Disclaimer:: Nope, no owning here. v^^-
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Inuki
Chapter Fifteen :: Katsuseki's Goal
Kagome pulled away from the young man, blushing slightly. She hadn't even realized what she was doing until she had; it was that natural. Mentally she berated herself, 'He's not Inuyasha, not Inuyasha.' She clasped her hands together, shoulders drooping. She hated feeling this way. It was wrong to treat Yashagawa-kun like she would have Inuyasha, but it was so hard, especially when nothing he did made him unique.
She turned. "How are your wounds? Are you alright?"
"Fine…" Inuki replied, still terribly embarrassed by her gesture. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate her show of gratitude --or that he didn't like it-- but where she'd chosen to be, wrapped around his head, was… awkward. He looked up at her. "Just some bruised ribs. I'll be okay."
She nodded at him, acknowledging that, and took a few steps towards the well. "We should get back home." Inuki nodded at her back and stood, pulling Tessaiga out of the ground. The great sword changed back into the rusted samurai blade it usually resembled, and the boy looked at it with surprise.
"It changed back…"
Kagome turned to look at him and nodded, confirming his words. "Tessaiga is Inuyasha's sword. Only a hanyou can touch it; there's a barrier that prevents youkai from even setting a finger on it."
At that, Inuki frowned, slamming the blade back into its sheathe. He gazed at it, eyes narrowed. It was Inuyasha's damned sword. That made him angry, and he wasn't completely sure why.
He knew that something in him had longed for the rusted old sword and that same thing had rejoiced at the feeling it in his hands, as if he had held it once before and lost it. It felt familiar in his hands; the weight of it, the feel of the wooden sheathe. His lips drooped into a pout as he caught up to Kagome's side. He sighed and handed it back to her. "You probably want this back, huh?"
"Uh," Kagome managed, taking it back in surprise. She looked down at it and then back up at Inuki. "Yashagawa-kun, you don't want it?"
"It ain't mine," Inuki told her, waving a general backwards in her general direction as he trudged towards the well. He heard the rustling of grass as she followed slowly, several steps behind him. Inuki cursed under his breath, finding himself hardly caring that Kagome was… well whatever she was.
She'd grown quiet, as if he'd hurt her feelings by giving back the sword. Or let her down maybe. *As if I cared whether or not she's disappointed in me,* he thought, rubbing the place where his ribs ached from the snake youkai's strike. Yeah, those were definitely bruised.
"Well if you don't want it, I'll gladly take it."
At this new voice the pair of teenagers looked up, swiftly glancing around them for the source of the voice. It took a moment, but their eyes eventually fell upon a tall figure standing in the trees. He was young, perhaps a little older than them, and he was dressed elaborately in fancy silks and heavy armor in the style of a highly-decorated warrior.
He had a very pretty face framed by blood red hair pulled back in a high ponytail. His eyes the same sharp green the snake's had been. Long nails ended each finger, but however elaborate and otherworldly he looked, he had human ears. Had it not been for the ears Kagome would have been sure he was a youkai, considering the jyaki he was giving off. He looked as harmless as Miroku --which, considering his past, wasn't that harmless-- but by the cynical smirk on his face, it was almost certain he was an enemy.
"Who the hell are you?" Inuki demanded, and the man dropped to the ground slowly, his boots setting down on the grass with a soft rustle. He knelt at the snake's side, running his hands over the scales. His expression shifted to something slightly sad as he looked over the snake's corpse. "You bastard," he said pitifully, "Hebi-chan was my favorite pet and you've killed her."
"I said who the hell are you, you whiny bitch," Inuki repeated. The man looked at them, and the sad look fell away, replaced by a wide grin. "My name is Katsuseki. And I've come for the Tessaiga."
Inuki snorted. "Come for it? Like we're just going to hand it over? How stupid are you?"
"Besides," Kagome began, hugging the sword to her chest, "Youkai can't use it."
Katsuseki stood, taking a few steps forward. "Little miko… You've been away too long." With a sudden burst of speed he shot forward, his face inches from hers. Kagome let out a squeak, stepping back, but the man caught her shoulder, holding her still. One long fingernail traced down her cheekbone. "Can't you tell I'm not a youkai?"
Inuki ran forward with a growl, shoving Katsuseki away from Kagome, and stepping between them. "Lay another hand on her and I promise you'll be choking on knuckles in an instant."
"My my, touchy, aren't we?" Katsuseki said with a smile. "Of course, why wouldn't you be threatened. She's your woman, after all."
"What did you say?"
The other man looked surprised. The smile turned condescending, and his voice softened, as if he were speaking to a child. "That IS a surprise. Didn't she tell you? You're the reincarnation of her mutt."
Inuki growled and Kagome's face tightened in anger. "Inuyasha was not a mutt!! Besides, how did you know?! Even I'm not sure--"
"Oh, I'm sure." Katsuseki replied, placing one hand on his hip. He looked Inuki in the eye. "After all it was I called for your rebirth, Inuyasha."
Inuki raised one eyebrow, confused. "What?"
"Katsuseki!!!"
All eyes turned towards the village, where Sango and Miroku were coming through the trees. Sango carried Hiraikotsu at her back, and on one shoulder, Miroku held Kagome's quiver and bow. Katsuseki grinned widely at their threatening expressions. "The houshi and his little wife. How amusing. How'd you know I was here?"
"Your aura is stained with that horrible jyaki," Miroku told him, "Even a normal human would be sickened by the evil you possess."
At the houshi's words, Katsuseki bowed with a large smile. "Thank you for the compliment."
"Jyaki or not," Inuki growled, "This bastard's all human. Why do you want the Tessaiga??" Before Katsuseki could reply, Miroku raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Tessaiga?" The houshi's face grew angry. "Is that why?! Why you've terrorized this village? Why you…" He stopped suddenly, glancing over at Kagome. This wasn't the way he wanted to tell her. But Katsuseki did it instead.
"Why I went rummaging through Inuyasha's grave?"
The young miko's face paled. Her hands clenched around Tessaiga's sheathe, trembling. "You.. what??"
Katsuseki nodded once, his smile widening. "I did. I ripped open the earth where you had laid that mangled body of his and searched it. I guess you could call me a graverobber of sorts. But I was looking for that." He gestured at Tessaiga. The smile grew deceptively warm.
"Oh, Kagome," he said softly, "How much Inuyasha's changed in the six months since he dropped dead. His hair had worms in it. Those pretty clothes you all put him in to send him on his way to the afterlife were all weathered and dirty."
Pools of tears quivered in her brown eyes, her lips trembling as she grated out, "Stop it."
"Worst of all was the stink. Not just because he was a dog. But have you ever smelled decomposing flesh? It's disgusting."
"STOP IT!"
The cry came not from Kagome, but from Inuki. The hanyou rushed forward, raking his claws down Katsuseki's side. The armor on his left side cracked and fell to piece, hanging off, but Inuki wasn't finished. The other came up just as quickly, catching Katsuseki's face.
The human was oddly quick, backstepping swiftly enough to avoid having his head chopping in two. Instead there was only a thin line of blood running from his temple to his jaw. He smiled. "You're not so tough. Inuyasha was stronger."
He struck out with his fist, slamming Inuki in the jaw. The hanyou boy went down with a grunt of pain, but dug his claws into the soft dirt, pushing himself back up and using his momentum to bring his leg up in a hard kick. His heel trashed the right side of Katsuseki's face, and the man cursed, not having seen the move coming.
Inuki finished the almost cartwheel he'd executed and once back on his feet rushed forward, fists ready. He lunged forward and Katsuseki dodged to the side. In the one instant of his dodge, his eyes blazed as red as his hair.
Inuki felt something swell up from his attacker, and paused for that instant, confused. *Humans don't have youki--*
Katsuseki swiped forward, his long nails aimed for Inuki's face. The hanyou pushed himself to the side, but wasn't quite quick enough to dodge Katsuseki's attack completely. Kagome let out a frightened cry when she saw the human's long nails connect. Sango tensed, her hand tightening on Hiraikotsu's tether. "Inuki!!"
"Wait," Miroku said, putting out his hand to stop his wife, and she paused. Inuki brought his knee up into Katsuseki's chest, and the human coughed, backing away. Free for a moment, Inuki stood to his full height, and it was then Kagome saw the "damage" Katsuseki had inflicted.
Inuki's long black hair now just barely brushed the back of his shoulders. His braid had been cut loose, and it lay on the ground, still braided and tied. Inuki reached back and ran a few fingers through the uneven ends, surprised by it. Then he looked up. "Is that all the damage you can do? You gave me a haircut?"
Katsuseki frowned. "I'm going easy on you. You think you could handle my full strength??"
At this Inuki smirked. "By all means, kick my ass."
Katsuseki's eyes blazed at Inuki's insolent remark. The man lowered himself, readying to charge, but before he got very far, a solitary voice echoed throughout the clearing.
*Katsuseki, no!!* The small group paused, and Katsuseki stopped so suddenly he almost whiplashed himself. "But, Sada…"
*NO!* roared the voice, and to Kagome it sounded much like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Katsuseki stopped, pulling himself up to full height, as the voice continued. *Now is not the time to be angry. Come back now.*
Katsuseki sighed and turned his eyes back to Inuki. The red orbs faded back to the piercing green they had been moments ago. "I'll be back," he warned the group, his body beginning to fade. Before it faded completely, Inuki smirked at him. "I'll be ready."
And then he was gone. Inuki hung his head, breathing out heavily. *Living in this era is like living in a freaking war zone,* he thought, before pausing, *Of course, this is the Sengoku-jidai… the warring era…*
"Makes sense," he said aloud, then turned, noticing his black braid on the grass. Oh yeah, that bastard had cut his hair. He knelt, picking it up. It was weird how light his head felt without the weight of his thick hair, and one hand reached back to play with the loose strands. Kagome went to him.
"Are you alright?" she asked softly, and he shrugged. "Fine. I'm not hurt or anything. What about you?"
Kagome looked down, shaking her head. "I wasn't hurt."
"That's not what I meant." She looked up at him in surprise and the boy blushed slightly, looking away. "That Katsuseki bastard was just trying to hurt you. So.. don't let it get to you, okay?"
Kagome smiled and nodded. "Thank you."
~*~
Katsuseki cursed as he discarded his ruined armor. It had been his favorite set, and now he would have to hunt down some unsuspecting samurai and beat him out of his. And still it probably couldn't match the style of that particular armor.
*Damn inuhanyou,* he thought to himself, *If we didn't need him so goddamned bad I would have killed him.*
*Now now,* said the voice from before, *Do be nice. Inuki is a virgin at this. When we teach him in the art of pain, it must be slow and painful so that he will learn correctly.*
Katsuseki's face softened. "Sada… you are right."
He descended the stone steps to the lower levels of the castle they had taken over, passing through a large barrier. The bottom level was a plain room, empty of all things except in the middle. The middle was a raised section, rather large, surrounded by bamboo rolls. The room was dim due to the few lights. Katsuseki moved aside a roll and stepped inside, walking across the raised tatami to the girl who sat in the middle. He knelt in front of her.
She was small, perhaps 8 or 9 years old, and she looked up at him with blank cream-colored eyes. She was plainly dressed, her pale orange hair sticking out in wild directions. One hand reached up to touch his face, wavering as though blind. Katsuseki took the hand and settled it gently on his cheek.
*I missed you,* she told him silently, and he nodded. "I know you did. I'm sorry I was gone so long, Sadako."
She smiled at him, her mouth widening enough to see that she had a mouth full of pointed canine teeth… and no tongue.
~*~
"I'm sorry, Kagome-sama," Miroku began, looking at the floor. "We had hoped to mention this later… or maybe not at all…" At his side, Sango raised her eyes to look at Kagome's face. The young woman was sitting in a heap at Inuki's side, knees drawn up and her arms hugging them.
She looked prepared for the worst, even though there was nothing Miroku, Sango or Kaede could say that would lessen the horrible images of Inuyasha that Katsuseki's words had conjured up. When Miroku began to speak, Kagome's face angered slightly. "I have a right to know! You can't keep that sort of information from me!"
Sango softened. "Kagome-chan, we had hoped he wouldn't come back… Which is why we weren't going to tell you at all… We thought it best not to disturb things if he had no intention of returning, but he did."
Miroku nodded. "It was no more than 2 weeks ago when Katsuseki defiled Inuyasha's gravesite. We came upon him as he was going through it."
"We had gone to pay our respects, as we always do. The ground was badly stirred and his body moved. Katsuseki had taken nothing from the grave or from his body itself, but it had most definitely been rummaged through. And he was standing there just looking at us."
"He did not tell us what it was he searched for; he simply told us he would return," Miroku concluded. At Kagome's side, Inuki cursed under his breath. "And now it seems he was looking for Tessaiga."
"The question now is, for what purpose does a human need Inuyasha's demon blade?" Kaede pondered. Miroku nodded. "Tessaiga does not react without youki. Tessaiga would be a worthless blade to Katsuseki."
"No."
At that, all of them looked at Inuki. The hanyou shook his head again. "That Katsu bastard has youki. It came in shifts. While I was fighting him, he… did something. And I felt youki come from him."
"A human with youki?" Sango repeated incredulously. Miroku shook his head. "It's not so far-fetched. Bankotsu had youki because of the defiled Shikon shards he had stuck in his blade, Banryuu. But Katsuseki can't have the jewel…"
"That's right. We gathered the shards and Kagome-chan took it home after…" Sango stopped suddenly. Inuki frowned. "What? After what?"
"The Shikon no Tama doesn't work anymore," Kagome told him blankly, "When Inuyasha was dying I tried to use it to save him. Something came out of the jewel and went into him, and ever since the Shikon no Tama has been nothing more than a little glass ball. There's no aura, no glow, nothing."
"Oh…" Inuki mouthed, looking down. Then he looked up. "Well I dunno. What I do know is that he's not just any ordinary human. But he is human. There's something else that we haven't seen yet."
"I think you're right," Miroku agreed. Inuki nodded. As he did he noticed Kagome leaning against him, eyes sad. He leaned back, forcing her to sit up and look at him. "Do you want to go home?" he asked softly and she nodded.
The hanyou stood and helped Kagome to her feet, then looked at the others. "We'll be back soon. We've gotta get this dealt with, soon."
"Right. You two take care." Miroku gave a little wave as he watched them depart. Once the pair had made their way out of the hut, Sango looked down. "Damn that Katsuseki. Drudging up all this mess."
"I don't know," Miroku said thoughtfully, and Sango looked up at him in surprise. "You 'don't know?' What's not to know?"
"Perhaps it's better like this… If Kagome-sama gets closure about Inuyasha's death… she can move on." Miroku looked up at his wife. "The way Inuyasha never was able to."
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: Omg, plot! I thought I saw a hint of one earlier in the story, but yep that's a plot. I bet my life on it. ^-^ I love Sadako, she's one of the better villains Ive created. And yeah that's the name of the little girl in the original Japanese "Ring." And while my Sada is a little girl just like the original Sada-- they're nothing alike. (I hope; the Japanese Ring didn't make any sense to me…)
Anyway, when I was drawing my Sada, and trying to name her, for the life of me I couldn't think of anything that fit, until I came across that name. Instantly it clicked and I had to name her that. I may be able to have some art of her up on deviant soon if you guys wanna see~
Please review~ okie, ja~!
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
~Tessen
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Inuki
Chapter Fifteen :: Katsuseki's Goal
Kagome pulled away from the young man, blushing slightly. She hadn't even realized what she was doing until she had; it was that natural. Mentally she berated herself, 'He's not Inuyasha, not Inuyasha.' She clasped her hands together, shoulders drooping. She hated feeling this way. It was wrong to treat Yashagawa-kun like she would have Inuyasha, but it was so hard, especially when nothing he did made him unique.
She turned. "How are your wounds? Are you alright?"
"Fine…" Inuki replied, still terribly embarrassed by her gesture. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate her show of gratitude --or that he didn't like it-- but where she'd chosen to be, wrapped around his head, was… awkward. He looked up at her. "Just some bruised ribs. I'll be okay."
She nodded at him, acknowledging that, and took a few steps towards the well. "We should get back home." Inuki nodded at her back and stood, pulling Tessaiga out of the ground. The great sword changed back into the rusted samurai blade it usually resembled, and the boy looked at it with surprise.
"It changed back…"
Kagome turned to look at him and nodded, confirming his words. "Tessaiga is Inuyasha's sword. Only a hanyou can touch it; there's a barrier that prevents youkai from even setting a finger on it."
At that, Inuki frowned, slamming the blade back into its sheathe. He gazed at it, eyes narrowed. It was Inuyasha's damned sword. That made him angry, and he wasn't completely sure why.
He knew that something in him had longed for the rusted old sword and that same thing had rejoiced at the feeling it in his hands, as if he had held it once before and lost it. It felt familiar in his hands; the weight of it, the feel of the wooden sheathe. His lips drooped into a pout as he caught up to Kagome's side. He sighed and handed it back to her. "You probably want this back, huh?"
"Uh," Kagome managed, taking it back in surprise. She looked down at it and then back up at Inuki. "Yashagawa-kun, you don't want it?"
"It ain't mine," Inuki told her, waving a general backwards in her general direction as he trudged towards the well. He heard the rustling of grass as she followed slowly, several steps behind him. Inuki cursed under his breath, finding himself hardly caring that Kagome was… well whatever she was.
She'd grown quiet, as if he'd hurt her feelings by giving back the sword. Or let her down maybe. *As if I cared whether or not she's disappointed in me,* he thought, rubbing the place where his ribs ached from the snake youkai's strike. Yeah, those were definitely bruised.
"Well if you don't want it, I'll gladly take it."
At this new voice the pair of teenagers looked up, swiftly glancing around them for the source of the voice. It took a moment, but their eyes eventually fell upon a tall figure standing in the trees. He was young, perhaps a little older than them, and he was dressed elaborately in fancy silks and heavy armor in the style of a highly-decorated warrior.
He had a very pretty face framed by blood red hair pulled back in a high ponytail. His eyes the same sharp green the snake's had been. Long nails ended each finger, but however elaborate and otherworldly he looked, he had human ears. Had it not been for the ears Kagome would have been sure he was a youkai, considering the jyaki he was giving off. He looked as harmless as Miroku --which, considering his past, wasn't that harmless-- but by the cynical smirk on his face, it was almost certain he was an enemy.
"Who the hell are you?" Inuki demanded, and the man dropped to the ground slowly, his boots setting down on the grass with a soft rustle. He knelt at the snake's side, running his hands over the scales. His expression shifted to something slightly sad as he looked over the snake's corpse. "You bastard," he said pitifully, "Hebi-chan was my favorite pet and you've killed her."
"I said who the hell are you, you whiny bitch," Inuki repeated. The man looked at them, and the sad look fell away, replaced by a wide grin. "My name is Katsuseki. And I've come for the Tessaiga."
Inuki snorted. "Come for it? Like we're just going to hand it over? How stupid are you?"
"Besides," Kagome began, hugging the sword to her chest, "Youkai can't use it."
Katsuseki stood, taking a few steps forward. "Little miko… You've been away too long." With a sudden burst of speed he shot forward, his face inches from hers. Kagome let out a squeak, stepping back, but the man caught her shoulder, holding her still. One long fingernail traced down her cheekbone. "Can't you tell I'm not a youkai?"
Inuki ran forward with a growl, shoving Katsuseki away from Kagome, and stepping between them. "Lay another hand on her and I promise you'll be choking on knuckles in an instant."
"My my, touchy, aren't we?" Katsuseki said with a smile. "Of course, why wouldn't you be threatened. She's your woman, after all."
"What did you say?"
The other man looked surprised. The smile turned condescending, and his voice softened, as if he were speaking to a child. "That IS a surprise. Didn't she tell you? You're the reincarnation of her mutt."
Inuki growled and Kagome's face tightened in anger. "Inuyasha was not a mutt!! Besides, how did you know?! Even I'm not sure--"
"Oh, I'm sure." Katsuseki replied, placing one hand on his hip. He looked Inuki in the eye. "After all it was I called for your rebirth, Inuyasha."
Inuki raised one eyebrow, confused. "What?"
"Katsuseki!!!"
All eyes turned towards the village, where Sango and Miroku were coming through the trees. Sango carried Hiraikotsu at her back, and on one shoulder, Miroku held Kagome's quiver and bow. Katsuseki grinned widely at their threatening expressions. "The houshi and his little wife. How amusing. How'd you know I was here?"
"Your aura is stained with that horrible jyaki," Miroku told him, "Even a normal human would be sickened by the evil you possess."
At the houshi's words, Katsuseki bowed with a large smile. "Thank you for the compliment."
"Jyaki or not," Inuki growled, "This bastard's all human. Why do you want the Tessaiga??" Before Katsuseki could reply, Miroku raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Tessaiga?" The houshi's face grew angry. "Is that why?! Why you've terrorized this village? Why you…" He stopped suddenly, glancing over at Kagome. This wasn't the way he wanted to tell her. But Katsuseki did it instead.
"Why I went rummaging through Inuyasha's grave?"
The young miko's face paled. Her hands clenched around Tessaiga's sheathe, trembling. "You.. what??"
Katsuseki nodded once, his smile widening. "I did. I ripped open the earth where you had laid that mangled body of his and searched it. I guess you could call me a graverobber of sorts. But I was looking for that." He gestured at Tessaiga. The smile grew deceptively warm.
"Oh, Kagome," he said softly, "How much Inuyasha's changed in the six months since he dropped dead. His hair had worms in it. Those pretty clothes you all put him in to send him on his way to the afterlife were all weathered and dirty."
Pools of tears quivered in her brown eyes, her lips trembling as she grated out, "Stop it."
"Worst of all was the stink. Not just because he was a dog. But have you ever smelled decomposing flesh? It's disgusting."
"STOP IT!"
The cry came not from Kagome, but from Inuki. The hanyou rushed forward, raking his claws down Katsuseki's side. The armor on his left side cracked and fell to piece, hanging off, but Inuki wasn't finished. The other came up just as quickly, catching Katsuseki's face.
The human was oddly quick, backstepping swiftly enough to avoid having his head chopping in two. Instead there was only a thin line of blood running from his temple to his jaw. He smiled. "You're not so tough. Inuyasha was stronger."
He struck out with his fist, slamming Inuki in the jaw. The hanyou boy went down with a grunt of pain, but dug his claws into the soft dirt, pushing himself back up and using his momentum to bring his leg up in a hard kick. His heel trashed the right side of Katsuseki's face, and the man cursed, not having seen the move coming.
Inuki finished the almost cartwheel he'd executed and once back on his feet rushed forward, fists ready. He lunged forward and Katsuseki dodged to the side. In the one instant of his dodge, his eyes blazed as red as his hair.
Inuki felt something swell up from his attacker, and paused for that instant, confused. *Humans don't have youki--*
Katsuseki swiped forward, his long nails aimed for Inuki's face. The hanyou pushed himself to the side, but wasn't quite quick enough to dodge Katsuseki's attack completely. Kagome let out a frightened cry when she saw the human's long nails connect. Sango tensed, her hand tightening on Hiraikotsu's tether. "Inuki!!"
"Wait," Miroku said, putting out his hand to stop his wife, and she paused. Inuki brought his knee up into Katsuseki's chest, and the human coughed, backing away. Free for a moment, Inuki stood to his full height, and it was then Kagome saw the "damage" Katsuseki had inflicted.
Inuki's long black hair now just barely brushed the back of his shoulders. His braid had been cut loose, and it lay on the ground, still braided and tied. Inuki reached back and ran a few fingers through the uneven ends, surprised by it. Then he looked up. "Is that all the damage you can do? You gave me a haircut?"
Katsuseki frowned. "I'm going easy on you. You think you could handle my full strength??"
At this Inuki smirked. "By all means, kick my ass."
Katsuseki's eyes blazed at Inuki's insolent remark. The man lowered himself, readying to charge, but before he got very far, a solitary voice echoed throughout the clearing.
*Katsuseki, no!!* The small group paused, and Katsuseki stopped so suddenly he almost whiplashed himself. "But, Sada…"
*NO!* roared the voice, and to Kagome it sounded much like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Katsuseki stopped, pulling himself up to full height, as the voice continued. *Now is not the time to be angry. Come back now.*
Katsuseki sighed and turned his eyes back to Inuki. The red orbs faded back to the piercing green they had been moments ago. "I'll be back," he warned the group, his body beginning to fade. Before it faded completely, Inuki smirked at him. "I'll be ready."
And then he was gone. Inuki hung his head, breathing out heavily. *Living in this era is like living in a freaking war zone,* he thought, before pausing, *Of course, this is the Sengoku-jidai… the warring era…*
"Makes sense," he said aloud, then turned, noticing his black braid on the grass. Oh yeah, that bastard had cut his hair. He knelt, picking it up. It was weird how light his head felt without the weight of his thick hair, and one hand reached back to play with the loose strands. Kagome went to him.
"Are you alright?" she asked softly, and he shrugged. "Fine. I'm not hurt or anything. What about you?"
Kagome looked down, shaking her head. "I wasn't hurt."
"That's not what I meant." She looked up at him in surprise and the boy blushed slightly, looking away. "That Katsuseki bastard was just trying to hurt you. So.. don't let it get to you, okay?"
Kagome smiled and nodded. "Thank you."
~*~
Katsuseki cursed as he discarded his ruined armor. It had been his favorite set, and now he would have to hunt down some unsuspecting samurai and beat him out of his. And still it probably couldn't match the style of that particular armor.
*Damn inuhanyou,* he thought to himself, *If we didn't need him so goddamned bad I would have killed him.*
*Now now,* said the voice from before, *Do be nice. Inuki is a virgin at this. When we teach him in the art of pain, it must be slow and painful so that he will learn correctly.*
Katsuseki's face softened. "Sada… you are right."
He descended the stone steps to the lower levels of the castle they had taken over, passing through a large barrier. The bottom level was a plain room, empty of all things except in the middle. The middle was a raised section, rather large, surrounded by bamboo rolls. The room was dim due to the few lights. Katsuseki moved aside a roll and stepped inside, walking across the raised tatami to the girl who sat in the middle. He knelt in front of her.
She was small, perhaps 8 or 9 years old, and she looked up at him with blank cream-colored eyes. She was plainly dressed, her pale orange hair sticking out in wild directions. One hand reached up to touch his face, wavering as though blind. Katsuseki took the hand and settled it gently on his cheek.
*I missed you,* she told him silently, and he nodded. "I know you did. I'm sorry I was gone so long, Sadako."
She smiled at him, her mouth widening enough to see that she had a mouth full of pointed canine teeth… and no tongue.
~*~
"I'm sorry, Kagome-sama," Miroku began, looking at the floor. "We had hoped to mention this later… or maybe not at all…" At his side, Sango raised her eyes to look at Kagome's face. The young woman was sitting in a heap at Inuki's side, knees drawn up and her arms hugging them.
She looked prepared for the worst, even though there was nothing Miroku, Sango or Kaede could say that would lessen the horrible images of Inuyasha that Katsuseki's words had conjured up. When Miroku began to speak, Kagome's face angered slightly. "I have a right to know! You can't keep that sort of information from me!"
Sango softened. "Kagome-chan, we had hoped he wouldn't come back… Which is why we weren't going to tell you at all… We thought it best not to disturb things if he had no intention of returning, but he did."
Miroku nodded. "It was no more than 2 weeks ago when Katsuseki defiled Inuyasha's gravesite. We came upon him as he was going through it."
"We had gone to pay our respects, as we always do. The ground was badly stirred and his body moved. Katsuseki had taken nothing from the grave or from his body itself, but it had most definitely been rummaged through. And he was standing there just looking at us."
"He did not tell us what it was he searched for; he simply told us he would return," Miroku concluded. At Kagome's side, Inuki cursed under his breath. "And now it seems he was looking for Tessaiga."
"The question now is, for what purpose does a human need Inuyasha's demon blade?" Kaede pondered. Miroku nodded. "Tessaiga does not react without youki. Tessaiga would be a worthless blade to Katsuseki."
"No."
At that, all of them looked at Inuki. The hanyou shook his head again. "That Katsu bastard has youki. It came in shifts. While I was fighting him, he… did something. And I felt youki come from him."
"A human with youki?" Sango repeated incredulously. Miroku shook his head. "It's not so far-fetched. Bankotsu had youki because of the defiled Shikon shards he had stuck in his blade, Banryuu. But Katsuseki can't have the jewel…"
"That's right. We gathered the shards and Kagome-chan took it home after…" Sango stopped suddenly. Inuki frowned. "What? After what?"
"The Shikon no Tama doesn't work anymore," Kagome told him blankly, "When Inuyasha was dying I tried to use it to save him. Something came out of the jewel and went into him, and ever since the Shikon no Tama has been nothing more than a little glass ball. There's no aura, no glow, nothing."
"Oh…" Inuki mouthed, looking down. Then he looked up. "Well I dunno. What I do know is that he's not just any ordinary human. But he is human. There's something else that we haven't seen yet."
"I think you're right," Miroku agreed. Inuki nodded. As he did he noticed Kagome leaning against him, eyes sad. He leaned back, forcing her to sit up and look at him. "Do you want to go home?" he asked softly and she nodded.
The hanyou stood and helped Kagome to her feet, then looked at the others. "We'll be back soon. We've gotta get this dealt with, soon."
"Right. You two take care." Miroku gave a little wave as he watched them depart. Once the pair had made their way out of the hut, Sango looked down. "Damn that Katsuseki. Drudging up all this mess."
"I don't know," Miroku said thoughtfully, and Sango looked up at him in surprise. "You 'don't know?' What's not to know?"
"Perhaps it's better like this… If Kagome-sama gets closure about Inuyasha's death… she can move on." Miroku looked up at his wife. "The way Inuyasha never was able to."
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: Omg, plot! I thought I saw a hint of one earlier in the story, but yep that's a plot. I bet my life on it. ^-^ I love Sadako, she's one of the better villains Ive created. And yeah that's the name of the little girl in the original Japanese "Ring." And while my Sada is a little girl just like the original Sada-- they're nothing alike. (I hope; the Japanese Ring didn't make any sense to me…)
Anyway, when I was drawing my Sada, and trying to name her, for the life of me I couldn't think of anything that fit, until I came across that name. Instantly it clicked and I had to name her that. I may be able to have some art of her up on deviant soon if you guys wanna see~
Please review~ okie, ja~!
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
~Tessen