A Hanyou in Tokyo

By socchan

Six: Attack

Kagome closed the door to the little wooden shed behind her. "This is the well house," she explained. "When I was little, I used to hide and play games here. It was almost like it was part of a different world…" She smiled, ruefully. "Seems silly, now that I think about it."

Shippo shook his head, that strange half-smile of his in place. "No, it makes sense. There's ancient magic imbedded in these walls. And the well, now that I think of it. It's no wonder it seemed like a different world to you."

Inu-Yasha was frowning slightly. "There was a well… by the village, I think… they called it the Bone Eater's Well, because when they threw demon remains in it, they would disappear." He shook his head. "Funny I should be reminded of it now." His gaze snapped to Kagome, and he scowled. "Oi, wench. You going to take these beads off me, or not?"

"Ah, right." Kagome walked over to where Inu-Yasha stood, and lifted the necklace over his head. Inu-Yasha let out a relieved breath as his features returned to normal.

Shippo watched, entranced. "So that's how you do it. I was wondering how you pulled that off. The spellwork is absolutely fascinating. So intricate…"

"Hey, Fox, I thought you were going to teach us some history or something, not blab about magic." Inu-Yasha interjected.

Shippo snapped back to reality. "Oh! Sorry." He blushed slightly. "I was going to tell you about the Purging, wasn't I?" He sat down on the dirt floor with his back to the well. Kagome and Inu-Yasha followed suit. "It started around the end of the Warring States era. All of a sudden, humans stopped really being afraid of youkai and ghosts and whatnot, so they banded together to wipe them out. At the forefront was a band of demon exterminators from the place where the Shikon no Tama was born. Suddenly, youkai were being killed off left and right, and we were forced to do whatever we could to stay alive. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't. Eventually, the stronger ones developed ways of blocking their auras from the taiji-ya sensors. We found ways of disguising our appearances, so humans wouldn't be able to tell what we were." He held up a hand and the air around it rippled, then fingernails molded into claws. He frowned a bit, and they returned to normal. "It's an ancient spell, old and strong, and more than one demon misused it, but they paid for it in the end." He shook his head sadly. "No matter what we did, we were never able to hide from each other, and we still can't. Most of us think it's for the best. My parents and I found relative safety with a family of humans that just wanted it all to end.

"Then, it happened. A demon named Naraku rose up and gathered power. He attacked the taiji-ya village with his followers, and wiped out almost everyone there. They, in turn, were killed by a returning hunting party, but not before most of the party was taken out as well, some by their own members, controlled by youkai magic. The remaining taiji-ya believed that there were still more demons out there, and wanted revenge, but the humans didn't believe them. The exterminators had no proof, and the humans wanted the war to end. So at last, their numbers greatly reduced, the demons were allowed to walk free from their hiding places, nothing more than legend. That is what is known today as the Purging. There's a good deal more to it than that, but that's a general outline." Shippo relaxed against the wall surrounding the well. "Any questions?" Inu-Yasha and Kagome shook their heads almost in unison, too distracted at the moment to notice. Shippo smiled slightly. This would indeed be amusing. "Good." He said, rising to his feet. "If that's everything, then I'll be on my way. I've still got homework to do." He walked past the still out-of-it hanyou and miko, slid open the door, stepped out, and, with one last amused glance over his shoulder at the two, closed it again.

Kagome stared at the wall a moment as her thoughts collected themselves. If so much in human history had already been forgotten, how much more might also have been lost? She blinked, then shook her head to clear it before she backed herself into a mental corner. There would be plenty of time for pondering and headaches later. She stood, and cuffed Inu-Yasha lightly on the head to snap him out of his trance. She slid open the door to the well house, letting sunshine stream in. "Up, boy!" she commanded. "I don't want to sit around in this uniform all day, do you?"

Inu-Yasha started, then rose to his feet with a growl. "Bitch…" he snarled, lightly. "You'll pay for that."

Kagome laughed, and stuck her tongue out. "Gonna have to catch me, first!" With a grin, Kagome started running.

Inu-Yasha growled again, truthfully more amused than angry. He took his time picking up his stuff, allowing Kagome to build on her head start, then walked calmly into open forest, closing the door gently behind him. After all, where would the fun be if there was no challenge? Then, with a truly evil grin, he took off running after the girl, not sparing anything to catch up.

Inu-Yasha flopped down in the chair by his desk with a satisfied sigh. He had caught Kagome quite easily earlier that afternoon, but the stubborn girl refused to give up without a fight, starting something she called a 'tickle war'. He'd had to be careful not to catch her with a claw, but all in all it had been quite fun. He smiled, remembering the sight of Kagome breathless with laughter, her grin ready to split her face in half. She looked very pretty like that.

Inu-Yasha blinked. Where had that thought come from? "Must be because she looks so much like Kikyo," he muttered, rationalizing it. Still, there was a nagging feeling that there might be more to it than that.

He scowled. He couldn't think like that right now! He had work to do, and dinner was over (something very nice Kagome's mother had made called 'ramen', apologizing for not being able to cook anything more fancy) so he couldn't put it off any longer. With a muffled thump he dropped his textbook on his desk and flipped it to the appropriate page. He was about to get started when a light knocking on the door interrupted him. He frowned slightly, flicking his ears back and sniffing gently to identify who it was. He grunted. "Come in." he called, "Door's open."

Blushing slightly, Kagome entered the room and closed the door behind her. A textbook was clutched to her chest, as if for security. "Um…" she started. "You said you would help me with math?"

Inu-Yasha nodded. "Right. Come on over and take a seat." Kagome hesitated, so he moved over a bit.

"Um," Kagome wavered. "Where do I sit?"

Inu-Yasha smacked his forehead in frustration, and stood. "Here, you take the chair; I'll stand."

Kagome glanced at him. "You're sure?"

Inu-Yasha leveled a skeptical look at her. "Unless you want to sit in my lap or something." He ventured.

Kagome turned bright red, and Inu-Yasha fought the urge to smirk. Gods, this was fun. "Um, no, this is fine." Tentatively, she walked forward and sat down, setting down her book where there was a clear spot.

"Right." Inu-Yasha said, leaning over her. "Let's see what you're having problems with."

Gratefully, Kagome opened the book to the concept she'd had the most difficulty grasping. "It's just all these variables." She explained. "I just can't seem to figure out which one goes where…"

Far above the city, and just outside the hanyou's range of detection, the demoness known as Yura prepared. She was clothed in a revealing battle outfit she had not worn in years (why, not since the Purging, in fact), and at her side was strapped an ancient sword, fused with Yura's youkai energy. The hilt was wrapped in her own hair, and the blade was sharp and ready at her side. The comb was again tucked safely behind her headband, but even without it ready to manipulate hairs at will, Yura was alert and expectant. Soon she would be able to initiate her attack. Her eyes narrowed at the thought, and her lips turned up in a smile befitting her nature. Soon, indeed…

Kagome curled up in bed contentedly, pulling the covers up to her chin. It felt good to know what she was doing in math, at least to some extent. She'd also been able to figure out about when Inu-Yasha was last 'awake', and had managed to fit in a brief history lesson before it was time to go to bed. A satisfied smile rooted itself on Kagome's face; she'd had fun learning things, and she'd gotten to spend time with Inu-Yasha. In her mind, it was time well spent. She was, of course, fully prepared to deny any and all enjoyment of the experience should she be confronted about it. Still smiling, Kagome let her eyes drift shut.

She snapped them open again when she heard noise at her door, then sighed in relief when it turned out only to be her cat. Buyo butted open the door with his head, then jumped onto her bed, almost falling off. Kagome giggled slightly. Unaffronted, Buyo continued up the bed until he rested on the pillow next to her, then curled up and closed his eyes. Kagome smiled at the cat warmly. "Were you worried about me spending time with that jerk, Buyo?" she cooed.

Buyo cracked an eye open. "Mrooow." He stated.

Kagome rubbed his head and he leaned into her touch, purring. "You don't need to worry, Buyo. He's not going to hurt me. At least, I'm pretty sure he's not."

Buyo yawned widely, then closed his eyes again, laying down his head once more. Kagome gazed at him affectionately. "Silly cat," she murmured, then settled down to sleep herself.

On Kagome's right wrist, an invisible hair sent a pulse of energy out, signaling its master that the girl was, indeed, asleep. Smiling faintly, Yura went over her strategy one last time, and moved in to attack.

Inu-Yasha wasn't sure what had awoken him, but he knew at once that something was wrong. Silently, he tried to sense the energy patterns around him, checking to make sure Kagome's was safe and whole. He cursed as he sensed youkai energy right above him, and threw back the blankets, almost jumping out of bed. He dashed up the stairs to Kagome's room, not bothering to get dressed. He threw open the door to find Kagome floating in mid-air above her bed, seeming to be still asleep. A wide-awake panicky cat hung beside her, turning and twisting and clawing at something he couldn't see. A youkai woman stood by the window, a naked sword in her hand, eyes glowing menacingly in the darkness.

Inu-Yasha scowled. "What the fuck do you think you're doing to Kagome?" he demanded, brandishing his claws.

The youkai tilted her head towards him and blinked. "Tra-la?" She seemed to study him as he stood there, and a growl rose in his throat. "Who might this be?" she inquired whimsically.

"I asked you a fucking question, bitch." Inu-Yasha snarled. "And you'd better answer it, or you'll have to face the consequences." He cracked his knuckles for emphasis.

Yura tilted her head in the other direction, then smiled suddenly, as inspiration struck. "Ah! You're the hanyou that was with her this afternoon, correct? I hadn't realized you were awake." She turned her attention back to Kagome. "Do not worry; I only want the Shikon no Tama, and then I will be gone." She regarded him from the corner of her eye. "Feel free to stop by my salon sometime, and I'll give you a discount. You've got such lovely hair, it's a shame you're not doing anything with it."

Inu-Yasha's growl rose in volume. "The jewel's not yours to take!"

The youkai turned her head to regard him cooly. "Oh? And I suppose you think it's yours?"

"Hell yes!"

"Then why do you not possess it?"

Inu-Yasha faltered at this. "I—um…"

The youkai turned her gaze back to Kagome. "It does not matter. I will take it anyway, in the end."

"You lay one fucking hand on Kagome, and I'll snap it off and shove it where the sun don't shine. Then, I'll tear you in so many pieces, you'll never be able to pull yourself back together!"

Yura laughed maniacally. "I'd like to see you try, boy."

With a snarl of rage, Inu-Yasha charged at the youkai woman, only to be lifted in the air, his limbs trapped by what felt like invisible threads.

The first thing Kagome noticed when she came to was that she was not, in fact, in her bed, but suspended several feet above it. The second thing she noticed was that Inu-Yasha wasn't wearing a shirt. Damn, he's well built. I wonder if he works out? Probably not. After all, he was sort-of in suspended animation for the last four or five centuries, so it's more likely to be natural. That probably means he'll always be in good shape. Another plus. Wait… What was that thought earlier about being several feet above my bed? Kagome shifted slightly and glanced below her, swallowing a scream. She was suspended in the air by a system of threads. She clenched her eyes shut. Okay, Kagome, don't panic. You can get out of this, you just need to think it through. Now I want you to open your eyes and calmly assess the situation. Nervously, Kagome cracked an eye open.

Threads held her limbs in place, looping under her like a hammock. Buyo, likewise suspended and eyes wide with fright, was a few feet away from her head. He didn't seem to be struggling, but he was breathing hard and didn't look as if he liked the position he was in much. Inu-Yasha was trapped in pretty much the same situation she was, a spider web of threads holding his limbs in place. No good… Kagome thought, frowning. He's nice to look at, but I don't know how he'll be any help all tied up like that. She let her eyes linger a moment longer before giving herself a mental shove to get back to work.

A flash of movement caught her eye. Hello… A revealingly dressed woman was making her way towards Kagome. A katana dangled from her right hand, and threads looped around her fingers, a few trailing back to her head. So they're not threads after all… That means they must be… her hairs… Kagome's eyes widened a fraction. I sure hope she practices good hygiene. With an effort of will, Kagome forced her thoughts back on track. Her eyes trailed carefully down the hairs looped around the woman's fingers to their eventual positions in relation to the rest of the room. A flash of inspiration struck as faint moonlight played against the katana's edge—but how to tell Inu-Yasha her plan without the intruder knowing? A memory from that afternoon replayed itself in her mind—a picture of Shippo and Inu-Yasha lecturing about magical theory and practice on the way home from the ice cream parlor—and Kagome's plan was complete. It was a mere skeletal structure, sure, and there were more than a few ways it could collapse, but it was a plan, which was better than she'd had a few minutes ago, so she'd make do.

Now, if you want to soundproof a small area for a short amount of time—which is less than this discussion will take, mind you— Shippo had said, you need to have a clear memory of the basic aura of a holy place, then apply it to an area and hold it there for as long as you need it to be in effect. It takes intense physical and mental concentration, and leaves the user pretty much drained when they're done, which is why I didn't use it in the parlor.

Spells like this also tend to work better if you have a magical object to anchor them to. Inu-Yasha added. You don't really need more than a spark of magic to activate the spell, but keeping it going can take a bit more than that.

Kagome smiled grimly, got a clear memory of the feeling she got in the well house, and started to apply it to the area around Inu-Yasha and herself—then stopped. A wicked smile moved into place where the grim one had been. Kagome focused on the air around the youkai, creating a bubble of normal space that projected a shrine's aura. The youkai would no longer be able to hear anything that was said in the room, but it was tiring Kagome out quickly. Frantically, she searched for something to tie the spell to. She didn't really have anything herself, and she didn't trust anything of her grandfather's to be useful, but what about… Well, why couldn't she use it? It was in her body, after all. Without another thought, Kagome secured the spell to the Shikon no Tama.

It was as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Kagome breathed deeply, only now realizing it had been a labor before. She collected her thoughts, and hissed out a single phrase. "Inu-Yasha!"

The hanyou's ears twitched in her direction and his eyes landed on her figure, widening slightly in shock. "Kagome?" he asked, incredulous. "You're awake? But, what about—"

"There's not time for that!" Kagome snapped. "She can't hear us for now, but who knows how long that will last! Can you move?"

Inu-Yasha blinked. "Yeah, but—"

"Then do it! Raise your right arm. You should be able to cut the hairs with her own blade."

Understanding dawned on Inu-Yasha's face, and the familiar arrogant smirk took its rightful place. "Right. You'll have to tell me where to move—I can't see the hair." He lifted his arm, and the threads cut neatly on his enemy's blade. Brandishing his claws, he sliced blindly at the air around his other limbs. He watched in satisfaction as Yura's eyes widened in shock; apparently, Kagome's spell also made her immobile. He dropped to his feet.

"There's a gap in the hairs about a yard off the ground in front of you." Kagome gasped out, the price of the spell starting to catch up with her again. A bead of sweat rolled down her nose. "Jump through and slice around her hands. That should incapacitate her long enough for one of us to take her out."

Inu-Yasha raised an eyebrow. "'One of us'?"

Kagome glared at him through damp bangs. "Just do it, dog-boy, or I'll 'sit' you good the next time you put on the necklace."

Inu-Yasha looked back at the seemingly empty room to Yura. Steeling himself, he jumped through the space Kagome had indicated. To Yura's absolute fury, he landed unhindered. Directing a cocky grin at the youkai woman, Inu-Yasha dug his claws shallowly into the skin on his chest. He withdrew them, and the wounds immediately began healing. Smirking widely, Inu-Yasha slashed at the air in between him and Yura, directing knife-like youkai energy outward and crying out "Claws of blood!" Iron magic tore through the air, biting through the threads that held Kagome captive; she landed on her bed with a slight 'omph!', followed shortly by Buyo, who did indeed manage to get his feet underneath him on time. Yura herself sustained a large gash, and Inu-Yasha could not suppress the satisfied grin that ran rampant across his face. Yura snarled and shouted many colorful phrases while pounding hard against her magical prison.

Meanwhile, Kagome was making progress of her own towards the woman. Panting, she crawled across the floor until she reached where Yura stood. Promising herself she would sterilize her hand later, Kagome reached out to grab Yura's foot. Finding herself in a bit of a compromising position, Kagome was forced to release the spell that kept Yura imprisoned (to the youkai's momentary triumph) so she could send a blast of pure magic through her. Yura screamed, and lit up like a match. Within moments, she was reduced to a pile of ash, a rather burnt bone comb lying on top. Yura's network of hairs also went up in smoke, a katana lying in pieces by the ash pile evidence of this.

Inu-Yasha picked up the blade and ran his fingers over the edge. He nodded appreciatively when they came away slightly bloody. "That's good steel. The bitch had good taste." He regarded Kagome from the corner of his eye. "You should purify it and make it into something useful."

Kagome blinked, tiredly. "Oh? You don't want it?"

He shrugged. "You killed her; it's your prize."

"Ah. Right then." She smiled weakly, then turned her head to look at the ash pile. "You know, I think this could be considered the first recorded case of spontaneous youkai combustion."

Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes. "You are more trouble than you're worth sometimes, you know that wench?"

"No 'm not." Kagome protested. "Otherwise, you'd still be goin' to kill me."

Inu-Yasha snorted. "Yeah, sure."

"Inu-Yasha?"

He turned to look at her. "Hmm?"

"Gimme a hand up?" Inu-Yasha set down the sword blade, and reached out to take Kagome's hand. With a heavy tug, Kagome lurched to her feet. Inu-Yasha was suddenly aware of how close they were. He swallowed. Kagome smiled prettily up at him. "Thanks for your help, Inu-Yasha. I never could have done it without you. For some reason, I'm really drained. I think it might be because…" Kagome didn't finish her sentence. She toppled forward, out like a light.

Lightning quick, Inu-Yasha's hand shot out to catch her. "Kagome!" he cried. Frantically, he checked her vital signs. He became worried after a moment. Physically, she was fine; there was no reason for her to faint like that. Frowning, he closed his eyes to check for less obvious signs, opening his senses. Almost immediately, his eyes snapped open again.

"Shit! She's gone and drained herself!"

=^-,-^= End Chapter Six =^-,-^=

Okay, yes, I'm evil. But it's longer than most chapters, and I'm physically exhausted right now, so you'll have to forgive me. Plus, it yields good reviews.

Teo: Yes, Shippo is the same age as he is in canon. Technically, he doesn't need to go to school, but he has for the past few years, because it's easier to keep track of Kagome that way. Plus, he knows you never stop learning.

Tenshineko: Sorry, the jewel won't be extracted any time soon, but we did take care of Yura in short order.

I think that's everything, so I'll see you next time. I'll try not to take longer than a week.

Disclaimer: If I owned Inu-Yasha, I would probably have done a much worse job with him and the rest of the crew than Takahashi-san has done. For this, I thank her. But I don't own it, and that means that it is the wonderful story we all (supposedly) know and love. Thanks for listening!

Edit (1-1-04): Changed a few typos.  I have plans for Eimi later on, but I don't know how exactly I will fit them in.  Yes, I know she was just in the last chapter, but I forgot to add this note there, so I'm putting it here.

Inu-chan's characterization always comes out better when there's a battle… I wonder why that is…

-socchan