Chapter Ten
Sango pulled out her blade in a diagonal motion and sliced him in mid lunge from hip to shoulder. Skin deep at best.
Surprise colored his face as he spun away from the weapon. He pivoted on one foot which brought him right back in Sango's face.
She turned the weapon in her hand for a better grip when his back was turned. She plunged the kodachi into his belly and his face went blank.
They froze.
His eyes went down to the hilt of the blade sticking from his body to the hands that held it to the arms they were connected to, all the way to her serious brown eyes.
"You stabbed me," his voice was low but even, "This woulda killed a human, you know."
"You're not human," her voice was just as low though a slow smile curved her lips, "What? Can't take being run through?"
"Where did you get the weapon?" He was confused.
"I'm a demon slayer," was her only response.
He made a sound low in his throat and then shifted his weight backwards. She shifted her weight forwards and tried to keep him impaled. He reached for her weapon and she twisted to hit him in the chin with her elbow.
He managed to twist off her blade and she repositioned her hands again. She gripped the hilt with both hands and charged.
He caught the blade just before the hilt where the weapon was dull.
She put more force behind the blade almost managing to scratch the surface of his skin before he could compensate.
His eyebrows lifted with reluctant esteem, "You're pretty strong, aren't ya."
He yanked the blade away from her which unbalanced her and tossed it to the side. He caught her fist and then the other.
"It's just too bad-"
She brought her leg up in a short but powerful kick to the groin.
His eyes bulged and his grip loosened as his entire body seemed to shrink.
"You don't know the half of it." She stated smugly and successfully jerked away from him.
His lip curled back into a snarl as anger made it's way onto his face.
"Poison powder!" She threw a bag into his face and took off for the hills as she fastened her poison shielding mask.
Sango had full confidence in herself as a demon slayer. Could she take Koga? Sure, she could. Could she take Koga without her main weapon? Sure . . . It would just be a lot harder.
All right, think, Koga was fast so the more distance she could put between them, the more time she had to mount a defense. Of canine descent so his senses were above par but neutralized for the moment by the poison.
Weapons . . . Weighted chain. She pulled the chain from it's hidden compartment as she ran. Check. She also had-
A shiver ran up her back so she tightened her grip on the chain and let it loose in an flying arc as she turned.
The chain hit the dirt as the wolf demon pulled back at the last moment. His eyes were red with irritation from the poison and his whole body screamed unhappy.
She yanked the chain back and then swung it in large then small circles until she grasped the full length of the chain in her arms.
"You're a feisty bitch," he shook his head, "You couldn't have been carrying that."
"You're easily surprised for a wolf leader, Koga," she sent the chain flying with a swoop and a kick that had the male demon checking his step. "But then I guess it was the jewel shards that made you leader and not your own merit."
He growled at her, "Don't speak of what you don't know."
"I make it my business to know," she sent the chain flying again, "Know your prey."
"Prey?" His eyes flashed as he grinned, "You sure you ain't demon, Sango?"
He darted in, skillfully dodged the chain, and closed the distance. She turned furiously trying to predict his moves, failing miserably as her chain fell a second to late time and again. He was going to make it, she realized and released the full length of the chain.
"Ha!" He grabbed her about the waist, "So much for-"
Clunk.
The full weight of the chain landed on Koga's head and made him stumble. She pulled away but he got a hold of her chain.
He yanked and ripped the chain from it's connecter in her elbow pad, wrenching her arm almost out of it's socket.
He dropped the chain and lowered into his haunches, "I'm about done playing with you, bitch."
"Really, because I've only just begun," she dipped her fingers into her poison paste and then grasped her ninja stars, a gift from the ninja tribe. She was really wishing for her boots and her daggers right now.
"Poison powder!" She screamed and threw a star. She took off when he quickly shielded his face only to have a star embed itself into his chest directly above his heart.
"HEY!" His pissed off roar sounded behind her.
All right, she ducked behind a low branch and dashed behind a tree out of sight, she had four stars left. She had to make every one of them count. She would not be able to hide there for long, however, with his distorted senses she should be able to hide just long enough.
Besides, she had about four darts as well.
Koga roared past, predictably crashing through the low branch and she sent the star flying.
He caught the sound of the whirling star and turned with an arm up to block. It embedded in his arm and was yanked out with disgust.
She threw another one.
He hit it away and then coughed violently as the poison powder bag connected to it exploded.
She took off into the woods, zigging and zagging as best as she could though it was no use. Koga would know she was trying to make it back to the village.
She turned on her toes, threw a dart, heard a curse, and turned again.
She was also going to have to invest in a stronger poison. This one didn't seem to be having that much of an effect. She dipped her fingers into the poison paste again.
"Gotcha!" He yanked her off her feet and swung her around to face him. "Whatcha goin' to do now? Huh?"
She thrust her fingers into his stomach wound and was backhanded for her efforts.
"Ask and you will receive," she smiled through her bloody lip.
He blinked rapidly, his vision was starting to get blurry. He shook his head to clear it and jumped out of the way of her last star.
He approached her more wearily, no longer so convinced that she was weaponless, and was rewarded when she pulled two darts out of nowhere and wielded them like daggers. Might as well be dangers in her hands, he thought with honest admiration. He should not be struggling to take this woman back to his den but she was trickier to deal with than a hornet's nest.
He swung and knocked one of the daggers out of her hand.
She lunged forward to stab him, a popular thing as of late, and he spun while throwing out his leg to catch her in the back spin.
He connected and she was sent flying to the ground with an oomph.
He walked over to her cockily as she struggled to get to her feet.
"See what happens when humans try to play with demons?" He yanked her to her feet by her arm and watched with mild concern as she dangled limply. "Hey, you're not hurt, are you?"
Faster then he would have thought a human could move she reached out and grabbed his sword. She pulled and stabbed him in the arm in an effect to be let go.
It worked beautifully, he let go with a howl, and then stared at her incredulously as she flicked his blood off his sword.
"That's mine!" He stated the obvious.
"You don't use it much, though, do you." She leveled the blade at him teasingly, "The balance is off."
He stiffened with outrage and went to take a step towards when a whistling filled the air. He jumped backwards in a flip and was rewarded when the object hit the dirt instead of him.
A body dropped from the air and landed deftly between him and the girl.
"Kohaku!" Came Sango's surprised gasp.
Koga studied the newcomer with something akin to shock. That was Naraku's whipping boy! He'd thought the boy had bit the dust in the final battle.
A roar sounded from the heavens and Koga just managed to dodge a furious cat demon.
"Stand back, Sango," the boy spoke as he swung his weapon with an almost careless grace. "I'll handle this."
"No," her answer was vehement.
Koga exhaled his relief, grateful the demon slayer still wanted to fight one on one. Not that he couldn't take the boy but . . . It would hurt . . . a lot. Kohaku, he thought his name was, was unparalleled in skill with the chain scythe.
"We fight together," she lifted the sword with deadly intent.
He swallowed, oh, well, shit.
Kirara landed with a vicious snarl and then they all started to circle him.
"Look, Kohaku," he tried to reason with him, "I just want the girl-"
"The girl is my sister!" He hissed at the demon.
"Ah, then I guess you do have a problem with me," he eyed them carefully, all he really had to do was stun the boy and cat then take off with the girl. Of course, this plan would only work if the girl cooperated which it didn't look like she would . . .
Damn, he missed Kagome . . . she was so easy to kidnap. . .
He dodged the chain scythe, the cat, and then the random dart in consecutive order. He wasn't making any progress at all but, at least, they weren't either.
He hissed as the scythe slashed across his back.
Kirara dashed towards him and bunted him across the forest about thirty feet into a tree.
He reached up and absently swatted away a dart when he snapped to his feet with his nose to the wind.
"Ah, fuck that," He turned to Sango, "Tell the mutt, I'll be back."
Then he turned and headed for the hills.
Kohaku glanced at his sister with confusion, "Is he running away?"
"He does that," she sank to the ground with a groan. She was going to hurt tomorrow and the day after. Maybe for the week.
"Should I go after him?" Kohaku lifted his weapon uncertainly.
"If he's really running then you won't be able to catch him," she stated stoically and then gazed at him fondly, "You came for me."
Kohaku immediately hunched his shoulders and blushed beneath his mask, "I couldn't let another demon tear us apart."
Sango just nodded and blinked back tears. He was back. Her brother was finally completely back.
"WHERE IS HE?!" Inuyasha skidded in and came to an abrupt stop that had Shippo tumbling off his back.
"That's why he ran away," Sango smiled and then winced, "He didn't want to face all of us."
"That fucking bastard! I'll kill him!" Inuyasha glanced at her and his rage drained as disbelief covered his face. "Sango?"
She used the sword as a crutch to get to her feet, "Yes?"
"You're hurt."
She glanced up and his eyes were heated, "I gave more than I got. I'm fine."
"No, you're not," he stomped up to her and his eyes raked her face making her very self-conscious. What did he see?
"That bastard," he growled, "I'll kill him."
He meant it, she blinked at the realization, this time he really meant it.
He took another step and scooped her up into his arms making her squeak with protest.
"I'm taking her to Kaede's," Inuyasha threw a glance back at Kohaku, "You comin'?"
"What about Koga?" He glanced in the direction the wolf had fled.
"He won't be back for awhile," the half-demon sniffed, "He lost a lot of blood and he was poisoned."
"Inuyasha," she tapped on his chin, "I'm fine. I don't have to see Kaede."
"You are not fine," he ignored her protests and ran back to the village but not before Sango yelled, "Kohaku! Get my weapons!"
Inuyasha barged into Kaede's hut and gently placed Sango in front of the old priestess.
"Sango, my child, what has happened?" The old priestess was shocked.
The entire side of her face was swollen, caked with blood, and dirt. Her exterminator outfit was ripped in the places where he had grabbed her and an entire arm was gone from when he yanked away her chain. Hand shaped bruises where appearing where her skin was visible and made the outside eye wander where else they were appearing under her clothes.
"Demon," Sango shrugged and winced as her shoulder protested.
"What hurts?" Inuyasha demanded.
"My shoulder," she blinked at him, "Koga nearly dislocated it when he took my chain." He's cataloguing my injuries, she realized with a start, but why?
"What else?"
"I . . ." Sango glanced at Kaede for help.
"Don't look at her," Inuyasha was suddenly in her face, "Where else did that bastard lay his hands on you?!"
"Calm yourself, Inuyasha," Kaede rapped his knuckles with a wooden spoon, "Sango has been through enough without you yelling at her."
Inuyasha backed off as he rubbed his hands and glared at the priestess. His gaze softened as his eyes turned to her.
"I'm all right," Sango reiterated softly, "I'll be back to my old self in a week at the most."
His ears drooped with guilt.
"It's my fault. I didn't protect you."
Kaede whacked him again.
"OW! What was that for, ya old bat?!"
"Just acting where Sango cannot," she started and then went for some water.
Inuyasha frowned with confusion.
Sango sighed, "Inuyasha, you couldn't have known Koga would attack us."
"I wouldn't have put it past him," he shot back, "What did he want anyway?"
She glanced away, "He wanted revenge."
"Revenge? For what?"
"For Kagome," she answered and hoped he would let it drop with that.
"Fucking bastard," he spat, "What does that have to do with taking you?"
She shook her head, she should have known he wouldn't have let it rest. She turned her head and met his eyes.
"You took his woman so he said he would take yours."
She saw confusion swirl in his eyes and then, sure as the dawn, she saw the realization in his eyes. The shift from blissful ignorance to painful knowledge.
"He thought . . ."
She nodded, "It's not your fault. Koga is just . . . He said we were breaking a demon law and that we had to die. He realized that it wasn't true when he smelled I wasn't pregnant-"
"Pregnant?"
"-so he then decided that he would claim me like the caveman that he is," her eyes narrowed, "I would not be claimed so . . . The injuries. Not your fault at all."
His golden eyes just blinked at her, "He wants to claim you?"
"He even said I was his woman," she scoffed, "Can you believe his nerve?"
She turned to Inuyasha only to lean back with concern.
Inuyasha was vibrating with rage. She could almost see it coming off him in waves as his fang dug into his lip. His hands were fisted in the materiel of his sleeves as he barely restrained himself from violence.
"He said WHAT?!"
