InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Youkai and the Exterminator ❯ Chapter FortySix ( Chapter 46 )

Chapter FortySix

 

 

“Kohaku,” she whispered, pulling at his arm. “We can't stop here, we have to keep moving!”

 

He honestly didn't see the point.

 

But she wasn't going to give up or leave him and he let Kagome pull him to his feet again. Kohaku had decided that he was ready to die, but he didn't want this girl to think it was her fault. No, that wouldn't be fair. She was Sango's friend and it would hurt her to have to tell his sister about how he'd let himself die. It was shameful, but he wasn't worthy of being saved. Kagome didn't understand, couldn't understand, wouldn't ever understand…and he was far too tired to try to explain it to her.

 

He'd been dead from the moment he'd died the first time. Everything that had happened to him since then…had just been another mistake.

 

“Hey,” she said, putting her warm hands on his cold face, making him look at her. “We're going to get out of this. I promise you, Kohaku. I'm not going to let them get to either of us!”

 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered where she got the energy to keep fighting. It wasn't a lack of courage or fear that made him want to lie down and let the monsters come. It was just that he was ready for them; at long last he thought he might be ready. At least then Sango could grieve over a corpse and a memory, instead of mourning for a little brother that didn't exist anymore.

 

They kept running, Kagome dragging him when he stumbled, trying to support him when his legs seemed too weak to move. It wasn't weakness; couldn't she see that he was still drowning? The floods had come in the spring, but Kohaku had long given up on seeing the summer. He'd rather die now, yes please, than have to keep up the pretense of still being alive for another minute.

 

He fell heavily, making no attempt to catch himself and landed hard on his face. There was dirt in his nose, his eyes and his mouth, but he didn't care. Soon that dirt would be his grave and he welcomed the feeling. Now he could just go to sleep, let the girl escape while they feasted on his flesh. His corrupted flesh, it was all he had left. Naraku had already stolen his mind and his memories, defiled them with the pleasure of a sadist, but then released them back into him like a gift of darkness absolute.

 

He'd finally made him betray his sister. And he didn't even need to use the jewel to do it.

 

“Kohaku,” she cried, beating on his back with her fists. For a long moment, he didn't know if it was Kagome or Sango that was crying his name, trying to will him back to life with her voice. He supposed it was selfish of him to make her either leave him or die. He wondered again why she bothered.

 

“Don't be scared,” she said, coaxing him to his feet yet again. “I'm going to protect you, Kohaku. You'll see, it's going to be fine.”

 

Was she really that stupid? Or was it an incurable disease, her optimism. From what he knew of Kagome, it could very well be both. But she was swearing to protect him…and that made him feel very guilty about dying. And Kohaku was very, very tired of feeling guilty.

 

Father, why do we have to be demon exterminators?

 

Like it wasn't a silly question, his father had smiled and looked at him with a twinkle in his eyes.

 

To protect those people who can't protect themselves.

 

He was just a boy; he didn't know how he could help anyone. And the monsters scared him, but that wasn't the worst part. The thing he was most frightened of was that his father or sister might be killed by the very youkai they fought. And that he, Kohaku, would be unable to save them.

 

But why, father? Why do we do that?

 

So many reasons, so many ways to die. He could lie here and just let himself be eaten, he could fight Kagome and run away into the forest, seek his death without trapping her along with him. He could just run away from everything…

 

Because it is an honorable thing to protect the weak.

 

Because to live in fear is to not live at all.

 

Because we have ones we love, ones that deserve to be protected.

 

Because we do what we can and because when we turn away from what needs to be done, it makes us less than what we were born to be.

 

He wouldn't shame his family by dying here and risking that he'd take Kagome with him. He owed his sister better than that. When it was time, when he had a place for peace, then he'd seek an honorable death.

 

“Let's go,” Kohaku whispered, tugging at Kagome's arm. “We have to run.”

 

oOo

 

Sango woke up thinking that a youkai must have nested in her mouth; nothing else could explain the foul taste. She rolled over, her filthy hair falling in her face and grimaced at the smell. She'd been fighting and crying, sweating with fear and exhaustion, and she smelled like it. Then she had been trapped in a disgusting dark hole of a prison, only her own stench to keep her company.

 

But this wasn't her prison and Sango was surprised that it had taken her so long to figure it out. “Damn,” she murmured, looking around her. “Where am I now?”

 

She was in a broken little hut, hardly more than a few dilapidated boards that had been thrown together with a roof overhead. It had a dirt floor and no fire, but she was lying on some kind of pallet. Sango's nose wrinkled, realizing that the pallet was also none too clean.

 

Standing up, she went to the open doorway, not even a mat to cover it, and peered outside. All around her was thick forest, a dark sky. She craned her head, trying to get a look to see if she could tell how late it was and realized that there was no moon tonight. It could be any time from just after nightfall to just before the first lightening of dawn. She remembered being so tired that she'd sagged to her knees, only held upright by the chains that bound her wrists to the wall.

 

Chains…

 

She rubbed her wrists, feeling the soreness from bruises and resolutely shook her head. It didn't matter where she was or why, she was getting the hell out of here, right now. Brushing her hair back from her eyes, she stepped outside, inhaling deeply of the fresher air and sighed.

 

“You've rested, that's good,” a dark voice said.

 

Sango froze, her eyes going wide and with all of her might she fought the urge to run. He'd catch her; she knew he might even be hoping for it. A struggle would be what he wanted, a struggle and her eventual defeat. Then as a demon he would be able to take what he wanted.

 

“Did you bring me here?” she asked harshly, not looking at him. Of course, she knew that he had, who else would have taken her from Naraku's stronghold?

 

He didn't answer, coming up to stand behind her before reaching out a clawed fingertip to trace her cheek. Sango shuddered and backed away, putting her shoulders against the rough plank wall and closing her eyes. “Did you forget your promise?” he hissed. “I have kept mine.”

 

She caught her breath, looking up to stare into those mad and burning eyes. He scared her; he scared her right down to the bottom of her soul where the fear had really never gone away. He was the embodiment of every evil she'd fought and defeated, everything that was wrong, and everything that was diseased. But as even as she recoiled from his touch, her heart leapt inside her chest with hope.

 

“Kohaku?” she asked, breathless. “Kagome? You kept your word and freed them? Is that why we're here and not at Naraku's keep?”

 

He smiled, a grimace that showed far too many sharp teeth. “Yes. And now, woman, I expect your gratitude.”

 

The monster moved close, reaching for her and Sango couldn't help herself. She cringed away, avoiding the touch of those death-white hands and saw a flash of anger cross his face. “You said that if I freed those you care for, you would be mine. I will not be toyed with.”

 

He was on her so fast that she couldn't avoid it. The lips on hers burned with cold fire, making her body ice. Growling low in his throat, he forced her mouth to open and she tasted him. It turned her stomach as his tongue pushed past her teeth and defiled her. Sango forced herself to not fight him, to just let the rank scent of his body pass over like a fetid smoke. When he finally broke this kiss, she was too weak with nausea to stand and would have fallen if he hadn't held in a vice-like embrace.

 

“You taste sweet, pretty exterminator,” he murmured, pressing his face to her hair and inhaling deeply.

 

“You taste like blood,” she whispered, horrified right down to her bones. Her skin crawled at his touch, her body recoiling from his poisoned embrace.

 

The dark demon smirked. “You don't like it?” he asked, falsely solicitous. “No matter, I will teach you many things. Not least of how to enjoy my caresses until you beg for my kiss.”

 

“No,” she said as his hands started to pull at her clothing. Her shoulders were pressed against the rough wood behind her as he began a possessive exploration. “No, please, stop this.”

 

A dark chuckle. “Why should I stop, you've given yourself to me, haven't you?” His hand cupped the back of her neck, tightening slowly until she winced in pain. “If you wish to break with our pact, I can always go find your brother and the priestess. Perhaps you'd be persuaded by their screams.”

 

Damn it, she thought, frantic to find a way to keep him away from her. She let the resistance drain out of her body, gritting her teeth as his lips touched the skin of her throat. She had to find a way to stop this, keep him off of her, and keep him away. He was too strong to fight, too monstrous and powerful. As it was the aura of malice that radiated from him was making her weak.

 

In the back of her mind, she was almost subconsciously aware of her baby. The child's youki was crying, begging her to run away from this thing, protect them both; get them back to the one who loved them. She jerked convulsively as his hands took her hips in a harsh grip, only moments away from shredding her clothes and taking them both to hell.

 

“Wait,” she gasped when she felt his hands move between her legs. Only thin fabric separated them, but it suddenly reminded her of what he'd said back at Naraku's stronghold. He wanted her, yes, but there was more to it than just her body. He wanted her child as well; maybe that was what she needed.

 

“I'm not going to wait,” he growled when she tried to push his hands away. “You're mine, I've claimed you as my own. Do not fight this, woman. I can make you wish you hadn't.”

 

Sango forced herself to look at him, to fight past the horror and look him in the eye. “I'm not fighting you,” she murmured, catching his wrists in her hands. “I'm scared of you. You're too powerful, what about my baby?”

 

“The child will be mine as well,” he answered, smiling with a sick amusement. “I will raise it as my own, protect it as my own flesh. Now come here and…”

 

“That's not what I meant,” she said bluntly. He scowled and leaned into her, his very presence was enough to quell her as she was that frightened. “I meant that my baby is half-human. I'm not a demon, if you…if you force yourself on me, you could kill the child. That isn't what you want, right?”

 

He considered her words, his face growing darker and angrier. “I will take care not to injure you,” he said quietly. “If I only wanted you for rape and death, woman, you would already feel my claws.”

 

She grit her teeth, wanting to snarl at him, scream at him, and tear him to bits with her own fingernails. The baby's youki surged within her, urging her to flee, to fight, and to do anything she could to save them both from this. Her heart was hammering against her ribs like panic and she took a deep breath to calm herself.

 

“I'm saying that you might kill my baby even if you don't injure me,” she said quietly. “The child is half-demon, can't you feel how terrified it is? I know…I know youkai can sense the energy of another. I can't do anything to calm its youki; I'm only a human woman. You know it's not an easy thing for a human to bear a youkai's child…you could easily kill us both.”

 

He snarled, shoving her away from him hard. Damn the bitch, he wanted that baby. He wanted a son again, even a daughter. He didn't know why, something about the exterminator had attracted him, and compelled him. As he was, he knew he could not father a child of his own seed. He was nameless death; he was undead and in his cold fists burned nothing but destruction. Perhaps this was a mistake, it would be easy to rape the woman to death, her and her brat, then find a youkai child to kidnap and raise for his own.

 

But he wanted this one. And he wanted this woman. Her face was pleasing, her body shapely, but so were the faces and bodies of many other women, human or demon. And he'd compelled her to promise herself to him. He could feel how much she loathed his touch, the way her pretty face turned away from his. Her entire body yearned away from him, but by her will she kept still and spoke to him almost as if he were a normal being.

 

Strong, he thought. Worthy of him, her baby would be strong too. Slowly, his fury faded until he could turn around and look at her. She had promised, she would not run away from him, he could keep her at his side until the child was born. And then his enjoyment of her would know no end. Her child would be the first, his heir and his disciple. It would be worth the wait.

 

“Very well,” he hissed, his eyes glinting. Her face was so pale; it was as if her lovely blood had drained to the soles of her feet. Tenderly, almost affectionately, he reached out and cupped her cheek.

 

“We will wait to consummate our agreement, “ he said softly, loving the way she trembled and filled the air with the scent of her fear. “I am not patient, my love,” he growled, leaning close to press his cheek to hers. “I will find other ways to enjoy your company.”

 

oOo

 

The night's wind was chill against his face, but Inuyasha closed his eyes and reveled in it. His hair whipped across his cheeks, lashed across his eyes and drew tears from them. But he wasn't crying. He was far too angry at his brother to cry.

 

“Hey,” Naota said, his voice right behind Inuyasha's ear. “You think that son of bitch knows where he's going?”

 

“How the fuck would I know?” Inuyasha snapped. He hated this, stuck on the back of his brother's two-headed dragon and trying desperately to keep up. He hated even more that his bastard of a cousin was riding behind him. Inuyasha growled softly and looked down at his clawless, human hands. Naota didn't deserve to be so lucky.

 

“You really hate me, don't you?” Naota murmured.

 

Shit, he didn't know what he thought anymore. Maybe Naota was telling the truth; maybe he really had loved his mother, really thrown away everything to save her and her baby. Damned if he cared right now, not with Kagome out there, in Naraku's clutches, terrified…held prisoner by…his own father.

 

“Not possible,” he muttered, more to himself than for Naota's ears. “Not fucking possible.”

 

“I wish it wasn't so, Inuyasha,” Naota answered quietly. He turned to look over his shoulder and saw old grief in his cousin's eyes. “Believe me, for him to be turned into such a monster…I know it can't be easy for you to see your father like that.”

 

“Fuck him,” Inuyasha snarled, glowering at Naota. “I don't give a damn who he is or who the fuck he used to be. I don't care if he's my old man or not, you hear me? If he's hurt Kagome, he's gonna wish he stayed dead!”

 

oOo

 

He heard voices talking over him and wished they'd just shut the hell up and let him sleep. He was sore, damn it, sore as hell and needed his rest. They should be more respectful of a man who'd had his guts torn out.

 

“Aiko, I can't believe you were so shameless…right in the middle of the hallway!”

 

That sounds like Makiko's voice, Jano thought, coming fully awake at last. He almost turned over to see her, having missed her greatly, but he knew better than to make himself a target when she was in one of her moods. It sounded like her younger sister had done something to annoy her.

 

Perhaps that was not such a bad thing, he reflected. Better her than him.

 

“Oh sister, I couldn't help myself,” Aiko said, not sounding very contrite. “I missed him, don't tell me you don't understand.”

 

“I understand that you're going to be the talk of the fortress.” He heard rustling and the sounds of angry folding and decided that Makiko was getting ready to change his bedding. Jano resolved to stay quiet and hope that they'd take it elsewhere. He really wasn't ready to be disturbed just yet.

 

Unless Makiko had different ideas of how to awaken him…

 

“Did you tell him yet, Aiko?” Makiko's voice still held disapproval, annoyance and a touch of curiosity. “The monk deserves to know the truth.”

 

Oh, so it was Miroku they were talking about, Jano thought smugly. Just as he'd thought, Makiko's younger sister had taken quite a liking to the lecherous human. Two of a kind, in his opinion, Aiko wasn't shy at all when she liked someone.

 

Personally, he was glad he'd never taken her up on an offer, figuring that spending a few hours with the young lady would end with him spending a few inches on one of Makiko's knives.

 

He was surprised to hear sadness in the girl's tone when she answered her sister's question. “I couldn't tell him, Makiko,” she said, sounding quite nervous. “What if he's not happy about it?”

 

“Then to hell with him,” Makiko said fiercely. Jano actually flinched at the wrath in her voice, the hard edge of a woman who held to her opinions without sympathy for those who might disagree. “Aiko, you must tell him immediately. To conceal it is not honorable. The houshi-sama must know that you are to bear his child. If he disapproves of it, then to hell with him and I'll throw him out of this fortress myself!”

 

Jano's eyes went wide with surprise. Aiko was pregnant with Miroku's baby? By all the gods, he'd not have expected that.

 

“Is that so, sister?” Aiko asked archly. Jano almost turned over to see this, if Aiko was going to take that kind of tone with Makiko, she'd better be prepared to back it up. The lovely woman he intended to make his wife was not above giving her sister a thrashing for being disrespectful.

 

So he almost fell out of his bed when he heard Makiko start to stammer nervously. “W…why I…we are not talking about me, Aiko!”

 

“Don't you think that Jano-san also deserves to hear the truth?”

 

He went utterly still. Did they know that he'd been listening? Hell, they were arguing practically over his head, it wasn't like he meant to eavesdrop on their conversation.

 

“I will tell him when the time is right,” Makiko said primly.

 

Aiko laughed lightly. “I'm sure you will, sister,” she said merrily. He heard a shuffling sound and then a door being slid open. “I will do the same!”

 

He couldn't stand it. Jano rolled over on his side, ignoring the twinge in his middle. He was still sore, but it was much easier to move now. Makiko was still staring at the door, a pensive expression on her face before she turned to look at him.

 

“You were listening,” she said, her voice very quiet.

 

“Yes,” he answered slowly. “Not like I could help it.”

 

Makiko gave a little toss of her head, shaking off whatever had been bothering her. “Well,” she said briskly. “Don't concern yourself with my sister's comments. You need your rest, although your wound is healing well, I don't think you should…”

 

He caught her hands as she reached for his bandage, pulling her down to sit beside him. Jano watched her face carefully. “Something is wrong,” he said, squeezing her fingers. “Ever since they brought me back, you've been treating me like a stranger. At first I thought you were angry because I was stupid enough to almost get myself killed…but that's not it.”

 

She shifted nervously, but didn't pull her hands from his. “I was angry,” she confessed quietly. “And you were very stupid.”

 

Jano snorted, grinning slightly. “Is that what you were going to tell me when the time is right?” he teased.

 

Makiko flushed and yanked her hands away from his as she stood up. “You do realize that you were nearly disemboweled,” she said, not looking at him. “You will be unable to eat any solid foods for several weeks, I don't want to risk your recovery.”

 

She was infuriating. Jano growled low in his throat, reached for a bowl that had been left at his bedside and hurled it into the wall with all of his depleted strength. It shattered loudly and Makiko turned to stare at him.

 

“Damn it,” he snarled. “Why won't you talk to me?”

 

“I'm speaking to you right now,” she spat back angrily. “Your ears weren't injured, Jano! You heard what Aiko and I were talking about.”

 

He glared at her. “Aiko's pregnant with Miroku's baby,” he said acidly. “What the hell does that have to do with us? Are you set against your sister bearing a hanyou?”

 

“Of course not,” she snorted. “Aiko will do as she pleases, she always has. Since we were children, she's never gave a care to what the consequences of her actions were, and I've always had to be the one to be responsible.”

 

Now he was just confused, he couldn't see what that had to do with him. “Then what is it?” he asked, his tone much softer now. “Why does it bother you that your sister is going to have a baby?”

 

“It doesn't,” she shouted, startling him. Makiko stalked over and pointed her finger at his nose. “I am not bothered by my sister. Aiko should tell Miroku that she's pregnant and to hell with him if he doesn't want it.”

 

Privately, Jano thought that Miroku wouldn't see it that way. He couldn't say that he knew the human well, but he didn't think that Miroku would object to becoming a father. There had to be more to it than that.

 

“Damn it, woman,” he said, sitting up gingerly. “I wish you'd just say whatever it is you want to say. If you're angry with me, at least let me know why!”

 

“I'm not angry with you,” she said, refusing to look at him again. “You also do as you please, I have known that about you for years.”

 

Groaning, he laid back and put one hand protectively over his belly. “Forget it then,” he rasped, closing his eyes. “I'm too tired to fight with you, Makiko. I thought I'd made you understand how much I want to be with you, but I guess I'm just too damn dense.”

 

“Just what I expected,” she muttered. He heard her start to move around the room, picking up thing and setting them down hard. “I don't expect you to be responsible, I already know better. Just like Aiko, who never thinks about the future. It doesn't surprise me, Jano. To hell with you as well.”

 

Angry, he dug his claws into the bedding and shredded it just to hear her exclamation. At this rate, he was going to have to wreck the room to get her to quit talking in riddles and honestly; he didn't think he had the strength for it. If he hadn't been badly injured, he swore that he would have picked her up and shook her until she made sense. She seemed to be accusing him of something.

 

“I'm not the one that knocked up your sister,” he said coldly.

 

“I know that,” she answered wrathfully, eyeing the shredded bed with displeasure.

 

“Then why are you taking it out on me?” he snarled back at her. “Even if Miroku doesn't want Aiko's brat, that's not my problem!”

 

“Callous bastard,” she whispered, her face gone deathly pale. He was shocked to see tears standing in her eyes. “That's exactly how I thought you'd be.”

 

“Makiko,” he breathed, sitting back up with a wince. Jano stared at her, her pale cheeks and trembling lips. Then it dawned on him, he was extremely dense after all. “We're not talking about Aiko and Miroku, are we?”

 

She looked away from him, bringing up her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes. “No, we aren't,” she said heavily. “I am also with child. I understand if you want no part of it.”

 

From her stance, he guessed that she thought he'd reject the idea of fatherhood. She was right about one thing, he was used to doing what he wanted, when he wanted, and to hell with anyone who said otherwise. But her words had the opposite effect and he felt a smile pulling at his lips.

 

“I see,” he said quietly. “I've always thought you were difficult, Makiko. I've never thought you were this stupid.”

 

She whirled around, glaring daggers at him and Jano almost flinched from the fire in her eyes. “Stupid,” she repeated. “You think I'm stupid because I'm pregnant with your child?”

 

“No,” he answered easily. He leaned back and folded his hands on his chest restfully. “I'm certain you were this stupid before you were pregnant. You can't blame an innocent baby because you're an idiot.”

 

Makiko eyes widened, her mouth rounding around the expletives she wanted to hurl at her patient and lover. When she finally found herself able to speak, her voice was hardly more than a rasp. “Jano…you…you bastard!”

 

He snorted. “And that's what your baby will be if you don't give in and marry me,” he said as if they were discussing the weather. “I've been sure about you for years, Makiko. Not my fault if you're too wrapped up in your own foolishness to see it. I'd gladly have a hundred children with you.”

 

He yawned and stretched, glad they'd finally settled things. Jano admitted this little discussion had taken most of his strength. So she'd been an idiot, not guessing at how much she meant to him. Maybe he was an idiot too, for not pushing harder in the past. Stubborn woman, of course she was in love with him, but getting her to admit it was more difficult than getting the Daimyo's two sons to realize they needed each other.

 

“What makes you think I'd marry you?” Makiko asked, recovering somewhat. “As if I'd want to have a hundred of your children!”

 

“Okay, fifty then. I'm willing to compromise. As long as you understand that I'm never giving up.” He opened his eyes and gave her a very serious look. “You're lucky I'm lying here in bits and pieces, woman, or I'd show you exactly what I mean.”

 

Jano felt a surge of pain from his damaged insides as she dropped beside him, wrapping her arms around his neck and dragging him into a painful embrace. “All right,” she whispered, her face buried in his shoulder. “If you want me…if you want this child so much…” she said brokenly.

 

He put his arm around her shoulders and held her tight. “Just not right now,” he whispered tenderly. “Give me a chance to heal first, then I promise I'll do my damnedest to give you all the children you want.”

 

Makiko pulled her face up to his, grinning faintly. “Will you ever change?”

 

Jano kissed the tip of her nose, feeling unconsciousness sliding up on him. “Gods, I hope not,” he muttered. “I'd hate to ruin my reputation.”

 

oOo

 

The air smelled foul, a lingering miasma over the wrecked remains of a stronghold. Sesshomaru was absolutely furious, every nerve in his body ached to shed blood and demand vengeance, and once again he found himself denied. Someone had gotten to Naraku before them, and now they were left with nothing but the charred remains of lower youkai.

 

Like bones left for a dog, he thought bitterly.

 

“Damn it all!”

 

His gaze slid to his younger brother, who was angrily tearing through the wreckage with single-minded intent. Sesshomaru's lip curled with contempt as he watched the hanyou search frantically in the rubble for any sign of their mates.

 

They'd arrived just at dawn, Inuyasha scarcely noticing as his form shifted from human to hanyou in the blink of an eye. Yes, he'd known for years what times his brother was likely to be only human and vulnerable. He could have predicted that it would follow the cycle of the moon, not unnatural for those born with inuyoukai blood. Still, he'd never sought Inuyasha's life when he was at his most vulnerable. It would have been as useless as his sibling's frantic search.

 

Finally, he grew annoyed with Inuyasha's cursing and shouting. “Enough, fool,” he snapped. “They aren't here, use your nose!”

 

The hanyou looked up, his face streaked with sweat and filth. “They'd better not be here,” he shot back angrily. “If they are, that means they're dead and I refuse to believe it.”

 

“Then why do you continue to search?” Sesshomaru asked coldly.

 

He was mildly surprised to see his brother's shoulders sag with momentary defeat. “I can't stand doing nothing,” Inuyasha muttered, looking away from him.

 

Sesshomaru watched him for a moment longer before turning away. “We are not doing nothing, Inuyasha,” he said quietly. “We will continue to search.”

 

“Looks like this Naraku has a lot of enemies,” Naota commented, using his foot to turn over a misshapen skull. “Gods, what a mess. Who would have attacked him like this?”

 

“Anyone who knows him,” Inuyasha said in a voice full of bitterness. “The bastard has a lot of enemies, but I swear I'll be the one to kill him.”

 

“Only if you get there before me, little brother.”

 

Inuyasha shrugged and didn't bother to respond. He couldn't think of anything but Kagome, even killing Naraku meant nothing while she was missing. Glancing sideways at his brother, he guessed he wasn't alone in that sentiment.

 

He wasn't. Striding quickly over the rubble as if it was unworthy of his footsteps, Sesshomaru seized Naota by the throat. “Cousin,” he said in a chill voice that held no mercy. “I believe you said that you could track Naraku's monster.”

 

Unperturbed by his cousin's hand wrapped around his neck, Naota stared back at him. “I think you should stop calling him Naraku's monster,” he said quietly. “Can't you feel it in the air, Sesshomaru? That's your father's youki that's hanging over this place like the stench of death.”

 

Leaning close to Naota's face, he bared sharp fangs. “That thing is not my father,” he hissed. “You are mistaken.”

 

Inuyasha watched as the two cousins glowered at each other. Angrily, he kicked at a pile of bones and stared at the sky. Something was here; he could feel it licking at the back of his mind. Under the foul smell of Naraku, it was definitely there. It felt almost familiar and he scowled again that time they were wasting. His father or not, it didn't matter. If he'd put a hand on Kagome…

 

“Then explain it to me,” Naota said at last. He twisted away from Sesshomaru, ignoring the scratches his cousin had left on his skin. Thoughtfully, he reached up and touched the blood that trickled down his throat, part human, and part demon sealed by the same monster they hunted, he thought. Grimly, he held out his hand as an offering and matched Sesshomaru's fierce smile.

 

“You always held it over me,” he commented, “about how I wasn't pure youkai, how my senses could never be as sharp as yours. Maybe it's your own denial masking your abilities, cousin. Can't you feel it, can't you taste it? This Naraku was betrayed by him, what else could have brought down such destruction but one who shares our bloodline?”

 

Sesshomaru batted his hand away. He spun around, pulling Tenseiga from its sheath and bringing the tip of the blade under Naota's nose. “This says otherwise,” he said coldly. “You are a fool, Naota. Do you think that I would be mistaken when I hold this blade? I have been to my father's grave, I have stood within his bones.”

 

“So have I,” Inuyasha said bitterly. He hated to side with Sesshomaru on anything, but Tenseiga wouldn't lie, not anymore than Tessaiga would. He put his hand on the sword's hilt and approached his cousin. “There's no way that Naraku could have brought him back from the dead. Not even if he had the Shikon no Tama.”

 

“You're both lying to yourselves,” Naota hissed softly. “No one else had that kind of power as him, you've both seen the wounds that Jano and Barou endured, smelled that toxin. It's your own scent, Sesshomaru. Don't deny that you recognized it!”

 

“I do not,” Sesshomaru answered coldly. “But I refuse to believe that my father has been resurrected, I refuse to believe that even Naraku, that pitiful abomination that is not even a true youkai, nor even half of one, could have that kind of power.”

 

Inuyasha nodded grudgingly, catching his brother's angry gaze. “The son of a bitch can make incarnations of himself,” he muttered, staring at the ground angrily. “They're powerful, but not like this. Looks like it turned on him, but damn it, that's not important. I don't give a fuck how he made this thing, I just want to find Kagome before it's too late. I won't let anyone get in my way.”

 

“Nor shall I.” Sesshomaru thrust Tenseiga violently back into its sheath. He met Inuyasha gaze and then turned back to Naota. “I will not let my wife fall to that monster, be it a creation of Naraku's or my own father, I will send it back to whatever hell that spawned it.”

 

“And if it is Inutaisho?” Naota said viciously. “And if he is holding your woman prisoner for his own reasons or Naraku's? Are you going to deny that you're not in the least bit afraid? You were always excellent at lying to yourself, Sessh.”

 

“I fear nothing,” Sesshomaru answered softly. “If by the remotest chance that you are correct, Naota, I will not hesitate one moment. My father would never agree to becoming a beast that slaughters for pure pleasure, he would thank me for sending him back to his grave!”

 

“You're right about that, boy!”

 

A shadow passed over them, accompanied by a distinctly bovine sound. Inuyasha managed to dodge out of the way as a huge three-eyed ox suddenly descended in their midst. Sesshomaru's face remained utterly impassive as he regarded the elderly fire-youkai that was known as much for his absent-minded babbling as his astonishing skill in crafting swords.

 

But only for those patrons that he personally liked.

 

“Toutousai,” he murmured, his golden eyes narrowing in distaste. Just what they needed…another fool to distract them from their urgent search.

 

The old man tottered off the back of his ox, scratching himself with a complete disregard for his companions' sensibilities. Sesshomaru's lip curled with contempt and no small touch of active hatred. Foul smelling old fool, he was not going to be spoken to with such disrespect. He was certainly not going to let the senile bastard call him boy.

 

Absently, the old man looked around. “Eh?” he said uncertainly. “What are you young'uns doing here?”

 

Inuyasha snorted impatiently. “You were looking for me?” he asked.

 

Toutousai fixed his bleary gaze on the hanyou before scratching at his hairy ears. “Oh, it's you. Inuyasha, right?”

 

Gritting his teeth with frustration, Inuyasha leaned closer to the doddering youkai. “You know who I am!”

 

“Oh right, right…” Toutousai said, waving him away. “You're still after that Naraku fella, huh? Always giving you the slip, looks like you missed him again.”

 

Inuyasha growled, but Toutousai had already moved on, peering at his cousin with some interest. “Well,” he said happily, “if it isn't little Naota! Been a long time since you've been seen in these parts, kid.”

 

“Not long enough,” Sesshomaru muttered darkly.

 

The smith turned and gave him a piercing look that suddenly made him appear anything but senile. “Still holding on to that grudge, Sesshomaru-sama? Tsk…what would your father say?”

 

“Exactly,” Sesshomaru said, cold anger heavy in his voice. “I will be sure to ask him that when I see him next.”

 

Toutousai's gaze sharpened again and a flicker of humor crossed his face. “Well, I should be going…” he said, trailing off as he headed for his ox. “Just wanted to drop in and say hello…oh, you two wouldn't happen to be looking for a couple of young human females, would you?”

 

Inuyasha surged forward, barely catching Toutousai's arm before Sesshomaru could seize him. “What do you know about that?” he demanded angrily. “Have you seen Kagome, Toutousai? Was she all right, did he hurt her?”

 

Snarling, Sesshomaru shoved Inuyasha to the side. “I demand answers, old man,” he hissed, his eyes glinting dangerously. “If you dare to lie to me about this, I will feed you your own heart!”

 

Toutousai blinked at him. “Why would I want to eat something like that?” he cackled. “Nice of you offer, but I'm not hungry.”

 

“Senile bastard,” Sesshomaru snarled, his claws flashing forward.

 

“Sessh, don't,” Naota shouted, running to catch his cousin's arm. Sesshomaru whirled around and hit his cousin hard. Naota staggered backwards from the blow, blood streaming from his nose.

 

“Do not interfere,” Sesshomaru growled, “if this old fool has information to where my wife is, I will personally tear him apart to get sense from him!”

 

“You lose something, Sesshomaru-sama?” Toutousai asked, hardly intimidated by the threat. “A human woman, eh? Now that is interesting.”

 

“Don't you dare to mock me,” Sesshomaru whispered.

 

Inuyasha slowly pulled Tessaiga from its sheath and turned to face his furious brother. “You ain't torturing anyone today,” he said, his voice cold and angry. “If Toutousai has seen Kagome and Sango, he's not going to keep it from us. Just back the fuck off!”

 

“Little brother, you are testing my patience,” Sesshomaru said, murder in his tone.

 

“Knock it off, you stupid bastards!” Naota wiped the blood from his face and gently touched the ancient smith's arm. “Please, Toutousai-sama,” he said quietly. “They are in very grave danger, now is no time to play games. My uncle…always trusted you.”

 

“That he did,” Toutousai said smugly, oblivious to Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's fury. “He always told me his secrets, I was one of the few!”

 

“Because you probably forgot them the minute he told you,” Inuyasha muttered darkly. Maybe Sesshomaru wasn't entirely wrong, a good, sound beating might make Toutousai's memory fall back into place a little faster. He cracked his knuckles in frustration. It was sounding better all the time.

 

Naota cleared his throat, his cousins were too far on edge already, and he had a feeling that Toutousai was gambling on it. “My uncle trusted you,” he said quietly, catching the old man's attention again. “He would want you to help him now.”

 

Toutousai waved his hand dismissively. “Don't bother trying to grease my bottom with your kind words, boy. I saw the thing that took them girls and that boy too. Came looking for these two fools as soon as I did.” The fire-youkai's face grew dark and somber. “What took them away…no living creature should have to endure. Your uncle knew better than most what kind of monster you're facing.”

 

Sesshomaru's head came up, fixing the old smith with a brilliant gaze. “What did you say?”

 

“I said, your father knew…”

 

“I heard you,” Sesshomaru snapped, he slowly advanced on Naota and Toutousai. “How would my father know?”

 

“Heh, was him that put the bastard down the first time!” Toutousai glanced back and forth between the brothers, his eyes disturbingly out of focus again. “Eh, you didn't know?”

 

Naota let out his breath in a slow hiss of disappointment. This was going to be difficult, the old man was confused. “I'm sorry, Toutousai-sama,” he said quietly. “I know my uncle was your friend, you wouldn't want to see him like this.”

 

“Like what?” Toutousai replied, scratching again. He dug a finger in his ear for a long moment before pulling it out and examining the tip lovingly. “He wouldn't want me to see what?”

 

“He wouldn't want you to see the monster he's become,” Naota said gently.

 

“Who?”

 

“Inutaisho-sama.”

 

Toutousai's eyes nearly bugged out of his head in excitement. “Where? I've been wanting to talk to that boy,” he said quickly. “He still owes me for fixing up Tessaiga so the older son couldn't use it.”

 

Sesshomaru growled, surging forward but controlled himself when Naota made an urgent gesture for patience. The dispute over the sword could wait; he had more important matters to consider.

 

“Inutaisho-sama has been resurrected from the dead,” Naota said quickly. There was only so much his cousins could endure before they started ripping into the old man for answers. “I fear he is the same beast that abducted Sango and Kagome.”

 

Toutousai stared at him for a long moment, seeming to turn the awful knowledge over in his mind while the two brothers seethed with impatience. Then he leaned close to Naota, his breath rank from years of neglected dental hygiene, and spoke a single word.

 

“Horseshit.”

 

Naota's mouth dropped open and then he shot a furious glare at his cousins. “I know you don't want to believe it, but…”

 

“I said, horseshit,” Toutousai said calmly. “Your uncle always gave you credit for having some brains, Naota. Why ain't you using them? That thing can't be Inutaisho-sama, he'd be mad as hell that you thought so.”

 

His face flushed and Naota's hands tightened into fists. It seemed that Sesshomaru might have been correct after all, there was no way to get sense out of the senile old fart without causing him physical damage. Still, he hated to see it come to that.

 

“He's been brought back from the dead, Toutousai, I know it's terrible but…”

 

The old man bent over, convulsing with wheezing laughter. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru stood silently, watching as the elderly smith doubled over with mirth. “Oh gods, I forgot about your jokes, Naota!” he said, wiping tears from his eyes. “That's too funny.”

 

“There's nothing funny about it!” Naota shouted. “He's been resurrected and made insane from it, he's slaughtering humans, killing anything that crosses him! He's a monster, a twisted beast, how can you laugh about it?”

 

Toutousai straightened, shaking his head and chuckling as he ambled back to his waiting ox. “Boy, you have a strange humor, but you still ain't using your head. That thing may have been brought back from death, but it is not Inutaisho.”

 

Sesshomaru glanced at Inuyasha, who shrugged in confusion. Quietly, the elder brother stepped forward, catching the old man's attention with a raised hand. “How can you be so certain that it is not my father who has been raised from his grave?”

 

The ancient sword smith gave them all a wicked grin. “Use your head, boy,” he said with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. “It can't be your father because…” He paused for emphasis.

 

“Your father is still alive.”