Chapter 6
Tetsu couldn't get Kohana off his mind. She was a half-demon, yet she believed she was strong, not worthless. Either she was deluded or he was. Maybe she was right, maybe being a half-demon wasn't all that bad. He cooked her some deer meat and took that and some water to the 'prisoner'.
"Hey, girl. You hungry?", he greeted her in a cocky way.
"Tetsu, you're back.", Kohana smiled at him. He smiled back. He could get used to that smile.
"Yea. I brought you that deer meat I was telling you about. Oh, and some water, too."
"Wow! Looks good. I am so hungry.", Kohana said, as she dug into the food ravenously.
"You were hungry. You're eating more like a pig than a dog.", he laughed as she blushed. 'Damn she's cute!', he thought.
He continued talking, "So, as a half-demon yourself, have you thought about a mate?"
"No, not yet.", she said between mouthfulls, "But, my father says I'm too young to think about mating just yet."
"You're just about the right age. Hell, I'm 325."
"My father would like me to wait a while. He doesn't want me or my sisters mating right away. He wants us to explore the world first."
"How old was your father when he married?"
"About my age. But he had been on his own since he was 13 when his mother died of old age."
"So his mother was human?"
"Yes. he doesn't talk about her much. But he does say she was beautiful and very smart. He loved her very much and it bothers him that she was unable to see any of us."
"Did your father ever feel like I do?"
"Oh yea. For a long time, he felt that becoming full demon was the only way to get power and to be accepted. But then he met my mother, who accepted him as he was. He loves her more than anything. She's his biggest weakness. He can't say no to her."
"I would love to meet somebody who would accept for for who I am."
"You already have.", she smiled at him.
Inuyasha, Kagome, Yasha and Kaori ran to the dragon's lair. Arriving at the cave, Inuyasha called out,
"DRAGONS! We have the jewel!"
The cave opened and Pauru stepped out.
"Hand me the jewel, half-demon."
Kaori stepped forward and pulled out the 'jewel' and handed it to the dragon leader. Pauru examined it and seemed satisfied.
"You may have your child back. Marasi, get the youngster.", she commanded the woman on her right. Marasi left and headed back into the chamber. Coming across Tetsu in the room with Kohana, she asked,
"Why do you sit with the prisoner?"
Tetsu replied, "She was hungry and I fed her. And we talked. Half-demon to half-demon. Something you wouldn't understand, Marasi."
Marasi huffed, "Well, she is free to go. Her family has turned over the jewel. I have been ordered to bring her to her family.", Marasi yanked Kohana by the arm,
"Hey, you don't have to be so rough.", Kohana complained.
"Shut up, half-demon, you're lucky to be freed. If I had my way, you would have been dinner instead."
'Bitch', Kohana thought, and then she turned to Tetsu, "If you ever want to be free and accepted, find me.", she whispered to him, with a smile.
He smiled back, "I will do that, dog-demon Kohana."
Marasi took Kohana up to the front of the cave and released her. Kagome and Inuyasha hugged their daughter and quickly left, before Pauru realized the jewel she had was false. Their victory would be short lived, however. Pauru took the jewel back to a chamber and placed it on a pedestal. Chanting in dragon language, she ordered for the jewel to locate the Oracle of Izagnami. The jewel merely sat there. After chanting again, a light shined from the jewel and it cracked and fell apart. Pauru was livid. She called Marasi.
"Marasi, get the troops together. They have given me a forged jewel. We will attack at midnight. They will die. All of them.", she proclaimed.
Tetsu heard this and quickly left. He sniffed out Kohana's scent. Getting to their house, he knocked urgently on the door. Inuyasha answered,
"Who are you?", Inuyasha asked, "And what do you want?"
"I am Tetsu of the dragon demon clan. And I came to warn you, the dragons are coming. Pauru figured out the jewel was fake when she tried to use it to locate the oracle. You must flee."
Kohana came up from behind,
"Father, trust him. He is my friend."
Inuyasha took all this in and then said, "What will happen to you, when they find out you're ratted on them? You are the half-demon Kohana mentioned. Surely they dislike you anyway."
"I'll worry about the dragons. You worry about your family.", Tetsu said.
Kohana pleaded with him, "Tetsu stay here. With us. You'd be accepted here."
"Don't worry about me Kohana. I can handle Pauru."
Inuyasha turned to Kagome,
"Kagome, you and the girls get outta here. Yasha and I and the boys will handle the dragons."
"But they're magical, surely you could use my magic.", Kagome insisted.
"Use it as a surprise. But, remember what she said, she can block your magic once you use a spell."
Kagome agreed and took the girls to the barn. Inuyasha, Yasha, Hiroshi and Kazuo readied themselves. Even Tetsu stood by them. Looking up in the sky, Tetsu said,
"Here they come."