The basking demon stretched out on her branch, her left arm swinging freely below her, her right a makeshift pillow for her head. Lazily, Haiiro shifted her head to peer quizzically over the left side of the branch, her feline ears picking up a scuttling noise. A white rabbit. Undecided, she examined her immaculate claws, stretching out her left hand as far as it would go. No, she decided; it wasn't worth it to get up from her perfect perch to go chase some rabbit around. Apparently, someone else thought different.
A large, brown, and very scarred wolf burst from the bushes, snapping at the rabbit in effigy, missing by what she judged to be less than an inch as the rabbit all but spasmed out of the way, bolting away from the grizzled, hunting wolf. Somewhat interested, Haiiro glanced around, waiting for the rest of the wolf's pack to show up. Those dogs always traveled together. Less than a moment passed and the wolf and rabbit were gone, off in a chase around a tree or something of the like, she figured. She paused in the middle of beginning to settle down again, picking up what sounded like harsh winds and rustling leaves. A whiff of wolf demon floated into her nostrils, causing her to go stiff.
A lone wolf was one thing, but a lone wolf demon? Not a chance. Silently, she pressed herself against the branch, willing herself to remain hidden, and examine from afar. If worst came to worst, their were few other humanoid demon species that could outrun or outmaneuver her, let alone outdo her in both categories. And the wolf certainly wasn't one of them. Haiiro picked up her head, the sent of the wolf now very apparent. Peeking delicately over the branch, she saw what looked to be a miniature tornado of sorts heading toward her; the smell of wolf seemed to be emanating from it. The tornado died down a few feet from the spot of the wolf's failed ambush, only to reveal a dark-haired, male wolf demon.
Crouching low to the floor, he sniffed the spot where the ambush had taken place, which Haiiro now realized was almost the exact spot she had sat in earlier that morning. The young wolf demon raised his head, the slight wind pulling at his long hair, despite the fact that it was tied back neatly. Following her trail doggedly, his piercing brown eyes found the tree she was perched in. Looking up, the aggressive male spotted her and growled threateningly. Haiiro shrunk back slightly, her ears pinned to the back of her head, hissing a warning. This demon was entirely too fast, and too aggressive for her tastes. He stared her down for a moment longer, knowing full well she found him intimidating. This was no ordinary wolf demon, and certainly not one she would want to cross.
The black haired demon took off as quickly as he had arrived, off in a flurry of wind and leaves. Haiiro breathed a sigh of relief, but rose from her perch, feeling it was time to leave this area. If the same demon found her again, he may not leave her without a fight. While she was unsure, he seemed to hold most of the cards, her only aces being her cunning and feline maneuverability. Not a fight she'd place bets on. Stretching, Haiiro latched onto the woody bark of the tree, using her sharp claws to descend gracefully down the tree, leaving a slowly spiraling claw mark. Landing gracefully, Haiiro raced away from the mountainous area, enjoying the sensation of really stretching her limbs.
Slowing to a stop, Haiiro spotted a small village. Grinning, she decided she had earned herself a treat of some sort after running for those few hours. Looking herself over, she decided little could be done to mask her demon appearance, so she strolled confidently into the village, wondering if settlement this small would have a milk-producing animal. Finding a small bowl of milk, left outside for what might have been the village mouser, she picked it up and tilted her head back, draining it of it's meager contents. "Hey!" A young voice objected, "that's for Neko!" Haiiro slowly lowered her head to find a small girl pointing at her. The young child immediately withdrew her hand, clutching it to her chest upon seeing her demonic features.
"Run along now, child," she shooed the young girl away, who turned tail and ran, yelling for a 'Lady Kaede.' Haiiro shrugged, sighing contentedly. While a few hours ripe, that was some great milk.
"Be gone, demon," Haiiro turned to see an aging priestess before her, the young girl she had encountered earlier hiding behind her.
"I plan to," Haiiro yawned, turning around and beginning to walk away, unafraid of the priestess who was clearly past her prime. Once, Haiiro suspected this priestess had been quite great, but in her age, she doubted the elder woman could do much damage, and she knew it. Pleased she had gotten what she wanted without any trouble, Haiiro leapt into the closest tree, hoping from branch to branch, looking for a comfortable branch to sleep in. She'd even settle for a cave.
~~ Bone Eater's Well-a little while later ~~
Inuyasha, Shippo, Sango, and Miroku waited patiently as Kagome clambered out of the well, with a little assistance from Inuyasha. "Thanks," Kagome adjusted the pack on her shoulder before heading out toward Kaede's village to rest for the night, and catch up on everything she had missed. The five traversed the familiar trail to Kaede's when Kagome noticed Inuyasha's distracted behavior. "Inuyasha, is there something wrong?"
The distracted dog demon looked around, sniffing the air carefully, "no, it's just this scent, I swear I know it from somewhere. But I can't place it…" he trailed off, racking his brain for the familiar scent.
Kagome nodded, "Maybe Kaede knows what up." Inuyasha nodded, glancing around a few times, what was this scent?
Arriving in the village, Mai, the little girl Kagome had grown attached to over her most recent visits ran up to them, greeting Kagome with a cry of happiness and a hug. "Onii-san, onii-san, you won't believe it!"
Kagome smiled gently, the little girl really knew how to pull on her heartstrings. "What is it, Mai, did something happen?" she asked, curious. What had she missed?
"This mean demon came into the village today, and she drank Neko's milk! He was really unhappy, but Lady Kaede scared her away," Mai grinned enthusiastically, waving her arms around in emphasis.
Kagome's smile dropped slightly, as did everyone else's, " did she hurt you or anyone else, Mai?"
Mai shook her head, "Nope, she just drank all of Neko's milk! He was so mad!" The five sighed, relieved. Kagome set Mai down, ushering her off to go see her family. Simultaneously, the battle-weary group exchanged glances, all except Inuyasha, who remained puzzled.
"Ah, Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo, you've returned," Kaede said, seemingly appearing out of thin air. "I assume Mai had already told you about her adventure with today's cat demon?" Miroku nodded, answering for the group. "Well, no one was hurt, luckily, but she may still be around the area." Kaede directed this piece of information at Inuyasha, who only nodded, not nearly as excited at the possibility of being able to slaughter some deserving creature as he usually was. The priestess glanced at the remainder of the group, who shrugged. "Inuyasha, perhaps you should investigate the demons whereabouts?" He nodded silently, walking into the forest without so much as a 'good bye.'
The troubled dog demon wandered into the forest, following the strong scent of the demon sub-conscientiously. What was this scent? It bothered him; he never forgot scents. If there was one thing he was great at, it was tracking. Perhaps this was an old scent, one that he hadn't smelt for years? Looking up, Inuyasha realized he was standing in front of the very tree he had been pinned to for fifty years. Why was he here, of all places? "Not longer pinned to a tree, Inuyasha?" The surprised demon jerked his head up to the branches of the ancient tree.
Suddenly, Inuyasha realized what the familiar scent was. It was her, Haiiro. "Haiiro?" He asked, surprised.
"In the flesh," she grinned, lazily sprawled over a high branch. "Where you expecting someone else?" Inuyasha opened his mouth, and then closed it, biting his lip, and shook his head. Haiiro swung off the springy branch, landing gracefully, "how long has it been, Inuyasha, fifty, sixty years?"
Inuyasha blinked, "Sixty-something years? I don't know."
Haiiro smiled, "Sounds about right." She trailed a finger along his jaw line; he'd matured so much since she last saw him. Inuyasha jerked his head back from her touch. She frowned, "I forget, you were in love with Kikyo, how careless of me." Inuyasha folded his arms, the corner of his mouth twitched as he opened his mouth to say something. Haiiro raised her hands, " Sorry, sorry, you're not over it yet, I get it."
"I am!" He objected, puffing his chest out angrily. Okay, so maybe he hadn't matured that much.
"Oh, so it's another girl, already, Inuyasha? I didn't know you were so busy," she grinned slapping him on the back.
"N-no! That's not it!" Inuyasha flushed a shade redder, eyes wide.
"Then what is it, Inuyasha? Aren't you interested in me, anymore? Or have you grown out of me?" She asked playfully.
"I- no! That's not it, it's just, I, Uhm…. I mean…" Inuyasha trailed off, hoping he wasn't in for some sort of female cold-shoulder treatment.
"So, what brings you here, Inuyasha?" Haiiro asked, deciding it was the right time for a topic change. Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, thinking it over. Should he trust her?
Yes, he decided. "I'm hunting for the shards of the Shikon jewel, along with a few companions," Inuyasha stated, slightly nervous. Was this a mistake?
"The Shikon jewel shards?" Haiiro repeated. "Oh yeah, those things," Haiiro waved a hand passively. "Sounds like more trouble than it's worth, if you ask me," she snorted.
Inuyasha sighed a sigh of relief, " Yeah, something like that…"
Haiiro shrugged, "So, should I be meeting these companions of yours, or am I excluded in all of this?"
Inuyasha blinked, taken back, "You, of all people, actually want to go meet people?"
Haiiro rolled her eyes, smiling, "Can't I check up on your company every once in a while?"
Inuyasha opened his mouth, pausing for a moment, "Well, no… I mean yes! Yes!" Inuyasha swallowed hard, wondering if he was about to be smacked. Haiiro rolled her eyes and patted his head. Inuyasha gave a sigh of relief, "It's just… your so… aloof, usually." Haiiro shrugged, walking off in the direction that Inuyasha had come from.
"C'mon, Inuyasha. Are you going to lead the way, or do I have to try and smell my way back?" Inuyasha caught up quickly, matching strides with her. Inuyasha fiddled with his fingers behind his back, occasionally glancing at the undisturbed cat demon. How was she always so calm? Even after their awkward departure and reunion. Inuyasha shook the memory out of his mind. All his relationships with women always seemed to end badly.
"So…" Inuyasha started, feeling the awkward tension between the two. Haiiro glanced at him, silently telling him to continue. "Have I missed anything important since I last saw you?" Haiiro shrugged nonchalantly. Inuyasha took that for a 'no.' The two walked in silence for a little longer until they reached the same village she had taken the milk from. Inuyasha ignored a few of the villagers that gawked at the two. "Here we are," Inuyasha held open the cloth door, glancing around to see Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, and Sango. Swallowing hard, Inuyasha introduced Haiiro, "Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippo," he said, pointing to each in turn, "this is Haiiro. She's… uhm, an old friend?" Inuyasha finished, scratching his head slightly.
Miroku blinked, sliding up to her, taking her right hand, his left placed just above her buttock, "Haiiro, will you bear my children?" Miroku's hand slid subtly down to her buttock.
~~ And we're done ~~
Man, I completely ran out of ideas for that last page. Oh well. Anywhoodle, what did you guys think of my take on the stereotypical cat demon? Good, bad?