Dark as Day
Chapter Eight
He walked home slowly, his lavender eyes darting from left to right. He was aware of his vulnerability now, and he'd just had Kamen save him, so naturally he felt a small ping in his pride. Having his ego busted wasn't something he particularly enjoyed along with loss of senses. It wasn't pleasant at all.
He reached his home and slunk inside, sinking into a chair and staring at the wall blankly. His mother was gone. Naraku had taken her. He felt anger grip him like a vice and his vision temporarily blurred with his fury before he regained control of himself and soothed out an uneven breath of air.
He bowed his head and rubbed his temples. What was he going to do? Naraku implied that his mother wasn't hurt—for now, at least—so what could the Ring Leader possibly want with him? It was aggravating to think about, and the farther he thought about it the more grey areas seemed to appear.
Naraku's earlier taunts about his hanyou blood came back to haunt him, too. It always seemed easier for him to push it to the back of his mind and not think of it, but the truth of the matter was that he was partly demon. He knew that he was the same person as he always was. But, in this time of war, could there be such thing as a shade of grey?
The phone ringing startled him and he crawled towards it, grasping the handle and holding it to his ear, which was in its natural place for a change.
"Hello?"
"I didn't expect you to answer," smoothed out Naraku's honey-coated voice. Inuyasha was instantly at attention and he would have let loose a growl, had he not been a human. "Don't get uppity with me, Inuyasha. Listen very carefully."
He felt Naraku's eyes piercing his back and knew that the Ring Leader was watching him from somewhere outside, to make sure that he didn't do anything. He felt increasingly uneasy, especially as a human. Naraku could come in and kill him if he so chose, but the dark leader did nothing. He only breathed on the other end of the phone.
"I'm listening," Inuyasha finally murmured.
"Ah, so the hanyou does have a brain," Naraku's drawl whispered over the phone, taunting the human man. Inuyasha felt his fist clenched but didn't dare bark at the man on the other line. He needed to find some clue, some hint, that his mother was okay and where she was hidden.
"Just tell me where she is."
"And ruin all my fun?" Naraku chuckled as if Inuyasha had just made a joke. "Don't underestimate me, half-breed. I don't take lightly to people trying to control me." He chuckled again, as if this conversation was the funniest one he'd ever experienced. Inuyasha felt his sickening laughter grating on his nerves. "So," he drawled out. "I suggest you sit patiently and don't act so high and mighty."
Inuyasha's fist tightened and he felt his throat fill with bile. It was as if he were in high school all over again—talking to a teacher who aggravated him to no end but not being able to express his utter hatred for fear of punishment. In this case, his mother was on the line. He bit his lip, wishing that this wasn't happening.
"Tell me where she is," he ordered, his lavender eyes narrowing as he turned around and stared out the window. Wherever Naraku was, he was facing him now, he was sure of it. And whether or not he could see the Ring Leader, he knew that Naraku could see him. His dark look could tell anyone that he was ready to fight if necessary—even in his senseless, weak human body.
"Didn't I just say that I don't like taking orders from underlings?" Naraku whispered, his voice dripping with venom.
The line went dead.
Inuyasha's teeth clenched and he glared out the window, wishing that his dark look would pierce Naraku and show the Ring Leader his deeply entrenched anger.
"It's raining," Inuyasha told Kagome as they left the building their class had been held in. Kagome nodded her head numbly, staring at the large raindrops that splashed against the pavement before them. She buttoned up her jacket and glanced up at him, her grey-blue eyes hesitant.
They began moving, Inuyasha opening the umbrella he'd brought with him. Students who'd sadly forgotten the said object dashed across the courtyard, stray bits of newspaper or their backpacks over their head as they searched for solace from the onslaught of rain.
Inuyasha stretched out his arm, shielding Kagome under the umbrella. Kagome beamed up at him, silently offering her thanks. They walked slowly, trying to keep under the umbrella. Inuyasha didn't really care if he got wet—it's not like he could get sick—but he did so to stand closer to Kagome.
He knew it was a foolish thing to do—being close to Kagome. Not only was he a demon hunter, one who was sought after by other demons, but his mother had gone missing. Naraku could be watching him at this very moment, plotting to feed on Kagome and take her away, too.
He sighed lightly, mulling over the bad luck that saturated his life. Things had been normal before his birthday. The turning of another year seemed to have sent his world into a spirally pit of… well, he couldn't think of a good enough word to describe how much his life sucked, but he supposed there was a word out there. In any case, his life was not looking up.
His nadir demeanor must have breeched Kagome's mind because she kept looking at him, her blue eyes concerned. They were approaching the corner where they passed down the two different crosswalks. Today, Inuyasha knew that he should be as far away from people as possible, but at the same time he didn't want to leave Kagome behind.
"Thanks for the umbrella," Kagome spoke as they stopped at their corner, waiting for the lights to turn so that they could cross the street. Her blue eyes focused on the long strip of sidewalk beyond that would ultimately lead to her home. "Though I suppose it won't be much help now."
"Take it, I don't care," Inuyasha muttered, grasping her hand and plopping the handle of the umbrella into her open palm. "I don't really need it." He felt his dog ears turning red from the blood rushing to his face. Kagome couldn't see these ears, though. He checked his sealing just to make sure. He cleared his throat. "I don't want you to get sick."
"I couldn't do that." Kagome banished the idea with a wave of her hand, her lips quirking downwards. "I don't want you to get sick, either."
'Like I can get sick. I'm a hanyou, girl,' he thought snidely to himself. But he wouldn't voice this opinion for obvious reasons. Inuyasha didn't need a girl running down the sidewalk, screaming, when he had his own problems to deal with.
"I insist," he grouched. Kagome rolled her eyes and he felt a growl rise in his throat which he quickly swallowed. Kagome hearing his primal growl wasn't something he felt would be productive.
The light switched, flashing a green sign of a walking man—signaling that Inuyasha and Kagome were to go their separated ways.
Kagome tapped her foot impatiently and rolled her eyes again. Grasping his elbow, she dragged him across the street, Inuyasha protesting behind her. Well, not so much protesting as releasing a rather aggravated grunt. He could have broken away if he'd wanted to. But he liked Kagome holding his arm, her tiny arms wrapped around his bicep like he was escorting her.
"I guess you'll be walking me home," Kagome declared once they hit the sidewalk and began walking towards Kagome's home. Inuyasha felt his hands begin to sweat and cursed his stupid tendency to act like a schoolboy.
"More like you're walking me to your home," Inuyasha muttered and Kagome sent him a look he couldn't really decipher. The way her lips were curved into a smile, however, quelled any thoughts that she was angry with his comment.
They walked for about fifteen minutes before Kagome turned a corner and a large staircase loomed on their left. Inuyasha stared at it as Kagome jerked him towards it. They began climbing the large marble staircase, with a large red archway at the top. Higurashi Shrine it read as they passed under the archway.
Kagome Higurashi lived on a shrine. It was kind of quaint, the way the shrine was laid out. There was a small mini-shrine near the woods that surrounded the home; a building he assumed was a gift shop in the distance; a large temple located near the gift shop; a modern looking two-story house Inuyasha supposed was Kagome's home; and a large, towering tree, it's boughs waving in the wind that threw rain at the two students' backs.
"Welcome to the Sunset Shrine," Kagome chirped happily and led him towards her home. Inuyasha shuffled along after her, feeling uneasy in the courtyard of the shrine. He was a demon, shouldn't be he… purified or something? He frowned thoughtfully as Kagome led him to the sliding door that would lead to her home.
"Um," Inuyasha said uneasily, pulling the umbrella away easily when he saw that she was under a small overhanging on her front stoop. He rested the umbrella against his shoulder, shielding himself from the rain. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"
"Kagome?" came a muffled voice from inside. Inuyasha's dog ears perked up under his spell as the door slid open, revealing an older woman. Inuyasha stared at the woman. She had wavy, brown hair and soft brown eyes. She wore an apron with purple and white stripes that seemed out of place on the woman's yellow sweater and green skirt. "Ah, it is you, Kagome. Welcome home."
"Mama," Kagome greeted the woman with a hug. She pulled away and turned to Inuyasha smiling. "Inuyasha, this is my mama. Mama, this is Inuyasha. I sit next to him in my history class. He's shy."
Inuyasha felt his face burst into flames at Kagome's blunt revealing of his uneasiness around his history partner. He ducked his head and gave the woman a sloppy bow. He felt kind of awkward doing so, seeing as how he hated to subject himself to others. But, ah well, it was Kagome's mother. He wanted to make a good impression and he wasn't sure why.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Inuyasha…"
"Takahashi. Erm, Inuyasha Takahashi, ma'am," Inuyasha muttered out, lifting his head, his face still red. He glanced uneasily at Kagome and shuffled his feet. "I, uh, walked Kagome home…"
"I forgot my umbrella," Kagome admitted sheepishly and grinned cheekily at her mother. "Inuyasha wanted to give me his umbrella but I didn't want him to catch cold. And he didn't want me to, either. So, he walked me home."
"And what a nice thing for him to do, too," Mrs. Higurashi agreed with a beam as she turned her attention to Inuyasha. "Please, won't you come in? It would be a shame to walk all this way and not stop in for some tea."
"Oh, uh," Inuyasha seemed surprised at this invitation and glanced uneasily at Kagome. Her eager face suggested that she wished for his company. He cleared this throat. "I'm not sure…"
He shouldn't be here. He couldn't get close to other people, especially Kagome. She was so innocent and defenseless. In the arms of Naraku, she would be at his complete mercy. Who knew what the Ring Leader would do to him if he decided to go after the Higurashi family.
Kagome's eager eyes seemed to breech his soul. He felt uneasy.
"I… do have a lot of work to do…"
"Oh, pish posh," Mrs. Higurashi said with a wave of her hand. She grasped Inuyasha's wrist and dragged him inside, plucking the umbrella from his hands and forcing him to remove his jacket. He felt like a little kid but didn't protest. He removed his own shoes.
"So, um," Inuyasha spoke over tea a little while later. He sat at the table with Mrs. Higurashi and Kagome, who both sipped on their own tea. "Do you two live here on your own…?"
"Oh, heavens, no," Mrs. Higurashi bubbled out, smiling at the college boy as if he'd said something absolutely ridiculous—which, evidently, he had. "Kagome is only one of my children. She has two younger siblings and… her grandfather."
Inuyasha eyed the two Higurashi girls, they both smiled at one another but there was an underlying sadness that they didn't express—Inuyasha could sense the sadness in their scents.
He was too hesitant to ask what was wrong and the mother went off.
"Souta, my only little boy. He's going to be sixteen this year," Mrs. Higurashi said sweetly, smiling at the boy. "He attends high school—in the tenth grade. Then there's my darling little Rin. She's the sweetest little girl you'll ever meet. Only eight and attending elementary school."
"And then there's gramps," Kagome injected, her smile returning. "He runs the shrine here. He's a bit off his rocker."
"A bit is a bit of an understatement, actually," laughed the elder of the two Higurashi women. Inuyasha smiled uneasily, finally feeling that he could star to relax.
"Demon!" screeched a voice from the other room. Inuyasha jumped, alarmed. Had his sealing spell worn off? He glanced at the two women—they didn't seem to notice anything. In fact, they both seemed incredibly nonchalant.
Moments later, a hunched over, slightly pudgy old man waddled into the room, his toothless mouth twisted in a frown. He pointed a withered finger at Inuyasha, who swallowed. The man waddled towards him and threw what he guessed was purifying salt in his face. He coughed, but didn't feel anything that could be considered purification.
"Grandpa!" Kagome gasped, standing up and marching to her elder. She grasped the bag of salts and yanked it from his hand. "This is Inuyasha. He's my friend. He is certainly not a demon."
Inuyasha would have found irony in this situation had it not been for the fact that he was still thrown into a state of shock from the man's abrupt appearance and abrupt manner of trying to destroy the demon in the room. He seemed to be thriving on irony lately, though.
The old man sniffed, as if he was stuck in a room with something foul. He glared at Inuyasha and he felt himself slink back away from the old man, despite the fact that the old man was evidently harmless.
"Grandpa thinks that everyone's a demon," Kagome explained gently, unknowingly quelling Inuyasha's uneasiness with the man's ability to sense his demon blood. "He's a little crazy. Senile, really."
"I am not!" barked the old man. He sniffed again. "I am a highly respected priest who runs this shrine and you will treat me with respect, Kagome. After all, you'll be taking the shrine over soon," the old man's tone quieted as he beamed upwards towards his granddaughter.
"You'll be inheriting the shrine?" Inuyasha piped up, eager for a subject change.
Kagome looked meek. "I would… but I don't have any priestess powers of any kind. I'm about as worthless as gramps."
"Hey!" the old man protested but was ignored.
"Nonsense, Kagome," Mrs. Higurashi waved her hand. "You don't need miko abilities to run a shrine."
"I guess so," Kagome spoke quietly, keeping her head bowed. Inuyasha could see the pink in her cheeks and felt himself smile. She was cute. She looked as if she wanted to say something but she stopped herself. "I wouldn't be much of a shrine maiden, though."
"Your grandfather isn't much of a shrine priest, either," Mrs. Higurashi said airily as she stood. Checking her watch and then the clock she turned to her child. "Souta should be home soon, Kagome. I need to go and return a phone call. You'll keep Inuyasha entertained."
"Of course," Kagome chirped happily.
The old man snorted and toddled out of the room, sending a dark glare Inuyasha's way as he did so. Inuyasha was glad to see the withered old prune leave but didn't voice his opinion to Kagome.
True to Mrs. Higurashi's prediction, a few minutes later the sound of the door sliding open and then shut rippled into the room Kagome and Inuyasha were drinking tea.
"My baby brother should be home soon!" Kagome smiled brightly. Inuyasha wondered vaguely how her teenaged brother felt about being called a baby brother.
"I'm home!" called a voice from the foyer. Inuyasha heard the teenaged male slipping off his shoes and dropping his backpack onto the floor as he moved towards his home. "Mom, Kagome, you here?"
"In here," Kagome called happily, smiling when her younger brother entered the room.
Inuyasha stared at Souta Higurashi. His chocolate brown eyes warm as he waved at his sister. His hair was a large mop of brownish-black hair, standing on end in different directions.
What he was looking at was anything but a baby brother. He towered over Kagome and his shoulders were wider than his. Even though Inuyasha still had quite a few inches on the boy, the high school student was wider. They were both lanky though, and Inuyasha was far stronger, his testosterone-driven mind reminded himself.
"Souta," Kagome said with her lips spread into a large grin. She pointed at Inuyasha. Souta seemed to see Inuyasha for the first time and his brown eyes narrowed as he observed him. "This is my friend, Inuyasha. Inuyasha, this is my baby brother, Souta."
"Um… hi?" Inuyasha questioned, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Kagome smiled encouragingly at him from behind Souta's back.
"Hi," Souta returned, his brown eyes returning to the gentle warmth that the Higurashi family seemed to share. "Is Rin home yet?"
"Nope, you beat her today," Kagome returned before turning her attention back to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, do you want to stay for dinner?"
"Um, sure," Inuyasha answered after glancing hesitantly towards Souta. He wasn't sure if spending more time with Kagome was a good idea. His mother's kidnapping still played in his mind.
"Arg," groaned Souta as he chewed on his eraser. The high school boy was hunched over his geometry homework, screwing his eyes shut as he tried to concentrate on the correct answer to the problem. "I hate you, math."
Inuyasha watched the boy struggling against his homework enemy as Kagome cleaned the dishes. She watched her brother work, separated from the living room by the counter surrounding the kitchen.
"Kagome," whined Souta as he lifted his head towards his elder sister. "Do you know the answer?"
"No," Kagome said at once, not missing a beat. "You know how terrible I am with math, Souta."
"But Kagome," the boy whined, proving to Inuyasha just why Kagome was soon keen on calling him her baby brother. "You're in college. Aren't you in some crazy math like calculus or something? Come on… help me!"
"Sorry," Kagome sighed as she scrubbed at a bowl in the sink. "After I passed my geometry final, all that crap was out the window faster than you can say 'math sucks.'"
Souta pouted some more and continued to bicker with his older sister. Inuyasha leaned over, his black hair brushing over the table as he stared at Souta's math book. Pulling away, he fiddled with the hem of his shirt, unsure whether he should say anything.
Once their voices began to raise and the beginnings of a headache were beginning, Inuyasha spoke, "The answer's five. You forgot to multiple side 'A'."
Both Souta and Kagome ceased their sibling bickering to fix him with a curious look. He felt his cheeks turn pink and ducked his head. He was so awkward around them and it was starting to wear thin on his nerves. For the first time he felt like Clark Kent, mild mannered when he wore his disguise, but a completely different person when he took off his façade.
Well, not necessarily like Superman. Inuyasha was quite certain that he couldn't fly nor did he jump around in brightly colored spandex. He would probably have to kill himself if that ever happened to him. He also liked to think that his disguise was far superior to Mr. Kent's pathetic little wire-framed glasses.
"Wow, thanks!" Souta chirped happily, sounding very much like a male version of Kagome. His warm brown eyes focused on Inuyasha and he grinned. "You're amazing."
"Uh, not really," Inuyasha said sheepishly, feeling his face turn red. "I'm just…"
He chewed his lip, not wanting to say that he was better than them in math in case it insulted them. They seemed to ignore his rebuttal and Kagome continued her housework as Souta finished up his homework with no further complaints.
Rin came bounding into the kitchen, her feet nearly tripping her as she scurried in her pink socks. Rin was the youngest in the family and very adorable. The little elementary school girl had come home about two hours after Souta and when she had, she'd greeted Inuyasha with a large, delighted smile before scurrying behind Kagome's legs and hiding from him.
Now, she sat down next to him, her chin resting on the table as she watched her older brother work. Her chocolate brown eyes watched him work before she flashed him a toothless smile and snatched his calculator.
"Rin!" Souta protested as he went to retrieve his stolen math utensil, but Rin quickly dodged him, ducking under the table and doing a small backwards summersault. Inuyasha covered his eyes as her small jumper flipped upwards. Even if she was a child, he wasn't sure if staring at the girl's underwear would be received happily from the two older siblings. "Give that back, Rin!"
"No!" the girl bubbled out as she trotted behind Inuyasha, peeking her head out from over his shoulder and sticking her tongue out. Souta sighed irritably, perhaps wondering what he'd done to deserve such torture. On the other hand, he wasn't doing homework…
"Rin," Kagome soothed from the next room over, glancing at her younger sister. "Give Souta back his calculator. He needs it."
"But Kagome…!" Rin whined, sounding much like Souta had. This whole family was a family of whiners, Inuyasha concluded, hearing himself sigh. "I wanted to tell Souta about my dream… and if he was doing homework…"
"Not another one of your dreams," Souta moaned as he dove over the table, trying to snatch the calculator from Rin's tiny hands. Rin danced away from him, giggling. Inuyasha rolled his eyes but felt his lips curving into a smile. Rin was a cute little girl, he had to admit, but he would have hated to be in Souta's position.
Evidently, Souta hated his position, too. He sighed and flopped back into his original position. "Okay, Rin," he sighed, "what was your dream about?"
"Pretty, pretty princesses!" Rin laughed happily, twirling around on her foot. "And they were trying to escape from the castle. It was exciting."
"Do tell, Rin," Kagome laughed. Rin began recounting an epic tale of a prince saving princesses for a living until he got tired and fell asleep. Kagome relayed to Inuyasha that Rin loved telling about her dreams and was known to make things up. Inuyasha found it entertaining, nonetheless.
"I believe that this will be enough to suffice…" Naraku whispered gently as he pushed a large briefcase towards the man sitting in the chair. The chief of police pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and his eyes narrowed as he glanced at the Ring Leader. Licking his dry lips, he opened the case to see it packed with money, much like a stereotypical cop movie. His eyes bugged out, he'd never seen so much in one place at one time, except in movies.
Naraku sat patiently, his dark red eyes focused on the cop's reaction. The man swallowed, staring hungrily at the food. Slinking his hand out, he shut the case with a clap and pulled it back towards him.
"So…" he murmured, his voice dropping an octave. "Do we have a deal?"
"Where did you get all this money?" he rasped out hungrily, wishing he could see the money once again. Naraku chuckled.
"I have connections," Naraku whispered, his voice dripping with venom.
Truth of the matter was that he'd had the money stolen earlier that day. The taijiya had stupidly tried to stop him—sending Kamen and her pathetic new lapdog, "Sha". It had been rather amusing to watch from his vantage point as the two bickered on what to do and had ultimately lost. Once his minions were out of sight, they'd rounded on each other, fighting and throwing occasional kicks at one another. It had all come to a climactic end when Kamen had slammed the half-breed into the ground with her binding spell.
It was all very amusing to watch and even more so knowing that he'd gotten away with the money he'd set out to retrieve. He was one step closer to achieving his goal and he wouldn't allow two little children to defeat him when they couldn't even overcome the difficulties in the partnership.
His attention returned to the cop as he took the briefcase and nodded his head curtly. "You have a deal, Naraku."
"Excellent," Naraku breathed happily, standing. "This conversation never happened," he added, his eyes narrowing.
"What conversation?" the cop asked, his face splitting into a large smile. Naraku nodded his head in approval and, with a puff of his dark miasma, disappeared.
"I can't believe you let him get away," Kamen snapped angrily as she threw a kick towards Inuyasha, who easily blocked it and flipped her over his back. She remained unfazed by his move and did a small flip in the air before landing on her ground.
"I did not let them get away," Inuyasha growled back, his eyes narrowed as he snarled at his partner. They were currently in the training room, sparring against one another in hopes of releasing their pent up frustrations towards each other and the steady decrease of winnings they'd undergone on their missions. It seemed that the farther they progressed into their partnership, the more they failed.
They also tended to blame the other and never blame themselves. It was becoming aggravating to be around one another, but Inuyasha was bound to her soul—much to his utter annoyance—and there was nothing he could do to get back at her whenever she decided to face plant him.
"If you hadn't been so set on beating them into senselessness…" Kamen said calmly, trying to win the upper hand in maturity. No such luck.
"I wasn't going to shoot them in the back of the necks with fukiya," Inuyasha snapped out. "Hitting them in the back of the neck with some wimpy-ass darts shot from a pea shooter is hardly something I'd call heroic."
"And charging into their lairs trying to knock their heads in is just plain stupid," Kamen retorted, her lips quirked into a deep frown. Inuyasha snorted.
"But it's honorable."
"No, it's just brain dead," she snapped out. Inuyasha snarled.
"Look, I never asked for your opinion on how I should fight. I've been fighting all my life, so you shut your damn mouth," he snarled, trying to sound as menacing as possible. He could feel Kamen's aura swirling in her anger. He'd grown used to her aura and had been able to identify it quite well even without the presence of scents.
"But we're supposed to be working together!" Kamen tugged on her ponytail, a habit she'd adapted to try and calm herself down. "You're being difficult and selfish! We need to work together as a team."
"Then stop hitting people in the back and fight with honor!" Inuyasha demanded, his fists clenching as he blocked a well placed kick towards his face. Kamen could kick high. He hated that.
"You are just so damn—" Whatever it was that Kamen was going to call him Inuyasha would never know because at that moment both their communicators sounded in their ears. They backed away from one another and flipped on the on switch. "Kamen here."
"Sha here," Inuyasha said after her, wishing he'd been the first to speak just so that he could childishly say that he had been the first.
"There's a disturbance," Sango's calm voice sounded over the communicator, sounding perfectly in their ears. She listed off the name of the district where there was the 'disturbance' as they called it. "You two head over there now. Call if you'll need backup."
"We probably will if Sha decides to be a pig head," Kamen muttered and Inuyasha growled at her.
"Go you two," Sango sighed, ignoring their bickering. The entire H.Q. knew of their fights, much to the disgust of Kamen. She claimed that it ruined her reputation. Inuyasha told her that everyone already knew she was a bitch anyway, so it didn't much matter. That had led to many fights between the two partners. People were starting to believe that they'd never get along.
"Let's go," Kamen nodded her head and exited the training room, Inuyasha behind her. They weaved through the sterile white hallways of the headquarters before exiting in the North-West section. Once they were outside, Kamen climbed onto Inuyasha's back and the dog demon was soaring through the air.
Despite the utter dislike for one another, at times when they were needed, they tended to get along well. At least until Inuyasha got the testosterone-driven drive to go and do something heroic and reckless to which Kamen scoffed at and claimed was completely pointless and unproductive. This also led to many fights.
They reached the section Sango spoke of and it wasn't hard to determine where the issues were coming from. They heard a large explosion and rushed across the tops of buildings.
"Be careful, we're urban legends, remember," Kamen warned as they peeked over the edge of the building they crept over. Looking down, they located the problem.
The governmental building used to design advances in technology had a large, gaping hole in its side. A large youkai, with some kind of device strapped to his back, had his head lifted upwards towards the two hunters, watery eyes staring up at them. Kamen pulled an arrow from her quiver and pointed the bow warningly at the youkai. The youkai took a step back.
Suddenly, a large club went flying toward the two. Inuyasha was just in time to pull Kamen away, who'd been too busy watching the other youkai through the scope on her metal bow. She gasped quietly as the club continued flying until it smashed into the building behind them.
They both peeked over again to discover another youkai had joined the large youkai with the stolen device on its back. It seemed like some kind of cat demon, though the two demons couldn't be completely certain. Black eyes stared up at them as he brandished another club, threatening to throw it.
"Let's go," Kamen murmured. Inuyasha nodded and stood, preparing to jump downwards. The cat demon was too fast for them and threw another club at them.
Kamen yelped as Inuyasha tackled her to the ground. They skidded across the rooftop and came to a rest near the edge. Kamen breathed deeply and Inuyasha hoisted himself up slightly, glancing back down towards the two youkai. His hands pushed against the roof on either side of Kamen's shoulders, leaving her on the ground.
Their eyes locked. Another club came flying and collided into Inuyasha's side. He felt at least one of his ribs cracking and he gasped in pain, rolling across the rooftop with the momentum of the weapon. He gasped in pain again, his hand grasping his side gingerly as he clenched his eyes shut.
'This is ridiculous,' a voice whispered in his head. He cringed at his own thoughts. 'Weak.'
"Sha," murmured Kamen as she crawled towards him, her hand digging around in one of her compartments for something to numb his pain. She extracted a small healing patch. She observed where his pained side was. Extracting her small dagger, she cut open his youkai-hide uniform. He made a small, meek protest before she slapped the patch on his multicolored skin.
"It will mend," she reminded Inuyasha. "The uniforms have youki, remember?"
Inuyasha nodded numbly, staring at her with his bright golden eyes. She offered him a tiny smile.
'Pathetic.'
"That's what you get for being reckless," she said, a condescending tone in her voice. Inuyasha snorted darkly and closed his eyes, lying on the ground. Another blast could be heard as the youkai threw a bomb a few feet away from them. Kamen rotated her body to shield the injured hanyou from harm. "I'll be back."
She stood and raced towards the edge. Inuyasha was about to protest before she extracted a ground stopper and threw it to the ground below her. Instantly the advanced technology of the taijiya worked its magic. Where the pellet hit the ground, a large mat of what looked almost like jelly appeared. She landed comfortingly, ricocheted off the plasma mat and landed her bow at ready. She sent an arrow towards the small cat demon who barely dodged it.
'Weak…'
"I got one," the cat demon snickered to his partner. He readied another attack. "I can easily take you down."
"You will return that which is not yours," Kamen instructed, her arrow poised towards the cat demon. The demon snorted and flicked his tail behind him. "I will give you one last chance to surrender yourself to the demon hunters."
"Not likely," the cat demon yawned, his tail flicking behind him before wrapping around his waist to prevent trouble.
Kamen sent another arrow and it pierced the demon's arm, purifying it instantly. The cat hadn't dodged quickly enough. Despite that, the cat demon narrowly avoided an arrow through his heart. His arm disappeared and the cat hissed, his fangs bared and his eyes narrowed. He raced towards Kamen and sent a kick to her stomach, sending the girl flying to the ground.
"You'll pay for that, wench," the cat demon snarled, his fangs bared and his cat-like growls rippling through the otherwise abandoned streets. He began throwing relentless amounts of punches and kicks towards Kamen, preventing her from drawing another arrow.
She wavered, her bow falling from her hand and clattering on the ground. She felt her body swaying as the cat sent another kick. She was losing; she'd grown too used to Sha's companionship. He'd always covered her or she him. Now, she was alone and her partner was helpless high above on the building.
She clenched her eyes shut, preparing for the final kick.
She heard the blast of a ground stopper and the cat demon and Kamen turned their heads in time to see Inuyasha land on his back. He hadn't trusted himself to land on his own and had opted for the ground stopper instead. He, like Kamen, ricocheted off the mat and landed on the street, his legs buckling. He nearly sent himself into the wall but steadied himself.
With his hand shaking, he drew his sword which instantly transformed. "Don't touch her."
Kamen's eyes widened as the cat shot his leg out and planted a large kick to Kamen. She fell to the ground, her body screaming in protest when she tried to stand. She watched Sha and the cat demon throw punches and Sha trying to swing his father's sword. The dog demon positioned himself protectively in front of Kamen and the huntress stared at his back. She could see his muscles through the protective hide of his uniform.
"Don't touch her," he repeated, his sword, like a large fang, held out in front of him. Kamen could almost imagine Sha's dark golden eyes glaring at the cat demon, just daring him to defy him. His hold on his sword tightened.
She struggled to stand. His ears twitched back towards her.
'Pathetic and weak… Inferior. Worthless. Can't even protect your mother…' his thoughts reminded him, whispering deeply within him. Inuyasha felt his hands quivering.
"Stay down," he snapped angrily. Kamen froze, her eyes widening behind her protective goggles. True, Sha was a rather aggressive and rough guy, but he'd sounded… primal there.
His hands were shaking and Tessaiga seemed to be giving him trouble.
'Why am I helping her…?' Inuyasha heard himself whispering. 'It's not like she'd do the same for me… after all, she is the one that holds the binding.' His rosary beads seemed to clink together, as if trying to remind him of their presence. Tessaiga slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground with a dull thud, morphing back into its rusty, stick-like state.
He quivered, feeling himself slipping into his own thoughts of betrayal and inferiority.
Kamen tried to stand again and he turned his head sharply. "Stay down!" he snarled out at her. "Damn wench!"
Kamen took a deep intake of breath. "What?" he snapped out.
"Your eyes…" she whispered. "They're red."
And indeed, his eyes were red. He felt his thoughts within him, screaming at him, reminding him of his inferiority and his weak and pathetic nature. He fell to his knees, his entire body shaking as he groped for his sword, as if it would bring him support.
The two demons were long gone, taking the governmental device with them. Kamen and Sha weren't sure what they were, but that was the least of their worries. Inuyasha felt the blood in his veins running at high speed, pushing the human blood into completely submission. He was used to the human blood's presence, but now it seemed as if it were completely evaporating from his body.
"Sha!" he heard Kamen's voice shout before he slipped into darkness.
Darkness fell over the room as Naraku gazed over the room, his red eyes sweeping all the tiny little nuances to the room.
"It seems that I've underestimated the hunters," he breathed to the other occupant of the room. She nodded her head silently. "I guess then we'll have to take more precautions, hm?"
"Yes," the other one whispered, her voice strained, as if containing the hatred she felt for the man before her.
Naraku turned his attention to the woman standing before him. His lips curved into a smile.
"I leave the death of Kamen and Sha in your more than capable hands," Naraku murmured, chuckling to himself. "Let me down… and let's say that you'll be more than sorry."
"I understand," her voice was strained.
"Don't let me down," he reminded her, his laugh dry and cruel, like his voice. "You'll know what will happen if you do."
The wind rustled the curtains from the open window as the woman exited the room, her hair fluttering behind her as the wind rustled the contents of the room.