#yougai

Inuyasha scoffed. "Yea. You and me both."

She stopped and stood to face him, the infant on her back, blissfully unaware of the tension from the situation, yet watching with observant eyes. "Look, this isn't easy for me. With you being so close all of the time. I-I don't even know what to think...or how to feel...or what to say half of the time."

He opened his mouth to say something, but she put up a hand. "I get it. He told you to watch over me or something, but I don't need you hovering over me all the time."

His silence was answer enough. There was something that the brothers had in common. "Just give me some space. You can visit from time to time to play with Setsuna, but that's it. Let's just let this go...Let me let you go."

His golden eyes softened, and he grimaced at her words. "Kagome...I…" He shook his head, trying to choose his words wisely. "I'm not good with words. I do care about ya, I just… I don't know...This shit isn't easy for me either. It fucks me up to feel...at ease knowing I don't have to worry about pissing you off or making you sad or any of that shit."

She didn't want to, but tears began to well up in her eyes. To hear that it was easier away from her was a blow she hadn't expected, but should have. She'd said the same thing, and here she was getting emotional to hear the words delivered out loud. Kagome quickly turned away so Inuyasha couldn't see her tears, though she suspected he could still smell the saltiness before she was able to wipe the evidence away with a swipe from her sleeve. If he sensed it, he said nothing.

Inuyasha threw his hands behind his head and walked several steps away. "I'll give ya your space. But just to clear things up. He did ask, but I wouldn't do it if I didn't care. His threats be damned."

He launched himself into the air towards the village. She smiled, and she brushed up against hope. Sesshomaru had tasked his brother with watching over her. Whatever his reasons, he cared enough to ask. Kagome had no way of knowing whether it was out of guilt or because he'd be back. She hoped for the latter.

Setsuna began to whine on her back. Kagome reached behind to soothe the baby. "Hush now. Are you hungry little one?"

The area had gone a little quiet after Inuyasha left, with only the occasional bird call. The wind picked up, blowing from the west and pushing Kagome's unbound hair into her face. The baby whined and squirmed more like something was unsettling her. With the village only a mile away, Kagome quickened her pace.

o - o - o - o - o

The outskirts of the town were devoid of activity. An unusual thing with it being mid-morning. Typically, villagers were busy running errands, doing chores, and carrying about with life. Something was amiss.

Kagome hurried to the center of the village where Sango and Miroku's house was located. The couple was usually in the loop with the happenings of the village. As she neared the house, Kagome could hear the murmurings of many people. Crowds of villagers could be seen with sorrowful looks upon their faces and whispering amongst one another.

She politely pushed past the villagers who made way for her and her child until she spotted Rin. The young woman looked particularly distraught and was being comforted by several village elders. Kagome approached, and the elders fell away, giving her sorrowful looks. One elder woman shook her head and patted Rin on the shoulder gently before moving off to rejoin the crowds.

The air had a tense feeling, and it was plain to see that something had happened. Rin looked up and smiled when she noticed that Kagome had drawn near. Tear marks tracked down her cheeks, and she was red and blotchy from crying. The small smile was forced but warmed her features in a way befitting only Rin.

Kagome's heart dropped, "Rin, what's happened?"

"I-it's Lady Kaede. She-she passed…" Rin gulped. She bit her bottom lip to keep it from quivering.

Kagome's hand covered her mouth. She grabbed the young girl into a hug, trying to provide comfort. "Where's Sango or Miroku?" Kagome asked after a moment. It was unusual for the pair to be absent after such a devastating ordeal. She looked around to see if she had missed her friends.

"Lord Miroku is with Kaede now, seeing to it that her spirit passes unharmed." Rin pulled away gently to wipe the tears away from her eyes after more had escaped. "Lady Sango is-is just beyond with the children," she pointed towards Kaede's hut.

"How? When?" Kagome asked. She knew it was a difficult time, and Kaede had been older and ailing, but it seemed odd that she would pass away so suddenly.

Rin looked at the ground; her brow drew in consternation. "It was but an hour ago, quite unexpected. I had left to go fetch more water for tea," she began, "and when I returned a few moments later, she was-was just...she was just gone." Rin sobbed behind her hands.

Kagome pulled her in again, wrapping her arms around the young woman. Rin stood there, her arms hanging lifelessly to her side and her head buried in the crook of Kagome's neck trying to take in racking breaths. The baby at Kagome's back also seemed to sense the distress of the woman and reached a small hand to Rin's head, entangling her tiny hands around strands of Rin's hair.

Rin gave a choked laugh and reached up to pull her hair from the small child's vice-like grasp. "Little Setsuna wishes for Rin to be comforted as well," she sniffed.

"Sorry, Rin. She's been awfully grabby lately," Kagome apologized.

She shook her head, "No, it is quite alright. How can I be upset with such a beautiful little Sesshy-face?"

"I'm going to go take a look. Will you be okay here?" Kagome asked. Something did not feel quite right here, and she felt the need to look into the matter further. If anything, she would be able to pay her last respects to the old miko who had taught her so much.

"Yes, Rin shall be fine. I can…" she wiped her face again with a sleeve trying to compose herself, "I can keep an eye on the pretty baby for you?" she offered.

Kagome looked from the nearly despondent woman back to her child, who now wore a mildly toothy grin. Her bottom teeth had erupted a week ago, with her top teeth coming in shortly after. Kagome chewed at her bottom lip and figured that there would not be any harm, and it may be what Rin needed to work through the loss. "Sure," Kagome said.

She pulled the baby from the carrier and removed it from her back, handing the baby over to Rin's waiting arms. Setsuna made babbling noises and kicked her limbs out happily once Rin smiled at her with her bubbly grin. "Hello little Suna, Rin is happy to see your precious smile."

After handing Rin the carrier, Kagome thanked her and made her way towards Kaede's home. It was within her line of sight, and many villagers had assembled outside to show respect for the recently departed. A wake and funeral ceremony would be planned soon, but the villagers had such great respect for the old miko that they came now to offer assistance in any way they could.

Many people expressed their sorrow in Kaede's passing as Kagome stepped among them. They knew that Kagome was Kaede's successor and would soon look to her for guidance in the matters that Kaede had left behind. The mantle that the old miko had left was a great one to fill, and Kagome had been shirking those duties as of late, for a good reason. Young Rin had taken up many of those duties in Kaede's stead, but she had not undergone the necessary training to be recognized as a miko.

Kagome took in a deep breath and entered the house. It was brighter than it had been in ages. Kaede was no longer there to complain of the light affecting her eyes. She found Miroku next to the older woman's body, whispering silent prayers. Incense burned on a table that had been decorated with lovely flowers and herbs from the garden outside, giving the small house an otherworldly feel.

Miroku looked up once she entered the house and gave a tight smile and nod. "Kagome. I fear we see each other again under less than auspicious circumstances."

"Rin said this was rather unexpected. I hadn't seen her myself in a few weeks." Kagome felt quite guilty. She'd been busy, or rather selfish, not visiting the ailing older woman. Rin had been her caretaker for the longest time, and Kagome had allowed herself to become disillusioned with her ever-growing miko duties and used that as a reason not to visit.

The monk grimaced. "Yes, but she was nearing her time."

Kagome nodded in understanding. She had outlived many and living to the age she had was nearly unheard of in this time. "If it's okay, I'd like to sit with her for a moment?"

"Of course." He finished his task and stood. "I will send in an acolyte to begin the nōkanshi later," he explained. Miroku gave Kagome a brief hug and departed through the door, leaving her alone with Kaede.

She knelt next to the body and did her best not to be overcome with grief. The woman had done so much for her and asked so little. Kagome fixed stray hairs on the woman's head and adjusted her miko's garb so that it lay perfectly straight. Kaede's crippled hands were placed overtop one another on her chest, and Kagome was happy that the older woman was now free of pain. She deserved that, and Kagome was delighted that her soul was free. Free to be reborn if that is what Kami wished for the woman. 'I only hope that we meet again if that is the case', she thought.

A young man stopped at the door and looked in. Kagome glanced over at him, realizing that this was the acolyte Miroku had mentioned. She looked down at Kaede's peaceful form one last time. "Thank you," she said aloud, hopefully for Kaede's spirit to hear.

Rising, something caught her eye. The small table that held the incense and arrangement of flowers also held something rather unusual. The colors of it almost allowed for the item to blend in with the bouquets, but it stood out due to its strange markings. There, upon the table, sat a sizeable brightly-colored feather. The idea of a dark blue feather as large as the one before her was perplexing. The color was reminiscent of a peacock's blue, but the feather had dark horizontal bands on it. She reached to touch the item, but someone cleared their throat, bringing her back.

Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha instead. He'd shoved the acolyte to the side; the young man looked flushed with anger to have been so unceremoniously moved aside. "So, the old hag finally kicked it."

She wanted to reach and throttle him, but despite his words, they had a tinge of sadness to them. "So it would seem," she responded.

Inuyasha walked up to examine the body, sniffing around. "Something's not right here."

o - o - o - o - o

He had decided to give Kagome space. She'd asked for it after all. As soon as he'd arrived in the village, he had smelled death.

Inuyasha first stopped by Miroku's only to find Sango there with all of her brats. Each one was excited to see him running to assault him as soon as they set their sights on him.

Sango had told him the despairing news that she'd only just learned a short time ago when someone came around to find Miroku. Inuyasha grimaced but shrugged. The old hag had been one of the good ones, and he was sorry to hear of her passing, but he wouldn't miss her nagging, though.

Sango peeled her young children from Inuyasha and urged him to see the old miko one last time.

Once he'd arrived, the smell of death threatened to overwhelm him. He was accustomed to the scent, but it had a more potent effect when it was someone you knew. The people that had arrived outside the hut had only recently begun to depart on their way, likely planning to return for the wake and funeral ceremony that would be held the next day. That was all well and good. Fewer people to stare at him. Even his continued presence in the village as a protector had not stopped the prejudice he faced as hanyo.

A Buddhist acolyte stood in the doorway of Kaede's house, blocking his path. He pushed the man out of the way, who rose to give a verbal lashing to whoever thought they could muscle by but decided against it once he saw Inuyasha growling at him.

Satisfied that the man was out of the way, another scent hit him, a familiar one. Kagome looked out to him with sad eyes. He couldn't remember what he'd said upon entering, but it pissed Kagome off even though she didn't once try to punish him. Maybe her grief was in the way of her better judgment.

As he moved closer, he could smell something pungent. It was more than the smell of death that accosted his senses. Something was not right, and he'd voiced his thoughts aloud. Kagome glared at him. "I would think so," she said.

"No, it's more than that," he retorted defensively. He could smell it, and it tickled the edge of his senses with its identity, but there was something else masking the smell so he couldn't quite put the finger on it.

His ears perked up, and he turned his head to a barely audible noise. A shrill scream could be heard from outside. It was perceptible enough to be heard by Kagome, whose eyes went wide, and she gasped, "Setsuna!"

She made to run out the door, but he was faster, beating her outside and sprinting to the scream. More screaming could be heard, and the loud dissonance of frightened villagers began to fill the air. Inuyasha could see villagers running away, grabbing at one another, and holding young ones to their chests as they fled. He jumped into the air and could see among the chaos, the still form of a woman's body could be seen. The woman's bright and ornate kimono instantly flagged her as Rin.

Another body could be seen standing over Rin's still form. He could tell that she was a woman from her feminine figure, though she wore dark clothes and had a hood over her head. The woman turned, flashing amber eyes up at him and in her arms was the smaller form of the child, Setsuna.

He snarled and landed a few feet away from the woman. "Put the kid down, bitch, and I might take it easy on ya!"

The baby seemed to be asleep in the woman's arms, which was an unusual feat, given the tenuousness of the situation. Rin still lay unconscious behind the woman. Inuyasha was reassured she was alive by the steady rise and fall of the girl's chest. The strange woman's head darted to Rin's body and back up at Inuyasha. She seemed to be weighing her options for escape.

Inuyasha could hear Kagome call from behind him. "No!" she screamed in abject terror once she was close enough to see her child in the arms of a robed stranger.

He paused, trying to figure out his own best course of action. He couldn't whip out Tessaiga. His mighty blade would do no good against a human. He would have to settle for his claws and his battle acumen.

The woman looked up to the sky, and Inuyasha could not help but follow her gaze. A shadow could be seen circling above, a black dot in the sky that was getting bigger and bigger with each passing second. He could smell it as it drew closer, a yokai unlike any he'd ever seen before. It resembled a large bird as it swooped down with large, deadly talons at the ready.

He did pull out Tessaiga now and sliced the blade through the air to slay the beast, but the wind scar did not connect. The bird quickly shot past and rose back up into a wind current and safely out of harm's way. He raised the blade to strike again, only to be stopped by the scream of Kagome. "NO! Stop her! Don't let her take the baby! Please, Inuyasha!" she pleaded at the top of her lungs.

His momentary distraction had allowed the woman to begin her escape with the child. Inuyasha quickly darted after the woman. She was slow, her movements deliberate. It would not take long for him to catch up, and he was able to do just that within a matter of seconds. He grabbed the woman by the shoulders and yanked her back. The woman grunted and tried to pull herself free. She was remarkably strong for a human.

Inuyasha held her firmly in place but felt the blossoming of pain in his middle. The woman had landed a kick to his center, sending him flying several feet away. He grunted in surprise rather than pain. What the actual fuck?

He quickly recovered and launched himself at the woman. She was quickly apprehended a second time, and he took the opportunity to snatch her hood away from her head, exposing long silver tresses that spilled out down her back.

Inuyasha could not believe his eyes. Upon her head were ears just like his own. He stood, mouth agape, looking at another inuhanyo. She used his surprise to her advantage, ripping away from his grip and attempting to run again.

He jumped in front of her, and they stood, regarding one another silently. "Who the fuck are you?" he asked. Inuyasha shook his head. It didn't matter. The bitch had Kagome's baby still in her arms. She did not answer him, only giving him a defiant stare. He stepped towards her, and she flinched back.

Her reaction nearly caused him to stop, but his lips turned into a hard line, and he issued a quick, hard blow to her jaw. The impact caused her to crumble, where she stood, and he quickly collected the sleeping baby before she hit the ground.

Inuyasha let out a breath of relief. That could have gone another way. He stood over the unconscious body of the hanyo and looked upon her. Where had she come from? Why couldn't he sense her? He'd mistaken her for a mortal, which she clearly was not.

He held the baby in one hand and grabbed the woman, throwing her over his shoulder. It would be best to take her back for questioning. They would need to know what she was about.

He jumped into the air to quickly return to Kagome. The hanyo woman had led him nearly a mile away in her attempt to escape. When he closed in on where he had left Kagome, he saw Rin still prone on the ground. Kagome was lying on the ground several feet away.

Inuyasha's heart began to beat out of his chest, his ire rising. He threw the unconscious woman's body to the ground and almost ran over to Kagome until he felt movement in his arms. The child was rousing.

A sudden wind picked up and pushed him back a few yards. He planted his feet and bent his knees, raising a free hand to block the dust from his face. Once the wind settled, he saw the massive form of the yokai bird land next to Kagome. Its dark brown feathers ruffled as it shook itself out. It looked at Inuyasha and clacked its beak in amusement.

"Don't you fucking do it!" Inuyasha yelled despite himself. The bird used a large mottled-yellow talon to pull something from Kagome's neck, a giant feather. He could even see from where he stood, her eyes open and staring up at the sky unblinking and unmoving. His first inclination was a heart-dropping imagining that she had died a second and final death, but upon further inspection, he could still hear the slow beat of her heart.

The yokai bird then perched over her, clawing at her body with those razor-sharp talons. "Touch her again, and you fucking die," Inuyasha challenged. He pulled Tessaiga free again, preparing to aim it at the bird.

The yokai chuckled with a hissing sound. "Hanyo scum," he chuckled. It gripped her clothing and spread its mighty wings. It crouched low over her body and launched up into the sky with only a flap of those wings taking her with him. Inuyasha could hear the words called down to him, "As if you could catch me."

He watched helplessly as the bird rose higher and higher into the sky, becoming impossible to follow, especially burdened with the nearly helpless child in his arms. "Fuck!" he yelled aloud.

Too late, Miroku and Sango came running to his aide. Miroku stopped at his side, looking up in the direction that his friend was. "What was that?"

Sango stopped by Rin, crouching down to assess the young woman. "Kami, help us. What has happened?!" She reached to check on Rin's vitals. "Thank the stars she is alive."

Inuyasha did not look away from the dot, disappearing into the sky. "They took her," he explained, but that was all he knew.

"What? Who took who?" Miroku questioned.

"Kagome…" he replied, looking down at the baby who looked back up at him. Sango held Rin by the shoulders and eyed Inuyasha. He could feel her eyes on him as if judging him.

As if reading his thoughts, she said, "It's not your fault, Inuyasha. Kagome would have wanted you to save the baby over her. Any mother would."

"Kami, will you look at his?" Miroku exclaimed. He'd finally noticed the body of the hanyo woman and ran over to take a better look.

Inuyasha walked past Miroku and grabbed the woman's body, and placed her over his shoulder once again. "Let's get this one back to your place for some questioning."

Miroku and Sango exchanged looks and worked together to load Rin into Miroku's arms and follow Inuyasha back to their house.

o - o - o - o - o

Once inside the house, Sango banished her children to another room, tasking her oldest with keeping the younger siblings contained until further notice. They left Rin in their care as well, telling the brood to tend to her should she wake, but otherwise, do not disturb her.

Inuyasha dropped the hanyo woman to the floor of the house, much like before in a careless fashion.

Sango gave him a disgruntled look. "Is it necessary to be so harsh?"

"Who's fucking side are you on, woman?" he snapped. He placed the baby in her arms, and she rocked the baby, who was beginning to fidget and squirm.

"Calm down, Inuyasha! Harassing the woman won't answer any questions," Miroku attempted to reassure his friend.

Inuyasha snarled and grabbed the woman by the shoulders, shaking her in an attempt to wake her. Her head lolled to the side, and he brought back a hand to issue a slap to her face.

The blow stung his hand and must have done its work because her eyes began to flutter open. When they had fully opened, and she was able to register her location, her eyes widened even further, and she made a breathy gasp. She tried pushing herself back, but Inuyasha held her robes tightly in one hand. "Yer not going anywhere."

The woman looked around the room frantically, only seeing that she was in an unfamiliar location and surrounded by strange people who likely wished harm upon her. Inuyasha was contemplating all of the ways he could harm her. "Why did you try to make off with the baby, eh? Talk!" he barked.

She only stared in silence, and that angered Inuyasha. Maybe she couldn't understand him, or perhaps she had been sworn to silence. Neither would get him the answers he needed.

He thrust her away from him, satisfied to know that she could not easily escape.

"She's like you," Sango noted.

Inuyasha shot her a glare. "She's nothing like me."

"There's something off about all of this," Miroku observed. "It seems fairly obvious that this one here is not a trained assassin."

"No, shit. She couldn't even escape properly. It's like she didn't know how to do what she was doing," Inuyasha added. "Pathetic."

"She was a distraction," Miroku said. He circled the woman who sat looking at the ground now. "Either they were trying to take both the child and Kagome, or someone knew to use the child to draw our attention away from their true quarry. I'd bet on the latter."

"Well, this silent bitch knows something. We just need to get her to spill it." Inuyasha crossed his arms and glared at her, but her downcast eyes did not catch the look.

Miroku knelt in front of the woman. "Why did you come? Who are you?" he asked almost gently.

The woman did not respond. Nor did she respond to any of the other questions asked of her, no matter how they were worded, or what threats were laid out.

"Fuck this. This is getting nowhere. I can make her talk," Inuyasha threatened. He cracked his knuckles menacingly.

Miroku grabbed Inuyasha by the shoulder, "No, friend. That is not the way."

Inuyasha, annoyed, pulled from his friend's grasp. He began to pace. "At this rate, Kagome could be dead. We need to hurry and figure this shit out."

Sango passed the baby over to her husband before kneeling in front of the woman. "You don't look evil," she began, "but I know that looks can be deceiving."

The woman would not look at anyone, her eyes glued to the ground. Sango took a hand and lifted the woman's chin, which caused her eyes to lift nervously. Sango could be harsh and had a quick temper, but years of motherhood had also given her a measure of patience needed to deal with challenging scenarios. "What's your name?"

After a moment of silence, Sango sighed. "Okay, well, until you tell us otherwise, we will just call you Shizuka. It seems fitting. Will that be okay?"

She looked up at Sango with confusion in her eyes and gave the barest of perceptible nods. Sango lit up, "Ha! See? A little honey works better than vinegar any time you dopes."

Inuyasha scowled, "She's the enemy Sango. Who cares how the fuck she feels?"

Sango gave him a level stare. "I don't think she is the true enemy. Plus, have you never heard the saying, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'?"

"What? I don't fucking think that applies here!" This was becoming outrageous.

She ignored him and looked back at Shizuka. "Can you tell us - tell me -why you tried to take the baby?"

The hanyo woman's brows drew together, and she looked distressed and afraid. She shook her head vehemently and looked down again.

Sango urged on, "Please, help us?"

Inuyasha felt desperate, he fell to his knees beside the woman, and her eyes widened in fear. Seeing a fear response from someone who seemed to be quite feeble made him feel...guilty. "Where is Kagome? The woman?"

Shizuka raised a trembling hand to her throat, making an 'X' motion and then pointing to her mouth, shaking her head.

It dawned on them all, "You cannot speak?" Inuyasha asked in a measured voice. He almost felt bad. Almost. This woman had tried to make off with the baby to who knows where for who knows what reason, though none of those reasons were likely to be good ones.

"The perfect way to ensure your secrets are not leaked," Miroku said. "I'm surprised that whoever sent her allowed her to be left behind. They may return for her, whether to retrieve her or ensure she does not share intel remains to be seen."

Sango stood up and approached her husband. "Let's go over what we do know and formulate a plan from there."

"Okay, first, we can assume that Kagome is alive. They would have left her body had it been an assassination attempt."

"Unless whoever wanted her dead required a corpse as proof."

"Seriously, Sango? Isn't she, your friend?"

"I'm merely stating facts. You can help by sharing what you know."

"Keh, fine. She was alive. I could hear her heartbeat."

"Then whatever knocked her out was used on Rin as well."

"Probably."

"Poison? Some sort of paralyzing agent sounds likely? There's no way Kagome would have been taken while she was conscious."

"And, there was a bird yokai?"

"Nothing like I've ever seen before. It didn't look like it was from here. Oh, and it plucked a feather from her neck."

"A Yaoguai," Sango stated with certainty.

"You mean yokai?" Miroku asked for clarification.

"No. Yaoguai. That is a demon from the mainland. The mainland is rife with demons we have never seen, but I am well versed in demons from many foreign lands. From what you describe, it is called a Zhennaio. They are deadly assassins who feast of venomous snakes and use that same venom to coat their feathers in. They are stealthy, agile, and versatile."

"If it's from the mainland, would that also mean it is going back to the mainland? And taking Kagome back with it?" Inuyasha asked.

"I would seem like a fair assumption." Miroku nodded.

"We-we must warn Sesshomaru," Sango urged nervously.

Inuyasha growled at the suggestion. "Fuck him. I told you he ran off. He doesn't care."

"Whoever took Kagome likely did so because of him."

"That ain't no lie, but it's a waste of our time to try and appeal to his better nature. We're better off trying to do this on our own." It crossed Inuyasha's mind that his brother had promised to kill him if anything happened to Kagome. It wouldn't be long before he came to uphold his end of the bargain.

"Inuyasha, we know nothing of the situation aside from the fact that she was taken and to where. The mainland is vast in comparison to our home. It would take years to travel and search blindly. We need to take this to Sesshomaru. At the very least, he can point us in the right direction or even give us information if he isn't inclined to help."

"I have a better idea," he looked over to the woman who had schooled her features into a blank stare, "Let's use her. She can lead us there."

"You idiot. She may have shared a tiny piece of information, but she is likely loyal to whoever sent her. An apprentice near a temple will recite the scriptures untaught," Miroku lectured.

They all looked at the inuhanyo woman. Inuyasha turned his head. "No, I have an idea. Hear me out."