InuYasha Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Not Your Normal 9 to 5 ❯ Why is it Trouble Only Knows Your Name ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8: Why is it Trouble Only Knows Your Name

 

When they awoke the next morning, it wasn't without the stiffness of a rough exercise and injury. Kagome rechecked bandages and changed those that needed to be changed. Miroku's nose looked alright, even though the monk complained about it throbbing and feeling twice its normal size. They stepped out of the room they had shared and made their way to the main room of the inn. They took in a small breakfast and bid the owners goodbye and a very grateful thanks for the shelter they had received.

 

Upon a unanimous agreement, the group decided to help the village repair what had been destroyed. While the delay would let Kalin ahead of them, they couldn't let these people suffer when it was within their power to help. Inuyasha and Miroku went to assist the men in rebuilding the damaged structures, while Kagome and Sango went to check on the injured and to see if they could help with anything else. They reassured the boys that they could help just as much with reconstruction as they could, but the injured came first. Inuyasha agreed, for he knew that Kagome's knowledge of healing was greater than most of the villagers' and her items from the future would definitely make a difference.

 

The sun continued on its arc through the sky while the four companions helped where they could. Kagome and Sango made quick work of the injured, grateful that during last nights conflict there had been very few injuries and only a few fatalities. When they had finished up with the hurt, they joined the boys for some manual labor. While most of the huts that were damaged required mostly patching and reroofing, there were two that were destroyed and of course, had to be rebuilt completely. The first thing they had to do was clear the rubble out of the way to rebuild which, after the owners of the demolished huts had declared the sites clean of any valuables, Miroku made quick work of the clean up with his wind tunnel.

 

After everything had been sucked into oblivion, they started laying the framework for the hut. Kagome helped where she could, but an architect she was not. She could, however, hit a nail on the head, and dutifully went to work on joining wood boards and planks together for the foundation. Sango and Miroku helped in setting the walls, while Inuyasha kept a steady supply of building materials on hand for them to work with. The sun was just entering its afternoon course when they had finished. The rebuilding lifted theirs and the village's spirits and they took a celebratory lunch with the people.

 

With renewed spirits, the travelers left the village on a full stomach and continued on their journey. They each silently hoped they wouldn't have to make a repeat performance at the next village they came to.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 

They awoke at first light that day, refreshed from the bath and well rested from the shelter of the room. They took in a quick breakfast, at least “quick” by Lennex standards, but Shippo was sure that the words quick and food were always hand in hand when it came to Lennex. The kit made the comment that watching Lennex eat was like watching Miroku use his wind tunnel. They left the village and, after checking the map to make sure they were on the correct course, started off. Like the previous day, this day saw Shippo levitating the rock while riding. This time however, Lennex had given him two rocks of different sizes and weights. The trick now was to keep them at equal heights. They would need different amounts of energy because of the differences in size, but that was the point; being able to concentrate your ki in different ways at the same time. This activity was not very easy, the fox soon found out. It took him all morning to grasp this concept. When they came to a stop for the midday meal, Shippo had finally got the stones to maintain a relatively even level, but the strain on his face made evident this exercise was much harder than the previous exercises. Lennex told him to stop that for now and resume his shield training. Lennex prepared a small lunch, small for even him. Shippo brought the shield around himself and while Lennex ate, he threw more rocks at the shield. After practice, Shippo was able to deflect the hits to his shield without using as much energy as before.

 

He was able to feel the impacts in the shield and adjust accordingly, and each time he responded faster than the last. After Lennex had finished eating, he told Shippo to come eat his lunch. The kit accepted immediately and, letting down the energy shield, commenced to chow down. Lennex checked the horse and then proceeded to do some exercise himself. He may not be able to access his energy, but he could still keep his body in shape. Luckily, it had only been a few years since his transformation, and the once-obsolete katas he learned as a human were suddenly back in style.

 

Shippo curiously watched his new friend while he ate. At the start, he seemed a little clumsy going through the moves of his exercise. But after awhile he started flowing from one stance to another. It was cool to watch and Shippo was mesmerized. He knew Sango and Miroku had some training in fighting, Sango more so than Miroku, and Inuyasha just used brute power and dumb luck in his fighting, but this…this was something else. He knew of martial artists in the world, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone with this much skill.

 

Lennex relished the feeling as his body started to loosen up. The fatigue that had hindered him the entire time in the past eased a bit as he worked through his kata. He tried to raise his power slowly but hit that same wall and stopped immediately. He didn't want to drain himself so soon after feeling this well.

 

Shippo quickly finished his food and went back to his own training. He gave himself room away from Lennex so as not to interrupt him. The two friends continued to train themselves for a few more hours before continuing on their own quest.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Miles from the next village, Inuyasha and company ran into a new development. Soon after leaving the first village, they had skirmished with a few inconsequential demons, nothing new or unusual; shortly thereafter, however, they met with a caravan of humans. They quickly discovered that this group was from a village a few ri to the east of the village they were heading too. A village that was now destroyed. As far as the people they talked to knew, they were the only ones left.

 

Kagome closed her eyes, partly in grief over all the lost lives, and partly to sense the jewel shards. She had picked up on a few shards during the journey and sure enough, there was one that was not where it originally was. It was fainter to her senses, which means it was farther away. Wherever Kalin went after obtaining his new jewel shard was unknown, but she was sure that the closer they got to it, the better she would be able to feel it and him. She wished she had more of a range on her jewel sense. Then she would be able to detect the shards instead of having to guess which village to go to next. Now they had one less choice to choose from.

 

“As unwise as it is, were going to have to split up I think.” Miroku commented after the living train of people were out of sight. “With his ability to fly, he can travel over the forests from village to village, taking half the time we do even at our quickest pace.”

 

 

“The only problem with that is Kagome is the only one who can detect the shards,” Inuyasha replied. “If you were to go to the village you would have to search it entirely to find the shard.”

 

Miroku nodded his head. That point also crossed his mind but in his mind, they had very little choice.

 

“Wait a minute guys,” Kagome said. She still had her eyes closed but was facing off in the distance. “I feel a shard of the jewel. It's moving, but not very fast. I also sense a stationary jewel. It has to be the village.”

 

“Could there be another demon out there with a shard?” Sango asked

 

“I suppose it could be. We really have no idea how many shards there are. Even though Naraku says he has a nearly completed jewel, doesn't mean he missed a few himself.”

 

“But this brings us back to my earlier statement. Do we go after the shard in the village or this mystery shard?” Miroku asked.

 

The group was silent for a few minutes. Inuyasha was the first to speak.

 

“Well, we can't let Kalin get ahead of us, but we can't let this shard get away either. I think you're right, monk; we're going to have to split. The village is still half a day's travel, how far is this other shard, Kagome?”

 

Kagome looked at Inuyasha, a sour look on her face. “How many times to I have to tell you my detection ability doesn't come with a range finder.” She received a blank stare in return and sighed. “I can't actually judge distance. I can tell it's closer than the other shard though.”

 

“Fine, you and I will go after it. You two continue on to the village. See if you can find the shard and then try to get back to us. Don't take Kalin on by yourselves. We need to do it together.” Inuyasha stated.

 

“Since when does the mighty half demon need human help?” Miroku goaded Inuyasha with a teasing smile.

 

Inuyasha grinned back at his friend and said, “I don't need the help, but you guys will need mine.”

 

Miroku raised his eyebrows in surprise. “A joke Inuyasha?”

 

“Keh, all I'm stating is fact.”

 

The girls chose this point to separate the boys. They new the jokes were harmless, but if left to their own devices they could argue all day. Miroku and Sango climbed on Kirara's back and the cat leapt into the sky heading towards the village.

 

“Come on Kagome, let's get this other shard and regroup as fast as we can. I meant what I said, they might be able to hold of Kalin for a while, but I don't think they can defeat him without my help.”

 

“Our help you mean?” Kagome said as she jumped onto Inuyasha's back. He grabbed the underside of her thighs to hold her into position as she wrapped her arms around his neck. An embrace more familiar than any other for the two as this was a normal riding arrangement.

 

“Ya right Kagome, you know you always get into trouble and then I have to bail you out of it.” While the words were gruff and others might have taken offence, Kagome knew they were in jest. At one time Inuyasha may have meant the words, but he knew Kagome's value in battle now. Still, she did have to remain in character.

 

“You know if I wasn't being carried by you, you'd so be eating grass right now.”

 

Inuyasha chuckled as he started to run, eating up distance faster then any human.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

And the day had started out so well. They had continued their journey without a problem. Shippo was progressing well, and Lennex thought that tonight he would introduce a new factor into his shield training. That was until they had passed into a small village not on Miroku's map. They thought about getting a bite to eat, something they didn't have to cook for themselves, and walked into the beef house that they had first come to. The smells coming from inside watered their mouths and their stomachs took over their bodily motions and walked them inside in place of their brains.

 

They sat down, a very pretty girl taking their orders and pinching Shippo's cheek, telling him how cute he was and walked away. This action of course brought flames to the young demons face. Lennex thought to himself that the kid really needed to learn the ways of women, but he was already training him in his art. He would let Miroku take over that part of Shippo's education. They drank the tea left by the waitress and looked around. It was a quiet little place. It was not quite full, but the dinner crowd had definitely begun to arrive. The two travelers made small talk, a little too hungry, and too tired to really talk about anything of consequence. That's when the trouble started. Through the reed mat across the door came five individuals; they ranged from late teens to mid twenties, and they carried themselves like they owned the place.

 

By the reaction from the patrons and staff, it looked like they really did own it. Guests averted their eyes, and the girls working the place bowed and cowered to them. Lennex, however, did not avert his eyes. It just wasn't in his makeup to cower. Of course the group noticed and made their way to the table they were seated at. Shippo noticed the attention they were being paid and looked to Lennex. He received and eyebrow waggle from Lennex and sighed to himself. Just like Inuyasha, trouble followed everywhere they went.

 

“You seem to be sitting at our table stranger. You need to move.” The lead thug said, placing his hands on the table and peering down into Lennex's face. His group fanned out behind him. Lennex looked from the leader to the rest of the group, to Shippo and then back.

 

“You did not just say that. `You're sitting at our table.' They say that kind of garbage in the movies, not in real life.” He heard whispers from the thugs questioning about what a movie was, but the reaction on the leader's face was what he was going for - it now matched Shippo's earlier reaction, but for a very different reason.

 

“Looks like we got a joker here, boys… I think it's time we teach him why the Koji gang is feared in this town.”

 

In hindsight, Lennex realized that he was thinking with his hero complex again. He hated seeing people bow before those with power. Especially those that didn't deserve the recognition of power they got. They were scum. A street gang not worthy of the fear they inspired. And like the heroes in the aforementioned movies he had brought up, it was time to show them that. It would have been nice however, if he could have accessed his power to do it.

 

The lead thug acted quicker than Lennex had anticipated, that or he was counting on his reflexes to be quicker than they were. Either way, the tea that he had been drinking had been snatched and thrown in his face. Luckily, the liquid had been sitting awhile and was not as hot as had once been, but it did blind him. The next thing he knew he was being hauled out of his chair and a fist impacted his gut, doubling him over. He heard people cry out at the sudden burst of violence and the sounds of furniture being overturned due to people getting out of the way.

 

He heard Shippo cry out and knew that the kit had entered the fight. He'd have to take care of himself though. He was thrown forward while still bent over and crashed to the ground, impacting a table as he went. The tea on that table was a lot hotter than the stuff in his eyes, but lack of sight was a much more serious problem than minor scalding. He rubbed at his eyes furiously, regaining his sight in time to see two of the thugs reaching for him. They brought him to his feet and he came face to face with the leader.

 

“What have we learned so far?” the lead thug asked. Lennex smiled and shot his foot out, connecting with the thugs chin, throwing him back. When he brought his foot back he kicked it into the guy on his left's knee. The shock made him let his prey turned hunter go. With his free left arm, he jammed his palm into the right most thug's nose with an open handed strike. The one on his left had regained his composure and the other two guys flanked him. The one on the ground currently held his nose and rolled in pain. The leader had gotten up and came to stand with the rest of his guys. Lennex noticed that the two new guys he had not tangled with yet were sporting burns on their faces and clothing.

 

He looked quickly around the beef house and located Shippo. He was up against one of the walls, head to the floor and feet hanging above his head. His eyes were glassy and Lennex knew the kit was stunned. The leader noticed his eyes looking at the kit and spoke.

 

“Your little demon tried to put up a struggle. Too bad he can't fight. We don't like demons in our town, so once you're dead; He will follow you to Hell.”

 

Lennex assumed a stance. Like earlier in the day, he thought again that while he may not have the ability to tap his real strength, he wasn't a slouch in the fighting department when he was human, and while he had the power of a human, he was still technically Sayjin. The two with the burns rushed him and he charged right back. He made the way to the right leaping into the air. He planted his foot into the thug's chest and using his momentum pushed off the thug, sending the thug backwards. When he pushed off he twirled and nailed the guy on the left, who, taken by surprise by his partner's quick takedown, was to slow to stop his own forward charge and received a heel to the face.

 

The two down, Lennex looked up to the next two opponents. Unfortunately the man he kicked in the knee earlier speared him, sending them both to the floor. Lennex over powered the man, rolling on top of the guy and sending a fist into this face. Blood sprayed out from his nose and he watched the man's eyes roll to the back of his head. Lennex smiled smugly at the little win and turned back toward the leader.

 

The leader once again was faster than anticipated. Lennex looked right up into a kick. He was fast enough to roll with the blow, minimizing the damage. The leader was quickly above him and Lennex watched him produce a knife from the folds of his clothes. Lennex really regretted leaving his sword hidden under the saddle bags and blanket of the horse. He'd have to act quickly, there was no way he'd avoid the knife, but he could put the injury somewhere non life-threatening.

 

He somersaulted backwards putting space between him and the leader and used the roll to bring him back to his feet, he saw the knife coming straight for his chest and twisted out of the way. The blade thrust still managed to connect with his arm, leaving a long gash.

 

Blood dripped from his arm and Lennex presented his uninjured side to the man. He charged again and this time Lennex took an offense movement trying to block the strike and disarm the thug. Unfortunately, the thug had a lot of experience in a knife fight and avoided the strike and slashed, opening up a wound above Lennex's kidneys. Lennex cried out in pain and went down to one knee. This wasn't going well. If he made it back to the future he planned to bring up a new training regimen to Vegeta, something to help them cope in case they lost the ability to channel their energy.

 

The leader had a grin on his face as he came in for the kill.

 

“FOX FIRE” Once again Lennex found himself being saved by the azure blaze that was Shippo's signature attack. This time however the blast had more power, more energy behind it. When it hit the thug it lifted him up, throwing him back and incinerating his clothing. When he impacted against the wall, the only thing left were rags, keeping him somewhat modestly clothed.

 

Lennex could already see the burns blistering on the man's chest. The rest of the thugs who were still able to fight quickly turned to the source.

Shippo stood in the center of the room hand outstretched and a look of surprise on his face.

 

The kit quickly masked his face and looked at the rest of the thugs.

 

“If you know what's good for you, you'll leave. I don't like people that rough up my human servants. And if you continue I'll do worse to you than what I did to him.” The kit pointed to the burned and unconscious man and to punctuate his point his palm blazed fire.

 

“And one other thing, if you do anything to this village anymore, I'll know about it, and I'll return. I am a demon, and I will…know.” At this point in the speech Shippo produced his shield. While not an offensive attack, it did envelope his body in a fiery orb. The thugs still standing quickly gathered their injured and took off as fast as they could. Shippo powered down and ran to Lennex.

 

“You ok?” he asked.

 

Lennex nodded and gave the kit a grin. “Human servant?”

 

“Well you are only a human and I am a demon, it's only natural,” he replied with a laugh. Lennex joined the laughter and quickly stopped and grabbed his side in pain. The staff came over, and though not happy about the damage to their business, they were grateful for the Koji gang being put in their place. Two of the servant girls knelt beside Lennex and started to take care of his wounds.

 

The night had not turned out too bad after all.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

While they had flown through the air on Kirara's back, they didn't talk much. Both knew that they were walking into a potentially deadly confrontation. They were used to it by now, but this time they fought an opponent that was decidedly different from any demon, Naraku included, they had faced before. Sango rode in front, the Hiraikotsu strung across her back and angled so it didn't block her if she turned around to talk to Miroku, should she choose to. He was riding right behind her, his staff nestled between their bodies while his arms were around her waist to keep from falling off. A lot of the times when they rode this way, his hand would roam.

 

She found herself sometimes allowing the exploration, as long as it wasn't too lecherous. This surprised her the first time. She knew Miroku had confessed his love, and that they did have an arrangement after Naraku was dead, but a lot of the times she though it was just another of his quirks. Like his infamous `would you bare my child?' question.

 

However, she never saw Miroku put as much feeling into his gazes and words to other women as he did to her. He was a shameless flirt, and liked to stay in character, but she was starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, Miroku was a one woman man after all. This trip, however, was more serious than their jewel hunts or demon exterminations they normally went on. She knew that he knew it because his hands had not moved once. She found herself missing the affectionate touches, but like him, she would remain all business.

 

She may have thought about their relationship more had the black columns of smoke from the horizon not caught her attention. She squeezed her thighs into Kirara's sides, and the demon cat increased its speed, understanding her friend's urgency. She felt Miroku's hands tighten, whether in safety from the increased speed, or from what they would find in the village, she would never know.

 

As they grew closer to the village, they could tell from the silence that the battle was over. Kalin had beaten them again. Kirara touched down on the out skirts of the village and the riders dismounted. Miroku clutched his staff and raised his hand in a prayer gesture. Sango took a few steps forward and stared at the destruction, Tears silently running down her face.

 

The village was in ruins; what huts that were not on fire had either already burned down or had been demolished. Ruts and craters littered the ground from the energy blasts they were quickly becoming accustomed to. Weapons were also scattered about the ground, some broken, some intact but none bore any sign that they were successful in the purpose for which they were created.

 

And the items that brought the most misery to both monk and exterminator were the bodies. Men, women, children of all ages were strewn about. All dead, for Kalin had spared no one. All for a single shard of the Shikon Jewel. Sango bowed her head as Miroku walked up behind her, resting his hand at the small of her back. Sango thought of herself as fiercely independent. Something uncommon to the women of her day, but Kagome assured her that she would fit right in with her people. But this travesty was something she didn't want to deal with alone, and at Miroku's touch she turned her body to cradle in his.

 

“I know we have seen many things on our journey, but every time I see something like this, I see my village.” She said to Miroku. The demon exterminators were all but wiped out by a mob of demons that attacked while their most experienced exterminators were away. Another deed that found its roots buried in Naraku.

 

“But had it not been for all of you burying the dead and giving them peace, I would have come home to sight like this. Oh Miroku, why does he do this? Why do acts like this give him such pleasure?”

 

Miroku knew that she was referring to Naraku, just as she was seeing this village and her own overlapping and had no answer for her. He knew she wasn't expecting one. He hugged her gently and then stepped away.

 

“We will add this to the growing list of crimes Naraku has to pay for. And believe me my dear Sango; we will make him answer before our lives are done. For now though, let us give these people the rest they deserve.”

 

The two entered the village, followed by Kirara and set to work the mournful work of laying the dead to rest. Hours had gone by and soon they were joined by Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha's fists clenched so hard at the massacre that he drew blood, which spattered in the dust at his feet. Kagome, like Sango, cried for the fallen, but both set to work along side their friends. The only good thing to report was that they had easily dispatched the demon and retrieved the shard.

 

They worked quickly and efficiently. Wanting to get the job done as fast as they could. The journey was tiring what with random demon encounters, jewel shards and the race that they were currently losing. But they all silently made a vow that they would move faster to keep it from happening again. They would travel a bit more after they finished the burial detail. They would gain ground on Kalin and stop him, any way they could.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Somewhere far away from burning villages and civilization, stood a castle. What was different from this castle was that there was no bustle of activity. No staff, no guards, no humans. Inside one of the main rooms stood a young girl, a mere child at first glance, garbed all in white. Her hair, its tone matching that of her garments, framed her pale face as she stood in silence. In her hands she held a mirror or mystical power. One of its powers was being used at this time. It showed four travelers digging graves and filling them in after they were filled. Their movements showed fatigue, but their faces relayed their resolve. A man stood in front of the girl in white and watched this image intently. A grin on his face that would make the inhabitants of Hell cower in its wake. He watched as one of the four, the one in a green skirt, stumbled a bit as she moved away dirt from a new grave. The one in red came to her aid but was dismissed. They continued on with their activity. The man laughed at the images he was seeing. His laughter echoed off the empty halls of his temporary home. The girl in white never changed the expression on her face; she only did what was asked of her to make her master happy.

 

And at this very moment, Kanna knew Naraku was extremely happy.