InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Knight Errant ❯ Chapter Nineteen ( Chapter 19 )

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any of the other inhabitants of the fine story of Rumiko's that we all know and love. Kiyoshi, Tomoe, Aikiko, and Sashiko are mine, and I hope you enjoy them as they are encountered.

 

 

 

“Next time I'll rip out your black heart, Naraku!”

 

 

 

An uncomfortable silence descended on the clearing after Kiyoshi's declaration as they were all given the time to think and consider what this sudden appearance and disappearance of Naraku meant. It was a silence that promised something as eyes lifted to let gazes meet and wordless exchanges told more than volumes of books ever could. Kiyoshi's expression was bleak for both what he'd lost and what he stood to lose should he fail to defeat Naraku. Kagome's held sorrow for the wrongs of the past wrought by the demon upon her friends and those she loved and were they not after all one and the same? Sango's gaze was solemn as was Miroku's in turn, the pair sharing it seemed in that moment a fleeting sense of togetherness as the enemy they had proved to be common. InuYasha's golden gaze mirrored the sorrowful set of his ears as he too began to realize some things that time had taken from the forefront of his memory, yet the revelation to come had not yet struck him.

 

 

 

Kouga though was different and his gaze met Kiyoshi's bleakness with the gleam of knowledge and to each in turn he let deep blue eyes lock and hold until he had all of their attention and his words at first were simple.

 

 

 

“The Great Cat was right about Naraku after all. He is a coward.”

 

 

 

Kiyoshi's golden-green eyes closed and a held breath left him in a gusty sigh. He'd known that Kouga had an idea perhaps of who he was truly and those words of his as well as the slight challenging tilt of his chin when he'd spoken them let him know that now had more than an idea. He was a bit amazed though that his father had deemed Kouga worthy to speak to at all let alone to apparently share knowledge with him since on the whole the Great Cat held most of those of canine persuasion in a sort of semi-permanent gentle contempt. It was a sign perhaps of how special this particular Yourouzoku was and made Kiyoshi consider him as far more than `Kagome's mate' or `someone who might be fun to tease'.

 

 

 

“So my Father has said many a time. Yet that does not tell me any more than it did the first time he said it. It does not put my claws in Naraku's chest or tell me how best to track him. It was sheer luck which had me on his trail this day and nothing more.”

 

 

 

He had felt a hint of heat in his cheek as he spoke those words though he could not rouse himself enough to be embarrassed that he'd gotten red, shown some weakness in front of Kagome whom he considered his friend. He liked to project that mysterious feline air but this matter of vengeance was too near to his heart for him to hide behind any pretense no matter how beloved of it he was. He managed a slight smile when Kagome had come and laid her gentle hand on his forearm and told him in her quiet and sure way that somehow they would make certain that Naraku never hurt Tomoe and that they would all do their best to protect her. Kiyoshi thanked her softly though he could not keep a certain bleak sorrow out of his tone when he covered her hand with his for a precious second despite the glare of InuYasha or the sudden sharpness of Kouga's gaze.

 

 

 

“I will never forget your promises, but it is your own cub that my lost Yukiko foresaw that I must protect. I know this in my heart sweetest one and I only hope you know the lengths that I will go to in order to fulfill my promise to my dying wife. It is your child that I will protect at all costs and pray that in the end Tomoe will understand.”

 

 

 

Her reply of Oh, Kiyoshi-kun was a gentle sigh that was as soft as her touch on his arm and quickly lost to the breeze as Kouga came then to collect her and draw them all from this clearing that was bereft and blasted of life. There was nothing further to be learned there and it was time to get Kagome someplace she could rest and allow Kouga the time to decide how he wanted to pass on what he learned from the Great Cat. It would be full dark before they entered the village Kaede lived in with a somber mood clinging to them as surely as a shadow. None of them had spoken much save for Kagome who had tried to bring them out of the mood with her soft words and warm heart but not even she was able to do more than bring a half-hearted smile to any of them.

 

 

 

What they needed most was information and while it was sure that Kouga now knew more than when he set out it was unlikely that he knew any more than Kiyoshi himself knew. The neko youkai was not stupid nor was he utterly blinded in his pursuit of his vengeance and surely he would have listened to all that his own father might have imparted about the creature that called himself Naraku. They did have one unexpected boon of knowledge via the unlikely source of Sango in that she felt she might be able to once more locate the castle that Lord Kagewaki had hired her village's taijiya to clear of demonic infestation, a great irony since it was Naraku himself in the guise of the young lord who was the worst possible infestation of all.

 

 

 

It was a subdued group indeed that gathered around Kaede's fire and contemplated all that had happened. Shippou and Aikiko both slumbered one on either side of Kagome, heads of red hair and whitest blond pillowed on her thighs with her fingers resting on their precious brows each in turn. They had both been unable to sleep without her close and so now they rested while she listened to Kouga's tale of his time away. It had taken him more time than he'd hoped to find the Great Cat in the first place yet he'd known all along that should that Lord decide not to be found there would be nothing Kouga could do about it save go home empty handed. Kagome's gaze was drawn to Kouga's face as he spoke, his deep voice keeping her attention with its familiar warmth. The light of the fire gleamed on her silver charms and little did she know it was the thought of them glittering there against her skin that had caused Kouga to trail off for a long moment before he shook himself and began again.

 

 

 

The trip had been fairly uneventful until he had begun to approach Mt. Fuji and its region of lakes. He avoided the roads and stayed to the woods and the paths had been well kept and let him run to his fastest extent which was pleasing, but he was still unsure as to where he might find his quarry. So of course he slowed to the pace of his normal run, all the while wondering if his quest might prove useless until he had come to the deepest part of the forest. He slowed to a walk as the mists seemed to rise thick from the underbrush and he had the eeriest sensation that he was being watched, so eerie that had he been in wolf form his hackles would have risen. There was a slight breeze there amongst the trees that barely stirred the mists and Kouga realized that the only sound he could hear was his own heartbeat. He saw a brief flash of color to his left and he came to a halt, wondering if he was going to be attacked, his muscles tensing and nostrils flaring.

 

 

 

Imagine his surprise when the flash of color turned out to be a child's ball that rolled out of the underbrush to come to rest gently against his foot. He felt a dark brow raise and he watched as a slight form hesitantly came forward as well and he realized at once he knew her and relaxed. Her shy voice filled the empty spaces in the air as she began speaking, her focus at first on the ball.

 

 

 

“Please sir can I have my … oh! It's you Kouga!”

 

 

 

The set of her auburn ears went from half back in distress to full upright and a sparkle came into those golden green eyes, her shy smile as she bent and took up her ball was nearly heartbreaking and Kouga couldn't help but smile back. She was wearing a kimono of a delicate leafy green with patterns of gold stitched upon the silk and her midnight hair was caught back in a tail, which served to highlight her delicate youkai features. Her little hands on the ball flexed to let the hint of her retractable claws out to better hold on to it. He knew that he'd come here to find the Great Cat, but in that moment he wondered if he shouldn't take up Tomoe and return with her. She needed playmates her own age like Shippou and Aikiko and he trusted that his Pack could protect her … even if she was Kiyoshi's daughter, especially when she smiled at him so trustingly, as if she had been so very lonely that the sight of him had brightened her day, and he could well imagine how much she missed her father when her own words confirmed her need of news of him.

 

 

 

“Did Father send you to fetch me? How is Father? You have seen him haven't you?”

 

 

 

“I've actually come to see your Grand Father, little one. But tell me, would you like to come visit …”

 

 

 

Before he could finish his question to her the mists thickened and seemed colder, swirling around the dark trunks of the trees before parting to allow the passage of a figure cloaked in soft shadows. He was large, of a height to make Kouga think of his own father and seemed lean of form though his upper body was encased in armor that resembled that of a human samurai lord. Bright enamels made parts of that armor glitter against the backdrop of his shadow dark cloak, which also served to make the sword at his waist glimmer a soft silvery color. His hands were bare and had the same retractable claws that his son and grandchild had, save his seemed more sinister as they were dark red in color. His hakama were of the same shadowy silk and yet they did not ripple in the breeze that flowed over him as he stepped forth. His hair was rich auburn that was shot through its length with strands of silver and he wore it back from his sharp featured face in a topknot though its length was unbraided and free.

 

 

 

On each cheek following the path of the bone lay a pair of stripes a finger's width thick and the same magenta color as Kiyoshi's and Tomoe's, though of course the hanyou child's were lighter in shade. There was the glint of keen intelligence in his golden green eyes and his voice was a pleasant baritone as it issued forth from lips given a wry twist of wicked humor.

 

 

 

“Come away from that Yourouzoku, Tomoe. You do not know where it has been.”

 

 

 

Tomoe had protested, one hand cradling her ball to her chest while the other lifted up to take Kouga's hand. The gesture oddly touched the Yourouzoku Prince who grinned at the Neko youkai though inwardly his demonic senses were giving him strong warnings of danger. He had never sensed power in a being the way he did with this one, not even other Tai-youkai felt like this and for a moment Kouga wondered if this was how he felt to lesser youkai or humans. So rather than answer back in his normal brash manner, Kouga kept his tone respectful even as he let his fingers curl around Tomoe's smaller hand. He was not going to reject this small hanyou girl who was so shy and precious, not when his own first hanyou cub was even now growing in the belly of his beautiful mate.

 

 

 

“I know where I've been and that will have to be good enough, Lord Neko. I come recently from the company of this little star's father Kiyoshi, and I have questions that I think only you can answer about the demon known as Naraku and about the father of Lord Sesshoumaru and the half-demon InuYasha.”

 

 

 

“Demon.”

 

 

 

A curl of his lip and he almost spat the word, a shake of his head making his auburn hair move.

 

 

 

“Naraku has far less claim on the name than any other creature in this land. Come, we will talk some more, Yourouzoku Prince that my grandchild calls … Kouga.”

 

 

 

He turned his back on them then, Tomoe tugging Kouga's hand to lead him along after him. He turned to look at them over his shoulder a moment, that humor back in his gaze and smile.

 

 

 

“Call me Ishikawa, Kouga.”

 

 

 

 

Many things were said of Naraku but the most important was the rumor that Naraku was not a born demon but a created one, the result of a human's deal with a multitude of lesser youkai. It was unknown just which human might have been so vile as to do such a thing though it was fair certain that the first time that the creature had been spotted going about on his progression of wickedness was about fifty years ago. Miroku nodded in agreement when Kouga revealed this to them, as this was very close to what had been passed down to him about the story of Naraku's confrontation with his own grandfather which had of course ended up with him and his line of descendents being cursed with the Kazaana. Something was nagging at InuYasha's memory at the reminder of the span of fifty years past being the time of the first showing of Naraku's evil but what idea it might have been failed as yet to come clear to the golden eyed hanyou.

 

 

 

Kouga relayed all he had learned, along with his own impressions of the Great Cat, some of which amused Kiyoshi mightily. The one that had him roar with laughter was Kouga's feeling that should the Lord Ishikawa wish it he could bat around the moon like a ball of yarn. Later on Kiyoshi would tell Kouga that he was amazed now on several counts because of what he had been told, and not the least of these was that the Great Cat had told the Yourouzoku Prince his given name. Nevertheless it was certain in all that he'd been told that there had been the air of words that had been held back, especially in the case of the questions that Kouga had asked about InuYasha and Sesshoumaru, and what the possible reasons were that their father might have had in bequeathing his heirloom swords in the manner that he had.

 

 

 

Lord Ishikawa had been surprised to hear that Lord Sesshoumaru had been gifted with the Tenseiga and InuYasha with the Tessaiga, though the news that their father had set some sort of barrier against Sesshoumaru on the Tessaiga seemed to make perfect sense to him.

 

 

 

“You must understand,” he'd said in that voice that seemed to hold an underlying rumble like a purr that might come from a lion, “that he knew his son Sesshoumaru well enough to realize that no matter what he was left he would desire as well what his brother received. It is a trait I gather that came from his mother though his father had his own possessive streak as well. Why else would he have died for a human woman, surely it could not have been love. Well, perhaps it was … that Dog was ever a fool for that emotion. As to why he left the swords as he did, perhaps you would do better to ask the smith that created the pair rather than me. I am old and my memory is not what it once was.” Though it was plain to Kouga that the demon before him most likely never forgot a single scrap of information that he came across, that it was more likely he was being reticent for another entirely different reason and it would not be beyond him to do so out of sheer perversity.

 

 

 

The visit had given Kouga more questions than answers yet he somehow also had the feeling that perhaps he had all the pieces he needed to puzzle out the most important ones if he could just figure out what the Great Cat had meant by some of what he had said. So far the bit of information that had stuck out to Kouga was the fact that the way Naraku was supposed to have come into being would make him a hanyou of sorts, a half demon and all half demons had a single night per lunar cycle in which they were utterly human and utterly vulnerable without a single bit of their demonic power to protect them. It was a hanyou's best kept secret and in their best interests to keep it a secret unshared, lest the information lead to their death. It was something Kouga fervently hoped for, that the same would be true of Naraku and that they could somehow find out when his night of weakness was and come upon him then to crush him utterly, when he could not use his demonic puppetry to escape their wrath.

 

 

 

When he was finally through with sharing what he'd learnt they discussed things for awhile including the idea that they should try and track down where Sango had met the young Lord Kagewaki and see if Naraku were still in residence there or perhaps even a servant of his that they could question. It was decided that they would try this course first though Kouga had to put his foot down with Kagome over it. She wanted to go with them and he simply could not in good conscience allow her to. His mate needed rest and the company of other female Yourouzoku … inwardly he laughed at himself, thinking of Kagome as if she were a wolf demon instead of his precious human mate but either way she needed her friends around her and Sashiko missed her terribly. He would ease her worries by taking a good number of wolves with him at the least.

 

 

 

She might have been a bit angry with him at first but when he wrapped himself around her from behind and his strong hands were there to cradle both Shippou and Aikiko where they lay curled in front of her she let that anger go with a gentle sigh and nestled back against his chest. In her heart Kagome understood that none of the males would be able to fight as they were supposed to if they thought that a pregnant female were in danger, demons simply couldn't help it and Miroku seemed to feel nearly as strongly about it as well, surprisingly. Kagome couldn't help that first tiny sting of rejection but the kindness Kouga had shown her since convinced her that it was not that he thought she couldn't hold her own at all, it was that he loved her so much that he was afraid to risk her or their cub in this search for Naraku. Deep down she also knew that as evil and canny as Naraku was, the more he knew of what Kouga cherished the more he might try to use it against him.

 

 

 

Those thoughts led her down pathways that had simply not been clear to her before, pathways that opened up echoes of memories and made her think of the dreams she had had when she had first come here to the past, dreams that had held InuYasha and herself, though of course it was not herself at all. Those dreams coupled with things that Kaede had told her, things that Kouga himself had revealed of his memories of his last moments before he had fallen to darkness sealed to the tree by Kikyou's arrow made her gasp softly and half turn in Kouga's embrace, the low light of the fire glittering in her chocolate eyes. He'd looked down at her as she gazed up at him, the troubled look on both their faces made a kiss into a necessary comfort, the glide of his warm lips against her chilled ones bringing life back into her as she softly whispered there after breaking the kiss, her lips brushing his skin as she spoke.

 

 

 

“I think it was him, Kouga. I think it was Naraku that led to Kikyou and InuYasha's fight, and your sealing to that tree. He used them against each other somehow; remember what InuYasha said to her while she was dying? She thought that he had betrayed her and he hadn't, you know he couldn't.”

 

 

 

There was sadness in his bluest eyes and he tightened his arms around her, careful not to move her too much lest the sleeping kit and cub be disturbed as well. Kouga knew the depths of InuYasha's loyalty and how deeply it might wound him to have that loyalty questioned. Something tragic had happened that long ago day to make Kikyou think that InuYasha had betrayed her and it had not been his claws that ripped her flesh to let her life bleed out behind her as she sought to pay him back. Kouga resolved to question the half-demon about that day a bit more thoroughly but he doubted he would have the answers that the Yourouzoku Prince truly sought. The biggest one of course being why, why would someone go to the lengths to make the lovers feel betrayed by the other, down to killing her and purifying him, as it was certain that whoever was behind this hoped that as a Priestess that Kikyou would purify InuYasha. Kouga felt that it was Naraku somehow, and that he had underestimated just how much Kikyou had loved InuYasha. Kagome was right and it was saddening to think on.

 

 

 

She'd loved him too much to simply kill him even when she had felt that he had betrayed her which was a good thing for Kouga who had taken that arrow instead of InuYasha. But that depth of love had not included the trust that was necessary for it to truly thrive or she would never have believed he had been the one to attack her in the first place. How could she have forgotten that there were demons that could mimic the forms of another? Even Shippou as young as he was could do it to an extent though there was always a give-away. Part of her must have been unsure of InuYasha or her own true feelings and Kouga sighed a bit in sympathy. It was easier the youkai way, for the most part humans did tend to torment themselves with doubts didn't they? He nuzzled the top of his mate's dark haired head then and he knew he was lucky, Kagome would never doubt him and he would never doubt her.

 

 

 

That peace spread over him and he closed his eyes, allowing sleep to sweep over him in Kaede's small hut. He dreamed things that made him a bit restless, dark dreams though when he woke with a start and out of breath, blue eyes wildly taking in his surroundings he quickly found that he could not remember just what it was that had disturbed him so. His gaze was sharp as he made sure that Kagome, Aikiko and Shippou, and the others in the hut were precisely where he expected them to be, and he let out a wolfish huff before he moved, placing the cub and kit between himself and Kagome and all of them behind him as he curled back up facing the door to the hut. It made him feel better for some reason even as his sharp gaze caught the golden gleam of InuYasha's eyes from across the hut. The hanyou didn't laugh or question him but instead moved himself so that he too watched the door as well. Perhaps it was nothing but Kouga's lips curved just a little in a half smile to see that the dog supported him in his slight unease.

 

 

 

Kouga was not the only one who had disturbing dreams that night. Kaede's dreams were dark and disturbing in a fashion that only true prophetic dreams could be, showing her visions of her sister not as the soulful kind priestess whom had died and had her body consigned to the flames to send herself and the Sacred Jewel into the afterlife but as a hate filled vengeful spirit who somehow once more walked the lands of the living. A hateful creature who desired nothing more than the death of InuYasha and the destruction of those that would befriend him she wanted his blood at the least and would stop at nothing to get it. Kikyou had never been like that in life and she had died knowing that InuYasha had not betrayed her so for her to be so in the dream saddened Kaede immensely.

 

 

 

It was worse of course because the dream had the shades of a vision upon it and it made her go to Kikyou's grave to stare at it in somber fashion, wondering aloud what could have made her sister into the hateful fury she had seen in the dream. Her voice was soft, scratchy with age and tinged with the sadness that the idea of such a thing was possible.

 

 

 

“Please sister, if ye can hear me in the afterlife do not forget that InuYasha never betrayed ye while ye lived.”

 

 

 

Fingers weathered with age laid a caress on the stone and a sigh escaped her as she turned to look back upon the village. How many things would have been different had her sister lived and continued her course to protect the Sacred Jewel? Would she and InuYasha have married and perhaps had children of their own, allowing the duty of the Jewel to pass to another? It was impossible to say because all those threads had been cut when Kikyou had died and all that was left of her now were the ashes that lay beneath this monument of stone. Only the cold earth held her and Kaede prayed that her sister's spirit had known peace in the afterlife or peace in life now were she truly reborn whether it was as Kagome or another that now held that soul.

 

 

 

That sense of premonition which spoke to her soul of impending evil had not left Kaede even after her dark shrouded visit to her sister's grave yet she did not wake another to speak to them about it nor did she speak of it to Kouga and InuYasha who had been watching the entrance to her home when she returned to it. It had been a bit strange to see their eyes so vivid in the dark, the golden gleam of InuYasha and the vibrant blue of Kouga such a contrast to the soft darkness and the bare glow of embers from the earlier fire in the pit. She had almost engaged them in conversation as she moved past them towards her pallet, almost asked them why they seemed more alert and watchful then they normally were when they visited here but something held her back. In the times to come she would look back upon this moment and wonder if she could somehow have prevented what had occurred if she had only spoken of her disquiet to another soul, but it was far too late by then of course.

 

 

 

Had she but known … but then that was the hell of prophecy, be it dreams or visions, one can only change what one acts upon and there is no way to know which is important and which is not until it has already happened. So it was that the next day she went about her duties as Priestess of the village and thought no more on her strange and unwanted dreams about her dead elder sister, and she missed them all leaving. Sango was going to lead them to where she thought Naraku's castle was, though Kagome would be taking Shippou and Aikiko home to the Den instead of continuing on with the rest of them. Perhaps it was for the best that they be parted though Kaede had known of Kagome's disquiet on the matter. She for one did not want to be parted just yet from Kouga but they were right, the potential danger was too great for a woman bearing a child.

 

 

 

The group had been gone from the village several days when the demon ogre witch Urusue attacked. With horrifying ease she had turned back all attempts to drive her away, grossly enlarged eyes rolling with either madness or sarcasm as she taunted those that shot at her with their bows, even Kaede's arrows missed their mark which made the headman of the village gasp. Even he could not recall the last time that an arrow Kaede fired did not strike what she aimed at despite her having only one working eye. That eye was narrowed with impotent anger as she confronted the demoness over what she desired, which sickeningly turned out to be the bones, ashes, and grave soil from her sister Kikyou's memorial. She had no idea what Urusue wanted with her sister's mortal remains but that dream came back to her then, nearly paralyzing her with a chilling sense of evil destiny.

 

 

 

She did not want the demon escaping with Kikyou's ashes and thus she put her body directly in harm's way, taking the brunt of an attack that left her wounded and one arm near to useless. It was all to no avail, nothing they did seemed to be able to stop Urusue and Kaede knew her powers of purification were simply not strong enough to do what needed to be done. Helpless to stop the desecration all they could do was watch as the demoness scooped up the ashes and graveyard soil, her maniacal cackling laughter trailing behind her as she once more took to the skies and left them with the task of cleaning up the destruction she had wrought seeking her prize. Sadness gripped Kaede as she was tended to, the images of her dream vision growing sharper by the minute and her ears rang with the hatred of the words that Kikyou had spoken. It was not enough to break her spirit but it was very close.

 

 

 

She would be thus when InuYasha returned to the village with Sango and Miroku, all of them annoyed that while they had indeed found the castle that Naraku had been inhabiting under the disguise of young Lord Kagewaki the creature that they sought was of course long gone. The only true good to come of their finding the remains of that castle was that it allowed them to take up the ashes and armor of the fallen taijiya and return to them to what was left of their home village. It had been Miroku's idea, in which it was simply not right to leave Sango's family and friends to lie eternally in the soil tainted with the evil of Naraku, and while he might have grumbled a bit, InuYasha agreed with him. He had been anxious at the time it had taken, even with the help of Kouga and his wolves though he could not frankly put into words what had his hackles up. Surely Kagome and the pups … kit and cub, he reminded himself crossly … were home safely with the other Yourouzoku, so it couldn't be that he was worried about her safety.

 

 

 

No, it was something else that had him upset, some instinct that told him something had gone horribly wrong and he had no idea where or how or even what that was. He did his best not to take out his unease on his friends, a monumental effort for him whether they appreciated it or not, though by the time they were headed back to his home village he was so anxious to be home that he had run ahead of them for a pair of miles. So it was that he came upon what had happened first and he was stunned at the grief he felt inside over it. It was almost as if he mourned Kikyou all over again, to see her gravesite vandalized and desecrated and for a few moments he was inconsolable. But he had gone through the grieving process nearly fifty years ago and those moments passed, letting him ask the villagers almost civilly just what had happened while he was away. They pointed him towards Kaede for his answers just as they always had in the past, and so to the injured priestess he went.

 

 

 

He was surprised to see her preparing to leave on horseback, especially considering that her wounds were obvious and paining her greatly. He was more surprised to see Kagome at her side accompanied by Ginta and Hakkaku with Kouga nowhere in sight. A few quick questions gained him the knowledge that Kagome had come back here to wait for Kouga after several days had passed without him coming back to the den, and that she had even gone for a quick visit to see her mother on the other side of that well. InuYasha told her that Kouga had gone on a bit further in the search after they had reburied the fallen taijiya and that was the reason for his failure to return to the Yourouzoku Den. He paused in the telling of the tale to argue with Kaede, he felt that she was in no shape to go hunting let alone demon hunting and perhaps he was right.

 

 

 

But her own heart would not let her stay behind as he offered to go after Urusue, not when Kagome herself announced that she and her wolves would go as well and that Urusue would surely be sorry to face such fine demons as Ginta and Hakkaku. Of course that was just the right tone to take to get those wolves to agree to her going, even with InuYasha's reluctance about it all spoken in very plain if somewhat rude terms. InuYasha did not want Kagome along for the same reasons that Kouga had not wanted to take her in the latest search for Naraku yet her threat to follow along behind them alone made him realize that without Kouga's backing he'd never get her to agree to stay behind again. Kouga might well have words with InuYasha over this but the hanyou would just have to let his actions stand on their own merit. Apart from tying Kagome to a tree he really could see no other solution than to allow her to come, it would be far less worrying for her protectors if she were within sight rather than some nebulous “somewhere” behind them after all.

 

 

 

Yet so much went wrong just a few short hours later that InuYasha seriously began to think that he should have indeed tied Kagome to that tree after all. First there had been that eerie clearing with all those clay statues in such random placement, all done up as human soldiers and though their features were crudely done it was clear that was what they were meant to be, silent sentinels watching over nothing of value that InuYasha could see. Something about their blank stares had his back up though, and as they progressed onwards to a wood and rope bridge over the river his feeling of unease increased to the point in which he kept moving around Kagome and Kaede, as if there were no place that he was satisfied that they were safe enough. Ginta and Hakkaku shared in the feeling of disquiet, Hakkaku sprinting across the bridge to make sure nothing awaited them on the other side while Ginta stood growling towards the clay figure forest behind them.

 

 

 

Had that been the worst all would have been well enough but of course it was not. Less than a mile away Urusue worked her foul magics and from her demon kiln there came forth her greatest creation to date, the true pinnacle of her skills. When she completed her chanting and dropped her herbs upon the still hot mold she held her breath, and when the mold cracked and revealed the perfect form within she let out an unholy cackle of utter glee and greed. There was what she had hoped for, the slave that would lead her to the power she so richly deserved. She had heard the rumors of those that hunted the shards of the Sacred Jewel and in her depravity had formed the plan to have the reanimated remains of its original guardian priestess gain those shards for her own use. Urusue had given birth to an abomination, yet after long moments she realized that there was somehow a flaw to her craft, for the priestess did not stand on her own and did not seem to hear her commands. The only true spark of life the being showed was when Urusue sought to take back her magic sprig of herbs, the slender hand closing on it with the strength of the undead and refusing to release it.

 

 

 

Urusue did not know how this could be, railing at her creation and the heavens and hells, until it came upon her the truth of what must have happened. Somehow she had underestimated the desire of this woman's soul to live; the soul must have already passed from the afterlife to be reborn into this world! Well, that was simple enough to correct! She would simply have to find the man or woman that held what had been the soul of this priestess and release it for her own use, a matter of a bit more magic of course but the end result would be more than worth it when she held the Sacred Jewel for herself. She cast a spell of seeking and set out after her goal, though oddly enough it seemed that there was more than one focus for the spell. Choosing the one that was closest to her location, Urusue moved with lightning speed to attack, surprised and pleased that her quarry would prove to be so very close. The fates must have favored her indeed for this to be the result.

 

 

 

It happened quickly, during their crossing of that rickety bridge. One moment they were crossing single file to the other side and the waiting Hakkaku, the next they were fighting a swarm of those clay soldiers that had come to life. They were easy enough to defeat as InuYasha and Ginta found out, smashing them and releasing pale orbs of light which Kagome and Kaede told them in horrified voices were the souls of humans trapped in the baked clay bodies. Urusue swooped in as they fought and yanked Kagome bodily off the bridge before slicing it out from under the embattled demons, Ginta barely saving Kaede from a fatal fall as InuYasha tumbled to the water below. Hakkaku set out immediately in the direction that Urusue had taken his `nee chan certain that the others would follow as fast as they could, and he set up a howling cry to call any wolves or Yourouzoku that might be in the area to aid him in his rescue attempt. Even Yourouzoku not of his tribe should answer that howl, such was the urgency he put in it.

 

 

 

Kagome herself fought wildly until she realized that if she did not calm down Urusue could simply allow her to fall to her death and gain her goal regardless. She knew the goal of the demoness because Urusue told her in graphic detail that she intended to steal her soul to fuel her creation and then she would eat the remains of Kagome for her supper. Though it was true that the ogress had a moments pause after she set down before the cave that held her demonic kiln as she was confused as to how the soul of a human could be in the body of a wolf demoness. Apparently to her senses Kagome not only smelled like a Yourouzoku, something about her aura was giving off that sense as well, mixed with that of a priestess. Now, Kagome was still as human as she ever was, and what Urusue sensed was the demonic aura and yokai of her unborn son Koji, though Kagome herself did not know this.

 

 

 

“Never have I seen this, that a human soul could be reborn as Youkai! Should I simply use you instead of my creature of clay, to find the shards I seek? But to waste all that beautiful work …”

 

 

 

Yet her deliberations did not stop her from mixing the herbs that would steal Kagome's soul from her body, nor stop her from forcing her to drink them. She continued her tasks as she saw the priestess she had made standing now at the entrance to the cave and dressed on her own, so surely she had chosen the right being despite the strange mixing of species. Kagome lost the power to move her limbs as the spell progressed, though inwardly she fought for both herself and the life of her son, and it seemed he was helping his mother to live because each time that Urusue sought to siphon out her soul a flare of demonic aura was her reply, a stinging slap of power that held the taste of his yokai and yet somehow the power of a priest as well. The struggle continued but Urusue's spell was not to be denied, though the results were not quite as expected. A bolt of the spell shot off from Kagome and arced over the land, drawing back enough of a spirit to truly animate the clay priestess. At the same time miles away a small girl lapsed into a fevered coma to the panic of both her parents.

 

 

 

Kikyou opened her eyes and looked out upon the clearing in front of the cave for the first time, life of sorts filling those once blank eyes. Her senses spun out and she could feel the demonic auras around her, from the ogress that made her and the girl prostrate before her in a bath of liquid evil, and farther out she felt the presence of wolves, many demon wolves coming fast and a pair bursting into the clearing now on two legs followed by a drenched to the skin half demon and an elderly priestess. It was the half demon that gave her pause, remembered pain making her flinch and the heat of reopened bloody wounds soaked her robes. It was him, it was InuYasha the betrayer, though a small part of her remembered those last moments when he had looked into her eyes with his own shining with tears, swearing that he had not, that he could not … a moment that held then, perfect and anticipatory … so easily ruined and corrupted.

 

 

 

InuYasha, do not call my name. Let me release this soul and return to the afterlife. Please … do not say my name.

 

 

 

He was stunned. There before him was what he had dreamed of for nearly fifty years, Kikyou alive once more just as she had been in her last moments of life. Exactly as she had been, right down to her clothing soaked in her own blood. Between the spaces of two heartbeats he breathed out her name, could anyone blame him for doing so?

 

 

 

“K …Kikyou.”

 

 

 

A pulse filled the clearing as a held breath released, and a glow of evil filled Kikyou. For she had been reborn into this world by the evil magic of Urusue and the power of a stolen soul and so all her actions came under that taint. She let that darkness fill her eyes as she looked at InuYasha for the first time in hatred, crying out.

 

 

 

“Betrayer!”

 

 

 

Urusue cackled mightily and watched as Kikyou attacked InuYasha with her bow and arrows, each laced with spiritual power even darkly intent as it was. During this attack Kagome was able to break her hold and vomited up the herbs while Ginta pulled her from the stinking solution, swearing that if she or her cub were hurt that he would eat Urusue's heart. Shivering she watched the fight and howled when it seemed InuYasha would not be able to keep Kikyou from killing him, her howl enough to distract Kikyou for a moment. Coming face to face with Kagome shook Kikyou somehow, and when Urusue struck at her to command her to kill InuYasha she purified the ogress instead before fleeing the clearing. For the moment her focused hatred wavered she felt the stolen soul begin to slip away from her and she mistakenly thought that it was being drawn back towards Kagome.

 

 

 

Hatred kept her feet moving as the near last of the soul left her and somewhere in the distance a little girl was able to wake up to the joy of her parents. Hatred kept her on her feet when InuYasha cornered her again, and she hardened her fired clay heart against his words of innocence and mourning, lashing out at him bitterly with her words and swearing to him that if there were a way for her to continue that she would plague his existence until he paid her back for the life he had stolen from her. She leapt from the cliff and when he tried to catch her she paid him back by stabbing him deeply with one of her arrows until he had no choice but to release her to fall. His anguish was music to her as the wind rushed around her lithe form and that anguish kept her from sinking to the bottom of the river after she plunged within. Perhaps it would be enough for the moment, this hate, his pain, enough to keep her animated until she figured out a better way.

 

 

 

Kagome found InuYasha and he was so stunned by what had happened that he allowed Ginta to help him back to the clearing where Urusue had been defeated. That ogress had wrought better than she could have known and yet worse, for she had not predicted her own defeat and death at the hands of her evil creation. That clay priestess was everything that Kikyou had not been, her polar opposite in fact. Where the living Kikyou had been kind if sometimes a bit stern, loving and popular with the village children with her gentle hands there to support them and tend to their hurts, this undead Kikyou was anything but kind and gentle. Kagome tended the wounds earned during the confrontation with Urusue and Kikyou, then turned to the rather full clearing to try and sort out what to do next.

 

 

 

Hakkaku's call for aid had brought up more help than he had expected, demon wolves on four legs and two, most of them it seemed had run with a pack to the South of this territory but their leader had been killed in a dominance battle and they'd had no taste for the style of brutality that the new leader brought into their den. Kagome's gentle heart had her tending their wounds as well, though most of them that were injured had come to them that way. It was thus that Kouga came upon them, the wolves on four legs immediately cowering behind Kagome at the potent feel of his Tai-youkai aura and many of the leaderless Yourouzoku showing submission to him before he could even speak, his blue eyes nearly burning as he swept a gaze over the assemblage. Even Ginta and Hakkaku flinched under his look, only Kagome was brave enough to rise up and greet her mate when he was like this.

 

 

 

Kouga was furious. Absolutely furious despite the almost calm expression he bore, despite not knowing the details of what had happened because he could sense the depth of the foulness of this place and yet here was his mate, who had no business being so close to such a stench. She drew him down a bit and twined her arms around his neck to calm him, though she did not kiss him as she was sure that her mouth still tasted like those herbs that Urusue had forced her to drink. Some of the demon wolves slunk forward nearly on their bellies so that they could stay at her feet. They wanted a home near this Yourouzoku Princess with the kind touch and would brave the wrath of her mate if it would gain them that home. She tried to explain to Kouga what had happened and why she had had to be there, telling him of the bravery of InuYasha, Ginta, and Hakkaku, and how these wolves and homeless Yourouzoku had come to aid them despite the danger to themselves, she tried but she was sure that he was only half listening to her, his low growl at InuYasha and his two den friends growing with each word until he finally heaved a great sigh and turned a bit away from them.

 

 

 

He had no intention of punishing them right there in front of strangers despite that he was sure they deserved it, and now he had the matter of this gathering of homeless demons to consider. Kagome's soft voice trailed off and he tried not to smile as he just knew the moment that she had bitten her lip in contrition and looked down, even though his back was to her. He knew that she thought he had not heard what she had said, but this was a delicate decision. Should he trust these wolves and Yourouzoku? Was there enough game for them all to hunt? Would they obey his laws and follow his leadership? Finally he turned back to them as they silently waited and he gathered up his Kagome into his arms, nuzzling into her hair to inhale deeply of her scent to clearly show those that watched that she was His Mate before he spoke, sending a bit of his power into his voice and eyes as he did so.

 

 

 

“If you would live in my Territory and join with my pack, you must agree to my leadership. I am Kouga, and my word is Law. If you wish to stay you will hunt only the game the forest provides, I will not tolerate the hunting of ningen in my lands. You may defend yourselves if attacked, but we do not eat humans here. I will always listen to your problems and do my best to keep you safe from attacks of other demons and humans that are ignorant of my ways. Those who earn respect are given respect, such as InuYasha here.”

 

 

 

He pointed straight to the bandaged half-demon who straightened up under his scrutiny and tried to keep a calm expression despite the sudden pounding of his heart. Kouga had used him as an example for more than one reason, but it made him a bit proud to know that he had Kouga's respect.

 

 

 

“I will hear no ill words about hanyou in my lands. My own mate is ningen and so will my cubs be hanyou and they will be strong. If you cannot abide by my Laws, I will allow you to freely pass through my lands on your way north, there are other Yourouzoku that live in the mountains there and you are welcome to try and join them, though they are not much for trusting wolves from outside.”

 

 

 

He began to move away, still holding Kagome close to his side, and he turned to look over his shoulder as he spoke one more time.

 

 

 

“I have business with the half-demon Naraku that is unfinished, and it will end with his head on a plate. If you are allies of his, I suggest you move on.”

 

 

 

The demon wolves followed them as they left the clearing immediately, and a goodly number of the Yourouzoku that had been tended by Kagome went quickly as well. Those left there decided after a time that his laws were truly not that oppressive especially compared to the brutality that had driven them from their former home, and if game was plentiful who cared if they did not prey upon humans? Their meat was no tastier than boar or deer after all, and while they found his attitude towards hanyou odd considering his power and the fact that his mate was human it was at least understandable. If Kouga was strong enough to hold and protect his territory who cared about his taste in women? Safety was an attractive choice after all and scarce enough to be counted highly treasured no matter what the cost.

 

 

 

Some of the Yourouzoku that followed were of course troublemakers, and perhaps later on Kouga would regret his blanket acceptance of these new demons, but for now they followed peaceably enough. He led them to a dry cave a few miles from the Den and told them that they could make of this their new home, it was spacious and near a good source of clean water so while it was not the Den it was not a slight to be asked to live there. Kouga had the idea that he could make use of these new demons to aid his own in patrolling their territory and he began to like the idea of having more smaller `dens' like this one scattered about the land.

 

 

 

Kagome for her part stayed mostly quiet, even though Kouga's hands on her were nothing but gentle. She knew that despite her best intentions that Kouga was right to be angry with her, she could have died this time and Koji with her. She had to be there, yet was it not true that they could have just as easily gone without her and been just fine? Despite the odd way that Kikyou had reacted to her during the battle, Kagome was sure that they would have won the fight with Urusue regardless. She was still puzzled though over the things that the ogress had said about her being a Youkai, she clearly was not despite the heavy wolf tones of her scent and the way she dressed. So why had Urusue been convinced that she was a true Yourouzoku? When she finally spoke up to tell Kouga what Urusue had said about it, he'd blinked at her in surprise then stopped to look at her with his demon senses. His surprise showed on his face then as he registered what the ogress had, Kagome with a youkai aura and it was fair strong as well. So twined with her own that had he not known that she was ningen born he might have been fooled as well into thinking she was a demoness.

 

 

 

It dawned on him what it was and he laughed, the sound deep and startling Kagome into half-laughing as well though she socked him on the arm with her fist to get him to tell her what was so funny. Her expression when she'd done that was comical to Kouga so of course it took him long moments before he finally told her that it had to be Koji. Their son was going to be a strong hanyou indeed if his aura and yokai were potent enough in the womb to make Kagome seem to be a full Yourouzoku. A bit of pride crept into Kouga's voice then and he laced his fingers with her own. His mate needed a bath, he could smell the solution she'd been dunked in though he'd been too polite to say it, and Kouga led her to a nearby natural spring so she could do so. Of course that he himself would get to bathe with her was an added bonus and they could be forgiven in taking time to themselves after what had happened.

 

 

 

The time it took them to get back to Kaede's village had allowed InuYasha to gather up Miroku and Sango and tell them what had happened while Ginta and Hakkaku slunk almost guiltily around the hut waiting for Kouga's return with Kagome. They knew their leader well enough to know he was mad at them though they had hopes that Kagome would put him in a good enough mood that he might skip beating them and just assign them to some onerous duty as punishment. They shouldn't have let `nee chan talk them into letting her go but she was just so persuasive! Her kind aura lulled the wolves, who could blame them for wanting to let her have her way? She'd learned by now how to use a bit of the silent Yourouzoku communication of body language and signals too which made it even harder to refuse her anything.

 

 

 

For InuYasha's part he'd decided to take whatever punishment Kouga wanted to dole out stoically unless of course he decided to forbid him to see Kagome. That he would fight him over even if he deserved it, he simply couldn't help needing to be near her and being able to make sure she was alright. Which of course was why she'd been able to so easily coerce him, with her subtle threat to follow along anyway, and he knew her well enough to know that Kagome did not make idle threats. He was perched on an overturned bucket and deep in thought, his mind replaying over and over what had happened with the undead priestess that had been his love Kikyou just hours before, and then he began thinking again about the day she had died and his life had changed forever.

 

 

 

It was as he reflected that the realization struck him with nearly the force of a physical blow, his rocking back nearly tumbling him off the bucket to the ground as his golden eyes widened in horror and his ears flattened to his head in anger and distress. It had been Naraku that had caused her death in the first place, he somehow knew it deep inside though he had no true evidence as yet. In the days to come he would be proven right of course and that would settle within him a hatred of the creature that would only abate upon his death. That it would free his friend Miroku from his family's curse and avenge Sango's family as well mattered of course but not nearly as much as the coal of rage that had come to life in his heart. That coal made his golden eyes gleam uncannily as he stood to greet Kouga and Kagome as they approached the hut, and his voice was gruffer than normal when he spoke.

 

 

 

“It was Naraku that killed Kikyou. Now that I know that, I won't rest until she's avenged.”

 

 

 

AN: And there is Chapter Nineteen, I think it's my longest yet but we had so much to cover! Thank you all for your patience, I know it's been forever since my last updates and I hope that this chapter and the last made up for that at least a little bit. Next chapter will reveal some of Naraku's plans for our heroes and introduce his first incarnations Kanna and Kagura, Muso, and if I can pull it out the story of Onigumo and his dirty love for Kikyou!