Chapter Thirty-Nine
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Onward!
"She had a scar on her back the shape of a spider." Two nights later finds us holed up on a small cabin outside the woods where we had last encountered Naraku. We hadn't moved far from the spot, all of us needing a little reprieve from the fight.
I was personally hoping Koga would show up again so I could really explain to him what's going on between Inuyasha and I. I could only imagine how Inuyasha might have worded our relationship. I wanted to be sure that Koga didn't feel led on, at least not any longer, and that we could still maybe be friends. Though, even as I think about that I wince, wondering if asking to be friends would be like adding insult to injury for him. Regardless, the wolf demon had treated me kindly during our time together, and I really did wish to keep his friendship going forward.
The conversation later that night, once Shippo and Kirara had curled up together around our small fire and fallen asleep, had turned to the Wind Sorceress we had encountered, Kagura. We had been trying our best to keep Shippo calm, the little demon having grown increasingly anxious since our last encounter with Naraku. Thus, only during the night after he was asleep, we would discuss these matters. It was a personal request from me to try and protect Shippo from further stress, and the others all quickly agreed. Miroku and Sango had been able to retell their own adventure facing off with one of Naraku's puppets inside of the castle while Inuyasha and I had remained outside facing off against Kagura that night. Now, tonight, we finally had an opportunity to discuss our newest enemy and, clearly, a powerful pawn of Naraku's.
Miroku frowns as he leans back against the wall across the fire from Sango, his blue eyes gazing at me solemnly. "It would appear that Kagura was born from Naraku." Miroku states as I blink in surprise.
"What do you mean 'born from'?" I can't help asking as Inuyasha shifts next to me, his gaze narrow as a clear frown stretches across his lips.
"Kagura was made from a part of him, of his energy." Miroku answers. "Or, that is my theory. It's takes a lot of power to create a being from your own energy. I wouldn't have believed Naraku capable of it myself, not until you told me of the Wind Sorceress's scar."
"And you're sure it couldn't just be a coincidence?" Sango asks, looking towards me in question. "Are you sure her scar was the exact same as Naraku's?"
"I'm sure." I answer with firmness. My memory was clear, and I was without a doubt about the matter.
"Think about it." Miroku goes on, crossing his arms casually over his chest. "Naraku himself was created from a host of various demons. What if he could tear one of them from his body, and use that as the building block to create physical extensions of himself." I blink at that, frowning as I glance towards Inuyasha. He's look straight at Miroku, tense, his expression resigned to the fact that Miroku was no doubt right.
"So what's stopping him from creating an army of himself?" I ask, voice hushed by worry clearly tinging my tone. I glance towards Shippo, making sure he was soundly asleep, before looking back towards the monk. This time, however, it's Inuyasha that answers.
"It would leave his original body too vulnerable. To create an army the size he would need, it would take almost every part of what he is now made up of." Inuyasha answers, his golden gaze moving towards the flames of the fire now.
"In any case, whatever her story might be, if she was created out of Naraku then I'm not interested in her." Miroku randomly states, and I can't help my jaw dropping slightly in shock. Seriously? Did this monk have no self control?
"I never realized that being interested in that murdering bitch was an option." I state dryly in response, Sango looking extremely unimpressed as well. 'What an idiot.' I groan inwardly, Miroku at least having the good sense to look towards Sango with a sheepishly apologetic expression.
"Don't you think it's strange?" Inuyasha asks, clearly moving us on from Miroku's blundering mistake. "For a woman, this Kagura possessed unusual strength. If Naraku could create someone like her…" He trails off, and I frown in question. Though Sango apparently catches onto his thought.
"Right. Then why wouldn't he have done so earlier?" She asks Inuyasha's unspoken question with a knowing tone.
"That's the point. It's not that he didn't choose to do it…" Miroku trails off, Sango turning towards him as she clearly catches his wave-length as well.
"He just wasn't able to before." Sango finishes ominously, and finally I'm catching on to what they're all thinking.
Naraku has gotten stronger.
Cold dread washes over me to the point a shudder rushes down my spine.
'It's true, even I could sense it during our last encounter.' Mayumi speaks up for the first time in what felt like ages. It's to the point that I almost start with fright, having become accustomed to the silence.
'Mayumi…it's been a while.' I frown, everyone shifting around now to get ready for the night. Sango was rolling out her bedroll, taking what was quickly becoming her normal place with her head facing the monk where he sat, her feet facing away. She was close enough that Miroku could reach out and stroke her hair if he so chose. Maybe he even did once we were all asleep. It was easy to see how naturally it had become for those two to be close, even though they probably didn't even realize it themselves.
'I'm sorry, Yua. I fear that my powers have been drained quite substantially the last few times you drew on me to help.' Mayumi explains, her voice even sounding weary. I feel my heart skip a beat at that, rolling out my own bedroll and making sure that I was facing away from Inuyasha so he couldn't see my expressions as he sat against the wall much like Miroku.
'I'm so sorry.' I frown, guilt weighing down on me. If only I had been stronger during those times, Mayumi wouldn't be so weak now.
'No need to be.' Mayumi replies firmly. 'But Yua…my time here is slowly drawing to a close. I need you to be prepared to go on without me.'
'Isn't that a little drastic?' I can't help but panic hearing her. How the hell was I going to manage without her around? 'I won't call on your powers any more. There still might be a chance that we can-'
'I will not revisit that topic again, Yua.' Mayumi snaps. I chew on my lower lip hard, closing my eyes as I could feel the burning sensation of tears building there. 'We have a while yet together, though our communications will be far less, as they have been the past few weeks. You are going to be fine, Yua. Both you and Inuyasha.' She adds gently. I feel a rush of guilt an embarrassment flow through me in that moment, realizing that she no doubt knew…maybe even saw, our nights together.
I'm completely and utterly horrified.
'Don't be…I told you he's got a good tongue.' Mayumi giggles at my expense. I bury my face against my blanket, eyes squeezing even more tightly shut as I beg for sleep to take me and end the embarrassment.
The next morning we wake up is a foggy one, but we know that we have to move on. I find myself packing up the last of the things alone in our little cabin we stayed in for the night, everyone else getting ready outside. To be completely honest I had gotten little to no sleep the night before, not with the thought of Naraku's increasing power on my mind...and Mayumi's waning existance. What Naraku had said to me in my dream made so much more sense now, and the context was far more ominous.
"You've no idea, no right, to claim what is or is not within my reach. I am Naraku. My powers continue to grow, and soon will be beyond anyone's comprehension." He hisses at me, lowering his head so our noses brushed together. "Soon you will learn not to challenge me. Soon you will see that resisting someone like me is futile. I will have you Yua, whether or not you are willing."
The floor suddenly creaks under someone's weight, and I jump, unable to contain my reaction. My hands glow with my aura as my eyes snap towards whoever it was that had just entered the cabin, feeling light headed when I notice, with relief, that it was only Inuyasha.
"Yua?" Inuyasha asks with concern, his gaze moving towards my hands, still glowing with my energy. I quickly let it disperse, taking a deep, shaking breath.
"Sorry, you startled me." I reply in answer to his concern, but clearly that isn't enough. Even as I turn back towards my task of rolling up my bedroll, Inuyasha steps closer, so close that I can feel the very air around me shift as he kneels down at my side. A clawed hand gently grabs at my chin, forcing me to look up towards his handsome face, still filled with concern. He doesn't even have to ask for me to explain, I find myself answering without hesitation.
"I guess I'm a little freaked out about Naraku. I didn't sleep well last night." I answer honestly, Inuyasha nodding. It was only half of the story, obviously. I didn't feel ready to reopen his wounds concerning Mayumi just yet.
Or maybe I was being selfish in that moment?
"I know, I was watching you toss and turn most of it." He replies, his thumb gently stroking along my jaw bone. "You know I'd never let him get near you, right?" He asks lowly, his voice husky and taking on that familiar tone of possession that for some reason made me feel so safe.
"You would do everything you could." I reply, not wanting us to pretend that there still wasn't a chance Naraku could beat us. It didn't do anyone any good to not prepare themselves for the worst, or, that's at least what I have found in life. His gaze hardens, his hand gently pulling my face upwards towards his own as he leans his forehead against mine in an achingly familiar gesture of comfort.
"I'm strong enough to protect you." He declares openly, his gaze determined. "Naraku won't lay a hand on what's mine." Again, the utter possession in his voice sends a shiver of want down my spine.
'The reaction of a mate.' Mayumi's voice chimes in the back of my head, but she's quickly drowned out as Inuyasha slants his lips against my own, taking them in a soft, chaste kiss. I barely have time to savor it before he pulls back, letting my chin go and standing smoothly.
"Don't be much longer. We need to put some distance behind us." Inuyasha murmur softly, a knowing and handsome smirk on his face as my lips fall open slightly as his abrupt departure from me. Without another word he turns, knowing exactly what state he was leaving me in, and heads outside once more.
What a cocky asshole!
Strangely enough we found ourselves walking into a fog a couple hours later, the source floating off of a nearby large pond. The air was damp and even chilling, sinking straight through my skin into my very bones.
"Let's stop here for a moment." Sango requests as we near the banks of the pond. "I need to fill up on water. Does anyone else?" She asks lightly. Miroku nods, handing her his bamboo container for water with a thankful smile.
"Much appreciated, dear Sango." Miroku coos with unnecessary sweetness, to which Sango throws him a suspicious look. When she turns away and walks the few feet through the dense fog towards the edge of the pond, I can't help sending my own suspicious look the monk's way. Miroku notices, and shrugs easily.
"The more containers she has to fill, the longer I get to see her bend over." He replies with blunt honesty, before following through the fog. My mouth parts slightly, for some reasons shocked at the monk's audacity, and maybe even slightly amused. Inuyasha gives an annoyed scoff as he crosses his arms.
"He really doesn't know when to call it qui-" Inuyasha suddenly stiffens up, his ears twitching this way in that as his face hardens. I frown.
"Inuyasha, what is it?" I ask, before suddenly I hear splashing, and the distinct sound of Sango's aggravated cry. A much louder splash is heard after the echo of something hitting something hollow, before more splashing can be heard and the voice of a man.
"What manner of being are you wench?!"
"Stay here with Shippo and Kirara, Yua." Inuyasha orders, before marching forward through the fog as well.
"As if!" I shout back in frustration, following him anyways despite the warning glare that Inuyasha sends my way, confident that Shippo would be safe with Kirara. The fog begins to break, fully revealing Sango as she moves to stand with her boomerang at the ready.
"That's exactly what I would ask. You seem to be no more than ordinary men." Sango snaps back at them in return, squaring her shoulders.
"That isn't Koharu, my lord!" Another man, one that I could just barely make out through the dense fog, stated as he sat in the water with an apprehensive look on his face.
Clearly Sango had already taken care of him.
As I focus I can see the blurry outlines of more figures standing behind the man in the water, one sitting up high on what appeared to be a horse. Reaching around behind me, I grab one of my arrows, notching it in my bow but keeping it relaxed and facing downward.
"Such beauty. Bring her with us!" The man sitting a top the horse can be heard ordering, his voice reverent as he no doubt took in Sango's form. There was no denying his claim; Sango really was a beauty to behold.
A dangerous beauty, he would soon find out.
The men all chorus "Yes, sire!", before I could see two more of them emerging with their sticks of bamboo, much like the first men held as he stood up.
"You will come with us!"
"Resist and you shall regret it!"
Suddenly Inuyasha leaps up from beside me into the air, bearing down on the men as they moved to surround the far from defenseless demon slayer.
Still, it warmed my heart to see him protecting one of his own like that.
"No you don't!" Inuyasha's shout suddenly is heard before a loud splash as he lands between Sango and the men she was facing off against. Snapping myself out of my girlish reverence, I move forward as well, drawing my arrow back and pointing it in threat towards the man I could now clearly see a top his horse. No doubt some sort of lord, or lord's son, by the looks of him. Inuyasha takes them out with ease as Sango hooks her boomerang onto her back once more, watching the display calmly.
"And one for the Master!" Inuyasha exclaims, leaping forward once he had finished with the other three men and easily taking out the man on the horse with a single punch to his face. As the horse bolts I lower my own bow, relaxing it and placing my unused arrow back into my quiver. The lord's henchmen quickly race towards their fallen leader, helping him up from the water.
"The young lord's face is badly injured!"
"We shall see to it that you get treated!"
And with that, the group of men are on their way, making a quick escape.
"What was their problem?" Inuyasha asks in wonder.
"Thank you." A female voice that certainly didn't belong to Sango speaks up, all of us snapping our heads around to look towards the source. It was a young girl, a very pretty young girl, that now stood closest to Sango.
"Was it you they were after?" Sango asks, turning to face the young girl.
"I'm afraid so." She admitted, and I can't help a concerned frown. Shippo jumps up on my shoulder then, his blue eyes showing worry for the girl as well.
"Why were they after you?" He asks, the young woman's brown eyes widening slightly, before growing sad as she looks towards the fox demon on my shoulder.
"The lord wanted me for himself. I refused." She murmured, her voice shaking in obvious fear.
"Wanted you? What do you mean by that?" Shippo asks, but I gently hush him as I see the young girl trembling.
The lord had wanted to rape her.
The young maiden looks to our right, gasping softly as her eyes land on the monk to my side, and her trembling suddenly stops altogether.
"Miroku!"
Tilting my head, I share a look with Sango, the demon slayer looking curious but also slightly unimpressed. Unfortunately, with our experiences so far, any woman that has seemingly known our monk friend has only known him for one thing and one thing only.
Bedding them and leaving them love-sick with his promise to return.
'I can tell Sango is getting sick of these sorts of encounters.' I think to myself, watching as she seems to shift uneasily. It was clear, to me at least, that despite her denials Sango was really starting to care deeply for Miroku. 'Miroku, of course, is as dense as they come and can't see past the constant rejections to understand what Sango really wants from him.'
Sango wanted stability, loyalty. She wanted forever, not just a moment.
"It is you Master Miroku! You've returned!" The girl exclaims with happiness, her arms opening wide as she races towards the monk. Miroku is standing there, looking genuinely bewildered.
'Well, that's a different reaction than normal.' I note dryly, watching his entire body stiffen as the girl latches onto him.
"Miroku! How I've missed you!" The girls goes on, curling up against his chest happily. Miroku lets out a noise of uncertainty, keeping his arms and hands, surprisingly, to himself. For a split second I swear I see him glancing towards Sango in apprehension, but as soon as I think I've seen that, he's back to looking down at the girl in confusion.
"Have we met before?" He asks, voice a little higher than normal. I unconsciously step over towards Inuyasha as he walks up, looking towards Sango to continue to gauge her reaction. The expression I see on her face makes my stomach stink. She doesn't look annoyed, or irritated like normal.
She looks empty.
"I'm Koharu." The girl in Miroku's arms speaks up, smiling sweetly at him.
"Koharu? Oh, you don't say!" Miroku exclaims, expression now changing to one of realization. So he did know the young woman.
"It's been three long years that I have waited." She goes on, obviously love-sick for the monk.
'Three years?! She would have just been a kid!' I think to myself with disgust, jaw dropping slightly. 'She can't be much older than me right now!' Being eighteen, that would have made Koharu fifteen when she had last seen Miroku, maybe even younger depending on her age now. My right hand twitches, ready to reach for an arrow, as my left tightens it's grip on my bow.
I had known that Miroku was a pervert, but seriously?
"You've changed so much!" Miroku goes on, and to my horror he actually wraps his arm around the girl. "I almost didn't recognize you! How very providential meeting you like this!"
"That young girl is a friend of Miroku's?" Inuyasha asks dubiously, and I can't help gritting my teeth angrily, reaching for my arrow now.
"More than just a friend by the looks of it. I'm going to kill that pervert." I mutter, notching my arrow. Miroku, as if sensing this, turns to look towards the rest of us and gulps nervously as he snatches his hands away from the girl and takes a step back.
"Now, now, Yua. No need to be hasty!" Miroku holds his hands up in surrender, a nervous laugh escaping from him as I lift my arrow and take aim. "It wasn't like that!" He exclaims almost frantically, and I had to admit I was getting a sick feeling of humor watching my lecherous friend squirm.
"And how exactly was it? She was fifteen Miroku! Maybe younger! That's a new low for you!" I snap back at him, the tip of my arrow glowing purple. "Don't worry, I won't kill you." I add, before aiming decidedly lower than his waist-line.
"No! Please don't hurt him!" Koharu moves quickly to block my view, and I huff in annoyance. "It really wasn't like that at all! He never touched me!" Frowning, I lower my bow and relax my arm, taking the arrow and placing it back into my quiver. "My parents and siblings were killed in the war. The Keeper of the Oil took me under his care, but worked me day and night. I was weary from my duties, and I wept each night." I could feel my heart going out towards this girl in that instant, though I still looked over her shoulder towards the monk with open suspicion.
He looked very nervous, and I'm sure it wasn't because of my earlier threat against his manhood.
"Then, a wondrous day." Koharu's voice takes on a tone of reverence once more as she steps to the side to look towards Miroku. "A kind gesture by a monk who had come by our village to perform an exorcism. It was on that day that Miroku asked me something of great importance, something I have been longing to fulfill for him since." My stomach dropped, almost able to predict word for word what Koharu was about to say.
"He asked me if I would consider bearing his children."
"That's IT!" I exclaim, feeling my blood boil, hands glowing purple. "I'm doing the world a favor and castrating you!"
"What?! No!" Miroku exclaims, backing away once more as I approach with Sango now at my side, glaring at the monk as well. No doubt she would hold him down for me. "I haven't laid a finger on the girl! She was just a child!"
"It was the happiest day of my life!" Koharu quickly tries to interfere once more. "Miroku had to take leave from our village shortly afterward. I knew that one day he would return for me! I believed it with all my heart!" I hesitate then, looking at the girl once more as she clearly looks towards Miroku with love and adoration, even if it was love born of childish fantasies. Koharu hesitates, looking from Miroku towards the ground sadly now. "As of late, though, I noticed the Keeper of the Oil's young lord leering at me. My fears were realized last night when he tried to force himself on me. I struck him with some firewood until he lay motionless."
Woah, hold up.
'Clearly this girl can take care of herself.' I think as I let my power fade, impressed. Sango has paused as well, looking at the girl with genuine shock.
"Please, Miroku, won't you take me with you?" Koharu turns back to the monk now, stepping towards him once again and clasping her hands together as she looked up towards him with hope. Miroku frowns, and to my surprise, a look of guilt enters into his blue eyes.
"Koharu-"
"I have nowhere else to go!" Koharu cuts him off. "Besides, I am an adult now, and I can bear your children." She argues, clasping her hands over both of his. I blink in surprise.
This girl might be even younger than me, and she's ready for children?
'Sometimes I really do forget what time period I am in.' "Lets table the talk of bearing children for a moment, shall we?" I suggest. "Why don't we find somewhere we can sit down and think over this?"
"Good idea, Yua!" Miroku quickly agrees. I shoot him an unimpressed look.
"Oh, you're not off of the hook just yet, buddy. Not by a long shot."
"There is a small, abandoned cabin not far from here. It would provide some good shelter." Koharu offers, clearly still hopeful to escape her village through us. She leads the way through the fog, the rest of us quickly following.
'We can't bring her with us, she'd be in even more danger if we did. She can't stay in that village either.' I frown deeply at the thought of sending her back to a man who would clearly rape her given the chance. Suddenly I feel Inuyasha's hand on my lower back, the contact instantly soothing me as I look up towards him at my side. He's looking straight ahead, but I know he's aware of the calming effect his touch has on me.
'Why couldn't the world be filled with more men like him, and less monsters?' I can't help thinking, turning my gaze forward once more.
"Miroku was your first love, wasn't he?" I ask gently as Koharu and I sit by the nearby river bank. The others had stayed at the abandoned home to no doubt discuss what could be done for the girl, whilst I had volunteered to bring her down to the river so she could wash her face up and get some water.
"Indeed." Koharu nods, smiling warmly at me before looking down at the water. "He's the kindest man I've ever known."
"I can't deny that he is kind, no matter how much of a pervert the guy can be." I mutter the last bit lowly, sighing heavily and leaning back to look up at the now clear sky. The fog had finally rolled out of the area by the time we had reached our new shelter.
"I'm truly honored to have been chosen by Lord Miroku to bear his children." Koharu goes on, and I can't help wincing slightly at her words.
'If only she knew he's used that line on almost all the pretty women he's met.' I think to myself, fingers gripping onto the grass around my hands that I had braced on the ground slightly behind me. "Koharu…don't you want to do more with your life before you have children?" I couldn't help asking, glancing at the girl. Koharu frowns, looking towards me curiously.
"What do you mean?" She asks, and that question has me blinking in surprise at her now.
What did she mean, 'what do you mean?'?
"It's just…you're young. Younger than me maybe even. Don't you want more time to do the things you want to do before you have kids?" I ask, straightening up then. Her brown eyes still held a hint of confusion.
"What else would I want to do?" She asks in return. "I'm a woman grown. It's my duty now to become a wife, and to bear children."
"Your duty?" I ask, flabbergasted. "You don't aspire to do anything else? Travel maybe even?"
"No." Koharu answers with conviction, shaking her head. "I'm ready to have children, to fulfill my role as a Mother. I'm honored to do so with a man like Miroku."
'Holy shit.' I think to myself, looking wide eyed back to the river after Koharu breaks eye contact with me to do the same. 'I mean…I guess that's just the way things are here?' A suddenly though grips me and causes my own heart to race. 'Inuyasha…he mentioned once that he and Mayumi had wanted children. Would he want children with me? Does he expect that from me as well? And soon?' I thought I would have had at least another decade before the thought of children became reality.
Next time I go back home to my time I'm buying condoms. Lots and lots of condoms.
"I wouldn't be a burden! Please, let me come with you!"
Miroku was absent as the rest of us tried to talk some sense into the young girl in front of our group. Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara had come to find Koharu and I at the riverside to discuss the next move. Miroku apparently knew of a nearby village that he had past dealings with, and that the elder there was a kind man that would no doubt take Koharu in. It was the best choice for her, but her reaction was predictable. Even as we traveled to the village she protested along the way.
"Not a chance." Inuyasha replies firmly to her, making sure that she understood that enough was enough as we sat just on the outskirts of the village. "It's dangerous to come along with us, so stop arguing and stay behind."
"It is in your best interest." Sango adds gently, her voice kind, though Koharu still looked horrified at the prospect of being abandoned. The guilt gnawed at my stomach as I sat next to Inuyasha, his hand reaching over and laying on top of my own, no doubt easily able to sense my uneasiness.
"She's right." Shippo adds from his spot where he sat on the incline of the hill behind us. Koharu looks down sadly then, and I'm personally at a loss of what to say to even remotely try to make things better for her.
How could I? She was being separated once more from a man she thought she was in love with.
"I've spoken to the village elder." Miroku suddenly calls to us from the top of the hill, making his way down.
"Miroku…" Koharu murmurs, standing from where she had been sitting across from us as he approached.
"Koharu, come with me, would you?" Miroku gently requests, and the girl nods, walking over to him. Miroku wraps his arms around her shoulders and guides her on further down the hill, the rest of us watching the pair go with suspicion.
"Hopefully he won't lead her on unnecessarily." I murmur softly, being sure to not be overheard. They were far enough away by the time they reached the next flat area on the hill that we couldn't hear for ourselves what was being said.
However, we could see that Miroku had pulled Koharu in close.
"Does it look like he's setting her straight?" Inuyasha asks, sounding unsure.
"Not exactly." I mutter lowly, frowning and shaking my head. "I mean, why would he have pulled her into his lap like that?"
"Lecher. He's all over the girl! A parting like that will make her fall deeper in love." Sango comments, icy disdain clear in her voice. I turn to look back at her knowingly, however, Inuyasha was the one stupid enough to open his big mouth.
"I might just be imagining it, Sango…but is there a little jealousy thing going on here?"
If looks could kill, Inuyasha would be digging his own six foot grave right now.
"It's your imagination." Sango snaps as she glares down at the half demon, who had the good sense to at least look terrified as he slumps over beside me.
"I don't know, Inuyasha is kind of an expert on jealousy." I mutter lowly to myself before I could stop, Sango's next glare directed at me.
Yep, just hand me the shovel.
"Miroku, I'm begging you! Won't you stay with me one last night?" Koharu tried in vain to convince the monk, who thankfully had a better head on his shoulders than last time he had met the young girl.
Or, at least, has head on his shoulders now, rather than just the one below the waist.
"You heard Koharu, won't you please stay the night with us?" The elder asked, though no doubt he didn't realize the reason Koharu was asking Miroku to stay was very different than his own.
"No. I fear that postponing our departure will just make it that much harder for her." Miroku answers the elder diplomatically. I nod in silent agreement, even as my heart aches for the girl as she clearly becomes upset, turning and running further into the elder's home.
"Stay for her sake." Sango suddenly speaks up, startling us all. "One more night won't make that big of a difference. She's new here and scared. Maybe you staying for one more night will bring her comfort."
Wow, way to rise above, Sango.
"I must decline." Miroku replies firmly, further shocking me. "If reason gave way to passion, and Koharu became pregnant, she would be burdened for the rest of her life with my likeness."
"Uh, I'm sure what Sango meant by staying one more night was that you would do so in a separate room…if not a separate house clear across the village." I mutter the last bit dryly.
"Reason give way to passion? What does that mean, Miroku?" Shippo asks innocently, Miroku looking entirely too pleased as he steps forward towards the small fox demon currently sitting on my shoulder.
"Delighted that you asked, young Shippo!"
"And I'll be delighted that you don't answer!" Inuyasha speaks up from directly behind me. I turn my head, having been about to tell the monk off as well, feeling Shippo's weight being lifted off of my shoulder. Inuyasha had grabbed him by the tail, lifting him up and over onto his own shoulder with a glare directed slowly on Miroku. "No need to corrupt the kid with your perverseness!" Inuyasha's ears twitch suddenly then, and he tsks slightly as his amber eyes turn towards the building. "She's crying. Shouldn't be wasting her tears on the monk." He murmurs, sighing with resignation before grabbing Shippo off of his shoulder he had just set him on and depositing the fox demon on the ground. I tilt my head as I watch my silver haired lover head towards the entrance of the building.
"Where are you going?" I can't help asking, Inuyasha casting me an annoyed glance over his shoulder.
"Someone's gotta set her right and make her see she's way better off without that bastard." He nods towards Miroku in reference, who looks rather unimpressed, before continuing on inside.
"How am I the bad guy still?"
Hardly paying attention now to anyone else, my eyes are trained in shock on the doorway Inuyasha had just walked through. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I think a day would come where Inuyasha would go and willingly try to comfort a crying woman.
"Alright! We'll stay here tonight and set out in the morning, but no more tears. Got it? He ain't worth them." I can hear Inuyasha from just inside of the building, walking up now to get a better view through the doorway. There he was, standing with his back towards me, looking down on the crying girl that was currently kneeling on the ground at the entrance of the main home. She looks up to him happily then, nodding quickly in agreement to his deal.
"I'll show you to your rooms then." The elder stuck his head out from between the sliding doors, having obviously heard everything. Inuyasha nods in thanks, before turning to look at us, his face dropping into one of annoyance, daring any of us to say anything about what he had just done.
I walk up to him as the others follow, passing by us both to be guided by the elder into his home. Looking up towards Inuyasha I smile softly, my heart feeling like it was going to burst at this genuine act of kindness he had just committed.
Months ago, I'm not sure if he honestly would have been capable of what he had just done.
"What?" Inuyasha mutters, clearly uncomfortable as a blush starts to appear at the top of his cheeks. "We don't need her following us into danger. This way the monk is able to make a clean break once and for all, and I won't be left with another liability to defend in our pack. Shippo is work enough." He rants on, clearly wanting to make it sound like he did this for himself, rather than as a selfless act for another. I simply lean up, kissing him softly on the cheek.
"Thank you." I murmur softly, squeezing his shoulder gently before moving to walk around him and into the house. Inuyasha's hand shoots out suddenly, grabbing onto my own and tugging me back into his body firmly. He flips me around so I'm facing him, one arm wrapped around my waist securely, while his open hand moves to catch my chin. I feel a shiver rush down my spine at the heat in his eyes in that moment as he leans his head down towards my own, the amber turning almost molten as he takes a deep breath of my scent in through his nose.
"I think you can thank me better than that." Inuyasha murmurs lowly, the timber in his voice shaking me right to my core. He lowers his head only just slightly more as I rise up to meet him without hesitation, pressing my lips firmly against his own. I feel his hand release my chin as his lips move against mine slowly, languidly, as if savouring the taste of me for the moment we could steal right now. His now free hand moves up to my bound hair, his claws digging into it and gripping it with enough pressure to cause my body to arch against his own as another spike of heat races down my spine. I bite down on his full lower lip in retaliation, and at that point, he pulls away. His breathing is ragged, lips parted slightly and damp from my own. The ache returns full tilt between my legs at the look he's giving me, knowing he's just barely holding onto control as it is in that moment.
This was neither the time, nor the place.
"Sorry." I find myself apologizing, knowing from our past intimate encounters that biting on his lip really got him going. He shakes his head, leaning down once more, but to instead press his forehead against my own.
"Never be sorry for that." Inuyasha replies, voice still husky, though his breathing was calming down. "I love how you make me feel, all of it." I bite back a whimper at that statement, finding it ridiculously hot to hear him say that.
"Me too." My voice comes out just above a whisper, shaking with a want and need that I knew wouldn't be fulfilled tonight. "It's…it's getting more difficult to…"
"Stop. Yeah, I know. I feel it too." Inuyasha murmurs softly, his claws gently scraping along my scalp in a soothing motion. "And soon we won't have to, I promise, but not tonight."
"When?" The impatient question spills forth before I can stop it, a blush heating my cheeks at the entirely male smirk that overtakes Inuyasha's face.
"I'm just as impatient for it as you, believe me." He murmurs, before reluctantly letting me go and spinning me around to urge me on into the house. He even goes as far as to tap my ass lightly with his hand, and when I throw a light glare at him over my shoulder, all I get in return his a boyish wink.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
A few hours later found us sitting in our room for the night, finally partaking in some much needed food. At least, I knew it was much needed, and it was no doubt delicious, but my mind was focused on something else entirely.
And it revolved around the half demon sitting to my right.
'I wonder…with all this built up tension between us…what is it going to be like?' I can't help thinking about the possibilities as I absently pick away at some of my rice. 'Will he be in control, gentle, knowing it's my first time? Or…or will his demon side take over?' I do my best not to squirm with heat, knowing there wasn't two, but three demons in this room that could smell my excitement if I let it take hold.
"This stew is incredible!" Shippo suddenly exclaims, making me jump slightly, startled from my thoughts. Inuyasha glances at me curiously then, and I can't stop the hot blush that takes over my face. His handsome, knowing smirk is directed my way for a moment, before he looks down at the food he has hardly even touched.
Suddenly Inuyasha picks up Tessaiga, a solemn look on his face.
"What's going on?" I ask then, heart leaping slightly with nerves. It wasn't Inuyasha who answered, however, but Miroku.
"We're surrounded." Miroku answers. "I fear that this meal that Koharu worked so hard to prepare is going to have to go cold."
"Yeah." Inuyasha agrees. "Strange that there is no scent of demons in the air." He adds lightly as I set my rice down, reaching over to my bow and arrow that was sitting nearby.
"The villagers are surrounding us?" Sango asks, sounding just as confused as I felt. "Why?"
"I don't know, but it looks like regardless we're going to have to fight our way out of here." Inuyasha states grimly, standing up then.
"Let's go survey the area." Miroku suggests, standing with Inuyasha. "You guys stay here."
Fat chance.
"Whatever happens, Shippo, you stay with me, okay?" I turn to the little boy, looking towards the doorway with wide fearful eyes. He only spares me a glance as he nods, before looking back towards the doorway once more. I hook my bow over my shoulder, standing with Sango now as Kirara bounds out with the men. Shippo stays directly behind me as we all walk towards the doorway, and are greeted with a terrifying sight.
All the village's men, all of them, were surrounding us with their sharp tools and burning torches.
"They seem to be under some sort of mind control. Maybe a spell." Miroku answers our unvoiced questions, his brows furrowed as he looks out at the growing crowd sharply. Suddenly the villagers begin to charge, both Inuyasha and Miroku moving outwards to meet them. I glanced towards Sango and she nodded, knowing our place was to stay here and hold the fort as it were, and to ensure that Koharu, wherever she was, wasn't left unprotected either.
"Something dreadful has happened!" Koharu suddenly comes bursting into the room, urgently calling out to us. I turn from the battle in front of us to regard her.
"What's the matter?" I ask sharply, listening distantly to what was still happening out front. The men were great in numbers, this was true, but they were only human. Inuyasha and Miroku could handle it, that much I was confident in.
"A demon got inside and attacked the elder and his wife!" Koharu answers, Sango and I both moving together towards her now. I shift my bow off of my shoulder and into my hand, notching an arrow at the ready.
"Lead the way, Koharu." I respond, Koharu nodding and motioning for us to follow her. Carefully we walk through the hallway of the home, finally coming upon the elderly couple, both laying on the floor.
Dead.
'We're too late, the demon killed them.' I frown deeply, before my eyes widen in realization. 'Wait…demon? But Inuyasha said he hadn't smelt a demon earlier.' I frown deeply at that, glancing towards where Koharu was standing next to me. 'Something isn't adding up.'
"A demon did this?" Sango asks, clearly as skeptical as I was. It's then that I notice what she's looking at.
There were no wounds.
They should be filled with wounds if it had been a demon that attacked, I had seen enough results that demons left behind to know the signs.
We slowly move around the bodies to the next room, Sango now leading the way. Koharu is clinging to my arm, Shippo to my leg. As soon as we enter the room, a figure appears in the next door way. She's there and gone so quickly that I can barely catch a glimpse of her pure white hair and icy blue eyes, along with the fact that she was just the size of a toddler.
"She vanished!" Sango exclaims, having had her boomerang at the ready to cut through the demon.
I can feel an electric pulse rush through me from behind, quickly turning to see the mystery demon standing behind us, before she vanishes once more. The next time she appears Sango is ready.
"Hiraikotsu!" She lets her boomerang fly to the right where the demon reappeared. This time she stayed in one place long enough to get a better look at her.
'She's carrying a mirror.' I frown as I noticed the reflection from the object held daintily between her two small hands. The mirror flashes brightly, a barrier of sorts appearing in front of her. My eyes widen in shock as it stops Sango's attack, and then turns her boomerang against her. Only just in time I was able to rip my arm from Koharu's grip to raise a barrier in front of the demon slayer, preventing her from taking a head-on hit. Sango's boomerang clatters to the ground, fully stopped, the white-haired girl now looking towards me as she tilts her head only ever so slightly.
"Yua…" She murmurs my name, her voice sending a chill down my spine. It was wispy, almost disembodied sounding. "Give your soul to me." She adds softly, my eyes widening at that.
Give her my what?
'Yua! Yua, you, Sango and Shippo have to get away! Now! She'll take both of our souls!' Mayumi yells out then from deep within. I go to move, but somehow find myself frozen in place as her mirror begins to glow once more. Distantly I can hear Sango and Shippo both yelling, Koharu suspiciously quiet, but I can't turn my head to see what was going on.
Then my world goes complete silent, and black.
Inuyasha's POV
Miroku and I both lead the group of men away from the elder's home, luckily not wrong in our assumptions that the villagers were attacking us and had no idea that the others were inside.
The further distance I could put between these men and Yua, then better.
"Remember Inuyasha! These are just humans!" Miroku finds the need to remind me once again, and though I was pulling back my punches, I was admittedly still doing more damage than I should.
"We're getting no where!" I shout back angrily, knocking down another one of the men. It was true. If I took out three, six more seemed to appear out of nowhere to take their places.
"You guys are pathetic!" My back straights as I hear a now familiar voice, the Wind Sorceress spitting out the words like venom as I turn and spot her on a nearby ridge. Her blood red eyes are staring down at both Miroku and I with confidence, her ruby red lips pulled back in a sneer. "You would do well to slay them all, that way they wouldn't keep coming after you." She goads.
"Kagura!" Miroku correctly identifies as he comes to stand with me.
"Not you again." I can't help snarling with annoyance, leaning forward slightly, the men having stopped advancing with her arrival.
"Then again, I suppose if you were capable of slaying them you would have already done so." Kagura added snidely.
"Are you the one who's possessed these villagers?" I ask, hands balled into tight fists at my sides.
"I am." She easily admits. "A mortal with no soul is no different from a dead man."
"Mortal with no soul?" I can't help asking, wondering what she was getting at. Was it exactly as it sounded? Had all these men somehow lost their souls? Kagura laughs coldly, holding her closed fan up towards her face.
"Your lover, Yua, is having the soul sucked out of her even as we speak." Kagura adds, tilting her head in clear challenge.
My inner demon roars to life.
"What did you just say?" My entire body is shaking, not wanting to believe what I just heard.
"You heard me." Kagura replies smoothly, clearly unaware of the beast she was about to unlock.
My mate…nobody harmed her, nobody.
"That must mean that there is a second demon here with Kagura!" Miroku states, his own frame stiffening as Kagura opens her fan with a flourish.
"Inuyasha, unsheathe your Tessaiga! This time victory shall be mine!" Kagura openly challenges, and I could feel my inner dog demon clawing to be released, to meet the challenge.
To eliminate the threat towards Yua.
"Whats the matter, Inuyasha? Cold feet?" Kagura wrongly perceived my shaking form as a sign of weakness, but when my burning eyes meet her own, I can see her take a slight step back, her confidence wavering.
"Miroku. Go back to the elder's house and help the girls. Find Yua." My voice comes out deeper, deeper than I had ever heard it as I could feel my power surging to new heights within me. Tessaiga was already glowing at my hip, reacting to the surge of demon energy it was feeling. I have heard of this before, the sudden burst of power a demon would feel when their mate's life was threatened, but I had never felt it before.
It was overwhelming.
"Of course I will. What about you?" Miroku asks. I growl lowly, reaching for Tessagia as it shakes in it's sheath at my side. Only when I grip the handle does the shaking cease.
"You know what." I answer ominously, drawing the sword. A blinding light emits from it the moment the blade leaves it's home at my side, Tessaiga glowing brightly even long after it had transformed, pulsing with my energy. "I'm going to kill this fucking bitch once and for all."
"Dance of Blades!" Kagura calls forth her attack, waving her fan and sending the blades of wind racing towards Miroku and I. Raising Tessaiga, I block each blow with ease, the monk taking off towards the house as I had ordered.
If what she said was true, if Yua's soul was gone, nobody, and I mean nobody, was going to stop me from turning this entire village inside out.
Sooooo, what do ya think? Some major developments are going to be happening in the next chapter :P. So stay tuned! Please leave a review to let me know what you think!
Until next time!
T.O.T.
