NVP

Chapter 5

Tor'mac looked to Inuyasha and the others. Clearly, they were also hunters of a sort, however, they seemed to hunt this dishonorable creature for some reason other than simple sport, just as Tor'mac would now do. Perhaps these hunters would make better allies than prey. If he was to survive long enough to regain his brother's lost honor, he would need the aid of these alien hunters. That is if they would accept his help in their own mission. After all, he would probably be here for a very long time. If they did not, then Tor'mac would hunt alone.

As he neared the group that now stood between him and his ruined ship a flash of anger crossed his mind, directed at the small warrior that now lay on the ground not far in front of him, but it was a fleeting feeling. The warrior had destroyed his ship along with many of his, as well as Gor'lan's trophies, but he knew also that the ship had been cloaked and the attack had not been directed at it purposely. There was no way he could have known it was even there.

Tor'mac continued his walk toward the ship, and then reached over to his gauntlet to deactivate his cloak. He had to be sure that they saw him coming or they would mistake him for an enemy. As he became visible he slung his spear over his shoulder to appear less threatening.

The warrior lying on the ground was apparently dazed from the explosion, for he made no move as Tor'mac passed within arms' reach. The others of the group, however, babbled to each other in their strange language at his sudden appearance.

Tor'mac reached his destination and gazed at what had been his home for many seasons. Something in the rubble caught his eye and he bent down to pick it up.

After the explosion, Inuyasha, who had been the closest, pushed himself up from the ground. The explosion had blown Naraku's miasma completely and now there was no trace of him.

"Miroku how's Kagome?"

Several moments passed by with no response.

"Miroku!" Inuyasha yelled, looking back at the wounded monk.

Miroku shook his head, snapping his gaze away from the strange creature in the wreckage and went to Kagome's side. After a short assessment he turned back to Inuyasha as he made his way there.

"She's still unconscious and her wound is deep. I'll try to stop the bleeding but we need to get her back to Kaede as soon as possible." He answered, looking past Inuyasha.

Inuyasha noticed that he seemed distracted and followed his stare. There crouched among the twisted remains of the object that had exploded, was another creature like the one Naraku had been fighting when they had first arrived. He looked down at Kagome and growled. Miroku finished a rough bandage on her wound.

"I don't have time for this." He said, scooping Kagome into his arms. "I'll meet you guys back in the village. Think you can handle things here?"

Sango nodded and Inuyasha took off, Kagome's death-like state giving him speed he didn't know he had.

'Please Kagome, don't give up on me.'

With Inuyasha now gone, that left Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara to face this new possible threat. Although, given the battle they had witnessed earlier, they had no reason to attack as of yet. So Sango simply stood next to a transformed Kirara, one hand resting on Kirara's back, the other casually gripping her katana. If this went badly she wanted to be able to draw it quickly. Shippo hopped up onto Kirara.

"What is that thing?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. This may be what caused our encounter with the dragon earlier." Miroku answered, stepping in front of the group as the creature lifted something from the rubble and turned towards them.

"The dragon said that its attacker was invisible. This thing was until it got close to us." Sango added.

"Yes, and if the story is true then be on your guard." Miroku said.

As the figure emerged from the early morning shadows and smoke of the wreckage, the group got their first good look at the invisible assassin. It was large in both height and build. Sango guessed it to be well over seven feet tall and it carried itself well. Despite its size and muscular build, every move was fluid. It might be big but by her guess, it could move very quickly when it wanted to.

Its armor showed the scars of experience. That is, the armor it did wear. Its legs were covered from ankle to knee in a dark, flat grey metal. The rest of its legs were bare except for the net like body suit it wore. Its torso was mostly uncovered except for the left side. From under its arm to the bottom of its ribs there ran several pieces of overlapping metal. It almost seemed that it only put on part of its armor. Its shoulders were covered but atop its left one was perched the device with which Sango guessed the other creature had fired the blasts of blue energy at Naraku. Now though, it seemed to be pointed downward. It wore a gauntlet on each wrist. The left one seemed plain enough but the right the tips of two blades could be seen protruding from its back. Its face remained hidden behind its oblong mask. It seemed plain enough at first, but as the creature grew closer a barely visible mark could be seen. It seemed to be the shape of a sun, right between and just above its eyes. Around its mask the creature's "hair", if you could call it that, hung inside intricate rings.

More unsettling than its armor though, were the "decorations" it had adorned itself with. Around its neck it wore a necklace of small animal bones and from its shoulder to its waist hung a bandolier of animal skulls, most of which Sango couldn't begin to identify.

Slung on its back was a very large spear nearly identical to the one the other creature had used, which was still stuck in the ground not far away. It came to a halt only two steps in front of Miroku. Miroku eyed it suspiciously, staff in hand. It placed the object it had found in the wreckage, which they all now saw to be a very ornate dagger, into a sheath on its shin, and turned back to Miroku.

For a moment they just stared at each other, each trying to figure the other out. After a long pause it was Miroku who broke the silence.

"What business have you here?" He asked firmly.

It studied Miroku for a moment, then slowly reached out and placed a clawed hand on his uninjured shoulder and shook it firmly. Miroku hesitated a moment then reached up and returned the gesture. They released each other and Miroku visibly relaxed.

It took a step back and straightened, seeming to puff up its chest, then pounded its fist to its chest.

"Tor'mac."

Miroku studied him a moment then glanced back at Sango, raising his eyebrow.

"I don't think he understands our language." Sango said, stepping up beside Miroku. She gave a slight bow to Tor'mac then pointed to herself. "Sango."

"Sanngo." He repeated, drawing out the name.

Sango walked over and placed her hands on Kirara's sleek shoulders.

"Kirara."

Once again Tor'mac repeated her as best he could. Miroku stepped forward did the same, introducing himself. Again Tor'mac mimicked him, committing the name to memory.

"Meeroku."

Shippo, who had been peeking over Kirara's head until now, jumped down and ran up to Tor'mac, who looked down to the small kitsune that only barely came above his ankles.

"And I'm Shippo." He declared with a wide smile.

Tor'mac squatted down to get a better look at him. Shippo took a nervous step back; Tor'mac cocked his head to the side

"Sheepo."

Shippo stifled a giggle, as did the others.

"That works, I guess."

Tor'mac stood up again and regarded the group, looking to each as he tried to figure out a way to get his point across. He felt stupid but it seemed sign language was the only way. They watched closely as Tor'mac pointed to himself, then at them, and then clasped his hands together.

"I think he wants to come with us." Miroku said.

Tor'mac waited until he was sure that they understood, then retrieved his spear from his back and used it to point in the direction Kagura had fled. This time it took a little longer for them to figure it out. It was Sango who got it first.

"He wants to go after the one that was captured." She said

"It would seem that Naraku has made yet another enemy and, if that is the case, then his situation is not unlike your own, Sango." Miroku said.

That was true, she realized. Her own brother, Kohaku was still under Naraku's influence. Now it appeared that wasn't enough, Naraku wanted a new soul to toy with. Sango clenched her fist. In her mind, that settled it. She'd be damned if she would stand by and allow another to suffer the same fate.

Sango walked up to Tor'mac with confidence and looked through the mask into his hidden eyes. For a moment, Tor'mac thought that she was going to challenge him, for she seemed to stare at him almost defiantly. She didn't. Instead, she reached up and shook his shoulder. Tor'mac returned the greeting, understanding her acceptance, and turned to face the direction Kagura had gone. He hefted his spear high over his head and let out an otherworldly roar, the kiss of midnight. An open challenge the coward that had stolen his brother. As the battle cry ended he felt a hand rest on his shoulder again. Tor'mac turned to see Miroku looking up at him with a reassuring smile. He pointed in the opposite direction. The direction Inuyasha had gone.

Tor'mac understood. They would want to regroup and recover before facing their enemy again. When they did regroup, he knew that would be an awkward moment not just for them, but him as well. After all he had been planning on challenging Inuyasha eventually. He still might, but under different circumstances.

As they prepared to leave, Tor'mac noticed his brother's spear still stuck in the ground. He picked it up and examined it thoughtfully. Its design was nearly identical to his own with the exception of the designs and decorations along the shaft and a slight difference in the shape of the blade. Tor'mac crossed both spears over his back and rejoined the others.

He walked in silence behind them, very well aware that although they had allowed him to join them, there was still a significant amount of tension and mistrust on both sides. Shippo never took his eyes off of him, more out of curiosity than anything else. Sango and Miroku though, were keeping him in view and out of arms reach at all times. It would take nearly five hours for them to get back to the village, but to this group it would seem like a lifetime.

Inuyasha made it to the village in record time, but it felt like the longest trip of his life. It came into view shortly after the sun peeked over the mountains in the distance, bathing the valley in the myriad of colors that came with the dawn. The breathtaking view did nothing to slow or calm Inuyasha however. If anything it made him worry even more.

'The sun's up already? How long has it been? Am I too late?'

Kagome's condition had only steadily gotten worse since he had left the others. Her soft skin had become deathly pale and felt cold to his touch. She drifted in and out of consciousness but the only sounds she made in either state came out as barely audible whimpers even to Inuyasha's keen ears. Although he had made the five hour trip in less than one, he still feared he had wasted too much time. He cut through the maze of huts as the villagers went about their morning activities. Ignoring their shouts of protest at his sudden appearance, he arrived at Kaede's hut just as the old priestess emerged.

"Kaede!"

"Inuyasha? What has happened?

"She's been stabbed."

"Bring her inside, quickly!" Kaede said, holding back the curtain that served as her door. Inuyasha moved inside and placed Kagome gently on the floor next to the fire pit in the middle of the room. Kaede followed and rushed around gathering some of her healing supplies she would need. Inuyasha brushed a few stray hairs away from Kagome's face and bent down next to her ear.

"I'm sorry Kagome. I couldn't protect you, I've failed." He whispered.

Kagome groaned slightly but didn't wake. Kaede finally finished her mad dash around the hut and Joined Inuyasha on the floor with an armload of medical supplies and herbs. Carefully she lifted Kagome's formerly white shirt up high enough to examine her wound. She removed the makeshift bandage Miroku had applied and bent low. It still bled, but not nearly as bad as before.

"She has lost a great deal of blood." Kaede said, digging through her supplies.

Inuyasha looked at her, worried. "So what's that supposed to mean?"

Kaede sighed but continued her work, applying a foul smelling ointment to the wound.

"Understand, Inuyasha. I can keep her wound from becoming infected, but because it is not a clean cut I cannot do much more than cover it. If it were I could stitch it closed. Kagome will have to heal on her own.

Inuyasha's eyes dimmed as he looked back to Kagome. For the first time in a very long time he felt utterly useless and helpless. Here he was, the sworn protector of this beautiful girl that he now realized he loved more than his own life and now she was slipping away from him and there was nothing he could do about it.

"So many things unsaid." He said quietly.

"Hmmm?"

Inuyasha jumped a little as he realized he had spoken his thoughts out loud. "Nothing."

Kaede finished bandaging Kagome's wound and stood up.

"We should let her rest now." She said.

"I'm not leaving."

Kaede hesitated, then offered a small smile. "I think Kagome would prefer it that way." She headed for the doorway and paused at the entrance. "I'll come back later to change the bandage. Watch her closely, Inuyasha and if she should wake do not let her move."

Inuyasha nodded as she left, then placed his hand in Kagome's own.

"I'm here Kagome."

Kagome stirred and opened her eyes slightly for a brief moment. Long enough for a tear to slide down her cheek, which Inuyasha quickly wiped away. Then she lay still once again, except for the light squeeze Inuyasha felt a moment later.

"I'm here, and I'm not leaving until you're better, Kagome."

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