Kiame had pulled Kagome onto her back taking Inu-Yasha's place. Sango and Miroku and Shippo rode on Kirara's back. The four were impressed with the turn-around in Kagome's attitude toward the female demon. Kagome use to be afraid of her, now Kiame was just like Inu-Yasha.
"Where'd Inu-Yasha go?" Kagome questioned the demon.
"I don't know…" Kiame answered as she ran, "…His scent keeps changing."
"What do you mean his scent keeps changing?"
"Exactly what I said…his scent keeps changing. If you can track him better than you're welcome to lead the way."
Kagome lowered her head at the comment. She knew Kiame was doing her best to track him down.
"I'm sorry." Kagome apologized.
"…For what?"
"…For raising my voice to you. I know you're trying and Inu-Yasha would be just as determined in your place. I just hope that he's okay."
Kiame was stunned for a moment. The girl was quick to accuse and quick to forgive. She was rash and weird, but somehow caring and that made her care as well. "…Me too."
A wet cloth brushed against his forehead. His body ached with a dull burn. The first scent to cross his nose was aloe, not surprising really considering injured he really was. The next scent to caress his nose was lavender; the whole place smelled of it. The last scent he could define was the scent of his own blood. His ribs and neck had been bandaged in a careful way. He thought Kagome had found him and insisted on caring for him like she always did. He didn't hear a thing except a trickle of water that sounded like it came from small fountain on the other end of the room; he was glad to be somewhere safe and out of sight.
"Kagome…?" He breathed out. He wanted to look at her, to see if she had been hurt in the night's affairs. He wanted to thank her and let her know he was alright. "You didn't have to…" "Shhhhh…" A feminine voice hushed him and patted a wet cloth to his forehead.
Opening his eyes, moving his hands, or even urging out a sound proved a difficult task and yet he still attempted to sit up. The action sent a surge of pain through his body. He released a strong grunt and was gently pushed back down. It was in that instant that he knew he was in his human form for he never experienced this much pain in his hanyou form. Great, he thought sarcastically now lying perfectly still.
He was angered at Kiame for not telling him this little game she played would throw him into his human form. Course, she may not have known, after all, none of the other hanyous were as powerful as he was …so they would not have totally worn out their human side's control over their demonic energies.
"Two days… I just know something bad has happened to him." Kagome cried.
Miroku hugged his staff a little tighter. "You know, Kagome's right; It's not like Inu-Yasha to be gone for this long."
Kiame's blinked rapidly. "How long have you been with Inu-Yasha?"
Kagome seemed surprised by the question. She thought for a moment before responding. "I'm not sure."
"They've been together as long as I've known them." Miroku jumped in. "…And Inu-Yasha has never been away from Kagome for more than a few hours, even when they're mad at each other."
"…A few hours? You must be special to him, young miko. He's always been a 'loner.'"
Kagome lowered her gaze. She couldn't keep from thinking about Inu-Yasha.
"Uh…" Inu-Yasha moaned. He opened his eyes to see a wooden ceiling. He smelt a weak scent of lavender, aloe, and smoke. He heard someone shuffling near a crackling fire. He felt long fangs overtake his mouth. A rush of energy encouraged him to sit up.
He sat up and rubbed his forehead. Inu-Yasha felt himself calm as his eyesight dulled and teeth shrunk back. Seeing an old woman tending to a pot on the fire, Inu-Yasha was curious as to whom it was, she looked like Kiada. He was beginning to wonder how he got all the way back to Kiada's village.
"Kiada…?" Inu-Yasha asked a bit dazed and confused. The old woman turned at the sounds he made. She definitely wasn't Kiada. "I see you're awake." The old spoke while turning back to the fire. Inu-Yasha tilted his head. She was not concerned with him, why was that?
"Grammy, I…"
Inu-Yasha growled furiously at the new girl that entered the hut.
She faltered only momentarily before continuing. "…I brought you the herbs you asked for."
Inu-Yasha felt his cornered aggression fade as the very young female demon showed no interest in him.
The girl was young, about Shippo's age maybe a little older. She was a definitely a demon of some sort. Black hair V-ed back wildly from her forehead down the back of her neck. Her hair was a little longer than shoulder length, but it surrounded her neck loosely. She had peach-gray skin and bushy black eyebrows that encompassed and accented her magenta eyes. Two hornlike structures emerged from the sides of her forehead down the length of her face in a circular inward spiral pattern. She wore a red Kimono similar to his own but it was more shape flattering with a large butterfly bow. Such a simple creature, she had long legs and a short back that was accented by her short fluffy black tail.
Inu-Yasha sat in awe at her presence. She was pretty and young. She must have been the one caring for him. After all, she brought the old woman herbs. Inu-Yasha rolled up to his feet slowly. The girl rose only to his waist; she was just a child.
The girl approached this stranger and stood in front of him; she held out her hand for him to sit back down and that was when he noticed she had no claws. He was torn between his curiosity for this young demon and his concern for his lost friends.
"My friends…" Inu-Yasha tried to excuse himself politely, the way Kagome would have wanted him to.
"Hanyou…What is your name?" The old woman asked her back still to him.
The question stunned him. He was starting to become uncomfortable.
"Uh…Inu-Yasha."
"I think we should rest here for the day and start searching villages tomorrow." Kiame stated.
"No," Kagome burst out. "I won't sit around while Inu-Yasha is out there somewhere, hurt."
Miroku and Sango knew Kagome wouldn't go for the idea; they knew her too well. Without Inu-Yasha, Kagome was a determined mess that would never stop searching. Miroku settled the argument with a sigh and "…let's keep moving."
"…So you're Inu-Yasha, the famous brother of the Dog Lord of the West, Sesshoumaru."
"Who are you?" Inu-Yasha growled.
"Just an old woman" She answered. "The hanyou before you is Kiva. Her caretakers were killed years ago."
Inu-Yasha stared down into her innocent face.
"Sit" She commanded politely.
He cringed back at the word from her feminine voice. The moment of shock that filled his face was soon replaced by annoyed contempt. He knew Kagome would not have let him go either. He sat down on the floor near the old woman and the fire. The girl brought the herbs to him and insisted upon treating his wounds. To her surprise, Inu-Yasha didn't argue.
The old woman began to interrogate Inu-Yasha in the same manner that Kiada always did. "Who's Kagome?"
Inu-Yasha glared at her as if she had probed his mind.
"You called out that name in your sleep. She must be special to you."
"Kagome's a miko." He answered annoyed.
That answer threw the old woman. With the way the dog demon had spoken to what he had thought was this 'miko,' she was not surprised when he gave an affectionate surrender. The old woman was thinking they were more than just friends for he hadn't fought with Kiva at all when she wanted to treat his wounds. Someone had definitely softened this hanyou.
"You called me Kiada. Who's she?"
"Another miko." Inu-Yasha answered coldly.
"Is she a friend of yours?"
"Let me ask you a question, does the name Kikyo ring a bell?"
"Kikyo…" The old woman responded a little lost. "It's been almost fifty years since I've heard that name."
"Kiada is Kikyo's younger sister and Kagome is Kikyo's reincarnation."
To the old woman, this news came as a slap in the face, but she didn't show it.
"Such strong mikos must have powerful allies…and if they're your friends, then they will be here soon. Kiva. When you're finished, patrol the area. If you see outsiders, invite then in."
Kiva nodded then finished the binding of Inu-Yasha's wounds. She transformed into a small crimson colored demon then left the hut leaving Inu-Yasha a little stunned …She had no boost, how did she change?
"I'm worried about Inu-Yasha. Where could he be?" No one wanted to acknowledge the question. They knew that something had happened to Inu-Yasha and they weren't sure if he had survived. With every hour that passed, the group became a little more depressed. It was nearing the end of the second day and there was still no sign of him. Even injured, Inu-Yasha usually limped back to the security of the group by now. Miroku and Sango were both worried about Inu-Yasha, but the group needed to rest and recover its strength.
Sango thought for a moment. The air of depression kept getting thicker. Splitting up would be harder for them, but they might find Inu-Yasha faster. "We'll split up to search for Inu-Yasha. Kiame, Kagome, head back and rally the other hanyous. We'll need all the support we can get. Miroku, Shippo, head west. Kirara and I are going east. We'll meet back here at sun-up. Everyone nodded then took off into the darkening landscape.
The creature returned. Inu-Yasha stared at her as she moved. She may have been as small as a large fox, but Inu-Yasha couldn't take his eyes off her. He had never seen a creature like her before. He somehow knew that she was almost full size in her demon form, but she looked so young. Her presence was entrancing to him. She passed behind a wall and emerged in her hanyou form.
"What are you?" Inu-Yasha asked. She thought for a minute while scratching her head. "…Human and demon like you. I don't know what my demon half is, never did." She knew he was inquiring as to what demon line she was breed from. Even though she didn't have all her answers, most of her questions now concerned him.
"What are you?"
He glanced at her surprised. She had answered his question the least he could do was answer hers.
"Dog. I'm half dog demon."
"Oh I get it. Your name…it's dog-demon."
"Keh."
"Now what's that suppose to mean."
"My father gave me this name."
"I'm sorry if I've offended you."
"Keh."
Inu-Yasha wandered outside.
"You really shouldn't go too far just yet. After all, you're still hurt."
Inu-Yasha hated the fact that she was right. "If you're worried, then come with me." Inu-Yasha's friendly nature surprised himself; a year ago he wouldn't have asked any questions and would have disappeared the first chance he got.
He was as curious about this young half demon as she was of him. He was wondering if she'd ever seen another half demon before. The look of awe that she carried around made him uncomfortable but worse was the looks he got from the villagers. They looked at him accusingly without saying a word. He was unsure of what exactly he had done. He was use to the accusing looks from being half demon, but these villagers were whispering about him. He began to growl.
"Relax. They're only talking about you because you saved us from a demon and they're not sure if they can trust an outsider, especially a demon."
Her comment confused him. "Aren't you an outsider?"
"Course I am," she replied with a giggle, "but they don't see me as a threat. I'm too little."
"Where are we going?" Kagome asked Kiame.
"Well, since we've gotten help and rest, it's time to resume our search. We're going back to your friends."
"How much farther?"
"Not far." She replied bounding ahead.
"Where are they?" Shippo asked crawling into Miroku's lap.
"They'll be back soon." Miroku reassured him.
Moments later, Kirara and Sango soared down into the camp Miroku and Shippo occupied.
"Find anything?" Sango asked.
"Actually, we found that no demons live in this forest."
"We found a few small towns hidden in the woods, but we couldn't find Inu-Yasha."
"If you found towns in the woods, then there's probably more and if our luck holds out Inu-Yasha is safe in one of them, safe and sound."
"So we keep looking …the question is…do we tell Kagome?"
"Tell me what?" Kiame and Kagome landed in the clearing.
"We found some things, but not Inu-Yasha. Did you find help?"
Kagome was wondering what they could have found that was important enough to mention but had nothing to do with Inu-Yasha. "Yeah, some other hanyous are on the look out for a stray dog demon. They'll yell when they find something."
"…We saw some small towns." Miroku hesitantly gave up the information.
Kiame looked shocked. She didn't think that they had traveled so close to those villages. "Those are mostly slayer villages. They don't mess around. If Inu-Yasha stumbled into one of those then he is already dead."
Inu-Yasha and Kiva were having a good conversation. His only problem with her was that she wouldn't stop following him around. He finally decided to settle on a roof for the night. Maybe he would see a sign from his friends; he was beginning to realize just how much he missed them. Kiva finally got board and disappeared.
He decided he would go looking for the others at first light. Sitting atop the roof, Inu-Yasha had a view of the entire town. He was starting to notice that as secluded as these people were they were still as edgy as any other he'd ever met. The people carried weapons, most of which he'd never seen before. Their weapons reminded him of Sango's. Wait, were they slayers? Why didn't they slay him when they had the chance?
The small creature sprung through the village. She was small and agile. Inu-Yasha was still wondering just what type of demon she was. She looked like a cross between a mountain ram and some sort of canine of course that didn't explain her red and black coloration. Inu-Yasha pulled his eyes from her free form to the forest. His friends were out there, somewhere.
A small scream and some laughing snapped him out of his trance. Inu-Yasha glided down from the roof into a back alley dimly lit by the twilight of the setting sun. He stood between Kiva and one of the villagers.
They stared at him.
"Demon" The villager hissed out.
Inu-Yasha simply cocked his head to the side.
"…Just because the others took pity on you doesn't mean we want you here. Leave before you loose your life."
Inu-Yasha had already planned on leaving but this villager was starting to anger him, especially after they'd touched Kiva. He'd never before let a threat like that go and he wasn't about to start now. He growled, warning the villager to back down.
Inu-Yasha's warning growl brought unwanted company. He was soon surrounded. He had never been one to run from a fight, but a retreat would probably have been wiser. Inu-Yasha decided if they wanted to fight him, then they were in for a beating.
"Come on." Kiame urged the group. They arrived at one village after another, searching for the missing dog demon. The villagers wanted to know why they were searching for a run-away demon. After all, a missing demon is better than a present one.
Calls to the moon caught Kiame's attention.
"What is it?" Miroku asked.
"They've finished searching the woods."
"And…?" Kagome asked quickly.
"…And they've found nothing. He's not in the woods."
Kiame leapt to a nearby roof and howled back.
Slapping the villagers down one by one, Inu-Yasha was distracted by the sudden howling.
One of the successful hunters of the village clocked Inu-Yasha and sent him flying.
Inu-Yasha stood up just in time to be beaten down by other warriors.
He finally leapt murderously at them and they moved out of the way of his claws. Inu-Yasha grabbed Kiva by the arm and leapt to a nearby roof.
"They'll come after us." She said.
"Shut... up." Inu-Yasha stated securely before diverting his gaze back to the moon.
The howling was short lived but Inu-Yasha got the gist of it. The group had been searching for him for days. With no luck, they were ready to give up. Inu-Yasha shrunk back. He really didn't want to degrade himself, but he was running out of options. He knew darn well that he couldn't leave Kiva to go searching for his friends; he had to bring them to him.
Inu-Yasha flattened his hanyou ears back at the idea that suddenly crossed his mind. He growled softly. He'd hardly ever barked before let alone …howled. Inu-Yasha wasn't actually sure he could do it, but he needed to do something so he swallowed his pride and clenched his teeth.
He knew how the howl was supposed to sound, but he wasn't sure if he could do it. Inu-Yasha sucked in a deep breath of air then stood perfectly still. He closed his eyes and dropped back his head. Kiva stood in shock at the sound that came from her new friend. It was low pitched like his voice, harsh and stern yet somehow gentle.
Kiame's ears perked up at the new sound that graced the sky. She could hardly hear it, but there was no mistake about it being there. Her mouth dropped slightly before curving into a smile. That was what she needed to hear.
Suddenly the howl was cut short by a sharp yelp. Kiame stood on her toes waiting for the howl to resume. After a moment of silence, Kiame soared down from the roof and grabbed Kagome's arm slinging the little miko onto her back.
Inu-Yasha had been hit by one of a hunter's weapon. Now he was pissed. His small warning growls seemed insignificant compared to his growl of rage at these pests. They just couldn't leave him the hell alone, could they?
Inu-Yasha growled viciously at Kiva when she tried to interfere.
She got the message immediately and backed off.
Kiame raced through the woods, past several villages that didn't even notice their presence. Kirara raced just to keep pace with Kiame, but was soon left in Kiame's dust. The little demon was quick. Miroku and Sango began to wonder if Inu-Yasha could move that fast. They'd never seen him try.
Inu-Yasha took a major beating trying not to kill the villagers, but they were leaving him with little options. Inu-Yasha retreated to the town square where he had more room to dodge them. If he killed one the others might back down out of fear. The thought crossed his mind more than once. He might have to kill one of them. Taking one hit after another, Inu-Yasha knew he had to do something soon. Now, he could hardly stand.
Inu-Yasha growled and struck his attackers with his claws. He only injured them, but that didn't stop their attacks. Instead it backfired, they grouped together and synchronized their attacks. Inu-Yasha felt cornered and the sun finishing setting. The moon would be gone from the sky soon; this was not the best time for this battle. Inu-Yasha decided if they wouldn't leave him alone then he'd kill them before the night over took the land.
Inu-Yasha started killing one after another, mostly whomever stood up to fight him.
The group of warriors somehow snuck up on Inu-Yasha and clamped onto his arms.
As Inu-Yasha struggled he realized that his strength was failing him and he had to get away. He fought but to no avail.
The villagers watched as Inu-Yasha transformed into a mere mortal human.
Inu-Yasha tried growling but it wasn't as threatening coming from his human side.
"So you're a mere half demon. How sad." Their leader's comment really rubbed Inu-Yasha the wrong way.
"You will be dead by morning." Inu-Yasha hissed out under his breath.
"Then you will be dead tonight." The leader responded.
He then punched Inu-Yasha in the stomach knocking the wind out of him.
Consequently, Inu-Yasha collapsed.
"We must hurry. Inu-Yasha's howl turned into a yelp. I have no doubt in my mind that Inu-Yasha is in trouble." Kiame pointed out.
But what worried Kagome more was that tonight was the night of the new moon so not only was Inu-Yasha in trouble, but he could easily be targeted by a demon and there was nothing they could do about it.
"Leave him alone." A voice echoed out.
Inu-Yasha heard the voice but was too weak to get up.
"I said …BACK …OFF!"
Inu-Yasha hadn't heard this tone of voice before even though he was sure it sounded familiar. He heard a stomp on the ground next to head and all he saw was bloody crimson red, before passing out.
Kiame arrived at a small village that she'd almost missed. A red demon was fighting furiously. One building after another was being destroyed. The villagers swung and swiped at the tiny demon, but it was too fast. Miroku, Sango, and Kirara quickly glided down into the village to defend it from this demon's attacks. Kagome and Kiame weren't far behind. Shippo had been left behind because he jumped off to sniff something.
The demon rammed the villagers into walls or the ground. Every hit took out at least one of the villagers. Even though bodies lined the streets, the villagers kept attacking.
The black haired demon turned her magenta gaze to the newcomers. Miroku and Sango had taken her by surprise. She barely had time to leap away. The demon didn't run nor did it initiate an attack.
Once attacked, the demon made sure you couldn't try again. She was little, but determined.
Sango and Miroku were able to hold their own against this demon; they figured it was because the demon was so young. She looked very powerful.
Kagome also decided to jump into this battle; after all, this demon was hurting villagers.
Kagome readied her bow with an arrow.
Miroku picked scrolls from his robe.
Sango knelt down to get a faster spin on her boomerang.
Kiame snapped her daggers together at the hilts to form a short double-sided sword and took a defensive position.
Miroku threw his scrolls.
Kagome released her arrow.
Sango flung her boomerang.
The weapons flew towards the crimson colored demon. Petrified the demon froze allowing the attacked to come. In a cloud of dust, a yell of pain echoed through the village.
Miroku's, Sango's and Kagome's faces fell when they saw the sight before them. Inu-Yasha fell backward onto the ground. They couldn't believe that they'd attacked him. Inu-Yasha had purposely been hit to save the other demon. He had stood in the way of their attacks and now…
Miroku dropped his staff,
Sango fell to her knees, and
Kagome rolled onto the balls of her feet ready to race to his side.
The demon bent over his body.
Kirara growled and grew.
The scared red demon glanced at Kirara then fled the scene and in a single bound was gone.
