A/N: Why am I doing this. My first Inuyasha AU. It's shitty but I'm incapable of stopping myself.
Summary: You already freaking know.
1
Nine to Survival Job
The dog-eared half demon stared down at his animals in their captivity that smelled of bone and wilderness, narrowing his eyes and ignoring his own stench as he focused all his attention on the snarling beasts. The tropical environment of the island was suffocating but it was home to him, and he relished at the feel of his bare feet sinking into the black soil of the ground, bits of sand and palm tree littering the dirt. His sweat made the material on his back cling to him and it made him restless. The vest around his chest was constricting, restrictive. He wanted to take it off badly but the vest was a part of his contract to wear- to keep him safe during these episodes. Behind the pockets at his chest was a double plated iron material, there to help him on the off-chance that five-inch fangs ever decided to pierce into him.
Wild golden eyes found his and he surrendered his focus to the largest of the white animals below him- Kaze. She followed his every movement, waiting for a signal.
"Inuyasha!"
He turned away from the iron rails under his clawed hands and faced the owner of the voice, his ears following the annoyed growling from the female creature below them.
"Miroku," He acknowledged folding his arms, straining the material against his biceps even more than before, "What do you want? I'm in the middle of-"
"Training, yeah I noticed," The pony-tailed man uneasily looked down at the pen.
"Not training," Inuyasha corrected propping up a booted foot against the rails opposite of him. "Bonding."
"Riiiight," Miroku exaggerated leaning against the iron banister and glancing at the barking animals underneath him. "Well I just wanted to let you know that your new zookeeper assistant just arrived. She's getting changed, but she'll be waiting for you below. Oh..." He tacked on with a devilish grin- "And she's super cute." Emphasized by his waggling eyebrows.
The half-demon rolled his eyes and shook his head in annoyance, "How many times did I tell Kikyo I didn't need a damn assistant." His jaw twitched at his own voice saying the park manager's name. "She's just going to end up eaten- or worse."
Miroku rose one eyebrow and lowered its twin, "What could be worse than being eaten?"
Inuyasha's eyes looked past him, his face dark, not replying with words. The things he's seen this pack do to a live animal were beyond description.
Miroku rose off the rail and turned his back to him with a two-finger salute, "Well just don't forget the girl. She's excited."
"And oi, I'm not a zookeeper!" Inuyasha snapped, remembering his off-handed insult.
"Whatever you say," Miroku entered the steel elevator to descend and return to the ground level, but not before pulling a smirk, "But you're definitely the one holding that bucket of dead rats and those dogs are looking pretty hungry."
Inuyasha growled, "Why you-"
The elevator doors swallowed up Miroku's face and Inuyasha was left standing on the roof of the pen with a fist aimed in his direction- alone.
The snarls and yips from underneath his feet distracted him and he was back to looking at the white fur-coated Kaze. "Okay girl, eyes on me." He held up an open palm, "Eyes on me!"
She gave a characteristic scowl but honed in her vision to his palm and when he began to move, she followed.
"Good!" Inuyasha almost wanted to smile, "Very good," He saw from his peripheral that her siblings were mimicking her movements, "Keep it up!" He encouraged, translating his eagerness through his voice instead.
The larger than life dogs all started walking in his intended direction, their eyes never leaving his hand. A smaller sibling with a slight limp in her pivot, unintentionally moved ahead of Kaze and the larger animal snapped at her, putting her back in the right place.
"Kaze!" Inuyasha admonished in a rough voice returning her to his hand, "Okay…okay good." He continued once he had all their attentions again.
He curled his open hand into a fist and all their necks inched up higher, cocking their mouths slightly open in a pant, their tongues lolling out. "Steady!"
One of the siblings marched a paw in place, impatient.
"Kizu, I see you." Inuyasha squinted. She stopped. He brought the hand down in one swift movement while saying, "Go!"
The pack ran forward, released from their leader. He allowed a small smile of pride to split his lips.
"Wow," A female voice gasped.
The half-demon swiveled, his ears perked, grin dropping instantly.
"That was amazing." She wasn't looking at him, she just kept her eyes on the smaller animal, the hobbling one. "But why is that one limping?"
Inuyasha took in her appearance, and judging by her oversized boots, her matching brown vest and the blue undershirt with the brand of the park on her right shoulder, he determined this was the assistant Miroku had reminded him about earlier. He gave one long slow blink in agitation. What happened to waiting for him below?
"That's Mizu." He told her in a neutral tone, picking up the bucket of warm dead rodents at his side and heaving it up onto the rail. The dogs instantly ran back to the center of the pen, awaiting.
"Here you go, Mizu," He pitched a small portion of a rat to her, reaching for another slightly larger piece, "Kizu, I'm giving you the same portion as last time but get impatient with me again and you'll only be seeing tail next time," He threw half a rat to the panting animal and the second her jaws tied around it she viciously shook her head from side to side growling.
"It's dead already, you idiot." Inuyasha mumbled.
"Chi," He called out flicking his wrist to feed the third one, and she caught it gracefully while still in hind leg position.
He gripped a fat one the last time his hand came out of the rat bucket and he locked eyes with the remaining animal. They both stayed like that for a few passing seconds, breathing and staring. "Kaze," he started, toying with the rat in his hand, "This one's for you." He pointed the nose of the dead animal in his hand towards her snout and then under-handed it in a weak throw. She swallowed it whole the second it reached her tongue.
He wiped his dirty fingers on his gray pants and set the bucket down again, the sound of the metal clanking against metal bringing the woman aside him out of her trance.
"So why is she limping?" She probed again, knotting her hands behind her back.
"She was attacked at a young age."
"By what?"
"Kaze."
"Why?"
Inuyasha flashed her wan smile, hoping the dead look in his eyes would strike fear in her somehow, someway, "Because that's what they do. They attack things. They eat things smaller than them. Devour without a moment's hesitation. They can and will rip you apart. They don't care who you are, or what you mean to them. The provider of their meals could be their dinner tomorrow, today, yesterday. Their assistant could be desert."
The young woman didn't so much as flinch, and frankly- she found his over-dramatics borderline offensive, "That didn't exactly answer my question."
A/N: WHY AM I DOING THIS TO MYSELF.
