InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Identity Crisis ❯ Chapter Fourteen ( Chapter 14 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: ladygriddlebone 
Another battle is brewing...
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 05.17.2009 | Updated On: 03.24.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 504 | Status: Completed
Another battle is brewing...
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 05.17.2009 | Updated On: 03.24.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 504 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter Fourteen
The first thing that Sango realized when she woke up was that the warm weight against her chest was Kirara, and not, as she had suspected, anything to do with Miroku. She lay on her side, the cat curled up against her chest and snuggled under her chin. And Miroku… When she had gone to sleep, he had been turned away from her, that they might sleep back to back. Sometime during the night he had shifted, turning, moving closer to wrap an arm around her waist, but his hands were very much in neutral territory.
It was very early still. It was light, but just barely. The night had left her with a slight chill, but they were close enough together to share body heat, staving off the worst of it.
Sango sighed and closed her eyes again. She liked it when Miroku held her like this, she had to admit; when he was being gentle and kind, without throwing any sort of perverted action or comment into the mix at an inappropriate time…
It had been a long time since she felt this relaxed and happy, with little worry hanging over her head. It was not difficult to imagine their quest being over, starting their new life together. Her face heated as her thoughts drifted to marriage and children. Someday, she promised herself, they would make that life.
But for now, they must continue their quest, no matter how much she longed not only to stay put, but to snuggle closer to him and stay that way until he woke up. Instead, she tried to maintain as proper a distance between them as their compromised position would allow, and turned her thoughts - with some effort - elsewhere.
With the vine demon destroyed and a tainted shard of the Shikon Jewel in their possession, they would have to find their friends soon. The shard would have to be purified, and they needed to continue their hunt for Naraku before it was too late to save Miroku's life.
It was a lot to accomplish in a short time, she knew, but for the first time in a long while she found herself feeling cautiously optimistic. They had succeeded in battle here, she had succeeded in battle here, where the odds seemed stacked impossibly against them; perhaps they had a chance against Naraku, after all. Only time would tell, and she found that she was looking forward to the final showdown, whenever that might be. The matter of Naraku needed to be settled, once and for all. Only then could she turn her attention to her feelings toward Miroku, and even the conundrum of her brother, Kohaku.
It struck her, then, how long it had been since she had found time to dedicate to worrying over Kohaku's fate, to solving the problem of how to save his life. She had been so very distracted lately, that she had even managed to forget one of her most important objectives…
She realized, somewhat wryly, that she had been doing her job. Somewhere along the line, amidst all of her fears and doubts, she had stopped focusing on her problems and shifted her attention toward the slaying of demons as a solution to those problems. She had lost her focus on the wider scope of things. Some of it she could attribute to the demon's manipulation, but the rest… It scared her a little, that single-mindedness.
"Why so tense?" Miroku asked suddenly, startling her out of her reverie.
"Thinking," she confided, "about the future. What to do next. Where we go from here."
She knew he was grinning, even though she could not see him as he spoke. "Well, I would suggest that our first step be to locate our missing companions."
"Yes, but where? Do you think they would have waited for us at Kaede's village all this time?"
"I sincerely doubt that Inuyasha's patience was able to last this long," Miroku said serenely. "They are most likely on our trail by now."
She had been so lost in thought that she had not noticed the way his hand had begun to move, rubbing and massaging all along her middle, but she noticed it now. The movements were comforting, though it seemed as if he was avoiding all the obvious targets for his lechery; if she wasn't mistaken, he was just as tense as she was. Did that mean he was trying not to grope her?
The thought was unexpected, and startling. If that was the case, how long had this been going on right under her nose? He had hinted at such a thing earlier, she realized, thinking back to a discussion they had in the first demon's lair. Sure, he had made some perverted comments since then, and even touched her inappropriately… but something seemed different about his behavior now.
She had dismissed the idea almost out of hand at first, because it seemed like something he would do in an attempt to win her over, to get what he wanted from her, like he did with so many other women: pretty words, gentle touches. Now, she did not feel like he was trying to gain anything from her, merely to assure himself of her well-being. It no longer felt like some potentially perverted plan. It felt like he was really making an effort to change.
The notion made her heart beat fast. She had never really thought that he would change, or that they would make any sort of progress in their relationship, at least not until Naraku was dead.
"… You're not listening to me, are you?"
She blushed hotly at that, because it was true.
It took her a moment to answer, and finally she had to pull away from him to do so; his hand, come to a stop and splayed across her abdomen just above the hip, proved too distracting, his closeness scattering her thoughts even as a traitorous, insistent heat gathered between her legs. Reminding herself that she had a quest to complete before she could even think about being with Miroku was nearly impossible beside the pull of desire.
Never mind that he let her go easily and without question; she could feel the lingering heat of his touch even after moving to sit facing him, with a safe distance between them.
"I - I'm sorry," she stammered, certain that the ever increasing redness of her cheeks would never fade. Even with physical distance between them she could barely focus enough to give even that pathetic response.
"Is something the matter?" he asked. She could have sworn that he knew exactly what was the matter, and was only asking to rub it in.
"It's nothing," she said, her tone harsher than she had intended, but thankfully free of her customary embarrassed stammering. She had never wished so ardently that he would grope her. She yearned to be able to simply hit him, or yell at him, and restore the space between them, but knew she had no such recourse now. He had done nothing wrong. She did not really know how to respond to that.
"If you say so," he said, half to himself. But his gaze was intense as he scrutinized her. She had to look away, and eventually got up and started tending to the fire so she could make some breakfast.
She had expected more teasing, but he merely quirked a brow and let it rest at that.
-----
After only a short rest, and with the sun climbing ever higher in the sky, Kagome knew that she had to give in to Inuyasha's demands to get going. She was just as eager as he was to leave, but wished she could hang on to the morning's peace for just a bit longer.
The journey was uneventful, with most of the day spent clinging to Inuyasha's back while he sped down the road. For the most part, they traveled in silence, which had the unfortunate effect of giving all three of them plenty of time to think.
Kagome felt sick with worry, as if it were a living, growing darkness pulsing within her heart. The closer they got to their objective with no sign of their friends, the more it - and her sense of guilt - grew. If they weren't here, she had no idea where to keep looking for them. It was almost as if they had simply disappeared.
For all his bluster, she was not sure that Inuyasha could track them, if he could not find the trail first. The only other option would be Mushin's temple, and she could think of no reason for Miroku and Sango to leave so suddenly and secretively if this were their goal. Inuyasha's theory that something had happened at this village, something that had drawn their friends back here in secret, seemed much more plausible.
But even so, as the days of journeying had worn on without a single clue, she had begun to doubt. And with doubt came worry, guilt… Despite Inuyasha's insistence to the contrary, it was all too easy to blame herself for all this. She could not help but think that she must have missed some hint, some clue as to what was going on, something that could have helped her prevent this from happening.
They were still some distance from the village when Kagome realized that the nagging sensation that had been plaguing her nearly all day was the feeling of a dark aura nearby. It had to be a very strong demon to create an aura that powerful. She knew of very few demons that were capable of using such power, and most of those were incarnations of Naraku.
She shuddered.
If Naraku was involved, and this was where their friends were, then Miroku and Sango were in grave danger.
She couldn't be certain, not yet at least, but that did not stop her imagination from conjuring up horrible images of what Naraku might do to her friends. She leaned forward from her place on his back to ask Inuyasha, "Do you feel that?"
"Keh, I smell it, too," he confirmed. "Blood, and smoke, and Naraku's stench."
"Then let's hurry," she urged. "We have to help the villagers!" She was certain that the scents Inuyasha smelled and the overpowering dark aura were related; no doubt one of Naraku's minions was attacking the village. She felt a strong sense of worry and of anticipation. Was this where they would find their friends? And, if so, would they even still be alive?
She hoped so. She did not know what she would do without Miroku or Sango… though she wanted to give both of them a stern talking-to about running off in secret.
Inuyasha ran as quickly as the thickly forested path would allow, and Kagome found herself peering eagerly over his shoulder, searching for any glimpse of the village. She half hoped she would see their friends, fighting some demon to save the villagers, and half hoped that they were not here and were instead somewhere else and perfectly safe.
Inuyasha swore suddenly and leapt off the path into a thick stand of underbrush, narrowly missing a blast that came seemingly out of nowhere. He hit the ground hard and rolled, tossing Kagome and Shippo off his back, and drawing Tetsusaiga as he regained his feet.
"Hmm, what do we have here?" drawled a familiar, feminine voice from somewhere above them. Kagome looked upward to see Kagura, hovering in midair and looking anything but interested in the situation at hand.
The wind demon raised her fan, her bored expression never changing, and swung it again. The resulting energy blast barely missed Kagome and Shippo. As the dust cleared, Kagome could see that Inuyasha had easily leapt out of the way, though he did not look at all pleased.
"Kagome! Take Shippo and get somewhere safe!"
Kagome nodded and took off, Shippo in tow. She heard Kagura's laughter from somewhere behind her, but dared not turn to look. She trusted Inuyasha to handle the situation. Mostly, at least.
If he could keep Kagura busy, she would have a chance to check the village for signs of Miroku and Sango, and maybe even ask the villagers. If there were any villagers left, after Kagura's attack.
There was smoke everywhere. Several buildings had collapsed, and many of the others were on fire. This close, even she could smell the blood, and she caught sight of many twisted, bloodied bodies lying strewn about the streets. She had to fight hard against a powerful gag reflex when she nearly tripped over a severed arm.
"Ka - Ka - Kagome," Shippo stammered anxiously. She could hear the horror in his voice.
"Why would Kagura do this?" she asked aloud, needing something else to focus on. At the very least, she thought thankfully, there was no apparent sign of Miroku or Sango amidst the carnage. Surely, if they were here, they would have made some attempt to fight back instead of standing by while the villagers were slain.
Shippo had no answer for her. Maybe there was no answer; maybe it was destruction for destruction's sake. She had no way of knowing what Naraku's plan might be.
A groan nearby had her whirling in alarm, reaching for her bow and arrows and wishing she had thought to ready her weapons before running for cover. She sighed with relief when she realized that the sound had come from one of the wounded villagers, a middle aged woman with a large bruise darkening one of her cheeks and a cut across her forehead. She was lying near the entrance to a hut that was half-collapsed.
Deciding it was as good a place as any to hide, and because she needed to help the village woman if she could, Kagome made a cautious approach. "Are you all right?" she asked, keeping her voice as quiet as possible.
The woman looked startled, but realized right away that Kagome was no threat to her. Her eyes were wide. "I'll be fine," she said, then blinked in shock and added, "I remember you." She did not sound fine, but Kagome supposed that had a lot to do with the fact that her village had just been destroyed. She helped the woman sit up into a more comfortable position, leaning against the wall of the hut.
"My friend is fighting the demon," she explained. "Can you tell me what happened here?"
"The wind demon came searching for something," the woman said finally. "When it could not find what it came for, it started destroying our village and killing our people."
Looking for something…
What would Kagura be looking for in this place? Miroku and Sango? Or…
Kagome's eyes went wide. She could feel a jewel shard approaching.
If it was another demon joining the attack, she did not have much time. But at the same time, she had to wonder if this might be why Miroku and Sango would have returned. If they had suspected the presence of a jewel shard, that would have been enough motivation, although it was still a mystery as to why they had gone alone and in secret.
"What about our friends? The demon slayer and the monk," Kagome pressed. She needed to know, and trusted Inuyasha to keep Kagura's attacks away long enough for her to find the answers.
"They were here," the woman managed, "a few days ago. But they left, in search of a demon, and have not returned."
Kagome frowned. Her thoughts were interrupted, her breath leaving her chest in a rush as Inuyasha swooped in out of nowhere to haul her and the hapless village woman to safety, one tucked under each arm. The hut they had been hiding beside was destroyed not a moment later, rubble flying behind them.
"Pay more attention, wench," Inuyasha grumbled. "Or the bitch'll get you next time."
Hearing him call her "wench" again stung. She had not been expecting it, even if she could understand and justify it in her mind. He was frustrated, worried, preoccupied by the battle… and she had disappointed him by getting in harm's way…
Inuyasha ran away from the village with long, powerful strides, heading into the relative cover of the forest. Kagome had to forget her own indignation at being called "wench" at the realization that he was trying to protect the village as well. He had bigger priorities and, she reminded herself, old habits die hard.
He skillfully avoided each of Kagura's attacks, but with his arms full carrying Kagome and the village woman, he was unable to use his sword or otherwise fight back.
"Inuyasha, find some place to put us down," she urged, grunting as Shippo struggled to keep his grip on her shoulder. If they did not stop soon, he was likely to choke her with the collar of her shirt.
"Keh, what do you think I'm trying to do?"
Suddenly, Kagura's voice came from very close by. "Do you think you can run from the wind, Inuyasha?"
With a wave of her fan, blades formed out of the air and shot toward them. Inuyasha dodged each volley, but just barely, and accompanied by an increasingly impressive string of curses.
Inuyasha dodged quickly out of the way of the last of the blades, tossing Kagome and the others into a nearby stand of brush and drawing Tetsusaiga.
He was quick, and managed to block most of the attack with the sword's blade, but the force of the blow sent him reeling backward. Kagura followed, chuckling softly to herself.
Kagome hit the ground and sprang to her feet. Shippo gave a cry as he was flung off her shoulder; both the fox kit and the village woman rolled to the ground and lay still. Kagome knew that she could not let them stay in harm's way. She had to help Inuyasha.
She dropped her pack and drew her bow and one of her arrows. She did not want to use such force on Kagura, and was not even certain that a projectile would be able to strike a wind demon.
An inner voice, fraught with doubt, sneered that Kagura would simply bat away such an impotent attack.
As she nocked it to the bow, the arrow flared to life, glowing with spiritual power. The half-conscious village woman gasped in surprise, but Kagome steeled herself - and her resolve - as best as she could.
She stepped cautiously out of the bush, searching for a clear shot.
To save Inuyasha and what was left of the village, she would try, even if she had no chance.
A distraction would be enough, even if her arrow did not hit its mark.
Right?
-----
Sango had thought it would be best to ride Kirara for the return journey, rather than waste energy on walking, especially with Miroku still recovering from his injuries. But now, with smoke on the horizon and the occasional sounds of battle carried on the wind, she was having second thoughts.
She was not sure that they could handle another fight just yet, though she had to wonder what might be going on at the village now. Curiosity combined with guilt and a strong sense of duty. If there was a demon behind this, it was her responsibility to help however she could, even if that only meant treating the wounded and helping the survivors to rebuild.
She felt a sick tightness in her gut, and had to forcibly remind herself that not only had she killed the vine demon, this sort of destruction was not something it would have been likely to do in the first place. It had been the sort of demon that preferred to quietly manipulate people into obedience, not create open and disgusting displays of violence.
"A battle," Miroku observed, drawing her back to reality.
"Yes," she agreed. A few moments later, she caught sight of a good-sized clearing, and directed Kirara to land there. It was only a short distance from the village, and before they landed she thought she saw a Wind Scar blast. "Did you see that?"
"It would seem that our friends are not far off. I wonder what they've found at the village…"
Dismounting from Kirara, Sango headed a short distance into the trees to change into her armor. To her dismay, Miroku made to follow her, a fact that she did not notice until she had her robe nearly opened.
She grunted angrily, and forced the fabric back into place. "Don't stay here and watch me change, you pervert! Go help them!"
The monk chuckled, but did as she asked. It was a strange thing to see that man obey such a request with no protest, which automatically made her suspicious. Sure, she had gotten the distinct impression that he was trying to change his ways, but here he was, doing something that was quite possibly perverted.
He stopped laughing abruptly, and she knew from the silence that he had stopped moving. Her suspicion only deepened. Her heart filled not with anger, but sadness. She wanted him to stop being such a pervert. It felt like he had betrayed her trust.
"Don't make me tell you again, monk," she added sternly, hoping to entice him to leave her in peace. She scrambled to finish with her armor, fastening the final closure at the neck before grabbing Hiraikotsu and moving to follow Miroku. He had stopped a short distance away, and was watching something intently.
She had to wonder, with no little frustration, just what it was that was keeping him from going to their friends, as the sounds of battle grew louder and closer with each passing moment.
"I told you to go help them," Sango said, frowning and trailing off as she caught sight of what had Miroku so transfixed. "… Kohaku."
Chapter Fourteen
The first thing that Sango realized when she woke up was that the warm weight against her chest was Kirara, and not, as she had suspected, anything to do with Miroku. She lay on her side, the cat curled up against her chest and snuggled under her chin. And Miroku… When she had gone to sleep, he had been turned away from her, that they might sleep back to back. Sometime during the night he had shifted, turning, moving closer to wrap an arm around her waist, but his hands were very much in neutral territory.
It was very early still. It was light, but just barely. The night had left her with a slight chill, but they were close enough together to share body heat, staving off the worst of it.
Sango sighed and closed her eyes again. She liked it when Miroku held her like this, she had to admit; when he was being gentle and kind, without throwing any sort of perverted action or comment into the mix at an inappropriate time…
It had been a long time since she felt this relaxed and happy, with little worry hanging over her head. It was not difficult to imagine their quest being over, starting their new life together. Her face heated as her thoughts drifted to marriage and children. Someday, she promised herself, they would make that life.
But for now, they must continue their quest, no matter how much she longed not only to stay put, but to snuggle closer to him and stay that way until he woke up. Instead, she tried to maintain as proper a distance between them as their compromised position would allow, and turned her thoughts - with some effort - elsewhere.
With the vine demon destroyed and a tainted shard of the Shikon Jewel in their possession, they would have to find their friends soon. The shard would have to be purified, and they needed to continue their hunt for Naraku before it was too late to save Miroku's life.
It was a lot to accomplish in a short time, she knew, but for the first time in a long while she found herself feeling cautiously optimistic. They had succeeded in battle here, she had succeeded in battle here, where the odds seemed stacked impossibly against them; perhaps they had a chance against Naraku, after all. Only time would tell, and she found that she was looking forward to the final showdown, whenever that might be. The matter of Naraku needed to be settled, once and for all. Only then could she turn her attention to her feelings toward Miroku, and even the conundrum of her brother, Kohaku.
It struck her, then, how long it had been since she had found time to dedicate to worrying over Kohaku's fate, to solving the problem of how to save his life. She had been so very distracted lately, that she had even managed to forget one of her most important objectives…
She realized, somewhat wryly, that she had been doing her job. Somewhere along the line, amidst all of her fears and doubts, she had stopped focusing on her problems and shifted her attention toward the slaying of demons as a solution to those problems. She had lost her focus on the wider scope of things. Some of it she could attribute to the demon's manipulation, but the rest… It scared her a little, that single-mindedness.
"Why so tense?" Miroku asked suddenly, startling her out of her reverie.
"Thinking," she confided, "about the future. What to do next. Where we go from here."
She knew he was grinning, even though she could not see him as he spoke. "Well, I would suggest that our first step be to locate our missing companions."
"Yes, but where? Do you think they would have waited for us at Kaede's village all this time?"
"I sincerely doubt that Inuyasha's patience was able to last this long," Miroku said serenely. "They are most likely on our trail by now."
She had been so lost in thought that she had not noticed the way his hand had begun to move, rubbing and massaging all along her middle, but she noticed it now. The movements were comforting, though it seemed as if he was avoiding all the obvious targets for his lechery; if she wasn't mistaken, he was just as tense as she was. Did that mean he was trying not to grope her?
The thought was unexpected, and startling. If that was the case, how long had this been going on right under her nose? He had hinted at such a thing earlier, she realized, thinking back to a discussion they had in the first demon's lair. Sure, he had made some perverted comments since then, and even touched her inappropriately… but something seemed different about his behavior now.
She had dismissed the idea almost out of hand at first, because it seemed like something he would do in an attempt to win her over, to get what he wanted from her, like he did with so many other women: pretty words, gentle touches. Now, she did not feel like he was trying to gain anything from her, merely to assure himself of her well-being. It no longer felt like some potentially perverted plan. It felt like he was really making an effort to change.
The notion made her heart beat fast. She had never really thought that he would change, or that they would make any sort of progress in their relationship, at least not until Naraku was dead.
"… You're not listening to me, are you?"
She blushed hotly at that, because it was true.
It took her a moment to answer, and finally she had to pull away from him to do so; his hand, come to a stop and splayed across her abdomen just above the hip, proved too distracting, his closeness scattering her thoughts even as a traitorous, insistent heat gathered between her legs. Reminding herself that she had a quest to complete before she could even think about being with Miroku was nearly impossible beside the pull of desire.
Never mind that he let her go easily and without question; she could feel the lingering heat of his touch even after moving to sit facing him, with a safe distance between them.
"I - I'm sorry," she stammered, certain that the ever increasing redness of her cheeks would never fade. Even with physical distance between them she could barely focus enough to give even that pathetic response.
"Is something the matter?" he asked. She could have sworn that he knew exactly what was the matter, and was only asking to rub it in.
"It's nothing," she said, her tone harsher than she had intended, but thankfully free of her customary embarrassed stammering. She had never wished so ardently that he would grope her. She yearned to be able to simply hit him, or yell at him, and restore the space between them, but knew she had no such recourse now. He had done nothing wrong. She did not really know how to respond to that.
"If you say so," he said, half to himself. But his gaze was intense as he scrutinized her. She had to look away, and eventually got up and started tending to the fire so she could make some breakfast.
She had expected more teasing, but he merely quirked a brow and let it rest at that.
-----
After only a short rest, and with the sun climbing ever higher in the sky, Kagome knew that she had to give in to Inuyasha's demands to get going. She was just as eager as he was to leave, but wished she could hang on to the morning's peace for just a bit longer.
The journey was uneventful, with most of the day spent clinging to Inuyasha's back while he sped down the road. For the most part, they traveled in silence, which had the unfortunate effect of giving all three of them plenty of time to think.
Kagome felt sick with worry, as if it were a living, growing darkness pulsing within her heart. The closer they got to their objective with no sign of their friends, the more it - and her sense of guilt - grew. If they weren't here, she had no idea where to keep looking for them. It was almost as if they had simply disappeared.
For all his bluster, she was not sure that Inuyasha could track them, if he could not find the trail first. The only other option would be Mushin's temple, and she could think of no reason for Miroku and Sango to leave so suddenly and secretively if this were their goal. Inuyasha's theory that something had happened at this village, something that had drawn their friends back here in secret, seemed much more plausible.
But even so, as the days of journeying had worn on without a single clue, she had begun to doubt. And with doubt came worry, guilt… Despite Inuyasha's insistence to the contrary, it was all too easy to blame herself for all this. She could not help but think that she must have missed some hint, some clue as to what was going on, something that could have helped her prevent this from happening.
They were still some distance from the village when Kagome realized that the nagging sensation that had been plaguing her nearly all day was the feeling of a dark aura nearby. It had to be a very strong demon to create an aura that powerful. She knew of very few demons that were capable of using such power, and most of those were incarnations of Naraku.
She shuddered.
If Naraku was involved, and this was where their friends were, then Miroku and Sango were in grave danger.
She couldn't be certain, not yet at least, but that did not stop her imagination from conjuring up horrible images of what Naraku might do to her friends. She leaned forward from her place on his back to ask Inuyasha, "Do you feel that?"
"Keh, I smell it, too," he confirmed. "Blood, and smoke, and Naraku's stench."
"Then let's hurry," she urged. "We have to help the villagers!" She was certain that the scents Inuyasha smelled and the overpowering dark aura were related; no doubt one of Naraku's minions was attacking the village. She felt a strong sense of worry and of anticipation. Was this where they would find their friends? And, if so, would they even still be alive?
She hoped so. She did not know what she would do without Miroku or Sango… though she wanted to give both of them a stern talking-to about running off in secret.
Inuyasha ran as quickly as the thickly forested path would allow, and Kagome found herself peering eagerly over his shoulder, searching for any glimpse of the village. She half hoped she would see their friends, fighting some demon to save the villagers, and half hoped that they were not here and were instead somewhere else and perfectly safe.
Inuyasha swore suddenly and leapt off the path into a thick stand of underbrush, narrowly missing a blast that came seemingly out of nowhere. He hit the ground hard and rolled, tossing Kagome and Shippo off his back, and drawing Tetsusaiga as he regained his feet.
"Hmm, what do we have here?" drawled a familiar, feminine voice from somewhere above them. Kagome looked upward to see Kagura, hovering in midair and looking anything but interested in the situation at hand.
The wind demon raised her fan, her bored expression never changing, and swung it again. The resulting energy blast barely missed Kagome and Shippo. As the dust cleared, Kagome could see that Inuyasha had easily leapt out of the way, though he did not look at all pleased.
"Kagome! Take Shippo and get somewhere safe!"
Kagome nodded and took off, Shippo in tow. She heard Kagura's laughter from somewhere behind her, but dared not turn to look. She trusted Inuyasha to handle the situation. Mostly, at least.
If he could keep Kagura busy, she would have a chance to check the village for signs of Miroku and Sango, and maybe even ask the villagers. If there were any villagers left, after Kagura's attack.
There was smoke everywhere. Several buildings had collapsed, and many of the others were on fire. This close, even she could smell the blood, and she caught sight of many twisted, bloodied bodies lying strewn about the streets. She had to fight hard against a powerful gag reflex when she nearly tripped over a severed arm.
"Ka - Ka - Kagome," Shippo stammered anxiously. She could hear the horror in his voice.
"Why would Kagura do this?" she asked aloud, needing something else to focus on. At the very least, she thought thankfully, there was no apparent sign of Miroku or Sango amidst the carnage. Surely, if they were here, they would have made some attempt to fight back instead of standing by while the villagers were slain.
Shippo had no answer for her. Maybe there was no answer; maybe it was destruction for destruction's sake. She had no way of knowing what Naraku's plan might be.
A groan nearby had her whirling in alarm, reaching for her bow and arrows and wishing she had thought to ready her weapons before running for cover. She sighed with relief when she realized that the sound had come from one of the wounded villagers, a middle aged woman with a large bruise darkening one of her cheeks and a cut across her forehead. She was lying near the entrance to a hut that was half-collapsed.
Deciding it was as good a place as any to hide, and because she needed to help the village woman if she could, Kagome made a cautious approach. "Are you all right?" she asked, keeping her voice as quiet as possible.
The woman looked startled, but realized right away that Kagome was no threat to her. Her eyes were wide. "I'll be fine," she said, then blinked in shock and added, "I remember you." She did not sound fine, but Kagome supposed that had a lot to do with the fact that her village had just been destroyed. She helped the woman sit up into a more comfortable position, leaning against the wall of the hut.
"My friend is fighting the demon," she explained. "Can you tell me what happened here?"
"The wind demon came searching for something," the woman said finally. "When it could not find what it came for, it started destroying our village and killing our people."
Looking for something…
What would Kagura be looking for in this place? Miroku and Sango? Or…
Kagome's eyes went wide. She could feel a jewel shard approaching.
If it was another demon joining the attack, she did not have much time. But at the same time, she had to wonder if this might be why Miroku and Sango would have returned. If they had suspected the presence of a jewel shard, that would have been enough motivation, although it was still a mystery as to why they had gone alone and in secret.
"What about our friends? The demon slayer and the monk," Kagome pressed. She needed to know, and trusted Inuyasha to keep Kagura's attacks away long enough for her to find the answers.
"They were here," the woman managed, "a few days ago. But they left, in search of a demon, and have not returned."
Kagome frowned. Her thoughts were interrupted, her breath leaving her chest in a rush as Inuyasha swooped in out of nowhere to haul her and the hapless village woman to safety, one tucked under each arm. The hut they had been hiding beside was destroyed not a moment later, rubble flying behind them.
"Pay more attention, wench," Inuyasha grumbled. "Or the bitch'll get you next time."
Hearing him call her "wench" again stung. She had not been expecting it, even if she could understand and justify it in her mind. He was frustrated, worried, preoccupied by the battle… and she had disappointed him by getting in harm's way…
Inuyasha ran away from the village with long, powerful strides, heading into the relative cover of the forest. Kagome had to forget her own indignation at being called "wench" at the realization that he was trying to protect the village as well. He had bigger priorities and, she reminded herself, old habits die hard.
He skillfully avoided each of Kagura's attacks, but with his arms full carrying Kagome and the village woman, he was unable to use his sword or otherwise fight back.
"Inuyasha, find some place to put us down," she urged, grunting as Shippo struggled to keep his grip on her shoulder. If they did not stop soon, he was likely to choke her with the collar of her shirt.
"Keh, what do you think I'm trying to do?"
Suddenly, Kagura's voice came from very close by. "Do you think you can run from the wind, Inuyasha?"
With a wave of her fan, blades formed out of the air and shot toward them. Inuyasha dodged each volley, but just barely, and accompanied by an increasingly impressive string of curses.
Inuyasha dodged quickly out of the way of the last of the blades, tossing Kagome and the others into a nearby stand of brush and drawing Tetsusaiga.
He was quick, and managed to block most of the attack with the sword's blade, but the force of the blow sent him reeling backward. Kagura followed, chuckling softly to herself.
Kagome hit the ground and sprang to her feet. Shippo gave a cry as he was flung off her shoulder; both the fox kit and the village woman rolled to the ground and lay still. Kagome knew that she could not let them stay in harm's way. She had to help Inuyasha.
She dropped her pack and drew her bow and one of her arrows. She did not want to use such force on Kagura, and was not even certain that a projectile would be able to strike a wind demon.
An inner voice, fraught with doubt, sneered that Kagura would simply bat away such an impotent attack.
As she nocked it to the bow, the arrow flared to life, glowing with spiritual power. The half-conscious village woman gasped in surprise, but Kagome steeled herself - and her resolve - as best as she could.
She stepped cautiously out of the bush, searching for a clear shot.
To save Inuyasha and what was left of the village, she would try, even if she had no chance.
A distraction would be enough, even if her arrow did not hit its mark.
Right?
-----
Sango had thought it would be best to ride Kirara for the return journey, rather than waste energy on walking, especially with Miroku still recovering from his injuries. But now, with smoke on the horizon and the occasional sounds of battle carried on the wind, she was having second thoughts.
She was not sure that they could handle another fight just yet, though she had to wonder what might be going on at the village now. Curiosity combined with guilt and a strong sense of duty. If there was a demon behind this, it was her responsibility to help however she could, even if that only meant treating the wounded and helping the survivors to rebuild.
She felt a sick tightness in her gut, and had to forcibly remind herself that not only had she killed the vine demon, this sort of destruction was not something it would have been likely to do in the first place. It had been the sort of demon that preferred to quietly manipulate people into obedience, not create open and disgusting displays of violence.
"A battle," Miroku observed, drawing her back to reality.
"Yes," she agreed. A few moments later, she caught sight of a good-sized clearing, and directed Kirara to land there. It was only a short distance from the village, and before they landed she thought she saw a Wind Scar blast. "Did you see that?"
"It would seem that our friends are not far off. I wonder what they've found at the village…"
Dismounting from Kirara, Sango headed a short distance into the trees to change into her armor. To her dismay, Miroku made to follow her, a fact that she did not notice until she had her robe nearly opened.
She grunted angrily, and forced the fabric back into place. "Don't stay here and watch me change, you pervert! Go help them!"
The monk chuckled, but did as she asked. It was a strange thing to see that man obey such a request with no protest, which automatically made her suspicious. Sure, she had gotten the distinct impression that he was trying to change his ways, but here he was, doing something that was quite possibly perverted.
He stopped laughing abruptly, and she knew from the silence that he had stopped moving. Her suspicion only deepened. Her heart filled not with anger, but sadness. She wanted him to stop being such a pervert. It felt like he had betrayed her trust.
"Don't make me tell you again, monk," she added sternly, hoping to entice him to leave her in peace. She scrambled to finish with her armor, fastening the final closure at the neck before grabbing Hiraikotsu and moving to follow Miroku. He had stopped a short distance away, and was watching something intently.
She had to wonder, with no little frustration, just what it was that was keeping him from going to their friends, as the sounds of battle grew louder and closer with each passing moment.
"I told you to go help them," Sango said, frowning and trailing off as she caught sight of what had Miroku so transfixed. "… Kohaku."