InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Red and Blue ❯ Hands ( Chapter 2 )

“Choose,” Naraku entoned. The feternal twins were tied, their bodies rank with dried sweat and the smell of fear.

“One may live,” he proffered the Tesigua wanting to see if the sword would protect humans from other humans. Their father sat motionless. His eyes were closed, his face resigned.

Naraku exposed the girls throat, pulling her head up  by the hair. Her brother trembled. Was that rage, or fear? She screamed. He liked it.

“I could do it you know.” He glanced at the father. “But it would be much kinder for her...”  A hornet flew up. Kikyo and that racoon fellow had escaped. Without a change he took her hand and broke two fingers. She screamed.

"You can find I can be very reasonable,” he croon. “I’ve left you alone for all this time.” He frowned. He had meant to say alive.

“I volunteer,” said her brother shakily.

“Oh good.”

Naraku broke another finger.  He walked over to the old man, and poked with a foot him. The man was clearly dead.

        If his eyes could have colored over they would have. Planning was his happy place while the demons of his flesh devoured the demons of his flesh, to make room for the demons of his flesh. It wasn’t much of a vacation if they didn’t actually happen. He decided to make Kagura do something horrible. Watching from the magic mirror she shivered.

-

Shippo helped Kaede dig holes for posts. They’d need a ward every arm span to keep a full blooded Inuyasha at bay.

“If only ye had some of his hair,” she mused.

Shippo who had first hand experience with Kagome’s “haircuts” broke in.

“I don’t think Inuyasha lets Kagome cut his hair.”

Kaede shook her head. It was too much to hope for.

“She has some of my hair,” He added. Kaede smiled at him and ruffled it.

“Hey! You can’t have any!”

-

Miroku had been to this village before.

“We can’t of course, pay you.”  pouting the merchant’s daughter, smiling with her eyes. “I’m sure we can work something out.”

He kept a straight face. Her hand was on this leg. In the background Sango looked very angry.

“Akari-san I’m afraid my companion and I cannot stay.” He could feel the black misma of Sango’s mood behind him.

“That Heiman?” the woman said with contempt. “We may not own land butI ’ll have you know sister has an arranged marriage,” she said, “Your children would be taken care of.”

She spoke directly to Sango, “It was nice of you to dig the graves. And without compensation.”

Sango went to  use their ornimental cherry trees for target practice.

“Actually I was the one who dug the graves,” Miroku lied. She recoiled slightly. Sango froze midstep. “And I could not in good conscience abandon the woman pregnant with my child.” Akari’s pupils dilated. She assumed the emotive tone  was directed at her.

“Well aren’t you the most gallant heathen I’ve ever met,” she mused.She blushed and was beautiful. “It wouldn’t be right for your line to die out.”

She put a hand under her chin.

“You will stay here tonight, I insist.”

Miroku resigned. If there were more advances from her they wouldn’t be to night. He turned to the space most brilliant in his awareness, the space where Sango had been. It was empty.

He sighed. His stomach growled.

The daughter rose eyes dreamy and inclined her head slightly; unwilling to bow to a man who handled the dead.

“I’ll have someone see to dinner.”

-

In twenty first century Tokyo an innocent washing machine spluttered, clunked pitifully and died. Kagome would have to return home with a bag of sodden laundry. She ignored the nervousness of the other patrons at the laundramat. She agreed; that was a lot of blood. The water was a soapy pink. The image of an open ribcage flashed in her mind’s eye. She shivered.

“Higarasi?” Hojo? “Should you be out?”

“I’m fine,” she said gripping a machine.

“And your bones?”

“I’m fine,” she said the  color draining from her face, “Nothing’s broken.” Nothing of hers anyway.

Hojo led her to a seat.

“You don’t look well.”

“I’m fine.” She smiled.

He glanced at the bloody laundry and the owner, working out sums.

“Don’t move.”

Kagome shut her eyes and leaned against the cold metal. The machine smelled of floral detergent.  A long way off it sounded like someone was screaming. She yelped when he touched her.

 “You fell asleep.” Well that made sense. She’d been having nightmares.

He sat next to her.

“My...what?” She looked around. The washer was empty, a large plastic bag next to it.

“I made some calls. You’re obviously too sick to travel.” He said. “A car will be here soon, they’ll drop you off and we’ll take care of your clothing.”

 Kagome shut her eyes again.

“You don’t have to do this,” she drowsed. Hojo, in the boldest move of his young life  reached out and took her hand. 

"I know."

Beside him, Kagome snored. When the car came the shift in his weight woke her.

“I, um, oh.” She blushed. He blushed back.

“I’ll see you later," he said watching her go.