There is an age-old legend, past down through the families of youkai for centuries, of a rare occurrence through the lunar cyc
A/N: Okay, woot, new story! Huzzah! Anyway, disclaimer, I don't own Inu-Yasha and other characters, except for... Umm... I forget, but there's a few I made up so NO TOUCHIE... without permission.
Anyway, this fic, like all of mine, is AU and OOC, but slightly less OOC than my other fics. Don't like it? Then LEAVE and DON'T READ IT! .:grins:. Now onto the story! Enjoy!
...Oh, and thanks a hell of a lot to Syd for thinking up the title.
There is an age-old legend, past down through the families of youkai for centuries, of a rare occurrence through the lunar cycle. Four times a century, there will be a night where a red, full moon will appear high in the sky. If two soul-mates, destined to be together meet and mix blood under the red moon, they will share something mystical for eternity…
x
Only three such pairs have ever existed: a dog Lord and a human princess who birthed a hanyou, a couple of horse youkai with their own son, and two humans…
x
The legend of the red moon has bound two more lives together… They just don't know it yet…
Otherworldly red and silver,
Red gleaming with the loss of all,
Loneliness twists the mind and dulls the heart,
Sharpening the un-youkai's claws.
x
He is the cursed one, for sinful deeds,
Blood is his only pleasure,
And upon the innocent, he feeds…
-From "The Youkai of the West Mountain", studied by the people of Mura no Densetsu.
Chapter 1: Aftermath And The Cursed One
Dark clouds blanketed the sky; the distant rumble of thunder was clear, echoing through the decrepit ruins of a village that had once been prosperous and lively.
The large shrine that had been protected by a priestess for years lay in burning rubble; the blackened bodies of soldiers that had died defending it littered the ground.
The broken, burning, and decapitated bodies of the villagers were strewn everywhere.
Not even the woman and children had been spared.
The battle that had been foretold here had been a disaster; it had turned into a slaughter.
Walking amongst the ruins was a lone figure, a hanyou, garbed in a kimono as red as the blood around him.
It was obvious by the blood on his hands that he had been involved in this battle, and by the dirt and sweat coating his face and his dishevelled silver mane.
Cringing, the hanyou wiped the sweat from his brow on the back of his hand, and then, his unnaturally bright crimson gaze traced upwards, scanning the sky.
He awaited the return of his companion, who was inspecting the village from the air, searching for any survivors.
For most, it was impossible to tell that the hanyou was, indeed, a hanyou.
His eyes showed no whites; they were like pools of deep red with a green slit floating in the middle. His fangs jutted unnaturally from his mouth, and a jagged purple stripe was located on each of his cheeks and his wrists.
This hanyou had been cursed to appear like this for years.
The original curse was supposed to do much, much more than just alter the hanyou boy's appearance however, but backfired to kill its caster over fifty years ago.
The hanyou's right dog-ear twitched to the whir of an arrow speeding through the air overhead, and her looked just in time to have his day completely ruined.
A loud crack was audible from wherever the arrow had impacted, and then, an unearthly pink glow erupted from the spot that seemed to ominously darken the rest of the sky, casting off hundreds of tiny sparks that flew off in every direction.
The hanyou's stomach began to churn with uneasiness, and he pleaded silently that he hadn't just seen what he thought he had just seen.
Oh… Kami, please tell me that wasn't…
Swiftly, he leapt into the air and rushed forward, searching desperately for the source of the arrow.
He landed on the charred branch of a nearby tree and sniffed tentatively.
The air reeked of both fresh and caking blood, though it was difficult to smell if there was anyone losing the blood right at that moment.
The tiny groan of a woman caught his attention, and with a frustrated growl, he sprang off towards it.
x
In seconds, as he perched on the only untouched rooftop left in the area, he came upon a young woman garbed in bloodstained miko robes, panting and sitting back against a tree trunk, clutching a wound that dug into her shoulder, a bow and a small quiver of arrows at her side.
The miko's name was Kikyo, if he recalled correctly.
He had only spoken to her a few times, trying to claim something from her that he desperately needed, but was always refused.
Despite the wench's uncooperativeness, the hanyou was just a little sad; it would be a pity to see her die.
The hanyou leapt down, though the miko nearly jumped at the sound of his landing and scrabbled to reach her bow.
"It's me wench; you have nothing to worry about," he sighed, rolling his eyes, "I all ready told you I wouldn't hurt you, didn't I?"
Slowly, Kikyo opened her pain-clouded grey eyes and blinked at the dog-eared inu hanyou standing before her.
"Is that… Inu-Yasha of the West Mountains?" she asked softly.
"Hai," he replied, and he slowly knelt to the woman's side and took her bow, fingering it absently, "You're… badly injured…"
Kikyo nodded and cringed as the wound on her shoulder poured more blood out of it.
"Yes, I'm dying," she breathed, "But…"
She stared at the hanyou and gave him a tiny, appreciative smile.
"I saw that you… were defending the village," she commented, "Thank you."
"I failed," Inu-Yasha said sadly, "I…"
He cringed.
"I didn't come quick enough. Forgive me."
Kikyo stared at him again before blinking slowly.
"There's nothing to forgive," she assured him, "You did your best, and I'm grateful."
Yeah, and my best was a load of shit, the hanyou growled silently.
He clenched his fists tightly and bit his lip, his stomach churning again.
He loathed battlefields. The blood was going to make him sick to his stomach.
"…You shattered the Jewel, didn't you?" he whispered.
"Hai," the miko replied quietly, "I thought… it was for the best… Though you must be mad at me… You wanted it, ne?"
Inu-Yasha frowned into the dirt and growled softly.
"I did," he grumbled, "I… Keh! Forget it wench, but why they hell did you…? Ugh, never mind…"
Kikyo gave him a slow smile that tried his all ready shot nerves.
Damn, he had needed that Jewel! Why the hell did she have go and break it?
"I broke it," she said quietly, "Not to keep it from you, but to keep it from others… Like the demon that destroyed this place… And the others who wanted it."
She gestured to the large corpse of the mutilated spider youkai, most of its legs missing now, and sighed.
"You could've just handed it over to me," he muttered irritably.
Kikyo rolled her eyes, though she went into a small coughing fit before she was able to answer.
"The Shikon no Tama as a whole brings about nothing but misery, hanyou; why do you want it?"
Inu-Yasha's crimson eyes widened, his jaw dropping.
"How… How could you tell?" he asked swiftly, "How could you tell I'm hanyou?"
Kikyo smiled again, and gestured to Inu-Yasha's bright red eyes, then to his long fangs, and lastly to the stripes that rested on his cheeks.
"I can sense that you are," she said, "You look like a full youkai, but your blood tells otherwise. Is that why you wanted it? To make the youkai blood stronger?"
Inu-Yasha blinked at Kikyo for an instant, and then looked to the ground grimly.
"No," he said gruffly, "No, I wanted it to… To remove this…"
He gestured to the attributes that made him appear full youkai and sighed again as Kikyo watched curiously.
"This isn't how I'm meant to look," he growled quietly, "And I… I loved my human mother very much when she was alive. I'd never dishonour her by removing her blood from my body. I'm proud of what I am."
He looked up at Kikyo, his eyes shimmering briefly with despair that he swiftly concealed.
"I needed that damn Jewel to break the spell over me," he said, "But now what do I do?"
Kikyo stared at the hanyou for a moment before smiling again.
"Kill me," she breathed.
Inu-Yasha looked at the miko with puzzled shock.
"What?" he demanded, "How will that help me? What d'you mean?"
"Kill me," Kikyo repeated, "I'm going to die slowly if I stay here. Just kill me… And as thanks, I can give you something you need in return."
Inu-Yasha stared at the miko as she slowly reached into her bloodstained sleeve and pulled out a tiny, pink shard. Weakly, she grabbed his hand and forced the shard into his palm. He stared at it with puzzlement as Kikyo coughed quietly.
"It's a shard of the Shikon no Tama," she rasped out, "This shard landed next to me when the Jewel shattered. You'll need to find the others by yourself if you still want it… Now, I want you to kill me, all right hanyou?"
Inu-Yasha stared from the shining pink crystal in his palm and then up to Kikyo's pain-filled eyes before he nodded slowly.
"All right then miko," he said, "Be at peace."
Swiftly, he raked his claws forward, slashing the girl's chest open; slicing her heart in two.
She died with the words "thank you" on her lips.
x
Inu-Yasha stared grimly at the bloody corpse, and closed his hand around his shard of the Shikon no Tama before he rose.
He sighed and growled softly, unsure of what to do.
So, he had to search for the fragments of a shattered Jewel. What a life!
He truly was cursed, and not merely with the permanent appearance of a full youkai.
He sighed and whispered a prayer to Kami-sama for all the humans who had died in this village under the wrath of the spider youkai.
He took in a small breath of the blood-tainted air and glanced upwards into the dark clouds above again, resuming his search for his companion.
Her scent was masked by the smell of blood, so his nose had no hope of finding her.
"Damn it," he cursed quietly, clenching his fists tightly, "Damn, if you're not all right… then…"
He ended his sentence abruptly as he heard the sound of the air churning rapidly above him.
His ears twitched and he whirled and craned his neck to see farther into the sky.
He could see flames flickering in between the clouds, and his spirits suddenly began to soar with them.
"Kirara!" he yelled loudly, "Kirara, down here!"
He waved frantically to draw his friend's attention, and sure enough, he could hear the wind-churning sound coming closer.
A huge, tawny-pelted feline dipped down below the clouds, spiralling expertly through the sky.
The sabre-toothed neko, her paws paddling in the air as if she were running, dove down and landed gracefully on the dirt before ploughing straight into Inu-Yasha, licking his face and neck.
He began to chuckle with quiet relief, and he wrapped his arms around the neko's great, furry ruff.
"Kirara, you're all right," he said softly, "I'm glad."
Kirara began to huff out quiet laughter, and she gave his cheek one final lick before drawing back to lock her shimmering red eyes on his.
"I'm very glad that you're all right, too, Inu-pup," she cooed, "You're not hurt, are you?"
Inu-Yasha shook his head and began to run his fingers through the fur of Kirara's closest ear.
"No, I'm fine," he assured her, "Forget it. What about you?"
Kirara took a step backward and she inclined her head, staring intently at the hanyou, before she licked a smudge of blood off his forehead.
He gave an embarrassed smirk and wiped the neko's saliva from his brow.
"All right, sheesh, I'm fine," he grumbled with feigned irritation.
Kirara laughed quietly, though Inu-Yasha let out a sigh that betrayed disappointment, and she stopped and blinked at him inquisitively.
"Is something wrong, Inu-Yasha?" she asked gently.
The hanyou put his hand to his forehead and opened his mouth, though no words would come, so he sighed again and turned around, frustratedly knotting his fingers into his hair.
"Keh…" he breathed, though Kirara, his long time companion, easily saw through his façade.
She slid up beside him and pressed her shaggy form to his shoulder.
"Inu-Yasha…" she chided softly.
Inu-Yasha blew out another sigh and gulped quietly.
"Kikyo's dead," he muttered, "She was dying, and she asked me to kill her… So I did."
Kirara's eyes widened as Inu-Yasha closed his, his head drooping.
"I guess… I sort of owed it to her," he continued, "I didn't want her to just sit there and bleed out… Even though she was a fucking stubborn wench…"
He exhaled deeply and rubbed his fingers through his bangs again before turning to Kirara and opening his hand, showing her the pink crystal it contained.
The neko youkai blinked at it for a moment before the Jewel's pulsating aura seeped around her, and the truth slowly dawned on her.
"Is that…?" she gasped, "It… It can't be, can it…?"
"It's a shard of the Shikon no Tama," the hanyou confirmed, "Kikyo shattered it; said it was so the others wouldn't get it…"
"She could have just given it to you," Kirara said quietly.
"I know; that's what I said," Inu-Yasha replied with a quiet chuckle, "But it was her choice, I guess… But I still need the damn thing…"
He clenched his fist tightly around the shard that was his, and Kirara smiled at him.
"It's still pure," she commented, "It shows you have a good heart Inu-Yasha."
"Keh!" The hanyou scoffed, but secretly took pride in her words, "I'm part youkai, Kirara; I'm not supposed to have a good heart."
"How do you know that?" Kirara retorted defensively, "There are plenty of youkai who aren't bad."
"Correction," Inu-Yasha said with a smirk, "There are youkai who aren't evil. Evil and bad are two very different things. I'm bad, but I'm not evil."
Kirara smiled in a sort of motherly fashion that always both annoyed and warmed Inu-Yasha to his core.
"I think you're a very good boy," she said affectionately, giving his ear a lick.
"Feh!" Inu-Yasha grunted, playfully shoving the great neko's snout away, but dejection swiftly took him again, and he sighed as he looked down on the pink Jewel in his palm.
"I don't know what to do with it Kirara," he muttered, "I need the whole thing; not just this tiny shard…"
"Well, I guess we'll just have to find the rest of them," Kirara said simply, "It can't be that hard."
She gave the hanyou an optimistic smile, and Inu-Yasha couldn't help but give her a tiny one in return.
"I guess we could try," he said quietly.
Kirara bared her fangs in a wide grin, her ears perking and her tails swishing happily.
"That's the spirit," she said.
Inu-Yasha forced his smile to grow slightly and nodded, though internally, his depression grew.
He had been so close… So close to being rid of his curse, so close to being himself again…
And now, the Shikon no Tama was gone.
His only option to date was literally shattered into a hundred tiny shards.
His ears drooped and he could barely quell a soft whine of distress.
He had been so close…
And if that wasn't enough, the ground around him was littered with death.
He had tried to save the village, he really had, but he had been too late. The spider had taken just about every life in the village other than the ones who had been able to flee.
By the time he had been able to get there, after slicing through youkai after youkai with his claws, more than half the village had all ready been annihilated.
Inu-Yasha cringed and clenched his fists tightly.
"I… I failed Kirara," he mumbled.
Kirara stared at the hanyou for a moment, blinking incomprehensively.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I couldn't protect the damned village: that's what I mean," he growled out, "It's… damn…"
He sighed and looked up to the sky to get all the carnage away from his vision and snarled at himself softly.
"It's not fair…" he whispered, clenching his fists tightly.
Kirara looked at him and sighed, and then laid her chin on his shoulder, nuzzling against his neck and cheek.
"I know," she said softly, "But… Inu-Yasha…"
She paused and sighed, and then let a smile form on her face as she gently licked Inu-Yasha's cheek.
"When that curse backfired a while back, you got some pretty amazing powers," she said, "If you can flood rivers and cause fires just by looking at something, who's to say that you can't bring back the souls of the dead?"
Inu-Yasha considered her words, his heart leaping joyously for an instant.
He could tell that she was merely saying things, however, to perk him up a little, though who could say that she was wrong in her suggestion?
He had never tried to bring someone back from the dead, but as the old, clichéd saying went, "There's a first time for everything."
"I guess… I could give it a shot," he said, trying to hide the excitement in his voice.
"That's the spirit," Kirara said cheerfully.
x
She took his baggy sleeve in her jaws and gently guided him through swamp of bodies until she came to one of a young girl.
Inu-Yasha's eyes widened with horror as they landed on the child, and he knelt so quickly that Kirara's fangs shred his sleeve as he jerked away.
The girl was bloodied almost all over her body, and her middle had been singed black by a fierce, demonic blast.
Inu-Yasha swiftly scooped her into his arms and cradled her body in disbelief.
Only yesterday, this little orphan girl had been the only one who had befriended him in the whole village.
While Kirara had been away, this little girl had shared her food and time with him, and in return, he had scared the older boys who bullied her away.
And now she was gone.
Inu-Yasha shook his head with shock and hugged the dead girl close to his chest.
"I'm sorry," he whispered into her deaf ears, "I… I'm so sorry…"
He pulled back to see her blank, green eyes staring lifelessly ahead, a picture of pain on her face.
Inu-Yasha shuddered and gently pulled her eyelids down with a finger, and he sighed and cradled the stiffening body.
Kirara stared at her suddenly distraught companion with surprise and confusion.
"I'm sorry," she said swiftly, "You… You knew this human?"
Inu-Yasha nodded and shuddered again.
"Yeah… Yeah, I knew her…" he whispered, "I… Oh Kami, I promised I'd… I…"
Fury welled up in his eyes and he began to growl angrily.
"I promised I'd protect her, damn it!" he yowled loudly, and his ears drooped, his posture sagging sadly, and then he whispered, "I promised I'd take her away from here… I promised I'd take her home with us…"
Kirara's red eyes widened as Inu-Yasha gave another shudder and stroked his fingers through the girl's hair.
"Mayoki…" he breathed.
"What did you say?" Kirara inquired, cocking her ears.
"Mayoki," Inu-Yasha repeated, louder this time, "It… It was her name."
Kirara's ears drooped and she sighed as she watched hr friend tremble again.
"Kirara…?" he said softly, "I… I'm going to try…"
"Are you sure?" she asked.
She looked to the dirt, guilt spreading across her face.
"I… To tell you the truth, I only said that before to cheer you up…"
"I know," he said, a sad smile crossing his face, "But… But I'm gonna try anyhow…"
Kirara nodded and took a cautious step back.
She knew that Inu-Yasha preferred some room while using his powers.
x
The hanyou gave her a thankful smile before closing his eyes and concentrating forcefully on the dead child in his arms.
He could slowly feel the energy around him building, and externally, his hands began to glow with an ethereal blue light.
He thought about wanting to be able to return the life to Mayoki while slowly pushing his energy into her body.
After a moment, he could feel the life flowing in a warm rush from his hands and into the child.
He would have smirked with triumph, but it would have destroyed his concentration.
He mentally pushed harder, though the effort caused his chest to tighten swiftly, forcing him to pant desperately for air.
He began to feel cold and dazed, and he began to shiver violently.
Kirara, watching him, stared, shocked.
Life was clearly returning to Mayoki: her wounds were slowly mending, and even her scorched torso began to heal into healthy, pink flesh before her blue kimono re-stitched around her.
Inu-Yasha, however, wasn't looking nearly as good.
Old wounds from battles long past began to open up slowly on almost any bit of skin they could find.
A slash mark on his temple opened up, pouring blood down the side of his face; his arms began to drip the thick, red goop through his kimono; he was even bleeding through the pores on the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet.
He gasped for air, and Kirara swiftly rushed to his side, gently but desperately prodding him with her snout.
"Inu-Yasha, stop," she ordered, "You're hurt, and I'm sure Mayoki will be fine… Now stop!"
Inu-Yasha squeezed his eyes shut even more tightly, and gulped, took a deep breath, and shook his head swiftly.
"No…" he growled out, and then gasped again before cringing with pain, "No… I… have… to make sure…"
He opened one eye to look at Kirara as he panted frantically.
"I won't… let her stay dead… I won't…"
Scrunching both eyes shut again, he swiftly pulled Mayoki to his chest and held her tighter.
The blue glow slowly began to seep through his chest as well, and he began to whine with pain.
"Inu-Yasha!" Kirara exclaimed shrilly, "You're going to kill yourself!"
He shook his head and quelled another whine before swiftly pulling Mayoki away from his chest.
His eyes shot open and he blinked several times to clear his pain-clouded vision. His chest heaved frantically as he pulled in air, and he shook his head to relieve an impending dizziness. He cautiously looked down at Mayoki, and he smirked with tired triumph as he saw her body completely healed, and he could feel the gentle pulse of her heartbeat under his fingers.
Even the blue kimono she had been garbed in was repaired.
He began to laugh softly, exhausted, and to his relief, Mayoki slowly cringed and then opened her eyes.
"Who…?" she breathed quietly, and then her eyes widened slightly as they landed on Inu-Yasha, "I-Inu-kun?"
Inu-Yasha bobbed his head in a slow nod, and Mayoki gave him a tiny, but puzzled smile, though her look swiftly turned to one of concern as she focussed on the blood staining his forehead and dribbling down the side of his face to his chin.
"Inu-kun, you're… you're bleeding," the small girl squeaked.
"I know," he panted out, "But you… Are you okay?"
Mayoki nodded and curled into his lap like a small kitten, though she stared up at him with concern.
"Inu-kun, what happened?" she asked softly, "Where are we?"
She strained to look over her shoulder at her surroundings, but Inu-Yasha swiftly pulled her closer, shielding her eyes against his kimono.
"No, kid, don't look," he said gently, "Trust me; you don't want to see where we are."
Puzzledly, the little girl nodded, and Inu-Yasha sighed with relief before his chest contracted painfully again and he was forced to pant as if he had just clambered, half-drowned, from a freezing river.
Kirara worriedly sat beside her hanyou companion, and Mayoki's head jerked upwards to stare into his eyes, which he swiftly clamped shut.
"Inu-kun?" she whimpered, her voice soft with worry.
Inu-Yasha trembled and slowly, his eyes still firmly clasped shut, stood, pulling the small child up into his arms.
Mayoki stared at her suddenly silent friend, becoming increasingly anxious. She felt a warm liquid oozing through her kimono, plastering it to her skin under Inu-Yasha's hands. She looked down at it, though kept her gaze from her surroundings as the hanyou had instructed her to. She watched anxiously as her kimono was slowly dyed red-brown and the hanyou limped forward, towards the forest.
"Inu-Yasha?" Kirara inquired worriedly, "Would… You can sit on my back, if you'd like."
He grunted and shook his head and continued to steadily plough ahead, refusing to allow his legs to even quiver. Kirara kept pace with him, leaning against his weaker left side to support him.
He seemed not to notice, though he grunted again and clenched one of his fists before opening his eyes to look at the child in his arms.
"Gomen," he growled quietly, "I'm bleeding all over you, aren't I…?"
Mayoki looked up at him and gently hugged him with one arm.
"It's okay Inu-kun," she assured him, "But are you all right to hold me? Don't your arms hurt?"
The hanyou merely snorted out an absent "Feh!", but Kirara raised one furry brow and nosed his ribcage.
"She's right; you must be in pain," she agreed, "Once we're out of sight of the village, put Mayoki-chan on my back."
She frowned as her companion stubbornly shook his head.
"No one's going to think any less of you if you allow yourself a little rest, you know," Kirara growled, baring her fangs, "You're not invincible Inu-Yasha!"
Inu-Yasha looked at Kirara, and to the neko's surprise, began to chuckle quietly and nodded.
"Yeah, yeah, Kirara, I know I'm not," he said.
He winced as his foot landed on a mound of dead branches as they entered the forest, and he sighed.
"Okay…" he said quietly, "Let's… go home then, shall we…?"
With that, his knees buckled and he collapsed, unconscious to the forest floor.
"Inu-kun?" Mayoki squeaked, shocked.
She squirmed from his limp grasp as Kirara hurried to nudge her friend's bloodied face.
"Inu-kun?" the human girl whimpered again.
She awkwardly lifted his upper torso and cradled him as best she could.
"Inu-kun?" she begged, "Inu-kun…!"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Inu-kun! Inu-kun, c'mere boy!"
It was late afternoon, and in Densetsu, a village at the base of a large mountain, everyone was hard at work… Well, everyone but a young priestess, who was presently squatting to the dirt and beckoning a large, stray dog towards her.
The girl was seventeen, garbed in robes similar to a traditional priestess' garb except made to prove more flexible and easier to run in. Her black hair glinted tints of blue as she tossed her head a little irritably as her hair was blown into her face by a sudden gust of wind.
She swiftly turned back to the dog and smiled charmingly at him.
"Inu-kun," she cooed at the dog, "C'mon, I'm not gonna hurt you koinu, see?"
She held out both hands and beckoned with her finger, whistling softly.
The scruffy-looking dog stared at her warily, his light brown eyes skimming her hesitantly.
Could he really trust this human? So many of the others had called him merely to kick him and chase him away…
The girl continued to gently call the nameless dog closer to her and finally, with a sigh, he gave in and trotted towards her, his tail held high to show that he was unafraid.
The young miko beamed at the dog and swiftly accepted him into outstretched arms, tenderly patting his flea-bitten ears and snout.
"Good boy," she whispered, "Oh, inu-kun, what a good boy you are!"
The dog blinked at her with wide eyes before relaxing, his tail thumping gratefully against the ground.
"Heh, you're welcome koinu," she laughed.
Moving one arm from him, she reached into a satchel at her waist and pulled out two cooked fish wrapped in cloth.
The dog eyed it hungrily, so the girl unravelled the cloth and handed the food over to him.
"Eat," she said gently, smiling, "You must be starved."
The dog looked up at her, then to the fish in her outstretched palm.
With a wag of his tail, he gladly accepted the food as the girl giggled, pleased.
x
Her merriment was cut short, however, as she heard her name being called over her shoulder.
"Kagome-chaaaan!"
Her eyebrow twitching with irritation, the girl, Kagome, looked behind to see one of the people she loathed most in the world.
There was a boy her age with light brown hair in a blue floral-patterned kimono rushing to her, grasping a quiver of arrows in one hand and a bow in the other.
The boy's name was Hojo, and he was the son of an important Lord from the South…
And she was being heavily encouraged to marry him by everyone in the village, excluding her mother.
O
Kagome was a powerful priestess, the daughter of the now late Lord Hyougin and the Lady Yui. She also had a younger brother by the name of Sota.
Sota, by tradition, should have taken over the lordship of the village once their father had died, but he, being too young, a peace lover, and not much of a leader, forfeited the place to his mother.
After Hyougin had been killed by youkai from the mountain when Kagome was eleven, she had trained herself rigorously to use the strong spiritual energies inside of her to help others, battle threatening youkai, and to help prevent death.
O
Now, however, she would have much rather have caused the death of an "innocent", rather than save him. She clenched her fists and stood, leaving the contented canine to his fish.
"Kagome-chan!" Hojo called again as if she hadn't heard him.
"I got ya the first time Hojo, what d'you want?" she all but snapped.
Hojo, as always, was indifferent to her attempts to detour him: he merely thought she was playing hard-to-get with him.
Hojo skidded to a halt in front of the miko, spraying dust into the air. He bowed nobly and offered the bow and arrows out to her.
"Eh?" she inquired, "What's this for…?"
"Your esteemed mother asked me to bring them to you," Hojo panted; he had clearly been running too much for his pampered body to take, "You're going into the woods to reach the next village, are you not?"
Kagome blinked a little blankly at the boy before remembering his, and all the other villagers', ignorance to the true destination she wandered off to every week.
"Oh, hai, arigato," she said.
She reluctantly returned his bow, and then took her weapons from his hands.
"You have to be careful Kagome-chan," Hojo told her unnecessarily, "The woods are teaming with youkai. And beware of the Cursed One, up on the mountain."
Kagome nodded vaguely as she slid the bow into the quiver and then slung it over her shoulder before looking down at the dog; he had finished his meal and was now looking up at her with wide, thankful eyes.
"Go to my house," she said gently, "It's the biggest one, at the West end near a pond, okay? Just walk in and you'll be cared for."
The dog stared at her, shocked, and then woofed his heartfelt thanks before trotting off.
When Kagome looked up again, she found Hojo to be staring at her puzzledly.
"Kagome-chan, I know where your house is," he said a little dumbly.
"I was talking to the dog," she mumbled, putting her hand to her forehead in exasperation.
"Oh," Hojo said, and he began to smile knowingly, and he tapped his nose, "Ohhh…"
"No, seriously," Kagome repeated, "I was actually talking to that dog."
She pointed after the furry mutt, though Hojo continued to smile.
"The dog, eh?" he said, winking, "Gotcha'."
Kagome raised her eyebrow, confused, and stared at Hojo for a minute before giving up on trying to understand him at all and heading casually towards the forest.
She wondered what everyone else saw in Hojo; the other village girls all but drooled over him, even when he was so dumb he was all but drooling.
She wished he would just get over her. She had told him time and time again that she wasn't interested; she all ready had someone she felt nearly ready to marry anyway.
x
She tilted her head to look upwards and casually viewed the mountain that lay just across the woods.
Legend said that the Cursed One, the creature Hojo had spoken of, lived in a palace at the top of that mountain and every year, the village of Densetsu sent a female sacrifice to him to keep him appeased.
Kagome often questioned why; she sensed an almost unimaginably strong youki coming from the mountain, but the lack of malice and bloodlust that came along with it startled her.
She had often informed the men who were in charge of the sacrifice ritual that there was no point in the thing, but she was always ignored: despite her rank as priestess and the Lord's daughter, she was merely written off as a silly girl trying uselessly to play the heroine.
This, of course, annoyed her to the utmost.
x
"Good luck priestess," a man leading an ox said to her as she walked passed him to the woods.
"Arigato," she replied with a pleasant smile.
She was unable to quell a smirk as she headed into the shadows of the trees: if the villagers knew where she was truly headed, they would be trying to slaughter her, not wishing her luck.
As usual, she continued on the known rout to the village on the opposite edge of the woods, but as soon as she was positive that she was out of the village's sight, she changed her course to suit her real destination.
x
As priestesses went, Kagome was odd in that youkai were not always her enemies. Quite often, ever since a youkai had saved her from another of his own kind when she was thirteen, she had taken to tending to sick and injured youkai as well as the expected humans.
In fact, that was where she was headed now: there was a tiny branch of an okami youkai tribe living in the woods, and over a month ago, the alpha couple's youngest son had become ill.
Though Kagome had been helping the pack ever since she had decided to change her methods, this case of "youkai flu", as the wolves called it, was extremely bad, and she had taken to visiting the pack more and more over the last few weeks, even staying overnight on more than one occasion.
The only thing Kagome even vaguely feared from the wolves was the alphas' eldest son, Koga.
Well, it wasn't that she was afraid of him: he and Kagome had been close friends for years; what Kagome was afraid of was his new-found bout of affection for her.
Previously, they had held special privileges as friends, such as hugging and kissing (on the cheek only), and Kagome had even shared a bed with him on a few occasions.
Though in human standards, this action was only to be between lovers, youkai had different customs in that sharing a bed with a friend, for comfort or for warmth, was commonplace and happened every day.
Now, though, Koga of the okami youkai had taken to telling Kagome, quite confidently, that she was going to be his queen when he became alpha of the pack.
Kagome didn't want to lose Koga as a friend, but she also definitely did not feel like she was ready to jump him and accept the ladyship of the okami youkai he was offering her.
x
As she walked confidently through the bracken and underbrush, Kagome sighed, pondering.
She didn't want to hurt Koga's feelings, but she had to tell him there was someone she was all ready in love with.
She continued along the path she had walked so many times before, and soon enough the familiar sound of snapping branches and rustling leaves met her ears. A strong demonic aura began to pulsate around her, and would have started to make the air thick if she hadn't been so used to its presence.
"Oi," she called, sticking a hand in the air in greetings, "Unaro-sama."
As quick as she could blink, a tall, youkai man had emerged from the trees before her. The man had black hair that grew to past his shoulders, a long, wolf-like tail, and dark, pupil-less blue eyes that were common among the okami.
He was garbed in green kimono, moon-shaped patterns on the hems of his sleeves, and a navy-coloured breastplate strapped across his chest.
He, and the others of his clan, had taken to a slight less wild-looking choice of clothes when they had moved into the woods.
Usually, being the war-like tribe that they were, they would be clothed in furs and armour, ready for any brawl that came their way.
In the woods, however, the pack was free from war, and there was no need for that kind of garb. It was also impractical: a wolf running through the woods in a fur kilt could easily damage his legs.
The man grinned his fangs at Kagome and, a little awkwardly, brushed his hair back behind his pointed ears.
"Kagome-chan," he said pleasantly, "I was just coming to your village to get you."
Kagome blinked at the youkai a little puzzledly.
"Unaro-sama… That's dangerous," she said, "Why would you-?"
"Hai, but don't you think I could pose as a human?" he inquired.
He held his arms out and smiled at her, and she began to chuckle, putting her hand to her mouth to prevent a harder blight of laughter.
"Yeah, maybe," she agreed, "But why were you coming for me?"
Her hazel eyes widened slightly in worry.
"Don't tell me Haku's gotten worse-!"
"No, no, my son's stayed in the same condition you left him in, thank Kami-sama," Unaro said with a grateful nod, "To be honest… we missed you Kagome."
He smirked and wagged his tail slightly as Kagome's face flushed shyly.
"You're like the daughter I never had," the okami laughed.
Kagome smiled and snickered.
"Arigato," she replied.
She shifted her quiver on her shoulder and strolled up to Unaro. He took her into a friendly embrace, as he did every time he saw her, and she laughed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
As they released each other, however, Kagome heard a voice that chilled her blood and nearly made the wolf lord Unaro jump.
"Kagome-chan! Kagome-chaaaan!"
"Oh no, not-" Kagome gasped.
"Isn't that that boy that keeps following you?" Unaro inquired.
"H-Hojo," Kagome stammered, "Oh, Kami, why…?"
Unaro tilted his head, cutting his eyes at Kagome and cracking the knuckles on his left hand.
"Would you like me to slice him?" he asked.
"No, no," Kagome said hurriedly, "No slicing, but…"
She glanced around hurriedly and was alarmed to see the vague, stumbling outline of Hojo tramping through the woods after her.
"You'd better get out of here," she hissed to Unaro, "I'm going to be in big trouble if Hojo sees me with you."
Unaro nodded understandingly: he knew about the human's intolerance for his kind.
He was about to jump back into the trees from whence he came, but then, with a devilish smile crossing his face, tapped Kagome on the shoulder.
"Hey, miko, I think I have a better plan," he said.
Kagome turned and looked hopefully to the youkai.
"Hai? Do tell," she said.
The man grinned and leaned down to whisper his plan swiftly into the girl's ear.
Her eyes widened as she took in the information, but she smirked.
This could be fun… Who would've thought a youkai of over four hundred years could come up with a plan one would swear came out of a teenaged prankster?
x
Swiftly, he turned on his heel and melted into the bushed, completely unseen by the oblivious Hojo as he rushed to Kagome.
"Kagome-chan!" he panted.
"Hojo, what are you doing here?" Kagome hissed, trying to sound concerned, "It's dangerous out here!"
"Hai, hai, I know," Hojo said with a frantic nod, "That's why I'm here."
Kagome blinked puzzledly and eyed Hojo up and down; he didn't even have a knife with him, how did he expect to get through the woods unarmed?
"Um, what?" Kagome asked a little dumbly.
"Well, some of the men from the village thought I should come with you," he replied, "To keep you safe."
Kagome couldn't help but raise one brow sarcastically.
"Ano… Hojo," she said slowly, "I've been through these woods hundreds of times; I don't really need anyone to come with me."
She jostled her quiver a little to emphasize her point, but Hojo merely stared at her, concerned.
"But Kagome-chan-" he began at a whine, but he stopped suddenly as a deep, loud growl rocked through the trees.
The boy attempted to grab Kagome and hold her, but she sidestepped out of his reach and fished her bow from her quiver.
"Quiet," she ordered, "Don't… move… a muscle."
Hojo stared, nearly petrified, at her, and nodded stiffly.
They both jolted as the ground quaked under a giant footstep and Kagome swiftly pulled out an arrow and held it ready in her bow.
"Quick, Hojo, it's a youkai," she hissed, "Run."
"Iie, I can't leave you Kagome-chan," Hojo said, shaking his head.
x
Kagome was about to send another order to the boy when the trees in front of her began to crack and part to the sides as the monstrous head of a giant, black wolf pushed its way through them.
Hojo yelped in dismay and Kagome tried desperately to keep a calm, straight face.
"Miko…"
The wolf's voice was deep and caused tremors to run through the earth. He bared his huge, ivory fangs and his pale, glowing eyes narrowed maliciously.
"I will… devour you…"
Kagome scowled and aimed her arrow up at the wolf's head.
"You wish, youkai!" she yelled.
She cut her eyes at Hojo.
"Run, baka!" she yelled.
This time, the boy didn't question her, and he turned around swiftly and ran.
Kagome kept her bow aimed at the huge wolf until Hojo was far out of sight. She stared into the creature's blue eyes and slowly began to grin. The wolf bared his fangs and snorted out a laugh, and then took another step towards Kagome as she lowered her bow.
"Good plan Unaro-sama," she said with a smile.
"I know; all my plans are good," the wolf growled smugly.
He wagged his massive, furry tail, accidentally knocking down a tree in the process. He glanced over his shoulder, looking slightly embarrassed, and let out a wavering chuckle.
Kagome couldn't help but giggle, though, once more, shouting caught her attention.
x
She whirled and looked over her shoulder and Unaro peered after her, his ears pressing forward curiously.
"More ningen?" he inquired a little worriedly.
Kagome bit her lip and nodded.
"Oh, that baka," she growled, "He was supposed to run, not bring help!"
Unaro peered down at her and cocked his head, another smile lighting on his lips.
"Fight me," he said.
Kagome whirled once more, her eyes wide.
"Wh-What?" she demanded, "Fight you?"
Unaro bobbed his head in a nod and braced his paws in the dirt.
"Hai," he replied, "Fight me, and I'll pretend to die. We'll put on a good show, ne?"
Kagome stared at him, worried.
"But… What if my miko powers-?"
"Don't worry," he laughed, "Just, sweetheart, don't hold back."
He growled playfully and leapt over Kagome, causing the ground to shake once more.
The miko could hear the men that were running to her aid yell in shock and horror, so Kagome fired off an arrow, purposely missing her friend's head.
"Miko-sama!" came a voice, "Miko-sama, we'll help you!"
"No, no! Stay back!" she cried, "Stay back; it'll suck out your soul!"
She fired off another arrow, and Unaro lunged at her, scooping her into his jaws.
She cried out in dismay as he tossed her into a bush, and she landed with a hard thud on her rump.
Swiftly, Unaro raced over to her, warily prowling around her.
"Gomen," he mumbled as he circled around her.
Kagome groaned, shaking her head and brushing twigs from her hair, and she stood shakily, though she gave her friend a nod to assure him that she was all right.
She pulled another few arrows from her quiver and swiftly shot them off one by one.
Unaro grinned and leapt into the air, appearing to be trying to dodge the shots, but instead, he caught one in his mouth and staggered, flopping onto his side and twitched, and then held his breath.
He bit his tongue and let a small stream of blood run down his jaw.
Kagome's eyes widened with shock and she ran to his side. She squatted and tentatively laid her hand against his furry cheek.
"Unaro…?" she breathed.
"Don't talk to me…" he replied softly, "I'm dead, remember?"
Kagome stared at him and sighed in relief.
She looked up across the wolf's body to the shaking men. They all looked as if they had just come from farming, each carrying a shovel or hoe as a weapon.
"Miko-sama, are you all right?" one inquired.
Kagome nodded and stood, sliding her bow back into the quiver on her back.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, "But you men shouldn't come back here; these woods are full of youkai like this."
She gestured to Unaro, and she could see him trying not to snicker.
"Are you sure?" another one inquired, "Will you be safe on your travels?"
Kagome nodded and smiled pleasantly before turning around and walking deeper into the woods.
x
After a few minutes, she was far enough away from the village that no one else would be able to follow her. She slowed and sat down on an old, fallen tree, waiting for Unaro to catch up with her.
She couldn't help her mind from tracing to a close friend of hers, the boy whom she had fallen in love with.
For years, she had had a strange connection with him, and today, she had felt odd and slightly sore, almost as if her friend was being hurt, and then having some of his very life energy sucked away.
She hoped that he was all right, and decided that, if possible, she would try to contact him that night.
x
Kagome was jolted out of her thoughts as the okami lord jumped down from the trees above her, back in his human-like form.
"Kagome," he said, sounding a little worried, "Did I hurt you?"
Kagome looked up at him and shook her head before standing and staring at him inquisitively.
"How about you?" she asked.
The man shrugged and stuck out his tongue to show the source of the blood, and Kagome sighed with relief.
"For a second, I thought I'd actually hurt you," she admitted shyly.
"Me? Hurt?" he laughed, ruffling her hair, "Don't worry about me, Kagome-chan."
He took the young miko's hand and began to escort her through the trees as he usually did, though this time, Kagome was extremely distracted.
What had happened to her companion to drain his strength like that? Would he be all right?
She sighed and shook her head, and then focussed on the other, more obvious matters in her life.
She hoped that she would be able to help the young okami youkai, Haku… But his brother Koga… What was she going to do about him?
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Surprisingly near to the brooding young miko, Kirara the neko youkai stood in a dark room in the middle of a large palace on a mountaintop. She had flown Mayoki and Inu-Yasha back from the ruins of Kikyo's village and now stood, staring worriedly down at her unconscious companion.
He lay in a bed imported from the eastern continents, wrapped tightly in thick, warm blankets.
His bleeding, for the most part, had stopped, but he still had not woken up since he had fallen over in the woods, over five hours ago.
Gently, she reached out a paw and patted his brow.
He cringed and rolled slightly, his drooping dog-ears quivering.
Kirara sighed, hoping desperately that he would be okay.
He had never stayed out cold this long before…
x
She knew Inu-Yasha was strong; that boy had survived everything that his unfortunate life had thrown at him; the death of his mother, his curse, the many men who had come up to the palace to try to kill him… but Inu-Yasha had never brought life to the dead before; would he be able to withstand this new test?
O
Inu-Yasha and Kirara had been close companions ever since the hanyou was merely a tiny whelp. When Inu-Yasha had been twelve, a man had attempted to curse him and turn him into a monster, but Kirara had knocked him, causing the magic to backfire on its caster.
The man had been killed, while Inu-Yasha and Kirara had both been trapped in an enchanted sleep.
When they were awakened over fifty years later, Kirara found that the curse had had some interesting side effects.
For Inu-Yasha, it had caused him to take the appearance of a full youkai, but also granted him extraordinary powers, such as control over various things such as fire and the growth of plants.
In Kirara's case, it had given her the power of speech.
O
Kirara sighed and began to pace nervously, her two tails twitching. Her right ear tweaked to the sound of soft human feet padding down the hallway towards them.
Slowly, the door was slid back and the human, Mayoki, cautiously walked into the room, carrying a damp cloth.
"Kirara-chan," she whispered, "Inu-kun… Is he all right?"
"He hasn't woken up yet, honey," Kirara said gently, smiling in a motherly fashion at the girl.
The young human sighed sadly and walked over to Inu-Yasha's bedside.
Carefully, she folded the cloth and placed it against his forehead.
He let out a soft groan and shifted in his sleep, and for a moment, the two creatures perked hopefully, wondering if he would wake up.
The boy merely turned over, however, and continued to snooze.
x
Kirara and Mayoki both sighed dejectedly.
"Oh Inu-kun…" Mayoki whispered sadly.
Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she sniffed, trying not to cry.
"Inu-kun, you… why did you do that for me…?" she asked, "Why did you hurt yourself so much…?"
She folded her arms on Inu-Yasha's bed and sank to her knees, staring at him sadly.
Kirara walked over to her and gently licked her head, but then, to the surprise of both of them, Inu-Yasha began to cough out a faint, rasping laugh.
"Cuz…" he mumbled, his words slightly slurred, "Cuz… You're… kinda like me, Mayoki… and cuz…"
He opened his eyes slowly and grinned at his two companions.
"Cuz… I wanted to see if I… could… bring back the dead…"
Mayoki stared at Inu-Yasha with wide eyes before beginning to beam. She laughed and leapt onto the bed, hugging him tightly around the shoulders while Kirara stared at him with her typical, disapproving scowl.
"Well, you proved yourself, okay? Don't do that again unless you really, really have to!" she growled.
Inu-Yasha snickered, patting Mayoki's back, and nodded slowly.
"What cat, you don't want me to do it for you?" he asked.
Kirara bit her lip, looking a little flustered, and then sighed.
She leapt up onto the bed and rested her large head beside his.
He tilted his head to look at her, blinking his crimson eyes inquisitively.
"Eh?" he inquired.
Kirara merely shook her head and smirked.
"Good to have you back, whelp," she laughed.