InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tsubaki's Revenge ❯ Little Sister ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied.
 
Tsubaki's Revenge, Part IV: Before Sunset
 
Kaede stirred the contents of the small pot, wrinkling her nose in disgusted resignation. Inuyasha's sensitive nose, injured stomach, and propensity to complain about anything and everything had put a distinct crimp in meals the last week. It had actually been worse the last three days, since Kikyo had carefully begun feeding him solid food—mostly the blandest possible rice porridge. An impatient, hungry Inuyasha had sneaked a bowl of stew two days ago, when Kikyo had been called out to treat a cut just before lunch. The results had been a very sick hanyo, and arrangements for Kikyo and Kaede to have most of their meals with other families. Kaede had grumbled to her sister that Inuyasha could at least have apologized for his behavior, but Kikyo had only smiled and shaken her head.
 
“Ow!” The yelp of pain from outside the hut startled Kaede. Scrambling to her feet, she dashed to the entrance. Just beyond where the barrier was, Kenichi was standing, arms filled with a limp form, staring at the hut with astonishment. Their voices clashed.
 
“Kaede, what's with your hut?” “What are you doing - Inuyasha--!” “Why can't I get in?” “I told him he was over-doing—why is he tied up?”
 
They fell silent a moment, looking at each other. Kenichi opened his mouth, hesitated, and then spoke. “Inuyasha attacked a monk. I - we, several of us tried to stop him. I—I hit him—I-I didn't mean to hit him so hard, but, I mean, he was trying to kill the monk, I-I didn't mean to hurt him, but we had to stop him…”
 
Kaede blinked, then felt horrified. She nearly asked why, but caught the question behind her teeth in time. “Better bring him inside. I'll do what I can.”
 
“How?” asked Kenshin. “I tried to get to the door, but something bit me, and won't let me through!”
 
“Oops.” The girl thought a moment, then walked outside past the limits of the barrier, pulling a thong with a single white bead off from around her neck. Kikyo had made charms so that Kaede and Inuyasha could get through the barrier without Kikyo opening it, but only two. “Here.” She stood up on tip-toe. “Bend down so I can put this around your neck.” Moving awkwardly, he did so, and she slung the thong around his head. “Now you can take him inside. Put him on the futon next to the fire-pit, and untie him.”
 
“I can't do that,” he replied, looking both anxious and miserable. “Headman's orders. You're not to untie him, either.”
 
“But—“ Kaede closed her mouth again, and scowled. “All right, all right. Please take him inside?”
 
The husky youth nodded, and gingerly took a step forward. Kaede watched Kenichi walk into the hut. He carefully set Inuyasha down on his right side, shifting his body a bit. As he returned outside, Kaede stuck her hand out. Kenichi looked puzzled, then nodded and handed the spell bead back to her. “Will he be all right?” he asked. “Is there - is there anything I can do?”
 
“I don't know, and I don't think so,” she replied. He looked dismayed. “I think you should go back to your family now, Kenichi.”
 
“But what do I tell Korana?” he asked. “I didn't mean to hurt him! What if he dies?”
 
“I don't think he'll die,” she answered firmly. “And as you said, you didn't intend to hurt him. Now go home. Please.”
 
He gave her a last despairing look, then turned and walked away, shoulders slumped. Kaede chewed her lip a moment, feeling sorry for him. But only for a moment. She dashed back into the hut.
 
She glared at the ropes for a second, then dropped to her knees. Quickly untying the sash holding his kimono closed, she pulled the blood-soaked cloth out of the way. The horizontal gash was starting to clot; a quick examination proved that it was messy but shallow. Above it, the light bandages, which had replaced the heavier ones, were showing signs of blood soaking through. Kaede scrambled to her feet and headed towards the supplies. As she picked up the jar of salve, she heard Inuyasha groan.
 
“K-Kaede?”
 
“Yeah?” She picked up the basket of cloth strips, wondering where they were going to get more. The villagers had already contributed all of the old cloth they could, and no trips to a town large enough to have a market for cloth would be made until after the rice harvest.
 
“The monk - what happened to him?” asked Inuyasha, panting, his face twisting in pain. Kaede marched back, set the supplies down, and went down to hands and knees, putting her face inches from his.
 
“Why?” she demanded. “Why did you attack him?”
 
He tried to growl, sweat gathering on his face as he glared. “He's youkai. I smelled it.” He tried to sit up. “Damn it - get these - ropes - off of me!”
 
She pushed down on his shoulder. “No,” she said, matching his glare with her single eye. “I was told to keep you tied up. Besides, you're bleeding again—Kenichi didn't mean to hit you that hard, but he did. And anyway, why would a youkai disguise itself as monk?”
 
“Are you - that stupid?” he demanded. His body jerked, and his head fell back to the support. “Damn it!” He swallowed hard, then panted several moments before continuing. “Think, brat! Kikyo - called away, disguised monk shows up, why?”
 
She stared at him. “You mean someone wanted Kikyo out of the way? But why…” she trailed off as she thought about the last few days. She knew her sister had been worried about more than just Inuyasha's health. There was a reason for the barrier about the hut, for the disguise charm that Inuyasha was wearing. “A youkai probably can't get through Kikyo's barrier,” she said slowly. “If one was powerful enough, why disguise itself?”
 
“Probably - wants to find out - where the jewel - went,” he said. “When it learns - it's gone…”
 
“Wouldn't it just leave?” she asked uncertainly. But she knew the question was wrong even before Inuyasha gave her a sour look.
 
“Kikyo - hasn't taught you much - about youkai -- has she, brat?”
 
She flushed. “All right, so it was a stupid question! But what can we do? If it gets angry and attacks the village…”
 
“You got to let me go.”
 
“No!” Kaede jumped to her feet. “Inuyasha, you're still badly hurt!” She walked over to the water barrel, and picked up a shallow bucket. “You'd be killed, trying to fight a youkai right now!”
 
Silence answered her. Kaede started to ladle water into the smaller container.
 
“I'd rather - go down fighting - than die - tied up - like a damn beast - for slaughter.”
 
Kaede jumped and spun, dropping the bucket, ignoring the water splashing her legs. “Inuyasha! What—what are you talking about?” From her angle, she could only see his back, and his bound limbs.
 
“I'll probably - be dead - by morning.”
 
“What? Why?
 
He told her.
 
 
Inuyasha stared blankly straight ahead of him, waiting for Kaede's reaction. There'd been a little gasp, a choked whimper, and then she'd turned around. She was fighting tears, she was in shock, fighting horror and fear. He smelled that. He regretted it. He didn't like tears, he didn't want tears, he didn't know how to handle tears, but damn it all--!
 
He gritted his teeth as another stab of pain radiated through his belly. He wanted to so badly to let the rage out, to tear the ropes apart, to hunt down that damned demon monk and tear him apart, then go knock the heads of the humans together, who'd dared to do this to him! He couldn't stand this! He wanted out! He wanted free!
 
He could feel his youkai blood burning in his veins. He didn't want to die, not now, not like this; he couldn't stand being like this! He would give anything to be free of these cursed ropes and free of this damn wound! But his youkai blood was too weak! Ever since he'd woken up five days ago, he'd been aware of it, the weak pulse through his blood, holding the human part of him together while it healed, but so slowly! Too slow! And now it was starting to fade, the sun was setting, fading into the night of the new moon, and he was helpless!
 
A growl vibrated in his throat. Despite his will, he could feel his shoulders tighten with the insane urge to struggle against his bonds. He knew it was insane. But the fear he'd always had at the oncoming of the new moon was no longer a small ripple down his spine, to be ignored or overlain with bravado. It was a hungry beast, growing with every weakening pulse of his youkai blood. He couldn't bear it—“
 
“It could be just a curious kitsune.”
 
Kaede's voice came to him, providing a distraction. Inuyasha panted, trying to focus on her words. “Not likely,” he decided. “Not with - Kikyo gone.”
 
“Couldn't it have sensed her departure, and then gotten the idea to find out what happened, while she was gone?”
 
“No.” He was certain of that. “Monk came - from opposite direction. Too quickly.”
 
“Oh.” He heard her pouring water into a container. “Do you really think the demon can be that powerful?” she asked. “I mean, if it lured Kikyo away, that means it didn't want to face her power.”
 
He blinked at that, and agreed.
 
“Then there might be a chance.”
 
“Hunh?”
 
Her bare feet padded across the floor. Inuyasha raised his head a little as she came into view. She set down the wooden bucket, then reached out and plucked the cord holding the white bead and pulled it off his head. “Hey!”
 
She gave him a look as she pulled the cord over her own head. It was—to Inuyasha—an unsettling look, as if she were years older than the ten she counted. Standing up, she walked over to the wall where Kikyo's bow had stood, and picked up the single remaining arrow. It was still glowing softly. Inuyasha eyed it nervously as she walked back towards him. “Kaede…”
 
The girl walked behind him a knelt. To his surprise, he felt her working on the rope tying his arms. “Kaede…” he tried again.
 
“I don't want to watch you die,” she said. “I watched my sister die. She came back, but still… Inuyasha, you've got to try and live. For her. She needs you.”
 
He blinked at that. “Needs me?”
 
“Needs you.” She unwound the ropes. Inuyasha fought against a groan as his upper arm muscles complained loudly as the tension was released. Kaede moved down to his legs. “You made her realize that she didn't have to just be a miko. I watched her at night, playing with that rouge you gave her. She would smile. She looked so lovely. You gave that to her, Inuyasha.”
 
She pulled the rope from his legs. Getting his good arm under him, Inuyasha forced himself to a seated position. Kaede have him an exasperated look, then picked up the arrow. “You can't get out without the bead,” she told him. “So don't even try.”
 
His belly was yelling at him, but he ignored it. “What are you -- going to do?”
 
“The monk will be eating with the headman. Yasuo-sama will listen to me. This arrow will prove if the monk is a youkai, and if he is…” She shrugged.
 
Inuyasha gaped at her. “But you could be killed, idiot!”
 
He smelled the waft of fear from her, and saw her swallow. “I know,” she said. “But I'm the closest thing to a miko this village has.”
 
“But you're just a kid!” Inuyasha protested. He pulled his legs in, intending to try and get up, then flinched as she pointed the arrow at him. He didn't really think she'd use that cursed arrow against him, but he couldn't help shrinking away from just the sheer proximity of that razor-edged, glimmering arrowhead.
 
“I know. But I fought against the demon swarm, didn't I?” she challenged.
 
“And nearly got yourself killed, stupid!”
 
He smelled another gust of fear, and saw her tremble, and felt an odd feeling of shame. “Kaede…”
 
“I'm just as stupid as my sister, okay?”
 
He wanted to stop her. But as he started to move, his insides decided to rebel. Retching, he crumpled onto his side, He didn't hear the arrow drop, but he did feel the arms going around his shoulders to support him. As the paroxysm eased, he felt her let him down, and then quickly wipe a damp cloth over his lower face. “I'll be back as quick as I can, Inuyasha—just try not to move, okay?”
 
His body wasn't going to let him do anything else. “Idiot…”
 
“You already called me that.” He felt her move away; heard the scrape as she picked up the arrow. “I promise I'll be back, ani-chan - promise!”
 
He heard her flee the hut. Only then it hit him.
 
She called him what?
 
Big brother?
 
He stared blankly across the room, quite astounded. Someone called him `big brother'? A human?
 
Kaede thought of him … as a brother?
 
Which would make her … a little sister?
 
He mouthed the word, then snorted to himself. Keh! Why would he want to be anyone's brother? And anyway, what difference did it make, when he almost certainly would not be alive to see the sun come up?
 
Inuyasha sighed, eyes drooping, as exhaustion claimed him. He vaguely wished that he knew if prayer really did any good. He wanted to girl to live. Even if she was a brat.
 
A fugitive thought chased through his mind as slumber claimed him, that it might be nice to have a sister…
 
Keh.