Cursed

Kagome felt pain. It was starting to flood back into her body, she was hurt. Her eyelids were sticky with dried tears and she thought she couldn’t make herself move. Maybe if I just lay here, if I just try to ignore the pain, I can forget what happened. If I sleep long enough, maybe it will all turn into a dream. Warm unconsciousness sought to claim her again, releaer fer from the aching of her body. It would be so good to sleep some more.

A light touch brushed her cheek and Kagome’s eyes snapped open with a nameless panic. Stifling a scream, she rolled to the side and crouched, hoping somehow she’d be able to defend herself. Her attacker sat still, staring at her with wide eyes. “I’m so sorry, girl,” he murmured and offered her a friendly smile. “I wasn’t sure either of you were even alive.”

Kagome stared at him. A kind faced man was looking at her with a gentle expression, both of his hands held up to show that he wasn’t concealing a weapon from her. “Just relax,” he said in a soothing tone. “You’re hurt, aren’t you?”

She shifted from where she sat, automatically moving as if her slender body could protect the unconscious Inuyasha from whatever this stranger had planned. The man was human, dark hair was touched with a bit of white at his temples, streaking the lonaid aid that was cast over his shoulder. He knelt a few feet from her, making no aggressive moves. She trembled anyway, the ache in her shoulder was fire, her hand was numb even though she knew she was trying to curl it into a fist. “Who are you?” she asked, her voice rough and crumbling. “What do you want?”

He nodded at the unconscious body nto hto her. “I was just passing by,” he said. “I saw you two laying there and assumed you were dead. Murdered or something by bandits, I wasn’t sure.”

Her trembling increased and Kagome thought she might be sick. The man looked at her narrowly for a moment, then removed his long cloak. Slowly, he extended it to her, hoping not to frighten her more. “Here, you’re shaking. You might be in shock, young lady.”

Holding her injured arm tight against her, she reached with her good hand and took the offered garment, clumsily pulling it over her shoulders. His kind expression never wavered. “Can you tell me what happened?” he asked gently. “Who did this to you?”

“Sesshomaru,” she said automatically, looking at Inuyasha. He was still out like a light and Kagome felt tears welling up in her eyes. Oh, she prayed he wasn’t badly hurt, she’d never known him to be knocked out this long. She missed the hard look that passed over the stranger’s face, his dark eyes became like obsidian and his mouth thinned bitterly.

“Sesshomaru,” he muttered, looking away from her. “I might have known. Still, even I thought it would be beneath him to attack a defenseless child like you.”

She stared at him. “No, you don’t understand. He didn’t do anything to hurt me.”

“You’re injured,” he said flatly, glancing back at her. The man’s handsome face suddenly looked tired. “If Sesshomaru didn’t do this to you, then who did?”

She jerked her chin at Inuyasha. “He did it. He was going to…no, Sesshomaru stopped him. I’m sure it wasn’t out of kindness, he just wanted to kill Inuyasha.”

The man looked startled, peering again at the unconscious hanyou. “This is Inuyasha?” He moved closer, Kagome seemingly having lost her fear of him for the moment. The man reached out and grasped the half demon firmly by the shoulder, turning him over so he could look at his face. “Oh my gods,” he breathed, his eyes going wide.

The man put his hand on Inuyasha’s face, gently turning it to the side, noting the swelling bruises where he’d been “I “I wouldn’t have believed it,” he muttered. “Girl, this is important. What happened, why did this hanyou hurt you?”

Kagome felt defensive, feeling the need to protect Inuyasha, even from a stranger’s scorn. “It’s not his fault, he’s been under some kind of spell. He’s my friend, he would never hurt me intentionally.”

“A spell, huh?” The man rubbed his face again, frowning. “If so, why did Sesshomaru leave him alive? He’s not exactly known for being merciful when he’s angry.”

She felt ashamed of that, she’d sent the demon lord after Ranma with intent to kill. But there’d been no other way to convince him to spare his brother. Sadly, she found herself relating the story in bits and pieces, the man nodding understandingly when she couldn’t find the words to describe what Inuyasha had been intending to do.

“So, he could still be under this spell and still dangerous,” he said quietly. “You should take Sesshomaru’s advice, young woman. Leave him here, at least if he still is under this strange magic, he won’t be able to hurt you.”

Tears welled up in her eyes and dripped down her cheeks. “I can’t,” she said brokenly. “I won’t abandon him, not even to save myself. I’m the only one who can get through to him, he’ll never forgive himself for this.”

The stranger sat for a few moments, regarding the crying girl with pity in his eyes. Nothing was ever easy, he reflected. “At least let me be the one to try and wake him,” he offered. “I’ve got a better chance of surviving if he attacks, and you can make a run for it while I distract him.”

“He’ll kill you,” she murmured, her eyes wide and pain filled. “You don’t understand, he’s a half demon and…”

“I’m aware of the young man’s heritage,” he said dryly. Gently, he moved her aside, making room for himself beside Inuyasha as he took a handful of the half demon’s hair. “You just be ready to run,” he advised.

Kagome flinched as the stranger slapped Inuyasha hard across the face. When this had no reaction, he hit him again, even harder. Kagome had to stop herself from protesting, seeing Inuyasha so helpless made her hurt inside. The man scowled for a moment, then started to shake the hanyou. “Come on, kid,” he muttered. “Snap out of it, I know how hard Sessh hits people when he’s mad, but you’re supposed to be tougher than that.”

“What?” Kagome said nervously. “Do you really know Sesshomaru?”

“Oh, yes. We’ve met.” The man’s tone was grim as he continued to shake Inuyasha. Finally, the white haired hanyou let out a low moan of protest. “That’s better,” the man said cheerfully. “Open your eyes, lad. Time to wake.”

Inuyasha groaned again, his head felt like it had been used as a battering ram against a very thick stone wall. “Don’t want to wake up,” he whispered thickly.

“Too bad,” the man barked in a harsh tone. Inuyasha’s eyes pried open angrily. The guy standing over him had a severe look and the hanyou watched as a hand came towards his face. This time he got his own up in time to knock aside the blow. “Cut it out, asshole!”

The stranger eased back so that Inuyasha could pull himself into a sitting position. Both hands went to his aching skull. “What the fuck hit me?”

“Your brother, apparently,” the man said easily, turning and giving Kagome an encouraging look. She held her breath, not knowing if it was really Inuyasha who was starting to look around, his eyes narrowed in pain. Those eyes met hers and something flickered in them. “Kagome? Are you okay?”

She leaned over the stranger’s shoulder. “I’m okay,” she answered softly. “Are you okay? Are you really you again?”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” he muttered. Damn, but his head was aching. “Son of a bitch hit me, didn’t he?” he asked, looking to Kagome for confirmation. “What did he want this time?”

It was enough. “Oh thank god,” she blubbered, pushing the man aside to wrap her good arm around Inuyasha’s neck. “You’re you again!”

He stared at her. “You’re making less sense than usual,” he rumbled. “Who the hell is he? Where’s Miroku and Sango…where the HELL are my clothes?”

He had noticed he wasn’t wearing his usual garments and Kagome smiled faintly. “You don’t remember?”

“I don’t remember anything,” he said peevishly, roughly pulling away from her. Kagome cried out as he jostled her injured shoulder. Inuyasha’s nose caught the smell of her blood and his face darkened. “Who hurt you?”

She shook her head and knew that wasn’t going to be enough. “It’s okay, my shoulder is just dislocated, I fell down and hurt myself.”

The stranger shot a burning look at her. She didn’t want him to know what he’d done, that much was obvious. All right, he thought, that’s her choice. I’ll let her settle the matter. “I might be able to help you with that, it’s important to get that shoulder back in place as soon as possible.”

Inuyasha stared at him. “I’ll ask you again, stranger. Who are you and what are you doing here? If you’re the one who hurt Kagome, I’m going to rip your face off.”

“Pretty tough for someone who just woke up,” the man sniped back easily. He leaned over the girl then, one hand moving behind her back as if he knew what he was doing. “Brace yourself, young lady.”

Kagome cried out as her injured shoulder was moved back into place, trembling weakly against their new friend as he steadied her. “There, is it better now?”

She nodded, looking at him with some surprise. “Yes, thank you. I’m sorry, I don’t think I ever caught your name.”

“I didn’t throw it,” he quipped and then stopped himself. His sense of humor, inherited from his uncle, didn’t seem to suit the situation. “My name is Naota,” he told the girl soberly. “Now, I think maybe you should tell your friend why he’s lying in the woods. I’ll leave it to you to sort out the details.”

Quickly, she turned to Inuyasha and gave him a strongly edited version of events. “I let Naraku touch me?” the hanyou shouted at last. “These are his clothes? I had the bastard that close to me and I didn’t even TRY to kill him?” Oh this was a bad day, he could just feel it. He’d had Naraku within his grasp and he hadn’t done anything. He’d never be able to live with that, never. Finally, he sighed and looked back at Kagome. “So, just where the hell is Ranma, ay?”ay?”

“We were just wondering that,” a new voice said lightly. Kagome’s heart leapt up inside her with happiness when she saw Miroku, Sango, and Akane coming out of the woods. “You’re okay,” she squealed, struggling to get to heet aet and greet them. A ball of fur leapt from Miroku’s shoulder to bury itself in her arms.

“Kagome,” Shippo bawled. “I was scared you were dead!” She cuddled the fox tight to her chest, nuzzling his soft reddish hair. “I was pretty scared too,” she confessed.

Naota started laughing as he helped the young woman to her feet. “It seems like you have plenty of friends to help you now,” he teased mildly. Kagome didn’t answer but was swiftly gathered into a hug by both Sango and Akane.

“Kagome, we were so scared,” Akane breathed, grateful to find both Inuy and and her friend alive and well. “When I woke up, you were gone. We didn’t know why!”

“I’m just fine now,” she murmured, holding fast to Sango’s waist. Miroku went to stand near Inuyasha. Inuyasha scowled at the monk. “What the hell are you staring at, Miroku?”

Miroku stared hard at him for another moment. “I take it he doesn’t remember anything, Kagome?” She shook head,ead, hoping Miroku would sense that it would be wis wise to let the matter drop if possible. He nodded slowly and turned to look at Akane for a second before dropping his eyes. “We can assume that Ranma is still under Naraku’s influence then.”

Kagome sighed heavily, she was tired and filthy, absolutely exhausted from her harrowing experience. “I don’t know what he’s planning,” she confessed. “He sent Inuyasha and me out to find Koga, he wants his jewel shards. I think that might have just been an excuse. He never intended to catch Inuyasha with that spell, I’m sure of it. Sending us off alone together,” she flushed and wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes, “was just a sick game of his. I think he intended for Inuyasha to kill me before we ever found Koga.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the hanyou burst out. “Even under a spell, I wouldn’t have hurt you. I know that!” His face suddenly went pale and he sat back down heavily. “Kagome, what happened to your shoulder? Tell me the truth!”

“It’s not important,” she whispered.

Naota stood up, dusting off higs. gs. This Naraku person sounded like a real fun individual, made him remember why the hell he avoided demons in the first place. “You dislocated her shouldInuyInuyasha,” he said dryly, meeting the startled golden gaze. “You may have been under some kind of spell, not remembering who you were or who she was, but you damned well knew you were a demon. And acted like one.”

“You’re lying,” the hanyou shouted, jumping up and getting right in the man’s face. “Kagome, tell this prick he’s a liar!”

“Your demon side takes control of you, doesn’t it, kid?” Naota hissed. “You may not have been fully under the control of your blood this time, but it doesn’t change the nature of what you really are.”

“Stop it!” Akane shrieked. A dread had been building in her heart ever since she’d awoken with a demon lord’s hand clenched around her throat. They turned and looked at the girl, her face was white and tension stood out in her eyes and mouth. Kagome flinched when she realized how the happy, feisty girl had been suffering under the stress of life in the Sengoku Jidai. She looked sick with worry and fear, her face still smudged and her clothing looked ragged.

Sango had also noticed the stress and pain in the young woman and moved protectively closer, one hand moving to soothe Akane’s shou. “. “It’s okay, Akane.”

“I can’t stand it,” she rasped. “I hate everything about this place, I hate having evil demons stalking us, I hate going to sleep at night wondering when I’m going to be attacked next. If that Naraku made Inuyasha into some kind of monster, what do you think he’s doing to Ranma. We came here to find a way to seal off his demon side, not let it run loose!”

“Who is this Ranma?” Naota asked. “Why would this Naraku take such an interest in him?”

“We aren’t sure,” Miroku said quietly. “He only became a demon recently. He had thought himself human until he encountered a shard of the Shikon no Tama. Then his demon blood awoke and broke the seal that had been placed upon him.”

Naota looked surprised. “His demon blood was sealed? That’s no easy trick, young monk. It would take an extraordinarily powerful person to do that, only one of the Tai-Youkai would be able to manage such a complex piece of youki magic.”

“We don’t know who did it,” Kagome confessed. “I thought maybe we could find some way to seal it again, but I was wrong. It’s been growing stronger ever since it happened. He has terrible nightmares.”

Akane bit her lip, flushing a bit. “They weren’t nightmares,” she murd, md, meeting Ke’s e’s eyes. “He thought they were memories, and they weren’t his memories. When they took hold of him, he didn’t even know what he was doing.”

Sango nodded. “Like when we fought that monster at the village. He was in some kind of trance, threw himself on the ground like he wanted you to kill him, Inuyasha.”

“Yeah,” the hanyou said bitterly. “Just before he yelled out my dad’s name. I’d still like to know why the fuck he knew his name of all the damn things to yell.”

Inuyasha flinched when Naota’s hand grabbed him hard, this asshole was strong for a human, he thought and met the man’s eyes and saw a strength and darkness he’d never expected. “He called out for Inutaisho?” he demanded harshly. “Are you sure?”

Inutaisho.

Tai-Youkai.

Dog demon blood sealed by a long forgotten magic.

Inuyasha yanked his arm away from Naota and smacked himself hard in the head. “We are extremely stupid people,” he muttered. He spun around and looked at Kagome. “It had to be him. Who else would have sealed Ranma’s ancestor’s demon blood away?”

“Your father,” she whispered. “Why would he do something like that, what would have been the purpose?”

“So that person could have some kind of normal life, so he wouldn’t have to worry about the wild youki eating away his soul. Sealed like that, even a hanyou could pass for human.”

They stared at Naota, the man seemed to be in some kind of trance. “Who the fuck are you?” Inuyasha whispered.

“Shut up, kid,” Naota said harshly. His brow furrowed as he tried to call up memories he’d banished a long time ago. Finally, his eyes rested on Akane, the girl who seemed to care so much for this Ranma. “You’re very close to this person, aren’t you, girl?”

She nodded uneasily, moving closer to Sango. “Yes,” she said in a tiny voice.

His eyes watched her appraisingly. “Are you his woman?” She blushed, oh she turned about five shades of red at that. Naota seemed to look right through her, like he could see what had happened in the woods that night. It was only a few days ago, a week or two at most but she still burned when she thought about it.

His smile answered her hesitancy. “Never mind my improper questions,” he said, grinning at her. “Tell me, this Ranma. Does his family have any heirlooms you know of, something like…a katana?”

“How did you know?” she breathed, her eyes going wide. “His mother has a sword, one she says has been in their family for generations.”

Naota’s smile widened. “That sword is part of the seal. If he hand hold its hilt in his grasp, it might be enough for him to break the spell. Inutaisho’s magic is not something that can be thrown aside light

They hesitated, looking at the stranger in their midst who had suddenly burst into their lives with all the answers. Akane moved on instinct alone, stepping closer to Naota. Oh, she could see it now, she was looking for it. That damn smile, so like Ranma’s. She reached out to him, putting her hands on his arms and saw a defensive flicker cross his gaze. “Who are you really?”

His hands found hers and squeezed tight. “I’m guessing that you and Ranma traveled very far indeed to come here. Your clothing isn’t familiar to me, but honestly, I don’t really need to know why. Instinct tells me who Ranma is, you can’t guess how? Something pulled me here, to the Western lands of my birth and I had sworn I’d never return.”

“You were born here?” Kagome asked, her head cocked to the side in curiosity. “Is that how come you know Sesshomaru?”

“I should know him,” Naota laughed. “I grew up with him.”

“No way,” Inuyasha said, shaking his head. “I don’t believe it, not for a minute.”

Naota smiled, moving away from them, dropping Akane’s hands. “You can believe what you want, Inuyasha,” he said lightly. “I was raised in the same household as your brother. My parents died when I was a baby, your father took me in, raised me as a son. I’m very sorry you never got to know him.”

Inuyasha’s mouth was hanging open, staring in pure disbelief at what he suddenly realized was no human. No hint of youki, no whiff of demon presence at all. His nose told him that this was an ordinary human male standing before him. “Why would my father have done that?”

Naota shrugged, grinning the same happy smile that Akane knew Ranma had inherited. “Well, he was my uncle, I suppose he felt obligated to take care of me.”

It was too much to absorb at once, Inuyasha thought. “So you’re Sesshomaru’s cousin then.”

“I’m your cousin too,” Naota said sharply. What a nice mess they’d gotten themselves into, seems that Ranma and Inuyasha both had the family talent for making a mess out of their lives. But right now, he had no time to spare for the dumbfounded hanyou or his puzzled human companions. He turned to look at Kagome. “Tell me why Sesshomaru is going after Ranma. I gave up trying to figure out his mind a long time ago.”

Inuyasha privately agreed with that statement. His brother was aloof, closemouthed and downright vicious when provoked. But he also had no idea why Sesshomaru would be burning for Ranma’s blood.

Kagome did. “He’s angry, Ranma killed some friends of his.”

“Sesshomaru doesn’t have friends,” both Naota and Inuyasha said at once. Their eyes met briefly and the newfound cousins smiled at the universal difficulty that was their relative.

Kagome grinned, glad to have actually met someone who claimed to be one of the hanyou’s relatives and didn’t revile him for his human blood. “He’s very angry, he thought Inuyasha was responsible.” She flushed and couldn’t look at Akane. “I had to tell him the truth, Ranma is the one who killed Namichi.”

The effect of her words on Naota was frightening. His face abruptly went pale under his tan, his eyes looked lost, then sickened with emotion. “Are you sure that the name is Namichi?” he whispered. A stab like a blade went into his heart. It had been nearly a century since he’d seen her face, but he’d never forget the taste of her lips or the bright sunshine of her laugh. Oh gods no, he thought, feeling a horror and grief welling inside him.

“She was half kitsune, so she said,” Shippo put in, oblivious to the pain that was washing over Naota’s face.

“Naota?” Akane murmured, reaching to touch him. He yanked his arm out of her reach. “You need to get that sword,” he said, in a voice gone dead of all emotion. “If you want any kind of chance to save Ranma from the demon blood that’s eating his soul, you need to put that seal back in place. Whatever this Naraku has done, your friend’s life is now ticking away. It won’t be long before the madness claims him. If it does, you will have no choice but to destroy him.”

Akane raised her hands to her mouth in horror. “Are you sure?” She wished it wasn’t true, she begged whatever might hear her to spare Ranma. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t his fault!

“I’m very sure,” Naota said coldly. He turned away, he had to leave, now, before it was too late to stop his hellbent cousin. Maybe he could reason with Sesshomaru, if the demon lord didn’t try to kill him on sight. It was a possibility, as always.

“Where are you going?” Inuyasha called out, confused. Naota turned and looked at Inutaisho’s youngest son. “I’m going to see if I can keep that bastard brother of yours from murdering my grandson.”