.:debt:.
chapter eight
Her eyes opened to a hazy darkness devoid of detail. Blinking, she scanned the room she dimly remembered herself being in as she searched. Tired eyes refused to focus properly and she grimaced as she worked to remember what it was that woke her.
'Kirara?'
Hazy thoughts flowed in disjointed patterns through her mind as she tried to comprehend her situation. She was on a job, right? In a village… and the full moon? Sango frowned as she pulled at her blankets, her pinky nail snagging on the rough knitting.
"Ki—Kirara," the taiji-ya called out in a raspy whisper, the hoarseness of her voice surprising her. Clearing her throat, she tried once more. "Kirara?"
A faint scratching sound answered her, though Sango could not be certain if her cat youkai was responsible for it. The utter stillness and pitch darkness surrounding her caused her fingers to ache for the Hiraikotsu. Without it, she felt a cold vulnerability akin to nakedness and her hands clenched in their need.
With her taiji-ya instincts motivating her, Sango pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her joints and limbs screaming at her as they reluctantly obeyed. Jaw clenched in pain, Sango tried to bring up any memory of injury or illness to explain the strange soreness that punished her attempts to move. The fact that such memories did not exist only fueled her urge to move.
Taking a deep breath, Sango pulled her knees toward her chest and rolled clumsily into a kneeling position. The effort forced a hiss of pain from her lips as she used her hands to steady herself. The Hiraikotsu was right beside her bed, not far from reach. Though she could not see it through the swirling shadows, there was no doubt in her mind as to its location. With muscles begging her to stop, she reached for the weapon and sighed with relief as her fingertips brushed across its polished surface.
Using the Hiraikotsu as a crutch, Sango pushed herself to her feet. She wobbled once, but quickly recovered when she steadied herself against the wall. The pain didn't feel so bad when she stood against the wall, but the momentum of standing made her stomach shiver queasily.
With a deep breath, Sango began to move toward the door when a low, guttural growl startled her. She paused as she peered toward the door. "Kirara?" the taiji-ya whispered hopefully into the darkness. A gentle whine answered her as she focused on the shadows that swirled around a familiar, ivory-colored shape.
The contrasting shadows guided her as she moved forward once more, still straining her eyes to focus properly. With one hand supporting her against the door-frame and her other arm wrapped tightly around the Hiraikotsu, Sango peaked out into the inky darkness.
Nothing.
Frowning, Sango lifted her face upwards and blinked at the void that seemed to surround her.
'Why is it so dark? Where is the moon..?'
Swallowing hard, Sango felt another wave of nausea hit her as realization crystallized in her mind.
Jaki.
It hung thick in the air, but unlike the youkai jaki she was most familiar with, she could still move. This form of jaki didn't paralyze her, it poisoned her. It caused her joints to swell, muscles to tighten and stomach to lurch. Stumbling back into her cabin, she began to feel the overwhelming need to purge. With an undignified heave, she vomited in the corner, the forcefulness of it bringing her to her hands and knees. Kirara nudged her gently as Sango closed her eyes, begging her body to relax as her heaving slowed. She groaned quietly and rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand, hating the taste and smell that lingered around her.
"Have they…" Sango swallowed and coughed as she fought against her gag reflex. "Have they… gone… into hiding?"
The cat growled low in her throat and nudged Sango again, almost toppling her with the forcefulness of it. Kirara pushed her to move, insisting that she stand, but the taiji-ya was still not ready. She coughed once more and gagged, but did not vomit.
Kirara's fur was standing on end. Time was short. Sango had to move.
Growling loudly, the transformed cat youkai tugged on the taiji-ya's sleeve. The gesture only confirmed what Sango's instincts whispered since the moment she stepped foot in the village. Heart pounding wildly in her chest, the taiji-ya knew she was in terrible danger. Full moon or not, the oni was coming. She had to warn everyone. She had to stand.
She had to prepare.
"Wake them… Kirara, go wake them," she murmured as straightened her back and began to pull herself up. "Hurry."
Kirara hesitated for a moment while Sango wiped the sweat from her brow. "Go, Kirara."
With a growl of acquiescence, the cat youkai trotted out the door and disappeared into the night. Sango wasted no time as she pushed herself to her feet. The portentousness of the situation was not lost on her, but she knew better than to dwell on it. Reaching for her taiji-ya uniform and mask, she struggled to calm her nerves and ignore the nausea that threatened her once more. She hadto focus. She couldn't give in to the pain in her joints or the fuzzy-dizziness that surrounded her. If she lost her focus now, it would lead to carelessness, which could lead to death… hers and the people in the village.
Tying her taiji-ya mask in place, Sango considered what her first move should be. She didn't want to cause a panic. The oni would be attracted to the terror, but she didn't think she had enough time to get everyone into hiding before the oni showed up. Forcing the pain from her mind, Sango stumbled out of the door of her cabin.
She moved cautiously toward Yasuo's home and glanced up at the sky, seeking the light of the gibbous moon. Clouds smeared the night sky in an uncomfortable blackness that filled her with a childish fear of the dark. The night felt ominous and cold with icy fingers that made her flesh tingle uncomfortably. The only light she could detect were three delicately lit maroon spheres mounted over one of the buildings toward the edge of the village. She stared that those orbs, trying to discern what she was looking at when they blinked in unison and swiveled in her direction.
• • •
An oddly comforting scent washed over him, caressing him in his sleep. It teased at his nostrils, invoking images in its wake. His eyes darted about beneath closed lids as a rough quirk of a smile graced his lips. The solace the scent created within his subconscious was as exciting as it was soothing.
It was her, pure and raw.
He breathed deeply, pulling the scent apart in his mind as he traced the eddies that flowed within it. She was like a Valkyrie that stood before him. His memory supplying every detail to the illusion and the scent sending chills down his spine. The fragrance was strong and powerful with adrenaline-laced sweat that glistened off her flesh in the moonlight. Eyes hard, muscle taught, his battle hardened woman stood before him.
The display of strength sent his heart racing as it stimulated him on a wholly primal level. She possessed a pure duende formulated just for him. The wolf part of him wanted to engage her in a play-fight. He wanted to taunt and tease her and be taunted and teased by her in return. He wanted to inspire the type of play-fight that would establish dominance, trust…
He wanted the type of fight that mated wolves engaged in.
Reality held no meaning for Kouga's subconscious mind. It simply wanted what it wanted. Had such thoughts invaded his mind during normal consciousness, he would have been distressed and shamed at the images swirling about, especially when those images evoked such strong physical responses. In the blanket of night, his inner self was free to imagine, and he did. He saw her as she was: beautiful and powerful with fire in her eyes and strength in her heart. She was taiji-ya, he was youkai, and in his dream, she was alpha female.
For that moment, he was in a fool's paradise and he was content with being that fool. However, the dream became ugly when her scent morphed into something that made his blood run cold. All he could smell was her fear and blood. The light in her eyes dimmed as her face grew pale. In his vision, he saw her bruised, bloodied and broken with death looming overhead. It pressed down upon her and she was powerless to stop it.
With a jolt, Kouga was conscious once more. He pushed his hair from his face with trembling fingers as he tried to calm his wildly beating heart. The dream had been so vivid, so real…
The scent of her blood…
Kouga sighed deeply as he tried to clear his mind of both the pleasurable and disturbing, trying not to think about the strangeness of it. He needed to move on and leave Sango and the forest that surrounded her village as soon as possible. If that meant going to the Eastern Lands, so be it.
The wolf stood and walked several yards from where he bedded down for the night and discreetly relieved himself. Dawn was only a few hours away, but the forest felt unusually aphotic. Eyes shining in the dark, Kouga scanned the forest surrounding him as he strained his ears.
His stomach twisted as silence echoed loudly in his ears. Where were the sounds of the animals of the night? Had something happened? Did he sleep through something important?
Kouga gritted his teeth as he walked soundlessly toward camp, scenting the air and straining his ears as he went. A forest so deathly calm was never a good sign. Lifting his face to the breeze, Kouga inhaled deeply and caught the waning scent of the wandering oni floating on the wind. The scent was distant, but clearly flowing from the direction he predicted the oni was heading in earlier that afternoon. Curiosity drove him to investigate as he scented the air again. Had the oni caused the unnatural calm? Soft footsteps led him several yards away from camp as he let his nose guide him forward only to pause in horrified shock.
The aura of jaki…
Blood…
'Sango!'
• • •
The first sound he was aware of was the high-pitched screams of terrified humans. The scent of blood and the aura of jaki were calamitous enough, but the screams and sickening crunching noises made his skin break out in a cold sweat. Through it all, Sango's distinct scent grew stronger, testifying to the fact that she was in the middle of whatever horror laid ahead.
The rhythmic whoosh of the Hiraikotsu beating through the air spurred Kouga forward with as much speed as he could draw out of himself. Without the shards, he felt as though his legs were moving through molasses. He was still as quick as he always had been; it was just his overall perspective that changed. Before the shards, he was known as the most nimble among his tribe. After the shards, he moved like lightening across the sky. Even his senses sped up with the shards inserted in his body. Without them, his pre-shard nimbleness felt like human-speed sluggishness and that level of speed was unacceptable, especially with the scent of human blood and jaki burning his eyes.
A guttural rumble almost too low in pitch to be heard by humans reverberated through Kouga's chest, reminding him of laughter. The source of the sound eluded him until he caught a glimpse of Sango preparing to hurl her weapon at the shadowed mass the loomed over her, its mouth grinning sadistically.
A worried crease marred his forehead as she began her attack.
Something was wrong with her.
She was off center somehow, as though she was injured. The wind-up was clearly strained and clumsy. The delivery was awkward. She threw all of her weight into the effort of lobbing Hiraikotsu at the demon but didn't have the strength to keep herself steady once the throw was completed. Her body pitched too far forward after the release and she struggled to stay on her feet.
Even injured, Kouga noted that her skill still shined through. The Hiraikotsu flew through the air with accuracy and the thing was forced to move out of the way to avoid being hit. Kirara charged at the oni as soon as Sango released the weapon, intent on maiming the thing while it was distracted.
The effort earned little bloodshed as the cat youkai was flung to the side. The demon's lips parted wide as it sneered at the humans, soaking up the horror it was causing. Kouga swore under his breath and pushed himself to move faster. Sango would never be able to defeat this particular breed of oni. It was the type that tended to haunt a handful of villages as it regularly fed off human fear and panic. The taiji-ya was probably the most enjoyable emotional meal it consumed in ages. The fact that Sango still stood seemed to confirm that assumption. It would play with her until exhaustion overtook her.
Then it would eat her.
Kouga felt his claws begin to extend as his flesh tingled in preparation. Renewed speed propelled him forward as a trace amount of fur began to appear across his flesh. He'd have to behead it, that was the only way.
'Wait for me, Sango!'
The oni barely flinched as the Hiraikotsu sliced through the side of its bicep as it returned to its wielder. She caught the boomerang clumsily and fell backward, the momentum of the weapon dragging her several feet and affording Kouga the opportunity he needed.
Sango's vision swam as she tried to get her bearings. Instinct told her to get to her feet but her body refused to cooperate.
"Stay down!"
The shout startled Sango and she looked up in time to see a dark brown blur speed past her and propel itself at the oni. It caught the demon completely off guard as its claws arched through the air and sliced at its neck and face. Blood sprayed, showering the new attacker in the liquid as he tore out an eye.
Lips quivered in shock and disbelief before forming a tight, thin line. Sango swallowed hard, "K–kouga?!"
The wolf landed gracefully on the ground and quickly surveyed the damage he managed to inflict. Blood continued to seep from the oni's neck in torrents. It glared down at him in rage, eyes sparkling dangerously as it clutched at the wound in its neck.
Kouga capitalized upon the moment by quickly memorizing the battleground. Details blazed in his mind as he took in his surroundings. Torn bits of cloth and chunks of human flesh encircled him. The ground was muddy with redness, evidence of the loss of life. The scent of bowels in the air bore the horror and the stench made Kouga wrinkle his nose in distaste as he fought the urge to check on the taiji-ya.
As Kirara limped toward him, a plan materialized in his mind. The Hiraikotsu alone couldn't decapitate the oni, but if Kouga could weaken it…
"Sango," the wolf called over his shoulder while keeping his eyes trained on his adversary, "can you move?"
The taiji-ya did her best to ignore the rising tide of panic from the surviving villagers around her.Groans and wails alike collided to form a storm of fear as they realized there was now an oni and Yourouzoku youkai in their midst. Their minds were so overwhelmed with adrenaline they failed to notice that the youkai was their last, best hope.
"Sango!"
She flinched, "Y–yes!"
"Can you use Hiraikotsu again?" He asked as his eyes narrowed on the demon's wounds. They shimmered as they began to close, slowly undoing all the damage he caused. Fists clenched at his sides, Kouga willed his wolf blood to surge.
"I think so," she said with a grunt as she pushed herself to stand.
"That's not good enough, you–"
His words were cut off when the oni made a move for Kouga, its massive fist coming down on top of him. The wolf leapt out of the way and dodged another incoming blow, and another.
"You have to be certain, Sango! We have to decapitate it!"
Sango spread her legs apart as she lifted the Hiraikotsu, her limbs trembling from exhaustion. People began to scream again as Kouga's body started to change, the air crackling with anticipation.
"I can do it!"
Kouga blurred out of sight and struck at the oni once more. Only the goal of weakening the demon enough so the Hiraikotsu would be able to decapitate it flowed through his mind. The wolf tore at skin, muscle and tendons as he desperately tried to avoid the onslaught of attacks.
"Now, Sango!"
Hiraikotsu whirled through the air, but Kouga ignored the sound as he slashed at the oni. The boomerang was almost on top of him.
The whirling grew louder in his ears and the wolf kicked away from the demon, intent on distancing himself from the incoming Hiraikotsu. Instead, he found his leg trapped within the oni's grasp as it slammed his body to the ground.
"Kouga!"
The wolf sputtered and hastily rolled to the side, narrowly missing being crushed. Growling in frustration, Kouga glared up at the oni. He spit blood and wiped a trickle of sweat from his brow. The demon avoided the Hiraikotsu and the wounds would soon mend. If he didn't end this now, the oni would exhaust him.
He had to transform.
Kouga felt his body shift as his muscles grew denser. It was now or never. The wolf pounced, claws extended and teeth bared. He slashed at the oni causing as much damage as he could. Kirara leapt into the fray, clawing and biting as she tried to buy Kouga the time he needed change his defensive posture.
Then he saw the glint of Hiraikotsu as it made its return trip. He eyed the trajectory of the boomerang and grinned. He still had a chance.
With a feral growl, Kouga forced his arm into the oni's neck, bringing the wolf dangerously close to its mouth. He pulled and tore as he worked to rip out its flesh, then took to the air a split second before the Hiraikotsu hit its mark.