Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
Chapter 32
Taka sniffed through the trees in front of Inuyasha and the others.
"What is it Taka?" asked Inuyasha.
"Ano... I'm not sure but I think it's..."
Before she could finish her sentence a large black cat came from the forest. It was slim with short fur It looked like a large panther and it also looked extremely exhausted. It looked at the group and stopped at Taka. It let out a slight roar of happiness and walked towards her.
"Oh no you don't!" Inuyasha unsheathed the Tetsusaiga and stood in front of Inuyasha.
"Wait Inuyasha," said Taka as she stepped in front of him, "Isamu?"
The cat let out a growl of pleasure and rubbed against Taka.
"It is you!" she gasped as she hugged the big cat's neck.
"Uh... Who is that?" Inuyasha asked.
"His name is Isamu... he was my father's," she stroked the cat's head, "he probably went home to find father not there... is that right?" she directed the question to Isamu.
Isamu nodded.
Inuyasha noted that Isamu was slightly larger then Kirara, who was growling at that minute. A burst of flames surrounded Kirara and she came out of the flames as the snarling two-tailed.
"Kirara?" Sango looked at her friend.
Kirara continued to growl as she circled Isamu. Isamu snarled. At the same time the two jumped at each other. They snarled and slashed at each other viciously.
"Isamu!" exclaimed Taka.
"Kirara!" exclaimed Sango.
Inuyasha scowled and rolled his eyes. He went right in between the two fighting cats and grabbs each one by the scruff of the neck.
"Ok enough!" he ordered, he glanced at Kirara, "you change back!" he looked at Isamu who seemed lighter... a lot lighter, "and you..." he stopped.
There in his hand was a black cat. It meowed.
"I forgot he could do that," said Taka with a laugh.
Kirara turned to her kitten formed and jumped on Sango's shoulder.
"Kirara," Sango scolded.
In return she got a mew from the two-tailed. Isamu jumped into Taka's arms and hissed at Kirara. Kirara growled in return.
"Hey Taka," Kagome spoke to Taka but looked at Isamu, "are you aware that your cat has glinting purple eyes."
"Hmm?... yeah," replied Taka.
Isamu purred and rubbed against Taka's chin. Isamu shot his eyes opened and growled, his eyes perked up. Taka sniffed. A foul scent was nearby. Inuyasha drew the Tetsusaiga. Just then a spider youkai stepped out of the forest, it's fangs dripping hungrily.
"That's why Isamu looked exhausted," said Miroku, "those things were probably after him."
The spider youkai had a large body and eight furry legs. It had so many eyes and a mouth with two dripping fangs. More followed it. Sango clutched the Hirakotsu, Miroku grabbed the prayer beads with his other hand, Kagome readied and clutched an arrow, and Inuyasha stood in battle stance.
"Taka?" he was expecting her to be with them to.
She stood frozen staring at the ugly youkai. Isamu sensed something and jumped out of her arms.
"I... hate..." it began getting hot, "SPIDERS!" she snarled and black flame covered her whole body and she ran at the spiders.
She slashed through them burning the youkai. She got about twenty of them and the rest scurried away in fear. The flames around Taka doused and she stood panting in the middle of dead spiders. Everyone stared at her mouths open. She looked back at them.
"Nani?" she asked, not aware that she was just in flames.
"Taka... you... you," Inuyasha started.
"I what?"
"You just burst into flames!" Kagome gasped.
"Huh?" Taka looked at her hands.
She concentrated on fire then the black fire surrounded her hands. She stared at the fire.
"Kenji," she said aloud.
"Huh?" Inuyasha walked up to her.
"That pyro," she started, "he said something about wanting your blood and he figured out I had some of yours and mixed our blood... I got some of his power."
Inuyasha nodded. Kuragari laughed.
"You're scared of spiders?" he asked between his laughs.
"Urasai!" Taka growled.
Kagome held a hand over Kuragari's mouth attempting to quiet him. Instead Kuragari took her hand and kissed it. Kagome giggled.
"My fair lady Kagome," he said with a smile.
He bowed and stood.
"I'll be off for a bath now," he said, "there are hot springs nearby and I feel filthy," he walked off.
Kagome sighed and turned. Taka and Inuyasha were both smirking.
"Nani?" she said with a blush.
"You love my brother don't you?" Taka grinned.
"Oh Kuragari you're the man of my dreams," Inuyasha imitated Kagome and pretended to faint on Taka.
Taka laughed.
"Inuyasha," said Kagome as she looked back at him, "Osuwari!"
Inuyasha fell face first onto the ground. Taka laughed.
"You can't make me sit," she teased.
Miroku sighed and walked behind Taka.
WHACK!
He hit her over the head with his staff and now she lay face first in the dirt. Kagome laughed.
"Arigatou," she thanked Miroku.
"Come along Inuyasha you and I are also filthy," Miroku took Inuyasha by the kimono and dragged him along to the hot springs.
Taka sat cross-legged and rubbed the back of her head. Isamu gave a meow and put a paw on her leg. She picked up the other cat youkai.
"I'm going to get Miroku back," she scowled.
Kagome laughed again. Isamu got himself comfortable on Taka's lap and fell asleep. Sango whispered something to Kagome.
"Sango you hentai!" said Kagome.
"We should!"
"Nani?" asked Taka curiously.
"We should go spy on them while they bathe," said Sango with a grin.
Taka smirked.
"Kagome would like that," she said.
"Of course I will," Kagome smiled.
The three girls with Kirara and Isamu following curiously. They sat down wind so they wouldn't catch them spying. Kuragari sat with his arms out of the water. Kagome began to drool. Inuyasha sighed at the feeling of the hot water. Taka drooled. Finally there was Miroku... who wasn't in the water yet, to Sango's advantage. Sango stared and also drooled. Shippo walked behind them.
"What're you doing?" he asked.
"What was that?" Inuyasha perked his ears up.
The girls eeped slightly. Kagome covered Shippo's mouth.
"Inuyasha you must be imagining things," said Miroku.
Kagome poked her head out again. Kuragari opened his eyes and winked at her. She ducked again.
"Kuragari knows we're here!" she whispered.
"Kuso!" whispered Taka.
"Let's go back!" whispered Sango.
Kagome picked up Shippo and they ran back to where they were earlier. They sat quietly until the boys came back. Kuragari smirked at them. Taka gave him a look, warning him to keep his mouth shut. Kuragari nodded and pretended to zip his lips. Taka snickered.