InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Leiko ❯ It Never Ends ( Chapter 25 )

Chapter Twenty-Five

It Never Ends

 

Leiko glared at the witch. "Everyone has secrets, Tenma." she growled as she unsheathed Yakeima. "That doesn't mean that they're loyalty has no meaning because of some secret."

Tenma smiled. "You're just saying all of these things because of your little secret."

Yamainu cried out in pain. Leiko turned to her friend and saw Kouga bite into the other wolf youkai's shoulder again. Yamainu's clothes were covered in his blood. The hanyou ground her teeth in frustration. She didn't have time to waste on this pety shit. Leiko turned back to the grinning Tenma.

The hanyou growled and leapt at her. Tenma's eyes widened as she realized what Leiko planned to do. Leiko swung Yakeima down, but Tenma leapt backwards and out of the way. Yakeima embedded into the solid rock ledge showering those below with a rain of pebbles. Tenma cackled loudly as she fleed. Leiko looked down at Yamainu and Kouga.

"Yamainu, let's get the hell outta here." Leiko said.

The wolf youkai nodded and tore away from Kouga. The two of them fleed into the forest and ran away from the den of Yamainu's pack. When they were about three miles away from the den they stopped. The sun was gone and they couldn't run on the scant light that the sliver of moon gave off. Yamainu started a small fire and Leiko started gathering tinder and scrounging for some food. She gathered a few berries and some apples.

When she laid them on the ground in front of Yamainu, Leiko noticed the blood caked on his shoulder and the old wound on his arm was still bleeding. The hanyou's silver eyes widened as she recalled that all of the youkai's wounds had been her doing. She looked down at the ground and sucked in a sharp breath. Yamainu looked up at her and smiled faintly.

"Leiko?" he said.

The hanyou looked up at him. "Yeah?" she asked, taken aback by the gentle tone of his voice.

"You know that I never took Kouga's woman, don't you?" the wolf youkai asked.

Leiko looked down at the pile of fruits and a slight smile crossed her lips. She had been jealous for a brief moment. The dog hanyou kept her gaze down and nodded. Yamainu groaned lowly causing Leiko to look up. He'd stripped off his tunic, revealing the wounds that Kouga had opened. She felt her stomach turn as her eyes took in the damaged flesh and torn muscles. It was all her fault.

Yamainu caught her looking at him. "It's not your fault." he said as if reading her mind.

She looked up into his deep brown eyes. "But I..." she began.

The wolf youkai smiled at her slightly. "What happened to the girl who didn't care what happened to me?"

"She died the day you got took that arrow for me." Leiko said, kneeling down in front of him and picking up his discarded tunic. "We have to clean these."

Yamainu watched her disappear into the forest. When she returned, Leiko washed the wounds with his soaked tunic. The wolf youkai closed his eyes once the wounds were cleaned. Leiko returned to the stream and cleaned the tunic. She lay it in front of the fire when she was done. Yamainu opened his eyes and smiled.

"Let's get some sleep." he said. "We'll find the others in the morning."

Leiko nodded and moved to his side, careful not to hit any of his wounds. She closed her eyes and saw Akira laying on her bed. The little girl's skin was pale and her eyes were half closed. Leiko felt tears slipping from beneath her closed lids and inhaled sharply. Yamainu hugged her tighter to him and they drifted off to sleep.

Dawn's first rays found them on the outskirts of the village where the others waited. Garou rose to his feet and ran to his mistress. He launched himself onto her and licked her face happily. Leiko hugged her canine friend, happy to see him once more. She finally pushed him away and rose to her feet.

"So how are things at home?" Satzuka asked.

"Just as I expected." Leiko said.

Shadow, resting under a large oak tree with Kari, rose slowly to his feet and snorted in disgust. "Look, we don't have time to waste." he said and shook himself. "Let's get going."

Kari rose to her feet as well and looked at Leiko. The Shikon no Tama caught her eye as she examined the hanyou. It was brighter.

"You found another Soul." she said suddenly.

Leiko looked slightly shocked by the angel's words. "How did you know?" she asked.

"It's brighter." Kari replied.

Keiyo leapt to Leiko's shoulders and took the Jewel in her hands. "It's true." she said.

"You were going to keep that from us?!" Sasuke demanded.

Leiko shrugged. "I forgot." she said simply. "Can we please go now?"

The others looked around and shrugged. There was no use begging for an explaination if the dog hanyou was unwilling to give it to them. She turned on her heels and moved towards the western mountains that ranged along the far edge of Inuyasha's Forest. Yamainu shook his head slowly and followed after her. Keiyo leapt onto Garou's back, motioning him to follow the other two. Kari and Shadow looked at one another, then moved after them all with Sasuke close behind. Satzuka wrapped the prayer beads around her arm and followed close behind Sasuke.

They followed behind the hanyou for a good while. The trees moved past them and the sun sank lower in the west. Keiyo lay on Garou's back and kept threatening to fall off. Leiko didn't stop no matter what anyone said to her. Sasuke moved to Yamainu's side and looked at the dog hanyou before them.

"We need to stop." he said. "Poor Keiyo is exhausted."

The wolf youkai nodded in agreement. "Leiko!" Yamainu called, but the hanyou continued moving on at her brisk pace.

He caught up to her and grabbed her arm. Yamainu pulled to a stop, causing her to whirl on him and swipe him with her claws. He barely dodged it, looking at her in shock. The others stopped and stared at the two of them.

"Let me go!" Leiko growled. "I don't have time!"

Yamainu shook his head. "You need to sleep." he said. "Everything will be fine."

"Is something wrong with Akira?" Satzuka asked.

Leiko glared at her. "Of course something is wrong with her; she's DYING!" she shouted. "How stupid can you people be?!"

The dog hanyou pulled away from Yamainu and ran off into the woods. They watched her go, but no one moved to follow her. Keiyo finally let herself fall down onto the soft, green grass. The others moved around their campgroud and preformed various tasks. Kari made the fire, while the others searched for food. Satzuka stood staring after Leiko. She tried to hold back her tears but decided to let them go. Leiko had never been so hard on any of them. They had been such good friends.

"Do something." Kari said softly. "It'll help you stop worrying."

Satzuka nodded and went to gather more wood for the fire. The whole while she kept looking into the woods where Leiko had ran off to. Her sorrow would never end. It was a vicious cycle that would eat at her until Akira finally gave way to her illness. When that day came, what would they do?