Violet eyes gazed at those gathered around the campfire, taking note that all seemed to be soundly sleeping around the dying blaze, even Inu Yasha was sleeping soundly up in his tree judging by the deep, even breathing coming from his direction. Last night, Tsukuyomaru had slept well enough courtesy of his unconscious state brought on by his injuries from the lizard demon, tonight however was an entirely different matter. He'd been laying down, feigning a doze when Kagome had unrolled her sleeping bag beside him, Shippo cuddling up to her, waiting for the others to fall asleep themselves, save Inu Yasha since he didn't much care what the half-breed thought. He narrowed his eyes at the red-clad form resting limply on a branch, moonlight shimmering off his silvery-grey mane. He wasn't normally hostile or condescending enough to call someone 'half-breed' but Inu Yasha was bringing out the worst in him with his attitude and possessive nature toward Kagome. He hated to show such disrespect toward him when he had nothing against half-demons, how could he when his own child was one herself, and considering Inu Yasha was the younger son of the great Dog General. But the boy was condescending and distrustful towards him, he didn't much care for it and supposed it would likely take time for them to get used to each other. From what he'd been told, Inu Yasha hadn't been much better toward Miroku or Shippo when they'd joined the duo the half-demon and the priestess had been, but he'd clearly warmed up to them even if he and the kit bickered like siblings. Perhaps it was also Tsukuyomaru's own sense of inadequacy and inferiority complex that left him agitated by Inu Yasha's treatment, he was after all a lowly bat demon and his kind weren't much more than country bumpkins of the demon world.
Although most of the population of this day and age were uneducated, it was a fact that shamed Tsukuyomaru, coming from a lower caste of demons as he did of course he himself was uneducated despite his nobility among them and his well-groomed appearance and manners. Naturally, as a bat demon he was illiterate and had difficulty with more complicated mathematics than basic adding and subtracting with small numbers. He hated it nonetheless especially in the presence of higher caste demons like the Inu no Taisho who'd not only conducted himself as one of his breeding was expected but was easily among the most educated of humans and demons. Tsukuyomaru dressed impeccably in much finer clothing than his brethren ever did and even his own set of demon-bone armor, a short sword at his side, standing out like a sore thumb among them. As if his physical appearance hadn't set him apart enough, being a much more pleasant sight than they were, ugly and weather-worn creatures that his clan had been. His appearance was much more human than theirs, always had been, and his skin had never been as weather-worn and wrinkled, his looks pleasing and youthful, soft and flawless with the charm of a young adult male without being almost feminine like Lord Sesshomaru. With his clothing and groomed looks, it would've been easy for any who didn't know better to mistake him for some noble or a member of demon court, perhaps even Kagome would've made that mistake if not for her having met his former clan. Even Inu Yasha, having been the son of a human princess and raised among higher ranked humans, had to have better education than some inbred hick of a demon the komori tended to be even if he lost all of that at so young an age. That's all bat demons tended to be, a bunch of country bumpkins and inbred hicks of the demon world, wolves weren't much better but at least they tended to breed outside their own packs to keep the blood pure.
That was all neither here nor there, just more to add to Tsukuyomaru's damaged and sometimes fragile psyche, as if he didn't have enough problems, he was confident in his abilities, not his upbringing or breeding, of course even a half-breed like Inu Yasha looked down on him. He rose from his bedding, approaching his horse and digging through the satchel tied to the saddle for the jug he made sure to have on hand. He'd waited to make sure everyone save the hanyou was well and truly asleep before indulging in this particular vice, not wanting his human companions, especially the little miko to see how far he'd fallen since his father's attempt on his life. He sat leaning against a tree beside his dozing steed, uncorking the jug and drinking deeply of the burning liquid contained within, knowing he needed to sleep but unable to without some help. It wasn't the finest sake but it wasn't the worst either, but somewhere in between so he could enjoy the alcohol while it did what he intended it, numbing his body and mind so that he could actually rest. He knew from experience that without the alcohol to induce a stupor, he wouldn't be able to sleep restfully, his slumber nearly always disturbed by nightmares, forcing him each night he slept to relive Taigokumaru's betrayal. Being a demon, he didn't require as much sleep as a human, so this wasn't a habit he indulged in every night, but every few nights when the time came for him to let his body rest. He had done this a night or two ago when he'd first met Kagome, waiting for her to fall asleep and getting rid of the empty jug before she woke so she remained unawares. This was the last of his store unfortunately and now the challenge would be obtaining more without his new companions becoming aware of what he knew was a bad habit yet remained the only way he could actually sleep. Taking another long swig, he opted to worry over that in the morning, sure that he could find a way to slip away from the group either while they were traveling or when they stopped to rest even if he needed to excuse himself to run an errand.
Orange eyes gazed at the bat demon, those purple orbs staring back, hand frozen in the midst of bringing the jug to his lips a third time as the two demons stared at each other, Tsukuyomaru issuing a slight growl at the fire-cat.
"Don't judge me," he muttered to Kirara as she continued watching.
He took a sip from the clay vessel in his hand, beginning to feel the effects of the sake with a light-headed sensation though it was not yet enough to induce the drowse he sought before he settled down for the night. Typically, it took a great deal more sake to get demons drunk than humans, but bat demons tended to have a more delicate brain chemistry than most courtesy of their sonar and senses specially adapted for flight and nocturnal habits. All demons possessed much stronger senses than humans, most if not all able to find their way in the dark, but bats being what they were still had among the strongest night-vision and echolocation to enable them to find their way when even their sight failed them. With such delicately tuned senses, they had a higher sensitivity to alcohol, especially alcohol as potent as sake, Tsukuyomaru knowing it would take a full jug of the fiery liquid to induce the drowsiness he needed to be able to sleep at night. That much sake would render most humans much drunker than a mere drowse, likely causing them to pass out in a drunken stupor and leave them hungover in the morn. It was just right for his purposes without leaving him ill the next day, but he made sure to drink some water before retiring just to be sure, thank kami Kagome kept several bottles of water in that over-sized, over-stuffed bag of hers. He really hadn't cared much if Inu Yasha saw him as long as his pack-mates didn't, though it was probably a good thing the half-demon was asleep as well, he doubted the dog would've kept his mouth shut about this. He had no idea how long it took, but as often happened, it seemed like the jug was empty before he knew it, leaving him feeling wonderfully numb and very drowsy and was ready to retire for the night after digging a bottle of water out of Kagome's bag.
A soft snoring roused Kagome, her hand searching over the ground beside her for the body she'd thought had been there last night before sleepily cracking open her eyes to find the bedding was indeed empty though there'd been a long male body laying beside her when she'd fallen asleep. She sat up, glancing around before her eyes fell on the black stallion nibbling at the grass who gave her a greeting snort, its ears swiveling in her direction. Beside the horse, leaning against the tree, was Tsukuyomaru, head tilted back and his mouth wide open, a trail of drool leading from his mouth down to his chin. Shaking her head, she lifted the tip of one of his wings and wiped it away, his eyes snapping open and blinking rapidly before looking up at her, a hand lifting to wipe at whatever it was she was cleaning up as she turned and walked away to get breakfast ready. He winced as he straightened his neck, tilting his head back and forth in an effort to relieve the ache left over from what had apparently been a very uncomfortable position. He stretched his stiff limbs with a groan, his wings opening as a reflex to stretch themselves, flapping a bit as they did before settling back over his shoulders as he stood, before pulling his claws through his long hair to get out any knots that may have formed while he slept. He was pleased to find that he was feeling worlds better than he had been, perhaps helped by the medicine Kagome had insisted he take before they'd retired for the night. While she was busy preparing the morning meal, he sat down, pulling down the right side of his haori and kosode and removing his arm from his sleeve. Unwrapping the bandage, he was pleased to see the swelling had gone down completely, his skin the proper color, and the wound itself closing as his demon blood healed the damage now that the toxin was gone from his system. Rummaging through a saddlebag, he pulled out a small jar, Kagome watching from where she sat, and removed the cover to reveal a salve that he applied a small amount of to the healing injury.
Repositioning his clothing, Tsukuyomaru put his breastplate on before slipping his white gloves onto his hands followed by his bracers, his armor back in place for the first time in days. As the others began waking and settling themselves by the campfire for breakfast, chatting among themselves, he removed his horse's tackle and set to brushing the beast.
"After breakfast, I'm gonna head home for a few days," Kagome said.
"Home?" Inu Yasha questioned, leaping down from his tree, "But you just came back from there."
"Sorry, Inu Yasha," she apologized, "But I have a huge test tomorrow."
"So go back then," he insisted.
"I need to go back today," she argued, "So I can study for it. Feeling better, Tsukuyomaru?"
"Much, arigatou," he replied.
"Will you be all right while I'm gone?" she asked.
"The wound will likely be healed completely by the day's end," he assured her, "I'll be fine, so do not worry about me."
"Don't worry about Inu Yasha either," Sango put in, Miroku nodding, "We'll make sure he stays put."
"Keh!" the half-breed said.
So for another hour or so, the group sat huddled around the fire, eating breakfast and making small talk before Kagome packed up what she needed, sure to grab her bow and quiver this time, and headed off to the Bone-eater's Well with Inu Yasha while the others returned to Kaede's village. The next few days passed by uneventfully, Inu Yasha in his customary tree to await Kagome's return, Sango training with Kirara while Miroku gathered herbs with Kaede and Shippo. Tsukuyomaru departed for the time being, opting not to reveal himself to the elder priestess and intrude on a village he had no business being in, heading to another village a day's travel away. He had a bounty to turn in and a reward to collect for slaying a demon that had been terrorizing them and took the opportunity to restock his sake hoard as well as a few other supplies of his own. It was early on the third day that he returned to the clearing around the Bone-eater's Well, spying a familiar red-clad figure approaching at a run before leaping into the air. Something collided with Inu Yasha mid-air, knocking him to the ground several feet from the well, a telltale flutter of leathery wings identifying the attacker as that bothersome stray bat they'd picked up.
"Get off me!" he pushed the demon off him, standing and dusting off his firerat robes, "The hell do you think you were doing?"
"Kagome said to leave her be for a few days," Tsukuyomaru replied, positioning himself between the half-breed and the well, "I will make sure you abide by her wishes. She'll return when she's ready to."
"Back off, bat," Inu Yasha growled, smirking and cracking his knuckles, "Or I'll be forced to hurt you."
"Is that so?" he narrowed his eyes as he crouched in a defensive posture, hand resting on his kodachi's hilt, "Yet you make no move toward your blade."
"I don't need Tetsusaiga to get you out of the way," the half-breed crouched, ready to pounce, "I ain't got time for this."
"I'll see that you make time."
"You're just some pathetic bat demon, they weren't much of a challenge without their barrier."
"Most of them were hardly worth notice and hardly a challenge for a strong half-demon like you, but you forget my rank among them. I was one of their taiyoukai."
"That ain't saying much. Now move before I make you move!"
"Bring it on."
What started out as a scuffle quickly turned into a wrestling match as Inu Yasha tried to get to the well and Tsukuyomaru tried to keep him away, neither drawing their blade or even resorting to claws, the fight going on for several minutes, claws and limbs (and wings) flying.
Finally, Inu Yasha got the upperhand, a well-placed foot to the gut knocking the wind out of Tsukuyomaru and leaving him gasping for breath in the grass as Inu Yasha made a mad dash for the well, grinning as he drew closer to the ancient structure. Suddenly as he was preparing to leap up and down into it, he was tackled hard from behind, the force knocking both demons down into the depths of the well, a light surrounding them before they landed on hard earth. Tsukuyomaru glanced around, recognizing the bottom of the well, though the sounds and smells from above were vastly different, noting that it was also darker above them than he remembered.
"Oof!" he grunted as Inu Yasha shoved him off, "Where are we?"
"Nice going, bat boy," he grumbled, leaping to the top, "Now she'll be pissed at us both."
He followed Inu Yasha up, wings spread as he leapt to the top, finding themselves in a small building or shed that had been built around the well, the inu hanyou opening the door in front of them and walking outside, clearly knowing where he was going. Tsukuyomaru went to follow him out the door, but stopped short and staggered back, hands clapping over his nose, as he was bombarded by a cacophony of unpleasant scents, wondering how the half-breed could stand it. Being inu, it must have been worse for him given that dog demons had a superior sense of smell to bats, but perhaps being half-demon Inu Yasha's nose wasn't quite as sensitive as a full demon's or maybe he was just used to it. He followed the dog-eared boy across the grounds of what was apparently some kind of shrine to a humble home on the property, Inu Yasha opening the door and walking in with his komori companion cautiously trailing. He led them both to the kitchen where Kagome sat at the table enjoying some tea and an older woman, apparently her mother judging by her scent, stood at some strange rectangle cooking.
"Wha-!" Kagome gasped, almost choking on her tea, "Inu Yasha! What're you doing here? I said I'd be back tomorrow!"
"Or the day after," he glared, "You said you hadn't decided. What? Got a big date with that Hojo bozo?"
"Not that it's any of your-!" she stopped, spying Tsukuyomaru standing a couple feet behind Inu Yasha, "Tsu- kuyomaru?"
"Gomen, Kagome," he muttered, bowing his head, "I was only trying to stop Inu Yasha from bothering you when we both fell down the well."
"Kagome, is this one of your other friends?" her mother asked.
"Not really," she replied, "He's a new friend. Mom, this is Tsukuyomaru. Tsukuyomaru, this is my mom."
"It is an honor, Mrs. Higurashi," he said, offering a formal bow when he turned to her.
"Please, have a seat," she said, smiling after returning it, "You and Inu Yasha make yourselves at home. Would you like something to eat?"
"No thank you," Tsukuyomaru replied as Inu Yasha nodded with a grin.
It was later in the evening that found Tsukuyomaru sitting quietly on Kagome's bed looking deep in meditation while she was absorbed in her homework, Inu Yasha busy playing a video game with Sota, leaving the two of them in peace and quiet. She groaned in frustration as she poured over her history book, struggling to find the answer to the essay her teacher expected her to write, but was so far coming up empty. Slowly she lifted her head and looked over her shoulder at Tsukuyomaru, seated on his knees on her bed, hands resting on his thighs, with his eyes closed and head slightly bowed, her gaze drifting to the boots and shin-guards by the door. He had removed the rest of his armor as well, setting it and his kodachi in a neat pile on the floor at the base of her bed, a living, breathing piece of history. She glanced back at her textbook, realizing that what she was currently looking for an answer to was a piece of history he was alive for and during, something that hadn't been far from his home, so maybe he knew something. He opened his eyes with a start at the sound of a muffled thump courtesy of the soft bedding, violet orbs looking down at the book in front of him before raising to meet Kagome's eyes in question.
"Help me?" she smiled, pointing to the book.
Going back to it, he picked it up, resting it on his lap as he gazed at the pages covered in some form of... well, they looked like squiggles, intricate and fancy, but squiggles nonetheless, his fingers running over them as though that would help him make sense of what he was looking at.
"What are you showing me?" he asked.
"Read it over," she said, "And tell me if you know anything about that time?"
His head shot back up to her, his eyes wide and a shamed blush creeping into his cheeks, before he looked away and coughed into his hand.
"This is a different era," he remarked, "Where we are, yes?"
"Yeah," she said slowly, "I told you earlier, this is 500 years after your time."
"And you refer to the period we come from," he went on, "As the Feudal Era, the Sengoku Jidai. You have been to that time, can you not answer this yourself?"
"Just because I travel between that time and this one," she pointed out, "Doesn't mean I know much of what was going on back then or the history. So could you give me a hand?"
"I would," he said then added in a mumble, "if I could read it."
She blinked, "What?"
"I can't read it," he repeated, his cheeks still red as he looked up at her.
"Is that a kanji or a dialect you don't know or something?" she tilted her head.
"Iie, you misunderstand," he clarified, his blush darkening, " I..."
"Oh. Oh!" she gasped, "You can't read...! At all?" he shook his head, "Ugh, stupid me! Why didn't I think of that? Most people back then were... Sorry!"
So she briefly explained the problem to him and what it was she was supposed to be writing an essay on, hoping he had an answer.
"Most demons do not concern themselves with human conflicts," he said, shaking his head, "Especially during that time, there were so many wars humans waged among themselves. Even more so given my clan, we were far removed from them, we knew next to nothing about what was going on outside of our own existence. This was not too distant from the villages we preyed on, but in remote villages like those, communication with the outside world was rare. Sorry I can't be of much help."
"It's alright," she said, "I figured it was a long shot, but thought I'd ask anyway. You never know."
