InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Daybreak ❯ Looming Shadows ( Chapter 25 )

A/N: No way. Could it be…? AN UPDATE!!!1!!

 

I know. I'm a bitch for not updating sooner (4 months?? Even I'm disgusted). Lots of stuff's been happening, good stuff, not bad so that's alright. But I swear, it's like my life's been given this huge boost of well… everything, so I've just been busy (which is more of a reason why I haven't updated rather than an excuse… right? Right?)

 

ANYWAY I always get sentimental when I write these things, but seriously, thanks for putting up with me taking so long. I know what it's like to wait for the next chapter of a fanfic and it can be very irritating. To be honest I probably would have lost interest in this a long time ago if you guys hadn't kept telling me to get my ass into gear (not in those delightful words, of course). So, in conclusion; feel the love everyone, feel the love. *chokes back tears from this moving moment*

 

It's a longish chapter so enjoy!

 

Thankyous:

Nowyouseemenowyoudont- Thank you! Miroku's always had a knack for good timing…

Kagome_rocks - Thank you! Sorry for not updating sooner!

Angel At Risk - Yeah! Miroku can be a pain sometimes! Sorry for taking so long.

Silver Dog of the Snow - Yay!! Thank you Thank you! I hope you had a happy birthday (4 months ago…) :D

Feulner - Thank you for always sticking around and reviewing!

Inu-chan13 - lol! I loved your comments! Soda can do that to a person ;)

ArtemisMoon - WOW. Thank you so much for that review. I know I definitely need work on my editing, but I'll try to keep a closer eye on that from now on (however, I haven't had time to properly proof-read this chapter). I really appreciate your thoughts and I'm very happy you're enjoying it!

ObsessedInuyashaFan - Thank you so much! Actually it's funny you should suggest that, because I was originally going to have Hojo think it was a dream, but I needed him around a bit longer for the next few parts of the story. Hopefully it will be interesting!

Shaun - What can I say? 3 reminders and it still took me forever. I really can't apologise enough and thank you for sending me those messages. I seriously always had them at the back of my head!

 

 

I don't own nothing.

 

 

Chapter 25- Looming Shadows

 

Kikyou moved silently through the trees, the moon casting light on her porcelain, stoic face. She had been walking for hours, but she was close, very close to whatever it was that seemed to be calling to her. Or rather, what seemed to be attracting her miko powers; her very essence that lay inside her clay body.

 

After her little interlude with Inuyasha and Kagome, the dead priestess had left with her mind set on one thing; Onigumo. When she had first seen the strange hanyou conversing with Kagura and Kagome in the clearing, Kikyou had absolutely no idea the hanyou abomination was actually Onigumo. She had heard of terrible ancient stories about two minds being forced into the same body. Usually the strongest mind was always the one to remain dominant, whilst the other was pushed to the back, or merely crushed under the sheer pressure of the stronger conscious. Of course, this sort of sorcery was barely ever mentioned, even in the legends that mikos, priests and Buddhist monks were taught.

 

One grisly myth, Kikyou recalled, was of two incredibly strong minded men whose minds were put into the same body through a complication. Neither would allow the other dominance over their physical entity and the men fought within the confines of the body for days until both went mad and started attacking the other; ironically with the body that both of them shared. Needless to say, it was not surprising that a situation like this resulted in one of the two murdering the other and, in the process, themselves as well, for one cannot live without a vessel for the soul. She of all people knew that.

 

A returning shinidama-chuu swiftly and expertly deposited a soul in Kikyou's body as she pushed aside the final branch of her trek. The silver glow of the moon illuminated what seemed to be the remains of fierce duel. What was once a thick part of the forest had been blown away. Tree trunks and splintered wood littered the area and huge chunks of earth had been ripped out of the ground. Kikyou's stern brown eyes swept across the area. This certainly wasn't a battle fought by humans.

 

A strong pull from the left of her had the priestess turn her head and slowly walk over to the other side of the decimated clearing.

 

She bent down, her soul collectors dancing in the midnight air above her.

 

She touched the dirt, staining her otherwise pure, white skin.

 

And she felt the stirring of such an ancient power a smile almost graced her continuously unfazed face.

 

Although she could tell this pull of spiritual power was only a remnant of its original attack, one that must have been launched half a day or so ago, the amount of it that still radiated was abnormally strong. Kikyou could only imagine what strength the spiritual attack must have had at its highest potency. Only one person could have possibly been able to handle something like that.

 

The miko stood up silently.

 

Her reincarnation.

 

Only the one who harboured her, Kikyou's, original soul could possibly be able to control such an attack. How she had even managed to find such power Kikyou wasn't sure, but she certainly knew one thing.

 

Her mahogany-brown eyes passed over the clearing.

 

She knew Kagome had been successful. And she knew, without a doubt, that Onigumo had been the target.

 

The miko almost gave a sarcastic snort.

 

How ironic. The very same day she discovered her hated enemy had somehow returned was the same day her chance for vengeance was ripped away from her. By no less than her reincarnation. However, if it could not be Kikyou herself, she supposed Kagome would be her next choice to deliver the wild thief to his death.

 

Her morbid thoughts were interrupted when she felt a demonic presence nearby. Her eyes shifted to a tree on the other side of the ravaged clearing. “If you have no business here, I would appreciate it if you would not spy on me,” she called out.

 

The un-dead priestess heard an amused chuckle before a flash of colour emerged from behind the wide tree. Red eyes sparkled with mischief as the female youkai tapped her closed fan on her chin.

 

“I should have known I wouldn't be able to fool you, Kikyou,” drawled Kagura, leaning on one hip.

 

Kikyou continued to stare at the wind sorceress impassively.

 

“Judging by your expression - or lack there of,” Kagura muttered none too loudly. “I'd say you've already figured out what has happened here.”

 

Knowing the dead woman wasn't going to answer her, Kagura casually sauntered over to a particularly deep gash in the ground. “Christ. Looks like they raised hell here.” The youkai woman shivered and looked sideways at the silent miko. “But damn. That leftover spiritual radiation is not at all welcome!”

 

“What brings you here?” demanded Kikyou softly; finally speaking.

 

Kagura smirked. “The same as you. I came to check something out.”

 

The priestess' eyes narrowed. “Not for your benefit, I presume.”

 

A brief flash of irritation crossed Kagura's face, as she caught the underlying insinuation of her being enslaved, before nodding in affirmation. “For Naraku. He isn't very happy right now, which of course makes me ecstatic.”

 

“Unhappy because he just lost another of his underlings?”

 

Kagura snorted. “Unhappy because that so called underling manipulated Naraku before he ran away to Kagome and got himself fried. Turns out he was sneakier than Naraku himself. Did you know that he's actually-”

 

“Onigumo? Yes,” interrupted Kikyou.

 

Kagura huffed a little, disappointed there hadn't been a bigger reaction. “Then I suppose you also know that he's been trying to get his hands on Kagome who just yesterday evening exorcised him from that boy's body.”

 

“The remaining spiritual power of that attack is evidence enough already,” said Kikyou stiffly. She tightened the hand on her bow and took a step forward. “But if you know he was destroyed, why are you even here? That spiritual energy, even what's left radiating here, is enough to kill off even the strongest demons. You should not dwell here unnecessarily if you value your life.”

 

Kagura smiled darkly.

 

“Who said anything about Onigumo getting destroyed?”

 

 

*****

 

 

“Keep talking like that, Wolf, and I'll rip your fucking tongue out!!”

 

“Hah! You couldn't get close to it even if you tried, Mutt!”

 

“Kagome, don't you think you should say something?” asked Shippou timidly.

 

Kagome sighed heavily at the kitsune's question. In silent response she reached up to her shoulder, on which he was sitting, and petted his orange bangs lightly. It always managed to calm her down, tousling Shippou's hair. Perhaps it was because the gesture helped remind her subconsciously that the fox youkai was still a child, and as the adult she should act in a mature and rational manner; something she had been trying to do ever since they woke up this morning.

 

…and something she was going to toss to the wind and start screaming like a child if this arguing kept up.

 

“To be honest, I'm actually quite impressed at their stamina,” said Sango looking up at the white puffs of cloud that decorated the rich, blue sky. “They've been going since sunrise.”

 

“And still they keep coming up with original names for each other. Quite a skill indeed!” said Miroku cheerfully, before chuckling.

 

“Uh, you sure that's considered a skill?” asked Hakkaku dryly.

 

“Maybe stupid people are the best at blowing hot air out their mouths…” whispered Ginta into his brethren's ear. Hakkaku nodded seriously in agreement.

 

“They don't seem to get along, do they?” laughed Hojo, genuinely. Apparently he thought the ferocious argument was nothing but playful banter between friends. Kagome sighed to herself. How wonderful it must be to see the world through Hojo's eyes. To him, a wasteland would have rainbow-coloured fields and unicorns trotting everywhere - and Naraku would probably look like a harmless, fluffy lamb with big innocent eyes. Kagome made a face. Perhaps it was better to be down to earth like her after all.

 

Continuing their steady walking pace, Kagome glanced at the human boy out the corner of her eye. Gentle warmth seemed to glow from the brown-haired boy's eyes as he smiled innocently at the two bickering youkai. It really was so surreal. The real, friendly Hojo was actually walking with her, her friends and allies in the Sengoku Jidai of Feudal Japan! Never in her life had she thought she would be able to share such an experience with someone from her time. In a way, she always wished she wouldn't have to; there were many dangerous people and more than one evil youkai after them. That was exactly why they were trying to get back to Inuyasha's village and the well as quickly as possible.

 

Her sight trailed down to Inuyasha's red haori that Hojo was wearing. Having only the black hakama as a souvenir of Onigumo's abduction of his body, Inuyasha had silently offered his fire rat to the young man before they had set out in the morning. That had certainly surprised Kagome and come to think of it, she hadn't thanked him for it. It was a big gesture considering Inuyasha's unreasonable dislike for her schoolmate. The young woman looked back to Kouga and Inuyasha yelling at each other, both trying to take position of leader.

 

“Kagome?” asked Shippou, as she placed the kit onto Hojo's shoulder and jogged up to the hanyou.

 

“Why don't you hang back there with the rest of your stinking wolves?” snarled Inuyasha, his golden eyes flaring.

 

“And let you lead us with that poor sense of smell? You wouldn't be able to detect danger until it was too late! Hah! But what else is to be expected from a half breed?” smirked Kouga confidently.

 

“Why you son of a bitch!” A hand patted Inuyasha's shoulder. “WHAT?!” he roared spinning around. Kagome jumped a little, but refrained from yelling a certain `s' word when she saw his face quickly turn to one of regret before an expression of careful confusion settled. “K-Kagome! What is it?”

 

“Um, it's nothing!” said Kagome suddenly feeling self conscious the moment their eyes met. “I just wanted to say thank you for lending your haori to Hojo-kun.” She looked down at her twiddling thumbs. “It was really nice of you.”

 

“It's not that big a deal…” mumbled Inuyasha, his cheeks going a little pink from the coy atmosphere.

 

“It kinda is,” Kagome said glancing up at him. “I know how you feel about him…”

 

Inuyasha folded his arms and flicked his head away. “Keh! Well, it would be troublesome for him to go and catch a cold. It would just slow us down, you humans being so weak and all!”

 

“Hah! Isn't that rich?” scoffed Kouga, his arms crossed smugly across his chest. “But I suppose we don't have to worry about Mutt getting sick. As the saying goes, you're probably too slow to even catch a cold!”

 

A vein popped on the hanyou's head. “I'LL KILL YOU!”

 

Kagome sighed for the fiftieth time that day as Inuyasha turned back to the heated spat. She did NOT have the energy to deal with this today.

 

“It must be nice having such energetic friends!” said Hojo, finally catching up to her. Shippou jumped back onto the young woman's shoulder.

 

Kagome smiled weakly as she patted Shippou lightly. “I don't think they're friends, Hojo-kun.”

 

Hojo blinked at her. “Really? They don't seem like they hate each other, though. I mean, that's what friends do right? Argue really badly with each but never resort to blows?”

 

Kagome looked at the boy in surprise. That was true. Inuyasha and Kouga may have a fierce rivalry, but when it came down to it, they could cooperate when they wanted to. Perhaps this was the only way they knew how to converse with each other.

 

“So, then this Kouga-san is not your fiancée, Higurashi-san?”

 

Kagome blinked, coming out of her thoughts and waved her hand in front of her face frantically. “No! Not at all, but he is a friend and ally. He's saved me several times so we owe him a lot.”

 

“Oh, I see… So he's asked for your hand because you are in his debt?”

 

Kagome scrunched her face. “Not exactly…”

 

“Hey, speaking of debts,” said Shippou, perking up at the turn in the conversation. “You're Hojo, right?”

 

Hojo smiled warmly, if not a little confused. “Yes, that's my name.”

 

“And you have an ancestor with the same name, right? One that's alive here, right now?”

 

Hojo gasped. “I suppose you're right! My family tree said I had an ancestor with my name around the time of the Sengoku Jidai!”

 

Shippou nodded, grinning and puffed up his chest. “You know, your ancestor Hojo is actually indebted to me!”

 

“You've met him!” exclaimed Hojo, looking at Kagome excitedly.

 

“Uh, yeah… once or twice…” answered Kagome.

 

“My goodness! How amazing time travel is!” cried Hojo, his eyes lighting up. “We must be the two luckiest people in the world, Higurashi-san! Can we see this ancestor of mine?”

 

“I don't think so, Hojo-kun,” said Kagome gravely. “He lives really far away and right now the priority is to get you back home so that your family doesn't worry anymore. You've been gone for over a month!”

 

A serious expression spread across the young man's face. “Oh, of course! How selfish of me. But still, thank you for telling me you've met him, kitsune-san. You've validated his existence for me.”

 

Shippou smacked his head in a grimace for a second before he jumped onto Hojo's shoulder to whisper in his ear. “You're missing the point! Your ancestor owes a debt to me because I chose to keep his secret. But it's a debt for life and he hasn't kept it. And as the custom of the `Land of the Rising Sun' goes, it's up to his relatives to repay the debt!”

 

“O-oh, I see!” stammered Hojo, a little surprised. “Then I will do my best to repay you. I am in your care.”

 

Shippou smirked to himself (had anyone seen it they would have been very worried). “Good!” Shippou stood up decisively on Hojo's shoulder and pointed to the horizon. “Then onward, Servant!”

 

“S-servant?!” stuttered Hojo.

 

“You heard me,” said Shippou, his arms crossed, nodding his head.

 

Hojo sighed lightly, more from confusion than irritation, and proceeded to obey his master's command.

 

“Would you two give it a rest?” yelled Kagome, finally snapping (she had been too preoccupied with the heated quarrel to pay attention to Shippou and Hojo's interesting conversation). “We've all got headaches now thanks to you two!”

 

The two men looked at her in surprise before the wolf turned snarling at the white haired demon. “Y'hear that, Dog? Now you've given Kagome a headache!”

 

“How do you know it wasn't because of your incessant bark-!” Inuyasha cut off in mid sentence and flicked his head off towards the direction in which they were heading.

 

Kagome watched Inuyasha's golden eyes widen as he processed whatever it was that had caught his attention. “What is it Inuyasha?” she asked concerned by his wary expression.

 

“The smell of blood. Human blood.”

 

Kouga sniffed the air as well. “Yeah, and lots of smoke. You can see it,” he said nodding at the horizon where a several black columns of smoke, one larger than the others, were lazily rising.

 

“Could a village have been attacked?” asked Sango coming up beside her miko friend.

 

Inuyasha crouched down, presenting his back. “Get on, Kagome.”

 

A little surprised by his serious tone, Kagome nodded and quickly settled herself before turning to her classmate. “Hojo-kun, it might be best if you stay here; it can get dangerous.”

 

“You two,” said Kouga looking at Ginta and Hakkaku. “You stay here with Kagome's friend.”

 

“You can count on us!” answered Hakkaku nodding.

 

Not bothering to wait for Kouga to finish issuing orders, Inuyasha swiftly took off.

 

 

*****

 

 

Inuyasha had been having a shitty day. Ever since that friend of Kagome's had been exorcised and fucking Kouga decided to tag along, he had had absolutely zero time to talk to, let alone be near, Kagome. And it was driving him fucking mad.

 

He was almost thankful to smell danger and the slaughter of humans stemming from those black columns of smoke because he was finally able to have some contact with her. Inuyasha wasn't going to lie; since he had discovered Kagome was his first love, something had changed between them, even though they hadn't directly spoken of it yet. As for whether that change was a good or bad thing, he wasn't entirely sure, but all he knew was that he wanted to be nearer to her now more than ever.

 

Inuyasha subconsciously tightened his grip underneath Kagome's behind, making perfectly sure she wouldn't fall off, something he had found himself doing ever since he first began carrying her like this. Yes, he knew he definitely wanted to be closer to her, in any sense of the word (he was silently relishing in the physical contact they were sharing at the moment), but it was fucking difficult with the four extra new members of their group tagging along!

 

Since they woke up, Kagome had been fawning over that clueless Hojo guy, talking to Kouga's cronies and the others and when she wasn't, she would be yelling at him to stop fighting with Kouga! Inuyasha felt like growling. It wasn't his fault the mangy wolf was a freakin' retard who couldn't understand the meaning of “NOT YOUR FIANCEE”. And as much as it riled him up that Kagome was telling him off, he couldn't blame her. After all, she had shown some appreciation for his tolerance of Hojo not too long ago by coming up and thanking him.

 

Well, at least she knew he was trying.

 

“Inuyasha! It looks like another village!” said Kagome leaning her face over his shoulder. Inuyasha felt his hairs stand on end from the close contact and suddenly realised just where his hands were, pressed near her most intimate of parts, warmth radiating from that `particular spot'. Heat flowed to his cheeks and he struggled to keep his fingers from twitching. Yep, things had definitely changed between them, and that knowledge along with his secret, but still very strong, attraction to her made this moment all the more uncomfortable. Especially since she was back wearing that incredibly short uniform again! He almost wanted to curse Sango for carrying around the spare set in their luggage.

 

“Inuyasha? Are you all right?” asked Kagome.

 

“I'm fine!” he quickly snapped, forcing himself on getting them there without tripping over his quickly-growing-perverted thoughts.

 

“Heh, give him a break, Kagome,” chuckled Kouga, casually running up beside them. “After all, it's difficult to think and move at the same time.”

 

“Shut up, Wolf!”

 

“Are you sure you're okay, Inuyasha?” pressed Kagome. “You're more silent than usual.”

 

“I said I'm fine!”

 

Hoping to distract her from anymore unwelcome observations, he pushed off a boulder with a mighty kick and let them sail through the air before landing by a bridge that stretched over a small creek. Directly across this bridge was the main street of the village, one that would have been bustling with crowds if it were not for the wave of destruction that had clearly come through not too long ago.

 

Houses near the entrance were torn down, stalls were overturned, merchandise and food littered the ground and the stench of thick smoke hung all around them. Inuyasha desperately concentrated on sniffing the air as he felt Kagome slide down his back a little too slow for comfort (he was sure he felt just about every single sweet curve she had slip over his clothed back). Judging by the smell, the fires were coming from the centre of the village. And it smelt like flesh was burning.

 

“What do you reckon, Inuyasha?” asked Kagome coming to stand by his shoulder. Inuyasha kept his gaze on the main street in front of them and despite his discomfort of a tingling sensation in his lower belly, he moved closer to the young woman.

 

“There's definitely a bunch of humans still here that smell of blood. I'd say we're up against bandits,” he said to her as Miroku and Sango landed next to them on Kirara's back.

 

“Any survivors?”

 

“Hard to tell.”

 

“So, do you reckon we should go in and get this over with?” asked Kouga, hands confidently resting on his hips.

 

“Yeah…”

 

Inuyasha was about to step forward when a small figure moved from the remains of a decimated building. A young boy, no older than eight, carefully checked no one was on the street before dashing towards them, his eyes wide with fear.

 

“A little boy!” exclaimed Kagome as the child came up to them, panting. Inuyasha's eyes and nose gave a quick sweep of him. He was covered in ashes and mud and his clothes were dirty, but aside from that, he couldn't smell any open wounds from the kid.

 

“Ah! Um…!” he started, trembling. “You should leave! B-bandits came and-! My father was-! And my mother…!”

 

Inuyasha watched as Kagome took a hold of the boy's shoulders. “It's okay, it's okay. Are you hurt anywhere?” As Inuyasha expected, the boy shook his head.

 

“How many of them are there?” asked Miroku.

 

“Um, m-maybe twenty?”

 

“Right,” said Inuyasha sighing, his arms crossed indicating his mind made up. “Kagome, you wait here with the kid. The rest of us are gonna go ahead and deal with them.”

 

“Are you sure?” asked Kagome.

 

“Don't worry, Kagome,” said Kouga, clasping her hands in his. Had Inuyasha not been fuming at the sudden contact between the two, he would have nearly been able to see crystal pink bubbles floating behind them. “It'd be safer for you here.”

 

Kagome laughed awkwardly. “Um, I'm not actually worried about that.”

 

“I'll be fine, humans are no match for an Ookami Youkai like me,” he said softly. Inuyasha was more than a little disappointed when Kouga managed to sense his swinging Tessaiga and dodge it before it severed his head. “Keh, trust a dog to ruin the atmosphere,” drawled Kouga, dropping to the ground unfazed.

 

“Just keep your damn hands to yourself!!”

 

“Inuyasha, let's go! There might still be some more survivors in the village!” cried Sango as she and Miroku zoomed over the bridge with a resounding roar from Kirara.

 

“Yeah, the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can come back!” said Kouga grinning as he took off with inhumane speed. “Come on, Dog! What's stalling you?” he mocked over his shoulder. Inuyasha's ears twitched at this jeer, but refrained from answering back and instead turned to look at Kagome. She had her hands resting on the shoulders of the shivering boy (who was looking sicker by the second). Inuyasha felt an odd lump in his throat as he took her in. She was finally back in her normal clothes looking completely untouched, as if the last few weeks hadn't happened at all. Yes, nothing worse than kidnapping happened. Words couldn't describe how thankful he felt at that moment. He suddenly realised he'd been staring when Kagome tilted her head a little in question.

 

“If anything happens, call for me,” he said finally. He watched her chocolate eyes flicker and felt something silent pass between them. Of course he didn't know exactly what that thing was, but he felt it all the same, a warm feeling that spread throughout his chest the longer he stared at her. He watched her nod before finally tearing his eyes off of hers and leapt over the bridge, eager to get this over with so he could be back within the range of those rich, brown orbs once again.

 

 

*****

 

 

Kagome watched Inuyasha's retreating back and couldn't help but feel a slight clench around her heart. She was a little at awe at what had just happened. She was sure Inuyasha would have gone straight after Kouga with his snide remark, but he had stopped himself and turned to look at her directly. It was `The Look'. Kagome felt her stomach fill with something like a molten lava as his golden eyes smouldered at her, clearly trying to say something without words. It was difficult, but she managed to keep her face straight and tried to ask him what the matter was with the same silent language of the eyes.

 

“If anything happens, call for me.”

 

His voice was huskier than usual and Kagome had to suppress a shiver. There was an underlying message to that sentence she could feel. It made her heart flutter and for a split-second, she had to look away from his intense golden pools. But instantly her eyes were back on his and it seemed the both of them were stuck in an intimate moment that neither wanted to break. It wasn't until Kagome's head cleared a little from the mood they had created did she realise he must have been waiting for confirmation. She nodded once, never blinking.

 

Seemingly satisfied he broke their connection and jumped after the others leaving Kagome to wonder what that strange interaction was. Her cheeks began reddening as she remembered the power his eyes held over her. Things were beginning to get more intense. At least, that's how she felt. Ever since she had returned, her interactions with her favourite hanyou had left her speechless and sporting a very pink face. Of course, Kagome was deeply in love with him and she knew that he at least had some feelings for her, but since the whole Onigumo fiasco, their relationship seemed… deeper than before, if that was even possible. Again, she flushed as she remembered their embrace in the forest yesterday. What would they do next? Twice already they had k-k-kis-!

 

Kagome shook her head violently, stifling a squeal. She was so embarrassed she couldn't even think the word! She was brought out of her musings when the little boy groaned and collapsed against her.

 

“Oh no! Are you alright?!” she cried, holding him up.

 

“I don't feel so good…” he mumbled weakly. Suddenly his eyes bulged and he doubled over coughing and retching. Kagome quickly knelt down beside him rubbing his back, desperately trying to help him expel whatever it was his body was rejecting. Finally the boy let out a mighty cough and, to Kagome's horror, a slimy white something fell out of the boy's mouth. With a cry she pulled the weakened boy away from it as it writhed on the dirt making a revolting squelching sound.

 

“W-what is it…?” rasped the boy, clutching to Kagome's arms encircled around his waist. It was then that the slimy thing finally got its bearings and what must have been the head finally turned itself to face the two humans.

 

Kagome's blood ran cold.

 

Blood shot red eyes.

 

A long scaly white body, that would change to a sick green as it grew.

 

Red appendages wriggling from the mouth.

 

“Oh dear God…”

 

 

*****

 

 

Inuyasha blinked as the smoke stung his eyes. It wasn't thick, but it certainly smelt fucking putrid. He was nearly at the centre from where the thickest column of smoke was rising. It hadn't taken him long to get here from where he'd left Kagome, but already he was getting irritated. He couldn't work it out. Right now all he wanted to do get back to her side and just be with her. None of this sharing with Hojo and Kouga crap. Inuyasha's eye twitched. Maybe when he got her home, he'll spend the day with her, and only her, as a reward to himself. Yeah, actually, that sounded nice.

 

Feeling a little better at the idea, he eagerly rounded the corner to see the full extent of the bandits' raid. The centre square, which looked like it would have been beautiful with tall thin trees surrounding a quaint shrine, was now devastated. Only one of the thicker trees had survived the pillaging, the others just a pile of splinters on the ground. A group of terrified women were huddled together off to the side while the bandits, settled in front of the small shrine casually sneered at their new enemies, Kouga, Miroku, Sango and Kirara having already arrived.

 

“Well, lookee here, another one's shown up! We're having a lot of fun today, aren't we?” jeered one man who was practically bald apart from a few strands of hair. He had a katana draped over his shoulder, which was clad with the finest armour of the lot, and eyed them with an air of smugness. `The Ring Leader, or at least Second in Command…' thought Inuyasha.

 

“Whataya say we add their corpses to our collection, men?” the leader smirked. The rest of the group laughed maliciously, some licking their teeth in anticipation. It was then Inuyasha focused on where the smoke was originating from. On the other side of the village square was a large pile of flesh burning away, its noxious fumes bleeding black into the sky. Inuyasha felt anger bubble up in his throat. So many innocents…

 

“You fucking bastards…' he growled, stepping in front of his companions.

 

“Oh, so someone's getting angry! Weird looking fella too!” taunted one man with little to no teeth.

 

“Not as bad as the other freak. Is that a fur loin cloth?” laughed another, pointing at Kouga.

 

“Che! Pathetic, how humans always seem to underestimate youkai. Keep that up and I'll rip out your tongue,” snarled Kouga.

 

“Oh, is that a threat?” someone shouted. “Don't worry too much, we'll leave that girl of yours alive for a little while longer after we slaughter you.” A few men grinned and stood up, advancing to the head of the pack.

 

“Inuyasha,” murmured Miroku. “You see the shrine behind them?”

 

Inuyasha followed the monk's line of sight. The small shrine was indeed still thoroughly surrounded by bandits, one even lazing on the wooden steps, but why Miroku felt the need to point this out was beyond the hanyou. “Yeah, I see it, so what?”

 

“Look at the door, Inuyasha.” Looking at Miroku weirdly for a second he did as he was asked. The door looked firmly shut and no different to any other shrine, but then a piece of white paper stuck in the middle of the frame caught his eye. Something with an ancient script written on it.

 

“A fuda? Are they sealing something inside?” murmured Sango, edging closer to her friends.

 

“Inuyasha!!” a voice screamed from behind them. Inuyasha whipped his head around to see Kagome running towards them, half carrying the boy who was running limply beside her.

 

“Kagome! I told you not to come!” he shouted. He was about to say something else when he took in the sight of her face. Her mouth was open, panting from exertion and her eyes were wide with horror.

 

“A snake!” she yelled, finally reaching them. “A hebi youkai! The same ones as-!”

 

“Let me out.”

 

Everyone stopped and turned to look towards the shrine. Inuyasha felt his mouth go dry. The command had come from within that wooden building. And he knew that voice. They all knew that voice…

 

The bandit lazing on the stairs instantly shot up at the order of whoever was inside the shrine. “Yes, Okashira,” he answered, marching up to the door, ripping off the holy seal. Everyone watched silently as the bandit slide open the door and moved out of the way, bowing to show his respect.

 

Dread slowly wound its way into the deep pits of Inuyasha's stomach. A shadow moved from within the shrine's depths and suddenly he was hit with an incredibly potent stench of youkai. He felt Kagome shift a little closer and heard her gasp, as the being within finally emerged into the sunlight.

 

“No!” gasped Sango.

 

“This is impossible!” spluttered Miroku, clenching his staff.

 

Kouga cursed under his breath.

 

“Well, hello to you too, everybody,” chuckled a dark voice, black venom oozing from those seemingly simple words.

 

Black eyes bore holes into each and everyone of them as familiar sharp, white teeth clenched together in a sadistic grin.

 

“Tadaima,” smirked Onigumo.

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: Aahaha! Everyone's favourite super villain is back! Gosh I missed him. He's so much fun to write :D

 

Translations:

Tadaima - said when coming home. I wanted to go for the creepy “Honey, I'm Home!” or “I'm baaaaack!” feel with this :P

Okashira - Slang for “Kashirabun” which means `Boss'… if I've done my research right.

 

Again, don't know when the next update will be, but hopefully it won't be another 4 months this time! Thanks for reading guys!