Moonlight Pup
Chapter One: The Bitch
The group came upon a fairly large village. Kagome had sensed a jewel shard earlier in the day but since then had lost the feeling. Wasting no opportunity, Miroku strolled into town searching for the headman of the village. Sango followed Miroku with Kirara in her arms. Sango had groaned when she left Kagome and Inu-Yasha behind to stop Miroku lying and womanizing. Kagome smiled and shook her head as she followed behind Sango. Shippo clung to Kagome's shoulder as the group continued through the village in high spirits. Inu-Yasha lagged behind Kagome slightly disappointed in Miroku's immaturity.
The village was more like a town. The village was blossoming in this age. Inu-Yasha could feel the group being stared at as they made their way through the town. Inu-Yasha knew that the villager's glares were directed at him. Their stares were making him uncomfortable. He was used to being the hated one but something was different in the villagers' stares.
Inu-Yasha finally decided to keep his head down since he was a guest to this village. The villagers hid in their homes, closed their windows, or ducked out of view. Inu-Yasha deduced that the villagers must have been terrorized by demons before they ended up here, but something still disturbed him about this village.
Meanwhile, Miroku hunted down the headman's house and offered to rid the village of demons. The shocked reaction and sudden rejection by the headman startled Miroku, Sango, and Kagome. Kiarra, on the other hand, jumped from Sango's arms and mewed at the door. Shippo reassured Kagome and the others that Kirara would reassure the headman and if Miroku would keep his big mouth shut then they wouldn't have to convince the headman that they were nice.
Meanwhile, Inu-Yasha was slightly distracted. He felt a faint demonic presence that made the hairs on his neck stand on end. Inu-Yasha froze waiting for the presence to make a move either toward or away from his presence. While he stood there perfectly still, he sensed the demonic presence emanating from the alley to his left. The presence wasn't aggressive but stunned.
Inu-Yasha slowly turned his head to the alley. At the end of the alley stood a demon. The demon stared blankly at Inu-Yasha with her violet eyes. Her mouth hung slightly open revealing her dainty white fangs. She was dressed in a lavender kimono that was accented by a violet butterfly 'bow' that matched her eyes. A small portion of her white hair fell over her shoulder emphasizing the length of the rest of her hair. Her waist long hair may have been bushy but a few finely combed strands fell across her shoulder pronouncing her bangs. Above her bangs protruded two fuzzy ears, Inu-Yasha could tell by these, which stood at attention on the top of her head that she wasn't a pure demon. A ghostly feeling crept over him, something about the violet streak in her eyes.
The shocked warmth in her familiar face drained the color from his. "Inu-Yasha" Inu-Yasha snapped his mouth shut with a sharp click and instantly whipped his head back to the front to see Kagome standing in front of him. His breath had jumped and his heart had skipped a beat. He noticed Sango following Miroku into the hut while Kagome stared into Inu-Yasha's face.
Kagome noticed that something had spooked Inu-Yasha, but neither Naraku nor Sesshoumaru could ever get such a rise out of the dog-demon. "Something wrong Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked in a caring voice. Inu-Yasha glanced back to the alley before responding to Kagome's question.
The alley was abandon, which wasn't surprising since a demon not yet trapped will disappear without a trace.
"Nothing." Inu-Yasha answered unsure. He hadn't even noticed that his voice cracked as he answered her question under his breath. Inu-Yasha pushed past Kagome and followed Sango into the headman's hut without another word. Kagome could only stare at Inu-Yasha as he left her behind.
"I've never seen Inu-Yasha like that." Shippo spoke up as he crawled out from his hiding place beneath Kagome's hair. "Me neither." Kagome uttered softly. She glanced into the empty alley then started after Inu-Yasha.
Inu-Yasha sat quietly the rest of the evening falsely meditating. He was actually concentrating on the noises in the large village. He was searching for demonic sounds and presences. Something was strange about this village and he didn't like it. The first thing he didn't like was the sheer size of the large town. The second was the lack of demonic activity; surely a town this big would have to be protected. The third and final thing he didn't like about this town was the ghost from his past. Surely the girl was dead; Sesshoumaru killed her. He saw the attack with his own eyes and Sesshoumaru takes NO PRISONERS.
The others tried to question why Inu-Yasha was so quiet but Kagome hushed them and shook her head to signal to them that now was not the time to talk about this. The others respected Kagome's gestures and Inu-Yasha's privacy leaving Inu-Yasha alone-for the night.
Instead of bothering Inu-Yasha they decided to question the size of the town. Inu-Yasha kept his eyes closed, but forged part of his concentration to eavesdrop on the questions that Miroku and Sango asked about the town. He wanted the headman to slip and reveal a clue as to whom that hanyou girl was or how SHE had survived. The headman simply stated that the village was never attacked, but he failed to state why that was.
The next morning Inu-Yasha had insisted that they leave. So they bid the headman thanks before Inu-Yasha had the chance to push them out the door.
As they left the town Inu-Yasha took a moment to glance back to confirm that there were no demons in the town. The others waited patiently for Inu-Yasha to urge them down the road. Kagome decided that whatever Inu-Yasha saw last night, still worried him.
"Inu-Yasha…" Kagome asked concerned, "what did you see last night?" Inu-Yasha grunted and turned away walking past Kagome stopping just past her to whisper… "A ghost." Something in the way Inu-Yasha stated the claim sent chills down her spine.
Inu-Yasha had had the night to shake off the feeling from the alley; so without further delay he urged the group on to the next town in the area. Miroku and Sango had a great time trying to get Inu-Yasha to tell them what the hell had scared him so badly the night before. "…Not even Naraku could rattle you like that… Come on Inu-Yasha… If it scared you that badly, then I take it Sesshoumaru doesn't stand a chance against it."
Inu-Yasha's only response, hours later, was "You cannot fight what does not exist." With that statement, Inu-Yasha froze. He smelled blood.
"What is it Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked. Miroku decided to be a smart-ass and jump right in. "It's probably Inu-Yasha's imaginary friend." Inu-Yasha answered Kagome, "I smell human blood and a lot of it." Then he growled at Miroku. "Miroku, if she is alive then she's not one to tampered with." Inu-Yasha flexed his claws to enforce the fact that he was not playing around. "She?" Sango questioned raising her eyebrows. Inu-Yasha nodded briefly then crouched down so Kagome could climb on his back. Kagome did so, quickly and without question. She stated by looking at Sango and Miroku's faces as she climbed on and assured them, "we can worry about that later."
Inu-Yasha took off as soon as Kagome had wrapped her legs around him. Kagome could feel Inu-Yasha's heavy breathing as he sprinted down the path to the town. Inu-Yasha was worked up about something. Kagome began to wonder if Inu-Yasha was thinking about whoever 'she' was and if 'she' happened to be a demon if 'she' had killed the people of this town.
They had arrived to the tiny town in no time at all. Inu-Yasha glided to a stop just outside the town square.
He began to growl.
Inu-Yasha's growling was so deep and intense that Kagome felt her body vibrating against Inu-Yasha.
Inu-Yasha let Kagome down then took a few cautious steps forward.
Sango and Miroku had arrived via Kirara and Shippo had tagged along as well. Sango and Miroku sat on Kirara in shock while Shippo jumped from Kirara and landed on Kagome's shoulder. That was when Inu-Yasha opened his mouth to make his presence better known.
His growl was loud and vicious; a growl any demon would be proud of. The growl emanated from his chest and his mouth twitched when a small demon emerged from behind a building.
The demon that strolled out from an alleyway was soaked in blood. Her once lavender dress was now blood scarlet with patches of lavender shinning through. Her white hair, half soaked in crimson blood, fell wildly over her shoulders.
Inu-Yasha flexed his claws taking an offensive stance. The girl mimicked the movement raising two large fuzzy ears atop her head into an attention position. Inu-Yasha drew the Tetsusaiga without breaking his warning growl.
"I see you've been awakened." The girl sighed.
Inu-Yasha snarled right back "I see you're still alive."
The girl smiled raising her arms to the sides with a brief, "Looks like I'm not the only one who's hard to kill."
Inu-Yasha stared her down; the village was empty and by all means… dead.
The thing that bothered Inu-Yasha most was that she was the one covered in the blood of humans. She had always loved humans. Inu-Yasha couldn't believe his own eyes. "Why are you covered in human blood?" He questioned in a steady low voice.
The girl thought about the question for a moment then glanced down at her hands. "That's none of your damn business." She snapped back realizing he wanted an answer.
Inu-Yasha began his growl again.
The girl stood calmly turned her head slightly to the side and KEH-ed.
This caught everyone's attention. In all their lives, they had only heard Inu-Yasha do that. The girl followed it by a challenge. "Put that sword away and fight me like the dog you are."
Inu-Yasha's growl cracked and he forged a smile putting the Tetsusaiga away.
"Gladly." Inu-Yasha commented as he cracked his claws. He had to find out just how she had survived.
She bound at Inu-Yasha in a flash.
Inu-Yasha had leapt out of the way just in time for the girl demon to slide past Kagome nearly knocking her over.
Inu-Yasha turned and bound back to Kagome in an instant.
Kagome hadn't even noticed that the fight had started.
Inu-Yasha stood in front of the young miko and offered himself as target to move the fight father from his friends.
The female demon did not reject such an opportunity. She had tackled Inu-Yasha at once and they began to roll on the ground.
Their growls were getting louder and more vicious. They bound apart landed a few meters from each other before racing back at each other.
The girl circled Inu-Yasha licking him sloppily on the cheek.
Inu-Yasha landed another few feet from the other demon this time wiping the slobber from his face with the sleeve of his hatori. Inu-Yasha looked pretty disgusted with the whole thing but the other demon just smirked.
At the smirk, Inu-Yasha lost his self-control and charged at the demon.
She was fast for her petite body size. She easily ducked out of the way and landed on Inu-Yasha's back. She nipped his ear with her teeth.
Before she knew it, Inu-Yasha spun around slamming his red sleeve into her face.
She started to fall to the ground trying to shake off the blow.
Inu-Yasha, however, whipped around behind her and clamped his fangs into the back of her neck.
They both then tumbled from the sky landing roughly on the ground with the female demon on all fours and Inu-Yasha lying over her holding her by the scruff of her neck.
The girl shifted her weight trying to roll out of the hold, but Inu-Yasha had a death-grip on her neck.
She lifted her left hand and took a swipe over her right shoulder thinking he would loosen his grip for a moment.
Instead Inu-Yasha just clapped down tighter on her neck releasing the growl that had been building in his chest.
The dainty demon let out a small yelp and ceased to struggle against Inu-Yasha's hold.
After a minute, Inu-Yasha stopped growling and released his grip. She did not move from the position he had put her in.
Inu-Yasha stood up and folded his hands underneath his hatori sleeves. The girl slowly stood up showing Inu-Yasha the dominance he had rightfully earned.
Inu-Yasha stood completely focused on her actions. In that moment, no one else existed.
The girl slowly raised her face to meet his then her eyes to meet his chest. She noticed the blood that ran down his neck. The scratches she had given him. The scratches looked painful and he was loosing a lot of blood from them.
The girl slowly moved closer to Inu-Yasha, hands limply at her sides. Then she carefully moved his hair from the wound and licked it to stop the bleeding. Inu-Yasha became tenser when she touched him but relaxed at her effort for affection. Inu-Yasha's eyes softened and his ears drooped into a more relaxed position.
"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome stated in shock. She realized he had forgotten she was there, forgotten she was watching him. Kagome felt hurt at Inu-Yasha's change in the presence of this affection, but more angered at the female demon for flirting with Inu-Yasha in the first place.
Kagome's anger was growing through her shock. She may not have known what was going on but this demon was licking her man's neck, what else did she need to know.
At the sound of his name from Kagome's soft voice, Inu-Yasha's ears perked up and his head whirled around to see if Kagome was in danger. She stood there with her mouth open and eyes as wide as he'd ever possibly seen them. He recognized the hurt in her eyes and the tears welling up behind them. He knew there was nothing he could do to change her feelings on this matter.
The girl demon that stood in front of him noticed his awareness of this human girl so she huffed slightly directing Inu-Yasha's attention back to her. Inu-Yasha's eyes locked with her as a slight grin crept across her face. Inu-Yasha diverted his eyes to the ground as he tried not to fess up to her implication. She, however, followed his gaze with her face not breaking their eye contact. Finally Inu-Yasha sighed with a 'feh.' The girl demon smiled with a pleased 'hump' to herself. Inu-Yasha retaliated with a brief warning growl. The girl consciously took a step backward giving the dog demon his space.
Out of nowhere, two small human children raced up to the girl demon. The girl demon bent down, quickly inspecting the two children. One boy was a little bruised but otherwise unhurt; the other had a bloody arm but hid both arms behind his back with a smile. The demon nodded then motioned for the two children to leave.
She stood up and smiled over her shoulder at Inu-Yasha with her violet eyes and crystal fangs. Glancing over her shoulder, she locked eyes with Inu-Yasha before following the two children into the woods.
Inu-Yasha slowly began to trail behind her stopping only once at the edge of the woods when he spun around staring at Kagome dead in the eyes.
Then Inu-Yasha spoke, "Well…you comin' or not?"
The invitation rattled Kagome, she responded almost silently before racing to catch up with him though she was well aware that Inu-Yasha had heard her comment. "I didn't know I was invited."
The others silently tagged along behind.
The girl walked slowly so she was easy to catch up to. Once caught the girl only increased her pace enough to keep the humans from meandering. Inu-Yasha kept glancing around. Kagome could sense that Inu-Yasha didn't completely trust this demon but they had struck some kind of an understanding. Two elder demons fell out of the trees.
One of the demons was clearly a cat demon. Her white tiger features were so pronounced that Inu-Yasha didn't even jump when she fell from the branches above. The other demon was much more human in appearance, but had dull gray feathers wings covering its wings that ran most of the length of his body.
The three strange demons stood staring at each other for a moment before the bird and cat demon stepped to the sides to allow the group to pass between them.
Inu-Yasha walked silently and in step behind the demon that looked like him. Kagome waited until they reached a small clearing before she started asking Inu-Yasha an endless list of questions, which he did not answer.
The demon that led them here leapt onto a low branch of a nearby tree, while Inu-Yasha followed her lead. Inu-Yasha sat on a branch that was only a few feet to the side of her. He had so many questions. The girl recognized his curiosity and beckoned for him to follow her into the treetops.
Inu-Yasha caught a glance at the moon then the look in her eyes.
"I'm glad you are awake again." She started sincerely.
"I'm glad you're not dead." Inu-Yasha compared before questioning her.
"Why did you leave before?"
"I left because of Sesshoumaru. He never would've stopped hunting me."
"So what…he hunts me."
"But you're different. We have different powers, Inu-Yasha and though your demon side is stronger than mine, I have had an extra…50 years, is it, that you were stuck to that tree…to develop my miko powers. I know how to access my powers and with powers as special as mine I am always being hunted in one form or another."
"Is that why you're covered in human blood?"
"Part of it, yes. All the towns in the immediate area are hanyou towns. The tiny town that was completely destroyed served as my human home. A demon came looking for me and when it couldn't find me, it decided to destroy the village as a warning. I got there in time to save only two of the children. I was covered in the blood of my fallen comrades as I slay the demon and it disappeared. That's when you showed up."
"So… you didn't want to kill me?"
The demon giggled in response. "We don't kill one of our own."
Confused as he was, Inu-Yasha continued to ask a question for every question she asked of him.
Quite satisfied with the answers he received, he decided to get some sleep and find out exactly what her powers could do tomorrow. He leapt down to Kagome whom was worried sick about him. Shippo had found other demonic children to play with one was a kitten, another a squirrel, and a third a rabbit. Sango and Miroku lay against the base of a nearby tree. Inu-Yasha landed gently on the ground in front of his crew.
Sango and Miroku looked at him with an acquired curiosity while Kagome ran to him.
"We are welcome to stay here for the night." Inu-Yasha spoke as if to say that he had already made up his mind and they were staying.
Kagome just stared at Inu-Yasha with large puppy like eyes. She didn't want him to leave her again.
The girl demon jumped out of the tree landing near Inu-Yasha. "There is a river… up the way," She said pointing her claws into the deep forest. "It's not far. I know humans value cleanliness, why…I have no idea."
Inu-Yasha smiled at her and nodded his thanks.
With Inu-Yasha's gratitude, the female demon grabbed Inu-Yasha's hand. "But you are also getting a bath."
Inu-Yasha tried to object but she wouldn't hear of it. "Inu-Yasha, you're covered in blood and…" She sniffed him loudly to emphasize her point. "…You're beginning to stink."
Inu-Yasha shrunk his head back at her accusation. Inu-Yasha's denial and defiance lead to talk more.
"Lord, You stink. I don't know how those humans could stand to be around you. Even with their dull sense of smell, they can smell you. Why don't you bathe on a regular basis? Do I have to throw you in the water? You can't expect to be cleaned by the rain. Come on Inu-Yasha, Both you and I need a bath."
Kagome's heart skipped a beat. This bitch was dragging Inu-Yasha down to bathe WITH her. Why isn't Inu-Yasha stopping this?
