InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Lifetime Loving You Part 2; The Path to Osaka ❯ Dog Fangs and Dragon’s Mane ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer; Inu ain't my doggy…he just kinda followed me home one night.

A Lifetime Loving You

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Chapter 10; Dog Fangs and Dragon's Mane

(Inu-yasha)

"Are we there yet?" Kitsumi whined as the young ones huff and panted at my ankles as we climbed on our hands and feet up the slightly steep incline of rock during the night.

"We'll be there as soon as we get over this mountain, Squirt," I reassured her as I continued on.

She was tired though as she tried to push herself up some rock to catch up with me, but she slid a little under a few pebbles. "I can't go any further," she whined showing her exhaustion in her tiny face and body as she flopped on a more horizontal piece of rock. Completing the dramatics of her plea to stop climbing, I snorted out of the humor of the entire thing.

Villagers passed us as they climbed by us and I slid down some ways to bring my face to hers as the end of the line neared. Other's were making it too the top. Kagome had already made it to the top and was aiding the group of young children Kitsumi was climbing with at my heels until she was over come with exhaustion. I noticed as soon as the last child was up at the top she was looking for the pup that was just under my chin, moaning to try and stay awake.

"Okay, I gotcha, Squirt!" I told her as I brought my head down to her and bit down on the knot in the sash around her tiny body and pulled her up and carried her in my mouth as I climbed. She balled up when she left the ground and mumbled as sleep began to take her.

I grunted as I continued climbing with the sleeping pup in my mouth coming up last instead of first like we had started; it was mostly because I had taken extra care in making sure Kitsumi and the company with her stayed close to me since they weren't used to the height and terrain.

Once I made it to the top I placed Kitsumi in her mother's arms and noticed she was fast asleep. Kagome on the other hand was looking at me kind of strangely. "What?" I asked her.

She blinked a few times and then looked at the place where mouth had made a wet mark on the sash. "I didn't know dog demon's carried their young in their mouths."

I shrugged. "The mother's carry the children when the young can't make it on harder ground."

I then found myself looking into those brown orbs reflecting the gold color of mine. She seemed surprised and confused at the very same time. I smiled for a moment and then slowly turned away and then after clearing my throat continued onward to the front of the line. Yet, I could still feel Kagome's eyes on me as I passed.

Kagome lifted Kitsumi into her arms as the child vocalized her need for sleep in a prolonged groan. The crowd of peasants parted as I walked forward and then stood at the edge of a cliff looking down to see the perfect view of a dark ocean and the tops of snow covered trees that glowed with the orange color of the setting sun.

And there where the forest cleared, was the estate and farm of Polaris and her sisters, along with every other dog-wolf demon pup left over from those female dog demons that had died.

Miroku came to my side and leaned on his staff. "The sun will be setting soon; we should get down there as soon as possible before you're vulnerable."

I continued to look down at the base of the mountain, and with a sigh I turned to lead the way down.

Suddenly, the trees rustled and everyone including myself jumped. I panicked knowing it wasn't a good time to be attacked by bandits or demons. Mother's clutched their children to their chests and men began to become stiff with fear as they grabbed their bow or spear at hand.

Miroku gripped his staff as my knuckles cracked as I watched for movement and twitched my ears in all the surrounding directions. I finally pulled both ears forward and glared at the brush before us as it began to growl and rustle. Miroku got ready, as did I as I heard Kitsumi swallow hard and Kagome's breathing pick up in fear.

Finally the brush burst into slivers of wood and leaves, and a small pack of shadowed figures jumping into the sky only to descend back down to the grown like it was completely rehearsed in some dance. Their eyes glowed red, but other glowed white or yellow. These were mutts.

I snarled to make sure the pack of what reeked of male mutt demons kept their distance. Their leader growled with an open mouth bearing his fangs and drool in a frightening display. His brown mane stood on end and his claws stood out on his hooked fingers.

I growled in return until my nose got a quick whiff of his scent and I came out of my stare down with the leader and relaxed as my mind began to shift through memories in my mind to place the scent with a face.

"Aki?" I asked completely unsure.

The question, however, made everyone of the unknown ambushers take a step back. The leader looked at me for a moment before grabbing a spear from his partner and holding the head to my face. "These are the lands of my Aunt Polaris and her family. Who are you? What are you and your company doing in our lands?"

The welcoming wasn't warm, but it seemed strange to me that the young wolf-dog demon couldn't recognize me. Yet, even I couldn't tell if it was Aki I was talking to or another wolf-dog demon.

"I am Inu-yasha, Son of Inu-taisho, and these people are those left homeless after an attempted demon slaughter. Polaris is one of my relatives, and her son Aki is my comrade."

The spear was lowered and the young wolf-dog came into the dimming sunlight. His face was slashed straight across from forehead to jaw, damage done by a dragon's claw judging by its crudeness.

"I have heard of you, Brother Dog. Polaris told us that your scent and company was in the air coming from the eastern winds."

I took a step forward and sighed. "Taisho (Leader), my followers and I seek to find shelter in Osaka, but they are weary from a month a travel and need food and water. I know Auntie Polaris will not let any harm come to them, because she is sworn under my father's new law."

The young leader looked over the crowd. "How many are there?"

"A hundred villagers, which includes women and children. This is Miroku, their married priest, his wife and two children are with him, along with a medicine woman and her daughter."

The youngster looked around, "So, 106 humans, hey? Are you all that makes up for the demon population?"

"One juvenile fox demon, and myself are included."

The youngster looked at me for a moment and I watched his nose twitch. "Ah, so you're the hanyo runt of the litter huh? Aki used to talk of you like you were some sort of great warrior for a half demon."

My eyes widened and my breath caught. "Used to talk?"

~~~~

I stood before a grave site once the "escort" party helped bring us down to the estate grounds from the mountain. I couldn't read the message chiseled into the stone, but I knew what it said.

"Aki" written in the old scribed style of my father's time, and a language and writing that died when demons began to learn the language of humans when the feudal era began not long after Mother's death.

I stood at the stone for a long time before getting down to my knees and lowering my head. I stayed there in the silence until I felt a hand on my head and I turned up to find Polaris at my side looking at the stone with a hidden sadness in her eyes.

"He spoke of you on his death bed. He said that you had the eyes of a leader, and your father's spirit."

She sat down like a dog beside me and I jumbled my legs and arms around to do the same. "When did this happen?"

"Three months ago…A dragon from ocean appeared and Aki put his strength into protecting my sisters and the rest of the pack. He was called out to be Taisho of the Earthen Dogs only a year ago, which was what he was born to do one day. He's fought dragons before but this one was unusually stronger and quicker. The beast was killed, however; it was then that we discovered it was an earth dragon, the stone kind. The scales were as hard as diamonds, and the claws were what had done Aki in just like many of the young here whom now wear the marks given to them the day Aki died.

"He told me though, that he had a vision that war was coming and that if this was true than we must leave." Polaris's eyes then turned to me and she stared at me. "He said if that day comes, then you would travel through these lands again, and that day would decree a new era."

I arched my brow as Polaris closed her eyes and then turned to gaze as her son's grave. "Aki has handed over the power of this tribe to you. He had made you our new leader, since he bore no child."

My eyes widened in shock and I turned to the grave. "Why? Why has he given this to me when I was the one he blamed for so long for the death of his mate and pup?"

Polaris blinked for a moment and said as she turned to me, "Forgiveness…Simply forgiveness."

We stared at each other in silence and then I shivered as a breeze passed us. Polaris looked at me. "Nephew?"

"It's alright; it's just the new moon. My transformation is starting."

Polaris blinked. "Should I leave you in peace?"

I nodded. "My emotions are getting stronger that's all. I think I need a moment alone to be here with him."

The old dog bowed her head and crawled off for a few feet before rising to her feet and walked back toward the house.

I felt tears form in my eyes and my claws left scars in the ground until my fingertips began pulling up earth with more difficulty. Tears began to flow more freely now and I did my best to hide them and wipe them away. Yet, I've never had true control over my emotions, and before I knew it my forehead was on the grave stone as a curtain of black locks covered my face to hide my face, but it could not muffle the sobs.

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(Kagome)

I walked along the lamp lit deck around the estate that night with a blanket around my shoulders. Tents were made up and the female demons brought all the food and water they could spare to the villagers. Those that were slightly ill were seen by Polaris or her sisters.

I watched from the porch until I heard children laughing in the grass as they played not far from the garden. They were in a circle bouncing a ball into the air with their heads, knees, the curve of their foot, or the heel.

The majority were boys, but a few of the village girls were playing as well giggling every time a younger boy became clumsy while showing off and the ball hitting him in the face when it jumped off his knee.

It was then that I saw Kohaku and Kara join them and they were welcomed into the game. "The bigger the circle gets, the fun the game will get," one of the boys squealed. The twins began to play, and even though Kara had trouble, Kohaku displayed amazing athletic ability.

"He has his mother's quick thinking and skill," a voice said as it approached me. Miroku strode over silently and leaned against a wooden support with his staff tucked in her crossed arms as he watched his children. "Kara, however, does express great wisdom and cleverness."

I grinned, "She certainly is like her father…the good and the bad."

Miroku tensed for a moment and blushed before relaxing and changing the subject. "It is a new moon already. Hard to believe it has been a month since the village was destroyed."

I lowered my head and looked at the place were my hands held my blanket around me. "It's hard to believe, Kitsumi has been in her hanyo form for so long as well. I'm still wondering when her night will come and she'll be human again."

Miroku looked at me and saw the hidden sadness in my eyes that I was trying so hard to hide. "I miss having a child that looks like a miniature version of me," I said, forcing a smile and a short chuckle.

Miroku put his weight back on her feet and leaned on his staff. "She still looks like you, still," he said as his attentions turned to the other side to see Kitsumi running from the side of the house to the children playing. "She just reminds me of someone else as well sometimes."

I watched as Kitsumi went to join the children. One of the children hit the ball too hard and it flew over on of the other child's head, bounced, and rolled toward her stopping once it met her feet. Kitsumi then picked it up and threw it up into the air some ways before catching it again. "Hey, can I play?"

Then, one of the boys glared at her. "Go away, Pinky! I don't want any ugly girls like you touching the ball my mother gave to me for my birthday." With that the boy ripped the ball from Kitsumi's hands and shoved her to the ground.

I gasped as I watched for a moment.

Kitsumi then glared at the boy with anger as tears formed in her eyes and she sniffled. The boy teased, "Awe, poor puppy gonna cry, now? You gonna whimper for your mama?" he mocked, and continued by making crying puppy sounds in her face.

I took one step forward to go to her when Miroku grabbed my arm. "Wait!" he whispered.

I looked at him like he was crazy for one moment, and then when I turned back Kara and Kohaku were stomping toward the boy. Kara then shoved the boy away making him fall in a damper area of earth and leaving a large wet mark on his bottom. Kohaku glared. "Don't make fun of Kitsumi! She may be different, but she's still good at ball just like you are."

The boy groaned, "You wanna go play with the pink freak, go ahead. We don't need losers like you."

It was then, that the boy left with all of the children behind him. Kara snorted and then turned to Kitsumi. "Stupid boys!"

"Hey!" Kohaku cried, "I stood up for her, you know!"

Kara shook her head, but she knew that what Kohaku had done was noble of him. Still, Kitsumi's tears were the major matter at that point. "Hey," Kara said lifting her chin, "Moth tells me never show tears to those that hurt you. It only makes them feel more powerful."

Kitsumi smiled and then looked at Kohaku who was looking at her with his arms crossed. She then jumped into his arms and hugged him, and the young boy blushed tremendously. "Thanks for standing up for me Kohaku."

The boy smiled a little and gave her a pat on the back. "Okay, okay, don't get stuck to me. The other guys might think I've got girl germs."

Kitsumi pulled her arms away when he pushed and giggled. Kara then looked around, "Well, now what do we do? We don't have a ball to play with now."

Kitsumi thought hard for a moment, playing with her star charm as she did so. She then gasped and jumped up and down, "I know! I know!" he cheered.

"What?" the twins said in unison.

Kitsumi then tapped Kohaku on the shoulder and grabbed Kara's hand and began to run chanting, "Kohaku's it! Kohaku's it!"

"Hey, no fair!" he hollered as he smiled and ran after the other two girls only to tackle his sister and then Kitsumi piling on top of them. They soon began to play wrestle in the grass laughing at each other.

I smiled as I watched from afar. "I hope they never grow up sometimes, don't you Miroku? …Miroku?"

I turned to my side only to find the space taken up by another figure who was smiling as he watched the children wrestle, and Shippo join them a moment later making it boys verses girls in the play fighting.

Inu-yasha leaned against his elbow with his hand in his hair pushing back the black strands of hair from his face. His eyes seemed dry and his cheeks were wet in some places, but his smile was genuine.

"I may not be Miroku…but I do sometimes wish they weren't growing so fast. Especially, Kitsumi since she has so much spirit for so young an age."

I blinked a few times as I looked at him smiling at the children. The golden color of the oil lamps' light made him glow unexpectedly and his eyes reflected a sparkle behind them. The sleeves of his under kimono were rolled up passed his elbows showing half of his fully matured arm. It felt like yesterday those arms were hardly that…large or muscular for that matter. Course, Inu-yasha had been aging unusually fast the past few years. Yet, for five years in passing, I guess I had expected to see a boy still that was still turning into a man. Now, he never looked more mature and male until this point. A body covered in sun darkened skin and hard full-grown muscles that made me feel like I was safe from any harm by just standing beside him like this. Yet, even though looking at how much is body had grown and the pounding in my chest, my eyes could only look. I wasn't allowed to touch…no…someone else had claim over feeling the bumps and crevasses of his form.

I forced myself to look away and back at the children as they giggled and began to settle down in the grass.

Inu-yasha's eyes then turned to me, but I continued to watch. He then rolled down his sleeves as he looked at the dark sky. "It's a little cold tonight."

`Colder than you think,' I thought.

"It is," I responded quietly, still watching the children.

Inu-yasha watched as Kitsumi and Kara giggled when Kara whispered something in her floppy puppy ear. "I see a lot of you in her; the same laugh, same smile…same personality."

I huffed a sarcastic laugh, "Kitsumi isn't like me…well sometimes she is…but…" I stuttered.

Inu-yasha leaned his back against the wooden poll, "But?" he asked.

I glanced at him for a moment catching his purple gaze and then glancing away for a moment. "But…whenever she gets…I don't know…"

"Oh come on!" Inu-yasha teased as he crossed his arms and grinned, his stare and eye brows working together to dare me into spilling it.

I swallowed hard for a moment and watched Kitsumi as she played and growled at Shippo. "There…when she smirks and tries to act tough, or when she holds a grudge and pouts or mopes around…when she's tom boyish…she…she reminds…she reminds me of…"

Inu-yasha watched me as I pulled my blanket around my shoulders more and glanced at him and Kitsumi again before slowly turning back to him. "She reminds me of you."

My face felt hot and my chest was pounding from my confession. Inu-yasha blushed a little as well and laughed a little as he ran his fingers through his bangs again.

I looked away again to hide my face. `Don't do it, Inu-yasha. Don't make me think I can truly be with you.'

I then looked at Kitsumi and spoke the quickest thing that came to mind. "Course she does have her father's nobility as well."

Inu-yasha removed his hand from his hair and looked at me, and it officially killed the mood. I felt safe again from being hurt by something that could never be, yet the night air felt even colder all of the sudden, and my chest hurt.

Inu-yasha took a few steps away from the pole and toward the steps down to the grass. "Yeah…she kinda does have that quality in her," and with that, Inu-yasha when his way down the stairs to leave.

I watched him and felt heartbroken, I wanted to call him back, I wanted to throw myself into his warm embrace and get lost in those strong arms and put life back into the kiss I had felt so long ago the night Kitsumi was born. But I held it all back; I forced it back and hid it in my eyes.

Suddenly, Inu-yasha stopped at the last step and turned back to me as I was crying to swallow the urge to cry. "I'm proud of you, Kagome" he said, and he caught my eyes in his when I heard his voice. He smiled weakly, "You've raised Kitsumi so well."

He took his last step down and kept his eyes on me until he turned the corner and disappeared, holding my eyes in his the entire time.

~~~~

(Inu-yasha)

The next morning brought a warm sunshine to the estate grounds, but being human of course I didn't sleep a wink. I had enough energy to keep me going for the day though. Early morning I jumped down from the tree once the sun had risen and I transformed back into a demon. I shook my whole body on all fours before standing up on my own two feet again.

I wandered around for a while looking at all of the tents, including the one with our traveling samurai whose feet were hanging outside of his tent and he was snoring loudly. I arched my brow and shook my head as I continued forward.

I walked to the estate to smell food cooking, and found all of the sisters and other female wolf-dog demons along with some of the village wives cooking away in the kitchen and outside by fires.

I looked around to find Kagome outside with Sango at her side working on eggs from the chickens in the barn and cooking rice in a large pot.

I slowly began to walk over when Polaris passed by me. "Come with me, Nephew, and leave the ladies to cook."

I watched as the old dog opened an alternate door into the home and I glance back at Kagome as Kitsumi and Kara brought more eggs from the barn on the hill. I sighed as I looked over at the mother and daughter I treasured most in my life before groaning and following after Polaris when she cleared her throat.

She then opened a door to a storage room and pulled out a small trunk, and placed it on the table in the dining room. Polaris then ran a single claw over the lock and it unlatched, and opened on its own slowly. Within was a folded piece of cloth that seemed to be old looking but it was new. The color was a faded ivory color of sort, and when Polaris pilled it out, I realized it was a kimono made of a thick fabric. It looked heavy, almost winter like.

"What is it?" I asked.

Polaris stood up and held it out to me. "When Aki killed the dragon I salvaged the dragon's mane, and cut off the hair. I then made a fabric with it."

"Dragon's Mane?" I asked, as Polaris tossed the kimono too me. Even though the fabric was thick, it was light as a feather. "I don't think this will keep me warm. It's too light to wear just yet."

Polaris snorted, "Pish posh, dragon's mane is a weathered material, you can wear it year round."

I looked it over some more. "What's so great about it?"

Polaris smirked and pinched the fire rat vest. "It's stronger than this fabric of yours by 100 fold. Light as air, yet hard as the dragon's scales themselves. It will protect you on this journey of ours."

I looked up from the kimono and then at Polaris. "Ours?"

The old dog looked at me. "Why yes, ours! You honestly don't think I'm going to let you and a juvenile fox demon and a tiny hanyo girl protect 100 villagers."

I narrowed my brow. "We have Miroku and Sango with us as well, we can make it."

"A yes, the married monk with two children and his wife that hasn't picked up a weapon since child birth? Nephew, you have not been in action of five years, many think that you have died. I also, hardly think Lady Kagome has any of her priestess power left either. Yet, on top of that all, if you were to show such things as these to Kitsumi or any of the other children they would ask questions."

I turned away from her and looked at the cloth. Polaris stared at me. "Does Kitsumi even know the power Tetsuseiga holds? Have you even drawn it since she was born?"

I then looked down at my side, and with my free hand pulled the sword free from its sheath. It didn't transform, but I held it for a moment wondering if I could even still weald the sword.

Polaris crossed her arms and called out down the hall, "Cuja!"

I turned and found the wolf-dog with the slashed face whom I had met when I arrived. Polaris continued, "Take Lord Inu-yasha to the practicing grounds. Let's see if he can still wield the sword."

~~~~

(Kitsumi)

I was cleaning my bowl of rice trying to finish my breakfast so I could go and play with Kara and Kohaku.

"Kitsumi, slow down," my mother told me, "You'll in hale a piece of rice and choke if you're not careful."

I ignored her, however, and cleaned the bowl and ran for the tent's opening when my mother pulled me back to quickly clean my face and then let me go free again. I ran out only to find everyone else including Kara and Kohaku running by me. "Kitsumi, there you are!" Kara cried, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the woods. "Come on!"

"Wha…Where are we going?" I asked as she pulled me and I pushed branches out of my face. Then the forest cleared and Kara and I were beside Kohaku near an ocean cliff.

"What's going on? Why is everyone here?"

Kohaku then pointed out to see were small platforms of rock were in a small cove. There in the middle was the strange wolf-dog demon and… "INU-YASHA?!"

Kara hushed me and covered my mouth over with her hand. "You're so loud!"

I pulled her hand away. "What is he doing?"

"They're going to have a demon sword fight?" one of the wolf-dog demons said to one of the villagers.

"Aye, I heard it is to see if Inu-yasha can still wield Tetsuseiga, the sword he wears around his waist. Rumor has it he hasn't battled with it in five years."

My eyes widened, "Inu-yasha knows how to fight with a sword? But…why haven't I seen him fight with his sword before? I mean I know he has it, but I thought he had it just to look tough. I didn't think he could actually use the thing."

Kara looked at me, "The guy said he hasn't used it in five years. We weren't even born around that time, which means he stopped using the sword probably right after you were born Kitsumi."

I looked down at the blue cove by the ocean cliffs. The crowd of people covered the side of the open cove completely, wanting to watch what would happen.

The wolf-dog demon pulled out a large wide sword with two tips, one higher than the other. It glowed green as he held it up for everyone to see and the pointed it to Inu-yasha.

The sliver haired dog hanyo twitched his ears for a moment and then looked at the sword at his right hand side. He then slowly gripped it and pulled it out into the sunlight.

"Awe man!" Kohaku whined, "That sword looks like it hasn't been used in a lot longer than five years."

"Lemme see! Lemme see!" I chanted as I climbed on top of him to get a better look and Kara pushed him to the ground to look over his shoulder.

"That's Inu-yasha's sword?" Kara said not sounding like she was impressed.

I looked down at her. "Don't judge it yet, umm…maybe it's got some kind of fire that shoots out of the tip like a dragon."

"Yeah right, that thing? It probably can't even cut wet paper."

"Did someone say something about wet paper?" I jumped and looked up to find who was looming over us.

"Mom!" I squealed.

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Okay, I know a cliffy, bad bad SDR, I know, but I think this is the only way to tell if I still have people reading my story out there, so when the reviews aren't a comin no more, I'll write the next chapter.

Sorry it took me so long to up date, school's a bitch!

SDR

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