InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ This Wasn't In The Job Description ❯ Naraku's New Minion ( Chapter 65 )

Chapter 65

 

Naraku's New Minion

 

Water bubbled out of a collection of gray, moss-covered rocks and into a shallow depression before seeping away. It emitted small puffs of steam in the haze of afternoon light. Miroku and Sango stayed a respectful distance away, but InuYasha let Kagome accompany him to the spring. He quickly shucked off the shreds of his clothes while Kagome dug in her pack for some soap. When she had found it, she looked up towards him. He was just kicking away the remnants of his jeans, his back to her. The sight of the long gashes on his body still made her heart race in concern, even though they were quite obviously healing. InuYasha turned and looked at her over his shoulder, catching her expression.

 

“Please don't look so worried,” InuYasha said. “I always heal.”

 

“Sorry, I can't help it,” Kagome replied. “If you only saw how badly you were injured this time…”

 

An involuntary shudder went through her as InuYasha watched, and his face clouded. He knelt in front of her and put a finger under her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. At first, he did not know what to say, as she gazed at him with her big brown eyes filled with love and anxiety. He was still not used to having someone love him so deeply and completely.

 

“Weren't you the one who was just giving me hope at my father's grave?” InuYasha said. “I will heal, I will fight my fate and with you by my side - I will win.”

 

Raising her hand to his with a smile, Kagome nodded. InuYasha smirked and his eyes lit with warmth. They stayed like that a moment, her hand gently cupping his. What a lucky man he was, to have such a woman.

 

“Now, are you gonna help me wash my hair or what?” InuYasha said.

 

“Go get wet. I'll get my shampoo and conditioner and be right there,” Kagome replied.

 

InuYasha went and sat down in the smooth declivity and tilted his head back. Water began to run down his face and into his hair. There was just enough space for him to stretch out one leg, the other bent at the knee. As she approached him, Kagome's mouth twisted wryly. If not for all the red gashes on his body, the man looked like something out of a Playgirl magazine. He shook his mane of silver white hair, turned and looked at her.

 

“What are you staring at girl?” InuYasha said, grinning evilly. “See something you like?”

 

“Hmph,” Kagome said, plopping down just out of range of the water. “I see a man in dire need of a scrubbing.”

 

“So scrub away, I'm waiting,” InuYasha replied.

 

Doing her best not to get splashed, Kagome handed him the soap while she squeezed shampoo into his tangled and dirty hair. She had her work cut out for her, but did not mind one bit. It was good to do something constructive, and release some of her tension and anxiety by attacking this bit of work with gusto.

 

“Hey, watch the ears!” InuYasha said, as he felt her nails dig into his scalp.

 

“Sorry,” Kagome replied.

 

When he was washed, Kagome handed him a towel and attacked his hair with her brush. The small towel slung around his hips, InuYasha found some underwear and got dressed. The white kosode went on first, followed by the fire rat suikan and hakama. Quietly, Kagome watched him. Although the ancient clothes fit him fine, it was strange to see him dressed so - like he was going back in time. Suddenly, InuYasha really reminded her of the youkai in the book in his library. Funny how a change of clothes brought back to her something she had learned to take for granted. The love of her life, her InuYasha, had had a whole other life in this place once…

 

“What are we doing with these?” Kagome said, gesturing to the remains of his modern clothes on the ground.

 

“Burn `em,” InuYasha said, then smiled at the look of trepidation on her face. “Nah, don't worry. Take them with us and we will find a place to dispose of them where they won't lead others to us.”

 

Kagome picked up her pack while InuYasha gathered up his clothes, and they went to join Miroku and Sango. Their two friends watched them approach, and Miroku gave him an appraising look, one eyebrow raised.

 

“Don't say a fucking word, Miroku,” InuYasha admonished darkly.

 

The agent shook his head and smiled. “You look kinda cool,” Miroku replied. “Maybe you should wear that costume on stage.”

 

Miroku ducked when InuYasha went to playfully cuff him and laughed. Sango smiled as Kirara chirped happily to see them.

 

~*~

 

On a wind-swept hill sat a strange youkai, his long dark ponytail swaying in the air. He sat cross-legged, surveying the forest beyond him. Steadily, he gazed about him, getting his bearings. Then he removed an eye from its socket, and it sprouted wings in his hand. Silently, he commanded it to go, and like some horrific insect it flew away, disappearing into the dense foliage. He closed his other eye and bowed his head, and his vision jumped to his newly mobile eye.

 

Foliage tumbled by, slapping the eye as it zipped and zoomed in the direction Byakuya had been told InuYasha and his friends were headed. His vision was filled with a cloud of blurry green and the occasional frightened bird. He urged it to go higher and look down through the canopy of the forest. But he had been warned not to bring too much attention to himself, the hanyou had keen senses. Idly, he wondered when he would be seeing his master's nemesis for the first time, and not just in Kanna's mirror.

 

A flash of red brought him up short, and he made the eye halt. A group of four travelers came into view. The one with the long silver hair and dog-ears had to be InuYasha, but what was he wearing? That was not what he had been shown before! The hanyou had been bloodied from a recent battle, his clothes all ripped and torn. The suikan and hakama he is now wearing looked far different than what he had on previously. It had to be from the demon realm. He wondered if he should report this to his master, but decided to just keep observing until he received further orders.

 

~*~

 

After three days travel with no further trouble, InuYasha and his group found Totosai with the help of Myoga. The old demon came out of his cave-like home, and looked at them suspiciously out of his great-orbed eyes. Something did not smell right about their sudden appearance. His faithful, three-eyed bovine steed looked at them rather dubiously as well, flicking its ears.

 

“Master Totosai,” Myoga cried, jumping up and down on InuYasha's shoulder in distress and excitement.

 

“Shut up, flea,” InuYasha growled. “I will handle this.”

 

“Your useless services are no longer needed,” Totosai said. “Your brother has taken his sword commission elsewhere.”

 

“We have come on other business,” InuYasha said.

 

“Show me Tessaiga,” Totosai demanded. “There can be no other reason you would seek me out.”

 

When InuYasha removed the pieces of the sword from its sheath, Totosai nearly fell down, tottering back and forth like he was having a heart attack. He finally lunged for the pieces, grabbing them from InuYasha and sputtering.

 

“What have you done to it!” Totosai exclaimed. “Oh, I warned your father not to leave it to you - you obviously can't take care of it.”

 

The others stood by shuffling their feet and nervously watching Totosai as he cradled the broken sword, muttering and clucking. Kagome reached out and held on to InuYasha's arm, and he looked down at her face full of worry and wanted to explode. Instead, he tried to be consoling, patting her hand and giving her a half-hearted smile.

 

“Can you fix it, old man?” InuYasha asked impatiently.

 

“It was made from one of your father's canines,” Totosai said. “I need another canine from an Inu TaiYoukai to fix it.”

 

“Just use one of InuYasha's,” Miroku ventured.

 

“I could, I could.” Totosai said, stroking his beard. “Just one problem, InuYasha is only hanyou - the sword will become unwieldy, possibly unusable.”

 

“Do we have any other choices?” Sango said anxiously, her brow furrowing.

 

“I have heard of a strange youkai mage in a neighboring village,” Totosai said. “InuYasha could pull a tooth and see if he can help.”

 

~*~

 

Well-hidden but with a perfect view, Byakuya's eye watched. The spawn of Naraku's tanks was very good at reading lips. He paid close attention when Totosai told InuYasha about the strange youkai. He realized it was time to take action, but did he go to his master or just formulate his own plan? In the end, he knew that he wanted to show Naraku just how much more valuable he was than his long, lost and soon-to-be-dead sister, Kagura.