InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Risaishi ❯ The Shikon no Kakera! ( Chapter 4 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
Disclaimer: This author owns not the Inu-tachi characters, however in the path of world's conquest, she will come to own them. For now they belong to Takahashi Rumiko.
Author's Note:This author request of his readers for them to send her any kind of questions about the Fic, if you want to know any term (Japanese) and just don't feel like Google it, you talk to me ( this was just so un-sesshoumaruish!)
Enjoy
Risaishi
Chapter 4 -TheShikon no Kakera!
(Souls alike, and the broken jewel!)
Why he had almost kiss Kagome, remained a mystery for him. Well, half a mystery, he knew part of it was because she resembled Kikyou so, so much. Resemblance that he had still to explore. Were they from the same family? Kagome called Kaede obaa-chan, but there was no way of knowing it was an endearment term or a real blood bond term. Maybe she was related to Kaede…to Kikyou.
He'd acknowledged the differences in a whim off course, Kagome wasn't so tall as Kikyou, and still held a girlish essence that he didn't remind Kikyou having in her all grown up splendor, but Kagome was no girl, yeah absolutely no fucking girl he remembered that hot stream very well. Her hair was nowhere as long as Kikyou's waist length black mane and her was unruly where Kikyou's was flawless, Kagome's strands had a inky blue touch and all in all he had to admit it gave her a free look, like she was devoid of problems, especially when she used that smile.
Now that smile was something he couldn't remember seeing in kikyou's face much times. Hell he didn't even remembered it at all.
Was she that unhappy then?
This strange girl was always strangely plastering a smile on her face, whether she was happy or not, when children and people talked to her she was always smooth and polite. But that Kikyou had been too. No Kagome ignited a fire in the pit of people's souls. She called out to them. After spending one afternoon talking to most of the people in the Area, he noticed they already knew she wasn't Kikyou, but instead of so respectfully bowing like they used to do to Kikyou, they'd smile genuinely and wave at her. The laughter and happy squeals of infants filled his eyes as a pair of them squirmed in his mothers arms hold to get to Kagome.
She brought happiness and easiness with her, and had she been another person he'd actually take his time to enjoy it and watch person of such a doomed country like Risaishi laughing and smiling at the sight of a mere mortal…
Maybe he was right maybe the mountains in the east had given birth to the sunny day because of this airheaded incomprehensible girl.
They're heading to Kaede's.
It appeared she had something to talk to them.
Walking side by side made her uncomfortable, made the heat to her cheeks rise and she didn't know why - nor did she want to find out - So she was happy when entering the Area again people smiled and wave politely at her a big smile on their faces, some of the infants and youngsters whom she had played in the afternoon, squealing childishly in sheer happiness. And Kagome had yet to find out what had happened to the Tokyo she so well knew and had always lived in.
But unfortunately her thoughts didn't linger there.
Her thoughts journeyed to some few minutes ago, when in a sad cliff she had sat on the ground and was confronted with his actions.
His beautiful golden orbs turned half lidded as he batted them merely at first but they calmed down then, from that moment on, to her, everything was slow motion, he swallowed thickly and let out a puff of air and approached ever so slightly, ever so gently and careful, his hand still resting in her wrist and a talon she had seen shred a youkai caressed ever so slightly the skin of the inside of the wrist and she understood what that was, as his gaze focused on her luscious lips.
She put some distance and now they're walking towards Kaede's who had said that during dinner she whished to talk to them both.
But Kagome couldn't see what she could possibly had to say regarding them both. All that she wanted to do was to come back home, and she hadn't tried the well again because she was still weak and Kaede insisted on letting her take care of those wounds. By the next day she said they'd be much better with the combined powers of medicinal herbs and Shinto miko holy powers, the day after that she was going to be completely healed. She wondered if there wasn't a hospital and that thought accompanied her until Kaede's door.
She was happy she and Inuyasha hadn't talk more; because the gods knew she had felt a pain so sharp when he took her for another person that she wanted to hit him. And that wasn't nice and she berated herself the next second.
But being mistaken for another wasn't something she was used too, her friends always had held her dear, they had respected her, they had even admired her, because she was kind beautiful humble and helpful.
Not ever she had been treated like Inuyasha treated her.
She entered swiftly through the door behind him, eyeing his bloodied booths as they came off and were thrown with nonchalance next to the door next to her neatly put together zori sandals.
Her aching tired tabi clad feet slid through the small corridor to the small (very small ) living room Inuyasha without knowing led her to.
He must have been here before…
Her thoughts were engulfed in a soft tired sigh as she kneeled in front of her bowl of rice and miso soup. Oh how she missed her mother's cooking! Inuyasha sat in Indian style and immediately reached for his bowl and without caring with chopsticks began eating the rice in front of him.
She looked at him with a scold but he ignored her and continued eating. Kaede's eyes seemed to glint with a flick of amusement and she didn't reprimand him, instead she nodded her head and Kagome smiled grabbing her chopsticks and with cheer voice exclaimed a quick
“Itadakimasu!”
That Kaede answered with a kind smile and grabbed her own chopsticks.
Inuyasha didn't stop eating.
Along the meal, in the middle of it, when Inuyasha was already on the third bowl of rice, Kagome let her confusion and curiosity eat at her no more.
“Kaede baa-chan, you told you had something to tell.” Shoving a bird of rice inside her mouth she chewed ever so slowly two sets of eyes (well a set and a single one) boring into her, and the gold one turned to the single one “what is this about?”
Kaede looked at the girl in front of her, with great sorrow tainting her only obsidian eye, her mouth forming a deep line and her scarce eyebrows set in a scowl of hurt. She seemed to be holding back tears, but then she swallowed hard a dropped her chopsticks on the bowl to face Kagome, with a now cooler expression.
“Kagome… you already mentioned you live in a Shinto shrine ne?”
Inuyasha returned the golden pools to Kagome, the strange girl who so much resembled Kikyou… Even if she had that humiliating power of hers, he could sneakily run away from her. Couldn't he? But what kind of a man was he, afraid of this girl who was maybe 17 years old when he was the possessor of youkai blood, and of such a line as the Inu no Taisho… the Tai-youkai and lord of the Western lands and she was a mere ningen… ok a miko ningen possessor of such huge power that she wasn't even aware of. But that didn't discarded the fact that he was a thousand times stronger than her, and tenth times older, seeing he was 200 years old.
It was not so much the kotodama no nenju - although he absolutely loathed the thing - it was much more that she was a practical copy of Kikyou, and it scared the shit out of him that he had to coexist with someone so equal to the woman he had loved half a century ago and he wasn't even sure if she had betrayed him, but the ultimate truth was that he still hang on to Kikyou, he still loved her, and she was dead. She was dead. In this world no more… how was he to go on, if he neither knew what had happened fifty years ago or keeping her love and have this girl so near him. But…he knew nothing more that was his than this forest and he'd be nothing short of a coward if he abandoned this place, running away from this girl, this woman representing his lost love but so different from her in so much ways. All he had was his honor. Nothing more. He had no status because he'd denied it, but the blood of an Inu prince still ran through his veins and he couldn't escape it, not even in death.
He couldn't stand the thought of running away from this ningen woman, because that was as good as admitting she held power over him.
“I do Kaede baa-chan, with my family.”
The old woman, whom for who sported 60 years seemed more like she sported 90, nodded strained. Her eyes flew momentarily to Inuyasha in what Kagome recognized was utter apprehension, and couldn't help but to wonder what could be so bad. What could she have to tell them that would leave her looking at Inuyasha that way?
“Spit it out baba”
It seemed not even Inuyasha was unaware of the heavy look darkening Kaede's only eye and features, and that worried Kagome. Of the time she had spent with him, something that she had noticed was that most of the time, Inuyasha was very enthralled in his own world and was clueless and unaware of everything. Well that was what she thought at the moment. And seeing him perceiving Kaede's disturbed features, somehow put her on edge.
Inuyasha on the other hand - all but forgetting the younger woman in the room and clashing his eyes with the single obsidian miserable eye of Kaede.
Hearing intently he heard her heart hammering against her old rib cage and using his keen nose he could feel her anxiety leaking from every pore. It made him tense immediately.
Finally Kaede, after swallowing a rather large lump that had lodged in her throat, continue. Ignoring Inuyasha she turned her eyes to the girl who had already won her heart.
“Growing up in a Shinto shrine, you must know about… reincarnations. Am I right? ”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the wheels in Inuyasha's brain began working and he stared at the once child no aged woman with his mouth agape. He even forced his body inches backwards, stumbling.
She can't possibly mean…oh fucks no!
But Kagome never left Kaede, and Kaede never left Kagome, she stared fixated to the 17 year old girl. She slowly very slowly nodded to the elder question, and so Kaede carried on.
“Kagome, for what you've told me, you do not belong here. You don't recognize Risaishi and you call this Zone a name it has been long forgotten.”
“Tokyo?”
Gods she didn't understand this. What was Risaishi and what was this with Zones and Areas? Hell she was in Japan and in Tokyo, right?
“Now it is called Zone 1I Kagome, but worry not with that now. There are more pressing matters. As I was saying…you are not from here, and I have very good motives to believe that… you are the reincarnation of someone I once held very dear.”
The sharp intake of breath accusing surprise was heard from the right side of Kagome, and when she looked she was presented with a expression she didn't recognize.
Well she recognized it she just didn't expect it. Inuyasha seemed so awestruck, so awfully surprised that he wore a shocked expression, but his eyes, he looked like he was going to cry.
However when he noticed she was gawking at him and taking in his surprise, he snarled loudly and rolled his upper lip in a baring fangs grimace. Ultimately his eyes full of hate.
She want to snort, and maybe she would've done it had the situation not being so bizarre and just out of good sense limits. But this was such a berserk moment she chose to stay quiet and quickly avert her gaze from him to Kaede obaa-chan.
“Baa-chan what are you saying?”
“I'm trying to see you that the fact that you had the shikon no tama inside you and your fantastic miko powers- because be not a fool- they are out of average, oh they are brilliant!- and you're exquisitely resemblances to Kikyou Onee-sama make me believe you're her reincarnation.”
“Hell no! You fucking nuts baba? ”
And three eyes - a set and one single - turned to Inuyasha who was sporting hell in his molten gold eyes; he looked disappointedly to Kaede and then fired that hell again at Kagome's warm brown eyes that were so different from his last love's ones.
These eyes, these new eyes not so wise but a lot more full of life bore eyes into his skull and she said in a quiet calm deadly voice her warning for the first and last time.
“If you don't shut up dog-boy, you'll end up with your face in the tatami.”
And he immediately shut his lips closed, not because he was afraid of a threat a little girl whose height didn't even reach his shoulder -no of course not…- it was because he wanted to hear what the baba was talking about too.
And the thought crossed his mind that this idea was anything but stupid and it made a lot of sense…
Outside the chirp of a crow made Kaede carry on, while Inuyasha narrowed his beautiful golden eyes. When her voice cut his sudden discomfort, he opened his slits of eyes and looked at them both.
“Kagome the fact that you might possibly be Kikyou onee-sama's reincarnation its nothing to be afraid of. It implies - you must know this - That part of you soul once belonged to Kikyou Onee-sama. But with time and changed you and you soul developed, and that why Kagome-chan that you have such strong powers, stronger than kikyou's. Its because your powers are a match for Kikyou onee-sama's that you were able of carrying the shikon no tama for so long, and this leaves no doubt once that Kikyou Onee-sama took the jewel with her, fifty years ago when she was cremated. Do you understand?”
Kagome looked a bit dejected at the news and tried to school her features into smooth cooler ones. But she couldn't. Not with Inuyasha looking at her that way, as if he was looking for something. She turned mad eyes to his soft ones, and pinned him with a formidable glower.
“That means, I sort of inherit some things from Kikyou, but I'm not her… am I?”
Inuyasha turned his lips into a straight line. Damn right she wasn't Kikyou but why had she said it like that? Was it because of what had happened on the cliff that same afternoon an hour or so ago?
Kaede chuckled and shook her head.
“Iie child, you're not her, it is like you said so. You inherit some things from Onee-sama but you are yourself. Do not worry child.”
The relief that flooded through Kagome's body baffled Inuyasha. Had she been that annoyed with him? Well it was only normal, after all she didn't know him and he was a half breed, a sullied hanyou. Who would want one of those thing touching them? Only Kikyou had one day accepted him and still...
“Kagome, you must protect the shikon no tama with you life, if it has chosen you an…”
Kagome didn't want to be rude. Not with this sad woman who gave her such genuine smiles and had taken care of her, this woman who had given her a ceiling to sleep under. But his was very, very annoying. She wasn't really thinking about spending a lot of time here. She had her life somewhere else. Somewhere she didn't want to believe it was lost and forgotten. It wasn't fair. She missed her mother and jii-chan and Souta outouto-chan. Why was this happening? She really wasn't intending to be rude but by Kami-sama she wasn't planning on staying here either.
“I'm sorry Kaede obaa-chan, but I don't want to stay here, I want to go back home.”
She tried to wear the most solemn expression she could muster. Kaede's expression fell a bit but moistening her thin dry lips she spoke again.
“I understand Kagome and maybe the jewel will be safer in your …world. But you must promise you will return and visit us.”
“Do you think the well will let me pass whenever I want to? This is really different from where I live. ”
Kaede nodded and gave her a small reassuringly smile and felt a bit lighter. Now that she had shared that awful secret with the two people who should know about it and she started her withdrawing. They probably need privacy to fight.
She was sure, in these one day and a bit they had met, when they were together; they weren't nothing short on nemesis. But then again it was very often that nemesis would end up together side by side. That was what she was expecting. Even if it betrayed her memory of Kikyou Onee-sama, the jewel needed protection and Inuyasha was the one who could do it for Kagome, who hadn't train her powers yet.
“Fuck that! I don't know nor do I care what you two crazy are talking about. What I want to know baba is why can't I take this stupid nenju?”
Kaede tried to ignore the temperamental hanyou and answer Kagome but when she smiled again to the beautiful young woman in front of her, and she seemed even more relieved. Inuyasha cut in again.
“Fuck you, you two! I want to know how take this shit out of me!”
“Will you watch your tongue baka? Be respectful to Kaede obaa-chan!”
“Shut up brat! When I first knew her she was even tinier than you, why should I care?!”
Kaede had to hold back a lovely smile, at Inuyasha's words. He really remembered. But Kagome wasn't that merry, her eyebrow twitched behind her long onyx shiny tresses which were hiding her stunning face, with tight balled fists on her knees she very slowly lifted her head to clash warm chocolate with hardened gold.
And he knew it; he just knew it he was going to end up with his face in the tatami. He just didn't know what had he done now. All he had done was calling her tiny.
“You…did you just call me tiny?”
He wanted to retreat and run and hide from her. But she was wearing a `seek-and-destroy' face and he knew there was no possibly escape. What was the problem anyway, it wasn't even meant was an insult.
“Keh! I think you heard me just fine!”
And as always she threw her nose to the ceiling along with her chin and said with great pride the command which heaved the kotodama no nenju down.
“Osuwari!”
“Fuckin' `itch!”
His words muffled by the tatami and the red face Kagome was desperately trying to school her features trying not to osuwari him again, were Kaede's line to leave that room. Besides she was feeling some strange presence in the Area
She left sliding and swiftly and neither one nor the other noticed. In fact they had all but forgotten she was there.
When the spell began to fade, Inuyasha shot to his feet and crackled his knuckles.
“Little girl you don't know who you're playing with. You may think you have the upper hand but I'll break you in one snap. I'm not afraid of you. You're just a tiny girl”
His voice was so dark that she forgot the osuwari he deserved after that remark. She thought loosely that he'd look like a gothic god where she came from. When he spoke his darkened pools of gold narrowing to slits to face then he wore such a sardonic expression that she even wondered if he was a kinky freak and this was enjoyable to him.
“Look here, I may be tiny but I'm not afraid of bullies like you!”
She shouted, and he snapped out of his dark expression, looking surprised at her as if he wasn't expecting the outburst.
“And believe me I've no desire whatsoever of remaining here. I'll go back to my time, but the jewel stays with me!”
After the shout - that of course scared Kaede that they may have been trying to kill each other if not verbally, physically - The older woman entered the small room again and sat on her previous spot.
“What are you two arguing about?”
She inquired them with a scowl and Kagome immediately felt bad. It was absolutely vulgar to argue with someone in other's place. She bowed her head and spoke softly.
“Gomen ne Kaede-baa-chan, I didn't meant to be rude towards you”
And the old woman let a little smile tug at her lips, this girl was so polite and yet she was a spitfire. She could handle Inuyasha's temper? Well what kind of woman was she? Kikyou Onee-sama had never stood for his behavior and if he crossed the line she'd ignore him for days. Not Kagome, she fought back. Again occurred her how different the two woman were.
“It is okay child…”
“Keh! Oi baba!”
Two heads snapped in the direction of the hanyou that now nonchalantly rested his back against the cement walls, one knee pulled to his chest and his forearm resting on it. Kagome furrowed her brows and he ignored her, again speaking to Kaede.
“You better tell that obnoxious brat to give me the shikon no tama and take this fucking nenju!”
“Watch you mouth jerk! Why do you want it so much anyway? You're pretty strong already!”
He snorted again and turned his head away from her scrutiny, blushing a bit.
“It's none of your business brat! Kikyou would never do such stupid questions to me. Obviously you're nothing like her”
But the hanyou failed to see the way the girl tensed, Kaede however didn't fail to notice that and she wondered why. Maybe the girl had really a problem with her being a reincarnation of the hanyou's lost love…
In order of avoiding a new discussion she stepped in and answered Kagome for the hanyou.
“Inuyasha is a hanyou. His okaa-san was a ningen Hime and his otou-san Tai-youkai; he wants to be like him, tai-youkai.”
It was a rather blunt statement but this time the one who stiffened was Inuyasha and he glared at the old woman.
“Shut your mouth baba.”
Kagome lost in her thoughts, didn't even realize that her thoughts were leaving the comfortable space of her brain and trail out of her mouth.
“So he wants to get rid of his ningen blood? Does he hate his mother that much?”
And that did it. She didn't even saw it coming, until Inuyasha had a clawed finger poking her chin. His beautiful hues of gold were tinted with anger and he spoke in that dark voice again, this time though he didn't used a sardonic voice or something akin to that. What he was using it was a voice that promised pain and threatened her very life.
“Let's make this very clear brat…”
She opened her mouth to argue but he poked her chin harder and she glared at him instead, finding golden eyes glowering at her just equally.
“You'll never talk about haha-ue again.”
She turned her glower in such an annoyed face he wanted to slap her.
“Why not? Don't you love your okaa-san?”
“Didn't I just tell you to shut up onna? Hottoite yo! Haha-ue died a long time ago!”
And immediately all the anger and annoying left Kagome's face she turned around her face to escape his poking claw and he left his hand fall. He couldn't see her face at that moment because her beautiful eyes and cheeks and the emotions on them were hidden by her long ebony locks. But the heavy smell of her reeked of sadness and hurt
“Sorry. I know how it is.”
Her whisper was barely audible. He was sure baba hadn't caught it and he saw the tears well up in the girl eyes. Fuck he hated seeing women cry. He remembered he had never before seen Kikyou cried. And the last time he had cried was because of haha-ue's death. This girl was showing off his weaknesses and displaying some that Kikyou had never had. Two tears fell in silence and when the salty scent rubbed in the insides of his nose he just knew he had to get away of there.
“Keh!”
And with that he got to his feet, his red long coat flowing around him when he turned away and left.
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Inuyasha's outburst had remembered her of Otou-san. A big lump didn't let her air pass in the throat and thickness built there. Her eyes filled with tears made her want to slap herself. It was no time for thinking of such things. Right now she had to get out of this place and take that dangerous jewel with her… After Inuyasha left Kaede obaa-chan told her why the jewel was so dangerous and she couldn't do anything but protect her now, and prevent the tainted ones to touch it. She had to be careful, oh so very careful with the shikon no tama and keep it around, she now wore it in a little velvet bag attached to a gold chain and the young girl couldn't help but to sigh deeply at the now thick, dark and engulfing night that was marring the ski. The beautiful full moon smiled at her and the stars were countless here. The sky was much prettier here than back home.
Back home huh?
Gods she wanted to go back to her house. Okaa-san must've been so worried. Souta outouto- chan was certainly never stepping one foot on the well-house and jii-chan was probably rummaging through old scrolls on the shrine to find out what was happening and what kind of magic had impose itself.
She sighed again and turn to her side on the comfy futon, grabbing the velvet little bag dangling from her throat and through it she felt the warmness of the shikon no tama.
There was never a doubt in her mind that this little orb was a very powerfull weapon and as Kaede had said it was normal that both ningen and youkai alike wanted it.
And she, a little inexperienced little girl of the barely ripe age of 17 was the one chosen to protect this little jewel, the jewel of four souls
Aramitama (è’é‚, Courage),
Nigimitama (å’Œé‚, Friendship),
Kushimitama (奇é‚, Wisdom)
Sakimitama (幸é‚, Love).
She never ever doubted, not even in the back of her mind that this jewel held the power of destroy the world.
And the task of protecting it was now, upon her shoulders, it once had been on kikyou's shoulders- she frowned when she thought that -but the truth was she had never felt so proud and overwhelmed.
With a sharp intake of breath she decided she wanted to walk outside. She still wanted to know - she still needed to know - a lot of things about this place. Why was Tokyo in ruins? And how was the city? This supposedly were the suburbs right? She had heard the word “Risaishi” and it gave her the chills. Suffering (from a calamity) city?
Although she needed to discover this she decided against it to think about it now. Now she wanted to enjoy the chilly night and the engulfing moon, the shinny stars called to her and with wool steps she reached the front door of the tiny house.
A deep breath claimed the frozen air and a puff of hot breath hazed the atmosphere.
Small steps made her advance towards what she didn't knew, but although she knew there were every kind of debris and rocks on the ground she never tripped, she was very calm, this place calmed her.
Her eyes remained closed for seconds and the pulse of the shikon no tama reassured her that she could open her eyes.
The night here was a thousand times prettier than where she came from, the air a thousand times purer. But there was such sorrow such pain dangling from the stars and the moon now, at night when people cried themselves to sleep.
What had happened here? Why this place was called the city of suffering? Why could she feel the sorrow and grieve clogging the air? And without noticed when her questions found no answer, her line of thoughts changed
Why am I so upset about being her reincarnation? I mean it's a good thing right?
This should be good, thanks to her being the reincarnation of Kikyou, she had all those powers, and she could defend herself here, she could control Inuyasha's Kotodama…
Inuyasha…
He had tried to kill her and then to kiss her. And she wasn't sure of which one she was scared the most. But she knew, she deep down knew, that when he'd tried to kiss her, wasn't it for him being confusing her with Kikyou, she would have done it. She couldn't stop her chest of beating harder whenever she saw him, the way his body moved so gracefully, the way he had fought, such elegance and yet such strength running through his veins. And he wasn't that plain as she thought the first interactions she'd had with him. He'd a past, a hard past. His mother…Kikyou…
She couldn't avoid the attraction she felt towards him. She felt the need of restoring his trust on people, on life.
But he didn't let her get close. He was always snarling and growling, crackling his knuckles at her… although she knew that subjugating someone with half of himself as a Inu-youkai shouldn't be easy. He probably thought that, bitches as he so eloquently had said, should submit!
She sat in a fence, and looked at the sky again, the pale moon giggled with her and she felt amazingly better just to be awarded with the moonlight. The stars were too many to count, and still she tried it.
…97…98…99…100.
A hundred was the number that marked razor sharp talons grabbing her suikan and her shoulder, effectively piercing them and lift her in the air, accompanied by a razor high pitched scream that fell from her throat.
She screamed as loud as she could for help, but help wouldn't come because she was now high in the sky, flying with claws buried in her flesh. The blood oozed from the gashes filled with dark long nails. And when she looked up she was disgusted by seeing a giant crow youkai, with three crimson eyes in its feathery face, and if it weren't for the beack she'd say that the creature was smiling.
She tried to once again summon her powers. But she had never been a friend of heights, the sight of her entire suikan stained with her own blood, and the fact that she was so tired and not completely recovered from her wound on her side, made her dizzy she thought she would vomit right there. Instead she closed her eyes and passed out in the claws of that huge bird.
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He'd known… he'd known very well that he shouldn't have let that stupid bitch alone.
He'd been sitting calmly in one of the highest Goshinboku branches, thinking about his situation, when it happened.
First there was the never ending doubt about had happened to Kikyou. He still wondered, he even let himself get a little bit of hope that she wasn't mocking him that day, if she had really loved him.
Maybe she had loved him. And if that had been a trick and she'd died and he had stayed only immobile and paralyzed, how fair was it?
Then came Haha-ue's dying conditions so many, many years ago. The screams…Oh he couldn't think of it
“The mononoke's bitch”
“Youkai lover, you and that deformity of a child must die!”
“Whore, disgustingwhore!” div>
A grieve and a guilt that were no foreigners to him lodged themselves in his chest constricting, when he remembered haha-ue. She'd died because of him
At least that had been what those man had always told him. Because he was a sullied creature half of two world and complete nothing he was the cause of his mother's death.
And then there was this new girl in his thinking subjects.
He positively hated her, at least he should. She thought she was in the right of subjugating him, she was petty and was always yelling at him… and she was unnerving and obnoxious. And he still…Still every time he saw her he couldn't help but to notice how really perfect her body was or how pretty was her smile, or how fiercely a mere woman like her so young had faced that Mukade Jurou.
And that wasn't good at all.
So instead of trying to understand, he preferred to ignore it and not dwell on it.
He preferred to enjoy the moon and the stars and the pure air and somehow nostalgic sight.
Until he felt that youkai present, then a smell, it smelled like a bird…a crow… He had felt that presence before he was sure, he just couldn't place it.
Taking a sniff, and then two and three… he made sure his nose wasn't tricking him. It wasn't of course; it had never ever done that.
Shaking his head from side to side, dropping from his branch he tried frantically to find that youkai. It could be nothing, it could be just a smaller youkai… but he carried a corrupted aura and that was unsettling, it made him look for it in the skies anxiously. But he couldn't find him.
The stupid fucking bird should be looking for the jewel. And that bitch had it. He had to find it, before the crow or else the jewel would lose its protector that in reality couldn't protect it. He still wanted the jewel; he still wanted to be full youkai, and he wouldn't let some mangy bird or a weakling ningen bitch take that from him. That was all he had to cling on.
So felt this was the perfect opportunity to take the jewel from both the crow and the miko bitch.
When he had finish running and had arrived to the Area's limit he spotted Kikyou's house, but his eyes quickly moved to the fence near it, when in that exact moment a giant crow youkai, bigger than what he expected pierced the soft flesh of that girl's shoulders and lifted her to the sky with him. He heard her high pitched scream and her wavering wails for help but when he came near enough to grab her where she had stood milliseconds ago, she was now high in the sky fainted.
And the sight and smell of her blood leaving her body made him want to throw up and at the same time rip that youkai apart as he grabbed the yumi and arrows resting against the walls of Kaede baba's house at Kaede's door and followed the youkai and his prey as fast as he could.
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When she woke up the first thing her body made her realize was a sharp pain in her shoulders and a heavy soreness above her eyebrows trying to make her eyes shut again. She wasn't laying in a futon but in cement floor and when she looked down, she noticed disgusted she was bare from the waist up. Her whole body had goose bumps all over it due to the chilling air making itself known in the cold walls that distinguish the very small room, with no furniture and made only of cement.
Her kosode was next to her in the dirty floor.
She thought about getting it but when she moved her shoulders, tears fell by their own making her whimper and she wanted to crawl in a ball and cry until she died. She had always been a good girl. She had great grades, she was popular and a good friend and she helped her family at the shrine, she even helped Souta with his homework.
Since otou-san had died she had always tried to grow up be the best woman she could be.
So why was this happening all of a sudden?
She was lucky her side wound was already closed because the now deep injures in her shoulders hurt like hell.
Taking a deep breath she decided for what seemed to be the umpteenth time after the Mukade incident that she needed to be strong a get out of there.
Looking frantically she was pleasantly surprised to discover that she still held with her the green velvety purse in her neck that carried in it the Shikon no tama.
Feeling immediately, when she sat up, the weight of the jewel she cringed when her hands flew to the velvet purse and immediately felt the warmth of the magic marble pouring from the fabric to her hands, as if the jewel was happy that Kagome was okay.
Then finally putting aside, with great effort, her hurting injuries she tried to remember what had happened, since the images were trying to come all blurry and murky.
She remembered being at the fence near Kaede obaa-Chan's house and counting stars.
And then a searing pain that coursed through her body and made her scream as whatever was causing her pain elevated her in the hair.
Feather… black feathers and a third eye, a nauseating smell of rotten flesh and the clear presence of a youkai. It had been a crow youkai that had pierced her shoulders and had taken her away.
But why couldn't she recall anything after that? Had she fainted?
She scolded herself for letting herself be beaten by her old fear of heights… well that and the nasty gashes on her shoulders might had have something to do with it too.
Dressing her kosode with gritted teeth and muffled yelps of stabbing pain she closed her eyes and let the tears fall silently.
She still couldn't understand why this was happening to her…
She take on her surroundings with lazy eyes and all she could muster was grimy dirty walls of concrete, the room was very small and she couldn't really move around, but there was a door and she slowly got up and reached for it, her head was dizzy and she felt like she was going to vomit and pass out again.
Quickly she gathered herself and breathed slowly, extending her hand to the knob. Sliding it slowly she tried to be as swift and silent as the shoji doors allowed it. The dried blood in her wounds needed to be cleaned but first she had to get a way out of there, they had kidnapped her and therefore what was happening couldn't be good… not at all. In front of her there was a corridor and she tried to find demonic presences but nothing, she frowned with ambiguity, this certainly wasn't correct, wasn't the one that had kidnapped her youkai? She was sure!
Although she was very anxious to get out of that strange hole, that smelt awfully of old and disgusting other things mingled together and was so full of grime everywhere, her curiosity and anger was beginning to spread fast.
What the hell? Why had she been kidnapped? What did they want?
The comfortable warmth dangling from her throat wrapped in green velvet answered her question and she remembered Kaede saying that both human and youkai would do anything to get their hands on it…
Continue through the corridor she turned to one of the darkened corridors at the left and sniffed, all the smells increased in this corridor and she couldn't help but continue consumed in rage and curiosity she continued the path, silently cursing the hakama pants that weren't the most comfortable ones because they were so large.
Being so enthralled in her thoughts wasn't that thought when she noticed she was in a room suddenly that had been at the end of the corridor. At least 10 men stood there. All dressed in black and all held rifles some man's faces were scarred other's hair was falling in the same grime the walls were covered with.
They would all seem very serious and threatening, very dangerous if they weren't playing a strange game with dices and laughing their brains out with cups of sake - she saw the emptied bottles on the floor- in their hands and cigarettes, twisted cigarettes in the other.
They didn't even notice her.
But she noticed a girl coming to them, covered only in a piece of dirty white fabric; she let the fabric fall and l just lie in the ground.
They started laughing louder some grabbed their stomachs and throw themselves to the ground. One was unbuckling his pants, with a sadistic smile. The girl who couldn't be much older than herself held a disgusted face and then she slammed her eyes shut when she felt a hand roaming through her body.
And Kagome was tempted to empty her stomach right there.
She was fighting an inner battle. The girl seemed to be doing this on her choice but how could she leave her there?
She was aware though that if she remained then they'd most probably detect her presence… what if she ended up in the girls place? What about the shikon no tama? She couldn't understand yet why it was in her hands but she could not let it fall in the hands of those bandits.
Holding her breath and repenting leaving the girl there as they started to approach her with every cell of her body, she ran from them in order to try to protect the shikon no tama. Step after step she tried to be as soft as possible, to don't alert anyone.
But its funny how in the verge of breakdown when she was trying to do her best to stay quiet, and was even quite proud of herself because she had been able to swallow her rising bile and walk all that way, and had even been able of remaining invisible to those of the house, she had her senses heightened but still didn't noticed 3 red eyes surveying her for a bit hidden in the shadows but glowing nonetheless and flying above her head. She didn't even saw it let alone heard it.
But the cursed youkai bird flew over her head. Its direction lost.
But she continued walking through corridors and halls, in what she understood it had been the house of the headman but that had been disposed of its owner.
Suddenly she felt a tug of her own body towards a direction that had gone unnoticed until now. Now that was weird, why was her body attracted to that direction if she hadn't even see that corridor before?
Again curiosity took and still fighting the force that was pulling her legs and torso she walked that corridor intent on finding out what was going on. Stopping in front of a pair of shoji doors the tug in her legs and hands become unbearable and she succumbed to it, letting her milky hands reach the handle in the shoji door to push it aside.
She did throw up this time.
In that room Kagome discovered three heads on the tatami floor, with the neck balanced in the soft floor and turned exactly to the shoji doors around each neck a pool of old dried blood.
one of a man that could be her jii-chan age, one of the age that her otou-san would have been, hadn't he been dead, and one head, the head of a little kid, held a terrified look, with eyes still open, dark beady eyes that remembered her so much of Souta when he came running to her room in the middle of the night crying that he was scared and pleading for her to let him sleep there. That was when she fell to her knees and observed the second part of the show that someone had left behind.
It was a woman, not the head of one and she lay above the three headless naked men bodies. Kagome noticed even in a nausea haze that she looked much alike that girl in the room with those men, the one only covered with the piece of dirty white fabric, only this woman was older and in her body…Her whole body wore slashes obviously done by katanas and daggers. Her eyes were rolled to the back of her skull and half opened she was naked and had been very obviously raped several times judging by the amount of blood running through her legs and the semen coating her stomach, thighs and her core. Her face wasn't beaten except for the blood in her mouth, but her whole body had yellowish, and bluish purple marks. Yes that had been definitely what made her turn around and empty her stomach on the floor.
The more time she was here the more the smell of this place coated her senses the more the almost nonexistent lights darkened her vision and the more dizzy she felt, she knew she was going limp and faint any moment now, and the pain in her shoulders had come back full force, searing hot teary pain that made her gasp with each hurting breath.
The only thing that kept her walking to find a way out was the shikon no tama , but now she was in darker corridors and she didn't even saw anything, there were no lights at all here…she had to support her weight with her hands in the walls and lifting the arms was bad enough already but feeling the grime of not washed walls like the presence of those people had tainted the house in evil that made her stumble and loose her balance, made her even groggier and Kagome began to feel that this was one sardonic cycle…
Still, she had to protect this jewel that was so powerfull and yet so dangerous… she had to get out of here and learn about Risaishi, she wanted to go home and pretend she was listening to jii-chan, hug okaa-san and bump her outouto-chan in his head for being a sissy.
She had to.
“Hello little girl”
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Damn that ningen brat!
Now he had not only lost that gigantic bird but ended in an Area, smaller than Kikyou's and poorer.
He tried to hide the best that he could, seeing that the boundaries were still very clear and he was in the wrong side. He wanted to roar with dark laughter at that. Did he even have a place in the other side? Well of course maybe he didn't have a place now but after being a full youkai he'd battle Sesshoumaru or maybe just move in with him , now he knew that was torture for his aniki… then again it was for him too, and that wouldn't do.
Anyways now certainly it wasn't the time, he needed to find that gorgeous baka brat and bring her to Kaede and then steal the shikon.
Wait … wha- what the fuck?Gorgeous?Ohfuc k I must have been too much time sleeping.50 year's genius, no duh!
Even angrier with himself for being thinking of that girl like that he ran faster behind a line of trees that separated that area from another and he tried to figure out where was.The last time he'd seen that youkai crow the smell of him was all over that village and that was why he couldn't find the fucking thing, but that also meant he was close, and the people certainly would notice some thing that large.
Conclusion he needed to go in the area and ask for the bird and if someone had recently seen it…
Now that was going to be a problem.
50 years ago people used to tremble from head to toe for fear of seeing a youkai, let alone a hanyou. It wasn't that hanyou were more dangerous, it was more that hanyou were disgusting for both sides. They were two halves of nothing.
How'd they react now? He couldn't sincerely believe that Risaishi had really grown out of its costumes. No. Hanyou and youkai in a ningen Area were certainly still hated.
But he had to get his hands on the brat and on the jewel….the jewel more specifically.
Sighing deeply he flattened his Inu ears to his skull and dropped from the branch he was observing the poor area from.
The Hi nezumi coat flowing behind him when he ran to the old decaying houses.
One of the men was outside, and when he looked at him his eyes widen considerately, and becoming the more noticeable features in his frightened face. His arm shook as he tried to lift it and he pointed a shaky finger at Inuyasha.
“You…YOUKAI!!”
Who had he tried to fool? His ears may not be so visible at the moment, but his pretty silver whitish hair and his sun kissed golden orbs along with the claws and fangs and the fire rat garment didn't fool a soul.
In response to the man antics he rolled his eyes in boredom and because he was used to this reaction (he had been hearing it for at least some centuries) he stood in the same spot calm and rearranging the position of his ears in the crown of his head, perking them again.
“Calm down stupid ningen. I only want to know if you saw a giant crow or something like that!”
The man still was scared anyone could see that, from time to time he would look around as if he was looking for people and checking that he wasn't alone, he trembled a lot and didn't look at the hanyou in front of him sporting an annoyed expression in the eyes, fidgeting in the spot where he stood he looked around again and after setting his gaze somewhere on his right side he spoke.
His voice quivering like his bottom lip was shaking. He surely wasn't the sharpest stick in the drawer but he was bright enough to be afraid of the Inu hanyou in front of him. Every human knew as well as every youkai that the Silver Inu clan was the leading clan among youkai. Seeing one - and although the old man didn't knew- one of the royal family - was as scarier as facing a whole horde of demons. At least that was how he saw it.
Inuyasha's annoyance grew by the second if this old fart wasn't going to tell him where the stupid jewel was he was going to freak… the jewel could be consumed by that huge bird any moment. Besides that tiny fragile spitfire of a girl would be pretty damaged, if not dead…
Keh! Since when do I fucking care about that wench?
He quickly shut off that line of thought and established that no, he didn't care for the girl at all.
“You-you must mean… karasu-sama… “
The man whispered now looking at Inuyasha's chest; not facing him.
Inuyasha felt himself loose his temper once and for all. Couldn't this ningen grow a pair of balls?
For Kami's sake! And what was this talk about Karasu-sama?
“Why do you call him that?”
His voice now held a bit more of an angry edge to it, as if he was close to snap, and the farmer quickly snapped his eyes to the ground hiding his embarrass.
“He is the one in charge around here. He's our headman”
“Listen stupid I'm looking for a bird, not a man with the name of one! Will you fucking try to understand?”
And he really snapped that time. It was just that he was messing with his nerves talking gibberish like some idiotic fool… well the idiotic fool that he was.
“Sure, sure, Inu-sama… well there was a crow passing by… but I was wondering. I guess it was a crow youkai since he carried such a…”
“Such a what?”
“Well he carried in its claws this delectable woman. I swear she was almost edible…”
So, besides an idiotic fool he was a pervert too with a wish to die.
“Where did they go?”
He managed to get out in a hiss through slit narrowed eyes.
“Towards the house of the headman, but…Inu-sama? Inu-sama! shoot! Where did he go? Be happy Jin; be happy, at least he didn't kill you…”
And the old man kept on walking to his small house, step after step with wood on his back where his grandson was awaiting for him.
Behind him, towards the largest house in the area that stood a bit far away from the other tiny houses, a blur of red and silver was all that was left.
He couldn't remember of ever feeling such a strong sense from somewhere. Let alone such amount of evil in a house.
He could sense the jewel and the brat there but it was faint, and the smell of blood death, tears, sex and youki that eradiated from the greasy walls of the house were making him dizzy and disgusted. Disgusted being the strongest emotion coursing through his body.
But still the jewel and that… girl were there, he had to find them.
And he had to enter there and get them out of there.
And the most horrible piercing ear splitting scream tore the earth apart and he knew that that brat was in trouble again.
Running became an understatement, he didn't ran he flew past the scarce greenery and houses reaching the old palace in a question of mere seconds. That high pitched fearful scream played over and over and over in his head. He was almost sure it was the ningen brat, but even if he wasn't he had to get whoever was in trouble out of there. Even he was slightly disturbed by that scene…
Flexing his talons in anticipation he let a cocky battle smirk crept through his features and readied himself for battle. This would be good, after being awaken , he had only fought Mukade-Jurou and he was already ready for one more, battles were never enough for him.
Ripping one of the shoji doors, not bothering to open it correctly he advanced inside the house. The stench of the place was nauseating and Inuyasha felt his bile slowly rising and had to concentrate on the jewel to fully be able of achieving his goal of take the jewel back.
The walls on the palace were covered with grease the stench oozing from them and he caught a fait whiff of Kagome's scent. The ningen brat.
Following swiftly he came to a halt in front of a door where he smelled a great amount of sex, and with amazing relief - that he couldn't understand- he didn't recognized her scent there. The stench of male seed and tears stung his nose and he was about to enter when a new scream filled his senses and awoke something inside of him.
“Please stop!”
It was her, now he was sure that it was her and the laughter of a man reached his madly twitching ears, and arousal, made his eyes tingle with the intensity of the smell. What was going on?
Sprinting in direction of the gut wrenching scream he had heard and the strong air clogging scent of arousal he found a opened shoji door and in front of him was that certain thing that awoke something deep inside even though he didn't recognized it at a time.
The first thing he noticed it was a man. A large broad shouldered man in the tatami floor. He wasn't actually large he was more than large, huge would certainly fit much better.
Standing at least the double of his size and laughing there was something strange to this person.
His smell…Barely understanding what was going on he threw his nose in the air and sniffed soundly.
This man smelled like a dead human. How could that be? He smelled like a decaying ningen corpse but Inuyasha could also sense the youki oozing from him, powerfull and intimidating probably to anyone else. But the hanyou knew better. Fear was never an option.
This was the youki he had sensed in that god damned huge crow youkai, why had this human the same aura? He sniffled again and his twitching attentive ears caught a whimper travelling weakly through the air.
“please…”
Suddenly his eyes trained in the ground and sought to find the huge hands of the monster that was fumbling with something beneath him.
And beneath him she was.
Crying wordlessly screams as she squirmed and twitched madly under him and as he tried to open her legs forcefully.
He touched her face reassuringly as if he was doing nothing wrong and whispered to her, so enthralled in her that he didn't noticed Inuyasha at the door staring at this match horrified.
“Don't worry my dear miko, I'll absorb the shikon no tama and you at the same time. Don't you worry…! ”
His voice was oddly high pitched and again he was remembered of the howls of the youkai crow from before. He could clearly see in the shoulders of the young woman beneath him, covered by a diseased looking kosode the stains of dried dark thick blood.
He couldn't smell her, because the arousal of the thing forcing her was overwhelming dominating and he wanted to never scent that again.
That was what awoke, he lunged forward and shaping his shoulder in the huge stomach of the decaying corpse he finally scented nowhere near the thing, but inside him there was incredibly greed and hatred tainted youki. This corpse, this man he was dead, he probably even was the Karasu the Area headman, but the corpse was possessed by the huge crow, that even though was very big in size couldn't compare to this man's grotesque stature.
The youkai possessed man felt to the flour, the strength in the blow making his body drag through the tatami floor and the shoji across the door, ripping it and making him fall in soft dirt.
Absentmindedly he realized he could hear Kagome strangled gasp as she followed him outside and a exhalation of air as in relief. What was she? Stupid? This hadn't even begun yet!
When following the rising corpse he landed gracious and elegantly in the dirt outside just besides the man who was coughing blood and dirt. His movements were weird and strained, and Inuyasha recognized these actions as the ones someone not use to a body would have. That meant soon, the true form , the crow youkai who had pierced Kagome's shoulder and had now the intent of raping her and steal her the jewel… something on him flared and he entered battle mode.
All that mattered now was winning this bastard and grab the jewel and to be full youkai. But first he wanted to have the pleasure to rip this fucker's throat.
His knuckles cracked almost involuntary, but it wasn't it was more of a automatic action in battle and he lunged for the odd walking man. He tried to block it with outstretched arms in front of his face, but Inuyasha's foot broke through his arm's barrier and threw him to the ground. When he was about to pound him again, he noticed the creature sniffing the air and narrowing his eyes and then break in a fit of terrifying strange laughter. Inuyasha looked with hatred to him and grabbed his loose kosode forcefully making the huge man-like thing face him. But he continued laughing, the open smile he wore make the lines of his face break the caked blood break and mix with the new that had born from the rough landing.
“Fucker, do you find funny that your death is right around the corner?”
His harsh words were spoken in a strained hiss as the man kept laughing and laughing. Between scary giggles he coughed some blood and managed to get out some words. Kagome watched helpless useless at the broken shoji, her body trembling, heart pounding.
She was so scared; she didn't remember ever being so terrified. She didn't knew why, she just kept hearing her own voice in her head screaming that she could not, would not see hanyou blood spilled.
But it was too late for when the coughing man spoke awful words to the hanyou
“Are you my prince? My lord Inuyasha? You are the second one in the line of succession to possess the title of Inu no Taisho?? You are nothing but a half-breed! You dirty sullied piece of nothing your mother should have drowned you at birth!”
Then all that happened, lasted no longer than a blink of brown chocolate sorrowful eyes.
Inuyasha lunged with bared fangs and claws held high, ready to punish such arrogance such imprudence , when he began to chant the two words that would tears the corpse body apart Sankon tessou he started to say, but he was interrupted by the massive transformation occurring, just that second in front of him,
As if it was merely a shell, the human body harboring the mononoke, turned his eyes to Kagome as it ripped by the limbs that fell hollow to the ground as if it had been eaten from inside blood pooling around one arm then another, the legs as the torso fell to the ground and the dark youki spread through the holes in it, finally the head fell of, completely empty no brains no skull, no flesh, just like the others fallen parts of the body it was as if it was a costume a suit for play, the head a spooky mask, the torso ripped in two, and the youkai inside of the corpse finally was released, his beady eyes went to Kagome again, its black feather covered in blood, practically a deep scarlet now, its protruding beak sharpened, surely live threatening, the third red eyes in the bird youkai's head blinked and the talons that had pierced her shoulder made him come forwards towards her, she stepped back a little and then started running. They seemed oblivious that the hanyou was still there.
Like himself the bird youkai and certainly felt the huge amount of power radiating from Kagome. Her aura cracked with miko energy and that must have been what attracted the strange thing.
But Inuyasha wasn't going to just stand there and watch. Something inside him burned. It was the same fire that had alighted when he saw her beneath the body of the dead man, her eyes leaking tears, and now that fire burned within him , screaming at him to kill that thing to maim him before he could hurt Kagome again… some more.
The thought that he had already hurt her was enough to finally unravel the power of his boiling blood and without a second thought he carved his claws in the soft skin of the palm of his hand. Blood flood from the 5 puncture wounds that were now already starting to heal to his claws and he shouted blind with rage his attack.
“Hijin Tessou !”
It was a large range attack but the blood claws flew right from his bloodied hand to the huge crow, and he gave up on pursuing Kagome, she looked relief and shot him an thank you look while wrapping her own arms in her midriff as if hugging herself and quickly falling to the ground breathing raggedly and trembling. She was a frightened young girl at that moment. The tears in her eyes leaked from her face to her dirty kosode.
The crow however was not happy he barked a howl of outrage and lunged at the hanyou, lifting his own huge form from the ground, opening his tremendous pair of wings and looking at his opponent fuming. Inuyasha had managed to really irritate the bird. When his thoughts flew there, though he smirked and readied his talons again intending on tears limb from limb of the white haired prince.
But the hanyou knew better he was merely waiting when these creature was close enough he would use iron reaver soul stealer, the steal claws and he'd tear that bastard into oblivion. How dare he? he'd make funs of his heritage and tried to rape the girl that was for now at least under his care. Kikyou's copy, all he could see was the claws of the giant bird clawing Kikyou's shoulder, but suddenly she was not herself anymore, her face kept changing and then there was the ningen brat squirming frightened under the walking corpse. He was disgusted by such vile actions. After all wasn't he the hanyou? The dirty sullied hanyou that brought bad luck and bad spirits to villages and ruined the crops? Why was he disgusted? He should like these things. He couldn't even fit in the desired stereotype of the hanyou…
Those thoughts flew away though when he saw that the crow finally reached him. His talons lunging forwards ready to slice his arm when he lifted it. But it was to late for him…
Sankon Tessou!
And his paws were gone. No more threatening talons. Inuyasha snarled in satisfaction waiting for the black blue hued crow to fall. But it didn't. instead he opened its beak and the sound that came out of that weapon was a simple laughter, not evil nor anything, a truly amused laughter.
“Hanyou I will not die that easily!”
Laughter roared again but this time it was a dark and Kagome could swear she almost saw the youkai bird smiling. It was impossible of course, but maybe had something to do with the aura he was giving off, his youki was so tainted and rotten it was giving her a headache. She closed her eyes for seconds, merely seconds and then it was gone.
The comfortable weight she had been carrying for two days now disappeared from her collar, she felt a bit empty the beautiful pink warm aura was gone from next to her and she felt angry really angry that someone would take it off. This had all happened in less than a millisecond. When she returned from her short musings to the world she saw the dark blue hued feathers of the crow high in the sky taking the night with it as dawn very, very slowly started to creep in the above.
In a blink Inuyasha was facing her, fury twisting his face, he grabbed her arm and showed her the wall inside the shoji door where a yumi and a quiver filled with ya stood, he grabbed them and tossed them at her wordlessly.
Understanding his fury but growing even more infuriated with dog man due to his lack of manners she proudly - although in shaky steps - stood and grabbed both yumi and quiver. What the hell was she supposed to do with it anyways? Maybe it was for him to use? No that didn't seem likely…
Lost in her musing she only saw the position Inuyasha was in when she stumbled in his crouched form.
He glared at her when she lost her balance and landed in him…hard. Her body sprawled against his torso between his open legs, one of his arms locked in her waist keeping her pressed to him, the other managing to hold both of their weight had prevented a really nasty fall.
She blushed furiously and averted her eyes from him, mumbling something between the lines of “sumimasen” and tried to lift her body weight from him. She took notice - albeit embarrassed - that his warmth was really comfortable and that his muscles were taut and strong. For a moment she longed to touch him beneath all his clothing and she felt a shiver coursing down her spine. Missing the way Inuyasha looked at her , confused and amazed she blushed even harder, berated herself for thinking such things when the man obviously had a strong dislike for her… after all she was the look alike of his lost love and with that new line of thought she tried to got up again but found that it was not that easy. No it definitely was not easy, because Inuyasha's arm was still locked at her waist. He was wearing a confused expression - and although she couldn't notice because only some dawn light rays entered the room and it was still dark - a lovely blush adorned his cheeks too.
“Ah… you can let go now…Arigatou for catching me”
Her voice was strangely detached and he found himself thinking what was she thinking. Quickly such thoughts turn around and he questioned himself. What was he thinking? She was Kikyou's look alike and for that he couldn't let her die because he couldn't bear to look at Kikyou's essence die for the second time- at least that was what he had told himself f- but he needed to find the jewel. He wanted to get rid of these pathetic human emotions and feelings the only way to do that was to transform into a youkai, a Tai youkai, like his chichi-ue had been … like aniki now was. But still, there was something to this girl that attracted him to no end. She called to him in more ways than one, just now having her body between his muscular thighs, her head resting in his chest and then he shivered and the unmistakable scent of faint arousal hit him full force mixed with embarrassment. She quickly got up with him, and he crouched next to her again.
“Keh. Get on”
She did as she was told but he wasn't expecting the tightness in his muscles the way they rippled under her touch and then those thighs attached themselves to his waist and he nearly dropped her at the feeling of her warmth. She had hakama on, but what if she was wearing that ridiculous short skirt of her and he was holding her velvet skin…?
He thanked the gods she wasn't and shook off those thoughts in the first leap following the evil bird suit.
The carnage stench had stalked the youkai; he had flown out the current area and was chasing the path Inuyasha had made before. He was heading to Area I1. Kikyou's Area…
He tried to think of a way of saving everybody but was interrupted by a shriek that certainly hurt his ears. The girl on his back had firmed her body very tightly to his body was gripping his shoulders with all her strength and her tights were taut in his grip too she was clamping his torso and he was sure that was she doing this to a human, the ningen had probably started to cough in lack of air. Her human heart thumping excessively. She had strength.
He furrowed his brow. He didn't like the idea of the brat hugging some Human's midriff with her thighs. He didn't like it at all.
“Hey, wench! Don't do that! You hurt my ears! What the fuck is your problem? ”
He felt her temperature rising and knew instantly that she was blushing.
“Gomen nasai… I just… I… don't like highs…”
She admitted her fear with a fierce blush and in a whisper. He was impressed most girl her age if spoiled enough would've shriek that too looking for protection, if not they'd never admit their fears and simply submit and subject themselves. But not Kagome, although she was very annoyed for telling him she was afraid she did it honorably, quietly and humbly.
Finally AreaI1 started to show itself up ahead and she let out a sigh of relief. She didn't even realize they were chasing the fucking bird he was sure, she didn't.
But she couldn't see with her weak human eyes what he saw with his youkai vision. In the village the bird had managed to grab a little girl, no more than 4 years old he was sure, when they were closer the stench of fear permeated the air and he barely could keep his leaps in check. They landed in front of a group of Area persons. Their expressions were aggravated and they seemed even more on edge when they saw the state Kagome was in. A boy of his 18 years no more, and maybe even less stepped forward he was the nephew of the headman, and he wore a kind and sorrowful expression plastered in his average face. Although when he landed his eyes on Kagome his gaze darkened with something no one would believe and he bowed to her, unlike most of the people that had wave to her all day.
Inuyasha didn't like him. And he liked him even more when he saw him step for his ward and scowl his features looking at her blood stained kosode.
He touched it lightly and she tensed. Immediately the hanyou was at her side wishing that boy had never step forward. But the young ningen ignored him and spoke softy to the miko before him.
“Miko-sama, are you alright? who did this to you? Was it the hanyou? If it was him there are laws that…”
“Hayate-kun!”
Since the boy had started speaking in that lazy stretched voice of his, Inuyasha had frozen in his place of course they thought he had hurt her… Of course… after all not two days ago he had threatened her life. How could they not. But the things that that crow had tried to do to her, it made him sick to imagine himself doing that. It irritated him though - although he was pleased that she had stopped his rambling - that she used kun along with the boys first name. Were they friends then? He folded his arms crossing them at the chest and sticking his hands in the opposite sleeves of his Hi nezumi coat. Snarling he spoke.
“Listen here kid, if you have something to say just say it, don't insinuate things nor ignore me.”
Kagome looked at him apologetically, why? She hadn't done anything why was she saying sorry with those big brown eyes of hers? She came to stood more near him then she turned to the nephew of the Area headman and spoke lowly but strongly.
“Hayate-kun, Inuyasha-san here helped me and save me. I am very grateful to him. Arigatou-Gosaimasou, Inuyasha-san”
She turned to him and while he was surprised with the honorific and delicate words he was taken a back - completely- by the low bow she gave him and while doing that she tilted her head completely to the right.
“What the… how the fuck can she know that? Does she even have an idea of what she's doing right now?”
He was frustrated beyond relief when Kaede showed up and understood by herself that baring a submissive neck to someone with Inu youkai blood - a royal one nonetheless - was not a very good idea, to expose that part of her skin to was like submitting herself completely to his will, it was almost a taboo if not between mates. It was something so intimate and with such a powerfull charge that his blood boiled and his loins burned and coiled. Although both old woman and the hanyou were very much in shock at the sight of Kagome doing such thing in public something that normally would keep her with Inuyasha until the rest of her days. By his side.
His instincts were free wheeling and try to crack his soul, trying to get out of a shell he had created for keep them in check and don't throw himself to any body in the streets. That had been over 100 years ago. And this girl managed to almost break that with one single gesture? That was insane. And yet… it was true.
But why was she doing this was it… - he gulped- instinct?
Trying to swallow down the lump in his throat and focus in really important things like not letting that disgusting crow eat that little girl and not thinking in that creamy peach skin of her neck he closed his eyes and spoke in a harsh raspy voice.
“No need to bow to me girl”
Feeling again the abnormal high temperature he understood that he'd embarrassed her and that again she had blushed profusely. He bit the inside of his cheeks for a second that seemed and hour looking at her composing her garments and dusting them off because of the rough landing.
Then he spoke again to her, giving her his back and speaking over his shoulder.
“We have to go the crow took a kid. And you have to take the shikon no tama back brat. C'mon.”
And he hunched again, waiting for her to get on.
She already knew she had to go riding in his back. And it wasn't that she didn't like it, for the first time in her life she hadn't been afraid of heights, oh no she definitely wasn't afraid. She was exhilarated, ecstatic for being in his back riding through the air, leaping above clouds, seeing his incredible balance landing in one foot and with the same foot jumping in the same second his skin neared the grass or the rocks of a mountain.
He was so powerfull. And the power he emanated twirled in her aura; she felt it almost saw it. It was blissful. It was those same knots between their souls that had pusher her neck aside when she had bowed. When his words registered in her mind she quickly dropped those thoughts and ran to him, her body collided with his muscular back and she embraced her shoulder and thighs with arms and legs. She could swear she had seen him lift one of those dark brows inquisitively but looking again it wasn't there so maybe it had seen only her imagination.
He started to run as soon as his clawed hands grabbed her thighs around his torso and when she looked up, her heart wasn't pounding like before. On the contrary weren't their circumstances she'd find herself enjoying the journey, but she suddenly remembered that they had a girl to save. It was their responsibility because if the crow youkai was here it was there fault… in a way. An she still had the Shikon no tama to retrieve and noticed then she hadn't stop clutching her yumi.
“Do you think it'll eat her?”
Her voice laced with fear and disgust. He hated that she felt fear for something in his presence, she could only fear him, and nothing else had the right to cause her discomfort.
But the truth was, he didn't know if the crow wanted it he could eat the child in a heartbeat, it was not new for a crow overall!
Inuyasha, though had the slightest impression that the crow wanted them to follow him . If he didn't want to eat the ningen kid and he was taking the brat away it was the only solution.
“Keh. Dunno.”
She clasped him a bit harder and took a deep breath, her tense muscles and sharp intake of air through the nose, made him believe she was trying to gain courage. Trying to be brave.
Didn't she understand she was already an aberration just by riding his back? She should be sickened to touch him, a powerfull miko, as it was!
Up ahead in the end of his visibility line, running towards the hills, why was he attracting them there? He didn't know, he couldn't very well rationalize all things and he only wanted the shikon no tama back and take this wench off his piggyback ride.
When she thought it was absolutely impossible he ran faster and faster and faster, never slowing down, until Kagome herself could see the outline of the youkai and a small twitching body in its big claws. The child was secure inside the hole his talons formed to join each other, and so there was no danger of it to be hurt. At least Kagome wanted to believe that. She saw the jewel glowing in his other tallons
She wanted to tell Inuyasha she had already spotted them but he was jumping now, leaping from rock to rock in the mountains higher until they reached the same height the bird youkai was in and when she thought she could say that to him he gave her a order:
“Grab the yumi”
His voice was strained, and the young miko deduced it was from the long run. It was not…. He was preparing himself to feel her miko rush of energy next to him coursing that warm soft fragile looking body of hers…
Suddenly was zapping right though her , the clouds seemed green and the grass bluer and bluer, Inuyasha's garments silver and his hair deep crimson red, his mouth amber, his eyes pink , his ears were there and then they weren't, she was there and then she wasn't.
All of it was running around in front of her, suddenly they're leaping backwards and then falling to the ground but she felt inside her that they're in the air, safe Inuyasha holding her there, her hands gripping the bow and she notched a ya.
But she was absolutely sure she had never grabbed a bow in her life before, and yet she was aware that her gestures were accurate, that she was doing everything right, Inuyasha ran fasters the colors were tuning in a messier blur she stopped hearing and yet she heard all so clearly the chirping of birds, her heartbeat. The swish of the grass under Inuyasha's foot, and then the creaking of soft rocks, the thrumming of her heart…
It was exhilarating and nauseating, but at the same time frightening what was invading her body made her feel a whole new part of herself, and for now not knowing she just feared it. Pulling as far as she could, but knowing the limit that'd break the string she took aim and tried to fix it in the moving bird, then Kagome loosened her grip in it and the ya flew right past the bird when he moved to the right, the purifying miko energy leaving a white trail in the sky, Inuyasha shivered under her and she felt his claws prickling her skin through the red miko hakama she was donning.
“Get it fucking right! What a lousy shot! Kikyou would be able to strike it! In a heartbeat”
In that moment the numbness and the lack of sensations and awareness situation left her and was replaced by a strong determination, while Inuyasha leaped from rock to rock she felt her rage increasing, how dare he? she had discovered just now that she had reiki and he was expecting she already knew how to control them? Besides they're fucking leaping in the air, and the shot hadn't been that lousy if only the stupid thing would sit still and wait for its death arrow! She was absolutely determined to show this dog-boy that she was no brat as he so eloquently had put it, that she was no Kikyou, and most of all that she was no weakling that would submit to his every complain! Oh no Mister! that she wasn't!
Reading another arrow and waiting for that lack of feelings to fill her again, she replaced it inside her with her own anger. The distinct and clean-cut contours of the world made itself known, and she breathed them in touched them with her aura, she couldn't see it but his demonic senses made Inuyasha's eyes see the explosion of her miko aura and boy did it spread out! His eyes bulged…the pureness of her aura clogged Risaishi and covered it in whole, he was sure all of Nippon had been affected; there wasn't one single youkai that didn't know the miko was alive. Her arrow was loosened from the feathery iron grip Kagome had had in it, and again it left a beautiful track of white pure spiritual energy flakes, His own body shivered violently.
He saw it happened he hear the piece of wood sharply cut, embedded with reiki ripping through the air and fly correctly towards the bird demon current place. He saw the thing try to change direction but it was too late for him. The arrow ran forward and attached itself in the flesh of the bird. With a high pitched howl reminiscent of those that Mukade jurou had let out, the bird let the child fall to the ground. The little person was probably to shocked (maybe even in shock) and scared to scream, maybe she had fainted. Inuyasha rushed to catch her before she hit the ground- one of those falls would break anyone's cranium- without ever taking his eyes of the scene above him. He knew Kagome was doing the same.
The bird exploded, and Kagome caught the baby girl bringing her to Inuyasha's chest- he thought for two seconds that the mother of the child would be angered for her child was touching something as him- but he couldn't care anymore when he saw that from the explosion little chips of glowing glass were spreading from high in the sky to every direction in Risaishi.
Oh fuck!
They both groaned within.
The jewel was shattered; all that was left were Shikon no kakera pretending to be pink glowing stars in the morning and running away from the source of their shattering.
- - - - - - - -
Next Chapter: ã“ã“ã§ã€iã®ã§ ;ã™ã‹ï¼Ÿ (Where am I?)
I am sorry for taking this long to update, but its here ne? Review doesn't cost a thing and makes me gain my day, so yeah… go ahead!
Chino.