Enter the Wolf Demon
Thanks to Sesshomaru's stupid kidnapping stunt, they were several miles out of their way for traveling to the mountain that Sango had seen Naraku at. After some discussion, they once again decided that Miroku, Sango, and Shippo would fly on Kirara for the morning, while Inuyasha would stick with Kagome. It was the first time Inuyasha was actually pleased with the prospect of being carried by her. Now that he knew she returned his feelings, the closeness no longer seemed awkward to him.
But they hadn't been traveling more than an hour when Inuyasha sensed a faint glimmer of a jewel shard. Kagome must have felt his body tense, because she asked, "What's wrong, Inuyasha?"
"I sense a jewel shard," Inuyasha said. "It's pretty faint, but definitely there."
Kagome stopped running, letting Inuyasha slip off her back so she could wave down the others. When Kirara landed, Kagome said, "Inuyasha senses a jewel shard. We're going to have to change course."
Sango nodded. "We're following you then."
They all took off again in the direction Inuyasha had indicated. After they had traveled for a few minutes, Inuyasha frowned. "Something's weird," he said.
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.
"Well, we've traveled closer to the shard, but it doesn't really feel any closer," Inuyasha said.
"Whoever has it must be on the move then," Kagome said.
"I guess so," Inuyasha said.
They travelled on, and this time it was Kagome who stiffened, coming to a halt. "What's wrong?" Inuyasha asked.
She didn't answer immediately, but waited until Sango had brought Kirara down for a landing. "I smell blood," Kagome told them. "And lots of it. I think we're going to be walking into something bad up here."
"I'll fly on ahead with Kirara then, and scout out the area," Sango said.
Miroku and Shippo slid off of Kirara. She took off, and was soon out of sight. The rest of them decided to continue walking on, as their much slower pace shouldn't allow them to walk into any kind of danger before Sango returned.
Kagome sniffed the air again, her frown deepening. "I smell wolves," she said.
Inuyasha felt Shippo shiver from his usual position on the teen's shoulder. Inuyasha reached up and patted him for comfort. It didn't surprise Inuyasha that the mention of wolves might frighten Shippo. While Inuyasha hadn't seen much of Rouyakan's wolves in their fight against him, Shippo had. It was bound to have left some bad memories.
"Regular wolves, or demon wolves?" Inuyasha asked.
"Demon," Kagome said.
Sango returned, and her expression was grim. "It's a village," she told them. "They were wiped out by a pack of wolf demons."
"Are they still there?" Miroku asked.
"They are, and probably will be for a while," Sango said. "They're feeding."
It took Inuyasha a moment to register what Sango meant by feeding, and it was with a wave of horror that understanding came.
"We'd better pick up the pace then, and see if we can find anyone who's still alive," Miroku said.
Please let there be someone left alive, Inuyasha thought, as they followed Miroku's suggestion of picking up the pace. He suppressed a shiver, imagining the fate of the people who'd been slaughtered by the wolves, how terrifying such a death would be.
But his imaginings didn't prepare him at all for what he saw when they finally arrived at the village. Bodies of men, women, and children lay where they had fallen in pools of blood, their stomachs ripped open to give the wolves easier access to the internal organs. Most of the wolves were busy gorging themselves on their meal, muzzles and paws covered in blood, their teeth ripping out chunks of flesh.
Inuyasha's stomach heaved, and it took every ounce of self-control he had not to throw up right then and there. He might not have managed the feat at all, if he hadn't been so aware of the current danger they faced.
Kagome drew her sword and rushed forward, slaying the nearest three wolves before they'd even noticed the group's presence. The remaining wolves immediately quit eating to form a rough semicircle in front of them.
Kagome brandished her sword at them. "Come on, then! Let's see how you deal with someone who can actually fight back!"
Two of the wolves seemed to take up her challenge, charging at Kagome from opposite sides so she wouldn't be able to get both of them. "On your left!" Sango shouted, throwing her hiraikotsu at the wolf charging from Kagome's left side, leaving Kagome free to whirl around and cut down the wolf that was charging from her right.
"Inuyasha, which one has the jewel shard?" Miroku asked.
Inuyasha focused on the wolves, trying to ignore their bloody teeth and muzzles in favor of looking for the small, pink light that would indicate the presence of a jewel shard. "None of them," he said through gritted teeth. He didn't want to open his mouth completely to talk, or else he might not be able to stop himself from being sick.
"Then their leader isn't here," Sango said.
"I'll finish these wolves quick then, so we can find him," Kagome called over her shoulder.
The wolves seemed to understand Kagome's words. Most of them rushed her, but several darted farther away started howling. "What are they doing?" Shippo asked.
Sango heaved her hiraikotsu at them, but the wolves seemed to have been expecting that and managed to dodge the throw. "They're calling their leader back!" Sango said.
Inuyasha could sense the presence of the jewel shards drawing closer at an alarming speed, while the wolves that had attacked Kagome suddenly broke away, retreating to a safe distance with the wolves that had set up the howling. Inuyasha didn't even have time to ask Kagome if she was alright before a miniature tornado blew into the village, kicking up dust and debris.
The winds settled, and standing where the tornado had been was a person that at first glance appeared to be a young man in armor and a furry kilt. But the presence that blazed in Inuyasha's senses most definitely wasn't human, and a second glance revealed that the young man had pointed, elflike ears and a wolf tail.
The wolves rushed to him, and for a second Inuyasha thought they were going to attack him, but they didn't. Instead, they gathered around him, whining. The demon glanced down at them for a moment, and then his blue eyes snapped back up to glare at Kagome. His lips curled back in a snarl. "How dare you slaughter my wolves?" he demanded.
"Your wolves just slaughtered an entire village," Kagome snapped back. "I don't think you have any room to complain."
"So what?" the wolf demon said. "They were hungry; they needed to eat."
Inuyasha was chilled. He had never imagined that someone could be so nonchalant about mass murder. How can he not care that he's caused the death of so many people?
"You should have fed them something else," Kagome replied. She shifted her stance slightly, and Inuyasha realized she was about to attack. Before Inuyasha could call out a warning, she lunged at the wolf demon, swinging the Tetsusaiga in an attack that should have taken him through the heart. But with a movement that was almost too fast to follow, the wolf demon dodged the swing with a jump, somehow managing to land on the blunt edge of Tetsusaiga's blade.
The wolf demon smirked down at her. "Too slow!" With another movement that was so fast Inuyasha couldn't really follow it, he somehow managed to hit Kagome, sending her crashing through the wall of a hut.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried out, his heart in his throat.
"It'll take more than a half breed mutt like you to beat me," the wolf demon said, an arrogant smirk lighting his face.
Inuyasha's temper flared, and he could feel his own power surging in response to it. If only he could get his hands on that arrogant bastard, he'd purify him out of existence! But Inuyasha knew just from this short exchange of blows he'd never manage to get close to him. Kagome was the only one who stood a chance against this wolf demon.
Rubble stirred, and Kagome stepped out of the hole in the wall. To Inuyasha's relief, she didn't seem hurt, just angry. "This half breed mutt is going to take you down!" she snarled.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted again to get her attention. She needed to know about the demon's jewel shards! Kagome didn't take her eyes off of her opponent, but an ear twitched in his direction, so Inuyasha knew he had her attention. "He's got three jewel shards! One in his right arm, and one in each leg!"
The demon's gaze snapped over to Inuyasha, his blue eyes wide with surprise. Inuyasha just glared back at him.
"Well, that explains his speed," Sango said grimly.
"Then there's no more time to waste," Kagome said. She held Tetsusaiga's hilt with both hands, and Inuyasha felt a surge of power around her, like he had at Mushin's temple when she'd killed the mass of demons with one swing. Remembering what Totosai had told them the day before, Inuyasha realized what she was doing.
She's going to use the wind scar!
The wolf demon tensed and jumped back. "Retreat!" he shouted to the wolves. They immediately melted away into the distance, and their leader disappeared with them. The retreat was so sudden that for a moment all Inuyasha could do was stare.
"What just happened?" Shippo asked.
Miroku stepped forward. "Kagome, you were about to use the wind scar, correct?"
"Yeah," Kagome said, staring in the direction the wolves had disappeared in. "I thought since he had three jewel shards, it would be the best way to end the fight quickly."
"I think he may have sensed the attack, and decided to run away rather than face it," Miroku said.
"Then he isn't just strong," Sango said. "He's clever. That makes our job harder."
"So it does," Miroku said. "But before we track him down, we'd best tend to this village. If we don't, we could end up leaving behind angry ghosts."
Miroku's words made Inuyasha remember the surrounding carnage, which Kagome's danger had momentarily helped him to ignore. Now that the immediate danger was gone, all his focus turned toward the mutilated corpses that were all that was left of the villagers.
Bile rose in his throat, and this time there was no threat of danger to help him keep it down. He whirled about, but only managed a few steps away before he had to lean over and throw up. "Inuyasha!" He could feel Shippo clinging to his shoulders, but he didn't have time to answer him before another wave of nausea hit and his stomach heaved again.
When his stomach was finally empty, Inuyasha noticed the others had moved closer to him in concern. "Oh, Inuyasha," Kagome said, reaching out to touch his arm. "I'm sorry. I forgot you haven't seen things like this before."
"You guys have?" Inuyasha asked, wiping his mouth. Miroku held out a bottle of water for him, which Inuyasha gratefully accepted.
"It is an unfortunately common occurrence in these times," Miroku said. "Villages get wiped out, and not always by demons."
Unfortunate, he called it. This was so much worse than merely unfortunate, but looking at their faces, all Inuyasha could see was a mild sadness and concern, and those emotions were not even directed toward the villagers and what had happened to them. All their sadness and concern was for Inuyasha, for the distress that he was feeling.
This is so messed up.
His friends were good people. They were compassionate people. If people as good and compassionate as they were could look at the slaughter of an entire village of people and call it merely unfortunate, then something was very wrong.
This is why people are afraid of Kagome.
Kagome didn't go around killing people, and she certainly never ate them. But other demons did. Other demons killed and ate whole villages of people and everyone knew it happened. So when other people saw Kagome they didn't just see a stranger. They saw someone who might be thinking about eating them and their family. Viewed in that light, the hatred that humans in the Feudal Era seemed to feel for demons and half demons kind of started to make sense.
"I'm okay," Inuyasha said, standing up. It was a lie, and they probably knew it. But they were kind enough not to call him on it.
"Inuyasha, you and I can dig graves," Sango said. "Miroku, Kagome, see if you two can find us some shovels. Come on, Inuyasha, let's find a spot."
Inuyasha followed her, and he was grateful that she led him around the edge of the village rather than through it, as it allowed him to keep his eyes averted from the carnage. They kept going until they came to a decently sized field. "This looks like a good spot," Sango said.
It wasn't long at all before Kagome and Miroku appeared with shovels for them. Taking the shovels, Sango demonstrated with marks on the ground how long and wide the graves needed to be, and then they set to work. Digging the graves was hot, back breaking work, and Inuyasha was grateful for that. It was strenuous enough that it let him not think about the slaughtered villagers, or about how Miroku and Kagome had the task of gathering those bodies for burial. Neither Sango nor Shippo tried to engage him in conversation, another thing for which he was grateful. He could simply lose himself in the repetitive movements of digging.
"Inuyasha."
Inuyasha blinked sweat out of his eyes, looking up to see Kagome standing by the grave he was digging. He wasn't sure how long he'd been at work, but it must have been for some time, as he and Sango had managed a decently long line of graves.
"You need to take a break," Kagome said. Sango was taking a break already, sitting several feet away and sipping on water.
"I'd rather keep working," Inuyasha said. If he took a break, he wouldn't be able to help but notice the blanket wrapped bodies that Kagome and Miroku had gathered and laid out nearby, waiting to be buried.
"You need a break," she repeated. "You've already hurt your hands."
She was right. His hands were blistered and sore, and his back ached from the effort of his labor. But he still didn't want to stop. If he stopped, he'd have to think.
"I'm fine," Inuyasha said.
Kagome's frown deepened. "I'll tell Sensei you caused yourself injury through carelessness."
Inuyasha winced, knowing exactly how poorly Sensei would react to being told something like that. "Fine. You win."
She held out a hand, and Inuyasha took it, allowing her to help pull him out of the grave he'd been digging. Once he was out, she didn't let go of his hand but started walking, pulling him along with her. "Come on," she said. "We need to take care of your hands."
It took Inuyasha a minute to realize she was leading him to a nearby hut, but when he did his steps came to a halt. Kagome looked back at him, her expression gentle, and said, "It's okay, Inuyasha. No one died in there. I wouldn't do that to you."
Reluctantly, Inuyasha let her lead him inside. Someone, probably Shippo, had already stored their things inside this hut, and had a fire going.
"Sit," Kagome ordered, pointing to a spot near the fire. Inuyasha obeyed, watching her while she gathered together a bowl of water and some clean rags. She sat down in front of him, setting the bowl between them. "Show me your hands."
Inuyasha held them out for her. They really did look a mess. Some of the blisters had even torn open, leaving his hands stinging. Kagome dipped a rag in the bowl of water and gently wiped at his palms, cleaning away the dirt that had gathered on them. It was kind of amazing that hands as strong as Inuyasha knew hers to be could also be so incredibly gentle.
"I'm sorry," Kagome said after a few minutes of silence. "About all of this."
"It's not your fault," Inuyasha said. It was the fault of that wolf demon.
"I know," Kagome said. "But I'm still sorry. I wish you didn't have to know that situations like this exist."
Inuyasha suddenly realized that to Kagome, he must seem incredibly innocent and naive. He'd never thought of himself that way. After all, he'd known that terrible things happened to people, even in his time. But it was one thing to hear on the news that a town had been destroyed somewhere on the other side of the world in a country he barely knew existed. It was something else entirely to see that carnage up close and personal, and to know that it was a common occurrence.
"We're going to stop him, Inuyasha," Kagome said. "I promise. We're going to take his jewel shards, and we're going to make sure that wolf demon never hurts anyone again."
Her face was in an expression of fierce determination, and Inuyasha felt a swell of emotion that was too tangled and overwhelming for him to put a name to. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against Kagome's. "You are a wonderful person," he said softly. "Have I told you that lately?"
Kagome blushed. "Um, yes, yesterday," she stammered.
"Then it's been too long," Inuyasha said. His hands curled around Kagome's, cradling them gently. "You're wonderful."
"Hey, Inuyasha—oh!"
Shippo's voice cut through the moment, startling them both. Kagome jerked back from Inuyasha, her whole face nearly as red her clothes. Inuyasha glared at Shippo, who stood in the doorway sheepishly.
"Sorry for interrupting," Shippo said. "Miroku wanted to know if we needed to gather any firewood for lunch."
Inuyasha glanced at the small pile of firewood stashed near the doorway of the hut. "I think we're good," he said.
"I'll go tell Miroku and Sango then," Shippo said before dashing off.
"I'd better start getting the food prepared then," Kagome said standing up.
"I'll help," Inuyasha said, but Kagome shook her head.
"You stay there," she told him. "Give your hands a rest."
So Inuyasha leaned back against a wall, and a few moments later the others entered. Sango went to help Kagome with preparing their meal while Miroku settled down beside Inuyasha. Shippo claimed his spot in Inuyasha's lap.
"Inuyasha, do you know how to perform rites for the deceased?" Miroku asked.
Inuyasha shook his head. "No, I never learned that."
"Then I'll have to teach you," Miroku said. "It'll go faster tonight if both of us are doing the work."
It was a depressing lesson, and Inuyasha struggled to pay attention to Miroku's words rather than lingering on mental images of the people they would be performing those rites for. It wasn't easy, and Inuyasha was relieved when the girls had finished preparing lunch and the lesson was put on hold for the meal.
Once they finished eating, Inuyasha and Shippo were given the assignment of cleaning up after the meal while the others went back to the grisly task of digging graves and gathering bodies for burial. Inuyasha knew the others were trying to shelter him as much as they could from it all, and he didn't resent the coddling. Nor did he mind when Shippo dragged the cleaning out longer than necessary, chattering away about nothing in particular.
But eventually they did finish their tasks, and Inuyasha went outside to see if there was anything else they needed him to do. He saw that the others had finished gathering the bodies, and Sango and Miroku were lowering the blanket wrapped bodies into the graves while Kagome filled in the graves.
Even though the bodies were wrapped securely, Inuyasha couldn't help but cringe at the sight of them, especially the small figures of children. The only comfort he could call on was Kagome's promise that they would stop the wolf demon, but it was small comfort when stopping the wolf demon now wouldn't bring any of these people back to life.
I wonder if Sesshomaru could save them?
Totosai had told them that Sesshomaru's sword Tenseiga had the ability to heal people, even to the point of bringing them back from the dead. With just one swing, it could save the lives of a hundred people. But Inuyasha doubted there was any chance that Sesshomaru would ever use the Tenseiga to save someone, especially if the user had to be kindhearted.
What wouldn't I give for a sword like that right now?
Wishing did no good though. He felt Shippo hop up onto his shoulder. "Are you okay, Inuyasha?" he asked.
Inuyasha reached up and patted Shippo's head. "I'm fine, Shippo."
A lie. But he supposed it would be true eventually. He walked toward the others. "What can I do to help?" he asked.
Miroku nodded toward the first grave, which Kagome had finished filling in. "Go ahead and start the rites."
Inuyasha walked over to the grave. Bowing his head, he began the prayer that Miroku had taught him, to calm the person's soul and help them move on to the afterlife.
The work of burying the villagers took the rest of the afternoon. By the time they finished the task, the sun was setting and everyone was tired from their work. Their exhaustion made dinner a quiet affair, and soon after the meal was complete everyone turned in for the night.
As Shippo snuggled into Inuyasha's side like usual, the teen realized that this might be the first time he was genuinely glad that Shippo liked to sleep cuddled up to him. After seeing so much death that day, it was a great comfort to have the reassurance that there was someone living next to him. Reveling in that comfort, Inuyasha drifted off to sleep.
With a gasp, Inuyasha jerked out of his nightmare, images of wolves snapping at him still dancing through his brain. Should've expected nightmares after yesterday.
The confines of the hut felt stifling after his dream, so Inuyasha slipped out of his sleeping bag, careful not to jar Shippo awake. Then he slipped outside, and leaning back against the wall of the hut, he breathed deeply of the early morning air. To the east, the sky was fading from black to gray, which meant the sun would be coming up soon. Then the others would wake, and then they'd be off after that wolf demon.
"Inuyasha?"
He looked up to see Kagome sitting on the edge of the roof, looking down at him. "Hi," he said.
"Did you have a nightmare?" she asked.
It was on the tip of his tongue to deny it, when he realized that with her hearing she'd probably heard his gasping when he'd woken up. "Yeah," he admitted.
She was quiet a moment and then said, "You had nightmares after Enju too."
"You knew about that?" Inuyasha asked.
"I was awake," Kagome said. "I heard you wake up then, too. Do fights always give you nightmares?"
"Not always," Inuyasha said. "Just when they're really bad. Like this." Inuyasha looked up at the sky instead of at Kagome. It was embarrassing to admit this weakness to her. "I bet you never have nightmares."
"Not about fights," Kagome said. "But I think everyone has nightmares, sometimes."
"I guess so," Inuyasha said. They fell into silence after that. Inuyasha straightened from where he was leaning against the hut and started to go into his stretches.
"Should you really be practicing right now?" Kagome asked.
"I'm not practicing," Inuyasha replied. "Just stretching. I'm sore from the digging yesterday, and stretching helps."
"Oh," Kagome said. Soreness was probably something Kagome didn't have to worry about much, given how quickly she healed.
By the time Inuyasha had finished his stretches, the sun was rising and he could hear the other beginning to stir in the hut.
Kagome hopped off the roof. "I'd better help Sango with breakfast." As she ducked inside the hut, Miroku came out holding a bucket in each hand.
"Sango is sending us for water," he said cheerfully, holding one out for Inuyasha to take.
Inuyasha took the bucket from him, and together they walked down to the river. Carrying the bucket while it was empty wasn't a big deal, though once it had been filled with water Inuyasha winced at the pressure it placed on his blisters. "Hands sore?" Miroku asked.
"A bit," Inuyasha admitted. "I probably shouldn't practice with my staff for a day or two to give the blisters a chance to heal."
Miroku nodded. "Probably."
They carried the water back to the hut, and soon breakfast had been cooked and eaten, and all their things repacked. "Inuyasha, can you sense the jewel shards that wolf demon had?" Kagome asked.
Inuyasha shook his head. "No. Wherever he went, he's too far away for me to sense the shards."
"In that case, I'll have to track them down by scent," Kagome said.
This was easier said than done. Kagome was able to find their trail to follow, but it led farther away from the village than anyone had expected. After several hours of travel, they found themselves in a mountainous region. The mountains were cut through with deep valleys and gorges, giving the whole area a labyrinth like feel.
"It's like a maze," Inuyasha complained.
"It's a good thing we have Kagome," Sango said. "At least she can follow their scents."
"For now," Kagome said. "If this is their territory, their scents could be all over the place. That'll make tracking them much harder. We may end up needing you and Kirara to scout for us."
"We can do that," Sango said, nodding. "Just let us know if you need us."
The trail led them down into a gorge, and it was a good thing that Inuyasha wasn't afraid of heights, because the path they were on dropped off sharply with more than a hundred foot fall. There was a wide river at the bottom of the gorge, but Inuyasha doubted that would make much of a difference in the landing.
Suddenly, Inuyasha sensed the presence of demons above them, and his head snapped up to see a group of demon wolves rushing down the steep cliff side toward them. "Look out!" he shouted, but before anyone had any time to react, the wolves slammed into Kagome, knocking her off the side of the path.
They rushed to the edge and saw the wolves were clamped down on her arms and legs as they plummeted toward the river. Then the presence of jewel shards flared into Inuyasha's awareness, and a small, swirling funnel like the one the wolf demon had appeared out of the day before was rocketing toward them up the side of the cliff wall.
Ambush!
Inuyasha barely had time for the thought when something slammed into his stomach nearly hard enough to wind him. Wind rushed about him, and Inuyasha realized it wasn't quite an ambush, or at least not an ambush for fighting. It was a kidnapping.
"What are you doing?" Inuyasha shouted furiously at the wolf demon whose shoulder he was currently tossed over.
The wolf demon laughed. "Isn't it obvious?"
Before Inuyasha could spit out an angry retort at him the wolf demon jumped off the path aiming for the other side of the gorge. The distance was great enough that Inuyasha was sure even Kagome couldn't have made it in one jump. His heart leaped to his throat, and Inuyasha was sure they were going to fall to their deaths or at the very least his death.
Then with a jolt that jabbed the demon's shoulder painfully into Inuyasha's stomach they hit the other cliff face, the demon's feet and one hand digging furrows into the rock and bringing them to a halt hanging of the side of the cliff.
"You're insane," Inuyasha managed to say.
"Please, this is nothing for me," the demon responded flippantly.
Inuyasha was in no mood to be impressed, least of all with this particular demon. "You don't get bragging rights when you're relying on jewel shards for power!"
The demon huffed and took off running again, going straight up the cliff. Inuyasha kept his mouth shut for fear of biting his tongue. As soon as this guy stops running—and we're not hanging of the side of a cliff—I'm going to purify him to ash.
The run lasted longer than Inuyasha would have liked. Traveling tossed over someone's shoulder was absolutely not comfortable. In fact, the position felt rather precarious, and despite himself Inuyasha ended up hanging onto the wolf demon so he wouldn't accidentally fall off. If he fell going at this speed, it'd be a miracle if he didn't die.
But finally the wolf demon did come to a stop, shrugging Inuyasha off his perch with an abruptness that caused him to stumble before he found his footing. Inuyasha blinked and looked around. The scenery was rather picturesque, with a waterfall tumbling down the cliff and feeding into a pool that was surrounded by greenery. But it wasn't the pretty scenery that held Inuyasha's attention. It was the fact that they were surrounded by wolf demons, and not just the four legged kind either.
Inuyasha had assumed that the four legged wolf demons that had attacked the village were the entirety of the wolf demon's pack. That assumption had been very, very wrong.
Crap.
AN: For anyone wondering, yes, this is also when Sesshomaru meets Rin, and in this AU he does meet her. I didn't write them meeting because it would have played out basically the same way as it did in the show, so there really wasn't a point. Hope you'll enjoy the wolf tribe arc; I can promise things are going to play out very differently for everyone.