Ch.18: Katsuro

The men were all standing in a group together, the only light was the light shining down from the moon and the stars. Inuyasha couldn't see the men's faces because they were covered by black masks, as the wrest of their bodies were covered in black clothing. But they were ninja's. He eased up a little closer so that he could gather better little details about what they smelled like and such.

"I don't see why we're heading back to a place that no longer exists!" Someone yelled. It was a voice from a younger adult male, maybe nineteen, twenty.

"We're going back tomarrow morning, that's that." Another man spoke up, his voice deep and powerful. The first guy growled under his breath and clinched his fists.

"Why can't we just move to another area? Nothing is left for us there! Everyone has di-"

"Be quiet!" The second older man yelled. "We are going back to redue all which Naraku has undone. We will rebuild a newer, better place on top of our older one. Trust me, Katsuro, (Victorious Son) it will be much finer than the first."

Katsuro bowed his head down. Inuyasha noted that this guy was very angry with this. That was the position he himself would strike in battle when a demon insulted him highly, and he had to keep his cool.

Once the leader finished talking, he turned his back to the group.

"I'm off to sleep now, I suggest you do the same. We're leaving early tomarrow."

He walked into a nearby hut, and two of the others in the group followed. One man remained with Katsuro.

"I don't entirely agree with rebuilding on top of our old village, Katsuro, but I wouldn't upset our lord if I were you."

"He's :your: lord, my father." Katsuro retorted bitterly. Then the two of them began talking. Inuyasha sighed. Maybe they weren't as dangerous as he had thought. But still, his instincts were telling him deep down that they were, somehow. But he didn't see how, and so he ignored them having witnessed that they were only passing through this village and that they were no concern to him or Kagome.

"Katsuro?"

"Sh. I heard it too."

They stood quiet for a minute, listening. When no noises came, they relaxed.

"It's probably just a stupid dog or squirrel." The man who wasn't Katsuro said.

"Hrm.."

Inuyasha turned his back to them with a smirk evident on his face, he began to walk away from them. He wasn't quite ready to go home yet, either. He had walked to far away from the to hear them begin to talk again...

"Damn I hate being in human form. I can't hear or smell anything!" The second man complained.

"Stop griping...we'll only be like this until we leave here."

Inuyasha began jogging until he was out of the village, and into the forest. He hopped up into one of the highest branches of his "Goshinboku tree" so that he could relax.

Inuyasha laid down on the highest branch, with his head propped up against the trunk of the tree, and watched the stars, loving the fresh crisp air up where he was, and enjoying the nice view he got of the sky, and the treetops which stretched on for miles.

He could even see smoke rising from the village Kagome was staying in.

'Kagome...'

Inuyasha glanced up at the sparkling stars in the sky as he thought of her, his anger with her begining to slowly slip away.

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"Well Katsuro, i'm goin' to sleep."

"All right Nibori." Nibori turned to walk inside the hut and stopped at the door, once again turned to face Katsuro.

"Have you found any ladies you wanted to take back with us?"

"Hm...there was one lovely lady I saw earlier. She was wearing a short little green kimono...the shortest i'v ever seen...but she was with a-" His voice hardened. "white dog-demon."

"I remember seeing those two earlier!" Nibori replied with amazement.

"Yah, I made eye-contact with the girl and the dog." Katsuro replied with arrogance. "But what the hell, if you don't mind me asking, is a white dog doing here in this village?" Asked Katsuro.

"Maybe the same as us?"

"Doubt it...didn't all of them stick together and flee to the mountains?"

"Maybe they left one?"

"At any cost.." Katsuro began, his voice firm and overiding Nibori's. "I think he know's something's up with us. When he saw me, he had a look of knowing to him..."

"Are we gonna jump him?"

"Nah...not now anyways. I'm tired and stressed and I just..." He trailed off and sighed. "Need to relax." He put his hands on his back and popped it.

"Hey..." He put his finger to his chin. "Do you think that girl was traveling with him? They were standing offly close...and why arn't the people in this village afraid of him?" Nibori asked. Katsuro narrowed his eyes in frustation.

"Fuck! Hell if I know this shit, just go to sleep and quit asking me!" He ordered. Nibori glared back.

"Just wonderin'." He grumbled, turned his head and walked inside of the hut.

Katsuro decided to go explore the village on his own. He didn't need the wrest of his pack to do that simple task. He began walking down one of the dirt roads, taking notes on this human village.

How did they survive, these little humans, when they were so weak...how were they still not dead over the centuries of demon attacks...he did not understand. They had no special powers of their own, and they might as well not have any sences of their own too.

'What a weak race!' He thought.

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Kagome was safe and sound inside of Kaede's, laying on the wooden floor of the hut on her stomach while she studied her algebra book to pass the time as she waited for Inuyasha.

Her anger with him had cooled down now, and she was getting worried. It turned out that Kaede's magical little gift to Kagome was a small bracelet with light pink beads around it that supposedly protected innocent people from any kinds of dark and evil powers. Kagome's hand found it's way to the item and her fingers played with the little beads...

'Maybe I shouldn't have yelled at him the way I did...' Her thoughts strayed back to Inuyasha once again. 'Oh no! I'v got to concentrate on this...' She tapped her pencil agetatedly on her algebra book as she ran an impatient hand through her hair.

She let go of the pencil and watched it fall to the floor. Kagome then grabbed her head and fisted her hands in her hair in frustration.

'I'v missed so many of my math classes that I can't even figure this stuff out on my own anymore..!'

She looked around the hut and found Shippou curled up, sleeping innocently in her sleeping bag, and Kaede snoozing with a pink comfertor Kagome had brought back for her from her time.

"It looks like your gonna sleep out in the woods tonight, arn't you Inuyasha?" She whispered sadly to no one. 'Then I might as well go to sleep too..'

Kagome grabbed her toothpaste,a bottle of water, and her toothbrush and walked outside with them. When she first stepped outside she shivered. The weather was beginning to grow colder now that the end of fall was close by. She wanted to get done with this quickly so that she could go back inside the nice warmth of Kaede's hut.

She stood beside the hut and brushed her teeth.

When she was done, she took her water and got alittle in her mouth and swished it around. She spat it out on the ground and whiped her mouth off with her arm, then was done with that for the night.

She looked up at the sky and noticed all of the stars winking down at her. They gave her a moment of peace and comfort on the inside, and she wondered if Inuyasha was looking up at the same sky at that moment.

She heard some leaves crunch in the distance.

'Most likely not.' She thought as she was drawn suddenly out of her daydream by the odd sound. She looked behind her, but no one was there.

"Inuyasha?"

Her question was answered by the still cold air and the chirping crickets. Kagome took a step back. "Maybe it was just a cat or something..." 'Or Kurishuna!' Her body automatically froze in fear of what was coming.

"Hey!" Came a friendly guy's voice. She looked off into that direction and saw a guy about Miroku's age walking out of the shadows, smiling friendly. Kagome watched him warily.

'Who would be out at this time of night? He's dressed all in black, no wonder I couldn't see him. He's one of those ninja guys isn't he?' Then, as he came closer to her, she noticed his blue eyes and she remembered that he was the one she had made eye contact with earlier.

"Um...Can I help you with something?" She questioned uneasily as he stopped maybe a foot or more in front of her.

He thought about how he could get her away from here...he had decided that she was the one he was going to bring back with him. Whether by force or not, it was going to be up to her.

"Yah...I am only staying here with my family for one night, but then I went out for a drink of water from the well and now I can't seem to find my way back, since you seem to be the only person awake could you help me back?" Kagome stared at him, sizing him up.

"Aren't you a ninja?" She prodded.

"I'm a ninja in training." He lied again.

"I see, because I thought ninja's were very skilled and never got lost, but I guess it makes sence since your only in training." She smiled friendly up at him.

She put her finger to her chin. "Now, I suppose since your only visiting that your staying at our guest house...I'll lead you there."

He nodded.

As they were walking through the dark, Kagome began to feel uneasy because she could feel his eyes on the back of her the whole time. She just wanted to get him there and get back to Kaede's. Or bump into Inuyasha.

As if on que he asked out loud...

"I saw a demon-dog walking around in this village earlier, and I seem to recall that you were traveling with him?"

"Yes?" Kagome replied.

"Were you traveling with him?" Kagome didn't reply to his question as she thought about what to say. When she finally figured that he was probably just curious she answered him.

"Well sure, i'v known him for awhile now."

"Who is he then?" She glanced back at him.

"Why do you want to know so badly?"

"Well it is uncommon to see demons of any sort walking innocently around a human village."

"His name is Inuyasha, like I said, i'v known him for awhile now and so has this village. He's kinda like my--er- our protector."

Katsuro's heart stopped beating and his body froze as his mind repeated the name 'Inuyasha'.

'As in the great lord Inutaisho's son?' He thought.

"Hey, Are you ok?" She asked as she noticed she had left him standing way back there. Kagome walked back to him and put her hand comfortingly on his arm.

He glanced down at the hand that was touching him, and then up to her face. He was just barely able to shake off his shock.

"I'm fine. I'v just...heard of him."

"Oh yes, he's very well-known around here!" She told him laughingly. Now she felt some-what more secure with this guy because he knew that she was in league with Inuyasha. They began to walk down the dark dirt road once again in silence...Then Kagome saw the little guest building they had built for when new people came for an overnight visit.

"This is it." She told him.

Katsuro narrowed his eyes in concentration. Should he take her now, or should he take her at all? This was his perfect chance but, risking getting into a fight with the all to well known white dog Inuyasha was not a good thing at all...Wait...why would he care if he took a human girl from him? Then again...she had just said that Inuyasha was like this village's guardian.

Katsuro turned his eyes towards Kagome.

"Hey, thanks for showing me here. Can you make it back by yourself all right?"

"Oh sure, i'm not scared." Kagome bluffed. "Inuyasha is watching over me."

"Well, is he watching over you, or the village?"

"Uh..."

"I mean, do you two have a special relationship?"

"Well, we've been friends for awhile.."

"I mean, more than just friends?" He saw her begin to blush. He could tell she was unsure of what to say next. Maybe he could chance stealing her and bringing her back to his home with them. "Never mind that, sorry I asked." He began to walk inside and then turned around to her again. "Hey um, it's kinda cold out here. Are you sure you wouldn't want to come in and drink some tea with me?"

Kagome shifted her weight onto her other foot unsurely. She didn't want to turn down his offer and be rude, but she didn't want to follow him inside either.

She glanced up at the trees, and thought of Inuyasha. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, and she was inside of Kaede's safe village anyways, what would it hurt?

She followed him inside of the hut.

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'What am I gonna do with my life now that Naraku and Kikyou are gone...' His eyes glazed over slightly as he thought about Kikyou, and the fact that there were no more adventures left for him. 'I'm glad for her that her soul has been saved...maybe I can go around and kill a few more demons who have grudges on me?' He flexed his claws and swung his hand testingly through the air once, while smirking.

Feeling satisfied, he relaxed again.

'What about Kagome? Is it really time for us to move to the next level?' He shifted around on his branch, deeply in thought.

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Once she was inside of the guest hut, she looked around the room and noticed four other bodies asleep on the floor. She felt slightly uneasy being in here with all of these men...

"Their just my family." He whispered all friendly-like. "their all harmless." Though that was far far from the truth. Kagome smiled up at him, trying to hide her uneasiness.

"That's nice, where are you guys headed?" She whispered, trying not to wake anyone.

She thought she saw anger flash through his eyes, but she must have imagined it because now he was standing before her, his eyes all glazed over. "Sorry I asked." She apologized quickly.

"No, no. It's all fine. You know of that demon Naraku right?"

"Yes..." She watched him put a pot over the small fire and the water quickly began to boil.

"He destroyed our home of ninja's. He slaughtered everyone, and so us, the only survivors fled across the sea to China."

"Wow...i'm so sorry...And so now your going back?"

"Yes..." He moved the pot off of the hot fire and began adding ingredients to make tea, but little did Kagome know he added a powerful drug that would supposedly knock someone completely out within three minutes from just a little sip of it.

He handed Kagome a cup of the warm steaming tea, and added a sweat smile just to make sure she'd drink it without questions.

But Kagome held it in her hands and stared up at him.

"I have a friend that that same thing happened to. Her name is Sango, but now that Naraku is defeated she too has returned to her old home, and everything is fine for her now." Kagome reasured him.

"I'm glad." He forced himself to sound nice and swallowed down some of his hot tea. He tried not to grimace as he did it, he hated the stuff. Kagome watched him do it and she too took a sip of the warm steaming tea.

"So i'm sure it will be fi-" Her vision suddenly grew blurry, and the room started spinning. She tried to stand up but her legs grew instantly numb and she fell down to the floor. "Help...help me..." She breathed out, but she couldn't tell if she had even said it aloud or not. Her body suddenly felt extremely heavy to her as she felt her entire body go numb.

She was fighting with every ounce of her strength to stay awake, when it hit her...

'I'v been poisoned!' She looked up into those violet eyes, which were staring harshly down at her. How could she have been dumb enough to come into this strangers house? With every last bit of energy that she had...she screamed.

"INU-YASHAAAA!" and blacked out.

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Now Inuyasha sat with his hands behind his head supporting it, while his back was upright against the tree-trunk and his legs were dangling off either side of the tree branch as he straddled it as he formed his plan of how he would get Kagome to take off his rosary when he suddenly got this bad feeling straight down in the pit of his gut that something was really wrong.

He bolted straight up just then...he could have sworn that he heard Kagome call his name...he perked his ears forward, and didn't hear it again.

He tried to relax again but that really bad feeling was there. Inuyasha was positive that there was something wrong going on back in the village with Kagome. He quickly hopped from tree-top to tree-top until he was back at the village and he headed straight for Kaede's hut.