Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
Chapter One:
Wanderings
The half wolf demon walked quietly, picking her way through the thick leaves, and branches of the forest. She had a fair face, bright jade-green eyes, long black hair, a tail, and a pair of triangular, black, wolf ears on top of her head. Her 2-centimeter long claws, glinted, sharp and dangerous, and her 2 ½ centimeter fangs could bring down the fiercest of foes. Currently her ears stood perked listening intently for any sound of someone, or something approaching.
Her clothing remained simple, easy to fight in, and perfect for hiding amongst shadows and bushes. She wore, a sleeveless, leaf green shirt with a thick leather belt around her waist, an empty sword scabbard hung from the belt, her pants were dark brown, and a pair of knee-high black boots over them. From over top of each boot protruded the handle of a dagger, and swinging from the half-wolf demon's neck was a black hooded cape. Slung over the cape, she carried a long bow and a quiver of arrows.
The snapping of a twig caused her head to snap around, and her sharp eyes caught the sight of a man carrying a pitchfork running towards her and yelling. "I found the demon, let's attack now."
The half wolf demon swore and she began to run, her ears picked up the sounds of men crashing through the underbrush in an attempt to surround her. She picked up speed, and entered a clearing where a group of men holding an assortment of weapons blocked her exit. As quickly as possible, she turned around in an attempt to go the other way, only to find it also blocked, she was completely surrounded. She stopped in the middle of the clearing, her eyes searching for a way out.
The group of men directly in front of her parted and a fat, ugly man in armor walked up to her. "My, my, how pretty. It's a shame we were hired to kill, that is, unless you agree to come with me." The man reached up to touch her face. In a flash of claws the leader of the group backed away with a yell and clutching a bloody hand. "Fine, be that way. Kill her and use the slow acting miasma so she suffers!"
The men looked around grinning at each other, then they pulled out what looked like an assortment of gas bombs, but the half wolf demon knew better, she could tell the men held miasma bombs. As one the men threw the miasma bombs and they exploded at the half wolf demon's feet releasing a fog of dangerous, purple, poison. Just as a woman came running up the men shouting, "STOP!"
…
Sesshoumaru walked through the thick woods silently, Rin and Jaken on his heels. The afternoon sun beat down on the top of the trees, but the leaves of the trees they passed were absorbing most of the heat. A light breeze lifted his long silver hair and he caught the scent of miasma in the air mixed with the scent of a half-demon. In the distance he could hear men shouting and cheering, he decided to investigate.
"Rin, stay here. I need to check something out."
"Yes my lord." Said the longhaired little girl at his feet. Sesshoumaru turned his head looked at Jaken for a moment, then turned and ran in the direction of the men's shouts. As he drew closer he could hear a woman shouting amongst all of the men.
"Stop it! Leave her alone!" Sesshoumaru stopped hidden in the bushes near the commotion. The woman who had shouted was not old, but not young either, she was being dragged away from the cloud of miasma by another man. Sesshoumaru turned his eyes to the cloud of purple miasma; inside he could faintly see a young woman's figure. Another man walked up to the cloud as it dispersed enough for Sesshoumaru to see the half-wolf demon lying in the center.
"It's too bad we have to kill her." Said the man as he came to the stop just outside the cloud, his right hand dipped with blood from an open wound. "She's a pretty one, despite being a demon."
"Maybe we don't have to kill her just yet." Said a heavyset man who looked like he was the leader. "She's still conscious, we could have our fun with her and then kill her." Sure enough as he said these words the half-wolf demon in the miasma cloud tried to sit up, but fell to the ground weakly.
"Good idea boss." Said another man putting on a poison-shielding mask, the rest followed in suit and then the boss stepped into the cloud.
The half-wolf demon wore a pair of brown pants, with knee-high black boots over them and a sleeveless shirt. Over top of the shirt she had a brown, leather belt with an empty sword scabbard attached to it, a black hooded cape hung over her shoulders, a quiver, and long bow strung over it, strands her long black hair covered her fair face. On top of her head were a pair of black wolf ears; Sesshoumaru could faintly make out a tail, her claws, the fangs inside of her mouth, and a glint of green from her eyes before the boss picked her up by the front of her shirt. He pulled out a dagger, it glinted dangerously in the sunlight, and he brought it down to her shirt, but then dropped it.
Sesshoumaru had stepped out of the bushes; he narrowed his eyes and began to walk towards the man who had begun to shake. Now the half-wolf demon's eyes were closed, and she was hanging limply from the front of her shirt. The boss' men fled and a few moments later the boss dropped the half-wolf demon onto the ground, turned and ran after his men.
"Cowardly fools." Sesshoumaru muttered under his breath, he was about to turn and leave when he suddenly noticed that the half-wolf demon's breathing was labored. He paused for a moment wondering what to do, and then he walked into the miasma cloud and carefully picked her up with his right arm. He decided it would be better to take her to that woman instead of leaving her here, just in case the men decided to come back.
Sesshoumaru sniffed the air and quickly caught the scent of the woman who had been dragged away. He carefully balanced the half wolf demon in his arm so she would not fall, and he followed the scent of the woman, who he assumed knew the half wolf demon.
…
Half an hour later Sesshoumaru stood in front of a small hut situated just outside of a tiny village. He looked at the door wondering if he should just walk in or not, before he had made his decision the woman walked out. She looked up apparently wonder what overshadowed her door, upon seeing Sesshoumaru she started and backed up.
"Wait." Sesshoumaru said, "Do you know this woman?" He nodded his head towards the half wolf demon lying limply in his arm.
"Oh, my! Elenya!" The woman exclaimed rushing over to the half wolf demon. "What have those men done to her? Hurry and bring her inside."
Sesshoumaru wasn't used to being told what to do like this, but this woman seemed to know what she was doing so he entered the small hut. The hut had only one room, but two beds lay on the floor, he figured the half wolf demon, Elenya, stayed here with the woman.
"Place her here." The woman gestured to one of the beds, and Sesshoumaru gently placed the half wolf demon on the bed. He stood up, and turned to leave figuring the half wolf demon was in good hands. "Did you find her?"
Sesshoumaru turned to look at the woman; she looked up at him face unafraid and her expression grateful. "Yes." Sesshoumaru said.
"Why? You are a demon, and Elenya is no more than a half demon." The woman asked looking down and looking over the half wolf demon.
"Elenya? Is that her name?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Yes." The woman replied continuing to look over Elenya.
"Are you a doctor?" Sesshoumaru asked curious as to why the woman didn't call for a doctor the instant she had seen Elenya's condition.
"Yes." The woman said, finishing her checkup and looking up at Sesshoumaru her expression kindly. "You still haven't answered my question."
Sesshoumaru looked at her for a moment then turned and faced the wall, "Those men were scum." He said.
The woman waited for a moment to see if Sesshoumaru would say anything more. He didn't, so the woman began to talk about Elenya. "This isn't good. I've checked her over and I have found that her legs are paralyzed. She might not be able to walk ever again."
Sesshoumaru turned to leave, knowing Elenya would remain in good hands. At the door the woman called to him again. "Wait!"
Once more Sesshoumaru turned to look at the woman who promptly stood up to face him. "Will you take Elenya with you?"
"What?" Sesshoumaru asked confused.
"Will you take Elenya with you?" The woman now gave him a pleading look. "I know she can't walk, but she does have a horse, she can ride. It's my fault she was chased out of the village; I let her stay with me and when the villagers found out they were angry that I let a 'demon' in amongst them. If they find out that she came back they would kill her."
Sesshoumaru thought for a moment, wondering if he could allow a disabled half demon to travel with him. He sighed and then muttered, "Fine."