Chapter 27

Urasue: Part 2

How many more of these damned puppets could there be?

Koga gritted his teeth against the sting of shattered clay as his fists smashed through another earthen soldier's head. What had started out as a meager handful was starting to become a whole regiment marching steadily towards them.

"Where are these things coming from?" Ginta shouted as he swung one puppet over the cliff's edge with a nearby branch.

"Good question," Koga snarled as he dodged another trying to grab him. "Any ideas?"

However, before the beta could answer, a sudden arc of light shot into the sky moments before a flash of reiki filled the air above the hunters.

Brow furrowing in angry concentration, Koga growled in frustration when he spotted the spiraling forms of scrambling insects when the light died down.

Naraku….

"How did he find us?" Ginta shouted, shoving another puppet away from him.

"Doesn't matter," Koga answered as the all too-familiar power pulsed from around his wrist. "He'll just have to wait his turn."

Snarling low, Koga smashed through another puppet, pure power crackling like lightning all around him. They didn't have any time to waste. If that coward was here, they needed to get wrap this up.

Lifting the glowing claws of his Goraishi, Koga grinned as he watched energy pulse from razored tip to tip. By the Ancestors, he missed this feeling!

"If we can't get to the witch," he smirked, lifting his weapon in a high slashing arch above his head. "Then, the witch can come to us!"

The sudden crackle of yoki lunged from Koga's hand, bursting in a crushing wave through the mountainside.

SSS

"I warned you! I warned you all! But, did anyone listen to me? No! And, this is the price I have paid!"

Hakkaku forced himself to remain at his post as the village head continued to rant and rave with the others.

Every once-in-a-while, the angry male would point towards the hut as he accused those trying to save his son from everything to bringing this tragedy on him to not healing the boy fast enough. The hypocrisy rankled but Hakkaku knew bait when he saw it.

The human was angry and itching for a fight. It was obvious in the way he tried to rile up the other humans, in the way he refused to set foot into the hut. He wanted someone to blame. And, right now, they were the perfect targets.

Hakkaku didn't worry about that. Let the human vent his pain all he wanted. However, the growing displeasure from the others had the hunter constantly on alert.

Koga had given his orders: The villagers weren't to be harmed. But, if they attacked, Hakkaku had to keep them from harming the humans inside.

How was he supposed to do that?

"And, now!" the human leader bellowed, pointing that accusatory finger yet again. "They keep me from my own son! Look at them, baring my way. My son lies on his last breath and I am denied entrance to his final moments! This just shows how cruel they truly are! Why, they—"

"Oh, stuff it, Ueda! We've heard about enough for one lifetime."

Immediately, the rankled leader looked one way then the other, anger sparking in his gaze.

"Who said that?" the village head demanded.

"I did!"

The answering voice was thin but loud, causing Hakkaku to straighten in surprise when the slightly hunched form of Kagome's grandfather marched his way through the crowd.

"Higurashi?" the leader asked sarcastically. "I should have known it would be you. Only a fool dares to side with his own enemy."

"The only fool I see is you, Ueda," the old would-be monk countered. "You stand out here, stirring up trouble, when your own son needs you. And, you spit in the face of those trying to save his life."

"Those yokai are why my son is dying in the first place," Ueda snarled. "He could already be dead, for all I know. They've forced me from his side!"

Hakkaku wasn't sure how much longer he could take hearing the crap from the leader's mouth. If he wanted to see his son so badly, he could just go right on in! However, before he could say one way or the other, the thin voice of the elder Higurashi interrupted.

"Oh?" the old man quipped. "They were the ones who made you run from your home like a shot? They were the ones who ran all through the village, banging on doors and thresholds? They were the ones who even now refused to let you step foot through your own door?"

The challenge was open and harsh but Hakkaku was glad someone in this Ancestor's forsaken place had the sense to do it. Even if it was just the crazy old man. Still, it was enough to cause the village head to keep his mouth shut, glaring in shaking anger at the elder.

Without a word, the leader looked towards one of the men and nodded as he turned on his heel and marched into the surrounding trees, a gathering group following behind him.

Hakkaku watched as Kagome's grandfather folded his arms across his front, shaking his head in outright disapproval.

"Absolute fool," the old man muttered as he placed himself next to Hakkaku, much to the hunter's surprise. "He'll never forgive himself for this."

Hakkaku wasn't sure what to say. Honestly, about any of this. The old man had been nothing but confrontational with them from the start but now, he defended them? What was he supposed to say?

Finding no-better answer, the ookami merely nodded in silent agreement before looking back towards the surrounding trees where he saw the last of the humans disappear into.

"They'll be back," Higurashi warned, shoulders tensing in preparation. "Ueda has never let a thing go in his life. He's not about to start now."

"Then, why did you stop him?" Hakkaku couldn't help but ask, curiosity getting the better of him. "Why make yourself a new target?"

The old man snorted in half-hearted derision. "You're yokai, there's no denying that," he stated indignantly. "But, you're Kagome's friends and also still guests in my home. Ueda may not care about that but I do. So, I am duty-bound to see to it you and your companions aren't harmed in this village. It is tradition."

Hakkaku, once again, found himself speechless. This one old man had more honor in him than all the village combined. It didn't matter what he thought of them, he was still going to honor their hospitality. He was still—

"Besides, you think I want to bring down the wrath of the ookami pack down on this place," the old man quickly added. "Even I don't have that much spiritual power. But, make no mistake, you take one step out of line, I will cleanse you from this world. You got that?"

Or, maybe he just wanted to keep playing at being a monk. Either way, Hakkaku supposed another body wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Maybe it would discourage the other villagers from wanting to make trouble.

Right when Hakkaku was about to answer, a sudden boom echoed through the air, startling the surrounding birds from the trees.

"What was that?" Hakkaku demanded, hand gripping his spear with a sudden intensity.

"Don't know," Higurashi replied cautiously. "But, if the others heard it, I would say we're going to need some help."

For once, Hakkaku was willing to agree with him.

SSS

The thunderous boom, followed by a harsh rattling through the structure caused Shipo to grip the bars of his cage in sudden terror. Apparently, the shake was enough to get the witch's attention as well.

"What was that?" she hissed, rising from her latest creation.

She'd barely been able to finish forming it before the interruption had snapped her from whatever stupor-like concentration she'd been in.

Shipo decided to take the opportunity.

"Probably my master, Koga," he snarked. "You won't have long now before he tears into here and rips you apart."

"Oh, will I?" the ogress snarled as she grabbed up a large coil of rope. "I've had enough of these interruptions. If the fool wants to make trouble, he'll find out what happens when you mess with Urasue."

It took everything Shipo had not to dance with glee! She was taking his bait. All he needed now was a chance to be alone and….

"Oh, right," the hag quickly muttered before turning back inside.

With a snap of her wrinkled, filthy fingers, flames suddenly flared to life all about the clay mound.

"No sense in wasting any time for progress," she replied with a pleased chuckle, heading out of the structure with a distinctive spring in her step. "It will be my greatest creation."

Shipo stared in horrified fascination as the flames danced and bobbed about the form, hardening the packed clay like a cooking vessel.

It housed…. something in that cocoon-like blob. Something that had to be trouble. Trouble that he was going to deal with first!

That decided it. Shipo had to get out of there. But, he didn't just need to escape. He had to get rid of…. whatever that thing was going to be!

SSS

Distractions. Distractions. Distractions!

Urasue had had enough of distractions for a lifetime and yet they kept happening! How hard was it to just leave her alone?

She'd be done with her work soon enough and then the world wouldn't have to wait that much longer. Soon, they'd all come face to face with her power and none would be able to stand against her.

All she needed was the Jewel. The Shikon Jewel was the ultimate source of power and with it, she'd be unstoppable. Provided these fools would stop interrupting her!

Glaring down the mountain's ridge, the witch was stunned to see a portion of her secured home had actually been blown to dust. Through the drifting smoke and soot, the ogress' eyes narrowed in consideration as she studied the few figures visible beneath her.

The two males were obviously ookami. The stench of wolf was almost undeniable in the air. However, the tall one, long hair pulled back in a tail on the back of his head, held a distinctive crackle of power all about him.

The aura flaring about the weapon on his hand was staggering. It…. could be useful. Perhaps these fools stumbling towards her home wasn't a complete waste afterall. She could always use new material. And, that weapon would be a perfect addition to her army.

Prepared to take the males by surprise, the ogress raised her arm to let lose her favorite trap when she suddenly stilled. They were….reaching for something.

The other male quickly pulled up the broken-down form of an old miko. Surprising but not worth the ogress' notice. However, the leader pulled up something much more interesting.

The second woman was younger, much younger, than the first. But, even her pretty face wasn't what stalled the ogress' attack. It was the glow about the little fool's neck.

Urasue could barely believe her eyes. For coming right to her, was what had to be the Shikon Jewel itself!