InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Guilty Hero ❯ The 'Calm' Before the Storm ( Chapter 43 )

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

EDIT:  Hmm.  Well, I guess when MM went wonky there around Thanksgiving-ish, this chapter disappeared.  Sorry about that!  Hope this time it shows up for you.  To those who reviewed when I first posted this, I apologize for not replying, but for some reason, all the reviews vanished! T_T

Well, hello there, folks.  I do apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out.  However, my reasons are actually good this time.  At the end of August my dad ended up in the hospital due to a mild heart attack.  Seven weeks and four surgeries later, he was finally able to come home.  It took us quite a while to deal with everything that had happened, and even longer to adjust to our new lifestyle.  So I am really sorry for not working too diligently on GH, but I couldn't really focus.  I hope you all understand. :)

However, Dad is now home and doing well, which means...  Updates!  More frequently, I hope.  If anyone is still reading this after that unexpected hiatus. :D  



A very special thanks to Sassybratt for encouraging me to keep writing, and another very special thanks to Karaumea for our long chat sessions bouncing ideas back and forth, and for editing this chapter.  Be sure to check out their pages—Sassybratt's Somewhere Beyond This is a particular favorite of mine, and Karaumea's Heartless and The S-Android are really taking off.  I highly suggest you go read them.  After this, of course. :P

That's everything!  And now, on with the show!

Guilty Hero

Chapter 42:  The 'Calm' Before the Storm



Thump, thump...  Thump, thump.  The heels of Inu-Yasha's sneakers beat a rhythm against the bed frame.

Thump, thump...  Thump, thump.  He blew out a cloud of smoke from his cigarette.  His half-lidded eyes watched in mild disinterest as it floated lazily toward the ceiling.

Thump, thump...  Thump, thump.  The force of his shoes made him bounce slightly on the mattress.

“I am so...”  Thump.  “Damn.”  Thump.  “Bored.”

Ever since the Order had released him from all his duties and responsibilities, life had indeed become quieter for the half-demon.  Yes, the sheer relief at not carrying the problems of an entire city was a wonderful feeling, and for the first couple of days he had relished it.  However, it soon became clear that the changes at the Order had not only freed up hours of his time, but also took away much of Kagome's.  By the time she finally arrived at his apartment to spend the evening with him, she was utterly exhausted.  While he was more than happy to allow her to fall asleep against him as they watched TV, he couldn't help but feel a little gypped out of his time with her.

For the first week or so during his time alone, things had been all right.  He was able to successfully occupy his attention with small chores and television until around six o' clock, when Kagome finally returned from a long day's work.  However, as the days began to wear on and on, finding things to take up time grew to be a near impossible task.  Now almost finished with his second week of unemployment, he had scrubbed the entire apartment clean twice, taught himself to cook a decent meal, watched several hours of television a day, and had now taken to lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling to pass the time.

Pulling his cigarette from his lips and stretching to crush it in the ashtray on his side table, he glanced at the clock.  1:56pm.  “Dammit,” he groaned, rubbing his face with the palms of his hands.  “I gotta find somethin' to do!”

Today was even worse than usual.  Not only was time dragging ever-so-slowly, but he seemed to have boundless energy.  Being cooped up in his apartment for days on end was never fun, but he was limited in his options.  He tried not to go outside very often, for the city's occupants were fond of his presence no longer.  He didn't want to have any interaction with the humans mistaken for something that could hinder or hurt the Order again.  Rooftop runs, while still open to him, rarely offered any relief nowadays.  Without Kagome on his back, he found little joy in it, and could hardly drum up the effort to take one.

“Some exercise would be nice,” he grunted, scowling at the ceiling.  His thoughts drifted back to the day when Kagome had arranged a training session for him with Koga.  While the day had ended in utter disaster, he had to admit the idea of a match was quite welcome.  A small smirk tugged at his lips.  “I would really like to beat the crap out of that damn wolf again.”

His furrowed brow lessened at the idea.  A match with Koga?  That would be time well-spent.  Kagome had wanted him to continue the training, after all.  With everything that had happened in the past few weeks, his training sessions had fallen by the wayside; but perhaps, now might be a good time to start them up again.

Besides, working with Koga might help him gain more information on the happenings at the Order.  Kagome, while she knew so much of the inner plans, could tell him very little in order to keep him safe and distant from the war.  Koga, on the other hand, probably didn't know better.  And if he did, Inu-Yasha knew he didn't give a rat's ass if the half-demon got sucked into the war or not.  

“I doubt that moron knows too much anyway,” he said thoughtfully, rolling his eyes.  “He never pays much attention to anything.”  Still, some news was better than no news.  Loathe as he was to admit, he really was curious to the progress of the war.

A small grin graced his features.  The more he thought about it, the better an idea it was.

“All right, that does it.  That mangy wolf won't know what hit 'im.”  He sat up and bounded out of the room to find his cell phone, full of energy now that he had a goal ahead.  Secretly, as he scoured the apartment, he was proud of himself.  He hoped that by taking initiative and attempting to further his progress, Kagome might be pleased.  Until this point, she had walked him through every step on the path to sobriety.  Doing a task on his own might possibly gain her praise.  And that was something he knew never to turn down.


“It's about damn time you showed up!” Inu-Yasha growled around his cigarette as Koga meandered his way over.  Clearly more eager than the wolf, Inu-Yasha had arrived at the gym several minutes prior, his anxiety growing with each passing moment.  He was desperate for some action.  “For someone who brags about his speed so much, the walk here sure took a while.”

Koga sneered back.  “I just thought I would give you the chance to chicken out and leave, pup.”

“Leave?!” Inu-Yasha sputtered.  “Why the hell would I leave?  I'm the one who asked to do this!”

Koga's expression grew stern.  “I know that, idiot.  I just wanted to make sure that you were serious about this.  I wasn't about to waste my time on a practical joke.”

“Of course, I'm serious,” Inu-Yasha replied, already growing irritated with the wolf.  “Kagome said I needed more exercise.  And if beating the crap out of you is part of the doctor's orders, then I'm doin' it!”

Rolling his eyes, Koga refused to take the bait.  He knew 'following doctor's orders' had nothing to do with it.  “I don't think you're serious about this.”

“Why the hell do you keep saying that?!”

Before Inu-Yasha could react, Koga snatched the cigarette from his mouth and tossed it to the ground.  “Because, only a fool would start a training session like that.  Now get moving, dog-breath; it's cold out here.”  He brushed past the half-demon into the gym.

Though more than a bit angry at losing a perfectly good cigarette, Inu-Yasha was at least smart enough to hold his tongue while Koga secured a training room for them.  With his social standing at an all-time low, he knew better than to draw attention to himself.  His attack on the mayor was broadcasted all over television and had brought nothing but trouble to the Order.  Starting a fistfight with another member was bordering on the edge of insane.

Thus, he remained silent as he followed Koga into their training room.  However, once the door was shut and he was certain they were alone, he didn't hesitate to speak his mind.

“That was a damn stupid thing to do,” he growled, shedding his coat and sunglasses and tossing them carelessly aside.  “Nobody takes away my smokes.  Nobody.”

“Well I just did, so get over it.”  Koga shrugged out of his coat and gently laid it on the bench.  “I knew you were an idiot, but not that much of one.  Oh well.  I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised.”

Starting a fistfight in the lobby of the gym was one matter.  But out from under the public eye, Inu-Yasha had no reason to hold back.  Mere words were not enough now.  That jibe was all the bait he needed to leap forward with his fangs bared and his hands balled into fists.

Koga was either already prepared for an attack, or he was able to move a good deal faster than Inu-Yasha remembered.  Either way, Inu-Yasha's sudden charge was met with a slam in the chest, a twist of his arm, and then a sudden meeting with the ground.

“What the hell do you think you're doing?” Koga snarled at him, crouching down to the mat to stare the  furious half-demon in the eye.  “This is a training session, you mongrel, not a no-holds-barred takedown!”

“I don't give a damn what it's called, it's just a chance to beat the crap outta you!” Inu-Yasha snapped in reply, struggling to gain freedom from Koga's grip.  Not only was he faster than Inu-Yasha remembered, he was also a bit stronger, too.

“Like hell,” Koga said in a tone of disgust.  “Don't think for a second that things are gonna go like last time.  I've already talked with Kagome, and she told me what exercises she wants you doing.  A fight to the death wasn't included on that list.”

Inu-Yasha ceased his efforts to break free.  “When did you talk to Kagome?”

Frowning down at him, Koga answered, “Right after you called me.  I wanted to make sure it was all right to have one of these sessions without her supervision.  She wasn't pleased with our last one, you know.”

“Why the hell do you care?  And how did you get her number?”

A tiny grin wormed its way onto Koga's face.  “Getting jealous, Dog-Boy?”

Inu-Yasha scowled in reply.  “Not hardly!  I just didn't think you were so desperate as to sneak girls' phone numbers like that.  I seriously doubt Kagome gave it to you.”  

It was a pathetic cover-up, and Koga desperately wanted to bite back.  However, he had promised Kagome he would try and help Inu-Yasha.  She had been thrilled upon hearing that it was Inu-Yasha who had initiated the training session, and had been so excited that Koga couldn't find it in his heart to say no.  Besides, he was anxious himself to see how badly the half-demon's skills had decreased since his heyday.  Koga, loathe as he was to admit, had once viewed Inu-Yasha as a worthy opponent.  Their last match had given him a taste as to how far Inu-Yasha had fallen, but he wanted to know for certain.
So, with heavier thoughts than Inu-Yasha's jealousy weighing on his mind, Koga shook his head to sober up and chose not to continue the argument.

“Look, moron, I got her number from the Order's directory.  And as for why I care, let me put it this way: I don't.  However, Kagome asked me to continue with this last time.  I'm not one to back down from a promise, all right?  Now, if I let you up, will you promise not to charge me like that again?”

Inu-Yasha was glowering at him.  “Like hell,” he grunted, mimicking Koga's prior statement.

Koga, who had Inu-Yasha's arm twisted in an uncomfortable position already, gave it a sharp tug.  This earned a slightly choked groan from the half-demon.  “Come on, Inu-Yasha.  For once, just once, don't be a fool.  I'm just here to train you.  I'm not here to kill you.”

Scowling furiously, Inu-Yasha lay silent for a moment.  “Fine.”

“Good.”

It was with a very uneasy truce that the pair got to their feet and began the training session.  As Koga came out with a series of stretches for them to do, Inu-Yasha attempted to argue, but his initial complaint was shot down by a surprisingly serious glare from the wolf.  It was clear that Koga meant business.

Crouching down on one leg and stretching the other out behind him in a mirror image of Koga, Inu-Yasha couldn't help but stare at the wolf in confusion.  When he had called Koga up, he really had intended for this to be an easy way to burn off energy.  A good brawl had always done a world of good for him, particularly when it was with Koga.  Koga was able to put up a good fight, but Inu-Yasha knew that his own battle abilities were superior.  And Koga, though he would kill himself before admitting it, knew that he could not win against Inu-Yasha.  However, he saw each new challenge as an opportunity to change that fact.

What concerned Inu-Yasha was that, while Koga appeared to be taking things quite seriously this time around, winning the fight did not seem to be on his list of goals to accomplish that day.  What was going through his head?  This was supposed to be just another one of their brawls, but the wolf was behaving strangely.  Things typically began with a few barbs thrown back and forth, and then they would leap at each other with fangs bared and fists ready to crush.  Koga had not taken the bait, and he was in no hurry to start fighting.  Inu-Yasha hardly knew how to handle the situation.

“Why the hell am I doing this?” he growled, breaking the silence as the two demons continued to stretch.

Koga rolled his eyes.  “You need to stretch properly before exercising, dumbass,” he said in reply.  “That's training 101, something you learned years and years ago.”

“I know why you need to stretch!” Inu-Yasha snarled back.  “I just meant, why the hell are you wasting so much time?  Are you trying to put me off my guard with this stupid 'training' talk so you can hammer me with a surprise attack?  'Cause that plan won't work, I'll tell you that now.”

Koga barked out a laugh.  “You really are dumber than a box of rocks.  How many more ways do I have to put it?  I'm not here to fight.”

Inu-Yasha scoffed.  He didn't believe a word of it.  Or rather, he didn't want to believe a word of it.  He hadn't wanted to break the monotony of apartment life with a wimpy training session.  He wanted a fight.

“Well, how much longer are we gonna do this?  I feel ridiculous.”

“Just a little longer.”

More irritated by the lack of an insult in Koga's reply than any jab he had ever been dealt by the wolf, Inu-Yasha sighed in annoyance.  “This is stupid...”

A vein throbbed in Koga's forehead as he continued to lead the stretches.  It was incredibly difficult, resisting the urge to beat the crap out of Inu-Yasha for his behavior.  It was basically denying his instincts, and for a wolf, that was a task indeed.

“You're almost worse than those pathetic human cops I have to train now,” he said coolly.  It was his way of changing the subject before his control broke.  “At least they know how to keep their mouths shut when I'm working 'em.”

“Cops?” Inu-Yasha asked, genuinely curious.  “What are you doin' with the cops?”

Koga glanced at Inu-Yasha as he switched to a different position.  “It's Muso's way of convincing the citizens that they are still protected without the defense branch.  If a small group of cops is trained to take down demons, should there be any trouble under his reign of peace,” Koga sounded less than convinced of that, “there will be a buffer for the city.  The Order, of course, knows that this is just another way our enemy is preventing us from gaining any power.  But, we are taking advantage of the situation.”

He stood up straight, signaling the end of the stretches.  “All right, Inu-Yasha.  We're going to start light.  I want thirty pushups.”

“Pushups?!” Inu-Yasha sputtered.  “What the hell?  You think I can't handle some damn pushups?”

“No, you idiot, I know you can handle pushups.  That's not the point.  I'm just trying to get a gauge on where you're at.  Now shut up and get down.”

There was something in his tone that suggested Inu-Yasha shouldn't argue anymore.  Not that he was afraid, of course.  He just didn't want to spend their entire session verbally sparring.  A little exercise, even if it was just pushups, was a good thing for him, he knew.  So, with only an irritated scowl, he got onto the mat and got into position.

“One-armed,” Koga added as Inu-Yasha started his thirty.  Without hesitation, he shifted his weight onto one arm and continued to raise and lower himself.

“Any fighters the city can get, no matter what, will be useful,” Koga continued on as he watched Inu-Yasha, as though there had been no interruption.  “So, since Muso allowed the Order to send one member of the defense branch to train that special section of the police, they chose me to be their leader.  I am training those dogs as hard as I can to prepare them for what is going to befall the city.  Fortunately for us, the Chief of Police is pretty suspicious of Muso, and he's unofficially ordered the entire force to attend at least one of my sessions.  It is a pretty ragtag group of regulars, but some of the officers are really picking up on it.  Switch arms and do another thirty.”  

The last statement was barked harshly at Inu-Yasha, who silently complied.  Koga hid a smirk.  Inu-Yasha, in his silence, was blatantly displaying his curiosity for something that he had rallied so desperately against— participation in the upcoming war.  He was thirsty for information on a group that he really shouldn't care about anymore.  What a fool.

“I'm pretty lucky, though,” he continued.  He watched as Inu-Yasha's ears twitched in his direction to catch every word.  “I'm not officially part of the Order anymore myself, so I don't have to go through what Sango and Miroku do every day.”

“Which is?” Inu-Yasha asked softly.  He had barely heard from Sango and Miroku since the split.

Koga regarded him carefully.  “Well, I can only go into HQ every once in a while with the excuse that I need to peruse their records for my training.  But what I've seen once I've been inside...”  He trailed off and scowled at the mat.  “They're watched.  The whole building is watched.  Even I've been followed a couple times.  That's why I chose this gym, incidentally.  No demon would consider the fact that we might try and train in a public gym, of all places.  Because trust me, if they find out you were training, you would be taken out in a heartbeat.”

Inu-Yasha grunted in displeasure.  “I'm not that easily taken out.”

“Ha!”  Koga let out a laugh so loud that Inu-Yasha started in surprise.  “You really think you could put up a fight?  With all that booze you keep filling yourself with, Kaede could land you in the hospital!”

Immediately, he regretted the remark.  Not only had he promised Kagome he wouldn't mention Inu-Yasha's drinking any more, but the look Inu-Yasha gave him was startling.  Inu-Yasha's amber eyes were suddenly fixed on him with an unhealthy amount of loathing, but what really cut him was the tiniest hint of pain in the half-demon's gaze.  Kagome had told him that Inu-Yasha's toil with alcohol was something he would never comprehend, and he suddenly got a glimpse of how deep the struggle went.

Cursing himself for not keeping control over his tongue, he cleared his throat and looked away.  “Get up,” he said gruffly.  “We're moving on from pushups.”

“To what?” Inu-Yasha snapped.  This time, the anger in his voice was not portrayed as a challenge, but as a warning.  Koga had indeed jabbed at a sore spot, and he would be wise to avoid doing so again.

Koga's tail betrayed his cool exterior when it twitched out of nerves.  “Sit-ups,” he blurted quickly, hoping to glide past his error.  “On your back, legs straight out in front of you.”

Sneering, Inu-Yasha rolled onto his back and stretched out on the ground in preparation for the next exercise.  He started to pull his torso up, but he met resistance when Koga planted his foot on the half-demon's chest.  He at first thought that Koga was issuing a challenge, and his eyes flashed up to glare at  him.  However, Koga's command of, “Keep going,” reminded him that this was merely an exercise, so he continued to work without complaint.

With this task being slightly more challenging than the first, it took a couple moments before Inu-Yasha could focus back on their prior conversation.  “What about Kagome?”

“Hm?”  

“Is she being followed?”

“Kagome?  Well...  She's hardly at the Order, anymore.  She still works part-time as a nurse there, and she is watched during her shifts.  However, once her shift is over, she has work to do... elsewhere.”  The wolf suddenly seemed a little more hesitant to talk.  “Training, so to speak.  She isn't followed there.  She CAN'T be followed there.”  He grinned slightly.

“What kind of training?  And where the hell is she going where she can't be followed?”  Concern was creeping into Inu-Yasha's voice between grunts as he worked.

Koga frowned and then pressed his foot down a little harder to give Inu-Yasha more resistance.  “Look, even I don't know the answers to that.  That's not the kind of information we can give out willy-nilly.  Not if we want to have any kind of secret weapon to bring out.”

Inu-Yasha, who had been in mid-sit-up, fell back with a crash and caused Koga to stumble.  “What do you mean, 'secret weapon'?” he demanded, fixing Koga with an intense stare.  “Are you telling me the Order is training Kagome to become a weapon?”

“I said, I don't know anything definite about that!” Koga growled in response.  “I'm just putting two and two together, that's all.  I've been told nothing.  All I know is that Kagome has been working as a nurse at the Order less and less, and going out with Kaede more and more.  We both know that Kaede's spiritual power is considerable, and her knowledge about it even more so.  And from what I hear, Kagome is showing a lot of promise in that area.  What do you think Kaede's doing, teaching Kagome how to knit?”  Sniffing, Koga crossed his arms.  “I may not be part of the Order's innermost circle anymore, but I'm not a fool.  Something's up, and I think that whatever Kagome is doing is going to come in handy very soon.”

Inu-Yasha remained unusually quiet for a couple moment's more, making no sound except the pants for breath as he pulled his body upright.  When Koga glanced down, he noticed that the half-demon's face was pinched into a frown.  He got the sinking suspicion that talking about Kagome perhaps was not the best conversation topic.

“The entire Order is training, you know,” he said nonchalantly, hoping to ease the conversation in a different direction.  “In secret, of course.  Things are getting worse out there.  Oh, chaos hasn't fallen over the city yet, but...”  He sighed and crossed his arms.  “The attacks are starting to come.  Muso is keeping everything under the radar for now, but many of our members are being taken down.  We all have to watch our backs.  I think that's why... er, certain members, are being trained so hard.”  He was careful not to mention Kagome's name again, though Inu-Yasha's expression told him the half-demon knew exactly who he was talking about.

“With our prime fighter gone, and the head of the Order being stripped of her power, we need all the powerful fighters we can get.”  Even Inu-Yasha knew that Kaede had been all but thrown out of her position as head of the Order when Muso had seized control.  “The only problem is, it's hard to find people who are willing to take the risk of training.  When they do so, they become a threat to this new enemy we're up against.  And those who are threats seem to be targeted first.”
“Has Kagome ever been attacked?” Inu-Yasha asked softly in between breaths.

“Kagome?  Not that I know of.  The enemy either doesn't know about her training, or doesn't view her as a threat.  Either way, she's safe for now.  However, the more power she gains, the more careful she needs to be.”

Koga awkwardly cleared his throat.  The topic had once again switched to Kagome, and that was a dangerous place to be.  “Others have been attacked, though.  All the nurses at the Order have their hands full healing those who were caught in a battle.  And Kohaku... I don't know where the hell that kid is, but it's gotta be bad.  Sango is struggling to hold herself together whenever his name is mentioned.”  

His brow furrowed as his thoughts drifted to the more serious matters at hand.  “Something bad is gonna happen, Inu-Yasha.  I can feel it.  It feels just like before, y'know?  And we didn't escape unscathed last time.  We're going to be even less prepared this time.  We just don't have the same kind of power we had all those years ago.  And to make matters worse, we don't even know what we're up against this time around.  I just don't see how--”

“Can we please switch to a different exercise?!” Inu-Yasha barked, rudely jarring Koga out of his thoughts.

Blinking in surprise, Koga slowly lifted his foot off Inu-Yasha's chest.  “Oh.  Yeah, sorry.”  He backed away as Inu-Yasha slowly sat up, breathing heavily.  The half-demon was scowling deeply at the training mat, and Koga realized that the conversation had perhaps taken yet another wrong turn.  Scratching his head out of frustration at himself, he sighed and turned away.  “Wait here.  I need to get a piece of equipment.”

As Koga headed in the direction of the equipment storage closet, Inu-Yasha glared at his retreating back.  From just their few minutes of talk, guilt had been stirred up inside him more than it had in weeks.  

How could he not have realized how far things had deteriorated in the city?  He'd had no idea about the attacks, or Sango and Miroku, or even Kohaku.  With his resignation from the Order, he had opened the door of opportunity for the mayor.  With Inu-Yasha, the Savior of the City, gone and out of the way, the Order barely stood a chance.  It no longer had any support from the general public, and in order to keep up it's duties protecting the city, members had to put their lives on the line.  Inu-Yasha knew, because of his selfish desires, because of his inability to defeat his inner demons, he had brought about the Order's downfall.

And Kagome...  His heart twisted in guilt and fear at the thought of Kagome.  He had never known how hard she was training, for what purpose she was training or even the effects her training would rain down on her.  She was now in danger and she hadn't said a word.  She had not asked for his help, or his protection, and all because she knew how desperately he wanted to remain detached from the war.  She was sacrificing her safety so that he could live in blissful ignorance.  For so many days, his only concern had been for her to arrive home sooner than usual so they could spend more time together.  He had never even thought about her time spent outside of the apartment, training so diligently so as to become a secret weapon for the Order.

The thought of her being sent out on assignments in preparation for the arrival of their newest enemy made Inu-Yasha's blood run cold.  Kagome was the one who needed to be protected, not doing the protecting!  And where was he?  Sitting on the couch, watching television and waiting for her to come home.  I'm such an ass...

“All right, here we are.”  Koga's voice tore him from his thoughts.  Glancing up from the ground, Inu-Yasha was greeted with the sight of the wolf shoving his hands into two punching mitts.  “Get up, mutt.  We're going to push you a little harder now.”

Still reeling from the overload of bad news, Inu-Yasha slowly pushed himself to his feet.  He was still breathing a little heavily from the prior exercise, but he tried to ignore it.  “What the hell am I doing now?”

Koga gave him a fanged grin.  “Something that might release some of that battle energy you seem to have stored up.”  He placed himself directly in front of Inu-Yasha, then went into a semi-crouch with the training mitts held up.  “I want you to punch these as hard as you can.  I'm lookin' for strength, here, not speed, so only punch on my signal.  Got it?”

Though his thoughts were elsewhere, Inu-Yasha slowly nodded and mirrored Koga's crouch.

“All right... Punch!”  The command was met with a resounding thump on the right mitt.

“Punch!”  Another thump on the left.

“Punch!”  Koga grunted from the force of the blow.  “Harder!”

Thump!

“Harder!”

Thump!

“Harder!”

Thump!

As that pattern continued, Koga's cockiness at finding the right exercise for Inu-Yasha decreased considerably.  Something wasn't right.  Inu-Yasha had one of the most ferocious punches he had ever encountered.  At least, he used to.  Now the blows barely registered as pain in his hands.  His strength was fading, and it was causing Koga a considerable amount of concern.

“Harder, damn you!” He finally shouted, frustrated with this turn of events.  “When the hell did you become such a weakling?!”

Inu-Yasha twitched at the insult.  He had been silent the entire time, focusing solely on the two mitts in front of him.  However, with his anger sparked, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he swung his fist as hard at he could at Koga's hand.

THUMP!

“Seriously, Inu-Yasha?!  Do better than that!”

THUMP!

“You ARE a weakling, aren't you!  I barely felt that!”  Koga frowned even deeper as Inu-Yasha put more and more effort into his punches.  He could see already the half-demon was beginning to pant for breath from exertion, when any normal demon would still have plenty of energy.

Something in him snapped.  He was not going to stand for this.  Inu-Yasha was his rival, the one man who he knew would put up the best fight.  He had not wanted to believe it, but it was true—Inu-Yasha had fallen.  Fallen from his status as equal in Koga's eyes.  And Koga hated it.  

Determined to draw the strength that lay dormant in the half-demon, Koga decided to stroke Inu-Yasha's anger.  It was the only way to remind the half-demon of all that he could do.

THUMP!

“It's the booze, isn't it?”

THUMP!

“I knew it.  You're just a damn drunk.”

THUMP!

“You can't even fight anymore.  You're just a pathetic, washed-up, hack!”

THUMP!  THUMP!  Inu-Yasha's blows were beginning to pick up speed.  He remained eeriely quiet, but his gaze was becoming more intense as his anger grew.

“It's no wonder you wanted out of the Order so bad!  If they knew how useless you had become, they would have kicked you out!”

THUMP!  THUMP!  THUMP!

“I'm surprised you weren't kicked out sooner, frankly!  You've caused a lot more trouble for the Order than you're worth, in my opinion!”

THUMP!  THUMP!  THUMP!

“And Kagome!  Who knows what that poor girl has had to put up with while you've been around!  I'll bet that even when you got drunk and beat her, your blows didn't hurt a bit.  Not with this terrible show you're giving me!”  Koga had to pause occasionally to grunt, for Inu-Yasha's punches were finally starting to have an effect.

“You know why Kagome's training so hard now, dog-boy?”

THUMP!  THUMP!  THUMP!

“It's because she knows you can't protect her!  When that big bad demon comes out of hiding, she's gonna have to take care of herself, because you can't do that for her!  You'll be passed out under the kitchen table, won't you?  She'll give up on you soon, no doubt!”

The sound that echoed through the training room after that was not the sound of a fist hitting a mitt.  Rather, it was the horrible crunching sound of a nose being broken.

Inu-Yasha stood in front of Koga, gasping for breath and glaring as the wolf's nose spewed blood.  Koga, though secretly relieved to finally see Inu-Yasha snap, decided to feign rage in order to fuel the fire.

“Why the hell did you do that?!” he roared in fury, shoving Inu-Yasha back with the mitts.

“Because!” Inu-Yasha bellowed back, choking on a cough at the same time.  “I may be a drunk!  I may be a pathetic excuse for a member of the Order!  But if I can just beat you...” he swung another enraged punch at the wolf, “...I may not be completely worthless after all!”

Koga took another step forward, forcing Inu-Yasha back with his mitts.  “Who the hell said you were worthless?!” he shouted in reply, landing a solid blow on the half-demon's chest with a mitt.  “And what the hell makes you think that beating me will give you some form of worth?  You're nothing, you mutt, because you've made yourself nothing!”

Inu-Yasha's fist made another connection with the wolf's cheek, twisting his head so far that his neck cracked.  “Who gives a damn about me?!” he snarled, coughing once again in between threats.  “All I know is that beating you means that I can, for once, do something RIGHT!”

Inu-Yasha's most powerful blow, his right hook, was suddenly interrupted when a horrible cough caused him to double over from the force.  And right at the moment, Koga swooped in.  Tugging off one of his mitts,  Koga's hand balled into a fist and rammed right into Inu-Yasha's abdomen.  Inu-Yasha, incapacitated from lack of air, never saw the attack coming.

When the half-demon crashed to the ground in front of him, coughing from the blow and gasping for breath, Koga exhaled heavily.  The intensity that had been thick in the air finally dissipated with the end of the battle.  

Wiping some of the blood off his face, Koga stared sadly down at his companion.  Inu-Yasha's mind was far more twisted with guilt and remorse than he had ever imagined.  It was a task he knew he could not tackle.

For a moment, Koga stood silently, waiting for Inu-Yasha's choking to cease.  At last, when the half-demon was lying flat on his back and trying to regain his breath, did Koga speak.  Rummaging in his pocket, his fingers closed on a small box he had purchased before ever arriving at the gym.

“Here.”  He tossed the box at Inu-Yasha, where it landed on his chest and then slid off to the floor with the half-demon making no attempt to catch it.  “Nicotine gum.  There's your chance to do something right.  I suggest you take it.  Otherwise, this is how you're gonna spend your life.  Flat on your back.”

He walked over to the bench along the wall and slowly put on his coat.  As he tugged the zipper up to his neck, he paused and glanced back at the figure on the floor, who was still fighting for breath.  Now, however, he was uncertain if it was from exertion or anger.

“You've fallen, Inu-Yasha,” he said solemnly, his voice seeming to echo loudly around the room.  “I once considered you my rival.  You no longer hold that role.  I hope that someday you might realize all the unnecessary hell you're putting yourself through and rise above it.  But until then... I don't think I can help you.”  He walked quietly over to the door.

“Take care of yourself, dog-breath.”



“Kagome!  Where have you been, child?”  Kaede peered down at Kagome as the girl climbed up the last few stone steps.  “I was about to go out after you.”

“I’m sorry, Lady Kaede,” Kagome gasped, wiping her sweaty bangs from her forehead.  “I was being followed from the second I left the Order’s headquarters.  I had to lose them before I got here.”

“And did you succeed?”

“I think so.  But you did raise the barriers and seals, right?”  Kagome glanced worriedly around her.

“Hmph.”  Kaede scowled and began to lead the way to the back lot of the shrine.  “Yes, I did the best you could with that interfering grandfather of yours interrupting me every-”

“You were doing it incorrectly!” a hoarse voice piped up.  Shuffling as quickly as his age would allow, a shriveled old man came to greet them.  “If you had just used the scrolls that I had prepared, there would be no question to my granddaughter’s safety!”

“If I had used the scrolls you had prepared, then the answer to the question of your granddaughter’s safety would be that she had none!” Kaede snapped back, continuing to walk away from the elderly man.

“Now, Grandpa,” Kagome said soothingly, putting her hands on her grandfather’s shoulders before he could fire a retort back.  “I appreciate you wanting to help me train, but really, Kaede is doing just fine on her own.  Besides, you’ve already done enough, allowing me to use the shrine to practice.  This is the only place in the city I really feel safe anymore.”  She kissed the old man on the forehead, then hurriedly jogged to catch up with Kaede, leaving him to mutter a quiet insult under his breath and scuffle after them.

“All right, child.  Are you ready to begin?”

Quickly shedding her coat and her bag, Kagome took a deep breath and nodded.  Her grandpa, bringing up the rear, took a seat on a nearby bench.  He crossed his arms and scowled at Kaede, who pointedly ignored him.

“Well, Kagome, your training so far has been fairly successful.  You have been able to draw out great amounts of latent power that has been hidden away for so long.  However, it is not your full potential.  Even you have recognized this, am I correct?”

“Yes, Lady Kaede.  But I feel like something is blocking me, something that is preventing me from pushing forward.”

“Indeed.  We need to attempt to break past that barrier.  Please, ready your crossbow, and we will begin.”  As Kagome pulled her pocket crossbow out of her shoulder bag, Kaede jabbed several different posts into the gravel, many feet away from Kagome.  She slowly began to pull sutras out of her pocket, but Kagome’s grandfather was behind her in a moment.

“Don’t you dare, lady!” the old man croaked, waving a fistful of his homemade sutras at her.  “My sutras will play the better role in this exercise, not your silly little bookmarks!”

Kaede was about to snap back the reasoning to use her sutras: hers would explode when they came in contact with holy energy, signaling when Kagome found her mark and when she didn’t.  However, Grandpa Higurashi had already begun tacking his sutras onto the posts, so she sighed and stepped back.  Better for his scraps of paper to be blown up than sold to innocent shrine-goers.  “Fine, you old fool.  Just stay out of the way.  Kagome, are you ready?”

Kagome gave a short wave, indicating the affirmative.

“All right, I want you to fire the most powerful shot you can muster, and continue to do that for as long as you can!  Pause only to reload your weapon, understood?”

Taking a deep breath, Kagome raised her crossbow up in front of her.  The task of drawing forth her energy was no longer the strain it had been in the beginning, and for that, she was grateful.  Attempting to shoot a target the size of a candy wrapper from ten yards away was difficult enough.  But, trying to harness energy and strengthen it at the same time required far more concentration.

Thwack!  She released the first bolt.  From the moment it left the crossbow, it exploded into a blinding blue light that shot across the lot and tore the entire top of the post off before skidding to a halt in the gravel a few feet away.  The few remaining scraps of the sutra fizzled into ash and smoke.

“Again, Kagome!  Stronger!”

Thwack!  Another bolt streaked away, taking another post out with it.

“Stronger, Kagome!  And faster!  Don’t take so long to charge between shots!”

Thwack!  The next bolt was engulfed in an even larger missile of pure energy.  The entire post disintegrated upon impact.

Thwack!  Kagome didn’t even wait for Kaede to yell out the command.  Another shot, this one slightly smaller, sprang out of the crossbow and took a considerable chunk out of its target.

“More power, Kagome!  Don’t let speed weaken your attack!”

Thwack!  Again and again, over and over, Kagome released bolts.  She put all her strength into destroying those tiny scraps of paper waving in the breeze a few yards away.  As the time wore on, she could feel her energy draining away, weakening with every blow.  She tried to put more energy in, but at last, when the final bolt she fired merely singed the sutra as it shot by and missed the post entirely, she dropped the crossbow and sank to her knees.

“Tha… That’s it, Kaede,” she panted, sweat dripping down her face.  “I have.. . no… more energy…”

However, Kaede did not appear to hear her.  Moving faster than one would expect of an elderly woman, she whipped a sutra out of her pocket and slapped it on a stone from the ground.  Grandpa Higurashi yelled and scrabbled away from her as a terrible groan rose from the rock.  The stone shuddered in her palm, then dropped to the ground.

“K…Kaede?”  Kagome asked, for the look on the old woman’s face was quite serious.  “What…?”

She could not finish her question, for the ground suddenly rumbled, and soon a roiling pile of stones arose into the shape of a beast in front of Kaede.  The sound of rocks grinding together became deafening as it filled the air, and grew even worse when the beast started to move.  It let out a gravelly roar that shook the windows of the shrine and then charged Kagome.

Had such an attack happened a mere week or two before, Kagome may have screamed and cowered before it.  However, her training had been so advanced that such a thought didn’t even cross her mind.  She hurriedly snatched up her crossbow and fired a shot, just as the beast was about to land on her.

The bolt, fired with a weak, blue aura, was caught in the mouth by the beast.  It did no damage, but was at least enough to distract it so she could roll away.  However, she now had no strength left.  The stone beast quickly focused on her again and pounded forward in another charge.  With no power and no useful weapon at her disposal, Kagome was helpless.  Remaining in a crouch on the ground, she squeezed her eyes shut.  Inu-Yasha, help me!

Suddenly, the ground stopped shaking.  The beast let out one final howl before it literally fell apart, every stone clattering to the ground in a rush.

Shakily opening one eye, Kagome peered around until she saw Kaede holding the beast’s sister scroll in her hands.  She had torn the sutra in two in order to vanquish the beast, and was staring worriedly back at the girl.

“Child, are you unhurt?” she asked in concern, quickly crossing the lot to check on Kagome.

“Y-yes, Lady Kaede,” Kagome gasped, finally finding her breath again.  “But why…?”

“I’m sorry, Kagome,” she apologized, helping the girl to sit up.  “In many cases, a time of crisis will bring out dormant power.  I thought perhaps that might be the block you had to break past in order to access your full potential.  I suppose I was wrong.”

“Oh, I see.  Well, thank you for stopping it before that creature landed a good blow.”  Kagome let out a light laugh despite her terror mere moments ago.

“Don’t worry, Kagome!”  The shrill voice of her grandfather rang out as he burst open the door to the shrine.  He was waving a fistful of sutras in the air.  “I’ll stop that foul demon, just leave it to… Huh?”  Glancing around, he saw nothing but an unusually large pile of stones in the yard.  “It’s… it’s gone?”

Kagome smiled tiredly at him.  “Yes, Grandpa, it’s gone.”

Puffing his chest out, Grandpa Higurashi placed his fists on his hips and crowed, “Ha!  The beast was smart enough to turn tail and run, knowing that I was there to vanquish it!  I would have done so sooner if your mother hadn’t hidden my sutras in the kitchen cabinet.”

“She probably put them there to use as paper towels,” Kaede muttered under her breath.  Shaking her head, she turned back to Kagome.  “Rest for a while.  We will begin again in a few minutes.  By keeping up this continuous use of your energy, you may be trained to generate more after a while.  We won’t know until we try.”

“Yes, of course.  Um, Lady Kaede?”

Kaede, who had moved to help Kagome to her feet, paused when she heard the questioning tone in the girl’s voice.  “Yes, child?”

“If you don’t mind my asking…  Why is it so necessary that I unlock this power hidden inside me?  I mean, I don’t mean to sound over-confident, but the blows from my energy are pretty formidable.  Is this threat to the city really that powerful?”

Kaede sighed.  “Things have changed since we first learned of this threat, Kagome.  Before, we thought we had Inu-Yasha fighting for us.  With his power and yours combined, it would probably have been enough to take down any enemy that came our way.  However, you know better than I that Inu-Yasha is no longer involved.  You  are now our most powerful fighter, Kagome.  But the strength from you alone will not be enough as it is now.  Your predecessor, Kikyo, had even greater holy powers than you.  We need to bring yours forth.  Then, and only then, will you be a match for this threat.”

The two sat in silence for a moment.  Kaede remaining quiet out of respect for Kagome, so she could process the information.  However, it wasn’t too long before Kagome let out a quiet laugh.

“So no pressure, right?” she giggled, smiling at the elderly woman.

Kaede stared at her in surprise before a smile at last creased her wrinkled face.  “Yes, child.  No pressure at all.  Now come inside and rest.  We’ll resume training in fifteen minutes, all right?”

Kagome groaned as she pushed herself to her feet.  “Yes, Lady Kaede.”




Inu-Yasha had remained in the same position for almost an hour after he had returned to his apartment.  It had taken him several minutes at the gym to regain enough breath and strength to make it back home, and that was plenty of time for the foulest of moods to set in.  Once at home, he had seated himself on his couch with his arms crossed tightly across his chest, his mouth turned down in a deep frown, and his brow furrowed in a black glare at the pack of gum resting on the coffee table in front of him.

This is bullshit, he thought angrily.  He had never felt more humiliated in his life.  He had never thought he could feel even more like a failure than he already had about the downfall of the Order.  But now, he had lost his standing with Koga.  That was a factor he had never even considered.  And that blow to his pride hurt almost as much as the guilt.
Have I really fallen so far that I need to be dragged back up by that mangy, flea-ridden wolf?!  His frown deepened into a sneer, and he bared his fangs at the pack of gum.  I can’t believe he was stupid enough to buy me that damn thing.  Like hell I’m gonna use it.  Gettin’ rid of the booze is hard enough, why should I even bother with my damn cigarettes?

He inhaled deeply in an attempt to keep his temper down, but as he did so a pang in his chest made him pause.  His muscles still ached from the coughing spasms he had fought through earlier that day.  Uncrossing one arm, he slowly rubbed his chest, recalling those fleeting moments of terror when drawing a full breath had become impossible.  Fear of suffocation had rendered him helpless against Koga’s blows.

Carefully reaching into his pocket, he tugged out that small, rectangular pack that held the source of this particular problem.  Fixing his yellow gaze on it, he contemplated its contents.  Were those small, white sticks really worth losing his pride as a fighter?  It was twice now, he had been forced to forfeit a match with Koga.  Never before had the thought crossed his mind, losing to the wolf.

Bah.  He tossed the pack onto the coffee table.  It broke open on impact, scattering cigarettes around the pack of gum.

With both packs sitting on the table, openly mocking him, he scowled at them in frustration.  Oh, damn it all.  

Snatching up the pack of gum, he popped a piece out and tossed it in his mouth, chewing viciously as though the tiny square would be able to handle all the rage he wished to release.

He sat silently on the couch, gnawing at the gum, before he finally sat back and let out a gusty sigh.  I feel like a moron.

Suddenly, the door to the apartment creaked open, and a rather disheveled Kagome entered the room.  Inu-Yasha immediately sat up when he saw her, temporarily forgetting his frustration.  “Kagome!  You look… terrible.”

She laughed a little, carefully shutting the door behind herself.  “Yes, I know,” she replied tiredly, dropping her coat and bag into the armchair.  “I am tired, sweaty, and exhausted and I am in desperate need of a shower.  Do you mind if I take one really quick?  I’ll start dinner right after that, I promise.”

“No, no, take your time,” he replied quickly, reclining in the couch.  “I was just about to watch some TV, it ain’t like I got big plans that I have to get done.”

Smiling, for she recognized his stress despite his effort to hide it, she simply replied, “All right, I’ll be back in a few minutes,” before heading for the bathroom.  However, when she passed by the coffee table, she caught sight of the two boxes spread across it.

“Oh!”  She gestured at the gum.  “Good for you.”  Then, with a gentle squeeze of his hand, she brushed past the couch and out of the room.

Inu-Yasha remained still for a moment after she left, staring in surprise at his hand.  But at last, a tiny grin graced his features.  Chewing less angrily on the gum, he grabbed the remote for the television and reclined on the couch with a hand behind his head.   I guess this ain’t so bad after all.


There we have it, folks.  I hope you enjoyed the update.  Please, leave a review and let me know your thoughts!  Thanks for reading. :)
Converting /tmp/phpRRpkUG to /dev/stdout