Disclaimer: If Romiko Takahashi ever gives Inu to me, you'll be the first to know, 'cause I'll rub it in everyone's faces. Hahahaha!
A/N: I'm sorry its taken so long to post this chapter. As I said I've had a horrible past two months. First my dog breaks her leg, then someone stills money out of my checking account, then I get some bad news from my doctor (that ended up okay in the end), and a hundred other things went wrong! Plus I've got a demanding selfish boyfriend that just wont let me touch the computer unless he's asleep, otherwise he complains the whole time. Now I'm having to learn a whole new job at work and I've been stressed to say the least! Anyways, I hope it didn't take too long for this to come and I hope you guys like it. On with the show!
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Chapter 2 – Old Friends and New Enemies
"Inu Yasha! Inu Yasha!" Kagome's voice was swallowed and dulled by the thick miasma that surrounded them. She struggled in her captors arms to see her hanyou. But when she looked back all she could see was a thick foreboding darkness. For a split second fear and panic raced through her veins, to quickly be replaced by the fire of determination. Again she struggled. "Inu Yasha!"
"Quiet wench!" Satsukomaru tightened his grip on her neck. "Or I'll snap your pretty neck."
Her eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't dare. Your master wants me alive."
He glared sharply at her. "He does, but he didn't say in what condition you had to be."
"You'll regret ever putting your filthy hands on me once Inu Yasha catches up with us." She held his gaze defiantly.
"You're pretty confident in that pathetic half-breed."
"That's because I know what he's capable of. And you'll know too once he gets his hands on you."
Satsukomaru snorted. "I doubt that. I have you and soon I'll possess the power to destroy him. You and your mate will die."
"Why do you hate him so much? What did he ever do to you?" Her chocolate orbs dug into the older man's soul.
Satsukomaru looked away as his vision clouded over with memories of a life so long ago. "He caused my family's death. If not for him and that other half-breed, our village never would have been attacked. I won't rest until they both pay for their crimes against my family."
"What other half-breed? That girl?" Kagome thought back to the sudden appearance of the young woman in the woods. She had been a beautiful sight even in the dimness of the night with her silver eyes, waist length light brown hair and flowing deep green kimono. She felt a pang in her heart as she recalled the way Inu Yasha had whispered the woman's name. He had known her and she had known him in return. Yet the woman had tried to save her and had even said that they were her responsibility.
Satsukomaru drew her out of her thoughts with something that sounded akin to Inu Yasha's growl. "That bitch pretended she was human. She even seemed to fool your precious dog. She's been protecting him for years, keeping me away from him. But now that I have you, she won't dare attack me." His eyes grew cold as the night that surrounded them. "And that will be her downfall. Yukkana will die." Kagome remained silent as the giant serpent carried her further away from her beloved and deeper into the hands of her enemies.
Dawn was breaking when they encountered what felt like a wall of wind. It swept around them, stinging the eyes and skin. 'A barrier - a very powerful barrier.' Kagome squeezed her eyes closed until the winds past and when she opened them again a sprawling castle had appeared where none had been there before. 'It's just like Naraku's castle.' A chill raced up her spine at the thought. The castle was surrounded by a ten foot wall with spear tipped pillars. The place sent her skin crawling. She could already sense a strong demonic aura permeating from the place. 'Inu Yasha hurry, please.'
The giant demon landed in the courtyard. Satsukomaru roughly pushed her from its back. "Move."
Kagome caught herself clumsily on her hands and knees. For some reason the sudden jar made her nauseated. She placed a hand over her mouth.
"Up wench." Satsukomaru took hold of her hair and hauled her back to her feet.
Kagome gritted her teeth as she was forced forward to one of the many buildings. 'It would serve him right, if I threw up all over him!' Kagome fumed.
They finally stopped beside a door guarded by two samurai. Satsukomaru nodded to one and he unlocked the door. Kagome was shoved inside and again she landed on her hands and knees. "You'll stay here until we need you." Satsukomaru locked the door behind her.
Kagome pushed herself into a seated position, placing the back of her hand once more against her mouth in a vain attempt to prevent the nausea from overtaking her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a shadow move. Sitting up quickly she watched as a person stood on a pair of unsteady legs and walked towards her. She stared in shock as a pair of familiar brown eyes met her own. In that moment, Kagome realized the amount of true peril she was in.
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"Yukkana!" Inu Yasha cried as he leapt from Kirara. He could smell the salt of her tears and hear the sound of her sobs, before he touched the ground just outside the light of the fire. He paused as he entered the clearing to see the young woman in the arms of what appeared to be a large man. But Inu Yasha could tell by not only his scent but also the green markings on his cheeks that he was no mere man. He was a demon and a demon lord at that.
Inu Yasha scanned the clearing. His gaze fell on Miroku and Sango who stood a few feet away. He stepped toward them while keeping an eye on the newcomer. "You okay, Sango?"
She nodded. "Yes, that young woman helped me." She absently rubbed her hand over her neck where a small red mark still remained.
Miroku held a small dart in his right hand, his other was fixed securely around Sango's waist. "She just touched her and Sango woke up. What ever the effects were of this dart, your friend seems to have dispelled them with a single touch."
"I saw the demon getting away with Kagome...I tried to help...I'm sorry." Sango lowered her gaze.
Inu Yasha clenched his fist. "Don't apologize. You tried. I failed."
Miroku's gaze softened. "I take it you didn't catch up with her."
Inu Yasha shook his head, his ears flattening against his head. "No." He frowned. He had to find Kagome and to do that he needed answers. And the only source of answers was a woman he had not seen in nearly two hundred years. He lifted his gaze to the couple that knelt beside one another just a little distance away. Yukkana was sobbing.
"I tried so hard to get here. It's all my fault."
"You shouldn't have left without telling me!" The man berated, even though he stroked her hair and clutched her tightly.
"If I'd only been a little faster, just a few minutes earlier…." She continued.
The man shook her slightly and cupped her face in his hands, lifting her eyes to his. "Listen to me, Yukkana! You can't run off like that! Do you realize how dangerous that was!"
"I had to! I had to come!" Her silvery tears continued to stream down her cheeks in little rivers.
"Why? What was so important that you had to leave without me!" His eyes pleaded desperately with her for understanding.
Yukkana glanced over her shoulder. "Inu Yasha was-" She was cut off by the fierce growl that came from her mate. His eyes flashed brilliant green as he glared past her at the aforementioned hanyou. "Kyouko!" Yukkana chastised.
"Damn it, Yukkana!" He pulled away from her and paced a few feet away before slamming his fist into the nearest tree, uprooting it. "Why do you have to be so reckless!" His voice softened as he clenched his fists at his side. "What would I have done if something had happened to you?"
Yukkana stood slowly behind him, her tears reflecting in the moonlight. "Kyouko…" She placed her hands gently on his back.
He turned suddenly and pressed her small frame against his large one. "Kami…what if….I couldn't live without you…I wouldn't want to….Promise me you'll never do that again."
She sighed and rested her head against his chest. "I know…I'm sorry…I promise."
"This is nice and all, but we ain't got the time for this shit!" Inu Yasha snarled as he stomped toward them. "Tell me what the hell is going on! Why did that bastard just take Kagome!"
Kyouko stepped in front of his mate, standing a good two heads above Inu Yasha. He folded his arms over his chest. "Do not blame her for your own shortcomings."
"What! How dare you!" Inu Yasha growled.
"Inu Yasha! Kyouko! Stop this now!" Yukkana stepped around her mate, sparing him a death-glare. "Arguing does Kagome no good!" She sighed as she turned to Inu Yasha. "Forgive me, Inu Yasha. I have once again involved you in something that is not your fight but my own. I saw your Kagome's capture in my dream. I tried my hardest to reach you in time, but you are still a full day's walk from my home in the mountains."
"What do you mean, you saw her capture in a dream?"
"One of my demon powers is to see the future." Yukkana began to explain.
"So, if you could see her capture, can't you see where she's being taken?"
Yukkana sighed. "I can try, but it doesn't always work that way. I don't always have control over when they come. I'm only a half-demon like you. I can't force the images. Most of the time they simply come to me. I will try, though." She closed her eyes and attempted to focus her mind on wherever Kagome now was or where she would be. Slowly her features dropped and she opened her eyes. Everyone watched her expectantly. Her gaze fell to the ground as she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't see anything."
"Damn it." Inu Yasha growled. "What the hell kind of demon power is that! You can't even control it!"
"Shut up, mutt! I don't see you doing any better!" Kyouko snarled.
"Back off fur bag! I need to find my mate and she's going to help me whether you like it or not!"
"Don't try and threaten me, puppy. You have no idea who you're dealing with." Kyouko growled.
"Puppy! Why you-"
"Silence!" Yukkana snapped, her eyes narrowing. Kyouko backed away from her, putting up his hands in an attempt to pacify her.
Inu Yasha smirked. "What's the matter, afraid of your own mate?" He fell silent as her sharp gaze was narrowed on him. For a split second a memory flashed before his eyes of a small girl covered in dirt and mud, a cut beneath her left eye and blood dripping down her chin. She hadn't even known his name that day, merely stepped into a brawl that had not gone according to his plan. There had been that same fire burning in her eyes then that now burned into him. He gulped. "Um, I mean...never mind."
Kyoko dared to put a hand on her shoulder as he spoke in a reasonable tone. "Can you sense her spirit at least, Yukkana?"
She sighed. "If you two will be silent and let me concentrate..." She glared at the two males. Kyoko was wise enough to take a step back again and remain silent as she closed her eyes. Each member of the group felt a jolt of energy briefly race through them as Yukkana stretched out her senses to their limits. The forest fell into a dead silence.
Shippo scurried over to hide behind Inu Yasha's leg, where he trembled slightly. "Wh-what was that?"
Inu Yasha ignored him in preference of Yukkana, who'd just opened her eyes. "Well?"
She nodded slowly, her eyes still holding a distant glow. "Yes, at the very edge of my senses...I think, I felt her."
"You think?" Inu Yasha growled.
She nodded again, not meeting his gaze. "It was more like an echo of her presence. She must be beyond my reach or..."
"An echo-!"
Inu Yasha was silenced by Kyouko's sharp growl. "Stupid dog listen to her will you! Your mate is still alive. And this is the best you've got to go on to find her, since you're incapable of tracking your own mate."
"Why you filthy bear! I'm going to make a rug out of you!" Inu Yasha cracked his knuckles.
Kyoko smirked and spread his stance in preparation for battle. "Just try it!"
"Enough!" Yukkana stepped between the two posturing males. She turned her glare from one to the other. "Kyouko, I am your mate and you are mine. Not even death will separate us. Now quit trying to entice Inu Yasha into a fight." Inu Yasha snorted and folded his arms over his chest as Yukkana turned her glare on him. "And Inu Yasha, would you not prefer to be tracking down your mate. I can only tell you in which direction she has been taken, once we reach the point at which I sensed her presence you will have to track her from there. Would you prefer her scent go cold and you loose her?"
Inu Yasha clenched his fists at his side several times before he spoke. "No, of course not." Yukkana merely watched him silently for a moment, before he turned on his hill and stomped over to Kagome's bag to stuff the large red sleeping bag back into its voluminous depths.
Miroku wandered toward Yukkana with a steadying arm wrapped around Sango. It seemed to be more for his own security than hers, for Sango looked perfectly fine. "Thank you for helping us."
Yukkana nodded. "Think nothing of it." Suddenly, she placed a hand on her head as she swayed slightly.
Kyouko stepped forward quickly his eyes softening and his large hands wrapping around her slender shoulders to steady her. "You've used too much of your power. You should rest."
She patted his hand and shook her head slowly. "No, I cannot, not yet."
He sighed. "Yukkana, you are the most stubborn woman I've ever met."
"You haven't met Kagome yet." Inu Yasha stepped up beside them with Kagome's bag slung over his shoulder. "Which way?"
She pointed into the distance. "Northwest."
"Let's go." Inu Yasha shot off in the direction she indicated, scooping up a startled Shippo in the process.
"Kirara!" Sango called as she and Miroku mounted the nekoyoukai.
Yukkana looked up a Kyouko and without a word he understood what she desired. "Come on." He knelt before her. She smiled at him for a moment until he glanced over his shoulder. "Hurry or we'll loose them."
Her smile widened as she climbed onto his back and nuzzled his neck. "Thank you, aite." Kyouko said nothing as he bounded off the ground at an incredible speed. He knew his mate would not let her friend face this challenge alone, and he would not leave her side for even an instant in the coming days.
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It didn't take long for Kyouko to catch up with Inu Yasha. The pair raced across the forest floor toward the Northwest. Inu Yasha strained his senses trying to find the other half of his soul. Her scent was nearly impossible to track. The giant demon had carried her off into the air high above. And by now it had been completely swept away by the wind. He was going on the only lead he now had, which was nothing more than an "echo" of her presence. Inu Yasha glanced at the pair beside him. The large man moved with the grace that only a demon could possess, his feet lightly brushing the ground as he ran. On his back rested the young woman he had only known for a short time as a child, but who had left such a strong impression on him that each day since they had been parted he had wondered if the man he had become would make her proud. He had so many questions he needed to ask that only she could answer. But they would have to wait for now. This was not the time to reminiscing, it was time for action. Again he focused on the path before him.
The sky was turning pink by the time they came to the spot Yukkana had sensed Kagome. Inu Yasha raised his nose in the air and stretched his senses as wide as he could in search of a comforting and familiar scent. But he couldn't catch even a whiff of it. His companions watched him expectantly and when he lowered his head with a forlorn sigh, they knew they'd lost their friend's trail. Inu Yasha set his jaw as he glared at a clump of dirt. Determination mixed with desperation flared to life behind his golden orbs. "Come on, let's go!" He started away from them in a northwestern direction.
But no one moved. "Where?" Miroku questioned as he stepped forward a few paces.
Inu Yasha turned to glare at him. "What the hell do you mean, where? Where else, to find Kagome!"
"You're not picking up her scent, am I not right?" Inu Yasha growled in frustration but didn't dispute his companion's analysis of the situation. "Then I suggest we rest here and think about this logically, come up with a new strategy for finding her."
"What! You want to sit here on our butts while Kagome may be taken even further away! Would you even suggest that if it were Sango!"
Miroku's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't be a fool. I'm not saying we give up on searching. I'm saying we should sit down and think about this rationally."
"Fine, you stay here, but I'm going to find my mate!" He turned and began to stomp away.
"Inu Yasha!" Yukkana hurried over to stop him. She reached out to touch his arm but drew her hand back. It was improper now that they were both mated to touch one another even as friends. And her mate in particular was watching her intently. Instead she looked up at him. "Inu Yasha, I know you're worried about her. And I don't blame you for being impatient. But your friends are not demons, nor half-demons. They are merely human and very tired. Allow them a few hours rest and sleep. They will be no use to you if they are too tired to help in battle." She looked past him to where Kirara stood. On the fire-cat's head was perched a sleeping kitsune. "Even your cub is tired. Do you think Kagome would appreciate you putting him through extreme travel when we don't even know where we're going yet."
Inu Yasha frowned. No, Kagome wouldn't appreciate it at all. In fact, she'd probably scold him severely for it, if she found out. He let out a defeated sigh. "Alright, but only for a couple of hours. After that I'm leaving with or without the rest of you." Yukkana nodded, it was the best she could hope for right now. Inu Yasha turned away from her and went to gather some firewood. None of them had eaten since noon the previous day. He'd catch a rabbit. Maybe the kill would vent some of his frustration.
Yukkana sighed as she watched him disappear into the tree line. Slowly she wandered over and sat down in the grass near Sango. Kyouko settled at her side. "Your friend is very short tempered."
Yukkana blinked up at him in surprise. "Oh, and like you have much room to talk." She chuckled lightly as he let out an indignant snort.
Sango turned to her. "So, how do you know Inu Yasha?"
The young woman's gray eyes clouded over, turning an incredibly dark shade. "We were children together. His mother took in mine. She gave us a place to live and food to eat, when others turned us away." She sighed deeply. "My mother's parents cast her out when they discovered she was with child. You see my mother had never married and my grandparents believed she had given herself away. They claimed she had dishonored their family. We traveled from village to village, my mother seeking work from whoever would give her food or lodging for the night. She suffered terribly for years to provide for us. That is until we stumbled upon Inu Yasha's village. His mother was kind. She took pity on us, fed us, clothed us, and provided my mother with steady work as her handmaiden."
"So that's how you and Inu Yasha became friends?"
Yukkana smiled slightly, a twinkle sparkled to life behind her eyes and she chuckled lightly as she spoke. "The first day I met him, Satsukomaru and several other village boys were trying to goad him into a fight. I saw that he was outnumbered and stepped in." She chuckled again. "To say the least he was shocked. He just stood there while I knocked Satsukomaru on his butt."
"You shouldn't have interfered. I had everything under control." Everyone turned to Inu Yasha as he reentered camp, a load of firewood beneath one arm and a two rabbits in his other hand.
Yukkana couldn't suppress the little chuckle. "You know I was severely scolded for that. My mother always hated it when I fought with boys."
"Wow, that was fast." Sango commented as Inu Yasha set to work on the fire.
"Feh, shouldn't you be asleep or something."
Sango glared at him before getting up and finding a soft place in the grass to lie down. Miroku shook his head and followed after her. She responded with a short growl when he snuck a quick butt-grab once he was settled.
Inu Yasha shook his head at the pair, before turning his attention back to the fire. He glanced up at Yukkana from beneath his bangs. "I thought you were dead."
Yukkana stared down at her hands folded in her lap. "In a manner of speaking, I was for a long time."
"What happened? And how come I didn't smell your demon blood?" He sniffed the air. "Even now I can't smell it. All I smell on you is him."
Kyouko grunted at the mention of his scent on his mate, but didn't comment. Yukkana sighed. It was a very long story, but one that had to be told. "Do you remember the day before the raid, the one we spent beside the stream?"
Inu Yasha looked into the small blaze as memories began to flood back. "Yeah, we'd run off from the village because the village kids were teasing you. You were upset."
A small smile broke her lips, though her eyes remained on her hands. "You crawled around in the stream for nearly an hour and when you came out, you had this." She pulled a small stone from a pouch at her hip. It was smooth and flat, shaped by the small stream into the visage of butterfly. "I remember it made me smile."
"Feh, what was I supposed to do? You wouldn't stop crying."
Her smile widened and she finally lifted her gaze to his. "Do you remember what happened after that?"
He concentrated for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, you fell asleep."
"And when I woke I told you of the terrible dream I'd had."
"Yeah, it was some kind of nightmare."
She shook her head solemnly. "I didn't know it at the time, but that was my first vision. I saw their deaths, all them, my mother and yours, all of them." Tears filled her eyes and she chocked back a soft sob. "If I had known then what I do now, I could've prevented it." Kyouko wrapped his arm around her waist and brushed her tears away.
"Damn it! Stop that, will you? You couldn't have prevented their deaths any more than I could've." Inu Yasha half-pleaded, half-demanded.
"But I knew and-"
"You didn't know anything. We were nothing more than pups." He snapped.
Yukkana's eyes widened and then she shut them to prevent the hurt from being seen in them.
Inu Yasha sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm having a hard time dealing with the fact that you're a demon when I can't even smell demon blood in you." He looked away from the young woman with an even deeper sigh. "Kagome usually helps me understand stuff like this." The comment was more to himself than to anyone else.
Yukkana let out a sigh of her own. "My particular kind of demon doesn't generate a demon scent or even a demon aura until we use our powers. We don't have physical strength but possess great spiritual powers. We can see into the future and can control the soul and life energy, and in turn life and death. We are sought out by other more powerful demons wishing to increase their power. Because of our lack of physical strength, we've had to learn to camouflage ourselves as humans. We only become visible to other demons when we use our powers. So, when we met since I was still too young to use my powers and until the day of the raid did not even realize I was a hanyou, I'm not surprised that you couldn't smell my demon blood even with your sharp nose."
Inu Yasha made a face. "I guess, that makes sense. So, what happened to you the night of the raid? I went back to look for you, but you were gone. I assumed you died."
She shivered and Kyouko's arm tightened around her. She swallowed hard before attempting to bring back the terrible memories. "That night has haunted my dreams for a very long time. The reason those demons attacked was because they were under orders, orders from my father."
Inu Yasha blinked in confusion. "Your father?"
Yukkana nodded. "Yes. When the village was attacked I was taken by the demons to my father, who was a powerful demon in the southern region at that time. He desired my presence and power, though completely unrealized at that time. I tried desperately to escape him for over a year." She swallowed hard. "He told me you'd been killed by the demons. I gave up after a while and allowed him to teach me to use my powers. For many years, I suffered under his controlling hand."
Her mate growled as memories flickered through his green eyes. His grip tightened on her. "That bastard! If he were still around, I'd kill him all over again!"
Yukkana frowned but continued. "Nearly a hundred and fifty years later, I witnessed a vision in my dreams. You pinned to a sacred tree – sealed there by a miko. I argued with my father and we fought. He beat me for my impudence and sealed me in my chambers." Again Kyouko growled. "What he didn't realize was, that now I had a reason to live and a reason to fight."
Inu Yasha smirked. "Just like when we were kids."
"I escaped the castle that very night and went in search of you. Intent on making sure my vision did not come true. By the time I found you though, it was too late. You were already pinned to the tree. I watched the miko's pyre from the edge of the forest and that night I slept beneath your tree."
"I found her there the next morning. She looked so frail. Exhausted from her travels and still baring the marks of her father's ruthless hand on her pretty face." Kyouko ran a finger along Yukkana's jaw. "I couldn't believe anyone could ever lay a hand on such a creature."
Yukkana smiled as she caught his hand and kissed it. Then she turned back to Inu Yasha. "I tried to break the spell put on you, but when I touched the arrow I saw even more visions. These were more powerful than the first and I realized that I didn't have the power or the heart to break the spell."
Inu Yasha frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I saw you and your Kagome. I knew what your future held and that only she could bring it to pass." Yukkana smiled. "The future held both trial and happiness for the two of you and I knew I could never take that away from you. After all I'd already caused you so much pain." She sighed, images flashing before her gray eyes. "My mother never spoke of my father while she lived. In fact, when she was questioned she pretended he never existed. I understand now why she would do such a thing." A tear streamed down one cheek and she quickly swiped it away. "My conception was not…gentle or…desired."
The branch Inu Yasha had been using to stoke the fire snapped. "You mean he…" She nodded. "That bastard!"
Kyouko growled. "He had no honor."
Yukkana took a deep breath and continued. "My mother tried to hide me from him. She knew he would take me if he found me. And that night he did. I watched my mother die before my very eyes. I tried to fight them, but I was too small and too afraid to do much harm. So, you see it is my fault that they died, my mother, yours, the villagers, all them. They are my responsibility. If hadn't been there, then none of them would've died." She met Inu Yasha's gaze with a steady but desperate one of her own. "Please, forgive me Inu Yasha, I've caused you so much pain."
"No."
Yukkana choked on a suppressed sob that came out like a whimper.
Kyouko growled. "What-!"
"Let me finish, will you? I meant, there's nothing to forgive. You didn't give the order to attack the village, and you can't be held responsible for the acts of your old man. We were children, neither of us had the power to do much of anything. So, just stop it! I had the strength to fight back and I still wasn't able to save my own mother! So, stop persecuting yourself for something didn't do!"
The couple stared at him for a long moment and then Yukkana smiled slightly. It was the closest she'd get to forgiveness from her surly half-dog friend, and she truly appreciated it. "Thank you, Inu Yasha."
He blushed slightly and looked away. "Feh."
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A/N: I know this was still a bit short in comparison to my other fic but I'm doing my best right now. I may have more time once things calm down (whenever that will be) to work a little more on this fic and get my chapters posted faster. Just bare with me guys. I promise it'll be worth it! K?