Deceitful Eyes
The Golden Ostrich
* * *
With Miroku and Sango slung across his back and Kagome in his arms, InuYasha trekked along the riverbank towards the village. Once there, he planned to leave his sick companions in the hands of some trustworthy towns person and make a hasty trip out to the sand dunes for the curing plant.
"Looks like we ran into a plague," he muttered. "I'm sure we'll be real welcomed in a village..."
* * *
"Kagome is stronger than she appears," murmured Nurako as Kikyo tended to his wounded arm. "Somehow she managed to direct the rage away from InuYasha."
"That girl will never be able to harm him," said Kikyo.
Nurako nodded. "I can see that now. However, I doubt that InuYasha has the time to make it to the dunes and save all of their lives...I can imagine it's too late for Sango and that will do great harm to the monk."
Kikyo knotted the bandage and sat back. "A wounded heart is the worst pain of all," she said. Nurako nodded again and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek.
* * *
"Look, I just need a place for them to stay while I go collect the plant for the cure," said InuYasha in frustration.
"I have never helped a demon and have no intentions of ever doing so," said an old woman sharply, slamming the door in his face.
"Dammit, it's for them! They're not demons!" he yelled. She opened the door a crack and scowled.
"Demons in disguise perhaps...the moment I let them in here they'll show their true form. Now get away from my house, you scourge."
InuYasha kicked at the porch railing angrily and continued making his way down the street. Surely someone would have the heart to help him...
"Hey mister, that's an awfully big sword," said a little girl at his feet. He looked down and raised an eyebrow at her.
"Uh-huh...do you know of anyone in this place that might keep my friends safe for a few hours? They're sick."
"You can bring them to my house!" she said.
"Are your parents going to chase me out with a rake like that one guy did?" he asked skeptically.
"Nah, we haven't got a rake. Just a hoe and a pitchfork."
"Oh, that's a lot better," he said dryly. "All right, where do you live?"
"Follow me!" she said, running through the street. InuYasha darted after her as gently as he could, hoping not to drop any of his passengers.
"Mommy! Can the dog-man stay with us?" the girl shouted as she ran up several steps to the porch of a small house. A middle-aged woman stepped out and gasped at the sight of InuYasha, panting and loaded down with his comrades.
"Please?" the girl said, rising onto her toes and smiling at her mother.
"Are you...a demon?" the woman gulped.
"Only half," muttered InuYasha. "My friends are sick and I need a place for them to stay while I find the plant to cure them."
"Oh, well um...they're not demons, are they?"
"Pure-blooded humans," he said impatiently.
"Are they contagious?"
"No, just poisoned."
"How long have they been like that?"
"Look, lady, if you're not going to help me I have to keep looking...they're not going to live much longer if I can't find this damn plant," he growled.
"You can bring them in, but watch your tongue," she scolded. "I have a young child here who doesn't need to hear any filthy language."
"Yes ma'am," he said wearily.
* * *
His friends being safely housed with the woman, InuYasha set off at a running pace for the shore. The scent of saline wavered through air, growing stronger as he ran. In front of him, the sun was setting in brilliant hues of crimson and orange. His feet began to slide as the ground slowly melted from grass to sand and the dunes came into sight.
"Yellow flowers and four-pronged leaves," he muttered. "I hope he gave me the right description..." He climbed the first dune and peered down...nestled between two hills of sand was a ramshackle cottage, and in front of it lay a small patch of the plant InuYasha was seeking.
"Aha!" he exclaimed, sliding down the dune. "Found you!"
He rushed forward and knelt in front of the patch, hands extended to rip the plants from the sand. No sooner had he touched the first stem though, when an arrow whizzed by his head and buried itself with a chunk! behind him.
"What the hell?" He looked up and saw a young man with streaming hair as bright as the sunset standing in front of the cottage. He raised his bow again, arrow notched, and aimed at InuYasha.
"Don't touch my flowers!" he said.
InuYasha rose to his feet and placed his hand on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. "Look, I only a need a few of these to help my friends," he growled. "I'm not going to let anything else stand in my way of helping them."
"Those are not yours to take!" the man yelled and released the bow. InuYasha drew his sword and raised it in front of his face, blocking the arrow with a small ting.
"Don't make me kill you," he said, lowering the sword.
"What makes you think you're entitled to steal from me?" the man snarled. "Those are rare plants!"
"No offense, but by the looks of your house and this scruffy little patch, I figured this place was abandoned," InuYasha said. "Now I've wasted enough time already...are you going to let me take these freely and save my friends, or do I have to take your life too?"
"You're friends are ill?" said the man, his gaze softening.
"Yeah."
"My mother raised these flowers," he said. "She asked me to protect them from greedy thieves when she died. They can be sold for a lot of money."
"Look, this is all very touching, but I really haven't got the time. They might be dead already!" said InuYasha angrily.
The man knelt and gently ran his fingers over the leaves. "If you need them so badly, then you may take them. You seem trustworthy enough."
"Thanks," he said and pulled three of the plants from the ground.
"Good luck."
"Yeah, thanks," InuYasha repeated and tucked the plants inside of his shirt. Then, replacing the Tetsusaiga in its sheath, he bolted over the dunes.
'Crap,' he thought as he ran. 'The sun has already set...I hope I can make it back in time.'
* * *
Night had already set in by the time InuYasha bounded onto the porch and barged into the cottage. The woman shrieked in surprise, but he took no heed of her and quickly knelt down at Sango's side.
"Get me some water or something," he snapped at the little girl, who stood staring wide-eyed at him.
"Yes, sir!" she said and ran out the back door. InuYasha looked around frantically until he spotted a set of grinding stones sitting on a table.
"Here, lemme see those," he said. The woman quickly nodded and set them down in front of him. He tore the leaves off of the plants and began to crush them into a fine pulp.
The girl returned, carrying a small flask and a cup. "Here you go!" she said cheerfully.
"Thanks," InuYasha grunted, glancing up at Sango. Her breathing was slowing as he poured the leaves into the bottle and shook it fervently. He propped her up gently and poured a bit of the mixture into the cup.
"What is this stuff?" he asked, sniffing the liquid that had emerged.
"It's sake(1)," said the girl, smiling.
He raised an eyebrow at her and shrugged, pouring it into Sango's mouth. He gently rubbed her throat, forcing her to swallow the concoction, and went on to do the same for Miroku and Kagome.
"Dammit, if that bastard told me the wrong plant," he said, waiting for any sign of recovery.
"What did I tell you about foul language in my house?!" the woman shrieked. InuYasha dodged a blow from the pot she was holding and backed up against a wall. "Get out, you filthy demon! You got your plant, now leave my home at once!"
InuYasha scrambled to sling Sango and Miroku over his back again and grab Kagome as the woman's onslaught of words and the occasional swing of the pot continued. He darted out the door and into the street, hearing the door slam behind him.
"Well this is familiar," he muttered. "Better get out here; I don't think they like demons."
He wandered down the road until the town gradually thinned out, leaving him on the small stretch of meadow between the buildings and the forest. He settled down there, gently laying his friends on the grass and building a small fire to keep them warm.
As the night wore one, fatigue began to overtake InuYasha and he unwillingly fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
"Think a quick tap to the head might wake him?" said a voice. InuYasha groggily opened his eyes and blinked. Miroku was kneeling in front of him, staff raised to follow through on his threat.
"Ah, you're awake I see," he said and sat back grinning.
"Miroku? What the hell? The plant worked?" he sputtered. "I thought that bastard was messing around with me."
"You'll have to fill us in," said Sango. "I have no recollection of anything for the past...how long has it been anyway?"
"A couple day," said InuYasha. "Where's Kagome?"
"Behind you," said Miroku, pointing. InuYasha spun and saw her crouched by the fire with a dead rabbit at her side.
"Good morning sleepyhead!" she said in a singsong voice. "We figured we'd let you sleep in after what you'd done for us."
InuYasha sprang to his feet and threw his arms around her. "You're alive!" he said, pulling her close.
"Mph...not if you smother me, I won't be," she said into his shirt. He drew back slightly and stared down into her eyes.
"I wasn't sure you'd make it," he said, stroking her hair. "You really lost it with Nurako."
"I'm fine," she said warily. "Why so caring all of a sudden?" Rather than answering though, InuYasha pressed his lips against hers and watched as she closed her eyes, caught up in the moment.
"Well this is rather awkward," murmured Sango from behind. "And don't even think about it!" she snapped at Miroku, but he'd already grabbed her. She struggled to throw him off but he overpowered her, and she found herself lying in the grass beneath him.
"Some monk," she muttered, raising her hand and slapping him across the face. He rolled over and winced, watching InuYasha pull away from Kagome and shake his head.
"You never learn, do you, Miroku?"
Sango laughed. "No he doesn't. But I'll forgive him," she said and gently leaned over to kiss him. Even for a hentai, he wasn't that bad...
* * *
Author's Note: whew, that was a longish one! So, how was it? Was the ending too predictable? Was it too sappy, or do you guys like fluff (I know I do *grin*). Please review and let me know if should write another one!
(1)for those of you who didn't know, sake is a traditional colourless Japanese wine fermented from rice.
The Golden Ostrich
* * *
With Miroku and Sango slung across his back and Kagome in his arms, InuYasha trekked along the riverbank towards the village. Once there, he planned to leave his sick companions in the hands of some trustworthy towns person and make a hasty trip out to the sand dunes for the curing plant.
"Looks like we ran into a plague," he muttered. "I'm sure we'll be real welcomed in a village..."
* * *
"Kagome is stronger than she appears," murmured Nurako as Kikyo tended to his wounded arm. "Somehow she managed to direct the rage away from InuYasha."
"That girl will never be able to harm him," said Kikyo.
Nurako nodded. "I can see that now. However, I doubt that InuYasha has the time to make it to the dunes and save all of their lives...I can imagine it's too late for Sango and that will do great harm to the monk."
Kikyo knotted the bandage and sat back. "A wounded heart is the worst pain of all," she said. Nurako nodded again and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek.
* * *
"Look, I just need a place for them to stay while I go collect the plant for the cure," said InuYasha in frustration.
"I have never helped a demon and have no intentions of ever doing so," said an old woman sharply, slamming the door in his face.
"Dammit, it's for them! They're not demons!" he yelled. She opened the door a crack and scowled.
"Demons in disguise perhaps...the moment I let them in here they'll show their true form. Now get away from my house, you scourge."
InuYasha kicked at the porch railing angrily and continued making his way down the street. Surely someone would have the heart to help him...
"Hey mister, that's an awfully big sword," said a little girl at his feet. He looked down and raised an eyebrow at her.
"Uh-huh...do you know of anyone in this place that might keep my friends safe for a few hours? They're sick."
"You can bring them to my house!" she said.
"Are your parents going to chase me out with a rake like that one guy did?" he asked skeptically.
"Nah, we haven't got a rake. Just a hoe and a pitchfork."
"Oh, that's a lot better," he said dryly. "All right, where do you live?"
"Follow me!" she said, running through the street. InuYasha darted after her as gently as he could, hoping not to drop any of his passengers.
"Mommy! Can the dog-man stay with us?" the girl shouted as she ran up several steps to the porch of a small house. A middle-aged woman stepped out and gasped at the sight of InuYasha, panting and loaded down with his comrades.
"Please?" the girl said, rising onto her toes and smiling at her mother.
"Are you...a demon?" the woman gulped.
"Only half," muttered InuYasha. "My friends are sick and I need a place for them to stay while I find the plant to cure them."
"Oh, well um...they're not demons, are they?"
"Pure-blooded humans," he said impatiently.
"Are they contagious?"
"No, just poisoned."
"How long have they been like that?"
"Look, lady, if you're not going to help me I have to keep looking...they're not going to live much longer if I can't find this damn plant," he growled.
"You can bring them in, but watch your tongue," she scolded. "I have a young child here who doesn't need to hear any filthy language."
"Yes ma'am," he said wearily.
* * *
His friends being safely housed with the woman, InuYasha set off at a running pace for the shore. The scent of saline wavered through air, growing stronger as he ran. In front of him, the sun was setting in brilliant hues of crimson and orange. His feet began to slide as the ground slowly melted from grass to sand and the dunes came into sight.
"Yellow flowers and four-pronged leaves," he muttered. "I hope he gave me the right description..." He climbed the first dune and peered down...nestled between two hills of sand was a ramshackle cottage, and in front of it lay a small patch of the plant InuYasha was seeking.
"Aha!" he exclaimed, sliding down the dune. "Found you!"
He rushed forward and knelt in front of the patch, hands extended to rip the plants from the sand. No sooner had he touched the first stem though, when an arrow whizzed by his head and buried itself with a chunk! behind him.
"What the hell?" He looked up and saw a young man with streaming hair as bright as the sunset standing in front of the cottage. He raised his bow again, arrow notched, and aimed at InuYasha.
"Don't touch my flowers!" he said.
InuYasha rose to his feet and placed his hand on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. "Look, I only a need a few of these to help my friends," he growled. "I'm not going to let anything else stand in my way of helping them."
"Those are not yours to take!" the man yelled and released the bow. InuYasha drew his sword and raised it in front of his face, blocking the arrow with a small ting.
"Don't make me kill you," he said, lowering the sword.
"What makes you think you're entitled to steal from me?" the man snarled. "Those are rare plants!"
"No offense, but by the looks of your house and this scruffy little patch, I figured this place was abandoned," InuYasha said. "Now I've wasted enough time already...are you going to let me take these freely and save my friends, or do I have to take your life too?"
"You're friends are ill?" said the man, his gaze softening.
"Yeah."
"My mother raised these flowers," he said. "She asked me to protect them from greedy thieves when she died. They can be sold for a lot of money."
"Look, this is all very touching, but I really haven't got the time. They might be dead already!" said InuYasha angrily.
The man knelt and gently ran his fingers over the leaves. "If you need them so badly, then you may take them. You seem trustworthy enough."
"Thanks," he said and pulled three of the plants from the ground.
"Good luck."
"Yeah, thanks," InuYasha repeated and tucked the plants inside of his shirt. Then, replacing the Tetsusaiga in its sheath, he bolted over the dunes.
'Crap,' he thought as he ran. 'The sun has already set...I hope I can make it back in time.'
* * *
Night had already set in by the time InuYasha bounded onto the porch and barged into the cottage. The woman shrieked in surprise, but he took no heed of her and quickly knelt down at Sango's side.
"Get me some water or something," he snapped at the little girl, who stood staring wide-eyed at him.
"Yes, sir!" she said and ran out the back door. InuYasha looked around frantically until he spotted a set of grinding stones sitting on a table.
"Here, lemme see those," he said. The woman quickly nodded and set them down in front of him. He tore the leaves off of the plants and began to crush them into a fine pulp.
The girl returned, carrying a small flask and a cup. "Here you go!" she said cheerfully.
"Thanks," InuYasha grunted, glancing up at Sango. Her breathing was slowing as he poured the leaves into the bottle and shook it fervently. He propped her up gently and poured a bit of the mixture into the cup.
"What is this stuff?" he asked, sniffing the liquid that had emerged.
"It's sake(1)," said the girl, smiling.
He raised an eyebrow at her and shrugged, pouring it into Sango's mouth. He gently rubbed her throat, forcing her to swallow the concoction, and went on to do the same for Miroku and Kagome.
"Dammit, if that bastard told me the wrong plant," he said, waiting for any sign of recovery.
"What did I tell you about foul language in my house?!" the woman shrieked. InuYasha dodged a blow from the pot she was holding and backed up against a wall. "Get out, you filthy demon! You got your plant, now leave my home at once!"
InuYasha scrambled to sling Sango and Miroku over his back again and grab Kagome as the woman's onslaught of words and the occasional swing of the pot continued. He darted out the door and into the street, hearing the door slam behind him.
"Well this is familiar," he muttered. "Better get out here; I don't think they like demons."
He wandered down the road until the town gradually thinned out, leaving him on the small stretch of meadow between the buildings and the forest. He settled down there, gently laying his friends on the grass and building a small fire to keep them warm.
As the night wore one, fatigue began to overtake InuYasha and he unwillingly fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
"Think a quick tap to the head might wake him?" said a voice. InuYasha groggily opened his eyes and blinked. Miroku was kneeling in front of him, staff raised to follow through on his threat.
"Ah, you're awake I see," he said and sat back grinning.
"Miroku? What the hell? The plant worked?" he sputtered. "I thought that bastard was messing around with me."
"You'll have to fill us in," said Sango. "I have no recollection of anything for the past...how long has it been anyway?"
"A couple day," said InuYasha. "Where's Kagome?"
"Behind you," said Miroku, pointing. InuYasha spun and saw her crouched by the fire with a dead rabbit at her side.
"Good morning sleepyhead!" she said in a singsong voice. "We figured we'd let you sleep in after what you'd done for us."
InuYasha sprang to his feet and threw his arms around her. "You're alive!" he said, pulling her close.
"Mph...not if you smother me, I won't be," she said into his shirt. He drew back slightly and stared down into her eyes.
"I wasn't sure you'd make it," he said, stroking her hair. "You really lost it with Nurako."
"I'm fine," she said warily. "Why so caring all of a sudden?" Rather than answering though, InuYasha pressed his lips against hers and watched as she closed her eyes, caught up in the moment.
"Well this is rather awkward," murmured Sango from behind. "And don't even think about it!" she snapped at Miroku, but he'd already grabbed her. She struggled to throw him off but he overpowered her, and she found herself lying in the grass beneath him.
"Some monk," she muttered, raising her hand and slapping him across the face. He rolled over and winced, watching InuYasha pull away from Kagome and shake his head.
"You never learn, do you, Miroku?"
Sango laughed. "No he doesn't. But I'll forgive him," she said and gently leaned over to kiss him. Even for a hentai, he wasn't that bad...
* * *
Author's Note: whew, that was a longish one! So, how was it? Was the ending too predictable? Was it too sappy, or do you guys like fluff (I know I do *grin*). Please review and let me know if should write another one!
(1)for those of you who didn't know, sake is a traditional colourless Japanese wine fermented from rice.
