"Something is rotten in the state of Demark"

William Shakespeare - Hamlet

When InuYasha arrived in the village carrying Isamu and Kagome he found, to his disgust, that they were too late. The demons had already come and gone and left horrific destruction in their wake. The only difference between now and the first time he had ever set foot on this mountain was the fact that most of the villagers were still alive.

Nice job teaching them how to fight, Sango he thought, offering his praise to his absent friend.

"Hey it's InuYasha and Kagome and they have Isamu!" A young boy cried out. The next thing he knew Chie's best friend Benjiro, followed closely by his mother Riko, raced over to him. The boy hit his legs like a pouncing cat and he almost stumbled.

"Yasha did you find Chie? Is she all right? Isamu looks pretty bad, is he gonna die?"

InuYasha grunted.

"Chie's fine, she's with Kaede and no, Isamu isn't going to die. He's too tough for that."

"Benji let InuYasha go. He needs to get our friends to the convalescence hut so that we may treat their wounds."

InuYasha blushed slightly when he looked up and met Riko's eyes. Riko had been with them during the war. They had met her on the day they had passed what was left of her small farm. She had been badly injured, standing over her son protectively with a sturdy branch in her hands, trying to fight off two ogres.

InuYasha and Isamu had been scouting and had saved them, killing the ogres. Riko had promptly thanked them and fainted.

Isamu had carried her back to their camp color flushing his cheeks, for she was the most stunning woman either of them had ever seen. She was also, as it turned out, a healer and she had been indispensable to their small band.

InuYasha frowned and glanced down at the girl in his arms and his golden eyes met her chocolate ones, she smiled knowingly. He felt his heartbeat double and revised his previous thought. Riko was the second most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

"You all right to stand?" He whispered.

She smiled and reached up to caress his cheek.

"I'll be fine. Go ahead and put me down." He grunted and gently lowered her to her feet. Kagome groaned, wobbled a little, but managed to stay upright.

Ben immediately let InuYasha go and dived for Kagome and squealed, "Kagome!"

She groaned and caught him in a hug. InuYasha scowled and was about to tell the runt to get off her but Isamu moaned in pain. He scowled and helped his friend down from his back, supporting him so he remained upright. Riko reached them and immediately shouldered Isamu's weight.

"Tell me what happened." InuYasha's scowl deepened.

"Ogre demons were beating the shi-snot out of him," he amended quickly. Riko frowned as her emerald green eyes drifted over Isamu's handsome face. She felt the pull in her stomach she got whenever she looked at the ronin, but now was not the time for that particular ridiculous fancy.

"Let's get him to the convalescence hut. You too Kagome, that's a nasty bump. I want to take a look at it."

"Can you tell us what happened here, Riko?" Kagome asked.

"Demons attacked but thank Kami for Lady Sango and her training. The huts got the worst of it but we can rebuild those. Casualties were minimal, although I do have a few injured, but I know as you do that it could have been a great deal worse."

"What is this blasphemy! What is that…that filthy demon doing here!"

A man followed closely by a band of other men stepped into their path. InuYasha could feel the hatred coming from the mob and his fingers instinctively wrapped around Tetsusaiga. Kagome placed her hand over his and squeezed gently, warning him to stay his sword, before pulling away.

The other villagers who had been watching the procession wandered over to see what was happening.

Riko narrowed her eyes on the man in front of her. The ferret-like little man had been causing trouble for the village ever since he arrived and she had no patience for his nonsense right now.

"Stand aside, Tatsuo. Isamu is injured and I need to treat his wounds."

Tatsuo crossed his arms and glared.

"You are not taking that half-demon filth into the convalescence hut. How do you know he won't simply kill them all?"

Riko snorted in disgust. "InuYasha is our friend and you well know Tatsuo, more importantly he is Lady Sango friend. If she trusts him it should be good enough for the rest of you. Now stop this foolishness and stand aside."

He bristled. "How dare you speak to me in such a fashion woman! What unladylike liberties our unsuitable leader has been teaching you. You should show deference to a man, especially one such as I who was the advisor to kings!"

Kagome stalked up to stand next to Riko, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"How can you talk about Sango like that? This is her village! Her people are buried over that hill. I should know, I helped InuYasha and Miroku bury them. You've got some nerve buster standing there and bad mouthing Sango when she's not even here to defend herself."

She growled and turned to the villagers who were murmuring amongst themselves.

"And you! How can all of you stand there and not defend her! Most of you were there during the war, you saw her. She's brave and loyal and kind and has never asked for anything in return from you. You should be ashamed of yourselves."

A majority of the villagers did look ashamed and it annoyed Tatsuo to no end.

"Fools, why would you listen to this…this harlot? Why, look how she is dressed! It's scandalous and besides she travels with the hanyou. Do you not see how he looks at her and she; him. He is clearly fornicating with her. Disgusting."

Kagome gasped and InuYasha growled as he pulled his fang from its sheath. The massive sword transformed and he gripped the hilt two handed, pointing it at the odious little man.

"You…take…that…back!" he roared. The men around Tatsuo drew their swords and surrounded him. He smirked and Kagome grabbed hold of InuYasha's forearm. She could feel the tense muscles quivering underneath her fingertips.

"InuYasha please, he's not worth it. Put your sword away." He glanced at her and back to Tatsuo.

"See how he defends his whore! I tell you truly they are mated, just look how they stand together. It is sickening."

Kagome let her anger override her better judgment and she spat.

"You're an idiot and what if me and InuYasha were mated! What would be the big deal? I've been in lo…"

Suddenly realizing what she'd almost admitted she clamped her hands over her traitorous mouth and flushed bright red. InuYasha looked as if someone had kicked him in the gut, repeatedly.

Murmurs started rising among the crowd and Tatsuo crowed in triumph. "We must kill the demon, he has bewitched her!"

One of Tatsuo's men roared and attacked. InuYasha grabbed Kagome and made sure she was close to him, readying himself, but before he could clash swords with his attacker Isamu came between them and caught the blow on his katana.

He swayed, grunted, and pushed the man back with enough force to send him sprawling. He felt his vision waver and he staggered. Had not Riko run forward and caught him he would have hit the ground.

Tears were in her eyes as she admonished him. "Fool, are you trying to get yourself killed?" He smirked and croaked.

"Almost worth dying to end up in your arms." Riko flushed. Isamu grinned wider and groaned, collecting his strength so he could speak.

"Hear me people. You know me and respect me. The hanyou is my friend, he saved my life many times on the field of battle and he has done so again today. Had he not come when he had and defeated the demons that carried me away, I would be dead.

Lady Sango calls him friend and defends him as if he were her brother. So I too will call him brother and he will always find welcome in my home. Tatsuo fills your minds with poison which is why you must remember. It was Lady Sango and her friends who defended you, who gave you sanctuary. It was they who finally defeated Kijo. Do not let this viper sully your minds."

The murmurs increased but slowly, one by one, many of the villagers started to file away until only Tatsuo and his men remained.

InuYasha glared at them and snarled. "Leave." The men scrambled back and Tatsuo sputtered; his face purple with rage.

"This will be on your head, Isamu."

He spun on his heels and stalked away.

The ronin suddenly groaned, his eyes rolled back in his head, and his body went limp. Riko almost went down under his weight and would have if InuYasha had not sheathed his sword and grabbed him.

Worried, she smoothed the former samurai's hair out of his eyes. "Come, we must tend to his wounds."

They hurried off towards the hut, but not before InuYasha pinned Kagome with an inscrutable look. She met his gaze unflinching and he was forced to turn away when Riko started moving away. Kagome lingered for a moment longer.

She shivered, but it had nothing to do with the chill in the air. She watched InuYasha until he was out of sight and cursed herself a fool. Kami, she'd almost blurted out that she...she didn't want to think about it. Instead, she glanced in the direction that Tatsuo and his minions had scurried off and hugged herself.

She'd been around humans before who had hated InuYasha simply because he was what he was, but she never thought they would encounter such prejudice in Sango's village. She scowled; he was such a loathsome man.

So why are the villagers listening to him? She wondered and bit her lip. She hated this feeling in the air, especially in a place she considered her second home.

She sighed. She missed Sango. If the slayer were here, she had the feeling that Tatsuo would never have challenged her friends so openly.

Kagome shivered. She had an apprehensive feeling that things were far, far from over.