InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Nine Lives For Two ❯ Kageyuurei ( Chapter 1 )

Kageyuurei

 

“It's getting late. Let's stop to rest for the night, Inuyasha!” Kagome whined.

“Feh, we've only been walking for a few hours!” scoffed a white-haired hanyou, flicking his dog's ears irritably.

“See?! Right there! That's my point! You're a half-demon, Inuyasha, but the rest of us are only human! It's frikkin' hard to keep up with you! Have some consideration for us!” screamed Kagome.

“What `rest of us'?! It's only you and me here!” Inuyasha shot back. Kagome looked around and sighed. She'd forgotten that Miroku and Sango had split up from them and settled down to continue their own lives. She heaved another sigh.

“You're right. I just can't believe they really left us, after we'd all been through so much together.” Kagome missed her friends dearly. She wondered how they were getting along, especially Shippo. A harsh scoff broke through her thoughts.

“Feh, if you want to rest, there's a village not much further, in a marsh” Inuyasha hid his kind words behind a rough tone.

“Really? There is? How can you smell it through all that peat an' stuff?” Kagome wondered aloud.

“All that what?!”

“Peat. Bog plants and mud.”

“Oh”

Moment of silence.

“I didn't smell it you know, I saw the dirt road leading there” Inuyasha pointed out.

“Oh. Good observation” Kagome noted.

 

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“Why, of course you may stay for the night!” the village head-man said enthusiastically.

“We may?” Kagome sounded hopeful.

“Yes! Yes! And tomorrow we shall give you a tour of the village, starting with the shrine to our Lord, Kageyuurei!” the head-man said proudly.

“Your Lord what?! `Shadow-ghost'?! Doesn't sound very inviting to me!” Inuyasha blurted out. “Come on, Kagome. Let's leave.”

“But I'm tiiiiired!” Kagome whined like a little four-year-old.

“No” Inuyasha declared stubbornly.

“But-”

“I said no” Inuyasha persisted.

“Inuyasha, don't make me say it. You know very well I will” Kagome threatened.

“Er… say what?” Inuyasha's ears drooped a little.

“Oswari!” Kagome yelled and stomped off.

POW

“Ow” Inuyasha mumbled.

 

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Inuyasha awoke late that night with an ominous gut feeling. The glanced around the room he and Kagome had been sharing, but there was no sign of her. There was a small incense pot next to him on the floor.

“Dammit!” Inuyasha mumbled, dashing out of the room.

He soon found out that there were little incense pots all over the village, masking all scents.

Inuyasha noticed a trail of small torch lights leading deeper into the swamp.

“Shit!” he bounded after them.

 

Soon, Inuyasha lost the trail of lamps, but he found the villagers, heading back from the swamp. He had a good mind to rough them up a little to get some answers when he heard a scream, a scream he'd heard many times before. Kagome's scream.

He raced off, following the direction of that scream.

 

He found Kagome unconscious on the end of a narrow wooden bridge. At the end of that bridge was a hut-like structure without front or rear walls. Behind that was a stone cave, inside which swirled eight flames in erratic motions. But what really caught Inuyasha's attention stood behind Kagome, slavering and twitching excitedly. It was a huge lion, its fur a dark purple hue, its mane jet black. Light purple Y-markings showed beneath its eyes, on its shoulders and haunches. Poison green spines stuck out of its nape, curving backwards like scythes. It hissed. Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsusaiga.

“KAZE NO KIZU!!” he roared as he swung the colossal fang. The blast hit the demon right in the face.

The creature stumbled backwards, dazed and rubbing at its muzzle. With a fierce snarl, the lion vanished in black fog. Inuyasha dashed forward to Kagome, but the distinctive sound of a demonic sword being drawn stopped him dead in his tracks. He whirled around to face his foe.

Sneering, violet-slitted eyes met his surprised golden ones. The youkai before him bore indigo hair and light purple Y-markings under his eyes. His kimono was a deep scarlet, covered in white wavy lines. Obsidian black hakama and boots completed his attire.

His armor was quite impressive. His shoulder guards bristled with spikes. The breastplate was decorated with jagged stripes of a poisonous green. Along the top edge of it, small conical spikes jutted out, and in the center stood a ruby slitted like a cat's eye. The sash was a bright magenta. In his clawed hand he gripped a large double-edged sword, its blade glowed a dim black.

“My name is Kageyuurei. You, filthy hanyou, have tried to rob me of my sacrifice. You shall pay for it.” The demon swung the huge blade at Inuyasha. He parried it, but just barely.

“KUROPPOI NO RAIMEI!!” Kageyuurei shrieked. His blade crackled with bolts of dark lightning. He raised his sword and swung it mightily at Inuyasha. A massive blast of black lightning and power exploded from the sword.

Inuyasha blocked the attack with Tetsusaiga, but was blown back from the force and slammed into the wooden bridge.

Inuyasha struggled to his feet and caught sight of his enemy trying to escape with Kagome, still unconscious.

“You bastard! Let her go!” Inuyasha screamed to his foe. Kageyuurei only laughed maliciously.

The white flame within the cave shot forward, ramming into Kageyuurei and knocking him off balance. He let go of Kagome's limp form and fell into the murky bog water with a splash. Inuyasha took this opportunity and lunged forward, grabbing hold of Kagome. Just then, Kageyuurei re-emerged, in his true form and trembling with rage. The lion stretched its cavernous jaws wide, the saber fangs glistening in the moonlight. A dark swirl of energy began forming within the gape of those teeth. A murky blast shot out of their depths, cloaked in dark aura.

“KAZE NO KIZU!!” Inuyasha swung the Tetsusaiga with all his might. The waves of shredding power tore through the lion's attack, blasting the creature's legs. They buckled violently and the cat lost its balance, falling once again into the marsh.

Inuyasha hoisted Kagome up, bridal style, and took his leave all too hastily.

 

A sodden demon lord hauled himself from the mud. Roaring in defiance as he witnessed the red haori representing his bitter defeat bounding away across the quagmire. Whipping his great head towards his shrine, he addressed his siblings.

“Go to your places! The game is set and our opponent has made his move!” his voice echoed through the empty bog. His seven brothers whizzed away without hesitation.

Kageyuurei glared after the red haori once more.

“One month, half-breed. Enjoy your freedom while it lasts!” he snarled. Then he aimed the full brunt of his fury at his sister. “You are lucky to be our soul-holder!” he spat, “otherwise I would never have allowed you to survive this long!”

The white flame shrank back timidly.

 

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The villagers cowered before a very angry hanyou.

“Listen you scumbags! Tell me what you were gonna do or I'll level your village!” Inuyasha yelled to the frightened people.

“We-we-w-we were going to use your girl a-a-as a s-s-sacrifice f-for our lord” stuttered the head-man.

Inuyasha growled furiously.

“Inuyasha” Kagome murmured weakly.

“Oh! Kagome! You're alright!” Inuyasha heaved a sigh of relief.

“These….villagers are too cowardly for their own good. They're perfect targets for ambitious demons.” She said.

“You call us weak?! Miserable wench!” the village head-man became deeply offended. “Get rid of them!” he ordered.

Inuyasha snarled at the villagers and drew Tetsusaiga, who fell back, quite afraid, and fled screaming.

 

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Kagome and Inuyasha left the village. There was no point in lingering there any longer anyway.

“Um, Inuyasha? Thank you for saving me.” Kagome whispered. She knew his sharp hearing could pick up her murmur.

“I'll always be there for you” his voice was kind. Inuyasha turned away, careful not to let Kagome see him blushing.

Kagome blushed herself. She sighed.

“I sure hope there aren't any more of those lion demons” she thought aloud.

“Feh, I'm sure there aren't” Inuyasha scoffed.

“But those colored fires had very strong auras” she told him.

“Those fires…? So you're suggesting those were demons?” Inuyasha asked.

“Maybe. Either way, we should step lightly”

“Ha! Why? If there's danger near you-`by', I mean `nearby'!-I'll just shred it!” Inuyasha, overconfident as usual.

Kagome blushed and let slip a light giggle.

“What? What is it?” Inuyasha asked curiously.

“It's nothing” she sighed. Inuyasha, you really are something.

“Feh” Inuyasha blushed.

A white flame watched from the shady branches of a tree nearby.