Nocturne - Chapter Forty-Three: The Others
Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)
o - o - o - o - o : Indicates scene or POV change
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
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Her heart pounded in her chest, but the adrenaline that had coursed through her veins earlier left Kagome feeling drained. She stood up slowly, her hand clenched around her bow. The sound of wood cracking, like a branch broken underfoot, caused her eyes to widen. She felt perplexed until it registered that the crack had come from her bow. Kagome glanced down to see her bow snapped in two, barely hanging by a splinter.
Great, she thought, how opportune. Kagome looked around but did not see anyone, nor could she sense the presence of yokai, either full nor half-blooded. With a start, she realized which way Inuyasha had pursued the hanyo spy and dashed off in that direction.
They had gone towards the village where Setsuna had been left. While Kagome knew the girl would be protected, that did not stop her from running as fast as her legs could carry her.
Kagome spotted the group nearly right where she'd left them. She was almost out of breath when she finally came to a stop.
"Mother?" Setsuna questioned at the sight of Kagome running towards them. She ran over to her mother, meeting her several feet away, and hugged her around her middle. Everything seemed fine, Kagome realized, and the only odd thing they had seen was her sprinting towards them.
Sango sauntered over to Kagome as well and grabbed her arm, "What's happening? Where's Inuyasha?"
Kagome glanced over at Shizuka, who'd been left behind with Sango, Rin, and Setsuna. The woman had a faraway look in her eyes, her complexion pale. Kagome wondered what she thought and if she could sense the danger. "We're being watched. There were….others…" Kagome told them. She watched as perplexion washed over them all and, for Sango, desperation shortly after.
"Others?" Sango demanded harshly. "What do you mean?" Then, having thought better of it, she turned her attention to Setsuna. "Where did the children go, little one? Before you left?"
Setsuna glanced at her mother, looking for guidance but receiving none. "They said they were going to...umm." A guilty look crossed her face, and she toed the ground nervously. Wherever the group of children, the trainees, had gone to play was not somewhere; they were supposed to go alone.
Despite the circumstances, Rin, ever the calm one, moved close to Setsuna and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. You can tell us without fear. We must know."
Her thoughtful words allowed Setsuna to open up and whisper that they'd gone to play in a meadow, where the stream passed by. It was a place where families went to play and relax on a hot summer's day, but children were forbidden from going alone due to the wicked current that pushed the stream along. The edge of the stream bed was gentle and shallow. However, several feet out - where the stream widened - became deep and tumultuous for those unversed in swimming, which many of the village children were.
Sango cursed beneath her breath and looked around, hoping the youngsters had thought better of their ill-advised plan and made for home, but she couldn't have been so lucky. Her husband, Miroku, was nowhere near the village, having left with the twins to visit a nearby town for supplies and news. She had to deal with this and the fear for her younger children on her own.
Kagome knew of the spot. They had visited there often enough years ago. "Rin, you remain behind and look after Setsuna. Go find Kohaku and tell him what's transpired." Her voice was calm and steady, but inside she felt unsettled. Together, Kagome and Sango jogged to where the children were playing.
They arrived in the meadow and could hear the laughter of children echoing amongst the trees and water splashing. It was a generally pleasant sound, but it was tainted with the knowledge that their lives may be at risk. It only took a few moments to encroach on the happy encounter. The children all played, carrying on without knowing their felicitous romp had been intruded upon.
Sango breathed a sigh of relief to see her children and the others untouched. Still, with yokai enemies about, they needed to be cautious and regroup back at the village to set up a perimeter. Kagome glanced around with searching eyes, ensuring that they were not being watched. All looked clear, and it was at that moment that a hush settled over the area.
The splashing and giggling ceased as they noticed the adults that had appeared. Sango's two children, Katsu and Hiro, looked equally ashamed at having been caught. Their followers all looked equal parts shocked and outraged that their fun time had been exposed.
"M-mother?" Katsu, Sango's eldest boy, stammered, rising and pulling his exposed legs out of the shallow stream. He shuffled from foot to foot in a guilty manner, avoiding his mother's scrutinizing and angry gaze.
"You all know that you are not allowed here on your own."
One of the younger girls mumbled under her breath but loudly enough for all to hear. "That half-breed couldn't keep its mouth shut."
Kagome's head snapped to the girl's comment. She had to assume this was the 'Mei' Setsuna had complained about. The girl shrunk under Kagome's glare and turned her head away. "Let's go. Back to your parents, all of you." Her authoritative tone prompted the children to jump up and start on their way back, and Sango frowned at her two boys, who walked over towards their mother.
Sango grabbed them both their ears, and despite the gravity of the situation, Kagome stifled a laugh. She'd seen mothers grabbing kids up by their ears from her timeline in the future, but it was another thing to see it in action. Sango hissed harsh words to her boy while Kagome hurried to follow the other children back to the village, leaving Sango to follow behind with her miscreants.
They hadn't gotten very far before Kagome saw a figure in the distance. She sighed when she realized it was Setsuna. The girl had disobeyed and followed them to the meadow, with Rei following at her side. Once they got closer, the children all gave Setsuna accusing glances. They made sure to tromp past her and express their displeasure without saying their inner thoughts aloud and risking the wrath of the priestess behind them.
Kagome ground her teeth together in annoyance as she took in her young child. "Why have you disobeyed me?"
Setsuna pouted and looked up from under her lashes at Kagome. She bent over and picked Rei up, cuddling him for comfort. "Sorry, mother. I was worried about you. Rei was, too." She held the kitten out, which mewed his agreement.
"You aren't old enough to place yourself in danger," Kagome chastised. "What if something were to happen to you? I could not live with myself, and your father would be devastated."
Setsuna pursed her lips and looked up with watery eyes, pulling Rei back to her chest. Kagome couldn't maintain her stern appearance any longer and dropped to her knees to embrace the girl, careful not to jostle Rei between them. "Let's hurry back."
They still didn't know if the hanyo enemies were nearby, and Inuyasha had not returned, to their knowledge, from chasing after the one who had attacked her earlier. Who knows where they had run off to or whether the man was leading Inuyasha on a game of cat and mouse. Kagome hoped that Inuyasha would keep him away and busy while they ushered the children to safety, but things were never that simple.
A child's scream could be heard from ahead, and Kagome pushed herself up from the ground and saw two forms flying past them. The red from Inuyasha's fire-rat robes was visible as he chased after the hanyo spy. Inuyasha stopped in the clearing in front of the kids, grimacing at the sight of them fleeing and screeching in fear.
"Fuck!" He yelled. His eyes flicked back, taking in Kagome, gripping her daughter tight, and Sango with her two boys in her arms.
The other children ran in varying directions to find cover.
Inuyasha growled in frustration. "Get your small asses back here! Fucking idiots scattering all over the damn place!"
"Children!" Sango yelled so that her voice carried over to the younglings. "Remember your training! Regroup!"
The four youths seemed to snap out of whatever panic that had taken them over. Simultaneously, they sprinted past Inuyasha and Kagome to huddle around Sango, who they knew and trusted. They all bore guarded looks bordering on fear. This was likely their first encounter with an enemy outside of the straw dummies that lined the training fields.
The spy jumped out of the woods with a mocking roar. The children shrank back but did not scream from fear. The hanyo seemed to believe he would get a rise from the younglings. He chuckled despite their steely-eyed gazes.
"Keeping the old man on his toes has grown a little tedious." A lopsided grin split his face revealing his long canines. "I guess you lose your edge after you settle down."
Inuyasha grimaced but didn't respond to the jab. "What the fuck do you want, cocksucker?"
"I'm just having a little fun old man."
Kagome tugged on the back of Inuyasha's suikan. His ears swiveled on the top of his head, indicating he'd heard her, but he did not take his eyes off his enemy. Kagome whispered low, "Inuyasha, there were others…"
He turned his head back a fraction to give her an aggrieved look. He'd been so focused on going after the one in front of him that Inuyasha had allowed himself to overlook others' evidence. He cursed under his breath and began to feel slightly unsettled and unprepared for the situation unraveling before him.
Kagome had noticed earlier that Inuyasha was not carrying Tessaiga at his hip, something he seldomly did anymore. Had he been carrying the blade, Kagome figured this hanyo wouldn't be so cocky.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Kagome called out.
Inuyasha sneered at the question. "What the fuck does it matter who he is or what he wants? He'll be dead soon. Let him tell his tales to someone in hell."
The hanyo laughed again, his scared face crinkling with mirth. "You seem to have it backward, old man! It will be you who is dead soon, so what is the point in telling you my name?"
"And who will carry the honor of defeating the great Inuyasha? A nameless wonder?" Kagome prodded.
"You may call me Feng," he claimed.
"That's a stupid name," Inuyasha barked out. "You really think someone with a simple name like "Feng" could really take me out?" It seemed like Inuyasha was goading him on, but he was being a little clever by getting the young and impulsive hanyo to talk.
The goad seemed to work, and the hanyo, Feng, looked livid. He didn't get the chance to say or do anything more.
The whirring and clinking of metal could be heard, catching the group off guard. The hanyo quickly dodged an attack from Kohaku's kusarigama. The sickle embedded in the ground where Feng had stood before Kohaku expertly pulled on the chain with his hands, releasing the weapon from the loamy earth and pulling it back.
Kohaku had arrived, bringing with him five other slayers. Rin had done as instructed, notified her husband what was happening, and the taijiya had rallied some of his team to head off the intruders. The other slayers were dressed in typical taijiya fashion, with colored armor pieces covering their shoulders, chest, and waist. All carried vicious-looking weapons that had been primed to slay exactly what stood before them. Kohaku signaled with his hand, and the five taijiya broke off into varying directions, surrounding the hanyo intruder.
Feng laughed as if it were a great joke, amused that someone believed they could best him. This one seemed to think highly of himself, Kagome thought, which was always a recipe for disaster. Even though the chances of bringing Feng down were high, it was also very probable that there would be a significant loss on their side as well. The hanyo was a wild card, and like any wild card, you played them at your own risk.
Another figure appeared running into the clearing, this one with long-white streaming hair. Kagome instantly recognized Shizuka from her delicate appearance. She looked concerned, rightly so, and stopped once she saw the enemy surrounded by taijiya.
Inuyasha looked startled at her appearance. "Get back!" he barked at her, causing her to shrink visibly.
Feng put his hands on his hips and threw his head back with roaring laughter. "You gotta be fucking kidding me!"
The taijiya surrounding Feng tensed but did not take their collective eyes off their enemy, waiting for a signal from their leader.
Feng gestured with his hands, pushing his arms out towards the woman who was like him. "Would you just look at that! He thought they'd killed you, but I guess they are just too soft."
"The fuck are you talking about?" Inuyasha called out, trying to take the attention off Shizuka while ascertaining what this unsettled hanyo was referring to. "You really do have a few screws loose to come here and fuck with this village."
Feng quivered mockingly. "Ooo, I'm so frightened." His look darkened, and he stood straight, taking a dangerous turn. "To think I could be unnerved by your paltry display of defense?" He scoffed and nodded towards one of the taijiya surrounding him. "These mortals and their "weapons" will do no good when the time comes."
"You talk too much," Inuyasha warned. "So, you can either leave, or I will make you leave. But I promise you won't like where I send you."
"Big words from an old man," the hanyo jeered. He put his hands behind his head and looked towards where Shizuka stood frozen and smiled. "Dear sister...Keyuri? I think that's what Father said your name to be. Or someone else did? I can't recall, though I think he only ever referred to you as a blunder."
Shizuka trembled, her golden eyes wavering with unshed tears. Those words had a noticeable effect on her, her head falling in defeat.
No longer able to put off his anxious feelings at seeing Shizuka assaulted - even verbally - Inuyasha sped over to her, closing the distance in seconds. He stood in front of her and narrowed his eyes at the hanyo, visually daring him to say more.
Feng shrugged. "I shall pass along your greeting then if you've nothing to say." Then he chuckled to himself, knowing the entertainment of his own words.
Kagome stood now exposed, holding the shoulders of her daughter and her heart racing. She felt woefully defenseless, being human, without any weapons that didn't require close quarters. Even Setsuna was unblooded, having lived a sheltered life, untried in the ways of real combat. Somehow this seemed to be a diversionary tactic.
Movement caught her eye, and the 'others' Kagome had seen earlier all jumped out from their various hiding places. No sooner had they hit the ground, the taijiya surrounding Feng turned to assess this new threat, taking their attention off their primary target. Feng used the diversion to leap over and land on top of Kagome and Setsuna, knocking them down and eliciting a shriek from them both.