Disclaimer: Rumiko Takeuchi and Masashi Kishimoto are the rightful owners and creators of InuYasha and Naruto respectively. I hereby disclaim all intent to benefit or gain from this work of fiction in a monetary way or otherwise.
A/N: While I am very familiar with InuYasha it is the exact opposite of the Naruto-verse. So, please, if you notice any oocness on behalf of the Naruto characters, that is purely my own mistake. Leave a review of where I erred and I'll do my best to edit the problems. Thanks and many appreciations.
Chapter One:
Kohaku breathed heavily through the metallic mask wrapped around the lower half of his face, the chain of his Kusarigama weighing heavily in his hand. Dark brown eyes skirted across the walls as the younger boy followed his elder sister's shadow through the Academy's halls. Tajiya were accustomed to going into places like this, however, it was unheard of for a mere civilian to have access to this building. Should a Shinobi or anther discover them here….
"Kohaku, pay attention." The whisper was harsh against his ear as his sister caught his shoulder. "The youkai should be near here from what Miroku-sama said."
Kohaku nodded, his throat tight as his head tilted up to look at her. This was his first real mission without members of their clan breathing down his neck other then Sango. The demon exterminators, known only to the outside world as the Higurashi, were made up of adopted children from all five of the Elemental Countries. Many of their members were just ordinary humans but a few of them however possessed a power like theirs. The ability to destroy youkai or to sense it or whatever. Scattered across the massive city, the Higurashi clan expected only the best from it's members. They often stole into their counterparts Holdings and 'borrowed' from their skills. The Exterminator Style itself though was comprised of unrelated skills. Deadly accurate and lethally silent.
Shaking himself from his musings, the young boy took his cue to open one of the classroom doors and scan it's darkened shadows. Spreading his senses, Kohaku waited for that mental brush while Sango continued further up the hall into another room. Stepping into the room, the young Tajiya twisted around when he heard the hiss of malice.
Human! Kohaku wasn't sure how many of his brethern could understand the creatures they hunted but Kohaku was already moving. The Kusarigama twirled around and sliced through the low level demon in a moment. With a wince, he also noted that he'd sliced out a good portion of the wall as well. Twisting the blade back into his hand, the slayer ducked his head into the hall before gathering up his kill. The demon's fangs and hide would find it's uses before the end of the week.
Sango herself was already on her way back into the room when she noticed the large crack in the wall. "Kohaku, what's that?" She asked, pointing in the direction of his mistake.
"Uhhh… oops?" he answered.
"Ugh. Midoriko-sama won't be pleased, little brother. How do you think we explain it to her?" Sango asked, planting a hand on her hip as she watched her brother finish his minor clean up. "You're getting better, Kohaku, but we have to watch…"
"Who goes there?" A voice shouted from beyond the room.
"Oh damn it. Kohaku, come on." Sango cursed, grabbing the demon kill from her brother's loose hold as the two slayers took for the windows. Ninja were worse then youkai, she had told him. They had all the powers of their prey but Tajiya were vowed not to harm another human. Kohaku was on his sister's heels as they leapt through the glass, shattering it outwards with a well placed kick. Keen senses picked up the swift radio communications that the ninja had adapted to their own uses.
Skittering to a halt on the Academy grounds, Sango gave her brother a wordless command to veer off to the left while she went right. "Don't get caught." he breathed at her before he broke into a swift lope. Kirara raced at his sister's side, the nekomatta hadn't strayed very far from their location. Slipping into the forested area that surrounded the school Kohaku used the Kusarigama to pull himself into the trees. A chain bolo whistled past his head as the boy ducked under the throw.
Eyes widened when he caught onto the chakra behind the throw. Great. They think I'm a Nin! he thought to himself while the boy slashed his weapon across a branch to block the path of one of the pursuing Shinobi. It didn't take long for Kohaku to figure out he was going to be surrounded by no less then twelve people give or take. Flipping higher into the tree's the young boy decided it'd be to his best interest to use his slight weight against their own.
That was, until he felt something thin wrap around the armor of one of his leggings and then tug him back into the lower wooded canopy. Grunting, Kohaku jerked a muscle in his sleeve and used the demon fang he released to hack through the nin wire. Flipping twice more, he landed on the ground to find a group of small dogs growling at him as ninja dropped down around him. A twitch began in his left eye as he noted that most of them wore orange. He hated that trick, really. It was an old Kitsune favorite to play on the Hunters when they weren't going insane with power. Shying away from the remembered lectures of the Kyuubi, Kohaku began working his fingers up into his left shoulder pad.
"He's a kid." One of his pursuers commented. The voice was not unknown to Kohaku as he'd been one of the few who monitored the Jinchuuraki at times.
"Alright, brat, care you tell us why you were lurking in the Academy?" Another asked from behind a glare. Shaking off the killer intent the woman was putting off, Kohaku focused on the knockout powder he was trying to put together. Depending on the shadows to hide his actions, Kohaku gasped when one of the orange clones tackled him from behind and dropped the powder into the air around him.
Coughing, the boy slipped his own mask off and slapped it over the blonde's face as he got a lungful of the powder. Gagging, the Tajiya could only feel himself grunt as the Ninja around him jumped into action. His eyes were already closing as one of the Nin rushed to their sides. Burning agony gripped his shoulder as he felt a kunai slash across where his neck should have been and the blonde disappeared into a puff of smoke. His mask hit the ground with a clatter and then a wave of dizzing darkness slipped into his mind.
"Sensei…" Was all he caught before he collapsed.
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Sango bit down on her lip, unconsciously squeezing tightly the hand of her fiancee' as Kohaku's pursuers gathered around his fallen form. Unlike the Shinobi, the Slayers would be unable to mount a rescue attempt and it wouldn't take long for their counterparts to discover the odd gene trade that her people dealt with. Dropping her eyes, the Tajiya fought the urge to scream her denial of loosing the youngster to the violent world outside their own. She dared not whimper least they over hear her. Miroku's hand tightened on her shoulder before forcing her away from the scene. Interference would needed to be sent before they could question him.
He was too young to know much in the way about their lives, despite his accelerated learning curve and Naraku's treachery. Cursing her memories of the foul hanyou traitor, the slayer spun about with a dangerous gleam in her eye. Midoriko-sama had given Kohaku one chance to make everything right….
After serving under Naraku for two years and single handedly wiping out three villages within Konoha's borders, the coming trials for Kohaku was far from over. With a slight jangle of noise from the monk's staff the trio disappeared into the darkness.
Amber was lost.
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"Coral, you were sent on a simple hunt for Amber's benefit. Where is your charge?" A woman barked as she looked at her young apprentice. Sango's shoulders dropped a bit before she hardened her eyes and raised her face to the Miko's own sharp eyes.
"Amber was captured by the Konohagakure no Sato shinobi. Some how they managed to detect our presence in the Academy walls." she answered. "He was taken in by the Genin Cells and their instructors." Unlike Shinobi, Tajiya were often encouraged to rely on their emotions, but not to let their fears unground them. It kept even their most hardened warriors compassionate to the plight of those outside their training. It kept a good portion of them sane too.
"Damn." The woman cursed as she stepped into the pale light. "This will lead to questions we are unprepared to answer. Sango, what would you suggest?"
The Tajiya blinked before raising a hand to her companions' furry head. "A Shard group should be dispatched to the Shinobi to explain things to a limited degree. They do have a Jinchuuraki in their midst and…"
"You think they could benefit from the presence of an Exterminator group?" The miko answered with a smile. Sango merely nodded. "Amber won't be allowed back into our halls though. We forgave the crimes he committed under Naraku's control because he was ashamed of that. With him now in the grips of the Shinobi everything has changed. He betrayed our existence but did try to escape without causing harm to his pursuers."
Folding her arms, the miko reclined against one of the walls. "Sango, prepare the paperwork while I work out who will be in the Shard. It's time the Shinobi were prepared to deal with the youkai and our forces are just to weak to continue our missions alone."
Sango raised her head in surprise. She knew she and Kohaku were amongst the last true Tajiya, but this… "What about the…?"
"They didn't make it in time." Midoriko answered. "Hanyou and Priestess were unable to save the new potentials. I believe it is now up to the Shinobi to help us fill out our ranks. They have several children a year they pass over we can possibly adapt to our own styles."
Sango dropped her face as she turned to begin packing for Kohaku. Watching the young girl for a moment, Midoriko sighed. "Sango, I know you don't want Kohaku to return to a life even remotely similar to Naraku's possession, but there is little choice. We are becoming desperate."
"I understand." The girl answered quietly. But will he?