Changing Wyrds
Chapter Four: Dissension in the Ranks
On the fifth day after they had arrived, Kureru's fever broke. He was weak, certainly, but he was better. Kaede had been pleased, but she was sensible as well. She had promptly banished the others from his room so that when he woke he wouldn't be overwhelmed.
The young hanyou turned his head slightly. Kaede caught the movement in the edge of her vision and turned to him. His eyes were open and clear for the first time since Kaede had met him. They were the blue of a clear night in winter, and they were marred with uncertainty.
"Calm down, my boy. Inuyasha and Kagome brought you here after your fight. You are safe." He looked back at her in silent observation. "They told me you are troubled by a youkai called Hashiaku. But what they meant is that he is your owner, ne?" His face clouded over, but he didn't deny it.
"How long?" he asked scratchily.
"You have been here for five days." He sighed hopelessly.
"He'll kill me," he said mutely.
"Don't get excited. You just woke from a five day fever. Which reminds me; how come it's taking you so long to heal? That is, besides the half moon." Kureru turned a sickly white.
"How did you-?" Kaede patted his shoulder.
"The moon was at half two nights ago." The exposed hanyou's shoulders sagged as he looked hopelessly at the floor.
"If you already know that much about me, why do you need to ask any more?"
"Because I need to know all I can if I am to bring you back to health." He shook his head.
"Why would you want to do that? I'm a hanyou, and a slave. I can't be worth this much trouble?" The old woman smiled at him gently.
"Inuyasha is hanyou too. If we can stand to have a rude, headstrong creature like him around, I can't see why we wouldn't keep you. Helping people in trouble is what we do best, and when you're well, that's what we will do. Now, do you know any reason why you should still be so weak?"
"It's like this every time. I mean, after he leaves me, I'm weak for a while. It's just worse because..." he looked at the bandages around his arm and body.
"Well, Hashiaku did make Inuyasha angry."
"And Hashiaku wanted to punish me." Kaede studied him for a moment.
"How old are you, Kureru?"
"Fourteen," he answered. "Why?" She sighed.
"Why do you all have to be so young?"
"What?" She snorted.
"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just an old lady feeling her age. You and the others seem too young to have to deal with these things, is all." She stood stiffly. "I'll get you water. Sit tight."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Come on, Shippou-chan. He just wants to apologize," urged Kagome. The kitsune shook his head violently.
"That Hashiaku guy will come back, I know it. You should be careful around him." Kagome sighed, exasperated. She had been trying to convince Shippou of Kureru's good intentions for twenty minutes.
"Kagome, he doesn't want to, and for good reason! That little bastard is dangerous, no matter how he acts." So Inuyasha was against her too. Didn't anyone see that they all needed to get along? A deep-rooted annoyance began to blossom in her.
"Fine! Be jerks!" she cried, and stormed away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I don't blame them," Kureru replied, absently scratching behind an ear. "The minute I let him get control, I make myself into the bad guy for at least one more person. Don't worry if they refuse to get near me. They wouldn't be the only ones." Kagome groaned.
"What's wrong with all of you?! Inuyasha and Shippou are turning dog- defensive, and you're getting into self-sacrificing angst mode. Jeez, can't anyone stay normal around here?!" Kureru gave a weak smile.
"Sorry. I'm still getting over Hashiaku's visit. Soon you won't have to worry about me being angsty."
"Will I wish you were?" Kureru shrugged.
"I dunno. You hang out with Inuyasha a lot, you can probably stand me." Kagome chuckled ruefully.
"You don't know how often we argue, do you?"
"I know how much you like each other." Kagome turned pink.
"What are you talking about? I don't like that jerk at all."
"Of course not."
"Kureru!" He grinned wickedly.
"I think I'm feeling better."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That night Kaede called a meeting. She called it several times, actually, because some of the people she called for refused to come until they had been 'osuwari'-ed and manhandled into the room. However, they were at last all assembled, Miroku and Kagome in front of Kaede, Kureru sitting to one side, and Inuyasha and Shippou grumbling in a corner.
"We need to discuss what will happen when young Kureru here is healed," she began. Inuyasha interrupted immediatly.
"What does it matter what happens to him? He can go back in the woods and die for all I care." Kureru looked uncomfortably at his hands. "What?" demanded Inuyasha. "Can't take a little honesty?"
"Inuyasha! That's enough. Even if you don't care about Kureru, surely you can't justify letting him go on as Hashiaku's toy. Innocent people will be hurt. Helping people is our specialty, and helping Kureru will be good for more than him."
"I can't travel with someone who might turn around and kill me," argued Shippou, fur rising along his tail.
"Why don't we just kill the little bastard?" added Inuyasha.
"What?" cried Kaede.
"That's it! Would you two just SHUT UP?!" Kagome whirled on them. "Shippou-chan, I know what you mean, and I hate what happened to you, but the point is that if we kill Hashiaku, he won't be able to hurt anyone anymore. And even if Kureru did turn, look around! You've got Inuyasha-" she glared at him "-and me and Miroku. We could deal with it. Please, Shippou-chan, just listen!" The kitsune's eyes swelled with damp, accusing her.
"You don't understand! You don't! I was trapped, and he-" he pointed at Kureru "-he was hurting me, and I didn't tell him anything, so you would be safe. And now you want to be best friends with him, and what he did to me and what I did for you don't mean anything! How can you expect me to do what you say when you don't even care what happens to me?!" Fading bruises made Shippou's face look even more palid than it was. Kagome looked down at him, rebuking herself for the whole thing.
"Shippou-chan...I do care. I'm sorry." She hugged him before he could flinch away. "Look- you don't have to come if you don't want to, but I'm gonna try to help Kureru. Neither of you deserve this, and like Kaede said, it's kinda my job to help people, y'know?"
"No it isn't," Inuyasha said. "Your job is to find the Shikon no Tama shards."
"I'm going, Inuyasha."
"No!"
"Yes."
"Stop!" They all turned to look at Kureru. "I know you hate me, Inuyasha-san, and I deserve it. But I can't stop hurting people if Hashiaku lives. There's no way I can kill him by myself; he'd stop me before I was out the door. I need you to help me." The older hanyou look unconvinced, so it was to everyone's surprise that he answered the way he did.
"Fine. But once he's dead, you're on your own." Kureru looked amazed.
"Really?" he asked. "Well. Thank you. Thank you!"
"I'm coming, of course," said Miroku. Shippou bit his lip.
"Me too." Kagome smiled.
_______________________________________________________
Author's notes: That didn't sound too forced, did it? I'm kinda better on the action-ish parts (I think), and at this point I was going through storyline boredom. Dun worry; I'm gonna finish, and I'm not putting months between uploading this time. (See my Slayers fic Fleeting Glory) So, yeah. R&R, please!!! ^^;; Kye is not very good with the sleep-getting lately. She's more with the typing-random-pieces-of-unsalable-schrapnel these days. So, please forgive her oddities. @__@ E, that looks like a frog, ne?
Chapter Four: Dissension in the Ranks
On the fifth day after they had arrived, Kureru's fever broke. He was weak, certainly, but he was better. Kaede had been pleased, but she was sensible as well. She had promptly banished the others from his room so that when he woke he wouldn't be overwhelmed.
The young hanyou turned his head slightly. Kaede caught the movement in the edge of her vision and turned to him. His eyes were open and clear for the first time since Kaede had met him. They were the blue of a clear night in winter, and they were marred with uncertainty.
"Calm down, my boy. Inuyasha and Kagome brought you here after your fight. You are safe." He looked back at her in silent observation. "They told me you are troubled by a youkai called Hashiaku. But what they meant is that he is your owner, ne?" His face clouded over, but he didn't deny it.
"How long?" he asked scratchily.
"You have been here for five days." He sighed hopelessly.
"He'll kill me," he said mutely.
"Don't get excited. You just woke from a five day fever. Which reminds me; how come it's taking you so long to heal? That is, besides the half moon." Kureru turned a sickly white.
"How did you-?" Kaede patted his shoulder.
"The moon was at half two nights ago." The exposed hanyou's shoulders sagged as he looked hopelessly at the floor.
"If you already know that much about me, why do you need to ask any more?"
"Because I need to know all I can if I am to bring you back to health." He shook his head.
"Why would you want to do that? I'm a hanyou, and a slave. I can't be worth this much trouble?" The old woman smiled at him gently.
"Inuyasha is hanyou too. If we can stand to have a rude, headstrong creature like him around, I can't see why we wouldn't keep you. Helping people in trouble is what we do best, and when you're well, that's what we will do. Now, do you know any reason why you should still be so weak?"
"It's like this every time. I mean, after he leaves me, I'm weak for a while. It's just worse because..." he looked at the bandages around his arm and body.
"Well, Hashiaku did make Inuyasha angry."
"And Hashiaku wanted to punish me." Kaede studied him for a moment.
"How old are you, Kureru?"
"Fourteen," he answered. "Why?" She sighed.
"Why do you all have to be so young?"
"What?" She snorted.
"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just an old lady feeling her age. You and the others seem too young to have to deal with these things, is all." She stood stiffly. "I'll get you water. Sit tight."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Come on, Shippou-chan. He just wants to apologize," urged Kagome. The kitsune shook his head violently.
"That Hashiaku guy will come back, I know it. You should be careful around him." Kagome sighed, exasperated. She had been trying to convince Shippou of Kureru's good intentions for twenty minutes.
"Kagome, he doesn't want to, and for good reason! That little bastard is dangerous, no matter how he acts." So Inuyasha was against her too. Didn't anyone see that they all needed to get along? A deep-rooted annoyance began to blossom in her.
"Fine! Be jerks!" she cried, and stormed away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I don't blame them," Kureru replied, absently scratching behind an ear. "The minute I let him get control, I make myself into the bad guy for at least one more person. Don't worry if they refuse to get near me. They wouldn't be the only ones." Kagome groaned.
"What's wrong with all of you?! Inuyasha and Shippou are turning dog- defensive, and you're getting into self-sacrificing angst mode. Jeez, can't anyone stay normal around here?!" Kureru gave a weak smile.
"Sorry. I'm still getting over Hashiaku's visit. Soon you won't have to worry about me being angsty."
"Will I wish you were?" Kureru shrugged.
"I dunno. You hang out with Inuyasha a lot, you can probably stand me." Kagome chuckled ruefully.
"You don't know how often we argue, do you?"
"I know how much you like each other." Kagome turned pink.
"What are you talking about? I don't like that jerk at all."
"Of course not."
"Kureru!" He grinned wickedly.
"I think I'm feeling better."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That night Kaede called a meeting. She called it several times, actually, because some of the people she called for refused to come until they had been 'osuwari'-ed and manhandled into the room. However, they were at last all assembled, Miroku and Kagome in front of Kaede, Kureru sitting to one side, and Inuyasha and Shippou grumbling in a corner.
"We need to discuss what will happen when young Kureru here is healed," she began. Inuyasha interrupted immediatly.
"What does it matter what happens to him? He can go back in the woods and die for all I care." Kureru looked uncomfortably at his hands. "What?" demanded Inuyasha. "Can't take a little honesty?"
"Inuyasha! That's enough. Even if you don't care about Kureru, surely you can't justify letting him go on as Hashiaku's toy. Innocent people will be hurt. Helping people is our specialty, and helping Kureru will be good for more than him."
"I can't travel with someone who might turn around and kill me," argued Shippou, fur rising along his tail.
"Why don't we just kill the little bastard?" added Inuyasha.
"What?" cried Kaede.
"That's it! Would you two just SHUT UP?!" Kagome whirled on them. "Shippou-chan, I know what you mean, and I hate what happened to you, but the point is that if we kill Hashiaku, he won't be able to hurt anyone anymore. And even if Kureru did turn, look around! You've got Inuyasha-" she glared at him "-and me and Miroku. We could deal with it. Please, Shippou-chan, just listen!" The kitsune's eyes swelled with damp, accusing her.
"You don't understand! You don't! I was trapped, and he-" he pointed at Kureru "-he was hurting me, and I didn't tell him anything, so you would be safe. And now you want to be best friends with him, and what he did to me and what I did for you don't mean anything! How can you expect me to do what you say when you don't even care what happens to me?!" Fading bruises made Shippou's face look even more palid than it was. Kagome looked down at him, rebuking herself for the whole thing.
"Shippou-chan...I do care. I'm sorry." She hugged him before he could flinch away. "Look- you don't have to come if you don't want to, but I'm gonna try to help Kureru. Neither of you deserve this, and like Kaede said, it's kinda my job to help people, y'know?"
"No it isn't," Inuyasha said. "Your job is to find the Shikon no Tama shards."
"I'm going, Inuyasha."
"No!"
"Yes."
"Stop!" They all turned to look at Kureru. "I know you hate me, Inuyasha-san, and I deserve it. But I can't stop hurting people if Hashiaku lives. There's no way I can kill him by myself; he'd stop me before I was out the door. I need you to help me." The older hanyou look unconvinced, so it was to everyone's surprise that he answered the way he did.
"Fine. But once he's dead, you're on your own." Kureru looked amazed.
"Really?" he asked. "Well. Thank you. Thank you!"
"I'm coming, of course," said Miroku. Shippou bit his lip.
"Me too." Kagome smiled.
_______________________________________________________
Author's notes: That didn't sound too forced, did it? I'm kinda better on the action-ish parts (I think), and at this point I was going through storyline boredom. Dun worry; I'm gonna finish, and I'm not putting months between uploading this time. (See my Slayers fic Fleeting Glory) So, yeah. R&R, please!!! ^^;; Kye is not very good with the sleep-getting lately. She's more with the typing-random-pieces-of-unsalable-schrapnel these days. So, please forgive her oddities. @__@ E, that looks like a frog, ne?