~Freak Attraction: Seven-Man Circus~

Chapter Four: Consequences

"Kagome… talk to me."

Lifting her head slightly from the lumpy pillow of their cot, Kagome looked over her shoulder to see the off-white of Inuyasha's night-robe, his shoulders tensed where he lay on his side. "Talk to you? About what?"

"Anything" came his clipped reply, and Kagome felt a seed of worry taking root inside her. Since his first 'performance' had ended that night and they'd brought the evening meal to Jinenji and the others, Inuyasha had been his usual gruff self, only remarking briefly how glad he was for that night to be over. They'd returned to their tent and silently prepared for bed, fidgeting awkwardly as they settled next to each other on their shared cot. She'd thought he would be eager to get a good night's rest before their presence was demanded again in the morning; the fact that he wanted to talk was troubling.

"Inuyasha?" She questioned softly, sitting up and leaning over his hunched form. She couldn't see his eyes under his thick white bangs, but she could see the frown marring his features. He didn't respond at first, and she wondered if he would let it go and try to get some sleep, but instead he rasped "Just talk to me, okay?"

Hesitantly, Kagome started "I hope Miroku and Sango found a place to stay…"

"Not about them" he cut her off briskly, and Kagome had to bite her lip to keep from snapping back. He was the one demanding she talk in the first place! "And not about the circus either… I just… wanna think of something else right now."

So that was it – despite his boisterous attitude, he was more deeply affected by everything than he let on. She kicked herself for not having seen it sooner. Bringing her hand to his shoulder, she gently rubbed circles through the fabric of his robe, trying to ease away some of his tension. He stiffened briefly at the contact, but soon relaxed and continued in a softer voice "All these half-demons… whatever's wrong with 'em, they seem to turn into whatever that creep Jakotsu says they are. They don't got wills of their own. I don't ever wanna forget myself like they have. … I don't wanna become their Inugami, Kagome."

"You won't" she responded firmly, leaning further down to lightly kiss his cheek, "you've got me here. I'd never give you up to them."

Inuyasha turned his head slightly to meet her eye, the faintest hint of a smirk on his lips as he teased "Thanks, wife." She blushed and huffed and he grinned more broadly at her, turning back on his side and saying gruffly "I wasn't kidding though. I need you to talk to me. Talk about the weather, I don't care, just… something."

Failing to come up with a topic off the top of her head, Kagome scanned the tent, desperately searching for a conversation starter. They'd tidied up a great deal earlier in the day, making the tent look a little more like a room and less like storage. Her eyes fell on the rickety cabinet they'd been keeping their belongings in, the old black cap perched on top catching her eye. A thought struck her, and she voiced it before it flew away. "That hat we gave you to wear… did I ever tell you it was my father's?"

She glanced down as she felt Inuyasha shift beside her, his eyes wide and expression intrigued as he looked up at her. "No, you didn't."

Kagome settled back down to her pillow, and Inuyasha moved to lie on his back, eyes still intently on her face. "He was a soldier" she said, responding to his unspoken question, "The government put together an army to take down the last rebellion of Samurai from the Satsuma region… they'd been opposing the new government. My father was more of a scholar than a fighter, but the government didn't really give him a choice. My mother always said that he never complained though; he loved Japan and wanted to see the country united. A battle wasn't really the way he wanted that to happen, but… it couldn't be helped, I guess. Either way… he lost his life pretty early in the fighting. Souta had only just been born when it happened."

"Sorry" Inuyasha mumbled, "I didn't mean you should talk about sad stuff…."

"It's alright" Kagome responded, smiling, "It's been a long time… about ten years, actually. I was young when he died, but I still have a few good memories of him."

Kagome's breath caught as she felt claws brushing her palm, and looked down to see Inuyasha's long fingers wrapping firmly around her hand. "So then… you lost your dad… about the same time that I lost Mother." Her eyes went wide – that had never crossed her mind, though he was right. But while she'd still had family to keep her going after losing a parent… he'd been thrown in a cage.

"Oh Inuyasha… I didn't mean to remind you of that…."

But he only shrugged, still holding her hand, and said calmly "Don't worry about it. I mean, before I met you it was still a sore subject, but Mother's been avenged. It's kinda funny though…" he lifted his free hand to gesture at their wardrobe and said lightly "I still carry her coat, you still carry his cap."

Smiling and squeezing the hand that held hers, Kagome said teasingly "It looks better on you though."

"So what happened with the battle?" Inuyasha said quickly, averting his eyes from hers, though he couldn't hide the slight smile at her compliment. "Who won?"

"The government of course" she responded, moving their joined hands so she could hold his against her cheek. Inuyasha was hit with a wave of nostalgia, remembering a cold autumn morning where she held his hand in such a way. That morning, he nearly made the biggest mistake of his life in trying to leave this amazing girl behind. He owed his eternal gratitude to whatever gods had foiled that plan. "The samurai were outnumbered, and out-resourced. A katana's not much use against a rifle."

"Tetsusaiga could beat a rifle, any day." Inuyasha said boastfully, growling as he continued "Damn, but I wish I had my sword. Even broken, I'd feel better with it nearby."

"I know, but there's nothing we can do about that now." A yawn broke through her words, and Kagome's eyes fluttered closed as she leaned further against her pillow and Inuyasha's hand. "Anyways… the leader of the rebellion committed Seppuku, and the samurai class was officially ended. No one really seemed to mind when it was gone."

"Hmph… ritual suicide…" Inuyasha mused, staring up at their cloth ceiling, "Not a bad way to go. If I have to spend many more nights as Jakotsu's obedient dog, I might just follow that guy's example."

"No you will not" Kagome snapped, her eyes still closed and fingers tightening on his. "Who would protect me from the rest of these creepers if you did?"

"You've got a point" Inuyasha mused, turning to watch as Kagome's breathing evened out and sleep crept over her. "You owe me big time for this though."

The tiniest of smiles quirked her lips as she settled in further, and a tired mumble of "I'll make it up to you" was all she said before finally succumbing to her exhaustion. Stroking her fingers lightly with his own, Inuyasha lay awake for a while longer, breathing in her scent and listening to her heart beat until she finally lulled him into his own rest.

"Pass me that bottle of Sake, m'boy."

Miroku resolutely moved the ceramic bottle even further away from his former master. "You've drunk nearly all of it and it's not even mid-day. No wonder that man threw you out last night!"

"You've grown cheeky since last I saw you" Mushin said tightly, his forlorn gaze still trained on the bottle, "I never would have thought a disciple of mine could be so cruel as to *hic*… deny an old man his pleasures."

"Alright, you can have some more," Miroku tauntingly held the bottle within arm's reach of the old man only to pull it back at the last second and add "after you've helped us plan."

"And what use would an old drunkard be to you anyway?" Mushin groused, his voice less slurring than it had been before.

"Honestly, we could use any help we can get at this point" Sango said, her hand stroking through Kirara's fur as the cat dozed on her lap. "We're unfamiliar with the area, and all we know of the circus is what we saw last night."

"That's all anyone knows about them, really" Mushin said as he stroked his round chin, "One day their flyers were being passed around the town, the next they were performing. They must have come from the sea, but with all the boats that come to port each day, it'd be impossible to know where they came from, or how long they've been here!"

Miroku sat in thought for a moment, absently swirling the sake bottle and unknowingly distracting his master. "Is there any chance their boat would still be in the harbor?"

"What?" Mushin answered quickly, his eyes drawn back to the younger man, "Oh no no no… in all likelihood they paid for passage from someone else. There aren't nearly enough members of their troupe skilled enough to pilot a vessel. No, it's likely that whatever ship brought them here has already loaded its next shipment of cargo and sailed off. You'll have to look somewhere else for answers."

"Which is why meeting up with our friends is so important" Sango interjected, "They're finding out what they can from the inside, but we've got to have something to offer them in return. They'll only get so far on their own."

Mushin sighed deeply, brushing a thick hand over his brows and glancing out the open window. "It's a fool's errand" he said dourly, "not one of you has a chance of succeeding."

"Master Mushin, you've seen this circus I assume?" At Mushin's nod, Miroku continued, his voice low, "Then you know why we must do this."

"I know, m'boy. I know." He heaved a sigh, glancing down at his empty Sake bowl in thought. "I'll do what I can to help you. But we're going to have to do something about your rendezvous point. It's no good."

"Why's that?" Sango asked, sharing a confused look with Miroku.

With surprising dexterity, Mushin reached around Miroku, quickly grabbing the Sake bottle before the younger monk could stop him. Sitting back down with a sigh, he poured a mouthful into his shallow bowl, swirling it around and answering "because of the wolves, of course", before downing it in one gulp.

"Jinenji, how long have you been in this circus?"

The towering half-demon looked down at Kagome as she sat on a box beside him. As soon as she'd come to feed them their midday meal, she'd let them all out of their cages to tend to their weakened bodies. The mermaid girl, whose name was 'Ai' Jinenji had said, was seated on Kagome's lap as she rubbed feeling into the usually bound legs.

"A few years now… almost since the Seven Gods began performing…" Jinenji looked away thoughtfully, nodding as he added "I believe it's been five years."

"Five years…" Kagome repeated, frowning as she tried to warm Ai's bruised legs. A life inside a cage and a tank had almost ruined the little girl's body, and Kagome was sure it was her half-demon abilities that had kept the limbs from simply falling off from disuse. "How have you managed to survive that long in a place like this?"

"It used to be worse" Jinenji answered quietly, and Kagome peered up at him sadly. "For the first year, Shiori and I were the only ones. She was caught a few months after I was… she was so small back then… her tribe of bat-demons were killed by slayers, and her human village turned her out. A scout from the circus found her wandering in the woods, and brought her here…" Pausing, Jinenji shuddered, wrapping his large arms around himself protectively as he continued "They did horrible things to get her to perform, but for a while she was able to fight back. That crystal she carries used to have the ability to create barriers."

Kagome looked over with interest at the black-clad girl, the red crystal in her hands glowing faintly. She still wouldn't respond. Jinenji's deep voice cut through Kagome's thoughts as he said "They managed to crack it though, and she couldn't defend herself anymore. She… she used to cry… at night in her cage, she'd cry for her mother…." His big blue eyes grew glassy, and his head bowed to the ground, his body shaking more as he said in a wobbly voice "I know it's wrong, but I'm almost glad she no longer speaks… I'll never forget her crying."

The half-demon jumped as Kagome laid a hand against his large, scarred arm, a sorrowful expression on her face. Her warm, comforting hand gave him the courage to go on, and with a sniffle he continued "We were always tended to by circus workers, but often they were too scared to come and feed us… we went many nights without a meal, until we were unable to perform and they were forced to bring us food. And then Izumo showed up."

"Izumo's the one who appears human, right?" Kagome glanced about the small clearing where the cages stood, and said thoughtfully "he's never around here. Do they keep him in a cage as well?"

"No, he's free to go wherever he chooses… though I don't think he realizes it."

Kagome nodded; it was just like the younger half-demons. Gently, Kagome moved Ai to sit propped against the box, the little girl having fallen asleep under Kagome's careful ministrations. With a few quiet words she directed the ram-horned boy, Shion, to sit beside her, turning her attention to his hoofed feet which were swollen and red.

Jinenji watched her carefully, and after a moment began again "Once Izumo arrived, they set him up as our caretaker. You see, he volunteered to join the circus. They didn't have to capture him. So even from the start, he was given more freedom than we were."

"Why on earth would he want to join?" Kagome exclaimed, her face disbelieving as she looked about the somber scene.

"Security" Jinenji answered instantly, and Kagome's gaping mouth snapped shut. "There's no place for half-demons in the world anymore. He saw an opportunity for food and shelter, and he took it willingly."

"You… you can't be serious" she whispered, dabbing tenderly at Shion's puffy ankles with a wet cloth.

"It's not so hard to believe. I fear the outside world as well."

Pursing her lips, Kagome kept silent. She didn't like the reasoning, but what could she say? She'd never been in his situation. Swallowing back her angry emotions, she prompted "So things got better after Izumo arrived?"

"Yes… a little" Jinenji answered softly, pausing as he collected his thoughts. "He treated us civilly, but he always kept a bit of distance. He's not like us, see – he gets to be one or the other, demon or human. We're stuck in the middle."

"But you're all half-demons" Kagome said quickly, looking around at the mis-matched circus acts, "even if you look different, you're all alike, deep down. You each had a human parent and a demon parent, you've all struggled… you've all suffered." Looking down at her hands, fingers fumbling with the damp cloth now tinged ruddy brown, she spoke up softly "Don't you think you should work together? Don't you think you should fight back?"

Jinenji stiffened, and his head fell to his hands so suddenly that Kagome felt the air rippling off his massive form. His shoulders shook and his breathing became shallow, and panic filled Kagome as she watched the giant half-demon fall apart before her.

"J-Jinenji… what is it? What's wrong?"

Brilliant blue peaked out between his worn fingers, his gaze unfocused as though lost in a memory. "It's no use… there's no use fighting… it'll only lead to death in the end."

Something was hidden in his words – some deeper anguish that Kagome could sense but not understand. "… Jinenji?"

At her patient prompting, Jinenji's shaking lessened, though his face remained hidden behind his brown hands. "There used to be more of us. When the young ones came, a year ago… there were others. They were homeless, parentless, and had banded together to survive. The Shichifukujin caught them personally. I don't know how many others escaped, but when they brought them to the circus, there were four: Ai, Shion, and two young brothers." A shudder ran through him, and he whimpered. One of Kagome's hands came to rest comfortingly on his arm, the other cradling Shion to her side. Her calming presence gave Jinenji courage to continue. "The boys were too free-spirited. They wouldn't listen to the gods, and refused to perform. You see, they were twins, and looked very much like two halves of a whole. The gods wanted them to play it up, to be like mirror images, and they would pretend to go along with it. But every time they were on stage, they'd do their worst to sabotage the act."

"Good for them" Kagome said proudly. She admired the boys for having backbone enough to stand up against such cruelty, but Jinenji's response froze the budding admiration.

"No Kagome… it wasn't good for them." His striking eyes turned to look at her directly, and Kagome couldn't look away from the smothering pain in them as he continued "the Seven Gods don't stand for obstinacy. When mere punishments didn't work, the gods took matters into their own hands. They made the boys into an entirely new spectacle."

Afraid to ask but desperately needing to know, Kagome swallowed back her fear and whispered "What did they do?"

"They grafted them. Made them conjoined. The 'amazing, two-headed monster'."

Her brain took a moment to process the words, her heart unwilling to comprehend what the half-demon had said. It… it wasn't possible, was it? He couldn't mean what she thought he meant. "But it… it was a trick, right? The way they have Ai wearing that fish suit?"

Jinenji shook his head, lolling slowly from side to side, and answered "You've seen Hotei, haven't you? It seems to be something they enjoy, taking a creature and turning it into something it's not."

Kagome could feel her stomach churning; she could see the metal monster's iron smile in her mind's eye, and she had to shake herself to keep from picturing how the poor, poor boys might have looked, stitched together in the same haphazard way. "What happened to them, Jinenji?"

"They died. None of us really know how. They were in poor health after… after the merging. And they couldn't even tell us if something was wrong."

"Why's that?" Kagome asked shakily.

"The Seven Gods gave them something – something that kept them from responding or moving on their own." Jinenji's gaze drifted, shadows of memory darkening the bright blue of his eyes. "It was like they were numb, but you could see in their eyes… you could see they were still in there. They were still fighting."

Blinking away hot tears, Kagome set the now sleeping Shion gently on the ground beside Ai. She stared resolutely at the dirt beneath her feet as Jinenji continued in a shaking voice "One day we awoke to find them dead in their cage. No signs of struggle, or excessive strain. I wonder, sometimes, if they finally gave up… if that's what did it for them. They looked so peaceful…."

A hiccupping sob wrenched from her throat, and Kagome doubled over as waves of sorrow which she could no longer stem washed over her. Jinenji's round eyes grew wider and he fidgeted in his seat, not quite knowing what to do. In her current state, Kagome didn't notice or even care. The very thought of such brutality, carried out against children at that… it was too much for her to take in.

"I'm so sorry, Kagome… I should never have brought it up!"

But she only cried harder at his apologies. It was wrong… it was all so very wrong. "Don't apologize" she managed between sobs, "You've done nothing wrong… I just…" She brought a hand to her mouth to stifle her cries, "I can't believe… that you could all be so mistreated… and that no one would do a thing to help…."

"But… it's alright now… you're here to help us!" Awkwardly Jinenji patted her tiny shoulder with his large hand, flinching as she leaned over suddenly to cry against his tattered robe. Fidgeting uncertainly, Jinenji glanced about their small encampment for some sign as to what to do; it was with surprise and great relief that he spotted the approaching white and black figure of Inuyasha.

"Oi! What the hell is goin' on here!?"

At the familiar angry tone, Kagome lifted her teary face from her flustered friend and locked eyes with a very worried Inuyasha. With a cry of his name she was up and in his arms, shaking as he held her to his bare chest. He was sweaty and dirty from training, but Kagome couldn't have cared less as she pressed herself tightly to him. "What happened, Kagome? What's got you all upset?" He glanced over her head at the row of half-demons and Jinenji watching nervously, his tone turning suspicious as he asked "Did they do anything to you?"

"No, no it's nothing like that" she answered, wiping her tears away with the back of her hands, "I just… learned some things… things you need to know… but… I wish I'd never heard them."

Over her sniffling, she heard Inuyasha give a relieved sigh. "That all? Sheesh, and you had me all worried!"

"It's serious, Inuyasha, believe me." Kagome whispered somberly, and Inuyasha scoffed in response.

"Well I should damn-well hope so! I ran out in the middle of practice 'cause I could hear you crying-"

"You what?" Kagome's tears dried as panic gripped her, confusing Inuyasha further.

"Well yeah… I mean, it's hard to smell your tears over the salt air, but I could hear you pretty clearly, and –"

"No, I mean… you left practice?" Fearful eyes met his puzzled yellow gaze as Kagome gripped his arms tightly. "Don't, Inuyasha. You can't defy them like that. Please…" her hands shook and her voice wobbled as she continued quietly "Please don't do it again. I can take care of myself. You're the one who needs to be careful."

Inuyasha's face turned incredulous, his tone disbelieving as he said "You can't be serious. Do you hear yourself? Why do you think we're here in the first place?"

Kagome shushed him loudly, and just as he was about to protest she brought a finger to his lips, effectively shocking him into silence as she whispered "I'll explain tonight, but for now… you have to trust me. Please… I'm just worried about your safety."

His anger had yet to subside, but just as he opened his mouth to retort, an angry cry sounded across the compound.

"HEY! Inugami! Who said you could leave?!"

A growl rose up in Inuaysha's throat, and he held Kagome tighter as Jakotsu came running up to them. The circus god's expression was beyond livid, the air around him crackling with rage. Kagome had up until that point passed the man off as nothing but an odd entertainer with a liking for snakes, but the man before her now… this man was dangerous. Her thoughts drifted back to the mutilated twins, and suddenly she could understand how such a thing had occurred. They couldn't afford to underestimate these men.

"This training is not a game! You've thrown us all off schedule with your little stunt! And you!" Turning hate-filled eyes on Kagome, Jakotsu hissed "It's just like you pathetic women to pull a man away from his duties. I knew you would be trouble, I just knew it!"

"Dammit, leave her outta this!" Pushing her slightly behind him, Inuyasha faced down the angry performer with a steely expression. "I ran off on my own, it's got nothing to do with her. I was just sick of lookin' at you, is all."

Jakotsu stood sputtering for a moment, his face becoming a rage-filled red, and pointing an accusatory finger he bellowed "NO MEAL! EXTRA LESSONS! You report to me after the show tonight, and don't even THINK of running off, or your little woman will PAY for it!"

Inuyasha's gaze hardened, and he turned away from the fuming Jakotsu to give Kagome a searching look. "Later" she whispered, just loud enough for his dog-ears to catch, "I'll meet with the others. Do as he says."

She could tell he didn't like it, but thankfully he didn't fight her further. As Jakotsu threw out another angry order, Inuyasha responded gruffly "Alright, alright, just let me say goodbye." He turned to look at her suddenly, and Kagome wondered at the tiny smirk tweaking his lips as he said "Since I'm not gonna see you for a while…" He didn't give her time to think further as he roughly grabbed her to him and mashed his lips against hers. Kagome's feet dangled in the air as he held her in his strong grip, the fevered massage of his tongue in her mouth making her forget all the horrid things she'd heard that afternoon. He'd never kissed her so roughly before, and although Kagome suspected it was more to prove a point than anything, she swathed her arms around his neck and enjoyed the moment.

All too soon her feet met the hard dirt and Inuyasha was walking off with an angry shout at his circus trainer who trailed behind, moping. Her eyes followed his retreating figure till he finally turned the corner, a smile worming onto her face as she wiped her mouth from his sloppy kiss. A rustle of movement behind her drew her attention, and with sudden terror she remembered where she was and what had just happened. Wide eyes turned slowly to face her captive audience, and Kagome blushed furiously to see them all watching attentively, Jinenji's cheeks sporting red. Smoothing out her skirt and staring resolutely at the ground, Kagome hurried back to the little group to finish tending to them in silence.

"Heel, Inugami, heel! Obey your master!"

The snake-sword whipped out above Inuyasha's head again, and despite his vicious growling, he stayed prone on all fours. The audience gasped in fright as he lunged forward, but the snap of the sword against the stage floor in front of him halted his advance. Kagome cringed from her spot among the crowd; Jakotsu wasn't pulling hits like the night before. Inuyasha must have really set him off earlier. The half-demon narrowly missed getting an arm cut off by the blades, and Kagome was forced to look away as she felt a pulsing in her spiritual aura. She wanted to save him, keep him away from all this torture and humiliation, but if they wanted to have any hope of getting the half-demons out safely, she couldn't do a thing to help him. He understood that, but it didn't make watching him take all this abuse any easier.

The show ended with the 'Inugami' bowed in reverence to the god Benzaiten, the crowd clapping appreciatively at the god's taming of the monster. Once Kagome saw Jakotsu herding Inuyasha backstage, she took her chance. Losing herself in the throng of guests leaving the grounds, she followed her cover to the outer gates, carefully avoiding eye contact with any of the circus workers, and then quickly slipped off to the side. The sky was already dark and the pinpricks of light grew brighter as she traveled farther from the gas lamps. As the light dimmed and the sound of the crowd grew fainter, she stuck close to the circus wall to guide her wandering. Her hand traced the grooves of the wood posts as she passed, trying to keep track of how many went by and how far she traveled. They'd planned for her to leave this way, and for him to catch up later; but that had been before he'd incurred the god's wrath and punishment of extra training. Kagome had no idea when he'd finally join her, and she didn't want to get too far away in case he lost her scent.

The woods were looming up on her as she neared the slopes of the nearby mountains, and the air grew less salty as the wind met the trees. Wrapping her arms around herself to stave off the cold night air, Kagome found herself wishing for her shawl. She'd only had time to bring the half-demons their meal right after they'd performed, and any thought of personal comforts had been lost in her anxiety to get back to the crowd and get to her secret rendezvous. Her plans with Miroku and Sango had been shaky at best, and the fact that she'd yet to come across the two was worrying. She knew Kirara could sniff her out, and she'd certainly sense the demon cat once it got close, but it could still be hours before they found a chance to come, and every second away from the camp put Inuyasha and the other half demons at risk.

The hum of noise from the harbor town grew fainter and fainter as she walked, but the forest noises were weak and hardly filled the void, leaving the air eerily silent. The occasional rustle of some creature in the low brush made Kagome tense, but she held herself together and continued a little deeper into the woods. She kept the wood wall of the circus in sight at all times, not trusting her feet to remember the way back through the tall shadows of tree trunks. The air was thicker under the canopy, and Kagome drew in a deep breath at the sudden claustrophobic setting. Fear trickled over her skin, and Kagome wished she'd waited for Inuyasha, or waited another night. A little delay in their plans wouldn't hurt, would it? But then she remembered the two boys, the way they'd suffered with no one to support their cause and no one to fight their battle, and her resolve strengthened. She had to find Miroku and Sango – they had to get help. To try and defeat the seven lucky gods on their own would be suicide.

A low howl rent the air around her, tearing a gasp from her throat as Kagome spun round, eyes darting about the darkness for any sign of life. The cry was long and animalistic, but sounded distant. 'It must be a wolf', she pondered, 'there are mountains nearby, so it's no wonder there'd be wolves too. Probably not close enough to be a problem.' But then another howl broke the stillness, and Kagome's skin prickled at how much closer it seemed than the first. Slowly, she began backing away, eyes darting to the fence and then scanning out into the darkness. Primal fear set in, a deep-rooted instinct telling her to run from the threat of predators. She'd faced demons and evil men and stood firm against them, but the darkness and stillness and her absolute vulnerability left her shaking.

Stepping back, her foot snapped a twig, and the sharp echo of it froze her to the spot. Her breathing stilled, and she strained her ears to listen for anymore howls or crunching underbrush. Nothing so much as stirred, and Kagome let her breath go in a shaky sigh of relief. A feeling crept over her mind then, thick and inky black, and she recognized it as a strong demonic aura. Elation swept through her, sure that Miroku and Sango were coming to meet her, to save her from the hungry wolves surely pressing in on her now. She turned quickly and fled towards the aura, no longer caring about drawing attention as she fought to get to her friends. It was so strong now, almost overpowering, as if she were right next to it. She hardly had time to think that Kirara's aura had never felt this way, when suddenly she collided with a solid figure, hands grabbing her arms to keep her from toppling over.

Hopeful eyes looked up to her rescuer, part of her wishing it was Inuyasha come to take her back, but it was blue she saw shining in the dark and not gold. An angry growl that was certainly not her half-demon erupted from the figure. Her thoughts went blank, her body froze, her heart skipped a beat, and she opened her mouth wide to scream. The sound never left her as suddenly the figure spun her around, keeping her locked in place with a thick arm as the other clamped over her mouth too strongly to bite. Growls sounded in her ear as the figure leaned over and whispered harshly "Worthless human, I should kill you! You reek of the scent of those circus freaks. I'll bet they sent you out to gather more of my wolves, right? Let's see how they like it when I take something of theirs!"

With that he lifted her off her feet, sweeping her away from the circus wall and speeding off at impossible speeds. Real fear gripped her at the thought that he might take her out of even Inuyasha's sensory range, and with a muffled cry she fought back against the stranger's hold, punching and pulling and jabbing as hard as she could. As her emotions raged, her vision turned pink, and a shock went through her body, effectively stopping her kidnapper as he yelped and fell to the ground. She tumbled away from him, gasping for breath on her hands and knees as she waited for her head to stop spinning. Alert eyes tracked across the moonlit brush of the forest floor to the figure hissing in pain. From what she could tell he appeared human, and although the light was poor, she could pick up a difference in texture that told her he was wearing fur. But the intense aura was unmistakable, and Kagome knew that no matter how human he appeared, this was definitely a demon. That was alright though – she could handle demons. One blast of her purifying energy would have him burning to ash as the centipede-woman at Naraku's circus had done.

But she didn't attack him further just yet; he was in no position to grab her again, and from what she could tell, he seemed to be alone. Kagome didn't believe much in first impressions; people (or demons in this case) were never what they appeared to be. Her racing heart calming, Kagome rose to her feet and slowly approached the dark shape of the man still struggling for breath on the forest floor. He lifted his head to glare blearily at her, the bright blue of his eyes full of fierce emotion and a strong will, and Kagome decided to give him a chance. "I'm not going to hurt you, as long as you don't attack me again."

Those blue eyes focused warily on her, and she added softly "You must have had a reason to try and kidnap me, and I want to know what it is. I've never seen you before and certainly never done anything to hurt you, so I think you owe me an explanation." The man growled faintly at her, but it was without real threat, as though he knew that there really wasn't much he could do to her in his current state.

"I don't owe you anything, human" he spat, his voice deep and ragged, "I know you work for those murdering clowns – you're from their circus, I can smell it."

"But what you can't smell" Kagome said evenly, kneeling down before him in the dirt, making sure to stay out of range of his claws, "is that I don't like them anymore than you seem to. In fact…" her voice grew softer, as if the very trees around them might hear her and give them away, and she couldn't help a bit of excitement as she whispered, "if you'll just hear me out, I think we might be able to help each other."

Inuyasha cursed as he once again lost Kagome's scent. The sea air was wreaking havoc on his nose, and she'd already been away for hours, leaving a stale trail to follow. He should have told her not to go – told her to just wait to meet Miroku and Sango another night. Those two could waste their time waiting for a week for all he cared; a little piece of information wasn't worth Kagome's safety.

He threw a few colorful words in for Jakotsu too. The freak had made him do dog tricks as punishment after the show, and although he'd said it would eventually be part of the act, Inuyasha didn't miss the sick thrill on his captor's face every time he had him begrudgingly beg like a dumb animal. Humiliation was nothing new for Inuyasha, but never before had it come at his own choosing. He trusted Kagome and knew she had some reason for not wanting him to fight back, and if he really needed to he would defend himself, but he'd feel a lot better about letting himself be made a fool if he understood why he was doing it.

Walking along the inside wall of the encampment and sniffing intently, Inuyasha perked as suddenly he caught faint traces of Kagome's scent. A quick hop over the wooden fence and he found the beginning of her trail, clinging to the wooden posts where she'd touched them. His nose twitched as he traced the scent from post to post, eventually dropping to the ground as her hands left the wall and her feet wandered away. He could smell it leading away further into the woods, and he followed, grateful that the thick tree brush obscured some of the salty breeze, making scents easier to catch. He stopped in a patch of dirt far beneath the forest canopy, her scent stronger here as though she had lingered, and he almost smiled in triumph at having finally caught on to something useful.

Catching it lead off in another direction, he followed eagerly, but after only a few more steps he froze, nose working frantically to place several scents that were drawing closer to the spot, and to a scent as faint as hers, and unmistakably interwoven: wolves. And if his sensitive nose wasn't mistaken, there was a demon wolf among them. His blood boiled in fear and rage and self-hate to realize that just as the scent of wolf faded further into the forest, so did Kagome's. He'd let her go off on her own – and she'd been taken. If anything happened to her because those stupid gods had kept him away…. He couldn't smell any blood, but it was only a matter of time – and time was something he wouldn't waste any longer. Drawing the scent of the wolves and Kagome deeply into his lungs, Inuyasha growled in pure predatory fervor, and sped away into the dark woods after them.

"M-Milord, a visitor for you."

Jaken cowered under Sesshomarus' piercing gaze; he'd unwittingly interrupted yet another spat between the stately dog-demon and his ungrateful guest, and both he and the wind-demoness looked ready to send him through the roof.

"My, aren't you popular today" Kagura said cheekily, tapping a fan against her shoulder with more force than necessary, "Must be nice to have friends."

"Friends are made in weakness" Sesshomaru said in icy tones, brushing past her without a glance. "I do not have 'friends', I have allies and subordinates."

"And me" Kagura quipped, "because I am neither of those."

"I am well aware" Sesshomaru responded, his tone less cold. If Jaken had dared linger on the thought, he would have said his lord sounded almost amused in his reply. But the imp didn't dare think it. Coming to stand before his miniscule attendant, Sesshomaru said brusquely "Who is it who's come to see me?"

"An old man, sire. He says he's an old frien- uh, acquaintance."

Sesshomaru merely arched an eyebrow in question, and Jaken hurried to explain "He said you'd recognize the name – uh, Totosai I believe it was. He's come to ask you about something."

"Did you not enquire what it was he wanted before coming to waste my time?" The ice was back in his voice, and Jaken belatedly realized he was on track for a beating. "I did, I did!" He answered quickly, "but the old man would not say exactly. Only… he said he needed your help finding someone, and seemed to think you'd be willing to do it."

Scoffing, Sesshomaru said blithely "Totosai is a fool if he thinks I'll assist him after all his failures. I owe the old man nothing."

Jaken's nervous voice spoke up once more, sweat beading at his temples and tiny body trembling as he stuttered "A-actually, there, uh… there's one more thing…." He gulped as Sesshomaru looked down at him with an intense yellow stare, and somehow managed to find the words "The old man brought something with him, and… well I can't say for certain, but….. I do believe… I mean it very much looks like…. Milord, I believe he's brought back Tetsusaiga."

*Author's Note:

Ooooookay... long overdue. But I've planned out all the chapters from here on out, so... yeah that doesn't mean much, other than I"M STILL WORKING ON THIS! IT WILL BE FINISHED! Promise. I've just had a horrible horrible semester and I haven't had time for much of anything.

Anyways... new character... and new ally? And how will Inuyasha react when he finally finds his 'wife'? ;3 Well you can be certain it's not gonna go over well.