Author's Note: Firstly, please see my note on my profile with regards to the 12 Days of Witchyness. Secondly, you are all so unbelievably kind to me. What have I done to deserve you?
That Flesh of Mine
Chapter Two
Well there's talking, talking, talking but who of them knows how to keep from killing, everybody's how it goes. I try to understand it, yeah I try not to lose. But can you really win when you must pick and choose?
(Who, The Sheepdogs)
Sango was going to murder them. It was the only thought ringing in his head, along with her scowl and bloodshot eyes. This was a bad idea. A stupid idea. At the first chance he could get, Inuyasha Taisho was going to go against the so-called bro code Miroku instated and throw the guy under the bus. Because this? Inuyasha knew bad ideas and this was one of them.
"Stop your glaring," Miroku scolded. "And slow down, will you? At this rate, we'll get to the school before it even ends."
His eyes, a golden colour he never had an easy time with, glanced down towards the speedometer. He was driving fast but that wasn't unusual. Inuyasha had little patience on a good day. On a day like today, where they were going behind Sango's back and following a stupid plan Miroku concocted? His patience was practically non-existent. It was almost a challenge, forcing his foot to ease off the pedal and for his hands to unclench the steering wheel. He didn't unclench his jaw though. A point had to be made.
Miroku, of course, picked up on it. The teen frowned, brow furrowed as he assessed him. It was one of those looks that could break every bodily reaction down. His mother had done the same thing, before. Inuyasha had hated it then and he hated it now. "You don't agree with me," Miroku said slowly, as if piecing the words together bit-by-bit. "You think this is a bad idea."
No shit, he wanted to growl out. It was a bad idea. The worst, especially because of all the fucked up crap that they'd been going through the past four days. Four days and Miroku was already pulling a stunt like this. Asato Houko would never had allowed such a thing.
He could tell the blue-eyed teen was getting frustrated, but the tell wasn't in his face, like almost everyone else. Miroku's right hand twitched, curled in on itself against his jeans. Ghost pains, he called it sometimes, self-deprecating. "She's going to tell someone," Miroku stated calmly, eyes never leaving Inuyasha's face. "Or, she'll keep her mouth shut. Either way, no matter how she handles it, she's going to come to us demanding answers. Plus, I know her from school. She's smart."
"There's smart, and then there's smart for this." It was the first thing he had said all car ride. Miroku's tiny smile proved it. "Very few people can deal with it."
"Kagome already has, unless you forgot," Miroku pointed out. "And instead of running, she saved your life."
"Saved my life," Inuyasha mocked, growling. "I fucking told you, she got in the way far more–"
"You're chattier when experiencing blood loss. It's a sad fact, but true." Miroku frowned again, staring ahead at the road. The school was barely within view. "Keep going. She walks this way, towards the south part of the forest."
Inuyasha switched to the right lane and tried not to glower too much. He remembered, though it was hazy, what he said in the woods that night. How that stupid girl threw a damn stick at a demon, trying to distract it like a feeble child. It never should have worked. Inuyasha should be dead. It was irritating though that Miroku knew. Bad enough that his friend had followed him, that Miroku had almost seen him as… Well, as demonic as he got. He hadn't breathed a word about his loss of control but that was surely going to come out against his best wishes.
"There," Miroku announced, pointing towards a girl with familiar, long black hair. "Can you pull over?"
Barely restraining himself from rolling his eyes, Inuyasha turned on his four-ways and drifted towards the curb. There were busses coming and going, but otherwise the street wasn't overly busy. He kept an eye on his rear-view mirror though, tugging the baseball hat he wore down a little better. He hated the damn thing.
Even if he hadn't wanted to, Inuyasha would've been hard pressed to not hear what was going on. Miroku left the door open and stood just inside of it, acting all calm and cool when he most certainly wasn't. As it stood, Inuyasha did want to know. He shifted his gaze out the windshield, taking in the face that was both familiar and foreign at the same time. He remembered her, vividly, the way her brown eyes had widened in absolute fear the first time she saw him. How her hands had scrabbled against his body, trying to get away from him and the centipede demon both.
At this very moment, she didn't look very different. Clearly troubled though and exhausted. It didn't take a genius to see that she wasn't sleeping properly, probably strung out on the knowledge that demons were real. For the first time all day, Inuyasha didn't hate Miroku's plan. Maybe it was for the best.
And then she locked eyes with him.
He could see it, the way her entire body trembled in shock. She took a step back and stumbled slightly, barely catching herself. Her lips were parted, a gasp or the start of a scream, Inuyasha didn't know. He gave a warning growl, only loud enough for Miroku to hear. Her screaming so close to the school would draw unnecessary attention to themselves and that went against Inuyasha's very being. Living the way he was, the cops were at the very top of things he never wanted to deal with.
"Kagome," Miroku said firmly. It was enough to break whatever kind of panic she was spiralling into. The girl blinked her big brown eyes and shifted focus, even if only for a second, towards him. "We should really talk. Get in the car, please. We'll go somewhere quiet."
A bad plan. A stupid plan. Inuyasha looked out the driver side window, forcing his glare outwards rather than at the scene before him. While the whole thing was poorly concocted, this was without a doubt the worst part. Surely, this Kagome girl would never join them, not after she had witnessed him again.
What are you? She had asked him, terrified, back in the forest. It had been like a goddamn prayer. She had just begged him – his demonic side, the very worst part of him – to let her help, to let her take care of him. And it– Inuyasha shook his head, trying to ignore it.
The rear car door opened and Inuyasha froze. She was getting in. The stupid girl was actually entering their car, looking for answers. He didn't dare look back, didn't care to check the rear-view mirror for her expression. Instead, he glanced over at Miroku who seemed overwhelmingly pleased. For a moment, Inuyasha sat there and didn't make any moves to get the car going again. Sango really was going to murder them both.
"You're not dead."
Inuyasha blinked and couldn't stop himself even if he wanted to. He turned around until he was facing her, this girl with big, tired eyes. Unsurprisingly, she seemed terrified. Her hands were in fists, white-knuckled. He could hear her heartbeat, the unsteady thump-thump-thump that escalated the longer he stared. But she didn't waver in her gaze, still made a point to look him directly in the eye. Her breathing grew faster. "No," he answered eventually. "It's pretty hard to kill me."
She dropped his gaze then, staring down at her hands. A shaky breath echoed in the car and Inuyasha couldn't watch any longer. He turned back around and pulled out onto the road, removing his four-ways. If Kagome was this scared but still in the car, then grudgingly Inuyasha could admit to himself Miroku's plan was for the best. Surely this girl would have gone looking for trouble otherwise.
"What are you?" Kagome asked, repeating the exact same words she whispered to him in the forest.
Inuyasha heard the words, fearful as they were, but when he breathed in he couldn't get a read on her emotions, too new to him to understand. It caused another problem though, one that Inuyasha immediately regretted. He tried not to flinch, keeping his eyes on the road even as the memory of that night flashed in his mind. The way she had looked at him: defiant, terrified but approaching anyways. He had lost his human side to bloodlust and anger; no one should have been able to get near him. Not Miroku or Sango. Certainly not a stranger. And yet. Something about her– It didn't make sense.
The longer the silence went on, he could feel Miroku's blue eyes boring into him. The fucker should be doing all the talking, not him. Not when he was in the middle of a crisis, shit.
Miroku must have finally gotten some sort of hint from him because he spoke, the smooth timbre of his voice almost soothing. "What do you think you saw two nights ago? In the woods?"
There was a small pause before she answered, firm. "A monster. Like some sort of snake."
"Centipede," Inuyasha corrected, mostly under his breath.
Miroku ignored him. It was his turn to look back at Kagome, to watch her reaction. "They're called demons," he explained. "They're creatures who can more or less look like anything and be either as weak as a kitten or as strong as Superman. Generally, as the name would suggest, they're evil."
For some reason, Kagome's heartrate started to slow. Inuyasha frowned but continued to drive. "How is this not something people know about?" she asked. "You would think stuff like this would be all over the news! If they're that big and weird and–"
"They're not," Miroku interrupted, shaking his head. "Demons come in all shapes and sizes. And things happen all the time but people don't look for things that come out of a storybook. If someone's been murdered, police look for other humans. They never consider the supernatural."
"So what, you guys fight them? Protect the town of Sakura in between completing homework and studying for tests?" She sounded incredulous. Inuyasha couldn't help but snort, taking in a deep breath afterwards that nearly had him choking. Christ, the scent of her. He scowled and rolled down the window, pissed off. Everyone had their own unique smell but this girl…it was like he was bathing in it. And what was worse was that he liked it. This had never happened, not once.
"Basically, yeah," Miroku acquiesced. "We do. Me, Inuyasha and Sango."
"The girl you're always with at school?"
Inuyasha smelled more and more of the forest, the deeper into the driveway to Sango's house they got. Her place was located at the northern-most part of Sakura's only forest, the old house built half a kilometre past the treeline. Their driveway was long and winding, the gravel crunching underneath the tires as they approached. Sango would be waiting outside. Inuyasha could feel it in his bones.
"Of course." Miroku sighed the moment she came into view, her arms crossed and expression unimpressed.
"Your funeral," Inuyasha stated bluntly. "I'm not covering for you."
"You agreed with me."
"I sure as hell did not," he argued.
Kagome leaned forward slightly, just enough that Inuyasha caught a flash of her black bangs. "What's wrong?"
"I'm about to be stabbed," Miroku admitted, grimacing. "Probably in the gut but the heart is just as likely."
Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha opened the car door and got out, immediately pointing to his friend. "Talk to him."
Sango stalked forward, all deadly grace and raging storm. Her eyes slid over Kagome before they immediately tracked to Miroku, who was getting out of the car with his hands already up in the air. "What are you thinking?" she demanded, distraught.
Inuyasha hid his flinch, turned away to stare deep into the woods. Sango wasn't just mad; she was upset. After everything, pulling a stunt like this was brutal. He listened, rather than saw, Kagome climb out from the backseat, standing beside him in such a way that Sango couldn't look at her. The girl had self-preservation skills, at least.
"Sango, please, let's talk about this," Miroku said calmly, placating. He must have been more of an idiot than usual because that tone never worked. Ever. Houko genes and placating were like oil and water.
"I don't understand," she yelled. There was the anger. "You left, you and Inuyasha, and you left your phones here so I couldn't track you and that was such an asshole move–"
"I know, I know. You're right. I knew you'd be upset but we need to deal with this, Sango. You're going through so much. Let me take care of this, okay? It would have bitten us in the ass if we hadn't."
"Fuck you," Sango spat. Three angry steps forwards and then two stumbling steps backwards. She had never been scared of a fight and Miroku would never, ever raise a hand to her. Inuyasha risked a glance, saw Miroku gathering his balance back even as Sango continued to approach. "My family is dead and you disappear without telling me just to take care of something for me? Who the fuck do you think you are?"
There was a small gasp, a realization. Kagome froze beside him. "Oh," she murmured quietly, more an exhalation than actual words. "The funeral for the family killed in the…"
"Bear attack, yeah." Inuyasha couldn't help the bitterness that bled out of his voice. Humans would believe whatever they wanted to believe.
"They were attacked by demons." Kagome didn't make it a question. She took a step closer, enough that Inuyasha was able to breathe her in. He glanced down, confusion clear in his expression against his wishes. Either she didn't believe he was a demon himself, which made no sense considering all of her questions or… He frowned. There wasn't really any other option.
"What are you doing?" he asked, unable to stop himself.
Kagome looked up, surprised, and then took a step back. "Sorry. Did I–?"
He didn't give her a chance to finish. "What do you think I am?" Inuyasha bit out. He was so confused. Sango and Miroku fighting still on the other side of the car, with Kagome's far too familiar, far too potent scent curling around him.
"I–" She shut her mouth, a shaky inhale and exhale following suit. Clearly she came to some sort of decision because she squared her shoulders and tilted her head up, looking him directly in the eye. "I don't know," Kagome replied, "but whatever you are, you still saved me."
Whatever he could've said to that – and honestly, Inuyasha wasn't sure an answer would have even come – it was never voiced. Miroku and Sango, together but both clearly unhappy, made their way over. It was Sango's voice that stole his attention, changing the conversation with a blunt question only she could ask.
"Why are you here?"
Miroku sighed but he kept his mouth shut. Kagome briefly glanced his way before probably realizing he wouldn't be any help. She didn't bother to look at Inuyasha. "I needed to know I wasn't going crazy," she explained. "After the attack in the woods, I just– I was so sure it happened but then I didn't see Miroku at school yesterday and it was suddenly so much harder to have faith. That I didn't just make it up." She crossed her arms, hands gripping her own biceps as if she could hug herself. "And he was right. No one else would believe me."
Sango stared at her for a moment, hard, before she sighed and gestured towards the house. "Come on. Do you want some tea?"
"That would be great, thanks."
Inuyasha watched as the three of them turned towards the house. The breeze stirred up and the trees danced in response, curling towards the building as if protecting it. He didn't know what that meant and didn't understand how they ended up here. But something was changing. The moment the Houko family had been wiped out on what should have been an easy hunt four days ago, a war had begun.
Miroku had a point in all of this, even if it was bad timing.
Following them into the house, Inuyasha made his way into the kitchen while the rest of them headed into the living room. Sango was utter crap at anything involving an appliance and Miroku was undoubtedly not going to leave Kagome's side. That left him with making tea. He hated tea.
It wasn't hard to listen in on their conversation while he filled the kettle, ears now free thanks to removing the baseball cap the second he stepped indoors. They were talking kindly enough but someone was still upset, heartrate significantly higher than everyone else's. It was likely Sango's or Kagome's, though if he had to make a bet it wouldn't be hard to choose.
"So you're the girl from the woods," Sango said. He heard the creaking of the leather couch as they sat down.
"Yeah. I run through those woods a lot but this was the first time…" She trailed off. "If, uh, Inuyasha hadn't come then I would've died."
Mistress Centipede – the name Miroku had given her after-the-fact, trying to lighten the mood while Inuyasha's body healed itself at the base of the tree – had been strangely focused on Kagome. Inuyasha leaned against the counter, trying to think back on it because it was strange. The demon had crossed into Sakura from the east, but instead of continuing straight to the west where the main town was, she had gone south. To Kagome. He had tried to fight her off but–
The kettle flicked off, ready, and so Inuyasha poured the tea. The other three were still in the other room, talking. Grabbing the three cups and ignoring the burn on his fingers, he took them into the living room.
The second he was in sight, Kagome watched him enter before looking away. "I still can't believe you and your family fought them all this time." She winced, hands clenching convulsively in her lap. It made him want to touch her, which was absolutely the worst thing he could do. Inuyasha sat down in one of the chairs, furthest away from her.
Sango gave her a tight smile. "Family business," she explained. "My brother and I started training basically when we were little. It was a lot of foam swords at first." She took a deep breath, nose going red the way it usually did when she wanted to cry. She rarely did though. "We protect Sakura from demonic attacks, help out other demon slayer clans in other towns or cities if need be."
"So there's a family like yours in every city?" Kagome seemed incredulous. "How is this something kept so tightly under wraps?"
"You'd be surprised," Miroku replied. "And no, not every city. Just ones that have higher demonic activity."
"My parents actually moved here to settle down," Sango said. She took a sip of the tea before continuing, "Sakura wasn't always like this. But it's all I've ever known."
Miroku nodded. "Generally, this town is safe but with everything that happened… Demons think they can just come in now that it's slayer-free. That's not true and we'll make sure they know it soon enough. We have it under control. If you want, we can give you our numbers in case you spot something or anything suspicious happens. You can still run in the forest, we'll make sure it's safe for you."
"Thanks," Kagome replied. "I appreciate it but I'm not sure I could ever go back in those woods and not–" She paused. "And not remember."
Inuyasha watched the myriad of expressions that flitted across her face. She was overwhelmed but anyone would be. He wasn't lying when he said it took a special kind of person to deal with this. Miroku exchanging numbers would be a good first step though, to helping her live with a knowledge she couldn't share with anyone.
"What can I do?"
The question itself was enough to startle him. More so was the way she said it, so confidently compared to the way she was sitting. "What?" he asked, unable to stop the question from leaving his mouth.
Sango and Miroku looked just as startled. "What do you mean?" Miroku asked, leaning forwards.
"I mean, what can I do to stop the demons from getting into our town?" Kagome shrugged. "Is there a special way to kill them?"
"No," replied Sango, faintly. "It's just a hell of a lot harder. But I've trained my whole life. Miroku, too. Humans can't just kill them. You'd be a liability."
It was the last word. Inuyasha could see the second it was said, how Kagome's entire demeanour changed. She shook her head. "No. I–" Whatever she was going to say was cut off by the sound of her phone vibrating. "Shit."
Miroku raised a brow at him, surprise still on his face. Inuyasha understood. This girl was something else entirely. She was fearful but defiant, wavering but direct.
"Mama, I'm so sorry," Kagome gushed the second she answered the call.
Her mother was clearly upset on the other end. "Where are you? I got so worried, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, sorry, I forgot to tell you I was hanging out with friends after school." Kagome bit her lower lip, grimacing at herself.
"Kagome." There was a heavy weight to the words, one that immediately fell onto the black-haired girl's shoulders. A sigh from the other line. "Your brother has soccer so we need to leave. You have a ride home, right?"
"Uh."
Inuyasha swore internally. "Yeah, I'll drive you." He didn't want to. He didn't want to lock himself back up in that car with her scent again. It was bad enough in the living room.
"Yeah Mom, I have a ride." Kagome gave him a weird look, but nodded.
"We're talking when I get back. This isn't like you."
"I know. I'm sorry." There was another sigh, but they were saying their goodbyes and Inuyasha didn't bother to focus on that part of the conversation.
"Did you need me to pick anything up while I'm gone?" he asked Sango.
She shook her head, cradling her tea. "No, but maybe ask Mushin. He had to pack quickly to get here. Maybe he's missing something."
"I'll check," Miroku said, groaning as he stood up. "I should make sure he's okay anyways. Kagome, is everything alright?"
She was off the phone now, picking at her sweater. "Yeah, I'm good." She raised a brow in his direction. "You could hear that whole conversation?"
"Hard not to," Inuyasha said, voice rougher than he meant. He crossed his arms and refused to think about the fact that it felt defensive. Irritated with himself, he pointed to his ears. No words were necessary.
She huffed, averting her eyes. "Are you okay to drive me?"
He wanted to say no, but there wasn't another option. All of them were too young to drive and he had already said he would. "Yeah, whatever. Miroku!" he yelled. "Anything?"
Turned out there was nothing. Before Inuyasha could even prepare himself, he and Kagome were outside, heading towards the car in silence while he put on his hat. He glared at the sky, taking in a deep breath of air that smelled of the forest. He got in the car before he could walk away.
Kagome gave him a small smile the second he was situated. Inuyasha found it to be completely unnerving, and he had faced demons that were three times his size. This girl was something else. "What?" he snapped. Better turn the car on quickly or he was going to leave. Christ, he should have stopped Miroku's plan. What a dumb plan.
"So what are you?" she asked, watching him intently. "I've asked several times and somehow never get an answer."
For a good reason. "You don't want to know," he muttered. He pretended driving was much harder than it was, focusing on the three-point-turn to turn them around.
"You're not human," Kagome stated. "So you're either a demon with an identity crisis, or something else. Your eyes were red."
Inuyasha should have just backed out of the entire driveway backwards. Maybe he could've avoided this whole start to the conversation. "Red eyes doesn't mean something demonic. Mistress Centipede had black eyes."
Huffing, Kagome glared at him. "Can't you just give me a straight answer?"
"Rather not." Shit, the whole car was filled with her scent. What the fuck was happening? Inuyasha rolled down the window slightly, frustrated and unsure how to deal with it.
"Well, we're in this car together so you might as well."
Inuyasha smirked at her. "I can kick you out."
That shut her up. Her glare didn't lessen but her mouth remained closed. The smell in the car shifted, but he couldn't tell how. All he knew was that it wasn't fear, and that alone was different.
She had to direct him where to go. The words were short but not clipped. She wasn't angry then. The way she sank into the seat with her backpack on her lap reminded him of the way Sango got after a trip to another town, fighting off demons that one family alone couldn't handle. It was exhaustion. It was something else he couldn't name.
It took a bit over twenty minutes to get there. Inuyasha hated the radio and Kagome didn't open her mouth other than to point out where he needed to go. Everything was just…weird.
"Take the next right and then follow it all the way down. My house is at the end; can't miss it." Kagome gave him a tired smile and clutched her backpack tighter.
"Is," Inuyasha started, surprised and somewhat horrified that he even spoke at all, "is your mom going to be mad?"
"You heard her," she answered, shrugging. "Probably. She knows something is wrong with me. I'm exhausted because I can't really sleep, but all she thinks I do is sleep. My running schedule has been off."
"It's best if she doesn't know." Inuyasha winced, thinking back. "It only ever equates to two things: either the person never leaves the house again, or they start searching for demons on their own. Both are bad."
"That's why you sought me out then."
"Why Miroku did, yeah." He felt the need to correct her because he had nothing to do with it. The scent in the car shifted again, her knuckles now white from clenching the straps of her knapsack. What was this girl's deal?
"You can pull up on the driveway. No one's home," she said. "Thanks for the ride."
He didn't want to say anything. He didn't want to ask more questions. Likely, and unless she started talking to Miroku and Sango at school, he wouldn't see her again. It was for the best anyways. There was something about her that was different and Inuyasha didn't like different. Things in his life had shifted enough, thanks.
But the moment her hand touched the door handle to get out, Inuyasha found himself speaking. "I'm not a demon." The words came out thick, heavy. He so rarely spoke about this, it was almost surreal to be doing so now.
Kagome shrugged and didn't look back at him. Maybe she knew if she did, he'd never say more. He didn't want to say more. "It's fine," she replied. "I don't–"
"I'm half." Saying it made him actually freeze. He hadn't explained it in so long. He looked out the windshield, took in the old house where she apparently lived. "My mother was human." There was so much to the story that he didn't even know himself, and surely opening this door would mean having to explain. How his parents got together. What that meant for demonkind. Why he used the past tense. What happened.
Slowly, Kagome shifted so that she could look at him again. The small smile was there, as tired as ever. "You still saved my life."
He nodded, even though saving her life was more of a side-effect of killing the centipede demon. "I'm not–"
"I know," she cut him off. "Thanks again for the ride." This time, when she touched the door handle she actually opened it. The girl left with only a single backwards glance as she opened the door to her house. There wasn't a wave, not even another smile.
Her scent was still heavy in the car. Inuyasha rolled down the windows completely.
She was something else.
Unsurprisingly, Miroku and Sango were fighting when he returned. They'd been doing that a lot lately.
"This is the last thing you should have done," Sango said harshly, glaring at him. "Especially without talking to me first."
"You need time to breathe," Miroku replied. In contrast, his tone was softer, gaze no less direct. "Sango, you just went through–"
"I know what I went through!" Sango yelled. "I sure as hell don't need you to keep reminding me. And you are not the leader of this household. You do not make decisions without me, got it?"
Miroku didn't respond. He stared at her, big blue eyes wide and sad. Inuyasha couldn't see her expression, but he could see the way her body was panting, heaving up and down.
"Whatever," Sango snapped, whirling on her heel and heading down the hallway towards the bedrooms.
Inuyasha watched her go before glancing at Miroku. His face was contorted, a mixture of unhappiness and frustration in every line of his body. "You okay?"
His friend didn't reply right away. "She has a lot going on. A lot to work through." It wasn't an answer but it was all he'd get.
"She'll get there," Inuyasha stated. "She's not exactly the sharing type so we can't expect her to be different."
Miroku sighed loudly, shoulders falling lower than he'd ever seen them. "I know. How'd the drive go?"
Terribly. He spoke about things he hadn't wanted to. "Fine."
"Hopefully this helps her," Miroku said, shaking his head. "The last thing we need is some teenager running into danger they don't know anything about. She has our number. If anything happens, she can call us. Otherwise, hopefully this is the end of it."
You're a teenager, Inuyasha didn't say. To be honest, Sango and Miroku, while 16 and 17 respectfully, didn't act as such. Knowing about demons did that to a person. Still, even as Miroku spoke the words, Inuyasha knew he was very, very wrong. "I don't think this is going to be the end of it."
"What makes you say that?"
Inuyasha frowned, sitting down on the couch. "Just… Something. Dropping her off I figured I'd never see her again. But when she got out, it didn't seem like the last time. Kagome doesn't seem like the kind of girl to let something this big go."
"You saw her like I did, in this room," Miroku stated incredulously. "The girl was shaking. She was terrified."
Not really. Inuyasha could smell fear, regardless if he knew the person or not. Other emotions – the little nuances of a person's behaviour – were harder to suss out. What Kagome smelled like in this living room wasn't fear. It was something else entirely. "She's wasn't," was all he argued, shaking his head.
"Well, then Sango really will murder me." Miroku rolled his eyes.
Inuyasha didn't outwardly react but secretly, he agreed.
The woods were silent.
Inuyasha ran, feet pounding into the dirt. Leaves crunched underneath, branches snapped. The only noises made were those he created, and that was because he wasn't trying to be stealthy. The woods were his. His and the Houko family's. Them all being dead didn't change it. Demons who dared to cross thinking they'd have a chance would be sorry. This was a statement, each crash of his body jumping over a log. This was a war cry of defiance. They would not be brought down.
When he stopped long enough to take a deep breath of air, there wasn't the smell of anything but forest. There were no sounds in the distance but animals running, climbing trees.
He was alone.
Inuyasha took one last breath and then continued to run.
Inuyasha lived by a routine.
He was generally the second one up in the morning. Had it been days ago, Maiho Houko would've been in the kitchen, scrambling eggs at the stove. She'd give Inuyasha a tired nod towards the coffee pot and remain quiet. Neither of them were talkers, but especially in the morning. Now, with both her and Asato gone… Inuyasha stared at the empty spot by the stove, trying to control his face into impassiveness. This wasn't the time. He had already grieved.
"Good morning, Inuyasha."
The half-demon paused by the countertop, golden eyes going towards the old man sitting at the kitchen table. "Mushin," he greeted, before dipping into the cupboards to find the right pan. Eggs couldn't be that hard. He had watched Maiho make them hundreds of times before.
Quietly he got to work. The old man was at least silent, sipping on tea he brought from his own place. As the named guardian in Asato and Maiho Houko's will, Mushin Fujimoto had done everything he could to transfer his life to the town of Sakura. He had known the Houko family for years, as much a part of the demon slaying community as they had been. When Miroku fell into Mushin's care after his parents passed away, the old man had thought it would be best if he grew up with someone his own age, someone who understood what the real world contained. Asato had agreed.
Apparently, Asato and Mushin were closer than any of them had thought. Sure, Sango's father had forged Mushin's signature for Miroku to attend field trips and other school activities, but it had been deeper than that. None of them had known until the will was read, but Mushin's legal residency was the house they were currently living in. Things made more sense, after that, and since he was also the named legal guardian, there were less hoops to jump through.
"I'll need you to sign some papers later," Mushin said suddenly, disturbing the silence. "Transfer of ownership, for one."
The car. Right. Inuyasha poured the egg mixture into the pan, idly stirring it around. Asato used to always drive Miroku and Sango to and from school, since the closest bus stop was a twenty minute walk and neither of them could drive alone yet. Miroku would be able to take his next test soon but that was months away.
"Inuyasha?"
"Sorry," he replied, shaking out of his thoughts. He scrambled the eggs in the pan some more. "No, that's fine. Just let me know."
There were clumsy steps exiting Sango's room and heading into the bathroom. A few minutes later, more steps came from Miroku's. At least they were both getting ready.
The eggs were finished just as Sango entered the kitchen, dressed and mostly ready. She raked a hand through her long hair, still down and a little knotted. "You cooked?" she asked, staring up at him with big, magenta eyes.
Inuyasha shrugged and split up the eggs between himself, Miroku and Sango. He offered to Mushin but the old man simply waved him off, going back to his tea. Oh well, more for himself. "It's not that hard."
For a long time, Sango was quiet. As he put the pan away he could see her just staring at the food, not touching it. Inuyasha briefly wondered if making them was a bad idea but he knew Sango. He may not have lived with her and Miroku for as long, but they'd still been under the same roof for the last ten years. She was strong. This was just a reminder, but a good one. She needed to remember the good things.
"Holy crap, food. Thank god," Miroku groaned, bursting into the kitchen. He snagged the seat beside Sango like always, digging his fork into the meal within seconds.
Sango gave him a disgusted look but it did the trick. Whether intentional or not, Miroku distracted her enough that she followed suit, eating the eggs without further issue. Inuyasha didn't smile or anything, but he was pleased nonetheless.
"When do all the busses leave your school?" Inuyasha asked. There was no way in hell he could pick them all up when the place was crawling with people. He wasn't exactly hidden in the town, but Inuyasha didn't go out of his way to be seen. Silver hair and golden eyes stood out. His fangs did too. It was the little details that couldn't be ignored close-up.
"Uh, around 2:50 I think," Miroku answered. "Want to come at three? Sango and I can entertain ourselves until then."
"Whatever works."
Sango reached across the table to tap her fork on his plate, the sound almost jarring. "Are you going to be on watch while we're gone?"
Meaning, was he going to make sure no more demons were around? Obviously. Inuyasha raised a brow at her, unimpressed. "What do you think I do all day?"
She made a face back because she never backed down from anything, ever. "They think we're weak and we can't let them feel like they can get into our border."
"I know, Sango." He said this patiently, ignoring the way Miroku looked up at him.
"Mistress Centipede's been the only one so far," he stated, brushing back his bangs. "You think there will be more?"
"I know there will be," Sango replied firmly. "Dad told us that the demonic activity has been steadily getting worse in Sakura. Every year, it's like this place just becomes some beacon of evil activity."
"Should have just named this place Beacon Hills," Miroku grumbled, mostly under his breath.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "There aren't any hills here, don't be stupid," he commented.
"Boys, can you stay on topic?" Sango glared at them both. Somehow, she was still terrifying even as she chewed on her eggs. The woman had talent. "We just need to be on guard, that's all. If Inuyasha keeps doing surveillance while we're at school and then we do a nightly check-up, it'll be fine. As long as we continue to establish that Sakura is not a welcome place for demons, we'll be good."
The rest of breakfast was simply routine. Getting everyone in the car, putting on the stupid baseball cap he hated so much. It made his ears feel compressed and while it didn't affect his hearing really, it felt like it did. It was irrational. Sango and Miroku had told him as much, even going so far as to say the hat looked good on him.
Whatever. He wasn't trying to please anyone.
Inuyasha dropped them off just before the last bell rang, when most students were already inside of the school. The drive back was easy enough and when he returned to the house, Mushin was gone, the sounds of unpacking coming from his new room. The dishes had already been cleaned so Inuyasha did what he always did: went to the forest.
It was so much better, being there than anywhere else. He never had to wear a baseball cap, and he never wore socks or shoes. Sweats and a t-shirt on, he broke into a run, feeling the grass and dirt and leaves beneath his feet. He didn't run anywhere in particular. Sakura's forest was quite large, edging into another town on the eastern border. He stretched out his legs and made the trek, ears and nose alert to anything new. It was just the same though, no matter how far he went. The scent in the air was a little heavier, the threat of rain hanging in the balance. Not today, though. Maybe overnight.
His whole day was spent in the forest. When he wasn't running, he was climbing the trees and resting on the ground. The forest was his home more than anywhere else.
Eventually, he had to go back.
Putting on socks and shoes and a hat were pieces of an armour he wore at all times to the outside world. The old BMW only hesitated slightly when he turned the ignition and the drive to the school was uneventful. Once he was there though, that's when it all changed.
It was a minute after three o'clock, and Miroku and Sango were nowhere to be found. He frowned, watching the front doors of the school intently. Grabbing his cell phone, he sent them both a text. Where are you?
There was only a small wait, like the barest of hesitations, before the speech bubble popped up. Coming, Sango wrote. Sorry.
We'll explain, Miroku added, seconds later.
When the both of them walked out, they were talking animatedly to each other. Miroku looked, of all things, surprised. Sango looked determined, stubborn. She was definitely arguing with him. Inuyasha tried not to sigh. Nothing was worse than when they were fighting. It used to be a rare occurrence. Arguments, sure. But fighting? A part of him didn't want to admit it, even to himself, but when they fought it threw him off, made him agitated even though he was never involved.
"No, Miroku," Sango said firmly, before even opening the car door. "It's not happening."
"You saw her!" he exclaimed back, blue eyes wide. "Why are you so against this? We're going to need some help. Mushin can barely work up a protection spell anymore. We need more than just the three of us."
Angrily, Sango opened the passenger door and got inside.
"You know I'm right," Miroku argued. "Why do you choose to keep fighting me?"
"Fighting you?" Sango asked, incredulous. "You're the one that keeps making decisions without even consulting me!"
"I was consulting you right now!"
And Sango yelled something back and Miroku glared from the backseat and Inuyasha was fed up. He was done. Every part of him hated this; the tension that came less than a week ago and refused to leave, to dissipate. It set him on edge.
"She is not going to be trained–"
"And good because I'm pretty sure she doesn't–"
"Shut up!" Inuyasha growled, snapping out the words like a physical assault. It had the desired effect. Immediately, Sango's and Miroku's mouth closed, eyes big and turned in his direction.
And then Sango got a look on her face.
"Don't even," Inuyasha interrupted, long gone from irritated and tense. He was angry and he could feel it, the blood pumping in his veins, the way his body just wanted to fight. "One more word and I'll kick both of you out of the car. You can walk home." It wasn't enough though. Now, all of them were angry. Sango was pissed off at Miroku, Miroku was pissed off at Sango and Inuyasha wanted to strangle them both. He knew that Sango was grieving; her father, mother and brother had been murdered by some demon. And there weren't any answers. They had tried, desperately, to find any trace of what had happened, but between the crime scene being monitored by police and Sango's shaking, they hadn't been able to come up with anything.
So now there was nothing. No closure. No idea of what to do next. It made all of them worse for wear.
"What are you two fucking fighting about now?" Inuyasha demanded. There was no less of a growl in his voice.
After a moment's pause, Miroku sighed. "You were right. Kagome isn't going to let this go."
"Which is–" Sango tried to start fighting again but Inuyasha snarled, cutting her off.
"Jesus Christ, stop arguing for two goddamn seconds." She had just lost her family. He should be kinder, but the tension was getting to him too much, making him agitated. "You're being stupid." It said something that Sango didn't fight him. She didn't even make a face. Crossing her arms, the black-haired girl glared out the window, her shoulders a tense line. Inuyasha would probably feel bad about it later, privately in his own head. Looking in the rear-view mirror to see Miroku, he asked, "What did she do?"
"She told us she wanted to help." Miroku started digging around in his jeans, trying to get out his cell phone. "At first, I was thinking that we needed to push her back. End the train of thought so she could move on. But!" He tapped on the screen and then shoved the phone by his face, some sort of video playing. They were close enough to the house that the winding street they were on to get there was more or less abandoned. He pulled over and parked the car, taking the phone and started the video from the beginning.
It was Kagome and she was shooting a bow and arrow. There were a variety of shots and each time Miroku showed the end result. A bullseye almost every time, and so, so close on the ones that barely missed.
"That's from her archery club today. She's good," Miroku stated. "She knows the secret, she wants in and we need people. We can train her. She'll only ever be backup, but an extra set of eyes and ears on demonic activity in this town? Especially with the way it's been ramping up these past few years? I think we need it."
Inuyasha watched the video again, almost memorized. There was too much commotion going on so he couldn't hear anything coming from her, but there was that defiance again in her eyes. Defiance at the target, maybe. Defiance at something else. The half-demon didn't know.
Adjusting his gaze to the girl beside him, Inuyasha had to ask. "Sango, what's hanging you up on this?"
She tensed even more – which frankly seemed impossible – but didn't look at him. She didn't even budge. "Why do you care if you don't want my opinion anyways?"
Shit. It was like all the air in the car disappeared. He could smell Miroku's unhappiness and could practically feel the waves of strain. That was it. "You want to act like nothing's different?" Inuyasha asked. It was deceptively calm. Too calm. Miroku put his hand on the half-demon's shoulder, as if such a small act would stop him. "Then fine."
"Inuyasha–"
"No," he interrupted, shaking his head. "That's what you want, right Sango?"
She finally shifted to look at him, still glaring and pissed off. Well, two could play at that game.
"Then you're being a fucking idiot." There, he said it. There was zero satisfaction, even when Sango flinched at the words. "You don't want anything to change, but it has. Your family is dead, Sango. They were murdered. And we need to fucking get the bastards that did this. But all we have right now is you, trying to control everything that you can't control and a weepy Miroku who doesn't understand why he can't make you fucking smile anymore. And then there's me, trying not to freak the fuck out every time the two of you fight." It was his turn to glare, but he made sure to look equally at Miroku. He wasn't innocent either. "I'm a dog demon, you assholes. Chemosignals and shit."
Miroku's hand tightened and then there was a burst of laughter. He was actually chuckling, eyes closed and body shaking with it. "Holy shit, we broke you."
Growling, Inuyasha shrugged off his hand.
"No, really!" Miroku pressed. "That's the most you've probably ever said to either of us, ever."
Sango's mouth twitched, the tips of her lips slowly growing upwards. It only got worse the second she looked at the blue-eyed boy.
"Whatever," Inuyasha muttered. "Let's figure out shit out."
"At the side of the road?" Miroku raised a brow but shrugged, conceding. "Fine. Look, if this happened a week ago then I would never even consider it. But I think we need her, even if it's in a minimal capacity."
Sango didn't frown but her smile disappeared. Sighing, she shook her head. "She's a liability."
"We can train her."
"When?" Sango asked, not unkindly. It was the most civil they had been in a long while. "While we're at school? After, in between homework and everything else we need to take care of now?"
Miroku nodded. "It's a pain in the ass now but if we stay like we are, how long will we last? You said it yourself: between homework and school and taking care of a big house, we won't be able to do it all."
Sango sighed heavily and rubbed at her face, eyes closed. There were deliberate breaths, long and deep. When she looked at them finally, magenta eyes sliding between the half-demon and blue-eyed human, it was clear a decision had been made. "Okay, we bring her in. But all of us need to train her. We'll take turns. We'll come up with a schedule for watch and for training."
Grinning, Miroku nodded. Inuyasha eyed them both and wondered how long the peace would last. He wasn't stupid enough to believe that one angry discussion with him was enough to patch up everything that had been going wrong.
"Inuyasha?"
"Fine," he answered. He pulled the car back onto the road and continued the drive home.
"I want you to look out for her," Sango continued.
Frowning, the half-demon spared a glance at her. "What?"
"She's new and frankly, the most likely to die." Sango's expression was more determined than he'd ever seen. "And I can't have that on my conscience too."
And what could he say to that? If Miroku's stricken expression in the rear-view mirror was anything to go by, nothing could be said. They would just have to figure it out.
Today felt wrong.
Inuyasha turned down the street to school, unable to shake the feeling no matter how far away from the forest he got. All day he had been running, searching, scenting the air for traces of the wrongness. He couldn't find it. No matter what he did, whatever was around to throw him off refused to be found.
It was ten minutes after three, the delay coming from his reluctance to leave the house alone. It was not knowing for sure what felt off that haunted him. When he pulled into the quick pick-up lane, Miroku and Sango were already there.
Kagome was too.
"Shit," he muttered, unable to stop the grimace from showing on his face. This was the last thing he needed.
The second the car door opened, he could smell her. He could smell Miroku and Sango as well, their scents as familiar and comforting as they always were but– But. They were nothing like Kagome's. It was stronger, richer. Inuyasha felt like he should be able to see it, the way it curled around him and spread through the car.
"Hey," Miroku greeted the moment he sat down in the passenger seat. "How's it going?"
"Something's up." No point beating around the bush. "I don't know what though."
"You can't smell anything?" Sango pressed, leaning forward to get closer.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "If I did, I would've said."
"Touchy, geez," Sango retorted, which was rich, coming from her. "Were you able to get a sense of direction on it?"
"Nothing," he replied, shaking his head. "I can just…tell."
"Like some sort of demonic sixth sense?" That was Kagome, the first thing she had said since entering the car.
Inuyasha wanted to roll his eyes again. He wanted to snap because Miroku and Sango should have warned him. Instead, all he said was, "No." Blunt. To the point. Effective.
"Then what do you mean you can 'just tell?'" Kagome implored.
Well then. Not effective.
"I can't explain it," he answered tersely. And he couldn't, not really. It had both nothing and everything to do with the smells and sounds of the forest. "I first noticed something was wrong when I was on the western part of the forest but there was nothing to follow. I went everywhere."
"We'll do another sweep then," Sango stated. "Show Kagome the forest."
Great, that was just what he needed. Her scent mixing in with the trees and dirt and everything else he felt comfortable with.
"Do all the demons come from the forest?" Kagome asked. The question was hesitant, like even though she asked she already knew the answer.
Miroku shook his head. "No, but demons typically stand out. It's easier for them to lurk in the forest before they make some sort of move. And lucky us: Sakura is mostly taken up by forest."
Inuyasha fought the urge to roll down the window. It would just be suspicious at this point. It wasn't even nice out, the air still humid with last night's rain. Why was her scent so strong to him? It wasn't bad but Inuyasha wouldn't go so far as to say it was good either, which was normal with a person's scent. Rarely did something stand out. It wasn't like in movies or books where they could point out exactly what perfume they were wearing, or what kind of shampoo they used. It was something unique, like a fingerprint. Kagome's was simply so much stronger, more potent.
And maybe he was lying to himself. Inuyasha eyed the window control button for a moment, grimace still in place. Her scent wasn't just good: it was fucking intoxicating.
Inuyasha had never been more grateful getting to the house. He turned the car off immediately and opened the door, demonic speed in play to get away as fast as possible. He needed the smell of the forest, something that could lessen the potency. Looking up into the trees, he took in a deep breath. What the hell was going on?
And that's when he saw it. Black wings and a long, curved beak. A crow, sitting in one of the trees several feet away.
"Sango," Inuyasha growled, voice as even as he could make it. "Your two o'clock."
But it didn't make any difference at all. Knowing it was spotted, the crow flapped its wings and took off into the air, a wicked caw bursting from its throat. Within seconds, it was lost in the bush. Inuyasha knew there was no point in even trying to track it.
"Did that…?" Kagome's voice floated over his shoulder, her wave of scent curling around him.
Inuyasha turned, his shoulder pressing into her from how close she was standing. The brown-eyed girl was staring up at the sky, startled. He knew why.
"Yeah," he muttered, mind already trying to figure out what all of this meant. "That wasn't a crow."
"It had three eyes," Kagome said softly, almost to herself. The next part was barely louder than a whisper. "And red eyes."
A three-eyed crow demon wasn't a massive beast. It wasn't a threat unless you were already dead. But even to humans, crows meant something far more than merely dark, angry-looking birds. The three-eyed crow demon was here for a reason. It was watching the town of Sakura for a reason. It sat on that very tree, red eyes intent on them, for a reason.
And that reason was death.
Responses to Anon Reviewers:
Wolfsmaid: Yes there is! And trust me, my dear, there is so much more to come.
Mal: Well, you can't win them all hahaha. But I'm really glad you stuck with it and really liked the characters. Hopefully you enjoy the rest of what's in store. There is honestly so much to come :D
Eva: Can't have that, now can we? Thanks dear!
Kanne80: Thank you :) I hope you liked chapter two, and you enjoy the rest!
Agive005: Thanks love! You've disabled messages, so I hope you don't mind getting a response here :)
Lola1991: Oh thanks! Is 1991 your birth year because if it is... SAME. Do you feel old? I feel old.
Guest: Why thank you! The edge of your seat is where I always hope to have you guys ;) Wait. That sounded weird. That was...not supposed to sound weird.
Guest: Love back :)
Guest: I'm so glad you really like it! Hopefully you enjoy the rest of what's in store!
I can't begin to explain how much more to this story there is. I hope you enjoy the ride with me.
Feedback, as always, is love.
Witchy