InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Leiko ❯ Kiss of the Demon ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter Five

Kiss of A Demon

 

Leiko lay awake beside the mumbling Yamainu. For three days he had slept fitfully. The wolf pack looked up at Yamainu's ledge every now and again, but none would dare make any move towards Leiko. Kouga watched with a constant glower on his face as the hanyou girl cared for the arrogant brat. Throughout the three days and nights all Leiko could think about was the lines of Tenma's chant.

“Look into the hanyou's eyes, see the one who bound you inside.” Leiko whispered to the ceiling. “What did she mean?”

Again Yamainu moaned in his sleep. Leiko turned to look at him. She rose into a sitting position so she could look at his face. It had a little more color to it. Leiko lay a hand on his brow to be sure his fever had gone down. She gasped when Yamainu's fingers coiled around her wrist. His deep brown eyes filtered open and a slight smile crossed his face. Leiko smiled back, flinging herself on him.

“Whoa.” Yamainu laughed. “I should take hits more often.”

Leiko let his comment slide. She was too happy that he was awake. The whole time he'd been sleeping fitfully Leiko had been worried out of her mind. The entire pack had taken notice, but had said nothing. They had no desire to face the wrath of Lady Leiko. Now they nodded and shared knowing smiles. Yamainu pulled away from Leiko with some reluctance. He looked down into those clear silver eyes and saw the last traces of fear evaporate. She was worried about me? he wondered.

“You stupid jerk!” Leiko shouted suddenly and slapped Yamainu.

He rubbed his face, glaring down at her. “What'd I do?!” he demanded.

“That's for making me worry.” she replied as if her action was justified by that explanation alone.

Yamainu chuckled softly as he rubbed the red spot on his cheek. Leiko rose to her feet and leapt off of the ledge. One of the four-legged wolves picked up his head as Leiko walked by him. She passed her hand over his head and continued on. Leiko stooped in front of the cracking fire and picked up the bowl of soup she had laid beside it to keep warm. Without so much as a glance at the others she leapt back to the ledge that she now shared with Yamainu.

Leiko held it out to him. He took it and drank hungrily. She rolled her eyes as she watched him gulp down the hot soup. When he was through he wiped his mouth off with his arm. It was then that he realized he had no shirt on. Yamainu cocked an eyebrow at her in question. Leiko rolled her eyes again and motioned to his chest where the white bandages were contrasted against his tan skin. The wolf youkai looked down at the blood stained bandages. He gave a disgusted grunt.

“Stupid witch.” he growled, grabbing up his black tunic and pulling it over his head.

Leiko smiled. “Well,” she said. “Now that I know you're gonna live I've got to get going.”

“What?!” Yamainu demanded.

She couldn't leave him now. Yamainu stared at her blankly. What was he suppose to say to something like that? Leiko rose to her feet and turned on her heel. She had no desire to sit there looking at him when she could feel his disappointment boring into her. It was all too much for her. The wolf youkai grabbed her by the wrist and held her only inches from him.

Yamainu was aware of the many pairs of eyes on them. Kouga was chuckling with malicious delight. It served that little punk right for taking his woman. Leiko closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. If Yamainu couldn't see how much pain it was causing her to leave him then there was no hope for him after all. She opened her silver eyes slowly and wished instantly that she hadn't. There was far too much pain in Yamainu's brown eyes for her liking. Leiko touched his face lightly and smiled. She ran her claws down his tanned flesh.

"I have to go and get the Four Souls back." she said. "You heard Tenma. They'll wreck havoc on this era."

"Not like we haven't had trouble before." Yamainu said.

Leiko forced a smile. "I've got to go home before I do anything here. My dad is going to kill me when he sees me." she said.

Yamainu looked down at her leg and saw that the fabric of her pants had been cut so she could have it bandaged up. He winced and took her hand in his.

"Stay here with me." he said in a whisper.

"I'll come back once I get a few things a home straightened out." Leiko promised.

Yamainu could feel the pack's eyes upon them as they stood on his ledge. "The least I could do is bring you to the Bone Eater's Well." he said. "If we leave now we could get there by dawn tomorrow."

Leiko nodded. "Garou's coming too." she said.

"Who?" Yamainu asked, confused.

Leiko pointed to the large black four-legged wolf that had joined the pack only a moon before. He rose to his feet and let out a puppy-like bark. Yamainu cocked an eyebrow at the lovely hanyou before him. Was she serious? The wolves of this pack only answered to Kouga. Why would the most fearsome of them listen to her? To prove her point to him, Leiko gave a shrill whistle and Garou came running towards the ledge.

"Hmm." Yamainu said quietly. "Well, let's get going."

Leiko, now accustomed to her new abilities as a hanyou, leapt off the ledge once more but decided to show off and cut a few flips before her feet lightly hit the ground. Yamainu smiled softly. So she'd been practicing. He leapt down and landed beside her. With a quick look at Kouga, Yamainu wrapped his arm around Leiko and lead her out of the den of the pack. Garou trotted after them with a wolf-grin at Kouga.

Once they had crossed a few yards of forest Leiko pulled away from Yamainu and began to run with Garou at her side. They ran a ways ahead of the musing wolf youkai then decided to wait on him. When he caught up Leiko fell into step beside him. She could still hear Tenma's chant resounding in her brain and placed her hand in her pocket to prove to herself that the Sacred Jewel was still in it. Leiko glanced over at Yamainu and decided break the silence that had stretched between them.

"Tenma said something in her chant that confused me." she said.

"The whole damned thing confused me." Yamainu said angrily.

Leiko looked down at the ground. "Then you don't know what she meant when she said 'Look into the hanyou's eyes/ See the one who bound you inside.' I thought you might have some clue."

Yamainu sighed and ran his hand down his face. "All I can think that could mean would be that you were the reincarnation of the priestess who bound the Four Souls in their jeweled prison all those years ago." he said. "If that's not what she meant then we're fucked if we can't guess what she meant by all that mumbling she did the other night."

"I'm a... reincarntion..." her voice trailed off. "Get out of here!"

"It's not an uncommon thing. Your mother was the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo." Yamainu said. "She could scense where the Shikon Jewel shards were hidden and she had some pretty amazing abilities. If you're the reincarnation of the priestess who locked the Four Souls into the jewel then you must have her ability to scense where the Souls are hiding and how to recapture them."

Leiko looked down at Garou who was trotting beside her. He looked up at her and cocked his head to the side. Leiko took it that he didn't quite get what Yamainu was saying either. Sure, she knew about reincarnation but it was hard to believe that she could be the reincarnation of some dead priestess.

Yamainu glanced at the hanyou and shrugged. "It was only a suggestion." he said.

"It could be true." Leiko said. "I mean, if Tenma went to all the trouble of searching for me. No one knew I was here except that guy at the river and your pack. Maybe she really was waiting on me."

Garou gave a little yip and trotted ahead of the two demons. Leiko kept her hand in her pocket a little while longer. It felt so lifeless. Only four days before it had been pulsing with life. Now it was nothing more than an empty jewel. How was she going to explain this to Kagome and Inuyasha? Her mom might be somewhat understanding, but her dad was going to flip out when he found out.

"So...your parents are going to get a little shock when you show up as a hanyou." Yamainu said, breaking the silence that had once more fallen over them.

Leiko nodded.

The walk back to the Bone Eaters Well was going to be a long one. Leiko looked over a Yamainu. His eyes kept travelling down to her wounded thigh. Was that why he was going so slow? The wound was healed now. Leiko took off running with Garou in close pursuit. She looked back at Yamainu as her long, silver hair streamed out behind her.

"I'll race ya, Yamainu!" she called.

The wolf youkai grinned and took up the challenge. He shot forward at a break-neck speed and soon caught up with Leiko. When he was running alongside her he winked and pulled ahead of her. She growled softly deep in her throat and put on an extra burst of speed. Garou felt the excitement of the challenge and leapt forward to join in the fun. The large black wolf soon moved ahead of Yamainu and Leiko smiled. She whistled for Garou to come to her and he slowed.

"Hmph!" Yamainu snorted. "Bet Kouga was pissed when you took Garou from him. He hates when people take what he feels is rightfully his."

"Is that why he hates you for "taking" me?" Leiko asked with a slight smile.

Yamainu nodded.

They walked on in silence. When Yamainu stopped suddenly, Leiko tensed ready for the worst. Garou went into a defensive stance and began to growl. Yamainu stepped in front of Leiko and bared his fangs. The bushes off to the left of them began to rustle and something was coming closer. Yamainu leapt into them and took hold of the mysterious creature. When he come out, he held a squirming cougar youkai who looked no older than seven. She glared at Yamainu and snapped at him angrily.

"A kid!" Yamainu said and dropped the little youkai.

"Hey!" she cried and began to rubber her butt. "That wasn't very nice!"

Leiko smiled slightly. "There are few people that Yamainu is nice to." she said.

"I'm nice to you." he said, winking.

The cougar youkai looked at Leiko in confusion.

Leiko shook her head and knelt before her. They looked at each other for a few moments. Garou relaxed and sat on his haunches. He let his tongue loll out of his mouth and gave Leiko a wolf-grin. She smiled at the large wolf. Yamainu crossed his arms and glared at the cougar youkai.

"I'm Keiyo!" she said.

"Leiko." the other girl said. "This is Garou and you've already met Yamainu."

Keiyo nodded. "He's a bully." she said.

"Nah." Leiko smiled. "He's not so bad once you get to know him."

Keiyo shook her head and her long brown tresses flew around her face.

"We have to get going, Leiko." Yamainu said gruffly.

The hanyou nodded and rose to her feet. She patted Keiyo on the head and the three began their trek again. Garou lead the way once more. Leiko looked back at Keiyo once more as they continued on through the forest. She stopped when she realized that the little youkai was following them. Yamainu looked back as well and ground his teeth. He didn't need some little brat ruining his chances of getting closer to Leiko.

"I wanna go with you." Keiyo said as she caught up to them.

"Um...It's too dangerous for a little kid like you to be traveling with us." Leiko said.

Keiyo glared up at the two of them. "I'm not a kid! I'm 334 years old and the only reason I look like this is because a witch put a spell on me that trapped me in this second-rate body."

Leiko and Yamainu looked at one another. Both were a little sceptic of what this little youkai was saying. It was hard to believe that the puny youkai before them was really 334 years old. Leiko shrugged in defeat. There was no use denying Keiyo the oppurtunity to have some action. With a slight nod of her head Leiko confirmed that the cougar youkai could travel wiht them and get a part of the action.

"It'll be easier for us to defeat our enemies if we have some other people with us." Leiko said.

"Yeah...sure...whatever." Yamainu said irritatily.

Leiko rolled her eyes at his reply. She smiled down at Keiyo and motioned for her to follow them. Garou took up his trotting ahead once more. Leiko glanced over at Yamainu and smiled slightly. He was pissed off about Keiyo being with them. She nudged him and he glanced at her. When he wrapped his arm around her shoulders Leiko endured it. She liked him a lot even though she'd only known him for about four days or more.

When he'd taken the arrow for her that could have killed her she had been scared that she would lose him. It had come as a complete surprise to her that she was so worried about someone she barely even knew. He had saved her life twice and he had kept his whole pack off of her when he could have just let them ravage her.

Dusk found them in the village not far from Inuyasha's Forest. Leiko stood atop a hill and looked out at the fields before her. In the days when her mother had been a frequent visitor to the Fuedal Era the village had been small. Now it was prosperous and the people had flourished.

"We can stay there for the night and I'll return home in the morning." Leiko said.

Keiyo nodded.

Leiko had explained her plight as the three of them as they had travelled that day. Garou stood close to his master and his massive tail thump against her bare leg. She hadn't taken the bandges off yet. Leiko knew she would have to remove them before she left to go home or her father would have a fit. Garou barked and began walking down the hill. Keiyo trotted close behind the black wolf. Leiko glanced at Yamainu and smiled. He didn't return the smile.

"What's been eating you?" she asked.

"Nothing..." he said. Then he quickly added. "Why don't we just go to the Bone Eater's Well so you can go and hurry and come back?"

Leiko looked at him for a few moments. He wanted her to leave now? She did miss Akira. It had been eating at the back of her mind that something was wrong at home but she couldn't quite place it. Akira was sick but it wasn't like the little girl was going to die while she was gone. The hours before she'd been turned into a hanyou flashed in her mind. Kagome had confirmed that there was no hope for Akira and that it was only a matter of time before the little girl had no more strength to go on.

"Yes, I'll go now." she said in a low voice.

Yamainu nodded. "Keiyo! Garou!" he cried.

The two turned to look at him.

"I'm taking Leiko to the Well! You two go on ahead and I'll meet you in the village!" he said.

Keiyo waved to signal that she'd understood and she and Garou continued on their way. Yamainu turned to Leiko and saw the look of saddness in her eyes. Something was wrong. Was it something he'd said? Yamainu took her hand in his and ran the fingers of his free hand down her cheek.

"C'mon, hanyou." he said softly. "Let's get you home."

Leiko nodded and they began the final trek to the Bone Eater's Well. Silence stretched between the two demons as they walked through the forest. Had it really only been four days since she'd climbed out of the well? Yamainu saw the well first. He'd been paying attention to where they were going while Leiko had only followed blindly. Leiko knew that one part of her had no desire to go home, but the other one told her that she had to for Akira's sake.

When they stood near the well, Leiko looked inside of it. Bones littered the soft soil inside. This was the only way to get home. It was time she faced her family and let them see her as a hanyou. Yamainu squeezed her hand and she turned to look into his brown eyes. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him firmly. When their lips met, Leiko was shocked. Yamainu placed his other hand behind her neck and pulled her even closer. The hand around her waist moved up to her arm and his claws dug into her skin.

She winced, but didn't pull away. Instead, Leiko wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. It was a long, passionate kiss. When they finally parted, Yamainu released her and she let her arms fall away from him. Without any warning Leiko sat on the lip of the well and let herself fall backwards. The lights surrounded her and when Yamainu looked into the well, she was gone. Leiko had experienced the kiss of a demon. Yamainu's kiss. He turned away from the well and walked to the village with a small smile on his face.

 

High in the boughs of a nearby oak tree, a figure stood hidden by night's falling shadows and watched the kiss shared by the youkai and hanyou. Anger suffused the face of the hidden one. With a low growl, he leapt from branch to branch and flew to the north.