I do not own InuYasha or the characters created by Rumiko Takahashi.
The Mysterious Thief - Part Eight
"You don't look happy to see me," Kagura teased.
"What did you do with Airi?!" Inuyasha demanded.
"Who? I haven't the faintest idea who you're babbling about," Kagura sighed. "I only get sent out as the welcoming mat," she said spitefully, tightening her grip on the fan.
"What does Naraku want with a mere human?" Miroku attempted to extract answers.
Kagura smirked, "How should I know? I'm only here to make sure you don't find out."
With that she spread the fan and raised her arm creating a huge gust of wind. Sango thrust hiraikotsu into the ground shielding Shippo and Kirara and Inuyasha went to Kagome's side. Miroku opened his wind tunnel to counterattack her ghostly wind.
"Miroku! The saimyosho*!" Sango yelled over the howling wind and pointed behind the wind sorceress. The monk closed his right hand before sucking in any poisonous insects and both winds died down.
Kagome suddenly tensed up in the half demon's arms. He had come accustomed to that look on her face and knew it was their only lead to Airi's whereabouts.
"You guys get out of here, I'll take care of Kagura," he ordered.
Kagome hopped on her bike, but Kagura threw a wind blade at her. In a flash, Inuyasha whipped out tetsusaiga and deflected it.
"I'm your opponent now," he sneered, standing between the two women.
The young miko pedaled away from Inuyasha and Miroku, Sango and Shippo followed on Kirara. The wind sorceress saw the saimyosho turn to track them and scowled at the tattletale insects.
"What's your problem Kagura? Afraid of losing?" The half demon provoked her.
The wind sorceress focused her red eyes on the half demon again, "Are you always so eager to die? Dance of blades!"
She attacked just as his friends vanished from sight, unaware of the jewel shard they sought.
Kirara caught up to Kagome and the demon slayer flashed a hopeful look, but the young miko shook her head. The small ray of hope Sango held for a chance to see her brother disappeared.
"Miroku, the saimyosho are following us," Shippo tugged on his sleeve.
The demon slayer guided Kirara to a stop and spun her around. She effortlessly launched hiraikotsu and shredded the saimyosho with one strike. With a flick of her tail Kirara turned around and flew behind Kagome.
They didn't travel long before approaching a barrier that radiated a fluorescent green hue.
"Ugh, why can't anything be the same? Naraku has a pink and purple barrier, Kikyo has a blue spiritual barrier and now this one is green!" Shippo whined.
"I have to admit it's rather strange. I haven't seen one like this before," Sango spoke up.
Miroku picked up a small rock and chucked it at the barrier. It went through without resistance, then was struck by green lightning and disappeared.
Shippo screamed, "Aaah! What do we do? I'm too young to die."
"It's too large to go around, we'll have to find a way to diffuse it," Miroku thought out loud. He walked closer to the barrier and tried to place an ofuda on it, but that fell through also and was struck by a bolt of green light. They looked at each other alarmed, but knew they would have to figure something out soon.
While the gang tried to find a way through the barrier and Inuyasha battled Kagura, Airi gradually regained consciousness. She felt coarse rope cutting into her wrists that secured her to the wooden beam digging into her back. The gag in her mouth tasted like vomit and dirt and her legs barely reached the floor. She blinked repeatedly to adjust to the blazing fire torches when images of large, strong, hairy hands surfaced in her mind. A pounding headache confirmed that she had been knocked out and hastily glanced around for her attacker. The room was quiet, empty and constructed from dirt, suggesting an underground cave. Any attempt to flee would be complicated; but navigating through the winding tunnels would have to wait until she could get out of her restraints.
Airi wriggled and twisted her wrists, but paused when she heard scurrying sounds travel up the hallway. She struggled to get loose as the noises grew louder until a small cute monkey waltzed into the room. She gestured to the monkey to help her, but without her voice it was useless. She was tiring herself out and took a deep breath to try to remain calm. Once again she fumbled with the ropes on her wrist with her fingers and started to wiggle one arm out when a shadow grew before her. She lifted her eyes to witness the monkey transform into a large ape.
Airi's heart dropped into her stomach and she yanked her arm harder, but it crossed the room in one stride and seized her elbow. The giant ape towered over her, and she shrunk away pressing the wooden beam deeper into her back.
"I'm sorry, but you can't leave until my master speaks with you," he warned with dark soulless eyes.
He moved around her and tightened the ropes on her wrist causing her to whimper in pain. The ape left the room and Airi began to lose hope of escaping. She mulled over her past but couldn't think of anyone who would want to hold her captive.
It felt like hours passed by before a tall man dressed in all white entered the room, "Airi, at last we meet."
Airi looked him over carefully, but his features were unfamiliar. His frazzled jet black hair and thick eyebrows couldn't hide his pastel pink eyes: demon eyes. He wore a rainbow-colored ring on each index finger and powder blue boots that were caked with mud. There wasn't a speck of dirt on his white attire suggesting that the ape did all the dirty work.
"I'm sure you were wondering why Yuta (yoo-ta) here didn't react to your scent when he kidnapped you," he spoke gesturing to the ape behind him.
She kept her face stern, and continued to study his every move.
"I took away his sense of smell. I couldn't have the most crucial part of my….. project destroyed by your alluring scent, but I am rather curious myself," he stepped closer and grabbed her chin.
Her eyes betrayed her mounting distress and she tried to jerk her chin from his grip, but he was stronger than he looked. He moved her head to the side, exposing her neck and inhaled deeply. She squeezed her eyes shut instinctively, bracing for his sexual excitement.
"Hmmm, that is lovely, just wonderfully delic….," he trailed off, pressing his nose and mouth into her neck like he wanted to be one with her.
Airi dared not move for she had learned the hard way that it could heighten a demon's arousal. Slowly he brushed his lips against her neck and she felt fangs graze her neck. His mouth stretched wider and her eyes flashed open as his teeth began to puncture her smooth flesh. Fear strangled her lungs and her pulse echoed in her ears, when suddenly the ape wrenched him away from her. She looked up surprised, confused, and thankful.
"What? Ohh…." The demon seemed dazed, like his soul was temporarily disconnected from his body.
Seeing the confused, yet alarmed, expression on Airi's face he composed himself and explained.
"I thoughtfully asked him to stop me from murdering you if your scent proved too overwhelming," he paused, displaying a kindhearted expression. "Of course, you must understand that the one I desired was also one I wanted to kill; made things a bit complicated. But where are my manners? My name is Hideaki (hi' dee-akee) and I am a sorcerer of sorts," he bowed gracefully. "I've been searching for you," he confessed, his eyes lingering over her.
He walked closer to her and took out a vile filled with crystal blue liquid. Airi eyed it warily.
"Don't worry, this isn't for you. I'm true to my word, once I speak with you it is your choice to stay or go, but even I must protect myself against your toxicity. Your scent is like your own personal poison, much like your mother's," he finished, downing the contents of the vile.
Airi couldn't hide her surprise; no one had mentioned her mother in a long time.
"I want to help you, but I need to know if you want to be helped," he reached up and yanked the gag out of her mouth.
She eyed him suspiciously; uncomfortable with the information he knew about her, "You don't know anything about my mother or me. My poison, as you call it, is a curse," she objected.
Hideaki paced in front of her, "It really is sad how very little you know about yourself. Humans are such strange creatures. In contrary to what the villagers gossiped, your mother was highborn. Ikue (ee-koo' eh) was a princess and had the same potent scent as you," he explained.
"I think my dad would've told me if my mother was a princess," she scoffed.
"Maybe when you were old enough, but you were taken away before that time," he pointed out, feeding into her misery.
"That doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't he tell me?" she argued.
"For your own protection: your mother was a demon and your father human, thus producing you…a half demon," he grinned viciously.
Airi's mouth gaped open for a moment before she set her jaw, "Do you always toy with people before you kill them? The only demon around here is you!" she spat.
Hideaki didn't flinch at her gesture of disrespect and continued to speak.
"Haven't you ever wondered why you were picked on when you were the headman's daughter? Didn't you ever wonder why Leiko (Lay' ko) always targeted you? Or why Seishirou (say-shee' ro) told you never to take that necklace off?" He calmly interrogated her.
Hideaki had her full attention when he mentioned her father by name.
"This necklace was my mother's!" She fired back at him.
She wanted to believe his lies, to think there was an actual reason for being such an outcast, but she knew better. She was tired, hungry and the tears started to well up in her eyes. Her control and mind were breaking, precisely according to his plan.
"Leiko placed a curse on me; I know because a friend overheard her talking about it," Airi lowered her voice, the tears finally spilling over her cheeks.
Hideaki once again grasped her chin, but this time gently raised it to look her in the eye. He affectionately wiped the tears away.
"She indeed placed a curse on you, but it was only one of misfortune. She found out about what you were and did everything in her power to expel you from the village," he soothed, giving her a sympathetic smile.
"I don't believe you, stop trying to change my past!" she raised her voice piercing him with her green eyes.
His smooth features never wavered and he looked deep into her eyes for longer than he should. He released her chin and turned his back on her, "I know all this because I loved Ikue, but in the end she chose that human Seishirou."
Airi felt a surge of anger course through him but it dissipated quickly. He faced her again with a determined look on his face.
"I can prove it to you, and unleash your hidden demonic energy, but I need something in return," he proposed, knowing that her weakened state would get the better of her.
Her only chance at escaping was if he released her, "What is it you want?" she asked.
"It won't be anything you can't handle once your energy is free," he assured her.
"Well, considering how you have to prove me wrong first…..you have a deal," she agreed.
Hideaki smiled devilishly, pleased with his effectiveness, "Good, follow me."
He turned, snapped his fingers and her bonds disappeared. She struggled on her feet for a moment and massaged her wrists before creeping past the ape and out of the cave.
*saimyosho - poisonous insects