Chapter 14.- Haunting Ghosts
Subtlety clearly wasn't one of the half-demon's talents.
After the confrontation in front of the inn, Itachi returned to the shared room, half-expecting the abrasive male to follow right after and make a scene, but it looked like the male's self-restraint finally kicked in. Though the Uchiha supposed this time, some of the fault lay with him.
For a ninja, controlling their emotions was a vital skill to master. It was something he'd learned to do when he was still a child, and yet, Itachi couldn't quite contain his anger when the half-demon went ahead and claimed he could keep Kagome safe. Even if the bond hadn't allowed Itachi to catch a glimpse of her travels, his time with the group was enough to know his butterfly's safety had been heavily compromised. Especially after learning the girl had been forced to live with a splintered soul for months because Inuyasha wanted to cling onto what was little more than a ghost. Irresponsible wasn't a strong enough word to describe the half-demon's actions.
With steady motions, the Uchiha kept sharpening the blade of his katana.
He didn't mind the increased tension; wouldn't have cared at all had the half-demon gone back to targeting him. However, it seemed like the Uchiha's silence about their interaction only served to irritate him further. Apparently, the hanyou decided against the targeted rude comments from before, choosing instead to let his bad mood spread over the group equally and making the journey more difficult for everyone...as if the Uchiha needed another thing to add to his building irritation.
Pushing down the persistent feeling, Itachi did his best to focus on keeping his hands steady. Impatience was the best way to ruin a mission. And right now, he couldn't afford to rush in. Kagome's safety would always be his first priority, and letting what sounded like nothing but a clay doll walk around with a part of her soul wasn't something he could allow to keep going, but he had to take his time. It would've been easy for him to track the half-demon that night. The Uchiha had trained to hide his presence from even the best Inuzuka's tracks, so the male's heightened senses shouldn't pose an insurmountable obstacle. As for how the soul would go back to the girl, breaking the vessel should suffice. And that…that wouldn't be hard at all. Most of the common threats this world's holy people faced couldn't achieve the speeds the shinobi was capable of, and on the off-chance the undead woman managed to react in time, well, this was one of those situations where the price to pay was well worth the power it gave him. Hiding the traces of his own involvement was something anyone who made the list of ANBU candidates was capable of accomplishing.
It really would've been a relatively simple task.
Variables had to be considered, and there were far too many things he'd yet to get a full grasp on. Since this had the potential to affect his butterfly's health, he couldn't allow anything to derail out of his control. Itachi wasn't about to follow the male's example and carelessly disregard possible consequences.
The girl was already struggling with such a heavy burden, and the last thing she needed was to be forced to manage someone else's immaturity. Safely kept inside one of his storage scrolls was the proof of that. Even without asking, Itachi knew why Kagome pretended not to be interested in that hair ornament. It was, after all, the same reason kunoichis never wore anything that couldn't be used as a weapon while on active duty. Practicality was an unspoken rule in his world, and apparently, his butterfly was following it, too. And it left a bitter taste in his mouth. In the end, she was just a civilian; she shouldn't be trying to predict what she wanted to buy would shatter into pieces during whatever battle they got dragged into. So the Uchiha bought it himself. It was a small thing, but it was the best he could do right now.
Or ever.
What he wanted was to help her stand on her own, not make her dependent on him. For her sake, he had to be careful, keep his greed in check.
Swallowing down a sigh, black eyes scanned the blade in his hand. It still felt somewhat odd not to be forced to rely on his other senses, a reminder of how much the girl had unknowingly given him. Satisfied with the result, the Itachi sheathed the blade at the sound of his butterfly's footsteps. Habit had him making a cursory scan of her form. In what appeared to be an attempt to give her a respite from the awkward tension hovering over the group, Miroku-san insisted on adding some early morning meditation to her training routine. Considering how her energy seemed to work, the Uchiha wasn't sure how much she could get out of this, but while it was a valid training technique. Even if it might not give her the same benefits as others, it'd still be good for her to get a feeling for her spiritual power. Considering the tension blanketing the room, spending an hour silently musing or putting her thoughts in order would make it worth. Already, Kagome looked far more relaxed.
"Itachi, we're ready to go…" The girl trailed off as she saw the small pile of tools carefully spread in front of him. "Oh, we can wait a bit more."
"No need, it's just regular maintenance." Quick motions had everything back in his place, giving her a soft smile.
"Your sword," Kagome started, cutting herself off for a second before starting again when he reached her side. "Is it made from normal metal?"
"For the most part. It's made from regular metal, but it's treated in a unique way to allow chakra to flow through. That's what makes it harder to break," he said, giving in to the urge to indulge the curiosity shining in her eyes.
"So that was it." Seamlessly joining the others, his butterfly went on with an explanation before he could voice his confusion. "With some of the stronger demons, normal swords don't really work."
"That's…something I hadn't considered."
"Every weapon a demon exterminator uses is forged by adding youkai parts," Sango added, jumping into the conversation as the group re-started their hike. At his side, the priestess nodded, seemingly happy for him to interact with the others."We'll have to pass by the area so I can re-stock my scent bombs, I can show you how it works then."
"You forge them yourself?" Blacksmithing wasn't a common side job for shinobis, so he would struggle to replace some of his equipment if it broke.
"It's part of an exterminator's training." Pride laced the woman's words. "I made my hiraikotsu myself."
He nodded, silently accepting the invitation.
Anticipating potential problems, the Uchiha had used chakra to enhance his blade from the start. Since he'd been trying to not meddle with the group's teamwork, he only intervened when the girl was in active danger, so there had been no chance for him to experiment with what sort of attacks were effective against what type of demons. The thought of weapons not being effective wasn't a foreign concept, but he'd yet to find an accurate way to know what to expect from an enemy without having to go through an encyclopedia of facts that may or may not be reliable. It'd be foolish to throw away a chance to learn more.
"Tch, we don't have time to waste!"
"Come now, Inuyasha," the monk was quick to snuff out the incoming fight. "You know how important it is to be prepared for anything, and it wouldn't be the first time we spend the night there."
"I'm just saying…!"
"Hey," Kagome cut the half-demon off, her gaze locked away from the group. "Look over there."
The girl's words forced Inuyasha's heated answer to a stop.
Marching to the North was a battalion, a sizable cavalry proudly carrying banners leading the way. Right in the direction of the rumors they heard from the traveling merchant.
Exchanging silent glances, the group rushed down the small hill they'd been crossing, towards a handful of men working on the field, chattering about the apparent extermination going on. Letting the monk take the lead in the questioning. There was a little more detail, a couple of small differences too small to matter, but it was the confirmation they seemed to need. Even if this wasn't related to the jewel, this was clearly the sort of threat they couldn't ignore. They were running as soon as the story was over, following the obvious left by the troops.
An all too familiar reached his nose.
"Is this blood?!" Miroku asked.
"Yeah, and not from just a few people either!"
Now, this…this was far closer to what he'd seen in the Elemental Nations.
Blood covered almost every patch of ground. It really was quite a lot of crimson spread over the broken bodies littered across the ground. This wasn't the same as the corpses left behind by the monsters that roamed this world, mauled and eaten in wild abandon. This was human brutality. Every single soldier they'd passed moments before was scattered in pieces, surrounding a single person, calmly standing in the middle, untouched by the red dripping from their sword and staining the fallen banners. Bloodlust was heavy in the air.
"The village we passed earlier…" Miroku trailed off.
"Did that guy get them all by himself?"
"Hmm?" The swordsman turned at Sango-san's words, sharp gaze studying the group before landing on the white-haired half-demon. "Could it be that you're…Inuyasha!"
"You bastard…how do you know me!"
"Cute! Especially with those ears!" Exaggerated motions made the unknown enemy look like an excited teenager, though the bloodlust Itachi could feel hadn't diminished at all. "I'll take them."
If he was being entirely honest, this was far from the weirdest first impression a potential threat had given him. Apparently, eccentric personalities being linked with power was a common thing, regardless of the world he was in. Judging from how flustered the half-demon was reacting, however, the male was not expecting this sort of behavior.
"Rumors around the area say the mercenaries who had their heads cut off rose from the grave and are causing trouble…are you one of the Shichinintai?" The monk's voice lowered, a coldness that wasn't usually there taking over. "Answer me."
"Not only is Inuyasha cute, but the monk is sexy too, not to mention that silent boy over there is handsome too," the swordsman winked. "Looks like I got quite lucky."
"Can I absorb him?"
"Wait!" Kagome stopped the monk before he could unwrap the beads on his wrist. "That guy, he has a Shikon shard on his neck!"
Unsurprisingly, the girl's words only seemed to push the hard-demon back into angry demands that led to absolutely nowhere. The sharingan flared to life just in time for him to see the unnamed man's sword unfold, moving like a serpent in a wild pattern. The blow strong enough to push back Inuyasha. Most of all…it was fast. Far closer to the kind of speeds Itachi was used to. The Uchiha moved, quickly followed by the monk, pushing back the girls, trying to get some distance. Destructive and unrelenting, even when the half-demon managed to deflect the blades from the mercenary, it seemed not to do anything as it went back to the man with a single wave of his arm.
This was dangerous. It was obvious Inuyasha was struggling yet no one was moving to join the fray. So, none of them felt confident they could help. It wouldn't be such a big problem if the male managed to get out one of his more powerful attacks, but there wasn't enough time, and now, blood was flowing. Compared to the monsters he'd fought in this world, the mercenary was stronger; still, the Uchiha prodigy shouldn't have many problems dealing with him. Because he could see the path of the sword, and the Uchiha was fast enough to reach him. Intervening would only annoy Inuyasha, and if this person was sent by Naraku, Itachi would be showing more cards than he'd wanted to. Still…there was no point in him being here just to let his butterfly be placed in danger because of her teammates' inadequacies.
Moderation could help make up for it, he supposed.
"Stay back," the Uchiha said; he wasn't planning to fully jump in, but the man would likely retaliate, and these attacks were too widespread.
"Hold on," Kagome tried to reach for him in concern. "That's…!"
"It's okay, I've faced enemies like this before." He'd faced way worse.
Familiar motions had a kunai in his hand with a single move of his wrist. Revealing he could do more than swing a sword and control fire wasn't ideal, but in the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't change much. Besides, it was highly unlikely the silver-haired half-demon would react well to his sudden presence on the battlefield. Crimson eyes studied the blade's path. The shards of the jewel could trigger regeneration. Kagome said it was lodged within his neck. He'd always had good aim.
Red sprayed on the ground.
"What the…!"
"So, it's closer to the center." His kunai had hit the mark, the blade lodged on the swordsman's neck, but his sharingan couldn't detect the exact location of the shard, so he was still mostly guessing.
"Are you ignoring me right now?!" Blades swirled at the Uchiha, anger fueling the man's motions. "Don't worry, you'll get your turn soon enough!"
"You're fighting me, you crazy bastard!"
It hit, the half-demon's fist landed squarely in the mercenary's jaw.
And frustration welled up inside Itachi. The male knew where the shard was; the shock of crimson staining its neck a good indicator of where to aim. Even if he wanted to question the reanimated corpse, not using his sword was too naive of a move. Jakotsu's attention was now back on him. The hanyou was supposed to be an experienced fighter, someone who'd survived his fair share of battles. Assessing the worth of information was something even genins learned early on.
"The one who gave you that Shikon fragment…was Naraku, wasn't it?" Snarling, Inuyasha looked down at the swordsman, doing nothing to restrain or get the problematic weapon away from the man.
"I dunno," Jakotsu scoffed. At any rate, we never met."
Smoke was rolling down a nearby hill. Poison. He could tell even before the fumes reached the scattered corpses. The scent of rotting flesh invaded his nose as the skin began melting off the bodies. Really, it was less a poison and more an acid. Narrowed eyes scanned the area as he jumped back, landing closer to the others. Whatever he'd been expecting from potential reinforcements, this wasn't it. It'd seem like poison was used far more often than he thought it'd be. He'd have to find an effective way to deal with it. The Uchiha debated for a second before deactivating the sharingan. Just because only two of the resurrected Shichinintai had shown themselves didn't mean the rest of the Band of Seven wasn't nearby.
"That fucking!"
"We should go back to town, Inuyasha." With a sigh, Kagome tried to calm down the angry half-demon. "We need to stop the bleeding first. You can track them down later after warning the people."
Grunting a reluctant agreement, the silver-haired male turned around. The Uchiha forced back his urge to move on his own; this shouldn't have been such a difficult enemy to defeat, and yet, the only blow Inuyasha managed to land was a punch. Truly, the timing of his crossing over to the side of the one-way glass had been just right. Kagome's safety couldn't be left in the half-demon's hands. Yes, Jakotsu was stronger than any regular samurai, genins wouldn't fare well against the swordsman. But the lack of chakra based jutsus meant these mercenaries were likely to struggle to counter anything that wasn't based on pure taijutsu. Jounins should've been able to end this battle, and the right chuunin team would have a fair chance. Gentle fingers grasped his own, bringing him back to the moment.
"Itachi?" Soft, her voice was tentative.
"Let's go back."
Quite honestly, these weren't the worst injuries she'd had to patch up, and with Inuyasha's healing speed, it'd all be gone by tomorrow morning.
Not like knowing that did anything to soothe her worries. Rumors were often exaggerated; more than once, they'd rush expecting a massive fight only to find a weak youkai that could barely pull off a mild trick. These people were likely to be connected to Naraku, so they had to be strong, but she'd hoped at least some of the stories were fueled by old fears and worries. She should've known she was not that lucky. At least the villagers were nice enough to guide them to an empty shrine despite the bad news they carried. Letting out a sigh the girl gave the bandages one last pull before tying the white fabric around the hanyou's right arm. The cuts weren't that deep, but it was a small comfort.
"Alright, I think that was the last one." Biting her tongue for a second, the girl shook her head and turned towards the warrior. "Did you get hurt, Itachi?"
"Not at all, no need to worry," he said, offering her a small smile.
"Tch, that bastard Jakotsu couldn't have gone too far." Inuyasha's brash interjection was filled with irritation.
"So, are you going after him, Inuyasha?" Miroku jumped in, trying to keep things calm. "They might not be too far from here."
"You bet I am; we didn't get a single clue," the hanyou scoffed. "You lot wait here."
"Inuyasha, going alone is a bit…"
"Keh, not like you coming along is gonna help." The half-demon didn't let her finish talking. It wasn't the first time. "Just stay put."
"You're walking into a trap."
"What…" Inuyasha turned, his head whipping around to glare at the warrior. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Overreactions were nothing new, so the girl couldn't say she was surprised to see the silver-haired male stomp in an attempt at intimidation. The frustration that had been shoved aside when they caught sight of the soldiers crashed back onto her. For the last day and a half, he'd been driving them all to the limit, and now not only was he ignoring her again, but he was getting angry at the young warrior when the only thing he did was voice an honest warning. Itachi wasn't even being rude, a little blunt, maybe, but nothing to be upset about. Especially not after the warrior helped him out with Jakotsu. The girl stood up, exhaustion pushed back. She was tired and worried, and her feelings were a mess, but the hanyou kept lashing out, and if yelling back was what it took for him to cool him down, then…!
Gently, a hand wrapped around her wrist. Azure eyes found onyx as Itachi shook his head and offered her a quiet nod.
"That man, Jakotsu, he knew your name despite this being your first encounter. Whoever gave them that shard is likely to be targeting this group; even if you don't go after them, they'll have to stay close anyway." Itachi's voice was as calm as always, a massive contrast to the hanyou's palpable anger. "Unlike the more animalistic demons, these people were mercenaries. They're used to warfare and some level of strategy, at the very least. There's at least one more person helping him; dividing the group right now will give them the perfect opportunity to set up an ambush or come after those left behind. It's simple strategy."
"And you know about strategy?
"Battle strategy was part of my basic education." Despite Inuyasha almost being on his face, the warrior refused to back down, his words still polite. "And I do have a fair share of practical experience."
"If you're that good at strategy, why were you dying then?!"
"That's enough, Inuyasha!"
He had to have overheard them back when Itachi first woke up in this world, when he told her he'd been planning his own death for some time now. Even if he didn't, the hanyou should've known how cruel it was to bring up such a painful wound. Hell, Inuyasha had never acted this way when any of the other joined them, even when they'd initially acted against them. She knew he was on edge. It was obvious, but anxious or not, it didn't excuse him from acting this way when all Itachi had done was explain her own worries. This was not the time for emotional outbursts. Kagome knew it; that's why she decided to stay in the feudal era when she really could use the distance offered by the well and her mother's understanding words. With a lead in their hands, there was no way the miko could take some time to untangle her emotions. But here he was, attacking Itachi just because the warrior offered some advice.
"Just stay here, dammit!"
"Wait…!"
As usual, the hanyou didn't wait, leaving the shrine in a huff. And as always, all she could do was sigh and try to keep her worries under control. There wasn't much anyone could do when he was in a mood like that.
"Kirara should can track them down, right?" Miroku asked, grabbing his staff.
"You're planning to go after him?"
"Going alone and with no plan is a bad idea." The monk shook his head, clearly as annoyed as her. "I'll do my best to get him back soon."
Nodding, the exterminator wished Miroku good luck as the monk went out, hurrying after the hanyou. With what felt like her hundredth sigh of the day, the girl let herself fall on the floor. This was a mess. Maybe she shouldn't have shouted back, but she just couldn't let the hanyou keep going with the hurtful remarks, and a part of her couldn't smother the anger his words ignited. Kagome was the one who made the choice to let go. Her actions were the ones that changed, but instead of talking to her, he was unfairly letting out his frustration on everybody else. If only so they could ensure their hunt wouldn't be affected. It wasn't even a maturity issue anymore. Kagome forced back the urge to barge her head against a wooden pillar. An honest conversation would be needed as soon as this Shichinintai disaster was dealt with, regardless of how unprepared she was for it.
Doing so before going back through the well should give them both enough space and time to calm down.
As of right now…
Inuyasha had struggled with Jakotsu, but it hadn't been bad enough for her to worry too much, and Miroku-sama should be able to stop him from falling into too bad of a trap. And if those guys tried to target her and the others…well, she wasn't blind. Itachi didn't seem to have any real trouble dodging the mercenary's blade. And Kagome was fully aware that the warrior hadn't even used one of those special techniques of his. Even if there was little she could do against the Shichinintai, she didn't think Itachi would be stuck with a massive disadvantage. Though it felt a bit unfair to shove their safety into his hands.
"Are you sure you didn't get hurt?" Kagome asked again.
"Not a single scratch, I've faced worse." His words were likely meant to comfort her, but a part of her only worried more."Although maybe I shouldn't have spoken out."
"No, that's not on you."
"Besides, you were right." Taking a seat beside her, Sango shook her head, her gaze on the spot Miroku-sama disappeared from. "Splitting up when we don't know how many enemies we're fighting isn't a sound strategy."
"Yeah, Inuyasha's just being an idiot." Shippo added.
Concerned questions faltered on her tongue. She didn't think the young warrior would mind if she probed a bit more, asked if he was really okay, if Inuyasha's question reopened such a recent wound. And yet, while Itachi didn't appear to dislike Sango, she didn't want to push him into talking about such a personal matter with someone he may not fully trust yet in the room. Not to mention, she didn't want the fox kit to have to ponder things like inevitable death and sickness. So, all she could do was offer the young warrior a soft smile.
Trying to discard those thoughts with a shake of her head, the girl tried to focus back on the current situation. Regardless of how many of these resurrected mercenaries were here right now, they'd likely have to contend with all seven of them at some point or another, and for all of the whispers they heard, they didn't really get the sort of details that could actually help them prepare for a counter-attack. Going in blindly wasn't exactly a new strategy for them, but their enemies usually weren't experienced in warfare. Human tactics shouldn't feel like such a foreign threat, but after spending months fighting demons and whatever individual human got tangled with the Shikon she couldn't help but feel bothered by it. And since these people were human, Kagome wasn't sure how much she'd be able to help, but at the very least, she might be able to keep herself from being kidnapped by using her barrier. Hopefully... Creating them was faster these days, and they were more resilient lately.
"Should we go and try to talk to the village again?" Kagome asked in an effort to do something.
"Might as well." Standing up, Sango went to grab her hiraikotsu. "I don't think Miroku-sama will get Inuyasha back any time soon."
"Oh, can we see if there's anything we can get to snack on?" Shippo wasted no time in climbing on her shoulder.
"We can check."
A quiet nod from the young warrior was the last answer she needed to set off towards the village.
Perhaps it was a show of the tension still hanging over them, or maybe it was because their current enemies were different from usual, but silence hovered over them, only occasionally broken by the fox kit's comments. Determined not to let her thoughts wander into complicated territory, the girl went through her mental map. They'd already spent quite a lot of time with the whole poisonous insects' mess, and they were going farther away than usual; it'd be better if they could start their trek back in the next few days, but these guys were way too destructive to let them run free. She could always take Kirara, but it'd still take a couple of days for her to reach the well. Worst came to worst, she supposed she could always try and convince her teacher to let her sit her exams a week later; her mother should come up with a pretty decent excuse and…
It was faint, a barely there light that glowed pink in the center of the village. And it was undeniably corrupted.
"There's someone in the village." Her voice was faint, her hand shooting to grab Itachi's arm. "One of the Shichinintai is in there."
"What…"
"Can you tell if it's the ones from before?" The warrior's voice was calm; she could barely hear tension creeping up his words.
"No, I can only see the corrupted shard." Determined not to let herself repeat her past mistakes, the miko closed her eyes, concentrating on her senses as she tried to scan the area only to feel her blood run cold. "I can only feel one person close to us…I can't sense any of the villagers."
"But we didn't hear anything." Shippo turned his head around, trying to spy any signs of a threat.
"Not every attack makes a sound." Certainty backed by experience was evident in the warrior's words. "That said, not many things can wipe out an entire village in only a few minutes like that."
"The poison user," Sango finished.
"Shippo, go find the others." Thankfully, Kagome's voice was steady as she spoke. "Tell them what's going on."
"Got it!"
Azure eyes followed the kit's orange form as it vanished into the forest. It was pointless; Shippo had already seen so much, still, the girl didn't want him to see any more than what was necessary. Because this was their fault. They were the ones who brought them back to the place, and now she couldn't feel one living person in that village. Kagome forced down the wave of guilt threatening to swallow her. They needed to figure out what to do with the human monster waiting for them. Leaving just wasn't an option.
"Kagome, get ready to conjure up a barrier."
"Shouldn't we wait for the others?" Concern was obvious in her eyes. "Or meet up with them?"
"If we walk away, we'll risk losing his trail. He can always follow us as well; there's a chance we'll end up trapped between him and Jakotsu. Poison can be…tricky, but I should be able to deal with it one way or another." There was no pride in Itachi's voice; this was just a grim assessment.
"Do you really think my barrier could work against poison?" If this thing was airborne, surely things would be more complicated. "Wouldn't that mean I'd have to block the air?"
"They're not common, but those sorts of barriers are possible. But you don't have the limitations I do. As long as you will it, those restrictions won't affect you."
Right, Kagome's powers were the product of a mutation; even if it was highly unusual, it was still possible for her. She could keep them safe, and if Itachi was the one suggestion confronting this mercenary, it meant he was confident he could beat this guy, poison or not. Glancing at Sango, the girl willed herself to smile and nod. The young warrior wasn't reckless. Every single time he'd entered a battle, he did so with a solid plan in mind, and she knew he was still hiding his full hand. Anxiety clung to her, but finding Itachi's gaze on her seemed to help quiet down the noise inside her head. She trusted him, and that was enough for her steps to remain firm as they cautiously reached the closest huts. It took no time at all for her eyes to land on the corpses lying on the ground. She didn't need to check their pulse to know this would be another town full of graves by the time they left.
The shard was getting closer.
Whisks of smoke began to twirl around the scattered bodies.
"Kagome," Itachi's voice managed to remain calm.
"On it."
Practice made it easy to make the shield rise around them just in time to stop the dark purple smoke heading their way. Walking out of the poisonous gas was a short man dressed in white, a piece of fabric covering most of his face. Her hands went for her bow. It wouldn't do her much good, even if shooting an arrow without shattering her barrier should be possible; Kagome wasn't sure she could do it without shattering the mental image she was doing her best to focus on. At least, it didn't look like he had an ace under his sleeve aside from the array of poisons. It'd be okay. All she had to do was keep her shield up.
"Hahaha, that barrier has to come down sooner or later," The man's laugh almost felt like slime trying to slide in her ears."You won't be able to escape the poison of the great Mukotsu-sama."
"Is the shard in his neck as well?" Itachi turned to look at her, completely unconcerned with the man's threat.
"Y-yeah," coughing in an attempt to ground herself, the girl tried to be more detailed. "Right in the center, though I don't know how deep in it is."
"Just because you ignore me doesn't mean you can get away from me." The man was clearly irritated, his teeth grinding as he spoke. "the one who put up this shield is the wench with the Shikon shards, right? Well, don't worry, this poison won't kill you immediately. You won't be able to move, but you'll be conscious until the very end; you see, tormenting and killing women is my hobby."
Disgust forced a shiver down her spine. She could feel his eyes lingering in every patch of bare skin her uniform didn't cover. It was oily and greasy, and the only thing she wanted to do was scrub her skin raw. It was almost enough to make her recoil, her concentration threatening to falter. Unspoken words were loud in her mind, and she couldn't help but take a step closer to Itachi, her hand gripping his in reflex. His hold was firm and reassuring as he placed himself in front of her, shielding her from those beady eyes. Trying to find out if he knew where Naraku was didn't really feel that important to her anymore. At her right, she could see her revulsion mirrored on Sango's face as the older girl narrowed her eyes, her hand closing around the hiraikotsu's handle. This wasn't the first time she ended up facing people like this, but no matter how many times it happened, her skin felt just as dirty every time.
"The one who revived you and sent you after us," the exterminator started, doing her best to get something out of this. "Was it Naraku?"
"For that answer, you'll have to ask my brother, though you won't live long enough for that!" He was laughing again.
"So that means there's nothing left to ask." Kagome let out a breath at the sound of Itachi's voice, his calm demeanor a respite from the disgust washing over her. "In that case, there's no need to prolong this."
Coldness crept upon his words in a way she'd never heard before. Anger. Kagome realized for the first time since he came through to this world, the priestess could hear the young warrior's impassive facade falter. Glancing to her side, it looked like she was the only one who noticed. Oddly enough, Kagome still felt safe, so she simply tightened her grip on Itachi's hand. She wasn't sure how he was planning on attacking Mukotsu without breaking her barrier, but she trusted that if he needed her to let go, he'd just say it. For now, she didn't want to lose his warmth.
And then, Mukotsu laughed once more.
It was gratingly loud, the man's short arms going to his stomach from some sort of deranged mirth that was as disgusting as his previous leer was. Worry ate through her entrails as she studied the smoke-filled town, desperately looking for whatever was causing his laughter. Nothing had changed. She'd paid attention as they walked here, so she'd be able to notice any difference, so how…
"See, I told you, you won't escape my poison!" The man was wheezing now, almost falling on the ground from laughing. "Soon, you won't be able to move a muscle."
"What is he…" Kagome could only blink, confusion drowning the rest of her words.
"There are three fields of study for someone in my profession," Itachi explained, clearly not surprised about the current situation. His eyes were red again "Taijutsu is hand-to-hand combat, ninjutsu involves the use of chakra to produce physical changes, like the ones I've used before…and there's genjutsu, creating illusions to fool an enemy."
"So he's seeing…" Sango trailed off, wrinkling her nose at the sight in front of them.
"Exactly what he wants to see." That was…more than just gross. "I wasn't sure it'd work here, so I went with something simple, but it'll have to change if we want to get this over with."
Like a switch had been flipped, the poisoner's gleeful smirk slipped from his face, confusion taking over as he looked down at his hands. He was trembling as he turned around, eyes wide and focused on something the miko couldn't see. The illusion had changed; that much was obvious, but unlike Shippo's, it seemed like the only one who could see it was the mercenary himself. It couldn't be anything pleasant. The man's confusion grew into pain as he began to stammer, mostly nonsensical questions, his voice becoming shrill as he fell, demanding to know what was going on. Illusions were nothing new; the kitsune wasn't the only being that could create them, but this felt different. In a way, it felt closer to mind control. And this was something people in his world viewed as just one more area of fighting. He wasn't just a random foot soldier. That much had been clear to her from the very start. No matter how many differences there were between their realities, no child would be able to survive on the frontlines of a war if he wasn't efficient.
Maybe it was a good thing that Inuyasha wasn't here, watching the way Mukotsu struggled to grab his jars of gas in a desperate attempt to fight off whatever was happening inside his mind while shouting pain. Gray smoke pushed back the poison as his hands finally managed to mix whatever chemicals he carried before he stopped moving at all, ragged breathing the only indication that he was still alive.
"You can take the barrier now." Itachi's voice was reassuring, "He won't move."
"Hold on, the poison…!"
"Poison users always know how to create antidotes to the poisons they carry, even if they're immune themselves. At least, human poison users involved in warfare do," the warrior said, waving away Sango's worries. "In his mind, the toxins he used for killing the townspeople and the one he wanted to use to immobilize us was affecting him. There was no way to know how long the poison would linger in the air, so the only way to get out of here was to counter it."
"Oh, that's what it was?" Pretending not to know the implications this skill carried, Kagome made sure to keep her voice light.
A silent nod was all she needed to let her barrier down.
"Should I get the shard?" Itachi turned to look at her.
The question startled her for a second as the young warrior waited for her answer; his eyes were black again, and she could see a hint of wariness in there. Not as bad as before, but still, there. It was one thing for her to have to stick her hand into a monster's entrails but to get this shard, she'd have to…
How many graves would they have to dig today? How many people did the Shichinintai kill before being executed? How many before they were all back underground?
…how many women did Mukotsu assault?
If there were humane youkais, then humans could be monsters too.
Biting her tongue, Kagome nodded. Itachi didn't want her to dirty her hands with Mukotsu's blood. It wasn't really a fair deal for him, but the girl wasn't sure she could do it herself. The soft smile she got in return told her he didn't mind. Still, the miko refused to look away as he knelt beside the unmoving body of the mercenary, a swift motion of his hand slicing through flesh with a blade she didn't even notice. It only took an instant before Mukotsu's formed turned to ashes, not even bones remaining. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Sango turning her head. So she did nothing to dampen her grateful smile as he walked up to her, fingers stained crimson.
"Thanks, Itachi!"
As soon as the shard touched her skin, the dark purple turned pink, relief washed over her, only to tense again immediately after as she felt a presence nearing the desolate place. No Shikon fragment, but definitely strong.
A/N: So sorry for the delay you guys, between the site going down during last weekend and then a really rough week irl I just wasn't in the right headspace for making my chapter review/final edit. I'm still struggling with a few issues, but writing is something that really helps me and I really hate delaying updates as well, so I absolutely refuse to go into a hiatus.
In any case, here we go, canon is trying to get back on track, but well, if there are new pieces on the board there's no way the result will be the same.
Fluff is coming, but it's not here quite yet. The plot needs to advance just a little bit more to let the choices the characters make breathe a little.
Inuyasha would definitely love to pick a fight but I think Itachi would be more wary, mostly to avoid upsetting Kagome than anything else, but it'd take more to bait him into it.
As for my opinion for the canon Inuyasha/Kagome pairing well, there's a reason why I lean towards crossover pairings. For a character with Inuyasha's backstory his behavior makes sense, but that still means that the only moments he is willing to be vulnerable in front of others are when he is either badly injured, poisoned, or believes the others are on the verge of dead, the rest of the time he just sorta lashes out which is…not great. Also to note is the lack of interest he shows with things involving Kagome, while she shows interest in his past and his family, he is hyper focused on the jewel, and again, while it makes sense, it's not ideal for a relationship. As for Itachi, we know he's gone to extremes (though he was technically following orders) and it looks like he is a bit more avoidant (preferring to keep things secret to protect his brother), but it doesn't look like he has trouble controlling his temper, so that is something that added to this characterization would make things a bit smoother.