Kagome's walk was a little disoriented from time to time, for she found it not a all easy to walk with her heavy burden. Inuyasha usually supported her whenever she really needed it, but for the most part Kagome talked her way out of the extra help. It was nine months after Souta had died and now Kagome carried an unborne child in her womb, the child that she and Inuyasha conceived the fourth night after Souta's passing. Though Miroku and Shippo really bugged Inuyasha about it at a constant rate, Inuyasha usually found a way around them with words, but sometimes he just ended up cussing and fighting with Shippo.
This was one such time.
"The fuck I should care what you think, you fucking moron of a fox!" Inuyasha barked viciously at Shippo, whose tail was fluffed with anger.
"Oi, Inuyasha! A future father shouldn't be saying that kind of crap!" Shippo yipped back, his tail swaying back and forth.
"You think I give a flying fuck about your opinions? I can say whatever the hell I want!"
"Then why don't you say something intelligent for once, dog!"
"The fuck you say kisama?"
"You heard me idiot!"
"Grr… I'm going to fucking kill you!" Inuyasha and Shippo began fighting each other once again. Shippo, being so small, easily avoided Inuyasha's claws but was still eligible to be caught by the tail. Inuyasha finally caught him by the tail, but while doing so, Shippo bit his hand.
"Fuck! You little prick!" Inuyasha growled and was just about at the ends of his temper when Kagome intervened.
"Inuyasha."
Inuyasha instantly froze at Kagome's voice and Shippo did the same, but not for the same reason.
"O-suwari," Kagome said simply. Inuyasha collided into the ground with a muffled "Shit!" and Shippo trotted over to the small crater Inuyasha was in.
"Ha! Inuyasha, you should keep you temper in check." Shippo chided.
"Shut up…" was all Inuyasha could muster as a response.
---
Later on, the group began to approach the village they were heading for when Inuyasha's twitched and he began to sniff the air agitatedly. Kagome looked at him curiously.
"What's wrong Inuyasha?" Kagome inquired as Inuyasha mumbled to himself.
"There's blood in the air." He replied. "There's heavy blood in the air coming from the village and…" he paused a moment then went slightly pale in the face.
Fuck! Kikyou's here too! Inuyasha thought detachedly. I can't put up with this now and there's a… a Youkai here! Shit!
Inuyasha quickly made out in a sprint as his instincts overpowered his reason, as usual. Kagome trotted a couple steps after him, but could never keep up so stopped and called after him: "Inuyasha! Where are you going?" But he was already too far.
Miroku turned to Sango. "Watch over Kagome, Sango," he said simply and ran after Inuyasha before Sango could reply.
Kirara transformed into her larger fighting form and allowed Sango to load Kagome onto her back and the group followed suit after Miroku and Inuyasha. Whatever it was, they knew it wasn't good at all.
As they approached the river nearest to the village, they found the hollow shell of was once Kikyou, but Inuyasha was nowhere in sight. Neither was Miroku.
Inuyasha must have gone onto the village filled with rage, finding Kikyou like that. Kagome thought to herself as the continued onward toward the village. If only Inuyasha could just move on instead of being so attached to her, but it's really hard to do that. I know.
Kirara padded into the village and the four gazed in horror at the devastated village. The ground was soaked in crimson, pools of blood gathering in the crevices of rocks. Dead and dying decorated the ground with their patterns of dismantled limbs and impaled body parts. They could see Miroku tending to one of the wounded men who was dying and could tell immediately that the young man wasn't going to live very much longer. Inuyasha was a little farther off, looking about the village for the one who had caused all of this pain for the village as well as for himself.
"This is terrible," Sango said finally, after a moment of silence.
"Yeah…" Kagome agreed softly. So much pain…
Miroku sighed and looked back at the group. "It's terrible. They say a young woman did this, but they can't give anything more than that. It's obviously a Youkai, but who or where it has gone is still a mystery." Miroku shook his head. "We should give the dead a proper burial before we leave though."
Sango nodded her agreement and went off to help the monk give the dead proper burial rights.
---
Night fell before the task was finished, and since there was no one in the village that was able to offer them a place to stay (though Miroku suggested that the village was now basically deserted and there wouldn't be anyone to object to their staying) they once again were left to sleep under the stars. Inuyasha had come over to where they were and sat to rest, though his mind was still wandering. Sango and Miroku had gone back to the village to finish the task of giving the villagers a proper burial. Kirara hadn't joined them to the request of Sango as well as Kohaku. Shippo stayed beside Inuyasha and Kagome as well, but only because he wasn't as useful and he really enjoyed Kagome's company, even if it meant he had to put up with Inuyasha's blunt stupidity.
After finishing their work, Sango and Miroku walked about on the outskirts of the village. Under the sliver of the crescent moon, they found a serene forest and began strolling through there. The small amount of moonlight filtered through the canopy of leaves tranquilly, making the forest peaceful and inviting.
As they walked through the forest, they talked quietly, quite at ease in the silence of the forest. They had both been in places where they wished they weren't, for the sake of their own sanity. But this particular evening, the forest seemed very inviting and welcoming for the two.
"Houshi-sama, don't you think that it was odd that the village was so torn apart as it was when we found it?" Sango asked suddenly, stopping to think.
Miroku turned around and gazed back at her. "It was quite strange to find the village like that, after Naraku had been defeated and the wars across the lands over." He stopped to think about the question himself. "Actually, it seemed as though a Youkai had done that, but there wasn't really a trace of a Youkai in the village at all."
Sango nodded. "It would seem as though a Youkai would have done it, the way the blood was strewn about." she trailed off and looked over to Miroku. "Is it possible it may still be near the village?"
"Quite possible," Miroku agreed, folding his arms in thought. "Unfortunately though, we've no idea which way it went after it had finished off the village." Miroku paused and was about to start again, when a soft rustling in the forest made him catch his words.
They both readied themselves and turn their attention to where the rustling had come from, ready for what they thought as their Youkai suspect. But, out of the bushes came a little kitsune who looked tired and not at all in a good mood. Sango and Miroku sighed and looked at Shippo.
"Shippo-chan, what are you doing here? You're not supposed to follow us," Sango said, eyeing him.
"Oi, I know. But I can't stand that idiot-of-a-Hanyou Inuyasha!" Shippo yipped, letting out a sigh. "He always picks on me, and I just couldn't take it any longer!" Shippo's tail whipped back and forth with agitation.
Miroku sighed with exasperation, but he knew he couldn't drive Shippo back. "Oh, fine Shippo. You can stay with us for a while."
"Okay!" Shippo hopped up onto Miroku's shoulder and they continued about the forest, wondering where the Youkai culprit may be.
---
R'rai'irn watched the two humans and the little kitsune Youkai as they walked about in the forest. My forest… she thought bitterly. Those disgusting humans and their kitsune pet are in my forest! She growled under her breath, as she watched them walk and talk quietly about the village and other people who seem to be friends that were residing elsewhere. Well I can take care of their allies later, but for now, I can get them for being in my forest!
With cat-like stealth, she crept behind them, following their every step to make it even less conspicuous. Then she stopped just as they stopped, the kitsune saying something to the human who looked like a wandering monk.
"Miroku, don't you think we should be going back soon?" The kitsune asked.
The monk "Miroku" nodded. "Yeah, you're right Shippo. It is getting to be very late and we'll need our rest."
R'rai'irn's fur stood on end. Strike now, stupid Youkai! R'rai'irn crouched and her muscles tensed to their extremes. Then she leapt.
The kitsune heard her, his tail fluffing up in alarm. "Miroku look out! There's something behind us!" The monk turned and shifted to the side just in time to avoid the claws of the Youkai.
R'rai'irn turned and faced the three with burning emerald eyes. Her tail lashed violently from side to side and her lips curled back in a snarl. The three just stared at her startled but that disappeared quickly, as they readied to fight her in the next moment.
R'rai'irn flexed her claws, her bronze cat-ears twitching. "How fascinating. Humans and a kitsune in my forest. Well, this'll be fun."
The woman with them just scoffed at R'rai'irn's statement. "You think we'll let you get through us any farther than you are already? Hah."
R'rai'irn's fur prickled with rage. How dare that human scum treat me like trash! Her tail lashed with more violence as she yowled with rage. Before any of the three could respond, R'rai'irn was in the air again, leaping towards the woman, who in turn threw her bone-boomerang at the leaping Youkai. Her boomerang found its mark as R'rai'irn was flung backwards by the weapon, making her smash against a nearby tree. R'rai'irn was dazed for a moment but quickly regained her composure as she stood up again ready to strike once more.
The woman launched the huge boomerang once more, but this time R'rai'irn used it as a launch pad, leaping onto the flying boomerang and launching herself off of it. She landed a successful blow against the woman and turned toward Miroku and Shippo. Miroku had already readied himself, using his staff for defense as R'rai'irn clawed at him.
"Shippo! Get out of here!" Miroku yelled, avoiding a blow to his head.
Shippo nodded and leapt away, running on all fours to get back to where Kagome and the others were.
R'rai'irn saw him and quickly turned after the kitsune. "You aren't getting away!" she snarled, lashing out at Shippo with her claws. Blood splashed against the trees and the ground about as Shippo squeaked weakly, hitting the ground with a sickening thud.
"Shippo!" Miroku and Sango shouted in unison, but there was nothing they could do. Things were beginning to fall apart.
R'rai'irn turned toward them with a wry smile. "Just try to get away."
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