InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Bearers of the Shards ❯ The Hunt Begins ( Chapter 1 )

*Note: this story occurs after Inuyasha's second battle with Sesshoumaru and before Sango joins their group.

{#} {#} {#} THE BEARERS OF THE SHARDS {#} {#} {#}

{#} {#} Chapter 1: The Hunt Begins {#} {#}

The night air was damp and full of dark clouds, which rolled through the village where the priestess slept. It curled slyly around doorways, between houses of stone and thatched straw, lapping boldly at the still forms of sleeping mortals who lay nearest their doors.

Through the damp gray that blanketed the village, there came the dark figure of a man. His silent stride carried him smoothly over the cold hard earth, toward the house where the priestess slept. The glow of his eyes cut through the fog like twin candles.

Where he walked, there dripped a trail of blood.

When he reached the priestess' doorway, he pushed aside the bamboo hanging fastened there and entered. Behind him drops of crimson stained the wood. His foot fell upon a loose board and the priestess woke, startled from an uneasy slumber.

"What is the meaning of this?" she hissed, watching him mistrustfully.

"Where. . .is. . .she?" he asked slowly, weighting each word with a warning.

The priestess pulled her blanket around her to stave off the chill and answered quietly, "She has gone."

The man's slow progression toward her ceased altogether, and his claws curled into fists.

"Shit," he said.

"Hasten to thy bed here or get out," the woman grumbled irritably. "We'll discuss it in the morning, if you still care to."

Her eyes narrowed as another figure appeared in the doorway, black against the slate gray fog. He reached one hand out toward the priestess' first intruder and clamped it over his shoulder.

The first intruder turned and swiped at the newcomer with his claws, only to find himself soundly rapped across the skull with the newcomer's staff.

"OW!" he exclaimed, backing off. "What the FUCK did you do THAT for?!"

Into the house stepped a very grumpy and disheveled-looking Miroku.

"Inu. . .yasha," he said drowsily. "Why. . .can't you just go to sleep. . .like the rest of us?"

Inuyasha glowered at him, rubbing the lump on his head with one hand.

"'Cause I aint tired," he shot back. "Feh. You humans always need rest. Me, I can go all day, and all week if I feel like it."

Inuyasha's apparent pride in this ability was disrupted as Miroku's staff landed on his head once again.

"Take it outside, the lot of thee," Kaede ordered.

Miroku favored her with a gallant bow.

"Certainly, Kaede-sama," he said. "I was merely coming to check on you when I saw what appeared to be a demon breaking in. But now I see that it is only Inuyasha, so there was no need to worry." The monk smiled cherubically at Inuyasha, who was rubbing a lump on his head and swearing under his breath. Then, turning back to the old priestess, he added, "Where is Kagome-sama?"

"She returned to her own time this afternoon," Kaede replied, dryly. "And is well beyond thy reach, I might add. So there is no reason for thee to visit this humble cottage in the night."

Inuyasha was now regarding Miroku with a rather squinty-eyed expression, and one of his cheeks had developed a small twitch. Noting this, the monk elected to distract him by pointing to the thing Inuyasha carried in his right hand.

"What is that?" he asked casually.

Inuyasha looked down in perplexity, as if he'd forgotten that he carried something dripping spots of blood on the floor.

"Duck," he said in all innocence, identifying it.

Its skinny neck drooped over his fist.

"I am aware of that," Miroku said patiently. "But where did you get it?"

Inuyasha, apparently bored with the new direction their conversation was taking, pointed skyward.

"Inuyasha, tell me that you didn't pilfer that from the village pens," Miroku pleaded wearily.

"Feh," said Inuyasha, shaking the duck for emphasis. "I was trying to sleep in a tree and this noisy flock of `em flew overhead. Then I decided I was hungry." He paused, glancing sidelong at Kaede. "Kagome likes roast duck," he added.

"Aye, that she does," Kaede said with a sigh. "But not at this hour. Go to sleep, or go away, Inuyasha."

"Well, then I shall be going," Miroku announced cheerily. He had almost made it to the door when Inuyasha caught him by his queue.

"And just what. . .were you doing. . .visiting in the middle of the night?" Inuyasha asked with a feral grin.

"I was merely concerned for their safety," Miroku tittered, waving the matter aside. He pried his queue loose from Inuyasha's grasp and practically fled out the door.

Inuyasha scowled and yelled after him, "LIKE THEY'RE SAFE WITH YOU AROUND, YOU LECH!"

All around the village, lights appeared in windows. The denizens of each house appeared in their doorways to see what the commotion was. Miroku had beat a hasty retreat, and they only saw one disgruntled dog demon, standing in Kaede's doorway with one hand cupped to his mouth.

A sweat drop of embarrassment appeared at his brow, and behind him he heard Kaede admonishing, "Stop barking and get thee gone."

Muttering under his breath, he took off, his feet covering yards in leaps and bounds.

He was heading for the well.

{#} {#} {#}

Down a crowded street, past Wacdonalds and half a dozen comic book stores a group of high-school girls pulled their unwilling companion. Nearly a block behind them, they were being shadowed by a boy on a bicycle.

"Kagome, stop dragging your feet," one of the girls ordered. "Why are you so reluctant to go home today? You're sick; you should be in bed."

Kagome didn't reply, but sniffed noisily and swiped at her nose with a tissue.

"Maybe. . .she's hoping Houjo will show," another girl suggested slyly. She was one of the two trying to pull Kagome along by her elbows. "She's finally accepting his advances and waiting for him for a change."

The third girl cast a calculating glance back over her shoulder.

"Speak of the devil. . ."

Suddenly Kagome's stride lengthened drastically, causing the two latched onto her to stumble in their efforts to keep up.

"Wait! What are you doing?" the third girl asked. "Have you changed your mind?"

"I'm sick," Kagome said flatly. "I should be in bed."

"Oh, no you don't," her friends cried in unison, and forced her to a halt.

"Looks like he's got something for you," the third observed. "Maybe it's medicine."

"I'll take my own medicine," Kagome protested, struggling, but then Houjo overtook them.

"Hey, Kagome!" he exclaimed, bringing his bike to a halt and waving with one hand. In the other, as always, was a gift-this time wrapped in green cellophane with pink squiggles.

Kagome eyed it dubiously, hating the squiggles.

"I've missed you," he said. "Here, I heard you had a cold."

Mechanically she accepted the proffered package.

When she didn't bother to open it, he explained, "It's an herbal remedy for head-colds. You boil and drink it."

"Why thank you," Kagome replied, trying to look pleased.

She was promptly rewarded with a dazzling smile. Houjo was like that: he smiled, and little sparkles appeared around his head. Kagome returned the smile weakly, hating the sparkles.

"O-kaaaaay, I'll just be going then," she announced, stuffing the gift into her backpack.

Then, before any of her girlfriends could stop her, she took off down the street at a walk so brisk it was almost a run.

{#} {#} {#}

By the time she reached the Higurashi Shrine Kagome was wheezing from eight blocks of power-walking and mouth-breathing.

`This stupid cold,' she thought, stopping to rest before ascending the formidable Temple stairs. `Well, at least I'm home.' Then it hit her.

"I'm HOME!" she cried, slapping her forehead in frustration. "How could I have forgotten? I was going to engineer a sleepover at Yuki's so Inuyasha couldn't come get me tonight."

She caught her breath and began climbing the stairs, with the air of a girl approaching the gallows.

`Houjo ruined everything,' she thought miserably.

For once, she actually was ill, and Inuyasha was coming to drag her jewel-hunting.

{#} {#} {#}

Inuyasha emerged from the Bone-Eaters' Well into a balmy spring evening. The trees were in full bloom, and his nostrils twitched at the pleasant smell. Upon reaching Kagome's window he found it locked, so that he couldn't just slide it open.

So he tried knocking.

"Hey, Kagome," he said through the wood. "Let's go. Open up."

When no answer came, he pulled back one fist and prepared to shatter the obstacle, but then thought better of it. If one thing made him afraid, it was seeing Kagome's face when she was angry. With a sigh because he was so put-upon, he jumped down from the ledge he was perched on and proceeded to the nearest door on the ground floor.

He didn't bother to knock-he had knocked once and that was polite enough for him. Instead he slid the door open to reveal Kagome and her family, seated around some kind of black box.

They didn't seem to have noticed him yet. One side of the box appeared to be glowing, and he guessed that they were watching the changing lights. Humans were a weird lot.

To get their attention, he imposed his mighty form between the Higurashis and their box and folded his arms to show them he meant business.

"I come for Kagome," he announced.

Kagome's grandfather and younger brother did not seem impressed by this.

"Move," Souta said.

Kagome was lying on the couch with a blanket over her and a glass stick in her mouth. She eyed him with a rather woebegone expression. Her mother was the most animated of the lot.

"Oh, it's Kagome's little friend!" she exclaimed, coming toward him.

Afraid she was going to hug him (and somewhat creeped out by the little hearts that had suddenly appeared around her face) Inuyasha dodged around her and squatted down at eye level with Kagome.

"Your time wasn't up. Why'd you leave early?"

"What do you mean, MY TIME?!" she fired back, speaking around the glass thing. "I don't have to BE there a certain number of days, you know. And it wasn't like anything big was going down while I was there."

"Kagome, why don't you ask your cute friend to dinner?" Kagome's mom suggested.

Kagome sat up, scattering blankets and Kleenex in all directions. She was wearing jeans and a very large, old sweatshirt.

"He's NOT making me go!" she insisted. "I'm sick, so I get some vacation time, okay."

"Vacation?" Inuyasha asked, holding up a tissue gingerly between two claws. "With THESE?"

Kagome snatched it from him just in time to sneeze into it. The glass stick shot out of her mouth and nearly winged Buyo the cat, who was pawing at the figures on the glowing box.

"EW, GROSS!" Inuyasha cried, fur bristling as he backed away hastily.

"That's what being sick IS!" Kagome shouted. "Believe me, you won't want me around when I'm like this! Just go back, and I'll join you when I'm better."

But Inuyasha noticed that her eyes looked a little teary, and he knew where that could lead. So he played his trump card.

"I brought you a duck," he said, holding it up by its webbed feet.

Kagome stared at it, completely nonplussed.

{#} {#} {#}

Dinner found them all seated around the Higurashis' table, feasting upon roast duck in orange sauce. Kagome's family was clearly enjoying the feast. Kagome was not.

"I'm still not going back yet," she told Inuyasha, who was eating both legs at once.

"Yeah you are," he told her, around a mouthful of meat. "Your mother said you could."

Kagome glared at her mom.

"You didn't have a temperature," her mother said cheerfully. "You'll be fine. In fact, the clean air of the feudal era might even do you some good."

"Unless, of course, the weather's really nasty," Souta interjected.

Inuyasha considered a moment. The weather in his time didn't seem too cold to him, and it wasn't raining. . .yet.

"Weather's fine," he told them.

{#} {#} {#}

Half an hour later, Kagome and Inuyasha were standing on the other side of the well, in the pouring rain. Kagome's expression looked more thunderous than the clouds.

"The weather's FINE, eh?" she said, glowering at him.

Inuyasha, sensing malcontent, was anxious to get her back to Kaede's before she decided to turn around and go home.

"Come on, Kagome," he insisted, grabbing her by the backpack and pulling her along. "We'll be dry in the old woman's house."

Kagome slid out of the straps and headed back for the well.

"I've had enough of this," she said.

In a flash, Inuyasha was between her and her escape route. Angrily, she tried to skirt around him, but every time she moved he did also.

"Hah!" he said, looking pleased with himself. "You're staying, and that's that."

But Kagome had stopped listening to him.

"Hey. . .do you smell anything strange?" she asked.

Inuyasha, sensing diversionary tactics, took her firmly by the wrist and resumed pulling her toward the village.

"No, no, I MEAN it," she insisted, trying to pry herself loose. "I sense a jewel shard. It was nearby a second ago, and now it's moving away very fast."

Inuyasha paused, sniffing the air.

He thought he did smell something odd, but the rain made the scent very faint. It smelled vaguely familiar.

But he didn't have time to contemplate this for long. Just as he was about to ask Kagome what direction Shippou came bounding up to meet them, looking very anxious about something.

"Inuyasha, Kagome, come to the village, QUICK!" he cried. "It's terrible!"

"What is it, Shippou?" Kagome asked, catching him as he leaped into her arms.

"A demon attacked during the night!" he wailed. "It killed a whole family, and completely destroyed their house!"

In a flash, Inuyasha was pelting back toward the village, carrying Kagome and the fox child on his back.

"Is the demon still there?" he asked as the scenery flew by.

"No," Shippou answered. "But Miroku said you had to come-the demon carried a fragment of the jewel, and will use it to kill again if it's not stopped."

{#} {#} {#}

When they reached the village, the rain had passed, though the skies were still blanketed in clouds. Everyone was assembled in the common, taking in the scene of carnage and destruction with frank bewilderment.

"Out of my way," Inuyasha ordered, shoving peasants aside as he made his way over to Miroku. "What happened here?"

The monk was kneeling to pray for the deceased. When he had finished, he rose and answered, "Murder." His face was very grim. "I don't need your nose to tell me it was a demon, but this demon has a very strange way of hunting."

Inuyasha looked, and was very puzzled by what he saw.

The ground was littered with debris: broken thatch, scattered stones, and among it all lay what remained of the husband and wife and young son. Inuyasha's flesh crawled at the scent of human blood, which he had come to hate, and he turned away to face Miroku to avoid the sight.

"Come with me, Inuyasha," the monk said, and Inuyasha followed as he stepped carefully through splinters of wood and human bone.

"Stay there, Kagome," Inuyasha called over his shoulder.

Kagome was standing at the forefront of the crowd of onlookers, looking very pale. In her arms, Shippou turned and buried his head in her hair.

The villagers-or Miroku, perhaps-had laid sack cloth over the dead, to preserve their dignity or perhaps just to deter the flies, which rose in small swirls of black bodies wherever the two men stepped.

"The adults were eaten-for the most part," Miroku explained with a grimace as they came to a stop in the midst of the bodies. "But the child. . ." He pointed. "Was not only eaten but completely torn apart, as if in a fit of rage. The face, in particular. . ."

Listening to them from a distance, Kagome thought, `But why would a demon hunting for food be so particular? Why the child?'

"Kagome-sama, do you sense anything we don't?" Miroku called across the wreckage.

"Any jewel shards?" Inuyasha asked. Miroku's heel planting itself on his foot made it clear that the question was a tad overeager for such a somber situation.

Kagome frowned and walked a little ways around the site, careful to keep her shoes away from the blood pooled in what had been the hut's doorway. Shippou leaped down from her arms, not wishing to be carried any nearer.

"I do sense something," she said hesitantly. "But it's faint. The demon had a jewel shard, but now it's gone."

"BWAH!" Shippou cried, scampering away from something on the ground.

"What is it?" In an instant Inuyasha was at his side, to see what he was pointing at.

In the hard-packed earth were five deep claw marks, splayed in the manner of a reptile's.

"A footprint," Kagome said softly from behind him.

"Yeah, but the rain must've washed the others away," Inuyasha said grimly. "But I can still follow the stench."

"You can smell the demon's trail, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, coming to join them.

"Of course I can!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "Kagome, get your bag. We're going shard-er-demon hunting."

While Kagome complied a mortified Miroku was left with the task of smoothing things over with the villagers.

And then, when some of the peasants had brought them supplies for their journey, the four of them set off, following Inuyasha's nose. Shippou had insisted on coming despite his previous horror-he was secretly afraid that the child-killing demon might return to the village while the others were gone.

{#} {#} {#}

The old priestess saw them off before returning to the sad task of burying the dead. However, as she approached the scene from the direction Inuyasha's posse had taken she began to notice something that made her grim expression deepen.

Upon the ground, barely visible in the area's rain-soaked mud, was another set of prints leading straight away from the destroyed house and mutilated bodies. It led into the marsh grasses through which the shard/vengeance seekers had passed.

"Strange," she muttered, squinting at them.

They were not large, as the reptilian claw-marks had been.

They were human.

{END OF CHAPTER 1}