Chapter Text
Inuyasha licked his lips and picked a small bone from his teeth. Another fish roasted over the fire and he eyed it hungrily. They had eaten well the previous evening on the rice and vegetable dishes given to them by the lord. Now there were several small yams roasting on sticks and the fresh fish he had caught from the river. They were ready to go, if there was someone ready to eat them. Inuyasha glanced over to Miroku.
“You sure you don’t want some food?” he called down to the monk. “It’s really good!”
“No, thank you,” Miroku called back, wiping a hand across his brow. “I’m not hungry.”
Inuyasha shrugged and grabbed the fish. It wasn’t his fault that Miroku wanted to pray for each and every corpse they came upon. It was a useless pastime, especially when the bodies had long turned to skeletons. The countryside was littered with old battlefields like this one, but Miroku insisted on lining up the bodies and praying at each of them. Inuyasha was fine with it – at least until the food ran out. He crunched on the fish, feeling the bones snap under his teeth, and huffed up at the sky. At least the bodies of these soldiers were old enough that the place had stopped reeking like rotting flesh.
A while later, Miroku climbed out of the ditch where the soldiers’ bodies had been dumped. His sleeves were tied back in an effort to protect them from the matter stuck to the bodies he’d been dragging around, but his kesa was still covered in grime. Inuyasha eyed him. “Seems like you can’t go a full day without getting your clothes dirty again.”
Miroku hummed but didn’t say anything as he sat down heavily next to Inuyasha. Despite having washed his clothes in the river the previous day and let them dry all afternoon, the cloth was still damp and smelled vaguely of toad slime. Now it had tinges of decayed human flesh to add to the mix.
“It’s a shame that there’s no time to burn the bodies,” Miroku murmured, smoothing out his sleeves. “These men must have been left to rot for months. What a waste.”
Inuyasha didn’t know what to say to that, so he reached into the fire and grabbed one of the yams from where it had baked. “Here,” he said, tossing it at Miroku. “You need to eat something, and at least this is Buddhist.”
Miroku gave him a small smile and bit into the yam. To be fair, it wasn’t exactly the most exciting meal ever, but it was at least something. They ate in silence for a while longer, more comfortable with each other after the toad adventure. They’d settled into the pace of the journey, too – walking longer and faster during the day, but stopping a while before dusk to rest and fish. Finding their first Jewel shard so quickly had brightened both their moods, and with any luck, they would find another again soon. Either way, they finished up in no particular hurry. Myoga had been asleep on Inuyasha’s shoulder all day, but stretched with a yawn when his ride pushed to his feet. Miroku grabbed the last of the yams for later, and they were just putting out the fire where the sky suddenly darkened around them. Miroku and Inuyasha were both immediately on guard, stood next to each other with their weapons at the ready.
“Well this doesn’t look like a good omen,” Miroku observed levelly as he reached out with his mind for a demonic aura nearby.
“Definitely trouble,” Inuyasha agreed, adjusting his grip on Tessaiga’s hilt and willing the sword to transform.
“You, down there!” a surprisingly high-pitched voice called out from the sky. Miroku immediately frowned. He’d heard his share of strange demon sounds, but the way this one shaped its words was imprecise and youthful. He lifted up his staff, the head glowing with spiritual power as he tried to light the unnatural darkness and see exactly who and what they were dealing with. The dark clouds that had gathered swirled together, rapidly turning into a vortex from which spurts of bright blue fire erupted.
“You possess a piece of the Sacred Shikon Jewel!” the voice said accusatorially, with just a hint of sulking in the tone.
“Who’s that?” Inuyasha barked out, still on guard.
“It sounds like a child,” Miroku mused.
“That’s foxfire,” Myoga observed from Inuyasha’s shoulder.
“Foxfire?” Miroku repeated absently, taking in the display with new understanding.
The fiery vortex spun rapidly into itself, forming into a floating orb of blue light for a heartbeat before a giant pink ball burst forth – a ball taller than either of them, with large eyes, an absolutely tiny mouth, and ineffectual stringy arms. Miroku, who had flung his hand onto his mala beads, froze. What the-
“Hand over the Jewel,” the giant pink ball demanded, floating over to them in what was probably supposed to be a menacing way. “The Jewel, or your life!”
Miroku watched in utter fascination as the ball bounced towards them. It veered away from the spiritual power still swirling around his staff, and came to a rest beside Inuyasha. After a brief pause for thought, it bit onto the side of Inuyasha’s head. Although it managed to grab a mouthful of hair, its teeth were incredibly blunt, and barely even scraped against his skull. Inuyasha shot Miroku an incredulous look, growled quietly in annoyance, and slapped the ball across the…cheek?
The ball careened away, making several loops through the air before transforming into a small demon and crashing into the ground. Miroku blinked. The demon stroked his cheek from the impact with tears shining in his large eyes. He was a child! He was around the size of a human toddler, with similar proportions, but none of the baby fat or incoordination. His wide eyes were a bright green and his ears were pointed, but it was the bright ginger colour of his hair that revealed exactly what kind of demon he was. That, and his large, bushy ginger tail. Inuyasha and Miroku both crept forward, blinking at the demon child, who glared right back at them.
“Who dares to burst my bubble?” he muttered with a tiny growl.
Inuyasha reached out and hoisted up the demon child by his fluffy tail, looking him over. “Huh, feisty little thing, aren’t ya?” He sniffed at the struggling boy. “Nice tail – looks like a badger or a squirrel.”
“I’m a fox, you heathen!” the demon squeaked back, snarling.
Miroku watched the exchange silently, his mind whirling. Kitsune had the potential to be anything from mild pests to truly dangerous. The stories of nine-tailed foxes always seemed to paint them as powerful beings, but not ones as young as this. A kit who hadn’t even grown his second tail yet was a different matter entirely. It wasn’t just that he posed no threat – he was a child! A demon child, yes, but a child all the same. They couldn’t kill him, that much was obvious. Where were his…parents? Surely, he must have them. How old was he? Youkai could live for hundreds of thousands of years. Was he old enough to be out on his own? Miroku had encountered plenty of demons that were done with their infants immediately after giving birth, but he knew of plenty more – especially those powerful enough to mimic human form – that cared for their young. But for how long? Was this pseudo-toddler old enough to fend for himself in demon society, or had he wandered from his nest, and had at least one powerful kitsune parent looking for him?
Miroku caught Inuyasha staring at him and knew that the hanyou had witnessed his internal spiralling. He held Miroku’s gaze and tilted his head at the fox questioningly. Miroku could only give him a lost look. How the hell was he supposed to know what to do? He leaned in beside Inuyasha’s shoulder and examined the fox child. Other than the tail and ears, the colour of his eyes and hair, and the paleness of his skin, he looked alarmingly human.
He was dressed in vaguely human clothes as well. His dark blue hakama pants were in the same style as Inuyasha’s, and his turquoise happi coat was intricately patterned with white leaves. The clothes wouldn’t have been out of place on a child of a wealthy human family, except for the fox-fur vest draped overtop, and his bare feet. His bare paws, rather, attached to furred fox legs sticking out of his pants. Fascinating.
The fox had given up struggling, and was quietly hanging by his tail in Inuyasha’s grip, watching Miroku stare at him, while Inuyasha stared at the monk like he’d lost his mind. Inuyasha lifted the fox pointedly, trying to get Miroku to pitch in on what the hell they were gonna do with this this thing, when the weight in his hand suddenly grew by thousands. Inuyasha let out a startled grunt as he was wrenched forward and down, the fox cub in his hand suddenly replaced by a jizo statue. Inuyasha growled and tried to pull his hand out from under the stone statue, but it was impossibly heavy.
Meanwhile, Miroku felt a slight tug at his robes. He looked down to see the fox climbing up his leg to his back with astounding speed. Miroku had no idea what to do. He lifted his arm out of the way as the fox crawled over his torso, darting from place to place, and shot a helpless look at Inuyasha. Suddenly a small hand darted into his robes and Miroku’s eyes widened. He made a desperate attempt to grab the fox but missed. The child jumped onto his head and then sprung into the air. He floated just above their heads and turned back to address them.
“Ah-haha!” the fox laughed down at them. “It’s mine! Farewell!”
With that, he disappeared in a bright blue swirl. Miroku blinked. “That’s unfortunate.”
Inuyasha growled, having finally retrieved his hand from under the statue. He glared at the sky for a moment before his ear twitched. He followed the sound over his shoulder and, sure enough, the fluffy tail of the fox was sticking out of one of the soldiers’ skulls, bouncing merrily away from them. Inuyasha spared a glance at Miroku’s amused expression before he pounced.
A solid whack to the head stopped the fox short. Inuyasha picked him up by the scruff and plucked the bag containing the two Jewel shards from one of the kit’s tiny hands. He let the demon drop to the ground. The little fox huffed and curled into himself, crossing his arms and legs like the pouting child he was. As annoying as this kid was, Inuyasha kinda felt sorry for him. He was really little. Miroku’s mind obviously followed a similar path, as he knelt down in front of the fox and looked at him with soft eyes.
“Why are you so determined to get the Jewel shards?” he asked gently.
“For my father,” the fox shot back, glaring at the ground with a stony expression that didn’t match his young face. “I need the shards of the Shikon Jewel so I can avenge him.”
Something twisted in Inuyasha’s gut. He could practically feel the muscles tighten along Miroku’s back, though the monk’s expression didn’t change. He kept a serene look on his face as he nodded encouragingly at the fox. “Avenge? Your father was killed?”
“I get it,” Inuyasha sighed, reaching into his own robes to pull out the bag with the Jewel shards. “He’s a little weakling, so he needs the power of the Jewel to take out his enemies for him.”
Miroku blinked at the bag and looked questioningly at Inuyasha. He tossed the bag at the monk, who easily snatched it from the air and returned it safely to his robes. The little fox glared at them.
“I’m strong enough to take on any enemy!” he announced haughtily. “I only wanted the shards as a precaution.”
Miroku subtly jerked his head to the side as he stood and Inuyasha followed his lead. They both turned their backs on the little demon as Miroku leaned in conspiratorially. “I admit to knowing almost nothing about demon children, but it doesn’t seem right to leave him here alone. He’s a child! He doesn’t have anyone else looking out for him, and those tricks of his won’t last against any real threat.”
Inuyasha stared flatly at him. “You can’t be serious.”
From behind them, the fox cub growled. “Hey, I’m talking here!”’
“Apologies,” Miroku said, while Inuyasha huffed and crossed his arms.
“Trust me,” the fox said gravely. “You’ve never met demons like the ones I’m after.”
Miroku contained his smile as Inuyasha’s ears literally pricked up at the mention of dangerous demon foe. He knew it was more than likely that they were going to end up helping this little fox. He crouched down in front of him again and jerked his head at Inuyasha. “You know, he and I, we fight demons.”
The fox eyed him suspiciously. “But you’re just a human, and he’s just a hanyou.”
“True,” Miroku conceded, though he could feel Inuyasha bristling behind him. “But we know what we’re doing. We could help you.” The fox continued to glare at him. “My name’s Miroku, and he’s Inuyasha. What’s your name?”
“Shippo.”
Miroku smiled at the little fox, charmed despite himself. “Well, Shippo, I don’t know about you, but I could use something to eat. Do you know any good fishing spots nearby?”
Inuyasha snorted and crossed his arms, obviously seeing what Miroku was getting at, but Shippo seemed to relax a bit.
“Yeah, I know all the good places around here!” he said enthusiastically. “Come on, I’ll show you!”
Miroku smiled at the encouraging transformation. He followed the fox as he scampered off towards the forest, Inuyasha trailing behind them with Myoga on his shoulder. Miroku pulled the leftover yam from his robes and offered it to Shippo, who accepted it with an excitement which told Miroku that he probably hadn’t eaten for a while. They walked in silence while Shippo ate, Miroku watched him, and Inuyasha kept on shooting looks at the back of the monk’s head, telling him to hurry up and do something. They’d made it a good distance into the forest before Miroku asked nonchalantly “So, Shippo, why don’t you tell us more about the demons you’re after?”
That’s all it took to break the dam. Shippo instantly launched into his tale, voice deep and serious as any storyteller. “It all started not too long ago. Two demon brothers began terrorizing the area near where we lived. They liked to kill humans and demons for sport. They wanted power, and when news spread of shards of the Shikon Jewel being found in the area, they started hunting them down. That’s why they went after my father. He had a shard, and they killed him for it.”
The fox sniffed, blinking hard to clear the tears from his eyes. “That’s why I need your Jewel shards. I’ve seen what they can do. Just a few days ago, the demon brothers returned. Hundreds of human warriors were engaged in a battle where we lived – way more than the ones in that field where I found you – and they were busy killing each other when a dark cloud passed overhead – a cloud so dark and evil that none could imagine what horrors it would bring.
“I could hear the humans talking amongst themselves. They were confused, and I don’t think they realized that demons were hunting them. The brothers had the power of lightning and thunder at their command. They annihilated one of the human armies with a single strike of lightning, and the other side thought that maybe they were benevolent gods come to save them. Instead, they struck down the rest of the humans just as easily. They used the power of several shards of the Shikon Jewel – five between the two of them, I think. They took all the valuables from the dead humans and ate their bodies.”
Miroku met Inuyasha’s eyes over his shoulder. This was definitely a job for them, then. He turned back to Shippo, making sure not to press too far. “They took your father’s Jewel shard? How did he come upon it to begin with?”
“Oh, they’ve been popping up all over the place,” Shippo shrugged casually. “I’ve heard of loads of demons who just find them, buried in trees or just lying on the ground. They say the shards just appeared one day, that some idiot must have broken the Shikon Jewel.”
Miroku cleared his throat lightly. Inuyasha quietly cackled behind him.
“The Thunder Brothers go around, stealing the Jewel shards from other demons,” Shippo continued. “They kill anyone who has one.”
“Thunder Brothers?” Miroku asked, looking back at Inuyasha, who shrugged.
“It’s what people have been calling them, because of their thunder and lightning attacks.”
Inuyasha slowed his pace, falling further behind Miroku and the fox. “Heard of ‘em, Myoga?”
The flea hummed. “He must be talking about Hiten and Manten. I’ve heard of them, and, if the rumours are true, they are evil incarnate.”
“Big deal!” Inuyasha snorted, arms crossed defiantly. “All I gotta do is defeat the brothers and I’ll walk away with all five of their Jewel shards! How’s that for one day’s work?”
“Ha!” the fox laughed, glaring back at him, revealing that he could hear the entire conversation. “You’re no match for the Thunder Brothers. They’re two of the most powerful demons around, and you’d be half a match for even one of them!” Inuyasha growled, but the fox cub wasn’t done. “Stay out of this, hanyou. This is between demons, not stinking half-breeds!”
Inuyasha opened his mouth to shout back something equally uncomplimentary, but to his shock, Miroku beat him to it.
“Shippo!” he said in a booming voice, one that commanded attention and respect. “You have no right to talk to Inuyasha that way. He and I are trying to help you, and even if we weren’t, he does not deserve your scorn.”
Shippo stared at him with wide eyes, obviously surprised. Inuyasha also looked a little stunned.
“I don’t get it,” the fox said quietly. “He’s just a half-demon.”
Inuyasha stepped neatly forward and landed a solid blow on Shippo’s head. It wasn’t enough to truly hurt a demon, but it couldn’t have been pleasant, either. Miroku shot him a strongly disapproving look. “Inuyasha…”
Shippo turned around and began bowing at Inuyasha’s feet, muttering variations of “Sorry” and “Forgive me.”
Inuyasha turned pointedly to Miroku. “See? Now he gets it.”
Miroku frowned. Honestly, it was like dealing with fighting children. He glanced at Inuyasha suddenly, wondering how old he actually was. How long did half-demons live? Removing the fifty years that he was bound to a tree, how many years had he already lived through? Miroku had seen many flashes of childishness from him – now, for instance – but also moments of great maturity. Inuyasha looked youthful, maybe a little younger than Miroku himself, but that meant nothing if he had lived for hundreds of years. Inuyasha blinked at him, clearly wondering why he was being stared at for so long. Miroku shook his head and smiled reassuringly, tucking the question away for later.
“As a token of my apology,” Shippo said, holding out something in one of his hands.
Inuyasha looked questioningly at Miroku, who made a ‘go on’ gesture. Inuyasha cautiously held out his hands. The small rock that Shippo placed in the cupped palms of his hands immediately materialized into another jizo statue and sent him reeling to the ground. Shippo slapped a paper seal on the statue’s head, a seal that looked alarmingly like a sutra, and jumped a safe distance away. He surveyed his work and burst out laughing.
“Is this supposed to be funny?” Inuyasha shouted after him, then turned to Miroku with a deadly quiet voice. “This is the last time I follow your advice.”
“You’re stuck until you can find a way to peel the charm off,” Shippo called back mockingly. “And until then, that statue’s not moving!”
“Shippo, there’s no need for this,” Miroku scolded, kneeling down to examine the charm.
“I don’t like playing tricks on holy men if I can avoid it,” Shippo said as he walked towards Miroku. “Don’t hold it against me, okay?”
Miroku frowned at the words and stood. Shippo leapt at him, his paws connecting with Miroku’s chest hard enough to knock him back ever so slightly. Miroku caught the fox as he sprung back, but suddenly a flash of bright blue fire burst from Shippo’s hands. Miroku stumbled back, protecting his face with his sleeve as the flames cleared. Shippo stood a ways away, the bag with the Jewel shards in his hand.
“Thanks!” he shouted over his shoulder as he scampered away. “I’m sure these will come in handy!”
“Damn,” Miroku swore and took off after Shippo.
He could hear Inuyasha calling after him, telling him to free him from the jizo statue first, but Miroku had a feeling that this fox was crafty enough to avoid them this time. If he let Shippo gain too much ground, they might never find him or the Jewel shards again. Besides, that charm hadn’t looked like anything Miroku knew how to fix. Foxes were too smart for their own good, and Miroku was willing to bet that Shippo would be the only one able to remove the charm once it was placed.
He followed Shippo’s demonic aura through the trees and into a field full of long, flowering grasses. Shippo disappeared into the grass. Miroku stopped, looking for any sign of movement in the sea of green. Instead, he saw a giant, amphibious demon rise into view and start talking to something. Miroku could just make out the orange flash of a fox pelt tied around the demon’s waist above his armour. He ran.
A cry sounded from just ahead, a child’s cry, and Miroku ran all the faster. The demon opened his mouth wide and a sizzling orb of light formed between his jaws, pointed at Shippo. Miroku skidded to a halt and hurled a sutra straight at the demon’s face. It sliced across the bridge of his nose, leaving a thin gash in its wake. The orb vanished with a puff of youki and the demon turned to glare at him.
“Who are you?” the demon asked, eyeing Miroku. Shippo, who was on his hands and knees, began crawling away from the demon with the bag of shards in his hand. “As for you…” the demon reached for Shippo.
“Stay back!” Miroku shouted, his staff in one hand, another sutra in the other. “This doesn’t have to end badly for you.”
“Just look at what you’ve done to my beautiful nose!” the demon whined, pawing at the gash across his face.
Miroku glanced at Shippo, who stared back with wide eyes. “Shippo, come here, and bring the bag.”
“Stop!” the demon called, and began to chase after him. “I must have that Shikon fragment! Wait!”
Miroku held his ground, eyeing the two shards already embedded in the demon’s forehead. He couldn’t use the wind tunnel, not without getting the shards first. Miroku slapped a sutra onto the head of his staff and threw it like a spear. It glanced off the demon’s forehead, leaving a deep gouge up his face. It wasn’t enough to dislodge the Jewel shards, but it still halted the demon in his tracks. The only problem was, he had just thrown his weapon away. He really needed to stop doing that. Meanwhile the demon was shaking, pawing at his head. Miroku frowned. It wasn’t even a serious wound! He’d seen Inuyasha brush off much worse than that.
“My hair!” the demon wailed, plucking a severed strand from his predominantly bald scalp. “How could you?”
He threw his head back and shouted into the air, another orb of light forming in his mouth even as a bolt of lightning struck the ground behind him, forming out of thin air.
“Run!” Shippo shouted, already scampering off to one side. “That’s the attack that killed my father!”
Miroku felt a tug at his heart even as he turned and ran after Shippo. It wasn’t just about the Jewel shards for him. He wanted to help Shippo defeat the thing that took away his father. Miroku glanced over his shoulder just in time to see a wave of lightning hurling at them. He didn’t have time to think, just snatched Shippo from the ground and threw himself to the side. He knew it was too little, too late.
The brunt of the attack flew over their heads, but the blow that caught them flung Miroku through the air. The lightning burned across his body in a thousand jabs and he hit the ground hard. A crackling pain tore through him, leaving tingling numbness in its wake. He could feel Shippo wriggling in his arms and tried to move himself to follow, but his body wasn’t cooperating. Miroku felt consciousness slipping away, and as hard as he fought to stay awake, it was no use.
~*~
Inuyasha whipped his head around to glare at the human who’d come walking down the forest path. The man startled when he saw him, and took a step back.
“No, please, wait!” Inuyasha called out to him, his ears flattening against his head in an attempt at submission. “Please, get this thing off me!”
He tugged his hands demonstrably, still trapped under the incredibly heavy weight of the jizo statue. The man turned and ran with a cry of “Monster!”
Inuyasha called after him as he disappeared. “Wait, where are you going? I need you to peel off this stupid charm! Please!”
“I fear that no passers-by will help, my Lord,” Myoga commented sagely from his shoulder.
Inuyasha growled at him. “Then get over there and pull it off yourself!”
After some token protest, Myoga hopped over to the paper charm. He examined it from all angles, then took one of the corners and pulled. Nothing happened.
“It’s no use, my lord,” the flea reported. “I can’t peel off the charm.”
“Damn that fox!” Inuyasha snarled, pulling back with all his might. “He’ll regret this!”
“Inuyasha,” a voice sounded, and Inuyasha’s head snapped up to glare at the fox in question. “I’ll help you, but only if you promise not to hit me anymore.”
Inuyasha ignored the request entirely. “Where’s Miroku? Why didn’t he come back with you?”
“Will you promise me, or won’t you?”
“Answer the fucking question, you little twerp!” Inuyasha shouted. “Where’s Miroku?” Shippo crossed his arms, obviously not willing to budge. “Fine, I won’t hit you.”
Shippo peeled the seal easily off the statue, which shrunk down to the size of a pebble. Shippo snatched it from the air and wrapped the charm around it. “Alright, now listen quietly. The monk-”
Inuyasha’s hand shot out and whacked the fox cub across the head before dragging him up by his shirt.
“I thought we had a promise,” Shippo whined, tears in his eyes.
Inuyasha ground his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to pummel this annoying fox, but Miroku had been right – he was just a kid. He forced himself to set Shippo down gently on his feet. Then he snatched the cloth bag poking out from the top of Shippo’s vest.
“I almost forgot you grabbed these, you little thief,” he muttered, peeking inside the bag to make sure both shards were still there.
“Forget that!” Shippo snapped. “Miroku’s been captured by the Thunder Brothers!”
Inuyasha’s eyes snapped to Shippo’s. “You lost my human?” Then the words really sunk in. “Wait, the same Thunder Brothers who killed your father? They took Miroku? You let ‘em get away?” Shippo huffed and looked away, obviously ashamed. Inuyasha didn’t care. He was pissed. “You’re not exactly reeking of victory, there. What did you do? Hide in the bushes and watch Miroku being abducted?”
“Why’re you pinning this on me?” Shippo shot back, angry tears in his eyes. “You just said he’s your human – you’re the one who should be rescuing him!”
Inuyasha blinked. The only reason he didn’t rip Shippo to shreds then and there was that he had, in fact, just said that. Why? “That stupid monk isn’t my responsibility,” Inuyasha snapped, turning his back on Shippo. “I knew it was a bad idea to travel with a human from the start. They’re nothing but trouble!”
“Please!” Shippo cried out, falling into a deep cowtow, pressing his forehead to the ground. “I can’t save him by myself. I’m sorry I said those things before, alright? I need your help!”
Inuyasha sighed. He could smell the distress rolling off Shippo in waves, and besides, he had to go get the monk either way. He started walking and heard Shippo running after him.
“You better keep up,” he shot over his shoulder at the fox. “We got a lot of work to do, Shippo. Now, show me where they took him.”
~*~
Consciousness returned slowly. The first thing Miroku became aware of was the burning ache that travelled across his body. Then, the sensation of lying down. Then he heard the demon speaking, saying something about recipes and ingredients. Miroku cracked an eye open and instantly wished he hadn’t.
“Awake, are you?” the demon asked without turning around, busy with his cooking.
“Where am I?” Miroku asked, wincing at the raspy quality of his voice and glancing around the small room.
“That’s the least of your worries,” the demon assured, gesturing at the bubbling purple goo cooking away in his iron cauldron.
“I hate to tell you this,” Miroku said, slowly easing himself up into a sitting position on the wooden cot where he’d been placed. “But I don’t generally do well in stew.”
“Not stew,” the demon corrected conversationally. “A potion. Mother’s recipe, you know. They say that humans with spiritual powers do marvels for hair growth.”
Miroku didn’t bother to hide the disgust on his face. “I’d rather be eaten, actually.”
The demon threw his head back and laughed. “If my brother heard you, he’d be more than happy to fulfill your wish. As it is-”
The door exploded to Miroku’s right. Chunks of wood flew across the room and the demon yelped in surprise.
“Thought I heard voices,” another male demon remarked from the doorway, his arm wrapped around a female demon. Unlike the salamander-like first demon, they were both practically human-looking, other than their pointed ears like Shippo’s, his red eyes, and her choice of odd clothing. Miroku tried not to stare at the live, thin snake wrapped around her torso. “Back so soon, Manten?”
“That thing is your brother?” the female demon sneered.
“Hiten! Good to see you!” Manten greeted, though Miroku could see him sweating.
“Who’s he?” Hiten demanded, turning cool eyes on Miroku. “What’s a human doing here?”
“He’s mine,” Manten said, throwing his arms out to stand between Hiten and Miroku. “I found him first.”
“No need to worry,” Hiten waved him away. “I have no use for him – not when I have this little vixen.”
He tugged the female demon close to his chest. Miroku ignored the pang of arousal that came from her effortlessly dangerous appearance and focused instead on Hiten’s words. No use for him. What kind of use was he referring to? What kind of use would be served instead by a gorgeous demoness? Miroku could only think of one thing, though to be fair, he was usually thinking about that.
He shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind. It didn’t matter what Hiten meant. He’d said that he had no use for a human, so perhaps he would convince Manten to let him go. Hiten seemed to have more authority of the two. Miroku studied his face carefully. He didn’t know how Hiten and Manen could be related – they didn’t look similar at all. Hiten was handsome in a way that most powerful demons were, and that could explain Manten’s obvious nervousness around his brother. However, more human looks didn’t mean more humanity. Hiten could be much worse, but Miroku hoped that he would at least be more receptive to bargaining.
“Oh, while I’m thinking about it,” Hiten continued, turning to look coolly at Manten. “How’d you fare in your search for more Jewel fragments?”
“Huh?” Manten startled nervously. “Er… Right. How could I have forgotten? My apologies, dear brother. I found one but I…lost it.”
“Found one but lost it?” Hiten mocked, stalking forward a few paces and raising a fist. “Don’t tell me you were so interested in this monk that you forgot about the Jewel shards!”
To Miroku’s surprise – and Manten’s, too, by the look of it – Hiten took the crackling power gathering in his hand and flung it at the female demon. She gasped in shock as she was struck, her body instantly dissolving under the full force of the sizzling lightning. Miroku closed his eyes against the blinding glare of the strike, and when he dared to look, the blackened body of the female demon fell to the ground.
“Please, Hiten,” Manten begged, his hands held out before him and trembling. “Forgive me!”
“You bring nothing but shame to this family,” Hiten spat. “If you weren’t my younger brother, I would have done you in long ago.”
Nope. Miroku shook his head. Nope, nope, nope. He ignored the quarrelling brothers and the smoking corpse behind them and instead cast his eyes around the room. There was a window behind him, with only a few thin bamboo bars which could be easily broken, but there was no way he could climb out of it before the brothers got to him. The only other exit was the doorway in which Hiten still stood, and even if he could fight his way past the both of them without his staff, he had no idea how to escape their lair. He still couldn’t use his wind tunnel, not with all the Jewel shards embedded in the demons. What could he do?
Miroku closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. He reached out with his mind, and found the power of Inuyasha’s nenju beads dancing at the edge of his consciousness. He gave them a sharp tug, hoping desperately that Inuyasha would understand. He focused back on the conversation before him.
“So you let a puny fox steal the Jewel fragments?”
“Are you going after him?” Manten asked nervously.
“Of course I am – and you’re coming with me!” Hiten shot over his shoulder, already walking out the door.
Miroku slowly slid off the wooden cot, but Manten spun around angrily. “Where do you think you’re going?”
He lifted a giant meat cleaver over his head and slammed it down, missing Miroku by a hair. Miroku jumped to the side and reached into his robes to grab a sutra. Instead, Manten slammed him against the wall, pinning him there with a hand on his chest.
“A thousand pardons,” Manten smirked mockingly. “I meant to make it quick so you wouldn’t suffer. Can’t let my special ingredient escape.”
“I wouldn’t kill me if I were you,” Miroku said, keeping his voice level even as he wracked his brain for a sufficient lie.
Manten seemed intrigued. “Oh? And why not?”
“Well…” Miroku hummed. “You won’t be able to find the fox and his Jewel shards, for one.”
Hiten paused at the doorway, eyeing him over his shoulder. “And?”
This was actually working! He had no idea how, but Miroku wasn’t going to question it. “For another, I doubt you want an enraged warrior seeking vengeance.” The brothers exchanged a look, their interest clearly piqued. “I assume you’ve heard of Inuyasha?”
He had no idea if they would’ve heard of Inuyasha.
“I’ve heard he’s a hanyou,” Hiten scoffed. “Not exactly much of a threat.”
“I suppose not,” Miroku shrugged as Manten loosened his grip slightly. “Though I suppose his brother, Sesshomaru, would have a different opinion. He was quite the sore loser.” Hiten and Manten exchanged another look. “Or you could ask the Toad of Tsukumo, or Yura of the Hair, or the Mistress Centipede, if they weren’t all dead.”
Hiten crossed the room in two strides and grabbed Miroku’s arm, dragging him away from Manten. “You better not be lying, monk. Did he really defeat all of them?”
“I saw it myself,” Miroku said earnestly. “He’s very protective of the things he holds dear, and he has quite the temper, if you ask me.”
Hiten narrowed his eyes. “He loves you that much? You really think he’ll risk fighting us to come get you?”
Miroku narrowed his eyes right back, trying to look suave instead of wildly unconvinced. “Your words, not mine. If you take me to meet him, I’m sure an arrangement can be made.”
“Hiten, he’s lying,” Manten hissed, tugging on his brother’s arm. “This human doesn’t smell like demon-mate.”
“I think he’s telling the truth,” Hiten mused, eyeing Miroku. “Why else would he be so calm? Alright, monk.” He stood and dragged Miroku over by the arm. “Take us to this hanyou of yours at once – but be warned,” he grabbed Miroku’s face and dragged it close to his own before turning him to look at the charred corpse of the female demon. “If you’re lying, you’ll suffer as she did, and I doubt you’d enjoy being fried to a crisp.”
“I don’t know,” Miroku muttered. “I’ve never had the chance to find out either way.”
Hiten laughed delightedly as he dragged Miroku out of the room, Manten following subdued behind them. Miroku had no idea what exactly he’d just gotten himself into, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t anything good.
~*~
Inuyasha jumped from rock to rock, scaling the side of the cliff easily. Shippo was making little mewling sounds on his shoulder, but Inuyasha ignored him. He couldn’t find Miroku’s scent, and Shippo’s vague directions of “up that way” weren’t anywhere near enough to find the Thunder Brothers’ lair. He’d really rather have left the fox cub behind, but he might come in handy. Whatever it took to find Miroku. Inuyasha gripped the staff tighter in his hand. Shippo had shown him where one of the demons had attacked, the scores in the earth where his power struck. Miroku was in serious trouble.
Something pulled at his neck and Inuyasha skidded to a halt, almost toppling off the rock he was perched on. Huh? He glanced down at the necklace, which turned pink and tugged him forward again. He recognized the feeling instantly from the cursed nenju beads, but why would- Oh! They were tugging him in a very specific direction. A slow smile spread across Inuyasha’s face. He had to hand it to the monk – he was smart. And, apparently, good at keeping himself alive. Inuyasha shot a toothy grin at Shippo, suddenly in a much better mood.
“What’s the matter?” he teased the fox cub. “Not afraid of heights, are you?”
“I’m not afraid,” Shippo insisted, though he let out a little yelp when Inuyasha started jumping forward again. “I’m going to save Miroku and avenge my father!”
“Big plans for such a little guy,” Inuyasha mused, unable to keep the humour from his voice.
“That’s what you’re here for! You’d better be as strong as you say you are. Those Thunder Brothers aren’t just powerful demons – they have five Jewel shards between them!”
“That’ll only make this more fun!”
“Master,” Myoga piped up from his shoulder. “Should we not have a little more urgency? I worry for what they might be doing to Miroku.”
Inuyasha snorted. “If he can find a way to get me a message, he’ll have no problem waiting until I get there.”
“We can only hope,” Myoga muttered darkly. “If the rumours are to be believed, the Thunder Brothers have a taste for human flesh.”
Inuyasha frowned.
Shippo tugged on his sleeve urgently. “Inuyasha, do you think that’s true? What’ll we do?”
“Wish them indigestion, I suppose,” he mumbled, almost to himself. He tugged at his necklace, wondering if there was a way to send a message back to Miroku through the beads. He didn’t think so.
“We need to hurry!” Shippo insisted. “Before the Thunder Brothers get hungry!”
Inuyasha opened his mouth to snap back a response, but suddenly there was an odd tingling to the air, and his instincts screamed for him to move. He stepped back just in time to avoid being struck by a bolt of lightning. As it was, the rock he was standing on crumbled beneath his feet, and he went tumbling to the ground. Inuyasha landed on his feet, Miroku’s staff still in his hand. He didn’t bother searching out his attackers, just grabbed Shippo up off the ground and ran. Another lightning bolt struck the ground behind him, then another in front of him. He skidded to a halt.
“Very impressive maneuver, dodging my lightning bolt,” a voice commented from above them. “Maybe you really are as good as they say – the famous Inuyasha.”
“Hiten,” Myoga whispered in his ear. “The elder brother.”
Shippo clambered up Inuyasha’s arm to glare at the demon. “Where’s Miroku? What’ve you done with him?”
“Relax. Nothing, yet.” Hiten turned to the side and called out “Manten!”
“Coming brother,” the other demon, Manten, said as he approached on a floating black cloud. He held up Miroku by the shoulders. “Behold!”
“Hello,” Miroku called out wryly, giving them a little wave.
“Miroku!” Inuyasha called out to him, almost unintentionally.
A powerful and unexpected wave of relief washed over him, making his stomach clench. Miroku looked unharmed, if a little pale. Inuyasha focused in on his heartbeat, only slightly faster than normal. There was something in Miroku’s eyes, though – something off, almost apologetic. Inuyasha’s brows furrowed in confusion, maybe concern.
“Judging by your expression, it looks like the monk wasn’t lying,” Hiten remarked, smirking down at Inuyasha. “I’m a reasonable man, so I’ll make you a deal. Hand over the Jewel fragments without a fuss, and you’ll get your mate back. Try anything, and we’ll rip him to shreds right in front of you.”
Hiten punctuated his last statement with a bolt of lightning. Meanwhile, Inuyasha had forgotten how to breathe. What? Mate? What? When had-? What? He looked at Miroku, who was staring intently back at him. No, this was- This couldn’t- What? No.
No.
“Uh, there’s been some kind of misunderstanding,” he stuttered out, gesturing vaguely at Miroku. “He, uh, mate? My mate? I think you have me confused with someone else.”
Miroku continued desperately making ‘just play along’ eyes at Inuyasha as he called down “This is not really the time or place to be discussing the finer details.”
Manten growled and tightened his grip on Miroku’s shoulders, squeezing hard enough to bruise. “I knew you were lying!”
“You actually thought I’d just hand over the Jewel shards?” Inuyasha shouted up at him, still reeling from shock and anger and embarrassment. “You thought I’d pretend you were my mate? Really?”
“I was hoping you would at least attempt to play the part,” Miroku said flatly.
“You’re insane!” Inuyasha informed him emphatically.
Miroku huffed, getting frustrated now. “After all we’ve been through together, you couldn’t pretend for one moment that you cared for a human?”
“There’s a big difference between ‘caring’ and mates, you asshole!”
Hiten looked between the two with an utterly unamused expression. “I couldn’t give a damn about all this relationship nonsense, but one thing seems to be true: you do have some Jewel fragments for me, Inuyasha. Those shards will be mine!”
Inuyasha snarled as Hiten dove for him, lightning crackling in his wake. He unsheathed the Tessaiga and held it before himself protectively. “Not in my lifetime, pal.”
The tip of Hiten’s Thunder Pike connected with the Tessaiga’s transformed blade, sending a shower of sparks through the lightning all around them. Inuyasha’s arms shook with the impact as he braced the blade. Hiten smirked as bolts of lightning struck the ground all around them. Inuyasha ground his teeth and pushed, fighting hard against the powerful attack. The Tessaiga moved forward slightly, giving some precious distance between him and Hiten’s weapon. Inuyasha pulled back ever so slightly then swung forward, flinging Hiten into the air with a shout. The demon smirked.
“You have power but no style,” Hiten informed him almost conversationally. “This should be an interesting battle!”
Inuyasha panted for breath, sweat already gathering at his brow. He glanced from Hiten’s mocking face to Miroku’s pale expression. He could hear Shippo standing some distance behind him, little heart pounding. He had no idea where Myoga had disappeared to. Interesting battle, indeed. Call it a gut feeling, but Inuyasha had a notion that it would be the last, for one of them at least. He was determined to not let it be his.
~*~
