Cursed

CHAPTER 15


Namichi surveyed the humans with a slightly amused twist of her mouth. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The human girl called Kagome gave her an earnest expression. “That’s really what happened. Ranma was trying to find some way to control his demon side and now they’re both gone.”

This was an interesting situation. Restless, Namichi got to her feet and stalked around the campfire. Akane watched the demoness nervously. She seemed to be a coiled spring, waiting for the right time to snap. The other two male demons sat placidly ignoring them, but Akane could tell from the slightly tense expressions on their faces that they really didn’t like being this close to humans. It was Namichi that seemed to be the one in charge, she carried herself like she was very experienced in leading others into battle. Which, Akane reflected, she probably was. The demoness turned suddenly, her long thick braid of reddish brown hair slapping against the stiff black leather of her armor. “So,” she drawled. “You fools actually came all this way to find someone you’d never met before and ask them for help? How could you even think of trusting her?”

“Despera, ho, hope,” Miroku said mildly. The short youkai glanced at him. “Desperation is not something I’d trust my life to,” she said dryly. “You should have been more suspicious. I’d never trust something that offered me help in return for nothing.”

“Ranma is like that,” Akane said quietly. “He doesn’t betray people so he’d never expect to be betrayed.”

Namichi snorted. “The is is a fool.” She circled the group again, moving much like a wild creature stalking her prey. “Tell me more about this old woman. Curious how I, who know this territory better than anyone except perhaps Sesshomaru-sama or Jano, have never even heard of her.”

“She was gone when I tried to return,” Sango said stiffly. “Kirara and I couldn’t find the cave or any trace of her habitation.”

The demoness gave her an arch look, putting her hands on her hips. “Pretty puny tracking skills in my opinion. Just what I’d expect from a pack of nose-blind human wenches and a monk.”

Sango glared at her. “There’s nothing wrong with my tracking skills or Kirara’s nose. She was gone, don’t you get that? We were set up, it had to be.”

Namichi smirked at the tone of Sango’s voice. “No need to be so offended, exterminator,” she said, sneering the word like an insult. “I’m sure you did the best you could, but you don’t have the blood to really track. An inuyoukai, if that’s what Ranma truly is, and a hanyou should leave some kind of trail. Why didn’t you just follow it?”

The exterminator flushed. “It disappeared, we were able to track them into the forest and then they just vanished. If you think that you can do better, don’t let me stop you.”

“As if you could,” Namichi said, her voice thick with contempt. Her eyes flicked back to Kagome. “So, the lord’s little half-breed brother is in the area. How very interesting.”

This time it was Kagome’s face that grew an angry red. “Are you always so insulting? You wanted to know what we were doing here and how we know Sesshomaru-sama. That’s the story.”

“And now you’re stuck here, abandoned and defenseless. That makes you my problem.”

“We are not defenseless,” Akane shot back, gripping her knees so tightly that her fingers seemed bloodless. “We’ll find Ranma and Inuyasha wherever they are, we won’t give up on them.”

Namichi’s eyes glittered dangerously. “You’ll do what I tell you, human bitch. Right now I’m trying to decide on the best course of action for my lord’s interests.” She tossed her head and looked over at her two companions. “Kaho, what is your opinion now that you’ve heard theatheathetic story?”

Kaho didn’t hesitate. “Escort them to the border as we planned. If the demon and the hanyou show themselves, we’ll deal with them at the time.”

Namichi nodded, smiling thoughtfully at the angry looks the humans shot her. “And you, Hiroshi?”

He shrugged. “I think we should take them back with us. Sesshomaru-sama will want to question them personally.” He glanced over at Kagome and Akane, distrust or dislike evident in his eyes. “If they’re lying, he’ll find out.”

Miroku and Sango exchanged covert looks. No way were they going to go peacefully into Sesshomaru’s hands. They all knew exactly what kind of demon Inuyasha’s brother was and it hardly seemed likely he’d offer to help. He’d nearly murdered Ranma on sight and neither savored the idea of him using them against Inuyasha. Quietly, without drawing attention to himself, Miroku started to loosen the beads that bound his hand. He didn’t want to use the wind tunnel to kill, but it might be the only way for them to get free from this trio of warlike demons.

Namichi snapped her fingers, a happy smile breaking across her face. It was startling and immediately made her look much more approachable. “I have decided,” she grinned.

“Wonderful,” Sango muttered. Namichi laughed sharply. “Kaho, Hiroshi, your suggestions both have merit, but I’m curious myself. I want to know what really happened to those missing fools. I want to know what game this Asariko was plotting and for what purpose. We’ll take the humans with us and we’ll track Ranma and Inuyasha ourselves. When we find them, we’ll decide then what to do about it.”

“Sesshomaru-sama won’t like it,” Kaho muttered.

Her smile widened, making her look like a mischievous child. “You just leave that detail to me. I’ve known him a long time and he trusts my judgment, and my loyalty, implicitly.”

Hiroshi gave a sharp bark of a laugh. “It’s just your personality that gets on his nerves.” The demoness glowered at him. “Don’t be such a pup, Hiroshi. You should be thanking your favorable stars that I even included you when I set out on this patrol.”

He sighed and dropped his eyes. “Yes, Namichi.”

A few hours later, they were walking through the forest. Sango led them to the point where Kirara had felt Ranma’s scent disappear. “This is as far as I got,” she said, looking worriedly back at Kagome. “Kirara scented them both until here. Then they just vanished.”

“Impossible,” Namichi muttered, examining the area. She caught a faint whiff of inuyoukai, but after that there was no sign. However, she felt no need to share her observations with the humans. “I suppose we can camp here tonight. It’s almost full dark.”

“You don’t smell anything, do you?” Sango said accusingly. Namichi looked at her with a placid smile. “You humans need to rest. We can pick up their trail in the morning. What I do smell, exterminator, is that something or someone must have masked their scent at this point. They weren’t careful about it before that. Even a human and a neko-youkai could follow the trail when it was that plain and open.”

Sango grit her teeth. This demoness had a very annoying and condescending nature. She felt herself actively starting to dislike Namichi, despite the fact that she was trying to help them find Ranma and Inuyasha. “I hope we find them soon,” she murmured to Kagome.

The girl nodded vigorously. “I think we should rest while we can,” she said softly. “I don’t think Namichi will give us much opportunity tomorrow.” She stroked Shippo’s hair. “Shippo, is something wrong? You’ve hardly said a word and that’s not like you.”

The fox demon had been staring at Namichi since he’d first seen her, sensing something familiar. Now he jumped from Kagome’s arms to the ground and hesitantly approached the demoness. She glanced down at him and smiled faintly. “Something on your mind, little fox?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said softly. “I don’t want to be rude, but…are you part kitsune?”

Kaho smothered a snicker and earned a dark look from his commander. Namichi’s face softened slightly. “You have a good nose, little one. I am half-kitsune, but not many can tell that.”

“I’ve never met a half-kitsune dog demon before,” he said shyly. Namichi’s smiled gently and actually showed a softer side to the acerbic demoness. “Nor will you probably again. It’s not a common match by any means.”

Kagome found herself interested in the story. “Shippo’s parents were killed some time ago, I’ve never even seen another kitsune since we met him.”

Namichi knelt down to ruffle the fox’s hair. “My father was a soldier in the service of the previous lord of these lands. He died in battle and left my mother alone with me. As a kitsune, she didn’t feel comfortable staying with inuyoukai although the Daimyo offered her a place. She wasn’t much more comfortable with me, as I got older it was obvious I was taking after my father more than her and she sent me to live with Inutaisho-sama. I’ve never regretted her decision.”

“You knew Inutaisho-sama?” Kagome breathed, her eyes wide. Namichi raised an eyebrow. “Of course I knew him. I grew up with Sesshomaru-sama, he’s actually my cousin somewhere down the line.”

Fascinated, Kagome went to sit next to the demoness, earning a somewhat startled look from the demoness. “Since I met Inuyasha, I’ve always been curious about his father. What was he like?”

Namichi hesitated, feeling somewhat unwilling to share personal details with a mere human. “He was tough,” she said quietly. “Tough, but fair. Very strict with his son, but easier on the rest of us. He was unlike anyone else I’ve ever known. Very intimidating sometimes, but that was what he was.” She reached back and slipped her katana from its sheath. “He gave me this blade when Sessh chose me for his personal bodyguard. I’ve always carried it with pride.”

Kagome leaned her chin on her knees. “Wow, that doesn’t sound at all like what Inuyasha said. He doesn’t know anything about him, just the rumors and stories that said he was a great warlord and killed hundreds of people in battle.”

“That’s true also,” Namichi said mildly. “He could be very bloodthirsty and ruthless, especially when he was angry. I know, I fought in battles with him and he was truly terrifying when he was in a battle-rage.” She slipped her blade back in its sheath and smiled, again looking more like a young girl than a soldier. “Inuho-sho-sama was different when he was at home and not fighting a battle or leading his armies. I grew up worshipping him and to a certain extent, I still do. Does that answer your questions?”

“I suppose so,” Kagome said, sensing that the demoness’ talkative moment was at an end. Across from her, she noticed Kaho stop and suddenly stiffen. “Namichi,” he said in a warning voice.

Namichi was on her feet in a fluid movement and had her sword drawn. “I smell it too,” she barked. “We’ve got company.” She turned, scenting the wind as her two companions fell in beside her, automatically taking a stance to protect the humans. That didn’t stop Sango and Miroku from preparing themselves also.

Namichi’s eyes were wide, searching the gathering darkness. Something was out there, but the scent was so strange and so muddy she couldn’t identify the source. “Show yourselves,” she shouted, brandishing her katana aggressively.

A blast of youki took them all by surprise, sending humans and demons alike to their knees from its force. An icy wind came from nowhere and dampened their recently lit campfire. Akane clutched her arms around her, trying to stand up against the fierce gale. Dust was blowing around them in clouds and she winced as it scratched into her skin. She staggered over to Kagome and held onto the girl in an effort to keep both of them on their feet. “What’s happening?” she shouted.

Kagome held onto Akane desperately. “I don’t know!” She dug her fingers into Shippo’s tail to keep the small fox from being blown away. She could barely see from the dust and wind, but in her heart she felt a sensation of angry menace coming closer.

Namichi growled angrily and gripped her blade tight. “Nice trick,” she shouted. “Show yourselves and fight!” She turned just as another massive blast of concentrated energy hit the ground and blew a crater in the earth. She saw the humans fall to the ground and whipped her head back just as Kaho’s head was suddenly liberated from his body. “Kaho!” she shouted, disbelieving what she’d seen. Namichi grabbed onto Hiroshi’s arm and dragged him back as another shockwave shook the ground under their feet. “Protect the humans,” she snarled. He ran back and stood in front of Akane and Kagome, Sango and Miroku were getting to their feet, their faces tense. “Stay behind me,” he ordered. “I will protect you.”

“How?” a soft voice said, barely audible over the wind that had torn apart the trees. Hiroshi didn’t hesitate, he whirled and attacked the figure, sending Akane and Kagome crashing to the ground as he plowed past them. He didn’t mean to do it, but his swing went wide and cracked both girls hard with the flat of his blade. Kagome whimpered and tried to protect Akane, covering the unconscious girl with her own body. “Bastard,” Hiroshi shouted, his eyes angry.

The dark figure flickered for a moment and then was on top of him, clawed fingers reaching for Hiroshi. The stranger laughed as he sent a pulse of wicked energy into the young demon’s throat. Hiroshi stood immobile for a moment, his sword hanging slack in his grip, unaware that the flesh of his neck was dissolving and pouring down his chest. He didn’t even feel pain, he died so quickly, crumbling finally when the other demon let him go.

“Ranma!” Miroku gasped. Sango put her hand out to steady herself and faced him. “Ranma, what are you doing?” He grinned and took a step closer to her. “What do you think I’m doing?” he said, just as he viciously backhanded the exterminator and slammed her to the ground. Namichi gave an inarticulate shout and charged him, intent on carving him to the ground with her blade. Miroku was a second faster than her, being considerably closer and raised his staff to belt Ranma across the head. Ranma just held up his hand and a bright flash blinded them all, Kagome couldn’t see anything, but Ranma’s laugh was cold and evil in her ears. “What’s happening?” she whispered, holding tight to Akane.

Namichi blinked rapidly to clear her eyes, trying to focus on her opponent. She heard the ring of sword being drawn. “Over here, bitch,” a gruff voice hissed.

She spun around and saw a huge blade coming her way and threw herself to the side. “Don’t you want to play with me?” he said coldly. She stared, almost forgetting to hold onto her blade. The young man in front of her fixed her with a malice filled gaze. Namichi’s eyes were captured by the shining blade that loomed over her. “I know that sword,” she whispered.

Ranma stepped over Miroku, smirking. The monk was laying on his back, still half blinded by the flash and reached for the rosary beads to that would unseal his wind tunnel. Ranma kicked him viciously in the head, knocking him cold. “Stupid human, I was warned about that little hole in your hand.” He glanced over at Namichi and Inuyasha, still facing off against each other. “Aren’t you done with her yet, brother?” he asked in a sardonic tone.

“Not even close,” the hanyou spat. He was going to cut this bitch into tiny pieces. She was half scared shitless anyway, her wrists gone limp as she tried to hold up her blade. “Come on, cunt,” he said viciously. “Don’t you want to dance?”

Namichi hadn’t been scared like this in years. His resemblance to his father at the moment was truly frightening and she knew about what the Tetsusaiga could do when unled. ed. Her mouth opened and closed, but she couldn’t find the words and she trembled like she’d never been in a fight before. Inuyasha grunted in disgust and brought the sword around in a sharp sweep. Namichi stared, half of her blade was gone. The next blow took it out of her hands and she fell to her knees, fully expecting the next strike to take her head from her shoulders. “You’re a disappointment,” he said sourly, raising the massive blade for a killing blow.

“Inuyasha!” A girl’s voice shouted desperately and distracted him. The hanyou scowled at the dark haired girl who was trying to get to her feet. She staggered towards him, her hands outstretched and he scowled in surprise. “Stop it, please don’t kill her,” she begged. She hardly recognized him, but he turned away from Namichi and stared at her hard. “Ranma?” he said in a questioning tone.

Ranma nodded slowly, coming up to stand next to his demon brother. “I think so, that’s the one he described anyway. You take care of it.” Kagome stood still in horror as Ranma casually raised his hand and sent another pulse of energy directly at Namichi. She put her hands to her mouth and couldn’t look away as the demoness was blown apart, her body dissolving under Ranma’s corrosive youki. “Naraku said don’t kill the humans, but I swear these demons weren’t hardly worth the effort either. What a joke.”

Inuyasha grinned unpleasantly. “I think we should kill the humans anyway, fuck Naraku.”

Kagome suddenly found it hard to breathe. “Inuyasha, what’s wrong with you?”

“Shut up, you fucking bitch!” he snarled angrily. He slipped his sword back into its sheath. “We done here or what?” the hanyou snapped in irritation. Ranma nodded, looking at Kagome with interest. “I think so, let’s go.”

Inuyasha turned around and slammed his fist into Kagome’s face, knocking the girl off her feet and instantly unconscious. He reached down and grabbed her roughly, throwing her over his shoulder with a careless disregard. “You got any idea what he wants with this one?”

Ranma shrugged. “Nope. Unlucky for her though, I’m sure it won’t be pleasant.” He snickered suddenly, overcome with evil mirth. “Not pleasant for her anyway, whatever it is, it might be fun to watch.”

*****

Kagome opened her eyes and sat up, muffling the cry that wanted to burst from her throat. She looked around at her surroundings and dread filled her. “It wasn’t a nightmare,” she whispered.

She was in a small, dingy room, plain and bare. The pallet she was sitting on was dusty and Kagome’s nose wrinkled in revulsion as she got up. The only other furnishing in the room was a rough wooden table and Kagome’s stomach turned when she noticed the gouges and stains on its surface. She rubbed her arms briskly, more to try and dispel her nervousness than because of the chill in the room. She went to the single, narrow window and tried to peer outside. All she could see was an uninviting, rocky mountainside, no wildflowers or even grass was growing in the barren soil.

Kagome brushed her hair out her eyes and winced, her face was bruised and when she looked at her fingers, they were crusted with dried blood from her lips. He had hit her very hard, she didn’t understand why. She could remember the way that Ranma had been laughing when he’d killed Namichi, her body tearing apart and burning into dust. What the hell had happened to him?

She jumped when the sound of a door sliding open startled her. Kagome’s heart turned over and thudded weakly in her throat at the sight of him. Inuyasha. He looked so different. She’d never realized how much she’d come to identify his red firerat fur haori as part of him. Dressed now in flowing black silk embroidered with golden spiders, he was barely recognizable. His hair had been pulled back in a severe topknot, no longer cascading freely down his back. It made him look older somehow, and far more menacing. But it was his eyes that stopped her heart. She’d never known he could look so cold, so unreachable. He stared at her like she was an insect he considered barely worth killing. There was no recognition in his expression, no humanity left in those cold golden eyes.

Kagome swallowed hard, becoming conscious of the dirt on her face and the dust on her torn school fuku. Whatever Naraku had done to him she had to believe it could be undone. If anyone could reach the dark place he’d gone it would be her. She raised her chin, straightened her shoulders. She would take him back and that meant not letting her fear take hold of her. “Hello Inuyasha.”

He tilted his head to the side, the long sweep of his hair falling over his shoulder. “Why do you say my name like that? Like you know me?”

Kagome forced herself to smile at him. “I do know you, we’ve known each other for some time now. I’m Kagome, don’t you remember me at all?”

“No.” Inuyasha drew closer, his eyes flicking over her body with a faint disdain. “I don’t know you at all, your face means nothing to me.”

Oh god, she thought. This is really bad. But she had to try. “Don’t you remember anything at all? Don’t you know who you are?” A ghost of a smile passed over his face. “I know all I need to know. I know how to kill.”

Kagome felt her smile falter and freeze on her lips. “Kill? Is that all you do now? The Inuyasha I knew didn’t kill without need
Hi
His expression remained remote. “Then you don’t know me, whatever you think I am, I am something different now.” Kagome felt a cold trickle of sweat slip down her back. “I refuse to believe you could change that much. Naraku did this to you, you’ve got to fight it, Inuyasha. Fight to remember who you really are!”

“Who I really am,” he said in a bemused voice. “I like what I am. I like what I’ve done. I enjoy killing things, it’s fun. Who are you to tell me it’s wrong?”

His calm manner unnerved her. Where was the Inuyasha who screamed and cursed? What did Naraku have to gain from this? “I’m telling you the truth,” she said slowly. His eyes glittered at her, making her even more unsettled. “You don’t want hurt people. You don’t want to serve Naraku.”

He looked puzzled. “What makes you think I serve him? You say you know me, but I don’t know you, human. I am exactly what you see, a demon. You should be afraid.” Her heart fell and Kagome groaned inwardly. How could she reach him when he was so closed to her? Boldly, she moved closer to him. “I’m not afraid. If you don’t remember me then there’s got to be something blocking those memories. I won’t give up so easily. What do you know about yourself? What has Naraku told you about me?”

Inuyasha folded his arms and regarded her with a mild expression. “Nothing much.” A flicker crossed the half-demon’s face and he sniffed the air warily. Kagome stared at him, wondering what was going through his mind. “You know, you smell kinda nice, almost familiar.”

Hopeful, she took another step toward him. “I should smell familiar, we’ve been friends for a long time.” He sniffed again and reached out slowly to touch her hair. “Your scent is familiar, I don’t understand why.”

Kagome stood perfectly still while Inuyasha leaned closer, his nose twitching. His hands reached out to cup her shoulders, pulling her against his hard muscular body. Her heart was beating rapidly as he pressed against her, nuzzling her hair. Her eyes got wide when she felt his breath hot on her neck. He was much too close now.

“I like your scent,” he breathed softly. “You smell good.” She jumped when he suddenly dipped his face to her neck and ran his tongue from the hollow of her throat up to her jawline. “You taste good, too.”

Her hands flew up in surprise, pushing him away. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” He growled lightly, holding her firmly against him. “Uh, Inuyasha?”

“Shut up,” he murmured and brought his mouth down to hers. His kiss was possessive, invasive, and she felt her knees turn to jelly and the only thing keeping her on her feet were his hands. Her head was spinning and she struggled weakly against him, her blood rushing fast in her ears. She gasped into his mouth when his hand reached around to grab her rear and squeezed hard enough to bring tears to her eyes.

Her hand came up on its own and she slapped him. Not hard, more out of a pure, desperate sort of surprise than any real anger. He stopped and looked at her, an unpleasant look evolving slowly in his eyes. “Okay, if that’s the way you want it. I was going to be nice to you, bitch.”

He seized her around the waist and lifted her into the air, bearing her backwards and dropped her hard onto the table. His hands were harsh as he shoved her knees apart, forcing his body between them. Kagome swatted at his hands. “Stop it, Inuyasha! Sit!”

He froze, staring at her with a mixture of surprise and anger in his eyes. Her gaze tore to his neck and for the first time since she’d awoken, Kagome felt the clutch of pure terror in her heart. The rosary was gone. “Oh my god,” she whispered.

He met her shocked, terrified eyes. “I don’t know why,” he said slowly. “But what you said just now really pissed me off.”

With a sudden snarl of rage, he shoved her back and pinned he the the table with one hard clawed hand. Kagome stared up at him, completely lost in her own fear. She couldn’t struggle, just laid still with her legs hanging limply on either side of him. Inuyasha’s face pushed close to hers and she could finally see the madness in his eyes. “I’m going to fuck you til you bleed, bitch.”

Kagome whimpered as he loomed over her, his hands grabbing harshly under her clothes. His claws scratched her cruelly as he moved her body into position, enjoying the smell of her horror. Please no, she thought, tears wetting her cheeks. Not like this, Inuyasha. Not like this.

“I thought I’d find you here, brother,” a voice said softly. Kagome tried to twist and see who it was, but Inuyasha kept her pinned to the table. He scowled with annoyance. “Go away, Ranma. Can’t you see I’m busy?”

“I can tell,” Ranma drawled, his voice amused. “Just thought I’d stop by and remind you that Naraku wants her undamaged.”

Inuyasha spun around, fury in his face. “I don’t give a fuck what Naraku wants!”

What? Kagome thought, using the opportunity to sit up and pull her clothes together. They aren’t under his control? She was faint with gratitude for Ranma’s interference.

Ranma smirked at his brother. “You can tell him yourself. If you hurt her too much she won’t be useful and that will fuck up his plans. And ours.”

Inuyasha turned back to Kagome and fixed the girl with a purposeful glare. “I want her.”

Laughing unpleasantly, Ranma walked over to clap the hanyou on the shoulder. “Patience, brother. If you lose control you’ll kill your pretty little plaything. She’s no use to us dead.”

The half-demon swore viciously. “All right, I’ll wait then.” He shot at sullen look at Kagome, his mouth twisted in anger. “Next time, bitch.”

Ranma stepped out of his brother’s way, a nasty looking smile still on his lips as he turned to follow Inuyasha. “Thank you,” Kagome said in a tiny voice.

The demon turne loo look at her, dark amusement all over his features. “Don’t thank me, girl. My brother doesn’t deal well with his frustration. When he finally does have you, you’ll be in for the most painful and humiliating experience of your short life. The only consolation will be that he won’t let you live long enough to truly suffer the way he’d like.”

He left her sitting there, helpless and nearly immobile from terror. Kagome pulled her knees up to her chin and pressed her back against the rough wooden wall. Her slight body shook violently and she wrapped her arms around her legs to stop the tremors. It was no use. He was lost to her and Kagome let her forehead rest on her knees, starting to cry softly from the utter despair crushing her heart.

END CHAPTER 15