InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Foundations of Neo Genesis ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A/N: Wow, lots of great reviews! And so many questions. But first I’d like to give special thanks to QueenTatooine, who reviewed every story I have and has asked some fabulous questions for this story. You remind me of my betas, they ask me a lot of the same questions. I’ll answer as many as I can, but I don’t want to give too much away so I can’t answer them all.

Now, with out further ado... Q&A

Q) What are the big birds called?
A) The birds are Terraraptors. Terra meaning Earth or ground, and Raptor being a bird of prey.

Q) Is there going to be romance? What are the pairings?
A) Yes, there will be romance, but not in the traditional sense. As for pairings, there will be mostly traditional (Inuyasha and Kagome are my favorite couple), but some will take longer then others.

Q) How large is the group?
A) This group is decent sized, it’s not huge, but it’s not small either. Because of my need for a great variety of characters I have not picked a specific number. You’ll get to meet more of them as the story progresses, but, as in all stories, you’ll only get to really know a few of them.

Q) Why so few supplies?
A) This something that will be brought up soon (ch 10) so I won’t spoil the surprise.

Q) How old are the people in the group?
A) The ages range from late teens to early twenties. Shippou is on the younger end, while Kagome and Inuyasha are a bit older.

Inuyasha looked down at the watery soup in his bowl and scowled. It was neither filling nor satisfying; it simply kept the painful hunger that had begun to gnaw at the edge of his stomach at bay. He was no stranger to hunger, but that did not mean he welcomed it either. It was clear he had to have something else, and if he ate another piece of fruit he was going to hurl. No, he needed what the carnivore in him craved.

Leaving the bowl untouched on the ground, Inuyasha moved through the group looking for Shippou – smirking as several people gave him wide berth. The fox demon was found sitting next to Kirara – talking animatedly about something – while the girl looked rather amused. He tapped Shippou on the shoulder, and gestured for him to follow. Shrugging to Kirara, Shippou did as he was asked.

Inuyasha led him to the edge of the forest before turning and looking around, making sure no one had followed. Finally, he turned his full attention back to the younger demon, “I don’t know about you, but I can’t eat that goddamn soup anymore.”

“It is getting old…” Shippou agreed.

“I don’t care what science-girl over there thinks, I need some meat.”

Shippou narrowed his eyes a fraction, “What are you planning?”

“We’re going hunting,” Inuyasha smirked. “Get a few people together. Just demons, the humans will only be in the way.” Shippou started to protest, but his stomach growled, reminding him his only other option was the thin soup. Frowning, he nodded and turned back to the group. With Shippou gone, Inuyasha turned his attention to Kagome. While he doubted she could stop him, she would raise a fuss – one he had no patience to deal with. For the moment, however, she was talking with Miroku and had not noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Shippou returned shortly with Aodh, Krishna, and two demons Inuyasha had not met. The first was tall, almost a head taller than Inuyasha, and lean. He had deep brown eyes and yellow-brown hair. When the light hit his pale skin at just the right angle, darker circular spots appeared. The other demon was only half the height of his companion, but was more heavily built. He had a mop of soft brown hair and matching eyes. Inuyasha’s nose told him they were a cheetah and bear demon respectively.

“This is Xun and Furmin,” Shippou introduced. “I think you already know Aodh and Krishna.” Inuyasha nodded.

“What is this about?” Xun, the cheetah demon, asked. “The fox said something about real food.”
“Yeah,” Furmin grunted dully. “Where is it?”

“We’re going hunting,” Inuyasha answered simply.

Krishna raised an eyebrow, “We are? Has Kagome approved this?”

“No, and none of you are going to tell her either,” Inuyasha growled.

“Why shouldn’t we?” Aodh challenged. “And on top of that, why should we listen to you?” The two round tiger ears atop his head lay back in irritation. Inuyasha’s lips curled back and flashed his fangs. Aodh responded in kind, meeting Inuyasha’s scowl with one of his own.

Abruptly, Inuyasha snorted. “Fine, don’t come. See if I give a fuck. Go back to your soup, kitten.” Aodh snarled, showing his fangs all the way to the gums.

“Peace, please,” Krishna stepped between them. “This is accomplishing nothing.”

“Keh!” was Inuyasha’s only acknowledgment, not letting his eyes stray from Aodh for a second. The tiger demon gave a final growl and looked away. Inuyasha grunted in victory. “Good. Now, everyone go get whatever weapons you brought.” The other demons gave him blank stares.

“What weapons?” Shippou asked.

Aodh raised an eyebrow, “What? Did you miss the memo, dog-breath? ‘No unauthorized, illegal, or otherwise unapproved armaments will be allowed.’”

“Before we were allowed on, all our bags were searched,” Xun added. “Anything on the unapproved list was confiscated.”

“You’re stuff wasn’t searched?” Furmin asked, blinking his dull brown eyes.

“No,” Inuyasha scowled. “I have a dagger.” He pulled the aforementioned article from the waistband of his pants. It was old, the blade nicked and rusting in places. He turned it over in his hand before looking back at the gathered demons. “So you’re telling me, I have the only weapon on this whole godforsaken planet.”

“Looks like it,” Aodh huffed in distaste. Inuyasha’s scowl deepened.

“We should not dwell on things that cannot be changed,” Krishna pointed out. “We should simple work with what is available.”

“You sound like that fucking priest,” Inuyasha huffed, tucking his dagger back into his waistband. Aodh growled softly. “Let’s go.” Inuyasha turned on his heels – pointedly ignoring the tiger demon – and walked into the forest, the others trailing tentatively in his wake. The group at large was too engrossed in their tasks of talking and waving to notice the departure.

Inuyasha led them along the trail that was beginning to form from the group’s daily trips to the river. He vaguely recalled Kagome saying something about predators hunting near water because all animals needed to drink. If nothing else it would serve as a good starting point.

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” Aodh snipped. Inuyasha looked back and bared his fangs.

“Of course I know what I’m doing. I hunted wild game all the time back home.” Inuyasha snarled, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “What the fuck do you think?”

“Liron, child of Kratos and Caru, help us,” Aodh breathed. “This halfling is going to get us killed.” Inuyasha froze mid-stride and turned around. The ‘halfling’ comment was nothing new, he had heard it all his life. Still, it struck a chord of fury deep inside him that resonated out in a fierce snarl. Just as his hand was forming a fist, Krishna stepped between them again.

“That is enough. Nothing will be accomplished at this rate.”

“And if all you’re going to do is cause problems,” Xun added, “then you can go back. This is new to all of us.” Furmin nodded his agreement and grunted.

“Fine,” Aodh huffed. “So what’s your master plan oh fearless leader?”

Inuyasha snorted, and grudgingly let the insult drop. “We’re going to the river. We should be able to pick up a trail or something there.” He started marching again, not bothering to see if anyone followed.

The small clearing around the river was as calm as ever. The water hurried past, bubbling against rocks. Unseen creatures chattered in the trees, and a gentle breeze swept away the gathering heat.

“Umm… Inuyasha?” Shippou ventured carefully. “Do you have a plan or something in mind?”

The half-demon shrugged, “Science-girl said predators hunt near water because all animals have to drink eventually. So, either we set a trap or follow some tracks we find around the water.”

“And that will work?” Krishna asked.

“No fucking idea.”

“Goody,” Aodh huffed. Inuyasha ignored him and knelt down on the bank. Just as Kagome had predicted, the soft moist soil was littered with prints of all kinds. Inuyasha frowned. The prints were of all different sizes and shapes. Some were obviously made by the people from the group, but most he could not begin to identify. Some were cloven, some solid, and some were paw-like. The prints sank to different depths in different places. Inuyasha furrowed his brow in frustration.

“Sooo,” Xun drawled. “Anyone know anything about tracking?”

“We could smell ‘um out,” Furmin offered.

“But what would we find when we got to the other end of that scent?” Krishna pointed out. “I, for one, do not wish to run into those birds or that cat thing again. Ever, the gods willing.”

“Agreed,” Shippou nodded as he crouched down next to Inuyasha. “So a trap it is. What kind do you think, Inuyasha?”

“Why are you asking him?” Aodh growled.

The fox demon slowly turned to look at him with a dry expression. “Have you ever set a trap?” Aodh snorted in response and looked away. “I didn’t think so.”

“What have you ever trapped?” Xun asked carefully, not sure he really wanted an answer.

“Rats mostly,” Inuyasha shrugged. “They make a better meal than you think.”

“I hope to all the gods that you are joking,” Aodh grimaced. “Because that is disgusting.” Inuyasha only shrugged. He continued picking his way along the water’s edge, looking at the dirt. Everyone else watched, unsure what he was searching for. After several minutes he rolled to his feet and stretched.

“So...?” Xun prompted.

“So what?” Inuyasha glared back. “They’re just footprints in dirt.”

“Gee, thanks,” Aodh sneered. “We couldn’t have guessed that one ourselves.”

“What does it mean?” Krishna clarified.

“How the fuck should I know that?” Inuyasha growled.

“But you were...” Furmin gestured towards the ground.

Inuyasha snorted and rolled his eyes. “You people really don’t have a fucking clue, do you.” He pulled his knife from his waistband and idly rolled it between his fingers. “I guess no one brought any rope, did they.” It was not a question. The gathered shook their heads. “Fuck, well I ain’t got enough and it’s still at camp anyway.” He continued rolling the blade and frowning.

“What about those?” Krishna asked, pointing to the treetops on the other side of the river. Everyone followed his gaze. High in the trees, twisting around the upper branches, was a tangle of vines. They had broad blue-green leaves with large red flowers spread sparingly along them.

“Doesn’t matter, does it?” Xun shrugged. “They’re way up there and we’re not.”

“Hey, mutt, wanna scurry up there and get us some?” Aodh prodded. Inuyasha growled and bared his fangs.

“I can do it,” Shippou cut in, his head tilted back as he seemed to judge the distance.

“Really?” Furmin grunted. “Looks awful high to me.”

“I’m generally a good climber,” Shippou shrugged. “Never climbed a tree before, though. But no time like the present, I guess. Can I borrow that?” He gestured to the knife Inuyasha was still rolling. The dog demon shrugged, tossed the knife into the air, and caught it by the tip of the blade. He tilted it down, offering the hilt to the other demon. “Thanks,” Shippou nodded and Inuyasha shrugged again.

Slipping the blade into the waistband of his pants, Shippou forded the river and moved to the base of the nearest tree. The other’s followed curiously. He circled it once, looking it up and down as he went. Finally, he crouched below the lowest branch, gathered his legs beneath him, and sprang. He hit the trunk with a loud ‘oomph,’ almost three feet below the lowest branch, and grabbed on.

“This looks promising,” Aodh sighed, wringing river water out of his shirt as he stepped out of the river and looked up.

“Shut up,” Inuyasha snapped, shaking the water from his hair. With a grunt, Shippou reached up and dug his claws into the soft bark. What had started as a elegant leap into the trees had turned into an undignified shimmy up the trunk. The bark tore his shirt and scratched his skin, but he managed to pull himself up the last few feet to the branch and heaved himself to a sitting position. “That was graceful,” Inuyasha shouted up from the ground.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Shippou snorted. “Jump higher next time, I know.” He tilted his head back and looked at the other branches. After a few quick mental calculations he nodded to himself and stood up. He found the large branch much easier to stand on than the narrow window ledges and flag poles he was used to, and balanced easily. With practiced grace he bounded, leapt, and pulled himself into the upper branches.

Finally, he settled onto the branch just under the tangle of vines. Leaning against the trunk, letting his legs dangle freely beneath him, he leaned out over the branch and waved. Krishna, Xun, and Furmin waved back. Inuyasha shouted something that sounded like “today, fox,” but it was hard to tell for sure. Shippou guessed he was at least five stories up; he’d climbed higher many times before, so it did not bother him much.

Taking the knife from his waistband, and checking that the vines were thorn free, he grabbed one and sliced through it. Almost immediately, sticky sap began to drip from the plant’s wound and onto Shippou’s hand. He made a face, before wiping the goo on his pants leg and going back to his task. He pulled at the vine until he had a good ten feet free, then cut it again and watched it fall to the ground below. Shippou cut several more vines the same way, each time getting more and more sticky.

The trip down the tree was a fairly simple one, though he found the plant gunk made it very hard to let go of the branches sometimes.

On the ground, Inuyasha picked up a length of vine and studied it. After a few experimental tugs to test its strength, he made a small loop on one end. Next, he threaded the rest of the vine through the loop so he had a larger slip loop. He repeated the process with the other lengths of vine.

“This is your brilliant plan?” Aodh asked examining one of the loops. “Lassos?” Inuyasha snorted and turned towards Shippou as the fox demon landed next to him. He had a look of disgust on his face as he tried to wipe the vine sap from his hands. Unsuccessful, he went to the river and tried to wash it off. He also washed the knife clean before returning it to its owner.

“It isn’t a lasso, micro-brain. It’s a snare,” Inuyasha huffed. “It’s pretty simple to use – even for you.”

“Fuck you, halfling,” Aodh snapped back.

Inuyasha spun around and snarled, the vine in his hand dropping to the ground before his hand curled into a fist. “Say that one more time and I’m going to beat the shit out of you.”

“Oh, yeah,” Aodh crossed his arms, “Let’s see you do it. Halfling.” There was a loud crack as fist met jaw and Aodh’s head snapped back. The tiger recovered quickly, and dodged another punch by inches. Inuyasha lunged, grabbing him around the stomach and tackling the taller demon to the ground, fangs bared.

Aodh snarled back, catching the fist aimed for his face and returning a punch of his own to the dog demon’s chin. Inuyasha’s head snapped up with the force, but he showed no indication that he was hurt. The captured fist yanked free and opened, claw-like nails glistening in a small shaft of light.

“– stop it! Both of you stop it now!” Shippou grabbed Inuyasha’s wrist in both hands, stopping the incoming attack. Furmin took hold of both shoulders, and together they dragged the cursing dog demon off the tiger. Before Aodh could take advantage of the situation, Krishna and Xun grabbed him and hauled him to his feet. “You are both acting like children!” The panther continued to reprimand.

“Fuck you!” Inuyasha snapped, wrenching his arm free and elbowing Shippou in the stomach. The fox demon stumbled backwards, coughing. Inuyasha turned on Furmin, but the bear seemed unimpressed. With his grip still firm on the dog demon’s shoulders, he avoided the swing easily. Inuyasha thrashed angrily, but Furmin proved to be far stronger than him.

“Enough!” Krishna yelled, “Fighting among ourselves solves nothing.”
“Oh, and this,” Aodh snatched up one of the vines and threw it at the dog demon, “does?”

“No one forced you to come!” Inuyasha yelled back, still fighting the bear demon’s vice-like grip.

“Stop it! For the love of the gods, stop it!” Krishna yelled over both of them.

“Fuck you!” Inuyasha snapped. Aodh humphed and turned his back on the other demon.

“Let us at least attempt Inuyasha’s plan,” the jaguar reasoned. “If it fails, then we have lost nothing but a little time and will have gained knowledge from the experience.”

“You sound like that priest,” Inuyasha repeated in a huff as he yanked away from Furmin and grabbed the vines off the ground.

Krishna pursed his lips but continued. “Please show us how to use these snares.”

“Keh,” he snorted. “It’s simple. Pick a spot, lay the loop open on the ground, cover it, then hold the other end and hide.”

“Then what?” Xun asked, his eyebrow raised.

“Then you sit and wait.” Inuyasha answered flatly, annoyed.

“Great plan,” Aodh drawled as he snatched one of the vines off the ground and walked away. Inuyasha picked up another vine and found a place near the water’s edge. Kagome said all animals came to the water to drink eventually, and he had no reason not to believe her. Leaning down, he carefully shifted the soft sand near the water so that it covered the vine, then stood back to examine his work.

“Inuyasha,” Shippou ventured, his voice low and his eyes on his feet. The dog demon glanced at him and scowled. Shippou swallowed, waiting for something to happen. He flinched slightly when a less than gentle cuff caught him on the ear. Peeking up through his bangs, Shippou saw him still scowling.

“You’re an irritating runt. I kept that damn wolf off you, and this is what I get for it?” Shippou had no answer for him and watched his feet as they crushed the dead leaves under his nervous shifting. Another cuff to his ear made him wince, but it was followed by a snort Shippou understood to mean Inuyasha had lost interest. Another length of silence stretched out, and Inuyasha took the time to find a place to conceal himself within reach of the snare.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten involved.” Shippou kept his voice low so the others would not hear the conversation.
“Damn right,” Inuyasha growled. “It was my fight and I don’t need your help to whip that stupid kitten’s ass.” Shippou bit his lip, doubting he had earned the dog demon’s good grace back. Deciding there was nothing else he could do for now, Shippou took the last snare from its place on the ground and hunted around for a good place to set up.

Hours passed in bored silence. All around them the forest hummed with the cries of animals, rustle of leaves, and songs of insects; but nothing ventured into the small clearing. It did not help that most of them could not sit still for very long or Aodh’s occasional snide comments – followed by Inuyasha’s “shut up.” At one point Krishna suggested they remove their shoes to keep the hard soles from crunching the dead leaves and giving them away.

The sun was beginning to sink low, turning the sky into a burning crimson red and casting deep shadows through the forest, when they appeared. Tentatively at first, the small deer-like creatures made their way into the clearing. Each was no larger then a medium-sized dog-droid, with dainty legs and sleek bodies. The creatures were silvery-white in color, and flashed like a camera bulb whenever a dapple of light hit it. Dark pronged horns crowned the heads of several of the larger animals. They moved in a group of about twenty towards the water’s edge.

Inuyasha swallowed and tightened his grip on the vine. The deer ventured closer, their large ears alert for the slightest sound and the nostrils on their black noses flared to pick up any scent. Several of them stopped and Inuyasha froze. A moment passed and he was sure they could hear his heart pounding in his chest. The deer moved on, the need for water overcoming their caution.

He trained his eyes on the patch of sand where his snare was hidden, watching as several deer missed stepping into it by inches. The half-demon cursed under his breath as his legs began to cramp from not moving and the deer still evaded the snare. One deer placed a forefoot directly on the hidden vine and a hind foot into the center of the trap.

Inuyasha lost his patience. With a fierce jerk he sprung the snare. The deer gave a squall of surprise as its feet came out from under it. The other deer scattered, leaping off into the bush, white coats flashing dazzlingly as they ran. The captured deer struggled and kicked as Inuyasha dug in his heels. A flailing limb swung at his stomach and he leapt back instinctively, letting go of the vine. The deer was up and running in an instant.

Aodh dove out of his hiding place, just missing being trampled. Krishna and Shippou both jumped away as well; Shippou jumping into a nearby tree to get out of the way. Xun was not as fortunate. He dodged one fleeing deer only to be knocked to the ground by another. His foot caught on a root and twisted painfully, then snapped as a large deer landed on it.

Furmin dove from his hiding place, grabbing desperately at the vine Inuyasha had lost. He did not see the other deer until it leapt. In its panicked escape, the creature barreled straight into the bear demon, impaling him with its pronged antlers. Furmin’s mouth opened in a soundless scream as the vine fell from his grasp.

The little deer-like creature kept going, knocking the demon to the side as he pushed past. Furmin hit the ground with a thud and curled into a ball. The rest of the herd rushed out the newly formed escape route, several landing on or kicking the downed bear demon in the process.

“Shit,” Shippou whispered in disbelief as the dust settled. The creatures had vanished into the forest with only their frightened cries echoing after them. For a long moment nobody moved, as if the creatures had cast a spell rooting them into place. As the sounds of the deer faded away, Furmin’s desperate gasps for air took their place. Krishna was the first to move.

The jaguar demon knelt down and carefully turned Furmin on his back as the rest gathered around. His shirt was already covered in blood as was the patch of grass and dead leaves he was lying on. His breath came in harsh but almost silent gasps, as if his lungs refused to work. He convulsed and coughed, blood bubbling up and trickling down his cheek. Furmin turned on his side again, curling around his injured stomach. His mouth moved, forming words without sound, and unfocused eyes turned up to the small group.

“Do something!” Aodh snapped at no one in particular.

“What do you want us to do?” Shippou snarled back. “None of us are doctors!”

“He looks pretty bad,” Krishna’s voice shook as he spoke. “We need to get him to Kirara.” The black-haired demon made another attempt to roll Furmin onto his back, but the bear had become dead weight and refused to uncurl.

Inuyasha swore darkly, “Fuck! He’ll never make it like this,” He knelt down next to Krishna and forcibly made the bear roll onto his back and pried him out of the fetal position. “He’ll bleed to death before we make it back.” Inuyasha placed his hand over Furmin’s stomach, pushing down until the demon flinched. He grabbed Krishna’s wrist and placed the jaguar demon’s hand over another wound. “Put pressure there until the bleeding stops.”

“Don’t waste time with your bullshit, halfling!” Aodh growled. “You’re not a doctor. Pick him up and let’s get back before he dies.”

“Shippou, put your hand here,” Inuyasha instructed, grabbing the fox’s wrist and forcing him to comply. “Where the fuck is Xun?”

“Here,” The cheetah answered weakly, limping out from behind a bush. His leg was torn open and bleeding. A jagged end of bone protruded from the wound. Xun leaned against a nearby tree just to keep himself upright.
“Crap. Aodh, help him,” Inuyasha ordered, not caring that the tiger had already moved to comply.

Furmin had grown very still under their hands. He no longer tried to turn over or curl up, and his breathing was no longer coming in harsh gasps. Dull eyes stared up at the canopy, unblinking and unfocused. He gave a final weak cough, sending another trickle of blood down his cheek, a final desperate gasp for the breath he could not catch, and was still.

With a dark frown Inuyasha leaned close and turned his sensitive ear towards the demon’s chest. After a moment he drew his blood covered hands away from the wounds.

“Is he... dead?” Shippou asked meekly. Inuyasha gave a single sharp nod and the fox pulled away as if the body had burned him. Krishna cringed away as well. Aodh and Xun both turned their heads away respectfully.

“I told you,” Aodh growled. “We should have gone straight to that nurse. She would have known what to do.”

“Fuck you!” Inuyasha snapped back, looking away from the body for the first time. “Do you really fucking think he would have lasted the entire way back? You’re a moron!” Aodh growled but did not respond further.

“Now what?” Shippou asked tentatively.

“We should get Xun back to Kirara. She can fix his leg.” Krishna answered. Inuyasha snorted.

“What about...” The young fox demon gestured towards the body. “We can’t just leave him here.”

“No choice,” Aodh answered calmly, “None of us are ordained. It would be a sin for us to move the body now. We’ll have to come back with the priest.”

“But...” Shippou protested weakly. “There may not be a body to return to if we leave him.”

“We will have to take that chance.” The tiger shook his head, adjusting his grip on Xun so he would be easier to help him.

“I’ll carry him back,” Inuyasha grunted as he lifted the stout demon onto his back, grabbing his arms to keep him in place.

Aodh’s eyes widened. “Bu-but it’s a sin!”

The half-demon gave a mirthless chuckle, “The gods forsook me a long time ago, one more sin won’t count much.” The tiger’s ears lay back slightly and a frown touched his lips, but he said nothing else.

Forging the river proved to be a difficult task. The rushing water pulled at the dead weight in Inuyasha’s already aching arms, nearly causing the half-demon to drop his burden. With a growl, he heaved the bear onto his back and forced himself the rest of the way.

Xun was harder to get across; the flowing water tugged painfully at his leg. With Krishna and Aodh holding him up under each arm and Shippou gently holding his legs out of the water, they managed to make it across. On the other side they all sat down in the grass, gasping for breath. Xun leaned against a tree trunk to keep himself upright, his eyes staring forward, unfocused.

“We should hurry,” Aodh said, making no effort to get back on his feet. “I think he may be going into shock.”

“Okay,” Shippou agreed. “Just let me get a drink.” The fox demon pushed himself to his feet and walked the few steps to the river’s edge before dropping back to his knees. The others followed suit, taking deep gulps of the cool liquid. When he was finished, Krishna used cupped hands to help Xun swallow a little as well.

“Come on,” Inuyasha grunted as he lifted Furmin into his arms again. “It’s not that much farther.”

The return journey was slow going. Furmin’s weight slowed Inuyasha down more then he would like to admit, but he refused help when Shippou offered. Xun’s broken leg made it impossible to walk without help. The cheetah seemed to be fading in and out of consciousness as they walked, even as Krishna did his best to keep him talking.

It did not register to Inuyasha how horrible they must have looked until they walked into camp. All eyes turned their way only to widen a fraction of a second later. Inuyasha caught sight of Shippou out of the corner on his eye, as he set Furmin’s body on the cave floor.

The fox demon was covered in dirt and mud, and river water soaked most of his torn clothes. His face was flushed from the exertion of the day and there was blood under his nails and on his clothes. Dead leaves and twigs were tangled his head, and Inuyasha realized they had failed to retrieve their shoes.

“Oh my gods!” Jamie cried, her mousy hair bouncing as she covered her mouth. Ricky recoiled as well, covering his watery eyes.

“What happened?!” Sango demanded, “Where did you go? What were you thinking, wandering off on your own?” With a few clipped steps she crossed the cave and Inuyasha found himself looking straight in the ex-army girl’s eyes. “I know you’re behind this somehow! Where do you get off pulling a stunt like this?”

The half-demon growled back, flashing his fangs. “Just because the rest of you are willing to sit around on your asses hoping for the gods to hand you salvation on a silver fucking platter, doesn’t mean I am! So get the fuck out of my face!” Before Sango could respond, he shoved her back. Her foot caught on Furmin, whom she had stepped over, and she fell hard onto her back. The girl growled up at him.

“Enough!” Miroku stepped between them. “There are more important matters at hand. Fault can be decided later,” Sango gave a final glare and got to her feet; Inuyasha snorted in return. The priest looked down at the body at his feet then up at the half-demon, confused. “You took sin upon yourself to return his body?”

“Keh. Like I give a damn.” Inuyasha turned away. The priest merely nodded.

“Are you hurt?” Kirara appeared from behind Miroku, her arms loaded with medical supplies.

“No. Help him,” Inuyasha gestured over his shoulder. The smaller blond girl stood on her toes and leaned to the left to see where he was pointing. Her eyes widened at the site of Xun, hanging heavily between Krishna and Aodh. She dodged around the half-demon, and vanished from his view.

“Let’s get out of everyone’s way,” Shippou suggested. Inuyasha grunted and they moved away from the flurry of activity centered around Xun. The two demons found an empty space against the cave wall and sat down. The cool stone felt good against the tired muscles of Inuyasha’s back and he closed his eyes, leaning his head back.

“Inuyasha.” Someone gave his shoulder a gentle shake and he growled something incoherent. “Inuyasha, wake up.” The person shook his shoulder again, the voice more insistent.

“What the-” Inuyasha grumbled, opening his eyes. He blinked several times before things finally came into focus. Beyond the cave entrance night had fallen and a large fire now provided most of the light. Xun lay on one of the grass mats, a piece of cloth tucked under his head for support. He was sleeping peacefully. Most of the group members were setting out mats of their own, preparing for bed.

“Inuyasha.” He turned towards the source of the voice and found himself looking straight at Kagome. She had a canteen in one hand, a bowl of steaming liquid in the other, and a mat over her arm. She gave him a gentle smile. “Here.” She held the items out to him.

“What’s this for?” Inuyasha asked suspiciously even as he accepted them.

“The mat is to sleep on. It’s a little warmer than the ground, and this is some water and soup. I noticed you didn’t eat this morning.” She gave him a final smile before standing up and going back to Sango – who was sending him a death glare. Inuyasha looked down at the bowl of soup. It looked as thin and unappetizing as it had this morning. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he had not eaten anything all day.

Inuyasha ate the soup.