So I've had to deal with a series of unfortunate events in the past while. I've moved, been forced to unpack a million and one things, had a new and harder school to deal with, not to mention a temporary grounding from the computer simply for me to 'get a life' . . . or so I think anyway. The computers at school are off limits to authors (not that they're that great for writing anyway), and I hada bit of a dilemma in getting my work on RftP. I'd feel bad if I didn't get it up at the same time. Ya know how it is. Anyway, enough with excuses and on to more important things.
Disclaimer: I may own enough Inuyasha merchandice to buy the show from VIZ, but honestly. I'm not made of enough money to support it. x.x
"Kagome!" Inuyasha suddenly burst through the trees, leaping right into the center of the fray. "You aren't hurt, are you?"
"No, I'm just fine, but . . ." She gazed around the dogs, the giant leader slowly making its way back to its own master.
Inuyasha growled, eyes narrowed as he looked into the shadows. "I know you're there . . . Lahara . . ."
"Oh, how clever." The figure immerged, hand on her hip and a smirk on her face. "Nice to see you again, Inuyasha."
The woman that had immerged looked like anything but a killer, the only thing giving her away her ice edged silver eyes. She had incredibly long, golden hair, most flowing down to a little above her knees, but the rest was pulled up into two knots on top of her head. The only real proof that she was a demon was the blue star on her forehead, framed by her bangs. Her attire seemed rather out of place, a short, white kimono with small blue patterns hung loosely over her shoulders, and what looked like slightly more modern clothes were on underneath.
She smirked at them all, walking out just behind the dogs.
Kagome glanced at Inuyasha, growling his head off in hatred. "Inuyasha, who is this?"
Before he could answer, however, Miroku stepped forward, eyes slightly puppyish. "Lahara, was it? Would you possibly consider- "
He was cut off by a punch to the back of the head.
"You don't interest me, monk. My only business lies with this hanyou here." She raised a clawed hand, once hidden in the overly long sleeves of the kimono.
"Bring it on anytime, you bitch. I've wanted to murder you for a long time now." Inuyasha's voice was incredibly bitter, memories of his older sister playing in his head.
"Maybe I'd take more of an insult to that if I wasn't a bitch, Inuyasha." She stepped inside the line of dogs, the smirk still in place as her voice changed to a mocking pitch. "But what could I ever have done to make you wish to murder me so badly? Does it have anything to do with that . . . oh . . . what was her name again? Kyouki, was it?"
Inuyasha's growl deepened as he pushed Kagome behind him, the Tetsusaiga practically shaking out of rage in his hands. "Not just Kyouki, you asshole! The others as well!"
'Kyouki?' Kagome gave the hanyou in front of her a concerned look. 'Whose Kyouki?'
"Oh that's right." The female youkai continued her falsely ignorant tone. "I did kill them all, didn't I? It happened so many years ago, I hardly remember anymore."
"You bitch! I'll kill you!" Inuyasha leapt forward, swinging his sword at Lahara wildly.
As if it was nothing, she ducked the thing, then caught the unsharpened edge in her fingers before it got too far away. "Now now, little man. Let's not resort to violence."
Still gripping the Tetsusaiga in one hand, Inuyasha slashed at her with his claws, but she caught his wrist in her hand, digging her own claws deep into his flesh.
Seeing the hanyou struggle, Sango and Miroku stepped in, allowing Kirara to continue to protect Kagome and Shippo from the dogs.
Lahara quickly released Inuyasha to duck and avoid the monk's staff, then leapt out of the circle to evade the demon slayer's katana. She smirked as she landed gracefully on the ground a few feet away. "Well now. It seems like it'll be more difficult to deal with you when I have to concern myself with your companions, Inuyasha."
For once, the hanyou actually didn't start yelling at Sango and Miroku to stay out of his fight, realizing that it would be difficult to do anything without them. 'As long as I get the finishing blow . . .'
The demon yawned widely, setting her hands back on her hips before biting her bottom lip and letting out a horribly piercing whistle that made even the dogs wince as they growled. She blinked out into the trees with a bored expression on her face as if waiting for something, giving the Inu-tachi some time to shake off the shivers that the thing had caused.
Lahara flicked her gaze back over to them, smirking. "Just a whistle and you're down for the count, eh?"
"Just shut the hell up!" Inuyasha shouted, leaping out of the circle of dogs to attack her again, attempting to bring the sword down on her head.
She sidestepped it, then took a step backwards as he swung at her again. This continued for a while, Lahara casually stepping out of the way of every strike.
"You disappoint me, boy." She grabbed him by the collar, pulling him so that she could stare him down. "I expected much better out of a silver-hair."
The demon quickly jerked her head to the side, a sacred arrow slicing through the space she had just been occupying. Kagome still stood in the circle, pulling another arrow out of its quiver to attempt to shoot her again.
"What a bother," Lahara sighed, turning her cold gaze on the miko. "Try as I might to get a simple one on one fight, your friends simply refuse to leave us alone."
"Put Inuyasha down right now!" Kagome pulled the bow string taut as she carefully aimed at the female youkai. "Next time, I won't miss!"
"So you wish to share his fate then?" Lahara asked, a smile curling onto her face.
Inuyasha glanced backwards, seeing too late the men grabbing each of his friends. "No! Kagome! Miroku! Sango!"
They all struggled violently, but the golden-haired men were too strong, holding them still as the dogs nipped at the captives' heels. Two more men suddenly came out of the forest on either side of Lahara, attaching themselves to Inuyasha's arms as the female inu released him.
"That really was too easy, Inuyasha. I expected much more of a challenge in killing you." She bit the tip of her claw casually, smirking at all of her brothers and dogs. "I half feel like letting you go so you can rally that elder brother of yours so you can put up more of a fight."
"I'll be damned if I ever go to Sesshomaru for help!" the hanyou shouted, trying to yank his arms free of the two golden-hairs holding him, one with a long, thick braid and single black marks on his cheeks and the other looking almost eerily like Sesshomaru.
"Calm down, little man. I'm not going to let you go." Her voice had returned to its teasing manner, her face never showing the slightest hint of amusement as she raised her claws. "Don't worry. I'll make it quick."
"No! Inuyasha!" Kagome struggled to get free of the rather tall man holding her, desperate to aid him against this foe. Just as the woman began to bring down her claws, she managed to get loose, running in front of Inuyasha and closing her eyes, waiting for the slicing pain that would be her end.
But it never came.
Kagome dared to open one eye, looking at the sparkling claws an inch in front of her face. 'Huh?' She opened both, lowering her outstretched arms as she stared right into Lahara's eyes.
But they didn't contain the pure hate she had expected to see . . .
They didn't even hold the slightest bit of anger in their depths . . .
They were sad . . . eyes that had lost their warmth many years ago and had nothing but the frost of a lost hope and the dying fire of happiness . . .
But why?
Before she could contimplate this anymore, the same man that had held her back before came forward and grabbed her again, lifting her up in the air and pulling her away from Lahara.
The youkai watched all this with the same expression in her eyes, understanding suddenly. 'That woman . . . she must love this silver-hair . . .' Her eyes flicked back to Inuyasha, struggling now to go to Kagome's aid.
She sighed suddenly, closing her eyes. "Hurry up and strip all of them of their weapons, brothers. We'll kill them when we get back to the cave."
"WHAT!"
All eyes turned to the man with the braid, his face livid.
"WHY DON'T YOU JUST KILL THEM NOW AND SAVE US THE TROUBLE!"
Lahara growled, sending chills down almost everyone's spine as she opened her eyes to glare at him. "When I tell you to do something, you do it, Shikaki."
Shikaki almost took a step back, but held his ground, scoffing slightly as he supervised his brothers.
'Damn . . .' Lahara leaned back on a nearby tree. 'Of all the times to show weakness . . .'
She was suddenly distracted, however, by a cry of pain by the Sesshomaru look-alike.
"What is it, Grumiti?" Shikaki looked over at him, still clutching onto Inuyasha's sleeve.
The demon let out a hiss of pain, glaring down at his scorched hand. "That damn . . . sword . . ."
"What?" The elder youkai looked at Inuyasha's smug face, then down at the Tetsusaiga, which was smoking slightly. He growled, turning a glare on the hanyou. "What the hell did you do?"
"I didn't do anything." Inuyasha sneered at him, feeling mighty superior at that point, despite the fact that he was being held in place. "My sword just happens to not like trash touching it."
"Shut up!" Shikaki quickly punched Inuyasha's face, claws dug into his skin, before going for the sword himself, but only coming up with the same result.
Lahara blinked over at her brothers, finding this embarrassing and amusing at the same time.
"Damn this stupid thing to hell!" Shikaki roared, trying to grip it yet again, but only burning his hand even more. "What the hell kind of enchantment did you put on it!"
"Wouldn't you like to know." Inuyasha smirked, ignoring the blood oozing from his nose and the bruise forming on his cheek as he felt the grip on his arm loosen severely on both sides. "But you'll never have that satisfaction!"
The hanyou quickly tore away from the two golden-hairs, slashing at them both.
Lahara slapped a hand to her forehead, not being able to believe anymore that she was actually related to these two. She stood, casually walked over to the distracted hanyou, and punched him in the back of the head, sending him down to the ground where he quickly had several feet kicking at him and holding him down.
"Damnit . . ." he hissed, one eye closed as the other's vision swirled.
"No! Inuyasha!" Kagome again tried to desperately get free, being held back by the tall golden-hair still. Even the disarmed Sango and Miroku were putting up a good fight, trying to get free to aid their friends. The now sealed Kirara also tried desperately to transform, hoping to be able to get rid of all the dogs.
'Shikaki's right. I should've killed them.' Lahara gave everyone a rather annoyed look before suddenly raising her voice to an incredibly authoritative pitch that rose above everyone else's. "Stop this nonsense now, all of you."
Everything froze at her words, the entire group looking at her now.
"That's better." She smirked, walking swiftly over to the tall golden-hair that held Kagome. "Now Vato . . . I want you to release the girl . . ."
His eyes widened. "B-But Sis . . ."
Lahara growled at her brother's gruff voice, sending a glare up at him. "Do as I say."
Vato silently refused for a few moments, but the glare soon wore through his resolve. Grumbling out something, he released Kagome roughly, letting her stumble into Lahara.
Realizing just how much more danger she was in when she was with this golden-hair than the other, she slowly let her eyes run up into the silver ones of this youkai, still holding the same sadness, but now twisted horribly into pleasure. 'Wh-What's she going to do to me?'
Quickly and harshly, the female inu grabbed hold of Kagome's upper arm, dragging her over to the hanyou under Shikaki's heel. In a split second, she had her claws to the miko's throat, making her let out a startled gasp.
"Listen to me, Inuyasha . . ." The woman's cocky and coaxing tone was back, her face reflecting none of it.
The hanyou remained silent, apparently now unconscious.
Lahara applied a small bit of pressure with her claws, a single drop of blood making its way down Kagome's neck. "Inuyasha . . . now you wouldn't want something bad to happen to this lovely female companion of yours, now would you?"
Shout outs:
dogdemoninuyashaandkagome: Yay for first reviewer! And thanks too.
waterspirit39: Well, this is honestly my favorite story to write. ...sweatdrops... I just need to keep up with the others to make reviewers happy.
unheard screams: Oh yes. That includes the Fluffster. ...pokes him... But he'll take his dear sweet time in coming into this story. ...thinks... In the original version, he hadn't even appeared after 25 chapters, though I did give Jaken a wonderful appearance,but random if I do say so myself.
luvinukagome: Don't worry. We all love fruits. ...grins...