Sango's eyes narrowed as she peered into the woods, straining to find the source of the foreboding sensation that suddenly swept over her. Though the day was bright, the canopy of trees kept the forest in a state of perpetual twilight. Nothing stirred in the woods, but Sango loosened her katana in its scabbard. The cacophony of crows had subsided, and now it seemed impossibly quiet. A low growl rumbled from Kirara's throat, and if Sango doubted her own senses, she didn't doubt those of her companion. Something was coming.
After a long moment of stillness, Sango was almost ready to ignore her instincts and move on. Then she heard it, a mad rustling through the foliage, and she tensed herself in preparation. The noise rushed towards her, but the undergrowth was unmoving. For a fraction of a second she began to panic, unsure of the strange turn the situation had taken, but then her eyes widened with realization.
"It's in the trees," she hissed to herself, drawing her sword and retreating a step backwards along the dusty path. A sweltering blast of heat rippled through the summer air as Kirara transformed into her true form in a burst of flame.
Sango adjusted her grip on the hilt of her sword, steeling herself for whatever battle might await. As the commotion drew nearer, her well-trained senses finally detected the swirling demonic aura of the approaching creature. Kirara impatiently raked her claws against the ground. Only a sharp glance from Sango kept her from hurling herself into the woods to engage the enemy head on.
Then it came, exploding out of the trees in a shower of falling leaves and broken branches. Sango squinted against the harsh light of the afternoon sun, trying to discern the demon's features as its red shape arched high overhead. The demon landed on the opposite side of the path, near another patch of woods, but the grace and agility of its leap was unapparent as it staggered awkwardly to its knees upon touching down. The creature wore a red cloak, and a mane of white hair spilled over its shoulders. A pair of bestial ears were slicked back along its head.
It looks like Inuyasha, she thought, but the demon's aura felt much different than her friend's. While Inuyasha's demon aura did reflect his untamed nature, this creature was absolutely, even unnaturally, feral.
"What business have you here, demon?" Sango asked, her voice as hard and sharp as a sword's blade.
The creature slowly turned its head, fixing one narrowed eye on her over its shoulder. It moved as if to stand, but instead sank into a low quadrupedal crouch, its unblinking gaze never wavering. The hairs on Sango's neck stood up. She thought she saw the demon's mouth widen into a grin. An unexpected rush of anger passed through her so strongly that she shivered. Leveling her sword at the demon, she advanced a step.
"What is your business here, demon?" She asked again, her voice tinged with venom.
The demon whirled to attack her with impossible speed, and its grimy claws passed within a hair's breadth of her face even as Sango threw herself backwards to avoid the assault. As Sango hurriedly regained her footing the demon overbalanced and stumbled, nearly falling flat before finding its balance and once again lashing out at her. This time Sango was ready, and she slapped the creature's arm aside with the flat of her sword before quickly bringing her blade across its face. The demon pulled back at the last second, probably saving its life, but Sango's attack laid open forehead. It retreated a few steps, blinking blood out of its eyes even as the wound on its head began to close.
Sango lunged forward to cut her foe down, but as her blade began its descent she caught a clear glimpse of the demon's face. What she saw made her heart leap into her throat, for Inuyasha stood before her, his eyes wide with fear and confusion. So great was her shock that she barely thought to halt her attack.
It seemed like forever that they stood there, the edge of Sango's sword resting on Inuyasha's shoulder as neither one made a move. The malevolent grin was gone from his face, and while he was covered with dirt and his own blood, Inuyasha's handsomely carved features were just as she remembered them. Except his for his eyes. Where once they had shone with a strong, reassuring light, the color of amber at sunset, they were now dull and murky. His pupils looked like milk spilt on black saucers.
What's wrong with him...?
Kirara, still at Sango's side, cocked her head and sniffed the air, trying to make sense of what was happening.
"Inuyasha…?" Sango said at last. She thought she heard her voice tremble a little.
"Inuyasha…?"
It was familiar, the human's scent. It was a spicy smell, warm and cool at the same time. Each time he inhaled, he could taste her scent, practically feel it coursing through his senses. It made the twisting feeling in his stomach settle a little. He found that he no longer felt like retching and bit by bit he began to relax.
"Where have you been? Why didn't you come back?"
Had he met this human before? It was talking to him, but he couldn't quite understand. Each word seemed to dance just out of reach in his mind, its meaning elusive and taunting before finally disappearing into smoky darkness. He tried to concentrate, but whenever he reached out to grasp one word the others darted that much farther away. It wasn't long before all the sounds jumbled in his head like a swarm of stinging insects and it was all he could do to keep from clawing at himself, digging himself open to let them out. And still the human kept talking, pouring more and more infuriating words into his already overflowing head. He felt his lips begin to curl back in a snarl.
"Inuyasha, are you alright? What's wrong?"
The pit of his stomach went cold with sudden rage, but before the emotion could overwhelm him another sensation drowned it out. Another heartbeat joined his own, pulsing warmly through his body from somewhere near his hip. Each pulsation found his heart calmer and mind clearer, though the meaning of the human's words still eluded him. The second heartbeat grew stronger, pounding the fog away from his brain, and suddenly a word flashed through his mind. No, not a word. A name. The source of the heartbeat. Tetsusaiga.
Tetsusaiga. His mind found a handhold and pulled itself out of the fog that swirled within it. The sword at his side, Tetsusaiga, was pulling him back, drawing him away from the unnatural craving for violence and savagery that snarled and paced in his heart like a caged animal. He was sick. The human in front of him was someone he knew, that he recognized. Clarity flooded back to him so quickly it made him dizzy, and he wobbled on his feet.
"Inuyasha!" cried the human, putting her hands on his shoulders to keep him from falling. He was dimly aware of a metallic noise as her sword fell forgotten to the ground.
Inuyasha. He blinked stupidly for a moment. That was his name. His mind found another handhold, straining to drag itself further out of the mire. He looked at the human, into her shining brown eyes, and, finally, remembered.
"Sango…"
She smiled at him when he said her name and pulled him against her. Inuyasha let her support some of his weight, limply hanging his arms over her shoulders. Without warning he was nauseatingly lightheaded, and while he desperately wanted to say something, anything, it took all of his energy to simply keep from collapsing. He closed his eyes, letting his head rest against her neck. He could feel her body press against him with the slow rhythm of her breathing. Sango's fingers were curled tightly in his cloak and she was whispering something to him, something that seemed very far away and hard to make out.
Inuyasha started to talk, but even as he opened his mouth he realized he could feel her heart beating against his chest, and this made him fall silent. Soon her heartbeat was all her could hear. Everything else fell away from him until he was in darkness, with only the sound of her heart to show that he wasn't alone. It was a strong heart, a young heart, full of vigor and energy like a wild pony. It pumped blood, warm, rich blood that would taste as spicy as she smelled through her taut, lean body. She was hardened by years of rigorous exercise and training, and he would have to strain and chew to pull her muscles away from her bones…
As he began to tighten his arms around her shoulders the Tetsusaiga let out another pulse, this one so strong that it blurred his vision. Inuyasha shoved her away from him, shaking his head in desperation, trying to clear his thoughts. He staggered a few steps, turning away from her and dropping to his knees. A black cloud began to reach snakelike tendrils into his mind, and the waves of energy from the Tetsusaiga could only slow, not halt, their encroachment. A hand fell on his shoulder, and his vision went red with inexplicable anger, but that anger was instantly replaced with an explosion of cold, twisting fear.
"Stay away from me, Sango!" he managed to cry out as her stumbled to his feet and threw himself into the woods.
Behind him he heard her utter a surprised shout, but he didn't dare look back. He plunged through the forest, mindless of everything but trying to outrun the hunger. Branches ripped at him, tearing at his face and snagging his hair, but he didn't slow down until his legs began to go numb with exhaustion. His lungs were on fire, and only when he stopped, so breathless that stars danced across his vision, did he realize it was already nightfall. He collapsed beneath a tree and soon fell into a fitful, dreamless slumber.