Chapter Three: A Jewel For An Eye

Rated - T (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

o - o - o - o - o

Inu waited in the tree for days, feeling quite pitiful. He wondered if Bosu would ever forgive him for his transgression. He also wondered what his punishment would be. Surely this was not it. Bosu was much more sadistic than that, and Inu ought to know after being with him for years.

His stomach growled angrily at him, reminding him that he had not been fed regularly. After the first few days, his stomach stopped growling and became a constant dull ache. Perhaps Bosu had forgotten about him, he vaguely wondered.

Five days had passed, and Bosu finally came to fetch him. He walked up to the tree where Inu perched and looked solemnly up at him in silence, contemplating his next move. Rather than calling for Inu to come down, he uttered the word of subjugation, "Sit."

Inu plummeted from the tree, pulled by an unseen force that pushed him into the ground face first. Inu felt dazed, weakened from hunger. He dared not rise before being commanded to do so by Bosu, even once he had collected himself.

Bosu knelt down to where Inu lay, face in the ground, "Ye ever again pull a stunt like that, and I will kill ye. Grab that damn Shiko Jewel or whatever it is and wish myself a new hound. An obedient one! And ye will be the one to fetch it for me. Got that ye mongrel?!"

Inu nodded quickly but kept low. Bosu pushed himself back up using his knees and grunted. "Get up," he commanded.

Inu rose quickly and fought off a wave of lightheadedness. Hunger had weakened him considerably. He allowed himself to hope Bosu would allow him a meal, a scrap, anything. As if hearing Inu's mental pleas, Bosu pulled out a single strip of dried meat. The scent of the jerky was delicious to Inu's sensitive nose. He could feel himself drooling, but he had been trained better than to take without the item being expressly offered. The presentation of the treat was merely that, a presentation of what Inu could hope to have if he pleased his master.

"You were bad, Inu. I shouldn't even feed ye this, but I need ye in tip top shape," Bosu said, brandishing the jerky over his head as if he were teasing a child...or an animal.

Eventually, when Bosu felt his point had been made, he tossed the jerky to the ground, throwing his chin up in a gesture that meant, 'fetch.' Inu dove after the morsel and didn't even bother to chew when he snatched it up off the ground. He shoved it into his mouth and swallowed, barely even tasting the dirt that had gotten on the dried meat. It was a blessed seasoning that Inu hadn't bothered to care about once it hit his stomach.

On all fours, Inu crept back to Bosu, who stood waiting. He waited in a crouch with his head lowered, signifying his deference. Bosu reached down and pat Inu on the head, indicating his satisfaction.

"Never disobey me again, Inu. I'll kill ye if ye do."

o - o - o - o - o

Over the next few months, Bosu sent another group of bandits to eliminate the priestess protecting the Shikon no Tama. Rather than sending a team of his best men to handle the job, Bosu feared another coup, so he instead sent new recruits who were given vague and misleading instructions. Their mission was to attack the village where the miko resided and assassinate her from afar. They were told nothing of the Shikon Jewel, and Bosu interrogated them thoroughly before selecting them for the mission. All five men chosen were skilled killers, but they lacked in the area of intelligence. However, they were capable of taking orders, a quality Bosu wanted for his crew.

The group left without any pomp or circumstance and made their quiet journey to the Priestess' village. They followed their instructions as well as they could. Get to the village. Find the miko. Kill her without being seen. Bosu hadn't expected the lot to be able to carry out the job without being seen. His hope was that with the instruction, they would attempt to avoid being caught and avoid coming upon the Shikon Jewel. It was an inane plan, but it was carried out by inane men.

After a week, Bosu became a bit more temperamental than usual. He was agitated and on edge, waiting for the men to return. It was simple; kill the miko. It should have taken little to no skill. Even Bosu's most inept bandit could have carried out the task by now. He would occasionally shout to no one at all. Bosu was short with everyone and did not entertain anyone during the time the group had been gone. Since Bosu was keeping everyone away he lashed out at the one closest to him, Inu.

On top of little to no food or sleep, Bosu had subjugated Inu at any random opportunity. Bosu couldn't actually hurt Inu. Even he knew that his pet was something more than he could ever be, but while Bosu held the leash, he could harness that power. Rather than physically hurt Inu, he would demean him by treating him as the dog that Bosu pretended he was. The deprivation of sleep and food was what took its toll on Inu. He was weakened and had little drive to play Bosu's sadistic games. Inu hadn't been treated this cruelly for some time, but he had weathered worse and would weather this. It would soon pass as it always had.

A day or so later, one of the bandits returned. The man, bruised and muddy, hurried into Bosu's house; newly procured from some neighboring lord after Bosu had blown his up. The man panted like he had run the entire way from the Priestess's village, and judging from the bandit's wild and weary appearance, Bosu was inclined to believe that was precisely what he had done.

Once the man had been ushered inside by another henchman, Bosu dismissed him, leaving just the bandit who had returned.

"Where are the others?" Bosu inquired.

"They...they were...they…" the bandit sputtered, failing to complete his thought.

Impatience was painted onto Bosu's every feature and motion. "They were what? Spit it out, will ye?!"

The bandit winced and took a deep breath, "They were killed. By-by-by the Miko. We's thought she was justa shrine maiden, see? But-but-but…"

"But what? Spit it out man!"

"But theys was killed by her. She took us out one by one wif her bow. Pretty sure the lil un with her helped."

"Hmm," Bosu contemplated the situation. "Didn't think she would put up much of a fight," he said to himself. "Well, that makes the path clear." He motioned a dismissal to the bandit, who hurried out with more determination than he had arrived, happy to be away from Bosu's wrath at a failed mission.

"S'pose this will be one for you, Inu," Bosu said almost absently. He tapped the floor with his foot, signaling Inu to come out from a room where he had been tasked to remain hidden. Bosu did not want anyone to see the secret weapon that he kept hidden away. The recent exposure to possibly more than half of the band was enough for Bosu to consider having Inu exterminate those men to maintain that secret. However, Bosu ultimately decided to use the sighting of Inu to bolster fear and respect in his men.

Once Inu appeared from a separate room, Bosu waved him over. "S'pose this warrants a meal and a full night's sleep for ye."

Inu perked up at the thought of sleep and food. He didn't care what he would have to do to get it.

Bosu made the journey himself, with Inu's assistance, that is. They arrived at the village where the miko was said to live in short order. Bosu avoided bringing anyone from the band this time. The only reason he came was to hold the leash.

"Listen, Inu. Yer gonna go and kill that priestess. She'll be nothing for ye. Once it gets dark, ye go! And hurry. I don't want to be out here all night. Ye understand." Inu ducked his head in response.

They had waited in a secluded area until nightfall, but earlier, Bosu had traveled into the village alone to scout the area and see if he could gather intel on the local priestess. Fortunately for him, the village was rather forthcoming with fond admiration for their beloved miko. Many people practically laid out her daily routine. Bosu learned where she lived, her favorite foods, her usual errands, and who she usually spoke to. With that intel, the pair could stake out a position by a bridge where the miko was said to walk near the end of the day. It was close to the tree line, which would make for a hasty retreat once everything was said and done.

Inu had been instructed to stay out of sight. Bosu even went so far as to put a cap over Inu's ears and cropped his hair to not draw too much interest on the off chance that Inu was spotted. What good that would have done would remain to be seen. Inu still had an air of power to him that even Bosu could not cover-up. It was another reason that Bosu kept Inu secluded. People could sense that he was different before even laying eyes on him.

The sun was setting, and the miko was rumored to travel this way on her way home. Sure enough, she appeared. In solitude, she strode down the path purposefully.

"Damn, what a pity. Sure is a good-looking one that miko," Bosu commented aloud. He said it as an afterthought; even the priestess's beauty would not perturb him from carrying out this dirty deed.

Inu could smell her coming before Bosu had lain eyes on her. The smell, as clean and fresh as spring rain, could not do her countenance justice. Inu had relatively little experience with females since becoming a possession. The women that frequented the band were neither pleasant to behold nor many. Bosu's men sought out the pleasure of women away from their encampment and holdings, and the women who did make it back to the band of bandits were usually shared commodities that Inu did not concern himself with. Not that he would have been allowed. Bosu ensured that Inu was kept out of sight from prying eyes, which also meant female company. This was especially true when Bosu would bring females into the house at night, as Bosu was surely no eunuch to deny the pleasure of a woman's company from time to time.

The woman approaching had her hands clasped before her as if in prayer. Her large, round eyes were a deep pool of dark brown radiance gleaming with intelligence and markedly sadness. Her jet-black hair was long and looked impossibly soft as it cascaded down her back, held together by a simple tie. Her elegant frame denoted a hint of some unknown power that Inu could just barely pick up. Around her neck was a beautiful throng of elegant beading that held a large, round jewel. She held the Jewel to her lips, which Inu could see move wordlessly while silently praying into it.

"Best wipe the drool from yer chin, boy," Bosu said harshly, bringing Inu out of his trance. Inu quickly ducked his head to avoid punishment.

"Quick now, before the time passes us by. I shall go and approach the lass and ye take care of her when I say, neh?" he asked as if Inu had a choice. Without a second thought, Bosu ran into the road confronting the priestess. "Miss!" he shouted, "Pray, offer yer assistance. My companion is beyond this bend and injured. You are the priestess of this village, neh?"

The miko halted, quickly tucking away the Jewel into her kosode. "Lead the way," she responded simply.

Inu could see Bosu's face as he turned to lead her in his direction; it was smug and nefarious.

While they closed the distance, several yards, the maiden engaged Bosu in a quick conversation, inquiring about the injury's nature and where the companion lay in wait. "Just down this hill, lady…" Bosu trailed off, leading her to provide her name. For what reason, Inu did not know since he had been tasked with killing her momentarily. "Kikyo," she supplied.

Bosu turned and grabbed her hand, "My thanks to ye Lady Kikyo."

She looked at him warily, unsure of why he had stopped abruptly away from wherever the injured traveling companion may be. Bosu still held her hand and tightened his grip when he yelled, "Inu!"

Hearing his name, he leaped up and out of the ditch he had been crouching in. He readied his claws and sailed to her, prepared to do his duty. His movements were quick to the mortal eye, but to Inu, it seemed as if he were floating. During this time, he felt pain bloom in his side and a force that pushed him off course and into the ground. With a snarl, Inu rose to his feet and looked to his side to see an arrow protruding. He yanked it out and threw the shaft to the side. He looked back to see another miko, a much younger one further up the path, wielding a bow pointed right at him. He shifted his gaze to where Bosu was, but he was now on the ground with his arms raised up in surrender while the priestess, Kikyo, pointed a nocked arrow at his throat.

"Be gone demon before I dispatch you to the hell from which you came!" Kikyo shouted. She risked a glance at Inu, who felt intense pressure to save his master.

"Inu!" Bosu shouted angrily.

Inu jumped towards Kikyo, relying on his speed, and knocked the weapon from her grasp. The cap that Bosu had placed on his head flew free, revealing his ears and shaggy silver hair. He put out his clawed hand and pulled Bosu from the ground, holding on to him before shouldering past Kikyo to deal with the new miko. He let go of Bosu and dashed to the young girl. He put his hand to the bleeding wound on his side, rubbing his claws in the warm, sticky substance. The young girl tried to follow his zig-zagging path with her weapon, but she was too inexperienced. She let off a shot but missed. When she reached behind her back to pull another arrow, Inu threw the droplets of blood in her direction. His intention was to maim her hand and discourage her from using her bow, but his aim was not as accurate, and some spray hit her in the face. With a scream, she grabbed at her eye and dropped to her knees in agony. Inu felt pity at the injury he had bestowed but could not stop. He turned and found that the miko, Kikyo, had run over and confronted him with her gleaming arrow.

The tip of the arrow shown brightly with a light that looked quite agonizing. "Stay still beast!" she yelled.

He regarded her for a moment while she had an arrow pointed at his chest. She hardly seemed as weak and incapable as she had been painted out to be. Her expression denoted confidence and wisdom beyond her years, although there was still a hint of sadness behind her eyes. For an instant, Inu felt oddly connected to this woman he had never met. It was as if she shared his pain, his burden of living a life, not their own. Prisoners to fate.

She must have felt it, too, as she hesitated from letting the arrow fly. "Why have you come?" she demanded with an air of authority. Her eyes were fierce, and Inu wanted to answer her, but he had no words. He decided to say something, anything, and opened his mouth to speak but was distracted once Kikyo's eyes bulged open in surprise and pain. She grunted, and droplets of blood began to pool at the corner of her mouth. The arrow lost its glow, and the bow lowered, falling from her fingers. Her knees seemed to give out from under her, but she did not fall. Behind her stood Bosu, who gripped her arm near the shoulder and prevented her from dropping, though she did become limp in his grasp. Bosu was not a particularly large man. He had grown soft in the middle with age, but age had not curbed his enthusiasm for power. And right now, the woman he held stood in the way of that power. The dagger he had used, slick with Kikyo's blood, fell to the ground once he grabbed her other arm to hold her steady. "Inu!" he shouted, "Finish her now!"

Inu hesitated again. He had never been called to kill a woman before. Typically women stayed behind the scenes of any power play that Inu had witnessed. He saw a trickle of blood drip from the corner of her mouth. Her head rose to regard him with steely eyes. Those eyes had hatred and betrayal, though why she would display the secondary emotion was beyond him. He reached up to strike her, following his orders but could not bring himself to do so.

"What are ye waiting for, Inu?! Do it now!" Bosu hollered, holding the miko still. She did not attempt to break free from his grasp, even though Inu suspected she could have done so. Still, he could not bring himself to strike her as she stood defenseless. "Damn it, dog! Sit!"

Inu felt that familiar compulsion to meet his face to the ground. He was drug down by an unseen force that encircled his neck. From the ground, he heard a scuffle coming from Bosu and Kikyo. Once the force released Inu, he rose up, pushing himself up with his arms into a crouch. The miko pulled out of Bosu's hold and grabbed her bow. She used the weapon as a bludgeon and swung it around, connecting with Bosu's face. The blow knocked Bosu out and sent him to the ground. She then jumped to her sling of arrows, pulling one free and deftly drawing it with her aim focused on him.

Ignoring her, Inu clambered over to where Bosu lay unconscious. He knew that if Bosu woke up, there would be hell to pay, so he stayed by his side. Without direction, he did not know what to do. As previously instructed, he could kill the miko, but Inu reasoned that if Bosu wanted him to continue to kill her, he would order Inu to do so. So, Inu would wait by Bosu's side until he woke up.

"You poor pitiful creature," Kikyo crooned. "There is no way you could be yokai. Even the weakest yokai has more pride in it's slimiest tentacle than to debase itself so." She took a breath as if considering her options, "Perhaps I should put you out of your misery creature."

"Sis-Sister!" a voice called. Kikyo kept the bow aimed at Inu but felt confident enough that he would not make a move and turned towards the voice.

The younger miko ran towards them, a hand clasped over her eye. "Sister, why are you waiting? Kill them. They are here to try and take the Shikon no Tama!" She had regained her bow and held it in her free hand.

"Kaede…" Kikyo said, assessing her younger sister's injury. "Get back to the village and wait. I can handle this."

"But, sister...Kikyo...you have not dispatched these thieves yet. Why are you hesitating? We knew there would be more assassins." Kaede pointed her bow at the interlopers. "I can't believe it's just an old man and his pet yokai. To even think one could tame a yokai," she marveled.

"It's not a yokai," Kikyo pointed out. "He's a hanyo. Half and half."

"Whatever it...he is... it's trying to take the Shikon Jewel. We cannot let it fall into the hands of anyone who would taint it," Kaede reasoned.

"Do you presume to tell me I am incapable of doing my duties little sister?" Kikyo asked captiously.

"N-n-no, sister," Kaede responded, abashed. "I just...Sister! You are wounded!" she pointed out in alarm. She saw the blood blooming from the back of her sister's white garments and the blood that had begun to dry, forming a crusty line down her chin.

"It would seem so," Kikyo said simply. She looked back to the hanyo that crouched before her. He was either confident or straightforward, and his behavior indicated the latter. He seemed not to grasp the gravity of his situation that he was about to die.

"Your name is 'Inu' then?" Kikyo asked. She lowered her bow; her earlier feeling of urgency had abated somewhat. She no longer felt threatened by the creature before her, who remained motionless and nearly oblivious to everything around him, aside from the old man lying next to him. At the mention of his name, his ears twitched. "Inu? She repeated when she saw his response.

Still, he would not meet her eyes. The miko took a deep breath and raised her bow, pulling the taut string. "Such a pity to kill such a witless creature who can only respond to his master's commands. All the same, though. I cannot allow the Jewel to fall into the wrong hands. Only a wish made upon the purified Jewel can remove the temptation it poses from the world. Be gone from this world and your bonds Inu."

She aimed her arrow at Inu's chest, and as she prepared to release the arrow, she heard mumbling from the old man. "Sssstopp her…" he slurred. Inu's ears swiveled to his master, and hearing the command, he leaped up from his position and assaulted the astounded miko. He snapped the bow in half and slung the arrows far away. Having pushed her down, he placed a foot upon her chest to prevent her from rising. She did attempt to get up, but Inu was much stronger; he was not even putting much effort into holding her.

"Sister!" the young Kaede shouted. She held her bow but still could not properly wield it while holding her eye.

Bosu grunted and picked himself up off the ground. He rubbed at his sore head and found where Kikyo lay on the ground. He walked over and leveled a kick into her unprotected side. She gasped and clutched at her side. "Stupid miko bitch!" Bosu sputtered, aiming another kick and exacting his vengeance upon her. "Was gonna give ye a quick death, but now it seems it'll have to be slow." He reached down and pulled the Jewel out that had been tucked inside her kosode. She gasped when his hand lingered and brushed far below where the Jewel had been nestled. Her eyes flashed with anger and outrage. "Hnh," Bosu chuckled, "Never got that kinda attention being a miko did ye? I'm sure ye like it," he said lewdly. He straightened, tugging the Jewel off the necklace in the process. He pulled it up close to inspect it.

"Doesn't look like much," he stated in indifference.

"You will never get what you are looking for! The Jewel will never grant your wish without being purified," Kikyo spat from under Inu's heel. She struggled and pulled at Inu's foot in vain.

"Stupid girl. What makes ye think I want to use this?" he asked rhetorically. He held the Jewel up as if it were insignificant. "I have no use for such a relic. I have all the power I need," he nodded his head towards Inu. "I'm just here to make sure that this doesn't ever fall into the wrong hands."

"Fool! You cannot destroy the Jewel!" Kikyo snapped.

"Forgive me lady, but I am the one over here while ye are still sprawled at my feet. Who plays the fool in this game? I have the higher ground," he scoffed. He walked over to his dagger that had been discarded and retrieved that as well. He brandished it and walked back around to where Kikyo was sprawled. Kneeling, he pressed the blade to her throat. "And ye, are going to take the Jewel with ye to yer death."

"NO!" cried the younger girl, Kaede. She ran wildly towards where Bosu knelt, blood pouring from a horrendous wound that had taken her eye. She held her bow and had an arrow ready to loose. "Get away from her!" she shouted, releasing an arrow that missed by inches from Inu's head. Inu watched silently as she approached, unperturbed.

Bosu stood up and growled in frustration, "When will these women learn their place?"

Kaede closed the distance, pulled another arrow from her string, and aimed it at Bosu while she ran. Bosu pointed at her, "Inu, stop that brat."

Inu jumped off of Kikyo and ran towards the girl. She must have anticipated this; instead of trying to shoot Inu, she threw her bow toward her sister, who scrambled for the weapon much quicker than Bosu could get at her. She picked it up and ran a few steps away from the man, who could not keep up with her.

Inu tackled the girl and threw her out of the way. He hoped she would stay down. He did not want to hurt them, but he knew he would have to if Bosu commanded it. "Inu!" Bosu shouted. Foam flew from his mouth in a rage. He was being bested by a pair of women, and he was livid about it. How could his dog, his secret weapon, be overcome by a maiden and a girl-child? "Stupid dog! I'll kill ye after this!"

He then realized that he had the Jewel in hand. "Inu! Get us outta here!"

Inu's head snapped, and he changed course to intercept Bosu. He jumped over, pulled Bosu into his arms, and leaped up and away from the two women. As he sailed towards the trees, he felt another pain blossom in his leg. He landed, putting his master aside, and swatted the menacing arrow away. Bosu looked angry but saw the arrow and looked around to see the lady Kikyo, with a determined look on her face, run towards them, her sister trailing behind. He looked around in a panic. "Let's go! Now!"

As his words left his mouth, another arrow flew and connected with Inu in his chest. The force of the arrow pushed him back into a large tree, pinning him. Inu grunted and slowly glanced at the arrow in his chest. His eyelids felt heavy, and his thoughts began to muddle. He grabbed at the arrow to try and pull free, but his limbs felt weak, and he could not even wrap his hand around the shaft to pull it out before his arms fell to his side. He briefly saw Bosu at his side, trembling.

"Drop it!" Kikyo called to the old man. She pointed an arrow at him, threatening what was to come if he did not obey.

Bosu quickly dropped the Jewel and raised both hands in front of himself. Then, he turned and ran.

"Sister! You are letting him get away?" Kaede asked her sister as they approached the pinned Inu.

"He can cause no harm without his pet," Kikyo responded. She reached the tree and placed a hand on the arrow embedded in Inu's chest. "I seal you to this tree, demon," she said aloud. In a quieter voice, she whispered to him as his consciousness slipped away, "Maybe in another life, Inu…".

Kaede looked up at the hanyo, who now looked as if he were sleeping peacefully. She walked up to him and quickly poked his leg to see if he was dead. "Kikyo," she began, still looking at Inu in disbelief, "Is he dead?" When she did not get a response, she turned to see Kikyo on the ground. "Kikyo!"

"The old...man…" Kikyo got out feebly.

Kaede tried to put pressure on the wound near Kikyo's back. "Sister!"

"It's okay...Kaede. At least you won't have to fight off anymore demons or bandits coming to assault the village."

"But, I thought that the Jewel couldn't be destroyed?" Kaede asked incredulously.

"Burn it…" Kikyo gasped. "Send it to the next world with me." She grasped her sister's hands and pulled them to her chest. "Be strong little sister…"

Kaede sat with Kikyo, clasping her hands until she drew her last breath. Tears streamed down her face until the end. Finally, she pulled herself away from Kikyo's grasp and stood up. She stepped over to where Inu was pinned in the tree and looked solemnly up at him.

She followed her sister's instructions to have Kikyo's corpse burned and the Shikon no Tama along with it. The funeral pyre was set up in the sight of the sacred tree where Inu was pinned. Kaede found it fitting that the hanyo was present for this occasion, even if he was sealed. She looked from the burning embers up to the large Goshinboku tree. A fitting send-off for her sister who had endured so much for so little.