I warn you, the reader, in advance. There is some violence in here along
with Inuyasha's usual potty mouth. There is also some death. You have
been forewarned.
******
Yugi motioned for the group to take a rest then sat down on a handy rock by the road. They had made good time, considering their size. If they kept up with the pace, the village would be reached by tomorrow morning.
The young priest was glad of it. Despite his misgivings of replacing the half-demon, he was eager to prove himself competent. And it would definitely be good to be out of the watchful eye of houshi-san.
Yugi laid down his staff and removed a sandal to massage an aching foot. It would be nice when they reached there and they could stop walking for a while. At least Yugi was settled into his new post. Then his old mentor would leave with the apprentices. After that, Yugi would be on his own. He was looking forward to that.
Above him, the sun's path dragged the afternoon along with it towards evening.
******
He was dying, and there was nothing Hikaru could do about it. Tears were forming in her eyes, which she hurriedly blinked away. The healer couldn't let herself go now, not when there was a slim chance of making him better. Juanyu might not have been able to tell, but his grandfather's breathing was getting shallower and it was getting harder for the old man to draw in the air.
If she didn't figure out what was wrong with him, the headman would die.
******
Inuyasha grimaced and shifted position. The wind was changing, making him and Sora downwind instead of upwind. That spelled danger for him and the kid if anything decided to attack. Behind him, Sora's basket was almost filled. It would be time to leave soon.
Then he heard it, or rather, didn't hear it. Birds had been singing earlier, but they went silent just now. Something definitely spooked them. And anything that could spook them like that was something that Inuyasha should worry about. He looked around for Sora and cursed. At some point, she had decided to abandon the basket and wander on her own.
He bent down to the basket and sniffed for her scent. How stupid could that kid be!! She knew that they were outside of Hikaru's wards. One would think that the kid would have enough sense to stay close by in case of trouble. Inuyasha found the scent and began tracking.
Inuyasha swore that when he found the brat, they were heading back to the village, berries or no. It was getting late and he had said that they would head back about this time. Her wandering was going to make them late. He just had to hope that no one had gone by the hut yet.
He was following her trail when his nose picked something up. It was a new scent, one that made him reel back and fight down nausea.
Ugh, the stench was awful and it reeked of poison and demon. He could see out of the corner of his eye and blackened path of dead grass. It ran parallel to Sora's scent. Dammit, it must have picked up their scents when the wind changed. And when the girl had gone off on her own, it decided to go for her first. The warrior would have to hurry to find Sora first before the demon did.
He began to swear up a storm when he heard the screaming.
******
Sora hummed to herself as she went along. She thought that some pretty flowers would cheer up Grandpa along with the berries. She hadn't thought of telling Inuyasha about this, he had been busy looking around for something. The girl had shrugged it off. It was probably a grown-up thing. And Sora wasn't worried about getting lost, she was confident that she could make her way back to Inuyasha and the berry bushes. She thought that she hadn't wondered off too far.
So imagine her surprise when after she thought that she had a big enough bouquet, that she didn't recognize any of her surroundings. Fear threatened to take over her, but she thought that she could easily make her way back. With that thought firmly planted in her mind to fend off being afraid, Sora began to walk in the direction that she thought she had come from.
Unfortunately she had wondered off further than she thought, and like most children her age didn't pay attention to what was around her. The result was that she was getting very lost in a short space of time. But she did notice how late in the day it was getting. Inuyasha had wanted to head back now, but that would have to wait until she could find him again.
She refused to think that he might leave without her. He was nice, like Lady Hikaru. The half-demon wouldn't leave her here all alone. He might even come looking for her. When that formed in her mind, she remembered something that her mother and grandmother would say to her. If you ever get lost, just sit down where you are and let someone find you. So that was what she did. To help pass the time, she began to weave the flowers she had picked into a floral crown and necklace.
She didn't have the knowledge to be afraid when the birds stopped singing a few minutes later. But what did bother was the faint stink coming form behind. The primal fear that lies within all humans made her move from where she was; and it was that which saved her life in that instant. A long pink tongue shot out from the bushes and failing to get her around the waist wrapped itself to the calf of her right leg.
The pain was incredibly intense and it burned her skin. Sora yelled with all her might. She hoped that someone would hear it and come to her rescue (it occurred for an instant in her scattered brain that she was doing a lot of hoping). Tears ran down her cheeks and for a moment, she thought that she would actually die.
Inuyasha came rushing in, Tetsusaiga transformed and swinging. He leapt over Sora's head towards the lizard demon.
It saw the danger the hanyou presented and braced itself for an attack. The demon didn't think that the hanyou could do much damage against it. The pup wasn't that strong.
++ 'hanyou' is the word for half-demon. I'm thinking of using the Japanese terms more often.
But it didn't pay any attention to the sword that Inuyasha was carrying. With one pass, he was able to sever the tongue there by freeing Sora. The girl found enough strength to crawl some distance away from the fight.
The demon lunged back from the released tension and pain. Dammit, the sword had its own power, which was increasing its opponent's. The demon realized that it would have to finish this quickly before it suffered any more injuries or its food got too far away. The acid in the leg would eventually bring the human down, but it didn't want to have to go out and find again.
It swung its tail, catching Inuyasha across the chest. His jacket saved him from any damage, but it still knocked the wind out of him and probably bruised his ribs. He ducked the next attack and rolled out of range. Inuyasha wanted to be able to finish this without getting close, but he couldn't see how that would be possible. The demon was moving too fast for him to use the Cutting Wind, and he could smell the poison.
++ The Cutting Wind is what he means when he yells 'Kaze no Kizu.'
The tail swung towards him again, catching Inuyasha off guard. Quickly he raised his sword, hoping that it would block the tail. Instead Tetsusaiga cut off part of the tail making the demon cry out in anguish. Inuyasha cursed his own stupidity. He had forgotten that he had treated the sword to cut through most any barrier. With that in mind, Inuyasha sneered at his opponent and went in swinging.
None of the poison was able to penetrate the fire-mice clothing he wore, although there were a few close calls. But he couldn't get in a killing blow. The damn bastard moved to fast. The pain in its tail was immense and the demon couldn't think too clearly through the glaze. Which meant that it left a clear opening for the chest for Inuyasha.
Inuyasha saw it and used it.
"Kaze no Kizu!" The power of the attack tore the flesh from the ribcage and separated the head from the body. The corpse fell backwards with a thud and bounced a little. But it was definitely dead. Smoke rose from the body as the flesh vanished leaving the bones behind.
Inuyasha paused for a moment to catch his breath. When this was done, he sheathed his katana. If that damn brat had stayed within the boundaries of Hikaru's wards, the demon might not have gotten through. She just had to wander off like that. While he was thinking about her, he decided to find her and take her back to the village. He thought that she had been injured by the demon when he came, but he wasn't sure how bad the damage was.
The hanyou found her not too far off. She had tried to crawl away from the fight, but it looked like she hadn't much strength to do so. He could see that the calf of her right leg had been hit. The skin was badly burned, no doubt from the acid. Pus was forming on the edges and Inuyasha could smell the dead meat on her. He had to take her to Hikaru quick. The acid was still in her and would eventually kill her. He sighed. Where was Myouga when Inuyasha needed him?
Sora was also crying. When she saw Inuyasha, she began babbling about how sorry she was for wondering off and promising not to do it again. He waved it off in his usual manner. There wasn't time for this kind of nonsense. He rubbed dirt over the wound, which was more extensive than he had thought, to try to get some of the poison off. In the end he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her leg. Gently he picked her up and began to run.
******
He was dying. His breath had become more ragged and it was slowly stopping. Hikaru was at her wits end. She had no idea what to do.
"Lady Hikaru? He's getting worse. Is there anything you can do?" Juanyu asked from behind. His eyes were filled with a dying hope. She wanted so much to tell him that things would get better, but that wasn't the truth, which was what he deserved. Tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn't hold them back anymore.
Thankfully there wasn't anyone else in the room. Juanyu held her gently as the tears flowed down. Minutes later, his grandfather stopped breathing. The duo looked at him in shock before Hikaru growled and moved closer to his head.
She breathed into his mouth than began to pound on his chest. Juanyu took over the breathing part for her. The healer wasn't anything if not stubborn. She wasn't going to let him go without a fight.
Outside, Juanyu could hear some kind of commotion. There were raised voices and some yelling. To his surprise, he recognized Inuyasha's voice among them. He rose from the floor and raced to the door.
Flinging it open the smell of burning flesh and acid came to his nostrils. He could see his imooto laying in the hanyou's arms, her skin very pale.
++ 'Imooto' means younger sister.
"Lady Hikaru! Come quickly," he called out.
The healer gave up on the headman with great reluctance but hurried with her herbs basket when she saw Sora. She had Inuyasha lay the girl down on a pallet and unwrap her leg. As the jacket came off, she could smell the acid and burning skin. Fortunately, the child hadn't developed a fever yet.
"Quickly! Someone fetch me cold water, clean rags, and some milk from the cows."
"Milk? Why would you need that?" a woman asked.
Hikaru was about to respond when Inuyasha stood up angry and glaring at the woman. He looked like he was on the verge of killing someone.
"Don't bother her with stupid questions like that, wench! Just do what she says!" he said through clenched teeth.
At the look of his face, several of the family gathered there left to get what she requested. But Yawnin stayed, leaning against the doorway.
"What about my grandfather, hanyou? How is his condition?" he asked. His tone was lazy, almost like he didn't care. This man had no respect for Hikaru or her skills.
It burned Inuyasha to see Hikaru get treated this way, but he had to remind himself that this wasn't his home. He had no right to interfere in this. Besides, judging by Juanyu's expression, he was in enough trouble already. He kept his attention focused on the healer and Sora.
Hikaru ignored Yawnin and studied the burn marks. The spiral shape that they made around her leg was interesting. Acid burns normally didn't come like this. Which meant that there was something more to this.
"Inuyasha, what happened since I saw you last?" she asked.
With obvious reluctance, the hanyou told her about the berry picking, fighting the demon, and the run back to the village. Juanyu's expression wasn't as dark as it was; but he was still visibly angry. Soon women from the village returned with what Hikaru needed.
She poured the milk all over the burns. It helped to rinse the acid out; it caused enough pain to make Sora cry out a little. There was no helping it, but at least she knew that the girl was still alive. Water and some of her herbs finished the cleaning. Then she wrapped the burns with clean bandages. Hikaru was able to pour some herbal broth down Sora's throat. The girl was then wrapped carefully in a blanket and put into bed. Her family would watch her for now until she was past the point of danger.
It was then that she decided to face Yawnin. He was still standing there at the door, glaring at her and showing no interest at all in his cousin's condition. It angered her that he made himself so distant from everyone else in the village. He had shown no real interest in anything that went on here. It was sad that he would be the new headman here now.
"You wished to speak with me, Yawnin?" she said. Her voice was level and calm. He sneered at her and repeated his question about his grandfather. He wanted to know what was going on with him.
"I'll be honest with you. There was nothing I could do for him. I don't know what was wrong with him; I hadn't ever seen it before. I'm sorry, but he's dead."
There were gasps from behind her. The rest of the family were still in the room and were surprised at her announcement. Yawnin didn't look surprised at what she said. Instead he smiled a little and folded his arms across his chest. He knew that he was in power now; as did Hikaru.
"In that case, I want you gone by morning! You have no use here; I doubt you ever did. If you don't leave willingly tomorrow, I'll have you forced out!" he said. It was loud enough for everyone else in the room to hear. The news of the headman's death and Hikaru's leaving would be over the village by the evening.
******
Yawnin watched his cousin and the hanyous walk away. Finally, the bitch would be gone! Things would be set right again. His smile grew bigger.
"Yawnin?" a voice said. He turned and saw that he was being addressed by one of his cousins.
He tried not to sound annoyed as he acknowledged the relative. "What is it?"
The boy gulped. "If Hikaru leaves the village, who will care for the wounded and the sick in the village?"
Yawnin's smile never wavered. "Everything will be all right. When I saw how ill Grandfather was getting, I had a message sent asking for a priest to come and live here in the village. The response I got was that was coming here. By my calculations, the priest should be here in the morning," he said.
That seemed to relieve his cousin, although thankfully the idiot didn't ask any more questions. The rest of the day he spent consoling his family and preparing for Grandfather's funeral. He insisted that everyone eat an early dinner and go to bed early as well. He didn't want anyone else up when he went out later. There was some unfinished business to attend to.
******
Yugi motioned for the group to take a rest then sat down on a handy rock by the road. They had made good time, considering their size. If they kept up with the pace, the village would be reached by tomorrow morning.
The young priest was glad of it. Despite his misgivings of replacing the half-demon, he was eager to prove himself competent. And it would definitely be good to be out of the watchful eye of houshi-san.
Yugi laid down his staff and removed a sandal to massage an aching foot. It would be nice when they reached there and they could stop walking for a while. At least Yugi was settled into his new post. Then his old mentor would leave with the apprentices. After that, Yugi would be on his own. He was looking forward to that.
Above him, the sun's path dragged the afternoon along with it towards evening.
******
He was dying, and there was nothing Hikaru could do about it. Tears were forming in her eyes, which she hurriedly blinked away. The healer couldn't let herself go now, not when there was a slim chance of making him better. Juanyu might not have been able to tell, but his grandfather's breathing was getting shallower and it was getting harder for the old man to draw in the air.
If she didn't figure out what was wrong with him, the headman would die.
******
Inuyasha grimaced and shifted position. The wind was changing, making him and Sora downwind instead of upwind. That spelled danger for him and the kid if anything decided to attack. Behind him, Sora's basket was almost filled. It would be time to leave soon.
Then he heard it, or rather, didn't hear it. Birds had been singing earlier, but they went silent just now. Something definitely spooked them. And anything that could spook them like that was something that Inuyasha should worry about. He looked around for Sora and cursed. At some point, she had decided to abandon the basket and wander on her own.
He bent down to the basket and sniffed for her scent. How stupid could that kid be!! She knew that they were outside of Hikaru's wards. One would think that the kid would have enough sense to stay close by in case of trouble. Inuyasha found the scent and began tracking.
Inuyasha swore that when he found the brat, they were heading back to the village, berries or no. It was getting late and he had said that they would head back about this time. Her wandering was going to make them late. He just had to hope that no one had gone by the hut yet.
He was following her trail when his nose picked something up. It was a new scent, one that made him reel back and fight down nausea.
Ugh, the stench was awful and it reeked of poison and demon. He could see out of the corner of his eye and blackened path of dead grass. It ran parallel to Sora's scent. Dammit, it must have picked up their scents when the wind changed. And when the girl had gone off on her own, it decided to go for her first. The warrior would have to hurry to find Sora first before the demon did.
He began to swear up a storm when he heard the screaming.
******
Sora hummed to herself as she went along. She thought that some pretty flowers would cheer up Grandpa along with the berries. She hadn't thought of telling Inuyasha about this, he had been busy looking around for something. The girl had shrugged it off. It was probably a grown-up thing. And Sora wasn't worried about getting lost, she was confident that she could make her way back to Inuyasha and the berry bushes. She thought that she hadn't wondered off too far.
So imagine her surprise when after she thought that she had a big enough bouquet, that she didn't recognize any of her surroundings. Fear threatened to take over her, but she thought that she could easily make her way back. With that thought firmly planted in her mind to fend off being afraid, Sora began to walk in the direction that she thought she had come from.
Unfortunately she had wondered off further than she thought, and like most children her age didn't pay attention to what was around her. The result was that she was getting very lost in a short space of time. But she did notice how late in the day it was getting. Inuyasha had wanted to head back now, but that would have to wait until she could find him again.
She refused to think that he might leave without her. He was nice, like Lady Hikaru. The half-demon wouldn't leave her here all alone. He might even come looking for her. When that formed in her mind, she remembered something that her mother and grandmother would say to her. If you ever get lost, just sit down where you are and let someone find you. So that was what she did. To help pass the time, she began to weave the flowers she had picked into a floral crown and necklace.
She didn't have the knowledge to be afraid when the birds stopped singing a few minutes later. But what did bother was the faint stink coming form behind. The primal fear that lies within all humans made her move from where she was; and it was that which saved her life in that instant. A long pink tongue shot out from the bushes and failing to get her around the waist wrapped itself to the calf of her right leg.
The pain was incredibly intense and it burned her skin. Sora yelled with all her might. She hoped that someone would hear it and come to her rescue (it occurred for an instant in her scattered brain that she was doing a lot of hoping). Tears ran down her cheeks and for a moment, she thought that she would actually die.
Inuyasha came rushing in, Tetsusaiga transformed and swinging. He leapt over Sora's head towards the lizard demon.
It saw the danger the hanyou presented and braced itself for an attack. The demon didn't think that the hanyou could do much damage against it. The pup wasn't that strong.
++ 'hanyou' is the word for half-demon. I'm thinking of using the Japanese terms more often.
But it didn't pay any attention to the sword that Inuyasha was carrying. With one pass, he was able to sever the tongue there by freeing Sora. The girl found enough strength to crawl some distance away from the fight.
The demon lunged back from the released tension and pain. Dammit, the sword had its own power, which was increasing its opponent's. The demon realized that it would have to finish this quickly before it suffered any more injuries or its food got too far away. The acid in the leg would eventually bring the human down, but it didn't want to have to go out and find again.
It swung its tail, catching Inuyasha across the chest. His jacket saved him from any damage, but it still knocked the wind out of him and probably bruised his ribs. He ducked the next attack and rolled out of range. Inuyasha wanted to be able to finish this without getting close, but he couldn't see how that would be possible. The demon was moving too fast for him to use the Cutting Wind, and he could smell the poison.
++ The Cutting Wind is what he means when he yells 'Kaze no Kizu.'
The tail swung towards him again, catching Inuyasha off guard. Quickly he raised his sword, hoping that it would block the tail. Instead Tetsusaiga cut off part of the tail making the demon cry out in anguish. Inuyasha cursed his own stupidity. He had forgotten that he had treated the sword to cut through most any barrier. With that in mind, Inuyasha sneered at his opponent and went in swinging.
None of the poison was able to penetrate the fire-mice clothing he wore, although there were a few close calls. But he couldn't get in a killing blow. The damn bastard moved to fast. The pain in its tail was immense and the demon couldn't think too clearly through the glaze. Which meant that it left a clear opening for the chest for Inuyasha.
Inuyasha saw it and used it.
"Kaze no Kizu!" The power of the attack tore the flesh from the ribcage and separated the head from the body. The corpse fell backwards with a thud and bounced a little. But it was definitely dead. Smoke rose from the body as the flesh vanished leaving the bones behind.
Inuyasha paused for a moment to catch his breath. When this was done, he sheathed his katana. If that damn brat had stayed within the boundaries of Hikaru's wards, the demon might not have gotten through. She just had to wander off like that. While he was thinking about her, he decided to find her and take her back to the village. He thought that she had been injured by the demon when he came, but he wasn't sure how bad the damage was.
The hanyou found her not too far off. She had tried to crawl away from the fight, but it looked like she hadn't much strength to do so. He could see that the calf of her right leg had been hit. The skin was badly burned, no doubt from the acid. Pus was forming on the edges and Inuyasha could smell the dead meat on her. He had to take her to Hikaru quick. The acid was still in her and would eventually kill her. He sighed. Where was Myouga when Inuyasha needed him?
Sora was also crying. When she saw Inuyasha, she began babbling about how sorry she was for wondering off and promising not to do it again. He waved it off in his usual manner. There wasn't time for this kind of nonsense. He rubbed dirt over the wound, which was more extensive than he had thought, to try to get some of the poison off. In the end he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her leg. Gently he picked her up and began to run.
******
He was dying. His breath had become more ragged and it was slowly stopping. Hikaru was at her wits end. She had no idea what to do.
"Lady Hikaru? He's getting worse. Is there anything you can do?" Juanyu asked from behind. His eyes were filled with a dying hope. She wanted so much to tell him that things would get better, but that wasn't the truth, which was what he deserved. Tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn't hold them back anymore.
Thankfully there wasn't anyone else in the room. Juanyu held her gently as the tears flowed down. Minutes later, his grandfather stopped breathing. The duo looked at him in shock before Hikaru growled and moved closer to his head.
She breathed into his mouth than began to pound on his chest. Juanyu took over the breathing part for her. The healer wasn't anything if not stubborn. She wasn't going to let him go without a fight.
Outside, Juanyu could hear some kind of commotion. There were raised voices and some yelling. To his surprise, he recognized Inuyasha's voice among them. He rose from the floor and raced to the door.
Flinging it open the smell of burning flesh and acid came to his nostrils. He could see his imooto laying in the hanyou's arms, her skin very pale.
++ 'Imooto' means younger sister.
"Lady Hikaru! Come quickly," he called out.
The healer gave up on the headman with great reluctance but hurried with her herbs basket when she saw Sora. She had Inuyasha lay the girl down on a pallet and unwrap her leg. As the jacket came off, she could smell the acid and burning skin. Fortunately, the child hadn't developed a fever yet.
"Quickly! Someone fetch me cold water, clean rags, and some milk from the cows."
"Milk? Why would you need that?" a woman asked.
Hikaru was about to respond when Inuyasha stood up angry and glaring at the woman. He looked like he was on the verge of killing someone.
"Don't bother her with stupid questions like that, wench! Just do what she says!" he said through clenched teeth.
At the look of his face, several of the family gathered there left to get what she requested. But Yawnin stayed, leaning against the doorway.
"What about my grandfather, hanyou? How is his condition?" he asked. His tone was lazy, almost like he didn't care. This man had no respect for Hikaru or her skills.
It burned Inuyasha to see Hikaru get treated this way, but he had to remind himself that this wasn't his home. He had no right to interfere in this. Besides, judging by Juanyu's expression, he was in enough trouble already. He kept his attention focused on the healer and Sora.
Hikaru ignored Yawnin and studied the burn marks. The spiral shape that they made around her leg was interesting. Acid burns normally didn't come like this. Which meant that there was something more to this.
"Inuyasha, what happened since I saw you last?" she asked.
With obvious reluctance, the hanyou told her about the berry picking, fighting the demon, and the run back to the village. Juanyu's expression wasn't as dark as it was; but he was still visibly angry. Soon women from the village returned with what Hikaru needed.
She poured the milk all over the burns. It helped to rinse the acid out; it caused enough pain to make Sora cry out a little. There was no helping it, but at least she knew that the girl was still alive. Water and some of her herbs finished the cleaning. Then she wrapped the burns with clean bandages. Hikaru was able to pour some herbal broth down Sora's throat. The girl was then wrapped carefully in a blanket and put into bed. Her family would watch her for now until she was past the point of danger.
It was then that she decided to face Yawnin. He was still standing there at the door, glaring at her and showing no interest at all in his cousin's condition. It angered her that he made himself so distant from everyone else in the village. He had shown no real interest in anything that went on here. It was sad that he would be the new headman here now.
"You wished to speak with me, Yawnin?" she said. Her voice was level and calm. He sneered at her and repeated his question about his grandfather. He wanted to know what was going on with him.
"I'll be honest with you. There was nothing I could do for him. I don't know what was wrong with him; I hadn't ever seen it before. I'm sorry, but he's dead."
There were gasps from behind her. The rest of the family were still in the room and were surprised at her announcement. Yawnin didn't look surprised at what she said. Instead he smiled a little and folded his arms across his chest. He knew that he was in power now; as did Hikaru.
"In that case, I want you gone by morning! You have no use here; I doubt you ever did. If you don't leave willingly tomorrow, I'll have you forced out!" he said. It was loud enough for everyone else in the room to hear. The news of the headman's death and Hikaru's leaving would be over the village by the evening.
******
Yawnin watched his cousin and the hanyous walk away. Finally, the bitch would be gone! Things would be set right again. His smile grew bigger.
"Yawnin?" a voice said. He turned and saw that he was being addressed by one of his cousins.
He tried not to sound annoyed as he acknowledged the relative. "What is it?"
The boy gulped. "If Hikaru leaves the village, who will care for the wounded and the sick in the village?"
Yawnin's smile never wavered. "Everything will be all right. When I saw how ill Grandfather was getting, I had a message sent asking for a priest to come and live here in the village. The response I got was that was coming here. By my calculations, the priest should be here in the morning," he said.
That seemed to relieve his cousin, although thankfully the idiot didn't ask any more questions. The rest of the day he spent consoling his family and preparing for Grandfather's funeral. He insisted that everyone eat an early dinner and go to bed early as well. He didn't want anyone else up when he went out later. There was some unfinished business to attend to.