His stomach growled, and Inuyasha grumbled something under his breath about dismembering a certain Houshi. "Miroku better hope that I don't find him before Sesshoumaru finds me," and although he had intended it to be a joke, Inuyasha couldn't help but to fall further into depression by his own comment.
The truth of it was, he was afraid. Never before had his future seemed so bleak, to be torn apart by his own brother. Destiny had chosen his fate; there was no way to undo what had already been set into motion.
This is foolishness, to be afraid of ones own shadow because of nothing more than a premonition of what could be a very distant future, Inuyasha thought. But he knew that what he had experienced was more than a premonition, it was what is meant to be.
From the brush beside him, Inuyasha could hear the light noise of something moving through the woods. Holding his breath so as not to make a sound, he watched the stirring of the forest with focused eyes. Even through the darkness of the night, he could see the rustling of branches, and he could smell the scent of youkai.
Almost as swiftly as it had entered into Inuyasha's presence, the creature moved away from him through the vegetation. Inuyasha would have chased it down, and probably killed it with the Tetsusaiga, however there was no point; he did not waste his energy without just reason.
Pushing his way through the thick brush of the forest, Inuyasha came to a small clearing on the upper side of the mountain. Off in the distance of the valley, Inuyasha could see the many lights of a small city burning amongst the late night darkness.
From the direction of the city, Inuyasha could smell the taste of cooking food, and his stomach urged him to move forwards. He had about one sixth of a koku worth of coins in his pocket, and to spend a small fraction of that on some good food did not seem like a bad idea.
Leaping into the branches of the forest canopy, Inuyasha moved with demonic speed as he bounced from branch to branch through the wilderness.
Quickly approaching the vast farmlands surrounding the city, Inuyasha let his body fall from the trees, and he casually strode through the field towards the outer walls of the city. Against the horizon, the crescent moon shone clearly through the cloudless sky, and the stars seemed to radiate of their presence; but despite this, Inuyasha felt nothing towards such beauty, for it meant nothing to him anymore.
In the distance, Inuyasha could hear the smashing of stone, followed by the screams of women, and he quickened his pace. If that is the creature I met in the forest, I'm never going to be able to forgive myself, he thought as he raced towards the city.
Upon reaching the outer walls, he leapt onto the parapet, and peered down into the city. Only a short distance away from where Inuyasha stood, the scent of youkai was only barely masked by the stench of fresh human blood. Dam it all, Inuyasha thought as he picked up the scent of that same youkai from the woods.
Leaping from rooftop to rooftop though the city, Inuyasha came to stand above the creature. Looking down from his perch atop a peasant home, Inuyasha watched the actions of the youkai. It slithered through the city streets, its long, narrow body flowing like water against the edges of the buildings.
Passing its tongue through its fangs and into the air, the creature seemed to pick up the scent of the hanyou standing above it, for it quickly turned its scaly head to stare at Inuyasha. "These creatures are mine. Get your own meal," it said through its strained, slimy voice.
"Your disgusting," Inuyasha remarked as he stepped towards the edge of the roof and withdrew the transformed Tetsusaiga from its sheath.
As Inuyasha prepared to leap towards the snake like youkai, and sever its body into bloodied shreds, a strong voice echoed through the darkness of the night. "Die you retched creature!" the voice screamed as she let an arrow fly from her bow. As the arrow flew through the air, it seemed to emanate the bright glow of countless souls.
Watching the missile approach, the creature attempted to twist its body out of the direction of the rapidly encroaching projectile, however the arrow seemed to change its very direction and home in on the creature's demonic heart. As the pointed tip began to pierce through its scaly exterior, the creature harshly screamed in pain before exploding in a brilliant surge of florescent light.
Looking towards the girl who's red and white robes flowed wildly against the force of the blast, Inuyasha froze in his spot. "Kikyo," he softly said.