The Virus Series 1: Inuyasha
Tokyo was a bustling city. And by bustling, he thought crowded. He came to a heavily crowded street and looked for a path of any kind.
"Straight down the center, bud." Irus predicted. "Time me, V." The boy shifted, making his height a little smaller. Then he took off running, pushing past people on the street, discreetly piercing the skin of the men with his syringe-like claws and injecting the strange virus. The effect was almost immediate, and waves of forced laughter echoed along the streets. Virus returned to normal, pulling the camera from his backpack and photographing the scene. He snickered as he put the camera away.
"Hey, do you feel that?" The separate consciousness in his body asked.
"What?" Irus asked. "You're not trying to psyche me again, right, V?"
"No, it's coming from that way." The boy's right arm moved of separate accord, pointing up the street to a small complex. There was an average sized house and a small building.
"It matches the description we got." Irus acknowledged, and I am sensing a weird energy. Let's go then." He ran up the street, stopping at the house.
"There is definitely something here…" Irus deduced, sensing a fair amount of supernatural energy from the upper floor of the building. He shape-shifted into a hummingbird and flew up to a lower-floor window. A young girl with raven hair was sitting down with her family for breakfast.
"She looks like the picture we were given." Virus thought.
Kagome ate breakfast calmly, but with a very slight hurry.
"Why are you eating so fast, Kagome?" Sota asked. "Are you going down the well again?"
"Yep! And you know how Inuyasha gets when I make him wait!" she giggled as she said that. "I just have to get the jewel shards, my bag, and my bike; and I can get on my way."
Outside, Virus flew away from the kitchen window and to the upper floor, peering into a brightly colored room. On the desk, he noticed a small bottle containing pieces of a shiny gem. Virus morphed into his infamous cat form and pressed his nose to the window as he sat on the sill.
"Shiny…" Irus murmured, wagging the cat's tail. In their head, V rolled his eyes. Inside the house, the family's cat was sitting on the bed. He got up and jumped onto the sill inside the house.
"And who are you, stray?" He asked in cat-speak.
"They call me Virus." Virus purred, flashing his new feline canines. "Can I come in?" The house cat glared at him for a moment then pawed at the window latch, allowing him to enter.
"Don't stay too long stray; my owners are having enough trouble feeding me." The cat wagged his tail as Virus hopped onto his young female master's desk chair.
"Hey, house cat," Virus called. "What's your name?"
"Well, stray, the family calls me Buyo."
"Well, thanks for letting me in, Buyo." Virus morphed back to his neutral, human-like form, smirking as the cat stared at him, shocked. "Thanks for being so gullible!" He picked up the small bottle containing the jewel shards while Buyo ran from the room.
"How many do we need? There are about 10 in here." Irus asked, glancing into the mirror on the girl's desk.
"Hmm… We only need one to go through the well, but get two for good measure." V insisted.
"No arguments there. Good plan." He quickly plucked two shards from the bottle, sealed it and knelt on the windowsill. He put the shards in his pocket and transformed into a flying squirrel, gliding from the sill into the shrine with the well inside it. As he landed and morphed back to normal, the jewel shards tumbled out of his pocket.
"Are these things gonna do that every time we return to neutral?" V asked, already irritated.
"Possibly." Irus murmured. "What should we do about it then?"
"I've got an idea." Once again, V took control of the body's arms; the left hand retrieved the hunting knife from the holster on their backpack, then took the two jewel shards from their right hand.
"Wait!" Irus cried as V brought the knife to their hand. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"I've seen demons do this before- in those videos Ronnie showed us- they put the shards inside open wounds to give themselves power."
"I don't care if it gives us power; I don't want you cutting up our hand!"
"It's not like we'll feel it. Our nerves don't decipher pain, or did you forget?"
"C'mon, V! This isn't human!"
"Who said we were human? We don't have time for this, you damn baby! Calm down!"
"But you know how I am when I see blood…"
"Then don't look, stupid. Is that so hard?" Irus finally gave up arguing as V cut a small wound into their right hand. He whined quietly, watching V place one shard in the right hand just before the wound healed. He did the same with the left hand and the other shard, leaving both hands infused with the gems and Irus slightly frozen from the sight of drying blood still present on his hands.
"Jump, fool!" V shouted, startling Irus and making them fall into the well. An odd blue light surrounded them, almost representing the night sky, stars and all.
They face-planted-uh, touched down- at the bottom of the well seconds later.
"Well, that light means we made it." V chuckled.
"Shut up…" Irus muttered. "Next time, don't scare me into the well…"
"No promises, brother." Irus rolled his eyes as he started climbing out of the well. As he came close to the top, he heard a vaguely familiar voice.
"Where is she?!" He shouted angrily. "Kagome should have been here a long time ago!"
"Inuyasha, it's only been a few minutes. Have patience."
"And you! I told you to stay in the village with Sango and Shippo, Miroku!"
"Is it really so wrong that I am here, Inuyasha? I merely aim to protect Kagome from one of your little rants." Virus chuckled, transforming into a dragonfly and flying out of the well. He flew past the boys outside the well, and sure enough, they were the two he was sent to attack. But he'd been warned of Inuyasha's strength, so he'd made sure to pick up something from a good friend trained in making potions. He landed in a nearby grove of trees and pulled something from his backpack resembling a large fire extinguisher. He used his own inhuman strength and shook it a little, then picked up the hose.
"Okay, a little all-purpose miasma should take them down." He smirked. "And if it doesn't… I got cheated out of 70 dollars." He pressed the release valve, and a nearly invisible smoke came from the canister. Neither boy near the well noticed the smoke, and were quickly influenced by it, falling into a calm, quiet sleep. Virus put away the tank and walked over to his sleeping targets.
"This is almost too easy now." He sighed as he moved aside Inuyasha's white hair and stung his shoulder. Miroku was already beginning to stir awake as Virus stung his right hand.
"I guess the monk is somewhat strong…" The living disease thought as he morphed into a dragonfly and flew away to find his next target.
Miroku awoke and waved the air near his head; he thought he heard an insect buzzing. He noticed a small swell on his right hand.
"Aw, darn…" He muttered groggily. "Something bit me…" He got to his feet and stretched. He saw Inuyasha still sleeping beside the well. How long had they been waiting? He shrugged and started back toward the village. The half-demon could look after himself. Right now, he had a curious urge to see Sango. No, wait; that's normal. But something did feel different; and yet, he began to accept it…
He arrived in the village, a devious smirk on his face and he eyes glowing a faint green. The young women of the village knew him well and knew to steer clear. Miroku thought for a minute as he saw the women strolling about. Sango was pretty strong, trained to fight demons and such; But these women, they were very pure, and in and of that purity, they were weak. Of course, these women were familiar with his lecherous ways and avoided him almost like a plague. Hell, if the plague were female, it would probably avoid him too. He shook his head and entered Kaede's cabin, immediately noticing Shippo fast asleep beside Kirara, but Sango was nowhere in sight.
Damn it… he thought. He sighed, looking around. His eyes fell on a piece of parchment lying on the ground. Upon reading it, he found it was a note to Shippo saying that Sango had gone to purchase fish and vegetables for a stew. He tossed it aside, and was turning to leave when he bumped into who else but Sango.
"Hey!" She shouted, just barely managing to keep her groceries from falling to the ground; she looked up and saw the young monk standing there. "Oh, it's you. When did you get back?"
"Just before you, Sango." He answered. "Would you like some help?"
"No, thanks. I've got-" She suddenly squeaked, flinching sharply and blushing. She glanced at Miroku, who had quickly poked her side, just below her ribcage. He avoided her eyes, trying to look innocent, but he grinned slyly at her; She rolled her eyes, setting down the basket of groceries she'd bought and gently shook Shippo awake.
She began to make the fish stew, carefully stirring the pot over the fire. Miroku was watching over her shoulder, and slyly, he blew a soft breath at the crook of her neck.
"Eek!" She shrieked, covering that spot with a soft giggle. "Miroku, instead of distracting me, could you help with the cooking?"
"Don't let him help, Sango." Shippo declared sagely. "He'd just taint our supper with his lechery. And he-" The fox was cut off by Miroku's staff hitting his head. Sango chuckled beside herself; the monk was somewhat amusing when he was upset.
"That wasn't funny, Sango…" Miroku said darkly, his voice a bit low.
"Well, it was a little." The demon slayer argued, stirring the stew.
"You know what's funnier though?" He turned to her, and she could see his glowing eyes clearly.
"Miroku?!" she gasped, jumping to her feet. "What's happened?"
"Don't look so frightened." He chuckled evilly. "You know I wouldn't harm you." He pounced at her, knocking her down as his poking and prodding fingers found her ribs and belly. She squealed, struggling and laughing as the monk relentlessly tickled her sides.
"Miroku, what are you doing?!" Shippo asked in shock. Kirara yowled, threatening to attack if the slayer was not let go. The monk just laughed in response. Sango was pleading for mercy as he returned his focus to her belly, using one finger to tease her navel while the other hand squeezed her flanks. Kirara was unsure whether to attack or yield. Her mistress was laughing, but at the same time, begging for mercy. She mewed to Shippo in distress. Of course, Shippo didn't know what to do either; he wanted to stop this, but he didn't want to hurt Miroku or risk hurting Sango along with him. Both were at a stalemate, just watching Sango endure this torture while they thought of a plan.
Meanwhile, Kagome knelt next to a sleeping Inuyasha just beside the well.
"Inuyasha…" she prodded his shoulder. He was usually up and about; she was surprised he wasn't ranting at her for being late.
"Hmm?" he mumbled groggily, his ears twitching as he looked up at her. "Hello, Kagome…" He blinked, then jumped to his feet and glared at her.
"Where have you been?!" he ranted, as if making up for a missed cue. "You were supposed to be here almost an hour ago!"
"I've been here for the past ten minutes!" Kagome argued. "You were sleeping when I got here!"
"That doesn't mean you weren't still late!"
"Is it my fault that my cat knocked the bottle of Jewel Shards off the table? I'm just glad the lid didn't come off." She pulled the bottle from her bag as if to emphasize this. Inuyasha stared at the bottle for a few silent seconds, then snatched from her hand with a fearful countenance.
"Kagome…" he gasped. "Why are there only eight shards in here? I distinctly remember there being ten!" Kagome inspected the bottle as well; there were indeed two shards missing from the bottle. She remembered she'd seen the window in her room open. Was it possible they'd been stolen? Before she could consider it, Inuyasha gripped her wrist and held it tightly, his eyes glowing.
"You do realize I have to punish you for losing them, right?" he growled darkly. She blinked.
"And how would you do that?!" she snapped, struggling. "We both know you wouldn't physically hurt me." He chuckled.
"I never said I would." Wrenching her arm over her head, his long nails scraped over her now exposed hollow, drawing a shriek of laughter from the young priestess. His speed outmatched her own, and he managed to get his other hand under her free arm, leaving himself slightly vulnerable, should she think up the idea to punch him for tormenting her.
"S-Stop it!" she squealed, trying to back away. "Inuyasha, quit it!" It was only a matter of seconds before she took a step too far and tripped over her backpack. He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her ankles, pulling off her shoes. He clawed at her socked soles, making her scream and writhe with laughter. He smirked as he pulled one of her socks off.
"I've wanted to do this for a while." He sneered. He dragged his tongue along her bare sole from heel to toes, while tickling her socked foot mercilessly. She screamed hysterically, trying to kick and struggle from his grip, but of course, failing miserably. This was so unlike him; if anything at all, tickling her would be the very last thing he'd think of. He probably would think of hurting her before this. He reached back with his hand and tickled the undersides of her knees while licking between her toes with his rough tongue. Kagome was reaching a state of hysteria that only seemed achievable by those they lock up in mental homes. That is, until a certain phrase broke through her thoughts.
"Inuyasha!" she laughed. "Sit, boy!" The incantation made the half-demon's face pile-drive into the earth, stunning him for a surprisingly long two minutes while she caught her breath and pulled her shoes and socks back on. She heard him chuckle evilly as he struggled to his feet.
"You're making it worse for yourself." He sneered, watching as she hopped onto her bike and pedaled toward the village, leaving her bag near the well. Inuyasha sighed; despite his intents, he didn't want to just leave the bag there to be stolen. He carried it with him as he pursued her through the forest to the village, purposefully giving her a head start.
Meanwhile, Sango was riding Kirara through the village with Shippo clinging to her back. A sharp, well-aimed kick had gotten her out of the monk's grasp, but he was chasing them surprisingly fast on the ground.
"Sango! I think he's gaining on us!" the fox boy cried
"How is that possible?!" Sango shouted.
"Hey! Look out!" Sango turned her attention forward just in time to see Kagome's bicycle speeding toward them.
"Kirara!" She shrieked. Kirara sprang upward into the air, and within the split-second they were within reach, Sango yanked Kagome off her cycle and onto Kirara's back with her and Shippo.
"I'm guessing Inuyasha is in the same condition as Miroku?" Sango asked.
"And what condition would that be?!" Kagome asked in panic as she watched the young monk mount her bike and pursue them. In the same instance, Inuyasha suddenly sprang from the forest trees, and even with Kagome's bag weighing on his back, he grabbed Kirara's hind leg, smirking evilly and laughing just the same. His eyes were glowing an identical green to Miroku's, and Sango quickly commanded Kirara to kick him off her and back onto the land below as they continued flying. They reached a stretch of land with nothing but grass, a few hills, and a dirt path cutting over it all. Inuyasha was now running alongside Miroku, and at a nod from the monk, he sprang into the air after them again, this time gripping Kirara's tail with his demonic strength. It goes without saying that the demon cat yowled and kicked him off once again, this time, just barely missing Miroku on the ground.
"How can we escape them?!" Kagome panicked as Shippo clung to her fearfully. Sango chewed her lip in thought, trying desperately to find a solution.
"I think I have something!" she cried happily. "My home village. We could take shelter there for a while. But we must lose these two so they don't follow us there." Inuyasha readied himself spring at them once again. This time, though, Shippo rushed to the back of Kirara and prepared to jump.
"I'll stall them!" He assured them. "You two go on ahead. Don't worry about me, okay?" They reluctantly nodded as Inuyasha sprang into the air after them. Shippo dove off of Kirara's back toward the half-blood demon.
"Heart Scar!" He called out, baring his sharp canines. He collided with the dog demon in the air, biting into his shoulder at the same instant. Both fell to the ground, this time hitting Miroku right off of Kagome's bike. While they were lying dazed on the ground, Kagome and Sango flew off into the distance, toward the Slayer Village. A young black falcon zipped through the air in the same direction.
On the ground though, Shippo was the first to get to his feet. The other two were still slightly dizzy and confused. The young fox saw this as a chance to attempt an escape. He began inching away, only to receive a heavy knot over his head. Inuyasha's clawed hand gripped his shoulder and harshly yanked him back. He thrashed and kicked, flailing frantically.
"You animal!" He shouted angrily. "Let me go! We have to get you two to Lady Kaede!"
"Oh, but why?" Inuyasha asked, whining almost playfully at him while pinning him to the grass and pressing a claw softly into his paw. The fox boy twitched at such a feeling, but stayed true to his objective.
"You two are obviously afflicted with some sort of spell!" He said. "I'm sure Kaede would have an antidote!" The two older boys smirked and advanced on him, cornering him against a tree.
"Well, perhaps;" Miroku chuckled as Inuyasha cracked his knuckles. "But right now, we're more concerned with where the girls went off to…"
Speaking of which, let's check in with them. The girls arrived at the gates of the Slayer Village to find a young boy standing before them, blocking their way.
"Uh… Excuse me?" Sango called as Kirara landed. The boy didn't respond. He wore simple black clothing that was clearly from Kagome's time.
"Hey, listen when someone calls you!" Kagome shouted. The boy remained silent, but raised his head to them. He blew his hair from his face, revealing a devious smirk and eyes that glowed the same green as Miroku's and Inuyasha's. This was all the evidence the girls needed to draw their weapons on him.
"Demon!" Sango spat. "You're the one who cursed our friends, aren't you?!" The young boy smiled and rushed forward, right past them. As he stopped, he revealed that he had stolen Kagome's arrows and Sango's Hiraikotsu. The girls gasped as he suddenly sprouted wings and flew away, taking the weapons with him. The young women were dumbfounded by his speed, but wasted no time in pursuing him from the ground on Kirara, not noticing the large container of red dye tied to Kirara's tail, which poured a fine trail to mark their path.
It wasn't long before they found him; unfortunately, they found him squaring off with Koga, pure malice in the wolf's eyes.
"What's the big deal, runt?!" Koga snarled. "You smash into me full-force toting my friends' weapons, and you've got nothing to say for yourself?!" The boy said nothing, but he took a fighting stance, smirking and glancing secretly at the girls. Koga laughed arrogantly in disbelief.
"You've got the nerve to take me on?! I'll have your hide to feed my pack!" Koga rushed at the brown-eyed with amazing speed…
Irus panicked slightly as the wolf demon rushed him; even with the report he'd received he didn't expect him to be that fast. Internally, V rolled his eyes and took control, launching out one foot just as fast as Koga came at them, catching the wolf right in his chest; he was launched at least a dozen yards back, hitting the ground hard enough to utterly obliterate a human's spine. Of course, being a demon, Koga was back on his feet in seconds.
"Hmm… Perhaps I underestimated you…" He smirked, whipping up a tornado as he ran toward them again. V quickly whipped out the all-purpose miasma and sprayed enough to be fully absorbed into the tornado. The whipping wind suddenly stopped, and Koga was seen rolling away from the barely visible cloud of poison air and coughing. V took the opportunity and opened his hands, extending his claws and rushing forward. Suddenly, a girl's voice was heard from behind him:
"Koga, Watch out! He has Jewel Shards in his hands!" V snarled, quickly gripping Koga's hair before he could run and punching him across his face, effectively dazing him before sinking one claw into the wolf demon's shoulder and grabbing the girls' weapons; he simply backed away to watch his handiwork.
"Koga!" Kagome shouted in concern as Kirara carried them to the wolf demon, who staggered to his feet, his face in his hands.
"Koga, are you all right?" Sango asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He chuckled darkly, placing a hand on hers and gripping her wrist as he spun around to reveal eyes that glowed bright green. Sango immediately yanked her hand away, she and Kagome backing away in fear.
"Kagome!" A familiar voice called weakly. The girls turned to see Miroku and Inuyasha smirking at them, Inuyasha dangling Shippo by his tail. The fox boy's cheeks were burned red and dried tears streaked his face. His guilt was obvious; he'd told about the girls going to the Slayer Village, and it didn't take a genius to follow the red trail they'd left from there. The half-blood demon flung the small fox into the field, Kagome catching his limp form.
"I…" Shippo said quietly, his voice still weak. "I'm sorry, Kagome." Both girls looked at each other in horror as the three males converged on them.
"Why have you done this?!" Sango shouted at the boy. "What have we done to you to deserve this?!" The boy laughed, smirking.
"You've done nothing, Demon Slayer. And I have no ill will to you. But my employer sent me to give you two some laughs-" He was interrupted by a sudden shriek from above. "Or maybe, make that three." A two-headed creature with the scales and flight of a dragon but the features of a horse flew somewhat erratically through the air, a small girl on its back.
"Please, Ah-Un! Please fly faster!" The creature refused and descended, landing behind the young boy. The small girl jumped off the creature and huffed in frustration.
"Rin." Came an emotionless voice behind her, making her freeze in fear. "You should know better than to run from me." The small girl looked around frantically in all directions other than behind herself; spotting Kagome and Sango, she felt a twinge of hope.
"L-Lord Sesshomaru," she stuttered. "I'm sorry for running, but something is very wrong!" She ran to join the young priestess and slayer, not realizing she had further endangered herself until it was too late. Sesshomaru simply approached them, glancing at his brother, but paying him no mind.
"What?!" Kagome shrieked at the sheer unlikelihood of the whole incident. "Sesshomaru too?!"
"Oh, and that's not even the kicker, darling." The boy dared to approach them, pulling a photo out of his jacket pocket and showing it.
"Oh no…" the priestess gasped. The picture showed Naraku in his human form, tickling Kikyo's soles and using Kagura's own feathers on her belly and navel. The girls were shocked by the picture as he put it away. How could a child his size actually put that kind of curse on such a powerful demon? Their thoughts were interrupted though, by the ticklish feeling spreading from their ribs and sides as Miroku and Inuyasha struck first. Shippo and Rin fell victim to Sesshomaru and Koga. The boy pulled out his camera and took as many pictures as he could get, the sound of the girls' laughter was amusing indeed. He glanced at Ah-Un and smirked as he picked up Kagome's arrows and bow.
Virus relaxed on Ah-Un's back as he surveyed the countryside below. He licked the tip of an arrow and pulled it back on the bow, launching it so it flew slowly enough to pierce skin, but not hard enough to kill. He struck mostly males, occasionally striking a female for variety, and he watched smugly as his virus quickly overtook them. He took a glance at his hands, where the two jewel shards still sparkled through his skin.
"What do you think, brother?" Irus asked. "I think we should keep them."
"Eh…" V murmured. "They make a nice souvenir, I guess." Irus giggled as the flying creature landed beside the Bone Eater's Well and let him off. He stroked the creature's mane and jumped into the well, eager to contact his employer for his next assignment.