Chapter 4: Encounters with the Explainable Part 1: Family Reunion from Hell
Inu Yasha was the first one to wake up. A small breeze stirred the leaves of the tree. It brought a scent Inu Yasha knew well, since it was similar to his own. That led him to believe something would happen.
Damn the whole world for being against him. Or, at least damn that neko for having to come too. She was the main cause for his annoyance. That girl had just been here for half a day and she already knew almost about as much about him as Sango and Miroku.
Inu Yasha knew he could kill her, right now even, but Kagome seemed to be friendly with her. Kagome wouldn't like it if he killed one of her friends, so that neko could live.
The rest of the group awoke in about half an hour of Inu Yasha.
Neyoko was most defiantly not a morning person. She looked half-asleep until breakfast was being cooked. Even after she was eating, she still looked out of it. Her attention wandered, and she didn't care about anything. Neyoko sat apart from the group in silence.
They packed up after they finished. Neyoko had the easiest time; the only possession she had was the blanket.
When the group set out, the original five were way ahead of Neyoko. Neyoko walked slowly, eyes averted to the ground. She never noticed the change of scenery. They had been in the forest for a while, but now they were walking across rolling hills.
Inu Yasha constantly complained about having the neko around. Every one else ignored him for the most part.
Sango walked beside Kagome. She glanced back before whispering, "I think there's something wrong with Neyoko."
Kagome glanced back, then. "Wrong? How so?"
"She's been really solitary since last night. Maybe Neyoko feels as if she is betraying herself by admitting that she had been a yokai. It's just a guess, I mean, I certainly wouldn't be overjoyed by that fact."
"If it where the first I had heard of it, I don't think I'd be proud. Especially if I had been fighting yokai all of my life."
Inu Yasha stopped, sniffing the air. "Everyone, stop at that tree." Inu Yasha gestured. "I don't want any interferences in this fight."
"You can't mean..."Kagome was worried, but was cut off by Inu Yasha's answer.
"Yeah. He's back again."
Neyoko caught up to the group. "Why'd we stop?" she asked in a toneless voice.
"Inu Yasha's..." Again, Kagome was cut off, this time, Inu Yasha had his hand pressed against her mouth.
"I want this fight. You guys just wait by the tree," he let Kagome go.
"A fight?" Neyoko's voice took on a small air of excitement. "You can just have it. If it's so important to you, it probably isn't worth my time." Neyoko folded her arms behind her neck and walked over to the tree.
Kagome raised an eyebrow at Sango. "Something wrong with her?" she asked sarcastically.
"There was something wrong. Maybe she just needed a fight to distract her."
The two girls, the hoshi, and the kitsune walked with Inu Yasha to the tree, and then the hanyou went on alone.
Neyoko leaned against the tree, hands now in the pockets of her black cargos. She glared at the hoshi, assuring she wouldn't receive any funny business from him before following the hanyou with her eyes.
Miroku stood farthest away from the tree, then Sango, and Kagome was closer to Neyoko. Shippo sat on Miroku's shoulder. They all eagerly awaited the battle.
Inu Yasha strode confidently away from the group. Why did Sesshomaru decide to show up now? Why couldn't he have waited until after the damned neko thief had left? The hanyou thought as he walked.
She already knew that he was weak enough that he needed a katana to keep his yokai blood in check, but he hated it when people found out about his brother.
Inu Yasha growled as his half-brother's scent grew stronger. Soon, the older, full-blooded yokai appeared, landing from the sky and dismounting the odd two headed horse yokai he had been flying on.
Silver hair must have run from their father's side of the family, because Sesshomaru had the same silk textured hair as Inu Yasha. The elder brother's eyes glowed like freshly mined gold. His short kimono was decorated with flowers caged within red hexagons. There was an odd fluffy thing perched atop his right shoulder. A katana that looked similar to Inu Yasha's Tetsuaiga was at his left side, held by a yellow sash. The Tenseiga.
"Greetings, brother. I see you are still in one piece," Sesshomaru's voice was calm, with a hint of disdain.
"Wish I could say the same for you. Still haven't found a decent arm?" Inu Yasha smirked.
"Lucky for you, I haven't. And if you keep talking to me like that, I will be forced to kill you."
"Don't even bother to use that as an excuse. I know that's the whole reason why you're here." Inu Yasha drew the Tetsuaiga and the blade transformed from an old, chipped blade to a fang. He crouched, the katana over his shoulder.
"Rin, follow Jaken. Jaken, move. I don't want Rin to be caught up in the force of the Tetsuaiga," Sesshomaru demanded.
"Hm, yes Milord," a small green yokai who had previously been behind the elegant master moved, grabbing the reins of the horse. A young girl wearing a brightly checkered kimono followed, humming a tune.
"You still towing her around?" Inu Yasha asked, smiling in a cruel way.
"She follows of her own will. Rin merely listens to what I tell her to do."
Inu Yasha didn't believe what he had heard. His brother almost sounded...protective of the little ningen.
Inu Yasha's eyes glimmered as he lowered his head. Then, he attacked, using the natural "Scar of the Wind" which sent hypersonic force along the ground.
Sesshomaru drew the Tenseiga, which dispelled the attack. (I don't really know if that works or not, but since the blades are opposite of each other, it should.)
"Is that all?" Sesshomaru asked in an arrogant tone.
Inu Yasha charged, the Tetsuaiga over his head. He slashed downward when he was within range of his brother.
Sesshomaru blocked the Tenseiga, and the Tetsuaiga transformed back into the original form.
"Your skills have grown, Inu Yasha, but you still cannot beat me," Sesshomaru commented.
Inu Yasha jumped back, this time attempting a horizontal slash. The elder brother jumped, landing several yards away. He sheathed the Tenseiga.
With the Tetsuaiga smaller, Inu Yasha couldn't perform the Scar of the Wind, or many of the usual attacks he had grow used to. But he charged again. Sesshomaru dodged. The hanyou kept attacking, the elder yokai dodged continuously.
Neyoko watched the fight, hands now folded across her chest. "What does he think he's doing? He's swinging the katana around aimlessly. It's no wonder he hasn't landed a hit yet." Neyoko flinched as the Tetsuaiga hit the ground again, then continued. "You should really get him to a trainer."
"Sesshomaru isn't exactly an amateur, if you can't tell. Besides, Inu Yasha always wins," Kagome defended the hanyou. To her, Neyoko still seemed a bit off, but closer to the Neyoko she knew.
"The fight seems sorta important to him. Who's he fighting?" Neyoko asked. The yokai was fairly attractive in a cold way, similar to a silver haired somebody she knew.
"That is Inu Yasha's half-brother, Sesshomaru. Of course, Inu Yasha is more half than he is," Miroku turned the comment into a slight joke.
Neyoko snorted in disappointment.
Constantly, Inu Yasha's blade missed his target. The hanyou was getting very pissed off. He tried another downward slash.
The blade nearly hit the ground again, but Sesshomaru swiped out at Inu Yasha. Claws raked the hanyou's chest, causing him to fall backwards a little.
"Oh, my. You almost avoided that one. You may have improved your dodging more that your sword skills," Sesshomaru's calm voice pissed Inu Yasha off further.
He charged in blind range. Sesshomaru smirked. Tetsuaiga transformed once again. This time, as the blade came down, Sesshomaru stepped back, then closed the distance, punching the hanyou.
Inu Yasha flew back, then slid in the loose dirt. He struggled up, spitting blood.
Neyoko was getting annoyed just by watching. She couldn't believe how bad Inu Yasha's guard was. Neyoko found herself edgy. "That imbecile!" she shouted in annoyance.
She left her position at the tree and ran half way down the hill. She slid on the loose gravel as she stopped. Neyoko's hand took a gun-like position.
"Inu Yasha, move!" she shouted. Neyoko gave the hanyou a few seconds to comply, then let the stored energy out in a big blast.
Inu Yasha barely had time to avoid the blast. He was extremely disappointed that the blast had come from a friend; the Backlash would have been perfect.
The more elegant yokai twisted to the side, eyes wide with surprise. The shock wave from the energy almost knocked him back. The blast went on until it met a far off mountain. It went in about a foot before dispersing.
Sesshomaru was extremely surprised. There were only two things he knew that could shoot energy like that; extremely strong yokai, like the one that killed his father, and miko. He followed the direction that the blast had come from with his eyes, surprised to see a young teenage girl with flaming red hair. Most likely human, from appearance.
"Another miko? First a dead one, then a raven-haired angel, now a third? Can't keep your hands on just one, Inu Yasha?" Sesshomaru's voice took on hint of curiosity as he 'scolded' his younger brother. (A/N. Ok, I know it sounds odd, but Sesshomaru in this fic doesn't have "interests" in anyone. By angel, he is talking about Kagome's power as a miko.)
"She's not a miko, she's mostly ningen, in a way." Inu Yasha snapped. "And she has nothing to do with me. That girl is just tagging along with the group. Almost like your ningen."
"She looks like she will put up a better fight than you do."
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"
"This bores me. Next time, I believe I shall come to fight the ningen." Sesshomaru turned halfway, keeping the 'never turn your back to an opponent' rule. Then, he called to Jaken, who was scared out of his small mind at the force, and Rin, who appeared very excited about the way the fight ended.
"Do not try to copy that," the yokai whispered to the girl. He received the typical "Yes, Milord."
Sesshomaru hopped onto the demo horse and began to fly away. He waved a hand lazily over his shoulder, saying "Until next time, brother."
Neyoko had been panting slightly from her run, but had regained her air by the time the two brothers had stopped talking.
"Sorry man, it'd never work out. I don't date yokai!" Neyoko shouted. (A/N. Say that in English, it's a tongue twister. Don't date demons.)
Inu Yasha turned to her, glaring angrily.
Neyoko put up her hand in defense. "I was joking. It always works at home as an excuse, course that's kinda private joke, but why shouldn't I use it here?"
Miroku, Sango, and Kagome slid down the hill. Shippo was perched precariously on Miroku's shoulder.
When they reached the two conflicting members, Sango put a hand on Neyoko's shoulder, sisterly fashion.
"Where'd you learn to shoot like that?" she asked, excited and awed.
"I couldn't care less!" Inu Yasha snapped. "You interrupted the fight between me, and my brother! I told you guys not too."
"You told them, not me," Neyoko said calmly.
Inu Yasha growled and was about to continue but Kagome silenced him with the word "sit".
Inu Yasha took a face plant into the ground.
Neyoko looked surprised for a second before laughing hysterically. She logged 'sit' into the back of her mind.
Inu Yasha's anger swerved to Kagome, but it dulled. Kagome didn't want to here it and turned back to the other two girls like nothing had happened.
A stress mark appeared on Inu Yasha's face, as he glared at the females' retreating forms.
"Not one for women, are you, Inu Yasha?" Miroku asked from behind the hanyou. Inu Yasha jumped, not knowing where the hoshi was.
The group kept moving in the direction Kagome sensed a Shikon shard. Kagome led with Neyoko and Sango, while an agitated Inu Yasha, be rattled Shippo, and Miroku, who now had a large lump on his head from where Inu Yasha hit him, followed.
It would be a long journey.
Ok, I don't think I used any new words, so, I hope your happy with the chapter. It took me forever to actually get it up because I finished the Chapter on a old computer I got, and the disk I was trying to save it on sucked really bad. I got a new one to work, though. So be grateful!