I've started rewatching InuYasha, leading me to have a strong urge to rewrite this story. Gazing at the works of my fifteen-year-old self, I cringed. So, we'll see how far this revamp goes.
Update 6/23/15: Dancing Obsession is now Relic of Dholes.
Years after Naraku's defeat, the Feudal Era was able to find a calm. The jewel had been destroyed in the process, taking away most demons' motivation to stir up trouble. Without the prospect of obtaining ultimate power, risking everything seemed pointless to them.
The heros of the time had all found some form of happiness and their lots in life. Even the antiheros had something, at least. One grew more isolated in his travels. His vocal servant had been left in charge of sorting reports of the demons in the western lands, and his adopted daughter was being raised in his half-brother's village.
This left him in silence for most of his ventures dealing with demons in his land. The most that broke the silence of the wind was his dragon. While it didn't change his usual lack of stimulating conversation, the absence of the old bickering was waning on his mentality.
Shouts and weapons clashing below made him shift his attention downward. Light reflected off blades as they smashed together. He watched a woman fight two men off, two swords in her grasp. One of the blades managed to slip between the ribs of one man, while she parried off the other. The man fell and she turned her full attention to the last.
He kept his dragon on their course. It wasn't his business. The fight was beyond the borders of his land. And he had an appointment to keep.
The sound of a sharp curse sent his attention back. The woman fell, clutching her arm. She rolled away as the man swung his sword again. She frantically looked around while she dodged. She had lost her swords in the time he had looked away.
He clicked his tongue. "Nuisance."
She threw a dagger at her assailant, but he jerked his shoulder back to avoid it. She growled in frustration, showing her teeth. "Return the relic, this is your last warning."
The thief laughed and kicked her blades farther away. He lunged, she dodged, holding up her claws. She sidestepped a thrust of the sword and dodged as he changed direction to swipe the blade. She didn't see an upraised root and tripped, though tucked her legs under her to spring off the ground. The sound of steel hitting grass made her turn around into a crouch. No openings presented themselves as she danced around his blows.
She was so focused she didn't see him switch his stance to knock her off her feet. She landed on her wrist, her breath leaving her as she felt and heard it snap. Pain flashed from the tendons.
The thief laughed again. "I heard that one."
She tried to get up, but couldn't balance her weight in time. His blade drove through the dip of her shoulder, keeping her to the ground. She let the pain through her teeth. "Stupid human."
"I'd admit, I underestimated the security of this relic." He leaned on the blade letting it sink deeper.
Another sound of severing flesh broke the night, but as she flinched at it, she felt no additional pain. A flicker of light brought her attention to a sword protruding from the human's chest. The man was just following the pain himself. His eyes rolled back, and he fell to his side, taking pressure off the sword instantly.
In his place, a man in white robes stood, silver hair almost brushing the ground. His gaze had followed the human as it fell.
She narrowed her eyes. He was extremely familiar to her. When his sight traveled to her, she grew wary of his intentions. "I thank you, stranger." She said with a tilt of her head while he sheathed his sword. "I'd bow properly, but I'm a little stuck at the moment."
He gave a barely audible mumble and stepped forward to take out the sword. She hissed at the steel passing over her flesh.
She let out a harsh groan that turned soft as the pain faded. She sighed out the rest of the breath. "Is he dead?"
"Humans are too fragile to survive that strike."
She nodded, trying to figure out how to get up. She knew the broken wrist was out of the question. When she tried shifting her shoulder, a flash of pain engulfed her.
"How extensive are your injuries?"
She shook her head and tilted it towards the second body. "Doesn't matter. In his satchel there should be a relic. Could you help ease my mind?"
He stared at her with his unreadable gaze for a moment, and her discomfort rose again. Without another word he knelt by the body, flipping open the satchel. He pulled out the statue of a canine. She watched him turn it over in his grasp.
"My home has a small shrine to the dhole. A human village nearby heard the relic was worth something, and of course, greed took over." Her body twitched and she flinched at a small wave of pain. She felt her shoulder start to knit together.
"I have not heard of many dholes." He rose, still staring at the statue. "Your tribes are wide-spread."
She watched his motions as he held the relic. "With peace among us again, it's better to take territory slowly, and only as much as we need. I was left behind to protect the shrine." Her shoulder felt in place enough to attempt to sit up. Withstanding the lingering pain, she stood, keeping her wrist limp as much as possible. She felt a little woozy but stood firm. "I need to take that back to my home."
He handed it over to her, eyes still calculating. She instinctively reached for it with her broken wrist and yelped. She immediately switched to the other, her shoulder a dull ache. "You need to set that wrist."
She nodded and kept the relic tight in her palm. "I know. It will be hard with my off-hand, but I'll manage."
He hummed and turned around, his clouds forming under his feet. He looked back once more. She was trying to sheathe her swords with her good hand while the relic sat under her arm. "I know of a village nearby. I will take you."
She stood, her second sword in hand. "I should be fine."
He shrugged. "So the next wave of humans coming for that thing should be easy with a dislocated dominant hand?" He smirked at her silence. "Moving its location will do more good if they are after its value."
She bit the inside of her cheek and sheathed the sword. Without a word she stepped on to the cloud, surprised at its stability. "I've been on my own too long. My quips are lacking right now."
He raised the cloud. She shifted for balance behind him. He returned to his course from before.
"My name is Yamika. What may I call you?" She had been curious from the start. He was still so familiar.
He glanced back at her, his eyes still calculating and cold. After a moment, he focused ahead again. "I am Sesshomaru."