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lauedlp93 · 2 years

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Dog Guardian Ch 73; The Miko Leaves Her Shrine

Beta: Fawn Eyed Girl

AO3

FFN

"I'm so sorry we got here too late to assist you." Sango hung her head. "And when you were up against a daiyoukai, too."

"Don't worry; you had no way of knowing," Kagome said with a smile. He suspected Lady Kaede had sent them; she was pretty sure regular people couldn't sense something was wrong in the other world. Shwe appreciated them showing up to help, but right now she was somewhat sour because she had been wanting that kiss.

"Come to think of it, how come you two are still in one piece?" Miroku asked. "And what did you do to piss off a daiyoukai?"

His tone was jovial, but Kagome noticed the concerned glance he sent Inuyasha's way. The hanyou didn't look as much like he had been run over by a truck anymore, but his clothes were a mess of blood and dirt.

It's not your business; it's a family thing," Inuyasha grumbled, looking away.

The two newcomers blinked at him, but Inuyasha decided not to elaborate; instead, he started to walk away, towards the dense forest. Kagome got to her feet and shook her head.

"Come with us to the house." she said to Miroku and Sango. "We can talk while I make Inuyasha ramen and tend to his wounds."

The hanyou scoffed, but changed the direction of his steps from towards the forest to the house at the reminder of the treat she had promised him.

Kagome watched him go, listening intently to his presence in her mind. He was so tired and in pain, but he tried to act like normal. She glanced at Sango, who watched him as well. She was frowning and biting on her bottom lip, clearly upset. She balled her fists for a moment, as if she wanted to hit something. Kagome knew her enough to suspect Sango felt bad because she hadn't been there for Inuyasha when he had been fighting an uneven battle and had gotten hurt, while the hanyou had aided her in protecting the village in the hidden realm numerous times. She knew Inuyasha didn't see it that way, but Sango was an honorable person, wanting to repay debts. Luckily, the miko had an idea on how to make Sango feel a bit better, and at the same time, help her shrine guardian get his ramen and his treatment.

Help me?" she whispered, as to not alert the hanyou. The slayer nodded and they both followed him at a fast pace. Before he could retreat, they flanked him and grabbed his arms to put them over their shoulders.

"Wha-?" he tensed up, as if expecting a sudden attack or something. .

"Let us help." Sango was looking at the ground. "We should have been here to aid you two."

"As if you could do anything against my asshole brother." He tried to pull away, but Kagome patted his side with her free hand.

“Sango feels guilty, and she'll feel better if she can help us a bit,” she soothed. 'It's okay to lean on friends.”

"Feh," was his reply, but he relaxed somewhat. She sensed a wave of embarrassment and something akin to gratitude from him. A sense of wonder underlined it. Kagome thought that it was because he was either still not used to having friends he could rely on, or the fact that he wasn't expected at that moment to be strong. She was happy for him; he deserved friends and he didn't have to be strong all the time. He could rely on them.

"I envy you, dear friend,," Miroku grinned and went to pick up Tessaiga, walking behind the trio. One of Inuyasha's ears swiveled back towards him. "I wish I was assisted by two lovely ladies."

"Shut up," Inuyasha grumbled, and when Kagome glanced at him, she saw his cheeks dusted with pink. Warmth filled Kagome's heart at that - Inuyasha had friends, there were other people who cared for him like she did.

"I am also very glad to see that our Lady Kagome is unharmed. You did splendidly in your duty of protecting the noble priestess," Miroku continued.

"Oh, shut up, Miroku!" It was her time to blush. His words were cheeky, but there was no mistaking the relief and genuine concern in his voice. He truly thought that.

Together they walked to the house, only to find Kagome’s grandpa already preparing tea and having the medical kit opened on the kitchen table. He looked relieved to see them all in one piece, and added two more cups for Miroku and Sango.

The gang sat down around a table in the living room, because it had more space than the kitchen. Sango and Miroku offered their assistance in tending to Inuyasha's wounds, but the hanyou refused, saying that he wouldn't have had anyone 'wasting bandages' on him, but couldn't oppose Kagome if she wanted to do so. Kagome pinched his ear for talking nonsense and got to work. She got his hair out of the way and coaxed him into removing his top layers so she could wipe off the dry blood and took out the contents of the first aid kit, which Sango had brought from the kitchen.

"So, can we get the story now?" Miroku asked as he sat down with a cup of freshly made tea, Tessaiga laid across his lap. Hiro and Sango sat on his sides, the latter sitting more than an arm's length away from the exorcist.

"There is not much of a story." The hanyou winced when Kagome wrapped his bicep, the last of a host of wounds inflicted by fangs, partially healed, but still bleeding sluggishly.

"Ito Kaguraya turned out to be a youkai under a spell," she said as she tied the ends of the bandage. As soon as she moved away, Inuyasha pulled his kimono up and over his torso. It looked a bit less torn and dirty than she'd remembered it to be. Her grandpa nodded. "And she didn't remember being a youkai. I guess seeing Inuyasha triggered some of her memories to return... And she mistook him for her husband."

“‘Mate’ would be a better word." Inuyasha looked away, scowling. Kagome shifted to sit closer to the table and pushed towards him both his tea cup and the covered ramen cup. He snatched the latter and a pair of chopsticks from the table, his eyes shining anew.

“My eager koinu,” she teased.

“Shut up; I need nourishment to heal faster,” he grumbled and she sent him a wave of fondness. His cheeks got a tad darker and she was sure it wasn't because of the steaming soup in his grasp.

"She came to confront Inuyasha about it," the miko told the rest. "And at the same time, her husband came searching for her."

"Ah, so you had to battle... who, exactly?" Sango tilted her head to the side, uncertain.

"The bastard," Inuyasha replied between mouthfuls of noodles. The looks of confusion on the faces of their three companions didn't change.

"When Kaguraya saw her husband, she remembered Inuyasha wasn't him," Kagome elaborated for him. "But I kinda don't blame her for confusing them; Inuyasha's brother is pretty similar..."

The esteemed shrine guardian almost choked on a mouthful of soup and noodles before exploding.

"What the hell?! I'm nothing like Sesshomaru!" he yelled, his scowl fierce as he looked at her. Kagome raised her hands in a soothing motion.

"I just meant you look kinda alike, you know," she hastily tried to placate him. "You know: white hair, and yellow eyes, and pretty handsome, too..."

"Keh!" Inuyasha turned away, crossing his arms in his sleeves. His cute ears were laid back, but not entirely hidden in his hair. Kagome patted his shoulder and pushed the bowl of cookies closer to him on the table, but he pretended not to notice anything. “Oh, don't be angry; you're brothers. And you're the cute one.”

“I ain't cute! I'm ferocious!”

“Not when you're pouting,” she snickered when she saw his ear twitch.

"So, the secret is up," Hiro sighed. "How did he take it?"

"Wait a minute; you mean Sesshomar,u as in Lord of the West Sesshomaru?" Miroku gasped.

Yeah. He fought Inuyasha... apparently to get Tessaiga," Kagome explained. The exorcist looked down at the katana still in his lap. Almost hurriedly, he grabbed it and put it on the table, as if the blade was about to explode or something.

"Hey, no swords on the tables!" Kagome reached out and snatched the weapon to lay it next to Inuyasha, where it belonged. The katana hummed with warm youki when she held onto it, and she patted it gently, as she would Inuyasha's hand. The shrine guardian's ears perked up, and he briefly touched Tessaiga, before relaxing in his seat and grabbing his tea.

“But he couldn't take it away." Sango smiled at their antics.

“Hell no!" Inyasha puffed out his chest as much as he could in his current state.

“And then he took his wife and went away, along with a human girl who called them parents," Kagome finished their story.

"Should we call you Lord Inuyasha or Prince Inuyasha, then?" Miroku asked with a big grin. He seemed to come to terms with the fact that he was friends with someone of royal bloodline on his own terms.

"It depends how much teeth you want to get knocked out out of your stupid mug." Inuyasha glared over the rim of his cup. "I ain't no nobility."

"Oh, why are you threatening me so? I just wanted to be respectful!" Miroku shifted closer to Sango, as if afraid. Kagome noticed that his hand rested on the mat next to him and started to move closer to the slayer's pillow.

"If Sesshomaru hears you speak nonsense he will whip your ass," the shrine guardian warned. Kagome noticed that Sango was aware of the way Miroku was leaning closer to her. The slayer seemed to be pondering, and reached out and gave his shoulder a shove.

"Sit properly," she grumbled.

"Oh, dear Sango, don't push me away so coolly when I seek solace in your proximity!" he exclaimed. Sango scowled and Kagome giggled.

"Are we to expect Lord Sesshoaru to come back?" Hiro asked, making Kagome's giggles fade. She didn't want the brothers to fight. She understood there was a lot of bad blood between them, past mistakes and years of dislike, but she hoped they could be cordial.

"Oh, I hope he won't be coming here to fight," she said, remembering how Sesshomaru had left, and his parting words to his younger brother. Inuyasha was thinking of them, too, because he shook his head.

"He said he doesn't want Tessaiga anymore," he said, his voice softer, as if he wasn't sure what to make of all that. She guessed it was only right; his brother had changed in the centuries they hadn't seen each other, and Inuyasha was also no longer the same. They had to give themselves a chance to be a family... even if they wouldn't be as affectionate towards each other as she and Souta were.

"Good." Hiro looked relieved, which was what Kagome felt as well. Facing Sesshomaru had been one of the scariest things she'd done in her life. "Because we got a letter and if Kagome decides to accept, you two will be away for a while."

"What?" Kagome blinked. Her grandpa gestured to the cabinet that housed some books and decorative pottery; on one of the shelves laid a roll of paper with a white ribbon weighted down with a wax seal.

Kagome rose from her pillow and went to retrieve it. The ribbon was cut under the seal; she guessed her grandpa had read it earlier. She wasn't annoyed by it; the scroll was addressed to 'Higurashi,' so he might have thought it was for him from a weird friend or someone. It was written on nice paper, by a steady hand. The characters looked a bit different, but not enough to be illegible.

"It says..." she scanned the contents of a pretty short letter. "That their sanctuary was attacked and an item was stolen. They want me... us... to retrieve it."

She looked up from the scroll to her grandpa. He gave a small nod and took a sip of his tea. "It's from Mt. Azusa. A sanctuary in the youkai world."

Miroku perked up. "I’ve heard about it!"

"Yes, it's not too far from Lady Kaede's village." Sango glanced at the scroll. "A famous place of purity and safety."

Kagome turned to Inuyasha. “I know the way.”

“Do you think I'm ready to tackle this one?” she asked. She trusted his judgment; he'd worked with many priestesses in the past, so if there was someone who could discern whether or not she was ready, it was him. He shrugged.

“It ain't your first quest in there. And we will be with you,” he said. Kagome smiled at his reassurance; he sounded gruff, but she knew him well enough to see past that. His ears were perked up and his eyes had a gleam of curiosity. She guessed that he wanted to check it out.

"Alright," she decided, straightening her back. "We will go and see what we can do."

"If you wish, we can assist you," Sango immediately offered.

"I hoped you would say that," the miko grinned.

"I can't wait to see the sanctuary." Miroku rubbed his hands together. "I heard they have a lot of priceless artifacts."

Kagome grinned at the excitement that seemed to fill the air. Her grandpa rose to his feet.

"That's great," he said. "I will hold down the fort."

"We can set out tomorrow?" Kagome voiced it as a question. "I'll prepare some dishes for you, Grandpa, to eat when we're away."

"No snacking on my ramen." Inuyasha pointed a finger at the old man, who scowled at him.

"I will eat what I want," he said, and walked out of the room. Kagome shook her head. Her grandpa had been living on instant food for way too long.

"Tomorrow," Sango nodded, and rose as well. "I will prepare and will be waiting for you by the well at dawn."

"Ah, lovely Sango, let me go with you!" Miroku hurriedly followed the woman. Kagome almost stood up as well, excited and starting a mental list of things she had to take. But a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She looked back and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Inuyasha's face mere centimeters away from hers.

"Inu...?" she started.

“Quick! Before they come back!”

And, as she realized his intent, he moved closer and pressed his lips against hers in a soft kiss, so sweet and gentle. Immediately, she remembered the tree and the kiss that had been prevented by their friends. She smiled when he moved back after a minute. Somehow, whenever he kissed her, she felt as if the world spun, no matter how chaste the kiss was.

"We won't get much chance to do this with them around, huh?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No, and in the sanctuary I might not be allowed to accompany you. So, they have to go so they can protect you when I can't," he added, and squeezed her hand before letting go of it. "Go, pack. I'll make sure the old man calls someone to come over and check in on him when we're gone."

"Thanks," Kagome nodded, and went to her room to pack her big yellow backpack. It was just like him to make sure everything at the shrine went well. He'd started by doing things—fixing or replacing stuff when no one watched—but now he was helping out whenever he could. He pretended it wasn't anything special, but for her it was. Her friends were wonderful as well; they had offered to go with her on this quest. She couldn't wait to spend some time with them, travel across the hidden realm, and experience more of that amazing place.

It was going to be a wonderful adventure.

Inuyasha grumped as he adjusted the overstuffed backpack on his back. He glanced at the old man standing in the doorway of the kitchen, then walked out of the house in the drowsy dawn. Kagome rubbed her eyes and shook her head.

"Okay, you have the food in the fridge. Try to not overexert yourself," she said and drank the last of her tea before she put her cup in the sink. Her grandpa smiled.

"I used to live alone here, you know. Don't worry, it's just a few days," he soothed and waved a hand at her. "Go, child. Don't make the dog cranky."

"See you soon!" she giggled and ran out of the kitchen. As soon as she closed the coor, Hiro heard a crack from the sink. When he went to check it out he saw Kagome's cup cracked in two. It stood there, not yet falling apart, but Hiro could clearly see the web of tiny cracks across the porcelain. He looked worriedly towards the door.

Tagging

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lauedlp93 · 2 years

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Forest Spirit Ch 52: Blood Red Dawn

AO3

FFN

The forest spirit approached the place fro where the smoke rose up, circling a thicket of bamboo. Before they could see the fire, they heard screams f anger and fear, mixed with odd sounds Kagome had never heard before.

Inuyasha crouched down to let her slide off of his back when the farm came into view. It was not big - a house and a shed surrounded by fields and fruit trees. Here an there the lush green crops of herbs burned lazily, dark fragrant smoke climbing up to the barely risen sun. A barrel for water was discarded near a path of damp ashes that formed a circle in lush green of the field.

"Hurry!"

Men were visible running all over the fields, trampling the plants. But it took no time at all to see they weren't trying to put out the fire - no, they were trying to attack a youkai, who was among the flames. It was huge and dark, with long hands and haunches posture. Tattered rags covered his body and when he lifted his tapered head, Kagome realized that this youkai was responsible for the weird howl she'd heard earlier. The men around him had pitchforks and spears, a few had axes, but none dared to get in the range of those long, powerful hands. Kagome spotted two already fallen men a bit away from the fight.

"Kill him! Kill him before he gets to..." the screams were desperate and vicious at the same time. The youkai roared and charged at the men, who scattered, some brave ones trying to point their weapons at the beast ad hurt him. The youkai flailed his hands and sent one of the villagers flying and landing on a bush, breaking the fall that would have probably broken some of his bones.

"That's the healer Jinenji," Myouga said and when Kagome focused her senses she could notice that the raging creature was not entirely youkai. looked nothing like the shy, kind man the flea had described to them. His eyes glowed red and his youki swirled violent and wild.

"Inuyasha! We nee to help!" she turned her attention to the forest spirit, who watched the uneven battle with a dark scowl.

"Don't you dare harm him, miko!" cried out a raspy, angry voice.

"Oni-baaba!" Shippou clung to Kagome's shoulder when a woman emerged from the edge of the field,. She was covered in dirt and her clothing was torn and stained with blood down her left sleeve. She had a scarf wrapped around her head, making her old thin face look even sharper. Eyes full of stubborn will glared at Kagome, who Instinctively, Kagome took a step back. Inuyasha appeared in front of her, growling.

Over the forest spirit's shoulder Kagome saw the old woman's eyes widen for a moment before they narrowed.

"You found yourself a pretty one," she snorted in a tone Kagome didn't like.

"We aren't here to kill him," Kagome put her good hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "But we need to calm him down before someone gets badly hurt..."

"Ha! They deserve it for setting fire to our herbs!" the woman waved her right hand in the direction of the fields. She held a bunch of weeds in her crooked fingers. A scream of agony rose over the area when the healer grabbed one of the men with spears and dug his fingers in his stomach. The rest of the men, screaming urgently to reach other, launched a desperate attack to make him drop their kin. Some of the spears plowed long, bleeding wounds in the hanyou's back and shoulders, but he didn't lift his crimson eyes from where he was digging in the jerking, screaming human in his grip.

"It's his youkai time," Inuyasha said flatly. "He's not taking his revenge and you know it."

Kagome gasped, remembering the terrible bandit attack last winter, when under the full moon she had witnessed the forest spirit letting his youkai side control him to a scary extent. Thanks to Tessaiga at his hip he had been able to control and direct his rage, but only after mastering the sword in his fight against Sesshomaru he had been truly able to rein in his youkai blood during that night. Inuyasha never verbalized it, but Kagome knew that this was a source of pride for him and she was proud of him as well. Seeing the forest spirit grow and become a more confident, calmer man, made her happy.

"Can Tessaiga calm him down?" she cast a glance at the katana in Inuyasha's obi.

"Nah, it's my seal. If he has none we have limited options," he growled, watching the giant hanyou mindlessly chasing the men. There was a grim expression on his face and Kagome reached a hand to rub his shoulder knowing that inside he surely felt sorry for the other hanyou.

The old woman glanced that way too, before turning her thoughtful eyes at them.

"He has a seal, his father planted these for him. I couldn't get close enough to apply it," she said, lifting the weeds in her hand. "They set fire to these first and I had a hard time finding some not charred ones before the sun rose and he got..."

"Inu..." Kagome started pleadingly, but she was already too late. Inuyasha snatched the herbs out of the woman's hand, startling her enough to make her hastily back away, lose balance and fall on her behind. The forest spirit spared her no second thought, but ran straight at the raging hanyou.

Kagome watched him go and remembered how he had explained to her about the hanyou cycle of changes. Once in a set time a hanyou would experience a time of being completely human and a time when their youki rose dangerously. The older and the stronger a hanyou became, the harder it was to control the youkai blood until the day when the hanyou would lose all control and go insane. Some would regain consciousness afterwards to see themselves in the middle of a carnage, all their close ones dead by their hand. Some would be slain in that state, unaware of their wounds and pain, unaware of how much destruction they caused.

A handful of lucky ones had been provided by their youkai parents with seals that helped control the potent blood in their veins. For Inuyasha it was the sword forged from his father's fang - a formidable heirloom and a source of clarity during the full moon when his youkai blood rose.

But what it felt, what thoughts it made him to have to see another hanyou go rabid like this? Was he thinking how close he had been to the point of no return before? In the Sunset Village there were tales of old, painting the forest spirit as a creature that didn't hesitate to kill and who one wouldn't want to encounter on a full moon night.

The young healer thought about the other hanyou, screaming in mindless rage, stalking virtually helpless humans instead of trying to put out the fire in his fields. How he was going to feel once he gained clarity and saw the ruined plats and maimed men, the blood on his hands? Pity rose in her heart and Kagome had to blink away some tears from her eyes.

"Ah, a youkai!" the men noticed Inuyasha, the forest spirit leaping through smoke and fire, magnificent in his red robe and with white hair flowing behind him.

"Fuck off!" he barked and lifted a hand to shield himself from a spear thrust at him by one of the men. The weapon fell in pieces when he swiped at it in irritation, the man stumbling back in terror.

Then Inuyasha turned to face the other hanyou, catching his attention by jumping right in front of him and punching his in the nose.

"Ah!" the hanyou roared and made to grab Inuyasha, who danced out of his reach.

"If he hurts Jinenji, I'll grind your bones and make..." Kagome gasped and jumped when she heard the threat spoken next to her. While she'd been watching Inuyasha, the old woman approached her, eyeing her and Shippou cautiously.

"We came here to ask for help," Kagome shook her head. "And Inuyasha won;t harm hum, he's just trying to help..."

"Why don't you smell like a youkai?" asked Shippou, still pressed close to Kagome and digging his little caws in her clothing.

"I'm human, silly kitsune!" the woman scoffed. Kagome blinked a few times.

"Oh... Okay..." she uttered and felt Shippou relax a bit. If you say so..."

The old woman glared at them, but the next moment the voice of Myouga, coming from Shippou's shoulder, brought their attention to the fight.

"Master!"

The crazed hanyou managed to grab hold of Inuyasha's leg as he was flailing his long arm to hit the smaller opponent. With a curse, the forest spirit reached to claw at the hand holding him, but the other hanyou threw him with a roar. A wall of a shed broke Inuyasha's flight, while Inuyasha broke the wall itself. Kagome gasped in alarm, but the string of irate yells from the gaping hole and clouds of wood dust told her that her intended was pissed off. It seemed Inuyasha had enough of trying to tire the other hanyou out and didn't want to spend more time attempting to bring the weed to his nose.

When he emerged fro the shed, he had Tessaiga in hand, already transformed. Scowling and sneezing, the inu hanyou lifted his arm, glaring at the giant figure shuffling towards him.

"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome called out.

"Kaze no Kizu!"

The arch the sword made was slow, almost languid, as it swung downwards, bright yellow light streaking towards the lumbering hanyou, who didn't try to step away from the path of the attack despite the fact that t moved much slower than Kagome ha it ever seen move.

"Jinenji!" cried out the old woman, hurrying after Kagome, who ran towards the fight. The crazed hanyou didn't acknowledge the call of his name, nor did he try to shield himself as the Wind Scar hit him, erupting around him in bits of torn soil, clouds of ash and bits of scorched plants. In horror, Kagome saw the giant figure stumble back and then fall to the ground. The only sign that the hanyou was still alive was the youki, which subsides somewhat around him and started to heal the wounds caused by the attack. When she came closer she could also see the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Silence and stillness flooded the area for a long minute.

"It's down! Let's finish it off!" she gasped when she heard the villagers emerging from various places where they had hidden during the fight.

"No, don't!" she called breathlessly, hating the fact that her legs couldn't carry her fast enough to get in between the approaching crowd and the fallen hanyou.

A flash of red caught her attention. Inuyasha easily leaped in front of the half-breed he had defeated, Tessaiga laying over his shoulder. His sudden appearance and a wicked smirk made the humans hesitate and stop unsure of his objective. In the light of a new day rising, with clouds of smoke dispersing behind his back, he looked truly like a spirit of fierceness.

"The half-breed's life is mine!" Inuyasha declared. A hushed whisper went through the men, finally one of them stepped forward.

"And who exactly are you?"

Inuyasha didn't reply, instead he looked to where Kagome made her way through the wreckage, Shippou on her shoulder.

"Allow me to introduce the lord forest spirit of Inuyasha no Mori," the former miko blinked and looked to a spot near Inuyasha's bare foot, where on a bit of clear ground Myouga somehow materialized. "My lord has generously saved your life. You shall do well to heed my words and prepare an offering of fine cloth and pottery to honor his lordship and his lady who has moved the second son of Inu no Taisho to save your lives and the village."

Inuyasha scoffed and sheathe Tessaiga, before turning towards her. Shippou snickered on her shoulder while Kagome blinked at Myouga's words.

"Is he trying..." she started, but the kitsune patted her cheek.

"We can as well get something out of this," he said and leaped to the ground to inspect one of the piles of debris for anything worth his time. Kagome glanced to where the old mother knelt beside the head of her fallen son and touched his cheek with a worried look on her face. Inuyasha walked over to her and dropped the weeds he had taken from her onto his chest.

"I held back, but it will take a while before his youki heals him," he grumbled out. Meanwhile Kagome was biting her bottom lip and cradling her inured hand to her chest, because after Myouga had mentioned her the crowd had looked her way and she had heard more than one person whisper in shock 'a miko!'. Did they expect her to do something? Rein in Inuyasha or whatever? In theory she could, using the necklace around his neck, but she was not willing to do so. He was not in the wrong and she hated to use the beads in front of others.

"Kagome," she sighed, relaxing a bit when Inuyasha stood beside her. She smiled up at him, "You fine?

"Yeah," she nodded and glanced back to the humans. The hanyou looked towards them as well, scowling.

"Get lost, or I'll cut off your hands!" he barked. "And take your trash with you!"

The villagers ran off, a few braver ones carrying to the fallen men to pick them up and flee the wrath of a new youkai, this one more intimidating despite having a normal sized shape.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome gasped, when he pointed to the injure and dead scattered across the burnt fields. "We should treat the wounded ones, at least!"

"Keh, as if they de-"

The old woman moved almost too fast for her age. She raised a big piece of what looked like a fence beam and brought it down on Inuyasha's head, right between his ears. A part of the beam broke off of the rest and the hanyou flicked his ears in a motion that Kagome knew to be akin to a blink of surprise of a human. Then he turned towards the old lady, who was glaring daggers at him.

"What was that for, oni-baba?" he barked.

'You hurt my boy!' she spat right back. Kagome raised her hands in a placating gesture, but no one let her say anything. Luckily, it seemed her mediation was not necessary, because after the first strike the woman dropped her weapon and Inuyasha was not doing more than just scowl.

'Be thankful he's alive!' Inuyasha huffed and crossed his hands in front of himself. ''How long is his youkai time/'

The woman looked like she wanted to argue, but instead she looked up to the sun. 'Till sunset.'

'Damn,' the forest spirit glanced to Kagome. 'Let's see if there's more of that weed, eh?"

"The field here is ruined," the woman glanced to the trampled and burned plants around them. "But there is another field in the forest."

"Can you go get it, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked. She was so happy that they had the foresight to keep another field somewhere the villagers couldn't reach it easily. "I can stay here and see to the lady and the hanyou's injuries."

The aged woman turned to look at Kagome in poorly veiled surprise while Inuyasha walked to Kagome and looked at her from a small distance, as if pondering her suggestion and examining if she was okay to be left in the company of one violent woman and an unconscious hanyou.

"Shippou will be here with me," she added, pointing to where the boy was digging out something stuck under a pile of splintered wood. Inuyasha didn't look convinced much. "And I'll holler if anything bad happens."

"You better," the forest spirit treated her to one of his fierce scowls, but she was not fooled by it, nor by the rough words. There were concern and affection in his eyes and Kagome couldn't help but smile softly at him.

"We'll be fine," she assured him and laid her good hand against his chest so she old brace herself against him and rise on her toes to press a gentle kiss to his cheek. The hanyou blushed and his ears flicked cutely. Then, as soon as she was back on her whole feet, he bent down and brushed his lips against hers before dashing away.

"Brat!" he called as he passed the scavenging fox. "She gets hurt, you end up as a rug in Inari's shrine!"

"Yeah, yeah," Shippou stuffed something he'd just found in his mouth, then leaped on top of the rubble to glare at the forest spirit's back before he disappeared in the forest. "Stupid dog, as if I didn't know to protect Kagome."

"He's just concerned," Kagome shook her head and turned to the old woman. "Can you show me where you keep healing supplies, so I can tend to you and your son?"

"Eh?" the woman shrugged and turned towards the house. "Follow me."

The hanyou woke up well past noon. His woulds were already healed, thanks to the ointments Kagome used and to his own youki. With Shippou's help Kagome fashioned a mask from a spare shirt and put the herbs that Inuyasha brought in between layers of fabric before fastening the mask around the unconscious hanyou's head. His mother had a shallow cut on her shoulder that would take a while to heal, but with some care and rest she was going to be alright in time. Immediately after Kagome finishing her work on the wound, the old woman started to go through the contents of a pile that had been a few baskets of herbs next to the shed. When Kagome suggested she could help, the woman refused, so the girl went to help Inuyasha put out the fire still simmering here and there among the ruined plants and torn soil. This way they spent the morning and then sat down to wait for the hanyou healer to wake up. Myouga went missing, probably going to spy on the villagers, while Shippou busied himself with playing with a spinning top in the sunlight.

Kagome observed the stirring hanyou anxiously from where she sat next to Inuyasha, her back against the wall of the little hut. It was hard to tell what would be his reaction to all that had happened this morning. Inuyasha seemed tense as he stared in the direction of the village, one ear cocked to where the other hanyou was, obviously on edge.