Chapter Four: Flying

A/N: Edited on 9/14/15

InuYasha snapped a small branch in his hands. Despite the chilling weather, InuYasha really wasn't feeling the cold, but his wings were. Their wet leather feeling and thin skin made it impossible to ignore the chill running up and into InuYasha's back.

InuYasha stood up and walked into Keade's hut, where Miroku and Sango were asleep around the small center fire. InuYasha sat down, and looked at the old priestess stroking the fire with a small stick. For a while they both said nothing, until the rude snoring of Shippo interrupted the silence.

"Here, InuYasha." InuYasha almost jumped when someone said his name. Keade draped two heavy blankets over both of his wings, and InuYasha felt the cold shiver immediately started to disappear.

"Thanks, old women." He muttered. He pulled the heavy blanket over more towards his shoulder and looked into the flames. Two more days had passed since the incident with Sango. InuYasha looked at the sleeping exterminator, and all her words came slamming back at him.

They were family? The entire group? InuYasha blinked and stared down at the hard wooden floor. He never thought of that way. Did she only say that to make him feel better, or did she really mean it?

InuYasha looked at the old priestess, as she started to fold some blankets and store them away on the other side of hut. InuYasha watched her with his red eyes, and suddenly Keade tripped. InuYasha jumped up and grabbed her by his claws and pulling her in an upright position. InuYasha felt his face go hot, and his hand shot back. He looked down and felt his claws sink into his palms again.

"InuYasha?" InuYasha looked up at the old priestess. She was standing over him and a glint in her one eye gave him a slight satisfaction.

"Sorry, Keade I…."

"There is no need to be sorry InuYasha." Keade sighed. "Tis the reaction was just unexpected."

InuYasha looked down again, and felt stupid. He could have poisoned Keade! InuYasha swore under his breathe and turned his head. Keade looked at him and walked out of the hut leaving InuYasha to his own thoughts.

InuYasha closed his eyes and thought of Kagome. InuYasha shook his head. When had these thoughts come in his head? InuYasha blinked and looked back into the fire. Why all of the sudden feelings about her? Why did he want to think about her like…?

"NO!" InuYasha hissed, slamming his fist into the hut's floor. Sango and Miroku woke up with a start.

"InuYasha, what's the matter?" Miroku asked.

"Nothing, just a bad dream." InuYasha scoffed.

"You weren't asleep InuYasha." Sango stared at him.

"I…" InuYasha turned away from his friends. He felt on of the blankets slide off and sending the cold air shivering through the black wing. "Ohh…" InuYasha actually let out a moan, to his embarrassment. He pulled the heavy blanket back on the sickening thing and grumbled.

"Here InuYasha." Miroku walked over and took some clothes from his robe and placed it around InuYasha's bare shoulders. Still due to the wings, his fire rat was still an impossible task to put on.

InuYasha just gave a small nod to the monk's kindness and leaned his head back on the wall of the hut. How he wanted the new moon for once. Would being human make these disgusting wings go away faster? Would he even change at all? During the fight on the new moon, his soul turned human and then to a demon. How? He always had been human on that night; it never made an exception for him. All half-demon's had a moment of weakness. Why did that change for him? InuYasha thought, he had been in such rage, such fury, that his human side had willing given to his demon side and agreed with it. Agreed to kill. InuYasha looked at his father's fang. The Tessaiga lay at his feet. He really didn't carry it around much, even though he would usually never let it leave his side.

InuYasha felt the wings shudder under the weight of the blanket and InuYasha hissed softly. Miroku and Sango had fallen asleep again, and too InuYasha's surprise the monk's hand was holding Sango's palm. InuYasha blinked at the couple. Despite all the perverted moments Miroku pulled, Sango still had deep feelings for the monk.

InuYasha curled his hand. Did Kagome? Did Kagome have such feelings for him? InuYasha's thought's shot back to Kikyo. Even Kikyo agreed his actions were not of his own. Kikyo and Kagome always seem so mysterious when they were together. Kagome even had accused Kikyo of trying to kill her on more than one occasion. But they still cared about him deeply. Why? They felt that their feelings toward him would break one heart and heal the other. InuYasha growled silently; it wasn't fair.

Sighing, InuYasha stood up, the heavy blankets falling off the useless wings. InuYasha walked out of the hut into the silent village. The dark night was dazzled with the white glow of the moon. The crickets chirped to an audience they didn't know they had, and the occasionally fire fly glowed in the surrounding fields.

InuYasha walked up to a nearby ledge and sat down. His eyes scanned the sky for anything. The Dog Demon Soul had shown him his father's true form. There was just no doubt about it. InuYasha had never saw his father. He had died the night he was born while protecting his mother. Why did you have to die father? InuYasha pleaded. Why?

InuYasha flicked his ear behind him, and let out a low growl. The rustling in the bush behind him became louder and a tall figure came out. InuYasha looked down and glared at the small village.

"What do you want Sesshomaru?"

InuYasha watched as his brother stepped up next to his sitting form and stare off into the sky. For a while InuYasha just stared at the ground and Sesshomaru stared at the night sky. InuYasha felt his irritation coming on, and before he could react, his right wing snapped up and hit Sesshomaru's leg. Sesshomaru turned and glared at him.

"What was that for half-demon?"

"You're irritating me." InuYasha grumbled.

Sesshomaru looked down at the wing and in one snatch, he had it in his poisonous claws.

"Ouch! What the hell?! Get off!" InuYasha hissed and threw a punch at his brother's face. Sesshomaru only stood up taller and avoided the poorly aimed punch. InuYasha hissed and stood up.

"Brother, when you are angry you have control of those wings." Sesshomaru turned away. InuYasha blinked. He had been angry, but he wasn't going to admit it.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Follow me." Sesshomaru suddenly floated off into the sky, and InuYasha stood on the cliff, puzzled. InuYasha slowly turned the direction to follow Sesshomaru on foot, when Sesshomaru glared at him.

"Follow this Sesshomaru up here."

"How?!"

"You have the aspects of flying." Sesshomaru said.

"No." InuYasha said it so coldly. He thought he sounded like a venomous snake. "I will never fly with these damn things. NEVER!"

"You were jealous. Jealous of my flying capabilities when you were that young child." InuYasha felt his ears flatten on his head. "And yet, you refuse to find out about that feeling now?" InuYasha felt blind fury take him. Who the hell did Sesshomaru think he was?!

"You bastard!" InuYasha shot up and swiped his claws at Sesshomaru, purposely missing, but to his surprise his wings shot out and prevented him from falling to the ground. InuYasha felt his heart beat in his chest frantically, he didn't want to use these! He wanted them gone! He wanted…

InuYasha paused, and felt the cool breeze of the chilly night air. He felt the wings getting heavier, but InuYasha felt the muscles in his back tighten and there was a sudden burst of wind in his hair and face. InuYasha blinked, he was flying. With the wings that he hated so much, and he was…enjoying it.

InuYasha pulled and pushed all the muscles in the wings, making them beat with rhythm and strength. He peered down at the village and almost let out a small yelp. It was so small, InuYasha could barley see it. Sesshomaru came floating up slowly, and glared down at the village.

"You seem nervous InuYasha."

"I really don't want to fall stupid!" InuYasha snapped frantically. "What took you so long anyway?"

"Those wings are built for speed. I glide instead." Sesshomaru said. "Wings are built for the wind."

"You're pretty fast." InuYasha mumbled.

"In the sky, at this moment…" Sesshomaru turned to him. "You are."

InuYasha blinked and felt the wings spread out. Even though they had shrunken in size to accommodate his body, they were still longer then Sesshomaru. InuYasha was still the same height as his brother, his ears the dog ears he always knew, and the stripes had all but faded down to one on each cheek. The fangs that were once going past his chin were now as long as when he was transformed. Even so, he still looked menacing, and the poison claws still had not faded.

InuYasha looked at the ground, and felt something pull him in the gut. Something he loved doing as a small child. His mother sometimes tossed him in the air and he loved the feeling when he fell back into her arms. InuYasha looked at the ground and felt an idea come on. He was a kid again, he wanted to enjoy it.

InuYasha felt the wings fold, and he started to plummet.

"What are you doing you fool?!"

"Don't worry about me!" InuYasha called up. He felt the feeling in his stomach the wind in his silver hair and the pressure of falling. The wind was ecstatic, he loved this feeling. There was no mother to catch him though, so he was going to catch himself. InuYasha shot his wings out just before he hit one of the huts and shot back up, leaving dust on the ground to float up.

Sango and Miroku burst out of Keade's hut and looked into the sky.

"Is that InuYasha?" Sango asked.

"Yes." Miroku smiled. "I told him, there is a reason for everything."

"He's flying?" Shippo asked, as InuYasha dived for the ground again.

"Looks like it." Sango giggled.

"And to me." Miroku looked up at his half-demon friend. "He's enjoying it too."