Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or associated characters of Inuyasha. This story is strictly for fan fiction purposes.
Notes: Character thoughts are in bold italics. Everything else (i.e. dreams, some back-story moments) are in italics.
Author's Notes: Hello everyone! For those who are new to this story, welcome! For those who have read the previous version of this story and reviewed/followed it, welcome back! I have been on a too-long hiatus from this story (a lot of factors, plus the worst writer's block in the universe), and I have decided to give this story a major facelift to try to make it more interesting, more cohesive, and introduce new ideas to what I already wrote! The story will be slow (and not much M-rated material, minus some gory details) for a little longer, but hopefully you'll enjoy what I have planned! I will try to be speedier with the redone chapters, so I hope to deliver a chapter or two per month or every other month. Thank you for reading. I welcome reviews, and enjoy "Howl"!
Howl
Chapter Three: Hakkaku
Hakkaku was in a much worse condition than Kagome; he had a large gash running right through the armor across his stomach, and one of his legs, which Miroku was still unsettled about, was so badly broken a piece of bone was poking just below his knee. His eyes were partly open, the color of dark ruby just evident under heavy lids. Beside the gash in his armor, he had crushed shoulder pads and broken chains. The glow in his cuts seemed to envelope him, giving him a terrifying state, even more terrifying than the man in red.
Miroku looked up and saw every eye on him, including Kaede. There was definite panic and fear in every face, but Kaede looked surprised. How was he going to explain what he just sputtered?
"Lady Kaede, what are we looking at here? This thing looks far from human," one of the burlier villagers spoke up, rousing the rest of them to focus on Kaede. Miroku's heart was racing and his legs were shaking. Kaede broke eye contact with Miroku, walking closer to him while observing Hakkaku. She bent down to examine that gash across his stomach, her gnarly hand pressing gently around it. Miroku kept his eyes on Hakkaku's, which seemed empty.
Kaede's hands continued to graze just above his body, emitting a knowing sigh when she noticed a bad injury. She soon stopped when her hand passed over his head; something brought a flicker of worry to her old face. Her head turned to the direction of the forest.
"Impossible," Kaede whispered.
The group of men, worried at Lady Kaede's reaction, also turned to the forest, trying to see what she was seeing. The tension running along Miroku's back intensified, and he felt his throat tighten. He looked back at Hakkaku.
It all happened before Miroku could comprehend what he did. He saw Hakkaku's eyes flicker from him to Kaede, and a clawed hand reach for her. Miroku found himself pinning Hakkaku further into the riverbed, one hand on Hakkaku's shoulder, the other on his throat. The claws dug into Miroku's robes, latching onto his left shoulder blade. Pain exploded all over Miroku's back and neck, and he felt blood pool in his mouth before he turned his head back and his vision blackened.
Miroku opened his eyes, but his sight was altered. His surroundings seemed sharper, and there were smells of flowers and animals that he picked up that were nonexistent before. Aside from that, he felt nothing else.
He was in the middle of a dense forest, and he was running at speeds he could never think to achieve. His eyes, which he had no control over, looked down to check on something he was holding close to his chest, with clawed hands. It was a familiar-looking fur wrap that was rustling here and there.
Suddenly, a blood-curdling shriek echoed through the forest, and in the corner of his vision Miroku saw a tree hurdling to him. It flew past him and landed with a crushing thud in front of him. His eyes moved around the forest, looking for a way to hop across the trees. With one lunge he propped himself on a thick branch and swept through the labyrinth of the forest, alternating his path here and there to get away from whatever was pursuing him. He heard the splintered moans of trees echo around him as he increased his distance.
He reached a branch and stopped for a moment, his eyes focused on a clearing with low, sweeping mountains up ahead, and just as he was about to jump down and make a break for it, he felt himself get tugged up in a swift, violent motion. That motion caused his hands to loosen their grasp on the fur wrap, and he watched the bundle tumble down with an extended hand, a bone-rattling howl passing through his lips as he was pulled away, higher and higher into the sky…
Miroku felt like he was being dejected, landing hard on his back. He took a long, painful intake of breath, as if he was underwater for too long. Besides the pain in his shoulder and back, his hands stung all over and they were shaking. His ears were ringing, but he could make out voices of the villagers, and they were in an uproar. He also heard Kaede reciting a chant over the uproar.
His head was pounding, and he couldn't seem to open his eyes. The sound of that howl seemed to get louder and louder each time he thought about it.
He felt his head being lifted by burly hands, and with a more vertical position Miroku was able to open his eyes. He saw Hakkaku in the same position, but on his forehead was a sealing scroll and his hands, which had droplets of Miroku's blood, were tied together. He was shivering and his teeth were bared but clenched. His eyes were turned into the back of his head, and he was developing a nosebleed.
Miroku looked down at his own hands. Each finger sported a long, thick scab that traveled from the tips to the center of his palms, where it seemed he lost skin. The same black-violet glow emanated from this and the scabs. He looked up to be face-to-face with Kaede who was trying to talk to him, but he couldn't hear her nor keep his eyes open.
What is happening to me?
When Miroku came to, he felt as though every inch of his body was as stiff and heavy as stone. His hands felt numb, especially around the palms, and there was a dull ache buzzing up and down his spine.
His face felt warm in contrast to the rest of his body, so he gingerly turned his head to the cackling sound of a fire. The fire wasn't too bright, so he didn't have to shield his eyes from any intense light. He just concentrated on his breathing, his chest rising and falling in a gentle tempo. Past the fire he saw Kagome. Oh, he was back in Kaede's home. Seeing her, though, jumpstarted his memory of what he saw when he made contact with Hakkaku. He saw through Hakkaku's eyes, through his memory. There was no other way to explain it. But why was he able to do that? From Kagome's and Yoru's memories, Miroku was nothing less than a spectator, a fly on the wall. Why was Hakkaku's memory so different?
Wait, if I'm in Kaede's home, where is Hakkaku?
Miroku propped himself on his elbows, scanning the rest of the room. Since the fire was dim, he couldn't see much of the room. Kaede didn't seem to be around either. Could she be sleeping? Was it still night time?
Miroku willed himself to get on his feet, every joint cracking and popping as he stood up. He couldn't use much of his hands due to the numbness, and they were both bandaged up to the elbows. They were also wrapped over that by subjugation beads. Miroku's eyes narrowed as he turned his right hand over, the beads gleaming in the firelight.
With small steps Miroku made his way to the front window, pulling back a curtain. It seemed the sun was just setting, so it was just at the cusp of evening. He turned and traveled to the back of the house, glancing at Kagome. Hakkaku's memory flashed again, the moment he let go of Kazuo. It had to be Kazuo wrapped in that fur. Why else would Hakkaku have made that nasty howl as soon as he realized what happened? And what was chasing him to be able to pull him up with such force? Feeling a headache coming on, Miroku took his eyes off Kagome and continued to Kaede's room.
He didn't bother to knock and just slid the panel open. He first noticed the aroma of lavender before stepping in the room. He gave a short gasp after what he saw. Lady Kaede had transformed her room into a sealing room of sorts; Hakkaku was lying on a futon surrounded by lit candles. He had sealing scrolls plastered all over his body, which was more exposed since his armor was removed, and various charms were suspended all around him. His hands were tied together and it looked as though his claws were whittled down to his fingertips.
His legs were covered by a long cloth sheet, and his midsection and various other parts that had the more intense wounds were bandaged up like Miroku's hands. Hakkaku's eyes were completely shut, and if not for the new sound of shallow breath Miroku would have thought Hakkaku dead.
Seeing Hakkaku in the light made Miroku's heart sink. Now that he wasn't covered in blood and armor, Hakkaku just looked… pitiful. His skin, which was tanner than most of the farmers and fishermen in the village, had a sickly grey tinge. Miroku could see Hakkaku's cheekbones and ribs sticking out a little more than they should. However, the black-purple glow had disappeared from his body like Kagome. Miroku looked at his bandaged hands, wondering if the same happened to him. He wasn't sure, though. He wasn't sure about a lot of things anymore.
He was, however, very scared. Scared of what happened to his hands, scared of these visions he saw, scared of that man in red, scared for Kagome, scared for Hakkaku, scared for Kazuo. And he was scared for his village. What was going to transpire next? Are the villagers going to panic? Kaede must have said something to convince them not to kill Hakkaku, but humans, like any other animal, get violent when in fear, and sometimes kill in fear. Who was to say that the villagers wouldn't kill Hakkaku to get rid of this fear of him? He is yōkai after all, something most, if not all, have ever seen before. He can terrify a lot of people.
But Hakkaku and Kagome know each other, and Hakkaku was trying to save her and Kazuo. I've seen him do good things, but no one will believe me if I vouch for him, if or when that time comes. I'm not sure Kaede will believe me either, but I have to do something to prevent any more harm.
"Ye are awake, I see," Kaede's voice sounded from the doorway, startling Miroku. Miroku turned around with a hand on his heart, but smiled at Kaede.
"I woke up not too long ago," Miroku replied.
"Good, it means the miasma has left your body," Kaede said, walking around Hakkaku and sitting on his other side, facing Miroku.
"Miasma, Lady Kaede?"
"That dark aura that emanated from yer wounds and his," Kaede gestured at Hakkaku. "Very poisonous, most likely lethal if not removed soon enough, hence the purification amenities."
Miroku looked at his hands and at the scrolls on Hakkaku. So that's how Kagome was rid of it, the sealing scrolls Miroku placed on her acted as purification.
"Kaede, how long was I out?"
"Almost four days, and most of yer wounds have healed up. Yer hands, however, need a little more time."
Miroku looked back down at his hands. He was starting to sense feeling in his fingertips, but the bandaging made it difficult to move his fingers.
"I didn't mean for it to happen like that. I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused."
"Nonsense, Miroku. I saw the look on yer face that night. Ye seemed to know this yōkai, and from what I can see now, ye are concerned about him."
Miroku's heart skipped a beat. "I am, Lady Kaede. Him and Kagome."
"Kagome? Who is that?"
"The woman that we've been taking care of. And this yōkai, his name is Hakkaku."
Kaede was silent for a moment, looking down at Hakkaku.
"Miroku, accompany me outside."
Kaede got up from her spot and was heading out of the room. Miroku complied and followed Kaede outside. The sun was halfway covered by the low mountains in the distance, and to Miroku's surprise Kaede was heading that way.
The fresh air felt nice, and Miroku took a nice long breath. He walked beside Kaede, and he soon realized they were heading back to that spot where they found Hakkaku. Some of the villagers that were finishing their farming and fishing stopped to bow at him and Kaede, but some of the villagers had that look in their eyes that Miroku dreaded.
Soon they reached the outskirts of the village, but walked farther to the forest. They stopped at the very edge of the forest, the trees masked in a black-green void. They stood in silence for a couple of minutes, Miroku's mind curious. Kaede then held out a hand, her eyes closed tight.
"The barrier was shattered. When I was checking over that yōkai before the altercation, I noticed a great amount of energy coming from him, despite him just mere inches from death. There is more to that yōkai than I thought…" Kaede began, walking closer to the forest. She lowered her hand and turned to Miroku.
"Miroku, I believe ye. No one could do what ye did for me. After ye returned to the village with… Kagome, yer eyes seemed to look at things a different way. I noticed that when I chose ye for apprenticeship, I knew there was something special about ye, and from what ye have told me, and what I have observed, I think I know why."
"What have you found out, Lady Kaede?"
"I believe yer a Dreamcatcher, Miroku."
