Notes: Are you wondering just why this chapter came out so much faster than normal? Three guesses! *Winkwink* Nope…not the sugar (even if I did eat a lot of it)…not even the reviews…I owe it to my LOVELY, WONDERFUL muse—Viaaaaaaaresu! ^^
Healing of the Heart
By Sango-chan
Chapter 4
For the Love of a Shard
Frowning, Sango peered down from her high perch on Kirara's back. Something down there…something very strange…had caught her attention, and it wasn't something good. She didn't know what, couldn't explain her behavior…but something hidden in the thickly forested hills pulled her. She shook her head to try to clear it and noticed that Inuyasha was also looking down.
"You feel it too, don't you?" the demon exterminator whispered, staring at him. "Then it's not just me…"
"It feels like demon energy," her companion replied, not removing his gaze from that unseen spot down on the ground. "Yes…definitely…and no weakling, either. And…" Inuyasha flexed his claws, "…where there's a demon, there may be a shard!"
"Better not to go rushing down there right away," Sango cautioned. "What do we know about it? And what's that force tugging us down there?"
"Scared?" the hanyô shot at her.
He'd hit a nerve. Crimsoning angrily, Sango stammered out, "Scared? Scared? You—y-you dare accuse me of being a coward?! I—am—not—afraid. Not of any demon! All I'm saying is that I don't want to risk my life for your foolish bravado!"
"Whatever," he shot back, not even bothering to look at her. "Call it what you want to—but I'm going down. If there are Shikon shards, they're mine!"
The taijiya glared at him. "You thickskulled…" she started, but the dog demon had already begun his descent into the forest. Sango weighed her options, and then gave Kirara a nudge downwards. She wasn't going to let all her training and honor be shot down by him. Gritting her teeth, the demon exterminator followed the pull of that mysterious force and plunged into the sea of trees.
As soon as Sango touched down on the green turf of the forest, she was engulfed in the pure, unbroken silence of the huge trees. Once again, she felt that unexplainable sense of foreboding. This was different, completely different from the serene quiet of the forests around her village; those trees enveloped her in a warm, welcoming, living peace—this forest felt cold, dead, and totally wrong. She shivered, wanting to be away from this place. Jogging with Kirara at her heels, Sango moved forwards.
Inuyasha stood in a small clearing a few meters up ahead. Clearing the thick foliage away, Sango stood by him, glad of anything warm and human—or at least half human—in this strange place.
"I think it's—" she began, and then stopped as Inuyasha rummaged about in a patch of small saplings. "What are you doing?"
"I can feel something from here," the hanyô said, his voice slightly muffled by the rustling of leaves as he felt around the branches. "This!" Straightening, Inuyasha produced a small, flat white stone, inconspicuous but for the way it pulled her towards it—very much like the same force that had brought them down here.
"This isn't it, though," Sango stated, after walking up to Inuyasha to inspect the stone more closely.
"Yeah…that's what I think…" Inuyasha agreed, scanning the clearing as the demon exterminator touched the stone curiously.
Sango looked up. "Maybe we shouldn't keep searching for that…thing. I have this feeling…ah!" Inuyasha whipped around to see what the girl was staring at, and his eyes narrowed.
A figure sat before them, casually leaning forward with one hand on his knee. 'How…did he get there?' Sango wondered suspiciously. One second there had been nothing, and then he had appeared, simply melted out of the leafy shadows of the trees. Normal? Definitely not. If Inuyasha was correct in his assumption, Sango would have bet Hiraikotsu that this was the demon. Her muscles tensed, ready for action.
"Are you surprised?" the stranger spoke, smiling slightly.
"Surprised by you?" Inuyasha shot back. "I heard you coming from a mile away."
'What a liar,' Sango thought to herself, rolling her eyes. 'He was as surprised as I was…or more.'
"How unfortunate," the newcomer replied, and then, with an edge of sarcasm in his voice, "I was so hoping to make a good entrance. Perhaps I'll have to work on that a bit more, hm?"
Growling, the hanyô clenched his fists at his sides. "Are you mocking me?"
"No…" the other smirked, leaning back a little to observe Inuyasha, "I've always heard that dog demons were never that strong in the brains category…"
"Why you…" Inuyasha barked out between clenched teeth, feeling his blood boil as his eyes began to redden.
"Inuyasha, wait…" Sango cautioned, still staring intently at the face of the figure before them. "Don't let him get you into a fight you're not prepared for."
"What?! Are you saying that bastard could beat—"
"So you speak," the orange-eyed arrival interrupted, ignoring Inuyasha as he glanced at the girl standing beside the hanyô. 'What?' His eyes flashed. 'That girl…is…!'
"…A human? Impossible," he hissed. "A human…and a demon?" Their visitor stood and walked a step closer, peering fixedly at the two. He stared for a few seconds longer, and then a smirk lifted the corner of his mouth. "It seems I have made a mistake…make that a half-breed."
"Who the hell are you, anyways?" snarled the hanyô, ignoring the stab to his heritage.
Crossing his arms over his chest, the stranger smirked at the obvious effect his previous comment had caused and answered the question. "Who am I? A mercenary, a yôkai…"
Sango's hands flew to the strap of her oversized boomerang.
"…a dabbler in the arcane arts, a seeker of shards…"
'I knew it!' Inuyasha thought to himself. 'This weirdo's definitely got some Shikon shards.'
"…but you can call me Viaresu."
Cracking his knuckles, Inuyasha let one fang slip out over his bottom lip as he retorted, "A fine name to die with."
Viaresu coolly fingered the sharp metal ornaments that hung from his necklace as he gazed at the hanyô. "Hmmm…you seem quite confident, dog."
"That's cuz there's no question of me…" Inuyasha's claws flexed in and out, "…losing to an idiot like you."
"I'm afraid I disagree with you," the yôkai replied as his icy orange orbs of his eyes narrowed. "We'll have to settle this dispute."
"Fine with me," Inuyasha smirked, gently rubbing his thumb across the sharp tips of his clawed fingers. He ran a tongue over his fangs, relishing the prospect of a good fight with the arrogant demon. 'I'll bring his damned superior attitude down a notch or two…'
Also smiling, Viaresu closed both eyes and raised his right hand up, murmuring softly to himself. The air around him grew dark and heavy, emitting a sharp odor of wood smoke. As the demon spoke one last command, his upraised hand glowed and crackled dangerously with energy. Black smoke hid his form for a split second before vanishing, leaving the demon wielding a sickle-bladed staff in his right hand.
"This is not good," Sango whispered. "That's not a normal weapon, Inuyasha! That thing looks like an alchemist's staff…he'll probably use magic when he fights."
"Shit…" her companion cursed, warily eying the staff. Magic…there was no way to know what to expect here. The bladed staff looked ordinary enough, but the demon exterminator knew more than he in these matters. 'Well, it's too late to back out of this now.'
Leaping forward, the hanyô made the first move, swiping at Viaresu's unprotected shoulder with one clawed hand. The other yôkai brought his staff up surprisingly fast, blocking Inuyasha's blow. The dog demon's talons scraped against the weapon's blade as he shoved it aside, intent on reaching the skin of the other's vulnerable throat and ribcage.
"Ah!" Inuyasha yelped, leaping backwards and away from his opponent, golden eyes widened in shock. His left hand was still tingling from the brush with the alchemist's staff, and as he watched, thin ribbons of blue smoke curled away from the sharp blade. 'I can't even touch it…!'
"That enchantment certainly is effective," Viaresu remarked as Inuyasha stared at the staff. "Who would have imagined that my employer was such a fine spell-weaver?" the yôkai contemplated aloud.
'Employer…?!' Inuyasha growled in response and surveyed the yôkai carefully. 'Who…'
A/N: BIERREZ-KUUUUUUUUUUNNN!!! *Glomps said demon* ^__________^ *Happyhappyjoyjoy* Wow…this was fast! ^^ I know my chappies are short, but I try to write them in the style of one of the manga scrolls. If you look at a fight scroll, this is how it usually begins! Blah blah blah blah, trade insults, state reason for fight, and THEN some shocking little tidbit and…cliffhanger! ^^
PS: I spelled Bierrez's name "Viaresu" here cuz it's the UN-Tokyopop-mangled name, and cuz I didn't want to get sued by anyone. Hopefully they wouldn't notice…*coffcoffcoff* *shifty eyes* .
