guide read over a map.

"Mr. Endo?" he called after a moment. The youngest looked up, the oversized hat falling into his eyes with the quick move. He shoved it up irritably and glared at the guide. "Yeah, what?"

"Not you Mr. Endo. You're brother."

"Yes?" the elder replied as he stood up. He pinned the younger with a glare and moved to stand in front of the guide. "What is the problem?" he asked. "Are we almost there?"

"From what this map says, yes," the guide said. "But there is one tiny problem."

"And that is?"

"From what it says here, the flower you're looking for grows up ahead. I sent a scout ahead of us and he says that the only thing he sees is a temple of some sort."

"A...temple..." The elder Endo quirked a brow thoughtfully, his brow furrowing as he glanced into the forest ahead of them. "Ahead of us you say?"

"Yes Mr. Endo. Right ahead of us."

"Then call the rest stop to an end. We may as well continue."

"Very well," the guide nodded and did as he was told as the younger Endo stood up.

"What's going on Sesshoumaru?" he asked in Japanese as Sesshoumaru picked up a black bookbag and settled it on his shoulders. "Why are we moving so soon?"

"There seems to have been a discovery ahead of us," Sesshoumaru answered and gestured for Inuyasha to gather his things. "As for what it is, I'm not sure."

"But what about the Andos flower?" Inuyasha asked, then huffed irritably when Sesshoumaru merely walked away from him. Inuyasha ran to catch up and jogged at his side, grasping the straps of his backpack as he stared up at his elder brother. "Hey, did you hear what I said?"

"Hai I did, unfortunately," Sesshoumaru answered. "I do not know about that either. The guide said that the scout saw nothing but a temple."

"But there aren't any temples around here," Inuyasha disagreed as he pulled a map from his pack and glanced over it. "There aren't any on the map at least."

"Hai, I know. I am just as confused as you are."

"There's a first," Inuyasha muttered under his breath, then jogged ahead when Sesshoumaru glared at him. He caught up with the guide just as he broke through the last of the jungle to a clearing above. Their mouths dropped open and they stopped mid stride, their heads directed up as Sesshoumaru motioned for those around him to stop.

"What is...it..." He stood in awe at the enormous ruin in front of him, ignoring the porters gasp of surprise and worry as he, Inuyasha and the guide stepped closer. The ruin was almost completely intact, in the pyramid shape of a temple. At the very top was what looked like a set of doors sheltered by a stone awning, with a pair of lit torches mounted on either side of the doors.

Sesshoumaru turned when the porters began mumbling, the language foreign to him. "What are they saying?" he asked Inuyasha.

"Oh, it's nothing," the guide said quickly. "It's just some silly folklore." He clapped his hands to get the porters attention. "Manuel, Hilargo, come with us! The rest of you stay here."

The requested porters nervously stepped up and behind the guide, leaving the rest of the guides to mumble amongst themselves. "What are they saying Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru whispered as the guide led them up the stairs of the temple.

"I don't know exactly," Inuyasha said with a shake of his head. "I mean, it's all sorta weird. They keep saying something about a 'dogged curse'."

"That doesn't sound right," Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Are you sure you heard them right?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha nodded. "I heard them. They kept saying something about a dogged curse and that we shouldn't be here."

"Here we are!" the guide chirped while waving down to them. "This is the entrance! Come!"

Inuyasha fell in step with Sesshoumaru, with the two porters nervously following behind. As they walked past the heavy stone doors, Inuyasha couldn't shake the sudden sense of foreboding. He glanced around warily as the guide lit a nearby torch, his senses on high alert as a serious case of the 'willies' crept up his spine. The porters behind him weren't helping either. They stayed at least five steps behind him and looked as if to bolt like frightened deer at the fall of a pebble or a stray breeze.

"I seriously don't like this Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha whispered lowly. "Have you checked out the porters man? They're about ready to piss their pants."

Sesshoumaru nodded, too engrossed in a hieroglyph painted on a nearby wall. His fingers traced the small image curiously and Inuyasha watched as his lips moved without a sound. "Sesshoumaru? Damn it man didn't you hear me? Something's not right here!"

"Please Mr. Endo," the guide said from the other side of the tunnel. "I promise you, everything is fine. Ignore Manuel and Hilargo. They're from the local village and there's a superstition about this here temple. Trust me, there's nothing here but spiders and dust."

"There Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru mumbled as he followed the guide down the tunnel. "There is nothing to be afraid of. And here I thought you had grown out of your fear of the dark."

"Feh," Inuyasha snorted in insult, his arms crossing over in a huff. "What the fuck ever. You just wait and see. I'm telling you man, my hair is standing on end."

"Such dramatics," Sesshoumaru sighed with a shake of his head. Still, they continued on throughout the rest of the dark and dismal tunnel and walked down what had to be hundreds of flights of stairs as the guide explained the sights around them.

"We're inside one of the many temples that are sprinkled along our countryside. Scientists have concluded that this temple and the temples of the Aztec have more than a few similarities, such as the artifacts littered along the floor and the hieroglyphics painted on the wall. It's believed that this temple served a long dead race of ancient warriors.

"They were a powerful race, according to legend," the guide said as they walked down a long flight of stairs. "They were killers by trade and other tribes would hire out their warriors for their wars."

"They were ancient mercenaries," Sesshoumaru 'explained' to Inuyasha. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and flipped a stray lock away from his face. The guide stopped at a wall and faced him, his torch shining like a holy beacon in the overpowering darkness.

"When archeologists first found this area, they assumed it was a dead end like the rest of the temple's caverns and pathways. And from where you stand, that's exactly what it looks like. However, the first person to hold a torch to the wall itself found this..." The guide lifted the torch, the flame rising above his head to shine down on him and the wall behind him.

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha stepped back in shock, the frantic mumbled prayers of the frightened porters falling on deaf ears as a large mural appeared on the wall. It faded into existence slowly, first being nothing but a giant white blob before taking shape. The bottom of the blob became feet...no, paws with long, razor sharp claws that rested at the bottom of the wall. At the top a head was beginning to form, taking the shape of what looked to be a great white collie. The mural resembled a giant white dog when finished, it's ears perked and alert as it glared down at them with frigid golden eyes.

"This is only the first secret of this amazing place," the guide said as he stepped forward and touched the mural's paws. Inuyasha looked up as something large clicked and tumbled together like the inside of a lock. The brothers flinched as the stone rolled away with a mighty rumble, revealing a small room on the other side.

"Come," the guide said as he walked into the room. "This room is harmless. This is where the priests and priestesses were said to give their blessings to the warriors before they went to war. The holy ones were supposed to be the most powerful of the entire tribe, with the ability to commune with the gods."

"Just like any other culture," Inuyasha mumbled irritably as he and Sesshoumaru followed the guide into the room. To him, it was nothing spectacular. The entire room was nothing more than a cave, with a stone alter at the opposite end of the room. Inuyasha looked from the guide to Sesshoumaru, who was unusually quiet throughout the entire journey here.

"Hey Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha nudged as his half brother touched another mural, this one of a young woman dressed in an ancient ceremonial robe. "Have you forgotten about the flower?"

"Of course not Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru glowered before turning away from him. "But this is a once in a lifetime experience. I'm almost positive that this place is not on the tourist bureau's 'Places to Visit' manual. I intend to satisfy my curiosity throughly."

"You're so damned hopeless," Inuyasha griped loudly, rolled his eyes and turned to make his way back to the door. He stopped and watched the porters as they stood there huddled in the door frame, their eyes widened in horror and shaking like proverbial leaves. The sight brought back Inuyasha's unease full force, and he turned back to tell Sesshoumaru when he kneeled down beside the alter.

"There's something here," Sesshoumaru told the guide as he reached out for what looked to be a small crack in the alter's surface. He traced the crack from the beginning of the crack to the end, unknowingly sliding down a hidden lever inside the crack. The wall behind the alter split in half and the guide jumped back as it parted ways like the Red Sea.

"This is amazing," the guide whispered as another room came into focus. The room ahead of them glowed faintly, the result of an unseen force. The room was divided by a deep ravine, with an old stone bridge connecting the two halves together. The dog mural from before stretched along the entire wall, with the dog running instead of sitting as outside. Beneath it blossomed tiny indigo blue flowers that barely reached three inches with blood red centers.

"Sesshoumaru look!" Inuyasha exclaimed as he pointed toward the other room. "It's the Andos flower!"

"Hai Inuyasha. I see it."

"What is it doing in here?" the guide whispered as Sesshoumaru stepped onto the bridge. "It's...not possible. There's no light, no water, no-"

"Hey Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha's yell interrupted his thought. "Look down man! What the fuck is that?"

The guide looked over the side of the ravine as Sesshoumaru looked down. Both watched as a slimy blue substance oozed it's way along underneath him. It flowed like a river on slow motion with the occasional plops to tell of it's undercurrent. "Just what the fuck is that shit?" Inuyasha demanded. "It can't be safe! Gods that's so gross!"

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru called as he pulled a small specimen container out of his pocket. "Stop whining and be of some use. Gather a couple of specimen containers and come on."

Inuyasha grumbled but complied as he dropped his backpack to the cold stone floor and rummaged inside. The guide continued to stare as the porters prayers became loud, incoherent and insistent. Sesshoumaru continued along the bridge alone, his footsteps a little shaky but confidant as he slowly made his way toward the other side of the room and the mural.

The guide stepped back and stumbled over a stone behind him. His hand grasped what he thought was a vine for balance and fell backward when the 'vine' suddenly shifted. The bridge underneath Sesshoumaru's feet began to disappear one stone at a time, with Sesshoumaru being thrown to the oozing goo below with the first stone. Inuyasha watched as he fell below the river's surface and rose again before turning to the others.

"Hey! Sesshoumaru fell in you guys! You've got to help me!" He balked when everyone turned and ran from the room, leaving Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru alone as the room began to seal itself. "Hey damn it! Didn't you hear me? I said Sesshoumaru's stuck down there!" He growled angrily as they disappeared behind the closing door, the last bit of the tour guide's shirt ripping on the stone in his efforts to escape.

"Damn those cowards!" Inuyasha swore before jerking off his boots and jacket. "Sesshoumaru? Sesshoumaru? Fuck man can you hear me?"

A gurgle was his only answer. Inuyasha panicked immediately and dove in without another thought, his concern for his brother clouding what little good judgement he had as the blue sludge enveloped him. He struggled to the surface and inhaled deeply, then glanced around wildly for any traces of Sesshoumaru.

He watched in horror as Sesshoumaru's hand, the only part of him above the slime, was slowly sucked underneath the slime's glowing surface...

(End Chapter)

Yeah, I know. I'm kinda cruel that way. In truth, this is yet another weird idea of mine that came from God knows where and Cheetoz. Let me know what you guys think so I can know if I should continue or not.