Chapter 4

Inuyasha spent the remainder of the night and the first part of the morning dragging the corpses of the ogre demons into a huge pile to be burned. The men of the village helped as much as they could, but by the time they had tied ropes to one body and hauled it into place, the half-demon had already finished with three. Once again his accelerated strength dictated that he do the dirty work. When the task was done and they had a sizable pile of cut up demon flesh, they set fire to the heap, which sent a putrid billow of black smoke high into the air. Inuyasha's exhaustion coupled with his sensitive nose put him in a fine mood to complain. He went looking for Kagome so that he could make his displeasure known, but when he found her with Sango in Kaede's hut, he discovered a sight that halted his momentum.

The three women sat gathered around the small form of Rin, who lay on her stomach with her eyes closed and brow furrowed. The three deep gashes she had acquired on her back the night before shone red in the sunlight filtering in from the broken roof overhead. Kaede's hands were bloody. She had just finished sewing up Rin's skin with a needle and thread. As she washed her hands in a bucket of warm water, Kagome and Sango carefully wrapped bandages around Rin's middle to cover up the wound.

"Geez. Sesshomaru's going to kill me," Inuyasha groaned. But there was no malice in his voice—only regret.

"He may as well kill me," Sango replied, struggling to keep her voice steady. She gently placed a blanket over Rin once the bandaging was complete. "It was Kirara who attacked Rin, and it was me that sent her into the house with the children. This is my fault."

"You know that's not true Sango," Kagome said comfortingly. "Kirara would never hurt Rin voluntarily. Something made her do this. And whatever it was, I think it was affecting the demons that attacked us too."

This was news to Inuyasha. He went over to Kagome and sat cross-legged on the floor beside her. "What do you mean?"

"Last night, just before you killed the last batch of demons, one of them said something to me... It said, 'Give us the girl.' Rin-chan was behind me, and I'm sure it was talking about her."

Sango listened with wide eyes. "But what could a huge group of demons like that possibly want from Rin?"

"I don't know," Kagome answered with a defeated shrug. "I've been trying to figure that out all night. She's just a human child. It's not like it was with Kohaku, who had a jewel shard in his body. And I can't sense anything else around her that would be desirable to a demon. The only thing I did sense was an odd sort of feeling coming from the ogres. Miroku said he felt it too. The more I've thought about it, the more I've decided it was a unified, powerful sensation of desire that I felt from them."

"Desire?" Inuyasha repeated.

Kagome nodded. "Yes. Like they were all there for the same purpose; and whatever that was, it was very strong. It made their demonic energies flare to the point that I could feel it."

"Then Kirara must have been ensnared by that same energy..." Sango said thoughtfully. "But I wonder where it came from and what it has to do with Rin?"

"I have a feeling that time will reveal to us the answers," Kaede suddenly piped in. "I hate to say it, but something tells me this is not the end of little Rin's troubles. But the best we can do for now is try and heal her. Inuyasha, could you go and get me some clean water? She needs wet rags applied to her back, and this water is all bloody."

Inuyasha felt his sour mood returning. "Aw man, what a pain," he grumbled. "I'm the only one who does the hard work around here."

Kagome nudged him with her elbow a little bit harder than was necessary. "C'mon Inuyasha, this isn't about you right now; it's about Rin! Don't you care about her health?"

"Of course I do!" he retaliated, rubbing his ribs. Actually, he had not thought much about it until he had walked in and seen how serious her wounds were, but he was indeed very worried about the little girl. In some ways, she reminded him of Kagome. Always so optimistic, always accepting...and never giving a second thought about his being a demon. Rin was one of the few humans who never smelled the slightest bit of fear when she first began to live alongside him. She always welcomed him whole-heartedly. Made him feel wanted. It was no wonder that Sesshomaru had wanted to keep her near him. The only thing that never ceased to puzzle Inuyasha was what Rin could possibly see in traveling with Sesshomaru.

Afraid that his honor had been questioned, the half-demon straightened and declared, "I want Rin to get better just as much as you do; it just annoys me that I'm always doing the grunt work!"

"Well you are the strongest person around Inuyasha," Sango pointed out, her voice edged with impatience. "And at a time like this we all have to chip in where our talents are most needed."

"Yeah, yeah I get it. I'll get some new water," he griped. Not at all wanting to hear anyone else lecture him, Inuyasha stood and reached for the bucket. "Kaede, give me that one. I might as well empty it too."

It took him no time at all to get down to the stream, empty out the soiled water, rinse the wooden bucket, and fill it with clear, cold water. As he turned to head back to the village, he saw a familiar shadow pass overhead. A pink, spherical blob with stick-thin limbs and enormous eyes drifted swiftly in the morning breeze.

"Hey, Shippo!" Inuyasha called to the shape-shifted fox demon. "Back from training already?"

Shippo made no response and did not slow, appearing to pump his arms awkwardly to propel him more quickly toward the village. "Shippo!" Inuyasha tried again with the same result. Hm. I wonder what his hurry is? he thought. If it had not been for the sloshing bucket of water in his hands, the half-demon would have caught up with him in two swift jumps. As it was, he was stuck walking slowly so as not to spill.

Shippo outpaced him. Inuyasha watched him decrease into the distance until the pink ball disappeared in a puff of smoke, presumably as Shippo reverted back to his demon form.

Then a few short seconds later Inuyasha heard a female scream. A great spiral of wind suddenly rose high into the sky, visible only from the upheaval of dirt and autumn leaves. Inuyasha stopped in his tracks. The whirlwind was set in the exact direction of Kaede's house. Dropping the bucket on the ground, he sprinted and leaped high into the air, one hand on Tetsusaiga's hilt.

Silver hair and red sleeves flying behind him, he rapidly approached the outskirts of the village. But what he found when he arrived was surprising. A huge green spinning top twirled excitedly on the roof of the hut—but the roof was unaffected by the weight. A few of the village women stood nearby pointing at it and shouting. It must have been one of them who had screamed. Inuyasha, on the other hand, recognized the illusion immediately.

"Shippo, what the hell are you doing?" he demanded. The little demon stood just outside the house, watching his fox magic spin. When he still did not turn to acknowledge his addressor, Inuyasha stomped up behind him delivered his fist solidly onto the top of Shippo's head.

This made the fox demon trip and the illusion diminish immediately. Soon there was only a regular-sized top, small enough to fit in one's palm, tottering on the rooftop.

"Inuyasha? What's wrong?" Kagome called. She appeared from inside the doorway. "Shippo-chan?"

Inuyasha expected him to start crying and complaining about Inuyasha's abuse as he usually did when Kagome was nearby. But instead the little demon just raised his head to look at her—or more accurately, to look past her into the house.

"Fox Fire!" he suddenly cried. Green flames erupted from his hands.

Inuyasha was in front of him in an instant, shielding Kagome. He slashed through the fire with his arm, lettering his robe of the Firerat deflect its heat. He knew full well that Shippo's training was paying off. In the last few years, his Fox Fire in particular had become much more powerful than it had been when he was younger.

Now Inuyasha's already trite patience had run dry. "Shippo! What do you think you're doing?" he shouted again.

He felt Kagome's hand touch his shoulder as she peeked around his back. With a gasp she exclaimed, "Inuyasha, look at his face!"

The half-demon had not received a good look at him until just then. Shippo's eyes were glazed over. His expression was scrunched, stuck in a frown, and his forehead beaded with sweat. His tiny hands shook slightly as he held them before him.

"What's wrong with him?" Sango's voice asked worriedly. She had just appeared in the doorway beside Kagome.

"Shippo-chan, it's us! What's wrong?" the priestess tried once more.

Inuyasha heard Sango whisper then, "Oh no... It's just like Kirara..."

Still refusing to talk to them, the fox demon suddenly got down on all fours and zipped between their legs and into the house.

"Hey! Come back here you little brat!" Inuyasha turned to pursue him, but paused briefly when he felt Tetsusaiga pulse abruptly at his side. He glanced at his sword. It wanted to be drawn. It wanted to tell him something.

But that would have to wait. Kagome grabbed the little demon as he scurried across the floor. He had been heading straight the spot where Rin lay. He now struggled in Kagome's arms, growling and grunting like a feral cat. His green eyes were trained on the sleeping little girl.

"He's completely lost it!" Kagome wailed, struggling to keep him contained. "What do we do?"

Inuyasha saw the green flames alighting the demon's fingertips again and wasted no time. He stepped forward and gave him a wrap on the head so hard that this time he went limp.

Tetsusaiga pulsed again. Inuyasha wasn't sure what it wanted at a time like this, but he had learned by now that it usually had good reason for reacting when it did. Gripping the handle firmly, he drew it out of its sheath.

Kagome and Sango's eyes went wide. "What are you doing?" Kagome asked.

"I'm not sure," he replied, staring at the huge sword. "It just..." Then suddenly the bottom half of the blade changed. No longer smooth, the metal shifted into an uneven texture that looked like scales.

"The dragon-scaled Tetsusaiga?" Sango asked in surprise.

The dragon-scaled Tstsusaiga...the sword's aspect that allowed its wielder to see and destroy demonic energy. A red swirl of moving energy appeared before his eyes. But Inuyasha could only stare dumbfounded at its source. Instead of hovering above Shippo or a more likely target, the power rested over the sleeping body of Rin.

Kagome quickly handed Shippo over to Kaede and hastened to the little girl's side. "I can feel a strong demonic aura!" she exclaimed. She knelt on the floor and held both hands out over Rin, concentrating. "And it feels like it's coming from her!"

"Yeah, it is," Inuyasha confirmed. "I can see it."

"But how can a human be filled with demonic energy?" Sango asked, quickly joining Kagome beside the child.

"I don't know...let me see if I can purify it." Kagome closed her eyes as her hands began to glow a soft white. At once, an almost tangible power filled the room. Inuyasha allowed himself a small smile of pride. His wife's spiritual powers had done nothing but improve since her time back in the Feudal Era. If anyone could neutralize this threat, it was the lovely priestess sitting before him.

Sure enough, after several long moments, the swirling mass of demonic taint began to grow smaller. "It's working!" he exclaimed.

Surprisingly, Kagome opened her eyes and frowned as she lowered her hands onto her lap. "No...it's not. The energy is just receding back into her body. I couldn't feel anything changing. It's not going to be as simple as purification to cure Rin..."

The spinning energy shrank rapidly, now about the size of a person's head. Inuyasha gripped Testusaiga's hilt with both hands. "Then I'll destroy it! I'll cut through it before it disappears!" He raised his sword high over his head, scraping the roof in the process. His eyes fixed squarely on the target visible only to him. The muscles in his arms tensed in preparation of swinging the mighty weapon down in an arc. "Tetsusai—!"

"INUYASHA SIT!"

A familiar and intense force tugged downward at the beads around his neck. In an instant he was sprawled out on the floor with his face planted securely against the wooden floorboards. Tetsusaiga slipped from his grasp.

It took his body a second to absorb the shock, but then he quickly lifted his head, growling. With his sword no longer in his hands, it had reverted back to its hidden form: a dull and unremarkable-looking katana. He could not see the demonic energy any more. It had probably all dissipated by now. His chance was gone. "What did you do that for?" he demanded of Kagome.

"Because you didn't let me finish explaining!" she snapped back. "If you had destroyed the demon energy inside Rin, you might have killed her too!"

Inuyasha's dog ears stood up straight in surprise. He had no comeback for that. Sango and Kaede appeared to be listening intently.

"How do you know this Kagome?" the older priestess prompted.

"Whatever has taken a hold of Rin, it isn't natural. It's not like purifying miasma from the air, or taint from within a jewel shard...or even keeping your demon half from overtaking your mind, Inuyasha. It's like a separate living thing. I could feel it flowing in her body like liquid and moving with every pump of her heart. I think it's in her blood. Or more accurately, attached to each of her blood cells."

"Her blood what?" Sango repeated.

"Cells. They're these microscopic little...oh never mind. I guess there's no way people in the Feudal Era can know about cells yet. But my point is, it's latched itself onto Rin's very life force. If you hurt one, you hurt the other."

"And what is it exactly?" Sango asked.

When Kagome did not answer right away, Kaede chipped in. "It could be demon magic. We've all seen demons that are clever at weaving spells. Kagome, of course you remember the lord of the moth demons, Minomaru? He placed a spell inside you that controlled your mind and tried to make you murder Inuyasha. This could be something similar. Only instead of controlling Rin's mind, it seems to negatively affect the demons that are nearby her."

"Hang on," Inuyasha said irritably as he pushed himself up off the floor. "Then why hasn't it affected me?"

"Maybe it doesn't work on half-demons," Sango offered.

Kagome rested her chin in her hand thoughtfully. "Hm. The only demons we've seen that have abilities like that have been very powerful. That doesn't bode well. But who could it have been?" "And when did it happen?" Sango added. "Rin must have had the spell on her last night, but why weren't you able to sense it until today Kagome?"

"I was distracted by the fight," she said with a shrug.

Kaede sat down and, placing Shippo in her lap, poked at the embers in the fire pit with a long stick. "That, and it could be that it's only able to be sensed at certain times. We just watched the demonic energy flare up when Shippo got close enough to harm her. My guess is that the spell grows more intense when a demon with violent intent is near enough to attack. And you may have been too shocked by Kirara's behavior to feel it last night, Kagome. And as you said yourself, it's planted too deep in her body to sense the rest of the time."

Everyone was silent for a minute. Then Sango looked at Rin and reached out to stroke her black hair. "But why Rin?" she asked quietly. "Why choose her as their target?"

"It could be any number of reasons..." Kaede said, still poking the dying fire. "Perhaps they just needed a random human and found Rin first. Perhaps, for some reason, they wanted a child in this area."

Kagome suddenly sat up straight. "Wait! Do you think this might have something to do with Sesshomaru?"

"Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha repeated incredulously.

"Yeah! Think about all the times Naraku kidnapped her in order to manipulate Sesshomaru. She even said that the Band of Seven abducted her once for that same reason!"

"That's...true..." he replied slowly, trying to call up memories of the stories Rin had told them in the past three years. It had seemed clear to him that she was often in danger when traveling with Sesshomaru, and yet she always talked about that period in her life with a huge smile on her face. Inuyasha had always suspected that, despite the more logical reasons he might claim, his half-brother had left the girl here because he felt that distancing himself from her was the best way to protect her. He had finally decided to put her safety above his desire to be close to her.

"Would Sesshomaru have an enemy that would do that?" Sango wondered worriedly.

"Keh," Inuyasha huffed. "With his attitude, he's probably made several enemies."

"No arguments there," Kagome agreed.

Kaede looked over at them with her one good eye. "No matter the cause, the question remains: what are we going to do about it? It seems like this spell is not only influencing demons in the immediate proximity, but is attracting them from elsewhere too. This is the only reason I can think of as to why that entire tribe of brainless ogre demons would so fearlessly attack a village that had nothing to give them."

No said anything for a long time. Finally Inuyasha stood up and retrieved the Testusaiga. "We'll keep looking for a way to break Rin's curse," he said as he slid the sword decidedly back into its sheath. "But until then, we'll just have to protect her."