InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Displacement ❯ "You Know Nothing" ( Chapter 8 )

Displacement

 

Chapter 8

 

“You Know Nothing”

 

The sky was getting darker as the sun crept down on the horizon, signaling the day's end. Toga lifted a hand and sniffed the air as the group came to a halt behind him.

 

“We shall make camp here for the night,” he announced. “This area has not been passed by humans in several days. We should be safe from roaming patrols here for a night.”

 

The humans began to unload the equipment, and the resident youkai quickly began setting up the tents. Within a few minutes, the poles and tarp the largest of the tents was up, and Toga entered it. Inuyasha just stood and watched, unsure of what was expected of him, as Yuka supervised the distribution of the meat packs to the humans. She caught sight of him and scowled.

 

“Well, come on! Don't stand around looking pretty!” she snapped. Inuyasha glared and marched over to one of the trios of humans struggling with the poles of a tent. With a single smooth motion, he snatched the tent poles from their hands and drove them into the ground. He repeated the motion with the second set and then tossed the tarp over them. Yuka watched him with a frown.

 

“You have a real attitude problem,” she muttered as the hanyou approached her.

 

“It's a pressing concern to me, it really is,” Inuyasha shot back, folding his hands inside his sleeves. Yuka shook her head and grabbed a handful of firewood and dried plants from the pack of one of the horses. She made a quick firepit among the tents and unsheathed her sword. She ran her claws along the edge of the blade a few times. Sparks flew onto the dead plants, and a few minutes later, a fire blazed. Yuka casually sheathed her sword and blew off her claws.

 

“Effective,” Inuyasha admitted, sitting across from her. Yuka eyed him as he watched a few humans skewer choice pieces of meat and place them on spits over the fire. Finally, Inuyasha growled and glared at her. “What?” he snapped.

 

“I heard your conversation with Lord Toga today,” Yuka said evenly, meeting his gaze without flinching. “Why do you express such concern for the humans?” Inuyasha furrowed his brow.

 

“They have the right to live, same as everyone else,” he replied. Yuka snorted.

 

“You're a hanyou. Humans have feared and tried to kill you your entire life. Why spare them any mercy when they spared none for you?” she asked. Inuyasha scowled.

 

“What the hell would you know about being a hanyou?” he snapped. “Yeah, I lived with humans. I've seen them run away from me just because I tripped on a tree root. And I've been to war-torn villages that looked at me like a savior just because I didn't slice their throats upon seeing them. What the fuck's your point?”

 

“You've willingly helped them?” Yuka muttered, shaking her head. “Humans are nothing. Lord Toga believes they deserve to live. I know better.”

 

“They do deserve that, why the hell wouldn't they?” Inuyasha snarled. Neither the inu-hanyou or the neko-youkai noticed that work on the campsite had slowed to watch their debate.

 

“Because if humans have their way they'll kill each other over and over until their entire species is extinct,” Yuka said coldly. “Why save the lives of people who only plan to use those lives to go to war? Either by our claws or their neighbor's swords, humans die. Why should we spare them a second thought?”

 

“Just because we can kill them doesn't mean we should,” Inuyasha said. He wasn't entirely sure why Yuka had picked a verbal fight with him, but he wasn't backing down. He hadn't liked the whole `prissier-than-thou' attitude from Sesshomaru and any number of other youkai he had met, and he wasn't liking it from Yuka either.

 

“You heard my lord. It is our right to rule them, and if we see them as enemies to be dispatched, then it shall be so,” Yuka growled. “You know nothing of humans. I don't know how a hanyou can be subjected to such cruelty and still refrain from slaughtering them. I pity you. Your naiveté will be your undoing someday, when a human holds their blade to your throat. We shall see what mercy you can show him then.” With that, Yuka turned and prompted marched into one of the tents, tossing out the original occupant of it a moment later. Inuyasha watched her go with a scowl.

 

“Nosy bitch,” he muttered.

 

“Forgive her.”

 

Inuyasha looked up as a youkai sat across from him where Yuka had been. He wore a long teal robe with no sleeves that puddle on the ground as he sat. A yellow sash around his waist tied it shut over light brown hakama and a yellow kosodo underneath. The youkai's hair was bright red and fell past his shoulders in thick curls, and his eyes were a dark blue. A large, bushy orange tail stuck out from a slit in robe. He didn't really look or smell that old, Inuyasha figured he couldn't have been much older than him, maybe a few decades or so.

 

“You're that kitsune Oinari, right?” Inuyasha asked. Oinari nodded.

 

“Yes. I believe we met earlier today, although I did not have time to properly introduce myself,” he said. “I am a kitsune currently under the servitude of Lord Toga. I came merely to see this land and to assist a yellow youkai tame such a dangerous power as the Meidou.”

 

“Uh…huh,” Inuyasha muttered, narrowing his eyes. The youkai was practically a kid, why the hell was talking so formally? “Do you always talk like that?” Inuyasha asked. Oinari's shoulders slumped.

 

“Hell no,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair. “It's just some sort of crap Toga told us, something about proper conduct or something. It's just a drag, really, I mean besides you we haven't exactly been going around meeting the public, you know?” Oinari sighed and leaned back against his back.

 

“Whatever,” Inuyasha replied. “What were you saying about Yuka?”

 

“Don't judge her. I know her. She's one of the chieftans of a tribe of neko in alliance to the inus back in Japan,” Oinari explained. “She is loyal to him, though. Although many of the humans here were conscripted or came for promises of money for their services, Toga handpicked Yuka from the available youkai to accompany him. Believe me, she's more than capable of handling herself in combat. I wouldn't piss her off if I were you.”

 

“Well I wouldn't have to if she wouldn't be such a bitch,” Inuyasha growled, glaring at the tent where the object of his anger was. “What the fuck is her problem anyway? She sits down here, starts lecturing me on how I should feel about humans and why they deserve to die. I don't need her telling me how I should act.”

 

“She has reasons for being that way,” Oinari sighed. “Before Yuka took his place, her brother was a chieftan in the neko tribe.”

 

“Oh yeah? What happened to him?” Inuyasha asked, not really interested but willing to find out.

 

“He was killed by humans,” Oinari said. Inuyasha let out a bark.

 

“Keh, what kind of weak youkai was he if he got taken down by humans?” he scoffed.

 

“He was killed by them because he tried to avoid killing them,” Oinari explained. “I have heard pieces of the story from other members of Toga's court before coming here. Toga knows the full story, but Yuka does not speak of it. Just know she has reasons for hating humans.”

 

“Yeah, and I have reasons for sparing them. My mother was a human, and when my dad died she had to take care of me alone in a village where we were both outcasts,” Inuyasha replied. “But I don't talk about it much either.”

 

“I do not expect you to. Your past is yours to have, and share when you want. It's not my place to pry,” Oinari shrugged. Inuyasha nodded. At least Oinari seemed ok.

 

“What about you?” Inuyasha said suddenly. Oinari grinned.

 

“Well, I am a kitsune,” he reminded with a wink. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. “I prefer humans myself, they're a lot nicer than some of the youkai women I meet. You'd be amazed how many human women consider shape-shifting a turn on.” Inuyasha's eyes went wide, and Oinari shrugged.

 

“So you're a lecher?” Inuyasha muttered dryly.

 

“I've been called that, along with a few other choice names,” Oinari chuckled. “I've had to use my powers for purposes other than impressing women. Human men can be more possessive than the youkai ones sometimes. I mean, as far as the women know it's not cheating, I look like their betrothed at the time, and how am I supposed to know, it's not like they give me warnings or-”

 

“Oinari.” Oinari's grin vanished, and he looked up at the stoic and stern face of Toga. “That is enough. Every youkai in the camp can hear you, and we don't need details of yours sexual misadventures,” Toga glared. Oinari blushed and nodded, coughing into his hand. “Now, you and Inuyasha will take first watch of the camp. I've sent a few of the humans out on patrols since we won't be here long enough for a barrier. Alert us if anything is amiss,” Toga continued. Inuyasha and Oinari nodded, and Toga returned to his tent as the rest of the camp settled down for the night. Oinari stood and stretched.

 

“Well, you heard the dog,” he sighed, grabbing a spear and hefting it over his shoulder. “I'm gonna take a walk, don't do anything fun while I'm gone.” Oinari turned while Inuyasha snorted.

 

“You're right,” he said. Oinari turned. “You are a kitsune,” Inuyasha explained. Oinari shrugged and smirked before he kept walking, his clothes turning dark until he was a speck a few minutes later. Inuyasha leaned back his head and put his hands back, staring up at the stars and listening to any signs of trouble.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“I must say I do not understand the reason she would desire to be among those peasants. She can find far better company in the palace,” Ying Zheng muttered. Ryuichi nodded.

 

“Yes, my lord. However, she is still a guest in our lands and desires to see the world beyond the palace walls. As well, being that she is so eager to go, allowing her to do so will surely curb good favor from her,” he replied. Ryuchi watched his lord's face light up at the thought.

 

“Very well, I suppose,” Ying Zheng sighed, waving a hand. “It is late and I wish to rest. I shall send two guards to escort her about the village tomorrow when she desires.”

 

“She also desires I go with her, my lord,” Ryuichi interrupted. Ying Zheng snorted.

 

“Fine, but if she comes to any harm or escapes, know it will be your head, Ryuichi,” he warned. Ryuichi nodded. “Now, leave. The night is growing old.” Ryuichi left, and Ying Zheng began to change for his bedrest. Outside on the path to his own quarters, Ryuichi was deep in thought.

 

He knew perfectly well what Ying Zheng had planned for Kagome and the hanyou Inuyasha. However, loyal though he was to his lord, he knew when he went too far. The two innocents had done nothing and did not deserve their fates as concubine and corpse. He had told Kagome of a Taoist in the village that was not entirely in favor of Ying Zheng's rule. The Taoists in the palace could not be trusted, any one of them would turn them in for a quick string of coin.

 

Ryuichi wondered for a moment how successful Inuyasha's efforts had been. The hanyou had claimed he could be back in a few days, but the days had come and gone and he had not. Ryuichi was in no hurry for him to return, not until he found a way to help them. And he knew that Ying Zheng had plans to dispatch the hanyou should he return, so he preferred he take his time. Still…

 

Ryuichi reached the doors of the noble part of the palace and waited while the vigilant guards opened the doors for him. He gave them a nod and headed for his room. After the stressing events of the day, sleep would be welcome for him. Going behind Lord Ying Zheng's back was to play a very dangerous game. And Ryuichi had never liked games very much as a child.

 

Hakama: pants

 

Kosodo: shirt