InuYasha Fan Fiction / Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ A Demon By Any Other Name... ❯ Dinner ( Chapter 2 )

~~0.o~~

The hanyou stopped dead in his tracks, attracting the attention of the two youkai and two humans with him. "Naraku," he breathed. He sniffed the air again, his jaw dropping and panic clutching his heart. "Kagome! Damnit Kirara, I thought you were going to stay with her!" Her scent was all over the square, mingled with the bastard's. There had been a battle; he could still smell the charred stench of burnt tentacle that lingered after any battle with Naraku. His pulse raced and before Sango could yell a rebuttal, or smack him over the head, he sped off in the direction Kagome's scent was the strongest, the others following quickly behind.

Inuyasha stopped in front of an inn, throwing open the door and startling everyone within. He looked around stiffly, nose in the air and sorting through the innumerable smells until he caught a strand of her and he calmed, slightly. With long strides, he came to the door to the dining room, sliding it open with a slam.

"Alright, where is she? Who's got her, fess up now and I might let you live." His words were like daggers, cutting through the almost painful silence.

"Inuyasha?" The high-pitched question caught his sensitive ears immediately and he began to look around frantically. Then, he spotted her; leaning over a bowl of oden, chopsticks in one hand and the other wrapped in fiery red hair, her own snatched up in the other's fist as well. She and the other woman were frozen in what looked like a fight over the last piece of fish, at a table filled with people he didn't recognize.

"Kagome?" He looked shocked and puzzled and Kagome giggled despite herself, releasing Lina to run to her companion, embracing him tightly. A blush spread across his face and he let out a "feh" while trying to hide his grin. "What the hell have you been doing? I smelled Naraku in the square, are you ok?"

"I'm fine. They rescued me," she said, motioning to the table full of people behind her. "Let me introduce you. This is Lina, Goury, Amelia, Filia, Zelgadis, and Xellos. Xellos is the one who rescued me and Lina defeated Naraku's puppet." Inuyasha looked the priest up and down, noting the unusually strong ora coming from him.

"You, you're a mazoku, aren't you?" There was ice in his question as he continued to size up the man sitting next to where Kagome had gotten up.

"Hai, hanyou, I am. I see you are of noble blood though; House of the Crescent Moon, am I right?"

"Yes. I would ask how you know, but I really don't give a shit." Xellos raised an eyebrow at the dog, knowing all too well his standing with his family but much preferring the anger and nervousness coming off him. Inuyasha stood still, concentrating on not stepping forward and pummeling the cocky demon, knowing it was a fight he probably couldn't win. He had heard stories of this particular dark priest and his reputation far outweighed the one he had built.

"Inuyasha, do you know him?" came Kagome's cheerful question as she tried to pull him back towards the table with her. "He's a priest… hey, speaking of which, where's the rest of the group? Weren't they with you?" Inuyasha didn't hear the question, too involved in his thoughts, trying to remember all the accounts of what this Xellos had done in the past. The amethist eyes never wavered from the hanyou's face either, further adding to his nervousness. Kagome looked back and forth between the two men, finally having had enough of the silence. She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see Filia approaching. She stopped next to Inuyasha, reaching out her hand to him. When he didn't react, she frowned slightly and Kagome, discretely, stepped on his bare foot.

"Ouch! What the…"

"Sir Inuyasha, it is a pleasure to meet you. Me and my kind owe your family a great deal of thanks." She bowed deeply and Inuyasha cocked his head, staring at her in wonder. The mazoku's laughter brought all attention back to him as he slapped his hand on the table. Kagome, with a wry smile, took her seat, pulling an empty chair from near by for her newly arrived friend. Xellos continued to laugh as the rest of the travelers sat down. Zelgadis stiffened noticeably at the sound of the unnatural laughter and even Lina looked concerned as they all waited to be let in on whatever their companion had suddenly found so amusing.

"Please forgive me, Inuyasha, I did not mean to laugh at your expense. I just remembered why you have no idea of what Filia is talking about." He smiled at the hanyou, eyes shut but still seeing how tense he was. "You see, you were only about five human years old, still a pup in youkai time, during the war of the Monsters Fall, I was sent by my master to end the race of the dragons," he paused either for effect or torture, "and I believe your father had a hand in halting my massacre." His words fell like ice on all that were present. He spoke with no remorse, rather fondness of his killings, chilling everyone at the table. Inuyasha was still, his heart barely beating and the rise and fall of his chest had ceased. He remembered very little about what his father had been involved in as a child, and as he grew up, he had no desire to hear about it. For this woman to thank him for the deeds of his father, he had no idea what to say or do. He knew only that this new, purple haired priest was not to be trusted. Kagome, on the other hand, was seething in anger.

You did WHAT? How could you do such a thing, you heartless…"

"Temper, temper, my lady. I was following orders of the Lord Beast Master, orders not to be taken lightly, plus, I never really liked dragons anyway, such large, scaly beasts." There was a screech as one of the other patrons in the restaurant was launched from her seat by a long, golden tail that appeared from under Filia's dress.

"Why you arrogant bastard! The Ryuzoku are a proud and nobel species, much better that you putrid Mazoku trash!" The shouting match continued for well over five minutes. Kagome's anger subsided for the most part, watching the banter back and forth between the red faced dragon and the smiling priest. She knew the story went deeper than what Xellos had offered up, but now was not the time to ask, she decided. The door to the tavern opened and in strode a worried taijiya with a small fox on her shoulder. She scanned the room and let out a sigh of relief when her eyes landed on the waiving hand of her best friend and the missing hanyou. "It's ok, Miroku, they're in here," she yelled over her shoulder as she walked up to the already crammed table. All three seated men watched as she maneuvered the crowded room in her skin tight fighting clothes, throwing her long ponytail back out of her face and repositioning her armor when she arrived. Amelia leaned over and wiped the tiniest drop of drool from Zelgadis' lip, while Goury received an elbow to the stomach from Lina.

"Sango! I was worried when you didn't show up with Inuyasha, though, I guess I'm not surprised, as he love to just speed off and leave everyone," she looked pointedly at the inu beside her, who only scowled and looked away. She reached up and hugged the older woman and started looking around for an empty chair for her. Alas, the busy dining area yielded no free seats and both Goury and Zelgadis were on their feet, offering their seats to the stunning lady.

"Ah, my lady Sango, I have an open seat right here if you wish. All eyes turned to the handsome, dark eyed man who approached the table. Lina's eyes widened as she took in his strong physique, cleverly hidden under his thick robes, and Both Amelia and Filia were whispering animatedly to each other and giggling. Sango just rolled her eyes and brought her attention back to the two men standing before her.

"Thank you both very much, but if I took your seat, then you would have to stand in my place, and I would feel awful. I'll just stand with…" She turned to find the lecherous monk seated between the brunette and the blonde, who both giggled and blushed at his hushed words. Suddenly, there was a resounding smack and the monk lay still on the floor beside the table. Sango smiled and pulled the chair back up to the table, "I'll just sit here, thank you."

~~0.o~~

The rest of the meal was relatively uneventful, aside from the nauseating horror Kagome and Sango felt watching Lina and Goury fight over the already picked over carcass of the boar on the table. Kagome was astonished that the other members of their group went about their eating as if they didn't notice the brawl that escalated over who got to eat the snout. She watched Zelgadis eye the monk scooting ever closer to the giggling women next to him while Xellos calmly sipped his tea, looking up every now and then to find the irritated hanyou still staring at him. Shippou and Kirara had long since abandoned the table in search of fun and adventure in the two large adjoining rooms upstairs.

After dinner, the group divided by sexes into the two rooms with the exception of the unconscious monk in the hall in front of the girls' door. Inside, there was giggling and chatting as the females all conversed and readied themselves for the bath. Sango, Filia and Amelia were chatting animatedly, Kirara resting peacefully in his master's lap while Shippou was passed back and forth between the other two women who cooed and fawned over him. Lina had cornered Kagome once she saw her other two companions occupied.

"So, a miko in training, huh? Your aura is very powerful. I cant remember the last time I met another woman with as much power as you. Tell me, how long have you been training?" There was an edge to Lina's curiosity that gave Kagome the impression that their conversation was more than just small talk.

"Well, I guess it has been over two years now that I have been traveling with Inuyasha, and it was only after I met him and Kaede that I even knew I had the reincarnated soul of a miko. I've been trying to strengthen my powers, but between all the shard hunting, demon slaying, and convincing Inuyasha to let me go home every now and then, my training has really been suffering. I really never have any time alone to work at it."

"I know what you mean," Lina sympathized. "I have always had other `people' traveling with me, first there was Naga, big mistake there, then Goury found me and pledged to be my protector, Zelgadis tried to kill me, then saved me and joined up with us. Amelia we tried to loose, but she just kept coming back and Filia left the dragon temple to travel with us…"

"And Xellos?" Kagome saw the quick spark in the sorceress' eyes at the mention of the mazoku priest. She doubted the woman even realized the emotion had surfaced, and it was quickly crushed.

"Yes, and Xellos. I suppose one could say Xellos was there all along. The Greater Beast Master had been keeping tabs on me since I was born, tracking my aura on another dimension. Now when I say that L- sama was keeping tabs, it was Xellos with the pen and paper, reporting back my whereabouts, my training, and my progress. It wasn't until a few years ago that he actually appeared and began annoying my group and me. Neither Goury or Zel like him, and though I've been told countless times to banish him…" Lina's attention waned as she sat staring out the window. She shook herself back awake, stood and announced that she would be leaving for the baths, causing much commotion as they filed out of the room, towels in hand.