DISCLAIMER: I, unfortunately, do not own Inuyasha & co. If I did I wouldn't get made fun of every fucking day of my crappy life.
Pre-Post Author's Notes: Damn you people reach the review quota fast. Well I guess that just because it's only five reviews. Thank you to the people who have reviewed. And Suiki(), I'm just guessing she'll talk later on in the series when she makes appearances with Sesshoumaru. That and this story takes place three years after the shard hunt began; I'm guessing she'd be talking by then. And for those of you who think Katsue and Kouga will become mates, just wait and see. BWAHAHAHAHA sorry had to do that. NOW ON WITH THE FANFIC!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Two; Family
Katsue had been with the group for three weeks and had proven herself quite useful. Since she had joined them she had helped retrieve six jewel shards, kill more demons than they could count, and (this put her on Inuyasha's good side) made Kouga stop hanging around them so much. She, Kagome, and Sango had gone to a hot spring to bath. The boys were waiting for them to get done at the camp they had set up.
"How long does it take for women to bathe?" asked a bored Shippo."
"How should I know?" Inuyasha growled at him, trying to hide his boredom.
Miroku smirked. "You just can't wait till you can bathe with Kagome and not get sat for it." That resulted in the monk getting hit on the head, a new bump appearing next to the one Sango gave him earlier that morning.
Inuyasha turned away from them. "Just shut up. You shouldn't talk about a man's love life when he's around."
Shippo got confused. "What's a love life?"
"SOMETHING WE AREN'T GONNA TALK ABOUT IN FRONT OF YOU FOR A LONG TIME!" Inuyasha snarled. "SEE WHAT YOU DID MONK!"
"Who me?" The monk put on an innocent smile. Inuyasha went back to ignoring him. "I wish the girls would hurry up already, they've been in their for more than an hour. I thought Kagome said she needed to get home." Then they were all startled by a scream
"LET GO! INUYASHA HELP!" It came from the direction of the hot spring.
"SHIT THAT WAS KAGOME!" cursed Inuyasha, but before he started to run he saw a blur of brown pass him, leaving a cloud of dust. It took him a moment to recognize the streak. "KOUGA GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!" 'IF HE SEES HER NAKED I'LL KNOCK HIS BLOCK OFF!' he thought then went running off after the wolf prince. Miroku and Shippo looked at each other.
"My supply of candy bars says the girls will kick their butts after Inuyasha and Kouga save them." said the kitsune.
"I'll take that bet," said the houshi. Then they were off after the two demons.
~*~*~*~
"This is great but we should be going," said Kagome, pulling her school uniform on over the swimsuit she had worn. She had brought them all swimsuits in case Miroku decided that they needed to be "checked up" on.
Sango nodded and stretched on the rock she was sunning herself on. "The guys will think we have been attacked by demons."
"We would have screamed for help by now," Kagome said, giggling at the thought.
"HA!" laughed Katsue, still soaking in water. For a cat demon, she seemed to love water. "Like we couldn't defend ourselves. Anyway I would shred any attacking demons to shreds before the men arrived." She got out of the water and cut a tree in half with her claws as an example.
"Is that right little sister?" asked a purr like voice of a female.
The voice of a male followed the female's. "Last time I checked our little sister wouldn't scratch at a flea, let alone shred an attacking demon to shreds."
The owner of the male's voice appeared a few feet from Katsue, a demon wearing black and green robes. By the looks of him he was a cat demon like Katsue, only his hair, ears, and tail were gray and his eyes were yellow. He smiled at the women. "What are such beautiful creatures doing unescorted?"
"AWWW! HENTAI!" screamed all three then Katsue seemed to recognize him and cursed as she jumped out of the water and got into a defensive stance. "Shit Nikuta what in the seven hells are you doing here? Where the hell is that bitch twin of yours Shinoko?"
Another cat demon appeared, a female with identical features to the male demon Katsue called Nikuta, and was wearing a silver and light green kimono. She was behind Katsue in a heartbeat and was holding the girl's wrists behind her back. "Is that anyway to talk about your sister?" the older demon hissed in Katsue's ear. Katsue eyes seemed to be filling with hatred… fear? "SHINOKO LET GO OF ME!"
Sango jumped from her rock and grabbed Hiraikotsu and aimed it at Shinoko. "You heard her, let go." Before she had let the giant boomerang fly Nikuta snatched it from her hands and threw it halfway into the ground a few feet away. Then he grabbed Sango's arms and pinned them behind her back. He used his free hand to cup her chin and make her look at him. "So you're a demon exterminator. I never knew they could be this beautiful. Apparently I was wrong."
"LET HER GO!" Kagome shrieked and started to beat on the demon's back. Nikuta turned his attention to her. Before she knew it his once free arm was now holding her close, pinning her arms to her sides. "Such beautiful women should not be left alone, people like me could easily snatch them up."
"LET GO! INUYASHA HELP!" Kagome started kicking at Nikuta but he held her out of kicking range.
Shinoko snickered then turned her little sister around, still having a tight grip on both wrists. "It's been awhile Katsue. Father has been worried about you."
"Call Nikuta off of my friends Shinoko." Katsue pleaded. Shinoko's smile grew wider. "Sure," she said, "if you make that sound your half breed mother made when she begged me to let her live."
"NO! I WON'T LET YOU BELITTLE ME AGAIN!"
Shinoko smirked. "Fine. Nikuta, do what you wish with the humans."
"Finally, some fun." Nikuta threw Kagome across the hot spring and into a rock. She then fell into the water moaning in pain. Nikuta then started licking and nibbling Sango's neck. It was obvious by Sango's expression she was not enjoying this.
Katsue looked from Sango to Kagome. She bowed her head. "Fine I'll do it. Just make your twin stop it."
"Nikuta, stop it, you can have fun when we get home." Shinoko growled. Nikuta stopped on command. Then she turned back to the young cat demon. "Well?"
Katsue didn't look up as she made a pitiful meowing sound, filled with fear and self-disgust. Shinoko squeezed the girl's wrists tighter, making the sound Katsue was making also fill with pain. Soon the snap of bones was heard as Katsue's wrists broke, blood dripping from where Shinoko's claws had dug into them. The older demon soon became bored with this and transferred one of Katsue's wrists to her other hand and started punching the girl in the stomach and slashing her face. As she started bashing the girl's back a familiar voice was heard.
"This is what I hate about cat demons. They will even humiliate and torture their own siblings to the brink of death if they have even the smallest amount of human in them."
A streak of brown came at them and threw Shinoko off Katsue and into Nikuta, who had to throw Sango to the ground to catch his sister. Kouga knelt down beside the injured Katsue. She was shivering and had pulled her knees up beneath her chin. She couldn't wrap her arms around her legs because of her wrists but he could tell if she could she would. "Hey fleabag you ok?" he asked. She didn't say anything, just inched closer towards him, as if for protection.
The wolf prince looked the demon girl over and frowned. "Your sister is one sick bitch, fleabag," he said beneath his breath. Kouga started to rub away the blood on her face but stopped when Nikuta started laughing.
"Looks like Katsue got herself a mate, though I never thought she'd bed with a wolf!" said a hysterical Nikuta.
"Or a full-blooded demon," replied Shinoko. "She always said she'd marry a human or hanyou but I guess she rethought that."
Kouga went red in the face. "THIS FLEABAG? MY MATE! YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"
Shinoko frowned when he yelled. "Then why did you interrupt our fun?"
Sango had risen by now and was now getting Kagome out of the water. She scowled at the cat demon twins. "You call that fun! She is your sister, and you tortured her."
"Half-sister." Katsue winced.
"Half-sister? I thought I was the only one with evil half siblings."
Inuyasha came into view. He jumped over to Kagome and Sango. His eyes filled with worry as he got down on his knees and hugged Kagome by the shoulders. "You ok Kagome?"
Kagome nodded. "Nothing broken I think, but I'll be really sore in the morning." Inuyasha smiled. "At least you aren't hurt and that asshole over there didn't try anything on you." He turned to the demon twins and drew Tetsusaiga. "But soon there will be two less demons we'll have to worry about."
Shinoko realized that she and her brother were in danger and this wasn't a time to stick around. She turned to her younger sister and smiled innocently. "We'll be back to see you another time little Katsue. Bye." She waved and disappeared. Nikuta looked worriedly at the young woman. His voice came out just as worried as he said, "Bye baby sister. Don't let anyone push you around but us." Then he disappeared into thin air as well. When they were gone Katsue sighed and welcomed the sweet bliss of unconsciousness. She didn't realize she'd fallen asleep in the lap of the wolf boy she cursed out everyday.
Sango came over to Kouga and Katsue and looked over the cat demon's injuries. "Her wrists are broken, she probably has broken ribs too. The slashes on her arms and face need to be seen to. She needs to go to Kaede to have these treated. Kouga will you take her?"
Kouga finally noticed there were other people there. He had kinda spaced out after he told those demons that Katsue wasn't his mate. He looked around; the demons were gone. The only people there were he, the cat demon whose head had found a way onto his lap, the exterminator, Kagome, and the dog turd. He gasped. 'Shit I didn't even notice Kagome was here. She was the reason I came; I had heard her screaming. Then I saw that cat bitch beating up the fleabag and didn't notice anyone else except the other demon. How the hell did I not see anyone else?' Then he realized Sango was talking to him. "What is it?" he asked impatiently, receiving a whack upside the head from Sango for it. "I asked you if you would take Katsue to the village. You're the fastest and Katsue needs Kaede to treat her injuries."
Kouga blushed a little. 'Of course, she went through all that shit I'm surprised she's still alive.' Then he mentally slapped himself upside the head for that remark. 'She's still alive because she's a demon stupid. Well at least part demon anyway.' He nodded then picked Katsue up gently by the shoulders, mindful of her wrists. Then he went off running, passing the monk and the kitsune just arriving to the hot spring. He looked down at the woman in his arms. He smirked a little. 'Have to admit she is sweet looking when she's asleep. If it wasn't for that mouth of hers.' He looked at her again. 'You wouldn't guess she's human at all by her looks. Hell I can just barely smell a trace of human blood in her. She's probably been through hell because of it from her kind. I can see why she'd want a human or hanyou for a mate; they'd probably treat her better than one of those half assed demons. Oh well, not something I should worry about. She'll get what ever the fates have in store for her and I'll get Kagome from that stupid dog turd.' He then arrived at the village and brought her to Kaede's home to be treated.
~*~*~*~
Meanwhile at the hot spring Inuyasha was hugging Kagome tightly and berating her at the same time as Miroku and Shippo came up to them and Sango.
"You should have called me as soon as you saw the first demon." grumbled Inuyasha. "I could have kept that other one from hurting Katsue. Oh well at least your safe." When he saw Miroku and Shippo were there he stopped hugging her.
"Don't stop on the count of us," chirped the little kitsune.
The monk smiled. "Yes it's nice to see you two lovebirds expressing your feelings."
"SHUT UP!" screamed Inuyasha. He then turned to Kagome and handed her his outer coat. "Your all wet. Put it on. You can change when we get to the camp. Then we'll go to the village to check up on Katsue. I have some questions for her anyway."
Kagome didn't argue. She pulled the fire rat coat over her wet clothes and climbed onto his back for him to give her a ride. They were off before anyone else could say another word. Miroku turned to Sango to find she had changed from her swimsuit back to her normal outfit. She pulled Hiraikotsu from where Nikuta had thrown it and was now whistling for Kirara. The cat came instantly; already in it's larger form. It crouched down to let Sango climb on. She looked from her spot on the creatures back to her companions.
"Are you going to get on or do you want to walk to Kaede's village?" she asked. That got their attention. Soon they were bounding across the treetops, Shippo behind Sango and Miroku in front. They stayed quiet throughout the whole trip.
~*~*~*~
Later on that night Katsue woke to find her ribs, face, and arms had bandages on them. Then she saw her friends all had worried except for Kouga and Inuyasha. Kouga had looked relieved for a moment then realized he was doing it then went back to his snotty self. Inuyasha had a stern "We need to talk" face. Shippo jumped on her head when he saw she was awake. "Katsue we were so worried about you. Kaede said that those demons that attacked you girls had hurt you really badly," said the kitsune, happy his friend was all right.
"I'm alright Shippo. Nikuta and Shinoko have done much worse than this to me. I'll heal. Now give me some personal space," she said then shook the little demon from her head.
"We're glad to see you're alright Katsue," said Sango. Miroku came next to her and pat her on the shoulder. "Yes we weren't ready for your funeral just yet." Then his hand found it's way to her ears and started scratching. Katsue started to raise her hand to scratch him but howl in pain instead. Her wrists still hurt. To her relief Miroku backed off of his own accord.
Then Inuyasha came up to her and she started feeling edgy. 'Oh boy what did I do to piss him off?' "What is it Inuyasha?" asked Katsue, her usually smooth, soft voice now a little bit raspy.
He went straight to his point. "Are you a half demon?"
She choked. "What? Do I smell a bit human to you?"
"Not really, but usually cat demons only torture their own if they're part human from what Kouga said. So fess up, are you a half demon or not?"
"You could have put it a little bit nicer Inu-chan." Kagome said, a little peeved with Inuyasha's tone.
"It's ok Kagome. It is a subject I was hoping to avoid but I knew it would come up." She sighed then, as if what she was about to say was more horrible than anyone thought. "I am not a half-breed like you Inuyasha, but I am part human. My mother was a half-demon. My father was a full-blooded cat demon. They met and they fell in love on sight. He had lost his first wife a few years before and already had two children, Nikuta and Shinoko. I never met either of them until I was three and Shinoko killed my mother, I still don't know how she got away with it. Then she and her brother turned to me as a punching bag. They would torture me for weeks at a time. The sick part was that if another demon tried to pick on me they would fight fang and claw with to keep me safe then turn around and beat the crap out of me. Shinoko was the worst. If I had to pick between them I'd choose Nikuta everyday, he'd let me get a chance to fight back and when it was over he'd help me back up, I'd say it was more like training then. He was tolerable but his sister is a sick bitch; she'd have killed me if Nikuta hadn't intervened when he thought things were getting out of hand. I wish she would just go away."
Kouga grunted. "You could kick their asses if you tried. You don't even put up a fight to defend yourself."
"I have tried and failed miserably every time. I gave up awhile back and just ran away to the village my mother had come from. It was abandoned but no one would be able to tell Shinoko or Nikuta where I was. Now I think I shouldn't have left it. Word of me joining with the hanyou Inuyasha and his companions must have gotten around."
"Feh." Inuyasha snorted. "They would have found you eventually if you had stayed and then you'd have been alone with no one to come and save your ass."
"Yes Inuyasha is right," said Kaede, listening while poking at the fire. "You did the right thing. If you hadn't come with them you'd be in far worse conditions than you are now if they found you."
"Well then I guess I owe you much for letting me join you until I find a mate. I promise to repay you all."
Miroku got excited. "Well you could repay me by-" This time Katsue scratched his face, despite the pain in her arm. "No I will not repay you in that way you perverted monk."
"There isn't really a need for you to do such a thing," said Sango.
Kagome nodded. "You don't have to."
"But I want to. As long as I'm here, I want to do something to pay you all back." This idea had seemed to cheer the injured cat demon. Then Shippo opened his mouth. "Then you should start with Kouga. If he hadn't come when he did you would probably be dead."
All went silent. Katsue looked at Kouga, her eyes filling with confusion. "Is it true Kouga? You saved me?"
Kouga was now blushing. 'Stupid brat, she doesn't remember who saved her but he had to open his big mouth.' He shrugged and turned away from her. "I had come there to save Kagome, you was just there. If Inuyasha had gotten there first he would have saved you."
"When I got there you weren't saving Kagome." said Inuyasha. He began to snicker. And he got a mischievous look in his eyes. "You were wiping blood from her face, if I hadn't known you hate her guts I'd say you were sweet on her and were worried about her."
"I WASN'T BEING SWEET ON KATSUE AND I WASN'T WORRIED ABOUT HER!" roared Kouga. The others gave him weird looks. Then Miroku fell over laughing. This pissed the wolf prince off even more. "WHAT'S SO FUNNY MONK?"
Miroku sat up and got some control over himself before he spoke. "You're acting the same way Inuyasha did when someone said something about him having feelings for Kagome. Look at them now."
"Miroku is right!" cried Shippo, "So someday he and Katsue will marry?"
This got a rise out of both demons. The glared at Shippo then pointed at each other. "LIKE I'D MATE WITH THAT HALF-ASSED EXCUSE OF A DEMON FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!" they screamed simultaneously. When they realized they said the same thing they began to hiss/growl at each other. Katsue then got up and walked past her friends. "I'll be on the roof if anyone needs me," she spat. When she got on the porch they saw her jump up and heard a thump on the roof, followed by "colorful" words that indicated she had landed on her hands or arms and hurt her wrists.
"SONNUVAMOTHERFUCKINBITCH THAT HURTS!" she screamed, the whole village hearing her. "Aw shit the bandages came undone."
Everyone except Inuyasha thought she had a worse mouth than the dog demon. They all went out of the hut and looked on the roof. The demon had plopped herself down on the roof and was reapplying her bandages. "Come down Katsue, I shall do it for you." said Kaede. Katsue looked down at them and hissed. "No I have tended to my wounds before, most of them much worse than these. Crap one of 'um reopened." She pulled arm to her face and began to lick away the blood that was coming from a deep cut that had opened up. Her eyes strayed to the short-sleeved kimono someone had put on her while she was unconscious. 'Hmm nice colors, whoever picked it out had good taste. Hold on a minute!' She felt through the kimono and then stopped worrying. 'Good, I'm still in the swimsuit. No way the old woman would have been able to change my outfit on her own.' She glared down at Kouga. 'If he had helped her change me I would kill him. Well maybe not kill him; she would have needed help. I guess I'd just kick his ass.' That thought brought a smile to her face. Then she growled and stopped licking her wound. 'Shit I won't be able to reapply these bandages, I need fresh ones.' "Could one of you throw up some bandages? Then you can go to sleep, I can tell you all need it."
"You shall not be receiving any bandages from us unless you come in," said Kaede. She went back into her hut. Before she went all the way in she turned to Inuyasha and the others. "None of you shall bring her anything until she comes back inside. She needs to learn not to be so stubborn," she thought for a moment, "Inuyasha, are you sure you aren't related to Katsue?" She chuckled to herself then went back to her mat by the fire. The others followed suit, all except Inuyasha, wondering if he was related to her before going back in. Katsue sighed. 'Guess it's too late to ask for a blanket.'
~*~*~*~
Later that night when everyone was asleep Katsue snuck down from the roof and back into the hut. She easily found the bandages and fixed herself up. Then she looked around for a spot to sleep. She was annoyed when she saw the only place was by Kouga. 'This hut isn't big enough for eight people and a small demon cat. Maybe I should talk to Kaede about me helping her make this hut bigger. Oh well, might as well deal with having to sleep by the dumb ass.' She slipped past the other sleeping people without waking them up. Then she laid down next to Kouga. It surprised her how warm he was. His presence made her feel better as well. 'This feels kinda familiar, like from before my life went down the drain when mother died. Maybe sleeping near him won't be so bad if he's so warm.' Any thoughts after that were forgotten as she nodded off, murmuring something no one could make out.
Katsue hadn't realized she actually had woken someone up. Kouga looked over to find the demon woman was indeed beside him, her back facing his. Then he noticed her tail was on top of his. He pulled his tail away from hers and inched away a bit. It shocked him when he felt her back against his. 'WHAT THE HELL IS THIS GIRL DOING?' He sat up and looked at her face. She was still asleep, though shivering a little. 'Oh I see, she's just cold. No wonder she's being so snugly with me. I'll fix that.' Kouga looked around and quickly grabbed a blanket. He tucked it around the sleeping demon. He noticed her ears were twitching as if they were cold too. He pulled the blanket up and around her ears too, covering her completely except for her face. 'She is kinda cute. If she wasn't such a bitch when she's awake she'd actually get a mate.' The image of her being a calm housewife rearing the children while her human husband was out working made him almost burst out laughing. 'She would definitely not settle for that. She needs someone who could take all her stubborn, arrogant, bossiness. But then again she can be nice, and gentle, and she is…' The wolf demon stopped himself from thinking forward on the subject and frowned. 'This wench is doing something to me, I just can't figure out what. I gotta get out of here.'
On that note he went out as quietly as possible, not waking anyone. He went running for someplace he could get away and think. Meanwhile back at the hut Katsue was smiling, dreaming about her future with a man whose face she couldn't quite yet see.
~*~*~*~
A week had past, Katsue's wounds had healed, and they were all already on a new shard hunt. Kouga had accompanied them this time and so far he, Inuyasha, and Katsue had been cursing each other out the whole way.
"YOUR SUCH AN ASS HOLE!" Katsue screamed at Kouga.
"WELL IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE WENCH!" Kouga screamed back.
Inuyasha growled at both of them. "YOUR BOTH ASS HOLES SO SHUT UP!"
Katsue and Kouga glared at him. "SHUT THE FUCK UP DOG BOY!"
"They have been doing this for two days. When will it stop?" asked a tired Shippo. None of them had slept since the curse off began. Yesterday they thought that going on a shard hunt would end it but they didn't think Kouga would come along. He had said his reason was to make sure Inuyasha kept his hands off Kagome. He still had some hope Kagome would call the wedding off, but not as much as he had had before. He saw how much the two were in love with each other and knew it would take more than the gods themselves to break the two apart. Now he was just in denial. Katsue had started her mate search, but none had been too appealing to her so far. She didn't want a full-blooded demon mate if he was anything like the demons she'd met so far, and most humans were too weak for her, so that left half demons, which there weren't many of. But she seemed determined to find a mate, no matter what it's race was. That's what had started the argument, when Kouga said, "So the cat slut wants to find somebody to bed with until someone decides to shut her up for good." Which got Katsue started and she somehow pulled Inuyasha into it. Kagome was starting to think about getting Kouga and Katsue rosaries so that whenever they started cursing or belittling each other they'd "sit" like Inuyasha did. Those who she had told the plan to agreed.
"SOMEONE MAKE IT STOP BEFORE I KILL MYSELF FROM INSANITY!" screamed Miroku, who seemed about to crack from the fighting. They all looked at him, the three demons stopped fighting. Sango looked at him with concern. "Are you ok Houshi-sama?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.
Miroku nodded and smiled. "It's just that those three have been arguing nonstop for the past two days and I want some sleep." Then his hand strayed onto the exterminators butt which got him a whack upside the head.
"I'd like some sleep too," said Kagome. "I haven't gotten any since I got back from my time."
Shippo nodded. "Next time you and Inuyasha go try to take me with you, those two act like a bickering couple."
"WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!" screeched Katsue and Kouga. They had gotten into the habit of screaming the same thing simultaneously at people. They never seemed to notice it though.
Shippo smiled and thought to himself. 'You could have fooled me. I'd say those two are perfect for each other. I think I'll have to do a little matchmaking.' That thought made him snicker which brought the others attention to him. Miroku looked at him with suspicion. "What is so funny Shippo?"
"Nothing." said the kit, no one believing him, but no one except Miroku and Sango really thought anything of it. 'He's planning something.' they both thought. They had no time to think of anything else before Inuyasha started sniffing the air and growled. "What is it Inuyasha?" asked Kagome.
"Demons," said the dog hanyou, "More than one. I can also smell Sesshoumaru." Everyone but Katsue got a worried look on his or her faces. She had no idea what had them worried. "Who is Sesshoumaru?"
No one answered her question. Inuyasha just ran off in the direction that the scent came from, the others trying to keep up. When the hanyou stuck his arm out for them all to stop they almost crashed into him. They watched the scene a few feet away from them. Sesshoumaru was surrounded by a large group of scaly demons, Rin and Jaken standing behind him.
Katsue noticed that the dog demon that was surrounded by the other demons looked a little like Inuyasha. She turned to Kagome, curiosity filling her eyes, "Who is that?" she pointed to the demon in question. Kagome looked at whom she was pointing to and frowned. "That is Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's half brother." Katsue only got more confused. "It looks like he and his companions are in trouble. Why doesn't Inuyasha help him?"
Shippo turned to Katsue and frowned. "He's tried to kill us many times," he said, "Would you try to save Shinoko or Nikuta after everything they've done to you?" Katsue understood; Sesshoumaru was to Inuyasha as Shinoko and Nikuta were to her. Then she looked at the fox cub and nodded her head. "I understand why he doesn't help, but I think I would save Nikuta and I don't want Shinoko dying at anyone's hands but mine."
This made Kouga snort. "Like you could bring yourself to kill her. She have you whipped."
"TAKE THAT BACK JACKASS!"
"MAKE ME CAT BITCH!"
"SHUT UP BEFORE THEY REALIZE WE'RE HERE YOU MORONS!" screamed Inuyasha, bringing the other demons attention to them.
"Well what do we have here?" said the youkai who seemed to be leading the attack. "A handful of humans and youkai. And I thought today would be boring." Kagome shuddered. "I sense Shikon shard from him," she said. Inuyasha moaned. "GREAT! Looks like Sesshoumaru will have us helping him." He drew Tetsusaiga and charged the leader of the demons. Katsue, Sango, Miroku, and Kouga followed his lead. But before they could strike the demons seemed to disappear. This had Inuyasha and the others confused. "What the fuck is going on?" cursed a pissed Inuyasha.
"Chameleon youkai. They can blend into their surroundings and appear invisible," said Sesshoumaru, walking up beside Inuyasha, Rin and Jaken following close behind. Inuyasha and the others went on guard, though Sesshoumaru didn't seem like he was going to attack them. "They attacked me a short while ago and have been confusing the shit out of me. They've been covering up their scent some how and I've been having trouble blocking their attacks. For once I'm actually happy to see you."
"What the hell do you want Sesshoumaru?" asked Inuyasha, not letting down his guard. The only one who seemed not to be on guard because of the dog demon was Katsue. She was looking at him with vague curiosity. Then she felt something strike her across her back. She spun around and put her hand in its chest before it could runaway. The once invisible demon appeared and was now dead at the cat demon's feet. She then felt the slash. It ran from her right shoulder to the base of her spine. The pain was slowly dulling as her anger rose. "GRRARRGGH! I'LL GET THOSE BASTARDS!" she cried then went running off.
Kouga got an angry look on his face and was heard to say "Stupid feline. She's turning me into her keeper." before he ran off in her direction. It didn't take long for him to come back, Katsue limply hanging from his shoulders, running quickly back to the group. He was getting attacked from all sides, not able to see his attackers to block them. The cat demon on his back brought her head up and sniffed the air. She tapped Kouga on the shoulder then whispered in his ear. He smiled at that and said, "You aren't as dumb as you look fleabag." He made his way to the others still alive.
"Kagome look for the jewel shard." He let Katsue fall from his back, "It was her idea." Kagome came over to them to see to the injured demon and pulled out her first aid kit as she looked around for the demon with the shard. Katsue sat up and shook her head, "No I don't need it. They're just flesh wounds."
Kagome nodded and started looking around. It didn't take long for her to find the glowing shard coming from a tree to the right of the group. She pointed to it and shouted, "Over there in that tree!" "I got him," growled Inuyasha. He powered up the Tetsusaiga and got it ready for his attack. The demon saw what was coming and quickly rushed out of the way. He didn't realize the Kagome could see the jewel shard in his arm. By now she had gotten her bow and an arrow out and was taking aim at him. She let the arrow fly and it went into the demons arm, knocking out the shard. They heard him scream and before he could move Sesshoumaru had the youkai dead. Inuyasha sniffed at the air and quickly found the remaining demons and killed them with Tetsusaiga. Kagome picked up the jewel shard and put it with the others. Sango was helping Katsue up. As soon as the others realized Sesshoumaru and his group were still there they got edgy.
Inuyasha stood in front of the others and growled. "Lets get the fight over with. We have to search for more jewel shards."
"What makes you think I want to fight you right now?" Sesshoumaru asked in his usual calm emotionless monotone. Rin had walked up to Katsue and was pulling on the hem of her kimono. The cat demon looked down at the child and smiled. "Yes little one what is it?"
"Rin wants to know if you're all right." The girl smiled up at her. Katsue's ears and her tail moved around excitedly. "Well Rin you may call me Katsue. As for the few scratches those demons gave me they will be gone before the sun sets." She got a smile out of the little girl. "I love children. I took care of my little brother and sisters before I left home. Ever since then I've thought they were adorable, no matter what they are."
"You have younger brothers and sisters?" asked Shippo. "I thought you only had Nikuta and Shinoko."
"No, my father was with another woman after my mother," sighed Katsue. "Though he decided to have only full-blooded demon mates after her."
Jaken looked at Katsue with interest. "Would your father be Osuneko?" the toad demon asked. Katsue's eyes turned to slits, her claws seeming to get longer. She bared fangs at him before hissing out, "What of it if I were to say yes?"
"So you're the daughter of the Great Demon of the South that disappeared about a four years ago," cried Jaken. 'From what I've heard about her I'm not surprised she's hanging around the half-blood and his little friends.' "Osuneko has come to Lord Sesshoumaru many times asking if he had seen you in his lands."
Before the toad had any time to run to Sesshoumaru for protection Katsue had her claws at his throat and was ready to slash him. "And you shall not live to tell him you have seen me, will you?" she hissed. She looked to her friends to see that they were looking at her in shock. She stood up, still holding Jaken and brushed the wrinkles of her kimono away. "I should have told you all, I am sorry. I thought it better that I kept it a secret," she sighed and dropped Jaken, then kicked him away, "Shinoko and Nikuta have probably already told him about where I am. If they haven't he will eventually find out. Then I might as well kill myself as opposed to going back and becoming Shinoko's punching bag." She dropped down and put her head in her hands. Kagome went up to her hand patted her shoulder.
"You don't have to be upset and you don't need to kill yourself. You could just stay with us and if your father comes we'll deal with it when he does." She smiled at Katsue. Inuyasha spoke up. "Damn it Kagome how the hell is it you and everyone else but me and Kouga got so attached to her in four weeks?"
Shippo hopped on Katsue's shoulder and hugged her head. "Because you and Kouga are grouches," he said matter-of-factly. This got both canines growling. Sango and Miroku walked up to Katsue and sat down on the ground next to her. "If you don't want to go you don't have to," said Sango. "And if they force you we'll be there to help." This had Katsue smiling in moments. 'I guess I won't be going anywhere as long as these people are with me. Oh shit,' she looked at Sesshoumaru, by now Jaken and Rin were behind him once again. 'What if they tell father?'
As if he read her mind Sesshoumaru spoke up. "What you do as long as you don't get in my way I don't care. You won't have to worry about Osuneko coming for you because of me."
Rin got a look on her face that said she had an idea. "Can Katsue come with us? I like Katsue. She'd take better care of me than Jaken."
"Sorry young one," said Katsue, "but I'm not going to leave these people just yet."
"You will be seeing plenty of Katsue, Rin. We will be joining my brother and his friends."
This made everyone except Rin and Katsue fall over in shock. Jaken and Inuyasha were the first to recover.
"Sesshoumaru-sama you can't be serious!"
"I'll be damned if I let you come with us Sesshoumaru. I trust you as far as Jaken can throw you. Why do you even want to come?" Inuyasha was in his half brother's face now and growling at him.
"Be careful Inuyasha!" Kagome cried. She didn't want to be a widow before she even married him.
"I'm coming because it would benefit both me and you. Especially you if you really want to marry that girl of yours." the youkai said coolly. This made Inuyasha curious. "What does it have to do with me and Kagome getting married?"
"Not many demons want you two to marry," he stated, "I could care less who you decide to bed with for the rest of your life, but you mating with this girl does have some effects on me. That's the only reason I will be helping you."
"And why should we trust you?" asked Kouga. Sesshoumaru turned to him and seemed to smile. "Because you're feline friend does. Isn't that right Katsue?"
Katsue nodded. "He's not lying. I would have been able to tell by now if he was. Cat demons can be like lie detectors. That's main reason why some courts, human and demon, have them as advisors."
"Are there any other reasons we all shouldn't just kick your ass right now?" Inuyasha seemed to have grown bored with the conversation by now.
"If I had wanted to fight you I would have already done it," said Sesshoumaru.
"He has a point." Shippo chirped. Miroku, Sango, and Kagome nodded. Kouga seemed to have fallen asleep on his feet for some reason. Katsue had stopped listening after what she said so she could play with Rin. Inuyasha sighed. He was out numbered; he nodded and groaned. "BUT IF YOU TRY TO HARM ANY OF THEM, ESPECIALLY KAGOME YOU WILL BE DEAD!"
Sesshoumaru nodded. "Understood. So where are we going?"
"We were heading northeast," said Katsue, letting Rin climb onto her back, "Kagome thinks she senses jewel shards in that direction."
"You know, no one really said you could tell him where we are going," growled Inuyasha.
"WELL HE'S COMING WITH US, WHY NOT TELL HIM?"
"HE'S AN ASSHOLE WHO'S TRIED TO KILL US SO MANY TIMES I CAN'T REMEMBER!"
"You know dog turd if her father is as strong and as protective of his children as I've heard you may wanna shut up."
"STAY OUT OF IT WOLF WIMP!"
"I'LL SAY WHAT I WANT ASSHOLE! SUCH AS YOUR NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR KAGOME!"
Miroku sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Looks like Sesshoumaru has already caused us trouble."
"Why are we letting him come with us again?" asked Shippo.
Jaken cleared his throat then said, "Lord Sesshoumaru is gracing you with his presence only because it is to his benefit at the moment."
"THAT'S IT! DIE TOAD!" Shippo pounced on Jaken and started kicking his ass. This left everyone else watching Kouga, Katsue, and Inuyasha screaming at each other or watching the kitsune child and toad demon duke it out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Well I'm done with this chapter. Might I be the first to say DAMN at how long this chapter is. It took me 2 weeks to work on it and 9 pages on my word processor. If y'all think something should be changed tell me in a review. PLEASE R&R PEOPLE! My self-esteem needs boosting. Don't worry; my ego won't get too big. Oh yes for those of you who like kitsune and cat demons I have a treat for you in the next chapter. Well see ya, wouldn't want to be ya (joking I'm sure most of you are very nice, but I'll stick to being me, even if my life does suck at the moment).
