InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Cats and Dogs ❯ The Hunt Begins ( Chapter 9 )

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I know it's been a long while but I was busy reviving my other fan fiction when I started getting inspired to bring back this one. There's more to come with this so stay tuned!

Oh, and these will be edited a little once everything is finished. In the interest of getting my stuff put out there in a timely manner there's bound to be some story hiccups so I apologize in advance for anything missing.

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Parting with Rion in the morning had been rather abrupt. In the morning they had found a handwritten note from the white tiger saying that he had pressing business and that they were free to go at any time. He'd left them some breakfast on the table for everyone which had to be re-warmed but was otherwise quite good. After the meal the group headed onward with Fia and Neko in the lead.

A lunch break and several hours later led them onto paved streets, comely little houses and several shops. As they progressed further into town they came upon a strip of shops identifying it as the shopping district. Fia and the anthro led them beyond the area until the homes petered out and they arrived at the opposite end of town where a combined inn and tavern backed up to some thick woods. Inu Yasha noted that they had chosen yet another secluded place to stay over proximity to the shops.

Another strange occurrence had caught Kagome's attention. Oddly, during their lengthy walk Fia exhibited none of the extreme exhaustion as she had on their previous travels the day before. J, however, was not quite so fortunate and at the moment snored away on the woman's back. Neko had offered to carry him but J clung to her when she tried to make the exchange and she promised him she was feeling more than up to the task.

As they approached the building thunder rumbled in the distance. Neko cursed and urged them to get inside, concerned the two cyborgs in their midst would not fare well in lightning. Inu Yasha complained that there was no need to rush because his sensitive ears told him the rains would not come for a few more hours. The anthro insisted and so they hurried the rest of the way to the inn.

Safely inside Fia booked the rooms for everyone. Miroku observed that the woman was careful to disguise the amount of money she carried; always appearing to carry far less than the large quantity he had watched her pack. Admittedly, his original intention was to ask her to bear his children but when he had seen the flash of gold his sixth sense encouraged him to observe her, rather than make his presence known. At the time it had bothered him somewhat but now he saw it as a protective measure to ensure that thieves who might be canvassing the tavern might assume that she carried too little to rob her later when she left. He had employed the same technique himself on many an occasion. The clever woman also went so far as to barter down the price of the rooms with the innkeeper to continue the charade.

Thunder sounded again and it stirred J from slumber. He allowed Fia to set him down before he was immediately ordered, along with Shippo, straight to bed. The boys whined and pleaded to stay up with the adults. J argued that his great intellect made him an adult in spirit while the kitsune turned to Kagome and Sango and begged for them to change Fia's mind. The women were not to be swayed and moments later the children were led off to bed by an equally exhausted Sango.

Miroku watched until the demon hunter had hustled them into their rooms, closed the door, and then located her own room. With sly grin he bade them all good night and sauntered off after her. There was a soft thud on the door which those with hyper-sensitive hearing identified as a slap, yet neither emerged from the room. Apparently, Sango was in a forgiving mood.

Neko and Kagome were the next to head off to bed. The miko gave the half-demon a small glare as she left. She knew he was going to question the woman who had been nothing but gracious to them. However, Inu Yasha was notoriously tenacious so she had given up asking him to leave her alone hours ago, in a secret part of her mind she was fairly concerned that whatever haunted Fia might become their problem.

When everyone had left for bed the raven haired woman sat down at a nearby table and motioned the dog-demon to take a seat, “So talk to me, I know you've got questions.”

He raised an eyebrow while sitting, “You couldn't have heard us talking unless you have demonic powers.”

“You could say that, in a way, I do.”

Her response did not surprise him. It seemed anything was possible in RhyDin. Inside the inn alone he had seen all kinds of being and creature—in fact—it seemed that pure humans were the odd kind out. In a strange way the half-demon felt more normal as a stranger in a strange land than he had ever felt in either time periods he frequented at “home.” Inu Yasha had little time to contemplate his revelation because Fia had begun to speak again.

“I was a human, but…” She paused to think about how she was going to word what she said next. Kagome had explained to her that he was from a time period where machines were non-existent. “…someone else paid to make me have the strength of a demon.”

“Why?”

“They want to make strong soldiers who always listen to orders. Regular humans ask too many questions or run away.”

“So you ran away?” He asked.

She nodded, “Yes. It cost a lot of money to build me, but I'm defective. You saw how tired I got a few days ago?” The hanyou nodded and she continued. “The unit that keeps me powered is faulty. It's a prototype—a test. It's expensive, so they want it back.”

He grunted in a manner which she took to mean he understood but his questions were not finished.

“So why not give this `unit' back?”

The woman raised a hand to her well endowed chest and pointed between her breasts, “I would but it would kill me. Before you ask, if I went back to them and asked them to fix it they would try to make me a mindless killer again. I wouldn't know anything except orders.” Her bright green eyes showed the faintest hint of sadness, even as she smiled. “I might be a great killer, but I'd hurt the ones I love for certain.”

“Feh. If you're strong enough you can be a great killer without hurting your loved ones.” He snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

Fia maintained her smile but he was certain he saw the pained look in her eyes increase. “I suppose you're right. Well, now you know what's chasing me it's up to you to decide to stay with us. I know we're putting you all at great risk.”

“You should have told us earlier. You put my people at risk.” He retorted, never one to mince words.

“I'm sorry. I know.”

“Well, I'll have to talk to Kagome and the rest about it but that stubborn woman won't let us leave you guys alone so easily—so you better be ready to see us around for a while. I'm telling you right now that this wasn't my idea.” Technically, it was his idea to see what was really plaguing the small family and he knew it would lead to their involvement—but he wasn't about to tell Fia that. Before she could get them any more mired in their stupid troubles the dog-demon asked to be excused for the night.

-

The rain picked up about ten minutes after Inu Yasha had gone to bed. It had been drizzling steadily before then. Fia rested her head in her hands, balling her fingers into fists through her wavy locks. Every altered nerve ending sent out bizarre signals to her body, making her muscles twitch and jump erratically, tuned to the beat of each bolt of lightning. A feeling of dread welled up within the depths of her mind.

-

In the Sengoku period a thunderstorm raged. Naraku utilized stormy weather to conduct his experiments with his own organs. That night he had made three beings out of his organs and endowed each with their very own Shikon fragment. He had meant for them to fight to the death until only one was left standing. Naraku had surmised that his previous defeats against Inu Yasha came from weakness in his created beings. Hence, if he weeded out the weak organs immediately then perhaps his chances of taking the fragments from the damned miko might improve.

As the storm continued the fight began. Each being tore holes into each other in an open field as they hacked away to be the single prized possession for their master. Then suddenly a flash of light lit up the entire field, bathing everything, including a surprised Naraku in a blue haze. A split second later it was over. Naraku was alone on the edge of the field and his three cronies had vanished.

-

“Inu Yasha let that man go!” Kagome shrieked.

The dog-demon held a skinny man with fangs by the throat a foot off the floor. His golden eyes flashed with rage as he squeezed his fingers tighter on the man's neck. The moron had been stupid enough to make a move on Kagome the morning after that horrific storm. He went so far as to try and kiss her! Just thinking about it made the hanyou squeeze a little tighter. The guy was turning a slight shade of blue.

“Sit!”

Inu Yasha hit the floor with a splat. His hold on the would-be lover boy released and the guy scrabbled away, coughing and choking, out the door. On the way down the hanyou struck a chair and demolished it.

With a groan Neko turned to the innkeeper who had witnessed the entire ordeal and paid her for the broken furniture. He then walked over to the twitching and cursing demon and squatted beside him.

“Idiot!” Kagome screamed and stomped her foot. She was about ready to sit the half demon again when Fia clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Calm down, calm down, Neko can you take him outside? Kagome needs some time to vent.”

With a nod the anthro cat helped the hanyou to his feet and pushed him out the door, muttering softly, “Just give her a little bit of time to simmer down. Hey, why don't we spar for a few minutes? We can stay near the entrance and make sure that bastard doesn't come back to hit on her again, okay?”

The dog-demon nodded and rubbed a bruised chin that was rapidly healing. He could practically feel the fires of Kagome's rage on his back and he did not want to risk irritating the miko any further. As soon as the were gone Fia sat the girl down at the bar and patted her shoulder.

“He was just trying to protect you, you know that, right?”

Kagome sighed and shook her head, still aggravated, “I know…”

“Good, well J will keep an eye out for any creeps. I've got to go take a shower, why don't you order yourself a nice cup of hot tea? That should settle you down a little.” Fia smiled and the girl managed one back.

The woman gave her one more pat and then headed off to her room.

Kagome fumed as she sat at the bar, sipped tea, and grumbled to herself. “The nerve of that man acting like an animal… I should sit him…”

“I hear you, honey. I'm partnered up with an asshole too.” The low, gruff voice of the woman one seat away from her startled the miko. As she turned towards the voice she saw a girl with a youthful looking pale pink face framed in a few stray mahogany locks. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun and her eyes were the deepest dark blue she had ever seen.

“I'm sorry. Was I speaking out loud?”

The girl laughed, confirming that the voice had come from her, “You didn't bother me if that's what you're worried about. I just wanted to say that I can relate.”

Something about her immediately convinced the miko that the woman was trustworthy. Kagome quickly related her morning series of unfortunate events to her; in return she was given the woman's name: Rose. As soon as the priestess had explained what had gone on Rose divulged her own ill mood.

“Yeah I know what you mean. You see, my partner, Ace, is an uptight know-it-all who can't relax for a damned second. He's one of those hyper-militaristic kinds of guys, ya know? In my opinion Ace is a bit of a bully with the other mercs. He's so bad, in fact, that no one else will pair up with him. My leader, Joseph, he made me be his partner. Everyone's got to have their backup and I'm the only one who has ever bested him in a sparring match. So, there you go. I'm stuck with him.

He never listens to anyone, fights constantly, is stubborn as a mule—ugh—it makes me pissed just thinking about him. He ran off to do some more damned training last night so now I'm stuck here earning money as protection for some of the traders. Joseph will kill me if I come back to base without him again so I'm just going to sit my ass right here and wait.”

It was odd to see such profanity coming from a girl who exuded a gentle and pure power. It almost glowed in her like a Shikon fragment—except that it seemed to come from her very soul, rather than a shard.

“You might want to keep that glowing thing covered up.” Rose added, nodding her head in the direction of her chest.

Kagome was stunned. The fragment shards could not have possibly been seen by a normal human. It was neatly tucked away in the folds of her shirt, yet this girl could see right through it.

“Wait, you can see the shards?” She asked incredulously.

“Can't everyone? It's shining plain as day.”

“No, not everyone can,” Kagome insisted, cupping her hand around the spot where the tiny bottle of shards hung off her neck.

Rose paused for a moment in thought then snapped her fingers, “Oh! It must be a holy stone. Those things appear shiny to me. I don't know why. Joseph says it's probably some latent ability I have…” She trailed off, lost in thought for a few moments before her frustration took over again.

“Urgh! Damn that Ace! I'm stuck here sitting around waiting like some stupid chick waiting for her date to come pick her up. You know I've been asked out three times since I've been here and I have to tell them `sorry I'm waiting for someone' ugh! I sound fuckin' love sick to everyone!”

For the second time since starting their conversation the girl yanked her hair out of the bun and re-tied it back into the bun again. Kagome sensed she did it habitually when she was frustrated. Minus the swearing Rose sounded oddly similar to herself. It made her smile and before she knew it she had let slip a giggle.

“You could have fooled me. You sound like you do right now.”

It was the young mercenary's turn to laugh, “Ha! As if! I'll never date a maniac like Ace! He's violent and haughty and stubborn as hell…”

She went on and on, Kagome lamented to her about Inu Yasha's strikingly similar attitude problems as well until they had both become satisfied with their lampoon of each ones companion.

-

Kagome had retired to bed long ago, yet Rose continued to stay up. Something called to her in the dark and she was debating if she should seek it out. A negative energy of some sorts was moving about in the forest near by. Acebris had told her to wait and she fought her common sense against seeking out the source of the disturbance. In the end her aggravation had won the battle in her mind. No one had propositioned her to kill the negative presence so it served as good practice in the field. Ace was obsessed with fighting so much that she would one up him and return with her own prize.

With her mind made up, Rose pushed off from the bar, strode through the inn's front door, and headed out into the night.

-

For at least an hour the woman walked through the dark woods seeking out the source of the power she had felt. It felt similar to the presences of Inu Yasha and Shippo but those had a gentle spirit guiding them. This one was full of malice and hatred. There was not a shred of the gentleness she had felt in those two. Rose wondered for the second time what she might have walked in to.

Suddenly a beast sprang upon her its signature unmistakably that of the energy that had practically called out to her. It had a body like a panther and a wolf with a hunched back with hair that boiled like living black lava. In the middle of its' forehead the wolfish face sported a shining object. It glittered like the stones Kagome had worn around her neck, this one however felt tainted. Rose had just enough time to dodge the first attack.

“That's a pretty jewel on your head. Mind if I borrow it?” The woman smirked, drawing her sword.

The beast raised a brow at her. She could see Shikon shards like that priestess could, eh? The black beast bared glittering razor teeth in an evil smile.

“I'd like to see you try, foolish human.”

With a shout Rose attacked. The thing zipped away from her lightning fast—but she was quick as well. Her blade glinted in the dark as the beast landed a few feet away from her, only to find that she was there almost immediately. He had just enough time to jump away, but not before she shaved some fur off.

As the young mercenary fought the black liquid beast a sickening odor caught her attention. A purple-black fog surrounded her and slowly closed in around her. The beast continued to fight her, each strong strike sent her stumbling back a couple of feet. It was only a matter of time until the girl stepped right into the putrid fog. Her skin instantly began to burn and bubble and she cried out in pain, nearly dropping her blade.

The demon took his opportunity, its black form shifted into a hook and swiped at her feet, causing Rose to fall to the ground. Her head bounced off the hard earth as the miasma licked her arms like flames. She was in near total agony.

A menacing smile formed on the creature's lips as it stood over her prone form, readying its hook like appendage for the final blow. At that moment a sickening crunch was heard. At the very last moment the girl had thrust her sword up through the evil smile. With pained triumph she twisted the blade. It howled and grabbed at the hole that had once been its face. Purple blood spewed forth, covering her torso and imbibing its awful stench. The creature collapsed on its side half on top of her; dead.

When she was sure it had breathed its last she gave a weary smile which caused a part of her burned jaw to bleed a little more. Deep blue pools rolled up into her head as she passed out cold.

Hours later she awoke to searing pain. The burns were not healing as quickly as they should and she knew she had to get to help. The stinking blood had vanished from her clothes along with the body. It did not surprise her in the least because she had seen many a demon dissipate after defeat.

It took her twenty minutes to get onto her feet. Her shoes and socks had burned away to reveal the charred flesh that traveled all the way to mid-thigh. Each step she took caused the fragile and brittle skin to crack and bleed. She felt more burns on her back as well as on both her arms to her elbows. The halter top Rose had worn had burned through where it wove around her waist but the strap around her neck was still intact. It fluttered in the breeze as she made her horrific journey back to the inn.

She managed to make it just a few hundred yards from the inn; Rose was barely able to see the outline of it through the trees. She made a raspy sound that might have been a sigh of relief before she passed out from the pain and blood loss.

At that moment a flustered Inu Yasha stormed outside. Shippo dangled from his tail, shouting obscenities at the hanyou while trying to reach up and bite his hand. Just as the kitsune readied his body for an eminent pummeling the wind changed. Suddenly, the dog-demon released him. He hit the ground head first with a yelp. By the time Shippo rolled onto all fours to respond he realized that the half demon was no longer behind him but was leaping away into the trees.

The scent of someone's blood was thick in the air and the kitsune ran back inside to alert the others. Inside he found Miroku and J deep in discussion about something. The other members of the group remained in their rooms. The little fox made a bee line to them, leaping into J's arms with a breathless gasp.

“Quick…outside… smell blood… someone's hurt…” He wheezed, more frightened than actually winded, “There's no time, hurry!”

He jumped back out of J's grasp and ran back out through the door. Worried they might lose the little demon Miroku and J scrambled out of their seats and followed. As the three reached the edge of the tree line near the inn Inu Yasha emerged carrying Rose. He approached them slowly, fearful that his every move might cause her burned skin to crack and bleed anew.

“Are there enemies?” Miroku asked, one hand already clutching the rosary which covered the wind tunnel.

The dog-demon shook his head, still heading for the inn's entrance, “I'm not sure but we need to get her help, first.”

Inu Yasha's words snapped J from his horrified stare. The boy dashed ahead of him shouting, “I'll go get Fia and Kagome!”

When the hanyou got to the inn's entrance Miroku held the door open for him. The innkeeper, a tall woman with pale skin and strawberry-blonde curly hair, rushed up to them. She asked no questions. Rather, the woman quickly led them to a vacant room and then asked the two to wait while she went to get bandages.

Moments later Kagome, Fia, and Sango arrived at the room led by Neko. The girls carried various items. Sango held a large bowl of warm water, Fia carried towels, and Kagome had bandages. At the same time the innkeeper arrived with various herbs and more bandages, shooing the men out.

Neko called Miroku and Inu Yasha away as the girls closed the door to the room. The anthro waited for Shippo to arrive before asking what had happened.

Inu Yasha began; his voice hard, “The fox and I were outside when I smelled the blood of that Rose girl. I followed her scent and found her unconscious out in the woods. I tried to wake her but she was out cold and bleeding bad so I brought her back here.”

Neko crossed his arms, the muscles in his shoulders tense, “Enemies?”

“Doubtful,” the dog-demon replied, “I didn't see any signs of a fight in the area where I found her… and I think she may have walked there by herself. If we go back I'm pretty sure I can follow her scent back to the scene of the fight.”

“And she didn't say anything to you about who did it?” Miroku asked.

The hanyou shook his head, “No, she was unconscious when I got there and she never woke up.”

“All right then, lets go check it out.” Neko then added, “Inu Yasha, you lead the way. Shippo, you and J keep an eye on the girls.”

The fox demon agreed and scampered back into the inn. Inu Yasha in turn led them to the spot that he had found Rose; then dropped to the ground. The dog-demon sniffed around for a couple of seconds until he was sure he had acquired her scent, then took off through the woods. Miroku and Neko followed behind.

After a while Inu Yasha stopped and the other two halted. At first glance Miroku had thought they had entered a clearing. A second look caused him to realize that the clearing had been made by something that had burned away the trees in a large blackened circle. Both Inu Yasha and Miroku had seen that kind of damage before.

“Shit.” They hissed simultaneously.

Neko blinked, his mounting fears intensified, “What?”

After a few seconds of inspecting the damage to confirm his suspicions the dog-demon spoke, “We've seen this kind of destruction before, back where we're from…”

“…It looks like miasma…” Miroku added.

Neko's golden eyes narrowed. Whatever `miasma' was it did not sound good. The trees had burned away so much that even the stumps were gone. All signs of foliage, grass, twigs, or anything for that matter had vanished; all that remained was charred dirt. After a few minutes of contemplation Neko finally spoke up.

“So then, that Naraku fellow that you told us about… he did this?”

The other two nodded before Miroku explained, “Or it could be one of his henchmen. You see, he makes demons from his own organs to do his dirty work for him.”

“He's a damn coward.” Inu Yasha spat.

“…But whoever did this is likely dead…” the houshi continued, “Rose should have been dead, she wouldn't have been able to walk away if she hadn't killed him.”

Neko shuddered; the image of the young woman's melted flesh bright in his mind.

“Let's fan out and keep looking. I want to make sure whatever spawn it was didn't go somewhere else before we say we're safe.” The hanyou stated.

Both he and Miroku knew well that Naraku had a habit of faking his death and they wanted to be sure that it was the case. The houshi also pointed out that his wind tunnel was still active. It was more likely that whatever had attacked Rose was not Naraku at all but rather a piece of him.

“If the girl survives we can find out from her if it's really dead.” Inu Yasha suggested.

They finally concluded their search and the anthro breathed a sigh of relief. The men after Fia were not the cause of the girl's misfortune and the thing after Kagome and the others appeared to be dead. That was good enough for him. The three warriors headed back the way they came towards the inn.

-

Kagome and Sango were waiting for them with dinner when they returned. The three eagerly sat down and wolfed down their meals. Neko finished first and looked up at the girls.

“Where are Fia and J? How's the girl doing?”

Sango shrugged, “I think Fia's taking a shower and Shippo's over there showing J some of his kitsune magic.”

The huntress pointed over her shoulder to a sitting area where the fox demon was making little mushrooms he had collected dance and squeal. J found the entertainment to be hysterical and had laughed so hard he fell off the couch he had been sitting on.

The miko answered Neko's second question, “Rose is pretty torn up. The bleeding has stopped but she hasn't regained consciousness. Fia said it might be a few days before she wakes up…” She added in a quieter voice, “…and she might not wake up at all…”

The anthro cat shook his head again. The news was not good. He ran his fingers through his sun-bleached hair, then stood and headed to Fia's room. If he got there fast enough he figured he could at least relax a little with his woman in the shower. Neko practically skipped into the room, a naughty smile revealing sharp canines. The bathroom was silent. The shower was not running and there was no sign of the raven haired temptress. A quick look confirmed that Fia was not there. The anthro stepped back out into the hallway and looked about finding no sign of her he headed back to where Shippo and J were playing. Neither boy had seen Fia since the girls had helped bandage Rose.

A cold chill formed in the pit of his stomach. The men had been gone for a couple of hours and the inn's occupants had been worked up over the injured Rose. It would have been the perfect time for APAC to strike—No, it was still possible she had gone out for a little bit—he told himself. Neko next went to Inu Yasha and asked him to scent out Fia. The dog-demon led him through the inn, past Rose's room, and down a hall. They passed through a back door looking out towards the woods. Neko's heart sank as he saw an upended bowl lying on the ground. The hanyou confirmed Fia's scent and Rose's blood; he quickly surmised that the woman must have gone outside to dump the water used to clean Rose's wounds.

Neko cursed and searched the area but found little evidence of a struggle except for the discarded bowl. The scene was so clean it only confirmed his worst fears. APAC had come for Fia. Inu Yasha could see rage building behind the anthro's golden eyes. He knew the look well. Before he had time to say anything the man pushed past him back into the inn. He made a bee line straight for J, the boy gave a startled cry as he picked him up by his shirt and snarled into his face.

“She's gone!” He shouted, “Why the hell weren't you watching out for her?!”

J struggled in his grasp, unable to speak as Neko shook him roughly. Miroku saw the scene unfolding and ran to them in an attempt to pull the two apart. The anthro quickly changed out his grip to hold the boy in one hand while he pushed off the houshi with the other. In a heartbeat Inu Yasha tackled him then slammed a fist into the side of his cheek. Neko licked away a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, which only seemed to fuel his blind rage.

J had dropped from his grasp when he had been sacked but it did not stop the anthro from bellowing at him, “You stupid kid. She's gone! You were supposed to watch her, damn it!”

The black-haired boy lay crumpled on the floor in stunned silence a few feet away. Meanwhile, Neko continued to scream at him.

“Stupid fucking kid, it's your fault she's go—ugh!”

A swift punch to the anthro's gut from the dog-demon silenced him. Inu Yasha had had enough of his fit. He knew that Neko's anger were not truly directed at the boy but were really aimed at himself. Inu Yasha's own experience after lashing out when he had thought he had killed Kagome as a full demon had taught him that the kind of emotions the anthro cat was experiencing were really things that he felt was his failure; not J's.

“Shut the hell up, cat.” He shouted, raising a fist threateningly while maintaining a grip on one of Neko's arms to keep the enraged half human at bay as he spoke.

Shippo had appeared at J's side and Kagome soon followed, gently scooping the child up in her arms. The look in his wide blue eyes was full of terror and guilt but mostly shock. She instinctively held J to her chest, placing a protective hand on his head to keep his eyes at her shoulder instead of at the struggling pair on the floor. The normally talkative J was eerily quiet and it concerned her. Kagome slowly backed away with him and caught a glimpse of Sango checking on Miroku. He sported a slight scratch on his forehead where Neko had clipped him with his claws when he had pushed the houshi away. The anthro was not content to remain there. He continued to struggle against the hanyou until Inu Yasha was forced to draw his sword, tickling his throat with the blade.

“Stop struggling and listen you, damned fool.” He snarled at Neko before continuing, “I know you're really just mad at yourself—“

“No you don't!” Neko's voice snapped back, which sounded far less angry and more desperate.

“Yes I do, damn it. I've been there, too, so shut the fuck up and listen!”

Hearing Inu Yasha say that made Kagome blush a little. She knew it was about her and the glance he threw in her direction confirmed it. The anthro relaxed a little underneath the dog-demon, breathing heavily with exertion.

“I know you want to blame someone but you and I both know that you're the one that failed her; not J. If you get anymore angry you'll just end up hurting someone else who doesn't deserve it.” He took in a slow breath before adding, “Trust me, if you let yourself get out of control you'll only be giving another reason to regret something else.”

That seemed to hit home for the anthro. His golden slit eyes grew wide with realization and his struggling halted entirely. Inu Yasha knew he could be trusted to be let up now so he stood and thrust a claw out to pull him up. Neko ignored it and hustled to his feet. As he did so a man entered the inn.

Instinctively everyone tensed; the seasoned warriors all adopted loose fighting stances. The man raised his black leather gloved hands.

“Whoa. Where's the fire, guys?” He raised a one hand to his square chin and rubbed it thoughtfully, “You look like travelers and warriors. Have you seen a little runt mercenary? She's about yea high…” He was a very tall man and indicated the height of a person almost a foot shorter than he, “…brown hair, dark blue eyes, swears like a sailor…”

Sango interrupted, “Would you be talking about a girl named Rose?”

“Yes, I've been tasked with looking for her. She's a member of our group.” He said it with only the slightest hint of disdain. It was odd for them to see such a large man apparently keeping company with such a small woman. He was broad shouldered with a torso shaped much like an upside down triangle. He was clothed in obsidian, futuristic-looking armor. Locked at his hip glinted a sliver weapon with vicious curved blades on each end of a cylinder that seemed too short to be particularly useful in a combat situation.

Kagome raised her head. She had sat down on a couch so that she could hold J more comfortably. At some point the miko realized that her shoulder had become wet with his tears. The poor thing cried quietly while she stroked his hair gently.

“Are you, by chance, Ace?” She asked, recalling her conversation from earlier.

The man turned in the direction of the new voice, running his fingers through his short, slightly curly black hair. The irritation became apparent in his voice as he corrected her tersely, “It's pronounced `Ah-say-bris' damn it. You must have spoken with her; she pronounces it wrong on purpose.”

The man known as Acebris crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently, “Just tell me where she's run off to now so I can get going…”

“She's here.” Inu Yasha interrupted, annoyed by the insolent nature of the man. Acebris cocked a brow at the half-demon and nodded for him to continue like some sort of nobleman to a pauper. The attitude made the hanyou even more aggravated.

“She's injured. You don't believe me well go take a look.” He pointed a claw at the door to her room. “It's room four.”

His lips parted for a moment, revealing the slightest hint of shock, then closed into a thin line. His electric blue eyes flashed angrily as he stomped down the hall to her room. Inu Yasha cursed and looked around for Neko.

“Shit. That damned cat is gone.”