InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Thief in the Night ❯ A Tale of Woe ( Chapter 4 )

 

The muffled laughter of his attackers pierced the fog clouding his senses as he lashed out at the suddenly empty air. Pain radiated through his body, centered in his sides, his stomach, his pounding head, and there was nothing he could do to end it. He was useless wearing the guise of humanity for all to see.

 

His nails were dulled with his transformation, unable to inflict damage with the ease customary of his hanyou form. His healing blood vanished with the light of the moon. His reflexes lacked the speed they were accustomed to. He was ill-equipped to handle the torture of the all too knowing youkai surrounding him.

 

Glaring, he staggered to his feet, blood dripping from the cuts in his arm and the gash across his ribs. “You're all cowards,” he screamed as rage consumed him. It was always thus since Sesshoumaru kicked him out of the castle. They searched for him on his human night, punishment for daring to live. “You have to pick on a human feel superior. It must be insulting knowing you can't even keep the entertainment cowed.”

 

“But then he wouldn't be much entertainment,” said the brown-haired wolf, Kaemon in front of him as he kneed him in the groin.

 

Laughter echoed through his head yet again as he staggered forward a tiny agonizing step. “Laugh it up! I'll get you when dawn breaks.”

 

“We think not Inuyasha. You couldn't hurt a fly with your insignificant claws.”

 

Inuyasha glared at the smirking wolf demon. “What would you know fleabag? You're the one picking on a human.”

 

Kaemon grinned. “Looks like Inuyasha wants to play boys! I just love it when he's feisty.”

 

Chuckles sounded from his two companions, a second wolf youkai and a lizard youkai. They were mostly there for the entertainment, content to follow where the wolf-general lead. Inuyasha had known the trio ever since his childhood when it was common for the castle inhabitants to mock and ridicule the little hanyou boy for his mixed blood. They had never dared attack him though since Inutashio's retribution was swift and deadly.

 

Now there was nothing left to keep them in check besides Sesshoumaru's death threats to any who kept his half-brother from dying by hands other than his own. He supposed he should be thankful, but he just couldn't summon up feelings of gratitude for the elder inu-youkai.

 

“You should be glad Sesshoumaru is still around otherwise I'd show you what a real fight is like.” Inuyasha growled as he glared into Kaemon's eyes. It was the only thing he could see in the pitch black of night with his inferior eyes.

 

Kaemon's eyes flashed red, as he acknowledged the unspoken challenge. “I wouldn't worry Inuyasha. While I may not be able to kill you neither can you for the same reason. Besides, you'll be too tired trying to heal your damaged body that I doubt you could catch up to us for a week. Pity your youkai blood isn't stronger. I'd almost relish an even match.”

 

Inuyasha snarled as he pitched himself towards the instigator, intent on gouging out his eyes even with the dull edge of his human nails. Barreling into the wolf-demon, they both fell to the ground tumbling as Kaemon fought to gain dominance while Inuyasha cared only for reaching those mocking eyes. He always came in the dark of night, trapping him as the sun went down or dragging him from whatever hole he found shelter in. It would end tonight with his death or Kaemon's. Either way he won.

 

Iwa, the lizard-youkai quickly slithered his way across rocks and tree roots after the tumbling pair while Nakama the black wolf dashed ahead trying to thwart their forward momentum off the edge of a cliff. Skidding to a halt a few yards in front of the stumbling pair, Nakama failed to hear the whistling of the wind as a katana embedded itself into his back and through his heart killing him instantly. Soon afterwards, the snapping and snarling pair rolled past the assassin's hiding place.

 

Iwa crawled along the ground on his hands and feet with elbows and knees bent at painful looking angles. It was easy for Iwa to detach and rearrange his humanoid form to mimic that of a lizard's natural one. Rushing forward, he failed to notice the looming figure as it jumped out of the foliage to the left of him, sinking its teeth into his side.

 

Hissing, he turned on his attacker and lashed out with his heavily scaled tail. The assassin jumped over the heavy appendage and dodged the snapping teeth as Iwa turned on her. Concentrating on the unexpected threat, he left his neck exposed to the powerful jaws that descended on him from behind. Turning glazed eyes to the newest threat, he dimly made out the shining eyes of a fire neko shaking him with glee. Blood dripping to the ground, spine severed, he sank into complete darkness never to torment another soul again.

 

Inuyasha continued to fight and tear and claw at Kaemon as they rolled along the bumpy ground leaving a blood trail for others to follow. Crashing into a tree trunk, he felt Kaemon get the upper hand and bear down on top of him with hands tight around his throat crushing the wind pipe. Seeing spots, he gasped against the pain as he fought with single-mindedness to reach the eyes of his constant tormentor. Hands shaking with exertion, he felt his way up Kaemon's face as it jerked and twitched beneath his hands attempting to dislodge the feel of blood-slicked flesh. Pressing thumb to the hollow underneath one fleshless eyeball, he pressed upward against it, hoping to break the seal that kept it intact.

 

Grinning fiendishly, Inuyasha chocked out, “I'm not so weak you flea-infested carcass!” Surging upwards with the last of his strength, he managed to pierce the skin of Kaemon's eye as his howls of pain echoed in the forest. Grasping his blood-spurting eye, he failed to notice that Inuyasha had passed out beneath him. Nor did he notice the taijiya rushing up behind him on the back of her faithful companion. Keeled over, he did feel a burst of pain as the blunt end of a hilt crashed into his head. Gaze dimming from the blow, he could only sneer at the hanyou turned human and wonder where it had all gone wrong…

 

—Later that Night—

 

The blood flowed freely into the ground with every thump of his still weakly beating heart. Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub, the sound was driving him crazy. He couldn't handle it. He should have been dead long before now, but still his heart beat on measuring the passage of time as his life slowly drained away.

 

At least there was one consolation he could hold on to. Kaemon was going to be pissed when he woke up from whatever stupor he fell into. A cruel smile drifted across Inuyasha's blue-tinted lips. Kaemon would indeed be angry over the loss of an eye; an organ to difficult to regenerate inside of two hundred years. It was a sensitive organ requiring nerve endings to be placed just so to work with the still functional eye. Dealing with the loss for two hundred years also disrupted one's sense of placement, hiis depth perception. Kaemon would be useless in battle.

 

Still, Inuyasha was not stupid enough to stick around with a still breathing wolf-demon on his back. Prying open one blood encrusted lid after another, he stubbornly moved one arm underneath his body to propel himself upward. Staggering to his feet, he fought to acclimate his ningen eyes to the night.

 

Narrowing his gaze, he turned around slowly and noticed that Kaemon and his lackeys were missing. Instead, he appeared to be nestled in someone's camp. A cheery fire crackled next to him while a single bedroll was unfurled underneath his feet. Bandages were neatly laid out on the ground next to him while a pot was set to boil over the fire. Looking down at himself, he realized that someone had removed his fire-rat haori and ripped off one sleeve of his under haori to access a partially cleaned wound.

 

“Crack!” echoed through the foliage as a foot settled to heavily on a branch. He quickly turned as best he could to face his savior, captor, or whatever it was who had decided to drag him to a lonely campsite. Striving to pierce the tree-line, he watched as a woman carefully walked into the clearing balancing a bowl filled with water while a tiny neko followed behind her mewing in comfort.

 

“Who are you?” Inuyasha snarled suspiciously.

 

The woman looked up briefly from the rim of the bowl to gaze into the human's brown eyes. “Sango, now sit down before you lose all your blood.”

 

Inuyasha's jaw dropped as he watched the woman walk steadily over to the fire and place the bowl on a stone slab close by to heat up. Carefully, she used a fold of her kimono to pick up the pot already boiling and moved it over next to the bandages. “How do you expect me to clean your wounds if you're not going to sit down?” she asked conversationally. After a few more seconds of silence, she reached out with one hand and tugged on his injured arm. “I told you to sit down!”

 

“Alright already!” he said matching her waspish tones as he flopped onto the ground. “Gee, I don't know who you are or what you think you're doing, but I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need some wench hovering over me.”

 

Sango clenched her hands together, preventing herself from adding to the bruises blossoming all over her patient's flesh. “Well, this wench just saved your life if I'm not mistaken. When it's three youkai against one it's just not a fair fight!”

 

Inuyasha stared at the modestly dressed woman. “You killed them? With what?”

 

Sango rolled her eyes and pointed to the sheathed katana lying against her back. “A katana can kill a youkai as well as any weapon. You just have to know how to use one.”

 

Inuyasha frowned. “Well, you still had no right to kill them. They were my prey not yours!”

 

“If I had not then you would be dead right now and deprived of your prey regardless. Now let me clean your wounds.” Dipping a clean cloth into the scalding hot water, she ruthlessly began to clean away the clotted blood from the gashes on his exposed arm.

 

“Ouch! Be careful with that!”

 

“Then stop being a pain and take your shirt off. I have to stitch up that wound over your ribs after I finish cleaning this up.”

 

Inuyasha glared at the woman's bent head before grudgingly removing his white under haori. “What did you do with my clothes?”

 

Sango cracked a smile. “I only took your outer haori to wash it. It's drying as best it can at the stream about a ten minute walk from here. I'll bring it back after I clean these wounds.”

 

“Oh,” he said staring dumbly beyond the light's edge. “I really don't need your help you know. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

 

“Just shut-up and let me do this,” Sango snapped as she tossed the crimson cloth onto a pile of similarly stained cloths. Grabbing a roll of bandages, she tightly wrapped his arm from shoulder to elbow before tying it off. “I wish I had some herbs to cover these wounds; but my supplies are gone and it's to dark to find any.”

 

“Whatever. They'll be fine once daylight breaks.” Inuyasha couldn't believe it. A human was trying to help him. A human female had saved his life. Just who was Sango?

 

As silence settled over the tiny clearing, the woman looked up from the wound on Inuyasha's chest. “So why were they attacking you?”

 

“Sport,” he replied curtly. He didn't really want to get into his background. The fewer who knew his human form the better. Too many could already pick out his scent whether human or hanyou.

 

“Oh,” she said as she picked up a shining needle already threaded. Gulping, she avoided the sulking man's face. “I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt.”

 

“Don't worry about me. I can handle it.”

 

“Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you!” Stabbing his flesh with the needle, she ruthlessly pushed it in and out of his chest, sewing up the ten inch gash from his pectoral muscle down to the first of six delineated abs as quickly as she possibly could. Knotting the end, she took out a sharp knife and cut off the excess string.

 

“You didn't have to be so rough!” he grumbled as he shrugged back into his bloodstained inner haori. He couldn't believe the nerve of the onna. He'd be happy when dawn broke in a few hours.

 

Sango sighed before opening eyes she had closed as soon as she had cut the thread. “I can't stand sewing flesh back together so unless you wanted to find a mess in your lap there's not much you can say. Now take that haori back off. I haven't wrapped your wound yet!”

 

Inuyasha keh'd in disagreement. “It doesn't need wrapping.”

 

Sango glowered at the insufferable man. “Look mister, I don't know what your name is, but I'm going to finish wrapping that wound. I could care less what you do after that!”

 

“Fine, but I'm still not taking my shirt off for you again!”

 

Sango grimaced and swallowed the epithets she wanted to hurl at him. She couldn't understand it. Miroku was usually the only one able to get her this mad; a simple stranger shouldn't be able to do the same. Granted, she was getting angry for two entirely different reasons. Miroku was always chasing after one woman or another after professing his undying love for her and her alone. This man drew out her ire simply because she risked her life and her cover to save a man obviously in danger. Still, she had to commend him on his spunk even if it did grate on her nerves.

 

“Fine,” she said as she grabbed the last of the bandages lying next to her knee. Lifting up his shirt, she wrapped his chest as best she could and tied off the ends of the wrapping. Using the same knife to cut off the excess, she scooted away from the scowling man and gazed at the meager remains of her supplies. She would have to replenish them soon.

 

Inuyasha looked at the slightly depressed woman. She had gone suddenly from stern nurse to sad woman. “What's wrong?” he queried hesitantly.

 

“Nothing, I just don't know where I can find more bandages. It's not like I can walk into a random town and expect others to give me what I need.” Sango had found this out the hard way. Women just didn't travel alone in this part of the country. She chalked it up to the ruling taiyoukai's chauvinistic viewpoint. It made her job all that much harder though. If she couldn't inspire trust, how was she supposed to find the thrice-blasted man that started the war in the first place?

 

“That's no problem. There's a merchant's caravan traveling nearby. Just head into their camp, and they'll be happy to take your money. Looks like you could use all the help you can get anyways.” Inuyasha smirked as he got the onna's ire up again. It was better then seeing her mope surrounded by bloody bandages and red-tinted water.

 

“That's it,” she said rising to her feet. “I'm through with you. You can get sick and die for all I care, but I'm not going to spend another minute with you if I can help it.” Dusting off her stained kimono, she started grabbing the remains of her meager possessions, leaving the bedroll and bandages for Inuyasha to deal with. “You can have the fire, but I'm leaving. Just tell me where this merchant camp is.”

 

Inuyasha scowled. He hadn't meant to run her off. Well, not completely. He just didn't want her to come looking for him when he disappeared in the morning. “Head due east of here. You'll eventually run into their tracks; although where do you think you're going? It's the middle of the night. You won't get very far!”

 

Sango laughed. “I'll be fine, and thanks for the information.” Turning to Kirara, she picked her up and whispered into one pointed ear. Hearing a mewl of ascent, he watched as the cat jumped out of her arms and transformed.

 

Smirking, Sango jumped unto the fire neko's back and waved cheerfully from her vantage point. “Don't be a baka and get yourself into any more fights! I'd hate to have to come back and stitch you up again.” Jumping into the air, the woman, Sango and her cat disappeared into the starlit night.

 

—End Flashback—

 

“Okay, but that still doesn't explain why you think you're responsible for Sango's capture. That just tells me you're a rude, ungrateful person.” Kagome huddled closer to the fire hoping her clothes would dry quicker with the action. They had migrated from the river's edge back to camp as Inuyasha related his tale of woe.

 

Inuyasha sighed. “I drove her to the merchant's camp in the middle of the night. The slave traders attacked just a little after dawn from what I heard. Even though the merchants put up a good fight, most of them were tracked down and captured. Only a handful escaped courtesy of the taijiya.”

 

Kagome sat in silence as she digested the information. “But if they attacked after dawn, wouldn't she have been there anyway? She's always been an early riser so who's to say she might not have made it to the camp before the slave traders did?”

 

“I don't know. I just know that she was there because of me.” Inuyasha swallowed a lump in his throat. He really did feel horrible that the taijiya was captured. He had overheard the story from one of the survivors, exclaiming over how marvelous the stranger was to ward off the youkai slavers while allowing the women and children a chance to seek shelter. Kirara, as he found out was the neko's name, had been injured acting as a rear guard to the fleeing potential merchandise.

 

“At least Sango died protecting people. She always did want to go honorably,” whispered Kagome as fresh tears began to run down her face. It just wasn't fair. Sango was one of the noblest people she knew. She was strong, courageous, and kind. Her temper was almost nonexistent except for when she was around Miroku and apparently Inuyasha as well. That she died saving others made her heart swell in pride and salt to sting her eyes.

 

“She fought well from all accounts. She organized the men folk into a defensive formation when the youkai descended on them. In the end, she was captured because she went back for a child. She traded her life for a little girl's while the neko flew her to safety.”

 

Sobs wracked Kagome's body. Her friend was to brave for her own good, and she, herself wasn't brave enough. Sango was dead.

 

Inuyasha looked on in horror at the shaking frame of the woman sitting across the fire from him. He didn't know what to do. Kikyo never cried. Creeping slowly around the blazing fire, he gently patted the miko's shoulder, hoping to get her attention and stop the flood of water from her eyes.

 

Startled, Kagome felt the heavy weight of a hand against her shoulder. Looking up into the concerned and slightly panicked golden eyes in front of her, she launched herself into his arms. Tumbling backwards, he wrapped his arms protectively around her waist as she soaked his haori. Lying on his back, stunned, he let the woman find comfort in his arms before gently prying her head from his chest and her hands away from his ears.

 

“Stop it, Kagome. We can get her back.” He waited for Kagome to look him in the eye before continuing. “We just need to get the Tensaiga away from Sesshoumaru and find Sango's body.”

 

Kagome hiccupped and wiped her eyes. “But how can we do that? Sesshoumaru will kill me if he finds me.”

 

Inuyasha pursed his lips in thought. “How do you feel about becoming the newest member of the taiyoukai's household?”

 

“What?” asked Kagome, not comprehending what Inuyasha was saying.

 

He sighed. “I can't get into the castle because Sesshoumaru kicked me out a long time ago. To go back means my death, but you could infiltrate the castle by becoming Sesshoumaru's newest household slave. There are ways to cover your scent.”

 

Kagome stared at Inuyasha. Faintly, she wondered just what she was getting into this time. Closing her eyes, she nodded. “I'll do it.”

 

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