{Disclaimer: Duh!}
Vengeance
By Striking Falcon
Chapter Six: The Wonders of Flight
"Have you seen a young man, 5'10, wearing a red kimono. Oh yeah, he has little white puppy ears on his head?" Kagome asked the nearest villager. The poor man shook his head and scurried away. Kagome glanced at the others. They'd done this all afternoon, but no one had seen him. A little girl with green eyes walked up to her.
"I think my sister has seen him," she said. Kagome picked the little girl up and spun around, relief and joy making her giddy. The girl squealed with laughter. Shippou, Sango and Miroku surrounded them as Kagome put her down.
"What makes you think your sister's seen him?" Shippou asked.
The girl smiled. "My sister works for Lord Sesshoumaru. I go with her sometimes to play with Rin. She's so nice." Before the girl could ramble on any further about her playmate, Sango stepped forward.
"When does your sister come home?" she asked.
"Before dark. Why don't you stay with me and grandpa until she comes home?"
Kagome looked at the others and shrugged. "What could it hurt? Sure, why not?"
The little girl cheered and lead the way to her house. Kirara stared at the hut. She'd either been here before, or Kirara was having a serious case of déjà vu. An old man stepped out and greeted them.
"So, Rai, found yourself some new friends did you?"
"Yes, grandpa. They're looking for a funny looking man and I told them they could stay here until Sister got home. Then they could ask her if she's seen him." The old man nodded .
"I guess that's fine. They look harmless enough. Come in, come in." He motioned them inside and away from the blaring sun. "We'll wait for her and see if she can help you."
******
"Lord Inuyasha, the others are in the servant village."
Inuyasha flicked the flea off his ear and, regretfully, into his soup. He plucked the drowning flea out of the bowl and placed him on the table. Sakura laughed her head off at the grimace Inuyasha made. She picked up the bowl and moved to the door.
"I will get you more, my lord."
Inuyasha returned his attention to Myouga, knowing Sakura didn't hear him.
"Say it again. And be warned that you've interrupted my lunch to tell me this."
Myouga gulped before setting himself beside the rosary. "My lord, the others are in the servant's village looking for you."
Inuyasha chuckled. He knew Kagome would ignore him, he just didn't expect her to be so close so soon. He was almost sorry they were leaving tonight for the Demon Tournaments. Inuyasha scratched an itch on his neck thoughtfully.
"When Sakura leaves for the night, return with her and find them. Stay with them, and try to talk Kagome into staying put." Myouga nodded as Sakura entered the room with a fresh bowl.
"No swimming Myouga," she said. Inuyasha chuckled at Myouga's displeased face.
"I would not have taken such a dive if Lord Inuyasha…" A low growl cut him off completely.
Sakura giggled. "Kagome must find you two very funny."
The two demons blushed as she continued to giggle, not realizing how right she was.
******
"Sister!" Rai shouted as the girl entered the hut. She glanced warily at the strangers inside, but caught Rai and gave her a fierce hug.
"Rai! Who have you brought home this time?" Rai giggled as the older girl ruffled her hair.
"They're looking for a funny-looking man." she said, pointing to the one sitting nearest to her. Rai's sister studied the girl thoughtfully. She was small, fair skinned, with smiling eyes. She noticed a small, snoring bundle in her lap. A bushy tail popped out one end and a head popped out the other. The little kitsune didn't wake up in his tossing and the girl holding him smiled down at him lovingly. Rai's sister smiled and hugged the girl, surprising her.
"I've wanted to meet you all week."
The girl returned the embrace gingerly. "You have?"
Rai's sister laughed , pulling away enough to look into the girl's face. Grey eyes. The same color as her lord's sash. She embraced her again, not knowing a little passenger leaped from her hair to the girl's shoulder.
"Of course I have. My lord speaks of you often Kagome."
****
After the initial shock of Sakura knowing all their names ( and knowing to stay away from Miroku), the others learned that she had been placed in sole charge of Inuyasha during his stay in Sesshoumaru's castle.
"What I don't understand is" Miroku stated "why the two are getting along?"
"Maybe I can answer that question." piped a voice from Kagome's shoulder. Myouga jumped to her nose.
"Lords Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru share a common goal. They are after their father's enemy."
Kagome flicked him into the wall and rubbed her nose. "Well, that's fine and dandy, but why didn't he let us come with him?"
"Because the Demon Tournaments are no place for humans. They are for the Great Demons of the land. They use the tournaments to decide dominance instead of waging war with each other. Some demons bring their human servants, but other demons there eat humans, so to do so would be to invite the human to instant death."
"That sounds a lot like a video game Souta plays," Kagome said to herself. Myouga continued:
"The Great Demons of the Lands gather to neutral ground in the center of Japan, to a large hole in the ground surrounded by mountains. If the Great Demon of a particular land is dead, then his sons are called to the battle, half demon or full."
"Then why wasn't Shippou called?" Kagome asked.
"Because Shippou is only a child, and his father wasn't a great demon."
Shippou snorted softly, a perfect imitation of their missing companion.
"Shippou's father was a great demon in his own right, but not a Great Demon, like Lord Inuyasha's father. Anyway, the tournament decides who the other lands answer to. Sesshoumaru will be the new demon lord at the tournament, along with Inuyasha. They will have a hard fight, because they could all be a fight to the death."
Kagome stood up and lifted the little flea off his Kirara perch. "And why aren't you with him?"
"Lord Inuyasha sent me to talk you out of following him!"
"How am I supposed to follow him when I don't know where he's going?"
Sakura stood and placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "I believe you and I need to see something. Sango, will you come with us?" Sango nodded and stood up. The girls left the hut, Kagome shooting Myouga the look of death before leaving. Myouga grimaced and crossed the room to Kirara, who was settling down for a nap.
"Imagine how mad she's going to be if she finds out that the scratch on her neck means to other demons that she's Inuyasha's potential mate."
********
"Ok, Sakura, spill." Kagome said. For a moment, Sakura's confused stare didn't register with her. Then she groaned.
"I mean, tell us what you want."
Sakura laughed. "Lord Inuyasha has done the same thing all week."
Kagome and Sango stared at her in shock. "He has?"
"Oh yes. Its very funny, especially when he tries to explain what it means."
Kagome blushed. She never would have guessed Inuyasha would be listening so closely to her, no less repeat what she says. Sakura continued to laugh, not noticing Kagome's blush in the dark.
"The best ones are when he talks about Lord Sesshoumaru. Hey Kagome," she said, turning to her. "What's a 'control freak'?"
Kagome burst into laughter, Sango joining in. Sakura stood confused as Kagome gasped.
"Its Inuyasha….what…I…call" another burst of giggles "its….HIM!!!!!" She and Sango burst into fresh giggles. Sakura, not knowing the Inuyasha they knew, shook her head.
"Oh well. Anyway, I brought you two out to look at the moon."
Sango's laughs slowed and she looked up. The moon was in crescent stage, regaining its position from its absence eight days before. Kagome breathed in deeply and followed suit. A sudden stream of mist caught their attention. It took a moment for them to realize there were three figures riding on the mist. One they knew to be Jakken, the other obviously Sesshoumaru. But who was the third, who looked just like Sesshoumaru except….
The ears twitching on his head
And the red sash in his hair.
"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered. Sango and Sakura nodded, too awestruck to move. Kagome took in the sight of him, how regal he looked beside his older brother. How RIGHT it looked for him to be there. Kagome sighed. She gave a silent prayer and released the blue ribbon from her hair. She tossed it into the wind, pleading for the wind to take it to its intended destination, marking it with one thought.
'I will follow you anywhere, Inuyasha. Anywhere you may need me.'
******
Her scent came to him first, then the flutter of blue. Inuyasha turned in the direction of the foreign object as it fluttered to him on the wind. He reached out for it, allowing it to wrap around his right hand. It was a small satin ribbon, the same color blue as the trim in his sash. Inuyasha smiled and tucked the ribbon in his haori. 'Somehow she knew I needed it.' He would replace the sash in his hair later. Right now, they had somewhere important to be.
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SF: Please push the purple button now.
