InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Inexcusable Nature ❯ Encounters with a Killer ( Chapter 7 )

Inexcusable Nature

Just A Starving Writer

Disclaimer: nope, not mine.

Part 7: Encounters with a killer

After hours of blissful silence, the demon lord suddenly stopped and camp was set for the night. Once the child and retainer had faded into unconsciousness and the leader taken his leave, Kagome was left alone with her thoughts yet again. Deciding she could take it no longer, she took a walk. However, even that was not enough to get rid of the frustration that had been building up in her all day.

Before she even realized what she was doing, the sword was out and the blade was slicing through the air in graceful sweeps. Yes, this was exactly what she needed: to cut things. She was so caught up in the dance that she almost failed to sense her observer. Without stopping her movements, she looked over to the demon lord who stood just outside of the shadows.

"Are you just going to watch me?" she asked nonchalantly. Her audience was a study in blankness.

"That's kind of creepy, you know." The rebuke did nothing for him. She attacked the air with renewed strength, picturing it was him.

He watched, never moving, never speaking, never anything. Finally, when she grew too tired to thoroughly defeat her imaginary enemy, she sheathed the sword and walked up to his still figure.

"Well?" she asked with exasperation.

"The sword controls you."

"What are you saying?" For some reason, that was an insult after the practicing she had just completed. She had assumed she was making progress in that area.

"The sword moved you. It granted you some minor ability."

"Hmph. Well, am I at least holding it right?"

He walked to the side of her and was almost gone into the shadows toward camp before he answered.

"Yes."

She smiled.

*

"This isn't right."

A monk and a demon slayer opened their eyes to look at the distraught hanyou.

"What do you mean, Inuyasha?" the monk asked with curiosity, though he too was receiving the same questionable feeling from the distant miko.

"She shouldn't be this happy. Not when he's there."

"Oh, so you are jealous," the monk observed.

"AM NOT!"

"Of course you aren't. I must have been mistaken," the monk corrected.

The hanyou grumbled and said nothing. The two humans closed their eyes once more, blocking out the dungeon in favor of happier images.

"My lovely Sango," the monk murmured not quite silently enough.

"Pervert! Stop thinking about me!" the demon slayer screamed in indignation wishing she could hit him.

The fire cat and fox child remained blissfully unaware while the hanyou grumbled with increased vigor.

*

The next morning dawned much too early for the groggy miko. She felt as if she had just fallen asleep when she was being roused by Rin, something that was closer to the truth than she cared to acknowledge when she was this tired.

Forgoing her usual complaints for a simple evil glare at her youkai leader, they began once more in the direction Kagome could sense Naraku. Travel was fairly easy. It seemed the demon lord was smarter than she gave him credit for and was respecting her need for his silence. That or he was just being his usual arrogant self.

Still, her mood was not improving as the day wore on and it was putting everyone on edge. So really, it should have come as no surprise that it would be that afternoon that Kagura would decide to pay her a visit.

Kagome's attention was caught when the youkai lord in the lead suddenly stopped and tensed. Her questions were left unspoken when the familiar red eyed wind sorceress entered the scene.

"Hello," she greeted smoothly, completely ignoring everyone except the demon lord who barely acknowledged her.

"Hey! You liar! Stop telling people I'm dead!" Kagome yelled in indignation, pushing the lord to the side to stand in front of the newcomer.

"What do we have here? Surely not another reincarnation, there hasn't been enough time for that," Kagura taunted.

"I'M NOT DEAD!"

"I recall differently."

"Stop lying!"

"Hmph. Why would I need to? I killed the miko with pleasure."

"You did not!"

The demon lord and his entourage resigned themselves to being spectators to the highly feminine argument, but everyone tensed when Kagome's hand gripped the white hilt of her sword in protest over her supposed death.

"I DID NOT DIE!" she screamed in righteous frustration as she unsheathed the katana.

"Of course not, she did," the wind youkai retorted snootily as her eyes lazily ran across the sword. "What a pathetic weapon. More like a dagger than a sword."

The comments did nothing to ease the miko's anger and the sword began taking over. Before the minion could blink, the fan she had been holding demurely was sliced in half.

"What!" was her shocked exclamation.

"Never insult my sword again." The cold tone was more suited to the lord who raised an eyebrow from the sidelines.

"Obviously, you are not Kikyou's reincarnation," her opponent stated as she regained her composure. "That girl was a weak child."

Kagome could only smirk. The subordinate had complimented in her effort to insult.

"Two years can do amazing things to a human," was her solid reply, deciding that her enemies did not need to know the true source of her new power was the sword itself. Kagura's eyes widened in realization as Kagome sheathed her sword only to draw an arrow into her bow.

"Regardless, you will be dead soon enough," the wind youkai commented as she pulled a feather from her hair and floated off.

"NO I WON'T!" the miko shouted as she released her arrow, plugging the incarnation through the excess of her sleeve.

The victim eyed the damage in irritation and shot the young woman a look of purely feminine contempt. It was, after all, her favorite outfit. She paused in consideration of showing up the miko, in front of the handsome demon lord no less, but decided in favor of retreat. Naraku could deal with this.

Kagome remained frozen in her battle stance even after her enemy was out of sight of even the demons present. A forceful pressure on the bow stirred her from her reverie as the lord removed the weapon from her grasp.

"Is she gone?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yes."

"Good."

She promptly collapsed in an undignified heap on the ground. Rin ran to her side as the youkai lord eyed her with an odd smirk.

Sensing his cold amusement at her expense, she shot him an angry glare that lost something with her exhaustion. It faded even as she looked into his eyes and the humor of the situation occurred to her. After all, it probably wasn't often a fight was waged on such silly circumstances. In the end, there had been no problems between youkai and human. Nope, it had been a fight amongst girls.

She laughed. She closed her eyes, rolled on the ground, and laughed her ass off. The smirk faded from her companion's face but the humor in his eyes remained.

*

A growl reverberated through a dark and dismal dungeon.

"Quiet, Inuyasha," Miroku chastised. "You are jumping to conclusions. There are countless reasons Kagome could be feeling this way."

"Like what?!"

Everyone was silent in consideration. It was the fox child who came up with a possible scenario.

"Maybe your brother fell down a cliff?"

A full minute of quiet was broken by the laughing howls of the dungeon's inhabitants.

*

"Are you certain it is her, Kagura?" Naraku asked as he polished his half of the Shikon jewel fondly with his sleeve.

"Yes. It is the same miko," the incarnation grudgingly acknowledged as she pleaded desperately for an escape from the eerily sidetracked hanyou.

"What information have you?" he commanded without taking his eyes from his task.

"She still travels with Lord Sesshoumaru and they are still on course." She paused in hesitation, hating admitting the next bit but knowing her punishment would be severe if she didn't disclose. "She has grown more powerful."

"Is that so?" The shiny jewel couldn't get any shinier but he was simply obsessed.

"The sword she carries is powerful as well. She almost struck me down."

"You are weak, Kagura. Never forget that." She bowed her head in humility. "Go now. Follow them but do not allow yourself to be seen."

Wishing him dead for the eight millionth time that day, Kagura departed thankfully from her boss's presence. Taking to the air, she considered that at least stalking the youkai lord was pleasant.

*

"Do you still think I'm dead?" Kagome asked that evening at camp before he took his usual departure.

"Hn."

"What kind of answer is that? All you have to say is yes or no."

She was rewarded with a glare and silence. Apparently, he wasn't in the mood to verify her identity.

As she drifted to sleep, she caught notice of him walk away from the camp even as she felt another presence in the direction he was heading. At first she tried to ignore the coincidence, deciding to give him some peace if only so she could rest. However, her curiosity would have no such thing. Silently sneaking off to follow him, she found herself listening in on an interesting conversation.

"Have you reconsidered?" a familiar wind sorceress asked demurely.

"Is it she," he required instead.

"And if it is?"

"Naraku will soon be dead."

"You give her too much credit. She is just a human girl."

"Hn."

"Why haven't you killed her yet? She is a pain."

"She is useful."

"I see."

"Inform your master the wench is coming."

"He is aware. But what of you?"

"Hn."

He turned away from the incarnation and walked back towards camp and Kagome tried to scramble out of the way. However, she was only human and he soon snatched her by the neck and proceeded to carry her in the degrading manner before depositing her none too gently in front of the fire.

"Believe me now?" she asked with a grin despite the bruises forming on her throat and rear end.

"Rest."

Deciding it was best not to argue with such a reasonable command, she did just that. Fading into unconsciousness under his watchful eye, she felt oddly safe, despite her friends' imprisonment, her questionable company, her controlling sword, and the entire damn situation.

*

Sango sighed in the darkness.

"I wish I could feel that comfortable," she said longingly.

"Oh, shut up," Inuyasha yelled moodily. Apparently the projected feelings of his miko friend weren't setting very well with him. At least, not when he considered the company she was keeping.

Sango scowled at him before relaxing once more into her friend's emotion.

*