InuYasha Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Not Your Normal 9 to 5 ❯ Evening the Score ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9: Evening the Score

 

Inuyasha awoke at first light and gazed at the ruins of the village. He and Kagome had arrived late last night to observe Miroku and Sango burying the dead. The village was all but non existent now and they had quickly joined in to help. It had taken them some time but they had put the dead to rest, and thanks to Kagome's quick eye, they locataed a structure that was still suitable for a nights stay. They had bedded down and quickly let sleep come over them.

 

Now, as the sun crested the horizon, Inuyasha reflected on the journey so far. Three Villages had been attacked. Two were destroyed. One they had saved but lost the shard. From the maps they had found in the ruins, they had three more villages left in the area. Kagome, Upon entering the ruins of this village had felt faint traces of five shards. They had all come to an agreement after studying the maps, that the villages were the source of shards. The other two had to be more minor demons that had come across the shards in the initial shattering.

 

The others woke soon after Inuyasha. Kagome muttered a sleepy greeting to the silent half demon and quickly started to prepare a light breakfast. Miroku and Sango quickly made ready to depart, and the four ate in silence after Kagome had finished the meal. With breakfast done, they left the dead village and started for the next. The map showed a lone village in a slight south easterly course from their currant position. The other two villages were west from that one, and only a day's travel between them. The tough decision was made last night during the burial detail.

 

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“We can't let this happen again. No more should have to die like this.” Sango said as she finished placing a marker on a grave. They only had a few more to do and the grizzly work would be behind them, but unfortunately not forgotten.

 

“I agree my dear Sango,” Miroku said from behind her. He was currently engrossed in a few pieces of parchment that had the area mapped out on them. “And if I may be so bold I have to bring up a choice. It saddens me to bring this up however; I want you all to know that.”

 

The serious tone in the otherwise laid back monk stopped the other three in their current tasks so that they could listen without distraction. He brought the maps over to them and pointed at the villages marked.

 

“We have these three villages in the area. From what Kagome has said, there are five shards in her sensory range. Might we assume that these villages are the current locations of three of them? The other two may be random demons, or a village that isn't marked. However if what we see here is correct, we should head towards these two villages.”

 

“What makes you say that monk?” Inuyasha asked, after seeing the maps, he had gone back to filling in a grave.

 

“My reasoning is this. These two villages are close to each other. We could easily secure two jewel shards in short time. However, if Kalin doesn't decide the same thing, we could be sacrificing this third village.”

 

The statement stopped the half demon for a moment. Two for the price of one. It was a heavy decision.

 

“We can't just let that village die like this one.” Sango said, Kagome nodding her agreement.

 

“I understand that, but we have to think of how we can stop him. He is already growing stronger. Much more and we may not be able to handle him. If we can take two shards away, instead of going for one and letting him get ahead of us, it might tip the scales in our favor.”

 

“And our win could come at the cost of this solitary village's existence.” Kagome said. “Can we make that kind of choice?”

 

“We can't. We have to try and get to wherever Kalin will go. Were close enough now, maybe Kagome can sense the shards he has and we can cut him off?” Sango said.

 

“Miroku is right.”

 

The quiet statement turned the three sets of human eyes towards their half demon companion. He had his back to them and he quietly tapped in a grave marker. He tossed the stone that he was using for a hammer to the ground and turned to face them. His eyes full of resolve, but Kagome could see that this decision did indeed weigh on him heavily.

 

“His reasoning is sound. We can possibly save two villages and maybe save the third. It's the best chance we have, and the best chance those people have. His speed is greater then ours and if we are in the middle of the villages we could stand to lose all three. I'm sorry girls, but this time the saying, the needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few, or in this case the one, stands firm. We set out for the two sets of villages at daybreak.”

 

And with that, Inuyasha turned and resumed work on finishing the last of the graves. The others starred at him and with sighs and downcast eyes, continued with the burial, knowing in their hearts that he was right.

 

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They set out on the path that lead to their destination and while Inuyasha knew that his companions understood the need for this decision; he knew Sango was upset about it the most. He had witnessed Miroku trying to talk to her about it, but she gave him the unconcerned cold shoulder as they walked. Kagome hurried to catch up with her, giving Miroku the `its girl time look'. Miroku sighed and slowed his pace to let them have privacy.

 

“Ease up monk; I'm sure Kagome will have her back to slapping you silly in no time.” Inuyasha said as he came up along side him. The two walked behind the girls and Miroku looked at his friend.

 

“I hope so. Sango told me last night that when she sees destruction like this she thinks of her home. This isn't easy for her at all.”

 

“Understandable I suppose. But I'm the one that made the choice to do this. She should be ignoring me.”

 

Miroku grinned slightly at the half demon's black and white outlook on women. If it were only that simple.

 

“While you made the decision, Inuyasha, I was the one to propose this course of action. The idea was mine; therefore the blame is also mine.”

 

Inuyasha snorted at the logic, but if there was anything that Kagome had taught him over the years they had been together, it was that women had a sometimes strange idea about how the world worked. And somehow, no matter how messed up the logic was, their idea was law, and woe to anyone who would disagree.

 

“If you say so monk, but I stick to my earlier statement, Kagome can fix anything.”

 

Miroku found him self staring at the back of Sango's head and certainly hoped that Inuyasha was right.

 

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“Does it hurt as bad today as it did last night?” Shippo asked.

 

“Only when I laugh little guy… and move… and breathe.” Lennex replied as he hoisted himself onto the horse. They were leaving the small town that welcomed them after turning the Koji gang into laughing stocks. The villagers no longer bowed to their wishes now that they had seen the bullies trounced by a two foot tall fox demon. The main hostess of the beef house had offered them a place to stay that night and they both had accepted. Lennex got the feeling the girl had stars in her eyes for him but he played the injured well, probably because he was injured. The knife cuts had been treated and the one to his side had to be stitched. Luckily this girl had younger brothers who got into scrapes and stitching had become a household chore. The girl herself was no more then twenty and when asked about their parents, they were told that the Koji gang had taken their lives for something as frivolous as looking at them disapprovingly on the street.

 

The two travelers agreed that while Lennex's injuries were nothing to laugh at, getting rid of the gang was worth it. They had woken to a small meal prepared for them and left at their door with a note that the girl had gone to clean up her place of employment. The two ate and left a small amount of money for the help and set off.

 

They traveled slowly at the start until the mornings stiffness had worked itself out in Lennex's injuries and he was able to ride a little more comfortably. They looked at Miroku's map and saw that they had covered a great deal of ground. They joked that if they had stayed out of trouble the entire trip that they might have been there. They figured that they would almost be to the last village on Miroku's map just before nightfall.

 

It was their goal to make it to this village, collect the information and then set out and catch a few more miles before it was too dark to travel. For once they traveled most of the day without incident. They stopped for lunch. Ate in peace and continued on to their destination for the day. Shippo continued his training while they traveled. At lunch Lennex introduced a new detail into the shield training. Instead of throwing rocks he threw water.

 

The first glass that was thrown impacted against the shield and splashed off falling harmlessly in front of the fox demon.

 

“Feel how the water impacts with the shield. Its harder then one soldiery object to deflect because of its fluid nature.” Lennex said as the kit took a breather. Lennex wasn't joking. When the water hit his shield it spread out over the front of it. Shippo almost panicked when he felt the better half of the front of his shield encounter resistance.

 

Lennex saw the strain when it happened and brought it to the kits attention that he knew. And that was the next part in the training. “This time when I throw the water I want you to keep the shield at full strength, but this time I want you to not so much block the water as let if flow around your shield. Try to be mindful of what's behind you when you do this. Energy attacks are a lot like water in their fluidity. You can block it like you did, but you will find out that if theirs a lot of energy in the blast, or if your opponent is firing a continuous stream of energy, the best way is to block a portion of the blast, and shunt the rest way from you. Just feel the water and let it pass around you instead of impacting.”

 

And that was how the rest of lunch went. Lennex threw cup after cup at the fox and Shippo slowly started letting more water go around then before. A couple times however, Shippo concentrated so much on getting the water to go around his shield that he faltered with the impact site and got a little wet. He was advised that while a bit funny that he was soaked, he was also dead.

 

The latter part of that statement sobered the young demon up and they continued. Lennex even threw a couple of buckets at the fox. Only a couple though, because the strain of the larger weight took its toll on his side. Lennex promised more practice on this later at night before bedding down and they continued their south easterly course.

 

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They had traveled for the better part of the day without any complications. They were only a few miles from their village destination when Kagome felt another random shard hit her senses. Since she was able to say with certainty that it was on the way they went for it. The demon they encountered was weak. Even with the jewel shard. Unfortunately it was an insect demon. Some type of ant to be precise. And like an ant it controlled a colony of its brothers with the jewel.

 

The only saving grace was each demon was a little smaller then Shippo in size. The battle wasn't really hard as it was time consuming and tedious. Another complication was the things bit. Something Inuyasha found out multiple times. After the battle was done, Kagome applied some antiseptic cream to the welts and forming rash on Inuyasha's arm and back.

 

He complained like usual and told his human companions that the wounds were nothing serious, but Kagome could tell he was putting up a front and it hurt a bit more then he let on. As she was packing up he medical supplies is when she felt the next shard enter hr senses. Then the shard turned into two shards, then three then four until she felt eight shards moving quickly towards the singular shard she felt in the village. The other shards he had obtained however were not on him.

 

“He's heading toward the village. Unfortunately he is coming from the direction of that other village, the only good news is he is only carrying one extra shard then before. He must have stashed the others somewhere” Kagome stated with a calm that hid her real feelings. She saw the others tense, especially Sango. The demon exterminator turned her head to observe Miroku. The Monk had his head bowed, eyes locked on the ground, His free hand was clenched into a fist, and the other held his staff so tightly his knuckles were white.

 

Inuyasha shared a quick glance with Kagome. The Half demon with his heighten hearing had heard some of the girls conversation during the day and knew that Sango had, after a lot of talking to from Kagome, grudgingly accepted why Miroku would have brought up such an idea. Now however, when their fears had been realized they weren't sure what would happen. Right now they would hope for the best, they needed to stick together now more then ever. The last time they had fought Kalin, they had been ill prepared for his power and speed. Now they needed to work together.

 

“Lets go, maybe we can get there before he does.” Inuyasha barked and presented his back to Kagome. The young girl from the future quickly shouldered her pack, grabbed her bow and arrow, and climbed onto the half demons back, as carefully as she could because of the minor wounds. With a grunt of acknowledgement to her thoughtfulness and a quick glance towards Miroku and Sango, Inuyasha started off in a sprint towards the village.

 

Miroku heard Kirara transform but refused to look at Sango. He couldn't stand himself now that they knew they had sacrificed the lives of an innocent village, and he knew Sango probably despised him even more then he did himself. He turned on his heel and started after Inuyasha. He may not be as fast as the Half demon but he wouldn't be that far behind. Years of hasty retreats from over protective fathers, boyfriends, and husbands, had granted Miroku the ability to move very quickly. He wasn't that far behind Inuyasha when he felt something latch onto the back of his robes.

 

He was, at the same time, surprised and not, when he found himself thrown into his customary riding position of Kirara's back. In an automatic reaction from years of traveling together he had woven his staff in front of Sango to keep a grip during riding. It was only after they were properly situated that the monk's face belied his shock. He saw Sango turn slightly and glance at him out of the corner of her eye and then face front again.

 

“I am not happy about this at all, and I'm still a little upset, but I do understand the reasoning a bit better.. I don't like it, but I understand. And…” at this point Miroku could have sworn her heard her voice falter a bit.

 

“And it will take a lot more fights, bigger then this to make me hate you as much as you seem to have thought I did. After all I do lo...”

 

“I know Sango, and thank you. Now however is not the time or place I imagined we would share those words. So we will save them for a better setting.”

 

This time Sango turned around to view him fully and nodded her head in agreement and then faced forward again. Both settled their hearts and steeled themselves for the upcoming battle.

 

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Kalin touched down in the middle of the village. All the villages he had been to were basically laid out the same, and the middle area was the central hub. Were the people gathered to conduct business, meet with friends, shop for the things they needed. It was the perfect place to appear. The perfect place to make his demands. The perfect place to kill a majority of the village when they wouldn't cooperate.

 

“Bring me the fragment of the Shikon jewel that you harbor, or I will destroy you.” His voice rang out. The people of the village stopped what they were doing to take in the speaker of such demands. And as one the people scattered from his as quickly as they could. Usually they didn't do that until he killed someone.

 

Kalin looked around at the fleeing people and decided to head towards the residential area towards the east. Nothing but pure chance made that decision for him. They would all die eventually. He took a few steps towards his destination when a noise caught his attention. He'd heard it before but couldn't quite place it. He glanced towards the area of the village square he heard the noise coming from. He finally placed the noise when the Hiraikotsu came spinning out from between two huts. He got an arm up just before the weapon smashed into his chest. His arm dampened the blow a bit but the bone boomerang took him off his feet. His thoughts as his back hit the dirt were that he now knew why the villager's had run before the carnage had begun. They had been warned. He quickly rolled to his feet and watched the demon exterminator reclaim her weapon on its return arc. He rolled to his feet to square off against his opponent. He caught movement out of his peripheral vision and quickly turned to his left, once again raising his arm to block the incoming staff aimed for his head.

 

The impact rang out but the staff didn't budge Kalin's arm. The fighter smirked at the monk and his feeble attempt of an attack. The look returned by the monk mirrored his own and it threw the fighters rhythm. Miroku leapt backwards and Kalin knew to turn around. His turn saved him from the blade that descended. But like the missed swing from the last battle, the half demon followed up with his claws.

 

Kalin recoiled from the wound clutching his chest, blood seeping between his fingers. He looked up and took in his opponents. The three took in a unified front. He then noticed the fourth member of their group. She had her bow in one hand and an arrow at the ready, waiting for a shot. There was no telling how long they had been in this village but he was sure this girl would have the shard.

 

“Hey, your fights with us, leave Kagome out of it” Inuyasha shouted as he leapt forward in another attack. Miroku and Sango followed the half demon in a flanking position. The attacks were more efficient then last time and Kalin was hard pressed to put up a defense. Apparently they had learned a few things from their last encounter.

 

“You don't seem that tough today, bastard!” Inuyasha said as he tried his best to skewer Kalin with his sword.

 

Kalin grimaced. The pathetic half demon was right. He had collected jewels from four villages, hidden three in a small valley and one on him, but something inside told him now wasn't the time to utilize their powers. He evaded another swipe from the Tetsusaiga and caught the demon exterminator's fist in his hand before it could smash into his nose. The Monk however was able to hit him multiple times in the kidneys. The pain made him let go of Sango and turn towards the monk. He lashed out and connected with the monk's sternum with a palm strike. The monk fell back but then Sango was there kicking him in the chest, increasing the pain of the claw wounds.

 

He tried to backhand the woman but all his fists met with was empty air. Inuyasha used the miss to swing his sword again. Kalin leapt out of the way and found himself with a brief reprieve from the fight. All the fighters were not closing in and welcomed the brief break. Then he realized his folly. He leapt to the side, once again letting chance pick the way he went as a blazing pink arrow whizzed by his previous position.

 

The purification energy didn't hit him but the proximity of it briefly lifted the fog from his mind. For a moment he was horrified by what he was doing and had done. But then something clenched down on his mind. A will greater then his own urging him to finish his enemies and complete his quest. He looked up at the girl in the short green skirt intent on taking the shard he knew she had and then take her life. Once again he was interrupted before he could make his thoughts reality. Sango and Miroku led a double attack, Sango swinging the Hiraikotsu high and from the right, while Miroku attacked low and from the left with his staff. Kalin spiked his power and blocked the boomerang with his arm and the staff with his foot, pushing off with both appendages and knocking his opponents off their center. He followed up with blows of his own kicking the monk in the side and this time successfully backhanding Sango. He turned to look for Inuyasha and found him closer then he thought. He tried to get out of the way but knew this time it was futile.

 

He focused all his power into a shield coving his body like a second skin. The Blade impacted just under the ribcage and sparks flew from the impact. Inuyasha struggled and put all his strength into pushing the sword through the shield. In the end, Kalin's shield buckled under the Tetsusaiga. Kalin's eyes went wide as the sword sliced into him. Inuyasha pulled back and readied for another blow.

 

He knew this time the win was theirs. He had to leave now. His shield had protected him mostly but this wound would take time to heal, even with the jewel shards' powers enhancing his healing. He dodged once again from the half demons strike and quickly launched a ki blast into the ground. The resulting explosion made the three companions back away from the fighter.

 

“You will all regret this, I swear to you, you will regret it.” And with those parting words he leapt into the sky and rocketed away, a ki contrail dissipating behind him.

 

Kagome quickly joined her friends as they watched Kalin retreat from the village. The three melee fighters were breathing hard and two of them had a couple new bruises, but the light in their eyes shown with satisfaction.

 

“Good job guys, we can put this as a win for our side.” Kagome said excitedly. The villagers slowly approached the outsiders, grateful for the warning and fighting on their behalf. This time there would be no burial detail. This time they would have a victory celebration.

 

“Do you think we should take up the head villagers offer and stay here for the night?” Sango asked as they walked toward said persons home.

 

“With the wounds we inflicted today, I think we can take a chance and relax a bit. We did win but I want to rest up before fighting with him again.” Inuyasha said. “Besides, Kagome should be able to feel his movements if he heads for that other village. I do want you to know that I am sorry we had to sacrifice a village Sango. If there was any other way…” the half demon trailed off as he watched Sango's head dip.

 

“I feel for those people too, Inuyasha, but I understand why we had to do this. If we didn't, this village would probably be a burning wreck like the others.”

 

Miroku came up beside her and threw his arm around Sango. She turned to him and smiled, melting into him. Inuyasha turned to find Kagome beaming at her friends and Inuyasha had to admit, it was nice to see things turning back to normal. Next time they would finish it for sure. For right now, they would take a small break and enjoy their win.

 

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“Good Shippo, now try to read my body language, it will give you some insight on what I plan to do next.” Lennex stated as he took a defensive stance. The young fox stood opposite Lennex taking a fighting stance of his own. Tonight's exercise differed from the norm. Shippo worked for a bit on his shield technique and his normal fox fire technique. Then Lennex brought up the subject of hand to hand training. He gave the kit some basic moves at the beginning but soon found out that the fox had paid very close attention to Inuyasha and the rest.

 

Shippo was still coming into his power and as it stood now, Lennex experience was keeping him ahead of the game. He knew that had he been at full power the fox wouldn't have stood a remote chance against him. But given time and his own chance at gaining experience, Shippo would indeed be a powerful alley and a dangerous foe to those that stood against him and his friends.

 

The fox leapt at him again claws extended for a downward strike. Lennex feinted left avoiding the blow while simultaneously launching a counter attack. Due to Shippo's size he was a hard target to hit. The fox used his demon reflexes to actually use Lennex's leg as a springboard when it flew under him. Now being higher above Lennex once more the kit tried to come down behind his friend to deliver a blow.

 

Lennex rolled forward on his uninjured side, moving himself out of the fox's reach. Shippo touched down and turned to face his friend.

 

“Very good on the leg maneuver, the key to winning a fight is to learn how to use your opponent's movements against him. You're on your way to becoming an outstanding fighter.”

 

The two traded blows for a good portion of the night. Not trying to really hurt each other but more so attempting to out maneuver the other. It was fun for both of the new found friends and their moods were relaxed. The knife injury still made some things impossible for Lennex, but he kept his condition at the forefront of his fight as to not aggravate the wound too much. After the village they had visited today, they learned that the area they were looking for was only a day's travel away. They had made exceptional time and their goal was almost in site. They would soon be able to join their other friends and help them in the fight against Kalin and Naraku.

 

They were both very very happy. Perhaps that was why the voices were upon them before they realized there was anyone close by.

 

“Girl, I swear you are going to be the death of me. How childish can you be really? After everything my lord has done for you and you continue to act so… so… human.” A raspy voice echoed from the woods.

 

Lennex cocked his head to try and get a bearing on were the voice was coming from. Shippo however stood stock still. His eyes were wide with shock. Lennex saw this and raised an eyebrow. Just then the return retort came to them just as two people, one ugly green lizard type demon, and one young human girl.

 

“Really master Jaken, all I wanted to do was pick some flowers. It's not childish. Our lord likes my gifts. Oh hello Shippo!” The girl said as she spotted the fox and Lennex. The green thing gripped the gnarled staff a little more forcefully as he too took in their appearance.

 

“Uh, hi Rin…” Shippo stuttered, eyes darting around wildly.

 

Lennex took the signs of nervousness as due from the appearance of this female. He couldn't help but give his young friend a hard time.

 

“A past girl friend of yours Shippo?” he teased. He saw Shippo give him a look, and the girl named Rin's face blush a little as she faced the ground and tapped said ground with her foot.

 

“Not hardly, human. Our lord would never let this pathetic demon court the lady Rin.”

 

Lennex narrowed his eyes at the green demon. “Jaken is it? From what I've seen Shippo is an outstanding demon. If your `lord'” and this part Lennex said with contempt “sees fit to keep you around, his standards can't be that high. If he prefers someone like you over him, I have to question his metal state.”

 

All three stared at Lennex. Jaken with disgust, Rin with surprise, and Shippo's look was a mixture of shock and fear. He would have questioned this turn of events but found he couldn't speak. Not because he didn't have the will, but because a hand with a grip like a vise had suddenly materialize around his throat.

 

He was lifted into the air, his arms reflexively wrapping around the offending appendage trying to break loose. His eyes locked with golden orbs. What stood before him was a demon. He knew this to be true from the strength and markings on the man. He had long white hair and wore a formal white garb complete with ceremonial armor. Two swords were tucked into his sash. The look of superiority on this demons face rivaled anything Vegeta had ever thrown his way.

 

“This Sesshomaru does not take insults lightly.” The demon spoke.

Sesshomaru? This was Inuyasha's half brother, the one Shippo had told him stories about. Lennex really wished he was able to tap into his power. This was one of the most powerful demon auras he had felt since he had been in the past. However his own Sayjin blood reacted to the challenge and instead of adopting an air of obedience he stared back in defiance. He felt the hand tighten a bit more around his throat as he watched the demons eyes slide towards his companion.

 

“I see that you got yourself a new traveling companion. How unfortunate he doesn't know his place any better then that worthless half breed.”

 

Shippo smiled weakly and then looked toward Rin. “I really would appreciate any kind of help I could get to assist my friend. He's a good guy; just a big mouth is all.”

 

Lennex found it strange he would be seeking help from the young girl, but waited to see what happened. Not like he had much choice but to wait. He felt lucky enough at this time to even be taking in the amount of air the grip was letting through.

 

“Lord Sesshomaru, This man happens to be a dear friend to Shippo here. I think he would be very sad if he lost his friend, and that would make me sad too. You don't want to make me sad, do you, my lord?”

 

Lennex would never have believed it had he not seen it. He saw it in the demon lord's eyes. He knew this little girl was playing him. He put up a front but Lennex knew he was out of trouble for now.

 

“You should thank the girl. Next time I will not allow such insolence to go unpunished.” Sesshomaru spoke dropping the Sayjin to the ground. Lennex found himself on his rear looking up at the demon. One hand rubbing his throat. He might have spoken but at this time he realized he didn't get as much air as he thought and was very light headed. He made himself a promise that he would never meet this particular demon again without his power.

 

“Come.” The stoic lord commanded as he walked through their campsite disappearing into the night. Jaken trailed after him followed by Rin. Shippo and the girl traded goodbyes and then they too were gone. Shippo turned to his new friend a look of relief now on his face.

 

“You have no idea how lucky you are that he has such a soft spot for Rin.” Shippo stated.

 

Lennex continued rubbing his neck agreeing one hundred percent. “Remind me to get her a present. A house or something.” Lennex regained his feet and the two companions walked back to their fire, rest the only things on their minds after the encounter.

 

Tomorrow would hopefully be the beginning of the end.