Thank you guys for the support, encouragement, chocolate and swift kicks in the rear. lol They were all (yes, even my poor sore behind thanks you) much appreciated. V^^V
This chapter is longer than usual; as easy as it is to come out with short quick chapters, I'm so long-winded~ lol Anyway, not a lot of fluff in this chapter, but you do get a smidgen, plus Inuki kicking ass~ Enjoy!!
Disclaimer:: I don't own Inuyasha~~ Wish I did, TONS of times. But I don't.
____________________________
Inuki
Chapter Fourteen :: Youki
Kagome woke the next morning feeling refreshed and strangely lighter, as if the burden she'd been carrying had been lifted from her shoulders. All the worry about her friends and the feelings of guilt she'd had for leaving them was gone, replaced by a serene air of elation that made her feel like she was floating.
There was no one else in Kaede's house when she sat up, but her clothes were washed and folded at the end of her pallet. The Bermuda shorts, camisole and nightrobe had nothing but the scent of soaps on it, and looking over her outfit realized how unprepared and silly the clothes were for returning to the era where wars were everyday events.
She redressed quickly, eyeing her muddied tennis shoes distastefully. Thankfully, someone had left a pair of sandals at the door for her and she slipped them on, running her fingers through her hair and giving the mussed waves a quick bounce as she headed out into the village.
It was déjà vu. This time last year, she had just been pulled into the Sengoku-jidai by Mukade-jorou. She had woken the next morning to the villagers tending wounded and repairing homes.
Some circumstances were different this time. This time last year, she hadn't even begun her quest to gather Shikon shards; the glass ball was still in one piece. Inuyasha had just been collared and wasn't enjoying any moment of it, and Kagome had still thought he was a serious jerk, Kaede-baachan was possibly senile, and the whole adventure was all one huge fantasy.
But as she stepped from Kaede's home, she was greeted with the image of old Japan's village men cutting and trimming wood, sitting atop homes as they repaired the damaged roofs. Two younger men, a little older than her, walked by carrying wood, and met her with wide smiles as they passed.
The mukade's body, in addition to the heavy rain, had wrecked the fields. Most of the women were repairing the uprooted fledgling plants, and they sang heartily as they did this, moving in time to the rhythm. Several had babies strapped to their backs, and the infants snoozed away in their blankets, unawares of their surroundings.
The corners of Kagome's mouth turned up faintly as she watched a group of young children run by, playing tag or some other mindless child fun. They ranged in size from just barely learning to walk to her little brother's age, and they all paused to wave and say good morning to Kagome-mikosama before scrabbling back into their game.
A little further away, near the mukade's body, Kagome found Sango and Miroku. With them was a small group, consisting of the rest of the village woman and some young men. The girls were all Kagome's age or a little older, as were the men.
Sango was sitting next to the mukade with a large knife in hand, slowing making cuts in his outer shell, and between cuts explaining each move as though teaching. Miroku was watching, occasionally commenting.
Kagome raised one eyebrow, confused. What were her two friends doing?? She wandered over, and as she approached Miroku noticed her. "Ah, Kagome-sama! Good morning."
At that, everyone looked up, and Sango smiled at her friend. "Kagome-chan!" The students the taijiya taught bowed respectfully and Kagome greeted them with warm smiles before looking over the mess her friend had made.
"Sango-chan, what in the world are you doing??"
The other girl smiled with slight embarrassment. "Considering all of the youkai attacks this village gets, several of the villagers expressed wishes to learn my trade. So I started passing down the basic fighting skills, weapons training and knowledge my father taught me."
Kagome nodded, eyes brightening. "Of course. That's wonderful. And this would be…?" Sango gestured to the shelling of the mukade's body. "I'm making armor. A taijiya isn't just fighting skills; you must be able to use as much of the youkai as you can."
"It will be especially useful within the next coming months, seeing as how Sango will be unable to wield Hiraikotsu." Miroku commented, and Sango turned a wicked eye on him. "Why wouldn't I? Having a child doesn't make me incompetent!!"
"If you try to lift that heavy thing when you are nine months pregnant, dear, I will have to restrain you forcibly." Miroku told her. Sango's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me??" Kagome laughed lightly at their mild bickering, causing the two to blush a little.
"Anyway," Kagome began, "Where's Yashagawa-kun??"
"I'm here," called a familiar voice, and Kagome turned, looking around in confusion. The voice sounded annoyed when he added, "Up, you pig-headed girl."
Her eyes fell on the first tree she found. Inuki was lazing on a branch about twenty feet high, one leg hanging off the side. His hair was once again as black as night, tied back in a tight braid that reminded her of the Shichinintai leader, Bankotsu.
"Good morning," she said to him, and Inuki nodded. Without skipping a beat he added, "I'm bored, let's go home." Kagome made a face at him. "You're rather blunt."
Inuki shrugged, his face twisting into a somewhat angry expression. "I've been up since before the sun came up this morning! I didn't sleep well and there's nothing to do. How in the world did you manage to stay away from home long enough to fail classes??"
Kagome planted bother hands on her hips, fixing a cold stare on him. "I'll have you know that when I was coming here all the time it was for a damn important reason. Looking for shards of the Shikon no Tama takes time you know. I wasn't just sitting around here bored."
"Then let's go hunt youkai or something. Whatever. I just can't sit around all day," he complained, and Miroku laughed nervously. "He's very uhm.. violent," the houshi told Kagome, and she shrugged. "Not nearly as bad as Inuyasha."
"Well for a human--"
"I'm not human," Inuki called from the treetops, and they all looked up at him. Black eyes narrowed in their direction. "I'm hanyou. Even in this form, I'm still half demon. My blood just recedes a little, but I can still hear, smell, see and fight with my youkai strength."
"I see," Miroku amended. Sango looked up at the half-bred boy. "Inuki, what do the people in your time think of you being half-demon?"
"They don't know." At his simple reply the houshi and the taijiya looked up in surprise. Inuki looked at them in confusion. "What? It's too hard to tell unless you know what to feel for. And I look human enough, except on the night of the full moon."
He paused, allowing the two to digest this, then folded his hands behind his head. "Besides, people in our time don't believe in youkai anymore. Some youkai survived the eras obviously, but people don't really pay much attention."
Miroku and Sango looked surprised at this revelation about the future, and Kagome turned to them, looking a bit agitated. "Well, we should get home actually. I didn't tell anyone we were leaving, and you have to teach."
"Alright," Miroku agreed, and Kagome paused, as if wanting to say something and not knowing if she should. After a long moment she went to Miroku and Sango and hugged them both. For a long time the three of them said nothing. When Kagome pulled away she brushed away the tear or two that had fallen.
"I missed you both so much while I was away… Thank you for not being angry with me…" Miroku patted her hair gently. "There was no reason to worry about such a thing, Kagome-sama." Sango nodded, her smile wavering slightly. "We forgave you a long time ago."
The girl nodded and then her smile returned, bright and cheery. "We'll come back soon, I promise."
The couple watched their friends head into the forest towards the bone-eating well, and Sango knelt again on the ground, retaking her blade. She started to continue with her lesson, but Miroku noticed something in her eyes, resembling regret. He frowned. "Sango, what's the matter?"
"We didn't tell her about Katsuseki."
Miroku frowned, looking down at his bride. He wasn't angry with her; more annoyed than anything. They had discussed this several times, both between each other and with Kaede. But Sango wouldn't leave it alone. "We've been through this. I thought we decided it best not to disturb her with such news. Unless he continues to make a fuss, we should leave it alone. You said that yourself."
"That was before I saw her. Miroku-sama, can you imagine how angry she would be with us? If we didn't tell her about Katsuseki's violation of--" With a look that curbed any further argument, Miroku said, "Sango, we truly do not know what Katsuseki's aim is. It would only pain Kagome-sama if we told her such news without information regarding Katsuseki's reasons."
Sango turned away, glaring down at the knife in her hand. Yes, she had agreed. It was sensible, it was more logical, to do it the way they had agreed upon. But now she only felt that it was wrong. There were no other words for it, it was simply wrong to not tell Kagome-chan what had happened while she was gone.
What had happened to Inuyasha's grave.
The taijiya took a deep breath, letting the anger flow out of her. Then she looked up at her students. "After that cut, you twist the blade like this and continue cutting…"
~*~
It was a beautiful day. Considerably wet because of last night's storm, but still beautiful. The dark clouds had moved on, leaving the endlessly blue sky open to view. The trees seemed greener and more alive. The air was cleaner, free of the acrid stench of chemicals and car exhaust that burned his nostrils.
Inuki felt peace in this place, and the memory reminded him much of the faint memories he had of his mother. The memory of the serenity of her room and her soft scent soothed him even now when he was upset.
He glanced over at Kagome. The scent of tears had faded, but it clung to her still, and it continued to weigh his mind. She cried so easily when he came to the subject of Inuyasha, or her friends. It made him glad to know that her friends meant so much to her, but the feeling was bittersweet. Because he knew he could never hold a place of his own in her heart; he would always only be "Inuyasha's reincarnation."
He was stirred from his thoughts by the thick stink of youkai. He stopped abruptly, grabbing Kagome's arm. "Wait," he whispered harshly.
The miko froze. "What?"
"Don't say anything," he whispered, pulling her close to him. Kagome blushed at their close proximity, but the sound of his heart racing in her ears spurred on her own fear, and she drew up against him anxiously.
She watched him search the area with his eyes, the hair on the back of his neck and his arms raising slightly. There was a soft growl coming from his throat as he bent his head, his voice low in her ear. "When I tell you to, run for the well."
"What is it," she asked and Inuki cracked his knuckles. "Snake youkai. I don't think it's seen us yet."
"Wait, what are you gonna do?" Kagome demanded in a rough whisper, and Inuki looked down at her. "Protect you. I'll fight it while you get away."
"I'm not leaving you! I didn't leave you while you fought a bunch of high school punks so how can you ask me to leave you fighting this?!"
Inuki turned a sharp glare on her. "Because it's more dangerous and I'm not gonna watch you get hurt. I can't stand it." His eyes went back to the surrounding clearing and his body tensed against her. "Shit."
Kagome was about to wonder what he meant when she followed his gaze and she gasped. A huge snake, its head the length of Kagome's body and the rest of its body proportionate, was eyeing them like they were lunch.
It was mostly black, with flecks of greenish-gray sprayed over its back. Two large almond-shaped eyes peered at them, sizing them up as a slithery tongue flicked out, once, twice. Kagome's fingers knotted in the fabric of his windbreaker, and Inuki struggled to pull the frightened girl off of him. "Higurashi, go."
"No."
"Just do what I say!"
"I can't leave you!!"
"RUN!" he yelled in her face, and the startled girl released him, stumbling backwards. Inuki growled threateningly. "If you don't get the hell out of here…"
Kagome finally turned and ran for the well. The snake turned its slitted green eyes to her and Inuki raised his hand, cracking his knuckles. "Oh no you don't, you slithering bastard! I'm your opponent!!" He leapt forward, raising his claws. Since he hadn't had the opportunity to cut them short since last night, they were still fairly long, two inches at least.
He raked them down the snake's scaly side. It was a fairly deep wound, gouging deep to the snake's bones inside. It gave a screech of pain and swung at him, and the hanyou dodged easily, leaping backwards with a strength he'd never known he possessed.
It was hard enough hiding his superhuman strength, speed and other various oddities from the world he lived in, but this was the first time he'd ever had the chance to delve into his own powers. He'd always felt like he was floating, but this time, he felt like he could really open up.
It felt amazing as he hardly pushed off the ground and went sailing thirty feet into the air, landing on a branch with the grace of a gold-medal gymnast, his natural balance leveling him out. From his place in the trees he could see the snake looking for him, and he saw his opening.
Inuki dropped down, digging his claws in deep and dragging down. The snake roared again in anger, but this time it brought its body up in an attack from behind, slamming into Inuki's side.
The hanyou gasped in pain as he was thrown, and his body crashed into a tree, sliding down in a heap. *Shit,* he thought to himself as he forced himself to his feet, *I've never done this before. Fighting punks at school and fighting youkai are completely different…*
He glared up at the snake, which had raised its upper body ominously over him, hissing loudly. *I need a weapon,* Inuki thought, *My claws aren't gonna do shit to this sonnuva bitch…*
~*~
Kagome panted as she took the stairs two at a time, huffing and puffing to her bedroom. Her mother and Souta followed her in a worried fright, voices drowning out each other's as they demanded questions. Where had she been all night? What was going on? Where was Inuki?
Kagome ignored them for the most part, dropping to her knees by her bed and reaching underneath. Her fingers knocked into something hard and she drew it out, unraveling Inuyasha's coat from around Tessaiga's sheathe. She paused for only a moment to catch her breath before she was on her feet again, brushing past Mama and her little brother.
"Kagome!" Her mother's annoyed voice finally halted the high school girl, and she turned. "What is going on?!"
"Yashagawa-kun and I went to see Miroku-sama and Sango-chan… We're in trouble, I don't have time to talk, Mama! I'll be back in a little while! I promise!!"
Her mother could only stammer a response as Kagome headed back outside, tucking the sword close to her chest and running as fast as her legs would allow her back towards the well. She could sense the snake's jyaki the moment she stepped out into the past, and the trees were a blur as she ran back to him.
Only one thought pounded in her head. *Inuyasha, please let Yashagawa-kun use Tessaiga~ please lend him your strength!!*
The black-haired boy was still standing, and he looked fine with the exception of one arm hugging his stomach. Kagome went to his side, and ignored his angry stare. "What the hell are you--" he started and she shook her head, pressing Tessaiga to him.
"Shut up and use this!"
Inuki looked at the sword, dumbfounded, before pulling the sword from its sheathe. His mouth hung open slightly at the state of the old sword, and he glared at her. "You expect me to used this rusted, beat up, blunt sword to fight him? Higurashi, I know you think I'm stupid but--"
"You have to transform it," she cut him off again, "You have youki. As a hanyou you can hold it, but you have to use your youki transform the sword!"
Inuki looked at her in confusion, not know what she meant when she said he could hold it, and of course he had youki; he'd had it all his life, she didn't need to tell him that. Abruptly any further conversation was cut short when the snake grew tired of waiting, and Inuki shoved her out of the way and leapt back himself, allowing the serpent to go crashing into the ground between them.
As he passed behind it, Inuki struck the snake's back with the blade, and it bounced off the youkai's scales, wobbling and shaking. He cursed under his breath. "Damn thing couldn't cut butter, Higurashi!"
"Transform it! I know you can do it!!"
At the sound of her voice the snake turned towards her, and Kagome let out a squeak of dismay. Her hand patted around her for her bow before she realized she didn't have it with her. She'd left it at Kaede's house!!
The large youkai hissed at the miko and, recognizing its stance, Inuki's heart shot to his throat. His hand clenched around the sword in his hand and he raced after the snake, the blade raised. "NO! HIGURASHI!"
For a moment, time stopped. There was a bright flash of gold light and the snake stopped. Its body flopped to the ground, dead, just feet from Kagome. Inuki was behind it, one hand resting on the hilt of the transformed Tessaiga, which was driven straight through the snake's heart.
The boy slipped to his knees, panting as he eyed the blade he held. Some sort of rugged fur had sprouted where the handle had been, and the blade itself had quadrupled in size. It gave off a faint aura of power, glowing mystically even though it was a little dark underneath the canopy of the forest.
"Tessaiga," he whispered softly, then wondered where the word had come from. It had just appeared in his head.
Kagome was still in a little bit of awe. She had only hoped Inuki was capable of wielding the sword; actually watching him use it had been pretty amazing. She wandered over, looking down gratefully at him. "Yashagawa-kun… you saved my life." He shook his head, half-laughing. "Don't mention--"
Kagome cut him off yet again, this time by wrapping her arms around his head and shoulders in a gentle hug. Inuki caught his breath, a red blush flooding his cheeks. "Ah.. Higurashi?"
"Thank you," she said quietly, and Inuki looked at the ground with embarrassment. After a moment he relaxed, reaching up and touching her hand.
"You're welcome…"
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: Btw the title, "Youki" means "demon aura." Not to be confused with "youryoku" which is "demon strength." (They're similar but definitely different things~)
Hey a hint of a plot! (that hint would be 'Katsuseki') You know, I hope my wonderful reviewers aren't reading each other's reviews, because SOME of you (jgirl79 and Meyu) are reading my mind and giving the story away~!!!! When I said give suggestions I didn't mean go clairvoyant on me!! lol (I'm just playin' Im not mad or anything~) v^_^
Anyway, since saying that will only make everyone go read it to find out what it was I'll go ahead and say this: Inuyasha WILL be making an appearance. ::waits for cheers to die down::
But so as not to reuse the original plot (I hate that) I tweaked it. You will see how fairly soon. v^^- And in accord with jgirl's suggestion, as you noticed, obviously Inuki can use Tessaiga~ (I have a picture of that on deviant if you wanna go and look~ PS, j-chan, I LOVE that movie!! Makes me cry~~)
Okie, my piece is said. Off to work on chapter 15, please review!! v^^-
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
~Tessen
This chapter is longer than usual; as easy as it is to come out with short quick chapters, I'm so long-winded~ lol Anyway, not a lot of fluff in this chapter, but you do get a smidgen, plus Inuki kicking ass~ Enjoy!!
Disclaimer:: I don't own Inuyasha~~ Wish I did, TONS of times. But I don't.
____________________________
Inuki
Chapter Fourteen :: Youki
Kagome woke the next morning feeling refreshed and strangely lighter, as if the burden she'd been carrying had been lifted from her shoulders. All the worry about her friends and the feelings of guilt she'd had for leaving them was gone, replaced by a serene air of elation that made her feel like she was floating.
There was no one else in Kaede's house when she sat up, but her clothes were washed and folded at the end of her pallet. The Bermuda shorts, camisole and nightrobe had nothing but the scent of soaps on it, and looking over her outfit realized how unprepared and silly the clothes were for returning to the era where wars were everyday events.
She redressed quickly, eyeing her muddied tennis shoes distastefully. Thankfully, someone had left a pair of sandals at the door for her and she slipped them on, running her fingers through her hair and giving the mussed waves a quick bounce as she headed out into the village.
It was déjà vu. This time last year, she had just been pulled into the Sengoku-jidai by Mukade-jorou. She had woken the next morning to the villagers tending wounded and repairing homes.
Some circumstances were different this time. This time last year, she hadn't even begun her quest to gather Shikon shards; the glass ball was still in one piece. Inuyasha had just been collared and wasn't enjoying any moment of it, and Kagome had still thought he was a serious jerk, Kaede-baachan was possibly senile, and the whole adventure was all one huge fantasy.
But as she stepped from Kaede's home, she was greeted with the image of old Japan's village men cutting and trimming wood, sitting atop homes as they repaired the damaged roofs. Two younger men, a little older than her, walked by carrying wood, and met her with wide smiles as they passed.
The mukade's body, in addition to the heavy rain, had wrecked the fields. Most of the women were repairing the uprooted fledgling plants, and they sang heartily as they did this, moving in time to the rhythm. Several had babies strapped to their backs, and the infants snoozed away in their blankets, unawares of their surroundings.
The corners of Kagome's mouth turned up faintly as she watched a group of young children run by, playing tag or some other mindless child fun. They ranged in size from just barely learning to walk to her little brother's age, and they all paused to wave and say good morning to Kagome-mikosama before scrabbling back into their game.
A little further away, near the mukade's body, Kagome found Sango and Miroku. With them was a small group, consisting of the rest of the village woman and some young men. The girls were all Kagome's age or a little older, as were the men.
Sango was sitting next to the mukade with a large knife in hand, slowing making cuts in his outer shell, and between cuts explaining each move as though teaching. Miroku was watching, occasionally commenting.
Kagome raised one eyebrow, confused. What were her two friends doing?? She wandered over, and as she approached Miroku noticed her. "Ah, Kagome-sama! Good morning."
At that, everyone looked up, and Sango smiled at her friend. "Kagome-chan!" The students the taijiya taught bowed respectfully and Kagome greeted them with warm smiles before looking over the mess her friend had made.
"Sango-chan, what in the world are you doing??"
The other girl smiled with slight embarrassment. "Considering all of the youkai attacks this village gets, several of the villagers expressed wishes to learn my trade. So I started passing down the basic fighting skills, weapons training and knowledge my father taught me."
Kagome nodded, eyes brightening. "Of course. That's wonderful. And this would be…?" Sango gestured to the shelling of the mukade's body. "I'm making armor. A taijiya isn't just fighting skills; you must be able to use as much of the youkai as you can."
"It will be especially useful within the next coming months, seeing as how Sango will be unable to wield Hiraikotsu." Miroku commented, and Sango turned a wicked eye on him. "Why wouldn't I? Having a child doesn't make me incompetent!!"
"If you try to lift that heavy thing when you are nine months pregnant, dear, I will have to restrain you forcibly." Miroku told her. Sango's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me??" Kagome laughed lightly at their mild bickering, causing the two to blush a little.
"Anyway," Kagome began, "Where's Yashagawa-kun??"
"I'm here," called a familiar voice, and Kagome turned, looking around in confusion. The voice sounded annoyed when he added, "Up, you pig-headed girl."
Her eyes fell on the first tree she found. Inuki was lazing on a branch about twenty feet high, one leg hanging off the side. His hair was once again as black as night, tied back in a tight braid that reminded her of the Shichinintai leader, Bankotsu.
"Good morning," she said to him, and Inuki nodded. Without skipping a beat he added, "I'm bored, let's go home." Kagome made a face at him. "You're rather blunt."
Inuki shrugged, his face twisting into a somewhat angry expression. "I've been up since before the sun came up this morning! I didn't sleep well and there's nothing to do. How in the world did you manage to stay away from home long enough to fail classes??"
Kagome planted bother hands on her hips, fixing a cold stare on him. "I'll have you know that when I was coming here all the time it was for a damn important reason. Looking for shards of the Shikon no Tama takes time you know. I wasn't just sitting around here bored."
"Then let's go hunt youkai or something. Whatever. I just can't sit around all day," he complained, and Miroku laughed nervously. "He's very uhm.. violent," the houshi told Kagome, and she shrugged. "Not nearly as bad as Inuyasha."
"Well for a human--"
"I'm not human," Inuki called from the treetops, and they all looked up at him. Black eyes narrowed in their direction. "I'm hanyou. Even in this form, I'm still half demon. My blood just recedes a little, but I can still hear, smell, see and fight with my youkai strength."
"I see," Miroku amended. Sango looked up at the half-bred boy. "Inuki, what do the people in your time think of you being half-demon?"
"They don't know." At his simple reply the houshi and the taijiya looked up in surprise. Inuki looked at them in confusion. "What? It's too hard to tell unless you know what to feel for. And I look human enough, except on the night of the full moon."
He paused, allowing the two to digest this, then folded his hands behind his head. "Besides, people in our time don't believe in youkai anymore. Some youkai survived the eras obviously, but people don't really pay much attention."
Miroku and Sango looked surprised at this revelation about the future, and Kagome turned to them, looking a bit agitated. "Well, we should get home actually. I didn't tell anyone we were leaving, and you have to teach."
"Alright," Miroku agreed, and Kagome paused, as if wanting to say something and not knowing if she should. After a long moment she went to Miroku and Sango and hugged them both. For a long time the three of them said nothing. When Kagome pulled away she brushed away the tear or two that had fallen.
"I missed you both so much while I was away… Thank you for not being angry with me…" Miroku patted her hair gently. "There was no reason to worry about such a thing, Kagome-sama." Sango nodded, her smile wavering slightly. "We forgave you a long time ago."
The girl nodded and then her smile returned, bright and cheery. "We'll come back soon, I promise."
The couple watched their friends head into the forest towards the bone-eating well, and Sango knelt again on the ground, retaking her blade. She started to continue with her lesson, but Miroku noticed something in her eyes, resembling regret. He frowned. "Sango, what's the matter?"
"We didn't tell her about Katsuseki."
Miroku frowned, looking down at his bride. He wasn't angry with her; more annoyed than anything. They had discussed this several times, both between each other and with Kaede. But Sango wouldn't leave it alone. "We've been through this. I thought we decided it best not to disturb her with such news. Unless he continues to make a fuss, we should leave it alone. You said that yourself."
"That was before I saw her. Miroku-sama, can you imagine how angry she would be with us? If we didn't tell her about Katsuseki's violation of--" With a look that curbed any further argument, Miroku said, "Sango, we truly do not know what Katsuseki's aim is. It would only pain Kagome-sama if we told her such news without information regarding Katsuseki's reasons."
Sango turned away, glaring down at the knife in her hand. Yes, she had agreed. It was sensible, it was more logical, to do it the way they had agreed upon. But now she only felt that it was wrong. There were no other words for it, it was simply wrong to not tell Kagome-chan what had happened while she was gone.
What had happened to Inuyasha's grave.
The taijiya took a deep breath, letting the anger flow out of her. Then she looked up at her students. "After that cut, you twist the blade like this and continue cutting…"
~*~
It was a beautiful day. Considerably wet because of last night's storm, but still beautiful. The dark clouds had moved on, leaving the endlessly blue sky open to view. The trees seemed greener and more alive. The air was cleaner, free of the acrid stench of chemicals and car exhaust that burned his nostrils.
Inuki felt peace in this place, and the memory reminded him much of the faint memories he had of his mother. The memory of the serenity of her room and her soft scent soothed him even now when he was upset.
He glanced over at Kagome. The scent of tears had faded, but it clung to her still, and it continued to weigh his mind. She cried so easily when he came to the subject of Inuyasha, or her friends. It made him glad to know that her friends meant so much to her, but the feeling was bittersweet. Because he knew he could never hold a place of his own in her heart; he would always only be "Inuyasha's reincarnation."
He was stirred from his thoughts by the thick stink of youkai. He stopped abruptly, grabbing Kagome's arm. "Wait," he whispered harshly.
The miko froze. "What?"
"Don't say anything," he whispered, pulling her close to him. Kagome blushed at their close proximity, but the sound of his heart racing in her ears spurred on her own fear, and she drew up against him anxiously.
She watched him search the area with his eyes, the hair on the back of his neck and his arms raising slightly. There was a soft growl coming from his throat as he bent his head, his voice low in her ear. "When I tell you to, run for the well."
"What is it," she asked and Inuki cracked his knuckles. "Snake youkai. I don't think it's seen us yet."
"Wait, what are you gonna do?" Kagome demanded in a rough whisper, and Inuki looked down at her. "Protect you. I'll fight it while you get away."
"I'm not leaving you! I didn't leave you while you fought a bunch of high school punks so how can you ask me to leave you fighting this?!"
Inuki turned a sharp glare on her. "Because it's more dangerous and I'm not gonna watch you get hurt. I can't stand it." His eyes went back to the surrounding clearing and his body tensed against her. "Shit."
Kagome was about to wonder what he meant when she followed his gaze and she gasped. A huge snake, its head the length of Kagome's body and the rest of its body proportionate, was eyeing them like they were lunch.
It was mostly black, with flecks of greenish-gray sprayed over its back. Two large almond-shaped eyes peered at them, sizing them up as a slithery tongue flicked out, once, twice. Kagome's fingers knotted in the fabric of his windbreaker, and Inuki struggled to pull the frightened girl off of him. "Higurashi, go."
"No."
"Just do what I say!"
"I can't leave you!!"
"RUN!" he yelled in her face, and the startled girl released him, stumbling backwards. Inuki growled threateningly. "If you don't get the hell out of here…"
Kagome finally turned and ran for the well. The snake turned its slitted green eyes to her and Inuki raised his hand, cracking his knuckles. "Oh no you don't, you slithering bastard! I'm your opponent!!" He leapt forward, raising his claws. Since he hadn't had the opportunity to cut them short since last night, they were still fairly long, two inches at least.
He raked them down the snake's scaly side. It was a fairly deep wound, gouging deep to the snake's bones inside. It gave a screech of pain and swung at him, and the hanyou dodged easily, leaping backwards with a strength he'd never known he possessed.
It was hard enough hiding his superhuman strength, speed and other various oddities from the world he lived in, but this was the first time he'd ever had the chance to delve into his own powers. He'd always felt like he was floating, but this time, he felt like he could really open up.
It felt amazing as he hardly pushed off the ground and went sailing thirty feet into the air, landing on a branch with the grace of a gold-medal gymnast, his natural balance leveling him out. From his place in the trees he could see the snake looking for him, and he saw his opening.
Inuki dropped down, digging his claws in deep and dragging down. The snake roared again in anger, but this time it brought its body up in an attack from behind, slamming into Inuki's side.
The hanyou gasped in pain as he was thrown, and his body crashed into a tree, sliding down in a heap. *Shit,* he thought to himself as he forced himself to his feet, *I've never done this before. Fighting punks at school and fighting youkai are completely different…*
He glared up at the snake, which had raised its upper body ominously over him, hissing loudly. *I need a weapon,* Inuki thought, *My claws aren't gonna do shit to this sonnuva bitch…*
~*~
Kagome panted as she took the stairs two at a time, huffing and puffing to her bedroom. Her mother and Souta followed her in a worried fright, voices drowning out each other's as they demanded questions. Where had she been all night? What was going on? Where was Inuki?
Kagome ignored them for the most part, dropping to her knees by her bed and reaching underneath. Her fingers knocked into something hard and she drew it out, unraveling Inuyasha's coat from around Tessaiga's sheathe. She paused for only a moment to catch her breath before she was on her feet again, brushing past Mama and her little brother.
"Kagome!" Her mother's annoyed voice finally halted the high school girl, and she turned. "What is going on?!"
"Yashagawa-kun and I went to see Miroku-sama and Sango-chan… We're in trouble, I don't have time to talk, Mama! I'll be back in a little while! I promise!!"
Her mother could only stammer a response as Kagome headed back outside, tucking the sword close to her chest and running as fast as her legs would allow her back towards the well. She could sense the snake's jyaki the moment she stepped out into the past, and the trees were a blur as she ran back to him.
Only one thought pounded in her head. *Inuyasha, please let Yashagawa-kun use Tessaiga~ please lend him your strength!!*
The black-haired boy was still standing, and he looked fine with the exception of one arm hugging his stomach. Kagome went to his side, and ignored his angry stare. "What the hell are you--" he started and she shook her head, pressing Tessaiga to him.
"Shut up and use this!"
Inuki looked at the sword, dumbfounded, before pulling the sword from its sheathe. His mouth hung open slightly at the state of the old sword, and he glared at her. "You expect me to used this rusted, beat up, blunt sword to fight him? Higurashi, I know you think I'm stupid but--"
"You have to transform it," she cut him off again, "You have youki. As a hanyou you can hold it, but you have to use your youki transform the sword!"
Inuki looked at her in confusion, not know what she meant when she said he could hold it, and of course he had youki; he'd had it all his life, she didn't need to tell him that. Abruptly any further conversation was cut short when the snake grew tired of waiting, and Inuki shoved her out of the way and leapt back himself, allowing the serpent to go crashing into the ground between them.
As he passed behind it, Inuki struck the snake's back with the blade, and it bounced off the youkai's scales, wobbling and shaking. He cursed under his breath. "Damn thing couldn't cut butter, Higurashi!"
"Transform it! I know you can do it!!"
At the sound of her voice the snake turned towards her, and Kagome let out a squeak of dismay. Her hand patted around her for her bow before she realized she didn't have it with her. She'd left it at Kaede's house!!
The large youkai hissed at the miko and, recognizing its stance, Inuki's heart shot to his throat. His hand clenched around the sword in his hand and he raced after the snake, the blade raised. "NO! HIGURASHI!"
For a moment, time stopped. There was a bright flash of gold light and the snake stopped. Its body flopped to the ground, dead, just feet from Kagome. Inuki was behind it, one hand resting on the hilt of the transformed Tessaiga, which was driven straight through the snake's heart.
The boy slipped to his knees, panting as he eyed the blade he held. Some sort of rugged fur had sprouted where the handle had been, and the blade itself had quadrupled in size. It gave off a faint aura of power, glowing mystically even though it was a little dark underneath the canopy of the forest.
"Tessaiga," he whispered softly, then wondered where the word had come from. It had just appeared in his head.
Kagome was still in a little bit of awe. She had only hoped Inuki was capable of wielding the sword; actually watching him use it had been pretty amazing. She wandered over, looking down gratefully at him. "Yashagawa-kun… you saved my life." He shook his head, half-laughing. "Don't mention--"
Kagome cut him off yet again, this time by wrapping her arms around his head and shoulders in a gentle hug. Inuki caught his breath, a red blush flooding his cheeks. "Ah.. Higurashi?"
"Thank you," she said quietly, and Inuki looked at the ground with embarrassment. After a moment he relaxed, reaching up and touching her hand.
"You're welcome…"
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: Btw the title, "Youki" means "demon aura." Not to be confused with "youryoku" which is "demon strength." (They're similar but definitely different things~)
Hey a hint of a plot! (that hint would be 'Katsuseki') You know, I hope my wonderful reviewers aren't reading each other's reviews, because SOME of you (jgirl79 and Meyu) are reading my mind and giving the story away~!!!! When I said give suggestions I didn't mean go clairvoyant on me!! lol (I'm just playin' Im not mad or anything~) v^_^
Anyway, since saying that will only make everyone go read it to find out what it was I'll go ahead and say this: Inuyasha WILL be making an appearance. ::waits for cheers to die down::
But so as not to reuse the original plot (I hate that) I tweaked it. You will see how fairly soon. v^^- And in accord with jgirl's suggestion, as you noticed, obviously Inuki can use Tessaiga~ (I have a picture of that on deviant if you wanna go and look~ PS, j-chan, I LOVE that movie!! Makes me cry~~)
Okie, my piece is said. Off to work on chapter 15, please review!! v^^-
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
~Tessen