InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Facets of the Living Jewel ❯ Non compos mentis ( Chapter 62 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the other characters. Ms. Takahashi does. Houseki, though in need of a good psychotherapist, is mine.

 

Fonts:

Inuyoukai

Inuhuman

 

Non compos mentis

By Licentia poetica

 

Houseki reached out to Inuyasha, a rapt expression on her face, but as she did so her face changed; the jaw and brow became more prominent; lips thinned beneath elongating fangs; the eye colors swirled. A decidedly masculine growl rumbled from Houseki's chest.

 

All of the Kai-wolves except Shiro whined as they glanced between Houseki and Inuyasha; the alpha male Kai-wolf merely growled back at Houseki.

 

“What the hell?” Inuyasha repeated, nausea twisting his gut as facial features and body parts continued to change shape. A soft distressed sound from behind him made him aware of Kagome's response. `Keh, it's makin' her sick, too.' “Stay the fuck in one shape!” he snarled and bolstered Shiro's territorial challenge with a growl of his own.

 

The tone and inflection of his voice were identical to Houseki's except that they lacked the resonance of a powerful youki. `What the hell?' Inuyasha waited for a response from his inner youkai, but both the youkai and the human voices were silent.

 

Houseki's face grew confused for a moment and the fangs receded a bit. “Oh, don't mind me...you…umm…us. Wait...who did that? This Inuyasha reacted instinctively to another alpha male. It is of no importance.” Houseki's features continued to dissolve and reassemble.

 

Inuyasha blinked in astonishment at the sound of his youkai personality emerging from Houseki's mouth and a sudden dread twisted his gut. `Am I human?' He quickly looked down at his hands and was relieved to see that they were still clawed. Leaning forward, he used his thumb to loosen the Tessaiga within its saya, preparing to add a bit more threat to his challenge.

 

Houseki watched his action and suddenly leaned forward with a fanged grin, eye color flashing to a brilliant green. “Hah, hah! Go ahead, you big meanie!” The childish timbre of its voice was reflected in its body as it lost height and breadth.

 

Shippo gasped “Hey!” He gawped at the transforming being and sputtered “You sound like…you sound....” His head drooped and he asked plaintively “It's copying me. I don't sound like that, do I?”

 

Miroku eased up out of his horse stance but remained standing defensively in front of Sango. “I don't believe it's copying you, Shippo.” He shook his head, an incredulous expression on his face, and asked Houseki, “Who…no…what are you?”

 

Houseki advanced on the monk, its body and face rapidly metamorphosing and apparently unable to settle into a single appearance. Miroku gulped and his face took on a greenish hue as the being reached for him with constantly mutating arms.

 

Inuyasha cocked his ears back as he heard a pained groan from Kagome. `That's enough!' He leaped forward, unsheathing the Tessaiga at the height of his spring to bring it down between Houseki and Miroku as a warning. Four things happened simultaneously:

 

His leap fell far short when his body did not respond normally.

 

The Tessaiga did not transform.

 

Houseki's body melted into an amorphous, glowing mass.

 

Kagome gave a scream of pain and when he jerked his head to look at her she was slumped to the ground behind him, her hands pressed to her temples.

 

“Stop! Don't use the Tessaiga! Sheathe it! I can't hold…” she writhed in pain and her voice trailed into a whimper.

 

Inuyasha hurriedly sheathed the Tessaiga—or tried to. His body resisted his movements as if he was surrounded by molten steel bee wax. Gritting his teeth, he managed to slowly force the katana into its saya. At the point where the fang usually transformed back into its rusted form his actions suddenly became easier and he heard a gasp of relief from Kagome.

 

Midoriko stepped forward, peering at the glowing mass that was once Houseki as it slowly began solidifying again. “Gods!” she breathed. “Kagome, what have you done?”

 

Miroku suddenly cried out and grabbed his cursed hand. At the same moment Inuyasha recognized Kagome's mental pull and stood helplessly in mounting anger as his claws receded, his hearing diminished, and scents became almost as muted as his human night. “Damnit, wench! What are you doing?” he growled fiercely.

 

At the same time Miroku's hushed voice repeated Midoriko's query. “Kagome, what have you done?”

 

Inuyasha turned from Kagome, his body slow to respond to his will, and frowned at the pained expression on the monk's face. Miroku still held his cursed hand in a tight grip.

 

A cheery voice from behind him answered them by prattling “We're balancing us…me…you. Kagome…no, we're more than…how do we talk about us? Well, she's the one who's…Mate…no! Mama? No! Sister? Well, it's obvious that we have to give some thought to this. Oh, who cares? Well, we have to figure out what to say when we ask things like that!” The changing timbres of the voice had an odd echoing quality as if it was using more than one set of vocal cords.

 

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and turned his head to look at Houseki.

 

The being was rocking up and down on its toes, hands clasped in front of it and smiling beatifically at them all as if the world was not suddenly an odder place. It was no longer changing form and had settled into an appearance that was an odd amalgam of his Pack. It was slightly taller than Kagome with a more muscular build; the face was a masculine version of Kagome's features, reminding him of an older Sota with the exception of the eyes. Each iris had a brown background interspersed with flecks of green, violet, and gold. Houseki's ears were slightly pointed and its long black hair was streaked randomly with small patches of white and red.

 

Its right hand was an exact replica of Miroku's, right down to the protective sleeve and prayer beads.

 

Inuyasha looked down at his own hands, expecting to see his human nails. “What the…I still have my claws, but every sense is dulled, damnit! Kagome, what the fuck did you do?”

 

“Keh! Baka! Don't talk to us like that! It is the hanyou that is diminished,” Houseki spoke-growled at him, then suddenly shrank back as Inuyasha growled back in its face and cracked his knuckles. “Eeep! Don't hit us!”

 

“Keh. You're not worth it.”

 

As a disgusted Inuyasha stepped away, the amalgam began to rock back and forth again, staring at him longingly. “We love all of us…all of Inuyasha. So we have all of us in us! Us in us in usinusin keh! Stop it! Don't yell at us! We won't let you talk that way in front of us! It is natural behavior for a child to experiment with sounds and….”

 

Inuyasha flexed a set of diminished claws in front of Houseki's face. “Shut. Up.”

 

“But us…me…uhh, we mean, Father? Ack, no! Umm…look at us…we mean…me.” Houseki was staring over Inuyasha's shoulder with a concerned look. “Are we…me….” It gave a huff of irritation. “This is hard! Are we sure we couldn't have given us more of Miroku? Gaah!” It pointed and, as everyone turned to look at the slumped form of Kagome, continued blithely, “Is that Kagome feeling all right?”

 

She was hunched over, one arm bracing her up off the ground, gasping for air. Inuyasha leaped over and scooped up his mate, holding her close to his chest and growling softly in her ear “Gods, Kagome! My senses are all screwed up. What's wrong?” His voice took on a sterner note as he continued, “What have you done?”

 

“Will everyone please just stop asking me that?” Kagome took a deep breath. “We had to balance enough to be able to return to our bodies. I…just…made it happen. I forced it. We're still not balanced but I just…made the adjustment. Houseki is…” she gestured toward the happily smiling being and waved her hand in a helpless gesture, “well…it's our powers and...and…us. The balance I forced.”

 

Midoriko stepped up next to Houseki and stared at her student. “You…forced the balance? How?”

 

“Yup, we sure did!” Houseki beamed at its creator. “That's why we're here. Of course, the Moonstone helped.” It winked at Shippo, who had jumped to Inuyasha's shoulder and was staring down at Kagome with a worried frown on his face. “We like Shippo's name for it.” A happy expression crossed the amalgam's face and it chirped “We're a we! We can call us we! Wheeee! We'll call us we and we'll call us…you…you! Isn't that great? We figured it out!”

 

“Wouldn't it be easier just to call us by name?” Miroku asked with a perplexed expression.

 

Houseki's face screwed up in concentration as it pondered the question. “Well, which Miroku would we be talking to? Us? Me? You? Meeyoumeeyoumeeyoumeeyou!”

 

The baffled group watched Houseki as it clapped its hands happily, oblivious to the exasperated reactions around it.

 

“You forced a balance,” Midoriko repeated firmly, reaching out to gently hold Houseki's hands still. “Using the…the Moonstone.” Her puzzled face begged the question as she cautiously asked, “Kagome?”

 

“There wasn't enough courage or wisdom.” Kagome leaned her head against Inuyasha's chest for a moment. “There's not enough youki, either. I forced it so we could move our bodies, but I had to pull so much from Inuyasha and Miroku to satisfy the four soul's requirement, and then there's the youki imbalance. I'm not sure…I wouldn't have been able to make it work at all if it weren't for the Moonstone. The only natural balance is between male and female.” Kagome's weary voice lessened to a whisper as she pressed her palm against her aching forehead. “I'm sorry. It was the only way I could find to get us back to our bodies.”

 

“We love you all.” Houseki gazed at them with a rapt, adoring expression on its face, bouncing up and down on its toes again. “It will all be fine, we promise. We have more of us in some of us and we're…uhh.” It stopped speaking, looking confused.

 

Kirara gave a loud growl that startled them all; Houseki actually shrieked and cowered away. The fire youkai shot an irritated glance at the amalgam and spoke in Neko to Inuyasha. “Mmrrowhhsssaa, the Pride is in danger and we must act immediately. There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of low-level demons headed this way and they are led by Mouryoumaru.” She growled out the hated name in territorial Neko and Houseki ran behind Midoriko, peering furtively at her from behind the Time Lord's back. “The Shrewd-Falcon and I fought a group of them and he is gravely injured. He must be brought to My-Kaede.”

 

“Shit!” Inuyasha translated her words for the rest of the group and added “So I hope the rest of you can do something, `cause I sure as hell can't use the Tessaiga.” He looked down at a mortified Kagome. “Damnit, wench!”

 

“I'm sorry!”

 

“C'mon, Kirara. Take me there. I'm still stronger than anyone here.” He was about to put Kagome down when she threw her arms around his neck.

 

“Wait! You can't leave or the balance will tip!”

 

Kagome spoke hesitantly into the silence that followed. “I…um…I don't think that any of us can…uhhh…we can't leave and we can't use our powers.”

 

“WHAT?” Even without its usual youki, the snarl in Inuyasha's voice was impressive. Houseki squeaked and hid behind Midoriko. Shiro growled an accompaniment as he padded back and forth behind Inuyasha, his eyes fixed on Houseki's face.

 

“We just have to find a way to balance and we'll get our powers back. Houseki is just…temporarily holding them for us,” Kagome said sheepishly.

 

“We're fine! We have the powers, and we know everything will be just fine!” Houseki skipped over to Inuyasha and patted him on the shoulder, ignoring the hanyou's narrowed eyes and soft snarl as it came close.

 

Shiro growled again and the Kai-wolves fanned out in a large circle surrounding the group, sniffing the air currents and staring warily into the trees. Shiro stayed behind Inuyasha, his eyes never leaving the oblivious Houseki.

 

Kirara, who had padded over to the area in which she had landed earlier, snarled at Jinx and stalked back, glaring at Shiro and sitting protectively next to Sango, her tails lashing as she gave a long, disgusted yowl. She turned her glare on Shippo.

 

The kitsune leaped down from Inuyasha's shoulder and ducked his head as he translated for her. “She says she has to stay here now and help protect her Pride, but we have to do something fast. She is bound by honor to help Shrewd…uhh, Yourei Taisei.”

 

“We can help! We have all the powers! We can even use the Tessaiga! Watch!” Houseki reached for Inuyasha's katana but shrieked as the hanyou swatted its hand and pivoted away, clutching Kagome to his chest with one arm. “Ow! Why'd we hit us?” it whined, pouting and clutching the stricken hand to its chest as it blinked tear filled eyes. “Meanie!”

 

Inuyasha clenched his teeth in frustration and growled “Kaagooomeeh!” He glared down at the miko in his arms. “Can't you control it?”

 

Kagome winced and wouldn't meet his eyes. “No. It acts on its own. It's kind of like driving a car.” She hesitated as everyone except Midoriko exchanged blank looks while Houseki looked at her with an inane smile on its face. “Uhh…you know how you are able to walk without thinking about it? And sometimes you end up somewhere and you don't know how you got there? That's how Houseki works.”

 

Shippo gazed up at her, a frown on his usually happy face. “I can't smell or hear or see well, Mama. Is all that stuff that's me in Houseki?”

 

“I'm sorry, Shippo.”

 

The kitsune pouted and moved over to grab on to Inuyasha's leg. “Now I know why you hate your human times.”

 

Inuyasha gave a long sigh and Shiro woofed at the kit.

 

Kagome closed her eyes and bit her lip. After a few moments she cleared her throat and said, “I put all of our powers into Houseki so that we could balance and return to our bodies, but I had to draw more from Shippo and Miroku and Inuyasha, so they're the most depleted in terms of their abilities.” She glanced around at the group sheepishly and winced at their horrified expressions. “But if any of us use our powers or leave, Houseki will go out of balance. I know I can't use my miko powers and I don't think I can use my time powers, either. I'm…well…I'm connected to Houseki.”

 

“Kagome! You have an active mind meld with Houseki?” Midoriko gasped, obviously attempting to remain calm but failing to control her emotions. “How is this possible? The power you are expending…you can't maintain this!”

 

Kagome shrugged. “It's not bad, actually. The Moonstone helps.” She bit her lip and tried not to look as guilty as she felt.

 

Sango, her hand still protectively pressing against her lower abdomen, interceded as both Miroku and Inuyasha opened their mouths to speak. “Stop harassing Kagome, everyone! If you can't use your powers Kohaku and I will help Kirara and the Kai-wolves defend you against Mouryoumaru. I'll go get the Hiraikotsu.” She exchanged a glance with her brother and he nodded in acknowledgement. She turned to Inuyasha. “We should find a more defensible position as well, away from the trees where we can see them coming.”

 

“Wait, Sango.” Miroku reached for his wife's hand to hold her in place, a nagging fear gnawing at his stomach. He frowned at Houseki before turning his head to stare questioningly at Kagome. “You said you put all of our powers into Houseki. What did you take from Sango?”

 

Kagome frowned back. “I'm not sure.” She leaned her head against Inuyasha's chest and closed her eyes for a moment, frowning as she tried to remember. “It happened so fast…I…there was something about her that was almost…magical.”

 

“I'm magical?” Sango sounded extremely doubtful.

 

Kagome responded “Your body…you aren't like most people. It's almost…it's a power. It's like my miko abilities but different.”

 

“Damn, wench. I could've told you that,” Inuyasha snorted. He smirked at Sango's dubious expression. “You think that just any human could throw the Hiraikotsu and catch it? You're a demon slayer and you sense youki and jyaki. Your body's different from other humans.” He wrinkled his nose. “Even with most of my youki gone you smell different.”

 

“I'm just an ordinary woman!” Sango insisted.

 

Kirara purred and rubbed her head against Sango's shoulder while Miroku grinned and caught her up in a one-armed hug from the other side. “Hardly ordinary, my lovely Sango.” His grin diminished and he glanced at Houseki. “I think you will find that your body's abilities are lessened.” His half-diminished grin turned into a frown as he looked down at his cursed hand.

 

“Yup!” Houseki's cheerful voice interrupted the conversation as it walked up to Sango. “That's part of the reason we're still unbalanced!”

 

It grabbed Sango's right arm, oblivious to her frown and both Miroku and Inuyasha's growls, and began rapidly bending her elbow. Then it let go and grabbed its own right biceps, flexing madly and cocking its head sideways, looking upwards toward the sky with an introspective cast to its features. “Our…your body is gifted…and it's…we're,” it began to look extremely confused, “uhh, something about fast twitch muscle and…what? Oh! We get it!”

 

It folded its hands together and smiled proudly at Sango. “Our dinner is different!” The smile abruptly faded and it looked bewildered.

 

Sango stared blankly back at it while massaging her abused throwing arm.

 

Houseki spoke slowly, as if it was extremely hard to form the words. “Our dinner…dinn…our dinnaay is…it's the way we make fibers…and muscle…and conn…connective…tissue proteins and, wha…?” Its face screwed up in frustration as it began to speak more rapidly. “Nerve confusion? Con what? Conduction. Oh shut up, Miroku! Kagome, can you explain? The rest of us don't care about this crap!” Houseki reached up and gripped the hair at its temples. “It's quite simple, really, but it has to do with our reflection…reflex…gaaah! Silence, beta. SHUT UP, Miroku!”

 

Miroku glanced nervously at Kagome and muttered, “Kagome, are you sure about the balance?” As Houseki lowered its hands again he tentatively ventured, “Umm…I didn't…uhhh…say anything.”

 

Houseki smiled vacuously. “Oh, not out here you didn't. We did in here. But there isn't enough of us and we don't understand us…you…us.” It took a somewhat irritated breath and frowned “We're getting confused again. How about using names that combine what we all want? Hhmm…that might work.” It grinned at Miroku's baffled face and chirped, “Anyway, wife-mama-sister acts as half a human power and there isn't enough youki in us anyway. Plus there isn't enough of husband-father-brother and mate-father-brother.” It cocked its head and smiled at Sango. Staring soulfully into her somewhat horrified face, the strange being smiled beatifically and cooed, “We don't care if we're unbalanced. We love you, wife-mama-sister!”

 

“Uhh…wife-mama-sister?” Sango asked tentatively, edging toward Miroku.

 

Houseki clapped its hands and smiled gleefully. “It's a good name, huh?” It turned to Kagome, still held protectively in Inuyasha's arms. “Isn't it good, mate-mama-sister?”

 

“Stay away from her!” Inuyasha growled.

 

Houseki skipped back to him and gave the shocked hanyou a quick kiss on the cheek. “We love you, too, mate-father-brother!” It raised a hand toward Inuyasha's ears.

 

“Gaah!” Inuyasha clutched Kagome tighter and leaped back out of Houseki's reach. “Get away from me! You've got Miroku and Shippo in there!”

 

“Much more of me than I was willing to give, given our current situation.” Miroku's voice was grim. “Look.” Miroku held up his cursed hand with the rosary beads and cloth covering removed. A miniscule black spot was centered in the palm but the Wind Tunnel was almost nonexistent.

 

A collective gasp from five throats moved more air than the remnant of Naraku's curse. Kirara growled, her harsh rumble echoed by Shiro.

 

“Oh, yeah, we've got it! Wanna see?” Houseki began to uncoil its matching set of beads.

 

“No!” Miroku bellowed, reaching Houseki in one stride and clamping his hand tightly around the loosened beads. “Houseki! Show some intelligence!” He rewrapped the beads and dropped the hand as if it burned him. “Damnit, Kagome!”

 

Kagome struggled out of Inuyasha's arms. “I've had just about enough of this!” She fisted her hands on her hips and glared Inuyasha, then at the rest of the group. “All of you can act angry because I did what I had to do to get us back into our bodies! There was just enough youki with Miroku's curse, Shippo, and Inuyasha to help balance the human powers and I used it! Stop beating me up about it!”

 

“Oooh!” Houseki was staring at its cursed hand, its eyes almost crossed as it brought the hand up to its face as if inspecting the Wind Tunnel through the covering fabric. “Oh, I see…just…we could…yeah…right there.” The being narrowed its eyes in concentration and stuck its tongue out of one side of its mouth as it focused on the palm. Grabbing Miroku's cursed hand and ignoring his startled exclamation, Houseki placed its own hand directly within his, the seemingly solid flesh passing easily through Miroku's skin.

 

Kagome groaned and Inuyasha had to catch her as she staggered. “What the fuck are you doing, Houseki?” he yelled.

 

Sango reached out to pull Miroku away and Shiro moved forward in response to a short bark from Inuyasha, but Kirara let out a noise that froze them all in place as the monk held up his free hand in a warding gesture. “Wait. It's…I can feel...wait!” His face was filled with astonished wonder.

 

The group watched anxiously as Houseki began mumbling “What the hell is a quark? Who cares as long as Miroku knows what to do with them. Keh! Use that to balance the gravity well…no! Wait! The time paradox…that has to heal or we won't be able to…yeah! Let Aiko at it first…use Sango's collagen proteins. Umm, what's call aging pro teens? Never mind right now, just figure out how to grow around that…okay, it'll be easy compared to Aiko's other work. Oh, sweetheart, we're so proud! Shippo, we need your youki in the…Inuyasha you have to…yeah, that's right. Fight jyaki with youki. Hah! Fuck you, Naraku! Now, we're almost ready…Kagome, the time….”

 

An intense silence followed and then an eerie glow, dulled by the bright morning sunshine, enveloped their combined cursed hands.

 

Kagome abruptly keened in pain, arching backwards in Inuyasha's suddenly weakened arms. Sango fell to her knees with a cry, clutching her stomach. Shippo gave a yip as if stung and Miroku tried to pull away from the freezing ache in his hand as his knees threatened to buckle.

 

Houseki hummed happily and pulled its hand away, staring cross-eyed at the palm again. “There! All fixed!”

 

A dumbfounded Miroku stared first at Houseki's cloth-covered hand and then at the tiny hole suctioning air from the center of his palm. “What? What did you…? Gods, what have you done?”

 

Kagome struggled out of Inuyasha's arms again and staggered over to Houseki. She grabbed the amalgam by the shoulders and shook it once, hard. “Stop using our powers without asking! What did you do?”

 

Houseki whimpered and cowered away, pouting “We just wanted to help! We fixed it!”

 

Miroku laid a gentle hand on Kagome's shoulder, glancing quickly at Inuyasha as the hanyou growled at him. He withdrew his hand and said resignedly “Houseki did `fix' the Wind Tunnel, Kagome. I could feel it.” He shook his head in wonder and continued, “I could feel it healing the edges and then there was a sense of…” his voice trailed off for a moment and his eyes became introspective. Automatically covering his right hand with the sleeve and beads while staring off into space, he murmured, “I've always been able to feel the Wind Tunnel tugging at my hand. At the end when our hands were together…it was…it wasn't pulling at me any more.”

 

“We healed it and we grew back some of our hand and we balanced it with the Moonstone,” Houseki chirped, recovering rapidly from Kagome's chastisement and beaming at them again. Its eyes grew round as it gazed up at Miroku. “Husband-father-brother's really smart! Even with the rest of us talking we could hear husband-father-brother's ideas and after we balanced it we wanted to protect us so we put mate-mama-sister's time barrier around it.” It rocked up onto its toes and clasped its hands, smiling beatifically, oblivious to Miroku's sudden frown. “The Wind Tunnel can't get any bigger now and nothing can touch it! We're so happy!”

 

“Nothing can touch it?” Miroku gave an astonished gasp and his shoulders slumped. “What does that mean?”

 

“It's locked behind a time barrier just like the Moonstone,” Houseki prattled happily. “Nothing can change it.”

 

Miroku fisted his cursed hand as if to punch Houseki with it. When he spoke it was through clenched teeth. “Do you mean it is permanent now?”

 

“Oh…yeah. We didn't think of that.” Houseki looked crestfallen for a moment before the vacuous smile reappeared on its face. “But it can't get any bigger and that's a good thing, right? It can't pull you in now.”

 

Miroku closed his eyes and took a deep breath as Sango threaded her calloused fingers into his other hand, standing slightly behind him in mute support. Shaking his head again he narrowed his eyes at Houseki. “When you healed it I felt a presence…tell me, who is Aiko?”

 

“Father-husband-brother,” Houseki's voice was faintly chiding, “we're love, remember?” Houseki glanced at Kagome with a smile that was no longer an inane caricature. “There are two of us.”

 

Miroku and Sango blanched. Miroku's jaw clenched once and then he carefully stated “Aiko.” He glanced down at his wife and gave her a rueful grin, raising one eyebrow. “How appropriate for our child.”

 

Sango stepped forward, her face suddenly intense. “Do you…does Aiko carry the taint of the Wind Tunnel still?”

 

Houseki cocked its head and looked blankly at its cursed hand. “Ummm…we don't know. Maybe. Does it matter?”

 

“Does it matter?” Sango echoed. “Does it matter?” She fisted her hands and placed them next to her temples, frustration and worry causing her voice to break on the final word. “Our baby might inherit the Wind Tunnel and there's nothing we can do about it and you have to ask if it matters!”

 

Kirara stepped forward, purring loudly and pushing against Sango with her body. As Sango buried her face in the neko's fur Miroku rubbed his wife's back, the clenching of his jaw conveying his own distress.

 

Kirara looked over at Inuyasha and spoke in Neko. “There is little time, Mmrrowhhsssaa. We should find a safer place and then we must find a way to return your powers to you. This…Brainless One is not good for the Pride.”

 

Inuyasha took a quick but careful look around the Goshinboku, his mind assessing defensive strategies as he absently noted the positions of each member of his Pack. He could not see Runt or Bandit but dismissed their absence. Suddenly he froze and growled low in his throat. “Sango. Where the hell is Kohaku?”

 

Shiro woofed “He left before the Pack-Not Pack touched Miroku brother's paw. Runt and Bandit are tracking him.”

 

“You should have sent me,” Jinx grumbled.

 

“Do not test my patience further,” Shiro growled. “You will learn your place as beta.”

 

“Ooooh!” Houseki clasped its hands and stared at Shiro, bouncing up and down on its toes in its signature `happy and excited' move. “Did you know we can understand you?”

 

Inuyasha groaned.

 

“At least it doesn't understand Neko,” grumbled Kirara quietly.

 

“We understand enough of it!” The youkai voice was completely at odds with Houseki's innocent bouncing.

 

Kirara stared balefully at Houseki. `This. Is. Unacceptable. Something must be done, and quickly, or this Brainless One will drive us all mad!'

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kohaku raced for the village to procure his weapon, ignoring Runt as she loped easily at his side.

 

`If she can't use Hiraikotsu I'll just have to protect her somehow. Thousands of demons! Gods!' He jumped over a rocky portion of the path and continued pelting on toward the village. `I only hope I can reach Kaede's hut and return before I am away from Midoriko for too long. Even though the shard isn't under Naraku's influence now, I don't know how long I will be free.'

 

Just as he finished the thought, a familiar and dreaded pull from the Shikon shard embedded in his back began stealing his will away. Runt paused and fell behind him, sniffing the air.

 

`No! Not now! No!' He slowed and turned around, hoping to return to Midoriko's sphere of influence before he was forced to obey the summons. As he turned he gasped in horror; Kanna stood at the edge of the forest regarding him with her usual passivity, while behind her a large oni was carrying the limp form of Yourei Taisei.

 

Two low growls came from behind him and he glanced back; Runt and Shiro flanked him, facing Kanna and the oni. As he turned back it took him a moment to process that the oni was quietly following Kanna as they walked toward him.

 

The growls escalated in volume and Bandit moved forward. The oni lurched to a stop as Kanna held up a hand and stood still.

 

“Kanna! What happened to Sensei?” Kohaku called. The pull in his shoulder was increasing, but he was still able to resist it. `Damn you Naraku! I will not become your puppet again!'

 

“He is gravely injured.” Kanna's soft voice, as usual, betrayed no emotions. “He requires healing from the miko Kagome.”

 

`I have to keep the oni away from my sister and the others. They aren't safe right now and I know Inuyasha didn't want me near. I can't let Kanna see them when they're like this.' He moved toward the village, away from the safety of Midoriko's ability to purify his shard, and winced as the pull became a burning sensation. “Come. I'll take you to Kaede. She can help Yourei Taisei-sama until Kagome returns.”

 

Kanna looked over his shoulder toward the Goshinboku, then turned to him and nodded, her face expressionless. “We will follow.”

 

The Kai-wolves trotted back and forth in front of him as he walked toward Kaede's hut, their fierce growls at the group following him indicating their disapproval. With each step Kohaku felt an augmentation of the pull from the shard. When they reached Kaede's doorway he was panting; his movements required an effort of will that was almost beyond him. He gasped out “Kaede!” and fell to his hands and knees, fisting his hands on the ground in front of him in an effort to maintain control over his own body.

 

Bandit barked ferociously at Kanna and the oni, Runt growling at his side.

 

Kaede came from the hut with her bow in her hand, an arrow nocked and ready to fire. “Hush Bandit.” The Kai-wolf subsided slightly, but continued to growl at Kanna with his fangs bared. “What evil do ye bring with ye, Kohaku?”

 

Kohaku could no longer speak as he fought the shard's influence. He began to shake his head in negation. `I am not yours to control, Naraku!'

 

“What have ye done to Kohaku, Kanna?” Kaede's voice echoed the Kai-wolves growl.

 

Kanna ignored the miko and gestured to the oni, pointing to the ground in front of Kaede. “Put him down.” The oni moved forward, its lip curling in a sneer as Kaede raised the bow and arrow in defense and Bandit and Runt snarled. It tried to throw the injured falcon youkai roughly to the ground, but suddenly its face took on an expression of pain and it placed Yourei Taisei gently within Kaede's reach. As it stood up it whirled, raising its fist as it faced Kanna.

 

“Stop. Leave the falcon.” Kanna had extended her mirror and Kaede gasped as she noticed a wisp of the oni's soul tethered to it. Kanna gestured to Kohaku, who was shuddering and shaking his head. “Make sure that he cannot leave. Gently.”

 

The oni turned with its raised fist and snarled, striking Kohaku on the side of his head; the youth went flying, bounced once, and slid across the ground in a flurry of dust. He levered himself up, raising his chest and head off of the ground slightly, and gave a low, pained moan. Kaede, her eyes narrowing in restrained anger, raised her bow to shoot the oni as it snarled again and leaped toward Kohaku.

 

Kanna acted before she could even pull back the bowstring.

 

The oni screamed as its soul was sucked into Kanna's mirror. It turned and tried to attack the pallid child, but she merely licked her lips as it staggered toward her. It was over in seconds; Kanna lowered the mirror, her face passive again, and Kaede shuddered as the oni's body swayed for a moment and then toppled over, raising a puff of dust.

 

Kohaku lay senseless in the dirt, his body finally succumbing to the shock of the oni's blow.

 

Runt trotted over and sniffed at him before turning back to Bandit with a yip. Both Kai-wolves resumed growling at Kanna.

 

Kanna turned to stare at Kaede. The aged miko stared back, her bow and arrow now aimed at the demon child. Ignoring the implied threat, Kanna walked past her and over toward Kohaku, but Runt growled harshly and placed her body in Kanna's way, her eyes nervously glancing between the child and Kaede. Bandit gave a snarling bark.

 

Kanna stopped, stared down at Runt, and then turned to look at Kaede again.

 

Kaede drew the bowstring taut and aimed at Kanna's head. “Why.” She left the rest of the query unsaid, but indicated Kohaku with a nod of her head.

 

Kanna stared at her unblinkingly, her face a dispassionate mask. “Kohaku was being called to Naraku. I can feel the call.”

 

Kaede did not lower the arrow. “So ye wished to make it impossible for Kohaku to answer the call.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“There are other ways to block Naraku besides striking Kohaku senseless.”

 

“Perhaps, but Yourei Taisei requires help quickly.”

 

Kaede ignored the unsubtle reminder that the taiyoukai was injured and possibly dying near her. `This is no innocent child. She is trying to distract me.' She concentrated on Kanna's hands as the demon's mirror reflected morning sunlight on to the wall of her hut. “Why did ye destroy the oni?”

 

“It had served its purpose. There was no longer a need for it.”

 

“But it helped ye bring Yourei Taisei-sama here.”

 

“It did not assist willingly.”

 

“Why did ye compel it to help?”

 

“Yourei Taisei was gravely injured and needed help quickly. I could not carry him. The oni was one of the demons which attacked him.”

 

Kaede lowered her aim incrementally and Bandit growled softly as if to warn her. “How do ye know?”

 

“I was there. I watched it fight with Yourei Taisei and Kirara.”

 

Kaede's eyes widened at the mention of Kirara but her aim did not waver. “And ye did not help them? Ye merely watched? Is Kirara injured?” `Please gods, let her not be dead.'

 

Kanna stared at her without answering and Kaede raised her arm again, aiming for Kanna's head. Runt took a cautious step toward Kanna, her hackles raised and fangs bared. Bandit stalked forward until Kaede said softly “Bandit. Runt. Stop.” The Kai-wolves glanced at her and remained stationary, snarling softly.

 

Finally the child stated “Kirara flew away to warn the hanyou.”

 

“And ye did not help them.”

 

“I did not merely watch. I…used my mirror for its purpose.”

 

“Ye killed the demons?”

 

“I used my mirror for its purpose.” Kanna repeated. She gestured to Yourei Taisei. “I brought him here to be healed by the miko Kagome. He is dying.”

 

“Kagome is not here.” Kaede lowered her bow, frowning at Kanna as the child stared at her impassively. Bandit gave a soft whine and edged closer to Kaede, keeping his eyes on Kanna as he moved. Runt sat down next to Kohaku, keeping her body between the youth and Kanna.

 

Kaede sighed. “Ye are a strange child. I do not believe that ye are as innocent as ye appear.” She pointed to the side of her hut. “Ye will wait here whilst I work on the falcon and the boy.”

 

Kaede went over to a small bell hung from the side of her doorway and rang it three times as a signal to the men who assisted her in the village. `It is quite early, but mayhap they will be awake.' She kept a careful watch on Kanna as the girl walked over to the side of her hut and sat, holding her mirror in her lap. `Such a strange demon…she brought Yourei Taisei here for healing, and yet she kills without hesitation. Why did she bring him?'

 

The tall youkai lay motionless where the oni had left him. `I am too old to move him, or even Kohaku for that matter.' Kaede gave a small sigh of relief as two of the village men peered out of their doors and, at her signal, came running to her hut. As they came near she looked down at Bandit and whispered quietly. “I know that ye understand my speech. Ye must warn Inuyasha and the others not to come here.” Bandit wagged his tail and gave a short bark. Glancing over at Kanna, he trotted over to Runt and the two touched noses, whining softly. As Kaede directed the men to place Kohaku and Yourei Taisei on pallets outside her home, she saw Runt racing toward the path to the Goshinboku. She looked around for Bandit; he was gnawing on something as he kept a watchful eye on Kanna. Noticing her movement, he looked over at her and woofed softly before returning his attention to gnawing and watching Kanna.

 

She thanked the men for their assistance and turned her attention to Yourei Taisei and Kohaku. Kohaku had a rapidly growing lump on the side of his head but his breathing was normal. `He will wake with a fierce headache, but should be healthy other than the evil from the shard. I must place a barrier around him.'

 

Yourei Taisei's wounds were serious and she frowned as she began to tend them. `His youki seems…faded. He should have recovered somewhat by now.'

 

She frowned again as she placed an herbal poultice on the most serious wound. `I have tended Inuyasha's injuries many times and his injuries heal so rapidly I can almost watch the skin grow back. Yourei Taisei is a full youkai…why is this wound not healing rapidly?' Satisfied that his worst injuries were tended to with as much care as she had to offer, she began to clean his face with a damp towel. When she touched his facial markings, the falcon youkai suddenly opened his eyes. He seemed to have trouble focusing on her face.

 

“You are with friends, Yourei Taisei-sama,” Kaede said gently, trying to reassure him. `I never expected to see such a powerful youkai so helpless.'

 

His cheek markings flared for a moment and his hand suddenly gripped hers. “Void…warn…” he gasped.

 

As Kaede leaned forward to hear him better Bandit gave a sudden vicious growl. Kaede glanced up at the Kai-wolf and saw he was snarling at Kanna. The demon child was staring intently into her mirror. Kaede quickly looked back down at Yourei Taisei, only to find that his eyes were closed again.

 

Kanna looked up and turned her head to Kaede. After a long moment she stated “Mouryoumaru is coming with hundreds of youkai. There is not much time.”

 

Kaede sat seiza and stared fixedly at Kanna. `That may be, but is she trying to distract me again? Why did she bring Yourei Taisei here? What could she possibly want from Kagome?'

 

Kohaku began mumbling, tossing his head and thrashing. Shaking her head, Kaede began to place sutras around him to create a barrier. `I hope these will hold against the power of the shard.'

 

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as a long, drawn out howl echoed through the still morning air.

 

“AAII, AAII, OOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEAAAH!”

 

She had heard the same Call days before, but now it was subtly different. This time there seemed to be more than one voice resonating in the sounds.

 

Bandit answered; sitting up, he threw his head back and howled joyfully in response. Kaede heard another howl from Aoi at the top of the hill and all of the dogs in the village began baying.

 

The villagers swarmed out of their homes, exchanging nervous glances and walking in her direction. `What now?' Kaede grumbled to herself. `I am too old for such times.' As she set the barrier around Kohaku with her sutras and groaned to her feet, readying herself for the villager's questions, she thought irritably `If things don't settle down soon I will lose my mind.'

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Translations:

Non compos mentis: Latin; not of sound mind

 

Aiko: Japanese; love child.

 

Dinnaay: Houseki speak; DNA

 

Thanks to RPW The Hun for beta work!

 

Thanks to Inuyashaloverr (Best AR/AU) and Shalini Lahiri (Best Serial) for seconding `Facets' in IYFG's 4th quarter 2006!

 

R&R Thanks:

 

PM: Neko-sama, Ranuel, entropy9.

 

MM: Ranuel, HMPrune, inuyashaloverr, Inuyasha_crazy_fan2, K_J, yashamaru1, Moonlit_Angel, Okaasan-7, yujigirl, SGWolf, entropy9, JazzyFe, InuyashasBiggestFan, DemiToast.

 

FF: Foenixfyre, Kortir, Mrs. JediK1, Fenikkusuken, kitsune-koinu, Photographing Poetry, GypsyMoon16, Inuyasha05, Zacho, hanyou master, XxkittiexxstarxX13.

 

Bless you all!

iPoe