Chapter Seven
Sango shifted her supply pack uncomfortably and sighed as she watched the sun begin its descent. The day had been long, a feeling that was only compounded by the thick, uncomfortable silence they had settled into after leaving the human world that morning. Not that Sango really minded that much; it was better than trying to hold awkward conversation with Kurama or enduring the insults of a certain short, red-eyed, pain in the ass.
'The pompous jerk,' she inwardly sneered. 'Just who does he think he is to' … Sango stopped abruptly in her tracks. No, she shook her head roughly and fell back into step behind Kurama, adamantly refusing to let her thoughts turn to him again. He'd taken up far too much of her time already, and she wasn't about to lose focus of her surroundings because some smart-assed, ego-driven, jerk knew just how to get under her skin. Not when she was neck deep in a world full of nothing but demons; her father had trained her better than that.
Still, it was strange; the exterminator found herself oddly comforted in the quiet simplicity of this unusual realm. Sango hadn't known what to expect from an entire world of demons but quickly discovered that, much to her surprise, the demon world was not entirely unlike her own. The territory was a broad, untainted landscape of limitless, golden prairie that spilled out from the forest edge they'd been following and rolled and dipped over itself as it swayed in the gentle breeze. Serene and beautiful, it wasn't at all what she might have imagined the youkai dominion to be.
The exterminator shifted again, careful not to disturb the sleeping neko in residence on her shoulder, and sighed. She was getting tired, and her feet were beginning to feel like blocks of lead, but she'd rather lick the sweat off a hill troll's ass before she let either of them know it. Well, mostly just Hiei, 'the arrogant, little … AGH!' Damn it, she was doing it again!
"I can carry it a while, if you like."
Sango fought the urge to jump at the sound of his voice but couldn't avoid the soft flush that painted her cheeks. Damn, she hated being caught off guard. "Huh?"
Kurama grinned cheekily at her expression. "The pack," he explained. "I can carry it a while. You seem a bit uncomfortable."
"No, thank you," she replied a bit stiffly and pointedly directed her attention straight ahead. "I'm fine."
The fox cocked his eyebrow suspiciously and kept his studious gaze transfixed on her, though she refused to meet it. Finally, after a few moments of deliberate silence, he sighed and looked away. "You know, you have nothing to prove," he ventured quietly.
Sango faltered briefly in her steps. "Don't I?" She countered, letting her eyes drift unintentionally to the whisper of dark flitting from treetop to treetop at a distance ahead of them. He'd been among the trees all day, no more than a vapor trail to the naked eye, and Sango could only assume he was avoiding any unnecessary contact with her. Good.
"No," Kurama responded matter-of-factly. "You shouldn't let him get to you. It's just his way. If he truly thought you inept, you would have never stepped foot in this realm."
"I don't care what he thinks," Sango snorted defensively. "If he thinks at all … the jerk," she muttered in afterthought.
Kurama chuckled knowingly, which only served as fuel for her ire. "What?" She demanded. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing … nothing," he said as he brought his hands up in a placating gesture and fought to stifle the laughter that threatened to slip. The slayer sent him a withering glare, and Kurama thought it best to change the subject before he lost it and laughed outright. "It's getting late," he said thoughtfully and looked to the sky. "We should stop and make camp soon."
"Don't stop on my account," Sango replied stubbornly. "I'll be fine."
"How about on mine," he responded, perhaps a bit coolly. "Unlike Hiei, my body requires frequent nourishment and periodic rest. I'd like to do so before we reach the Southern provinces."
"Oh," she muttered quietly and averted her gaze, a bit embarrassed at her assumption. The silence stretched between them again, and Sango began to fidget slightly, stealing curious glances at the kitsune. He had intrigued her from the moment she'd woken to find him dressing her wounds. By all outward appearances he was human, but Sango had known differently, she could feel it. Unlike Miroku's or Kagome's abilities to see and sense demonic auras, Sango depended on raw instinct, fine-tuned through years of demon slaying and self-discipline. She'd come to rely on her instincts whole-heartedly when sensing youkai, and they had yet to fail her.
Kurama was different, though, unlike any creature she had encountered before, she knew. Not human, though not entirely a demon, it seemed; he lingered in the space between, a quiet avatar of the lines that separated, yet bound them all.
It unnerved her to no end.
Sango couldn't help it, really; it was simply in her nature to mistrust. She scrutinized him openly, frankly curious about what he was and how he had come to be. She might have gone so far as to ask him, too, but at precisely that moment he froze, and Kirara leapt from her shoulder with a hiss, wreathed in flame as she transformed to land in front of her mistress in a defensive crouch.
"What is it?" She asked in a hush, dropping her pack and brandishing her wakizashi.
"Nothing you need concern yourself with, girl," a voice interrupted from above. Hiei dropped gracefully in their midst, blade in hand, and set her in a particularly icy glare. "We don't have the time to baby-sit meddlesome humans, right now. You just focus on staying out of the way, and let the real fighters handle things."
Sango sent him a glare as nearly as vicious as his own and clamped down on the retort that automatically jumped to her tongue. Now wasn't the time.
"Jackal demons," Kurama supplied rather calmly as he readied his whip. "Closing in fast."
The tall prairie grass rustled as the beasts emerged from its cover, snarling and slavering grotesquely as they locked the four in swirling, piss-yellow eyes, mad with hunger.
"I don't suppose this is the welcoming committee," Sango asked Kurama in quiet sarcasm.
He grinned wryly. "Hardly."
Sensui stretched out comfortably in his favorite chair, a glass of fine wine in hand as he gazed out from his penthouse apartment at the brightly colored lights that dotted the dusky horizon. The city was alive with the bustle of weekend nightlife; cars and couples scurried from here to there in pursuit of frivolous indulgence as the lonely stumbled their way through lousy bars and cheap hotels for the empty company of a one-night stand. Down darkened alleyways vagrants dug through trash bins and fought over half-empty bottles of sake, hoping to drown painful reminders of their own degradation and filth in the potent swill of rice wine.
'Vermin,' he thought in disgust.
I suppose we'll be doing them a favor, really.
Is that important to you, Hitoshi?
No. It is simply a statement of fact. They would destroy themselves eventually, anyway. They already are — war, famine; the very air they breathe is a poison they like to call progress. Just look at what they've done to the world around them, Shinobu. They are ravenous beasts who rape the earth and defile its creatures out of greed. I have no sympathy for such evil.
A gentle rapping interrupted his thoughts, and Sensui turned his head just slightly to see the shadows sweep over the pale face of his assistant. "Is it time, Mr. Itsuki?"
"Yes, Mr. Sensui. It's just as you've said," Itsuki began softly. "He's divided them."
"And the spirit detective?" He asked nonchalantly, swirling the wine in his glass.
"He is making his way into the city as we speak, sir, with the hanyou, the priestess, and the psychic Genkai."
Sensui smirked triumphantly; it was just as he had anticipated. That fool Koenma couldn't even blow his nose without Sensui knowing exactly when and where he'd do it. He simply knew him too well.
"Good. Send Sniper and Doki to welcome them. I think it's about time we got their attention, don't you?"
The Gatekeeper hesitated, and Sensui pretended not to notice the brief doubt that crossed the demon's face. "Yes, of course, Mr. Sensui. I'll see to it right away," he finally replied before swiftly making his exit.
Did you see that, Shinobu? Did you see the look on that faggot's face? The son of a bitch doesn't trust us. We should kill him now, before he turns on us and fucks everything up!
You shut your mouth, Kazuya! Itsuki loves us! He would never betray us!
You shut up, bitch!
That is enough, Kazuya. Naru is right; Itsuki is many things, but he is not disloyal. His end will come only when it is time and not before.
But he suspects something, Shinobu. I can see it in his eyes.
Of course he does. Itsuki is no fool, he knows exactly what will come of this. However, no great cause comes without sacrifice, and Itsuki knows it well. He is prepared to give himself for it, just as we are. Make no mistake, it is not us he distrusts, it is them.
He has reason to distrust. He thinks our alliance is a mistake, that we should not have abandoned our original plans. I am not certain he is incorrect, Shinobu. Doki is unstable, as are all of Yokoshima's men. They jeopardize our cause, I fear.
Your concerns are valid, Minoru. We are but a diversion for Yokoshima, but the role we play means little in the final outcome. Our purpose is, essentially, already served; the barrier is breached. Now we must do what we can to facilitate its ultimate destruction, and if aiding Yokoshima in his rise to power accomplishes just that, we are obligated to do so. It is justice best served. What better way to eliminate the human race than by giving rise to a demon born from and fed by their own sins? I can think of no other more suited to lead their downfall.
What of the other, Shinobu? And this jewel?
…We will collect the shards for now, if only to keep them from the detective. However, we will not turn them over blindly. I wish to know more of this Naraku before we simply hand over his bauble.
And there in the dark, his mind quieted. A small smile tugged at his lips as he swallowed the last of his wine, content to watch the last days of men from the shadow of his heart.
Sango grimaced as the keening wails of the jackal she had just dispatched split the twilight air. She was actually beginning to feel sorry for them; it wasn't really a fight so much as group suicide. The animals were belligerent and clumsy, flinging themselves into battle with no sense of self-preservation.
She struck again, letting the continuous cracking of Kurama's whip and the thundering in her chest lull away the agonizing cries of their opponents. This was not the time for sympathy. On the battlefield, pity was a mere breath away from the darkness of eternal slumber.
Sango spun, slicing the beast to her left through the midsection as it leapt at her, while Kirara took the head of another to her right. From the corner of her eye she could see the others faring well. Kurama struck with cool precision. Hiei seemed little more than a whisper of light, leaving a trail of bloody devastation in his wake. Neither one looked in the slightest bit winded. Unfortunately, Sango was not quite as blessed. The assault was relentless. While they had healed her almost completely after their encounter with Naraku and again after her fight with Hiei, her body was still recovering, and she really wasn't sure just how much longer she could go. It was time to put an end to this.
"Get back!" She cried as she swung herself onto Kirara's back and took to the air. Kurama withdrew without hesitation while Hiei continued in his counterassault, ignoring her entirely. 'Suit yourself,' she thought and dropped four of her most potent poison bombs directly into the fray.
A great, black cloud billowed up from the earth and swallowed up the last sunlight, forcing Kirara to land some distance away to escape the smoke. Sango dismounted, and Kurama approached them from the edge of the wood.
"Where's Hiei?" He asked as he scanned the toxic cloud for signs of life.
Sango shrugged, turning her attention to the cloud of smoldering toxins behind her. "Don't worry," she began confidently. "I'm sure he's fine. The poison in those bombs isn't really stout enough to affect a youkai of his strength."
Her words were convincing enough, and Kurama nodded, though his gaze remained anxious. Still, as the moments passed and the ash began to settle, there was no trace of the fire apparition, and Sango couldn't help but second guess herself. What if she had been wrong? True, the concoction was not her deadliest brew, but in mass quantities it could still prove harmful. What had she been thinking? Two bombs would have been perfectly sufficient to dispatch the lesser demons. What if he had inhaled too much of the toxin and fallen unconscious? Or worse. Oh Gods, she thought in growing apprehension, what if she'd killed him? He might be a condescending ass, but that did not mean she wanted him dead.
Finally, Sango could take no more. "That's it," she said, securing her mask with a rough yank. "I'm going in."
Kurama quirked an eyebrow. "What happened to 'I'm sure he's fine'?" The slayer flushed visibly, and if he hadn't been concerned himself, Kurama would have been highly entertained with the unsuccessful stammering that followed.
"Well, it's just ... and he ... well, it's not like I'm worried or anything. Oh, forget it!" She spun away from him, flustered and irritated and not at all anticipating the scowling, soot covered demon that had dropped directly in her path.
Sango squeaked in surprise as she found herself once again dangling in his grip. "Fool," he hissed, ignoring the startled reproach from Kurama and the warning yowl from Kirara. "I should split your skull right here," he growled, reaffirming his distaste with a rough shake. Hiei pierced her with a look that could have scalded the slayer from the inside, out; the demon was angry - very angry, and Sango squirmed helplessly, not entirely sure whether she should be afraid, relieved, or just down right pissed off.
"I told you to move," she choked.
His punishing grip only tightened. "And I told you to stay out of it, girl," he growled.
The glint in his eyes told Sango just how much he was enjoying her discomfort, and she decided right then that she had had just about enough of being at a disadvantage. Quick as light, she released the blade concealed on her forearm and pressed it firmly to his throat.
"You could snap my neck in two right now," she seethed, her speech haggard and broken. "But I'll be damned if I don't slit your throat wide open first."
Whatever reply Hiei might have made was abruptly cut off by the sharp crack of Kurama's whip as it struck the earth between them. "Enough," his voice was soft but carried the weight of a thousand waves breaking upon the shore. The kitsune was nearly as angry as they and twice as annoyed. "Your bickering is both childish and fruitless. When this mission is complete you may kill each other to your heart's content; until then I suggest you exhibit some measure of control and focus."
With a disgruntled "hn" the fire apparition dropped Sango right where she stood, smirking in satisfaction when she promptly hit the dirt, coughing and gasping for air. He stalked away, then, radiating malcontent as Kurama stooped to help the slayer to her feet.
"Are you alright?" Kurama inquired.
"Peachy," she husked, deliberately avoiding his assistance. "It's just his way, after all."
Kurama grimaced at the gesture. "Please, forgive me," he began, genuinely apologetic. "I don't know what's gotten into him, lately. May I see?"
She eyed him warily for a moment before giving in. Carefully, he tilted her chin up for a better look and hissed in sympathy. It looked bad. Swollen and already bruised, he could see the indention of each of Hiei's fingers and immediately wanted to smack the fire apparition. She already didn't trust them, and Hiei was only making the situation worse. Kurama knew they would never collect all of the shards and survive the demon realm unless they learned to work together, to rely on one another as a team; at this rate, it wasn't going to happen any time soon. He sighed, suddenly very tired.
"There isn't much I can do for the bruising, but I can help with the pain and swelling, if you'd like."
"Tell me again why I gotta wear this crap," Inuyasha fussed as he fidgeted with the cap on his head. Upon leaving the shrine that morning, both Kagome and Genkai had insisted that the first order of business should focus on making Inuyasha presentable to the public eye. Naturally, Inuyasha protested vehemently, saying that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his attire and that they could all just kiss his ass.
The ordeal that followed involved a record number of 'sits' and enough swearing to make even Yusuke blush, and Kagome noted that it might have been easier to put a tuxedo on a mountain lion. However, a T-shirt, long coat, blue jeans, and a pair of shoes later, the battle came to a close. In the end, despite his utmost stubbornness, the mighty hanyou proved no match for the schoolgirl.
Suffice it to say, Inuyasha was not in a good mood.
"What's the matter, Fido?" Yusuke taunted, not for the first time that day. "Can't quite reach behind the ears?"
Inuyasha growled, plainly not amused. "Whoa now," Yusuke mocked, throwing his hands up in a placating gesture. "He's had his rabies shot, right?" He asked Kagome, who had neatly situated herself between the two.
"Stop treating me like dog, jackass!" The hanyou snapped, balling his fists in frustration. That little shit certainly was asking for it.
Kagome placed a comforting hand on Inuyasha's shoulder and sighed. "Honestly, Yusuke," she began, exasperated. "Don't provoke him."
"Hey, I'm just — OW! Damn it, Grandma!" Yusuke yelped, nursing the newly formed, rather large knot on the back of his head.
"Don't be an idiot," she responded flatly. Inuyasha smiled smugly, and Yusuke sent them both a dark glare, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'old bitch,' under his breath.
"So, what's the plan?" Kagome inquired, flopping down on one of the double beds in their cheap hotel room. For the sake of discretion, Kagome and Genkai had decided that, for the time, it would be best to set up base on the edge of the Tokyo. The lodging was reasonable, the location was inconspicuous, and the guest list was sparse. It was perfect.
"Yeah," Inuyasha said gruffly. "I ain't stayin' cooped up in this shithole all night."
"Damn," Yusuke said, stretching out lazily next to Kagome with remote in hand. He turned on the small television set, taking great pleasure in watching Inuyasha jump back in obvious surprise. "And here I thought we might get to know each other better, maybe play a little fetch."
Inuyasha sniffed his trademark "feh," but found he'd much rather devote his attention to the strange box with flashing pictures than fight with that idiot, anyway.
"We really don't have many options open to us yet," Genkai replied, ignoring Yusuke and Inuyasha altogether and looking quite thoughtful. "We could pay a visit to some of the usual suspects, see what they've heard."
"Like who?" Yusuke chimed in, though he was not really listening. Why discuss particulars when he could channel surf? "Commercial, commercial, soaps, cartoons, commercial, news…"
"Stop, right there," Genkai interrupted, her interest suddenly piqued. "Turn it up."
The detective raised a dark eyebrow but did as she asked, finding nothing else of particular interest.
… Local police have found the body of 33 year-old Jiro Matsuo on the banks of the Arakawa River this evening. Matsuo, a third-shift dock worker employed at Yumenoshima Marina, was one of the four employees reported missing after yesterday's bizarre destruction of Matsushima Port, involving, what many eye witnesses claim to have been, a 'sea monster'. Police officials have yet to issue a press release concerning the alleged 'sea monster' or the specific cause of Mr. Matsuo's death. The whereabouts of Matsuo's co-workers remain unknown.
In other news…
The room grew quiet as they all exchanged apprehensive glances.
"Well," Kagome spoke after a moment. "I guess it's off to the harbor."
Inuyasha curled his lip in obvious disgust as he flicked the nuisance from his shoulder. "Man, you guys got a hell of a bug problem in this place."
"Remind me to call pest control," Yusuke commented dryly.
"It's not usually like this," Kagome said, a bit confused. Even the shadiest parts of Tokyo, which were very few, were cleaner than this, and Kagome had never seen an infestation like this one out in the plain, open air.
However, as they made their way down the back streets toward the harbor, their surroundings grew steadily worse. A dark malice hung thick in the air, making it stifling and humid. Kagome felt her skin crawl and unconsciously huddled closer to Inuyasha. For the first time in her life, she felt truly uncomfortable in her own city.
"No, it's not," Genkai supplied quietly. "These are insects of the demon world, similar to what you faced in the incident with the Saint Beasts, Yusuke. They must have escaped through the distortions in the barrier."
"Something tells me pest control won't have a spray for that."
"Not likely, dimwit," she countered. "I suspect our sea monster friend is another of these refugees."
"Then we'll just have to kick his ass right back to Makai," Yusuke responded with determination. "No way am I just gonna let Godzilla come in and make a meal outta my town!"
It was several more minutes before they came upon the cleanup crew. Crouching behind a pallet of large crates, they paused to assess the situation. Yusuke gave a low whistle as he took in the damage. Sea monster or no, whatever had come through there had torn the place to pieces, destroyed cargo and docks alike, and most of the buildings had been completely ransacked.
Inuyasha snorted disdainfully. "It was looking for something," he observed.
"Jewel shards," Kagome replied, suddenly distracted.
"Probably," Yusuke said, as though it were obvious.
"No," she said quickly, getting riled. "No, I mean I feel jewel shards. Two of them."
"How close?" Inuyasha asked excitedly, his hand already gripping the hilt of Tetsusaiga.
The priestess took a deep breath and closed her eyes a moment to sort the jumble of energy in her mind. "One across the bay, I think, and the other —"
Kagome stopped short and drew a sharp breath as she spun to face their newest threat. The strange energy washed over her, then, in tiny electric pulses and settled in her spine. It left her feeling vaguely disoriented, and she could tell by the way the others tensed around her, the way Inuyasha instinctively stood before her, Tetsusaiga drawn, that they had felt it too.
She could see him, there in the shadows, leaning against the side of an old warehouse. One hand stuffed into his jacket pocket, the other flipping the glittering fragment they sought and snatching it from the air in a lazy fashion. From what Kagome could see, he was not much older than herself, and though he was human, the energy he exuded combined with his blatant, cool boredom honestly gave her the creeps.
"So this is the great Yusuke Urameshi," he spoke as he straightened and stepped toward them, into the light. "Funny. Somehow, I thought you'd be taller," he said more to himself than anyone else.
Yusuke bristled; just who the hell did this guy think he was? He set his jaw in a stubborn line and let his aura flare, though just slightly.
"Yeah, well who the hell wants to know?"
The stranger smirked. "Does it really matter?"
"Well," the detective drew out, as though he were thinking it over. "I usually like to know whose ass I'm kicking, but you don't really look all that important; so, why don't we just get this over with, huh?"
The stranger raised an eyebrow at the detective's cockiness, watching as Yusuke shed his coat and cracked his knuckles, apparently itching for a good fight. He caught the jewel shard from the air one last time and tucked it safely back into his pocket.
"Don't bother," Inuyasha growled, unable to keep his mouth shut any longer. "We'll be taking that with us."
The stranger smiled outright, putting them all further on edge. "Is that so?" He replied, not at all intimidated. "Well, all right, then. Since you all seem so eager, I suppose I could indulge you for a bit. Though four against one hardly seems fair. I think we should even up the odds, don't you agree?"
Kagome started as another figured seemed to drop from the night sky like a lightning strike. He was older, perhaps in his mid-twenties, but he was smaller than the rest of them, with the exception of Genkai. His inky black hair spilled down around his shoulders, and despite his stature and apparent lack of weapons, Kagome got the distinct impression that something sinister was lurking below the surface of his glacial skin.
"Feh," Inuyasha snorted. "You'll have to do better than this little guy if you want even things up with us, pal."
The diminutive soldier turned a scalding glare on them that made Kagome shudder outright. She'd never seen eyes like those on a human before, like burning pits of black fire, and hollow as the droning of a funeral drum. His every pore oozed unadulterated hate in tangible waves that nearly made her sick. He was the abyss that peered into the dark places of her soul. He was absolute night.
"I'd be careful, dog," the tall one advised. "You might make him angry."
"Like I give a shit," the hanyou grumbled, not letting his unease show, though Kagome knew differently. She wasn't the only one disturbed by the small human, it seemed. "Come on, short stuff. Let's see what you got."
And that was all it took. The heated rage that had been festering in his bones tore to the surface, splitting his skin and engulfing his body in a thick black armor of scales. Great bone spikes ripped through his flesh in a grotesque headdress that ran the length of his spine down to the tip of his gargantuan, ebony tail. His once human hands webbed, and he adorned razor sharp talons as he shifted into a monstrous, human-reptilian beast.
Kagome stepped back instinctively and drew her bow. Panicked screams echoed in the streets behind her from those previously unaware of their altercation, and she winced. So much for being discreet, she thought.
"Looks like we just found our sea monster," Genkai said, while Yusuke whistled lowly.
"Man, that's a hell of a parlor trick," he quipped, looking the creature over. "Bet you're a real hit at parties."
The creature seemed to grin then, allowing the soft glow of streets lights to illuminate the rows of serrated, spear length teeth.
"Stand back. This asshole is mine," Inuyasha proclaimed.
"No way, dog boy," Yusuke protested. "I'm taking the lizard!"
"Like hell!"
Whatever comment Yusuke might have made was cut off by a sharp whistle in his ear, followed by an intense stinging across his left cheek. He gasped, feeling the warmth of his blood trickle down his face, and his eyes narrowed on the tall human.
"Pay attention, detective," he snapped, arm extended with an open palm full of pebbles and his finger poised to strike again. "It's no fun for me if you don't even know what hit you."
"Yeah," Yusuke began, focusing his energy to the tip of his index finger. "I was just thinking the same thing."
Sango looked like she'd just swallowed a bug. He didn't really expect her to drink that, did he? It smelled like turpentine! "You know, that really isn't necessary, Kurama," she said, perhaps a bit too quickly. "I'm fine, really. Don't trouble yourself."
"Nonsense," he replied, hiding his amusement as he poured the steaming, yellow broth into a cup that Sango was quite certain was much larger than need be. "It's no trouble at all."
"Here," he offered her the rather offensive smelling brew, and she hesitantly accepted, her lip curling just a bit when the odor hit her full force. "You'll need to drink it all," he told her. "It will ease the swelling and alleviate the discomfort you're feeling now."
The exterminator did not look convinced, and she eyed the pungent concoction suspiciously for several long moments, rolling the liquid around in its container as she mustered her nerve. Kirara, curious as to what all the fuss was about, crept up to her mistress' shoulder, stretching her neck to peer cautiously into the cup.
"It won't bite," Kurama chuckled.
The smell hit her quite suddenly then, and Kirara drew back with a decidedly sharp hiss, tripping over her own paws in the process and tumbling to the ground with all the grace of a drunken dog on roller skates. Frazzled and yowling a variety of feline expletives, she shot across camp in hasty retreat.
Sango blinked. "You sure?" She asked dryly.
Kurama grinned. "Promise. Now drink; it's not pleasant, but it is effective."
She sighed. 'Here goes nothing,' she thought, holding her nose and choking down as much of the drink as she could before her gag reflex kicked in.
It didn't take long. Despite the slayer's monumental effort to keep her composure in tact, Sango hacked and sputtered and came dangerously close to emptying the contents of her stomach right there on the ground when the substance made its way up her nose. Kurama was quick to take her cup and replace it with water, which she hastily accepted.
"Are you alright?" He asked when she gained control of her breathing.
She nodded, still not quite able to speak, and he settled down beside her. "Here," he handed her a cold rag and pretended not to notice how she tensed at his proximity. "There is a spring, just through that grove of trees. I'll keep watch for you, if you want to clean up. This may be the last opportunity we will have for some time."
Sango stood swiftly; she was obviously uncomfortable with both his presence and his offer. "No, that won't be necessary," she said, rummaging through the pack for the toiletries Kagome had given her. "I'll be fine on my own."
A thick silence hung in the air, and Kurama regarded her coolly. "I would not look," he began somberly, "if that is your concern. It is unwise to go alone."
The deliberate edge to his words told Sango she had offended him, and though she regretted it, she made no effort to dispute what he knew she had been thinking and no intention of changing her mind.
"I'll have Kirara," she replied quietly without meeting his gaze.
Kurama gave a frustrated sigh, though her response did not surprise him. "Very well," he acquiesced, making a mental note to stay within hearing range. "Be careful." She nodded once, and the kitsune watched as she scooped the still pouting neko into her arms and melted into the night.
He stoked the fire and began picking up odds and ends left from their evening meal, though there was not that much to clean. It had just been the two of them. Not that Kurama had honestly expected the koorime to show up for dinner, anyway. Perhaps it was better that way, Kurama reflected, remembering the smoldering look of undisguised malice his companions had shared when held in the grip of iron fist and blade. Perhaps, he thought somewhat uncomfortably, he had made a mistake in bringing her here.
Kurama shook his head roughly; he would simply have to make the best of things, no matter how unpleasant. The fox was never the type to dwell on what he could not change. Still…
"You're not making things any easier," he spoke into the trees, stooping to snatch another stick for the growing bundle in his arms. The kitsune had left camp to collect more firewood, which was very conveniently located along the edge of the grove. He had known all along he was being watched. "Like or not, she is as much a part of this mission as we are. She deserves a chance."
"Hn," the demon grumbled as he dropped from his perch. "I owe her nothing."
"Of course," Kurama muttered to himself. "You could at least show some respect for her abilities. She did well today, and you know it." Hiei shot him a dark glare that would have dropped anyone else in their tracks. So, he'd hit a nerve had he? Good, it served him right. "You have no one to blame for what happened today other than yourself."
His scowl darkened further, if it was possible. "You know nothing of it, fox," Hiei snapped, at the limits of his patience with the kitsune.
"Then perhaps you should enlighten me," Kurama remarked. Hiei grunted something incomprehensible, and Kurama looked up just in time to catch the tiny projectile aimed right for his head. The fox blinked, rolling the dark gem over in his fingertips and studying it attentively. It suddenly occurred to him that it was more than just pure stubbornness that kept Hiei from moving when the slayer had warned him. He sighed heavily.
"You could have said something, Hiei," Kurama admonished half-heartedly. "We would have helped you."
"Hn. I don't think I could've handled anymore help from the two of you," Hiei grumbled irritably.
"Still …" Kurama trailed off, letting the silence fill the gap between them as he further examined the glittering fragment. The presence of the shard certainly explained a few things. Such as what might possess a pack of low-level jackal demons to attack them in the first place. They were notoriously stupid beasts, but they weren't suicidal.
It nagged at him, though. It was unusual to find the more primitive youkai this close to the cities, and Kurama doubted that even a jewel shard would bring them this far from the heart of the grasslands. He sensed the tension in his companion and glanced over, knowing their thoughts were the same.
"A coincidence?" Kurama asked.
"Not likely," Hiei replied quietly.
The silence stretched between them once again, and Kurama took a moment to study the fire apparition, not entirely convinced he'd come out of the toxin completely unscathed. He was brooding, the fox noted, and though that wasn't really unusual, Kurama could tell that there was more to it this time. The kitsune sighed. Honestly, he was more childish than Yusuke and Kuwabara at times.
"She was worried about you, Hiei," Kurama supplied.
The diminutive youkai looked startled for just the fraction of a second before his carefully composed reticence slipped back into place. His face screwed up into its customary sneer and he turned away, arms crossed. "Hn. Then she's a bigger fool than I thought possible."
But the fox did not reply. Hiei turned back to find the kitsune staring intently into the surrounding woods. "Fox?"
"We are not alone."