Fancy Disclaimer: The characters of InuYasha are not my own.

Warning(s): N/A. Safe for most ages!

A/N: No?

IX. Feral

.-.-.-.

The afternoon sun provided us with scorching temperatures. The further we went, the hotter it got. I gave my straw hat to Souta, but he was quickly exhausting himself. Kouga even seemed affected by the temperature.

"There's some shade ahead. You going to make it, kid?" Kouga glanced over his shoulder at Souta.

The youkai was so much like InuYasha, yet they were completely different. Kouga pushed us, but he knew when to quit. I assumed he learned it from InuYasha's bad examples.

"I'm all right. You don't have to stop for me," Souta lied.

"No, I'm in need of a rest too, Souta." I wiped the sweat from my brow and looked across the open plains to an area of lush vegetation. "How much longer?" I walked beside Kouga, holding a hushed conversation.

"If he keeps moving at that pace, we'll get there by nightfall," Kouga grumbled.

"So we'll move faster." I stopped walking; Souta bumped right into me.

"What is it?" Souta asked with glazed eyes.

I was going to offer to carry him, but I noticed that Kouga was staring at something. In the distance, I noticed a group of what looked to be animals. The group was moving at a fast pace—unusual for the heat.

No one spoke. The group, upon closer inspection, wasn't a group of animals. There was a group of five or six youkai, and they were heading in our direction.

"Can we outrun them?" I looked up at the sunny sky as I spoke, my grip tightening on my staff.

Kouga clenched and unclenched his fists. There was a slight breeze; he smelled blood coming from that direction. His hair ruffled slightly, and perspiration lined his skin. He wanted to stand and fight—it was his nature—but he would be risking human lives.

"You go on ahead. I'll hold them off. Find water; they're tracking your scent," Kouga spoke, taking off at a sprint.

"Wait!" I called after him, but I knew that he was right.

"I promise I won't be a liability, Miroku. I just need a weapon," Souta frowned.

We took off across the wide plain at a fast pace. Souta was struggling to keep up with me, but he was managing. If Kouga didn't hold the youkai off...I didn't want to think of it. There was a lot of ground to cover between us and the vegetation. If there weren't an obvious body of water, the journey would take even longer.

My heart pounded in my chest. The air rushed around me as I tore across the open space. My breathing was quickly becoming a problem. I was exhausted; Souta was exhausted. I noticed that Kouga wasn't in sight.

"I'm...scared?" I thought, taking a hold of Souta's arm to force him onward.

"Miroku, look!" Souta stumbled as we came to a sudden stop.

InuYasha stood before the entrance to our promised land. He stood between us and the cover of trees. The red hue of his eyes suggested that he remained under the influence of the spider demon. Somewhere, the puppet master was pulling the strings.

"Stay back." My eyes hardened; I stepped forward, my hand reaching into my sleeve for my sacred sutras. "I know you're there, spider youkai. You are responsible for the possession and reanimation of corpses across Japan...even across time," I spoke, searching through the trees for any sign of the demon.

"Oh yes, but where are the threads now, monk?" Laughter rang from all directions—the spider was deep in hiding.

I couldn't see the threads as I had seen them before. I couldn't feel any connection between the demonic energies. InuYasha looked to be functioning on his own, but his red eyes suggested differently.

"The demon is still inside of him, but the spider doesn't need to control it anymore. Grandpa read me a story about a demon like this," Souta frowned, ignoring my command to stay back. "A human named Kanji wished for the strength to bring his dead wife back, and a spider demon granted his wish by devouring him and melding their souls. The female spider demon—called Kanji—deposits her eggs into the corpses and controls them until the eggs hatch." The laughter ceased, and InuYasha bared his fangs at us.

"What a clever boy. You forget that when my children take control, the process is complete. That dog demon draws on the life of the youkai within, but he walks, he talks, and he thinks on his own. They are all my creations now!" I saw a shadowy figure jumping between the trees.

I threw two sacred sutras at the demon; the sutras missed. InuYasha ran forward, his claws raised for a downward swipe. Souta and I darted in opposite directions. No blood was shed.

"So you are responsible for the demons as well," I said in a grave tone.

"Don't you ever shut up?" InuYasha asked, his fingers cracking as he flexed his clawed hands.

"Master handles the living. He is not strong enough to handle anything else right now, but he will be soon enough. Once I find his other half, the demons—!" The spider youkai stopped speaking; Kanji vanished from view.

"His other half?" I whispered to myself.

InuYasha slowly turned his head to the left, the deep red of his eyes sending shivers down my spine. I fumbled for more sutras, but my hands came back empty. Two humans stood little chance against a crazed youkai. I saw only blood lust in those heated eyes...

.-.-.-.-.-.

Author Rant

.-.-.-.-.-.

Sorry it took so long to update; I've been without internet for some days. The internet isn't restored yet, but it should be back up by sometime tomorrow! I hope this chapter was okay.

Possible Question(s): Review or message with any problems.

Reviews are loverly!

Ja ne.